31 October 1892 — Jekyll & Hyde Ball

After frustrating everyone in his party at the choice of potion by the entrance, Oz had eventually settled into his usual social routine. He was confident he'd been given the right potion, so wasn't preoccupied with trying to determine its exact effects. He was on his second glass of some type of strongly spiked punch. He'd been talking with a friend (whose mask did little to disguise his identity) and pretending not to be interested in what Christabel and her beau were getting up to at the other end of the room. Maybe pretending a little too well, because near the end of the conversation he actually did lose track of them. Should that alarm him? Was he supposed to be chaperoning his sister? He honestly didn't know; no one had taken the idea of chaperoning Christabel seriously for years.

He surveyed the room and spotted Daphnel, so at least he knew she wasn't off getting into trouble. He relaxed slightly and turned to Shallott, who had appeared by his side. "This whole thing seems highly suspect," he remarked.

It wasn't Shallott who had appeared — he'd only thought so because he wasn't paying enough attention (and the vaguely similar costumes didn't help). He had just made this remark to Christabel herself. Now, presumably, she would press him to explain himself. Dear Merlin.

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