But there had to be alotof boring footage that never made it to broadcast, so I figured if I was very boring that first night, I could almost pretend I wasn't being observed.
Lights hummed on as I stepped into the dark space, casting a gentle orange glow over the apartment.It was simple: a large open room with a massive bed, a seating area with couches and chairs that seemed to be actually intended for human bodies, and a massive media display that blinked on and hummed an enticing pink colour.There were two walls of windows, with blinds firmly drawn all the way down.I dropped my bag on one of the couches and kicked offmy boots, padding across the carpeted floor and exploring some of the adjoining rooms.There was a room with a steam shower, another with a sink and toilet, and a closet that was larger than my room had been on the ship.Inside were dozens of outfits, all of them looking like they were approximately the right size and all of them made for someone with my configuration of limbs.That was particularly great – I hated trying to close tail holes.I poked around a bit, taking in the jumpsuits, the training gear, and what appeared to be someveryskimpy dance-wear.
Well, they knew I was a dancer.It seemed like they'd prepared accordingly.My body had been what earned me my living; no doubt it would also be a way for the conglomerate to garner some viewership.
I wandered back into the main room again, looking at some of the wall panels.A brief investigation revealed that there was a hidden pole in one corner that could be brought out by pressing a button.I guess theydidwant me to gyrate to make some good footage.I snorted, twirling around it once, lazily, before sending it away.
Maybe I'd wear my lumpy sweaters and watch media the whole time, just for fun.I wasn't going to be getting the residuals, so it wasn't like I needed to make sure I'd have more time on air.Besides, once Araxis arrived, we'd have plenty of time on broadcast.Why give them more content when they weren't even paying me for it?
I dropped onto the bed, soft and massive, and held my swords to my chest, staring up blankly at the ceiling.My fingers traced the ridges of the sheath, lingering on the seam where I'd hidden Araxis's quill.
It felt like I hadn't seen him in years, but it hadn't even been a day.
Eventually, my stomach got the best of me and I left my quarters to go to the dining room and kitchen.It was surprisingly cozy, with a broad kitchen and a massive low dining table, with higher tables tucked in corners in the room.The cupboards and fridges were full of ingredients and ready-to-eat food, so I found a familiar dish – fish in a red vegetable sauce – and heated it up, scarfing it down before tipping the dishes into the designated cleaner.
I explored a bit more, then made myself some tea.I lingered over the choices, thinking about the abayan teas I saw there – but that might be too obvious.I stuck to a bitter marn tea instead that I'd come to like on Yellow Fin, and headed back to my room with a cup and a plan.
It was creepy, being in the empty village on my own, but I just had to remember that Iwasn'ton my own.I was being watched in that command centre.And soon, I'd be watched by millions of people across the galaxy.It was like I was on stage, all of the time.And if I had to be on stage, I might as well make a show of it, although I wasn't planning on putting on the kind of show that the conglomerate had clearly intended.
Instead, I found a soft pair of lounge pants and a loose sleeveless shirt in the closet, and slipped into those, carefully hanging my other clothes on the provided hangers.Then I settled into bed with a cup of tea and started rifling through the curated media selection.
If we were going to make everyone believe that Araxis and I were falling for each other, it made sense to me that I wanted to look like a sap.Dancers were known to be a bit icy and hard to reach.We were great companions, and dancer characters in media always had hearts of gold, but you didn't get into that career if you were a hopeless romantic who'd fall in love in two weeks.Unless, I thought quite smugly, I did a little work on my image.
It wasn't hard to find a romance serial with a premise that sounded truly over-the-top – time travelling star-crossed lovers, fated to find and then lose each other in their quest across space and time – and to settle in for the evening, well on my way to positioning myself as a sweet, simple dancer who yearned for love to find him in this hopeless place.
Chapter 16 –Meet-Cute
I woke up tired and anxious the next morning, my wristband chiming to remind me of my schedule for the day.I shuffled along, first eating breakfast and taking my scheduled hygiene break, in this case a long shower while I lamented my life choices, and then I headed down to the training room.I ran laps for awhile on an indoor track, trying to kickstart my nervous system so that I'd feel a bit more alive, and then I ran through all nine sword-dancing sequences at a ruthless pace.I even threw myself into the pool for a few lengths, although I ended up spending more time just floating there and trying not to let my stomach squirm too much.
I'd been upwaylater than I'd meant to be the night before, and I was going to pay for it today – and it was an important fucking day.
The error in my plan the night before had been thatAcross the Timescapewas actually good.No, it wasn't good – it wasbad, but it still had me up half the night, frantic to find out if Be'oi and Caso would ever be reunited and then crying– just a little!– when they were.I turned it off when Be'oi fell into a vortex on a distant moon that shunted him into an alternate timeline in which Caso’s clanwashis colony's sworn enemy.
It was humiliating, not just because I'd gotten weepy when Be'oi had given Caso his sword and pledged his fealty or when Caso had forsaken theirclanto follow Be'oi among the stars despite all the challenges that lay before them.It was also humiliating because I knew that everyone in command central hadseenme cry and were probably already cutting that footage into my introductory video.I'd meant for it to be part of my act, but instead I felt like I'd cracked my ribs open and offered everyone the chance to poke their grubby fingers into my chest cavity.
I'd never felt like this before, like an exposed nerve.And no amount of exercise seemed to help me shake it.
Instead, I reminded myself of the plan, and I reminded myself not to betooexcited when I saw Araxis.I pulled up my schedule as I wasstill floating in the pool.The mandatory mixer was in the evening, but the participants would arrive throughout the day.Judging by how long it had taken them to film my own entrance, arrivals would be drawn out, participants entering this empty 'village' in a trickle.But I'd opened my blinds in the morning and found that I had a good view of the grounds, so at least I could sit and watch and wait.
Would that look weird on camera?Or would it look like I was just keeping an eye on the competition as they arrived?
Maybe I'd let myself sit in the window for an hour or so, as a little treat.That would probably make for compelling television.
I showered again and dressed for the day in a dark jumpsuit that had been provided.It was a little short in the ankles and too long in the wrists, but it was better than I'd expected.I spent quite a bit of time fussing with my hair in the mirror and finding stray pieces of glitter to wipe off, and then I sat on my windowsill and watched.
Ididsee a few participants arrive on the grounds, always accompanied by a ketaari who seemed to be talking a mile a minute.I could probably have watched the shuttles landing if my apartment was higher up in the building, and I wondered if there was roof access.After what felt like a long time seated on the window sill, arms crossed while I peered at thecomplexbelow and tracked the shift of sun and shadows across the mauve-hued grounds, I decided it was worth a try.
I'd only explored the floors below since I knew that it was mostly more personal suites on the floors above me, but the same stairwell that took me down led me higher up in the building too.I wondered where Araxis was going to be staying.I'd find out for sure on the seventh or eighth day, as per our plan, and the thought made my heart stutter against my ribs.
It reallywasembarrassing.Was it even possible to have a crush on someone you were already fucking, particularly when he'd offered to more-or-less fix the massive mess that was your entire life?Well, possible or not, I guess that was my reality.I was just grateful that these were the kinds of thoughts I could have in the privacy of myown brain, at least until the conglomerate figured out how to hook directly into my synapses for more content.
When I reached the top floor of the building, I had to go searching for another set of stairs, which I found around a corner at the end of the hallway.These steps were utilitarian metal and led, as predicted, to the flat roof above.It was the same sandstone-like material as the other buildings, with a waist-high wall running around the edge.A glimmering dome of energy curved over the roof, flashing silver and white on occasion, like raindrops falling on water.I squinted at the pattern, and realized that the dome was keeping out dust and insects.I guess it was okay to be up here, even thoughthere weren’tany silver cameras buzzing around.
And I was right: I could see the whole of the complex from up here, as well as the long ribbon of the promenade and the circular landing pad, bright against the deep green of the jungle below.A tarnished gold shuttle was taking off while a tiny figure in the distance made a slow walk up the promenade.The camera drones winked in the sunlight.
I breathed in deep and settled on the edge of the roof, looking at the grounds around us.The largest building by a huge margin was the arena, which curved and opened like a giant shell.It was a massive stadium and the dome could peel back to let in sunlight on the grounds.They often changed the set-up of the arena to draw out the competition and affect the odds.We wouldn't know what the design was until we hit the arena sands, although of course sand always featured prominently, and the conglomerate liked to add lots of interesting obstacles to make combat more exciting.
My wristband chimed and I looked away from the next shuttle that was landing – dark and sleek – to see a message from Silver Sea, reminding me of the scheduled fitting in my room.I sighed and surveyed the sky again.
