Of Murder and other Dark Deeds

Chapter 2: Dinner with a Lord

"Is this your first time, my... Sorry, it will be a hard habit to kick; I am sure you understand." Shaw said, with a smile, eyes staring intently at the dwarf.

Siegfried pondered the question, remaining silent for a few minutes. "Aye... and nay..." The dwarf said. He smiled as the others on the shuttle looked towards him, confused. The dwarf grinned, showing his teeth. Some were golden, Ashan noted. "This will be the first time I board the Dionysus, but way back when I inspected the unnamed cruise ship before that fool, Gallard bought her."

"Is it Dwarven?" Ashan asked.

The Dwarf shook his head. "Sadly, no. The ship was constructed by you Sanctuarians back in the shipyard. I was invited onboard by Lord Cleos, another foolish lord if you ask me. Poor sod got killed by a Knof... A bloody Knof! What must he have done to piss off such a beast" The Dwarf spat, giggling to himself. "I digress. No, he invited me onboard to inspect the ship to make sure you Sanctuarians did not fuck anything up."

"And... Was it in good condition?" Elias asked nervously.

"As good as non-Dwarven ships can be. But a lot can change in 20 years, and Gallard is a fool."

Lord Darros rolled his eyes. "Every Imperial lord is a fool in your eyes, my lord..." He said sarcastically.

That made the dwarf laugh. Ashan could not help but smile. How did I end up here, in the company of lords?

The trip was short. The Dionysus was in orbit around Sanctuary's moon. After only a few minutes, Ashan could feel the shuttle shaking once more as it landed onboard the Dionysus. The shuttle door opened with a burst of air. Siegfried was the first on his feet, stretching as he disembarked. Ashan was next. The ship's docking bay was similar to the Shipyard's. There were three evenly spaced platforms for shuttles. One was empty. From the other, a group of ten well-dressed men and women disembarked another shuttle, talking among themselves excitedly. Behind her, Ashan noted that the energy barrier was a unique red colour. It became distorted, ripples appearing on the barrier as another shuttle entered the docking bay.

Elias appeared next to her, anxious at the sight. "Let's get out of here." Deeper into the bay, more servants stood. Most of these servants were women dressed in red or white dresses, with short skirts, showing a lot of cleavage. The dresses sparkled almost as much as their smiling faces. Together, Ashan and Elias made their way to the servants.

"Ms Stokes, Mr Vash. Welcome, onboard the Dionysus. Please proceed to the elevator." One servant greeted them, pointing towards the only door in the bay.

"Stupid girl!" An angry voice came. Behind them, Tomas Shaw was yelling at his assistant. "You are embarrassing yourself and me! Get a grip!" He was pulling on Pauli's arm, ushering her towards the elevator.

"I am sorry, Tomas. I am tired, that's all."

"I know you are tired!" He hissed. "That is all you have been telling me since this morning." He stopped near the servants. Ashan could not hear what he said as she and Elias entered the elevator. There, they re-joined Siegfried. The elevator was not large. There was enough space for five people. Ashan realised that it shared its design with some elevators on Elysium Station. It was bland and grey, nothing like she expected from such a lavishly spoken of ship. The elevator doors closed.

"I do not like that man," Siegfried whispered.

"He is a famous producer, I belief," Elias commented.

"That does not give him the right to speak down to that girl. He must show her some respect."

The elevator door opened. Ashan was surprised to find that they were no longer in the docking bay. She did not even feel the elevator move. The door opened into a circular room with a blood-red carpet. The walls were covered with dark wood-mimicking wallpaper, and above, a chandelier gave the room light. In the centre of the room was a wooden table with a large framed welcoming board.