The hot season was coming to its climax, which meant once again the invitations towards the end of Ignius bash would be flying through the streets. More private invitations would be received by the individuals personally; many of which were the more esteemed members of Kurayo's society. Those within power and influence as well as high-ranking officers of the Navy and their guests were the priority. All others would be welcomed but would be under the careful eye so as to not stir up trouble. As the son of one of the Admirals, it was Alexei's responsibility to make certain preparations. Usually, he would be thorough and precise with the decision-making, but he found himself distracted for some reason. He went over the guest list several times, had the flora arrangements reorganized again and again despite no real flaws found, and the food and refreshments sent back to the kitchen for the chefs to redo. Both the servants and his sisters asked him on occasion if there was a problem, only to be met with a hasty "yes" on Alexei's part.

Some of them were worried that his behavior might have been due to the Lord of the House actually attending the affair this time around.

But even that didn’t seem to bother him right out.

His mood seemed to only increase once the eve of the party arrived and guests were starting to pile inside.

The ballroom was heavily decorated, fitting for even the snobbiest of royalty. The musicians distributed a soft and elegant tune throughout the room, only being overshadowed by the herald as he announced the guests that were formally announced.

Even while he was surrounded by his crew of friends, Alexei just felt like something was off. But whatever was bothering him continued to elude the young man for much of the early hours of the party.

Kurayo was a fascinating example of how some cities handled having both wolf kind and vampires in one city. They let each other be and held that tension in the air carefully, never allowing one side to become too powerful. Perhaps that was a way for the drow mages to keep things under control? Dala had arrived at the party fairly early with a decent light blue dress and a notebook in hand. She had saved the daughter of some noble person who in turn, allowed her to be a guest at the Ignius' Ending Celebration. Since she wasn't a resident or a local, it was the best bet for her study case. For a city that hated sunlight, they certainly enjoyed the season.

The ballroom glistened and sparkled in the candlelight while the nobility and the wealthy filled the area with exotic colors and silks. The music was light and sweet, performed by the highest of experts. But the one thing that had caught Dala's interest first was the food. An entire banquet table towards the edges of the room held sweets of all shapes and sizes. Caramel, chocolate, strawberries, blueberries, and so many different flavors. It was as if somebody gave a chef a challenge to make sugar into every single meal in a different unique way. The second Dala stepped into the ballroom, she sped over to the banquet table and grabbed a plate then began piling on as many sweets as possible. Once she had a towering pile of pastries, she found herself a quiet corner and began taking notes on anything she noticed in the ballroom.

Her real mission, besides the delicious food, was to investigate this thing nobles called networking. Etiquette was a difficult thing for Dala since she preferred beating up whoever made her angry. Learning how to get revenge through subtle means and handing out passive-aggressive comments was something the nobility did naturally. Then there was the fact she needed more research on wolf kind and how they preferred to interact with each other. There was so much information she didn't know and that fact made her furious. If it was economic-related or some kind of battle strategy she would have learned it within a week, but alas the rules of etiquette and social networking always escaped her.

Dala shoved a strawberry cake into her mouth and began writing down whatever she saw in the ballroom. She took notes on the size of the ballroom, the number of guests, types of food presented, the music, the way people interacted with each other, and most importantly any juicy gossip she could hear from her side of the room.

As soon as his wicked sister read the invitation out loud, Gabriel knew that this would lead to trouble. Deep trouble.

For one thing, that meant that she was going to drag him behind into this whole affair and he would have to… socialize with others. Many of which were likely crossed with him for one thing or another- namely sleeping with their sisters, daughters, etc. He was damn lucky that he belonged to a respectable house otherwise he would have been fair game. Gods only knew that he hoped that his time awhile would have been enough to settle those old wounds.

Another situation was actually right underneath his nose- Paulina. He could only fathom that she was about as thrilled with all this as he was. Dressing up wasn't her forte and getting her to wear heels was another matter entirely. And should she learn any more about his past transgressions, then that meant more trouble for him. Gabe would definitely make sure to keep any silverware and trays away from her during the party.

As the fateful hour arrived, their carriage pulled out, and first up was his sister Esme in a fine, slim emerald dress with her dark locks in an updo, held together by a crystal hairpin. Then Gabe came out, garbed in an ivory luxurious shirt, black trousers, and matching cloak, and assisted Paulina as she stepped out. “Remember, we are to be on our best behavior”, Esme pointed out, more to her brother than his lover. He rolled his eyes, “So that means you keep that big mouth of yours…”

Her foot crashed down onto his at blinding speed and a sharp yelp came out from his mouth before she regained her composure. “Best…behavior…”, she said through gritted teeth as she took to one of his arms and gestured for Paulina to do the same. “Fine.” Against his will, he led the women inside the manor, and immediately before the herald could announce them, Emse went over and whispered into his ear. At first, he held an odd look but it washed over by the time he was to proceed with his job.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Lady Esme Brykyn! Lord Gabriel Brykyn!”

Already he could hear some sneers from his fellow Kurayians and mentally groaned. This was going to be a long night. “And…Lady Paulina Brykyn!”, the herald continued.

“Wait, what?” He shot a look at Esme, who could feel the daggers her brother was staring into her, but she kept a graceful smile across her face in front of everyone else.

It was only after they made it to the ballroom floor that she pulled away from him. “Hey, she doesn’t have a surname and you two have been shacking up for an awfully long time.” She then kissed Paulina on the cheek and playfully slapped her brother’s. “Have fun and don’t do anything stupid.”

As she walked away, Gabe silently mocked her before he led Paulina over to the table where the glasses of wine were waiting and snatched up one for each of them.

“Next time I wished she would fill us in on her plan before it occurs. Sorry about that, love.”

The second the Brykyn names were announced by the room filled with whispers and murmurs from other Kurayians. Eyes from the hall turned to look at the trio as they entered the ballroom. Dala had little context for the situation but what she did know is that there was a good story somewhere here. Perhaps even a lesson on what not to do with nobility? Either way she wanted to hear the tea and the rumors. She needed something to liven up the party.

Dala shoved a few more pastries into her mouth then began to get to work, practicing her eavesdropping skills as she went around the walls of the room, trying to avoid attention while still getting the juicy gossip. Luckily she didn't need to work too hard since the people were already telling everything they knew. From what she was able to pick up, the rumors suggested that Lord Gabriel Brykyn slept around and it was a surprise that he ever married. She wrote every detail in her notes. 

"May I have this dance my lady?" 

She looked up from her notes to see a middle-aged man with brown hair and a weird smile holding his hand out to her expectantly. He was dressed in fine clothes that made him look like some sort of old peacock. 

"No." Dala responded bluntly. 

The man had a surprised look on his face and reminded her of an old peacock with ruffled feathers. He hadn't been expecting such an abrupt response from the young lady. 

"Are you certain? You've been standing all by yourself for quite some time." 

"Go away." She responded, looking back at her notes. 

Each word was a blow to the man's pride who usually didn't get this kind of response. Yet, he was a stubborn man who wasn't used to defeat in any situation. He reached out to grab her hand but she was faster than him. She shot him a glare and momentarily wondered if she would get in trouble for beating this man to a pulp. Instead, she simply moved out of his reach and left towards the wine table. She never liked wine much but she had a feeling if she dumped some on his face then maybe the stranger would get the hint. 

"Motherfucking creeps." Dala muttered under her breath. 

All eyes seem to fall onto the children that represented the House Brykyn from the moment of the announcement. Alexei was no different, though his attention was nowhere near that of the frustrated men who the son had crossed over his years. He had heard rumors of Gabriel's reformation and the proof seemed to be in the young lady he was accompanying. Gods only hoped that he didn't get his just desserts for his infidelities. But Alexei pushed his thought aside as he couldn't shake his anticipation in what was a dimming hope that all of his guests would come. No, not all, just one in particular. His teeth took hold of some of the sides of his mouth, careful not to piece it as he absentmindedly overheard his friends conversating with him. A slight "yes" and the occasional head nod or shake would be his contribution before he excused himself over towards the refreshment table. 

As he made his way over, he could see Gabe and his date partaking in their glasses before they were swept into the music along with nearly everyone else. As long as he caused no trouble, then they were welcomed as far as he was concerned. What clearly wouldn't be acceptable however was the situation between a young lady and some man that couldn't take a hint. Alexei was already in an annoyed mood without this fool stirring up trouble. 

The "gentleman" was persistent in trying to get her but soon felt the hand of the host as it took hold of his shoulder. "Why in the devil are you being a nuisance in MY house?" Being close to their positions, he could smell that she was human, which stunned him a bit. In his recollection, no human had dared to come to these parties before. As for her unwanted suitor, he easily recognized him. His own house was smaller and usually dealt with the ports, harassing people to get what they want. Apparently, he thought that it also extended to these grounds as well. But that was a mistake. 

"Go away runt. Your father isn't here, I know that for a fact."

"Not yet he isn't. And it doesn't matter. You will not harass any guest on my watch." His grip tightened around his shoulder, the younger wolf not backing down even when his hand was swatted away. 

"Didn't I say go? I'm talking to the girl here." 

He went to take a step closer to where she was, but Alexei moved in front of him with ease. "And you are without a pack…" He had a small, smug smile on his face as his eyes moved from the far right to the left. The man, though angry, followed his eye movement and noticed that some of the guests were staring daggers at him as they continued with their own businesses. 

"Meanwhile, this whole place has mine. Now keep that in mind and have a good evening." The gentleman gave Dala one last look before huffing and retreating to whatever corner to lick his wounds. 

"Sorry about that. He shouldn't mess with you anymore", he offered her in a nicer tone once he approached the table and took a wine glass. At the very least, he was sure as long as she was under his roof tonight. Many of the would-be predators were fall too busy partaking in the festivities to pay her any real mind. Occasionally, Alexei glanced over to make sure that his other guest was behaving better.   

She ignored the unwanted idiot to the best of her abilities and resisted every urge to smash a wine glass against the man's head. But the words from her best friend reminded her that she couldn't handle noble problems through violence. Violence had to be the last option, unfortunately. The sound of a stranger's voice made her turn around and see one of the people from the party. Dala couldn't remember his name but he seemed like he was going to start a fight with this guy for her. She was lucky that one of the food tables was near enough for her to quickly grab a few finger sandwiches to munch on as she watched the fireworks of this conflict.

The nice person started the battle with mentioning the fact it was his household. A good start but his opponent counteracted with an insult and possibly digging for daddy issues. A powerful blow to any normal noble but the nice man deflected it by stating it didn't matter. He was holding his ground against the jackass. The jackass in question attempted a weak attack and it missed its mark entirely as the nice noble pointed out that he was without a pack, whatever that meant. Apparently it meant a lot as the jackass backed down and ran off in full defeat. 

This was the noble battle she had been looking for! She switched to taking some notes on the encounter, especially about the usage of the rest of the pack inside the building. That was the finishing blow that made his opponent flee like a chicken. Once she scribbled down a few notes she looked up as he approached her with a much nicer tone. 

"Thanks!" Dala responded, "So is he always a dick or was today a special occasion?"

It took her a few moments to remember that generally speaking, cursing was against the rules of politeness. She couldn't take it back so it was better to pretend it didn't happen. There were also introductions she needed to try out. Dala placed the notebook on the table and did her best curtsy to the stranger. It was a wobbly curtsy but a thousand times better than when she was a kid. Back then she would simply fall on the floor. 

"My name is Dala. It's great to meet you." She said. 

She then grabbed her notebook off the table and started scribbling in a few notes, observing the nobility like a hawk. It was only then that she realized that she probably looked extremely suspicious, especially to the head of the household. Dala knew she could tell him that she was investigating noble gossip to figure out how to fight people with words instead of weapons. 

"Oh I'm taking notes on nobility and stuff. It'll improve my skills in negotiation and working with foreign politicians." The young woman explained, "What about you? I know you run the place and all but there's probably something you're expecting from the party, right?"