Chapter 8

It’s time to party! Everybody gets dressed up for an evening of fun and dance. Revelations are had that make things a bit awkward for some of our characters, and when the last guests leave the real fun is just getting started for others.

The night of the party Eugene was dressed in a fitted gold trimmed dark blue tux, pants shaded an even darker blue, and dark brown boots. Rapunzel insisted that he wear this instead of his regular teal outfit as it would compliment her choice of clothing better, though she kept hers a secret in order to surprise him at the event. He had to admit, Rapunzel had pretty good taste, and the tux suited him well.

Since Cassandra was an attendee rather than a staff member, she was allowed to forgo her lady-in-waiting uniform and was wearing a slim maroon dress that hung low off her shoulders and went down to the floor. A slit up the side exposed one leg nearly to her thigh. Black six-inch heels and silk gloves that went to her elbow made her look even slimmer and taller than she was. As for jewellery she wore a thin golden necklace with a ruby pendant that was nestled comfortably atop her chest, and ruby studded earrings that were only visible when she brushed her hair aside.

When Eugene saw her he couldn’t help but whistle in appreciation. “Wow, Cass. You’re looking great! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in anything like that before.” Many of the others in attendance noticed as well and were blatantly staring at the stylish yet out-of-character dress she was wearing.

Cassandra fidgeted slightly at the attention. “It’s not too much, is it?” she asked, crossing her arms and glancing behind at her mostly exposed back. “I mean, I’ve never worn something like this before. It’s not really my thing, but Raps insisted.” Despite her words, she clearly had some experience in such an outfit as she had no problem walking in those heels and had a sway to her hips that was clearly meant to draw the eye.

“Well I’m very glad she did. And it looks like I’m not the only one,” Eugene said as he nodded his head towards one side of the hall.

Across the hall, standing just off to the side of the crowd, was Varian, the young alchemist, who had become quite infatuated with Cassandra when they had first met. He too was dressed for the occasion in a sharp looking charcoal grey suit. His massive goggles were noticeably absent, which made the aquamarine streak in his black hair all the more obvious. He was staring open-mouthed at Cassandra ever since she walked in, but once he noticed her looking back at him he blushed and looked away.

Cass gave a little chuckle. “You do know he and I aren’t, nor will ever be, a thing, right? Sure, he crushed on me for a while, but the fact that I was willing to let him die when I dropped him from my stronghold put an end to whatever feelings he might have had.”

“You still have the necklace he made for you,” Eugene pointed out, having seen it on the nightstand in her room.

“And I still have the rose that Andrew gave me, despite him trying to kill me and overthrow Corona.”

Eugene frowned as he remembered the man that even Rapunzel thought rivalled him in terms of looks. “You do remember his real name was Hubert, right?”

Ignoring the comment, Cassandra continued. “I keep them as proof. It’s ... nice to have a reminder that you’re-”

“Desirable?”

“Appreciated. Besides, we’re too far apart in age. If I were to go out with someone I want it to feel like a date, not babysitting. If he was six or seven years older, maybe. But think about this, would you? If instead I was that much older, I’d be old enough to be his mom.”

“Speaking of being too far apart in age,” Eugene began as he looked towards who was now entering the hall.

Kiera and Catalina came in together, arms linked, looking a bit nervous and out of place. They were wearing identical dresses though opposite in colour, with Kiera in white and Catalina in black. Similar to Cassandra’s dress, their’s exposed their shoulders and the barest hint of cleavage. However, their skirts only fell down to slightly above the knee which was vastly different compared to every other dress there, which were all at least ankle length. Each dress was cinched just above their waist, giving them a bit of an hourglass figure. They also wore two inch heels of the opposite colour that gave them some extra height, although they weren’t nearly as tall as the ones Cassandra wore. The only accessories they wore were small pearl earrings that matched the colour of their shoes, and because neither actually had their ears pierced the earrings were instead held in place by tiny magnets on either side of the earlobe, another of Varian’s creations.

In a significant break to their traditional appearance, each girl’s face paint was missing, instead replaced by a touch of makeup that helped bring out their cheekbones and the colour of their eyes (and in Catalina’s case, enough to conceal her werewolf brand), and they wore the barest traces of lipstick. Their hairstyles were quite different compared to normal, too. Kiera’s usual high ponytail was instead replaced by a part down the middle with the hair gathered in a bun at the top of her neck and Catalina’s double ponytail was turned into an intricate French braid that extended just past her shoulder blades.

Cassandra and Eugene approached and the two girls began to relax as soon as they saw the familiar faces. Eugene bowed to the two of them. “You look phenomenal!” he said. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“Yes,” Cassandra agreed. “I never expected you to change your hair, but you pull it off perfectly.”

The girls smiled at the complements. “Thanks,” Kiera said. “But I have to ask, how in the world do you walk in those shoes?” she asked, looking at Cassandra’s feet. “Ours are bad enough but those things are massive. How do you not break an ankle?”

“They do take some getting used to,” Cassandra admitted. “And I definitely can’t run in them like I can with my boots.”

“Don’t expect this to be a regular thing,” added Catalina. “Normally it only takes us ten minutes to get dressed. This time it took like an hour, and that was with the help of some of the maids.”

“Totally worth it in my opinion,” said Eugene. “Who knew that those two tomgirls that Lance and I caught just a few years ago would grow into such beautiful women?”

“We’re not that pretty,” Catalina insisted, though she couldn’t help but smile at the words.

He grinned. “Really? I haven’t looked around the hall since you arrived, but I’m willing to bet my entire share of our loot that at least half the men here are looking at the two of you right now.”

True enough, as Catalina and Kiera glanced around the hall they saw almost everyone within eyesight was looking in their direction. Many of the guests had the good graces to not stare and went back to their conversations, but there was more than one man who had to be redirected by the clearing of a throat or slapping on the arm by a woman standing next to him. Even Varian, who had moments before been having difficulty looking away from Cassandra found himself struggling with not gawking at the new arrivals. The girls blushed at all the attention.

“Well, looks like you get to keep your money, Fitzherbert,” Cassandra said. “Though to be fair, everyone always looks at the new arrivals, if only out of curiosity. Now why don’t you two come with me and we’ll find ourselves somewhere to sit and get a drink?” With Cassandra leading, the trio of women made their way to one of the empty tables and grabbed some flutes of champagne from a passing waiter.

“Is it okay for us to have this?” Catalina asked a bit nervously, having never had champagne before.

“You’re old enough to drink, aren’t you?” They nodded. “Then absolutely, but just make sure to limit yourselves. It wouldn’t look very good for us to have a couple of drunken teenagers stumbling about, and if you’re not used to alcohol it probably won’t take that much.”

Kiera took a swig and almost immediately began to cough, the bubbly liquid burning its way down her throat. “You actually like this stuff?” she asked after she cleared her throat. Her face wore a look between confusion and disgust.

Cassandra sipped her drink and sighed in enjoyment. “First of all, don’t chug it. Like heels, it takes some getting used to, but once you do it’s quite pleasant.”

The others took tentative sips, and despite the bubbles, neither coughed this time. Then the flavour hit and a pleasant warmth began to tingle in their bellies and they smiled. “See? I knew you’d like it,” Cassandra said.

They sat for a few more minutes, just sipping on their drinks and people watching before Cassandra stood and said, “I’m going to go check on the princess, see what’s taking so long. Will you two be fine by yourselves?” They nodded, so she left to go find Rapunzel.

Meanwhile, Eugene began to mingle with the crowd while waiting for his wife to show. He bounced around from group to group, exchanging greetings and pleasantries, before he made his way over to Varian, who was standing off by himself, but was keeping a not so discrete eye on the table where Kiera and Catalina were sitting.

“Hey there Varian,” he called.

The young man was too busy looking at the girls to notice his approach and jumped in surprise. “Oh! Hi, Eugene. I, uh, didn’t see you there.”

“A little distracted, eh?” Eugene teased. “I can’t blame you. Those two definitely clean up nicely, though I saw the looks you were giving Cassandra when she arrived.”

Varian sighed. “That was just nostalgia. Maybe a bit of wishful thinking,” he admitted. “I mean, she’s never returned any of my advances and it’s been over a year since we last saw each other. I’m over my crush, but there’s no denying she’s stunningly gorgeous.”

“Over your crush, huh? Does that mean you’ve found a replacement?”

“No, no. But...” Varian glanced back at the table. “Who ... who’s that sitting at her table?”

“Who? What do you mean, who?”

“The girl in the black dress. I could be wrong but I think I recognise her from somewhere, maybe a painting? Is she a visiting dignitary or foreign royalty or something? You greeted her and her friend personally when they arrived and the two of them went and sat with Cass. Do you know them?”

Eugene was puzzled. Of course he knew them, and so did Varian. They had all met years ago and hung out on plenty of occasions, both before and after Zhan Tiri’s attack. But then it dawned on Eugene that maybe Varian failed to recognise them, dressed up as they were. He smiled to himself and decided to have a little fun with this. “Know them? Yeah, you could say we’ve met before. Would you like me to introduce you to them?”

“Would you? I mean, no, I wouldn’t ask, well, I mean, you don’t have to, I just, uh, sure, yeah,” Varian sputtered. He took a moment to gather himself, then nodded for Eugene to lead the way.

Eugene brought Varian over to the table where Kiera and Catalina sat. They were currently watching the other side of the hall and hadn’t noticed the two drawing near. He cleared his throat to get their attention. “Good evening, mesdemoiselles. I trust you are having an enjoyable night so far?”

The girls turned to face Eugene and were surprised that he wasn’t alone. They were confused as to why Eugene was talking to them so formally, but before they could say anything, he continued. “May I introduce you to Varian, our famed alchemist?” He gave the girls a not so subtle wink, though made sure Varian wouldn’t notice. “He’s the genius who designed and built the hot water system we have here at the castle, and he also invented flynolium, the substance used to fuel the whole thing. Just that alone has made him a local legend, and that’s not even mentioning the countless other things he’s created.”

“Eugene, what are you doing?” Kiera asked, not yet catching on. “We know who Varian is.” There was a thud from under the table as she was kicked by her sister. “Ow! What was that for?”

Catalina had understood what was happening right away and, wanting to play along, hoped the kick would either stop Kiera from spoiling things or maybe clue her in. “My friend here didn’t mean to be rude,” she said in an affected voice. “What she meant to say was that there is no need for introductions as Varian’s fame precedes him. We know of him and have heard all about his wondrous inventions.”

“Then you ladies have me at a disadvantage,” Varian said approaching. He bowed formally to them. “You know my name, but I’m afraid I’ve not yet learned yours.”

Kiera looked to Catalina at first in confusion, then in understanding as they exchanged looks that only sisters can do that communicates whole sentences without words.

“Of course, of course,” Eugene said, distracting Varian from the ‘conversation’ the girls were having with each other. “Varian, may I introduce you to the mesdemoiselles Schnitz.” While Schnitz was indeed the girls’ legal last name, they’d only ever used Strongbow since Lance adopted them, and Eugene hoped Varian was still ignorant of that fact.

“Oh, foreigners? Are you visiting Corona? And you both go by Schnitz?” Varian asked, confused as to which of them Eugene was referring.

Kiera, now caught up to speed, nodded. “That is our family name, yes,” she agreed, also putting on a more pretentious voice. “If you want our first names, though, you’re going to have to earn them.”

“I look forward to succeeding, my ladies,” Varian replied, not noticing the change in Kiera’s voice and still not having realised who they actually were.

The next ten minutes had Eugene, Kiera, and Catalina all trying their best to keep Varian unaware of girls’ true identities as he regaled them with stories of his adventures and accomplishments. Catalina especially enjoyed Varian’s attempts to impress them, though she wasn’t quite sure if her enjoyment came from his ignorance of who she and Kiera really were or his sincerity as he spoke. He never exaggerated what he did, nor did he downplay his genius. She did note he avoided mentioning the times when he kidnapped the queen and attacked the kingdom, but otherwise he was very open and honest with his retellings.

“There was this one time,” Varian continued, “when the princess and I got shrunk down and trapped inside a magical seashell.”

The girls’ interest pricked up at that. They were present for that little adventure, and were curious to hear it from his perspective. Catalina leaned forward on the table with her head in her hand. “Oh? Do tell,” she said.

The act of leaning forward unintentionally gave Varian a glimpse further down the top of her dress than she probably would have liked, had she known. No nipples were exposed but it was a near thing, and every ounce of skin down to that point was plainly visible. Varian had to close his eyes out of chivalry, as he knew he’d be unable to resist openly staring at the flesh that was before him. At the moment, the only thing he wanted more than to look at such a sight was to not embarrass himself by looking like a hormone driven teenager.

He took a breath to try and calm himself then focused on a spot on the table between the two girls before resuming his tale. “Well, the princess was heading to Neserdnia with a couple of friends to help them return some treasure, and I was accompanying them in order to pick up a copper-plated alembic from the market there. Do you have any idea of how many poly-alchemical substration tests you can run with one of those?”

None of the others had any idea, nor really cared, but Kiera did remember that Varian asked that very same question shortly before they had gotten sucked into the seashell. Wanting to bring their joke to an end, she dropped her fake voice and answered the same way she did the first time. “Anyone wanna switch seats with me?”

Varian was caught off guard by her sudden shift in demeanour. She went from smiling and engaged to frowning and bored in an instant. “I’m sorry. I do tend to get carried away when talking about alchemy. But ... hold on,” he began, then trailed off as this replaying of events caused him to take a second, closer look at the young lady in the white dress. He squinted his eyes as he peered intently at her.

“Kiera?” he asked tentatively, then looked to the other girl. “Catalina?” He almost couldn’t believe what he was asking, but when the girls began to grin his eyes went wide in shock. “Oh my god! You’re, I mean, I thought, oh boy!”

“Took you long enough,” Kiera said, smiling. “You know, for such a smart guy, you’re not very observant.” The way she said it took any sting out of the words, but Varian was still blushing furiously.

He began looking back and forth between the two girls rather frantically, and not just their faces, but their attire as well, then he suddenly backed away from the table. “I’m sorry. I, I, I better go, I have to go, I better go. Uh, bye.” And with that he quickly turned and began to briskly walk away.

“Varian, wait!” Catalina called, but he ignored her and disappeared into the crowd. “What just happened?” she asked a few seconds later. Kiera shrugged, having no idea either.

Eugene sighed. “Perhaps we took our little charade a bit too far, but I’m guessing a couple of things. First, he’s probably feeling pretty embarrassed right now. He thought he was being charming with a couple of strangers, and it turned out to be just a joke at his expense.”

“But he was being charming,” Catalina admitted. “We didn’t mean to embarrass him. We thought he’d find it funny once he noticed who we were.”

“Normally, yes, he’d probably be fine with being teased. But there’s more. My second thought is this: he’s noticing, maybe for the first time, that the two girls he’s been friends with these past several years are actually very attractive ladies. And now that he’s finally realised how, um, stimulating either of you can be, he doesn’t know how to act, so he ran.”

The girls sat for a moment in thought, then Catalina spoke up. “I think we should apologise to him.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Kiera agreed, somewhat reluctantly, “but how are we going to find him, especially if he’s going to try and avoid us?”

“Let’s split up, and if either of us does catch him, we drag him back here and talk.”

“Would you girls like some help?” asked Eugene.

“No, we’ve got this,” Catalina insisted. “He got embarrassed because he was flirting with us, so we should be the ones to let him know it’s okay.”

The girls left the table and headed into the crowd, Catalina following Varian’s path and Kiera going in another direction in the hopes of catching him in between them. Eugene stayed at the table and silently hoped they’d be able to find him quickly and sort things out.