"Were here, sir," said the butler, as he parked the expensive car in the sidewalk; where rows of vehicles are also parked beside the curb as well, having arrived to the party for the invitation of all philanthropists all for a grand party in celebration of peace and unity.
Dusk has already been upon them due to the heavy traffic, Carter and his servants had to endure the entire day as the long lines of vehicles and other passengers took their time to travel through the main roads and highways, especially the highway which took about an hour to get through.
Glancing outside the window, Carter saw the crowd of well-dressed people standing in queue as security used handheld scanner on their faces to detect the identity of anyone that might be not invited in the building or have malicious intent to sabotage this event.
Being a rich young man himself, nearly everyone knows who he is by the mere recognizable face he has; having been in the part of controlling how city function in becoming the safest and happier place for people to feel secure, not worrying to deal with unnecessary financial issues or even crime for that matter.
Exiting the vehicle, the building not far from their side was luxurious; brightly lit up in different and flashing colors as it had a large clock tower with the number twelve shown above. A beautiful place to hold a formal gathering to raise awareness and popularity for their contributions.
The building has the appearance of a classic theater, with intricate columns, decorative reliefs, and majestic dome. However, due to its architectural style and historical importance, the building is listed in Japan's Cultural Property Register as one of the most representative places for performing arts in Japan.
Which is strange for him since this is only invitation for philanthropists, not wealthy men and women. Although, he won't go out complaining of his ignorance in such matters, rather, he prefers to just enjoy what this has to offer to him.
"Here we are," Carter said quietly to himself, looking at the rather large building, "well, this place seems nice, but then again, I have nothing to judge as this isn't my first time attending events like this." Admitting that he isn't familiar in seeing sights like these as he often visited several buildings that offered him invitations to various parties.
He felt the warm touch of his right hand being grasped by gentle fingers, turning his head to see Yumi looking at him with eyes of affection along with her beautiful pink dress, "shall we go to the party, my beloved master?" She asked with a delighted grin, wanting nothing more than to hold his hand forever as his face turned into reddened tomato.
Returning his gaze back at her, his hand had also reached down and lifted hers, touching her smooth, porcelain like skin that is very silky to the touch and delicate, pressing it against his own gently, not wanting to hurt her in anyway.
Yumi had a wide smile, seeming to enjoy the intimacy the two are sharing before Sebastian joined in; his hand also reached down and entwined with Carter's fingers as well, surprising both of them altogether before the maid angrily pouted at him.
"No fair," she exclaimed, not pleased in seeing their butler in getting closer to him, "you only want to hold his hand because I did so, don't you?! Well, tough luck, he is mine and not yours to begin with!" Argument ensued as she kept glaring at the butler with intense glare.
Sebastian however, simply smiled back at her, "do not worry, miss Yumi, I will not try to take him away from you or do anything that will harm him in any way." He assured in a soft voice, "after all, he is our master that we must protect from harm, all I am doing is simply following him."
Knowing what his words meant, the maid simply gritted her teeth as her grasp on her lover's hand tightened a bit, not wanting to share him with anyone as the two are staring at each other in contest of their love for their master.
Meanwhile, Carter sighed tiredly from this competition as he then drag them to the line of formally dressed people invited for this celebration. They all looked rich as every person has to be wearing a fancy suit or elegant dress for the sake of dignity and appearances, only few stood out that look like average Joe with barely any cash to afford decent clothes for formal gathering.
The line wasn't uneventful to say the least as they waited patiently until it was finally their turn. A tall man with beard and grey suit stood in front of the door with metal detector, allowing them to pass through with ease, though he found it strange for security to not require everyone to open up their bags or briefcases and only having their bodies scanned instead.
Then the tall man approached them without saying much word, pulling out handheld scanner before turning it on which emit a faint red light in a square like pattern, shining at their faces for identification as it scans their irises. It lasted only a second before the screen beeped in green, indicating that they are in the clear.
"Have fun," the guard said with a hint of friendliness in his gruff, raspy voice as Carter gave a small nod of appreciation. Entering the building alongside Yumi and Sebastian into the main lobby comprised of dozens of chairs lined up on the floor along with the carpet beneath their feet as the many windows surrounded the place, allowing for natural lighting to brighten the place up.
There were many people conversing to each other, either they be in a small group or one to one. Tables with food and beverages are on the side for anyone to take, though some had brought their own alcohol and cigarette as smoking is allowed in this place, to the surprise of some guests who disapprove of such fumes in their nose.
Music is played in the background throughout the building with the song playing electronic music in loud volume. Some enjoyed the beat of the melody, swaying their hips in time with the rhythm while others despise the music and chose to remain silent or dance somewhere else in a more quieter place.
Appearing to be more of a party than a meeting of the highest officials, Carter is still unfazed by the whole ordeal. To him, the most important thing to do is to interact with his associates and influence them to support his plans of improvement to the city of Tokyo and his country altogether.
Letting go of their hands and taking step forward, he turned to his childhood friends with specific order; "let's just enjoy ourselves for a while, in the meantime, why don't you two go around the place and find anything that catches your interest in particular," he suggested with a faint smile, wanting for the two to be at least entertained as they nod in agreement.
"okay," Yumi said with trust and care of his words, not minding what her master does as long his safe from harm, "just promise me to not talk with any woman," She added, pouting as her jealousy and paranoia began to rise; in which Carter sighed in exasperation from this.
"You don't have to worry about that," Carter reassured softly, patting the top of her head in comfort, "you two are one of the most important people in my life," saying it truthfully without much hesitation, seeing the maid blushed heavily while Sebastian laughed with smile.
Somehow, his words seemed to have eased Yumi's anxiety as she began to relax, giving him a bright, happy smile as he then walk away from the two, navigating through the crowds, ignoring every single person that tried to speak to him out of nowhere; all of them have the intention of starting a conversation and he is not interested to continue such a waste of time.
Heading towards the counter where bartender is serving customers, he sat in front of it before addressing the guy, "give me something strong," he said briefly, having his needs met as the man nodded in understanding and pulled out bottle of whiskey with a large glass before pouring it on the surface.
"What is it?" The curious young billionaire asked him as he pointed at the drink with his index finger, watching as the man with dark eyes and black ponytail then raised a bottle, revealing a label on the surface written in cursive; the title of the liquor that contains pure and strong taste.
"Potion Ocean," the bartender replied with a calm expression before pouring it out on the glass, filling it up completely as Carter gave a low hum of amusement. Picking it up, he took a sip of the liquid, tasting its bitter flavor on his tongue; its strong scent and unique aroma caused his nostrils to flare up.
"Smells and taste nice," he said before standing up from his seat with the glass at hand as he moved to the farthest corner of this voluminous lobby where there is barely any person that can disturb him.
Spotting a empty spot close to table that has all their food emptied, he casually went there before standing in the spot and sipping the beverage with care, feeling it ran down his throat in slow motion as he gazed at the busy crowd before his eyes. Faces of both old and young, male and female, short and tall. Some are smiling, some are frowning, some are laughing while others are simply talking; some are eating their meals, others are drinking their alcoholic beverages.
"I wish I was at home," quietly mumbling to himself, regretting to have come here in the first place while he drank some more of his glass, trying to take his mind off in being at loud place comprised of so many people that his not even interested in talking with.
The music is too loud, his feet hurt and everything here feels so discomforting, wondering what gotten himself into even agreeing to attend the invitation in the first place when he could easily reject it. This party isn't of his liking in the slightest and he dislikes wasting time for pointless reasons.
After taking couple of sips, Carter could feel the perception of his vision shift ever so slightly; his eyesight blurring slightly and his heartbeat picking up its pace, "shit," drinking alcohol is one thing, but drinking it while his physically exhausted is another.
His mind begins to be in drowsy state, expressing how much he want to vomit now but no matter how he wants to; his own body doesn't produce any content that he can spit out. It's as if his insides are cleaned, meaning it will only stay in his stomach.
Dropping the glass while the loud music continued to play, he can feel himself moving left and right in slow motion; the figures of many people dancing and talking at the same time have become blurred in his eyes as the flashing colorful lights on the ceiling suddenly appeared to become brighter, making his eyes sore and irritated.
Out of nowhere, young girl that is seemingly not should be in place like suddenly wrapped her arms around his, her grinning face stares upwards, "hi, I'm Nomi! Want to dance with me?" She said, with a tone full of energy and enthusiasm in her cheerful voice as she held onto his arm tightly, not wanting to let go.
He can't concentrate nor speak anymore as much he tried to say anything, words came out of his mouth in a garbled mess, he doesn't even know what he is saying or what the person at side is even saying. His world is spinning wildly and he doesn't feel so good.
"Stahhh..." Not being able to finish his sentence, the mysterious young girl pulled his arm and dragged him through the crowds with a giggle; it felt like they are going for a fast roller coaster as the loud sound of music became a dull pounding on his ears.
Couple of ominous men and women in the crowd stared menacingly at them, their eyes directed towards the young himself; Randolph Carter, drunk and being lead to somewhere he has no idea what will happen to him if this continues any longer.
He can only hope that Yumi or Sebastian will save him from whatever danger that presents itself to him.
