Though news throughout Aleris has been slightly sparse, that does not mean there is no gossip to be had. Of course, there's always something to say about the affairs of others. Truthfully, I would be hesitant to write such gossip, but since so many have requested to know about the he-said-she-saids, I can only aim to please The Chronicle's avid readers.
Much of the gossip I have to share this time circulates from the Winter Masquerade Ball that was recently held in Chaliceton. It was a lovely event indeed; the food and wine was superb. Congratulations are to be given to Sahar and Edgar for their work in planning the event. However, certain attendees and their actions throughout the night did not go unnoticed by yours truly who was also present. And in case you did not notice, I was the one happily wearing the Swan Princess garb.
First off, I did happen to see that there was quite a slow, romantic dance going on between one Madrin Kir and Wish Star. It appears that Miss Star has shed all sadness she previously had and was quite giddy with the dance between her and the Lord Commander of Eiler. The two are already secretly planning to be wed and that many babies will be created in the future. Or perhaps these happy dreams are just a result of drinking too much wine. Others say they say Wish leaving with tears in her eyes because Madrin Kir abandoned her on the dance floor to make sure King Elias didn't have any cake crumbs on his face from eating.
Verial Akilara was of course in attendance. Most of his night was filled with socializing with others, however we did notice him dancing out on the ballroom's terrace with a mysterious, unnamed woman. We could not get her name, but we're sure this is an escort Verial Akilara paid for as his recent relationships (if you can call them that) with women have not made him exactly Aleris' most eligible bachelor.
Besides Verial's dance partner, the rest of his evening was detained by his niece Itarilde and her bizarre counterpart, a werewolf named Melvin. Surprisingly, Melvin is in the running for the best costume of the night, although his etiquette and manners could use some serious work. Just because you see a cheese ball on platter doesn't mean you need to salivate so much so that it's a hazard for people who are you know... walking and dancing.
Ameerah Sultan and Valorious Malku were in attendance from Heruin, though their presence was short-lived. Ameerah stayed long enough to show up in an elegant looking garb, drink a glass of wine and then took a walk off to somewhere else. My suspicion is she's dealing with the trouble from Discord Ambrose and her kin Zalika. Valorius, on the other hand, did stick by for quite a while, though he mostly kept to himself in the corner drinking the night away. We saw the Bel Telal drowning himself with quite a few drinks. Over the course of the evening, Valorius lifted a few toasts to invisible people (or himself) and gave quite a few others some creeper winks from the corner. He also gave Verial Akilara a nod with this knowing sort of smile and we can only imagine what those two got going on behind closed doors.
Tempesturo's Champion, Blend, was present for the event. However, it looked like the skeleton was taking bribes and trying to get change from people throughout the night. It may have been a costume, but here at The Chronicle, we're under the suspicion this is just an excuse and that the Avatar of the Sun simply isn't being paid enough by his Chaotic god. Trouble was also afoot when Blend took it upon himself to assault the woman whom Verial Akilara was dancing with. Some say they heard him comment about her chest size (or lack thereof) until she ran away. Apparently skeletons, although obviously not equipped in that area, get sexual urges from time to time.
King Elias also had a meeting with a man named Syvern over the course of the night. I'm not sure where Syvern came from, but the man was wearing the shiniest clothing I've even seen. I'm pretty positive that his costume was made from sequence and silks. We overheard him talking to King Elias about possibly becoming the mayor for Jade City. Judging by Syvern's choice of clothing, we're guessing he wants to become Jade City's next fashionista and clothing expert. As the beautiful Jade City was constructed by many artisans in the middle of a rain forest, it's no wonder the man wants to make it Aleris' runway headquarters. Can we see fashion shows in Jade City's future? All signs point to, "Yes."
But that's enough about the ball right now. This article would not be complete without at least mentioning a little bit about what else is going on throughout Aleris.
In my previous article, I wrote about the return of La Sirena to Aleris and her disguise. With Sirena's arrival also followed the return of the previous manager of The Siren's Corner, Salome. Though her hair has changed from bright pink to brown (thank Gods), it has been confirmed that once more has Salome washed up upon Aleris' shores. No one is quite sure the reason for Salome's abandonment of the corner several months ago, but instead of servicing the male and female population of Aleris, she's switched to... gardening. Nevertheless, her skills in gardening are less than adequate as all the rose bushes she's attending to have withered and then burned up in a flaming hell storm. I'm guessing the rage inside her may be at best caused by the coming of her monthly flow, which leads me to believe her womanly wrath is only temporary. Whatever inner anger is tormenting Salome's poor, unfortunate soul, I pray for the safety of Aleris' flora and forests.