George, Diana, Lex || A Party in Southport (2/3)
It seems like the logical choice, to have Diana appear as nobility and Lex and George as her underlings. She plays the part well with her presence and poise that bewitch most onlookers. Lex and George know better, though; before anyone has a chance to snap out of their Diana-induced trance, sheâs already overtaken them with her masterful warrior prowess.Â
At Georgeâs insistence (and Lexâs continued resistance), they finally settle on dressing Lex in a black leather doublet, tying her hair up and hiding it beneath a hat, and sticking a thin mustache and goatee on her. George, as expected, is tickled by this entire thing. Lex, unsurprisingly, is not.Â
âI look ridiculous,â Lex groans, smoothing over the fake mustache in Dianaâs handheld pocket mirror.Â
âNonsense, you make a very cute ranger and head of my security,â Diana teases. She slides her greatsword behind her and it seamlessly slides into its sheath tucked into the back of her blue backless dress.Â
George, who has currently fashioned himself in breeches and a purple jacket with puffy sleeves, is still beaming and laughing. Lex doesnât think sheâs ever seen a time when heâs been happier, save when heâs been with Nalla. Despite her embarrassment over her own disguise, the thought of her friend being in such good spirits is warming. She continues to watch as George hums to himself cheerily as he fastens all of his buttons.
âDo you think Nalla would like this look?â he asks Lex and Diana, spinning around and stretching to model his outfit at every possible angle. Heâs surprisingly limber.Â
Diana laughs. âSheâd love it.â
âDonât give him any ideas, heâll want to get married in that,â Lex jokes. âIt does look good, George.â
âOoo, what do you think Nalla is going to wear?â Diana asks, fixing Lexâs collar.
âNot a clue,â George admits. âLogistically I donât know what her shopping options are going to be. But sheâs going to look amazing regardless.â
//
The three enter the ballroom without much issue, thanks to Dianaâs presence and winning smile. The doormen donât seem to mind that sheâs not on the invitation list, and they accept her explanation of a relation to some obscure noble from The Forbes who sends his apologies for sending his sister in his place because he is ill. The doormenâs eyes are fixated on Diana as they agree, yes, there has been an awful illness going around, hasnât there? The stern nod that Lex gives the doormen when they are permitted entrance is thankfully not very far from her actual mood. Meanwhile, Georgeâs look of joy and quick reach for a flute of champagne from a floating tray are entirely his actual mood.Â
Screw hiding, we should do this all the time! George thinks to Diana and Lex via their modified Zechman stones. Based on Lexâs eyeroll and Dianaâs smirk, they both heard George loud and clear. At least I know these things work, George thinks. Wait, did you guys hear that too? Can you hear ALL my thoughts? Butts butts butts. No?
The room is massive, and unfortunately, George was right; on the main level, nothing but wide gulfs of open floor (save banquet tables and scores of people, but no walls or permanent structures to hide behind) separate the marble support columns throughout the room. The room is brightly lit by a chandelier that hangs from the glass domed ceiling, and every possible shadow is expelled by illumination. Lex scans the tall, domed ceiling and the second floor balcony that wraps around the entire room. Past metal banisters, servers hurriedly push carts and carry trays of food and dirty dishes past each other in what seems to be a familiar, coordinated chaos. Why couldnât we be up there instead? Lex wonders.
So we can mingle among the nobles freely, Diana thinks pointedly. Besides, this is how we get free drinks.
Diana takes a flute of champagne herself and sniffs it cautiously before taking a sip. âWell, while we are here, I think some words of congratulations are in order,â she says aloud to her companions. She flags down an Unseen Servant with a tray and says, without missing a beat, âYes, a glass of water for my guard here, hm?â The glass of water in question appears within seconds and is shoved into Lexâs hands.
With her eyebrows (and her glass) raised at the other two, Dianaâs voice sounds loudly and clearly in their heads. To Georgie! Whoâs going to make the most adorable husband. And who is also going to make me godmother of his children if he and Nalla decide to have children. She winks playfully at George for emphasis.
Lex has nothing to add but laughter and they drink. Even as they walk through the lair of the enemy, sharing a moment like this is nice, however briefly it will last.
Letâs try to keep interaction to a minimum, yeah? Lex thinks to the others. Speak when spoken to but letâs not go out of our way to call attention to ourselves. The less they get out of us to remember us by, the better.
SevenâŠ.eight...no, that one doesnât count. Only seven.
George!
What? Oh, sorry, you can hear that? Iâm counting how many men have their hands on womenâs butts. Five out of the seven are unwelcome, you can tell by the body language. Gods, itâs only been like 5 minutes.
GEORGE.
Yeah, yeah, I heard you. Good luck trying to stop people from talking to Diana.
As if on cue, a light-skinned brunette human man in a fine, embroidered silk jacket approaches Diana with (what he probably thinks is) a polite (but actually smug) grin. Whether instinctively or playing her part, Lex steps between them before the man can get any closer.Â
âSteve, please, let him pass,â Diana says to Lex. Trying not to be thrown for a loop by the name assigned to her, Lex steps back with a nod.Â
Steve? Alright. Lex thinks.
Itâs the first male name she could think of, can you blame her? George shoots back. âGeorgeâ wouldâve been a good second choice though.
âDonavan Shrub,â the man says, extending his hand to Diana. She shakes it with a demure grin and attentive expression. âDonât think Iâve had the pleasure of seeing you at any of these other get-togethers.âÂ
âMy brother usually attends these events on my familyâs behalf,â Diana says, still smiling. âI am here in his place, as heâs fallen ill.â It was a pre-planned excuse, but one that has seemed to be unexpectedly successful as a talking point tonight.
âAh yes, yes, dreadful bug thatâs going around, yes,â Donavan Shrub says. âThey say it does not discriminate among the rich and poor but affects us all. Donât worry, Iâve washed up thoroughly before shaking your hand, and yours was the first hand I have touched since I arrived here.â He follows this statement up with a smarmy grin.
Ugh, Lex thinks.
But he didnât rule out touching HIMSELF, George thinks.Â
Diana does not have to feign curiosity, which she voices on behalf of herself and the others as well. âA dreadful bug?â she asks.
âOh yes, seems to be something seasonal but a pinch worse,â Shrub says. âYou...havenât heard about it?â Lex hates the wry, almost-pitying smile that drifts onto the manâs face when he asks the question. The man puffs himself up, ready and excited to explain. Lex wishes she was still drinking so she could tolerate this more easily.
âWord has it that it started on the South Coast,â Shrub says knowingly. âWe werenât too worried at first because it started among the commoners. But then servants got it, then our people started getting it. Nothing a quick Lesser Restoration wonât chase away briefly, but it keeps coming back! Imagine that!â
âYes, imagine that,â Diana repeats, still grinning and matching the manâs smile.Â
Please let me punch him, Lex thinks, almost in a groan.
Shhh, sheâs on a roll! You wanted intel? This is how you get it.
âAnd is that why Lord Cliffside has called for us?â Diana asks innocently, seemingly ignoring the thoughts of her companions. âWill he be here himself tonight to address the issue?â
Donovan Shrub laughs again and shines the same amused, almost-pitying smile. âOh honey,â he says, reaching a hand to touch Dianaâs chin. Lex slaps his hand away and couldâve sworn she saw Dianaâs jaw go momentarily rigid as his hand neared her face.
âNo touching,â Lex grunts, in what she supposes is a High Coastal accent.
Lex, that was the WORST fake accent Iâve ever heard in my life, George thinks. Now itâs his turn to almost groan.
Undeterred, the man continues but thankfully keeps his hands to himself. âItâs okay, itâs okay, your brother is usually the one who does the diplomatic meetings,â he reasons. âNo, Chancellor Cliffside called us here because he says he has something to show us.â
âOh?â
âYep.â Donovan Shrub stretches with the same smug, knowing grin. âMy dad and uncles havenât been too happy with the way things are going. How do you let anarchists capture an ENTIRE city, right?â He snatches another flute of champagne off of a passing tray. âMy grandfather never would have let that happen when he was Chancellor.â He pauses and looks at Diana pointedly over the rim of his glass, as if waiting for her to catch the reference. âMy grandfather --â he starts to repeat.
Before Diana can answer, the three can see a blue spark crackling around the flute in Georgeâs hands.
âGeorge,â Lex hisses aloud at him. She knows better to keep her tone to that of alert and not accusation; this is undoubtedly his Wild Magic Surge going awry, and heâs very sensitive about it.
Before they can check Donovan Shrubâs face to see if heâs noticed the sparks, the room is abruptly plunged into pitch black darkness. Lex expects her darkvision to adjust as it usually does, but it doesnât; she canât see anything.
Shit shit shit sorry guys, Diana and Lex can hear from George in their heads. All around them, they can hear the gasps and yells of affronted, threatened nobility.Â
âIs this a JOKE, Cliffside?â one voice bellows, followed by angry murmuring.
Did Shrubby here see Georgeâs sparks? Lex thinks to the other two hurriedly.
No, Diana thinks back quickly, but move anyway. Protocol 5. I got George.
With that flash of understanding, the three move with lightning speed in the still-dark room.Â
âProtocol 5â is shorthand for a quick position change; Lex supposes if that she cannot see with her darkvision, neither can Diana, so itâs anyoneâs guess how she plans to move George from their current position.Â
Lex, for her part, flings some ball bearings on the floor as far across the room as possible to divert any possible attention away from Georgeâs prior sparking. It seems to work; a yelp and crashes of glass and ceramic suggest that a humanoid server has just taken a tumble over the ball bearings.Â
She darts from her original spot as far as she can get, feeling her way around the pitch blackness and avoiding any warm bodies around her. It works, mostly; she still bumps into a few people but mumbles apologies and calls out for her âemployerâ in her High Coastal accent.
More shrieks follow, but before chaos can entirely envelop the room, the bright illumination returns as quickly as it departed. What seemed to last several agonizing, confusing minutes to Lex, Diana, and George was likely only a few seconds in real-time.Â
With the lights back on, Lex can take stock of whatever happened with the lights off. There is, of course, a fallen tabaxi, on the floor with shattered plates and food and glasses next to him several feet away. Most people are just frozen on the spot, presumably afraid to move when they could not see. Anyone in the middle of movement now continues whatever they were doing, looking confused and speaking to their companions in hushed, suspicious whispers. A few very serious, older noblemen are now muttering among each other, looking around and seemingly very disturbed by this development.Â
Thankfully, George and Diana are now on the other side of the room, leaving Donovan Shrub wheeling around and looking completely confused.
Trust me, Lex can hear Diana say in her mind, I hated everything about that conversation. Youâre welcome for getting all of that information, Lex. You owe me.
//Â
Lex wishes she could say the rest of the night was uneventful. The ideal situation would have been gathering the needed information and leaving as soon as feasible.
Tonight is not set up to be one of those nights.Â
Over and over, Donovan Shrub once again finds his way back to the group and continues to fawn over Diana while also explaining things to her as if she were a child. The most they could do to shake him was to get involved in larger conversations and try to remain inconspicuous as others commanded the attention of the group. Donovan Shrub tried to pull Dianaâs attention away for a private conversation several times, but she politely rebuffed him at every instance to âlistenâ to whoever was speaking to the group at large.Â
Thankfully, this enabled them to gather the information that they needed beyond Donovan Shrubâs bravado. Surprisingly, the accounts of other nobles corroborated his story; there was indeed an illness sweeping through the southern part of the country that first started among the commoners but eventually worked its way into the noble estates. Those who had gotten sick experienced fevers, lethargy, and respiratory distress. A few of the elderly, both rich and poor, succumbed to the illness. Restoration spells from even the most esteemed clerics would chase the symptoms away for a time, but the illness would nonetheless return. It was a mystery as to how to eradicate the illness, other than staying away from those were known to be infected. And yet the spread continued, despite those precautions. It was curious.
The other tidbit of information that they find just as useful is about tonightâs event itself. Apparently, Cliffside had called for a congregation of the nobles on the Mineral Coast in Southport in response to some of their collective dissatisfaction with the revolution. Cliffside, in response, intends to unveil some new pieces regarding the war effort, to assure the nobles that the rebellion would eventually be crushed in due time.Â
Even standing around now, the nobles do not seem certain that Cliffside will follow through on that promise. It takes all of Lexâs restraint to not grin that she and the others had been causing so much frustration as intended. There would be more chaos coming their way, if she could just talk to Sera and propose some new ideas to her.Â
Still, their collection of information is punctuated with interruptions. Throughout the night, Georgeâs Wild Magic Surge continues to falter and plunge the room into complete darkness several times. At the first sight of a faint blue sparking light, the three exchange a look and are already walking in different directions before the lights go out. As Diana and George attempt to move away in the darkness, Lex creates a distraction around and near anyone who may glimpsed the blue light. The distractions are benign, of course: a beverage falling into someoneâs lap, someoneâs chair pulled out a few inches too far as they attempted to sit right before everything went dark, an instrument from the live band falling over.
Good thing we didnât do Invisibility, George thinks glumly as theyâve repositioned again for the fifth time. I should probably leave, Iâm a liability here.
If you donât feel safe here, George, we can leave, Diana thinks. I think we got the information we needed.
We donât know what Cliffside is going to unveil, Lex shoots back at the two. Her mind then races with all of the calculations, the possible outcomes, the pros and cons in an instant as she considers her friendsâ words. Itâs a reflex that she cannot resist and she hopes, if George can hear these thoughts, that he does not take any of these thoughts as a reflection of her opinion of him. At least one of those mental pathways and scenarios did entertain the possibility that the more these Surges continued, the harder it would be to keep the attention off of them.
Good grief, is that what happens in your head, Lex? George thinks to the two. Thatâs too many things to be thinking all at once, were those even separate thoughts? So he didnât seem to notice after all.Â
Weâre almost done here, George, Lex tries to assure him. There have been enough appetizers and drinks, Cliffside wonât let these guys get too drunk and rowdy if he wants to calm them.
Diana shoots Lex a stern look. But before Diana can speak or think, a group appears at the top of the grand staircase. There are over a dozen guards - private it seems, not Orange Battalion - surrounding a humanoid individual and something large and covered in an even larger tarp cloth.Â
The rest of the room sees it too, it seems; all of the murmurs fall to a hush as everyoneâs heads turn at the sight.Â
An older human man steps from behind his group of guards. He is, as expected, adorned in the finest black silk. A ruby amulet hangs from a gold chain around his neck as he surveys the enormous room, pleased that his presence has commanded everyoneâs silence and attention.Â
âGood evening to all,â Petyr Cliffside says, his voice effortlessly projecting. Even the nobles who had openly grumbled about him earlier keep their silence while he speaks. âI thank you for your utmost confidence in this administration's efforts. I assure you that your faith is not unfounded.â
At this, the guards behind Cliffside push another man forward from their cluster. He falls to the ground at the landing at the top of the staircase in front of Cliffside and his guards, with coughing racking what is clearly a fatigued frame. Although heâs lost weight, Diana, George, and Lex would recognize his scraggly hair and small stature anywhere.
âGarrick,â Diana breathes aloud.
Cliffsideâs men part as Cliffside steps among them and pulls down the tarp with great gusto to reveal a massive bipedal metallic construct twice the size of the tall men surrounding it. It is mostly faceless, save for one eyeball that darts around unnaturally, fixing on one thing and then the next. Its heavy-armor is spiked and bears the unmistakable appearance of near-impenetrability. Even with a single step, this construct shakes the room.
Among the murmuring that has started, one of the dissenting noblemen in the crowd finally finds his voice.
âGreat display,â the voice calls out. âBut does it do anything?â
Two more heavy footsteps shake the ballroom as the construct steps closer and looms over Garrickâs huddled form.
Even from their distance, Lex, George, and Diana can see the sneer on Cliffsideâs face.Â
âI thought youâd never ask. Letâs demonstrate.â












