Back at the Majestic Mare, the evening air and the treasonous secrets they learned have sobered up Annori enough for her to take care of Kevin, who enjoys no such benefits. She makes sure they both drink plenty of water before bed. They talk about how much fun tonight was, and remember the perfume bottle they hid under Kevins hat. That will surely come in handy sometime. Annori suggests piling up all the pillows and blankets on the floor, which Kevin happily agrees to, and sleep finds them easily in their cozy little nest.
Hard cut to the other room, where the atmosphere couldn’t be more different. Neither Raiden nor Ara have said a word since leaving the Radiant Gardens. As Raiden washes his face with a little more force than is needed, Ara asks him:
‘Why did you call me embarrassing?’
Confused, Raiden looks up from his towel. ‘What?’
‘Earlier,’ urges Ara. ‘You told Falinel I was embarrassing to be around. Why?’
Raiden shrugs. ‘It was a joke.’
‘Jokes are supposed to be funny.’
‘It was funny to me.’
‘If the joke is only funny to the person who told it, it’s not really a joke,’ states Ara. ‘That’s just an insult.’
Raiden gestures in exasperation. ‘Fine, whatever. What do you want me to do, apologize?’
‘I want to know why you said it,’ insists Ara.
‘Look, I don’t know what to tell you man. I saw an opening, I went for it, it was a reflex. It was all teed up, I just finished the punch line.’ Raiden haphazardly throws his shirt and pants over a chair. ‘Why are you making such a big deal out of this? Isn’t this the whole back-and-forth we’ve been having since we first met?’
Ara raises an eyebrow. ‘I do not insult people.’
Raiden lets out a sardonic laugh. ‘Right! Okay, man. Wow.’ He lets himself fall onto the bed. ‘Listen, I’ve had an absolute shitstain of an evening, could we do whatever this is some other time?’
‘We’ve had the same evening,’ replies Ara.
‘Believe me, you and I most certainly did not have the same evening.’
‘We did the exact same things.’
‘Good night, Ara.’ Raiden turns his back towards the swamp elf.
‘I don’t sleep,’ Ara protests.
‘I didn’t say sleep well, I said good night. Now get off my back.’
Surprising no one, Kevin starts off the next morning with a hangover. Thankfully, Annori remembers that Raiden once made a hangover cure for Ara. He gives her the recipe and she excitedly gets to concocting the liquid monstrosity for her best friend. The kitchen staff is horrified, but Kevin bravely takes a single sip before Annori realizes that perhaps Raiden made this whole thing up to mess with hungover Ara.
A note is delivered to them, unsigned — though it is all to clear who it’s from. It contains an address. ‘You’ll find what you need there.’ It appears the mysterious location is in the same district as the tailor, where they’ll be expected to pick up their finished gala outfits this afternoon.
They head to the address on the note and soon find themselves in a different tailor’s shop. This one is much larger, and much more crowded. Extravagant dresses are on display in the window. The group enters and tries to overhear some of the conversations that are taking place, but it’s simply too noisy to pick up anything interesting. Poor hungover Kevin decides to wait outside instead. A ruffled looking employee eventually comes up to them to ask them if they need anything.
‘If not, could you please leave the premises? It’s the busiest day of the year and I have countless pick-ups to arrange, and—’
‘We’re here for a pick-up, actually!’ interjects Raiden. ‘On behalf of Lady Talthanryl.’
Relief washes over the employee’s face. ‘Truly? Oh, thank goodness, that saves me the trouble of figuring out how to get it to her in time. Just one moment.’ She rushes off into the crowd and returns a little later lugging a giant shape wrapped in protective cloth. She hands it over to Ara and looks at them expectantly until Raiden hands her a gold piece. Thrilled with their valuable loot, they decide to head back to the Majestic Mare to unwrap it in private.
Falinels dress is gigantic before anything else. Layers upon layers upon layers of green fabrics in slightly varying hues that shift and shimmer when they move around. Clearly Falinel shelled out some cash to properly impress the other nobles at the gala.
‘What do we do with it?’ asks Raiden. ‘Sabotage?’
‘What if we just keep it?’ suggests Annori.
‘I’m sure she has other dresses to wear,’ says Ara.
‘Ohh, but they’ll be last season!’ gasps Kevin. They all turn to look at him. ‘Trust me, it’s the worst thing that could happen to her. Showing up in an old dress will make it seem like she doesn’t care about the gala, or its attendants, at all. People will talk.’
‘Great!’ says Raiden. ‘That settles that.’
Together they attempt to hide the dress underneath the bed, but it is simply too big. They put it under the blankets instead, as if someone’s sleeping there. Or more like four to five someones.
‘Gods, is this what it feels like to be evil?’ asks Kevin, as he admires the giant blanket pile.
Annori slaps him on the shoulder. ‘Yep, congrats. You’re a major criminal now.’
‘On Wednesdays we wear pink,’ says Raiden.
They meander through the city for a bit to kill time before the gala. Kevin tells them about the fancy events he’s been to in the past, and how high society interacts with each other.
‘I never really felt like I belonged there,’ he expresses. ‘People are all proper and polite to each other's faces, but then hurl insults behind their backs.’
‘Well that last part shouldn’t be a problem for Ara, at least,’ snickers Annori.
Raiden turns to her. ‘Right?? Thank you. Last night this man tried to convince me he never insults anyone.’
‘Um, well, you’re pretty insulting,’ Annori confirms to Ara. Kevin nods.
‘It’s not an insult if it’s true,’ objects Ara. Raiden rolls his eyes.
‘Anyway,’ says Kevin quickly, trying to brighten the mood. ‘Would you like me to teach you the current dance routines? You should all know some proper moves if you wanna make it through the night.’
The next hour or so is spent in a small secluded park away from prying eyes, as Kevin takes it upon himself to be the group’s dance instructor. He corrects their postures and stances, accompanying them with a playful tune on his lute whenever his hands are free. Raiden, who is used to moving his body with care and control, picks up the steps pretty quickly. Ara does well on the form, but is more accustomed to moving to a strong beat than to a flowing melody. Annori enjoys the dancing greatly, but can’t keep herself from adding her own improvised moves once her focus inevitably wanes.
The time arrives for their second tailor visit of the day! They return to the small workshop where they are once again greeted by the over-caffeinated Althas. This place, too, is much more crowded than they’ve seen it before. There are several assistants rushing to put the finishing touches on various projects. Althas assigns the party each an assistant of their own, and they wait as their specially designed gala outfits are carefully donned and adjusted. A keen observer could spot Raiden visibly change into his new robes. His weight shifts, his posture changes, he cocks his head ever so slightly, adjusts the way he moves his hands as he straightens his jacket cuffs. Then he catches himself in the mirror and realizes what he’s doing — and that it’s something he promised not to do anymore — and quickly shakes it all off.
A little while later, they step outside in their new outfits looking like their fanciest selves. Annori shines barefoot in a silken gown in blues and purples with glittery translucent sleeves. Ara is donned in rich and colorful swamp-elf fabrics with bright tassels and a long train trailing behind him, his hair skillfully braided. Raiden wears a handsome waistcoat and a long fitted jacket, intricately embroidered in a golden thread, as well as a delicate golden hairpiece shaped like a halo. Kevin is sporting a pink cape worn over one shoulder, a finely decorated teal and magenta tunic, a cravat, and — crucially — his trusty feathered hat.
Ara gets a message from Findire through his sending stone. ‘Well done! You delivered far beyond my expectations. Meet me at the palace in a bit — I have your invitations.’
Not long after, the group finds Fin waiting for them at the palace entrance. Their gala outfit makes them look far less masculine than they’re used to seeing them, accentuating their curves and luscious curls in a much more gender-fluid way. (My notes just say: SO HOT OH NO) Findire requests that the group uses they/them pronouns for them, at least for tonight.
‘Congratulations!’ they exclaim happily. ‘I don’t know how you did it. I had absolutely no clue as to where my sister was getting her dress made this year, she guarded that secret exceptionally well. How did you find out?’
‘We are highly skilled detectives,’ Annori replies mysteriously.
‘Evidently,’ Fin confirms with a big smile. He gestures towards the entrance to the palace gardens. ‘Now then, my friends. Our big night awaits. Shall we?’
