A State of Future Existing

Prologue Part 3

I hope whoever has read this so far is enjoying it. And I hope you enjoy reading this too.

"Here, you put on the green one," said Peony, tossing a bundle of green and gold silk into Hyunjin's arms. He barely caught it, the thin material slipping like water over his hands. "We don't have any real ball gowns, but these are just as pretty. This is my favorite." Peony held up another garment, a swath of purple and red fabric decorated with soaring cranes. She strung her bony arms through the enormous sleeves and pulled the material tight around her waist, holding in place while she dug through the pile of clothes for a long silver sash and belted it around her middle. "Aren't they beautiful?"

Hyunjin nodded uncertainly- although the sole kimonos were perhaps the finest things he'd ever felt, Peony looked ridiculous in hers. The hem of the gown dragged a foot on the floor, the sleeves dangled almost to her knees, and street clothes still peeked through at her neck and wrists, ruining the illusion. It almost looked like the gown was trying to eat her.

"Well, put yours on!" said Peony. "Here, this is the sash I usually put with that one." She pulled out a black and violet band.

Hyunjin tentatively stuck his hands into the sleeves, taking extra care that no screws or joints caught the material. "Won't Adri be mad?"

"Pearl and I play dress-up all the time," said Peony, looping the sash around Hyunjin's waist. "And how are we supposed to go to the ball if we don't have any beautiful dresses to wear?"

Hyunjin raised his arms, shaking the sleeves back. "I don't think my hand goes with this one."

Peony laughed, though Hyunjin hadn't meant it to be funny. Peony seemed to find amusement with almost everything he said.

"Just pretend you're wearing gloves," said Peony. "Then no one will know." Grabbing Hyunjin by the hand, she pulled him across the hall into the bathroom so they could see themselves in the mirror. Hyunjin looked no less absurd than Peony, with his fine, mousey hair hanging past his shoulders and awkward metal fingers poking out of the left sleeve.

"Perfect," said Peony, beaming. "Now we're at the ball. Iko used to always be the prince, but I guess we'll have to pretend."

"What ball?"

Peony stared back at him in the mirror as if Hyunjin had just sprouted a metal tail. "The ball for the peace festival! It's this huge event we have every year- the festival is down in the city center and then in the evening they have the ball up at the palace. I've never gone for real, but Pearl will be thirteen next year, so she'll get to go for the first time." She sighed and spun out into the hallway. Hyunjin followed, his walking even more cumbersome than usual with the kimono trailing on the ground.

"When I go for the first time, I want to wear a purple dress with a skirt so big I can hardly fit through the door."

"That sounds uncomfortable."

Peony wrinkled her nose. "Well, it has to be spectacular, or else Prince Felix won't notice me, and then what's the point?"

Hyunjin was almost hesitant to ask as he followed the flouncing Peony back into her bedroom. "Who's Prince Felix?"

Peony spun toward him so fast, she tripped on the skirt of Adri's kimono and fell, screaming into her bed. "Who's Prince Felix?" She yelled, struggling to sit back up. "Only my future husband! Honestly, don't people in Europe know about him?"

Hyunjin teetered between his two feet, unable to answer the question. After twelve whole days of living with Peony and her family, he already had more memories of the Eastern Commonwealth than he had of Europe. He had the faintest idea what- or who- the people in Europe obsessed over.