"Brock is forming baseball teams among the younger vampires," Henri informed me. "He is making different rules. Anyone hitting the ball over the fence will be considered out. The ball must remain inside the playing area. It is the only fair way, with vampires playing."
"I see," I said. "How many are interested?"
"Many. He had to bring in metal bats and cases of balls. Also, there are basketball leagues forming, football leagues forming, both American and European, as well as cricket, tennis and many other sports. Other communities are anxious to put their own sports leagues together."
"When they start playing croquet, I'm there," I teased. Oluwa laughed. "Do you know where Brock is at the moment?" I asked.
"I do not," Oluwa shrugged. I sent mindspeech. Brock, are you available?
I am.
Can you meet me at the palace for a minute?
I'll be right there. And he was. He appeared in less than five seconds.
"Brock, get with Kyler and take money to buy sports equipment," I said. "Get with somebody in every community and find out what they need. Tell them I will take it all away if they get into fights over this."
"You got it," Brock grinned broadly as he folded away.
"We'll need umpires and referees, now," I sighed and walked into the Council Chamber.
* * *
"It's not the same without hot dogs and sodas," I said, two evenings later. We were watching the first baseball game on Le-Ath Veronis. Brock was having a great time and Drake and Drew decided to get in on the action. There weren't any lights either—they weren't needed. Everybody had to pull back on their strength; a ball knocked over the makeshift fence was an out. The game was fun to watch and there was only one friendly argument—the ball had bounced and then rolled under the fence by only a fraction of an inch. It was settled after the benches emptied and vampires were on the ground, their faces pressed to the grass as they examined the position of the ball and the line of the fence. I buried my face against Gavin's arm and did my best not to guffaw.
* * *
"I don't care if they leave. We will take the property and put it to our own use. The gamblers will not desert us. They will remain loyal, as they always have." Arvil San Gerxon snapped at his assistant. Theos had fretted over bringing the news to Arvil to begin with. Arvil was so mercurial over these things. It could be much worse, however, if Theos failed to turn over the information that Le-Ath Veronis had submitted an application with the Alliance to build casinos there. That would mean that Erland Morphis' casino, as well as the one owned by the A & M Consortium, would likely leave Campiaa.
"My brother spent years trying to rid this planet of those two, and now they will leave us freely if this application is approved? I see that as a great day for the San Gerxon clan," Arvil snorted.
"As you say, Lord Gerxon. I merely wished to keep you informed." Theos bowed low and hurried from Arvil's private study. "Stupid vampires," Arvil muttered and turned to other matters.
* * *
"We're approved." Kyler stuck the letter from the Alliance in front of my face the minute I woke up. It had only taken the Reth Alliance three weeks to process our application to set up gambling on Le-Ath Veronis. Nearly everyone had anticipated our approval, so buildings and businesses were already going up.
"Did you tell Adam and Merrill?" I asked, trying to get my eyes open. Roff was snuggling against me, still. Even he didn't want to get up this morning. Two more days and it would be off-days.
"I spent the night with Flavio, so he knows," Kyler said. "And he sent mindspeech to Merrill, so he and Adam know, too," she smiled.
"Is that wily vampire good in bed?" I asked innocently.
"You know it. And stop digging, or I'll ask how Kifirin is."
"I have no complaints," I said and sat up. "Roff, we have to haul our asses out of bed." Roff smiled at me and sat up, getting one last kiss before sliding off the other side of the bed and padding off to the bathroom.
"It's nice just to get snuggled, sometimes," I said, as Kyler watched Roff walk away. Roff had gotten his bite when we'd gone to bed the night before; it was the second monthly bite he was allowed.
"I think those two Falchani women have discovered vampires," Kyler's dimple was showing.
"Oh, you're kidding?" I watched her face. She wasn't.
"Baxter and Dmitri," she snickered.
"The Enforcers?"
"Yeah. Gavin and Tony had them up here for palace security. Those two women went to them like moths to a light bulb."
"Well, they might not want to go back to Falchan now," I said.
"I think that was a given the minute they showed up. Drake and Drew have had them up to the light side, so they could get some sun. We should consider sunlamps for the humanoid contingent," Kyler said. "I can fold away, but not everybody can."
"True," I agreed. "Let me get cleaned up so I can get to breakfast at a decent hour and we'll talk about that."
"Our application was approved, we'll be the next gambling planet," I said over breakfast later. I wasn't completely happy with the news, but the others certainly were.
"I have a stack of applicants for the brothels which are currently being built—the Belipharan vampires are well-versed on building things. Everything is going up quickly, once Adam, Merrill and the others got the supplies and building materials in." Gabron was in his element, now.
"And what do the applicants for the brothels put under experience?" I raised an eyebrow at my Refizani vampire.
"They don't describe their abilities in detail, if that's what you mean," Gabron sighed. He and I just wouldn't see eye to eye on this. "I would appreciate your talents in weeding out the unsuitable ones, however." He was going to make me look at those damned applications.
"Fine. And Drake and Drew can stand outside my office and fall in the floor laughing," I muttered. They were having a hard time keeping the laughter back even now.
"Are you going to hang signs up that say No Compulsion Allowed?" Drake couldn't hold back a snicker any longer.
"Compulsion should not be needed," Gabron huffed. He was frowning as the twins laughed helplessly.
"Well, meals around here are certainly never boring," I dipped into my oatmeal.
"Lissy, it'll be all right," Tony said. He was sitting next to me now. Well, it was his night, then. I was missing Karzac, though. A lot.