Monaco was gorgeous- as a tourist trap ought to be, Jada decided as she disembarked the private plane she'd taken to get there. A corporate expense, Michael had said firmly, his displeasure at his daughter's trip visible in his lining face. No one had argued with him. Szelem had been allotted one week of her time; Jada wanted to be back to Destiny City in time to finish the planning for her own Halloween event. Then there was the city party she was hoping to make it to.
The weather in Monaco was very Mediterranean. It seemed obvious to say, but there was no other way to describe the clear skies and the beautiful water she'd seen from above. The breeze was balmy, and the temperature was delightful. Jada's choice to bring a selection fo sundresses for day wear had been a good one. The country was beautiful.
But best of all? Szelem was staying in a hotel dazzlingly close to the Monte Carlo Casino.
Gambling.
Bright lights.
The ability to win and lose obscene amounts of money- or both!
Glitz. Handsome men in tuxes. Bond, James Bond.
Her henshin pen was packed securely in her purse, not that there had been even a whisper of monster-or-coma activity mentioned on this side of the world. She had to slide it through some little customs check, which would be simple enough- she'd hidden it very well, and chances were with the way she'd come in, she would have only a cursory scan.
It was all over very quickly, and a taxi was being hailed by one of the suit-clad bodyguards she often forgot she had. The cab was bland, but clean, and she provided the name and address of the hotel she would be staying at. He gave a second glance in the back mirror, and scowled as one of the men- Vic, her father's burly yet eminently capable 'assistant'- got in the front seat next to him, the other watching their bags get shoved brutally into the trunk.
He tipped. He got in next to her- his thigh pressed against hers accidentally and she recoiled with an anxious sneer. She really hated it when she could remember that her life wasn't just youma hunting and college classes.
The tab driver listened to oldies, and the backseat felt oddly crowded with two people. They were paid to remain unobtrusive and forgettable. She'd gotten then since The Incident, as she referred to the unfortunate night when Zora...
The sky was very blue, like the denim of Vic's jeans.
The taxi driver was named Philippe, and he talked too much. Vic and the bodyguard were quiet. All in all, it was far too long before they pulled up in front of the hotel and she spilled out of the backseat, ignoring the bodyguard who reached out for her, ignoring Vic as he stepped in front of her to block her escape and instead moved around him and toward the hotel without waiting for luggage or man. Bellhops were already swarming the vehicle, and she wanted a shower before she met her mother for dinner.
The weather in Monaco was very Mediterranean. It seemed obvious to say, but there was no other way to describe the clear skies and the beautiful water she'd seen from above. The breeze was balmy, and the temperature was delightful. Jada's choice to bring a selection fo sundresses for day wear had been a good one. The country was beautiful.
But best of all? Szelem was staying in a hotel dazzlingly close to the Monte Carlo Casino.
Gambling.
Bright lights.
The ability to win and lose obscene amounts of money- or both!
Glitz. Handsome men in tuxes. Bond, James Bond.
Her henshin pen was packed securely in her purse, not that there had been even a whisper of monster-or-coma activity mentioned on this side of the world. She had to slide it through some little customs check, which would be simple enough- she'd hidden it very well, and chances were with the way she'd come in, she would have only a cursory scan.
It was all over very quickly, and a taxi was being hailed by one of the suit-clad bodyguards she often forgot she had. The cab was bland, but clean, and she provided the name and address of the hotel she would be staying at. He gave a second glance in the back mirror, and scowled as one of the men- Vic, her father's burly yet eminently capable 'assistant'- got in the front seat next to him, the other watching their bags get shoved brutally into the trunk.
He tipped. He got in next to her- his thigh pressed against hers accidentally and she recoiled with an anxious sneer. She really hated it when she could remember that her life wasn't just youma hunting and college classes.
The tab driver listened to oldies, and the backseat felt oddly crowded with two people. They were paid to remain unobtrusive and forgettable. She'd gotten then since The Incident, as she referred to the unfortunate night when Zora...
The sky was very blue, like the denim of Vic's jeans.
The taxi driver was named Philippe, and he talked too much. Vic and the bodyguard were quiet. All in all, it was far too long before they pulled up in front of the hotel and she spilled out of the backseat, ignoring the bodyguard who reached out for her, ignoring Vic as he stepped in front of her to block her escape and instead moved around him and toward the hotel without waiting for luggage or man. Bellhops were already swarming the vehicle, and she wanted a shower before she met her mother for dinner.
