Lady Alyssana Grey
The invitation had been unexpected. Alyssana did not really know the Supreme Commander or his daughter, nor were her adoptive parents close to them. Library or no, she was not particularly fond of balls, and given the host it was bound to be supremely dull. She would have written a polite refusal, had it not been for an intriguing postscript that said little but told her volumes.
"Captain Kingsford sends her regards."
Adrianna was a friend from school, someone she understood and trusted. The brief note was a personal request, and that decided her. Alyssana would attend. At the least, she would have a chance to peruse what was, by all accounts, a truly magnificent collection of books. Far more likely, she would find out what it was that had Adrianna concerned enough to be assembling a team.
---
Alyssana alighted from the cab and paid the driver, twitching her skirts into place and checking her mask before turning to make her way to the door. Her mask was an intricate affair of delicate hammered metal and molded wire that evoked the fierce visage of a falcon. Even with it covering the upper half of her face, there was really no mistaking who she was. The loose skirt of her brown and faded blue outfit was the largest of the concessions she'd made for the formality of the affair. Her collar ended in a subdued frill at her neck, and the sleeves did likewise at her wrists, covering the entirety of her top. She'd forgone her usual tailored waistcoat, another small concession, but Alyssana was not fond of the revealing necklines and bare arms that were the prevailing trend in ball gowns, nor did she have the patience for the ballooning skirts that accompanied them. She wore sensible shoes instead of dancing slippers, complete with the springloaded blade in the toe of one. Her hair was swept up and carefully coiffed, secured with pearl hairpins and a fancy clip that hid another narrow blade. Her earrings were simple pearl studs, and instead of a string of pearls she wore her favorite pendant, a single irridescently blue pearl with bronzed overtones on a fine chain.
Most distinctive, however, were the elaborate wings that curved at her shoulders, marvels of miniscule gears hidden among the carefully crafted metal "feathers". They could fold down considerably smaller, the long primaries and secondaries sliding up under the coverts and all of them laying tightly together against her back. For this day, she had them expanded as if in preparation for flight, folded neatly at rest so she resembled a bird woman. Her mask was clearly designed to compliment them, the same colors and craftsmanship -- and the same maker.
The brilliant mind behind her wings had declined to attend; Christopher was quickly bored by most social functions and preferred to immerse himself in his work. He'd been more interesting in his current project than a party, and Alyssana had not cared to persuade him to come. If there was anything of particular interest to him that she learned in the course of the evening, it would be a simple matter to fill him in afterwards.
She entered alone and without escort, and greeted her hosts politely but not at great length. The atmostphere was even more dismal than anticipated, and it was with considerable relief that she withdrew to the library. Adrianna was just inside the door, reading a book Alyssana knew on sight to be from one of the Wasteland Cities before their fall. The woman in the corner could only be Lady Rowena, and she knew Arsenio, currently seeking help from a tall man she didn't recognize behind his mask. An intriguing choice if he had been invited, and it hinted at serious need. There were a couple others as well, but Adrianna and the library itself had the majority of Alyssana's attention. It was a stunning collection, even for someone who lived and breathed academia. A pity she couldn't explore it now, but there were other considerations at hand.
First among those was Adrianna and -- was that Finnegan, escorting the latest in his never-ending string of women? It was! A slight smile tugged at her mouth, and her eyes brightened behind her mask. If Finny was here it would definitely be an interesting evening, to say the least. And perhaps he could ease the tension that had always sparked when Alyssana and Rowena had to spend any length of time together. It had been years since they'd last seen each other, but Alys doubted things had changed a great deal.
"Greetings, Captain," Alyssana said quietly. "It's good to see you. And you as well, sir," she added, addressing Finnegan. She clasped her hands before her in anticipation of him trying to take one to kiss. He often did, despite her best efforts to avoid it, and she tolerated it because he was a dear friend and she suspected he couldn't completely help his mannerisms. It was almost a game, one they'd played for years. "Chris says he's flattered but he really has no interest in creating a clockwork atomizer to the specifications you wanted. He suggested you try candles." She shrugged, the motion rippling gently through her wings. "But he does send his regards, though I didn't expect to be delivering them this evening."
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