One Hell of a Summer Party

[Earl of Purple]

Monarch and Husband

"Of course, right. After you." Prumathe smiles and opens the door for Sekhmet; partly this is polite, and partly he doesn't think her status and respect would remain intact if she opened the door for him.

Drinks

"Uh... no, I can't say I had noticed that. Or the blocked doors into deeper. I mean, they're probably like, servant's tunnels, kitchens and personal quarters, right? I mean, this is a palace- lots of people live her. Do you think we could sneak past one of the guards and have a look?" The last bit is whispered if Jack sees any devils nearby, even if they aren't obviously members of staff. Just to be on the safe side.

[bc56]

Trouble Brewing
"This is, uh, sort of an adults-only party," Sekhmet confirms. Mary looks crestfallen. "I'll, uh, bring you some cake afterwards." It's not much of a consolation, but the cake is very good.
Miranda can steer the young heiress out of the party out without too much trouble. She's a bit too confused to really resist.

Monarch and Husband
The pair return to the party, which seems to have calmed down a bit in their absence. But many eyes are still on them, especially when their backs are turned.

[Recaiden]

[Drinks]

"Uh... no, I can't say I had noticed that. Or the blocked doors into deeper. I mean, they're probably like, servant's tunnels, kitchens and personal quarters, right? I mean, this is a palace- lots of people live her. Do you think we could sneak past one of the guards and have a look?" The last bit is whispered if Jack sees any devils nearby, even if they aren't obviously members of staff. Just to be on the safe side.

"I bet we could. But you're right that a lot of it is probably empty rooms. Even the dungeon is really normal."
Anchor also quiets down to a whisper. Just in case.
"So, where do you think will be more exciting?"

[Earl of Purple]

Drinks

"How do you know about the dungeon?" That's kinda peaked Jack's interest. "Most exciting... gotta be the royal chambers, but they're gonna be really well guarded, right? Kitchens should be easiest to find, since that's where the snacks and drinks are coming from. Uh... Servant's quarters would be interesting, but... that'd be a bit intrusive, really." And invading Sekhmet's bedroom wouldn't be? "Other than that... dunno. Treasury's a no-go, too well guarded and I'm rich enough already and I don't know how they'd treat someone they thought of as a thief. So... royal chambers or the dungeon, but you said the latter's boring."

[Recaiden]

[Drinks]

"Well, I've been there before. I mean, I was visiting a prisoner." Anchor explains.
The dungeons themselves don't have much to recommend them though.

"So, royal chambers it is. Now, I think a bird and a shadow could probably slip past the guards/ I mean, if they were distracted for a moment. Right?"
Her shadow is...around here somewhere, but it can be back to help pretty quick.

[Gold Leaf]

[Grand Ballroom]

Platinum is still standing at ease, searching the ballroom for a sign of Sekhmet. Dancing with Malady was nice, but she hasn't forgotten the main reason she came here.

[Earl of Purple]

Drinks

"Oh, you've been here before? Cool. Do you know the way to the royal quarters, or shall we have to explore?" Not that Jack minds either way, honestly. It's all going to be interesting to look at, she thinks.

[bc56]

Grand Ballroom
The queen is not hard to spot. She's a head and change taller than most anyone else here and dressed more modestly than any succubus. Also her six horns form a natural crown supplemented by the actual crown just above them.
She doesn't seem to be paying any attention to Platinum at the moment.

[Gold Leaf]

Oh, there she is. How come Platinum never noticed that before? Anyways, the admiral strolls over to the queen to introduce herself.

"Good evening. I am Platinum, Admiral of the Fleet of Bermuda." Platinum says, bowing slightly. "I'd like to discuss the possibility of a military alliance between your country, and mine."

Platinum herself is 6 foot 7, meaning the succubus is most probably taller than her too.

[Recaiden]

[Drinks]

"Oh, you've been here before? Cool. Do you know the way to the royal quarters, or shall we have to explore?" Not that Jack minds either way, honestly. It's all going to be interesting to look at, she thinks.

"Oh, yes. Unless they've moved to different rooms- I mean, they were this way..."
Anchor will head through the approved party spaces until they're where she thinks is the closest point to the queen's quarters.
If there are some of the guards near the exit, she'll head up to them, seeming just friendly and not-at-all up to anything.

[bc56]

Grand Ballroom
"Tell me about your country." Sekhmet probably strikes Platinum as someone uninterested in military matters, but at least she's willing to hear the proposal.

Drinks -> Troublemaking
The two guards stare impassively at Anchor. Their stoic demeanor seems like the floor could collapse beneath them without them noticing. It would take some doing to get them away from their post

[Gold Leaf]

"Well, the important part is that we have a sizeable navy and air force and an impressive army, meaning we have a tight defense against any invasion. Other than that, it's an island with a sizeable, varied population... and a robust public transport infrastructure. Anything else you'd like to know?"

[bc56]

Grand Ballroom
"No offense, but that's not enough to forge an alliance with. I need to know everything, about your government, your politics, your people and culture, even something so simple as your location. That's all relevant to the question of an alliance." She does not beat around the bush.

[Recaiden]

[Troublemaking]

The two guards stare impassively at Anchor. Their stoic demeanor seems like the floor could collapse beneath them without them noticing. It would take some doing to get them away from their post

Anchor is going to start with just some friendly questions.
"Hello! How is it being a fiendish guard? Do you ever get to attend the parties yourself?"

[Earl of Purple]

Troublemaking

"Are you guys actually guards or are you statues designed to look like guards?" There's a note of genuine doubt in Jack's voice; it'd take a lot to not react like these guys are. She's not sure she could manage it. She's raising a hand, to poke one, but doesn't do so.

[bc56]

Troublemaking
The guards aren't quite statues. While they don't move much, watching them for a while will reveal that they at least occasionally shift their posture slightly.

A bunch of tricky questions are asked, but there's no response for a moment. It seems as if the guards are waiting for something. Finally, one of them speaks. It's a woman's voice, but quiet and scratchy, as if it hasn't been used in a long time. The guard herself has none of the figure of the succubi that are common here. Looking at her, one can only barely tell that she's a she at all. "We don't need that kind of satisfaction." There's an undertone of contempt. Apparently the guards don't especially like succubi and incubi.

[Recaiden]

[Troublemaking]

They could still be statues that talk and move around. But it would be a lot to have the shift their posture to look less artificial, just as a decoration.
"Oh, you really sound worn out. I mean, do you want some water?"

"And what kind of things do you like then? I mean, there must be something, right?"

[Earl of Purple]

Troublemaking

"So you're not interested in, like, cuddles or alcohol or dancing? How about books, do you like those? I've got some, I think. In my bag." Jack leans over and starts to rummage in said bag, looking for books. Or something sufficiently distracting that it'd allow her and Anchor to get through the door behind them.

[bc56]

Troublemaking
"Water. No more." the guard requests. "There is no 'like.' There is only duty." She doesn't budge. "Our duty is to keep guests from endangering themselves in the deeper palace."

[Recaiden]

[Troublemaking]

"Oh, that's kind. Luckily I don't plan on being in any danger, so that won't be any more work for you."
Anchor twirls that punch glass around in her hand, and when she stops and hols it out to the guard, it's full of water. At the same time, Anchor's shadow is now slinking along the wall to get behind the guards.
"Have you ever had anything other than your duties? I mean, surely there isn't always a task for you?"

[Earl of Purple]

Troublemaking

"Well, that's what you're doing now. What do you get up to when there isn't a party and there's no guests?" Jack has pulled out three books. There's a bodice-ripper novel, which Jack's going to push back into her bag, Terry Pratchett's Monstrous Regiment and a naturalist's guide to flower fairies.

[bc56]

Troublemaking
The guard carefully removes the faceplate of her helmet to drink the water. Her face is normal, human even. Only the slight bumps of her horns and the purplish glow of her eyes betray her otherworldly nature. "Thanks." She takes several deep gulps and passes the glass to the other guard who begins removing his own faceplate. "There is duty, sleep, and remembering. Anything else is inefficient."

The guards are focused on Jack and Anchor now, not noticing the shadow misbehaving behind them.

[Recaiden]

[Troublemaking]

"I'm glad you're getting enough rest. But what do you mean by remembering?"
"I mean, efficiency is great, but you can't be too sure you already know the best ways to do everything, right?"
Anchor will, when there's time for it, wave a hand over the glass and refill it with conjured but perfectly real and refreshing water.

Success! The shadow slides along the wall, and makes its way down the hall and tries to get around a corner as soon as it can.

[Earl of Purple]

Troublemaking

"I really enjoyed this one; here, you give it a go. Don't worry about giving it back; I've read it twice already and can always find another copy." Jack tries to hand the copy of Monstrous Regiment over to the guards. "It's worth reading it to remember it later, I think." Unless they're remembering details from their past lives or how they failed Sapphira to be given this post, anyway. If it's the latter, the book might be a good idea anyway.

[bc56]

Troublemaking
The guard carefully takes the book and examines it quizzically. The other watches over her shoulder.
She flips quickly through the pages as if examining it for hidden dangers, then slowly opens the book to the first page. She begins to read, and although she isn't speaking aloud, the other guard seems to be listening to her.

This is probably the best distraction Jack and Anchor will get for a while.

[Recaiden]

[Troublemaking]

Well, if she can just get another copy, there's definitely no harm in leaving the book behind.
Anchor goes to take Jack's hand, and the two of them should vanish, reappearing where the shadow is in the palace halls. Just like earlier, only with less dancing involved this time.

[Earl of Purple]

Troublemaking

Jack doesn't resist or prevent herself being teleported into the corridor, and now she's there she's going to look around at the surroundings with interest. And maybe pocket anything small enough to fit in her bag, like a vase or decorative ewer. "So... which way do we go from here?" Jack glances back at where she thinks they came from, and spreads her wings. The eyes in the joint of those feathered limbs are very good at seeing things her normal eyes can't; she doesn't always know what she's looking at, but if it's been hidden she can see it.

[bc56]

Troublemaking
The hallway is pretty sparse on decoration, other than the gold inlay in the walls. Nor is there anything especially out of the ordinary for Jack's eyes to see.
But assuming Anchor remembers the way it shouldn't be hard to get to Sekhmet's chambers from here. The door is locked, but presumably Anchor can use some shadow trick to get past it.

The rooms are thickly appointed with rich carpeting and masterfully made wooden furniture. The first chamber is a bedroom, dominated by a four-poster bed, but also a wardrobe, a dresser, a vanity with a jewelry box and makeup kit sitting on it, and a full-length mirror. Magic swirls around most of the furniture (everything except the bed, really) visible to Jack's eyes and maybe Anchor as well. Three doors lead out from that chamber, one a stone door tightly sealed, and the others wooden and slightly ajar, revealing a bathroom of marble tile and gold fittings and a cozy study.