Page 42 of Mated on Live

He went right past tacky, past gaudy, and landed on art piece. He soaked up the appreciation and approval of the people as they all turned and clapped for him. Sophie did the same, so quickly and seamlessly, it seemed like she already knew she should do so.

Serval, however, stepped back.

Everyone’s attention was taken by the prince. He slipped into the halls outside the main room. He gestured to his combot, setting it to dark mode, and sent it flying ahead of him. He stalked after it, putting a little piece in his ear.

It turned a corner. A moment later, it chirped at him through the earpiece. All clear. He followed after it, running over the mansion building plans in his head.

This place was old. Prince Qui’tal had bought it for the provenance – it was the oldest, most stable building in his pod. He then added on to it to make it luxurious enough for his standards. But that meant that the old building plans were still recorded and easy to access. Serval guessed he wouldn’t have changed the modular building that much or he’d risk losing what made it valuable. On the ever changing Holivair, old things were rare and precious.

And he was right. He followed the outer halls down into the servant rooms. The kitchens were busy, making the various foods and drinks being served upstairs. But the laundry rooms were completely empty. Which gave him easy access to the servant halls that connected upstairs to the private rooms of Prince Qui’tal. Which, in turn, gave him access to his workroom without Serval ever needing to step into the halls where security was keeping watch. The prince wouldn’t have security cams in his private rooms or office, and the servant halls didn’t have them at all. A weakness in the security system that too many foolish, powerful people made because they didn’t think about the people beneath them and didn’t want to spend credz to keep security there.

Serval’s combot wasn’t just checking for other people. It was also scanning for recording devices. Its chirp meant that it found neither, easing his trip through the back halls.

The prince’s rooms was just as ostentatious as he was. They were also messy. The fabulous six poster bed was covered in pillows, unmade, and still stunk of perfume and sex like he had just rolled out and into the hands of whoever helped dress him today.

Beyond his rooms, his private office was even less neat. There were still dirty dishes on the side tables, and a female’s panties were tossed over the head of a beautiful, marble bust of one of the previous kings of the pod. There was a charging dock here for the prince’s combot, but it was empty at the moment.

It was, however, Serval’s target. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small toolkit as he grabbed the dock and picked it up, turning it over. With practiced ease, he removed the bottom panel. The wiring and circuits inside were still new and in pristine condition.

Serval pulled out a tiny transmitter from his toolkit and installed it into the base. Once it was secured and his combot confirmed it was working, he replaced the base, set the dock back into its proper position, and snuck out of the room.

Back into the servant halls, back through the empty laundry, up through the public halls, and back into the ballroom.

His trip had been so quick, Prince Qui’tal wasn’t even finished with his welcome speech. He was thanking them all for coming, thanking the sponsors of his rusk – a small, quick female named Shi’ti’le – and was encouraging everyone to have a great time. Mostly, he was just talking to hear the sound of his own voice.

Serval moved to the buffet tables to grab two drinks, then returned to Sophie who was watching the prince with all apparent interest. She even clapped before the others this time when he finished, like she was the only one who had been listening.

“Got your drink, lov’alel,” Serval announced, turning her attention back to him.

“Oh, thank you,” she smiled, accepting the shallow glass filled with sparkling flower wine, a single, dark flower floating on its surface. “I didn’t even see you leave.”

Serval smiled knowingly. “I’m very quick. Taste. This is my favorite blend.”

She held up her glass. “Salud.”

He cocked his head curiously. “What is that?”

“It’s a well wish among my people. Lift your drink,” she instructed. He did so, mimicking her. “I raise mine to you, as you raise yours to me. We wish each other good health and good tidings by saying ‘salud’. So, salud.”

He raised his drink, in her honor, he understood, and responded easily, “Salud.”

She copied him as he brought the drink up, and they drank together. A human custom, one he was happy to participate in, as he truly did wish for her good health and tidings. Her eyes widened with delight as she sipped.

“It’s so sour! Oh, but it’s good.”

Serval smiled back. “You like this place.”

“I do,” she nodded, drinking more. “It’s like an amazing vacation. I’ve always loved traveling. This is like the ultimate form of traveling. A great party, a great guy, and a whole new culture full of amazing people. It couldn’t get better!”

“It will get better.” The promise came swift and unbidden from Serval’s mouth. He was annoyed for some reason, and he realized quickly why.

She should be thinking this about Wav’aii. She should be feeling this excitement and joy for his planet instead. He should have taken her home already. He wanted her to see the nesting pools, the wii, his family home, his family.

He had made the decision to keep those things from her, only because, selfishly, he hadn’t wanted to return. It now seemed like a spectacularly dumb decision.

“Oh, look,” Sophie turned, eyes sparkling. “They’ve started dancing!”

“Then, we will join them,” Serval said, pushing aside his annoyance and taking her empty cup.

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