Ander slipped in unseen, though that wasn?t too difficult between the music and when veronica was lost in her work, waiting until her hands were empty before he snuck up behind her and gently stroked her hair
? I brought you some more sweet tea I figured you would be running out soon, I also brought some pure dragon honey if you need it.? He picked up a clean cloth and wiped the smudge from her face, ?you have a smudge.?

?I don?t have to ask how you?re coming I can see,? looking around the work shop ?you?ll have a duplicator at your disposal when you?re ready for it.? With a look on his face that said he already he was wasting his breath he said ?I know you like to do everything yourself, but I could have the best Crystain crystal smiths on NuTerra to assist you in just a call, and you know with their skills their almost as good as you are, A smile on his face.?

?All the plans are going well it?s a good think I found out about the governor?s ball being on the 14th and changed the date of our ball to the 21st and told the scribes about the date change before the invitations were written up, they all have been delivered, I hope that the way they were, will peak some interest.?
The illuminating snow flacks to be handed out to people dancing and the cooling crystals for the drinks are being worked on, as well as the cooling crystal ice sculptures. Another couple of weeks and they?ll start catching the lunarua shrimp.
The orchids for the gardens are being selected from the best collections of the dracian dragon knights
Redecorating of the location has began and will be finished in plenty of time, the dance floor may be a problem but we?ll figure something out.
If everything goes right this will be ball not soon forgetting

No it?s not going to far it sounds perfect; it will give the look that we?re going for. But it will have to go into the walls not the floor

Pointing to various spots on the screen as he spoke, ?Roostertail hour will be in the gardens with a main bar on opposite ends, a minor bar on one end of the dance floor, do you think the band will be better on the opposite end of the floor or in the middle.

And we?ll have to figure out a dramatic way for the guest to get from the carriage drop off location to the ball area maybe a rotating lift of some kind, I?m thinking some sort of a door that opens slightly higher than the dance floor so guest can be announced as they arrive.
I?d like to go over the staff with you, I think will need, see if I forgot anyone

For each carriage a driver and footmen, and two security escorts, at the ball location itself a doorman, coat check person, an announcer, three bar tenders, a five piece ball room band, 12 servers that will be carrying trays and for what little food we?ll have three cooks speaking of food we?ll have to go over that too. Should all the staff be male or maybe servers be female and maybe the bar tenders.

All will either be Crystain or look like Crystain And which ones need to be bio and which can be bots and as usual I?ll need the bots to be variations on a theme so that they look like bio why do I even say that you usually do that anyway. right now I know that the security escorts need to be bio but I don?t know who else once we know how many uniforms can be made and duplicated

?I have no doubt that you have everything under total control as always. And I?m taking care of the drinks local and NuTerrain wines and champagnes, food I know young NuTerrain lunaura shrimp on a mini skewer and silverfin mini tarts, tri-chocolate covered strawberries so far, furniture I?m still figuring out, music traditional ballroom, with some slow jazz and formal NuTerrain thrown in, and plants oh that reminds me I?m using crystal powder white on the flower beds and ice blue and silver marbled on the paths instead of real snow that way the temperature can be more comfortable for the guest and plants which will be all different size potted climbing and water white orchids in the gardens, as well as potted young evergreen covered with a varity of small trinkets? a strange look came over his face as he continued, ?I have been doing some research and found that mistletoe a parasitic plant of oak trees is hang over head during the solstice and sometimes worn as part of a headband but never as a belt buckle worn on the back or ankle bracelet.?

?And as for my suit The invitation said men were black suit and tie so I know the color of my suit and the style will be traditional terrain ballroom,? adding with a smile, ?I do like the long sleeves easy to conceal something, but they?re too tight to wear a wrist bow underneath,? then with a mock serious look on his face said, ?I would like my shirt to match your gown (knowing that she always kept her clothing for an event a secret from him until the last minute) can you tell me that much about it, and my mask is still a work in progress (which meant he had a general idea but that was about all). Do you think I should get a haircut and beard trim,? Running his hand through his shoulder length hair.

?Well then if I don?t know which of the three to choose you can?t be upset if I chose the wrong one.? he coyly smiled at her. The question would be which color for the shirt, he would trim the suit and mask with the other two
.
?For the event I will at least have to comb the hair back if not hold it in place with a band of some sort and maybe just trimmed enough to a finished polished look, and the beard shaped and trimmed tight.?

With that information it would be a white shirt and he could have his suit trimmed in ice blue and his mask trimmed in silver and tight trimmed in ice blue.
A smile
crossed his face as he replied? Sort of,? he teased ?just the top level training with AmTamir warriors two thirds my age? and the smile broadened ?and keeping up if not surpassing the best of them. Their trainer is pushing them hard I see several future personal guards in the group.?

Then getting back to the ball, ?As soon as a team of horses is ready I want to put them, a driver and footman through they paces in the market place as a teaser to the ball, the carriage and uniforms should be ready in a few days,? Then added, ?Everything is coming together now, cases of beverages and plants should be being delivered to the night club any day now, a case of champagnes and white wine, the best I could find from locale vineyards and the same from the royal family vineyards of the tri-kingdoms on NuTerra. There will be over two dozen crates of the best white orchids of all types from the champion Dracian orchid growers, the plants will be put in place and should be at their peak the day of the ball.?

?My chosen one our girls and every other female in the tri-kingdoms are the reason why I chose to train with the young men, and work at least as hard as they do.?

A smile crossed Ander's face and a flicker of green his eyes as he spoke,? The girls and their tamir just happened to be at the training field one day and the males saw a fathers love and a man?s strength in gentleness. I want them to know that age does not mean weak if any of them are less than gentleman with any female there will be a price to pay, the tri-kingdom law as well an angry father or brother.?

A more stern look on his face, ?that every female is to be treated like a high Amtamiress or Asha, don?t do to any female what you would not want done to your mother, sister, wife, or daughter. I have added to their training so that any warrior can be a proper escort to any female in any of the courts of the tri-kingdom none of our young males will shame us or they will answer to me personally his eyes flickered just the slightest gold.

As to our daughters training I have no doubt they are doing at the very least well I would expect and except nothing less from any of our young ones, they must want to push themselves to be their very best. A half smile half smirk crossing his face as he continued, ? I?m sure that they are learning a few skill from their mother that aren't in the regular training. Being a personal guard for any of them will be an honor but far from a necessity.

Then looking at the carriage smiling ?beyond the level of most Crystain crystal smiths?, most master in the art could take lessons from you, ?he truthfully complemented her knowing that she knew that Crystain crystal smith master craftsmen were highly sought after in all the high courts of NuTerra, ?will two days for a test run in the market place be to soon for you, I think it?s time for the first teaser for the ball.?

Ander read the sign in front of ConColor night club, in large fancy but legible script,

ConColor Inc., hosting masked solstice ball December 21st 9pm until midnight
And in the same but smaller script
Transportation to and from provided

It was that transportation that he was about to have a test run on, and give the public a peek of.
Looking at the watch in his hand that had been synchronized to the second with the master clock that coordinated the balls transportation Ander counted down the seconds and exactly at the predetermined time a portal opened in the road before him, A horse drawn carriage emerging a perfect sphere that appears to be made of ice. The bottom half tinted ice blue, while the top half covered in an intricate, white frost pattern. All of the metal highly polished silver coated with clear iridescent crystal.

Pulling the carriage two spirited but under control stallions looking to be living near transparent silver ice with flowing manes and tails of iridescent white. The horse?s bridles and harness? were of leather, silver in color and highly worked in ice blue frost patterns. ?Good? Ander smiled as he surveyed the carriage and horse.

Seated to the front of the carriage a driver and standing on a platform at the back, holding on, a footmen both dressed identically ice blue high boots, true white pants and shirt, metallic ice blue jacket, and three corner hat both trimmed in silver, from each hat arched three plumes one metallic silver, one crystalline ice blue and one iridescent white, and white gloves trimmed in ice blue, ?Excellent,? the smile widening on Ander?s face.

Following the carriage road two security escorts, that once clear of the portal took a position to either side of the carriage in line with the footman, each was dressed in high midnight blue boots, and pants of the same color, open jackets of ice blue trimmed in navy blue, covered metallic silver shirts, atop their heads three cornered hats of ice blue trimmed in silver, from each arched a single plume of crystalline ice blue, no weapon was visible on either but Ander know that these were Crystain warriors and their weapon both defensive and offensive were the powers of the mind. Each man rode a horse that appeared to be of the same breed as pulled the carriage.

As the carriage comes to a stop, the portal closed behind it, from his perch the footmen descended and moves swiftly to the side of the carriage, lowering a set of silver steps and opening the carriage door, then standing on the same side as the open door offered his gloved hand in assistance, Ander stepped up onto the stairs and placed his hand over the footman?s, and felt a slight upward pressure, half way up the stairs Ander removed his hand and the footman lowered his to his side, ?good there when need gone if not.?

Once Ander was seated the footman closed the door raised the steps and return to his place the driver began the ride Ander removed a thermometer and stop watch from his pocket starting the stop watch he held thermometer in the center of the carriage the temperature read a steady 70% placing the thermometer on the seat a cushion of silver silk trimmed in ice blue found it to be the 5% warmer that it should have been, ?just as they should be,? then looking at the stop watch and at exactly two minutes into the ride the white frost pattern vanished from the upper half of the carriage giving a full view to the outside but keeping the interior of the carriage warm ?perfectly timed.?

the carriage went around the market place twice the pace a steady and smooth fast walk. Upon arriving in front of ConColor night club the carriage stopped, the footman again leaving his position and returning to the side of the carriage as he lowered the steps the silver frost returned to the top half of the carriage, opening the door he again offered his hand in assistance, this time Ander did not take it and the hand was returned to the footman?s side. When Ander was a full two paces from the bottom step the foot man closed the door risked the steps and when he had returned to his perch a portal open before the carriage the driver going through , the escort again taking a position behind the carriage.
?Everything is ready and exactly as it should be.?

?No my chosen one, my love everything was perfect.? walking over to her

stroking her hair adding ?I?ve made arrangements for the young one to be looked after, and I can take care of myself.?

he smiled handing her a healing crystal ?take this with you, you know how they always put you into a deep sleep and right now that?s exactly what you need both body and mind.? I?ve given ord???. instructions that you are not to be disturbed until you have gotten all the sleep you need.?