N I N E

"Well, what do you think?"

Sage placed her hands over her chest with a gasp, "You're asking a vampire for advice?"

Iris dropped his arms that were extended out on either side of him and sighed, "I'm asking you."

"Then, you're the most handsome human male I've ever seen, and from me that's saying a lot."

Iris thanked her with a smile then turned back around to face the mirror. He really didn't want to get all out dressed up when he felt zero excitement going through with the party, but he couldn't deny how good he looked in suits.

"I just need my tailcoat and I'm finished."

"I assume that's what Kai's getting?"

"No, he, uh-my mom wanted to see him."

"Oh that's never good."

"Agreed.."

Sage looked around the room with interest. "I'll help you finish but you have to answer some of my questions." She picked up the coat laying in the bed and smoothed it down.

"Um, okay."

"What does Kai do in here when you're working?" She helped Iris slipped the coat on then patted his shoulders.

"Nothing really. He just sits and occupies himself."

"He doesn't read?"

Iris scoffed with a smile, "he wouldn't pick up a book to save his life."

Sage, without Iris's knowledge, visioned a younger Kai in which only she could recall. He would stick his tongue out by the mention of reading. Iris glanced at her when she chuckled lightly.

"What?"

"Oh, it's nothing, just..I can very much see him doing that."

Iris titled his head thoughtfully just before the door opened and they both turn to see Kai walking in.

"He's all yours." Sage slapped her hand on his shoulder before slipping out of the room with a grin.

Iris quickly grabbed his tie off a chair and walked up to him. "What did she say?" The answer was uncertain but definitely not "good" as Kai hesitated to answer and avoided eye contact.

"Kai?"

"It's not a big deal, but she refuses to allow me to..dine, if you will, with you during the party."

"What?" Iris acted like he heard the most ridiculous thing his ears could gather, "why?"

"She thinks I'll intervene."

"Intervene?"

"The meetings." When Iris didn't grasp his meaning he sighed and took a step back. "She thinks I'll change your mind about hooking up with your significant other, Iris. I about broke when she explained-how ludicrous is that?"

"So..you're a bad influence now?"

Kai nodded, "Apparently."

Iris couldn't think of anything else but to laugh. It held no amusement and was dead to the core. "You're serious? She's serious?"

"Unfortunately."

"But-" Iris stuttered for words now, "I don't want to go alone." The sound of his voice upset Kai, so he was unsure of his actions. He gentle took Iris's tie from his hands and begin putting it around his neck.

"Maybe that is why I'm not allowed to attend," He explained slowly as he did his tie as easy as it was to blink. "We're both a little too dependent."

Iris looked up from Kai's hands to his eyes at the comment. He was a deflated balloon, eyebrows pulled in and lips frowning, but Kai kept an emotionless face as though he never said anything.

"This is stupid," Iris whispered with clenching fists. "I hated marriage far before you showed up. And I'm only eighteen."

Kai kept his hands in the long fabric even though he was finished. "Age doesn't matter. Ever read about ancient Egypt? King Tutankhamen became the pharaoh before his teens."

"Don't turn this into a history lesson, Kai."

"I'm not. I'm telling you the truth-something you don't want to hear."

Iris reached up and gripped Kai's hands. They held almost..desperately to his pale wrists.

"Then tell me something I want to hear."

Without needing to search the wretchedness in the prince's eyes, Kai reversed their hands, now he's cupping Iris's.

"I'm still attending, I'll just be detached from the socializing."

"You will?"

"Yes, sir."

Iris let his body calm with relief like he was snow melting in the sun-but in a good way-a great way.

"Good."

They backed away from each other when a knock on the door invaded the room.

"Show time, fellas." Sage's voice followed the two knocks and the indication started the night.

Checking himself in the mirror one last time, Iris exhaled sharply and tugged the ends of his coat. But before leaving the room, and not wanting to go wordless, he turned around so his back faced Sage and he was gazing up at Kai.

"Pond, nine o'clock."

"Pond, nine o'clock," Kai repeated, making Iris smile and Sage raise an eyebrow.

"What does that mean?" She asked as they walked down the corridor, them to the right, Kai going left.

"If I wanted you to know, I would've said your name." Iris jumped when Sage smacked his arm and he gripped it with a groan. "Hey! Watch the suit!"

††

Party..was an understatement. Almost every person with the status higher than a commoner, attended the massive get together. There were dresses fluttering, champion glasses clinking, hands trying to touch Iris just because they could. It was chaos with laughter and adultism.

They had to use two dinning rooms to fit the guests, so head count was near impossible to calculate. For Iris, the King ordered a few of the first class guards to watch over him and report back, since he heard the news his wife practically banished Kai from getting near him. He himself was just asking disappointed as his son.

But Iris knew he had eyes on him, so getting out would throw a stick in his plans and call it complex.

Inside one of the dinning rooms, it was tense with noble conversations.

"What is that? Velvet?" One girl riding on the edge of tipsy giggled as she ran a hand down Iris's arm.

"No." He continued drinking his light wine. In his time period, there were no legal age to drinking. Of course if any parent had some common sense, they wouldn't let their twelve year old drink. Iris wasn't a heavy drinker, anyway.

"Come on, don't you want to dance or something?" The now wobbly girl tried to push her body against his, which ended up making her slip and Iris had to hold her from under her arms and upright.

"God, you're royalty, shouldn't you act like it?"

The girl giggled, "Everyone here I drinking their stress down. Your family provides the beverages, we come like sheep. You try." She attempted to hold her much stronger drink in front of his face but he sighed and pushed it away.

"Come on, I'll take you somewhere to lay down." Iris wrapped one arm around the girl's waist and guided her with the other.

"I'm Sofia by the way." She laughed when she crisscrossed her feet.

Iris sighed and nodded at the two guards blocking the stairway, they moved aside and allowed the duo to walk up. He helped her with every single step, one at a time and something repeating one. At the top in the corner of his eye, Iris saw one of the guards rush off to most likely report him to his dad.

Good.

He wasn't being followed.

After turning around one corridor, Iris opened a random guest room and dragged the drunk princess to the bed. She fell upon it with a sigh mixed with a stained moan.

"What a nice bed."

Iris grabbed a throw blanket hanging off the edge of the foot post, and threw it on her while looking for a clock.

"Are you going to leave me alone?" She tried her best to look helpless and needy, Iris just started at her with a slow blink.

"That was kind of the idea." He winked at her and turned on the small lamp on the nightstand. That instantly rushed her heartbeat enough to drain her energy and she passed out with an arm hanging off the bed.

The prince shook his head and rushed to the door. He looked both ways down the halls, then turned left, opposite directions of the stairs.

He knew every exit like reading the back of his hand. The closest one was on the second floor, then another smaller flight of stairs led to a hallway leading directly to the back door. It was fairly isolated so he doubt it was protected. When he stood right, he didn't waste time and started jogging to the gardens.

Bodies swarmed every main entrance, despite the areas supposed to be off limits. Iris stopped behind a hedge and peered over it with gritted teeth. He didn't know where his watchers rotated, if they would even check outside.

He was about to place his hands above the flat bush, when suddenly a hand enclosed around his mouth and another wrapped around his body. He jerked in their hold but didn't attempt to yell out, instead he listened to the voice that mumbled in ear and told him to calm down. Like a switch was flipped, his whole body melted against the one behind him and he let out a deep sigh when the hand on his mouth was removed.

"You could've just whispered my name, not give me a near death experience." Iris muttered as he looked up and smiled at Kai's smirk.

"In my defense, you let it happen too easily."

Iris rolled his body so he faced his guard but continued to stick to him. "I was busy."

"I noticed. It seems our spot was invaded."

"Yeah, hey, how did you know I was here?"

"I sniffed you out." Kai chuckled when Iris raised his eyebrows. "I also heard the back door shut."

"Well, do we just stay here?" Iris asked, yet he started tugging the vampire with him further through the grassy area, nearing a second wall blocking off the forest.

"First of all, you can't stay with me all night. They'll get suspicious."

Iris stopped, his foot hovering inches over a leaf ready to be crunched.

"What?"

"Iris, this party is for you. You should be in there at least trying to have a good time."

"I am. And my good time is not in there with touchy women and drunks, it's with-"

Kai bit the inside of his cheek, waiting intensely to see if he would continue, and say what he both wanted and dreaded to hear. Iris, too, decided with himself. He searched the vampire's darken eyes, then looked away.

"Fifteen minutes?"

Kai widned his eyes a literal centimeter, weirdly surprised he didn't say what they both wanted him to. Then he closed them with a small sigh.

"Five."

"Not even close."

"Six."

"Nope."

Kai opened his eyes and his lips twitched. "Eight?"

"Better...but do I hear a ten?"

"Iris-"

"Ten? Alright!"

"I didn't even say ten."

"You said Iris, and I consider myself a solid ten."

Kai didn't cover his mouth on time before his laugh erupted the night. Iris joined him only when they got caught by another guard.

But instead of yielding, they ran, hand in hand, smiles on their faces and mischief traced in their footprints.