The VIP room was very strange. People who were powerful economically and politically were meandering amongst one another whilst those with true power surreptitiously cloaked their presence underneath the exuberance of their fellow guests. This was a very peculiar set of circumstances for the Black Widow.
She was used to missions across the spectrum of complexity that Shield provided. From destroying terrorist cells, to killing Hydra agents within the darkest recesses of Shield's former complexes... She'd done it all. But this gathering was unsettling.
'Bruce Wayne followed by Tony Stark, this night is going to give me a headache...' Her thoughts faded away with the taste of her champagne, the bubbling sensation and soft caress of the alcohol providing a limited warmth at the bottom of her navel.
Looking over the edge of her glass the distinct feeling of being watched raked through the hairs on the back of her neck. The Uchiha, as she had been informed by Fury, were Freya's personal army. Slowly pulling her glass down to the counter to her side, she ran over the information she had been given about them.
'They killed the head of the continental in New York without any repercussions and were powerful enough to make the Baba Yaga hold back.' An involuntary shiver radiated down her spine at that thought. She'd met John Wick before and he was utterly horrifying in his sheer will and determination... Images of a red-lit room rebounded off her mind as the clean shaven face of John Wick offered a hand down to her.
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
The images disappeared as if they were smoke upon the water and the sunlight had shone down. They were instead replaced by a stunning raven-haired woman in dark green clothing and a set of expensive heels. Her hand tightened upon the rim of her glass until numerous cracks accumulated and eventually shattered the entire champagne glass.
"Ah miss Al-Ghul, so nice to meet you again. Tell me, has your father been well?" Anger swirled, veiled, beneath the surface of her trained mask as a reporter with nerdy glasses engaged her nemesis in conversation.
"I don't believe we've met, Mr?..."
"Ah, Clark Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet." He extended his hand for a handshake as Talia narrowed her eyes. She didn't meet his extended hand with her own.
"And how, if I may ask Mr Kent, do you know of my father?"
He smiled as if abashed, though the minute downturn of his brows suggested his true emotions. "I met him in Central City, he was a strong man and had many, unique, ideas." She took a single step back as if in concentration, her countenance more surprised than threatened.
"Intriguing. He never mentioned that he made an appearance in Central City... Though I am not his handler..." She smoothly transitioned into a hollow laugh that was as fake as her entire being, god Natasha hated the bitch.
This Clark guy wasn't buying it either, his entire posture seemed to exude intense distrust.
'Perhaps I should note down his name and check in on him with the help of the Director and Coulson...?' She pondered her thoughts whilst the room slowly filled with people.
...
This party was awesome for Sirius Black. He'd never been to a 'muggle' party before and this one was not nearly as stuffy as the balls and events his bitch of a mother used to throw for her other yuppy pure-blood lords and ladies. No, this party was filled with champagne, wine and even some fire-whisky here and there.
He had just been talking to a man called Steve Rogers, an intriguing man who seemed to really fit in with the mood of himself and his godson. It was like he came from The Great Magical War, right out of a tale from the time of Grindelwald's conquest. Besides that small detail though, he was a blast and shared some of his trauma; judging off how he spoke and reacted to the things around him. Unfortunately he had been dragged off by a smoking hot red-head with a touch of an attitude...
Wistfulness and regret briefly tinged his thoughts but abated just as swiftly as they came, the room filling with gorgeous women of all descriptions, sizes and shapes... Just how he liked them.
'I wonder how Harry is doing with Hermione?' That thought was drowned away by fire-whisky and a drop-dead gorgeous woman with blond hair and blue eyes, her smile almost as intoxicating as his drink. All his thoughts truly turned silent when a moment later she winked at him and began sliding towards the bar. 'I'm sure he'll be fine, for a few minutes!' He chased after the beauty, like a dog smelling a bone.
...
Grindelwald had not been to a party in a very long time. This showed in the way he clung to the edges of the room, like a ghost wishing to remain unseen. His attitude was fortunately assisted by the deluge of soft sheep; that people called 'powerful', that meandered into the room.
He was currently under an illusion spell, a guise so to speak. It was not his best work, but given the fact that he had lost his wand to his former best friend, the wandless spell would do. As he waited for the goddess to attend her own party his eyes could not help but glide to the intelligent, beautiful and encapsulating form of his house's heir. She resembled his sister so strongly and yet glowed with a passion that only showed itself in him.
The spells she was capable of learning and comprehending were off the charts. Just the day before this he had arrived at the Goddess' house and been all but dragged to the duelling arena. He was forced to use a relatively connected wand to fight two children that were barely past their 14th birthdays... It had been humiliating, at the time. Now, that memory brought a smile to his face.
Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, a psion of the Blacks, Potters, Emyrs, LeFay and Slytherins... A boy who had such raw magical power that he could completely nullify a spell-chain of his own invention. Raw unfiltered exhilaration was omnipresent through his being as he recognised a spiritual successor to his powers, skills and possibly his cause.
Then there was Hermione Grindelwald. Her mind put his own to shame. Yesterday he had merely shared the theories that he held behind magic and she had immediately begun deducing her own interpretations based upon her, although limited, experiences with magic. She absorbed knowledge like a dragon might scoff down dozens of cattle, with a ravenous hunger for more. Both of them would shine like exotic rubies and emeralds by the time he was finished teaching them his philosophies and arts.
Ohhhh... It almost made him want to salivate right there and then. Thinking about what they could achieve and what that could mean for magic as a whole... It made him wish to start their training right this moment. Not that he could since the Goddess had plans for them as well and would also be teaching them.
'Just a little more time... Then we can begin our lessons... Just some time...'
...
Thor, Loki, Odin, Frigga and Hela all stood near the clear glass that gazed down into the massive arena. All of them had glamoured themselves with the highest forms of Asgardian enchantment, their forms appearing completely mortal despite their true appearances which only they could truly see.
"Freya should be credited for the impressive display of magic and technology present within this arena..." Odin crooned softly as he traced the walls adjacent to the window.
"Yes. Her binding of magic to material form is laudable." Loki's voice was neutral, even, as he looked down at the mortals who all chatted amongst themselves like Svartálfar... Noisy and lesser to the Aesir and Vanir.
"Loki, do not look down upon the Midgardians... They are but children to our age, they do not know any better." Frigga accurately detected Loki's derision at the 'mortals' below, Thor standing off to the side in silence as the family unit took in their surroundings.
Hela was standing a little ways off, watching her 'family' but trying her best to ignore them as well. It was a complex process that mostly fell in line with glancing at them every few seconds whilst simultaneously holding a conversation with Lady Sif who was currently acting as the King's personal bodyguard.
"I wonder if the Midgardians will be capable of showing anything truly interesting."
"This gathering is being held by my lady Freya... It will be anything but normal if my time spent with her allows me to judge the quality of this, gathering."
Sif nodded along, burgeoning hope for entertainment leaking into her posture as she held the pommel of her sword in comfortable Surveillance.
Odin spoke up once more, "Heimdal will be broadcasting this to all of Asgard. I only hope that it will provide what Freya has promised with her words." Frigga shook her head at his cynicism.
"This will be worthy of Asgard, of that I have no doubt. If she can bring our family together as she has, then she can certainly entertain the Asgardian people." Thor smiled wider now, looking at his mother with a tenderness only reserved for his family and closest friends.
"Well spoken mother." She smiled at him and dipped her head onto the side of his shoulder, as if to give a hug without needing to fully embrace him.
"Indeed. Your mother is correct, my age has begun to affect my perceptions of the world..."
"You should be used to mother being correct by now father." The trickster smirked cheekily as his father raised an eyebrow towards him, shaking his head in exasperation as his eldest son struggled to hold back his usual booming laughter.
...
Hundreds of thousands of voices boomed and echoed through the stadium as I approached the VIP room. The day had been a struggle to get through, Niccolo and Margulis hassling me about numerous inconsequential details about the minutia of running the parliament. Supposedly they had needed my input despite already having all the answers.
"Am I presentable Su?" My lovely wife lovingly smiled at me, fixing a few creases within my dress as she softly finished patting her own down.
"Yep! As sexy as usual love." I couldn't help but feel a flutter in my chest at her radiant smile. She had changed so much in the year I had known her and now she was a shining jewel that lit up my night sky.
"Su is hundred percent correct love. Couldn't look better if you tried." On my other side Yuna hugged into Artoria as we strutted through the private halls behind the VIP room.
"Yuna is indeed correct my love... You look ravishing..." Artoria always had a way with words and they still melted my heart and mind.
"Well damn... Guess I am the luckiest woman in the party, having beauties like you three escorting me." They all grinned lustfully towards me as we reached the doorway. Tonight was going to be massive and would introduce another game to the world.
'Let's roll the dice shall we?'
We pressed onwards through the door.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have a Patreon where you can get exclusive Discord roles, vote on Fan fiction decisions, and even suggest Extra Chapters for me to write. Join here: patreon.com/user?u=111976696.
If you'd like to further support my work, here's my PayPal: paypal.me/RBSMFF.
Feel free to join my Discord community here: https://discord.gg/wVZXpPpUQn.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------