At the estate of Avi Kromo, a Kujaku (peacock) patron of the arts, Arcadia arrives and mingles with the guests, including Envoy, Vielanika, Bassai (and his slave Tekki), Demes Oresta and his new employee Gwyneth, Latania (a life mage from the College Esoterica) and Arkold. Kame Ikata, a mentally unstable Savanite artist, crashes the party, evidently having escaped yet again from the Moz Ezley Home for the Disturbed in Spirit. He is halted before he can do much harm, and borne away by the Champion of Roses, also present. Envoy and Arcadia insult Latania, prompting the latter to throw her drink at Envoy and then retreat into the garden. Envoy gets a brief and strange case of the hiccups, but they go away after a bit. Jynx and Eve make an appearance at the party … and Arkold's (unwanted) shar-pei admirer shows as well. A minor disaster attracts the attentions of Dominic and Lylia Kurai – the parents of Jynx and Eve – and a family reunion marks the event as well