To thine own self
by Ainzfern
17
Standing beside Raoul Am, sipping champagne and gazing, with an almost serene expression on his face, across the milling crowd in Partia's grand function room, Katze had to admit tonight's official launch had gone extremely well indeed.
Iason Mink, demanding attention from all in the room just by the very force of his charismatic public persona, had opened the official ceremony with a few concise words. The contract had been signed and ratified right there upon the main dais, with General Grace and Raoul Am completing the final signatures with appropriate seriousness. Raoul had spoken a few words before the guests had been invited to enjoy Partia's luxurious hospitality for the evening, thanking his stakeholders, benefactors and indeed all who had assisted with making the project such a success. There had, of course, been a tiny ripple of surprise, at least across the Amoi contingent in the audience, when Raoul had singled Katze out specifically, almost gravely acknowledging his contribution.
Katze himself hadn't been all that startled. He'd suspected Raoul might do something along those lines. Besides, he was just pleased the Blondie hadn't dragged him up onto the dais again to run through his gamut of technical terms.
Once had been enough.
Now, having competed the 'official' mingling with the federation delegates and those few Amoi Elites genuinely interested in the project, Katze watched the various guests representing the federation and Amoi territories alike, finding himself scanning the crowd with specific targets in mind.
Iason and Riki cut undeniably gorgeous figures, he had to confess. Iason, so tall and graceful, his pale golden hair flowing like living satin luxuriously across his shoulders and down his back, was resplendent in white silk and deep blue velvet, the rich color of his artfully draped sash-coat making his striking eyes almost glow in the warm lights of the function hall. Beside him, and quite proudly holding his own with federation and Amoi conversationalists alike, Riki was beautifully attired in tailored black pants and a high-collared pristinely white shirt. A dash of subtle color was added to his ensemble with the addition of a pale blue silk scarf, draped casually about his neck.
As he watched them, Katze couldn't deny the surge of quiet pride that filled him at the sight of them. They really were a striking couple, his friends...
He turned slightly, meeting Raoul's deep green eyes and he smiled. Oddly, or perhaps not, Katze reflected, it really did seem lately that almost every time he turned and looked at Raoul, the Blondie was watching him.
Not that he actually minded. He had begun to sense a certain shifting of Raoul's regard for him lately that, while a little disquieting, was also undeniably attractive. There was an intensity in Raoul's eyes that hadn't been there before, a question that always appeared to shine now from that splendid gaze. He found himself wondering at times, if Raoul himself even knew what it was he wanted to ask.
A long time, Katze reflected, as he sipped form his glass again and once more turned to look out across the politely mingling throng, feeling Raoul's eyes upon him still. It had been a long time since he'd held someone's attention like this.
He couldn't deny that it was a very nice feeling.
Pushing that thought, and the other somewhat peculiarly unformed notions that seemed to stem from it, out of his mind, Katze once more glanced at his Elite companion, noting his appearance with a deep sense of pleasure. Raoul was, in a word, magnificent. His sash-coat, proudly bearing the Syndicate's scientific departmental crest, was deep emerald green, draped elegantly over the rich cream satin of his shirt. His rich mane of hair, somewhat darker than Iason's, cascaded in artfully unruly waves across his shoulders. The one thick lock that always seemed to fall across the side of his face gave him a somehow suitably rakish air and, strangely, made Katze's fingers almost itch with the urge to push it back all the time.
Arching an elegant brow as he looked down into Katze's face, Raoul smiled slightly. "A wholly successful evening, I think," he remarked softly.
"True," Katze snorted softly with wry amusement. "And no assassins lurking in the corners, either, which always makes an event run more smoothly, I feel."
Raoul winced slightly. "Yes. Well, there is that, of course." He moved a little closer, his gaze warming. "And you are enjoying yourself, I hope?"
Katze nodded with unfeigned pleasure. "Yeah. Very much, in fact." He chuckled softly. "Although, I am kind of grateful I'm here with you. I get the strong feeling that these events could be hellishly boring if a person didn't have someone entertaining to talk to."
With a deep chuckle, Raoul nodded. "Katze? Seldom have I heard a more accurate observation."
Katze grinned up at him for a moment. "So... production of the amniotic units has already started, I take it?"
"Yes," Raoul glanced briefly at the tank displayed on the dais beside him, "In fact manufacture began in earnest this morning." He shrugged one shoulder. "As we know, tonight's signing and ratification is merely a formality, after all."
"And, in business, a lost moment is lost revenue," Katze added almost thoughtfully. He blinked then, giving himself a little shake. "What did you think of General Grace?"
Raoul's smile broadened somewhat. "I rather like him. He's not as affable as Chey Neeson, I will admit, but he has a certain 'old-soldier' bluntness about him that I find refreshing."
Chuckling, Katze lifted his glass in a vague salute. "He's a pretty sharp old guy, isn't he?"
"Indeed," Raoul nodded. "I think I will rather enjoy my ongoing dealings with him."
"Certainly they'll be challenging."
"Well, I appreciate that at times." Raoul's eyes twinkled with mirth.
"I'd believe that." Katze sipped his drink once more. "So... are you enjoying your moment of triumph?"
Raoul stared at him for a moment, contemplating the answer. "I suppose I am gratified to see that the project has been successful, considering the hours of concerted effort that were given to it, by you and my team."
"Well, you put a hell of a lot into it, yourself, don't forget," Katze pointed out.
"Hmm," Raoul tilted his head slightly. "All of that aside... I must confess, what I am truly enjoying tonight is your company."
Touched by the ingenuousness of Raoul's comment, Katze smiled gently. "Yeah?"
"Indeed."
"Well," Katze wet his lips, pulling in a deep breath as a certain familiar sensation of excitement entered his chest, "That's nice to know."
"I'm pleased." Slowly, Raoul reached out and briefly touched Katze's face with his fingertips, the small caress stilling and affecting the ex-Furniture as much as it did the very first time it happened. Quite frankly, Katze mused absently as he held Raoul's suddenly deepening gaze, he had the feeling that little touch was always going to knock him sideways.
He watched Raoul's face carefully then, as the Blondie took a deep breath, a peculiarly hesitant expression crossing his normally controlled countenance, as if he was searching for the right words to express his next thoughts.
"Ah..." Katze's attention was suddenly caught; focusing over Raoul's left shoulder, even as a sinking sensation entered his stomach. Katze felt a genuine twinge of resentment. Some people, he thought, had no damned sense of timing at all. "I'm sorry to tell you, Raoul, but it looks like our evening is just about to hit a slump."
Puzzled, Raoul shook his head slightly. "Your meaning?"
Katze snorted and took a deep draught of his champagne. "Tahna Lam, advancing rapidly towards you, I'm afraid."
To Katze's gentle amusement Raoul actually lifted his eyes towards the ceiling for a moment. "I see," he sighed heavily. "And things had been going so well until now."
Frowning, Raoul tore his gaze from Katze's tensely expectant expression and turned around, facing Tahna Lam as he sauntered elegantly towards them, a tall glass of champagne in his graceful hand and a patently false smile of his flawless face.
"Tahna." With a reservedly urbane nod, he greeted his Elite colleague politely enough, if somewhat distantly.
Tahna mirrored the action back to him, his violet eyes, as always, lit by some obscure inner amusement. "Raoul," he murmured in response. His gaze flicked briefly to Katze and then back again. "May I congratulate you on a singularly exceptional success? I must confess at first I despaired that even you, so formidable a scientist and businessman, could find a way to turn profit from your bastardized Pet chambers. But you've managed to impress me."
"Really," Raoul smiled blandly. "Well that is a relief to know. I had wondered at times whether you were capable of appreciating anything."
Tahna merely smiled, and quirked an elegant brow as if Raoul's barb had amused him. "Oh, I value the finer things in life, certainly." His beautiful smile grew sly. "Unlike some Elites, who apparently seem content to accept only second-best leavings."
Raoul felt his eyes narrow dangerously. Beside him, he peripherally noted Katze's posture stiffening as he, too, caught the unsubtle insult in Tahna's remark.
"Was there an actual purpose in you attending tonight, Tahna?" Raoul asked him, his tone carefully modulated to effect unconcern, "Or did you just come by in order to cast your usual pall over the proceedings?"
As always, when faced with a question he did not wish to respond to, Raoul noted, Tahna simply ignored it. He smiled brightly, turning abruptly to look across the room to where Iason and Riki were holding a brief audience with a small group of General Grace's retinue. "They're quite an unquestionably beautiful pair, don't you think?" he asked Raoul, taking an almost fastidious sip from his glass.
Suspicious, naturally, of the sudden change in focus, Raoul nodded without comment.
"Hmm," Tahna turned back to him, looking at him over the rim of his glass. "I will say this for Iason; he at least has the good taste to ensure that his little mongrel looks acceptable in these social situations. Although..." one brow quirked again, almost thoughtfully, "I can see you've made a similar effort yourself. With mixed results, of course. I mean I suppose the suit is acceptable," Tahna cast an almost dismissive glance at the suddenly blank-faced mongrel, "but, quite frankly, that hair just won't do." He sighed, shaking his head sadly. "Really, Raoul, if you are going to insist on wearing him as an accessory everywhere you go, the least you can do is groom him properly."
"Tahna, that is enough," Raoul felt his lips thin with anger, his voice lowering and his hackles rising as he stepped towards the Blondie. "You are only making a fool of yourself with this childish behavior."
"Oh, don't overreact so, Raoul." Tahna moved back a touch and waved an airy hand at him. "I'm sure your little... friend... can accept a tiny criticism." He looked Katze up and down with insulting slowness. "It's actually a virtue of mine, I feel," he spoke to Katze directly for the first time, his expression dripping with condescension, "that I say what I think. Don't you agree?"
Katze's bland expression didn't even as much as flicker, but his golden eyes were hard. "Well, I'm sure it would, Sir," he replied evenly. "If I actually assumed what you thought amounted to anything."
Raoul felt his mouth quirk in surprise and yet undeniable satisfaction as Tahna did a tiny double take, as if the Elite couldn't quite believe what he'd heard, certainly not from such a social inferior as a mere Ceres mongrel.
Before Tahna could reply, Katze nodded towards him in an almost friendly manner. "But still, I suppose a little detail like that isn't important to you. After all, I have noticed you never seem to let actual thinking interrupt the flow of your conversation."
"I beg your pardon?" Tahna blinked once or twice, his sooth brow creasing deeply.
Katze glanced at Raoul for a moment, before lifting one shoulder slightly, his face filled with clearly false innocence. "Do you want to explain it to him in smaller words, or should I?"
Tahna's eyes blazed as he pulled himself up to his full height and glared at Raoul. "Are you going to just stand there, Raoul, and allow this... this ill-bred mongrel to speak in that manner?"
Astonishingly, Raoul found that he actually had to struggle quite manfully to contain the building guffaw that was threatening to burst up from under his rib-cage. God knew he had wanted to say much worse than Katze just had and, in all fairness, the red-head did have a legitimate point. Tilting his head and appraising Tahna with an artfully mild expression Raoul took a sip of his wine and then smiled. "I must admit I quite agree with you, Tahna, that it is the duty of any good Elite to censor inappropriate behavior."
Tahna's eyes filled with malicious delight as he nodded smugly at Katze.
"...Including his own," Raoul added, his smile growing slightly superior.
The supercilious expression dropped off Tahna's flawless face and his eyes widened with something very close to shock as Raoul's remark registered on him.
"So, whenever you feel obliged to conduct yourself in a more acceptable manner," Raoul continued calmly, amusement sparkling in his eyes, "I assure you I shall most certainly have a word with my guest about his behavior."
Tahna's mouth opened, but no sound emerged. His smooth cheeks flushed dully as he flicked his violet eyes back and forth between Katze and Raoul for a moment. Then, with an affronted jerk of his chin and a soft hiss of disgust, Tahna rather deliberately turned his back on the pair and stalked away, his perfect nose in the air.
Lifting an elegant brow, Raoul looked sideways at Katze. The red-head peered back at him, somewhat uncertainly, over the rim of his champagne glass, a touch of tension across his broad shoulders. Without changing expression Raoul winked at him, observing with genuine pleasure, the sudden grin that appeared like a sunrise on Katze's face.
"That was really rather well done, Katze," Raoul congratulated him softly.
Katze's lifted one shoulder in a self-deprecating little shrug. "Well, I have my moments."
Raoul continued to smile at him. "Indeed you do."
"Well, that looked pretty interesting," Riki's familiar drawl came from directly behind then. Turning, Raoul nodded as Iason and Riki joined them, obviously having completed their required circuit of the room.
"Dare I presume that Tahna was having another one of his little episodes?" Iason asked lightly, his shrewd pale eyes watching Tahna's stiff and offended back retreating across the function hall.
"He was certainly trying to," Katze snorted softly, looking almost interestedly into his glass.
"Hmm," Raoul shifted slightly, moving a touch closer to Katze, almost without conscious thought. "It's actually rather a shame you missed it," he smiled at Iason and his attractive mongrel Companion. "You would have been privy to one of the most unanticipated events of the decade."
"Oh?" Iason gave him an odd little look. "And what might that have been?"
Ignoring Katze's dry little chuckle, Raoul raised his glass in a tiny salute. "Tahna Lam, being struck dumb for words."
He had to admit, as he smiled once more at Katze, he was genuinely impressed by the efficiently urbane way the ex-Furniture had put Tahna so neatly back into his place. But then, Katze seemed to be genuinely impressing him quite a lot lately.
Even as he joined in more general conversation with his companions, part of Raoul's formidable mind continued to ponder upon the enigma that was Katze. There were so many admirable elements to the man; keenly intelligent, possessing of a sharp wit and a delightfully dry sense of humor... and, quite frankly, wholly aesthetically attractive to him as well. Raoul shook his head slightly, even wryly, as the dialogue flowed around him. No use in even trying to deny that now, no point in attempting to relegate such thoughts to back of his mind. They were simply fact. And there was a certain relief, a lessening of the tension that he had recently been feeling, that came with that understanding.
And, as strange an admission as it was for an Elite to make, even to himself; Raoul had to confess that he felt quite fortunate to have come to know the man to this degree and, oddly, on the heels of that thought, he actually found himself feeling rather sorry for Tahna Lam.
Because his Elite colleague would never know how pleasing the willingly gifted company of a free-willed mongrel could be.
To thine own self – chapter 16 << >> To thine own self – chapter 18