Char and Iris were on the sofa talking, with a respectable distance between them, when Elera and Rath returned close to midday. Rath dropped his armful of packages in the gap and smirked.

"Ready for a fashion show, Char?"

Char ignored his tease and stood up. "We need to get back to the barracks."

"What?" Rath asked, his face falling. "Why?"

"We've been gone too long already. I don't want Kelnor looking for us. Come on."

Elera cleared her throat. "I think you're forgetting something, Char."

"I didn't forget, Mother." He stepped toward her and put his hands on her shoulders, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. "Goodbye."

"And Iris?" she asked, her blue eyes dancing.

Iris was already unwrapping a package. She looked up quickly, her wide brown eyes flicking from Elera to Char.

"Goodbye, Iris," Char said simply, turning away and heading for the door.

"Goodbye, Char," she called back.

Rath caught up to Char on the street. "That's it? No kiss?"

Char snorted. "Not in front of you and Mother."

"So you did kiss her!" Rath said triumphantly.

"Of course I kissed her," Char replied, smirking.

"And?"

"And what?"

"Anything else?"

Char shot his brother a glare. "You do realize what she's been through this past week, right?"

Rath shrugged. "A simple 'no' would suffice."

"Rath!"

They looked toward the excited female voice, and Misa was running toward them. She threw her arms around Rath's neck and planted a kiss on his lips before he could react. The passersby on the street smiled knowingly and looked away.

"That's quite a hello," Rath said breathlessly, resting his hands on her hips.

"You're coming to my party, right?" she asked, her arms still around his neck.

"Tonight?" Rath asked, glancing over at Char uncertainly.

"Yes, tonight," she said teasingly, her golden eyes dancing. "Although there won't be as many people as last night. Kara said everybody from the magic school is in trouble over something."

The idea hit Char like a slap in the face. Crazy? Yes. Could it work? Yes.

"We'll be there," he said. Rath shot him a startled look, but Char just smirked at him. "Didn't you want to see Misa in that new dress you bought her?"

"You didn't!" she squealed, kissing him again.

"Well, I just saw it and thought of you," Rath said smoothly. "Eight o'clock again?"

"Yes." She gave him another kiss and pulled away. "I still have a lot to get ready, so I'll have to go. See you later!" She waved and dashed away, leaving Rath slightly dazed.

"What are you thinking?" he asked Char.

"Come on. You have a dress to buy," Char said, grabbing Rath's arm and pulling him along.

"Char."

"Anything for a party in those packages?" Char asked, sending Rath a sideways glance.

Rath gaped at him. "Seriously? That's your plan? I thought we were hiding her."

"You heard Misa. Nobody from the magic school will be there. Most people don't know who she is, let alone what she looks like."

Rath chuckled. "This is really nuts, you know that?"

"Yeah, I got that. So, do I need to buy her a dress?"

"Of course you do. Mother wasn't looking for party dresses, was she?"

"Then we're buying two dresses."

He led them into a dress shop, where they spent the next hour looking for something. Char didn't realize it would be this hard to find a dress that would hide Iris' amulet. Rath didn't know what to get Misa. The helpful sales lady put up with - or maybe took advantage of - their cluelessness, and they finally left with two expensive dresses and two expensive pairs of shoes, because the sales lady reminded them that Misa would need shoes, too. As far as she knew, Rath was shopping for Misa, and Char was just along for the ride. He guessed Iris was about the same size as Misa. They settled on a black strapless dress, covered in gold and silver glitter for Misa, and a backless royal blue dress with a halter top and a line of loose folds tumbling from the keyhole over the chest down to the bottom of the short skirt for Iris. The sales lady picked a pair of black pumps and another pair of blue, and then the brothers headed back to the barracks with their packages tucked under their arms.

"Okay, what next?" Rath asked, dropping his load on the coffee table and himself on the sofa in their living room.

"It's pretty easy to sneak a girl in here after a party," Char replied, adding his packages to the pile and settling on the other end of the sofa.

"Hiding her in your room, right under Kelnor's nose? That might be a little too crazy, Char."

"Who said anything about hiding her here?" Char replied. "The issue with flight is how cold she gets, right? So if she wears enough layers and bundles up in enough blankets, there shouldn't be a problem."

Rath frowned. "No, but where are you planning on taking her during her midnight flight?"

"Can't tell you," Char replied. Because he didn't know yet, but it would come to him, eventually.

"Char."

"The fewer people who know, the better, and I need you to cover for me with Kelnor until I get back."

"How long, exactly, will you be gone?"

Char shrugged. "Probably not more than a day."

"Tomorrow's Sunday," Rath mused. "Nothing to do anyway, and you've spent the whole day in bed sleeping off a bad hangover before." He exhaled deeply, and then he said, "This might work."

"Now, to convince Iris," Char muttered.

He decided the best way to do that was to spring it on her at the last minute. Rath found Kelnor and got permission for them to go out again that night, figuring two nights in a row of breaking the rules might be a bit much, and then he and Char headed back to their mother's house at six o'clock for dinner. They entered without knocking, as usual, and headed into the kitchen to kiss their mother hello, as usual, but Iris was the one standing over the stove.

Char was right. Seeing her in clothes that fit was a shock.

She was wearing a dark green dress, sleeveless, with a waistline that hugged hers and a full-length skirt that followed the curve of her hips out from her waist and then hung loosely, leaving him guessing about her legs. She turned to say hello, and embroidery from the front of the waist crawling up to just under her bust drew his eyes to the shirring that emphasized her form and left him speechless. Rath elbowed him in the ribs and stepped around him into the kitchen.

"Hey, Iris. That looks good on you."

"Thanks," she said, pink dusting her cheeks as she carried a pot from the stove to the table. "Hope you don't mind my cooking. I thought Elera could use a break after her late night."

"Not at all," Char finally said, moving into the kitchen and setting his package on the counter next to Rath's. "Need help setting the table?"

"If you don't mind. What's all that?"

"Your escape plan," Rath said."

"We'll talk about it over dinner," Char intervened, shooting Rath a glare.

"There are my boys," Elera said as she entered the kitchen. "I didn't think you could stay away for long," she added, sending Char a knowing look.

"This might be it for a while," he replied.

She frowned. "Why?"

"I think I can get Iris out tonight."

"Tonight?" Elera and Iris asked simultaneously.

"But she just got here!" Elera exclaimed.

"I told you she couldn't stay long, Mother. Let's just sit down to eat, and I'll explain everything."

Iris had made a venison and vegetable soup, and that kept Rath quiet while Char ran through his idea. Elera ate in silence until he finished, although her furrowed brow told him she had her doubts. She sighed heavily and massaged her temple.

"So much could go wrong, Char," she finally said.

"That's what makes it fun," Rath volunteered. Elera silenced him with a look.

"I assume that is supposed to be a party dress?" Elera asked, nodding toward the packages on the counter.

"And one for Misa," Char replied. "That was our cover. They're about the same size, and as far as the sales lady knows, Rath bought both dresses for Misa."

"They aren't the same size," Elera replied. "But hopefully they're close enough. What about shoes?" Elera asked.

"Got those, too."

"Misa's size?"

"Yes?" Char replied, his voice ticking up to make it sound more like a question.

Elera shook her head. "Well, if they don't work, it's common enough for girls to kick off their shoes at these parties and go barefoot. What about her wardrobe?"

"I...guess it stays here?" Char suggested hesitantly.

"Guess again. How many blankets do you have?"

Char and Rath exchanged glances. "Two."

Elera smiled ruefully. "It's a good thing you told me first. You're both due for new clothes, so I'll bundle up Iris' clothes inside yours, wrap it all up in a few blankets, and take it to the barracks. That way, we're safe if anybody wants to investigate, although I doubt Kelnor will question it. He knows you two would be in rags if I weren't looking out for you. Iris, you and I will see about the dress and shoes while these two clear the table and wash the dishes."

"There's another problem," Iris said nervously. "I've never been to a party."

"That won't matter," Elera reassured her. "Nobody knows what they're doing at these things, and that's before the alcohol starts flowing. You'll be fine. Come on, let's see what the boys picked out for you."

"These," Char said, jumping up and grabbing the correct packages from the counter.

Elera took them and smirked. "You just want to dance with her," she said under her breath, her voice too soft for anybody but him to hear. "Alright, Iris," she said, turning away and walking across the kitchen. Iris shot Char a worried look and followed Elera out.

Rath burst out laughing as soon as they were gone. "You're going to lose it when you see her in that."

Char scowled at him and started collecting dishes from the table. "Shouldn't you take that dress over to Misa?"

"No way," Rath replied, starting the water in the sink. "I'm not missing this."