Transitory

Chapter 2

The next morning Nate made a point of having his breakfast by the pool, in shorts he would never normally dream of wearing.

He wasn't one to waste a morning, so he’d found his dining guests in short supply. For nearly an hour his only companions had been his new bodyguard, Cameron, and a serene looking character who sat next to a small fountain in silent meditation across the pool from him. His clothing was long and loose with overly large sleeve openings, almost oriental in style. A curious sight, Nate thought, but in keeping with the mystical look he’d noticed his setting displayed.

As he relaxed, the other guests slowly began to appear. He hadn't noticed that many people last night, or was it the morning? The permanent twilight was causing havoc with his sense of time. Now as he watched them in all their different shapes and colours, he could gauge just how important this festival was.

He’d rarely seen so many races from so many different worlds together in one place. Some of the races he could name, others he wasn’t so sure he’d ever encountered before. Something very special appeared to be attracting them. Something he was beginning to realise he had underestimated.

“So, how's the CEO of Maddox industries this morning?” Helen said, pulling out the seat next to him. “Sleep well, Nathan?”

He couldn’t help but admire her casual appearance. Her usual neutral coloured clothes and tied back hair was now replaced with a loose fitting, flowery dress and free flowing blond hair. He’d never seen her like this before. She was essentially the same, but with a new lick of paint. A vibrant and invigorating palette to compliment a natural beauty he’d always seen.

“Fine thanks, but for the next few days I'm just Nate OK? No Mr. Maddox or Nathan Maddox from now on,” he replied with a broad smile across his face.

“Whatever Sir requires.” She sent him quick wink. He couldn’t help but shake his head in response. “So you ready for this evening?”

“Yeah, about that,” Nate said. “What exactly is it again?”

“Sure, it's not like I gave you a brochure to read or anything.”

Nate laughed and leaned back in his seat. “You know me so well.”

“Too well,” she said. “Right, this evening you will be attending what the locals call the Passing. They say there's some kind of ethereal life that exists within the planets rings. The festival is to celebrate the Being's temporary visit as the moon skims the rings. Of course you would have known that if you'd read the brochure.”

“Sounds great.” Nate put his thumbs up to emphasise the friendly sarcasm in his voice.

“There's more to it than that. I'll let you know the rest later. By the way how's our mutual friend?” She indicated to Cameron with a nod of the head, accompanied by the judgemental raising of an eyebrow.

“He seems OK, very quiet. He does tend to hang around in the most conspicuous places though. He's not very good at blending.” Nate watched as his newly assigned bodyguard assessed the threat level of a row of potted plants, on the other side of the pool.

“That's apparently one thing he's very good at, blending …” Helen's eyebrow raised again, almost automatically. “His drinks that is,” she added.

“Really? Shall we meet by the water-cooler the same time tomorrow?”

“I'm just saying, keep an eye on him.”

“Will do. Now what time does this festival kick off?”

“This evening, in about 4 hours,” Helen said as she stood and glanced at Cameron one more time.

Before Nate could question her further she had already begun shuffling away. Something else important needed doing. She was all work and no play with him these days. A shame, he thought, he could see himself asking her to dinner one day, only to be declined.

She had only moved over to work with his adopted uncle, Stuart, a few months ago. During the two years before that she had never been more than four rooms away from him. This had allowed them to quickly become friends. But since then she was more focused than ever. Perhaps for the best anyway, he’d regularly told himself; better that she were a friend than an ex.

He decided to head to his room and change, ready for the evening festivities. Something thin and loose. Despite the twilight it was warm enough to wear little. Maybe not the shorts again, he decided. The vacation was starting to sound interesting. It wasn't simply a desperate attempt at finding relaxation anymore, his curiosity had gotten the better of him. The least he could do was dress appropriately.

As he packed his things he looked to see if the meditating man was still there. He was and hadn't moved an inch. Absolutely no part of his wrinkled and pale skin appeared to have budged at all. Somehow his serene like state had remained intact, even with the small crowd that seemed to have congregated around him. Nate found the man's state both puzzling and enviable at the same time.

He couldn't quite place the man's species though. He'd seen many different beings during his career and the man was not from one he could instantly recollect. The others he hadn't recognised were just guests, like him. The meditating man on the other hand was of obvious importance, someone the visitors knew and highly respected.

After a second or two he gave up trying to name the meditating man's species and waved to Cameron, who dutifully joined him.

“Yes, sir?” Cameron said.

“I'm heading to my room now.”

“Right behind you, sir.”

Nate led the way, making a mental note of how nervous Cameron sounded. His demeanour didn't resemble that of a bodyguard at all. He wasn't remotely imposing or, unfortunately Nate saw, competent at portraying a sense of authority. It seemed a shame to him that the guy was probably not going to be under his employment when they got home.

Nevertheless, he was assigned to Nate for the duration of his stay. He brushed it under his proverbial carpet for the time being. He had to get ready to celebrate the Beings from the Rings of Ice and Dust, or something. He admitted he really should pay more attention to Helen when she explained things to him.