"Remi! You look stunning!" Whitney exclaid, her eyes sparkling with genuine admiration.
"Your clothes... did you buy them?" Angela asked, her gaze scanning Remillia from top to bottom, taking in the elegant dress, the carefully styled hair, and the radiant smile that lit up her face.
"Of course," I simply replied.
I bought it at the system shop along with a make up which cost a lot of points but it’s okay since this dress has special feature- a protective armor woven into the fabric.
"Were you at the masquerade ball in Élirville?" Edge suddenly interjected, his piercing gaze fixed intently on
I chuckled nervously, trying to deflect the attention from myself. "I had other things to take care of, that’s why I didn’t attend the masquerade ball last ti."
’Does he know it was ?’
"Are you sure? You had the sa physi—" Edge started, but his words were cut off when a soft voice rang out from the other side of the hall.
"Angela? Is that you?"
The group turned toward the source of the voice. I finally sighed in relief, thankful that soone had caught their attention.
Angela’s posture shifted, her curiosity piqued as she glanced in the direction of the voice.
A man waved at them, and Angela’s eyes widened in surprise.
"Sky?! Why are you here?" she exclaid, excitent bubbling in her voice.
"Why? Is it wrong for to co here?" Sky replied, feigning innocence.
"No, I—" Angela stamred, but before she could finish her thought, Sky playfully ruffled her hair.
"I just ca to hang out. What about you?"
"Well—" Before Angela could elaborate, Whitney, who had been watching the exchange with keen interest, rushed up to him, her eyes twinkling with excitent.
"Are you Sky Jhovani of Wayward Alliance?" she asked breathlessly.
Sky flashed her a charming smile. "Yes and sorry for the late introduction, haha."
"It’s nice to et you!" Whitney said, shaking hands with Sky enthusiastically. As he turned towards , a flicker of recognition seed to spark in his eyes.
"Wait," Sky paused, "you’re the girl who played every ga at the casino and hasn’t lost once. You were on a winning streak there, they even called you ’Lady Luck’ because of your never-ending luck. Never thought you’d be Angela’s friend. Nice to et you, by the way."
"Ga? Winning streak? Lady Luck?" Her friends tilted their heads in unison.
"Yeah, I think she made around... 3.3 billion?" Sky replied nonchalantly, as if discussing the weather.
"3.3 BILLION!?!?" Angela and Whitney shouted simultaneously, their voices piercing the lively atmosphere around them.
Sky only nodded with a smile, taking in the lively atmosphere around them. His gaze shifted to Edge, who was standing beside Angela, arms crossed but his eyes were on Angela.
With a playful chuckle, Sky leaned in closer to Angela and whispered dramatically, "Is this your rumored boyfriend?" He gestured subtly toward Edge.
Angela’s face flushed a shade deeper, annoyed that he got the wrong man. "What are you talking about?" she replied, casting a quick glance at Edge before her attention darted back to Sky. "H-he’s not."
Following Angela’s line of sight, Sky noticed the way her eyes brightened when she looked at the Cypher. A mischievous smile crept onto his lips. "Don’t tell you’re aiming your target at the sa ti?" he teased, clearly reveling in the playful banter.
"Stop it!" Angela protested as she swiftly elbowed Sky in the stomach.
"Ow! I yield! I yield!" Sky exclaid, doubling over in feigned agony, holding his stomach as if she had dealt a fatal blow.
As our conversations began to disperse, I watched each of my friends start to scatter off in different directions. Whitney and Edge headed toward a group of high profiled persons who seed lively, hoping to build connections with them.
Angela excused herself to the bathroom. Cypher initially set off to grab us so drinks but quickly beca the center of attention, surrounded by people trying to curry his favor and coax him into joining their guilds.
Feeling thirsty, I decided to go to the banquet table myself. I was grabbing a drink when a familiar voice caught my attention form behind . I turned around and I was t with Kairos. Although this ti, he didn’t alter his appearance.
"I’m surprised you’re here, squirrel," Kairos remarked with a smirk.
I recalled our first interaction, "You’re that slippery snake I fought last ti. You still owe an apology don’t you think?" I shot back, crossing my arms.
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you forgetting sothing? I repaid that by not exposing that you were the one in the shower-"
"Okay stop! Too much info!" My face turned beet red as the mory of that embarrassing mont resurfaced. "What are you doing here anyway?"
Kairos looked at the stage. "I’m only here to watch the perfor—do you want to die?"
—Were the two of you all alone in the shower, boss? I didn’t know you already had that kind of relationship.
Thorne’s voice crackled through Kairos’s earpiece, his tone teasing.
Since I can’t hear the voice on the earpiece he’s wearing, I raised an eyebrow, unsure how to react. "Were you talking to ?" I asked, half-serious and half-amused.
"Ah, s-sorry. My colleague was saying sothing strange through my earpiece..." Kairos stamred, tapping at his earpiece as if it would magically silence Thorne’s comnts.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
6:55 PM
Apparently, I couldn’t get rid of Kairos no matter how many excuses I ca up with. He settled in next to , looking bored already as he scanned the banquet hall. I tried to change seats, but he was stuck to like glue. Defeated, I sat down, resigning myself to his presence.
"Why are you following ?" I asked, annoyance creeping into my voice.
"I’m not following you; I’m just looking for the best seat," he replied nonchalantly, a hint of mischief glimring in his eyes.
I stared at him wide-eyed. ’The nerve of this guy!’ I wanted to scold him, but I held back. ’Calm down, calm down. He’s here as the leader of Nightjars today; he’s not Caleo.’
In the end, I swallowed my words and decided to ignore him.
"Waiter," Kairos suddenly called out, breaking the stillness.
What did he want now? I shifted my focus back to him, curiosity piqued.
A waiter approached with a polite deanor. "Do you need anything, sir?"
"I would like so wine," Kairos said smoothly, his tone cold.
The waiter nodded but turned to , raising an eyebrow slightly. "Excuse , sir, but is she your date? Does she also want wine?"
"I’m not his—" My response was abruptly cut off by Kairos, who interjected with an almost authoritative air.
"No wine for her, just give her orange juice."
I gaped at him, the back of my neck tingling with embarrassnt. Who did he think he was? I was about to argue, but the waiter nodded respectfully and bowed slightly. "Please wait for a mont while I prepare your drinks."
As the waiter walked away, I turned to Kairos, my frustration bubbling over. "I can order my own drink, thank you very much!"
He shrugged, unfazed by my outburst. "Your welco. I figured orange juice was a safer choice for you."
I was about to retort, but once again, I held my tongue. I hated to admit it, but he was right. I’d never had much tolerance for alcohol, and anything stronger than a spritzer would probably send into a tipsy spiral.
While I grumbled silently to myself, Kairos observed with an expression that was half amused and half intrigued, as if I were so fascinating creature that had just landed by his side.
It was starting to feel unnerving, and I was about to ask what was so interesting when the waiter finally returned, balancing our drinks on a tray.
"Here you go," he said, placing the glasses in front of us with a smile. "Enjoy your evening."
"Thanks," I murmured, taking a sip of the freshly squeezed orange juice. It was tangy and sweet—secretly thanking Kairos for ordering this drink.
I was quietly sipping my drink when I noticed my friends. They were scanning the room until they all tilted their heads in sync at the sight of sitting with soone.
They soon walked up to , expressing their curiousness.
"Remillia...who’s that next to you?" Cypher asked imdiately, his eyebrows raised.
I looked at them, suddenly realizing they still didn’t know he was the leader of the Nightjars. My mind raced for a way to introduce him without giving too much away.
"Uhmm, oh, this is Kair—" I quickly caught myself, almost revealing his na.
"Hmm? What was that? We didn’t hear you." Angela said, their curiosity clearly piqued.
I shot a desperate glance at Kairos, silently pleading for his help, but the bastard only leaned back in his chair, wearing a sly smirk on his face, obviously enjoying my discomfort.
"His na’s Cross. Cross Valheim," I finally blurted out, hoping it would stick. "I happened to et him coincidentally. He’s also an Elite ranked hero, right Cross?"
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