Her search was ultimately pointless. Evidently Calvin O’Quinn had decided to head home and left before she had known to go looking for him. It made her grit her teeth in frustration to know she’d missed her chance to follow this lead. Eileen consoled herself with the fact that there would be other opportunities.

Being too impatient would be to her detriment and the young general was bound to show up at another ball at some point. For the first time in a while, she was glad that this scheme meant she was going to them. With a target in mind, she was now looking forward to them rather than dreading them.

To be fair, the only reason she had ever dreaded them was the amount of attention she had been receiving at them. Something that would most likely fade over time. At least she hoped it would. There was only so much of their looks she could handle at once.

Sighing, Eileen decided that it was time to call it a night. Reaching a hand to discretely rub the back of her neck, she was about to head towards the door when something caught her attention. To get to the main door, she had to walk past the bar and she was surprised to see a familiar face sitting in one of the chairs.

Normally, she would have just walked out, but something about the way he was sitting gave her pause. Raiden Redthorn threw back the cup in his hands before promptly burying his head in his arms. Her eyes wandered over the counter to see a total of eight glass cups situated beside him.

The bartender was shooting him concerned looks when he thought no one was looking. Checking the watch over the banquet, she saw that it was near midnight. Seeing the state of his clothing, she had a feeling he had been drinking a lot tonight.

When she had run into him before, his clothes had been impeccable and hair styled perfectly. Now, looking at him, he looked like a mess. His clothes and hair very very much ruffled and he lacked his normal confidence.

Eileen was concerned to note that the way his curled over gave a sense of defeat. He looked defeated and it made her steps head towards him before she consciously made the decision to do so. Her lips thinned as she noted he looked even more defeated up close.

“What are you doing here?” Her words made the hunched over man shoot upright.

Another glimmer of concern made its way into her heart as she took in the dark circles under his eyes and the way they were looking for her. Like a man starved who’d just seen the first light of salvation. What had happened to make him look like that.

“The young man has been complaining about his woes.” An amused voice made her head turn towards his companion. A man with greying brown hair and light blue eyes.

She cocked her head, “Have we met before?” She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about the man seemed familiar.

His lips twitched up, “I’m afraid not.” A lop-sided smile, “Why would you assume so?”

“Hmm. You just reminded me of someone, that’s all.” She smiled at him in answer and oddly enough it seemed his eyes narrowed for a moment. When she looked again, his expression was friendly, so maybe she had just imagined it. “Have you been watching over him the entire time?”

There was beat of silence before the man chuckled in what could be a kind manner. “Watching over seems to be an overstatement.” A smile. “I feel it would be more accurate to say I’ve been the audience to his woes.”

“I see.” Eileen gave him a smile. A part of her wanted to point out that if he’d been here that long, he should have made sure the man didn’t drink himself half to death as well. But no. That wasn’t his job.

From what little she’d gathered from the scene, it didn’t seem like they knew each other very well. At a second glance, the man was closer to her father’s age than he was to Redthorn’s. So, maybe he saw it as some sort of dumb things youths should do. Eileen simply didn’t know.

What she did know however, was that something about the man was niggling at her mind and she didn’t like it. The man looked genial and the way he was smiling could be taken to be innocent. But something about the way he was looking at Raiden made her not want to trust it.

Eileen felt like there was danger lurking under his calm exterior. One she didn’t want to witness or think upon at the moment. Maybe it was because he seemed more amused than concerned by Redthorn’s state, but she didn’t trust him. He might be giving off an aura of kindness and understanding, but a part of Eileen couldn’t help but feel it was a lie.

“Kiran!”

Before Eileen could probe the man to dispel her unease, she was being glomped by a very drunk man. Who slips and almost falls face first onto the floor in his attempt to do so. Her arms instinctively go up to catch him, adjusting her footing to support his weight when he seems to lose the strength in his legs. In a split second he’s leaning on her for support.

“When did you get here?” The drunken fool says, lifting his head from the way it’s leaning in front of her to look at her expectantly.

Instead of answering a question which he’d probably forget, Eileen focuses on readjusting his weight so that his arms around her shoulder and he’s by her side rather than in front of her. When she feels his hold is more secure, she shoots him and unimpressed glance.

“It doesn’t matter when I got here,” she tells him pointedly, “you have yet to tell me why you’re getting drunk off your ass all alone.”

“Oh my,” A small chuckle comes from the seated man, “I wouldn’t say he’s been all alone. I’ve been sitting here the entire time. I assure you, he has not been left unintended.”

“And I thank you for that,” Eileen answers with a smile. She’d add he hasn’t been much of a help in keeping him safe, but she’d rather not be standing so close to the bar for much longer. She doesn’t want to risk him going back to it.

Actually, now that she’s thinking of it, Raiden Redthorn isn’t in any state to stay at this party for much longer. If he can’t walk two steps without toppling over, she doubted he’d be able to make it home alone. Eileen decided that it was best to get him to one of his friends as quickly as possible.

“As pleasant as this conversation is, I really should be getting him home,” Eileen tells him, “Thank you for looking after him, Mr…?”

“Falkner.” He gives her a small smile as he picks up his own cup to take a sip, “My name is Calum Falkner.”

“Kiran Knightwood.” She answered in return and was pleased to see that it gave him pause. But she didn’t stay around to see if it would do more than that, simply shooting him a sheepish smile and dragging Redthorn away from the bar.

As she makes her way across the banquet to find the men he’d drunkenly pointed to when she’d asked him where his friends are, she notes what Falkner would have been thinking. She supposed she could have clarified that they weren’t really friends, but it hadn’t seemed necessary. It still wasn’t necessary in her opinion.

“Will!” The man she was supporting called out as they approached him.

Turning around the man and those he was with glanced at him and then at her. His eyes seemed to furrow for a moment before widening as he recognised who she was. Grimacing internally, Eileen once again cursed herself for catching that knife.

She recognised him from that ball and remembered that he’s been watching her with interest then too. Right now his gaze was flickering between Redthorn and her with an expression she couldn’t entirely place.

“Would one of you be able to take him home?” She asked to break the silence, adjusting her grip to keep the man steady as well.

Eileen was surprised to see him not answering immediately. It gave her pause. If one of her friends was drunk off their ass, she wouldn’t hesitate to immediately take them home. She wouldn’t be hesitating like this “Will” was.

His lips twitched up into a hesitant smile. “Thanks for bringing him over but you really didn’t need to.”

“Yeah. He usually gets home fine on his own,” the man next to him chimed in.

“Elliott is right, he’ll be fine.” Another man also adds.

Eileen had to try her hardest not to let her eyes twitch. What the hell were these men on? Were they blind or just plain delusional. In what world was it alright to let a man so obviously drunk off his ass find his own way home.

“What are your names?” Eileen made sure to keep the annoyance she was feeling from entering her voice, raising her lips into a mockery of a smile. They stared at her for a second, before replying at once.

“William Sheffield.”

“Elliott North.”

“Jack Tomas.”

“Well gentlemen,” she started with a tight smile, making sure to ingrain those names to memory, “you may be alright with him wandering home in this state all alone, but I for one am not.”

Hell would have to freeze over if she let him try to make his way home on his own. With how inebriated it was, the man was likely to fall into a ditch at best and get himself killed at worst. Eileen would never be able to forgive herself if she ignored the state he was in. Even if everything turned out as well as they so obviously thought it would, it would weigh on her conscious.

Flames of anger tried to engulf her heart and mind at the thought the lack of concern these men had for his safety. It took all the willpower she had not to let it show. How many other times had they let him get home on his own?

Better yet, if these men were his friend and they were at this ball, why the fucking hell was he drinking alone? Either they were really that careless or just naive enough to think that nothing bad could possibly happen. In either case, it left Raiden in danger.

“Would you be able to tell me where he lives, so I can drive him home myself.” Eileen grinned with an lightness that she currently did not feel.

The men looked amongst themselves for a short few moments before calling a server over to get a piece of paper. They tried to make small talk with her as they waited, and she couldn’t bring herself to give more than cursory answers. The way they seemed to not be phased about their friend’s state did not help.

Fortunately the server quickly returned with the asked for paper and pen and they wrote out the address almost immediately. The way their eyes flicked to her warily told her she hadn’t succeeded as much as she thought she had at hiding her annoyance with them. Jack gave her a sheepish smile as he handed the paper over to her.

“Thank you,” she told them blankly before simply walking away.

By the way Raiden didn’t seem too surprised by their behaviour told her this was a common occurrence. Her steps were fast but steady as she half-carried him towards the car park. He was still conscious but very out of it.

As they walked, Eileen could feel her annoyance grow. The paper in her pocket adding to it. Sure it meant that they cared enough not to refuse her offer of help but it was bare minimum. Actually, it was less than bare minimum. In her opinion the minimum they could have done was take him home himself.

They had also given away his home’s location was too fast for her liking. Perhaps it would have taken some time to get out of there if they hadn’t done so quickly, but it might have made her less annoyed than their actions had. She was a stranger to them. They didn’t know her at all.

She once again could not decide whether they were that careless or just stupid. Even as she internally fumed at the behaviour she had witnessed, she worked to calm it. Driving in anger could end badly. Sure she had drank some alcohol as well, and it may objectively have a higher content, but that had been a few hours ago and she’d eaten as well.

Her alcohol tolerance was high as it was and she’d made sure to drink the diluted version of the wine to prevent herself from being too drunk as well. If she’d known she’d have to drive instead of the walk she’d been planning, she wouldn’t have drank at all. Alas, she couldn’t turn back time, so the low consumption would just have to suffice.

It wasn’t ideal, that was for sure. She’d wanted one of his friends to drive him for that very reason, but that had been disappointing. As she carefully opened his car door and placed him in the passenger door, she once again read the address listed on it.

Thankfully it wasn’t too far, so she wouldn’t need to drive for long. But it was still too far for her to walk him there in his state. She was a little surprised to note it was an apartment area. But then again, he did seem to be the type of person who valued his independence.

Walking over to get into the driver’s side, she adjusted the seat so she’d be able to drive comfortably. Leaning over, Eileen buckled him into his seat. She’s been watching him fumble with it for a few minutes ago, and he looked to be growing more lax by the minute.

As he shifted in his seat and got comfortable, Eileen watched him with narrowed eyes. Her concerned green eyes once again travelled over him, once again taking in how utterly exhausted he looked and the blankness in his stare. When her eyes met his grey, she sighed.

“You need better friends,” she told him. “The ones you have suck.” He gave a small laugh at that but didn’t say anything.

When she saw how droopy his eyes had gotten, she knew she had made the right call by not letting him drive himself. Giving him one final look, she buckled her own seat belt and turned the key. Time to get him home.