First Demonic Dragon - C.614 Party Etiquette

Abaddon had two timelines worth memories of attending formal parties and ceremonies. And yet, he still found himself unsuited for them. In high societal functions, one was expected to act with a certain degree of grace and nobility that could be stifling for him and anyone with a modicum of interest in anything other than themselves. He was especially bad with events in the cocktail party format. The ones where the goal was talking and mingling with people in a room while you stood around eating tiny, cute food with no chance of actually filling you up and sipped alcohol that had no chance of getting you drunk. He was the kind of person who heavily enjoyed close-knit family events where he was free to be himself. I mean, as a ruler he couldn't exactly be seen doing body shots off of his wives or trying to teach his mothers all of the words to 'I'm In Love With a Stripper.'

...Right?

'No, no, be dignified.' Abaddon shook his head hard to dissuade himself from asking the live pianist to change his tune a bit. He felt a small vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone to find that he was not the only one struggling. The group chat was already thriving with demands for escape. Old Dwarf: Hey! When are we leaving, I need to drink something that doesn't go down like a 'Capri-Sun'!

Father-in-law H: I must confess that I am ready to make a swift exit as well. My physique is a bit too demanding for this finger food to bring me any comfort.

Dad (Dickhead) : You guys are going somewhere?

Old Dwarf: Helios was being dodgy about something earlier and said that he wanted to grab dinner, so we're going to go and meet him as soon as your son lets us sneak out of this mess.

Dad (Dickhead): Count me in or I'm snitching. Abaddon: ...Fine. Dad (Dickhead): Wow, you seem so enthusiastic about my participation.

Abaddon: Will my lack of enthusiasm stop you from going?

Dad (Dickhead) : No, not really.

Abaddon: That's what I thought. Old Dwarf: It's getting late, you lot! At this rate the only places that will still be open are shitty fly-throughs and strip clubs... Actually, I don't mind waiting a couple of more minutes if you all aren't ready. Big Grey (Absalom) : Is this an open invitation, or is my presence not desirable?

Middle Grey (Hakon) : I was also curious as to this fact.

Uncle Belphegor: If you all are leaving anyway then can I go home?

Favorite Daughter-in-Law (Jasmine): Why am I in this group chat... I'm coming too btw.

"Who are you texting, hon?" Abaddon suddenly looked up when he remembered that he was not standing against the wall alone. Bekka and Valerie were on opposing sides of him; both of them also having difficulty behaving regally. Due to their shared troubles, they had practically been glued together these past few hours. "Ah... Just the guys." Abaddon smiled harmlessly as he quickly stuffed his phone back into his pocket before they could see. Valerie and Bekka glanced at each other knowingly. ""When are you all leaving?"" Abaddon made a faux shocked expression. "Now what would make you think that I would-" freeweɓnøvel.com

"We're married to you." Bekka said blankly. "Wherever you're going, can we go with you? Lailah was being a bitch and took my flask away.." Valerie pouted. "You didn't just create a new one?"

"She keeps coming back over to take those too!" Valerie had already pulled that stunt around seven times tonight, and Lailah had caught her every time. The last thing that she wanted was for Valerie to start drinking, because when she did she miraculously always came out of her pants within ten minutes- resulting in their extended absence from most events. "Ah... Excuse me?"

In the midst of their very important marital debate, the trio were suddenly approached by a wary and shy-looking Monica. "May I.. have a moment of your time?" The three stared at her with small, helpless smiles. "What's this? You're acting unfamiliar with us now after all this time? That kind of hurts our feelings a bit." Bekka smiled. Monica suddenly looked even more embarrassed as she stared into her glass. "O-Oh, I... about that... there's something I need to know."

"So serious." Valerie cooed. "Alright dear, don't keep us in suspense."

It seemed like the young fire spirit was having trouble gaining courage to ask the question that was on her mind.

She ended up downing the rest of the champagne in her glass just so that she could work up the nerve to get her query past her lips.

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"I may be being silly but I was just wondering... Y-You didn't.. pass me just because of my relationship with Straga, did you..?"

Once they actually heard her question, the three smiled as if to ask 'Was that all?'

Abaddon scratched his cheek absentmindedly as he admitted a small truth. "If you must know… in fact it was the opposite. I briefly considered failing you because of it."

"W-What? Why??"

"Well... The number of applicants who failed is not small, and I am not naive enough to think that a few will not feel slighted.

Your closeness with our family is not exactly a secret, so there may very well be those who feel as though you were only accepted because of your relationship with our son. This will subject you to doubt and possibly even ridicule that you do not deserve. I considered failing you because I knew for certain that you could get through the back-up admissions with ease because of your training with Erica. I believed that if everyone saw firsthand just how skilled and dedicated you are with your own eyes, they would have no choice but to accept you. But... that was wrong of me, and I apologize. Punishing you for excelling, no matter how pure my intentions may have been, is grossly unfair.

The truth is that you earned your position just like everyone else. Your personal relationships have nothing to do with it."

Monica had already been crying a lot today, but it currently looked like she still had more to expel. Soon, familiar boiling hot tears were running down her cheeks, but Abaddon quickly wiped the away. "You should know that I have complete faith in you." he smiled. "But if you want to silence any who would cast aspersions on your name, then you will have to work twice as hard as everyone else.

Your performance must never leave a shadow of doubt in anyone's mind, just as it doesn't in my own. Can you bear that kind of responsibility?" This time, Monica wiped away her own tears and stared up at Abaddon with eyes full of conviction.

She stood nearly as tall as the two brand-new horns pointing out of her head.

"Of course I am. I can promise you all right here and now, that I will never falter in my duty, no matter the circumstance or danger."

Abaddon couldn't help but feel a sense of pride similar to when he was looking at one of his own children. Initially he wasn't sure what she was going to do today; as part of the admittance ceremony when joining the Euphrates was establishing a more direct link with Abaddon himself and receiving a portion of his power. Since she had already rejected his offer before, he believed that she might have done it again to stick to her convictions.

But surprisingly, she accepted. He could not tell if this was because of the significance of the moment, or if she was just concerned about being different and falling behind.

However, something unique happened upon Monica's completion of the ceremony. Since she was not Nevi'im before undergoing it, the results were a bit special. Monica now resembled a normal spirit dragon, similar to Sabine, and even him at one point. But the ceiling that represented her growth had been raised considerably. Abaddon could see the new boundless potential within her, and he had absolutely no doubts that she would be standing firmly beside Straga in the future.

'I can't wait to see how well you both will grow, Monica...' he thought. -

Twenty more minutes went by in the party, with the entire group chat and two of his wives breathing down Abaddon's neck. Finally, he gave them all the signature nod that they had been waiting for- signalling that it was time to move. One by one, the group started moving towards the empty balcony on the east side of the ballroom. Absalom and his brother Hakon moved first. They were swiftly followed by Asmodeus. Darius, Hajun, and Jasmine came in a group. Belphegor walked right out the front door and headed home. Finally, Abaddon and the girls were the only ones left who had yet to begin their exit. They put down their glasses and ensured that no one was looking in their direction for a single split second. As soon as they were able, they teleported outside to safety. "Took you three long enough!" Darius complained. "Let's go already, I'm in need of a drink stiffer than myself in the morning!"

Jasmine physically gagged and shrank away from the perverted old man. "Yes, yes, let's get going now." Abaddon waived his hand. He leaned over the railing protecting others from falling off the balcony and casually dropped out of the sky. One by one, the rest of the group followed along after him.

They sprouted their wings once they were far enough from the palace before they stopped in midair just above the city. "Alright... your grandfather wants to know where exactly we are meeting him." Hajun asked as he looked at his phone. As Abaddon was thinking of an answer, he suddenly heard a slew of familiar voices in his head.

Lailah: 'You lasted far longer than I thought you would, my darling. You're getting better at attending these kinds of things.'

Audrina: 'You should thank me for manipulating everyone's attention so that you were given a moment to escape.'

Seras: 'I would have joined you, but I fear some eager new recruits have cornered me with questions surrounding their improvement. I was so distracted I neglected to leave when you did.'

Eris: 'Wherever you're going, don't stay out too late or we'll come and find you.'

Genuine disbelief showed up on Abaddon's face high above the clouds. '...You all knew that I was-'

All: 'We knew that you were going to leave, yes.'

Once again, Abaddon had underestimated just how easy to predict he had become to the people who knew him best. Not two seconds later, he had another, much more upsetting realization. 'Son of a bitch... I let my old man come for nothing!'