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The party was finally getting into the swing of things as Mikree moved around the various groups, pausing to stop and chat with them as he went. He was keeping an eye out for one particular lion, but he wasn't too worried about spotting him. They had all night, after all, and he was sure he'd come across the duke in his travels around the party.

His wardrobe had changed sine they had arrived. Before he had sported a handsome red pelt over his shoulders and a single golden cuff on his ear. Now, after meeting with the Empress, he wore one of the very fancy necklaces that denoted he 'belonged' to the royal family tonight, along with Reyes. He was pretty sure this was as close he'd ever come to being a prince and he was going to soak it up with gusto. The rest of Ana's jewelry made an appearance with more gold decorating the tan lion, the firelight catching it as he moved around. More cuffs adorned his ears as well as his tail, a golden bangle on one wrist and a few rings on his paws. They felt a little funny but he knew losing one would mean the wrath of Ana, something he didn't want any more than death.

Finally, he wore a new pelt over his shoulders. It was the intriguing hide of an okapi, thin and lightweight with rich dark brown that rivaled Reyes' natural coloring, but that ended with the trademark white and black stripes. He was quite pleased with it, even if it was just for a charade. The others at the party seemed to find it wonderful as he could barely take two steps before someone new approached him to talk.

Mikree was in his element. He was charming and sweet and just a bit too flirty, leaving those he spoke to in his wake wondering when, exactly, he had swept them off their paws. He found he enjoyed leaving a little trail of swooning felines behind him, although he was sure he'd never be able to replicate this stunt. Charm and a smooth voice only got you so far. Mikree was positive the necklace and his faux title were doing most of the work.

"Yes ma'am, sure as the day is long," Mikree said with a laugh as an older lioness asked him if he was always this charming. "Just born under a lucky star. Although I know a few lions that'd pay a pretty price for me t' shut up every now n' then."

The little crowd he had gathered voiced their 'outrage' at the thought of someone not enjoying listening to him speak, and he had to admit it fluffed his ego up quite a bit. Mikree had never been short on confidence and his ego had certainly become more tame recently, but he was still a young adult that thrived off being around others and their kind words and compliments went right to his head.

He excused himself after a bit of laughter, once again turning his eyes to the crowds, scanning for their target. He had yet to see anyone who fit the description of the lion he was looking for, and he hadn't seen Reyes in quite some time either. He had never liked being alone much, but he knew better than to assume he was.

Mikree turned as a voice carried to him over the din of the party. It was one that carried weight and importance and that had tone that made his lip want to curl into a sneer. Instead he schooled his expression, keeping the smile on his face as he turned the face the other male.

Well, he thought to himself as he spotted the giraffe-patterned hide. There's his problem. He'd been looking for a lion without any sort of decoration at all. This was certainly him, though, and he couldn't believe his luck.

"Sure thing, got plenty'a stories," he drawled, not letting up the attention he was giving to the lion just because he was his target. Now where was Reyes?

"What kinda story are you lookin' for, sir? Adventure? Romance? Death-defying stunts? I've got 'em all, all you gotta do is pick."

Mikree gave a little chuckle, turning up the charm as he took in the state of the male before him. Brown eyes flicked off to the side, following the smaller male's gaze, and noticed the two rather burly lions that were not so much hidden in the crowd as they were blending in. They wanted to make their presence known, but subtly. This lion wasn't one that would be easy to take down, but he was sure they'd do it. He just needed to bide some time as he waited for Reyes to appear.

"Romance it is," he said as he stepped closer, motioning for the duke to follow him a bit away from the group he had been chatting with. "Ah, where t' start?" His mind pulled blank after blank before he finally settled on a story he could easily weave the other lion into to draw him in and hold his attention.

"Well, I think I've got just the one," he said, finally pausing in his stroll. He turned to face the other male, a bit closer than was needed and a rather alluring look on his face. "Although I think it might be best if we settled down to tell it. Might take a while, y'see, and with all the chatter 'round us it'll be hard for you to hear if you're too far."

He shifted to lay down and motioned for the older male to do the same.

Had this been anyone else, Mikree would have enjoyed starting to spin a tale of a rich, rogue lion that bested any that he came upon, champion of the underdog and slayer of the wicked and evil. He never enjoyed lying, but at least in this capacity he could view it as telling a story rather than blatantly fibbing. He picked up on details of the older male and guessed on a few others, such as the vibrant state of his coat in his youth or perhaps a more imposing figure. He went on to say how he was sure the mysterious striped rouge had been nothing more than a myth, but one day he stumbled across a rather vicious band of hyenas and had been at their mercy before the arrival of this nameless hero.

"I swear to you, sir, I thought for sure I was a goner," he said, pressing a paw over his chest as he closed his eyes at the 'memory'. "But all those hyenas froze on the spot as this mighty roar ripped through that valley. They took off faster'n you can say hippopotamus and I was left standin' there, bleedin' and robbed, and in the shadow of this vigilante, who did I mention I coulda sworn was you when you came up to me earlier?"

He paused in his story as a shadow fell over them, the firelight causing it to dance back and forth. He looked up and felt both relief and surprise at the sight of Reyes, backlit by the fire and looking like he was on a mission. It took Mikree a moment to take in the full effect of his boss' new attire, but the stark white pelt with the soft flowers woven in made him look as if he fit right in with this crowd even though he knew the personality that lay beneath the disguise.

The offer to dance made him pause and he glanced at the duke with an apologetic smile. "Hang tight, darlin'. I'll be back to finish this story for you." He got to his feet and followed Reyes, much as he had the night atop the Watchpoint. Just without the bouncing.

He caught up to the darker male and let a low whistle leave him. "Damn, Reyes, you're lookin' mighty fine in that pelt. Didn't think you had the whole aristocrat act in you, but looks like you proved me wrong.'

Mikree rolled his eyes slightly at the correction. No one could hear them here, after all. But Reyes was one to stick to the rules like no one he'd ever seen, even if they were harsh ones to follow. The purr in his voice kept the younger male from straying too far, led along like shadow following its castor as they took up a spot in the dancing area.

The sudden contact made Mikree pause in surprise and he flicked his gaze up, meeting Reyes' evenly. Since he had joined Blackwatch he had grown to be as big as the commander, as he had proclaimed when he had been nothing but skin and bones, and he had finally started putting on the muscle now that his growing was done. Reyes still had him in weight, but Mikree was closing in fast.

"Didn't forget, darlin'," he returned, cocking a brow with his go-to grin settling onto his features. "I don't mind admittin' when I was wrong."

He kept close to the commander as they moved, the feeling of dozens of eyes watching them only boosting his confidence. He loved being the center of attention still and now was now different. His dancing style was different from Reyes', but he settled into the close contact dancing fairly well.

"Never took you for a dancer," he added after a few minutes of letting the song flow through him in silence. "Not sure I'll ever figure you out completely."

It was rather strange to be subjected to a smirk from Reyes at such close quarters. Usually that kind of expression was reserved for right when a mission was going perfectly - which wasn't often - and Reyes knew they had it in the bag. It was also usually followed by someone being killed. It was a bit different now, of course, but as much as Reyes liked to talk about being able to wear as many hats as he needed, his acting skills weren't nearly as polished as they could have been so a bit of that 'mission smirk' carried over, making a tingle run down Mikree's spine that would normally be his cue to turn tail and run before he was the one laying on the ground, bleeding out. He pushed through it, though, and decided to give his mind a break by letting his head shift from being even with Reyes' to easing forward, allowing him to rest the side of his head against the darker lion's. He allowed them to speak quietly without other's hearing while still keeping their dance fluid and close.

"I think everyone wants to figure you out, darlin'," he said with a low chuckle. "Can't be the lion we know and love all the time, hm?" He'd seen a bit of that normal lion that resided somewhere within Reyes, the one that hated sending off recruits to their death, the one that needed to eat and sleep like the rest of them, the one that didn't like being alone with his thoughts after too long. And now that he'd seen a bit of it, he wanted to see more. He owed Reyes his life and he respected the other lion for what he was, but he felt it was time to learn more about what made him tick under that scowl.

Shifting his weight a bit, Mikree pushed forward against Reyes, lowering his voice even more. "Ingabe ufuna ukuba kuqondwe?" he asked, a tone added to his voice that could be taken for a flirtatious tone or simply a questioning one.