"No offense, but next time I'll fly."
"Inside the sectors proper, you get a smoother ride." he apologized. "That Catamount needs to be cobbled, it does."
"It probably doesn't get used often enough." She looked at the restaurant door. The sign and facade were lit with gas. They were in the commercial part of Primus, but she'd never been to this street before. "Do you know this place? What's it like?"
"Mixed-caste. I ain't never been inside, but it's popular enough. I drive up plenty of fare from Secundus for business dinners, don't I? Now, I'm supposed to pick you up again in two and a half hours, and I'll wait here if you ain't out. If you leave before that, any hack will serve, but tell the man at the door about me, won't you? Otherwise I'll be sitting here all night waiting for you, I will."
"Don't worry." She smiled. Two and a half hours. Business for real. That relieved some of her concern. "I think I might rather walk back, though."
"Now, that wouldn't be safe, would it? ‘Sides, you'd be chilled to the bone even under all that leather. You wait for me, and I'll pay particular attention you don't get too rattled up on the journey back."
"Fair enough. I'll see you in a few hours, Gregor."
He touched his cap and lifted the reins. Taya turned to the door.
The maitre d’ looked surprised when she walked in. He recognized her flight suit, but he looked puzzled as his eyes rose over her shoulders and registered her missing wings.
"I'm Taya," she said. Through one of the doorways she could see a large dining room filled with well-dressed Cardinal castes, eating and laughing together. She was going to look very out of place among them, she thought, her stomach churning. "I'm a guest?"
"Taya Icarus, yes, you're expected," the man said, at once. "Please follow me."
To Taya's relief, he opened another doorway, leading her into a wide, empty hall lined with doors. He opened one of them and bowed her through, closing the door behind her.
The room was small and almost empty, with only three chairs and one low table. Another door stood on the opposite side of the chamber. A liveried servant bearing the circular caste-mark of a famulate stood and bowed.
"Taya Icarus?" The uniformed woman waited for her to nod. "Decatur Forlore awaits you." She opened the second door.
This door revealed a much more lavishly appointed room, and Taya suddenly understood. Of course, an exalted couldn't eat in the main room; not in a mixed-caste restaurant. These chambers must have been set aside for private dining, with the antechambers keeping the exalteds out of the sight of lower-caste guests and restaurant staff who might be passing by.
She stepped inside. Gas lamps on the wall brightened the room, their light reflecting off gilt-edged mirrors and well-polished tables and chairs.
Decatur Forlore was already on his feet, smiling.
"Taya! I feared you wouldn't be able to come. I apologize for the short notice, but I found myself at liberty this evening and hoped to make the best of my unexpected night off."
"I–I appreciate the invitation, exalted," Taya stammered, bowing and pressing her palm to her forehead.
He wasn't masked, of course, but he glittered with gold and jewels, and he wore the traditional three layers of flowing silk robes. Each robe was embroidered in silver and gold thread, and small gemstones glittered on their stiff cuffs and lapels. The exalted's long, shining black hair was swept around his head and held in place by golden combs and emerald-studded chains that reflected his green eyes.
"Sit." Alister stepped forward to take her arm, leading her to a chair. Taya stiffened at the touch of his fingers, her gaze flying to his face. He paused. "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry, I just—" she stopped, confused.
He laughed and drew her forward, pulling out her chair.
"I was hoping we could avoid standing on caste tonight," he said. "Frankly, I find it tiresome, and I would like to talk."
"Of course." Taya was chagrined. "I'm just used to standing at arm's length from… exalteds."
"I never keep anyone I admire at arm's length." Alister gestured to the chair and Taya sat. He picked up a bottle. "May I?"
Taya nodded, remembering what Cristof had said about Alister pouring drinks for her. Color rose in her cheeks.
The exalted was acting like a man who expected an icarus to be available for his evening's pleasure.
No — no, he's not, he's just being polite,
she scolded herself. Wasn't he? How did exalteds act in private, anyway? She didn't have any basis for comparison. Except Cristof. And he didn't count.
Alister finished pouring and handed her a glass. "My servant will order for us and bring in the food. I told her to order a little of everything, so you should find something you like."
"Do you always have to be this circumspect when you dine out?" Taya asked, as he filled his own glass and sat down. Unlike Cristof, he didn't place himself on the opposite side of the table from her, but sat at the end, his chair angled toward her. Gas flames played off the golden ornaments in his clothing and hair.
"No, not always. We could have gone to an exalted-only restaurant, but people would have stared at you, and I was afraid you would find it embarrassing."
She nodded. "I would have. In fact, I'm — I'm a little nervous about attending Exalted Octavus's party. Am I going to be very out of place? Are any of the exalteds going to mind that I'll be seeing them without their masks?"
"Of course not. You will be our guest of honor, and we're all accustomed to dealing with icarii. I think you're very fortunate to be an icarus. It must be very liberating to move freely from Tertius to Primus and never worry about masks and propriety."
Taya glanced down at her glass. "I worry about propriety all the time, exalted. When you have to work with all the castes and foreigners, it's hard to remember which rules apply, even after taking the diplomacy exam. Like just now — one of the rules I was taught was never to touch an exalted."
"Certainly you wouldn't in public, but you can't believe that exalteds never touch lower castes in private."
"Well…" She blushed. Of course she knew that exalteds had personal lower-caste servants who saw them unmasked and helped them dress and do their hair, and she was sure that occasional cross-caste friendships and romances occurred. But those were special, necessary exceptions. "I've never touched an exalted before."
"Liar." His smile made the accusation playful. "My cousin told me she clung to you like a baby while you were falling."
"That's not the same thing." For that matter, she realized, Cristof had touched her to tend her wound. "I wasn't thinking about caste then," she protested, and it was true of both occasions.
"But you are now. That's understandable, but won't you try to set your qualms aside for a few hours? I could have waited to talk to you at Viera's party, but I wanted to get to know you before then. It will be more comfortable to have a friend at the ball, don't you agree?"
Taya gave him a shy smile. "I think you could make anyone feel like a friend, exalted."
"Alister. Call me Alister, but feel free to flatter me all you want, because I adore flattery." His green eyes twinkled. "Were you also taught that diplomats should flatter exalteds?"
"No! And I'm not a diplomat yet. I just took my exams a few weeks ago. I might not be accepted."
"So, you're still waiting for the board to make up its mind. I detested waiting for my examination scores at the University. I detest ambiguity of any sort. That was another reason I wanted to get to know you. Let the rest of Primus wonder what kind of person you are — I'll know first." He sounded like a mischievous child, and Taya couldn't help but grin.
"Will that matter, exa — Alister?"
"Only to me, but I'll take great satisfaction in it." He cocked his head. "Why do you want to become a diplomat? It can be dangerous work, and you might be sent away from the city to work in a foreign embassy, if you're especially unfortunate."