It was the end of the year, and for that this extravagant hosting was planned to signal a symbolic end to the chaos and misfortune that had plagued Fiore for years. It had seemed as though every few years, another major issue had found itself wreaking havoc through this little slice of Earthland, and time after time the citizens were the ones that had suffered.
The common folk had taken the brunt of the losses in every major event. When the scourge of Grimoire Heart was running rampant through the towns, countless men, women, and children met their ends to the struggles. When the demonic excursions signaled the precursor of the war to come, the people who died were the general populous. And as the war raged and the Nine Heroes were hunted across the continent, it was those without power who had to bunker down and wait for the situation to be resolved.
Anyone who understood the current state of the country knew that it was not the Nobility, nor even the Royal Family, who was being looked at with gazes of respect and gratitude. It was the mages, both affiliated with guilds and independent of organization, who were the hero to the common man. It made it no surprise that those who ruled were so quick this time around to celebrate the perceived rescuers of the common folk. "See," it seemed to say, "We had them save you, and they too come to our beck and call."
The gesture was hallow and easily seen through. Yet, in a time like this where the future held a long path to recovery, it was something to cling to. Even when you knew it was false, it was something that gave hope in an otherwise bleak truth. Who would admit that even those who ruled were unable to stand up to the forces at work behind the curtain? Who would admit that even they needed help from the Guilds, and that if the Guilds refused their call, the population would suffer? Better instead to view the two sides as part of the same coin. At least then there was something to grasp.
In all of Finn's travels, he understood better than most just how important hope was in such trying times. He saw how people who had lost their inner light were quick to succumb to the horrors of their own fears. It was a pit that he himself had slipped in and out of for the longest time before his return to Fiore.
And luckily, it was something that he was now safe from. He had begun finding reasons to hope once more. The discovery of a long term goal was one thing, but more than that he had reconnected with his friends whom he had once left behind. He had even begun written correspondence with Jake once more, who had apparently even started his own family. Things were going well for him once more, and his life was one to enjoy once more.
That said, what brought him here wasn't the anticipation of reward nor the goal of seeing his friends. What brought him here was the promise of a single persons time. She had agreed to this rendezvous, had agreed to his intent, and had signaled that there was at least a chance of her feeling the same way that he did.
And that gave him something to grasp onto.
As he made his way through the dense crowds of royalty and nobility, he was in awe of the sheer wealth that was held within this single room. His suit was fine, and as expensive as any mage or adventurer could afford. Yet the clothes on those of the upper crust really shone as unique. Their jewelry alone was worth more than Finn would likely ever see, and they held themselves with an esteem that they likely had never earned. The room dripped with gold and silver, crystal and diamond. The relic in the center was possibly the cheapest thing on display, and it was the reward to all those who showed up here today.
And yet all the richest and glitters faded into his peripherals.
His eyes fell upon the one he had came to meet, and his heart began to beat rapidly within his chest. Despite the onslaught of noise from all directions, he felt for a moment like he could hear only her heels falling upon the surface. Her dress clung loosely to her body, catching upon the air as she walked and making it look as if she were flowing through space itself, and still managed to accentuate her figure. Her hair cascaded past her neck and shoulders, falling naturally in a way that framed her face like the art it appeared to be. And as his eyes found her face, well, she was upon him and he was lost for words.
"I-" he stuttered, "I mean,-" he paused longer this time, as if the words he searched for simply didn't exist. For all the money that went into this hall, for all the paintings they hung around the room, and for all the statures that did their best to depict beauty, he found himself enraptured by the woman before him. "You look perfect."