Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88235 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88235 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
That would seriously piss her off but Professor Torella appeared to be a rather flighty person who liked living with daily uncertainty. Or maybe she just liked surprises. Either way, she was certainly an interesting woman.
“Now, here we are at the lounging area—the one place in my entire domicile that doesn’t change,” Torella announced. “Mainly because the fire pit and the pool aren’t mobile—more’s the pity.” She sighed mournfully.
Vicky looked around this new part of the house with interest and saw that Chain was doing the same.
The first thing she noticed was an immensely long free-standing fireplace which looked like an extension of the gray marble floor. It ran half the length of the room and was around waist-high, with a long translucent chimney made of glass bricks positioned above it.
The fuel appeared to be some kind of blue crystals and the flames were gold and green and blue as they flickered over the long fireplace. Vicky could see pearly blue-gray smoke from the fire flowing up through the glass chimney, presumably being let out into the night sky somewhere above.
On the other side of the fireplace, three long padded tables were standing and a little way beyond them was a rectangular pool filled with clear lavender liquid.
Vicky didn’t think the liquid was water—it didn’t move like water for one thing. There appeared to be a kind of rippling current running through it but the small waves it caused didn’t exactly lap against the sides of the pool. They moved more like syrup or honey, with a sluggish motion that seemed to coat the gray marble and then slowly leak back down again.
Sitting across from each other on either side of the pool were two long, low, white leather couches that looked spotlessly clean. They were filled with throw pillows in every shade of purple and silver and gray imaginable—presumably to match the liquid in the pool.
Looking up, Vicky saw that the ceiling over the pool was clear glass. She could see right up into the night sky—which was mostly a dense black with only an occasional star peeking through the thick cloud cover.
Sitting on one of the couches was Professor Lornah. Her student, Lorn, was sitting stiffly on the floor beside her and giving her a foot massage. He appeared to be wholly into this task—so much so that he didn’t even look up when Professor Torella led them into the room.
Vicky frowned at the ongoing foot massage—was that the way things were done here at Priima Belle or was this some kind of illicit activity? She would never have accepted a foot massage from a student herself—it would have been way over the line of propriety. But Professor Lornah seemed to feel this service on the part of her student was her due. Or at least, the sour, bored expression on her face seemed to indicate it was nothing out of the ordinary.
“Oh, Lornah, there you are!” Torella exclaimed. “I thought you’d be in the flower grove. You usually head right there the minute you come over!”
“I couldn’t find it,” Professor Lornah said tightly. “Apparently it’s been moved since the last time I visited you.”
“Well, of course it has!” Torella exclaimed, laughing brightly. “That’s the fun of it—finding it again!”
“Yes, I was most amused,” Lornah snapped, sounding anything but. “Do you mind if we get on with this? You asked me here to witness if Professor Victoria is a good teacher or not and it’s already late. You know how long these types of trials can go on for!”
“Oh yes, of course. But you know, I thought we might all sit and have a nice little after dinner drink first—you know, just to get loosened up?” Torella asked. “After all, Professor Vicky and her student might not be used to performing for an audience—even if it is just an audience of two.”
Professor Lornah gave her a level look.
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough to drink tonight, Torella? If you have much more it won’t be safe for you to get into the pleasure enhancement pool.”
Vicky watched this exchange with mounting concern. Perform for an audience? Pleasure enhancing pool? What exactly was going on here?
She had a bad feeling she was about to find out.
“Very well.” Professor Torella gave her colleague a sulky look. “No drinks then. I vow, Lornah, you get more boring every year! One would think that anyone who based her studies in something as lovely and delicious as cake would be more fun!”
“I don’t only study cakes and pastries, I also study the dishes they are plated on!” Lornah reminded her tartly. “And I couldn’t study anything if I drank half as much as you do!”
Vicky thought Torella might get angry at this, but she only honked a laugh through her beaky nose and tossed back her bright pink hair.