I looked at the clothes Master Telos made, idly watching as the silver highlights caught and twirled under the neon shining in from my apartment’s window. Getting the thing had been rather painless. After cleaning up as best I could, I simply went and finished the fitting process. It barely took any time at all. Sean had been more than happy to pay for the whole thing too, which was nice. I definitely couldn't afford it, not that he knew that.

Sean was a bit suspicious that Torren hadn’t come with me, but I managed to fabricate a lie about ‘my grandfather’ setting him on an important mission after dropping me off since I would be with Sean and his ‘capable’ bodyguards.

I checked the clock one more time, seeing a few minutes ticked by while I just stared at the clothes resting on my work table. The Gala was coming up rapidly.

The outfit itself wasn’t a dress like I thought it would be. Apparently, that was so ‘last year’. As were full face masks.

It was a pair of sharp black slacks and a black button-up shirt, both of the sleeves already rolled up. ‘For style’ according to Master Telos. Seemed like a waste, but I guess showing off my arms was supposed to be stylish? I dunno, but at least it wasn’t permanent. Would be a waste of long sleeve’s then. Still, I decided to trust the ‘master’ and his sense of style, so I left them up.

Silver strands highlighted the seams and twirled into fun and lively patterns while still staying subtle enough to not overpower the black. It was incredibly nice. Like to the point I might wear it outside of this event… Or maybe not. It would be a direct call out for anyone at the gala to recognize me.

Two black, fingerless gloves came with the ensemble. A pure white vest would cover the shirt with a bright silver tie underneath. It looked cozy and warm, which was good. I could use the warmth.

And then came the part that actually mattered considering the, you know, Masquerade. The mask Telos designed was that of a rabbit. It was a pure white half-mask that would reveal the entire lower half of my face. Silver highlights swirled on the mask much like the button-up shirt. Two long and dainty ears sat at the top of the mask. They would hang up and around my head with the mask on.

All together, it looked rather nice. Master Telos called it ‘Obscured Innocence’ or some other stupid name. Didn’t really matter considering this was a one-time event.

I rubbed a hand over my shoulder, feeling the smooth skin. Quick Healing was as helpful as ever. All my injuries from yesterday were completely gone. Well, at least my physical ones.

My eyes shifted to the window, for once missing the near-constant flow of rain that almost always pounded it. I stared out, wasting my time away as my mind lazily drifted through the things I needed to do tonight.

An alarm flashed in my HUD. I took one final deep breath, stood up, and headed to change.

-- -- --

“I’m so glad you could come with me.” Sean smiled charmingly as he led the way ever so far in front of me. He was dressed in a similar attire, though he had a red button-up. Each of the buttons held the shield and spear symbol of Sentinel. He had on a legate's helmet with a sharp red plume flowing from it.

We followed along with a flow of guests down an extravagant hallway inside the Sentinel Center. It was a massive building just outside of the Corporate Quarter. I cast a glance around, looking at the pure extravagance of the place. Everything here seemed to scream wealthy, and the security wasn’t excluded from that.

The security, by the way, was incredibly fierce. We were subjected to several searches on the way in, making me extra glad I left my pistol behind. The guards were all decked out in the latest and greatest gear from Sentinel, though they still managed to be fairly hidden and in the background compared to the partygoers.

Non-human security was even scarier. I spotted at least two cameras watching every hall we’ve been through. Sensors were absolutely everywhere, probably capable of noticing a mouse when everything was turned on. And there were far, far too many turret slits hidden amongst the decorations just waiting to pop out and annihilate everyone here if need be.

That wasn't including the metal hounds positioned at intervals, each one dressed to hide amongst the decorations. The Sentinel model wasn't nearly as good as the Blue Crusade's variant from Knight Security, but they were still damn scary.

“O-of course!” I zoned back into our small entourage, of which Sean and I made up two of the four in it. A guard and Bertram followed behind us, both wearing boring black suits and nearly featureless black masks. Strips of neon red acted like eyes on the masks.

We stepped through two grand doors, entering a massive ballroom. I felt like I stepped back into a painting as I walked forward. The entire place was done like some kind of fantastical fantasy ball, even going so far as to use candles and lanterns to provide light.

The place was packed with people chattering, dancing, and inspecting the dozens of art displays scattered about. A massive row of tables stacked with food and drinks sat to the side, feeding a constant flow of people as they moved through it.

“Shall we?” Sean stepped in front of me and turned back. He looked like something straight out of a romance movie standing there with the gala going on in the background. Weird.

I walked forward out with him, entering the gala. Almost immediately, Insight warned of too many gazes to count locking onto me- no, not me, but Sean. There were just too many of them even if I wasn’t the target. About a dozen people pushed up toward us, obviously recognizing Sean.

A woman in a dress made of pink feathers and a flamingo mask waved herself with a fan also made of pink feathers. “Oh my, you are quite stunning in that outfit, Sir. And so is your friend!”

”I couldn’t agree more!” A man, older based on his gray hair, said. He wore a weird steampunk outfit of some kind. "About my proposal-"

Several others complimented similarly, sucking up to the guy. They tried to keep it subtle though, and all of them acted as though they didn’t know Sean was Sean. They all referred to him by his outfit and not by name. Maybe some weird masquerade rule? I dunno. Rich people were weird.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Sean took it all in stride, probably used to such things, and guided me off to a corner of the room. We brushed past at least a couple dozen other sycophants before reaching a table. Once we arrived, Bertram and the guard took up positions blocking the main flow from reaching us for a few moments of blessed peace.

”Sorry about that… you look so pretty in that, by the way. The bunny mask really draws out your eyes and smile.” Sean leaned back in his chair.

I smiled shyly. “Thank you.”

I spotted Sean’s face turn red through the gaps in his helmet. “N-no problem.” He cast his gaze out towards the rest of the room. “The dancing and partying are supposed to last three hours, then comes the auction, and then one more hour of partying. Is there anything you want to do?”

Klep shit? But that wasn’t the answer he was probably looking for… unless- no. Still, it was kind of him to ask me. I half expected him to just have me follow him around everywhere. “Uh, I-I’d like to look at the art displays.”

”This is an art gala…” Sean stood from his chair and walked around the table. “I’ll be back. Do you want anything to eat?”

Jack's Sun Kicker was as good as ever. “I’m good.”

Sean nodded and walked off, pausing briefly to talk to his two watchdogs in a low voice. The guard followed him as he entered the crowd. Bertram stayed behind in the same spot, not moving an inch. I did feel his gaze though, which was odd considering his head was in the complete opposite direction.

A girl walked past Bertram without even giving the butler a look. She wore an iridescent array of feathers formed into a colorful dress similar to the flamingo lady. Hers, though, was of a peacock. The entire ensemble was extremely reflective, flashing me in the eyes as she approached.

The girl walked around to me and offered a hand. Her eyes, absolutely coated in makeup and glitter, squinted at me from behind her full face mask. “You came with Sean?” Ah, maybe it wasn't a rule?

”Yes?” I offered my hand back, clasping hers.

Her hand tightened around mine, her fingers attempting to dig into my skin. It failed since her grip strength was rather poor. She leaned in and whispered to me. “Just because he invited you doesn’t mean anything. Stay away from him if you know what’s good for you.”

I wanted to laugh at her terrible intimidation skills, but instead, I hid it behind a smile. Let’s see here… what would Meno do in this situation? “I-I’m sure I don’t know what you mean?”

The peacock girl flinched back, her eyes widening for a second before she released my hand and stepped away. “Good. ”

As the girl stocked off, several others approached, seemingly emboldened by her. A pale white guy in what looked to be ancient samurai armor took a seat across from me. An oni mask covered the lower half of his face. “I hope you don’t mind, little rabbit?”

”Of course not.” I smiled, trying to hide my irritation. I'm not sure which was worse: the name or him just sitting down. At least he asked.

The man flinched back like I threatened him and then nodded several times. “Ah, yosh, yosh…”

A woman in a flowing white toga moved in beside the man. She had two white wings that just barely fit into the chair with her. A golden helmet with an attached halo covered her entire head. “I won’t be a bother?”

“Not at all.”

The woman started up a conversation with the samurai, but I checked out as they started mentioning production rates and such. I barely paid enough attention to catalog the information in case it might be useful one day.

A woman in a cat outfit took a seat, moving one seat closer to me than the others. She didn’t say anything, just sat down with a triumphant look in her eyes. That look faded into a sneer as she looked at me, and her face almost begged me to say something to her about it.

I resisted the urge and smiled innocently.

Even more people came, rapidly filling in the seats till there was just one left beside me for Sean. Nobody really spoke to me. There was a bit of small talk, but nothing too major outside of that.

The lady next to me, wearing what I could only describe as a doctor, a falcon, and a Dune Walker all tossed into a blender, asked, “So, how do you know that strapping young lad in the centurion helmet?”

It took me a few moments to realize she was asking me. ”W-we go to school together. He invited me to the art gala since I like art…”

”Oh! SPS! How do you like it?” The halo lady asked me from across the table.

I replied, answering more and more questions as the rest of the table started to get in on the conversation. None of them asked questions about me per se, and there was a vague disinterest in everyone’s expressions as if they didn’t really care what I had to say. Probably just trying to keep up appearances.

That continued for several minutes before Sean returned. He must’ve eaten over there since he came back empty-handed. “Lady Rabbit, won’t you come with me?”

I hopped up out of my seat and headed over to his side, happy to leave the group behind. I cast a glance back as we left, catching a plethora of irritated faces. The cat lady in particular looked like she swallowed a sardine for the first time in her life as we sauntered off.

Sean was stopped over a dozen times as we worked our way through the crowd. Every single time, he would respond and offer small talk with the people stopping us like it was his solemn duty. It was incredibly annoying, but eventually, we made it to the first art display.

The first display was a series of paintings attached to a glass wall with people on either side of it. The paintings were aged. The paint looked worn out and a few even had spots where it had chipped off. Most of them were landscapes of ancient cities and times long past. One of them even featured a horse-drawn carriage headed down a brick road.

”It’s crazy how far we’ve come, isn’t it?” Sean sighed and looked at a large painting of a cityscape from the eighteen hundreds. “Life must’ve been so much simpler back then.”

I tried to think back to what I knew of that period. It was unfortunately little. Oh! “Y-yeah, but it was harder in other ways too. Wasn’t the M-Melting Plague during that period?”

Sean nodded his head, his expression hidden behind his helmet. “The first ever magical virus to hit Veryth…”

We moved on, glancing at several of the paintings before the sycophants got brave enough to approach. One, a man dressed like a robot, eyed the painting we watched before speaking up. He looked entirely out of place compared to most people's classy looks and animal masks. “You know, the Valmon was originally done by Wofenbern as a series of three? I own one of its triplet paintings, the Valtor.”

Sean looked disinterested, but this was the exact thing I came for. I smiled brightly at the man, tilting my head up to better catch the light. “Really? That’s so impressive!”

The man, taken aback for a moment, rapidly nodded his robotic head as he grinned broadly. “Of course! I keep my collection locked up in my vault, obviously, but I bring them out for public viewing every year or so. Feel free to come by when I do!”

That particular conversation repeated itself dozens of times as we moved down the length of the art display, sometimes even several times for a single one. There were even a few times when two people got into an argument about whose collection was better, naming off dozens of extremely expensive paintings as if they didn’t care who just so happened to overhear.

About halfway through, Sean realized my interest and also started to engage with the varied people who approached, which just egged them on further. It truly was a peak opportunity to gather information.

We shifted displays, heading for a series of display cases holding smaller statues and sculptures. “You said sculptures were your favorite?” Sean asked as we approached an ancient-looking cat made out of pottery.

”Yes! There’s just something so- so impressive about them.” I smiled brightly, not having to force it as I leaned towards the cat sculpture. It had been painted at one time, but the paint had worn out over the centuries since it was made.

“Silver ones?”

”Those are the best, but I like sculptures in general.”

”Ah, the Mau!” A passerby called out, noticing our attention on the piece. “You know, I have the only cast in the world of this piece. Any more, and the experts were afraid the Mau might break!”

”Really?” I smiled energetically at the woman, hoping she would tell me more.

She moved closer and waved a hand to the pottery. “Of course! They did it in silver encrusted with sapphires. Quite the beautiful sculpture.”

My grin widened as I found a prime target. “Tell me more!”