“I am going to put a damper on this.”

Richard pointed at the signboard. Though I wanted to say no, that was probably true.

The principal of your school showing up to something you call the best ‘fucking’ party ever is probably the stuff of nightmares.

But more than the students, I was worried about Richard. I didn’t know what kind of parties went down in Glorenstein, but if there were drugs or anything unseemly, it could affect him negatively.

Going back felt like a waste though.

“Let’s get you a disguise.”

“What?”

Before Richard could object, I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and dragged him away.

The night streets of Glorenstein city were surprisingly crowded. There wasn’t a bustling adventurer economy here, which made it odd.

The street lights all around were in full glow, illuminating the hordes of people walking through the streets.

“There are a lot of people?”

This was one of the more posh streets, which made it even more surprising.

“The academy doesn’t fill up on its own, Ethan,” Richard chuckled at my words. He adjusted the shawl around his neck. “Many students live outside the academy in the city, there are also many tourists amongst the ones who came to drop their children here.”

That was surprising. I was used to seeing an emptier Glorenstein in the last month. Now that class was in session, like with any college town, the nightlife was bustling.

After a small stroll, the two of us found ourselves in front of a boutique.

I dragged Richard inside and greeted the shopkeeper.

“How have you been, Mrs. Frock?”

The stout madame of the boutique, Mrs. Frock smiled when she saw me and came rushing out of the counter.

She placed her arms on my shoulders and patted me.

“Young man. You should show your face more often.”

Richard seemed slightly surprised. Well Mrs. Frock’s son had left the town to go work in the capital, so she was a little lonely. This wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

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“I will. The new job is taking some adjusting to.” I turned to Richard, and so did my make-up master. “For today, can you make my friend here a little younger?”

“He’s young enough!” Mrs. Frock snapped and then waved her hands. “Is it for that party?”

What?

“What party?”

“The biggest party in Glorenstein?”

What the hell?

“Don’t worry, come along.”

Mrs. Frock pulled along the unsuspecting Richard to the back of the store. All her staff at the boutique followed right behind.

In moments, Richard was expelled from behind the curtains. He was put in a flashy, white dress suit. A long strip of his hair was dyed white, and a monocle adorned his face.

With more accessories than a nouveau riche noble, he looked like a professional party-goer. Who knew one could put professional and party-goer in the same sentence?

“What do you think?” The madame asked with a grin. I upped both my thumbs at her words.

She patted Richard’s back while I pulled out my wallet.

“Don’t worry about the payment!”

“No, I insist!”

After a few back and forths, I managed to pay the madame, though a little less than what I owed her.

It was time to leave.

With the renewed Richard, I left the boutique and walked back to the spot of the party.

“Ah, here, let me pay you back—” Richard said as he reached into his pockets.

“Shush! Shut up, don’t talk stupid with me.”

I pushed Richard’s hand back in his pockets and the both of us walked out of the place. I was no shopkeeper, there wasn’t a need to pay me.

Richard, amused by his clothes, checked it out from every angle.

“I thought I’d stand out in these clothes,” he said. “But that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

For some reason, people around were all dressed just as wildly.

People in funky clothes walked around the city. Many of them came down from every second building that initially looked empty.

I even saw people in robes covering their entire bodies and faces. It might have looked suspicious, but city guards were always on patrol so it was not risky at all.

Richard fit in perfectly. Mrs. Frock was savvy even with the hourly trends.

Soon, we reached the posh street again. Now that my attention went to the doors, I saw a whole bunch of funky people stepping in and out of the gates.

I turned my gaze to the sky. There was a faint vibration in the air. The sky had just a small, tiny hint of the evening sun still in it.

It was soon to be night. The time for parties to go wild.

“Were all these buildings made together?”

I asked. There was a path on the roofs of every building that connected each other.

Quite curious.

Richard looked up too and hummed.

“Maybe it's in case of a fire? I don’t often come to this street, but that still seems new.”

We shrugged and walked ahead. Not long after, we reached the same building we had first seen with the same signboard.

These kids had booked out the entire hotel that hosted the party today.

Richard and I weren’t even asked anything at the gate. A gatekeeper simply gazed down at us and let us pass.

We made our way up the staircase, going right past the empty lobby toward the top of the building.

“Do you hear that?” Richard asked.

“It sounds like an entire orchestra…”

The bass was booming through the walls all the way down here.

We took the final turn up the staircase, and past the small gate of the top floor, the wide terrace full of partygoers came into our sights.

[https://i.imgur.com/jtYTKGi.jpg]

The place was flashing with lights. Music that sounded more like EDM and Rave sounded out of the orchestra. The scent of fresh food wafted through the entire terrace as many, many people danced, drank, sang, and had the time of their lives.

“Woah…”