It goes ... complicated its complicated

Along the walk to the ball room Clare and Edin rejoin you staying at the back of the group. Delilah doesn't show up however and ask Ana if you should go looking for her. She shakes her head and with a wave of her hand a servant appears. She gives them a description of Delilah and the servant runs off.

Clare and Edin make some noise and you look behind you to see Clare naked with a toga being wrapped around her by Black while White does the same to Edin. Clare admires the toga and the speed Black completes the change into her soft purple toga. Edin is horribly embarrassed at being changed in public and is redder than his toga.

When you reach a door Lady Demise stops you all and looks Ana up and down then at you and says. "I'm sure Mary would love to spend more time with you." She looks at Ana. "If her sister is good Mary might want to spend some time with the both of you."

From the anticipation in Ana's aura, her mother may have had a point about the easily exploitable fetish of her daughter. That is not a thought you would ever have, in any context. Ana leads you all into the room. You'd entered from the back, the tables and the guests had already been arranged and seated. It was loud and you saw cups and pitchers being moved around rather freely. The first thing you noticed as Ana moved you into your seat was that the composition of the guests were very different from Ana's betrothal ball.

Ana's ball had some fancy dress and a mostly middle age attendance. This one was much younger. A woman picked up the man she was with, laughing with the others around her as she threw him into the air and caught him. Also stronger.

"Are they, soldiers?" You asked Ana.

"Yeah, this is the victory ball. Who else would be here?" She asked back.

You didn't have a response to that, seemed rather obvious in retrospect. A sudden hush settled over the room and all the women sudden snapped to their seats, standing with arms at their sides. You felt Aurora's approach after they had. She appeared from the same door as you with Mary beside her. Mary was wearing her cuirass with leather pants. She smirked at your gaze but didn't respond beyond that.

Aurora took her place at the head of the table and as one, the women in the room snapped an arm to their chest. "Queen Aurora." They all announced.

"Welcome home my brave protectors." Aurora beamed down at them and her aura radiated a comforting red shade. "You have fought with my Daughter with honour, dedication and ferocity." The auras in the audience started radiating the same colour as Aurora and you saw them start to drift into each other, pulled towards Aurora.

She kept speaking as the auras of her soldiers were pulled into her own. You honestly didn't think anyone else knew this trick. However, this speech did have a certain ritualized tone to it so maybe it, like the Mother of All ritual, was just a handed down activity that, unlike with the religion, it's purpose hadn't been forgotten.

As the speech came to an end the auras were returned and everyone puffed their chests out a little. It felt a bit weird to see the pride being spread out considering how you had always done this with, well you'd had a more one track mind at the times. It was good to see this however. Because the loyalty you can literally see inspired in all the soldiers in the room was something that is going to stick in your mind.

With Aurora's speech finished Mary stood and started calling out names. Those picked walked to the centre of the room. Twenty in total. Mary jumped down to stand with them, putting her hands on each womans shoulders in turn, saying a few quiet words to her. You only noticed the little metal pips she'd left behind after the third one. What you noticed first was how each time Mary had left one women pips that women looked at you then away. You have a somewhat worried idea that it wasn't just a bit of metal on their clothes they got out the promotion. You look at Ana then think better of asking her if you were going to 'rewarding' all those women for Mary. Maybe better to wait and see.

Mary finished the last of the promotion and all the other woman rapped their knuckles on the table. "NOW LETS GT DRUNK!" Mary shouted happily as the pitchers that had been moved out of sight for the speeches appeared and the smell of several different alcohols mix in your nose.

Platters of food are brought out and served and the place turns into a very loud, very drunk, party. You enjoy it for most of the party until Delilah shows up. She enters from the same place you had come from and she leans over your chair to talk with you. She doesn't get a women out before Mary see her.

"Don't know you." Mary said walking over to the table.

Delilah looks up at her and you see the two trying to decide on which one get control in front of the Princess. Delilah is trying to not look her in the eye, Eve seemed to taking Mary's presence as a challenge. "Lady Delilah." Ana says for them. "She and Christopher grew up together."

Mary smirk and offered her hand to Delilah. "So you're why he's not that bad a fuck." There was a cough from Vatarie at that and you felt a glare coming your way.

Eve grabbed Mary's hand and you saw their aura's flare at their hands. "Actually we only fu-" Eve started before Delilah's stopped her. "Yes you Highness." Delilah said, pulling back their hand and stepping away from your shoulder.

"Can't imagine how bad he was when you started out." Mary laughed loudly but her eyes had moved to you.

"He's amazing." Eve said back. "And you know that from how you're-" Delilah covered their mouth before Eve could finish.

Mary didn't look at them still watching you. She was trying to start another taunting match between the two of you. "Would you like another drink?" You asked Mary offering your cup to her.

She grabbed it and downed it. "You need something stronger." She waved over a server and another cup was given to you with what might be industrialized cleaner, if this world had that yet.

You were trying to settle things down and she just had to try escalating. You grab the cup and down it in one gulp. It takes a bit of magic to heal the damage that just done to your internal organs, and resurface your tongue but seeing that slight twitch in Mary as you surprised her made you feel better. "Maybe I just need something better." You said putting the cup down and finding Ana's hand with yours.

The obvious meaning wasn't lost on anyone present. The sisters looked at each other and Ana had a very complex reaction to your comment and action. You have really got to take note that just because you heal the damage done to your stomach, you are not cleaning the **** from your blood, nor brain. You chose to believe you are very drunk and not that Mary had so easily been able to get under your skin.

Aurora cleared her throat softly. "Mary I'm sure your women need some more attention. You can spend time with your sister after the party." The Queen's magnanimous tone was far better at defusing that you think you have ever been. Actually, considering your conflict resolution so far maybe you should ask her for some tips. So far you've mostly been able to coax along with the whole 'lets fuck out the tension in the room'. Though that has always worked so far.

Mary bowed to her mother, gave you a parting grin then walked back into the throng. You and Ana shared a look then both checked your still together hands. She smiled at you and left her hand to you. The rest of the night went ok, there were a few more moment of complication as Mary approached, saw you still holding hands, made a taunt that you didn't respond to then left. Vatarie had left to mingle with the soldier's you'd been surprised she'd lasted so long, you'd have thought she'd be out there much quicker than she had been. Delilah took her seat and she and Asune chatted. Clare and Edin chatted together mostly privately. They would very happily chat with anyone else but they were also furthest from you so you couldn't talk to them without walking over and you didn't really want to let Ana's hand go.

At the end Aurora gave one last speech, she'd drunk on par with everyone else but didn't seem even slightly tipsy. With a cheer the soldier's drunken stumbled out, aside from the twenty who had been promoted. Mary gathered them with a few glances shot your way, the few men that had shown up also gathered around. You hadn't paid much attention but the men had been jumping through the various groups that had formed. As the twenty grabbed at the guys, some throwing them over a shoulder and carrying them out you wondered how common prostitution is around here. Mary walked over to you and looked at your and Ana's still held hand.

"My room." She said then walked away without further comment. You looked Ana and the still mixed feelings.

"I'm sure my daughters wouldn't mind some time to catch up." Aurora called out as she left. You looked at the rest of your Hanun, Vatarie seemed pretty drunk and was chatting with Asune and Delilah, Edin and Clare were still chatting and you only just figured out she'd been engaging with him so much to avoid any soldiers thinking he was also one of the minglers.

Everyone seemed fine, you could undoubtedly gather them for sex or just for some time together without much trouble. Or you could follow Mary's ass to her room. Ana's hand squeezed your and you realised she'd caught you staring at her sister ass.