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Most parties were easy for Sovus. Usually they were formal, professional affairs: balls, galas, dinners. He found such parties both easy and comfortable, a space where all he needed to do was play his role as The Director of Soul Sanctum. There was a simple procedure to everything—to every interaction. Sovus liked procedure. It was easy for him to be personable and charming when he knew exactly what to do and expect. He didn’t need to fear embarrassment or judgement when each interaction was predictable. He never felt out of place at formal parties, they were stuffy and boring and comfortable.
Lurien’s parties were the exact opposite.
“How strong did you make this?!” Sovus coughed as he looked at Emilitia.
“With any luck, strong enough to get that stick out of your ass.” Emilitia giggled, “C’mon Sov, loosen up a little! The uptight, rich bastards are gone, you can relax.”
Easy for you to say. Sovus rolled his eyes, catching sight of a particular butterfly sipping the drink in Sovus's very own hand.
“Lulu!” Sovus cried out as Lurien moved back and giggled.
“Oh, that is good,” Lurien grinned, “Tia, do you think you could make me one?”
“Don’t you dare do anything for this little thief!” Sovus feigned indignation.
“Hm,” Emilitia tapped her chin, “what do I get out of it?”
Lurien quickly nabbed Sovus’s wallet and tossed it over to Emilitia, “Whatever’s in that.”
“Hey!”
“Deal!” Emilitia cackled.
Sovus did his best not to laugh as he put on a pout, “The depths of betrayal that I’m feeling right now know no bounds, Tia.”
“Could I bribe you to forgive me?” Emilitia handed Sovus back his wallet.
Sovus chuckled and made a show of looking through the wallet as if it hadn’t been his own, “Hm, I believe there’s enough in here to make that happen.”
Emilitia grinned as she began to make Lurien’s drink, “Wonderful! Now I won’t need to resort to something drastic!”
“Drastic, you say?” Sovus quirked a brow.
“Indeed!” Lurien snickered as he wrapped an arm around Sovus, “We were going to kidnap you until you forgave us.”
“Did you just say “us” dearest Lulu?” Sovus smirked as he leaned into Lurien, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but thus far I’ve only forgiven Tia.”
Lurien grabbed his chest dramatically with his free hand, “So cruel! So cold! Now it is I who is feeling the sting of betrayal!”
“Well then, I guess that makes us even.” Sovus laughed.
Lurien giggled and laid his head on Sovus’s shoulder, “If we’re even then I suppose we may as well forgive each other.”
“I suppose I could make that happen.” Sovus smiled as he rested his head atop Lurien’s, a sense of warmth coming to his chest.
“Yoo-hoo, guys,” Emilitia giggled as she held up the finished drink, “the drink’s done.”
Sovus felt a cold spot where Lurien’s head had been as the butterfly let go of him to grab the drink.
Lurien grinned as he took a sip, “Amazing. No one makes drinks like you do, Tia.”
“Hm, perhaps I should start charging for it.” Emilitia giggled.
Lurien grinned, “Would you allow me to request another drink on the house, as a friend?”
“Double fisting drinks tonight, Lulu?” Emilitia quirked a brow.
Sovus laughed, “I thought you swore off of that after the chandelier incident.”
“No, no, like I said, never again.” Lurien snorted as he held up his free hand in defense, “I was thinking about bringing a drink over to the new guy I invited, Ogrim.”
“Is he the cutie in the corner?” Emilitia asked.
“That’s the one!” Lurien grinned, “He’s such an absolute sweetheart, and—actually…”
Lurien looked up at Sovus with a glint in his eye that let the scholar know that the watcher had just come up with a plan.
“You should go over to him, he’s exactly your type.” Lurien nudged Sovus playfully.
Sovus smirked, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you’re trying to get rid of me.”
“You wound me, dearest Sov!” Lurien feigned offense, “You know I would have you all to myself if I could!”
It hurt knowing that Lurien was only joking.
Sovus kept the smile on his face as best he could, “Oh, if only it could be so, my dearest Lulu! But I fear that we must part once more as our dear friends Hegemol and Sir Revek appear to be challenging you to a game of Hallownest Hold ‘em.”
Lurien turned his attention over to the table where the mining bug and the knight were, “You guys are on!”
Sovus felt his heart stutter as Lurien’s gaze turned back to him, a soft smile on the watcher’s lips.
“Could you still bring the drink to Ogrim?” Lurien’s voice was quieter this time, but Sovus could tell from it that Lurien knew the scholar had no intention of flirting with the dung beetle that night.
Sovus gently took hold of Lurien’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, “Of course.”
Lurien’s smile grew as he hugged Sovus quickly before heading over to the table to play against Hegemol and Revek.
“I can’t believe he hasn’t caught on yet,” Emilitia chuckled, “you’re not exactly being subtle.”
“We both know he’s not one to presume such things,” Sovus smirked as he leaned against the bar, “that was his mother’s department.”
Emilitia shivered, “Ugh, Higher Beings, don’t remind me of that woman. Did I ever tell you about the painting incident from when we were kids?”
“You’ve both told me the story many times, she sounded like she’d been an absolute menace,” Sovus huffed, “I can’t believe he and Iyllia put up with her for so long.”
“I think Li and Lulu have a patience that’s only rivaled by yours, and I don’t mean that as a good thing.” Emilitia leveled a look at her friend, “Seriously, are you ever going to tell him?”
Sovus paused for a moment before he looked away, “… he doesn’t feel the same way.”
“Oh?” Emilitia looked at him curiously, “I didn’t know soul gave you the power to read minds.”
“Tch, I don’t need to read minds to have intuition.” Sovus shot back, “Besides, it wouldn’t work out between us.”
“Mind-reading and foresight,” Emilitia smirked as she set the new drink on the counter, “you’re just full of powers tonight, aren’t you Sov?”
“I just want him to be happy.” Sovus turned his gaze back to Emilitia.
“And you couldn’t make him happy?”
Sovus rolled his eyes and grabbed the other drink, trying to ignore the way his heart ached, “I promised I’d bring the new guy a drink.”
He began walking towards the corner Ogrim was in before Emilitia could say anything else.
Ogrim quickly stood and bowed as Sovus approached, “Director Sovus!”
Ogrim kept his composure well despite being a bit startled, but Sovus understood all too well how Ogrim felt. It was frightening to be here, surrounded by people of such higher status yet expected to act like oneself. He knew all too well the anxiety Ogrim was feeling, fearful of judgement and embarrassment. Fearful that without the safety of his designated role, his friends might realize how unremarkable he truly was. Sovus’s eyes softened.
“You needn’t bow, we’re all equals here at Lulu’s,” Sovus offered him a reassuring smile, “you can relax.”
“Ah, right…” Ogrim’s face flushed with embarrassment as he stood up straight, “thank you, Director Sovus.”
“You can call me Sov,” Sovus let out a soft chuckle, “I brought you a drink.”
Ogrim’s smile grew genuine as he accepted the drink, “Thank you, Director—Sov. My apologies.”
“You don’t need to apologize, I completely understand.” Sovus offered a small laugh, “You should have seen what happened when I first met Lulu.”
“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?” Ogrim was immediately interested.
“Not at all! I’m an open book.” Sovus grinned, “I’d been in one of the break rooms with the king at the time when Lulu walked in. I was caught completely off guard, so I scrambled up to give him a bow… and completely misjudged how close I still was to the table.”
Ogrim gasped.
Sovus nodded as he began to cackle, “I hit my head against that table so hard I ended up knocking myself out.”
Ogrim let out a shocked laugh, doing his best to quickly hold it back, “My apologies—”
“You don’t need to apologize, I meant for the story to be funny,” Sovus chuckled, watching Ogrim relax and begin to laugh, “I have a few others like it, if you’d allow me to join you.”
Ogrim froze and grew nervous again, “You can—but—um… I’ve been rather nervous tonight, so I fear that I may begin to give off an… odor…”
Sovus gave the dung beetle a reassuring smile, “I risk Soul Poisoning on a regular basis, I sincerely doubt something as simple as a smell will be enough to put me off.”
Sovus felt a spark of pride well within him as he watched Ogrim once again begin to relax.
He was happy that he could help put someone else’s mind at ease at this party.