The Upper Echelon

There was music wafting in the summer evening. In the blue garden of the mansion, men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars. There were a few hundred feet of canvas and enough colored lights to make a Christmas tree of that enormous garden. Aedre's eyes absorbed each and every detail of the designing, as she made random assumptions of the money spent on it. She knew that Hadrian was neck-deep in his love for splendour and extravagance, but this was the first time she'd attended one of his parties at an age that she could process the naivety behind it. Truth be told, she would've never wanted to end up in one, but the fact that her uncle and brother were taking a dive eased it for her; in fact, gave her a reason to visit in the hopes that there would be something more interesting than roaring drunk men and high-pitched, giggling women.

Inside the ballroom, the waiters carried glasses stocked with gins and liquors and cordials so long forgotten that most of Hadrian's female guests were too young to know one from another. The orchestra was no five-piece affair but a whole pit of a myriad of musical instruments. The whole room was gaudy with primary colors and hair shorn in strange new ways and shawls beyond the dreams of the majority of the population of Fiore. The air was alive with chatter and laughter and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot and enthusiastic meetings between people who never knew each other's names. There were confident girls who weaved around the stouter and the more stable men, becoming the center of a group for a sharp, mirthful moment and then exited with triumph, looking for more victims in the sea-change of colors, faces and voices.

Dressed up in a lustrous fabric that glinted and reflected the light in the ballroom's glow, the gown fit flawlessly on her, molding her torso and complimenting her feminine shape. It draped past her toes, slightly drifting from her legs. It was the usual shade of pure-white that she donned, its strapless style revealing only her collar-bones and leaving the rest to imagination. She had joined the celebrations a little while after it started, and given the opportunity, Aedre would slip out just minutes later. She wandered around, rather ill-at-ease among the swirls and eddies of people she didn't know - though here and there was a face she remembered being introduced to as a child. What immediately struck her was the number of young men that dotted about; all well-dressed, all looking a wee bit hungry, talking in loud, rambunctious voices. However, they were aware of the huge amount of money in their vicinity and were respectful enough to drift past when ignored or refused. It was a quality Aedre was glad about, as she went about refusing men swathed in money and pride a dance, having eyes for only the two men she knew well.

The woman noticed her twin brother way sooner than she had expected, as he tried to swoon a dark-haired woman - while shooting a harrowing smile in another direction. Surprised as she was that Lysander was taking an interest in a lady, Aedre followed his line of vision to the balcony, seeing her uncle and another man engaged in a seemingly refined conversation. Even from that distance, she could feel the magical aura around the male that she was unfamiliar with. She was about to back out and move over to get a drink, when Hadrian made his appearance, his stout and plump self walking over to the same balcony Harrigan was in.

"Ugh." A sound of annoyance escaped her, as the white-haired female quickly approached Hadrian's path and stopped him just as he showed up at the entrance of the balcony, "Hello there~" She cooed, voice feigning a sick-sweet tone while the short man's grey eyes blinked in confusion at her, which made her realize, "Oh--- its Aedre." The orbs in his eyes dilated for a split second, surprise written in them, "I couldn't reconize you!" He stated enthusiastically, while the female placed a hand on the small of his back and escorted him a bit away from the balcony, while thowing a glance at the two men that said, Just saved your asses.

"You've really grown, though~" Hadrian rambled, causing Aedre to roll her eyes, "Its been like, fifteen years or something, Uncle. Of course I've grown."

'Too sad his money doesn't feed his insignificant mush of a brain.'