To say that Steph was uncomfortable would have been the understatement of the century. She had never been one for extravagant parties, and this particular banquet was the most overblown thing she had ever attended. In large part this was because she and Sarah weren’t merely treated as honored guests, but rather deities made flesh. It was all extremely unnerving to someone like Steph. While she was certainly no stranger to being lauded for her accomplishments, being elevated to the status of deity was a bit much. Although she very much wanted to protest the guests’ treatment of her, she found she didn’t have the heart to try to convince such a vast crowd of people that all their desperate hopes and cherished beliefs were nothing more than meaningless fairy tales. Thus, she resigned herself to politely thanking each supplicant as they lavished their gifts upon her and trying her best to keep up a pleasant demeanor.
However, while her visage may have been serene, her mind was anything but. She was constantly on the lookout for any sign of Tornel’s all-too-likely machinations. Although she hadn’t discovered anything malicious so far, she couldn’t help but worry that the wizard was plotting something sinister behind their backs, and so she had taken the precaution of employing her nanites to surreptitiously inspect each item of food presented to her. Thankfully, none of it had proven poisoned, but Steph wasn’t about to take any chances. After all, if an attempt on their lives was to be made, the commotion and noise of the banquet would serve as the perfect cover for it.
If there was any saving grace, it was that Sarah seemed to be attracting the lion’s share of attention. This was most likely due to the fact that a depiction of her featured prominently in the vast mural painted upon the ceiling above them. Steph was thankful a rendition of herself was not included in the piece. Even if her absence offered only a slight degree of additional anonymity, she was only too happy to take it.