middaeg | MASQUERADE: Noveur 7

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MASQUERADE: Noveur 7

WELCOME TO THE MASQUERADE

I. Arrival

The event starts early evening, Noveur 7, thanks to the help of several hands. They had worked for a couple of days prior to the start to get the large ballroom decorated to everyone's liking. The day of the event, earlier on, a few may have appeared to do some final touches. Those who had stayed behind to help with some last minute decorating, Louis had cleared out and advised to leave so that they could get ready for the masquerade.

a. Outside

When you approach, you will find that the outside of the building is a perfect location for a masquerade. There's a large ballroom, granted to them for use by the Coven. They had been kind enough to allow them to have the space and necessary supplies in order to throw such a party. And, it's clear that they took every advantage of the granted space and land around them.

There's a gorgeous, outdoor fountain, and lights underneath the water to give it a pleasant, warm glow through the water. If you watch it long enough, the lights seem to shift colors. There's gardens surrounding the building, as well. The gardens, like the fountain, have low, warm lighting around them so that the plant-life will be clear well into the late night.

There's benches outside as well, with a clear view of the fountain - so if someone needs to step outside or take a break from the indoor events, they can enjoy the fresh air and the warm, calming feeling from the fountain and gardens. This is a perfect place to escape when you want to relax away from the bustle of a party.

b. Inside

The entryway has open curtains, gold - and tied back with a burgundy rope. There to make everyone feel as though stepping inside, they are making an entrance of their own. Once you step inside, you'll notice the grand ballroom with high ceilings is fully decorated. It is clear that a lot of effort and time went into this, thanks to the help of many different people and several sets of hands. The colors that seem to be continually present are gold, reds, and purples. Though from time to time there may be splashes of other colors and personal touches from those who had helped in places - mostly in the form of masks hanging on the walls, or balloons scattered in places away from the main dance floor.

From the main ballroom entrance, straight ahead, is the main dance floor and to the right - refreshments. Near the refreshments, there are a several standing tables to set down a drink or stand around to socialize with friends or people you've just met. In addition to the standing tables, there's a couple of dining tables and chairs so that you can sit and eat, drink, or chat.

Inside the main ballroom there's a few gaming tables scattered around - including card games with some dealers around where you can gamble, and pool tables. Make a wager or play for fun, it's all up to you. Additionally, on the floor Kaito will be performing magic tricks to entertain individuals and small groups throughout the floor. You'll be able to catch him periodically through the night.

There are a few hallways leading to several rooms, and it all depends on what you're looking for, but no matter what it is, you can probably find it.

One of the rooms has the silent auction. Here, you can look at some of the things that are up for bidding. There's several interesting, enchanted items including: weapons, jewelry, books, instruments. They are protected, as well, so they can only go home with the winner.

Don't worry - there's signs posted everywhere so you will be able to find what you're looking for.

c. Enchanted Masks

You're welcome to have brought a mask that you had picked out for yourself, or - if you prefer, you can pick up an enchanted mask near the entrance of the party itself. These enchanted masks will conceal all distinguishing features, whether they are as simple as horns and scales, or as large as a set of wings. The only obvious features will be what a character is wearing, whether it is their attire, mask, or both.

You aren't obligated to wear them, of course, but they do provide the total anonymity that is often part of the excitement at a masquerade such as this. These effects are only present when one is wearing the mask. The moment the mask is off, any distinguishing features are immediately visible.

It's a perfect opportunity to have a little fun and engage with someone you may not have spoken with otherwise.

This enchantment will wear off the next day at sunrise, so you may keep the mask you pick out for yourself at the party.

d. Photobooth

Near the front of the ballroom there's a neat looking photobooth set up thanks to the work of both Omi and Prompto. There's props so you can take fun or silly pictures with your friends or date for the night. The backdrop for the photobooth is magical, of course. With a quick flip the background can be changed to one you desire whether it's a different color, an entirely new environment. The photobooth will be available through the night.

Additionally, you'll be able to find Omi on the floor catching candid photos of the attendees. Smile!

II. Refreshments

Away from the dance floor are several tables with matching, deep purple, table cloths. On top of the table are a variety of foods - some brought by the attendees, others brought in thanks to the aid of the coven. You can expect to find at least something that you'll absolutely love when exploring the options. There's everything there - from healthier options like fruits, vegetables, and dip - to less healthy options such as cupcakes, and truffles. Food on sticks, and easy finger foods seem to be a very popular options.

While many of the options wouldn't even require a plate, there are some plates and utensils in shades of blue and gold available to use.

Next to the food there is a table featuring three punch bowls with three different flavors. One seems to be a fruit punch, one seems be purely berry flavored, and one - seems to be a bit of a surprise. It tastes a little bit different to everyone who tries it, but so far - there have been no complaints. Next to them, if you would prefer, there's pitchers of water.

Near the back corner, there's a bar with a bartender, there to serve those who would like a drink. Ask for a surprise, or your favorite drink, and you can have something mixed for you. Next to the bar, there are rows of the most popular bottles of alcohol. Though you won't be stopped if you take one, please tell the bartender so that they can keep their stock replenished for the other guests.

Drinks, of course, come free to those who are able to legally drink. Anyone underage will be met with a powerful enchantment that is acting as a method of preventing that from happening.

III. Dance

a. The Lock Box

Maybe you want to find a new dance partner. Maybe you want to find a new Bond. Maybe you just want to talk to someone new. The Lock Box is near the entrance of the ballroom. It's inaccessible thanks to both a lock and enchantment that are on it.

It's set up neatly on a table, with only it, paper, and a pen so that names can be written and added to the box. When you enter your name, another name will be produced from the box. It is clearly enchanted, of course. Once you're given a name, you and your new dance partner will be compelled to be near one another. This will last for about the length of a song - long enough to dance, or have a conversation.

Usually, only others who have put their names in the box will have their name drawn, but sometimes those who didn't put their name in the box will have their name drawn and will feel compelled to seek out someone who drew their name.

Sorry to those who didn't volunteer, magic isn't always the most predictable! Though you may get lucky and just find your next friend or Bond, so it's hard to get mad about it.

b. Song & Dance

Whether you picked your dance partner yourself, or were compelled to dance with your partner thanks to the Lock Box, the dance floor is ready for you. The music is enchanted, to provide a feeling of calm, relaxation, and joy. Characters will feel at ease, and even those who may not typically dance will want to get out on the dance floor.

Thanks to the talents of several Mirrorbound and collected records you'll have a variety of music all through the night. While much of it is upbeat, as it is encouraging individuals to dance. Whatever your mood, you will find a song that you'd love to dance to, as long as you want to dance.

IV. Gaming

Throughout the venue, there are a variety of gaming tables. There's poker tables with a dealer available so that you can play a game, place a bet - maybe you'll lose some cunes, maybe you'll win big. That's all up to how good you play the game. Note: Dealers (and the party host) are not responsible for any losses that occur when gambling. Play responsibly (or not).

There's also some pool tables available to those who wish to play. These table are open to anyone, and they are free to play. There's only a couple of tables available; however, they are scattered throughout the venue.

Set up near the bar are three long tables with only an array of cups and a printed set of rules for a game that some may recognize as none other than something very closely to beer pong. In place of the ping-pong balls there's a small, plastic coin that is used. Have fun drinking with friends while playing a game. What's not to love?

Are you looking to play a game in a quieter space? Down one of the hallways there's a couple of game rooms where you can not only find decks of cards and a pool table, but also a variety of popular party games such as charades. You'll also be able to find a room for those who want to settle in for a game of chess or checkers.

V. Late Night

The lights dim, just a bit more as it starts to turn into a late night, though there doesn't seem to be any sign that the party is ending. Small, glowing trinkets are brought out when the party seems like it should otherwise be dying down. These trinkets are - of course, to your taste, whether it's a bracelet, a ring, a necklace, or just simple something small that almost resembles a wand. This will glow up to a month, so you should like what you pick: whether it is for for you or is to act as a gift for someone of your choosing.

The music is meant now to entice you to go a little wilder than they may have been earlier in the evening. Most of the food has been replaced and only small, quick snacks have been brought out for those who were still wanting something a bit to eat. Alcohol is still readily available to each and every person who is able to legally drink, of course.

You're welcome to - quite literally - dance until the sun rises or until you just can't stay awake any longer.

Note: Please see the questions thread if you have any for me - don't be afraid to ask. Please assume all characters received fliers this year, and anyone who would have wanted to work would have had the opportunity to help setup. As there are a variety of performers through the night, I did not note any specific ones and will leave that up to the performers discretion.

Please place any warnings, including 18+ content, in the subject line! Thank you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"...Yes. It's me."

He tilts his forehead back but maintains meaningful eye contact. It is difficult to say whether it is a trick of the mind or the quality of the enchantment, but they're sharp and striking like she's used to, indiscernible but without a doubt his. A loss of direction, a wavering tinges both them and the quality of his tone. Now that his identity has been forfeited, he suddenly feels less sure of what he is doing, how he stands with her and how many more inches he is ready to give. But now the missing piece of their past and their present falls before her to fit together with the whole picture, and she's left not with a fascinating stranger, but a flame who burned her.

In another time, in another place, in another life, she would have been vindictive about it. Tried to rub it in his face or been a horrible, spiteful little beast, because she knew she could. Things are different now. Things are different here. And even so, there's still the urge to dig in her talons and try to make him hurt for that rejection - and then to dance with her and pretend that it had never happened!

Although that does sound like the sort of thing she would have done (might still do).

Her eyes slip shut as they sway and for a long moment, she's quiet, as if she's trying to figure out what to say or what to do. There's a sense of approaching a point where there won't be any turning back. She still misses him, even if she hasn't seen him in weeks. It's who she is; she pines and wants and covets what she can't have, even when she already has something (someone) else. A glutton, really.

"You look taller tonight," she finally says, "You had me fooled, you know."

There's a tinge of sadness behind the gaiety.

"Why dance with me?" She asks, outright and a hint accusatory, the old hurt still nursed and even if she's making an effort not to be vindictive, the instinct is still there. But here they are, dancing, and swaying with the music among the dozens of other pairs.

They rock like ships at sea to the leisurely tempo, the soothing and magical melody that ferries moods to more pleasurable destinations. Asked a question like that, and Soren is forced to analyze himself, his reasoning. Why, indeed? Why, suspecting she may harbor some resentment toward his prior treatment of her desire to grow closer? Why, when dancing is one of his least favorite activities, when he doesn't care to play games like these with people? When her ardor for their connection had unsettled him so, when their relationship to each other is an indiscernible tangle?

It must be something in the music. In the moment. But he had decided, then, with volition all his own, to take her hand and accept her invitation, no matter how unsure he had been about it.

"...A lapse in judgment, it would seem."

He begins to pull himself away, clicking backwards until he cleaves suitable distance between them.

"Or perhaps I could say that in the moment, I was... enchanted to. No, you are right. I overstepped my bounds." Especially after that creepy stunt of slinking his hand down her waist when she didn't even know who he was. What was he thinking? He begins to leave. "It's good to hear that you are doing well. Please enjoy the rest of your evening."

No.

He pulls away and her expression starts to fall again. Despite her best efforts, her lips pull into a frown. Why is he doing this to her? Why does he approach and flirt and be so charming and then pull away as soon as he's recognized? That's not fair - it's not fair at all. That doesn't happen to her. It's not supposed to.

She follows, unwilling to let him go, reaching out to try for his hand or his shoulder or any other point of contact she can grab.

"Don't go," she says, "I don't want you to. Stay. We can enjoy the evening, can't we?"

There's a note of hope there and she tries to mold herself to his back, to wrap her arms around him in a warm embrace.

"Don't just leave."

She manages to hook him at the arm and keep him in place, for he doesn't try to wrestle free. When she sidles in for an embrace, he stiffens reflexively in response, then starts to shift in slight discomfort with her clinging. After a few beats, he begins to relax in her hold, especially with the aid of the music lulling him there.

Leaving her alone with her agitated feelings a second time really wouldn't sit well with either of them, fracture them further and make things uglier. And no matter how much he fears her intensity, she is a part of his life right now, and no matter what, she won't always be. There is no reason he can't share a little bit of leisure time with her. What else is one supposed to do at a masquerade but kindle and foster bonds, capital or lowercase b? Even if he doesn't quite grasp the form theirs has taken, it shouldn't bar them from interacting at all. There is nothing she can take from him, and he has a feeling that letting her enjoy his company might somehow be worth more to her than the time and effort it takes to give.

"...We can," he murmurs. "Let's continue our dance, then."

Some of the tension bleeds out of her and that smile seems to make a comeback. She squeezes his arm and steps back, offering him her hands. If he's going to stay, she's going to savor this for as long as she can. It might just be for tonight. Maybe they won't matter to one another anymore in the morning. But for right now, she wants to have his attention and his company and he's giving it to her.

"Will you lead?"

She leaves that question hanging and it means so much more than just that.

"...If you'll be patient with me," he decides, clearly out of his element but not afraid to admit it. "I am still better at following than taking the lead. It will be a fairly dull and clumsy experience."

Fair warning. Now that he is no longer a mystery to her, he opts to slip the mask off of his face, and his wings; his tail; his long hair done in a loose side plait over his shoulder; the burgundy swallowtail jacket embroidered in black with a hint of jade... all of him is disentangled from the guise of anonymity. He steps into leading position and takes her the way she took him, proving he can at least make it this far without stumbling over any of his misgivings or uncertainty. He glances at other dancers, listens to the beat and judges how he should take his next steps. Focusing on the dance itself helps keep him preoccupied amid his social discomfort.

"If you're lucky, I might even work up the necessary finesse to give you a spin," he keeps going, dry as before. "But don't hold your breath."

Iramaat seems content to let him lead, even if he's a bt clumsy at it. More than that, she seems incredibly happy to see him as him and not that anonymous stranger. She eases a little closer, one hand on his shoulder, the other interlacing fingers with his. She does try to help him along, but she's following, not leading.

"Oh, I'll look forward to that. I have the utmost confidence in you, Soren."

She offers him a sly little smile, "But how are you? It's been ages."

Not that she's keeping track or anything.

Edited 2020-12-07 21:39 (UTC)

"I've been doing well," he replies easily, focus drilled less on her smile and more on the space between them, flitting up and down to make sure she's also paying attention to his physical cues. Well as he can without Ike, anyway, but that needn't be mentioned. He begins to work out of just swaying along to the rhythm and takes his first step forward with her. "Nothing too eventful has crossed my life, which I will gladly take over catastrophe."

If only Soren could peer into the future, eight days from now.

"A lack of catastrophe is... always a good thing," Iramaat replies as she moves with him. She's actually a decent dancer, so she can make up for his relative inexperience. She clicks her tongue after a moment of thought.

"I was thinking about you, you know. I was hoping I'd be able to c onvince you to speak again - so I certainly feel fortunate that we ran into one another."

She laughs, smile open and wide and (apparently) guileless.

"Maybe I can help make your life more eventful...?"

Thinking of him? Well, of course he spared a thought for her every now and then, wondered how she was doing, but not to the extent that he would say so casually. It doesn't warm his heart much to hear that he's been in her thoughts, for he questions the nature of them. Surely he had tormented her in some way by proving so tactlessly how he was a free agent not bound by her desires for closeness, wasn't stringing her along anywhere, didn't understand her love, then ditching her before they could dine at one of her favorite restaurants? He tries not to let it bother him overly much, rotates the two of them around in a slow and tumbling path across the ballroom as he expands his comfort zone there.

"Well, we're talking again. I think I'm content to keep my life boring. 'Eventful' for me usually means I have a mess to clean up." He recalls, then, what she said during a conversation that went rather like this, about when he had been hired at Inkchanted. "Unless you're ready to regale me with one of your stories as a wandering spirit."

It's true, she'd felt horribly snubbed after their last encounter. A part of her - vindictive, cruel - wants to take some kind of revenge. Waonts to make sure he's miserable until he realizes he needs her in his life. She hasn't acted on that, though. Not yet. Howl being back has distracted her and let her find something more constructive to do. But as it is she's still find of him. She eases a little closer as they dance, going so far as to rest her head against his shoulder.

"I don't have any good stories, I'm afraid," she says quietly, "I haven't been very adventurous since last we spoke. But we could find something to do tonight."

An invitation, of sorts.

Edited 2020-12-13 16:15 (UTC)

He slows his steps as she leans into him, reduces their weaving circles to tighter ones. Their horn and antler clack and slide together briefly.

"What's your idea?"

His own might be hers. His drive is no longer searing and unquenchable like it had been that night, but he's had a taste of her before. That alone is enough to pry open the gates of his receptivity a little more, especially while they're locked in close contact like this. However, some uneasiness still dwells within him.

"I'd like to spend some time with you again," she murmurs in response, eyes searching his expression - or trying, anyway.

"Just... lose ourselves for a little while. Nothing more complicated than that."

But it will be more complicated. Has to be, almost, because intimacy is her way of clinging to people. To trying to help herself feel better. And if she gets what she wants, she'll keep coming back again and again. Does he realize that?

Soren searches her expression in turn. Though he's been pried open, that isn't to say he's wide open.

"It sounds a little like what we are doing right now," he remarks. ~~"Besides, haven't you had enough fun with the other fauns for one evening"~~ "Which was going rather well up until personal feelings complicated the dance."

~~Look, she could always have MORE fun.~~

Iramaat sighs softly and even through the mask there's the sense of her expression falling a little, "...dance can be about personal feelings. Are you really that - that unwilling to let me indulge in some emotion?"

She frowns now, still moving with him, still wanting to dance, but a bit put out by his comment.

"You also didn't tell me it was you... which sort of spoiled the fun a little."

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself just fine, actually," contests Soren.

His thoughts promenade along her question, twirl about dances and personal feelings, how it all relates to him on a metaphorical level. Dances - the sway of personal relationships, of coming together and sharing steps, of bodies mingling in ways less than upright, as has been the case for them. For most people, emotions must be at the nucleus of the exchange. For dancing without the metaphor, it seems even more ridiculous to divorce feelings from an art. This is no grand realization unfolding brilliantly in Soren's mind, for he has already come to understand many of the differences between himself versus others. It's more of a reminder, more of a reason to wonder what it is he seeks in Iramaat, or anyone else who comes and goes in his life. Especially in Aefenglom, where everything has changed, and the solidity of the purpose he forged for himself has crumbled and left him adrift. Without that to anchor to, has it allowed him space to change how he associates with others?

He finds himself even more at odds with who he was even just a couple of years ago in this moment: a blonde head nestled against his shoulder, his fingers laced with hers, their bodies moving gently to orchestral music at his unsophisticated command. It is not a place he would have ever expected to find himself. To say there isn't a connection on his end at all... That would be wrong. It's nothing intense nor bewitching. He still holds her at an arm's length - metaphorically, since she's currently quite physically tucked into his arm.

"And that's not quite what I meant," he murmurs. "It's more that... to me, a dance is just a dance. That is an innuendo," he clarifies to reduce the chance of misinterpretation. "Once it is over, it's over, and however enjoyable, it does not bleed into my personal feelings outside of the dance. If you are the same, then it really shouldn't be complicated."

Iramaat wonders something similar. Why does Soren come back to her after insisting he didn't want anything to do with her? It's a strange thing to think on. Is it something wrong with her? With him? Does he like her more than he lets on or is he simply morbidly curious? Maybe he despises her and he's just toying with her.

It's hard for her to say. To come to terms with. She clings a little closer, not wanting to leave. Not wanting this to end, not while she still doesn't really know how things are going to end up between them. Or maybe she should just accept his words from a month or two ago and stop thinking about him.

"...it doesn't always end with the dance," she replies softly, "Or it doesn't have to. My personal feelings are still the same. I still... want to be around you. Even if it isn't love or romance or whatever you want to call it. I don't want to steal you away-"

She does.

"-I just want to be able to stay around."

Even when she clarifies how she feels toward him for the second time, he can't help but wonder why — for the second time — even though she had already explained her reasons a couple of months ago. Why are they spinning in circles? Why can't they push past this? If it really isn't complicated, then why? None of this should have to blow up into such a big, dramatic deal, as if they're some estranged couple on the verge of breaking up on the dance floor. It should be comforting that she insists she doesn't want much else besides his company, pure and simple — especially if it can continue to be on his own terms.

But something about this still makes him quietly uneasy.

"It's a good thing you really can't steal me away," he remarks, not in any poor spirits, but casually. It's still true; what can she do to him? "You know, it's uncommon that someone takes a liking to me. I'm usually one of the least personable people in a space at any given time. Sometimes, if I really want someone to leave me alone, I've even gone out of my way to be disliked." He sighs and tacks on a wry joke. "Maybe you're just so hopelessly attracted to me that you're willing to look past my repellent personality?"

"Maybe I like you because of that personality," she replies, just as wryly, "Or all of you - physical and mental and emotional. That's always a possibility, you know. You've wit and you know what you want and you say it. There's something genuine in that. Can't I appreciate it? Or think that I'd like to stay nearby?"

She's determined to argue her case out; she's nothing if not stubborn.

The way she murmurs against his shoulder in the embrace of a dance feels intimate as much as it manages to break past his skin and ripple through his nerves like hot breath on a cold ear: invigoratingly uncomfortable. Electric, even. He takes advantage of the rising tempo to stir them out of position and into movement together.

"I can't in any way forbid you from doing either of those things. They're your thoughts and feelings." His steps tread surer. "If you like me for who I am as well as what I am, so be it. You just need to be prepared for me to speak my mind."

The sudden movement startles her and she moves with him, hooves skittering on the floor as she keeps him. She allows him to lead now, leaning into the flow and sway, turning about again and then again. Somehow, this feels as if it's building to something - or maybe not - but she doesn't know what. Whether it will be a crash, a disaster, or a triumph. Or perhaps something not nearly as dramatic as either.

She's not sure.

"I am," she replies, a bit breathless, eyes locked on his now, "So speak to me. And don't spurn me as if I were nothing more than a stranger."

Three measures march on by this way with the rising, falling counts, their eyes locked upon each other, Soren steeped in concentration as his mind forks in different directions both physical and abstract. He's seen and felt how leads twirl follows. Even with his extra few inches granted by heels, he still has not quite scaled the height of the faun. To make matters worse, her antlers prove to be quite an impediment to an underarm spin.

It's probably not going to happen. Not unless he decides to transform into a dragon here and now, but that's going a little too far for one dance move.

"You're no stranger to me," he affirms. Then, his hand shifts up her back and he tilts her into a shallow dip. "But if you really care about me, you'll know and respect I need my space when I want it." He leans a little further while keeping his balance, his scarlet eyes upon her cool ones. "That time is not now, though. I came to you first, didn't I?"

Iramaat's attention is fortunately more on the conversation than the dance and she's happy to go through the motions as she listens to him, brow furrowed slightly. His words make sense and she wants to bask in them. To believe them. He did seek her out, didn't he? That makes her heart glow a little in her chest as she leans into the dip and peers up at him, her grip tightening.

She replies as she swings back upright.

"You did. And I shouldn't doubt you so."

She's just been cripplingly insecure about that sort of thing over the last year, for a variety of reasons.

"So... thank you. For staying and for approaching."

He walks them back into rotation, eyes on her, footwork less ill at ease than it had been at the start.

"You do look lovely tonight, I must add."

MASQUERADE: Noveur 7

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Seem like a decent place to wrap?

Sounds good to me!

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