Perspectives

Chapter 49

This wasn't the first time Kalen had been in the Rothgard Mansion, however it was the first time he had ever come without tagging along with one of his parents.

Like the Stenton Estate, the Rothgard Mansion maintained a balance between technological convenience and traditional decor. However the Rothgard's seemed to have a preference for darker hues in their decorating. The hall Kalen walked through now was adorned in navy blue wallpaper covered in a silvery fleur de lis pattern. The floors were made of dark gray marble, matching the gray of the box beam ceiling above. 

"Lord Rothgard has a few matters he needs to attend to before he can accompany you." The woman leading Kalen through the mansion explained. "He apologizes for the delay and welcomes you to enjoy some champagne and hors d'oeuvres while you wait." She added as they stepped into the dining room. 

As expected, the dining room was incredibly lavish. The walls were painted crimson with two vast windows on the west side, the enormous black ruffled curtains drawn to the sides to allow light to stream in. On the east side was an oval mirror, gilded with silver. In the center of the room was a massive dark mahogany table, surrounded by matching chairs upholstered in red fabric that matched the color of the walls. And hanging above the table was an impressive crystal chandelier that caught the light coming in from the windows perfectly.   

"If you need anything, make an announcement to IRIS and I will be alerted immediately." The woman stated before giving a small bow and exiting back the way she came. 

Kalen took in a deep breath as he wandered further into the room. He still couldn't believe what he was doing. He was directly involved in a Pervicacious plot to remove a Sovereign Council member from his seat. Just a few days ago he had been a dutiful member of the Sovereign Elite, and now here he was, drawing the head of the Sovereign Council into what could only be described as a trap.

Stepping up to the the gilded mirror, Kalen took in his appearance. He almost looked like a different person entirely from when he was wearing his Proletariat disguise. His dark brown hair was back in it's usual messy pompadour style, and he was dressed formally once again. He wore a white dress shirt beneath a waistcoat with a pale green brocade. Tucked under the waistcoat was a silk black cravat, and on top of everything was a black sack coat that matched his trousers. Kalen buttoned up the coat before turning away from his reflection and taking a seat at the dining table.

The two heads of the table were the only places set and Kalen assumed the one with the wine glass already filled was intended to be his. Kalen took a quick gulp as soon as he sat down. A little liquid courage couldn't hurt in this situation. 

~

Piper glared at the dress sitting in a pile at her feet as if just giving the article of clothing a dirty look would make it disappear. "You have to be kidding me." She growled, lifting her ire-filled gaze out towards Rothgard's face hovering in front of her cage once again. 

Though Rothgard's face remained neutral, Piper could tell he was pleased with her negative reaction to his request. "If you are going to be attending a dinner between Sovereign Elite, you may as well look the part." Rothgard stated, a smirk hidden in his voice. 

Piper narrowed her eyes at the giant man. "Where did you even get this?" She questioned, poking at the gown with the toe of her shoe. 

A small smile played at the corners of Rothgard's lips. "I had it custom made in the textile lab just a few minutes ago, along with these." Piper scrambled to the back of the cage as a pair of boots along with various other accessories came raining down from the opening in the top of the cage. 

"I will be back shortly to collect you." Rothgard stated as he pressed the button on the remote to close up the cage once again. 

Piper scowled out at her tormentor. "And what if I don't want to wear this crap?" She demanded, drawing on the limited store of courage she had left. 

Rothgard lifted a single eyebrow. "Well if you would like I could always have someone dress you by force." 

Piper's face instantly turned a bright red color, in part because of her indignant anger, and also as a result of her embarrassment at the thought of someone physically undressing her. She cringed at the thought. "Fine, I'll play your stupid game." She grumbled through gritted teeth.

"Pleased to hear it." Rothgard replied smoothly as he made his way out of the room. 

After waiting a good few seconds until after the door had closed, Piper reluctantly began to pick through everything Rothgard had left her with. "No way in hell." She hissed as she picked up a corset and what could only be a bustle. Piper rarely wore regular dresses, let alone one that required her to wear vintage torture devices underneath. 

Piper groaned. As much as she wanted to just ditch the corset and bustle, she knew if she did it was very likely Rothgard would end up forcing her to put it on anyway. Piper muttered several swear words under her breath as she took off her nice normal clothes. Leaving just her underwear on, Piper began what would become the long and arduous process of trying to put on a corset. 

Finally after much struggling, Piper got the thing to stay laced as loosely as possible without sliding off. She then slid into the bustle, feeling entirely stupid having a big hump protruding out from her butt. "Why can't they dress like normal people?" She asked herself grumpily as she went to go put on the white heeled boots. It was only when she went to sit down to put on the shoes that she realized what a mistake it had been putting on the corset and bustle first. 

"You know what? Fuck the shoes." Piper stated, kicking them aside. The dress was going to cover her feet anyway. Which brought her to the final piece of the puzzle. After some straining against the corset, Piper picked up the dress for closer examination. It was made of golden silk, with a slightly darker gold color accenting the tall neckline, the ends of the sleeves, and bottom of the dress. 

Seeing no zipper in sight, Piper decided to pull the thing over her head, which proved to be easier said than done, as the waistline and neckline of the thing were extremely restricting. "Why would anyone ever want to wear this?!" She fumed as she struggled inside the mass of silk. It took a good couple minutes before Piper's head finally popped out through the top. 

Just as she was finally situating the back of the dress over the bustle, Rothgard returned. "My, what an improvement." He remarked as he approached the cage. 

"Bite me." Piper shot back as she pulled her frizzed out hair into a side braid. 

"You've neglected the footwear." Rothgard noted, ignoring Piper's snide comment. 

Piper rolled her eyes, "I doubt you're going to be letting me walk very far anyway." 

Rothgard gave a dry chuckle, "Very well, but I'll have to relocate you to a more transportable container." Knowing exactly what was coming next, Piper braced herself when the opening slid open, and once again Rothgard's hand descended on her.