A major event was scheduled to take place aboard the Ark soon. Three important people were coming for a visit from Earth. One was a prominent figure in the Guardian Unit of Nations (G.U.N.), another was the founder of a well-known university, and the last was a museum owner who contributed a generous sum to the Ark's creation.

Maria didn't know the details of who these individuals were, but she knew everyone on the Ark had to look and act their best the day they arrived. The important trio would be given a tour of the whole facility and then a banquet would be held in their honor that night in one of the conference halls. She talked about it with both Abraham and Shadow whenever she saw them, enthusiastic for the formal dinner and dancing that would take place. It would be the first grand ball ever held inside a space station.

When the special evening arrived, there was a knock at her front door as she was getting ready. Abe stood before her dressed in a little suit. It would've been adorable were it not for a glaring stain on his white shirt. The troubled look on his face told Maria all she needed to know.

"Let me guess, you ruined it and now you need it cleaned before anyone notices?"

"Sort of. I brought another, but I need to hide the dirty one here. Will you help me, please?"

"Alright, but this is why you have to be careful when you're wearing fancy clothes. Come on."

She led him into the bathroom and helped him put on his spare. He scowled the entire time, saying changing clothes should never feel like hard work. The outfit was uncomfortable to wear and ugly to boot.

Maria smoothed out the wrinkles on his sleeves. "Well, I think this suit makes you look like a handsome gentleman."

Abe groaned. "Shuddup."

He turned to leave, but she held him back. "Hold on, let me fix one more thing."

She opened a drawer and fetched a comb. She wet it underneath the sink faucet. Then she started smoothing out his hair.

"Ugggh." He sighed in exasperation and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

She finished as quickly as she could. "There, all done."

As he rushed out, Abe called, "See you there!"

"Don't run, or you'll mess it up again!"

"Yeah, okay!"

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't hold back a smile. She continued her own preparations and double-checked herself in the mirror. Her dress was ocean blue and lacy, with matching stockings and shoes. Instead of her usual headband, a floral clip adorned her hair.

She thought about Shadow, wondering if he was already on his way or if he was still getting ready. It wouldn't hurt to check, so she decided to stop by his room.

As she traveled the residential hallways, a few folks walked about in a dashing display of formalwear. It made her excited. It was a nice change of pace from the everyday lab coats and Ark uniforms.

She approached Shadow's door, knocked, and flinched at the unexpected shout that followed. "It's about damn time! Get a move on!"

Hesitantly, she went inside and immediately found him in his living room. He sat on his couch with his eyes closed and arms folded, wearing a pair of shiny black shoes and... nothing else. The rest of his outfit was strewn on the floor in front of him.

He turned annoyed eyes on her, then gaped. "Oh, sh—I mean... Sorry, Maria, I thought you were my stylist."

"What's wrong, Shadow?" she asked, making her way in front of him while avoiding stepping on his clothes.

He gestured to the articles as though he didn't care whether she stepped on them or not. "I've been waiting for her to come help me with this, since she's the one who took my measurements and said they would fit. I tried putting them on a hundred times, but they nearly ripped, so I gave up."

Maria looked at his feet. "Um, I know you're not used to wearing anything except shoes and gloves, but were you trying to put on those pants while wearing those shoes?"

"Yeah, so?"

She inhaled, trying not to laugh at his mistake. "You're supposed to put on the pants first."

He stared at her, then at his shoes. He furrowed his brow, thinking hard. Then he leaned back against the couch and planted a palm to his face. "Of course."

She knelt down in front of him. "Since your stylist isn't here yet, I can help you."

"Alright."

She reached for his shoes and laughed when he asked if his socks had to come off too. She shook her head no as she set the fancy shoes aside and picked up the pants from the floor.

He put a hand on her shoulder for balance—her heart thudded. For the first time, she noticed what his hand looked like without a glove. Despite its size, it gripped her at just the right pressure so it didn't hurt. Warmth grazed her cheeks.

She tried, but failed, to avoid touching his legs while sliding the pants up. She asked him to stand, miraculously keeping her voice steady.

He did as directed and was able to take over. He zipped and fastened the pants on his own, his tail poking through a slit in the back.

Still kneeling, she fetched an unbuttoned shirt from the floor, taking note of the two slits in the back meant for his spines. She helped his arm into a sleeve and when his hand got stuck at the cuff, she discovered what was causing the blockage: a sealed button. To him, it seemed like a random place for the accessory. She undid both cuffs of each sleeve so his hands could come through and then buttoned them again.

Now the shirt's front needed closing. She moved her hands toward the bottom button and gripped the fabric with the same pressure he was giving her shoulder. Her outward appearance was poised and focused as she hooked each button one by one. On the inside, her heart beat fast and loud. Despite this, there was no fumbling; she tugged the shirt's buttons perfectly into place. She left the last one undone to showcase the tuft of white fur on his chest. With care, she reached behind and gently felt for the spines on his back, then slowly guided them through the slits. Shadow turned his head away the moment she touched them and didn't look back at her until she finished.

Up next was a black tie. She struggled at first, having never handled one before, but luckily his stylist had told him what to do, so he helped by giving her directions to follow.

The final piece of his outfit was a dark gray jacket, which they worked on together. Now he was free to slip his shoes back on.

Maria, still on her knees, eyed him from head to toe. "There we go. You look very handsome."

He lowered his gaze to his shoes and cleared his throat. "Thanks."

"Are you ready to go now? Would you like to walk with me there?"

He looked at her and the sheen in his red eyes made her heart rate increase again. He opened his mouth, but a knock sounded at the door, causing him to whip his head in its direction and step back, bumping into the couch as he did.

Maria stood up. "Your stylist?"

"Yeah. Enter!" he called.

A woman in a feminine tuxedo came in with a large handbag strapped across her shoulder. She stopped, glanced between them, and rolled her eyes, clicking her tongue. "Guess I walked all the way here for nothing. I knew there wasn't anything wrong with my measurements."

She made a swirling motion with her index finger, waiting for Shadow to turn around so she could give him a once-over. "Alright, looks good. Now, come on. Professor Gerald is waiting."

Shadow looked at Maria. "We need to meet with the Professor, so you'll have to go without me, but I promise I'll see you there later."

"Okay."

She held his gaze for as long as she could before leaving. Butterflies filled her stomach as she walked to the banquet alone. She felt like a peasant attending a royal party. She adjusted her flower clip and smoothed out the front of her dress. The closer she got, the more others appeared heading for the banquet room as well. Soon inviting sounds and smells drifted through the air, melting her nerves into relaxing, delightful anticipation. She blended in with the group and spotted the open doors further on.

She didn't have time to take a deep breath before she was swept in by the crowd.