{ Kiba's Suit }

It was a night off and Kiba was unsure how to feel about it. He stood off to the side of the festivities and watched with a drink already in hand. Strength’s Authority felt naked without his armor and weapons; exposed to anyone or anything that wished to attack. Kiba took another sip of his malt scotch to help calm his nerves. This Ball was set up by the gods themselves, and there would be no such inappropriate activity. He knew this deep in his mind, and yet he still did not feel write without at least his sword at his back. Kiba nodded politely at one of the passing groups of women as they waved a hello. The diowolf wished that he could have stayed at the fort, but it was important to make appearances from time to time when there was not a battle raging on. He sighed a little heavier than he wanted to while leaning back against the beautiful wall.

All of the attendees had gone all out on their outfits for the evening. It was encouraging to see the enthusiasm and the holiday spirit alive after the war that had taken place recently. Kiba could feel himself smile at a few of the young children that were dancing about lively to the music. His eyes glanced over the heads of the dancers with the hope of seeing his family amongst the crowd. He knew that they would be in attendance, but unsure where they were. The Reztreal in his left eye socket glowed as it looked over the auras of the different dancers.

Finally, Kiba decided to move on and walk about the room to take in the sights. It was not often that he got out of the Fort for social gatherings. As he moved about his eye flared as it fell upon the sight of Lokir. He was doing his best to stay hidden but the Champion would always recognize his own god’s entity. The diowolf bowed his head respectfully but continued to move on. As he moved on, Kiba hoped that he would see his nymph. It had been a short time since they had seen one another. With the war and her diligent work for Angela, Anemone was kept busy.

The Champion wondered what kind of dress she would wear to the affair. There was a boyish grin on his face as he thought about it, but it disappeared as he looked down at his own outfit. He had chosen a simple black suit with a white undershirt that he did not bother to close all the way to the neck. Black boots finished the outfit off, but he felt comfortable even if underdressed. Kiba huffed with agitation at himself as he now knew he would not match properly with his date.

{Anemone's dress}
Angela had put a lot of effort into Anemone. “Is this really alright? Winter we–” Angela put a finger to the girl’s lips.

“There are plenty of other temple clergy members who can take care of the logbook. You were not just made to wait on me hand and foot.” The goddess could see the woman rubbing her hands nervously. It was weird for the nymph to make her own life. The life that was born to be in servitude. The life that any other god would have been hard on. Her lady was kind and generous. “Life should be without shackles. If your heart lies elsewhere… Is that not your duty? You are the Maiden of Love. As long as you glow with it… You are fulfilling your purpose.”

Lavender eyes looked up at the goddess. Glowing? That was an odd way of putting it. Still… She fidgeted in the dress as Angela strung up the back. “Stop… You are going to make me either tie this too tight or make the back uneven.”

“I’m sorry…” Anemone let out a low whisper as she stopped. The goddess chuckled and finished putting the touches onto the girl. Lavender eyes looked to the mirror so she could investigate herself. It was a hybrid looking dress that was off shoulder with see-through elbow length sleeves of pink. The opaque portions were powder blue. Around her shoulders were dual thin straps on either side that accompanied the off shoulder sleeves. The bodice was an elegant powder blue with pink flowers. From the waist down shot an A-line skirt meshed together by creeping flowers that stopped shortly after the waistline. Layered thick with the same pink fabric as not to be see-through it also had a veil of blue fabric of the same occupancy.

In certain lines, the colors blended into a unique purple. Anemone’s long hair was thickly braided around the crown of her head with flowers of pink and blue dotting them. They were miniature flowers that she was sure her lady had created just for her hair. The rest of her dark locks were in long curls. Angela made her sit still as her make-up was done. Lastly, a fine pearl necklace was put around her neck. “Are you sure this is okay?” Anemone asked once more.

“You are fine,” Angela reassured. She was nervous to be in this kind of setting. It was different than the Gardens.

Once she got to the ball she looked just as uncomfortable but it turned into panic as she realized that Angela was missing from her side. This wasn’t fair at all. Lavender eyes looked around with panic for a face she knew. She wasn’t an outsider. Her birth had been within temple ground by temple grounds. She only interacted with people for a few moments if anything.

That’s right Angela said there would be a game.

She took a hard swallow as she made her breathe. Finally, her eyes found Kiba. For a minute she stood there and watched him. Admiring him. He was always so kind to her and he took care of her. “So… go to him.” There was a shove as she almost lost her balance. She knew that voice but when she looked there was no one there.

“So cruel My Lady.” Anemone whispered before her heart leaped into gear. She felt excitement finally. “Kiba!” She picked up her skirts the way that Angela had taught her and began to run towards him. Her small body was easily lost by others in the growing crowd. Just as she reached him though she seemed to slip over air as she fell right towards him. “Ah!”

The ten year old girl had snuck into the party for one thing and one thing only. Food. She had turned herself invisible and managed to sneak by the ridiculously dressed guards. Maybe whoever owned the guards just really wanted to see them in torment.  Her invisibility spell had worn off when she got inside. Salene had a green leaf cloak wrapped around her shoulders. Instead of a fancy dress, she just had a tunic and trousers on. Not that she minded much. Dresses were overrated. It was impossible to fight or run for your life in them. On her left hand was a ring with little blue jewels. A ring of sanctuary.

These two items were rare. She had stolen them from some rich noble while he was passing through the Virens forest. Her feet wore old boots with holes in them. Normally she would have been thrown out of such events like these. But the nice cloak and her ring made most nobles who looked at her believe that she was a lucky bastard of a noble. Therefore she could be ignored. But in reality, Salene had no business being in such a fancy hall or with such high up nobility. Swinging her backpack off of her shoulder, she placed it on the ground and opened it. A white cat hopped out of the bag and began to sniff around the area. 

"Now Sibling, you need to be careful of feet that will try to squish you." Salene warned the cat, "And if anyone tries to pick you up, bite them. Also run away from any animals that look bigger than you. If there is a smaller animal, feel free to try to eat them. Unless they are venomous or poisonous." 

After the lecture to the cat, she headed straight to the buffet. The white cat looked around and spotted an empty loveseat to take a nap on. Salene got to the banquet with her open bag. There was sweet meat, mashed potatoes, and many many other foods. This was a dream world. All her dreams of food were coming true. She took a napkin then grabbed a chunk of ham with her hand and wrapped it up in the napkin. Salene put it in her bag then went to the bread. She could have taken a piece of it. Instead, she just took the whole loaf and wrapped it in many of the cloth napkins. The little girl went over to the plates and took one. She piled up one of the plates with as much food as she could put on it. Then she covered the whole thing with many napkins, using a small piece of rope to tie the whole thing together.

Salene put this in her backpack too. Now she had enough food to last her through the cold season. Hopefully. There wasn't much room left in her bag. It was time to chow down on the rest. Grabbing another plate, the ten year old piled it with meat, vegetables, bread, sweets, more sweets, and even got herself a bowl of some soup. There was a pitcher of a strange colorful liquid that Salene believed was called wine. But the little girl was distrustful of new liquids. They could be filled with poison. She poured herself a tiny bit of the liquid and dabbed her tongue into it. Immediately she regretted this decision since the liquid tasted bitter.

"Ewwwwww." She whined softly. Now that was poison. 

Salene had all the food that she wanted. Her eyes caught sight of a large fish that had been presented on a plate to feed the guests. The child could have taken a small piece of the fish, but she just placed her plate onto the fish and picked up the entire tray. It was a bit heavy but she was able to carry it over to where her cat was. 

"Siiiiibling!" She said walking over to the cat, "I found some food for you." 

Placing the tray on the ground, she took her plate off of the fish and placed it on the ground instead. The white cat on the loveseat opened its eyes and hopped down onto the ground. It went over to the fish and licked the entire thing, so that the fish could not be claimed or eaten by anybody else. Salene didn't seem to mind this. She had her own food. The white cat began to eat the fish and Salene began to eat her own food with her fingers. 

Ah. 

There he was. 

Kythe had known when she had slipped out of the Fortress that Kiba was more than likely going to end up at the Ball himself at some point… though she wondered whether or not he had actually noticed that she had gone, she was not the only one in his life to worry about though she knew he would have been keeping a close eye on her… he knew how stubborn she was not to mention restless. Sitting still had never exactly been her forte. 

He looked as handsome as he always had and somewhat distracted - it was clear to her that he was waiting for someone and the Minadrian woman could not help but smile. "So who had caught your eye, young one, that you have not thought to mention to me hm?" She muttered to herself with a grin. She had asked him to tell her of his life here but he had omitted any affiliation to a lady friend when they had spoken… yet here he was looking like the awkward school boy waiting for his first night of courting the girl of his dreams. Kythe smiled at that; glad that he had found someone to fill the void left when his wife had been taken from him during the destruction of DaeLuin - she knew how hard he must have felt that blow given her own suffering on that score where Pol and the children were concerned. 

She watched as a woman dressed beautifully made her way across the dancefloor towards the Lokir's Champion - there was no denying where the young woman's gaze fell and once more Kythe's grin widened. Pretty girl, she held herself well and gave off a decent enough aura - a good choice all in all really. And suddenly the girl was running… and falling… into Kiba's arms. Well that was certainly one way to make an entrance she thought in amused fashion; making her way gracefully across the hall towards where the pair were situated - she would give Kiba time to collect himself (and his lady) from the entanglement they found themselves in before she truly came to embarrass him (as mother's, surrogate or otherwise, were want to do).

Her eyes drifted momentarily to a young girl with a cat eating nearby and she gave the girl a smile and a nod - however her true attentions were upon the young couple ahead and she grinned at Kiba widely. "Kiba! Why fancy seeing you here! And who is this beautiful young woman; how dare you hide such a gorgeous creature from me! For shame my boy, for shame." She teased, smirking at him as she made a show of the fact that he had not mentioned the girl to her prior to now. "Let me introduce myself, I am Kythe Sitari - Kiba's long suffering mentor, I can see why he kept you a secret, probably fears I shall try to steal you from him myself, that or he thinks I shall embarrass him with my many many tales of moments he would rather forget." She smiled, winking at the girl to show she was teasing before cocking her head to one side and chuckling at Kiba. "This could have been so much easier on you, you know that right?" She snorted, chuckling slightly as she crossed her arms over her chest and watched him with amusement. 

A voice caught his attention to make his head turn. His face softened into a gentle smile as Anemone made her way through the crowd to him. Her dress appeared as if it were designed just for the nymph. Kiba crossed the distance with a hand extended out. Thankfully he had done such since she fell forward. The diowolf deftly caught her falling form in his arms to pull her against his chest. He began to laugh while helping her get settled upon her feet once more. ”An entrance to say the least,” he said with another chuckle. As her lavender eyes looked up into his mismatching ones, Kiba smiled at her. She was out of her comfort zone, which made her coming to the ball that more appreciated.

Once she was upon her feet again he was able to look at her dress and appreciate the sight. ”You look lovely tonight,” he said softly while pushing some of her aside. Hand cupped her cheek gently as he looked upon her features. ”Thank you for coming out tonight, I know it isn’t easy for you to be away from the temple.” Thumb lightly brushed her skin while still taking in her features. Finally, he leaned down to brush his lips against her’s. When he pulled away he smiled.

They were not alone long for as his name was called out again, and this time he had mixed feelings of excitement and dread. The Champion wanted to spend time with Kythe but he had failed to mention Anemone to his surrogate mother. She was going to make him pay for it certainly. An unavoidable groan escaped him just as he leaned down to put his lips by Anemone’s ear. ”I am so sorry in advance,” he whispered. Even as he said the words he was smiling. He was going to have to endure a mother’s torture.

”Aren’t you supposed to be resting?” he retorted with arm wrapped around Anemone’s waist to hold her against him. Eyes rolled as she continued with her banter and side remarks that are targeting him. ”I don’t think it could have been easier in any way. Considering you are here, and quite in rare lively form. Don’t you need to sleep some more? Let me find you a place to take a nap.” Kiba laughed and shook his head. ”Kythe this is Anemone. She is a maiden of the goddess Angela. Now, what are you doing out of bed? Oh…and you look beautiful.”

Anemone blushed deeply as Kiba caught her and commented on it. “I am attempting to get better at them I promise.” She chuckled in response. She wasn’t used to shoes or even anything overly fancy. Not like this at least.

The blush faded but didn’t completely escape as he complimented her. “Angela tortured me for hours.” The nymph said in a whisper as she looked him over. “You look handsome yourself.” She straightened out his shirt from him catching her once she was steady.

“It’s different for me is all.” She nuzzled his hand gently and watched him with almost big lavender eyes. He was the center of her world at that moment. Pushing her tiptoes up she met his lips if only for a brief moment and smiled towards him. The small woman wrapped her arms around his waist though it looked more like she was holding on for dear life. She was over a foot shorter than Kiba which made the pairing look even more funny than it already was.

Once the voice called out to Kiba she almost panicked and hid herself. Her head was almost to his chest when he whispered to her that he was sorry. She didn’t need to be afraid as her arms let go and she turned to look at the woman. Kiba retorted to Kythe and Anemone tilted her head. She looked more like a scared deer for a few moments.

His arm was her constant comfort as she gave a smile up at Kythe. “I’m sorry. I know his manners need work from time to time.” A little joke didn’t seem like it would hurt as she added a nervous giggle. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Kythe. I didn’t mean to be a bother for Kiba.” It was clear that some things were missing in translation for the poor nymph. She had never been through a situation like this. She was barely used to socializing outside of the jobs Angela had for her at the temple.

“I’m afraid that my manners are just as bad as his.” She blushed once more and nervously looked up at him. “I’m not used to this world just yet.” Though that probably sounded weird as she went to panic. “Not… like your situation though. Lady Angela birthed me from a tree… Though I suppose that also… Sounds…” She piped herself down into a low voice. “Weird.” A blush crossed her face.

“I’ve not met a lot of people outside of the jobs that Lady Angela has for me.” This was difficult for her as she looked over Kythe. "She sorta just put me in a dress and pushed me into the room… Thank goodness for Kiba or I would be a walking wreck." Another nervous laugh now as she looked back up to Kiba. "She is awful you know."

A knowing smile crossed the woman's beautiful face as she continued to smirk at her son; he knew she wanted only the best for him, knew that she was truly happy for him - if she wasn't she wouldn't mock him so cheerfully. "Oh please. What kind of warrior would I be if I allowed such injuries to keep me bed ridden?" She scoffed, her eyes flickering to the nervous looking girl in Kiba's arms before she looked back at him once more. "She's beautiful love; I'm glad your heart has found someone to help it mend." She spoke telepathically to him, her smile sincere as her gaze fixed upon his. 

Snorting she shot him a dark look that she knew he would recognise all too well from their days sparring - it was one that meant he would pay for his remark with a good crack from a Quarterstaff when she was fully healed, or at least healed enough to spar with him and thereby whoop his ass. "I mean you could have just told me and I could have been the nice subtle Kythe you know I can be rather than, you know, this." She chuckled. "And no dear heart, I need no nap. I may be Ancient but I am far from old, I can still run rings around you and you know it." She retorted. Rolling her eyes at him she kissed his forehead before turning her attention to Anemone; her expression softer and more maternal - an expression that had long since found its way to her once stern features. "Now it's my turn to apologise sweet child; I was teasing Kiba for not mentioning you to me prior to now that was all, a joke between he and I given our own relationship to one another." She smiled. "You see I was Kiba's mentor but over the years I've come to see him as my son; I found myself on his doorstep very recently and we've spent some time reconnecting given my absence prior to DaeLuin's destruction, when I asked him about his life here he saw fit to omit details it appears - a son's prerogative when a nosy mother asks questions in regards to their love lives." She chuckled. 

"I've yet to make your Lady's acquaintance though I shall be attending her Halls sometime in the near future now I feel strong enough to travel without being treated like a total invalid." She smiled. "I'm glad to have met you however; anyone who can make my son smile is worth meeting and I fear it has been some time since this one has shone quite as he does with you on his arm."  

”Why do you need to promise? If you don’t want to wear them, then you don’t need to; the important part is for you to be comfortable. I want you to enjoy yourself…not concern over the attire. As you can see, I did not worry much about it,” he commented while motioning towards his suit. Kiba could admit that it was not without a few wrinkles, and there was no tie to be seen. A gentle smile graced his lips as she took to fixing his shirt. ”As long as you are pleased, that is what matters.” As small gestures were made, it appeared that Anemone were beginning to relax. The warmth of her arms around his waist brought another smile to his face while looking down at the nymph. Their difference in height was quite pronounced to everyone’s awareness. The diowolf didn’t care.

His features turned from adoration to one of tease as Kythe spoke of her wounds. ”I think you would be considered a warrior who has the capability of listening to those in charge. You need to make sure to take it easy if those wounds are going to stay closed. I really don’t want you to push yourself beyond what the healers are okay with.” The Champion let his gaze shift to Kythe briefly to allow a half grin as he listened to the comments made telepathically. There was no comment made in return, but he gave her a knowing nod. He could admit that he was on the mend despite the flair ups that had happened recently. Anemone allowed him to starting feeling towards being whole again.

”I find this disconcerting that already I am being ganged up upon by the pair of you despite your recently self-introduction. Could it be possible that I have been busy with the concern over your healing since you came to the Fort in almost literal pieces?” Kiba rolled his eyes and shook his head as Kythe went into her self-description. It was well versed and summed up their relationship well. Finally, the diowolf allowed himself to laugh and another shake of his head. ”I am just saying…if you can make it to a party with that dress, you can make it to see Lady Angela. You need to get fully healed. Once you are healed, we are going to go a few rounds in the ring.”