Blossom Rain

[Rajani Aishwara]

After two straight nights of merrymaking with some of Scara Brae’s most influential figures I have found that the greatest asset in my arsenal in the battle for success is the exact opposite of work. Play! Merely attending the social gatherings is not nearly enough. Hosting a grand banquet of your own is what brings the cattle home. I and my new partner will be doing just that in order to finally toss our stick into the sinking sand.

– Avanti Aishwara

It was a picturesque morning at the port in New Aurient. The morning sun sat in the sky providing comfortable warmth as the breeze provided a soothing chill. The indigenous and abundant cherry trees were blooming their springtime blossoms, and the wind carried the pedals along the streets of the elven metropolis. That was the only precipitation for the day, blossom rain. Every pedal seemed to have its own conscience curling its way around every traveler and trader in the port. They all seemed to care little about this sight. Sailors, merchants, and travelers of all creeds went about their business hustling about in a current of activity. Within the river of populace a great caravan of wooden crates slowly rolled along this current.

“The powers that be have certainly smiled upon us today, Captain.” Mohana Coleville, Head Chef of the luxury liner Peregrine, said as she took a bite into a ripe red apple. “Never have I seen fruits and vegetables so magnificently fresh since we left the island of Avalon!”

Food was the last object on the lustful mind of Captain Rajani Aishwara. His dark eyes trailed off to every reasonably good looking elf that passed them by. “Never have I seen women so magnificently beautiful since…”

“Since Ettermire?” Mohana said as she rolled her hazel eyes. A sinister grin slowly cropped up on the Captain’s face as the Head Chef had hit straight on the mark. There was something about the Drow that enticed him. Before he could openly comply Mohana interrupted. “…Or Radasanth?” Rajani’s grin grew larger as he was reminded of the beautiful women of Akashima. “…Or Fallien?” Ah the dessert warriors of Fallien tickled his fancy in a one-of-a-kind way. Perhaps the challenge of the language barrier was what created such a tempting situation for him.

His smile faded away as soon as he realized he was being mocked by Mohana, which was to be expected. It was rare to hear the Chef say something that wasn’t contemptuous of his character. This time her implication was accurate. Normally he would continue their dance of insults by quickly snapping back, but he was distracted once again by an attractive passer by. They were now at the docks, and their ship, the Peregrine was in plain sight now.

Finally realizing that her partner was incommunicado for this waltz of wounding words Mohana delved deeper into his lust. “Perhaps these women are attractive as a consequence of their poise. Their body language, voice tone, and eye contact set them on the borderline of unattainable.” She made sure her voice was well heard by more than just her Captain and the crewmates pushing the giant crates. “The High Elves of Raiaera do believe themselves to be the superior race of the known world, do they not? And men desire what they cannot acquire.”

“I’m inclined to respectfully disagree with you on that flawed axiom.” Rajani was back in the dance. “You exude an air of unfeasibility and I find no attraction to you.”

Or was he? To the Chef and the crewmates that was the closest thing to a compliment the Captain had ever voiced about her. They brought their journey to a dead halt just in front of the entry ramp onto the Peregrine. “Are you implying, Captain, that I possess the beauty to justify an air of unfeasibility?”

“Nix.” Rajani said as he continued to saunter up the entry ramp. “I am implying that you simply possess an air of unfeasibility. No one is beautiful enough to justify it. By the way, you haven’t revealed the cuisine for this evening’s banquet.”

“Oh you’ll find this evening’s food pleasant and familiar,” Mohana smiled as she began to twist her long curly hair into a single bonnet with two stylish Akahiman chop sticks. It was her ritual before she began her cooking. “For the animal protein we will be having chicken breasts, veal, and filet mignon, all with various domestic seasoning and wrapped in pastry as light as clouds. Side dishes will include, but not be limited to artichoke mix, broth soaked kale, and angel hair pasta, all with various sauces and wrapped in…”

“Pastry as fluffy as marshmallows!” Rajani said with a smile as he assisted with the pulling of the crates up the ramp. This sounded familiar indeed.

Mohana continued with a smile. “We will also be enjoying a variety of sun dried fruits, sweetmeats, cherries, and sliced apples all accompanied by…”

“Pastry as diverse as the peoples of Althanas!” Helmswoman Tiberia Natalya said as the caravan of delectable food made its way onto the main deck. Like most hours of the day nearly two dozen crew hands were working on various deck chores. The Peregrine looked like an Ettermire factory for the moment. It was not normal to see her long platinum blond hair not swimming in the wind as the ship dashed along the sea.

Mohana continued once again as she picked up one of the lighter crates and kicked the door to the lower decks open. “And finally for dessert we will enjoy dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate fudge wrapped gracefully within.”

“Pastry as tasty as…” Gaius Dove, the youngest crewman on the ship, pondered for a second as to how to finish his statement and ultimately Mohana’s menu. The light flashed within his sapphire blue eyes. “As tasty as a woman!”

The men in the crew roared in approval as the majority of the women humorously scolded the eighteen year old Coronian for making such a vulgar statement. Rajani never made it his mission to count, but the crew of his ship seemed to be equally proportioned between male and female. “Where do these dishes come from?” A random voice within the fray of the ship said.

“Home.” Rajani said in a soft and somewhat poignant voice as he and Mohana made eye contact and smiled. Despite their constantly butting heads the Head Chef and the Captain could always unite in one resemblance. They were the only two people on the ship to come from the island of Avalon. He could now think of her choice of cuisine not only as a nostalgic showcase of her talent, but as an ode to their odd yet increasingly valuable friendship. “Madame Coleville, would you care to join us on deck as we discuss the plans for the banquet?”

“My critical part in the evening’s success begins in the kitchen. I would like to complete the food preparation as soon as possible so that the kitchen staff may enjoy themselves as well. In addition, if it wouldn’t inconvenience the director too much, I would like to play the part of the bartender tonight.”

Still smiling Rajani nodded his head and Mohana continued inside. A middle aged bald man held the door out and greeted her with a nod as he was making his way out to the deck. Chief Mate Aton Mira saluted Rajani. “Good morning, Captain. Are you looking forward to tonight’s party?”

“Indeed I am. Would you be so kind as to call the present crew to order as we discuss tonight in greater detail?”

”To Order!" The middle aged man’s voice carried more belt than one would imagine when looking at him. It served its purpose well as the entire crew gathered around the young captain.

Rajani stood leaning on his sheathed blade. He cleared his throat with the intention of adding a hint of commanding base to his voice. “Ladies and gentlemen of the Peregrine crew tonight we are not setting sale for a distant destination, we are not pit up against a formidable foe, and we haven’t nature to fight against as it is in our favor, but it will be an adventure nonetheless. Tonight we will hold our first banquet promoting the concept of the cruise. For those of you who don’t know the cruise is a recreational voyage, where the voyage itself and the ships amenities are considered an essential part of the experience. Since the Peregrine is by far one of the most luxurious vessels on the sea it would be natural to make a profit through such a venture. Now we won’t be setting sail tonight, but the patrons of this social gathering will experience the pure luxury of the ship. Advertisements have been placed in strategic locations around the city, and a few guests of honor have been directly contacted.”

“Tonight we will all be in uniform, the officers will wear their executive shawls, and we will answer to formal calls and commands. We will charge the patrons no golden piece unless they intend on staying overnight, and in such case we will charge them one hundred golden pieces each, providing them a key to their quarters. We will close the deck at fifty guests in light that we shall not be outnumbered by the visiting company. The Chief Mate has planned a special shift schedule for tonight so that the entire crew can enjoy the festivity at one time or another. I know the day is young but evening shall creep up on us with utmost haste, so complete your routine chores and prepare yourselves.”

[Massacre]

To the lovely A'rei Ngoyu,

I would be honored if your beauty would grace the deck of my luxury ship, the Peregrine. There shall be festivities held and for being a guest of honor by my invitation you will stay the night for a small fee of one-hundred gold pieces if you so please. Tales of your exploits have been heard by a number of my crew, I would be honored to speak to you in person and ultimately have a long-lasting and beneficial relationship.

With the utmost gratitude,

Captain of the Peregrine
Rajani Aishwara

Eloquent, I'll admit.

The small card was a pleasant cream color with neat, precise handwriting. If this was the handwriting of Rajani he would be a sight to behold. Judging from the penmanship displayed the writer was of noble descent, had a fair education and knew large, complicated words that most common folk didn't. Not much else could be told from the wording of the letter. No emotion was included, something that a noble would appreciate mostly, A'rei didn't care one way or the other. Being around the richer folk of Raiaera could be beneficial. Getting a job was always good, having good connections was better. If the slave hunter could make good connections she good make good money, which meant food, clothing, and shelter. Plus, free shelter for any amount of time was always appreciated by the dark haired lady. In her profession, any amount of hospitality was a good thing. Deceit was possible but that was something she could live with, the threat was always present, something the girl had grown used to.

These elves remind me of myself. They walk without giving recognition to anyone, although they aren't harsh I s'pose.

There was no word of what dock or pier the luxury ship would be located at but it would be easy enough to find if A'rei asked the right people. Any bartender or sailor would know, and both of those were always willing to share their information with someone would had a flawless figure and pretty face. They were foolish to trust even a beautiful face but that was their downfall, not A'rei's. Her beauty was simply a burden most of the time, she became a prey in the eyes of lustful men who would do anything for a poke.

I would have rather ended up in Corone than this stupid elven city, there's so much greenery I feel like I'm going to pass out. The smells are too good for what I'm used to.

Weaving in and out of the people wasn't necessary even, the graceful elves avoided anything non-elven unless they had a quarrel with said individual. Even then, the elves were careful to avoid any physicality and injure their opponents only bad enough to make a point. Her last hunt had been an elf and therefore sought shelter amongst his comrades. She would wait and seemingly give up on the chase. Then, she would strike.

That was beyond the point for now, the girl was more interested in what would happen on this ship, the Peregrine. It would no doubt be mostly the rich. Which made A'rei wonder, why was she invited? It could not have simply been the fact that his men had heard tales of her exploits. No, that could not be the case. Unless some of them were the same men that had dropped her, along with her companions, onto the small isle where the Liviol flower had been given to her by Karuka. A'rei had always kept it with her, the blossom never lost its vibrant color and never seemed to wither, it was a beautiful sight indeed. However, if any of them were indeed the sailors that had been on that very ship that brought them to Liviol Sanctum then that man would recognize her and most likely be reminded of the horrid fairies that could tear men to pieces.

Damn, I'll just see what happens, hopefully I'll have some fun while I'm at it.

Fun was something in short supply for a person in the beauty's profession. Most of the time in consisted of staying at a half-ass inn with half-ass rooms and being harassed by various drunks roaming the streets while trying to target her prey and move in for the bust.

A sailor walked by...

Quickly A'rei turned, the man would know where the ship was for free if she asked sweetly enough, she put on a voice that could put even a giant to sleep, "Excuse me mister, I'm terribly lost. Could you point me in the direction of the Peregrine?

The gruff man eyed her quickly, clearing his throat before speaking, "Why yes, anything for you my sweet lady. I believe the ship you seek is located on pier 3, just down that way." The man pointed a stubby finger down the street.

"Thank you very much, I appreciate your aid." The girl turned and began to walk gracefully toward the docks and to the Peregrine.

It was easy to find, the ship was large and quite fancy. As she walked up to the dock the girl observed the bustling workers all about. It seemed like the party wasn't ready yet and the girl wasn't sure if she should go onto the boat or not. If she went too early it would seem odd and perhaps suspicious to some people if she arrived too early.

There's got to be a tavern I can relax in until it's time to get onto that boat.

A'rei looked around for somewhere to go and sit down for a while. There were a few buildings around, one named The Light of the West. The building looked respectable enough, but she was freshly out of money, being robbed not terribly long ago. Either way, it was always possible to get a free drink if you said the right things, either way the dark haired girl didn't want to seem weird by arriving ridiculously early. She walked through the elves in the streets and into the establishment.

It was nice. A deep red carpet with golden lace patterns creeping about playfully. The walls were a paneled with a dark wood, most likely stained rather than natural wood, they were a deep brown. The place had an air of nobility about it, A'rei liked the feel. The girl sat down at one of the tables which was equally eloquent. She would try to snag a free drink and hopefully waste some time before boarding the Peregrine.

[Nymph and Dragon]

A doorman’s work was never easy, especially when it came to turning away would-be entrants who didn’t meet the hosts' qualifications. Lork Igaru, the livery-wearing servant of the lord of the mansion, would have paid good gold to be anywhere else at the moment. The sun was only beginning to get warm as noon approached, the air was cool and fresh with the scent of sea, and even though the luncheon inside had only been proceeding for a little over an hour, things were going well enough to give him the hope that this gala would turn out all right.

Except that now there was someone standing on the doorstep of his master’s home, demanding entrance in the kind of authoritative voice that epitomized the manner in which most of the nobles addressed those in his station. His master had been adamant that all non-humans be kept out, but the form of the person on the porch was clearly that of a woman, and she seemed dressed for the event in a hooded purple cloak that no doubt covered some ornate gown. The sheer scarf across her face did obscure her features, but it was probably some fashion craze that had come in on one of the many passenger ships from foreign lands. Lork swallowed his worry and forced himself to speak, trying to make his voice as firm as possible.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I can’t let you in. Lord Granlard’s instructions were very clear, and this party’s by invitation only.”

Twyla stood in silence for a moment, restraining her annoyance with a long-suffering sigh as she glared at the human servant before her. He was tall, young, and obviously scared to death of his employer, who owned the four-storey mansion she was trying to sneak into. The porch beneath her feet was off-white limestone, bordered by tall white pillars that only hinted at the grandeur of the interior. More important than the architecture of the place, however, was the event that was going on inside. She'd been in Raiera for more than a week before she'd even caught wind of the occasion, a luncheon being hosted at the home of one of the more publicly affluent human businessmen for the growing number of human nobles in the city; something like a celebration of the minority’s progress, for what it was worth. It had seemed very covert and though Twyla had an idea that she wouldn't be welcomed at such an exclusive gathering, the party was a confined assembly of rich men and their silly wives, gathered to celebrate the success of their race. And what better way to find out about the lives of upper class humans than to observe them in their natural habitat?

You can't believe that all human nobles participate in this kind of segregation. Don’t you think this is going to give your record a bigoted slant?

Twyla’s eyes stayed fixed on the doorman, but her attention jumped to the motionless puddle of water that lay beside the porch in the shadow of one of the pillars. She didn’t have to be looking at the dragon to know exactly where it was, thanks to the bond that kept their minds permanently and unwillingly linked.

Shut up. “Can you check the guestlist?”

“Sorry, ma’am, there is no list. You must have an invitation to get in.” The man stepped back, ready to close the heavy wooden door in her face. Twyla grimaced. Desperate times . . .

No, Twyla, you promised you wouldn’t!

The nymph almost smiled at the dragon’s excessive distress. She hated their telepathic link that let the dragon know her thoughts almost as soon as she did, even though his innate telepathy would have permitted him to know her plans even if they hadn’t been bonded. Mind your own thoughts, snake, I made no such promise. I was born with gifts for situations just like this, and there’s no way in hell that I’m not going to use them.

The doorman was already closing the door, but Twyla stepped forward and put her hand against the doorframe, leaning in towards the man.

“Before you leave me out in the cold,” she whispered, “tell me if you’ve heard this one before.” Blocking out the Elemental’s protesting voice, Twyla began to sing.

Lork opened his mouth to cut her off, but when his jaw dropped it stayed down, his eyes losing focus as he was caught up in the cadence of her melody. Her voice was soft and full, the soothing caress of underwater currents that stroked and buffeted the man’s ears, filling his brain with shapeless picture of water and air swirling in a peaceful turbulence that made the rest of the world seem very far away. He didn’t know what language she sang in, or even if she used words at all, but Lork knew then that whoever this woman was, he would do anything to serve her, anything in his power to make her happy.

Look at how nice I am, Twyla thought gloatingly to the Elemental. I didn't even reduce him to a gibbering idiot.

The Elemental saw the doorman’s face through her eyes, but it didn’t need to see the man’s gaping mouth and blank stare to know what she’d done to him. He could read the man’s mind, and all he saw in the human’s conscious was a euphoric sense of emptiness and fervent devotion to the nymph.

You shouldn’t be proud of this, it replied quietly, not trying to hide the disgust the man’s blank mind made it feel.

Twyla pushed past the doorman into the foyer of the house, reluctantly letting her voice trail off. It had been a long time since she’d had the opportunity to sing, and more than the flexing of her vocal skills, it was good to feel the power that her voice gave her over other beings. You’re right, she conceded to the Elemental as she took off her cloak and tossed it over a chair. That really wasn’t very impressive. He’s human, his mind’s just a weak little cesspool anyway. Now if he had been an elf, then I would have had reason to be proud.

The Elemental, who had slid in aqueous form into the mansion after her, didn’t answer. She knew his opinions on mind control and how emphatic he was on respecting the inviolability of any sentient being's thoughts. It kept close to the wall, trailing after the nymph as she went through the house and mingled with the crowds of humans that were scattered throughout the many ornate rooms, dressed in flamboyant gowns and distinguished finery. She didn’t speak, much to the dragon’s relief, and only stood near other people to overhear snippets of their conversations.

“ . . . hear the price of silk this week? I’m sure those elves are just cheating bastards, but my buyers tell me it’s the must-have item this season . . .”

“Did you hear about Lord Taniket’s son? He’s here today, but only because his father forced him to be, the rich old fool. I don’t see how they manage to stay so influential. My daughter’s had her eye on the lad, but . . .”

“. . . these elves! I’m sure they’re the ones who’ve been sabotaging my shipments; who else could have ruined the anchor and cut all the rigging . . .”

“ . . . huge party tonight on one of those foreign ships. Only the most illustrious noblemen were invited, and I hear there will even be some famous people from . . .”

“ . . . not sure, that’s a difficult question. Elven women are usually more beautiful, but not very friendly when you get them alone. I think I’d go with a demoness, if you know what I mean . . .”

This is utterly pointless. The Elemental jumped as her voice came shouting into its mind. It had noticed her growing displeasure, but the sudden outburst had come sooner than it had expected. Not to mention that the nymph refused to learn to speak across their link rather than yell. The morons here talk exactly the same way as every other human I’ve ever had the misfortune of meeting. It’s all sex and money and how hard it is to get along without any of the other races’ special attributes!

That’s too bad, the Elemental said without a trace of sincerity. I guess that means we should leave.

Guess again, halfwit. Did you hear that part about the boat-party going on tonight?

The dragon held back a sigh.

I want to go. There will certainly be all kinds of curious humans, and there's no way I'm passing up on the possibility of some insightful interviews.

Twyla, you’re a researcher, not an anthropologist.

You know, I think I prefer you stuffed in a jar. Or, in the absence of demons, silent. She paused, glancing thoughtfully around the room. I'm researching humans, anyway, so it qualifies as relevent. Besides, what event is truly complete without my shining presence?

You don’t have an invitation.

Twyla smirked as she glanced around the room. Considering how well that inhibited my entrance to this dismal party, I would expect that even one with your limited intelligence could figure out that not having some silly piece of paper isn’t going to prevent me from doing exactly what I want. Moreover, I don’t think invitations are required.

I just don’t see why ‘what you want’ always has to impede the fulfillments of the wants of other people.

It’s a brutal world, serpent. I wouldn’t expect you to be able to make sense of it. Her eyes landed on a young man who was making his unsteady way out of the lounge and down a hallway that led to a sitting room. He was dressed in his family’s colors, and Twyla couldn’t help but smile as she saw the insignia of the Taniket family on the shoulder of the drunken man’s shirt.

Twyla, please be sensible-,

Not now, snake, can’t you see I’m busy? To best blend into the elite human society, I must have the proper disguise to keep people off-guard.

And that involves the Taniket heir how?

Twyla rolled her eyes at the dragon’s ignorance. Read my mind, moron. I have to get myself an escort for tonight’s party.

[Cyrus the virus]

The blossom rain fell gently upon the deck of the Peregrine, a vessel that carried a plethora of beauties each as gentle-looking and soft as the petals themselves. A dim night had fallen upon the land of Raiaera, but the delicate lamps of the ship provided life to the darkness.

Always appreciating a grand entrance, Luc Kraus appeared in a flash of whirling wind and a shock of green light. In an instant he turned from gas to solid, gathering the attention of elves and humans alike at the front of the ship. As elegant as his day-to-day attire was, Luc had gone full-out to dress impressively for the party, clad in a black tuxedo so expertly seamed a king could scarcely afford one. His arrival brought a chorus of respectful applause from those who witnessed it, and the man took a deep, low bow.

“My appreciation, good madams and sirs. You all look fantastic, I must say. Before I begin my night,” he said, eyes wandering perceptively through the scores of elven women, “let us drink a toast to our host, wherever he may be.”

Enacting his Whisper spell, Luc made it possible for his toast to be heard by one Rajani Aishwara, wherever on the boat he may have been at the moment. Then, holding a gloved hand out, he summoned a goblet of sparkling Berevarian wine, gathering impressed ooos from the watching crowd.

“To Rajani Aishwara and his grand generosity. Let all men who hear of this night know what it means to be a grand host!”

With that, he drank. Onlookers followed. When he was finished and his Whisper spell had faded, Luc threw the goblet overboard and pranced through the crowd, shaking hands and kissing elven flesh wherever he could, cheeks and fingers alike. It was his most successful of entrances, he thought, which was saying quite a bit considering how many of these social events he’d attended. Despite his dislike for the haughty elves, he could never deny himself the pleasure of seeing elven females, especially on a night where they would be making an effort to look pleasant. Startling, they were, in their beauty.

He blew a quick breath out of his mouth and grinned, having met a dozen elven males and at least triple that amount of females, Luc thought his odds were high. With the ability to conjure any food or drink from this dimension or others, he had a winning combination.

Now it was just the matter of finding one in particular that he wanted.

[Christina Bredith]

I'm terribly sorry for the delay! ;__; It's just been a less-than-ideal time of the year, but hopefully it won't happen again. I hope we can still continue!

The Peregrine! Christina had found it at last. The ship was impressively built, or else built to impress. She expected as much, however, given the nature of the invitation and what it was for: a grand banquet held by one Rajani Aishwara for the purpose of… Hm. Christina didn’t really know what the purpose of this little gala was. It was a pleasure cruise, she supposed – and not a bad opportunity for their generous benefactor to get his name out there in glowing lights, she reckoned.

The only trouble was the fact that the cruise ship in question was docked, of all places, in the stuffy land of the high elves. Christina had never been there herself (but then again, she had never been anywhere outside of Corone except for a brief stint in Fallien during the civil war), but she had certainly heard tales of elven arrogance. It didn’t help that her elven was very poor, either; with her vocabulary limited to what little she had picked up during the parties of her privileged youth, how would they see her except as some country bumpkin? If there was one thing Christina Bredith hated, it was being looked down on, and the elves were high enough that they almost had no other choice.

It was almost easy enough for Christina to pass the opportunity up entirely. She had given up that part of her life, after all; when her parents passed away and her city of birth was taken by orcs, she cast aside that privilege and took on the guise of a warrior. But it would be a lie to say that Christina had completely cast aside that part of her life. She was still a young woman, and there was still a part of her that loved dressing up and stealing the gaze of every man in the room from their own women. Besides, the food and drink were both free – an opportunity like that didn’t come along every day, and the life of a mercenary was lean indeed.

The truth of the matter was that the invitation was a painful reminder. When she was a child, she and her parents would get invitations like this all the time. They were both high-ranking soldiers in the Coronian army and, as their daughter, she was privy to a lot of the nation’s hippest social gatherings. Now they were gone, and she had no family she could turn to in their stead. Even so, this invitation had found its way to her. Apparently the Bredith name still carried some clout in its usual social circles, and she hadn’t covered her tracks quite as cleanly as she had thought.

In the end, though, the decision wasn’t as difficult as she had thought it would be. Her girlish side won out, unable to fathom the notion of missing an opportunity to dazzle a crowd with a ridiculously-expensive dress and immaculate hair. Affording such a thing was of little consequence – if her name was still in good enough standing to obtain an invitation like this, then she could certainly still pull some strings in Radasanth to get something together. It turned out that she had sympathy working on her side, too: the family’s old tailor had heard of the misfortunes in Laricia, and of the deaths of her parents, and threw together a positively fabulous dress for minimum cost. Hey, it didn’t make her a bad person; it’s not like she brought it up.

It was thus that Christina found herself standing at the end of one of New Aurient’s bigger docks dressed in a sleek red one-piece that fell down to her ankles, cut at the right thigh and revealing the entirety of that leg. A pattern of golden flowers cascaded down the whole left side of the dress. This lent it a decidedly Akashiman feel. Her hair possessed the same sort of wild elegance that it usually did, falling over her shoulders like a golden waterfall, but it was obvious that extra care had been put into its make tonight. To go along with the dress, though, Christina had one of the larger blossoms from one of Raiaera’s cherry trees fastened on the right side of her hair.

The boarding ramp up to the massive Peregrine loomed before her, and Christina took just one more deep breath to steady herself. She was about to take a step into her past, and there was no telling what it would be like. She was about to either open Pandora’s Box or take one small step toward defeating the demons of her past.

There was only one way to find out which. Christina stepped forward, stroke up the ramp, flashed her invitation, and stood with poise, hand on her hip and a smirk on her face, at the foot of the crowd. It was time to turn some heads and have some fun, and those were two of the things Christina Bredith did best.