Tabulain looked around, considering what spells it must have taken to create what they were now standing in and keep it running on a permanent basis. He realized that this may actually be true. There were prodigies, like Usher, who entered university already casting third-tier spells, and then there was Ginny, who he guessed was casting sixth, maybe seventh-tier spells. When she, in fact, could cast eighth-tier spells at her age, it was unheard of.

The thought of all that power coursing through her veins was awe-inspiring, and she was so matter-of-fact about it, too. She wasn’t saying it to impress him. Tabulain suffered from dashing good looks and an aloof air that sent girls chasing after him. He thought that when Genevive literally came chasing after him down the hall, this was just another one of those examples. He was starting to revise his opinion.

It wasn’t long before all had gathered, and they could teleport to the party. Frannie, Priscilla, Argento, Matt, Viv, Granta, and, of course, Tabulain all formed a circle with Ginny, and she transported them instantly to their house.

When they appeared in the item creation and teleporting space, Francine, Matt, Priscilla, and Argento, who had all made the trip before, took off up the stairs. Viv, Granta, and Tabulain, on the other hand, had never entered the house via the basement before and looked around a little bewildered.

Tabulain took hold of her hand and aligned himself behind her. The halls weren’t cramped per se, but the occasional servant passed, and they reached the stairs quickly enough, where, on their ascent, his hand brushed against her skirt as they walked.

When they crested the stairs, everything was transformed from its usual appearance. The table had been shifted to the wall with a buffet set up. Fruits and Cheeses overflowed from their trays, roasted meats were set up for carving, a tower of champagne glasses, was set up in the corner, and a cigar bar in the corner opposite. Not that many of them would be offered Cigars.

The whole house had been set up for the party. Different rooms were prepared for different games. Megan, Gramma Arsenault’s dog, was running around barking and begging for scraps. There were more servants than normal, but looking around, Francine was pretty sure they were also all summoned.

The atrium and garden downstairs had chairs and tables set up for people to sit and eat at, and there were board games in the Parlor. Francine and Matt decided to go all the way up and see what there was to do before deciding what they would play or eat. The Library had various dice games, and Cinammon’s old sitting room was still being used as a sitting room where people were having drinks and smoking. Cinnamon was actually in there, talking to a suspiciously ugly man, Francine could only assume he was frightfully rich or powerful for Cinnamon to be paying that close attention to him.

There were tables with Roulette and craps in the Grand Hall, Black Jack, other Poker, and Baccarat in the Dance studio, and Dominoes, Backgammon, and other tile-based games were set up in the music conservatory. Every room had at least one table marked as non-betting, and the dealers were all instructed to limit anyone under the age of nine to the non-betting tables. Something Viv and Tabulain were loathed to hear, but no one else was much worried about it; they weren’t there to gamble.

On their way back down, Frannie and Matt Passed Azure, who was looking lively and more flashy than usual in a pair of wide vertical stripe pants, midnight blue and metallic copper, and an incredible sapphire blue halter top. It had the collar and lapel of a uniform coat or some kind of fancy smoking jacket, with a portion of sheer silk blouse formed around the midriff and lower back. The lapels were decked out with all her medals, some of them dangling and spangling.

Francine marveled at how she made such odd and frankly masculine clothes look strikingly beautiful and feminine. Everything she wore looked like it was designed to make her look good, and she thought that must be her innate power.

Azure cupped Francine’s face in her palm and squeezed her chin a little harder than Frannie liked, but she smiled the best she could. Matt squeezed her around the waist from behind when Azure continued on her way.

He kissed her neck, which sent dreamy chills down her spine and got her giggling and moving on the stairs again. They popped back out to find Granta waiting by the entryway as Frankel Megantani was being announced and saw her perk up at hearing his name.

They made a few short stops on the platforms. The dim lighting and quiet of a staircase landing can be quite romantic until one’s grandmother pops in.

Frannie and Matt were stunned into silence by the wave of words that hit them. Gramma Arsenault didn’t stop speaking the entire time she passed them on the stairs. It was an assault of words. It took a good flight or so for them to shake off the malaise the cacophony had caused.

On their trek up the stairs, Francine found a chip on the ground.

Just as the dealer was spinning the wheel, her chip dropped onto the field of play. The wheel spun, the ball bouncing as Matt followed her in, and she rubbed the Fairy chit she had tucked in the flap of her Handbag.

It bounced and finally landed on number 35. Francine almost chucked her handbag and lucky charm in the air but remembered them and refrained from brazenly tossing her arms in the air at the last second. She took the chips she had won, and they went upstairs. As they passed the servant, Francine asked that they take her handbag to her bedroom and put it on her bed. She tucked the charm into her neckline; she didn’t want to part with it after that.

Each of the guests playing at the non-betting tables got an allotment of chips to play with, and at the end, they would see who won the winner getting a prize.

Francine had found one of the biggest value chips and had almost double what they were supposed to start with when they sat down with Mazy and Sir Jean Valentia to play dominoes. She was surprised they weren’t at one of the betting tables. Apparently, Mazy isn’t fond of gambling, but like most people, she isn’t opposed to playing games, so she and Jean decided to play at the non-betting tables.

After several rounds of Dominoes, Francine had lost everything she’d made off the chips she had and some of what she had from the start of play. She wasn’t good at dominoes or deciding how many chips to put down.

She did find out, however, that Jean and Mazy had become an item. That was surprising to her since she knew Jean and Azure were long-time partners in school. Not as surprising as the fact Azure had set them up herself.

Francine was getting really bored, so she walked out into the hall and looked over the rail just in time to see Azure step out onto the platform with the band and make an announcement.

Francine excitedly ran back in and jangled Matt where he sat at the table.

It took a moment to jog Matt from the Haze of Dominoes his mind was swimming in, but he finally shook it off and grabbed his chips. Unlike Francine, Matt was doing very well. They tore down the stairs; Frannie didn’t want to miss the unveiling. They walked in just as Shringle, the cook, was pushing in a cart covered with a tablecloth. It rattled, revealing the fact that there were glass items clinking together under the cloth.

Matt Followed her, and as they looked out, There were a few faces Frannie hadn’t noticed until that moment, including the Vratorian man from Harmonian Isle! Frannie’s mouth fell open; he was on the arm of the mayor of Shadowmirre, but it was clear he only had eyes for Azure.

Azure raised a glass to her father, then quickly yanked the sheet off the top of the cart, revealing enough bottles of whisky for each invite to take one home.

It hurt a little to hear, but Francine had been prepared for the fact of the matter. Azure had holdings in the Nethervale, as did Ginny and her mom, and Cinnamon. What she hadn’t been prepared for was the final bottle art. She had spent hours standing with a gun held out in front of her and the wind blowing so her hair would wave around. All so Lila could get an accurate representation, and because she painted her from behind, you really couldn’t tell it was Francine. Lila had promised Azure that would be the case, but deep down, Francine thought there would be some tell, some feature of hers that would shine through. That wasn’t the case.

The front of the bottle depicted Azure situated in the foreground on a hill, her blue hair pulled back and blowing in the wind. She was firing a trumpet-barreled gun, blasting across the Nethervale’s exceedingly blue hills rolling across the background, pellets piercing the powder blue sky. When you turned the bottle around. There were several shot glasses painted on a table in the foreground, with the same pierced sky sending streams of whisky into the glasses.

Matt’s eyes were wide, looking at the bottle he had picked up and looking from Francine and back to Azure.

Francine perked up at that. She had passed the test.

Azure’s cake was rolled in now that the laughter had returned, and the whiskey was being uncorked. It was a big Edruian Flag with 14 tiny gun-shaped candles set at an angle, seven on each side, making a miniature 14-gun salute

While they laughed and waited for slices of cake, Fury suddenly appeared from downstairs; emerging atop her was the completely incongruous sight of the famous pianist Crissenth Killian. He was literally riding her around, which meant she had to crouch down to let him through the door, they grabbed half a dozen bottles of whisky, half the cake, and a tray of canapes before Fury, terrifying those still standing nearby, ripped a hole in space to return. Francine could only assume because all that wouldn’t fit back down the stairs.

Chrisenth declared from atop her bench like shoulder span.

After that, Francine wanted to steer Matt right off to the Tower and discuss shopping, trousers, and anything else he wanted to talk about, but at that moment, she was too preoccupied by the presence of the gentleman from Harmonian Isle. He was infinitely more interesting, and he kept meeting her gaze. Finding out what he was doing at the party became her primary goal. So she grabbed a piece of cake and steered it directly over to him and the Mayor of Shadowmirre.

The mystery guest let his date introduce herself first and him as he was here on her invitation.

Matt and Elgia were both caught off guard and started trying to figure out where the conversation ran off the rails. Sam on the other hand was having a grand time.

Sam’s nonchalance and smug smile infuriated Francine, and Sam was having too grand a time to give up the game. Unfortunately, Azure heard Francine’s voice rising and was drawn over.

Sam held up both hands. “It wasn’t me, I promise. She recognized me and has made all sorts of assumptions. Some of them are even wrong.”

Azure roared with laughter, and pulled out her new cigar cutter, clipped off the ends of two cigars as Sam lit them, took one, and placed an arm around Azure as they walked away.

The three remaining stood looking at each other in stunned silence. Elgia just turned, her face bright red, and walked away as quickly as possible.

Francine led the way, but on their way up the stairs, she could already hear someone was in there. She hadn’t seen Granta and Frankel in a while, and she put her finger to her lips so Matt would quiet down and sneak up the stairs with her,

When they rounded the corner, it wasn’t Granta and Frankel; it was Argento and Viv. They were on the couch making out sloppily. The shock of seeing Argento and Viv was too much for Francine, so she popped out of her sneaking crouch.

What? And just kiss right here next to you two? No, I don’t think so. So what, are you two going out now?

Argento just shrugged his shoulders as Francine gave him a shocked look. And Viv grabbed him by the collar.

As they were having that conversation, Granta and Frankel came across the breezeway. Granta was bright red, and Frankel didn’t look concerned in the least. In fact, he sat in a chair and motioned like he wanted Granta to come to sit with him and resume their amorous activities. She merely shook her head so slightly it was barely perceptible. At which point he stood, bowed to her, clicked his heels together and disappeared.

That was her cue to burst into tears, ruining the mood for everyone.

CH14~Azure's Birthday

An Imperial Education

“I’d heard rumors, which I, of course, dismissed, but this is even more fantastic than what was described. You couldn’t possibly have done this yourself. Or why aren’t you studying at the Chalice?”    “Please don’t patronize me, Tabulain. I was invited to teach a class on binding alternative servants at the Chalice. There isn’t one instructor there with higher-tier spells than I have. What would be the point of that?”



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CH14~Azure's Birthday

An Imperial Education

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CH14~Azure's Birthday

An Imperial Education

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