The magical carriage glided to a stop before the grand entrance of the Royal Palace of Syux. As the ethereal horses dissipated into mist, lisa, Armia, and Javir stepped out.
lisa and Armia's eyes widened as they looked around.
[Whoa.]
The palace grounds were a sea of glittering gowns and crisp suits, mingling beneath the starry sky. Mostly humans with a few kitsune here and there, all chatting and laughing beneath multicolored spirit crystals lighting up the courtyard before they'd even gone into the palace itself.
lisa flinched as a hand landed on the small of her back.
Javir, the owner of that gentle hand, whispered:
"Well, shall we make our grand entrance?"
lisa nodded, trying to quell the butterflies in her stomach.
She glanced at Armia, who looked equally nervous but determined.
lisa tried to inject so confidence into herself.
[Keep your head high,] lisa reminded herself. [You were invited by the king himself. You belong here just as much as anyone else.]
As they ascended the marble steps, whispers and stares followed in their wake. lisa could hear the murmurs of "nim" and "darian" rippling through the crowd, so curious, others disdainful.
They had barely reached the top of the steps when, suddenly...
"lisa!"
The three of them turned and all three ladies' jaws dropped simultaneously.
Isabella had arrived, alongside Kimiko and Raven, and her clothing, if it could even be called that, was...
"Scandalous" was the understatent of the year.
"Holy..." lisa breathed, her eyes wide as saucers. She could feel her face heating up, and a familiar warmth pooling in her lower belly. "Isabella... Holy shit."
Isabella grinned, twirling to show off her barely-there outfit.
"Like what you see, l? I have to say, maybe I should wear this sort of thing more often."
It was almost funny the way lisa could straight-up read Isabella's thoughts right now, through the look in her eyes.
She could almost hear Isabella going:
"Co on, tell I'm hot! Tell how you want to drop all this and head into the nearest alley with ! Tell I'm drop-dead fucking gorgeous~"
Instead, lisa, with a little smile, settled for:
"You look great."
Isabella clearly wanted more, but lisa just looked away.
[... Nothing wrong with making her work for it, right?]
Armia made a choking sound beside lisa, her face flushed a deep crimson.
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"That's... that's certainly an outfit," she managed to say before the kitsune could say anything else, Armia's eyes darting everywhere but at Isabella.
As Isabella continued to flaunt her assets, drawing scandalized gasps and appreciative looks from the surrounding nobles, Javir stepped forward to greet Kimiko.
"Ah, you must be Isabella's mother," Javir said, extending a hand. "I'm Javir of House Folden, lisa's ntor."
Kimiko's erald eyes sparkled with interest as she took Javir's hand, holding it perhaps a mont longer than strictly necessary.
"A pleasure to et you, Javir. I've heard so much about you from Isabella. All good things, I assure you."
Javir raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"Is that so? I hope I can live up to such high praise."
"In one particular way," Kimiko stated as she nonchalantly looked Javir up and down, "you already have." Javir grinned, tilting her head a little.
"..."
lisa blinked.
Before the conversation could progress further, Javir cleared her throat and took a step back, addressing the group.
"Now then, let's go over the plan for tonight."
"You an it's not as simple as: get drunk, dance, and wake up soplace else?" Isabella asked with a smirk.
"No," Javir replied, though lisa could see her holding back a smirk of her own. "While I encourage you all to network and enjoy yourselves, rember why we're here. Our primary objective is to keep an eye on lisa." She turned to lisa, her expression serious. "You're likely to draw a lot of attention tonight, both positive and negative. Stay alert, alright? You never know what might happen."
"Yeah," lisa nodded. "I'll keep my guard up."
"Excellent," Javir approved. "Alright, everyone... Have fun."
"Co along you two," Kimiko told Isabella and Raven. "There's soone we need to see before we get started."
And, with that, the group split up.
"Ready?" Armia quietly asked lisa.
"Yeah," lisa smiled. "Let's do this."
---
{Isabella}
Isabella sauntered through the crowd, her outfit drawing gasps and hungry stares from all directions. She couldn't help but smirk, reveling in the attention.
[If they think this is scandalous, just wait until the dancing starts,] she thought, suppressing a giggle.
Beside her, Raven looked like she wanted to lt into the shadows. The forr assassin's eyes darted nervously around the room, her hand twitching as if reaching for a weapon that wasn't there.
"Relax, Rae," Isabella whispered, bumping her hip playfully against Raven's. "You look like you're about to murder soone."
The nickna had the desired effect imdiately.
"Don't call that," Raven hissed back. "And maybe I am."
Kimiko led the way, her erald eyes scanning the crowd with predatory focus. Suddenly, she stopped, a sly smile spreading across her face.
"There she is," Kimiko murmured. "Ladies, allow to introduce you to our... benefactor."
They approached a statuesque woman with silver-streaked black hair and piercing blue eyes. She exuded an aura of power and wealth that made even Isabella feel a bit intimidated.
[Damn,] Isabella thought, her tail swishing nervously behind her. [She looks like she eats girls like for breakfast. I like her!]
"Alia, darling!" Kimiko called out, her voice dripping with honey. "It's been far too long."
The woman turned, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Kimiko.
"Kimi! Oh, how I've missed you, you naughty minx."
The two won embraced, their hands lingering on each other perhaps a bit longer than strictly necessary. When they pulled apart, Alia's gaze fell on Isabella, and the young kitsune felt a shiver run down her spine.
Alia's eyes raked over Isabella's body, lingering on every curve and barely-covered bit of skin. Isabella felt her cock twitch in response, and she had to bite her lip to keep from getting hard right then and there.
"And this must be the talented young sundancer you told about," Alia purred, her voice like silk. "Isabella, was it?"
Isabella nodded, sohow managing to find her voice as she bowed.
"That's right, my lady. It's a pleasure to et you."
"Oh, I assure you, the pleasure is all mine."
"Raven Nightsong," Raven Nightsong introduced herself in a deadpan tone. "A pleasure as well."
Alia only gave her a cursory glance before:
"Well then," Alia said, clapping her hands together. "We should get you two prepared for the First Swing. Follow , ladies."
As they followed Alia through the crowd, Isabella's mind raced. She rembered Kimiko's briefing: Six Swings throughout the night, with a dinner break between the Third and Fourth. And of course, the private "dances" in between each one.
[Right,] Isabella thought, a mix of excitent and nerves bubbling in her stomach. [And, in the middle of all that...]
Isabella's eyes drifted to the wand Kimiko had on her hip.
[I shill the fuck out of my invention!] Isabella grinned.
They reached a secluded alcove, hidden from the main ballroom by a shimring magical curtain. Alia turned to face them, her expression suddenly all business.
"Now then," she said, her voice low and intense. "Let's discuss exactly what you'll be doing tonight."
---
{lisa}
lisa's heart pounded as they approached the palace entrance. Two knights in gleaming armor stood at attention, their expressions stoic beneath their visors.
"Invitations, please," one of them said, his voice gruff and businesslike.
Javir stepped forward first. She produced her envelope in the blink of an eye, like a magician slipping sothing down from her sleeve. Then, Javir handed over lisa's envelope as well.
"The darian is her plus one," Javir made sure to inform them. "I didn't bring a guest."
The knight examined the invitations closely, his eyes narrowing as he looked from the letters to the odd trio before him. lisa could practically see the gears turning in his head.
After what felt like an eternity, he nodded curtly and handed the invitations back.
"You may enter," he said, though his tone suggested he'd rather be saying anything but.
As they stepped into the grand foyer, lisa's jaw dropped.
The interior of the palace was even more breathtaking than she'd imagined. Crystal chandeliers floated in mid-air, their light reflecting off polished marble floors and gilded walls. Elaborate tapestries depicting scenes from Syux's history adorned the walls, and the air was thick with the scent of exotic perfus and the low hum of conversation.
But as stunning as the surroundings were, lisa couldn't help but notice sothing else: eyes. Lots of eyes. All on them.
It felt like the entire room had fallen silent the mont they'd entered, though logically lisa knew that couldn't be true. Still, she could feel the weight of countless stares boring into her from every direction.
[Well, shit,] she thought, trying to keep her expression neutral. [I knew we'd draw attention, but this is ridiculous.]
Beside her, Armia shifted uncomfortably, her tail almost looking like it was about to curl around one of her legs. lisa reached out and squeezed one of her hands reassuringly.
To lisa's surprise, even Javir seed to be earning her fair own share of strange looks. Whispers followed in their wake as they made their way deeper into the room.
"Is that... a nim?"
"What's a darian doing here?"
"Isn't that Javir of House Folden? I thought she'd left the court years ago..."
Javir leaned in close, her lips barely moving as she whispered to lisa and Armia.
"Rember, chins up. You have every right to be here."
lisa nodded, straightening her posture. She caught Armia's eye, and they shared a quick, nervous smile.
After a mont, Javir's serious expression lted into a mischievous grin.
"Now then," she said, her voice taking on an exaggerated scholarly tone, "shall we review the finer points of networking? Step one: identify a target. Step two: approach said target. Step three: engage in mind-numbingly dull small talk until you discover sothing useful or die of boredom. Whichever cos first."
lisa couldn't help but giggle, so of the tension easing from her shoulders. Even Armia cracked a smile, her scales regaining so of their luster.
"Any questions?" Javir asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Just one," lisa replied, playing along. "What's the proper etiquette if I fall asleep mid-conversation?"
"Ah, excellent question," Javir nodded sagely. "Unfortunately, I have yet to figure out the answer to that myself, so you're on your own there."
Without further explanation, Javir straightened her jacket and strode off, leaving lisa and Armia standing alone in the sea of staring nobles.
"Well," Armia said after a mont, her voice dry. "This isn't awkward at all."
lisa snorted.
"Nope, not at all. Just two outcasts, surrounded by hundreds of humans who probably think we're here to serve drinks or provide entertainnt."
"Ah, but little do they know," Armia replied, a hint of her usual confidence returning, "we're actually here to serve *looks* and provide *class*."
lisa burst out laughing, not caring about the scandalized looks it earned her from nearby nobles.
[Well... At least we're in this together, eh?]
"Alright then, Lady Duskscale," lisa said, offering her arm to Armia with an exaggerated flourish. "Shall we go dazzle these stuffy nobles with our wit and charm?"
Armia took her arm, her grip firm and reassuring.
"Lead the way, Lady Blackfla."
[Ti to make so waves,] she thought, a determined smile spreading across her face as they walked forward. [Let's see what kind of trouble we can stir up.]
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