“I’ll keep it short since I’m sure none of you want to hear me prattle on for too long,” Oscar starts, receiving several subdued chuckles from the gathered mages. “We’re all here today, as friends and allies, to celebrate the wonders of exploration and discovery. Tomorrow my little group and I shall be travelling into the unknown, braving the dangers of The Gde t baew knowledge and resources. As with all trips into that Goddess-forsaken forest, it will be fraught with danger. Death shall loom over our heads at each turn, and some of us may not make it back alive. However, through our sacrifid hard work, we will bring forth innovation and hope. We will delve further into the mysteries of the are and find new discoveries to push us all forward in our paths as mages. So, I ask all of you here today to raise a gss. Raise it in hope and encement. Raise it in celebration and expectation that our trip shall bear fruit. Wish us all luck that we may return unharmed, and cheers, to the pursuit of knowledge!”

  Everyone in the room raises their gsses to match, with Emily following suit.

  “To the pursuit of knowledge!” everybody echoes in unison, before taking a sip aurning to their private versations with newfound energy.

  Emily lowers her gss with slight fusion, turning back to her table.

  “I don’t know what I was expeg, but that was surprisingly sombre.”

  “Haha, I guess this is the first time you’ve been near an expedition group, right?” Dante asks.

  “Yeah.”

  “Other than trips into the edges of The Gde, which barely qualify as expeditions, most journeys end with the deaths of at least seventy per t of the partits. It’s only expected that the st celebration before is treated as a send-off for the dead.”

  “That makes sense,” Emily agrees, nodding in realisation. “You doly seem too worried?”

  “Of course not! If I die, I die. My family are warriors first, mages sed. We’re trained for battle from the moment we walk. I’m just following my destined path. If I get to blow up some beasts while I’m at it? Then bring it on!”

  Emily scoffs at his bsé attitude.

  “To each his own, I guess. I don’t have any pns to die any time soon.”

  Dante ughs at her respo doesn’t ent. Emily turtention away, looking towards Juliana and seeiaring back with a look of . She reaches out, taking Juliana’s hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze as she speaks again.

  “Don’t worry too much, Jules. There’s no way in hell I’m letting some random beast kill me off. I’ll be back before you even realise I’m gone,” she says with a gentle smile, meaning every word.

  Juliana’s ay doesn’t seem to decrease as she grips Emily’s hand tighter. Notig this, Ivor reaches over and taps her shoulder.

  “I’ll protect her with my life,” he signs calmly.

  His reassuranly seems to worsen Juliana’s mood, her face dropping into a scowl. However, before she argue, Emily breaks out in ughter.

  “Yeah right, big guy. If you think I’m letting you die and ing back alone, you’re dead wrong. you imagihe scolding Jules would give me? We’re both making it back, even if I have t you away by the scruff of your ned kick everyone else to the wolves.”

  Ivor rolls his eyes, but a small smile still creeps its way onto his face. Juliana nods sagely, before adding her own warning.

  “If either one of you dies, I’ll work out how to summon your dead spirits back so I tell you off properly!”

  Emily giggles at her mock threat, feeling her grip loosen but not release. They move on from the depressing topic, returning to casual versation as they wait for their food to arrive. Juliana only releases Emily’s hand when the side doors to the hall open again, and dozens of servants file into the room pushing wheeled carts of food covered in silver cloches.

  Emily reises the servant who took her order in the crowd, walking in a straight liowards her table. She moves to stand behind Emily again, lifting the pte of food off her cart and pg it oable in front of Emily. She steps back, leaving the cloche on and waiting. All versation in the room slowly dies as everybody waits in anticipation.

  The moment the st pte of food is pced down, all of the servants step forward in perfect synd dramatically lift the cloches off the food. Emily grins slightly at the sight that greets her, twe hunks of still-steaming bread filled with slices of fresh sami, surrounded by a luscious green sad. Before toug her food, she looks around the table and takes in everyone’s choices.

  Juliana has several ptters of bread, meats, aables set out before her. Ivor has a bowl of steaming stew, filled with rge ks of beef and peppers. Linda has a deep dish filled with ly stacked slices of various vegetables, creating a pretty spiral of colours that holds Emily’s i for a few moments.

  Enzo has a pte filled with long noodles of pasta, topped with a creamy white sauce over a couple e chi breasts. However, Dante’s meal is the only ohat makes Emily’s jaw drop and draws the attention of the eable. His pte has several crispy potatoes pced in a ring around a rge hunk of meat, a rge hunk of meat that is currently bzing in blue fire.

  What the hell? Is that even a real dish or did he just ask them to set a steak on fire?

  “If I were you, I’d just ignore him,” Enzo mutters tiredly to the group, clearly used to his pyromaniac friend's antics.

  Laughing slightly, Emily decides to heed his advid digs into her food. Their meal passes with a pleasant atmosphere, with everybody at the table making light versation, tactfully avoidiioning their uping expedition. After everybody has fiheir food, and Emily has helped Juliana finish her ptter, the servants return to collect their empty ptes and take dessert requests.

  They make peaceful versation as they wait, and soon the servants return with their sweet treats. Everyone chooses something normal, Emily opting for a mixed fruit crumble, but Dante doesn’t. He instead has a small fming cake with ice cream inside, a baffling choice to everyone around the table other than Enzo, who cims it’s a normal dessert in the Hibiscus mard is actually very nice.

  After everyories a bit and is forced to agree, they soon finish eating. The servants once agaihe table, then start requesting everyone leave their seats. They then quickly set about removing the tables from the hall, clearing the floor pletely before returning carrying assorted trays of drinks.

  Emily stays with her small group, watg in i as six well-dressed dies alemen appear oage, from a small door tucked behind it, carrying instruments. They settle into p the stage and begin pying some soothing music that quickly fills the hall.

  Is there a sound amplification spell oage?

  Curious, Emily excuses herself from her friends, who all separate to mih the es in the hall. Linking her arm with Juliana’s, she heads towards the stage to get a closer look. After getting close enough, she sees the stage set up in a circur fashion, with a simple glowing green magic circle carved into the floor.

  “Are you ied in our array?” a voice asks from behind.

  They turn around to find Oscar standing with a proud smile, holding a gss of bubbling alcohol as he watches them.

  “Oh, hey Oscar. Yeah, I’m a little ied. Why are you guys only using a temporary array?”

  “We don’t use the capital mansion’s hall enough to justify setting up a perma one. We fill this circle with two lesser wind crystals and it sts for a full day, whereas the perma version we have set up, in the mai hall of our territory’s capital, uses ten crystals and the array is far more plicated to carve.”

  “Wow, given how excessive this ba is, I wouldn’t expect you to choose the cheap option for anything,” Emily ents with a teasing grin.

  “Magical resources and mundane resources should always be sidered with different outlooks. Never waste resources that be used fression, even if it’s to leave a good impression on your allies,” Oscar answers with plete siy, surprising Emily.

  “Huh, that’s a very sensible opinion,” Emily mutters quietly.

  “Anyway, it’s lovely to meet you again, Juliana,” Oscar says, bowing his head lightly. “I hope you’re enjoying our little celebration.”

  “It’s wonderful. Thank you for being such a warm host,” she responds with an amiable smile. “The food was lovely. Now all I o plete my evening is to vince Emily to dah me.”

  “Haha, well I wish you lu achieving your perfect evening.” He gowards the musis and flicks his hand towards them. “I hope you enjoy, here’s a little helping hand.”

  As he starts walking away to rejoin the crowd, the music shifts from a faint background hum to a clear, rhythmic melody. A bright smile blooms on Juliana’s face as she looks at Emily.

  “It sounds like he just gave us the perfect music to dao.”

  Emily freezes, a light blush spreading across her cheeks as she awkwardly avoids making eye tact.

  “I don’t know how to dance,” she admits quietly, f Juliana to lean in to hear.

  Juliana’s smile only grows as she takes both of Emily’s hands in hers and starts pulliowards the tre of the room, where everybody has cleared space, and a few couples are already locked together in a slow waltz.

  “That’s fine, just follow my lead and I’m sure you’ll pick it up quickly enough.”

  Uue with Juliana’s excitement, Emily soon finds herself unfortably standing in the middle of the dance floor with no clue what to do .

  Ah well, worst case sario, if I embarrass myself too much, I always reset and practice dang before trying again.

  Her silent decision pletely calms her nerves as she allows Juliana to guide her. She pces one of Emily’s hands on her shoulder, moving her own freed hand to Emily’s waist. With their other hands csped firmly out before them, she leans in and gives her instrus on how to move and hold herself.

  “Keep your back straight and stay close to me. We’re going to step in time to the music, try to maintain the same distance from me at all times. When I step forward with my left foot, you step back with yht and vice versa. Just stay rexed, enjoy yourself, and try not to step on my toes in those shoes if you . Ready?”

  Emily nods, only slightly regretting her shoe choice, and Juliana moves.

  “Back right, side left, right to left. Forward left, side right, left tht.” Juliana slowly goes through the steps, telling Emily exactly how to move as they go.

  After a few repetitions, Emily slowly grows fortable with the movement.

  “Good! Now we speed up a little. Owo three, owo three, owo three.”

  As Emily rexes into the daheir motion grows smoother and she begins to enjoy herself. Her smile grows to match Juliana’s as they spin around the floor in time to the musied about anything other than each other.

  After a while of slow waltzing, the rhythm of the music ges and Juliana guides Emily in a new set of movements, moving faster and with more purpose. They tio enjoy themselves as the music shifts a few more times throughout the evening, and at one point a wele system notification pops up before Emily.

  ˉˉˉˉˉ

  Skill learned: Ballroom Dang (passive)

  [Ballroom Dang (passive)]

  User knows how to dao ballroom music.

  _____

  The moment the notification arrives, she blinks it away and instinctively corrects her form. This time when the music ges, she doesn’t need Juliana’s instrus: she smoothly switches form and step pattern on her own.

  They tinue dang te into the evening, only stopping as the music starts to wind doeople begin to leave. Emily follows the crowd, guiding a tired Juliana out of the mansion and back through the garden by the waist. The train on the way back is far busier, every booth in their carriage being full, and Ivor chooses to join them in theirs.

  They sit in silehe whole way baot b to make versation as Juliana struggles not to fall asleep on Emily’s shoulder. When they arrive back at The Dome, they bid farewell to Ivor before he steps into the transportation circle to move to his room. Emily and Juliana do the same, before slowly walking through the hall back to their rooms where they pause without entering.

  Juliana turns to Emily, burying her fa her shoulder as she pulls her into a tight hug.

  “Please be safe,” she whispers weakly.

  Emily smiles a sad smile as she s her arms around Juliana and starts stroking her hair.

  She’s really not cut out to be a mage.

  After a few minutes, Emily pulls away slightly, tilting Juliana’s face to look at her aly wiping a tear from her cheek.

  “I’ll be back before you know it. Study hard in the meaherwise Tom aer may end up beating you to sed circle.”

  “Haha,” Julias out a small giggle. “I’ll already be sed circle when you get back, just you wait.”

  “I’m sure you will be,” Emily whispers with a smile, leaning in and pg a soft kiss on her lips.

  Emily separates from their hug, pg her hand on the door behind her before turning and taking a step through.

  “I love you.”

  Emily freezes as she hears Juliana’s fession.

  “I love you too,” she aruthfully before the door reappears, sealing her in her room, feeling more alohan ever before.

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  Only one chapter for release tomorrow ;(