RP: The Feast

[the_anon_entity]

Date: 31 October 2002
Characters: The Entity, Anyone
Location: The Mansion
Status: Public
Summary: The First Festival
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[anon_cho]

Cho had left Annwn weeks before with more questions unanswered than she would have liked to carry around in her busy brain. But since she had returned home she had been unable to get the little town out of her thoughts. So when she received a mysterious invitation to a black and white masquerade it was just the excuse she needed to return, at least for the occasion.

The grounds of the elaborate mansion were mysterious and intoxicating and when she entered its doors she felt the exciting combination of ecstasy and terror of which she was unable to resist. The town and now the mansion made her want to be reckless, daring, so clothing herself in the skimpiest of curvy, black mini-dresses did not embarrass her in the least. The dress' open back would give any admirers a reason to look at her more than twice. She was suddenly thankful for its connecting back strap at the top of her spine, as it literally kept the garment on her body in spite of its to-the-waist, plunging v-back neckline, which happened to be traced with rhinestone details.

It was the type of dress that could attract a one off and she felt empowered by its lack of substance.

Being in Annwn again made her feel confident in a way she seldom did.

She glanced around the great hall and in spite of the sea of masks in front of her, recognized an old friend, Padma Patil, and approached her.

"Hello Padma," Cho greeted her friend as she accepted a flute of sparkling wine from a passing beverage tray, "Haven't seen you in a while. What have you been doing lately?"

[anon_padma]

Padma looked up at the sound of her name and her jaw literally dropped. It was Cho, but she had never seen Cho dress... like that! Padma snapped her mouth shut and rose, wrapping her arms around the girl, surprised again when she touched bare skin. "My gods, Cho. Are you trying to get laid tonight, or do you want to leave the entire male party with blue balls?"

She laughed at the thought then turned serious. "What on earth are you doing here? You seem to spend more time in this backwater than in the office nowadays. I miss having lunch with you."

[anon_cho]

"I know, it's nutters, yeah?" Cho giggled another sip of sparkling wine, or was it champagne? She didn't care, although she rather enjoyed the way the bubbles tickled her nose. "Just felt like being adventurous for a change, instead of the same boring Ravenclaw bird." It was true; she was tired of the predictable, mundane life of her dreary day-to-day, tired of being remembered as the girl who once dated Cedric Diggory at the time of his death before dating Harry Potter and weeping her way through her sixth year. She always felt she was better than the box in which she allowed herself to be placed by many in the Wizarding world. Much better.

"Yeah, I took some time off work after they sent me here to investigate strange magical energies in the area a few weeks back," she replied, "I guess you could say a part of me fell in love with the place and tonight was a good excuse to come back for a visit. I'm thinking about moving here, actually, if I can convince my father and mother to come too." She grew serious but not too somber. "Mami seems to be doing better, but I think she'd be more comfortable in a place like this, not London. It's more peaceful here and since they haven't found a way to get rid of the brain lesions, being in a place like this might make things easier."

With another sip Cho asked, "You never did tell me what you've been up to, why you're here?"

[anon_padma]

"Not totally nutters, just mostly." Padma grinned before holding her friend at arms length and making her turn, so that she could see the back. She let out a low whistle before grinning. "If you don't get laid tonight, I'll be completely shocked. Picked someone yet?" Padma was proud that Cho was so daring tonight, and it made her feel more daring. Her eyes started darting around the room, searching for the man who said he would be here.

"Fell in love? With this place?" Padma looked incredulous. So far, she'd found nothing to love, except the szechuan place Marcus had taken her to. This place was creepy, and she didn't like it one bit. When Cho went on though, she held back her negativity. With how the dead were coming back to life, Cho was probably onto something, thinking that it could help her mother. Padma nodded before smiling. "It probably will be better here. How's the convincing coming along?"

Padma picked up some wine for herself. "Business mostly. A good fling, perhaps, for another." She grinned at her friend before taking a sip.

[anon_cho]

"No," Cho said with a smirk, "Not yet." She glanced around while she turned to display the daring back of her dress. "Unlike me, yeah?" Even though Cho was without an escort and in the middle of unknown territory, she felt empowered. After being surrounded by death and rejection and sickness for so many years she was now ready to move on with her life.

She wanted to believe, have hope that her days of loss were behind her and that she would easily convince her parents to move to this town and once there, Cho prayed that the strange magic held within its limits would somehow save her mother before it was too late. She knew in her heart that it was mad to carry such optimism.

"I've told Mum and Dad," Cho replied after exhaling, "We're discussing it. Since they haven't seen the place, or the dead living again, they are both quite skeptical. But I can't blame them. I suspect they think I've gone mad. They didn't say anything about Cedric but I could see the apprehension in their eyes. They'll see once they get here." Cho glanced around as she took another ship of her champagne.

[anon_padma]

"Well, I hope you find one soon. Or two. That could be fun." Something neither of them probably ever considered, but Padma enjoyed teasing her friend whenever Cho was in a good enough mood to take it. Padma looked at the dress and grinned. "But in a good way, Cho. It's a masquerade ball, after all. What better place to act as someone other than yourself?"

Padma reached out and laid her hand on her friend's shoulder, reassuring her friend silently as she pulled herself together. She really hoped that everything went right for Cho. So few things had in her life after all. When she started speaking again, Padma nodded, agreeing and supporting. "Just tell them it's like some Chinese mystical place or something." Padma hated that her Chinese mysticism was lacking and that it showed. "Try appealing to their roots. Talk about immortal peaches or something." Padma smiled at her friend. "Once they come here, I'm sure it will suit them so well that they won't want to leave. If nothing else, the climate is nicer than London."