"This is his wife, Sylvara Doss Aeltharyn," Draco said, gesturing to the woman standing beside Viran.
Ash turned and greeted her with a slight nod.
"Pleased to meet you, ma'am."
Sylvara's lips curved into a soft, welcoming smile. That type of smile that seemed effortless, that put you at ease in seconds.
"It is such a pleasure to finally meet you," Sylvara said with evident interest directed at Ash. "I've heard only amazing things about you."
Ash forced his smile into place and hid the nervousness that lurked beneath it, as well as the growing suspicion that whatever those 'amazing' things were, it was going to take a long time for him to believe in himself.
"But I am not sure whether they are truly amazing though," Ash admitted.
Sylvara chuckled softly.
'Amazing,' he thought, running through all possible reasons why anybody would ever think that way.
Reading and writing at three. The library. Being called a genius by people who had never actually tested the claim.
All of it resting on the fact that he was a sixteen year old in a five year old body with memories from another world.
Tonight, the test would reveal him exactly for what he was, along with one insignificant detail. Fire affinity, basic level. Nothing more.
Ash continued smiling.
"And this is their daughter, Elara Doss Aeltharyn," Draco said, his hand gesturing toward the girl standing in front of Viran.
Ash nodded toward the girl in front of Viran.
For some reason, he had managed to avoid direct eye contact with her ever since that first encounter, but this time he couldn't help it. He needed to.
He did look.
She was looking at him already with those crimson eyes of hers, cold and flat, as if she found nothing impressive in the sight.
"Nice to meet you," Ash smiled and waved, forcing the last phrase into a light statement. "My name is Ash Vulkan. But I guess you already knew that."
Elara remained silent.
She looked at him for several seconds with those icy eyes and then she turned her head away. Slowly and deliberately.
She didn't even seem to feel the need to look at him anymore, having made up her mind already.
Ice cold feeling shot down Ash's spine.
'What have I done?' he wondered. 'We have exchanged maybe ten words. I waved at her. That was the whole interaction. What could I possibly have done?'
Silence hung between them for a few moments.
Then a sharp voice came, belonging to Elara's mother.
"Elara," she called out, her tone filled with firmness despite its usual warmth. "What are you doing? That's not how we treat other people. Right now..." A short pause followed. "Apologize."
Elara turned her head back to Ash with slow, deliberate motion.
"I apologize," she said. The words came out one at a time, evenly spaced, like she was placing them down carefully rather than actually meaning them. "And nice to meet you too."
Ash recognized that apology for what it was: a polite gesture performed on command.
He kept his smile in place and said nothing about it.
"It is completely fine," Ash said.
Sylvara turned to him with an apologetic look.
"We apologize for Elara's behavior," Sylvara answered and her tone contained genuine regret. "I don't know what got to her today. Usually, she doesn't act like this. I hope that you two will become good friends."
"It's absolutely fine, ma'am," Ash answered with a sincere smile.
Elara's mother smiled in return, relieved that she wouldn't have to apologize to a child she didn't know.
"And I am sorry, Mr. Vulkan," Sylvara added.
"Don't worry about it," Draco interjected, smiling brightly. His smile looked as natural as ever. "As Ash just said, it is absolutely fine."
The same real smile from earlier, easy and warm, the one Ash had never seen before tonight and was apparently going to keep noticing every time it appeared.
'He really only smiles around certain people,' Ash thought. 'Are my brothers and I not those people.'
He filed that away.
"Ash." Draco called out.
Ash turned to his father immediately.
"Yes, father."
"Take Elara and go enjoy the party together," Draco said.
"Yes, father."
Ash turned to see Elara and noticed her exchanging quick glances with both of her parents, apparently trying to find some way out of her fate.
Sylvara nodded to her.
Elara turned to look at her father.
"Go," Viran said simply.
That was the end of it.
Ash turned away from the three adults and started walking through the crowd, hearing small footsteps behind him.
He didn't turn to look back, keeping the space between himself and the girl wide open.
They walked in the hall in complete silence, both being surrounded by numerous adults, yet neither paying any attention to anyone.
The noise filled the air around them from all directions - laughter, glasses, conversations.
Ash kept his gaze forward.
Behind him, or beside him, or wherever she was in relation to him at this point, Elara didn't say a word either.
The cold atmosphere between them was tangible enough to have its own forecast.