(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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[bennet_beauty]

Jane felt that she was less excited about the Ball than her baby was. He kicked ever so often and seemingly to the beat of many a tune, causing Jane to wonder in sheer delight and confusion as to whether he would be far more spirited than Lydia, who had been such a calm pregnancy (once she surpassed that horrid sickness). Jane was dressed in a blue frock that she hoped did hide the fact that she was rather large, by this point.

She felt as though she had a great deal of energy, summoned through the excitement for such an event, and refused to allow any fatigue to slow her down as she circled the party and greeted as many people as she could.

[newkindofcop]

Steve and Danny have agreed to meet each other at the party after getting ready separately, which is why he arrives alone for once, idly adjusting the sleeves on the dress shirt he's wearing beneath the jacket as he takes a few steps around the perimeter of the room to give himself some time to adjust before he dives right into conversation.

He very nearly walks into the party's hostess in his scoping, taking a few steps back to avoid running into the obvious swell of her stomach.

"My apologies, Mrs. Lipton," he immediately murmurs, reaching out a hand to gently rest against her arm, steadying her in case the run-in had jostled things.

[bennet_beauty]

While she had lost some of her balance, Jane was not unsteadied that easily. She allowed a fond smile as she clasped his forearm lightly. She recognised him, of course, both from knowing where Lady's litter had gone, but also because he served upon the ITF with Carwood. "I'm steady," she promised, allowing a serene smile. "Were you distracted, sir?"

[newkindofcop]

"By the party itself, I guess," Steve admits, taking a moment to ensure everyone is balanced again before he gently pulls his hand away from her and offers a brief smile. "You've done a terrific job arranging all of this - and you have a lovely home."

[haolehothead]

This is Danny's place. Sure, okay, it's not like Regency parties are his strong-suit, but he was married to Rachel for a decade, has heard Jane Austen read to Grace through pretty much every one of those years, and he's got a penchant for suits. Really, other than being a good cop, this is as close as he comes to having a comfort zone (well, outside of baseball). He's got a grey suit on, forgoing the suit jacket for a vest, a silk black tie on underneath and knotted expertly.

The only problem now is finding a dance partner since he's pretty sure that they don't cover 'advanced dance carriage' in Annapolis. Still, with as many beautiful people that are there, he doesn't think he'll be hurting long. "Can I have this dance?" he asks, turning and deciding that whoever's there, well, they're getting a spin around the room.

[newkindofcop]

"You sure you want to go there? Now?" Steve asks, raising a challenging eyebrow in response. He's only just shown up, running into Danny after a brief conversation with the hostess of the party, and now his hands are jammed in the pockets of his trousers, the sleeves of his shirt and jacket bunching up slightly in the motion as he lingers over close to the wall.

He hasn't announced his presence up until now, merely enjoying the sight of Danny making his way around the room without ogling in the slightest as he absently spins the ring around his finger.

[haolehothead]

Danny cocks his brow upwards and relinquishes his offering hand, giving a slight shrug. "I don't know, you are kind of gangly," he mocks mildly, smirking as he takes in Steve's outfit. He steps in, just close enough to grab the collar of the shirt and try and force it together. "Still no tie."

[newkindofcop]

"No dear," Steve replies quietly, the corners of his mouth twitching with the beginnings of his amusement. His hands never leave his pockets, even as Danny shifts and fusses. He does push away from the wall, standing up a little straighter, giving himself more of a height advantage as he looks down at the top of Danny's head.

[dr_robchase]

Sometimes, Chase forgot how long he'd been on the island until the reminders came out in droves. Every time something weird happened, every time he had to deal with vanishings, every time there was a party, he remembered just how much Tabula Rasa differed from Jersey. Not that he minded, it wasn't like Jersey was anything to write home about.

Chase had attended nearly every one of Jane's parties and this one brought him right back to recalling how strange it was that he'd been on the island as long as he had. Sure, sometimes it sucked, but then other times, well, it wasn't half bad. He was perusing the selection of drinks, lifting up a glass of wine to keep tight to his chest as he surveyed the party and looked for the people he did know, the ones who hadn't disappeared.

At least, he was doing that until he shifted to make sure he didn't get collided into and red wine spilled all over his sleeve. His white sleeve -- or rather, his formerly white sleeve. "Shit."

[phoinikothrix]

"Don't let the hostess hear you say that," Francis cautioned good-naturedly. "Who knows what power she has to drum you out of society? Well, such as it is, here." He handed the other man a napkin to clean up as much of the stain as possible.

[dr_robchase]

"I'd say that I know her and she wouldn't," Chase said ruefully as he took the cloth, "but I think maybe she'd look at me disapprovingly until I went. Which also would take away my free babysitting for the night, so you're right, I'd better behave." He held up the napkin, smiling at the man. "Thanks. I don't think I can save it, but this helps."

[phoinikothrix]

"I've heard club soda is also supposed to help. Unless that makes it worse." He shrugged. "I never did my own laundry back at home, so I could be entirely mistaken."

[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."

[stormweathered]

Castle was delighted that apparently a committee of gods-on-high had been listening to his list of demands. More fancy-dress (or costume, whatever people called it these days) parties was right up there with monkey butlers and 'condo on my moon property'. Since he didn't think the rocket technology was anywhere near getting him to the moon and he couldn't seem to find any monkeys willing to wear suits, fancy dress was going to have to do.

He was moving through the crowd with as debonair a smile as he could muster, wearing a tuxedo and acting like he was James Bond. And really, truly, in his head, a part of him really did think like that. He smiled at the next passing guest, thinking that now was as good a time as any to begin socializing more. "Castle," he introduced himself. "Richard Castle. Would you like a drink?"

[ffyddlon]

The name's familiar if only because Kate's mentioned it and Gwen can't help but nod. She's uncomfortable with the dress, yes, but parties are something she's always enjoyed and a drink might help ease some of the tension that she's got about being so dressed up.

"Love one, actually. Two, if you've got it."

[stormweathered]

"Two for you? And why the double-fisting?" Castle wondered, but still handed her two drinks because when a beautiful lady requests something of you, you do it. "Is it the fancy dress? I know my mother compulsively drinks when she's dressed up. Something about flights of whimsy and fancy."

[ffyddlon]

Gwen laughs and bites at her lower lip lightly before nodding. "I've never been very good at being traditionally girly," she says, figuring that explains most of it. "Last time I wore a dress this fine, I was getting married. Think that just about explains everything."

Leather and boots are a lot more comfortable in this juncture of Gwen's life. She's not sure how that happened, but shedding that skin to don this one has proven difficult.