"Yep!" Said Penny cheerfully, holding up her invitation, "I’m here to experience what it is like to go to a ball!".
Despite her rather awkward way of putting it, she had never been to any form of formal event before. She had heard of them, but never experience one. She was here to see exactly what one is… though she wasn’t exactly dressed to impress, simply wearing what she normally wore plus the backpack she was provided with upon arrival. She… kinda stuck out; but that didn’t seem to bother her.
She also didn’t arrive with a date like most people were doing; she was all by herself. Which is when Penny came up with an idea. It’s not a date per se but she decided to ask the man if he would like to accompany her inside.
"Oh! I have the greatest idea!"
"Would you like to come inside with me? You look kind of lonely out here all by yourself."
Penny wasn’t sure if he had an invitation, but maybe they won’t mind if at least one of them had an invitation.
Oswald looked her over, and though his expression remained as impassive as always, he had to wonder if this girl knew what attending a ball entailed--
"I'm here to experience what it is like to go to a ball!"
...Well, that certainly answered his question. He... supposed it was understandable, to a certain degree, for her to remain unaware of the proper rules that were set in place for a ball, but perhaps Hive City functioned differently and it hardly even mattered. His dress, for that matter, was nothing too impressive, particularly compared to what he'd known as the norm. They were, more or less, on the same boat.
At her... idea, however, Oswald had to pause and truly look at the girl before him in favor of continuing on his observations about the past. Was she--?
...Yes, she most certainly was. Oswald should've simply refused her offer and left; after all, what need had he for a partner when he'd never quite had one in all his years of attending such formal events? (Though, he always found himself sharing at least a dance or two when Lacie had taken his hands, admonishing him for doing nothing but watch even though it was his duty to do so before looking up at him expectantly.)
"...Normally, it is the man who asks the woman for her company," Oswald finally replied, and offered his arm--certainly not any sort of grandiose invitation by any means, but looking at the two of them, it wouldn't have fit them very much either way. In his other hand, he held his own invitation, ready to be shown to those controlling admissions.





















