As the night wore on, Jake and Elena moved from one conversation to the next, executing their plan with practiced grace. One by one, their targets left the encounters pale, uneasy, or suddenly polite. Only two remained — Mike Scent and Borris Dale.
The men stood together near a balcony, deep in quiet discussion. Jake's sharp hearing caught fragments but not the full exchange. He leaned closer to Elena, his voice low against the hum of the ballroom.
"Mike Scent runs the southern harbors," he murmured. "Let's plenty of things through that shouldn't be — takes bribes for it. I'd say at least twenty percent of his coin comes from corruption."
Elena's eyes widened slightly. She turned to him, searching his face for exaggeration, but the truth was written there. She gave a slow nod, schooling her expression back into polite composure as they began toward the men.
Jake had already told her of Borris Dale — his illegal fight clubs, the hidden casinos that thrived under his management. Both men looked up as the pair approached, their private talk ending abruptly.
"Lady Falmil," Borris said smoothly, offering a small, courteous bow. "What a pleasure to be greeted by you."
Mike mirrored the motion, though his eyes lingered on Jake — on Mr. Lamore, the unsettling stranger in the mask.
"Gentlemen," Elena greeted with her usual poise. "It's good to see you both again." Her smile softened. "It's been some time, hasn't it?"
Mike chuckled, a hint of nostalgia in his tone. "Indeed, it has. The last time I saw you, you were still a child. And now here you are — grown, radiant, and accompanied by quite the young man."
A faint blush touched her cheeks, though her voice stayed steady. "Mr. Lamore and I have… a good working relationship. We've only recently met."
Jake chuckled at her careful phrasing, his tail giving the smallest flick of amusement behind him.
Elena's sharp look warned him to behave. He cleared his throat, posture straightening as she turned her attention back to the nobles.
"I heard you made a rather large sale recently, Lord Scent," she said lightly, her tone polite but probing.
Mike laughed and waved a hand. "Please, Elena — call me Mike. No need for titles here."
"Very well, Mike," she said with a small nod before glancing toward the other man. "And you, Mr. Dale?"
Borris gave a half-smile. "Borris will do just fine, my lady."
"Also," Mike said, swirling the wine in his glass, "you'll be pleased to know the deal went through — three thousand gold coins, straight from Nalfor."
Jake froze mid-sip. Nalfor. His mind instantly conjured the image of those creatures he'd heard about — towering, long-necked beasts with horned heads and unsettling, vacant eyes. He'd never seen one, but the description alone made his skin crawl.
A faint shiver betrayed him.
The motion didn't go unnoticed. All three pairs of eyes turned toward him.
"Mr. Lamore?" Elena asked carefully, the corners of her mouth twitching. "You look as if you've seen a ghost."
Jake cleared his throat, trying to recover some dignity. "Ah… no, I just—" He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't particularly like giraffes. And Nalfor… is where they, uh, come from."
Silence fell. Three nobles stared at the infamous "Mr. Lamore" — the man whose presence could silence a room — looking visibly unnerved by tall, spotted herbivores.
Borris blinked. Mike coughed into his hand. Elena's lips quivered dangerously.
Then the laughter broke.
"You're afraid of giraffes?" Mike managed between chuckles.
Jake frowned, crossing his arms. "They're unnatural. No creature's neck should be that long."
That only made it worse. Elena doubled over, trying to smother her laugh behind her fan. "Oh, Saints above, Jake—" she wheezed, barely keeping her voice down, "you face murderers and beasts without flinching, but giraffes?"
Jake's golden eyes narrowed beneath his mask, though amusement flickered there too. "At least murderers don't stare at you from seven feet in the air while chewing leaves like it's personal."
Borris nearly spilled his drink laughing. Mike leaned on the table, wheezing.
Elena composed herself just enough to look at him, eyes gleaming. "I'm never letting you live this down, you know."
Jake sighed, muttering under his breath, "Remind me to add giraffes to the list of banned animals at future gatherings." Elena chuckled.
"For a man who dances like a duelist, which, by the way, is impressive footwork. I wouldn't have expected you to be afraid of such an innocent creature." Mike chuckled.
Jake smiled faintly. "Well, dancing teaches you a lot about fighting, it helps with rhythm, balance,... timing"
Borris chuckled. "Timing's everything, isn't it? In business, in life. Even in knowing when to stay quiet."
The jab was subtle, but Elena caught it — a test to see if she'd rattle. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, eyes bright with amusement. "Oh, I completely agree, Lord Dale. Though silence is only useful when one's secrets are safe."
For the first time, Borris's smirk faltered — just a flicker, but it was there.
Mike, noticing the slight tension, stepped in smoothly, "Secrets? In this city, everyone has their own secrets. I bet even Mr. Lamore has his own. But the thing is, secrets keep things interesting."
"Of course," Elena said, her tone now with a slight edge. "Although some secrets, if revealed, tend to ruin reputations. Even empires built on bribes and... misplaced shipments fall to such secrets that are revealed"
Elena could tell that it hurt as Mike's eyes narrowed slightly. The lazy humor behind his voice now gone and replaced with a wall of stone. "Careful, Elena. The floor here's marble, but it's a long fall from grace if one steps in the wrong direction."
Shadows shuddered at their feet, as Jake shifted slightly behind her, his presence grew heavy, as his shadow started to twitch and turn. His golden eyes became solid as he peered at Mike.
Sweat dripped down Mike's back as he realized Lamore was a mage, but not just any mage, a shadow mage, a mage of death, and one that could kill him in an instant, and no one would realize until it was too late. Borris froze as well, realizing what Lamore was, and stole glances at Mike, asking him what he had just done through his gaze.
Elena didn't flinch at Mike's threat nor Jake's shadow shuddering. "Then it's a good thing, Lord Scent, that I've learned how to dance without missteps."
The silence that followed was thin and cold. The orchestra's strings swelled again somewhere distant, but between the four of them, the air was taut — like glass ready to shatter.
Borris was the one who finally managed to break it. "You've changed, Lady Falmil. But I can't tell if it's for the better... or for the worse."
Elena smiled sweetly, "That depends, Lord Dale. On which side of the table are you sitting?"
Borris's smirk returned, faint but sharp. "Then I'll have to make sure my seat doesn't get pulled out from under me."
Mike chuckled lowly, the sound more warning than mirth. "Careful, Elena — when you dance too close to the edge, sometimes the music stops before you do."
Elena only smiled, dipping her head ever so slightly. "Then I suppose we'll see whose song ends first."
The men exchanged a glance — not retreating, not conceding — but their eyes carried new calculation.
As they turned away, Jake leaned close, his whisper almost a growl. "They're plotting already."
"Good," Elena murmured, her face was neutral, but inside she was smiling. "That means they're afraid."
The orchestra swelled again, masking the quiet war that had just begun.
Jake could only chuckle, "You are truly the Fox of Falmil, aren't you?"
Elena finally let her smile break free as she giggled, making Jake's tail swaying side to side in amusement. "Yes, but you're the Wolf of Lockvry, aren't you? I mean, you do hunt down your prey?"
She said, turning towards him. His amusing gaze and laughter made her lost in her own mind, and her hand cupped his stubble as he slightly froze at her touch.
"Uh, Elena?" Jake asked, bringing her back to reality as her hand twitched away, realizing what she had done. "Um, nothing, only an act for the crowd." She looked away from her friend. Yet heat swelled in her chest.
Jake looked at her and hugged her, as his tail wrapped around her waist, while his arms wrapped below her breasts as he lay his head on her shoulder. His stubble brushed against her cheek, and she closed her eyes, feeling the warmth and protection of him, of her friend.