You, Tiana and Eudora quickly went your own ways after a short goodbye. You returned to your band with good news, and performed for the rest of the day happily.

 You couldn't help but notice the handsome man again, dressed in earth tones and adorning a charming smile. He had joined your band soon after you returned and hasn't left. He was always an arm away, too, never getting too far from you. You assumed he was just being flirty.

He's definitely a good ukulele player, but doesn't he have something better to do? It is nearly dinnertime, you thought.

Lawrence huffed down the street, having no luck in finding Naveen. "Excuse me," he said, bumping into a man and a couple.

"You need a hand there, buddy?" One of them asked.

Lawrence didn't answer. His attention was drawn to the crowd on the other side of the street cheering quite loud. Many audience members were nodding, snapping, or dancing to the music. In the center he found your band, of course, and Naveen playing the ukulele, but the little newspaper boy had joined the center. Him and Naveen were dancing together, tapping on the hard cobble road. Naveen left the center mid-song to join a group of young ladies.

He was definitely just being flirty with me earlier.

Naveen turned back to the little boy, who did a couple of impressive moves.

"Achedanza!" Naveen exclaimed. He tipped his hat to the ladies, who swooned, and rejoined the center.

Lawrence pushed through the crowd and huffed. "Sire! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

You were a little confused, but you kept playing through the song. Who is this guy, why is he calling him sire, and why is he interrupting this?

"What a coincidence, Lawrence," Naveen said, still dancing, "I have been avoiding you everywhere."

Lawrence looked around at the loud atmosphere. "We're going to be late for the masquerade," he said anxiously.

Naveen brushed again his side. "Listen, Lawrence, listen!" Just then, another one of your solos started, and your fingers flew over the keys smoothly, creating a perfect stream of jazz. Your saxophone mixed back in with the other instruments as your solo ended. "Oh," Naveen dragged out, not only attracted to the music but its creator as well, "It's jazz! It's jazz music! It was born here. Is beautiful, no?" He leaned on Lawrence's back to eye two young women.

At that moment, the band quickly transitioned into a new song, and you slipped away. Your boss let you go for a couple hours to help set up everything your group needed for the masquerade and to get ready.

"No." Lawrence finished, pushing Naveen off of him.

The prince tossed his ukulele to the newsie, who gasped with a smile. "Dance with me, fat man," he said, and yanked Lawrence by the lapel, making him drop all of the luggage. They danced, hand-in-hand, Lawrence struggling to keep up with the younger man. "Stay loose, Lawrence!"

The butler replied, "We're supposed to be at the La Bouff estate by now!" Naveen spun him around multiple times.

"Yes, yes, yes, but first I buy everyone here a drink!" the crowd cheered happily.

As Naveen put his cap back on smoothly, Lawrence exclaimed, "with what?! At this point, you have two choices," he stuck two fingers out, "woo and marry a rich young lady or get a job!" He angrily pointed at the old man scooping horse poop. Naveen groaned.

"All right. Fine. But first we dance!" He yanked his butler back on the dance floor.

"No, this is idiocy!"

"For someone who cannot see his feet, you're very light on them!" Naveen tossed Lawrence a little too hard, catapulting him into a tuba and a nearby wall. Lawrence helplessly stumbled around, and Naveen laughed. "Is perfect! You finally got into the music. You get my joke?" He asked, speaking into the mouthpiece, "because your head is... it's in the tuba."

"Get me out!"

The tuba player began to pull. "All right," Naveen complied, "hold on." He grabbed Lawrence's feet and pulled, sending them backwards onto the sidewalk, Lawrence landing on top of the prince, who laughed again.

"How degrading! I've never been so humiliated," the butler grumbled. A shadow loomed over the two men on the floor.

"Hello," greeted Naveen.

"Gentlemen!" The doctor exclaimed. He had on a purple coat, a purple vest with no shirt underneath, a tooth necklace, and a top hat, which had a skull and crossbones motif as well as a purple feather. The man greeted them in French, sticking out his cane to help Naveen up. "A tip of the hat from Dr. Facilier. How y'all doing?" He pulled a purple business card out from his hat and handed it to the prince.

He read the card out loud. "Tarot readings, charms, potions. Dreams made real. Achedanza," Naveen said. He handed the card back to its owner as he was ushered down the street by the tall doctor.

"Were I a betting man, and I'm not," Dr. Facilier started, "I stay away from games of chance..." he pushed Naveen in an alleyway.

"Sire!" Lawrence called.

Dr. Facilier continued, "I'd wager I'm in the company of visiting royalty." The butler hurried after them.

"Lawrence! Lawrence. This remarkable gentleman has just read my palm," Naveen explained.

Lawrence eyed the newspaper sticking out of Dr. Facilier's pocket. "Or this morning's newspaper." He turned and whispered to Naveen. "Sire, this chap is obviously a charlatan." Dr. Facilier's face fell. "I suggest we move on to a less..."

The doctor cut him off swiftly. "Don't you disrespect me, little man. Don't you derogate or deride. You're in my world now, not your world," the skulls on his sign ignited, "and I got friends on the other side."

He's got friends on the other side...