Renatus lightly ran his fingers through his hair with styling product, keeping his stray hairs tidy and away from his face. He changed into a navy turtleneck adorned with white barrel cuffs that were lined with two red streaks and a dark brown vest on top of it, fully buttoned up with its golden knobs, with its stone-grey lapels lined with a red streak along its edge that matched his cuffs. An oak brown belt handcrafted with luxurious leather and fitted with a sleek silver buckle kept his slim-fitted black pants from sliding from his waist, matching his brown dress shoes that rounded up the overall elegance of his outfit. He topped it all off with an oversized single-breasted coat with black cuffs that rested on his shoulders, diverting any possible suspicions of the veil’s illusory effect in concealing his wings. Although he didn’t enjoy wearing formal clothing due to its constrictive properties, it was at least comfortable enough for him to last the night.

He cracked a smile at the mirror once everything had been set and polished to his liking, feeling confident that there was no flaw in his disguise.

He stepped into what appeared to be the study of the now-empty faerie courthouse, where Vaina sat on a velvet seat fixing her hair awaiting his presence. There were miniature bookshelves filled with ancient textbooks recounting faerie lore and other boring law-related scripts surrounding her in an arc formation, the ceiling surprisingly high as dainty floral lights emitting a cool, whimsical glow sprung from it at irregular heights on golden beaded chains. There were also small wooden lanterns that hung from the partitions of the walls that provided the room with a dim, warm light, providing an eerie yet inviting ambience to the place. For once, her wings weren't a sheet of blaring white beneath the kaleidoscope of lights.

“We must split up, otherwise we’ll stand out too much even with your wings concealed. As you know, it would be suspicious for someone like me to hang around one person for too long at an event like this, or else promiscuous rumours start to spread,” Vaina said, tightening the braids of her heavily styled hair. It had been fixed into a large bun, decorated with golden laurel pins that sat within the braids.

She wore an extravagant pastel-yellow princess gown crafted in a vibrant baroque-esque fabric that was lavishly decorated with heavy frill and lace details that Renatus ought to be comically flashy. “We’ll be trying to retrieve any information from my father’s close subordinates. You’ll know from their uniforms.”

“You're worried about rumours even though Malachi’s been dealt with?” he asked, adjusting his fox-inspired masquerade mask. Its length was perfectly sculpted to fit his facial features and concealed the now inconspicuous scarring of his right eye, in addition to the daemon marking that masked his pupils. “Poor fellow perished for nothing.”

“Ah, well, I wouldn't want news of your return to reach my father's ears anyhow, whether it be through his subordinates or his own eyes. You know how that'd go,” she loosely explained, tightening the last braid into place with one sharp tug. “Oh, this could’ve been so much easier if those damn faeries didn’t have that stupid superstition about mirrors…”

“Fair point. It'd still be funny, though…” Renatus chuckled. How would Godric react seeing him alive and well? Would he be too baffled and stunned to act, or simply charge at him to throw him out of the Gate again? After all, he was no longer the defenceless child he was back then.

“Remember, my Renba. Blend in, join in some chatter if you must. But keep an ear out for anything interesting that may help us,” she reminded him, noticing his lack of attention to her words. She dusted off the last specks of powder from her face with a flat sponge, and finally lifted herself from the seat.

“Of course. Who do you mistake me for?” he smirked, standing beside her as they opened the creaky doors and left for the extravagant ball, finally escaping from the land of the faeries.