It all began with a bang. Or rather, dozens of them. Fireworks were let off to commemorate the opening of the Rhean Center, which over the past month had been turned into a splendid ballroom to benefit those who worked to respond to the crisis with the cultists.

Lise overlooked the entrance. Her shadows were behind the doors, ready to officially begin the ball. She took a deep breath, and turned on the microphone. "Citizens of Rhea! Consider this your official sign that the Valois-Saint-Remy Benefit Ball for the brave men and women that helped in Rhea's time of crisis is open! Let the ball... Begin!"

With her signal, the doors were opened, and the shadows disappeared. People would begin to filter in, some marveling at the conversion of the convention center into an opulent ballroom, others simply trying to find familiar faces.

Of course, this was only one half of the ball. The adults who entered were off on the other side of the convention hall; Lise specifically wanted an area for the members of Rhean schools that contributed to the effort. The staff obliged this, thinking that the bossy princess would likely ruin an adult attempt at a ball either way.

The venue featured an impressive area for a DJ, which seemed conspicuously empty. 'Those fools... Insisting on a DJ stand when such a thing runs counter to the elegance of a ball...' Lise groaned for a moment as she looked at the eyesore, before regaining her composure. People had begun to fill up the room. It was time for Lise to enter.

Descending stairs that were specifically set up to give the true ballroom experience (and did not actually lead anywhere), flanked on either side by shadow maids holding her dress, Lise took the attention of the crowd. She was wearing an ornate mask that matched her blue dress, both a display befitting a princess at her own masquerade ball. Her dress was long and flowing, not overly adorned with bows and frills as some may have expected of her, but instead perfectly matching with her golden hair that gently waved with each step she took. The dress gradually deepened in color downwards, until it nearly matched the color of her shadow servants at the hem. Lise had taken a daring fashion move with this dress - it exposed her shoulders and had no sleeves whatsoever - but she deemed it necessary considering the strange fashions that Rhea was home to.

Stopping near the bottom of the staircase, she procures a microphone from one of her servants. "Let the masquerade ball begin in its full splendor! Enjoy the benevolent gesture of the great House Valois-Saint-Remy!" Lise proclaimed, officially starting the school edition of the ball. Classical music began to play, setting the tone of high society that Lise wished for. The low murmur of the crowd began to mix with the music as the members of the ball mingled and talked amongst themselves.

Lise held her place upon the stairs for a few moments, looking through the crowd. She of course was going to mingle amongst the commoners, but she did want to seek out her dearest cousin first and foremost.

Taylor

…
…
…

Stepping away from the full body mirror Taylor had spun twice to catch a glimpse of himself. He donned an all midnight black suite with a contrasting ivory mask with three horns and a halo; he looked down at his hands and shook them. 'Fucking freezing in here.' Mentally muttered Taylor his eyes went over to a nightstand and landed on a pair of gloves. They were black, streaked in white, and looked like cartoony skeletal hands, except the 'bones' were thin and fragile in appearance. Behind the mask he tried not to smile Taylor didn't want to he made it to the door. "Hey, parents thanks for the suite, and the knife...Never know what can happen."

Arriving at the Rhean Center on a tricked out motor bike Taylor had parked near the water and stuck to the shadows while walking fast yet slow enough to keep eyes off of him, he made a attempt to contradict his loud bike. Taylor noticed two things; friends outside talking and people filling Rhea's Center with a loud, proud, and somewhat snooty female announcer. He blended in with the crowd and got inside without trouble. The first thing Taylor did was get himself a drink; something blue, sparkling and heavy in his gut. His left hand brushed the knife strapped to his lower left rib. "Let's hope anything going to shit is just my paranoia. Yet I came prepared."

Eyes went to the people, he thought of Vampyre and mentally began making two lists of notes; Defense and Offense. Even with the suite and mask (Taylor's never been in formal attire aside from School.) People started to recognize the young man, his nervous tics, the paranoid posture, and his walk. It-it had a newfound are of confidence and swagger...Like somebody gave that villain Angel Arm. It was now he smiled behind the mask, so many people who disdained him...Were forced to be civilized! [color=fff79a]"Welcome to the party! Let's celebrate Rhea and eventually the entire world's heroes and heroines-even the Non gender specific-with true appreciation." After raising his voice Taylor had made his way to the stairs and back up nine paces.

He applauded! With energy and adoration few others joined in only to make themselves look good-some gave more energy to those who defeated the cultists-they repressed their bitter smiles. ...Taylor was right, They had to clap, had to show gratitude, the ball wasn't enough! As the number of wounded pride and irked dignity grew Taylor stopped applauding and turned to the royal lass with Shadow handmadiens and the like, with hands still clasped he bowed. "Sorry I couldn't lend a helping hand, I was, honestly. Hiding. Hopefully this moment and the future can turn my repertoire around, Madam Valois-Saint-Remy!" His voice was soft and hurt, steady and passionate. Taylor intended to sound sincere but there's no hiding the truth; Taylor only have enjoyed this, the other half was frightened!

Seconds passed and Taylor remained bowing to her, he silently waited for her permission to rise...And tell her his name.

@rawkhawk64

---

Bak worked diligently, her needle and thread punching in and out in the smooth robotic rhythm of an expert tailor. Every time it slid through the tarp in her hands crinkled as it was pulled taut to the tablecloth she had found. It was mindless work, a pure and beautiful thing that didn't require her to think at all especially about how nervous she was to be attending this party or whether the friends she'd had no luck getting in contact with even now were even still all right. It was okay. Everything was okay.

Focus on the needle. There was no way you could mess up with the needle. In and out. In and out. In. Out. In. Out. InOutInOutInOutinoutinoutinoutinoutKNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Bak's head jerked up toward her door, the trance she'd been in for the past hour interrupted. She stood at the far side of the room, in her sewing corner, and started to lay the costume she had been working on atop the actual sewing machine when Yuuto's voice came though the door. She started stomping toward the door to let him in, halting at the threshold momentarily to suffer two thirds of a heart attack between the words "go together" and "as friends." She sighed and got her breath back, at least that all was still right with the world, and cautiously opened the door.

"Yuuto! I did not know you would be well enough to be going." She said, surprised. The only reason she wasn't outright dismissing this as some kind of joke was that Yuuto always seemed so stoic about everything. "D-da, if you would like too." She was still pretty uncertain as to why, but maybe he was onto something. If this turned out to be some kind of St. Laural's trap it was better to buddy up anyway. Rational that jelled with her worldview sufficiently established she nodded twice more with more obvious enthusiasm. "Da, Da, is very good idea I think. Could be very fun."

---

"Ahhhhheeeeeeeeee, looklooklook!" Bak squealed to Yuuto, pointing up as best she possibly could at the explosions going off high above the Rhean Center. The look of childlike wonder in her eyes as she stared directly at the fireworks. You would have to have seen it in her eyes, because you couldn't see anything else.

Bak was covered from head to ankle in what looked like a large white sheet, the only parts of her body visible through the eyes holes she had cut into the face and the clawed metallic feet that peaked out beneath the six layers of ruffles she had sewn into he bottom because this was a fancy costume party. Of course under under facade of this sheet the was the steady, reassuring weight of the tarp to keep the costume from being pulled off or blown away so easily. They were attached to one another by expert stitching that ran along the outer edge of he costume, hidden beneath the folds of the ruffles. Above the cascading ruffles a series of merry little ghosts were embroidered, dancing with one another under a series of moons that waxed and wained as they circled her. Two of the little ghosts had wandered up to Bak's face, reaching out with fingerless hands so it appeared as though they were grasping the stiching round her eyes and holding the holes open like you would the curtain on a stage. The last addition were the two "chains" that crisscrossed on her chest and back, the links made from leftover cloth and sewn into the costume itself.

Underneath in all, in the safe and private world of the costume, Bak dressed the same as she always did save for two things. The first was actual chains that swayed back and forth as the hung from her arms and neck, the favorite accessory of tortured souls bound to this earth through unfinished business. They gave off a fun ghostly "Klink-klink" sound whenever she moved that served to overpower the far less ghostly "crinkle-crackle" of the tarp. The other was also the accessory of a tortured soul: Vittorio's ring was wrapped around her finger.

The spell the fireworks cast on her came to an end as the last of them winked out of the sky, and as the door began to actually open a case of jittery nerves gripped her. As people began filing in to the hall she felt acutely aware of how many of them there were. So many. Not like at a tournament, where they were far away faces in a crowd. Not like at school, where they generally tried to stay out of range when they could. She reached out and grabbed Yuuto's arm, feeling more confident with contact so long as she was covered in her costume and worried a little that he might disappear in this throng of people. "Is, I think, your job to lead me in?" That seemed like a fancy party sort of thing to do, right?

---

@Hammerman@KillamriX88

---

In the time leading up to the ball, Katherine had her own struggle to go through. Harder than picking up a costume. Harder even than recovering from the wound in her chest.

It was late. Christine was already in bed but here she was, leaning against the wall in the hallway. Mirthlessly she turned her head and looked at the phone. She expended a hand out to it, felt the coolness of the receiver with her palm, groaned, and dropped her hand to her side like it was made of lead.

Premiere at the ball. It was a simple plan, just make your grand reintroduction at the ball. Stick to the plan, make a laugh out of it. Hey everybody, Kath's back. Everybody laugh, jump in the air, freeze frame, roll credits. Status quo successfully restored. No need to get all weird about it.

She looked back up at the phone. Yeah, in her dreams maybe. There were people she owed better than just showing up out of the blue.

"Damn it!" she said, ripped the phone off the hook like you would a band-aide, and dialed his number. It rang once. Twice. She bit her lip. Three times. Then went to voice mail, which caused her to sigh in relief. "Heyyyyyy firebuddy." She started awkwardly. That was about as far as she'd decided on what she was going to say. What could she say to Cassius? "I got your messages. Thanks." Good start, don't mess it up. "Just calling to let you know that I'm fine. I'm okay. I know I've been out of contact for a while but," Should she lie? Why would she lie? Probably for the same reason she'd been hoping to get his voicemail. "I've had a friend helping me recover, hiding me in case of...assassins. Gods, that's still so weird to think about." Off topic, off topic. "Um, anyway were you planning on going to Lise's big ball? We are, me and Chrissy. She thought it would be fun, a way to get back to normal. Can we meet up there? I know it's a masque, but I'll be the girl..."

The girl with the big sword scar in her chest from where you watched a dude try to kill the shit out of me before I became a demon and flew off like a bat out of hell.

"I'll be dressed as a snowflake princess." She said. "It'll be real obvious." She held on that for a few seconds, wracking her brain for anything else she could say but didn't find anything that didn't deserve something face to face. "See you there. Good night."

She hung up, her feet feeling heavy as she made her way to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a hell of a day...

---

"Alrighty then!" she said as the door began to open, pointing her childish baton at the doors as though she were forcing them open magically. She had to hand it to the princess, this place looked pretty swanky. She grinned at Christine as they started filing their way into the lavish ball room, but her eyes kept scanning the crowed for anyone she recognized. "Let's blow the roof off this place like we're rockstars that just out out of rehab!"

@Gentlemanvaultboy
“Oh my!” Christine exclaimed with sparkling eyes and clasped hands as she stood watching the fireworks explode in a cacophony of colors and sparks that danced across the sky. She had expected the event to be run in a more, well, subdued manner. But it seemed their host had decided to run away in the other direction instead.

She wouldn’t complain though. For her, who always preferred excitement over the mundane, this was certainly the better option.

“Isn’t this so wonderful, Sis?” She turned to ask her twin with a big smile on her face. “It’s like when you go all out with your flames! They’re really pretty and impressive, you know!”

Whether Katherine would agree with her or not, it didn’t matter. To the ice princess, it was already settled in her mind that this was the best party she had ever attended in her entire life.

Speaking of being an ice princess, following the idea of her sister, she had dressed with the opposing element in mind. Fire, to be exact. She was dressed almost like a phoenix, with a deep crimson red dress under a small red fur coat, complete with trailing fabrics that gave the impression of wings. She also wore a ruby crown on her head while carrying a similar-colored crimson staff with her. And of course, her mask had the head of a phoenix protruding upwards.

She went all out with this costume. This could be considered Kath's return party after all.

And, as usual for her, the dress' length was awfully scandalous. In fact, if one were to measure the length, it was just slightly shorter than her butt, meaning, not only it hugged her bottom nicely, it showed off a glimpse of her black panties even when she was standing.

Thanks to that, as well as her beauty and the lavishness of her outfit, she immediately drew the attention of the room the moment she entered, just like her sister wanted them to.

“Okay, Sis! I’ll try!” she replied to her with another smile. What an odd thing to use as a comparison though… Unlike Lise however, she didn’t really know how she was supposed to make an impressive entrance. So she just simply walked into the room while staying close to her sister, feeling somewhat afraid of being separated from her by the crowd. She tried to reassure herself that she simply was just concerned about her sister, but we all know the truth.

“Miss? A drink?”

Suddenly, she was snapped out of her wandering mind by one of the servant maids in the room. With the utmost elegance, she had been carrying a tray of wine glasses on her left hand like it was nothing.

“Ah, yes please,” was her answer. She suddenly felt the familiar sensation of thirst on her throat, and what better way to quench it with the clear wine the maid was offering.

With her free hand, the maid took one glass and gave it to her. It was a tall and thin glass, with the actual part where the liquid was stored being small in volume. She took a sip of it, before telling Kath that she should try it out as well as the drink was delicious to her tongue.

It was a few days before the ball, and word had spread that it was going to be a festive costume party. Rurik did not have a costume. He'd decided, however, that he wanted one.

He found himself at a small, tacky party store that had just started stocking more spooky paraphernalia. There was just one problem.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

He knew the person behind the counter. It was one of his "friends" from before Mephisto's. One of the friends who'd gone and gotten arrested while Rurik had been too scared to join in, unknowingly saving himself from sharing their fate. He'd... never actually run into them since that day.

Until now.

"Well this is awkward." Rurik sighed, arms laden with his chosen supplied.

"Rurik," the guy said, apparently remembering his name. That was... nice? "You look like shit." Or not.

"You... too?" Rurik raised an eyebrow. "Nice to see you again."

"It's really not." The guy crossed his arms.

"OK, well, I'm just gonna get this stuff and go." Rurik rolled his eyes, already done with this encounter. His "friend" rang up the items, wracking up a small sum that was still somehow more than Rurik cared for it to be.

"That'll be 100."

"That's literally three times what the machine says," Rurik narrowed his eyes.

"We both know you owe me."

Rurik took a deep breath, "Do not be that guy."

"Oh, I'm gonna be that guy."

"Trust me when I say life has already more than evened things out," Rurik told him.

"As much as that warms my heart, it doesn't really do me much good. Come on, man, just... do the right thing. You'll feel better."

Rurik just stared at him, but then sighed, "Yeah, you're right." Rurik suddenly reached out, putting his hand on the guy's shoulder. "I'll do what'll make me feel better."

"Wh-" And suddenly Rurik grabbed the back of his head and slammed his face into the counter. He didn't hold back. It took a solid thirty seconds for him to regain his senses and by then, Rurik had hopped the counter.

"So, tell me, those cameras real or for show?" Rurik asked him.

"F-fuck... you- GAH!" Not giving the desired answer, Rurik stomped down on his hand. "You're fucking insane!"

"Yeah, Mephisto's'll do that to a guy. Now, cameras?"

"Th-they're fake! OK?!"

"Cool, where's the computer that stores the footage then? Back there?" Rurik meandered into the room behind the front counter. A few moments and a lot of explosions later, Rurik walked back out, dusting himself off. "Well, it's been real. Say anything, you're dead and all that shit. Bye."

Supplies in hand, Rurik vacated the store before anyone else walked in. He supposed picking the shittiest, cheapest store had its merits.

"Huh... he was right. I do feel better."

. . .
@Gentlemanvaultboy@Hammerman

Arriving at the ball, Rurik took a moment to contemplate the fact that there were absolutely no festive decorations considered the number of costumed people in attendance. Oh well.

Despite all those people, it was not hard to find a familiar face. Bak sort've stood out.

A devious smirk spread across his face. She was gullible, and this would probably be mean... but damn she was just so gullible.

"Bak..." Rurik choked out after sneaking up behind her. He grabbed her shoulder, and looking at him would reveal... that he was covered in blodd with half a dozen knives sticking out of his body. "Help... I need... help..." He raised his other hand, a knife held in it. "One... fell out. Can you help put it back? Just to the right of my sixth vertebrae should do," he spoke with a manic grin, acting as twitchy as possible.

. . . OK that was probably enough.

"So, spooky ghost huh?" He asked, letting his act drop before he gave her a heart attack. "Actually I'd say it works for you." That was when he noticed something amusing. She had her arms linked with Yuuto. "Shit, don't tell me you have a date and I don't?"

It was supposed to be a joke. The suggestion was ridiculous. Not because Bak was what she was, no, but because Yuuto was what he was. OK maybe it was a bit of both.

It was supposed to be a joke, but... where was Christine? His phone had been annihilated and his family couldn't afford a new one yet. He was kinda glad he'd robbed the costume store, it would make saving up for a new one a little easier. Point being he hadn't heard from or seen Christine since that day and... maybe just maybe he was getting a bit anxious.

Well, he wasn't too worried, what were the chances she'd show up now?

Life decided to tell a joke of its own at that moment. "That's so indecent!" "You can practically see her rear!" "No, you literally can!"

". . . you gotta be shitting me." Rurik let out a low, stressed groan. Scanning through the crowd, he indeed spied her. Them. Despite their reversed roles, Rurik could pick out Christine easily enough. She had her own unique mannerisms that Rurik could recognize. Christine was distinctly Christine, and Katherine was distinctly awful.

Christine's dress was also distinctly Christine.

"Hey Bak, can I just... hide behind you for the rest of the night?" Rurik's entire form seemed to wilt. Nope, he couldn't do it yet. He'd just put it off. Kick that can right on down the road. The last time they'd seen each other, he'd been beating the shit out of her sister while she was bleeding to death.

In Rurik's defense, he hadn't known she was bleeding to death.

He didn't care, of course not. If that was that, then honestly it had lasted longer than he'd expected.

But it was party! Why deal with that shit at a party!? Why deal with Katherine at a party? Wasn't it supposed to be a happy occasion? Itdefinitelyhadnothingtodowithanyanxietyhemayormaynothavebeenfeelingaboutthematter.

@KillamriX88
At first, Christine didn't recognize Bak and Rurik in the crowd. She was still too preoccupied with her immediate surroundings. As people took notice of her outfit, they started commenting on how revealing it was, which made her feel just a tad self-conscious.

I-it's fine. I'm wearing a mask after all. Not to mention that they're my Confidence Panties.

Confidence Panties was a term Christine gave to a pair of old black panties she had worn over the years. She had grown so attached to it that whenever she wore it, she would feel a boost in her confidence. Of course, it was all placebo, but it worked nonetheless, allowing her to be a little bit more daring on this occasion.

Still, she pulled the hem of her dress. Now they covered her undergarments just barely, but the moment she released it, the slight hint of black was revealed once again.

You know, come to think of it, I haven’t seen the others. Would Bak be here? Or Rurik?

“Sis, I’m going to go look for my friends for a bit,” she told Kath, before finally separating from her.

Due to that realization, she started to wander around the ballroom, attracting more glances and gasps as people noticed the scandalous shortness of her dress. Eventually however, she bumped to Bak and Rurik. She didn't recognize Bak right away, but Rurik? As his girlfriend, there was no escape.

"Rurik! You're Rurik, right?" She clapped her hands together with a big smile on her face. "I'm Christine! So, what do you think? Is my costume eye-catching enough? It's a custom order dress, you know!" She then did a little twirl, and in the process, exposing her black panties fully. They were clearly two sizes too small for her measurements.

"Kath is here too, by the way!" She continued. "And she has made full recovery!"

"So… why is it that you called me out here, again?" Ria said, her voice dripping with malice. She wanted so badly to append the word fucker at the end, but in this environment? If nothing else, she should at least hold back for the children. At least they had a reason to be idiots. They didn't know any better yet.

But here was someone who did know better, dragging her into an environment she'd rather die than come into willingly.

A job was a job, she supposed. She wore a small and subtle transceiver in her ear. That was what King had decided to communicate from today. The connection was a little patchy, but it was understandable. And down in the party below, was King.

"I just need you to… keep an eye out, is all," King said, wearing a stupid smile on his face, and a stupid laugh meant for no one but himself.

Contrary to his taste in puns, his fashion sense was at least sharp. He wore a simple, dark brown pinstripe suit with a red tie. The suit was double-breasted. Italian cut. He wore a similarly coloured cape but with a fur trim around his shoulders which somehow managed to accent the suit in a way she didn't think was possible. He was still wearing his signature crown, but for some goddamn reason he was still wearing his sunglasses indoors.

He couldn’t avoid looking ridiculous for a goddamn moment, could he? He'd called her out here because he needed her powers. Fine, but he hadn't told her who they were looking for, or what they would look like.

"Well, I know who we're looking for, but if I'm right, she's not about to look the same as she used to," King's voice said over the transceiver. "Hell, she might not even be the same person she used to be."

"Gee, thanks, very helpful, King," Ria muttered. "If you at least give me something to search for I can pick Compound or Divine and I could do something."

"…"

The other end was silence, for once. It was very unusual for King. She almost thought he was taking it seriously.

"Compound, try searching for someone hanging back, talking just enough to be polite but not enough to leave an impression. That's just a guess on what they would do, I don't know if that's a fact." He said. The next part was muttered and Ria found it hard to hear over the transceiver. "I thought I would've heard them by now. Something's changed alright."

He kind of was taking it seriously.

"…Are they in disguise? Are we playing spy now?" Ria asked with an disappointed, exasperated tone of voice. The longer she spent here, the higher the chance of some of her family finding her and forcing her to undergo some act of idiocy she didn't have the words to describe yet.

"Probably. I'll be able to tell if I'm close enough." King said. "Just so you know, this probably isn't going to end up being above board, so make sure no one notices what you're up to."

A crackle, one final transmission before the line was cut.

"This is kind of a big gamble. For all of us." He said. "I know you can do it."

"…Fine. I'm on it." Ria said, cutting the connection.

@Hammerman
Lise was having a wonderful time mingling through the party. There were occasional moments of confusion that broke up the merriment, though. It seemed as though Rhean fashion was more akin to some kind of danse macabre festival than that of a high society masquerade. Lise wondered for a moment if there could have been some kind of miscommunication, but quickly dismissed it. If there were any issues, it was certainly not on her end.

Lise's polite smile tugged slightly towards a one of pure ire as she spied some of the... "fashion" of Rhea. One in particular made Lise almost gasp in surprise. It was very clear that the dress was several sizes too short for the girl wearing it - and the girl seemed to have not a shred of awareness of the fact. Actually, had Lise not seen the lower half of the dress, she would have considered it very fashionable - perhaps even one of the best in the ball so far. But... its existence could be considered a crime. A crime against public decency. Lise wasn't sure if this was some kind of traditional Rhean dress, but she had to do something about it.

She couldn't simply shout and order the offending girl out of the ball. No. Lise had to approach the situation with more grace. All of Rhea's eyes were on House Valois-Saint-Remy. Lise slowly made her way through the crowd, all while greeting members of the ball. Eventually, she stopped in front of the red-dressed girl. She was with some others -also incorrectly dressed, though not in the same way as her- but it was a simple manner to be alone with her. The crowd had already been subtly been parted by her shadows to give Lise some space to approach the indecently garbed one.

Lise politely extended her hand to the crimson-dressed girl. "Masked maiden of Rhea, shall we have a dance together?" Around, there were slight whisperings of confusion, or perhaps gossip. Did those around her consider it strange that Lise would pick such a partner for a dance? The real question was, of course, why would Lise care what these commoners thought? The ball was less about dancing to Lise and more about learning the social arena of Rhea either way.

@Hammerman@Crowvette

As Christine confronted him, Rurik stopped breathing. Shit, shit, shit. What was going to happen? What wa-

And then she twirled her dress, exposing herself more than ever. Beforehand, Rurik had been like a deer in the headlights, afterward, his mouth was a thin line as he just stared at her unimpressed.

Some things never changed.

"Yeah, eye-catching, uhuh." Rurik droned tiredly. He was pretty sure it wasn't the dress that was catching everyone's eyes. Maybe at first, but... Christine continued on, telling him things he'd already observed for himself. He had to imagine Kath wouldn't have shown up only to bleed all over the dance-floor. Well, not unless Yuuto decided he had unfinished business. He shot the aforementioned ninja a brief glance, but figured that was probably unlikely.

"That's, uh, that's great. So, umm, happy..." Rurik's lips twitched into a forced smile. Couldn't she have at least been paralyzed from the waist down or something? Something to slow her down?

He was confused, really. Was she... not mad? Did she just not want to bring it up during such a public gathering? But then she could have just avoided him until later. Was everything just OK? Was it that easy?

Because he was totally OK with sweeping it under the rug and letting it be that easy.

A strange feeling came over him. Relief and... something else. He took a tentative step toward her, "Um-" And then someone thrust herself into their conversation, attempting to drag Christine away to dance.

Twitch.

"I'm sorry, and you fucking are?" Rurik narrowed his eyes at her. "Because we're in the middle of something, so if you could just not, that'd be great."

His words earned a number of gasps from those around them.

"Doesn't he know who that is?" "That's Liselotte Castellan de Valois-Saint-Remy!" "Watch your mouth!"

Rurik raised an eyebrow and stared blankly back at the crowd, "Lisa who?"

"She set up this entire Ball!"

". . . Oh." He blinked once. "And?" It was about then that a second hamster wheel began turning in his head, dredging up a stale memory from a short while ago. Finally something clicked. "Ohhhhhh." Rurik straightened up, nodding in understanding. "Right." He snorted, cheeks puffing out as he looked back to the girl. "Didn't I blow you up?"

@KillamriX88@Crowvette
Of course, Christine, being Christine, didn’t really catch on to Rurik's deadpan delivery. And so she responded by clasping her hands and saying, “Hehe! I’m glad you like it! I spent hours designing this dress on my own, you know! Though I wasn’t the one who made it of course. I simply sent the specifications to my personal tailor and she made it for me!”

It was now clear to him that the shortness of her dress was no accident. She was the one who sent the specification for the length after all. Well, that, or she was so clumsy that she miscounted it, leading to the fashion disaster she was currently easier. Well, it’s not exactly a disaster per-say. It might be if you’re a prude who can’t stand a little sight of panties, but to most people, it did exactly what she wanted—to draw attention to her.

“So, Rurik, since we’re here and all, why don’t we have a d—”

“Masked maiden of Rhea, shall we have a dance together?"

Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted. By a girl asking her for a dance. She had no idea who this girl could be behind the mask.

“Umm, excuse me?” She turned to face her with a confused expression, tilting her head slightly. “Did you just say that you want a dance with me?” She grew into a smile. “That would be delightful!” She clapped her hands again. “Though I’ll have to ask Rurik first whether or not he wants to dance with me first or later.”

Only after Rurik’s banter with her that she realized it was Lise, the person who had set up the ball in the first place.

“H-hey, don’t fight! I’ll dance with both of you! Don’t worry!”

@Hammerman@KillamriX88

Lise's smile shifted ever so slightly. An ornery boy who was part of the girls' entourage decided to make his lack of class known to all. If he was close to the crimson dressed one, it was clear that he was simply exploiting her lack of awareness on her state of dress for his own sick benefit. He also spouted some delusion about blowing Lise up - which was preposterous, of course, because Lise would have remembered engaging in single combat against someone so uncouth. Perhaps it was something that only he, and no other, could have considered a victory. It was sad to see such things espoused in public - no doubt even the commoners in the crowd swelled with pity for the poor boy.

Lise would have had him evicted from the ball - and, of course, introduced to her castle's oubliette, if this happened in her homeland - had the crimson-dressed girl not spoken up. At least she was perfectly cordial - it made Lise wonder what she saw in her loud friend. Lise gathered herself for a moment, letting the flare of annoyance in her chest settle, before replying to the girl, "If your... friend would prefer to dance first, that is understandable." Lise intentionally refused to face the boy as she spoke, and added, "Perhaps he is simply worried I would steal you away?" before laughing in a way that only a wealthy princess such as herself could.

Brutus stood waiting out at the front gate, waiting for Diana to arrive. As he glanced around, he noticed that some of the people were in full-on costumes, instead of just masks. 'It seems someone has been spreading some mischief around...' he noted. As he did so, he glanced down at his suit. Why had he decided to wear such a garish suit? He wasn't sure. Not that the mask he'd chosen was much better... oh, well. Still, as he waited for Diana, he let his mind wonder over everything that had happened recently. It seemed to him as though his life just got more and more troublesome by the day. The next thing he knew, someone would be attacking the ball. 'Okay... note to self: if the ball is attacked, kick my own ass.'

After a fireworks show (which was rather impressive. The organizer of this ball had certainly gone all out), everyone started to head inside. Brutus, however, decided to hang around and wait for Diana.





Yuuto, meanwhile, had arrived and found Bak relatively easily. He had borrowed a suit that had belonged to his grandfather in his school-aged days. His grandfather had told him that it would bring him good luck, as it was the suit he was wearing when he'd met Yuuto's grandmother. Yuuto took the comments and teasing in stride. After all, his clan was family... and you didn't betray family. Still...

Yuuto's thoughts were interrupted by Bak's excited squealing. As he followed her attempted pointing (her costume was rather in the way of it), he smiled. It amazed him that someone as 'monstrous' as Bak could find pleasure in the simple things in life. It gave him some small hope that she would never know the darker side of life... Of course, he'd not really talked to anyone about his first attempted kill, the one that had been botched so tremendously by the demon that resided in Kath. Still, Yuuto decided that just for tonight, he would relax and not think of that disastrous mission...

Besides, it wasn't like he was unarmed. He'd hidden a few small knives sewn into some discreet hidden pockets. He also had knives that could pop out of his shoes, and senbon hidden in his felt top hat. Shortly afterward, Yuuto got to have a heart attack.

"Help... I need... help." Yuuto whipped around to see Rurik approaching, before the boy dropped the injured act and held out a fake knife. Yuuto breathed a sigh in relief. However, he then flushed scarlet as Rurik mentioned a date. Was this a date? He wasn't sure.

However, he was distracted by Bak. He nodded at her suggestion. "Hai, Bak-san. Let us go." With her gripping his arm, he led her inside.

@Hammerman@Crowvette

For a split-second, Rurik saw red. It seemed that despite her "charitable ball" she was just another arrogant, stuck-up, rich girl. He clenched his fists, energy gathering inside him without even thinking. He took a step forward, words on the tip of his tongue. His mind had settled on anger and spite as his response. Some in the crowd began to frantically murmur, seeing the intensely derisive look on Rurik's face.

Then he just stopped before his mouth opened. Somehow it felt to familiar of a situation. Stirring things up unnecessarily in front of Christine suddenly wasn't very appealing. He'd refrain... this time.

Oh he'd still be a spiteful bastard about it, though.

He suddenly grabbed Christine's hands and pulled her over, assuming some terrible approximation of a dancer's stance.

"First come first serve," Rurik said, leaning his head around Christine to shoot a scowl at Lise. "Although, I don't really know how to dance. You'll have to teach me, Christine. Might take a while." His frown shifted to a knowing smirk. "I'm a slow study."

@KillamriX88@Crowvette
The shrill laugh Lise gave only confused Christine even more. "Stealing me away?" She tilted her head. "But we're both girls, right? So that can't happen." She smiled. "Not to mention that he's my—oops, you're not supposed to mention that, are you?" She giggled.

"Kyah!"

She let out a yelp when Rurik snatched her off her feet. The man had decided to take the initiative, taking her away from the noble girl before she could react.

Christine's face immediately reddened. Ooh, this is so romantic of him! "D-don't worry! I'm not that great at dancing either! So we can just take it easy, alright!"

Even so, Christine was skilled enough to guide Rurik decently in their dance. With a smile, she swayed her hips to the left and right, not caring in the slightest how her short dress flew upwards every time she did. After all, why would she care about such a trivial thing when she was having the time of her life dancing with Rurik?

I didn’t expect him to be willing to dance with me like this! Usually, he would be too lazy to do something tiresome like this. Then again, him showing up at the party like this is already an unusual occurrence at itself!

As the music picked up, she did a little twirl. She nearly messed it up, but thankfully, she made it unscathed.

“Hehe, this is pretty fun, isn’t it?” She giggled to her boyfriend.

@Crazy Scion

Lise politely smiled at the couple as the crass one guided the indecently-clothed one off to dance. It was clear to Lise that being agreeable was a lesson the boy had yet to learn. It was no matter. He was likely better off on the dance floor than amidst the company of the ball.

Of course, Lise would make sure that everyone is aware of his choice to dance. With a quick gesture to one of her shadows, she directed a servant to the overhead catwalk. A spotlight on the couple as they danced would no doubt enhance their romantic night... Would it not? Hopefully the others on the dance floor would at least give them the space they required. At the very least, the eyes of the ball on the girl and boy would hopefully make them realize their mistakes. Lise would have preferred a less drastic method, but there was no other choice.

Lise took a quick breath, and exhaled with a sigh. She tried to return her thoughts back to that of an elegant ball's host. Lise's eyes scanned the crowd, looking for the telltale sign of her cousin. Despite the setting of a masquerade, Lise was certain she could tell Elise apart from the rabble that made up the people of the ball.

Although there were hundreds of people around her, Lise couldn't help but feel set apart, perhaps because of her innate elegance and beauty compared to the commoners, or the lack of a fellow member of her royal family. Her dear cousin would help set her at ease, she was certain. It only took her a few moments before she spotted Elise, weaving amongst the crowd. Elise's black dress blended in well with the shadows of the ball, making it almost seem like she was part of them. Lise took the initiative to follow after her, trying to catch up with Elise as she moved.

@Crowvette@rawkhawk64@KillamriX88@Hammerman

Diana's entrance did not take that long. A speeding sports car, skidding to a halt just before the entrance. The plate with the all familiar plaque, that denoted this once had been Lightbringer's car, now a convenient hand-me down to his old flame, almost a wife in name. It was a great car.

But she couldn't reach the wheel nor the clutch, so she had to summon an skeleton chaffeur. It clicked and whirred, and its ugly dissecated head began to spin like a merry-go-round when it skidded to a halt. She should've braced his neck better.

_"Stooooppp" said the ghastly creature, in a hissing voice, before making a disgusting cracking noise and adjusting the chaffeur hat and suit, waiting for input. It took a brief moment before the sack of bones creaked out of the driver's seat, and opened the room to the passengers' seat, before making a curtsy.

It would have looked good, if the damn head did not fall off and started rolling on its own.

Still, Diana's dress was notably unfazed by the rough and tumble entrance of the servant. A second figure stepped out of the car. Melanie, bringing a strange getup. The striking difference of height was accentuated even more so, given that both girls were in the different ends of the spectrum. The tall Vigilante tilted her head.

"I do think I should thank you for bringing me to this opportunity to find objects of beauty. Or I've been told to do so." said Melanie, before automatically pulling out a lollipop for Diana, which the witch gleefuly declined.

"Just go have fun." Diana said, staring into Melanie's vacant stare.

"So should I shoot Mephistos? Or Balloons?" Melanie tilted her head.

"Do not...ugh, listen, you just get drinks and talk to people, okay?" Diana grumbled. She could not believe she was the one babysitting this tall soul-addled girl. Where was the rest of the vigilantes and Mephistos when they were needed!? It was then when she noticed Brutus, and walking up to him, offered her hand for him to take.

"I trust I have not been excessively tardy?" Diana said to her companion, snapping her hands and conjuring a fancy mask out of thin air. "Masquerade dresses require a lot of preparation." She added, before dismissing the Skeleton who had just picked up his head and put it on its place... upside down. No sooner the creature had its orders, it jumped in the car and began driving without closing the doors.

_"Speeeeeed" said the creature as it hapzardly drove away. The witch urged resisted the temptation to facepalm. Melanie was going on a head, parroting some sort of cat noises? Seriously, that girl was so unpredictable. Her eyes rested on the conmmotion before her, and eyeing Brutus, she retracted her hand.

"Do excuse me for a second." She added, as she took hasty strides to reach Lady Valois de Saint-Remy and offered her best appeasing curtsy. That rash fool of Rurik was always mucking things up with poor manners, wasn't he?

"Mylady. It is an honour to be invited to this masquerade ball. Joys of this kind are few and far between and I am sure your magnificent self is too much to bear on our crude etiquette, but I assure you, as Mephisto's councilmember that those lovely two mean absolutely no harm, besides that which is born from ignorance. I am Diana Graeca, at your service." She said, buttering Lise up.

---

@supertinyking

Mer knew deep in her heart that as soon she stepped those doors, the stares would come. Stares had always been a part of her life. First, because of her demon heritage... then as her body was shaped by sin of lust that was carried over from her own mother's veins, the heads were often turned the other direction. A third option was the contrast between herself and her companion. Whereas she was a haunting beauty, he was more of a rugged functional form. Day and Night. St Laurel's and Mephisto. Two different ideas together.

Meredith ruffled the skirt of her dress and offered her hand to Luigi, indicating that he should lead her. She had done her best to preserve the glamour, and had to ask her father for some things back home, but she had managed to do so. "Shall we, Lou?"

"We shall." Luigi replied, gently taking Meredith's hand as he gently pulled her along with him. The suit that Meredith had helped him make had a tinge of dramatic flair to it, the coat being almost cape like as he strode forwards. Those who knew Vile might not know that the man strolling into the ball was him, as rather than being caked in the oil and soot he normally had clinging to him from his work he had completely cleaned up. His long oily hair was detangled and made fluffy and a tad curly with the help of some conditioner, and his skin has been thoroughly scrubbed and any blemishes picked out or covered with small amounts of make up. He even took the time to cover his augments in a thin layer of fake skin to make himself look more human, something he had never done before that night.

Vile's eyes twitched behind his sunglasses as he scanned the room for important figures, potential threats, and structural anomalies. He had come to the ball much more lightly armed then he'd of liked, only a combat knife within his coat and the blade built into his arm. He felt practically naked without some manner of ranged weapon, but he figured bringing a firearm to an event like this would be a wonderful way to end up on the news, or in jail.

"Oh, sounds like this was supposed to be a masquerade my dear. Here." Luigi whispers to Meredith, pulling a small black mask out of his coat for her. As to why he was carrying such a thing around was only for Vile to know, and for others to be perplexed by.

"See I told you could pull it off if you tried, Lou." Mer clung to Luigi's arm like someone clings to a shade in a sunny day. "It's good that you are tall. Not that many people taller than me." She added as she took the mask for herself. "Hm. Something tells me people aren't going to be picky, but I wont be picky about it."

"I figured we went through enough effort, might as well do it right." Vile says with some pride as he puts on an opera mask, before he registers her remark about being tall. He pats her on the head gently, to not disrupt her hair too awful much. He then leads her forwards into the crowd, his eyes looking for danger at any moment. Meredith could feel the tension in each movement, like Vile was a toy soldier who had his key twisted one to many times.

"Hey, let them stare. Stares can't hurt people that much." Meredith said as she drew closer. "Or is it something else, Lou?"

"......" Vile's mind raced for a plausible explanation for his rigidness. He thought back to some of those stupid romance shows he watched late at night when nothing else was on....
"It's cute when you cling to me like this. It's nothing to worry about, I'm just a worry-wart my dear." Vile says, trying to handwave Meredith's worries.

"Hmm..." Meredith said, before drawing apart. "If you say so. We could literally fly away from here you know."

Luigi frowns a little. "I know, but...I just get ancy near groups. People do bad things...I just want this to go nicely for you." Vile says, seemingly unhappy about Meredith drawing away. He keeps moving, trying to head towards the refreshments table, figuring it'd be harder for someone to try something out from the main blob of people.

Meredith says. " It will be okay..." before finally pushing Luigi Vile off, dodging a certain suspicious vial that was thrown her way. The strident laugh of a third year was heard.

"Ohohohoho, my bad, my bad... I confused you with a loiterer on this princess ball, what with the taste of a meretrix you seem to have. I should fetch my associate Marty and show him too..." Helga, the witch that had thrown acid at Mer's face said haughtily as she snapped her fan.

Vile's eyes flickered around as a hand went into his coat, clutching the handle of the combat knife he had come with. "Hmm, a friend of Marty huh? Much like your taste in clothing, your taste in associates is garbage. I'd suggest you leave before this goes towards Mask of the Red Death real quick." Vile says, before he leans forwards with a pained wheeze.

"Vile, be polite, we're in a constricted public place. The only thing that'll be happening tonight is a clockwork heart beating softly in a grave if you start to misbehave." Marty says, walking out from the bustling crowd from around Vile. Meredith could see that Marty had stuck Luigi in the side with some sort of small shiv, slipped between plating near Vile's hip. He takes his place beside Helga, leaning over to say quietly "Do refrain from throwing things. Acid vials make a mess if they hit, and you mutilating someone at a ball would seriously damage your image, even if you think the person deserves it. A shiv works better, small, hard to see, painful but heals easy." Marty whispers, sounding more like a disappointed instructor than a date.

Vile pulls the shiv from himself, and looks like he's on the verge of doing something stupid, if his gritted teeth and his enraged look held any substance to his actual mood.

"Marty, Marty, always the grandiose. These vials don't have acid, see?" Helga said, producing one and swabbing it lightly on her face. "It's just a purifying concoction, also smells rather nice." She said, rolling her eyes. "You should not stab churls, It is poor etiquette." The witch waved a hand and whispering arcane words, healing the stab wound.

Meredith saw the exchange with a frown, and drew close to Marty, her face a wide smile. "Oh you naughty mister... please don't do that again." She added as she levelled her face against his. "Or i will squash you, gnat "

".....Vile, you really gonna hide behind your date?" Marty asks, seemingly ignoring Meredith's threat.
Luigi smirks before replying "She is stronger than me....smarter...far more beautiful....but if you, or your diana-lite wanna be witch sugar momma tries anything else, I'll use your ivory to carve her an exquisite set of jewelry." Vile replies, and Marty rolls his eyes.

"I personally have nothing against you, Meredith...but beware your company. He's a bit unstable." Marty replies, before trying to leave with Helga, figuring squabbling with those two making them look worse than it was making Vile and Blackgate look the fools.

Helga said nothing, but upon the mention of Diana, her eyes seemed to bury herselves in Luigi's skull, before deciding it was enough and leaving too.

"Jewelry?" Meredith said, raising an eyebrow. "Nevermind that... this made me thirsty. Let's get a drink then."

"You can polish bones....make a nice ring set, or ear-rings, or a tiara.....spoons...dice..." Vile begins, moving towards the refreshment table. "It's as about as subtle as my death threats go. I figured it'd be better than yelling I was gonna skin him at the top of my lungs. More classy at any rate."

"A real gentleman huh... you know. You are fetching the drinks."

"I figured..." Vile says as he goes to grab the drinks for himself and Meredith, wondering who else he'll run into....

A ball to celebrate the heroes of the 'Cultist Incident'. Or so it had come to be known to the citizens of Rhea. What it was was an act of Terror. The first amongst many, if the Cult remained unchallenged. However, having the population live in fear of the cultists would no doubt be playing into their hands regardless.

Perhaps this really was the best outcome.

Alto cleared his throat.

"I appreciate you accompanying me... Mother." Alto said in a calm, measured tone of voice. "But... is this really necessary?"

The figure opposite him sat shrouded in the shadow of their vehicle, flanked by two silent watchers. When they passed by the streetlights they illuminated a woman wearing a black veil and mourning clothes, and two operatives. The mourning clothes weren't what concerned him. A public funeral for the victims of the Cultist attack had been staged a few weeks ago.

She'd taken the time to remind them one of the Ganze family's old adages, tracing its time to when Rhea had been a kingdom.

The Ganze family is always the last to grieve.

It held the dual meaning of reinforcing the Ganze family's value of always walking forwards, always taking strides towards the future when others might falter instead. At the same time the statement didn't have to mean that they never grieved. By being the last to grieve, they would make sure to remember the fallen.

Or so he had been taught.

"Of course, I am well aware there will be officers on the site for security." She said. "...But you and I both know they would not be enough if something of a similar caliber were to occur again."

She peered out the window at the scenery passing by.

"THRONEs agents won't be seen unless they wish to be seen. And considering that our enemy's intemtions and full capabilities are as of now, unknown, sendinf two agents is a worthy precaution." She said. And besides, can't a mother worry for the safety of her son?"

Alto conceded the point.

"I recognize I am imposing on you. I do believe it may be a while before we would be able to talk face to face again, so I decided now would be a good time."

The aftermath of the Cultist incident had of course left a lot of work behind. He had been away from the household for much longer periods of time than usual. And when he returned, usually the other members of his family were also away. Indeed, he hadn't seen his mother in a while. However, sitting in front of her now, frankly he didn't see the point. Because invariably, all of their meetings ended up like this.

"I've seen your efforts in regards to expanding the student leadership roles in the Academy," She said. "I approve. Lasting influence is lasting power. Your time as a student will end, but the effects of your leadership could echo for years to come. Very good."

Praise or criticism first. Either one was delivered with the same voice. As well as hands folded over the knee, and an overall neutral pose.

"I've also heard you've been seeking outside assistance to help further your training. I don't disapprove of it. However I'm not certain that "King" is truly trustworthy or not. I trust in your judgement, but you must be careful regardless. 'A shown hand can be changed, but it cannot be un-shown."

An adage meant the session was over. Now he had to show the proper respect.

"Thank you mother, I will keep your words in my heart, as always." He said.

"Excellent," His mother nodded.

Did he mean what he said? Of course. Was he tired of the routine? Not... yet.

All it was was that he wasn't... certain of how to receive it, perhaps. What emotions was it supposed to elicit when he was praised or criticized? He understood it on a vague surface level, the appearance of the emotion that he should feel. But he had never felt as if he properly experienced the emotion. It had never felt 'right', and he didn't even know where the sense of why it didn't feel 'right' came from.

"It seems that we are here. Give my regards to Lady Valois Saint-Remy for me."

"Thank you, mother, I will." Alto said.

When he turned back to look inside of the vehicle, the THRONEs agents had already disappeared. He let out a sigh into the misty night. THRONEs had been caught off-guard by the cultist incident, otherwise it was likely they would have had their agents make an appearance one way or another.

Would they have helped reduce the death toll? Maybe.

But if they re-appeared now, if they showed their face this night, it would be to intervene in a matter that the security present at the site couldn't deal with. That would be a true indication that he and those under his charge were once again, to be plunged into the depths of hell.

He prayed to the gods that it wouldn't happen again. For that was all that he could do.

@AtomicNut
Lise was interrupted by someone else as she was tracking her cousin. Of course, that would have annoyed someone else, but this one was actually being cordial, which was a welcome change from the previous. Lise decided to give the... child? the attention she wanted.

Lise gave a polite smile. "My, to think that Mephisto's council has such a young member. Though, I suppose with company such as those, the leaders could truly be picked from anywhere..." Her polite speech trailed off slightly as Lise looked at Diana more closely. "Say, have I met you before...?" Lise wasn't entirely certain, but the little witch looked familiar. Which was strange, because she did not actually know many people outside of the important figures at the ball.

Lise knew she was too small to have delivered the TV to her dorm room, so that option was ruled out. Yet, Diana reminded her of something similar, or someone related to it... "You remind me of someone I have seen on television!" Lise excitedly said, energized by her recollection. "Yes, that is it, you remind me of a character from the Magical Girl Descartes show!" Lise grabbed Diana's hand, beaming with excitement. "How inspiring! Television truly is a marvel, is it not?"

@Hammerman@Crowvette

'Dammit... dammit... not again!' Rurik wasn't much of a dancer, that much was clear. He was basically just being pulled and dragged around the dancefloor by Christine while he put all his faculties into not stepping on her feet. Meanwhile, the spotlight that shone upon them grated further and further on his nerves. He had no doubt that little rich brat was behind it.

What she didn't realize, was that this meant war.

Except every time he was about to take aim at it, Christine would lead him out of sight of it! Either another dancing couple would get in the way, or she'd turn him so he wasn't able to see it! It was maddening!

No, no, it was fine. They'd been dancing long enough now that he'd totally gotten a feel for it. Guys were supposed to lead when dancing anyway, right? Ignoring that he'd just mentally trampled over decades of gender progression, he put his plan into action. With the grand total of three minutes or so of experience he'd just acquired, he tried to take the lead.

In doing so, he effectively tripped Christine, threatening to knock her on her ass. Rather than a simple maneuver so he could get the damnable spotlight in his sights, he'd instead ended up having to catch her. To the casual observer, it looked like he'd thrown Christine into a dip as part of their dance. Someone even clapped. Rurik just clenched his jaw and rolled with it. Never mind the fact that all his weight had ended up loaded on one foot and a gentle breeze threatened to demolish what was left of his balance.

On the bright side, he was facing the right direction now. He extended his index finger and fired off a tiny bolt, which sped across the room and punched a neat hole in the spotlight lens, annihilating's the bulb inside. It would look like someone had simply turned it off unless they took a closer look, and with Rurik's projectiles being nigh imperceptible energy, it was untraceable. With a victorious smirk, he set about pulling himself and Christine upright again.

"What can I say? You're, uhh, a great teacher..." Rurik told her while unable to meet her eyes. Yep. Totally... totally on purpose.

The battle was won and the ball was back in Lise's court.

@KillamriX88
"Kyah!"

Christine suddenly lost her balance as Rurik's feet had "accidentally" tripped on hers. She would've hit the ground face first, if not for Rurik catching her mid-air.

"Ah!"

He caught her alright, but his hand had landed on her right breast, inadvertently giving it a squeeze as he tightened his grip.

"Ahn!"

Christine's lips let out a moan—all the while her dress rode up behind her as she was bending over, revealing her black lace panties to anyone looking at her direction.

"T-thanks!"

She quickly straightened herself, blushing in the process.

She had no idea in the slightest on what her boyfriend had done through all that. Well, other than cupping her breast, that is.

"R-really? I'm glad to hear that!" She gave him a smile at his compliment.