At the same time, they made no attempt to search the city itself. Instead, they had apparently decided that their legionaries were so terrifying that the culprits had already fled in panic, running for their lives.
In truth, the situation had turned out even better for us.
No guardsman would dare lay a hand on any of the currently enraged aristocrats, who possessed the authority to order executions first and ask questions afterward.
The girl nodded with a satisfied smile.
Then she glanced around rather furtively and, completely unexpectedly, reached out to take my hand before rising onto her toes.
"Wow..."
I drew out the word, no less delighted when her lips brushed my cheek, causing our disguises to flicker ever so slightly. We hadn't exactly designed them with that sort of contact in mind.
"The plan for this performance... exceeded all expectations."
She rewarded me with an indulgent smile.
"And the foundation for something else has been laid as well," I continued with a satisfied grin, earning a few suspicious glances from the people around us as we finally blended back into the crowds.
So that was why she had looked around beforehand.
She had been making sure no locals stood close enough to notice the brief disruption in our disguises.
I highly doubted the precaution had anything to do with embarrassment over the kiss itself.
Of all people, Killing Mockery was not someone burdened by shyness.
Macragge, where we had decided to continue our date because that was precisely what this outing had become, impressed me with its Roman-inspired architecture. It lacked the breathtaking elegance and impossible perfection of the Aeldari worlds, yet it possessed an awe-inspiring monumental grandeur that was equal parts imperial majesty and nostalgia for my previous life.
Despite their level of technological development, the locals had resisted transforming everything into forests of skyscrapers and cyberpunk excess. On the contrary, they had preserved the atmosphere of ancient Terra so well that the entire planet felt like one enormous museum.
Even the Aeldari found Macragge impressive.
They were accustomed to the sleek, all-encompassing science fiction aesthetics of the Human Federation and were utterly unprepared for this sort of timeless architectural beauty.
"Do you like it?"
I glanced toward my companion from that ancient race.
She nodded enthusiastically before immediately turning her attention back to the white stone buildings, each one featuring what seemed to be the mandatory presence of columns.
Throne above...
There were almost more columns here than people.
"Excellent."
I offered her my arm once more, and without the slightest hesitation she slipped her hand through it.
We didn't wish to appear like clueless tourists or villagers visiting civilization for the first time.
Yet the sights were simply too captivating.
There were far too many of them.
Macragge was an incredibly populous world, one of the great centers of humanity's civilization. Its technology may have lagged behind that retained by the techno-barbarians of Terra, which had either already been unified or stood on the verge of unification by the recipient of the Millennium's Father Award himself, but at least the people here hadn't descended into tribal absurdity.
Unfortunately, our peaceful stroll did not last very long.
Someone unusually observant had apparently noticed that, although our appearances blended seamlessly into the crowd, our behavior most certainly did not.
Harlequins were not accustomed to suppressing their emotions.
Our entire existence revolved around creativity, performance, and boundless energy, not the haughty restraint favored by the patrician elite.
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Glancing in the same direction at the same time, we spotted a guardsman approaching us.
One of the few who hadn't been dispatched to help seal off the city.
Unlike most of the locals, he looked considerably more science fictional, though still unmistakably Roman in style.
"Citizens, I must ask you to present your identification documents..." he began immediately, standing almost at attention. "The city is currently conducting search operations, and..."
There was no need for him to continue.
We matched the description of the culprits far too well.
A man and a woman.
It proved nothing.
But the suspicion was entirely justified.
Unfortunately for this dutiful servant, Macragge overflowed with nobility. Only in movies did fearless police captains arrest people regardless of who their parents happened to be.
Reality was considerably harsher.
And I intended to take full advantage of that fact.
Killing Mockery realized it as well.
A look of eager anticipation appeared on her face, identical to the one she had worn before our little performance in the city's peculiar combination of theater and colosseum.
"Have you completely lost your mind, worm?"
I cut him off sharply, twitching my cheek and assuming the most arrogant expression I could manage.
"Subject me to a search? An inspection? Whatever ridiculous term your lot uses? Do you have the slightest idea who I am? I am the fifth son of the esteemed Patrician Tibrucius Galinon, you insignificant insect!"
I had deliberately chosen the local lustful pig who boasted more than ten legitimate children from multiple wives.
As for the illegitimate ones...
Well.
There were rather a lot of those.
"Respected sir..." the guardsman began indignantly.
Too late.
I'd already spotted another man hurrying toward us.
"Romulus, shut up!"
The newcomer stepped directly in front of his subordinate.
"My deepest apologies for my subordinate, my lord! He has only recently entered service! He shall forfeit this month's wages for insulting an esteemed patrician! Please understand, my lord, everyone is rather tense at the moment because of..."
"Very well."
I allowed my expression to soften slightly.
"A deduction from his wages will suffice this time. But understand this. If your subordinate ever does something like this again... know that not even you will be able to restrain my wrath."
"My deepest thanks, honored sir!"
The local sergeant, or whatever rank came closest, bowed deeply before practically dragging the vigilant subordinate away by the back of his armor.
Chuckling quietly, I turned toward the Aeldari woman at my side.
She wore a thoroughly mischievous grin.
She had understood exactly what I had done.
Hmm...
But had she thought of this?
"Do you think I portrayed a member of our race speaking to one of the younger races convincingly enough?"
I flashed her a broad smile.
For a brief moment, the Harlequin froze.
Then she blinked.
A heartbeat later she nodded approvingly and raised a thumb in the universal gesture of approval.
Our date resumed.
We wandered through plazas filled with statues, admired the city's most magnificent buildings, and eventually stopped at a local restaurant.
And yes...
They didn't ask us to verify our identities there, either.
They certainly charged us, however.
And charged us well.
A respectable number of coins changed hands.
These weren't made of gold like their ancient Terran predecessors, but of an alloy resembling auramite and adamantium.
The coins possessed a brilliant golden sheen and absolutely no intention of ever deteriorating.
Killing Mockery and I had tested that ourselves.
So there it was.
By the thirtieth millennium, humanity had returned to coins and abandoned paper currency altogether.
Somehow they had developed an exceptionally clever economic system that no longer depended upon nations drowning beneath mountains of debt.
As for how it actually worked...
I couldn't explain it even if I wanted to.
I'd never been an economist in my previous life.
And now?
Complete darkness.
"Interesting dishes..."
I regarded our meal with genuine curiosity as it finally arrived after roughly ten minutes.
Everything looked undeniably delicious.
For a human.
I'd spent a very long time eating exclusively Aeldari cuisine, and Cegorach certainly didn't skimp when rewarding his followers. Faithful service granted access to virtually every luxury that had existed during the old Aeldari Empire.
Of course, that generosity was balanced by constant missions, many of them lethally dangerous, so there was little risk of slipping back into the civilization-ending hedonism that had destroyed the empire in the first place.
Still...
The people of Macragge clearly knew how to cook.
Just look at the way my companion stared at the fragrant feast spread across the table.
The locals absolutely adored using generous amounts of meat and fruit.
Especially fruit.
My companion didn't waste time examining the exotic produce, exotic even by Aeldari standards. Their worlds cultivated entirely different species and varieties.
Instead...
She immediately started eating.
At that moment, I discovered yet another interesting trait about Killing Mockery.
Almost as much as she enjoyed watching amusing events unfold...
She loved food.
Curiously, it showed nowhere on her figure.
Aeldari physiology made gaining weight nearly impossible, while her constant physical activity kept her body perfectly toned.
I was fairly certain she was fit in all the right places.
At that particular moment, however, she looked more like an excited child than an ancient warrior, sampling every dish within reach and almost using nothing but her hands.
Aeldari elegance indeed.
To be fair, I was being somewhat biased.
She still somehow managed not to stain her white garments even once.
Not a single speck.
Her dexterity was astonishing.
Still...
She would have exposed us almost immediately had we not thoughtfully installed a holographic projector.
Through an exceptionally clever manipulation of light and color, it rendered our corner of the restaurant considerably less... interesting to casual observers.
As a result, nobody noticed that our projected doubles had apparently been eating the same meal for over a minute, only occasionally changing position according to information fed back by the scanners.
"Minerva, don't be in such a hurry. Nobody is throwing us out, Chaos isn't invading, and our cousins from Commorragh haven't decided to raid the place."
I chuckled with equal parts amusement and bashfulness before finally beginning my own meal, taking considerably smaller bites than my companion.