"Excuse me. Sorry. Pardon me-"

A girl in an angel costume tried to squeeze through a pack of costume-cladded people. She forced out an apologetic smile to anyone who gave her a glare. She winced as she felt her angel wings get pulled back by the crowd and could just imagine the tattered shape it was in at that moment.

The girl finally got past the throngs of people and was finally out on the balcony. The cool night air was like heaven when contrasted with the stuffy heat from indoors. The girl gulped in the air as if it were her last.

"I'm finally out of that wretched place..." she muttered. She hated being stuck in a crowd of people, especially people she didn't know. Rich people in their fancy costumes and heavy gems emblazoned on.

Ugh.

And look at her.

In a tattered angel costume with equally tattered wings.

"You're out here too-aru?"

(____) perked up and saw a young boy standing behind her. His figure was silhouetted against the light from indoors so she was unable to see his face. He was wearing was seemed to be a red pirate costume with a hat too big for his head with a luscious white feather. He had a foreign accent, one that (____) found herself liking, to her own surprise.

Then again, all of the guests here were rich, foreign people.

"Uh, yes," she replied nervously.

His silhouette walked closer and (____) could just make out golden eyes glinting from under the hat. They seemed to ask a silent question.

Have we met?

"I never was much for crowds anyways-aru-"

The two jumped when they heard the sound of glass shattering from inside and the sound of laughter.

Then they heard the sound of violins tuning.

The boy turned his face towards the ballroom light and (____) could see the soft curve of his heart-shaped cheek. He looked so youthful.

"Ah, how rude of me," he turned back to (____), "My name is Yao Wang-aru. And you?"

"(____)."

He smiled knowingly,"I've heard of you. Alfred talked about you quite a lot-aru."

"Well, I'm glad he invited me here, but I feel so out of place with all these rich people."

Yao walked closer until he was right beside in in the balcony railing. Both had their faces turned outwards and facing the empty night air.

"You talk of these rich people as if you hate them-aru."

She sighed, "I just don't feel like I belong. I mean, just look at their costumes! It looked like they just walked off the stage of Phantom of the Opera! And look at me. I'm just in a really cheap imitation of an angel."

"A really beautiful one-aru..." Yao said in a voice so soft that (____) could barely hear.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, it looks like the angel costume Juliet wore in that Luhrman movie."

"You watched that movie?" She was truly surprised. What was he? Chinese? And he watched a movie from America (an old one at that)?

"Yes I have. Now then, (____)," he stuck out his arm towards her, "The music is starting indoors, so if you don't mind, would you care to dance?"

(____) was taken aback by the request. She was hesitant at the idea of going back indoors into a huge crowd with people she didn't know, faking smiles at anybody who noticed her and forcing out laughter at jokes she didn't even understand.

But she couldn't say no to those golden eyes.