"We're going to get our hair trimmed," Kevis announced when I finished eating.

"Huh?" I turned to him. He'd said we.

"We're going," he repeated. "As many as want to go." He made a circle with a finger, indicating everybody at the table.

"Ah. Mathilde, would you like to come? Get your hair washed or something?" I looked at our cook.

"If the bosses say it's all right," she smiled.

"It all right," Farzi nodded.

"Then I'll come."

"Let me brush my teeth. Where are you taking me again?"

* * *

"Reah, this is Conner." I was introduced to a beautiful woman with long, blonde hair. Not as long as mine, but most women didn't have hair that long.

"Honey, we're going to take you to my favorite salon. You and Mathilde both." She had a slower way of speaking and a lovely accent. "We'll get your fingers and toes done, too." We were folded to an exclusive salon, with private rooms and such. Mathilde and I were allowed inside the same one. We were given manicures and pedicures first, then the hairdressers arrived.

"Is this your natural color?" The young man stared at me in surprise.

"Everything about her is natural," Connor observed dryly. "We just want a bit of a trim. About eight inches, I think," she added.

"To the middle of the back?" he asked, drawing a finger across the designated spot. "My name is Todd," he introduced himself.

"Maybe a little longer than that," I said. Someone named Mari worked on Mathilde while Todd walked around me. I sat in a hydraulic chair that Todd raised quite high. My hair hung over the back of it.

"Let's trim those bangs and taper them. We'll make the hair softer around the face," Todd said, chin in fingers as he decided what to do. "You must have had beautiful parents; you got great genes from somewhere," he said as he worked on my hair after wetting it down for the cut.

"Ixnay on the arents-pay," Conner said. I didn't understand what she said at all. And I didn't want to go into my troubles with a hairdresser, so I remained silent.

"See, you can still pull it back, but it'll be feathered around the face and not so severe if you do pull it into a braid," Todd showed me later, holding the length in his hands. "But look at this." He turned the chair around and gave me a mirror to examine the back. My hair was cut to the right length, the heavy weight curling under slightly. "Honey, that is movie star hair. No doubt about that. I know women who would kill to get it."

"They'd have a fight on their hands," I handed the mirror back to him. "I like your work," I added.

"Thanks," he smiled. Mathilde was finished shortly after I was. She'd gotten her shoulder-length, reddish-brown hair colored and layered. She looked quite nice. Dee would be impressed, I think.

Conner insisted on paying, and all my men rose from their seats in the waiting area when we walked out.

"Beautiful," Teeg walked around, examining the cut. "Very, very nice," he moved hair aside and ran a finger down my cheek. "Here." He tossed a wad of paper currency to Todd as a tip. My hairdresser caught it with a smile.

"Will you come to the house for tea?" Conner asked.

"We will," Kevis answered. We ended up at a manor house. The architecture was archaic. Certainly not modern, but well-kept for all that.

"This is where we live," Franklin informed me. "Shane, Tomas and I. We'll bring Celestan and Galaxsan here soon. Conner wants to meet them."

"That's wonderful," I said. "They've been looking for you for a while, I think."

"We know about the hundred year thing," Franklin said. "But they say it won't matter."

"I've heard that it doesn't with your true mates." Ry had told me about it.

"That's what they say," Frank grinned. "I'm afraid we don't want to give them up. Come along, let's have tea and cake."

"These are very good," I said. The tiny cakes were lightly frosted and melted in the mouth.

"I love petit fours," Conner laughed.

"You ready for tomorrow?" Joey asked.

"Nearly. I need to pick up a couple of things and get the fresh gishi fruit from Edward, but that's it."

"We can take you when we leave here," he offered.

"That sounds good. I need to talk to Edward anyway."

* * *

"Here it is, and the inspectors passed the temporary facility. We're laying the foundation for the other one tomorrow. It'll go up quickly after that." Edward smiled and led me to a barn where crates of gishi fruit waited.

"Here are the sugar and spice suppliers," I handed my comp-vid to Edward, who tapped his codes in to transfer the data.

"Are you available to come tomorrow?" Franklin asked Edward. Frank, Norton and Joey had come with me; the others had gone back to Campiaa.

"I would be happy to go if Reah is going," Edward grinned.

"Then please do. We'll come pick you up," Franklin smiled.

* * *

"I'm surprised you love cooking so much, when working in the kitchens when you were a child was so traumatic for you," Kevis said, watching me pull dark chocolate cakes from the oven. The cakes had to cool before I set them inside boxes for transport. Franklin had gone to get Edward, who'd agreed to come with us. The gishi fruit ice cream was prepared already and packed in cartons inside the large freezer in the reptanoids' kitchen. Edible gold flakes were stored inside shakers, the fresh oxberries and redberries were already washed and ready to use.

"There you are," Edward appeared with Franklin inside the kitchen.

"Want something to drink?" I asked.

"Of course I do," he grinned. He was such a wonderful man, and not difficult to look at, either.

"Kevis?" I raised the pitcher. I was about to make the rum and fruit drink that everyone seemed to like so much.

"Sure." He nodded at me while pulling a stool out for Edward.

"This is very good," Kevis sighed, sucking the last of his drink through a straw.

"You only get one, unless you want to attend the party a little sloshed," I said.

"All right, but I may want to be sloshed later," he smiled.

"Good enough. Let me know when you want the sloshing to commence," I said. "Just make it before my bedtime."

"Okay, boss," Kevis laughed.

"You've had too much already," I pulled the glass away from him.

"Are we ready?" Franklin asked later, after I'd gotten cakes settled into boxes. Everything else, including the ice cream, was sitting on the huge island, waiting to be transported.

"I'm ready." I'd changed clothes, although I still wasn't dressed for a party. I wasn't an invitee, just one of the cooks, after all. Garwin Wyatt had finally made his presence known, too. I couldn't fasten the waistband on any of my pants, so I'd worn a pair of black jeans with the stretchy front, coupling them with a jeweled blue top gathered slightly between my breasts. The outfit was comfortable and looked nice enough. Low, black heels finished everything out, and I'd elected to wear the jewelry that Farzi and Nenzi had purchased for me.

"This nice," Farzi grinned when he saw the jewelry. All my mates had been invited, in addition to Edward and Astralan. I just shrugged and allowed Franklin, Joey and Norton to fold us to the party.

* * *

"This is my mother," Franklin introduced me to Kiarra, who refused to tell us how old she was.

"We've met," I nodded at Kiarra, who smiled graciously at me.

"I should have known," Frank laughed. "Mom gets around, and half the time she forgets to tell me. This is my father, Merrill," Franklin added. Frank looked very much like his father, who also had black hair and piercing blue eyes.

"We'll place everything in stasis, so it won't melt or spoil," Merrill informed me when we settled everything on another huge island. "Dinner is about to start. We'll let you know when it's time for dessert."

I nodded to him; he smiled and then went immediately to Edward. "You don't know me," Merrill held out his hand, "but I know of you."

"How's that?" Edward asked, clasping Merrill's hand.

"I used to be vampire," he said. "I know about the half-Elemaiyan children. What I wanted to talk to you about is gishi fruit. Adam and I would like to either buy into one of the groves, or purchase it outright."

"EastStar isn't for sale, and I know the owner of SouthStar very well. He won't sell, either. You might be able to approach WestStar and NorthStar. I don't get along with them; they're always looking for ways to sabotage my groves," Edward huffed. "They think I'm cutting into their business, and they're terrified of SouthStar's owner and his manager. They don't try anything with them, but they love to dig at me whenever they can. The feud has gained local notoriety," Edward admitted with a wry smile.

"You're famous?" I smiled up at Edward.

"Not really. I'm just the guy who grows gishi fruit. Those other two fail to realize that there's a ready market for everything we produce, collectively."

"Growing gishi fruit works for me," I said. "Can I have your autograph?"

"I offered you my name. You haven't said yes, yet." He laughed.

"We haven't had our date yet."

"True enough. We'll do that soon. Don't forget, we start making ice cream in four days."

"I have shipments of supplies coming your way," I said. "I sent that information to you."

"And I received it. We'll make this work, just wait and see."

They should have asked you to do the cooking, Teeg sent to me. The food was good, but Teeg obviously thought I might do better. It didn't matter, dessert had tired me out. At least seventy people had come, so I was glad we had enough dessert for around a hundred.