Kitalpha stared at the black fabric that tightly hugged her body, showing off her well-adjusted curves into what seemed to be a grand display of feminine beauty. With the necessary revealing of skin for one’s imagination to explore. Yet it was not the amount of skin she showed that caused her concern; what was however was the amount of femininity the dress brought forth. Something the blonde warrioress always linked to the inability to perform well during physical labour. In other words, weakness. That was what a dress embodied to her, even though they were gorgeous when she wore them. She sighed shortly, staring at her reflection in the mirror, and from it back to her dress, continuing as such for a couple moments more. A deep sigh escaped her body as she turned around to face the large white lion sitting casually beside the chair behind her. Vaaruna looked up at his master, tilted his head and shook his mane briefly, waiting for her to speak up. "What do you think, Vaaruna? Would this suffice for the party? I'm not sure what these Ministrel nobles see as qualifying evening wear, leave alone garments for special occasions..." The young woman frowned, turning her head to see herself from another angle. "I mean, this should do, right? Black is a neutral color... or so they told me. Ugh... I just don't know!" Kitalpha groaned, letting herself fall back into the comfortable fluffy chair like a couch potato. "I'm so not ready for this. Why did we even accept this in the first place?" she questioned, gazing at the lion who seemed to shrug its shoulders almost uncaring and nudged his wet nose into her palm. "Yeah yeah, I know buddy, I know... to get more acquainted with the upper class scattered across Earthland." She figured that getting to know the world a bit more, to go further than Fiore's borders and gain both intel and learn the etiquettes required to socialise and associate with the more influential circles of society.
That was the very reason she had troubled travelling this far south, away from the all-too familiar grounds that were Fiore's borders. It was rather funny how she'd set out without aim as to where she'd end up, but on her way had caught wind of this particular party even regular 'commoners' were invited to; to celebrate and cheer together with the nobles of a most pristine and haughtily-cultured country. Ministrel. And said party, as was only mentioned once she inquired about it within the borders of Ministrel, was indeed one where commoners and nobles, even royalty could mingle with one another. As long as you had a pet to accompany you. As that was the every reason for celebration; to show off the nobles' cute pets. And on top of that, unbeknownst to any of non-noble birth until their arrival at the scene, was the fact that they weren't truly allowed to roam as freely as first thought. They were allowed to remain as long as they could safe-keep the snacks and beverages displayed en masse upon the seemingly never-ending tables. From non-other than the pets themselves. Not entirely what the blonde had been expecting when she entered the large estate at which the party was being hosted.
The blonde had been staring her eyes out as she walked down the large lane leading towards an even larger mansion; statues of marble adorned the sides of the endless lane, alternating themselves with beautiful white blossoming trees that seemed to cover the lane with a gentle, almost painting-like roof. At the same time said blossoms also hid the lacrima lantern poles within their crests, making it look as if they were emitting a faint light on their own. Said light was perhaps not enough to illuminate all the darkness around the path, but the way itself was lit enough for one to properly recognise faces and the like. Truly befitting of a noble family. As they proceeded Kitalpha noticed several eyes pinned on both her and her companion, yet in most cases those peering eyes halted as soon as they gazed upon her companion Vaaruna. An albino lion wasn't that rare of a sight, but to have one as purely white, as wild and regal as the stars in they sky, as a being of which there only could be one of... it was something these nobles had not perceived before. A regalia and mystery they could not fathom to own themselves; in the hands of a commoner. A foreigner, to make things even worse. Although the blonde was glad those eyes weren't meant for her, she could feel a select few wandering back to her figure. And as if they could sense by the mere look of her, they seemed to know she was not one of them, nor one of noble birth. Not raised like they were. She could feel in the fierceness with which their eyes seemingly pierced through her skin. It honestly made her uncomfortable, but with Vaaruna at her side, who felt her discomfort and aided her by chasing away the unwanted eyes with a low yet deep growl, she somehow fancied herself more at ease. As long as he was near her.
Once they reached the house both master and pet blinked and nearly froze as they had to fight their jaws from dropping wide open in disbelief of the extravagant beauty they saw before them. Marble staircases and railings alike, the mansion's walls lit as such that they seemed to radiate a golden aura among them. A golden aura Kitalpha found most similar to the ones her Treasury emitted when its golden summoning circles started revealing the many artifacts she held within her Gates of Babylon. A treasure most befitting, and in her eyes even more beautiful than this mansions... although this particular sight at night was doing wonders to counter that opinion right now. Shaking her head the blonde tried to collect her thoughts and continued further up the stairs; slowly and with refined grace, trying to make sure her every step was just as large and graceful as the one before that. Entering the entry hall, and after that the next room as well, Kitalpha soon enough concluded that in Ministrel every next room was filled with an even higher level of extravagance than the last. Not something she thought or even hoped to be able to pay for, not even with her entire life's savings sprawled before her. She stared up at the ceiling in disbelief, halting somewhere out of the crowd's way as they passed her by to get to the main hall where the actual party was being hosted. "Just... wow... this building is just amazing, don't you think, Vaaruna?" The lion stared up as well and swiped his tail against her leg, a subtle sign between the two that he too liked what he saw. A smile crept upon her face as she petted his large manes. "Well then, how about we go and mingle with the other guests up ahead?'
The ballroom that stretched before them was downright enormous. There was no fancy word that could properly describe how huge it was, so she didn't even bother thinking of one. The people entered the ballroom from a higher-positioned door, unto an elevated platform, with a staircase on each side of the platform to lead the down unto the main floor, where men and women alike stood dancing, talking or playing with their pets, each in garments more vibrant in color than she'd ever seen. Seeing how colorful they were, she felt her black, sparkly dress fell short compared to theirs. Kitalpha paced down the stairs carefully, followed closely by Vaaruna, but was stopped dead in her tracks at the bottom as a man rudely pulled her aside. "H-hey! What's the meaning of this?!" The blonde exclaimed angrily as she gave the man a closer look, discerning from his clothing that he was most-likely a servant. "I presume you're one of those outs- guests that were given a last-minute invitation to the party, yes?" Kitalpha nodded, only to be cut short before she could say anything. "Good. It wasn't mentioned, but last-minute invitées have to help out, as is dictated by the Master. So that table over there is what you'll need to keep in order. If you and your peasant pet can do that simple task you can stay. If not get out." "EXCUSE ME?" Kitalpha growled, only to be blatantly ignored by the servant and left to her own devices. "I mean, I guess I could help that ungrateful bastard out a bit if it's only little pe---EHH?! Is that a python?!" Flabbergasted Kitalpha stared as the head of a giant snake wrung its way through the masses, only to reveal it's true form. "Oh. My. Fucking god, it has legs. The snake has legs, Vaaruna, four of them. How's that even considered a pet? That's a lazy monster at best..." She stared at the lion for a bit, then back at the four-legged abomination as it made it's way towards the table, quickly took another look around the room only to see it wasn't the only "pet" around and shook her head. "You know what. I'm done. We're not doing this. Regular pythons okay, but this walking handbag? Don't think so. But I can't just back down from a quest huh... gotta show some kind of decency at least. On my signal." She muttered, making her way back up the stairs far swifter than she should've in that kind of dress, and nodded at Vaaruna once she was at the top.
Vaaruna's deafening roar made both the ruckus and music fall silent almost instantly. Her time to take action. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention if you'd please? It'll only take a minute of your oh so precious time, worry not. Although I came to Ministrel to learn about its ethics and etiquettes, I must say I've never been as disappointed in the human populace as I am now. Bravo Ministrelians, for plummeting an ally into the role of a vagrant servant, which even the servants wish to treat as a mere slave for being a foreigner. Though mind you not, I'll make sure that I'll do my task properly, as is expected of me!" Kitalpha spoke in a loud voice, raising her hand in a clawed fashion and flicked it upwards. The ground rumbled dangerously, and as the tiles underneath their feet cracked, large dark spikes of a voidless energy burst through the floor, all around the tables holding the snacks, refreshments and other edible consumables presented to the guests. "With this, none of your 'pets' will reach the snacks you have displayed upon the tables. Worry not, for your thin arms can still reach in between them. Enjoy the remainder of your evening, fine ladies and gentlefolk, as so will I! Be it without you lot..." Kitalpha hissed underneath her breath, casually turning around on the back of her heels and exiting the ballroom with the right amount of flair to have people wondering what had just come about. The blonde did not care however. Seemed like these social gatherings were not her cup of tea after all. And she didn't mind it one bit.
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