Dear Soldiers,
We Commanding Officers from the Alliances of Ice, Wind, and Flame cordially invite you to the Leaders' Union for a Spring Masquerade. We hope this ball will allow you all to set aside your differences between our countries and find a small moment of peace among one another.
To participate you must be dressed in formal attire and mask. It is also highly encouraged to dress your pokemon for the occasion as well. All who come must also make sure that you and your pokemon alike are on your best behavior.
The festivities are to start at 20:00 hours sharp.
From yours truly,
The Alliance Commanders~
"Hmph, so that's what everyone's been going on about." Aerian crushed the note which was crudely slipped under his door and threw it behind him.
"Gal!" Luxeus cried in astonishment. The crumpled note had landed smack on his ice cream, splattering it all over the pokemon's coat.
"Oh gods, I'm so sorry!" Aerian quickly pulled a few pieces of tissues from the nearby holder and ran over. Luxeus put up a hand, signaling for Aerian to not panic. A purple aura surrounded the pokemon, as the the brown stains from the chocolate ice cream he was eating up and congealed itself back into the shape of a sphere.
"Hm. That's an interesting trick." Aerian pretended not to be impressed at his pokemon.
"Gal." Luxeus did not care. He was used to Aerian's antics. Levitating the crushed note, Luxeus gobbled up the rest of his ice cream before his trainer could do any more damage. After eating, he unfolded the note, and read it.
"Gall... gall!" He jumped up, and started pointing excitedly at the note.
"No Luxeus, I'm not going." Aerian folded his arms as he stared at the vast blue ocean that lay outside his room, the blimp moving slowly along its designated route.
"Gallade... Gall." Luxeus shook his head, went over to Aerian, and thrust the note at him.
"I told you, I'm not going! This is a complete waste of time, and didn't you read? The Ice Alliance would be there too. I doubt the ball's going to go as easy as it says it would."
*Slap*
"Gall." Luxeus' features hardened. He pointed at the line that suggested peace for that limited time.
"You're saying that I may find the heart to forgive them? Absurd! Those Ice Alliance soldiers can't be trusted." Aerian grabbed Luxeus by the shoulders, "They massacred our family, remember?"
Luxeus brushed Aerians hands aside, and sighed. Was there no way to communicate this to my trainer? Luxeus thought to himself. It was bad enough that there was a language barrier between the two, made worse by Aerian's utter distrust for the Ice Alliance. Unless... Luxeus had an idea. It would take more than himself to drag Aerian to the ball. Someone would have to talk some sense into him. Someone he trusted. Someone who could actually talk to him. Luxeus pushed past Aerian and bounded out the room.
"W-wai- Ah he's gone. Now what could that idiot be up to this time?" Aerian folded his arms, and jumped onto the couch. He stared at the dog-eared piece of note which Luxeus had thrusted back at him. He ran his fingers along the gold trimmings, and muttered, "At least the leaders have some taste."
"Luxeus? What's going on?" A feminine voice was heard from the other side of Aerian's room door.
Immediately, Aerian shot up. No. Why did he. Not now. Why, Lux? Aerian's thoughts were in a mess. He had recognized the voice. His room was in a mess, as it usually was.
Click.
"My, Aerian. You room's... ummm... Messy..." The girl said, as she stepped over some garbage bags lying at the foot of Aerian's room.
"Uhm... Hi. Lucy. Glad you could... drop in." Aerian stopped in mid-step, holding a bunch of soiled clothes. His face turned a shade of red not unlike the accent poking out of Luxeus' chest.
Luxeus appeared from behind Lucy, and chuckled. It was rare to see Aerian so flustered. He knew if Lucy showed up, Aerian would let his guard completely down.
"Ah, I see you got the note too." Lucy held out hers. It was the same note, but written in red with pink trimmings around the side. She noticed the difference in their two notes, and immediately went over to grab it. "Hmph, I bet it's different because of the gender." She hated being judged solely based on gender alone.
Aerian shot Luxeus a dirty look, as if to accuse him of bringing Lucy to his room. Luxeus just turned away, pretending not to notice.
"Umm yeah... I was just wondering... If I should... You know, go." Aerian threw the clothes he was carrying into the corner.
"Don't do that."
"Huh? Do what?" Aerian looked at Lucy, puzzled.
"Clean it up!" Lucy chided Aerian, and walked over to the pile of clothes. She picked them up, turned around, and smiled, "I'll help, alright, so let's get this place cleaned. Then we can talk about our plans for the ball."
"Whu- The ball? You're.. Wait, I'm not-" Aerian couldn't finish his sentence. Lucy was already helping with the tidying of his room. "Wait! Not there!" Very soon, Aerian was completely caught up in her pace. Within the hour, the entire room was sparkling.
"Now, where were we?" Lucy wiped the sweat off her forehead, "Ah yes, the ball."
Panting, Luxeus barely replied, "Yeah. And I told you, I'm not-"
"Do you have anything to wear?" Lucy threw his cupboard open. It was full of nothing but large, baggy shirts, jeans and his usual green sweater. Lucy took one look, and shut it.
"Aerian, you're not serious." She looked at him incredulously. "The next time the blimp stops, we're going shopping."
"Al-alright..." Aerian sighed. He had resigned to the fact he was going for the ball.
"How's this...?" Aerian asked, wearily.
"Hmmm, not bad, but still lacking the oomph." Lucy held out yet another outfit. "Go try this one!" She pushed him back into the changing room.
"But Lucy, we've been here for hours!" Aerian complained, as he changed outfits for nearly the hundredth time.
"You're not leaving here until you find something suitable for that ball." Came the reply. It was obvious she was picking out yet another outfit for him.
"I'm done..."
"Let's see it!" Lucy was excited to see how Aerian looked. She was clearly having fun watching Aerian try on so many outfits he would never have worn otherwise. He stepped out of the changing room, and Lucy's jaw dropped.
"W-wow." She stammered. Aerian looked especially sharp, even though he was tugging uncomfortably at the green cravat that accompanied the white tuxedo she had picked for him. Lucy circled Aerian a few times, observing Aerian's new outfit. She picked up the long coattails which trailed behind him, and nodded. She liked the outfit, and also the way he was so uncomfortable with it. She giggled slightly, when he flinched as she adjusted his collar.
"Please don't do that..." Aerian pleaded.
"Do what? This?" She touched him on the nape of his neck, which sent shivers down Aerian's spine. She totally enjoyed teasing him.
Lucy continued to check the outfit, the white pants he was wearing, and the matching suede shoes. "Hmmm, a little too much white..." She stepped back, and commented. At this moment, Luxeus came running forward, holding a red velvet scarf.
"Perfect!" She grabbed the scarf, and draped the scarf around his neck. She called the shop attendant over, "We'll take this, all of it." and turned to Aerian, "You're paying, of course."
"Whu- sigh, fine." Aerian turned and headed back into the changing room.
"I'm heading off first, okay?" Lucy called out after him, "See you at the ball!"
"Right..." Aerian replied weakly, raising a hand in acknowledgement.
Lucy strolled out of the shop, and met up with Ton, her illumise.
"Oh Ton, this ball's going to be a blast!" She picked up her pokemon, and pretended to dance her way through the bustling marketplace. It was her first ball, and she was so excited to be sharing it with Aerian, hoping it would signify more than just a simple ball.
