Open The Masquerade Ball

[Krisa]

Krisa could feel herself becoming giddy as the alcohol entered her body. She’d just finished her second glass of wine, and still she hadn’t talked to anybody. How depressing. She shouldn’t have spent so much time on her face, or so much money on her dress. It had been such a waste, all of this effort. But there was no way she could leave yet. She decided she would just have to pull her nervous self together and go up and talk to somebody. No one was going to approach her, she couldn’t just hope for something like that.

It wouldn’t do, she’d have to be proactive, and meet new people. She took a tentative glance back towards the lady Aleses and her unknown friend, thinking about approaching them. But alas, someone had beat her to the punch. A young man had brought the ethaerfal a drink and was now conversing with both of them about the wine they were sipping. She felt she would be intruding if she joined in. Especially since she had no idea how to lead the conversation.

Then she noticed another man. She noticed him because of his fiery vest. She thought it suited him. A sober Krisa wouldn’t have even considered walking up to a random guy just because she liked his outfit. But the dizziness had begun to consume her and she found herself rather tipsy already. She wasn’t very used to drinking. This was a city who liked their drink though. Krisa couldn’t let herself get totally drunk. She hated the idea of losing control over herself completely, too worried about what could happen while she way behind a wall of haze.

The man drew her attention further as she continued to watch him subtly. He slumped back against the wall fairly close to where she stood, and seemed to sigh. Krisa knitted her eyebrows together as she saw this. He seemed to mirror her own feelings of displacement and inferiority at this ball. She wondered why he felt this way. Did he feel he didn’t look the part? Maybe that was the issue, his clothes were not made from satin or silk like most other people here. But they suited his slim figure. Krisa frowned as he turned away to retrieve what was probably his first drink of the night, and managed to find her courage. Draining whatever was left in her glass quickly so she would have an excuse to walk towards him, she set off in his direction briskly, dress floating behind her gracefully as she moved.

She moved in beside him, rather timidly, and hesitated at first. Her hand lingered in the air as if she meant to touch his shoulder, but instead she reached to retrieve a small decorated morsel of food from the table near him. Somehow, despite the alcohol, Krisa had lost her nerve. What was she doing. This man didn’t want to talk to her. There were plenty of other, more beautiful ladies he could converse with. No, she was being stupid again. She was on the verge of giving herself a panic attack.

So, without giving herself time to overthink, she smiled at him, and said “Hi...! I’m Krisa.” It was strange. Her heart rate sped up as if she’d done something wrong, when clearly she hadn’t. But she’d said it right now. Oh how she hoped he’d heard her, if he hadn’t, Krisa would certainly lose her nerve and awkwardly shuffle away. But as it was, she tried to act normal, smiling politely as she waited for his introduction in return.

[Brandon Blackwing]

x

Slowly walking to the table with lots of different kinds of beverages on it. On closer inspection, they were all wine though. Red, white and nuanced varieties of the two colors. The bat wasn’t quite sure if he’d like wine though. He’d never drank it before. Well, this would be a first then. But with one should he pick? There were way too many glasses on the table. And since he didn’t know anything of wine, nor of most other drinks served here, he didn’t have a clue. He’d have to guess and hope it was one he liked. One with a sweet taste.

Somewhere on the right, he saw people taking in the smell of the drink in their hands. Ah, that was something he could do too. An excellent idea. With his nose and the great sense of smell bats possessed, he should be able to find a sweet wine. He could also ask the servers, but they could give him just about any wine. A connoisseur he was not, so he couldn’t argue with their expertise. He’d trust his nose. The thief moved closer to the table, to one of the many groups of white wines displayed there.

The scent didn’t quite reach his nostrils however. Well, it did, but due to the lot of other smells drifting in the air, and oozing from the other drinks and guests, it was hard to focus on one specific scent. A bit frustrated, he roughly grabbed the nearest glass, almost spilling the liquid it held. This action was rewarded with a nasty look of one of the servers. Ignoring the man, he brought his nose closer to the drink and inhaled the smell. His expression became confused as the scent invaded his nostrils. Somehow it smelled like flowers. That couldn’t be right. Though, when he tried again, he still noticed the floral influence drifting upwards. Strange. Better place it back. Which he did.

Now he held an other glass in his hand. The color of the drink was yellowish instead of white, but that didn’t matter to the bat. Although…it kind of looked like something else… A body fluid everyone had to excrete more than once each day. The thief didn’t quite trust the quality or the authenticity of the beverage, so this one was like its predecessor set back on its spot on the table.

Moving on, he was now facing a drink of an entirely different color that the two other ones. A deep red liquid in a larger glass was held between his fingers. The visual aspect was what had attracted his attention, but its smell told him that was not the one to pick. He sighed. Why couldn’t he just pick the right one first? No, that was way too easy. “Stupid balls with stupid drinks of which there are way too many,” he muttered. Despite his grumbling, he kept searching for the one wine he might like. By now he had advanced much so he had almost come to the end of the table. In fact, he had arrived there already. The next table held miniscule portions of food of some sort.

The girl with the painted face had joined him. Well, she was standing right next to him, pale fingers reaching out for a morsel of food on the table next to his. All of a sudden her voice sounded from beside him, introducing herself. “Brandon”, he replied more out of automatism and politeness than interest. The thief didn’t really feel like talking to other guests, but he couldn’t just turn her down. First of all the gentleman parts of his personality didn’t allow it and right now it was mandatory to be a gentleman. Every male guest at a ball was required to behave like one. The bat himself as well.

As such he made an attempt to get a conversation started while indulging his sense of smell in the scent of a new glass of wine he’d grabbed few ticks ago. “You look stunning, Lady Krisa.” It was a comment on her mask, but she might believe he meant something else. The bat realised the double meaning it could hold but didn’t bother to clarify.

x

credit goes to Euthisa

[Krisa]

The man gave the standard gentlemanly response to her introduction, calling her beautiful. Something she’d never been called before by a stranger. She blushed, but you could never tell under all that face paint. “Stunning, hardly. You don’t have to compliment me simply out of protocol.” Krisa replied. She took a moment to refill her drink. Red wine was her favorite. But she was only drinking to fill the awkward silence. She took a long sip and asked him “Are the drinks to your taste? And how about this ball. Everything looks beautiful, no?” She felt the alcohol making her braver by the sip. She didn’t know what sort of drunk she was, because she’d never been drunk before. She didn’t know how far she was going to go tonight, drinking wise.

“Truth be told, this is the last place I’m usually found.” She said, she didn’t really look at him. She was just talking because she was losing control of herself a little. Alcohol was a strange thing “If I told you who I used to be you’d never believe me!” She laughed, and took another swig, before looking at him “So what do you do when you’re not standing on the sidelines of majestic parties drinking next to a stranger, Brandon?” She asked him with a grin “I’m a busker. It’s not exactly a well paid job, however, It’s enjoyable, for me anyway.”

She started thinking of things she could say next. The fact that she might be bothering him didn’t even cross her mind! Yes, the Young Inarten was definitely hanging on the very edge of tipsy. Although no one who didn’t know her sober would guess. After all, she was just acting sociable. Not a norm for Krisa, but a norm for most people here. She’d stopped tasting the drink now. It was careening through her blood, making her feel elated, and confident. “I’m not a big drinker, usually, either.” She admitted. “But to hell with that. The whole point of a masquerade is to be someone else for a night, right?”

Krisa looked at him, eyes sparkling. She was waiting for him to finish his drink before doing something really brave. Something she barely even knew how to do, especially not in a long dress. But as she had said before, to hell with who she really was. Tonight, she was going to become someone new. So she would wait until his glass was empty and then move away from the table to look at him.

Then, just as the musicians began to play a new song. “Would you, by any chance, like to dance with me, Stranger? Not that I know how but, how hard can it be right? Maybe you know how!” She laughed, and then, eyes shining in the reflected golden light she waited to hear his answer. If he refused, she promised herself not to feel hurt, after all, it would probably save her from embarrassing herself.

[Alses]

e

“Ah, yes, I remember our healer,” Alses said with a smile. It had been hard to deal with the woman, purely because of Alses’ own personal prejudices; it had been like constantly looking in a mirror in the evenings, which was something she tended to avoid. Snappishness had been the result, more often than not. “What was her name now? I something…Iona, maybe? I’m dreadful with names,” she confided, with a rippling and self-deprecating little chuckle that played and danced in the air for a moment or two.

“We’d not miss a masquerade for the world,” she murmured, saluting the Twilight with her still-full wineglass. “Painted people and painted places, joy and delight and mystery pouring in from all sides, making the world out to be other than it is for a few bells. Can you feel it, my lady? I think that you do; I see it in your eyes, enjoyment of this unspoken game of appearance and form we’re all playing so well.” She paused, regarding her wineglass through half-lidded eyes, letting the rich taste of its blackly-glowing contents ghost over her tongue and seed phantom flame at the back of her throat.

“‘tis always fun to pick out the guards circulating in the guise of guests; can you see them?” To her, indeed, to any aurist worth his or her salt, they were all laughably easy to spot, but half of the fun was doing it without that aid, noting the subtle changes and shifts that marked them out as too different, too alert, too focused to be simply guests. Oh, there was no doubt that the upper echelons of the Shinya were here primarily as guests, but that didn’t account for the barrage of disciplined auras glowing in constellation concert in her mind’s eye. No, this celebrated gathering was well-guarded, albeit quite discreetly – small wonder, with most of the city’s leadership in attendance and the doors open to anyone who fancied a party.

Lhavit was a trusting and open city, yes, but only up to a point. There was being enlightened and egalitarian and there was being stupid, and the city government had some very intelligent and shrewd people on its generous payroll.

“Lili knows how to throw a good party,” Alses continued, gaze going to the dais that the glittering woman had so recently vacated. “Well, a good party of this sort, anyway,” she allowed, in the spirit of fairness. This sort of soiree wasn’t to everyone’s taste, after all. Some people preferred a raucous party in the bars and restaurants of the city, others liked a civilised gathering at Mhakula’s and still others would prefer to host a ball in their own homes.

“The wine and spirits will stay strong, the food will be appropriately light and alcoholic wherever possible, and the entertainments will get more risqué until the dawn chases those who remain to bed. I don’t think madam Director has heard of half-measures,” she added, amusement dancing through her words. “Who knows? Maybe Sivah will favour us with an appearance; He’s known to delight in masquerades, after all, and this does look set to be a particularly fine one.”

A gentle incline of her head let her pay full attention, then, to Julius, picking apart the eloquence to extract the actual meaning dancing through the words. That was part of the game, part of the fun. She gently chimed her glass against his in recognition of the gift and then let him speak to Jenni first, fading away slightly to let the shyer Twilight have her limelight.

“I take it you’re not so fond of Riverfall’s finest?” Alses asked, voice playful. “Each to their own, I suppose.” Lili was certainly drowning the place in the stuff, adding to the festive atmosphere in an explosion of bubbles. To the developing drunkenness, too – for all its lightness, all the bubbly tingle of the flavours on the tongue, champagne still had a kick, all the more so for those unused to drinking it.

Especially if they started to mix it with some of the other drinks on offer.

It was a subtle drink, in truth, hiding strength beneath flamboyance; much like Lhavit itself, in a way. “At least the deception inherent in the wine is a pleasant one,” she pointed out, moved to defend Lili’s choices. Or rather, her sommelier’s choices, more likely than not.

“A lovely paradox, rather than an unwelcome one. Our senses lie to us all the time, Julius Starr: embrace the imperfect perception of the world that they give!” Another rippling chuckle. “Especially when it encourages merriment and magnanimy towards fellow citizens. As to my name, sir, Sela will do. What brings you to the ball tonight?” she asked, quietly curious and still not able to place his profession. Many would undoubtedly be here to petition the Day Lady and Night Lord, maybe even Zintila herself, under the pretext of a casual conversation over canapes and wine; was Julius one of them?

Or perhaps simply the prospect of free food and wine had caught his eye.
e

[Jenni Twilight]

x

Jenni shrugged when Alses too seemed to have forgotten the name of the Konti healer and warrior. "Something like Iona," she muttered agreeably, lips pursed in thought. However, it had been too long since their exploration, and that particular name hadn't stuck in her mind. As much as she thought, she simply couldn't catch it... it certainly started with an 'I', and ended with 'a', but what was after? It had been a nice combination of syllables though... but an odd one at that.

Both of the Twilight's eyebrows arched in surprise when the Ethaefal brought up the 'unspoken game', before smiling. It was just what she'd been thinking... though Lady Alses had put it in the perfect words. "You're quite observant" she commented, before mirroring the woman's actions and taking a sip of her own drink. Considering the whole concept was supposed to be a 'wordless' one, she neither confirmed or denied the statement... though it was still obvious that the Eth was totally and utterly right. She did love it, though extensive socialization could get... tiring. Oh so tiring. But until then she was happy to dance in the elegant combination of words and expressions.

The smile turned into a tiny frown when the aurist brought up spotting the guards... she honestly hadn't thought of it. As her companion had proved, however, Alses was much more observant than the morpher herself. Her skills as an aurist probably also aided in the game. Taking a moment for herself, she skimmed the party goers with a judgmental expression, eyeing the more suspicious ones... the more upright ones? The stiffer, more formal? The two that trailed Lady Lili wherever she went? Those could be courtiers, or Shinya, or... both. However, she didn't know the trick, and almost wished the Ethaefal would explain...though that probably wasn't going to happen.

The man who approached - Julius Starr, by the introduction - had a slightly confusing but well-posed description of the wine... either he was quite the wine taster, or an excellent bluffer... and she wouldn't put anyone past the second. Sometimes, when approaching a topic you appear to understand, but know little about... using large words and fancy descriptions that mean little in the end was a useful tactic, until you approached someone who actually knew their stuff. However, she wasn't one of those... and was content to take the tasting for granted. Alses seemed to have a few comments on that last statement though... causing Jenni's mouth to twitch into a smile.

She was vaguely disappointed that Julius didn't recognize her face... though being a minor member of the Twilights, she still was known by a lot of the population of Lhavit. She couldn't expect everyone to know her, though she made it particularly easy with the lack of a mask. "Jenni Twilight" she added in a gap between Lady Alses's - or Sela's - words. Though she usually wasn't one to flaunt her name around, she was quite interested to see what the man's reaction would be to it... surprised possibly? There had been that one woman at the beginning of the season who'd been positively alarmed. Oswim? Something like that.

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

x

[Ai Shou]

.

The Masquerade. Ai had not wished it upon herself to go. No, she'd rather be at home, waiting out her life hoping for something to happen. But unluckily enough, she was removed from her room by the innkeeper who, despite having known her for a good few years, insisted that she go to the ball. Not only that, but she even went to the bother of helping Ai find herself a ball gown to wear. And no, Ai found herself within the marbled halls of the Ethereal Opera House, just another woman standing amid the crowd. Ai's appearance might have been a bit bold, for she wore a ruffled crimson dress with many layers of fluffied fabrics that gave her body a multi-layered shape that flared out in a cone-like fashion when she stood still, the hem of the dress ending just inches from the ground. The crimson was a color that contrasted her pale skin and her dark hair. Even her eyes were crimson with embarrassment over the looks she received from some of the attending men. Her mask could do nothing to hide her eyes, and it barely covered her face at all. It rested upon the bridge of her nose and covered maybe a fourth of her startling beauty, and that proved to be too little to hide the reddening of her cheeks. Ai's Dress (Reference) : Ai eventually found her way to the side of the ballroom, slipping from the crowd in favor of a more secluded spot by the wall, where no one would bump into her. It was a remarkable place, this. The ballroom had a high ceiling with a dome top and murals everywhere. Ai had never seen such beautiful paintings before. Besides the paintings, the swirling mass of dancers was just as beautiful. Women dressed in all colors, makes and models danced with like-wise dressed men, and all wore masks. One couldn't tell another by the mask unless they were close, so it was a good guess that no one could tell who she was. But with the viewing of the mass of colors, shades and hues floating about before her, Ai felt a ping of jealousy and want for someone to dance with, although she would never openly ask for a dance. No, that would be quite un-lady like.

.

[Brandon Blackwing]

x

“The drinks? I’m not sure, I can’t seem to find anything I might like, but maybe I’m searching too hard for something that’s right in front of me. He shrugged and took a sip of the glass of wine he was still holding. It tasted quite fruity, a bit sweet, but not too – it was the beverage he’d been looking for, although he only now realized. “The ball is… how do I put it… not my favourite party to attend really. I guess I’d enjoy a regular wild night in a pub a lot more. This is too fancy to my taste.”

Well, he hadn’t come to enjoy himself anyway, but for the opportunity, the chance to pick out some targets he could rob later, though it was rather difficult with all of them wearing masks. The thief had also briefly thought about pick pocketing people right here and now, but no-one, the bat included, seemed to have a coin pouch with them. Although, the bat thought, it might have been a blessing in disguise since there were a lot of guards attending as well, he didn’t see nor hear them, but he knew and felt they were there.

Meanwhile, the girl with the painted face was still talking to him, telling him that he would never believe who she was before. It triggered his curiosity, and he gave her his undivided attention, listening politely to what she was rambling about. A busker huh? That was some useful information, maybe this could come in handy next time he went pick pocketing. She would provide a nice distraction while he rid the people, her audience, of there wallets. The bat could feel his muscles in his mouth wanting to grin, but he kept it as neutral as possible.

“Who knows what my occupation is? I could be anything, maybe even a thief or a shopkeeper, who can say for sure?” he chuckled, making it clear that he had no intention of telling her the truth, even though he already had. Krisa was already rattling about something else though, not really going with his mysterious answers, and changing the subject every few chimes. This time the conversation was back at the subject of wine and drinking. And the point of the masquerade. Her opinion of it was quite interesting, as was the subject.

“I disagree Lady Krisa, to me, the point of the masquerade is not to be someone else for a night, but to be yourself for a night.” A brief pause followed when the bat took a sip of his drink. “By putting on a mask, one drops the mask that one wears every day in public. Some have small masks, other a whole disguise, but no-one ever shows his true nature. Well, except the insane. Some fear for their status, career or are afraid that they won’t be accepted by society and act and behave the way they hope is better. The only time a person can be himself in public is when wearing a mask, quite ironic if you ask me. This is the reason why you see so much nobles on occasions such as this. Here they have less to fear, no-one will recognise them, so they can do all they want. Well, almost all they want.”

He finished his ramblings with a gulp of the wine to soothe his slightly dry tongue. Suddenly the glass was empty and he placed it back on the table standing behind him. The musicians stated a new song, beautiful and slow, as if inviting the guests to ask a partner to dance. Much to his surprise his companion did, right on the same moment as the music had started, as if she had waited for the right moment.

“If this was an other occasion, I would have had to disappoint you, since I can’t dance, but seeing as we’re both wearing masks, we have nothing to worry about, don’t you agree?” he said slyly, alluding to his previous statement. “So the answer is ‘Yes, I’d love to Lady Krisa.” Carefully he grabbed the fingers of her hand, while wrapping his other arm around her waist.

Music! :

I thought I'd include this since I let this play while I was writing the post. Also I imagined this to be the new song the musicians started

x

credit goes to Euthisa

[Julius Starr]

It was now, as Julius conversed with Alses and Jenni, that his mind wandered into the past. He had been a party similar to this. Granted, it had been a small gathering of friends, not the entirety of Lhavit. Nor was he a guest at this party, instead attending merely to mix the drinks and to serve the refreshments. It was nearing the end of the event when the old man, his speech nearly slurred to the point beyond comprehension, began explaining the difficulties of a threesome. Of course, Julius and his mother was the one who sober enough to listen, and even then, he was sure he's the only one who remembered the tale. It had been crude and vulgar, but Julius could never have forgotten it. Not that Julius had every really needed the advice; he had had sweethearts in the past, though never two at once. Quite frankly, he hadn't even had one in the way the old man had described. Yet, standing here with these two women, the concept was the same. Pay equal attention to both of them, else one of them may lose interest. Give one of them something to think about while your main focus is on the other. And most importantly, make them leave wanting more. Alas, it seems the blond woman hadn't been . . . educated quite like he had been, since she did most of the talking between the three. Not that he minded, really; one couldn't really have a conversation, really, without someone willing to carry it along. Yet her words directly conflicted with her own statements. Oh, they were said with a warm glimmer in the eyes and a playful tone, but they contrasted none the less. Had he accidentally stumbled upon a woman more knowledgeable in wine than him? No, Julius decided as he looked at her again closely. She was smart, far wiser and experienced than him in this game of words, but he still had his eyes. Thus, he waited until she was done, sipping the wine that had become the center of conversation. "My apologies, Lady Sela, for my ignorance; I was so sure that this vintage was of Lhavit, not Riverfall. And yet you were able to discern its origins without ever tasting it. Such a . . . gift you have." Julius grinned at her, toasting the glass of wine to her. The red tasted sweeter on his lips as he sipped it again. Or was it satisfaction? It was then that the other woman spoke up, introducing herself as Jenni Twilight. Now that surprised him, enough to garner an arch of the brow. Oh, he wasn't shocked that her family would be in attendance; these parties were more or less put on for them. No, he was shocked he didn't recognize her for who she was. "Well met, Miss Twilight. Lady Sela and I have both expressed our opinions of the refreshments, but you remain neutral. I pray thee give us your own thoughts." It was proving difficult to follow the old man's advice about equal attention with Sela's constant comments. Again, Julius didn't mind; this would give Jenni ample time to develop an answer herself. Until then, he would continue the banter with the blond woman. "I came for the conversations, Lady Sela. Nothing evokes the sophistication and intelligence of the population more than dance, song, and liquor. On any other day, we're shopkeepers, clerks, and sailors. But today? Well, its not called a Masquerade Ball for the masks, but because everyone becomes something they're not, if but for a single night." Julius gestured out to the crowd, at the mingling groups. "I mean, where else could you meet with a hundred Sages and Scholars, all of which know more than the others?" Out on the open floor, the dance was just beginning. Julius wasn't much for that particular activity, but as the gentlemen he was, the least he could do was offer. He felt neither of his new found acquaintances were much of dancers either, but he couldn't be certain just by looking at them. "Would either of you care to dance? Or we can continue our little conversation; it makes no matter to me." He fell silent, waiting for their answer.

[Luna Sylvain]

Luna was sulking. She hated these stuffy parties, all nobility and pretense and protocol. And oh, that speech! She thought the woman would never shut up, and had been bored almost to tears before resorting to seeking out food as solace. In fact, Luna was only here because her best friend apparently had a huge crush on some nobleman or other. How droll. The friend had of course abandoned her to go and seek him out in some non-obvious mingling kind of way as soon as they'd got here, and Luna had been left on her own ever since, save the occasional smattering of small talk. Her boredom had been assuaged slightly by pranking the guests at the buffet table, changing the flavours of the food and drink with her skills in Illusionism and watching people's reactions as they bit into pastry and tasted mud or face powder, or took a sip of champagne and tasted vinegar or cooking oil. It had at least been fun for around 10 chimes or so before she was thoroughly bored again. The conversation was dull, the music wasn't lively enough, and all the women looked far too pretty in their ballgowns for Luna's liking. She hated having to work so hard just for a little attention. She wasn't used to it, at all. Her own dress was a classic black silk number she was wearing for the first time tonight. Open at the back down to her waist and fairly low cut in the front too, the dress pulled in tight at the waist and then flared out dramatically into layered skirts which reached down to her ankles. The dress was accented with black lace around the hem, the bust and a thin strip around the waist, and the silk had been treated to make it shimmer more than usual in the light. A subtle but intricately embroidered floral pattern, just a shade or two lighter than the colour of the dress, was sewn into the bottom half of the skirt. The dress was complimented nicely by her golden pendant, which she always wore, but also by the fabulous golden bracelet she had recently bought for special occasions such as this. The bracelet was studded with beautiful stones; some brownish red, crystalline mineral gemstones and the occasional bright green emerald. The gems matched her hair and eye colour, respectively, which was one of the reasons she had chosen this particular bracelet. Overall Luna was correct in thinking she looked quite stunning, but unfortunately so did everyone else at the ball. She sulked a bit more and looked around the room. The majority of people were dancing, and those that weren't seemed now to have settled into small groups, conversing at various points around the outer edges of the grand hall. She couldn't make out anyone she knew, but of course most people were masked, making identification much harder. Luna had opted out of the mask completely, being unable to find one pretty enough that both suited her tastes and fit into her budget. Instead she had put a little more effort than usual into her makeup, applying dark green face powder to her upper eyelids, then using a specially blended face paint of the same colour to draw tiny vines and leaves from the corners of her eyes, coiling around her temple and down on to her cheeks. To this greenery she had added small, pretty yellow flowers. Luna simply had to do something, she felt boredom would kill her if she didn't. Thankfully she had at least had the foresight to bring a dose of Poppers with her. That ought to liven this party up a bit, she mused to herself. She sought out a space in the corner of the room, sparse of people and partially obscured by an ornate statuette. When she was confident nobody was watching, she pulled out a hair pin and the sack she'd brought with her. She put her mouth near the sack ready, and stuck in the pin. Hiss. the vapours inside poured out and mixed with the air, creating a small cloud of narcotic gas in front of her lips. She inhaled sharply and felt the warm sensation she had come to love as the drug filled her lungs. She discarded the used sack immediately and walked back into the heart of the ball, starting to feel a little light-headed and - much more importantly - a little more euphoric and less bored already.

[Cassandra Southwind]

Beside one of the refreshment tables (but not too far from the dance floor) there stood three Svefra girls. The eldest, Marina, was dressed in a sleek crimson gown of fine wool, dyed carefully so that it faded into a deep black at the bottom. She held the hand of her cousin, Cassandra, who wore a long chocolate-colored piece with colorful beading around the bust. The youngest, Margaret, was the only one who had bought a new dress: the bright violet silk was gathered elaborately about a matching corset with silvery embroidery. The three together had decided that it would be better for one of them to look stunning than for all three to arrive in something mediocre. Marina had made hers to impress a Zeltivan boy a few years back; Cassandra had borrowed hers from Echor. They babbled together in Fratava, each talking over the others like rolling waves that rushed and crashed and ebbed. Unaccustomed to the proper etiquette of a society function such as this, they were probably louder than they ought to have been. Cassandra, who was most familiar with the customs of cityfolk, glared hotly at the others. "Quiet," she said through a stiff jaw, tugging her hand from Marina's grasp. "You both ought to dance with the sea lions at the bay, with the way you're Aucking." "Auck auck," Maggie spoke the word which Svefra children had long since associated with such an animal. She said it loudly so that others could hear, which served the dual purpose of annoying her cousin and putting eyes on her pretty new dress. "I would gladly dance with a sea lion, but alas there are none here." As Margaret spun around on restless feet, Marina offered the hand which Cassandra had scorned to their younger cousin. "Dance with me then, since Cassie doesn't want to." Margaret objected with a sigh. "You've got a fin for legs. I'd have to drag you across the floor." "And I can dance any better?" The middle cousin argued, folding her arms. "At least you know what a beat is." Cass stuck out her tongue at the compliment. "Come on, just one song." "I already said no." "Maggie, why don't you enjoy some of the food? I'm sure you'll be able to dance with Cassie after you've got a few drinks in her." "Hey!" Cassandra frowned, even though she knew Marina was right. Margaret seemed to seriously consider it for a moment before she rolled her eyes and turned toward the crowd that lined the dance floor. "I guess I'll just have to ask a pretty little boy to dance with me, then!" Both of her cousins paled at the concept, just as the youngest girl knew they would. It was Maggie, after all, who had run off with a young Symenestra man not a year earlier. Even though the tales about their kind had been explained to her, it was no secret how she resented her rescue. "Leth's shiny white--" "Cassie!" For a sailor, Marina had an unusual distaste for swearing. "Well, don't let her do it!" "Maggie!" The eldest was already after the youngest, who was deliberately moving as quickly as her giant dress would let her through the tightest parts of the silken horde. Cassandra considered chasing them, but she did not have the heart to prevent her favorite cousin from the revelry she so rarely enjoyed. Perhaps it was her duty to protect her, but she was already exhausted from the argument and the trip up the mountain. She didn't hate her family but she preferred being alone, hiding behind a mask in a room of masked people. Sighing, she picked up a flute of champagne and tipped it heavily to her lips. But instead of delicious, calming bubbly however, the ripe taste of vinegar met her tongue; she coughed and spat it (mostly) back into the glass. "Ass," she cursed in Common, setting the drink back where she had found it. Forced to wallow in sparkly, starlit sobriety, Cassandra leaned against the food table and glared idly at the scene before her.