After Lonny helped Tessa freshen up, Tessa woman went back down the elevators to the large, vaulted chamber within the tower on the second floor. It was decked out with splendid decorations, gilded chandeliers, and a polished black marble finish. In between curtain dividers were rows upon rows of inventions, concepts, and models from around the world.
Numerous scientists and inventors mingled about, trying to ready their presentations as servants from Utopia tried their best to help and accommodate the inventors' needs. From the way things were going, Tessa did not envy the assistants' tasks, but everything had to be ready to be presented during the World Expo the next day. Reporters, journalists, and the investors upstairs in the ballrooms would tour the space and marvel at all of the outlandish ideas.
If Tessa hadn't been so distracted by trying to find Gray, she might have stopped and spoken with a few of them to see what they had created. But all she really cared about was keeping her nerves under control enough to confront her ex-partner.
Finding one on the servants rummaging through a box near the entrance, Tessa asked, "Excuse me, but where is Gray Meriwether?"
The somewhat toned man dressed in a tailored vest and white servant's shirt stiffened. "I am sorry, but Mr. Meriwether has asked that all inventors be..." The servant turned looking up at Tessa. He stopped. "Tessy?"
Tessa was surprised. "Jeremy Bridger? Is that you?"
"Yes, ma'am." The dark-skinned young man nodded enthusiastically. "Same boy blue, through and through."
Some years earlier, the young man's mother had been a part of Mr. Higgins's house staff. Jeremy was only a small stringy boy of eleven then, always around causing mischief. Tessa remembered the first time she met the young man. Full of spunk and energy, everyone called him little boy blue on account of his unusually tinted skin, even for a Jotan.
He and his family had lived on Saka Island where Mr. Higgins had Tessa first construct and test her invention on his property. Enthusiastically the boy had run up on the docks each morning to greet them, hanging off the side of the shanties like a monkey, swinging down to help the boatman Morti to tie his little Steamboat and unload.
Little boy blue Jonathan Bridger was also one of the first in line to volunteer their home for the test. He had pleaded with his parents to let Tessa install the wireless light bulbs, so that he could stay up and read his few precious books that they had owned.
When the test proved to success, young Jonathan Bridger's face lit up as quickly as the lights did. He laughed and jumped with glee, like so many others, during their first successful test.
That same goofy grin was on Jeremy Bridger's face when he first saw Tessa all those years later in the grand hall of Higgins Spire. However, the grin of his quickly disappeared as he inquired seriously, "But what are you doing here, Tessy? I thought you was gone for good."
"I was," Tessa said, "but then Mr. Meriwether had the nerve to send me a rather forward invite. I am not sure whether he hoped to rub his success in my face, or if he actually has something meaningful to say, but I guess that is why I am here. Do you know where I could find him?"
Jeremy, who had grown a lot since the last time Tessa had seen him, looked apprehensive, "Of all days," he looked back and forth over his shoulder.
"Jeremy, what's wrong?" Tessa asked, disliking his demeanor. It felt wrong for the otherwise carefree boy that she knew. Looking closer, Tessa noted there were new lines that were not there before, lines that attested to a harder life than Tessa remembered him having.
Checking a cheap pocket watch, Jeremy looked ill. "Listen, Miss Copperfield, about Meriwether and Higgins, I, we..." he bit his lip as if trying to decide whether to say something, "Look, I think it would be best if you—"
"Mr. Bridger!" a portly man shouted in a southern drawl from nearby at one of the curtained-off spaces.
The servant jumped and sprang around, "?"
"Where are those parts I asked for? Stop slacking off, coalface, and bring them here on the double!"
"Now see here," Tessa began to say, but Jeremy held up his hand covertly so that she would stop.
With his jaw set, Jeremy responded in a leveled tone, "Yes'er." Turning around, he gathered the box that he had been working with before Tessa had interrupted him. But before he left, he leaned in and whispered to his friend, "Whatever you do, keep the high ground and don't fight 'em. You'll only regret it."
But before Tessa could ask more, Jeremy turned and called back to the portly man, "
As he walked away, Tessa wondered why he was so adamant that she should keep the high ground with Meriwether. Was he really in that bad of a mood? After all, she and the esoteric inventor had had spats before but nothing that bad. The way Jeremy said it made her think that Meriwether was out for blood. Either way, Tessa was troubled by the statement. The young man knew something, and Tessa was about to confront him about it, when a voice came from behind.
"Excuse me. But are you Miss Copperfield?"
Tessa turned to see an assistant.
Yes, I am," she said.
The assistant smiled, "I thought I recognized you from the pictures. Mr. Gray is waiting for you. He is this way. Follow me."
a bit put off by 'recognized you from the pictures,' Tessa moved to follow, asking, "and who are you?"
"Oh, I'm just an assistant. Barrett is the name. I was asked to keep an eye out for you, among other things."
Turning down one of the rows of inventions following the assistant to prattle on about his duties, Tessa looked at everything that was being prepared. There were all sorts of contraptions and wonders. A few caught her eye, including a small device that appeared to levitate on its own, an automaton painting a portrait of a man, and what appeared to be a bipedal war machine with thick armor and several mounted guns and cannons.
Tessa overheard the man in front of the war robot complaining to another one of the assistants, "Three floors committed to this presentation of inventions, and I can't set up a small firing range to demonstrate the capabilities of my warbot!"
The assistant pointed out, "I do not think that the hosts would appreciate a live fire exercise in the ballroom."
Another inventor was poking at a gelatinous substance that was in a vat that seemed to giggle whenever poked, and there was another curtained off section with something growling from within, a sign in front of it saying, "Please don't feed the experiment."
The servant Tessa was following led her in the direction of an unusually large walled off section with a great big tent covering whatever was inside from the general view. He stopped at the tent opening, and inquired, "Mr. Meriwether?"
Tessa heard an all too familiar voice snapping, "For the love of God, what did I say?"
Peeking around the corner, she could see Gray hanging from a sling twelve feet in the air, suspended by a pulley system and scaffolding around a monstrous device.
"If I have to come down there one more time to sign some piece of damn paperwork I am going to—" The man spun around in his harness, his anger quickly melting away, replaced by surprise. "Tess." Clearing his throat, he ordered several assistants to lower him down.
Reaching the floor, Gray Merriweather unstrapped himself and stumbled over to her, tossing his tools to a man in a lab coat who nearly dropped the devices. Gray tried to slick back his rebellious hair, but it did little to help the disheveled appearance. "I...I mean, you're here. That is to say," He cleared his throat again, "Hi."
"Hi." Tessa said feeling a mixture of emotions.
"Y-you, look well. How was your trip?" Gray said nervously, "uneventful I hope?"
"It, went well, I guess?" Tessa said haltingly, genially confused by his attempt at small talk. She shook her head.
Gray began to say, "I didn't mean—"
"Meriwether," Gray was interrupted by a musical voice quickly approaching from the other side of the curtain, "the Anderson Brothers need you to sign a waiver for their antigravity device so that they can showcase it tomorrow." The curtain was brushed aside casually as the owner of the voice entered the workspace.
Tessa jumped at the sight of a female Oni walking through the curtain. The tall, stark, red-skinned woman strode toward them with her snake-like tail swaying back and forth in sync with her gait. Tessa watched her bare feet and talons, as if belonging to some predator, click against the marble floor with each step. She looked up from a slate that she held in one of her clawed hands, with several forms pinned to it; her dark golden eyes met Tessa's gaze, catlike pupils dilating as she registered what she was looking at.
With a moment of consideration on her exotic face, the Oni woman said with a keen smile, "You must be Miss Copperfield."
"Yes," Tessa said, giving a delayed response.
"Nice to finally make your acquaintance." The Oni said, bowing at the waist and shifting her stance and tail to counterbalance the gesture, "I am . Mr. Meriwether's assistant."
"A plusher," Tessa said, noting the other woman's insinuated features. Like the only representative she had met earlier, Miss Le-Ren was very well-built. Diana's sultry yet agile figure was adorned with a long-pleated dress, custom-made to account for her tail, matching a tight fashionable overcoat. A leather-laced corset was visible beneath the coat, drawing focus to a gaudy jeweled necklace and her well-framed cleavage. Her jet-black hair was braided and draped over one of her shoulders, with her small horns somehow complimenting her otherwise stunning face.
"I am pleased to finally get to meet you miss Copperfield. Mr. Merriweather has spoken highly of you." The Oni woman said as she sauntered past, handing the slate with the forms to Gray, who appeared flustered.
"Did he now?" Tessa said, having a distinct impression that something was going on between the two of them that was less than kosher. The Oni was practically leaning into Gray.
"Yes." Gray said, clearing his throat. He then politely asked Diana, "Dev Le-Ren, could you please give us a moment?"
"Certainly." The woman gave a coy smile before taking a few steps away with her hands behind her back, acting as if the device Gray had been working on a moment before was suddenly very fascinating.
Tessa was alarmed at her own reaction, feeling anger, frustration, and for some absurd reason, loss.
"Walk with me," Gray said under his breath to Tessa as he strode past. Stepping past the tent entrance, he led her beyond the rows of curtained-off inventions.
As she followed, another rush of emotions gripped at Tessa's heart. Feeling a series of butterflies in her stomach, she quickly silenced them by grabbing the first thing she saw sitting on a table— an electric lamp, if she wasn't mistaken— slipping it into her bag covertly before anyone noticed. She then lengthened her stride to keep up with Gray. As she stepped in tow with him, Tessa glanced at Meriweather. She could see in his handsome face that he was unsure of how to proceed. Taking advantage of his indecisiveness, Tessa took the offensive as they walked along the perimeter of the quartered-off sections of the ballroom, asking, "So, the Oni, who exactly is she?"
"She's a fellow scientist," Gray said lamely, keeping his brisk stride.
"A scientist, well, she seems nice," Tessa said in an unnecessarily sarcastic tone.
Gray raised an eyebrow as he glanced sideways at her, "Yes. We met a few years ago in, and I took her on as an apprentice."
"An apprentice?" Tessa sneered, "Let me guess. You took her on for her credentials?"
Tessa could not miss out of the corner of her eye that Gray looked a bit annoyed. "As a matter of fact, I did. I saw that she had great potential—"
"Gee, where have I heard that before?" Tessa said, stopping mid-stride, a sharp edge entering her voice, "Tell me, did she also have a bunch of fresh ideas that you liked?"
Gray too stopped and turned to face her. He looked pained as he tried to say something, but Tessa would not have it. She instead cut him off, stating with ever greater ire in her voice, "No, wait, perhaps you saw potential in her physical assets? hmm?"
With a furrowed brow Gray's demeanor darkened. The mustachioed man hissed quietly, "I don't like what you are implying, Miss Copperfield."
"Whatever do you mean?" Tessa persisted with another jab of her poisoned cynicism, stating in a contemptuous manner, "All I am saying is that she seems very capable of assisting you in many, many ways." She then clasped her hands together behind her back, her eyes burrowing into his, "But, to be honest, I wouldn't have thought you the type to have such an exotic taste in women." Tessa was appalled at herself. Why was she attacking him so venomously? And yet her anger fueled her vindictiveness.
It was as if for the past five years, all of Tessa's pain, resentment, and anger toward Gray had been dammed up behind an unseen wall of lies that she insulated herself with; I've moved on, it doesn't really bother me anymore, everyone gets betrayed. It was my fault for not seeing it coming... Excuses, denial, and self-loathing, all seething behind a wall Tessa had constructed around herself, to insulate herself from the pain of her past. Yet, seeing him again, seeing Gray with another woman, it was too much. Her false sense of security burst like a dam, allowing it all to rush out at once, and now that she started, now that she felt the way she did, she wasn't sure she could stop it.
Gray grew very stern, his jaw tight with anger, "I did not invite you all the way out here just so you could attack my character."
"Oh, really?" Tessa accused, "Then why did you invite me here? Do pray tell, because if we are going to discuss attacking character, then what do you call the smear campaign that you and Higgins started against me?"
Gray rubbed his face as he grasped at his facial hair. "I thought that we could bury the hatchet, but clearly, that is not going to happen easily."
Not putting up with his semantics, Tessa clenched her fists, snapping at the pretentious man, "What? Did you seriously think that pitiful excuse of an apology letter would be enough? A letter, might I add, that you did not even have the gall to write yourself, but instead had that 'secretary' do it?"
"That's just like you. Blaming others even when they are trying to help."
"Help? Is that what you think this is?" A fresh wave of subdued rage overflowed their banks as Tessa shouted, "Do you have any idea what you did when you and Higgins kicked me out of my own project? What that did to my reputation? To my life?" Her vision grew blurry as tears brimmed in her eyes; what am I doing? Tessa thought, aware that she was not heeding Jeremy's warning. This wasn't what I had in mind when I decided to confront him. I was supposed to march in here and give the ignoramus a piece of my mind, not to have a breakdown in front of him!
However, the very thought of Meriwether trying to brush all that he had done to Tessa aside, as if it were nothing, was unacceptable.
Looking about miffed, Meriwether asked rigidly, "Miss Copperfield, might we continue this conversation in a more private setting?"
Tessa only then realized there were a number of people peering from behind the curtain walls and watching them from a distance. The other scientists, their assistants, and the servants all watched awkwardly. They were whispering to one another, some looked confused, others concerned.
Tessa turned back to Meriwether, crossing her arms. "Perhaps it is for the best."
Gray led Tessa into a nearby study across the hall and shut the door. His face red, he turned on Tessa and began shouting, "I can't believe you! Embarrassing me in front of all of my peers like that! And after what I went through, all the trouble and money to find and bring you out here."
"So, it's all about you, is it? Do you ever stop thinking about yourself?" Tessa shouted back.
"This is not just about me, Tess. You are just as much at fault." he jabbed a finger at her.
"I...I'm at fault? How on God's green Earth am I to blame? You were the one who invited me here to flaunt all of this!" She gestured generally to their surroundings.
"Flaunt? No! That was never my intent."
"Your intent? Then what was your intent? To rub your success in my face?"
"If you would just let—"
Tessa glowered. "Why would it matter? You got what you wanted: the fame, the fortune, you are the world's greatest inventor!"
"Now listen—"
Tessa snapped, "No, you listen to me! You were my mentor, my friend, I looked up to you! You taught me so much, and we came up with so many amazing ideas together! You led me to believe that I was something special. That I meant something to you, that when you said that you lov—" she struggled to say it, unwilling to finish even the word. "Yet, you left me in the dirt, telling everyone that I tried to steal your ideas! After all of this time, why? Why would you ask me back here?"
"To tell you I am sorry!" he shouted, practically pleading. "God, I can't tell you how long I have regretted what I did." Gray said as he stood there like a small child, confessing his guilt to a scolding parent.
Surprised by the sincerity in his demeanor, Tessa truly believed that Gray was genuine. Tessa almost felt bad for how she treated him.
But then he opened his mouth again. "And yet you come here belittling my assistant, accusing me of infidelity with her, and after all that I spent to find you."
"You hypocrite! How could you possibly be sorry when all you care about is how much it cost you? What did you think was going to happen? Did you seriously think that inviting me to some glorified open house and saying a few kind words would make up for everything?"
"I thought it would be a start."
But even as he spoke, there was an audible pop, and all the lamps went out.