Getting dressed up for a dance was actually rather fun. I had never done this kind of thing before, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I loved the dress, a long black sleeveless dress that showed off all of my curves, accenting them in all the right places.
I was a little nervous about the ball however. It was for demons, and I was a human who obviously didn't belong. I prayed I wouldn't be discovered. I didn't know how much trouble Hyaku would get into, but I didn't want him to get into any more trouble because of me.
A demon and his wife introduced their daughter, a pretty demon, to Hyaku and asked that he consider her for marriage. Was I going to have to listen to that all night? If so, I didn't think I'd be able to stay at his side all night. I wasn't jealous. But, the thought of marriage depressed me.
I was tainted, no longer innocent. I had been stuck in a tavern for most of my life. I had no idea how long I would be stuck in Hyaku's place, but I wouldn't be meeting anyone there. How was I supposed to find a decent suitor? The way I was seeing it, I wasn't going to be able to get married. The thought made me greatly sad.
Turning away from Hyaku, I pushed all the depressing thoughts out of my head and focused on the party at hand. Shun was out and about talking to various demons. I wondered what this party was all about; it had to be something important.
A few demons decided to talk to me while Hyaku was talking with yet another couple. "Who did you come to this party with?" they asked me. Hyaku was just behind me. Did we look an unfitting couple?
"I'm with Hyaku," I answered, gesturing to him with my hand.
They frowned. "Are you together together?" one of them asked.
I wasn't sure what they were implying. How hard was it to accept that I had arrived here with Hyaku? Did he not get out that often? "Uh, yes." I nodded nervously.
"Wow, who would have thought that Hyaku would have settled down? What land are you from? Somewhere elegant I'd assume knowing Hyaku; he'd settle for nothing less," another demon piped in.
Suddenly, I understood what they were implying. "Oh, wait. It's not what you think," I tried to explain, but they didn't listen to me and bustled away. I hoped that conversation wasn't going to come back and bite me in the ass. Sighing, I turned back around and listened to Hyaku talk to some more demons.
