Lunch time.

As the ball continues, you awkwardly weave in and out of idle conversation with stuck-up nobles and arrogant adventurers. It's mostly forgettable. You check up with Niki as well, both to keep her company, but also to keep her out of trouble. This goes on until you see a small army of servants stream through the back door with platters in their hands. One by one, they place their meals down upon the many banquet tables orderly set along the other half of the hall. The scent is mouth-watering.

"Finally," Niki says. "Little appetisers aren't enough. Plus, they told me I couldn't have anymore. What a ripoff."

The two of you begin stepping towards the nearby tables. The exotic beauty remains beside you, and looking towards her is fascinating to say the least. It doesn't match her personality at all, yet the dress strangely fits her regardless. She looks amazing--wild yet stunning, like fire.

When you arrive, you pull a chair out for her to sit.

"Th-Thanks," she mutters. "Since when were you such a gentleman?"

"As long as you've been a lady."

She looks over herself bashfully. "A lady?" she whispers. You watch as she becomes more embarrassed the longer she investigates her dress-covered figure.

Meanwhile, you look around to see that nearly every seat is filled. A dwarf sits at your left, garbed in a red suit that appears foreign to you. It's likely a tradition make of his people. Though, it's contrasted by the gigantic maul hanging over his shoulders. You wonder how he can even carry thing thing around without his back snapping.

There are way too many forks here.

"What are you lookin' at?" the dwarf suddenly barks.

"Sorry. Uhm. Nice maul, by the way."

The stout man with a braided brown beard and long hair, also braided back, raises his brow. "Didn't expect that answer. Nobody around here gives a shit about weapons other than fancy smancy rapiers and all that."

"What can I say? Big weapons are cool."

He grins. "I like you. If we're going to be honest, I'd rather this whole party go to shit. It'd be a lot more fun. If I could, I'd do it myself."

The servants walk by and each lift the lid from everyone's platter. Steam wafts up from a roasted boar flank, beautifully garnished with steamed vegetables, and beside that is a salad on the side with various fruits. Several bottles of wine trail down the tabletop. You don't even know what to pick. It seems this is the perfect distraction for Niki's discomfort, because she's all ready to dig in. When she picks a bottle, you're fairly certain it's at random.

A lovely catfolk waitress leans over beside you. It's a surprise at first, turning to see straight down the girl's shirt to a few of some illustrious cleavage, but you **** yourself to immediately look up to her face.

"Would you like anything, sir?" she asks.

You clear your throat--clearly a little flustered by her proximity. Your eyes dart down and then back up. "Well, I..."

"M-Me?" she says, and turns pink. "Sir... I am not on the menu."

"I didn't say anything remotely close to that!"

Niki turns with a perked brow, and somehow already a crumb on her cheek. You reach up with a napkin and wipe it off, though that only makes her flustered more. She brings her hand back through her hair and turns away before swallowing down the food in her mouth.

You look back to the waitress. "I'll have this white one, please."

"Of course," she replies and pours your glass before moving on.

You lift the glass to your nose for a sniff, and then have a sip. It's pretty good, though you're no expert on the wines of this world.

As the meal continues, you look Niki over. If that's a traditional sunheart style, it reminds me a lot of the whole Arabic belly dancer aesthetic. Though, she looks a lot fancier than Jasmine from Aladdin.

"Do sunhearts do a lot of dancing?" you ask.

She looks over. "Huh? Oh yeah. It's kinda pretty to watch. Not that I really care about that sorta thing."

Eventually, everybody starts to finish. You wipe clean the sides of your mouth with a napkin and lean back in your seat, patting your stomach. You let out a long exhale and feel quite satisfied. Niki appears the same. Now people seem to be drinking and chatting. So, basically what was happening before, but while sitting down. At least that's easier on my legs.

"So, Kyle," Niki speaks up. "You come to something like this before?"

You shake your head. "This place is pretty damn different than what I'm used to. You?"

"Definitely not. But uhm... thank you for bringing me." She plays with a ribbon coming down from her arm. "I don't hate it."