Stephanie does enjoy fashion assignments, yes. She will deny that this is anything but professional, but she put more than a casual effort into selecting their outfits and it absolutely paid off. They're so cute together!

The kid's hair turns out to be straight under all that tangle. She pulls it back and braids it before Shiro can say anything, ties it off, and makes her exit. Normally her work is somewhat gratifying, but Princess Stephanie has never hosted anyone quite this hostile before.

"Dinner?" Stephanie offers.

"My skin burns," Shiro announces flatly. "It stings in places I didn't know I had. Let's eat."

Sora doesn't disagree. He'd figured his first Isekai Protagonist Invention would either be the wet sulfuric acid process or the movable type printing press, depending on Elkia's current branch of the tech tree, but it might end up being a less caustic recipe for soap. His skin isn't happy with the results either.

Dinner is typically eaten in the great hall, which is part of the first floor and currently filled with poker tables. People are instead eating on the second floor, their plates and chairs spread out across a labyrinth of parlors, boudoirs, galleries, antechambers, smoking rooms, staircases, studies, solaria, and in one case an art studio filled with metalworking tools. The kitchens have loaded up a single long table with a buffet and left the residents to their own devices.

Stephanie was true to her word: most of the other diners are dressed nicely. Given the range of unfamiliar fashion it's hard to quantify exactly how formal they are, but Sora and Shiro do not stand out.

Sora serves himself a cooked bird wing of some description, a pile of what might be rice, a salad made with leafy greens and sliced purple fruit drizzled with honey, and a mug filled with a strong-smelling hot beverage poured from a glass dispenser.

Shiro does not make food decisions. She has the same thing but with water instead.

Stephanie does not expect to be bothered while she eats. Everyone here ought to be in a bigger rush than usual while preparing for tomorrow, so she doesn't go out of her way to pick a table where she'll be entertaining other guests. It'll be enough just to have Sora and Shiro following her around for what other people will assume is no good reason. She sits at a table in the west parlor to get a view of the setting sun and doesn't think much of it.

"Princess! Just the woman I was looking for!"

A woman with pointed furry ears, clawlike fingernails, and a proportionately long tail slides over the back of a nearby couch and lays her own tray of food on the table next to Stephanie's.

"Mmmm."

She's a cat. Don't give her attention and she'll get bored and leave.

"I've heard you played heads-up stud against Chloe Zell earlier today. Tell me the story!"

Stephanie does not feel like dealing with this woman right now. Today has been stressful enough without her.

Oh wow, a real-life catgirl! What to say, what to say…

"Hi, my name is Sora. Nice to meet you!"

Hmm, a little bland.

"Your fur is so soft! Can I pet you?"

No, too forward.

"Is heterochromia common for nekomusume? Do any of your family members have it? What about extra fingers or toes?"

Maybe a slightly less obnoxious genetics question?

"Do furries have the same reproductive strategy as sirens?"

That one is definitely too forward.

In the end he decides to go with a classic.

"Hello there!"

"Hello to you too, human!"

Juno would normally say something cutting after being interrupted like that, but Sora's gigawatt smile is disarming.

"Where did you find this one, Steph?"

"We ran into Stephanie just when she was finishing her poker match! It was a real nail-biter, had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Chloe Zell is something else."

"Isn't she just? My name is Juno."

"Sora. First time visiting – Shiro and I came to the city for the tournament tomorrow."

Shiro waves at the werebeast, but her attention remains firmly on her plate.

"There are lots of competitors in your shoes," Juno muses. "How do you like your odds?"

"It'll be tough," Sora agrees. He takes a sip of the drink, which does not have an analogous taste to anything on Earth but is nonetheless delicious. "It'll be good for Elkia, though, won't it? Whoever wins is the strongest gambler and has the best shot at defending Elkian territory. Err, no offense."

Flattery will get you everywhere, Sora.

"Best gambler among humans," she says, chuckling. "A slow walker can outrun a legion of cripples. Chloe Zell won't do much better than the late king. No offense."

"Hey! Humans may not be as magical as you, but we're just as good at strategy games. The next king will be a pretty good card player, so anyone who challenges them won't benefit from being stronger or faster."

He's still smiling, though.

Oh, is that what you think?

"Mm, if you say so. I'll have to see it to believe it."