Chapter 154: Nine – Prelude to Disaster

Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Nine - Prelude to Disaster

I tugged at my blouse, then at the seat of my pants, all the while staring at the Broccoli Bunch in the mirror.

The suit somehow made me look very... handsome. I didn’t quite have the chin to pull it off, but I think it was suitably cute, especially after Awen helped me do up my hair in a nice braid and Rosaline applied just a pinch of makeup to my cheeks and eyes.

It was all topped by my top hat, now equipped with a nice blue ribbon around its band so that it matched my shirt and a big floppy bow to make it prettier.

I looked like a grown-up, which was natural because that’s totally what I was.

“Are you done staring at yourself?” Amaryllis’ voice asked from my bedroom’s doorway.

Grinning, I turned around and nodded. “Yup, all done,” I said before taking a moment to look her up and down. Her dress was very nice, all sleek and curvy. “You look very pretty,” I said.

“And you look like less of an idiot than usual,” she replied in a deadpan. “Clementine is insisting that everyone gather in the hall before we head out. She can’t grasp the concept of fashionably late, so we’ll probably arrive with an hour to spare.”

“That’s alright. More time for talking and that kind of thing.”

She rolled her eyes and let out a little ‘fine’ huff. “You would enjoy that, I suppose. Some of us have had years of these kinds of balls to endure. Trust me, the magic wears off.”

“Is there Ball magic?”

“You idiot.”

I stepped out of the room, looped an arm around Amaryllis' wing, and held her close as we made our way down towards the main hall. “I think tonight might be fun,” I said. “We’ll have all sorts of new people to meet and friends to talk to. I’m certain we’ll have a blast. Ohh, and Rosaline and Awen are going to dance and it will be very romantic, and I bet I can find a couple of nice harpy boys to boogie down with.”

“I don’t know what boogieing is, but please keep it to a minimum,” Amaryllis asked. “It sounds like the kind of thing that would ruin the Albatross clan’s reputation.”

“It’s fun!”

“Exactly,” she said.

We arrived in the great hall to find Clementine sitting still in a big plush chair while a trio of maids fussed with her head feathers and smoothed down the pleats of her flowing pants. The customary dress worn by a harpy noblewoman was a little strange.

They reminded me of those pants people used to think were cool back in the nineties until they got older and realized that they were the opposite. It still looked a lot more practical than a big hoop dress or something overly complex like that.

“You’ve finally arrived,” Clementine said a moment before freezing up so that one of the maids could dab a ball of powder-covered cotton against her cheeks.

“Yup!” I said.

“Wonderful,” was her reply as soon as the maids were done. She stood up and dismissed them with a wave and a nod of thanks. “I sent Gen-Gen up to go fetch Rosaline. As far as she’s concerned the actual starting time is an hour earlier than usual, an hour before the extra hour we’re already leaving at. It’s that, or she’d never be ready.”

I snorted. “That’s clever.”

“I know my sisters,” Clementine confirmed. “What about Awen? Is she ready yet?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I think so. She just needs to get over her jitters, but she’s a brave girl. She’ll come around.”

“Good. On a related note, Miss Bunch, could I ask that you stay near either myself or Amaryllis?”

“Sure?” I asked.

Clementine pressed her talons to her chest and then let her arm drop. “I know that you’re not entirely familiar with how things function in our... tier of society. So keep close to one of us at all times. If things become complex we can at least bail you out.”

“Or explain that you’re a country bumpkin who doesn’t know any better,” Amaryllis added.

I stuck my tongue out at her just as the sound of steps came from the spiral staircase at the back of the room.

Rosaline appeared, both arms full of the fluff from her poofy dress and a big grin on her face. “I’m ready!” she called out.

“About time,” Clementine said. “The coach has already pulled up.”

“You can’t complain this time,” Rosaline said. “I’m not even the last to arrive.” She glanced around the room, counting us off one by one. “Where’s Awen?”

“She was getting ready,” I said. “Do you want me to get her?”

Clementine nodded. “That would be nice, yes.”

I skipped along towards the guest wing and past my own room until I was near Awen’s. The door was just a little bit ajar, but I knocked anyway. I didn’t want to catch Awen half-dressed. She was the sort to embarrass easily about that kind of thing.

“Um, yes?” came the soft reply. I heard cloth rustling and moving about.

“It’s me,” I said. “Do you need help with anything?”

“N-no, it’s fine!” Awen said. Her shoes click-clacked closer to the door and it opened to reveal a flushed young woman in a shapely dress. It was more of a summer dress than the ones I’d seen her and her mom wearing back at their home. The hem was long and flowing, but still stopped just past her knees and the top was cut just low enough to be a little daring.

“Wow,” I said before giving her a thumbs-up. “You look great.”

“Awa, thank you,” Awen said before clasping her hands together over her tummy. “Do you think Rosaline will like it?”

I snorted. “I think that she’d be very silly if she didn’t.” I reached out a hand towards her, and after only a bit of hesitation, Awen grasped it so that I could pull her along after me and head back to the entrance hall.

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I walked in first, pulling the three harpy sister’s attention away from some bickering, then stepped aside so that they could see Awen in all her splendor.

The reactions on Amaryllis and Clementine were rather muted. They took in Awen at a glance then lost interest in her prettiness, which was only fair.

Rosaline, on the other hand, paused for a long moment, then her cheeks reddened under her make-up and she broke out into a huge grin. “You look wonderful!” she said.

Awen turned her focus to the floor. “Ah... thank you,” she said.

Rosaline came to stand next to Awen, then extended an elbow at her. Awen caught on fast and carefully grabbed the limb and hugged it close to her side. She was still looking down, but her smile was unmistakable.

“Very well, let’s head out,” Clementine said.

The eldest harpy sister led us out of the front doors of the mansion and towards a waiting carriage sitting out front. A young harpy boy opened the door for us and set a stool in place to make it easier for those with big skirts to climb in. The way he was staring at the sisters though hinted that they were all quite pretty.

As soon as we were all squeezed in, the coach took off and we were heading to the ball.

“This is going to be so much fun,” I said. “I can’t wait to meet all sorts of cool people and eat so much food. I skipped breakfast and lunch you know? I’m so hungry I could puke.”

“Please don’t,” Amaryllis asked. “I’d also advise that you don’t eat like a pig; seeing you destroy traditional meals would set some of these old harpies to squawking.”

We went back and forth for a bit while the carriage rumbled along over the cobbled roads. The place where the ball was taking place wasn’t all that far. Apparently the big name clans all sort of lived close to each other and the Albatross, while not the biggest, did have their estates rather close to the other big clan’s.

We slowed down as we reached a line of carriages that extended around a curved entrance towards a large tower-like building. It was huge and tall and rather square. A bit squat compared to most homes I’d seen so far, but it made up for it by having plenty of windows at the front filled with warm yellow light and stonework that was carved with images of harpies looking very noble and important.

When our carriage arrived at the front of the building at last, a valet harpy opened the door and assisted those with skirts out of the carriage. The air outside was nice, but the sun was beginning to set and I didn’t doubt that it would be dark soon.

I landed with a ‘hup’ next to a valet who stared with one eyebrow lifted. There were dozens of harpies around, all in their fanciest clothes. Most of the men were in well-fitted suits, not dissimilar to what I would expect a nobleman to wear back on Earth, but their pants were often cut off at the knees and their suits ended near the elbow where their wings began.

The women wore more varied dresses, usually with the sort of flowing pants that Clementine had on. The big difference were the men and women in more militaristic outfits that looked like the suits but with sharper lines and no ascots, regardless of gender.

Rosaline pulled ahead with Awen still glued to her side. “This way!” she called out, her voice ringing over the subdued hubbub around the entrance.

That earned us a few looks, looks that stayed when those around us noticed that there were two humans among all the harpies. I hoped that we weren’t the only non-harpies at the party.

“She’s right,” Amaryllis said. “Between lingering out here and indoors, I’d rather be indoors.”

I shrugged. Either way was fine with me. The mountain air may've been clear, but the night chill was coming on, and the inside of the building looked warm and inviting.

A butler stood by the entrance with a large floating scroll beside him. “Greetings, and welcome to the Owlflight estate,” he said. “May I enquire as to your names?”

Clementine stepped up. “Clementine, Rosaline and Amaryllis Albatross, of Clan Albatross, and two guests.”

The butler paused while looking over his scroll. “Guests, ma’am?”

“Broccoli Bunch, of the Bunch family, and Awen Bristlecone, of the Bristlecones,” Clementine said.

Recognition flashed in the butler’s eyes. “Of course. Please step into the foyer, you will be announced shortly.”

We followed Clementine into a rather small room, one with a door leading off to one side towards what I suspected was a washroom and a wall with coat racks and a mirror to the other side. The far end had a large set of double doors, one of them ajar.

I was going to ask what the room was for then the butler scribbled something on a note and flicked it to the side. The sheet flew through the air, across the room, and out the other door.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Amaryllis brushed her dress flat across her tummy. “We’re going to be announced,” she said. “This is a waiting chamber, in case a lady needs the facilities to touch herself up before meeting everyone else. It’s a courtesy.”

“Oh,” I said. That kind of made sense. “And what was up with giving our names like that?”

“You’re guests,” Clementine said. “It’s a little strange, but not too much so. More because of your species than anything else. The whole names are to give you a bit of... sovereignty. It helps that Bristlecone is a rather... infamous name.”

“That’s uncle’s fault,” Awen said.

I could imagine Abraham making a bit of a scene, or being important enough that his name carried weight.

“We’re about to be called in,” Clementine said. “Look sharp everyone.”

***

Special chapter!

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