[h2]Tyaethe[/h2]

If anyone was [i]less[/i] enthused about the ball than Tyaethe, it would be hard to tell--the vampire's response to finding out had been a stream of grumbled profanity in half a dozen languages, and then setting out to make sure her outfit was ready as soon as possible. After all, it wouldn't be done to [i]not[/i] go given her position (except if she went and got herself banned from all formal events again), no matter how intolerable such things were. Perhaps fortunate for Lucas, as it meant she was quite preoccupied on that first night, and any involvement in his grief amounted to a slice of cake oddly left by the door.

As could be expected, Tyaethe opted to attend as an adult, both to avoid the irritating comments on her default age... and probably to avoid awkward questions when she got to the drinks. What was perhaps [i]not[/i] expected was the ornate black and silver dress she wore instead of anything more military, the only indication of her knighthood the heraldry pinned to a sash across the gown, bearing both the colours of the order and of the crown knights, as well as flowers emblematic of the goddesses. The glasses also helped with [i]not[/i] glaring at everyone throughout the entirety of the event... although that seemed likely anyway.

Continuing the unexpected behaviour, the vampire took one look at the guests, and then promptly made her way to one of the tables without a word and started perusing the wine on offer. It seemed she was content to leave everyone to fend for themselves.

Despite the princess having yet to arrive, there was a wide variety of interesting characters on display. Obviously, the Iron Roses themselves contributed a lot, and like any major function of this type smatterings of the upper echelons had showed up along with their scions. As usual, on top of the guards there were numerous knights of the crown in their purple-trimmed gold in attendance, no less deadly for their lack of armour. There were also a few who weren't there for any clear purpose, or necessarily recognisable. Particularly noteworthy was a pair of elves, their hair a matching pale green, off towards one corner, respectively wearing a resplendent gown and a uniform that had more than a passing resemblance to the captain's, if in darker colours. And stood next to [i]them[/i] was the most obvious guest of all: a delicate blonde with a similar-dress like garment and arm-covering gloves. It wasn't her outfit that made her stand out, or the fluffiness of her hair. No, it was the part where, from the waist down, there was a massive white-and-gold arachnoid body, taking up rather a lot of space.