Selene would have liked to say she was able to relax at the party.
But Ymer and his group had her worried.
They were strong.
Even in that short confrontation she had against the tiger beastkin, she could feel just how much danger they would be in if they fought them head-on.
But what made Ymer truly dangerous was his vindictiveness.
He could fight them and win in combat.
But he would be just as happy to poison their drinks and watch them die from that as he would be beating them in battle.
So despite the festive atmosphere and general lightheartedness of the party, Selene kept her head on a swivel.
It was for this reason that she saw them all enter.
Each of them wore clothes worth at least ten thousand gold, at least from what Selene could guess at a glance.
Ymer and his group stepped in as the crier called out, "Now arriving, Edgelords Incorporated!"
Part of Selene reeled at just how far adventuring names had fallen compared to the old ones.
Another part of her stayed focused.
Because Pip, the tiger beastkin she had fought before, was making a beeline for her.
Selene tensed and held her left wrist, feeling a swell of dread rise in her chest at the thought of having to tear part of this beautiful dress.
But something seemed off with Pip as he approached.
He started with a clear, determined goal.
Then, as he got closer, he seemed to grow more and more nervous.
He started coming over.
Then turned back.
Then turned back again.
Then paused.
After a moment, he downed a glass of wine from a nearby tray in a single gulp before rushing over.
In a blur of words, he said, "SorryaboutbeforeIwasjustdoingwhatYmertoldmetodo."
Selene stared.
She blinked.
Around them, several people looked over.
Her expression stayed blank.
Internally, her thoughts were racing.
What the hell was that?
Apologizing?
What in the world happened between then and now?
He had seemed rather keen on killing them at the time.
Why was he talking so fast?
Why did he seem so nervous?
"I-It's not fine," Selene said, trying to be both diplomatic and wary, "but at least you acknowledge it was wrong."
Pip reached into his bag.
Selene tensed, ready for a weapon to be drawn.
Instead, something orange flashed.
Her arm shot up and caught it.
It felt…
Soft?
Selene opened her hand and saw what seemed to be some kind of small crocheted figure of an orange tiger.
She stared down at it in confusion.
Then she looked up.
Pip was already running back to his group, where he was met with mixed reactions.
Ymer seemed pissed.
Jackson gave him a thumbs-up.
The rest seemed to be shaking their heads as if disappointed by what had just happened.
Selene scanned the room and found Jax and Aiden talking with a large lizard half-blood who resembled a full lizardman monster, along with a bat lightblood with strange purple skin.
Aiden saw her walking over and gave a small wave.
Then he turned to a nearby table and grabbed an extra glass to give her a drink.
"Hey, Selene," Aiden said, handing her the small glass. "Ymer and his group just walked in. Something happen with the tiger? He went over to you and then walked right back."
Selene took a sip and sighed.
"T-That's what I'm trying to figure out," she said. "He gave me this little crochet thing, and I'm not sure what it means."
Jax and the lizardman both stared at her hand.
Their drinks froze halfway to their lips.
Jax turned to Aiden.
Then back to Selene.
"So," Jax asked, a weird tone in his voice, "he just walked up and gave you this?"
The lizardman mouthed something Selene did not catch.
Jax nodded to him.
"Y-Yeah," Selene said. "He apologized for the thing where I fought him. Something about Ymer's orders. Then he gave it to me and ran back to his group."
There was a moment of silence.
Then the lizardman spoke.
"Uh, first things first, hi," he said. "My name is Rex. We met Aiden and Jax yesterday and did a mad dash for the arena earlier today."
He pointed at the little doll.
"Secondly, does it seem homemade?"
Selene glanced down at the small doll in her hand.
She could see a few errors here and there.
The right arm was a bit longer than the left.
The left eye bulged out slightly.
"I-It seems like it," Selene said with a shrug, handing it over for them to look at.
Rex examined it for a moment.
Jax turned back to Selene.
"Well," Jax said, "it's not a universal thing, but in some groups of beastkin, offering a handmade gift, especially one that takes finesse or skill, is a way of confessing feelings."
Silence followed.
Aiden turned to Jax.
"Huh," he said. "Weird. Not sure what they're expecting."
Jax, Rex, the bat lightblood, and Selene all turned to Aiden with silent confusion.
A swirl of annoyance stirred in Selene's chest at the response.
"I figured you would be more defensive of something like this," Jax said, looking between Selene and Aiden.
Selene turned to Aiden as well, curious to see his response.
"Selene's not a child," Aiden said. "It's not my place to determine her love life."
He shrugged.
"Besides, I trust she knows that a relationship like that would need to wait until after an event like this. And that's if she's even considering it."
Aiden glanced toward Ymer's group.
"Pretty sure the last time they met, he was trying to kill her and Liora. Not sure how that sets the stage for blooming romance."
The annoyance in Selene's chest was diluted by the logic of the argument.
And by the bit of pride she felt at the trust he had in her.
But it still simmered.
Remember, Selene.
He grew up on a mountain, for peat's sake.
Selene turned back to Jax.
"S-So how would I go about rejecting this?"
"You just don't make something for him in turn," Jax said. "Then he either tries again by making something bigger, or he gives up and accepts the rejection."
Selene nodded.
Then she turned to the nearby trash can to throw out the little doll.
She placed it inside and started heading back toward Aiden and the others.
Then she heard glass shatter.
Selene turned her head.
So did many people nearby.
A female dwarf stood across the room, staring at Thalia with a pale, silent face.
Her hands shook as she held them in front of her mouth.
Thalia stared back at her.
Blank.
Cold.
Empty.