Cobreo Dellèvon stood in the center of the room awash in blued light. He looked down his nose, hands on his hips as they were, at his younger cousin.

Diego Dellevon stood square, looking back into his cousin's eyes with his own hardness.

Cobreo Dellèvon turned a smile at the corner of his mouth. Diego was his most trusted little cousin, the closest to follow in his footsteps. The kid had a lot to learn, but Cobreo had high hopes to name him as his successor. Eventually. For now, handing him property so far from home would have to be a sufficient exhibit of good faith.

Diego Dellevon cracked a grin and flung his arms wide to embrace his cousin.

Cobreo Dellèvon squeezed his cousin back, but briefly. They had business to attend to after all.

Diego Dellevon noticed the embrace was shorter than usual, but didn't make comment. Becoming Don Dellevon had changed Cobreo. He was always ruthless, but there was a new coldness about him.

Diego Dellevon tried not to let his grin falter. He took a half step back and gestured around the lobby.

Cobreo Dellèvon unbuttoned his suit jacket as he sat on one of the couches, giving it a little bounce.

Diego Dellevon chuckled and stood towering over his cousin. As hotel manager, and as the person who had overseen operations, he had grown fond of Hotel Zaphiro. The couches he wanted to be absolutely pristine when the first guests, and even the four-hundredth guests, arrived. There was no way Diego was sinking into any of those cushions until their glory had properly been shown.

Cobreo Dellèvon whipped off his sunglasses and glared daggers into the eyes of Diego.

Diego Dellevon almost balked as Cobreo aimed that look at him. He hadn't seen his cousin in months, could he really have changed this much?

Diego Dellevon narrowed his eyes at Cobreo, but only for a moment. He was Don Dellevon. To disrespect the Don was to put the stamp of death on your own head. Diego realized how much stress Cobreo must truly be under, to have changed this much over the past few years. Everyone changed. Not everyone grew into monsters. But, if being a monster is what it took to be a successful Don Dellevon, who was Diego to question it?

With a sharp intake of breath Diego sat down next to his cousin.

The two sat for a few minutes in silence, Cobreo with his eyes closed and his head resting on the back of the couch and Diego drinking in the guest experience he had crafted in the name of the House Dellevon.

Akuma, The Silver Dragon perched himself on the chandelier, making nary a sound or disturbance. He was a wisp of a silent breeze - a phantom prowling the shadows of the lobby.

Diego Dellevon was handed a roll of deep blue ribbon by a smartly dressed steward. Together they tied it to stretch between two pillars, blocking the concierge desk and the entrances to the gallery. From there Diego flit around and made sure everything was in place. The chandelier was at the perfect brightness, sending sparkles across the ceiling and higher walls. Everything was the right shade of blue. The cushions called with comfort. Even the concierge desk itself was a conversation piece, carved from meteoric rock.

Diego unlocked the doors to Starwind Plaza. It was time to open a hotel.

If there are any windows to the outside, about two dozen ships could be seen against the backdrop of space, along with four supercapital ships of Aschen design. Two Reverence IIs, one Command Carrier, and a fourth ship that hadn't been seen before outside Aschen space.

They sat there among the stars, menacing.

The blue ribbon had been stretched across the grand entrance of Hotel Zafiro. A crowd had gathered in Starwind Plaza, all anxious to be the first to cross the threshold into the brand new hotel. Diego couldn't hold back his excitement- he practically radiated in it under the flashbulbs of the press and the glitter of the chandelier.

Outside one of the floor-to-ceiling windows, more ships had appeared in space. He gestured towards them grandly, signaling an uproar from the crowd. Diego's smile almost faltered - some of those people didn't seem too happy. Nevertheless all were welcome at the Hotel in accordance with the larger space station's policy. The back of his neck tingled as the shape of the ships registered. He stretched his grin all the wider. Nothing could kill his vibe, not today. Not now. Not even the Aschen.

Suddenly the crowd bubbled forward. A small figure dressed in a blue bedazzled suit made an attempt to dart under the ribbon. The crowd gasped as the little boy was pulled back before he could cross the threshold by a smartly dressed couple, who didn't seem bothered by the ships looming through the window behind Diego. Neither did that fellow over there, and sure enough Diego took the moment of the crowd's distraction.

"Welcome!" He pulled from seemingly nowhere a gargantuan pair of silver scissors, encrusted with sparkling blue sapphires. The crowd went silent and Diego was nearly blinded by what seemed literally like everyone and their mother grabbing the perfect photo-op.

"To Hotel ZafiroOoooOOOooOooOOooOooooooOOOOOOOOOOoooOoOo!" Diego sang, his voice rising above the cheers of the crowd and the silky snip of the blue ribbon finally being cut. From seemingly nowhere, big band music echoed throughout the minds of everyone in the lobby. Diego made a note to find whoever's idea it was to install that state of the art sound system and give them a raise.

Amidst the large crowd was an odd group. Though well-dressed, well-groomed, and standing tall and proudly like men, were in fact not humans but resembled something... mustelid. It is a subject for a geneticist to say if they are truly weasels or simply weasel-like, what is at least known is that they go by the title of Kamaitachi, sickle weasels, named for the retractable blades in their arms.

Of these three Kamaitachi was a taller one, his white fur contrasted against a fancy black jacket over his brown suit and black tie. His eyes were piercing and red, the black sclera and the dark markings around his eyes made them seem almost adrift within black pits. This was Jouji Kurogane, the eldest child of the Kurogane family, and most likely to inherit his father's dominion. With him was a couple more brownish ones dressed in black suits, one wearing shades. What they were here for could not just simply be to clap and cheer at a hotel's grand opening.

"Yo baby, did ya check those snippers? That f'real!?" the one with shades commented with a whistle.

"Tch, what? That impressed ya? I admit though, these chimps know how to put on the lavish even in this dingy old space rock," the other commented, the word chimp receiving an audible grunt and glare from Jouji. "Ehrr, sorry boss, force'a habit."

"Um, yo, boss, y'think we shoulda brought more-" the one with shades began.

"Nah, stand out enough as is," Jouji says, his voice deep yet smooth, a hint of exasperation in his tone. He wanted to say more, that he'd rather be here by himself, but his father insisted he had at least two men accompany him. In his mind they felt less like backup and more like spies for his dad to ensure he does his job. His job? Establishing powerful and influential ties, as usual. "Not good PR when it looks like an invasion."

"I suppose you right, boss," the one with shades sighed. As they talked, they saw two figures cutting through the crowd. "Aaand there's the journos gettin' the royal treatment."

Intergalactic News Network

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Reporting to you live from Starwind Plaza of Blue Heaven - the favorite off-planet-yet-still-local destination hot spot and waypoint for the planet Terra - where a crowd of hundreds, if not thousands, have gathered to witness the Grand Opening of Hotel Zafiro.

Hotel Zafiro Lobby

Carpeted in blue with large round couches scattered throughout, lit by an intricate chandelier much wider than it was tall. A concierge stands ready at a podium carved from a piece of the asteroid, behind a deep blue ribbon stretched between two pillars.

Hotel Zafiro is the newest luxury hotel opened by Dellevon Intergalactic, and is proclaimed to be the most state of the art establishment the hospitality group has built yet. Blue velvet couches and twinkling lights point to the inspiration of deep space and a celebration of all things celestial for this off-planet place to stay. The sapphire encrusted entryway, carved from the rock of Blue Heaven, twinkles as if every gemstone was independently backlit- how much did they spend on the lobby? We can only imagine how decked out the penthouse must be!

It's no wonder they made zero sacrifices with technological implementations, as Hotel Zafiro is managed by the youngest member of Dellevon Intergalactic; Diego Dellevon. It was rumored that he dipped into his own personal funding to properly execute on the completion of the hotel. Either working in corporate for Dellevon intergalactic is that lucrative of a career, or the heir-gone-mogul has more access to family expenditures than originally assumed.

Dellevon Intergalactic

Dellevon Intergalactic is a top intergalactic hospitality company.

While it's no secret that the Dellevon family are in the upper echelon of intergalactic society, rumors have begun to circulate in regards to the source of their funding- and why it never seems to run out. We haven't been able to find an employee of Dellevon Intergalactic willing to make a comment; it may be safe to assume that nobody truly cares. The intergalactic hospitality group may be known to the general public for their luxury hospitality spots scattered through the verse, but after light investigation into the lifestyles of the employees it's safe to say that nobody is underpaid. Not the construction team, not the front desk clerks - not even the kitchen staff or cleaning crew. Come to think of it, are they hiring?