*You Get A Lot More Done.*

^Mmmm, I needed that; I needed that hard...^ Berylia murmurs in your ear as she starts to wake up, snuggling with you some more as her brain slowly boots up.

^Empress, the wedding planning comity is here.^ Fireblade whispers to her, and Berylia yawns.

^Fine, let them in, they're all on the fully vetted list,^ Berylia says, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and sitting up.

^No, I mean they're already in the room!^ Fireblade whispers urgently, grabbing the sheet before it can fall and put Berylia's impressive bosom on full display.

Berylia just smirks. ^They could WATCH for all I care, they know we're all going to be married, and if they gossip they're out of a job...^ she admonishes, then turns to her guests.

^I take it everyone else has been conferring with you while I slept?^ the Empress asks.

They mutely nod, only now seeming to realize that 'going behind her back' may have been unwise...

^What, if anything, has been decided?^

Berylia is quickly filled in on the details that have been worked out and decides that they are all OK except for number three.

^We might as well order back the tide as try to stop people turning the wedding night into the largest and loudest party of the decade. We can impose a one block clear zone around the palace itself and have extra soundproofing put in, but that's as far as it can go I'm afraid,^ the Empress declares.

^Fine, but don't be surprised if there are some 'performance' issues...^ You grumble, blushing.

^Awwwe! He blushes! That's so CUTE!^ Ellowyn squees, causing your blush to deepen, and the wedding planning comity to furiously scribble on their notepads.

^Before the wedding, we should give the Kilodar a vasodilator, so he will be blushing for the cameras! The public will eat that right up! He'll look like a first-time bride, and everyone can relate to that feeling!^ the head of the planning comity, (a woman named Chandala from the Ministry of Diplomacy in about her mid-30s,) states enthusiastically.

^Only if we can learn enough about his biologic pathways beforehand to do it safely,^ Ellowyn counters, and there is more of the furious scribbling.

^What about the wedding dresses?^ the dressmaker asks.

^The traditional colors for our roles, Gold for me, Blue for Ellowyn, Red for Fireblade, and Black for Greywind,^ Berylia says, but there is an 'AHEM' from the planners.

^That's all well and good, but the issue is the, he insists I call him a 'house-band'... He is refusing to be tied to a frame like a normal stud-male, keeps writing about something called a 'Tux-ee-doe': did I say that right?^ she asks you.

^Close enough, for now, you don't sound out the individual syllables like that, just say 'Tuxedo', all in one breath,^ you state.

^Anyway what IS a 'Tuxedo'?^ the dressmaker asks.

^It's a bit hard to explain,^ You state, launching into the explanation you've been preparing, ^Around here the fashion seems to be all for one piece leather, metal, and latex garments, but where I come from we use a lot of cloth. A 'Tuxedo' is a tailored suit of clothes made from cloth which is designed for the use of males in formal situations. There is a Suit Jacket made of ultra-soft wool, with tails and decorative buttons; a 'Cummerbund' made of silk; a Suit Vest, also made of soft wool; a cotton or silk shirt and undershirt; pants, again made of soft wool, but typically lined with silk; underpants, mostly made of cotton. It also requires assorted ostentatious accessories, like a watch, cufflinks, and a silk handkerchief for the outside breast pocket. It has at least five layers to prove you can afford to waste money on unnecessary adornments and is typically black, red, and white in color. To go into more detail I would have to sketch it out, but I'm no good at sketching,^ you inform them...

^My lady! I know he's a Kilodar candidate, but really?! We can't let this travesty stand! If HE does it, it would start a fashion: soon the priestesses would be insisting the ritual males be wearing these 'Tuxedo' things! Garments made of cloth? What if this caught on at the level of the general population? They would offer NO real defense against a number of dangerous chemicals and creatures! I simply must advise you to disallow this nonsense!^ The Empress' tailor* insists.
*(A woman in her late 50s named Varnoxi, who has a perpetually sour expression.)

^It is unwise to say 'must' to royalty. If the Kilodar wishes to have his 'Tuxedo', he shall have it.^ Berylia says, then turns to you. ^However the colors you describe are atrocious, especially the white. I think you should wear green, to complete the spectrum, and indicate the sprouting of a new era,^ she says.

^That's fine, I always hated the way the red 'cummerbund' looked on black Tuxedos anyway,^ you state.

^Now then, what about the flower arrangements?^ Berylia asks.

The next few hours pass in a long and involved maelstrom of decorations, guest lists, refreshments, and ceremonial details. By the end of it, your head is awhirl with everything you're trying to remember, but you persevere and get through the meeting.

^Thank you all, I think we have all the pertinent data,^ Chandala says eventually, and the others nod, except the Empress' tailor who says, ^I will have my sketch girl come to meet with the Kilodar to get the details of this 'Tuxedo' thing,^ Varnoxi states, and with that the Wedding Planning Comity leaves the room.

Soon thereafter food is brought in, abnormally banal food for being on an alien world. You are fed a plate of fruit, and a steaming mug of something close to cocoa, though it tastes a bit like a mocha coffee that is heavy with the chocolate and cream... Whatever it is, it perks you right up, and you find it quite satisfactory. There also is a mutton, lettuce, and citrus sandwich, slathered with a spicy-and-sweet mustard/poppy seed spread like a thick version of a dressing. You eat and drink hungrily, but soon are full, and have one of the servants put the second half of the sandwich into a primitive refrigerator for you to eat later...

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