Jadis was having a hard time accepting the two elves as Eir’s parents. Not because they didn’t look like her or act the part, but because they both looked so young. Einer, her father, looked like he was thirty years old at the most, while her mother, Svana, looked like she was the same age as Eir. In fact, Svana looked damn near identical to Eir, in both face and body, to the point that Jadis thought Eir actually had a twin sister and she was just pulling some kind of weird prank on her. The only real distinguishing differences between them were that Svana’s eyes were pink instead of purple, and she had slightly fuller lips.
“Jadis, it is such a pleasure to finally meet you,” Svana said as she warmly took Jay’s hand between hers. She didn’t try to hug Jay, though her broad smile was almost loving enough to make Jadis feel as though she were actually being embraced. “Eir had told me such wonderful things about you. May I ask which of your selves you are?”
“It’s great to meet you, too,” Jay smiled at Eir’s mother, doing her best to hide her mounting confusion. Svana even sounded like Eir. “I’m Jay. That other me is Dys, and that’s Syd. You can call whichever of us what you want, it’s really okay.”
“Nonsense!” Svana cooed as she patted Jay’s hand. “Your situation is unique and that requires a unique approach. If this part of you is Jay, then I will do my utmost to mark the fact and refer to you as such. Now, tell me, is the lovely young woman Aila? I was just complimenting Senta on her beautiful hair. It is a delight to see you share that trait with your mother.”
The way Eir’s mother spoke was so genuinely kind and caring that Jadis found that while she was still vaguely disturbed by her appearance, she couldn’t help but like the woman. The way she greeted Aila with just as much warmth as she had Jay meant a lot. It wasn’t just looks that Eir had gotten from her mother, but personality as well.
Eir’s father, on the other hand, couldn’t have been more different.
“Jadis,” the stoic-faced man said without any perceptible change to his expression. “A pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Dys said as she held out her hand to shake.
Einer hesitated slightly, almost as though he had expected Dys to greet him in a different way, but after a short pause he took her hand in a firm grip.
“I have heard many things about you. The service you have rendered to the empire has been admirable so far. I hope you continue to find success in your endeavors.”
“Thank you,” Dys nodded, not entirely sure where to take the conversation with such a formal introduction. “I… have heard a lot about you as well from Eir. She told me you’re a margrave. I have to admit, I’m not completely certain of what that is since we didn’t have titles like that where I grew up, but she told me you are the lord of Aedraland. That must be an incredible responsibility.”
“It is,” Einer nodded his head. “The protection of my people and my borders is my highest duty. Aedraland has been fortunate this cycle in that few demons have managed to make it to our lands, be it by sky or sea. Slaying such fiends is common for you, though, I have been told.”
“Yes, definitely,” Dys agreed with an amused huff. “Since the moment I entered the empire’s borders, really.”
“And yet you consort with one openly.”
The question wasn’t said with any malice, but it was delivered with the same cold deadpan as Jadis was used to hearing from Vraekae when she was on-duty. It was also a directly confrontational statement that seemed counter to the special consideration of Alex’s announced title that either Einer or Svana had to have set up as a courtesy. Narrowing her eyes at the stony man, Dys inclined her head towards him.
“Demons are avatars, just like Nephilim or Seraphim. And just like any avatar, they can choose whether or not they listen to the guidance of their god. Alex chooses not to suffer Samleos’ influence. She has a sharp mind and a strong will. Those are just two of the many things that make her a powerful ally and a good friend.”
“Indeed,” Einer spoke with the same lack of emotion, like he was commenting on the weather. “Why do you think it is that your Alex has chosen a different path from all other demons in creation?”
“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Dys inclined her head towards Alex who was standing quietly in the middle of Jadis’ gathered companions.
“I intend to. However, I want to know your opinion. That is why I asked you.”
Einer’s dry tone suddenly made sense to Jadis. She could see now that he wasn’t trying to be rude, he was simply uncomfortably direct in his thinking. Or maybe he didn’t care if he came across as confrontational, so long as he got the answers he was looking for. Jadis still wasn’t quite certain, but she felt her agitation at his questions fade as she reconsidered the man and his apparent personality.
“Well, she already told me why she made the choices that she made, so my opinion is colored. But I will say that I think a big part of the reason is because she saw something in me that most Demons don’t care for.”
“What is that?”
“Beauty.”
“Interesting,” the stoic elf intoned. “A trait that you and my daughter share.”
“Thank you,” Dys nodded her head towards the margrave. “I would say the same about your wife.”
“She is beautiful,” Einer agreed with all the matter-of-factness of a mathematical statement. “My daughter is fortunate she takes after her and not me.”
Yes, Eir definitely was, though Jadis wasn’t going to say that to her future father-in-law’s face. Not on the first meeting, anyway.
While Jay spoke with Svana and Dys spoke with Einer, Syd had managed to slip around the side to come up next to Vikwas and Senta, Aila’s parents.
“So. You two doing okay?” Syd asked quietly as she moved next to the two.
“Hmph,” Vikwas made a noncommittal noise.
“I have never seen such extravagance in my life,” Senta said as she kept a careful smile plastered on her face. “I can see Aila is going to have to deal with a lot of… high-mannered situations if she stays with you.”
Jadis didn’t like the sound of Senta’s “if” but diplomatically chose to ignore it for the moment.
“That’s true, she will. It’s a good thing she’s so smart, because she really does help me navigate through stuff like this. I’d be lost without her.”
Senta glanced up at Syd with an appraising look, her expression still a polite smile though her eyes were calculating.
“I believe partners should complement each other,” Senta said after a moment. “One’s strength can make up for another’s deficiencies.”
“I agree completely,” Syd nodded as she met Senta’s gaze. “It’s a good thing I have so many wonderful women who love me. I have a lot of failings they make up for. But I like to think I raise them up with my own strengths, too.”
Senta’s face softened slightly, her expression relaxing a little as a spark of some understanding passed through her eyes. Then, as Eir’s mother came near and drew her and Syd into her conversation, Senta’s rigid mask came back into place.
“Senta, I was just about to tell you before our lovely children arrived. I have been speaking with a few distant acquaintances who I know have family who are engaged in similar circumstances to our own young ladies,” Svana smiled kindly as she easily swept up to the redheaded woman and took her arm in her own. “We’ll have to discuss how best to handle our own situation, since noble titles are involved, but I’m quite certain we can come to a fair arrangement.”
“I’m sorry, what situation?” Syd asked as Senta blinked owlishly at the outgoing elf.
“Our in-law situation, of course,” Svana smiled up at Syd with a twinkle in her eye. “Since you will be marrying my dear Eir and Senta’s dear Aila, that means Senta and I will both be your mothers in law. There are not many in the empire who engage in multi-partner marriages, and most of those who do are Therions who are originally from the Verdant Sea, so I’ve had to do some research on what the appropriate protocols are for these kinds of marriages. I think we may have to… improvise a little, but in the end I’m quite certain that we will be able to work out any potential familial issues. Don’t you agree, Senta?”
Like a stalwart soldier, Senta stiffly nodded her head.
“I’m sure.”
“In fact, I think you should come and guest with me and Einer in our city estate while you’re still in the capital,” Svana blithely continued. “I understand you are staying at the Silver Lute right now, which is a fine establishment, but you are soon to be family! You should avail yourself of our resources. Einer and I would love to have you guest with us. We have far too many unused rooms, anyway.”
As amusing as the idea of Aila and Eir’s parents sitting down to breakfast together was, Jadis quietly excused herself from that particular conversation. There were far too many ways for her to put her foot in her mouth, so she decided discretion was the better part of valor and withdrew before anything catastrophic could be said.
There was no shortage of other people to talk to. Everywhere Jadis looked, there were fancily dressed nobles waiting for an opportunity to talk with her. Even with three of her, she felt a little overwhelmed by the number of people who wanted a moment of her time. Fortunately, Eir’s father smoothly handled the situation.
“Dys, may I introduce you to Lord Kernagin, Margrave of Kernhill,” Einer said as he motioned towards an old human man with a prominent bulbous nose and a droopy mustache. “His territory neighbors my own to the east."
“A pleasure to meet you,” Dys smiled easily enough as the aged lord nodded his head to her in greeting.
“A delight,” the man claimed with easy confidence. “I must say, I had heard rumors of Nephilim beauty, but they fall far short of the mark. You shine as brilliantly as a star on cloudless winter night, my lady.”
Dys blinked at the man’s unexpectedly suave compliment. For a fairly unimpressive-looking man, the old lord had some charm and poise to him.
“You’re too kind,” Dys managed to say without stumbling over her surprise.
“Not at all,” Lord Kernagin waved a wrinkled hand. “I speak only the truth that is as obvious as the mushroom I call a nose. I’m just a fat old relic, so I won’t take up any more of your time, but if you are ever in the vicinity of Kernhill, I invite you to visit my estate. My wife would be delighted to meet you.”
“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind,” Dys grinned at the margrave, entertained by his easy demeanor. “I hope we do get the chance to visit.”
As Margrave Kernagin puttered out of the way to make room for more nobles, Einer spoke up just quietly enough that only Dys would be able to hear.
“Ask my daughter.”
Dys glanced in Eir’s direction. She was close to Jay, talking with Thea and Bridget. Clearly Einer didn’t mean for Dys to rush over to speak with his daughter since he was already introducing another noble to her, but he was trying to communicate something. Jadis quickly realized that Einer had already put it together that she could hold multiple conversations at the same time, and therefore she could ask Eir questions with one body while her other body spoke with the nobles.
Internally shrugging, Jadis did exactly as her future father-in-law suggested.
“What should I know about Margrave Kernagin,” Jay asked in a low voice as she stood in a cluster with Eir, Thea, Bridget, Sorcha, and Alex.
“A good man. Very charming,” Eir replied immediately. “Perhaps a little too charming, some might say. He has three mistresses and fifteen bastard children aside from his wife and seven legitimate children.”
“Him!?” Jay strangled a yelp. “Really?”
“Yes,” Eir confirmed without losing the easy smile on her face. “He’s a good lord, though. He is always fair to his people and keeps his roads clear of bandits with a strong local militia. His mistresses all have their own private homes and he paid for the educations of all of his illegitimate children. He is a supporter of the first prince, but that seems to be more because he supports the current emperor’s choices than because of any love he might have for Hraustrekr.”
“Wow,” Jay said, her eyebrows raised high as she regarded Eir. “You’re a font of information on these things, huh?”
“Important studies from before I became a priestess,” Eir shrugged one delicate shoulder. “I brushed up on a few current affairs since we arrived in the city, as well.”
“Okay then,” Jay grinned at her favorite cleric. “What’s the deal with the couple I’m speaking to now? Baron Hertz and his wife?”
“Herschel Hertz is from a long line of battle commanders and one of his ancestors directly served the Hero from three cycles ago. He’s very proud of that fact, but don’t bring up current military affairs with him as he gets easily agitated. Nina Hertz breeds lap dogs and will talk for hours about her favorite pups if you let her. They fervently support the first prince and their son, Leo, is a commander in the army and has often served the prince directly.”
Eir’s insights and knowledge about the various nobles who came up to greet Jadis proved to be invaluable. As one or another of Jadis’ selves was introduced to a noble, Eir would feed her info on who the person was, what topics to avoid, and what to say to leave a good impression. When her Jay self was inevitably approached, Eir’s father would pass along information as well, acting as a backup when he could. The father-daughter duo were so in tune with their timing, Jadis found that there were almost no points over the course of the next couple of hours where she was left hanging without support from one or both of them.
There was, however, one person who approached Jadis who neither Einer nor Eir could help much with.
“Good evening, Jadis,” Elodie Brunholt purred from behind Jay. “Such a pleasure to see you again!”
The obnoxiously catty woman had chosen the perfect moment to approach Jay. None of her companions or Eir’s family were nearby, as Jay had taken a few minutes to talk with a couple of high-ranking merchants about possibly ordering some materials for her mercenary company through them. Talking about such business wasn’t exactly polite conversation for a party, so Jadis had kept the exchange to a minimum, but Jay had still ended up taking a while longer than she would have preferred to speak with the two bland men. That had caused her to separate from the others for a brief moment, an opportunity that Elodie had apparently been waiting for.
“Hello Elodie,” Jay replied, purposefully keeping her tone calm and casual as she turned to look down at the dark-haired young woman. “That’s a pretty dress you’re wearing.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Elodie tittered like a bird as she held up a delicate hand to cover her mouth. “It took months to make. My grandfather has such a skilled and dedicated tailor on staff. He comes up with the most wonderful creations. But I must say, the gown you’re wearing is absolutely marvelous! Or should I say gowns? I’m not sure what the proper language would be when referring to more than one of you.”
“Whatever you’d like,” Jay shrugged noncommittally, giving no special attention to the woman’s attempt at showing she was aware of Jadis’ unique nature. “I won’t be offended whatever way you word it, so long as you’re being polite.”
“How magnanimous of you,” Elodie smiled. “Ah, but it is such a delight to speak with you that I have forgotten my manners. Jadis, I would like to introduce my mother to you. Lady Vanessa Brunholt.”
Jadis had not failed to notice the older woman who had walked up to her with Elodie. Much like her daughter, Vanessa Brunholt was a dark-haired woman wearing what looked like an extravagantly expensive dress. She was definitely older, likely in her late forties or early fifties, but her face had few wrinkles and she possessed a stately sort of beauty. She was more handsome than pretty, but Jadis could definitely see the resemblance between her and Elodie.
Vanessa smiled thinly at Jay, her cool eyes assessing her with all the emotion of a viper.
“It is wonderful to finally meet you,” the older woman spoke in a regal tone. “I’ve heard so much about you from both my husband and my daughter. You’ve left quite the impression.”
Jay smiled back, consciously not bowing her head towards Lady Brunholt. She wasn’t so dense that she didn’t pick up on the fact that the woman hadn’t mentioned whether the impression was good or not.
“I’m sorry, I can’t say the same. No one has really mentioned you before now. But it’s nice to meet you.”
“Quite,” Vanessa said, expression too trained to reveal if Jadis’ jab had scored or not. “It’s always good to be able to put a face to the name. I must say that I’ve been interested in meeting you ever since I heard about your exploits in Weigrun from my husband, but my interest has only risen since I learned that you brought a demonic paladin to the capital. I had feared that your demon might not attend tonight’s gathering, but it seems my fears were unjustified.”
“I told you it would be here,” Elodie said with a giggle to her mother. “Jadis isn’t the sort to show the kind of… restraint that most others would. Alex is her companion, after all. Isn’t that right, Jadis?”
“Yes, she is,” Jay agreed as her blood simmered under the barely concealed provocations. “Alex is my companion. I’ve had great luck in the past few months. Since being forced to leave my old home, I’ve found many wonderful people who have shown me great love and support, including Alex.”
“If only we could all be so lucky,” Vanessa said with a tone that didn’t quite match her words. “Is that the… Paladin? May I speak with her? I find myself possessed of a gruesome fascination and I would be thrilled to have some conversation with her.”
Jay didn’t need to look over her shoulder to see where Lady Brunholt was looking. Aila, Eir, and Alex stood a few paces behind her, gathered near the edge of the open dance floor. Jadis and her companions had spent most of the night so far talking with people while meandering through the crowd, occasionally nibbling on the provided finger foods and drinking expensive wine. The party was a ball, though, and with a full orchestra playing there was, of course, dancing.
At the moment, a collection of maybe twenty or thirty couples were in the middle of the open dance floor, moving in time with the waltz the musicians were playing. From the perspective of her other selves, Jadis could see that Aila, Eir, and Alex were talking with each other while watching the couples perform the simple dance. Some of the dances that Jadis had seen thus far had been fairly complicated and were not something she would try without a little instruction first, but this dance was fairly simple. Even Alex, who had shown no interest in music before, was bobbling along to the beat as she observed the waltz.
“Later, maybe,” Jay responded to Lady Brunholt with a falsely apologetic smile. “I was just about to ask Alex to dance. We’ve already let too much time slip by doing nothing but talking. It’s time we had a little fun.”
Vanessa looked startled, her mask slipping as she probably hadn’t expected such a blunt rejection. Before she could recover, Elodie exclaimed her surprise first.
“You’re going to dance with the demon?” the pointy-nosed prat said with barely concealed disdain.
“Of course,” Jay grinned at her. “I fuck her, so it’d be pretty weird if I drew the line at dancing.”
Jay turned away, an intense glow of satisfaction settling over her as she left the two stuck-up women behind her gaping like a couple of fish. Intellectually, Jadis knew that being so crude to the two about something that had to be a pretty huge culture shock would probably come back to bite her in the ass later, but she couldn’t bring herself to care all that much. Alex was her lover. If the priests in Lyssandria’s temple didn’t know it already, they would figure it out soon enough. Once they knew for sure, Jadis was sure that it wouldn’t be long before everyone in the whole damn capital knew about her love life. Why bother waiting for rumors to spread? Better to just confront others with the facts than let them make inferences. Jadis was, in fact, having sex with Alex. She was her lover, and she wasn’t going to hide it.
Jay reached Alex in the same moment that her other two selves did. As Alex, Aila, and Eir all turned to look at Jadis’ selves, she performed a copy of a bow she’d seen others do when approaching their partners.
“May I have this dance?” Jadis said in unity to the three beautiful women before her.
“Of course!” Eir grinned happily as she placed her hand in Syd’s open palm.
“If you’d like to,” Aila said to Dys with her usual coolness, though her blue eyes twinkled in amusement.
“How do I… Give you… This dance?” Alex asked with a confused tilt of her head.
As Dys and Syd lead Aila and Eir onto the dance floor, Jay took Alex’s hand and pulled her along.
“Follow me and I’ll show you.”
As Jadis expected, the results of trying to dance were about as messy as the first time she’d ever fought a bone thief back on her first day on Oros. Well, maybe not as life-threatening, but certainly just as chaotic.
Jadis was a perfectly capable dancer, but she’d never performed a waltz or any other formal sort of dance before, and she’d certainly never tried to dance in such a fancy dress, either. While she was able to muddle through well enough by copying the movements of others around her, it was still painfully obvious to her own eyes that she was inexperienced. The bigger issue though was her size. Thanks to her height, there was just no easy way for her to dance with someone who was of a more normal height.
Dancing with Eir was like trying to waltz with a kid. The size difference was comical. She couldn’t even put a hand on Eir’s waist without awkwardly bending over, and poor Eir had to crane her neck back just to be able to see something other than Syd’s skirts. Aila had a little better time since she was exceptionally tall for a human woman, but the difference wasn’t that much lessened and frankly, Aila wasn’t a very good dancer. She kept stepping on Dys’ feet and tripping on her dress skirt.
Alex was by far the best dancer of them all. She glided across the marble floor, literally. Since she had her large tentacles to support her, Alex simply raised her self high up enough to be on eye level with Jay and slithered along in a strange approximation of a waltz while her human legs dangled several feet above the floor. As Jay swept her across the room, the other dancers broke form and scurried out the way of Alex’s tentacles, creating a chaotic disruption that left nobles bumping into each other and stumbling over their partners.
Overall, it was an amazing time. Jadis couldn’t stop grinning as she haphazardly bounced around the dance floor, not caring one bit about how she might appear to the assembled nobles. Soon, it wasn’t just her laughing, but her lovers too as her brightened mood infected them. When the waltz reached its conclusion and the orchestra struck up another, more complicated tune, Jadis switched partners and pulled Kerr, Thea, and Sabina onto the floor. She really didn’t have any idea what the proper dance form would be for the song, but that didn’t matter. She was having fun, and so were her partners. Kerr proved to be a surprisingly adept dancer and Jay was soon learning from her movements as the bold therion tried to lead. Thea practically melted under the gazes of so many people, but her shy ways were soon discarded as she lost herself in Dys’ arms. Sabina kept changing her pattern, never settling on just one style, which just made dancing with her more fun as Syd adapted to her mercurial movements.
When it was Bridget and Sorcha’s turn, both women desperately tried to reject her request, the embarrassment getting the better of them. But after only a few pleas both women succumbed and joined Jadis out in the middle of the ballroom. Bridget was an even worse dancer than Aila and fretted for the first few turns, but soon enough she was laughing along with Syd as she spun her around in silly twirls that took her off her feet. Sorcha had it worse, though, since she was even shorter than Eir and couldn’t even take Jay’s hand when standing next to her. Improvising, Jay put her hands around Sorcha’s waist and held her close to her chest, letting the smaller woman wrap her arms around her neck as she danced around with her in her arms. Sorcha complained the whole way about how ridiculous Jadis’ height was and how difficult it made things for them all, but the smile never left her face.
Without another partner, Dys almost went and grabbed another one of her girls again, but hesitated when she spotted a familiar face nearby. Grinning, she made a beeline for the stoic elf, not bothering to hide her amusement.
“Would you care to dance, magistrate?” Dys asked as she held out her hand to Vraekae.
With one slender eyebrow raised, the red-eyed elf calmly took Dys’ hand.
“Certainly. Just don’t expect me to laugh.”
“I would never,” Dys nodded with complete seriousness before pulling the taciturn woman out onto the floor.
For the next couple of hours Jadis danced, changing out partners every few songs. Vraekae and her lovers weren’t the only ones to join her in her wild dance, though. Sometimes one of Aila or Eir’s parents would join her, or one of the nicer older nobles like Lord Kernagin. Since her endurance was endless and her happiness contagious, the musicians kept the beat fast and bouncy while many of the more daring nobles jumped in and out of the fray. Not all of the nobles seemed to find the event as amusing as the others, but that was fine. Jadis was happy to dance with those who wanted to join the fun and ignore those determined to be sticks in the mud. As she passed along the dance floor, Jadis noticed that one of the number who did not dance at all was Elodie. While Jadis would have thought the annoying woman would have been drawn to such a flashy affair, she apparently had no intention of participating. Jadis even saw her decline several invitations from the few handsome young men who were present.
Whatever. If Elodie didn’t want to dance and have fun, that was her problem. Jadis didn’t need to concern herself with someone who was so ready and willing to be a fool for no reason.
Eventually the music slowed as the orchestra tired. The songs slowed and the dancers dispersed to talk and drink and eat. Feeling a little winded but satisfied, Jadis escorted her latest dance partners away from the middle of the room towards the stairs that led up towards the second and third floors where tables and chairs had been set up for people to rest.
“You’re a really amazing dancer,” Jay complimented with sincerity. “I feel like I should ask you for lessons.”
“My parents insisted I learn for formal occasions such as these,” Severina replied as she walked with her hand resting on Jay’s arm. “I always take all of my assigned duties seriously. I can introduce you to the madame who taught me, if you like.”
“Maybe someday,” Jay laughed. “I’d make the time if you were the teacher, but otherwise it’s not a priority.”
“I see,” Severina said, her cheeks turning pink for just a moment. “Well, I will keep that in mind should there be another occasion such as this that we are both invited to. I can teach you a new step next time.”
“I look forward to it,” Jay grinned.
Walking up the stairs with Severina, Jadis saw that most of her companions were already up there, mingling with the crowd and talking amongst themselves. Somehow, the environment felt more relaxed after all the dancing. That might have just been Jadis’ imagination, but she liked to think that all the movement had loosened the stuffy nobles up a bit.
Heading towards where most of her companions were gathered, Jadis smiled as she thought about the night to come. The ball would go on for hours longer, she was certain, but she’d have to head back to the temple district in the next hour or so to avoid being late for her curfew. She was certain Roy wouldn’t let her forget, much less Severina. That was fine, though, since Jadis was already eager to drag her gorgeous lovers back to their bedroom. Maybe tonight was the night the others would be open to sharing their intimacy with Alex? Kerr had been eying the Demon quite a lot lately.
Such happy thoughts filled her mind as she approached the group and her gaze raked across the sexy women who shared her bed. She didn’t see Sorcha or Sabina, and there were a few other people around talking with them so she still had to show some restraint, but she couldn’t wait until—
Jadis’ mind froze as one small figure in the crowd came into view. Her bodies followed suit as all three of her stopped moving, eyes locked onto the brown-haired boy. He was small, maybe nine years old, and had bright hazel eyes. His wavy hair had been allowed to grow out long so it covered his ears, and a small scar from when he’d fallen down the stairs when he was six was visible on his chin. He wore blue jeans and a red, long-sleeved shirt with a picture of an obscure superhero that only nerds like him would know about on the back. His white sneakers still had blue and green marker stains on them from when Jadis had tried to color them to match the pair he had wanted for his birthday.
He looked exactly like how she remembered him.
“Aslan?”
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