❝ the night starts here, the night starts here ❞[OPEN TO ALL]

[rivelata_madam]

EVENT - MADAMS' BALL

WHO: The Madam, her girls, and anyone who so desires to attend.
WHAT: It's time to celebrate the changing of Season, so what better way than with a party? :)
WHERE: The Castles Courtyard.
WHEN: 09/15/09

Comments

Open

[mercury_sparrow]

If he was being entirely honest with himself, Ishida Uryu didn't really know why he was attending the Madam's Ball. If left to his own devices, he probably wouldn't have; he wasn't terribly curious about the castle, himself, and while he had helped make several of the suits and gowns that Eagle's Splendour had made for this occasion, he had never been much of one for socializing and always felt awkward and out of sorts at parties.

Still, one of the newcomers, Lenalee Lee, had expected he would be there. While he was certain there were any number of other friends she'd end up making or chatting with due to her cheerful disposition, his Quincy's Pride would not allow him to shirk his obligations and avoid attending altogether.

And so, there he stood in his white suit, trying not to look distinctly comfortable. He had, as was his nature, arrived punctually... which, of course, meant that it seemed as if he had arrived early. Inwardly he sighed. Why did people never arrive on time?

[chappi_fan]

Rukia had only come to the ball under the impression it was an average social event for the city. From what she had heard over the journals, it would be unusual for her not to attend. Finding a dress perfectly tailored to fit her merely sitting on her doorstep only added to this belief.

Inwardly, she was not in the mood for a celebration. However, there was a part of her that could not help but grow excited at the prospect of such an activity. There was no telling what sort of customs or traditions the event may include, and it would not hurt to simply enjoy oneself from time to time.

Looking over the crowd, she managed to catch sight of a familiar Quincy.

"Are you enjoying the festival?"

[mercury_sparrow]

"As much as one might expect, I suppose."

In truth, Ishida was mainly idling away the time not by conversation-- though he would never admit to it, it had always been one of his weak points, and, despite Kairi's best efforts, he was only marginally better at it now than he had been before-- but by observing the various suits, dresses, and other attire, and judging it. Quite often, he found them, to his surprise, quite remarkable, showing ingenuity, creativity, and skill in concept and execution; the only thing he could criticize most on was, oddly enough, materials, though just as many were flawless pieces overall. He knew for a fact, however, that many of the dresses or suits were made not by Eagle's Splendour, as he kept careful stock...

"Kuchiki-san... if you don't mind me asking, where did you get your dress?"

[chappi_fan]

Rukia took a small glance at her own outfit. "I had found it at the doorstep. It seems others have received dresses in a similar manner."

She parted her gaze from him to look across the room. Others were dressed fairly similarly. Did the dresses come from the same place? Was it common to simply give them before an event? Despite her months spent in the city, there were aspects of it, as well as behavior of the human world, she was not familiar with. Even so, she would find ways to adapt.

"Do you know who made it?"

[totaldrama_king]

Tamaki caught a glance of Sachiko in her blue dress and smiled happily. He walked up to her and waved. "You look wonderful." He told the woman, bowing slightly. "I'm glad to see you here." Tamaki said.

/fails

[thetitania]

Erza felt a bit uncomfortable to be out of armor for the evening, but as she had reminded herself many times, sometimes it was alright to let her guard down for a moment or two.

...The elaborate dress that was mysteriously delivered to Lucy's house had been suspicious, but it fit her and many others had mentioned formal wear being delivered to their households, so she supposed it was merely a matter of the oddities that were commonplace on this island.

She at first didn't notice anyone she recognized(or wanted to speak to, anyway) as she scanned the room, but eventually she spotted Sachiko. After taking a moment to decide whether or not she wanted to talk to her, she sighed and made her way over.

"Good evening, Ogasawara." She gave Tamaki a short nod as a greeting. It would be rude not to acknowledge him, after all.

OPEN

[reallyiamagirl]

Haruhi had never been to a ball before -- she'd only attended the one formal party where she was dressed like a boy, and then the closing ceremonies of the Ouran Fair, in the simplest of dresses. Everything in the castle courtyard was fancily decorated with the lanterns and the random fireflies that she remembered lit up the night sky during the carnival.

This was new and completely different experience for her. If anyone ever had any doubts that she wasn't a girl, they would be completely erased after tonight. Though, she wasn't completely comfortable in what she was wearing -- it was too poofy and frilly for her tastes, and the dress just screamed, "Look at me!" Something which she didn't want to happen, especially with Tamaki-senpai at her side. And the shoes... why did they have to be heels? Her lack of grace would definitely be noticed. Haruhi felt a sudden wave of self-consciousness

[totaldrama_king]

He couldn't say he could be much happier at the moment. Walking in the doors in his tuxedo, he strode happily. Tamaki always enjoys dances and balls alike. He was fond of ballroom dancing and social gatherings in general

But one of the best parts of the night? Tamaki was so excited Haruhi was dressing very feminine. He had seen her in a dress and girl clothes plenty of times. But this dress... When he saw her dressed in it, his face turned a dark shade of red. It almost matched his tie. Luckily, Tamaki seemed to do a good job of hiding it.

"I want to hang out with you though." Tamaki smiled to Haruhi. "Why wouldn't I enjoy myself with you?" A soft look of concern crossed his face. He noticed Haruhi's nervousness and was wondering why she was so nervous. Maybe it was because she had never been to a ball dressed like a woman? He was sure everyone would love her and her dress.

[reallyiamagirl]

She clutched at the skirt of her dress apprehensively. She felt a little out of place. Back home, going to a ball -- a real one -- just wasn't in the cards for her. Everyone was so fancy, so graceful, and so articulate. Even though her outward appearance may have said she was too, underneath it all she was just plain, simple, t-shirt and jeans Haruhi. A commoner, all the way down to her core.

"I just feel... a little out of place, that's all," she replied with an unconvincing smile. Her hands still had a death-grip on her dress, which was probably getting wrinkled by now. With a sigh she added, "And I look ridiculous."

[totaldrama_king]

Tamaki patted Haruhi's shoulder softly. "Don't worry. I think you look just fine." He had to choose his wording carefully. Tamaki did not want to make her uncomfortable, especially because she already was. Her thinking that Tamaki was going to try to make a move on her was the last thing Tamaki needed to deal with.

"There's no reason to worry about feeling out of place. There's no classes here. Everyone's the same." He told her, thought Tamaki was unsure if it was what she was nervous about. "Plus, everyone here is friends. You should just make sure you have a good time tonight."

Open

[crazy4pwr]

Gabriel tried to remember the last time he had worn a suit. He was sure this was definitely the first time he had done so on the island. But before? He wasn't sure. His life in his old world seemed so long ago.

Not that he was complaining though. After all, he had friends and a decent business here. He also was able to obtain the occasional ability here as well. Gabriel focused on the glass he was holding and watched as the liquid inside slowly froze. He could do that much faster if he wanted, but why draw attention? Or waste a perfectly good drink?

Looking back at the ball, he scanned the crowd hoping to spot Liz somewhere. He had stopped by her place before but hadn't seen her. He assumed she had just come here, but he had yet to find her. Hopefully she hadn't gotten lost...

[lifewithlemon]

Liz fumbled up through the entrance to the ball. High-heels had been one thing, but it didn't help she was wearing such a big, poofy dress. Well, sure, it was something like what a princess would wear... But Jeez it was hard to walk in.

She'd made herself look nice, at least, though it didn't quite fit her as she winced every so often in her attempt to walk. Once she was inside, she craned her neck looking for Syl- Wait, no. That wasn't his name. What was his name?

Just as she struggled to remember, she caught sight of him just to her left. She put on a lazy smile, giving him a short wave.

"Hey, there..." It wasn't Zachary, or Spock... Was it Garmin? No, that was a GPS. Ga... Gabe, Gabby? Ga-

"...You! Heh." She laughed a bit at the end, smiling and hoping she wouldn't have to use his name any time soon.

[crazy4pwr]

You? Well alright, that was a different way of greeting. But coming from Liz, that wasn't so unusual to see her doing something different. And he had to admit, she looked pretty good tonight, though she obviously wasn't used to wearing attire quite like that. Not that he had any right to judge, he was sure he'd be struggling just as much, if not more than she was, if he were wearing that outfit.

"Hey you," he replied, walking up to her. He linked his arm through hers, hoping it would steady Liz a little more. "Glad you could make it."

He glanced towards the table filled with food and beverages. "You want some refreshments?"

[lifewithlemon]

She was a little caught off guard when he hooked arms with her. It wasn't like they had hung out a lot... Actually, she didn't think she'd met him in person before. That was a little awkward.

Oh well.

"Well, you know. Wow... That's a castle, alright. Hopefully this'll be better than the last one I went to... There aren't any princes here, are there? And- Wow, are those teacakes?!"

OPEN

[deals_death]

The ball was, at the very least, a chance to wear that ridiculous dress again. It was a bit complicated to put on, and even more complicated to move in. When it came right down to it, she simply wasn't comfortable in dresses anymore. Even when she'd been expected to wear one every day, they had never been quite as elegant or... froofy... as this one.

She looked absolutely brilliant in it, though.

It was on Youji's arm that she walked in, actually looking a tad self-conscious for all her crass. This place was large, had too many people, and she was all too used to large gatherings on this island going to shit in a matter of seconds. She sincerely hoped that would not be the case tonight. Because tonight... she was actually on the arm of someone she liked.

"Not what I was expecting, but... pretty, I suppose."

[smokeandwires]

Youji dressed simply; a plain black suit with a tie so as to compliment his date. He hadn't done something this normal in a long time. It had been an equally long time since he'd seen the illustrious Madamm; back when he'd still tried to investigate this hopelessly complicated place.

"Don't worry, we won't let anyone blow this thing up." If she looked down at his wrist, she'd see his trusty watch, prepared for any unwanted interruptions.

"Can I get you anything?"

[deals_death]

Balls were hardly something that could be called normal. Perhaps Youji dressing formally seemed normal. Although now that she thought back on it, those decadent twits in the Ordoghaz held ridiculously grandiose formal occasions every other day. She hated them. Perhaps that's why balls like this left such a sour taste in her mouth; it reminded her of countless nights screaming at Kraven that no, she would not have his arm OR wear that dress.

At least it was her decision now.

"No. I doubt they have what's necessary here to quench my thirst," she offered him an unsettling smirk, fangs digging into her bottom lip. "Unless you're offering."

[smokeandwires]

It was normal in the sense that it was something modern to him, but Youji wasn't going to engage in a mental debate over that right now. Weiss had to do undercover missions at parties once or twice before.

Youji rubbed the side of his neck in an exaggerated manner. "Didn't I just do that?" he joked. But it did bring up an interesting question. "Do you eat regular food? I mean, you're not going to get any nutrition out of it, but what about the taste?"