Profession

Reunited

Turned out that yeah, I wanted Persepolis to be my next project, but there were some bells and whistles to deal with first; Uncle Tony had the right to build his research facility, but it didn't extend to the housing for his workers. I'd have to make my own pitch to the Persians. Uncle Tony gave me the necessary contacts, and I got to work. I learned the basics that would have to be considered and the limits on what they would accept--no two hundred floor skyscrapers here, it had to look aesthetically appropriate. Armed with that information, I went looking for a Persian architect, and found a rising star who was immediately drawn to my proposal. We talked extensively about the ground rules imposed by the government for the historic site--and I didn't have any actual complaints about that--what I was envisioning, and how it could all be made to both work and fit in with the archaeological treasures. The emperors associated with building the palaces in the great complex--Darius I, Xerxes I, and Artaxerxes I--were overseeing the reconstruction to as near the originals as possible, with modern conveniences like electricity, running water, and sewer systems included discreetly. And Cyrus the Great, who had originally chosen and graded the site, was overseeing the entirety of the new development. Katayun Rostami, my architect, told me when I could expect my blueprints, and based on that, given reasonable time to make any changes or adjustments, I got on Cyrus' calendar for an audience. Katayun would be accompanying me so that we could answer any of the emperor's questions and make sure that any requested alterations would be feasible. I put together a portfolio describing my housing projects, including the one I'd sold to Uncle Tony in London, highlighting sustainability and careful use of resources, and sent it along for the emperor's consideration, so prior to our meeting he'd have an idea of who I was, personally, and the work I liked to achieve.

We had dinner at Ari and Jinx's to catch up; the retired vigi-friends wanted to know more about the scandalous wedding, and what I didn't know, Imogen did and wasn't shy about telling. "She was a total Mothra," Imogen said judgmentally.

Blank looks.

"Rodan?" she tried. Mark shook his head silently.

"Damn it, it's one of those kaiju thingies. Damn Iris, it was her term," she muttered, and Justine did a search and started to giggle.

"Bridezilla," she supplied, and we all started to laugh. "Maybe Mechabridezilla."

It also was kind of the end of an era (barring unforeseen and sudden death); Ari announced that he had gotten engaged to his girlfriend Kalinda over the weekend. We liked her and there wasn't anything shady about her background. They were looking for their own place, and Jinx, not needing the big house now that our stint as vigilantes was over, would also be moving out. We all signed up to help repaint and make a few cosmetic improvements so that Justine could put it on the market. It was just what we had all wanted, getting rid of dangers in our lives so that we could face brighter futures.

While all this was going on, I kept my appointments, doing my best to please my clients. There will always be difficult people for whom grudging acceptance is the best you can hope for, but all you can do is your best. People who wanted extensive retouching were learning not to call me, saving lost time and hurt feelings. I was also getting back into fashion photography, getting early requests for Fashion Week, and Queen wanted me to shoot their new album cover. They were in New York at the beginning of October, and I invited Arielle up for a couple of days to act as my assistant for the shoot. The band members were their usual selves, charming and funny, which made taking the photographs a pleasure, and Arielle was thrilled to meet the legendary musicians and help out on a professional shoot.

The last thing of note that I accomplished in October was to buy my very own yacht. It was far too large for one person and I was a little embarrassed to fall into the rich person cliche, but on the other hand, yachts and marinas weren't being blown up and I did have to travel between New York and London. Unlike my boyfriend, I was neither bulletproof or flight-capable. I bought it directly from the builders, who had built it for another customer who then didn't want it. They didn't say why, but the price was reasonable, it was a little faster than Uncle Tony's, and I thought that it was quite elegant. I signed on with a service who had personnel in over fifty major ports all over the world, maintained secure marinas for client use so that I wouldn't have to hassle finding a place to leave the thing when I got to my destination, and would provide background checked, certified, and company qualified crews that could be ready to go with one hour's notice, plus they would have the ship cleaned once a week and maintained mechanically. Their own security teams patrolled the docks in the marina for the ships they serviced, and they also checked once a week for not only explosive devices, but for any intrusion, including eavesdropping devices or video. Jon liked the idea, since in late September, a flight from Morocco to Sydney blew up. Nobody was taking responsibility, and the investigations were not turning up much evidence.