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Mairead's carriage had been followed by another carriage, a unique carriage that boasted of wealth and importance. Inside the rather fancy carriage sat Benjamin Black, the Head of the Agency, or rather, The Head of the Merchants Guild in Thesaurum. Ben was accompanied by a large black dire wolf, named Asher, who had been his trusty companion for almost 12 years. The wolf had to lay on the floor of the Carriage, for it was too large to lay on the seats inside. Along with Ben and his wolf, sat two rather quiet men dressed in black, who would be recognized as Ben's personal entourage.

Ben glanced out through the window of the Carriage silently as his carriage pulled to a soft halt in front of the Venue, just behind the carriage that had been in front of them. He recognized the style of the Carriage in front of them to be that of Armatus. He tapped his finger on his leg silently, as his thoughts were confirmed when he saw Ambassador Mairead step out of the Carriage.

He then glanced silently towards the door of his Carriage as it was opened by the footman, revealing a more clear view of the outside environment, as well as a view of the atrium. Asher, his wolf, also perked up as the door to the carriage was opened, and proceeded to stand up, and silently hop out of the Carriage. As the wolf exited the carriage, it shook its body as if it were wet, and then stretched backwards, emitting a soft yawn. Ben followed Asher out of the Carriage, stretching a bit after he was standing on the ground next to Asher.

His eyes fell on Mairead as she approached the security personnel at the front of the venue, several yards in front of him. He then glanced back as the two men from his entourage exited the Carriage as well, and stopped behind Ben without a word. He nodded at them silently, before turning his head to his left, and gazing down at Asher. The wolf looked back up to him with a calm stare, seeming content to be out of the carriage.

Ben was wearing a fine black suit, one tailored to fit to his build. It also boasted of his wealth, and marked him as the Head of the Merchants Guild. His hair was cropped short, but was slicked back in a formal manner, adding to his stature of being a man of wealth and renown. Ben also carried a black leather cane, with a solid silver handle at the top, which also added to his appearance. He wore black leather gloves, partly for fashion, but more to hide his right hand, which was part of a bionic arm. His right arm was surrounded by a rubber like material that mimicked skin, but it would be obvious to someone from Novum Fulgar that it was not flesh. His eye was also bionic, but its appearance was masked by a dark magic spell that Ben had learned long ago, a spell that could change the appearance of his face.

He smiled at the corner of his mouth at his wolf, Asher. Asher returned a smile, letting his tongue flop out the corner of his mouth. Ben and Asher had a unique bond, a bond born of dark magic, a permanent spell that could not be undone. He met his furry friend during the 5 years he spent in the west, trying to survive in the wild to pass the final test of the Agency, almost 12 years ago. He reminisced on the day that he had met his large furry friend.

His thoughts, however, were interrupted when Asher's head jerked towards Mairead, in response to Mairead declaring loudly that she was the Ambassador to the front security personnel. Ben also moved his gaze towards Mairead, realizing that there was a problem. He glanced back at the two men in his entourage, and motioned for them to follow him. He did not need to motion for Asher to follow, however, because Asher stayed right next to him as they made their way forward.

Ben's pace quickened slightly when he saw the man grab Mairead's forearm firmly. Asher's fur stood up in response to the sight as well, and his ears laid back against his head, a clear sign of the wolf's displeasure.

Before Ben, Asher, and his entourage reached Mairead however, a knight came out, and began exchanging words with the guard. Ben recognized the knight to be Sir Emer, a knight of renown in Lucidus. Ben slowed his pace, as did Asher and his entourage. He came up behind Mairead just as the knight finished inviting her in, and wishing her a good evening. Ben, glanced at the knight, knowing that the Emer wouldn't recognize him, though he recognized the knight.

He then turned his attention to the security guard, who had a look of embarrassment and defeat on his face. He smirked, as the security guard turned his gaze towards Ben.

The guard looked at Ben curiously, and suspiciously, before speaking. "Your invitation, sir?"

Ben smirked at him for a moment, before answering his question. "I am Benjamin Black, head of the Merchants Guild in Thesaurum." Asher uttered a low and menacing growl at the security guard, as if to confirm Ben's words. The Merchants Guild was known in every Faction, for it was what regulated all the trade going in and out of Thesaurum, the faction known worldwide as a central trade hub.

The security guard glanced down at Asher with a face tinted by fear. It was no surprise, though, for the wolf stood at 4 feet tall, weighing a whopping 350 lbs. The beast was more than a frightening sight, especially with its fangs barred.

The security guard cleared his throat. "Well I'll need to see some proof of that."

Ben lifted his hand, motioning with his finger to one of the men behind him. The one flanking Ben's right stepped forward, and walked around Mairead and stopped in front of the security guard, producing a golden envelope from the inside of his coat. He handed it to the security guard, who proceeded to tear it open. He glanced over the parchment, examining it closely. He then looked back up at Benjamin, and cleared his throat nervously. "My apologies, Mr. Black, you may enter."

Benjamin quickly threw back a reply, in a commanding voice. "I think you owe Ambassador Mairead an apology, not me." As Ben finished his statement, he glanced over at Mairead, with a warm expression.

The man swallowed slightly, glancing down at Asher, who was now silently staring at the Security Guard. He then looked up at Mairead, and bowed his head slightly. "My apologies Ambassador, I was foolish to question your identity." He looked back towards Ben, before adding, "But I do have to ask that your men stay in the carriage. Only people on the guest list may enter."

Ben smiled slightly, before glancing back at the two men behind him.
"Wait in the carriage." The two men glanced at one another, clearly uncomfortable with leaving Ben to go inside by himself. Ben rolled his eyes before continuing, "I'll have Asher with me." The two men then nodded hesitantly, before turning around and making their way down the steps back towards the carriage.

Ben looked back forward to the security guard with a calm look. "Now then-"

He was interrupted by the security guard, who stated nervously, "Sir, your er, wolf, cant join you. You'll have plenty of security personnel protecting you ins-"

As if in response, the Wolf uttered a quick and menacing bark, which made the Security guard jump slightly. Ben laid his left hand on Ashers back, to calm him down. "The wolf goes where I go." Ben's words had an authoritative sound, which only added to his mannerisms as a leader.

The man cleared his throat, clearly frightened. "Y-Yes sir, you and your w-wolf may enter."

Ben smiled at the man, clapping his shoulder with his right arm, causing the security guard to be knocked off balance from the weight of Ben's mechanical arm. The security guard gave him a surprised look, but before he could say anything else to Ben, Ben continued forward past the Security Guard. Just before he entered the door, he glanced back at Mairead and smiled politely at her. He knew a lot about her, though she would never know how in depth his knowledge of her and her land was. He turned his head back forward towards Emer, nodding at him. "Your security is clearly unaware of the meaning of courtesy, Sir Emer." He smiled politely at the knight, before adding another statement. "Its fortunate that you do not lack that knowledge." He nodded at the Knight courteously, before striding past him into the ballroom.

As he entered the ballroom, it was a rather interesting transition, as the voices of all its attendees filled his ears at once, giving the venue a lifelike demeanor. He continued forward with the stride of a man of importance, glancing around, taking in the scenery while also making note of where the exits were located. The habits he developed during his time as an Agency Assassin never really did leave him, nor did they become any less useful. He began counting how many people were inside, recognizing many of the faces as he did so. As he stood there taking everyone in, himself and his wolf began to draw attention from the surrounding attendees. Mixed reactions came from all around him, some were negative, some were with fascination at the size of Asher, his wolf. His wolf paid no attention to the reactions of the patrons, but instead glanced around as well, looking for any signs of danger.

Asher was extremely protective of Ben, and Ben was extremely protective of Asher. Their bond was extensive, and they made a rather dangerous team. Ben paid no mind to everyones reactions, for he was used to this type of thing. He continued scanning the room, before stopping his gaze on a woman he recognized as Aaren. He stared at her for a moment, taking note of the man she was speaking with. Ben had no knowledge of this man's identity, and curiosity built in his head. Surely his spies would have notified him of this mans existence, if he was involved with Lady Aaren. It was likely that they had only just met this evening.

Deciding that he would approach them, he began to walk forward, gracefully snatching a glass of champagne off the serving tray of a passing chauffeur. Asher followed close by his side, constantly looking around for anything that seemed suspicious. The wolf had a unique tendency to smell danger before it made itself known to Ben. Ben was no fool, however, for he was taking note of every passing face as he closed the distance between himself, and Lady Aaren.

He took a sip of the Champagne as he stopped a foot or so away from the pair. Swallowing the Champagne, he greeted both of them politely, with a charming smile befitting someone of his stature.

"Good evening, Lady Aaren." His voice was slightly deep, yet suave as he spoke. "Its a pleasure to finally meet you." As he finished his second statement, he bowed his head slightly, in a respectful manner. As he brought his head back up, he glanced over at Maliarc, taking in his appearance, and mentally noting his body type and build. He nodded politely at Maliarc as well, not wanting to offend the man by not acknowledging him as well. Though Ben was the Head of the Agency and ex assassin, the world knew him as the cheerful head of the Merchant's Guild in Thesaurum, and he played the part with perfection. He took a sip of his champagne, and smiled at the two of them with nobility.

At his side, Asher the direwolf tilted its head slightly, gazing at Maliarc and Lady Aaren silently, trusting that Ben did not view the two in front of them as a danger.

Ben watched Maliarc carefully as the mage stood up and left the table, yet never breaking his line of sight with Aaren. Ben's curiosity peaked. The man intrigued him, and the fact that his purpose here was unknown to Ben made him even more intriguing. Perhaps he was from Lucidus Magus, a man who wanted to devote his life to protecting Aaren? Or maybe there was more to it. But the way he was dressed...did not seem like he was from this Faction. His garbs had a style that he had seen before, but he couldn't put a finger on where... Nox? No, perhaps Armatus? Definitely not. His eyes narrowed for a moment, realizing that his appearance was similar to that of the Western Dwellers. It made sense with his quiet mannerisms, and his appearance. Ben had met others in the West during the 5 years he spent there, and they had a similar appearance that made them stick out amongst the other factions.

Ben turned his attention back to the table, filing away that bit of information into the back of his mind. Upon hearing Mairead reply to his statement, he smiled at her. "Good! Honestly if Sir Emer hadn't shown up when he did I think Asher would have torn the mans arm off for grabbing you like that." He smirked, glancing to his furry companion, who awkwardly grinned after smelling Mairead's hand,and gave her fingers a few licks.

Ben knew that Asher probably was hungry, but feeding the wolf would only make him bloated and tired, and he needed his companion to be on his toes, should anything go wrong. Plus, he never trusted anyone under any circumstances to feed the dire wolf, besides himself. If someone were to poison the wolf, the bond born of dark magic would mirror its effects to Ben. Their bond was so deep, that if one died, the other would perish as well. There was not a single person alive that knew this information, however, and he would keep it that way until his death.

"I think he's fine for the moment." He said politely, scratching the wolfs ears again. After he spoke he listened intently to what Lady Aaren had to say about the spectacle at the entrance. However, he only reacted once she asked wether or not himself and Ambassador Mairead had found the time to indulge in Lucidus Magus culture, he smirked. "My lady, as the Head of the biggest Trading Faction in the world, My travels have brought me everywhere there is to go." 'Well, almost...' he thought to himself after speaking, thinking of the land that extended out west, past anything he had seen while out in the unknown lands. The vision he saw before the awakening popped into his mind at the thought of what he had seen out west.

Deciding to change the subject from the casual formalities, Ben turned his body back towards the two in front of him. "So, Lady Aaren, how have you been faring? I've heard quite distressing things about your...condition." he said, pausing before uttering the word. He knew a great deal about her condition, though he would not let on how much he knew. The things he knew were very disturbing to say the least, and if Lady Aaren were to come across the knowledge that Ben possessed, her outlook on her entire life would change instantaneously. Perhaps one day, when the time was ripe, he would divulge her
with what he knew. For now he would play the part of the genuinely curious Merchant from Thesaurum.

Out of the corner of Ben's eye, he saw a man gracefully slide his drunken self down the stairs to the tables left, his high level of intoxication apparent on his face. He paid little attention to the man, though he silently clicked his teeth in a quick series of clicks, sending a code through the mic implanted in his teeth, to be heard by one of his spies. The spy that was closest to Ben's position, the waiter, made no reaction to the code he heard, but understood it to be an order. The order being to become Ben's surveillance. The waiter casually offered a glass of champagne to another patron, before making his way towards Ben's table.

Ben had just finished his glass of champagne, when a waiter (his spy) came over to their table.

"Shall I refill your glass, sir?" the waiter asked Ben with courtesy that matched any other waiter in the ballroom, and Ben casually nodded, and motioned with his hand toward the empty glass, paying the waiter little attention. The sight would have seemed normal, but in fact, the whole scene was a communication between Ben and his spy. The motion of the hand towards the glass, was another code, that told the Spy which area of the Ballroom to keep an eye on. The waiter nodded, and filled up Bens glass, before making his way back to the kitchen. In the kitchen, the spy had hidden a small pistol, that he would retrieve and hide on himself, in case anything were to happen in the ballroom.

The series of clicks that Ben had made would have just seemed like a typical habit, kind of like tapping a finger on ones knee. The other spy, disguised as a patron, heard the clicks in his earpiece as well, and excused himself to the bathroom, where he had hidden a pistol as well. Both spies would be armed, and would be watching everyones movements, relaying any info to Ben as each hour passed. Ben would not be caught off guard by some idiot with delusions of grandeur, regardless of who it was. His spies would be keeping a close watch on Vossler, as well as the ones from Novum. Those two factions were clearly at each others throats, and this would be an ideal setting for one to try to neutralize the other. Though Ben had little information that would benefit his suspicions, he would be very careful, nonetheless.