DD 302 Ch 3

“Well now, I see you’ve all been informed of the new campaign we have been planning.” Headmistress Marlow sat with her hands tucked in her lap while she sat behind a massive mahogany desk, forcing Helen, Candice, Des, and I to sit and stare from the other side.

Crimson must have been rubbing off on me because I thought to describe her as an old bat, grey haired and at one point an accomplished adventurer, but had now been outleveled by even her students. Instead she wore a purple robe and leaned back like she lorded over the room. Then again, she probably needed to project as much influence and power as she could to make up for the lack of levels.

I cleared my throat. “Yes, we are so happy to be here.” I did my best to lie.

“You don’t have to be happy to be here. You just have to be good at what you’ve chosen to do.” She barely even looked at me.

I twitched at the idea that I would choose a press tour, but I wisely suppressed any impulse to correct her. The headmistress was not one to be corrected. Crimson was about the only person who could get away with it and not suffer horrendous repercussions.

“I assume you’re all familiar enough with how this works?” She asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Helen said, arms crossed, and though she said that she was fine, her tone indicated a different answer.

“The school will be relying on each of you to put your best foot forward and portray the school in the very best light.” Her eyes shifted to me. “I would ask that you put any, ” she paused, “advice that you’ve received aside for now and follow the instructions we have provided.”

It was no mystery what she was referring to with her statement. The headmistress’s dislike for Crimson was not a secret.

“As long as you all understand, I’m sure this will go over wonderfully.” She told us.

“I read the packet,” Candice said, holding up a hand.

I did a double take. “There was a packet?”

“Of course you didn’t read it.” The headmistress sighed as if I was already straining on her nerves.

I squinted, half wondering if I hadn’t been given the packet on purpose. After all, the headmistress had once tried to get me flunked out of Haylon. Who was to say there wasn’t another ulterior motive for selecting me, perhaps having me embarrass myself and giving her an excuse?

I tapped my foot, refusing to feel bad about not reading information that was never provided.

“I do not know what Crimson has filled your head with, but I doubt it has anything to do with what we’re working on now,” she said slowly, as if she was straining the ends of her patience. “Any real questions?” She turned to face Candice and Helen.

I was clearly the problem, or at least a problem for her. That didn’t matter though. “Obviously there are a number of topics that are sensitive and need to be avoided.” I offered.

“There are many such topics, and yes, please do your best to avoid them.” The headmistress let out an audible groan as she turned back to me, which was very unlike the prim woman. “If they press them, then do your best to give vague, non-answers. I’m sure you’ve all been trained on that suitably.”

All three of the women in the room with me nodded along with what the headmistress was saying, as if this had been part of our training.

“Excuse me.” I cleared my throat, raising my hand slightly. “I have not.”

“Well, since you’re so capable at finding yourself in sticky situations and getting out of it. I assume you can do the same for this one,” the headmistress said, no small amount of vitriol dripping from her tongue.

I did not understand why this woman had it out for me. Despite the problems I might have caused her over the years, I was fairly sure I had done enough good to outweigh any of that. But regardless, I did not want to anger her more, so I held my tongue and bit back the sharp retorts that were practically begging to be let out.

Thankfully, I was saved by Des who raised a hand, seeming to know that I needed somebody to bail me out. “Will we have training facilities prepared for us along the way?”

“As much as we can reasonably accommodate,” the headmistress confirmed.

“Good.” Helen picked it up from there. “I would hate to fall behind, which means we have to have gravity training. There are some portable models, but really there’s only so much you can do in them.” Helen crossed her arms. “If you expect us to go on this on behalf of the school, I expect you to really put your best foot forward.”

“You should have gotten the compensation package already,” the headmistress said to Helen.

I once again wanted to stand up and shout that I had not gotten the compensation package. 

Des must have seen me, because she leaned over and whispered, “Don’t worry. Crimson and Bellaire took care of all of it. You and I are set.”

I raised an eyebrow at that, but turned back to the conversation between Helen and the headmistress.

“Oh, I read the compensation.” Helen said the word like what was offered to her was anything but. “I don’t need anything. The amount of money you’re throwing around really has no value to me. What we need is the ability to pass this year’s class. You don’t want your showpiece to reflect badly on the school when Crimson flunks us because we can’t kill those ridiculous trial monsters.”

The headmistress cleared her throat and nodded. “Of course. We will have several...” She fumbled over her words. “Portable gravity machines, well stocked and sent with the four of you on this PR visit. After all, your top priority is correct. You must be able to pass this year’s class. So we should do everything we can to facilitate that outcome.”

“Wonderful,” Helen said, leaning back, seeming satisfied and oddly capable at these negotiations.

The headmistress waited, seeming to anticipate Candice would have more to say.

Sure enough, Candice picked it up from there. “I put in the expected time required for each and then the hourly rate at which I will be charging for that. Of course, that is just an estimate. Should this all take far more effort from me, then of course the price will continue to rise over what’s expected.”

The headmistress took a sharp breath, but nodded. “Of course. Always a pleasure to do business with you and your mother. Do tell her I said ‘Hello’.”

“I’m sure my mother would say ‘Hello’ in turn,” Candice added with a sharp nod in the headmistress’s direction.

“Now I will say, I have not paid you to train anyone else in how to handle these situations,” The headmistress added and managed not to look at me. I was actually rather impressed. Besides me, I had no idea who she would have meant.

“In order to perform optimally in all situations, we should all be on the same page. After all, preparation is the key to success in this and just about every scenario. So I must insist, headmistress, if training is required, then training shall be done at cost.” Candice added.

The headmistress looked like she had swallowed a lemon with how tightly her lips pursed. That must have been one lemon that she couldn’t avoid. In return, all she did was nod. “This is of vital importance to Haylon and all of humanity,” she said sharply, staring each of us down in turn. “I do hope you will compose yourself in a manner befitting the school. If you find in any situation you will be unable to, then please, I would ask you to remove yourself from the situation rather than potentially strain yourself.”

She paused for a moment, but when none of us objected she continued. “Good. Now, if you are all prepared, then please, ” she gestured to the side.

Not sure what I was really meant to do, I waited. But Des stood up so sharply that she made her chest bounce enticingly. “Right, this is what she paid me for.” Des grinned. “And…” She ripped a portal open midair. “Welcome all aboard. Transportation de la Desmonda.” She said the words like it was rehearsed, along with a quick bow.

Though I could already imagine Crimson simply portaling her around to where we’d need to go then letting Des offer her services for what airfare would have been or even at a premium rather than let the headmistress drag Crimson into all of this.

I did my best not to smirk, not wanting to upset the headmistress any more than I already had through our past history. Instead, I gave a curt nod and stepped through the portal into the lobby of what was definitely the most expensive hotel I had ever been inside.

While I was momentarily gawking, all three of the ladies with me walked through the lobby like they were old hands at such decadence, and it had an obvious effect. Those who had been working nearby with other customers or simple tasks honed in on the three, before zipping over and offering them water, cookies, their firstborn, whatever it was they wanted.

Des paused and turned back to see me looking a little lost. To those fawning over her, she spoke loudly. “He’s actually the one in charge.” She said the words with a smirk, and I could practically see the gears turn in their heads as they twisted around like monetary-seeking missiles and retargeted me for optimum gains.

“Hello, sir, ” they hesitated at the end, clearly expecting me to fill the silence.

“Nagato, Ken Nagato.” I answered.

“Oh my, it is a pleasure to have you here with us today.” They told me immediately, as if they had known my name. But I was aware enough of my surroundings to know one of the employees outside my immediate field of vision was quickly looking me up before she picked up the conversation. It was all a delicate dance.

“You’re the new guildmaster of the Silver Fangs. I can see why it’s attracted so much attention.” She said the statement casually, but there was a lot in the casual mention of me being a guildmaster and that it was attracting so many.

Helen watched me with a smirk. “You should see your face. You look like you’re completely out of your depth.”

I was feeling overwhelmed and turned to face Helen. “Well, thankfully I only look out of my depth and not like you.”

Her brows pinched down sharply. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

I shrugged letting her imagination do more damage than I ever could. “I believe we have rooms here, and perhaps there are also training facilities.” I cast a glance at Des.

“They’re not going to have training facilities for us,” Helen snorted. “Those will be arranged somewhere nearby. There are special gyms that cater to high-end adventurers.”

Clearly, my comment was going to bite me a few more times before she let it all blow over.

“Well then, rooms. We’re here on behalf of Haylon Academy, but I’m certain they made them in our names.” I replied, turning back to the employees.

“Of course. Right this way. If you would like to sit down in our lounge, we offer complimentary drinks and snacks.” The first woman told me.

Another woman swept in with a platter of slightly steaming hors d’oeuvres like they had just come out of the oven fresh for us. Another was pushing a small bar cart.

“Ooh, arancini!” Des recognized and plucked one of the steaming balls up and popped it in her mouth. “So good.”

“They are truffle-infused cream arancini,” the woman replied, making them sound fancy. So many foods seemed to use truffles to seem fancy.

I snagged one and popped it in my mouth just as casually as Des, yet somehow I felt like I was doing it wrong. “They’re really good.” I mumbled while eating.

The woman serving them gave me a flat smile at the compliment. 

“The host here will set you up with your rooms.” The first lady gestured to another that had joined us while I had been distracted. I looked over, debating whether or not to take another one of the balls of deliciousness.

“Don’t worry, we can get you more later, I’m sure,” Des chuckled, seeing my gaze and pulling me down to the leather sofa. She plucked two drinks off the cart, handing me one. “At least they’re going to treat us right if they’re going to send us around to be little dolls for them.”

The woman grumbled and grumbled but had her own set of food and drinks.

“We have two rooms for all of you,” the lady who had joined us read off a tablet.

“Two rooms?” I looked up shortly.

“Yes. One for Ken Nagato, and then one for the three ladies to share.” The woman answered.

While they had picked out a ritzy place for us, it seemed the headmistress was trying to save at least some money, not giving us a room each.

“Oh. Well, I’ll stay with Ken to even it out,” Des said as casually as she could.

The hotel staff simply shrugged. “Of course, whatever you would like.” She quickly swiped several key cards against her tablet before handing them out to the group, scribbling our room numbers on little cards that the keys were tucked into. “We made sure to give you rooms next to each other. It was in the request.”

Helen groaned. “Fuck. Now I’m going to hear these two going at it like rabbits all night long.” She glared at me as if the issue was my fault.

“Well, you’re always welcome to come and watch. Can’t say I’ll share. But you’ll never know unless you ask.” Des grinned like the cat who got the canary and tried to bait Helen. 

“Pass,” Helen said, and slugged back her drink. “When’s the first interview?” she asked pointedly.

“Tonight. We have to be present at 7:30, but we won’t go on air until 9.” Candice spoke as if she had our entire itinerary memorized.

Helen grumbled and ran a hand through her bright red hair. “If you two would at least keep it down, I’m going to get a nap, so I’m fresh for this thing.” She stormed off, and Candice watched for a moment before turning to Des and I.

“Is the offer to watch open for all of us?” she asked.

I chuckled. “Des was just teasing her, I promise. We have some of our own work to get ready for tonight.”

The way Des’s lips fell into a pout, I knew she was very much hoping that we could do our best to annoy Helen and make as much noise as possible. But really, it felt like I had just been thrown into the deep end without any idea of how to swim. I needed to pick her brain and perhaps give Bellaire a call. After all, Crimson made it sound like she would be on this tour with me, yet it had all developed so quickly that I hadn’t had a chance to talk much with her on the subject.

“Fine,” Des said, grabbing my hand. “Well, let’s go up to the room, and maybe we can make this quick.” And then, under her breath, she added an “ie”.

I rolled my eyes, because subtlety was completely lost on her. Though perhaps that wasn’t the worst thing in the world. After all, I was certainly going to enjoy her lack of subtlety tonight, at least if history was anything to go by.

Des pulled me in the elevator and checked the corners to make sure there were no cameras to catch us before she leapt into my arms.

Not wanting to drop her, I caught her. I cradled my hands under her but and squeezed. Her hands became snakes wrapped around my arms.

She kissed me for all that either of us were worth. Her tongue was in my mouth, slithering around and sucking as much as she could from the moment until, with a sigh, the door dinged and she plopped off, straightening her clothes with the biggest smirk of her life plastered firmly on her face. Her eye that was often hidden by her bangs glowed with its heart-shaped pupil.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that?” I asked.

“Always wanted to do that,” she said, turning and checking her makeup in the reflective door of the elevator before it opened up.

“Ah, of course,” I said, straightening my shirt. “Well, was it everything you ever dreamed of?”

“It was pretty hot,” Des said, fluffing her hair. “Not gonna lie.” She stepped out.

I wondered if the fancy hotel had a purposeful pause between the ding to let passengers know they were at the top and the doors actually opening, because it was a touch longer than I was used to.

“Des. Ken.” Bellaire met us with a smile.

The woman before us was well put together, an influencer of significant note, and now the Silver Fang’s PR agent for, well, everything as far as I understood it. Supposedly she was a significant boon to our recruitment and improving our overall image. Most of that I didn’t fully understand, but those that I trusted found her to be invaluable.

“Bellaire, how did you get here?” I suddenly realized that she had beaten us.

“I had a meeting with Crimson prior and she was kind enough to send me on my way.” She waved at the air in a circle, which must have been where the portal had been.

Bellaire had a constant tan to the point I wasn’t sure if it was natural or if she did something to maintain it. But the woman was top tier. Everything about her seemed absolutely sculpted, with straight black hair that fell down across her chest and halfway down her back. Today she wore a nude dress that was lighter than her skin tone, but hugged her like a second set of skin, save for the fact it had a subtle shine to it.

“This way. I called down to the lobby while I waited, and they said you’d be placed in room 403.” She gestured with perfectly manicured nails and an easy smile.

“Well, thank you. I was just worried that I hadn’t had the time to talk to you before this all kicked off. Frankly, I’m starting to feel that I’m outside my element.” I admitted.

“Guildmaster Ken,” Bellaire said with a slight bow of her head. “Should you need anything, I am always but a call away, for you.” The way she said anything with an ever-so-slight purr sent shivers down my back as she looked up through long eyelashes at me.

“Damn,” Des said softly beside me. “And here I thought I was the one bringing sexy back.”

Bellaire smiled. “You are, Des dear. I just have more time to practice my charms. After all, I’m not the one diving headfirst into the dungeon every day.”

That reminded me that Bellaire had paid to be carried and leveled up. By increasing her vitality, she would age far slower, and that was becoming increasingly popular amongst those with careers that kept them out of the dungeon, as well as those with enough money.

Bellaire, of course, had a promising career and enough money. She certainly didn’t have to take the job with the Silver Fangs, but she still seemed quite interested.

“Well, thank you for the offer,” I said, with a slight bow. “And Des, you are plenty sexy.”

“Oh, you know I am,” Des grinned. “I bet if we could get a few of us all in the same shot, we could get that to go pretty far on social media.” She rubbed her chin.

“We’ll make it look candid,” Bellaire promised. “And it’s already on the list. Now, Ken, you said you felt out of your depth?” she asked, staring at me with her big bright eyes.

But in this instance, rather than the stirring sense of purring and promise, they took on a sharper more determined edge as she met mine. This was a woman who was an expert in this field. I would do well to listen, and I would do my best. But I really wished we were about to talk about diving a dungeon, not happy banter for public consumption.

AN - Sorry the wife/editor has been behind and I'm so bad at remembering to post in the evening.