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Xenon smiled as Fiera twisted in the center of the room. She brought her arms above her head, the blue opals on her wrists and upper arms gleaming in the light. “Mistress Fiera, you look amazing,” he said with an approving nod.

Fiera laughed and brought her arms down. “Only because I’ve had you and Cali these past five years to keep me looking this good.” Her hand went to her face. “I’ve gotten more than my fair share of damage and you have always made certain none of my injuries kept me from working.”

This last was said in a much softer tone, as Calixtra was still recovering from the damage she’d taken in the last attack. This time though the violence worked in Fiera’s favor. Enough witnesses had seen what happened, including the fact that an innocent had suffered as collateral damage, that Iacchus had been forced to call the retrieval service and liquidate the young courtesan.

Fiera glanced at her wristband. The huge zero in the center of her display made her smile reappear. “This makes me happy.” She tapped it with nails covered in flowers and blue butterflies.

“We were very lucky the ISRS refused to charge the medical bills for both you and Cali to your account.” Xenon frowned. “I was worried that would have pushed you back up too close to the threshold.”

Fiera nodded. “It might have even pushed me over, given the severity of Cali’s injuries. Thankfully the laws were changed last year to cover situations like this, or I’d have been in serious trouble.”

Xenon watched her as she almost floated over to her favorite chair and sat down. “Do you ever regret making that bet with Master Iacchus, Mistress Fiera?”

“Why would I? You two are the closest thing to a family I have now, and I’d rather have you with me for as long as you’re willing to stay than to have lost you back at the start of all of this,” Fiera said.

A loud knock sent Xenon out of the room. Fiera bounced up and opened the door. “Ah, my favorite blue butterfly.” Iacchus glared at her. “I suppose you’re ready to be rid of that wristband?”

“Of course I am.” Fiera held out her arm. Iacchus tapped in the appropriate code and the hated reminder of five years of slavery fell off.

“Now I suppose you’ll want me to put a good word in for you with the other Houses?” Iacchus continued scowling at her.

Fiera raised an eyebrow. “Master Iacchus, why don’t we discuss my future with the House of the Midnight Song in a more comfortable setting? You are, of course, welcome to enter my rooms.”

She spun around, catching him with her skirt and a few errant curls, before walking back to her favorite comfortable chair. She kicked off her shoes and sat down. She tucked her feet up beneath her before settling her skirt to keep her covered, giving Iacchus time to enter and find a seat of his own.

“You are still considering staying in my House, Fiera? After what just happened to you?” Iacchus entered and settled down on another chair.

“As far as I know, you had nothing to do with that most recent event other than to deal with it swiftly and with perfect adherence to the current laws.” Fiera shrugged. “I see no reason why I should blame you for anything. I was warned very early on that things like this would happen. I’d rather they didn’t but I’m not afraid of my reputation and others are.”

Iacchus nodded. “It’s more that they’re jealous of your successes.”

Fiera favored him with a small smile. “Is jealousy not a form of fear?”

Iacchus inclined his head. “I suppose it could be seen as one.”

Fiera picked up a pad that was sitting on the side table. “Now, the standard contract is the courtesan keeps sixty percent and the House keeps forty percent.” Iacchus nodded. “I don’t find that acceptable. I’m not entirely greedy, but I do have expensive tastes and since I refuse to go back into debt to indulge my love of luxury, I want better terms.”

“What would you consider fair?” Iacchus’ eyes narrowed.

“I get seventy five percent; you get twenty five percent.” Fiera shrugged. “It’s a significant change, but I’m not asking for something so unreasonable as say ninety percent of the income generated by my contracts.”

Iacchus stared hard at her. “You think very highly of yourself, don’t you?”

“I swore to you that I would win my freedom in ten years. I’ve done it in five.” Fiera pointed to the armband still in his hand. “And that was with adding Xenon and Calixtra’s debt to my own as well as all of the penalties I was charged for the petty insecurities of the other courtesans and my own missteps.”

Iacchus nodded. “That’s true. You’ve done very well for yourself, even if you don’t have any particularly favored patrons.”

Fiera laughed. “I wasn’t going to choose any until after I freed myself. Since I knew that any kind of favor shown would immediately net them a significant discount and thus slow down my ability to pay off my debt.”

“Well, that is what happens when I have someone choose one of my indentured servants as a favorite.” Iacchus smiled. “I take it you’ll now consider choosing a favorite or two?”

“I might.” Fiera tossed her cherry red curls back behind her shoulders. “Assuming I can find anyone who matches my rather demanding tastes.”

“Now, you are aware that Calixtra’s injuries will require me to retire her,” Iacchus said.

Fiera sighed. “I was afraid of that.”

“Xenon has indicated that when she leaves, he will be going with her to ensure she’s properly taken care of.” Iacchus waited for her response.

Fiera tapped one finger against the edge of her tablet. “Then I should take some time to interview a few new stylists. See if I can find someone I’m able to work with.”

Iacchus nodded. “I’ll send you a list of available candidates later today and you can interview them at your leisure. Just be aware the longer you take the harder it will be for you to make up for lost time.”

Fiera tilted her head to one side. “Will you agree to the terms I set?”

Iacchus shrugged. “I see no reason not to. You are one of my most popular courtesans, in spite of everything, so I would be a fool to risk the loss of the income you’ll be bringing in.” Iacchus pulled out his own tablet and made a few adjustments to something on the screen. “If you’d care to read this and then thumb your approval.”

Fiera read through the contract carefully several times. “I am not agreeing to a specific timeframe for my employment with your House.” Fiera passed it back without signing. “I’ll stay here as long as I feel it’s in my best interest. However, if I find something else that interests me – or if the stars all fade from the night sky and I find a husband – I’m not going to be trapped in a long-term contract that could prevent me from living my life.”

Iacchus inclined his head. “Fair enough.” He removed the offending clause and passed the tablet back to Fiera. She read through the contract again before pointing out a few other things she wasn’t happy about. Iacchus stood his ground on one of them, but they compromised on the other two. Finally, Fiera thumbed the contract and Iacchus left her in peace.

Xenon joined her a few minutes later, as she read through some of the available contracts for that evening. “Mistress Fiera, did Master Iacchus tell you about Calixtra’s condition?”

Fiera set her tablet aside. “He told me she was being retired, and that you were going with her to ensure she has the best care possible.”

Xenon nodded, a sorrowful look on his face. “I’ve lost Cambria already. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing Cali as well.”

“Xenon, I have a twin and a younger brother back on Sorus, though I’ve not seen either of them in years. Do you think that I’d have left them if I was given a choice?” She managed to smile though her heart was breaking inside her chest. “I’ll be getting a list of available stylists to interview later from Master Iacchus. I was hoping, before you leave, that you’d help me go through the names and see if there was anyone you recognized.”

Xenon relaxed, obviously relieved by her acceptance. “I’d be glad to, Mistress Fiera.”

The list dropped into her inbox a short while later. Fiera opened it up. “Well, there are more than I thought there would be.”

“May I?” Xenon asked, holding out his hand. She handed him her tablet. He read through the list, tapping the screen a few times. He passed the tablet back to her. “The names I highlighted are the ones I think would work best with you. Cali and I trained with several of these women.”

Fiera looked at her tablet. The list was now far more manageable with nine names highlighted. She sent a request for credentials and contact information. The necessary records arrived moments later. She frowned. “Xenon, the one named Liliana. It says she’s a retired Pleasure Seeker with ‘engineering issues.’”

Xenon grimaced. “Lil is a sweet girl, Mistress Fiera. But she was a failed experiment from some lab somewhere. They were trying to make more pleasing courtesans – not here on Bouarus, but on a world where genetic engineering is overlooked despite the massive sanctions against it – and they increased the potency of the women’s pheromones. Unfortunately for Lil, hers are only enhanced during a certain time each month.”

Fiera shook her head. “The poor girl.”

Xenon nodded. “She had the same implant you have, so she didn’t have a menstrual cycle. Yet that didn’t stop her pheromones from going insane and driving her clients to violence against her on a regular basis. I suggested she take her freedom and learn a new trade. She pointed out she wasn’t good for much else other than looking pretty. I showed her how to take her natural affinity for making herself look beautiful with very little assistance from her stylists and turn it into a viable trade where she set her own hours.”

“It says she prefers female clients who are not interested in women.” Fiera read through Liliana’s employment requirements. “Good thing I’m not really interested in anyone.”

“You are remarkable in that sense, Mistress Fiera. I have never met anyone who was so attractive to many, and yet attracted to no one,” Xenon said.

“I’m one of the many variations of being anterosexual,” Fiera said. “In my case, I have to have a deep emotional connection to someone before I will even consider a romantic relationship, and for me at least gender doesn’t matter.”

“Interesting.” Xenon smiled. “You are full of surprises, Fiera.”

“The Arpathi have a long list of tongue twisting words for what I am, and I actually know them. On Sorus, we use those and antero interchangeably. I just prefer antero because it’s so much simpler to say.” Fiera laughed. “I was never a good student when it came to learning the Arpathi language.”

“How many words are there for gender preference?” Xenon seemed genuinely curious, and Fiera didn’t mind answering him.

“Last count there were seventeen,” she said with a wry smile. “Each variation has to do with gender, gender preference – or non-preference – and whether or not you need some kind of pre-existing relationship. It gets very confusing.” She chuckled. “Then again, Sorus takes a lot of its customs and traditions from the Arpathi. Even when it comes to twins. You rarely see us very far apart from each other unless something terrible happens.”

“You had a twin?” Xenon asked. Then he nodded. “I remember now. You said one of the brothers you left behind was your twin.”

Fiera smiled. “Phelix is his name. I miss him something fierce every time I open my eyes and he’s not here. It’s been that way since we followed our separate paths back on Sorus.” Fiera grabbed up a handkerchief and wiped the tears that were threatening to ruin her makeup before going back to the list.

She set up the interviews for that evening, and by the next morning Fiera was attended by three new young women. She settled on Liliana for her clothing – as Xenon suggested – and two other former courtesans named Devorah and Kimaya to handle her hair and jewelry. Iacchus assigned two new young, indentured servants named Sidonie and Azari to take care of everything else.

Fiera gave several gifts to Xenon and Calixtra before they left, much to the surprise of her two former stylists. “I’ll call you as soon as we’re settled, Fiera,” Xenon said. “I’m sure Cali will want to let you know how she’s doing too.” Calixtra nodded, her eyes full of tears. She hugged Fiera tightly, the damage to her throat making it too hard for the other woman to speak.

Fiera wiped away her own tears. “I’ll miss the both of you. Please do keep in touch.” They headed off.

“Mistress Fiera, Lady Kakoric is here to see you,” Sidonie said.

Fiera raised an eyebrow. “Again? She was just here last week. It’s not as if my answer were going to change just because I bought my freedom.” She sighed. “All right. Sidonie, pour us some wine and then leave the room. I have a feeling the Councilor’s wife is going to push me to drink the whole bottle before our little interview is done.”

“Of course, Mistress Fiera,” Sidonie said.

Lady Lachesis Kakoric was shown in a few moments later. “Congratulations, Fiera,” Lachesis said, her warm voice full of amusement. “I have heard the wonderful news that you are now a free agent. Have you considered my offer of working in the House I have a greater interest in?”

“I’ve told you before, Lady Kakoric, that my allegiance is to Iacchus Santorini,” Fiera said. “I’ve signed a contract to remain in his House for the time being and at the moment I have no desire to leave my comfortable suite of rooms.”

“Ah, I see,” Lachesis said. “I must say you are looking particularly lovely today.”

“Freedom is as great a cosmetic as any on the market,” Fiera said.

“That it is,” Lachesis said. She glanced around. “I do not see your usual coterie of companions.”

“Xenon and Calixtra are gone. Cali was severely injured and Iacchus forcibly retired her. Xenon went with her to take care of her,” Fiera said. “I have three new stylists and two servants now. My stylists are still settling in, and I’ve sent my servants off so they don’t have to hear us argue.”

Lachesis smiles. “Perfect.” Straightening, she cleared her throat. “The silver fox of Sorus sends the greatest salubrious salutations to his most virtuous progeny and asks that the Duyelia phoenix awaken herself, shake off the chains of oppression, and speak her wisdom into the ears of this most worthy vessel.”

A shudder went through Fiera’s body. Her eyes rolled up in her head and she went stiff. An indeterminate time later, Fiera’s body relaxed. She blinked, frowning. What had just happened? What had just been said?

Lachesis scowled at her. “I cannot believe you are still so determined to continue to work for Iacchus Santorini. I suppose I do waste my time every week. Yet I am not going to stop asking.” She rose and stormed out.

“Ah, stars.” Fiera rubbed her temples. “Why do I always end up feeling like I’ve just been drugged every time that woman comes into the room?”

Sidonie came in with a cheerful smile on her young face. “Mistress Fiera, Master Iacchus advised me you always took afternoon tea with a high protein snack.”

“Is it that late already? Where did my day go?” Fiera blinked at the servant as she laid out the snack, cleaning up the wine and the two glasses. Fiera noticed her glass was still full.

“Mistress Fiera, you’ve been talking to Lady Kakoric for the past three hours,” Sidonie said.

Fiera stared at the girl in shock. “What? How is that even possible?”

“Mistress Fiera, are you feeling all right?” Sidonie stared at her with some concern.

“I’m losing my mind. I swear I am.” Fiera sighed. “I probably just need to eat. Do I have anything on my schedule for this evening?”

“Not yet, but there is someone who wants to discuss arranging a contract with you,” Sidonie said. “He’s been waiting for the past hour. He stepped out to grab some lunch but said he would be back.”

As if on cue, Azari poked her head into the room. “Mistress Fiera, you have a guest who would like to discuss terms of hiring your services,” she said. Sidonie poured a second cup of tea and set out a small cake before following Azari out of the room.

Fiera kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet up under her in the chair. She smoothed her skirt out to cover them. A well-built young man with blond hair and cornflower blue eyes walked in. He was dressed in an elegant suit cut in the military style. His movement told her as young as he was that he’d served at least some time in the CAF for the Central Worlds.

“Good afternoon, Lord Benoit,” Fiera said, pitching her voice with just the right amount of warmth to put him at his ease. “I wasn’t expecting a visit from Aoi’s favorite patron today. I do hope she hasn’t disappointed you.”

Gaspare Benoit smiled. “It still astonishes me that the courtesan they call the Blue Butterfly pays so much attention to the comings and goings of a woman most do not even realize exists.” He sat in the chair she gestured him towards. “She speaks very highly of you to this day.”

“I am very glad to hear it. Aoi and I are supposed to consider ourselves rivals, but we know that we have very different tastes in clients.” Fiera tilted her head to one side. “I do hope you aren’t asking me to take you on, Lord Benoit. I would rather not steal away one of Aoi’s favorite patrons.”

Gaspare smiled. “No, Aoi’s quiet nature far better suits me than your rather flamboyant attitude.”

Fiera laughed and sipped her tea. “I do tend to stand out. So, please tell me why you’re visiting me this afternoon.”

“I would like to contract your services on behalf of a friend of mine.” Fiera raised an eyebrow and then waved her hand for him to continue. “Kuen Nakano.”

“Oh stars.” Fiera set the cup down. She nibbled at the snack while she thought hard. “You would ask to contract me for the one man no woman of the Houses wants to deal with.”

“He has told me that several times.” Gaspare looked at her inquisitively. “Do you know why?”

“He is…less than pleasant to deal with. Many of the other courtesans complain about his attitude towards them. He sees us as little more than fancy ornaments that are on his arm to glorify him and not what we are – intelligent individuals using the parties to make contacts of our own while still entertaining our clients for the evening.”

Gaspare nodded. “I have had a word with him about that recently. It seems his idea of what a courtesan was came from his mother.”

Fiera glared at Gaspare. “Lady Nakano tells her son we’re trash, we’re castaway ornaments who can be treated like we’re worthless, and it’s considered acceptable?”

“Certainly not.” Gaspare put both his hands up. “As I said, I had a long conversation with him. He has learned the error of that line of thought.”

“Is there a specific event I am to be his escort for? Or are you contracting me long term?” Fiera asked, picking her tea back up.

“My sister Honore’s twentieth birthday party,” Gaspare said. “All young men who are unattached – or at least who appear unattached – are in for a very bad experience. My mother will be shoving my sister in all their faces, hoping to marry her off as fast as possible. Kuen does not deal well with that kind of thing, and I would like to limit his discomfort as much as possible.”

Fiera stared into her teacup for several moments. She looked up at him. “Why come to me? There are other, far more docile young ladies. I am not going to put up with any kind of rudeness from him, especially since I no longer have to fear being penalized by large fines being added to my burden.” Gaspare’s inquisitive look returned. “I paid my debt off. I’m still with this House, but now I get to pick my own contracts.”

“Congratulations on such a monumental achievement. Is this not uncommonly fast for someone in your position though?” Gaspare asked.

“It is. However, I was very lucky in that the Master of this House gave me some leeway in choosing my own assignments. I did not have a great deal of freedom while still indentured, but I did have my preferences and he accommodated me on those whenever he felt it would make him the most money.” Fiera sighed. “If I take this contract, I’ll be charging you double you realize. Lord Nakano is a problematic client and one that is likely to create some difficulties for me.”

“I would expect nothing less. I would also hope you would allow for significant bonuses to be delivered as this is a three-day affair, and I want to be certain he is covered for the whole time.” Gaspare smiled at her.

Fiera called Sidonie back. “Sidonie, fetch my tablet for me please?”

“Of course, Mistress Fiera.” Sidonie zipped off to Fiera’s room, coming back a moment later the requested item.

The young courtesan pulled up her documents and found that Iacchus had even given her a new boilerplate setup for her contracts. Fiera wrote up how she thought she wanted it to go. “Where will the party be held?”

“Are you aware of where my family’s current vacation home is?” Gaspare inquired.

Fiera shook her head. “Not if it isn’t on Bouarus.”

“Then you might wish to add that I am paying for your travel expenses into your contract. I am asking you to do more than I would usually request of a Pleasure Seeker,” Gaspare said.

Fiera paused, her fingers resting just above the surface of the tablet. “What world is it on?”

“Oh, we are holding the party on Cova.”

“Ah, a two-hour trip by shuttle then.” Fiera added that to the contract.

“Yes. It is not too far, but still a little out of the way. I will be covering your accommodations and your meals,” Gaspare said.

“If that is the case, you’ll be paying for me to bring my stylists with me since I do need a team to make certain I look my best.” She added that to the contract.

“I have done the same for Aoi countless times. I have no problem doing the same for you,” Gaspare said.

Fiera finished writing up the details of the contract before handing it over to Gaspare to review. He pointed out where she needed to adjust the wording so they were both covered legally. Once she fixed the issue, he thumbed it.

“When do I need to be at the port?” Fiera asked.

“Tomorrow morning,” Gaspare said. “I’ll send a car for you at 0900. You’ll come up on our private shuttle.”

“I’ll have my ladies pack a few things then and we’ll be ready,” Fiera said. “Lord Benoit, I do not travel well due to…previous traumatic experiences with space travel, so I will apologize in advance if I am less than pleasant when I first arrive.”

“I will be the one meeting you so thank you for the warning.” Gaspare’s smile warmed his azure blue eyes. “I will inform my mother that I am expecting two young ladies and their stylists as Aoi is attending with me.”

“I will see you tomorrow then, Lord Benoit,” Fiera said. Sidonie returned and showed the young man out. Fiera summoned her other servant. “Azari, fetch my stylists for me. We have much to discuss.”

“Yes, Mistress Fiera,” Azari said.

A few minutes later, the trio of new stylists arrived. “Has something happened, Mistress Fiera?” Devora asked.

“We’re going on a trip, ladies. To Cova, and a party for a rather lovely young woman and her marriage hungry mother,” Fiera said.

“How are you going to pay for the trip if you just bought your freedom? You don’t have a favored patron to pay our way.” Kimaya flipped her sandy blonde hair out of her sullen grey eyes.

“Lord Gaspare Benoit is paying our way, as it was part of the contract. I’ve taken the necessary precautions. We’ll be leaving tomorrow so we need to decide what I’ll be wearing and pack accordingly,” Fiera said.

“You always wear blue, don’t you? I mean, you are the courtesan everyone calls the Blue Butterfly. You’ll wear blue dresses and blue jewelry. Just pick whatever you like and put it in a box.” Kimaya shifted from foot to foot, like an impatient child. “I don’t see why you’re wasting everyone’s time with this.”

Fiera glared at the other woman. “Kimaya, I am beginning to feel very sorry I took Xenon’s recommendation of hiring you.”

“You’re the one who sent him away in the first place,” Kimaya snapped.

“Where did you hear that one, Kimi?” Liliana asked, speaking up for the first time since her interview. “Cali was badly injured, and Xenon left Mistress Fiera’s services to take care of her.”

“To be honest, I’d rather have Xenon and Cali with me right now rather than you three. However, Iacchus retired Cali. Xenon didn’t trust anyone else to care for her properly, so he retired with her.” Fiera sighed. “I am glad the person who attacked Cali got liquidated by the ISRS though. A rather fitting fate for someone who caused so much harm.”

Kimaya snorted. “More likely you were threatening to put him back in debt and he couldn’t bear it, so he left with Cali.”

“Why would she, when she was the one who took on their debt to free them?” Devorah asked.

“Where did you hear that load of drek?” Kimaya demanded incredulously. “No one does something that stupid.”

“From Xenon, Calixtra, and Master Iacchus,” Devorah said.

Fiera lifted her personal comm up and tapped in Xenon’s house code. She made sure the small device was set to speaker mode. “Fiera, I hope everything is going well with our replacements.” Xenon’s voice rang out like a bell in the room. Kimaya fell silent.

“Not really, Xenon,” Fiera said, not taking her eyes off the sandy haired troublemaker.

“Oh dear,” Xenon said with a sigh. “Are the ladies not working out as I’d hoped?”

“I’m not sure. I can’t get Kimaya to do any work,” Fiera said. “She’s calling Dev, Lil, and even me liars regarding the situation with you and Cali.”

“What do you mean?” Xenon asked.

“She doesn’t believe Mistress Fiera took on your debt, that you retired to take care of Cali, and that Cali was retired by Master Iacchus,” Liliana said.

Xenon sighed. “Hello Lil. Kimi, why are you giving Fiera a hard time? She’s telling the truth. You could have just said you didn’t want to work for her during the interview process. You’re wasting Fiera’s time, and you’re incredibly lucky she isn’t one of the nasty courtesans who’ll fine you for questioning them.”

“I’m considering it,” Fiera said. “Given how little time I have to prepare for an upcoming assignment? This is actually a serious issue.”

“Kimi, if I have to leave Cali alone for a few hours to settle this personally I will.” There was real anger in Xenon’s voice, something Fiera rarely heard while he was in her service. “I don’t want to leave her alone that long since it could lead to her getting hurt.”

“You’re full of it, Xenon. Cali isn’t that bad off, and I know you can leave her for a few hours,” Kimaya said. “What happened to her wasn’t nearly as bad as what happened to me the day you and I met.”

“Kimi, are you saying you are so crippled by brain damage you can’t do your job anymore? If so, you should have told Master Iacchus and had your name removed from the lists of useful stylists. Fiera, I’m so sorry. If I’d realized Kimaya was damaged goods, I’d never have recommended her in the first place.”

“I’m not damaged goods,” Kimaya snapped, her face turning red.

“Cali is,” Xenon said. “So then, no, little girl. You’re not worse off than my younger sister.”

“I’ve heard enough,” Fiera said. “Lil, Dev, can you two handle things without Kimaya?”

“I’m perfectly capable of pointing out which jewelry will look good with your outfits,” Liliana said. “The cosmetics are where I’d be lost. I use very little myself, and that was always something I prided myself on when I was working as a Pleasure Seeker.”

“I know quite a bit about cosmetics,” Devorah said. “Especially for those with a darker complexion like you.”

“Then I will be relying heavily on you two. Xenon, I’m sorry to have bothered you with this. I don’t think I’ll be keeping Kimaya in my service.”

“I’m very sorry she didn’t work out and hope you don’t find her indicative of all my suggestions,” Xenon said.

“Of course not, Xenon,” Fiera said. “Lil and Dev seem to be lovely young ladies who I am honored to work with. Give my love to Cali.”

“I will. She’ll be sorry to have missed you. Please call us again soon. She’s more aware in the mornings and I know she’d love to hear your voice,” Xenon said.

“I’ll call when I get back from Cova. I still have to tell you how my first actual assignment after buying myself free goes,” Fiera said.

“Perfect.” Xenon sounded as excited as he always had. Fiera hid her giggles as she ended the call. He’d always been something of a gossip, though he’d never betrayed her confidence. She called one of her servants back into the room. “Azari, please let Master Iacchus know I wish to speak with him as soon as possible.”

“Of course, Mistress Fiera.” Azari whisked herself away with astonishing speed.

“You can’t terminate my contract with you,” Kimaya said. “Not without a massive fine.”

Fiera glanced at her tablet and saw her current account balance. She smirked. “I don’t think that will be a problem, Kimaya.”

Iacchus walked in a short while later. “What do you want, Fiera?”

“Remove Kimaya from my service,” Fiera said. “She’s useless.”

Iacchus looked over at Kimaya. “She is one of my better stylists. Please explain how she’s useless.”

“She’s refusing to do her work,” Fiera said. “And delaying me on preparing for tomorrow’s job. Did you get the copy of the contract I sent you?”

“I did, and I must say you got one hell of a deal on that one.” Iacchus regarded her with some respect. “You’ll make a lot of money in bonuses with Kuen Nakano’s attitude to contend with.”

Fiera grimaced. “I’m not looking forward to three days in the company of that pile of drek.”

“You can manage him.” Iacchus’ grin was positively vicious. “As much as I dislike giving compliments to anyone, I believe Lord Benoit chose well when he selected you. You’re probably one of the few courtesans who can handle the Nakano heir without visibly losing your temper.”

“I am so glad you have at least a little confidence in me, Master Iacchus. Now, get rid of my jeweler so I can get ready.” She gestured to Kimaya.

“I need something to actually terminate her contract on.” Iacchus held up his hands. “It’s part of the rules.”

“She’s costing me money,” Fiera said.

“Fair enough. I’ll deduct the fee from the down payment from Lord Benoit. Do you want to interview replacements?” Iacchus pulled out his tablet and made a note before putting it back in its holder on his belt.

“For now, no. Lil and Dev say they can manage. If I need to, I’ll deal with it when I get back from Cova.”

“Very well. Kimaya, get your kit. You’re coming with me,” Iacchus said, turning to face the three stylists.

“Wait, you mean she’s serious? She can terminate my contract with her just like that?” Kimaya’s gaze darted from Fiera to Iacchus and then back again.

“She isn’t indentured, Kimaya. She has the right to choose who serves her. Get your kit and come along quietly. Or I’ll start fining you for every minute of my time you waste as well as what you’re already going to get hit with for wasting hers,” Iacchus snapped.

Kimaya did as she was told. Fiera settled down with her other two stylists and planned her outfits for the next three days. As always, blue featured prominently in all her outfits. She had her reputation as the Blue Butterfly to maintain, after all.

The next day they left for the port right on schedule. A car arrived to take them, not an autocab but an actual limousine. “It seems your patron is very generous,” Devorah said.

“He’s not my patron,” Fiera said. “Lord Benoit simply hired me on behalf of another. However, he did say he’d make sure our travel was as comfortable as he could make it. This is definitely better than a standard autocab.”

They reached the port and the limo driver carried their luggage for them. They were greeted by the shuttle pilot as soon as they walked through the door. “Mistress Fiera?” he asked, looking at the three women.

“That would be me,” Fiera said.

The man smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Lord Gaspare has requested I make certain you and your servants arrive on Cova in a timely manner.” He glanced around. “Do you have anything else you’re bringing?”

“I travel lightly, even for events such as this,” Fiera said. “I’m aware of the weight requirements on the smaller shuttles, Captain. I try to minimize my presence as much as possible.”

The man regarded her carefully. “You’re not an ordinary Pleasure Seeker then.”

Fiera half smiled. “I would hope not. I’m one of those rare creatures who actually uses her brain as something other than a means to remember names, faces, and methods for looking pretty.”

“Come along then.” The captain led them off towards the private launch pads.

“Mistress Fiera, he doesn’t seem to like you,” Devorah whispered.

“I noticed. As long as his personal opinions don’t stop him from doing his job, I have no care if he likes me or not. Personal feelings don’t come into play in your professional life. Or they shouldn’t, at least,” Fiera replied.

“Do you have personal opinions that would prevent you from doing your job, Mistress Fiera?” the captain asked. “I have uncommonly good hearing, in case you were wondering.”

“Of course I do,” Fiera said. “Everyone does. It’s just a matter of learning to adapt around those personal opinions if they aren’t favorable for a certain person or type of people and doing our jobs in spite of feeling unhappy about certain circumstances.”

“Tell me, what’s something you greatly dislike then that keeps you from speaking up?” the pilot asked.

“The whole indentured servant program,” Fiera said. “It’s nothing more than legalized slavery, is used to adversely affect those from the Colonies more so than those from the Central Worlds, and it is set up to be very difficult to buy yourself free from debt. Only if you are either extremely lucky or find some extraordinarily generous employers – or your debt is low to begin with – will you be able to free yourself. From there you just find yourself back in the same cycle because there’s no help for you once you’ve been freed.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from personal experience,” the man said.

“I am,” Fiera said. “I paid off my debt after five years, though it should have taken me closer to thirty, because of a lot of careful planning and some extremely generous clients. Otherwise, I’d still be indentured and would not be the one entertaining Lord Kuen Nakano as per my contract with Lord Benoit.”

The man looked over his shoulder at her. “You’re the one he picked for Lord Kuen’s escort? I thought the other girl I took up to the shuttle a few minutes ago was the one for Lord Kuen.”

“Let me guess: sweet, demure, dark brown hair, big dark eyes, seems almost shy?” Fiera asked. The man nodded. “That’s Aoi, Lord Benoit’s favored Pleasure Seeker. Her quiet nature suits him better than my rather outspoken one.”

“I see.” The pilot fell silent and led the three women up to the shuttle.

Aoi was already seated and strapped in, her three stylists fussing about the delay in liftoff not being good for her dress. “Then you shouldn’t have put her in something so fine just to travel in.” Fiera settled down beside Aoi. “A simple outfit would have been fine, since we’re going to be given a chance to freshen up when we arrive.”

Aoi smiled. “Hello Fiera. How are you this morning?”

“Tired. I don’t like flying at the best of times and knowing what my next three days are likely to hold, I’m not sure I’ll enjoy this flight either,” Fiera said with a grimace as she strapped herself in.

“Lord Benoit contracted you as well as me?” Aoi was anxious and her big, dark eyes widened with concern.

“I was contracted on behalf of someone else. Your position as his favorite is still safe,” Fiera said with a reassuring smile.

Aoi relaxed a little. “I heard an odd rumor, that you’d bought yourself free. But your debt was double mine. That can’t possibly be true.” She looked at Fiera’s wrists. “Is it?”

Fiera held out her arms so Aoi could see the fact that she no longer wore an indentured servant’s band. “I did. It’s why I was able to take this contract. Otherwise I’d probably have been overlooked for this one since indentured servants can’t usually take third party jobs.”

“Oh, that’s right.” Aoi put a hand on Fiera’s arm. “I also heard Xenon and Cali retired.”

“They did. I’ve got Liliana and Devorah now,” Fiera said, tilting her head to where the five stylists were chattering away at each other. Aoi giggled. “So, what interesting things have you been getting up to?” The two courtesans shared stories of their exploits as the shuttle took off and headed to Cova.

Gaspare was waiting for them as promised. With him was the tall, dark clad form of Kuen Nakano. “Aoi, I am so glad your House Master let you come,” Gaspare said, kissing Aoi on both cheeks. “Fiera, welcome to Cova. I hope the trip was not too onerous for you.”

“It was quite comfortable, thank you,” Fiera said. “Though I am still not overly fond of space travel.”

“You must lose out on a lot of income then,” Kuen’s deep voice rumbled behind Gaspare. The blond punched him lightly in the arm.

Fiera had only caught glimpses of him periodically at parties, where the light wasn’t very good. In full sunlight he was quite striking. She saw why many courtesans described him as having a face that would make women weep, if it weren’t attached to so abysmal a person. “You find my lack of travel odd, Lord Nakano?” Fiera asked, tilting her head to one side.

“It is a well-documented fact that many of our social caste travel and take Pleasure Seekers with them, especially to the smaller vacation worlds such as this one. If you are not comfortable traveling then it would indicate you are not capable of accepting those jobs,” Kuen said.

“I’m perfectly capable. I just choose to remain on Bouarus if possible due to my aversion to flying in an overpriced nuclear explosion waiting to happen,” Fiera said coolly.

“Shuttles and passenger liners undergo rigorous safety screenings before the captains are allowed to accept passengers.” Kuen looked down his well-shaped nose at her. “What could possibly lead you to believe that they are anything but safe?”

“Did you ever hear of the Lusitania, Lord Nakano? About the tragic explosion of three of the seven fusion engines that killed several thousand people and left more than nine hundred injured?” Fiera snapped.

“I heard about it. I was told it was the work of Colonial saboteurs, not actual engine failure,” Kuen said.

Aoi put her hand on Fiera’s arm. “Breathe, Fiera.”

Fiera took several deep breaths, reveling in the scent of growing things and fresh tilled earth. It steadied her like nothing else ever could. “Lord Nakano, whether it was the work of saboteurs is still up for debate even now, five years after the tragedy. What matters is the fact that people died because there is a weakness in the fusion engines. If it was sabotage, it was a weakness easily exploited.”

“Suicide bombers rarely need to find a weakness.” Gaspare’s grim expression tugged at Fiera’s heart. “They just have to be in the right place at the right time to cause the most damage.”

“Suicide bombers?” Aoi asked, her voice breaking. “You mean someone deliberately strapped explosive devices to their bodies in order to kill all of us?”

“That is one of the rumors, Aoi.” Fiera wrapped her arm around the other woman’s shoulders, an echo of the comfort she’d offered her five years earlier. “There are so many others it’s not even funny.”

“So you do not believe that the Colonials destroyed the Lusitania?” Kuen asked.

“Is there firm proof those born to the Colonies were responsible for the ship’s destruction? Or is that just the usual anti-Colony sentiment I hear vomited from so many lips these days?” Fiera demanded.

Kuen stiffened. Gaspare stifled a laugh. “Aoi, would you please show Fiera where the guest rooms are? I am certain the both of you would enjoy a long, hot soak after being crammed into the shuttle,” Gaspare said.

“Of course, Lord Benoit,” Aoi said. “Come on, Fiera. You have to see these rooms. They’re better even than what we have in the Houses.”

“Really?” Fiera asked.

“They have tubs that can fit him,” Aoi said, gesturing towards Kuen.

“Those do sound lovely,” Fiera said. She let the other courtesan lead her off and put her concerns over her ability to keep her temper while stuck on the arm of Lord Kuen Nakano for the evening on hold.