SA 5

Immediately, chatter and laughter meet your ears. The group is rather large, mostly comprised of middle age (or older) men and women. Some are clearly in pairs-- probably a lot of married couples. A few of the older men have women around your age clinging to their arms tightly. Very few of the men appear to be younger.

"I'm the youngest employee here tonight," Lukas informs you as he leads you inside. Subconsciously, you hold onto his arm as you nod. Even if you only just met him minutes ago, he is the only person you know here, making him your safety point. "We just negotiated a major client we've been trying to convince for months, so the bosses decided we should celebrate."

"That's great," you respond with a smile, to which he responds in kind.

"Amantius!"

He looks up at the voice calling out. You figure that must be his last name. An older man-- probably in his fifties, if you had to guess-- breaks free of the crowd, making to meet the two of you as the doors close behind you. The salt-and-pepper haired man has a platinum blonde young woman dangling from his arm like a bracelet. You are about ninety percent certain she is younger than you are. Her smile is fairly vacant, her clothing leaving very little to the imagination-- and that is only from this angle.

"Good evening, sir," Lukas greets, shaking hands with the jubilant man as you all stop.

"I wasn't sure you'd be bringing a guest," the man comments, smiling at you. Lukas laughs a little.

"This is my girlfriend, Eris," he introduces, indicating you with his free hand. "Eris, this is Darius Aldric, my boss." As the man in question offers his hand to you, you take it, returning his expression. You jump ever so slightly as, rather than shake it, he brings your hand to his lips. He chuckles quietly at your reaction as he lowers your hands.

"Charmed to meet you, miss," he smiles, not releasing you. "You're lucky to have such a talented young man." You glance up, giving a smile, surprising yourself with how easily you are falling into your role. "He's the reason for the occasion, after all! Isn't that right, Dahlia?"

"That's right, Darius," the trophy at his side nods enthusiastically, pressing tightly against him.

"I didn't do that much--"

"Nonsense!" Mr. Aldric insists. You are starting to feel a bit odd, but do not want to risk offending the man by pulling your hand away. His companion seems disgruntled at the attention he is affording you. "You were the one to finally talk some sense into them! Whatever you did, they were impressed-- Mr. Hasuna told me so himself."

"Th-thank you, sir," Lukas seems honestly surprised. Finally, Mr. Aldric releases your hand, which you return to your date's arm, trying not to move too hurriedly.

"Come, come! Let's get you two a drink!" With that, he turns back towards the crowd, leading the way into the party.

"All I did was show them some concept work I had come up with the night before," Lukas explains quietly. "It's still hard to believe that got us a contract with Kichiyo Company." You do a double take.

"Really? The Japanese robotics company?"

He nods.

"That's awesome!" You give a sincere smile. Your enthusiasm seems to reassure him some, his flush fading as he returns your expression.