The Azra-El Series Ch. 19

"Maybe so, but I think the essence is the same."

"Ah! I see what you mean..."

"Well, they have time. You were well into your one-fifties by the time you realized it."

***

Half-an-hour later, Blaze stepped out of Elyssa's room, wearing a red-skirt and a white top. He was also wearing a black jacket just to cover the fact that the top was sleeveless and barebacked.

"Oh, stop frowning. You look very pretty in a dress! Just look at yourself in the mirror," Elyssa said, stepping out behind him and pointing at the mirror underneath a large grandfather clock. Little did she realize that "pretty" and "dress" were the last words Blaze wanted to hear in conjunction with himself.

Without uttering another word, he hurried away from the godforsaken mirror. Elyssa watched his back for a moment before hurrying to keep up.

"You know, I never realized it before, but you have got quite a perky butt. I wonder if mine is as good-looking as yours," she wondered.

"Oh, Hela, stop! We are not comparing our butts. Not now, not ever."

"Well, I surely have you beat up here."

"For that, I am deeply thankful to the Goddess of creation."

Elyssa was dressed in an elegantly embroidered lilac ball gown, and her hair was put up in a beautiful royal fontange like her mother's. She looked quite gorgeous, but Blaze was too chagrined with himself to even notice it. He had done the one thing he had vowed to never do-- wear a skirt when there were no lives at stake.

They got into their carriage outside the mansion and it quickly took off eastwards.

Blaze sat by the window and Elyssa linked her arm under his as she sat beside him and whistled a happy little tune.

"Why does it feel like you bought these clothes just for me?" he asked. Though Blaze and Elyssa were of similar heights, their curves were vastly different.

"I do not know what you mean. I bought them a long time ago. I must have been smaller, then."

Blaze harrumphed at her terrible lie, but it didn't deter her one bit. "You should discard this jacket," she said, pulling on it. "There is no point in wearing such a cute top, if you are just going to cover it up!"

"Will you shut up, please?"

"No, really," she continued. "You have such nice scapulae. Why would you want to hide them?"

Angels, in general, had a thing for scapulae.

"Elyssa, I will bite you!"

She shut for a few moments, but as the carriage began to descend, she spoke again. "You know, I do not know if it is because of the dress but pouting just makes you look cuter."

Blaze pounced on her and sank his teeth into the first thing he could reach- her pretty little nose.

"Ow!" she cried, and Blaze pulled away to tell her she got what she deserved, but the expression on her face stunned him.

She looked embarrassed, and color began to quickly rise in her cheeks. He stared dumbfoundedly at her as she shyly averted her eyes from his gaze.

The carriage landed and the little bump broke the spell on them.

"Serves you right," he said, quickly getting away from her.

Not giving her a chance to say anything, he opened the carriage door and stepped out.

In front of him stood an immense, palatial mansion, made of ivory-colored limestone. Elaborate spires, arched windows, wide-pillared porches, royal flags, and high chimneys made up its exterior.

Around the mansion were acres and acres of landscaped land, filled with patios, pagodas, mazes, and water traps.

A red carpet, illuminated by a hazy ethereal light from the nearby lampposts, led to a wide flight of pearly white marble stairs. Twenty-foot high doors of mahogany lay wide open, and two prim-looking angel servants stood on either side, welcoming the guests.

Everything signified power and wealth. Even the lampposts were made of precious metal molded with impeccable perfection.

Elyssa stepped out of the carriage behind him, and when he turned to glance at her, he spotted a red carriage lined with pure gold swoop down in the wake of their own.

Recognizing the royal carriage, Blaze walked up to it as it landed.

"Yo, CG!" he greeted, opening the carriage door.

"Fenghuang!" Chengguan Shangdi of Xian cried, excitedly.

He held out his hand for her and she took it as she stepped out. She was dressed in a resplendent silver corset over a golden battle skirt, but, as always, she looked handsome despite being beautiful. Her golden shoulder pads made her shoulders look wider than they were.

As soon as CG's feet touched the ground, she pulled Blaze into her arms. "This is a surprise. I did not expect to see you tonight," she said, leaning into the hug.

Suddenly, Blaze felt very awkward. CG was older and taller than him. Her short black hair was also in contrast to his currently long and lustrous black wig. An image of what the two of them might look like to an Earthly observer flashed in his mind.

He quickly pulled away. "It's all Ely's fault," he complained, "I didn't want to come, and I definitely didn't want to wear this stupid disguise."

"Hello, CG. Does he not look pretty?" Elyssa asked, walking over to them.

CG stepped back and gave him a once over. "Ooh, nice disguise. I would not have guessed it was you from afar. Who are you posing as?"

"Uhm... Brachel?"

"No, no, that will not do. The name does not even sound real. Here is an idea. Why not pretend to be one of my retainers? You shall be Fengguan Dingsha"

"Er... isn't Fenghuang my alias in Xian? And Dingsha is just Shangdi in reverse!"

"The characters are different. Opposite, in a sense. Fenghuang is a phoenix of fire, while Fengguan is a phoenix of ice."

"But..."

"Trust me. The Caledonians will not realize a thing," she assured him.

The three walked into the mansion, with Blaze in step behind Elyssa and CG, trying to appear as if he was showing deference to the princess.

A soulful melody drifted towards them when they stepped inside. A band of four played a sweet song from the center of an expansive, marble-floored hall. A gigantic silver chandelier of sparkling crystals hung prominently from the center of the ceiling.

Blaze recognized the vocalist, the singer from Riverbridge. She wore an embroidered, cream-colored, and sleeveless sundress. It was mostly translucent and extremely short, showing the seductively untanned part of her upper thighs.

As she sang to the peppy tune, her feet bounced, dangerously flipping the hem of her dress.

Two servants blew on golden trumpets, followed by another servant announcing CG's and Elyssa's arrival. Angels began to flock towards them.

Blaze was completely ignored. and it suited him perfectly well. He stood ogling at the singer until he heard a "hey" from his left.

He turned to find Ragna Fulladottir displaying an amused smile.

"Wow, I never thought I would ever use the word cute and Blaze in the same sentence. Have you finally grown into skirts?"

"I think you're mistaken about my identity, ivka. We've never met before. I am Fengguan Dingsha from Xian. I reckon you are talking about Blaze Er Lokra. I hear he is super cool and very handsome."

Ragna laughed and linked her arm under his. "Sure, Ding-sha. My mistake. But let me tell you this, Blaze Er Lokra is nothing like you have described."

Blaze rolled his eyes at her. "Is Siofra coming?"

"Are you kidding? This is a Malakim party. She is not even invited."

"Makes sense. Anyway, I am surprised you are here in D'Warka and taking part in the tournament. Did you not say you disliked fighting?"

Blaze had been quite surprised to see her name in the tournament, and that too, in his bracket.

"Mother insisted. I also thought that this would be a good opportunity to measure myself against you. And, by the looks of things, it seems like it is fated."

As the crowd around Elyssa and CG eased a little, he introduced them to Ragna, before they spotted two angels approaching them. Astrid was dressed in a hot, red and pink party dress, yet Blaze only had his eyes for the other one.

Lynn Streltsy, in an icy-blue ball gown and a long, blonde, curly wig, gracefully glided towards them with Astrid in her tow. Blaze did a double take at the sight. Lynn in a gown appeared to be an entirely different person, and it made his heart stir.

"Welcome to the Burghess house. Princess Shangdi, Ms. Marigold, it is an honor for me to have you here," she said to Elyssa and CG, with a polite ama bow.

"You're Duchess Burghess?!" Blaze croaked. Ragna recognized Lynn, but she chose to remain silent.

"That would be my adoptive mother," Lynn said, turning to Blaze with a sweet smile. He tried his best to find fault with it, but he couldn't find any. "I did not expect you here."

"You two know each other?" Elyssa asked, glancing between the two angels, who seemed like they were having trouble taking their eyes off each other.

"We have met," Lynn muttered.

"Oh... May I know your name?"

"I apologize for my rudeness," Lynn perked up, finally dragging her eyes off Blaze, "Lianara Burghess," she introduced herself.

How many identities does she have? Is this the real one?

"Lovely party you have here, Lianara," CG said. "The music is brilliant."

"Thank you. I must thank Blaze for making me grow fond of it. It is quite enjoyable, despite some of its themes."

"I am Fengguan," Blaze interjected.

"Right. May I introduce you to some of my friends?"

"It will be our pleasure," CG said.

Lynn led the way to her friends. Astrid gave Blaze a friendly greeting, but otherwise kept her distance. The group spent some time with the D'Warkan nobility, until Lynn and Astrid floated away to greet newly arriving guests.

Blaze's group also began to wander around the party. A while later, they ran into Brija. She was one of the few commoners invited to the party, owing to her high rank among the seeded candidates of YAMAT. However, just like Blaze, no one seemed to give her much attention.

As they walked around, Blaze slowly began to feel a little awkward. At Tir, he had grown accustomed to being the tallest angel in the group. Now, he looked the shortest. Elyssa and Ragna, in their high pumps, stood a couple of inches taller than him. He had also somehow ended up in the center of their group, surrounded by four taller angels. It was almost as if he was in the center of a reverse-harem. The skirt did not ease his wayward thoughts.

"Goddammit, Elyssa!"

"What?" she jumped.

"I swear, I am going to bite your head off if you ever make me wear a dress again."

"I do not understand why you are so bothered by it. It is only for a couple of hours."

"You don't understand! I am a bro!" he huffed, not knowing that he currently looked very much like a pouting girl.

"A pretty little bro," CG nodded.

"Argh!" he screeched, wanting to tear his wig off and slam it to the ground.

After making their way around the party, the group gathered around a table. Servers began to approach them with various delicacies as they chatted and listened to the singer.

A few songs later, the band decided to take a short break, excusing themselves and heading towards the rear exit.

Suddenly, Blaze had a thought.

"Be back in a bit," he said, getting up.

"Are you planning something stupid?" Elyssa asked.

"Maybe stupid, but nothing dangerous," he replied.

"Okay. Just remember where we are. I promised Aunty Jie Er that I would keep you out of trouble."

"Don't worry, if anything happens, we will put all the blame on CG or Ragna."

"HEY!"

Blaze gave them a cheeky grin and took off after the singer. A waiter gave him directions to her room.

The hallway behind the exit was long and deep, connecting tens of rooms. Thankfully, the singer's room was nearby.

"Come in," came the response when he knocked.

Holding down the handle, he stepped in.

"Hello," the singer said, swiveling around on her chair to face him. A small box of white powder lay on the dressing table nearby, and she held a dainty dabber in her hand. "What can I do for you, ina?" she said, intoning her voice as if she was speaking to a child.

Blaze suddenly had an epiphany. Maybe this stupid getup can be useful. No, focus! This is no time to mess around with a random angel.

"I love your music. Will you give me your autograph?"

"It would be my pleasure."

"Thank you," he said, pulling out a quill-pen and piece of paper from his space ring.

The singer scribbled her signature on it and handed it back to him. It simply said "Robyn", written without much flair.

"Robyn, I have a question..." he said, glancing at her long thighs, placed one over the other.

Robyn simply raised a brow at him.

"What would I need to do if I wished to arrange a music band at one of the matches of the tournament?" he asked.

"Why would you want to do that?"

Her bafflement made Blaze realize that the angels had yet to discover the concept of other entertainment during sporting events. "Let's just say I want to. What would I have to do?"

"Come here," she beckoned to him and he walked over.

She caught his arm and suddenly pulled him onto her lap. "Hmm," she wondered over his question as her hands wrapped around his waist. He felt her small yet perky soft breast against his shoulder. To her, he was nothing but a child.

A tent threatened to rise under Blaze's skirt, but the thought that it was inside a skirt quickly deflated it.

"You would first have to get permission from the event organizer," she said, "and then you will have to coordinate with the stadium manager. I presume you want the whole stadium to hear the band?"

"Yes."

"You will have to link up the singer's mic to the central VP. It should be easy enough. Simply obtaining one of the commentator VPs will also do the trick. Ensuring proper acoustics, however, will be a little trickier."

"Hmm. I think I can manage everything except the acoustics," he said.

Robyn seemed impressed. She took the paper in Blaze's hand and wrote the words Bebop Jukebox on it. "Contact me if you wish to hire my band. It sounds like an interesting gig," she said, assuming he was some noble's kid, wealthy enough to hire them.

"Thank you," he said, placing his hand on her knee and standing up.

Taking his leave, he turned around and walked towards the door.

"Can you tell me which match you are considering?"

"Nikolett Lovag vs The Blazing Fury."

"Oh my! Arranging that will be tricky," she said, placing a palm on her lips.

"I hope not," he said, opening the door.

"May I know your name, ina?"

Blaze glanced over his shoulder and gave her a cheeky little grin. "Blaze Er Lokra. Don't tell anyone," he replied, quickly closing the door behind him.

Robyn simply smiled at the door.

***

Blaze returned to their table and flopped down beside Elyssa.

"Where were you off to?" she asked, sipping on some drink.

"Secret. Tell me, Ely, can you sing?"

"About as well as I can dance," she replied, before her eyes widened in trepidation. She set her glass down and turned to him. "Please don't make me sing, Blazey. I swear I will make it up for the darned dress. I will also never call you 'cute' again."

"Hehe, it's good that you fear 'Blaze the terrible', but don't worry. I am looking for someone who can sing."

Elyssa relaxed a little. "Whatcha planning?"

"We will talk about it later."

Robyn's band returned after a few minutes, and Lynn walked up to them before they began their next song.

Soon, the bass, the piano, and the drums began to play a familiar tune.

Lynn gracefully glided to Blaze's table as he watched her gown sweep across the floor.

"May I have a dance?" she asked him, holding her hand out.

His heart skipped a beat as he looked at her in disbelief. As she waited for his reply, her cheeks turned very red, and he could see a tinge of fear of rejection in her eyes. He wanted to refuse, but the words wouldn't come out.

"I accepted when you asked," she muttered under her breath.

He took her hand and stood up. She gave him a brilliant smile and his heart leapt. How could he say no to her?

Lynn led him to the dance floor and the angels parted to make room. Lynn was the host of the party, and all eyes were on them.

~I don't know just how it happened; I let down my guard

Swore I'd never fall for you again, but I fell hard

Guess I should have seen it coming; caught me by surprise

Wasn't looking where I was going; I fell into your eyes

Lynn intertwined her fingers with his and pulled him closer. Blaze quickly wrapped his left arm around her waist, before she could do it to him.

She simply smiled and placed her right on his shoulder as they began to waltz.

~You came into my crazy world, like a cool and cleansing rain

Before I, I knew what hit me, ivka, you were flowing through my veins

Their dance was simple and little slower than the beat of the song, somewhat off sync, but the intensity that lacked in their steps was balanced out by the power of their gaze towards one another. Any keen observer could see that, at that moment, neither of them could see anyone else in the room.

~I'm addicted to you, hooked on your lure

Like a powerful drug I can't get enough of

Lost in your eyes, drowning in blue

"I am sorry," she muttered, halfway through the song.

~I'm out of control, what can I do?

I'm addicted to you

"... for everything."

Those simple words swept away all the inhibitions he held towards her.

"It's alright. I am not faultless, either."

Lynn nodded.

"She is not a Princep," he said after a moment, expecting her to disagree.

However, she simply gazed into his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"We may have to reevaluate our theories then."

For the rest of the song, the two danced in the simple comfort of each other's arms.

"Thank you," she said, separating from him as soon as the song finished, her words and eyes clearly displaying her sincerity.

"No, thank you. I asked for another dance at Riverbridge, remember?"

"I do," she smiled for him.

She gave him a formal ama and he returned it before they parted. Blaze walked back to Elyssa.

"Excellent, Fenghuang. Simple, yet elegant, just the way it should be," CG praised him.

"I do not like her," Elyssa said, as he sat down.

Blaze looked at her in surprise. "Are ya jealous, Ely? Don't worry, you'll always be my best buddy," he teased.

"It is not that, stupid."

"Ely, I wore a freaking skirt for ya. I'd never do that for her."

It was true. He wanted to take off skirts in that relationship.

"Never mind."

Blaze wanted to tease her more, but he spotted a green-haired, young noble approach their table.

"Excuse me, but might you be the Blazing Fury?"

Blaze sprang up to his feet. "No, she is," he screamed, pointing at Ragna.

"That's right. The Blazing Fury is actually a berserker from Vaikunheim," Ragna rolled her eyes. However, her sarcasm was lost in the suddenness of the situation.

"Later, CG," he said to CG, grabbing Elyssa's hand and hurrying out of the mansion before anyone could make sense of what happened.

As soon as the two of them were out, they manifested their wings in sync and took to the skies. Blaze particularly made sure that he didn't leave a shoe behind. Just because he wore a skirt didn't mean he was fine with being the Cinderella of the story. He would always be the prince.