Getting to the party

Mirajane gave a longing look where their ride had just disappeared. Rictus shook his head in amusement at her desperate look. He may have made an addict. Promises of secrecy were traded for promises of teaching. Seems there was a good chance he would be seeing her more in the future.

She had initially been worried about getting there late, but Rictus was able to get her to wait another day before traveling. He promised her that she would enjoy the journey and would not be disappointed. They had gotten near Solitude around lunch time. The party was not till later that evening, so they were taking their time as they summoned mounts and rode past the small settlements found on the outskirts of the city.

The surprise when Rictus had caused a large replica eagle made of the same materials as eleven armors. It was not as large as a dragon, but it was easily as large as a carriage. The thing had been painted in darker colors which did not easily reflect the light. Mirajane had given him a questioning look as he climbed onto the back of it where there appeared to be seats made into it. When he motioned for her to take the seat beside him, she did it with some trepidation. Once he had made sure she was strapped in, the most amazing thing happened.

They flew.

She was not sure how it was done, but they flew. It was a little rocky at first, but as time went on, the ride got smoother and smoother. She truly felt like the ruler of the skies as the wind blew through her hair. The Shout she had released surprised Rictus and caused them to fall a little bit, but she could not help it. The feeling was glorious.

Rictus had explained to her that while they were in the air, people would assume it was a large bird very high up in the air, at least that was the hope. Since flying was illegal, this would keep people from thinking it was a person who had been flying and report it to the empire or thalmor. Landing inside cities was not an option, but they could get a lot closer than before. On top of that, Rictus liked it and thought it looked cool, which was what really mattered.

He had done it by collecting a lot of elven armors, gotten both legally and from some very generous Thalmor. Then he fused them all together by manipulating the metals. It had taken a long time, especially since it was just a little side project of his. Elven armor was the lightest metal armor there was which made manipulating it for flight a lot easier. Combine some telekinesis and feather spells powered by a mana stone, and one got a flying eagle statue.

Once the flight was over and they were near the city proper, Mirajane had split from Rictus as she made her way to her contact which would help get her in the party. Rictus had explained to her that she was a bit too recognizable, and the leaders of other factions would most likely recognize her, but she assured him that it would be fine. Shrugging his shoulders, he did not pester her for more details. He could always intervene if things got out of hand.

The embassy was close to the city, so Rictus had a couple hours to kill before the party. He contemplated visiting the Restored base, but instead decided to kill time by meandering through the market. He picked up a couple sweet rolls from a vendor and found a nice, shaded bench near the market where he could sit and watch the people of the city.

Despite everything the city had gone through recently, it was bustling with an overall positive atmosphere. One would hardly know a war was going on and dragons attacking the countryside. Still, if one looked closely enough, they would notice the strain in some smiles or bits of unrepaired damages.

He noticed two children trying to cheer up another one who was sulking about. As they passed near him, he decided to try and lighten the mood a bit.

3 bright yellow dogs made of light ran up to the group of children. The dogs started wagging their tails like a helicopter as they were slowly lifted into the air. The children stood staring in wonder at the sight. Soon, the dogs started chasing each other around the children while still flying in the air. At this point, the children were laughing at such a ridiculous sight. The dogs started shifting into other animals and changing colors as they continued playing around the children. It wasn't long until an audience had formed watching the colorful light show. The final act involved two top hat wearing miniature bears boxing with each other. As they landed simultaneous blows, they burst into motes of light which slowly fell to the ground.

By this point, most of the market had slowed to a stop while watching the magical show. With the defeat of the bears, laughs and cheers went out as they started going back about their day. Some of the more perceptive ones noticed it had been Rictus directing the show and gave him a smile. It was quite obvious why he had done it after hearing the laughs and giggles of all the children as they talked about it.

Rictus had his own smile as he watched the kids run off together playing, the once sullen mood forgotten after the magical sight. He enjoyed just playing around with magic like this. So, few people took the time to learn how fun magic could be with a little imagination. Sure, he liked doing experiments and learning new spells, but sometimes using the simple magics to bring a smile to a child's face was more fulfilling.

He was interrupted from his thoughts as an Altmer man in blue robes sat near him on the bench. No words were exchanged for a while as the two just sat watching the people for a bit. Eventually, the elf turned to look at Rictus.

"Who are you? Not many mages are around these parts, especially not ones who can make such a fanciful display."

"You can call me Rictus. What's your name?"

After hearing his name and watching his magic, Melaran understood who he was talking with.

"Forgive my rudeness. You can call me Melaran. I have heard some rumors of you. You and your Restored made quite a stir in court not too long ago. How did you manage getting the mansion from the Vicis? Erikur has been trying for years to get that spot."

Rictus went on to have a pleasant discussion with Melaran about a couple of different topics. It turned out Melaran was quite gifted in alteration magic as well after they compared some of their ideas. His knowledge of the court was vast, and he was more than happy to share his opinions about it. They were interrupted as 3 people started making their way towards them. One was a finely dressed Nord who looked as if he could hardly be bothered by the people around him. The other two were both women. One was an imperial wearing blue robes, while the other was a Nord wearing armor with a R burned into it.

The man was first to get there and addressed Melaran dismissively.

"Come Melaran. I must return home and get ready for the party. You can talk with your…friend later."

Without a second glance the man started walking away. Melaran gave a little shrug as he rolled his eyes. With a nod to Rictus, he made his way after the quickly departing man.

The other two women walked with determination right up to Rictus and were giving him the stink eye. The armored one was the first to speak.

"I can't believe you ran off like that without any guards. We have been looking all over the city for you. Ken almost had a heart attack when you and the dragonborn suddenly flew off without a warning."

"Relax Miruma. I wasn't in any danger. Besides, I figured someone would be sent looking for me anyways. Thanks for your diligence."

He stood as he encouragingly patted her shoulder and started walking away. His casual attitude took some of the wind out of her sails as Miruma deflated a little bit. Illia just stayed silent, and the two started following him as he walked further into the city.

"We just care about your safety. You are too important for us to risk your safety."

Rictus spared a glance back at Miruma's words. He could see the sincerity and worry in her eyes.

"I will try and do better at informing someone of my coming and goings."

Miruma perked up a bit, but before she could say anything, Rictus kept talking.

"You will do well to remember though that I am the leader of the Restored. If I want to go somewhere, I will. Your concern is appreciated, but I will not be tucked away like some noble. Now come along. I have a party to get ready for, and I need some new clothes."

Properly chastised and with nothing left to say, they went to prepare for the party.

Time passed quickly and the next thing Rictus knew, he was standing before the Thalmor Embassy. Illia and Miruma had followed him there, but they were left to wait outside with the other guards and carriage drivers. The Thalmor assured every one of their safety, so no outside guards were allowed inside. 'Typical power move if you ask me. Just like the Thalmor to pull something like that.'

The embassy was quite a sight though. It appeared like a very large manor house with a couple of outbuildings for various staff as well as a large stable. A wall surrounded the entire property, and the front section had a walkway on top which was blocked by thick steel bars. He could tell the walls and the bars had been magically reinforced. There were probably other magical security measures, but they were less obvious and seemed more geared towards detection.

As he made his way inside, he was greeted by a tall Altmer woman in extravagant Thalmor robes. She spotted his metallic arm and a spark of recognition appeared in her eyes while a polite smile decorated her face.

"Welcome Rictus. I am happily surprised you were able to make it. I feared it would be much longer till we were able to meet."

Every movement and word screamed politician to him. Still, she was being polite, and he could manage that.

"It is my pleasure and honor to be invited to such a prestigious gathering as this, Elenwen. I feel as if I am in no way worthy of such an invitation. I had not known I was even known to you."

"Oh, the tales of your valor and battle have travelled all across Skyrim by this point in time. The rapid expansion of your organization combined with being a thane of Winterhold has also surprised many an influential person. With such a meteoric rise in fame, how could I not invite you? The only topics more talked about than you are the civil war and the dragonborn."

The polite smile never left her face as she even gave a polite laugh. It was all too fake for his tastes.

"I am humbled by your praise. If we have been able to gather such attention, then the Restored really are moving up in the world."

As Elenwen was about to say something else, another guest had arrived.

"Please excuse me Rictus. I must greet the guests. I look forward to talking with you more at a later time though. I hope you enjoy the party."

With that, she left to go greet another arriving guest. Rictus was glad to see her go. Something about her just rubbed him the wrong way. He was starting to feel that coming to the party may have been a bad idea. 'The look on her face after Mirajane finishes sneaking through the base will be worth it though. Maybe I should try some of the food and drink here? There's bound to be something good here with all the rich and powerful people attending.'

He snagged a drink from a cute dark elf server as he found a corner of the room to stand in and observed the other guests. They were quite the group that's for sure. There was a mix of powerful businessmen and nobility. He recognized quite a few different people from the profiles his people had gathered for him. Two Jarls had shown up, Idgrod Ravencrone of Morthal and Siddgeir of Falkenreath. Jarl Idgrod made a sense due to her proximity, but Siddgeir being here indicated something bad had happened or he was just irresponsible. Based off some reports, Rictus believed it to be the latter.

It was a little surprise when someone approached him. Proventus Avenicci, the steward of Jarl Balgruuf of Whiterun, moved over to stand near him with a slight look of relief on his face.

"Ah Rictus. I am glad to see someone I know at one of these things. I get nervous in the company of so many worthies."

The two of them had quite a few interactions with one another in Whiterun. The Restored would take up many bounties and other quests for the Jarl. Over time, Proventus had taken to giving the Restored preferential treatment due to their professionalism and helpfulness. There were even some rumors going around about how Jarl Balgruuf had been using them as a separate private military group, but these rumors were only shared behind closed doors.

After speaking with the steward for a few minutes, 2 other people approached them. Each wore the colors of the East Empire company. Adelaisa was being accompanied by another imperial man whom Rictus had yet to meet. She directed her attention towards Rictus as her follower started up a conversation with Proventus.

"Well met Rictus. I am a bit surprised to see you here, not that you aren't deserving. I hope all is going well with you. Pirate attacks have been down significantly since our attack on Japhet's Folly. We are very grateful for your assistance with rebuilding, especially your stoneworker. That significantly cut down on restoration and building costs which made my superiors very happy. They even sent a bit of a bonus which you could pick up yourself at our office since you are in town, else we will leave it with your Solitude branch."

Rictus smiled at the thought of a bonus. He had offered his assistance in repairing Japhet's Folly to the EEC which they had gladly taken up after seeing his abilities. Since then, they have begun having more dealings with each other, especially working as additional mercenaries for some of their overland caravans. It had been profitable in many ways.

He continued talking with Adelaisa about business opportunities for a bit. Eventually, Proventus and the other man from the EEC, who was called Orthus, rejoined the conversation when they started talking about how the civil war had impacted overland trade routes.

Rictus's eyes were drawn to the entrance as a fancily dressed woman with dark black hair entered. Despite being in disguise, he knew exactly who she was as soon as she entered the building. He was glad to see that Mirajane had a decent disguise which would keep most people from recognizing her. Anonymity was important for this task. If she had come as the dragonborn, there was no way she would be able to slip away from the party unnoticed. When it seemed Elenwen was starting to ask too many questions, a dark elf man smoothly distracted her while Mirajane moved away and further into the room.

'He must be her contact here at the embassy. I wonder how he would feel about working for me instead. Having a spy in the embassy would be very beneficial. At least the party has officially started.'

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[AN]: Well we are starting the party with this chapter and the next one will be all party. I find this part of the story more challenging since there are so many characters interacting and political things which could happen. I am not well versed politically and despite liking reading about it, I don't know how to write about political intrigues.

This is also the reason I doubt I will every write about an extremely smart MC. I may pretend to be slightly above average intelligence, but it takes someone really smart or good at writing and planning to pull off a genius MC. Most writers fail at it in my opinion. Not to say their characters are dumb, just not what I would consider a genius. I will gladly stick with my mediocre to below average intelligence characters since they are easier to write, and it helps explain things I mess up on. Sorry for the little rant there. It was just on my mind today after talking with one of my buddies about stories.