Chapter 56 First, We Feast

• The Moonlight Hotel's main dining hall was a beautiful sight at the best of times, but it really came into its own at night. The main centrepiece was the large, baroque chandelier that hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room in its warm glow. Tables were decked with pristine white tablecloths, the chairs had their own white covers, and the cutlery, crockery and glassware was arranged and set to precision, such that each part of each table was an exact mirror image of every other table in the room. A buffet line had been setup along one side, and the various guests were mingling and making small talk.
• For the guests of the Summit, however, a portion of the hall had been separated from the other guests with a line of velvet rope. There, the alphas sat at their own tables, talking amongst themselves as they waited to be served by the waitstaff. The Mayor was there, talking with Viktor, Imelda, Eliza and Jenna. It was a more formal setting for a discussion and debate, but with all that had gone on during the day, the organisers thought it was important to be able to relax and unwind. This dinner was about building connections and relationships outside of the negotiation table, not in them.
• "Stop fidgeting," Eliza whispered to her friend Jenna, who sat beside her. They were both dressed in their official Ordo Luna regalia, which felt a bit stifling to Jenna. She had not worn anything like this in a while, and it showed in her nervous countenance. She was not exactly the right person to be in such an environment; she wasn't used to the formality of the setting and was not as well-versed in etiquette as the Moon Matriarchs, who were trained to be the political leaders. Jenna preferred to be in her more practical clothes and role in the background, not...this.