We didn't get stopped at the gate.

It felt weird to just be waved in. That was what had happened at Klix, but there were so few vehicles on the road that security almost always checked every vehicle before they let it inside. Our special treatment still felt like I was living someone else's life.

Aelin drove our vehicle down the streets, away from the city center. The deeper we got into the poorer side of town, the closer I knew we were to our destination.

Publian Clinic was almost dead center in the Mundane section of the city. While that was a strange place for Adventurers to set up, Hye Publian was able to run a free clinic for those without Mantles by paying for it through the occasional Dungeon farming trip. At Tier Five, Justia's father was able to heal most Mundane without using much mana at all, so his efforts were a great boon to the area.

Justia's mother, Suna Publian, handled the more basic needs of the people, mostly supervising midwives and other services that couldn't be fixed with a simple <Heal> spell.

We drove around back and parked under the willow tree we'd stayed under the first time we'd been here.

Trent got up and stretched as soon as the vehicle came to a stop. "Since this is a social gathering, we're not taking the RV. Gesai is going to get a car to take us…" He held up his hand. "Aelin, you're riding with Justia in Hye's car."

The blonde pouted but didn't try to argue the point.

"It's 4:17." Trent looked at me as he moved to the door. "You still have the suit from the auction?"

I nodded. "But Ether didn't get anything."

My father looked over the woman sitting beside me. "Have her borrow the one Ren wore."

"That…" I didn't have a chance to finish before he walked out of the vehicle. I turned to my wife. "Is it going to fit?"

"Ren's only an inch shorter than me." Ether shrugged. "It'll be short, but not too bad."

I remembered the simple, silver dress that the other woman had worn the day before. It had come down to Ren's knees, which meant on Ether, it was going to be an inch higher.

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"Hey!" Aelin snapped her fingers in my face. "Sexy dreams are for later! You've got to get changed!"

"Right." I touched my CB. "Let me call Ren—"

"I just messaged her." Ether cut me off. "She's on her way over."

"Great!" The short woman wagged her finger in my face. "I'm going to go get changed with Justia in her room." She motioned back and forth at me with two fingers. "No funny business."

I shook my head. "It's not me that you should be worried about." I smirked. "I'm not the one going to someone's room."

"As if!" Aelin scowled. "We don't have time for that! We need to be at the palace by five!" She grabbed Justia's hand. "Come on!"

I turned to Fray. "Good luck."

The timid woman nodded, then got off the RV, almost running into Ren.

"Here's the dress and shoes." The coal-toned woman held out her wrist to touch CBs with Ether. She looked at me. "Good luck."

"You've been to these things a lot?" I tried remembering some of the stories the women had told.

"The Zavels are a minor family here, but still part of the Alard system." A worried look crossed her face. "Mom didn't say anything about me needing to be there."

"Maybe it's just an Alard thing." I shrugged.

"Whatever it is, be careful. They might be Healers, but Rhastan are less toxic."

"Ouch." The ratmen demihumans were mostly a Recovery-based race, but instead of healing, they specialized in the poison aspect of the stat. Her analogy was about as big of an insult as you could give to a Healer.

"That's enough chatting." Miel cut in between us and motioned at the other RV. "We've got a lot of ground to cover and we might as well get it knocked out tonight."

Ren let herself be guided away from the door and then it was just the two of us.

"Well…" I looked at the ivory woman as she pulled the dress out of her CB and held it in front of her. "What do you think?"

"I think this is all over my head." Ether laid the dress down over the back of the booth.

"Hey." I moved behind her and wrapped her in a hug. "It's just dinner."

"It's never just dinner with people like this." She leaned into me. "I wish we could skip it and just stay here tonight."

"You and me both." I chuckled. "But I have a feeling that Trent will drag us both there if we try to play hooky." I turned her around so I could look into her red eyes.

Her lips parted, revealing shark-like teeth that didn't fit a Tank. The smile only lasted a moment as she buried her head in my chest.

"It's going to be okay." I rubbed her back as we stood there. We were probably going to be late and incur the wrath of Aelin, but right now, Ether needed a moment.

And that's exactly what I was going to give her.

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