V

Leo stood in front of Camilla's mirror, examining his reflection. "You look great," Camilla commented as her twin spun around a few times.

"Of course I look great," Leo replied lightly, "but I need to look fabulous."

Camilla rolled her eyes, smiling, and grabbed the box on her bed that her dress was in. "I'll be back," she said as the bathroom door shut behind her. Leo frowned, studying himself in the mirror. He liked the suit, but he needed to find a place to put his sword in case things got out of hand. Or in case anyone laid a hand on his sister; demon or angel.

"What do you think?" a voice from behind him grabbed Leo's attention and he turned around to see his sister wearing a sleeveless pale yellow dress.

Leo grinned. "You look great."

Camilla huffed, fluttering her lashes. "Of course I look great, but I need to look fabulous," she tossed her hair, mocking her brother from a few moments prior.

Leo gasped dramatically. "How dare you mock me!"

A knock sounded on Camilla's door, stopping the pair's bickering. "Come in!" Camilla called and Penelope stepped inside.

"Hey Cami, hey Leo!" she smiled, seeing the twins in their respective ball attire. "You both look great," Penelope commented.

Camilla and Leo met each other's gaze before turning to Penelope. "Of course we look great, but we need to look fabulous," they replied simultaneously before losing their composure in a fit of laughter.

Penelope laughed, walking over to sit on Camilla's bed. "Okay, that was a little freaky," they grinned.

Leo just shrugged and turned back to the mirror, while Camilla twirled for her friend. "Do you like it?" she asked.

Penelope smiled. "I love it, Cami! You look gorgeous."

Camilla's face brightened. "Aw, thank you!" She turned to the bathroom again. "Well, I'm changing back; Pip, can you come help me undo the back? I almost zipped up my wings when I was putting this thing on," Camilla asked and her friend followed her into the bathroom.

Leo just shook his head. Why girls always went into the bathroom together, he would never understand. After putting away all of their formal clothes, the group met up with Charles, Valerie, and Terrance for dinner in the dining hall. "So, what dresses did you ladies pick out? Or is it a surprise?" Terrance asked.

Penelope shrugged. "No one's seen me in my dress yet. I guess I'll keep it a surprise."

Camilla smiled brightly. "I'm so excited!"

Leo chuckled. "Sometimes I swear you two are dating."

Penelope and Camilla studied each other. "If we ever dated, we would be the most adorable couple ever," Camilla stated. "Everyone would wish they were us."

Penelope grabbed their glass of sparkling wine. "Cheers to that!" she laughed as everyone clinked glasses.

"So, who's your date gonna be?" Terrance asked Camilla.

She jabbed a thumb in her twin's direction. "That one," she grumbled. "He won't let any guy near me."

Leo pointed his spoon at his sister. "Or girl! Or enby! Or anyone else!"

Camilla rolled her eyes. "Just because I'm pan doesn't mean you have to protect me from every single being in the universe, you know."

Leo shrugged. "I thought being pan meant you were in love with love."

Camilla cocked her head to the side. "I guess that's one way of putting it. But it doesn't mean I'm about to fall in love with Joe the Alien from Plant Zarchwamitz, or the rock I saw near Gianna's last week!" she giggled at the thought, but it faded when she remembered she was supposed to be arguing with her brother.

Leo shrugged. "I'm not letting anyone break your heart, even if it is Joe the Alien from Plant Zarchwamitz," he crossed his arms and puffed out his chest in an attempt to look intimidating. Camilla only giggled, turning back to her food.

Charles stayed mostly silent throughout the meal, but that wasn't unusual. What was unusual, however, was the amount of talking that came from Valerie. She rarely spoke during meals, and if she did it was to reprimand someone for eating impolitely. "I'm a little excited to be able to actually attend a Ball instead of just guard it," Valerie was saying. "It will be a nice change, I think."

"You hate change," Terrance pointed out with a mouth full of food.

Valerie shrugged. "Well, I like this change."

Terrance looked as surprised as everyone else, but no one said anything as their dishes were cleared. Terrance headed up to the balcony on the top floor of the palace, sitting on the edge and staring up into the sky. If he was being honest, all Terrance wanted to do was go to bed. But he had a lot on his mind; including a certain blonde-haired angel.

Terrance had had a crush on Penelope for a long time; ever since they were selected for the Queensguard. But she never seemed to notice them; her attention was always focused on Camilla. And Terrance knew this wasn't fair, but they resented Camilla for it sometimes. He resented her for all the attention she got from Penelope, versus how little he got. So every night, Terrance would fly up to the balcony and watch the stars, so they could clear their head before they went to bed.

Terrance wanted to tell her; badly. But he was afraid of rejection, and he had a theory. That Penelope was in love with Camilla. So when Terrance came up to the balcony, he tried to think about all the things he hated about Penelope. They tried to get himself to dislike her, to hate her, but to no avail. So they suffered quietly and told no one of it.

Valerie laid in her bed, fiddling with her short brown hair. She tried to fall asleep, but her mind kept wandering back to Charles. How he grabbed her hand in the hallway outside the throne room. How he called her beautiful. And how she backed out, brushed him off, and ran away like a coward.

Valerie sighed. She was well aware of Charles's feelings for her; he made them very clear. She was sure that the entire Queensguard knew. But she didn't act on it because she didn't want to ruin their friendship. Valerie was the leader of the Queensguard, and she had appointed Charles as her second-in-command. They had been friends ever since they were children, and Valerie wanted to keep it that way. Friends.

Valerie had never felt anything more than that for Charles. She didn't want to lead him on, but she didn't want to destroy their friendship either. So Valerie just brushed him off. Scooted over when he got too close, took her hand away when he grabbed it, stepped away when he put a hand on her back.

She didn't know what to do. So, much like Terrance, she laid awake until her mind slowed enough to allow her to rest.