Strangely, an event that he had been dreading suddenly became a much-needed distraction.

Randidly met Claudette at one of the side entrances to the Beigon Estate before they headed together to the Imperium Ball. Almost immediately, she looked over him critically. “Is… everything alright? You seem a bit…?”

“Let’s just let it go for now,” Randidly pressed his eyes closed. “We have other issues for tonight: making it through the Imperium Ball. And somehow, I think that will take our full attention-” Or at least I hope it will. Randidly opened his eyes and refocused. “-so, you said you have some finery ready for me?”

Claudette clicked her tongue and her expression quickly shifted to a conspiratorial smile. At this moment, Randidly was glad that she was a woman that could quickly move between masks. Her sudden cheer seemed quite genuine. “Honestly, Mr. Head Drill Sergeant, it is a travesty that you had no clothing for finer occasions at all! You have the uniform given to you by the Commandant… but the fit is slightly off and it made no allowances for your delightful tail. Luckily, I have quite a lot of experience with this. If you’ll follow me…”

Randidly allowed Claudette to lead him into the nearby guardhouse, while seven of the Beigon Family guards looked balefully after them. The interior was deserted, and clearly freshly so, because there were cards and drinks laying half-finished on a table pushed up against the far wall. After pulling the curtains closed, Claudette waved her hands and conjured a long garment bag that she lowered across the table.

She batted her eyelids, clearly waiting for pray. Randidly snorted and unzipped the bag. Within was a tailored suit that had lines remarkably similar to the ones that Randidly was familiar with from Expira. The Nexus’ version, thankfully, didn’t include a tie. For adornment, Claudette informed Randidly that he should pin some of his military merits to his chest. The suit was a deep forest green so close to black that you could only distinguish the color at the edges. Randidly reached in with his fingers and rubbed the material.

His eyebrows immediately rose. He carefully kept his somewhat jagged edge left arm from catching and tearing the suit. This… this actually feels quite nice.

The shirt was bright emerald in comparison, although most of it would be tightly wrapped in the dark suit. The flash of color would only peak out at his chest or as the sleeves of his shirt flared a small amount past his suit by his wrists. Then, with even more fanfare, Claudette revealed here seafoam green dress with chiffon trim that added the illusion of waves to her outfit.

Without any of her usual playfulness, Claudette Beigon set up a screen between the two of them and began changing without comment. Or at least, Randidly had assumed she wasn’t being playful. But Claudette stood between the screen and the light source on the far, so Randidly realized her silhouette was clearly visible on the screen as she shimmied out of her clothes.

Randidly rolled his eyes and turned away, gradually taking apart the pieces of the finery to wear them. As he did so, the small smile on his face began to fade. At the very least… this is a good distraction from Nrorce’s planet…

Their previous lives would completely end. He assumed Neveah would evacuate the population, but the result was only part of the pain.

He was being asked to leave all those people to die by someone who had saved his life.

Every time he thought about the situation, the force of those two desires slammed into each other and for a few seconds, no other thoughts were created as they fought for dominance in Randidly’s head. Randidly eventually had to shake himself and forcefully exercise control of his mind to calm himself. Although it was difficult, he did not allow his attention to dwell on the issue for now.

His tail was honestly the most excited portion of Randidly for dressing up, because the suit had a discrete sleeve to allow the appendage to move freely. Since becoming heavily involved in the Nether Rituals, the relative ‘independence’ of Randidly’s tail had continued. Often he would be distracted out of his thoughts by noticing that some portion of his consciousness was experimenting with Nether Rituals literally behind his back. As the tip of the tail flicked back and forth, it drew dark lines of energy in the air.

As Randidly slipped into the suit, the tail happily flared out its luxurious fur and undulated behind him. Randidly shook his head wryly and straightened up his collar and cuffs. He couldn’t help but be amazed that the suit fit him so well; but then again, his ‘date’ for tonight really only got to know him after his body was remade. He considered her eye for detail while he waited for Claudette to finish.

She required him to close his eyes as she revealed herself, and when Randidly opened them again the room was filled with a cool mist. A shadowy figure strode forward and thrust her hip out, striking several quickly poses.

Randidly couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you finished? We are going to be late.”

“Why do you think I’m stalling you? No one wants to be early to one of these events. Imagine all the meatheads I will have to talk to,” Claudette rolled her eyes, but followed after Randidly when they left. If anything, the guards that waited outside were even more irritable when they returned their use of the guard house and departed. He could feel the guards’ eyes boring into the back of his tailored suit.

As they departed, she patted his metal arm. “Besides, can you at least be a little more stunned by me? I’ve been told that I’m quite fetching.”

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Randidly just snorted in response.

The Imperium Ball took place in the same dour, heavy stone area as the rest of Military High Command Headquarters, but the venue was the uppermost level of the facility. So they walked into the high marble entryway and then had to ascended forty flights of stairs. Several heavily armored guards stood at the top of the cramped stairwell, their weapons crossed in front of glittering golden doors that spoke to the lavish decor of the location. Even before Randidly had spoken, they had pulled their weapons smarly to their sides and opened the doors for them.

As they stepped through, a voice to the side announced them. “Mister Randidly Ghosthound, Head Drill Sergeant for the Special Recruitment against the Nether Incursion in the Fifth Cohort, as well as guest, Claudette Beigon!”

They stepped out into a wide open ballroom with most of the ornate and finely dressed occupants turning to regard the two slender figures that stepped out onto the beautiful fresco floor. There were three levels to the ballroom, with a wide-open space of the middle of the base level, while those in the upper level appeared to be eating and drinking on their marble balconies as they drifted over to look at Randidly and Claudette.

Randidly felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he looked around. One fact became abruptly clear: Commandant Beigon had not asked Randidly to consult him on his outfit just to exert some strange measure of control.

Not that the style of their dress was inappropriate. Most of the three hundred or so other attendees that Randidly could sense wore similar outfits. But there were clearly factions, signaled by the color of the clothing they were.

There was grey, mostly through dark and dour suits and dresses. Another was orange, with the supporters of this faction all having a blazing flower either sticking out of their pockets or pattern across the fabric. The third was a milky pearl, through lighter suits and tasteful jewelry. The fourth was a vivid purple. The fifth was a soft pink, resembling the delicate petals of a flower.

All five of the groups stood with their own kind in vast swaths of color. And compared to grey, orange, pearl, purple, and light pink, Randidly and Claudette’s emerald and seafoam green stuck out like a sore thumb.

“I… there is just so little known about the Imperium Ball…” Claudette whispered next to Randidly. Her light touch on his arm tightened. “Were we…”

“I was a fool,” Randidly hissed through his teeth. The surrounding individuals regarded him silently. Amongst them, he could feel very powerful figures. Their power radiated off of them and dominated the ballroom. From most of them, he could feel pleased surprise. But from one in particular… “I… because of how distracted I was by other things-”

Someone in the watching group coughed. Instantly, Randidly pressed his lips together and raised his chin. Considering this was the Nexus, there was no way that these powerful individuals didn’t possess high Perception. They probably heard every word.

It had been quite a while since he felt so socially awkward as this.

Suddenly, that strained moment of standing alone at one end of the ballroom and being watched by the various factions was interrupted by the sound of heels clicking across the ballroom. Very soon the familiar form of Lady Iellaya emerged from the crowd, her raven-black hair pulled into an ornate braid. A line of black feathers ran along her arms. Her dark dress revealed that Commandant Wick and his subordinates should be a part of the grey faction.

She walked up to the duo and gave them a very fake smile. “Why don’t you come with me? There is much to discuss.”

Randidly nodded and Claudette clung to his arm, skirting around the edges of the lower floor of the ballroom and ignoring most of the groups that sipped on champagne flutes and watched them with narrowed eyes. Suddenly, Randidly noticed beyond the lack of noise in the room and felt the ambient emotion of tension that ran over everything.

At the moment, a storm was raging in one corner of the venue. Bits of emotion so charged with ferocity that they crackled soundlessly through the air suppressed all willingness to talk amongst the present figures. And of course, Lady Iellaya led them directly to the source.

Commandant Wick was a physical force in the corner of the venue, surrounded by several other powerful figures. Next to him was an almost child-sized woman with red, inflamed skin who seemed at ease despite the horrible rage leaking out of him, but the rest of the individuals were clearly subordinates who were very nervous to see the Commandant in such a mood.

Lady Iellaya bowed to the Commandant and stepped to the side. The furry soldier eyed Randidly with a sharp gaze. “...from how stunned you were when you walked into the room, I can tell that this is a result of incompetence, rather than insubordination. Humph, a small consolation for my reputation amongst my fellow Commandants… at the very least, have you been preparing for the Grand Dance?”

Claudette looked at Randidly out of the corner of her eyes. He felt rather shitty at the moment because obviously, he had not.

If you didn’t know about the Imperium Ball, why wouldn’t you ask me?!? Lady Iellaya sent Randidly a sharp message. And honestly, he wasn’t sure how to respond. Recently, there had been a lot of things on his plate. The actions of Commandant Wick, utilizing his name to invite Claudette to some Military High Command Ball… just hadn’t seemed very important.

The child-like woman chuckled. The Commandant shook his head slowly. “Well… then there is no need to keep up pretenses at this event. Since you have come wearing another color… you can just sign up as an independent faction. It has not been done since the Fifth Cohort… but there is at least precedent.”

Commandant Wick turned his gaze to Lady Iellaya. “You may have half an hour free to entertain Mr. Ghosthound, as he came under me by your recommendation. In that time… Despite the fact he is not in our faction, I would be disappointed if he embarrasses himself too badly in the Grand Dance.”

Then Commandant Wick’s eyes flicked sideways to Randidly. “There are only so many youthful liberties that a man like me can endure.”

Lady Iellaya nodded and led them away. As they departed, Randidly glanced over his shoulder one last time, feeling that the intense emotions that the bearman was releasing hadn’t dissipated at all. But as he glanced backward, Commandant Wick was staring down at his drink with a brooding expression. Meanwhile, the other Commandant caught Randidly’s glance and winked at him.

Lady Iellaya hurried out to the central portion of the lower floor and pointed out ten divided areas in the middle. Each was composed of rows of generally ten square tiles, although the middle four tiles of the pattern were joined together in one massive ‘base’ tile.

As Lady Iellaya began to explain the rules, Randidly’s lips couldn’t help but twitch. This… isn’t she just talking about a complicated rhythm game…? This is what the Military High Command does to entertain themselves…?