"A recording of a steam engine. Not an actual steam engine," William clarifies. "The actual steam engine wouldn't have fit. I checked."

"I DO NOT WANT ANY SORT OF STEAM ENGINE, RECORDED OR OTHERWISE, AT MY BIRTHDAY PARTY."

"For real effect you'd need rails installed anyways, and who can get the permits for all that?" she tells him.

"Oh, that's true," he says. "Chu Chu, write that down for my next performance. Rails. Violet, I'll have to thank you."

"Just say a little bird gave you the idea."

"Oh, that's good. Can I say you came to me in a dream?"

"If you like."

Annie rolls her eyes dramatically.

"Happy to do it again! Any time!" He sighs. "Her house really is such a beautiful space."

"I'm sure she's very pleased you think so," she says innocently.

"NO I'M NOT."

Maybe they should stop antagonizing the upset rich girl. "How do you know William?" she asks Chu Chu politely, making a subtle attempt to move away from Annie.

"We met at a party," Chu Chu says.

She is going to leave out unnecessary information like "she was standing with her back against the wall, terrified, and then William nonconsensually decided they were friends."

"This kind of party? Or something more selective?"

"One for the new scholarship people."

"Sounds fun. Certainly quieter."

"And then I decided to talk to the most brilliant and beautiful woman there."

"He flatters you quite a lot. You must be very impressive."

"Not really," Chu Chu says, blushing, at the same time that--

William Way says, "she's the most impressive woman I've ever met."

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the balcony--

Ichiro Sano has Simone on his arm. Instead of a costume, he is dressed in the court wear of his home country, Japan; it is enough of a costume for anyone here.

Simone's dressed as a dragonfly, all in glittering green.

Honestly, for her, the ball isn't that different from every other night of the year. Sano's arm is a perfectly nice place to spend it, though.

"Michael's over there. --He's an old family friend." Sano waves him over.

She looks over at where Michael is being waved over, smiles in his direction, and -- oh god it's Nigel's brother.

Who hopefully doesn't recognize her as his brother's girlfriend.

Michael is the eldest son of the Smith family. A gentleman; he’s a war hero, a cricket star, and an Oxford graduate. You'd think there's a hidden truth here, but he’s actually just kind of like that. No hidden dark secrets. He loves his younger brother but is also very frustrated by him.

"Good evening, Ichiro, ma'am."