“It’s so nice to meet you too!” Eileen emphasized the ‘so’ as she replied.

His expression tensed for a moment before he quickly covered it up. It made her smile grow wider. Good.

“What are you doing here today?” She asked him as if she hadn’t heard him say he was wandering around in front of Ayla not too long ago.

“I was just looking around.” He says in a polite tone, although Eileen can see that it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Oh!” Eileen looked at him blankly for a moment, “Were you looking for someone?”

Redthornblinked in confusion. “Why do you think I’m looking for someone.”

“Because people only wander around if they’re looking for someone silly!” Eileen could hear a muffled laugh behind her as she emphasized the sentence. She didn’t spare it a glance, instead choosing to give Raiden Redthorn a ‘isn’t it obvious’ look.

A moment of silence then, “right.” He draws the word out for a moment before shaking his head. If Eileen didn’t know any better she would think that she has managed to make him uncertain.

“Were you looking for someone?”Ayla decided to add in.

He shoots her a look that makes it seem like he forgot she was even there, startling a little at her voice. He opens his mouth and then closes it again, hesitant to speak. Eileen decides to resolve the conflict in the most straightforward manner she knows. Asking.

“Who are you looking for?” She gives him a searching look, making sure to keep her voice airy as she says it. She’s still annoyed with him. “Maybe we can help you find them.”

“What if you don’t know them?” He gives her a dubious look. Eileen has to stop her lips from twitching at it.

It gives her an idea of who he is looking for. And it both amuses and annoys her. Gods. Maybe he was more persistent than she gave him credit for. There is only one possible reason coming to mind for why he would think Ayla would be able to help him find the mystery person he’s looking for.

“You never know!” Just to be petty, Eileen draws out the last word longer than necessary. A spark of satisfaction settles into her heart when it seems to have the intended effect and it unsettles him.

“It seems a little counter intuitive to ask if I’m fairly certain you don’t.”

“I don’t know what ‘counter intuitive’ means,” she tells him in what can be real sobriety instead of the mockery it is, ” but we can help more if you tell us who you’re looking for.”

“It means that it’s a waste of time.” Raiden Redthorn tells her in a helpful tone.

Eileen makes her eyes appear wider at that. “Why would it be a waste of time?”

“Because you don’t know them.”

“But what if I do?”

“I somehow doubt it.”

“But you’d never know.”

Redthorn seems to huff a smile. “I think that I would.”

“You can never be certain.” The words were meant to be just as teasing as the rest of this conversation, but Eileen can’t help but feel they ring true in most circumstances. You can think you know something, but you can never quite be certain. Some things had a way of surprising you.

It seems to make Redthorn balk as well, and he actually seems to consider them before he replies, “I suppose I can’t.” The words are a whisper but still clear.

“So who are you looking for?”Ayla once again reminds him that she’s there. Honestly, by the way his focus had shifted towards her at the act, it could be assumed that he enjoyed the strange banter.

Maybe he does. Eileen once again had a sense that not many people in his life would argue with him. It must be lonely. She shakes that thought off, and if she does it externally as well then it would only add to the ditzy image she’s trying to build.

For the second time after he has been asked that question, Raiden Redthorn hesitates. Eileen can see him glance at her before he turns back to meet Ayla’s gaze, a determined set to his face. “Would you know where Kiran Knightwood is?”

Ah. Eileen suddenly had an idea of why he had hesitated to ask. He didn’t want to reveal Kiran’s identity because he didn’t know if it was a secret. It wasn’t necessary as Eileen was sure the entirety of high society would know soon enough, but she couldn’t help but find the consideration cute.

She was also conflicted at knowing she had been right as to who he was looking for. One the one hand, it meant she was right. On the other, she had a pretty good idea why he was looking for her and was both amused and baffled by his persistence. It had only been about two days since the ball.

Eileen could see Ayla glancing at her from the corner of her eye in subtle motion that thankfully escaped Redthorn’s notice. Or perhaps that’s due to the quick nature of the movement. When she looks at him, there is a kind smile on her face.

“I’m not quite sure,” she starts, “I believe he said something about going out of Teodes for a few days.”

Raiden Redthorn seems to deflate at that and Eileen finds herself feeling sorry for him. “I’m sure he’ll be back.” She says in a cheerful voice, “After all, he needs to take Ayla to those pretty balls, doesn’t he?”

That seems to perk him up again and he immediately shoots her a smile before turning to question Ayla. “Will you be at the next one?” His anticipation is palpable.

Aylathinks on it for a second, “The one at the Prince mansion?”

“Yes.”

“Perhaps,” Ayla hesitates, grimacing at what Eileen assumes are memories of the last time she went to the mansion. “I suppose I’ll have to see.”

“So you might not?” A tinge of disappointment enters his voice, and he starts to seem like a kicked puppy. At least to Eileen. To his credit he disguises his emotions well.

“Don’t worry you can definitely see Kiran Knightwood again!” Eileen wonders if he can hear the promise in her voice as well as she can read his disappointment. For there are many reasons she’d need to go to those parties now.

“If not the coming one, then the one after,”Aylaadds in agreement.

“I see.”

A small laugh escapes her as he tries to look nonchalant even as a grin starts to spread on his lips. It’s a little cute. Eileen concedes that much, but she still thinks he’s a little too obnoxious at times. And she still hasn’t decided whether or not she wants to work on fixing that.

Not long after, Raiden Redthorn gets a notification on his watch. Glancing down, his eyebrows furrow and a strange look crosses his face. Eileen doesn’t get a chance to dissect it before he’s masking it with a smile and starting to speak.

“You’ll have to excuse me ladies, it seems something has come up.” That seems to be an understatement. Eileen can see the nervous energy building in his legs.

“That’s alright." Ayla reassures him kindly, “I suppose I’ll see you at whichever ball.”

“Yes,” he smiles, “I look forward to seeing you there and Ki…Knightwood as well.” Then he’s gone.

Ayla only waits until he’s out of sight to burst out laughing. Doubling over and clutching her stomach as she struggles to get them under control. A hand goes up to her mouth in an attempt to stifle them when people begin to stare.

Seeing it, Eileen can’t help but give a laugh herself, a smile blooming on her lips. It doesn’t get the chance to grow too big as Redthorn’s last words register, making it grow a little strained. Something told her that this wouldn’t be anywhere near the last name she’d run in to him. However, there was another matter she thought held more precedent.

“Lenora Divine?”

Aylaheld up her hands in mock surrender, finally having got the giggles under control. “It’s as good a name as any.” A small smile. “Besides, I think a better question would be why you were acting like that.”

Eileen shoots her a glare, which only makes her smile grow. When Ayla keeps looking at her in anticipation, a sigh replaces it. “It just happened.”

“Hmm,”Ayla didn’t sound too convinced but didn’t pursue it much further. “What were you going to ask me earlier?”

“Earlier?”

“Yes. There was something you wanted to tell me before we got interrupted by Raiden.”

At that, her face scrunched up in an attempt to remember what it was. What- Oh! Eileen shook her head. “I was just going to say that I need some new clothes too.”

Ayla’s eyes seemed to sparkle at that,“That’s a great idea!” She seemed to be practically vibrating. ” I know just where to go.”

Then before Eileen had a chance to protest, not that she would have but still, Ayla started to drag her in between crowds of people to a gold embroidered shop. The walls were painted a bright white, a stark contrast to the darkercoloursaround it. And by the look of the heavy glass doors and minimalist interior, it was a place for the more wealthy.

Glancing up to the sign hanging from the entrance and embroidered on the curtains, Eileen took in the flowers surrounding the writing in the middle. ’Lillies for Ladies; Promising a magical experience for 58 years.’ Eileen didn’t have much experience with it, but she’d heard they’d made one of her grandmother’s best ballgowns.

And as she walked in, she found that they also had an assortment of daily wear as well. A perfunctory glance revealed that unlike most other clothing stores that lined this street, they both did not have clothes for children and had a high price range. Which she supposes explains why she’d never needed to come here.

Eileen watched in amusement as Ayla immediately went up to an attendant and started chattering away about the types of clothes they sold. Knowing her, Eileen knew that they’d be here for a while yet. If there was something other than astronomy that Ayla was passionate about, it was fashion.

Granted it was mainly a hobby, but Eileen knew she had been making her own clothes for more than few years now. A resigned sigh left her when Ayla directed her to an aisle at far right of the room. This wasn’t exactly what she would have picked for herself, but she supposed it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.

“Try this on.” A red mermaid dress was added to the growing pile in her arms.

Eileen felt this would be a pretty suitable training method. The clothes were a lot heavier than they seemed. She hadn’t thought a pair of pants and a few shirts would be this heavy. But then again, the dresses Ayla put on the pile did have jewels stitched into their fabric. The real kind, which evidently made them heavy as hell.

This had been going on since they had entered the store. Ayla would glance through the racks, pull a piece of clothing out and place it in Eileen’s arms. She would protest, but she didn’t want to spoil Ayla’s fun. It was clear she was enjoying making Eileen her personal dress-up doll.

Which was fine since it meant she didn’t have to worry about how the clothes would look. Ayla was too particular for that. But when she saw Ayla’s eyes roam to the other side of the room, she decided it was time to intervene.

“Ayla,” Eileen started, waiting until she’d turned her head to continue, “I think I’ve got enough clothes to try on for now.” She held up her full arms as proof. “Where are the changing rooms?”

“Oh.” A light blush found its way onto her cheeks as she led Eileen to the changing rooms. Eileen for her part found it amusing how absorbed Ayla could get when it came to the things she was interested in. It was as cute as it was bewildering.

Over the course of the next hour, Eileen was made to model every piece of clothing in her arms. And it seemed that they were matched to each other, as she found out when Ayla told her she was wearing the wrong shade of pants with the light blue shirt she had on. Eileen had asked her what the wrong shade of black even was, but had changed anyway.

This trend continued a further three times before Eileen simply dumped the pile on the seat next to Ayla and told her to just hand them out to her. She’d rolled her eyes when Ayla had told her to wear one of the dresses immediately. She should have known.

From there the atmosphere became a little better and Eileen no longer needed to worry about whether something was the “right shade.” She privately decided that she’d wear the mix them all up at some point just to mess with her friend as pay-back for the experience. It would be worth it and Eileen could just say she didn’t notice.

The last piece of clothing Eileen was made to try on was a puffy floor-length white dress, with roses embroidered on the neckline and sleeves. It was one of the few dresses Ayla was the most excited about and one that she personally loved as well. She had a feeling she knew why Ayla had been so insistent she try it on last.

It was reminiscent of something her mother had worn while being true to her personal style as well.

But she supposed it might also have something to do with the lace up back on the dress. She had tried to get Ayla to tie it up for her at first. But when that ended with both of them in peals of laughter after the lace got a little tangled, they’d had to ask for help. The assistant had tried to seem stern, but Eileen could see the amused smile she was trying to hide.

“Now Ladies, If you need assistance getting into a dress, I advice you to seek me out.” The sternness melted into a friendly smile, “I’m more than happy to help.”

“Thank you Becky.” Eileen told her as she finished lacing her into the dress.

Looking into the floor-length mirror, she felt that she liked the dress even more than she had before. She liked how it looked and that it matched well with the red veil over her face. Turning slightly, she thought Becky had done a great job getting the ribbon to look aesthetically pleasing.

“It is no trouble.” A smile as she glanced over her handiwork, “it suits you. You look absolutely beautiful.”

“Doesn’t she just?” Ayla agreed with a smug smile on her face, clearly happy with her pick. Eileen rolled her eyes when she saw the gleam in her eyes. She was already thinking of things she could make to go with it.

Having thanked her once again and confirming she could wear the dress out, Eileen was just about to organise the clothes to pick the ones she wanted to buy when Ayla’s face caught her attention. She was looking over Eileen’s shoulder with a pale face and wide eyes. Like she’d seen a ghost.

It concerned her. Eileen’s eyebrows furrowed as she straightened to ask her what was wrong. When she didn’t get a reply, Eileen decided to turn around to see what it was. Only she didn’t get a chance before a very obnoxious voice intercepted.

“Well will wonders never cease?”