Something was undoubtedly amiss, thought Keya. Lee and Master were both uncharacteristically respectful and proper in all their later exchanges with her. It was quite unsettling.

Sepha had a plethora of pressing questions. Withal, Master entrusted to her such a vital responsibility. A peasant, edifying a noble! Who she was and what others perceived, had transfigured before Keya realised. The ruse became reality.

Ultimately, it put to rest any doubts as to her station. Master indeed extended his hand in partnership. Verily, sometimes it was he who supplicated to her.

Keya fielded as much knowledge she could regurgitate, but she felt woefully deficient at it. Master was one for majestic allegories and metaphors that bridged the divide of ignorance. Instead, she deferred to the visors rather quickly mostly to mute them in shock and awe. It worked fantastically for about ten minutes. By which time, Shalen-sun had recovered, and Keya took to writing a growing list of commodities the council member wanted.

Perhaps the ‘Online’ store had been a mistake, but it was too late now. Master would have to give Shalen personal auction house access. Keya bemoaned being relegated to shopkeep for the rest of her tenure. She made a note of these recommendations too. The dreaded ‘paperwork’ Master always paled at was lesson branded upon her mind at that very instant.

The faster Shalen could operate independently, the better. Now she understood why he preferred to empower others so rapidly. Master was lazy, lazy enough to know that a little work today meant less tomorrow. Teach an elf to shoot, and you feed them for a millennium as it was said.

Soon, Keya could stand no more of it, and bid them farewell for the day. Sepha Shalen was entrusted with the orb and rift in the meeting chambers along with the jewellery of speech transport and vision visors. The trinkets had innumerous functions, and Keya had yet to grasp even basic operations entirely. Such endowments, for now, would ensure they were easily reached and conversely so.

Having to commune with Shalen regularly discomfited Keya; she was but a babe in such matters as statecraft. Sepha displayed the sharpened wit of an educated highborn noble, while Keya had yet to divine the scope of her broad ignorance. I shan't vex upon this, the first century is for learning, and I do so gladly. Perhaps Master had a solution to alleviate this matter. She would adequately report as soon as she could.

Upon returning to the bunker, she saw Jon bustle about, in and out of rooms. A curt word here or there as he conversed with Lee. They were ‘on’ a separate ‘channel’. She imagined it as divided water canals but for sound. Lee bestrode both somehow; her metaphors tended to breakdown rather quickly. 'Twas quite frustrating.

Master’s strange quandary nagged at her incessantly. Just what in the world could gall such a man so? She was informed to wait in the living area as Master’s flurry of activity died down. A few moments later and Kel tarried at the doorway his face a mix of emotions.

“Kay,” he said, “we have a new team member.” Following in behind him was a creature so magnificent Keya nearly fell off her seat.

“Oh… my…” was all she could manage. It was a woman, if the goddesses of fairy tales were to believed. Her hair shifted from dark earthy browns at the roots to lighter almost golden strands at the tips. Cropped in a short boyish cut the locks swayed lightly in the room’s breeze and as they did, a shimmer of violet glow rushed through the strands. She combed it casually with a hand, and the glimmers coruscated to full bloom.

Master spoke. “That bioluminescent shit is gonna get on my nerves. You’re officially benched for stealth missions, that’s for sure.” Jon looked unperturbed if not a little irritated. How was he not wholly stupefied with the vision before them!

“Oh, Kel, ever the killjoy.” Her voice sung with soothing matronly tones that melted the heart. Keya was of the fair folk so, as of a few seconds ago, she thought she knew beauty. This visage could start wars. The eyes stole her thoughts next; a kaleidoscope of pinks and blues slowly undulated in those rings. Keya’s breath caught as the rest of the face pulled at her attention. Perfectly flawless features framed it all, though not entirely feminine. The jawline was stronger as was the neck, and subtle tones of colour accentuated or downplayed her angles and lines. No blemish or stray hair could be found, even to Keya’s keen eyes. She is of the seraphim!

The phantasm spoke once more. “Oh, she is just so much cuter in the flesh, Kel!” The goddess traipsed over, minimal clothing exposing more immaculate skin about her midsection and legs. Sculpted and firmed, her figure flowed like that of a dancer’s as she swayed. How she stood, nevermind walked, in those precariously heeled shoes defined rationale and teased the senses.

Keya had traditional preferences for men, but this was something none could ever anticipate.

“Hello there Keya Ces. My name is Rilian van Ster. But, you’re gonna call me Ril, because Jon shortens everyone’s name. It’s just his thing.” She gave a wink that made Keya’s heart flutter as she extended a hand in greeting. Keya grabbed the limb, more to check she was not dreaming than anything else. Soft voluptuous flesh and polished sparkling nails greeted her.

“I…” She swallowed, her mouth was dry. “I’m Kay.” She mistakenly gave Master’s moniker for her.

“Oh yes, you are!” A pearl white smile dazzled Keya’s sight.

Jon struck out a dispelling hand between them. “Be not fooled by the wench’s Alphy ways, Kay!” The gesture did nought.

“She… is an elf? But the ears—”

“No! Not elf, Alpha. She’s an Alpha in a flashy new meat suit. Very flashy, is this really your version of ‘slumming it’? God-damn, I’d hate to see what dressing up looks like.”

“Oh, Kay, don’t listen to Kel. You can ogle all you like; it’s what I made it for, after all.” The dreamy being floated off with another wink, assessing the surroundings and glancing to Master as she spoke. “She’s a little rough around the edges, but I can work with that. You always know how to pick ’em, Kel. On the other hand, you’re all rough edges; we just need to bring ’em out a bit more.”

“I swear to mother-fucking-god, Ril. This ain’t no prime stream bullshit.”

The eidolon glanced back to her, “You see, Kay? He didn’t even start with my full name.” Euphoria rose with her chest for a tantalizing moment before the stare broke away. “C’mon Kel; you know how it is. We have to play both fields now, or someone else will. Either we lead the narrative, or we lose it. You’ve got the head-start with Seph and a major character to boot. Once the stream chasers are cleared to dive, we can make sure they only get crumbs.” Keya was back to complete befuddlement; it was like her first few weeks all over again.

“Master, what is… Ril talking about.” Being so familiar sent tingles down her spine and fire to her cheeks.

Jon assayed Keya's state replied, “dear lord, Ril. Look at what you’re doing to Kay! She’s crushing super hard. You realise she has no framework to compute what you are? She sees a person, not a video game avatar.”

“But I am a person!” She retorted like a petulant child with mock offence. Even that was captivating.

“Just… shut the fuck up for a second and let me help the poor girl.” He drew her side, and she felt the sofa depress with his weight. “Kay?”

She had to tear her attention away. “Hmm?”

“What you’re feeling is totally natural. Ril is indeed a fucking drop-dead gorgeous mother-fucker. That is not a coincidence; her looks are made to bewitch. She is one of those Alpha gods I keep mentioning, and like we can change clothes they can change bodies. They wear them and discard them on a whim.”

“They steal bodies!” Ril rolled her eyes behind him and then winked once more. Those eyelids felt spellbinding, maybe they were.

“No! No, they make them. Weave them whole-cloth to suit their needs.”

“But then, what are they? Where do their souls reside?” Keya asked.

“Think of their existence as a cloud that may split off and reform at will. A piece of her is here residing in that body, while the whole resides safely above in her world. She splits off from time to time to gain new, unique memories and experiences. Where the whole exists, would be the realm you have accessed before. You know, when you search for knowledge or find those K-pop videos: the world of memories we call the Internet."

A being beyond the carnal, truly a god then.

“As an aside, please switch to your profile when you watch those music videos here in the lounge. You’re screwing with my recommendations.”

The seraphim before her shared kinship with some of those videos, but they were pale imitations. “Forgive me Master, their dances and songs I find so exotic and alluring.”

“Oh, I just love it when you call him ‘Master!’ So innocent and pure!” Ril thankfully shifted her bewitching attentions to Master. “Jon, my boy, the way you can span millennia of advancement with a single accessible metaphor is why we pay you.” Glancing sidelong Keya. “FYI, it’s why divers from the early 21st are so popular. 'One foot in the stream and one foot out,' as it were.” Ril’s hands fluidly gestured. “Also, you see how he diverts your attention with some mundane harp: pulls you right out of your loop.”

Jon replied, “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Also, you don’t pay me fuck-all.”

“Well, we make sure the royalties and the contracts are honoured. I personally saw to yours, Jon. Kay, this man has a heart of neutronium. You should see some of the prosperous little economies he’s set up.”

Master’s generosity was something she needed no convincing of.

“Don’t believe a fucking word of hers! Sure as shit I’m a fucking arsehole, everything I do is self-serving. Micromanagement is the surest way to hell.”

The two argued as comrades. She felt somewhat disheartened that Master kept this amity from her. Perish such preposterously envious thoughts!

“Have you been cohorts long?” Keya asked.

“Friends!?” Master retorted “No, we’ve just met. But she’s been watching us—in particular me—for a while. That much is clear, and that she's here now means something.”

“It means… fuck, I just lost my train of thought." He shrugged, "I got nothing. You work it out.” Master turned to leave. “You girls have a nice chat now. I’m fucking off to do maintenance.”

“Kel, wait!” Ril cheerily chased after him.

“Ek wag vir fokken niks!”

Keya just sat where she was, dumbfounded. Just what by the gods has happened to my life!