Flashback Just Another Night

[Amelia Cross]

[35th day of winter 508.a.v.]
[The Noble District]
[The Lark estate]
[late evening]

Social life was big in Ravok, at least that was what Amelia’s father wanted the girl to believe in, weather it was or was not true, was still a tale to unfold. One thing however was clear, Dominick himself loved a good party and would choose it above most other things he could be doing, most productive things. ”Papa, why is this so important?” the girl asked as she helped her father get ready for the event, held by Lark family themselves. ”I explained you the importance of the Lark family, if you are invited, declining means you willingly cut yourself out of the social elite of Ravok” and weather Amelia liked to admit it or not, this was true.

As soon as her father was ready, his look polished to the tip, the girl herself got upstairs to the room given to her by her father to prepare. She needed little time, as she had learned to turn a day look into a drama filled evening look in chimes by now, but she would still be in a rush, her mind a mess as she looked over the potential dresses to wear. She wanted to surprise everyone who she might know, who she might have seen already…and thus, the girl chose a color that is not that common for her to wear, a black with green highlights that were barely there, decorated with silver that reached down to the floor and had no straps or sleeves. The fabric was flowing, almost lighter than air. She wore gloves that reached up just a finger or two above her elbow, made of fine lace that seemed to be soft and light enough to blend in with the girl’s skin, only to create an illusion of a game of light and colors. Her black hair flowing freely like a sheet of black along her back, creating a striking contrast between her pale skin…She finished her makeup with keeping her skin pale, but her lips a dark, cool colored purple and her eyeliner winged out a bit thicker and wider. She put a small medallion in the shape of a tear around her thin neck, and she had created the illusion of someone her father wanted her to be.

The girl went down, only to meet the eyes of her father, he was indeed proud to see her like this, to him, she looked like a goddess and even if it might have been considered wrong for a man of the sun to say so ”Sometimes I think, our god is blind to not have you by his side” Amelia should be proud to have her father say such a thing to her, but she couldn’t, because it felt wrong. So she just smiled with so little emotion, that it even looked majestic and…Ravokian. At least that was what she assumed a pure Ravokian looked like, like a porcelain doll. No emotions, no regrets, appreciation of chaos and art…an air of mystery around them. ”let us go” the man smiled as he toke his daughter under the arm, leading her out fo the house…to the ravosala that waited for them.

”what is the meaning of this event?” she couldn’t help but ask, looking around the beautiful cityscape that was Ravok, a true masterpiece painted by a god. ”I told you about the Larks, those people don’t need a reason to throw a party, with their lifestyle, I still wonder how they have any gold left” her father confessed as he fixed his hat a bit. His tone however seemed to identify something more, something that maybe Amelia didn’t quite know and maybe, maybe didn’t even need to know.

It was a matter of chimes from that point that they arrived at the house of Lark, music all around, lanterns reflecting the colors of the rainbow on bout the facade of the house and the surface of the lake…the slaves, guards and overall staff seemed to be all wearing black to not distract from the richly dressed guests…Amelia and her father were warmly welcomed in, their cloaks taken from them with great care.

”I’m worried” she whispered to her father, not sure where to go, what to do or who to speak to. But before she got the chance, her father left her side as a man called him to the side…business…but it didn’t make the girl feel any more at ease. It felt like she was alone, a sheep between wolves...one false word, and she would destroy herself and her father.

[Abstract]

As Amelia and her father entered the main house, they were greeted by a well-dressed slave. The man bowed at their approach, before leading them off into the main party room. Inside, the room was filled with people, though not too crowded to be stuff. A few slaves and servants wandered around, dressed like the first they had seen, carrying trays of drinks and nibbles. Most of those around were richly dressed, as if each was trying to out-do the next in gold, lace, and other shiny things. As soon as they found themselves in the general center of the room, a young woman approached the pair. "A drink?" she offered with a slight curtsy, displaying a silver tray. It had about five or six long-stemmed glasses filled with some form of expensive alcohol. No matter if they accepted or denied the offer, the woman would they drift off to offer her refreshments to other guests. They were left alone for just another moment, a good looking man strode up, glass in hand, and addressed Amelia. "Good evening dear lady... might I have the pleasure of your name? I am Maryn Lark, one of the hosts for today." He held out a strong but smooth hand to the woman, before quickly (though just as eloquently) greeting Amelia's father. However, his attentions seemed more focused on the young lady, and how she would react.

[Amelia Cross]

It was a bit intimidating to see the slaves that were this finely dressed. Amelia had always thought of slaves as servants and employees, just in a bit different level…being used to most people treating their slaves badly and usually, not bothering to dress them in more than rags, this was something new. Then again, she was told that Larks are better known for spending their money, rather than earning it. Above all else, this was a social gathering, where the slaves would be judged just like a fine piece of furniture or decoration…an object, symbol of wealth.

Her father was done talking with his acquaintance soon enough, and didn’t bother to bring him up in meaningless chatter as bout were showed to the main room. Dominick didn’t seem to be all that impressed, Amelia could see in his eyes that his mind was thinking something along the lines of ‘they have had better’…while Amelia, saying she was impressed was just scratching the surface. All of this was the world she so desperately wished to be part of. Like a painting done for a spoiled princess, perfect in its own twisted way.

Lost in her thoughts, the girl didn’t really notice as the servant girl arrived with the plate of drinks. Though it didn’t stop her father from taking two glasses, one for himself and one for Amelia. The girl did not really approve of alcohol all that much, but she couldn’t refuse when her father handed her a glass. ”stick to one glass” was the words that he said to her as bout of them toke a sip of the intoxicating liquid. Sweet, so much more sweeter than even the sweetened tea of berries…she couldn’t believe it had even a drop of alcohol in it, she almost had the desire to gulp it all down, but her father looked at her disapprovingly as if he had read her mind. ” I just don’t want you to awkwardly cling at your dress…so you have a glass to hold”

Amelia didn’t really have the chance to answer before a man came up to bout her and her father. The girl’s mind was a bit lost at first, probably because she hadn’t expected to be noticed by such a handsome man. Then again, as he finished speaking, it seemed that he was being a polite host more than anything…not that it would bother Amelia much, she had managed to pick up more than just a few tricks from her father’s toy chest. She gave the man her hand, long pale fingers with nicely groomed, black nails that had been shaped with a bit of a point. Her hands made it quite clear the girl was not really used to labor. ”Evenin’…Amelia Cross, it’s a pleasure to meet you” the Cross gave her name, with a light bow of her head in acknowledgment, topped off with the usual, painted on smile.

Her father was unusual discreet with the introduction, Amelia was used to him taking any opportunity to speak with Larks and any of the five dominant families at all, as gift. Now, it seemed like he was much more bothered with evaluation of the man than anything else. ”does he know something about him?” she couldn’t help but wonder as her own gaze went over the man once more, not really bothering to hide it. ”No” was the only thought in her head before she smiled at the man a bit more brightly and gestured towards the decorations of the room.

”The atmosphere is lovely, but I can’t help but to wonder, what is the reason that brought us all here?” her father almost frowned, not really happy with the choice of conversation Amelia had chosen, but it was too late to correct her.

[Abstract]

The young man chuckled at the introduction. ”Amelia Cross? What a wonderful name.” His lips were turned into a genuine smile that sparkled in his eyes as well. After the few exchanged words, he stood at an amiable distance from the pair, hands clasped lightly behind his back. Another young servant woman came to offer them small crackers, with a topping that included a green spread, cheese, and some kind of meat. Maryn, after delicately taking one of the ‘nibbles’ for himself, used a hand wave to offer them to his two guests. ”You must try these – they are delicious. The spread is cottage cheese and spinach… very tasty. The cheese itself is quite a marvel on its own… fifty years, did you know? Adds a lot of flavor. And lastly, there is a thin slice of some of the best ham available. Overall, it creates glory in a bite.” As if to prove his point, the Lark took out half of his snack in a single chomp, and was careful enough to keep his mouth closed as he chewed, though the corners of his mouth twitched into another smile. ”You also might want to keep up your energy… there’s a dance planned for before dinner, and I’ve heard the musicians are quite rigorous…” He winked at Amelia as he said this, before quickly finishing off the rest of his snack. An older man approached, as well-dressed as Maryn, greeting the young woman’s father politely. As the two began to discuss other things, they wandered off to a more secluded area in the room, where they would be undisturbed. After a moment of watching the two saunter off, the Lark returned his attention to Amelia. ”You do know how to dance, don’t you? I haven’t seen you before at any other parties, so I wouldn’t know your skills. And I always make it my duty to enter every party.” He chuckled again, the sound sweet and light, and remarkably relaxing. Though Maryn had a flair for the dramatic, he was certainly a people person. The claim about parties was not an exaggeration. ”Now… anything in particular you’d like to do? I could introduce you to some of the more… notable… members here, or the particularly interesting ones. And by interesting, I mean interesting.” He motioned with his head to someone in the crowd, but they were quickly covered by other guests so Amelia would be unable to spot the indicated person. ”Of course, we could always try our hand at a little dancing… maybe a change in music?” The small collection of musicians was still playing the same song, a sweet and happy but calm melody, that fit the mood of the party nearly perfectly. They’d probably spend ages coming up with songs that fit perfectly.

[Amelia Cross]

Amelia was a woman who loved compliments, loved them quite a lot. So even the little note on her name, pulled out a smile out of her soul, into her eyes…while strangely, the smile on her lips had more of an artificial feel to it, as if her face refused to give up the perfectly painted mask. This mask was her only defense against people she had no knowledge of. Not to mention, if she smiled, people thought she was happy and people were attracted to ‘happy’ people.

To her father, it was clear that Amelia had little to no interest in the snack they were offered. The Lark could describe it as whatever he wanted; the pale woman just couldn’t stand the awful green color. It reminded her of something sick, gross...and she was never a fan of meats to begin with, so that bit of ham was also not that appealing. By the time the man had gotten to the part where he described just how old the chees was, she just hopped he would stop and not really hope that she would put that in her won mouth.

”maybe one won’t hurt?” she questioned her own self as she looked at the man and back to the plate. Taking all of her courage into hands, she reached out to take one of those snacks. She knew that gulping it down would lessen the chances of her body and face showing just how disgusting it might be…but it would make her look, as if she had no manners to speak of. Therefor Amelia settled for silent, small bites. She had to admit, it wasn’t as bad as she had expected it to be, but the meat still seemed to trouble her stomach, if she’d ever be put in a situation where she would have to eat these, she’d most definitely try to think of a way to get rid of that piece of ham.

A dance sounded like fun. From most of what her father had told her of these social gatherings, or parties, they were much more political and she had little hope for actual fun like dancing and singing to be involved, unless slaves would be doing it for the entertainment of others. So yes, once more her eyes glistered with excitement. She was not the best dancer you could find it you had to dance in a gown, but she was sure she could manage, at least she hopped so. ”a dance sounds lovely, doesn’t it, Amelia?” ”yes indeed” were the only words she managed out of herself as her mind was already dancing.

It would be a lie of pure water to tell that Amelia was not curios of who was the man that her father left with. What might they discus and why was it such a secret? But she didn’t have much of a chance to actually think about it, before Maryn began speaking again. ”My skill of dancing depends on the type of dance you’d wish to see…but I’m sure, if I followed your lead, I couldn’t go wrong even if I wanted to” now to answer the tricky part of the question, has she been to other parties? She didn’t want to lie, but also telling the truth was not a good impression builder…”Attending, doesn’t quite mean ‘see and meet everyone’, now does it, Mr.Lark?” her tone becoming a bit more playful and easy, doing her best to hide any signs of stress she had hidden in the back of her head.


The young girl had to admit, all of he offers were tempting. She wanted to meet the influential, she was curios of the interesting…and dancing with a man so easy on the eyes would be a little treat for herself…but she had to evaluate the pros and cons of it all. And while she knew for a fact, that a dance she would most enjoy, it would probably get her little more than a pleasant moment or two…thinking ahead of things, if she met people of higher ranking, that would help her in life. Then again, to Amelia it didn’t look like he himself would be interested in the notable members of the families, so then the interesting contact? ”I am probably too curios for my own sake, but ‘interesting’ just sounds like most fun to meet ” she answered without much emotion on her face, just waiting to see what would his reaction be.

[Abstract]

Maryn’s grin widened when Amelia began talking about her dancing skills. He listened with bright, eager eyes, darting a comment at the end. ”Well, I’m sure you won’t go wrong. I shall lead the charge into the fray, and we shall crush all the opposition!” His tone took on that of an excited, happy man, and his smile was even wider than before. Of course, it was all playacting, but the Lark still threw in a wink at the end. He hadn’t been bold enough to boast of his dancing skills straight out, but it was obvious he had quite the pride for them. ”See and meet everyone? But, why, Ms. Cross, I make it my sole duty to see and meet every young lady at every party. Normally, I give a dance to each, but today…” he pursed his lips in a musing expression, ”I think I shall donate them all to you – I can’t leave you with anyone clumsier, can I?” Still, he was smiling at Amelia, apparently not minding that she hadn’t really gone to any parties. In fact – though it didn’t show – he was positively delighted to find someone who he could teach the ways of a dance. Maryn nodded agreeably when Amelia called ‘interesting’ more ‘fun’. ”I have to agree on that one” he said, nodding and flashing a grin. Then, he delicately took the young woman’s free hand , and led her over to the man indicated before. The guest was short, barely over five feet, with quite a thick head of silvery black hair. He had narrow, intelligent eyes, that smiled when he spotted the approaching pair. He did wear a funny outfit, with bright colors that slightly clashed with each other, and a pair of spectacles, despite how expensive they were. He’d been in quite the lively conversation before the pair approached, but turned with a laugh to speak to the Lark and the Cross. ”Maryn! Good to see you… found yourself a new young lady, I see?” the old man winked at Amelia, mouth curled into a joyful grin. ”So, to what do I honor the pleasure of speaking to you, young Lark? Who is this pretty girl that accompanies you?” Maryn chuckled in reply, shaking the man’s hand in greeting. ”This is Amelia Cross… I’ve come to show her some of the more interesting guests.” His voice held as much of a smile as his voice, and he glanced over at Amelia. ”This is Ovidin D’Maiso: An avid jeweler, and actually quite the barterer…” Ovid laughed at the statement, giving Maryn a hearty pat on the shoulder. ”I like my gold, and no one’s going to take that from me. And I’m sensible enough not to throw it away like you Larks.” Though it was technically an insult, the words were said with a joking tone, and said Lark simply pouted and shrugged. ”What can I say?” he replied in a tone full of mock sadness ”We like our parties, we Larks…”

[Amelia Cross]

It was quite amusing, how the Lark was being so naturally charming, upbeat and happy. To Amelia, he actually looked genuinely, excited and glad to be there, to have met her. But somehow, her common sense was saying other things, call it her paranoia, but something about this man was not giving off the impression of the ‘guy next canal’ he had something hiding behind his skin, and since he was quite easy on the eyes, the young cross made it her own personal mission to get under that handsome skin, unless he managed to do that first.

”Please, call me Amelia” she corrected the man as he referred to her as ‘Ms’, she didn’t actually mind it though. Amelia liked being treated like she was important, and having him refer to her in such a manner made her feel somewhat special, somewhere in the back of her mind where she still needed little to please her. But if she could have him drop the honorifics, that would create a sense of familiarity between them, of that she was thought at least. ”Be careful, once you start dancing with me, you just might not stop until the sun rises high above us” she finished with a playful wink.

Not for a moment did she protest as Maryl led her through the crowd. Her eyes were still dancing around the decorations, the clearly expensive design elements and most probably ridiculously expensive dresses and hats some women here wore just couldn’t help but attract her attention. Some parts of this life she still didn’t understand, for example, she was sure that some of these people had slaves who might not be eating a full ration…yet they spend so much on their appearance. Then again, Amelia was a hypocrite here, if she had a slave herself, it was arguable if she would be a good master.

Finally they came up to the man that her companion considered interesting. She only noticed it once she heard that lively laughter coming from a man…shorter than herself? That she wasn’t expecting, then again, it would explain why she didn’t notice him, but but those clothes, they were so flashy. Amelia just couldn’t see how she couldn’t have noticed at least those and assumed it was one more extravagant decoration imported from some exotic location. The man did however have a kind glow to his face, even if he was clearly old and old people seemed to have that glow naturally…except for soldiers.

Amelia bowed her head the slightest bit as she was introduced to the man, but she didn’t really think of poking in with her questions. Until they decided to discuss the way Larks throw their gold away, it was nonsense! ”Oh but isn’t that the beauty of it? I mean, what is the fun of holding heavy gold in your pouch, if you do not use it?” she asked with a bit of a change in her intonation. She tried her best to attract attention of the nearby ears as she spoke, a confident voice ”I for example, do not believe that holding such a spectacular event, that makes even the surface of the lake shine in the colors of the rarest jewels, is throwing away any gold, if anything, it is the art of bringing a fantasy alive” she finished with a smile as she toke a sip of her glass and casually looked around the faces of the crowd, before stopping to look at the crafter once more.

oocsorry, this ended up...lacking

[Abstract]

OOCNo problem! Sorry for the delay on my part Maryn chuckled at Amelia's compliment of the Lark's money spending. "See?" he demanded, face full of good humor. "Someone understands! Money's there for the spending, not for letting it sit around and rot!" He grinned widely at the woman, before glancing over at the jeweler. The older man had a humorously stern face, and was waggling his finger in their direction. "But what if all goes awry? You'll have no money left saved up, because you spent it all on parties" He made a tsking noise, before glancing behind him. Someone had been calling his name, and slipped between a few people to tap the jeweler on the shoulder. "Ovidin, someone needs you" the man whispered, before -with an apology to the younger pair- slipped off into the crowd. Ovidin followed, though not before sending a tiny wave their way. "So... now what would you like to do?" the Lark asked, giving Amelia a sweet smile. He glanced over at a fancy-looking grandfather clock, before returning his attention to the woman. "Only a little longer till the dances begin. Shall we talk to more people? Or... I believe one of the slaves has a tray with one of my favorite snacks on it. Your choice, of course."

[Amelia Cross]

Amelia did indeed think that the way she expressed her fondness of the way the Lark family lived, might have given her a bit of a warm glow to the man. After all, she knew that the canals had bout ears and mouths, the voice was silent but clear and all spoke of just how irresponsible and childish it is from the Lark family to spend their money on social events rather than investments…while all in all, Amelia actually craved for that life and she was sure that most of the people who bashed them also did, they just didn’t have the gut to admit it.

Somehow, the way the jeweler spoke, touched Amelia’s nerve. She knew well that he was addressing only the Lark who stood next to her, but since she wanted to be like that…she thought of it as horrid. Therefore, she couldn’t help but finish off with a comment of her own ”all things come to an end,it’s a lot better to go out loud and beautiful, majestic, than wait for the end to creep up on you” and though her face was decorated by a smile, it was clear that the girl had little liking for the man.

Glad that the jeweler would not be a bother, she smiled back at the man trying to figure out what she wanted to do. Clearly dance, but there would still be time for that once the official dancing part of the event begin. She clearly didn’t want to risk taking any of the food, as much as she knew it to be fancy, she had a bad feeling about it. Therefore, her option was a bit more socialization, but who? Interesting or Influential? ”how about some more talking, I’m sure you know a few more interesting guests” since she had little desire to come off as power-hungry, she decided to drop the influential people here, if she got lucky, she would have time for that…

[Abstract]

The jeweler didn't seem to notice Amelia's dislike, and instead left the group with a smile and a wave. Maryn gave the woman a small wink, almost as if he'd noticed, before focusing more on her reply to his question. He nodded in understanding, before frowning in thought. "Well... I think I have someone. Not interesting in the way of Ovidin, but she's quite nice otherwise... and much better dressed." With a wide grin, he turned and led Amelia to the other side of the room. There, they found a woman delicately leaning against the wall, drinking something similar to what the young Cross had taken earlier. Her dress was a vivid red, with white and grey frills artfully spread across it. A hat with a similar material and pattern sat on the woman's head, covering long, black hair. When the pair approached, she glanced up and gave a soft, sweet, smile. "Hello Maryn, who have you brought today? I'm Yonina Parenta... a painter by trade. I assume I was on your list of 'interesting people'?" This was addressed to the Lark, but Yonina turned her attention to Amelia. "I haven't seen you in any of these parties... new to the Lark's traditional parties? I'm sure you'll enjoy the dancing... I heard they've hired some of the best musicians in the city!" Yonina let out a sweet laugh, before taking another sip out of her own drink. "So, shall the interview begin?" she commented sarcastically, addressing Maryn again.