Page 48 of Night's Fall
It would have to wait for the second.
Or maybe the third.
(Or perhaps the fourth.)
I just knew it wasn’t going to happen now.
We were going to eat atStainedGlass.Hewas going to show me something very few beings ever got to see.Andwe were going to get to know each other better.
When it came to all of that, it was definitely enough to deal with.
For now.
Chapter9
Pleased?
After dinner,Isat besideAlekseiin theJetPantherand watched theSceptredIsleget closer, as well as the expansive gardens, spires, turrets, flags and majesty of theCelestialPalacegracing the sweeping slope of the highest peak on the island.
One could say,Iwas now in deep need to take that pauseIalready deeply needed to take to figure out whereIwas in regard to what was going on with the prince.
Because dinner was fantastic.
Not just the food.
No.
Mostly it was the company.
At first,Alekseispent a lot of time telling me what was in theCataloguesand offering to show me other stuff ifIwanted to see it (andIwas all over that, asking to see the royal jewels, and he’d told me security measures around those were tighter, thus it would take more arranging, but we’d go back later soIcould pore over them).
I also learned (whatIalready knew, consideringI’dhave seen pics of it everywhere if he had) he didn’t laser joust, “Becausethe possibility of serious injury is sheer stupidity to court just for the five-second thrill of riding a robotic horse and aiming a laser lance at a shield.”
I was relieved he thought this, becauseIagreed.
I never understood the lure of the joust.Itseemed like long stretches of boredom punctuated by mere moments of superfluous violence.
Aleksei also wasn’t a fan of pit ball, but did like ring ice, and (this was news) played it himself.
“We have a secret league.Somefriends and acquaintances of mine throughout theFourRealms.Wekeep it secret so we can play and concentrate on that without the media taking the enjoyment from it.”
I had visions ofAlekseion the ice, and thenIhad to force those visions out of my head soIdidn’t ruin my outfit by throwing myself over the used dishes on the table at him.
I further learned his favorite style of cooking wasLand’sEndian. “It’shearty, so people underestimate it.Theythink it’s simplistic.Butthey program theirCook-Companionsto make it.Theydon’t know how many steps there are or the importance of the perfect blend of spices.”
In fact, he pretty much let me grill him the entire dinner.
SoIalso knew he did own thePinkandBlackClub, the entire building it was in, and further rumor proved true, sharing he lived in the penthouse at the top when he wasn’t in his suite of rooms at thePalace(he also shared he wasn’t often in his suite of rooms at thePalacesince he’d moved out three years ago).
I learned his hobbies were not only ring ice and cooking, but also reading and target shooting, both on legs and in craft, but he didn’t often have time to partake in any of these, save the reading (and yes, he too, collected real books, he told me his collection was (unsurprisingly) bigger than mine, and he promised to show me that too).
He further disclosed he did not gamble, though some of his ring ice friends pulled together a friendly poker game every once in a while.
And he traveled often, mostly for business, rarely for royal appearances, which fell toKingFillion,QueenCalisaandPrincessAleece, “BecauseTimotheeandErrolhave their brains in their balls, and until they’re surgically removed and relocated, they’re one step above useless, and sadly, too often, two steps below it.”
Yes!
He talked smack about his brothers.
