Blessed by Night

121  A Sight To See

"You look amazing, boss!" Opal said excitedly. "I'd be hard pressed not to agree. I've yet to see a woman that is your equal tonight." Rowan added. Luna smiled politely as she shook her head in disagreement. "I can assure you, they're coming. I must admit that tonight the girls look even more charming than I."

Serana had sent her pictures of the girls in their dresses, and even though two of them were extremely pale, they all looked incredible. "I'm a bit surprised though, I thought you would be arriving with Mal on your arm." Opal pointed out. "Don't tell me he's not coming?" Luna sighed bitterly as she remembered the disappointed look on Mal's face when she told him she had to go on ahead of them. She was more upset than anyone, as she had prepared something very special for him and she desperately wanted to see him wearing it. "La Luna."

Suddenly, a fourth voice joined the conversation, and the three of them turned to face the newcomer. "Mr. Enzo. I am pleased that you could make an appearance."

The man clicked his teeth as he held out his arms for a friendly hug. "Come, don't be like that. I haven't seen you since the conference in-"

Before Enzo could finish, Opal rushed into his open arms and hugged him of her own volition. "S-Sorry, I'm just a really big fan!" Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Hahaha! Think nothing of it!" The man embraced her firmly, and once they separated he held out his hand to the other man standing silently beside Luna. "I am Enzo Valentin. I don't believe we've been introduced?"

Rowan looked like he wasn't really expecting such a big shot to speak to him so suddenly, as his self introduction was a tiny bit delayed. "Professor Rowan Ivers. I am the applied abilities instructor here at Immortal Moon. "

Enzo looked to be slightly surprised by that information, as the old man in front of him was clearly human. How was he supposed to teach blessed how to use their powers when he didn't even have any of his own?

"Well, if you were approved by Ms. Luna here, I am certain that your qualifications must be exceptional."

His words lacked the usual condescending tone that one would expect from such an influential member of society, improving Rowan's opinion of him. Turning his attention back to Luna, he gestured to the numerous guests around them and made an astute observation. "All these guests here, and yet you have no man at your side."

He boldly took Luna's hand before she could react, and made her an invitation that he was sure she couldn't refuse. "Then I hope that you will allow me to be your date for this eve- Ow!"

No sooner had he started making his asinine proposal did Luna use a tiny bit of Shiro's blue flame to burn the palm of his hand. Her hand free, Luna wiped her palm on her dress before realizing that this wouldn't be quite good enough. "Opal, do you have any perfume on you?"

"Worried about how he'll react if he smells it?" Opal asked as she rummaged through her purse. "Mhm."

"Yea, I guess that makes sense."

Luna sprayed her hand with the perfume before returning it and walking away without another word. "He? So she does have a man for tonight?" Enzo asked.

"Mhm."

"Not just tonight." Enzo made a confused expression as if he had no idea who he could be. A fleeting thought crossed his mind, and he glanced at Rowan out of the corner of his eye. The old man noticed the suspicious gaze he was receiving and he pushed out his chest with pride. "Well, I could have had her if I really wanted her, but an old man like me has to be a bit more-"

"Be fucking for real." Opal scolded as she jabbed him in the side. Enzo looked back and forth between the two of them before laughing heartily as he held his sides. Really, everyone here was so entertaining!

-

Luna ended up circulating her way throughout the party, exchanging short pleasantries with anyone who stopped her. It had already become extremely tiresome and tedious, leading her to wonder if it would be appropriate as the host of the party for her to run off and hide. As soon as she made up her mind to make the restroom her next destination, she found two familiar faces that immediately served to put a tender smile on her face. Aisha and Aubrey were an incredibly beautiful pairing, with one wearing a sparkly black dress and the other in a bright silver one. Aubrey's curly black hair was tied into a bun on top of her head to highlight her pretty face, and Aisha's was done in a French braid that hung on her shoulder. When they saw Luna coming towards her, they immediately smiled and closed the distance between the two of them. Embracing each other, the women immediately began chatting like they were the best of friends. "What are you doing here, Lady Luna? I thought you would have shown up with Mal and the rest of the girls."

Luna smiled bitterly as she shook her head. "I wish I could have but... I had matters to attend to here."

"Well, don't worry. He'll be here soon and the two of you can make me sick for the rest of the night!" Aubrey said happily. Luna merely giggled and shook her head wryly. "Don't be like that, Aubrey. Do you mean to tell me you don't want your brother to be happy?"

"No, he deserves it more than anyone else I know... just don't tell him that I said that or I'll deny it."

"Fufufu~ Your secret is safe with me, dearie."

The three of them became inseparable from that point onward, as even when someone approached to speak to Luna, they were scared away by Aisha's unfriendly glare. It was like they had their own pretty bouncer at their beck and call. However, there was one individual who was immune to her scathing look. "Well, if it isn't my favorite unfriendly war princess. How have you been, Aisha dear?" Enzo asked. "...Christ."

At some point, the guild master had tracked down the bewitching Luna like some kind of bloodhound. However, he never expected to find her with another woman that he knew extremely well. "Still so curmudgeonly after all this time. It wouldn't kill you to smile more, you know?"

Contrary to what he believed, Aisha felt like she actually would die if she showed this guy the faintest bit of kindness. With the two of them being among the only blessed in the world with dual blessings, she was compared to Enzo at almost every conceivable instance. 'He's so friendly, why can't she be like that?'

13:50

'His powers are so much cooler than hers, she must feel so jealous.'

'He runs a successful guild with worldwide influence, doesn't it make her seem lazy by comparison?'

She was so goddamn sick of it she wanted to punch this guy every time she saw him!

"And who do we have beside you, hm?"

Enzo suddenly turned his focus to the largely unknown Aubrey and held out his hand. "Enzo Valentin. And you are...?"

The young girl made a bit of an uncomfortable expression as she brought her hands close to her chest. She had taken immeasurable strides to getting over her trauma ever since she and Aisha first started dating, but there were still things that were a large no-no.

Being alone with a man, and touching him in any way, were among those exceptions. "I'm sorry, I have a thing... I can't." She said painfully. Aisha swatted away Enzo's hand but he easily avoided her irate scolding, as he recognized the uncomfortable look on her face. "That's alright, you don't need to push yourself, dear. Can you at least tell me your name?"

"O-Oh, it's-"

Suddenly, the energy within the ballroom shifted, and loud murmurs rang out amongst the guests. Even if they wanted to, they could not take their eyes off the individuals that had just entered the venue. Walking by herself was a young girl with bright pink hair and wearing a sparkly grey dress. She had practiced her calm, composed, and mysterious vibe for hours on end, and it appeared to be paying off. But on the inside, she was as far from composed as she could be. 'That's right, I know I look good! Starting tonight I'm taking sugar daddy applications!'

The only evidence of her inner monologue was a small mysterious smirk on her soft lips. Coincidentally, this was also something she had practiced in the mirror. "Oh my... I don't believe I've ever seen a more appealing man."

"I don't recognize the girl in the black dress... Is she a foreigner perhaps?"

"So he doesn't only like older women? Maybe our daughter has a chance."

"Hm? O-Oh, yeah... our daughter has a chance.."

"Wait... that garment... do you think it means...?"

The group that walked through the double doors had thoroughly captivated the partygoers, and for good reason. There wasn't a single person here who was not either envious of Malachi, or the women on his arm. With Bianca and Anna on his right side and Sei on his left, he had a diverse array of extremely captivating women. And while there was definitely a large amount of focus placed on them, there was a greater amount on Malachi himself. As mentioned before, Malachi typically hated dressing up. But for some reason, he did not hate his outfit at all, and he was actually quite comfortable. For starters, he wore a pair of slim, black dress pants that were perfectly ironed and impeccable. The design on his belt was of a monster woman who was famous for turning men to stone. He wore a black, collarless dress shirt over his lean and muscular torso, and his bright purple eyes were hidden behind a pair of circular dark sunglasses. His dreads dangled freely down his back, pushed out of the way by Sei so that his handsome face and signature golden earrings were always on display. The only sound in this once noisy room was coming from his leather wingtip shoes that echoed off the white marble with every step.

However, the article of clothing that garnered the most attention was none of those unremarkable aforementioned things. It was the black kimono sitting on his shoulders with small golden streaks on the ends of the sleeves. In the center of his back, there was a single, lone moon. Making this article of clothing dangerously similar to one that was already in attendance tonight. Click.

Click.

Click.

Luna's heels rapped off the floor as she practically ran out from the crowd to meet him first. She stopped a mere few inches away from him and the rest of the girls, her eyes never leaving his handsome face. "You look better than I could have imagined... I'm glad that you like my gift."

Malachi nodded his head gratefully as he momentarily released Sei and Anna. Without saying a word, he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a long kiss. The energy within the ballroom exploded.