"Probably a disease of some kind," the girl says. "I'd be able to tell which if we had light."

"We could go home?"

"...you want to go home from the best party of the year so that I can dissect a dead bird?"

"Uh. Yeah?"

"Do you suppose you could say it was part of your costume?" she says, looking at Dr. Frankenstein's lab coat consideratively. "Or sneak it in underneath something." They are going to get caught if they do that, but they all know that and she's not going to be anywhere near them when it happens so what does it matter to her.

"Okay, but it's the dissection that's messy."

"We could do it in the bathroom? People do lots of things they aren't supposed to do in bathrooms."

"Okay, I have to say I'm curious about what kind of project you want a dead bird for." (Oscar is dressed as Pierrot.)

"Oh, Chu Chu is brilliant. Did you know she's the only woman in the entire country of China to get a scholarship to study medicine in England?"

It's too dark to see Chu Chu blush but it is nevertheless very obvious she is.

"It's obvious from the outfits already, they're delving into things man was not meant to meddle with--" oh no it's someone she knows. It's fine, she's passing, she's practiced her voice so many times, Oscar's in the safer crowd anyways.

"Oh, Chu Chu's a woman so it's fine! She meddles in all kinds of things man wasn't meant to know," William says, giving the strong impression that one of those things is his penis.

Oscar chuckles at that; he isn't above appreciating a bawdy joke. "How do you like England, Chu Chu?"

"It's great! I'm learning so much," she says earnestly.

"I think it's a terrible country," Oscar says cheerfully. "But studying medicine sounds like a lot of fun. What's your favorite part?"

"All these compliments do a poor job of hiding your relation to each other," Violet whispers to William, in a voice that might almost be mistaken for earnest. "It's obvious now that you've also come to the party dressed as your real self."

"Well, masks are a great way of showing the truth," William says. "Who would expect that I met Chu Chu when I died in a tragic gambling accident and then she brought me back to life?"

"And now you are in her eternal service as payment for bringing you back. Maybe you should consider reanimating the bird, it'd be an excellent party trick."

William Way pouts. "Nobody asked me how you could do a tragic gambling accident."

"How can you do a tragic gambling accident?"

William brightens up. "Well, the dice accidentally came up sevens when both I and some very large men with very impressive muscles were really counting on it coming up sixteen."

"They must have overcome with feeling when they saw you were up and about again."

"Right! But I'm immortal now because I already died. So no harm done. I don't think I got your name."

"Violet." She says it softly. She's been less focused on her voice (though not enough to embarrass herself) but it's now at the front of her mind again.

"I'm William Way," he says as if he expects everyone to know who he is.