The Masquerade Ball (IC)

[The Selkie]

Sophia Fauth.
As we entered, the hosts themselves, Grand Duke Adrien and Grand Duchess Marion, greeted us, as a contingent - a logical choice, as we were indeed approaching as a joint group. We were followed by some folks from Hrimfaroth, of whom I immediately recognized Allie Mulroney, whose appearence was well-known to me thanks to my sister Saskia, an ambitioned equestrian, who was in charge of dealing with our family's farm, near Dettinghoven-Merchweiler, Fylerian Free State, for a reason; I also recognized the two Princes, as well as Dr. Joy Tremayne, whose knowledge on what we commonly referred to as 'opinion amplifiers' was sufficient to be known to me as well - in fact, the FCS-17 Assault Rifle was part of Dad's enormous collection.
I felt surprisingly good around here - normally, I avoided situations like this due to my experience with them. Dad was usually described as 'special', but he was nowhere near some other businesspeople I knew. When I had been young, years before I became an author, I had been a prominent newsreader at Radio Fylern, Fyleria's state-run radio channel. When Dad had been visited by his colleagues, Saskia had proudly told them about that - and one man had shouted at her, "The radio?! A public channel?! You do realize, that this is the first place they're going to capture in a coup d'etat?!"
This was the time Saskia and I started to consistently be busy with the horses whenever our parents had guests.
Shocking, I know.
This time, however, I had enough experience myself, mostly from Ahjada, where I had spent several years in as a journalist, I felt good; said businessmen would probably have freaked out, if they had known about this. Well, maybe they had, should they have read Rosfahan Calling, the book I had written about said time, before I had started to write for Hammamat Alshati - which was my main business now, at least until the time would come to inherit Dad's farm.
After we had been greeted, we had moved on. From distance, I managed to spot Branwen Blaidd, of Tralee Descent. A fellow author, responsible for Gwarcheidwad, a Sci-Fi series. I quite liked Sci-Fi - I would probably have contributed to Captain Coulter, if my Shamsiyyan were better -, even though my main focus were novels about conspiracies and theories thereon in the here and now. For a given definition of the term 'here', obviously.
Miss Blaidd was talking to a woman in her mid-20s, blonde and green-eyed, whom I certainly had already seen somewhere, but I failed to remember where, at the moment. When I approached, they did seem to talk about dances - the blonde woman, apparently, offered herself as a dance partner, in case Miss Blaidd wouldn't find any alternative.
I took a deep breath, then I smiled.
"Excuse my interruption" - I said. "But shouldn't first things come first? I've learned, that first, you go to the bar, then pick a dance partner."

Arnulf Riescheid.
It took me but a moment to realize, that it could get interesting very soon.
I recognized Celina at once - I knew her from a lot of photos, and this lot of photos didn't even include the catalogues of Bicíní Industries. One could say much about Chris (indeed named after Ambrosius), but he did have a good taste.
Her mother - what was the name? Fenja? Finja? Ah, no, Finnya, it was - wasn't entirely unknown, either. She worked for BI as well, and I must say, one couldn't guess her age just from her appearance; she looked quite young, despite being a few years older than me. This is how you age like a fine wine - I thought.
No worries, though - Mette, my own wife, remained the most beautiful woman on earth for me.
Still, I couldn't help but take a deep breath until I decided to approach my son's girlfriend and her mother.
"Dia dhaoibh!" - I said, smiling. I had a deep respect for my son as far as learning the Selkie-language was concerned. I immediately switched to English. "I have a sneaking suspicion, that we should have met way sooner. I'm Arnulf Riescheid, Chris' father."

Branwen Blaidd, of Tralee Descent.
While Nolly still giggled, someone came in from the side, a young woman - I recognized Sophia Fauth, a writer on conspiracies and conspiracy theories, novels, mostly. I must admit, that I was only familiar with her work in passing, but Nolly seemed to not know her.
I shrugged, slightly.
"Depends on which tradition you hail from, actually.", I said, putting the Literature Student on display, "For example, in the Kyrenaian Khanate of Las, it is custom for the women to pick men for dancing and for no alcohol and no bar being in sight during a formal dance. Meanwhile, in Auwalt, the men ask the women, but they tend to have drinks in a seperate room, away from the ladies... including a white line on the floor, which is to be walked once you wish to leave. A specialized butler is then tasked with suggesting to the guest, depending on how he performed, to maybe retire." I smiled, then introduced myself: "I am Branwen Blaidd, of Tralee Descent, but Branwen is fine. This..." I motioned to Nolly. "... is Nolwenn Gluaisrothar of the Tribe of Wexford."
"Nolwenn, if it is not too much trouble.", she said and bowed her head lightly.
I did the same, then added: "It's a pleasure to meet a fellow author, Miss Fauth."

Finnya Sloroimh of the Tribe of Cork.
Oh, this was... this was fun!
Cel was now pretty nervous as we turned to the man, who had introduced himself as Arnulf Riescheid - the father of her boyfriend. And one could see, how similar the two looked, so I did not doubt his words for one moment.
Cel didn't either.
She took a small breath, then bowed her head lightly: "I think so, too, Mister Riescheid, though I would have preferred to have Chris present as well.", she said, quite a bit more formal then I would have expected: "I must say, that I now know, where Chris has his good manners from." Cel then was silent for a moment, turning to me. "Though, speaking of manners, if I may introduce - my mother, Finnya Sloroimh of the Tribe of Cork."
"Good evening, Mister Riescheid.", I said and made a small bow.

The gentlemen went off to grab drinks for their wives, leaving the four women behind in their little group. The band had kicked up a nice piece again but they were really waiting for something to slowly move to. Sylvia explained a few things to Marcella, "Well I'm well versed in ball room myself."

Noir's eyes caught glance of the golden haired dark skinned beauty that was the Princess Aurelia darting to them at this moment. "Uh excuse me, Miladies." Noir interrupted "But Milady Duchess, I believe someone has found you!"

Marcella turned her attention to where Noir was looking and yup, there was Aurelia. Marcella's cheeks flushed red as well seeing the woman who stole her heart, not alone but that didn't matter.

"Oooh, excuse me, Lady Sylvia, Noir, Premier. "

"Oooh" Syliva giggled just a little like a school girl confiding with her BFF about a crush, "The lovely Desert Princess has found her other Princess."

"So romantic!" Millihi held her glowing cheeks as well. Marcella gathering her long skirt shuffled her way over to Aurelia so the two could meet up in the middle basically which wasn't much further from her little posse. The words suddenly escaped her, she wanted to throw herself onto Aurelia and just kiss her but this was a large party and that would be rude, not to mention Aurelia was with a guest, so still unable to summon the words, she did what would be polite, she gave a deep curtsy to say hello. Well maybe much much later the two could dance together in more ways than one. Marcella was glad Noir did talk her into going, how bad it would have been if she didn't come and Aurelia did arrive. Balls are for couples, right? Well now she had her better half.

Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
Marcella stopped at an appropriate distance, her face flushing, then did a deep courtsy.
I returned the gesture. "Marcella-Khana...", I said, a certain amusement at us two awkward lovers of high station in my voice, "...it is a great pleasure to see you here." I decided to bugger protocol as I rose and opened my arms: "Now, come here!"
We would not make out here, but we would dance... before we danced to a different melody in my bedroom... but that'd be for later.
Faris turned her back to us, both because she did not like the sight of two female lovers reuniting and because she maybe wanted to give us the illusion of privacy - I was tempted to believe, that it was more of the latter then the former.

[Lillorainen]

Branwen Blaidd, of Tralee Descent.
While Nolly still giggled, someone came in from the side, a young woman - I recognized Sophia Fauth, a writer on conspiracies and conspiracy theories, novels, mostly. I must admit, that I was only familiar with her work in passing, but Nolly seemed to not know her.
I shrugged, slightly.
"Depends on which tradition you hail from, actually.", I said, putting the Literature Student on display, "For example, in the Kyrenaian Khanate of Las, it is custom for the women to pick men for dancing and for no alcohol and no bar being in sight during a formal dance. Meanwhile, in Auwalt, the men ask the women, but they tend to have drinks in a seperate room, away from the ladies... including a white line on the floor, which is to be walked once you wish to leave. A specialized butler is then tasked with suggesting to the guest, depending on how he performed, to maybe retire." I smiled, then introduced myself: "I am Branwen Blaidd, of Tralee Descent, but Branwen is fine. This..." I motioned to Nolly. "... is Nolwenn Gluaisrothar of the Tribe of Wexford."
"Nolwenn, if it is not too much trouble.", she said and bowed her head lightly.
I did the same, then added: "It's a pleasure to meet a fellow author, Miss Fauth."

Finnya Sloroimh of the Tribe of Cork.
Oh, this was... this was fun!
Cel was now pretty nervous as we turned to the man, who had introduced himself as Arnulf Riescheid - the father of her boyfriend. And one could see, how similar the two looked, so I did not doubt his words for one moment.
Cel didn't either.
She took a small breath, then bowed her head lightly: "I think so, too, Mister Riescheid, though I would have preferred to have Chris present as well.", she said, quite a bit more formal then I would have expected: "I must say, that I now know, where Chris has his good manners from." Cel then was silent for a moment, turning to me. "Though, speaking of manners, if I may introduce - my mother, Finnya Sloroimh of the Tribe of Cork."
"Good evening, Mister Riescheid.", I said and made a small bow.

Sophia Fauth.
I nodded. I knew the tradition I hailed from, and knowing Lillorainen, there were certainly some regional variations as well, but all in all, I did remember the order I had mentioned as the 'correct' one, if one was Lillorainian. It also wasn't important, whether the man or the woman made the start, and since same-sex dances weren't uncommon, this point was often moot, anyway. From Shamsiyya, I knew, that it was usually up to the man to pick a partner, whereas in Ahjada, it was usually the woman. The presence of alcohol depended on the occasion, but it normally wasn't far away from the dancefloor, even if in a separate room. In Brandau, Chaamerland, and Saressidia, however, the bar was almost universally in the same room as the dancefloor, just like I knew from Fyleria - only the 'order', as I called it, could vary. On contrast, these rooms were all but universally separated in Shikonjima and the Sharulsi Khanate, albeit the latter were less strict about it than the former.
Any conversation on this would have the potential to fill an evening ...
I bowed my head to both women. "It's truly a delight to meet you at an occasion like this" - I said, in a way more formal manner than I had actually intended. I immediately corrected this, especially since Nolwenn didn't seem to know me; I rather talked to her than to Branwen when introducing myself, "I'm Sophia Fauth, the lass who wrote Rosfahan Calling, as well as some Hammamat Alshati novels." I thought about the last bit for a moment, then added, "In case you even know these, given how little the series' success outside Lillorainen actually is."

Arnulf Riescheid.
I did notice how nervous Celina was - and it wasn't exactly completely beyond me. I was fairly sure, that Chris had been similarly nervous when meeting his girlfriend's mother for the first time. And from what he had told me, he quite did thank all deities known to him for not having to meet her father, who, while an ambitioned businessman (Treoraí Optics wasn't exactly unknown, after all), didn't seem to be the father she would have wished to have. I didn't question his good intentions as to his daughter's upbringing, but Celina's imaginations clearly did differ from his, and his ex-wife seemed to have a similar opinion - otherwise, she would still have been called Treoraí and not Sloroimh.
"It is a true pleasure to make your acquaintance" - I said, bowing my head lightly. "And indeed, it's a pity, that I couldn't bring Chris along tonight, but I'm confident, that we will be able to organize a bigger family meeting once the crisis is over." I took it for granted, that the Coof was known to them as the source of the crisis I referred to. "But this is a start, now innit?"

[Seleucid Pergamon]

Minutes later, their next guests were from an important family from Pergamon that has came alongside the Ambassador's family to the ball. The
Chatzigeorgiou's if their memory didn't fail them from Pergamon itself and the Zanniadis that came from Asteria as the family lived there because they were the family of the ambassador.

As such, as soon as they were present they were led by a butler to where the hosts were; them respectfully greeting them like they did to the rest from what has gone of the night.

"Sir and Lady Zanniadis, welcome, it is a pleasure to see you and your daughter present for this prestigious event." The Grand Duke said to them while respectfully bowing, meanwhile his wife was focused with the other family.

"It's also an pleasure to see you as well, Sir and Lady Chatzigeorgious." Marion said curtsying at the other couple as well. "In the name of my family, I hope both of you enjoy the night and doesn't have any problems, if you need help, please do ask and our personnel will help."

The Entourage

While waiting, the butler motioned to where they were. He then announced their names to garner their attention, and Periklis, being the ambassador, lead the entourage to greet their hosts.

His family were greeted by Grand Duke Adrien.

"Giásas, a pleasure it is indeed, Your Mysteriousness," Perkilis grinned as he bowed alongside his wife and daughter curtsying, "And yes. As you can tell, our daughter is very excited to be here."

"I like your wife's mask, Your Grace. It's fancy," complimented Despina gleefully, "Though, I like your mask too. It's, uh, shiny."

"You must be proud of what you've prepared," Marieta said after chuckling, "And you both must feel fortunate that a meteor shower will occur sometime later today. You should be thankful to God for the timing. That's going to be exhilarating."

"Oh, yes! It'll be pretty," Despina could not help but blurt out.

Meanwhile, the Chatzigeorgious were greeted by Marion.

"Thank you, Your Highness. It is an honor for us to be here," Natassa curtsied along with the rest of the family formally gestured, somewhat intimidated by the Grand Duchess's red eyes while keeping her composure.

"I like your mask and hat, Your Grace," Theonymphi commented, "They both compliment well with your dress. I also like the flowered headpiece with the tassels. It's a nice little touch. Though, are you not disturbed by the tassels hitting your mask when you turn your head?"

Both families continued talking until the Chatzigeorgious walked up to the Zanniadises, a visible sign for Periklis when he noticed.

"Anyways, we shall be making our way in. Our guest family here is eager to dive into the festivities," Periklis turned to the Chatzigeorgious who were just done conversing with Marion, "We'll catch you later."

The entourage entered the hall, and towards the radiant splendor of a party.



Despina Zanniadis

"Alright, Despina, me and mom are going to go dance now. Find your friends, but remember, no roughhousing," Perkilis warned, "Alright, young lady, have fun!"

With that, she was alone. Seizing the opportunity, Despina viewed her phone to text her friends where they're at. And she typed with utmost excitement gleaming in her eyes and smile. After a reply, she went over, peeking her head from the crowd to see, run to, and greet her friends.

"Hi, you guys," she greeted. And she never noticed several people eyeing her from her exclamation.



Theonymphi and Aristeidis Chatzigeorgiou

After their parents split off and motioned to the dance floor, the siblings walked aimlessly around the floor. On the way, Theonymphi observed the gowns worn, something which Aristeidis picked up when she commented to him. She could pick out several that had caught her eyes, such as the white and royal blue gown from a Brettenwalder, the exotic qipao worn by the Amenrian twins, the red and black gown of the Nachfolgian, and the gowns worn by the Mervayan Princesses Circe and Corette V, and Queen Callista. It was something to keep for her mental collection, although she might have to make use of her phone to clear it out.

"So many beautiful dresses," Theonymphi shook her head.

"You could've worn something like that of the Queen," Aristeidis suggested, pointing out Callista, "It would look good on you."

"I suppose. It does give a winter feel. But, I like what I'm wearing. Oh, my. Take a look at those two wearing gas masks."

They observed the Visayan couple with perplexed expression.

"What the hell? They look like they're badly disguised bioterrorists."

"Wow," Theonymphi chuckled, "Took the words right out of my mouth. Try telling them that."

"Might as well. I'm going to go talk to them, anyways."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate your critique."

Aristeidis nodded and headed toward the gas-masked couple. Fixing his suit, he cleared his throat.

"A strange way to introduce yourselves into a ball like this. But I'll give you points for being original here. Aristeidis Chatzigeorgiou, President of A. V. Chatzigeorgiou Private Security," he greeted himself.

For Theonymphi, she headed over to the bar to grab a seat and observe more of the fashion present around. Ordering a drink, she began taking pictures.

[AHSCA]

Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
Marcella stopped at an appropriate distance, her face flushing, then did a deep courtsy.
I returned the gesture. "Marcella-Khana...", I said, a certain amusement at us two awkward lovers of high station in my voice, "...it is a great pleasure to see you here." I decided to bugger protocol as I rose and opened my arms: "Now, come here!"
We would not make out here, but we would dance... before we danced to a different melody in my bedroom... but that'd be for later.
Faris turned her back to us, both because she did not like the sight of two female lovers reuniting and because she maybe wanted to give us the illusion of privacy - I was tempted to believe, that it was more of the latter then the former.

Ah to hell with it, Marcella thought as she leapt into Aurelia's arms giving her a nice kiss, not too crazy but respectable for these two women at such a classy party. Pulling away "It's good to...It's good to see you" She smiled and choked back just a few tears of joy to see her yet again, so soon after the festival. "Very good to see you again." She simply repeated. Oh now she was getting tongue tied. But she also had to remember she was here with a few guests and she should properly introduce them. "I almost stayed home. Then Noir told me you might be here. I'm glad I decided to come. But I am surprised to see you here."

[The Selkie]

Sophia Fauth.
I nodded. I knew the tradition I hailed from, and knowing Lillorainen, there were certainly some regional variations as well, but all in all, I did remember the order I had mentioned as the 'correct' one, if one was Lillorainian. It also wasn't important, whether the man or the woman made the start, and since same-sex dances weren't uncommon, this point was often moot, anyway. From Shamsiyya, I knew, that it was usually up to the man to pick a partner, whereas in Ahjada, it was usually the woman. The presence of alcohol depended on the occasion, but it normally wasn't far away from the dancefloor, even if in a separate room. In Brandau, Chaamerland, and Saressidia, however, the bar was almost universally in the same room as the dancefloor, just like I knew from Fyleria - only the 'order', as I called it, could vary. On contrast, these rooms were all but universally separated in Shikonjima and the Sharulsi Khanate, albeit the latter were less strict about it than the former.
Any conversation on this would have the potential to fill an evening ...
I bowed my head to both women. "It's truly a delight to meet you at an occasion like this" - I said, in a way more formal manner than I had actually intended. I immediately corrected this, especially since Nolwenn didn't seem to know me; I rather talked to her than to Branwen when introducing myself, "I'm Sophia Fauth, the lass who wrote Rosfahan Calling, as well as some Hammamat Alshati novels." I thought about the last bit for a moment, then added, "In case you even know these, given how little the series' success outside Lillorainen actually is."

Arnulf Riescheid.
I did notice how nervous Celina was - and it wasn't exactly completely beyond me. I was fairly sure, that Chris had been similarly nervous when meeting his girlfriend's mother for the first time. And from what he had told me, he quite did thank all deities known to him for not having to meet her father, who, while an ambitioned businessman (Treoraí Optics wasn't exactly unknown, after all), didn't seem to be the father she would have wished to have. I didn't question his good intentions as to his daughter's upbringing, but Celina's imaginations clearly did differ from his, and his ex-wife seemed to have a similar opinion - otherwise, she would still have been called Treoraí and not Sloroimh.
"It is a true pleasure to make your acquaintance" - I said, bowing my head lightly. "And indeed, it's a pity, that I couldn't bring Chris along tonight, but I'm confident, that we will be able to organize a bigger family meeting once the crisis is over." I took it for granted, that the Coof was known to them as the source of the crisis I referred to. "But this is a start, now innit?"

Branwen Blaidd, of Tralee Descent.
"I have heard of them.", I said with a small smile, "I actually have Rosfahan Calling in my to-read shelf, but..." I shrugged a bit helplessly. "...University and a lot of other things take up a lot of time, which I would usually spend reading. Among other things, the next few novels."
"And this is the point, where I will leave you.", Nolly said with a small smile, "No offense to either of you, but if the two of you start talking shop about what novels you plan to write next, I won't have much to contribute and will, most likely, be spoilered to the Mag Mell and back." I smiled at Branwen. "It'll be like Eithne and myself talking shop about cars."
I nodded. "Yeah, I think so... have fun, lass!"
"You two, too.", Nolwenn said and gave Sophia a small bow. "Miss Fauth, it was a pleasure. Maybe we can catch a dance later?"

Finnya Sloroimh of the Tribe of Cork.
Indeed, Chris had been lucky to not meet my, by now,ex-husband, who had different ideas about raising children then I had - though, truth being told, Cel had always been the free spirit of the family, coming more after me side of the family then husband's - ex-husband's. It was taking time until I was used to thinking of Ciaran as my ex-husband.
"It indeed is.", I said, "This Corona-Pandemic threw quite a few plans into disarray, but I am quite sure, that we will be able to get something rolling in due time."
"Yeah...", Cel said, "...maybe even meet up at Tradadai House. That'd be fun."
I nodded. "Though one has to add, that Cel's cousins have adopted her as a sort-of sister and are, by now, fiercely protective of her. They know, who Chris is and what he looks like...?"
I looked to Cel and she nodded.
"I am quite sure, that Chris told you about the time Viola ran into a video chat between the two of us.", she said, smiling at the memory of her eight year old cousin stumbling in and her introducing her to Chris.
I nodded, turned back to Arnulf. "...but he might pack some warm clothing."

Ah to hell with it, Marcella thought as she leapt into Aurelia's arms giving her a nice kiss, not too crazy but respectable for these two women at such a classy party. Pulling away "It's good to...It's good to see you" She smiled and choked back just a few tears of joy to see her yet again, so soon after the festival. "Very good to see you again." She simply repeated. Oh now she was getting tongue tied. But she also had to remember she was here with a few guests and she should properly introduce them. "I almost stayed home. Then Noir told me you might be here. I'm glad I decided to come. But I am surprised to see you here."

Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
I smiled.
"I was made the lead in the diplomatic relations between the Sultanate and Mervay after Queen Callista visited Kyrenaia last Octobre.", I said with a bit of pride. Granted, due to my age and lack of experience, it was more of a figurehead, there were experts at work in Utica and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but still... I was going places. But then I noticed, that Marcella choked on some tears. "Hey... no need to cry, even if they are tears of happiness... rather, smile!"
I had a soft smile on my own, mask-covered, lips at that.
"I'm glad to see you here, too.", I said - blast, I didn't have my utility belt or anything on to dry Marcella's tears... I couldn't exactly give her my shawl... where was Sarina when one needed her...?!
Right. Off enjoying the festival.
As I had asked her to.
Okay, I take it back.
That still left one issue unresolved - the tissue-issue, if you will.
Faris cleared her throat, handing Marcella and me a cloth tissue for her to wipe her tears.

[Lillorainen]

Branwen Blaidd, of Tralee Descent.
"I have heard of them.", I said with a small smile, "I actually have Rosfahan Calling in my to-read shelf, but..." I shrugged a bit helplessly. "...University and a lot of other things take up a lot of time, which I would usually spend reading. Among other things, the next few novels."
"And this is the point, where I will leave you.", Nolly said with a small smile, "No offense to either of you, but if the two of you start talking shop about what novels you plan to write next, I won't have much to contribute and will, most likely, be spoilered to the Mag Mell and back." I smiled at Branwen. "It'll be like Eithne and myself talking shop about cars."
I nodded. "Yeah, I think so... have fun, lass!"
"You two, too.", Nolwenn said and gave Sophia a small bow. "Miss Fauth, it was a pleasure. Maybe we can catch a dance later?"

Finnya Sloroimh of the Tribe of Cork.
Indeed, Chris had been lucky to not meet my, by now,ex-husband, who had different ideas about raising children then I had - though, truth being told, Cel had always been the free spirit of the family, coming more after me side of the family then husband's - ex-husband's. It was taking time until I was used to thinking of Ciaran as my ex-husband.
"It indeed is.", I said, "This Corona-Pandemic threw quite a few plans into disarray, but I am quite sure, that we will be able to get something rolling in due time."
"Yeah...", Cel said, "...maybe even meet up at Tradadai House. That'd be fun."
I nodded. "Though one has to add, that Cel's cousins have adopted her as a sort-of sister and are, by now, fiercely protective of her. They know, who Chris is and what he looks like...?"
I looked to Cel and she nodded.
"I am quite sure, that Chris told you about the time Viola ran into a video chat between the two of us.", she said, smiling at the memory of her eight year old cousin stumbling in and her introducing her to Chris.
I nodded, turned back to Arnulf. "...but he might pack some warm clothing."

Sophia Fauth.
I nodded again. University was quite able to consume a lot of time ... enough time for my sister, when she had studied Economics in Lechelen, to decide, that instead of reading my Hammamat Alshati novels, she would listen to the audio dramas based on them on her way to and from University. I hadn't held that against her, knowing what studying was like from my own experience.
Nolwenn announced to spare herself the shoptalking she anticipated to happen from my and Branwen's end, something I couldn't really hold against her, either.
And while I wasn't entirely clueless about cars, my sister would have been much more suitable for shoptalking about it.
"I would be quite pleased ... Nolwenn" - I responded to her invitation to a dance later on, glad about her previous offer to just call her Nolwenn. I wouldn't have been able to pronounce her last name even if my life depended on it. I gave her a small bow back. "See you later!"

Arnulf Riescheid.
I had to snort about Cel's reference to Viola running into the video chat between her and Chris, which he had indeed told me about - mostly because I had living memories of situations like that myself, thanks to working from home. Many of my colleagues had children, too, so interruptions by them stumbling into their parents' rooms happened to me all the time.
"As soon as the pandemic is over, this is surely something we could organize" - I said. "And if Aegir and Snotra will, Robert and Nora might be available then as well." Finnya and Cel were certainly aware, that Robert was with the Federal Navy, while Nora, whom, according to what I had heard, Cel had already met during the Midsummer Festival in Preetz in June two years ago, was in High School down there. I also did trust them in knowing, that I was referring to the respective deity of ours associated with their professions. "And, of course, Mette, who will certainly be just as curious to finally meet you in person."

[AHSCA]

Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
I smiled.
"I was made the lead in the diplomatic relations between the Sultanate and Mervay after Queen Callista visited Kyrenaia last Octobre.", I said with a bit of pride. Granted, due to my age and lack of experience, it was more of a figurehead, there were experts at work in Utica and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but still... I was going places. But then I noticed, that Marcella choked on some tears. "Hey... no need to cry, even if they are tears of happiness... rather, smile!"
I had a soft smile on my own, mask-covered, lips at that.
"I'm glad to see you here, too.", I said - blast, I didn't have my utility belt or anything on to dry Marcella's tears... I couldn't exactly give her my shawl... where was Sarina when one needed her...?!
Right. Off enjoying the festival.
As I had asked her to.
Okay, I take it back.
That still left one issue unresolved - the tissue-issue, if you will.
Faris cleared her throat, handing Marcella and me a cloth tissue for her to wipe her tears.

She listened to Aurelia so close, every word was as sweet as the next. By Goddesses how she loved her, it started to overwhelm her a little to the point she was crying just a little and Aurelia noticed. But it was perhaps a bit more than that, just everything over the past year, her own anxieties of the future of herself, her nation. Maybe she'd have to confide in her but later for now she composed herself as the Lady Faris passed along a cloth to dry her eyes just a little. "Hehe, excuse me." she also waved along her party to come up.

"Anyway Miladies, I want to introduce you to my two guests. Premier Millihoire Biscotti of Animalpolis."

"Your Royal Highness." Millihi bowed "I'm so glad to finally meet you. I had hopped maybe and Her Highness could have joined me during the Festival but I understand, so much to do and see during that time!" She smiled brightly her ears and tail both did a little wave. "My husband is also here too he should be back any moment."

"And of course you remember Noir."

Noir bowed "Your Grace, good evening."

"Oh and we bumped into..." Marcella urged Sylvia to come forward

"Your Grace. Lady Sylvia Wisteria, of Clarines in Kuronami." She curtsied "I don't believe I had the pleasure to meet Kyrenaia's Princess. Forgive me if I'm forgetting but I don't suppose you were at the Coronation of Duke Eylstadt?"

[Remnants of Exilvania]

“ I too would like to exchange words in the near future, but first, Herr Reichkommadant was going to offer me a dance. I take my leave, your graces. “ Angelika said as she was soon led away by Haegler. Of course, she wasn’t expecting a dance right away and merely offered up an opportunity to leave the Grand Duke and Duchess. If only she could see the look on Haelger’s face, she was sure he was panicking underneath that mask.

"A dance? Hoping to torment me again like you did in Yeuzishan?"

, Dietrich asked once they were out of earshot and positioned in a way to give him a relatively good overview of the ballroom from where he could watch the proceedings from the sidelines. He shot her a glance though considering his mask, it was as usual hard to tell that he did, the Exilvanian not turning his head to do so and thus easily looking like he was giving the ballroom more attention than Angelika.

"If that is the case, I am afraid I will have to disappoint you. I decided to...practice a little. Your visit and the subsequent tour through Exilvania with your other half left me with plenty of...social events and balls, reminding me just how important dancing can be in a cultural context. And of course absolutely useful for events like these which I hope to attend more often. Of course, unlike you I wager, not for my personal pleasure."

, at the last sentence he actually turned his head towards her and inclined it a bit. It was a small nod to the Nachfolgians' Duality and his personal belief that Angelika was possibly here to enjoy specifically that part of the Duality tonight rather than the political maneuvering he was here for. Though considering the low number of attendees with agreeable political stances, it seemed like much less political maneuvering and much more just being here and behaving well was all that he would be doing. That and possibly finding some things out about others that could be useful in the future. Speaking of which...

Dietrich's head turned again, his eyes having caught a far too sudden motion out of their corner. When he turned he was greeted by the sight of a girl or young woman in the middle of the ballroom leaping into the open arms of yet another girl or young woman. Pink and blonde hair fluttered through the air as the engaged in what his eyes could make out to be a kiss. The youth, he mused, ever careless in the pursuit of their passion. Paparazzi or politicians would tie them a noose out of that eventually.

"Would you look at that, Frau Oberste Führerin. It seems someone hasn't quite learned the importance of appearances and acting when being a person of public interest. Of course, they are young, passion and emotion might overrule logic and reason at that age..."

, his voice trailed off as he got a better look at one of the two, Princess Aurelia bint-Damir, at which point he realized just how old she actually was, if the reports and his mathematical skills were correct. Well, that sucked because it meant she and Angelika were very close in their respective age which in turn meant that he had just made a jab at the Oberste Führerin, an ally he really tried his best not to upset, especcially after all the rather upsetting things that had happened in Yeuzuishan.

Meanwhile behind him, Elizabeth's and Kostka's eyes had also been drawn towards the passionate reunion between the two women in the ballroom, though Kostka was quick to put her palm before Elizabeth's eyes, blocking her view for the short time it took the Princess to react and forcefully remove the giant Exilvanian's hand. Alas, it was all the time it took to prevent her from seeing the short kiss, something she figured the ZZ Reichskommandant wouldn't want the Princess to see, given how many pains he took upon himself to make sure she lived an extremely sheltered life. It still earned her an annoyed glare from Elizabeth though.

With Elizabeth eyeing Dietrich and Angelika like an Exilvanian did the sun, it was perhaps time to leave the Reichskommandant to his own devices and mingle with the guests. It was in nobody's interest for the Princess to have a fit of rage over whatever slight her possessive nature felt being aimed at her. So the the huge Exilvanian simply leaned down, patronizingly saying:

"Perhaps we should see if there are any other interesting guests? I am sure the ZZ Reichskommandant has this covered, your majesty, so perhaps it'd be a great boon for him if we were to take the initiative and look around if there are other, like-minded individuals to talk to and improve our standing with in the world. He does overwork himself so often afterall. Besides, it would be most befitting of a royal to enjoy the festivities and meet the people rather than cling to those she knows like a child."

It earned her yet another death glare from the princess she puffed and begrudgingly conceded with a simple:

"Fine..."

And so she left together with Kostka, the towering Exilvanian in her military uniform and her creepy mask and the small princess in her beautiful blue dress and her intricate making for a rather interesting pair as they navigated the ballroom.

[Nachfolgia]

-snip-

" Torment...and enjoy myself. "

Angelika was honest on both accounts. The two respected leaders' idea of flirting often involved borderline bodily harm and emotional anguish. Their first encounter back in Yeuzishan was met with Haegler brainwashing her into submission. That quickly escalated into a failed kidnapping attempt and a days long war between the two countries. In the end, however, all was resolved and Angelika got what she wanted in the end. Hopefully, nothing too dramatic would happen this night. Angelika was here to have fun and maybe get some dirt on other world leaders.

Angelika turned to look at Haelger, her expression that of surprise and a bit of amusement. " You have been dancing...just for me?" Angelika said, playfully placing a hand upon her chest. " I am quite flattered, Herr Reichskommadant. Perhaps we will have to see these new dancing skills of yours sooner rather than later. "

Before another word was spoken between the two, Angelika noticed Haelger dart his attention to the opposite side of where they were, towards the dance floor. Following where he was looking, Angelika was curious at what managed to get his attention so abruptly. That's where she saw two foreign women dancing, a dark skinned blonde woman and a younger looking girl with pink hair. Much to Angelika's surprise, the two women from different countries shared a kiss for all to see. Not only did the fact that two women kissed surprised Angelika, given her Reich's stance on the matter, but also the fact that their age seemed to be so different. The blonde woman looked to be Angelika's age while the other looked like a teenager. Angelika wasn't sure how liberal the other cultures in the Ball were when it came to love, but Angelika kept her judgment to herself...for now.

" Yes...maybe the others here do not care much about their political image. Or maybe this was a political stunt, using lesbian love to get those more left leaning than us to join their side and be more willing to do business. A rather genius maneuver if the later...if you are willing to go so low." Angelika said as she stared at the two women before glancing at Haegler and giving a smirk. She knew she was not one to talk, but that was a different situation.

[Greater Orcadia]

Once in the hallway, Evan and Penny make their way to the balcony, however on the way over they stop at the drinks counter to pick up a glass of wine before continuing onto the balcony, there they take their positions, glance over to whoever is on there and give a smile.

"Hello" says Evan in a soft tone as to not be overly disturbing to anyone before casting his eyes to the sky, Penny scans the sky then points out a few constellations with her cybernetic arm.
"Great bear there, then if you track over there to the bear's nose and follow it down you get to Auriga, then go down there it takes you to Orion..." she points across the sky, "...and there is his belt"

Evan, interested in the stars to some degree listens closely, "so much we loose with light polution"

"yup, hence why back home a dark skies law would be useful for some areas like the Lesser Orcadian Islands, so maybe you want to dance later?"

Evan just smiled, "yeah, lets drink first" he replies

[Ceystile]

Ceystilean Party
Castle Saint-Marie, Mervay

As the limousine pulled up to the Castle Saint-Marie, two figures were escorted out by the driver. The first to emerge from the sleek black car was a young dark-skinned man with tousled dark hair in a dapper red suit that complimented his deep brown skin and golden eyes. He looked upon the gleaming castle with a mix of awe and a tiny hint of jealousy. “Beautiful place...they sure don’t make ‘em like that anymore, eh Bean?” King Pascal turned back toward the car when his companion didn’t emerge. “Bean?” He knocked on the window, then turned to the driver. “Marc, you know what’s going on?”
“I don’t, Your Majesty.”

“I think I do...she’s painfully shy.” Pascal walked over to the side and opened the door himself. “Come on, Your Eminence.”
“Screw off, I’m not wearing this!” The young woman who was accompanying the king left the limo with some reluctance, holding onto her king’s arm.

“Bean, you look beautiful!”
“Every day we stray further from God.” Sabine Luko, Archbishop of the Ceystilean Chuck and close friend of the king definitely didn’t look like her normal confident self. Her tailored silver gown and blue satin shawl, colors of the Church caught the light and showed off her figure in a most flattering way, glittering off the gold and diamond cross brooch pinning her shawl in place. “Sire, I don’t understand why I couldn’t wear my bishop’s robes. I mean they qualify as white tie attire!”
“How am I supposed to get you a boyfriend in those baggy, unflattering things?! You’re a lovely woman, let people see that! Look, I’ll make you a deal...you wear the dress during the ball and you can change into your formal robes during the meteor shower. Deal?”
Her deep brown eyes looked into his golden ones before she slowly reached out to shake his hand. “Deal.”

“Bean, you didn’t have to come...”
“You practically begged me.”
“Well, do you want to be here?”
“Yes, I do but...”
“I thought you wanted to get out and have fun, that’s what you told me!”

“And I do! I want to meet new people but I just feel kind of...exposed.”
“How?! Girl, nothing is showing! You didn’t even wear the dress I picked out!”
“I’m an archbishop, Pascal! I have to set an example! Just as you have to set one because you’re king.”
Their masks seemed to match a bit, her white and gold one complimented the black and white one that the king wore. He patted her hand with his white-silk gloved one, turning back to the castle with a dazzling smile. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

Once they were inside the castle, Sabine’s grip on Pascal’s arm tightened ever so slightly as they were suddenly surrounded by people. The anonymity of the masks didn’t seem to register much.
“They’re looking at me.”
“Darling, they’re looking at us both...why wouldn’t they, we’re fabulous! We should go find someone to approach.”

“Shouldn’t we go introduce ourselves to the host first?”
“I thought about that, but everyone seems pretty occupied so we should probably wait until they’re free...I’ve done research on Queen Callista, and I assume that’s her preoccupied in conversation.” Pascal noticed a couple, a dark haired man with spectacles and a blonde young woman. “They look available, let’s go introduce ourselves!” He led his friend over to where Aldrich and Enya were standing by the bar. “Lovely night for a party, is it not?” Pascal said in a cheerful tone.

[Lux Pulchrae]

January 16th; 22:00 PM
Palace of Saint Marie
Montrose, Mervay

As the vehicle transporting the Lux Pulchraean royal couple was nearing it's destination, Her Royal Highness Cecile Marie was looking out the window, they haven't even arrived and she can see the grandness of Mervay's elite. The Palace was enormous.

"Mon Dieu! C'est une grande castile, no?" the young queen was wide-eyed.

"Eh, suppongo." Cleone answered in an unimpressed manner, not wanting to admit it.

The vehicle had come to a stop, they had arrived. Cleone exited the vehicle first and ushered Cecile out next.

"Merde! We're going to be late." she sucked her teeth, fixing her dress. She wore a simple light-grey ball gown. It stopped just before the floor and wasn't too wide. The shoulders were covered and the chest didn't go too deep either. Along with the dress, she wore white evening gloves that went a bit past her elbows. Her mask for the evening was a common ball mask that covered her eyes, it matched her gloves. On her head sat a tiara, modestly adorned with diamonds.

"How do you know we're late? Maybe they're early?" Cleone smiled at his own joke. For him, he wore the typical man's white tie attire, black suit and pants with a white dress shirt and bow-tie. Over his shirt he wore a blue sash accented with yellow on the edges, sporting the main colors. He hadn't worn it in a long while. To finish it off, a medal of the Sacred Heart was pinned on his chest and his mask, similar to Cecile's.

"I thought you'd be the type for seriousness at these kinds of things." Cecile wasn't having it tonight, especially at an event like this. "Come one." she said, starting up the stairs.

"Wait, you're going to walk all those stairs?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Because, you're pregnant." he shrugged.

"Cleone! I'm two months pregnant not physically retarded. Unless you want to carry me up to the palace." playfully suggested.

"No," he sighed "It'd be more dignified if we walked."

He joined her in ascending the many steps before they reached the castle. They could see the others gathered, but could also see that they were a tad late as it seemed the royals and the hosts had just been heralded. They had masks on, some of them kind of creeped Cecile out, she wasn't really used to masks and these type of gatherings. That was more an Italian province thing. Cleone didn't mind too much, although he wasn't a big fan of masks either. As usual at these types of gatherings, his eyes scanned the area for anyone he knew, but chances were slim as there didn't seem to be too many heads of state attending.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

-snip-

" Torment...and enjoy myself. "

Angelika was honest on both accounts. The two respected leaders' idea of flirting often involved borderline bodily harm and emotional anguish. Their first encounter back in Yeuzishan was met with Haegler brainwashing her into submission. That quickly escalated into a failed kidnapping attempt and a days long war between the two countries. In the end, however, all was resolved and Angelika got what she wanted in the end. Hopefully, nothing too dramatic would happen this night. Angelika was here to have fun and maybe get some dirt on other world leaders.

Angelika turned to look at Haelger, her expression that of surprise and a bit of amusement. " You have been dancing...just for me?" Angelika said, playfully placing a hand upon her chest. " I am quite flattered, Herr Reichskommadant. Perhaps we will have to see these new dancing skills of yours sooner rather than later. "

Before another word was spoken between the two, Angelika noticed Haelger dart his attention to the opposite side of where they were, towards the dance floor. Following where he was looking, Angelika was curious at what managed to get his attention so abruptly. That's where she saw two foreign women dancing, a dark skinned blonde woman and a younger looking girl with pink hair. Much to Angelika's surprise, the two women from different countries shared a kiss for all to see. Not only did the fact that two women kissed surprised Angelika, given her Reich's stance on the matter, but also the fact that their age seemed to be so different. The blonde woman looked to be Angelika's age while the other looked like a teenager. Angelika wasn't sure how liberal the other cultures in the Ball were when it came to love, but Angelika kept her judgment to herself...for now.

" Yes...maybe the others here do not care much about their political image. Or maybe this was a political stunt, using lesbian love to get those more left leaning than us to join their side and be more willing to do business. A rather genius maneuver if the later...if you are willing to go so low." Angelika said as she stared at the two women before glancing at Haegler and giving a smirk. She knew she was not one to talk, but that was a different situation.

He did not quite like how she said that she was here to enjoy herself. It felt an awful lot like it'd be enjoyment coming at his cost and he wondered if he was in the mood to stomach that for tonight. He did not enjoy these kinds of events so really, he did not particularly feel like making them enjoyable for others...though since he was already here and having to suffer through it anyway, he might as well. He also wasn't a fan of Angelika so clearly misinterpreting his words that it had to be on purpose. It felt almost embarrassing to have her act before him like that but Dietrich kept his cool, calmly stating:

"I am sure your enjoyment will not be marred by my feet landing on yours this time around. Alas, I feel like opening a ball with a dance is...unseemly...so I will have to apologize for not satisfying your curiosity immediately."

When his attention returned to the, by now luckily no more kissing couple, he raised an eyebrow at Angelika's sentiment. It wasn't quite what he had thought but this was likely the result of cultural differences. He was fully aware that same sex love and marriage were banned and frowned upon in Nachfolgia and as such a nationalist like Angelika would of course think of such cultural practices as right while deeming such a public showcase of the opposite as an insidious attempt at rallying forces aimed to destroy her own, valued culture. It made him wonder just what she thought about the Exilvanians, being at this point likely quite acquainted with their rather liberal stance in these regards. Though perhaps she did have some private misgivings about that of her own, Schattenkrag having reported that she turned out to be far more experience than expected.

Clearing his throat, he merely said:

"Perhaps though I do believe that to be an overinterpretation on your end, Frau Oberste Führerin."

Surveying the crowd once again, the Reichskommandant couldn't help but vent his frustrations before Angelika, knowing full well that she probably didn't quite share his view of this as work rather than enjoyment but caring little in that regard:

"It is quite unfortunate that the guest list appears to have been fairly well vetted...or people with whom one could have found common ground didn't think this event important enough for their time. Don't understand me wrong, building some good PR with the more...moralistic nations of the universe is all good and swell but...it is an ultimately shaky business. What truly aids the security of the nation and its aspirations on the global scale are partnerships with like-minded nations. Bonds founded on similar views and ideals are so much more likely to last than those formed under false pretenses, don't they?"

[Alegeharia]

The Velkari

---

Aither and Malik looked around the dance hall, potential new faces, potential familiar places, almost reminiscent of a song by the eagles. Malik was running around keeping close to Aither but exploring the surrounding environment sniffing at different things under his mask, ears twitching about tuning in to the new smells, tail ferociously wagging about threatening to hit someone. He could smell in the air a few familiar scents, starting to wag a bit faster churring happily. Aither meanwhile was pulling a metal tin out to grab a bamboo shoot and gnaw on it through the masks mouth hole, a bit awkward considering their head shapes but it worked for the time being. The moved about the dance hall waving at different people and inspected the room. It was highly decorated and the choice of theme was satisfying

---

Malik:

“You gonna be babysitting me like you always do bro?” Malik teased Aither, he knew the panda wasn’t much for dancing so he wasn’t sure why come to the ball to begin with. “Or are you hoping to create more trade routes? This is a ‘pleasure’ trip you know.” Malik giggled and started sniffing out for food. "I hope it is buffet style, if not I suppose we should hunt out a table then huh?" Malik avoided getting trampled a few times standing at 4 foot 3, as they walked around. "Geez, pick me up I don't want to be stepped on please."

---

Aither:

Aither sighed. “You know I don’t dance Malik.” Aither perked up at the next statement. “Having allies is not a bad thing, and we just branched out of isolationism so it would not be a bad thing to come these events and get to know other sovereigns and royal families.” Aither shook his head. “I am going to let that statement go, you don’t know what you mean with that saying.” Aither chuckled and put Malik on his shoulders. “Better my king?” It was his turn to tease Malik, but Aither chewed on the shoot in his maw as he thought of potential allies. Alegeharia had been an isolated kingdom for some time, tucked away and safe from outside views and people, it was time to come out of the shadows so to speak and learn about the world, both in potential friends, and threats.

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

Grand Duke Adrien and Grand Duchess Marion
The host couple now had the honour of meeting some of their foreign guests, in this case; Lady Erika Byrnes and Master Bronislaw Vyterski respectively; as much as the faces of the Grand Dukes weren't seen, they made sure to greet them warmly. They bowed back at the pair.

"It's an honour to meet you, Lord Vyterski, Lady Byrnes; we appreciate your presence in this millenary event." The Grand Duchess said at them politely, letting a beat pass. "Please enjoy of the night and make sure to have fun in it, we hope that you two will be comfortable and if there's anything you need, please let us know."

Erika clicked her heels and saluted, while Bronislaw bowed his head again. "Thank you both. I will say that my companion is visually impaired and may not be able to see or read distant objects without her glasses; glasses that she cannot wear with her mask. If you see her without her mask on, please do not take offense."

Erika rebelled internally as Bronislaw explained. She really would've preferred to not explain her condition until necessary, but alas. She dropped the salute, and Bronislaw, sensing her tension, straightened up a little. "Thank you both again for inviting us. We wish you a wonderful night."

With that, he yanked Erika behind him and pulled her behind a column. "Oi, Byrnes." he muttered. "Don't throw shade, aye?"
"Why the bloody 'ell not, Vyterski? They shit like you or me!"
"Because they've got power, Byrnes. And because they were nice enough to let us in. Look, I get it. If I ran this affair I'd require everyone to bring in a weapon. But I don't, sadly." He snorted with amusement. "Not like anyone would attend...Look, how about this, Erika."

Vyterski squatted a little. "I can already tell you're probably going to get bored here. I saw a few younger folk coming in; why don't you strike up a convo with 'em?"
Erika snorted. "Hell no. There are girls with them."
"Look, you can't just keep hanging out with the same people. You have to learn to talk to 'em. You don't have to kiss their ass, but you do have to at least hold a conversation with them, irregardless of how often you know they've visited Epstein's island. And frankly, unless you want to do it with me and end up with adults that will fawn over you so much that you'll vomit, I suggest you hang out with the kids."

"...Fine." Erika replied, flatly. "This'll be hell..."

"You'll live, Byrnes."
"Fuck you, Vyterski."

With that, the Lord Vyterski and the Lady Byrnes parted ways. Vyterski headed for the center, while Erika wandered around the edges, looking more than a little lost and annoyed and occasionally reaching into her pocket to fiddle with the Enfield bolt within.

[Brettenwald]

Val & Martina:
Martina felt Val squeeze her hand gently. "I think we're safe," she murmured, not letting the nod of her head in the direction of a lady with eye-catching pink hair kissing a younger dark-skinned woman interrupt the waltz' one-two-three step. "Good, I'd hate to feel left out- wait, isn't that-?" Val smiled. "Poor girl," she said. "Kyrenaia's not the friendliest to people like her and the two of us." The Al'Arz car bombing in Utica two years back had been front-page news in the more progressive outlets back home, and Val had shifted her charitable endeavors firmly to the left since then. Depending on where you were in the Empire and how obvious you were about your status as a member of the LGBT community you could expect anything from complete acceptance to polite indifference to thinly veiled hostility, but it was mostly a "don't ask, don't tell" sort of situation if you spread it out as an average of the whole. The violet-eyed woman in the black gown seemed mildly perturbed at Aurelia & Marcella's rather obvious display of affection, however. There seemed to be a few more interesting people arriving fashionably late, but that was to be expected with time zone differences and potential traffic.

Nikolas:
Having eventually found the bar, Sir Nikolas had acquired a glass of non-alcoholic sparkling wine and had now devoted a little time to admiring the decor of the palace. It was perhaps a touch too extravagant for him, he decided, and was about to take his leave when he heard a familiar name from the front of a couple novels his daughter had read and recommended highly. She and Martina were probably too wrapped up in each other for him to drag her here and present her to Miss Blaidd, but there was no reason he couldn't introduce himself to her, was there? And, waiting until he didn't think he was going to interrupt anything, he did so. "Miss Blaidd? My name is Nikolas Teissëdre. Please forgive me if I'm intruding, but I heard your name mentioned and recognized it from your novels, my daughter greatly enjoys them."

[Ceystile]

“Pascal, look! Another delegation.” Sabine turned and gestured to where Malik and his brother had arrived. “Maybe we should introduce ourselves.”
“Are they...furries?” Pascal whispered. “Hey, to each their own...I’m not judging. I just never thought I’d see furries at a masquerade ball.”
“There are literal vampires here and you’re worried about furries? In fact, I don’t think they’re furries. They’re just an animal species, I see no seams...look how adorable that little one is!” The taller one placed the younger one on his shoulders as they walked about, presumably to keep people from tripping over him. “Bean, you women are all the same. They love babies and puppies. Plus I’m not worried about vampires, you can just shove a crucifix down their throats.”

“Enough, let’s go introduce ourselves. This is your diplomatic debut, we have to make a good first impression and I think that other couple is preoccupied at the moment. We can get back to them later.”
“But what if they’re busy?”
“They don’t look any busier than anyone else around here.” Sabine’s eyes scanned the room, seeing some rather interesting masked faces. There were two young women caught in a rather passionate kiss, another pair of ladies holding hands accompanied by an older gentleman. A group of rather...exotic looking people, including a young blond man who looked like he’d just gotten through robbing a jewelry store and a woman with an ibis on her dress. “This ball looks like it’s for couples, good luck finding a bride here my king.”

“Oh, toss. There’ll always be at least a couple of singles if you know where to look. Why don’t you go grab us some drinks, and I’ll go talk to the furry delegation.”
“Please don’t call them that.”
“Of course not, Your Holiness. Try not to have too much fun without me, Bean.” With that, Pascal glided off toward where Malik and his brother were while Sabine went over to where the wine was being served. “Hello there, my friends!” Pascal greeted the two warmly. “Fine night for a party, is it not?”

[Shwe Tu Colony]

"We also are honoured to announce..."

World Machine
Throughout the speech, Giucà was constantly shifting his weight as he stood next to Norni; the swaying champagne-ponytail and dress of that woman were still haunting his memory. He felt a familiar void and loss, like that fateful day so long ago, when he had been rescued from the seas after witnessing that grave storm, when he had continued living on, yet moved like an automaton that could only vaguely recall its purpose. Near him, the familiar shimmer of Norni's jewelry drew him back to reality, and Giucà shook his head. "You good there," Norni asked. The Thallian nodded, then looked around at the crowd, scanning faces, gaits, postures, while his own body imitated each new personality accordingly.
"I wonder..." he said.
"Something on your mind?"
"A familiar shade of my past, but I... it must just be a coincidence, maestro Nacre."

Nearby, Luò was making his own surveys. There were countless potential targets around, but some part of him just didn't feel all too passionate tonight. A meteor shower, after all, was far more once-in-a-lifetime than most of the girls that he adored. It'd make a nice song, wouldn't it? Something about chasing light.
D'aillisioux studied Luò's face, the constant smirk that the Idol wore, and couldn't help but frown. "What?" Luò asked, bending his back slightly.
"Nothing, nothing..."
A playful tilt of Luò's head. "You know, you should smile more. I heard good things about it. You won something for it a while back, didn't you?" Silence. D'aillisioux turned away and Hazel detached from him, putting herself between him and Luò, drawing a chuckle from the latter. "See what I meant? You two really are adorable."

D'aillisioux shook his head. "Don't call me that," he said.
"Why is tha—"
"Just don't, please." D'aillisioux felt Hazel squeeze his hand and step closer, while Luò stepped away, still smiling like he didn't just bring back memories of those times. Still, D'aillisioux couldn't blame him — he had always kept it hidden. That contest back then, back when Hazel wasn't around, he had been afraid of how it was presented: "Most precious smile." It was a silly little thing, and he got quite the adoration from others for his smile being presented, but that too reminded him of those subpar times, when people valued him in those ungodly ways.
"D'aillisioux." Hazel's voice pulled him back, and he shook his head to clear his scowl.

Gisara
"A meteor shower." Gisara sadly smiled as his fingers relaxed on his guitar case. "That reminds me..." He looked at the balcony near them, at the cold night and gleaming stars. For a moment, the gleam of a bright yellow through a window resembled a straw hat with a brown ribbon, like a swaying sunflower or marigold.
"It reminds you of a happier time, sir?" Eiko said. A nod; Gisara turned, letting the specter of his past fade from his vision.
"You say it like it's familiar."
Kasem perked up, while Eiko rose his cup to his lips. "Isn't... everything that happened publicly available anyway, Mr. Gisara?"

"No, no, it's not that," he said. "It's just..." A beat. Gisara shifted his weight, pushed up his mask. For such a joyous event, a dark topic like that didn't seem right, but he couldn't shake off a sense that something might go wrong if he weren't careful with the boys. There had been a few rumors surrounding Eiko, that he wasn't "all" there in the head after a breakdown at some beach feast, but he seemed fine enough tonight, if a bit spacey. Medicine, perhaps.
"Well, Eiko, I guess I just want to say that if you have any problems—"
Eiko lifted down his tea cup. "One of these conversations again?" he said. Gisara sighed, gripping his case tighter. Same age, same problems, huh? Still, the guitarist remembered how differently the two boys acted after the train ride. One day, they had just met. The next, he supposed there was something in Kasem that managed to find Eiko. Gisara had never seen two boys closer, but still, they were just kids. Whatever Eiko had gone through for someone in a swimsuit to cause him to, in Park's word, "return to being four," was a grave concern. Inevitably, there was plenty of doting over him when he returned.

"Well, I know it's hard to open up," Gisara said, "but you have to do it eventually."
An awkward silence descended upon them. The guitarist watched as Kasem glanced over at Eiko, then turned away. It wasn't a tension of difference, like he had seen with Kaz and Eiko, that much he could tell. It was more of... adoration? Love? Friendship? Whatever it was, it was odd to feel near Eiko, whose closed-off heart flitted between undying obedience and undying protection. That Eiko managed to find someone who saw him as anything close to an equal was novel, seeing as he insisted on making everyone follow that dichotomy.
Gisara hoped it'd be a good omen, but if the train ride had been any indication, perhaps the blessing was already working; Kasem was smiling as Eiko checked something on his phone.

AARU
Kebechet stared at the ceiling as she heard news of the meteor shower, her eyes sparkling in the light. "Ah... the stars... they shall perform tonight," she whispered, gripping her cane. "Soaring across the night sky, they shall arrive again and revel tonight with the bygone memories chasing their lights." She breathed in, her voice wavering at the beauty. "Ah, so this must be fate."
"Hoho." Shai smiled. "I've never seen a meteor shower before."
"Sounds inspiring," Hasan said. "Wonder if I might be able to make something similar with my fireworks. Could be just lovely. Perhaps a Roman candle with comet shells." He chuckled to himself as he envisioned the flight of dozens of sparkling fireworks above the Blue Town of Alzrqa. A befitting painting — he'd have to go and make it after the party.

Next to him, Hasan felt Menos tug on his shirt. "Ho, what is it, Menos?"
"You looked like you were getting too into it."
"Come now, Menos." Hasan's gestures painted a vivid image in the air in front of him as he spoke. "You and I both know the deep passions of artistry, the way it overwhelms all of one's senses, demands one's total, undivided attention and mind, and drives one to the skies as—"
"I get it, I get it," Menos said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Don't be so loud, Hasan..."

"Don't be such a downer, Menos," Renenūtet said, ruffling the younger's hair. "It's a bit fun watching him be so excited, anyway. You should take a bit more after his energy, ya know." Menos merely rolled his eyes as he adjusted the morpho-blue butterfly pin on his suit, hoping that his older friend's energy wouldn't get them into trouble. Still, a small part of him couldn't help but worry. He and Renenūtet alike hardly cared for others, and in a formal event, that could well be inadvisable.
Then again, there was Twtw, to say the least. He was still dancing to some unheard rhythm; AARU had found a spot on the peripheral of the crowd for that reason, so that he could move to his heart's content without bumping into anyone.

They had been the last ones to receive entirely now...

Convergence
The three groups looked at each other; immediately, there was a sort of tension, of a sense of unknown as the groups observed, mixed, analyzed each other, and the champagne-colored woman and the stippled-masked man seemed most uncomfortable, stepping away from their respective groups in opposite directions. For once, both felt a newfound, earnest emotion.
"Maestro Nacre, why is..."
"Who... you can't be here, no..."
Shai and Twtw stepped in front of Satis, blocking her vision. "Come on, Satis," the former said, offering her an awkward smile. "Let's... let's not focus on such grim matters here, okay? I'm sure it's just a coincidence— with so many people here, it must be inevitable, right?"
"The same stippled mask..."

Near them, the blue-haired boy was looking at the dark masked-woman, eyebrows knitted in confusion as he drifted closer to the edge of the group. "Er... um, hi?" he said as he came near her, ignoring the gaze of the green-kimono and the boy next to him. "Did... Peacock Goddess, what are you doing with... these people?" He paused, then spoke in the emotive, unusual tongue of Cirquish. "You are the Peacock Goddess, right?"
The woman stared down at him. "Eh?" she said. "I'm sorry, kid, who are you? Because I'm Renenūtet of AARU, not... a goddess. Though, I'm sure some folks might be fond of calling me that."
D'aillisioux looked at Hazel; she shook her head no. The woman in front of them lacked the familiar Cirquish aura, and the boy smiled as he ran back to his group.

In the front of the group, Luò put on his usual smile as he looked at the other young man's guitar case; he'd have to speak with him later, but as he turned around, he couldn't help but notice a boy in a green kimono staring at him. Brushing it aside, Luò noticed that the other group, the one led by the starry-eyed woman with a cane, seemed to have some of the same flair as him, too, but—
"My assembled friends," the woman said, raising her cane skyward as she addressed the three groups, "it appears that some mischief of fate—"
"Keb-Kebechet." Satis walked forward, pulling her cane down. "Let's not, um, agitate our hosts with such language, okay?" She turned to them, bowing as the rest of AARU's group followed. "We are AARU, of Ezharan Sessenan. I am Satis, our social media representative and producer. It's a delight to meet you, and don't worry. You've not caused any offense." With that, she gestured to her group.

"Twtw, choreographer."
"Kebechet, lead vocals."
"Renenūtet, acrobat."
"Shai, songwriter." He gestured to the boys behind them. "These two boys are Hasan Benkiran, Talent-Artist, and Menos Gersif, Talent-Writer, both from Msdahl-nahr, a neighboring Ezharan city. They're not part of our group's performances, or really affiliated with us, but they asked if they could come along."

When they finished speaking, and once their hosts possibly responded, Gisara and his two boys bowed. "Gisara, Jae-Sun, Mascot-Musician of the Ezharan city of Jae-Syu, and no worries about accidentally sending us in," he said, stepping aside for Eiko and Kasem. "I'm sure it won't be a problem. Like AARU... well, I think I'll let them introduce themselves."
The former of the two looked up first. "Eiko Michori," he said. "I'm just an actor."
"He's pretty awesome at—" Eiko's glare silenced him. "Oh, right, um, I'm Kasem Chuquivitu. Talent-Architect. Pretty nice castle you guys got here. We don't have anything like this back in Ezhara."

There was a strange, exotic aura around the last group, as though they came from an otherworldly realm where conventional, modern standards were the abnormal ones instead, and the Ezharans seemed just as curious to see them, if a bit afraid if Satis's reaction had been any indication. They seemed familiarly human, but it was like a prince meeting a pauper; two worlds colliding, that might never have otherwise merged. Still, they bowed, so they at least knew how to behave.
The jewelry-covered man was first. "Norni Nacre, Artist of the Jewels, of Renstar. As the representative of my group, allow me to say that this situation is positively no problem." With that, he returned to silence.
"G-Giucà Tarocco. Just a businessman." He glanced at Satis as he spoke.
The Penglairean was next. "Luò Yīng-Xìquan. I'm just an Idol." He chuckled, then spoke with a singsong lilt. "It's nice to meet you."
Last were the two kids. "My name's D'aillisioux. And this is Hazel, my, um..." He trailed off, trying to avoid the gaze of the two hosts. "She's-she's Hazel."

With that, all of them were introduced, and assuming that the hosts had nothing much to say, they all strayed away. Luò, hands behind his back, was first to mingle as he approached Gisara. "You a musician?" he asked. "'Cos I can't help but notice your guitar."
"Why, yes, I am... you said your name was Luò?" A nod. "Are you thinking of something?"
"Well, with stars crossing the night sky, it sounds like a nice thing for music, don't you think?" He chuckled. "Two young men, on a balcony, singing about the night sky, the shooting stars. Strikes at one's heart, don't you think?"
"R-right..."

Neither noticed Eiko and Kasem drifting away.
"That idol..." Eiko said.
"He look like someone you know?" Kasem asked. A nod from the actor, who stepped farther away. "He looks just like the man who saved m— oof." He turned around to see Satis, who was staring at her own familiar visage, of someone who she thought long dead, and her hands opened, closed as she struggled to breathe. Why was he here? How... Shai had to be right. It had to be a doppelganger, but she couldn't silence the doubt otherwise. By her side, Renenūtet and Kebechet watched for a little while, then began to leave.
Shai meanwhile, turned to Twtw. "How about dinner?" the songwriter asked. "Think it'd be nice for all the calories you've already burned dancing up the stairs, ah?"

On the other side, D'aillisioux and Hazel watched the room, the former's Assassin eyes analyzing the Ezharans. They all seemed harmless, but all of them seemed overflowing with that familiar Cirquish energy — not that they were Cirquish, but he could sense that they must've come from a similar walk of life, and through the same artistry as his ancestry, managed to live on.
"Anything interesting, D'ailli—"
"Hoho, so this is where that artistic devotion I felt was coming from." One of the other boys, someone evidently named Hasan, stepped in front of D'aillisioux. "You, you said your name was D'aillisioux, right?"

"U-um, yes," he said, reaching for nothing at his side. "Do you need something sir, is there a proble—"
"None at all, but from a glance, I can already tell that there is a great vitality within you."
"Um, thanks?" Next to him, a younger boy with a butterfly on his chest tugged at Hasan's shirt, whispering something to the older lad.
"Come now, Menos, we have no need to worry," Hasan said as he stepped forward. Then, he reached for D'aillisioux. "An adorable lad like him—" D'aillisioux perked up at that "—someone as lively as him surely knows what I'm talking about when I mention his overflowing energies."

And he picked him up.

"See, it's as—"
"Lemme go, lemme go, lemme go!"
The idea that it was a formal ball dissolved in D'aillisioux's mind. Nobody picked him up, nobody called him adorable, unless... The first sign of something wrong was a strange breathing sound, like that of a death rattle. Then, a punch as Hasan's head was thrown back. Last, D'aillisioux's leg kicked into him, and the Talent-Artist was slammed into the floor, while the younger boy flipped into the air and landed like an acrobat, only to shrink away as he clutched his legs, hyperventilating while Hazel held his hand.
"See?" Menos yelled. "I told you— I told you, and you didn't listen— and you..." He cleared his throat, clutching his hands to his chest as he calmed down and handed his friend a handkerchief to clean his bloody nose. "Swear to God, you're gonna get us kicked out..."

Shai perked his head up at the sound of danger, and his expression was one of mania. "Does-does anyone need he—"
Twtw held him back. "Let the guards and medics here handle it. Can't help here. Not our responsibility."
"Ah— but it's Hasa—"
"As I said, not our responsibility, Shai," Twtw said. "Let our hosts handle it. It's the least of their responsibility."
Renenūtet, on the other hand, smirked as she watched the situation unhold. "Tough kid, eh?"
"He's... he's the one," Kebechet said, mesmerized by something else. "The one who was allowed to live again."

Assuming the guards didn't get in the way, Gisara hurried over to D'aillisioux, or at least got as close as he could. "H-hey, kid," he said. "Concentrate on your breathing. Inhale for four seconds, hold for seven, exhale for eight. You-you can get through this, you just need to calm down and focus."
The boy frantically nodded; Gisara watched as the girl next to him squeezed his hand, as she followed his directions to help guide him. The musician could sense her four-seven-eight breath, and it seemed that she was linked to the other lad.

Next to him, Eiko wandered close. "Dang it Hasan," the actor said.
"Does he always do this?" Kasem asked.
"Stupid stuff? Yeah..." Eiko sighed. "He's a good guy, just a little... doesn't think." Eiko watched as the guards and medics presumably moved. "Come on Kasem, I think they've got it handled, and it's rude to gawk if it's not a film." He turned around. "Let's go to the balcony before it gets crowded. I feel like some stargazing tonight."
With that, the two departed.

[Alegeharia]

“Of course not, Your Holiness. Try not to have too much fun without me, Bean.” With that, Pascal glided off toward where Malik and his brother were while Sabine went over to where the wine was being served. “Hello there, my friends!” Pascal greeted the two warmly. “Fine night for a party, is it not?”

Malik:

Malik waved from above aithers head and churrs happily tail wagging to and fro. “Hello there kind stranger! It is indeed a fine night o party, that's why we came after all. I am Malik Velkari King of Alegharia and this mount here is my brother Aither.” Malik giggled under the mask and watched the new person curiously. “From where do you hail?”

---

Aither:

Aither waved with one paw as he held onto Malik. Before speaking he inspected the stranger, certain scents were oozing off the person and it put Aither off a bit but did not seem dangerous to them. “Greetings, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Did you come alone or come with family as well? Aither put Malik on the ground and extended a paw to shake.

[Ceystile]

“Of course not, Your Holiness. Try not to have too much fun without me, Bean.” With that, Pascal glided off toward where Malik and his brother were while Sabine went over to where the wine was being served. “Hello there, my friends!” Pascal greeted the two warmly. “Fine night for a party, is it not?”

Malik:

Malik waved from above aithers head and churrs happily tail wagging to and fro. “Hello there kind stranger! It is indeed a fine night o party, that's why we came after all. I am Malik Velkari King of Alegharia and this mount here is my brother Aither.” Malik giggled under the mask and watched the new person curiously. “From where do you hail?”

---

Aither:

Aither waved with one paw as he held onto Malik. Before speaking he inspected the stranger, certain scents were oozing off the person and it put Aither off a bit but did not seem dangerous to them. “Greetings, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Did you come alone or come with family as well? Aither put Malik on the ground and extended a paw to shake.

“Pascal d’Auriac, 26th king of Ceystile, at your service.” Pascal bowed to Malik and Aither with a bit of a flourish and took the panda-man’s paw in his own hand, shaking it. “It’s an honor to meet Your Majesty and Your Highness.” He then heard Aither’s question, asking if he was alone. “No actually, I came with my best friend. She’s not the biggest fan of huge gatherings so I had to drag her along a bit, you know?” he quipped. “Oh, here she comes now! Probably here to make sure I haven’t forgotten all my manners.” Sabine strode up toward the group, handing Pascal one of the glasses of wine she held while keeping the other one for herself.

“Greetings.” she told Malik and Aither. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both, I see you’ve already met my king. I am Lady Sabine Luko, 28th Archbishop of the Church of Ceystile.” Pascal clapped his free hand on Sabine’s shoulder. “Also known as Bean.” A dusky blush came into her cheeks at the little add on the king had tacked onto the introduction. “I promise boys, she’s not as much of a chilly fish as she looks.”

[Alegeharia]

Malik:
(Image)

Malik waved from above aithers head and churrs happily tail wagging to and fro. “Hello there kind stranger! It is indeed a fine night o party, that's why we came after all. I am Malik Velkari King of Alegharia and this mount here is my brother Aither.” Malik giggled under the mask and watched the new person curiously. “From where do you hail?”

---

Aither:
(Image)

Aither waved with one paw as he held onto Malik. Before speaking he inspected the stranger, certain scents were oozing off the person and it put Aither off a bit but did not seem dangerous to them. “Greetings, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Did you come alone or come with family as well? Aither put Malik on the ground and extended a paw to shake.

“Pascal d’Auriac, 26th king of Ceystile, at your service.” Pascal bowed to Malik and Aither with a bit of a flourish and took the panda-man’s paw in his own hand, shaking it. “It’s an honor to meet Your Majesty and Your Highness.” He then heard Aither’s question, asking if he was alone. “No actually, I came with my best friend. She’s not the biggest fan of huge gatherings so I had to drag her along a bit, you know?” he quipped. “Oh, here she comes now! Probably here to make sure I haven’t forgotten all my manners.” Sabine strode up toward the group, handing Pascal one of the glasses of wine she held while keeping the other one for herself.

“Greetings.” she told Malik and Aither. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both, I see you’ve already met my king. I am Lady Sabine Luko, 28th Archbishop of the Church of Ceystile.” Pascal clapped his free hand on Sabine’s shoulder. “Also known as Bean.” A dusky blush came into her cheeks at the little add on the king had tacked onto the introduction. “I promise boys, she’s not as much of a chilly fish as she looks.”

Malik:

Malik bows at the new person. “Hello Lady bean! I too have beans.” He looked down at his hands and then presented them showing the sky-blue pads on his other wise furry paws. “See? People go crazy for these apparently!” He giggled then politely beckons her over some tugging at her hand with a little paw. Malik churred and looked to see if Aither and Pascal d’ la lala were talking and spoke softly. “Do you happen to have a crush on your king? I have seen that kind of soft blush before miss and I must say, you should go for it!” He spoke softly but full of excitement. “They say you should always go for the one that makes you feel warm.

Aither:

Aither bowed at the new person as well and nodded to Pascal. “I can appreciate the feeling, I am not one for the dance part of the ball, I was never much for dancing, feels better to have a weapon in my hand, that is much more fun dance I should say.” He listened to the introduction and tilted his head. “So, your monarchy works with the church or for the church? I must admit I am unfamiliar with your lands and would love to know more. We have plenty of Catholic churches, but they operate independently of us.”

[Remnants of Exilvania]

On the other side, D'aillisioux and Hazel watched the room, the former's Assassin eyes analyzing the Ezharans. They all seemed harmless, but all of them seemed overflowing with that familiar Cirquish energy — not that they were Cirquish, but he could sense that they must've come from a similar walk of life, and through the same artistry as his ancestry, managed to live on.
"Anything interesting, D'ailli—"
"Hoho, so this is where that artistic devotion I felt was coming from." One of the other boys, someone evidently named Hasan, stepped in front of D'aillisioux. "You, you said your name was D'aillisioux, right?"

"U-um, yes," he said, reaching for nothing at his side. "Do you need something sir, is there a proble—"
"None at all, but from a glance, I can already tell that there is a great vitality within you."
"Um, thanks?" Next to him, a younger boy with a butterfly on his chest tugged at Hasan's shirt, whispering something to the older lad.
"Come now, Menos, we have no need to worry," Hasan said as he stepped forward. Then, he reached for D'aillisioux. "An adorable lad like him—" D'aillisioux perked up at that "—someone as lively as him surely knows what I'm talking about when I mention his overflowing energies."

And he picked him up.

"See, it's as—"
"Lemme go, lemme go, lemme go!"
The idea that it was a formal ball dissolved in D'aillisioux's mind. Nobody picked him up, nobody called him adorable, unless... The first sign of something wrong was a strange breathing sound, like that of a death rattle. Then, a punch as Hasan's head was thrown back. Last, D'aillisioux's leg kicked into him, and the Talent-Artist was slammed into the floor, while the younger boy flipped into the air and landed like an acrobat, only to shrink away as he clutched his legs, hyperventilating while Hazel held his hand.
"See?" Menos yelled. "I told you— I told you, and you didn't listen— and you..." He cleared his throat, clutching his hands to his chest as he calmed down and handed his friend a handkerchief to clean his bloody nose. "Swear to God, you're gonna get us kicked out..."

Shai perked his head up at the sound of danger, and his expression was one of mania. "Does-does anyone need he—"
Twtw held him back. "Let the guards and medics here handle it. Can't help here. Not our responsibility."
"Ah— but it's Hasa—"
"As I said, not our responsibility, Shai," Twtw said. "Let our hosts handle it. It's the least of their responsibility."
Renenūtet, on the other hand, smirked as she watched the situation unhold. "Tough kid, eh?"
"He's... he's the one," Kebechet said, mesmerized by something else. "The one who was allowed to live again."

Assuming the guards didn't get in the way, Gisara hurried over to D'aillisioux, or at least got as close as he could. "H-hey, kid," he said. "Concentrate on your breathing. Inhale for four seconds, hold for seven, exhale for eight. You-you can get through this, you just need to calm down and focus."
The boy frantically nodded; Gisara watched as the girl next to him squeezed his hand, as she followed his directions to help guide him. The musician could sense her four-seven-eight breath, and it seemed that she was linked to the other lad.

Next to him, Eiko wandered close. "Dang it Hasan," the actor said.
"Does he always do this?" Kasem asked.
"Stupid stuff? Yeah..." Eiko sighed. "He's a good guy, just a little... doesn't think." Eiko watched as the guards and medics presumably moved. "Come on Kasem, I think they've got it handled, and it's rude to gawk if it's not a film." He turned around. "Let's go to the balcony before it gets crowded. I feel like some stargazing tonight."
With that, the two departed.

A looming shadow fell over Gisara, Hazel and D'aillisioux from behind, a low chuckle likely taking their attention if the shadow hadn't caught it yet.

"An impressive demonstration, little one. How come you are so...distraught about it?"

, Kostka said in her usual, low voice. One could be glad that she was wearing an expressionless mask for the smile beneat it, paired with her dead eyes, certainly wouldn't have made poor D'aillisioux feel any better than he did right now.

"Indeed, I have to agree with Inspektionsleiterin Kostka here. This was most impressive, you should be proud."

Someone piped up from behind the towering Exilvanian, a dark blue dress coming into view shortly after as the Exilvanian Princess stepped out from behind Kostka's back, her hands clapping politely rather than excitedly. The gaze behind her mask was rather critical, while her visible face expressed some confusion. This confusion was likely the reason why she inquired:

"Are you perhaps one of those perfectionist types and what we just saw was imperfect?"

It caused Kostka to look back at the royal with some slight wonder in her eyes before she said:

"Ah, see, your majesty, there could be other reasons too. Some people associate bad memories with certain things, bad memories that might make them act rather irrationally. Isn't that right, little one?"

Her head swiveled back around, staring down at D'aillisioux, her eyes searching for any hint he might give. Exilvanians delighted in this and Kostka was no different. Elizabeth's eyes lit up as well at the implication and she too stared expectantly at D'aillisioux, waiting for an answer, an explanation for his behaviour. Something that'd hopefully come before the palace guards as neiher of the Exilvanians held any illusions as to what was going to happen next.

[The Selkie]

She listened to Aurelia so close, every word was as sweet as the next. By Goddesses how she loved her, it started to overwhelm her a little to the point she was crying just a little and Aurelia noticed. But it was perhaps a bit more than that, just everything over the past year, her own anxieties of the future of herself, her nation. Maybe she'd have to confide in her but later for now she composed herself as the Lady Faris passed along a cloth to dry her eyes just a little. "Hehe, excuse me." she also waved along her party to come up.

"Anyway Miladies, I want to introduce you to my two guests. Premier Millihoire Biscotti of Animalpolis."

"Your Royal Highness." Millihi bowed "I'm so glad to finally meet you. I had hopped maybe and Her Highness could have joined me during the Festival but I understand, so much to do and see during that time!" She smiled brightly her ears and tail both did a little wave. "My husband is also here too he should be back any moment."

"And of course you remember Noir."

Noir bowed "Your Grace, good evening."

"Oh and we bumped into..." Marcella urged Sylvia to come forward

"Your Grace. Lady Sylvia Wisteria, of Clarines in Kuronami." She curtsied "I don't believe I had the pleasure to meet Kyrenaia's Princess. Forgive me if I'm forgetting but I don't suppose you were at the Coronation of Duke Eylstadt?"

Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
Fun fact: I was vintage 2001, Marcella was vintage 1998. Technically, she was three years older then me.
Still, even in Kyrenaia, some had thought her to be in her mid-teens during her visit to the Sultanate a few years ago, despite extensive press coverage, and that had given me the reputation of a Sandpanther, at least until the majority of the people got the memo. To this day, some people thought, that I was the older one.
However, I did love Marcella. It was both passion that drove me and the feeling, that in the arms of this woman from a far off and remote corner of the world, I was safe... and she was a bloody good kisser. Still... I knew, that there were Cavephantoms, Sand Wyverns and Old Dreadnoughts, who would love nothing more then to use our relationship to their advantage and maybe even to Kyrenaia's.
I bowed my head politely and replied with pleasentries, when Noir and Milli were introduced to me, but when Lady Sylvia stepped forward, I winced for a moment: "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Sylvia. Please forgive me for correcting you, I am not Kyrenaia's Princess. I am a Princess of the Ilkhanate of Utica and a Kyrenaian Princess, but not... well... It is semantics, I know, but important semantics." I shrugged. The power constellations between the Five Ilkhanates were complicated, to say the least. I then turned half to Faris, motioned her to step forward, which she did with a certain bemusement in her eyes. "If I may introduce to you, Beyeha Fadwa Faris, CEO of the Surya Corporation of Surya."
"It is a great honour to meet you, Ladies... and to meet you again, Marcella-Khana.", she said and bowed lightly to everyone, her smile hidden behind her mask. "I was glad to hear, that this years storm season, so far, has gone without major storms - at least to my knowledge."

Sophia Fauth.
I nodded again. University was quite able to consume a lot of time ... enough time for my sister, when she had studied Economics in Lechelen, to decide, that instead of reading my Hammamat Alshati novels, she would listen to the audio dramas based on them on her way to and from University. I hadn't held that against her, knowing what studying was like from my own experience.
Nolwenn announced to spare herself the shoptalking she anticipated to happen from my and Branwen's end, something I couldn't really hold against her, either.
And while I wasn't entirely clueless about cars, my sister would have been much more suitable for shoptalking about it.
"I would be quite pleased ... Nolwenn" - I responded to her invitation to a dance later on, glad about her previous offer to just call her Nolwenn. I wouldn't have been able to pronounce her last name even if my life depended on it. I gave her a small bow back. "See you later!"

Arnulf Riescheid.
I had to snort about Cel's reference to Viola running into the video chat between her and Chris, which he had indeed told me about - mostly because I had living memories of situations like that myself, thanks to working from home. Many of my colleagues had children, too, so interruptions by them stumbling into their parents' rooms happened to me all the time.
"As soon as the pandemic is over, this is surely something we could organize" - I said. "And if Aegir and Snotra will, Robert and Nora might be available then as well." Finnya and Cel were certainly aware, that Robert was with the Federal Navy, while Nora, whom, according to what I had heard, Cel had already met during the Midsummer Festival in Preetz in June two years ago, was in High School down there. I also did trust them in knowing, that I was referring to the respective deity of ours associated with their professions. "And, of course, Mette, who will certainly be just as curious to finally meet you in person."

[...]

Nikolas:
Having eventually found the bar, Sir Nikolas had acquired a glass of non-alcoholic sparkling wine and had now devoted a little time to admiring the decor of the palace. It was perhaps a touch too extravagant for him, he decided, and was about to take his leave when he heard a familiar name from the front of a couple novels his daughter had read and recommended highly. She and Martina were probably too wrapped up in each other for him to drag her here and present her to Miss Blaidd, but there was no reason he couldn't introduce himself to her, was there? And, waiting until he didn't think he was going to interrupt anything, he did so. "Miss Blaidd? My name is Nikolas Teissëdre. Please forgive me if I'm intruding, but I heard your name mentioned and recognized it from your novels, my daughter greatly enjoys them."

Branwen Blaidd, of Tralee Descent.
Basically a few moments after Nolly had departed, we were joined by an older gentleman, who introduced himself as Nikolas Teissëdre - and his daughter enjoyed my books.
I smiled. People said, that my eyes sparkled, when I smiled, so it might be visible even under the mask.
"Glad to make your acquaintance, Mister Teissëdre.", I said and bowed my head lightly, "It is always nice to hear, that people like my work. Gwarcheidwad was a work of love and passion and also a bit of introspective... but allow me to introduce you to another young author - Miss Sophia Fauth of Lillorainen."
I motioned to the woman I had conversed with, moving slightly so that we formed a sort of circle, able to talk with each other without hindrance.

Finnya Sloroimh of the Tribe of Cork.
I saw Cel smile and I knew, that she had already met Chris' sister Nora by chance.
"Please send your wife my best regards - I would love to meet her in person as well.", I asked of Arnulf, then added: "Especially now, that I am single again..."
I was sure, that he had heard of the long and hard divorce with my husband Ciaran and how that all related to Chris and Cel, who had been the drop, which made the barrel spill. I shook my head. No night for sad thoughts!
"Anyway - I am sure, that we'll have enough room to house all of you." And enough horses, an appropriate escort from the Railway Station to the House, food, drink, merriment, excitement...
"See it as a bit of a vacation as well.", Cel recommended with a smile.
She was looking forward to seeing Chris again, one could see it in her eyes.

Ceystilean Party
Castle Saint-Marie, Mervay

As the limousine pulled up to the Castle Saint-Marie, two figures were escorted out by the driver. The first to emerge from the sleek black car was a young dark-skinned man with tousled dark hair in a dapper red suit that complimented his deep brown skin and golden eyes. He looked upon the gleaming castle with a mix of awe and a tiny hint of jealousy. “Beautiful place...they sure don’t make ‘em like that anymore, eh Bean?” King Pascal turned back toward the car when his companion didn’t emerge. “Bean?” He knocked on the window, then turned to the driver. “Marc, you know what’s going on?”
“I don’t, Your Majesty.”

“I think I do...she’s painfully shy.” Pascal walked over to the side and opened the door himself. “Come on, Your Eminence.”
“Screw off, I’m not wearing this!” The young woman who was accompanying the king left the limo with some reluctance, holding onto her king’s arm.

“Bean, you look beautiful!”
“Every day we stray further from God.” Sabine Luko, Archbishop of the Ceystilean Chuck and close friend of the king definitely didn’t look like her normal confident self. Her tailored silver gown and blue satin shawl, colors of the Church caught the light and showed off her figure in a most flattering way, glittering off the gold and diamond cross brooch pinning her shawl in place. “Sire, I don’t understand why I couldn’t wear my bishop’s robes. I mean they qualify as white tie attire!”
“How am I supposed to get you a boyfriend in those baggy, unflattering things?! You’re a lovely woman, let people see that! Look, I’ll make you a deal...you wear the dress during the ball and you can change into your formal robes during the meteor shower. Deal?”
Her deep brown eyes looked into his golden ones before she slowly reached out to shake his hand. “Deal.”

“Bean, you didn’t have to come...”
“You practically begged me.”
“Well, do you want to be here?”
“Yes, I do but...”
“I thought you wanted to get out and have fun, that’s what you told me!”

“And I do! I want to meet new people but I just feel kind of...exposed.”
“How?! Girl, nothing is showing! You didn’t even wear the dress I picked out!”
“I’m an archbishop, Pascal! I have to set an example! Just as you have to set one because you’re king.”
Their masks seemed to match a bit, her white and gold one complimented the black and white one that the king wore. He patted her hand with his white-silk gloved one, turning back to the castle with a dazzling smile. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

Once they were inside the castle, Sabine’s grip on Pascal’s arm tightened ever so slightly as they were suddenly surrounded by people. The anonymity of the masks didn’t seem to register much.
“They’re looking at me.”
“Darling, they’re looking at us both...why wouldn’t they, we’re fabulous! We should go find someone to approach.”

“Shouldn’t we go introduce ourselves to the host first?”
“I thought about that, but everyone seems pretty occupied so we should probably wait until they’re free...I’ve done research on Queen Callista, and I assume that’s her preoccupied in conversation.” Pascal noticed a couple, a dark haired man with spectacles and a blonde young woman. “They look available, let’s go introduce ourselves!” He led his friend over to where Aldrich and Enya were standing by the bar. “Lovely night for a party, is it not?” Pascal said in a cheerful tone.

Enya Findehoof.
On our way to the bar, two people stopped us, both well dressed for the occassion. The woman seemed nervous, almost paranoid, as if she wanted to be elsewhere - or at least wear something else.
Well, lass, don't I know that song and dance? I smiled at her, even if one could not really see it under the mask, as her... I was tempted to say 'boyfriend' spoke to us.
Alrich nodded.
"Indeed it is.", he said, "And I am confident, that our gracious hosts have planned quite the interesting event." I bowed his head lightly. In this day and age of COVID, handshakes were rarely seen. "I am Alrich, Prince of Teressien, this is my girlfriend Enya."
I smiled. "Good evening!", I greeted with maybe a bit too much enthusiasm.

Nolwenn Gluaisrothar of the Tribe of Wexford.
After departing Sophia and Branwen, I wondered around the ball room for a bit.
Somewhere, a fight erupted, people already there to bring the two evildoers apart, but then... I spotted a mop of green. A familiar mop of green hair, crowning a familiar looking young man - and, in the appropriate attire, he looked like a young man, not like a boy, who had severe problems.
I knew him from the Beast Feast, the Aftershow Party of BI's Archipelago Shooting a bit more then a year ago... and I had seen him crashing down after Ribin had whispered something to him. And I had kissed him goodnight as he and his caretakers had brought him to his room.
Ribin, sometime last year, had told me, that she had him on PiffleNet as a contact, but... I never made anything out of that information.
He departed the scene for the balcony.
Should I follow? I hesitated.
Then I decided against it. If my appearance would cause any scene or harm, it might be better, if that happened not here, but somewhere more private. That was my excuse anyway. In reality, Ribin, a lass of fifteen Springs, had more balls in her panties then me...
I smiled at a young woman, who passed me on her lonesome, twiddling with something in her pocket, and continued to be on my lonesome for a bit. Somebody to talk to or to dance with could be found, I was sure of it.

[Seleucid Pergamon]

Theonymphi Chatzigeorgiou

As she drank her glass of white wine, Theonymphi continued observing the dresses and taking pictures of them. She let out a little sigh as she glanced more about the hall, eyeing the men. The Mervayan nobles were taken, so were most of the foreigners, but there was one that stood out: one man with a thick moustache, tanned skin, and strangely enough, a ski mask. Theonymphi hesitated for a bit given the apparent older age from his looks, but after consuming the last of her glass, she went up and sauntered to him. Getting closer, she shook her head to fix her hair.

"You know, there are better masks out here than the one you're wearing," she introduced herself, chuckling, "I'm Theonymphi Chatzigeorgiou, chief marketing officer of Dionissia Aromatics and freelance fashion designer. You seem comfortable with the suit. My father over there hates it himself, said it makes him look like a 'stage magician with no tricks.' And your moustache compliments it well, if I may add."

[Mervay]

Erika clicked her heels and saluted, while Bronislaw bowed his head again. "Thank you both. I will say that my companion is visually impaired and may not be able to see or read distant objects without her glasses; glasses that she cannot wear with her mask. If you see her without her mask on, please do not take offense."

Erika rebelled internally as Bronislaw explained. She really would've preferred to not explain her condition until necessary, but alas. She dropped the salute, and Bronislaw, sensing her tension, straightened up a little. "Thank you both again for inviting us. We wish you a wonderful night."

With that, he yanked Erika behind him and pulled her behind a column. "Oi, Byrnes." he muttered. "Don't throw shade, aye?"
"Why the bloody 'ell not, Vyterski? They shit like you or me!"
"Because they've got power, Byrnes. And because they were nice enough to let us in. Look, I get it. If I ran this affair I'd require everyone to bring in a weapon. But I don't, sadly." He snorted with amusement. "Not like anyone would attend...Look, how about this, Erika."

Vyterski squatted a little. "I can already tell you're probably going to get bored here. I saw a few younger folk coming in; why don't you strike up a convo with 'em?"
Erika snorted. "Hell no. There are girls with them."
"Look, you can't just keep hanging out with the same people. You have to learn to talk to 'em. You don't have to kiss their ass, but you do have to at least hold a conversation with them, irregardless of how often you know they've visited Epstein's island. And frankly, unless you want to do it with me and end up with adults that will fawn over you so much that you'll vomit, I suggest you hang out with the kids."

"...Fine." Erika replied, flatly. "This'll be hell..."

"You'll live, Byrnes."
"Fuck you, Vyterski."

With that, the Lord Vyterski and the Lady Byrnes parted ways. Vyterski headed for the center, while Erika wandered around the edges, looking more than a little lost and annoyed and occasionally reaching into her pocket to fiddle with the Enfield bolt within.

"Oh my." The Grand Duchess said in a state of surprise and concern like her husband did too. "It might be mandatory to wear a mask but if she cannot see with it then; may we make an exception and let her without it considering her situation unless Lady Byrnes wishes the opposite?" She asked the young woman as that could be quite the issue, so for health reasons they could make an exception to the rule if it worsened.

They waited for their confirmation or denegation before bowing at them in the same way.

Snip

snip

The pair of Lord Wisteria and Mr. Izumi will find that they will have to get away the ballroom if they wanted to get specific drinks at the bar, which was located in another hall close to the ballroom. It was specifically set there in order to give the guests a place away the ballroom and all the music to talk in a quiet ambient, even so; it will certainly have some music as the doors are kept open and one can hear in a distant way the songs of the orchestra.
As soon as they got inside, they would see the fact the room was completely well decorated and arranged for the occassion, there were a few tables to sit if one wanted to stay there rather than sit at the bar and to add to the atmosphere, if one wanted; they could go and take a seat close to the solarium which gave a beautiful wiew of the castle surrundings out of it's walls. Besides the walls of the massive room, they would find the bar where they could take their drinks, butlers and maids going in and out from there as they had to bring for more drinks to those without them to grab bottles to refill those already empty depending in the situation. However they could without a doubt make their order for an specialized drink if they desired, which was the reason the bar was set up after all.
One of the bartenders noticed the pair and smiled at them while he was cleaning some glasses.

"Welcome, may I ask what kind of drink are you guys needing?" He asked, clearly like the rest, he had a mask in order to blend with the rest of the theme of the ball after all.

Dr. Andrew M. Fernandez, MD, FVSC
Dance Hall of the Palace of Saint Marie

"Why, of course, Your Highness," Andrew said after bowing. "We will be honored to introduce ourselves to the hosts," he added.
"By your leave, Your Highness," Eloisa said, the couple bowing again before leaving the Princess. As soon as they were certain they were far enough, Andrew spoke up.
"I suppose the Royal Family has good reason to redirect anyone willing to introduce themselves to the actual hosts," he said.
"They probably do," Eloisa said in reply. "The invite does mention an Autonomous Duchy; perhaps introducing ourselves to Their Grace was what the Princess had in mind."
"Figures." There was no mistaking the reason the Visayan couple wore gas masks, and there would be plenty of time to talk about that particular reason soon. After all, that reason saw the Confederation and Lillorainen lending aid to a partner common to all three nations: the Free Lands.
As for the Cassadian issue, there was no doubt that Eloisa was up to speed; the final session of the Federal Assembly had recently concluded with a Negrense Assemblyman's email being publicly read. In it was a call for the Confederation to stand with Palmyrion and encourage uplifting those who benefited the most from what would appear to be the flames of a future conflict over the horizon: political opponents, the LGBT+ community, those slaves rechristened "Living Property Units" as though they were livestock, ethnic and religious minorities...the prospect of their emancipation at the hands of a combined coalition of Amistad signatories like the Confederation and Palmyrion with other nations that stood against the slaver was something that would most certainly make for the interesting conversation.
First, however, they would have to introduce themselves to the Grand Duke.

Grand Duke Adrien and Grand Duchess Marion
After a little walking, they could find where their hosts were; the couple was greeted warmly by their graces.

"Mr and Ms. Fernandez." Marion spoke kindly at them while making a curtsy at the couple as her husband bowed at them. "It is a pleasure to see you two present, and in the name of my husband and I, I apologize for interrupting your conversation with Your Highness from what a maid told us." She said giving them an apologetic glare before letting the duke continue.

"In order to let you free of this quick introduction, we would like to have a word with both of you later in the night, for now please have fun." And as such the Ambassador and her husband were let free to enjoy the night.

Once before the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, Dietrich bowed deeply, extending his hand to Grand Duchess Marion VI, asking:

"May I?"

, before, depending on the answer, repeating the act he had done before Angelika, pressing his mask onto the back of the hand for a moment before letting it go and standing up straight again. To his right Elizabeth curtseyed before the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess respectively while behind him, Kostka's bones audibly cracked as she lowered her head and turned herself into a temporary hunchback, though it did atleast put her face closer to the nobles' height, allowing her to salute without towering over the Mervayans as much. She did straighten her back out again immediately after, hanging back and leaving Dietrich to do the talking who calmly said:

"Likewise, likewise your graces, I hope your ball will be most wonderful and successful for you personally and for your house. Alas, I am afraid, Fräulein Kostka has not received a noble title, not due to lack of willingness to give her such a title but more due to her personal distaste for it. I am certain I speak for her when I ask your graces not to address her as Lady in the future. Madam or Miss should suffice."

A painful sensation in his shoulderblades almost made him yelp before he quickly corrected himself:

"I meant to say Missus of course. As for myself, I apologize for the pedantry on my part but I am a Count, not a Knight and would equally be delighted to be referred to as such or as any of my other, current, occupations."

, the final part was said in a calculated, half joking manner, with Dietrich invisibly smiling under his mask. He didn't want to antagonize their hosts afterall but wasn't quite sure how important correct titles were in Mervay. In Exilvania, back during the days of Kaiser Vlad, knowing the correct titles, their ranks within the aristocracy as well as the proper form of address for each of them had been extremely important. So he decided to play it safe for the moment.

"We shall not occupy you for too long, I am certain your graces have more prominent guests to greet and it would be impolite of us to take you all for ourselves. I still hope to exchange words later tonight perhaps?"

With that, Dietrich removed himself from the Grand Duchess' and Grand Duke' presence, Kostka and Elizabeth in tow as he was looking for a relatively quiet spot a bit to the side of the dance floor from which to continue surveying guests for anyone he knew or who was...politically hopefully friendly. Aside from Angelika of course, though he absolutely wouldn't mind her company now.

Angelika smirked unnoticeably at the obvious disdain radiating from Princess Elizabeth, watching as she begrudgingly gave a shallow curtsy. Which considering Angelika technically outranked her in terms of hierarchy could have been perceived as an insult. Angelika merely found it childish.


Turning towards Kostka after hearing her chuckle, and staring her down as Kostka brazenly tried to touch her inappropriately. The nerve of this woman! Though she wanted nothing more than to put the giantess in her place, Angelika simply raised a brow and inclined her head at the tall woman. “And I see you still don’t understand proper decorum and polite manners, Frau Inspektionsleiterin Kostka.”

Before Angelika could offer a witty quip to Haegler’s attempt to rectify the greeting with another try, the royal trumpets blared, signalling the entrance of the royal family. Angelika gave her full attention to the royal family as they were being introduced. She wanted to gather as much info on them as possible which she was sure the night would provide plenty of time for that. Such was the life of a former intelligence officer, having to read and gather info on everyone she met. Even though at times it annoyed Angelika, she understood its importance. You never know when the information could come in hand.

Angelika clapped as each blue blooded noble was introduced, following alone with the rest of the room. She never much cared for nobility, having had bad experiences with them. Each noble she had ever encountered, from the Exilvanian princess to the Minrozian Emperor, all were extremely high brow and condescending. Maybe it was her predisposition towards Nobility, her own country having a kaiser a mere 150 years or so ago that became a messy situation. Maybe it was actually true of blue bloods. Regardless, Angelika was expecting nothing less from the Nobles of Mervay.


After a rather pandering speech, the ball was officially opened and the guests were free to mingle and enjoy the festivities. It didn’t take her long before a servant summoned Angelika and the Xers to be introduced to the Hosts. Angelika agreed and took Haegler’s arm and was led to the Grand Duke and Duchess. Holding onto Haegler’s arm, Angelika was reminiscent of Yeuzechan and the Victory Ball that the Nachfolgians hosted after their conquering of the country. That night her and Haegler shared a dance and a kiss that made headlines in the Reich. While it was nice to see Haegler be socially awkward around her, she wondered how tonight will go and how “eventful” it will be.

When the group reached the Grand Duke and Duchess, Angelika was polite and gave a shallow courtesy as one would normally do if they respected nobility.

“ Thank you for affording a Nachfolgian the opportunity to witness such a grandiose event, your graces.” Angelika greeted, giving special attention to making sure she didn’t sound insincere.

She watched and gave a half smile as Haegler extended his hand out and kissed the Grand Duchess’s hand, much like he did hers. She then quietly listened with amusement as he prostrated himself to the Nobles and then tried to explain Kostka’s situation regarding titles. She noticed the strike to his back from the tall Xer but did not draw attention to it. When Haegler offered parting words, Angelika finally piped up to offer her own words.

“ I too would like to exchange words in the near future, but first, Herr Reichkommadant was going to offer me a dance. I take my leave, your graces. “ Angelika said as she was soon led away by Haegler. Of course, she wasn’t expecting a dance right away and merely offered up an opportunity to leave the Grand Duke and Duchess. If only she could see the look on Haelger’s face, she was sure he was panicking underneath that mask.

"It is a pleasure Miss Sturmgeist, there's nothing to be thankful, it is also an honour to have you tonight here as well." The Grand Duchess spoke with a smile in her face as they heard her reply, either being clueless about her trying to not act insincere or noticing but not making any comments about them if so, they weren't to judge after all.

Then they had a few words with the Reichskommandant regarding a few areas after he kissed Lady Marion's hand; regarding his requests, of which they took note of them; alongside seeing him want to yelp in pain as Miss Kostka gave him a strike on his back, they didn't commented on it as he continued like nothing happened. That alongside the comments regarding the possibility of having a conversation later in the night made them nod.

"We will take note of what you said, Lord Haegler and we apologize for the inconvenience to you and Missus Kostka as well." Lord Adrien spoke while making an apologetic glare beneath his mask before getting to what both the Reichskommandant and the Oberste Führerin said.

"We will make sure of that to both of you; now please enjoy the ball and have fun." The Grand Duke smiled as his wife and him glared at them leaving to have their fun.

Indeed the latter two, Lady Elizabeth and Missus Kostka were quite the odd pair as they walked together, then again; it was one of the many oddities of the night that could be certainly added to what's happening across the ballroom indeed.

Penny and Evan shook hands with the duke if he offered such a gesture

"Thank you sir" replied Pnny, "Im sure i will have a great evening" As she spoke, she moved her arm slightly, the lights of the entranceway to the great hall glinted off the chrome that is now her left arm

Evan too was respectful in his reply
"Thank you sir, It is a pleasure to be here as well" he says before taking Penny by the arm and graciously leading her into the hall past the duke after shaking his hand. His eyes taking a moment to take in the surroundings.

Given his past, being in such oppulent company is more than he could have ever have hoped for, son of someone the city mayor didnt like, and now the husband of someone of aristocratic standing, although Penny really likes to live her own life there are times when she needs to step to the socialite stage and this is one such occasion.

Once in the hallway, Evan and Penny make their way to the balcony, however on the way over they stop at the drinks counter to pick up a glass of wine before continuing onto the balcony, there they take their positions, glance over to whoever is on there and give a smile.

"Hello" says Evan in a soft tone as to not be overly disturbing to anyone before casting his eyes to the sky, Penny scans the sky then points out a few constellations with her cybernetic arm.
"Great bear there, then if you track over there to the bear's nose and follow it down you get to Auriga, then go down there it takes you to Orion..." she points across the sky, "...and there is his belt"

Evan, interested in the stars to some degree listens closely, "so much we loose with light polution"

"yup, hence why back home a dark skies law would be useful for some areas like the Lesser Orcadian Islands, so maybe you want to dance later?"

Evan just smiled, "yeah, lets drink first" he replies

After the formalities they had with the dukes and now them being enjoying the beautiful night given for the event, with the stars being at everyone's wiew without pollution, courtesy of being in the valley and of course environmental laws passed and enforced during the years has let to such beautiful wiew. It was clear that couple from Orcadia was having quite the first seat wiew.

"Quite the wiew I must say, right?" A voice from behind interrupted them; it was a man in a white tie suit and a half face mask that covered his right side while letting his lips free of the mask. He smiled at the couple as he too glared at the stars above them with an nostalgic smile.

"Even now they are as beautiful as they had been, it makes you think of what would had happened if we weren't able to see them in all their splendor." A light chuckle is let out of his mouth as he says that, more in a kind sense that in a joking one. Then he turns to the couple and slightly bows at them.

"Professor Jeremiah Von Berg at your service, sir and ma'am." Jeremiah Von Berg; an important intellectual of the Mervayan society, professor of the Royal University of Asteria in political sciences and well renowed author of various studies in that field.

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
The kiss was very appreciated and there might have been some tongue involved, but let's not go into detail there.
I was overjoyed to see her again and as such, I nodded at her proposal of meeting our hosts, my nervousness not away, but soothed by Athena. She was like a rock.
As we were on our way, I decided to answer her question: "My trip here was nice. I... well, I hitched a ride, if you want to put it that way, with a friend. Celina Sloroimh of the Tribe of Cork and her mother Finnya. I can introduce you later, if you want, they're nice.", I told her of my trip, while we made the trip to our hosts.

Enya Findehoof.
A maid led us over and I was a bit surprised that, instead of greeting Alrich first, the daughter of the Grand Duke turned to me - Alrich didn't seem to mind. Wait... ah, now I recognized her!
I smiled a beaming smile at her, nodded, as they turned to Alrich.
He smiled at Lise and bowed his head. "The pleasure is all ours, Princess.", he said with a bit of an accent, "And I am sure, that we'll enjoy ourselves. If you would now excuse us?"
And with that, we were off, me throwing Lise a wink, telling her, that I had recognized her.
As we were out of earshot, Alrich looked to me. "I see, that you have recognized our hosts..."
"Only their daughter. I met her at the Aftershow Party 2019.", I told Alrich. "The one where I took your mother along."
He winced. "I remember her discription... she did have some fun with the younger models, if I remember correctly.", he said, I nodded, "In any case, let's get something to drink."
I nodded in agreement and we were off to the bar.

Athena Freezis
It was a very passionate kiss of them, more considering they haven't seen the other since Ironcastle last year, they had quite a lot to talk about out of their letters and calls after all!
She smiled at her boyfriend as he explained how he got here without problems, it seemed that he got a ride thanks to an friend and her mother, which were invited to the event; Sloroimh. Haven't she heard that name before? It made Athena think for a second before she remembered from where it was, of course! That family was one of the ten big families in the Free Lands; she remembered having readed about the ten families that were influential there back before the SEA Accords signing. Still, she smiled warmly at Leo as she thought she should thank them for bringing her boyfriend with them.

"Of course, I want to thank them for bringing you here dear!" She said smiling warmly as they approached their hosts, which by coincidence has just greeted a few minutes before said family. The Ducal Family bowed at them while Lord Adrien spoke.

"Lady Freezis, it is a pleasure to see you had come with company." He gave her a small nod before his wife continued.

"It is indeed a pleasure to have you here Marquise; same as you Mr. Rualacha, or should we say Marquis Freezis." The Grand Duchess couldn't hold herself and decided to tease the two of them as she giggled, making Athena giggle as well after she blushed a bit at the teasing.

"I appreciate the teasing, Duchess Marion, but let's reserve it when we are in a more intimate conversation than one of protocol please." The Marquise and Businesswoman smiled at her and her family. Leo could certainly see she was close with the ducal family.

Lisolette Devienne
After their introduction with Marquise Freezis boyfriend and the Kyrenaians, it was now the turn of the Teressian Couple. Which as soon as Lise greet them, she bowed back in respect at Aldrich and Enya as they left, having an smile as she noticed the wink of Enya, well she really remembered her then, well perhaps she could catch up with her and try sometime later with her beloved somekind of double date?

"Thinking about what to do later in the night huh?" She noticed Lucas talking at her while her parents glared, the Crown Princess only smiled at that question.

"Perhaps, I mean we have a friend of us present for the ball and we now see one of the people we knew back at the Aftershow Party of two years ago present with her other half." She smiled at her fiance with a look that said it all, which made him sigh in an kind way.

"You really want to make the most of tonight don't you." He gave her an chuckling smile as he knew how she would want to make the most of the ball. Her parents just chuckled a bit too before they spoke.

"Guess it shouldn't surprise us." Adrien gave her a fondly sigh as his wife nodded. They could talk about that later, for now they had to keep greeting their guests.

Camilla Miao, Heiress of the Miao Coven, a Ramadhan Family subsidiary

The hall was full of people from different countries all over the multiverse. A fashion designer from her universe's iteration of Greece, a little boy in a cute green kimono, a guy in a ski mask, for some reason, and many others. One stood out and grabbed my attention - a guy wearing the Imperial Colours. Perhaps it's his clothing, or his frame, I'm not really sure. I've always had a thing for blondes too, so that might be it.

"I like the outfit you're wearing, was it custom made?" Camilla tried to start a conversation with Cossentic. She smiled in return, fangs hidden and retracted, slightly tilting her body to show the slit on the side of her dress, and, by extension, her long legs, as at 180 centimetres, she was one of the tallest members of the Starchild Sorority. Before she could continue her conversation, trumpets were heard and suddenly everyone's attention was at the soldiers introducing the hosts of the events. She clapped along with the rest of the attendees, taking note of the royals to report to her uncle later on.

Camellia Miao, Heiress of the Miao Coven, a Ramadhan Family subsidiary

She just had to talk to the first blonde guy she sees.I guess it's fine, we are here to build networks, after all. Maybe I should start talking with someone too, but who? Hm?

A maid walked up to Camellia, explaining the standard procedure for balls in Mervay. She bowed and put her hand on the left side of her chest and bowed slightly. "I see, my apologies. We'll be on our way then." Camellia smiled softly, then turned to her sister, approaching her and calling her by her Chinese name. "Let's go meet our hosts. Take him with you if you want." Camellia looked at Damien, smiling and extending her right hand for him to shake, showing her birthmark on her arm that looked like dots that formed half of the constellation Gemini. "Camellia Miao, Heiress of the Miao Coven, a Ramadhan Family subsidiary. This is my twin sister, Camilla." Camilla waited her turn to shake Damien's hand. "Well, shall we?" Camilla went closer to Damien, asking him to join her, with what seems to be a soft Dongbei accent.

Damien Cossentic
"Well I'm not a fashion guy but yes, I requested it specially for the night." It wasn't a completely customized white tie suit as it was the normal one save some accessories that made it stand out. He could see the woman he was talking to and she was as tall as he was; Damien was sightly taller by a hair or two only, nevertheless that wasn't important. She looked pretty beautiful, and while he might not see a relationship happening unless circunstances said otherwise, perhaps he could get out with a friend at least?

"And yours? Was your dress also custom made? I mean don't get me wrong I like it but I'm asking by curiousity." Of course, before she could answer the hosts and the Royal Family appeared to make their introductions, to which he knew it would be better continue the talk later.

After that of course, he noticed what he could deduce was her twin whispering something in Chinese which he couldn't made up by obvious reasons. Of course he then had both of them presenting themselves and confirming his suspicions; to which he kindly smiled and shaked her hand before focusing in Camilla, to which he did the same and smiled warmly too. Then he bowed at them as he presented himself.

"Damien Cossentic, Son of Justice Minister Elijah Cossentic and Archelogist Luvellia Cossentic, at your service young ladies." Well now that presentations were away, he noticed Camilla closer to him now and asked in a soft accent if he wanted to join her, to which he grinned.

"Well, I still want to continue that conversation." The blonde chuckled before offering his arm for her link with.

After a little walk and following the maid, they found their hosts waiting for them, to which he bowed slightly with his head at them.

"Your Graces, thank you for the invitation." He responded with a respectful tone before the Grand Duke answered.

"There is no need Mr. Cossentic, we are glad to have you here as well." He said bowing slightly before noticing with who he was accompanied. To which the couple smiled beneath their masks.

"It appears both of you had made a conversation partner isn't it right, Lady Camilla, Lady Camellia?" The Duchess said while curtsying at the two. "Thank you for accepting our invitation."

The Entourage

While waiting, the butler motioned to where they were. He then announced their names to garner their attention, and Periklis, being the ambassador, lead the entourage to greet their hosts.

His family were greeted by Grand Duke Adrien.

"Giásas, a pleasure it is indeed, Your Mysteriousness," Perkilis grinned as he bowed alongside his wife and daughter curtsying, "And yes. As you can tell, our daughter is very excited to be here."

"I like your wife's mask, Your Grace. It's fancy," complimented Despina gleefully, "Though, I like your mask too. It's, uh, shiny."

"You must be proud of what you've prepared," Marieta said after chuckling, "And you both must feel fortunate that a meteor shower will occur sometime later today. You should be thankful to God for the timing. That's going to be exhilarating."

"Oh, yes! It'll be pretty," Despina could not help but blurt out.

Meanwhile, the Chatzigeorgious were greeted by Marion.

"Thank you, Your Highness. It is an honor for us to be here," Natassa curtsied along with the rest of the family formally gestured, somewhat intimidated by the Grand Duchess's red eyes while keeping her composure.

"I like your mask and hat, Your Grace," Theonymphi commented, "They both compliment well with your dress. I also like the flowered headpiece with the tassels. It's a nice little touch. Though, are you not disturbed by the tassels hitting your mask when you turn your head?"

Both families continued talking until the Chatzigeorgious walked up to the Zanniadises, a visible sign for Periklis when he noticed.

"Anyways, we shall be making our way in. Our guest family here is eager to dive into the festivities," Periklis turned to the Chatzigeorgious who were just done conversing with Marion, "We'll catch you later."

The entourage entered the hall, and towards the radiant splendor of a party.

Despina Zanniadis

"Alright, Despina, me and mom are going to go dance now. Find your friends, but remember, no roughhousing," Perkilis warned, "Alright, young lady, have fun!"

With that, she was alone. Seizing the opportunity, Despina viewed her phone to text her friends where they're at. And she typed with utmost excitement gleaming in her eyes and smile. After a reply, she went over, peeking her head from the crowd to see, run to, and greet her friends.

"Hi, you guys," she greeted. And she never noticed several people eyeing her from her exclamation.

[/quote]

Adrien just chuckled at those words and smiled beneath his mask.

"Thank you, your masks are also pretty nice too." He said giving them a fondly nod as he remembered about the shower; they should be indeed be grateful about it. "We certainly are." He let a beat pass before continue. "It's an very important part of this night and we are grateful for this meteor shower to happen in this day for the first time in 200 years and close to the common shower of this period."

Meanwhile Marion was busy with the Chatzigeorgious family; she could sense that at least Lady Natassa was intimidated by her red eyes; it's a wonder how her daughter inherited her eyes, yet she didn't had that intimidating glare some could say was part of the Devienne's, perhaps it was hidden within her personality? She then answered Lady Theonymphi's concerns regarding her mask, to which she smiled beneath it.

"Not at all, Lady Theonymphi. But thanks for the question." She said smiling as she noticed the ambassador's family coming this way. Then she heard their need of wanting to enjoy the ball, to which her husband which came with them nodded and so did she. "Understood, have a nice evening."

After finding her friends close to one of the balconies, Despina would notice her friends waiting for her, talking calmly about life until they saw her approach and shout at them while some people glared looks to where the noise came from, but then again; considering what's happening and it shouldn't be something that important considering all that has been saw.

"Hey Despina, glad to hear you made it!" It was one of her friends as she smiled at her friend, Genevieve Talbot, 18 years old and heir of the Talbot Group and the noble title of the family, Marquise of Crescere in this case as she was female. Ever since she had known Despina, she had seen her as a close friend that she deeply cared. Besides her there was another young girl besides her, Carolina Soleil, daughter of the Governor of Uranus, Fernando Soleil. It was the same case than Evie (the nickname they gave to Genevieve), she had known her since she entered the school and was assigned to show her the academy as student council president and considering from who she was the daughter of, needless to say, that first day was one where she was glad of being her guide. She sighed fondly as she heard her shout at them.

"You should really watch your tone as it seems that, you gave quite the impression." Carol chuckled a bit as she said that before focusing in other matters. "Jean won't be joining us until later, he's with her sister talking about their older sister boyfriend which Marqusise Freezis invited as her date."

January 16th; 22:00 PM
Palace of Saint Marie
Montrose, Mervay

As the vehicle transporting the Lux Pulchraean royal couple was nearing it's destination, Her Royal Highness Cecile Marie was looking out the window, they haven't even arrived and she can see the grandness of Mervay's elite. The Palace was enormous.

"Mon Dieu! C'est une grande castile, no?" the young queen was wide-eyed.

"Eh, suppongo." Cleone answered in an unimpressed manner, not wanting to admit it.

The vehicle had come to a stop, they had arrived. Cleone exited the vehicle first and ushered Cecile out next.

"Merde! We're going to be late." she sucked her teeth, fixing her dress. She wore a simple light-grey ball gown. It stopped just before the floor and wasn't too wide. The shoulders were covered and the chest didn't go too deep either. Along with the dress, she wore white evening gloves that went a bit past her elbows. Her mask for the evening was a common ball mask that covered her eyes, it matched her gloves. On her head sat a tiara, modestly adorned with diamonds.

"How do you know we're late? Maybe they're early?" Cleone smiled at his own joke. For him, he wore the typical man's white tie attire, black suit and pants with a white dress shirt and bow-tie. Over his shirt he wore a blue sash accented with yellow on the edges, sporting the main colors. He hadn't worn it in a long while. To finish it off, a medal of the Sacred Heart was pinned on his chest and his mask, similar to Cecile's.

"I thought you'd be the type for seriousness at these kinds of things." Cecile wasn't having it tonight, especially at an event like this. "Come one." she said, starting up the stairs.

"Wait, you're going to walk all those stairs?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Because, you're pregnant." he shrugged.

"Cleone! I'm two months pregnant not physically retarded. Unless you want to carry me up to the palace." playfully suggested.

"No," he sighed "It'd be more dignified if we walked."

He joined her in ascending the many steps before they reached the castle. They could see the others gathered, but could also see that they were a tad late as it seemed the royals and the hosts had just been heralded. They had masks on, some of them kind of creeped Cecile out, she wasn't really used to masks and these type of gatherings. That was more an Italian province thing. Cleone didn't mind too much, although he wasn't a big fan of masks either. As usual at these types of gatherings, his eyes scanned the area for anyone he knew, but chances were slim as there didn't seem to be too many heads of state attending.

Callista IV of Mervay
They were very late if it had to be said, the Devienne's were already socializing with the rest of the other guests and she saw Lise and Lucas enjoying a talk with Lady Olivia and her brother already, so unless she could bring anyone else from the hosts to greet them, unlikely as only those three plus the crown princess soon to be fiance, were the only members present. In other words, the responsability of greeting the King and Queen from Lux Pulchrae fell on her for the minute while she asked her guard to please request the presence of any member available of House of Devienne.

"It appears either traffic or timezones held you two I see?" She asked, finding herself smiling at them while giving them a curtsy.

"It's a pleasure to see you here, Your Majesties."

Convergence
The three groups looked at each other; immediately, there was a sort of tension, of a sense of unknown as the groups observed, mixed, analyzed each other, and the champagne-colored woman and the stippled-masked man seemed most uncomfortable, stepping away from their respective groups in opposite directions. For once, both felt a newfound, earnest emotion.
"Maestro Nacre, why is..."
"Who... you can't be here, no..."
Shai and Twtw stepped in front of Satis, blocking her vision. "Come on, Satis," the former said, offering her an awkward smile. "Let's... let's not focus on such grim matters here, okay? I'm sure it's just a coincidence— with so many people here, it must be inevitable, right?"
"The same stippled mask..."

Near them, the blue-haired boy was looking at the dark masked-woman, eyebrows knitted in confusion as he drifted closer to the edge of the group. "Er... um, hi?" he said as he came near her, ignoring the gaze of the green-kimono and the boy next to him. "Did... Peacock Goddess, what are you doing with... these people?" He paused, then spoke in the emotive, unusual tongue of Cirquish. "You are the Peacock Goddess, right?"
The woman stared down at him. "Eh?" she said. "I'm sorry, kid, who are you? Because I'm Renenūtet of AARU, not... a goddess. Though, I'm sure some folks might be fond of calling me that."
D'aillisioux looked at Hazel; she shook her head no. The woman in front of them lacked the familiar Cirquish aura, and the boy smiled as he ran back to his group.

In the front of the group, Luò put on his usual smile as he looked at the other young man's guitar case; he'd have to speak with him later, but as he turned around, he couldn't help but notice a boy in a green kimono staring at him. Brushing it aside, Luò noticed that the other group, the one led by the starry-eyed woman with a cane, seemed to have some of the same flair as him, too, but—
"My assembled friends," the woman said, raising her cane skyward as she addressed the three groups, "it appears that some mischief of fate—"
"Keb-Kebechet." Satis walked forward, pulling her cane down. "Let's not, um, agitate our hosts with such language, okay?" She turned to them, bowing as the rest of AARU's group followed. "We are AARU, of Ezharan Sessenan. I am Satis, our social media representative and producer. It's a delight to meet you, and don't worry. You've not caused any offense." With that, she gestured to her group.

"Twtw, choreographer."
"Kebechet, lead vocals."
"Renenūtet, acrobat."
"Shai, songwriter." He gestured to the boys behind them. "These two boys are Hasan Benkiran, Talent-Artist, and Menos Gersif, Talent-Writer, both from Msdahl-nahr, a neighboring Ezharan city. They're not part of our group's performances, or really affiliated with us, but they asked if they could come along."

When they finished speaking, and once their hosts possibly responded, Gisara and his two boys bowed. "Gisara, Jae-Sun, Mascot-Musician of the Ezharan city of Jae-Syu, and no worries about accidentally sending us in," he said, stepping aside for Eiko and Kasem. "I'm sure it won't be a problem. Like AARU... well, I think I'll let them introduce themselves."
The former of the two looked up first. "Eiko Michori," he said. "I'm just an actor."
"He's pretty awesome at—" Eiko's glare silenced him. "Oh, right, um, I'm Kasem Chuquivitu. Talent-Architect. Pretty nice castle you guys got here. We don't have anything like this back in Ezhara."

There was a strange, exotic aura around the last group, as though they came from an otherworldly realm where conventional, modern standards were the abnormal ones instead, and the Ezharans seemed just as curious to see them, if a bit afraid if Satis's reaction had been any indication. They seemed familiarly human, but it was like a prince meeting a pauper; two worlds colliding, that might never have otherwise merged. Still, they bowed, so they at least knew how to behave.
The jewelry-covered man was first. "Norni Nacre, Artist of the Jewels, of Renstar. As the representative of my group, allow me to say that this situation is positively no problem." With that, he returned to silence.
"G-Giucà Tarocco. Just a businessman." He glanced at Satis as he spoke.
The Penglairean was next. "Luò Yīng-Xìquan. I'm just an Idol." He chuckled, then spoke with a singsong lilt. "It's nice to meet you."
Last were the two kids. "My name's D'aillisioux. And this is Hazel, my, um..." He trailed off, trying to avoid the gaze of the two hosts. "She's-she's Hazel."

With that, all of them were introduced, and assuming that the hosts had nothing much to say, they all strayed away. Luò, hands behind his back, was first to mingle as he approached Gisara. "You a musician?" he asked. "'Cos I can't help but notice your guitar."
"Why, yes, I am... you said your name was Luò?" A nod. "Are you thinking of something?"
"Well, with stars crossing the night sky, it sounds like a nice thing for music, don't you think?" He chuckled. "Two young men, on a balcony, singing about the night sky, the shooting stars. Strikes at one's heart, don't you think?"
"R-right..."

Neither noticed Eiko and Kasem drifting away.
"That idol..." Eiko said.
"He look like someone you know?" Kasem asked. A nod from the actor, who stepped farther away. "He looks just like the man who saved m— oof." He turned around to see Satis, who was staring at her own familiar visage, of someone who she thought long dead, and her hands opened, closed as she struggled to breathe. Why was he here? How... Shai had to be right. It had to be a doppelganger, but she couldn't silence the doubt otherwise. By her side, Renenūtet and Kebechet watched for a little while, then began to leave.
Shai meanwhile, turned to Twtw. "How about dinner?" the songwriter asked. "Think it'd be nice for all the calories you've already burned dancing up the stairs, ah?"

On the other side, D'aillisioux and Hazel watched the room, the former's Assassin eyes analyzing the Ezharans. They all seemed harmless, but all of them seemed overflowing with that familiar Cirquish energy — not that they were Cirquish, but he could sense that they must've come from a similar walk of life, and through the same artistry as his ancestry, managed to live on.
"Anything interesting, D'ailli—"
"Hoho, so this is where that artistic devotion I felt was coming from." One of the other boys, someone evidently named Hasan, stepped in front of D'aillisioux. "You, you said your name was D'aillisioux, right?"

"U-um, yes," he said, reaching for nothing at his side. "Do you need something sir, is there a proble—"
"None at all, but from a glance, I can already tell that there is a great vitality within you."
"Um, thanks?" Next to him, a younger boy with a butterfly on his chest tugged at Hasan's shirt, whispering something to the older lad.
"Come now, Menos, we have no need to worry," Hasan said as he stepped forward. Then, he reached for D'aillisioux. "An adorable lad like him—" D'aillisioux perked up at that "—someone as lively as him surely knows what I'm talking about when I mention his overflowing energies."

And he picked him up.

"See, it's as—"
"Lemme go, lemme go, lemme go!"
The idea that it was a formal ball dissolved in D'aillisioux's mind. Nobody picked him up, nobody called him adorable, unless... The first sign of something wrong was a strange breathing sound, like that of a death rattle. Then, a punch as Hasan's head was thrown back. Last, D'aillisioux's leg kicked into him, and the Talent-Artist was slammed into the floor, while the younger boy flipped into the air and landed like an acrobat, only to shrink away as he clutched his legs, hyperventilating while Hazel held his hand.
"See?" Menos yelled. "I told you— I told you, and you didn't listen— and you..." He cleared his throat, clutching his hands to his chest as he calmed down and handed his friend a handkerchief to clean his bloody nose. "Swear to God, you're gonna get us kicked out..."

Shai perked his head up at the sound of danger, and his expression was one of mania. "Does-does anyone need he—"
Twtw held him back. "Let the guards and medics here handle it. Can't help here. Not our responsibility."
"Ah— but it's Hasa—"
"As I said, not our responsibility, Shai," Twtw said. "Let our hosts handle it. It's the least of their responsibility."
Renenūtet, on the other hand, smirked as she watched the situation unhold. "Tough kid, eh?"
"He's... he's the one," Kebechet said, mesmerized by something else. "The one who was allowed to live again."

Assuming the guards didn't get in the way, Gisara hurried over to D'aillisioux, or at least got as close as he could. "H-hey, kid," he said. "Concentrate on your breathing. Inhale for four seconds, hold for seven, exhale for eight. You-you can get through this, you just need to calm down and focus."
The boy frantically nodded; Gisara watched as the girl next to him squeezed his hand, as she followed his directions to help guide him. The musician could sense her four-seven-eight breath, and it seemed that she was linked to the other lad.

Next to him, Eiko wandered close. "Dang it Hasan," the actor said.
"Does he always do this?" Kasem asked.
"Stupid stuff? Yeah..." Eiko sighed. "He's a good guy, just a little... doesn't think." Eiko watched as the guards and medics presumably moved. "Come on Kasem, I think they've got it handled, and it's rude to gawk if it's not a film." He turned around. "Let's go to the balcony before it gets crowded. I feel like some stargazing tonight."
With that, the two departed.

The Grand Dukes heard all what they had to say with interest, smiling at them and grateful they understood it was an misunderstanding and bad coordination for this to happen. They didn't had that much to say but for them they decided to take off their masks a minute and show their smiles at their guests.

"We appreciate your understanding and we are glad of your presence here." Marion said while keeping her kind smile while she put her mask back. Her husband taking the reigns now.

"It is hoped you all have fun tonight ladies and gentleman, that's the reason of this event; so please let go of any tension in your shoulders and make worth of the night to enjoy it." After that he put back his mask and let them go and enjoy the ball as they were now able to do so too after all their guests were greeted from now until they hear of those coming a bit later than the ones of now.

After that, of all things needed for the night it was a fight happening in middle of the ballroom; even more was the fact that they had to act quickly before anything bad happened or it went worse. The fact that a fight was happening didn't made no one happening. The guards already getting to search for the medics on their radios as they saw what happened alongside the guests that were around.

In just less than a five minutes and even less, the medics were present to tend Hasan while the guards were already making their way in to open a path for the medics to take the injured to the medical wing and to have an word with him and D'aillisioux. Gisara was lucky as the medics let him help considering his words to calm down the one that gave the kicks.

Of course, they also had to deal with the Exilvanians just appearing out of nowhere and Missus Kostka shadow appearing behind them; not only them, but also Lady Elizabeth. But before D'aillisioux could answer the Inspektionsleiterin and Crown Princess questions, the guards appeared and noticed them close to them.

"Alright all, please move out of the way, out of the way please." Some of the guards shouted as they requested everyone to stand back, some of them went to the trio and the one injured alongside his friend Menos, in order to make sure they gave all details of what happened and a warning as soon as they dealt with the crowd.

A soldier meanwhile, this one in a black uniform similar to the ones of the standard Royal Guard approached the two Exilvanians, blonde haired and violet eyes.

"Missus Kostka and Lady Elizabeth; please refrain of asking such questions to the respective person that you're glaring at." She said at the tall woman while glaring at her eyes, she wasn't that small and they were a few centimeters of the other, she was around the 1'95's. "If you could please follow me I will be grateful; you two will have time to talk with them if not ejected from the ball."

Meanwhile a white haired woman with the same uniform as her partner leading out the exilvanians glared at the five people present while the medics and some soldiers took Hasan to the medical wing. Her eyes serious and wanting for an explanation before having to communicate the hosts or Her Majesty.

"Please explain all of you what happened." That's all she said in a stern and cold voice.