The Royal Ball (Pre-Mission)

Dietrich stood on the balcony, taking a deep breath of the night air. Yes, tonight was going to be a good night. With a smile he turns and enters the now-empty ballroom, dressed in his royal attire, flanked on either side by not-nearly-as-finely-dressed bodyguards. The marble dance floor gleamed from the light that the diamond chandelier gave out, waiting for the musicians to finish their preparations so that people could dance on its perfect, elegant surface.

Yes, the stage was set for one last, elegant ball, one final hurrah, before the looming war started. And it would serve as a good distraction, too, for he did have some business to attend to with certain individuals. Speaking of which…

“Chauncey,” he says to a nearby guard, “I want you to check on my man servant and escort him here. If he has not completed his preparations, then make sure he finishes them.” He grins as the guard nods, salutes, and heads off to find his precious spoil of war.

“Tonight shall be a great night,” he says to his bodyguards. “It shall give the people what they need: something to distract their simple little minds from the coming, inevitable storm." Plus, it would provide for great entertainment, seeing as the list consisted of several public figures, generals, celebrities, scientists, and even some lucky individuals who won what was essentially a lottery.

And then, of course, there was his other gain from his recent meddling in Amestris: Jericho Cross. He still had much to discuss with the man. But, still, that could wait. Tonight was a night to enjoy himself, as well. And he needed this much-deserved break.

“Your lordship,” a rather well-dressed man says, bowing his head in respect, “the guests are beginning to arrive.”

“Excellent!” he exclaims rather happily. “You get the staff in action, then. It is time for me to be a proper host.” Looking over his jacket, he fiddles with his medals for a moment, making sure that they’re all properly aligned, before heading for the entrance into the ballroom.

Nika exhaled in a quite sigh as she stood at the door of the on base residential quarters of the London military base. It was the beginning of a cool and fresh night, an improvement from the dreary, cloudy weather that seemed to blanket this country on a day by day basis. It was at the women's dormitories she stood, filled with Creta's newest female recruits. Nika didn't belong there, living among women like that was something that she could not cope with. For so long she had resided in Briggs disguised as a man, keeping to herself, proving her worth through action. But ever since joining the Cretan military, as a woman, she had been judged on her looks more than her actions by the male soldiers, and she did not know how to interact with the women. They tried talking to her too much, they seemed judgmental of her too. She could not afford to risk disguising herself as a man, any negative attention brought to her could jeopardize Ito's plans for when the inevitable war broke out. But this was becoming increasingly difficult, for not only did Nika know very little about being a woman, she knew even less about speaking the King's language. In fact, when enlisting in the military here, she had to use a fabricated story that she was a refugee from Drachma, since she could speak Drachman, and even went back to using her birth name, Veronika, in order to throw off any chance of the Cretan intelligence connecting her to Briggs. There was no Veronika Alkaev in Briggs, only a 'man' named Nikita.

Veronika waited impatiently at the door, wearing a navy blue dress with a diamond fastener in the front above the black sash around the waist. The dress split on both sides to occasionally reveal her thighs to the keen observer, and her dress gloves ran from her arm all the way down to the back of her hand. The dress opened in the back, leaving most of it exposed to the cool night air, and it parted in the front above the diamond fastener in a way that seemed to display her cleavage, something that she really abhorred, but according to the women in her residential building, it would be very unlady-like to simply bandage them down. Sh regretted every second of wearing this dress, and deeply wished that she had bought something that covered more of her body. And then there was the makeup, yes, she was even wearing makeup. Light powder, eyeshadow, deep red lipstick and all that other crap her roommates insisted on painting her face with. She felt like she was practically wearing a mask, it felt foreign on her face, most undesirable.

All this for some ball? Why did Creta have to have so many formal events, everyone seemed worried about class and appearance here. Nika would not have even gone anywhere near this party if it was not for the fact that Jericho, that pompous bastard that seemed to be her lifeline in this country, needed to introduce her to important people in order to get her onto the royal taskforce with Lt. Colonel It. After all, if she was merely a foot soldier, then she would hardly be of any use to the mission. Where was Cross anyway?

"Late" she muttered to herself as she glanced at the time on her phone.

Spoiler:

Damn it! IMPERFECT! This fucking driver is going to die!

***

Jericho's day started out like any other day, he got up, he got cleaned, he went and messed around a bit and did some spy stuff. He then quickly returned home to get ready for the party. He had laid out some formal military wear. He would put this on and then get into the limo he rented for this exact occasion. After all they were going to a ball right? Might as well go in style. It was just too...perfect. Sadly it was less perfect than he had expected. The fucking driver was late! Jericho actually sat outside and paced waiting for that damn limo. He was about to give up when it pulled around the corner. Finally! He got the driver's face memorized, at some point in the future he would kill this man. "Come on! Lets go lets go!" He yelled at the driver giving him the address where he was supposed to pick up Nika. Even though he had told the man to move he still folowed the speed limit. Damn it! IMPERFECT! This driver was going to die!

The finally pulled up as Nika was checking her phone. The thing was... Jericho hadn't known she was a girl. Son of a bitch! Of course hes not out here! Stepping out of the car he walked up to her. "Hello miss? Would you happen to know where a Nika Al-" He stopped mid sentence realizing that this was Nika. What the hell? Another one? Why had this happened twice!? Jericho blamed it on there cleverly perfect disguises, yes, thats what it was, there perfect disguises. Though stunned for a second he continued. "So Nika...your a woman? Good for you." he said with a certain monotone. She was a rather stunning woman. Nothing like the male soldier he had grown to know as an attack dog.

"Well, is there a name to go with your new look or will Nika be fine?" He said grinning, his reaction would have been bigger if he hadn't had this happen to him in a more...awkward situation before this. He was being nicer than usual but it was only so she wouldn't bring up the time. Maybe his charm could advert her attention from that. Helping him, he had his rather spiffy suit. He wore a headband with a diamond studded X in it. Then there was his usual eye patch and a long red scarf around his neck. He also wore a Cretan military formal attire. He looked over Nika and couldn't help thinking she was at least a little cold. "You know......your going to freeze to death in that dress." he said as he began to removed his scarf and wrapped it around her neck, not really caring about any protests. "Now....shall we." he said as he held out his arm, after all it was customary to escort a lady to her chariot. "Your chariot awaits."

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Gah. What was with this crap? He'd come to Creta, and already been hailed as Dietrich's manservant. The redheaded Alchemist sighed softly, and reached up an automail arm to scratch the back of his head with a frustrated groan. He felt the tie on the back of his head, and smirked. How long had it been since he'd worn his hair like this? Normally, he wore it down... but he'd decided to put it up for this occasion. He wasn't sure why, but he just decided to do so.

And, as usual, his mind wandered towards the usual thing. Reila Tsukino. He couldn't avoid thinking about her, so he didn't try. Images of her flitted across his eyes, and he closed them with a soft sigh and a groan. She'd forgotten him - so was his punishment for being forgotten to remember her twice as much? He clenched a fist and steeled his heart. No. He wouldn't think like that. Reila was the woman he loved, the woman he intended on proposing to, some day. So he would relish these memories. No matter how bad they made him feel.

He stood up from the seat in the back of the car, being let out by a chauffeur. Even though he was a POW, he was still being given relatively good treatment. He stepped out of the vehicle, and looked up at the building that this "white-tie" dinner was being held at. Feh. Fun. He never really enjoyed formal things. He felt far too tacky. He slipped away from the car which went to pull away, and checked his hair one more time, and then brushed down his suit, hands sliding down the black material, past the grey shirt, and the black tie, and patting down his stomach. He yawned, and walked into the building, following a few of the patrons, who were all speaking Cretarian, into the lobby.

He smiled and nodded at the man at the front door, giving a small "Hello" in Cretarian (he was beginning to learn some). He stepped into the main room, and spotted Dietrich, narrowing his eyes. That man would start barking orders at him soon, but he would make sure that he was there before Dietrich spotted him from across the hall. He smiled... falsely, and walked over to him, scratching behind his head with an annoyed look on his face.

"Keh. I'm here, so don't fret, Your Highness."

“Ah, Mr. Ito, nice of you to join us today!” he says with a smile. “And with such flattering words," he adds sarcastically. "You humble me, good sir!” He tilts his head slightly, leaning slightly on his cane. “Oh, come now, cheer up, old chap. Tonight is a grand party, and this is all you can muster?” He chuckles. “For goodness sake, have some fun tonight. I’m sure you of all people could use it.” He looks at his two body guards and motions them away. He watches as they lumber to pre-assigned posts spots around the ballroom before turning back towards Dai.

“Now, I know we’ve had our… differences,” he says, leaning in slightly, “but for the sake of tonight you are a famous alchemist, and a royal guest of me. So please, for both our sakes, relax and have some fun. Drink, dance, and be merry!” Dietrich pauses for a moment, pondering what interesting things would occur tonight… In his honor, of course. “So, simply put, relax, have fun, and don’t run away, because we will chase you down and shoot you if need be.” His tone and eyes conveyed his seriousness, but his mouth formed an impish grin. He figured he shouldn’t mention the markman. That would simply be too amusing to watch…

“Now, I’m afraid I have some mingling to do with proper guests,” he says, standing up straight again. “Now, begone with you and your depressing alchemical aura!” With that, he walks up to a rather old looking man and begins to converse with him. "Senator Palpatine," he says, shaking the man's hand, "good to see you..."

"Hello miss? Would you happen to know where a Nika Al-"

Nika glanced up from her cell phone to find Cross himself addressing her. She had to admit, he looked even more pompous when he was in a suit, if that was even possible. "Good evening, Cross" she replied, paying little mind to his odd choice of words for a greeting. Though, he had a confused look on his face for just a brief moment and she couldn't help but wonder why, but that was all clarified when he spoke again.

"So Nika...your a woman? Good for you."

Nika felt her eye almost twitch. For some reason, she felt an overwhelming desire to knee that bastard in the groin. But she couldn't blame him he didn't know that she was a woman all along, she never told him, she never expected anyone but Lt. Colonel Ito to know. But who was she kidding? It was naive to think she could just go on like that forever. She made sure to keep her expression stolid and braced herself for whatever onslaught of ridicule Jericho was about to assault her with. He was arrogant to begin with, already looking down on her despite everything she had done over the years to better herself, and of all people in the world, he would be the one to see that unravel.

"Well, is there a name to go with your new look or will Nika be fine?"

Was that it? Nika gazed upon Jericho's face warily, looking for any signs of a mocking expression, but his smile seemed to be more sincere than anything else. What was he playing at? "No, I'm still Nika, nothing has changed" she answered, keeping her voice cool and monotone in order to hide her paranoia. "wait, no..." She started, thinking about the role she had to play for the mission. "Veronika....call me Veronika in front of others while we are here in Creta"

"You know......your going to freeze to death in that dress."

What? Now that she was a women in his eyes he assumed she was fragile? While it was true that the dress she wore gave very modest protection against the elements and she prefered her trench coat, she would not stand that sort of insult. "I-" Nika began to object, but she had hardly started when suddenly Cross removed his scarf and wrapped it around her neck. Her mind went blank at that moment, as the cloth of the scarf sat snuggly around her neck, her cheeks flushed with red tint and she was left speechless. For a second she had forgotten all about hiding her thoughts and feelings, and her cold front melted away with the warmth of the scarf, if only for a second.

"Now....shall we." he said as he held out his arm towards the limo he had arrived in "Your chariot awaits."

Nika hid her face and hurried into the open limo door, trying to regain her compsure before Cross could realize something was wrong with her. What was wrong with her? Why was he acting like this all of the sudden, it was entirely different from his usual arrogance. Nika's head spun with thoughts as the limo rolled smoothly over the well paved streets of London. After a moment's thought, she decided it was best to ignore it for the time being, she mustn't allow him to bother her at this crucial time. This was a mission, after all. "My Cretan is very bad, I will need you to speak on my behalf sometimes. Remember that I am supposed to be from Drachma. Are you sure you can get the King to agree to our request?" Nika began, breaking the silence with her conducted and deadpan tone of a soldier. It was imperative that she get on the royal task force and be positioned alongside Lt. Colonel Ito, otherwise she would be useless for the mission and would likely be stuck in Creta with the fresher recruits while the war began. She did not notice it herself, but she avoided eye contact with Jericho when she spoke to him.

Jericho watched as N- ....Veronika hurried to the car. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to pretend their something their not. Whether or not there was a reason, Jericho didn't care, peoples reasons were their own, though if that information became valuable then he might care. At least....a little. He closed her door like the perfect gentleman he was and made his way around the car and came in the other side. He quickly told the driver what address they were suppose to go next and told him to hurry and they were off. Though it was mostly silence, Jericho found himself unable to stop looking at Veronika. She wore a rather "interesting" dress and maybe the fact he was actually a she didn't quite hit him yet. That is when she suddenly broke the silence and he stopped staring a simply listened.

"My Cretan is very bad, I will need you to speak on my behalf sometimes. Remember that I am supposed to be from Drachma. Are you sure you can get the King to agree to our request?"

Jericho let out a rather angry snort at this. Did she really believe he wasn't qualified for this? He had been a member of this group for a while now, hiding, waiting for the opportune time to strike. He and his partner had been spying on this country for that entire time, and this woman believed to be little him like that? She was sorely mistaken. But, instead of letting her have, he instead did something else. "I happen to be fluent in Cretan being half one myself and even been living here for the past few years, so don't you worry about that my dear." He said with a tone of arrogance before continuing. "As for the matter of getting you into the task force, I find it rather condescending that you would ask me such a question, not only can I get you into the god damn task force, but I could probably get you into his bedroom if that took your fancy." He finished his voice almost sounding hurt by her question, before looking out the window. He didn't know what he saw in her a few moments ago, asking questions like that, as if he has no idea what he was doing. Not that it seemed to matter to her any. He sat quietly for a few moments, regaining his composure before looking back at.

Damn her.... he thought as he felt curiosity over take him. "So, is there a particular reason you don't like showing others that you are a woman, or is it something too personal for you to tell me?" He asked all anger seeming to have left his voice. "If your too shy I guess I could tell you a story about me to break the ice, your choice, I have many of them after all.~" He said a little life returning to his voice. He hadn't gotten over it, he was just really good at making people think he did. He wasn't even teasing her, it was a question complete asked out of real curiosity.

Dietrich had greeted him with the sarcasm that he had addressed him with. Good, that meant that there was next to no notion that they were anything near friends. Certainly, they were not even acquaintances, especially when Daigoro's own plans involved destroying this bastard. The redhead gave him a pained smile and turned away, walking off into the ball, socializing with the Cretans in the room. His lack of Cretan speech made it difficult, but he eventually found a couple of patrons that spoke some Aerugese, and began to converse with them rapidly, flicking pieces of language back and forth between them. It was much easier than trying to speak Cretan, that was for sure. With a small sigh, Daigoro finished his conversation with the pair and turned away from them as well, walking towards the center of the room and taking the grand pair of stairs up towards a balcony, watching for Jericho. Where was that guy?

Another vehicle pulled up, and the head of red hair that emerged from the vehicle caused him to let out a small sigh of relief. Jericho was here, that meant that he could relax, if only slightly. He went to move down the stairs, when another figure emerged. He blinked and rubbed his eyes slightly. Was that--no, it wasn't, was it? He blinked a few more times, making sure he wasn't seeing things, before moving towards the stairs and walking down them, past Dietrich and his guards, past the multitude of Cretans and towards the door. He waited for the pair to enter, and gave them a small, cunning and maybe slightly coy smile.

"Ah, Jericho. It seems that you've arrived. And... well, well, well. So you are a woman." He laughed softly and raised a hand to his mouth, smiling at Nika from behind a pair of rather kind eyes. Strange, that someone with such a tormented mind and worried ideals could bring out a kind and sincere smile. But that was well within Daigoro's nature - he was kind, benevolent... until you pissed him off, that is. And Dietrich had pissed him off. So it was only a matter of time... These thoughts filled Dai's mind as he stole a glance at Dietrich, before turning his full attention back to the pair.

"Such a wonderful ballroom," Senator Palpatine replies. "Extravagant as always, I see," he adds, gesturing to just about everything.

"You flatter me so, good Senator, but I digress. How're you doing?"

"Good, gooooood..."

Shaking the Senator's hand once more, Dietrich says, "I'm afraid I must greet the others, lest they feel as though I'm playing favorites." With a smirk and a laugh, he heads off, greeting many of the other guests.

He continued on with his business. After all, it was his party, and he had to be a proper host. However, his duties were interrupted when one of the guards tapped him on the shoulder.

"My lord, it appears as though one of the 'special' guests has brought an Uninvited." He then hands Dietrich a photo of Jericho and the mystery woman.

"Well well, you old dog," Dietrich says, raising an eyebrow. "Let the woman be for now," he says, looking at the ballroom entrance as Jericho and his date arrive. He notes as Dai seems to make a beeline for his old... friend? "This should prove to be most interesting, indeed." He pulls out a pen and hastily scribbles something on the back of the photo before sending the guard on his way. With a spin of his cane he casually strolls towards the trio, stopping just a couple meters away from them, waiting for an appropriate time to greet his distinguished guest and the good lady he brought. After all, it was terribly impolite to interrupt a conversation.

... And there it was.

"Jericho, old chap!" he says, walking forward, planting the cane firmly down on the ground with his left hand while giving Jericho a firm handshake with his right. "I dare say, you gave security quite a scare. I'm certain that this lovely woman will make Lady Hayek burn with envy. But I digress. Perhaps you should continue talking with Mr. Ito, while I formally introduce myself to your... friend, here." He lightly lifts Nika's hand, and kisses it gently. "Forgive me for that. It was awful rude of me to talk about such an angel without directly addressing her. Welcome to the White House. I am Lord Dietrich, you humble host for tonight." He bows an elegantly regal bow. "And you would be?"

Nika felt her distaste for this man return once he let out that pretentious little snort of his and rattled off his bragging rights.

"I happen to be fluent in Cretan being half one myself and even been living here for the past few years, so don't you worry about that my dear. As for the matter of getting you into the task force, I find it rather condescending that you would ask me such a question, not only can I get you into the god damn task force, but I could probably get you into his bedroom if that took your fancy."

"That won't be necessary, Cross", she replied, the detached coldness of her voice returning to her as Jericho's arrogance returned to him. He almost seemed offended by her question, it was almost funny, but Nika did not give it a laugh or even a grin. Being certain of the outcome of a mission was important for a soldier charged with such a task, and this ball was just that, a mission, she need to be certain that she would succeed in this endeavor, though she had never acted before, it would be easier to just try to assassinate the King. "But if you are so certain in your abilities than I suppose I should have nothing to worry about" she replied with a tinge of sarcasm mixed with fact. Confidence was actually good, it was a respectable quality that Cross had, but arrogance was another story....

"So, is there a particular reason you don't like showing others that you are a woman, or is it something too personal for you to tell me? If your too shy I guess I could tell you a story about me to break the ice, your choice, I have many of them after all.~"

Shy? Her? Shyness was a weak trait, Nika would not let herself to submit to such a feeling. But detached with reasons would be more accurate. Cross was too nosy for his own good. Perhaps that is to be suspected of a trained spy, trying to make light conversation of another's personal business, but Nika didn't feel like telling him her life story at that moment, or at any moment. Nobody knew her reasons, nobody knew who she used to be. The only person to really get to know her was Ito, and he never questioned her personal decisions, just one of the many things she was grateful to him for. "It's just easier that way" Nika replied coolly, making sure to give the false impression that her reasons were just that simple and unimportant. Implying otherwise would give him incentive to pry into things which would be undesirable. Given his background, he'd might fine more information than she would ever be comfortable with him, or anyone knowing.


The limousine came to stop and the driver announced their arrival dryly. Nika took the initiative and opened the door before Jericho could get up and make a motion to do it for her. She walked alongside Cross, hesitantly letting him escort her by the arm in order to give off an authentic "couple" touch to their act. She kept her composure the entire time, a plain, cool and unnoticeable expression that wouldn't be draw attention or be suspicious. Well, she held this composure well enough until Cross and her we approached suddenly by a familiar face. Lt. Colonel Ito! Nika wanted to greet him that way out of the shock and relief of seeing him so suddenly.

"Ah, Jericho. It seems that you've arrived. And... well, well, well. So you are a woman."

Nika would have flushed red if she hadn't looked away and focused on the well polished floor instead of looking Ito in the face. She became horribly aware of the fact that she was dressed up the way she was. She practically felt naked in the dress she wore. It served no other purpose than to blend in with the crowd. Really, what was the use in this sort of clothing? What was more is that Nika's lack of weapons on her person made her feel even more exposed. She did not even bring a knife, if it was detected it would jeopardize everything. She felt nearly defenseless like this, she hated it. All this aside, Nika took a deep breath, fortified her composure, and greeted her Lt. Colonel in her shaky Cretan, which she put a slight Drachman accent on to add to the act that she was indeed native to Drachma's icy fields. "Is pleasure to meet you. Jericho has said much to me of you". It sounded even worse when she said it. Her horribly limited Cretan vocabulary she had put together in a matter of a week, coupled with the Drachman accent she threw on it sounded ridiculous to her ears. Why hadn't she ever taken the time to learn Cretan before this?
But it was unavoidable, she had to fit the character she was going to be playing. They were in the White House itself, who knew how many eyes Dietrich had here. But it wasn't until he was upon them that she laid eyes on Dietrich himself for the first time.

"Jericho, old chap!" he says, walking forward, planting the cane firmly down on the ground with his left hand while giving Jericho a firm handshake with his right. "I dare say, you gave security quite a scare. I'm certain that this lovely woman will make Lady Hayek burn with envy. But I digress. Perhaps you should continue talking with Mr. Ito, while I formally introduce myself to your... friend, here."

She did recognize him upon seeing him, as she has obviously seen his picture in briefing several times, she had familiarized herself with his appearance as one should with an important person within mission. But what she hadn't accounted for was what he was like in person. Regal would be a word to fit his image, he carried himself with a dignity like no other, and with a purposefully charming grace that made one wonder just what he was thinking within the confines of his own mind. It was these sort of thoughts that spun in her head and left her unaware to the act of formal courtesy most unfamiliar to her, until it had already happened. Nika's heart stopped as Dietrich's lips parted from her gloved hand. The King of Creta, the enemy, had kissed her hand? The thought of it was not so much disturbing as it was strange. Nika had never been treated this way, and by her presumed enemy no less!

"Forgive me for that. It was awful rude of me to talk about such an angel without directly addressing her. Welcome to the White House. I am Lord Dietrich, you humble host for tonight." He bows an elegantly regal bow. "And you would be?"

Nika once again, made an effort to strengthen her composure. It was odd, she had been shot at plenty of times and it didn't even unsettle her anymore, yet the way Cross, and now the King of Creta were acting made her more nervous than the most daunting enemy offensive. She was slow to respond, trying to take as much as she could understand out of the King's words. She thought of a response, the right words to use, and then curtsied in response to his bow as best as she could and began to speak slowly. "Thank you...sire.....it is pleasure to meet you, I am Veronika Khruschev. I am new in Your Majesty's Army. I am sorry for being intruder here, and I am sorry too for having bad Cretan."

There, she should have made a believable Drachman immigrant, and she made sure to say things as politely as she could with her crude vocabulary of words, to make sure she did nothing to offend the king. Royalty was like that, right? Easy to offend and followed all these strict guidelines for etiquette. Avoiding tripping on any of these rules of formality during this party would be like traversing a mine field. Luckily, she had Cross, and for the first time all evening, she felt thankful to have him there, for now he could lead her through this, surely the hard part for her was over now....

BUMP