Dinner Party with the Rich and Famous (Open)

A fancy dinner party was being held on the rooftop garden of a certain 5-star hotel in the heart of the city. Attendees included the wealthy and the influential, from businessmen to politicians and other celebrities. With so many high profile guests, it wouldn't be unusual if a few heroes or villains were present blending in with the crowd. It was the first time since the whole business with the war that the elite of the city gathered together for a special event. For some, it could be taken as a sign that the war effort was going well. But the actual truth was less important than the people who believed in it. The organizers of the party billed the event as a charity fundraiser with the goal of getting contributions to the war effort and setting up pledges for assistance in the eventual post-war recovery. Even in Jump City's darkest hour, politics was at work.

Among the attendees, a certain silver-haired witch was taking a much needed break from socializing with the bigwigs of the business sector who were present at the party. She took this opportunity to enjoy the view overlooking the city, her gaze seemingly lost in the sea of moving lights below. Events like this often left her mentally exhausted. Though she had grown used to it over the years, keeping up appearances was still hardly an easy task. She almost wished something dangerous would happen as it would be amusing to see these high and mighty people in panic.

Although she had been talking non-stop since the start of the party, she was not even close to meeting everyone present. From where she was standing a little ways off from the crowd, this was the first time she got a good look at just how many had attended. It was a fairly impressive number. At that moment however, a certain someone had caught her eye. It was a girl around her age wearing a white frilly dress. She was standing beside the buffet table near the desserts and was subsequently loading a plate with a large amount of tarts and cake. Her gluttony aside, perhaps the most peculiar thing about her was that she was wearing an assortment of hats, one on top of the other, on her head. She could count at least four but there were probably more.

There was a swift change in Ingrid's mood as she realized who it was. And it wasn't someone she would say she had fond memories of. But possibly due to boredom and because it was such an unexpected encounter, instead of being annoyed or irritated at her sight, the silver-haired witch actually felt livened up. Ingrid then found herself walking briskly towards the girl's location. As the girl in white was about to happily reach for another slice of cake, she would have her wrist grabbed abruptly by the Lowen heir, causing her to look up in surprise and almost drop her plate of desserts.

"Meanie Ingrid! W-what are you doing here?!" The girl exclaimed.

"That's Ms. Ingrid", replied the Silver Queen sternly, raising an eyebrow. "And I should be the one asking you that question, Sweet Mae."

Responding to what Sweet Mae could only perceive as an 'imminent threat', she began to channel magic to her hand, causing Ingrid to instinctively withdraw her grasp. Though the silver-haired witch was wearing protective gloves, she was well aware of the dangers of touching the Candy Mage while her magic was activated. But the trouble was only beginning. Suddenly, Ingrid found herself surrounded by three Muffin Men that appeared out of thin air, causing nearby guests to stand back, surprised and confused at what was happening. It seemed the party was finally starting to get livelier.

Kristen had received the ticket to the dinner party as a reward for saving a certain wealthy businessman several nights ago. She had only the need to find something to wear in order to fit in with the crowd. She did have one dress, a dress that held a lot of sentimental value and one that she had worn for one other sole occasion before her arrival at Jump City.

Spoiler:

It was probably a bit flashy and definitely out of place, but Kristen recalled it being extremely expensive to make, being entirely made out of Caelstrum - the Nephilim's prized and exclusive mineral and the identical material her normal battle armour was comprised of. Being a warrior race, nearly all Nephilim fashion had an element of armour to it. Kristen assured herself that the dress was probably worth enough to let herself be presentable among the rich and famous. Hair pulled back into a loose braid and wearing wedges to match her dress, she strode up to the butler with confidence, golden-adorned cyan eyes shimmering. "I have admission for one under the name Kristen Opprotune." she stated, producing the ticket from her matching gold-coloured clutch-purse.

The butler gazed down at the list, a frown forming on his face. "I don't see your name on the list. Sorry, I can't let you in." Kristen's smile faded slightly, as she realized that it was likely the person who gave her the ticket couldn't correct the reservations as she did not give him her name. Suddenly, there was a disturbance coming from near the elevator, and someone called the butler over. Using this opportunity, Kristen used some small telekinesis to lift up the pen next to the reservation book and write her name down among the others. When the butler returned, he looked at the book again.

"See? Told you I had a reservation." Kristen's smile returned as she offered him her ticket again. "Now if everything is in order, I'll be headed upstairs. Good evening."

When Kristen made her way to the top of the hotel, she took a bit of a stroll to find some food, and perhaps some people to make conversation with. Of course, she would limit it to small talk, since she was sure she didn't know anyone here, and to reveal too much to any stranger might be dangerous. As she made her way to the dessert table (just to see what there was) she noticed a familiar silver-haired girl standing next to someone with many hats. How did she know it was Ingrid? Well how often do you come across a girl with silver hair in Jump City?

Well it's Jump City so the possibilities are endless.

However Kristen was pretty sure it was Ingrid, so she was going to go greet her, but suddenly three very large and very living muffins appeared out of nowhere, startling many party guests that happened to be nearby. Kristen had no idea where they came from, but guessed it might have been from either Ingrid or the other girl with many hats. 'I wonder if they're edible...' Kristen thought briefly through hunger but dismissed the ridiculous notion. Instead, she subtly activated her telekinesis with a flick of her wrist and suspended the three muffin men a few inches in the air; not enough to raise as much suspicion as their actual existence. In a voice that only the three girls could hear, she said,"Now I got a good look at the guest list when I arrived, and I don't recall three living muffin constructs being on it... not even as a plus one." she paused, "Then again, I don't suppose a party can be complete until someone crashes it... 'Truly, thou art damned like an ill roasted egg, all on one saide.'"

The moment the muffin men were hoisted into the air, Ingrid's eyes widened as she quickly scanned the surrounding area for the culprit. Not because she appreciated their assistance but because they probably escalated the situation for the worse. Sweet Mae was easy enough to talk down to but once you started using force, she was a pain to deal with. The person responsible revealed herself on her own though and Ingrid recognized her as the Nephilim from some time ago. Unfortunately, she caught the Candy Mage's attention as well.

"PUT... THEM... DOWN!"

Two additional muffin men appeared on the Nephilim's either side and moved in to restrain her. Though their grip with feel soft to touch if she got grabbed, she would find them very tough to shake off unless she possessed superhuman strength. Meanwhile the ground beneath Sweet Mae's feet began to turn into a sticky caramel that continued to expand around her. Ingrid found herself stepping on top of a chair so as not to get caught, her presence probably forgotten by the Candy Mage, whose full attention was now on the newcomer.

Ingrid had an annoyed look on her face. This was a place she would rather not use her powers if she could help it. She wondered if the Nephilim could understand sign language. From where Ingrid stood she attempted to signal her to cease whatever she was doing and apologize. In her mind, the silver-haired witch continued to ponder what kind of idiot invited Sweet Mae in the first place.

Around them, the waiters and staff had began working to defuse the panic before it got out of hand and the guests close by were escorted away. The more curious ones continued to look on from a distance though.

"Whoa! Easy!" Kristen exclaimed as she realized the muffin men were the product of the hat girl's magics. Glancing over at Ingrid, she took the signal to lay off the hostility and apologize. Freezing the additional two muffin men with telekinesis only long enough to get behind them, she copied Ingrid's decision and quickly darted up onto a chair as well, then noticing the caramel floor growing at their feet. Kristen let the remainder of the muffin men go, but still held her hands up in front of her, ready to seize them again.
"So I see these creatures are your design." Kristen regarded the hat girl. "It seemed a little unnecessary to summon them for no apparent reason in the middle of a dinner party, so I only restrained them as a precaution. I apologize if my intervention caused you to feel otherwise." she paused, "Unless, there was a good reason for which you summoned them that I don't know about?"

As Ingrid watched the turn of events unfold, she came to the conclusion that the Nephilim was not very good at diplomacy, but that was usually the case for warrior-types. They tended to be "take action first, ask questions later" kind of people as evident in the brief exchange. She did well to heed Ingrid's advice but the questioning that followed was unfortunately not the best follow-up. The Candy Mage's mood hardly improved.

"What's it to you? You're just a rude person butting in!"

It was then that Sweet Mae remembered she was originally dealing with Ingrid whose face was almost expressionless as their eyes met again. It's not that the Candy Mage was intimidated. She simply acknowledged the Silver Queen as legitimately powerful persona whom she should be careful around. One of the ways she did that was to put up a strong front whenever they met. This was something Ingrid saw through a long time ago but couldn't be bothered to tell her. Her misunderstandings often resulted in entertaining outcomes that ended with the Candy Mage retreating whilst Ingrid embarrassed her in some way. A straight up magical contest though was a different story. While Sweet Mae's candy magic was as eccentric and comical as they come, they weren't something to sneeze at.

Ingrid shrugged and gestured she had nothing to do with unprovoked "attack", leaving the Nephilim as the sole target of the Candy Mage's irritation. In all likelihood, if the angel girl didn't respond correctly, there would be quite the amusing show that would follow, at least in Ingrid's eyes. It didn't matter to her anymore since she was no longer the target and thus she had no reason to use her powers. She would continue to keep her expression neutral to refrain from revealing her mischievous intentions. She was certainly no longer bored. Meanwhile the muffin men surrounded the chair where the Nephilim was at, waiting for her next move, but they did not yet close in on her.

Kristen blinked as the situation unfolded around her. She realized that the hat-girl's attention was no longer on Ingrid anymore,  but on Kristen alone. She was called a rude person butting in by the hat girl and her muffin men closed in around Kristen's chair. As to not irritate the hat girl further, Kristen did not yet seize them again with her powers, and instead said, "I'll admit, it means nothing to me, personally. However, when someone summons such unique creatures such as yours, its difficult to discern if they will pose a threat to the surrounding people. In this case, those people are wealthy and influencial individuals who have responsibility over quite a few important things here in the city. If something were to happen to them, I'm sure you'd understand that this would pose quite a few problems. Therefore, it means nothing to me besides the fact that your actions could put some innocent citizens at stake, and I was only acting with their safety in mind." Kristen hoped this explanation was enough to satisfy the hat girl's question, or else she would have to use forcible means against the girl. Something that she would rather not completely unleash here.

"Relax."

Chuck had disguised himself as a wealthy millionaire to get into the party, which would certainly cause confusion once the real one came in. He was slightly breathing out through his nostrils an invisible odorless anti-body gas that was meant to relax his enemies and damper their emotions to calm them down.

He and Athena came to enjoy the party, not deal with more teenagers with sky-high hormones and powers. He had adjusted his body disguise to a 17 year old version of himself to blend in.

"Ladies please. You should talk things out instead of jumping to conclusions. May I be of assistance~?"

Ingrid was doing her best to restrain herself from laughing at the present situation but couldn't avoid smiling a little. Sweet Mae wasn't a total idiot but trying to appeal to her nonexistent caring side was largely a wasted effort. One look at the Candy Mage's face and you would see a mix of puzzled why-should-I-care expressions. At least it seemed she wasn't as likely to attack now but the muffin men and caramel field remained.

"You're someone's bodyguard or something? Where is he then? He owes me an apology for not keeping his servant in check. I'm someone's escort too. But you don't see me attacking people out of nowhere."

Ingrid raised an eyebrow at those last words. That explained the Candy Mage's attendance. But who in their right mind would hire Sweet Mae as their bodyguard? It's hard to imagine anyone would feel safe when their guardian is a whimsical magician who could likely betray them for a slice of cake at any given moment. It was far more likely that Sweet Mae was the one being served, and she was simply using the man's status to get a free invite. While Ingrid was pondering this, she noticed a little late that Sweet Mae was looking in her direction again.

"You're not off the hook yet meanie Ingrid! I still need to pay you back for last time."

Ingrid scoffed. "Is that so? I seem to recall we were already square. Anything bad that happened afterward, you brought upon yourself. Like this particular instance."

Sweet Mae tried to think of a comeback but was distracted by the interruption of another person on the scene. He appeared to be offering to be a mediator but in the Candy Mage's eyes, he was just another unnecessary meddler.

"You back-off mister. I'm only talking to these two."

"I'm no one's bodyguard. I earned access to this party through saving the life of an influential businessman. He gave me his pass." Kristen blinks. "You're someone's escort, you say? Who might this person be, requiring your services?"

Kristen briefly thought about the fact that Ingrid and the Candy Mage had met before. This would explain the recognition between the two, and it crossed Kristen's mind then that it was probably an option to leave these two to their dealings. It was too late for that though now, Kristen was now involved.

Kristen glanced at the newcomer, offering a slight sympathetic look to him after the hat-girl's dismissal of him. After recognizing Chuck's entrance into the situation, she returned her attention to the Candy Mage, waiting for a response.

The Candy Mage paused to think. Where did the Don go? Last time she saw him, he told her to go enjoy herself at the buffet table and then he went somewhere with a few other men who were most likely business partners.

"The Don is..." She got up on a chair and started looking around but he was nowhere in sight. "I guess he's off somewhere talking with someone. Happens a lot."

Sweet Mae pouted, feeling a bit annoyed like she had been left out of something. Ingrid deduced from her expression that whoever she was working for knew how to deal with her or at least how to make her behave. She wouldn't be surprised if she was being exploited somehow. The Candy Mage wasn't the brightest bulb around outside of magic.

It may have been by luck, but the Silver Queen would silently praise the Nephilim for directing Sweet Mae's "fury" somewhere else for now. Ingrid figured she ought to take advantage of this opportunity now to "make amends" and further drive the Candy Mage under her thumb.

"Fine, why don't I assist you in looking for him so that you can voice your complaints. Then we can be even. Let us just say I am not comfortable with the idea of a mere mortal putting himself above a mage of your caliber."

Ingrid's words were half truth and half mocking, but being skilled in the art of speech, they seemed to ooze with sincerity. Even if Sweet Mae ended up still siding with the man, it would be very useful information to her knowing who the Candy Mage associated herself with. It was a big enough surprise to learn she was even in this city.

'Whew. Crisis averted.' Kristen thought in relief as the Candy Mage seemed to be less hostile now.

When Ingrid voiced her suggestion as to what to do next, Kristen couldn't help but smirk a little. The relationship between the two sorceresses was obviously imbalanced, with Ingrid being placed higher than the Candy Mage, or more so placing herself higher than the Candy Mage. Such was the attitude of a noble - Kristen could understand to a point. The Nephilim often placed themselves as higher beings than the human race in the past - they often thought themselves almost akin to nobility.

Kristen wanted to continue to keep an eye on this situation, however she was well aware that the Candy Mage now had a poor impression of her. In the most non-threatening way possible, Kristen added, "If neither of you mind, I'd like to accompany you as well. I'd like to meet this human who hires practitioners of magic."

Ingrid's brow twitched slightly. After all that trouble, the Nephilim continued to insist on sticking her nose into the affairs of mages. It should have been evident from the interactions thus far that Sweet Mae was the type to hold on to grudges, even if she was on the slow side. It was like walking around at gunpoint with a shooter who needs only the slightest random excuse to pull the trigger. Unless you knew the trick to dealing with her. The silver-haired witch kept her thoughts to herself as the Candy Mage slowly withdrew her magical influence to pursue her new target. For now, she seemed not to mind. Ingrid decided to refrain from speaking at all to the Nephilim, lest they be falsely accused of colluding in some way. Any small thing that would set off Sweet Mae should be avoided, especially since she was currently being motivated by the feeling of being left out to turn her attention elsewhere.

As the situation calmed down, the nervous waiters slowly began to move in to tidy up the mess. Ingrid suggested that they step out of the rooftop for now, to which the Candy Mage obliged without much fuss. As they went down one floor though, Sweet Mae found herself at a loss in the hallways, obviously unsure where to even start looking. Ingrid expected that much.

"This situation calls for the assistance of one of the organizers of this party. Conveniently enough, that applies to myself."

"This is your party meanie Ingrid?" Sweet Mae asked suspiciously, but her tone betrayed her surprise.

"If you had taken the time to read the invitation properly, or the welcome message at the front desk, then you should have seen that the Lowen Group was among the major sponsors. Your obliviousness to things outside the scope of magic hasn't changed I see."

The Candy Mage frowned and pouted. To an outsider, this may seem like a dangerous act, teasing someone who could turn the entire floor into cake in a moment's notice. But Sweet Mae was a pure person who acknowledged truths. Ingrid being several steps above her in intelligence and common sense was a fact that was proven to her several times before. And so she could only grudgingly accept the criticism.

"Hmph. Trying to act all smart. You don't seem to know the Don though."

It wasn't the best of comebacks, but it was unfortunately true. It should have been within Ingrid's knowledge as an organizer whom the attendees tonight were, besides guests of guests like Sweet Mae. This Don she referred to should be a guest but since it didn't ring any bells, it was most likely an alias.

"Apart from the rooftop, the two floors below it were also reserved for the party-goers. It was meant for those who wanted to freshen up, or else engage in private chitchat or meetings. If your Don is as important as he sounds, there should be people standing guard outside whichever room he is in..."

It narrowed it down but not by much. On the hall they were in alone, there were pairs of bodyguards standing outside at least 5 rooms. Not to mention, there was still the floor below them to check out.

Kristen followed behind them as they came across the hallway with many guarded doors. There were either a lot of people like the Don attending this party, or...

"What if the Don placed guards at each door to confuse people trying to look for him?" she thought aloud, not really expecting an answer from either Mage. It was a weird idea and Kristen didn't really think it likely, but the theory voiced itself of its own accord. Then again, if the Don was trying to lose his escort, a trick like that would actually make sense.

She decided to follow up with a more useful suggestion. "I can investigate downstairs while you two check out up here." she said, backing up a bit to emphasize her suggestion.

Ingrid pondered at how the Nephilim arrived at that deduction. There were plenty of powerful figures attending tonight that warranted protection. Ingrid's own statement was merely a guess. The possibility that the man they were looking was in an unguarded room was not zero either. The only real way to be sure was to check each and every one. But before she could shoot down the assumption, Sweet Mae surprisingly spoke up first.

"Franky! Lou!"

The candy mage was waving her hand excitedly at the closest pair of guards in the hallway in front of them. Ingrid laughed internally. Was it really going to be this easy? Meanwhile, the pair of guards in question looked at each other nervously. The Silver Queen had seen these expressions before. They were the kind that acquaintances of Sweet Mae would make whenever she was around and said acquaintances were not capable of dealing with her. At the very least it confirmed they knew each other.

"We're looking for the Don. He left me alone upstairs and I got into a little mess. I need him to clear things up for me. What's he doing here anyway? He should be out enjoying the party."

The two stared at Sweet Mae and then looked suspiciously at her two companions.

"Ah right, introductions. This is meanie Ingrid. Apparently this is her party so she's someone important. The Don is interested in meeting people like that right?"

"I'm not sure who this is... but she's part of the mess I was in."

It seemed Sweet Mae still hadn't formed a concrete opinion about the Nephilim. Well, better her being confused than being declared an enemy.

One of the guards finally spoke. "The Don is in an important meeting and will not be seeing anyone until it's over miss. You and your acquaintances will have to wait."

Ingrid affirmed that they definitely did not know how to deal with the candy mage. For starters, if you weren't someone she acknowledged as better than her, you couldn't just deny her without offering some alternative. Before the guards could do anything else, Sweet Mae quickly stuffed a mint into each of their mouths.

"I said, we want to see the Don..."

Kristen was about to leave when Sweet Mae had identified two guards that she recognized. Kristen walked up with Ingrid and the Candy Mage to meet the guards, but their news was less than optimal for the group. Sweet Mae obviously didn't seem satisfied with the guards' reply and stuffed two seemingly normal mints into both guards' mouths. Kristen knew better that they were not normal mints, however. She wondered what would become of the guards, and what the true ability of the Mage's mints were. Some sort of mind control? A magic with properties like cyanide? Or something else entirely? Kristen had hoped the second option or similar to it was not true - the guards were simply following orders and it was obvious that they were a bit nervous in this encounter. It was likely though, since this sorceress seemed to not have a problem with putting innocents in harms way to get what she wants.