Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Summer Soiree: Dancing With The Fae (CLOSED)

Vague irritation easily outweighed the shadow genie’s alarm. Being spirited away to parts unknown was one thing, but the AUDACITY of using sweet smells and subtle magics to trick him, VALDEMAR, into participating? Inexcusable!

As the mental haze brought on by the mysterious circle faded, Valdemar straightened, mouth pursed in a harsh straight line. Ohhh yes. He would have words—SHARP words—with whoever was responsible, make no mistake!

Incensed, he walked with purpose down the wooded corridor, ever closer to the source of strange, disembodied music. His powerful “can I speak to your manager” aura only grew more potent with every step. The more he dwelled on it, the more riled up he became—honestly! KIDNAPPING?! How tasteless, how… RUDE!

However, as the overgrown hall spilled out into a meadow/ballroom… well. Perhaps Valdemar’s resolve might have waned a LITTLE. If he’d been kidnapped for the purpose of PARTYING, that was another matter entirely.

He noted the decor with some admiration—the superior choice would have been night-themed, obviously, but he could admit that the glowing fungi were somewhat adjacent to a starry sky.

And then for a moment he was torn. Nearby, he could see an antennaed person flitting from guest to guest, mingling with the singular purpose of a HOST. THIS would be the person at which he should air his grievances. At MINIMUM, they deserved a spirited talking to… but then, he wasn’t entirely sure his heart would be in it. There was dancing to be done, after all. And at present, there were not NEARLY enough people DOING IT for his liking!

Valdemar recalibrated, nyeh-ing slightly in thought. So many beastfolk and mortals were otherwise engaged, if only he could find one who was off to the s—AHAH! With a pointy-toothed smile, Valdemar’s pitch-black gaze settled on a mortal at the outskirts. A human(?) by his estimation, dark-haired and dressed in blue. He would grant her a boon, Val decided, allowing them BOTH to enjoy the festivities in one fell swoop! How GRACIOUS of him!

With renewed purpose, Valdemar approached her with a confident stride (his preferred mode of transport). He cleared his throat respectfully, and lowered himself in one of his fancier bows.

“Ah-heh-HEM. Good evening, mortal,” he acknowledged, allowing Kellie a sufficient few moments to be impressed. Valdemar was nearly a good two feet taller than her, and wholly different in appearance.

He was pointy-toothed, and eared, and *faced,* really, with long proportions that were smack dab in the middle of the elegant/uncanny venn diagram. The top of his head coalesced in something like a flame, though it was blueish purple in color, and had an oddly ethereal quality, like ink in water.

Such grandeur was a LOT to take in, he was sure.

“I, VALDEMAR SHADOWSPUN, Weaver of Darkness, Master of Shade and Illusion, would like to request the pleasure of your company,” he continued, his excitement poorly concealed behind the absurd formality. He extended a hand to her, giving her a half expectant, half pleading look. “Nyeh-hem… that is to say, will you dance with me? I’m really quite good, you know.”

As the fox-tailed woman spoke, her phone rang, and a man's voice started blabbering from it. Artie didn't give a peep. She glanced towards her dancing girlfriend with disbelief, which only grew when the man from the phonecall appeared in the hall and was deeply embraced by his 'adoptive mother'. Right, uhh.. All of a sudden, she fostered a strong desire to walk away and help herself to another pastry, but it was already too late. "Aye, uh.. pleasure to meet ye, then," she greeted the man, though she couldn't help but raise a brow. "Aren't ye.. a wee bit old to be mothered like that? When A was in college, no one A knew ever.." This was.. a party. Parties were all about spreading merriness and enjoying oneself. Hitting a heartstring and potentially starting a conflict was not beyond her and Sprite, but since their host was a supernatural creature with gods knew what powers, she was fully in the mood to act out of character. "Well, eh.. to each to their own, is what A mean." Planning her locally-Irish goodbye, she was then promptly interrupted by a booming voice and glittery, starry-night'esque entrance. Valdemar, Lord of blah blah.. hey, was he bloody DENSE?! "Heh, there goes patient zero," Sprite grinned behind her. Artie slammed her palm into her forehead. Her lover had stopped her tappy-tappy dance and returned to her side, swooping a slightly sweaty arm around her shoulders. "Nah, I wanna see 'tis.." Yeah, 'cause magickally induced identity theft surely was an entertaining thing to look at, huh?

Kellie noted the tall blue being who strode into the room confident like he owned the place. Ughhh. He reminded Kellie of the self proclaimed “alpha males” crossed with a “frat boy”. That Kellie should be adoring being in his presence and that they were so lucky to have him choose them to give his attention to. And how blatantly he gave not only his name, but his title too, all of it made Kellie chuckle silently. Fine. They’ll play his game.

“That was bold of you to not only call me a mortal, but to assume that giving out your name here so carelessly was a good idea.” Kellie smiled sweetly. They couldn’t do anything with the name. They might be fae, but they were more monster than anything. But as they spoke, Kellie might seem a little more alluring, prettier and inviting, certainly a gorgeous woman to behold now. Was her dress always that dark? It certainly wasn’t as light blue as it was now.

“But. I will entertain this dance.” They paused. “If you lose that attitude and try again. No one cares who you are besides those who want your name. You haven’t even asked who you have the pleasure of asking a dance of. So, Valdemear Shadowspin, Weaver of something or other, enjoy the party. I will await your second attempt.”

With that, Kellie rolled their eyes very deliberately at him and walked off to replace their drink and walk up to the group now congregating nearby. They sighed then laughed lightly. “Well. He’s certainly something. Perhaps an idiot.”

As ever, Yaaz's smile made Curly's heart leap and dance, just as it did on their very first meeting. He smiled back warmly and twined his fingers with his beloved's, following Yaaz's lead. And sure enough, as they moved closer he could hear a distant hum of pleasing music and a feeling that, for a moment, he associated strongly with the sun. It was such a strong impression Curly himself was surprised, until he realized the logic behind the association - for his dog donor, it was memories of running free in the desert vastity, and for his lizard donor it was quiet, safety, and the rejuvenating strength derived from the warm sun rays.

His tail swished left and right excitedly and the markings glowed more definite as he stepped into the circle with Yaaz. Then...

Curly was not new to instant travels. He had experienced various kind of portals in his world, and discovered far more after he had got to know Yaaz's enchanted world. He had expected it would be sudden and surprising and breath-taking. But as they emerged into an underground tunnel that seemed to beckon from the depths of the very earth, he felt a rush of _affinity_ with this place. Was it because of the ley line magic that now ran in his very being? Or was it just his inner love for nature? Be it what may, his neck frills flickered just so slightly, not in alarm, but excitement; and his ears were perked right on top of his head as he followed Yaaz toward the flowerbed at the far end, where other people - guests from various worlds, he could tell by their appearance - were moving this way and that.

His reptilian green eyes sparkled with that light of when he had something he couldn't wait to reveal, while he glanced over his shoulder at Yaaz. "You know, I have been thinking of Fae name... there's one I want to go by that I think you'll like" he said under his breath. "And steering clear of food sounds reasonable too. At least I needn't worry about the music stealing my soul", he joked, winking at Yaaz, "since it's been stolen hopelessly when I fell in love with you. Do you want to dance with me, my heart?"

The other guests he had paid little attention to, but there was at least one couple that he thought were familiar. But before he could point them out to Yaaz, a purple faery with long ears and glowing yellow eyes approached them in welcome. Curly turned to regard The Nameless One, and gave a polite nodd of his head. "Thank you. This place looks fabulous--" He would have said more when several of the guests - a vulpine woman who reminded him of Cris's cubs, and a figure that seemed made of fog and smoke, but more solid than Yaaz's hounds - started blurting out their names.

Curly winced instinctively. 'Never tell your name to the Fae' was one of the very first things Yaaz had taught him. Were these people really so... clueless?

Sitting idley by, Nenira sits on a stone while strumming along on her lute. At first, just tuning the instrument, then eventually starting a song she has been working on. Till she finds her song being led by nearby music. Looking down she sees the lovely little fairy circl and puts her instrument away. "It's been a while since I have visited anyone in the fae realm."

Hearing the soothing voice speak to her, she smiles and steps right into the ring. Carefully she minds her hoof as it steps down into the circle. Her eyes wide open ready to welcome whomever that welcomes her little satyr self.

Ren caught a glimpse of Artie raising a brow. In response to this he immediately but gently pushed his kitsune mother away.

"Hey!" Azumi pouted

Ren simply shook his head in embarrassment before speaking. Ren looked at Artie once more, quite disgruntled from what happened earlier.

"I'm aware of that, miss" Ren said "Already a college student and my mom still treats me like a kid. Not gonna lie, she does this with everyone who isn't as old or older than her. Embarrassing? Yeah it definitely is, but what am I to do? If I don't entertain her antics, she just gets all pouty and stuff and, let me tell you, it sucks to talk to her when she's pouty"

What Ren did was a half-truth as he did not tell the whole story. He was unsure how good he was doing those despite sounding quite natural as he spoke. In truth, his family, well what's left of it, was quite the mess. He remembered when Azumi told him about how his biological parents left him when he was only an infant. Azumi, who was passed down by Ren's father to Ren himself, took this opportunity to raise him.

"Awww alright" Azumi giggled "No hugging you in front of strangers, right?"

"Obviously!" Ren groaned. Well, this conversation was a lost cause, they might as well find someone else to converse with.

"Well, see ya for now, I guess" Ren said

Ren then leaned against one of the walls, hoping he would not have to talk to strangers again. Of course, this was a party, it would be an ideal place to socialize and possibly make new friends. But his motivation proved quite lacking after that one single moment with Azumi.

"Am I really that overbearing?" Azumi frowned in concern

Ren couldn't help but feel bad.

"Just go make another friend, mom. It's fine" Ren smiled "When I'm feeling a bit better, I'll join the conversation, alright?"

"Okay!" Azumi said happily and began to run to the next person she would unintentionally pester.

Her eyes were now set on Nenira. A satyr?!Azumi thought to herself. What a wonderful discovery! She quickly went on her way to Nenira and extended her small arms out for a handshake.

"Hello miss!" Azumi smiled at Nenira "Do you like music? My son, and I are part of a band called Suburbanites! We love making punk rock and blues!"

Azumi haphazardly guessed often at things. She was not aware Nenira was a musician herself. In fact, she was not quite perceptive of people, she just had good intuition.

It was not long until Ren approached Nenira as well.

"I'm her son" Ren smiled "Currently a Music Production Student at Green's College. I specialize in Piano and Guitar. Our newest album is out called 'Ill City'. I can give you a sample CD if you want"

He sometimes forgot that parties like this were essentially free advertising for his band.

The amount of arrivals had its upsides and downsides. The upsides being that their little dance party now had an abundance of people. The downside was that there were too many people to go greet individually.

Nameless had no problems with that. It was far less work for her, at least. Now she could at least mingle with the commoners a bit more. At the sight of anyone entering through the tunnel, Nameless simply cried out with a "Welcome!" before returning to the crowds. She still kept sharp yellow eyes on them all, however... and her long, pointed ears were kept wide open.

Another name.

Nameless' wings fluttered in anticipation, almost like a nervous tic. Their gaze drifted over to one of the latest guests- a towering, wisplike being- overhearing a request to dance with someone. It wasn't too hard to hear him. It seemed like he rather enjoyed the sound of his outdoor voice.

Nameless was itching to take it. Valdemar Shadowspun. What a lovely name.

Later, Nameless thought. There were far too many people in here, now. Any trickery of the sort would raise unwanted eyebrows. Like dear Azumi, perhaps Nameless would seek him out after the party.

In the meantime, it appeared Nameless had company. Antennae raised at the sound of someone who trotted over to their side.

"Ah! Why hello, darling," Nameless nodded her head at Aster, happily. "I am happy to hear you like what I've done to the place.~"

Nameless gazed out at the ballroom. "Illusory magic. Isn't it wonderful? I can shape my home in any way I'd like! I do it quite often. Keeps me from the menace one might call boredom."

She sighs wistfully, looking back at Aster. "Enjoying yourself thus far? I am not one to invite people into my domain so openly... So I want to make sure it's a worthwhile experience for everybody.~"

The exchange, such as it was, left Valdemar gobsmacked. What had just HAPPENED here? The perhaps-not-a-mortal was chiding him—that much he could tell—but their reasoning went WELL over his smoky head.

“...Whyyyy,” he began, well after she walked away, “should I NOT be generous with my name?” The question was a genuine one, even if he was asking it to no one. Exasperated, he threw his arms in the air. “VALDEMAR is a GREAT NAME!”

Nyehhh… this was NOT the way he was supposed to feel at a party! Even the dancing mortals had stopped to stare at him, and yet for some reason, he felt WEIRD and BAD, DESPITE the attention?! Almost imperceptibly, the shadow man faded a little, becoming just a touch easier to overlook in the small crowd.

His long ears drooped as he began to think—reflect, even—on the “human’s” strange reaction (and maybe less importantly, WHY did they suddenly look, like, 20% cooler?!). The nonsense regarding his excellent name aside, he supposed he HAD been a little… nyeh… “self-centered” in his approach. And it certainly wasn’t the first time someone accused him of carelessness…

GUHH. He HATED when people who MISPRONOUNCED HIS NAME, PURPOSEFULLY(!!!) made a credible POINT!

“WAIT. Wait! Erm…” After a sizable delay from grumbling and feet-dragging, Valdemar gradually shuffled off in her direction. “It OCCURS to me, or rather, it has come to my attention…” He folded his hands behind his back, making a face like he was swallowing medicine. “I MAY have neglected to ask who I might have the pleasure of dancing with,” Valdemar finished in a single, hurried breath. “That WAS, I think, inconsiderate of me. I am… ssssorry.”

Pulling the apology out of himself seemed like an undertaking, but the result seemed genuine, if nothing else. That overshadowed vagueness he’d taken on before seemed to lessen as he looked at them with dark eyes. Perhaps a little sheepishly. “...Now does this count toward my SECOND attempt, or are we speaking off the record...?"

Aster watches Valdemar and the ladies exchange speechless that they would just throw their name out there.. including inside a fae's own domain what a idiot... or maybe just clueless...


"Sounds quite lovely to have your own place as you wish, with a flick of a wrist." He says looking around at the cave and people "I would sympathize with you about boredom however I'm never left... alone Per Say.."

"Awww I knew you loved me~" The Ghost teases

his face looks like he was about to say something, annoyed at something but he takes a breath, fidgeting with their cloak

"but yes! quite the party, nice to get to see new faces and see people have fun! The group over there seems to be having quite a blast!"

They were amused that he had actually decided to try again in getting them to dance. Almost adorable actually. Usually men who were as loud as him would try to make Kellie feel bad that they hadn't fallen to their knees, begging to let them dance with them. With a chuckle, the dark haired woman smiled politely.

"I call myself Kellie," they stated with a light curtsy. It wasn't their real name.... they didn't even know their true name. ((Lore go brrrr lol)). "Your second attempt is much nicer. I appreciate it, though I recommend not being so brazen and loud in the future. It makes for a terrible first impression. But.... if you are familiar with any ballroom dances or the like, then I will oblige. If your dancing is as confident and graceful as you are then it should be a splendid time."

They would hold out their hand to the genie should he want to continue with his plans to dance with them.

Anyone playing close attention (mostly Curly) would have noticed the beast's eye twitch more than a few times already looking over the crowd, this was a literal goldmine for the host to collect later on in the future. If he were that way inclined he would totally host a party such as this because the level of fae illiteracy was RIFE among this population. He looked at his love with wide eyes and an exasperated expression as if to say 'Did no one teach them anything about fae etiquette??!?!'

He sighed, shook his head and allowed Curly to take him over to the field where the dancing was occurring. "Do you remember what I taught you the last time we came here?" meaning the fae realm in general. A simple enough, but traditional folk dance in pairs, easy enough and not too energetic that the beast could manage given he wasn't in the best of health for more energetic dancing.

The room was beautiful but more importantly this illusion was beautiful, regardless he'd revel in his love's excitement for anything magic related. Occassionally he'd glance at other guests, or cringe at the tall one being stupid. He'd whisper to Curly "When everyone starts getting eaten we leave...." he didn't yet know the type of fae their host was, if she was unseelie then he'd stay on high alert, despite being half fae himself he wasn't completely immune but he was respectful of the laws.

Arriving at the party, Nenira vould see that everyone was wearing nice clothing. Dresses, semi formal wear, and she felt a bit silly in her dancer's clothes. Her belly showing and her belts jingling to bring attention to herself. She took a moment to step away and change into a nice semi formal dress. Though to some it may seem like she's still going to the renfair, she is wearing nice clothes. Her dress itself in emerald green colors with golden vines embroidered into it. The bodice that she is sintched into is a forget green with more goldren fine thread. Though not the bright colors of her dancing clothes she does look very nice. Her hair, still down, but now her flower crown has been removed allowing her antlers to properly show. There are a couple of flower petals still left in her dirty blond curls that she has missed. She had left on her wooden bangles and her golden necklace. They are her nicest jewelry and have illusion magic on them to make sure they sparkle.

Nenira puts on a smile and steps forward with a hooved foot. She hears a welcome from the hostess, and many new faces to meet. When suddenly she is greeted by a guest.

Punk rock? Blues? Nenira offers a smile while shaking Azumi's hand. She leans forward to offer her name in a whisper, "Hello, I'm Nenira." She leans back and smiles speaking normally, "I do love music, though I may sound silly as a musician that has not heard of punk rock, or blues." Nenira's smile became a little nervous. "I am a bard and follow the way of stories. I love hearing about peoples lives, and more importantly their local legends." She giggles excitedly removing her hand from Azumi's to cover said giggle.

"What instruments do you play? I'm considering what I want to master next. Currently I know how to play the lute, the fiddle, the dulcimers, and the pan flute. Each one offers its own emotional and feel for the music that is being enjoyed, don't you think?"

Hearing Ren she smiles, and listens to him. This must be the son that Azumi mentioned, and he then confirms that is whom he is. "Lovely to meet you Ren. I'm glad you are going to an academy, which college of the arts will you be focused on?" She stumbled at the word 'cd.' Instead of bringing it up she smiles hoping the young lad will focus on her initial question to him. "I do very much enjoy the use of multiple instruments. I was just telling your mother what ones I play myself."

"Not being so LOUD?” Valdemar repeated before flashing her a sharp-toothed grin. “Nya-HA! Why set false expectations for the sake of a 'good first impression?' I will literally NEVER get any quieter!”

Kellie's light flattery perked Valdemar right back up, it seemed, as if his discomfort of a moment ago was all but forgotten. Like a wilting flower after a much needed rain, he soaked up the praise eagerly.

Pleased with her curtsy, Val replied with another flourishing bow of his own. It was a little lower than the last one, either to demonstrate contrition, or to show off how very GOOD he was at bowing.

“STILL… I DO appreciate your candor, erm… Kellie. As well as your openness to—ahem—SECOND impressions.” With that, he took their hand, trying and failing not to absolutely beam.

At first, Valdemar led them into something of a waltz, altered though it was to account for the immense height difference between them. Smooth movements, smooth lines, flowing into a recognizable pattern. And slowly, here and there, something would change. Little improvisations crept in, questions in the form of movement, to which Val would eagerly await the response. If Kellie seemed to favor something faster, closer, further apart—Valdemar adjusted accordingly. As they moved, it became a conversation.

Soon, the patterns their feet tapped out on the soft earthen floor would grow subtly more complex, more difficult to recognize as a simple waltz. Together, they were collaborating, building something wholly their own.

"Ohhh, believe me, it sure is," Nameless hummed. "All the fun without any of the hassle!"

Nameless' soft yellow eyes drifted out the ballroom once more. There, her gaze was fixated on a couple of groups who have finally begun to engage in the dance she had advertised. The two couples danced amongst themselves while Valdemar had successfully managed to win a dance with the humanoid girl he called Kellie. Prying ears determined that Kellie was not the woman's true name. It was an alias, a name she called her own- yet it held no power over her.

"Mmm, it appears you're right- they all look to be enjoying my little get-together as well. How delightful!"

Their wings twitched as they looked back over at Aster, seemingly pondering his previous statement regarding boredom.

"Never left alone, is that so?" Nameless shifted their weight, leaning closer. "I didn't think that would be the case! You seemed dreadfully lonely when you first walked in... Do you have a little devil on your shoulder? A patron, perhaps? These eyes on you... are they unwanted, by any chance?"

A wily smile crept up her freckled complexion.

"If so, perhaps you may meet me after the party," A giggle rumbled in her throat. "I can do many things, and removing unneeded influences just so happens to be one of them!"

Nameless straightens up. "For now, I say we enjoy the rest of this soiree! Did you need anything else, perhaps? A snack? Something to drink? A dance partner, if you're so inclined?"

Nameless was offering an invitation to dance, but judging by her body language, there was no pressure to do so. If Aster declined, the faerie would not be offended.

"Its, complicated... but i suppose a devil on the shoulder could be a decent explanation?... Honestly im not quite sure myself!" he chuckles nervously about the situation regarding it in general.

"Hey!! I'm nothing like those barbaric creatures! Take that back!" Ghost says appalled at the comparison. Asters eye twitches, his tail wrapping around a leg

"I might take you up on that, both actually! this thing is driving me up the walls and making me seem mad because I cant mentally talk with it.. But onto a much more fun topic, Id love to dance!" He pops up more happily, glad to move on to something more fun. His tail unwrapping and moving around happily, and he holds out his hand to Nameless

Valdemar truely was a loud creature. His entire vibe seemed to be ‘Eyes on me! Yes I am here!’ and it amused Kellie. He didn’t seem to be one who tried to have influence over others but just like attention. It was very different from how Kellie acted, especially when moving through larger settlements. It was blend in and move along. Be as inconspicuous as possible. Maybe, maybe they could replicate his style a little themself. This was a party after all.

As they danced, it was evident that Kellie was indeed quite a capable dancer, fluid and smooth in their steps like ripples across a still lake. Whether Valdemar noticed or not, Kellie seemed a little curious about the outfit he wore. They tried not to make it easy to tell as they danced but they were assessing the material and how it moved.

One such improvisation ended with Kellie spinning out, holding his hand in their own, but their outfit had changed dramatically. Deep blue dress that sparkled light and hugged their figure well, light gold accents and blue black panels along their sides that seemed to flow, either like smoke or ink in water. Their dark hair brightened slightly with the appearance of small blue roses in a small flower crown. Maybe it was a little flashy but they matched their dance partner now and this was a chance to let loose a little and play with their appearance and those around them.

“I figured you might appreciate the change.” They stated once they had twirled back in to continue the dance.

For a while, they watched the events of the evening unfold- yet nothing visibly flashy went down. Sprite clacked her tongue in quiet disappointment, and grabbed Artie's hands again to continue their dancing. What a waste! Here she'd hopin' to see all that fae name-stealin' bizz in action! Would their faces have melted off? Would their minds just go poof and blank out forever? Guess she'd never find out. As most single guests'd found their dancing or chatting buddy, both their eyes once again landed on the 'vaguely familiar' and only other couple present at the dance party. One half of the duo was a hybrid man, by the looks of it, bearing resemblance to both an Earthly hound and a lizard of some sort. The other half, well, he definitely looked like what Flarus wished he looked like. A multi-colored hide and features from gods-knew which animals, complimented by his outfit. As they analysed the two, searching their minds for what they might recognize them from, Artie and Sprite occasionally exchanged some glances, as to non-verbally discuss whether or not to approach them. Artie had effectively scared off the excitable fox and her 'adopted boy', so striking a convo with them would be really awkward, to say the least. The dark-haired woman and the mage-like youngster were also occupied talking to their purple host and the bombastic shadow man, so little other opportunities for social interaction remained. Hands entangled and starry-eyed, they adjusted their course to come a bit closer to the hybrid couple, and when they were within speaking range, Sprite turned her head to them and greeted them with a no-pressure and ambicable nod. "Eyy there! 'Tis gonna be real hard t'explain without gettin' anyone's name stolen, but I gotta sense I seen y'somewhere before," she said to the dog-faced man. The same could be said about his rainbow-hided partner, though the memories there were much less tangible. "Maybe it was, uhh.." A small list of potential mutual friends ran through her head, and she briefly looked back at Artie. Then, all of a sudden, they were struck by the exact same memory. Not even that strong of a memory either: back at Cris's place, during the early weeks of their friendship when the case was still hot and happening, Zero had oo'd and aa'd at this 'frilly man' he'd seen on a picture somewhere. Was this the same frilly man? "Oh, yeah! Think't was Cr-" Shmack! Artie slapped her fingers on top of Sprite's lips to shut her up. Oh, shit, right! Couldn't say any names! "She means our.. potentially mutual friend, the fox-masked vigilante. Ye know, average-sized human lass, dark hair, wears 'em braw kimonos from time to time." Then, she whispered a quick sorry and pecked Sprite on her sore lips. It was worth saving their friend from total name robbery, though.

Nameless' eyes glittered with both mischief and intrigue, at Aster's possible acceptance of her proposal to remove his so-called "devil on his shoulder," or whatever it was that was troubling him.

Oh, what fun.

She laughed. "Most excellent, darling.~"

Returning his smile, Nameless enthusiastically took his hand. With a burst of energy that seemed all too sudden for the fae, Aster was pulled onto the flowerbed, twirling as she took the lead in a tango, slowing down once they had strayed closer to the likes of the other dancers.

She hummed along to the ethereal music that vibrated from the crevices in her domain, allowing Aster a chance to take the lead in the dance. Her wings flapped in excitement, antennae giving the faintest glow. "O-hooo, what fun!~"

The mushrooms lighting the ballroom seemed to respond in kind, their glows noticeably warmer than before. This was The Nameless One's domain, after all. In a way, it almost made sense for the environment she created to be receptive to her emotions.

Curly met Yaaz's astonished glance at the way so many guests were casually dropping their names, and couldn't refrain from shaking his head bemusedly. "Almost makes one wonder if it was coincidential, so many people who don't have the faintest clue of what's safe and what's not safe around fae..." he said, wondering if that might not have been the host's intent all along and if by their knowing the rules, they were not sort of "spoiling the fun". But the purple faerie didn't seem to mind their careful behavior in the slightest, and seemed quite cavalier about the other guests faux pas... at least so far.

Yaaz's whispered words confirmed the trail of thought that Curly was pursuing, but before he could reply, the familiar-looking couple of human women approached them. And, when they were close enough, Curly's ears perked in recognition. "I thought you looked familiar, but I couldn't pinpoint from where and this variety of scents made it difficult for my dog donor to focus... but you are correct", he nodded, turning from Sprite to Artie, "we met at that beach-side bonfire she held for non-humans... you were with a-" he held the word artificial before it left his lips - not knowing beforehand if it'd be rude or offensive, he'd rather play safe "-- feline friend and a human cub with much the same boundless energy as my nephew."

Throwing a quick look to their surroundings, he added; "You seem to understand that this isn't the best time or place for introductions... but at this one occasion you might know me as the Sunflower," he glanced at Yaaz, smiled with his eyes and folded out his neck frills slightly as he turned in his direction, "... forever basking in the glow of the sun. And I'm looking at my sun right now."

“I mean…it makes sense to host such an event if you seek to harm others..” he whispered under his breath to Curly. “Or it’s a case that some worlds either not have our kind entirely OR simply they have been discarded and considered only old wives tales…” he said in normal volume.

As the two women approached he smiled politely and bowed his head. He didn’t know where they knew Curly from and he struggled to remember if he had met them before, but they knew the fox woman so maybe they were from Curly’s world?
At Curly’s ‘fae’ name he smiled at his love “You are too sweet.” he pulls him closer for a public display of affection, snuggling the side of his face and snoot. Back to the women he bowed his head once more “My name is Yasin.” his standard name he used in public.