"..."
She gritted her teeth and forced a smile
"Well then...I'd better get to it..."
She went to leave, Iko trailing behind her, but before she did she said
"And Pearl-you have a zit on your forehead."
She ran downstairs to the basement, taking a small sense of satisfaction in hearing Pearl's shrieks.
Peony came downstairs a little while later as Cinder was gathering up her tools into her messenger bag, huffing and keeping herself busy. Iko clapped her prongs with delight
???: "Cinder, did you hear what she said!? You can go!! Oh, we'll find you a beautiful dress-we can look at those adorable thrift shops on Sakura-a-and you can dance with the prince!!!-"
She sighed dreamily. Cinder slammed the second drawer of her work table shut with a thud, being forceful since it stuck.
"I'm not going."
???: "What-what do you mean!?"
"Adri won't let me."
???: "But she said if you fixed the hover-"
"But what about Peony's broken portscreen? Or-or the old gard 8.2-"
???: "But she doesn't even have a garden anymore-"
"That's not the point-as long as she can think of more chores for me to do, she'll keep finding ways to stop me from going-"
???: "But-but why...?"
"Oh I dunno, maybe to keep her cyborg ward from showing up at the ball and embarrassing her? You know she doesn't want to be associated with my "Eccentricities", as she calls them. It doesn't matter-we'll have the whole apartment to ourselves, and we can watch it on the big portscreen in the living room. How does that sound?"
???: "I suppose that sounds nice..."
