The Twisted Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 3)

Chapter 12.2

They spent an hour in the gym, their inexpert fire and no-gravity maneuvers causing a great deal of laughter, both for themselves and for Darice and Captain Mireth, who were in the gym with them. When they finally decided to stop, Sabrina's cheeks were flushed with exertion, and her eyes sparkled as she tried to stop laughing at their rather clumsy return to gravity.

"Now that is much better," Tassan said approvingly. "I will see you back in the conservatory?"

"All right," Sabrina said. "You'd better give me an hour."

"I'll be ready."

Sabrina went back to her rooms, cleaned up, and pulled out the simple silver gown she'd picked up in her travels. It was sleeveless, with a draped neckline, a tapered waist, and a skirt that fell from her hips in soft, shimmering folds. She quickly put her hair up in a bun. The neckline left a great deal of bare skin, so she put on the necklace Scotty had given her, with some crystal teardrop earrings she had bought on some half-forgotten planet.

"There. What do you think?" she asked Darice.

"Perfect."

Sabrina, used to feeling rather dowdy in the unbecoming mourning colors, was gratified by Tassan's expression as she ascended the stairs in the conservatory. Of course, she thought, he hadn't been exposed to much glamor in his life, and her dress was rather daring for Praxatillus, but she was still pleased to have impressed him.

The sitting took only a few minutes. She picked a blooming white rose, and Tassan helped her place it in her hair. His fingers shook ever so slightly, she noticed, and wondered if he was nervous. He posed her in front of one of the windows, a black background full of stars.

"Now," he said, standing behind the holorecorder, "let's try several expressions, and I'll decide on one later. I suppose we ought to have some shots of you looking dignified."

He said it so distastefully that Sabrina grinned, stifling a giggle. It took her several moments to achieve a more sober expression. "Well, I suppose that's dignified. I suppose we also ought to have some noble expressions."

Sabrina instantly assumed an air of martyrdom that made both Darice and Tassan burst into laughter. "Enough of that!" Tassan said. "All right, that will do. Thank you, my lady."

"That was it?" Sabrina exclaimed. "When do I get to see the portrait?"

"When it's finished," Tassan told her. "Until then, no one sees it."

"Not even me?"

"Especially not you."

"Well!" Sabrina said.

He grinned. "Trust me."

Sabrina laughed. "All right. I'm already living dangerously; what the hell!"

"Your confidence is most flattering."

"I thought all you wanted was access to the roses. Now you want confidence as well!"

"Ah, but I know I have to earn that," he replied.

"I think you already have," she said, sobering. She held out her hand to him, and he kissed it.

"I wish you a good night, my lady," he said, smiling up at her.

"And you, Citizen. Thank you for a most...enlivening...evening."

"It was very much my pleasure."

Sabrina smiled as she left.

____________

Tired by the exercise, she slept soundly that night, for the first time in several days. It was fortunate, for the morning brought her new challenges. Sehaèri was overtly suspicious of Scotty and resisted the idea of his coming for lunch, much less throwing any sort of event in his honor; the household hovered nearby as Scotty arrived for lunch, finding excuses to be within sight of him.