The grand ballroom

“Please do forgive Sebastian. He’s been serving my family for the last three generations and is ill used to dealing with commoners.” said a voice as Count Volseig suddenly appeared in the middle of the room with the flourish of his cape. Just when exactly had he arrived?

“People’s of the elemental nations, Vladveria welcomes you with open arms. For too long my country has closed itself off to the outside world. That ends today with the advent of this ceremony. I have invited you today so that we might eat,drink and be merry together. To build a new foundation of friendship between us.” he said as he stepped forward with a glitter in his eye.

“I think their is much our counties can offer each other in the coming days. Resources such as rare minerals, exotic spices, perhaps even arms to deal with the unlawful renegades that seem to plague the countryside no matter where in the world one travels.” he said with a mournful sigh. It seems bandits where a universal problem.

“For now, simply enjoy yourselves. I will have much to discuss with your appointed representatives once dinner is ready.” said the Count as he turned to leave. Crouching down he whispered something into the butlers ears.

“Bring me the ones with the strongest…” he paused. What did they call that strange energy of theirs again? “…The strongest chakra. I have words I would wish to speak with them in private.” he said. With another flourish of his cape he was gone, vanishing as quickly as he had appeared.

Though she really, really did not want to go to what looked like it was going to be some fancy dress party in the middle of a godforsaken nation she had hardly if ever heard of, Yomi simply couldn't refute the prospect of perhaps finding someone willing to finance or broaden her current growing business and if for that she had to go to this ball, she had no other choice than to actually do so.

She had packed some basic belongings, managed to hitch herself a ride by paying one of the fishermen at the Kirigakure harbor and after quite some ardeous travelling and a lot of fish going from the sea straight into her belly, the Kirigakure jounin finally managed to land ashore at the nation of Vladveria. The lack of luminescence, the completely ominous mist and mysterious noises in the dead of the night had never ever intrigued her as much as it did now, but to be fair...in some strange way, that very same ominous place couldn't have felt more like home for the woman hailing from the misty shores of Kirigakure, where the darkness was more prevelant than the light and where there were more shadows to be found in a single alley than in other entire towns alltogether. This place was basically Kirigakure with some added...flair.

Finding herself some place to get the dress she'd brought with her onto herself was quite the chore, given that there were but a few small hamlets nearby and none seemed to be too keen on letting someone in who actually held an invitation to the large estate which belonged to the one ruling the place. Ominous, yes...annoying,  even more so...threatening, absolutely not. At long last though, she did find herself someone who would grant her a room to stay in and a place for her to pucker up her lips, put on the shiny new dress and the ensemble little handbag in which she had stored a few of her smaller tools just for the occasion. Heck, Yomi had even gotten so far as to wear high heels for once.

When all was said and done, she found herself at the entrance of the place, being lead in and upon entering the ballroom, she noticed she was not the only one with an invitation, as many faces seemed to crowd the place. The Kirigakure jounin had only momentarily managed to catch a glimpse of the man who had summoned them, but it was enough for her to show a rather devillish grin as she walked into the large ballroom, presenting whomever would be willing to take it from her, the invitation in question. "Guess the host of this little soirèè does know how to present himself with style and the ubiquitous air of mystery and charm."

Party attire:

With that being said, the first thing she did was try and get herself something to drink, because she knew to even feel somewhat 'in place' at a party like this, she needed to be a bit buzzed.

Zurui's shadow clone followed the rest of the remaining guests -those that had not rudely wandered off- into the main chamber where the butler presented a wide assortment of what he described to be appetizers. The Kiri-nin could hardly believe his eyes. At first, he'd thought the butler an arrogant little thing, speaking of them as mere commoners, but to see this much food of such magnificent caliber and have it not even be the main course...well, he felt very out of place. The Jounin of course helped himself to a drink -a strong drink- and many of the delicacies offered to him and all the other guests.

All of a sudden, the host of this party appeared out of nowhere, spurring the clone to wonder what kind of powers the people from this land possessed. He'd first thought the servants with the food to be short adults or children, but they hardly even seemed human. And now, a man appeared as if from nowhere before a group of skilled and trained shinobi. Perhaps it was simply Zurui's lacking ability that accounted for an untraceable arrival, or perhaps it was something more. The latter is what he suspected, or rather, what he hoped. There had to be more to all of this than a simple introduction, more even than the Count's desires for trade. What he had here, in this place, was beyond anything the major villages had. What was his end game?

Along the ceiling, observing the room and its going on's, would be a few bee's. Shinoskay's Kamizuru bee's of course, they would have crawled in through upper ventilation, the top of the open door, and through spacing in the castles archaic roofing to enter to various places of the Ball room's ceiling to station on the Chandelier's and top of the curtains to blend in and watch the ballroom. They crawled in, rather then flew, to avoid the buzzing of their wings giving them away and Shinoskay's bee's would try to wedge themselves into curtain folds or among the many decorative designs of the extravagances hanging along the ceiling to conceal themselves in the room.

the goal here was largely curiosity but also, in part, information gathering. Shinoskay had a hard time being around the many Shinobi but he wanted to people watch using both sensory and the many senses of the bee to sort of people watch the event. His abilities with chakra sensory allowed him to track everyone's movements to both use as his eyes but also to coordinate his bee's to both avoid detection but also to maneuver any who are seen and threatened by fatal blunt impact force.

ooc Edit: I realized no one was using suppression was unaware I got to memorize signatures. Since I presented here that I am tracking people I am looking at their chakra and thus I get to memorize the signatures of:
Zurui, Sebastian Pennyworth, Count Volseig, Kotoshura Yui, Kanna, Uchiha Akihiro, Rin Uchiha, Masuyo Kaede, Eden Syn, Akari, Kazumi Yuki, Halcyon Yomi.

Still sitting at the table of her choice, the butler would speak up to make his displeasure known. A displeasure stemming from a perception that considered him and the family of royalties obviously above the common rabble that the others were. Dropping the ridiculous claim that they had 'invited themselves' when Akari had clearly greeted him, identified herself as a person mentioned on the list of invited guest and even went through the trouble of curtsying before him before she moved on into the ballroom, the demoness would further listen to the rest of his praise about House Volseig. She'd sigh softly in exasperation of so much praise, the lap dog quaintly doing his duties as the butler of the castle. Not something she cared about despite the truth in his words. Yes, Count Volseig was a generous man and yes, Count Volseig allowed the rabble inside his home, but it was obvious that either the Count didn't care for such difference in status or there was a catch behind all of this. Especially since many seem to know each other or reveal a spark of familiarity. Friends, family, colleagues. Whatever they were, the opulence of this place did little to improve their lack of subtlety.

Food would be brought to the table as the butler announced it. Hors d'oeuvres. The plates of silver shone under the light, the appetisers of a quality and price few would match. And small in amount to the point the oni had to narrow her eyes to assure herself they were, indeed, bite-size portions. Such was the prestige of the high class, the better the quality the smaller the amount, the greater the ego and self-praise. As if the very air around the hors d'oeuvres had gained in quality by merely being around the appetiser. Though the yokai had rarely enjoyed the luxury of good food, relying on the common grub served in Kabukicho she couldn't help but feel disappointed at what was being brought to the table. Still, not wishing to be rude and certainly not wishing to fail at seizing the opportunity she'd take one of the toasts (with caviar, no less) and pop it into her mouth. The soft crack of toast mixed with the softer texture of the fish eggs were in balance, but the treat tasted rather bland to her. Perhaps the oni just wasn't one to savour the 'finer cuisine of the high class'.

What also caught her eyes were the servants who had stepped in to deliver the food. Perfect position, flawless sync. Too perfect to be human. No complaints, no eye blinking, and their skin of a texture that didn't look quite... humane. A curious find, since the yokai had expected this high class castle to be filled with servants of all sorts. But here it was. So far, grand and beautiful on the inside but equally empty as the Count and the butler were about the only ones showing a sign of life, not counting the guests who were no part of the castle's daily life.

Taking a sip of the red wine she had claimed, the fruity taste would tease her palate, the alcohol comfortably warming her up. Most would consider it of outstanding quality, of course, but the yokai was not familiar with such beverages nor qualified to be considered an expert on wine matters. She satisfied herself with considering it tasty. All the while, she would continue to observe her surroundings as she remained undisturbed by other guests so far and worked on figuring out what exactly the goal was of all this pampering of random guests. What was the connection between all these people, and what was the catch behind this invitation?

---

Dress:

XP: 60

Sebastian grumbled quietly to himself but said nothing as his master lightly rebuked him. If it had been just tossing scraps like this to the streets so they could feed like the vultures they where it would be one thing, but inviting them into the castle itself was another. So far only one of them had displayed the proper educate and baring that merited their presence here.

The invitation was supposed to be have been to high ranking dignitaries and the like and yet here he was seeing a bunch of hoodlums act anything but dignified. It was enough to make him wonder if their had been some sort of mix up in the mail.

When Yomi walked in the old butler found himself with his jaw on the floor, his eyes glued to her for a good long moment. Quickly shaking off the effect grabbed his hankerchief out of his pocket and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, searing at himself for making such an unseemly display.

“That woman… she had more energy then anyone else that’s arrived so far. She must be on of their elites. I’ll give her a bit of time to enjoy herself first before sending her to speak with the count.” He thought to himself.

After a moment of hesitation he turning away from the Kiri Jounin and made his way over to the oni in the black dress. “Greetings Madam. It’s refreshing to see that at least some of your generation has remembered their manners. Is their anything in particular you would like to ingest? It would be an honor to serve you.” he said giving her a polite smile.

He moved quietly and with purpose. The fact that he was there was now testament that he was no longer afraid to be out in the open. There was a mysterious castle that had all the mystery needed to peak Honiko's attention. She offered to both Raijin and Nozomi to see who would accept the mission to go undercover. He accepted, to finding out whatever information he could from the party. He wasn't sure if Nozomi denied the request, but whatever Honiko ordered him to do he would do. He still owed her his life, something he wanted to repay in more ways than one.

Raijin entered the castle after a long journey there. Impressed by the vast castle before him, a place like this would be worthy of his plans. To resurrect the Nature clan. Bringing them back to power he would be grateful for a home for them. This seemed to be able to house a village on its own. Raijin walked trying to find his way around, he wore a long black cloak covering his entire body. A white mask on his face, covering everything bu the mouth and eyes. Something needed to conceal his identity.

After a few minutes he chanced upon a ballroom where there were others there mingling. He said nothing to them but only kept his distance as he was required. No telling who you'd run into here.

Looking up from her glass towards what seemed to be one of the earlier appearing and dissapearing man's servants, Yomi simply gave a rather neutral smile, making it obvious that she deemed this blabbering buffoon only worth a simple glance and accompanying arrogant smile. "This party is just like the rest of the people in here it seems, pointlesly opulent and boring," Placing the empty glass on a tray held by one of the minions roaming about with their delicacies and foodstuffs, the jounin took a single step closer to this Pennyworth, looking him straight into the eyes before turning her gaze to the squabbling, squirming rabble that she deemed to be no more than the bottom rung of the ladder. "I suspect there's an ulterior motive to gathering everyone here..."

Chuckling softly, yet all the while displaying a rather ruthless looking grin, the woman seemed to slowlyy slide around the butler, making no sound with her feet as she circled him. "I like games...a host trapping some ignorant fools, making them feel comfortable and pampered before snapping the trap shut upon them. I don't care how and I don't care why...all I care about is...will it all entertain me?"

Trying out a second appetiser, the strong taste of blue cheese would be softened up by the pear that contained them. In the eyes of the street-living yokai these appetisers seemed to hold the weirdest combinations whereas the tastes mingled had contained a balance of two extremes yet again. Knowing nothing about cooking of this level, she wondered if this was the secret behind 'a good taste'. To find and combine two ingredients which didn't seem to match at first sight, their perfect wedding found in a deeper value not perceivable by the eyes? Though not her cup of tea, a certain respect bloomed for the one that had figured this out.

Her solitary analysis of this rich world would be disturbed as the butler of the house inched closer to address her. He complimented her on her courteous manners and asked her if she wanted anything in particular. Thrown out of her element, Akari wasn't sure what she had to think about this. Even if she had lived in the wilderness for many years, living in the city had quickly taught her the basis of politeness. Low class and high class held different approaches, she had frequented both in her wandering, picked up on the general behaviour as she allowed her eyes to feast on what Kumogakure had to offer to a 'barbarian' like herself. But that didn't mean she was part of that society.

"Basic manners are everything, sir.", she said as she stood up and curtsied again. "But I'm afraid I'm mostly self-taught and not too familiar with what your standing's etiquette is. I just tried not to offend."

At his suggestion of being served something in particular, the yokai eyed the hors d'oeuvre for a moment. Small tidbits of food that triggered compliments. A common phrase of those feasting onto something that was beyond their own skill. Praise was a powerful way of coaxing people. And while it wasn't a ticket to doing as one pleased - like Akari preferred - at least they could placate possible enemies into a sense of neutrality. A good enough solution, since all Evil needed was for others to do nothing.

"Firstly my thanks to the lord for the invitation. I'm not sure why a girl like me would get one but it's very appreciated. I'd also like to compliment the chef for these appetisers. I was a little worried about the ingredients but it's clear the chef knows what he's doing. But ah... Since all of this is quite well beyond me, would you have a suggestion? I'm certain a man with your expertise knows better than I what would be of exquisite taste."

She'd flash the butler a hopeful smile, the fifteen year old playing out her young age in the guise of an innocent girl a little lost and overwhelmed in the grandness of the castle.

---

XP 80

A large horseless wagon silently pulled up to the castle gates.  It was similar to the one the Team known as the Thundercats had once used to travel to the land of frost but with the threads having been slightly adapted for Rocky terrain rather then ice and snow.  

It was yet another miracle work made by Natsuru that the team had brough overseas with them by ship and then road over here with the intention of giving it to the Count as a gift.  Even by noble standards the wagon would be considered a high end luxury item so giving it away would be both a way to show off to the other people attending as well as butter the Count up so that he’d give Kumo a better deal it the topic of trade negotiations came up.

Stepping out the the side hatch first was Ryuko, her black dress shoes clicking softly against the gravel as she set foot on the ground being careful to make sure that her long black skirt didn’t flip from the sudden movement.  Perhaps she was taking her code name of Black panther a little too seriously as presently she was dressed in a Black cat costume, complete with face paint on her nose and cheeks drawn to look like whiskers.

Naturally the costume came complete with a tail and cat ears as well.  She’s specifically selected this one in particular because it was on the more modest side compared to some of the other costumes for adults, most of which seemed more like they belong in the Boudoir then someone one could wear safely in public.

The Black Cat:

Racing ahead of her was her lady in waiting Sophie who’d accompanied the girls on this trip acting as their maid so they could focus on the more important matters like being good representatives of their country.   Opening the door to the castle which lead almost directly to the ballroom Sophie gave the Butler a polite bow of the head then gestured towards her master.

“Presenting the right and honorable Lady Ryuko Shizu Von Rose.” said Sophie and Ryuko picked up the hem of her dress and gave a polite curtsy.  Glancing about the room to see if there was anyone present she knew her eyes where quickly drawn to Yomi, a woman who was every bit as sexy as she was intimidating.

It had been a couple of years but Ryuko still recognized her face from the events at the valley. How that Yomi had been the only one present to give Shiroi a run for her money.  Even now that she was a Jounin that was defiantly someone she didn’t want to cross, thought the day might come when that was inevitable given how Ryuko wanted to stanch Nozomi away from the sage while Yomi likely wanted her former compatriot dead for go turning missing.

Ryuko still wasn’t very good with talking to men she didn’t already know so when she spotted Rin in his formal attire sitting at a table near the entrance she hesitated to speak with him and instead electing to keep scanning the room until finally she noticed something that was a little more her speed.

Standing in one corner was what looked to be one woman wearing a straight jacket and beside her a witch.  Walking towards them Ryuko gave them a friendly wave. “Good evening, did you have to travel far to get here?” she asked not knowing where the women where from.  Noticing that the girl dressed as a witch was eyeing the piano with great curiosity Ryuko gave her a soft grin.

“Oh my what a lovely instrument, Would you perhaps like me to play a song for you?” she offered.  Getting permission to use it would be a trifling task and while her usual instrument of choice was the mandolin Ryuko was well versed in the piano as well and would have no trouble using the device.  Frankly given that this was a ball it was a surprise their wasn’t music playing already.

The young Jounin silently approaches the scene, making his way to the entrance of the castle with a dagger-like stare, his hair betraying what was otherwise a completely different look from his usual one. Sakata's adorned his lower face with what looked like the lower half of a plague doctor's mask, intermixed between dull brown and red in tone. Beyond that, a baggy, dark grey coat with black fur trim to the collar hangs from his form, reaching down to his mid-thigh level and partially covering up the black dress shirt and white tie beneath it, contrasted by a belt and a matching pair of dress pants and shoes.

One notable detail was that he's wearing a pair of surgeon's gloves with the outfit, one of which has 'Joker' running along the knuckles of it, with one letter upon each knuckle of the hand he has it on. Overall, the entirety of the theme he was going for with this outfit could be summed up with one word: foreboding. He wanted to have a sense of unease to his presence while rocking this, and between standing around six foot two and having some of his musculature exposed by pushing up the sleeves of his shirt and coat, hopefully that would succeed.

Sakata's Look:

The male flashes his invitation before proceeding on in, trudging along and peering at the various faces around the place. He recognized the Jounin that had been attacked by that woman years back, but not too many others -- wait. Sakata quirks a single brow upright upon another familiar sight, then slowly draws near, walking along at a slow pace while remaining silent. Then he comes to a stop just a few steps away from none other than Ryuko, positioning himself within her line of sight but no making an effort to impede on her remark until she's finished it.

"Looks like we both made it here, Panther."

People continue to flood inside the ballroom as Rin’s sensory has been going off almost rapidly. The Count had made his appearance and gave a speech that is expected of such a host. One of the newcomers that held an aura of intimidation and still holds that attractiveness which probably could burn on the touch. She held the most amount of chakra from what Rin can sense, and he’s not the only one who noticed as the butler was speaking to her. Normally Rin shouldn’t be able to pick up, but with his enhanced kage-like hearing focused on them Rin heard what was being said. A trap? Probably Rin wagered. Still it seems that the butler is scouting for someone to hold an audience with the count. Now why would that be the case? Rin wouldn’t doubt if the Count was looking for a potential bride if the guy wasn’t married yet.

Another duo newcomers pinged Rin’s mind as it would seem new pieces on this chessboard has entered the field. The first one was announced as Lady Ryuko Shizu Von Rose, boy that’s a mouthful to say someone’s name. Rin, being close to the entrance to begin with, shifted his eyes over his shoulder just to get a facial recognition. Ryuko seemed to have chosen a feline costume and it reminded Rin of a panther. Rin really did choose the wrong set of attire didn’t he? The young man would notice that Ryuko looked like she was going to speak to him, but Rin saw hesitation behind her shoulders. He wasn’t that intimidating was he? Rin didn’t think he was, but then again being the only one in formal attire can intimidate some people.

Ryuko seemed to have redirected as she spoke of a piano towards two of the other people. The next person to come in was a tall man, and Rin can immediately tell just from the look of Sakata’s eyes that is one guy no one wants to trifle with. It appeared that this guy knew Ryuko, but instead of calling her by name Sakata said Panther. Code names? It is a bit odd, though security of one’s self when outside of their village including their names can prevent people from finding out who they really are. But Rin wasn’t worried too much about people finding out who he is.

The young genin had about enough of just sitting around so Rin got up from his chair and walked up to where the drinks would be located at. Every public event is supposed to have some refreshments and maybe it wasn’t alcohol this time. Frankly there was section that was non-alcohol so Rin would help himself a glass of cider. Perhaps it was about time to conversate with the other people and aside from Yui, Kanna, and Masuyo there wasn’t many people Rin was close to. So Rin would approach the small group that had gathered with the glass in hand and his free hand tucked into his pocket. So far Rin has kept up with just about every conversation within the room, and there was even a figure wearing a mask and long coat. To which Rin would raise his glass as a form of silent greeting as a smile formed on the young teen’s lips.

“A skilled hand at the piano would definitely boost the wonderful atmosphere around here. Though i’ll admit that i’m more of an acoustic guitar and dizi musician.” Rin spoke to four as he still gives a modest smile. It was true on his part since he’s been playing that flute for years, and recently familiarize himself with the guitar. He just hopes that no one expects him to play it right now as Rin never had such a big audience before.

Used Sensing Technique

Perception: B > A

Pennyworth laughed when Yomi suggested that their was an ulterior motive for bringing them here. “Why of course there was an ulterior motive madam, but I assure it’s nothing so sinister as what you seem to be implying.  Trade is one thing but we wouldn’t need so many of you for just that. No the Count asked for so many to come because he’s looking to hire a crack team for a mission.” said the Butler with a light chuckle.

“Dinner will be served shortly, but before that the Count wishes to speak to you in the Throne room Miss Halcyon. I do believe you’ve caught his favor.  Shall I have one of the servants escort you?” he asked.  Eying the new arrivals the butler frowned. There where a few with above average stamina but none that particularly stood out the way Yomi did.  He would have assumed their would be more candidates for what they where seeking from among the rabble.   But all things considered it could be worse.  Yomi might not be from a noble house but she had a regal baring to her.  

The ways she was walking around as if she owned the place already would make her a good candidate to be the Count’s new bride.  Or at least that’s what Sebastian assumed the Count was looking for anyhow from the details he’s been told to keep an eye out for.  Then again the other woman he was talking to just might be able to give the Jounin a run for her money in that department.  She didn’t have the sheer energy the count was after but she more then made up for it in her grace and charm.

Puffing himself up at her words of praise he grinned. “I’m sure the head chief will be delighted to hear such words of praise.  If I might presume a suggestion that I would recommend some Foie gras.  It’s a popular french delicacy well known for it’s rich flavor.” he said.  It was a fine dish indeed considering how long the duck took to be prepared. One would usually force feed them for an average of 100 days before slaughtering them and extracting the liver.

Waltzing into the hall Alkaid grinned as she surveyed the potential targets inside the ballroom.  So many people from other lands and yet so little time to pull as much information as should could out of them.   It looked like her sensai Yomi had already landed the biggest fish of them all so she’d have to do her best to get someone at least half as juice or she’d get chewed out later.

Alkaid's costume:

Currently she was dressed like a princess complete with a silver crown and a toy sword which she was carrying with one hand. Fitting since she technically might as well be the princess of the Kaguya clan and was often called as such by some of the other member's.  She just didn’t usually didn’t like to flaunt it except in situations like this where she could use it to her advantage.

Out of everyone their their was one man with black hair that stood out because instead of wearing a costume he was in extremely formal wear.  He seemed like as good as any to start with.  He was walking towards a group of women to address them.   Alkaid couldn’t quite put her finger on it but the one dressed like a cat seemed like bad news.  

She’d have to go in and see if she could pull the man away from them for a more private interrogation session.  Walking up behind Rin she attempted to slip her free hand hand around his shoulder. “Well hello handsome. Come here often?” she said, her voice sultry as she used one of the oldest pick up lines in the book on him.

If it weren’t for Rin’s hearing he would’ve been surprised of someone approaching him. Naturally Rin shift his eyes over to the presence. Rin’s eyes was met with pure white like watching snow that seems to follow along each step Alkaid took. A silver crown on her head and a toy sword in one hand. The other hand gracefully moved to wrap around his shoulder. Alkaid had used a pick up line that Rin recognized, and frankly it was a nice try with the type of tone Alkaid used.

“About as often as i am graced by your presence. No wonder the sky is grey tonight, all the blue is in your eyes.” If Alkaid had used a pick up line then perhaps she was familiar with this one. It was more of a subtle way that he could distinguish between the lines as he didn’t seem to be buying it that much. Though Rin still smiles he didn’t get slightly red on the face or lose his composure. If she responded then Rin will hold his tongue until he’s heard what is said before introducing himself. “My name is Rin Uchiha. I trust you arrived by letter invitation as well?”

Yomi's eyebrows rose for just an instant in surprise, before lowering just as fast into a frown. The butler's words were both shocking, pleasing and somewhat disturbing at the same time. No trap, no game, it all seemed so strange to have so many people invited by someone completely unbeknownst to most of them that it would've been odd for it not to be a trap at all. In a way though, even when there was implication trade was part of the idea, the butler did let it slip out that there were some extra dealings to be made and just for this, Yomi simply nodded silently in acknowledgement to the butler's words and requests. "If someone who hosts a grand affair such as this requests a presence, said presence would be rather blind and foolish to ignore it," With a crafty smile, Yomi agreed with the idea of having a sperate meeting with the nobleman in charge of the household, keen on discovering what the true ulterior motive was. "Do please send my regards and acceptance to a private conversation to your master...I'll spend my time waiting amongst a few of those who I know around here."

With that Yomi gave the man a polite nod and walked off towards someone she knew and who had only recently shown herself in the ballroom: a fellow kiri nin, it was almost impossible to miss the young Kaguya's entrance. "Well well Alkaid, fancy seeing you here on an occassion like this," Yomi gave the Kaguya kid a grin and turned towards the Konoha shinobi with a puzzled expression on her face. Which quickly changed into a smile as she grabbed a single toast with salmon roe and moked salmon tartar, before passing through again. "Pardon me for the intrusion, I just needed to have a taste of those lovely canapees over here."

The butler brimmed under the compliments he was given concerning his staff and suggest something called 'Foie Gras'. Just the way he pronounced it made it sound as greasy as it was exotic, mentioning some strange country she had never heard about. France? It sounded rather fancy. Probably sported the same high class as this whole castle.

"I'll abide by your insight and try that out, thank you."

She had no clue what foie gras exactly was but she concluded that nothing could be worse than eating worms or roaches to survive wildlife. Anything that sounded like a dish requiring time and effort sounded better in the ears of the oni sitting at the table. Taking a sip from the wine glass, her eyes would dart across the people. This Miss Halcyon had to be something. A special person if she was to be escorted to Throne room. High class? The dress certainly looked expensive. Influential? Was that not the sort that the Count would be looking for in the first place? But the conversation between the butler and the guest were none of that sort. It concerned a mission. Shinobi business. Not quite why she had come here.

"Hey, mister butler. Would it be alright to explore the castle after dinner? It must be amazing living in one...", she asked with a most hopeful expression on her face. Anything to just get away from this crowd and indulge her curiosity - her envy - of having so much. Even if the oni lived a sober life, preferring the outside life of the streets above a consistently accessible shelter such as a home, the temptation not to torture others with her antics was just too great. And who know what there was to find in a building such as this?

---

Dress:

XP: 100

It was risky for her to decide to attend, but Honiko had requested that Nozomi and Raijin both show up and gather information. Nozomi wasn't really fond of this espionage sort of stuff, she'd much rather fight her way through a problem, but she could see the benefit of her attending. Of course, the immediate problem presented itself that she could be recognized, but as far as she cared, it was a minimal issue.

The past couple of years had shown a growth in Nozomi that was simply astounding. There were few people she would be worried about fighting, and of those people, she knew she could probably escape if it came down to needing to. However, she was requested by Honiko to only fight in self defense, so she had left behind her weaponry and gear. She didn't really need any of it, and not having any would reduce her threat perception.

Having dressed up in a beautiful white gown that came down to her knees, exposing her legs from the knee caps down, Nozomi has deigned to put fake wings on the back of her outfit, which was otherwise very normal appearing. Her face was covered by a mask with what appeared to have an engraving of feathers on the edges, giving her an angelic look and hiding her identity. The gown showed off her modest chest, which has grown a little so she no longer appeared flat, but wasn't exactly large by any accounts. Her feet were clad in plain white flats, while white gloves with pointless decorative trim covered her arms up to her biceps. Her hair had been braided and then looped around on the top back of her head, so that it was made into a sort of decorative bun.

To anyone who paid her attention as she entered the ballroom, she didn't act like she had anything to hide, and actually carried herself much like someone who excelled in social gatherings. She looked around the room to see who she should stake out first, and her heart nearly stopped.

It should have been obvious to her that Yomi would be there, and to a degree she had expected it. However, she hadn't expected her to be quite so pretty. There was no regretfor having defected, but she did miss Yomi, and always wished she would have joined up. Remembering that Yomi was to be Honiko's kill, the blonde missingnin decided it would be better to avoid her in general.

The passing gaze only took a moment for Nozomi, and nobody should have noticed even the tiniest glimpse of a stare. She shifted from person to person, and recognized a couple of people, but less than she would have thought. That was good, it meant that she wouldn't have to fight her way out at least, hopefully. Her gaze would shift over until she saw Ryuko.

Again, her heart seemed to skip a beat, although this was much more of an uplifting feeling. Ryuko hadn't seemed to enjoy fighting her, and had tried to protect her. The fast boy from before though was close to her, and he was the one who had ignored the peace talks and attempted to strike her down as well. She doubted he would recognize her, so she made her way over to the group, notice g the lady in waiting.

A thought ran through her head that Ryuko may be involved with someone. On the off chance she wasn't though, maybe she could see if the attraction was still there. If so, then maybe Nozomi could gather information more easily through Ryuko. That would be for later of course, as right now she was focused on trying to make small talk, and listening to any other conversations while she did so.

Stepping in front of Ryuko, Nozomi made a polite curtsy, and spoke in a more posh and girlish voice than she usually did. Only Yomi knew what she had sounded like, for certain, as she had the most interactions with her, but she didn't want to risk Simon recognizing her at all. "And hello to you Madame, I don't believe we've been aquainted! I make it a habit to know all the ladies of stature, and you my dear are one of ever I've met any."

Having formed a single petal in her hand on the way over Nozomi reached for Ryuko's hand and brought it to her mouth, placing a kiss on the top of the girl's hand, while slipping the petal into Ryuko's grasp and locking eyes with her. While Nozomi's half mask covered most of her face, her eyes would be very visible and they were unique enough that with the petal as a reminder, perhaps she would recognize her.

"Mayhaps you'll join me for a drink in a moment, when you're no longer entertaining other company?" She asked, releasing Ryuko's hand and giving a small curtsy before sauntering away the refreshments. She let her gaze wander around the room when she got there, keeping tabs on everyone and no one at the same time.

While she was waiting for one of the girls she’d been talking to respond to Ryuko noticed that the guy she had hesitated to speak to earlier was coming their way.  Breaking into a nervous sweat she started praying to Hakkin that he was simply going to pass her by without attempting to interact with her at all but it seemed her god had other idea in mind for her today.

The well dressed man elected to speak to her directly causing the anxiety she was feeling to intensify.  Thankfully he chosen to talk about musical instruments, a subject Ryuko could actually relate to.  If he’d gone and tried to actually hit on her she probably would have ran for the hills.  

She had a hard time dealing with strange man in general, especially ones in her age group.   Someone like Mori was easier to deal with specifically because of the age gap between them.  Sakata on the other hand had taken some time to get used to, but eventually they had become good friends.  

She felt a bit ashamed of herself that she was still having trouble with the opposite gender years later despite making an effort to be more friendly with the boys.  The fact that she hadn’t drop kicked Lei into orbit yet despite how exasperating he could be at times had to show she was making at least some improvement in that regard.

“A Dizi sir? I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar with that instrument.” she replied feeling a bit confused.  She was well read but it wasn’t like she knew every type of way their was to play music on the planet.  It was sort of like how the Acoustic guitar he played and the Mandolin she did where similar and yet very different things.

Nodding her head in acknolkagemenet of Sakata’s arrival Ryuko gave him a warm grin in return. “Glad you could make it Joker.  Have you seen Badger or Raven anywhere about? They should have joined us by now.” She asked feeling a bit concerned as she invoked the names of her fellow Thundercats.

It wouldn’t be long before they where joined by one person after the other.  First a white haired thot came over to hit on the well dressed gentleman followed by the Kiri Jounin Ryuko only knew in passing from the events at the valley.    She had to wonder if Yomi even remembered her from that day or if she’d been too insignificant to register.

After all Ryuko had been trapped inside a dome of fire before she’d even been able to attempt lending an hand.  But realistically what could she have done otherwise?  She’d barely managed to nail one of Shiroi’s clones once they had broken free and that had been more sheer dumb luck then skill.

Ryuko wondered if Yomi would be willing to talk with her a bit about Nozomi.   They had been a former teacher and student pair after all.  They only better way to get information about the person she was infatuated with would be directly from the source. But what where the odds she’s stumble right across her after two years of going over reports hoping to see some sign, some trace of the the cute girl with freckles only to come up with nothing every time.

Quite good as it would turn out as a moment later a woman wearing a spectacular white gown appeared before her. Even with the mask she was wearing covering her face she was stunningly beautiful to the point that Ryuko felt her heart leap at the sight.  Between training and missions and her other duties she’d met many people over the last two years and yet none of them had made her feel like this.  

This was the first time since the valley that her heart had rushed to the beat of excitement of a different kind then the rush of battle.  Could this be at last the person she had been seeking? The person she’d be training so hard in order to meet again? Rationally she had no reason to think that could be possibly be the case and yet her heart wished for it to be true.

She flashed the brightness smile she’d given all day as the woman greeted her, returning the curtsy enthusiastically.  It almost made her want to giggle like a school girl at how adorable this woman was being.  The woman’s hands down had flawless educate which as surprising as it was enduring.  It was a soft side of her that Ryuko hadn’t fully expected from what little she’d gleaned during their brief prior interaction.  A small naughty part of her wanted to see every side this girl, no this woman had to offer.   From the Fierce warrior to the elegant patrician.

As the Woman took her hand, Ryuko gasped in pleasure.  Her head swooning at the sheer romanticism of the situation as the other girl raised the appendage to her lips kissing it.  It must have seemed a strange sight to the other party goers, but to Ryuko it was pure bliss.  She didn’t even need the flower petal that had been slipped into her hands as evidence to confirm her suspicions.

One look into Nozomi’s eyes was enough to tell the tale.  Their brilliant cerulean blue to the even more brilliant jade rings in the middle of her pupils where one of a kind.  Ryuko couldn’t possibly mistake them for anything else.

The moment felt like an eternity and yet was over all too soon as Nozomi released her hand inviting her for a drink later as she sauntered away.  Ryuko couldn’t exactly blame her for not sticking around. Being that close to her former sensai was taking a huge risk. It seemed in addtion to being a total charmer Nozomi had bigger brass balls on her then most of the men she knew.

Slipping the petal into her pocket for safekeeping Ryuko raised her hand to her mouth and coughed politely into it. “Ahem, well then if you would excuse me ladies and gentlemen,  it seems that I have an engagement to keep. I do hope you’ll enjoy the rest of your evening.” she said as she gave the small gathering a polite bow before turning to her lady in waiting.

“If you wouldn’t mind waiting here please Sophie. I would like some time…alone with my new acquaintance.” she requested hoping that her choice of words didn’t sound too forward.  Sophie who knew of her not so secret romantic leanings simply smiled at her and waved her off in responce.

Making her way over towards where Nozomi had gone she felt her heart beating a mile a minute. She was way more nervous now then when she’d been trying to talk to Rin.  After so many years what was she even supposed to even say? Especially after a lead in that sensational?   All thoughts of her orginal mission her, to open up trade relations with the count where thrown out the window.   The only thing left on her mind now was Nozomi herself and where did the two of them go from here.

All this time she had feared that it had been a one sided attraction.  That Nozomi saw her as nothing more then as a friendly rival.  It was kind of hard to still think that way now after a kiss to the hand like that. Even with that she still felt some reluctance to open up, to say what she was feeling.  She’d tried to do that once, coming out of the closet only to be turned down in no uncertain terms.

But she had to be brave, be bold. She owed Nozomi at least that much after the risk the girl had just put herself under to be in contact again.  If she claimed up now she might miss her one and only shot at something real forming between them a rare oppertunity to tie their red strings of fate together.  Nozomi would leave and Hakkin only knew when or even if they’d see each other again.

“Tell me did tis hurt when you fell from heaven?” Ryuko found herself asking as a pick up line. She felt a bit lame starting with something so cliche but it felt appropriate considering how her date was dressed like an angel and all.   “You know I’ve been looking for you every day since we last met.  I never would have guessed you’d find me first.  I’m relived to see you’re still in one piece.  Been keeping out of trouble?” She asked making small talk.   She didn’t want to come on too strong right from the start out of fear she’d chase Nozomi away.

Taking a final bite from the canapee she just took, the woman looked down when a funny looking thing addressed her as being her guide to the throne room on orders of the butler. Dressed in way too fancy clothing for such a repugnant looking little critter, Yomi could only grin ever so slightly. However, just as she was about to follow the repulsive little being, she caught something in the corner of her eyes: a strange young gal entering the ballroom in a snow white attire adorned with angelic wings and donning a rather peculiar mask. It was a stark contrast to the girl who had such a demonic air about her, the girl Yomi noticed when she kept a close eye on the butler's movements. Black and white in a single room, a demon and an angel...quite the contradictionary images.

The little serf seemed to walk straight passed the girl in white as she interacted with someone Yomi did not know, but who did seem to like wearing particularily weird clothing. However, just as Yomi passed the two and simply gave them a polite nod, she stopped in her tracks. Her blue and silver stiletto heels clacked onto the ground as she suddenly stood still next to the two, her eye having caught the sight of something she had not seen in over two years, but she unmistakenbly remembered as a trick only one family or rather one person had displayed to her before. Just as the girl in her black cat suit spoke up and swiftly seemed to hide the petal, a crackling sound could be heard from underneath Yomi's feet, as she had dug the heel of one of her shoes into a marble tile, cracking it in the process. "A little cat, smitten by a tainted angel, how cute..." Yomi's eyes seemed almost lifeless as they looked upon the duo, a stern look on her face as she gritted her teeth, her chakra bubbling beneath her skin, anxious to lash out, but restrained by sheer will. "The world is such a small place... Don't you think, my little traitor?"

Leaning in close to the girl dressed in white, Yomi's lips curled into a visible ferocious grin, which without a doubt would also signal to Ryuko that the Kirigakure Monster knew who the girl in white truly was underneath the mask. "Don't move an inch, not even a muscle and I will rip out that beast slumbering within you as easily as ripping the stuffing out of a child's teddy bear," Granting Nozomi a moment to respond either by nodding or actually being stupid enough to actually try out wether or not Yomi meant to follow up on her threat, the jounin let out a calm sigh. "You are not my primary target, kid. However, do tell your mistress that next time we meet...I will show her what it takes to be a real monster."

Leaning backwards again, Yomi smiled brightly at Ryuko and gave Nozomi a pat on the shoulders. "Good to see you again, we should get together again to... catch up." With that, Yomi motioned the Serf to move on again, gliding surprisingly elegant through the crowd towards her destination for the evening.

[Exit]

Armor and sword look:

Ken had received an invitation to a ball, not his cup of tea but he knew it would be wise to go. If he got one he was sure other shinobi also had. He wanted to gather more information for his village as he knew the time was coming closer for that three-year warning she had given the villages. Not only this but they villages were all becoming aggressive with expansions so he needed to go and figure out where the biggest threats were. He would make his way toward this castle, still, why would someone invite shinobi way out here something felt off.

He had no worries about protecting himself but if others were put in danger it would be hard for him to not try to protect others, this, of course, could lead to himself getting injured. He would show his invitation as he would step inside donning his black armor, this armor was for show so not meant for combat but it still looked quite nice. His large sword also remained in his hand but once again the blade had a dulled edge showing it to make sure they understood this was decorative armor and a weapon.

As he stepped inside he would spot Yomi and smile but before he could talk to her it seemed she was taken to meet someone. He stared at whom she had been speaking to and he did not recognize the woman. Oh well, he was here so he may as well mingle as he would approach Nozomi with his helmet fading from his face and give a light bow.

"The name is Tetsudashi Ken and it is my pleasure to meet you, oh and you as well miss."

He would bow to Ryuko as well making sure to be polite, to discover more information on people he knew it was best to offer honey instead of venom. If he could show he was not dangerous they may be more willing to speak to him, though he would guess anyone that was a sensor in the room would know he was not some normal man. He had the aura of a man that had been in many battles, someone that despite showing a nice smile and being polite was ready to go into battle at any moment.

Alkaid was so pleased that she could almost purr like a cat when the man allowed her to slip her arm around his shoulder without resistance.  Like a black widow spider once she had her prey in her clutches it was too already too late though unlike a spider she had absolutely no intention of killing him.  

No it was information she was seeking and if she could have some fun in the process of acquiring it all so much for the better.  The man fired back with his own pick up line. He was confident and smooth traits she admired in a man.  It was too bad she was already taken because otherwise she could see this going places, not that he needed to know that.

There was so much about him she wanted to know she wasn’t sure where to start askingWhere was he from, what was his home like.  Was he as loaded as his outfit suggested?  Not that she needed money being pretty loaded herself but she wasn’t beyond draining some poor sucker dry for the sake of her village.

The man introduced herself and it took Alkaid a minute to place the name. Uchiha huh… where had she heard that surname before. Oh right they where a big league clan that lived with their allies over in the the village hidden in the forest or something like that.   She couldn’t remember what their powers or anything where or if they even had any but she knew she’d caught a pretty big fish herself.

The only problem was that if he was telling the truth about his name he was ostensibly an ally.  Which meant she had to be careful not to burn him too badly here less she start off an international incident with the one village that was on their side.   Well he was from the country of fire after all, surely he could take a bit of heat all she had to do was make sure she either wasn’t caught or that if she was it wasn’t associated with Kiri.

“A pleasure to meet you Sir Rin. I am….” she started to introduce herself when her sensai Yomi rudely interupted her giving out her real last name just as the Kaguya had been able to give a false identity.  A few seconds later and the whole game would have been blown and just went it was getting started to boot.  

Alkaid shot Yomi a sour look annoyed at such oblivious behavior from a woman who was like supposedly the ultimate infiltration specialist.  Damn it woman can’t you see I’m trying to get my spy game on? She silently conveyed her thoughts thought to most people it would just seem like she was jealous about potential competition for the new hottie  she was trying to acquire.

“Yes fancy seeing you here sensai. I never guessed we’d both be invited. Frankly I’m not sure I’m worthy to be sharing the same room as the both of you.” she said letting off a sigh that was purely for show. “As I was saying, I’m Alkaid Kaguya” she said giving up any pretenses of hiding her identity. Now that Rin knew her first name and her assocation with Yomi it wouldn’t take the worlds greatest detective to put the pieces together.

“And this is my sensai Yomi Halycon, the greatest jounin in kiri.” she said with grand aplomb. “Meanwhile I’m just your average run of the mill chuunin.  The kind that comes a dime a dozen.” she said deliberately underselling herself to appear less threatening. “Really I’m more of a reservist at this point then someone you’d see on the front lines. I spend more time running my cafe then I do out on missions. How I got a invitation in anybody’s guess.” she said with a shrug.

“You on the other hand Rin. You look like you’ve seen some action, like you’ve got some stories to tell. Care to go somewhere a little more private like the garden to share some of them with me?” she said her tone conveying a bit of naughtiness to it as well as the longing to get away from the altercations going on around them which she was doing her level best to ignore.

“You know I’ve been looking to get out of the game and expand my business.  Konohagakure seems as good as a place as any to expand. It’s funny when my parents told me to accept the invitation and come here they said it was about time that I found a husband. I thought they where being silly but then I saw you and thought maybe…. maybe they weren’t being so silly after all.” she said with a light laugh.

“He he, now I’m the one being silly getting ahead of myself.  But you’re such my type that I can’t help it. It’s not often one finds a…specimen as handsome as yourself.” she added practically gushing about how good he looked.  With how tight that suit of his was she could tell that he was positively ripped underneath it making for one prime chunk of meat to just drool over.

Shimiko was the second person to step out of the modified wagon. She wore a sultry vampire outfit as a way to pay homage to her family's ancestral roots. She had also heard that foreigners had a bizarre phobia and philia for vampires which would make her dress somewhat topical. The costume left little to the imagination and while Shimiko had never been a stranger to showing skin even as a genin, this was far beyond the bounds of immodesty she had become accustomed to at present. The party presented her with an opportunity to flaunt her new womanly bust and inflame her boyfriend's passions. The revealing red and black one-piece costume was overlaid with a thin transparent black gown that also functioned as a cape. To complete the look she was wearing a pair of red heels and what appeared to be black elbow length gloves (though were in reality her signature weapons the Kālīkoroshimasu). She had put together a pair of plastic fangs that were custom-made so as not to make her speech incomprehensible, she flexed them and gave a spooky hiss as she strode towards the party.

Shimiko approached Sakata from behind and slipped her hands around the crook of his arm leaning on him the way any girlfriend might. She spoke to him in an exaggerated Eastern European accent. "I vant to drink your blood Sakata!" she bit his shoulder playfully as she entered the ballroom. There were many guests present all of whom where chatting, enjoying the food, and wearing scary costumes. Shimiko was having a ball just being present and although she did not attend with any specific goal in mind she always had her eyes out for oppurtunities. Ryuko would handle the politics, Natsuru the business, the military side of things were her domain. If the foreigners were a threat or if there was an alliance to be made then she would tease out what the possible terms of engagement might be. Additionally, this time of year glorified death and horror which meant that it would be extra-meaningful if she chose to sacrifice someone to Jashin at the party. Shimiko shook her own head and laughed as the thoughts ran through her head. She wasn't supposed to be thinking about death and war at a time like this. She wasn't here as an member of Kumo ANBU or the Orthodox Church of Jashin, she was here as a party-goer. Shimiko spotted Ryuko speaking with a lady in white with angel wings and she smiled hoping that her Nakama was having fun and not just working the room for politics's sake.

Shimiko didn't know any of the people here besides Sakata and Ryuko. It occurred to her that this was a great chance to get to know other shinobi from around the world. She'd spring her vampire wings and talk to them soon but for now she wanted to enjoy Sakata's company a bit longer.

"Love the doctor's outfit by the way..." she whispered in his ear before planting a light kiss on his neck. Normally she'd have to stand on tip toe to get at him but the heels put them at slightly closer to equal footing.

Ryuko seemed to be unfamiliar with the dizi instrument. So Rin elaborated on it that it is a form of a flute that is honestly much easier compared to other flutes. It is different because instead of blowing into the flute Rin describes that he would need to blow a narrow soft air across the mouthpiece. It was hard to give an accurate description without having one at hand and Rin had left his back at his penthouse. Then he suppose not many people use dizi as an instrument. Most people go for guitars, violins, pianos, and even harps. Flutes as Rin had learned can be a genjutsu user's favorite choice of instrument for various reasons.

From the corner of his eye Rin noticed that Yomi was approaching them. He thought it was odd since Yomi doesn't know him, but then seeing Alkaid here Rin figured they might be acquainted. Sure enough Yomi spoke of Alkaid by name in fact and now Rin has a name. He shifted his eyes over to Alkaid who appeared to have a sour look on her face. It didn't take a genius to figure it out as it was pretty much what everyone else seems to be after. Information.

When Yomi excused for the intrusion Rin only smiled as he shook his head. Especially after hearing Alkaid dropped the charade to an extent. “Oh don't mind me. I'm… keeping an eye i suppose. Nice work on snatching the count's attention by the way, or at least to the butler over there.” He doesn't say anything else to Yomi as Alkaid traded some words to her sensei. Drinking some more of the cider, Rin notices his sensei had not entered the ballroom. She's probably trying to snatch any guy that would spare her their time.

Alkaid introduced herself as Alkaid Kaguya, and while Rin hasn't heard of her the genin has heard of the Kaguya as one of the major clans in Kirigakure. Not much more than that. Then Alkaid went to introducing Yomi which Rin would greet with a wave of his hand. So Alkaid is a chunin eh? Oh boy she was letting on a lot more information than Rin has ever leaked. “Run of the mill chunin or not both of you certainly outrank me. I've been a genin for a while now.” Alkaid tries to sell herself short, but considering that he as a genin outlasted a sage who attempted to summon something massive. Rin figured that there is more to Alkaid than meets the eye.

Then she turned the spotlight to Rin as she seems to think that Rin had stories. Though he may stories there is quite a bit that he just can't say to anyone. Not the one mission that he failed nor his upbringing. It'll draw a bit of unwanted attention to himself, his team, and perhaps even his village as a whole. Luckily Alkaid had suggested to talk in private such as the garden. This place is quite foreign to him and Rin certainly wouldn't mind explore a bit. Granted he's not sure what the others would think, and just in case Rin suppresses his chakra to avoid detection through the sensory field. “Of course, i don't mind a change of scenery.”

“Konoha is certainly a wonderful place to set up a business, and honestly a café doesn't sound too bad either. We have people who can handle any form of crafting including enchantments. If you wish to set up shop though, you'll be wanting to talk to the Council about that.” Rin informed Alkaid in case she was actually serious about that. He is not the type to bar someone from their goal especially not when they are considered allies. Of course maintaining his manners Rin would offer his arm for Alkaid to take before they would begin their departure to the garden. Alkaid talking about her parents and silly thought of finding a husband brought a light laugh from her. Melody would certainly fit her character if Rin ever heard it.

“To be honest my mother told me that it was okay to start looking for potential partners. Maiori suggested some people, but honestly you'll be ranking up to the top of that list.” Rin spoke to Alkaid as his sharp eyes looks through the windows to see if he could spot the gardens. Or rather to see if there was anything the lights couldn't reach into the dark night. “Frankly i've only been on one mission and unfortunately it ended in failure. Well, in technical failure i suppose.”

Chakra Suppression
Perception: B > A

[Exit]

Taking out a notepad and an extremely fancy pen from his shirt pocket the butler quickly scribbled down Akari’s request before tearing off the page and handing it to one of the doll like assistants that ran it it over to the kitchen in his place. Feeling satisfied that he had served the girl well he gave her a polite nod as if to excuse himself but paused as she asked him a question.

“No need to be so formal with me my dear. You may simply call me Sebastian” he said a hint of sadness in his voice. The girl reminded him of his own granddaughter a bit, how long had it been since he had last seen her? Shaking his head in an attempt to throw the melancholy off he gave the Oni a warm smile.

“But of course you may. Take this, it shall permit you entrance to the vast majority off the grounds.” he said. Reaching into his his pocket once again he pulled something out then gently took her hand and placed the object into her open palm revealing a glittering key made of silver. If sold on the black market it was worth an exorbitant amount of money.

“The only areas off limits for the moment at the Throne room where the count Is currently conducting some business, the treasury and the door with the symbol of the sage. Behind it is a portal a to a dangerous pocket dimension. Leave that for the ninja we will be hiring to investigate.” Advised the butler.