Pitch looked out into the flickering void. At least, she thought she did.

She wasn’t sure…she felt as if she were asleep and awake at the same time. The floor beneath her feet rippled like ocean waves, and the air held a discernible flavor…a flavor like salt, or blood, or something in between.

A blinding light appeared, and Pitch shielded her eyes…and when she uncovered them, she found herself in a magnificent golden ballroom, almost too bright to behold.

Dozens of well-dressed couples spun around in concert on the floor. An invisible orchestra played, and pale flower petals descended from an unknown source.

Her arm felt unusually heavy. She lifted a sleeve, and found it draped in gold embroidery.

Then she looked down at her feet. Her old gown’s frayed hems had been gilded and mended, and its color was now crimson instead of green.

She raised her head. “…So,” she murmured. “This is…happening.”

“It is, isn’t it…?” she heard Azor’s voice say.

She turned and saw the Beast standing nearby, looking dismayed, as usual. His own clothing had become as resplendent as hers: an ornate ruffled collar quite nearly obscured his shadowy face.

“…You know, I’m not sure I really believed what Dreadlilocks was telling us until now,” Pitch went on, turning back to the ball. “To think that a little child could wield such power…It’s all just so…incredible.”

“…‘Tragic’ is the word I was thinking of,” said Azor.

“‘Tragic’?”

“You know what they say: ‘too much of a good thing’ and all that,” he explained. “Power is a privilege; omnipotence is a responsibility. Or at the very least, a great and ever-present burden.”

Pitch smiled sadly. “…I’m worried about her, too,” she said.

“She doesn’t seem to want to talk about her feelings regarding the situation,” she continued. “I wish I knew what that meant…I wish I knew what she needs, right now…”

“And what would you do if you knew? There is nothing you could do for her that would matter in the end. We are no longer her peers, and she knows this…no matter how fervently she tries to distract herself with these…spectacles.”

“…Is that really what you think? That this is all just a distraction, for her own benefit?”

“Why else are we here?? Of all the things she might be doing to prepare to save the universe from oblivion, she chooses to throw a meaningless party for her ‘friends’. To call this farce unnecessary would be a gross understatement.”

Pitch shook her head. “As usual, you’re very…candid,” she said.

“You asked what I thought, and I told you,” he replied.

“Would you say those things if she could hear you? Actually, she can, can’t she??”

“I am hardly concerned with hurting her feelings…but even if I were, I doubt that I could. She never takes my words seriously; she seems to think that I am merely being ‘mean’…”

“She does, doesn’t she…now that I think about it, that is a sound strategy for dealing with you. I’ll have to adopt it in the future~.”

Azor made a face, but Pitch didn’t bother turning to look. She held out her hand, and watched a falling flower petal settle onto her palm.

“…You know, distractions can be nice, sometimes,” she said, smiling again. “Haven’t you ever wanted to escape from your problems?”

Azor thought for a moment. “…There is little use in wanting something that is not possible in reality,” he replied.

“I think there is. I think it’s very valuable to be able to tell little lies to yourself…even something as simple as ‘tonight, I have nothing to worry about’.”

“‘Nothing to worry about’, indeed…if only…” Azor stepped forward and began to walk away.

“…Where are you going?” asked Pitch. “Don’t tell me you want to dance~.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Azor answered. “I am leaving, assuming a world outside this place actually exists…in any case, it had better. If I wanted to attend a ball I wouldn’t have spent the last two centuries avoiding them…”

“I know how you feel: these gala events are one of the few things I don’t miss about being royalty…” Pitch clasped her hands. “If you’re really going out…would you mind terribly if I went with you?”

Azor looked back at her, switching his eye-tail. “…No, I would not.”