All Moons Dream in Color

Chapter 7: a night at the gala (part one)

When the Annual Wizard Gala steamrolls through Moonwater, Kai has half a mind to sit out the festivities. Arturo's words echo in his ears as he stares glumly from the balcony of his suite. Pulsing crowds of wizards flood the streets, destined for the Altar of the Moonspirit. They have similar celebrations back in the Astra, and as far back as he can remember, Kai's never missed a single one.

He's supposed to be keeping a low profile, straying from the spotlight since it's caused him so much trouble. But old habits die hard. The third night of the Gala arrives, Kai stands before the bathroom mirror in a sparkly black and gray pantsuit. Splashes of glitter cling to his cheeks and eyelashes, and he's spared no expense for the glistening yellow polish brushed against his nails. When at last he clasps his cloak around his neck, he does so with a reluctant smile, bracing his hands against the porcelain sink as he looks himself over.

“You sure you want me to come with you?" Wilma asks from where she stands in the doorway, an amused smile tugging at her lips as she watches him peacock in the mirror. “Won't your fancy guild friends have somethin' to say about it?"

Incapable of withholding the exhausted sigh that tears from him, Kai crosses his arms and turns to face her. Bruiser's sat atop the sink, his own expression curious as he stares up at him. “They can say whatever they want," he answers. “I can't just let them micromanage every aspect of my life. If I wanna go to a Gala with my friend, I think I'm entitled."

Wisps of luna waft off Bruiser as he rolls his eyes and hops back down to the floor. He kneads his head into Kai's ankle for a moment before trotting lazily out of the bathroom. With a fond shake of her head, Wilma tucks her hands into the pockets of her sweatpants. “If you say so," she says with a shrug. “But I think I might be a little underdressed. Got anythin' I could wear?"

Kai ponders this with a thoughtful hum. He has a few dresses, but he doubts she'd fit into them quite like he does. That just leaves the one purple tux that fits just a little loose. He'd meant to return it, but fate, as it turns out, had other plans. When he presents it to her, Wilma gives a small twirl and a wink before saying, “Okay, this is probably the fanciest thing I've ever worn." She then grabs her new mirror out of her pocket, lip drawn between her fangs in thought. “If we wanna beat the traffic, we should probably leave. It's a mess outside, and I'm pretty sure that part of the city doesn't allow portal magic."

Within a matter of minutes, they've teleported to the back of the Hotel, to where a glamor car awaits their arrival. “I'm gonna need you to drive," Kai says, tossing the keys to her. When she just stares quizzically at him, he explains, “My license is suspended."

Thankfully enough, Wilma doesn't question could've led to such a suspension. Kai just climbs into the passenger seat at the same time that Wilma slides into the driver's. She hunches over the wheel for a moment. Even in her new moon state, covered more in hair than actual fur, she still looms like a giant and thus has some difficulty within the narrow space of the car. “Hang on, I've got you," Kai says, crossing his fingers before revolving them about each other. Within moments, the inside of the car has expanded until Wilma can comfortably sit upright.

“Thanks." She then smiles and drums her fingers against the rim of the steering wheel before anxiously looking at him once more. “Are you…sure this is a good idea? I mean, for moon's sake, you're gonna be guildmaster come the new year. You really want people to know you're friends with a passive magic-user?"

Frustration wells within Kai, and he tilts his head all the way back, willing it to subside. “I never wanted to be guildmaster in the first place. That was always Arturo's thing," he grumbles to the expanded ceiling of the car. “Who knows? This might even work out, get them to send me back home."

A moment passes before Wilma, with a somewhat incredulous look within her eyes, scoffs and shakes her head at him. “So what, you're just usin' me?" When Kai fumbles for a response, she turns to look out the windshield. “You get a driver, and I get what exactly?"

“...free food?" he says with a sheepish shrug of his shoulders. A furry blue brow greets Kai in turn, and he scratches the back of his neck. “And you get to laugh at more snobs than usual."

She just purses her lips, seeming to consider this for a moment before nodding to herself. “That is temptin'." With a cheeky grin, she then starts up the car, the keys jangling musically in the ignition as she reaches for the gearshift. “All right, mister man. You got yourself a driver."

Traffic, as predicted, is absolutely horrendous, though nothing unbearable. Someone's given up on cars entirely, instead choosing to run down the street on the back of a unicorn. Further up ahead, just above the rooftops of the city, someone's riding a dragon. Cooped safely up in his glamor car, Kai can't help but feel horribly upstaged. It's not a pleasant feeling. But today is to be his return to the spotlight. Unicorns and dragons pale in comparison to the might that is the reputation of Kai Cloudmaker.

“This is real fancy," Wilma whistles quietly, ducking out of the car before tilting her head up at the imposing Altar House before them. She lifts her fingers to press a finger to the five points of her face, then takes a moment to kick off her shoes. Bare blue feet convert over to paws, and when she turns to Kai, she seems to hesitate for a moment.

But Kai just smiles, outstretching an arm which she gracefully accepts. Side by side, they ascend the steps of the House, the crowd seeming to part for them as they duck inside. Several wizards, some of familiar and unfamiliar guilds, stare at them as they go, and Kai can only imagine how this looks to an outsider; the legendary Cloudmaker abruptly leaving the Astral Realm to take up residence in the Terran, only to weeks later turn up with a werewolf on his arm at one of the biggest celebrations of the year.

If he hasn't received a mirror call from the Craterheads yet, he's sure to later tonight.

“They're all starin' at us," Wilma whispers, tail wagging anxiously as it slips out the back of her pants. She clings tighter to his arm, her lips poised into a polite smile even while her eyes scream of discomfort.

Kai simply whisks Wilma away to a more private area of the Altar House and explains, “Ignore them. Most of 'em are just curious. Be friendly to them and they'll be friendly to you. Come on, let's check out some booths."

The booths are always the more secluded parts of the Gala, with the real camera-hoggers tending to linger on the steps or out in the Gardens. Normally, Kai would be out among them, but he's content to spend this night, at least, away from prying eyes with Wilma. He can only imagine what the rumor mill will make of that.

“So that's how you make moonwater," Wilma muses, smiling as she watches a woman charge a bowl of water underneath the moonlight streaming in from the windows. The woman affords her a kind smile as they pass them by, and Wilma waves before turning to whisper to Kai. “They're a lot friendlier than I was expectin'."

A teasing smirk climbs to Kai's lips, though he's curious all the same. “You've been to a Gala before?"

Wilma gives a noncommittal hum before answering. “No. But I was at an Altar durin' a Gala once. And it was…different."

Before Kai can ask her to elaborate, another wizard, this one selling spell-enhancing wands, waves them over. Wilma gives him an enthusiastic grin before grabbing Kai by the hand and hurrying over to the booth.

All in all, the night mostly passes without event. Kai's taken his heels off and taken to walking around shoeless, like his companion, and they're preparing to head home for the night. They're standing before a statue of the Moonspirit herself, intimidating as always, when someone suddenly bumps into Wilma. She lets out a quiet growl, ears pressing down against her head as she jumps away instinctively.

The familiar sleek pattern of gray is what greets Kai first. He groans internally, chastising himself for believing they could leave without an incident. Scott, tall and lanky, stands at near eye-level with Wilma and looms entirely over Kai. Wilma just stares down awkwardly at the man before exchanging a sheepish smile. “Sorry. I didn't see you there."

“Obviously," Scott says before turning a disapproving scowl at Kai. “Surprised you keep her off the leash."

None too eager for a lengthy interaction, Kai places his hands on his hips before declaring, “She's not a dog, Scott. She's my friend."

Something's brewing within his old guildmate's mind, and Kai shudders just imagining what it could be. With a smile sharper than a knife, Scott neatly folds his hands into his pockets and continues on past them. “Right," he says with a huff of amusement. “Friend. Well, I'm sure the Craterheads would love to know just how well you're getting by in the city."

For a long while, the two just stare after him, neither speaking for their own reasons. Kai, at last, is the one to breach the silence. “Guess they were keeping tabs on me after all," he grumbles, more to himself than anything.

Quiet greets him, lingering for an uncomfortable second longer before Wilma turns to face him. She pulls aside her jacket to reveal a yellow paint can resting just against her stomach. Somehow, the sight doesn't come as that much of a surprise to him. “I can sniff down his car," she says with a pointed look.

Now, arguably, pissing off a guy that all but threatened to expose their so-called relationship to the Craterheads is probably not the greatest way to go about things. But it's Gala night. He's feeling cute, and he's feeling reckless. He doesn't need much reasoning beyond that. “You wouldn't happen to have another can in there, would you?"

The face-splitting grin he gets in turn is all the answer he needs.