(Untitled)

[bennet_beauty]

It was only fitting, Jane believed, that she would hold this party upon such an eventful day. Five years ago, she had arrived upon the island and her whole life had changed. She was no longer the young girl that she had once been and was no longer trapped in the confines of a time when her options were greatly limited. Though the date coincided,

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[liliesfromluce]

Luce had contributed what she could. She's an okay chef, but she doubts that anyone wants to have pies at her hands, so she's helped to decorate the main area with bouquets and ribbons, allowing the walls to have a singular theme of bright yellows, white roses, and any tint of gold she can find. She likes to think it looks classy.

In an effort to match, Luce has found herself a gold dress after what seemed like hours of digging. In fact, she's slightly late after taming her hair into an upsweep and getting some makeup on, but she thinks the end-effect is worth it.

[farmgrown]

Annie's going out on a limb here.

It's only her first month here on the island, but according to everyone she's talked to, these parties seem to be the kind of thing to go to if one wants to get to know more people. She normally considers herself a very - well, personable person, but right now she's kind of sticking to the fringes of the party, drink in hand, her hair swept up into a graceful updo, a few rebellious strands tickling the back of her neck.

She shifts in her red one-shoulder dress and turns, finding a familiar pair of eyes from across the room and smiling in greeting.

[liliesfromluce]

She knows it's not kind, in the least, but when Luce first sees Annie, she feels sick. It's nothing like the church when she first met Rachel, but the circumstances are similar enough that she feels as though she needs more of a drink than the glass of punch in her hand. She swallows, hard, and tries to manage a smile.

It's like pulling nails. Annie looks beautiful, but then, of course she does. Of course Luce can't catch a break.

[farmgrown]

Annie finally navigates her way across the party by sticking to the wall, maneuvering around people dancing and other groups in conversation - and all without managing to spill her drink, which she counts as a personal victory.

"I was wondering if I was going to see someone I recognized here," she finally declares, when she's standing within earshot. Her grin is friendly and relatively oblivious to any difficulties Luce might be having with smiling. "I love your dress."

[liliesfromluce]

"Thank you," Luce replies, somewhat clipped. Really, she's going to hate herself again at the end of the night for being so rude, but it's the last defense she has left in her path between herself and absolute discontent. "You look...nice," she adds, words tempered with a heavy amount of strain.

[farmgrown]

"Oh, this old thing?" Annie replies, without missing a beat, grinning slowly as she reaches down to pinch at an edge of the dress, plucking it away for a beat before she lets go. "The clothes box was pretty decent this time around. Are you sure it doesn't look too eighties?"

[liliesfromluce]

Luce tries her best not to look her over, but it's difficult when the body is practically the same (though Rachel had been just a little bit heavier, though not by much). "No, you look..." Her voice trembles, slightly, but she gets control of it quickly enough. "You look fine."

[farmgrown]

Annie's sipping from her drink, momentarily distracted, her eyes scanning the room as is an agent's habit at a growing party like this one. She's still not completely comfortable with letting her guard down, not really.

She turns back towards Luce and offers another smile. "I'm surprised you found that," she adds, nodding to the dress. "Now I'm almost jealous."

[liliesfromluce]

"Well, I like to think that it has a sense of community." Better, Luce thinks, as she manages to infuse her tone with something like polite conversation. "I spend a couple of hours here helping with the flowers, it decides that I don't need to spend the hours there, throwing tiddlywinks into a box."

[farmgrown]

"I guess that's a fair trade," Annie admits, nodding slowly.

"Too bad I can't do something like that. I need to find something, at least. It's only been a month, but I'm starting to get restless."

[liliesfromluce]

"There is a museum here," Luce offers. "My friend runs it, actually, though he's something of a unique personality to have to grow accustomed to." Which is a nice way to describe Anthony, she feels. It shows, too, that she's been listening, that she's not ignoring Annie as much as she seems to be.

Now, if only she could stop mentally referring to her as Rachel.

[farmgrown]

"Is there?" Annie asks, nodding with what she hopes is convincing interest. All her knowledge of antiquities and acquisitions are what she's had to read up on in order to maintain her cover. She's not sure how legitimately she could pursue that kind of work here without completely outing herself as a genuine source.

"Well, maybe I'll have to look into it. Good thing there's really no form of money here, huh?"

[liliesfromluce]

"No, but if you ever want to go to the strip club..." Luce gives something of a wicked smile at that. "I think it's the only place that demands currency, in the form of good deeds, of course, but currency, nonetheless."

[farmgrown]

"Nuh-uh," Annie murmurs, shaking her head almost in complete disbelief, but she knows enough to know that when Luce is smiling like that, it can only mean she's speaking the truth. "You're totally serious, this place has a strip club. Wow. And here I thought that the island couldn't possibly have everything."

[liliesfromluce]

"Uh huh," she retorts, unable to help herself as she falls into a familiar pattern, simply because it's what instinct is telling her to do, no matter how hard she bucks against it. "And yes, I'm serious. Someone once said I should dance there, but I'm very sure it was a joke. Mostly."

[farmgrown]

Annie's already chuckling, though it's more at the mere concept of the island having a strip club than Luce being asked to dance there. "Are you sure it was a joke? They could've been completely serious," she replies, shrugging one shoulder. "I mean, it's not my first choice in a profession, but some people, you know, they might be really good," she adds, fighting back a grin.