The days that followed Lasutro's initial trip into the city, and their subsequent return trip to retrieve their imitation bracelets, blended together in part due to the general frustration that bubbled under the surface of a good deal of their thoughts, as well as the routine of classes, despite how fascinating she found each of them, including their class with Professor Zyciv. It was little less than two weeks following their conversation with the Princess regarding what she was going to wear to the ball when Lasutro finally found themselves outside what had slowly become a tortuous routine, though she managed to not show their torment in front of the royal.

In place of the classes that normally took up their morning, Lasutro sat at their desk, as she often did and continued their study of their new grimoire. Further studies which are met with some degree of disbelief from their roommate who chose to sleep in on the first day of the three day break that the Academy had given in consideration of the winter solstice.

Eventually, after some light encouragement from Henry, Lasutro pulled themselves from their personal research, some of which had tangential relation to their coming criminal plans, and began to assemble their garb for the evening. An outfit, the sum of which the Princess had gifted and insisted on, with the exception of the only two pieces of accessories that Lasutro owned, besides a simple pair of earrings that once belonged to their mother.

Earrings that she only had thanks to their brother who had refused to sell them in the years they lived alone together, even as the siblings were pushed into shadier work. Despite Lasutro’s clear lack of affection for the earrings, Siligarf always insisted on keeping them, consistently telling Lasutro that she’d want them one day. An assertion which eventually came true, resulting in their consistent use.

However, due to the nature of the ball and the individual who had effectively assembled their outfit, Lasutro was effectively pushed into wearing a far more ostentatious pair of earrings, which she couldn’t help but admire the beauty of, despite not being to their taste.

When she finally finished adorning the assorted jewelry she had borrowed, and dressing themselves in the garb the Princess had ordered for them, Lasutro donned their only winter cloak, and alongside Henry, made their way to Imperial Villa. Together, the pair trekked through the slow falling snow that had dusted the Academy’s grounds over the past week, which by some miracle or more likely a large-scale arcane effect, hadn’t piled nearly as high as it should have.

After they arrived at the gates of the villa, and asked one of the guards to notify the Princess of their arrival, Lasutro and Henry spent a few minutes chatting about their expectations for the ball and neither having visited the Palace. Lasutro simply because she was never a part of noble society or the Empire and Henry because he had only really attended balls hosted by his father and on occasion some of the less popular events of the nobles that lived closer to his home, as well as the sporadic tea parties his mother hosted.

The pair's conversation came to a quick end when the gates to the Villa opened. Though not for them but a carriage best described as grand and regal, which made its way forward coming to a stop only just outside the gates, which remained open for a small garrison of knights that had been following behind the carriage, most of which donned armor, though some seemed dressed, at least in militaristic fashion, for the ball. After a moment of observation by the knight who sat adjacent to the carriage’s driver, the door closest to Henry and Lasutro opened. Without a word from either, the pair, with a little help from inside the carriage, stepped in and escaped the crisp winter air.

There they were greeted by the Princess, Ms. Zudyf and a rough, but charming knight, who by Lasutro’s measure was somehow related to the Princess’s aide, a speculation which she didn’t voice. Instead she gave their greetings to the three women, as did Henry, though he was far more eloquent in his delivery. Not long after they did, Lasutro felt an ever so slight jostling as the driver led the carriage off to the Palace before it faded to the point it became almost unnoticeable.

While the carriage made its way out of the Academy and into the city proper, Lasutro, and Henry inquired with the Princess as to the reality of the ball. Questions which the Princess was happy to answer, though occasionally Ms. Zudyf cut in with insights that highlighted aspects of the ball that the royal was unaware of simply because of her station.

Eventually the discussion shifted from ball to one of the assigned readings they shared, a topic brought up by Henry after he gave his thanks to the Princess once more for getting him the invitation to the ball as well as allowing him to ride with her. Gratitude which she gracefully received even as the conversation on the assigned reading became impassioned.

The lively conversation, and occasional arguments on the subject, continued as the carriage made its way through the noble district before coming to its inevitable end when they arrived at the main gates to the Palace. The sight of which stole the attention of Henry and Lasutro, who couldn’t help but admire the architecture despite the fact the Imperial Villa shared a lot of similarities in terms of design, though the Palace was far grander and more guarded.

Within a few minutes following the carriage’s arrival at the Palace’s main gates, it made its way closer to the Palace proper and soon found itself among several other carriages. Carriages which had similarly just arrived and others that, having dropped off their passengers, made their way elsewhere on grounds.

Not long after the carriage door opened once more, the knight who had been sitting beside the driver, offered their hand to the Princess and helped her out. Following which the knight offered their assistance to everyone who remained in the carriage with the exception of the knight. An offer which Lasutro accepted in an effort to avoid tripping as she stepped out.

Together with the Princess, their knight, Ms. Zudyf and Henry, Lasutro made their way up the steps of the Palace following the royal’s lead inside, where she, far more than Henry, was stunned by both beauty and opulence of the Palace’s interior. Though she was quickly shaken from their brief astoundment of the sight when a group of the Palace’s servants, including a elderly half-elven man who appeared to be the Butler, approached and offered to take their coats. To which the Princess simply nodded, and having already given hers to Ms. Zudyf, made her way onwards to the ballroom accompanied by the Butler and her knight who had removed their coat and handed it over by the time the half elf had turned to escort the royal.

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Henry and Lasutro removed their now unnecessary winter layers near immediately after the Princess began to make their way out of the grand foyer. Though Lasutro was far less graceful in their disrobement than both the Princess and their roommate resulting in a look bordering on disgust from a handsome young noblewoman who made her entrance just as Lasutro and their roommate began making their way to catch up with the Princess.

Just before the sounds of the Princess’s party’s footsteps could be silenced by a conversation discussing the interior decor of the palace they had just entered, they found themselves in front of the doors to the ball. Revealing the massive hall beyond them that had been chosen as venue for the ball, having been designed and used as such, was about as large, if not larger than that of the main hall in the Citadel. A hall which was filled with enough people that crowds could form, but not enough for one to say with certainty that all the guests for the evening had arrived.

Although Lasutro almost gawked at the sight of so many well dressed nobles and aristocrats who each wore a smile that hid their venomous intentions, as well as their true feelings towards one another, she managed to keep their composure . The sight that the ball so openly provided was one Lasutro had yet to adapt to, despite how often she saw it amongst those who pined after the Princess’s attention. And shortly after the royal’s arrival was announced to the room by the servant who stood to the side of the entryway, Lasutro saw the greed grow in many of the ball’s guest’s eyes, following which a good portion of the room gradually made their way over towards the Princess.

Eventually after what felt like an hour of introductions, and jejune conversation with individuals who were far too despite for the attention of the Princess, but in actuality was less than a quarter of an hour, the crowd that had initially swarmed the royal had faded to what Lasutro recognized to be a somewhat natural occurring social system.

A system which made use of the several other powerful nobles and the many individuals who approached them with the intent of a long term conversation, at least relative to the ball’s length. Which was to be the longest of the year, a tradition it held, at least within the Empire, both in spite of its namesake and because of it.

That is to say that The Empire’s Ball of the Winter Solstice was the longest ball of the year, of those held by the Empire because of the Solstice. And while the ball was a sort of evolution of the traditions and rituals of worship in the lands that eventually became the empire, a good portion of which were related in some form to The Radiant Father and The Twilight Crone: keeper of the Heavens. The ball rose to prominence several years after its initial celebration, when the Emperor at the time realized the power such a celebration could have in an empire of practicing mages.

Though the political maneuvering to properly replace the potential power of the winter solstice from the empire’s many noble and aristocratic mages with a long evening of maintaining and occasionally building relationships between each other. However it was ultimately a method of restricting the use of the solstice to just the Imperial family as well as the largest and most well organized noble mage houses.

Eventually, following a couple more genuine conversations with a few of the less greedy nobles, Lasutro, along with Henry, separated themselves from the Princess small crowd and subsequently from the center of the party to the less occupied spaces in the ballroom. Together the pair had their drinks refilled by one of the many waiters and accepted one of the many small aperitifs that they had been offered before but had refused on account of the attention that their conversations had demanded.

A few minutes following the start of their short break from the social games of the ball, Henry returned into the thick of the chatting nobles, aristocrats, and the occasional knight, leaving Lasutro alone at the outskirts of the party. As the hall filled with more guests, influential and otherwise, Lasutro found themselves still drained from the superficialness of their initial conversations and despite the particular anxiety that wandering the Palace grounds brought them. Lasutro stepped out of the hall and into the nearby hedge garden that was largely unoccupied with the exception of the occasional lone pair of guards patrolling the edges of the garden.

Having no interest in returning to the ball and following after their roommate, Lasutro took in the cool night air of the garden, wandering amongst the variety of flowers and topiaries, as well as the occasional statue. Although she had become more familiar with a variety of plant life thanks to their respective classes in magical plants, components, and alchemy, as well as the affinity that shared its name, Lasutro didn’t recognize a good portion of the garden’s verdant occupants.

After several minutes of wandering, and avoiding the few other wanderers she noticed, some of which were there less for the literal beauty of the garden but instead the air of romance it held, she took a seat under one of the gazebos. While she sat, ignoring the specks of white that had begun to coat the outdoor garden with a secondary dusting of snow, she continued their study of plants. Their mind secretly ablaze with questions that she would have to research later largely relating to how the garden maintained such beauty in the face of temperatures that had long been biting at the tips of their ears and their fingers.

Eventually, despite their efforts to remain, an endeavor born out of their unending curiosity, Lasutro found themselves unable to avoid their return to the ball proper. Though she made no attempt to rush the process as she followed what was left of their wandering footsteps back to the doors she entered the garden from, occasionally letting themselves get distracted by their curiosity.

A few minutes into their return trip, during which she saw no additional winter romances. An absence which she appreciated for only a few moments before she felt an unnatural chill run down their spine. When she finally turned to face the apparent source of non winter chill, Lasutro found themselves face to face with a man she had gotten a description of from both the Princess and their young noble roommate.

Although the man had hints of the wear of age on their face, he appeared youthful despite his gaunt features, a look that was expertly complemented by the regal outfit that he donned. Attire which maintained an expert balance between the current trends in Udriaph that the Princess had described and displayed to Lasutro as well as the Empire’s formal mage garb.

Despite the initial shock of their sudden meeting, Lasutro quickly regained their composure, and gave the Prince their best performance of the customary bow.

“Izora Norkra of the Antelapyz Plains greets his highness, Prince Xadmen, High Mage of the Empire. I thank you for this honor. ”

Though Lasutro didn’t particularly care for the reaction he gave in response, a bow not of respect but instead one of a flirtatious Prince, she did recognize that most people in their position would be turned giddy by the royal’s charm, an apathy that let them see past his elaborately crafted mask. A mask that hid the royal’s ire for Lasutro and his general disdain for all individuals deemed lesser than himself.

Under the light of Atiggok, the Prince’s fiery orange eyes bore into Lasutro with an apathy not dissimilar to that which she felt when the royal performed his practiced charm on them, though far more clinical than theirs.

“No,no, Young Mage, the honor is mine. How could it not be, after all you did save my precious sister.”

Before the cold silence between the two could inflame the discomfort Lasutro felt from the interaction, the Prince ran his hand through his honey brown hair, freeing it from the thin layer of snow that had previously dressed it, following which he offered his free arm to Lasutro.

“Now let us return inside, I would rather not have my sister’s savior freeze to death before I properly got to know them.”