[Before the Fall] 7:30 - 9:05 PM
Technically, Fraise hadn’t been invited to the party at Jay’s Club. She had barely showed up in time for the Talent Show itself - and certainly not with enough time to enter. Had she entered, she wasn’t entirely sure what she would have done. Oh, sure, she had talents. Fraise could take the neatest notes in classes, she could lecture on her own findings smoothly and eloquently (though, as a recruit, she didn’t have many chances to do so just yet), and she could focus so intently on even the driest of writings that she could lose track of time entirely. None of those were particularly well demonstrated on a stage, and Fraise doubted Jay’s many fans would have been terribly impressed by them.
One thing she could do, though, was look pretty in a party dress. The pink ruffle dress served to accentuate the pattern of her fur, accentuating her strawberries and cream colours. A lovely dress, paired with a simple plait in her hair… Fraise couldn’t help but smile at her reflection in the mirror. Pushing the braid over her shoulder, the Curio let out a light, bell-like laugh as she caught sight of her little mechanical pill bug, Ithomi, climbing his way up her arm. Well, perhaps she wouldn’t be going to the party on her own, then. Fraise had never much minded doing things on her own - going to cafes, going on digs, going exploring… but it was always more fun with a friend. And the cute little Ithomi’s bright pink stomach was the perfect addition to her outfit. He had so much more personality than she had ever expected from a mechanical bug... She gave one last little twirl, testing the way the dress moved when she spun, balancing the little pill bug with one hand so he didn’t go toppling. Perfect.
Well, that was the hard part done, she thought to herself. Getting ready for a party was the hard part. Thinking about the pieces to an ensemble, ensuring that it fit the sort of party… and making sure she got rid of the last of the dust from her latest archaeological dig. It was awful how it stuck in your fur and hair. Even Ithomi managed to track it around with those adorable, tiny little feet of his. Fraise was sure she’d never get it all out of the crevices of her home. But cleaning was a matter for another day. Now she had to turn her attention to the next problem. Getting into the invitation only party without an invitation, or even so much as a plus one.
Now, normally Fraise wasn’t the type of Curio who made it her business to sneak into a party. But this… This was a Jay Warlowes party. The sort of party that anyone who was anyone was going to be at. Guild bigshots, celebrities… everyone. Fraise supposed that, sans an invitation, she wasn’t anyone yet. But she could be someone. She just had to get into the party and prove it. There weren’t many parties she’d take such troubles to get into, but this wasn’t just any party. This was the party where she’d rub elbows with important people and maybe… just maybe she’d become an important person herself.
“Alright,” she said, half to herself, half to Ithomi. “We’ll keep you safely in my hair for now, how does that sound?” She shifted the mechanical bug slightly, securing him in the mass of blonde hair just above where the braid itself began. That way she wouldn’t have to worry about holding onto him if she had to run. She was certainly hoping she wouldn’t have to run, but… she wouldn’t really put it past the guards to chase the uninvited out of a Jay Warlowes party. Really, it was going to come down to timing. She had to get the timing right, and everything would o perfectly smoothly. As long as she could remember to breathe, anyway.
Back to Seajewel. The place where she was born. It felt… strange to return. She had left for a reason. The Merchant’s Guild… they had thrown away so much of the ruins that the city was built on, all in the name of profit. Witnessing it happen was what had pushed her to the Archaeologists’ Guild in the first place. She had been driven to preserve and study, to take the steps needed to ensure that the past and the ancients were respected as they ought to have been. Truly, she didn’t want to have to stay in Seajewel for any longer than she needed to. Seeing the relics they claimed to ‘preserve’ being used to entice folks to enter shops and businesses… it made her stomach churn, even now, when she was working to do something about it. Those relics ought to have been studied and learned from, not used as a way to make money.
She ought to stop thinking about that, though. The metallic clicking of Ithomi’s little feet against each other served to pull her out of her thoughts. And thank goodness for that. She was going to be late, at this rate. “Thank you, Ithomi,” she said with another light laugh. One last adjustment to her hair, and she was on her way.
The club was stunning even from the outside. There were so many Curios gathered around that there was no mistaking it. Fraise allowed herself to get absorbed in its opulent beauty for but a moment - she much preferred a more humble architecture style than what Seajewel boasted. Something a little… simpler.
“Okay, Fraise,” she told herself, giving the little pill bug still entangled in her hair (secured tightly and still out of sight) a little pat for luck. One shot was all she had. One chance, and then they knew her face and she was going to have to form an entirely new plan from scratch. She supposed there were always back entrances and places for deliveries… but the front door, she thought, was going to be her best bet. They wouldn’t expect any party crashers that way.
She lingered just apart from the crowd for a moment, letting white pupils trail across the groups. Looking for a smaller one, maybe for a Curio on their own. Like her, but with an invitation. Once her gaze had settled on an appropriate target, Fraise moved herself into the crowd of Curios waiting to get into the party. Keep close enough to her target that they could be seen together, yet far enough away that they never noticed her presence at their shoulder. It was a thin line she walked, and she could practically feel Ithomi buzzing with tension in her hair. But that was silly, wasn’t it? A mechanical pill big couldn’t feel the tension that she did, could it? Focus, Fraise! And now. Now was her moment. As the Curio in front of her (her Curio she had taken to calling them), she stepped confidently up behind them as they presented their invite, giving the doorman a soft smile and gentle wave. She wondered if they could hear her heart racing. It was up in her throat, beating so fast.
And just as quickly as it began, it came to an end.
She was inside Jay Warlowes Club.
She broke off from the crowd of entering Curios, giving herself a second to breathe. Had she really been holding her breath that entire time? Perhaps she had been. She couldn’t believe that her wild little plan had worked. Perhaps they were all overwhelmed with how many Curios had gathered, how many had been legitimately invited. Or perhaps her plan had been genuinely genius. That was the one Fraise was going to go with, she decided, as she made her way to the bar. She’d have time to dwell on the opulence and luxury of the club soon but… first she needed a glass of something fancy.
Fraise paused at the edge of the bar, she worked at loosening Ithomi from her hair. He didn’t complain as she did, seemingly happy just to have a little attention. Again, he was mechanical, but… it was times like this when the Curio could have sworn her little mechanical pal had a personality all of its own. When she finally had him settled on her shoulder, a much more comfortable place for him, she turned her gaze to the wall behind the bar. It was… horribly extensive. Fraise hadn’t even known there were so many varieties of spirits and alcohols. She wasn’t a huge drinker, really. A glass of wine here and there after a long day of note taking or out on a dig, a little social drink with friends… When the bartender, a sharply dressed Curio, appeared in front of her, Fraise still hadn’t made up her mind. It seemed she was going to have to think on her paws today.
“Champagne, please!” she said, surprised by her own sudden decision. Ithomi wriggled happily, as if pleased with her choice. When she thought about it, though, there wasn’t much of an alternative, was there? Oh, she could have ordered some fancy drink. A martini, extra dry - shaken, of course, not stirred - or a wine of some absurd vintage. But at a celebratory party like this… well, champagne seemed to match the luxury of it, didn’t it? By the time she had her champagne flute in hand, she was grinning wildly, almost giddy. This wasn’t an adventure like her normal adventures. It wasn’t a dig or a trek through the desert. She wasn’t swinging through the jungle. But it was an adventure nonetheless, and she was going to enjoy every second of it.
“Okay, Ithomi,” she said after a sip of the bubbly alcohol, “let’s mingle, shall we?” The band had started up, kicking the night off with a popular dance instrumental she was sure she had heard before. “See who we can rub elbows with tonight.” A quick look around the club (and oh, it was extravagant, wasn’t it? Just look at the balcony, at the stars across the ceiling…) made it clear that there were plenty of opportunities. But where oh where was she to start?