Chapter 679: Oppression

Grey had managed to buy himself a day, which should have left him feeling considerably more relaxed than he did. Instead, the moment he stepped into the throne room that next day, whatever thought had been in his head disappeared so completely that he barely managed another step before his eyes started moving from one side of the room to the other like a kid staring through the window of a candy store.

The only thing missing was the pane of glass to press his face against, though Grey could immediately think of several things in the room he would much rather press his face against instead, and that thought did absolutely nothing to help him regain focus.

Elowen stood nearest the throne, and whoever had helped her dress had apparently decided to use every advantage she had against him. Her rosy amber hair had been arranged so that it fell softly around her shoulders, bringing out the matching warmth in her eyes, while a strapless burgundy dress hugged her small frame through the waist before opening into a fuller skirt that suited her fair skin far too well.

Grey’s gaze lingered long enough for Elowen to notice, and the faint color that began creeping into her cheeks only made the entire thing worse. She tried to keep her expression composed, but the small smile tugging at her lips gave her away, which Grey counted as at least one victory considering he was currently losing everywhere else.

Amunet was next, and subtlety had apparently never entered whoever designed her dress into the conversation.

Her hair had always been dark, but the golden undertones running through it now caught the light whenever she moved, tying strangely well into the amber of her eyes. The dress itself was black, flowing into a loose gown from the waist down while the section from her hips toward her chest was formed from fine black lace that left the lines of her toned stomach visible beneath it.

A thick band of black fabric wrapped around her chest as part of the dress itself, giving the design enough structure that Grey could pretend he was looking respectfully if anyone asked. From there, the lace continued across her collarbone and down both arms until it reached her hands, somehow managing to cover most of her body while still making Grey feel like the designer deserved either an award or prison time.

Then his eyes reached Sabrina.

Grey’s thoughts briefly stopped being useful.

She was already the tallest of the three, and apparently she had decided that wasn’t enough, since the gold heels on her feet pushed her even higher. Her dress matched them in color, fitted closely through her waist and hips before opening into a long slit down one leg that exposed a toned thigh whenever she shifted her weight.

Sabrina had always been built more heavily through the hips than the other women, and the dress seemed specifically designed to make sure nobody in the room forgot that fact. Grey’s gaze traveled downward, then back up again, and by the time he reached her face Sabrina was already watching him with the sort of expression that told him she had caught every second of it.

That and the fact she clearly appreciated his gaze as though she had won some sort of competition.

Brad and Mensah entered behind him in the middle of a conversation, but whatever they had been saying died almost immediately when Mensah looked past Grey.

"GODDAMN!"

The noise that followed wasn’t even a word.

Mensah barked like a dog, loudly enough that the sound bounced around the throne room, and Brad immediately grabbed him by the shoulder as though he was about to drag him outside. Then Brad looked toward the women himself, went quiet for a moment, and his grip slowly loosened.

"...Carry on."

James and Duke arrived soon after them, and their reactions weren’t much better. James slowed down so sharply that Duke nearly walked into him, then both of them simply stood there staring while Duke muttered something Grey didn’t bother listening to.

Grey wasn’t hearing much of anything at that point.

His attention kept moving between Elowen, Amunet and Sabrina until a completely different problem finally registered, and he looked down at himself for the first time since entering the room. Jeans, a plain white shirt, and absolutely nothing that suggested he’d been the one who told everyone else they were going somewhere nice.

His lip twitched.

He had been running between the Mech Tech examination, the auction, Earth integration and several different ways the world might end. So, dressing up had genuinely never crossed his mind. That explanation made perfect sense to him, though Grey had the feeling none of the women currently looking at him would care very much.

A laugh came from behind them before anyone could say anything.

Lilac stepped out from where she had been partially hidden, dressed far more casually than the other three in fitted trousers, a blouse and a light jacket that put her somewhere close to Mauve’s usual business-casual look. She took one look at Grey, then at Brad, Mensah, James and Duke, and immediately started shaking her head.

"I knew you’d all do this."

Grey frowned.

"Do what?"

"Show up looking like idiots."

She reached behind the throne and dragged out several garment bags, which explained why she had looked far too pleased with herself from the moment she appeared. Before any of them could object, she started throwing them across the room, James barely catching his while Duke took his directly against the face.

Brad caught his against his chest, while Mensah nearly dropped his after trying to look around it toward Amunet again.

"Eyes up," Lilac said.

Mensah straightened immediately.

"Yes, ma’am."

Lilac took the last garment bag and walked directly toward Grey, who looked at it with growing suspicion before lifting his eyes back toward her.

"Mine better not have a tie."

"It has a tie."

"I’m not wearing it."

"You are."

Grey opened his mouth to argue, but Lilac slapped the garment bag flat against his chest before he could get the words out, forcing him to catch it with both hands. Behind her, Sabrina had already crossed her arms, Amunet was clearly trying not to laugh, and Elowen’s smile had widened enough that Grey knew there was absolutely no support coming from that direction.

Lilac pointed toward the door.

"Go change."

Grey looked down at the bag, then back at her, before letting out a long sigh.

"This is oppression."