Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 202: Arc 4, Act I, - 47: An Extroverted Side
Arabella scowled...
"What’s with that look?"
The Ashen Whisper sighed and walked forward to place a hand on the blonde’s shoulder. She glanced to Jotou with an eye winced and a shake of her head.
"What’s wrong with me? I’m a nervous wreck, that should be obvious by now." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
Arabella lifted her hand and jabbed her finger in between Jotou’s collarbones and threw her hand up with wide eyes. A few signals followed.
"Yes, I know I’m the Thundering Blade."
She flicked her head upwards.
"Then act like it? You think it’s that easy?"
She then waved her fingers, all with an unending glare.
"I should trust in myself... these people are not above me and I need to let go of it. You know what I’ll say will be real if I stopped overthinking it..." Jotou repeated to confirm her words to which Arabella nodded.
"How can you confirm that?"
She pointed to Jotou and then held up one finger, then mockingly held her glass up with her nose held high. She rolled her eyes and shook her head then pointed back to Jotou.
"I, don’t need to be perfect... I’m important and have my own business; and that’s how I need to carry myself. Fake it till I make it? I guess..."
Arabella tagged on something else.
"It’s also a party and I should let stress fade. All the people around me have their own problems that they care about. They’re probably equally as self-conscious as me.
I sort of knew that, subconsciously at least. Thanks, I think I needed to hear it to believe it," Jotou exhaled, surveying the gala.
’I can soak up the room’s attention and feel like I deserve it... They’re not judging me that much, I’m only assuming that. I can’t assume the thoughts of others.
Hotaru literally told me that on a rooftop once... Positives... How many people are just jealous of how I look? Must really piss them off~’ A smile curled up, into low laughter.
Arabella tilted her head...
"Well, I’m glad I talked to you now. Makes me feel a lot better. Fine, I’ll let spontaneity be the master of me just for this one night," in one breath she shut down her apprehensive mind.
This feeling, something she felt before. Just to be in the spur-of-the-moment; when she pranced around the streets after her victory in Hartamat. "I’ll leave to your business then admiral~" she curtsied to the side.
Arabella pursed her lips, watching Jotou go back into the fray, fearing what she may have just unleashed upon the gala... She slowly took a sip of her mocktail.
"The show will be starting in five minutes! Please, take your seats and be ready to be stupefied!" Asobi’s voice echoed throughout the gala. The gala shifted, now the guests roamed about and back to their seats.
Jotou noticed Hotaru heading back to their table, and a short brunette with one hand holding a plate stacked with fruits glazed with honey and the other with little sliders of pitta bread with meats glazed in red sauces and vegetables.
The blonde hummed, seeing the mixed nuts on her side of the table and various drinks; appetizers were spread and as she turned to get some herself, she saw a purple-haired princess with a plate picking her own.
"The Undying Princess, using her own hands to take food?" Jotou feigned a gasp.
"Tch, don’t scare me like that. Technically I’m using tongs so," Daiyu clicked in the air a couple of times. The staff that had opened up the serving trays hastily went about the tables.
Jotou picked up a plate of her own and began picking some appetizers off the table, much to the dismay and glazed over eyes of the staff who were here for a reason...
"I know they’ll serve us, but I’m getting the good stuff first." Daiyu scanned over, "That has milk by the way," she noticed Jotou’s hand going for a ball of dough, covered in spices and sprinkles of meat bits, "It’s like eighty percent cheese."
"I’m not lactose intolerant anymore."
Daiyu cocked her head, "Oh yeah... I forgot."
"That we’re not ourselves technically? Well~ I guess you would ignore it. It’s not my fault I look way, way better than you," she smirked with a spark in her eyes.
"Still walk like a kittycat. Can’t wait to make a little boo! And watch you jump like one," Jotou nearly flinched as Daiyu clicked the tongs near the blonde’s face.
"Oh what? Now jealous that I can strut in heels?"
"It’s not like you’re wearing stilettos."
"Still gotta dance dumbass."
"Sounds like a skill issue to me."
"Oh~ I’ll figure it out soon enough. Probably sooner than you even."
"I knew you’d make a fantastic girl for years, you don’t need to flaunt it you little bitch~"
"Such a foulmouthed princess," the blonde shook her head.
"You, really don’t wanna start this~"
"I think I really do~"
"Don’t let me get your girlfriend involved."
"Two can play at that, where’s your little boyfriend?"
Daiyu glared, "Oh Jotou, Jotou, Jotou... I can whisper so many things into those tall fluffy ears of hers~ What are you gonna tell Feyan that he wouldn’t already know about me, huh?
You can tell him my embarrassing secrets, he’s gonna be fine. I know yours are, WAY worse than mine. Now, do I tell her, or not? If you take me down, I’ll take you with me and plunge you a LOT further down loser~"
The two stared off... The blonde smiled with a hint of sparking insanity and yet the princess met it with a psychotic gaze as a purplish gem-like ripple flashed in her eyes; oh how the princess loved a challenger...
"... ... You’re a dick," Jotou backed down with a pout.
"The one you don’t have anymore?"
The two stared in silence again. Jotou shut her eyes, "Touché bitch, touché." Second by second, both of them lost composure and giggled reluctantly. They were too occupied to notice the flash of camera.
Daiyu snorted and sighed, "Gotta knock that confidence of yours down a peg."
"Hey, that’s my job."
"Something’s... different about you; I can’t put a toe on it."
Jotou winked and stuck her tongue out. Daiyu stuck her tongue out in response before going to take their seats. The two Royal Ministry’s tables were next to each other as they all came to watch the show.
"You look, brilliant Ms Jotou," Feyan sat with a pinkish mocktail.
"Thanks, you look ravishing yourself~"
Feyan blushed and muttered a thank you... Daiyu gave a side-eyed glare. Jotou turned to Hotaru, placing a hand on hers under the table, "Sorry I ditched you, rest of the party we’re schmoozing together, alright?" she whispered.
Hotaru’s ears flickered, "I would like nothing more," her wagging tail said as much.
"You should try this," Jotou passed her drink over.
Hotaru grabbed the neck, "This’s yours?" Jotou nodded to which Hotaru beamed and took a sip... She blushed licking her lips, "Of course its chocolate..."
"I can always get more, enjoy it," Jotou peered to the stage once the lights began to dim.
The redhead’s gaze lingered to the side of Jotou’s face, gently sipping the drink, realizing Jotou’s hand had not moved away yet. Meanwhile, in between Jotou and an empty seat, Fumeko laid waste the food before her.
"Preeeeesenting... the Amazzziiinggg Asobiiii!!!" with a man’s voice announcing, the stage puffed up into a smoke of rainbow glitter and various items, tables, a microphone, all appeared within the blink of an eye.
Standing at the centre of the symphony of magician’s utensils, was a bright-eyed elf with jade-green around her irises that matched the dark greens of her Victorian-esque ballgown, complete with a doll collar and a black bowtie with a green gem.
A shorter dark green top hat with a black band that glittered; a green gem was fixed to the right of her hat, where a short dark green veil went behind her head.
She stood with her arms out wide and a wand pointed, her perfectly curled raven black hair went down her left shoulder till past her neck.
She bowed to the soft claps, "Thank you, thank you~" her voice poised, proper and slightly deeper. "I sincerely hope everyone has enjoyed the gala our great Undying Princess has provided, many thanks to her," she tipped her hat.
The eyes went to their table and many claps followed to the amusement of Daiyu. "But now, prepare instead to be mystified, horrified or even enlightened to what you will witness this evening."
Asobi leaned in a hush that echoed and puffed up an apple in her hands, "Just a little magic, a fun little show... Beware your sights for they may deceive you. Believe what you will; but I know its secrets~
One moment there," she puffed it away, "the other not. Without further or do, may the show begin!" She started off with simple tricks, pulling rabbits out of her hat and butterflies puffing out of thin air.
The audience was eager to clap out of mild amusement, but much of them were bewildered when Asobi suddenly appeared standing on one of the tables to take a bow.
The lights in the entire gala shifted hues, from blues, to greens, to reds and yellows. Little dots sparkled all over the air in the room, creating the atmosphere of glitter.
With every trick she intensified, claps were now more out of pure excitement. Orchestral music began playing as Asobi moved from table to table within the blink of an eye in a puff of smoke.
She puffed back on stage and every table she appeared on appeared as glitter images of herself, and she leaned forward with both hands above her lips to give a flying kiss; with it enchanting motes of light flew from her breath.
Melodically all her glittering images swirled up in the same white specks, dancing and whirling around some of the guests as the specks gathered into a swarm of butterflies.
The butterflies fluttered through the room in a twisting march before they gathered again at the centre of the dance floor into a gigantic dragon, with—"STOMP! STOMP!"—claws that dug into the tile.
The dragon of pure elemental light sneered around the room with a low crackle and raised its neck to the air—"ROARR!!!!"—letting out a flame of every colour that danced around the ceiling.
The guests clapped and cheered, the staff in amazement to the spectacle before them. Some of the Royal Guard flinched with their polearms at every particle of light that apparated...
Asobi twirled on the stage and—"POOF!"—the dragon burst into dust that filled the room like snow. Little flakes fluttered down into—"pop, pop. Pop, pop, POp,"—tiny white fireworks that burst around her audience.
Fishes with patches of blues and greens, ranging in various colours swam around the floor, as large as half a person. Illusory water splashed beside the tables and chairs as the fish raised their heads like dolphins.
Giant pupfishes and catfishes greeted the guests, "You can pet them, but very lightly!" Some were amused to pet the illusions, some petting too hard as their hands passed through it.
The evening continued as Asobi continued being a one-woman show that enthralled the masses that had gathered. Half an hour passed in revelry of her illusions till she bowed, a little pant in her performer voice.
A big round of applause went around, "What a wonderous crowd you’ve all been, enjoying the treats and the tricks! Tamara Palace and I thank you all for coming.
I hope you’ve enjoyed to your heart’s content. I will be here all night to mingle and chat! The Purplegeits will continue the music till the dance ends and then some.
I won’t let their motley crew wait any longer. Good evening and good night~ Dazzling Outburst!" with an onslaught of fireworks shooting out of her wand, she disappeared into a puff of glitter.
Many chairs screeched back to give the magician a standing ovation. Much of the magician’s stuff on stage disappeared, leaving band equipment in its stead.
The lights went back to normal as Asobi puffed up next to Fumeko and their table. She wiped the sweat of her brow behind the illusion of her makeup, "I think I did great!" her squeaky voice returned.
"I’d say it was amazing," Jotou still clapped.
"As usual," Hotaru clapped alongside.
"It was good, bet it knocked the socks off a lot of these stuck-up officials," Fumeko gave a glance and put her cutlery down; mainly due to having merely empty plates to cut.
"I beg your pardon?" the countess glared.
"Oh please, you’re not stuck-up?"
"Hmph."
"Put the glass down dear..."
"It was a great show Ms Asobi, the princess is still- Princess? My lady?"
Daiyu shook out of it and blinked, "It was, amazing! You could do all of that, this entire time?"
"Mhm, maybe not exactly that, I like to change the colours and stuff!"
"It was splendid, the greatest show I’ve seen in years," Count Khalim finished his appetizer.
The archduke clapped and so did his wife, "Marvellous! Bravo! Encore! Encore!"
"Why, thank you!" Asobi bowed and finally took a seat, "But I’m, spent..."
"Ha! A rest well-deserved then. Countess Keya could never amount to such feats in years!"
"Prancing around atop tables to make illusions of beasts and fireworks? I have better uses of my time than being some sort of illusionist jester," she glared taking another sip.
"You... didn’t like it...?"
"Not what I meant dear, it was fantastic, just not my forte," the countess calmed the nearly saddened Asobi. A band of five got up onto the stage in black suits and yet their hair said anything but elegant.
Drums, violins, a piano, guitars, flutes, bells and all at the ready to play any tune with their ensemble. They took positions and a man with shaggy long blonde hair grabbed the mic, "Hello, we are the Purplegeits.
We can play any song, we accept any requests. You may mingle about, have dinner and in fifteen or so minutes the dance floor will be open for the Cravoltan Slow Waltz. Thank you!"
With it, the next step of the night commenced. Jotou stood up, "Shall we go mingle, maybe a dance and then get something to eat?" she gave her hand to Hotaru.
"That sounds like a plan," the wolf-girl took it and stood up as the two walked along, much to the dismay of a jealous detective staring at the two.
