This chapter is brought to you by Supermassive Black Hole by Muse.
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The Calypto Ball to introduce Tobus Arcadia to Vesna was somehow even flashier than all the House's previous balls. The ball to celebrate the birth of the Calypto Heir was the only one that could rival this event.
Bel waited in the grand hall with the rest of the lords and ladies, and heirs and wards.
The floor beneath his feet was made entirely out of something shiny and white and notably expensive. The red and gold curtains tied up and hung around the walls and pillars were a symbol of luxury. The servants who handled catering had on linen aprons over silk shirts.
The Monttevis were well-off, but not to the point of outrageous extravagance. The Calyptos liked to flaunt their riches, and he could see they had successfully evoked envy by the way the other lords and ladies gritted their teeth or stared too long at something shiny.
Bel felt nervous standing in a room that no doubt was worth ten times the price of the Monttevi Compound.
He stayed obediently beside his uncle as the man spoke with another group of lords. It seemed he cared little for the Calyptos' wealth.
He always believed killers should be humble and detested the Calypto for their excessive indulgence.
"Bel! Bel! Look!"
Rowan came over with toddling steps and showed him a dessert of some sort. It looked like candy covered in gold leaf.
Bel smiled patiently and held out his hand.
Rowan proceeded to eat the dessert in front of him, blow a raspberry, and then ran off, leaving him with an empty hand.
He felt veins throbbing on his forward as his hand balled into a fist.
That tiny little fucker!
But before he could hunt down his cousin and put the fear of the gods into him, a servant dressed as the master of ceremonies stood by the grand entrance and announced:
"The Lord and Lady Calypto, Heir Lady Jovette, and Ward Lady Rasamund."
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The Ball officially started as the main members of the Calypto family made their entrance.
Mercury saw the Lord and Lady enter first with their daughter and heir, Jove-something, from what he remembered, in Lord Calypto's arms. Trailing behind them was Lady Rasamund, the daughter of Lord Calypto's late brother.
She had more piercings than the last time Mercury saw her, about a year ago at the solstice celebration.
"Lord Arcadia and Associates," the master of ceremonies said once the family descended the stairs.
All eyes focused on the door as the pretty boy Mercury saw by the fountain appeared.
He was dressed in red like the rest of his family, but his presence took everyone's focus.
His emerald green eyes were narrowed and unseeing as he scanned the crowd of observers like some wilde spirit from beyond Vesna's walls inspecting lower life forms with little interest.
The atmosphere, which was warm by the hearth and good food, became stagnated.
Their eyes met and Mercury felt prickles on his neck.
He held his breath--it seemed many in the room were holding theirs as well--before those eyes left him to peer at something else.
Eventually, Tobus Arcadia made his way down to join the rest of his family.
Following hot on his heels were the children he was often seen with and the three large cats that had become a familiar sight. Those cats caught up to him and stood at his side, nuzzling his legs and getting in his way.
Tobus was utterly unphased, somehow walking gracefully despite the obstacles attached to him.
The cats looked like guardian spirits. They enhanced the otherness that Tobus wore like a hooded cloak.
Mercury knew at a glance that the pretty boy by the fountain and the Calypto boy in front of him was one and the same, yet how could they be so different?
How could his very presence hold such power and oppression? It was terrifying, yet he wanted to unravel him, to see all the varying shades that made up Tobus Arcadia.
He spotted Bel in the crowd of lords and sidled over with some desserts he took from one of the servants. He offered one.
Bel looked incensed, probably due to his baby cousin--judging by the glare he was shooting toward where all the little children were standing, admiring the three cats in the room--but he still accepted the treat from Mercury with a quick thanks and popped it into his mouth.
"How did they manage to get the money to import chocolate?" he lamented sadly.
Mercury agreed with his sentiments.
There was clink of silver against glass and heads turned once more to the foot of the stairs.
Lord Calypto stood with his family. Tobus was beside him and he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder before raising a glass.
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"Thank you for joining us on this fine evening, my fellow lords and ladies. As you know, the brother of my beloved lady wife was lost to us several years ago. He was a fine soldier and an honorable man."
Beside him, Pluto heard Lord Eartho snort out a laugh.
It was audible, but Lord Calypto continued as if it didn't happen.
"But although he has passed, his bloodline remains as two weeks ago, we miraculously found a long-lost member of our House. I present to you, lords and ladies of Vesna, Tobus Arcadia, son Thibault, and my dear nephew."
There was a round of applause as the boy, Tobus, bowed his head.
Pluto admired his confidence to stand before a crowd and be scrutinized by the eyes of these vultures.
Lord Eartha, who claimed to be his relative of some sort, had already started his training for... his future. There was some discussion about Pluto's potential, but he hadn't paid much attention to them. He was already content with the name given to him.
Pluto Stella.
It sounded important and had meaning.
He was scheduled to leave the city soon, to be transferred to a sister city ruled by House Stella. According to Lord Eartha, it was prudent for Pluto to be trained in management and administration. Everything was to prepare him for a role.
He didn't know what the role was, but if it meant a roof over his head and food to eat, he was fine with anything.
Lord Eartha had scheduled for him to leave in the morning after the ball.
Pluto begged to come despite knowing how early he needed to get up for the journey tomorrow. He felt it would be his last chance to meet the boy and girl dressed in red.
The boy had called him a Star.
He had known who Pluto was before Pluto even knew his own identity.
And the girl... Pluto wanted to apologize for climbing into her room.
The boy and girl were special. Pluto could feel it in his blood.
His tutors have made him memorize the names of the Houses in Vesna and their associated colors, and Pluto could only conclude that the Calyptos were... otherworldly.
Danger underneath opulence. Their House crest was a moth disguised as a butterfly.
It was pretty, just like the boy and the girl and their pretty green eyes.
"--Please join us in this celebration. House Calypto welcomes you to dance and feast to your heart's pleasure."
Lord Calypto finished his speech and music started to play.
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Nine did not know how to dance, nor did he have any desire to do so, but watching the figures on the dance floor partnering up to join in on the festivities had... not made him feel anything worth feeling about it at all.
After all, his Lord Uncle had something nothing about dancing, and if the children wanted to go for a spin, he would be happy to make them all link hands and walk clockwise in a circle while the cats tried to trip them.
The room was divided in half. The adults spoke and drank and danced on one side, and the children played on the other.
There were many children from different Houses, he noted, likely brought along to make connections. Some were important characters of the story who he already met. Half would grow to become people Toby tried to seduce.
Nine went around the room with his Lord Uncle and Lady Aunt, introducing himself to the lords and ladies allied to House Calypto. Then he was introduced to those allied with House Monttevi, and then Lord and Lady Monttevi, who took one look at his clothes and made a hissed comment to his Lord Uncle, to which he replied in kind with another nasty insult.
His Lady Aunt took him to greet the neutral Houses when his Lord Uncle challenged Lord Monttevi to a duel and left to the dueling yard outside the grand hall.
Lord Eartha and members of House Stella were... nice. There was a passiveness about them that reminded Nine of those people bred to be administration workers in the Interstellar Era.
Nine was in the group of children bred to be soldiers. His group made up most of humanity's population. But there was still a percentage of children specifically born to work in papers and filings and the like. They were true neutrals and held no value, following the instructions coded into them since birth while preventing interference.
And now, he saw all that in the form of House Stella.
The man eyed him with interest, but with every nicety that came out, there was a knife underneath it. Praise and warning to not go above his station, though perhaps the words were directed more towards his Lady Aunt.
Lord Eartha's favorite line in Poison-Laced Daggers was "Keep the peace," yet, it seemed Nine's existence might interfere with that.
Nine made no move to say otherwise. He kept his head low and allowed the words to wash over him like rain.
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Rasa chuckled as the Monttevi Heir tugged on the skirt of her dress with wide shining eyes. He was staring at her in awe and she teetered another laugh.
"Hello, Lord Rowan."
"... Hello."
Oh, the boy was shy.
She could tell the child's cousin was eyeing her with wariness.
Don't worry, kiddo, I won't be House Calypto for long.
Jovette, who she was carrying in her arms, started wriggling in her hold.
Rasa turned to the source of her excitement and saw Tobus walking toward her.
Tobus promptly stole her out of her arms and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Then he noticed the Monttevi Heir and paused.
"... Puppy."
Said Monttevi Heir was now facing her cousin with a wide smile. He pointed at him.
"Kitty!"
Rasa snorted, the action more unladylike, to the horrors of some of the other ladies in the room.
She held her stomach and guffawed.
"Kitten?" she asked between laughter.
Tobus stared back at her without so much as a twitch on his face.
It was then that she caught several other eyes on her cousin.
Discreetly looking around, she noticed the new ward of Lord Eartha, his current ward, and the Monttevi Heir's cousin peeking their way.
Oh?
But no one besides his cousin's children and cats approached them for the rest of the night.
The ball came to an end successfully.
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[All Main Character Introduction of Poison-Laced Dagger is Complete. Loading new task]
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End of Part II
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The author has something to say:
I always thought it was so funny that Mercutio and Paris are both related to Escalus (and therefore, supposed to be neutral), but Mercutio hangs with the Montegues and Paris wants to marry Joliet. Hilarious. Poor Escalus.