Another Horizon IC

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Seeing Raiga approaching, Elthrad's dour expression was replaced with a welcoming smile. Part of his reason for coming to the event had been thinking about how out of place his friend would be, and he could tell that he had hit the mark with that assumption. At least he had acquired some of the local attire; Elthrad hadn't even tried to find out what garments would be acceptable at the feast.

"Neither do I," he said with a chuckle, acknowledging his own ignorance on Dansilan customs. "My strategy for this evening is to stay silent and discourage company." When in doubt, doing nothing was usually the safest wager, or so Elthrad believed.

"We can seek out the others if you wish, but the fewer of us there are in one place the less scrutiny we will bring," as if on cue, another one of the young 'heroes' approached with a distinct limp. "Well enough," he said, turning to Verek. "And I've never been one for parties, so I wouldn't know. Too much noise, too many… people," he finished, adding odd emphasis to the word. "How are your wounds healing?"
 
Because the other Fuckers be Lazy (Collab between Voltin, Psyka, Asuras, & Zombehs)​

Ashe, cheeks puffed from the food shoved in them, coughed lightly as a piece slipped into the part of the throat reserved for breathing as Raela issued a sudden greeting. The vampire always had a way of sneaking up on her... Clearing the debris with a good fist to the chest, she began to speak to her old classmate. "Ah, Raela, wasn't it? It's good to see you." Ashe managed to give her a small smile. "I was in the hospital bedridden for the past three days, so... I guess that answers both your questions, then?" She gave the vampiress a coy, if a little sad, smile, alluding to the fact that she had not in fact been bothered by the press. A godsend, if she had ever been given one. "You might be gaining a fanbase..."

Before more could be said, Araki had soon joined the duo, followed almost coincidentally by Alexa. A small frown formed at this happenstance as the girl gave her underclassman an almost cannibalistic look. "I'm well, Araki, and Alexa," she gave the girl a sharp, stern glare. "Behave."

Alexa simply smiled at Ashe and shrugged, taking another sip of her wine. "I've no idea what you're talking about, Ashie. If you're feeling protective of your little underclassman, you could always take his place."

A backwards glance was spared for Alexa, coupled with a polite nod, before he turned back to Ashe, basically oblivious to the alcoholic's attention. "That's good," he murmured before he glanced between the two girls, not quite sure what was going on between the two. Raela met Araki's gaze for a brief moment, eyes wide with much the same confusion. Her look between the other two girls, too, seemed to indicate she was clueless.

Ashe simply sighed with a pinch to the forehead at the confusion going about; realizing how much innocence she had lost spending her time around the other Illiserevian. "I have to ask," she said without changing posture. "Why have you all come to bother me? I'm currently trying to sulk." With the rather straightforward statement laid bare, and another server coming around with appetizers, she took four of them and shoved two in her mouth; aggressively eating her feelings, it seemed.

Alexa frowned, taking a hors d'oeuvres for herself and popping it into her mouth before moving to pat Ashe on the back in consolation. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked gently, while silently fuming at whatever bastard put her friend into this state. She had left her sword back at the inn, but there was still a talentium dagger strapped to the underside of her leg, underneath her dress.

Well at least he wasn't the only person that was lost in the conversation between the two. He did cross both his arms at Ashe's sigh as, despite not quite understanding why she'd done it, Araki did understand it was directed at him. "Just saw you and Raela together, figured I'd say hi," he answered honestly with a small shrug as he watched her savage the appetizers being carried about.

Ashe gave another sigh as Araki gave her a response, feeling terrible for how rude she was being. "Sorry Araki; didn't mean anything by it, just feeling a bit down…"
She turned to Alexa. "No, I don't really want to talk about it, but I know you'll bug me until I do tell…" She took a pause to breath. "E-Escellar, I had taken your advice and…" Ashe began to blush deeply,"Asked him to escort me here using that favor… It was hardly fifteen minutes after that he was pulled away by some other… woman." Her frown only deepened as she sighed again. "I didn't even get to hear his reason, so I'm just feeling a bit shitty, that's all."

Alexa immediately moved in to embrace Ashe, trying to comfort her. "I...I'm sorry." She said apologetically, while considering ways to break into Escellar's residence while armed later. "Well, at least there's plenty of libations around for you to drown your sorrows in." She joked as she let Ashe go, while gesturing for a server carrying cups of sake to bring the tray over. "Nothing better to deal with heartbreak than fried food and alcohol. And speaking of food, I think the curry might be done soon."

Well… he hadn't intended to try and guilt Ashe or anything with his gesture and Araki's arms flopped back down to his sides as a result. As Alexa and Ashe conversed amongst themselves once more, he grew decidedly uncomfortable with the topic at hand. With his initial concern over the two injured parties assuaged, he glanced around for some other place to be. The food seemed to be almost done as Alexa mentioned, but not quite ready for him to slip away to. As a result he spared a glance at Raela, hoping she was still just as lost as before.

"Well there's your first problem!" Raela exclaimed, shrugging with her item-filled arms almost to the point of spilling, "If he took you here on a favor, then that means… well. Shouldn't it be obvious?" she glanced between Alexa and Ashe briefly before continuing. "You've gotta put in your all, or something. Clearly he's being pulled on different sides by competitors, so you need to pull back, right?"

Well so much for that, his time amongst these three was up. Even with that hope dashed, he'd spotted some of the others from the group; the heavy armor one of them wore made it pretty damn easy. Amongst the three was the other injured member he hadn't managed to catch with his hospital visit. Aside from a slight bow to the three in conversation, Araki otherwise tried to slip away.

Araki didn't so much as slip off of Ashe's radar with the other two ladies there trying their best to console her with their very differing methods. Ashe simply shrugged at Alexa's mention of alcohol, not very interested in her currently depressed state, and she was already stuffing her face as it was; nothing like the mention of food when you already feel fat.

Raela's own prodding had only caused a very confused reaction of a deepening blush and a paling of the rest of her skin -- creating the impression that thunderclouds loomed over her head -- at the mention of being more forward with the man. "I tried that, Raela; you don't think that was hard enough for me as it was?" She felt tears welling in the corner of her eyes; a feeling that made her quickly rub her eyes, and ruining the light make-up she had went to the trouble of putting on. She didn't want to be pitied, yet knew this was the exact reaction she was probably giving.
"Perhaps it's best I just forget about him…" Ashe said this was a resigned sigh.

Alexa sighed, downing the rest of her wine glass in one go before setting it down. Since Ashe had refused the offer of alcohol, Alexa figured she may as well take a cup of sake for herself, which she did, sending the sake server away afterwards. She took a sip of the rice wine, trying to figure out how best to help her friend feel better. Since she was refusing alcohol and already stuffing her face, there really was nothing left she could think of besides a one-night stand, which Ashe probably wouldn't go for.

"Perhaps." She said in response to Ashe's last statement. "I certainly can't advise you any further than this, given that my own relationships haven't exactly ended prettily, as you very well know. If you want to slip out, I wouldn't blame you. Just tell me when and I'll cover for you."

Ashe simply stared at the ground for a moment, trying not to cry. Then, she began to laugh. "Wow, we're at a party and I'm being this much of a downer," she slapped both of the girls around her on the back. "And over a guy, too! You would think my entire life revolved around him!" She continued to chuckle, flicking a tear that had fallen. "Come on, come on; I can smell the curry, so it must be almost finished. Let's go find a seat and put this all behind us, yeah?" She got behind the pair, and with one hand one each of their backs, began to push them toward the wafting scent. Her head downcast, she began to think darker thoughts. 'Why am I trying so hard to validate who I am?'
 
There was a slight raising of one eyebrow by Verek in response to the way Elthrad said 'people'. He wasn't entirely sure of the man's meaning, though he didn't appear to be bemoaning Verek's presence too much. "You and Aresia would probably get along." he replied with a small upturning of the corner of his lip, "At least there aren't too many in this area, nor too much noise." In response to the man's question he subconsciously rubbed his leg where it had been wounded, "It's healing well enough, just waiting for limp to disappear now. Bastard got me good." His smile grew bigger in response to his obvious joke. "You guys look like you came out of the battle well. I was worried when that leg fell on you." The last part was directed towards Raiga.
 
Raiga's gaze was mostly towards the group of women when some speech was directed at him. Man... it was hard to recognise some of them from when they'd fought the rift beast; all of them were dressed in stunning clothing and generally looked stunning. He wasn't being a pevert or anything! ...He was just... y'know... new to all this.

"Huh?" Raiga mumbled dumbly, blinking a little before looking at Verek and processing his words. "Oh-" Raiga continued a little embarrassedly when he realised the words had been directed at him. "-Don't worry about it. Nothing healers couldn't fix; if it weren't for Elthrad here, I might've not made it at all." Raiga paused. "Now that I think about it... you were the one who threw the ice whip down, right? I still haven't thanked you for trying back there; it was my own fault, getting into that mess." A slightly awkward silence from Raiga followed; he wasn't used to being very social, and this whole fancy-pancy environment was somewhat threatening to Raiga, and he didn't know why. Maybe he was just too self-concious at times. Whilst the food looked nice, he massively preferred simple taverns to these kind of things.

As Raiga stood relatively still, he overheard a duo of two unknown party guests (or organisers, who knew) mumbling something or another about a dance. Raiga's eyes widened, and his face became slightly terrified.
"W-We don't have to dance, do we?" Raiga burst out without meaning to, glancing around himself and downing the rest of his wine glass in one sip from panic, before trying to regain his composure. His reason for his panic was quite strange. It wasn't fully because the idea of dancing with a woman frightened him, and it wasn't even because he was a bad dancer.
"Erm, I-I think I smell the curry, let's go see if the dinner's ready-!" Raiga said hurriedly to try and change the topic, walking off in somewhat of a rush as he rubbed his combed hair. It didn't take Gerald an extremely perceptive person to notice he was hiding something. This party was just as awkward as he'd imagined it; if not more. Hopefully it would end as soon as possible.
 
For better or for worse, Charlotte's near childish action of immediately consuming and hoarding food meant that she had been immediately separated from Aresia and Alexa upon arriving at the Dansilan festivities. Thanks to her comparatively abysmal performance in their great battle, she had the fortune to not be swarmed by all manner of guests, and was mostly left to her own devices as she began to sample the sake that was being carried around by waiters on silver platters.

The event was big enough that she was able to relax and enjoy the rather quaint Eastern style garden and have some meaningful discussions with other partygoers before she returned into the fray for some cream puff pastries, where she spotted the familiar trio of Ashe, Raela, and Alexa, the former of which appeared to be leading the other two in a rather unusual manner. She raised both eyebrows; was she always that forward? Ah whatever, it was time to stop being a lonely pastry eating solofag.

Catching up with the trio, she called out, with drink and plate in hand. "So that's where you three have been!"
 
"Aresia? We haven't properly met yet; there wasn't much socializing after the battle," Elthrad said to Verek. He thought of introducing himself to her later, there wouldn't be many better opportunities to actually talk to his fellow volunteer-fighters, but a brief memory of the fire she unleashed caused prickling sweat to rise on the back of his neck and a shiver to course down his spine simultaneously. However, Raiga's gratitude quickly distracted him from those thoughts. "Raiga is prone to exaggeration," he said with a joking smile. "My limited healing magic wasn't nearly that helpful. I did little more than find out he wasn't going to die."

"Have to dance?" Elthrad asked, looking down at his armor awkwardly. He still knew several dances that could be performed attired as he was, but it wouldn't do to dispense with his manly-knight facade so quickly, or flamboyantly. "I…" before he could finish his response, Raiga was on the move already. Well, I suppose dancing isn't for everyone, but I thought a graceful martial artist like Raiga would be more than comfortable dancing… he thought. With a shrug, he turned to Verek and gestured towards their departing companion, inviting his continued company. "Interested in sharing a meal with us?"
 
As the moon rose further, its silver light accentuated by the warmth of the lantern-stars, the party began full swing as the chefs finished adding the final touches to their meals. Large pots were filled with every kind of curry imaginable, as well as a variety of ingredients swimming within the thick sauce. It ranged from exotic ingredients like fish balls and fruits, to the standard of meat and potatoes. While one had to go up to the pots in order to be served, waiters and waitresses waltzed elegantly about in their kimonos and aprons, offering fresh fruits and drinks as appetizers for the party-goers. The more sugary sweets were set aside on a separate table, placed fancifully on tiered trays imported from Illiserev. It was almost as if whomever had organized this event had seen Ashe scarfing down copious amounts of baked sweets, and resolved to force her to consume healthier alternatives.

For some time, the guests were allowed time to eat and chat, before the thrums of strings could be heard, rippling down the musical scales. The strings were joined with the winds, a harmonic melody that rose up and down as the muscians on top of the grand tree tuned their instruments. A moment of silence was had, and then, with smiles on their faces, they bounced into the first piece of the night, a bouncy, energetic waltz thrumming with energy as they called addition to the field of wild flowers.

As soon as they started, the most unexpected face was seen on that field. Lucius Courtright, as grim as ever in his simple, black kimono, was dragged onto there by a spritely girl that couldn't even be half his age, before she prompted him to dance with her. Or, at the very least, play at dancing, because it was clear as night that neither parties knew how to dance…but it was enough to elicit a hearty laugh from the onlookers, at least.

Corinkarus was present as well, the bearded man laughing merrily alongside his colleagues as the group of elderly gentlemen got themselves drunk on the free alcohol. They weren't drunk enough to start making fools of themselves, thankfully, but some of the wisdoms that they parted to each other sounded rather…nonsensical, to put it nicely.

Following soon after was Eldren and Ellenil, the priest and the former captain forming an unlikely couple as they swirled about in a restrained, consistently circular manner, every step given an elegant flourish that was very much like the minimalistic style of Astopol.

With two polar opposites on the same field, other guests began to join in on the fun, and soon, the field was full of flowers, colorful ones that blossomed and spun, mingling with one another in a hypnotizing, alluring manner.


And, as the music continued forth, from across where she was standing, Ashe could see Escellar looking back at her, an apologetic smile on his face. Though he spoke no words, the green-haired man flourished his hand from that distance, dipping his head down in a small bow.

An invitation for a dance.​
 
[BCOLOR=transparent]"Hah!" Fion Seyour practically cackled in glee as he watched his rival make a fool of himself with a girl over ten years his younger. "I don't know what's better here," He snickered to himself as he sipped at his sake. "The fact that Courtright can't dance worth a damn or that he's just lost any right to snipe at me about us." Fion directed the last part of his sentence at his companion before draining his cup. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Come on," He stuck his hand out to her. "Up for a dance?" [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh, as if the great Fion Seyour doesn't love his belligerent bickering, and the tension it causes with Courtright." With this said, the young witch took a sip from her cup with a small roll of the eyes. It was water, seeing as how unlike the certain someone standing next to her, she had to get up in the morning. "And the last I checked, neither of us were exactly smooth on our feet, despite our synchronization in… other things." The girl was of course referring to their not exactly "romantic" dates on the field, but the coquettish smile she wore with the statement certainly did more than imply otherwise.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Lead the way, Mr. Seyour" Riley said. "I'm always up for embarrassing us." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Please," Fion scoffed as he led her onto the field. "I'd like to think I do that well enough on my own." And with that, he led her into the dance. Neither of them were exactly adept at the act, but they at least didn't manage to completely humiliate themselves. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"So," The heir to the Seyour family said conversationally as he twirled Riley around. "Still regretting not getting a crack at that Rift Beast yourself?" [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"No, not really." Her tone was as bland as the expression on her face. "I was busy working on something else, and you know exactly the way in which I prefer to fight. It wouldn't do either of us much good if scandal were to get out…"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Riley stepped on the heel of whoever was behind her.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Still, while we're on the topic; Eldren and I have been throwing theories around from the information collected from that brother-sister pair sent out. One that he proposed was that this attack wasn't exactly from a rift-beast…"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh?" Fion raised an eyebrow even as a misstep had him accidentally bumping into another couple. "This'll be good, then. What did he think it was, the Jeualians covering a God of War in a literal ton of flesh and blood?" [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Riley sighed at Fion's comments. "You dumbass; this isn't 'good', no matter what way you look at it. Mostly because we don't know 'what' it was yet, as his theory only goes that far. It still implies the possibility that this was an intentional act… This could be a start to another war." She glared at her partner.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Of course, this is mostly needless worrying on my part, with no real evidence to back it up, but I still don't see how you can find this to be a 'good' thing."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Because that was sarcasm." Fion rolled his eyes, sighing. "I swear, if it weren't for you and Courtright, I'd ditch all these damn politics and responsibilities and leave. Again." He let his customary smirk fall off his face for a moment. "I already fought through one war, and I'd rather not do that a second time." And without a beat, he cracked a grin once more as he led the dance. "But still, if this is all needless worrying, I suppose we'll be fine for now." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]His grin turned slightly malicious as he glanced over at Lucius across the field, who was still tied up in stumbling his way through the dance with his partner. "Think Courtright'll buy it if I kick him in the ass and call it an accident?" [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I'm glad that I'm on the same level as your true love Lucius over there." This quip was overshadowed heavily by the blush that had subconsciously overtaken her face, and her refusal to look Fion in the eye. She knew the sentiment that he was trying to get across, and it was making her swoon. Only a little, though.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"And you know how being in public makes me," this continuation was followed by her own suspicious peering around. "All skittish, lest someone accuses me of being a 'bitch' for lack of better," or rather, safer, as she wanted to say, "term." Riley was still rather dumbstruck that Fion's "sharp wit" hadn't been able to cut through her dense ego.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]After managing to step on her own foot, she spoke once again. "Go right ahead. I'll go get myself some more water. Feeling a little fatigued, after all this 'dancing', if that's what you want to call it."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"You do that." Fion said as he let the witch go. "I'm going to go see how much abuse Courtright can take tonight. I play my cards right, he loses it completely and we have a nice, dramatic duel in the middle of this feast. See you in a bit." With a wink and a grin, he started to make his way through the crowd towards hi[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]s rival.[/BCOLOR]
 
Breaking away from the girls went without so much as a hitch and Araki didn't have much trouble approaching the other three that'd helped with the Rift Beast. Just a bit away though, Raiga broke off from the other two after a bout of apparent nervousness. He spared a glance at the two other males, briefly recognizing Verek as Ashe's sibling, and gave a small wave in their direction, but otherwise hopped on after the fighter he'd wanted to speak with in the first place.

Given the size disparity between the two, he didn't manage to catch up until Raiga had stopped by the pots of bubbling curry. With the chefs currently doling out generous helpings, Araki figured what little he had to ask could wait until afterwards. As per usual, he went for one of the cream curries for its milder and heavy flavour that wasn't the typical fare of Dansila. Unsurprisingly, the same chefs that served that curry also offered more than just plain rice to couple with their dish. Flatbread wasn't the most elegant or cleanest way to eat curry, but boy was it delicious.

With a small feast balanced in one hand with the assistance of a bit of magic, Araki made his way towards Raiga once more. A light tap on his shoulder to get the other boy's attention, and then he asked, "Not a fan of fancy parties?"

From the centerpiece tree a cheerful tune rang out and signaled the start of the night's dance, and Araki looked at the field of flowers with a small smile. It didn't take long for the first dancers to make their way onto the stage and no doubt it'd fill up quickly enough. He turned away readily enough though, given he didn't see him stepping onto that stage in particular tonight and it was hardly polite to let his attention wander.
 
"Sure I'll join you." Verek replied to Elthrad's offer. As he turned to start walking after Raiga he realised he hadn't even properly introduced himself to the pair. He wasn't sure they had ever heard his name. Better remedy that just in case. After all he only knew their names because they'd naturally come out as they referred to each other about past events. "I don't think I've actually introduced myself." he said, holding out his hand towards Elthrad, "I'm Verek, an international student from Illiserev studying here." With that out of the way, once hands were shook, he also headed towards the food.

As the dancers began to twirl Verek took some time to watch them. "I don't think we'll have to dance." he mentioned to his two comrades when they had reached Raiga, whom had been joined by Araki, "Maybe if we were in the public section we'd have some admirers. But there aren't many people around here. Of course if you do get lucky if would be impolite to turn them down." That last bit might make Raiga sweat a bit more, all for his own good though.

It was then the ex-Astopolian Captain appeared on the dance floor. It sparked an idea in him. Elthrad was from Astopol unless he was mistaken, and he'd hit a dead end with Escellar. Perhaps another line of inquiry would prove more fruitful while creating a contact for his future. Gathering his own food he turned his attention to Elthrad, "How much do you know about the ex-captain?" he asked, "I haven't heard much myself and for obvious reasons I couldn't attend the lecture she was here to provide." When she was done with her current partner he may have an opening to approach her. of course during such an event he wouldn't be so boorish as to ask about the stone.
 
"Not a fan of fancy parties?"

Looking over his shoulder, Raiga momentarily stopped loading his plate up with curry, giving a quiet chuckle and a nod when he saw another boy from the mission.
"H-heh, you got that right..." Raiga chuckled, turning around and wiping back his hair nervously. People had started dancing, but - thank the Gods - none of the women seemed interested in dancing. Good.
"When it comes to tons of people in one place, I just... can't. And when it comes to posh stuff, I just... can't either. This is a mixture of both." Raiga paused, deftly taking a fork and trying some of the stuff on his plate. "...Mm. Well, at least the food is a bonus." Raiga added. Whatever the curry was, it almost tasted like home... the spices, the texture; the cooks behind this really knew what they were doing. Raiga dumped a little more curry onto his plate, before settling down a little.

Elthrad and Verek caught up to him soon enough, and Raiga ate whilst watching the dancers somewhat fearfully.
"I don't think we'll have to dance. Maybe if we were in the public section we'd have some admirers. But there aren't many people around here. Of course if you do get lucky if would be impolite to turn them down." Verek said. Raiga gulped down his mouthful of food nervously. Stay away from the public section: got it.
"E-eh... I'm hoping I won't 'get lucky' tonight. Refined women repel from me like a magnet, thank the Gods..." Raiga said, with a mutter under his breath towards the end. What he said was mostly true; even when his hair had been fashioned in a more smart manner, it was still a little scruffy. How much did girls care about hair, though? Or appearance in general, for that matter - it was all a mystery to Raiga.

Thankfully, he seemed to be safe tonight nonetheless.

Raiga sort of supposed he should start a comversation somehow, but all he could really think about was that Rift Beast. And going on about that didn't seem appropriate, anyway... best to forget. Even if being in this party was uncomfortable beyond belief for him, it was nice to have some company, and make some new friends. Tough times were most likely ahead, after all.
 
[BCOLOR=transparent]As Charlotte walked up to the group, Alexa greeted her with a nod and a cheerful wave. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Evening, Charlotte. Hope you haven't stuffed yourself too badly yet." She smirked, knowing her friend's habit of hoarding food in her belly. "They're about to put the curry on, after all." Alexa said, finishing off her cup of sake and grabbing another one from a nearby waiter. "Come on! Let's go get stuffed." She gestured to the curry pots that were beginning to serve out plates, her face flushed. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]At the mention of curry, Charlotte looked down at her plate of pastries with a momentary look of regret. But she knew mealtime traditions such as eating dessert after a meal was just an arbitrary distinction of etiquette and nobody gave a damn anyway. With a wave of a half-filled cup of sake, she greeted Alexa again. "If this function lends itself to be as good as it is, that curry should be amazing," she commented, taking the lead in their new quest for glorious curry. [/BCOLOR]"Don't get too shitfaced with the drinks though, ya?"

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Please," Alexa scoffed as they walked. "It's free alcohol on a night of celebration. If I don't wake up in the morning wanting to die, I've clearly done something wrong." As they approached the curry pots, Alexa made a beeline for the one serving fish curry, getting a plate of it with sides of rice and flatbread. Taking a piece of bread, she scooped some curry up with it and took a bite, followed by several more. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I'll make sure to spoonfeed you medicine tomorrow, then," retorted Charlotte, finishing the remaining cup of sake and handing it off to a passing waiter. She fell silent for a few moments as she collected a plate for beef curry and rice, beaming widely as she took several bites herself. "Nothing in Illiserev can top this." [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I know, right?" Alexa gushed, still devouring her plate of spiced fish curry. As they feasted, the dance began, and Alexa grinned widely as Escellar gestured to Ashe for a dance. Not a total cad after all, it seemed. Laughing, Alexa prodded Ashe forward. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Go, go!" She encouraged in between bites. "The food will be here when you get back. Probably. We might eat it all, but that shouldn't stop you. Get to dancing!"[/BCOLOR]
 
While following Raiga to where the curry was being served, Elthrad accepted a fresh pear from a passing waitress. Weighty dishes such as curry never seemed to sit well with him, so he preferred to fill up on lighter, more refreshing treats such as fruit. Elthrad accepted Verek's hand, giving it a brief but firm shake before letting go. "Well met, Verek of Illiserev. I introduced myself before the battle, but in case you've forgotten I'm Elthrad, a Knight-Errant," he replied, ending with a bite of the pear. As the first dancers began taking the floor, he added his deep laughter to that of the other onlookers as he saw how inexperienced they were. Still, it was enough that they were having fun, and their bravery might inspire some less confident onlookers to step out onto the field themselves.

The half-elf turned away from the dancers as he reached Raiga, and greeted yet another participant of the battle with a friendly nod. "There seem to be plenty of guests here, many without dance partners as of yet," he said to Verek. "Particularly considering none of us 'heroes' have ventured out onto the field." Spotting a waiter with a tray of what he hoped were alcoholic beverages, he waved the man over to their group. He accepted a cup of that local drink and was about to take a sip when Verek asked about Ellenil, causing him to pause with the cup to his lips. Yes, I'm going to need this, he thought, downing the beverage in a long gulp and placing the empty cup back on the server's tray.

"Back in Astopol, before I was knighted, I served in a company called the Blue Lances and was trained by Knight-Captain Mariwen Keep," he began, taking a second drink from the server's tray and gesturing towards it to invite the others to grab their own. "The Knight-Captain was Esprit's superior, so I saw her intermittently throughout my training; however, our interaction ended there, and I was not inclined to investigate her further," Elthrad finished with clinical precision, waiting for the first effects of his alcohol to kick in. His response had been awkwardly mechanical, and he hoped there would be no further prying.

Hearing Raiga audibly not enjoy himself once again, Elthrad turned to his friend. "Nonsense! Just have a few drinks. Then, once we're comfortably doused in alcohol we can mingle with the other guests and make fools of ourselves," it was hard to tell how much of that was sarcasm, particularly since Elthrad punctuated the statement by downing his second drink and reaching for a third. As if on cue, he saw some of the women from the battle approaching a nearby pot of curry, perhaps if his inhibitions eroded quickly enough he would end up dancing after all, he thought, finishing his third drink. He had been dead set on not enjoying this feast since arriving, but after listening to the others he realized someone would have to lead these men towards revelry, and as a Knight of Astopol it was his duty to help those who could not help themselves. Yes, I'm quite noble, he thought with a smile while pondering another drink.
 
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As the party continued, Aresia was enjoying her free time. With literally no one to bother her, not even her employer, she soon decided to check out some of the food. As the evening progressed, especially how it progressed, it was now safe enough to assume that none of the guests would bother her anymore in regards to her fame. Making her way towards the buffet table she had pretty much only one delicacy in mind: The very same the helping Charlotte brought her as a gift.

The maid butler got only to the fourth dango as a familiar voice called out to her. "Awwwesia!" Considering the voice and the fact that an arm got wrapped around her it wasn't hard to guess who it was, which also meant the maid butler naturally raised her hand between her face and the side the person was on. Resulting in a kiss on said hand instead on the maid's cheek. "Owwwh, ve haven't seeen us in aaaaaaaaages and you soooooo meeaaaannnn!" Having fend off the initial assault, Aresia now had time to be actually surprised. The familiar voice belonged to no one other than Letis Nulah, the Blazing Fist of Nifflheim, one of the five strongest Muspellzheimr practitioners that ever walked on earth. Rumours say while her basic Sword Arts are based on Muspellzheimr, she has in fact adopted a way more unique and advanced style, though no one was ever left alive to confirm said rumours. She was usually comfortable to be around...except when drunk, even worse than Alexa.

Nonetheless she was her superior and Aresia had to pay her respects. Giving her a surprised smile the maid butler asked. "What are YOU doing here?" Looking even sadder than before, Letis seemed seriously offended. "Whaat? Can't I viiisit my puupil once in a whiiiile? Hehe...knoooow that handsome blooonde thaaaaat I used too work for? W-Wee marrieed! And for our honeymuun weee travel round the world! B-But you see! Awesia being f-fammous and all, Iiii just had to tooo use that chaaance and say hellow!" That blonde...that blonde...there were a lot of blonde people, and ultimately, Aresia couldn't quite recall who she meant. But marrying...your love...Aiv... . Aresia shook her head to get those silly thoughts out and Letis seized that chance, even that drunk she still had a lot of power and easily forced her mouth onto the maid butlers ear. God, the smell of alcohl was just horrible. "Buuut yoooouuu knooow I am alwaish freee foor cuuute little puupils like yooouuu~" Yeah, there were more rumours around Letis than just her combat power...but those were some that the maid butler rather not liked to confirm with her own power. Putting some distance between the two, as Letis wasn't really that silent anyways Aresia gave just a friendly nod. "I'm terribly sorry but I'll pass. How about we go outside and get some f-" Being drunk, Letis was living in her own world. "Outshide! Yaaaay!" Grabbing Aresia, she forcefully dragged her along towards the clearing...where she started to dance. Now, Letis wasn't a bad dancer, and neither was Aresia, after all, being an escort was also a path some maids took. "WOOOHOOO~~!" The only problem was, Letis didn't care what kind of music played, and she was dancing in her own rhythm, and forced Aresia alongside it. Who was clearly not amused.
 
Ashe was one of the first to start filling her plate with food as it was served, seeing as how all the appetizers seemed to be drifting in the opposite direction in which she was moving. Gratuitous portions of rice, and three different curries all thrown on top of the resulting garbage pile of food. It was certainly no normal portion of food for a girl to be eating, but she was fresh out of the hospital, and a frequent user of runetech; it was natural for her to be a little more than famished with how little of the awful hospital fare she had eaten, and her energy was always being spent just for the little convenience the magic afforded her.

Soon, the music would begin playing, entrancing all with the intricate harmonies of a full string ensemble. The disinterest in such things that Ashe felt was at its minimal, seeing as how her date had been dragged away by another woman. She had nearly finished her plate of food before seeing the shining, green-headed figure of Escellar, beckoning for a dance. The witch stood there, mouth drooping in surprise, no words manageable in her shock; not even the blush she was used to wearing when dealing with the man.

Still, not even needing the good-humored encouragement from Alexa, she took a few forward. A few steps more, and the nerve was wearing off; thankfully, a tray had been left unattended with a few glasses of sake still there. Downing them, she moved forward, in front of the boy who had been haunting her dreams since she saw him. With a little awkward bow on her part, they began to dance. Not being able to look him in the eye, she began to speak. "I thought you had forgotten about me..."
 
The rune tech inventor smiled, shaking his head. "No," he replied with a laugh, "I'm not that forgetful of a person. Though I do have to apologize. My sister can be a little pushy at times."
~
As the night wore on, eventually, even Elthrad and the other guys got lucky, as, rather coincidentally, a group of girls bumped into them and eventually plucked up enough courage to ask them out for some dancing.

Food was had, drinks were drunk, and dances were done, the brilliantly shining moon becoming the host of that night's party. It outshone even the lanterns strung up above, as they were blown out one by one. Finally, bathed solely in the quicksilver glory of the full moon, the party came to a close. Ellenil, the host, never spoke much at all, the nymph-like author disappearing partway through the celebrations. Courtright, through an awesome display of willpower, managed to ignore all of Fion's harrassment up until the girl he was dancing with stepped in and told the Jetstream Sword Arts user to stop bullying her father. After that, things got rather awkward between the four, and both men's reputations were irredeemably slaughtered.

Eventually, one by one, guests began to leave, and, after half an hour, the courtyards were empty, save for servants milling about to clean up.

It was a quiet night, as everyone headed home, the parties outside long having ceased.
 
While he didn't particularly mind parties, Araki never really made it his goal to socialize too much during them either. "Each to their own," he said with a small shrug before adding, "but it's good to see you're well enough to attend." As the two others joined Raiga in the lineup to be served, he turned his attention towards the man in plate though it wasn't held for long. Given the story wasn't told all that enthusiastically, Araki guessed it it'd better to leave it alone.

At the man's response to Raiga's complaints Araki's expression soured for a moment before it was recomposed. Of course, it was only natural that such a course of action might be taken given it was a party and Elthrad seemed fully intent to see it through. Didn't mean that he had to stay around and get involved though, so without much trouble he slipped away through those that had gathered for the food. Hopefully the three wouldn't end up too inebriated, but well now it wasn't his problem if they did.

The rest of the night passed peacefully enough and Araki couldn't find any fault with it. Good food and music, nice atmosphere, and no trouble either. While most attendees had ended up on the clearing with a partner one way or another, it seemed that he was allowed a reprieve from the tradition given his younger age. Well that and he had no problem with devouring enough food for several people; any prospectives didn't interrupt his meals, or perhaps simply got scared off sometime during the night.

As the flames above flickered out on their own to signal an end to the celebration, Araki watched the attendees filter out of the garden for a moment. Directing his plate to the numerous stacks around the place with a flick of his finger, Araki glanced around for anyone he might have known that was still around or perhaps simply unable to leave the grounds of their own volition.
 
Raela's initial interaction with the start of dance during the party was one of nostalgia and melancholy. Though the citizenry of Dansila were far more often dressed in the kimonos intrinsic to its culture, the act of dance was a universal language, and one that hearkened her memory back to the days when she was still being taught to be, "the perfect lady." Her father, more often than not, was her dancing partner during lessons, though on several occasions she had been paired with an equally incompetent vampire boy. A desire for her father to be there, at the party, washed her face with a look of longing.

Within minutes however, she was pulled from the sullen state by vaguely familiar voices; their faces, as she looked up to them, were far more recognizable. Flirty individuals of both gender had caught her presence and asked her to dance. Raela supposed it was good then to have "food friends" in higher places. Though she rarely went to the same person twice for a blood meal, her charisma and charm with them had earned more than a few good words from the student body and beyond.

Raela was privy to more dances with too many people, she had lost count by the end, reduced to a slumped mess of exhaustion, and probably a bit more offered alcohol than she'd intended to drink. Still, she managed to pick herself up eventually, drunkenly tapping her forehead as she repeated over and over that she should have tried to speak with the captain, Ellenil Espirit. What she couldn't remember, however, was why she had even thought to do so.
 
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Verek watched the knight errant downing drinks as the pair spoke, oddly disinclined to drink, at least alcohol, himself. It wouldn't be good to be slurring his words later. Elthrad had very little he was willing to share with him about the ex-captain though the tone of his words implied there was more he wouldn't indulge. Give the alcohol some time to work Verek thought to himself. He ate his food slowly as the dancers continued, noting his sister was there with Escellar. She looked a little off, probably from the drink, but he knew she would be enjoying the dance. As Elthrad happily took the drink and pushed Raiga out of his comfort zone Verek joined in the encouragement. It seemed the trio might enjoy themselves after all. He'd also make sure he introduced himself to Raiga when the opportunity arose, just to be sure.

***​

Unfortunately for the teen the ex-captain was allusive as she was charming and was gone from the party before he could find the right moment to approach her and introduce himself. He would have to find another chance. He passed the rest of the night chatting with the others and politely accepting the offer of the girls to dance, though his footwork was hindered somewhat by the limp much to the humour of the his dance partner's friends. After a single dance he bowed out, saying the girl deserved a better dance partner than he. He continued to watch the drama and dance with a few more meals to warm his belly.

***​

With the parties both within and without the garden finished Verek found himself waiting by the entrance to the area, free to talk to anyone who passed by. He was in truth waiting for Ashe as he didn't wish to leave without saying goodbye after the pair didn't talk all evening. He yawned widely and scratched the wound on his leg, last time I dance for awhile he though to himself. He spotted Araki doing the same as him and Raela drunkenly moving about after a hard night. With another yawn he continued to wait.
 
Raiga gave a resentful sigh, before deciding to take Elthrad's advice. He couldn't just mooch around for the rest
"Eh, I guess you're right..." If he was going to stick around this party for a while, then he might as well try to enjoy himself. Raiga didn't drink often, but he certainly wasn't a lightweight; if he was going to drink, he was gonna do it properly.
"Here goes... cheers." Going all-in, Raiga grabbed a shot glass, downing shot after shot almost mechanically, until he finally stopped at six shots. None of the sophisticated people seemed to be watching at the time, so hopefully he wouldn't be automatically classed as an alcoholic rabble to be avoided at all costs.

"That oughta do it~" Raiga said with a small slur. He was staggering a little, but took all six of the shots surprisingly well. Even if he was still mostly sober, he loosened up a bit, laughing and talking much more than usual.

And then out of nowhere, a flock of kawaii girls appeared. Shit. Shitshitshit - the dance was still happening, and they didn't seem to have partners. Raiga would've figured out some way to avoid this, but the alcohol had relaxed him far too much. And besides... they were - uh... y'know. All wasn't lost though, hopefully they'd ignore hi-

"Um... you're... Raiga, right?" One of said girls suddenly said, light blue eyes suddenly facing his. Her hair was long, platinum-blonde and neat, adorned in a dress that was smart, but indicated she wasn't super-posh or anything. A smart Raiga would've said 'no', but a slightly drunk Raiga was opposite.
"Yesh- uh, I mean... ...yes." Raiga mumbled awkwardly, clearly caught off guard. The girl must've found his dumbness cute, or was his fan or something, because before he knew it-
"Then... may I?" She asked, holding out her hand and gesturing to the dance floor. Raiga was processing.
"...Wait, wha...? Me? I... uh... I-" Raiga spluttered. The girl smiled, then giggled. Fucking hell, any normal girl would walk off at this point, maybe she was drunk.
"Well, yeah - I don't see any other Raiga in the room~. Unless I'm not good enough for to dance with heroes..." She ended, looking sadly at the floor.
"I-" Raiga paused. This kawaii little shit had him in checkmate. If he made up an excuse here, he'd feel terrible when the girl walked away. If he politely refused, the same outcome would still occur. Giving a mental sigh, Raiga placed his hand in hers, doing the gentlemanly thing in a situation like this.
"Of course not." Raiga gently took the hand, taking a note out of Elthrad's book in the way he spoke and stood. Raiga knew he couldn't be all 'uh' 'hm' 'ehhh' and slouch around in his usual manner with a lady in his presence.

"So... shall we?" Raiga offered.

It was obvious the woman had been bluffing, because a bright smile instantly appeared on her face as she dragged him to the dance floor. Ugh.. well, it wasn't like he had anything else to do. Besides... she was cute n'stuff. The truth was, Raiga was actually a fantastic dancer, and it was kind of a hidden thing he didn't want people to know. He'd just feel stupid if that's what he'd be known for. To his relief though, the current song and dance was far too slow and relaxed to show any actual skill. Thank the lords... maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Eventually, the party ended; the dance was way more relaxing and pleasant that Raiga anticipated, and the girl seemed satisfied enough when he copied Verek's tactic of saying there was a better guy in the room for her. Raiga even picked up a little kiss on the cheek before she ran off. Thank the Gods he'd managed to stay mostly sober, otherwise things could've gone really really bad. Although alcohol improved his enjoyment, he was still glad the party was over.

This party was just a 'lucky break', though. It wouldn't have been held in their honour if somebody had spectated the whole fight; the group's tactics were all over the place. The serious matter at hand was the Rift Beasts; Raiga hadn't forgotten for a second about that. Especially after he'd seen what they could do. Tomorrow, he needed to start getting more prepared. For the fight with those monsters... was far from over.



 
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