Noble Parties II

"Well…" Florina began, desperately searching for words she could use to describe Wil's attire as she, Kent, and Sain rendezvoused with him in front of the main hall. "You look good!"

"Don't force yourself," Wil told her through a furrowed brow and gritted teeth, "I know I look stupid."

Wil had been unlucky enough to have Collin as his fashion coordinator for the evening. His clothes, while fancier than his usual attire by far, left one with little more than pity for the one forced to wear it. A long white shirt that covered his torso was covered by a bright, baby-blue colored tuxedo that cut around his waist in the front, but in the back, drooped down to his knees where the ends diverged into two isosceles triangles that ended at his ankles. He wore long dress pants of the same color, but they seemed to be a little too baggy for Wil's build, as if they were intended for someone larger than the current wearer. Around his waist was a tightly tied purple sash, as if it was to operate as a belt to hold the pants and tuxedo in place. Thankfully, his shoes were not swapped out for similar attire, but his usual footwear almost clashed terribly with his current attire. Whether or not that was for the worse of his outfit or his shoes was another matter altogether. Wil's normally messy hair was now combed back and there were some white flaks peppered in his hair. Evidently, there was some gel or grease being used to keep his locks in place. It seemed to be doing its job.

"I-I-I-I…" Kent stuttered, "I…I don't know what to say, in all honesty."

"Casualties from fashion," Sain announced through a badly disguised laugh, "One Wil."

"Shut up, Sain!" Wil shot back angrily.

"What did you do to make Collin so cross at you that he would dress you up in such a way?" Kent asked, curious to have an answer to why Wil would be forced to wear such outlandish clothing.

"Well…" Wil began as he nervously scratched the back of his neck, "I maybe, kind of, possibly… used him to escape from General Wallace's training by telling him that Collin was complaining about being rusty…"

"You deserved everything that came your way" Sain told him flat out in an even and serious tone, his face completely straight.

"Nice to see you're understanding…" Wil sighed.

"It could have been worse," Kent pointed out, "Collin could have gotten Wallace to partner up with you on guard duty tonight."

"Please don't give me mental images…" Wil grimaced as he closed his eyes in pain, his body shivering slightly.

"Now he knows what we went through in the past…" Sain whispered over his covered mouth as he tried to hide a snicker.

"Should we all start heading towards the dining hall now?" Florina asked the three, she herself getting tired of standing in the hallway.

"Yes," Kent agreed with a bow, "Let us do some reconnaissance before Lady Lyndis arrives. We'd best keep our eyes peeled for some of the more unsavory lot…"

"Many of the nobles here aren't very 'noble' aside from their title" Sain added on with a slight tone of disgust.

"Then why invite them?" Florina asked innocently.

"It makes it easier to kick them out later, that's why" Sain answered her, completely serious.

"Even though we've all spent so much time together, I still can't understand his way of thinking…" Wil muttered to Florina.

"Come!" Kent rallied the four, "To the dining hall!"

The dining hall, now as decorated and dressed as well as it could be, was beginning to fill up with the guests for tonight's event. There were many noble families both big and small that gathered here tonight. Aside from the other noble houses in Caelin, which were a given for attending, there were nobles from Laus, Ostia, Pherae, and Etruria, to only name a few. Alongside the bigger named nobles were the miscellaneous houses that no one tried or cared to remember. It was truly a sea of purple as the uniformly dressed guests took food, drinks, and seats.

"Wow…!" Wil gasped in awe.

"Yes," Kent agreed with an understanding nod, "It is a magnificent sight."

"This place is huge!"

"…"

"Just ignore him" Florina suggested as she just shook her head.

"So," Sain asked as he scanned the view of the room, "Does anything or anyone stick out to you?"

"We are not here to leer at the womenfolk" Kent felt he had to remind Sain.

"How rude!" Sain shot back, as if severely offended, "I am being serious and sincere!"

"Are you? Are you really?" Kent inquired.

"Yes!" Sain replied angrily.

"Then I apologize for my assumption, Sain," Kent apologized, "It seems you CAN be knightly when you feel like it…"

"But if you DO see any especially attractive ladies, please, by all means, point me in the right direction!"

"I take back everything I said…"

"He really walked into that one…" Florina sighed as she shook her head again.

"Look at all the purple!" Uriel said in awe as she gazed upon the scenery.

Uriel had her hair fashioned in two ponytails that fell gracefully onto her neck. She wore a simple, yet stylish purple dress that fell down to her ankles with gold lace around the edges. A simple gold necklace was tied around her neck. Her finger nails and toe nails were painted in a subtle pink. She wore low pointed high-heel shoes that she could barely walk in but put up with the discomfort for the sake of her parents.

"This place was quite well done for something so last minute" Camael observed as he escorted his wife to a seat.

Camael himself was dressed similarly to how he usually presented himself. Black robes with white lining instead of the usual purple, he preferred the color much more because it made him stand out more than the other man. His curly hazel hair was slicked back instead of it falling wherever it wished. As much as he was here to apologize to Lyndis about his father's behavior, he also knew he had a duty to present himself in a manner befitting a noble, a successor, and as a father.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Gabriel asked as he sat herself down in a nearby chair, "I am perfectly willing to go in your steed. I might even prove to be easier for the girl to talk to."

Gabriel was also dressed in a similar way to her standard outfit. Her white, sleeveless lace dress draped down from her neck all the way down to her ankles. She wore a pair of matching small gold earrings that felt a little too uncomfortable for her own liking. Her wedding band made of silver, proudly displayed on her ring finger, showed off a glorious diamond. It refracted the light from the candles as well as it did the sun when it was brand new. She wore white high heeled stilettos that she could also barely keep herself balanced on. Like mother like daughter.

"No," Camael shook his head as closed his eyes, "This is something I must do on my own. As the heir to the Caelin throne, I must ask for forgiveness for the sins of my forbears. Besides, I may be able to… talk some reason with him."

"If he's anything like I was, you know it won't be easy" Gabriel warned him with a serious expression.

"What are you talking about, Father and Mother?" Gabriel asked as she came back from ogling the nearby scenery.

"Just some grown-up talk, dear" Gabriel answered their daughter as the both of them gave her a somewhat forced smile.

"O.K.!" Uriel smiled as she began to run off again, "I'm going to go look around some more!"

However, before she could properly scamper off to who-knows-where, she bumped into some heavy armor, which knocked her down onto her rear end as she reached for her nose.

The heavy armor she had ran into in question belonged to a grim-faced man. He had short purple hair that was combed back a straight as it possibly could be. His back eyes seemed to bore into everything he observed, as if he was greedily putting a value onto everything s if it were his own. The man's rather large nose and big frown did not in any way or form endear him to any members of the female persuasion.

"Ow…" Uriel mumbled as she looked up towards the man.

"Watch where you're going, brat!" the man yelled at Uriel with his grim gaze.

"You don't go saying that to my baby…!" Gabriel began to mutter as she attempted to get up from her seat before her husband rose in her place.

"Marquess Laus!" Camael greeted the man in what was obviously as fake civil tone, "I apologize for my daughter. I trust you are well?"

"Araphen…" the marquess of Laus said, "I think you'd do best to re-educate your daughter on proper etiquette. It is not becoming of one such as herself to be running here and there."

"I'll do my best to remember those words of advice" Camael bowed to him as he assisted Uriel back onto her feet.

"Hmph" the marquess of Laus let out as he shuffled along. Camael slowly watched the marquess walking away with a look of steel before finally taking Uriel back to Gabriel.

"Next time let me take care of it" Gabriel ordered her husband as she caressed Uriel, who was busy recuperating from the marquess's terrifying gaze.

"If we let you do that, there'd be spots of blood that would never come out" Camael explained to her as he took as large sigh. Not even ten minutes into the gathering and already he was tired and wished to go home. This would NOT end well.

"Someone certainly doesn't look well" a new voice said behind him as Camael turned around.

The man had long, dark blue hair that ran down past his neck. His eyes, also blue, held a gaze of incredible strength, but they also showed a weariness from obstacles he had faced in life. He had two scars that marred his face; one went across his forehead from his left to just over his right eye. The other went directly across both of his cheeks. They helped create an intimidating presence. He also wore a breastplate that was a dark and muddy green. He wore a cape over his plate that was a deep purple.

"Lord Uther!" Camael stood at attention as the marquess of Ostia walked over to him.

"It's an honor to have you speak to such lesser nobles as us!" Gabriel also hastily bowed as he also forced Uriel to bow as well with one of her free hands.

"No need to be so rigid," Uther told the couple, "I'm merely here to observe the future heir to the Caelin throne. I will be blending in with the shadows and looking on as a spectator. Nothing any of you do tonight will be remember tomorrow, I assure you."

"Pardon?" Camael asked as he came out from his bow.

"I've heard that the heir is from Sacae…and one not fond of the class hierarchy to begin with. I am hoping that…she is not entirely like other examples of royal blood that come to mind."

"Could I hazard to guess you are speaking of your brother, Hector?" Gabriel inquired.

"Yes," Uther let out with a large sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "I beg every god in existence that she will not be in the same boat as Hector… But among other news, I saw marquess Laus passing through. I hope he wasn't too unpleasant?"

"Only slightly more than usual" Camael answered somewhat honestly.

"Really?" Uther asked as he looked at Uriel, "Tell me milady; how was that scary man?"

"He was a big meanie!" Uriel told him with a pout, "He's the one that needs to be re-educated!"

"Hahahahahahhaha!" Uther laughed with all of his might, "That's a unique way to put it, young lady. I'll keep that in mind next time I see him."

Uriel looked on in shock for a moment as Uther continued to laugh and wipe a tear from his eye. What kind of man was he to honestly ask a child of her caliber for an opinion on a man of nobility and laugh about it with complete abandon?

"But in all seriousness," Uther asked as he leaned in closer, "What do you truly think? Aside from your outward opinion?"

Uriel froze for a moment as she realized what Uther had meant, "…He makes the most common of commoners look noble in comparison" Uriel whispered to him.

"Ah…" Uther said as he straightened up, "Thanks to all three of you for your words and your time, but I must go now"

With a small bow, Uther walked away and blended in with the rest of the growing crowd as he went to who-knows-where.

"Lord Uther of Ostia," Gabriel mentioned, "As commanding and frightening a man as all the rumors say…"

"Rumors say that a young noble has been making a name for himself as a ladies man" Sain offhandedly told the group as he eyed a passing woman.

"You shouldn't always believe what you hear…" Kent told him plainly as he grabbed Sain's chin and pulled his head back towards the group.

"Just what we need," Florina sighed, "Another Sain to deal with…"

"So we'll just keep an eye out for a guy trying to get into every woman's dress!" Wil decided, "I mean, it'll be easy to spot him. We'll just let Sain run wild and they'll be bound to hit on the same woman eventually."

"Have I ever mentioned how I love being the butt of every joke?" Sain asked in a way that carried both sarcasm and seriousness.

"It's a tough job, but someone must fill its space" Kent told him.

"Just like Lyn fills up the space as our leader" Florina added.

"Speaking of leader," Wil began, "Where is she? You'd think she would be here by now…unless she ran away?"

"Right behind you…" Lyn muttered as she unsteadily walked over to the group.

The entire group went silent for a moment as they turned around and drank in Lyn's new appearance for the occasion.

"I say!" Sain let out as his mouth hung open.

"I…duh…buh…mah…" Kent managed to get out.

"I suddenly wish I was dressed better…" Wil muttered as he kicked at some dust on the side of the wall.

"Lyn!" Florina gushed, "You look positively amazing!"

Lyn was, putting it mildly, a completely different woman. Her hair, which was usually kept in a single ponytail, was freed from its bonds and allowed to fall down freely down her neck and to the small of her back and spoofed out. Her necklace was now put to the forefront of her outfit now that her usual robes were no longer hiding it with its collar. Its shine and gleam reflecting the light beautifully like a star. The dress she was parading in was of simple yet fabulous design. Her emerald green dress, though unusually daring for people of the age, was both sleeveless and came up only slightly past her chest. The dress draped down to the bottom of her legs, kept in place only by a single broach holding the cloth together, as her left leg was left free for her to show off from the slit along the side of the dress. As for her footwear, Lyn was in nothing less than five-inch emerald green stiletto heels. Her make-up was done expertly and without any mistakes whatsoever. A light amount of mascara had been applied to her eyelashes, making them pop out when they were usually overshadowed by her eyes. Her normal, almost porcelain-like skin was turned almost a full shade darker by the sudden flush of color to her cheeks brought on by the blush that had been applied. Then both her finger and toe nails also been painted emerald green as well, further adding to the typical 'Lyn' aesthetic of green.

"Thank," Lyn sighed s she took a tentative step forward, "But I don't feel so good about this dress. Don't you think I'm revealing too much?"

"You're worried about this now?" Sain asked, "After parading around in your usual outfit for so long?"

"I think it's for another reason," Florina said with a small snicker, "Maybe she'd be more ecstatic about it if a certain someone was around to view it."

"Florina," Lyn told her warningly, "Don't go there!"

"Either way you are the picture of beauty, milady" Kent complimented as he took a deep bow and held his arm wide to guide Lyn to the dining hall, "By all means, let us escort you to your grand stage."

"It's Showtime!" Wil eagerly exclaims as he rubbed his hands together.

"Wil?" Lyn asked now that she got a good look at him, "What happened to you? You look like you were dressed by a blind beggar."

"Hahahahahahaha!" Florina busted out laughing, "I see what you mean completely! He really DOES look like that was the case!"

"I hate all of you…" Wil muttered darkly to himself as he looked down to the floor as his face flushed a dark scarlet.

"Now, now," Sain said through a badly contained chuckle, "No need to get so cross. It wasn't the beggar's fault!"

"Uuugggghhhhh!" Wil groaned.

"Please," Kent begged the group as he too, struggled to keep a straight face, "Let us all be on our way."

"Remember everything I taught you?" Florina asked Lyn as she took her place beside her.

"I think," Lyn nodded to her, "Now we just have to see how well I can keep a straight face and use my 'flowery' voice."

With Kent and Sain leading the way, Lyn and Florina were escorted to the dining hall, with Wil taking up the rear. Once they walked in, all attention shifted immediately towards Lyn as she did her absolute best to project her usual air of confidence and poise in her new attire. Murmurs and whispers began to fly through the air like lightning as nobles commented on the daring dress that Lyn was wearing, some even going so far as to call it showboating. The particularly old and less physically gifted of the women took to calling Lyn a tramp far more quickly than other did. The men, however, regardless of age or marital status for the most part, found their gazes sitting upon Lyn for far longer than they had initially planned, some wives having to firmly grab their husband's by the ear to get them to avert their leering from their sudden interest.

"I think Lyn just captured the hearts of all the men here with her entrance…" Florina muttered, "That's…what, half the people down? Now the women, but they might be harder to crack because of how easily the men fell."

They have pride, but they shall fall all the same!" Sain whispered back.

Elsewhere, by one of the dining table set up, a young noble looked on curiously at Lyn, his attention undivided. The more he looked on at Lyn, the more enthralled he felt himself becoming. In all his life, he had never met a never met a vision of loveliness more fetching and commanding as hers'.

Dressed in sleek, and finely laced purple robes, the young man acted as if he was only in another layer of skin. His clothes clung to his body in just the right way to compliment his own slim figure without tracing anything that would…prove to turn people off before he could approach them. With neatly trimmed, short ebony hair and deep turquoise eyes, the young man continued to gaze upon Lyn. His stare was empowering, and he hoped that some mystical magic was allowing his stare to attract Lyn to seek his company. It had always done the job with others, but now, for the first time in his life, he wanted it to ensnare someone completely. Calmly, but intently, he took a sip from his cup of tea, already formulating a plan of attack in his head. From the information already circulating in the noble circles, this girl was a warrior without equal and with great charisma. But her dealing with the finer people and politics were next to nonexistent. He could very well use that as his selling point when courting her.

"Lady Lyndis…" the young noble said to himself under his breath, "I certainly hope you're prepared. You've gotten the undivided attention of Giacomo Casanova. I hope you prove to be as interesting a woman as I think you are…"

A few men sitting near the young man slowly inch away nervously as they hear him speaking under his breath. The first thing one did when presented with a problem person of that caliber was to get as far away as possible before something nefarious occurred.