The Company Man

Emily and Teslaimia walked up to the girl to get their masks for the evening. Emily leaned close to the girl and said softly, "Orarum consilii iteratione, dum vos es exspectabat in alis."

The girl stopped smiling and said softly, "You can wait through there." She walked over to a curtain along the wall and opened a passageway. Emily tugged on Teslaimia's hand and led her into the passage which was closed once they entered. Emily and Teslaimia walked down the dark pathway eventually coming to a large empty room lit by a single electric light. Once they walked into the room several large men in gold masks walked in behind them carrying swords taking places along the walls.

The master of ceremonies from the club entered shortly after, he walked around the two ladies and said, "I remember you both, one top one bottom, both with the kind of beauty to topple a nation. You have spoken a phrase to masque, do you know what it means?"

Emily nodded and replied softly, "It means that I am chewing the scenery while you wait in the wings. Specifically, it means that I need you to take the stage once again."

He laughed, "Stupid. Do you think that no one has tried to restart the sock and buskin since his time?" He walked a circle around the two of them, "One blonde, one brunette, one of Windsor, one of Cassandane." He pulled Teslaimia into a jaunty dance as musicians started to play, "Empresses, naughty Empresses, please tell me, what makes you worthy of our troupe?"

Emily cut in between them and looked into his eyes ignoring his devilish mask, "Priest Humphrey, did you think that you were the only ones who could uncover an identity?" She chuckled, "Let's end this game, shall we? My network is good, but it's not nearly as effective as the sock and buskin. I have heard the passion in your voice when you speak about me, so you are meeting with me now, like this because you are already interested."

He laughed and pulled his mask off revealing his handsome face, "Indeed, you are correct. The sock and the buskin are not related to the Church, but many from the Church are related to the sock and buskin, they, like you, discovered that same book in the depths of the Library and came to us and spoke the code words as you have." he slipped the mask back over his face and pulled her into a waltz, which the musician's immediately started to play, "The sock and buskin is at your disposal little muse, come as you please, and ask while you tease!"

Emily smiled as she danced around with him, "The Dane West Injia Company, I need to know who they are and where I can find them."

He laughed as he danced and then he picked her up, "For that which you seek, I require a peek!" He gave her a twirl and flipped up her skirt revealing her lack of underwear. "Return in two days, to be amazed!" He threw down a smoke bomb as the music stopped abruptly, and then as the smoke cleared an empty room remained with no signs of anyone having ever been inside aside from Teslaimia and Emily.

*****

A very expensive carriage entered through the main gate and was stopped by a group of soldiers. An officer walked up to the driver with a smile on his face, "Good day to you, the City of Connaissance does not allow horses inside the city proper, you can check them into the stable over there." He pointed to the stables off to their immediate right. "Travel around the city is mainly done by steam carriage or by pedicab. You can hire a pedicab directly from the pedicab station in front of the stables. As for a steam carriage, they are sold at a dealership on the northside of the city, if you are interested in one, I recommend taking the Rhino to the Airship Port station. The Rhino station is a short walk from the stables."

The driver nodded and turned his carriage to the stables. The Driver hopped down and opened the door revealing a tall, extremely handsome blonde man in a top hat and expensive purple and black suit. On the left breast pocket was the crest of the Dane West Injia Company. Along with the blonde man was a stunningly beautiful red-haired woman with a very curvaceous figure dressed in a dark red dress with black accents. She was wearing a black hat with a black veil pulled up into a flowerlike bundle. The two walked to the pedicab station where the man rumbled in a thickly accented deep voice, "Take us to ze Palace."

A few minutes later they arrived in front of the Connaissance Palace. The Pedicab driver couldn't take his eyes off the woman as he asked, "Ten Sprite."

"Tventy, and I ask zat you vait here vile ve meet vith ze Empress." The man said as he placed twenty Sprite into the cab driver's hand.

The driver grinned and nodded.

A guard from the palace placed himself in their way and asked, "Do you have an appointment?"

The tall blonde man shook his head, "Ve do not have ze appointment, could you notify ze Empress zat Herr Schmitz from ze Dane Vest Injia Company is here to see her?"

The guard nodded and then spoke to another guard while keeping his eyes on the pair, "Notify the palace we have guests from the Dane West Injia Company." The second guard raced off to the palace as the first guard stood like a great monolith in their path.

A few moments later a well dressed Gertrude walked out and gave them a small bow, "Lady Schmitz, Her Majesty Emily Connaissance will see you now." Gertrude turned and waived off the guards and led the pair in through the front entrance. She turned once they were inside and asked, "May I take your hats?"

The lady and the tall blonde man each removed their hat and allowed Gertrude to hang it in a nearby closet. The tall blonde man asked softly, "Herr Schmitz has trouble vith ze Langlish, vill zis be a problem?"

Gertrude shook her head and smiled, "The Empress is fluent in many languages."

Gretrude knocked on the door to Emily's office and announced, "Lady Schmitz, of the Dane West Injia Company."

As they entered the office Teslaimia was curled up on one of the couches casually reading a book while Emily sat behind her desk looking over a stack of documents. Teslaimia glanced up and her eyes froze on the woman as her heart started to beat like crazy, she reluctantly turned to see what Emily's facial expression was at the sight of this woman. Emily's usual cold and indifferent eyes had a warmth that made her feel sick to her stomach as Emily spoke up in a language that she couldn't understand.

Emily looked up and was shocked to see someone she hadn't seen since she was a little girl, "Katarina?" Emily stood up, "Katarina!" She raced around the desk as the other woman jumped up to greet her in a tight hug. They gave each other small kisses on the cheek. "I haven't seen you since we were children! You are one of the owners for the Dane West Injia Company?"

Teslaimia felt an ice-cold hand grip her heart as she stared at the woman. For the first time in her life, she felt inadequate. She couldn't help thinking that the woman hugging her Emily was more attractive than she was.

The beautiful red-haired woman giggled and then responded in the same language that Teslaimia could not understand, "It's true, my husband invested in the company when it was first starting. I am so sorry to hear what happened to you if I had known they were going to attack you I would never have allowed it. I came here to see you in order to hopefully make things right and possibly form an alliance with you instead of stupidly trying to fight you."

Emily took a step back and really looked at Katarina and noticed the gold pin with a chain on her lapel, "Katarina, you naughty bitch!" She laughed lightly.

Katarina raised an eyebrow and lightly brushed her fingers over Emily's gold chain smirking, "You can talk?" She chuckled, "I came to you, because the troupe leader in Dresphen, my home city, said I needed to come to visit the Empress of Connaissance at once, had I known it was you... I am sorry Emily, I am a terrible friend. Things should never have become so distant between us. Did you marry to become the Empress here?"

Emily shook her head, "It's a long story Katarina, how long are you planning to stay here?"

Katarina shook her head and said, "My husband passed three years ago, I have no children or ties to Dresphen, I had thought to move to Port Gaul with the others, but now..."

Emily took her hands and said, "Katarina, stay here in Connaissance! You'll love it here!"

Teslaimia finally couldn't stand it any more watching as Emily seemed to be flirting with another woman right in front of her so she cleared her throat and asked, "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

Emily blinked and spoke in Langlish once again, "I'm sorry Teslaimia, this is a childhood friend of mine. Katarina Schmitz, I knew her as Katarina Becker as a child. She is one of the owners of the Dane West Injia Company."

Katarina said in heavily accented Langlish, "Hello Tesa Lame Nia, my name is Katarina." She held out her hand for a handshake.

Teslaimia furrowed her brow and said, "Welcome to Connaissance." She started to read again while thinking, 'Stupid why are you so scared of this woman!'

Emily looked a little shocked that the normally charming Teslaimia was suddenly acting like a spoiled child. She said to Katarina, "This is Teslaimia Cassandane, my Empress Consort." She smiled at Mia lovingly.

Katarina gasped, and spoke in Jermanish, "Emily, you like women, sexually?"

Emily nodded and brushed the hair over her ear, "Yes, I do. I hope that won't ruin our friendship, Katarina."

Katarina laughed and she shook her head, "No, you see, I am that way too, I was afraid you would think I was weird so I never said anything to you."

"Weren't you married?" Emily looked shocked.

Katarina nodded, "I was, an arranged marriage. He was a much older man, so we only ever did it a couple of times which was just fine for me. Then he passed away and I have remained a grieving widow so I didn't have to worry about the advances of men." Katarina looked at Teslaimia again and said, "Your wife is very beautiful, I am so jealous."

*****

While Katarina and Emily were chatting Teslaimia snuck out and raced over to her store and angrily paced around in her office, "Grace get me everything we have on Katarina Schmitz from Dresphen, Jermanly. She's a wealthy woman who is now one of the major owners of the Dane West Injia Company. She had a gold pin and chain from the sock and buskin as well."

Grace nodded and said, "Have you considered asking the sock and buskin? If she is a member they'll know some things we can't know."

Teslaimia nodded and then said, "I'll try to go tonight."

Grace looked concerned and asked, "Your Majesty, who is this woman and why are you in such a panic?"

Teslaimia stopped in her tracks and said, "She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and Emily is close to her and I don't like it. I can't understand a word she says, and that makes me even more afraid."

Grace looked a little confused, "Did you leave them together to come here?" Teslaimia stopped in her tracks and just stared at the wall as if she was trying to get her brain to work. Grace gently touched her on the shoulder, "Your Majesty? Do you need me to call Sir Killington to take you back home?" Teslaimia nodded. Grace cleared her throat and said, "Your Majesty don't take this the wrong way, but is it possible that you are overreacting the way you did when the inventor girl was here that time?"

Teslaimia looked at Grace and shook her head, "You didn't see her Grace. The look in her eye and the way Emily looked at her, I only felt that way once before. When Emperor Iopolo told me I wasn't good enough."