There were definitely some perks to being doted on by the High Temple of Lyssandria. One of those being that any transportation that they arranged was never second class.
There weren’t many carriages that could easily accommodate Jadis’ great height; she’d be forced to ride bent halfway over or put her head straight through the roof and neither of those options were acceptable. That left the option of a topless carriage, which did exist, but was normally reserved for warmer weather. Since the cloud-laden skies had decided to start snowing, a topless carriage would have Jadis arriving at the ball covered in a blanket of snow. Hardly appropriate considering the circumstances. However, there were ways of getting around that issue, if one had the right kind of magic, or at least had the money to buy the right kind of magic.
The carriage that Jadis’ three selves rode in pulled up to the front of Trummelton’s, stopping right at the entrance to the lavish restaurant. There were already dozens of carriages all around the front of the building dropping off various guests, but as the guest of honor Jadis got to skip the line. Jadis had a clear view, since the topless carriage did nothing to impede her vision. Despite the snow coming down at a decent rate, Jadis was as warm and snug as if she’d been sitting in a nice chair in front of a roaring fireplace. The wizardly attendant riding on the back of the carriage was seeing to that.
Opening up the door to the carriage herself, Jadis realized too late that a young man in uniform had been rushing forward to hold the door open for her. Grinning at the boy, Syd shot him a wink before quickly disembarking from the carriage without aid. She had to suppress a chuckle as the young man’s face blushed bright red.
“Are you sticking with us the whole way?” Jay asked Gregor, the wizard Aurea had hired to protect Jadis’ fine gowns, as he stepped down from the back of the carriage.
“Just until you and your companions are all safely indoors, milady. I’ll be waiting with the rest of the serving staff for when you’re ready to return to the temple.”
“Thanks,” Jay smiled kindly at Gregor. “Remind me when we get back to the temple and I’ll be sure to give you a tip for service. Keeping the snow off like this is really impressive and convenient. Makes me wish I had some kind of magic like that.”
“No need, milady,” the wizard put his hand to his chest and bowed his head. “I’m paid well for my skill. And I must say, it is a pleasure to serve a client of your caliber. I have a younger brother in the army stationed in Far Felsen. I thank Lyssandria every day that she sent you and your sisters to aid them in their time of need. Thank you.”
“Oh, uh, you’re welcome,” Jay managed to get out, taken aback by the sudden display of heartfelt gratitude.
Any further conversation was cut off, though, as the carriages transporting the rest of Jadis’ companions pulled up in front of the restaurant. In short order everyone exited their carriages and had gathered with Jadis under the protective influence of the wizard that kept the snow from touching their dresses. It really was a ridiculous extravagance of magic.
Despite not yet entering the venue, Jadis could already see that her party was drawing a lot of looks. Or rather, she was drawing a lot of looks and Alex was drawing even more. The men and women who were heading into the restaurant were obviously wealthy, wearing expensive cloaks that shrouded rich suits and dresses underneath. Most, if not all of them, had to be nobles, a supposition supported by their exceptional poker faces. They stared at Jadis and her group yet managed to do so without being overt in their intentions.
Jadis felt the instinctual impulse to label them all a bunch of stuck-up rich folk, but considering how she literally had a hired wizard keeping the snow off of her head, she felt like that was a bit of a hypocritical thought. She didn’t know these people. It would be stupid to assume that they were all just wealthy assholes. She had to at least give them a chance.
She could call them assholes after they proved it.
“Well then,” Jay said as she looked around at her lovers and squared her shoulders. “Let’s go.”
Since there was no way to offer her arm to all of her lovers, even with three bodies, Jadis instead chose to lead the charge, her three bodies in wedge formation with Jay in the lead. The attendants at the door smoothly opened the way for them as she approached, allowing Jadis to glide forward unimpeded. As soon as she entered the building, Jadis was once more struck by the lavish and extraordinary décor of Trummelton’s as well as by the fact that the entryway actually had magical temperature control.
Beyond the entryway, the large main floor of the restaurant had been transformed. All the tables had been cleared away, revealing an intricately detailed marble mosaic on the floor that depicted the palace and the massive tree in the center of the city. A large alcove that Jadis hadn’t seen before due to large velvet curtains had been revealed along one wall, and inside was what looked like an entire string orchestra. Statues and hothouse flowers were everywhere, and the scent of sweet perfumes was everywhere, with a faint taste of wine mixed in.
There were many people already in the hall, all of them wearing extravagant suits and dresses, though of course Jadis didn’t recognize any of them. Jadis really wasn’t sure how many people were supposed to be attending the party, but as she looked up and saw that there were even more people on the open second and third floors of the building, she guessed that the guest list had to number in the hundreds. And that wasn’t even counting all the serving staff and guards she could see moving unobtrusively along the edges of the gathered crowds.
“Announcing Ladies Jay, Dys, and Syd Ahlstrom of the Nephilim!”
Jadis managed to hide her surprise at the sudden and unexpectedly loud voice coming from one side of the door. Glancing to her left, she saw that a formal-looking older man had been stationed at the entryway to act as some kind of announcer.
All eyes turned towards her and Jadis felt a momentary wave of discomfort. She’d never had trouble getting in front of crowds, but to have that many people suddenly focus their attention on her did give her some pause.
“Announcing Lady Eir Aedraheill, daughter of Margrave Einer Aedraheill and Svana Aedraheill!”
Eir, for her part, didn’t react at all and simply continued along behind Jadis with a smile.
Following the instructions her noble priestess had given her beforehand, Jadis walked further into the hall and made room for her companions and those coming behind. There were servants who quickly came forward and whisked away the light cloaks Jadis had been wearing and still more who appeared seemingly out of nowhere offering delicate crystal goblets filled with bright and rosy wine. Taking one for each of her selves, Jadis calmly assessed the crowd while doing her best to maintain her own guarded expression.
Naturally, Jadis didn’t recognize many of the people. These were all upper crust nobles, not the sort of folk that she would have any prior experience with. However, the gathered company wasn’t completely alien to her. There were a few familiar faces in the crowd, though Jadis didn’t rate all of them as friendly.
Vraekae was easy enough to spot. The blue-skinned elf had that glowing red ball of death hovering over her shoulder at all times, so it was as good as a neon arrow pointing her out in any crowd. She was talking with an older looking human man, someone that Jadis didn’t recognize. It was impossible to know what the magistrate was thinking since her icy expression revealed none of her inner thoughts, however, the gray-haired gentleman she was with looked stiff and cross, like he was unhappy to even be at the ball.
Glancing through the rest of the gathered company, Jadis saw Severina was present as well. She clearly hadn’t been invited in her capacity as a paladin, since instead of her usual shining armor she was wearing a white and gold dress that was open backed to accommodate her wings. Even though she wasn’t armored, Jadis noted that the Seraphim still carried her sword at her side. Jadis had to wonder if that was because the prickly paladin didn’t trust the many guards stationed around the building to do their job, or if it was more of a comfort thing for the winged woman. She seemed like the type to sleep with the sword on a pillow next to her on her bed.
Even without Severina, the restaurant had to be one of the safest places in town. Not only did it have a plethora of regular guards, Roy and his knights had naturally accompanied Jadis as well. Besides which, who knew how powerful any number of the nobles could be? Jadis would eat her socks if there weren’t a bunch of high-CLR warriors or mages mixed in with the rest of the gentry.
Now that she thought about it, Jadis did notice that one demographic was in decidedly short supply from what she could see. Namely, young men. Those of a fighting age were largely absent from the ball, though not completely. There were still plenty of young women, and there were at least a few men around in their twenties or thirties, but the majority of the crowd were definitely older.
There was one face she spotted that was young, though.
Jadis did her best not to frown when her eyes met Elodie Brunholt. The dark haired young woman was wearing a black and red dress that was stitched with enough pearls to make her look like a walking constellation. Her hair had been done up as well, with a literal diamond tiara. As she laughed flirtatiously with a group of men in military uniforms, her gaze met Jay’s and raised her wine glass in salute. The smile on her face didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Announcing Alex, the Gods sanctioned Demon Paladin!”
That was new. Jadis wasn’t sure where that particular title had come from, but she appreciated that the announcer had declared it without even a hint of hesitation. The crowd’s murmurs increased in volume as Alex made her way into the hall with the rest of Jadis’ companions, though no one showed any overt hostility, thankfully. Doubly thankfully, Jadis was glad that Alex was the last of her lovers to be announced, which meant they were all inside and she was free to move further into the ballroom.
“My parents are not going to like that part when they arrive,” Aila whispered to Syd as she strode along next to her.
“Damn, you’re right,” Syd winced. “Should we ask around and see if we can just sneak them in before they have to go through that?”
“Too late,” Kerr smirked as she lightly tapped on Aila’s shoulder and motioned with her head. “Looks like Mama and Papa Aila arrived early.”
Aila didn’t cringe when she saw her two uncomfortable-looking parents standing in a crowd of nobles. She was too good at keeping cool for that. But Jadis could practically hear the internal screaming.
“Your mother looks really nice in that dress,” Syd commented in an attempt to soothe her redheaded lover’s nerves. “And blue is definitely your father’s color.”
“Thank you…” Aila replied woodenly.
“Oh, good,” Eir said as she moved up next to Syd, Aila, and Kerr. She’d been momentarily distracted as she spoke to one of the serving staff and probably hadn’t heard what they’d been talking about. “I see Aila’s parents have already met with my parents. That will make introductions a little easier.”
“Oh!” Syd perked up as the realization struck her. “Those are your parents? I should have guessed.”
Vikwas and Senta were both standing meekly next to two elves and despite Vikwas towering over the elven couple and all the rest of the nobles surrounding them, it was clear as crystal that the elven man was dominating the conversation. The elf wasn’t particularly tall, maybe even an inch or two under the average height, but his presence was undeniable. He exuded an aura of fierce control, like an eagle surveying his domain. His blue skin was a perfect match for Vraekae’s, which nicely explained which side of the family Eir’s cousin was from, though his eyes were sea green instead of red. His black hair was slicked back and tied in a short braid, and the clothes he wore were simple in style yet rich in quality. He didn’t have on a military uniform like many of the other men in the hall, but he did carry a sheathed saber on his belt.
The woman standing with her hand placed genteelly on the man’s proffered arm could have been Eir’s twin. Her deep red skin and dark purple hair matched Jadis’ lover exactly, though when she turned her face slightly Jadis saw that the woman’s eyes were pink instead of purple. Her vibrant green dress had several large gems sewn into the bodice that probably cost more than the carriage Jadis had rode on that evening. Despite the intimidating presence of her husband, the woman exuded an air of open friendliness and charm that Jadis recognized as identical to Eir’s own loving personality. When her gaze drifted far enough to make eye contact with Eir, her whole face lit up with a stunning smile that made Jadis’ stomachs flutter.
“Holy halls above,” Kerr murmured under her breath. “She practically popped you out of a mold, didn’t she?”
“We do have a strong resemblance, don’t we?” Eir replied modestly as she started towards her parents.
“That’s an understatement,” Syd said as she quietly agreed with Kerr.
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