Claudia Solace, taking her father's place on the executive board just hours before the company election,  felt anxious. Now it was her responsibility to attend events and represent the family. 

She should have arrived fashionably late to the end of the world party; no one even looked up when she came in.

Even so, it was already insanely crowded, all of the lounge seats and bar stools were taken, the waiters were all on a break, and the line for the buffet was infinite.

It took her forever to get a drink, not because the crowd at the bar was big, but because she had a hard time getting the bartender's attention; Claudia wasn't assertive enough, and every time someone came up after her and waved the bartender down, they had their order taken while she awkwardly pretended she didn't want anything anyway. Avoiding eye contact, she acted as if she were only standing pushed up against the backs of the people on stools trying not to get jabbed by people dancing behind her because that was the best place from which to enjoy the party.

Finally, staring down at the black suit jacketed back in front of her and about to back away without a drink, the bartender's voice shocked her into looking up as it asked, "Can I get you anything, Exequi?" and when she looked up she found with profound relief that the bartender was speaking to her. Waiting for her to order.

With a stammer that the loud music and shouting effectively covered, she asked for "just a glass of wine," had to yell to repeat herself, had to be asked whether white or red, felt stupid for not having specified, and asked for a vadio bairrada when she would have preferred something red. Claudia was served, and with no more reason to linger around the bar, she moved out onto the party floor with her glass in hand, wondering what on earth to do next.

She saw no one she knew, no one she could sidle up to so she wouldn't look so alone and terrified. Trying to look as if she were enjoying herself, she simultaneously took a sip of her drink and danced a little bit to the music, but she choked a little on the wine when she moved rhythmically to the beat, and coughed, her eyes watering.

She peeked around to make sure no one had seen and noticed a young man had sidled up by her. Accidentally meeting his eyes, she could see he was about to speak to her and had probably seen her nearly killed by her beverage, so she pointedly avoided eye contact until he went away.

At which point she realized that chatting with him would have been infinitely less awkward than dancing by herself.

About to die of anxiety and without thinking or deciding or realizing, she set off toward the windows at the end of the bar. Giant, cold glass windows with a winter's worth of snow on the other side. Claudia put out her hand to touch the cold glass, and the party behind her that she couldn't see seemed to be muted so she couldn't hear it either.

She wasn't sure how long she was going to stare out the window for, but she was considering until the world ended, or the party ended, or forever, whichever came first.

A voice from behind her said the last words she was expecting anyone to actually say: "Exequi Solace, it's nice to see you. I'm glad you came tonight."

Reluctant but curious, she turned away from the view of nothing but white, and there was Exequi Ilan Potestas himself, welcoming her to the party as if she were a very important person. She gave an adorable curtsey and thanked him, and meant it with infinite gratefulness, particularly when he proceeded to launch into a long winded speech. She smiled and nodded while he commented on the sun rising early, the sun setting early, President Solin's murder, current events at Constellation, the board meeting at crepesculum less than four hours from now, her father's health, the importance of guiding the company in the right direction, the hopes and dreams he had for the company, the fears he had for the company under the wrong leadership.

Five minutes into his talk, she stopped listening and started watching the party, enjoying it now that she wasn't so worried that she looked like a loner.

Ten minutes in she was bored, she wanted to actually join in the party even if she didn't know how, and she wondered if she was going to waste the rest of her immortal life on the sidelines being babysat by the host instead of making any friends.

Luckily at eleven minutes, the boss's tone of voice changed to that of a conclusion. She wasn't paying attention to the words, but she could hear he was winding up to excuse himself. He took her hands in both of his and said he wanted to emphasize the importance of what they had talked about. Claudia nodded and, not knowing what they had talked about, said sweetly, "Of course." Potestas gave her a warm look that bordered on a smile from his mouth to his eyes, and said, "I should go visit with other guests, Aurelian — I mean Exequi — Solace. Please enjoy yourself. I look forward to the next time I have the pleasure of your company."

Finally he was gone. She was starving. Finally she could run to the buffet table she had watched the staff replenish while the boss rambled on. Everyone else was full so the line was gone. Looking side to side, she realized she was still alone. Feeling sour and wondering why she had come and whether she should go home already, she helped herself to a flatbread and wondered whether Stephen Potestas was here somewhere tonight, one person she could attach herself to without being nervous. He was an insufferable idealist, but if the world had no more idealists, there would be no one to remind everyone how annoying and tedious they could be.

Turning around with a full plate in hand, she watched the party for another minute while stuffing her face.

No one looked at all as if they would welcome her joining their tight circles. She tried to relax, admiring the fashions she saw around the room until she realized her new lavender dress, strapless with a mid length flare to show off her shoulders and ankles, was the exact opposite of the dark long sleeved silhouettes worn by every other woman in the room. Claudia's mother assured her that the dress made her look like a princess, that with her round face and ponytail of curls it was adorable, and the light purple pulled out her brown eyes, but everyone else wore rich, dark colors and skin tight dresses. At least she had the stilettos right, even if she couldn't walk in them, and even if when she stood still the ankle straps dug into her.

Unable to stand in one place any longer, she nearly dropped her plate back onto the table and put her hands in front of her face in case she started to cry, overwhelmed by her fashion choices. Overwhelmed by her surety that she stuck out as if a spotlight were on her even though not a single person looked at her. She started to stride away down the table with her face thus covered.

With her hands in front of her eyes she walked right into Angelus Gloriam.

"Exequi Solace," he said as her body careened right into his. Hands came up to her bare shoulders to stop her momentum; his feet were planted to keep them both from tumbling backwards. Instead of crying, but not without a distinct sense of terror, Claudia laughed. "Are you okay?" said Angelus.

"I'm so sorry," she said, rocking backward and landing on her feet. His hands were still on her shoulders to steady her. She laughed out of control.

"Don't worry about it," he said. He offered his hand for her to shake, and she did, and he added, "I'm Angelus. I've seen you around campus. Glad I finally got to introduce myself," entirely as if she hadn't just almost trampled him.

Nervous giggles contained, Claudia smiled, or winced. Her heart fluttered, or at least she felt the uncomfortable palpitations that always preceded a panic attack, and she couldn't think of a thing to say. Words didn't come.

But Angelus had no problems with that, once he got started he didn't stop speaking and Claudia just listened and nodded and blushed, which the mirror on the far wall attested to when she glanced into it every time she turned back to the table behind her for something to eat while she enjoyed his monologue.

After a minute she even laughed. Comfortably.

As when she had eavesdropped on him, she agreed with everything he said. There was nothing to add. When he finally paused to enjoy a piece of flat bread himself, all Claudia had to say in reply was, "I know what you mean. I totally agree."

Angelus was still occupied with chewing, so while he was mute, she upped her contribution to the conversation with a question. "Who should I vote for?"

Thank you for reading Stars Rise. Enjoy the festa.