༺Rune Knights Yule Formal༻

It was late December in Fiore and the season for joy and festivities. Yule had begun and people were celebrating all over Fiore and Earthland. Various countries celebrated it differently - or not at all - but the idea was the same all around: a chance to cozy up, feast, and spend time with loved ones. It seemed every house was decorated in lights and wreaths. Children slid down any hill they could find on toboggans, their cheerful shrieks filling the air. The winter markets were chock full of citizens rushing to get food for Yule suppers. Meat, vegetables, and desserts - everything was selling in bountiful amounts. People on the streets could be seen bundled head to toe in warm clothes, their breaths visible in the dim winter sunlight. This winter in Fiore was as chilly as always, the snow building up as storm after storm breached the land. It wasn’t possible for anyone to walk about without at least a jacket and scarf and they had to watch out for slippery ice.

The Rune Knights were no exception to the celebrations of the season. Marshalls Serilda and Mythal had decided to host a Yule Formal for the Knights to celebrate the holiday and give everyone a chance to get together. The two had mentioned the idea to the Generals and Major Generals, and Beaux had eagerly offered to organize the event. Coming from Napedia, he was raised in the high society and knew what all it required to be a host. From decorations to food, lighting to music, Beaux was excited to show off the skills he had been taught.

It had taken weeks of preparation and testing to get the event organized. The Major General spent an entire week trying to find the perfect catering. Taste test after taste test had gone wrong, but at last he found a wonderful company based out of Rose Garden. Hiring staff for the event was less of a struggle, but still he came across a few employees who thought Beaux’s strict planning was ridiculous. The angel took this very seriously, maybe too much so. Every detail had to be perfect for his comrades and superiors. Meticulous planning meant for a fun evening for everyone else, despite the anxiety it gave Beaux. But he was determined, and his hard work had paid off.

Beaux stood at the back of the mess hall, which had been thoroughly cleaned and turned into a magnificent ballroom. The building had been full of bustling event employees in the days prior. All the cafeteria tables had been moved to another building to make room for circular tables and a temporary ballroom floor to be put in. Each table had been decorated with a wintery floral arrangement and had seats for about eight people. The ballroom floor was made of fine white pine wood and shone gloriously. Walls and support beams all around the room had been decorated with wreaths and ribbons, an ode to the season and the holiday. In a corner of the room, a band prepared and tested their instruments to play festive music throughout the night. From the ceiling, lacrimas generated fake magic snow that fell down into the room but disappeared before it could reach the tables or any people, giving the room a wintery scene.

At the head of the room, opposite where the Major General was standing, there was a small stage and podium. Serilda had requested that at the beginning of the night she had a place and moment to give a speech to the Rune Knights attending. Beaux had made especially sure the podium was the correct height and was decorated with a large glowing Rune Knight symbol. He wanted Serilda to look regal upon the stage. She likely would without any contribution of decorations, but the effort was made anyway. Behind the little stage loomed three massive pine trees. The middle one was the tallest, reaching almost all the way to the ceiling. It was decorated from top to bottom with tinsel, holly leaves, bundles of cinnamon bark, animal-shaped ornaments, and lights. Atop the tree sat a large star-shaped lacrima that let off a beautiful golden light. The two smaller trees were decorated only with lights.

Beaux pushed himself off the wall and strode to the stage where he would wait for Serilda and Mythal. The tall man was dressed in a beautifully detailed suit that he had picked out while shopping with Wren. Intricate blue designs colored the sleeves, shoulders, and edges of the white coat. Beneath it he wore a blue waistcoat that was the same blue color as his trousers. Instead of a tie, he wore around his neck a jabot - a ruffled piece of fabric. Beaux’s silver hair was styled to perfection.

As Beaux surveyed the final product, he was filled with excitement. All the stress and hard work had paid off thoroughly and he couldn’t wait to see everyone’s faces when they stepped into the room. He had arrived early to finish any last-minute preparations, but now it was time for people to start arriving. Comrades and their dates would be entering soon and he was excited to see those he knew and meet those he didn’t.

The angel waited near the stage for Serilda and Mythal as Rune Knights and their guests began to flood in. Chatter began to fill the room with a dull roar, interrupted only occasionally by bouts of raucous laughter from some of the privates. Music started to play from the band, soothing yet jovial. Beaux couldn’t keep the smile from his face.

As Beaux listened to Serilda’s speech, he recounted his memories of the attack on Era months ago. It was a day to remember. The battle fought was the hardest he had ever experienced and left him exhausted and battered. It was also a sweet memory in that it was the first time he had met Serilda and Gisen. Later on he had met the rest of the people that had been recruited to the Rune Knights right after the attack on Era.

After the Marshall’s speech, an attendant lit the Yule log, which burst into warm and colorful flames. The festivities had started!

The first person to approach and converse with Beaux was the man one rank superior to him in the Special Ops: General Shane Stern. The man was dressed in a dark blue suit that seemed to fit him. A glass of whiskey occupied his hand.

Beaux’s demeanor brightened at the compliment. “Merci!” he cheered, tilting his head endearingly. “It took a lot of effort to clean this place up. The cleaning crews dealt with some… tough stains, but they did a wonderful job.” The angel enjoyed the compliments that were likely to keep coming throughout the night, but he wanted the appreciation to fall onto the employees hired to help. It was with their efforts that everything had turned out as well as it did.

He was about to say more but was affectionately tackled by Wren. The impact surprised him but he quickly recovered and returned the hug to his friend. “Thank you, la petit!” he replied. “You look lovely! We picked out the perfect dress for you!~” It was true, the little witch looked wonderful! Her outfit was very fitting for her style and personality and even matched the angel’s a little. A movement against his legs made the Major General look down. Winding around his ankles was Nanny. “Oh, and you look pretty too, Nanny,” he added, not wanting to offend the feline by ignoring her efforts. He bent down for a moment to stroke her soft head. Though he was particular to reptiles, the angel would never turn down petting a soft animal.

Beaux noticed Mythal approaching after he dropped off a drink to Serilda from the bar. The Director was dressed in a detailed military outfit, looking formal and regal. He addressed them all, then echoed a similar compliment to what Shane had said. “Merci, Director Ragnos,” Beaux replied pleasantly, yet awkwardly. He still was unsure of how to act around the man, or if he even remembered-

Beaux shook himself out of his thoughts. Now wasn’t really the time to think about that. This evening was wonderful and festive, and there was much conversation to be had! “I am excited! Hopefully the new year brings many positive things.” The angel dared not reflect on the current year. There was one event in particular that he had done his best to block out of his mind. Hope nestled within him that the new year would bring him healing from the hellish nightmares that lurked at the corners of his mind.

While his little group continued to converse, the angel looked around the room, ever active in his hosting duties. He noticed more of his friends and coworkers had arrived. Dela had showed up wearing a very risque dress with none other than Cillian! Beaux was pleasantly reminded of the summer festivities at which he had met the spiky-haired man. Katsumi stood on the side of the room, looking indecisive. Beaux didn’t know her very well, but he had made it a priority to learn the names of everyone he possibly could as soon as he had been promoted to Major General. Many other faces were recognized and Beaux made a note to greet as many of them as he could throughout the night.

Beaux noticed a girl had approached Nanny and was vying for the cat’s attention. It was Jellisha, one of the exceed twins. Her dress was a beautiful, rich blue with a turquoise jacket. The angel was impressed by the girl’s choice of outfit. “This is Nanny,” he said, crouching next to the cat and the exceed girl. The other twin approached the group to stand near her sister. “Mademoiselles, your outfits are lovely and so colorful!” he complimented. Beaux hadn’t had much of a chance to interact with the two before, so he hoped to establish a lasting connection.