Ryrik

"Time to wake up," I commanded.

At the sound of my words, the artificial sunlight in the bedroom turned on. The warm light fell gently on Amber's exposed skin. Her naked form from the evening's events was only partially covered by the blankets.

As Amber stretched awake, she exposed more of her body. I quickly averted my eyes. Last night was… Regardless, there were things we needed to do, and no distractions could be allowed.

"What?" Amber responded. Her voice was hoarse and groggy.

"It's time to wake up now, Amber."

"Hmm." She made the noise while stretching some more. "Why? Why not just stay here all day? I've never slept in a bed so comfortable."

"You can return to it later, but we have things to do today."

"Wait." Amber's eyes finally opened fully to look at me. "You're serious? I thought this was the only safe place for me while Conii was still out there? Why are we leaving?"

"It's the safest place, not the only safe place," I said, heading to the door.

"But… Isn't it dangerous? Conii could have agents all over the place. They could be looking for me right now, and who knows what will happen if they find me!"

"Conii would never strike in a populated place, certainly not during the day. Now get up and get dressed. We leave in five."

I walked out of the bedroom feeling Amber's eyes on my back.

Four minutes later, Amber joined me at the door. She was dressed in her Black Star hostess uniform with her hair tied back in a tight bun.

"Why are you dressed like that?" I asked.

"Um? Are you not taking me to work?"

"No, that would not be smart."

"Well, this uniform is the nicest and cleanest clothes I own anyway."

"And that's about to change."

"What do you mean?"

I simply opened the door to the apartment and led Amber out.

It wasn't long before the two of us were out of the Black Star Casino"s territory. When we stepped out into the open halls of Thodos III, Amber stood closer to me, holding my arm tightly.

But her energy relaxed when we reached our destination, a row of storefronts in the Promenade, only a short walk from the casino. Species of all kinds milled around the space in their finely tailored suits and glamorous dresses. The only danger here were the strange looks from people not expecting to see a Black Star hostess uniform among all the luxury.

"What're we doing here?" Amber asked.

"Getting you a new look."

"Ryrik, I can't afford?—"

"Who said you're paying?" I responded with a chuckle.

I first took Amber to a salon. It was known for the best hair, nail, and make-up experts on this side of the star system. And Amber was going to be their next big project.

Even with a casual glance, Amber was pretty, but her years on the street and with the Quilthar were apparent with just one look.

I wanted to wash it all away, to let Amber know what I saw in her. To make her shine like the greatest beauty on the station.

Amber was worth so much more than she let herself believe. And I would find a way to convince her of it.

First, a lady took Amber by the arm and sat her down in a chair. Amber looked at me with uncertainty as the lady washed her hair, but I simply nodded.

I watched from the corner of the salon as the first lady washed, cut, and styled Amber's hair, until at the end, her honey-colored hair flowed and bounced beautifully with every movement of her head.

Then someone led Amber to another station, where they proceeded to do her makeup while another worked on her nails.

Soon, Amber's naturally pretty face was made to look gorgeous. Shiny lipstick brought focus to her plump lips. Blush gave definition to her sharp cheekbones. And likely more tricks were used I didn"t even notice, things that as a Vinduthi I've never even considered.

After transferring funds from my percomm, we left with bags full of hair and make-up products. Amber looked like a new woman.

"Okay," Amber said. "You didn't say a single word in there."

"I let the experts do their work. You look great."

"I do… But why? Why are we doing this? How is this going to help us stop Conii and save Isa?"

"It won't, not directly," I responded. "But it will protect you. Conii and her goons are looking for you, the old you. But after some proper make-up, hair care, and nice clothes, you'll blend in with the crowd better."

"Really?" she asked, cocking her head up at me. "That's your plan?"

"Well, as much as you like the bed, I can't exactly keep you locked up in the apartment all day every day until we take down Conii. This will help with that."

"That makes sense." Amber stopped to think for a moment. Then she looked at me with a smile. "You said something about nice clothes?"

"Yes, I did." I chuckled. "You look far too glamorous to be wearing your hostess uniform."

"Oh, do I?" She rolled her eyes. "Did all that money you just spent go to waste?"

"It depends on how you end up looking in the dresses," I teased.

She playfully pushed my arm.

"This way," I said, grabbing Amber's hand.

I led her further through the Promenade until we reached a high-end clothing store. With one look at the dresses on display in the window, Amber's jaw dropped.

"Ryrik," she breathed. "Are you sure you can afford this?"

"It'll hardly cause a dent." It had been a long time since I had reason to spend so much money. It felt good to be using some of my wealth.

As soon as we stepped into the door, a saleswoman approached us.

"How may I help the two of you?" She looked at Amber, clearly dubious upon seeing her drab clothing, but then perked up when she took stock of me. Everyone knew that Alkard and his ‘family' were some of the wealthiest on the station.

"We're looking for some clothes for her for some nights at the Black Star. Elegant, classy, and eye-catching but easily blends into a crowd."

"Of course," the saleswoman responded. "I think I have a few pieces in mind that'd be perfect."

She then led the two of us to a private showing room. The room itself had a sofa, a small stage with a mirror on it and a small closet with a curtain for changing.

"I thought I was just supposed to blend in?" Amber asked, raising her eyebrows. "What was that eye-catching stuff about?"

"You never know when it might come in handy," I responded quickly.

That was admittedly a selfish choice. But it would make it easier to follow Draven's orders.

A few moments later, the saleswoman returned with a whole rack of different kinds of clothing.

"I believe these should all be in the lady's size. Please just find me if you need anything else."

The first was a skintight black dress that only went about halfway down her thighs. She'd definitely turn every head in the room in that. The dress pressed her breasts together, like an enticing present ready to be unleashed.

"I like it," I said.

"I feel like my tits are about to burst out."

"Yeah, I like it."

"But I won't exactly blend in, will I?"

The next dress was a sheer, flowy one. Every inch of her skin underneath was just a gust of wind away from being exposed.

"I like it," I said again. "But you won't blend in, I suppose."

The third dress was a strapless red one. The hem of the dress draped perfectly over her ass and chest, accentuating those features.

"This one is nice," Amber said. "A bit?—"

"Too noticeable. You look very… Very nice in that. You won't blend in. At all."

The next hour or so was practically a private fashion show for me. I alone got to watch a freshly beautified Amber try on the best fashion high society had to offer. There were worse ways to spend a morning.

The only problem ended up being that none of the dresses would allow her to blend in at the casino. She'd stand out in any room. All eyes would be on her.

"Are you sure?" Amber said, modeling a tightly tailored black pants suit before me. "I think you might be overestimating how good I look in a lot of these. Conii and her goons won't recognize me in any of these, and I really won't stand out next to a lot of the gorgeous women who pass through the casino."

"Just look at your legs in those."

"They're completely covered," Amber said with a smile. "With the right shoes, you wouldn't even see my ankles."

"Yes, but you still get the shape, the contours. Plus, your ass?—"

"How are we doing in there?" the saleswoman asked as she returned.

"Well…" I started to say, trying to find the best way to request clothes that wouldn't make Amber stand out so much.

"We'll take all of them," I decided. "Add in some more casual pieces for streetwear in the same sizes that she can move easily in."

The saleswoman's smile grew, but Amber's eyes were wider.

"Are you sure?" she whispered as we were alone. "Why would I need so many dresses?"

I leaned over her, brushing her hair back from her cheek. "If I have to imagine you changing in and out of these gowns for any longer, we're going to cause an incident in the store."

Crimson burned her cheeks and her breath caught as I moved her hand against my straining cock.

"Let's go home. Now."

We left the store with bags full of dozens of new dresses and outfits for her. As we moved through the station, she looked up at me with a huge smile.

"Thank you," Amber said.

"Of course."

"I've never had a day like this where I just… felt like a girl. Wear pretty dresses and look nice. Thank you."

"Let's get all of this back to the apartment," I said quickly, not sure how to respond to that.

The two of us hurried back to the casino. I took Amber toward the side entrance of the complex, which would bring us right to the private hover lifts up to the apartment. But as we approached the entrance, something felt off.

As we got closer, I could tell what it was. Outside the side entrance door, a Mondian stood hunched over, as if he was going to be sick and was using the wall for support.

But as we got closer, I saw that it wasn't that he was sick.

He was hunched over because he was dead.

A knife pierced his back, holding a single sheet of plex.

"What the hell is that?" Amber asked, fear infecting every syllable.

I motioned for Amber to stay back. Then I slowly approached the knife until I could see what was written on the plex. It had just a single sentence.

We're watching you.