Spearing the Dragon

TWENTY-THREE

        Navi sat at his desk, wiping his eyes before pressing on the call button on his desk. A guard stepped inside from a side door.
"Ready my vessel," he said in a strong voice.
"Companions?"
Navi straightened. "Not on this trip. Full accompaniment."
The guard grunted. "Been a while for you. Do you need backup?"
Navi turned keen golden eyes toward nothing.
"Only three. Your best."
"Right away." The guard turned to leave and Navi sat back in his chair, blowing out a breath. He rose from his chair, walking through another threshold to his bedroom. He cast off his robe as he went, taking long strides to his closet, opening it. He pushed his pleasure attire aside for the uniform hanging in the back.
"Hello, old friend," he said, pulling it off the hangers. He kicked off his slippers, leaning down to pull open a drawer, taking out old, worn black boots. He turned, casting the uniform on the bed, dropping the boots at the foot of it, swaggering inside the refreshment room. He pulled his honey-colored hair into a tight ponytail, cleaning the subtle makeup from his face. He leaned over, opened a cupboard underneath the sink and pulled out a solution to remove dye.
Former Brigade Commander Navileth Morloc straightened and looked into his appearance, the dead eyes that held nothing without Navariel's sparkle. He took the lenses from his eyes, dropping the golden contacts into some solution, returning cold grey eyes to his reflection.
       He took the band from his hair, shaking it out before he took the solution, bending over the sink to rinse out the honey color, revealing silvery black. After bringing it back into another ponytail at the nape of his neck, he turned and strode back into his bedroom.
He dressed in the skin-tight black uniform and the boots that felt strange after so long. He took long strides past the closet before he stopped. He looked at the white fur coat hanging among his other flamboyant clothing. He smirked before he pulled it off the hanger, sliding it over his shoulders, walking in a swagger from his rooms, out a side door that led to the alley.

Brigade Commander Morloc strode onto his vessel, Jormungandr, met in the cargo hold by the fiercest enforcers on his payroll. Eirys Volar looked him from his boots to his eyes.
"Been awhile, B. C."
He fell into step with her. "Behave," he said quietly and she smiled.
"When you're in uniform again? Better to ask me to sing a Ljosalfar jig." He smiled because he was fairly certain light elves did not have "jigs."
"Operations?"
"Fully functioning. Just waiting for those talented hands of yours."
He raised an eyebrow but didn't refute her.

Some time after overseeing post-flight procedures and putting in a flight path, he strolled into the galley to make himself some dinner. Eirys looked up from her device, planting her face on her palm, watching him walk inside, Navi ignoring the dreamy state to her eyes. Enforcers were supposed to hide their emotions; perhaps it was why she was one of his favorites. She craned her neck to look past the refrigeration unit, and he doubted she was looking at his food preparation skills. A very girlish sigh escaped her and he smiled before taking his meat wrap to the table, sitting across from her.
"Must be someone special to get you out of the pleasure house," she commented as he ate. "I think I know who it is."
He wiped his mouth, giving her expressionless grey eyes. She once again planted her face on her hand, looking at him like he was dessert, but somehow in a respectful rather than sultry manner. He looked down at his food.
"Lucky chap."
He raised an eyebrow. "My door is always open."
"That's what they say."
He grunted a laugh as he rose to pour himself some water, sitting back down, and he almost laughed at the way she watched him reclaim his seat.
"What's stopped you?"
"Well, I'd rather you fuck me in uniform."
"Navariel doesn't do it for you, eh?" he asked as he sipped from his glass. She leaned back in her chair, exhaling.
"I've never liked pleasure houses. I feel awkward or something."
"Pleasure houses are a lot of fun."
"No doubt when you're in one, but," she shrugged, leaving the rest of the sentence unspoken.
"Unfortunately, whenever we see each other, I'm in commander mode."
"Hmm," she said with happy blue eyes and he smiled down at his food. She sat quietly, watching him eat, and the attention warmed him since few had complimented him so consistently when he'd been a brigade commander. Most were too frightened. But she'd seen him through many phases and knew there was more to him than enforcing.
"I guess I should return to the operations deck," she said as though that was the last thing she wanted to do.
"See you there."
"Mm," she said, leaving the device as she stood. She looked at him a moment more before leaving the galley and he looked after her with fond eyes.