"Alysia, darling. How are you?" she said, and she kissed my hand. I bowed and kissed hers. It smelled like roses.
"I see you're a rose tonight," I said.
"Yes, am I not adorable?" she said and twirled. The Empress took all the fantasy stories she read to heart and enacted the role of the social, graceful socialite every time she could. "You look flustered. Are you well?"
"I'm a little tired," I said.
"Tired? You can't be tired. The party just started. And besides, it seems the President has a preference for female companions, so the males are off the hook tonight. Go talk to the President," said the Empress, nudging me with her shoulder. "Oh and be gentle with him, he's suffering from a severe strain of culture shock. You'd think they'd read more about us before getting here." She turned to leave but stopped. "Where is Hapsia?"
"I saw her a while ago, but I lost her among the greenness," I replied. The Empress smiled and nodded as she left me.
I assessed the Paguans and regretted not reading the brief. I was just as ignorant about them as they seemed to be about Utania. All I knew about Pagua was that they had a lot of plants. What could I talk about? The glorious properties of chlorophyll?
There were seven Paguans sitting in silence around the oval table. The President spoke to a man sitting to his right, and the others stared around the room. I approached the table and gave the most welcoming smile I could muster.
"Hello, my name is Alysia" I said.
The Paguans rose at the same time and President Solano extended his hand.
"Hello, Alysia. Pleased to meet you," he said, as I kissed it. It smelled musky.
From afar, the dim lights made his skin look grey. But closer up, I saw it had a slight bluish hue. His black beard covered most of his cheeks, and he had a large pointy nose.
"I'm a courtesan and I'm here to entertain you tonight," I said. The standard welcoming phrase. It didn't have the effect I was planning for. The Paguans glanced at each other, some pursing their lips. Others tried to hide giggles.
This was going to be an awkward night.
"Oh not just you, President Solano. I'm here to entertain all of you," I continued, and smiled again.
A Paguan who had been drinking from a cup choked on his drink. Another widened his eyes and sat down.
"Eh, well, please, join us," said President Solano. He offered me a chair and I sat down next to him.
The Paguans looked even more uncomfortable with my presence. They fidgeted in their seats or played with their food. Some stared at the ceiling and others gaped at the dancing Prismans and Utanians. One was trying to catch the falling flowers before they landed on him. The only female of the Paguan crew moved her head along with the music, engrossed by the melody.
"Do you enjoy the song?" I asked.
"Yes," answered the Paguan and smiled. "It's unlike anything I've ever heard. My name is Astra, by the way. Pleased to meet you."
"Pleased to meet you too," I said. I felt President Solano eyeing me. He tried to make eye contact with the other Paguans at the table as if asking them for help.
When in doubt, ask, I thought. One thing I had learned from the job was that people loved to be asked questions about their homes.
"Do you enjoy parties, President Solano?"
"No. I didn't really plan to attend, but I was informed that the Empress goes to great measures in decorating and hosting them," he said.
"Well, if I can be of service to you or your delegation, don't hesitate to ask," I said, smiling.
"Service?" said a Paguan male, looking rather offended. Astra laughed and left her seat, heading towards the dance floor.
"Alysia, do you mind if we speak in private?" said President Solano. He gave the others a grave look.
I was even more confused than the Paguans. Were they offended because of the party? I had once been on duty to entertain foreigners from a distant star system, and they spent the entire ball sulking. I had tried to talk to them but only one understood Utanian. The brief hadn't specified that they were empathic beings. It appeared they had a seventh sense that perceived emotions. A ball wasn't a good idea to receive them; they had probably spent the night overwhelmed by everyone's feelings.
President Solano stood up. He gripped my chair and pulled it out while I was still on it. I was about to protest but he took me by the hand and escorted me towards the terrace. I wasn't used to being skirted away by anyone, but his forwardness caught me off guard. I saw Hapsia looking at me from a corner and I scowled at her. She smiled and lost herself among the greenness again.
When we got to the terrace, I released my hand from his.