The days leading up to the gala passed in a blur. Jacob was anxious for it, but that was more than outweighed by the freedom of not having the tournament weigh on his mind.

Tuesday afternoon after Intro he attended MW Club for the first time in three weeks. Xavier Hudson—whose attendance had also been spotty—was there as well. They laughed together at their losses that weekend. Jacob had thought Xavier would bring up Jacob's humiliating defeat, but the boy seemed to think that a loss was a loss, no matter how you sliced it. They hadn't spoken a lot even in the Club beforehand, but Xavier was a pretty cool guy.

Wednesday, to Jacob's surprise, Tanaka asked him to train. Jacob questioned his own value to Tanaka in training, but the transfer student didn't seem like a facile friend-maker. It appeared Tanaka was finally taking the tournament seriously, though when Jacob asked him about it he said that while he only considered Camilla and Victor potent enough to pose a threat, Marquez was skilled enough that Tanaka couldn't take him lightly.

Afterwards, they went out to the commons outside the Equilibrium Building where Tanaka began to teach Jacob divination. He was still ironing out the filter version, and probably would be for the rest of the week.

Jacob ended up hanging out with Blake during almost every single down moment over those few days. Blake's study habit started to rub off on him, which was going to be helpful for the fast-approaching final exams. They talked about the gala, each of them nervous but excited.

Jacob saw Camilla in class, where they acted normal, but after each one she vanished somewhere with Grace, which was alright with him because he was nervous just thinking about her. He couldn't believe he'd actually asked her.

Intro was their last class on Thursday, ending in the early afternoon. The class was abuzz with excitement for the gala that evening. Professor Muesli could clearly tell not much learning was being accomplished since he let them out twenty minutes early.

As per usual, Camilla and Grace disappeared. Blake and Jacob, having already picked out their nicest outfits, and not wanting to spend the rest of the long hours between then and the gala working their nerves, decided to go study. They asked Archie if he wanted to join, but he said he had to meet his date, whom he'd kept a mystery from them for several days now.

An hour later, sitting in the library doing Intro readings, Jacob checked his phone and sighed.

"Camilla told me she will let me know what we're wearing as soon as she can. Do you know what she meant?" He asked.

Blake shrugged. "No idea. I wish Grace would respond to my texts. Kinda leaving the planning last minute, huh? Has Camilla responded to you?"

"I haven't texted her," Jacob said.

"Can you? I wanna see if we can get anything out of her," Blake said.

Jacob nodded. "Alright." He mulled over what to say, then settled with the most basic thing:

Am I going to see you before the gala tonight?

He put his phone down and flipped open the readings again, not expecting an answer. His phone buzzed less than a minute later. It was her:

Yes, moron. You should come to my dorm in ten minutes. Grace says to 'bring the ogre that calls itself Blake.'

Jacob chuckled at this.

"What?" Blake asked.

"Nothing. Camilla says for us to meet them at their dorm in ten minutes."

"Ten?!" Blake jumped out of his seat. "Shit, we gotta get dressed. C'mon!"

——————

Jacob and Blake showed up to Camilla and Grace's dorm after a hurried prep. Blake knocked on the door and ran a hand through his gelled hair. Jacob adjusted the collar of his polo t-shirt, and straightened it to get the wrinkles out of it.

Grace opened the door and smiled at them. Her dark hair was down. She had makeup on, though it was more refined than when she wore it to class sometimes. She wore a black dress that sparkled like the night sky. Jacob realized that the surface of the dress was reflective, almost like the black crystal he'd seen in the magical world. Within it glimmered little stars.

More importantly, the dress was a backless ballgown that left Grace's shoulders bare and flared out from her waist down. Her dark hair spilled in waves over her upper torso. She looked like a 19th century Lady.

"Oh my God, Grace, you look stunning," Blake said, eyes wide in shock.

Grace did a mock curtsy.

"But..." Blake floundered. He looked down at his own shirt. "I look so shabby. I feel like a chump, but this is the nicest thing I have."

Grace beckoned them in. "Don't worry, we've got it all figured out. Come in. Come on, there's work to do."

She ushered them inside their enviously large dorm room and shut the door behind them.

"Camilla, they're here."

"I heard!"

Jacob's head whipped around to her voice.

Camilla came out of the bathroom. Jacob's eyes widened.

She was radiant. Her face was made up, but it was subtle such that Jacob's untrained eye couldn't pick out anything but the cherry red lipstick. He'd expected her to have her hair down like Grace, but her dark curls were piled in a shining mass on her head, with a few twirling strands dangling in front of her face. The slope of her smooth neck was bare, as was her slender upper torso, her lean, toned collar and shoulders down to her shallow cleavage just above the top of her dress.

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And what a dress it was. A backless ballgown like Grace's, but it was crimson red. Not the dull red of fabric, but a vibrant, burning red, like a cherry firework. Warm flames rippled up and down from the hem to the top. It matched perfectly the two red jewels dangling from her earrings.

She strode towards them and Jacob tried not to stare, but failed. The flames shifted along her dress as she walked in time with her steps. He did a mental double-take, unable to believe what he was seeing was real. He was too stunned to be nervous, or anything else for that matter.

She reached up to his face and pushed his lower jaw up, clicking his mouth closed.

"It's rude to stare, moron."

"Uh," Jacob said. "Jesus Christ." He rubbed the spot where her hand had graced his chin.

Camilla turned to Grace and giggled, the little action shattered the spell, made her mortal again. Jacob had a weird feeling he was going to remember her walking towards him in that dress for the rest of his life.

Blake, thankfully, save his ass from having to say something.

"Where the hell did you two get those dresses?" He said in disbelief. "There's nowhere to buy decent clothes on campus."

Camilla touched her dress with one crimson-painted nail. Little red waves rippled out from the contact point. "They're magic, obviously."

"Magic..." Jacob said dumbly.

"But, how?" Blake fished. "The detail. It must have taken weeks. Is this what you were working on this whole time?"

"No," Grace said. She twirled, then checked herself out in the bathroom mirror. "Little secret: We made these for the Order's International Conference Gala last year. Your eyes are not the first we've graced in them."

Blake ran a hand through his hair. "Oh my God, I totally forgot you two and Archie go to those things. Wait, let me guess, you two both know how to ballroom dance, don't you?"

Grace and Camilla giggled again.

"And waltz, and square dance. The Order loves its 19th Century motifs. Hence the dress design," Camilla said.

"Oh no," Blake said. "I don't know any of that!"

"We're going to help you, silly!" Grace rolled her eyes. "What we've been working on these past few days are your suits."

"Suits?" Blake asked, surprised.

"Yes we made a suit out of magic for each of you."

"But, I've never worn a suit before," Jacob and Blake said in unison. They looked at each other, then laughed.

"Time to learn!" Camilla said, disappearing into the other room.

"God, I feel like a country bumpkin!" Blake exclaimed.

"That's because you are!" Grace said, before disappearing into the other room.

"Hey! We're normal people," Blake said.

"Well, you're part of the magical society now whether you like it or not."

Camilla and Grace returned, each holding aloft a hanger with a suit on it. They looked at each other, then at Blake and Jacob.

Grace pursed her lips and feigned a medieval lady's posh accent. "Take off those grubby, peasant clothes!"

"What?" Blake and Jacob said at the same time.

"Ugh, keep your underwear on, you perverts. But lose the shirts and jeans."

"Really?" Jacob asked, suddenly nervous. Camilla and Grace looked like they were having the time of their lives. He felt like he was seeing a side to Grace and, more surprisingly, Camilla, he'd never seen before. A part of him wondered if they hadn't been roped into this just to be made fun of.

"Really! Quickly now! Strip!"

——————

Jacob's suit was a clear, glacial blue that appeared translucent as crystal. He put the shirt on, then the pants, and the jacket. The material was smooth, almost slippery, with an absent texture. Camilla eyed him, using her hands to judge his shoulders and his waist.

"I think I got your measurements pretty good," she said, satisfied.

"Yep, Blake's looks good, too," Grace said.

Blake's suit was a clinical white that almost shone. A perfect contrast to Grace's night-sky dress. Matching with his pale eyes and blonde hair, it gave him an almost exotic, albino appearance.

"How'd you get our measurements? Blake asked, grinning. "Just ogle us for the past few weeks?"

Camilla and Grace giggled.

"Why this colour?" Jacob asked. He moved his arm. The suit felt stiff, like it resisted movement, although whether that was the magical material or just a suit thing in general, he didn't know.

"Fire and ice," Camilla said. "I was going as fire, and I figured why not do a little contrast?"

"Does mine do the wave thingy too?" Jacob asked, poking his abdomen.

"Didn't have time to do that," Camilla said. "Now, let's put your tie on."

"No no," Blake cut in. He snatched his white tie from Grace and Jacob's blue tie from Camilla. "That's enough matronizing. We'll take it from here."

"Whatever you say," Grace said.

Blake beckoned Jacob to the bathroom. They entered and he shut the door behind them and handed Jacob his blue tie. The bathroom was clean, with dozens of little bottles of makeup and gloss and cream and moisturizer and a bunch of other stuff taking up every available surface.

"But, I don't know how to do this," Jacob said, desperately wishing his father had shown him how at some point. If they had to slump back out in defeat and get the girls to help them, they'd never live it down.

"I gotchu," Blake said, lifting his tie up.

"I thought you said you'd never worn a suit," Jacob said.

"I hadn't," Blake said. "But I made a YouTube video showing how to tie a tie in Grade 8. Watch,"

Blake walked through an irritatingly complex sequence of folds and loops. Jacob tried to mimic it, but failed.

"Try casting perception," Blake said. "I heard it helps with learning physical movements."

Jacob obliged. Blake's movements slowed down to a fluid crawl. All of Jacob's attention zeroed in on the movements. After a couple tries he got it.

They stared at themselves in the wall-length bathroom mirror, suits, ties, and all. Blake ran his hands through his hair and Jacob pulled at his jacket, trying to get his shoulders more comfortable. Then they stood and just looked at themselves for a minute.

"We look like goddamn Batman villains," Blake said.

Jacob chuckled.

"But, that's the price of the night," Blake said.

Jacob thought they looked pretty good. He looked at Blake, and met his eyes, and they both grinned.

"Wasn't expecting to be wearing my first suit at Tisdale," Jacob said.

"Me either."

The whole thing had a ritual feeling to it, a 'once you go over, you can't come back' feeling, and suddenly he was glad he was sharing it with Blake; glad he had asked Camilla instead of chickening out. It was going to be a special night, how could he have ever missed out on it?

They came back out of the bathroom to the 'oohs' of the girls, then began prepping. They practiced some 'ballroom stuff' and Camilla and Grace chattered about the 'plan' which went in one ear and directly out the other.

Then the girls disappeared into the bathroom to touch up, while Jacob and Blake waited. Time had somehow grown terrifyingly short, Jacob supposed it did on any night like this, and somehow the girls were taking forever in the bathroom. What could they possibly be doing?

Eventually, they emerged, and the four of them gathered themselves and made ready to leave.

"Are we meeting up with Archie beforehand?" Jacob asked.

Camilla and Grace shared a look he didn't get.

"No," Grace said. "We'll see him there."

"Now, remember what we said," Camilla raised her finger. She held a sparkling red clutch in one hand, which somehow managed to make her look even cuter than before. "Loop arms while we're walking."

"Okay, we're not idiots," Blake said.

"And if someone asks either of us for a dance, you let them have it, but only one. If they try for more, you have to step in and say no."

Jacob touched his palm to his forehead. Good lord, so much junk to remember.

"What if I don't want anyone to dance with Grace but me?" Blake folded his arms.

"Unga bunga. Me Tarzan, you Jane!" Grace said in a mock deep voice. "You have to let them have one dance. Those are the rules."

"Let's go!" Camilla said, suddenly urgent. "We're going to be late!"

Jacob checked his phone. They were already ten minutes late...

He looped his arm around Camilla's and they strutted out of the dorm room like two pairs of peacocks. Jacob still wasn't sure whether he felt goofy or on top of the world.