Coyote

[41] rainbow.

"Of course, Queen Rainbow." He bowed.

When Rainbow passed the other ateliers, the owners bowed to her. The customers looked confused, but soon ignored what they saw. Many people thought Dr. Ryan Shuffle had created Paradiso. But it was a lie she created to conceal the truth. Dr. Ryan Shuffle did not exist.

Though it was a space station now, Paradiso was the spacecraft the surviving hollans used to escape. And every trader in there was a hollan—other species could not own an atelier.

Rainbow arrived at The Den. The casino occupied the largest building in Paradiso, with its egg shape and pink walls making it stand out. The words THE DEN glowed above it, highlighting Skully's extravagant personality.

The two security guards outside the building bowed at Rainbow as she headed for the automatic doors. When she entered, she caught sight of flashing lights from the dance floor. She covered her eyes with her arm, letting them get adjusted to the change in scenery. The smell of cigars, perfumes, and food filled the room, giving off a vibrant feeling compared to the filtered air outside.

Each uniformed worker, server, and table dealer Rainbow passed also bowed to her.

Not only the traders, but every worker in Paradiso was hollan. They didn't hire outsiders for fear of betrayal. It had proven to be the wisest choice, as Paradiso had evaded The Universal Authority's clutches since the organization's formation.

The Den had three floors. The first two were for everyone, and the third was for VIPs only. An arched stairway on each side of the room led to the two upper floors, and below each stairway were five elevators.

As she waited for an elevator to arrive, Rainbow heard the warble of slot machines rotating electronically, people muttering or swearing, dinging alarms when someone won, and music filtering in from other rooms. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her heightened senses. Though they were useful in battle, they were a nuisance in other environments—especially in casinos where everything was over the top.

The elevator's door opened, and she entered. The monotone music began playing after she pressed for the third floor. After arriving, she got out and headed for Skully's office at the end of the hallway, passing back-lit gambling machines, roped-off high stakes poker tables, gaming areas, and giant holo-screens for online gambling and announcing jackpots.

"Watsh vher you are going, vhore," someone said after bumping into her.

A security guard wanted to go to Rainbow's aid, but she shook her head at him. She turned to the man who had insulted her; his colossal frame, metallic arm, and walrus mustache gave his identity away.

Dango, she thought.

Dango was a racer who gained fame by competing in Blueline. Apart from his appearance, he was known for his hotheadedness and being second-best to Riley Runtown.

"I apologize," Rainbow said, then bowed.

"What is someone like you," he meant a trader in Paradiso, seeing as she still wore her dirty clothes, "doing in ze VIP section?"

"I am here to see Kingpin. He requested my presence."

Dango examined her from head to toe. "You must be his vhore." He scoffed before walking away.

Nothing anyone could say to her would offend her. Having lived for so long, Rainbow had seen and heard it all. The last time something caught her by surprise was when The Forgotten Nuns wiped the white-skinned humans from the system. It forced the Hollans who had changed their appearance to that of white humans when they arrived in the system to either become cyborgs or black humans.