Chapter 116 - The Gala Part 1

At long last… AT LONG FUCKING LAST! The time had finally come, for the Gala now dawned on everyone involved.

It was early into the evening hours, with the stars shining brightly while the moon only showed itself partially, and Nico himself stood before the entrance to the Basilicom itself. It was open, and there was a large crowd assembled before it in an ordinary line of pairs: one Noble and one bodyguard. There would be more Bodyguards for come Nobles like the Dukes and Counts, but they would be ushered in from other entrances to the Basilicom, entrances few people knew about. Nico himself knew of those however, as he had some 'special clearance' granted to him by Stefan himself, according to his Invitation.

'At last… the day has finally come…' the red-haired teen thought to himself, clenching his fists. His shone with determination, masking his hidden trepidation about this place. There was much more at stake here, stakes that could not only impact him, but everyone in Leanbox as well. This would be a battle of wills, words and hidden meanings. At least, that was what he had learned.

Nico had chosen to adopt a more formal apparel for this Gala. Nico absolutely LOATHED parties like these, there was no question there. Not only because of the circumstances but also out of personal preference. He was a soldier, he would rather be on the battlefield. The male figured that IF would somewhat eel the same, though her feelings might be lowered in disdain thanks to the possibility of Vert being here. Even if he hated parties like these and never attended them normally, his mother did teach him about how to dress and act like some proper officials. It was knowledge that he could use for whenever he were to e sent on infiltration assignments, even though those were rare in and of itself.

In the end, Nico wore a black, double-breasted suit with golden buttons and a tie together with a long-sleeved buttoned crimson red shirt. The shit sported a long V like opening down his torso, exposing the shirt and tie. He wore a matching set of dress pants and polished black slacks, while his hair had been styled differently as well. Instead of that bad-boy look he wore before, his hair had been straightened and brushed over his right eye, similar to his other hairstyle. He had placed his Ticket inside an inner breast pocket before coming to this Gala, as well as hid his Bracers beneath his shirt and suit sleeves. Never went anywhere with those things, they were essential to him after all.

'Yes, it is time at last. Our preparations will hopefully bear fruition in this situation. We had to go to great lengths near the end weeks of our waiting to gather the information we needed for this Gala, mixing it in with our training. Soul Edge at least go a satisfying workout carrying you from place to place.'

'Yeah, isn't that the truth…' the male thought, mentally chuckling to himself, especially when he sensed the chortle coming from the mentioned Devil Arm. A chortle of glee that it was able to get some exercise, to show off its powers in front of the other Devil Arms. With the wacky relationship of trying to undermine each other in his eyes, it felt like he was carrying bunch of brats in his soul rather than potent weapons of mass destruction and chaos. Even if they were restrained by his willpower.

Still, to the issue at hand Soul Edge's telekinesis had gotten a significant boost in strength thanks to constantly carrying him about through the air when he went to different places to gather information. It made him realize that this Sword's abilities had other uses aside from battle, especially the Telekinesis If he applied it in different scenarios. Depending on the skill one has with this ability, they could cause all sorts of damage, lie for example extremely skilled Telekinetics could focus only on the vocal chords and the controls for the mouth of a person, to make them say whatever they want. After all, the basic definition of Telekinesis is any ability that involves using the mind to influence/manipulate/move matter/objects. Something like that would likely take an extreme level of skill and competency to pull off, something Nico didn't have yet.

Still, for transportation or the manipulation of the environment to his advantage, Soul Edge pulled through.

While not a politician by nature, Nico had heard many stories about politics, and from what he could tell they were basically like battles, but with words instead of weapons. He would much rather be fighting enemies openly, but cockroaches seem to lead here and the stench of them is the poison of the nation.

The tongue was the greatest threat in political battle, as well as the knowledge of the other parties. It was a concept that was almost alien to Nico, as he was more suited for direct combat than this shit, but he had to change and adapt to overcome that thanks to Stefan inviting him to this shithole that was supposed to be fun (but it failed the instant it invited more than two of those vermins).

Now that he thought about it, Nico hadn't expected this to be this big of a deal. The Gala had been planned to be late in the evening, so people had time to put on their formal wear while those who were in the business of politics spent time prepping their political speeches, topics of conversation for the management of their territories. Well, officially it was to put matters of their territories on day so as to not disturb the good work they did for their people, but most are probably just banging/raping some poor girl or boy (Goddess knows that there are some nobles that would bang their dogs if they could).

As for those who would not be Nobles, it was likely that they were Spec Ops and the Guild Agents, hell even the escorts/bodyguards. They would be separated from the rest of the Nobility once they would enter the Basilicom, drawn to different rooms where they could mix and mingle while representing those that they are escorting. This was to further expand the separation of classes, the common folk and the Nobles.

Or as some nobles would say, it is to not pollute the air with their filth.

Even then the lower ranked Nobles were still treated better than a common person. Though, the full luxuries would be passed on to the Dukes and Counts, since they held the greatest political powers throughout the Landmass.

Staying with the other Agents, that would be what he would be doing once he was allowed inside, and while it might pose a problem since it would mean he wouldn't be near those that he needed to talk to, Nico had already figured out ways to get them to come to him. If he was thinking what he thought he was, then it would be likely that they would come to him or at least send someone to bring him to them. Not to mention, this actually felt a, little relieving, knowing that he would be surrounded by people who were similar to him, yet it was also an anxiety-causing experience to know that he would be near people who he didn't know and would likely actively try to kill him should he let anything unfavourable slip.

It felt… more than a little strange that despite having monsters from hell trying to kill him constantly he had to fear humanity even more… it's a strange world that he lived in. Then again, even with all these horrors in the world, humans can be the greatest monsters.

'Still, I don't see the girls at all. You think that they might be late?'

'No, I sense that they are already within the Basilicom. Chances are while you were making last minute checks to your preparations, they were already making their way to the Gala. If I were to guess, then it would either be IF or Neptune's doing. The latter due to wanting to eat at a buffet, you know how much she likes to eat. As for the former, she would likely want to meet Lady Green Heart again, to talk to her about matters of the state. Well, more like girl talk, however I will not put it past IF to ask.'

Well, that explained that the, Nico thought to himself as he slowly walked down the line, awaiting his turn to be ushered in with baited breath. Looking around, Nico had to whistle under his breath at the amount of Guards posted throughout the premises. Throughout the day that the Gala was meant to be held on, the Basilicom had closed its doors to all regular services, for they would be spending the majority of the day preparing for the Gala. Its doors were locked shut, and guards were posted in front of the gates. Not only that but there was a border patrol assigned to the surroundings in case any ruffians tried to enter.

There had been more than a few people who had tried… with not so favourable results.

As he got closer and closer to where the Bouncer, a large, bulky man wo looked like he would have won more than a few wrestling tournaments in his day, Nico gripped his fits to alleviate the tension. This was one of the few times he wished he could just summon some of his weapons for comfort. Seriously, this tension was NOT the type that he was used to, he felt like he was walking into the figurative lion's den the more he stayed out here. Maybe he could see during some private time if Soul Edge could shapeshift into some form of accessory, at least THEN he would have something g else to calm his nerves. If only he could have done that sooner, but he had been more preoccupied with his preparations for this political battle than things like this.

'Calm yourself. This is nothing compared to the battle with that Demon Prince that ambushed us. We have fought against perils much greater than this human could ever hope to compare against.'

Biko's words, seemingly haughty and condescending yet said with that near-emotionless tone, reverberated through his mind, Nico mentally clinging onto tem while he took several breaths to calm himself down. He closed his eyes and took one final breath, his fists unclenching at last as if all the tension suddenly left him. His Demon Persona had a point, compared to the things that he had fought in the past, this battle would be nothing. Demons, Demon Princes, they were much more than this bouncer ever could be, he'd be an ant compared to them. An ant they would trample over with their boots. If he could survive against THOSE odds, then something like THIS would be childsplay for him.

Finally, Nico approached the Bouncer, who looked him up and down with what he assumed to be disinterest, since his eyes were covered by shades, as he wrote on his clipboard. "Name?" he asked with equal disinterest, not really calling who he was, and really that was something to be expected.

"DEATHSTROKE." Nico curtly replied, keeping his tone as level and disinterested as the Bouncer's.

However, the moment that he said that name the Bouncer looked up, suddenly looking like he had swallowed something electric. Though thanks to the shades that he sported, the male couldn't see how his eyes were, just guessed It based on the positions of his sockets. "You that Nico kid, then?" the guy questioned, surprising Nico with the slight increase in intrigue. Though, the teen nonetheless nodded warily, wondering what he was doing with that information. Why was it that he was surprised? It was his name, nothing more. "You got yourself recommended to the Nobility section, you'll be allowed to the Main Hall where the worshipping usually goes down. Thank the Goddess Lady Green Heart, Stefan Von Kessel, and the head himself Yvoire." He told te crimson haired DPU.

Now THAT got Nico's attention, as he subtly nodded and stepped inside the Basilicom. Though he could hear the whispers from Nobles behind him, he didn't even bother to acknowledge them. Not when he had something more important to think about. The fact that he was allowed to be where the Nobles were, wasn't something that surprising, well, not as much when compared to the fact that YVOIRE, a man who had been quite loathing towards his profession, had helped get him in.

There had to be some sort of catch to this some form of plan that needs him to be in the close vicinity of the head priest to be conducted, even an idiot on the political sense (like him, unfortunately, he had to admit that) could see this one a hundred miles away. But, what could that be?

Whatever it may be, Nico should probably look into that while he mingled with the other Nobles (it's seriously amazing how destiny could fuck him over even on a 'fun' party), as apparently, he would be there with the rest of them now. Also, if he was allowed there, then odds were that his Party and possibly Team RAIL would be there too. So many players in the same room. The chess pieces have all grouped together… now, all there had to be done was to judge the 'worth' of the individual 'pieces'. Or in other words, decide who is worth it and who would be better off as a meat shield (goddess knows that some of the nobles could probably shield thousands due to how fat they are).

That was what he thought when heading to the main hall.


'…Whoa…'

When Nico finally found the main worshiping hall, memories returned to him. He remembered the first time he came to this place when he was with the girls, how it looked, how it felt and what it was like at the end. He remembered their first interaction with Yvoire, how that had been almost like a battle of wills between him and the elderly head priest. Despite being the head of the Leanbox Military, Yvoire had a specific hatred for the Spec Ops program. Yet, out of all the haters for it, this guy was the one who put the stability of the Nation above anything including zealous hate.

Now, he was only remembering all this because he was trying to find some form of connection. A connection between what it was then… and what it was like now. For you see, the entire main hall had completely transformed, there was quite literally nothing left that reminded him of what it once was. No longer did it have that 'worshiping' vibe to it, but instead it looked like the center of a bustling metropolis with Leanbox orchestra music playing throughout the main hall.

The main hall, if people are curious, had become a literal ballroom, with tables scattered around the edges of the large room and a large space had been cleared for dancing in the middle of the room. The tables contained lots of different foods, filling the air with their stench (in Nico's eyes anyways). The teen had to withhold a grimace at the smells that filled his nostrils. Nico nearly lost it to the urge to cover his nose like he was pinching it to keep the smell out. That would look more than a little suspicious, not to mention it would clue outsiders in on his secret. 'Ugh, this shit is so disgusting…'

'I seem to recall that there was a time when you, even in this condition, were able to eat human foods. Even if you were this way from the beginning when you woke with partial amnesia.'

Nico hummed at that, remembering those times as well, a fond smile forming on his lips while he made his way through the Main Hall, searching for his comrades. 'You're right. Back then, I was able to briefly eat human foods due to… well, for psychological reasons. You see, My mind refused t acknowledge my inner beast for a time, to the point where I would see myself as completely human to the point where I could eat human foods. It would reject anything that would indicate otherwise, and this lasted for a couple months.'

'What happened then?'

'My… eyes were… opened.'

The teen closed the link after saying that, ending their mental conversation right there with his mood soured. His eyes briefly darkened, before he hid it back behind his mask. He may be getting the hang of using IT again, but the scars would always remain, nothing would ever change that. Yet, Nico remembered those times of peace, blissful peace when he lived with Compa and her grandfather. Well, it was more like he had 'caged' himself at the time, a cage he had placed there due to his repressed memories. They must have been so bad that he would reject everything, everything to do with his inner beast. It had only worked for a few months though, before everything his mind had worked for would come undone, nearly causing him to 'break'.

It was a good thing that he wasn't around anybody when it had happened.

Shaking his head, Nico forced those thoughts to the back of his mind for now. He had more important matters to attend to than to reminisce about past times. If he could, he would have slapped his cheeks with both hands, but that wasn't an option. Right now, he had several tasks to do that must be completed and could only be so during this Gala. Already he could hear the Nobles mingling about, some (read: a LOT) already whispering about him with various negative, demeaning comments. There were a rare few who were looking calculative at him though, so he decided to stay WELL away from those.

After all, he didn't want to get involved in whatever schemes they were cooking up.

'Alright, I have my information, so I should probably look for the ideal candidate who would receive it. The best person, aside from Vert, whom I doubt will want to get involved in this shady business, would be... ugh, that annoying old asshat, Yvoire.' Already he could see this going to go poorly, the second that man's name entered his mind. He doubted he could keep his cool around that guy for long, he usually tried his patience so much with that condescending look he always had when Nico was around. Talking to him felt like talking to a brick wall sometimes, and he remained steadfast in the older ways. Probably because he is old enough to be alive since the foundation of this nation, goddess knows how many wrinkles the old idiot has.

Still, this needed to be done, so Nico had to swallow his pride and locate the guy. Despite his misgivings about the head priest, Yvoire was definitely a capable member of the Basilicom's staff. Not only that, but he also served as the head of the Leanbox Military, giving him considerable power and influence over political decisions. His power could actually rival that of a Duke's now that Nico remembered the political system Leanbox had to go for it. Also, even with his prejudice against anything Spec Ops and non-Leanbox in origin, Yvoire might be one of the more 'TOLERABLE' ones in this shithole.

Goes to show just how bad the other wastes of space that calls themselves nobles were, huh?

Aside from Yvoire, he also needed to locate the Nobles that were connected to Count Mott. That asshole had shady written all over him, more so than regular Nobles, as according to his research, that guy had been up to a number of dealings, and while there were seen as unproven rumors, Nico had enough experience under his belt to know that these rumors may have some truth to him. The fact that he had… personal experience with some of his ploys had some say in this as well.

At first, Nico wanted to just invade his mansion, slaughter any Nobles in there, and skin Mott alive with a rusty katana, but eventually Biko managed to convince him otherwise. The reason why he shouldn't go after the guy directly would be that he had little in the ways of supporting evidence, evidence that could condemn this man to the homeless life on the streets so many Nobles feared. If he didn't have that, then odds were Nico would be seen as the criminal and he would face the consequences even with the 'protection' the Basilicom granted him.

Protection, pft.

More like a cage for their watchdog…

"Guesssssssssss who!"

CLASP!

Nico nearly jumped when a female voice broke him from his thoughts once more, his vision darkening considerably thanks to the hands covering his eyes in one swift motion. For a brief nanosecond, all Nico felt was panic and the need to suddenly unleash his claws to stab the perpetrator, but that passed just as soon as I came thanks to the sense of familiarity he felt when feeling the hands out. His senses told him that he knew these hands, as well as the voice that came along with it.

Once he turned around, the hands leaving his eyes, he caught sight of the woman who he had not seen in a long time: his mother, Helena Dawson. The woman beamed happily at seeing him, sporting a rather elegant hairdo that seemed to be styled towards Leanbox culture. Probably a way to adhere to the people of this Nation. The fact that even someone like her did something like that made him realize just how important the recent events really were. Normally, Helen wouldn't bother changing even a part of herself to fit other Nations, however, it seemed that the importance of these alliance talks, if the possibility of Leanbox being added to the talks would be realized, was important enough for her to do so.

She wore a red glittering dress that hugged her hourglass frame, a dress that reached her mid knees and had a slit that went to her left thigh, exposing a lot of her leg while sporting matching heels. She had red gloves on her hands with a black purse over her shoulder. Her facial features had bits and pieces of makeup and jewelry, not too much and not too little, either. A decent balance between both that made her look exceptionally beautiful. Nico could already sense the lust building in several onlooking Noblemen, which sparked his instinctively protective urge to rip those assholes, consequences be damned.

'Calm down, Nico, calm down…' the teen chided himself, mentally thinking of slaughter feasts and the exhilaration of the battlefield covered in the blood of his enemies after he had dealt with everyone, you know, good times. His inner beast growled at once again being denied fresh flesh, but he ignored that in favor of regaining his composure. Now was too critical for the future to worry about such things, he had a set of tasks to do and he needed to complete them.

"Don't worry, Nicky-Nick, my boy." Helen, sensing her son's distress, gently cooed in a soothing manner, placing a hand on her son's shoulder to get his attention. Looking up to her, she gave him a smile that both relieved and unnerved him. "My invitation said I could bring one person of my choice, and you know EXACTLY who I chose for this mission… After all, he is a gifted improviser."

'… Holy… she didn't bring who I think she did, did she…?!'

Nico nearly gaped at her when he figured out who she meant, and the moment he did all his tension suddenly left him as he realized that his mother had a guardian angel… or death god, over her shoulder that would keep those pesky Nobles' hands to themselves. Those fools were more likely to get destroyed crotches, or worse, if they tried anything. "Really?!" he asked in a hushed manner, yet that did nothing to hold back his excitement. "You brought uncle Koro?" he asked, trying to hide his excitement. He hadn't met his uncle in forever, not since this adventure of his first began. He never got to spend much time with the guy, but what little he did spend was spent teaching him the fundamentals and advanced tricks of assassination. It's not his forte, but that didn't mean he was bad at it.

The guy was ONCE a Teacher, after all… and a damn good one at that.

Helen nodded, a massive grin on her face. "Yup, he's at the buffet right now getting some food. Maybe you could say hi to him when you have the time." She remarked, a knowing glint flashing by her eye as she looked at him with a matching smirk. "After all, you do seem to be rather busy." She commented, making Nico chuckle bashfully, feeling his previous demeanor reverting to the inner mamma's boy within. He ignored the gagging sounds coming from his white copy in his Inner World, though. His mom always seemed to know what was on his mind, almost anyways.

Then, her face shifted to one of concern, her eyes reflecting this as she asked him another question, her demeanor depicting her extreme worry. "Say, how are your stocks doing? Your life stocks I mean?" she asked him, crossing her arms above her stomach. "You haven't been reporting back for a while now, I was beginning to worry you'd ran out."

THAT caused Nico to tense, his form stiffening as he did his best to rein in his immediate response. Fortunately, he succeeded and released a sigh instead, dropping his tension not long afterward. The way she had asked that in a such a hushed manner due to the crowd around them that was doing whatever, perfectly indicated what she meant by that. He hadn't told her about him deciding to reconnect with that side of him, in fact, he had barely told her anything aside from what he did at Skies End, and he felt like an ungrateful bastard for that because he knows that his mother just wanted what was best for him.

He had hoped to reveal that information under better circumstances, but he had a busy schedule to stick to and he had to do this fast. He didn't want to waste any more time than necessary. Plus, if he didn't do it now, he didn't know when he'd get the chance again. Fortunately, he had prepared for something like this beforehand thanks to already having the knowledge that his mother was invited to the Gala.

Now, he had to bring her up to speed… discreetly at least.

"Well, I'm not doing that bad, honestly…" Nico began to say. He then glanced to and fro to see if anyone was watching him, and when he found that they weren't being looked at as much anymore (likely due to the killing intent aimed at those that had earlier), Nico decided to risk it and discreetly reached into his Suit pocket, pulling out what looked like a Memory Stick. Passing it over to Helen, who took it curiously, Nico answered her unasked question. "There are some things that have come to light I haven't been able to say to you because of these events that have been happening, so I put some stuff on here that'll do that for me. Listen to it only when you are alone, cause the stuff I want to tell you, in the wrong hands, could cause National anarchy." He explained, seriously.

It was enough though, if Helen's equal serious nod was anything to go by. She wanted to ask more, but the woman saw into his eyes and quickly realized why he was saying what he did. He had things to do, and he had little time to do them. It worried her, especially the mother in her as she couldn't help but wonder what her son had gotten himself mixed in with but refrained from prying. Her answers should be on this memory stick, if Nico was to be believed, and she trusted her beloved son beyond a shadow of a doubt. "…Alright, I'll take a look. Be careful, son." She told him, softly with no small amount of worry. "You'll make this old woman worry and get grey hairs with the stuff you get into these days."

Nico rolled his eyes at that, chuckling and attempting to lighten the mood his mom was on. "No, you're not old, mom. You don't even have an ounce of grey hair on you." He stated with a lopsided smirk, electing a small chuckle and a shooing motion from the woman. With that, Nico bid his farewell with one small hug from his mother, before heading off into the crowd.


'Alright, now I have to track down Yvoire… he's my first target, then some investigation is in order…' Nico thought to himself.

Once that business with his mother was complete (a small setback, but nothing he regretted. In fact, it was quite the opposite), Nico once again began mingling with the crowds, keeping to himself mostly but keeping an ear out for anything of value... even if what he heard the most here was some nobles talking about how much they make or complaining about some fanatics that ruined their vineyard or stole part of the money that should be theirs.

They didn't even show much care about their lands being ravaged by the enemy forces plaguing Leanbox.

Bastards, the whole lot of them. This was why he hated politicians, and the fact that he had to act like one nearly drove him over the edge the more he thought about it. Still, Nico searched endlessly for any signs of the Head Priest. He had more than a few choice words to say to that guy, but he would try his best to remain civil. He mingled and silently snuck about, making himself more like a wraith than a person. The memory of his uncle sparked in him some memories, memories of how to navigate through crowds without them even knowing they were there.

Even through all the bullshit though, Nico still managed to pick up some things that he would find useful, one of them being that Count Mott would be in attendance within about half an hour. Apparently, his transport had been damaged during his travels by normal monsters, though in Nico's mind he thought that the guy was so fat that his transport couldn't even hold the weight, so he would have to be rolled over to the Gala.

It made him snort to himself in silent amusement.

At least there was one less maggot to worry about.

"Yo, kid!"

Nico's eyes widened once more, and he turned to the source of the masculine voice to find Stefan Von Kessel, head of the Ostermark Order, walking up to him with a woman beside him. She had an elegant appeal about her, and wore a long flowing green dress with matching heels beneath it. She looked to be holding a glass of wine in her hand, too, and she looked quite intrigued when she saw that she and the guy she was with were walking towards him. Not that Nico paid much attention, nor did he notice either as he focused solely on the fact that Stefan was here. "Stefan!" He exclaimed in surprise, before sighing and giving him a smile. "Its good to see you here, at least there's one person who's talking sense."

"Ah, you're talking about these 'fine gents' around us, eh?" The man remarked with a sarcastic smile, meaning that he felt the exact opposite of what he had said. Nico nodded, the two males exchanging grins with each other along with a few chuckles. "Yeah, these guys are an annoyance, but they are still Nobles so I can't really say anything. It'll make Leanbox and the Ostermark Order lose face. Anyways, I'd like for you to meet someone, here this is my mother, Elenore Von Kessel."

Elenore Von Kessel, the woman at his side. Now that Nico noticed her, he indeed note some details that indicated that she was his mother. Not only did she looked slightly more aged than her son (which meant that she either had plastic surgery done which he doubted, or that time had been kind to her since she still looked to be in her forties. He was willing to go along with the latte), she also had slight grey hairs behind her ears, and her eyes spoke of many more years of experience than Stefan's did. This woman had lived a long time and had seen much. Yet, she had still retained this warrior's grace judging by how she presented herself.

She seemed to truly be a member of the Von Kessel Family, a family full of warriors.

"You're the one who helped my son get back home safely, eh?" The woman asked, her voice just as aged and experienced as Nico had deduced. She gave him a warm smile when he nodded o her, a smile only a mother could give. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, I have been wanting to thank you for bringing my son back home." She then aimed a wry smile in Stefan's direction, playfully nudging him discreetly. "He does tend to make his mother worry when he gets into reckless situations."

The way that she spoke, the calm, mature and motherly aura she presented, it reminded him so much of his own mother. It soothed his usually wary defenses and allowed him to lower his guard around her. It helped that someone Nico trusted was nearby, too as he allowed a small smile to form on his lips. A smile of fondness that only a son who truly adored his mother could pull off. "Yeah, I know the feeling, it is only natural for a mother to worry for her son, not even forces of nature can stop a mother from chasing her son down while carrying some spare toothpaste, brushes and underwear the son tried to 'forget'." He stated with mirth.

This got a loud laugh from the woman while Stefan looked sheepish, still chuckled as well though as he liked the humor Nico just stated… mostly because it was true.

"UFUFUFU… haaah, it has been a long time since I was able to laugh at one of these Galas. In all of my 65 years of living, it is rare to meet well-mannered young men like yourself." Elenore remarked with an amused grin, especially when she eyed her son knowingly. "Why, I remember a time when my son forgot to pack his favorite photo of his mommy for his tour across the Nation, so I simply chased him through the entire Ostermark headquarters to 'make sure' he took it."

The moment she finished, Nico had to try so hard to not laugh at that, that he ended up sniggering into a closed fist, eyes closed tightly while an image of such a thing occurring painted itself in his mind. What was more was that, while he didn't know this woman well, he could actually see her doing something like that, which only made it more hilarious. His white self however, had no such restraints as he howled with laughter, and if he were in his inner world Nico would see how he would be rolling across the floor while jeering towards the older man. Stefan mildly became pink in the cheeks, which only served to increase his snickering at how unusual it looked.

"W-Wow… I can honestly say that It is super easy to imagine that." Nico tried to say between laughs, soon calming down. Though, in his eyes one could tell he as still fighting the battle against the archenemy known as laughter. He found himself slowly failing, so he pushed on so that he could save a little bit of face. "My mother is similar, she's so determined that when she sets her mind on something there's no stopping her."

Elenore hummed in thoughtfulness, her eyes brightening as she remembered something. "I have actually met your mother, actually. A really nice woman, who has a great husband. I could feel the protectiveness over her from a distance. He really loves her, its easy to tell." She remarked, her smile twitching ever so slightly. Nico didn't show it thanks to hours of training to keep a façade, but he noticed and quickly tapped into his senses, picking up a faint brush of negative emotion from her. She had tried to suppress it, but he had already picked up on it. 'I sense… sadness, envy as well. Something must have happened to her in the past, but I'll not pry.'

'Agreed. It is best not to pry in sensitive matters such as those, especially when you have other tasks that need attending to.'

'Oh shit, yeah you're right! I almost forgot, I need to find Yvoire and fast!' Nico thought, surprise and realization erupting within him. Not only that, but there was this sense of panic and dread that accompanied them, making him feel rather anxious though he kept his façade up. How long had he spent talking? How much time had passed? He didn't know anything, so he had to leave before he could waste any more time. For a moment, all he could think about was his goal of finding that Head Priest so that he could get his work done before the Gala ended.

That is, until Elenore spoke up once more.

"Ah, I see you are in a hurry." She said, getting Nico's attention. "I understand you have a busy schedule, I too have other matters to attend to. Hopefully we shall meet again, but in the mean time those lovely ladies coming toward us might wish to meet with you." After saying that, Elenore quickly grasped her son by the arm and just as quickly pulled Stefan away, winking at Nico all the while.

'Huh? What was…?' The male began to wonder, before something that Elenore said clicked within his mind, the images of several faces appearing within his mind's eye and realization soon followed. '… Oh…'

'It appears… that we will have more delays in finding Yvoire…'

"There you are, Nicky! We've been looking for ya!"

Soon after Biko's words left his mouth from within the redhead male's head, the voice of a certain bubbly preteen filled his ears. He knew very well who that voice belonged to, and for once he felt conflicted about it. On one hand he wanted to get going with the tasks, so those girls didn't have to worry about it, but on the other he wanted to hug those girls and never let them go, for their very presence put his troubled mind at ease. Regardless, it would be rude not to give her his full attention, so he turned to look at the source of the voice… and once again, he nearly lost control over his jaw.

'…Whoa…' Awe. That was the only emotion that Nico could feel right now as he stared at quite possibly one of the most beautiful, heart-racing sights he had ever seen. Neptune, Compa, and IF all proceeded to walk towards Nico from within the crowd, the brunette sporting a glass of wine in her hand. Well, she WAS of age, as she was over 18 years old, so it was legal for her to drink alcohol. Plus, she was a mercenary, so if she was old enough to kill and have sex, then she was old enough to drink too.

But that wasn't what got him so captivated by them. Each of the girls wore dresses of varying shapes and appearances, dresses that fit them so well that it should have been a crime.

Let's reconfirm what was said before, but with some extra shall we?

Compa wore a peachy yellow colored dress that went right to her knees, ending at the under-boobs to show a lot of her large cleavage. On her feet were a pair of open toed high heels, while she wore matching cuffs on her hands. Her headband was replaced with a peachy white variant that matched her dress, while sporting a crimson flower on top. She also wore a pearl necklace that had a smaller version of the flower hanging over one of the pearls, further pronouncing the purity and innocence her dress conveyed. Not to mention the creamy and glittery eye shadow, the ruby red lipstick and other accessories that further enhanced her natural beauty. It drew some looks from the Nobles for sure, no matter how old or what marital status they were in, which forced Nico to give them warning glares. None of those assholes would dare TOUCH Compa, they'd have to cross him to do that.

The same for the other girls.

Speaking of said girls, Neptune wore a simple red dress that reached her thighs, a pair of matching heels with red straps adorning her feet. The dress left her shoulders bare and hooked itself over her cleavage showing the area above it as well as her shoulder blades. She wore a neckless of pink pearls around her neck, with a bracelet on her right wrist. The dress clung to her petite form, making her look absolutely adorable. Then, there was the lilac colored eye-shadow that had a similar glittery appearance to the Nurse-In-Training, adding to her appeal.

Now, here's the extra part. IF, she seemed to have decided to go with a dark ocean blue dress with two straps over her shoulders. The dress came with a pair of hand-sized blue velvet gloves and white trimming on the edge of the dress's multi layered, frilly skirt, which reached her Ankles. The dress had a slit at the side, exposing a leg as well as the dark stockings and stiletto heels she wore, a black collar around her neck to add to the dress's seductive appeal. It clung to her in all the right places, enhancing her figure to the point where her femininity was revealed. IF's old clothes gave her a cold, tomboyish look, but this showed her true gender in a magnificent fashion. Her hair had, in contrast to her usual style, been made even wilder than normal, giving her that 'yeah we did it last night and you enjoyed it' look. The way it flowed to her waist gave it an appeal that her usual straight style lacked.

If the smirk she had on her lips, plus the way her eyes which had light green eye-shadow over them glistened in amusement were any indication, then odds were that she seemed satisfied with how Nico reacted to her apparel. Heck, all the girls seemed that way, with Neptune proudly pushing her chest out in pride while Compa had that shy, sweet smile on while refusing to look into his eyes. Though she did sneak a peek every now and then.

We're sorry but Nico is now officially mind-broken via feminine beauty. Please wait while we attempt to fix this technical issue… after these short messages.