119 First Dance

The dinner continued smoothly without interruptions or incidents. Dishes were placed and removed, glasses filled and refilled and the sound of cutlery against dishes was constant. However, there was no lack of conversations. Families discussed amongst themselves and amongst each other as they all ate. Topics ranging from the events of the day so far to topics regarding politics within the Elitrix Empire. Gossip was a hot topic among the females present, one of the biggest topics that floated around the table was who would be Jien's dance partner for the first dance.The topic itself was innocent enough and was directed at Olivia, Rosalind and Jien causing the two young ladies to blush a bit. Jien on the other hand seemed to remain in a stoic calm that nobody could quite interpret. Most of those present seemed to feel that Jien had already decided his partner which was why he didn't seem to bat an eye at the discussion. This left everyone curious, but Jien's lips appeared sealed, instead joining in any other topic passing around the table in a cordial if not business-like manner.The dishes ranged from appetizers to soups, salads to meat and seafood, ending with decadent miniature cakes of varying flavors from fruit to rich chocolate. Drinks for the adults ranged from different wines paired to each dish to harder alcohol for those that wished to partake before the dance. For the children the drinks included slightly watered down variations of the adults' wines, fruit juices and if desired sparkling drinks to help cleanse the pallet. Everyone appeared to find the food to be pleasant and the work of the staff to assist to be of the correct standard.The dinner in itself was a long affair with several dishes and conversation that dragged out, leading it to be about two hours after the start of the meal by the time that they had finished eating. The last of the desserts were eventually consumed and the last of their dinner drinks emptied. Everyone appeared to be rather satisfied as a whole and after tying up a few of the remaining discussions they stood once more.As they stood the staff pulled the seats from behind them and moved them to the side of the room for seating during the dance that would follow. Like a well-oiled machine the staff cleared the table as the guests moved to the side of the room to continue with lighter small talk to pass the short period the staff present would use to prepare the dance floor. The band in the corner continued playing a light tune to keep the atmosphere while the table was cleared, cleaned and moved. The floor was swept once more to ensure that it was still clean before a mix of water and air magic were used by all those cleaning to clean and dry the marble flooring swiftly.All together the hosts and their guests didn't have to wait for more than ten minutes before the dance floor was ready for use. Lining the wall were a few smaller tables surrounded by chairs for those that after a certain period of dancing would take a break. The time was drawing near, and the first dance was about to begin, everyone turned to face Jien with a level of anticipation.Rosalind seemed to be a mix of shy and energetic at this moment. She blushed lightly but was also fidgeting slightly as if she was both looking forward to and dreading the possibility of being chosen. On the other hand, Olivia seemed calm, having a smile on her lips but not blushing in the slightest. Almost anyone that looked at the two could tell that Rosalind perhaps had a certain impression of Jien, but that Olivia likely already had her eyes on another.What nobody expected was that despite everyone's attention on him Jien still kept the same calm expression. He stepped forward and approached the two but, in the end, stepped past them both. The one he approached was the elegant, raven-haired Gloria Romero who wore a black dress despite the others dressing in rather vivid colors. Her raven hair was done up in a beautiful tress accented by several silver hair pins in the shape of ravens. Along her slender neck was a simple silver necklace with crescent moon pendant and on her hand was the simple silver wedding ring from her passed husband.As Jien approached her, her calm grey eyes remained cool, peering at the young man that was her host. The others were rather shocked by this turn of events. It wasn't unheard of to make such a choice, but it wasn't exactly common. It was not a faux pas to ask the first dance from someone in a different generation but often those of the same generation would dance with each other first. Rosalind's jaw had dropped at the turn of events and tears almost formed in the corners of her eyes. It would have been one thing if he had chosen Olivia to dance but to ignore both of them for Barret's mother was definitely like taking a hammer blow to her pride. Olivia only gave a slight scowl to the turn of events, having not been concerned about whether she was chosen or not but not expecting to be ignored all together.As Jien bowed to Mrs. Romero politely and offered his hand he spoke the obligatory words "Would you have this dance with me?" in a calm, perhaps slightly cool manner. A slight smile appeared on Gloria's lips as she reached out her hand and touched Jien's in acceptance.