Jack freezes like a deer caught in the lamplight. He blinks in alarm at Lord Lumos' imposing figure, while trying not to fall over and make a complete fool of himself in front of him.

Arissa stares expectantly at him from behind her father's back. "Quickly, Jack! Do something cool!" She hisses to the boy urgently.

"Like what?!!" He squeaks back, his pitch getting higher and shriller by the second.

"Like, I don't know... ..Can you spin straw into gold?"

"I don't think that my house would be so small if I could afford a bigger one by doing that!"

"Oh, that's a shame. It would've been a neat party trick to show off. ..How's your enchanted-beast taming?"

"Could be better..!" He grimaces.

His ponies give him another pair of wholly-offended looks. Mina offers an ear-piercing whinny of pure rage.

"Okay, no flying hoop tricks, then. What can you conjure?"

"Um, really good woodworked stuff..?" He answers, wringing his hands in a blind panic.

Lord Lumos finally speaks up after observing their back-and-forth for a while, directly addressing Jack for the first time, curiosity in his tone now. "Are you able to produce finely crafted heirloom goods of the highest standard of quality?" He queries seriously.

What is it with the Lumos household and their desire for heirloom goods?

Jack is evidently torn between making eye contact with him, or beating a quick retreat to Cryolis. He finally decides on the former after some quick deliberation on his part. "Y-yes, I think that I can, my Lord. At least, that's what I've been told."

"Hmm... You're modest, and yet you do not undervalue the worth of your own work. Quite rare, indeed." Lord Lumos twirls an impressive, seemingly gravity-defying auburn mustache as he silently appraises the boy. Apparently liking what he sees, he lets it drop after a moment, leaving a fine curl in his finger's wake. "Your presence is certainly much less offensive than that of that insidious Earl's." He comments, narrowing his eyes at the boy thoughtfully. "You may yet do..."

Jack bows hastily to him. "Yes, my Lord. Thank you, my Lord."

Lord Lumos pounds the young man's back heartily, his laugh a deep, rich baritone. "Come now! We're not exactly strangers anymore! Anyone who saves my daughter-"

"-And us." I mutter quietly.

"..Is immediately an acquaintance. So let's have no more of this 'my Lord' business! You, my dear boy, may call me: Sir." Lord Lumos says this with such profound conviction, such genuine joy for having permitted this form of address, that I have to turn aside and disguise my own giggle with an artful cough.

The apple on Jack's throat wobbles as he swallows several times, oxygen becoming increasingly restricted in his airways. "T-thank you, my L- Sir."

"There now, isn't that better?" The Lord booms thunderously, clapping him on the back again.

Jack hardly stumbles upon receiving the brunt of Lord Lumos' enthusiasm, so solid-set is he, though he gasps slightly at its force.

Arissa winces. "Ouch. Papa's being overzealous again. That must have hurt my dreamboat far more than he lets on." She gives Jack a sympathetic wave, a hand placed gently over her heart.

Mr. Jenkins totters over to his employer. "I'll just guard the ponies, shall I?" He remarks dryly. "I'm sure that you have business to attend to, my Lord."

"Yes, thank you, Jenkins." The Lord answers.

"Speaking of which..." Arissa glances at her father, confused. "..Papa, why are you at Town Hall? The ball is a couple of buildings over."

"Pumpkin, I was about to go assemble a search party in your absence!" The Lord barks exasperatedly.

Arissa titters. "Oh. I'm sorry about that."

"You don't sound very sorry." I observe.

"Silence, commoner! Nobody asked you!!!"

"That's never actually bothered me before, your Ladyship. It's a shocker, I know." I answer, with a wicked chuckle.

She snorts and sticks her tongue out at me in retaliation. It's really getting a workout tonight, isn't it?

"Angel," Lord Lumos says sternly. "What have I told you about snorting, and all of your... Other unladylike behavior?"

"Hmm, let's see now..." Arissa hums, tapping her finger against her chin, deep in thought. "Hmm... HMM... Hmmm..."

Her face suddenly lights up, and we all wait expectantly for some form of miraculous insight. But then, her expression falls again. "No, wait... Nope, that's not it..." She shrugs, giving up. "Can we go to the ball now? I'm bored."

Lord Lumos' palm connects solidly to his forehead with an audible smack. "Only if you behave yourself."

Arissa groans. "Yes, papa." Then she mutters something else under her breath, an edge of rebellion in her tone. "Well, I guess that I can try, anyway. ..But no promises."

"Shall we take a short stroll over to Ball Hall?" Lord Lumos queries. "It's a mild enough night for it." He then turns to his daughter, glaring severely at her. "And Arissa, do try not to make a spectacle of yourself this time."

Ah, Ball Hall. Aptly named not only for its unique spherical design of construction, and for the many events of its kind held therein, but also for, as Arissa once sniggeringly put it, the sheer amount of random men who journey there in order to find a beau.

It is also known as Ball'Halla to the locals, and, I am ashamed to even say it: The Hall of Many Balls.

Lord Lumos should never have allowed young Arissa to name it when he commissioned it to replace the old one. He's regretted it ever since.

"..Why, what do you think that I'm going to do, papa?" Arissa asks him indignantly.

Lord Lumos is already massaging his temples, no doubt picturing what damage his daughter will cause his reputation next. "I simply do not want a repeat of last month's events, angel." He moans quietly at the thought and winces.

Now, let's see. Last month it was... Oh, yes. Arissa had somehow coaxed the shirt off of one male ball-goer, swinging it high above her head like a silken flag, and led the entire assembly in a rough and rowdy rendition of 'Oh, sweet Miria, land that I love', switching out relevant words for different types of cheese.

..She was the only one who hadn't had any punch.

There was also the issue of her having hog-tied a visiting nobleman from the lava-locked lands of Vulcan and stringing him up from the massive central chandelier in the middle of the ballroom. I assume that someone who was there at the time was a Kinetic, or had some other form of levitation magic, because there was no other earthly way that he could have gotten up there without any help.

Lord Lumos had arrived soon afterwards, gaping like a goldfish, his eyes bugging straight out of his head, to discover the Vulcanite dignitary twirling from the ceiling in ever-tighter circles, flapping his arms in a strange sort of dance with wild abandon, and belting out various songs in different languages with great gusto. He was completely oblivious to the fact that Lord Lumos was watching him, or that he was dangling nearly twelve feet up from the midpoint of the vaulted ceiling, and he certainly didn't notice that his own Ember magic had ignited the rope that bound him.

..The one that kept him from hurtling straight down into the midst of the gawking crowd.

As his cordage had begun to smoke away at an alarming rate, Lord Lumos and I, (the only sane and clear minded people there) had to quickly devise a plan of action to get the nobleman down before gravity solved the problem for us.

I had been ordered to rush to Town Hall to summon an elderly eighty-something Kinetic to assist us, as he was on duty at the time and was bound to come to Lord Lumos' aid.

The Kinetic, raising old, wrinkled hands, had shakily undid the ropes fastening the aristocrat to the chandelier, muttering to no end, and with great disgust, about the perils of drink. Nearly dropping the Vulcanite several times in the process, (I have no idea if it was intentional or not) he finally succeeded in lowering the trapped man with relatively few bumps and bruises, (from accidentally entangling him in the dangly portions of the chandelier) and floated him gently to the ground.

An impressive feat, made even more remarkable once you observed the Vulcanite stagger to the refreshment table and attempt to pour himself some more punch, only spilling a few drops upon the lace doily covering it as he did so.

He had a surprisingly steady hand for one so inebriated, I'll give him that.

Lord Lumos had immediately hastened over to him, gently lowered the cup from his lips, and called for the man's carriage driver to take him home.

The Lord had then made some flimsy and often-used excuse for his daughter's behavior. (The one involving her becoming enchanted by a witch and having a powerful hex placed upon her: 'For which there is no known cure'.) He then had the party dissolved soon after that, sent everyone present home, and gave his daughter a lengthy lecture concerning her position in life, and her unsuitable behavior throughout such, whilst I had to awkwardly sit there and listen, because the Lumos' carriage was my ride home that evening. (I didn't actually attend that ball either, by the way. I had just hung around the village until I heard unruly music emanating from the Hall, and then I knew that I had to send for Lord Lumos at once.)

The Lord now looks at Arissa in trepidation. "All I ask is that you try to act like a lady and show some proper etiquette and deportment, angel. ..And for Nox's sake, don't eat with your hands!!!" He rumbles, wiggling his eyebrows for extra emphasis. "You know that I simply cannot abide messy eating habits."

Arissa stares at me hopefully. "Do you think that they'll have those little appetizers impaled on toothpicks, Evelyn? I'm sure that would be a suitable compromise. ..For papa's sake, of course."

I wisely avoid eye contact with her father as I respond. "Well, I should think that they ought to. They're popular enough, you know."

Arissa gives me a giddy little bounce and claps her hands with needless and exaggerated delight. "There! You see, papa?!! It's the perfect solution to your problem!"

"You're the problem, pumpkin." Lod Lumos groans, helpless before the will and all-consuming might of his daughter. He tries to say more, but is abruptly cut off as she continues.

"Ooh, those little canapes are so cuuute!" She squeals. "They're so tiny and dainty and adorable! Aah! And those itty-bitty rolls with the creamy filling and the punchy herbs and the little flecks of meat! Mmm, good stuff!"

Behold, my friend: The walking stomach.

Jack stifles a laugh of mirth and tries his best to look as serious as possible.

Lord Lumos turns his eye upon him, his gaze a bolt of lightning. "And just where do you plan on being, young man? What will you do tonight?"

Jack straightens and looks dead ahead as he responds. "I'll be protecting your daughter, sir!"

Lord Lumos rests his hand on the boy's shoulder approvingly. "Good lad!"

"What about me?!!" I cry out, insulted. "Are the common folk not worth anything to you?!!"

"Oh, Evvy. You don't make trouble, and I do." Arissa smirks at me evilly. "..And I know that you can defend yourself quite well, anyway." She taps the side of her nose knowingly.

"So can you, you liar!" I grumble back. "You're such a faker."

Arissa winks at me and blows me a silly kiss. "Only because I want that boy as my future husband." Her lips curve even higher up, making her look half mad. I glare at her, irritated.

"Stop it, it's creepy when you do that."

She cackles, then settles into a more solemn facial expression. "Who knows, maybe you'll even find a husband at the ball." She chuckles, swinging herself up onto the side of Jack's cart and crossing one leg over the other. I observe her jealously, wishing that my dress was engineered for my comfort.

I scoff. "Not bloody likely, 'Rissa."

"GET OFF OF THE BOY'S WAGON, AND LET'S GO!!!" Lord Lumos roars. "NOW!!! I'M WAITING!!!" Jack jumps and squeaks at his level of volume.

Arissa rolls her eyes and uncrosses her legs. "Yes, yes, I know. We're coming." She slowly, deliberately, (and with a charming wink at Jack, who sucks in a flustered breath) slides off of the side of the cart and gives him a cute little twirl, basking in Jack's worshipful gaze.

Lord Lumos watches them from between slitted eyes. "I know what's going on here." He mutters. "She thinks I don't notice, but I do."

Correction. I think. She knows you notice, she just doesn't care one way or another. She'll rub it in your face if she feels that she must.

"Angel, if you must flirt with the handsome lumberjack, do you think that you might do it as we go to the ball?"

"Oops." Arissa gives a cute little giggle, her hand over her mouth, and flutters her long eyelashes.

"You're laying it on rather thickly, aren't you?" I whisper to her, cocking my head at Jack.

She shoves me lightly when the two men aren't looking, trying to hold in a laugh. "Come on, he's so adorable when he's embarrassed! Look at him. Just look at him!!! I've got to make sure that he knows he's mine."

"You're always plotting something, you know that, don't you?" I sigh and shake my head with a small smile.

She grins back. "Yes, I usually am. Let's go."

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