Dungeons and Dalliances Ch. 040-049

Tenet's typical student was a stuffy aristocrat. Nobody looked oddly at Natalie for her jeans and t-shirt--and she even caught some appreciaivte glances, but that probably wasn't for her choice of clothing--but she felt a bit out of place, regardless. Hopefully Sammy didn't think she looked bad. Maybe Natalie would have to start paying some more attention to how she dressed. It'd been fine back at Tinford, but her lack of effort was a lot more noticeable here.

Though, having those thoughts just made Natalie's annoyance flare. Why the fuck would she care? If they thought Natalie looked scruffy because she hadn't worn button-ups or a dress to a party, then that was their problem.

The drink table, keeping to the trend, also wasn't like Natalie was used to. Instead of flimsy disposable cups, there were crystal glasses stacked in rows. She eyed them, incredulous, wondering how the entire display wouldn't end up broken come the morning. Or even an hour from now. Or even yet, since the party was definitely underway. There were more than a few people already becoming rambunctious. Natalie hadn't arrived late, but she hadn't arrived early, either.

Either way, Natalie didn't pause for long, staring at the ridiculous display of crystal glass. It wasn't her problem if they ended up broken. At a guess, they were more durable than they looked. Didn't matter. She picked one, then took the heavy iron ladle and poured herself a glass of, presumably, punch. At least that looked normal, though she supposed it was hard to make fruit punch ostentatious. What would they do? Add garnish?

She sniffed. It smelled more strongly of alcohol than she'd expected. Stepping to the side to clear away from the table, she took a drink. The taste confirmed it--they'd hadn't gone light on the mixing.

She didn't plan on getting wasted tonight, so she'd probably keep to one or two. The goal was to be ending up in Sammy's room, and sex while plastered--while not the worst thing in the world--wasn't her goal tonight. She needed her wits about her. She still had the 'big reveal' to navigate.

At the reminder of that--how Sammy would react--she grimaced and took another drink.

"Hey!" a familiar voiced exclaimed to her side, making Natalie blink and turn her way. "I was calling for you!" Sammy stood there, hands on her hips. "What are you, deaf?"

Sammy grinned despite the words, cheeks slightly flushed, her friendly demeanor even more teased out by the excited atmosphere. Or more accurately, the alcohol. She'd definitely been drinking; the hint of redness on her cheeks made that obvious, if the wide smile hadn't. But her words were spoken clearly, without a slur. Sammy wasn't drunk, just tipsy.

Natalie was suddenly appreciative that Sammy had made her intentions clear. That, assuming Natalie didn't screw anything up, the two of them would be 'making it back to her room'. It cleared up any hesitations on whether--if anything happened--it'd been the alcohol. Definitely Sammy's plan from the start. Still, she hoped Sammy wouldn't get drunk-drunk. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't care, but for a first time, especially considering Natalie's circumstances--the surprise addition between her legs--she'd rather Sammy had a mostly clear head.

"Not yet," Natalie answered, having to half-shout the words over the pounding music. "But by the time we leave, I might be. I can't even hear myself think." The blaring music added to the ambiance, but seriously. It was loud.

"It's quieter up on the balcony," Sammy said. "Here, come with me."

She grabbed Natalie's hand, and Natalie let herself be dragged away. She took a second drink as she went. By Sammy's flushed cheeks, she had some catching up to do.

2.15 - Evie

Sammy dragged Natalie to meet her friends. Unsurprisingly, that included Alden, the boy at the tank's guild who had hit on Natalie as soon as she'd stepped through the door--then who had dropped her off with Sammy when Natalie had turned him down. Standing next to him--close enough it wasn't a friendly proximity, but pressed into his side--was a woman with black hair and stunning blue eyes.

She, like most of the people here, was dressed several degrees more formal than Natalie: in a long, clinging black dress. Natalie felt the girl's eyes crawl appraisingly across her body, probably making judgments about Natalie's overly casual attire--though there wasn't any disdain on her face. Mostly curiosity.

And... appreciativeness? Which was odd. Natalie was pretty sure this girl was Alden's date for the night, so to be checking Natalie out so blatantly was... indiscreet. Natalie pretended not to notice.

"Your hunts went well, then?" Natalie asked Alden, quirking an eyebrow. She was mildly miffed over how quickly he'd taken interest then dismissed her, but she also couldn't blame him. He'd been on the prowl. Plus, he'd brought her to Sammy, which made up for things.

Before giving Alden a chance to respond, she finished introduced herself to rest of the group. "Hey. Nat."

There was one other besides Sammy, Alden, and his date: a brown-haired boy with chocolate eyes. He was surprisingly innocent looking--kind of like a boy version of Liz.

"Hunt?" Alden asked, putting a hand to his chest in mock offense. "I was not on the hunt. I was simply doing my duties welcoming people to the guild." His lips quirked. "And you have it wrong. This is Evie, my dearest betrothed, not a result from any alleged--totally false--'hunts'."

Betrothed? Natalie repressed a twitch of surprise. These two were to be married? But... Alden had been hitting on her back at the tank's guild. Then had Natalie given away something she shouldn't have? He didn't look concerned, so probably not?

And Evie, his fiancée, had also just been checking out Natalie. Not subtly, either. It'd been a good eye-fucking.

"Alden has good taste," Evie said, smiling at Natalie, and, like the appraisal, not in a way that left much to interpretation. It dispelled the idea that she had misjudged something. Or, she had, but not in the way she thought. "You only like girls, Alden said?"

"Do you mind?" Sammy asked irritably. "Go find someone else to organize your gross threesomes with, Evie. Not my date."

Okay, yeah. That explained that.

"But, to make it clear," Evie continued, ignoring her friend's protests, "it could be just us two. Alden would get to watch, though. It's part of our deal."

"Evie!" Sammy protested.

Natalie gaped at the two, briefly, before shaking off her surprise and taking a drink to buy time. It took a lot to fluster Natalie, but they'd done it. Alden and Evie seemed amused at her reaction.

So. These two were engaged, but fine with each other sleeping around. Was that normal in the capital?

If Natalie hadn't come with Sammy, she might have entertained the idea. Though, not with Alden watching. That'd definitely be too weird. But Evie? Natalie was interested, to say the least.

But she'd come here with Sammy. She wasn't ditching her date the moment someone else came along. She'd be leaving with Sammy, assuming it was what she wanted.

"Thanks," Natalie finally said. "But, uh. That's not exactly my scene."

"A pity," Evie said.

Sammy cozied up to Natalie, glaring at her two friends. Natalie could've swore Alden winked at her, as if he and Evie had prepared this exchange to purposefully make Sammy jealous and move things along. Was he still wing-manning for her, like back at the tank's guild? Why? Though maybe he was egging on Sammy, and Natalie was incidental. That seemed more likely.

Either way, she guessed she wasn't complaining. Because a cute girl tucked into her side? Worth the somersaults her brain had done trying to orient herself to this situation. Natalie subtly worked her free arm around Sammy's waist, who leaned further into her, accepting the advance. She was still eying Alden, who seemed satisfied his efforts to have Sammy clinging to Natalie had worked.

Natalie faced the brown-haired boy. She hadn't gotten his name.

"Dag," he said. "It's nice to meet you. And, ignore Evie and Alden. They're hedonists."

"I've noticed."

"The offer stands, though," Evie added.

"Evie! Seriously." Sammy didn't sound genuinely mad, just exasperated. By the sound of things, this was very much the standard for Alden and Evie. But a hint of annoyance had crept in.

Dag said, "You're a tank, right? The same as these two brutes?" He gestured at Sammy and Alden.

For a bit, the five of them chatted, sipping at their respective drinks and exchanging small talk that quickly morphed to much more casual--and occasionally less appropriate--topics. It was a well established group, Natalie could tell. She was the outsider. That didn't bother her. She slid in, in a superficial manner, without much friction, fitting into the conversation with ease. The alcohol kicked in, too, making it easier. Sammy didn't seem to be going too hard, which was fortunate.

Soon enough, Sammy dragged her away, saying that she wanted a refill and that she wanted Natalie to come with her. They didn't rejoin the group, though, after topping off, but instead headed for a different section of the expansive healer's guild hall. Not into the innards--to the actual functional parts of the guild--but away from the crowds. The music quieted down. Though, still loud, and still plenty of people around.

"Sorry," Sammy said. "But I was getting kind of annoyed. Evie's actually interested in you. She's not doing it to tease me, like she usually does." She took a drink, muttering, "But you're mine tonight. Annoying woman."

The confirmation was nice. Natalie would definitely be getting lucky tonight. "That's normal for them, then? Despite being... promised to each other?"

Sammy blinked at the question. "Oh. Uh, I mean, Alden and Evie are more... open... than most. But not to, like, a crazy degree. It's not that uncommon." She pursed her lips, as if considering whether she wanted to say the next part. "Where are you from, anyway?"

The question had given her away in some manner, Natalie could tell. Or, probably, it'd been clear from the start. Natalie didn't even talk like many of her classmates. The differences were pretty obvious. At least she wasn't treated poorly for it. Delvers--even the aspirant ones--only cared for competence. Circumstances of birth were probably on their minds, but it wasn't something people sneered at. As a general rule.

"It's called Tinford. Way down south, it's tiny. You haven't heard of it. Why?"

"Just surprised me."

"What did?"

"That you don't know the standard, I guess?"

"The standard being...?"

"Evie and Alden. They're engaged, but not together together."

"Why?"

"It's a political marriage."

"Oh." Oh, yeah, that was obvious. She should've been able to piece it together.

"Though in their case," Sammy said, "they actually like each other. But they still keep their options open, like most people in their situation."

So that was the standard. Arranged marriages. But side relationships--even obvious ones--weren't looked down on. That explained a few things.

Being born into nobility came with benefits, but headaches, too. Natalie considered herself lucky shes didn't have to deal with all that. Arranged marriages--no, thank you.

Not that marriage was high on her priority list. Natalie had other things to be focusing on. Even her strange class hadn't changed that. She was looking for superficial flings. Relationships that earned that valuable resource tied to her class, and were some fun, but didn't distract her from more important matters.

Natalie took another drink. The warmth of the alcohol was starting to wash through her, making her relax. Not that she'd been too tense. More than she might normally be at a party, though. While familiar in some ways, this environment wasn't exactly what she knew. Less... chandeliers and crystal glasses, back home. The healer's guild was the gaudiest of the ones she'd been in. Maybe it had been dressed up for the party.

"So they're important, then?" Natalie asked. "Alden and Evie?"

Sammy tilted her head. "Why do you think that?"

"Just got the vibe."

"Well. Yeah, you're right. Evie's the daughter of Gabriel Vetter."

"And that is...?"

At Sammy's incredulous look, Natalie rolled her eyes. "I'm from the middle of nowhere. I got an actual 'you don't know who I am?' speech, earlier, if that gives you a clue."

Sammy seemed amused, but she also pursed her lips. "That's dangerous, Nat."

"Dangerous?"

"I like politics as much as the next person, but being clueless? Not smart at Tenet. You can maybe wiggle out of some of the drama, but only if you know enough to do so deliberately."

"I guess."

Sammy sighed. "I guess it's up to me to save you, then. Gabriel Vetter... let's see."

They were talking politics? Now? At a party?

Well, Natalie guessed she did need to know the basics. She ought to be grateful Sammy was willing to help. Not the ideal conversation topic for an event like this, but not the worst, either, and she ought to be appreciative that Sammy cared enough to give a lesson. The least she could do was listen.

2.16 - Houses

"The Vetter family isn't that important, globally speaking," Sammy said. "Mostly, I'm just concerned you don't know the name. It means you didn't do your homework."

"Homework?"

"I'm not from a noble house, either, you know," Sammy pointed out. "So your situation isn't that rare. Maybe not from down south like you, the middle of nowhere, but what's that matter? I didn't brush shoulders with nobility growing up, so I didn't know their names because I had play dates with them. Had to learn. But I did, because I knew it'd be important, coming to Tenet."

"Right." Natalie recognized the mild scolding.

But, Natalie figured, she had Jordan for that sort of thing. And, unfortunately, Sofia, who probably knew more about the political situation in Tenet than even Jordan. Y'know, seeing how she pretended to be one of them, all the time.

But, explaining that to Sammy probably wouldn't fly. Make her sound dependent, even. Which was... kind of true. She was dependent on Jordan. Maybe Natalie should put more effort into this sort of thing.

"Anyway," Sammy said pointedly, raising her eyebrows in minor chastisement. Natalie took it for the good-hearted concern it was. "Gabriel Vetter--or House Vetter--is one of the most influential houses aligned under House Ainsworth. You know who they are, I'm assuming."

The words were sarcastic, but at Natalie's blank look, Sammy gaped at her.

"House Ainsworth," she repeated. "Nat. They own half the city."

"Right..." Natalie said. It was starting to come back. "They're one of the five major houses."

Sammy stared at her, baffled that it had even taken a second for Natalie to remember. Maybe she was a little more than 'behind' on this. Maybe she'd been willfully ignorant, even.

Just, really. Who cared? Politics. What everyone should be worried about was their class, their skills, and the dungeon.

"Yes," Sammy said flatly. "One of the major houses. You know those, at least?"

"The Beaumons. Parda-Halt. Valeria. Uh..." What was the last one? "The nerd house."

"The nerd house?"

"The tinkers and mages."

"House Gylver?"

"That's the one."

Sammy seemed torn between amused and incredulous. "Well, you know them at least. That's a low bar to clear, but it's a bar."

"I've got the big picture," Natalie said dismissively. She took another drink.

"Do you? The current landscape?"

"Who's friends with who?" Maybe. Again, she knew the broad strokes, because she hadn't lived under a literal rock, just the metaphorical kind. "The Beaumons and Valeria stay together. They don't like Parda-Halt." A hang-over from the whole, 'tried to overthrow the monarchy' deal. That'd been a while ago, but old grudges lingered. "Ainsworth only cares about money," the merchant House, "and Gylver only cares about magic and technology. So they stick together." Profit and advancement--hand in hand.

Sammy narrowed her eyes. "That is the general idea. You're not as clueless as you're pretending."

"Nah. I am. That's all I know. Never heard of 'Vetter'."

"Still, you're not catastrophically uninformed. Just not nearly where you should be." She pursed her lips. "Like I said, Vetter's one of House Ainsworth's major allies. Not one of the five major Houses, but important."

"Rich as sin, I'm taking it." Natalie had gotten that impression from Evie.

"Anyone allied to Ainsworth is, usually."

She nodded.

A brief lull.

"There's a Beaumon in my class, you know," Natalie said. "Liz. We might go on a delve together."

A sentence like that would've had someone back home gaping at her, but Sammy just raised her eyebrows. Big names didn't mean much at Tenet--not even the royal family.

"And you know what that'll say, if you do?" Sammy asked.

"It'd be throwing my lot in with them?"

Sammy seemed satisfied Natalie had at least considered the idea. "Maybe not instantly. Not this early in the semester, and just a test delve. It won't close any doors outright, but maybe... inch them toward being closed."

"And?" Natalie asked. "Gotta pick someone to cozy up to, right? Isn't that how it works?"

Sammy shrugged. "The real experts know how to cozy up with everyone. Like Evie. She's good at that. Ainsworth in general is. They're friends with everyone, Parda-Halt or Valeria."

"That's 'cause money talks." Being richer than the royal family had a way of making people want to be cozied up to.

Sammy laughed. "That's true. But there's a skill to it. Making friends without making enemies."

Natalie wrinkled her nose. Political deftness. Yeah... she had a feeling that wouldn't ever be her specialty. Didn't intend to try. Way too much of a headache. "Well, Liz is nice. And like I said, if it needs to be someone, then I wouldn't mind being friendly with her family." The most powerful, individually, of any house.

"Just think about what you're doing," Sammy said. "I'm hardly going to tell you what to do, but think about it."

Natalie was about to ask who Sammy 'aligned' with, but the question fizzled when a crash rang through the room. She winced, head snapping to the noise.

It took a moment to make sense of the chaos. One of the infamous 'brawls' had broken out. Only a portion of the party-goers--again, the healer's guild was packed--bothered to watch. To be fair, the conflict didn't seem to be a particularly interesting one. Two men had started swinging, a woman on the sidelines holding her head in one hand, seeming more irritated than concerned. A story as old as time.

She watched, interested, for a few moments, critiquing their wrestling forms. Drunk, it wasn't particularly elegant--definitely a substandard brawl considering these were Tenet students, regardless of their role background. She winced as the losing boy made a vicious comeback, slamming the other's head into the floor with a resounding smack. The floor tile cracked. Definitely upper years. They were fighting faster, and stronger, than they ought to, even clumsy as they were.

Nobody seemed concerned by the scuffle, only entertained. That was maybe the best proof that this sort of thing was routine. What else would she expect, stuffing hundreds of men and women whose professions were violence into a crowded party hall--then adding alcohol?

"Why's it so easy to get booze, anyway?" Natalie asked, the question coming naturally in her head, but probably sounding random to Sammy. "Seems like Tenet would care more than they do."