[ Masquerade ]

[breakspromises]

Who: Everyone! Even the grouches :D
When: Friday Evening
Where: Park
Format: Paragraph/action/whatever you like
What: Masquerade Par-tay!
Warnings: None...yet.

The park was lit up by lights and of course the stars that night. Tents were pitched up where refreshments and food were served. Tables and chairs were scattered throughout the space and

Comments

[demon_andbutler]

[Sebastian is one of the few people without a mask or a costume. He looks as he usually does, in the pristine black suit and tailcoat. He walks swiftly among the guests to hand out glasses of wine or champagne, or to collect empty glasses, or pausing to tell one of the other uniformed servers what to do, or directing you to the food tent, or setting up the croquet field, if it is so desired by enough guests.

In other words, he's everywhere. And he's going to make sure Mr. Bridgeford's party is a success.]

[thenobledie]

[oh, sup. shirley is holding any empty glass and watching a croquet game. totally confused what is going on but enjoying it, anyway.]

[manscruff]

[ yeah, he doesn't get what it is either... but who cares! he is being observant and smirky and an excellent looking gentleman for the lady to lead about. and he is totally okay with that. sup seabass. ]

[demon_andbutler]

[Oh hey, he had no idea you two were an item. And Ezio looks much more... appropriate than Sebastian has seen in the past. But he won't comment as he comes up behind them.]

Might I take your glass, Miss? And are you both enjoying yourselves?

[maelstroms]

[ It does.

The lights lining the pathways and trees are a dream, reminding him of bonbori festival lanterns and of fireflies. And as he walks - his strides short, his pace easy to accommodate for the slip of a girl on his arm - he can't help but smile as well. The hum of conversation is pleasant to his ears, the venue is stunning, and most of all, Rukia is high spirits, her liking for her costume shining through from beneath her mask.

He matches her with a pink handkerchief tucked into the pocket of his suit, the crisp white material of the garment tailoring easily to his tall frame. Though he's a little more than unused to the styles of Western clothing, he forgets to be awkward when he glances down at her, his brown eyes vibrant beneath a mask of his own. And for a moment, he regards Rukia in the manner in which a father might eye his daughter before sending her off to the ball for the night, his grin deepening by a hair.

Even cuter than Chappy, she is. ]Aa. It's splendid, the lights especially. I'm glad you decided to join me,

[maelstroms]

[ It pleases him greatly, that Rukia allows him to cater to her, perhaps more than she'll ever know. Leaning down, the fall of his hair slides over his right shoulder when he nods, and he graces her arm with a fleeting touch before setting off after one of the servers. ]

All right. I won't be but a moment.

[ Two moments, more like. The decision takes him a little while longer than expected - champagne, sparkling and golden in a flute for Rukia, and tea for himself. Tonight, he thinks, he'll have more than enough time to indulge in fine wine and champagne, now though... ]

Hopefully, this is to your liking.

[hebime]

[Everyday is a masquerade for Snake-Eyes. Tonight's no different. You'll find him at the gathering's outer edges in the same black neo-ninja garb he'd arrived in, silently observing every new arrival and pacing among (but never actually approaching anyone in) the various groups. The city's movers and shakers are out in force tonight, to say nothing of the other Scorched. This is a chance a new arrival can't pass up

[anodite_spark]

[ There's a Gwen in the vicinity, though she hadn't had time to get a costume - she only had enough to get a mask. It was so remniscent of the one she had back home, she couldn't help herself. Spying the dark clad gentleman, she wandered in his direction. ]

Not one to join the festivities?

[hebime]

[Youngsters really were fearless. Snake-Eyes hadn't expected to be approached; he tends to make people uncomfortable, even some of his fellow Joes. The ninja turns to her, silently putting his glass back on another passing waiter's tray. It's a full minute before that one notices.]

[She's obviously American from her accent alone. Questing green eyes show someone of better-than-average intelligence. Most importantly, Snake-Eyes can see she's had martial arts training. It's in her bearing and the muscles on her slender frame. They're certainly in the right places for a fighter.]

[Does she speak his language? It's worth a try. His gloved hands come up and move, doing his talking for him.]

Sort of. [He signs in ASL[. I think this is time better spent in preventing another invasion.

[anodite_spark]

[ She looks momentarily surprised as the movements begin. Unfortunately she didn't know much sign language, and it'd been a long time since she last even used it. She frowns a bit - the 'Sort of' was easy enough. ]

Uh - [ better spent in ... something OH! Gwen glanced up with an embarrassed laugh at her laps. Time to hit the library, Gwennie. ] Sorry, it's been a while.

I think I get the gist though. [ A thoughtful pause. ] I don't think the party is that bad an idea. People need a little downtime after something as rough as a war; There's a patrol force here, so I'm sure after the masquerade someone will put something together.

[yetsleeping]

[Priscilla had not been terribly sure she would even go to the party. She could remember... something. A vague memory of crowds and laughter, and drinking (not her, of course), from a life long ago - or at least a life... significantly fuzzy. It was for that reason that she considered attending at all.

[Still, the idea made her oddly uncomfortable and slightly... skittish. It was for that reason that she likely would have remained away if Isley hadn't offered to accompany her.]

[She'd needed his help to choose her clothing, too. Even in her humanish state, Priscilla had never been particularly fashion conscious, or concerned for appearances, but since her awakening she had taken to wearing whatever she happened to find - slip dresses, other people's shirts. But today, her gown curls around her legs and spills over the ground behind her like gold flame, mingling with the shimmer off her sheer gold-toned cloak, even as she hides her face behind an exquisite black and gold mask[The clothes hadn't made her more comfortable with

[sonvisage]

[She's drawn by the color as she passes, the split and spill of gold that echoes all the tiny lights along the walkway and in the trees.

Staionary false-lights, not-quite-fireflies that make her both melancholy and warm. For the briefest moment she'd contemplated smashing them for all they reminded her of, but as usual lately, the compulsion gives way to heartache, which gives way to a need for distraction.

Of course she'll choose the distraction that reminds her most of what she's edging away from...

...or is that toward?

Her own dress is less ornate than she's used to, a bit closer to the attire she wore a lifetime ago.

The bones from the direwolf she slew have been arranged into another mask of sorts, clean and stark against the careful updo of that great mass of hair. Grinning balefully when she turns, revealing a second face to the crowd behind her.]

I wasn't sure I'd see you here.

[Facing Priscilla, masked only barely (a mask over a mask, perhaps?), she smiles just a little.]It's rather hard not to, in that dress. My

[yetsleeping]

I wasn't sure that I'd come. Iolanthe.

[Priscilla glances down at her dress - exquisite as it is, it's a bit strange. More beautiful than anything she'd worn as a warrior, and too light to have been worn in the North.]

[Still.]

The tailor... I'm not sure who it is. Isley helped me. I'm not very good at beautiful things.

[sonvisage]

Very much about this night is unexpected.

[Yet for a moment she doesn't look entirely unhappy. It's possible she doesn't look unhappy at all.]

I wouldn't have guessed at first glance, so between the both of you I'd say it's a success. You wear it well.

[...]

I think like the lights, now. I didn't at first. But I feel lonelier here in this crowd than I did in the ruins.

[stakesthings]

[Here comes Buffy!]

[Today she's joining us dressed as a flapper, and she bops a little to the music as she sips a drink and does a bit of crowd watching.]

[...well, Dawn watching. Which is to say, watching for Dawn. Because really, someone has to.]

[samianscar]

[and (surprise surprise) here comes Spike. Not dressed up even slightly. …Not dressed differently, anyway. A lot of history, choices, and violence went into the composition of that get-up. As only Buffy really knows.

He's circling the perimeter of the twinklylights, staying well clear of the dancing; and pauses at Buffy, likely to move past again in a little bit. But he can never just walk past Buffy.

Striking a folded-arms-shoulder-propped pose against the nearest tree, he says to her,] Dawn-watching?

[stakesthings]

Dawn-watching. [She gives a little nod, confirming his suggestion and acknowledging his arrival at the same time. Still, her eyes don't leave the crowd just yet.] She's dating. Did you know she's dating?

I mean, in the "has a date" sense, more than say in the "engaged in a serious relationship" sense.

But that totally qualifies as dating.

[She tugs on a bit of fringe hanging from her dress, and then finally, mouth open, lifts her head to say... something.]

[Instead, she says...]

...your masklessness defies the purpose of masquerading.

[samianscar]

[shudders a bit] Yeah… I'm fixing to learn as little about that as possible. Glad you're here. For her to talk to about that. …And… yeah.

[As much as all interests had been eclipsed by Buffy arriving, he did miss Jennifer. But it's just as well she wasn't still Dawny's only real source of girlytalk. The dating pool might not survive it.]

[He masklessly shrugs and tosses back his head.] What the fella said. Give a bloke a mask and he'll tell the truth. So, y'know. If I had one, what if I couldn't stop. Would have to start going on about how great you look and effulgent you are and declaring this and that you'd never get a chance to slay the buffet goodies.