Page 6 of Shadowing Bright
They got to the car and were, indeed, able to tuck themselves into the vehicle.
Amy smiled as Vaia drove them across the city.“I would have thought that you would have a driver.”
“I like driving, and hiring a driver is a waste of funds that could be used elsewhere.”
“Gotcha.It just seems like you have a lot more income than it appears on the surface.”
“Oh, that.Well, yeah.Not getting attention is what I want for three hundred and sixty-four days of the year.Today is the exception.”
“I see.I feel bad that I didn’t get you a present.”
Vaia pulled onto the offramp to take them to the faire.“You did.You came with me.This doesn’t happen often.”
“People don’t agree?”
“People don’t show up.I don’t cultivate a lot of what would be considered friends.”
“I see.Why not?”
“I don’t particularly like people.”She chuckled, indicated, and turned toward the Night Faire.“You are different.Nylora is different, though she no longer needs the corsets to conceal her belly.She’s sending Isocar over to me to get her some corsets for therapeutic purposes.”
“How does that work?”
“A proper fit feels like a hug.It helps you get used to contact if it has been a while.Nylora is a tremendous hugger.Very tactile.She wants some help for her sister.”She parked in the employee lot in a reserved spot.
“Why are we parking here?”
“Because this isn’t a casual trip around the faire, at least not to start.It can be afterward, but right now, I need to do my thing so that I can reset for the next year.”
“So, which side of your family?”
“Oh.My bio father’s.My mom didn’t know his name.It was one of those moonlight seductions, and then he was gone, and she was left with memories and me.So, she got married and had other kids, and I got pushed to the sacrificial line the moment another mage family raised their heads.”
“So, your husband is a mage?”
“He’s like me, half mage, half something else.”Vaia handed over a wristband with black-and-gold stripes.“This gets you anywhere and a twenty percent discount at the vendors.”
“Nice.Very nice.I have had my eye on one of the bags here.”
“Okay.Let me get this out of the way, and we can go shop.”
Thiswas walking directly to the dance stage, where a surprising number of people had gathered to watch.Amy flipped the edges of her cloak over her shoulders and crossed her arms as she settled in to watch.
The announcer stated that it was for everyone who had a birthday that week.
Vaia removed her cloak and stood, dressed in shimmering, liquid darkness with blood-red glyphs under the beadwork.She stepped out and got cheers, and then she pulled the spike that held her hair up, and a cascade of black swung around her.And then, the musicians started up, and she began to dance to the beat.
The energy that the crowd gave up was in an astonishing array of colours.Blue, gold, black, grey, silver, white, and some red and orange.There were signs that a psychic vampire was going to be working, and the watchers of dozens of races gave up a little bit of themselves gladly.
Vaia shivered, shimmied, and bounced joyfully to the music for fifteen minutes, and then she bowed.The crowd sighed sadly, and she looked to the musicians.They nodded, and she started one more dance that involved a veil made of the night sky as she swayed and pulled the night across and around her.It was heavily seductive, but Amy applauded wildly.Vaia was a very skilled dancer.
This time, when it was over, she bowed, blew kisses toward the audience, and slipped on her cloak again, walking over to Amy.“So, you wanted to shop?”
“That was spectacular.You don’t stay for the tips?”
“Nope.They go to the musicians.I got my meal—oof!”A small woman collided with her.
“Vaia!You were spectacular, as always.Are you staying for a while?”
