Simon Belcher wondered if Lady Margot could be a mythological creature in disguise. Who else would be able to move at such high speeds?

“Oh man! This stuff is delicious!” the loud Diego exclamed right beside him, making his heart jump from the surprise “Did you cook it? It’s really amazing”

Simon pinched his nose to calm down “No, I employed a few good chefs to make it” his cooking skills left much to be desired afterall.

Suddenly, the loud burly man was a few meters closer “Lend them to me! No, wait. Give me their contact number. I’ll give them an offer they can’t refuse, hehehe”

Suspecting that the offer that couldn’t be refused would involve illegal means, Simon sternly refused. This however just made Diego more insistent.

As he was pushing away the loud bald man from him, he heard a quick-paced voice coming from the other end of the hall, towards the door.

There a couple had just entered the venue. The woman, dressed in a black dress and a dark fishnet hat, was talking her companion’s ear off with religious topics.

On the side, a smiling old man with jug ears was nodding beside her. Every once in a while he would give her a grunt in response. He was wearing an old-fashioned but elegant brown checkered jacket with a purple necktie. On his head he was wearing a dark grey ivy cap, a golden pin of a maple leaf on top of two crossed blades was pinned on its right side.

Even Simon’s ears, whom was far away from her, were starting to hurt. However, recognizing who was beside her, he laughed dryly. It was Kobe Hawkins, the member best known for his hardness of hearing.

He was hearing a pleasant buzz at most. Maybe not even that.

With a sigh, he made way towards the newly arrived and greeted them “Welcome, it’s a pleasure seeing you two” he gave Kobe a big nod and with a smile, the man nodded back.

“My dear Simon. I am the one glad to have come here. The venue looks simply stunning” it was madam Isla Fynch that had spoken. With eyes that sparkled with joy, she continued “I have to say, your artistic sense is truly marvelous. I truly admire your talents”

Blushing a bit, Simon was quick to show humblessness “Oh no, it’s not talent at all. It’s just a result of years of practice and observation”

Madam Isla laughed amiably “You say so, but every time I try to pick up a brush or a sculpting chisel I seem to produce nothing but a sorry excuse of art” she paused a bit, the words lingering in her mind for a moment “Your dedication to the craft is truly encomiable”

With a smile, he accepted the compliments “The refreshments are at the table at the end. Oh, but please. Don’t touch the statue at the center, everyone should see it before it’s inevitabily devoured”

“Of course. It would be a pity if someone didn’t get to admire it” drawing the star shaped pentagram on her chest, she said satisfied, “Praise be Lucifer!” then she bowed slightly and headed further in to chat with the others.

Simon’s lips twitched, but he did as all of the others and ignored her sacrilegious remarks. It’s not like she went around making sacrificial rites and laughing like a maniac. She probably wasn’t dangerous.

Not long after, Simon heard the door creak open again.

With a cane and his hair straightened back, Old Tom made his entrance. Unlike his usual getup from the previous gatherings, he was wearing a small pair of gold-rimmeled glasses and a spotless gray jacket, excluding a scholarly look.

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Noticing Simon’s gaze on him, he gave him a smile and a nod. Looking around, he noticed Lady Margot in a corner and headed her way.

Seeing that everyone was happily chatting or snacking without touching the fruit statue, Simon felt excited. Not all of the gatherings had full attendance. Most of the time one or two people were missing. Maybe they had previous arrangements, or maybe they just didn’t feel like coming.

Ever since he joined, he never saw a gathering with all of the members. However Simon hoped. He strongly wished for this gathering to be one of those rare occurences.

To have organized a gathering where all of the members were interested in partecipating. For this day to be remebered by the members with dreaming eyes, even in the years to come. That was his greatest wish.

Gradually the sun went down and the surroundings became dark. The villa’s lighting system automatically light up, leaving the garden in the dark. As time passed, he was getting more nervous bit by bit.

Taking a look at his pocket watch, noticing that it was almost 6pm, Simon frowned his brows. The last two people weren’t here yet, but his final arrangement couldn’t wait any longer. Could it be that they decided to not come?

At the thought Simon became a bit sad. Did he make a mistake when handing out the invitations or was it because the last two members didn’t consider him a full-fledged member yet?

As he was ruminating over the matter, he heard the muffled chatter coming from behing the door.

“It’s all because you were too grumpy to get on my car that we arrived late”

“Ugh. Coming here with you was the worst decision of my life”

“Don’t be so dramatic. I just sped up a bit”

“...If I didn’t know you so well, I’d have thought that you wanted to kill me”

Excited, Simon rushed to the door to open it. Two women entered his sights, not too far from the door. On the left was Ariel Willford. She was dressed in a dark blue one piece dress, white colored pearls adorning her neck and ears. Wearing a pair of black fishnet gloves, she motioned for the other woman to head in first.

At the sight of Simon Belcher however, she first made a surprised expression before quickly smiling “Good evening Simon, excuse us for being late”

Right beside her was Claire Wattson, shooting daggers at her. Those pitch black eyes of her wished they could drill a hole into that sworn enemy of hers.

However it didn’t last long as her eyes glazed over with a shudder. Her face was pale and Simon seriously considered calling an ambulance for her. Her usual eagerness to chatter was nowhere to be seen. After giving him a souless nod, she headed towards the nearest chair to sit down.

Even that vivid floreal light blue dress of hers couldn’t match her lifeless mood. If one didn’t pay enough attention, they could even mistake it for a depressing gray color.

Before he could ask what was wrong with her, he heard Ariel speaking “Don’t worry about her. She was just scared a bit” at his inquiring gaze, she slightly smiled “Maybe she saw a ghost or something” the granny shrugged her shoulders. It didn’t look like she was concerned at all.

Was it a speeding ghost? He lampooned inside. Shaking his head, he got rid of those distracting thoughts. Now that everyone arrived, the show must go on!

With big strides he reached the table with the glasses and wine. In practiced motions, he filled the eight chalices and distribuited them to the members, then he went towards the statue, leaving the silver tray on one of the smaller tables on the way.

Clapping his hands twice, he grabbed everyone’s attention “I am overjoyed that all of you decided to come here today. I have worked hard to prepare a venue worthy of you all” he raised his chalice high in the air “Without delay, I announce the start of today’s ENSS gathering!”

Cheers filled the big hall; even the deaf Kobe happily cheered. Seeing the energetic response, Simon was filled with confidence. Now, only the last step was missing “May this be a pleasant night for you all”

With a snap of his fingers, the garden in the background was illuminated by the lights he had placed earlier. The two twin trees that made up the wings of the fruit statue showed off their beautiful orange color, while the rest of the trees and flowers in the garden shined like stars in a beautiful painting.

At the sight, the attendees were left speechless. It was the first time for them seeing such a grand opening for a simple gathering. And here they thought that the arrangement and buffet was impressive enough!