Just as Elora wondered about Ava’s absence from the dinner party, there she suddenly was, and in the Galactic Federation representative uniform nonetheless. The young pilot found herself staring for a moment at her, before she blinked, stood up, and saluted.
“G-Good evening, C-Corporal Lane…”
Elora started to second-guess her own choice for apparel. She had come to realize how this was not a mere friendly gathering, but an important event where they would have the chance to socialize and form deeper bonds. As such, was she not respectful enough for her fellow comrades by not also wearing the proper uniform? Was she too self-absorbed and vain with her academy graduation dress? The doubt gnawed at her as she sat back down.

She afterwards waved at Griff, finding some solace in his familiar, casual demeanour: no matter the situation, his eyes were always bright, with a personality that some may think of as dumb, which might have been true considering how his report became outdated in a matter of seconds, but she preferred to think of as friendly.

Then he made an accusation that Lane was actually a Cruxi infiltrator. Elora’s eyes widened, and a cold shiver ran down her back. Lorenzo’s lecture did mention the Cruxi having used such soldiers against the Galactic Federation…But surely no spy could kill someone as beautiful and strong as Ava and replace her? Elora’s fearful thoughts quickly passed as Lucius had approached her without her having noticed, and whispered to her ear, causing her to blush.
“Oh, uh, well, I, too…am…” She attempted to quietly speak back, but not finding the words as her eyes met his.
Fortunately, the awkward situation was saved as Griff sat down next to her, on the opposite side of Lucius, with a big steak.

“Ah! Um, Cadet Griff…” She spoke softly, managing to smile. “Uh, nice to see you here..Um…Were you serious…When you said Corporal Lane could be…A Cruxi spy?” She asked. And then, it hit her: she was now between two of the nicer guys in his squad…and now a third one, Jake, had offered her a drink. The situation had developed in a way the timid girl had not expected, as she seemed to be getting most of the attention of the men at the party. “Um, thank you!” She responded promptly, taking the drink in her delicate hand, trying her best to keep it steady without shaking as she waved her hand at the fourth one in the form of Arrish, giving her a polite smile. “Th-Thank you for the compliment. I-I’m looking forward to it,” she said, her smile seemingly frozen in place.

And then, Bugatti had arrived, alongside a woman that had a strange familiarity to it, as if they had met somewhere before. When her name was mentioned, Elora’s memories kicked in: it was a flashback of the two of them at the academy, right after a Framewerk training session. Lucrezia, despite being the queen bee of her class, struggled with her studies, and she sometimes brought it on Elora, teasing and tormenting her, calling her names, and sometimes even trapping her in the locker room in a kabedon. Fortunately, it never went as far as physical violence, and she soon left the academy after some time, though her venomous words left a lasting impression, somewhat contributing to her lack of self-esteem in the current day. 

Elora greeted the two much like the others, her smile began to falter, only to be renewed as Stella also appeared, announcing a cake. Here eyes sparkled as she held her hands clasped together, wondering what kind of delicious dessert it would be. However, she never expected the gorgeous piece of confectionery to be brought right up to her as if it was her birthday. She gulped, as she looked around: the stunt had drawn the attention of the entire room, and now everyone’s eyes were on her.
“Um…Did someone bring a cake server?” She asked.

Internally, she was screaming.