Archive of Our Own

The early afternoon sun was brighter than usual, it seemed, as it cast its glow into the upstairs windows of the gothic victorian home. To Rose, every ray of light amplified as it bounced off the mirror and struck her straight in her soul as her conflicted psyche passed judgment upon the reflection before her. It was no real trouble; Miss Lalonde had grown up to be the beautiful and confident woman she had always dreamed of being.

‘Earth C’, as it was dubbed, had turned out to be quite the reward for completing the game. While Rose and her friends had to work hard to build the world of their dreams, it was nearly perfect.

No, the trouble was simply finding what to wear. What’s more was that her girlfriend Kanaya had been running errands all day and was unable to impart her fashion expertise upon poor Rose. She once again held up a frilly pink dress to her chest, one of many she had already tried and put aside in hopes of finding the right one. Despite all her efforts, none seemed to catch her eye.

Suddenly, the door creaked open. Finally, Kanaya had returned, wearing a long, elegant red high-slit dress with an onyx black sash. Rose could see her clearly in the mirror though her back was still turned. Her outfit was complemented by beautiful red lace gloves, and her makeup was already done.

“Apologies, my darling, I was assisting Karkat with the last minute decor. And you know how awfully stubborn he is.”

Rose turned her head to face her lover, lips tight in a sheepish smirk. Kanaya was immediately greeted with the sight a disheveled Rose in her Squiddles shirt and sweatpants, hair frayed at the ends and harboring dark eye circles.

“Help,” she muttered, laughing nervously to herself.

Kanaya sighed, rolling her eyes playfully.

“You still haven’t figured out what to wear?”

“If I did I’d be wearing it now. The party starts in an hour!”

Kanaya looked around at the dresses, skirts, cardigans, and other articles of clothing strewn across the shag carpeting of the bedroom floor. Finding new clothes was a big challenge, and it usually entailed Dave’s time manipulation and Jade’s space travel to find universes where clothes even exist at all. Then, of course, where human clothes exist. And then, there was finding clothes that looked good enough for Rose. Kanaya picked up a pink floral dress, sizing it up.

“What’s wrong with this one?”

“Too loose.”

“You know, if you’d asked me sooner, I’d have altered it to fit better,” Kanaya remarked, scratching her head.

“Well, you were all busy making invitations, helping decorate, and everything else that Karkat and the others are just too uncoordinated to do. I didn’t want to put it on you.”

“Rose, trust me it would have been my pleasure. But in the absence of an easier solution, I don’t think I could do it in a pinch.”

Something itched at the back of Kanaya’s mind. It was as if she was forgetting something important here. Nevertheless, she shook it off and continued to offer her help. Surely she thought she had checked every chore off the list.

“I always do this. I had this so well planned in my head, I ask Dave and Jade to take me shopping and I just waste their time because I’m indecisive. I just make decisions too quickly,” Rose bemoaned.

“And that is why I’m here.”

Kanaya planted a soft kiss on Rose’s cheek, to which Rose reached a hand and stroked the back of her girlfriend’s soft, silky hair. Kanaya glowed a bit at the gesture.

“All right,” Kanaya began, “so you don’t seem to like any of the dresses. The patterned ones, I must admit, look...out of place with your shoes, and the pink ones are a bit too pink.”

“They looked better in the store we stole them from.”

“They usually do, but at least your pockets weren’t emptied of your human survival resources in the process.”

“Yes, where I come from we call it ‘money’. And lord knows Theta-Universe T.J. Maxx has plenty of that.”

Kanaya picked up one of the skirts, comparing it to a wool lavender cardigan placed neatly on the bed.

“And what of this nice black leg-tube? Won’t it look nice with the purple arm-hugger?”

“The what?!” Rose snickered.

“Right. The ‘skirt’.”

“Oh it’s crushed velvet. I don’t like the feel of it. It looks lovely in the light but when I run my fingers across it it feels like there’s lukewarm bubbling tapioca pudding beneath the surface. And if you tried to get a little handsy with me you’d get nothing but straight tapioca ass. It’s unbecoming.”

“You have the strangest opinions on something as simple as fabric sheets we drape over our flesh.”

“For someone so into fashion you have a weird and grotesque way of dumbing it down to just...whatever that was.”

“But rest assured, I would still love you if your butt was made of tapioca.”

“That means a lot to me, Kanaya.”

Kanaya let out an awkward chuckle, followed by a shared laugh from the two of them. The sheer lack of gracefulness between them seemed to be what kept their relationship strong through all these years, and Rose and Kanaya always cherished a good laugh at the expense of their superficial sophistication. Though, lately at times they’d begun to think of it in a self-conscious light. It would be lying to say that they felt in any way comfortable about their shenanigans in public. As the two grew older and grew up, it seemed their habits and mannerisms of the past began to appear to them more and more as such, and they weren’t sure if it was just growing up or all in their head. Still, it was June’s special day, so a little social interaction would certainly do them good, no matter how self-conscious they felt.

Rose’s lover continued, a hand to her chin as she scrutinized the rather short skirt.

“I think you’re right, though. It seems a bit informal to wear to June’s 21st birthday. It might come across as an insult to my decor.”

“Wow okay say what you really think.”

“What I think? I think you’d look good in a suit.”

Rose turned back around with narrowed eyes and a sarcastically pained expression. She simply laughed off Kanaya’s comment.

“Hahaha! Our Lady of Sarcasm’s on a roll today.”

“No, I mean it. I think it would look...girlboss of you.”

“Please tell me Dave didn’t teach you that,” Rose said with an exasperated exhale. Learning more of their language was something Kanaya was truly progressing in, although it was not without the annoying interference of her peers to get at Rose.

“No, Karkat did.”

“Of all people?”

“Yes. He thanked me for helping out, stating it was rather “FUCKING GIRLBOSS” of me.”

Rose grabbed a purple blazer off the floor, clearly having been wrinkled from her lack of consideration. She slipped it over her baggy shirt and was immediately dissatisfied.

“Ughhhh. I can’t wear a suit. I just...it makes me look boxy and weird. Good ol’ Boxy Lalonde.”

“Sure you can. And a nice tie to match, perhaps?”

“Kanaya, I’ll look like Ellen!”

“Who?”

“Ellen Degeneres? Troll Ellen?”

Rose threw aside the blazer, shuffling around on the floor for her other options of clothing.

“I haven’t the foggiest idea who—“

“Annoying talk show host lady with short hair who always wears suits and says she’s a lesbian but is actually a government psyop?”

“Ohhhh you refer to The Generous! Heh, Vriska always used to tease me and assert that she was my true ancestor.”

“Sure...let’s go with that. But my point is: I do not wish to look like a fake lesbian!”

“No, I wouldn’t either. But I still think you’d look marvelous in a suit! Well, honestly anything you wear.”

Kanaya’s mind flashed back to that one day, nearly ten sweeps ago. The memory itself did no harm, but it raised other concerns within her. Though Vriska had indeed returned, quite recently in fact, she wasn’t sure how to go about getting used to her again. Of course, she was on speaking terms with everyone and they had made amends the last time the two had spoken. It was just awkward more than anything for poor Kanaya. Sburb had made it easy to bury the hatchet and move on with a common goal in mind. It was how they survived. However, now that life was a bit more mundane, socializing again as grown-ups was quite the challenge in itself.

And then, suddenly, as though her brain finally made the connection, she remembered why she had really been too busy to help Rose pick an outfit.

“Oh fuck...,” Kanaya murmured as her face flickered nervously.

“What’s the matter, babe?”

“Wait here! I completely forgot about my surprise! Oh no, I hope the cloth-eaters haven’t gotten to it! Ahhh, I’ve just been so busy as of late, it totally slipped my mind! Oh if only I—“

Kanaya’s panicked rambling trailed off as she skittered out of the room and down the stairs. Rose, having hurriedly applied her makeup, soon followed, aiming mists of setting spray at her visage. As the spray got into her eyes, she made a face like a cat about to sneeze, and she lost sight of where she was walking. She tumbled down the carpeted stairs just as Kanaya arrived with her present.

“Oh my!”

“It happened to me sober, I’ll be damned.”

“Just like our first kiss, though,” Kanaya said sweetly. She held out the lavender colored a-line dress, taking care to keep the bottom of it off the floor. It was sleeveless with a v-shaped neck and a high slit on the side, similar to Kanaya’s own dress. It was as if they matched perfectly.

“Where did you get that? Don’t tell me you—“

“Why yes. I made it for you. In case something like this happened. Though, I finished it early and then forgot about it a few months ago. It appears fine, however, and not even wrinkled!”

Rose threw herself forward to embrace Kanaya, with slight tears in her deep purple eyes.

“Oh! Careful, dear, you’ll wrinkle it!”

“It’s beautiful, I love it and I love you even more for making it! But you didn’t have to make this just for me, especially since you had so much going on and I completely dropped the ball.”

“But I wanted to. And you had to keep Roxy company and shop for the drinks, after all. Besides, I have all the time in the world while watching over the Mother Grub. I...enjoy making you things, it’s how I show my love. And I know your tastes better than anyone. Even J.C. Pennison or T.J. Maximillian.”

“Oh, Kanaya, thank you so much! I’m going to put it on right now!”

With that, she kissed Kanaya’s soft cheek, eliciting a vibrant white glow from the rainbow drinker, and she took the long flowing garment back upstairs.

“Hurry!” called her lover. “We’ve only got a half hour!”

Soon, after a few minutes of waiting, Rose was into the dress, and she emerged at the top of the stairs. She more gracefully and elegantly stepped down, delicate purple fabric ruffling with each stride of her short white heels. Her necklace bore a white crescent moon, and a ring on her left hand was adorned with the symbol of venus. Her earrings were of moonstone as well, dangly and ornate.

Kanaya, dressed in her own scarlet red a-line dress, sported a bold look of red on black. Her black sash complimented her black velvety high heels, accented with a necklace of obsidian stones. Her wispy, dark grey tattoos streaked across her body to even better accent her bright red attire. Her lips were similarly black, and her earrings were of dangly gold chains that held dark obsidian at their ends. Her lip, nose, and horn rings were both a bright, shining gold as well.

The two had unique styles when it came to fashion, with Kanaya opting for the striking and daring and Rose wearing her signature purple and black aesthetic so elegantly. Rose arrived at the bottom of the stairs.

“My, my, Rose...I don’t wish to brag but you look stunning in that dress!”

“D’awww, you too baby! And I feel incredible in this, it fits wonderfully!”

She almost twirled, before Kanaya stopped her and prevented her purple handbag from catapulting a potted plant from its table.

“We’ll get to dance later. We have to leave now, or we won’t make it on time!”

“Of course. But you know June. She’s gonna be late to her own party because of course she is.”

They shuffled into the rocket-powered vehicle, and closed the doors. They input the coordinates of the venue and soon sped away towards the celebration. So far so good.

The party was being held at the new Earth C Chateau. Built in no small part by Jade’s space magic, in coordination with Dave’s time abilities, and with the adamant assertion that Karkat helped, it was the biggest building in Can Town. It was four floors tall and as long as an entire city block, full of rooms for dining, dancing, and other fun activities. For June’s 21st birthday, it was decorated in blue and white banners and balloons. The doors, shaped similarly to the six-panel logo the victors had seen in sburb, were wide open as a  queue of friends, consorts, and many other new inhabitants of the world filed in.

Rose and Kanaya’s sleek, jet black vehicle came to a slow halt on the street outside, and Rose exited to open the door for her darling. Jaws dropped and eyes widened as the two emerged from their coach, dresses flowing and shimmering with the shiny details Kanaya had woven betwixt the threads. Kanaya’s face seemed to glow even brighter than the early evening sun as she held Rose’s soft hand in the silky lace of her right gloved hand.

“Damn, babe, did we overdress?” Rose asked.

Kanaya nudged her with a bony elbow, a muffled laugh escaping.

“Ohoh, you’ll get used to it eventually. It’s not a bad thing at all to look fabulous.”

As the two walked up the stairs and into the doorway, the “ooh’s” and “ah’s” shifted focus to who was outside. A small crowd gathered by the front steps as a simple-looking white streetcar drove up to the front. The chauffeur was a man in his fifties, wearing a white suit with a fedora atop his head. That was not what the people cheered for, however. Stood next to him was June Egbert herself, his daughter whose special day it was.

She was adorned in a lovely blue dress, bearing the symbol of the winds in a slightly lighter blue. It was a tiered, sleeveless prom dress, but with it she wore black and white converse, several slap bracelets, and sleeves of black and white checkers. Her hair was a billowy yet silky smooth wolf cut, topped off with a small tiara. Kanaya looked bewildered.

“Human fashion is...interesting to say the least.”

Rose simply laughed, relieved to be outdone at least in some way or another by the star of the party, with not as many eyes on herself.

“Egbert you nerdy wench...”

June spotted her two friends and threw her hands up to her face. She ran up to them and gave each a warm hug.

“Oh my god you guys look amazing!!!!” she exclaimed.

“Stopppp, that dress is absolutely adorable on you!” Rose responded. “And I love the entire outfit, it’s so lovably you, June.”

Kanaya was clearly eyeing the accessories, very reminiscent of earth life in the 2010s.

“I love the bracelets, are they culturally significant to you humans? Perhaps you could teach me how to achieve this aesthetic that the Rose human seems to think is ‘cool’. Oh, and of course the dress is a lovely fit on you!”

“Haha I have no idea what you just said but sure! And yeah, I got this dress because it looks just like Bella’s prom dress from Twilight!”

Rose snickered as June pushed up her wire frame glasses.

“Pardon the Rose human’s tease,” Kanaya began, “but I would like to extend my deepest gratitude for your screening of the human Twilight film. Jade and I had a wonderful discussion about how the film would have been different if our respective kind were represented by women rather than bumbling idiot men.”

“I’m glad you two liked it! And trust me, I agree, I’ve been thinking of writing a fanfiction like that,” June said as she beamed with joy.

“Oh Kanaya would not shut up about it for weeks, you brought a plague upon our home, Egbert,” Rose added.

“Hehe, glad I could be of service!” June quipped sarcastically.

“But after everything, it brings me such joy to see you’re still your old geeky self, June. Even eight years after we were fledgling adolescents forced into a fast track to maturity by an other-dimensional billiard-demon, you still have the same crappy taste in movies.”

“Sure do! And you still have the classic Lalonde snarkitude.”

“Absolutely delirious levels of snark, indeed.”

“Speaking of which, where’s Strider? And Jade?”

“If he listened to my instruction, he and Karakt should be getting the food prepared,” Kanaya answered, as the three began to walk indoors. “And Jade would likely be with Vriska and Terezi.”

Suddenly, as they entered the dimly lit hall with swirling dance lights and loud music, a shrill voice called out to them.

“JUNEYYYYYYY!!!!”

June recognized it immediately, and she ran forward to meet the embrace of a lovely woman with bleach-blonde and pink hair.

“Roxyyyyy babyyyy!” June yelled ecstatically, leaping into her girlfriend’s arms.

“Oh my gahhddd you look so fahbulouss!” Roxy said in her thick, northeast American accent. It was a voice Rose was very familiar with. Despite having heard Roxy speak on numerous occasions, in her mind, she was still a kid. This was a different perspective entirely. Here she was dressed up, makeup on, and it all reminded Rose of her own mother a little too much.

“And oh em geeee, is that Ms. Rose and Ms. Kanaya?”

Rose and Kanaya sauntered over in their long ball gowns, lighting up the room in red and pastel purple. Roxy greeted each with an enthusiastic hug, awestruck at how beautiful the two of them looked, not only as individuals but together.

Rose’s embrace to Roxy was tenuous to say the least. As her arms met hers, she could smell the same perfume, a slight wisp of alcohol on her to boot.

“Hello, M—I mean, Roxy,” Rose said as she fumbled over her words.

Roxy was wearing a simple yet lovely floral sundress, off-white with pink lilies. Her nails did not match her own dress, but rather they matched June’s deep blue colors. It seemed to be a Lalonde thing, as Rose noticed her own nails were a dark, jade green to match the blood color of her beloved. Roxy couldn’t help but admire the dazzling attire of the couple before her as she eyed them up and down.

“I see yer girlfriend here set ya up nicely with such a dawling dress! It really suits you, girl. Kanaya ya did such a lovely job for my daughtah-mom, I seriously can’t even!”

Rose tilted her head nervously to one side, smirking to hide her slight discomfort.

“Can’t even what?” Kanaya asked quizzically.

“Oh she just means she’s flabbergasted, that’s all. It’s a compliment,” Rose explained.

“Yeaahhh, like, y’know, I’m flooahed!”

“Fl—“

“Floored, Kanaya.”

“Ya could even say stahstruck!”

“Stupefied!” June chimed in, waving her hands apart.

“Yeah! Uttahly ovahwhelmed. You ladies look so cute togethah, please let me get a picture, I have to.”

“Haha, of course M—Roxy! Fuck!” The four of them laughed at Rose’s repetitive error. Rose could at least find the funny side in it, as strange as it felt for her to overcome. She was still able to smile as Roxy took the picture, though she tried desperately to separate this from the disingenuous smiles she’d feigned for her own mother through the pictures she had taken in the past. This had to feel different.

“And I’d be remiss not to thank you Kanaya fah putting awll of it togethah in the first place! It was wondahful of you, and it’s all so beautiful. All fah my special Juney.”

Roxy pinched June’s cheek lovingly, to which the latter blushed.

“Yeah, I can’t thank you enough, really,” June added. “It means the world to me that you did all this for me.”

Rose wave her hand up and then let it fall down, as if to indicate it was no big deal.

“Don’t sweat it, June.”

“Wow Rose did you just call me a limp-wrist?” June asked jokingly.

“No, I’m saving it endearingly for Strider. When he—“

They all turned to look at the table at which a very dapper Dave Strider and his boyfriend Karkat were seated. The blonde-haired man in the red tuxedo waved at June, beckoning her over.

“Speak of the devil!” June laughed. “Well, I’m off to greet the Onceler and his very grouchy boyfriend. I’ll catch you guys soon though! And Rose, sources tell me there’s an arcade here too. And we have a score to settle on DDR.”

“Heh, you got it! After we eat, of course. One on one.”

“You got it, RoLal!” June said, winking at her with a single finger gun as she began to walk away.

Roxy took June by the arm, giving a light parting wave to Rose and Kanaya.

“I’ll run along too, I need to go and bully Dirk for that hahrrible shade of ahrange he’s wearin’. But it was so nice to see you both!”

They then took off to greet the other guests, and Rose let out an exhale. Kanaya noticed the gesture, and gave her a concerned expression.

“Something the matter?”

“No, no. It’s just. Seeing her all dressed...adulty and whatnot...I almost called her mom. She reminds me so much of her, and sometimes it’s hard to see past that.”

“I see. But don’t you think she might have similar difficulties with how she sees you?”

“I guess. I mean, I’m no heroine or martyr who gave her life fighting the Condesce.”

“Perhaps not. But there’s a reason for that, and that reason is the crucial difference between you and the woman Roxy looked up to like an ancestor.”

“What’s that?”

“You won.”

Kanaya turned to smile at Rose, who looked deep into her eyes and slowly returned a defeated smirk.

“Heh. As grim as that is, I guess so. Maybe it gives her hope in some weird way. Maybe she can feel like there’s less to live up to, and more to achieve.”

“Perhaps.”

“And I guess from my perspective, she’s not the melancholic old hag who drinks her problems away either. She’s genuinely nice. Maybe I just wish I could be as jovial as that, outwardly. I always feel as though I look rather melancholic myself. And no bitch wants to be melancholic.”

“Indeed, she’s rather sober it would seem. And even when she enjoys the occasional libation, she appears most...bacchanalian.”

“Your word choice is so homoerotically verbose it’s laughable,” Rose teased. “I guess you’re right though. She’s like mom if mom had friends.”

Kanaya chuckled at the simplification. Though times were changing and their world had been turned upside down, their friendships had all endured in spite of it all. Learning to live with the vestiges of old lives and the uprooting of space and time themselves was a challenge, but it was one they had overcome with support from those they loved. This party, this gathering—it was a testament to that.

Kanaya offered a hand to Rose, a hand that symbolized to her that it was going to be all right. As lovely as she looked, Rose was not the most confident in face-to-face socialization. Tonight looked like it was already off to a less-than comfortable start for them, but Rose wanted to make it better. She would surely get her chance. And thus, the two walked hand in hand toward their table.

“I’m telling you TZ, you give me your shadow Scizor, and I’ll give you my Reshiram, it’s a fair trade!”

A raspy voice carried Vriska’s persuasion to the skeptical ears of her girlfriend Terezi, with their other girlfriend Jade trying to tune the bickering out.

“No way, Serket! Throw in your Dragonite and we have a deal,” the nasally voice responded.

“I told you I want it on this gym just in case.”

“Then remove it?”

“No!”

Jade put her dinner roll down with frustration.

“If you two don’t stop yelling, I’m going to pay Dave to put Pokémon Go back in the Epsilon timeline!”

“Chill out, we’re almost settled with this,” Vriska huffed. “Besides, I thought barkbeasts couldn’t eat bread?”

“That’s quackbeasts stupid,” Terezi snorted.

“Are we interrupting?”

All three heads turned to the empty side of the circular table, where Rose and Kanaya stood and waved silently. Vriska, Terezi, and Jade all stared in awe at them, clearly far more dressed-up than they were.

“Oh you guys look so pretty!!!” Jade said, tail wagging as she stood to hug her friends.

“Ooooo you two smell like roses and lavender! So frickin’ gorgeous!” Terezi exclaimed, as Rose and Kanaya took their seats.

“Thank you, Terezi!” Kanaya responded. “You look lovely in that shade of teal as well. And I love the red rubber shoes with the holes!”

“Oh these. Are. My. Crocs!” Terezi said, hissing at the end of the word. “And Vriska helped me pick out these charms called Jibbitz for them. See?”

Terezi put one shoe up on the table to show off her charms, five different human English letters that spelled a word which Kanaya was not quite familiar with.

“It says shart!”

Jade put her face in her hands and whimpered. Rose and Vriska stifled a laugh, understanding her pain.

“That dress, did Kanaya make it for you, Lalonde?” Vriska butted in.

“Oh yeah, she’s the best. I know you, Jade, and Dave tried so hard to help me but really I couldn’t pick a good one. But my lovely girlfriend surprised me as she usually does.”

“I think you made the right choice for sure. Kanaya’s work is always the best, right Kan?”

“Heheh, well, I don’t want to be boastful...,” she responded, averting her shy gaze from Vriska for a moment. “So, Jade, how have you been managing putting up with two trolls? I must say I admire your dedication to our customs.”

“Oh, you know, they have their silly moments! But I love them, they’re the best gals ever.”

Terezi smirked at the compliment, while Kanaya puzzled at the use of the human word for a matespritship.

“I see,” Kanaya continued, “so how did you meet? Did the two of them, ‘walk into the clubs like ‘what up? I’ve got a big conundrum!’’?”

Rose smacked her forehead, leaving a bright red mark as red as the suit worn by the lesser demon who taught her girlfriend that phrase. If she had ever pondered a case study on introducing a practically-Victorian-era woman to Macklemore, this was her dream come true. Alas, the rest of the table simply laughed nervously. Time heals all wounds, but when it comes to bad jokes, a little space is like the salve to the cut. Jade finally broke the awkward silence.

“Oh! Clubs, I get it! No, no, hahaha, I’m not auspisticizing or anything. We’re all poly! It’s a human thing, but we all love each other. Like...human love! If that makes sense,” she added with a nervous grin.

Kanaya glowed briefly with a wavelength of light that Rose discerned to be the telltale sign of embarrassment. Well, at least it made two of them.

“My apologies! I shouldn’t have made assumptions, but that is very interesting indeed. Perhaps you could teach Karkat, the Mayor, and I about it.”

“Of course, I’d be happy to! I guess in my case in particular I do end up coming between their little squabbles sometimes. Being the deciding vote is hard sometimes, I’m sure you know.”

“It certainly is. Maybe I could give you advice with at least that aspect of it?”

“Oh, haha it’s fiiiine. Vriska and Terezi and I always sort out our differences easily anyway. We just sorta clicked, y’know?”

“Yep!” Vriska affirmed. “Don’t worry, Kan, we won’t ask you to meddle this time. Right, TZ?”

Terezi nodded, a muffled “mhm” escaping her mouth as she chewed on a piece of blue wax she peeled off the centerpiece candle. Jade looked on in second-hand embarrassment.

“Get that out of your mouth, Terezi! Sheesh, when that’s coming from the doggirl, you know you messed up.”

“I think that’s our cue to go grab some food,” Vriska said, standing and taking her plate.

“Yeah, it appears they just brought it out, and believe me it’s gonna be good,” Rose said as surely a greater being somewhere recorded it as the worst small talk ever to be had in the universe at thar instance. “You three go on ahead, we’ll meet you there.”

With that, Jade, Vriska, and Terezi, the latter nearly foaming at the mouth, headed over to the buffet.

Kanaya slumped her head, breathing a long sigh of exasperation. Rose knew what was the matter.

“Shades of the past, huh?”

“I just wish I wasn’t such a busybody.”

“I don’t think genuinely wanting to help makes you a busybody. You just have to know when to do it. All three of them seem very happy together, I think, no matter what Vriska used to be like.”

“Maybe, but I fear I came across as judgmental, when all I wanted to do was help. Oh, it’s not even as though I understand who Vriska has become enough to even extend my help in the first place.”

“I know Jade, I’m sure she didn’t see it like that at all.”

“Maybe a part of me just wants Jade to understand the Vriska I knew when I should consider that perhaps she already does. It was rude of me. And I feel like I embarrassed you.”

“Kanaya, you’re not embarrassing me at all.”

“Are you sure? You seemed to react to my attempt at creating human small talk through humor with disdain.”

“The joke? Babe, I thought it was pretty funny, actually. That’s just how we humans react to puns like that. We put on a show and pretend they’re worse than they really are.”

“Oh, like June does with the Nicholas Cage human.”

“No, that is exactly the opposite.”

Kanaya chuckled, eliciting a guffaw from Rose, happy to see her in high spirits again.

“Ah, just look at us,” Rose continued with a spiteful smile, “we clearly aren’t cut out for this sort of thing.”

“Being perceived is quite the challenge,” Kanaya responded.

“No, I’m fine with people assuming we’re more socially gifted based on how we’re dressed. It makes me feel like I can truly pull it off. I’m more despondent that I can’t.”

“As am I. I wish it were easier.”

“Well, we’re 0 for 2 tonight. We are to social interactions what Nic Cage is to acting.”

“Nic Cage?! Who dares speak the name of my littlest meow meow?”

Rose and Kanaya looked behind them to see Vriska, eagerly returning with a full plate of food. She took her seat, eagerly listening in on the conversation.

“Oh, I thought you’d pledged your allegiance to the pink, white, and orange,” Rose quipped.

“Yes in this house we stand for the flag and kneel for the circle and cross, we are Sappho’s supersoldiers,” Kanaya responded, causing Vriska burst into laughter.

“Kan, that might be the funniest thing you’ve ever said! But didn’t they tell you every lesbian gets to have a pathetic garbage man they treat like a stray animal they found in the pouring rain? Well, mine is Nic Cage!”

“Hmm...I see what you mean now that I think about it.”

“What about you, Rose?”

“I am happily meow meow-less.”

“C’mon, Kan, are ya suuuure? There has got to be one?”

“Mmmm...If I had to choose...the Robert Pattinson human, perhaps.”

“An effervescent choice,” Vriska said with a mouth full of bread, crumbs falling out as she giggled to herself.

Rose rolled her eyes, giving Kanaya a smile as she turned to face her. That look from her girlfriend exemplified that loving sarcasm she had always known, and it only served to lift her spirits. Maybe she really could do this, after all. If this was how Rose liked her best, by simply being her awkward self, she didn’t have to change for anyone, nor did she have to force herself to put on an act just to impress. Rose’s little smirk gave her all the reassurance she needed.

The three carried on chatting until finally, June dropped by to yell at Rose and Kanaya for not going to grab some food yet.

After the majority of the guests had eaten and had a chance to grab dessert and drinks, Dave and Dirk Strider took their places at the head of the ballroom floor, behind the turntables and mixing boards. The first few dances, however, at June’s request, would be to much more antiquated music than what the Strider brothers were used to remixing.

The guests gathered out on the polished hardwood floor, as the chandeliers dimmed and the music began. Slowly, as the opening violin notes of Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers, Kanaya and Rose followed the crowd onto the floor. The thought of dancing together seemed so alluring before the party. However, Rose soon found herself in-amongst all these people at the center of the room. Had she and Kanaya even shared a proper dance before? She now felt the eyes of everyone around her; to her, it wasn’t exactly going to help their case for appearing as sociable as they looked.

Nevertheless, Kanaya took Rose’s pale, clammy hand in hers. Their fingertips intertwined, and Kanaya’s hand reached around Rose’s waist to hold her gently. Rose stretched her trembling hand up and over Kanaya’s shoulder.

“Are you sure I should lead?” Kanaya wondered.

“Babe, I couldn’t lead a knife out of a wet paper bag. Plus, you’re taller. With the horns.”

“Fair enough, then.”

Before they knew it the two were stepping to the beat of the waltz.

Their steps were anything but textbook; Kanaya took such wide strides to the left, and Rose struggled to keep up with the distance. While they kept the basic square shape, they found themselves taking several steps closer to the left. Their faces looked ever so nervous, eyeballs glancing left and right to ensure the next step they took would not put them into the path of other unsuspecting guests. At one point, Kanaya stepped on Rose’s shoe, and her ankle nearly rolled in the process. The two could at least laugh about their clumsiness, and it seemed the more they danced, the less awkward they felt.

Looking into each other’s eyes, they simply waltzed with the flow of the beautiful violin tune, arm in arm. Kanaya’s hand soothed Rose’s nerves, and Rose’s hand gave Kanaya the confidence she needed to lead. Before they knew it, they had clicked perfectly in synergy. The guests around them shot glances of admiration their way, as their billowy scarlet and purple gowns rippled across the floor like tulips in a light breeze. Kanaya certainly noticed, and she glowed bright with pride at having got the hang of this human custom so quickly.

Rose then parted her lips, ever so slightly for Kanaya to notice, and for her glowing visage to flicker. She leaned her face closer to Rose’s expecting a kiss. Rose simply obliged, meeting her partner’s lips in the middle, and blushing as she pulled away.

“Why, Kanaya, I’m flattered,” she said bashfully, “but I was gonna tell you that you stepped on my foot again.”

“Ohoho...sorry,” Kanaya chuckled.

“I’d take a kiss over that any day, though.”

Rose paused, leaning her head onto Kanaya’s shoulder and listening to the tune of the song. As she listened closely to the notes, a memory of her own came to her in that moment. One of a white living room overlooking a waterfall, a violin in hand, and a page of sheet music propped up on a stand.

“You know, I used to play this song when I was little,” she added.

“Really? You learned something this complex all on your own?”

“Mhm. Hours upon hours of at-home lessons, featuring strident screeching, accompanied by tears of impatience. A shredded bow. A duly exasperated mother. Fun times.”

“I know the feeling. I had learned the wooden 4-stringed zither when I was young too.”

“Wow I don’t think you’ve ever told me that!”

“Oh perhaps not. My lusus gave it to me as a toy when I was just a wriggler. Jade bloods play music for religious purposes, and it’s expected that we learn by maturity.”

“You had to learn it yourself? Sounds much harsher than a nonchalant mother.”

“To some degree, yes. At least your mother got you lessons. But then again, my lusus did always show appreciation for my progress in learning. It pleased her, in a way. I’m sorry your human mother didn’t pay more attention to your own interests.”

“Eh. To be fair, it was a fleeting interest of mine. All the kids at school played something.”

“Well, maybe you can still keep up with it. Surely a dormant interest can manifest itself again and spur you into new heights of creativity. Maybe you can even play this song for me again when we get home?”

“Is that a request, Kanaya?”

“Fine. Yes, it is.”

“I’ll see if I can remember it. Or maybe it’ll just have to be one of those things better left in the past.”

“Oh...sorry.”

“No, it’s not your fault,” Rose sighed, looking away briefly and listening to the final crescendo of the song. “Well...it is a pretty song, I guess.”

“Indeed. It will surely remind me of you, for years to come after tonight. Maybe you can think of it from this point onward as ‘the song your girlfriend remembers you by’. We’ve come a long way from where we were in our youth. I believe that’s most evident in who we all have become. And though moving on from it in our lives here is a terrifying thought, we can at least look back with fondness on the parts of it that were objectively good. It’s those good experiences that helped build us.”

“Huh. That’s a pretty beautiful way of putting it. I guess you’re right. And I guess all my life I’ve wanted to help my friends with their own problems, without realizing that I need to take the time to address my own.”

“I believe I share in your predicament, Rose. And that is exactly why we’re here for each other.”

“Two weird girls too busy helping others to help themselves, 10 dead, dozens injured. More at eleven.”

“Careful, in another timeline that surely could have been us for human reals.”

“Glad we resolved our problems before that got out of hand. Instead of grimdarkness and homicide via landscaping machinery, we are just silly, goofy, and klutzy.”

“Ditzy, even.”

“Maladroit, if you feel so inclined,” Rose added with a tinge of a French accent.

“Ooo la la, Ms. Lalonde.”

The song ended, and the crowd applauded the handiwork of Tchaikovsky, and to some extent the play-pressing ability of the one and only Turntech Godhead. Rose and Kanaya embraced, laughing to themselves. They were doing just fine, for all their mishaps and silliness, and the evening was going swimmingly.

A few other waltzes played, as the couples continued to dance, with some still seated and observing and conversing. The spotlight, operated by Karkat, hovered over June and Roxy for the most part, but occasionally it made its way over to the swaying, graceful motion of Rose and Kanaya. The guests shifted focus between the two, with chitchat amongst them voicing their admiration for how elegantly the two couples danced. Ms. Lalonde and Ms. Maryam in particular received their fair share of ooh’s and ah’s as they twirled together, dresses ruffling and shimmering with the finest fabric and the most vibrant colors.

One, two, three, one, two, three...Kanaya’s rhythmic steps synced up with Rose’s perfectly. Ms. Maryam’s face even flickered to the beat of the waltzes, casting a pale light upon their dresses and reflecting off the shiny fabric. Rose’s gentle hand on Kanaya’s shoulder was so warm and inviting. Kanaya’s guiding hand holding Rose’s was so reassuring. Hand in hand, and arm in arm, they danced, holding the apple of their eye in their loving embrace. The two women felt utter bliss for the first time tonight. The final waltz of the evening soon made its soft departure, and Rose and Kanaya shared a delicate kiss that drew applause from the crowd. Then, however, Dave took the microphone in hand.

“Okay, delirious denizens of Can-town, Earth C, population: dope! These two lovely couples here are charged with hoarding the spotlight like reddit admins hoarding the katana supply. Gettin’ all cozy with the spotlight like they’re about to make out with it behind the Denny’s!”

“Ew...,” Rose whispered and scrunched up her face.

“What’s the verdict, your honor?” Dave called out, pointing directly at Terezi in the crowd.

“GUILTY!” she yelled, cackling to herself.

Dirk pursed his lips and turned aside, catching a glimpse of Jane and Jake recording the whole thing, unable to contain their mocking laughter.

“Why are we so fucking LAME...” he muttered to himself. Dave continued in spite of that.

“So, because it’s her big day and all, June has requested a couples dance off between her and Roxy, and Kanaya and Rose!”

“WHAT?!” Rose exclaimed.

“Hahaha! Come on, Rose, it’ll be a warm-up for DDR!” June encouraged as the crowds cleared a path for a circle in the middle.

“Winner receives a month’s worth of time travel to shoplift from Epsilon timeline’s Joann Fabrics!” Dave then announced.

Kanaya turned to Rose, an excited look on her face.

“We have GOT to win this, Rose!”

“Oh my gahd Juney we gotta win this!” Roxy said eagerly, grabbing June by the shoulders and shaking her.

Rose marveled at Kanaya’s enthusiasm, but she tensed up. This was way out of her comfort zone, and she knew it.

“Rose?”

“Ughhhh...all right. But I can’t even dance!”

“Just do your best.”

“Wait? Can you?” Can you even dance?”

Before Kanaya could answer, Dave put the mic down and hit the play button. The first four synthesizer notes of “Yeah!” by Usher echoed out of the PA system. Dave had selected it not only because it was a childhood favorite of June’s, but also because the song happens to be four minutes and thirteen seconds long on YouTube. Rose rolled her eyes in disbelief. She hadn’t heard this song since her school dance in eighth grade, and back then she had no idea how to dance to it either. She found the idea of school dances “cringey” anyway. But now that they were grown, it felt even more so.

June and Roxy turned to face each other, shuffling to the beat. June then replicated Tobey Maguire’s dance from Spider-Man 3, with Roxy raising the roof behind her. Rose and Kanaya simply rocked back and forth, before finally stepping up to take their turn.

Rose cracked a nervous smile. She trembled a little, unable to even remember the last dance she had even learned. She tried a slow and awkward cupid shuffle, barely to the beat of the song, which didn’t really garner much enthusiasm from the onlookers.

Roxy and June stepped in to face her. The former cracked off a few hectic movements from the emote wheel of Fortnite Battle Royale, while the birthday girl accompanying with an exact replication of Napoleon Dynamite’s dance from the eponymous film.

The crowd cheered her on, even if the corny dance did not fit the song choice. Rose could only respond with some antiquated disco arm movements she remembered her mom doing whilst inebriated in the living room. Roxy giggled at the display, heckling her to do better over the loud music. Then, Kanaya stepped up behind Rose.

The elegant vampire took her by the hand, grabbing her waist and leading her a few steps forward, and then a few back, arms outstretched. Rose followed along nervously.

“Kanaya! What are...WOAH!”

She gasped as Kanaya twirled her around, and down to the floor, planting a kiss on her lips. The crowd erupted into cheers. Kanaya pulled her back up and then spiraled out of the grasp of her hand before continuing her routine. She then dove to the floor, her lithe Alternian body allowing her the flexibility to pull off the smoothest worm in all of breakdancing history. Rose’s mouth was agape, and the crowd were loving it. She was doing this in a DRESS! And HEELS! This was the same uppity and debonair Kanaya Maryam who was terribly shy around large crowds. But this was her specialty.

Kanaya swung around on her hands, rotating her legs like blades of a propeller. She criss-crossed them midair, twirling her body as she propped herself up with one hand, kicking her legs skyward, and then spiraling back down and around. Unable to twist upon her head due to her horns, she instead spun three hundred and sixty degrees on her shoulders, around and around.

She hopped up again, this time repeating the motions of Hatsune Miku’s “World is mine” performance. Each gesture was beat-perfect, each motion was as fluid as the idol’s performance.

“Ah yes, representing our lady and savior! GO KANAYA!” Jade cheered, camcorder in hand.

June and Roxy could only respond with other niche dances they knew, attempting to find one that could ever beat Kanaya, but to no avail. No matter how many movie references June pulled, nor tired Internet memes Roxy could muster—she was just too good.

Kanaya’s range knew no bounds. She displayed moves from Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies”, she swayed wildly like the far-out hippies of the late 1960s, she bent her arms with jagged motions in ‘the robot’, and she even arced her arms wide as she skipped along dancing the 18th Century Minuet. Rose marveled at the amount of human dances she knew. She even joined in with hand claps, and a few improvisational movements of her own to supplement.

“Was that the fucking Charleston?” Dave asked Dirk. “In the year of our Bro 2017? Or 2022? Time dilation dot j p g?”

“Dude...I think it was...”

The song soon came to a close, and Dave Strider took the microphone again.

“Well! I think we have a clear winner here, but everyone give it up for our contestants!”

Rose only stared at Kanaya, out of breath herself while Kanaya didn’t even seem to break a jade-green sweat.

“How in the name of all that is good and holy did you know ANY of that?”

Kanaya remained silent, a smug expression upon her face.

“You won’t tell me, will you?”

“I simply wanted the Joann human’s fabric badly enough. That is all there is to say on the matter.”

“Ugh!”

“You did fairly well yourself, for...you know, being so nervous.”

“Of all the things I was, nervous was not one of them, Kan. I just find myself unamused by dancing in front of others.”

“Oh but at Jade’s party you seemed to love DDR in front of our friend group.”

“That’s different. That’s just a rhythm game, holding onto a railing and stomping out your sensory response to the beautiful flashy colors on screen. The psyche yearns for that experience. There is nothing sensorially appealing about attempting Gangnam Style in front of a laughing crowd of your peers.”

“Hmph. Well, you seemed to be getting rather invested in it. And it is all in good fun!”

Just then, Roxy and June came up to the two, awestruck by it all.

“Oh my god Kanaya! That was! Like!...,” June put her hands to her head and made the ‘mind-blown’ gesture. “You were awesome!”

“Why, thank you, Egbert-human.”

“Was that really my best bestie Rose Lalónde?” Roxy said, putting on her best sarcastic French accent at the sound of the family name. “You were fahbulous! I’ve nevah seen you dance befoah, evah, but you did good, and ya looked like you were havin’ fun.”

“Heheh, thanks Roxy. I mean, Kanaya was the real star, of course.”

“But you got out and did what made ya nervous anyways.”

“I was certainly not nervous.”

“Bulllllllllshit, hahaha! I know that look anytime. For reals though, that takes guts, doll! And ya did have fun, right?”

“I...guess? Yes, I think my brain processed the emotion you refer to as ‘fun’ briefly, amid, of course, mild embarrassment and humiliation.”

“Oh stahhhp, havin’ fun is all that matters! And it’s good to lose the serious side once in a while and just be yerself. Like, staying true ta yerself is good an’ all, but growin’ up and livin’ a little doesn’t hurt eithah, ya know? Even if it means makin’ a fool of yerself sometimes!”

“Yeah! Roxy’s an expert at that,” June added, before receiving a friendly elbow to the gut from Roxy. “Owwww!”

“Well, my point is, you shouldn’t feel bad about havin’ fun. And yer doin’ just fine and I’m so happy for ya!”

Rose was touched by this small moment of appreciation from Roxy. Though she still resembled her motherly figure a bit, her optimistic, supportive nature was truly different from her own mother’s pessimistic, stern demeanor. Even as the years passed and everyone grew up, no one really had turned into the versions of themselves they thought they’d grow up to be. Rose smiled, grasping at her arm as if she didn’t really know what to say.

“Thanks Roxy, I...that means a lot to me. Really, it does.”

“We should hang out some moah! It’s been a few weeks already hasn’t it? Maybe you can use that prize ta get some yarn at Joann and we’ll knit togethah?”

“I was actually thinking of sharing it with you, Roxy. You and June. It’s this one’s birthday, after all!”

“Oh em geeeee that’s so sweet of you Ro-Lal!” Roxy beamed.

“D’awww, don’t worry about it, dahling,” Rose said mimicking her relative’s accent. Roxy laughed heartily at the joke, patting Rose on the shoulder.

Suddenly, a flash of teal, green, and cerulean came into their peripheral as Vriska, Terezi, and Jade approached them, shouting their approval.

“YESSSSS KANAYA!!!” Jade cheered.

“Hahaha, best dancer on Alternia, what’d you expect?” Terezi boasted, grabbing Kanaya by the shoulder and giving her a hefty pat on the back.

“DAMN! A quirked-up jade-blood with a little bit of swag busting it down sexual style! Is she goated with the sauce or WHAT?” Vriska exclaimed, quoting the latest lingo she obtained from Dave’s adventures into an alternate dimension’s Twitter posts.

“Well, I’d object and assert that I busted it down rather pure and virgin-style.”

Vriska nearly burst into tears with laughter at  Kanaya’s deadpan remark.

“Oh jegus Kan, you’re killing me! But for real, I didn’t expect you to go out of your zone like that.”

“It’s like Roxy just said, we all have to live a little once in a while. Oh, and I do apologize for...my earlier meddling. It was judgmental of me.”

“Oh what, that? No, no, you don’t have to apologize! I get it, Kan, you just wanna help. I think Jade was just taking a page out of Rose’s book with a little sarcastic teasing. But everything is fine, really.”

“Thanks, Vriska. Although, if you ever are in need of fashion advice...,” Kanaya said with a sardonic smirk.

“Okayyy what are you tryin’ to say?”

The two shared a chuckle, as Rose and the others laughed along.

“Wow, it really is like some big wet sloppy platonic makeout sesh of emotions here, in a metaphysical sense, as one would put it,” Rose added.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” called out a new voice to join the group.

The nub-horned troll walked up to them, boisterous yet clearly going with the joke.

“Ah shit,” Terezi groaned. “Here comes trouble!”

“NOBODY is having a sloppy makeout sesh of any kind, physical or spiritual! Got it, shit-for-pans?”

“Bluh, bluh, bluh, you’re still on that bit, huh? Get over me already, Karkat, you can just join the extensive list of everyone in this room who’s had a crush on me and failed,” Vriska teased.

“There, there, Karkat, it gets better,” Kanaya said, patting the shorter troll’s shaggy hair and stumpy horns.

“It was never in QUESTION of being worse in the first place! Vriska just wants to lord her two girlfriends over everyone.”

“Let’s not forget your embarrassing crush on Jade either, KK,” Terezi added.

“His WHAT?” Jade said laughing. June and Roxy nearly spat their drinks out, unaware of this until only now.

“LIAR, LIAR, LIMB-COVERINGS ABSOLUTELY REDUCED TO CINDERS IN A FIERY IMMOLATION TO THE GOD OF FALSEHOODS HIMSELF!”

“Hahaha! How does it feel to inadvertently be the sapphic awakening of almost every gal in the partyblock?” Vriska said, grabbing Karkat around the shoulder.

“And how does it feel to be the gay awakening of Alternia’s own prince MOTHERFUCKING charming? The world lost one of the greats that day, it really did.”

Karkat smiled, releasing himself from Vriska’s embrace.

“Rose, Kanaya, you both look absolutely lovely tonight, I must say, but these three here, maybe minus Jade, are a bitter stain on your blossoming beauty. You’d do well to ditch these losers and meet Strider and I in the game room to—“

“Karkat,” Rose began, “I appreciate the flattery, but just know if you’re doing it to get me to side with you over Dave on something, I am on your side regardless.”

“THANK you, this is why you’re my favorite human that isn’t my boyfriend! Oh, and Kanaya? That was absolutely insane of you, I was a bit second-hand embarrassed, but I respect you. You killed it!”

Kanaya giggled at Karkat’s jest.

“Why thank you, shithead,” she replied. There was an immediate air of shock and boisterous commotion at Kanaya’s remark.

“I think it’s really cute when you swear, babe,” Rose said, kissing Kanaya on the cheek.

“WOW! I have truly been assailed tonight! I’ll see you losers in the game room soon tho! You’ll EAT those words!” Karkat smirked, flipping the bird to all.

“Count on it, KK,” June said, following along with Roxy.

Rose and Kanaya looked at each other, smiling from ear to ear and giggling at the whole conversation.

“Look at us go,” Rose said. “We’re on a roll already, this seems easier than I thought!”

“I guess among friends it’s all good and fun. Oh, I feel like such a fool for fretting about it all!”

“There, there. Social interactions are the bane of my existence, but once you get comfortable with them, I guess it’s easy to get...uncomfortable? Yet be completely comfortable?”

“There was quite a bit of comfort in that string of sentences.”

“A modicum of comfort.”

“A comfortable amount of comfort.”

“Indeed. But speaking of comfort...well...,” Rose said, looking bashful and unwilling to upset her girlfriend for her hard work. “I hope I can still play games in this dress...I might have to change first.”

“Fear not, I always bring a spare outfit for us just in case. I figured you wouldn’t want to ruin your lover’s darling handiwork for her one and only, her exquisite hand-stitching, her—“

“Okay, okay. Yes, you’re correct to assume that. But even more correct to assume that I hold such admiration for your blood, sweat, and tears that you’ve poured out over this.”

“You’re so incredibly weird in the macabre way you describe things, Rose-human. It’s alluring.”

“Touché, ‘troll-acid bath princess of the dark‘.”

And so, the night went on as planned, with little to stop Rose and Kanaya from feeling as gorgeous as they appeared. Not even a change of dress for games could put a stop to their true, shining beauty. Even as Rose was outplayed by the birthday girl June, it was the most fun she had had in a long time. Even though Kanaya was not the type for games, she found such joy in them, and the experience of it all was unforgettable.

For no matter the outward glamour, no matter the dashing makeup, and no matter the insect-alien face-glowing, the two found their true beauty—the simple beauty of being themselves. No matter the life changes, the past events, or anything, Rose and Kanaya shared a smile over the fact that despite all they had been through together, they were still their lovable, awkward selves, and they still had their friends to count on. Though relationships and living situation had drastically altered some things and allowed for true growth from it all, the comfort of knowing this kept them grounded.

Alas, as relativity dictates, the rest of the party seemed like a blur. However, even after they had returned home, sleepily and wearily, the two lovers looked back on the event with not a longing for the past they shared, but a celebratory feeling that their friendships and their own love had survived a universal apocalypse and a readjustment to a new world. No matter the changes, Rose and Kanaya were still the same old disastrous girlfriends.

As they sat on the porch of their home, enjoying the 2 a.m. moonlight and unwinding from the festivities, Rose played the Waltz of the Flowers for Kanaya on violin. Kanaya smiled even through the mistakes, and Rose could tell she loved it no matter what. The stars in the heavens and the moon above, all glowing with their cosmic glory, could not outshine the delightful glow of Kanaya, it seemed. The only comparable beauty was Rose’s smile at Kanaya’s enjoyment.

“Thank you, again, Kanaya.”

Rose put down the violin and sighed, her contented exhale foggy in the dewy morning air.

“For what?”

“For making me feel fancy tonight. It was truly a remarkable experience.”

“Rose, you’re fancy and elegant no matter what you wear. It’s in every little thing you do. And it’s why I love you.”

“You too, Kanaya. I love you too.”