It was all disorienting. What had brought him here? The long hours spent meandering aimlessly was but a distant memory. Now, he sat a few strides away from a rambunctious festival of an occasion he did not understand.

A man of honor, Kairyū resided as a living statue on the outskirts of the party. He had been blessed with an invitation to such an occasion, and to refuse would be unsavory—at least, in his eyes. Even more abhorrent however were the barbaric activities at play—he saw plenty of flirtatious exchanges, ones with ended with pairs sneaking away with an asinine attempt at subtlety. He knew what ensued when inebriated wolves intertwined themselves and left for solitude. He did not want to think about it.

Jaded eyes befell what seemed to be the most rowdy bunch of all—and the docile form of a woman who seemed much out of place. Wary eyes were alert, her posture seemed anything but disconcerted. Kairyū felt the innate impulse to approach her and lead her away from the fray—but simultaneously, it was none of his business.

Conflicted eyes remained gazing over her slender frame until eventually, he raised his head back up to the distance with an austere mien present in his stature.