Round 61

Jeane's wings folded neatly against her back as she turned to face Silra fully. Her expression was a careful blend of amusement and calculation. "My dear, you misunderstand. These are merely... enhancements." She gestured to the newly visible appendages with a casual wave of her hand. "They don't change my nature—the nature I've always been with this party." She took a step forward, her movements fluid and controlled. "As for your missing blade, perhaps you misplaced it in all the... excitement."

Silra's eyes narrowed, her hand instinctively moving to her empty sheath before stopping midway. The rogue's posture remained tense, coiled like a spring ready to release. "Excitement? You call this... this display... excitement?" Her voice was tight with barely contained anger. "What kind of 'enhancement' unfolds like that? And don't try to tell me you've had those hidden all along—no one could conceal wings that size without leaving a single clue."

A low murmur rippled through the remaining party guests, a mixture of confusion and growing unease as they watched the confrontation unfold. The atmosphere in the room shifted subtly, the earlier carefree energy giving way to something more uncertain.

Jeane's crimson eyes gleamed with an inner light as she regarded Silra coolly. "Clues? Oh please, my dear Silra. Do you think I've been parading around naked this entire time just to hide them?" She let out a soft, melodious laugh that seemed to caress the air itself. "I assure you, they're quite... practical... when needed." Her wings shifted slightly, the leathery surface catching the light in a way that was almost hypnotic.

Silra's hand moved to rest on the hilt of a dagger still sheathed at her other side, a clear show of force. "Practical? For what exactly? And don't give me that 'always been this way' nonsense. I would have noticed wings like those." Her voice was low and dangerous now, barely above a whisper but carrying an undeniable threat.

Jeane's smile never wavered, but something cold flickered in her eyes. "Oh, Silra. Always so... direct. It's one of your more charming qualities." She took another step forward, closing the distance between them to mere feet. "But I'm afraid you're mistaken about what you would or wouldn't have noticed. My dear, the human eye sees only what it expects to see."

Silra didn't back away, holding her ground with stubborn determination. "And what exactly am I supposed to expect from a 'woman' who can grow wings on command?" She spat the word woman like it was bitter on her tongue.

A sudden commotion at the door drew everyone's attention. Two new figures had entered—a tall, statuesque woman with short silver hair and piercing blue eyes, and a petite human woman with soft black hair in a loose bob, wide brown eyes filled with terror.