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Tairloth also looked up in amazement, and mild frustration, at this newcomer. "Clearly I overthought the point of the masks..." she muttered, shifting her wings underneath her concealing cloak.

"But of course," the Duchess calls to the Scholar, as that creature's thump-down creates snowbanks all around. Even as she speaks, she is gesturing to servants, sending more runnign with more platters of fish and meat to Aggles so that he needn't get up from where he sat himself to continue grabbing tasty morsels. "I would never dream of host a party without sending an invitation to you. I'm so glad you could join us."

The Duchess looked between Faye and The Scholar, at their masks crafted to resemble flowers and petals. "Did you two coordinate? If not, how absolutely marvelous -- it seems the wind has put the idea of a theme in many minds, tonight."

"Coincidence," Faye said simply, glancing up at the dragon like his presence was perfectly normal. Because apparently a sneaky faerie could startle her, but not a whole dragon...

"O-hooo, don't be so skittish," The Nameless One turned back to Faye, giggling. "I could sense your magic from a mile awa-"

They were interrupted by the dragon which had descended with a boom. The Nameless One never lost composure, smirking at their newest arrival. "My, oh my! So many new faces from all stretches of land! Ohh, I'm excited to get to know you all..."

The Nameless One's smile was still smug. Almost evil.

Na'aiyah stood tall-or as tall a 5'5 person could-dressed in dark attire, which heavily contrasted her long white hair, paler skin and blue eyes. Her expression was what could only be described as cold underneath her black and red mask, as she walked towards the gathering of people. The thick black skirt of her winter dress swaying around her legs. Cold environments wasn't new to her at all.
"So this was what the invite was for, I see. How cute." She muttered the last part with a dry chuckle, probably sounding a lot more sarcastic than she meant to.

The dragon smiled at Aggles and laid down on his belly like the Sphinx so he could get a better look. "A cat! A little talking cat. Aren't you precious!"

He turned the smile to the Duchess, and then to Faye. A deep belly laugh resounded from his maw, which was, despite his friendly appearance, full of big, sharp teeth. "Serendipity! I thought a reminder of spring would be pleasant in the cold."

His nostrils flared and he drew in a huge breath. "I smell something delicious!"

The Nameless One turned to gaze at the fish at the table, upon the dragon's comment on smelling a delicious aroma. "Could it be... this, perhaps?"

She daintily grabbed a salmon from the table by its tail and held it out for The Scholar. "How does this look, darling?"

Cris returned the Duchess's smile and greeting and she nodded in agreement. "I couldn't have described it better. The atmosphere, the decorations, the music, it's like you always manage to gather the very best of the season spirit." At her question, she chuckled and regarded the baby in her arms with motherly indulgence. "This is my little Rosy, the youngest of my kids. I wanted her to see all the wonders of the Masquerade for herself...."

Rosy tilted her little head and blinked, observing the snowflakes on Duchess's mask. She reached her tiny hands and babbled enthusiastically, a mix of childish gibberish and the yips of a fox.

"Yes, the Duchess's mask looks beautiful, right?" Cris chuckled softly. Little Rosy turned to her mum, beamed and nodded, then looked in wide-eyed curiosity at the other guests gathering around the banquet. The food seemed to interest her, even if she was too young to really know much of those delicacies, but they smelled nice!

Aggles looked at Na'aiyah confused. "How is this cute?" He asked. "I would say more... Pretty or beautiful or cool or... Other stuff! But normally I'd associate cute things with like... Bunnies or stuff."

Now a bit more relaxed about how much she had to hide, Tairloth approached this newcomer, danish in hand, and allowed her wings to peek out from underneath her cloak. "Hello! Glad to see a fellow draconic here!" She called out.

Hearing the dragon express an interest in food, the Duchess beckons, low but urgent, to one of her servants, who hurries away. Shortly, a servants begin emerging from one of the white tents at the edges of the clearing, each one carrying a new platter of meats, cheeses, fish or puddings. They hustle over to the table nearest the dragon, loading it with additional food, and then return to the tent. They rush back and forth in a loop, loading and overlaoding the table until the wood audibly groans, preparing for when the platter of fish that The Nameless One brought over isn't quite enough any longer. This taken care of, she turns to walk toward Na'aiyah, gesturing her toward the center of the clearing welcomingly. "Welcome, welcome. Please, don't stand on the edges. Come join us in the warm." For indeed it was warmer the further into the clearing one ventured, despite no clear source of heat.

The tail spade wagged once more. His nose followed the fish as Nameless raised it aloft. "Why, it looks lovely. Thank you!" He stretched out a foreclaw, palm-up, to accept the offer. He flicked his tail in appreciation, noticing how the Duchess brought more provisions out seemingly especially for him.

Tairloth's greeting was returned with a polite bow of the head. "Ah, you are also of the Scale?" He tilted his head, sounding almost concerned, until he saw the glint of brass peeking from under her cloak. He relaxed after that. "I hope you are faring well enough in this cold, cousin."

There were so many things to see! Rosy's head kept turning this way and that, either in directions to which her mother pointed or simply when her own interest was caught. Beautiful masks and colorful people and a lot of delicious smelling food and--

Did Aggles just say the word 'bunnies'?

Babbling in enthusiasm, the vulpine baby girl flailed toward the masked cat, while at the same time looking around for any sign of the bun-buns! But she couldn't see any? Maybe they were hiding?

Na'aiyah glanced down, hearing a voice. "A talking cat? I suppose you have a point.." She shrugged.
Then another voice caught her attention, a very beautifully dressed individual. "Thank you." A small smile appeared on her lips as she stepped closer towards the center. "So what sort of drinks are being served here?" She asked, the first bit of emotion in her voice, curiousity.

The Duchess smiles at the child reaching toward her mask. It shimmers with snowflake decorations, glinting like ice in the moonlight. She reaches up and plucks one of the snowflakes from the mask, and places it into the child's palm, where in short order the actual, larger-than life snowflake will begin to melt, allowing the girl to appreciate the crystalline structure for a few heartbeats before its edges begin to blur. The Duchess gives the girl a wink, before seeing her off to look for bunnies.

The Nameless One's eyes lit up as The Scholar... thanked her. Her smile grew ever-more wide. She opted not to explain that by thanking the fae, that means the dragon now owed Nameless. Perhaps she'd cross paths with him again someday... she could use that to her benefit. For now though... she'd revel in the festivities.

With a flourish, The Nameless One turned around and decided to look for more people to talk to.

"I myself am a fan of hot cider," says the Duchess to Na'aiyah. "Or cocoa with cinnamon and spice. But perhaps you are looking for something a bit more fortified?"

The Scholar, it seemed, was not well-versed in the ways of faeries--perhaps his scholarly pursuits lay elsewhere! As he accepted the fish a bit of a chill ran down his spine, though he passed this off as a result of lying on his belly in the snow. "What a nice young person," he muttered contentedly as he tipped the fish into his mouth and ate it bones and all.

He sat up, then, to give himself better use of his foreclaws. There was a table fixing to collapse if some brave hero didn't help relieve its burden! He began picking up platters as if they were as minute as saucers, but mention of drinks made him perk up. "Oh, is there eggnog?" he asked. "Perhaps with a spot of rum?" Procuring enough eggnog to serve a dragon would be an interesting ordeal ...

Faye watched the Nameless One, perhaps just a bit disappointed that she was already departing to talk to other people... Of course, she wouldn't complain; that was rude. This was a party, and socializing was the name of the game. On that note, Faye peered about; her pastry was now gone, so maybe she should mingle, too... She decided to direct a compliment towards the large dragon. "Your mask really is beautiful," she said, smiling behind her own floral design. "We may not have coordinated, but we both look great!" She giggled a bit, then grabbed a cookie to distract from her own social awkwardness.

"So far so good." Tairloth replied "Though it definitely made for a rougher flight!"