...

As they road along the tram line over the rooftops the Middle Ring, Ayika had to continuously remind herself that the anxiety brought on by seeing so many spirits tonight was not sufficient reason to slide over on her seat until she was significantly infringing on Mizumi's personal space. However, as they neared the rearing Noble's Wall Mizumi seemed to be executing her own gradual migration towards Ayika. She looked nervous and Ayika could guess why. Mizumi's passport might have gotten them into the Noble's car and through the Middle Ring but when they reached the gate to the land of the golden blooded they would be relying entirely on the strength of a party invitation to gain them entrance. An invitation that was strictly speaking addressed to the men of the Miohuito family. There was a reason Mua had summoned spiritual aid in passing through that wall.

Even if the invitation was recognized who knew if the old traditions of free traffic through the gates on the festival night applied to foreigners? There had to be harsh penalties on the books for a Fire Nation woman trying to sneak past that antepenultimate barrier between the King of Kings and the rest of the world. Ayika doubted that her own race was explicitly mentioned in the laws but that was only because few people in the kingdoms could be bothered to remember the People's existence.

The wall was getting big now. In the dark of the night air it seemed to vanish twenty meters above the ground only to reappear high above them under the glow of distant lamps that marked out the surmounting guard stations.

Mizumi began to nervously chuckle. "I am thinking now of the fact that Mama Mua is supposedly recruiting spiritual help and enchantment to get herself through this barrier and we are simply knocking on the door, so to speak. Do you think there will be as much trouble as that?"

Ayika could only shrug. "This is as close to the Inner Ring gate as I have ever gone. We'll be taking this adventure together."

She could feel from where their knees touched on the bench-seats that they were both tensing as the tram began to slow. The earthbender adepts in the rear of the cars ceased their efforts to propel the craft. The car slid into the tunnel entrance that pierced the vertical stone several stories up the wall with a sense of finality. Then they stopped completely inside the stone walled chamber. Unlike the tunnels through the other walls there was no hint of light piercing through from the other side. Only the paper-lantern lit night behind them, stone on each side, and blackness before them.

The carriage door slid open and a city guard stepped aboard. Ayika thought to herself that even the greenies had fancier uniforms up here. Mizumi gave a small polite smile as she offered up her passport paired with the invitation to Erliao's party. Ayika found that she was holding her breath. But they need not have worried. The guard barely glanced over the passport and apparently recognized the format of the invitation in an instant. He quickly gave the documents back. Ayika and Mizumi did not fit his profile of potential troublemakers. The silver and gold on their respective costumes probably helped.

As soon as he stepped back out of the cabin Mizumi let out a relieved exhalation.

"Ha, for a moment I thought we were...ah!"

The sudden lurch from under the tram shook a small yelp out of Mizumi. Ayika had been expecting something like this but even so it startled her enough that she did not mind giving Mizumi a moment to recover from the embarrassment.

Then she said, "Yeah, that was surprising."

They were moving upwards on a slanted ramp through the stony black. The tram echoed with the sound of rock scraping against rock over the grunts of earthbenders powering the mechanism that carried them up through the wall.

After couple minutes they smoothly slid forth from the tunnel up into the middle of a cavernous marble floored station larger than the most massive ballroom. In fact it was larger than most markets. Pillars soared up three stories above their heads to hold the roof over that vast empty space. The tram had only just come to a complete halt when the door slowly slid open and a man in a neat uniform of dark green and yellow stepped inside. In concession to the holiday the man had a single blue paper streamer hanging down from each shoulder.

"Welcome to the Station of Sparkling Waters. Transportation is available to the Guan, Lai, Erliao, and Xie residences."

Ayika and Mizumi, glancing at eachother, got up and followed the man's offered gesture as he exited backwards through the door. At first Ayika had thought that the four households mentioned had been the destinations of other passengers that had been communicated up from the passport check. She had just been thinking to herself that this was a very fancy maneuver when she noticed that in addition to herself and Mizumi only one man had gotten out at this station. She was still puzzling after this when the tram had already rolled off down its new track and they had yet to finish crossing the marble station floor. Through a set of massive doors that were open to the still cooperating climate she saw her first real glimpse of the Inner Ring. It was all she could do not to hold her hands before her mouth in shock.

Those four names were the only four households serviced by this station. Outside the doors of the tram station gentle, grass-covered hills undulated beside groves of manicured trees. Shimmering pools reflected faint starlight. Here and there rose the towering roofs of estates whose mansions would constitute a Middle Ring city block even before consideration was given to the sprawling outbuildings reached out to the borders of each property's ornamental walls. Ayika's harbor town was in the encircled lands and so she was not like some Lower Ring citizen who had never seen the horizon before, but she had never before seen land that was not put to some use. There were no grain fields here. The trees gave no fruit. The hills themselves had been designed and built centuries ago for the sole purpose of pleasing the eye and the roads wound around them, purposefully prolonging the journey.

For a moment she was frozen where she stood. Somewhere faintly in the back of her mind she noticed that in the far-off distance the mansion lights seemed to get closer together as they drew nearer to the center of the city and the vast walled palace complex that housed the residence of the King of Kings. There must be some trade off in desirability between these plots amid this endless parkland of the ring's edge and proximity to the center of all political power in the world.

It seemed unreal that this was all in her city. In a brief moment of anger she understood some of Xinfei's simmering resentment towards the government. These people were higher above her than she had even dreamed.

But Mizumi had presented the invitation to an attendant and their guide was gently guiding them towards a waiting carriage. As they approached the vehicle another station employee dashed forward to place a small step before the door to the carriage. Ayika looked down at the man kneeling down in the dust and as she did so she felt the silver disk of her costume gently swing out and tap against her forehead again. Her hand drifted up to her mask in remembrance that it was still there. None of these people saw Ayika the laundry girl. They saw a woman dressed in shimmering blue and purple and silver. They saw the Moon walking beside Mizumi, the golden Sun. She climbed up the step into the carriage.

As soon as they two settled into their seats the driver urged the haltered beasts up to a slow and gentle pace. They had just barely started to move when Mizumi looked over at Ayika beside her.

"Erm, you have never been to the Inner Ring before, is that right?"

Ayika could only shake her empty-feeling head. "No. I have never even seen it before."

Mizumi must have heard something of her overwhelmed feelings because she began to laugh with relief. "I give thanks for that! I was beginning to think that I was going to be alone in gaping like a mountain peasant on her first trip to the city! I...I may understand why so many of those ministers look down on us merchant families from the Fire Nation. This is beyond anything I thought this city had in... Oh for...!" Here Mizumi cut herself off from some exclamation that was sure to have been an exasperated curse as she looked out the little carriage window. "Is that really his house?"

The road that they were traveling along made a gentle curve towards a fitted stone bridge over an elegantly designed stream and as it did so the passengers were afforded a glimpse at their destination. It was big. Despite the thousand lanterns which were lit on every wall the main building was of such a scale that much of its upper stories vanished into the gloom of night. Ayika could barely make out the yellow roof tiles, that exclusive privilege of nobility.

Mizumi was now muttering to herself. She kicked softly at the carriage wall in front of her seat. "At least they are still using Nation designed carriages, no matter how much they dress them up like some ancient Earth Kingdom contraption. I guess the noble behinds still want our shock absorbers."

Ayika burst out with sudden laughter. The pettiness of Mizumi's national pride had abruptly turned all that had been intimidating into humorous excess. Ayika reached over and grasped hold of Mizumi's hand who returned with a self-deprecating smile flashed from under her golden mask.

Ayika said, "Come on now, my lady of the sun, we came here on a mission; to find out more about Minister Erliao and to make sure Nia Mua does not do anything more stupid than necessary."

Mizumi squeezed her hand back. She smirked. "That, and to eat and drink enough that even Mister Rich Erliao will feel the cost."

Ayika leaned back in mock surprise. "Mizumi Miohuito, I believe we may make you a woman of the Kingdoms yet!"

...

The gates to the Erliao estate were large and strong but on this night both the left and the right portals were flung open for all to enter and leave as they pleased. When the rolled through Ayika saw the thick timbers were painted with large-character calligraphy verse, as benefited the Sub-minister of Culture and Worthy Expression. As they prepared to exit the carriage Mizumi whispered that despite Ayika's guess that the Festival of Veils would allow them to remain anonymous at this party, if they were in fact introduced upon their entrance she was to let Mizumi handle it entirely. Ayika was happy to agree and she as she contemplated that possibility she did not even notice the aristocratic nod that her disguised self unconsciously gave the servant who opened the carriage door for her. Off in a hidden corner of the front yard she caught a glimpse of dozens of other waiting carriages as the two women ascended the wide steps up the front of the main building.

Once they stepped through the mansion's grand front entrance Ayika was completely lost. She was used to parties being much louder and much, much more crowded. Luckily, Mizumi muttered that she had some familiarity with this fashion of Earth Kingdom party if not with such scale. From the cavernous front hall the Erliao residence seemed to sprawl out beyond comprehension though an endless series of small but high ceilinged inter-connected rooms. Most of the walls between these rooms had been drawn back so that their delineation was now more mental than actual. The foci of this party format, if there was one, seemed to be the many small circles of chairs or couches that were apportioned one or two per room as conversational stations of some sort. The attending population was guided by some unknown circulation mechanism that led individuals to gracefully rise and switch stations every few minutes. The rooms to the left were occupied by men and those on the right by women, a transition eased by mixed gender meeting spaces between them that all must traverse in order to reach their next station in the party. The winding space whispered with the quiet drone of low conversation that vanished out down the center-facing wing of the mansion.

Every guest was in costume but despite the costumes was easy to pick out the Inner Ring nobles from the invitees of other classes. In fact the holiday made it far easier. Apparently in these rarified circles of nobility there were three or four fashionable costumes for each gender every year and each of the golden blooded had chosen one of those options. They were all constructed of the finest hand-embroidered cloth and their details varied but seen from across a room they merged into a single costly yet formless blob of interchangeable finery.

Mizumi and Ayika did not experience that problem. From the moment they entered the party they both had eyes on them. The costumes Mizumi had arranged for clearly operated on foreign sensibilities of fashion. In contrast to the solid and restrained dresses of the Inner Ring women Mizumi's dark red skirt-strips over loose silk trousers were in constant tantalizing motion. Her golden bangles also flicked from side to side with each step and gave even crossing a room the rhythm of a dance. Her tri-pointed golden headdress stood above the crowd like a beacon. But even beside her, Ayika was not overshadowed. Ayika felt the looks burning into her. She heard her costume's slitted skirt swish back and forth as she moved. The combination of the silver mask and whatever little touches Mizumi had done to her face with the makeup brush must have done their job for even as these noble guest noted her skin color there were several eyebrows raised in appreciation.

Ayika followed Mizumi closely and resisted the urge to cling onto her arm. The foreign merchant's daughter confidently picked up the cues from the attending servants and sashayed over to a nearby seating circle with several empty chairs. Ayika sat down after her and looked at their newly acquired temporary companions who appeared to be dressed as a rather over-embroidered water spirit and an old woman in Noble Costume Number Two, something unidentifiable in a blueish green, who had permanently seated herself at the nearest station to ensure she was the first to comment on every guest and that she did not have to walk the length of the mansion to ensure she got them all.

Mizumi gracefully nodded her head to the two women and said, "Warmest hello on this holiday night. I hope it finds you well." At a loss for something else to do Ayika mimicked her nod.

"My, my." The old woman said. "Just look at you two. How exotic! I feel like I am at an occidental exposition." Apparently she did not feel the need to match introductions.

The water spirit woman took up the lead in niceties by introducing herself. "Lipu Qi. What lovely costumes you both have."

"Why thank you," Ayika broke in with a smile. The Impenetrable City Legacy School for Young Ladies had placed much importance on proper etiquette. Ayika had learned enough by observation to know how this worked. "May I have the privilege of offering us all a drink?" She confidently waved her hand and a servant with a tray of small cups appeared at her side. Until lately she had performed similar tea serving duties when Headmaster Gang had been entertaining a parent he wished to impress with the school's cosmopolitan demographics. She nodded deeply to the old woman. "May you honor me by accepting?"

Before the old nobel woman could respond the water spirit woman hastily stood up, "I am afraid I must decline. There are several greetings I am must yet make. I hope you can forgive me."

Mizumi waved her hand permissively. "Not at all. It was wonderful to meet you Lipu Qi. I hope we can speak again later tonight." As that woman left Mizumi turned back to the nobel. "I am afraid we may have driven away your friend!" As an apology she gestured to the servant's tray with the small cups.

The old woman gave a small laugh, "Ha! That you allowed her to escape is more correct. The girl could not leave me alone until someone else arrived and of course a thing like her did not come here to talk to the likes of me. But I suppose I can touch these old lips to porcelain for a foreigner who has taken the time to learn manners." The servant poured out a tiny measure of lightly colored liquid into a cup and offered it over. The woman took it and as the servant turned to do the same for Mizumi and Ayika she said, "And a tribal as well. Gracious, Sub-Minister Chao is going out of his way to make this an interesting affair, isn't he? How exactly are you familiar with the family?"

Mizumi answered, "My father's company operates an import licenses though the Kuang River Harbor. Minister Erliao and he are politically aquatinted."

The woman chuckled at the details this description glossed over. "Oh, that is putting it mildly, I imagine. I try to keep out of politics but I assume there is not a great deal of love there." Having said this the woman turned her eyes on Ayika, inviting her to provide some explanation for herself.

As a casual stalling technique Ayika took a sip of the cup she had received and then spent a great deal of mental energy maintaining her composure. That was not tea. From the warmth now lightly burning in her stomach she was just thankful that she had not taken a large swig of what had turned out to be rather strong liquor. But she maintained herself and before Mizumi could interject Ayika decided to take a chance. She leaned forward ever so slightly as she adopted a conspiratorial tone. "Tonight is the Festival of Autumn Veils. Please forgive me if I take advantage of the occasion to experiment with a little mystery. After all, this night only occurs once a year. Surely you can understand the desire to walk unknown for one evening?" She finished with a sly and knowing smile, drawing attention to the old woman's own failure to introduce herself.

Ayika felt Mizumi tense up beside her. However, the noble woman's face cracked with a hint of a smile. "Oh, I certainly can." She shook her head. "To be young again. Even disregarding those ridiculous rumors, as of course one must, I would understand why Chao Erliao might have invited you. Still, it is rather gouache of that Middle Ring peddler to be insinuating such things about a minister."

Ayika raised an eyebrow at that cryptic statement but the nobel woman did not seem inclined to explain herself. Instead she continued, "Ah, it looks like Shuhua Zou has arrived. That poor woman, two daughters in a row and then twins! And not a son among them. Well, I will let you two girls get on more age-appropriate interests than talking with me. It is not for me to stop the motion of the Moon and the Sun!" She tittered with polite laugher at her own turn of phrase based on their costumes.

Mizumi smoothly began to rise to head off to the next table station and Ayika had a momentary panic as she rushed to down the rest of her tiny cup before she committed a grave offense by abandoning it undrunk. The path of the party now carried both of them to the first mixed gender room placed between the two respective flows of traffic. Ayika saw Lipu Qi in her river costume discontentedly being led off to the next sitting room. Clearly among a certain set of female guests these mixing rooms were the chief objective of attendance. There was still no sight of Minister Erliao or of Nia Mua. However, her search was quickly cut off as she was sucked into the swirl of beautiful ladies and well-dressed men. The flow of conversation was elaborate and obtuse but to her own surprise, Ayika found herself navigating it well. She let her anxieties sink below the personality of the costume. That masked, powerful woman was not anxious at all and even these nobles seemed to respond to that. From time to time she noticed Mizumi looking at her with a curious smile at the corner of her lips. Ayika only hoped she was not being an embarrassment without realizing it.

The next ladies sitting room was quieter, but not by much. Luckily there were a few open seats in the second circle of chairs. Of the women already in position, two were identifiable as Inner Ring residents by their unoriginal costumes. The third had put more thought into her display but was now discovering that she was perhaps not as unique as she had expected to be. This rich young lady of the Kingdoms was dressed in a parody of Water Tribe ceremonial wear so overdone that even Mrs Anyakya would have raised an eyebrow. Behind her white-fur edged mask and low cut blue dress she frowned at Ayika for the afront of showing up in her natural skin that automatically undercut the display. Ayika's normal reaction to such a sight would have been to wipe her face blank and continue with her job. However, tonight her job was to mingle like a high class lady. And besides, at least this woman was showing some appreciation of the People, however misguided. There was no need to expose her ignorance when she was clearly trying to overcome the transition from the Middle Ring to the Inner Ring herself. Ayika flashed the girl back a warm and welcoming smile.

This earned a quickly suppressed chuckle from one of the noble ladies. Yet despite her misgivings of girl in the Tribes costume jumped into offering a round of drinks for their newly enlarged circle. Ayika accepted hers graciously, if with some inner reserve. These nobles were certainly lush but if she and Mizumi managed to stay at this circle for a long enough time to consume the offering by a hundred little sips she should do fine. In fact she was feeling confidant enough to initiate this session of party banter.

Ayika smiled again as she offered a compliment to the false Water Tribe girl. "I love your costume! The workmanship really is excellent. I assure you, you would blend right in with the migrant districts!" She laughed and continued jokingly. "I suppose that on this night we are countrywomen. Perhaps we will ally together against the..." Ayika glanced to the side and realized that she could not deduce what the two nobel girls were dressed as. The fashionable Inner Ring costumes were abstract enough to verge on the nonrepresentational. One might have been a tiger-lion. Failing identification she gestured her hand vaguely into the distance. "...wild spirits in the night. Tell me, have you had a chance to visit this estate on a previous occasion?"

The woman in the blue and white dress eyed Ayika very suspiciously like a general watching an enemy cavalry force marshaling on the hill above. The noble woman on her left was trying to disguise a delighted gasp and Mizumi was for some reason failing to keep a smile off her face. Ayika did not know why. She was being perfectly polite. She took another sip of her tiny cup.

The nobel lady who was not dressed as a tiger turned to the woman in blue and white. "Behave, Heying. She's not the one who decided you should come dressed as garishly as an actor. Besides, it's your fellow ring dweller Mister Gaoli who is your principle obstacle tonight. If what Xiao'en told me about what he is saying is correct, as you move through the deeper halls you will encounter the ground unfortunately disposed against your costume. It seems there is a rumor afoot!" This lady hit a practiced tone to sound at once horrified and delighted at this prospect.

"Really?" Mizumi injected herself into the conversation. "I know of an Aizhang Gaoli from the Middle Ring. He has business dealings with my family. What is it that he is saying?"

The nobel lady-tiger muttered to herself just loudly enough to be heard by all. "Of course he has dealings." Someone did not think highly of those who obtained their money through business instead of inheritance.

Her companion ignored that comment. "Oh, it is nothing credible in the specifics, but it apparently unburied an old accusation that the good Sub-Minister of Culture and Worthy Expression was once...inappropriately involved with foreign cultures." From her expressions she was trying to fit a lot of meaning into those few words.

Ayika began to understand. Though she was surprised to hear that Lili's father was at this party, apparently he was making something of Erliao's old friendship with Professor Lizhen. Mua had said that the two of them once enjoyed making cultural observations together down at the Harbor. In fact that was how Mua had met both men all those years ago. Ayika supposed that a decade old fascination with what Erliao now railed against politically would be somewhat embarrassing to him. Still, as a scandal it seemed lacking a punch.

Heying, tonight of the Water Tribe, had not been paying much attention and was instead looking off though the open passageway to the next mixing room. "Oh, is that Zhe Wei all alone in there? I had no idea that Lord Wei's family would be attending. Ladies, if you don't mind terribly, might we traverse over as a group and entertain the poor man?" Her voice was light and casual but there was a clear hint of focused energy. This woman was obviously on a mission and it was fairly clear what the objective was.

However, none of the other women had any real objection to moving deeper through the party so all five of them rose. Ayika noted with a flash of panic that they had all left their drinks on a small table while she was forced to carry her still half-full cup with her. Hopefully she would be able to finish it and pass it off to a servant soon enough.

This new mingling hall was larger than the previous rooms and through some quirk of architecture featured a balcony that looked out over a central garden and two encircling wings of the mansion that formed three sides of a square. Beyond the compound's outer wall that formed the fourth Ayika could catch a glimpse of the Nobel's Wall battlements out over the dark fields, disconcertingly short since she was looking at them from the elevated interior ring. There was indeed a servant standing at attention and the room was empty of people to serve save for two men in standing discussion. Ayika assumed Heying had meant Zhe Wei was 'alone' only in reference to the absence of the feminine energy she had hoped to provide for the younger of the two.

Zhe Wei did not seem interested in female companionship at the moment. The young man in a gold coin patterned costume was in the middle of an intense conversation with a middle aged man who looked regretful that he had ever gotten involved. However, by the time the women started filtering in another man in his twenties or early thirties came up and seemed to have taken up mister Wei's energy.

The newcomer was nodding in agreement with a pervious statement. "There is a lack of faith in the godly spirits of our Kingdom. Tradition is no longer respected. What captures the mind of the public is the cursed idea of modernity, which is to say blind self-loathing adoration for the Fire Nation."

This support caused Zhe Wei to redouble his intensity. "It is not just a lack of respect for tradition, there is a lack of faith in the government, in the temples. The wartime leadership of the generals and the Dai Li collapsed and nothing has taken their place in inspiring loyalty. The core strength of our culture has been wounded and these foreigners are the infection that has taken hold." Nearby Heying was attempting to subtly pose herself to no avail.

The older man made a vacillating grumble. "Come now. Is that not a bit alarmist? There is plenty of good work coming out of Ba Sing Se these days. Did you hear about the... what was his name? Professor Song? The fellow who is doing those breakthroughs with galvanics? And you can not deny that there is a minor literary flowering occurring."

Zhe would have none of this. "Research submitted to be published in a Fire Nation journal of Natural Philosophy, and writing mimicking the style of those Islander serials. Indulgent drivel that they insist on calling realism. It is street theater in written form. No, any flowering you see is that of a parasitic vine that is wrapping around us tighter and tighter. Minister Erliao is right. The so called reformers wish to destroy our cultural soul."

"Hold now Zhe, I think you may have gotten a little ahead of yourself. And there is a young lady here who might have some insight." The middle aged man gestured to Mizumi with a smile that held barely concealed relief for her presence. "Forgive us miss, politics do have a way of drawing out heated conversation. I am positive no offense was intended."

Mizumi politely waved away his concern and the golden fringe of her maroon sleeves glinted exotically.

"No forgiveness is necessary. You should hear what we say about you lot when we are back home. Or what we say about ourselves for that matter." She ended with a laugh that encouraged some of the other men to join in. She was clearly well experienced in such elevated conversation. She was even conducting them in a language not hers by birth.

However, by now Mizumi was sucked into that conversational circle that was already quite overfull with Heying trying to insert herself beside her hoped-for male companion. The nobel woman dressed as a tiger saw that Ayik had been separated from her companion and drifted over to recite a few pleasant sounding platitudes as a simulation of conversation. However, it was very clear that a woman of her breeding saw speaking to one of the People of the Tribes as far beneath her even if the etiquette ingrained on her bones would not let her show it. To avoid this two-fold irritation Ayika made an excuse and left that woman with her social equal and drifted over to the open balcony.

Standing there she could see into other rooms of the mansion where the party continued its sprawling path. Presumably there would be some final point of coalescence where the host would be able to see all his guests but she had yet to find it. She had also failed to see Erliao. They would have to push on. Ayika found a small smirk on her lips even as a shiver ran up her back. All these people were so convinced of the innate superiority of their blood but here was Ayika, navigating through their ranks behind a silver mask.

"You wear that face well."

Ayika nearly jumped out of her own skin when she realized that she was not alone on that balcony. There had been a man standing off to the side, his black costume and full face mask causing him to blend into the shadows as long as he remained still. Evidently Ayika was not the only one who needed a break from the party guests now and then. Now that he turned, she saw that his mask was as silver as hers though it covered his entire face in a curious arrangement of metallic strips.

To gain herself a moment to calm her heart rate Ayika casually sipped from the cup she still carried. She was beginning to be thankful for the fortifying warmth of the alcohol. "Thank you. It was a gift from my friend. I will pay the compliment forward."

The man in black chuckled, causing his metal textured mast to shift in an odd way that made faint sounds of metal on metal. "That one too. But I am afraid your friend is drawing close to danger."

Ayika glanced back to Mizumi. Zhe Wei did not seem to be having as enjoyable a time was he was before the Fire Nation woman started to talk. Ayika smiled.

"She can hold her own in politics. If anything I fear for the men she is speaking with."

"Yes, it does not take much to see the fierceness in that fire. But there are dangerous ones here. Not all show themselves so easily. And those newcomers owe you no favors."

Ayika frowned at the man in black. He was still standing back in the shadow away from the wavering light of the nearest lamp. There must be even more metal components dangling from his costume as she could hear faint sounds of steel on steel as he moved though they were not the sort that sounded like concealed armor. This guy spoke like he had drank more far more of these little cups than Ayika had. She could hear the accent of someone struggling to make a mouth form the words properly. He was also getting overly familiar.

"I take it you are not among Minister Erliao's conservatives. But if you are planning on making a scene please do not involve me or my friend. I am very squeamish about conflict."

The man in black laughed. Ayika audibly sniffed in disapproval she punctuated her posture with another sip from her cup. The man's costume continued to click and scrape with the faint sounds of metal on metal.

"Lies are welcome guests here. But they do little good against those drawn by the fire. Remember who you truly are and you will find your way through. Your bloodline is strong."

Ayika's frown deepened even more. Even the reformist Kingdomers never wanted her to forget her foreign blood. She had never even seen outside the city walls but that did not matter. Ayika turned to step off the balcony. "I think I will leave you to your own company. You appear to prefer it." The man made no sound to correct her.

Mizumi came across the room and took Ayika by the arm. She leaned in to whisper as she led them both away, "It took far too long but I now know how to locate Erliao in this maze of a party. And if we get cornered again there is no need for you to stand off on an empty balcony. I know you can hold your own with the best of these people."

"No, there was actually another guest out there who I was talking too. He just really blends in with his all black costume." Ayika turned back. She had already lost sight of the man. Contrasted with the brightly lit interior of the mansion the balcony seemed only inhabited by shadows.

Mizumi was intent on chasing after this new trail to Erliao and while Ayika concurred she still frowned a little before she hurriedly drank the rest of her little cup. As they got up to continue the circulation path she leaned over to Mizumi. "At the next sitting room, could you find some means in the etiquette to avoid the round of drink pouring? If our goal here is to be sharp and on our toes, a full night of that will not help."

Mizumi waved off this concern. "It is not as bad as that. One small sip in each room will not..." She stopped and looked over at Ayika. "Wait, have you been drinking the entire cup?"

Ayika began to feel a sinking sensation that descended to meet the pleasant limb-suffusing warmth rising up from her stomach."...Wasn't everyone?"

Mizumi cut off her laughter before it began. "It is fine. You know now and two cups is not very much if you fake sipping for next hour. That is acceptable too."

Ayika was comforted. "Yeah, right. It's fine. Ha! You had me worried there for a second. I'm fine."

However, Mizumi was still looking at her. "Ayika, are your cheeks...? You have consumed alcohol before, correct?"

Now Ayika did laugh. People must have been eavesdropping because Mizumi flinched as quite a few party goers looked over at them. "Of course I have. Just don't listen to Xinfei's teasing. He is always trying to tell people that I am a lightweight when I am not. He just likes making up stories." Ayika's anxiety departed as quickly as it had come and left only the warmth.

Mizumi's smile was now a bit more rigid for some reason. "Of course he does. How about when we see the next servant we get you a nice big cup of tea."

"Ooh, yes. And don't worry, I'll just fake taking little sips. Or no, wait, I mean the other thing. Lets go find Erliao!" Ayika was feeling much more confidant about their prospects for success, even if Mizumi had curiously developed cold feet. It did not even seem like Mama Mua was here. All the guests they had spoken too had clearly reacted to Ayika like she was the only woman of the Tribes at the party. Then they need not have worried at all. Erliao was safe from misguided reprisal for tonight.

She was still confidant when a sudden rush of chatter behind them signaled the entrance of a new guest. Ayika slowly turned to see a woman walk through the front hall. She wore a dress as colorful as poisonous flowers and a skull mask of blue beads. An orange spirit composed entirely of feathered wings drifting above her head was already dissolving out of even Ayika's sight, its bargain now complete. Nia Mua had come for her prey.

...