The eighth bell hit just as Katarina and Pirra reached the top of the villa's steps.
Pirra had been quiet the whole walk up, and now she was tugging at her sleeves like she could somehow pull them down over her knuckles and disappear into them.
"Kat."
"Yes?"
"I wasn't invited to this. Ludo doesn't know my last name. I'm pretty sure she doesn't know my first name either."
"Pirra. I know. I'm still bringing you."
"That's not how this works here, though."
"Well. Either you come in with me, or I go home."
Katarina wasn't entirely unaccustomed to networking with randoms, but she'd much rather have a friend there than not.
Pirra groaned and followed.
Katarina, for her part, had committed to a bit. Vellasera girls knew how to dress for an event, and the Pavona girls who'd been snubbing her for two weeks were going to find that out the hard way.
