One morning after the estate had finally recovered from the storm and Katarina had been put back to squire training, Maria blinked in bemusement as Sophia slapped down a party invitation on her desk.
"Sir Cett has invited the two of us to a party, and we're both going," Sophia said decisively.
"Sophia, you know I don't go to parties," Maria said. While she'd received a deluge of party invitations after her graduation earlier that year, that had mostly died off after she'd refused them all.
Sophia clucked her tongue. "You've been given a grace period because you're a new knight and this is your first year managing your estate," she said. "So people are giving you some slack to get your affairs in order. But if you do that again next year, you're going to start insulting people. And we can't have that. Because parties are where we can best sell nightflowers, so as your business partner I have decided I'm going to start easing you into parties so we don't start alienating our customers!"
Maria opened her mouth. Maria closed her mouth and thought. Eventually, she sighed. "I understand your reasoning, but this doesn't mean I have to accept every invitation I start getting, does it?"
"No, of course not," Sophia said dismissively. "There are accepted levels of priorities. Personal friends, contacts, and your direct lieges are a given. Next come political allies and business partners and big names in the social scene like Duchess Claes, Mary, Lady Corrigan, people with soft power in society. You don't have to go to all their parties, but you do need to invite them to your own, even if they choose not to attend. Then after that come people whose acquaintance you want to make, and who want to make your acquaintance in turn. Then there are the big open to everyone events, like the Ball of the Darkmoon, which is perfectly all right for you not to attend. Really, you have more leeway to refuse coming to your friends parties since they'll understand why you can't come. This is a semi-private, industry-specific party for mostly knights and people related to knights. Perfect for you to get your tutorial on the party scene!"
Maria nodded. "And the reason we are accepting Sir Cett's invitation?"
"You're acquainted with him and him with you, and would it really be so bad to get to know each other better, professionally?" Sophia said. "Besides, he's our first non-government weapon sale, and I taught him how to shoot his new gehrmans. He's going to be buying black powder from us for a long time, hopefully, so we should farm a good relationship. This is actually a sort of coming out party for his new weapons. Some knights do that when they've got a new weapon or style they want to show off. He asked for us personally at his last lesson, and I'm told it's mostly going to be knights there. You'll fit right in!"
"Hmm…" Maria 'hmm'-ed.
To buy herself some time, Maria took the invitation, unfolded it, and read the missive within.
"Lady Sophia," she said blandly, "is it normal for the invitation to read 'knight and squire'?"
"Oh, does it?" Sophia said innocently. "Well, I wouldn't know, I've never been invited to an adventuring party before."
Maria blinked at that. "What?"
"That's the informal term for a party where it's mostly knights, an adventuring party," Sophia explained with a pure, innocent face. "The same way you call a party for only women a 'flower garden' or mostly men a 'sausage festival'."
"I'm almost 85 parts in a hundred sure you're mocking me somehow," Maria said.
"Maria!" Sophia gasped. "I'm your friend and business partner! I can't believe you'd think that of me! Why would you possibly think such an uncharitable thing?"
"You've spent your formative years having all your close friends being competitors for the same woman?"
"Yeah, probably," Sophia nodded. "We've all certainly picked up a lot of bad habits when it comes to treating friends. But still, even in my darkest days, I can look at myself in the mirror and say, 'Sophia… at least you're not Mary or Prince Piss-hair'."
Maria nodded. That was very fair.
"IF I choose to bring my squire along," Maria said, "it will be for my own reasons and not as some sort of excuse to let you spend time with her."
"That's fair, we're all pretty much resigned to that," Sophia nodded.
The first thing Maria did was to make sure Sophia wasn't selling her dung pies and calling them poisoned throwing knives.
"Oh yes, that's exactly what parties of mostly knights are called," Dame Matthew confirmed when Maria asked her about the accuracy of the term 'adventuring party'. "I've attended my own share of adventuring parties. They're fun, and some of the few chances squires have to socialize." She chuckled. "Though honestly, it's mostly huddling together and trying to top each other's stories of whose knight is a more terrifying trainer, and knights bragging about whose squire is better."
"I see," Maria said, nodding.
"Are you talking about Lord Cett's party later this week?" Dame Matthew said.
Maria blinked in surprise. "Yes, actually. I'm surprised you received an invitation as well. I wasn't aware you knew each other."
"Aunt Mili—er, Duchess Claes— introduced me to his wife, Lady Sterris," Dame Matthew said. "I suppose that's how I got an invitation. I'd be really glad if you were going too. It would be nice to have someone I know there." She sighed wistfully. "My friends and I used to go together all the time."
"Perhaps you can tell them what it was like in your next letter," Maria suggested.
Dame Matthew winced. "Right…" she muttered. "Next letter. Yes, definitely need to send that… "
Maria penned a confirmation to the invitation. Apparently it was supposed to be either party garb or knight formal garb, which meant light-to-medium armor only. So she'd probably all right in her formal hunter's bard, which was her usual hunter's gard with all the leather—and there was a lot of leather—polished to a shiny black, no bloodstains on her cravat, and the sheaths for her weapons shined.
"A party?" Katarina said brightly when Maria told her they were going. "Ooh, I haven't been to a party in a while. I wonder if the food's any good?"
"You're not going there for the food, my squire (!-!-!)," Maria told her sternly. "This is training."
Katarina blinked. "Training?" she said, with just a little bit of mounting dread. It wasn't the right amount of mounting dread for a squire to have after being told they'd be doing training since Katarina was a naturally optimistic person, but at least it was something.
Maria nodded. "I'm having Shana switch your lessons to party etiquette," she said. "From now until the party, your training will consist of property party behavior."
"Ah… well, that makes sense, I suppose," Katarina mused.
"Also, you will be attending in a dress, as you currently do not have proper formal armor for such an occasion," Maria said. "That is an oversight we will correct soon. However, right now, we will be performing a review of wearing and controlling your scabbard while wearing a dress, and drawing your sword while wearing a dress."
"Yes, Dame Maria!"