”Are you sure about this?” Dee said while discreetly tugging at her dress.

The two had gone dress shopping the previous day in preparation for their first appearance at a Winter court event. The dress Dee was wearing seemed fairly basic in theory, as it was just a simple black dress. What made it far more notable was the person wearing the dress, as well as how little the dress managed to cover beyond the important bits. The back dove all the way down Dee’s back, stopping barely above the luscious and tight buttocks. It also left her sides mostly bared, as well as revealing a generous helping of the valley that formed on her chest. The dress stopped well above her knees as well.

“Don’t worry, you’re supposed to be drawing everyone’s attention. That way they will spend all their time looking at you and I can go unnoticed.” Noyala replied furiously hiding her smile. Mostly she just enjoyed seeing Dee’s discomfort. She also very much enjoyed the view Dee presented.

Dee in her angel form was a very good representation of the universally approved good looks of the race, even more so as Fallen tended to be even more alluring than their more puritan cousins. Beauty was always in the eye of the beholder and different races found different things attractive, but there were still some constants. Every race appreciated symmetry in both face and body structure. Pretty much everyone could also agree on the importance of the lack of obvious flaws and a clear complexion. Angels were all epitomes of these features, and Dee was a good example of the race in that respect. They had this otherworldly feel about them, but at the same time, both sexes of angels had this very natural beauty that required no addition by any sort of makeup.

Dee also saw no reason to add flaws while she made herself look more like an elf, and a more vulgar person would describe her body shape as something made for sinning. This combined well with her impressive height and the almost palpable feeling of strength. Together they brought to mind the word impressive. Additionally, she also radiated danger and her graceful movement combined with the deepest black hair and wings to give a mysterious impression. Dee and Noyala had decided that the dark look was most suitable for her and she most certainly succeeded in drawing attention away from Noyala.

“Oh, you thought I meant the dress. No, I meant whether a simple ruse like this is enough to stop people from questioning your presence.” Dee had developed a rather free attitude of displaying her body in her normal form, mostly due to her fur covering everything. Even now that the fur was gone, she didn’t really mind the revealing dress. To her the difference was negligible. Her discomfort at the dress was directed towards it being impractical and hard to keep in place.

“Oh, that. Well, I obviously can’t go there looking like myself. Not because they would recognize me, but because they know my sister. I did mention that we are twins, right? That comes with a very similar appearance. I’ve cast a very small illusion that alters my features just a bit. You can see through it because I excluded you from the spell and because such illusions would be useless on you anyway. I carry the markings of a house related to my real one on my ear, so everyone will assume I’m a close relative. My appearance being similar to my sister’s will only confirm that in everyone’s mind. They’ll think I’m a cousin or something.” Noyala explained.

The two were approaching the doors of the manor that was their current destination. The entrance was heavily guarded and only those with invitations could get in. Noyala produced a written invitation from somewhere from the folds of her dress. Dee had no idea where she could’ve hidden it, considering that Noyala’s white dress was only slightly less revealing than her own. She also had no idea where the woman had gotten the invitation in the first place. Noyala had just told her not to worry about it and acquired one during their shopping trip. Dee had questioned it out of professional curiosity but Noyala had played coy and said something about girls and needing to have their secrets.

They didn’t have to wait long as the guards were quick in checking the invitations and the guests had a habit of arriving over the duration of the evening instead of all arriving at the beginning. It would also be impolite to force nobles to wait and all the guests were most certainly noble. This was the birthday celebration of the head of one the oldest houses in the city of Ordos. Every guest arrived either on luxurious carriages filled with enchantments or riding powerful beasts tamed with magic.

The guard took Noyala’s offered invitation, which fortunately didn’t specify who it was addressed to. He took a long look at the two and a small grin appeared on his lips when he noted their appearance. “We are taking the security of the guests very seriously, and as such we have to perform random checks for weapons on some guests. You have been chosen.”

The guard would never dare to make such a bold move on truly important people. However, he was the type of guard that was trained to know all the people too important to offend, and he didn’t recognize either Dee or Noyala. He also noted that the two had not arrived on a carriage or beast, but by flying on their own wings. Dee had the appearance of a Dark Elf and with her wings had shrunk to a smaller size on her back they could be mistaken for a magical artifact and an accessory. Those types of items were not extremely popular but much more likely than an extremely rare Dark Avariel suddenly showing up on their door uninvited. Noyala, on the other hand, had created wings with her magic and those were long gone by now.

“That will be unnecessary.” Dee stated calmly.

The guard’s grin turned lascivious as he allowed his eyes to roam up and down Dee’s body. “Oh, I think I will be the judge of what’s necessary.”

Suddenly Dee’s right wing grew to its normal size and the tip pierced thought the man’s shoulder straight through the enchanted armor and protective ki, lifting him up and pinning him against the wall. It happened so fast that no one had time to react, and only Noyala had the ability to even see the movement. The other guards stood dumbly in place, unsure how to react.

“I think you misunderstood me. When I said that it will be unnecessary, I meant that I am always armed. I am the weapon. Taking away some pointy pieces of metal would be pointless.” Dee spoke slowly, keeping her voice level and calm as if it didn’t matter to her at all what the others guards would do in reaction.

Dee and Noyala had discussed the possibility of anything like this coming up and had decided that Dee would play the part of an aggressive bodyguard only too eager to display her strength. They didn’t quite expect the opportunity to come this quickly, but it served their purposes. The other guests already sent evaluating and appreciating looks their way due to Dee’s obvious strength, the precise amount of which she was able to hide.

The other guards finally decided that their duty demanded a response and they started approaching while drawing their weapons. Suddenly they were all slammed against the ground by an invisible force, which was naturally the result of Dee’s telekinesis. She looked at the guards on the ground. “I would think about your next actions very carefully. The next words out of your mouths need to include an apology, and an invitation to come on in. Otherwise, that force pushing you down will become a lot stronger and deadlier.”

The duo wanted to make an impression and they were doing so successfully. Other guests inside were slowly noting the disturbance and coming to windows and balconies to watch the fun. Everyone noticed how Dee had subdued all the guards with seemingly little effort. Her control was also notable, as only the guards were affected. Many a mage or warrior could suppress a group of individuals weaker than themselves, but very few could do so with pinpoint accuracy while excluding everyone else from said suppression. It should also be noted that Dee did so without creating a disturbance. The guests only noticed something going on because servants and other guests made a scene.

Noyala interjected when she judged the timing to be perfect. “I think the point has been made. They’ve learned their lesson and you can let them go. You don’t have to be gentle when setting that one down, however.” She pointed at the offending guard.

The guards suddenly felt the pressure on them disappear. Meanwhile, Dee pulled her wing out of the small hole she had made in the wall and tossed the offending guard away with a flippant gesture of her wing. The wing returned to a small size that would not get in the way, while the guard landed a dozen mel away in a clang of armor, clearly injured. “You might want to take care of that. I avoided hitting anything vital, but you’re still losing a lot of blood.” Dee said over her shoulder flippantly, while the two walked in through the doors.

It did not take long before the two found themselves presented to the old matron who was the star of the party. Events like this were so common in Sidhe society nowadays that the occasion didn’t merit giving presents unless the party was arranged to celebrate something special like a great achievement. Usually, the events were just a chance to party, scheme, have some fun and stab some backs. The excuse used to throw the party was just that, an excuse. Dee and Noyala congratulated the matron, who in turn pretended to apologize for the rude behavior of her guards. The apology was completely fake as well as the old woman understood that the incident had served Dee’s and Noyala’s purposes as well. If it had not…well, then they were people incapable of seizing chances and thus not worth an apology in the first place.

Once they had completed the formalities, the two spent a bit of time familiarizing themselves with the venue. The party was held in several connected ballrooms, with each room having their own standards for both entertainment and guests. The further in one went, the more skilled the entertainers and the more luxurious the offered foods and refreshments. Naturally, the guests further inside were more influential as well.

The guests were allowed to roam freely, but the social pressures of the surrounding people forced every guest to find their own level and mingle with those of roughly similar social standing. You wouldn’t find a first generation baron’s fifth daughter in the same room with the first son of one of the old houses that held several duchies. Unless that fifth daughter was an attendant or a lover of course, but in those cases, they were encouraged to stand behind their higher ranked companion and stay silent unless spoken to.

The two had an interesting difference in their focus as they walked through the rooms. Noyala kept a sharp eye on the nobles and their positions, who they spoke and mingled with, who their friends were and who they seemed to be gossiping about and keeping their distance from. Dee, on the other hand, paid attention to all the food and entertainment. She shamelessly helped herself to many of the offerings, even storing some of the best ones within Croestia’s storage. She could also appreciate the efforts of the musicians in particular. Many of the other rooms had entertainers from various races, but the deeper the duo went the more the musicians and other entertainers turned to just Sidhe who had chosen this as their current path to master. Even the high nobility appreciated their efforts, as a musician that had spent a thousand years honing his or her craft commanded respect even from them.

The duo didn’t go to the deepest rooms just yet. Dee’s little show of force allowed them access pretty far, but the most important people could move entire armies. Dee could match that if she showed her full power, but she had not done so yet. Besides, it didn’t serve Noyala’s purposes just yet. She needed some information first.

Noyala went naturally from one group to another to exchange information. She played the part of someone who had been away from the court for a while and thus wasn’t up on the latest information. Of course, she didn’t declare her ignorance outright and instead masked her inquiries as exchanging gossip on current affairs and important people. No matter the time and place, certain people were always willing to spread gossip. Of course, much of the information was hearsay, useless or outright wrong, but with her talking to enough people a picture began to emerge.

With Noyala’s apparent lack of allegiance with any faction besides her apparent relations to her sister, most groups welcomed her presence but were a bit wary about sharing things important to their own group. The other groups were all too happy to provide those details, however. Noyala also played them against each other in various ways, implying how the other group had mentioned something outrageous, and how she, of course, didn’t believe any of it, but if the current group wanted to correct the misinformation…

As Noyala’s stock of information grew more up to date, the two slowly moved further in towards the more important people. Soon enough the two started facing slight resistance as Dee’s earlier display no longer carried enough weight. The two would have to start justifying their presence among the highly ranked people, and luckily they had a way to do just that. Power came in many forms and all of them were approved. The two didn’t have lands, money or influence, but they had personal battle power in spades. However, personal strength was harder to display without a war or a battlefield providing a ready opportunity. The customs also frowned on the open killing of others, although backstabs were just fine, so it was hard to showcase your strength. Or at least it would have been if one of the most common sources of entertainment among the nobles had not been dueling.

“I think it’s about time.” Dee suggested. They had planned on utilizing this method before coming in the first place. The earlier incident had simply pushed the need for it back until now.

“I agree. The looks we are getting are becoming decidedly unfriendly. Might as well go for something big once we start, so don’t pick just anybody. How will you choose anyway?” Noyala suggested.

The prevailing custom was that any member of the court was allowed to challenge any other member, within certain constraints. There were some clearly non-fighting members of the court who had no personal power. Challenging them was considered to be in bad taste, and those people didn’t suffer any dishonor from refusing such a challenge. Certain high nobles also had assistants that often handled such challenges in their stead. They were too busy with other things and certainly didn’t have the time to risk injury. This was considered appropriate, and defeating such assistants was considered equal to attaining a victory against the noble in question. Powerful champions like that also deterred frivolous challenges. Of course, only the most powerful and important who had already proven their worth were allowed such champions.

“You’ll see.” Dee replied with a grin. She stepped into the middle of the room and performed a sort of mental clearing of her throat. It was like a wave of energy had passed through the room drawing everyone’s attention. She had also timed it perfectly to the end of the performance of the musicians so the room was suddenly eerily quiet. She didn’t even have to raise her voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen. As most of you have already noticed, I am someone hailing from the Autumn court.” At this, she gave a small flap of her dark wings for emphasis. “We have heard much of your custom of entertainment through dueling, and would like to partake and test your mettle. I consider myself a person of some power and skill and would like to see if the Winter court can provide a challenge. However, I have also heard that it is considered uncouth to fight someone much weaker than you. I would like to ask for the best you can offer. Otherwise, this would be too one sided. I am however a new arrival and don’t know who that would be. So. If you would, please.” Dee finished with a flourish of her hands while she took a small bow.

Noyala couldn’t help but hide her grin behind her hands. Dee had really kicked the hornets’ nest this time. She had been very polite but had also managed to sneak in several slights at the pride of the Sidhe. She also had the undivided attention of everyone present. ‘You did good.’ She sent a small magical message to Dee, not caring if anyone managed to overhear.

A tall and bulky, for a Sidhe that is, male Unseelie stepped out from the crowd. Everyone else recognized him as the champion of one of the old houses. “How very brave of you to step forward so brazenly. I think I’ll be able to entertain you.”

Dee looked at the man, giving a small but a deliberately notable shake of her head. “I did ask for the best among you, but if you insist. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Her words clearly incensed the man and showed her disdain, but he was an old hand at such things and trying to anger your opponent was a tested and true tactic. Thus he didn’t rise to the bait.

Each of the rooms had access to the central garden where the dueling arenas stood, a clear signal that this manor was designed to be used for parties such as this, not for habitation. Most likely the family owning it had another home they used normally elsewhere in the city. As the guests had been apparently disarmed before entering, the hosting family provided the arms for such an encounter. The man chose a long spear as his weapon and took a stance in the middle of the arena, looking towards Dee confidently.

Some of the other arenas had been in use, as especially the lower ranked nobles liked to inflate their worth by the means of arms when possible. It was also a popular pastime among the younger nobles. The sudden influx of powerful nobles naturally drew everyone’s eyes, and they recognized the champion already standing in the ring. The word quickly reached those inside and the arena in question was quickly the focus of a lot of people.

Dee simply waved away the offer of weapons and floated down into the ring. “No weapons?” The man facing her questioned.

“Like I said at the door; I am the weapon. Against someone like you, more is not necessary.” Dee replied flippantly, still riling up the man. Her words were also heard by the audience, as she did nothing to muffle her words.

The matron arranging the party came to stand next to Noyala. “Your friend seems confident. Up for a little wager?” The old matron knew of the skills of the champion, and also assumed that Dee and Noyala were new arrivals. Besides, even if she lost it wouldn’t be too bad and she might be able to form bonds with someone with a lot of potential.

“I won’t take your money. This will not even be a fight.” Noyala replied confidently.

“Well, well. Your friend isn’t the only one assured of themselves.” The matron replied with an interested glance. “Some might call such words arrogance.”

“It’s not really arrogance if it’s the truth. My friend here could take on everyone at this party at the same time. Someone like that man is just an appetizer.” Noyala said now looking straight at the woman, her eyes signaling just how serious she was.

Noyala’s words were not an empty boast. The strongest people present at the party were at rank eight. Dee was theoretically a class eight psion as well, but she wasn’t exactly your typical representative of that rank. Prior to this she had been able to fight with a group of Crimson Witches that included rank eight and nine enemies, and the Crimson Witches are one of the most powerful communities in Day city. Their members are normally stronger than others of the same rank. And that was a while ago. Dee had grown a lot in strength since then, both because of all the souls she consumed, to the point of almost reaching rank nine, as well as gaining a better control and understanding over certain skills. You could argue that she was the strongest existence below the immortals, unless you considered the possibility of Authorities.

The randomly chosen referee gave the signal to start the duel. As soon as the signal was given, Dee’s opponent had crashed into the side of the arena, the enchanted stone wall cracking under the impact. Dee had taken the chance to test what happened when she really used Lumen’s power to try and move much faster, and the results had been spectacular. Even Noyala had been unable to see what had happened. The guests only saw a flash of golden light as Dee moved and smacked her opponent away with her wing.

After a moment of silence, the referee announced Dee’s victory as it became clear that her opponent wasn’t getting up. She looked at the gathered audience. “I did warn him. Hopefully, he isn’t too fragile to survive that.”

“I see what you mean.” The matron said to Noyala quietly. “I doubt there will be more challengers this evening. Anyone powerful enough to match her would either be with the army or in the capital of the empire at the moment.”