Dome of Souls (Book 2 of 2, after Story Less Told)

Ch3: Chateau El-Greg

A computer screen blinked, awaiting vocal command. A familiar tall woman with stripes of blue and purple in her hair, stood cross armed in front of the gate and cleared her throat for confirmation. She grinned fakely, bearing her dog-like canines for the facial recognition and illuminating her blue eyes slightly. She was quite attractive for an alien, even with the tusk-like chompers and the slightly elf-like facial features, she had a distinguished, mature quality to her, and a very annoyed look under the serene guise.

"Izleena Orrah Gravenstead/Greggarious" she said clearly.

"Password access required. Please state given security user name." it recited as she sighed and rolled her eyes, one slightly further than the other. With a distinct nervous twitch, she began reading the security card she was given.

"Oh, for the love of...Wide-Ass Bitch" she said shaking her head.

"User accepted. Welcome Wide-Ass Bitch" it chimed, opening the door. She took a deep breath to control her zen and resist the urge of murder.

The automatic door slid open and the tall woman approached from the front entrance of the manor. There was a light exhaustion to her smoky dark eyes as the breeze wafted her hair. She had a grace to her overall look, maybe mid forties, but beautifully defined, not nearly as wide-assed as the computer implied. On the other side of the sliding glass door was the greeting duo, a young lady in a more youthfully trendy attire of cutoff shorts and an orange top. It was clear even to the untrained eye to be expensive material. Beside her, towering nearly 3 feet above her petite frame was the familiar sight that Izzy reluctantly locked eyes with, a pale, monstrously proportioned 7 foot 8 beast of a man with a tailored suit, form fitted to his overly hulk-like musculature. He looked mischievous as he brushed back his salt and pepper mohawk that had been discreetly tamed down to look formal, like some hooligan, Viking lord who was ready for his job interview at "the firm". His protruding double canines showed as he smiled, like the tusks of a wild animal as his eerily oversaturated eyes scanned his guest.

"Welcome to Château El Greg, Izzy." He smiled. Izzy smiled back, a cheerfully sarcastic smile as if annoyed at the very sight of him. The petite greeter stepped forward.

"Hi, I'm Cadence; you want a beverage to help the nausea?"

"Oh no I'm fine, sweetie." Izzy said.

"I didn't see you come in, or see your name on the logs, or I would have got your bags." Cadence grinned cheerfully, a genuine cheerful.

"Oh, that's because I didn't take the main gate, I walked from the beach, because the teleporters are all down right now, so I got to take a boat from the other island." Izzy said still smiling in a manner that practically said "fuck you, Greg" with her silence. Cadence looked confused.

"I just used it 30 minutes ago, the backup is down too?" she asked Greg as he smirked like a schoolboy who just landed a sick whoopee-cushion prank.

"I took them offline to change the light bulbs, they were getting old."

"And apparently at the exact same time I was scheduled to arrive. I have the worst luck." Izzy said rolling in her black leather luggage through the entrance. "I'd love to have a shower, could you inform me where my room is?" she asked Cadence, dropping the irritation to bat her ravishingly blue eyes...almost as inhumanly vivid as Greg's."

"Of course, let me check which room...room 53...do we have a room 53?" she asked Greg embarrassedly. He was waiting for that question for some time.