Author's note: So sorry for the long wait! I've been in a bit of a slump, so this took so much effort to write. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can. I slacked off on preparing for college, so I'm working on that as well. I'm somewhat surprised that I mixed English and Japanese honorifics in the story and I have no idea why. *sighs* I really don't want to fix it, so please bear with this weird style of writing. This chapter turned out longer than I expected, so it's been cut into two chapters. As usual, this is not mine. If it were mine, many things would be happening in Pandora Hearts right now. ;) Also, happy belated birthday Gil! I did make a story for you, but I got writer's block again, so it'll be late. Sorry again!

Chapter 4: Gig at "The Abyss"

Oz's POV

For the next two weeks, the band was so focused on preparing for our first gig that no one had time to be disagreeable. Fortunately, this also acted as a good distraction from the occasional questioning from Uncle Jack and sometimes Uncle Oscar concerning my intentions for joining the band and for visiting the capital so suddenly. On the downside though, there was little time for idle conversations with Alice and Gil. In addition to that, I didn't have much time to decide on Gil's gift, so the cons were starting to bury me.

"Vessalius! We're running through the song again!" Elliot called out causing my reverie to dissipate.

Fourteen days of constant practice. I knew that there wasn't much time before the gig, but having no free time burned me out quick.

At the beginning of the third week, the day of our first concert, our performance was ready, so the band took the time to check out the venue and, for everyone else who didn't already know her, meet Alyss.

"Welcome to 'The Abyss', members of Edge of the Abyss and company," Alyss greeted cheerfully while scanning the crowd and keeping Cheshire in her arms. "Did Jack-sama accompany you?"

Pushing up his glasses, Reim decided to be the bearer of bad news.

"I'm afraid not, Alyss-sama. He had some business to take care of."

Her bright lavender eyes grew dull at the news, but she managed to remain professional as she brushed his words aside, pulled out what seems to be blueprints of the club, and began to discuss the concert setup and how the club mechanics with Reim. In the background, I could also see Gil backing away from the cat that was being held tightly by Alyss.

"The band will be performing on the stage on the opposite side of the bar on the first floor here," she pointed out with her gaze focused on the blueprints. "Naturally, minors, including myself, cannot partake in any alcoholic beverages, but they can order soft drinks if they so choose. The club's members and decor follow a specific theme once a week and on holidays. The theme for today is Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass. Regulars are clearly aware of the strict rule of themed days. Anyone fifteen or older is allowed in the club, but some people will be denied access if they do not meet dress code. Any questions?"

"Alyss-sama, how will we able to meet dress code on such short notice?" Reim questioned carefully.

"For Jack-sama's sake, I hired Miranda-sama to take care of your costumes. Unfortunately, she also had business to take care of elsewhere, so her two assistants, Mirella-san and Nova-san, will be completing that task in her place," Alyss replied quickly. "Here they are now."

From a street corner, two girls came running towards us frantically. Upon taking a closer look, I noticed that the duo was already dressed in what I'm guessing are their club outfits. One of them was a card by the looks of it and the other was a dormouse.

"Sorry about that, Alyss-san. We had a few transportation issues," the girl dressed as a card admitted sheepishly. "Please do not hold Barma-sama responsible for this... Hm? Is this the Edge of the Abyss?"

"It is," Alyss confirmed without showing concern for the girls' tardiness. "This is..."

Realizing that this is the first time that Alyss has met anyone other than Alice, Gil, Vincent, and myself, I quickly volunteered to be the start of the string of introductions.

"Oz Vessalius. Pleased to meet you, Miss..." I began as I pulled out two flowers from my vest pocket and tucked it into the hair of the two girls.

"Mirella is fine. And this is my friend, Nova," the "card" girl replied as she gestured to her companion with her elbow while Nova nodded in affirmation after putting down the box she was holding.

From my peripheral vision, I could see Gil rolling his eyes. He always did comment on how I sounded like a host when talking to girls.

"And who might you be?" Mirella commented unfazed as she shifted her gaze to where Elliot was standing.

"Elliot Nightray," Elliot grumbled curtly.

In reaction to his rudeness, Leo discreetly pinched the side of his wrist as he introduced himself as well. He winced slightly at the pain as he mumbled a sincere apology before allowing everyone else their chance to introduce themselves.

As usual, Break just had to make a spectacle out of his greeting as he disappeared for a brief moment only to reappear inside the sewing box that Nova placed beside her. Nova expressed her shock by closing the top immediately while Mirella laughed heartily at the comedic act. With a sigh, Reim apologized on Break's behalf once he reappeared in his original spot and told the two girls his name before pulling Break aside to scold him most likely.

After witnessing his antics during practice, I knew that there was no way to avoid Break's eccentric nature, so I just decided to go with it.

Strangely enough, I noticed that Break was the only one Reim wasn't formal around. Not only that, but Break seemed to be more comfortable around him than the rest of us as well. The urge to call them out on it was tempting, however, there was no time to do so since the chain of introductions soon came to an end.

"Alright then. Alyss-san, are the dressing rooms free? Since we're already here, it may be easier to take their measurements and decide on costumes now," Mirella suggested professionally. "Also, if you haven't done so already, everyone can take a tour of the club if it's alright with you."

After considering the idea, Alyss nodded in agreement, so Mirella and Nova swiftly pushed us inside and escorted us to the dressing rooms. Along the way, I took the time to take a good look at the interior. Since I was gone for so long, I didn't know what Alyss has been up to, especially since her relationship with Alice is pretty tense, so I tried to make up for it to satisfy my own curiosity.

As the theme suggests, the decor was very fairytale-like to match the many Alices and rabbits that will be here. The inside was also rather spacious, but it seemed narrow with all the decorations taking up so much space. Fortunately, it didn't take long to arrive at our destination which was, interestingly enough, below the stage.

"Since I've told you all you need to know, I'll be taking my leave. When you come back tonight, tell the bouncer that you're part of the Edge of the Abyss and they'll direct you to someone who will help you set up," Alyss explained with a small curtsy before leaving us to pretty much fend for ourselves.

"The queen has given the signal, so we'll start now. Elliot, Break, Leo, Reim, and Echo, please follow Nova. Everyone else will stay here with me and I'll discuss costume designs and get your measurements," Mirella instructed as she pointed to one large dressing room in the corner with one hand and opened the sewing box to pull out some clothing measuring tape with the other. "Alice, will you come with me to this stall here?"

"Echo, will you follow me?" Nova requested.

As the guys in the two groups waited for the girls to finish, everyone, except me, formed their own smaller groups to converse with while I took a seat in a nearby chair and relaxed. Gil sent me worried glances constantly while he spoke with Vincent which I answered with a tired smile. Apparently, Mirella and Nova already had pre made costumes back at the shop they work at, so they only had to get everyone's measurements to tailor what they already had in stock. Because of that fact, it didn't take long for Alice and Echo-chan to come out and for Elliot and I to be called next. Uneasily, Gil watched me walk towards the appropriate stall, which Mirella and Nova took note of, so they asked Gil and Leo to come as well.

"Are you plotting something, Mirella-san?" I wondered curiously.

She simply grinned and didn't say a word as she ushered me into the medium-sized space. Once we were inside, she shoved the measuring tape into Gil's hands before taking the time to explain how to properly take a person's measurements. She put on an innocent mask as she insisted that taking a guy's measurements tends to be awkward for her, so she wanted to avoid doing so if at all possible. Ignoring any comments from Gil, she told him to take both Vincent and my measurements while I could take his, and then cheerfully left us alone in the stall. But prior to her departure, she whispered something in Gil's ear that caused him to flush bright red.

"I will be back soon. I'm going to get something to drink. Nova and I did an awful amount of running. I am not athletic in the least," she commented with a slight pout as she closed the door.

Nervously, Gil unraveled the tape as he tried to think of what to say to me now. What exactly did she say to him? Somehow, I couldn't help, but feel bothered by her actions, especially after seeing Gil's reaction, so demanding Gil to tell me what she told him was an inevitable outcome. He grew flustered and babbled what sounded like nonsense to me until I heard the words "you need to take off your clothes, so I can measure you properly." So, that's her plan... A sly smile appeared on my face then as I decided to take this time to tease Gil a little.

"I didn't know you were into that kind of thing, Gil," I pointed out with a smirk as I pushed down my shorts a little (since that should be enough), and then started to remove my vest and unbutton my shirt.

"N-No! T-That's not what I meant!" my golden eyed companion stammered nervously.

Same old Gil. You haven't changed.

Grinning, I urged him to start, so he attempted to hold back his discomfort and complete the job he was given. I shivered lightly as the tape measure was wrapped around my head and my neck briefly while Gil typed down the two measurements on his phone with his free hand. Next, he removed the measuring tape from my neck, moved my hand to my hip, and bent my elbow in order to get my sleeve size most likely. Once he finished those three plus the chest, waist, hips, and glove measurements, he hesitantly moved onto the last needed measurement: the inseam*.

"Gil, it's fine," I assured him though, to be honest, I was pretty nervous as well.

Why am I so nervous? It's Gil. It's not like it's Alice...

However, despite my thoughts, my heart rate matched Gil's as it thumped loudly and rapidly in my chest. Feeling uncomfortable, Gil finished the task quickly, so that I could take over. Of course, it didn't make either of us feel better when the sides were changed. By the time I brought Vincent into the room, Mirella and Nova had returned with half-finished glasses of soda.

"We're back and it looks like a lot of work got done. I always found taking men's measurements to be a little awkward. By the looks of things, this may take a good fifteen to twenty minutes before we're done!" Mirella commented after taking a sip of her drink. "If you guys need anything else, we're here. We can make more than just clothes you know."

More than just clothes? Upon hearing that, my mind drifted to a vague childhood memory of the day before I was to return home and not return for here for ten years.

Flashback:

It was the day before I was scheduled to return home and not come back for the next ten years. Alice was sulking in her room about it, so it only Gil and I for today. Naturally, Gil was trying not to cry as we explored the area together, but he wasn't very good at suppressing his crybaby self. It was only a matter of time before tears began to roll down his cheeks.

"Oz, I'm sorry..." Gil sniffles sadly as his hand latched onto my sleeve.

"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong," I assured him as best as I could. "I'll be back sooner than you know it. It'll be like I never left."

To reassure the crying, golden-eyed boy, I dragged him to my room and forcefully shoved my treasured black rabbit into his arms.

"Until then, hold onto this for me."

Wiping away his tears, he flashed me a genuine smile before placing the rabbit on my bed and taking out the pieces of a ripped apart raven that he received for Christmas. He apologized for giving me a lousy gift that was torn by Cheshire's claws, but I accepted it anyway without complaint. Gil could be so adorable sometimes.

Next I thing I knew, the leaving day had come, so Gil and Alice decided to wait for my ride with me. Gil didn't bring the rabbit because Alice had a tendency to be jealous whenever I did something for Gil, but I wasn't really bothered by it. It was good enough that the two of them were with me to see me off.

"You'd better not forget me," Alice commanded haughtily as she gave me a brief hug before hurrying home to make it to her violin lesson.

I met Gil's eyes that were starting to water again as he tried to say his farewell.

"Oz, I need to tell you something..."

"What is it?"

He was silent as he attempted to search for the right words to say, but ended up shaking his head instead.

"Never mind. I'll tell you when you come back..."

The raven! By the time I broke out of my thoughts, everyone was finished and Mirella and Nova were preparing to leave. I remembered what I needed to ask Mirella, so I hurried towards her only to be stopped by the business card she stuck onto my forehead.

"Nova's and my number is on the back, but that's technically Barma-sama's card. You can stop by the shop if you need us for any reason," Mirella commented before she followed behind her companion.

Maybe I will be able to get Gil a birthday present after all.

While everyone else returned home to rest before the performance, I called the number on the back of the card once I knew I was alone. A cheery voice could be heard from the speaker as I told Mirella what I needed her to do and she gave me instructions on where I needed to go. I made sure to make a quick stop at the room I had reserved for me at Jack's apartment before I headed over to Miranda Barma's shop known as, "The Black Snake".

Sorry if OCs bother you. They won't get in the middle of any of the ships though. I originally intended to have Sharon take Mirella and Nova's role, but I came up with a better part for her, so yeah... this happened. The names of the places were chosen based on the character it's connected to, so it won't be surprising if you think it's strange. I really wish that Jack would be much more eccentric, so he can do the "Jack in the box" image I got my head while writing this. Oh well. At least Break did it. Also, here's the reason why Gil and Oz were so embarrassed for those of you who don't know about inseam sizes:

You'll need a friend to measure from your crotch to where you want your pants to end, breaking at the top of the shoe in the front and just above the heel in the back (you'll need to be wearing shoes for this one)

Easier method: Find a pair of good fitting pants, and measure from crotch seam to bottom of pants.

Now, I'm done. 'til next time~