Her idea of a good time.

[Nayt]

[Continued from here.]

She had progressively gathered a few, a handful of people that Eroina preferred over others (though, again, that wasn't to say she disliked anyone at the party, she was just partial towards those that she had spent the most time with, and appeared to want to spend more time with her). It was a fair variety, too, from people that obviously weren't human--and therefore people that Eroina could easily get along with and understand, with her obviously being something different than human anymore and all. Tanis was amongst those non-humans that she personally got to sit at the table with her, someone who had been with her for half of the time that she was collecting the others.

A few couldn't be found, though. Baleron, for example, seemed to be gone from the party, or otherwise impossible to find. She didn't know it, but he was busy elsewhere, no longer within the confines of the Palace of Vice. There were a few people she wanted to gather up that were similar--off in Persistencia somewhere.

But people like Fifteen could be found! And she did everything she could to get him to be there with her. There was a catch, though. She didn't know if it was going to happen or not, but there was a possibility that Fifteen's wife might be joining them--with good reason, of course. She was married to Fifteen and all . . .

The table which she (and many others, now) sat was a long, fairly ornate table, with an array of food already set out for guests to indulge. She hadn't the time to prepare the eye Fifteen and his wife provided her, otherwise she'd have put out enough steaks for everyone. No one would have let her cook tonight, anyways, this being her re-birthday and all. Nonetheless, there was almost everything that a person could want: pork, turkey, ham, beef of many different recipes, rolls, potatoes, and vegetables all scattered about on plates. Much to the requests and suggestions of many, Eroina sat at the end of the table, and the placements that others had wound up being their individual decisions--Eroina just wanted to get people together for a good time!

[supernal]

The look in Fifteen's eyes, as he surveyed the decadent spread laid out carefully before him, was ambivalent. There was a subtle kind of yearning there, a fire that smoldered in the center of his chest, but that sense of want was vastly outweighed by an even brighter light. It was just a matchstick compared to the towering inferno that really gave his eyes that light; that incandesce of a horrid disgust.

They would never know why. No one would, no one except his beloved, and even that revelation came at a snail's pace into the light of exposure. He would play the part as well as he did every other time. Fifteen, without much regard for the others, pulled up a plate and began to gather socially appropriate amounts of food according to his height, weight, and gender; he seated himself, his grace the utmost of gentility, and settled the plate before him.

He sat at Eroina's right hand.

"Thank you. For the invitation Eroina. I've mostly been dining on soft liquor and the hors doeuvres. I didn't want to deprive anyone of their fair share of food and get painted in a bad light. I can't tell you how many times that's happened. So a personal invitation, to what seems like a private event. It's a godsend, really."

He pulled the plate closer, made sure the utensils were on the right side and the right order, and smiled at the people already gathered here. Fifteen had a mind for this, thought that there were surely more people to come, and would not begin eating before they arrived. That would be rude. So he just looked to Eroina and smiled, that easy smile that seemed to touch his lips too naturally, and bunched up the skin around his eyes with a soft glow of joy that settled into foundation of his skin quickly.

"How did things go with that…" Fifteen frowned in displeasure. "That…man. Baleron. After I left?"

[Titan]

I sat just at her left.

At first I had been standing somewhat at the back of the room and overlooking all the goings on. Though, once most had taken their places at the table and my pack had been safely set aside, I claimed a spot of my own. Unlike the others she had summoned here, I sat less at the table and more just off to Eroina's left, looking to be holding the position more of an advisor or guardian than a guest of any sort. I did not move to collect any of the laid edibles; when she had told me there would be a great deal to eat when the party within the party began I let her know I would not be partaking of anything. Already I had filled myself well, and I had not the need to eat quite so frequently as most, if not all, of the other invitees did.

The man; her interest in him seemed to be quite great indeed. When she was selecting her desired group of attendants for the gathering she had her heart set on making sure he was there; even if his wife accompanied him. I kept merely to myself and observed the others like a ghost, there yet at the same time not. I had no desire to spark any conversation with them. In fact, already I was wondering what the best course of action for me would be; leaving or finding a place to stay for the remainder of the night. Still, my thoughts did not distract me enough to be unattentive to the room, especially the young girl just to my right.

[Nayt]

She had managed to get quite a few people to come along with her, and had a fairly substantial gathering here at this table. Tanis was at her left and Fifteen to her right, two men of much interest to her, although in different ways. She wanted to know more about Tanis and she wanted to be physically (and emotionally, of course!) closer to Fifteen--and both drives equaled out, really.

"Oh . . . Baleron . . .?" Eroina asked, her gaze then downcast, "I don't know. I haven't seen him since you both left. I looked for him, but . . . I think he left the party--I think for good."

It was disappointing for her, while Fifteen and Tanis probably thought it quite delightful. Eroina badly wanted to know what had gotten into Baleron, because he had seemed so kind when they first met. The way she figured it, if she could understand what happened and all the feelings that were going around when he attacked Fifteen, then maybe she could explain it all to Fifteen--and they could make amends! But it wasn't going to happen, not if Baleron never came back, and it looked like that was going to be the case . . .

She sighed at that thought. To those around her, it may have been proof of her like for others, how she couldn't see anything bad about a person, and if the person was initially kind to her, she cared about them. A person could take advantage of that if they wanted, but who would here in Persistencia? There was no gain in that for anyone that lived here, and the gathering of outsiders was only going to last so long, before they'd all have to go home--for the option to stay in Persistencia didn't seem readily available, and the greatest gift that one could receive from the Rift King was a chance to return anytime he or she wished.

[supernal]

Baleron.

That prick. Spewing his 'captain of the guard' bullshit like It actually meant something. If they were in any other place, if their little scuffle had taken place even a foot outside of the borders of Persistencia, Fifteen would have shown Baleron what it truly meant to be mortal. To bleed and die. But as luck, heavy luck in Baleron's cast, would have it they were still in Persistencia. The worst of it being that it happened right in front of Eroina.

But Fifteen was smart. He was sly, and he slinked around the corners like a panther wearing the skin of a man. He knew how to play the angles, knew what cards he held at any given time, and knew that Baleron's well-intention but undeniably brutish and barbaric ways weren't stomached as easily inside of Persistencia as outside. Especially not by Eroina's eyes. So he let himself get taken to the ground, flailed like a puppet on strings all so he could really sell the part, and what happened at the end of it all? What did Fifteen have to show for his craft?

A bruise and some scratches, but Fifteen was still here. Baleron was not.

"Oh," Genuine gloom coated his vocal cords and Fifteen cast his eyes down, his knife playing distractedly with some of the still steaming food he had stacked onto his plate. "That's…that's a shame. Now I can't help but feel that I over-reacted. Oh Eroina, I hope Baleron didn't leave on my account. I'd apologize to him if I could."

He'd put a smile on Baleron's face; one across his neck that reached from ear to ear. That's what he'd do.

"Too late now, I suppose." Fifteen said glumly and brought a proper forkful of food into his mouth. Past his lips, touched his tongue, squirmed into his gullet, and he masked the grimace. He smiled instead, as if truly delighted with the food.

"My, this is exquisite. I don't suppose you helped any of this preparation. And you," Fifteen moved his eyes to Tanis. Golden eyes. Piercing eyes. The eyes of a predator veiled thinly with a cordial veneer. "I don't think we've been properly introduced, have we?"

[Titan]

"You are correct." I said nothing more to the man by call of Fifteen. He made a statement and I afirmed it. There was no further need for discussion. Much in the way Fifteen looked down upon Baleron as though he were less than something he should concern himself with, so did I look at Fifteen in much, if not moreso, the same way. Even when had I spoke in reply I didn't care to turn my gaze his way, instead watching the others here to see what and whom composed my surroundings.

If he took this as insulting, that I'd not even bother myself so much as to look at him, then so be it. As tempting as it was to take his gaze with my own and let him test himself again, I felt it would be unfitting a use of what time I was devoting to this place. There was much I wished to share with Eroina, and could surely have done so without alerting any one here, though I had grown to know her quite a bit even in the short amount of time we'd spent with one another. She would likely not take heed of my words, so naive was she.

So instead, I kept open the option of speaking with the man if truly he hoped to establish a steady conversation with me; I could at least give him a chance. I was feeling the difference between myself and these people. As a result, I was rather at a loss as to what I should or even really could speak to them about. Best to let them draw things up so I could merely play my part.

[Nayt]

"N-no, I don't think he left because of you!" Eroina hurriedly shook her head.

She didn't want Fifteen to think that. Then, he'd be upset--perhaps!--and that was the very last thing she wanted from anyone here! Baleron was an unfortunate case that she could not calm, to her knowledge, if only because he couldn't be found. It was depressing enough that Baleron had been upset enough to leave the party, but if Fifteen was upset enough to leave? That would have floored Eroina. Damage control . . . sort of: keep people happy, so they don't have to leave. It may wind up being a hassle to try soon enough, though.

Eroina couldn't remember if she had introduced them or not, which meant that she hadn't--which was in itself surprising. Though, she failed to account the fact that Fifteen had been all beaten up at the time, which had inevitably been the only reason that Tanis and Fifteen weren't introduced to each other.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I should've introduced you sooner!" Eroina exclaimed. Quickly, she motioned to Tanis, then to Fifteen. "Tanis, this is Fifteen. Fifteen, Tanis."

Both men were sitting on the opposite sides of the table, too, interestingly enough. Neither really seemed to like eachother, either, though Eroina could not see that. Indeed, naive as she was, she figured that she could get everyone to get along if she tried hard enough!

[supernal]

Fifteen smiled politely.

"You're very curt."

And he left it at that. He could see the disinterest all but gleaming in that man's eyes. It was clear that he needed to learn the rules of engagement, taught and educated on what it meant to be polite when in the presence of others. His arrogance was salient, and it made it crystal clear that Tanis thought himself superior. A complex, probably stemming from the light elfin heritage that his pointed ears and narrowed eyes seemed to suggest.

He lacked even superficial shreds of diplomacy. For all of his superiority complex, Tanis lacked the ability to handle things with grace. Yes, he needed to be taught, but Fifteen would not be the one to teach him. Let his abrasive nature take its course.

Fifteen continued to eat. A keen observer would note, and only if he were paying particular attention to Fifteen's actions to the degree that Fifteen himself was likely to notice, that Fifteen seemed to eat in precisely timed intervals. He chewed twelve to twenty times on one side, never more or less than either, and then the same on the other, depending on how much he chewed on the first side. He swallowed, ate some more food, and broke this rhythm with a sip from his glass of wine every third or fourth mouthful.

"So, tell me Eroina. What activities and events kept you occupied while we were apart?"

[Titan]

Small talk. Assuredly something I wished not to have to resort to. There was truly little that I had in common with these people; I began to feel a little awkward. Normally, being the stand-offish irregular from the group was what I sought. Now, being so utterly alone on this world really dawned upon me. I wasn't quite affected as I had first thought I might be. I did not collapse under the emotional weight. Instead, I was bathed in a torrent of varied feelings. Being the only of my kind could be looked at in different ways, providing a balanced mixture of thoughts that prevent an emotional drive in any one direction.

Feeling more focused and alert, I managed to turn in many directions. With eyesight as mine I could easily read what crossed the lips of those I watched, my ears keeping me alert of what either the man or Eroina would speak. What would the young girl reply with now that Fifteen had posed his question? "Indeed, Eroina. What have you been doing in his absence?" Even as I puzzled at her I kept my eyes trained down the length of the table.

[Nayt]

. . . ! O-oh, no!

Thi~s was a problem! What she had been doing since she departed from Fifteen was all to be kept a secret! First, she and Tanis had done a little more than she was comfortable with--and that alone was a bit much for her. She felt that she'd be more comfortable if she had been with someone like Fifteen, someone she naively trusted with her life. Not to say that she didn't trust Tanis--she did, after all, allow him to do something to her that he felt may have potentially killed or badly harmed her, if failed. That didn't happen, of course, but she trusted him enough to let him (she also figured that she could be fixed if something bad enough happened), just . . . didn't feel comfortable enough around him to be intimate with him, if that made any sense.

It probably didn't . . . at least, it didn't make any sense to her. The whole notion of intimacy didn't, actually. She couldn't understand the feeling or the drive. From what she understood, human women had babies, and that furthered the species as a whole. She couldn't do that, though.

"Tanis and I talked," it wasn't a lie! "About where we've come from and what we want to do--and he was really curious about how I'm, well, you know--alive."

Actually, nothing about what she said was a lie. She smiled merrily and even spoke joyfully, not showing a notion of untruth or withheld information. Eroina had never tried to be a good liar or anything--and she didn't even see this as lying, anyways! Eroina was just leaving out a few details, that was all . . .

[supernal]

He saw it in her face. A mask of indecision that clung to her face like a slimy film. Fifteen, as the diplomatic arts so demanded, was a veritable master in the art of lying. When he spoke, his tongue was a brush and the world was a canvas; his teeth were palettes of illimitable colors and each time the tip of his tongue struck enamel, what left his lips was a masterpiece.

The girl was a novice, and he admired this quality of hers. Oh, but how it showed. She wasn't lying, but he saw the spark of fabrication in her life. Though the words that left her lips were of an undeniable integrity, merely the way it was all presented was enough to make Fifteen suspect. There was truth in her words, but there was something beneath those specious layers. Something that Eroina was deliberately keeping from him, and something he would find.

The man. He had something to do with it all. He was so quick and dismissive no less than a minute ago, and now it seemed that interested all but seeped from his pores.

"Interesting."

The tension was swelling. Not quite tangible yet, but he could feel it sliding against his skin. It was an interesting game of cat-and-mouse that they were playing. One that Fifteen did not have the stomach for at the moment. Fifteen placed his utensils aside and pushed the plate, food half gone, away.

"Well then, I'm just glad to hear that you've managed to keep entertained, and that you removed yourself from Baleron's presence. I really think he's bad news Eroina," Fifteen raked his fingers through his hair, looked to Tanis and then back to Eroina. "You never know the kind of people that you're dealing with in current times. Baleron was a loose canon and, if I can be frank, he worried me. He attacked me out of nowhere, without provocation, and didn't even bother to apologize." Back to Tanis now. "What do you think of that?"

[Titan]

Eroina's supressed feelings, her attempts at keeping at bay the full story she told to Fifteen, may have been picked up by the either of us. If the man hoped he could read me, he'd have a better chance picking up on the emotions of an insect. I knew how to maintain myself, keeping separate my inner and outer halves. This was my contempt for the humans; the "Mon'Keigh". So superior they thought themselves to others, when there were those even more grand.

"Let him be suspicious of us two. It was of no concern of mine. In fact, it might just irk him to not know the full story... What do I think?"
Honestly, it was with some effort that I managed to prevent a sly grin from crossing my lips. When I turned my head to face the man I met his eyes as I first had with Eroina; it was not into his pupils I looked but his irises, preventing my natural instincts from taking hold. "I think it was a brash, careless and foolish action. Yet, being what he is, this much should be expected."

Watching him for a moment longer, I let glide my eyes to the young girl's face, offering from the confines of my cloak one of the strawberries I'd taken when first had I visited the banquet room.

[Nayt]

"O-oh, thank you!" Eroina exclaimed as she accepted the strawberry from Tanis.

She held it up by her face and eyed it for a moment. Such a strange little fruit. Had this really been the first time she had been acquainted with it? Eroina was tempted to asked either Tanis, Fifteen, or any other at the table for the name of this awkward little unfertilized plant spawn. Such would have made her look quite silly, though, and one of her goals here was to do no such thing!

Acknowledging and giving thought to the fruit Tanis provided her was vastly superior to considering all they were saying about Baleron, or even joining in that conversation. The girl didn't want to pout or complain, saying things like but he was really nice to me! or anything, if only because she didn't want their bad opinions for Baleron to start spilling over into opinions about her. Granted, were this anyone other than Fifteen or Tanis, she'd have defended Baleron and proclaimed such a thing, but it turned out that these were two people that she really wanted to keep good terms with, more than she did with most others.

Though, it still may have come off as strange to Fifteen and Tanis that Eroina did everything she could to ignore what they were saying about Baleron . . .

"Mmmm~!" It was hard not to smile while eating the piece of fruit.

That was delicious! No~~~t quite as delicious as still warm flesh from a recently passed corpse, or the eyes of such a thing, but still quite delicious! A meat eater--yes, she had a preference for things that were edible off of dead bodies, and some things that weren't, but fruits and vegetables could still be quite delicious! They just weren't her preferences, even if they tasted great, that was all.

[supernal]

"You're a very astute man Tanis, for the most part."

Fifteen noticed immediately that Tanis could not be read. Almost every face that he had ever come across was an open book that he could peruse at his leisure, but Tanis' face was a stone wall; impassive and lacking any definitive detail. Though it did not reveal as much, it gave him some insight on the man. This kind of stoicism did not come naturally. Whatever the man fancied himself, he had taken steps, meaningful steps, in order to be able to restrain himself like this.

Even the Elves, the lineage that Fifteen assumed Tanis to be given his unique attributes, were not so deadpan. They were graceful, and they had much more restraint, than the average man, but they were not stone. Only stones were stone-like.

"I say for the most part because I'm not quite sure you actually know what he is, just assume as much. I might be wrong, and if I am forgive me for speaking out of turn, but did you think him to be human?"

Fifteen sidled his eyes towards Eroina in a gesture too quick for Eroina herself to follow, but slow enough for Tanis to catch.

"Not all lions are noble. Not all jackals laugh."

Not all monsters roar Tanis. Some of them are perfectly polite.

"But brash, careless, and foolish he was. I fear that we, or rather I, may be making Eroina uncomfortable with the current train of talk. Eroina." He turned his head to her fully now, presenting as easy a grin as ever. "Would you like to change subjects?"

[Titan]

Without words I confirmed what Fifteen questioned of me; whether or not I believe Baleron to be a human. It was a very minute nod, given as the man allowed his eyes flicker to Eroina so stealthily. It was all that I would give him, for he soon brought the young girl between us back into the conversation. Fine by me. I no longer had anything to say and was not about to strain myself with the effort to pick a topic of my own. Let the child do it for us.

Turning my head slowly but surely, my own eyes came to rest upon Eroina. So young, so new. What could she have for the three of us to speak of; it did seem the others gathered were keeping to themselves. Fine by me. There were even less reasons for me to stay as time wore on. Soon, I felt, I would need to move on.