The men and women at the party were having a wonderful time. Some were having serious conversations with others, while others were just too drunk and were speaking incoherent words.
Bryan came to realize that the people at the party weren't as conservative as he thought they would be. He thought they would all drink pretentiously and engage in euphemistic talks befitting of someone of their status.
But to his surprise, most of the people present were quite open-minded. Some of the older people also tried to engage in conversation with Bryan and his newly made friends.
'Is it because this banquet is informal, to begin with, or are all people in Damascus or maybe even Nadir this open-minded?' Bryan couldn't come to a definitive conclusion because this was the first and only banquet that he had ever attended.
He threw all these useless thoughts to the back of his mind and just enjoyed his drink.
For the rest of the duration of the party, Bryan got along pretty well with Grace. And they were the only two people talking with each other. Leah's other friends couldn't approach them and join their conversation because Grace appeared to be extremely cold.
They had all gone to the same school together, so they were surprised to find that Grace was actually proactively talking to someone else, that too a boy. She usually always only spoke to Leah and maybe a little with other girls.
All boys who tried to approach her were rejected ruthlessly. Even though they were only trying to befriend her.
Leah, who was busy dealing with other guests, also cast a few curious glances at Grace. Seemingly trying to confirm her sexual orientation again.
Leah suddenly thought of something and displayed a playful smile on her face. She thought, 'I had promised Bryan to get another girl and have a threesome. I should get Grace along. I wonder how they both will react.'
Grace who was oblivious to Leah's machinations was listening to the story of Bryan getting beaten up by Detective Watson during combat training. She couldn't help but start to laugh.
"So that's the reason you wanted to meet the day after instead of tomorrow?" Grace chuckled.
"Yes. It's too difficult for me to move around after combat training with teacher." Bryan smiled awkwardly.
"All right, let's meet at the 8th Day Coffee Shop on Laurent Avenue on Tuesday at 4 pm then." Grace said after taking a sip of red wine from the glass.
"Sure, you're paying." Bryan replied nonchalantly.
Grace was slightly taken back, "Mr. Bryan that's not very gentlemanly of you."
Bryan rolled his eyes and snorted, "Who cares? It's not like I'm trying to court you. Plus I'm a poor man."
Grace looked at Bryan and was silent for a moment, and then she burst out laughing, "Mr. Bryan you really are a funny man."
All her life, men had tried to impress her by buying her expensive things and trying to take her out on fancy dinners. She found it a very amusing experience to be spoken to so casually by another man.
Even back in Nadir, everyone treated her with respect and to some extent were slightly apprehensive of her.
After all, she was the granddaughter of a very wealthy Count of the Belize Kingdom. She had come to Damascus only to complete her schooling since she was already enrolled in the school here from the beginning.
Another reason was that Leah was her childhood friend and Grace loved her very much. So apart from Leah, she barely had anyone else whom she could call a friend. Others either wanted to sleep with her or were trying to befriend her grandfather through her.
"But why would you ask a lady such as myself to pay?" Grace asked teasingly.
Bryan looked at her as if he was looking at an idiot, "Aren't you rich? Didn't you say your grandpa was a Count or something? How can you be so stingy, Miss?"
Grace couldn't stop laughing. The others in the hall also cast their gazes over at her thinking about what could be so hilarious for a lady to lose her demeanor over.
"Fine, we'll do as you say." Grace wiped the tears from her eyes from laughing so hard. Although her motives for approaching Bryan, in the beginning, were selfish, now she genuinely wanted to befriend him.
Bryan finished his last drink and told Grace, "Let's go eat something. I'm famished."
Grace nodded and followed him to the table where different delicacies were kept. After finishing up his dinner, Bryan informed Grace and Leah that we has leaving. It was already 9 pm and he had to go home and meditate and also wake up early tomorrow morning.
Leah didn't stop him. Before he left, she introduced him to her parents and her brother, Jonathan. Leah's family was very amiable and polite.
Bryan liked their hospitality very much, he then bade Grace farewell and confirmed that they would meet on Tuesday. After introducing Bryan to her family, Leah walked him out of the house.
After they exited the main gate of the compound, Leah bit Bryan's earlobe and whispered, "That thing I promised to you earlier, I'll bring along a special person next weekend. I'm sure you'll like her."
Bryan grinned ear to ear when he heard that. He passionately kissed Leah on the lips and grabbed her butts, kneading them gently.
Leah too put her hands around Bryan's neck, kissed him back, and started using her tongue. She could already feel Bryan's erect shaft rub against her crotch area over her dress.
With great difficulty, she let go of Bryan and said in an intoxicated manner, "You should leave now. I still have to get back to the party. I'm afraid if you stay any longer, I won't be able to control myself."
"As you wish, my lady." Bryan chuckled and bowed like a gentleman. Then he called for a public carriage. Before getting on the carriage, he kissed Leah on the lips again and said, "Good night. I'll see you next weekend."
"All right, good night." Leah smiled, bade him farewell, and went back into her villa under Bryan's gaze.
Bryan then instructed the carriage driver to drive to 7 Robinson Street. After that, he laid back on the seat and slightly closed his eyes. He had had way too many drinks and was feeling pretty drunk.
Meanwhile, back in the Davis Villa, Jack who had earlier confronted Bryan verbally was in the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror and rehearsing his lines, "Leah, I have always been in love with you. Please marry me. No No that doesn't sound that great… Leah, I have always loved you. Will you be mine?… Yes, that's more like it."
Little did he know, Bryan had lied to him about Leah and was only playing a prank on him. Later on, when Jack asks for Leah's hand in marriage, he would be brutally rejected and become the laughingstock of the banquet.
…
Tuesday, 15th June 1580,
Bryan fired the last practice bullet in the pistol chamber. However, the shot missed the target. On average, only 2 out of every 10 shots hit the target. But this could be considered an improvement from the last time Bryan came to the shooting range.
Detective Watson hadn't accompanied him to the shooting range this time. He actually didn't need to. Bryan had already been taught everything about shooting with a pistol by him on Sunday. The rest depended on his hard work.
After yesterday's beating from Detective Watson, Bryan was still feeling very sore throughout his body, but it was manageable.
He took the pistol and went to Officer Mindy who was sitting behind the counter. After returning the pistol to her, he wore his tailored suit jacket and left the underground shooting range.
He called for a public carriage and instructed the driver to go to Laurent Avenue. It was already close to 4 pm and he had to meet Grace at the 8th Day Coffee Shop.
Although he didn't know what she wanted to talk about, he was pretty sure it was something related to Transcendents.
The horse-drawn public carriage slowly rode towards the destination. The sky outside was bright and a cool breeze blew past, bringing in the freshness of spring with a slight scent of burning coal from the factories.
Laurent Avenue was a relatively posh area. All sorts of high-class restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques were located here. 8th Day Coffee Shop was one of the more famous cafes in Damascus.
The public carriage stopped in front of the coffee shop. Bryan got off the carriage, wore his black fedora hat, and paid the driver the money. He then turned around and entered the coffee shop.
He looked around at the interior of the coffee shop and his eyes finally landed on a very beautiful blond lady with blue eyes. She was wearing a light green dress that dropped to her knees, and a sapphire studded necklace which perfectly matched her blue gem-like eyes. Currently, she was elegantly sipping on her cup of tea.
Bryan approached her. He took off his hat, pressed it against his chest, and slightly bowed. He smiled and greeted her, "Good evening, Miss Grace."
"Hello, Mr. Bryan." Grace replied with a smile.
Bryan sat down across from her and asked, "So what did you wanna talk about?"
Grace smiled, "Why don't you order something to eat first? We can talk after you order."
"Sure." Bryan called for the barista and got the menu from him. He looked it over once and ordered a cup of black tea, a plate of grilled chicken with sauteed vegetables, and mutton pie.
Seeing Bryan order so much food, Grace's eyebrow twitched but she didn't say anything.
After giving his order to the barista, Bryan looked at Grace and asked, "So what's up?"
Grace took a deep breath and said in all seriousness, "Mr. Bryan, I need your help in order to become a Transcendent."