After the tea, Julian escorted Gerda to the western garden. He didn’t know what she was going to get up to in the two hours before the masquerade, but he had a few tasks to complete himself before he could get changed into something more elaborate for the occasion.

“Thank you for escorting me.” Gerda let go of his arm when they reached the fountain. She demonstrated a perfect curtsy - as learned by his mother only thirty minutes prior.

“And thank you.” He returned the courtesy with a bow. “The pleasure was all mine.”

He wanted to add more. She’d prevented him from being a dancing dormouse to his mother’s demonstration and been an interesting distraction through the entire affair… but felt like that would ruin the mood. Instead, he took an entirely different approach. His lips twitched as he said, “Am I to assume that this time you won’t forget where we are meeting?”

She raised both eyebrows and smiled at him. “Only if you aren’t late.”

“You wouldn’t have even known I was late,” Julian pointed out, “If I didn’t tell you.”

“But you did tell me.” She countered, lifting up her new purple fan and hiding her smile behind it.

A tray of fans had been presented as gifts to the tea party attendees, to keep and to practice with during his mother’s lessons. Gerda had chosen one that obviously matched his own coloring. A darker purple like his hair, with silver decoration like his eyes. It was painted with a crescent moon in the circle surrounded by clouds.

“Does your fan match your outfit tonight?” He asked. He wanted her to say yes, because his own outfit for the ball was already picked out and ready for him.

It wasn’t arcane magic to guess, since they were his household colors, but his mask had purple and silver accents that would go hand in hand with her fan.

The costume and mask were specially designed, and he couldn’t change them now… or at least he never would’ve thought to change them until now. He was reconsidering what he would do if she said no - He didn’t want them to clash. He had a dark green outfit from ten years ago that wouldn't fit very well... but it would probably be fine.

“Yes.” Her soft brown eyes caught his and there was a touch of… embarrassment? She flicked her fan closed and turned away quickly. Facing the west wind, she said, “The fan matches my outfit perfectly - so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going now.”

Something in the way she walked gave it away - she already knew what he was going to wear.

She could see the future, had seen the future, and deliberately chose the fan to match with his outfit.

Julian called after her, “I’ll be here.”

He waited until she slipped into the western wing, and then chuckled to himself. He couldn’t wait to see what she was going to wear.

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Julian returned to his rooms and then summoned his second-in-command and paladin.

The tea had been a repeat of everything he’d done previous, with nothing new… excepting of course, his partner. Gerda was the only saving grace.

She'd perfected five types of curtsy, the head nod and the fan snap.

She’d struggled holding the fork in the left hand, instinctively picking it up every time with the right hand instead.

She'd mastered recognizing when someone poisoned her glade crystal drink instantly, noting the sounds of the glass before and after he added juice.

She’d laughed when Cousin Tabitha hit herself with her fan while trying to signal that she was interested in going for a walk around the ballroom. It was genuine, and she’d apologized to Tabby right away for the slight.

Then Gerda had scrunched up her nose in distaste when the human Baroness Hermingard of the Lander Isles grabbed her partner by the wrist and dug her long pointed nails into flesh. The preela adventurer, one Yeshik Amil, was a guest from the Empire of Sands, and the pair had only partnered because they were paired together at the end. Yeshik had used a skill to poison her drink for the demonstration, and instead of letting it happen, she’d made a show of stopping him.

The baroness was from Drendil, young and foolish. Julian agreed with the trolls quiet long suffering sigh at the young woman’s antics.

But he needed to stop thinking of Gerda, and start thinking about what he was supposed to be doing next.

“What do you mean I can’t go to the Ball!” Sir Tully yelled, shocked and appalled at the order.

“I’ll make it a thousand experience points quest.” Julian said, enticing the man with his banked personal stash. His Duke title granted him a certain amount of EXP every month to hand out quests, and he’d saved up quite a bit.

Julian set his coronet on his head and then delicately worked it into his dreads, adjusting it straight. From the mirror, he could see Visha standing at attention looking calm and collected, and Sir Tully rubbing his head in frustration.

Tully was in full formal royal guard wear, with a purple embroidered tabard over plate armor that had been polished until it sparkled. “I can’t. I am supposed to escort my cousin Penny. I have to go, or mother will skin me alive and feed me to the griffins–”

“Miss Penny Bracken?” Julian turned to face his flustered paladin.

“Yes! I’m supposed to be watching out for her.” Sir Tully shrugged. “She’s got a bit of a temper and, well, you know how the masquerade crowd can get.”

He did know. Julian also knew that Gerda knew. Miss Penny was the young lady in pink that Madame Potts had warned him about. He wasn't surprised that any lady would light his human friend on fire. Sir Tully did that to people.

Julian was smiling again, and tried to force his face back to normal.

“Your Grace?”

“Alright.” Julian turned to stare at Visha, “And you? Do you have plans for the evening?”

His second-in-command looked at Tully, sighed, and then met Julian’s eyes. “No, Your Grace.”

“She’s still not drinking anything, so the whole event’s a waste for her.” Sir Tully said, gaining a sharp glare from Visha.

“Tully.” Julian cut in before Visha stabbed the human, “Go escort your cousin.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. Tully thumped a fist on his chest and then ducked for the door. Then he promptly stuck his head back inside the room to ask, “Oh! And can you stop and chat with us for a few minutes tonight? I want to show my cousin that she’s wrong and I’m a valued member of the team.”

“Maybe.” Julian got out.

This was his one last chance to warn his friend about the upcoming evening's events… and chose to wave Tully away instead.

It wasn’t the first time Tully had been set on fire. He’d be fine. Julian would worry about the furniture instead.

“Alright Visha, here is what I need you to do...”