"Allow me to introduce you all to the most dangerous game ever devised."

Veliky's sat cross-legged in a medium plot of grass between pathways in the courtyard, backlit by a lantern hanging from an arch nearby. Her hands are clasped before her face. Her eyes bear the sobriety of a death toll.

"It's thought that it was created by an archdevil as a game of wits - and a cruel joke. Throughout history, it's been played by rulers as an alternative to open conflict. But they only did this as a last resort, as the potential losses are greater than an entire army. This is a game where you can lose your mind. This is a game where you can lose your soul. It's called..." Her pale eyes narrow. "'Truth or Dare.' And we're going to play it."

Her suspicious eyes scan her playmates, all sat in a circle in the grass. She weighs their strengths, their weaknesses and their values. At least one of them is going to be ruined by the end of the night.

"The rules are simple. I'm going to choose someone and ask them, 'Truth or Dare?' If they say 'Truth,' I'll ask them another question, which they must answer truthfully. If they say 'Dare,' I'll tell them to do something, and they must do it. Now, they *can* refuse to answer a question, or to fulfill a dare... but they'll have to take a shot of twice-distilled Orcish vodka."

She swirls a glass of the transparent spirit. So strange that such a plain-looking drink can be so intimidating.

"Once they've either fulfilled their demands or taken the shot, the reins are handed to them. They get to choose someone else, ask 'Truth or Dare?' and the cycle repeats."

She searches their eyes to ensure they all understand. Some of them are confused; they'll figure it out.

"Now... Cantio. Truth or Dare?"

The beautiful tiefling, already inebriated, is perhaps less hesitant than he should be.

"Truuuuuth."

Truth. Many wrongly believe it to be the safe option. Veliky knows better.

"Alright. Why do you always wear masks?"

Cantio practically spills his wine on himself when Veliky calls on him. “Hm?” he chirps, breathing a sheepish laugh as he holds his drink away from his outfit. He sets his glass on the pathway next to him, instead. The princess sits on his knees with his dress billowing over his legs and boots— and with little Astrid sitting next to him in her glorious armoured Avasha piece that she’s made, the two make an interesting sight… Perhaps they’re both a bit extra though, all things considered.

He considers his options: truth or dare… indeed…

Dare seems dangerous, right? Dare could be anything! Truth… truth seems like a safer option, right? What’s he got to hide?

Cantio narrows his eyes, deciding quicker than he usually would that, yes. Truth is a better idea than the dare; but on some level, his inebriated mind must be trying to stop him, because he elongates the word as it’s spoken. “Truuuuuth.” He chuckles, plopping his folded hands into his lap with a flushed, but content smile.

… Until Veliky reveals his truth.

The tiefling’s smile fades, and he cocks his head at her while he processes what she’s just asked.

Why does he… always wear his masks…?

… This isn’t safe at all! What kind of question is that!?

Arguably, he probably should’ve known better, but Cantio breathes a heavy, pouting sigh anyways. “Um…” he starts, significantly less confident than when he’d picked his option initially. “Well…” He looks at the little circle which has gathered around to play the game; and then he looks at the bottle that Veliky’s holding.

Forget the archdevil, that stuff would probably steal his soul…

How many glasses of wine has he had?

Like, one and a half?

He breathes a sigh, reaching for his wine glass; he shrugs his shoulders, answering in a question-like tone just before he takes a casual sip in a bid to distract himself. “I… have stage fright?” After he takes a sip of his wine, he sets it back on the path; despite his attempts to keep cool, the tiefling does look embarrassed and will not make eye contact with anyone in the group.

“I freeze up when people look at me; I mean, a musician with a stage fright? How embarrassing…” he trails off, “But you can be anyone behind a mask; it makes it easier to have eyes on you if people don’t really know who you are. You can’t really change your face, but you could always change a mask… And if no one can put a face to your name, then what is there to look for if you make a mistake, or embarrass yourself? Masks make you noticeable at first, sure, but they make you forgettable in the end, too.” he shrugs innocently, his smile returning in a way that seems bittersweet.

It doesn’t really occur to him that he probably could have lied somewhere there; his answer seems genuine.

“And, they make for fun fashion statements and accessories for performance… So… Anyways.”

He claps his hands enthusiastically at that one, looking across the way at Veliky, at least two shades of red darker beneath his blue mask. “Does that work okay? Okay, little miss Astrid! Your turn: Truth or dare?” He throws the child next to him a smile, really trying to move on from his question.

Next time, he’s not picking the truth!

Oh, but dare is also really intimidating… whatever, he’ll worry about it later.

“I don’t know; which one’s more fun? I’ve never played this game before!”

Cantio looks at her with a mild look of surprise, then ponders the options. “Mm… well… How about we start with the truth one, then? So... truth! You have three wishes, and you can wish for anything, little Miss Astrid: what would you wish for?” To him, it seems like an innocent enough question.

Astrid listens along while Veliky explains the rules. It seems simple enough to her, but at a fancy party like this, she wonders how wild things can get. Obviously this is a party game. Really, it's a game for friends, it seems. Does anything really behoove anyone to actually tell the truth? Maybe Miss Veliky slipped a truth serum into the punch. 

She watches Cantio panic a little at the question. It seemed innocent enough, so for him to react that way, maybe there is a lot more meaning to it. She's pleasantly surprised by the answer, so she can't wait for her turn. What does she want? Truth? Dare? She can't decide! So when he asks, she just looks around then at him. “I don’t know; which one’s more fun? I’ve never played this game before!” He recommends truth, and in all honesty, she might have picked that too just to experience it and see if it's really all that scary. So when Cantio asks what she'd wish for with three wishes, her brow furrows and she thinks long and hard about it. What would she wish for? 

"Um, I s'pose that's a good question, ain't it?" she says slowly, ponderously. Things are much different now than they'd ever been before. She doesn't spend all her time with people, but she doesn't feel so alone anymore. In fact, she's surprised by how many familiar faces she's seen at the party. It honestly excites her. So while a few months ago, she might have wished for certain things, nowadays she doesn't feel like she needs three wishes. 

"I don't know," she finally says, then she explains. "Maybe if ya asked me this when we first met, I woulda said something different. I think I'd have wanted money and friends and ta find me mum and ta go home. But things are different." She settles on the question again, really pondering it hard. "I wouldn't wish fer my goals. I want ta be the greatest smith in the world, but it don't mean anythin' if I don't earn it, so I wouldn't wish fer that. I think I'd wish fer a forge, a really nice one! With all the tools and materials I could ever need. Exotic ones too. Then I'd get to make meself the best smith ever." That's one wish down. What's next?

"Maybe before I'd wish fer friends, but I think I got some of 'em right here with me. Gettin' picked up and helped out by you and Mister Zarius and Miss Veliky was really nice. I think I'd wish fer a way ta properly repay alla ya. Things are really good fer me now, even if they're not perfect, cause you lot paid me a little bit of attention and showed me a little bit of kindness." Unexpectedly, she tears up at that. It's something she's really does value deep down, to have been seen as a kid in need of a pick me up after having been abandoned. So many people didn't pay her any attention or care to help a wayward kid without direction. Now she has some lasting relationships with people who actually like to have her around. "That's... really important ta me."

Her metal clanks together as she wipes a stray tear. "Um... third wish? I dunno. Maybe I'd give it ta someone else. I like ta help people. They seem ta not mind the horns as much when yer sweepin' in and savin' their arses." She chuckles then her expression falls again. "I think... I'd wish fer family, or at least fer answers about mine. I wanna know things. I wanna know who me da is and why me mum never came back after we got separated. That's stuff I don't think I'll ever know otherwise, so I think I'd like ta know it even if it'll hurt. Guess it feels kinda... empty ta not know. Like sometimes it makes me feel a little lost."

She perks back up with a smile. "But I got found by some cool folks, and I sure am happy I did. Who's next?" Astrid looks around the circle at the next person beside her. "Oh, I don't know you. Hi. I'm Astrid." She offers to shake their hand as she asks, "Truth or dare?" And when they respond dare, she thinks, wondering what the limitations of this game are. So far she doesn't have a good example. A wicked grin spreads across her face, her slightly pronounced canines looking especially devious. "Ya see that charcoal tieflin' over there?" Astrid points out Zarius, in the middle of a probably very important conversation. "Go pants him." She wants Cyran to interrupt Zarius' conversation and yank his pants down in the middle of it. Mostly because she thinks it'd be really funny. Once she's said her dare, she leans against Princess Cantio because he's warm and cozy.

Cyran was honestly impressed by the mature response the child gave to her question, one that made memories of his own daughter come to mind. He pushed those thoughts aside, shaking Astrid's hand as she offered it. "It's lovely to meet you, Astrid. I'm Cyran." When she asked him whether he preferred truth or dare, Cyran considered his response for a moment. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go with a truth, especially after the seemingly soul-wrenching questions the others had been asked so far. He gave Astrid a kind smile and replied, "Dare."

Only for his face to immediately go pale when Astrid picked Zarius out of the crowd.

Oh, merciful gods... he thought to himself. He wasn't going to go through with this, was he? Longingly, he eyed the vodka, wondering if it would be easier to just deny it and drink. But Astrid seemed like she was just learning the game, and he didn't want to say no to her, not after she was having fun. Internally, he cursed himself for caving so easily.

"Fine." He stood, looking to where Zarius was talking with Caedes. It hadn't been very long since he'd spoken with the tiefling, and he didn't want to lose what little rapport they'd built. He genuinely liked Zarius, and wanted to continue working with the man in the future. But by now he'd had more than a few drinks, and perhaps his rational decision making wasn't up to snuff. This was one of those bad decisions he was going to regret in the morning. He hoped Zarius didn't take it personally, and they could still continue to work at a good relationship.

If Zarius remembered at all, that was.

Cyran approached the two of them, clearing his throat to interrupt their conversation. "I'm terribly sorry about this, but a little girl named Astrid over there dared me to do this. I hope this doesn't affect our working relationship, but on the other hand, this should give you a good demonstration of that little trick I was talking about earlier, doesn't it?"

Before either of them could respond, Cyran snapped his fingers, and performed a bit of trickery to undo the clasp on Zarius's belt. The buckle came undone, and his pants fell loose around his ankles.^[1]

Zarius gaped at him, wearing a look that said Cyran was seconds away from getting pummeled for this stunt. Before he could move, Caedes moved to throw his cloak over Zarius in protection. In that second of distraction, Cyran grabbed the both of them, and they went slack for a second as their memories of this encounter, especially his involvement in it, faded from their minds.^[2]

Cyran took that brief second to return to the circle, face entirely red. "If any of you say anything, I do the same thing to you."

It was time to share the embarrassment, so Cyran turned his attention to Vakker. "Alright, Vakker. It's your turn to pay the piper. Truth or dare?"

The satyr fixed him with a particularly murderous glare that Cyran pointedly ignored, though to no one's surprise, he responded asking for a dare first. Cyran tapped at his chin as he thought of something that would take the attention off of him. It had to be something embarrassing, yet not so humiliating that Vakker would pass on it. "I dare you to recite a romantic love ballad."

---

1. Minor Trickery
2. Fade from Memory

Vakker held his laughter in as he watched the whole spectacle unfold. He'd enjoyed his conversation with both Cyran and Zarius, but it was still highly amusing to watch the assassin pants the spy and then act like it never happened. Their magic to make the Tiefling forget those incident would have been quite impressive if the Satyr didn't know such a trick himself. Still though, he respected their calculated use of it.

He was partially inspired by Cyran's act and partially just didn't want the man to be able to grill him for more than he'd already given in their prior discussion.

"Dare" he answered with a smile, but it immediately faltered when he was given his challenge. A love ballad? Honestly? He was glad he had the red demon paint on his face, or everyone would have seen it become redder than his costume required.

He cleared his throat and glared icy daggers at Cyran even sharper than before and simply said "Fine."

He looked to the circle of people he was at. Was he supposed to give the ballad to these people? It hadn't been specified. No, he had a much better idea. Maybe he could take a little more inspiration from Cyran's act. He flashed a devilish glance at the man next to him and stood up leaving few of the blades of grass where he had been sitting were covered in a thin layer of frost.

He walked over to Zarius and Caedes and cleared his throat again to get their attention. Zarius had pulled his pants up already and seemed confused about who the culprit could be.

With their attention on him, he places a hand over his heart and began.

You enter locked together, and separate so quickly
Your pants they brushed the floor, your brain feels prickly
But anyone can tell
You think you deceive me well but you don't know me, no
No, I can see the one who dreams of you each night
And longs to kiss your lips
And longs to hold you tight
To you, I'm a connection, that's all I'll ever be
No, you don't quite know
That I can plainly see the act you're putting on
Though my heart aches watching you
Afraid and shy, these feelings you deny
A chance that you might love someone
You pull your hand away and then you say, "goodbye"
And I want to watch you walk away beside the lucky guy
But I know you'll never know
The one who loves you so
Because you continue to say "no"

He finished his poem with a flourish of his hand before placing a hand on each of their blushing cheeks with a smile and watching their eyes glaze over for a moment as their memories were removed for the second time that night in quick succession. This might not be good for their mental health. With a hurried bow to them and putting their hands together before they regained their senses, he quickly started walking back to the circle, on his way grabbing an entire tray of wine glasses from a server and taking it back with him to his spot. If this game was going to continue in such a way, he was going to need these.

"Not a word." he stated with a hint of menace in his voice and a smile on his face before finishing his original glass of wine and placing the empty glass on the tray.

He turned to the next in the circle and asked "Truth or Dare?" with a smile pretending none of that had ever happened.

"Dare." the turbaned man replied, and Vakker put a finger to his chin, thinking of a good dare.

"Hmmm... Go steal that man's hat and wear it." Vakker stated, pointing to the peacock-feathered figure of Bellighul with a feathered cavalier hat in the middle of the crowd.

---

Smooth Talking
Fade from Memory

    A cheery smile crossed Vikrams face as he withheld his glowing praise for the Satyrs ballad. Alas, turning he saw whom the horned one had marked as the target for his dare. A man with a costume garish enough to fit in with the richest merchant in Zeinav City. His blue and green train dazzle the eyes as feathers wove in and between each other with each movement. Obviously, the sheet with eye holes wasn't going to cut it here... He threw the rest of the costume off of himself and wrapped it around his shoulders with a flourish. 

"Seems an appropriate challenge. If you will allow me but a moment, I will return shortly."

    Approaching the group, Vikram gave an exaggerated bow. His interactions with the upper echelons were limited at best, relying on bardic depictions of their behaviour. Elegant and fluid, his curtsy ending with a pose he saw once in a playwright's adaptation of the "Sultans Seneschal". 

"A million pardons for my interruption. Your ensemble was simply too captivating to not address immediately. The style evoking the most forward ideals of the struggles of mankind, and its beauty reminiscent of the shroud of Avasha herself."

The masked man's gaze turned slowly towards him, the blue outline of his eyes merely dressing the stare lurking behind. The mask hid so much of whatever emotion Vikram was attempting to divine, but a slight tilt of the head revealed at least a hint of interest.

"But the pinnacle of the entire ensemble is this work of art atop your crimson hair. Simple in its composition, extravagant in its statements about the elven reunification. I know it may be an unreasonable request, but it would be remiss of me not to. May I... wear it? But for a moment, it would turn an amazing evening for me into a magical one. I would find myself forever in your debt."

Vikram saw what he was looking for. The man's body language began to show a relaxed amusement as he looked around to the gathered observers. As if judging their reactions, A gloved hand reached up and grasped the brim of the cavalier's cap and removed it. Vikram received it with a bow and both arms outstretched, taking great care in examining each part of its construction. And then, with a hesitancy reserved for delicate crystals and thin pottery, he placed it upon his turban. It looked ridiculous as most things would atop another hat, The air of annoyance from the man and the muffled jests of the observers became quickly apparent. The hat was removed and returned with haste, and Vikram gave a quick bow and a smile to retreat back to the circle of dangerous gamers.

"Not a bad effort if I do say so myself" Vikram stated with a hearty grin. He looked around those gathered for the next victim. A lean muscular elf nearby caught his attention, prompting the query of "You there, Truth or Dare?"

"Im gonna have to go with dare" She said, as Vikrams brow wrinkled in thought.

"Hmmm.... Ah!" A devious grin crosses his face. "I dare you to introduce yourself to our gracious host, Madame Marrowvine. Posing as a esteemed Moon Elf ambassador if you will." The political aspect of the party had bored him so far. This was certainly a way to spice things up a bit.

The events unfolding in the game were causing Vi’ira to laugh hysterically, her abdomen beginning to cramp and ache. The large man was quite graceful in the way he went about getting the hat from the dashing, decorated man. As he returned, she grew restless knowing that her turn was coming up next.

“You there, Truth or Dare?”

“I’m going to have to go with dare.” She smirked.

"I dare you to introduce yourself to our gracious host, Madame Marrowvine. Posing as a esteemed Moon Elf ambassador if you will.”

Vi’ira instantly clapped her gloved hand to her mouth, feeling her stomach drop. She was mortified. Introducing herself to the Madam Marrowvine…and lying about who she was? AND DOING THIS INTOXICATED? This was awful, very truly awful. Her hand fell from her face into her lap, almost hitting her glass of wine on the way down.

“Yer joking…” Her mouth hung open as she looked around at the rest of the group, their eyes all hungry to see this interaction. Vikram stood firm in his place, not breaking or making any indication towards giving her an easier dare. She was going to be annihilated. “Oh meld aen (Oh dear god), I’m doing this…” The Orcish vodka didn’t sound half as bad anymore.

She slowly rose to her feet, adjusting the way her hat sat on her head and positioning her cloak so that it fell in the right spot. While the alcohol in her system did wonders for her nerves, a part of her still felt overwhelming dread. Getting drunk with friends and dancing with strangers at a ball sounds fun, getting drunk and pretending to be an ambassador in front of one of the biggest names in Capitol Landing and the host of the very party she was at, not so fun. Vi’ira hasn’t had the chance to chat with many ambassadors in her life, but she’s read plenty of stories, knew how they conversed, the likes of it. This helped ease the stress eating at her, but the only thing that would make her feel better was getting it over with.

“Wish me luck,” she breathed, turning to where the rest of the party continued on. It wasn’t hard to spot Madam Marrowvine, with her lean stature and striking appearance. She stood with her shoulders back and her head held high. She was conversing with someone dressed in all golds, smiling as the other person spoke. Vi’ira waited for a moment and let their conversation come to an end before she closed in.

“Madam Marrowvine, I must say, you look striking tonight. And the ball has surpassed all expectations. Another success for the Marrowvine’s.” Vi’ira bowed her head. She had attempted her best noble-esque accent, and realized that this might’ve been an awful choice to make. While her real accent was accurate to her costume, she wanted to come off as pristine as she could, and prayed to her moon that this accent was convincing enough.

“Hm, how kind of you to say,” Madam Marrowvine replied, offering a slight nod in response with her hands gently wrapped around a decorative wine glass, “and whom am I speaking with?”

“Vi’ira Fenpeiros, Ambassador of the Moon Elves who reside in the village of Ni'jale.” Ni'jale? Oh god, she completely made that up. This is it.

“Ni'jale, you say? I am unfamiliar.” There it is.

“Ah, we are nestled in the depths of the southern Moonglade forests. A blooming city, but, I am proud to say we are working our way up rather quickly. We are grateful for this invitation to Sol City, to get our name on the map and witness alliances take root." Vi'ira raised her glass at that. She couldn't tell if this was going horribly, or decently well.

"We are in a time of renewal. Thank you for making the journey all the way to Sol City for the Black Harvest celebration. Perhaps at some point in time I can come see for myself this blossoming city." 

"We anticipate the day." The horrors.

"I do hope you've had a night to remember."

"All thanks to you, Madam Marrowvine," she smiled, "I shall go about my evening. Simply wanted to congratulate you on a magnificent ball. May the moon keep ye safe in yer endeavors." Vi'ira caught herself slip at the very end, and with one brisk and final bow, she scurried away as quickly as she could. She wanted nothing more than Madam Marrowvine to forget this conversation entirely, and dreaded any chance at them possibly interacting once more. If she remembered Vi'ira at all, she was doomed.

She returned to the group and collapsed back onto the ground with the others. "I can never and will never show my face at a Marrowvine event ever again, mark my words," she huffed, her body relaxing as she sat down. This was a lie, especially when Vi'ira knows that there's an open bar at every event they throw. Hell, she had even snuck a good amount into her flask as a treat for later.

Onto the next. She eyed the small witchy woman who introduced the game to the group.

"Remind me of yer name, I'm not so sure we've met!" She chimed gesturing to the quarterling.

"Veliky!"

"Veliky, Vi'ira. Truth or Dare?" She leaned forward as she spoke, attempting to amp up the suspense.

"I dare you to dare me." With the last dare, it felt as though the opportunities were limitless, her mind racing with ideas.

"I dare ye to go to the very top o' the stairs, so everyone can see ye, and announce yer deep and true love for..." She turned her back and scoured the rest of the party guests and her eyes instantly gravitated to the tallest among the crowd dressed in a giant pumpkin costume and pointed in his direction, "...him! Let everyone at the ball know! Be theatrical!" 

What...

This is not going how Veliky thought it would. Are these people idiots? All of the sinister demands they could make, all of the dirty secrets they could reveal, and they're treating it like some children's game? This is supposed to be a game of limitless stakes, where everything's put on the line! It's the ultimate game of wits! Kingdoms have changed rulers because of the game's terrible power! At least, that's what Tatalia told her.

In fairness, she hadn't expected much from the Cantio nor Astrid. One of them's a child with all the innocence and purity of the Summer sky, and the other one's Astrid. These other people, though, seem competent enough, yet they seem intent on nothing more than public humiliation.

And those wishes? Astrid could've asked for anything - money, power, an end to all conflict, the usurpation of the gods, infinite food and water for the impoverished - and she wished for what? Tools? A family? Those are stupid wishes. Those are *stupid* wishes. She could've wished for anything, and she wished for that?

She could've wished for anything, and she wished for that...?

Veliky sees Cantio crying across the way. Weak. Veliky's perfectly fine; she doesn't feel a thing^[1]... But she'll remember Astrid's words. Could be... could be useful. Yes.

Well, these people obviously aren't taking the game seriously at all. Veliky leans back on her arms, with her legs splayed out. Oh, well. In fact, it's better this way. More chance for her to get something actually worthwhile. But, first, it's her turn to be on the receiving end.

She watches with narrowed eyes as the oddly scarred woman collapse onto the grass again. Aside from Cantio, she's likely gotten the worst of it so far, as she effectively ruined her potential relationship with a relatively high-standing noble. But she doesn't altogether look like the sort of person to care about noble affairs, anyways. Still, she might be feeling vengeful, so Veliky's apprehensive at the prospect of her dare.

"I dare you to dare me." Veliky shows apprehension in a funny way.

She listens to the challenge intently.

A love confession...? To... oh, fucktin kahn, that's Beist dressed as a walking gourd. How is it that people keep calling Veliky a child, yet they can get away with juvenile antics like this without ridicule? Her expression sours, and she sighs arrogantly.

"Stalker, hold my vodka."

She seemingly drops her glass, only for it to remain held aloft by some invisible being. Then, she casually raises a hand.

"Broom."

And, as if the world itself obeys her will, a halfling-sized broom suddenly appears in her hand. It's a gnarled, wicked-looking thing that evokes the more fantastical depictions of witches and, as would soon become clear, is as loyal to her as anyone on her payroll.

She climbs on the twisted wood like's she's mounting a horse. At her command (literally; she talks to the thing), it rises into the air with her atop it, and zooms to the top of the staircase, smoothly and swiftly like the flight of a particularly sapient arrow. The whole process might be more alarming to the partygoers if they were able to take her seriously.

She steps delicately onto the landing. Indeed, just as the elf had wanted, everyone in the room can see her. Of course, she can also see Beist. He's hard to miss; the space he occupies with his costume could be accurately described as 'jurisdiction.' In honesty, this probably won't be quite as embarrassing as the elf had hoped, but she'll get a confession.

Veliky raises her hands.

"Could I have everyone's attention please? I have an announcement to make."

Ten by ten, countless faces turn to her, away from their conversations and drinks. Most of them are immediately painted with confusion, or they begin looking around when they can't even locate the halfling. Veliky doesn't bother waiting for them; they'll figure it out.

"Hello, suilad, halok, mydda, whatever else they say. Yes, there's something that I've been meaning to say for a... for a long time." She closes her eyes and lets in a long, congested sniff, then releases it from her mouth. Her eyes open slowly, soberly, locking with Beist's. "When I first met you, it was in the courtyard of a dilapidated fortress, on the side of a mountain in the middle of a god-forsaken wasteland."

She glances at the faces of perplexity in the crowd. They're surprisingly endeared. Apparently, they thought she was making some sort of poetic metaphor. She was not.

"We didn't always see eye-to-eye, and not just because you're 6 to 25 times taller than I am. In fact, when you used your hippie magic to grow to the approximate size of The Black Spire, my first thoughts were about the quickest way to incapacitate you, and I didn't limit myself to humane methods."

The percentage of the audience that believed her words to be a metaphor are really struggling to follow the story at this point.

"But I never had to use any of them. Do you know why?"

Eyebrows raise. People are starting to look around, trying to find whoever she's talking about.

"I don't either. But what I do know is that things have changed between us. We went from being enemies to being acceptably tolerant friend-enemies. And then..."

The party waits with bated breath. A caterer forgets that he was pouring wine into someone's glass; the wine's now overflowing and creating an increasingly massive stain on the white cloth.

Veliky crosses her arms and frowns.

"What the kahn happened after that...? Oh, right. I saw you wearing a giant pumpkin and fell in love with you or something. So, yeah, there you go. I love you, Beist^[1]."

Applause. Thunderous applause. A woman in her mid-thirties clasps a hand over her mouth, holding back tears of joy. A distraught orc borrows a waiter's handkerchief, blows his nose with it, and then hands the snot-covered rag back to the waiter, who uses it to wipe away his own tears. Veliky cannot fathom how these people are actually eating this garbage. She also sees that many of them are still looking around for the subject of her affection.

"Beist. You know, the big guy? Wearing a pumpkin suit?" She points directly at him. Still, some people have yet to catch on. "The furry one. Looks like a bird and a moose had a kid and left it on the side of a road... Oh come- He's twelve fucktin feet tall, it shouldn't be this hard!" Finally, Beist becomes the centre of attention. "There you go. Yup, that's him. I love that guy, apparently."

"When's the wedding?" calls a dark-skinned woman in the guise of a traditional witch. She doesn't look fooled, but she does look extremely amused.

"Exactly twelve months before the divorce. Thank you all for your time."

With the mood of the party somehow lifted by her speech, she zooms back down to the game atop her broom. She isn't all that bothered by the whole affair. She plops herself down on the grass and grabs her drink from its invisible holder.

"Done. Now, in the interest of expediency..." She scans her eyes around the circle. Her eyes are caught by the hefty man in what might be considered a ghost costume by someone who doesn't know what ghosts look like (to his credit, Veliky doesn't). "You. Ghost guy. Truth or dare?"

"I will pick truth, the safer of options."

...If she didn't know better, Veliky would think he was somehow mocking her inner thoughts.

"Alright," she sighs. Her demeanour is far more lackadaisical than before: the consequence of a complete transformation in the game's tone. "I think we've all done some travelling, and travel is rarely a smooth affair. Tell us about the last time you committed a crime."

---

1. Smooth Talking

    Very impressive. The little one had completed their dare with a incredible amount of gall and gallantry. He didn't think a dare in turn would be wise at this moment, the socialites escalating with each in turn. _{Especially since his own dare had been done without abiding to the letter of the challenge. Vikram could only hope the group hadn't noticed.}

"I will pick truth, the safer of options."

    It indeed did turn out to be safer, depending on whether the participants were in any way in touch with the authorities of Sol City. He went through several options in his mind, for in his youth Vikram was quite the rapscallion. Nothing so crude as dismemberment nor murder. Was it a crime to enjoy a meal? A succulent moongladean meal? It certainly was to the officer, he recalled the man knowing his martial arts well. His most recent bout in prison definitely irked him however.

"Ah, crime and criminals are so poorly defined in the nature of the law. A young officer of the court once took me for a criminal for naught but exploring my natural surroundings."

    The look on his face portrayed his continued disbelief of the incident.    

"It was several years ago in this very city where I was simply walking through the garden paths by the moonlight. It was quite peaceful, the garden moths flitting about and the fireflies twinkling in the dark. The path of the garden abruptly ended in a large and ornate wrought iron gate. A decorative gate with a golden emblem, closed by the wind surely. A simple detour over the spiked fence next to it was the real obstacle."

    The old man communicated heavily with his hands, miming the walking about and climbing of ladders as though he were in his own little play.

"It was very fortunate a gardener had left a folding ladder nearby next to some in-progress topiaries. Surely fixing the gate would be easier than making everyone on the path climb over the spiny fence, but I am not familiar with your maintenance standards here. Anyway, after tearing a bit of my cloth on the spikes, I could finally jump down and continue my midnight walk."

    His brow furled as he tried to remember what happened next, his idle hand stroking his beard thoughtfully. A snap of his finger found him back on track.

"Ah! Yes, this side of the garden was immaculate. Rare trees and flowers abound, you could even see the back of the Suns Keep further up the trail. I remember finding it quite surprising that more tourists were not mulling about such a landmark. In my idle nightdreaming, my feet led me directly into a plinth with a lovely translucent green vase sat atop it. Of course, I assume it was lovely since it was only noticed after it had hit the ground and shattered into several pieces."

    The look on his face turned to disappointment as his story drew to an end. It was fun talking to the crowd of strangers and he hoped he would be invited to more of these balls in the future.

"Alas, a several Capitol Officers had me on the ground in irons before I knew what was happening. Dragged before a magistrate who told me I had been "Trespassing on Royal Grounds" and "destroyed valuable historical artifacts". Poppycock, who would keep an important artifact in the middle of the public park"

His eyes looked around the group, looking for the looks of agreement that his incarceration was as silly as he thought it was. Several were more looks of confusion than the approval he sought. Deflecting, Vikram pointed at short blonde woman who had gone earlier.

"You, Truth or Dare"

"Dare" Said without a moments hesitation

Such bravado deserved a fitting challenge.

"So be it then, I dare you to go out into the party, and return dressed in another guests costume."

His challenges a result of several glasses of wine and various other spiked drinks, but he stood with a confident smile nonetheless.

Astrid didn't expect to get so deep about her truth, but it was the truth. However, the somberness fades immediately upon Cyran engaging in the dare she set before them. That was simply testing the boundaries of the game, and for it to be followed up with a love ballad... Oh, she finds herself quite enjoying this. It's perfectly fun and chaotic. Why does Veliky seem so confused about the results? Are they playing wrong? She's not sure if she cares because presently, she is having an absolutely grand time. She worries she'll burst out of her costume if she laughs any harder. 

Finally her turn comes back around, and the turbaned man who took the imposing redhead's hat turns to her. "Dare!" she says confidently. She wants in on the fun. So when he tells her to return in another party goer's costume, she actually has a look of dread on her face. In that moment, she's quite glad she made her Avasha costume easy to get out of. It's... not so easy to get into, but Charles can help with that. Besides, it's quite unwieldy. Notes for her "field test" she supposes. 

Astrid looks around the room, scanning for someone whose costume is fun and easy to get into and out of. Though she's extremely tempted to take someone's full clothes costume. The dare doesn't say she has to steal though, so she'll play the turbaned man's way and simply ask! She spots a man in a goofy looking sword costume, and she grins wildly, her tiny pointy teeth looking especially mischeivous. Astrid takes off her helmet and sets it down, then she steps back from the group and calls Charles over. The Pawn bot rushes over and holds his arms out just barely in time for Astrid to sharply yank a clasp on her shoulder. The massive, heavy metal wings slide off her back and into the bot's arms, it's legs compress slightly under the weight but remain steady. Then she simply removes the main cuirass and sets it beside her helmet. The rest she figures she can leave on. 

"Be right back!" she cheerfully says and immediately tromps across the dancefloor, unintentionally interrupting the flow of a few dances, and approaches the man in a homemade sword costume. "'Scuse me, mister! I like yer costume a lot! I can tell ya made it yerself," she drops to a whisper, "unlike most of these rich folks here." Her voice returns to normal. "I got a weird question fer ya, though. Can I borrow yer costumer fer two minutes? I need it fer a game we're playin'." Astrid jabs her thumb towards the group of grown ass adults in a circle in an alcove. 

The sword-man looks a bit surprised and nervous at the suggestion. "Wait... really? I-I mean... Sure? You'll give it back though, right?" 

"I'll give it right back in all the right pieces!" she promises. 

"Uh... okay," the man says. He awkwardly removes the sword from his person, shuffling it over his head, and offers it to Astrid. She just holds her arms up with the intention of him putting it on over her, and after a moment obliges. Only the top of Astrid's head peeks out from the face hole Gladio cut in the board. "What game are you playing, exactly?" he asks. 

"Truth or dare!" she says, muffled by the costume. "Want ta play?" 

"Oh, that sounds fun, sure," he agrees. The girl looks like she'll need some help navigating back, so he steers her across the dancefloor again where she clumsily but confidently tromps in her full metal leggings. 

"TA DAAAA!" She sings, making a lopsided pose with jazz hands. When the group is satisfied, she and Gladio shuffle the sword costume off of her, and Astrid fixes her hair. "This is- Er, what's yer name?"

"I'm Gladio."

"This is Gladio! I invited him ta play with us!" Astrid helps Gladio get the sword costume on then looks at the group, eyeing each one of them. They're all willing to act like little shits, and she enjoys it. The white haired elf made a fool of herself. "You! Truth or dare?" 

"Dare. I 'ave enough 'umility left te 'ave one more go've it." 

Astrid ponders, tapping her chin with her finger. "Hmmm.... I dare youuu.... ta go up ta that bull fella over there and start one of them dancin' lines? What're they called? A conga line!!" Satisfied with the silly dare, Astrid starts putting her cuirass back on but leaves Charles holding the wings so she can have a break and sit down comfortably with princess Cantio, who has been drunkenly sobbing. She's still not one hundred percent sure how to handle that with him, but she does not turn down his affections one bit. In fact she revels in them, but in a not-so-sinister way. She snuggles in against his side. The tiefling is particularly warm. 

Now, this, was the kind of party Vi'ira enjoyed.

She had never laughed harder in her life than when she watched the quarterling declare her love in the most exuberant way possible. She repeatedly kept bringing her hand to her mouth to muffle her boisterous laughs, but the other members playing the game made it much harder. Some rolled in the grass while others made comedic comments after every sentence Veliky spoke.

She felt like she was in a trance listening to the wise man tell his tale of run ins with the Royal Guards. The was he talked was very gripping, using his hands to illustrate theatrical aspects and his words to strengthen everyone's mental picture book of the story. She nodded along as he mentioned the silliness of having an artifact out in the open, but, it wasn't certainly for the public if you have to crawl over a sharp fence. Nevertheless, she found herself laughing as the story concluded and Astrid was dared to switch costumes with someone else. The 'Ghost Guy', as Veliky had called him, came up with some creative dares, and it surely made for an interesting game.

Astrid returned in a sword costume, the smile on her face even brighter than the blade the costume imitated. She looked rather proud of herself, and Vi'ira never expected so much confidence to radiate off of a 12-year-old. She clapped her hands against her thighs as Astrid returned to her spot, feeling the alcohol more and more with every turn. That didn't stop her from taking another sip.

"You! Truth or dare?"

Vi'ira pondered the question this time, not impulsively choosing the first answer that comes to mind. The last dare she did was awful, and it couldn't get that much worse...right?

"Dare. I 'ave enough 'umility left te 'ave one more go've it." Her accent was really coming through now.

"Hmmm...." Be merciful, child, "I dare youuu.... ta go up ta that bull fella over there and start one of them dancin' lines? What're they called? A conga line!!" Vi'ira laughed as soon as Astrid concluded her dare. She loved it, this was going to be enjoyable not only for the other's playing, but herself and the entire ball. She stood up quickly this time, much more confident (and much more drunk) in her approach for this one. She grabbed the edges of her coat, and pranced towards the party.

Her target wasn't hard to spot at all, seeing as he wore a vibrant orange carved pumpkin on his head and towered over a majority of the guests. He stood chatting with a circle of friends, most likely discussing the love confession they just witnessed. 

"Ahem!" Vi'ira chirped from behind him. The minotaur turned around slowly and looked down at her. The rest of the people around him went silent, not anticipating what the pirate woman needed from any of them. "Pardon the interruption, fellas, but this a matter of life or death." She dramatized the entire ordeal in order to try and convince the strangers to join her, especially the biggest one. 

The minotaur looked down at her, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"I've been tasked with starting a conga line, and ye're the perfect partner fer this crime. Ye'd be able to get everyone's attention, and I'll do the music. Never seen a better fit in me life!" She opened her arms out in front of her and then placed her hards firmly on her hips with a smile on her face, hoping this came across as welcoming. She could tell the minotaur was questioning it in his head, but thankfully, a smile cracked on his lips.

"I've got nothing to lose."

"Fantastic!" Vi'ira bounced on her heels, excitement brewing in her. Now was the task of grabbing everyone's attention to join the conga line. Too much energy was needed to run all the way up the stairs and all the way back down and she didn't want to just start dancing with the minotaur and hope that at least two people joined along. 

"One more thing..." Her feet tapped the marble floor. "How's me getting on yer shoulders sound?" She wasn't sure how the minotaur would respond to this one, but it was hard to read his expression when the only parts of his face she could see were through two triangles and a mouth cut into a pumpkin. 

"Hell...get on." Vi'ira laughed as she was lifted on the shoulder's of the beast, resting her legs squarely upon his shoulders. The party looked much larger from a higher view, but she didn't let this burden her. She had already embarrassed herself beyond recovery to the host, so what's it matter that she acts a fool in front of everybody else. This was flawed logic, but when you're inebriated, everything sounds like the best idea in the world. She hadn't even thought about Madam Marrowvine seeing her all the way up here, and pray that she does. If Vi'ira's lucky enough, Madam Marrowvine will be taking a break from the dance floor.

Suddenly, she yelled "CONGAAAA!!!" She began to roll her hands back and forth in front of her as she shouted, "Dat dat dadda dat da! Dat dat dadda dat da!" over and over again. On every final note, she lifted her hands into the air. Faces looked up at her with confusion painted all across their faces. Others whispered disapproval to those who were close by, while others laughed. The only ones participating in the dance line were Vi'ira, the pumpkin-headed beast, and the three men he was previously chatting with. 

Slowly but surely, other guests began to join in. One of the first was the woman who sobbed through Veliky's speech, hurriedly connecting the train of people to make it longer. She still had dark mascara smeared on some parts of her cheek, but that didn't matter in the world of Conga. Then, there was small, dark fairy dressed in robes. Following that, a tall man dressed as a peacock latched on, with many others joining in behind him. The line had reached at least 30 to 35 people.

"Conga, conga, conga!" The crowd cheered along with Vi'ira. This kind of exhilaration was a whole new kind of drug. The chanting of the party goers was loud and lively. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and this caused a warm feeling to spread in her stomach. 

As a final hurrah, Vi'ira held out the 'Conga' for as long as she could, before clapping her hands together fiercely. The party erupted in applause, giggling. Some continued to chant the tune of the dance, still prancing around with some of their friends. She pat the minotaurs shoulder and he helped her down.

"Ye're a legend now! I expect to see our names together in ancient scrolls when scribes document this night! Vi'ira and--?"

"Shaa."

"Shaa! I owe ye, Shaa." And with that, Vi'ira bowed dramatically and skipped back to the group. She felt much better than she had the last time she approached the group after a dare. A grin was practically glued to her face as she brushed her hands together and sat back down, tipping her hat.

"Gladio, fresh meat, Truth or Dare?" She winked at Gladio as she spoke. 

"Oh my! Uhm...self preservation instincts say truth...but I feel dare would be more interesting."

She loved when her fellow players chose dare, especially when she gets to be the one choosing what is they do. "Hm...what will it be...I dare ye to...walk onto the dance floor with yer eyes closed. And when ye open 'em, declare a dance battle with the first person ye see!"

Gladio had noticed quite a while ago a sort of rowdy table that seemed to be having quite a good time, He was slightly tipsy already so when he saw what looked like a child but what he hoped was a tiny halfling declare her love for the humongous Beist he was a bit conflicted, between amusement, concern, and some sort of 'aww' feeling like when you see a kitten do something cute. Regardless of that he couldn't quite appreciate the hilarity of the situation and since she seemed quite convincing in her last words, he couldn't help but feel like it was a cute heartwarming moment.

As everyone went back to their own business Gladio kept drinking and eating some pastries, the night was getting better it seemed, and after the reveal of madam Marrowvine for which he didn't care much, his anxiety began to calm down as he observed the people dancing and generally having fun, he was an avid people watcher every once in a while, mostly in environments like this one, since he wasn't one to particularly enjoy dancing, that and his social anxiety made it hard for the subtle social cues and interactions of the dance-floor.

But as he was doing that he suddenly heard a voice "'Scuse me, mister! I like yer costume a lot! I can tell ya made it yerself," he was surprised by the sudden appearance of a literal child who apparently was asking him for his costume...? Well that's new, "I need it fer a game we're playin'." she added cheerfully as she pointed back at the table he had noticed before, he was a bit nervous maybe this was some sort of prank, but looking at her he couldn't just say no it was a child playing and having fun after all, still a bit worried though he asked "Wait... really? I-I mean... Sure? You'll give it back though, right?"

"I'll give it right back in all the right pieces!" Gladio really couldn't say no now, not that he would've, he usually found kids endearing, and her promise of returning it made her all the more so. "Uh... okay," As he began awkwardly removing the costume, he began to wonder what sort of game they were playing, it clearly wasn't something as simple as a costume swap and it clearly was something fun since everyone there seemed to be having a good time. He was about to give the costume to the girl when he noticed she was just standing there with her arms up, apparently intending for him to put the costume on her, he smiled in amusement, she seemed like a really good kid, really extroverted too! either way he carefully put the sword over her and gently lowered it soon noticing it didn't quite fit her... which was to be expected but neither of them seemed to have realized it before now, maybe she did but just didn't care..?

"What game are you playing, exactly?" he remembered his earlier curiosity, "Truth or dare! Want ta play?"

Wait really? well that explains it perfectly then, "Oh, that sounds fun, sure," Throwing all caution to the wind Gladio decided to join the table for the game, he guided the girl back to the table she had pointed at since the face hole on the costume was too high up for her to reach so she more than likely couldn't see. Once they arrived she did a pose to show her victory at the challenge and informed the rest of the table she had invited him to play "I'm Gladio." he grabbed a chair and sat down in the circle, as the girl chose the next player and their challenge... the moon elf woman was tasked with making a conga line with... Oh my well Gladio was glad he wasn't the one who had to do that as he's sure he would screw it up somehow... Still she seemed quite confident, and with reason since she pulled it off quite easily even getting on the shoulders of the huge Minotaur she was supposed to convince.

The party became rowdier as people began singing and joining the conga line he was amazed at the display of confidence and the influence she commanded, everyone was having a good time as the she left the conga line and came back, Gladio's heart slightly sank as she turned to him, Well it was obvious he was gonna be picked now that he was playing but that still didn't mean he was completely ready for it. "Oh my! Uhm...self preservation instincts say truth...but I feel dare would be more interesting." and that might've been the wrong choice to make even if it was for the sake of fun...

He was tasked with going to the dance-floor with his eyes closed and declaring a dance battle against the person immediately in front of him.... so now looking at the dance floor again he steeled his resolve, "Alright, watch this." He stood up closed his eyes and walked towards everyone dancing, to make sure he wouldn't break the rules by choosing someone, or just stopping in front of no one, he would walk until he bumped into someone.

Walking for a few seconds he was surprised he didn't bump into anyone they were probably avoiding him, or so he thought until he bumped into a tall person, probably a man if the smell of cologne was anything to go by, So he yelled "I challange you to a d-d-d-d-d Dance Duel" then he opened his eyes to look who his dancing rival would be, if his heart had sank before now he straight up pooped it out, as he saw his rival to be Mister Marrowvine himself, he had a calm smile and looked at him in the eye "Oh?" the gracious host voiced curiously, Gladio began to sweat "S-sorry! Mister Marrowvine I didn't know it was you! I-I!" The newly appointed Dark Elf Councilman just let out a bit of deep restrained laughter "Why, I've been waiting for this, for someone to challenge me!" He said menacingly, "W-what..." Gladio was befuddled "En garde, Sword Man! Music!" He clapped twice and suddenly the band that was playing for the people at the dance floor began playing some fast and unpredictable music, the beat was clear though as someone took the job of keeping the rhythm steady by tapping on their instrument...

Suddenly Mister Marrowvine looked expectantly "Go on! Show us what you got" Apparently Gladio had the first move, terrified of what was transpiring he froze for a bit before the roar of the crowd woke him up, He began 'Dancing' or more accurately flailing around as he lifted a knee and shimmied while moving his arms he would change knees every 4 beats so that he wouldn't tire or lose balance "There you go boy! Dance! Dance!" Mister Marrowvine removed his jacket to allow for more freedom of movement and threw it at an attendant's face, he dropped to the ground and began spinning with his legs outstretched. How is he?

it didn't matter but the competition was ignited in Gladio's heart, he shimmied harder! It wasn't very effective!

"Is that all you got boy!" Mister Marrovine stood on one of his hands before kicking in the air doing a flip to land on his feet What is happening?!?!

Gladio twirled around in place and kicked around a little then tried to do circles with his hands by rolling them around and ended up hitting himself in the forehead and stumbling back a little.

Mister Marrowvine dropped back to the floor and began spinning on top of his head! It was super effective! the crowd roared as Gladio began plopping down in defeat looking for a way to escape, that's when Madam Marrowvine could be heard "What are you doing!" gasps could be heard as the music stopped abruptly, Mister Marrovine's spin of dancing doom came to an end. She burst through the crowd and pulled on her husbands elven ear

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"Darling no! it's not what you think!"

"Not what I think!?" She began dragging him away from the dance floor by the ear "You promised you wouldn't 'Dance Duel' with others like last time! And here you are duking it out in the middle of our black harvest ball!" their voices became more silent as poor Mister Marrowvine was dragged back inside struggling and extending his arms asking for someone to help, but alas help didn't arrive... "I'm sorry mister Marrowvine..." Gladio whispered solemnly putting a hand on his swordy chest...

Returning at the table he began thinking who'd be next that's when he saw his target, "You! Princess Tiefling! Truth or Dare?"

"D-dare."

"I dare you to..." Gladio looked around looking for a target to send the princess after "See that little pixie there by that table, You have to flirt with her!"

When the attention of the game finally turns back onto him, a lot has happened…

He cried during Astrid’s speech— well, he tried not to cry— but how was he not supposed to cry after that!? He had expected some cute, more childish answers like… a pony, or something! Instead he just received tears and emotional distress! Cantio pulls Astrid in for a side hug when she leans against him after proclaiming her dare, which he’s not sure he actually heard, because he was busy trying to figure out how to wipe his eyes without taking off his mask or removing the makeup underneath.

In the end, he sort of just half-rubs the edges of his eyes from beneath his mask— sort of lifting it, but sort of not. It drops unevenly back across his face, and he sniffs as he looks towards Cyran while he— oh, that’s much more of Zarius than he’s ever wanted to see. Does Cyran have a deathwish!? Subconsciously, he covers Astrid’s eyes from the scene; partially because it’s inappropriate, and partially because he fully expects Zarius to punch Cyran straight to the Moonglade, but… that doesn’t happen.

Amazing. Cyran is walking back in one piece! He blinks, uncovering Astrid’s eyes, which were honestly not that covered in the first place. He is in awe. Gosh, they must be good friends… If he had done that, he would visit Solaria much sooner than expected! Very impressive, although he has no idea why Zarius looks so puzzled about it when he just saw Cyran do it a moment ago. Weird.

Next comes Vakker, and the handsome devil trots his way over to Zarius and his weird friend, and recites a beautiful love ballad to them… wait, are they together? Or is he just being cheeky? He had no idea. Cantio almost tears up again, sniffing behind his mask: why is this game of truth and dare so emotional? It’s definitely not the wine, probably… by the way, when did his glass get empty? He narrows his eyes at his empty glass in his opposite hand, still leaned up against Miss Astrid, then sets it down on the path with a slight shrug.

Next comes Vikram, and Cantio just waves excitedly at Bellighul from where he’s sitting in the circle while he watches them interact; he whispers good luck to Vi’ira on her turn, as she struts with feigned confidence to Madam Marrowvine, and cries again while Veliky makes a heartfelt speech to a massive pumpkin at the snack table.

He didn’t even know Veliky was capable of love; she’s so convincing! What a moving love story between a quarterling and giant pumpkin man.

The next round starts, and it’s Vikram who goes first; he tells a story about exploration, which promptly turned into accidental criminal activity, according to the law. Astrid came next with her first dare, he whisper-shouts encouragement after her as she gets up and runs off to a fellow in a sword outfit, and asks him to switch costumes. She comes trotting back dressed as a sword in an outfit that’s definitely too big for her, but Cantio claps in delight, regardless. “Welcome to the fun, Gladio!” he chirps as the stranger settles down in the circle.

He pulls Astrid into another side-hug as she snuggles back into him, watching the rest of the game play out with a somewhat drowsy, but content smile. Vi’ira goes to Shaa— hey, Shaa is here! He should say hi later! — and start a conga line. Gladio has an incredibly impressive dance battle with Mister Marrowvine, who does not look like he should be able to bust as many moves as he is currently busting… and then it’s his turn.

The game is a lot more intimidating, again, with eyes on him. Cantio laughs sheepishly, scratching at the side of his face as he answers with uncertainty; after seeing everyone’s dares, he’s not even sure if it’s a better option, anymore! “D-dare.” he says, anyway, against every ounce of common sense telling him to not.

"I dare you to… See that little pixie there by that table, You have to flirt with her!"

“....Eh?” Cantio remarks, looking towards the table, then back at Gladio. There’s a little pixie floating near the buffet table; he narrows his eyes, then nods— that could’ve been worse, honestly! “Uh— sure! Yeah, okay. Totally.” He tries to hype himself up with too many agreements as he gently eases Astrid off of him, pats her head fondly, then trips on his innermost layer of skirt while he tries to get up.

With much luck, he does not fall on his face, but does tumble forwards a few steps before straightening up and dusting himself off with some manner of elegance.

He trots off to the buffet table, folding his hands together subtly behind his back as he stops near the table, and smiles warmly at the pixie. She’s got a big pumpkin on her head with a little crown. It’s very cute! “Hello! From one Princess to another, I hope you don’t mind if I say that your outfit is simply stunning, your majesty!” he greets, then chuckles drowsily as he offers her a deep bow. “I saw you from across the garden, and I was absolutely blown away by your… originality and craftsmanship!”

He waits for an answer, looking expectantly at the pixie— something to start a conversation and bounce off of.

He does not get a single response; the pixie doesn’t even turn her head to look at him.

“If I could make a guess… you must be a pumpkin queen? It’s incredibly flattering; the shades of greens are most certainly your colour— but, I’m sure you could make any colour work for you perfectly.”

Absolute silence.

“Uh.” Cantio feels his face grow hot; a delayed embarrassment rolling through him— why isn’t she saying anything? Did he say something weird? He’s just complimenting her! That’s how you flirt, right? Or, start to? “I hate to trouble you, but could I ask for your name?”

“....Snnzz…”

“Snnzz?” It’s more of a sound than a name that he repeats; he seems confused for a moment, before remembering he’s supposed to be flirting with the pixie. “— That’s a lovely name for such a beautiful pumpkin queen like yourself.” He chuckles sheepishly; the pixie continues to ignore him, not saying a word. “I hope I’m not too bold by asking, but is there any chance you might be open for a dance? You would truly make my night if you were to say yes.”

Complete and utter silence; he thinks he hears a tiny whistle from somewhere.

He stands there, embarrassed, and growing progressively more warm as the pixie continues to cold shoulder him— maybe she doesn’t like him? “Of course, if you don’t want to, that’s okay! I would hate to make you uncomfortable.” Silence. “Um… Right, okay; I’ll leave you alone then, I’m so sorry; I really do like your outfit, though! Um— have a nice gala, then! Goodbye, miss!” He chuckles sheepishly, never more glad that he’s wearing a mask, as he is when he scurries sheepishly away from the table and the quiet pixie.

As he leaves, he misses the moment when she suddenly jolts awake from an impromptu nap. She sniffs and looks around quizzically, “...Did someone say something…?”

Meanwhile, Cantio practically dives back into his spot at the circle, a few shades darker. “I don’t think she liked me at all. Um, who’s not gone? You? You, truth or dare?” He points at Vakker, adjusting the layers of his skirt while he tries to make himself comfortable next to Astrid, and direct attention away from his flop. This time, he leans against Astrid instead with a somewhat gloomy sigh, while Vakker answers, “Truth.”

He stares at the devil-man from across the circle; didn't he see him in a dance earlier?; before narrowing his eyes at him. He thinks hard about his question.

“... Why... aren’t you wearing pants?”

... Yes, very insightful question.

Vakker was greatly amused by all of the other dares and truths being challenged so far. This game may not have been as harmless as he'd thought though, since some of these dares were quite humiliating, and not only for the players. Thankfully, it was the red Tiefling who asked him that fateful question this time. He didn't seem capable of asking for anything too revealing or humiliating. He'd only asked the little girl that was at this part for some reason what they'd do with three wishes. How innocent.

He gave and smile and confidently said "Truth."

He wasn't expecting the question that came after. Maybe it was just the result of the man definitely being a bit drunk. He could probably only think about what was directly in front of him and had just looked at Vakker's legs. Or, maybe he was genuinely curious. Vakker knew Satyrs like him were quite uncommon around here. Either way, this question was easy and he wasn't ashamed to answer it.

"Oh, that's easy. Because I have thick fur and wearing pants on top of it would be very uncomfortable. It'd be like wearing a pair of pants on top of another pair of pants. Have you ever tried doing that? It's not like you can see anything through the fur anyways. Also any pants I wear have to have a tail hole cut in them, but you probably have the same problem." he replied to Cantio, possibly in a slightly rant-like way.

With his challenge done, he turned his head slowly to look at Cyran, an absolutely devious gleam in his eye. It was time to pay the man back for making him sing that love ballad.

"Truth. Or. Dare?" he asked.

"Truth." Cyran responded.

He'd been hoping for dare. He'd made an agreement with the man not to ask any questions that would out either of their jobs as people who both worked in shadowy businesses. He'd just have to think of a question that would embarrass the man as payback. But, what question would be embarrassing enough? Or, maybe he could do a little research for something unrelated to crime. His eyes narrowed and his smile widened a little.

"If you have to choose someone in this circle to passionately make out with, who would it be?"

Cyran wasn’t quite sure he could take another dare after the last one he’d been dealt, and watching the second round progress, he didn’t want to see what would be in store for him. Astrid had to switch costumes with someone, Vi’ira started a conga line with Shaa, and Gladio had been utterly upstaged by the host of the party… not to mention Veliky’s confession that moved the entire audience to tears. Cyran wasn’t sure he could handle that much attention on himself. Truth seemed like the safer bet for now, until Vakker turned to him with a wicked expression on his face, and Cyran realized that he was about to pay for his dare last round.



“Truth.” He said eventually. The two had decided before playing that they would avoid any work talk, mostly because Cyran didn’t find it fair to leverage any information from one another regarding their previous conversation. Still, he almost expected Vakker to take the opportunity and dig into his personal life. Instead, he’d decided to go the embarrassing route. Unfortunately for him, any shame Cyran had at the beginning of this game had properly dried up after the pantsing incident.



“Who would I passionately make out with, hmm?” He considered the adults in the circle. Just to be safe, he decided to leave Veliky out, as she had delivered such a heartfelt declaration of love that, while admitted under a dare, sounded so real that he didn’t want to offend the object of her offections, or even Veliky herself.



Cantio was rather pretty, in a sort of ethereal way, and he cut a striking figure in a dress. He also seemed like fun at a party- he was a strong contender, though with his fine looks, he wasn’t exactly Cyran’s type. Vikram, on the other hand, had a mature look that Cyran appreciated, but still not quite what he looked for in a man. Gladio looked nice, but not the kind of person who could sweep Cyran off his feet. While he may not have looked like it on the surface, Cyran was secretly a romantic, the kind of person who wanted someone to whisk him off in a whirlwind romance. That was difficult for someone like him to find, especially with his specific tastes.



That left Vakker himself. While the satyr didn’t have the kindest personality, he had exactly the sort of appearance that Cyran appreciated- tall, toned muscle, and a handsome face. It was a shame that it hid a deceiving forked tongue and a cunning attitude. Still, Vakker hadn’t asked Cyran who he would prefer to woo. In terms of physical attraction, though, Vakker was the best candidate in the group. Cyran swirled his wine, considering how he would answer the question.



“If I’m honest, I suppose it would be you.”



He would not inflate the satyr’s ego by elaborating, so Cyran quickly turned his attention to Veliky. “Truth or dare?”



“Dare.” She said, though the death glare she wore told him she wasn’t especially pleased.



Cyran pointed at a random couple dressed in matching, elegant costumes lounging on a nearby couch. “Do you see those two over there? I challenge you to approach them and convince them that you’re their long-lost child.”