Ritchie was sharing a plate with Diplomat Cadet Captain Dauss. This had clearly been arranged so that Dauss could put on the hard sell for Ritchie joining their school. But it wasn"t as uncomfortable as Ritchie feared.
First of all, Dauss was meticulous in her duties as host, even to the point of waving certain servers over so they could sample the best dishes before the other tables, save of course the head table.
But on top of that, Dauss was just an excellent talker. Her voice was pleasant, and she was a first-class storyteller. All the details she remembered made whatever she was speaking about come to life.
Ritchie was just savoring a particularly tasty variation on coconut shrimp and seriously wondering whether the practical class in diplomacy that Dauss was currently describing w
