Here is an esper! A man of average height, in an expensive looking heavily structured dark navy suit with black leather boots and a blue tie. Also, black leather gloves. He has black irises and black hair. He looks pensive. On his plates are one (1) of each of the canapés. His nametag says "Lawrence Lacson | English | Tagalog | Kapampangan"

Here is a guy in SAF No. 2 dress. White dress shirt with piqué bib front, red bow tie and cummerbund, white jacket with peaked lapels and gold front and cuff buttons and shoulder epaulettes, insignia lapel pins on the right lapel and rank patch on the left sleeve, black pants, and shoes. He looks cheerful. Nametag: "Lachlan Lennox | English | Mandarin"

Here's a gal who has piled her plate high with canapés, currently focusing on a bit of lapis legit. She's wearing a red dress and gold heels, and her hair is swirled into some kind of vaguely confectionery braid arrangement.

...Marza sighs internally. If she wallflowers all night she'll never find out if one of these people is secretly super compatible and interested in dungeons.

Eenie meenie miney white dude. She swallows a slice of popiah and heads over to extend her hand. "Hey. Singapore?" she asks in English.

"Yes, currently." He has a weird unplaceable accent. One might describe it as a trans-Australasian-Mediterranean accent. "I have Australian citizenship by birth but I'm a Singapore permanent resident, so I'm doing my mandatory military service right now."

He shakes.

He sees the woman with tons of canapés on her plate. Relatable. Lawrence would also take more, because the food is really good, but he's too shy.

This event feels like. So high class. Singapore is rich and the Marina Bay Sands hotel is like. Really rich. And the concept of interacting with other espers is like. Anxiety-inducing. It's his guild's responsibility to help him find partners — especially his first partner — but he has to actually initiate and be receptive to contact to test compatibility. He reminds himself that this is a government-sanctioned event and that he has a Quasar minder watching over him a distance awa.

Also, her hairstyle is giving.

He scoots over to her. Oh oops now she's also moving towards this other guy and now it's too late to abort and he's already entered their space — "Lawrence", he says abruptly.

Oh! They have good compatibility! Lachlan smiles.

"I'm Lachlan," he says to the woman and the newly arrived Lawrence.

Decent compatibility! Wonders never cease. "I'm Marza. Currently Shanghai, originally Philippines."

Handshake for new guy?

Oh! "I'm from the Philippines also."

He takes off one glove. Handshake!

[continued here.]

Here's a charming couple who arrive just a little bit late! She's got a very nice dress on but not much jewelry or visible make-up;

he's wearing a suit that probably cost as much as a small car, and is wearing a lot of jewelry and make-up.

She drags her husband by the gloves over toward Lawrence. Upon cursory inspection of his nametag, she speaks in lightly accented English.

"Hello hello! We're visiting from Japan! Would you like to shake hands, I imagine it's why you're here but it costs nothing to be polite –"

Lawrence and Lachlan have continued talking for a bit after meeting with Marza, since they seem to have great compatibility.

"Yes, hello! I'm from the Philippines. And yes, I would," he says, taking off his right glove to shake hers. He wonders if the two are partners. The other person looks very fashionable. He should really learn how to put on makeup. Or maybe get a makeup artist on retainer? He has like, Money™ now.

Oof, bad compatibility. He makes a sheepish smile.

"Hello as well. I'm local." Is Chieko interested in shaking hands with him as well?

She is! Hand for Lachlan.

"Bad compatibility happens, dear, no need to look so embarrassed. I'm Hata Chieko! This is Hao, my husband. We've been working in the field for a while, ourselves."

"Charmed," Hao says, not moving to touch anyone or take off his gloves.

Good compatibility! Wow, he is getting so lucky in this mixer, two compatible people already!

"I'm Lachlan. Recent awakening. Nice to meet the both of you."

That kind of makes him feel more embarrassed "Lawrence. Nice to meet you as well." He is not going to offer to shake hands with Hao because it's obvious he doesn't want to. He also wears gloves!

"Same here, of course. Lachlan, I like our compatibility – let me get you a card –"

She pulls one out of her clutch. It's understated, and it doesn't say anything about a guild, though it does have contact information for a personal secretary.

"There. I hope the adjustment to esper life has been treating you well? I know they say anything's easy after the hell week, but trust me, you can get exploited just like in any other industry – worse, really. And I really am asking! I know we're all very polite, but if there's been any trouble I want to help straighten it out."

(Hao looks extremely in love with his meddlesome wife, which isn't much of a change, but bears repeating.)

Well, his hell week got him arrested for sexual harassment but he doesn't need to talk about that. He was pardoned. He gives his card and accepts hers.

"I'm with the Singaporean Armed Forces right now, for National Service." Which could be considered exploitation, but. Now is not the time for Discourse.

"No trouble for me right now; thank you very much for the offer. My power is clearing away environmental hazards in a volume around me, like dust, strong wind, extreme temperature, altered gravity, and the like. I can't clear hazards attached to sentients, though. I think it can also clear away illusions but I haven't gotten the opportunity to test that out. I've only been deployed to a couple of dungeons but they're saying that my niche is likely to be in rescuing people in dungeons with hazardous environments."

Aww. They look so cute together. Lawrence hopes that one day he might also have a husband who looks at him in the same way.

"Oh, alright. But if either of you does end up exploited, you tell me about it, alright? My power lets me work with dungeon materials, and I do enough busywork that way that I've got some kind of leverage on just about everyone east of Myanmar, so don't underestimate what kind of help I can give. Here, Lawrence, you take a card too."

"And I'm no slouch either," Hao comments.

"Yes, love, but you have no interest in anyone besides yourself and you hate helping people."