Vega leaned on an elaborate railing of a third floor balcony overseeing the arrival of a diverse group of VIP’s as they filtered out of their fancy cars and onto the red carpet as they entered the Khan Ballgown Dinner.
His trip had been uneventful, and he wore a bespoke tuxedo which complemented his muscular body. As the number of cars dwindled from the valet line, he quietly said to himself, “Well. Here goes nothing. Dinner date in front of the world with a former enemy-of-the-state.”
He walked back inside from the balcony and waited for Constance to alight from the stairs above. It wasn’t long before an attendant came walking down the stairs and addressed Vega, “Good evening, General Magnus, sir. Mistress Khan will be with you shortly.”
Less than a minute later, Vega looked up the stairs to see an elegant and beautiful woman at the top of the stairs. She began to step down the stairs as if she were gliding in her floor-length dress specifically designed for this occasion. The dress was a crimson red, the color of the BloodStar Empire, and it covered her chest extending all the way up to her neck where it fit snugly. The dress stopped at the shoulders, and her arms were adorned with elbow length crimson red gloves. Her hair was half-up, half-down with elegant and complex braids.
Her eyes sparkled as she stepped in front of Vega, “Thank you for making the trip on such short notice.” She ran her hand along his tuxedo and smiled at him, “And such a sharply dressed date at that.”
She held eye-contact with Vega and bit her lip before saying, “But don’t worry. I promise to keep my hands, and more importantly, my lips off of you. Erika and Jacek made it very clear to me that you have a girlfriend.”
Vega took her hand with his own and held it gingerly. He replied, “Thank you, Mistress Khan. For inviting me and for respecting my relationship.” He then brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the top of her gloved hand.
He followed with a smirk, “You look absolutely stunning. I daresay, I have my work cut out for me as well in regard to keeping my hands… and lips off of you.”
Constance playfully hit his shoulder as she laughed, “Vega!! We are going to get along just great. Come on let’s get this party started.”
The two walked down the stairs holding hands. As they descended, a semi-circle of VIP’s and aristocrats from around Khan Island and the BloodStar Empire awaited for them with applause.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Vega outstretched his hand holding hers up as he stepped to the side allowing Constance to be presented to the crowd of applause.
Constance’s eyes sparkled in the light of the cameras, and her smile beamed a brilliant white as she received her thunderous welcome.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you all!” The crowd quieted, and she continued, “And thank you General Magnus, my date for the tonight and tonight only, for making it here on such short notice. I best enjoy him while I can ladies and gentlemen.”
The crowd laughed at her joke as they were all privy to Vega’s budding relationship.
Constance moved to stand at an elevated marble pedestal where a podium with a microphone awaited her, “It is my great honor to have my home, Khan Castle, filled to the brim with the likes of you all. We have politicians, bankers, warriors, generals, men and women of industry, and so much more. But most importantly, my castle is for the first time in a very long time filled with BloodStar, Khan, Heraklinos, and others… and we are all playing nice with one another!”
The crowd cheered and hollered as they knew she was right. This was a momentous occasion in history. It had been a very long time since such a diverse group of society had all met under the roof of Khan Castle.
“Now. This is a party. And as such, I have pilfered my finest wines and champagnes from the Khan Family reserves. Drink it like water, please. I want it all gone come morning.” The crowd once again nudged each other and laughed with all smiles.
“But first, let us not get ahead of ourselves, dinner will be served in the main hall, then the dance floor will open up, and the remainder of the night will be spent as each of us sees fit. As it is no secret a few very important conversations will likely take place here tonight, the studies and offices around the castle have been outfitted to welcome you all should you need a quiet place.” Constance surveyed the crowd with a smile and finished by saying, “While I am a pretty sight…” The crowd cheered and roared in agreement with her, “… you all are not here to watch and to listen to me all night. Let’s eat!”
As the doors to the enormous dining hall opened and people began to filter in, Constance looked to the side and winked at Vega. She then walked over to him, “How did I do?”
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Vega extended his bent arm to her for her to grab ahold of. She clutched his arm, and he said, “Flawless. As if you’ve done it a hundred times.”
Constance play hit him on the chest, “Don’t patronize me, Vega!”
“No! I mean it! I’m not sure which was more stunning, your dress or your speech.” Vega smiled alongside her.
Constance laughed as she tugged his arm to lead him into the dining hall, “Well, then. Thank you. Come on let’s eat!”
She led him to the head of the largest table where two seats were reserved for both Constance and Vega. Waiters were abundant throughout the hall serving food and drinks already, and two immediately flocked to both Vega and Constance, “Mistress Khan. General Khan. What will you two be having tonight?”
Vega looked to Constance with a look of hesitancy as he did not know the menu. Constance leaned in and said, “Do you like ribs, Vega? A bit messy, but they are oh so good on Khan Island.”
His look now turned to concern, “Uh yes, but are they…”
Constance once again hit him playfully, “They are not what you are thinking! That practice is outlawed, goodness.”
“In that case, yes. Let’s have the ribs. Cleanliness be damned. I’ll probably get barbecue sauce on this tuxedo.” Vega motioned to his tuxedo.
Without hesitation, Constance turned to the waiters, we will have the ribs for two please. She held up two fingers as she ordered, and the waiters nodded in confirmation and rushed to prepare the order.
Until the food arrived, Vega and Constance hardly shared a word as important persons of all various kinds came to speak to them both or individually over and over and over again.
It wasn’t until the food arrived that they were afforded a courteous break from socializing. Vega’s eyes went wide with the enormous rack of ribs before him. The meat was barely clinging to the bone, and barbecue sauced smothered every inch of it.
Vega laughed, “What have we done? This is huge!”
Constance removed her gloves elegantly and tore off a bone from the rack. She then held it up, “Are you going to cheers me or not?”
Vega nodded and rushed to tear a bone from the rack as well. The two then held their bones up and knocked them together before taking a savory bite of meat.
Constance held back nothing as she went face first into a massive bite. As she chewed, barbecue sauce became more and more precarious as it hung from her lip.
Vega laughed and rushed in with his finger to catch it. Constance held her hand to her mouth in embarrassment, “Thank you Vega, you just saved a $30,000 dress from being ruined.”
She laughed and then suddenly shrieked, “Oh no!” Vega’s bite had also left a lingering dollop of sauce on the corner of his mouth. She instinctively put her hand on his thigh and leaned in to kiss it off of him; however, she caught herself a couple of inches away from his lips and whispered to him, “Vega. My urges almost just got the best of me.” She then raised her finger to wipe the sauce away from the corner of his mouth. She then stuck her finger in her mouth and sucked it off clean.
The two held eye-contact until a man loudly interrupted them. “Vega! You made it!” Jacek slapped Vega’s back hard as he crashed their moment unknowingly.
Erika followed up behind him, “Forgive Jacek, he has no grace, especially when he is already several drinks in.”
Jacek made a jokingly serious face and in a sarcastic tone looked to Constance, “Forgive me, Mistress Khan of Khan Castle.”
“You are forgiven as my guest.” She smirked to Jacek, “Now please take my date and get him a drink. He hasn’t had even one yet.”
Jacek and Vega ran off together to indulge in expensive wines and champagnes. To Constance’s surprise, Erika took Vega’s seat, “If there is one thing we can agree on… you throw a much better party.”
Constance gave a soft laugh, and Erika followed up, “I suppose we can also agree on another thing.”
Constance darted her eyes at Erika and gave an expectant look as she waited for Erika to continue, “You also have much more style and grace than every other girl here.”
“You say that now. But I very nearly just drenched my dress in barbecue sauce.” Constance and Erika for the first time in their lives shared a genuine laugh together.
She then returned a compliment to Erika, “Master Sage, parties and style are fun. They wet the wheel to forming a foundation of friendship between like and unlike leaders who can use it to build on and usher in progress. However, I have never seen a leader such as yourself who can carry herself with discipline while also commanding respect and maintaining a level-head. It is admirable.”
Erika blushed, and Constance smiled to herself thinking, “You are all too easy, Erika.”
Erika smiled and looked down in embarrassment from Constance’s compliment, “Thank you Constance. Maybe this party can be our foundation to work from moving forward. You have stuck to your side of the deal with impressive strides forward in such a short amount of time.”
Constance snapped her fingers at a waiter walking by and grabbed two champagne flutes from the waiter’s tray as he stopped. She handed Erika one glass and held the other up, “Cheers! To us!”
The two clinked their glasses and laughed together before taking a small sip. Constance then stood and held out her hand, “Master Sage, would you care to accompany me on a circuit of endless gladhanding and politicking? It would make my night much easier.”
Erika blushed once again and grabbed Constance’s hand, “Why I would love to Mistress Khan. Who first? Maybe the baron of the 1st district? Or Ferox, who you recently converted to our side?”
Constance smiled, “Have you ever had the pleasure of meeting the baroness of the 5th district?”
Erika shook her head ‘No’. Constance tugged on her arm and shrieked, “Come! You will love her!”
The two girls ran off together with champagne in hand. King Ramses and Queen Zara were engaged in conversation nearby, but both couldn’t help but notice the unlikely pairing of Erika and Constance.
As the conversation ended, Ramses turned to Zara, “I don’t know whether it’s genuine or not, but I will give credit where it’s due. Constance is working hard to make this work. She is a uniter.”
Zara took a sip of her drink, “I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes. Cheers to Mistress Khan.”