sensitive and delicate !

Eh... probably not. Serra wasn’t really the sort of girl that had lots of close friends like that. Even though Erk said he loved her, even he and her had a... distance, of sorts.

“A—anyway! Yeah! Erk’s here too! And some other people! Like Legault, and Heath, and Lloyd. The bad guy, Lloyd. But he’s not really so awful, really. And Karel. And Mark! Can you believe Mark’s here? I couldn’t either!”

She’s not sure how many of those names, other than Mark, Ninian will really resonate with. But Serra only knows about who she knows about, after all.

Dame Serra doesn’t mean it like that — it’s a perfectly reasonable thing to wonder, in fact, seeing as she did go everywhere with Nils —; and she’s heard much worse than this besides. Still, the bluntness stings, no matter that Ninian can keep as much from her face. She swallows.

“ Ah... Yes, ” she begins, more quietly still than is her wont, “ I did... want to see it... I was educated at home, so... ”

She manages a smile, all too happy to let Serra fill the silence she leaves. That list is both longer and more concerning than she expected, but... Well, she will take the girl’s word for it. She nods once more.

“ I’ll be glad to see Mark again, ” is all she says, well-aware Serra couldn’t believe she was here either. “ And you are welcome, of course, Dame Serra. As for what I need... ”

As they set off, still arm-in-arm not unlike old friends, Ninian feels almost ordinary in spite of the great secret she keeps. If only all her days could be like this...!

But she is his. And he is hers. No matter what else happens tonight they have each other.

After all these years of waiting for him, of chasing him, of longing for him, she hopes she's his for much, much longer than just one night.

She prays, as the two of them spill from the carriage and into the blissful, beautiful ball that she's been dreaming of (since, really, she was so small and young) that one day, he'll find it in him to promise himself to her forever.

But baby steps. She's alright with taking those with him. As long as he'll let her stay right here... that's what's important.

"Serra, you look beautiful tonight." Into a gloved hand the orchid is taken and tucked into the bouquet of received flowers. Notes of a soon to end waltz fill the hall as he offers out his own tulip to her.

"Fun? Quite a bit. Truth be told I haven't danced as much as I would like to, but in turn I've had fruitful conversations." The matter of meeting with anyone, especially a someone special-

He can't help but chuckle. "I arrived with a friend, to see he and his sister dressed up... It's something I've wanted to see like this since we were younger." The crown truly fit them both well.

It's nice he came with a friend, though, she... supposes. Ruby red lips pout slightly. It isn't the gossip she wants...

"Heh... You're right! I am a protagonist! But my boyfriend came in all black... so I thought I'd match him! It's just fun, for the night... I hope you don't worry about me. Already someone stupid who is part of my family is worrying about me."

Part of her family... It's been so many years since Hector said that: we're your family. Does he still feel that way?

Panette has been minding her own business, taking a moment to breathe by the chocolate table, seemingly mostly abandoned due to all the mishaps with the chocolate (she almost feels bad for poor Stefanelli), when suddenly a familiar voice rings out! Turning to face her with a smile, Panette is left momentarily stunned just by how fashionable Serra looks! The make-up, the dress, the ribbons; it is all quite stunning! So much so that she finds herself only being able to smile and nod until they sit down... Wherein she realizes she had forgotten to warn Serra about the issue with the chocolates, leaving her to stare awkwardly as she puts them to the side. Whoops. She shall have to remedy that in a moment. Serra seems to be able to move on quite swiftly from one topic to another in quite the invigorating way, Panette finds. "We really do look quite similar!" She chuckles, trying not to blush at being called cute. "Your outfit is absolutely breathtaking, Serra, I truly think it is one of the most gorgeous ones I have seen today." True, she may be a bit biased but hey. "Alas, I have been here for a year and I am yet to find any luck with romance." She shakes her head, smile still stuck on her face. "Mayhaps the lucky lady shall appear one day, but right now, it seems I am simply scaring away all the fish said to be in the sea." She chuckles. It is fine, it is not like she really expects anyone would fall in love with her anyways, she's long since accepted that. "I hope I shall get to meet this elusive boyfriend of yours at some point; I can only assume he is just as wonderful of a conversationalist as you are!" She smiles. He better be at the very least, her dear friend deserves someone who will treat her right. Glancing over to the chocolates again, Panette considers taking one or two, but truthfully, she does not care for confectionery enough to reach out. Instead, she offers what she knows to Serra. "I do not believe anyone has eaten those chocolates, if you still wish to consume them. I believe the chocolatier has simply underestimated the amount of attendees by a significant degree. That, or he is doing it on purpose, both versions have been floating around as gossip." She chuckles.

"Omigosh, thank you! I think the same of you! You look absolutely stunning!" It isn't the sort of fashion she normally goes for -- and in truth, neither is this -- but it is vibrant, and Serra is quite taken with vibrancy, even if her own clothing tastes tend to often be more minimalist.

Wait... okay. That thing Panette said about 'scaring away fish'. That's the sort of topic that needs chocolate to survive, she thinks. So Serra takes what she said to heart, about the chocolate being alright -- though one can see the bit of tentativeness on her face, still -- and opens them on her lap, taking one for herself and indicating that Panette ought to grab her fair share, too.

"Wait... what do you mean, scaring away? Surely you misspeak... You're gorgeous, you're lovely... what more could anyone want?" A year is a length of time. And Serra gets it -- she too would be in her own head about how long it had been. In fact, she had been, before Erk had confessed to her. She'd once believed herself completely unworthy of love. Even as early as last month, when she and Erk were still together... and vestiges of that still cling to her soul, but...

Tamamo didn’t expect to be recognized, much less approached.  Perhaps it was a given considering her position as a teacher, but even so throughout the entire night she tried to keep close to the walls, always away from the sine of chandeliers above and from the main activities held at the center of the ballroom. She was here to watch, come up with new ideas and take whatever chances she could to execute them- that’s it. The startle didn’t tear any yelps from her throat, however it did cause the fur on her tail to stand up as she turned around to glance at her new companion. Her voice was quiet- almost blending in with the music and noise from the crowd. “I don’t…think I know you.” She could easily be one of the students, but there were plenty within the clergy who also looked around that age. “I don’t know your boyfriend either, but…ah, I think I saw him in the halls before. That purple hair…hm, yes.” Messy purple hair, the face of a composed bookworm, if that was Erk- then indeed, Tamamo had spotted him in the distance and already decided he’d make for a fun target even though he was from another house. So, this was his little girlfriend? Interesting. She seemed like the time to squeal and whine if anything went wrong. Perhaps later she’d find out whether that was the case or not- right now it would be too on the nose, and she hadn’t observed anything she could work with either. “I’m Tamamo. But it seems you already know me, so. Nice to meet you, either way. Hehe.” The flower was accepted with a small smile and a careful gesture, before offering a tulip of her own. “Hm…thanks. I’m not used to parties like this.” The fox averted her gaze for a moment, golden hues wandering near the floor or around Serra’s silhouette for a moment. “I like your dress. It looks very…nice, yes. I like your makeup.” Small talk was something she always despised- it always felt meaningless. But this was a bit of a tough spot, feeling both stunned and pinned, so all she could do was go along with the conversation. Might as well, no? The more things to find out about others, the better. “What magic do you know?”

Honestly, Serra didn’t know her name. Tamamo… it was a pretty sounding name, she thought, the sort of name she hadn’t heard of before. But of course she hadn’t. They came from completely different lands, she was sure. Everything about Tamamo, from the cut of her hair to the fabric she was donning, told clearly the tale of a person from somewhere Serra’d never been.

… And the literal tail helped sell that, too. Serra knew people who weren’t all-human, but when they were in their human forms, they looked… well… completely human-like.

“Why, thank you! I think you look very lovely, too!” It was rare she was graced with the vision of such clothing like Tamamo’s… But fashion was fashion, and she could tell Tamamo was a beautiful woman, dressed well. “You know, I don’t know much about the sort of clothing you’re wearing… Is there a name for that type of dress? I’d love to learn more… I’m usually up to date on all the latest fashions, you see, but where I come from didn’t have anything like that…”

"For... once?" What. Just what does she mean by that?

You know what.

Nevermind.

"Woah. Serra. You look..."

Easier just to play along. Except that when Matthew goes to appraise Serra, that he might come up with a suitable compliment, he finds himself stunned into a brief disconnect with reality. Is this really Serra??

"... Different."

Okay. Uh. Not his brightest. To his credit, since he doesn't want her to start beating him up with that bouquet of hers, he's quick to course-correct:

From... Matthew?

Serra's many things, but she's not stupid. (... Well... She digresses, before those thoughts start overwhelming her.) That kind of compliment, from Matthew, of all people... that's definitely, uh. Rare.

"I suppose I can let you pass," she says, tips of her lips quirked high. She takes his hyacinth and puts it in her bouquet before offering him her orchid, eyes glittering.

"Do you want to dance? The White Heron Cup is coming up soon... I don't know if you know this, but I got lessons from Ninian. If you follow my lead, we have, like, a real chance." Purple eyes glimmer beneath pure black eye shadow in excitement.

Eliwood approaches Serra with a crinkled smile. “It was terribly rude of me to keep you all waiting, but I’m sure with you here Hector has not wanted for company.” The pink pig-tailed healer is a bright and cheerful sort, radiant in her enthusiasm. A little too much for some but Eliwood finds her pleasant company. For the most part. “Might I join you?” He gestures toward the seat and when he receives confirmation, he seats himself across from her. “I hope Fódlan has been treating you well. Are you working with the church here?”