“If Rowena ever asks us to work at a ball again, I don’t care what she wants me to do I’m there.” Drew lay on a couch, tossing grapes up into the air and catching them in his mouth. Murmurs of agreement travelled through everyone in the rest area, most of whom were occupied with their own food.

“Don’t get any on your uniform.” Felix was apparently the guard for the guards, the watcher of the watchmen, observing them with no signs of emotional at all on their face.

It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, but Theo had the distinct feeling that whatever it was, it was something positive.

“He’s right you know. Stains stand out on these colours.”

Everyone froze at the new voice. Walking slowly through the room was an immaculate gentleman, who bore a strong resemblance to Rowena. Theo recognised him as Reginald from the focus audit class. Reginald recognised him as well, nodding in his direction, as well as Jenny’s (which was essentially his), and a few others.

Drew sat up, and straightened out his uniform, grapes forgotten. Theo disentangled himself from Jenny, and placed his hands in his lap. Someone cleared their throat. A group of youth under minimal supervision at a party immediately became a group of youth cleaning up the aftermath under stern surveillance. Reginald did not react at all.

Theo braced himself for some diatribe about abusing hospitality, or slacking on the job, or something else. He knew in the back of his head that Reginald was a decent person from how he helped Jenny when she first backfired, but it was hard to keep that in mind when he was standing in front of them all, silently judging, the spitting image of the haughty nobles who felt they were too good to acknowledge the poor.

“I’m glad my dear daughter figured out the way to invite all her friends to the ball as well. There is hope yet. Enjoy.” Reginald walked off with a backwards wave, leaving them to their food and a dead atmosphere.

There was a stunned, almost minute-long silence of contemplating the food in front of them as well as what exactly just happened, before Finn reached for a piece of chicken.

“Fuck it, if he doesn’t care then why should we? That’s as close to approval as we’re gonna get, so let’s make the most of it!” He tried to hype the crowd back up. And credit to all the bard classes they’d undertaken, conversations were being brought back from the dead as people started to eat again.

Looking satisfied with himself, Finn took a bite from his chicken.

---

“Finally.” Theo turned to the new voice in the doorway. By his estimation, Ingrid wouldn’t be done performing for a while.

He was correct, as Ingrid was not the one in the doorway.

“Edgar?” It was Edgar, in noble garb, looking sweaty and flustered…and relieved. “Why aren’t you hobnobbing it with all your noble buddies?” Finn teased, waving around a bone. Thankfully, etiquette lessons had saved his clothing from the chicken.

“I uh…” He was pensive, rocking back and forth on his feet, apparently unwilling to commit to entering the room.

Theo grabbed a meat pie, and went over to give it to him. Edgar accepted, and immediately felt more at ease. He walked in, sat next to Finn, and took a bite of the pie.

He stared at it in shock. “How is this better than what they’re serving upstairs?” Finn howled with laughter, falling back onto the (very plush) lounge he was currently sitting on. “We get bites of fancy stuff that’s cold and doesn’t even taste that good, and you guys get platters of real food.”

Edgar shook his head. “This was the right choice.” He went at the food with gusto, his gluttony more pronounced by the fact that everyone else had mostly had their fill already, and were now pacing themselves.

After another pie and a custard tart, Edgar sighed. “Out there, I’m not Edgar. I’m Edgar of House Strand, and I have to act like it and talk about things I don’t really care about to people who definitely don’t care about me.” He moped.

“Not that they’re all like that. Rowena’s great.” He continued, missing the way Finn bristled and tensed. “I do have some friends out there, and they might be looking for me, but most of the people there are talking to a Strand, not to Edgar. They’re polite enough, but…” Edgar trailed off, looking down.

Drew gently patted him on the shoulder, as Edgar tried to not buckle under the giant’s power. “Clearly someone isn’t applying what The Honeyed Tongue has been teaching.” He pulled Edgar up, draped an arm around his shoulder, and gestured with his other hand.

“It is not whether or not one acts, but merely the mask which is appropriate for the current situation. If they are looking for a Strand, then you must make Edgar more captivating than every other Strand until there is no difference in their minds between the two.” Drew mimicked Fred, throwing in melodrama and exaggerated body language at every opportunity. The corners of Edgar’s lips involuntarily started to move.

“If you do not wish to act, then merely act as someone who does!” Drew held his hand to his forehead as he swooned. Finn threw a scrap of chicken at him… and whistled to bring it to a hover as he felt Felix loom over him. The piece of meat returned to his outstretched hand, and he considered what to do with it as Felix returned to lurking out of sight.

Finn coughed. “If The Honeyed Tongue heard you right now you’d be stuck upside down to a wall.” He was, of course, the one person who had tested the patience of The Honeyed Tongue and found out that honey was often protected by bees. Just because he was known for his charm didn’t mean he was lacking as a bard in other areas.

Finn finally popped the chicken into his mouth as he turned to address Edgar. “I’m sure Rowena won’t mind if you hide out here. Just don’t tell the other nobles how good the food is here.”

Edgar opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted by someone else entering

“I see you had the same idea but earlier, Edgar.” Rowena walked in, icy dress still very much an homage to hedgehogs. “You made the right choice.” She headed straight to the food, grabbing a pastry and taking a delicate bite, eyes closed as she let out a long-suffering sigh.