From everywhere and nowhere, a faint ripple of amusement-a voiceless laugh-sounded in Madeleine's mind.
“Well,” she huffed, “I'm glad one of us is entertained.”
Most of the time, her unseen companion's replies of pure emotion and intent could be only loosely translated into actual words. But in this case, the meaning of “Me, too” was unmistakable.
The corners of her lips twitching as she tried to simultaneously scowl and smile, Madeleine drifted past a table of various wines and punches, and just about collided with one of the men responsible for serving said beverages. A chorus of “Eep!” from Madeleine and “Ack!” from the servant-or syllables to that effect-accompanied a frantic dance of skittering feet. Half a cup of citrus punch sloshed across the floor, and it was only the young woman's surprising speed (with perhaps the tiniest hint of divine intervention) that prevented her gown from absorbing the briefly airborne aperitif.
“Uh, terribly sorry, miss-uh, mademoiselle-uh, I mean, m'lady.”
Madeleine blinked at the flustered fellow, who didn't sound much like any professional servant she'd ever dealt with. “No harm,” she murmured. And then, forcing her voice to squeeze itself into a more haughty outfit for which it was ill suited, “But do take more care in the future, yes? Not everyone here is as quick-footed as I am-nor as forgiving.”
“Of course, miss-uh, m'lady.”
“What the happy hopping horses was that about?” Madeleine demanded of her silent partner. Then, when the response was something about the overall clumsiness of human beings in general, she could only wait until she was sure nobody was watching and then blow her unseen friend a quiet raspberry.
“Disgraceful, isn't it?”
Madeleine about jumped out of her skin, and then twisted to face the speaker. It was another young woman, perhaps half a decade older than Madeleine herself, clad in a golden gown and a wig so pale it was less “blonde” and more “translucent.” Madeleine had seen her before, at several of the aristocracy's fetes and balls, but not in some time; if she'd ever known the woman's name, it had long since slipped her mind.