"Oh, I like you," Valdis replied, lifting her drink in Xuiyu's direction in salute, "Not even Yunxu could keep his wits about him in such a manner."

She finished her drink and took another. "I usually consider it poor manners to bring a weapon to a party, but..." she set her drink on the ground and pulled Ebony out of her bag, holding it out to Xuiyu.

"This is one of two in my possession," she explained, "Unlike the firearms that you may be manufacturing, which require physical bullets, this weapon harnesses dark energy."