Fire Opal: Scene 6

F# Major Svelto

I was half tempted to answer the door nude, but I didn't. I wrapped up in the sheet again.
"Yes?"
"Delivery for Flower Water Lotus."
I opened the doors. A cute little hostess in a uniform was holding a package. She thrust the giant package into my arms and took off. It was probably good that she left in such a hurry, because I dropped my sheet in order take the package. I shut the doors with my foot and tried walking away from the doors. I had caught the sheet in the doors which subsequently tangled up around my feet and tripped me. The package and I came crashing down with a loud thud. So much for my natural grace.
"Incoming message for Flower Water Lotus from Arcson Tryst Suiryoku."
"Go ahead." I said while I was still face down on the floor.
"Lyte-I uhhhhh."
Ah krietsit. I'm wet, butt ass naked, face-down sprawled out on the floor, with the sheet tangled up in my feet, my arms out-stretched holding onto this giant package. Oh yeah, live conferencing was definitely a good thing. All I wanted to do was bathe in peace. But here I am conducting a live conference with Tryst. Lovely.
"I seem to be having issues with my bathing schedule."
"I see that."
Yeah, I bet you did. Like my ass? Why don't you kiss it.
"I uhhh received a request from Zyrenak of Biolazin. I wish for you to accept his offer. He has cleared it with me."
"Fine and dandy."
"Uhhhh do you need a larger expense account for some new articles of clothing?"
I waved my hand up.
"No, I'm just fine. How are you?"
"I uhhh, I'm fine."
"Good, good."
I waved my arm again.
"Well, I'll leave you to your bathing."
"Are you sure? We're having such a pleasant conversation."
I started to bang my head against the floor.
"I'm sure. Please inform me when you return."
"Will do boss!"
Why? Why me? I raised my hands in exasperation. Ok, time to get up from the floor before anything else humiliating happens.

I decided to forego the bath and just finish cleaning up under the waterfall-like shower above the bathing basin. I put on undergarments and then remembered the package. I brought it back to the wash room and untied the ribbons. Inside the box was a note just resting on a mountain of tissue paper.
"Wear this tonight. Zyrenak."
Lovely. How had he gotten this package to me so quickly? I rustled around in the box full of tissue paper until I felt something...wet? I rubbed my fingers together. No, it wasn't wet... I pulled it out of all the tissue paper. It was a glowing, shimmering, liquid-like material. AND IT WAS SHORT! I dumped out the rest of the box's contents. Shoes, hair combs? (I'm assuming), a purse, a length of fabric tied up like a coil of rope?, gloves, a belt?, and oh thankfully, some skin-tight pants. At least there were pants! Ok how does this go on? It was a gorgeous cobalt-blue one-piece dress that was shaped similarly like the undershirts I used to wear at the academy, with the exception of the extra gather of material for the sleeves. There was a glowing, luminescent embroidered water lotus one side, near the shoulder. I'm assuming that the flower and v-neck goes on the front. I slipped the dress over my head. The v-neck made it easier to pull over my head. The liquidy-cool material felt like water next to my skin. It shimmered and reflected light like water too. The sleeves reached my elbows, but they were like a skirt attached to my shoulder; they were gathered very tightly at the seam and billowed out to my elbow. Ok. I'd better put on those skin-tight pants. When I reached down to pick them up, I realized that this dress was so short I'd better NOT ever bend down. The footed-pants were made of the same water-y like material, but were a much, much lighter shade of blue, almost translucent. No, I'd better not bend down at all. The belt was just a length of braided material with a hole woven into one end for me to slip the other end into. Ok, now what was that coil of fabric for? A skirt? No, it had way too wide an opening for a skirt. And it had a clasp on one end. I held it up. It was too large for my hair as well. It was definitely made to drape... maybe from a shoulder? I tried putting it over my shoulder. It hung kind of funny, but the clasp and ends definitely were meant to be over something like my shoulder. Across? I put it under one arm and over the opposite shoulder. Yeah, that's how it was supposed to fit. It fit exactly right. It was a sash of sorts then. Ahhh, the draping fabric covered my butt! I painted my face and pulled the sides of my hair back with the hair combs. The doors chirped.
I threw on the shoes and gloves, and grabbed the purse. My regular purse was still next to the doors, so I opened it and dumped the contents into the new little purse and opened the doors.
"I see I estimated your size correctly." Zyrenak smiled.
Estimated? It was like he had measured every inch of my body!
"Yes, the clothing fits well."
"The fabric is a Biolazin patented textile, one that we haven't released to the markets yet."
"It is very cool and watery."
He smiled. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes." What would I do if I got another attack? That needle was broken... krietsit. We glided down the walk ways. If I had been covertly stared at the first time I came into this building, it was obvious this time that individuals weren't just staring, they were ogling. I felt like a show piece.
"You're making quite a statement." Zyrenak whispered.
"You mean I'm doing your marketing work for you." I whispered back. I had no delusions as to why he had presented me with these garments. He was a tried and true company rep.
"It's patented partly because of the bioluminescence."
Nice change of subject.
"The rest of the patent is trade secret."
"We're taking a transport?"
"Yes, I don't want you to melt in this heat."
It *was* hot.
"So tell me how you seem to be far more sophisticated than every other Flower. You don't make technological gaffes, you can follow statistics, you didn't have any trouble seeing a follow through of cause and consequence..."
The transport was moving slowly through the crowded streets. There were so many people in Iaonin!
Basic mathematics. "I do have a limited intelligence." Gah. I hated saying that. I knew I was smarter than I had to appear. After all, 'Flowers do not have brains.'
"See, you say that with words, but your eyes and your movements suggest that you do not have such a limited intelligence."
"Thank you. I assure you, however, that I do have a very limited intelligence." Yeah, limited to discrete mathematics, and not the Flower foo foo world.
"What do you know about propostion-42da?"
Ugh. Back to work. I searched for the title in the mesh-x.
"You mean the proposition that wishes to specify the exact kinds of research that can be trade secrets?"
His eyes opened wide. Crap. Maybe having the mesh-x was not such a good thing sometimes.
"Yes, that proposition."
"Only that it's listed as one of the propositions I am supposed to discuss during conference."
He cocked his head to the side.
It was listed, wasn't it? Oh hellfire.
"We're here." The transport stopped and opened. I waited for Zyrenak to come to my side and give me his hand. I figured that since that's what Intris had done, it was probably customary. He helped me out of the transport. Jing? Uhhhh. It was full of individuals. I should have suspected.
"I have standing reservations."
Figures.
We were seated on cushions, across from each other, in the center of the room. I was exceedingly thankful for the sash that covered my butt as I knelt down. Within a few moments a wait staff brought out two dishes. Mine was simple rice and vegetables, as I had come to expect, but Zyrenak's dish was a heavenly assortment of fish, vegetables, nuts, and noodles. I would have killed for his dish. Oh joy and more tea for me.
I don't know when it was decided that Flowers do not consume salt, sugar, spice, or *taste* but I'd like to meet the individuals that so decided and force feed them bowls of the stuff they call plant food. Leafy this, tasteless that. I think my tastebuds had shrivelled up and died from lack of use. Tea was the one exception, but come on! I would have killed for Zyrenak's coffee swirled with creme delicace! It was torture!
Uhhhh. I was being ogled again. Couldn't I for once have a meal in peace here?
"Did you know that we're across the street from one of Biolazin's research facilities?"
"No, I did not know that. Which research department?"
His eyes opened wide at me again. Krietsit! There was no way I would ever be able to speak without giving away that I was not a normal Flower! I don't even know what was so unusual about asking about the department!
"This is the DPU research facility."
I perked up and looked him straight in the eyes. There was something unusual in the way he had stated that information.
"What? Did I say something incorrectly?"
Hellfire.
"No no. I simply didn't realize the DPU labs were this close."
Oh yeah, he knew I had caught the off key in his voice.
"Oh, I was afraid I had pronounced something incorrectly. This is not my first language."
He was covering? I looked at the plain building with only the optic 'Biolazin' logo to distinguish it from the surrounding buildings. What did they really do there?
"You never seem to eat very much."
"I have a very small appetite." You would too if you tried eating this bland garbage. Wait, did he just imply I was a heifer? I *never seem* to eat very much? What, like I go and scarf down all the food I can get my hands on when no one is around?
"That makes sense, you're very delicate."
Oh. Eh.
I took a sip of tea.
"What do you know about living metal?"
I choked on the tea and it came out my nose. I grabbed my serviette and coughed my tea into it. Oh yeah, just call me Grace.
"Sorry, it went down the wrong pipe." I coughed again. My eyes were watery. Don't smear your cosmetics! I dabbed at my eyes.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Yeah, like that covered up my surprise. Why didn't I just stick a big sign on my forehead, 'GUILTY.'
"I was wondering if you knew anything about living metal." His smile had returned after his slip before. I guess we were even now.
The wait staff came and cleared our dishes and brought out fruit ice for me and something sinfully creamy for Zyrenak. Lychee fruit ice. I knew it tasted fine, but I couldn't help wishing it were something richer and more substantial.
"I only know enough about it to know that I need to take extensive note when it is brought up in discussion. It is one of the subjects Arcson Tryst Suiryoku has explicitly marked for me." If he can give me a cover, I can give him one.
"Would you like a tour of the Biolazin research facility after you have finished your fruit ice and tea?"
Don't choke! Swallow! Swallow! I swear that individual is trying to catch me off guard! The fruit ice slid down my throat at the wrong angle, scratching the tissue. Don't cough again! I swallowed and tried to pretend that he hadn't shocked me.
"I would love to. Although, I will most likely not understand any of it." Did that sound convincing enough? Did I sound like a fluffy Flower without any brains? I couldn't tell. I certainly didn't *feel* like a fluffy Flower. I know for a fact that I didn't look like one at this moment, either. Sigh.
He smiled another smile that I couldn't read. Hellfire, why don't I just expose everything about myself to everyone? Hi! I'm a former male academy student that turned into a Flower that's addicted to living metal injections and that sneaks out to set fire to Gardens. I belong in a program.
"Would you like to go now?"
I smiled sweetly. It's not like I could receive the food I really wanted.
"Of course."
"Wonderful."
I wanted to puke. At least I'll get to see research equipment again though!