Despite the less-than-pleasant implications of the Exorcist's words, you can't help but find yourself a bit intrigued by the idea of a school for monsters. Probably a lot less Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School or Gravedale High, and a lot more... actually, you can't think of any shows or stories that depict a "realistic" example of a school for monsters, but based on what you know about the natives of the Moonlit World, it's probably more violent than anything network television could get away with showing to kids in your age group.
"Ah, is that the light of interest I see in your face, young Mister Harris?" Mikogami inquires delightedly.
"Well... maybe a bit," you admit.
His smile doesn't get any less creepy no matter how many times you see it. "I'll be sure to send you the full brochure."
"Thank you, sir."
Lu-sensei clears his throat. "Yes, thank you, I'm sure. Not to be rude, Honored One, but getting back to the matter at hand...?"
"Hm? Oh, yes. Of course." The Exorcist takes a moment to gather his thoughts. "You have said that a teaching position would not be tenable, Master Lu, and I will of course respect that. But might a less permanent arrangement be worked out? Guest speaker, perhaps?"
Lu-sensei frowns, but does not immediately dismiss that suggestion. "If I may ask, why the interest?"
"Truthfully?" Mikogami says, smile diminishing. "I need to shock some sense into my students."
Your master blinks at that. So do you.
"I... think I'll need a bit more of an explanation than that," Lu-sensei admits.
The Exorcist sighs, all traces of a smile gone. "Youkai Academy was founded with two purposes. First, to provide a quality education to monsters who might otherwise not be able to afford it, and second, to promote peaceful coexistence between monsters and humans. We have been rather successful in the former role, but the latter goal has proven... more difficult to achieve."
"There is a LOT of bad blood between humans and monsters," Lu-sensei remarks in a carefully neutral tone. "Getting over it all will be the work of centuries, no matter what we do."
"True, but it isn't being helped along by the isolationism of some elements of the monster community," comes the reply. "Too many of our young people spend most if not all of their lives within our secret community, never making contact with human society except when they absolutely MUST, and then only for the minimum amount of time. And in that time, most of them have contact only with the general population - civilians, merchants, the odd petty criminal or officer of the law. Few meet the fighters, be they simple soldiers or honored masters such as yourself, and those that meet the hunters... well, such encounters generally lead to more of that 'bad blood' you mentioned, on both sides."
Lu-sensei nods. "I believe I see where you're going with this, Honored Mikogami. In short, you want me to come to your school and see if I can't scare a bunch of young punks straight, by main force if need be."
"A fair assessment."
Your master strokes his beard. "I'll have to get back to you on that."
"Fair enough." The priestly figure produces a card from somewhere in his robe and hands it to Lu-sensei. "Well, then. I believe I've taken up enough of your time. Master Lu, Mister Harris, Miss Briar."
"Honored One," Lu-sensei replies with a bow.
"Sir," you add, following suit.
The Exorcist and his guards move off.
A fair number of things were said just now that you wouldn't mind getting some clarification from Lu-sensei about. However, a growl from your stomach flash of blonde hair in the crowd reminds you that you were in the middle of pursuing another objective when the Exorcist flagged your teacher down.
"I think I saw Altria, Sensei," you note.
"And oh, look, she's right next to the buffet tables," comes the amused reply.
"Yeah, well... happy coincidence?"
"I'm sure." Lu-sensei smirks. "Very well, then. After you, Alex."
You don't need any more than that.
At your approach, Altria looks up from the plate of finger sandwiches she was considering. "Alex. Good to see you're still in one piece."
"Thank you, and likewise."
"Briar," Altria adds, acknowledging the fairy with a polite nod. "Master Lu."
"Hey, Altria."
"Miss Drake."
Looking past the blonde, you see her father, who's standing close enough to his daughter to give a sense of watchfulness, but not so close that he appears smothering.
"Mister Drake," you greet the gentleman.
"Mister Harris."
For a moment, you half-expect Lucia to pop up out of nowhere, calling her own name. You're not sure why.
Giving the area a casual inspection, you note three- make that four servants standing at various places along the extended set of tables. One's carving generous servings of meat from sides of ham and beef for the convenience of the guests, another is replacing a mostly-empty tray of pint-sized cheese, meat, and vegetable kebabs with a fresh, full one, and the last two appear to be quietly discussing the state of several partially-emptied punch bowls. There are easily thirty monsters within two steps of the tables, many of them nibbling at this or that tasty morsel, but only about five of the guests (other than your current companions) are close enough to you that you'd expect them to be able to hear you converse in a normal tone, over the murmurs of the crowd and the music from the band off to one side of the ballroom.
As for the tables themselves, they fairly groan under a wide assortment of lunchtime-related foodstuffs that matches up well with the sort of selection you've been seeing at the Shuzens' dining table.
Any thought unrelated to food pretty much flies out of your head at the sight of the bounteous buffet before you. You give a moment's thought to asking Altria what she would recommend, but any time spent using your mouth to make words is time spent NOT using it to eat - and the sights and scents of the dishes laid out before you are such that you cannot consider such a course of action acceptable.
First thing's first: you get that drink you were originally after. The nearest punch bowl holds something dark, red, and thick that is probably tomato juice, which doesn't interest you, but the next one over is full of something pink.
"Lemonade, sir," the nearby servant replies to your questioning look.
That's all you need to know. The attendant ladles out enough to fill one of the handy glasses and passes it to you. A tentative sip - yes, it's definitely lemonade, one of the sweetened varieties, and without a hint of the grit sometimes left by a poorly-mixed batch of shopping mart juice crystals.
Seeing your approval, the waiter beams and asks if Briar would also like some. When she says yes, the man produces a tiny, thimble-sized cup from amidst the forest of regular-sized glasses on the table, fills it by dipping it directly into the punchbowl, and then wipes the edge off before handing it to Briar.
"Thank you," she replies, before taking a sip. Wings suddenly fluttering, Briar proclaims, "Oooh, this is GOOD!"
The servant appears delighted by this.
You glance over your shoulder at Lu-sensei, who catches the look and raises one hand in a gesture of refusal, never breaking off his quiet conversation with Altria's father.
Drinks acquired, you turn to the question of food. A different servant appears holding a not-so-small plate, and at your direction, begins filling it with a bit of this, a bit of that, and of course, some of THOSE. Once the plate is full - and perhaps a bit over-full - you accept it.
Hands full, you take a second to consider how to proceed.
A thought occurs that has you turning to your friend and passenger.
"Hey, Briar. Do you want anything?"
"No," the fairy replies. "I think I'm good for now."
Nodding, you thank the servants for their help and walk back to Altria - all of four paces. She notices your approach and your occupied hands.
"Do you require some assistance, Alex?" the blonde offers, glancing at your glass and plate.
"Thanks, but I've got this." With a focused application of will and ambient mana, you put your plate in mid-air and tell it, "Stay."
Then you let go.
The plate does as it was told, and stays put.
Ignoring a few startled looks you're getting - not from Altria, you're pleased to note, although her father pinches the base of his nose and mutters something that sounds like, "Good Lord, not another one," which has Lu-sensei giving you a Look of his own - you proceed to use a second cantrip to levitate bits of food off your plate and to your waiting mouth.
"So, Altria," you say, after scarfing down a few fancy crackers, a rolled-up slice of ham, and a toothpick-kebob of cheese and fruit. "How are you enjoying Kahlua's party so far?"
"It has been about what I was expecting," Altria answers you. She pauses to pop another finger sandwich into her mouth. "The explosions were a surprise, but leaving those aside, I would say it has been... acceptable."
You nod. "Made any new friends?"
"No," comes the immediate response. "I think my choice in attire is putting most of the children our age off." She gestures at her dark blue suit jacket and matching pants, which are a world apart from the fancy dresses worn by every other female in eyeshot.
You can guess the problem. If you didn't know better and didn't have Ganondorf's experience with Gerudo disguises in your head, Altria's preferred personal style might trick you into thinking she was a boy - albeit a really pretty one. Even talking to her wouldn't immediately give her away, since she has a fairly boyish manner and is young enough that no one would find the pitch of her voice unusual. But sooner or later, whether due to the flow of conversation, monster senses, or some other factor, whoever she was talking to would realize that she was, in fact, a girl, and the only one you've met so far that isn't dressed in the traditionally girly manner. That would put off a fair number of people in this crowd, and of course, kids can be serious jerks towards anyone who doesn't fit in.
That's not even getting into the matter of her guardians. Arthur Drake is apparently a professional monster hunter good enough to match skills with Issa and walk away in one piece, Lucia is... herself... and Ambrose is... HIMself. Plus they're all human at a party where the majority of the attendees are not.
Not the greatest first impression ever, that's for sure.
"Well, I think you look good," you offer.
Altria smiles. "Thank you, Alex."
"And I'm sorry to hear that you haven't exactly been hitting it off with the other guests," you continue, as Altria sweeps a fancy cracker through a bowl of some equally-fancy dipping sauce, and then bites off the end. "But hey. Their loss, right?"
"Mmmph," comes the muffled result.
"If you want, I can introduce you to some people I met."
In the middle of crunching the rest of that one snack cracker, Altria gives you a look. "Hmph?"
"After we're done eating, of course," you add, as you levitate one of the mini-sandwiches on your plate into your mouth.
"Hmm-umph."
In between eating - and pointing out things you think your fellow gourmand might like to try, or having her return the favor in kind - you tell Altria a bit about Dave and Emiko. She's visibly wary at first when you mention that Dave is a magic-user, but relaxes as you describe him and the lack of similarities to Ambrose come to light. Your description of Emiko appears to amuse Altria, who at one point asks you teasingly what you think of having a fan.
All in all, Altria seems at least somewhat interested in meeting your two new acquaintances, though you suspect that's more because of her lack of success at socializing than any deep, burning fascination about the pair themselves.
Fair enough.
"'What do I think of having a fan?'"
You swirl the contents of your glass while considering your response to Altria's question.
"I like it," you finally admit. "It's nice to know that there's someone else who honestly appreciated the effort I put into the tournament, even without ties of family or friendship - or rivalry." You spare a quick smirk for Altria, who returns the expression in kind. "And it certainly doesn't hurt that it's somebody around my own age."
"Or a pretty girl?" Altria suggests.
"That said," you continue, "I'm just as happy that Emiko didn't have a friend or three along. Too much of a good thing at once might end up giving me a big head."
"Oh, Nayru forbid," Briar drawls.
You and Altria glance at her at that, yourself suspiciously, Altria looking mildly puzzled.
The conversation dies down after that, as you focus on clearing your plate and letting Altria make any final selections from the buffet. A couple minutes later, you cast another cantrip to scrub your emptied plate clean, hand it off to a servant, and take a moment to get refills for yourself and Briar from that helpful fellow at the lemonade punchbowl. When you return, Altria appears to have sated her hunger - for now, at least - and the three of you turn to face the adults.
"Sensei, Mr. Drake, I was thinking about taking Altria to meet a couple of the people I've met here. Is that alright with the two of you?"
"Which people?" Lu-sensei inquires.
"Emiko, and a boy named Dave Stutler." Since you hadn't mentioned that meeting to your master yet, you do so now. The mention of Balthazar Blake doesn't prompt any obvious recognition from Lu-sensei, but Arthur Drake's expression lightens into an actual smile.
"Ah, you've met Blake, have you? Good man."
"You know him, Father?" Altria inquires curiously.
"We've had a few dealings over the years. He's one of the more significant practitioners in the world today, and an old acquaintance of Ambrose's besides. Not nearly as much of a scoundrel," Arthur adds, noting his daughter's momentary flinch. "Not that Blake doesn't have his moments - he IS a master sorcerer, after all, they're all a bit quirky, no offense, Mister Harris-"
"None taken, sir."
"-but even taking that into account, Blake's behavior in polite society is still worlds ahead of Ambrose's. Truth be told, I would have preferred to hire HIM as your tutor in arcane matters, Altria, but he had a prior committment that couldn't be set aside." The man pauses, frowning. "Though when I was making the offer, I had the distinct impression that Blake would have deferred in favor of Ambrose even if he'd had a clear schedule. Never been quite sure why... but there you have it."
Huh. Wonder what's up there?
Well, regardless, Mr. Drake's endorsement appears to have satisfied Lu-sensei. Neither of the adults have any objection to you seeking out your new acquaintances, though they both insist on tagging along. Lu-sensei isn't about to let you out of his sight so soon after events in the garden, and Arthur appears to be of a similar mind regarding Altria - that, and he probably wants to talk to Balthazar again.
Fair enough.
"Well, yes," you admit. "Most of my friends are pretty girls already, so what's one more? But honestly," you add, "I would have liked another guy to talk to. Just looking at my circle of friends, penpals, and people I've spoken to on good terms, I think there's like three girls for every boy."
"Is that a problem?" Altria inquires.
"Not a problem, really, just... kind of a pattern I wouldn't mind breaking."
In large part because of the Ganondorf/Gerudo association, but there's also something to be said for having more male friends your age.
Altria nods at your statement. A moment later, she asks, "Alex, do you... consider me a friend?"
You decide to look for the young Mister Stutler. If nothing else, his being a practitioner will make his aura easier to pick out in this crowd of monsters, especially if Balthazar is keeping him close in the wake of the explosions.
Speaking of which, you haven't heard any more blasts in or around the castle, nor have you picked up any subsequent surges of unleashed youki. Gyokuro's aura still registers to your senses - and from the way various guests are glancing off in the direction of that cloud of darkness and fury, you're not the only one picking it up - but she seems a bit... you want to say "calmer," but perhaps "less enraged" is the more accurate term. You haven't sensed Issa, which could mean almost anything, but which you're choosing to interpret as him just not needing to go full-power to deal with the intruders.
Whether it's because he's that much better than them, or that Gyokuro already destroyed them all, you'll have to wait and see.
In any case, the cloud of agitated vampiric youki is muddling your ki sense even more than the stirred-up energy of the guests was beforehand. That would be a problem if you were trying to find Emiko first, as she isn't particularly powerful and didn't have a unique aura quality like Altria's draconic energy to single her out, but as you're looking for Dave, your mage sense isn't particularly inconvenienced. It was a good call to seek out the sorcerer's apprentice first. Hopefully, by the time you're finished speaking with him, Gyokuro will have calmed down, or at least re-sealed her energy.
Gained Tactics C
As you've chosen to limit yourself to your passive senses, it still takes you a minute to lock in on Dave's signature - he's not the only magic-user in attendance, after all, and you're not all that familiar with his aura. It's a minor handicap, one that's easily compensated for by your experience with this method of detection, and before long you've ruled out a dozen presences that don't fit - two are just too strong to be Dave's, and seven others lack that particular undifferentiated quality you noticed in the young spellcaster's aura.
This leaves three. The closest of these is at the "back" of the ballroom, near the band, and doesn't have any other magical presence nearby that you can tell - at least not while you're using your passive mage sense. The next-nearest is moving towards one of the patio-side entrances, in company with one of the stronger magical auras you picked up on. The last of the auras that might be Dave is actually not in the ballroom at all, but appears to have moved out into the hall, along with a couple of the fainter auras you ruled out.
You're sure that ONE of these three presences belongs to Dave, but unfortunately, you don't have a clear line-of-sight to any of them, not even enough to tell if Balthazar is with him.
"Of course!" you exclaim, favoring Altria with a smile. Slight puzzlement creeps into your tone and expression as you add, "After everything we've been through together, why wouldn't I think of you as a friend?"
Altria considers that, then smiles brightly. "Indeed."
Gained King of Women C (Plus) (Plus) (Plus)
...are your eyes playing tricks on you, or is she blushing just a bit?
...
Nah. Couldn't be.
You decide to look at the matter logically.
You have determined that there are three magical signatures that could belong to Dave. One of these is close at hand, and in the direction of the band. Another is on its way outside, in company with a stronger magical presence. The last seems to be having a pow-wow in the next room with a couple of other entry-level magic-users.
So, of your three candidates, which is mostly likely to be Dave?
You think you can rule out the presence by the band, because at no point in your previous meeting did Dave strike you as a serious music-lover. There's also the fact that you found Dave taking a breather outside, away from all the strange monsters and/or monstrous strangers, making it seem unlikely that he'd subject himself to the crowd, which grows noticeably thicker in that direction.
They say that music soothes the savage beast, and if so, this may be evidence of it. But you still can't see Dave being comfortable in such company. He's just too nervous.
Now, hanging out in the hall, where you're at one remove from the party proper but still close enough to be considered "part" of it? That certainly feels like something a shy, jumpy sorcerer's apprentice would do, given the opportunity. But there are at least two other people out there, not including any magical non-talents, and once again, Dave didn't strike you as that outgoing an individual. Maybe in a crowd of other human magic-users, you'd look for him there, but given that something like 95% of the guests are non-human to one degree or another, you believe you can rule that group out.
This leaves the presence that is heading for the door, so to speak. This is also something you could easily Dave doing, if the press of the crowd got to be too much, and that stronger but well-controlled magical aura with him could be Balthazar Blake. It's a bit hard to tell through all the energy in the air-
Gained Mage Sense B (Plus)
-but that DOES feel like Balthazar's.
"I believe we want to go this way," you tell your companions, before leading the way to the patio.
The crowd is a bit harder to navigate now than it was when Lu-sensei was leading the way, but keeping your teacher's recent example in mind, you put your "do not distract" face on and do your best to emulate the mannerisms that got the two of you across the ballroom without incident.
Lo and behold, you pull it off. Not quite in time to catch up with probably-Dave and should-be-Balthazar, but you don't fall behind, either. And now that you're on the patio, where the crowd is thinner, you're able to move easier and actually see where you're going.
And it turns out your guess was correct. Balthazar is standing a ways down the deck, leaning elbows-first on the railing and looking out at the gardens, as if taking them all in. Dave is on his far side, using his master as a screen against the majority of the crowd, which makes it hard for you to get a glimpse of his face. His posture, on the other hand, seems a bit hunched and less-than-happy.
Maybe this isn't the best time to be introducing friends and acquaintances to one another?
Considering Dave's posture, you decide that it might be better to hang back for a moment rather than go barging in.
"Is something wrong, Alex?" Altria inquires.
"I'm not sure," you reply. "Give me a minute."
You take another step forward, so you're closer to being in Balthazar's line of sight than a shape in the corner of his eye, and wait a minute to see if he reacts. When he doesn't, you send a tiny fraction of your mana reserves on a quick circuit through your system, moving just energy around to shift your aura in a way that another practitioner should notice, but that most monsters shouldn't.
Bingo. Balthazar's gaze immediately cuts to the right, and upon seeing you, he blinks, before raising one inquisitive eyebrow.
Letting your mana settle, you raise your hands in a brief, apologetic gesture, then nod towards Balthazar's five-foot shadow and don a puzzled look of your own.
The sorcerer tilts his head towards Dave, still silently questioning.
You nod.
Balthazar rolls his eyes and lets out a sigh that you're too far away to hear, but which nevertheless conveys an impression of, "Kids," and "I did not sign up for this." Then the sorcerer looks at you, meaningfully, and nods towards Dave again.
Not the most verbose invitation ever, but you'll take it. At least, up to a point.
"Could you all wait here for a bit?" you ask your companions. "I just want to make sure we won't be intruding. You know, with actual WORDS."
The Drakes accept your request easily enough.
Lu-sensei regards you silently for a moment, then looks at Mr. Blake in the same manner, before making a show of assessing the distance between your current positions and all the guests occupying that space.
Come. On. This does NOT count as going off on your own - your teacher will be right here, watching your back, well within sprinting, shouting, or charge-attacking distance for a normal person, let alone a guy who can outrun anything you know of this side of the light barrier.
You must have managed to convey your feelings, because Lu-sensei doesn't offer up any further antics, beyond a sigh and a shooing away gesture.
Sometimes, Sensei. Some. Times.
Shaking your head, you walk over to the sorcerer and his apprentice. Balthazar nudges Dave as you get close, and the boy looks up, followed by leaning forward to glance around his teacher at whatever the older man is pointing out.
Dave's expression, initially cloudy, brightens somewhat when he sees you coming.
"Alex! Hey."
"Hi, Dave. Mister Blake. I haven't caught you at a bad time, have I?"
"What, me? Bad time? Pshaw. Whatever gave you that idea?"
His nonchalance is so faked, it's almost embarrassing.
"'Your thoughts betray you,'" you quote.
Dave winces. "They do?"
"Well, it's more that your slouching and using your teacher as a living wall between you and the crowd betrays you," you admit, "but try imagining Darth Vader saying all that."
Dave actually does. "Kind of loses the impact, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. So, the reason I asked if this is a bad time is because I was thinking that I might introduce you to a friend of mine, but if you're not up to company at the moment, I totally understand."
Your fellow student of the magical arts doesn't respond to that.
"This friend of yours, Mister Harris," Balthazar says then. "Would they happen to be the blonde girl standing next to Mister Drake?"
"Yes, she would."
Dave's expression changes REMARKABLY. "Wait, a girl? What? You want to-"
"In that case," Balthazar says, and this time, he's ABSOLUTELY smiling, "go ahead and invite your friend over."
"Wait, what? Balthazar!"
"You can't go on hiding in corners forever, Dave-"
"I'm not *hiding,* I just-"
"-it's impolite, and it's not doing you any favors in this crowd-"
"-don't WANT their favors-"
"-and besides, I know these people."
"-and somehow, that statement FAILS to reassure me!"
Master and apprentice appear to have a... difference of opinion on the subject.
Maybe if you call people over, good manners will compel Dave and Balthazar to stop arguing and introduce themselves?
Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Nothing could go wrong with such a simple plan.
Not quite turning your back on the quarreling master and apprentice, you signal for Altria, Lu-sensei, and Mister Drake to come ahead and join you and Briar.
Balthazar sees them coming, and gives Dave's arm a light, corrective swat. "Look sharp, Dave. We're about to have company."
"What? No! Alex!" Dave hisses at you in a low tone, even as he proceeds to straighten up and sort out his outfit for presentability. "Why would you do that?"
"Master Blake," Altria's father says in opening, hand extended. "Good to see you again."
"Always a pleasure, Lord Drake," Balthzar replies, as he shakes the man's hand. "Though I have to say, I was not expecting you to be attending. Certainly not so soon after that business in Singapore."
"I couldn't very well let my wife and daughter walk into vampire country without me, now could I? And besides, having me as a guest - particularly after Singapore - is driving Issa crazy, which is a perfectly worthwhile goal." His smile is not nice.
"I see."
"...what happened in Singapore?" Dave wonders.
"I have been wondering that myself," Altria admits.
He gives her a cautious glance.
She meets it, frankly.
"Ah, yes, before I forget..." Balthazar reaches back and hauls Dave forward and out of his shadow with one arm. "This is my apprentice, David Stutler. David, this is Lord Arthur Drake, and his daughter, Altria."
"Um... hi," Dave manages.
"A pleasure to meet you, Mister Stutler," Arthur replies.
"Likewise," Altria adds.
"Thanks? I guess?"
"Don't mind him too much," Balthazar adds. "He's from New York."
"Hey!"
Father and daughter nod in unison, looking sympathetic.
"And this is my teacher," you cut in smoothly, "Lu Tze, of the School of Five Elements. Lu-sensei, this is Balthazar Blake, Sorcerer of the Seven Hundred and Seventy-Seventh Degree, and his apprentice, David Stutler."
Lu-sensei bows. "Master Blake."
"Master Lu," Balthazar returns, matching the bow in kind, and dragging a squawking Dave into a similar pose of respect.
Well, that's the introductions out of the way.
"I promised Altria I'd make the introductions," you tell Dave frankly. "And I'd hate to go back on my word."
Gained Honest C
Dave blinks a couple of times as he considers your reply, then gives a reluctant nod.
"Well, yeah, I can see that," he admits in a reasonable tone. Then his voice turns frustrated, as he adds, "But why does keeping YOUR word have to come at MY expense?"
You decide to leave the adults to their own affairs, so that you can focus on bridging the social gap that exists between Dave and Altria. But what to say, and who to say it to?
You're tempted to focus your efforts on getting Dave to open up. He's demonstrated a certain... evasiveness... of personality in your interactions, and combined with his apparent reluctance to talk to a girl, it's something that probably needs to be pinned down and dealt with if you're to make any headway. However, you'd have to do that in a manner that didn't come across as too confrontational or domineering, and you're having some trouble coming up with the words to do that.
So you take a different route.
"So," you begin. "I suppose you're wondering why I've brought us together like this, and what we could possibly talk about."
"That's... one way of putting it," Dave admits. There is a faintly sour note in his words.
"Well, all three of us are currently learning from older folks with formidable reputations and even more powerful abilities. I thought we might share tips on how to handle that. Personally, my advice would be to get a reliable fairy to sit on your shoulder and advise you, but I'm afraid I might have cornered the market there." You smile.
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Briar notes.
Dave glances between you and Briar, raises one hand and starts to say something, then stops and appears to completely change his mind.
"I'm stuck dealing with Balthazar, and Alex apparently has a genuine Kung Fu Master to worry about." His eyes flicker briefly towards Lu-sensei, and the young sorcerer can't avoid looking impressed before he turns to Altria. "So who or what are you learning from?"
"Ambrose," Altria replies, once again slipping into that single-word language.
Dave turns pale. "You don't mean MERLE Ambrose, do you? Skinny old guy, bad fashion sense, beard out to here" - he gestures, one hand stretched as far as it can reach - "kind of a one-man whirlwind of magic, mayhem, and a lousy sense of humor?"
"You've met."
"Yeah, once, for all of maybe ten minutes - probably the ten scariest minutes of my LIFE, which includes the time about a week before when I accidentally let that jerk Hovarth out of the Grimholt and he tried to kill me-"
The who and the what, now?
"-but you actually have to deal with that guy on a regular basis? As a TEACHER?"
Altria nods, wordlessly.
"God, I am so sorry to hear that," Dave says, and you know that he means every word.
"Thank you."
"And I kind of have to agree with Alex," the sorcerer's apprentice continues. "How DO you put up with that guy without going nuts?"
"Honestly?" Altria sighs. "I think it's simply that I've been exposed to his antics long enough that I've grown numb to them. But please don't mention that anywhere in his hearing," she adds quickly, looking around as if expecting to catch sight of a robed and bearded figure lurking nearby.
"My lips are sealed," Dave promises.
"Same here," you say, making a zipping gesture across your mouth.
"He won't hear a thing from me, Altria," Briar adds.
"Thank you."
Well, even if it's bonding out of fear and exasperation over the world's most annoying wizard, these two seem to be talking.
"Sorry about that," you tell Dave. "But I think you'll be surprised by how easy this goes."
He doesn't appear convinced by your statement.
For the record?
You're right. Dave is VERY surprised by how easily he ends up talking to Altria.
Since you've managed to get Dave and Altria talking with each other, rather than at or around each other, you decide to ease your social grip on the meeting and let this little discussion evolve naturally. Even if they just end up exchanging complaints about Ambrose, it's a step towards getting your peers comfortable together, which is all you really wanted to do.
Besides, it's not like you wouldn't appreciate the chance to air a few of your own grievances with that troublesome old wizard, particularly with people who GET where you're coming from.
As it happens, you spend a good fifteen or twenty minutes together, and for a wonder, you only spend a third of that time at most complaining about Ambrose's antics. The original subject of managing stress when you're learning directly from one of the Big Names in the high-pressure field of sorcery or martial arts comes back up, and from there, thre three of you end up trading anecdotes about your hometowns: Altria starts it off by mentioning a place on the grounds of her family manor where she goes to relax; you follow along by talking about Lu-sensei's rooftop garden, which is about the only place in Sunnydale you currently consider both aesthetically-pleasing and SAFE to relax in; and after some thought, Dave admits that the closest he has to a place like that is - rather depressingly - when he's in the middle of a Merlin Circle and not actively DOING anything, just... being.
Dave does mention something about a PERSON whose presence he finds very relaxing - and also terrifying, and how that works, you've really got no idea. Judging by the way Altria blinks and trades a glance with you in a failed search for understanding, she doesn't get it, either. BRIAR seems to understand exactly what Dave's going on about, but all she says to you on the subject is that it's Dave's business, and you shouldn't worry about it.
She also takes a moment to leave your shoulder, flutter over to the sorcerer's apprentice, and say something that you can't make out, but which leaves him gaping, red-faced, and stammering denials, before he clams up entirely.
Starting the conversation up again after that proves difficult - thank you for that, Briar, really - and you decide that this might be a good opportunity to cut out and try to find Emiko so Altria can meet her. The adults - who stepped aside early in your conversation and have been talking amongst themselves since then - don't appear to have an issue with this, and the usual round of goodbyes is made.
Turning away from Balthazar and Dave, you open your senses up once again, trying to home in on Emiko's aura of youki, spiritual energy, and magic. You think you've got something, but as you begin leading your companions towards the faint, fox-like presences that you think are Emiko and her aunt, you start picking up some of the distinctive auras of your hosts. You also notice that the murmur of the crowd, which has been in the background almost continuously since the party began, has died down.
Reaching the patio doors, you see why. Issa and Gyokuro have returned, the lady of the house in a completely different dress than the one you remember her wearing when you passed her on your way into the ballroom, back at the beginning.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Issa announces to the room at large. "If I may have your attention?"
The room goes completely silent. He has what he asked.
"Thank you. First of all, on behalf of myself and the entire Shuzen family, I must apologize to all of you, our guests, for the earlier lapse in our security. It was entirely unforgiveable, and steps are being taken to ensure no further incidents of that nature take place." Issa pauses. His face is calm, cool, and controlled - and something about that scares the HELL out of you. "On a related note, I'm sure you will all be pleased to know that those responsible for this... most egregious breach of hospitality have been apprehended. And thanks to some timely information provided by some of our guests, my lady Gyokuro was able to take the majority of the invaders alive and intact."
There are murmurs and growls from the crowd at this, mixing various degrees of interest, respect, and approval. Gyokuro smiles and nods her head slightly - and is it just you, or is she wearing her hair differently from before, too?
You can't escape the feeling that whoever broke in is even more doomed than they already were.
"Still," Issa continues, "in light of this incident, we have opted to raise the castle's defenses to a higher state of alert. While this will not be an issue for the ballroom, the main hall, any of the chambers immediately-adjacent to either, or the nearer parts of the garden, I would recommend against wandering any farther afield than that. And no, Gregor, that is not a challenge, merely a courtesy."
Some of the crowd chuckle at that. You see a tall, muscular man with Eastern European features smirk and bow towards Issa. Gregor, you suppose.
"With that said," Issa goes on, a bit more relaxed and less menacing than before, "we have decided to proceed with the festivities as planned."
He says more, but you're distracted by a youki signature that's heading your way from off to your right, accompanied by brief murmurs and movements of the guests.
"Mister Harris," one of the servants says quietly, as he emerges from the crowd. "Miss Kahlua would like to request the honor of your presence for this next event. Would you please accompany me?"
Before leaving the sorcerous duo, you offer to exchange phone numbers and mailing addresses with Dave. He appears surprised by the offer, but not in a bad way. Unlike most of the Japanese kids you've met, neither Dave nor his adult chaperone have those handy little personal cards, but that's fine - you just reach into your dimensional pocket, pull out a sheet of that paper you've been carrying around, and then use a minor cantrip in place of ink to write down your contact info, before doing the same for Dave.
You do consider asking Balthazar for his information as well - because knowing how to get in touch with another master sorcerer, one whose behavior in your presence has been FAR less trying than Ambrose's, would not be a bad thing at all - but you finally decide not to do it, on the grounds that it might make Dave feel a bit uncomfortable.
Besides, if a situation comes up where you need magical advice and actually have TIME to call for it, you could always get in touch with the master through his apprentice, or just use a Spell of Sending to contact Balthazar directly.
Gained Dave Stutler's contact information
"Of course!" you reply to the servant's request. "I'd be more than happy to. Just give me a moment to excuse myself."
"Certainly, Mister Harris."
You turn to your companions. "Altria, I apologize for not being able to introduce you to Emiko like I promised."
"It's entirely understandable, Alex," Altria replies, neither looking nor sounding at all upset. "We can always find your friend after this."
"That's an idea."
"Well, then, hurry and see what Kahlua wants with you." The blonde smiles. "According to my Mother, it is inexcuseable for a gentleman to disappoint a lady on her birthday."
Lord Drake's expression tells you that he holds a... somewhat different opinion on the matter than his wife, but he doesn't say anything to contradict his daughter. With a bow to Arthur and Lu-sensei - who you noticed giving the servant a quick once-over, before silently nodding his permission to you - you turn and follow the Shuzen's manservant into the crowd. The man's polite murmurs have the guests moving aside fairly easily, though not without many of them giving you considering looks or anticipatory grins.
Seeing expressions of the latter nature makes you a bit wary. What exactly DOES Kahlua want you for? When you were in the Childrens' Game Room this morning, she did mention that dancing would be on the agenda today, and you DID sort of promise her a dance - or at least, you said that you wouldn't dream of trying to use the Dance Dance Revolution group dance battle as an excuse to wiggle out of dancing with Kahlua later.
And it's certainly "later."
On the other hand, you also remember promising Kahlua a full-power spar at some point before the end of your visit. Could this be the time she's selected? And if so, what do you do about it?
You've spoken to the Shuzens' servants a couple of times already, for advice about finding your way around the castle and tips on what to wear to this party. It worked out well then, and you have no reason to believe that will change now, so why shift tactics?
"Excuse me," you inquire.
You hope you won't have to reach out and tug on the man's arm to get his attention, or something equally childish, and you're in luck - he hears you, and turns his head slightly to show you have his attention.
"Is there a problem, Mister Harris?"
"Less a problem, more of a question," you respond. "I'm not familiar with how parties of this sort go, so I'm just going to ask up front: is Kahlua expecting to spar with me, or to dance? Because I've promised to do both with her at some point, and we never really specified WHEN."
The servant's lips quiver slightly, as if he's trying to suppress an unprofessional smile. "I was given to understand that dancing was the next item on the agenda, Mister Harris-"
Well, that's a relief.
"-though it IS entirely possible the young mistress or her parents might change their minds," the man adds, still with that little amused quirk at the corner of his mouth.
You're pretty sure he's just messing with you now. Politely and humbly, but still.
Leaving that aside, you figure you can do without a round of combat-grade buff spells... but maybe a "dance" grade set might be okay? Just to make sure you don't embarrass yourself, Kahlua, or Din with lousy footwork.
Yeah, there's no need to armor yourself up with sorcery right now. You're walking onto a dancefloor, not a battlefield.
And once the music starts, if you get any indication that your feet ought to be registered as deadly weapons, you've always got the option of a quick, relatively subtle ki boost to help shore up your balance and agility.
With that decided, you follow the servant in silence the rest of the way to your destination.
As you move through the crowd, you notice the other guests moving about. As they clear a relatively large section of the floor, the area adjacent to the ballroom walls becomes relatively densely-packed - though even at its thickest, the individual members of the repositioned crowd don't appear to be "crowding" each other that much. There's at least an arm's length of space between every two individuals that aren't obviously related, with a handful of exceptions that you take to be friends, trusted enemies, and the occasional dating or married couple - or more than one of those.
The Shuzens have assembled near the front of the room, which is where your guide is leading you. You're a bit surprised to see Kahlua dropping a polite curtsey to a boy several years her elder, who responds with a positively aristocratic bow and an extended hand. As Kahlua accepts both the respect and the offered hand, the band on the far side of the ballroom begins playing an unfamiliar but traditional-sounding tune.
And off they go, with the entire room watching.
Your first thought is that this guy, whoever he is, is unquestionably a better dancer than you are.
Your second is that Kahlua is easily keeping up.
The servant brings you before the Shuzens, most of whom note your presence with brief glances and subtle nods of acknowledgement. For variety, you have Kokoa and Akasha, who react with their usual scowl and smile, respectively.
"Mister Harris, milady," the man says, bowing to Akasha.
"Thank you, Anton," the lady replies, before turning to you. "I hope Kahlua's invitation didn't catch you at a bad time, Alex."
"No, nothing like that," you say, honestly unperturbed. Well, unperturbed now that you know you were being brought up to dance, rather than fight.
As Kahlua and her partner dance, it occurs to you that this is one more opportunity to acquire knowledge on dancing before you have to use it in front of everyone. As a bonus, any information you pick up in this formal, traditional setting will be more relevant to your immediate needs than the modern freeform footwork you studied during this morning's Dance Dance Revolution. Ideally, you'd use an active scan to obtain the best results, but Gyokuro - who has demonstrated a pretty amazing level of extrasensory perception several times since your arrival - is standing not four pace away, and moreover, is almost certainly NOT in the best of moods right now.
Rather than risk annoying one of your hosts - again - you simply cycle your energies to awaken your passive senses and accelerate your thought processes, and begin tracking the movements of the pair on the dance floor, committing their steps to memory. Well, the BOY's steps, at least - you don't really feel like learning the girl's part. After a moment of observation makes it clear that neither Kahlua nor her partner are using anything beyond their (super)natural physical ability and training, you let the magical and spiritual elements of your heightened senses and mental augmentation fade away.
Gained Dancing D
Incidentally, the look you got at the young gentleman's aura tells you that he doesn't have any magical ability, and not much more in the way of spiritual skill - though what he has of the latter is pretty well trained. In terms of youki, he appears to be on a similar tier of ability as Kahlua, though you're uncertain if he has a seal or not. You also find it hard to tell if he has any kind of psychic ability, but that's due to your own unpolished skills in that field as much as anything else.
All in all, you find yourself curious about Kahlua's current partner.
"If you don't mind my asking, Miss Akasha...?"
"Yes?"
"Who is Kahlua dancing with, anyway?"
"His name is Mikhail Grakul," Akasha informs you. "His father, Sir Andrei Grakul, is the current Grandmaster of the Order of the Dragon. It's a knightly order in Europe, with both human and monster members. Sir Andrei is the political equivalent of a Dark Lord, although he and his predecessors have always refused to use that title."
So, the son of a European big shot. That would explain why he got the first dance with the birthday girl.
It occurs to you that you have an opportunity here to learn about Europe's supernatural community, something you're rather shy on information about - problematically so, given that you're planning to visit the continent in about a month's time, to carry out the familiar binding ritual with Briar. You've done the whole "walk blind into a situation" thing before - once when you tracked down your absent fairy companion only to meet a giant electrical hell-squid, and again when you thought to attempt a ritual to Din within the mouth of an active volcano, only to find that the Hawaiian Sorcerer and his little monkey had beaten you there - and you've also entered dangerous situations AFTER gathering information about them - most prominently, your investigation of the whole of Navi's copy of the Silent Realm, before you actually went out and started fighting the natives.
Of the two, there's no contest as to which situation you dislike more: if you have to face danger, you prefer to be as well-armed against it as possible, and that means you need as much information about it as you can acquire, preferably BEFORE you're neck-deep in another disaster-in-the-making.
After all, the old saying "knowledge is power" got to BE a cliché for a reason.
On a side note, you really have to wonder what Din and Nayru think of that particular expression...
You shake your head.
"What's it like in Europe?" you ask of Akasha, while keeping your attention on the dancers. "In the Moonlit World, I mean."
"Tense," she replies without hesitation. "Very, very tense. If you're considering traveling there in the near future, Alex, I'd recommend against it."
Akasha's tone is serious enough to make you break off your observation of Kahlua and Mikhail, at least long enough to give the vampire matron a concerned glance. "...that bad?"
Lady Bloodriver considers that for a moment, and then sighs. "I'm a little biased," she admits. "Old, bad memories. But the supernatural side in Europe IS on a hair-trigger right now. A lot of doomsday prophecies are coming due this year, and everyone who has a say in them - or THINKS they have a say - has been jockeying for position over the last few decades. Since World War Two, actually."
Although you try to keep watching the dance in progress, you find more and more of your attention being stolen away as Miss Akasha explains the state of affairs in the Old World. There are, as she said, a great many prophecies expected to resolve in this year - over a hundred that Akasha had been informed of at last count. A third have already transpired. Most are comparatively small-scale problems, localized disasters that were or will be bad news for anyone living in or passing through the locations in question, but which individually wouldn't pose a threat to nations, let alone the entire world. It's the sheer number of foretold disasters, faltering ancient seals, and slumbering evils stirring to wakefulness that's the real concern. There are dozens of organizations on both sides of the mundane/supernatural divide working to prevent these problems, but no one group has the resources and manpower to handle everything at once - not even the Church, which at the height of its power could have simply called for a crusade to force most of the human factions and no few of the monsters to unite against the greater threat.
Getting everyone to work together would neatly address the situation, but sadly, too many of the organizations involved are unwilling or flat-out unable to trust one another. Humans versus monsters, conservatives against progressives, religious fanatics decrying more secular members of the faith as much as or more than they do the heathen, the heretic, the inhuman, and the witch - and this isn't even getting into the snarly mundane politics, or the assorted groups and individuals who are coming out in SUPPORT of the end of the world.
And worse yet, there ARE a few genuine global threats still in the offering. One of these is set to happen in South America at the end of the year, so Akasha doesn't go into detail. Another, however, is coming up in early August, and WILL be affecting Europe directly - at least for a start.
Gained Local Knowledge (Moonlit World) D (Plus) (Plus) (Plus)
Akasha's mention of "early August" reminds you of something, and not in a good way. Before you can decide whether or not to inquire further about it, the crowd breaks into polite applause. Glancing reflexively at the dance floor, you find that Kahlua and her partner have stopped, curtseying and bowing respectively. After a moment, the crowd begins breaking up, various members pairing off and moving onto the dance floor.
Kahlua says a good-bye to Mikhail, then turns and looks in your direction, her expression expectant.
"This has been a really helpful discussion, Miss Akasha," you say. "I'd like to hear more, but I do have a prior engagement to be getting to. Do you suppose we could continue our talk later?"
"That should be fine, Alex," Akasha says, smiling. "Now go on. You shouldn't keep a girl waiting."
"Farthest thing from my mind," you assure her, before turning, standing up straight, and striding onto the dance floor.
As you approach Kahlua, you notice a few other well-dressed boys around her age or a bit older moving through the crowd in her general direction. Given their positions, speed, and the interference of the other dancers, you would have reached Kahlua first by a clear margin if you hadn't delayed to talk with Akasha - as it stands, you're going to get to Kahlua just a bit ahead of two of the other guys.
One of these two is short, skinny, pale, and visibly nervous. He gives you the impression that he either has no real confidence in his chances of getting to dance with Kahlua, or else doesn't really WANT to dance with her, and is only asking due to some social obligation. Regardless, you don't expect him to be a problem - and sure enough, when the smaller boy notices you walking towards Kahlua, he starts looking even more uneasy than before, slowing his approach, but not quite stopping.
The other imminent arrival may be more of an issue to deal with. He's a bit taller than you are, if with a slightly-slimmer build, and his expression and bearing don't lack for self-assurance. When HE catches sight of you, he scowls and starts walking a bit faster.
Too bad for him, the crowd gets in the way.
You're at a classy party, about to ask a girl to dance, you're surrounded by monsters, and you're wearing a tux.
May as well go all-in, right?
Stopping at a respectful distance, you bring your right hand up over your heart and present yourself to Kahlua with a formal, Western-style bow - it seems to fit the setting better than a Japanese-formal greeting.
"Miss Shuzen," you say, straightening up, "may I have the honor of this dance?"
Kahlua smiles and extends her hand. "You may, good sir."
As you take Kahlua's hand, you note the two nearest boys. The skinny one actually looks relieved by this development, and quickly fades back into the crowd. The other boy gives you a sour look, but one that seems to be mildly annoyed at worst; then he, too, backs away.
Then the next song begins, and you put anyone not dancing out of your mind. Part of your awareness keeps a loose handle on your ki, channeling a small, easily-concealed amount of extra life-force throughout your system to sharpen your reflexes, steady your balance, and hone your footwork just that little extra bit. These trace amounts of energy have only a minor effect, and so your first few steps are a bit awkward - which doesn't seem like that big a deal when you've only ever slow-danced once before, and that time, with the benefit of not actually having to worry about your footwork. You adjust your movements, smoothing out the flaws, and just like that, the two of you are-
-well, you can't say you're flying. You did that yesterday morning, and this is almost nothing like it. But Kahlua is smiling, you haven't stepped on her feet, tripped over your own, or bumped into anyone else on the dance-floor, and you don't get the sense that any of the other guests are staring at you, so you figure it's good.
Gained Reflexes D (Plus)
"I see our dance competition this morning wasn't for nothing," Kahlua teases, as the two of you make a slow turn.
"The extra practice was definitely helpful," you admit. "Even if it was mostly lessons in what NOT to do in a formal setting."
"Don't let Moka hear you say that," Kahlua warns with a smile. "She might decide to drag you out on this dance floor for another lesson."
"Moka will just have to wait her turn," you reply, smirking, before spinning Kahlua about.
She laughs.
Feeling no particular urge to talk about anything, you focus on the dance, giving it your best technical effort and just simply enjoying yourself.
Eventually, however, the current song winds down, and with it, the current dance.
"Oh, so soon?" Kahlua sighs. "Phooey." Shaking her head, she favors you with a smaller smile than before, and curtseys one more time. "Well, thank you for the dance, Alex. I quite enjoyed myself."
"You're welcome," you answer with another bow. "And, likewise."
A glance past Kahlua's shoulder shows the guys you saw before once again making their way through the crowd. There are a couple more of them this time, one of middling height but built like a linebacker - which is kind of a disturbing thing to see in a ten, maybe eleven year-old - the other pretty much average in build and appearance, except for the emerald green scales lining his brow, nose, cheekbones, and jaw.
Kahlua notices your shift in attention, and makes a face. "How many?"
"Four at least," you report.
She says a word you don't think she's supposed to use, or possibly even know.
"I'll save you another spot on my dance card, Kahlua," you promise. "So you'll at least have something to look forward to, after... this."
You're tempted to offer her another magically-aided dance in the air - you could say it was to lift her spirits - but you decide that might not be the best idea, given the circumstances surrounding the party.
Kahlua gives you a grateful smile, then dons an expression that you can only think of as a polite mask as her would-be dance partners move in. One or two of them shoot you suspicious looks, to which you respond with a bland smile and mute nods of acknowledgement before backing away and letting the birthday get on with her bothersome social obligations.
Having enjoyed yourself quite a bit during that dance, you decide to seek out a new partner for the next round. Your brief banter with Kahlua has you glancing towards the front of the room where the Shuzens were standing, but Moka is no longer there - a quick look around shows her partnered with a VERY nervous looking green-haired boy. You silently wish them both well and go back to searching for one of your friends.
But isn't it always the way of things that when you want to find somebody, they aren't there? You saw the Arisawas earlier, but they moved with the rest of the crowd to clear the dance floor, and the elaborate kimonos have disappeared from view. Come to think of it, could Tatsuki even dance in what she was wearing? It looked pretty confining, and she certainly wasn't comfortable in it...
The third dance is well underway when you decide to fall back on your esoteric senses.
And there's Altria, off to the side near where you left her, her father, and Lu-sensei. Emiko seems to be on the other side of the ballroom from.
You decide to go fox-hunting. After all, you were looking for Emiko and her aunt when that servant intercepted you, and it would be nice to be able to introduce her to Altria, like you promised.
Voicing quiet apologies as you make your way through the crowd, you follow the trail of Emiko's aura towards the right-hand side of the ballroom. It takes longer to cover the distance than it would have before the music started, since you can't exactly cut across the dance floor, but that's fine - and on a positive note, Emiko's presence is maintaining a constant position, only getting closer as you advance, which tells you she isn't dancing at the moment.
And this gives you an idea, though you put it on the back-burner for now.
The third song of the late morning proves to be longer than either of the first two were, and is still going strong when you find your friend. Emiko is standing with her aunt, gazing at the ballroom floor with a forlorn expression. Although Ms. Hayashi senses your approach and gives you a brief nod of recognition, Emiko's attention remains where it was, your presence not registering.
You find yourself tempted to exploit this.
"Hello again, Ms. Hayashi," you greet the older kitsune as you approach.
"Hello again, Mr. Harris," comes the reply.
"Oh, hey Alex," Emiko sighs.
Then she pauses, blinking.
You and her aunt both watch as Emiko's head slowly turns towards you.
You wave.
*POP!*
"Wa-wa-wai!"
And there she goes.
Well, that didn't take long at all.
"A-Alex!" Emiko stammers. "I-I didn't see- I mean, y-you shouldn't sneak- that is-"
"I think what my niece means to say, Mr. Harris, is that she's curious about what brings you over here," Ms. Hayashi smoothly cuts in.
Clearly flustered, Emiko closes her mouth and nods once, ears bunched up in embarrassment.
"Well, after we parted ways earlier," you begin, "I met up with another friend of mine who was looking a little isolated in the crowd. I offered to introduce her to the people I'd met, and of course, I thought of you."
Emiko's blush is nuclear. "I-I-I-"
"I'm sure Emiko would be delighted to meet your friend, Mr. Harris," Hanabi says, once again speaking on her niece's behalf. "Isn't that right, dear?"
Emiko nods, and manages to get out a, "Yes!"
"I'm glad to hear it." You pause, taking a moment to consider the music. It's definitely slowing down. "Before that, though," you continue, "I was wondering if you might like to dance, Emiko?"
*TOING!*
Ears sticking straight up and tail fully outstretched, the young kitsune stares at you.
"Um, Emiko?" you venture.
"D-d-dance?" she mumbles.
"Oh, bother," Hanabi sighs.
"You want... to dance... with me?" Emiko asks in a dreamy sort of voice.
You're honestly not entirely sure how you should respond. Something in her tone is... well, weird.
"Of course I want to," you answer. "As long as it's okay with you, that is."
"It is!" Emiko bursts out. "It totally is! With me! I mean, I'm okay with me! I mean... yiii!"
Hanabi, meanwhile, appears to have decided that now would be an opportune time to demonstrate how to perform a graceful, ladylike facepalm.
Trying not too look too directly at the older kitsune, you offer your right hand-
*YOINK!*
-which is rather enthusiastically seized by the positively delighted Emiko. You'd almost forgotten what a firm grip the fox-girl has, even when she isn't using her fingernails. Fortunately, it's not so strong as to be painful, let alone to cause you to cry out. That would just be embarrassing.
Maintaining a smile, you lead the way onto the dance floor, Emiko all but bouncing along at your side and making half-heard, high-pitched squeeing sounds the entire time. More than one member of the crowd looks your way; they seem about evenly split between pained winces and amused smiles, which has you wondering if this was such a hot idea.
Then the next song begins.
The addition of music doesn't exactly calm Emiko down, but it does give her something to do with all that energy. It quickly becomes evident that she's not as good a dance as Kahlua, let alone Moka, but it's also clear that she has enough prrior experience to keep up with you. It comes as a relief, to be honest; you were half-worried that she'd end up stepping on your feet.
After the first couple of passes, you consider whether or not to try talking with Emiko. A look at her face - dominated by a bright smile and a gaze that's aimed at you, yet doesn't appear to be seeing anything - suggests that she may not be in the best frame of mind for a chat. Then again, you won't know unless you try, right?
You decide not to interrupt whatever daydream Emiko is lost in at the moment, and instead just focus on keeping in time with the music.
This song turns out to be about as long as its predecessor, and about halfway through it, Emiko appears to come out of her daze - at which point she promptly goes red in the face and starts looking everywhere BUT at you, while stammering apologies for her lack of attention. This sudden embarrassment has a pronounced effect on Emiko's footwork, and not for the better; the fox-girl misses a few steps, forcing you to almost literally carry her through a part of the dance. You're quite certain that everybody nearby caught that, but you're rather proud of how you managed to keep your partner from faceplanting or dragging you down with her.
Gained Dancing D (Plus)
Emiko is decidedly less pleased with herself, and she spends the rest of the song staring at her feet.
As the music winds down, Emiko quickly lets go of your hand, thanks you for the dance in a very small voice, and then all but scurries over to her aunt, who was already coming your way. Hanabi considers her niece for a moment, then shakes her head and asks you where your friend is. A moment's concentration on your part reveals that Altria's aura hasn't moved too far from where you left her, her father, and Lu-sensei, and you lead the two kitsune off the dance floor in that direction.
While you're making a path through the crowd, apologizing to would-be dancers and other guests as you go, you catch bits and pieces of a whispered conversation between the fox-women behind you.
The muted discussion ends abruptly as Altria and her father come into view and notice your approach.
"Welcome back, Alex, Briar," the blonde greets you and your fairy companion. "Did you enjoy the dancing?"
"As much as I could with nobody my own size to dance with," Briar replies. "But Alex makes a decent stand-in."
"You're welcome," you tell the fairy. "And yes, Altria, I enjoyed myself."
"In any case," you continue, "I made a promise earlier to introduce you to some friends I made. And when I spotted one of those friends after my dance with Kahlua, I thought I'd bring them over and keep my word. So. Altria, Mr. Drake, I believe you've both already met Ms. Hayashi?"
"We have," Mr. Drake confirms.
"Well, this is her niece, Emiko. Emiko, these are Altria and Arthur Drake."
"It's a pleasure," Altria says, with a short, formal bow.
"Likewise," her father adds in kind.
Emiko... doesn't answer right away. She's too busy staring at Altria, with the same sort of gobsmacked expression you saw on her face when you told her who you were earlier in the party.
"Oh, for goodness's sake, girl," Hanabi mutters.
You decide against listening in on the Hayashis. In part because it would be rude, but also because you can guess at what they're most likely discussing - and Emiko admitting to her aunt that she's deeply embarrassed about her own behavior isn't exactly something you're dying to hear.
"In fact," you continue, "I think I'll be hitting the dance floor again later." You pause, and give the blonde a considering look. "Would you be interested in joining me?"
Altria blinks, suddenly giving off an air of uncustomary awkwardness. "Um..."
"I mean, if you'd rather not dance, that's fine too," you add. "No pressure, or anything."
"Actually, Alex, I wouldn't mind dancing. It's just that... well." Altria gestures to her neat blue suit, and then your own black formal attire. "Don't you think the two of us dancing together, dressed like this, might send the wrong impression?"
You look down at your clothes, and hers, considering how to respond.
Taking in Emiko's lack of response, it occurs to you that you could, and - maybe, probably - should have warned the fox-girl about who you were going to introduce her to. But, as they say, hindsight is twenty-twenty; there's nothing for it now but to press on.
Without a word, and as stealthily as you can manage under the circumstances, you reach out and give Emiko a gentle but firm nudge in the shoulder, hoping to stir her from her... current state... without making any more of a scene.
"Huh? Whu- ah!"
And there go the ears again.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Drake! A-and you, too, Mister Drake!" Emiko adds, quickly bowing to Altria's father, before turning right back to the girl herself. "Sorry about that, I, uh... that is to say... eeee..."
"...yes?" Altria ventures cautiously, while giving Emiko's trembling, squeaking form the kind of wary look you'd expect to be reserved for an unexploded bomb.
Speaking of which - Emiko takes Altria's monosyllabic inquiry as her cue to explode.
"I saw you fight at the World Tournamentand it was AMAZING and YOU were AMAZING and I'm a huge fan do you think I could I have your autograph? Everyone I know would be SO jealous, and oh Inari, I'm making a fool of myself AGAIN-"
Your previous metaphor was aprt: the sudden onslaught of words leaves the Drakes looking very much like they'd just been caught in the blast radius of an explosive device. The smoke, shrapnel, and scorch marks are lacking, of course, but the slack-jawed stare of the shell-shocked is very much in evidence.
You're feeling a bit dazed yourself, but you've experienced Emiko's enthusiasm before.
Just as you're about to intercede, however, Hanabi lets out a sigh that is close to being a growl, reaches out, and gives her niece a knock on the head.
"Ow!" The younger kitsune clutches her head protectively, and gives her aunt the stink-eye. "Auntie! Did you have to...?!"
"Yes," Hanabi says firmly. "Now. Try again. SLOWER."
Emiko blinks, looks at the Drakes, and once again turns an intense shade of red.
"...oh." Her ears and tail curl up, as she starts staring determinedly at her feet. "S-sorry, Miss Drake. Mister Drake. I, um... I just really, REALLY like martial arts. And martial artists. And girls who are martial artists. So, um... yeah."
Well, this is turning into a kind of social trainwreck. Maybe you should intercede? Somehow?
"If it's just the clothes that you're worried about, Altria, that's something I can fix easily enough," you reply. "Would you prefer the illusion of a dress, or would transforming what you're actually wearing into a dress be more comfortable?"
Altria looks thoughtful at first, but for some reason, as soon as you suggest a Spell of Transformation, she blanches. For that matter, her father appears almost as alarmed.
"Definitely the illusion!"
You consider this reaction, and then rub the bridge of your nose as you realize the problem.
"Ambrose," you state, more than guess.
"Ambrose," Altria admits, looking terribly embarrassed about something.
"Ambrose," Mr. Drake grumbles.
You can imagine what might have prompted this reaction, but you're not going to. As much for your own sanity as your friend's dignity.
"That means you're in good company!" you say decisively, clapping your hands together - which incidentally provokes a start from most of your companions.
Emiko's borderline meltdown REALLY had them distracted, didn't it?
"Martial arts are obviously something favored by our hosts," you continue, "as well as everybody else here that was also at the World Tournament. And on that subject - out of all the styles that were in evidence at the Tournament, which one would you say was your favorite? I have to say I'm partial to the School of Five Elements, but - speaking as a practitioner and as one of Lu-sensei's students - I'm not exactly an unbiased judge."
"Your master's style is very formidable, Alex," Altria concedes. "However, I prefer armed combat over unarmed."
"Swords, right?"
"Absolutely." Her face falls. "Unfortunately, with the Tournament's schedule getting disrupted as it was, I didn't have as much opportunity to observe the Armed Division matches as I would have liked. And as good as they are, the recordings only show so much."
"This from the girl who's re-watched the footage... what, twenty times now?" Lord Drake muses.
Altria blushes. "Father!"
"Only twenty times?" Hanabi laughs lightly. "Emiko's watched-"
"Never mind that," Emiko interrupts quickly. Or tries to.
"-at least fifty times, according to my sister."
"Auntie!"
This time, both girls are left sputtering with embarrassment, though from the quick look that passes between them - an expression of shared suffering and frustration with meddling adults - this shame appears to be providing common ground for them to bond over, rather than a barrier to drive them apart.
Success, maybe?
The remainder of Altria and Emiko's first meeting goes well enough - certainly better than how it started. Given that the whole point of arranging this meeting WAS to introduce the two girls and get them talking with each other, you make a point of avoiding taking control of the discussion, which would just result in the two of them talking to YOU rather than to one another, thus defeating the original purpose. Instead, you let the discussion evolve naturally, going where it will and where the girls are more interested in leading it.
It turns out that Emiko's favorite form of combat is something called the Hidden Leaf Style. It doesn't ring any bells with you or Altria, and the fox-girl doesn't volunteer a whole lot of information when you press - that foxy fondness for puzzles and mystery again - only saying that it's based around speed, stealth, and versatility, with an emphasis on mystical techniques. Which, when you think on it, sounds like a good match for a kitsune's natural abilities.
As the conversation winds down, you decide to re-extend that previous offer of a magic-made dress and a spin around the dance floor to Altria. You've barely started THIS discussion when Lucia appears as if out of nowhere and begins offering advice. The woman's clear eagerness on this particular topic gives her already formidable presence the force of a hurricane, with which she cheerfully and relentlessly batters aside your questions-
"How did you even know-?"
"My keen fashion sense, of course!"
-Altria's own stubborn resistance-
"Mother, there really is no NEED-"
"Of course there's a need! Anything worth doing is worth looking your best while you're doing it!"
-and even Lord Drake's intervention.
"Must you, dear?"
"I must."
"Well, I tried."
On the up side, the resulting illusion IS a very nice one. Blue, of course, with a white under-layer and silver trim. As an added bonus, while Lucia's attention was more focused on her family, you managed to get Briar to flit over to your hosts and ask them, on your behalf, for permission to cast the Spell of Illusion needed to create the dress - ritual-style, of course, to conserve power. She even managed to come back with said permission before Lucia badgered you into starting the spell.
Briar is a life-saver, in more ways than one.
Gained Style E (Plus)
On the down side, dealing with her mother's enthusiastic input on the matter of the dress leaves Altria in... a bit of a mood, to put it kindly. You think she looks good in the magic dress - an opinion most nearby members of the crowd appear to share, if the admiring and envious looks are any indication - and her form is technically superb, but there's a stiff awkwardness in her manner that never really goes away the entire time, and several times, when the footwork carries the small blonde into a position where she can see her parents, you can FEEL her looking firmly elsewhere.
Altria DOES thank you for the dance, but you find yourself wondering if perhaps the two of you wouldn't have had more fun dancing without the benefit of the illusion. You might have gotten some laughs out of it at the very least.
You dance a few more times after that. Once with Tatsuki, who's awkward in her fancy kimono but seems to enjoy herself despite that, and then - since you've already been cleared to use a little magic - with Katara, who you help keep upright with a simple Spell of Levitation - again, cast by the ritual method. The Water Tribe girl just stands still with her feet a couple inches off the floor and lets you handle the driving, as it were, but her smile is absolutely brilliant, and appears to forestall any commentary from the crowd.
There are a few requests to dance from girls you don't even know after that, one or two of whom you think you've seen following you around since you danced with Kahlua. You accept several of these for form's sake, making polite conversation, but minding your words - not only out of manners, but also because you don't really know any of these girls from Adam, and you're getting the strangest vibe off of most of them. It's vaguely predatory, but not hostile, and every time another one of them shows up to request a dance, you can't escape the impression that whatever is going on, they're all in on it together.
Honestly, you're rather relieved when Moka shows up to claim your tenth dance. Even the following demonstration that the Dancing Queen remains your absolute superior even in formal settings doesn't dispel your gratitude. Not entirely, anyway. Those girls were just getting too weird.
Gained Din's Favor C (Plus)
After that, Moka hands you off to Kahlua for one last dance. The birthday girl promptly inquires why you didn't offer to use magic when dancing with her.
"Four reasons," you reply. "One, I do still need to conserve mana if I'm going to give you that full-power spar you want. Two, while I CAN cast spells in a way that doesn't expend any significant amount of my reserves, it's a lot slower - pocket rituals, really, lasting anywhere up to seven minutes at a time. There wasn't really time for that before our previous dance. Third, given everything else that's happened today, I'd prefer not to upset your parents by using too much magic without their say-so. And fourth, I didn't get a chance to ask you what you'd have liked."
Kahlua nods, accepting your reasoning.
You don't accept or offer any further dances after that, pleading weary feet - which isn't actually the case - and a desire to get a drink - which is true enough. You've just polished off another glass of punch when you notice the music has died down, with no indication of resuming any time soon.
Looking around, you find that, at some point during the dancing segment, the servants rearranged a few of the seating tables and started covering them with a rather large collection of gift-wrapped and ribbon-bearing boxes. The result isn't something absurd like a pile of presents that reaches halfway to the ceiling, but there ARE enough gifts assembled that you could drop a grown man into their midst and lose sight of him, as long as he laid low. Some of the guests - mostly other kids and younger teenagers - are eyeing the heap enviously, while more appear to be speculating on the contents of various packages.
It occurs to you that you still have Kahlua's gift in your pocket. Maybe you should do something about that?
You look around for a servant who isn't carrying drinks or minding the buffet, and almost immediately find one - a woman wearing pants like the male wait staff rather than a dress like the waitresses, though she has the same kind of blouse - moving quietly towards the arrangement of gifts. Setting down your glass, you head over to catch her.
"Excuse me, miss?" you ask, half-reaching out with one hand before you catch yourself.
"Yes?" the female attendant inquires, turning. "How can I help you, young sir?"
"I was wondering what the appropriate way to handle gift-giving here would be," you explain quietly. "I still have the present I got for Kahlua, and I wasn't sure if I should hand it to her in person, or hand it over to be put with the rest."
"Ah, I see." She looks you over briefly, and then says, "It would be best if you were to leave it with me, sir. Do you have the gift in question on you, or...?"
You nod, reach into your pant-leg pocket and then - being mindful not to move too quickly - proceed to pull out the wrapped box holding the Warrior-Princess Gauntlets.
The woman's eyes just about jump out of their sockets as the package, which is roughly the size of your head, gradually emerges from a space that's entirely too small to hold it. There is also a definite woodenness to her polite smile as she accepts Kahlua's present from you.
"I... um... I'll need to check this with my supervisor," she says. "No offense, sir."
"None taken," you assure her.
Really, given the Shuzens' wealth and social status, everything in that pile probably got a once-over with a metal detector, a chemical analyzer, dogs, and at least one kind of Divination even BEFORE the security system got breached. A late addition like this just isn't going to join the rest of the birthday offerings without a thorough investigation, even if your hosts DO know that you've been carrying it on your person this entire time.
After arranging the three relatively-small gifts she was carrying before you interrupted her on the table, the attendant turns and heads back the way she came, your present to Kahlua in her hands.
Feeling a bit odd, now that you no longer have that spell-crafted steel on your person, you turn your attention back to the crowd, which is once again shifting around. You spot Issa moving through the crowd for a particular table, which currently stands empty; Gyokuro is already there ahead of him, keeping one hand on Kahlua's shoulder, while Akasha and the two younger girls stand a bit to the side. That guy Kahlua danced with at the start is nearby, as is the family of vampires, the Drachenbluts, you were briefly introduced to.
Sensing that formality and rank may be at work, you glance about, trying to spot Lu-sensei. Unfortunately, your master's less-than-towering stature is in play here, and you can't make him out through the crowd.
Kahlua catches your eye and makes a silent gesture with one hand, indicating for you to come up and join her.
No sense turning down an invitation from the lady of the hour, right?
Besides, if you're standing at the front of the crowd next to the person everyone's watching, Lu-sensei will be able to find you. It's a win-win situation, and all you have to do is stay on your best behavior - which you've been doing already.
Taking a moment to straighten your coat, you walk forward, receiving another bright smile from Kahlua as you do so.
"Three things, Alex," she says as you approach.
"I'm listening."
"First, have you recovered from the dancing?"
You scowl. "You don't need to make it sound like I was going to faint or something, Kahlua - but yes."
She nods. "Good. Second, if I were to ask you for a little bit of magic in, say, five minutes' time, would that be enough for you to do something nice and impressive?"
The boy standing on Kahlua's far side, Mikhail Grakul, does a double-take at Kahlua's words and then gives you a considering look. You think you see similar, but better-hidden glances from the nearby vampire family as well.
"And the third thing?" you ask, trying to lead the conversation away from the subject of magic.
Kahlua dons a fairly devastating look of exaggerated poutiness. "Where's my present?"
"Oh, that. I handed it off to one of the attendants a minute ago. She was just taking it to be checked over."
That answer appears to satisfy Kahlua. At least, it gets her to stop making that face at you, and just go back to a normal smile. It's a good thing you have so much experience dealing with pretty, pushy girls, because otherwise you might have had trouble resisting those slightly glistening red puppy-dog eyes or that quavering lip.
Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, you think to yourself that girls are strange.
You have no problem with going all-out to meet Kahlua's request, but clarifying what she'd prefer to have you do - and also clearing it with her parents - eats up a bit of the already-limited prep-time available to you. That's fine, though; fourth-circle spells are still very impressive.
As you get to work, you're careful to keep your voice down, movements restrained, and any secondary flashes of light to the bare minimum. You can't hide the fact that you're working magic - fourth-circle spells are still beyond your ability to suppress - but you can avoid making yourself the center of attention.
That's Kahlua's job, after all. Even the speech her father starts making is just a backdrop for the birthday girl to stand against.
"Nine years ago," Issa says, "our family was blessed by the birth of a beautiful daughter..."
Although you're only half listening to Issa, he seems to be recounting milestones in Kahlua's life to date. Her birth, of course, the ages at which she spoke her first word - embarrassing - and took her first steps - also a bit embarrassing - and then her first lesson in combat - age three, fairly impressive - followed by her first kill - at the tender age of five.
Your control over your magic wavers very slightly at THAT announcement, but you keep it together.
There aren't too many other significant firsts following that - Kahlua IS only nine, after all, and her parents aren't exactly throwing her into life-or-death struggles - but the birthday girl evidently attended, and won, her first tournament when she was six, defeated a minor demon when she was seven, and of course, attended the World Tournament for the first time this year.
"Which is also where Kahlua experienced her first defeat by a peer," Issa notes.
!
That? That is the feeling of EVERY SINGLE GAZE in the ROOM being turned on YOU. You have to say, you're VERY glad for the distraction of the magic forming under your fingertips - it gives you something to focus on, and helps you not FREAK OUT at being eyed by a couple hundred monsters.
Gained Cool C (Plus) (Plus)
Gained Publicity E (Plus) (Plus)
"But also," Issa continues after a moment, "her first open battle against adult opponents - who she, and her sisters, clashed with and emerged unscathed."
There are approving rumbles from the crowd.
"And that, at last, brings us to this day," Issa says, with a note of conclusion. "Happy ninth birthday, Kahlua!"
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" the crowd roars.
And then they start to sing the dreaded Birthday Song - at which point you see immediately why Kahlua wanted to know if you could whip up a magical choir to drown them out.
The instrumental part is fine - the Shuzens hired a professional band, after all - but the guests appear to have the collective musical talent of a Moblin war-band. Which is to say, basically none at all, beyond volume and enthusiasm.
Well, you can't have that, now can you?
Before the third full, wrenchingly awful note is even voiced, you trigger your spell, a mix of Thunder Elementalism and Illusion that seizes control over the disharmonious soundwaves being produced by all the guests and reshapes them into something far, FAR more pleasing to the ear.
It was a small, simple request, but the look of relieved gratitude on Kahlua's face as an actual SONG fills the air makes it entirely worthwhile.
The open surprise on many of the guests' faces is a nice bonus.
The considering looks that several of their number give you are maybe a bit less so.
Gained Thunder Elementalism E (Plus) (Plus)
While everybody was "singing," the servants began rolling the cake in - and WHAT a cake. Over a meter across at the base and made up of three plateau-like layers that are each a good ten centimeters thick, the monstrous dessert is covered in a rich red frosting adorned with swirls of white sugar that form a complex, almost magical-looking diagram along the edge and sides. Bats that appear to be made of dark, almost black jelly decorate the surface, where the words "HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAHLUA" have been done in an emerald green so bright it almost glows. Nine black candles burn steadily in a circle at the peak of the mountainous confection, which requires no less than four of the servants to carry it towards the head table.
Your stomach takes this opportunity to assure you that your recent stop at the buffet wasn't nearly enough to fill it.
Your mind, meanwhile, wonders if Kahlua can possibly blow out those candles. The sheer size of the cake puts them rather far up and in, and she's not tall enough to lean in close.
On second thought, this isn't the first birthday Kahlua's had where she would have needed to blow out a bunch of candles from a bad angle. She can handle it, whether due to super-powerful vampire lungs - if that's even a thing - or some advance preparation by her folks.
Like that footstool one of the servants carried in, going largely unnoticed by following in the wake of the cake and holding the little stand underneath the incoming dessert.
Besides, the whole point of blowing out the birthday candles is that you get to make a wish if you succeed. There isn't any actual magic in the act that you've ever noticed, but if someone were to USE magic to mess with the outcome of the event, there could be consequences. You live in a world of monsters, demons, and sorcery - you're not going to say that there ISN'T some Power out there that watches over birthday wishes.
With the handful of extra inches provided by the stool, Kahlua is "tall" enough to deal with the candles. She closes her eyes in thought for a moment before taking a deep breath, leaning forward, and blowing.
And out they go, to a round of polite applause - and a positively DELIGHTED look on Kahlua's face.
You find yourself wondering what she wished for, but only briefly. After all, there is CAKE.
"Would you like some cake Briar?" you ask, as Kahlua is handed a small plate and a large trowel-like knife and begins cutting the first piece of the cake from the uppermost layer.
"Does a Stalchild lurk in the Woods?" she returns rhetorically.
You had a pretty good idea Briar's answer was going to be "Yes," but there's no harm in getting confirmation.
Since you seem to be near the head of the line - Kahlua has just handed off the first slice of cake to Mikhail, leading you to suspect there's some obscure element of Old World hospitality at work here that has the host serving her guests - you figure that you could go ahead and pick up a piece for Lu-sensei while you're here, and save everybody some time. You mention as much to Kahlua, who has your piece of the cake waiting as you step up - and is it just your imagination, or does it look a bit larger than the other three pieces she's served by this point? You don't think so...
You're not quite sure how, but Briar ends up with her own perfectly-sized piece of cake, while you have your hands full with two more conventionally-sized plates. Thanking Kahlua for her generosity, you look about for your teacher-
-and you don't even have to resort to ki sense, because there he is, not ten feet from the table. Making apologies to the other guests, you move through the crowd.
"Master Lu," you greet your tutor formally, "I bring cake."
"So I see." He studies the plates. "Red velvet, hmmm? What about the frosting?"
"Colored buttercream with a bit of vanilla," Briar says. "And there's chocolate AND strawberry jam in the layers!"
"Sold!"
And just like that, you're missing a plate.
"And thank you, Alex," Lu-sensei adds, before taking a bite.
"You're welcome, Sensei." Even as you say it, you can't escape the feeling that there may be downsides to having your master able to communicate freely with Briar.
After a moment's concern, you shrug. If it becomes a problem in the future, you'll deal with it then.
For now, there is CAKE.
And it proves to be very, very good.
Is there anything you want to do after finishing your cake?
For a time, all that matters in the world is cake - sweet, rich, glorious cake. You savor each bite, the different flavors and textures of the layers and the frosting delighting the palate. In later days, you won't be able to say with any real accuracy just how long you spent in confectionary consumption, nor could you tell if there was a second or even a third slice of the rich dessert in there. All you will be able to say for certain is that there was Cake, and it was Good.
And then, alas, it was Gone.
You MAY have shed a tear. Maybe. But if so, then it was a manly tear, and nobody can prove otherwise.
No matter what Briar claims.
Your appreciation of the cake is not unique among the crowd, so it's probably just as well that the Shuzens didn't let the crowd linger over their disappointment, instead moving on to the big event - the opening of the presents.
Unlike the last two phases of the party, there doesn't seem to be any particular order in which Kahlua opens her gifts. Everything is left to her discretion, from the choice of present to the manner in which she opens it. She's suitably enthusiastic about the whole business, and the only slightly-restrained eagerness she shows for the process helps to dispel the dismay of the Cakeless. There's just something about a little girl tearing apart wrapping paper with sufficient gleeful energy to make it rain confetti that warms the heart.
The presents range all over. Some contain clothes - among them, a fancy dress and matching shoes you suspect Cordelia would have been willing to fight over - others hold books, and several are filled with things that you can only assume must have some special significance to monsters in general or vampires in particular. Most people, young girls or otherwise, wouldn't smile and politely thank someone for sending them a skull-like white mask that looks like it might have been carved from an ACTUAL skull, a tattered silvery shawl that looks like it saw better days a century ago, or a couple dozen small vials of thick red liquid that is almost certainly blood, except that some of it registers to your mage-sight. Necromancy, of course.
For all of that, the majority of the gifts are toys. The dolls are the pricey ceramic sort rather than mass-produced plastic, the plush animals tend towards bats and spiders instead of bears and kittens, the sporting goods are heavy on sticks and blades and light on hoops and balls, and the collection of games features a number of strategy or survival-horror titles you probably wouldn't see being given as gifts to most kids Kahlua's age, but for all of that, they're definitely still toys, or at the very least, training equipment that promises to be fun to use.
Then comes the moment you have been waiting for. You've noticed a familiar box amidst the pile, which it must have joined when you were either distracted by the Cake or the spectacle of the unwrapping. Kahlua reaches for the gift in question and immediately is visibly surprised by the weight of the contents. She checks the card, blinks at the sender's name, and then searches you out in the crowd, her face a question.
You smile and wave, gesturing for her to open it up, and she does so with more restraint than you've seen her exercise with most of her presents, neatly tearing the wrapping with one delicate fingernail and then pulling the two halves of the paper aside before opening the box.
The revealed Warrior-Princess Gauntlets don't sparkle or anything so trite, but their brightly-polished surfaces do reflect the ambient light of the ballroom as a clear gleam.
Kahlua stares.
"My goodness," Akasha murmurs, looking at the gauntlets. "These are lovely."
"More than that," Gyokuro adds, her gaze intent on your present. "Something died to make them."
Everyone gathered around the table, Shuzen or otherwise, turns to Gyokuro sharply.
A minute later, all those eyes - and a few more, besides - are on you.
"I prefer the term 'laid to rest,' ma'am," you say in response to Gyokuro's remark.
"Oh?" the lady of the house inquires. "Do go on."
You'd kind of prefer not to, at least not in front of this crowd, but since the nominal head of the family has already asked, it'd be terribly rude not to answer.
"I got the material for those gauntlets by defeating a spiritual guardian entity in personal combat," you admit. "It was more like a haunted suit of armor than anything that was alive. Maybe a golem, if I were being really generous."
Gyokuro nods thoughtfully at that.
"I broke up its body, dispersed the animating spirit, and claimed its arms" - heh - "by right of conquest. Having reforged them and cleansed them of any lingering energies, I hope the gauntlets will serve Kahlua better than they did their previous owner." You throw in a smile for Kahlua.
She doesn't notice it. She's still staring at the gauntlets, one of which - the right hand one, to be precise - she's just taken out of the box and is slowly examining all over.
"Am I to understand that you went out and picked a fight with a lingering spirit, in order to use its earthly remains to make a present for Kahlua?" Issa inquires in an oddly level tone.
"Hm? Oh, no, sir. That fight was a couple of weeks before I even got the invitation. It just occurred to me, when I was looking for a suitable present, that I could probably make something a lot better than I could buy at home."
For some reason, Issa smiles at this, an odd tension vanishing from his pose. "Oh, well then. That's perfectly alright."
Gyokuro and Akasha are giving him the same look of dry amusement.
Kahlua, meanwhile, has just slipped the gauntlet on, and is flexing her mailed fingers.
"How does it feel, Sister?" Moka inquires. She sounds honestly interested.
"It fits perfectly," Kahlua replies absently, as she makes a fist. "Good flexibility, manageable weight..." She pauses to throw a punch at empty air, then another, faster one, and between one "attack" and the next, Kahlua begins to smile again. "They don't throw off my aim at all."
Then, at last, she turns to you. "Alex, these are gorgeous. Thank you!"
"You're welcome."
Really, what more needs to be said?
With all the attention on you in the wake of your gift to Kahlua being opened, it occurs to you that some of the guests can probably sense your Aura of Power, now that it's been stirred up by a moderately large-scale unsuppressed working of magic. While you'd already reined in your energies, you decide to tamp them down a bit further than usual - one part consideration for fellow sensitives, one part concern about giving too much away to unknowns, and one part compulsive need to practice control.
Whether it has any beneficial effect, or is simply a case of closing the barn door after the horses have run off, you can't say for certain. You'll just have wait and see.
At this point, you figure there's a decent chance that you'll end up invited to Kahlua's next birthday party, which means you'll need to have some appropriate presents in mind. As such, you pay attention to the remaining gifts she receives and Kahlua's reaction to them, trying to get an idea of what she likes and doesn't like, what she already has and doesn't need more of, and so on. By and large, however, nothing seems to prompt quite as much of a reaction from Kahlua as your gift did. Whether that's because she enjoyed the martial element of the gauntlets, the artistry, or the fact that they were from you, is up in the air.
The idea of presenting Kahlua with another piece of personalized armor next year does come to mind. At the moment, your only source of workable material is the other Guardian's Gauntlet, which probably isn't enough to produce a good-quality breastplate. A helmet might be doable, but would kind of go against Kahlua's sense of style. Maybe something for the legs, then? Sabatons wouldn't be a good idea - meant to defend a mounted knight's feet from attack by infantry, they interfere far too much with movement when the wearer isn't on horseback - but greaves to protect the shins, thus helping to preserve mobility, might go over well...
It's something to consider, anyway.
The opening of presents takes the better part of eighty, maybe ninety minutes. There were a LOT of guests, resulting in a LOT of presents. Once it's over, however, Gyokuro - having received a report from one of the servants silently flitting in and out of the room - announces that the gaming rooms have been opened, and a number of entertainments set up in the gardens; the guests are invited to avail themselves of any that catch their fancy. The music also resumes, as does the dancing - albeit in lesser numbers - and while the Cake is gone, the buffet appears to have been re-stocked.
Although you're curious as to what Gyokuro meant by the term "entertainments," you find your attention being drawn almost inexorably back to the music that is getting back underway.
"Lu-sensei," you say, "is it alright with you if I dance a while longer?"
The old man regards you with a hint of surprise, but when he speaks, his tone is steady and unruffled. "I have no objection to that, Alex, as long as you don't wander off."
Thanking your teacher and promising that you'll come find him if you decide you want to leave the ballroom, you venture once more to the dance floor. The first song is already underway, but with the number of guests who've moved to other parts of the castle, there's far more room now than in the previous dances - more than enough for a late-arriving pair of dancers to join in without jostling any elbows.
You look around, seeking potential partners. There are a few girls standing around, ranging from somewhat younger than you to the middle teens - about the oldest you think you could get away with asking to dance - who appear to be feeling dance-deprived. One or two you've already danced with, and the rest, you don't yet have even that fleeting association with. Kahlua is nowhere to be seen, but you catch a gleam of Moka's distinctive silver hair to one side. Katara and Sokka appear to be on their way out of the ballroom, brother pushing his sister's wheelchair as they head deeper into the castle, and you don't see any of your other friends.
Omake: Tall, Dark, & Oblivious
Actually that got me thinking of that comment someone said about demons and other baddies basically surrendering and leaving alex their phone number and came up with this omake and thank you solodark for editing this.
"Alex, you know I noticed something strange since this slayer business happened." the resident slayer asks.
"And what is that, Buffy?" Alex replies picking up the slip of paper left behind by the demoness.
"It's just that nearly every male baddie and creep that comes out of the woodwork always seems to glare at you with unrestrained hate more so than normal yet the female ones generally seem to well not, even if they both try to kill you. and why do they always leave behind numbers when you show up?" the blond questioned.
"Wait let me take this one, it's going to be hilarious." says the third member of the gang, Cordy as Alex gives her an unamused look.
"Wait you know? Am I the only one who doesn't?" Buffy angrily questioned.
"No you aren't the only one. Tall, dark, and oblivious here doesn't realize he's basically catnip to any supernatural female. It's like he's the lead singer of a boy band, it's gotten that bad. " Cordy supplies with a grin.
"Come on Cordelia you know that's not true, these numbers could be anything and I'd think I'd notice if I had crazy fans everywhere I went." Alex replies.
"Emiko's friends."
"The kitsune village likes martial arts."
"And the fact that they were all girls and Emiko was fuming doesn't ring any bells?"
"She's shy around guys and was angry at getting ignored?"
"Right..."
"Wait wait wait, Kitsunes?" asks a confused Buffy.
"Fox spirits and not the ones that want to eat your liver that's an entire different species. though didn't one try to hit on you as well Alex?"
"Wasn't that a trick just so she could try to eat me?"
"She put her number in your phone after you beat her up, no Alex that wasn't a trick. I swear you are doing this on purpose."
"Okay okay Alex is supernatural catnip. Wait does that explain why those vamp nerds acted like Alex broke their star wars dolls?"
"Action figures and scale models and I would never!"
"No, well not entirely, that was because of miss blood and sparkles first visit here."
"Blood and sparkles?"
"You don't want me to get started on ranting about that bitch."
"Cordelia, Kahlua's a friend can you just try to be nice?"
"When you admit to doing this on purpose."
"First off I am not doing anything and I tried."
"Okay from the blood and sparkles I take it she's a vamp. So what happened?"
"Came in here in that ridiculous dress of hers, beat the demonic vamps black and blue for soiling vampires reputation or some BS like that and flaunted to everyone that Alex was a 'close friend'. It was a goddamn nightmare dealing with that many vampires after her little stunt."
"You enjoyed that fight too Cordy."
"the fight yes, cleaning dust out of my new shoes no. You owe me a new pair by the way and don't skip out on the magic."
"Such a slave driver."
OMAKE END
Moka's response when you ask her for another turn around the ballroom is a smirk.
"Careful, Alex," she tells you, even as she accompanies you onto the dance floor. "If you keep asking me to dance, my sister may get jealous."
"Are you talking about Kahlua or Kokoa?" you inquire.
Moka tilts her head thoughtfully, before admitting, "Both."
"Ah. Well, while I have a healthy respect for the things adorable little sisters can accomplish, I think I can handle Kokoa."
"And Kahlua?"
You shrug. "I still owe her a spar. I'm sure if she's unhappy, she'll let me know about it then."
Moka actually sets aside her usual cool composure enough to laugh at this.
Gained Comedy F (Plus)
Gained Elder King E (Plus)
Gained King of Monsters D (Plus) (Plus)
While you've got her here - and in a rare good mood - you decide to ask Moka for advice on potential future dance partners. She doesn't appear to mind the request, but there are definite limits to her information. For the most part, all Moka tells you about a given girl is her name, who the significant members of her family are, and whether or not she'd make a good dance partner. Her answers are short and to the point, but you notice that as the ages of the girls in question increase, Moka's opinion of them seems to decline. You quickly leave off asking when inquiring after the identities of a couple of girls around Emiko's age causes Moka's typical scowl to make a brief reappearance.
You also can't help but notice that, despite all the talking she's doing, Moka doesn't miss a step in the dance. You have to push yourself to keep up, and from the way that triumphant smirk returns, Moka spotted it.
One day, you tell yourself, you WILL catch up to her.
But not today, it seems.
The song ends, and Moka thanks you for the dance as she steps back, wordlessly indicating that she won't be monopolizing you for the upcoming number.
In the next instant, you become keenly aware of all the monster-girls giving you considering looks. As with earlier, it's not quite enough to trip your danger sense, but it's still more than sufficient to give you a serious case of the willies.
"Don't make eye contact," Briar breathes.
"Not really helping, Briar," you respond, as you glance around - trying not to meet any gazes - in search of your next partner.
You did ask Moka for her advice about who you should and shouldn't dance with next, and she's a girl, a monster, and a skilled dancer all in one. Why WOULDN'T you listen to her on this matter?
Besides, the way some of the older girls are looking at you - both the ones that are around Emiko's age, and a few of those that are close to yours - is just eerie. The younger girls - those you can see that are still in the ballroom, at least - just seem interested in getting a chance to dance. Not many are having that particular wish granted: they're simply too small to partner with most of the adults, even if any other than their parents were willing to humor them; and you're well aware that human boys of that age tend to regard girls as strange and alien creatures, better confronted only when one has the advantage of numbers, but best avoided entirely.
The sight of unhappy little girls speaks to the part of you that is a big brother, rousing it to... well, not wrath, but certainly determination to do something about the problem.
Gained Big Brother E
Having reached that point, the only decision left is which of the youngest ladies you will dance with first.
And then the proverbial lightbulb clicks on, and you turn to Moka once again.
"Moka, do you happen to know if Kokoa is still here?"
The vampire girl blinks in surprise, and then smirks. "As a matter of fact, Alex, she is. Why do you ask?"
"I was wondering if you think she'd care to dance?"
"She'd love to," Moka replies at once. "Give me a minute to go get her."
"Of course. I'll be here."
Moka turns, pauses to give every girl in the area a warning look, and then vanishes into the crowd.
For all of forty seconds, you enjoy a blessed peace and total lack of unsettling pre-teen attention. Then, amidst the general air of feminine uncertainty, you sense one aura firming up with determination. A moment later, you hear low-heeled shoes clacking against the floor and coming towards you.
You can see where this going. How will you handle it?
Whoever the girl coming towards you is, she has the guts to risk going against Moka, which is something you have to respect. You're tempted to offer her a dance just as an acknowledgement of her sheer chutzpah - though only after you get an answer from Kokoa on whether she wants to dance with you or not.
That said, the girl IS kind of ignoring a request by one of her hosts - unspoken though it may be - which isn't the sort of behavior you should associate yourself with or encourage.
Opening up your awareness a bit, you try to get a better idea of your would-be dance partner's aura. Based on what you've observed among the guests so far, her youki is fairly strong and well-developed for her age, and there's a familiar impression of blood about it. You don't pick up more than trace amounts of magical potential, and nothing at all on the psychic or spiritual front, beyond the fact that she does, indeed, have a mind and a soul to call her own. There's also a complete lack of demonic contamination, which you'll admit is a point in the girl's favor - in a general sense, anyway.
You give it a moment longer, waiting until the girl is close enough that most alert people who don't have your crazy sensory abilities would be able to notice her presence before you turn to greet her.
At first glance, you'd say the girl is about Emiko's age, and a little taller than you are, if only by an inch or so. Jet-black hair falls neatly about her shoulders, framing a pale, regal face and violet eyes - with surprisingly round pupils - that are currently set in a determined expression that isn't quite a scowl. Rather like Moka's customary look, actually. The girl's lean, athletic build is complemented nicely by the close-fitting material of her tunic-style green dress, which leaves her arms bare to the shoulder and her legs to just above the knee. Her shoes are Grecian-style sandals, complete with the fancy ties that wrap up around the forelegs and calves.
You have to say, if you couldn't sense her aura, you wouldn't suspect that you were looking at a vampire.
No sooner have you taken all of this in than the young lady in question smiles. "Good afternoon. You are Alexander Harris, yes?" Her Japanese is rather strongly accented, in a way that makes you think, "French."
"I am," you reply. "And who might you be, miss?"
"Amelia Reinhart." Lacking the skirt for a proper curtsey, or perhaps just not favoring that style of greeting, she introduces herself with a Western-style bow.
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Reinhart."
"Likewise, Mr. Harris. Though you must call me Amelia."
"Well, if I must," you drawl.
You do your best after that to make polite smalltalk, without bringing up the subject of dancing - and considering all the practice you've gotten lately at dealing with people in general and high-class monster girls in particular, you do a fair job of handling Amelia without making it obvious that you ARE handling her. A casual compliment about her accent leads into a discussion of her family, who currently reside in France, but originated in Germany. Amelia mentions that they relocated "about sixty years ago," but doesn't go into too much detail.
Considering that would have been right around the time that World War Two was heating up, and that Amelia's human guise isn't blonde or blue-eyed, you can guess at what might have happened.
Nazis just ruin everything for everybody, don't they?
Gained Manners B
In the end, when you're ON a dance floor with the music playing and people moving in time with the beat all around you, there's only so much you can say that isn't dance-related without coming across as an idiot or someone who's being deliberately obtuse, and thus insulting. Fortunately for you, Moka returns before you've reached the point of potential offense, little sister in tow.
Kokoa is all but bouncing with excitement, a state which lasts right up until she sees you. Then she scowls.
So does Amelia. "Miss Shuzen. Akashiya."
"Miss Reinhart," Moka replies, looking a touch annoyed herself.
Sensing the tension, you quickly turn to Kokoa. "So, Kokoa. Would you be interested in a dance?"
She regards you in silence, still scowling, and for a minute, you think she's actually going to say no.
Then Moka nudges her, and the youngest of the sisters sighs.
"Yes, Alex," she replies. "I'd love to dance. Thank you for thinking to ask me."
"Bowl me over with your enthusiasm, why don't you?" Briar murmurs.
You're having similar thoughts, but when you offer a hand, Kokoa accepts it, and doesn't even try to crush your fingers in the bargain.
"Amelia," you say then, "I should be free in a couple of minutes, if you're still interested in a dance then."
"I will keep that in mind, Alex." Most of Amelia's attention is on Moka as she replies to you, leading you to suspect that she may not be quite so interested anymore.
The first round of your dance with Kokoa is underwhelming. She's not making a scene or anything like that, but the stiffness in her posture and the way you have to all but carry her around the floor say louder than shouted words that she's not having the time of her life.
"So, Kokoa," you begin. "Have you been enjoying the party so far?"
She shrugs. "It's okay."
"How about you, Briar?"
Kokoa blinks. "Eh?"
"The cake was delicious," Briar says at once. "And watching you make nice with the other kids has been everything from amusing to alarming."
"I'm hearing a 'but' in there," you note.
"There's a limit to how much fun you can have when you're surrounded by people a hundred times your size," Briar answers. "Am I right, kid?"
"YES," Kokoa says with feeling. "It's always, 'Don't run in that dress, Kokoa,' or 'Be nice to these boring strangers, Kokoa,' or 'What did you do to the rug, Kokoa.'"
"Boring?"
"The boringest!"
And like that, they're off. Kokoa gets so into her conversation with Briar that she forgets to not-dance with you. She doesn't suddenly become as good as either of her sisters, or even several of the other girls you've already danced with, but the awkwardness fades, and she starts attending to her part in the dance. When the current song ends, Kokoa actually smiles and seems to mean it when she thanks you for the dance.
Then she steals Briar and runs off into the crowd.
You're going to call that round a draw rather than a straight-up victory.
Temporarily minus one fairy companion, you return to where you left Moka and Amelia. Whatever the two girls have said - or not said - to each other in your absence, they're now standing about two paces apart, facing away from one another with their arms folded. To all appearances, each is trying to ignore the other with all her might, as if doing so will cause one of them to vanish from existence.
This obvious dislike troubles you, but more than that, it has caught your curiosity.
"I hate to intrude on personal matters," you say to Amelia a short time thereafter, as the two of you move across the dance floor. "But I noticed a certain... tension... between you and Moka."
Amelia scoffs. "You and half the people from here to Tokyo."
You wouldn't go QUITE that far, but at least she's acknowledging the issue, rather than trying to deflect it.
"It's probably none of my business, but is there something I should be aware of?"
"Family history," Amelia replies. "I would prefer not to talk about it." She hesitates, then grudgingly adds, "But if you want details, I would suggest asking Lady Bloodriver. Preferably when her husband and daughter are not around."
...okay?
Gained Dancing D (Plus) (Plus)
You take a few more turns on the dance floor, making small talk with your partners. Nothing much comes of it, though you do note that while most of these girls don't dance as well as Kahlua or Moka, a couple of them come close.
They might have done better if Moka wasn't lurking in the crowd, glaring at various individuals. Even when her attention isn't directed at you personally, you can admit she's an intimidating little girl. You can only imagine what she's going to be like in the future.
After the seventh song, you find yourself being approached by one of the Shuzens' servants again. Actually, unless your eyes deceive you, it's the same guy that was sent to extend Kahlua's invitation for a dance - and when you greet him, he dons that small, amused smile again.
"Miss Kahlua would like to offer an opportunity for you to keep your OTHER promise to her, Mister Harris," the servant says, subtly referring back to your earlier inquiry of him whether or not Kahlua was asking you to dance or spar.
And you've already danced with her. Twice, even.
"Did she happen to mention a time?" you ask, visions of tactical discussions with Lu-sensei and extended magical buffing rituals dancing through your head.
"I was told to tell you that, if you were amenable to it, the front hall would be ready in the next half-hour."
The front hall? Not the sparring room? Huh. Then again, thinking on it, there's no way they'd fit more than half the guests into the audience section of the sparring room, not without packing them in like sardines, standing room only. Given some of the dresses you've seen on display, even upper-class humans would probably be tempted to throw a punch or two if that happened, never mind how monsters would react. The front hall, on the other hand, has that grand balcony running all along the second floor, with the stairs and the large landing at the top for added space. That ought to be plenty.
Leaving all that aside, it seems as if the Shuzens are being considerate enough to leave you the choice of whether or not the spar actually takes place, as well as time enough to prepare for it.
It was considerate of your hosts to leave the call about whether to hold the spar or not up to you.
Then again, it's not as if there was ever any doubt as to what you'd choose to do.
After you let the servant know your decision, and he's bowed and vanished back into the crowd to inform his employers that they can begin whatever preparations are necessary for the event, you go looking for Lu-sensei. As you traverse the ballroom, you send a little mana down your link to Briar - nothing intense or urgent, just a quick double-pulse to let her know that something's come up, and she should come find you sooner rather than later.
It takes you less than a minute to find your teacher, most of that being spent navigating the crowd, and even less than that to bring him up to speed.
"I had a feeling it would come to this," he sighs. "Give a vampire the chance for a public rematch, against an opponent that beat her on a technicality, and set it during her own birthday party? You might as well drop a bloody steak into shark-infested waters."
He's not wrong.
Well, not about the the fight. You're not so sure of the bit about the sharks.
You spend the next ten minutes talking tactics with your master, taking special care to get his opinion on which of your many and varied abilities he thinks should be left out of the upcoming bout. Lu-sensei agrees with you that water is out, and also recommends against using that would be effective against the UNDEAD strain of vampires - you don't want to give the impression you see Kahlua as anything like them.
You weren't really planning on using fire, wood, conjured sunlight, or holy magic in this match anyway, so that's no great hardship.
Actually, the longer you talk, the more your master encourages setting aside the fancier applications of magic, and instead using it to boost your close-combat abilities. That's the kind of fight Kahlua wants, and it's the sort of strength that monsters in general respect. That you'd be using mana to make yourself stronger, faster, and tougher than usual is really no different from a living vampire's ability to channel youki into pure physical power. As effective as flight, phasing, spamming projectile attacks, and nigh-unbreakable automatic defenses can be, they'd be seen as unsportsmanlike at best, insulting at worst - and more hazardously, an admission that you really CAN'T take Kahlua hand-to-hand.
Not that Lu-sensei is advocating that you should try to match her strength for strength or anything so foolish. Not until you absolutely have to - he thinks a pin is your best chance of winning this, unless you're willing to resort to magical binds or the like, which again, the monsters might not entirely appreciate.
As for other things you should leave out, Lu-sensei only mentions your still largely-undeveloped mental abilities, any "bright ideas" you get in the middle of combat, and anything that might endanger Kahlua or any of the audience.
Briar shows up about three minutes into this discussion. Her opinion is rather different from your teacher's, in that she's in favor of anything that reduces your likelihood of getting hit, whether that's physical enhancements, multi-layered defensive wards, flight spells, summoned minions, or just filling the air with magical beams of doom.
To sum it up, Briar would prefer that you fought like a sorcerer, instead of a martial artist, while Lu-sensei advocates the opposite approach.
You've got twenty minutes until the match. What's your call?
Kahlua wants to fight you at your best.
Let it not be said of you that you're inconsiderate of a friend's wishes, especially on her birthday.
Since your best involves a lot of pre-fight prep work, which you don't exactly want to do out in the open, you make your way to the ballroom door, slowly and quietly invoking a Ritual of Conjuration as you go. Your intent to is cast a modified Spell of Mage Armor, tweaked for better effect at a reduced duration - you don't need it to last all evening, just another half-hour or so. Even with these changes, the ritual is simple enough for you to cast on the go, and the mana it gathers to fuel itself - already minimized, after a fashion, by the drawn-out method of your casting - is easy for you to suppress.
You're willing to admit that Gyokuro probably still sensed something, but you don't think anybody else took notice. It helps that you could afford to imbue the spell with some extra mana, cutting out the need for physical gestures in the process, and still suppress the signature.
Once clear of the ballroom, you make your way towards the entrance hall, and start working another ritual-casting as soon as you're inside. This one is a Ritual of Augmentation, combining the effects of the most common combat-related physical and mental enhancements into a single spell, with the duration extended considerably. In the end, it works out to a sixth-tier spell - you could have pushed for seventh-tier to net a greater effect, but that would have cost you a fair-sized chunk of your mana, thus throwing away the main reason why you're bothering to cast your buffs ritual-style.
There's no way for you to even attempt to hide this much magic, of course, but aside from Lu-sensei and Briar, the only people in the entrance hall right now are a couple of servants who are removing "breakables" in anticipation of the upcoming spar. They weren't present for the entire casting of the spell, and they haven't even come near you, so even if any of them were magically-capable - and a quick check under Mage Sight suggests they aren't - what they could have seen of your casting is pretty minimal.
Just in case, you step into one of the rooms just off the entrance hall, out of sight.
Next up is a Ritual of Enchantment, invoking the Spell of Heroism. No fuss or bother, no modifications necessary - just chant, tap yourself over the heart, and release.
This is followed by another Ritual of Augmentation, casting a Spell of Flight with enhanced duration, and then a Ritual of Abjuration, casting a similarly-extended Spell of Shielding.
All of this takes fifteen minutes, by which time the servants appear to have cleared anything less fragile than stone from the hallway - including a couple pieces of furniture you'd normally consider pretty durable - and the guests have begun filing in. You have two, maybe three more minutes you could work with, if you want to.
Do you?
Yeah, you're good.
As a finishing touch, you cast a heavily-modified Spell to Mask Dweomers to obscure the auras of the half-dozen magical effects you currently have up. In the process, you trade most of the spell's normal duration for the ability to affect multiple spells in one casting and a significant discount on the spell's mana cost. As a result, instead of a humble first-circle spell that would last for the next week and a half, it's effectively reduced to a cantrip, good for the better part of two hours.
Not counting any uses of Maximum Power, of course.
That done, you spend the last couple minutes readying yourself in a more mundane but still necessary regard - by stretching.
Lu-sensei gives you an odd look. "Are you actually going to wear that suit for this, Alex?"
You look down at your clothes. Between the magic you used creating it and the fact that it's made from spider-silk - but mostly the magic, you think - the suit is exceptional in every respect, including flexibility and durability. It doesn't meaningfully affect your range of movement as you warm up, but you do have to admit that once the fight gets going, well-made or not, your fancy dress suit is going to get messed up. "Wear and tear," in the literal sense. You're not overly worried about that - magic will let you fix your clothes from anything short of outright disintegration, or just replace them entirely - but even a minor loss of mobility is a loss, something that needs to be taken into consideration.
The shoes are another point. You didn't conjure them, and they're kind of inflexible, affecting your footing in ways you aren't used to. Lu-sensei has had you spar barefoot, in socks, and in sneakers often enough to be familiar - if not entirely comfortable - with the differences in stance and movement each requires, but formal footwear is another matter entirely.
You suppose you could take off your jacket and shoes and roll up your shirtsleeves for the match. That would account for the worst mobility issues. Alternately, you could resort to magic. Or you could just go in as you are.
Your last preparations made, you step out of the side-chamber and into the entrance hall.
It looks like every soul in Castle Shuzen has turned out for this. The guests fill the balcony from one end of the hall to the other, on both sides of the room, and a score of them are perched on the walls and ceiling. At least one's using levitation magic to pull that off, but the rest... vampires, maybe? Spider monsters? On top of that, you can see servants in all the doorways, including the big front doors, which are standing ajar - apparently so that the guards and even the DOGS gathered in the front yard can watch!
With one exception, the Shuzen family is assembled on the landing at the top of the stairs at the back of the room. Even with the slightly-crowded state of the upper level, they're afforded a small, respectful space by their guests.
The absent member of the clan is, of course, Kahlua, who's standing by herself at the foot of the stairs. She's changed out of the party dress she was wearing earlier, and is now clothed in the same white dress she was wearing back at the World Tournament - the one you privately compared to a beauty pageant gown.
You are completely unsurprised to see that she's also wearing the Warrior-Princess Gauntlets.
"Ouch," Lu-sensei murmurs. "I would not care to get hit by those."
You spare your master the driest of looks.
He grins, claps you on the shoulder, and strolls towards the staircase. Clearing the floor, as it were.
"Good luck, Alex," Briar says. "I think you're going to need it."
And then she follows your teacher.
Alone and surrounded by monsters, you walk to a point near the middle of the room, offering up a mental prayer to Din as you go.
It basically amounts to, "Here I go, hope you find this amusing." Not the most reverent prayer ever, but eh, it's not like you're in a temple or making a formal request or anything of that nature.
"Are you ready, Alex?" Kahlua calls out.
By way of answer, you circulate your ki and activate your full set of combat boosts - Ki Enhancement, Ki Armor, even the lowly Ki Step, for whatever improvement in traction it provides - and adopt your opening stance. You also pour some extra mental and spiritual energy into the mix, trying to boost yourself as far as you can go without going over the line into Maximum Power.
Gained Ki Step F (Plus) (Plus)
Gained Mental Enhancement F
Gained Spiritual Enhancement F (Plus) (Plus)
"Are you?" you call back.
She grins. "Father, if you would?"
"Of course." Issa raises a hand, waits a moment, and then brings it down sharply.
From somewhere out of sight, there comes a deep, resonant GONG!
VAMPIRE WARRIOR-PRINCESS: SHUZEN KAHLUA
You decide to leave your attire as-is. The idea of fighting Kahlua - or anyone, for that matter - in a fine suit is rather appealing, and besides, you could use the practice at defending yourself while wearing clothes that aren't completely ideal for hand-to-hand combat.
That said, you take a few seconds to cast two cantrips: the first to soften up the soles of your shoes, hopefully improving their grip; and the other to touch up the flexibility of your suit. As quick-and-easy (and inexpensive) as they are, these cantrips may ultimately amount to nothing in the face of the kind of combat you've experienced against and with Kahlua before, but that's fine. If it turns out that you're having trouble maneuvering, you can use your Spell of Flight for some extra push in the appropriate directions. Likewise, if your suit jacket starts causing you trouble, you can always take it off.
You don't mind admitting to yourself that the prospect of fighting Kahlua like this is unsettling. Even leaving aside the dozens- nay, the HUNDREDS of spectators, or the impact the addition of those magically-forged steel gauntlets will have on this match - and especially on YOU, should they connect - your friend-slash-opponent has made it clear that she wants to fight you at your best. The implication is that she, too, will be going all-out, so that she can settle the question that has evidently been bothering her since the tournament:
Which one of you is stronger?
Even in the face of that, you keep your cool. You've fought Kahlua twice, and observed her fighting a few other times. You have a pretty good handle on her style, and think that in terms of pure skill, you can take her. Similarly, you've fought Kahlua in her sealed state and, briefly, her unsealed "second stage." Based on that, you believe that your current combination of magical buffs and ki enhancement will let you match her, at least until she takes off her second earring and completely releases her full strength - at which point, of course, you'll go to Maximum Power.
You have good reason to believe you can, at least, match Kahlua going all-out, this isn't a fight to the death or maiming, and you even have a plan of attack. On top of that, while you don't know of the people in the crowd, some of the monsters have proven pretty friendly, and you know you can count on Lu-sensei to step in if things get out of hand. Almost certainly the Drakes as well, and probably Balthazar and/or Ambrose besides. So there's no reason to panic. Worry, yes - just a little - but not panic.
Stay focused, stay frosty, and you can do this.
As with the last time you sparred, you and Kahlua spend the opening moments of the match observing each other, seeking openings. Unlike that time, however, you don't gear up for a headlong charge - not only because it didn't work then, but because Kahlua's current position would result in one or both of you hitting the stairs. Instead, you half-turn to your right, putting your left shoulder towards Kahlua and minimizing your profile, while staying loose and ready to move. Mobility is going to be key here; you simply don't want to take any punches if you can possibly help it.
A few seconds pass, and then, in a blink, Kahlua crosses the hall in a swift charge.
You sidestep her extended, gleaming right fist, then twist around a quick backhand she launches as a follow-up, and THEN tilt your head to one side to avoid a blow from her left hand.
A few passes make it clear to you that, between your spells and ki and Kahlua's fully-sealed state, the advantage in speed is yours. However, you try to avoid exploiting and thus revealing that edge, instead feigning that you're just fast enough and strong enough to match Kahlua. You deflect some attacks you could have blocked, and dodge more that you saw coming in plenty of time to have redirected instead; on the offensive, while you sensibly focus on Kahlua's weak points, you pass up what could have been potentially painful, even damaging shots, as if you weren't sure of your ability to bypass or break her guard and connect.
In every respect, you play up your unwillingness to get into a contest of durability with a vampire. Your stance and movements say that you're keeping up for now, but if she can just land a hit, she'll take the lead in the match - and at the speed you've shown, there are vulnerabilities in your guard that you wouldn't be able to move fast enough to cover, should she choose to strike.
Gained Evasion D (Plus) (Plus)
But Kahlua doesn't take the bait.
Just as you've learned from fighting her, SHE's learned from fighting you. This speed, this strength, these tactics...
"You're holding back," she chides.
"And you're not?" Your response is simultaneous with your first serious attack of the match, a full-force, high-speed punch that - in spite of the fact that she KNEW you were sandbagging - Kahlua isn't quick enough to intercept.
Gained Strength Concealment F (Plus) (Plus) (Plus)
Your fist connects with- -her abdomen, just below the branching rib cage.
A very unladylike wheezing sound escapes Kahlua as she both jerks forward sharply and staggers backwards from the force of the blow. She isn't bent far enough to be "doubled over," but her posture is sufficiently poor to present an opening for a strike at her head, which you take.
Kahlua's vampiric resilience shines through then, as, even at the height of the pain and loss of breath caused by a well-timed blow to the solar plexus, she retains the presence of mind to turn with your second punch, robbing it of much of its force. Not only that, she uses the turn to add momentum to a kick, bringing her leg around in a swift arc that you have to leap backwards to fully avoid. Even then, her foot grazes lightly across roughly the same area on your body that you just struck on hers.
You're pretty sure that was just coincidence.
In the space she's cleared for herself, Kahlua straightens up, wincing and breathing hard.
"Nice... hit," she gasps.
"Thank you. Ready to take this up a notch?"
Rather than spend more of the breath she's already short on to use words, Kahlua reaches up and plucks one of her earrings from its place.
As the cloud of youki surges out, you bring your various enhancements up to full power, hardening yourself against the menacing aura and the promise of impending violence.
It's a good call, because Kahlua is suddenly not showing any sign of pain or impaired breathing at all. Indeed, she's coming at you like a rocket, steel-clad fists first.
You spare a second to reflect that she MAY be just a bit annoyed with you for that nerve strike - and then the fight is joined for real, and you have no time to think of anything else.
Ten seconds pass, then twenty, then thirty, and for the entire length of time, the two of you are child-sized blurs of movement at the heart of your own storm. Kahlua's released youki fills the air of the entrance hall with the oppressive tension of an approaching storm, while your own aura has been pushed into the visible spectrum by your choice to shift magic and ki alike to their full normal strength, and provides further illumination where your energies clash with Kahlua's - almost like lightning against the backdrop of stormclouds. Your movements are the wind, your blows fall like rain, and when you manage to redirect one of Kahlua's blows so that her steel-clad fist smashes into the floor, leaving shattered tiles in its wake, that's the thunder.
Gained Battle Awareness D
Gained Hand-to-Hand (Five Elements Style) D
Gained Strength C
The fight is MUCH closer now than it was before. Kahlua has the edge in strength, and you retain a slight speed advantage - both factors which make you glad you opted to dodge her attacks rather than block. Your primary concern right now is endurance. You haven't spent any additional ki or mana since the fight started, nor have you taken any blows, but even with all the enhancements you're under, you're still starting to feel the burn of exertion. It's not unpleasant at the moment, but it IS a reminder that you can only keep this up for so long.
You're not prepared to take things to the next level - at least, not yet - but at the same time, you realize that if you keep on as you are, Kahlua is going to wear you down. You need to score another hit like that previous blow you landed to her solar plexus, something big enough to convince Kahlua to go all-out FIRST.
That in mind, you largely abandon your efforts to attack, leveraging every last erg of advantage you can out of the all-too-slight edge in speed you hold over Kahlua to maximize your defense while you seek an opening in her guard. In an attempt to prevent her from realizing what you're doing, you try to regulate your ki signature so that it doesn't give off that patient predatory air of someone who's looking for a weak spot, but rather feels focus, even slightly strained, as though you were putting everything you had into guarding.
As you sidestep, duck, dodge, weave, and occasionally redirect your way through Kahlua's ongoing offense, you see no sign that she's noticed your ruse, but you also fail to spot any exploitable weaknesses - at least, none that would convey the message you're trying to send.
You give some thought to using a combination of your Body Flicker and Doppelganger techniques, the former to add speed and force to your blows, the latter as a simultaneous distraction, but you have serious doubts that it would work. The Doppelganger technique is meant to work in "empty" air, and you don't think you could project a believable ki-image directly on top of a solid, moving object, let alone a living one. The ki which is invested in the illusion would conflict with that in your body, and as the weaker of the two - not to mention a mere projection rather than a stable source of ki in its own right - it would be disrupted.
With practice, the idea might be workable- but as you narrowly evade a steel-clad shot to the kisser, you reflect that now REALLY isn't the time to experiment.
Instead, the next time you spot a vulnerability in Kahlua's defense, you strike out with Body Flicker-enhanced speed, trusting to the added momentum to compensate for the lack of genuine weakness in her guard.
Gained Ki Control B
Gained Strike Flicker F
Your right leg lashes out, aimed at Kahlua's outer left knee. You actually "lean" on your Spell of Flight a bit to keep yourself upright and balanced, so that you can divert more force into the blow. Kahlua still spots your shift in posture soon enough to try and guard with her left hand, but your Body Flicker-boosted body blasts through her incomplete defense and connects.
Your toes are slightly numbed by the impact with Kahlua's gauntlet, making you quite glad you decided to keep your shoes on.
Even accelerated as it is, your kick isn't quite enough to sweep Kalhua entirely off her feet - you lost too much momentum when you hit her gauntlet on your way through. It does wreck her stance and leave her staggering, however. If you were to strike again immediately, you could probably knock her over, but your own stance is less than optimal for that, and would result in you taking a tumble of your own - unless of course you're willing to lean more heavily, and obviously, on your magical support.
You need to keep the pressure on Kahlua, to push her into unsealing the rest of her power, but you also need to recover your own footing, and you're less than entirely certain of your ability to achieve both ends at the same time using conventional methods.
Fortunately, you have plenty of UNconventional methods at your command.
As you pull back your extended foot and reaffirm your stance, your hands move together near your right hip and begin passing ki back and forth and all around between each other. The swirling motes of light coalesce into a roughly spherical shape, which you push forward - and, at the sudden prompting of a mischievous impulse, also upwards - with both hands.
"FORE!" you cry, releasing your Ki Blast as if it were a golfball struck by the arc of your upswinging arms.
At this close range and with her balance screwed up, Kahlua has no chance to dodge, and the glowing projectile. Maybe it's your imagination, but the blast seems larger than the usual roughly fist-sized "mass," or the coherent beam with an equivalent radius; it's perhaps twice as wide in all directions, but with a poorly-defined outer "surface" that trails flickering flame-like tendrils of energy behind it.
You wonder if this is a consequence of your efforts to maximize the "punch" of the attack, even at the cost of range, or if there's something else at work. It's not like you're a master of the Ki Blast technique - not yet.
Regardless, the shot strikes home, taking Kahlua straight under the chin. With a clacking of teeth, her head is knocked backwards, the rest of her body following in a graceless arc that ends with her sprawled on her back - for all of half a second, before Kahlua pushes off with her arms into a reverse somersault, which brings her back to her feet two good strides away from you.
"'Fore'?" Kahlua repeats, frowning at you. "Really, Alex?"
You shrug. "It's what came to mind. No good?"
"No, not really."
And then she charges at you again.
Well, that didn't work out like you'd hoped.
After almost two minutes of fighting, you've scored all of two hits on Kahlua, both of which she's since shaken off. Based on that, it seems pretty clear to you that your current approach isn't working, and that a different method of combat is required.
So it is, when Kahlua charges in once more, she's greeted by your fist. She gets her guard up in time to take the blow on her armored forearm, rather than in the face, but your follow-up off-handed strike catches her by surprise and rings her bell.
Sensing an opening, you press your attack, the speed you previously used to maintain your dodging defense now directed into your strikes. You get off five, six blows in quick succession, two of which get through Kahlua's defenses thanks to sudden bursts of flickering speed-
Gained Strike Flicker F (Plus)
-but after that, a third such high-speed strike is blocked, leaving your fingers aching where they collided with Kahlua's right gauntlet. You can't quite repress the hiss of pain at that, nor - more importantly - the flinching withdrawal of your hand, and Kahlua doesn't hesitate to pounce on that moment of weakness.
Your momentum broken, you spend the next fifteen seconds struggling to deflect or at least block a barrage of steel-fisted blows. Light flashes wherever Kahlua's fists and feet connect with yours, as her energies clash more directly with the defensive matrix of your Spell of Mage Armor and the glow of your ki. Even through these protections, your limbs register pain, which builds with each blow, slowing you slightly, weakening you just a notch, and throwing your subsequent movements a little farther off from what they should be.
Then your guard fails, and for an instant, all you can see are the mailed knuckles of Kahlua's left hand, lined up on a collision course with your face.
Then the world blurs around you as you Body Flicker the hell AWAY from that impending concussion.
It's a good move, a necessary one, but it buys you two, perhaps three seconds at best. Kahlua is hard on your heels, closing for another round, and this time, your arms are sore from the abuse they just took in sparing the rest of your body from more serious hits.
Briefly wondering why you thought that trading blows with a vampire was a good idea, you mentally scramble for your next move.
Right, so, Kahlua just tried to punch you in the face with a steel gauntlet driven by vampiric strength.
Maybe she was betting that you'd evade it. Maybe she's gotten a little overeager from the fight. Maybe having a big audience which includes her entire family has led her to decide that she wants - or needs - to win this match. Maybe you could have requested that she not use her shiny new present against you, or that she allow you to enspell the gauntlets for temporary non-lethality.
However many "ifs," "maybes," and "could haves" you care to apply to this situation, the end result is still the same. Kahlua's playing for keeps.
And so, as the vampire princess closes the distance between you, you ask yourself: "Is there any good reason that I'm not doing the same thing?"
And after a brief moment that stretches out into an age, yourself answers you: "Not really, no."
You didn't think so.
Ki in one hand-
-side-stepping Kahlua's leading punch-
-and magic in the other-
-ducking a high kick-
-you bring them together-
-and then rising from your defensive crouch, wreathed in blazing red-tinted gold, right fist leading in an uppercut that Kahlua doesn't even see coming before it connects. The blow echoes your "golf-swing" Ki Blast from earlier, but the force involved is far greater. Kahlua isn't just knocked back, she's actually lifted clear off her feet and flung a good three or four feet through the air - upwards as well as backwards.
In that moment, with your Maximum Power sharpening every physical aspect of your being - as well as every non-physical aspect - your senses are keen enough that, even with the majority of your attention remaining fixed on Kahlua, you can still pick up reactions from the crowd.
Expressions of surprise are abundant, as are looks of unrestrained interest.
Lu-sensei is doing the Impassive Master thing, though the way he's leaning forward slightly betrays an unexpected interest in something. Maybe he saw something in your technique he didn't expect?
At his side is Briar, too small and distant for you to make out her features. Her posture, what you can see of her aura through the brilliance of your own, and the - rather fuzzed-out - contents of the familiar bond suggest exasperated amusement.
Sokka's chin is all but scraping the floor. The rest of his family just look stunned.
Dave Stutler isn't doing much better than the Water Tribe boy, and Balthazar's eyebrows appear to be trying to climb right off his face.
Altria's is one of the only faces you can see that isn't visibly startled by this development; instead, she's simply nodding, as if she'd fully expected this to happen. Her parents aren't so calm about it: Arthur Drake is talking with Ambrose; and Lucia... has pulled out a pen and notepad from somewhere, and appears to be drawing up a storm.
Huh.
Tatsuki is no more surprised than Altria. She's just grinning fiercely, clearly enjoying the fight. Her mother's expression is very similar, though colored by the same astonishment to be found on the faces of most people who've never personally encountered your fully-expressed aura before.
Somewhere in the crowd, you SWEAR you can hear a foxy squeal of delight.
As for the Shuzens, Akasha, Moka, and Kokoa are among the small percentage of the crowd that are unsurprised by your technique, although the youngest is scowling and appears to be crying foul at your sending her big sister airborne. Issa's expression is a mix of surprise, delight, paternal concern, and something that might even be eagerness.
As for Gyokuro... um.
Oh, dear.
The lady of the household appears to have fainted.
Good thing Akasha was there to catch her.
Some of the guests were less fortunate.
Movement from Kahlua - other than the parabolic arc you knocked her into, that is - brings your attention back to the fight. She's rebounded off of empty air like you saw her do back at the World Tournament, and is spinning about so that she'll come down on her feet rather than the back of her head. In doing so, she's begun to face you, and her expression holds the same delighted intensity you just saw on her father's.
Kahlua's armored right hand is moving towards her remaining earring at a pace your enhanced perception registers as almost casual.
Under normal circumstances, manners cost you nothing.
These are not normal circumstances. Being polite in the middle of a battle, however friendly your opponent, could cost you the tactical advantage.
As such, you compromise: you allow Kahlua to remove her second earring; and while she's doing that, you raise your right hand above your head, palm up and fingers clenched as if grasping empty air.
Your heightened perception falters momentarily as another wave of dark energy sweeps across the ballroom, a crimson so deep and dense that its heart is almost black. In that moment, your view of Kahlua wavers at the edges, fuzzily-formed blade-like wings appearing and disappearing around her armored wrists, while the dance of light and shadows created by your blazing aura produces shapes that hint at the upraised spears of gathered warriors - or perhaps the bristly spines of a great beast.
Then the vague vision goes away, overridden by your focus on another aspect of your power. The cloud of vampiric aura falls back slightly as golden motes gather in your hand, forming an orb of seething power, and as Kahlua's energy stabilizes at its new level, you complete your technique.
Gained Power Ball F (Plus) (Plus)
There's absolutely no point in creating a magical projectile if you don't mean to use it, especially when just making the Power Ball ate up enough energy to have maintained Maximum Power for a good nine seconds - never mind whatever damage it did to your ongoing spells. You attack, but you wait just long enough to make it clear that you're not taking advantage of Kahlua's distraction - even though you totally COULD have - before letting the Power Ball fly.
"Wha-!" Kahlua yelps in surprise, reflexively lashing out at the closing projectile-
!
-which impacts on her gleaming gauntlet, BOUNCES, and comes flying back at you!
Amidst the absolute astonishment of seeing Kahlua send your Power Ball back at you, you feel three things.
One is a strong sense of familiarity, as if you'd been in this exact situation before. However, that feeling is accompanied by an edge of wrongness, as if something very important about this situation was either missing, or entirely incorrect in some way.
The second thing you feel is a sense of impending doom.
And despite all that, the third thing you feel is a powerful urge to backhand the incoming Power Ball away before it connects with you.
Which, almost without thinking about it, you do.
As the skin of your Power-augmented left hand connects with the surface of the treacherous projectile, you register a not-quite-electrical tingling, modest but not painful heat, and the oddest kind of pressure - a kind of quasi-solidity you're tempted to describe as "spongy."
Then, with a flash of light, the Power Ball is deflected, sailing straight back at Kahlua.
Despite the surprise still visibly evident on her face, the vampire girl immediately punches the Ball again, sending it back your way.
Your sense of impending doom intensifies, and now - having had a moment to consider it - you recognize it as akin to the creeping horror you got when facing the puzzle-locked doors back in Navi's Silent Realm.
Right, you think. That's about enough of THAT.
Tracking the Power Ball with every augmented sense available to you, you backhand it again, and this time, you step into the blow, both adding force to the strike - and thus, to the Ball - and following the projectile as it flashes back to your opponent.
Who returns the Ball for the third time.
Which you respond to in kind, walking closer still.
Kahlua manages a fourth return, but her expression as she does so is tense with concentration. The speed that the Power Ball is picking up, as well as the way you're shortening the distance it has to cover by moving steadily closer, really appear to concern her. She takes a step back, trying to open up the range again-
-and as she does so, you slam the Power Ball back at her one more time, faster still.
Vampire speed and reflexes are good - good enough that Kahlua manages yet ANOTHER return - but with your full power unleashed, you're faster still, and the distance is now only a couple arms' lengths.
Kahlua barely manages to get her arm up into the path of the Power Ball this time, and she either gets the angle of impact wrong, doesn't use the right amount of force, or just has her timing off.
Whatever the reason, the Ball bursts.
And with a cry of pain, Kahlua falls over backwards, golden energy crackling all over her body for an instant before it fades away.
In that instant, the vampiric aura around you feels briefly lighter - and inside you, there is a feeling of surprise.
Gained Dead Man's Volley E
Gained Dexterity F (Plus) (Plus) (Plus)
Gained Power Ball F (Plus) (Plus) (Plus)
Gained Power Fist F (Plus) (Plus)
Gained Power Sense F (Plus) (Plus) (Plus)
Gained Reflexes D (Plus) (Plus)
Leaving that aside, Kahlua is down, and you're all of two paces away.
Seeing Kahlua felled by the Power Ball, one thought crosses your mind:
An opening!
You shoot forwards like a golden comet, crossing the minor distance to Kahlua's position in what is quite likely literally less time than it takes to blink, intent on pinning her to the floor.
Kahlua is still shaking off the impact of the Power Ball when, apparently sensing your approach and intent, she tries to roll to her right, her left hand coming up in a wild punch.
Where before you focused mainly on dodging Kahlua's blows, you now let the armored limb come in under your right arm, while leaning forward so that rather than the full-metal fist, what connects with your side is instead Kahlua's forearm, right about where the gauntlet gives way to the sleeve of her dress. At the same time, you lever your right arm down sharply, trapping Kahlua's left arm, reach for her right arm with your left, and try to bring your left knee down across her legs as you half-turn her back the way she came.
It doesn't quite go as you hoped.
The strength advantage is yours by a fair margin, the speed advantage is just a bit less so, and the size advantage is DEFINITELY yours, but whether due to instinct, better training, or a lucky move, Kahlua manages to catch your left hand first, while jerking her lower body sideways along the floor. Your attempt to trap her legs fails, your knee sliding awkwardly off her lower left thigh to connect with the ground - which makes you briefly grateful for the cushioning effect of your unleashed Power.
And then you're more grateful, as despite her disadvantageous position, Kahlua plants her left foot on the floor for leverage, and brings her right leg up and around in an awkward kick that connects with your back, once, twice, thri-
Pulling your left arm sharply back - and thus yanking Kahlua's right arm forward - you bring your elbow down fast and hard, catching Kahlua's leg right after her third kick connects.
She scowls, and struggles as fiercely as she can manage at the moment, mailed fingers clenching hard enough to make the bones of your left hand creak and caught limbs wrenching about wildly. As clumsy as it feels and no doubt looks, your makeshift hold... well, holds. At least, it does so long enough for you to lean forward and complete the pin.
Gained Grappling E
With the kind of proximity required for this sort of move, you can't fail to see when Kahlua's expression suddenly goes calm. It's accompanied by a sudden stillness in her aura, something that doesn't strike you as an indication of surrender, but more... preparatory?
She's going to try something. You have no idea what, save that it's almost certainly a desperation move.
As you've seen this girl grow blades from her arms, that's a little concerning.
You don't know what Kahlua's about to do, but you're sure it can't be anything that would be particularly good for you. You decide to take immediate preventative action, and two methods present themselves.
The first thing that comes to mind is to surge your golden aura and try to discharge a portion of it into Kahlua, in the hope that it'll behave like a Power Ball and shock her silly. But no sooner has that idea occurred to you than another approach suggests itself.
The range is ideal, your position all but guarantees a hit, and it's just about the simplest and most direct method of attack available to you in this situation. More than that, it speaks to a deep-seated part of your soul.
You find that you simply can't pass up the opportunity.
Gained Totem of the Raging Boar B
Craning your neck and shoulders back, you swing your skull forward in a headbutt-
!
-have just enough time to register Kahlua's head coming the other way, eyes bright, mouth open far enough to reveal her fangs-
WHAM!
-and then Kahlua's head is bounced backwards hard enough that it rebounds off the tiled floor behind her. The strange light you glimpsed in her eyes just now is almost immediately replaced by an expression of confusion and pain, but not enough of either that Kahlua's resistance to your attempt to lay her out flat is broken.
Frustrated - and perhaps a bit grouchy due to the unavoidable side-effects of using your head as a weapon, however reduced they might be by supernatural bodily reinforcement - you go with the other idea that came to you, gathering your slightly-dizzy thoughts, focusing on your golden aura, and willing it to "zap."
Echoing Kahlua's behavior a minute earlier, your unleashed Power grows still.
Then it pulses, once, shedding its outermost layer and sending an expanding sphere of energy surging outwards. The golden globe doesn't expand very quickly - slower than your prefered punching speed, even - nor does it travel very far - half a meter, at most, before it begins to visibly deform from a semi-solid "wall" of energy into more of a billowing "cloud," and from there into a haze of a million individual motes of light, which fade away before they've traveled more than two meters from your person.
That's fine, however. As close as Kahlua is, speed and range aren't required. What is needed from this impromptu technique is power.
And Power, you have.
At the moment you release that portion of your energy, Kahlua's body jerks violently. Caught between you and the floor, she has almost nowhere to move to shed that sudden force, and a good portion of it passes through you, threatening to break your awkward hold. Kahlua fails to exploit that opening, however: your weaponized aura is still expanding, still doing whatever it is that your mingled energy does to living vampires; and Kahlua is right at Ground Zero of the golden ground-burst.
Gained Power Burst F
Instead, it's you who seizes the opportunity. You force your opponent down and establish a more secure pin that involves your right forearm across her upper body, keeping her shoulders flat against the floor. Your free left hand comes up, forming a fist-
-and then you register what sounds like a freaking CANNON going off near the head of the room. Despite yourself, you can't NOT look.
Issa has just clapped his hands together.
"Match!" he exclaims.
...
Huh.
Looks like you won.
Gained Fighter's Rep D
Gained Warrior Born C (Plus)
Letting your Power fade, you release Kahlua from your pin and half-roll to one side, so that you're kneeling next to her rather than half-laying on her.
Kahlua's face is expressionless, save for the intense, searching stare she's directing at you.
You fake a sigh and rotate one arm, which - along with its counterpart - is really starting to ache now that you've switched off your super mode. It's not that the bruises you took from this match suddenly got worse or anything, it's just that your ability to shrug off pain is no longer supercharged by magic and ki in any form. All those spells you cast before the fight started? Gone, and just when the pain-reducing effects of that "across-the-board" Augmentation ritual or the Spell of Heroism would be particularly helpful.
"Man, that stings," you hiss, deliberately speaking in English. Circulating some ki to your forearms to ease the complaints and speed up your recovery, you shake your head and look at Kahlua. "Don't take this the wrong way, Kahlua, but next year? I think I'm getting you a plush bat. It'll hurt me less."
Kahlua blinks, then smiles faintly and lets out a soft breath of laughter as the pun registers.
Gained Comedy F (Plus) (Plus)
"If it will make you feel better," she says in lightly-accented, somewhat formal English, "I promise not to hit you with my next gift."
Smiling, you hold out your right hand. "Care for a hand up?"
"I would, thank you."
You rise from your crouch and pull Kahlua to her feet along with you, ignoring the increased soreness in your arm as you do so.
"So, from where I was standing, that seemed like a good fight. How about you?"
"It was fun," Kahlua says, before sighing and adopting a pouty look. "Except for the part where I lost. Again."
"Nah, you don't need to make a promise like that," you tell Kahlua. "I trust you."
Kahlua's response to your intended reassurance is to flinch and glance away, cheeks reddening. You don't think that her sudden embarrassment that has as much to do with her loss as with certain of her actions prior to being defeated.
"Everybody loses sometime," you state calmly. "It's what we learn from our losses that matters most."
Gained Nayru's Favor D (Plus) (Plus) (Plus)
At these words of wisdom, Kahlua rolls her eyes. "Now you sound like Miss Akasha."
"Is that a bad thing?" you ask - in tandem with the lady herself, who has come up behind Kahlua, with Moka and Kokoa flanking her, and Lu-sensei and Briar coming up behind.
Kahlua makes a sound that is absolutely and in no way a squeak or a whimper.
"It's alright, Kahlua," Akasha says soothingly. "I just want to make sure the two of you are both in one piece after that match."
At that, you give yourself a once-over. The politest description you can think of for your suit is "rumpled," and even that's putting it mildly. Nothing's been torn away or burnt up, which is quite an achievement considering all the physical force and mystical energy that was being thrown around just now, but you can make out a couple of seams that weren't able to completely withstand the stress you put them through - at least not once the reinforcement spells gave out. The right shoulder and both sleeves over the forearms are trailing short lengths of burst thread, and you suspect your pants aren't in much better shape. As for your shoes, the way the leather creaks as you shift your toes suggests that something in the footwear gave out.
This isn't even getting into the wrinkles.
On the positive side, you aren't bleeding anywhere, and nothing feels broken.
A glance at Kahlua shows her to be in somewhat better condition. Uninjured beyond bruises, and with no outright damage to her clothes, you'd hardly think she'd been in a fight just now, if not for the absence of her earrings - which she's hastily putting back on - and her generally ruffled appearance.
Briar flutters forward. "Alright, mister, let me take a look..."
You can't really think of anything to say that might help address the source of Kahlua's embarrassment. Certainly not without drawing additional attention to the issue, and that when you're in a room full of monsters, at least some of whom surely have the ability to listen in on such a discussion.
Rather than cause a problem for your friend and hostess by flailing around verbally, you decide to say nothing, and let the subject drop.
You can always talk to her about it later.
"Would you mind giving me a minute before you start, Briar?" you ask, warding off the approaching fairy. "Just to straighten up?"
She pauses and gives a wordless gesture of permission, at which point you make with the magic. First, a scaled-up Spell of Mending to repair all the burst seams of your clothes, plus whatever it is you did to your shoes; then a simple cleaning cantrip to scrub out the stains, of which you did pick up a few; and finally, another cantrip to straighten everything out.
It takes all of twenty seconds, and leaves you looking just as swanky and spotless as before.
The assembled vampire ladies look you over, their expressions virtually identical.
"Okay," Akasha says. "I'll admit it: I'm jealous."
Smiling, you turn to Kahlua. "Would you like me to-"
"YES." Kahlua stops, coughs, and in a more controlled tone of voice, adds, "I mean, I would really appreciate it, Alex."
You quickly cast the same spells over her.
"You didn't fix her hair," Kokoa points out.
"Magic or not, I'm not going to mess with a girl's hair," you return firmly.
She grumbles at that.
"Okay, Briar," you say then. "Do as you will. But you might want to start with my arms."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, it turns out that even with all those defenses up, blocking steel-reinforced punches backed by vampire strength still leaves bruises."
"What a surprise," Briar drawls. "Fine. Hold still..."
"Only bruises?" Moka inquires of you, as the fairy sets to work. She looks... interested.
"That's what it feels like," you admit.
"How many layers of defense did you have up?"
You pause, studying the middle sister closely. Do you really want to tell her?
You look from Moka to your arms and the fairy treating them, then back at the second Shuzen sister, before making your dry response.
Akasha and Kahlua giggle. Moka... kind of smiles. Slightly.
Gained Comedy F (Plus) (Plus) (Plus)
"Evidently," she agrees. "But I think I want to fight you."
Kokoa gives her other big sister a look of betrayal.
What are your feelings on that statement?
It doesn't take Briar long to treat your sore arms. When she's done, you ask her if she'd mind looking Kahlua over, and when Briar responds that she has no objection to that, you ask the ladies.
"I appreciate your concern, Alex," Kahlua replies, "but I'm fine. Vampire healing may not be able to fix up our clothes after a fight, but it's very good at repairing everything else."
This is true enough. Still. You DID just hit her with a brand-new weaponized application of your Power. You honestly have no idea what sort of effects that could have on a person, regardless of their species.
Although you're not against the idea of sparring with Moka - after all, if you can take the elder sister, the middle sister should be no trouble - you're less keen on having that fight right now. It's not even a question of your reserves being low this time, because they aren't. Depleted, yes, but not low.
It's just that it's Kahlua's birthday, and her parents have gone to some trouble to arrange this entire party. Following up Kahlua's loss to you by fighting one of her siblings, taking time away from those arrangements - not to mention rehashing the spar - feels a bit... not rude, exactly, but... wrong.
Plus you'd just as soon not fight in front of a crowd like this more than you absolutely have to. Especially since the people who got overwhelmed by your aura the first time around will be expecting it if you give them another opportunity to probe your aura and skills. Which is something you'd simply rather not do.
"How about tomorrow?" you offer.
Moka considers it, and nods. "Tomorrow, then."
You just got through telling Kahlua you trusted her. Granted, you meant it in the sense of trusting her not to hurt you with shiny things you've given her, now or in the future, but trust is trust. By that token, if she says she feels fine, then you should take her at her word, right?
Right.
That settled, you turn to your companions. "So, Lu-sensei, Briar. How do you think I did? I mean, is there something about the fight you think I should have done differently?"
"Aside from it being better for your health to dodge blows from someone who can shatter stone, rather than try to block?" Briar asks.
"...yes, aside from that."
"You might want to work on controlling that aura," the fairy answers. "Like, a lot. I don't know if you realized it, but you sort of spiritually-concussed a bunch of people when you pulled out all the stops."
"Yeah," you sigh, "I kind of noticed that."
"You got Gyokuro, too," Akasha adds, sounding positively delighted by that fact.
Kahlua's head turns towards Lady Bloodriver so fast, you're surprised you don't hear her neck snap. An instant later, she's turned towards the top of the stairs, where Issa is standing with one arm partway around Gyokuro, as if helping her to stand. Despite looking completely recovered, the lady is making no attempt to dislodge her husband.
"Yeah," you repeat yourself, "I kind of noticed THAT, too."
"I would certainly second Briar's advice, Alex," Lu-sensei says with a nod. "Also, that business with the energy ball - showmanship is all well and good, but if there's a chance your enemy can turn a technique back on you THAT completely, you really shouldn't use it.
You briefly consider explaining the contributing circumstances behind your impromptu bout of Dead Man's Volley.
This really is neither the time nor the place for you and Lu-sensei to go through a complete technical and tactical breakdown of your match. It can wait until later, whether that happens to be after the party, tomorrow, or some time after your return to Sunnydale.
You were a bit concerned that Lu-sensei might have intended to have Words with you about the Power Burst, which you did make up more or less on the spot, but either he doesn't consider your creation and use of the move to be a violation of the spirit of your promise not to improvise during the fight, or else he's saving up his displeasure for later.
You like to believe it's the former.
With the match officially over and both participants given a clean bill of health, the crowd begins to circulate. More than a few of their number come down to offer their thanks for an excellent showing, congratulating you on your win - Emiko leads that particular charge, and in a rather literal sense. For a moment, you half expect the excited kitsune to pounce on you, but fortunately, she restrains herself before it comes to that.
Amidst the seemingly endless stream of approval - as well as variously subtle and overt inquiries about your Maximum Power technique, which you're careful to deflect - you make a point of tracking down Dave and asking him what he thought of the match.
"That was awesome, and I totally want to learn how you did it," he says bluntly. "Will you teach me? And if so, would you like me to call you Sensei?"
You'll give him this: he's a lot more up-front about his intentions than most of the people who've expressed an interest in that technique.
How do you reply?
Also, assuming you agree to teach Dave in some way:
Eventually, the buzz dies down and the crowd of spectators disperses, people being drawn off to the other entertainments arranged by the Shuzens. You spend the next couple of hours wandering about, seeing the sights and making small-talk. At one point, you end up back in the Childrens' Game Room, getting your butt kicked at Tekken by that reedy kid who bowed out of asking Kahlua to dance; at another, you're out on the lawn, watching a troupe of acrobats perform aerial feats you wouldn't care to try without a Spell of Flight and a Spell of Shielding handy.
An outdoor high trapeze is one thing, but when they've also got knife-throwers on stilts tossing blades back and forth across their fellows' flight path? And with no nets?
A few times during this period, you think to look around for Amelia Reinhart, but she never seems to be in the same place at the same time that you are, and there's enough going on - especially with all the people who keep popping up to steal a few minutes of your time - that you keep getting distracted from making a more serious search for the girl.
In deference to the sheer number of guests, dinner is announced an hour or so earlier than usual, and when you arrive at the dining hall, the table and chairs you remember have been moved to one side of the room, with a large number of round tables and additional seats taking up most of the space in the chamber. You end up at one of these tables with Lu-sensei, Briar, the Arisawas, and the Water Tribe family, which gives you the perfect opportunity to ask Sokka how he's enjoyed the party so far.
That sets the boy off on a bit of a rant about glowy magical kung fu impossibilities, the total unfairness of the universe, and could you pass the steak, please and thank you?
Since Dave has come right out and asked you about learning Maximum Power, you figure you can give him an equally-frank answer without offending anybody.
You tell Dave that if he's really serious about wanting to learn your technique, you're willing to talk to Mr. Blake about teaching it to him.
Balthazar's expression at this point suggests he's not entirely opposed to the idea.
Having said that, however, you are quick to explain that Maximum Power requires the user to have access to both mana and ki - and while you don't believe it's strictly necessary for someone to have massive reserves of both types of energy to learn and use the technique, it would make things easier and safer all around if they do. Giving Dave a quick once-over with enhanced vision, you're satisified that he's capable of channeling enough magical energy to get the most basic form of Maximum Power up and running. His ability to channel ki, on the other hand, is nonexistent, and without that, he's lacking fully half of what makes Maximum Power so impressive.
You say as much, and Dave nods. "So what you're saying is, I should look into kung fu first?"
"Some kind of martial art, anyway," you agree. "Ideally, one that teaches ki manipulation. Though where you'd look in New York to find a place like that..." You trail off, honestly uncertain, and give Lu-sensei a questioning look.
He shakes his head. "I've not been to New York in almost twenty years, and then only in passing."
"I know a couple of people who might be willing to take you on, Dave," Balthazar chimes in. "But we'd need to improve your magical control before then, get you past the stage of accidental sparks and the like."
"I can do that!" Dave insists enthusiastically.
"It'll be a lot of extra work," the master sorcerer adds. "And most of it will be physical."
"I can do that, too!" Dave says, somewhat less energetically.
"And you'd have to convince your mother to pay for the lessons."
Dave falls silent. "...I'll... have to get back to you on that."
"On that note," you say, "you should just stick with calling me 'Alex' for now. We can revisit the whole 'Sensei' thing when and if I actually end up teaching you something."
Dave nods.
Since you're eating with the Water Tribesmen, it's a simple thing to inquire after an exchange of contact information. This goes over smoothly enough, although it turns out they don't have phones or email - a combination of there being no local service providers near where they live, and most existing examples of the technologies being too impractical for their amphibious lifestyle, or just too expensive to afford. Mail is just fine, though, especially once you've explained that you have access to the services of the Celestial Postman.
Gained Sokka and Katara's Contact Information
As part of the conversation, you inquire after sources of particularly old, spiritually-significant, or just plain magical ice the family might know about, explaining your search for ritual reagents of that nature. Sokka, Katara, and Kya don't know of anything that really fits the bill, but Hakoda offers to ask the village shaman on your behalf. It'd be a few days before he could do that.
Are you willing to wait that long?
After dinner, you make a point of tracking down Emiko before she leaves, and asking her if she's interested in exchanging contact information.
It's a good thing you have such quick reflexes, because the kitsune promptly faints, forcing you to catch her before she hits the floor.
You stare down at the unconscious but happily smiling fox-girl for a moment, then look up at her aunt, who has abandoned any pretense of dignity for a double-strength facepalm.
The Hayashis depart not long after that, but you DO succeed in getting Emiko's address from Miss Hanabi.
Gained Emiko's Contact Information
Following that embarrassing incident, you look for an opportunity to speak with Akasha about the hard feelings that exist between Moka and Amelia Reinhart. At the same time, you're watching for Amelia herself, hoping to follow up on your brief discussion earlier in the day. However, circumstances do not seem to be favoring you in regards to the former; Akasha is entertaining a fairly steady stream of guests, often in company with Issa or Moka, if not both. Amelia did suggest you avoid talking about her in their hearing.
Time is passing.
Waiting a few more days is no real hardship when you have a globe-trotting mail-carrier and teleportation at your disposal. As such, you thank Hakoda, and accept his offer.
At the same time, you make a mental note to look into the matter on your own time. After all, it may turn out that the Water Tribe's shaman either doesn't know of anything that would be useful to you, or won't be willing to hand it over to a kid, an outsider, a human, or something other - take your pick. And even if you DO end up with a piece of ancient holy glacial ice from the Southern Hemisphere in your stockpile of reagents, having a piece of less-ancient glacial ice from the Northern Hemisphere wouldn't be a BAD thing.
More reagents mean you can perform more rituals, after all. And who knows what you might find out there?
In the end, your decision is guided by the simple fact that you and Akasha will both still be here tomorrow - at least for part of the day - while Amelia won't be here at all. If you want to talk to the girl again, now's likely to be your last chance.
So you go looking for her. And this time around, rather than wander from room to room and hope you get lucky, you go to the servants for assistance. Instead of asking a random waiter if he's seen a "black-haired, violet-eyed girl around twelve" or asking after Amelia by name - because what are the odds that a specific servant of the Shuzens would recognize a single underage guest? - you track down one of the more senior household staff and ask if they know whether the Reinharts are still at the party.
Luck is with you, as less than five minutes later, you've been escorted to one of the sitting rooms just off the main hall. Amelia is sitting alone within, reading. She looks up when the servant with you knocks politely on the doorframe, and is visibly surprised to see you.
"Alex? What brings you by?"
"I was hoping to have a word with you before you left."
"Your timing is good," Amelia says, as the servant departs. "Mother and Grandfather just went to have a private word with Lady Bloodriver before we go." Closing and setting aside the book, she rises from her chair. "What did you want to discuss?"
You consider how to put it. "I haven't had the opportunity to talk to Miss Akasha like you suggested," you begin. "She's been busy being a hostess this whole time, and I didn't feel like airing matters between your families in public."
"Thank you for that," Amelia murmurs.
You nod. "It'll be much easier for me to speak privately with Miss Akasha tomorrow, but of course, you'll be long gone by then, so I thought I might ask you for an address or a number, so we can still talk. If you want to, that is."
Amelia regards you with puzzlement. "Do you do this with everyone you've known for less than a day?"
Um.
"No, not EVERYONE, but..." you pause, thinking on how to put it. "This is my second time being out of the U.S., and both times, I've run into all kinds of interesting people - the Shuzens, the Drakes, and the Arisawas, just to name those who were present on both occasions. And yes, I did ask Kahlua, Altria, and Tatsuki for their addresses."
"Quite the collection of names," Amelia notes. "And you want to add mine to the list?"
"You had the guts to not be intimidated by Moka on the dance floor, in her own home," you point out. "And while she clearly doesn't like you, she didn't or couldn't just dismiss you out of hand, either. To me, that says you're pretty formidable in your own right, which is... well, interesting."
Amelia smirks. "Thank you. You're fairly interesting yourself."
"Thank you. I try." You pause, giving Amelia a minute to think on her response.
Her subsequent sigh is not promising.
"I'm not opposed to the idea, Alex, but I'll have to clear things with my family first. They can be overprotective at the best of times, and your hometown is..." She hesitates.
"The Hellmouth?" you offer dryly.
"Exactly."
You nod. "I get it. Kahlua had a similar problem with her parents: phonecalls and emails to or from Sunnydale aren't allowed, because they might be cursed; and I've been making a point of decontaminating my letters before I send them."
Amelia looks surprised at that. "Can you actually curse someone over the telephone?"
You consider that.
Questions of techno-magical theory aside, and given what you've been told, how would you prefer to handle this situation?
You don't quite lose yourself in speculation, but you do take a moment to just mull over the topic of phone-carried curses - or any sort of magic sent via electronic means. It's a fascinating subject, with a lot of potential practical applications for a spellcaster like yourself.
Really, any spell that simply required the target to hear it spoken would be pretty easy to send over the telephone. Then there's the idea that phones are a connection between two people, so magic requiring a link to its target would probably work as well. There'd probably be some loss of effectiveness due to the distance and the shift between mediums - atmospheric to electronic and then back again - and there are probably other details you just haven't thought of which would be pretty obvious in hindsight...
Fortunately, you retain enough presence of mind not to say any of this aloud. Instead, you just admit to Amelia that you can see how it might be possible to send curses over phone lines - at least in theory.
Considering how uneasy she looks after that simple admission, you're glad you kept your mouth shut.
You're strongly tempted to ask Amelia if you could meet her family, but in the end, you decide to refrain. It's been a long, eventful day, and the evidence suggests that the Reinharts will be feeling the strain more than most of the guests. Going through another round of introductions now, when they're just about to leave, is unlikely to go over well, and would probably color their first impression of you - and not in a good way.
Really, you've got enough bad press to be getting on with due to living on the Hellmouth; there's no need to add to it with your actions.
Instead, you give Amelia your address, tell her to do with it what she will, and then excuse yourself.
On your way out of the entrance hall, you catch a glimpse of Akasha's distinctive hair, and turn to see her entering from one of the side passages. With her are a man and a woman, both of whom bear the pale, supernatural beauty that you've seen in a significant majority of the living vampires you've encountered today. There's a certain resemblance between the two, leading you to suspect that - despite the fact they appear to be almost of an age with one another - you're looking at Amelia's mother and grandfather.
Obvious differences in gender aside, the most striking distinction between the two is their hair. Lady Reinhart, if that's the correct term, is a blonde, with very pale hair like fine gold. Her father, on the other hand, has the same sort of dark hair as Amelia.
Not wanting to look like an eavesdropper, you turn your back and exit the hall, putting the Reinhart family out of your mind for the time being.
The rest of the evening passes without incident. The Reinharts are merely the first in a steady stream of departures, which has the Shuzens coming and going from the party in a reversal of this morning's greetings and arrivals. As the crowd thins out, the various entertainments wind down, though the ballroom remains open to the last, the band playing softer songs for the handful of guests that still wish to dance.
In the end, you find yourself, Briar, and Lu-sensei standing near the Arisawas, looking over an empty dance floor. The Drakes and the Water Tribe family have already withdrawn to their respective rooms, pleading fatigue due to the difference in time zones, and Kokoa has been put to bed - under protest. Moka is trying her best not to look sleepy, Ambrose is nursing one last glass of wine, and Gyokuro and Issa have disappeared somewhere, leaving Akasha to oversee the clean-up. Kahlua is standing next to her sister, looking quietly satisfied.
"Well then," Akkiko speaks up. "There was music and dancing, food and drink, fun and games, plenty of presents and surprises, and a good fight. And as a bonus, nobody died. All in all, I'd call that a successful party."
"I'll drink to that," Ambrose agrees, before doing so.
You take some satisfaction in the fact that you are not the only one present to glare at the two reprobates.
Ignoring the looks, Akkiko turns and ushers Tatsuki out of the room. The younger Arisawa seems glad to go, at least until her mother swats her hand away from her headdress and scolds her to wait until they're back in their apartments and can take everything off properly.
This starts an argument which trails off into the distance, before being cut off by the convenient closing of a door.