Several days after the fitting, Miliam slipped on her new dress yet again- she may or may not have tried it on somewhere around a dozen times already- and stretched her rudimentary skill with makeup as far as it would go in order to ensure she looked as good as she could manage. For her hair, she tried her hand at curling it using a spell she’d discovered had replaced the curling irons she was familiar with. It both looked good and was less damaging to her hair.

  After slipping her grimoire into her pocket- a feature Giles was a saint for including, she’d decided- Miliam took several deep breaths and prepared herself to head out. She’d be meeting Abigail at the airlock to minimize the awkwardness of having her crew watch her link up with Abigail, though she couldn’t do much about it if someone happened to be passing by at the wrong time. To a degree Miliam felt like she was a teenager again, slipping past her parents to go see a movie with her crush.

  Which was silly. Miliam was the highest power on this ship. Who exactly was she afraid of?

  “Well, don’t you clean up nicely?” Aoibhe commented as Miliam exited the stairwell. Hearing those words made Miliam flush with embarrassment in an instant. She looked over to find Aoibhe exiting the cargo bay with a small crate in her arms.

  “Your timing is the worst,” Miliam accused sourly. Aoibhe laughed lightly.

  “Aye? I’d say my timing is great,” she refuted, looking Miliam up and down. “If my eyes aren’t deceiving me I’d say our little captain has a date!”

  “I’m taller than everyone on this ship but you! I’m not little!” Miliam protested, avoiding the rest of that sentence. Aoibhe wasn’t so easily distracted though.

  “You’re taller than two species known for being less than five feet tall. That’s not an achievement, it’s the default. But you are trying to derail the conversation, aye?” Aoibhe replied with sadistic amusement. That comparison to sneaking out of the house was feeling more apt by the moment, even if it was Miliam’s father that was the embarrassing one.

  “Yes! I have a date!” Miliam practically snarled, wishing someone would save her from this conversation. Given that Abigail hadn’t called or messaged or buzzed at the airlock, though, she wasn’t here yet, meaning Miliam was trapped.

  “Well, well, well. It seems the shoe is on the other foot tonight!” Aoibhe declared with a wide grin. “Couldn’t resist in the end, could you?”

  “I have no idea what you mean,” Miliam replied, shifting her gaze away.

  “Aye, you certainly know nothing of a white-haired woman whose words are smoother than silk,” Aoibhe agreed, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Miliam just glared. “Your anger only fuels me. Think you’ll be back tonight or should I tuck the crew into bed myself?”

  “I’m going to tuck my foot into your knee if you don’t stop,” Miliam growled, but Aoibhe was already on a roll.

  “You could- but the police questioning would probably make you late,” Aoibhe pointed out.

  “You know, I’ve been thinking- Tessa’s right. It’s not like we’ve got a copilot. I think that chair could be put to much better use if I get the weapon controls routed to it, don’t you agree?” Miliam asked in a thoughtful tone, watching with satisfaction as the blood drained from Aoibhe’s face.

  “I miss when you just got flustered and fled when I started teasing you…” Aoibhe lamented, sagging dramatically.

  “Sorry to disappoint, but-” Miliam stopped midsentence when she felt her grimoire. “Oh, she’s here. Gotta go. Have fun tracking down Tessa, she went out about fifteen minutes ago.”

  “What!? Why didn’t you tell me sooner!? Shit, I don’t have my- agh!” Aoibhe exclaimed before running upstairs. She hadn’t been wearing the suit she used in high gravity, so Miliam assumed that’s what she was referring to. By the time she slipped that on Miliam planned to be gone so she couldn’t ask any more questions before she went looking for Tessa. Fifteen minutes was enough that Tessa could be just about anywhere by now…assuming she’d actually gone anywhere.

  She hadn’t, but that would probably keep Aoibhe busy for a while before she thought to check the ship. Maybe she’d remember being sent on this figurative headlight fluid hunt next time she thought she had the upper hand. Miliam had two reasons for the grin on her face as she met Abigail at the door.

  “Good evening, fair lady. Might I have the pleasure of escorting you this night?” Abigail greeted, offering her elbow as Miliam stepped outside. Smiling, Miliam accepted with a bashful nod. As they began walking towards their destination, she glanced over at her date, who’d clearly done her own best to prepare for tonight.

  During her entire time aboard the Astrum Vitae, Abigail’s wardrobe had been limited to her robes. She actually had more than one set, but they were mostly identical. Having heard that at least one set of robes were made for Abigail’s thesis, Miliam now thought it was pretty likely that all of them were. It hadn’t occurred to her to ask before, but maybe she would later tonight.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  More pertinently, Abigail was not wearing robes today. Instead she had dressed herself in a black dress that sparkled subtly when she moved. Its sleeves were a thin gossamer that left her arms visible, and the skirt of her dress had a similar layer with a floral pattern the same color as the rest of the dress, making it visible only when the transparent fabric drifted away from the opaque cloth below.

  Miliam didn’t doubt for a moment that the dress was tailored specifically for Abigail, just as the one she’d been gifted was for herself. It was gorgeous on her and contrasted nicely with Abigail’s pale skin while matching her similarly black lipstick.

  “That dress looks amazing on you,” Miliam said softly, the words slipping from her mouth without her intending to vocalize them. Abigail laughed pleasantly in reply, pulling her elbow tighter.

  “Why, thank you very much. That is quite a compliment coming from someone so pleasing to the eyes as yourself,” Abigail praised Miliam in turn, patting her arm with her free hand. “I must admit it is hardly a fresh outfit for myself, but it is one I am quite fond of.”

  It was a bit silly, but Miliam felt like she’d increased some kind of score by making Abigail happy.

  They soon arrived at a restaurant with a sign that merely read ‘Gaba’s Bistro.’ It had no fancy decorations, no neon sign, no magical effects applied to the storefront. Nothing but a sign written in black-and-white text above the tinted-glass double doors. When Abigail and Miliam stepped inside, the ma?tre d’ greeted them with a bow and looked between them.

  “Welcome, madams. May I ask if you have a reservation?” asked the angelic man- literally, not figuratively, as he had white wings tucked against his back. From what Miliam understood that made him a harpy from the white-winged race that called themselves angels.

  “For two, under the name Carter, thank you” Abigail replied politely. Activated by her voice, the ma?tre d’ terminal displayed her reservation for its attendant.

  “Wonderful. Come right this way, I will guide you to your table,” the man replied, walking further inside. Miliam was surprised he hadn’t grabbed any menus, but she assumed that just meant she should expect some sort of electronic interface at the table instead. She was quickly proven wrong when they arrived to a table with a smooth hardwood surface absent of any built-in technology. Wondering how she would know what was on the menu, Miliam sat down across from Abigail and tried to keep the confusion off of her face. “Your waiter shall be along shortly.”

  With that, the ma?tre d’ departed back to his post, leaving the two women alone.

  “…does the waiter bring out the menus?” Miliam whispered across the table to Abigail’s amusement.

  “No, my dear, this is not that sort of restaurant. Here the offerings are predetermined by the head chef and we will receive them in courses,” she explained.

  “I’ve heard of places like that, but I’ve never been to one…” Miliam admitted. It seemed like the sort of thing rich people did, but she didn’t think Abigail was quite that well-off.

  “Perhaps in your time it was less common, but in our current age, the economy has become more…service based. When basic necessities are taken care of, it is experiences such as this that remain valuable, albeit with more accessibility than in days past,” Abigail further clarified. Even knowing restaurants serving full-course meals had grown more common didn’t really take away from the mystique, though; Miliam didn’t know quite what to expect.

  “Madams, I am Zephus, and I will be your waiting this evening. Your appetizer will be along shortly, but would you care for a drink tonight, or would water be preferable?” greeted a brown-feathered harpy that appeared as if from thin air, having approached the table so unobtrusively Miliam hadn’t noticed him at all.

  “I believe I will have something red- selection of the vintage, I yield to your greater knowledge,” Abigail replied. She looked over to Miliam. “I would recommend you do the same, assuming you partake at all.”

  “Then I’ll have what she’s having, thanks,” Miliam told the waiter a bit awkwardly. She’d never had wine that didn’t come in a box, so she’d never developed much of a taste of the drink, but something told her the drinks at this place would be far better. Also, she’d feel a bit childish if she drank water at a place like this, especially if her date was sipping from a glass of wine across from her.

  “Very good. The 586 Penumbra should pair nicely with tonight’s menu; I will fetch a bottle for you,” Zephus said before bowing and taking his leave. Once he was gone, Miliam’s attention was drawn by a soft chuckle from Abigail.

  “Did he say something funny?” Miliam asked, tilting her head a bit to the side.

  “Not as such, no. I merely found his choice of drink amusing because it so happened to be a vintage from my homeworld- specifically hailing from the vineyards of the capital which shares the planet’s name,” Abigail explained.

  “Could you tell me a bit about Penumbra? I’ve haven’t really heard much about any of the planets in the Gaian Collective since I arrived,” Miliam requested, thinking it would be a good conversation starter.

  “Indeed, I suppose you have had little time for such curiosities, nor the opportunity to explore them for yourself. Penumbra is a world of extremes, and yet one of the first planets deemed habitable by colonists from Earth,” Abigail began, clasping her hands together atop the table. “It is a moon in orbit of a gas giant which would typically be far too close to its star to support life- it does so nonetheless because it is tidally locked to the dark side of the giant, which allows past only a fraction of the star’s light.”

  “That’s incredible- is Penumbra always dark, or does it still get enough light to have a daytime?” Miliam asked.

  “Somewhere in between. Penumbra’s default state is to be permanently eclipsed, leaving the daytime comparatively dim. Many people from Penumbra share my complexion and eyes, as there is little need for melanin in perpetual darkness,” Abigail answered. Before she could continue, Zephus returned with their first course and wine, all of which were levitating in possibly the most casual display of magic Miliam had seen so far.

  “Your first course, madams- but before you begin, allow me to pour your wine,” Zephus said as he waved a finger. Miliam watched as the plates and glasses floated weightlessly into position and touched down on the table without a sound. The show wasn’t done yet, however, as Zephus followed up by twisting the cork from a wine bottle without touching it, after which the wine flowed straight up to exit it, splitting into two streams that ended in each wine glass. Not a drop was spilled.

  “Your dinner is served.”