Rakesh
Even from the rear side, the Pavilion rose like a majestic palace. "It is because of this building that our territory here on the outskirts of the capital became known as the Ajei Palace Complex." Lady Nyxara nodded in quiet understanding while taking in our surroundings.
The cool tones of the marble façade shimmered in the afternoon light, and when we stepped inside, the fragrance of twilight cedar and golden amber embraced us. Pure warm elegance with a whisper of mystique. This is the feeling we hope to convey when a guest enters our domain. Catching a glimpse of the Lady as we took a back stairway up to the 2nd floor, I noted that she was receptive and relaxed in her observation.
With a nod once everyone was through the door, I begin the tour. "On this floor, you would find many different spaces. We have a few residential suites and rooms located up here. Mine, Mrs. June's, and the Palace Guard Commander's suites are up here in a barrier-secured wing. We don't currently have anyone filling the role of the guard commander, which is why you haven't met anyone with that title. In the interim, Master Keir is currently filling the role."
I pointed to open suites as we passed by them in the hallway. "These guest suites here are for trusted VIPs that have a close relationship with the enclave. Other guests are housed in the guest quarters we will visit next." Turning down another hall, "these elevators on the right are guest-coded so guests will not have to use personnel elevators or stairways to reach their rooms or the main floor. It also is a secure way to keep guests limited in where they can go on their own."
When we come to the end of the Ajei crested wallpaper hallway, I place my palm on a specific Ajei crest.
The Lady raises a curious eyebrow while the other three just look amused at my mysteriousness. I let out my own amused smile at the look of wonder on her face when the wall disappears and the Steward's Atrium appears before her eyes. She steps forward, examining the crest I touched, then the surrounding hallway, muttering softly to herself. "Just when I think I won't be flabbergasted anymore, I'm shown there are secret passages. They just do it to amuse themselves at this point."
"Do you think she knows we can hear her?" Ms. Salgrave whispers to Lima. Lima shrugs with a smile. "Yes, I figured you can hear, but I expect you to pretend you can't. You leave me no dignity, Zen. None at all." The Lady says, not looking back at us with the tips of her ears red.
The Lady has entered the atrium, appearing delighted at the interior decoration of it. The rest of us follow suit with Jun closing the wall behind us. Looking over the balcony railing, we can hear and see the event planning department finishing up the dinner party set up.
Bringing the focus back on task after letting the ladies watch for a while, I motion to Jun to pick up where I left off. "This Steward's Atrium is where you will find the offices of our assistant stewards should you ever need them. They assist with event planning, coordinating schedules, public relations, housekeeping, and any other administrative operations." When Jun mentioned a department, she pointed out the corresponding office.
Most of them should be downstairs at this time handling the tasks we delegated for the event today. The Lady's request was truly well timed for us to loosen the reins to see who is truly qualified to step up as department and project leads.
"Around the corner on the left is the shared office of the Palace Guard Captains who report to the commander, a connecting meeting room, and the Palace Guard Commander's office. On the right is my secondary office for when I need to focus on matters outside my kitchen responsibilities. My primary office is located on the lower floors. Like the guard side, there is a connecting meeting room between my office and Rakesh's. Now for him, you'll find him in that office about 70% of the time. He manages much of the external affairs while I handle internal affairs."
Jun sends me a heated look as she presses her hand to the external meeting room door. Yeah, we should probably move our weekly mid-day fuck to another location, but it's so convenient, and by this point, everyone knows not to come looking for us between 11 and 2 Tuesday or Thursday if Jun puts up a sign on her kitchen office door that she is having a working lunch with me.
When Consort Nyota scheduled a meeting to tell us, he was mandating Jun and me schedule a weekly mid-day fuck to help us release our built-up stress and sexual frustration. We thought he had lost his mind. He told us it does wonders for the patriarch and matriarch, so he didn't see how it wouldn't help us. He then listed all the ways we had been distracted or overly aggressive in our actions over the past three months and that it had to stop now before it affected the enclave in a way he couldn't easily fix.
I lingered at the back of our group as Jun showed them the rest of the upper floor. He has kept his promise that he could handle things for those three hours while we work out our tension and snuggled as our true selves. Some days it is hard pretending to be something we are not, even if we are living a life we never expected to love and excel at.
I tune back into what Jun is saying as we reach the public offices of the enclave family. "Not everyone in the family needs a public office in the Pavilion. Currently, the Patriarch, Branch Crown Cornelius, and Branch Madam Zira have offices here. The Patriarch for political reasons and the kin-branch for their medical research. Their offices are really suites that include private meeting rooms. The rest of the space is used as needed for aides, staff, or public offices for anyone who needs one."
June opens the door to the patriarch's office so the ladies and Lima can peek inside. The Lady tiptoes in, finds a blank sheet of paper, writes a note, then tiptoes out with a mischievous grin.
"What did you write on that note?" Ms. Salgrave asks curiously for all of us. "Just a reminder that just because the scent of sex isn't in the room doesn't mean there isn't other evidence of the act." Then the Lady points upwards.
Hanging from the chandelier is a pair of panties and a pair of boxers. Jun laughs as she closes the door. She is going to be a great sentinel if she can notice that in the split second it took for her to look around and then decide to leave her father a teasing note. Very dangerous woman indeed.