- Character: Ivo Galvan
- 11 hours ago
At the summit of the Hanging Gardens, the pale green-veined stone of the steps, soothingly shadowed by ferns bursting with tropical flowers, rises to become pillars limned in gold, as if one were rising above cloud cover to become suffused in sunlight. The elite of Rosia and those judged talented or entertaining enough to join them this year approach between those pillars the wide-open doors of the magnificent palace, their finery no less dazzling. From the entrance echoes an aural invitation, the sound of a harp played with exquisite skill and mingling with a trio of voices that shift between soul-stirring harmony and intriguingly artful dissonance, as well as a mysterious hum.
"As anticipated," Ivo murmurs with a smile, the braiding of his own fine outfit sparkling to rival any attendee (thanks to his nigh-critical shopping success), "the Oradians are the first to catch on to the newest Cosmopolitan innovation."
To step into the palace foyer is to have one's senses drawn taut in different directions: the sights of the guests and the often-splendind sometimes-challenging art on display, the aroma of the banquet and the many extraordinary potted plants, the sound of the urbane chatter representing a hundred conversations worth listening in on, for the royals of Rosia are not merely wealthy but distinct in genuinely possessing taste. But Ivo's gaze is turning toward his object of reference. Among the musicians discreetly upon a dais, beside the harpist, is an intensely focused bard playing what appears to be some manner of magitech harmonium that emits a strangely appealing buzzing, at times reminiscent of a voice such that it complements the singers stirringly.
"The court dubbed it a synthesizer," Ivo remarks to his party, "but of course, the first were built from discarded parts in the Warrens within the spire. Now that Cosmopolis has opened its gates and is trading again, it was only a matter of time that such music would start to catch on... but we're witnessing the first generation of a new musical form."
He sounds genuinely delighted, without a trace of discomfort at being among this rarefied crowd. Doubtless Ivo, though a low-ranking aristocrat in his own home city-state, *is* among his own people, in a way, and is happy to be amongst appreciators of culture, to say nothing of sharing it with the beauties in their retinue. But one who notes his subtle glances at Reize and Atl might suspect he is also making an effort to set others at ease by kindling their curiosity so it might displace their trepidation.
Or perhaps Ivo is trying to do the same to himself, as his gaze flickers to Reize's pendant before looking away. Yacumama is here, quiet. Ankhiale is presumably here, wherever Atl goes. They have strong advantages, not least among them being Ruidosa's rank and connections, when it comes to the task of cozying up to the Queen and ensuring they can be present when and if Xiuhcue and her militants strike. But to do so without revealing any more about the Ankhialeans and potentially exposing them to the threat of Oradian vengeance, whim, or cold prudence... that is a delicate task, and everyone here, visible or invisible, is an unpredictable X factor.
"Thrilling, isn't it?"
Ivo murmurs this, then realizes he is grinning.