Ahmed Ali Jinnah rose with the sun. He was busy these days, campaigning for the office of Governor of Pakistan, maintaining his large textiles company, the growing export company, and the small oil company he had inherited from his Father-in-law. Ahmed lifted the twisted linen sheets from his body and sat up. His gaze wandered over Majnun, his wife, the woman whose sons would inherit everything just as he had from her father. She was sleeping deeply.

Ahmed took his robe from the back of the straight wooden chair that stood near his bed. He shuffled sleepily across the cool tile pulling on his ochre coloured silk robe. He yawned and sat down in a tall straight-backed chair that matched the other, tapped a sequence of keys that called up his assistant. An English voice began speaking to him at low volume, he'd thought the voice one of the more interesting ones when he installed this new system manager but it was wearing on him.

Ahmed sat reading messages that had come in overnight, new memos, documents, junk mail. His friend Sidi had left a message and Ahmed knew that he wanted to talk about their little excursion planned for tonight. He decided to look over the news before giving Sidi a call. The Chinese Independence Army was causing riots in Beijing as usual. There was a scientific conference set to take place in Africa over the next several weeks to once again talk about the possible dangers and benefits of cloning humans. One of the American's joint Presidents was up for re-election. Ahmed could sympathize with that story. There was another Jewel running, their family were as well know as the Kennedy's had been.

Ahmed thought that if he were American he'd vote for the Jewel, they always had a good position on Darkling affairs; there would never be trouble with the non-human races with a Jewel in the office. Everyone knew the Jewels were all witches. Ahmed was going to have to announce his own position on the matter soon. He couldn't skirt around the topic as some other politicians were able to. Pakistan had a large population of Darkling, and Karachi, its major port, was also one of the Darklings' Haven cities. Their Haram was not very far from Ahmed's house. He'd seen it last while driving out to the desalination plant, actually drove right past it, a really beautiful villa near the beach, very much influenced by Indian architecture.

Ahmed decided he would give Sidi a call, it wasn't too early. He had the assistant route the call and the familiar vid screen came up, the numerical address flashing. He got the connect, waited a few seconds. And then he saw Sidi's wide eyes staring. Sidi obviously hadn't slept all night. His wide brown face yawned; fingers combed his curly black hair. "Oh, Jinnah, it's you. I've been waiting for you to call."

"I just woke up and got your message. You should have gone to sleep."

"My new girl, she keeps me up nights..." Sidi said.

Ahmed laughed. "Doing what?"

"I'll tell you tonight...you are still coming?"

"I wouldn't miss...it," Ahmed turned, hearing the doors opening to the hall. He looked at the time display. And when he looked back to the door he wasn't surprised to see his wife Victoria carrying his breakfast in to him. "Hold on a moment, Sidi, my breakfast has just come."

Victoria came into the bedroom, head bowed just slightly so as not to offend Majnun if she should be awake, perhaps making love to their husband. She saw Majnun was asleep and stood straight, came to Ahmed's desk and set his breakfast down where he could reach everything without it being in the way of his work. "Orchid left a message saying he would like to call on me this afternoon," Victoria said.

Ahmed took a piece of the halawa from the tray and tasted it as he looked up at Victoria. She was Anglo-Indian while Majnun was an Arab like Ahmed. He reckoned that he rather liked Victoria better. Maybe, somewhere in his heart he knew that he'd really been too ambitious when he was younger not to have married Majnun for her family's money, even though she was a beautiful woman. Victoria had no money, only many degrees for which Ahmed was paying off debts to universities. "He's the Bhuta," Ahmed said thinking of this friend Victoria had made, "The Nefil?"

"They like to be called Vampyres now," Victoria said. "Shall I tell him to come?"

Ahmed had let Orchid come see his wife before. It really wasn't as if he could keep them locked up. But there were completely respectable men, who would vote for advances in Darkling rights yet forbid their wives and children from associating with them. Ahmed had thought of using religion as an excuse to keep the handsome and clever American out of his house. But Ahmed couldn't convince himself that he was really devout anymore, and with him so busy, he imagined his wives needed to flirt with someone, as long as it was all innocent.

"Well, I don't see why he can't come to the house, I'll be away again. Is he coming for Lunch?"

Victoria was looking at the monitor. Ahmed turned. Sidi was falling asleep. "He doesn't eat. He brings videos for us to watch sometimes. He said he's making me a dress."

"He's giving you a dress?" Ahmed asked. He'd only once ever glimpsed this Vampyre in person, he'd spoken to him on the vidphone once, he looked like one of those American fashion dolls, but he spoke Arabic and Sindhi well, and had obviously lived in the country quite long enough to understand that he should ask Ahmed's permission to call on his wife. He was after all a man, and a Vampyre.

"I told you..." Victoria said quietly, "He is a fashion designer, a famous one. He isn't trying to be forward."

"Very well, leave me now, I need to talk to Sidi."

Victoria left the room quietly. Ahmed looked to his monitor. "Sidi!"

"Yes, Jinnah?"

"So...this place you told me about, it's really as you said?"

"I went by to see if we needed to buy tickets in advance at this place, but they don't have advance sales. It's deliciously low class. A very mixed crowd, you know, also some Darkling...but they're everywhere now. I am sure there's no worry of anyone recognizing you at this place, and if they did they wouldn't tell anyone."

"Excellent. It will be just like the old days, Sidi. Get some sleep and pick me up at my office tonight." Ahmed looked back over his shoulder at Majnun. She was still asleep.

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Secret: I have no idea who or what 'Chinese Independence Army' is. Probably doesn't even come up again.