When he saw another waiter heading straight for the chewed up artificial flower, Dario made it visible again, adding a small sparkle of light to ensure the man would see it. The man picked it up, frowning at it for a moment as he looked it over, then made a face as he tucked it away in his pocket.

  That was one less hazard in the room. Though there was plenty of ‘decor’ left for people to eat by mistake. Why someone thought it a good idea to put non-edible stuff in between real food was beyond him, but then these nobles were barely even touching the food to begin with. For all their fancy talk about etiquette, they sure didn’t seem to care about the effort that went into these things. If someone went through the trouble of preparing a feast, wasn’t it only proper to fill your belly? At any feast back in the Belt, it’d be a grave insult not to eat until you were about to puke.

  But he had a task to complete first. He settled into that state he’d often used on the Asomatous Floor, of not only feeling his emotions, but grasping and controlling them. Curiosity was strongest at the moment, and he focused on that, sinking into those feelings of desire and excitement. Then, when he next blinked, myriad colors became visible in people’s chests.

  His eyes were drawn to Hokori first, who couldn’t seem to stop himself from glaring at him, a dense glow of angry red sitting in his torso. There was a whole entourage surrounding the young noble, dressed in the same colors, one of which was a young warrior about his age staring at him, but without the hate. Instead, there was a bit of curiosity mixed in with a large amount of bronze confidence. Yet when that man turned to look at an attractive young woman in the group, laughing as another man spoke to her, his hand touching her arm briefly, a flash of toxic green mixed with bits of pink washed away the bronze. Pink was love, but he wasn’t sure about that nasty green hue. Jealousy, maybe?

  As his eyes roamed across the room, one thing became clear: nobles had anger issues. He wouldn’t have needed much evidence of that, but here it was presented to him anyway, in the form of a red glow present in nearly half the nobles in attendance.

  Most of them were either pissed off, or bored. One noblewoman in particular was just stuffed full of hate and the angry red that matched her dyed hair flared each time she glanced at Nika’s back. There might be some juicy history there.

  “So tell me, what have your eyes revealed?” Nika asked as she came to stand beside him.

  “The redhead hates your guts,” he grinned.

  Nika’s lips thinned. “I’m well aware, and the feeling is mutual. What of Kire?”

  “Who?”

  “Kire Takeda. The man who tried to challenge you to a fight. The one I have just been talking to.”

  “Oh, silver-haired stabby guy. Yeah, so he was bored at first, then kind of interested, but only mildly. Also, there was something else there, something like distrust? It felt kind of familiar, like that feeling when you want to play with a trog but you know the Brown Storm is coming. They’re all puffed up and cute that time of year, so you want to pet them and poke them, but they might explode any second, so you’re not sure whether to go for it. I guess, uh, caution might be the right word for it?”

  “I… Why are we talking about farm animals again? I need you to focus, Dario. What else?”

  “The pale-eyed lady doesn’t seem to be feeling any emotions at all, which is weird. Between you and me, I think that one’s smoking something. She kept going on about fate and whatnot.”

  “Enmei? She is of the Hashira clan. You’ve never heard of their Pillarbound Monks?”

  “Nope.”

  “They believe that Tenjin resides in the pillar and therefore worship it. Not only that, but most believe that certain information can be gleaned from gazing into the pillar. Clues about the future, or fate, as they call it.”

  “Mmm. She said everything was predetermined. Something about water streaming down a hill. You believe in that?”

  “Determinism? I’m familiar with its teachings, but when it comes to human behavior, it is a dangerous belief. It removes responsibility from the individual.” She paused, then gave a sharp shake of her head. “No. I believe my will determines my actions, and that it is both powerful and meaningful.”

  He nodded, looking thoughtful.

  “I must get back to the task at hand. Who seems approachable to you?” Nika asked.

  “I mean, you could pick one of the bored ones, but… that thin guy over there looks peaceful,” he said, nodding his head in his direction.

  The man’s skin was the least dark of all the nobles, putting him closer to Dario than them, although his hair was a dirty blonde against Dario’s black spikes. As he looked around with a kind smile and a warm pinkish glow in his chest, Dario narrowed his eyes. “Wait, isn’t that the guy from the Boglands?” he muttered.

  “Ah, the Taira clan has come! Excellent,” Nika said happily, making a straight line for the man. Dario wasn’t about to barge into that conversation to ask more about the man’s secrets, but he made a mental note to find the guy for more questions later on.

  More nobles had arrived, many clustered together in groups that wore the same colors, enjoying wine as they chatted. Nika was talking to the skin-over-bones guy, who had only good intentions, so she wouldn’t be needing his help for a bit.

  This was not a bad time to slip away. It was a dangerous plan, but it had been sitting in his head for long enough that he was starting to feel like that bucket of water on top of a hill. If their host thought everything was predetermined, well then maybe so was him snooping around their mansion for secrets?

  The truth was that he needed some ideas on shortcuts to Coral, and he didn’t want to bet all his pearls that this Alchemist guy would have all the answers. The clans were the ones with the most secrets. After loudly announcing his desire to see all the floors under the Final Ceiling, it would be really ridiculous to get stuck on the second one. Well, this would be the third one, actually. And if the choice was between a risky move or months of desperate training… Well, was that really a choice at all?

  There was an upper level to this hall, a kind of extended balcony with a crystal balustrade that looked out high over the buffet, though it was partially covered with long stretches of cloth that were draped along the width of the ceiling. Deeper in, flanked by bookshelves, there was another hallway and stairs leading even further up. There might be a library or something up there, which would be a good place to start.

  He asked a waiter for the privy and followed his directions down a hallway, but as soon as he was out of sight he made himself invisible and snuck in the direction of where he thought stairs leading up would be. A bored-looking guard didn’t give him any trouble, and he took his presence as a good sign that something valuable might be hidden upstairs.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  He came out on the balcony he’d spotted before, peeking over the crystal balustrade, still hidden, to quickly check that no one was looking for him. When all looked well, he tiptoed up the narrow stairs that rose steeply next to the balustrade, coming out into another hallway with several doors.

  Each door had a keyhole, which allowed him to manipulate the light to show an image of what was inside the room. Most of them looked like sitting rooms or offices, but then he came across the library. He couldn’t see anyone inside, so he gently tried to open the handle, but the door was locked.

  A little brown seed fit easily into the hole and he began to push plant Ki into it, but just as it sprouted, an old voice made him stiffen.

  “Has a little mouse found its way upstairs?”

  Dario turned slowly and quietly around. He’d checked the hall and had heard no footsteps whatsoever, yet now he was looking at an old man with skin like tanned leather, just a touch lighter than charcoal. A few sprigs of pale hair were barely visible on his scalp, and his pupils were so light to make his eyes look hollow.

  When he fed a trickle of Ki into his eyes, he had to swallow a gasp. Ki radiated from every inch of the old man’s body in different hues of blue, mixed in with white. He had to be Coral. Except… Where was his Sigil?

  His mouth went dry, his heart hammering in his throat. Could the old man even see him? He kept himself invisible, taking a long and slow step away from the man.

  “We can’t have any mice nibbling on our books here.”

  He took another careful step back, turning slowly away. The old man man chuckled softly. “Do you think I don’t sense you?”

  Dario sprang forward, dashing for the stairs, but blue Ki bloomed around him and suddenly the air felt as thick as porridge. He tried to run, but it was like moving through mud. He tried to scream but he found that the air was too heavy to breathe.

  “I’d be well within my rights to squash you, little mouse.”

  Sudden pressure from all sides, pushing down on his skin, his lungs, his eyes. He squeezed his eyelids shut and clenched his teeth. He tried to push out his plant Ki to his seed pouch, but the terrible pressure stopped even his Ki.

  “Ah, but what’s this?” the old man said, his voice muted through the thick, sirupy air. “This little mouse has some weight to it. Strings, in different directions.”

  The old man sighed. "So be it."

  The pressure lifted and Dario fell to the ground, gasping for air. “Sorry… Elder…” he wheezed, then falling into a coughing fit. His ears were ringing.

  “Begone, and never return,” the old man said, waving a hand, and then an unseen force picked Dario up and hurled him down the stairs.

  ***

  As expected, the Taira clan were open to beneficial trades and exchanges, as long as it was all equitable and the peace would be kept. She had kindly pointed out that if a clan of peacekeepers should want the balance to sway in any direction, it should sway towards the Houjo, because shields and fortresses served to save lives and disincentivize war.

  Nika bowed to Karada Taira as he took his leave, glad with what she’d accomplished today. No treaties would be signed quite yet, but before you could build a fortress, you needed to spend time laying the groundwork. Setting up even a modest exchange between her own clan and the Takeda, Hashira and Taira would be an excellent foundation to build upon on the next floor.

  She was looking around for Dario when she spotted Hokori coming her way, so she gave an appropriate bow and greeting.

  “Ashikaga greets Houjo,” he answered formally, and as she looked down on the young noble, she reflected that he had an eminently punchable face. “Listen, Veronika, I was hoping that-”

  “Miss Houjo, if you please,” she interrupted coldly.

  “...Miss Houjo, then. I was hoping that we could put our differences aside. That we could come to some agreement.”

  She cocked an eyebrow. “What differences are you referring to?”

  “I’m referring to the unresolved matter of your attendant publicly humiliating members of the Ashikaga clan on multiple occasions. As long as it remains unresolved, I’m forced to seek redress, regardless of my personal feelings on the matter.”

  From his thin-lipped expression, it did appear that this was not a conversation he’d like to be having. It might be that elder clan members were forcing him to, but that was not her problem.

  “This again? Those claims were not proven, and your guard attacked my attendant in public with the intent to kill.”

  “I acknowledge that,” Hokori hissed, expression increasingly frustrated, “which is why I’d be willing to settle for a public apology-”

  “Absolutely not. That would be an admission of guilt.”

  He was silent for a moment.

  “If you refuse, it’ll cost you. You and your clan, one way or another.”

  “Is that a threat, young Ashikaga?” she asked calmly, looming over him.

  He had the gall to snort, of all things. “And what would you do if it was? Everyone knows that the Houjo never show their teeth,” he said, loudly enough for bystanders to overhear. “Some say that they’ve lost their spines. A consequence of hiding behind shields for too long, perhaps?”

  She stiffened as rage passed through her like a lit fuse. Her eyes moved to his sternum as Ki gathered in her fist - a quick strike to cave in the chest would be just the thing, wouldn’t it? A satisfying crunch, but nothing that an expensive healing pill wouldn’t save him from. The Ashikaga could afford plenty of those.

  Don’t give him a weapon, that voice inside her said. Look at the intended effects. Disarm, then counter.

  She clamped down on the fury. She could strike for an insult, which in turn might result in a duel. Was that his goal? Baiting her into a duel, so that she’d be forced to reveal her techniques? But then she could utterly crush this boy without more than a touch of Fortification. Was he that stupid? No.

  A champion, then. Her eyes flicked to his entourage. One of them looked like a fighter, flashing her a challenging look, but that would be a gamble on their part, possibly not enough to force her hand…

  Kire was looking at her hungrily from the back of the crowd. Hokori and him had briefly been speaking. It had to be some exchange, then, one where Kire would get not only riches, but a chance to fight her. A deal he would take without blinking.

  More of the gathered nobles were looking at her expectantly. Hokori dared to show a smile. A public fight with Kire had to be avoided, but she would not let insults to her clan stand.

  She had not missed these nasty noble schemes. She’d been cornered - her only option would be to deny the champion and demand a direct duel, which would be seen as weak for bullying a boy nearly half her height. But it was her best option.

  She opened her mouth to call him out, but then heads snapped back to the buffet in response to a distant scream. It came from up high. Movement from a balcony-

  Her jaw dropped as Dario hurtled through the air, flailing wildly as he bounced off a wall to then scrape over the crystal balustrade, the sharp edges of mineral ripping through his trousers. He roared with pain as he reached desperately for one of the rich cloths that hung from the ceiling.

  “AARGH! MY ASS!”

  His scream echoed through the shocked hall as the cloth came loose on one end and he swung down on it like a liana, bloody red cheeks on full display for all to see like some wild ape from the jungle. The long cloth carried him all the way across the hall until he slapped into the opposite wall and crashed backside first into the buffet.

  The clatter of cups rolling over the stone floor mixed with gasps and pained groans from Dario as he blinked up at a baffled Enmei, who happened to be standing by the buffet table.

  “So…” he groaned as he tried to push himself up. “You think this was meant to be?”

  Enmei put a hand to her mouth as she burst out in that strange, hiccupy laugh again. Nika mirrored the gesture as her appetizers came back up, trying to process what had just happened. She clung desperately to the one silver lining as her mind reached for the most effective way to do damage control.

  At least no one would be talking about Hokori’s insult.