A Spark Ignites

"Fineth, I think an evening with you in a theatre, would be an evening well spent" You say calmly, but suredly. As the words parsed your lips, the last vestiges of doubt left your body. His eyes made several slight shifts as he read your face before breaking out in his own smile. "That's great. I promise, you'll never forget your first night looking upon a stage like this, and I promise I'll be honorable company."

It was a long walk to his residence; a quiet home seemingly poorly fit for one minor bureaucrat and his wife. The property was far too large, the decorations and contents far too opulent. You kept your thoughts to yourself, but you couldn't help but wonder as to the nature of your guide, and of the Sylran Empire. If someone so seemingly unimportant as he, who doesn't even think of himself as a part of the state, can afford such a luxurious home that could have housed multiple families back home, than there much wider problems to address than merely Hylsa obtaining it's independent sovereignty, or being accepted by your fellow Elf compatriots. Perhaps sensing your discomfort, as you entered he spoke loudly as he headed deeper into the estate.

"I feel that I should probably apologize to you Belle," He began "This is probably quite a shock, seeing a house like this. I'm sure compared to what you're used to, this all must seem, rather unfair. It's probably no consolation to you, but none of this was chosen by me. I'm a man of far simpler taste"

You followed behind him, slowly, a distance having grown between you, until you weren't sure exactly where he went. "Than, why, if I my ask, is this in your house?"

"One must keep up appearances, I'm afraid. The collection of art and spectacle is a show of your wealth and status, and by extension, your power. Like I said, this isn't the world as I would like it either, but it's the world we both find ourselves." He closed the gap in a hurry, holding a length of silvery fabric over one shoulder.

"Speaking of keeping up appearances, I'm afraid it would be bad form for you to appear in a theatre dressed to secure the stage or prepare for a long siege. I think this would suit you well." He held his arm forward for you, and as you took it, the manner of the fabric became clear: a dress. One far nicer than the functional, all year round dresses made on your island. This had a taste for fashion and refinement, where bits and threads were placed simply for it's aesthetic appeal. You feel you can spare them the harsh judgement, for creating items such as this. You'd longed for many a year to wear something like this, something that could make you feel pretty, and not just another yeoman farmer.

"It looks lovely" You answered simply as you took it with both hands.

"I'm sure even more so with you in it. Take your time, if you'll excuse me" Fineth motioned to a room to the side, granting you privacy to get dressed. A bedroom would have been preferable, but it worked well enough. As you undressed, you observed a curious piece of work on the wall. It was an elf woman, seemingly laying against the base of a tree in the wilderness, in the throes of self-pleasure. She was clearly drawn to be beautiful; even you, who had not been interested in other girls before, had to recognize that. It was a distracting piece, that slowed you down in getting dressed. The dress was surprising in how well it fit to your body, for it clearly having been meant for another person.

"Thank you, Mrs. Fineth" You said out to nowhere. Looking in the room, you saw a tall mirror. It had been the first time you had actually seen your reflection like this, and you were amazed at how you looked, with a simple change of attire. Next to the mirror was a small case that featured some jewelry and makeup, that you gently lent yourself to. You felt the butterflies return to your chest as you finally prepped to leave, anxious as to what Fineth thought. Though he was clearly spoken for, having his approval meant something, at least for the moment.

That, approval, you seemed to have in excess, as you slowly opened the door. He was floored by your appearance, based on the look on his face, how his slouched position moved fully straight, and the audible 'wow' that escaped his lips. It filled you with joy and satisfaction that you had not felt in some time; not since childhood, you would suspect.

"You look lovely" He said in a possible gesture of restraint.

"Almost as lovely as the other lady in that room" You commented as you gestured your head back towards the room you changed in. Fineth looked surprised, and quickly embarassed, a flush of pink in his face.

"Oh, the conversation starter. My apologies, I had forgotten about it. It's part of my fathers art collection, to be honest."

"and he uses that..."your words fell short of your intention "art of that woman to strike up conversation"

"I'll tell you, it gets the job done" Your new friend relented "The Vanity of Khallee is the name of the painting, and I'm sure the artist originally painted it to make commentary, while nestled in the story of how the Goddess Khallee is so vainly obsessed in beauty that she can only love herself."

The sense of surprise grew to such degree that you couldn't keep it out of your face "I'm sorry? You think it's okay to depict The Goddess of Beauty and Seasons in such a way?"

He stammered for a few seconds "I guess so. It's not my favorite work or anything. I know my father never gave much thought into the art he bought, or displayed. If it made him look cultured and smart for having it, that was good enough for him. Far as I could tell, at least"

You paused for a second, changing the subject "You don't seem to think very highly of him"

Fineth squirmed slightly at the question "Our relationship is complicated. I owe my tastes and passions to him, in a sense, and he's always been there to help me up when I've struggled, which has been more than once. It's just that, he doesn't understand the world he thinks he values so much."

"What do you mean?" You asked politely

"Art and drama have their place, but that's not a vocation. One doesn't make their livelihood that way." he paused for a second "Well, maybe some do, but that's a lowly position. That's a job for someone else's son"

"Oh" you let out quickly, surprised that you understood the subtext. Why he didn't see himself as a bureaucrat started to make a bit more sense now. "I'm sorry to hear that"

"It's not as bad as it sounds" He shrugged "there's worse fathers out there, and I try to remind myself of that. Let's not even worry about any of that. Tonight's about you, after all."

The theatre was immense and opulent; impossible for someone of your humble origins to not be impressed by. With the gold inlais into the walls, intricate damask, it was a veritable palace of performance. You could practically live in the size of the private box you were lead into, as it was clearly larger than your shared bedroom back home. You were pleased that you had the chance to be in such a place though, as the number of wandering and glaring eyes on the journey here, and even once inside, was staggering. The murmurings didn't help either. None had been so overtly rude so as to say that you couldn't or shouldn't be there, but that the only soul who dared speak to you was Fineth was stressful enough.

Once the performance had begun though, all of that had stopped mattering. The variety of instruments and sounds as the play began was something you'd never imagined before. They were all highly skilled in their own rights, as was whoever had written the songs they were performing. Along with the music was an intricate manner of song and dance. The dancing itself didn't seem to follow a clear plot that you could understand, but the singing did showed a very strong, emotional romantic plot. You were floored by everything put together, your understanding of what could be done in the art of performance completely shattered in less than an hour.

Unfortunately, there wouldn't be a chance to see the second half of the play. You started hearing clamors and shouting. As you rose up and started to look, something in the theatre itself had caught fire and was spreading at a seemingly unnatural rate. The crowd was panicking and easily confused, pushing against each other in opposite directions. The building, still made of wood despite all the ornamentation, caught quickly, putting you in danger too as it started to crawl up the wall.

Standing up from your chair, you grabbed Fineth by the arm and tried to lead him out through the chaos. It was dark and smoke quickly filling the area, causing people to feel afraid and lost. Using your divine blessing, you held your hand over your head, creating a ball of illuminating energy, acting as a beacon or lighthouse for everyone. A crowd swarms around you as you find your way out of the theatre. A crowd of spectators huddles around the area as people continue to spill out.

There was an outburst of outrage as things started form some degree of calm among those who evacuated, unfortunately pointed at your direction.

"What is this?" Some elderly, pompous elvish woman stormed at you "What is the meaning of this? A Drow in our capital? And at the theatre? How did such a thing happen?"

"I was invited miss. I am a guest of the Emperor, from Hlysa" Your body tightened, ready to explod at her. Thankfully, there was a cooler head present.

"I can vouch for her, Madame" Fineth spoke up "Brenvira here was specifically invited by Imperial decree, I'm her guide and accompaniment."

"You really expect me to believe this, and that someone like her is supposed to be a holy cleric? What fool of a God gave her their blessing?"

"I was chosen by Varissa, the First Sister, Goddess of our kind and learning. She has chosen my people for a holy mission. I dare you to speak ill of her again"

The elderly elf and those around scoffed at the notion, and your eagerness for altercation. Fineth, again, managed to cool things down "What she's trying to say Madame, is that it would be poor form for us to make assumptions of others without having the full picture. She and the Emperor share common purpose of trying to unite our peoples, and we would all do well to honor the Emperor's will."

The immediate clamor went away, and you felt overwhelmed in your emotions. Doing the right thing, and being punished for it, merely being who you are.

"I'm sorry you had to see and hear that. Hardly a great impression. I promise, not everyone is so backwards."

Acting on instinct, you leaned forward and gave Fineth an immense hug, your face pressed into his chest "Thank you, Fineth." You take a few deep breaths to try and regain yourself.

"I've been raised to be a soldier, by a village of soldiers. I need a diplomat, I need you." You both felt immediately flumoxed by the words that came out of your mouth, though neither willing to deny what was forming between you.

"Well," He let out "I guess it was good omens that you and I were brought together than. It can only get better from here, right?"

"Right" You smiled faintly. His optimism was endearing, and sorely needed "Well, we should probably get you back home to your wife. Let her know you're safe after what happened."

"Yaaa" He grabbed at his neck, looking away as he struggled to get the truth out "about that. I'm not married. I live alone. I'm sorry for lying. I just thought if you thought I was married, you wouldn't think that I was trying to make a move on you, and that you'd actually come."

"Well, good thing it wasn't a date" You smiled gently, reassuring him "because this didn't end well"

"It still could, you know" He looked into your eyes as he held your hands tight "let's get out of here, what do you say?"

A lump formed in your throat as you tried to swallow. You knew what he was really suggesting. You wanted to, you wanted him badly now, but there were all manner of voices in your mind of what 'proper' behavior was.