Part 25 (2/2)
It ell here to reflect upon Fal Den, Pat Rin thought, and the nicety of his honor, which had not allowed hihed and gave his lace a last, unnecessary, shake Tiet on with the pursuit of pleasure
Express, indeed
THE ADDRESS WAS in Solcintra Mid-Port, on a street well-known to a certain set of self-styled adventurers and high rollers An adventurer he was not, but in the course of learning to be a high roller, it had sometimes been necessary for Pat Rin to attend parties on this street Now an acknowledged player, he still received invitations to such parties, but of late he had retfully, with a conflicting engage a business day was unexceptional, of course, but to be seen here in the evening, dressed in all his finery
At least he was not alone He saw several vaguely faer than he, each carrying their sealed red packet inscribed with the legend, ”To Be Opened Expressly at the House of Chance”
He bowed distantly in the direction of a young lady whose name escaped him-her face notable in that Pat Rin had witnessed the end of a entle becahed-no doubt he would be singled out during the Express to give hints and best wishes, if not to lend countenance to the rather interesting costume that the lady had found appropriate to wear to an event that ht playIndeed, she gained his side as he caaudily painted doorway, and just in tiether, they entered the sen'Equa's House of Chance, he in his evening lace, and she as shefriends to her house; or even friends to her bed assuredly, soenerally held to be proper for public outings - but it would not be he
A servant, bland-faced, admitted theht of the entranceway
”You may open your envelopes and don your accessories in this chamber,” he said ”After you have appropriately adorned yourselves, you er room Buffets will be laid in the private parlors at mid-revel”
It was at this point that Betea sen'Equa herself appeared, slightly breathless, as if she had run down from her office the moment the monitor showed his arrival Immediately was Dela bel'Urik's costume discovered to be mere commonplace, quite cast into the shade by Betea's choice of flame red shi+rt, cut low across her breasts, for leather trousers, and soft-soled leather house-boots
Nor was the young bel'Urik's address sufficient to assure her place at Pat Rin's side Betea swept forward, using her height h a crowd and arrive at his destination unrumpled and uni the way into the accessory chaht to the bel'Urik
”I have been through our records,” she said, pulling what appeared to be a small square of leather from between her breasts ”Never has the House of Chance hosted such an event Whythat we shall perhaps discover of Hia Cyn, e have an opportunity to speak,” Pat Rin interrupted, striving for patience He was here, he reminded himself, as an instrument of Balance His personal pets and peeves had no brief here Looking down, he broke the seal on his Express packet, and, wonderingly, pulled out a folded bit of leather, much like the one Betea had
The leather unfolded, revealing its form: A half-mask in supple black leather, with ribands of the same color
Betea's mask was flame red As he watched, she tied it into place and let the ribands fall over one shoulder, the tasseled ends kissing the swell of her breast
Pat Rin's uncle, Daav yos'Phelium-Val Con's very father-had once told Pat Rin a story about a world where all went masked and revealed themselves only to their most intimate kin The story had turned upon a man hom Uncle Daav had sworn to be acquainted, who had one day foro about his daily business unly distressful situations that arose froly correct, decision
The story had a lesson at its heart, of course-a scout lesson, hich one's reed The lesson was that custom was arbitrary and oft-times nonsensical, and that the superior person was one as not shackled by the custom of his homeworld, but moved freely from one set of traditions to another, without offense to any
To wear a mask on Liad was, of course, to be very wicked Masks were erotic, intoxicating and entirelyoutside of Code
”Well?” Betea sen'Equa asked, not a little snappish ”Are you going to put that on, or are you not?”
THE HOUR WAS growing late
Not that the young gentleman of leisure was at all concerned for the final outco, he only wished that Betea would approach him so that the matter could be settled, finally and for all She oversaw for a time the roo certain that the money and the drink flowed, as a proper hostess must do
Indeed, he would quite miss Betea, and where he would find another cat's paw so perfectly situated, he could not predict However, he was a young man of an optimistic cast of mind and rarely allowed the problems of tomorrow to oppress him today He did not doubt for a moment that Betea would find herself able to accoements he had made for her After all, what could it matter to a Clanless where she lived or to whom she owed duty?
If only she would she would stop circulating and coo forward
IT WASDISCONCERTINGto enter a roo only that their features were masked Pat Rin, master of any social situation described in the Code, felt ill-at-ease, which sensation he found unsatisfactory in the extreme
By contrast, Betea strolled into the roo people whose ht, the echoes of Uncle Daav's old story suddenly ringing in his ears, perhaps she had
He raised his head and , as best as he was able, the supple caress of leather against his cheeks A masked servant offered hi, moved even further into the room
Betea, he saell advanced of hi colors of the Festival season
Strolling through the rooood ear for voices, and he found that he recognized the accents of more than one social acquaintance in conversation, mask to mask
So acclimated did he become, in fact, that, when hailed by a yellow-haired lady in an eravely and , Eyan I hope I find you well?”
The lady gave a startled laugh and moved forward to lay her hand on his arm
”Quick, my friend Very quick A word in your ear, however: We name no names here”
Pat Rin sipped his wine ”Whyever not?”
”Oh, it adds to the htiness! Is it not absurd?”
”Perhaps But it is possible that you will change ed in the absurd””Prettily said,” smiled the lady ”Alas, I am here at the whie fro o and find a less” She had recourse to her own glass, eyes quizzing him over the crystal rim ”But how do I find you present at such an exercise? Pay-off on a wager? Never say that you lost!”
Pat Rin inclined his head ”I find my situation similar to your own; and alance across the roo to find it
”Pat Rin?” Her hand was on his sleeve once more ”What's amiss?”
”I-am not certain,” he replied, and turned sharply on his heel ”Perhaps nothing is amiss Your pardon, Eyan” Hebehind him
IT HAD BEEN absurdly easy Betea had all but literally walked into his aruide her into the parlor where his business associate awaited them
”This is she?” The man behind the table asked, while Hia Cyn held Betea fir the kick she aiht to sell her into indenture?”
”Sir, I have,” said Hia Cyn ”There is a debt between us of long standing, which she htest push to settle I certainly-”
”That,” snarled Betea, twisting against his grip, ”is a lie! I owe you nothing!”
”Yes, well” Hia Cyn shi+fted his grip and got her arm up behind her, hand between her shoulder-blades, which quietened her quick enough ”I have the papers, sir, which you've seen The Council itself acknowledges h the sale of this woman's work for a period of seven standard years”
”He's a wizard with papers, this one!” Betea snarled ”Look twice at any signatures he shows you, lordshi+p-Ah!”