“Prince Kai! Check my fan, I think I'm overheating.”

“Oh, my stars! Think about Prince Kai! You could dance with Prince Kai!”This made Cinder pause and squint into Iko’s blinding light. “Why would the prince dance with me?”Iko’s fan hummed as she sought an answer. “Because you won’t have grease on your face this time.”

“Kai cleared his throat. Stood straighter. "I assume you are going to the ball?""I-I don't know. I mean, no. No, I'm sorry, I'm not going to the ball."Kai drew back, confused. "Oh well... but... maybe you would change your mind? Because I am, you know.""The prince.""Not bragging," he said quickly. "Just a fact.”

“Cinder twisted up her lips. "Do you think it could have a virus?""Maybe her programming was overwhelmed by Prince Kai's uncanny hotness.”

“When Kai fell silent, she risked a glance at him. He was staring at her hands [which she always holds mechanic gloves over to hide her...you know, cyborg hands]..."Do you ever take those off?" he asked."No."Kai tilted his head, peering at her as if he could see right through to the metal plate in her head..."I think you should go to the ball with me."She clutched her fingers..."Stars," she muttered. "Didn't you already asked me that?""I'm hoping for a more favorable answer this time and I seem to be getting more desperate by the minute.""How charming."Kai's lips twitched. "Please?""Why?""Why not?""I mean, why me?"Kai hooked his thumbs on his pockets. "So if my escape hover breaks down, I'll have someone to fix it?”

“Right,' said Kai, 'that'll be no problem in a city of two and a half million people. Let me just go dig out my special Lunar detector, and I'll get right on that.”

“Sybil tells me your little festival is an annual occurrence," she said, the cadence of her voice swooning like a lullaby."Yes," Kai said, lifting a shrimp wonton between his chopsticks. "It falls on the ninth full moon if each year.""Ah, how lovely for you to base your holidays on the cycles of my planet."Kai wanted to scoff at the word planet but sucked it back down his throat.”