As I stood in front of the mage tower, waiting for Alira, I was still uncomfortable with my clothes. Here, it seemed you either wore a cool military outfit or some strident, bright-colored mage robe that made you look like a pimp. In the end, I found something that only made me look like a poor pimp, and I still didn't know if it was a good or bad thing.

But seeing all the military types in their fitted suits was making me a little jealous.

“See anything you like?” Alira surprised me as I was checking out the suits others were wearing.

“No, believe it or not, I was envious of the military suits others get to wear. Instead, I have to look like a pimp,” I said with an upset tone. Then, realizing my mistake immediately, I continued, “You look amazing in that dress.”

She was wearing a simple red sheath dress made of silk… maybe.

“Thank you. What is a pimp?” she added with a smile.

‘Why did I have to say that out loud?’ “It’s hard to explain without some cultural background….but basically, a simple person who dresses in outlandish clothing to compensate for whatever they feel they lack.” I was staying way clear of their profession.

“That wouldn’t cause the level of embarrassment you seem to have,” she looked at me inquisitively.

Sometimes I hated that she could read me so well. “Well, their profession of choice is amoral and highly illegal.” Maybe she would stop with the line of questioning.

“You know you could have worn some random military outfit, it’s not like there is a fashion police checking people at the entrance,” she said dismissively.

“I did not know that. On my Earth, people are very touchy about military outfits,” I said, reminding myself to just ask next time.

“Anyway, it’s not that bad, and you found a rather conservative one,” having said that, she started moving up the stairs.

“This building is incredible.” Looking at me, she added, “I assume you also have things like this?”

“Yeah, they usually build them in the center of cities where land is scarce. We call them skyscrapers,” I said as we were reaching the line for the platform/elevator.

“I mean to build something like this without magic, it must mean your kingdoms are very rich.”

“That they are. One kingdom was so rich they built one like five times higher than this one just for bragging rights.” The line was moving incredibly slowly.

“If you weren’t such a terrible liar, I would say you were mocking me,” she still looked suspiciously at me.

“When you have unlimited money, you can do almost anything.”

“Except magic,” she quipped.

“Yes, except that,” I laughed.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking about your world; if it brings back memories and all that,” she said, taking another step forward.

“No, I like talking about back home, plus you always answer all the questions about this world.”

“I was wondering, you must have a lot of poetry and plays that are amazing, but I’m guessing you don’t remember them perfectly.” Her initial optimism was immediately curbed.

“I remember parts and the general idea, but no.”

“I didn’t know you enjoyed poetry,” I remarked off-handedly as the line was becoming shorter.

“Any woman that says she doesn’t enjoy poetry only means she doesn’t enjoy it from that person.” After a moment, pausing, she continued, “Come on, you must remember some poetry!”

“Poetry wasn’t really my strong suit; I was more like a math/physics guy. But I guess I remember some snippets that impressed me,” I said, a little embarrassed.

“Please, I’m curious about what other worlds' poetry is like.” Her pleading look was impossible to say no to.

“Okay, okay, let me think for a second.” As I racked my brain for anything, I remembered a short poem from a Sci-Fi movie that seemed perfect for the situation.

I took on a more serious demeanor, turned towards her, and grabbed her hand for dramatic effect, speaking as slowly as possible.

“Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dream.“

I couldn’t help but smile since her eyes went wide, and she stood silent, clearly still processing it. Eventually, she blinked and regained her composure.

“That was the most beautiful poem I have ever heard!”

“I’m sure your world has amazing examples as well.”

“We have, but they are like dozens upon dozens of verses. To capture such a beautiful idea in so few words…it’s..” Her reverie was interrupted as we finally ascended to the floor of the party.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The tower floor was entirely open space save for a few support structure pillars, an orchestra was playing some classical music for a reason; even the instruments looked somewhat similar. Everyone was either sitting at tables or in small gatherings; no one was dancing yet. The hall was slowly filling with people, and there were at least a few hundred people present.

“Is there a seating arrangement at these things, or is it first come first served?” I asked Alira.

“Check the invitation,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Please,” I said, handing her the invitation, “you’re the tracker.”

She led me to a table filled with people in robes, which was to be expected.

“Hello, Tiberius,” a familiar voice was heard.

“Hey, Magistra. This is Alira; Alira, this is Magistra Viviene,” I said, while they did the cursory hug and kiss on the cheek. It seemed some traditions were universal.

As the women started some small talk, I tuned them out as the food was already there. Maybe it was a little impolite, but I was really hungry after a day of shopping. They had some sort of seafood, but I didn’t really like that on my Earth, and without refrigeration here, it was best to skip it. The red meat was good as you didn’t find that at the inns. I was going to try the vegetables, but a question was thrown my way.

“What do you think of the party so far?” Magistra asked.

“Balls like this fell out of style on my world; they were too ostentatious, some said, but I always wanted to experience it at least once.” She was nodding like she was really paying attention.

“Out of curiosity, is there a special occasion for the ball? Does this day have any historical significance?” I asked.

“Yes, today is the anniversary of the founding of this city, 209 years since Whitestone was founded, to be exact,” she seemed very proud of the fact.

“Shouldn’t it have been called Blackstone?” I said, smiling, “Or was the mage tower built after?”

She politely laughed as well and said, “Actually, the tower was white initially, but after enough time, the white adamantine became black due to intense magical use.”

That was actually pretty interesting. The hall was filling up, and the orchestra started playing another song, and the crowd immediately started rising from the tables and heading to the dance floor, starting to do a very choreographed dance routine, which clearly signified some sort of high society dance.

“Do you dance?” the Magistra asked.

“Not really, I am not familiar with the dances yet; this being my first ball on this world, I was hoping to get a few dances from the sideline to at least learn some moves.”

“It’s very easy,” she remarked.

“Go,” Alira said. Then turning to the Magistra, she added, “My feet thank you, Viviene!” with a smile.

They laughed together, and we took our position on the dance floor. I stumbled a few times, and the shoes were not really comfortable, but the dance had a slow pace, and it was easy enough and allowed people to chat.

“How long have you decided to stay in Whitestone?” she asked.

“Until the books you gave me reveal any clue to any shrine for the goddess.”

“Why choose that particular goddess? She is almost forgotten, and her boon is useless for mages.” Guess it made sense why she was so curious.

“Oh, it’s not that. You want to hear something funny?” Alira had a good laugh, and it might dispel future rumors about the goddess.

“Oh, do tell,” she said with a smile.

“I have zero faith, so I can’t take any boon from any god,” I chuckled.

She did start to laugh. “Do you not have any gods in your world?”

“If they are, they have been very, very quiet,” I replied.

“If so, why even bother worshiping a god?” she added.

“Precisely because I don’t want to worship; you can’t really be an atheist in a world with hundreds of gods, so I chose one that seems to not care much about her subjects.” It was a weak argument, but it was all I had.

“Well, at the trouble you will have to go through to reach a temple, you might become a believer when it's all over,” she said as the song seemed to die down.

“I’ll try to find a bounty near a temple if I ever find one,” I said, smiling at her as I led her to our table.

“Let me say that your talents would be wasted as a bounty hunter. Life at the tower can be just as exciting.” She was going for the hard sell.

I smiled politely "I already spent almost 20 years beeing a student. Lets just say any form of school is enought for me."

We continued chatting about our educational systems. I was surprised she didn't push more.

As we reached the table, she addressed Alira, “Did I tell you he’s an excellent teacher? Maybe you can convince him to stay.”

Alira smiled and said, “His real passion is becoming a jester, so I’m afraid teaching will have to wait.” The Magistra exploded in laughter.

As the music was starting again, I leaned towards Alira and offered my hand, “Would you like to dance?”

“Why not?” she said, trying to sound casual, but I was starting to know her facial expressions pretty well.

With the music started, the couples were moving in a new choreography. I couldn’t help but say, “You have more than one type of dance?” in a very distressed tone.

She smiled. “Of course, there are 15-20 popular dances; once every few years, another might appear.”

I gasped. “Twenty?”

“Yes, how do you dance at your balls?” she laughed.

“Basically, everyone dances with their own moves when apart, and couples have two, maybe three types of dances,” I said, while stumbling, trying to copy moves from the guy next to me.

“Well, you are a decent dancer, and the moves are not meant to be difficult as girls are supposed to dance at least once with every boy that asks,” she did not sound happy about that detail.

“They are indeed easy to learn. Wait, so do you have to dance with everyone that asks you tonight?" I suddenly felt deflated.

“If I don’t know them, I can refuse politely, and we are in a foreign kingdom after all.”

“Well, tell me when your favorite dance gets played; I’ll try to make more of an effort,” I tried to make a joke, but not all of them are winners.

She beamed and said, “This dance is actually my favorite.”

I stood straighter, and because I went tense all of a sudden, my movements became robot-like.

Laughing, she managed to say, “Is that a dance move from your world?”

“You laugh, but it actually is, even though I didn’t intend to do that,” I said, maybe looking a little embarrassed.

“If there is a freestyle period in the ball, I’ll show you some,” I chuckled.

Again, laughing, she said, “You have the funniest expressions.”

“Maybe one day I’ll succeed in joining that school you keep mentioning.”

“Look, I may exaggerate a little with my own jokes, but you are very fun to be around; the last month has been memorable, to say the least.” Her eyes were focused on mine.

“I may not believe in destiny, but meeting you that day I arrived, let's just say if I get a point in faith, I wouldn’t be surprised.” Saying that out loud sounded way cornier than in my head.

But somehow, it didn’t break the moment; our eyes were still locked, and it seemed even our breaths synced. As our faces drew a little closer…

“Alira? What are the chances?” a voice came from the side.

She turned immediately to the sound of the voice, “Kraityn?”

'See god? It’s stuff like this that makes me an atheist.'

“What are you doing on this continent?” she asked.

“Official business from the emperor,” he stated proudly, but his gaze switched to me, and his happy face contorted into contempt.

Even Alira sensed the change and awkwardly said, “Kraityn, this is my friend Tiberius. Tiberius, this is my brother,” she said as we still locked eyes, exchanging a serious handshake; damn, my hand was starting to hurt… I had to activate my mana shield.

Well, he had the big brother attitude all right.

“Hey, Kraityn, why did you stop?” another man came near us, and Alira went white as she saw him.

“Alira?” he said in complete shock.

Even the song had ended, so an awkward silence descended. Seeing Alira was frozen in shock, I reached my hand to the new guy.

“I’m Tiberius, a friend of Alira,” I said as calmly as possible under the circumstances.

If her brother had contempt, this guy, when he turned his gaze on me, was downright murderous.

“I’m Jasper, Alira’s betrothed,” he said with that murderous look.

This was not happening. I felt like I was in one of those Spanish telenovelas.