Summoning Woes

Ch 21 - Conspiracy

It was the one thing that Sirkius dreaded. He entered the ballroom wearing a tuxedo suit that the butlers and maids forced him to put on under the orders of Princess Neya. His untidy blonde hair was combed backwards, revealing his huge forehead and bright blue eyes that left the maids stunned for a split second.

"Thank you for bearing with us, sir," the butler said. "You should be ready now for the dinner party now."

"You have my thanks," Sirkius said. "Can I bring my weapon by any chance?"

"I'm afraid not. However, we can assure you that your belongings will be kept safe with us."

"Alright."

The moment he walked out of the room, he was greeted by a super buffed guy folding his arms, leaning against the wall. On his right eye had a scar of a vertical slash and a cross scar on the left of his forehead. He stared at Sirkius menacingly before joining him in the party.

"Good evening Zero," Sirkius said.

"Right back at you. Have you seen Isole?"

"Not yet. She should be at the next room."

Sirkius turned to the door next to him. He knocked on it gently, leaning forward to hear the subtle noises within the room only to hear squeaks and growls instead of the usual greeting that Isole would say.

"Is everything alright there?" Sirkius asked.

"Err, yeah," Isole replied, opening the door with a nervous expression on her face. "But we've got a tiny problem."

"Which is?"

"Kaw! Kaw!" a penguin a third the size of Sirkius pounced onto him as though it was trying to protect Isole.

"Isole," Zero frowned. "How did these blasted animals get here?"

"I've got no clue. But aw," she cuddled the other one that was not busy attacking Sirkius. "You guys!"

"Isole, in case you don't know," Sirkius pulled the penguin off his forearm, watching it flail its wings for a split second. "We've got a few more minutes before our performance is due."

"Performance," both Zero and Isole looked at him with utter dread.

"Come on guys. We'll get paid well if we do this."

"Does that mean...more booze?" Zero asked.

"Yep."

"Then," Zero slammed his fists together. "Let's do this!"

Sirkius and his companions entered the ballroom that was wide enough to be host a five hundred man party, tall enough to hold a huge multi-tiered candle ring.

"This place is the real crap," Zero said. "This is the first time I'm seeing such a bright place."

"No time to get surprised," Isole tugged him along. "We've got money to earn."

"Don't expect much," Sirkius said. "We're just covering the musicians that are supposed to be here."

"Very well," Zero picked up the guitar. "I guess we should...err...do our best?"

"I'm feeling the jitters too," Isole said, picking up the violin.

"Don't worry," Sirkius gave them an assuring smile as he took his seat in front of the grand piano. "We'll bring the house down."

He heaved a sigh, beginning the song with a soft, melancholic tune that turned heads in the ballroom. He picked up the pace, prompting both Isole and Zero to join him to create a synchronized set of music that pleased their ears. Sirkius looked at them for a moment, taking pleasure behind their thoroughly surprised looks on their faces before shifting the tempo again.