She had no idea how she managed to recognize the young woman but as Inyoninko stared, she knew this was Eshuumina. A young woman, either eighteen or nineteen, with golden brown skin and bright green hair, wispy bangs and about shoulder-length in the front, long in the back, she wore a short dress similar to Iejei's but hers was cut-out, the fabric stiff and tight, formed of panels featuring different floral patterns, all dark but one panel was yellow and white flowers on navy blue, another was pink and yellow daisies on dark magenta, and so on. She was flanked by two women about the same height as her, one holding a clutch bag that would fit Eshuumina's outfit better. The way Eshuumina talked to the people around her, the whimsical and flamboyant gestures, the way she pursed her neon pink lips or smiled, the way she tossed her hair back, the tilt of her head, exposing the large neon pink hoops she wore and the skin of her slim neck, and how she showed off her long manicured nails, everything about Eshuumina screamed spoiled. As Inyoninko stood to the side, watching, she wondered what to think of this foreign creature.
Eshuumina seized one of the men in her vicinity, pulling him down by the back of his head and stuck her tongue in his mouth. He instantly kissed her back but was careful where he placed his hands as she peeled off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. Inyoninko looked around. They were in one of the lobbies of the oratorium. Just as Uuzhit had informed her, the whole school seemed to be present. The core of the oratorium was a stage, centered beneath a massive skylight, from which all the floors of the oratorium could be seen. There were no carpets or tiles, only tinted glass floors and walls and numerous steel beams set throughout the whole structure, and in the glass was the Flow, the Creator's energy coursing through the framework of glass and steel like veins, delivering heat and light.
Through all the glass surrounding them, anyone could spot Eshuumina and see what she was doing. Inyoninko refocused on Eshuumina. In terms of appearance, Asakay really did fit in with the people here. He would hardly look out of place next to Iejei and Eshuumina. Compared to her and Uuzhit, she could see how Asakay would survive. If only he didn't open his mouth.
There were groups everywhere with people milling back and forth, loitering here and there, dispersed throughout the lounges, classrooms, meeting rooms, eateries, galleries and exhibitions. Lonely couples and single pairs of friends were rare. Inyoninko standing on her own was the rarest. With all the groups though, Eshuumina's commencement of a public orgy certainly set hers apart.
The man Eshuumina had been making out with was naked, kneeling on the floor in front of her, alongside another man who was also naked, their clothes pooled around them. Eshuumina was now kissing one of the women in her group, stripping the woman of her clothes just as she had done to the two men but it seemed the woman was resistant. Eshuumina used more forceful gestures, even looking around at the people surrounding them. Two others stepped up and held the arms of the woman she was kissing. They forced the woman to remove her clothes. Despite the distance, Inyoninko could tell the woman was shaking. Once she was naked, they forced the naked woman next to the pair of naked men.
With the distance, Inyoninko could not tell what Eshuumina was saying but the anger on her face, the malicious smile, it seemed Eshuumina was punishing them. She struck the naked woman, backhanding her. Then she seized the men by their hair. With her head bent between them, she said something more before shoving them away. She screamed out, calling all in vicinity for their attention. Her group parted to expose the three naked individuals. Addressing the crowd forming in the lobby, Eshuumina told a story of love, romance, cheating and deception, yet what the crowd disapproved of was the neglect of respect and decorum, the embarrassment to someone's reputation. Twisting the tale of ardent love into a scandal that embarrassed a fellow city's governor, Eshuumina incited protest and rage.
Inyoninko pulled back further into the nearest shadow as members of the crowd surged forward and began to shout insults, humiliating and mocking Eshuumina's victims. From somewhere food was passe around and thrown at them. Someone started singing and some people joined them. There was laughing, there was shouting, and all the while, Eshuumina stood aside, arms folded, watching in bliss.
Inyoninko emerged from the shadow and strode through the mass of people that had collected. When she stood in front of the three naked individuals and all the traces of food that dripped off them, Eshuumina recognized her, held out a hand and screamed for silence.
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