[color=gray]
[center]
[img]https://lostinanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Ballroom-e-Youkoso-21-16.jpg[/img]
[h1][color=lightgoldenrodyellow][b][u]Late to the Party[/u][/b][/color][/h1]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj0boS-gQTY&ab_channel=MichaelGhelfiStudios](Mood Music)[/url]
[/center]

Auriel left the powder room with a frustrated sigh. The blood had taken so long to come off, and it hadn't even entirely come out! Thankfully, the blood stain would be noticeable on her white dress if somebody was really looking for it. And with all of the motion causing her dress to sway, it'd at least be hard to pick out. Auriel had one other advantage to keeping the bloodstain hidden, and that was because she was so late. The party had gone on long before she would arrive. People would likely have had more than one drink, and surely the frivolities of the upper class will have dulled the senses of all of the party-goers too much to notice a small thing like the blood spatter of a broken nose.

Auriel stood in front of the great doors leading to the throne room. She reached for one of the door handles and looked around over her shoulder again, double checking to make sure she wasn't about to get another rude interruption. Seeing that she was clear, Auriel took the handle in her hand, and pulled the door open. She stepped through the doors to see the center of the room was host to a large swirl of dancing couples. Dancing was never her thing, not because she didn't like it, but because her wings were rather clumsy and required too much room to allow others enjoy a shared floor. That often meant that when Auriel was on the floor, she and her dance partner were the only ones of the floor, and such things usually led to Auriel being very self conscious and nervous. She would avoid the dancing.

Auriel was very quickly intercepted by a well dress man, a butler and one of the hosts of the party. He bowed and held out a large platter with glasses of wine neatly placed on it. Auriel smiled and took a glass of wine before the man stood straight, turned his full body to face the ballroom, and cleared his throat. Auriel was in the middle of sip when she realized what he was about to do. She quickly swallowed her sip of wine, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow][b]"Mm- No-"[/b][/color]

[color=white][b]"Introducing Lady Auriel! Holy Warrior of the Church of the Four! The Guardian Angel and Companion of both the Sword and the Shield heroes!"[/b][/color] he said, his nasally voice was clear and loud enough to echo across the hall.

Auriel had her face planted firmly in her palm when all eyes turned on her. She never got used to being announced. Even after all of these years, it always made her feel like she had to give some speech or perform some sort of trick to keep up with the magnificence of being announced. Auriel took a breath and lowered her hand from her face before smiling to the party-goers. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow][b]"Erm... Greetings, my lords and ladies. Apologies for my tardiness. Heh... Eh..."[/b][/color] Gods this was awkward! [color=lightgoldenrodyellow][b]"Please! Don't stop the fun on my account! I am glad I can finally partake!"[/b][/color]

There were some chuckles here and there and it seemed the energy was returning back to normal. Auriel let out a long sigh of relief and sipped her wine. She glanced sidelong as the butler who had announced her, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow][b]"Thank you, sir. Er... Perhaps next time we can make my arrival a little less... Significant?"[/b][/color]

The butler laughed and nodded, [color=white][b]"Of course, milady. Please, enjoy the gala- but first, could I interest you in another glass? T'would seem in your attempt to catch up with the rest of the guests, your glass in nearly empty already."[/b][/color]

Auriel blinked and looked back at wine glass. Did she really drink that much already? Oh heavens... Auriel's mind snapped back to when she had gone to the tavern with Cole and Fer before they left to help the farmer with their bandit problem. She was such a lightweight, and she could already feel the wine. Auriel cleared her throat awkwardly and blushed, a sign of embarrassment that was always easy to spot on her fair cheeks. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow][b]"N- no, thank you. One glass is more than enough for me to catch up, it seems."[/b][/color]

[color=white][b]"Very well, milady. I believe I have accosted you enough for tonight. I will leave you be. If you change your mind for another drink later on though, you'll find I answer to summons quite quickly."[/b][/color] he said jovially.

Auriel nodded slowly at that, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow][b]"Ah, yes. Well that makes one of us."[/b][/color] How late had Auriel been? Two hours? Three? With her mother's remorseless training, Calder's romantic pursuits, the gate guard's unshakable sense of duty, and Bander's childish rivalry and ensuing staining of her favorite dress with his blood, Auriel's luck couldn't have been much worse for finding interruptions. Not that all of it had been bad.

Auriel straightened her white dress a bit and scanned the crowd with her golden hues. It didn't take long to spot Fer standing on his own. She followed his gaze and found Cole among the crowd of dancers with... A demi-human? Who was that? She had never seen her in the palace before, and she had spent a lot of time in the palace growing up. Was he some demi-human nobleman's daughter from Shieldfreeden? Not likely with Zeltoble's general air of distaste for demi-humans. A slave then? More likely, but why would someone's slave be dancing with the country's nobility? She was a guest then. Not a slave. But also not a noble from Shieldfreeden... She had to be a guest's 'plus one' then, or perhaps part of an entourage. Or perhaps... No? Yes? Did they have a new member in their party that Auriel wasn't around to greet?!

Auriel made her way into the crowd, smiling, greeting, and being trapped in small bouts of gossip. As she maneuvered through the social minefield, she finally made her way to Fer's side. With the host announcing her arrival, she didn't need to tell Fer that she was finally at the party. She cleared her throat and let out another long breath, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow][b]"You look charming."[/b][/color] she said to Fer, noting the attire that the king's staff had no doubt put him in. He actually looked like he belonged to this world, even though Auriel knew he was entirely foreign. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow][b]"Truly a member of Zeltoble's highest aristocracy."[/b][/color]

Auriel brought her spear behind her and nestled it horizontally against the small of her back. She held it with both hands and did a curtsy in her white dress. It was difficult to tell if she was being ironic or genuine with the noble mannerisms, especially to a man who was very much against high born tyrants from his own world. When she straightened out, Auriel rested the butt end of the spear on the marble flooring and held it straight up. She brushed some of her golden bangs from her face and pouted a bit, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow][b]"I'm sorry I'm so late. What was supposed to be one thing turned into several... several things, all in quick succession of one another. Did I miss anything important? Notably an introduction to her?"[/b][/color] she cast a sidelong glance at the demi-human girl with a slight nudge of her head in Rivia's and Cole's direction.
[/color]