Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Trick or Treat: Masquerade's Masquerade Ball

The wind is cool. The moon is full. The stars twinkle merrily through the boughs of the trees. It is All Hallow's Eve and you find yourself walking through this unfamiliar land, footsteps muffled by a thick growth of moss upon the forest floor. Will-o-the-wisps flutter at the edges of your vision. Are you really here? Or is this just a dream? It's hard to say.

Before your feet lays a path that hadn't been there before. In the distance is the sound of eerie and ethereal music played upon instruments like none you have ever heard. A few steps forward along the path laid out for you and the trees will open. Before you lies a clearing. There are no torches or fires of any kind. It feels as if the light of the moon is somehow amplified here. As if the goddess herself has turned her face so as to watch the goings in this glade on this night.

The whole of the area is filled with bizarre looking creatures of myth and legend, made all the stranger looking by the masks of wood and bone covering what you can only assume is their faces. Brownies and sprites cavort between your feet, cackling madly as they attempt to trip up anyone foolish enough to ignore their presence. Centaurs stand around the edges of the clearing stamping their hooves to the music which seems to come from no where and all around. Elves and gnomes appear and disappear through the curtains of moonlight as if not altogether there and above it all the dance of the fairies flows like water just beyond your reach.

On the far side of the clearing where bowls of fruit and jugs of amber liquid lay for anyone to partake, one particular creature stands out. A tiny fey with thin green wings, large black eyes and white hair tipped with green presides over the refreshments with a clever eye. She's dressed in a simple white cloth gown that keeps falling off of one shoulder and her feet are bare. The most conspicuous thing about her, though, is the soft jingle of the key ring tied to a loop of rope around her waist.

This is the mistress of ceremonies for the fairy's ball. This is Masquerade's Masquerade.

Goblins didn't tend to get invited to shindigs like this one. They were too uncouth for even their prankster fae cousins.

And well, Rivka hadn't exactly been invited. But whatever, she was coming anyway. She had her wooden mask already tied around her head. And she'd acquired a set of boots that definitely looked to have belonged to a human male as they were much too large. Plus a set of gloves to hide her clawed fingers.

"Spirits, protect Rivka," she cast her eyes upward and paused just outside of the clearing. Then she took a deep breath and entered, strolling over toward the food and drink.

One of the sprites zipped between her legs and Rivka reached down and snatched it, holding it upside down by its leg as she strongly considered using it as an appetizer. Of course, then the others would drive her out for sure and she hadn't even gotten to raid the refreshment table yet. "Not nice," she settled for a quick reprimand, then let the thing go again and it darted away.

The goblin hurried the rest of the way to the refreshment table, her gloved hand reaching out to take a piece of fruit when she finally noticed the tiny fey with the white dress hovering there. Rivka offered her a toothy grin, standing there a bit awkwardly, as if she'd been caught stealing something. "uh... Rivka have?"

When the book had informed her where she was going tonight, she honestly considered for a moment, just a moment, tossing the whole thing on the bonfire, sacred family heirloom or not, and washing her hands of the entire business for good. As it was, after a couple hours of pacing, fretting, and enough curses to turn the little troll she had captured for information from green to fuchsia, she had broken and decided to do it. Whatever the book had her after, it was too important to let slip away, and the greater good far outweighed her personal fears.

But that didn't mean she had to like it.

Particularly since, beyond being stuffed to the boughs with fae, it was a dressy event.

Krepta did not do fancy. She was t-shirts and jeans where she could get away with it, and deerskin and breeches where she couldn't. As it was, she did have a dress stashed away, stolen on a whim years ago from a theater company she had tangled with briefly. She had never planned on actually wearing it though. It had been a... silly flight of fantasy, a moment of childish impulse. She was regretting taking the thing at all now.

Krepta scowled at herself in the mirror. She didn't look... bad persay, just... not her. Her hair was pulled back, and tucked and pinned as neatly as she knew how (which meant more than a few strands out of place). She had hidden her mistakes with a couple of flowers from the garden. The dress itself flowed over her form, and hugged her hips before spreading out in a silken fan of tones of caramel and chocolate around her feet. A lighter colored shawl covered her upper half-- because it was getting colder, but also because she didn't like how revealing the top cut of the dress had been. It made her self conscious.

There were leather shoes of deer hide underneath. Nothing in the world would ever get her to wear anything even remotely resembling those torture devices most women wore to fancy gathering. She would have gone barefoot first. As it was, the dress was long enough that no one would see her feet anyway.

She didn't have a mask, but she had altered the skull from one of her kills into something resembling one. The antlers had tangled in her hair at first, and it was kind of... heavy, but she could tolerate it for one night, she figured.

Done. Fine. It would do.

She stepped away, back towards the door. A quick movement, a sharp pain, the brief scent of blood.

The door to Sanctuary opened out somewhere else, somewhere far away and very green. She stepped through and into the glade, emerging from between a few trees. The door closed behind her, leaving nothing but air behind, as if it had never been.

The Walker scanned the scene suspiciously. There were certainly a lot of types here that put the little hairs on the back of her neck on end. To those who didn't know their tales, brownies and elves seemed innocent, even cute. Krepta knew better.

But there was a squat, snaggle toothed woman in a wooden mask manhandling some of the locals near where they had set out the food. She seemed more Krepta's cut, so she strode cautiously over, eyeing the spread warily. She had been very careful to eat her fill and then some before arriving.

Who knows upon what soil they fed their hungry thirsty roots... She recalled with a quiet frown. Who knew if it was true or not? She wasn't taking chances, either way.

"Hi there," she said, trying to look friendly beneath the imposing glare of the deer skull. "I like your mask."

Her gaze rose to the far more ethereal looking woman the green one had been speaking to. She could feel her hackles prickling already. "Nice, uh, party."

Yeah, you sound like you blend in real nice. Keep it up. She pursed her lips, willing her inner critic, who in her mind, sounded a little too like her uncle, to silence itself.

How exactly did one make small talk with fair folk anyway?

Arching a naturally thin eyebrow at the invitation. Dragons and fae rarely mixed together mainly because dragons were voracious and weren't picky eaters. Granted, she hadn't eaten any but she was young and she had perhaps another eight or nine millennia. However, with what little she knew of the fae, it would be extremely rude to decline or ignore.

Sighing, she would have to gather a dress from her father as she didn't have anything remotely nice enough. The word still sounded strange to her ears but even as she thought it, a portal opened and a box plopped in front of her with a note attached.

'To my lovely daughter; you represent the best of me and your mother. Showing up in anything not befitting you would be a crime. Ido thinks this would look lovely on you.'

Opening the box, she pulled out the soft feeling dress, she held it up against her. It was lovely yet simple. Tiamat's style. Looking into the box, there were smaller boxes holding priceless jewels to accompany the dress. Well, now she really had to go to the party.

Slipping into the dress, the fit was snug and it hugged her curves. The slit went up her thigh revealing its toned musculature while her shoulders were bare. Putting on the emerald and diamond necklace, the green gems matched her eyes, as it nestled between her cleavage. Not bothering with shoes, she left her hair down as she didn't know how to style it nicely.

Grabbing the whelping dragon's skull she kept, a macabre testament to her past, she placed it on her head and walked through the portal. Walking out the other side, Tiamat scented much magic in the air thanks to the fae folk. Seeing the menagerie of magical folk lightened her heart some even if they were mostly tricksters.

Seeing a few already at the victuals, Tiamat decided that was a good place to start. Eyes focusing on their host, Tiamat gave a inclination of her head with a slight bow. Standing a head taller than everyone else, many were wary of the newcomer as they should but Tiamat would not eat any guests. Scenting a human, she looked at the woman with the deer skull.

"I like your deer skull, human. It's fitting." Figuring it was the best place to start.

(( Apologies to all my really interesting trick or treaters for how long it's taken me to respond. My son decided that getting himself a fever and throwing up a lot would be a fun thing to do yesterday. Ah youth. ))

Fluttering down to perch upon the top of what looks to be a cask of wine, Masquerade pulls the large white flower petal that she is using as a mask back from her face so that she can greet this newest influx of revelers properly. After all, the fey are all about etiquette. The trouble is figuring out just what that etiquette is from moment to moment. Luckily Rivka has made a good choice tonight. Instead of simply taking what is placed out for all to freely take, the goblin asks. The fairy maid is absolutely delighted, clapping her hands excitedly for her ugly new friend.

"Rivka have!" she reassures Rivka. Pulling her dress back up over her shoulder, she considers for a moment before turning and snatching what originally looks like a firefly out of the air above her head with both hands. Holding those tiny, glittery hands out in front of her, as they open Rivka will not that the lights are not, in fact, fire flies. Within the fairy's fingers sputters a tiny spark of magic, jittery and fragile. The fairy steps off the cast onto thin air and holds the spark out towards the goblin.


"Rivka have."

Should Rivka accept this strange offering or not, the next moment Masquerade's attention shall be arrested by the arrival of none other than a human. A human! Tiny, transparent green wins spring to life, beating nearly as fast as a humming birds so that she can swoop up to circle around the woman's head. "A human! A human at the fairy's ball! What will Titania say! Brave human. Foolish human!"

Giggling in glee, stark black eyes twinkle over at Tiamat as she speaks. "Look, dragon, look! A human comes to dance with the Fair Folk!"

A slightly wicked grin crosses the fairy's face as she finally settles into a flitting hover just inches from Krepta's face. "A riddle. A riddle for the human who joins our revelry uninvited." To be fair, Rivka didn't get a proper invitation either, but as always the 'rules' of the fey are as fickle as they themselves. "My life can be measured in hours, I serve by being devoured. Thin, I am quick. Fat, I am slow. Wind is my foe. What am I?"

Eric was lost. Again. It did seem to come with his half-demonic nature- every so often, he'd find himself having wandered away from his time and place for a while, and it appeared this was yet another one of those times. Still, this moonlit forest seemed peaceful, aside from the strange music that wafted through the trees. Eric had never heard anything quite like it before, and it was a little unnerving. Even so, the shifter found himself drawn towards it.

Before long, Eric had come to an open clearing where a strange group of creatures had gathered. A voice in the back of his head urged him to turn back, but where could he turn back to at this point? So instead, he pulled his robes a little more tightly around himself and started making his way forwards, dodging the sprites that were trying to grab at his tail. It seemed like everyone was wearing masks except for him, and it made Eric feel a little out of place. Still, he did have the ability to shift into something scarier, if the situation called for it.

Eric soon approached the table at the far end of the clearing, where several other guests had already gathered. The fact that two of them were wearing skulls as masks was a little intimidating, but he'd put on a friendly smile as he joined them. The others at the table, a goblin and a tiny fae, would be given a slightly longer look. They weren't creatures Eric was quite as familiar with, even after his many wanderings, so he wasn't entirely sure what to make of them.

Still, he did notice that Rivka had decided to ask first before taking any food from the table. Eric decided he'd do the same. After all, it seemed like it would be rude to start eating without first greeting everyone.

"Hello, everyone," the shifter said, as he stepped towards the cask Masquerade had settled down upon. "This is... this is quite a pretty place, isn't it?"

He glanced around at the others in confusion when Masquerade referred to one of them as being a dragon. Hmm. Apparently, he wasn't the only one going out in disguise tonight. As for the riddle the fae had just offered to Krepta, Eric would remain silent. Riddles weren't really his strong suit, unfortunately.

[Just so everyone's clear, I'm going with Eric's City of Souls version for this RP, so he does have a pair of small horns and a tail.]

((Hopefully your son is feeling a bit better today, Dndmamma!))

"Hi there. I like your mask."

The goblin flinched at the human-sounding voice and she swiveled her head to look at Krepta and the rather frightening skull mask that she wore. Rivka took a half step backwards as if she would flee, before the actual words themselves seemed to sink in. Then she grinned a wide, toothy grin at Krepta. “Does deer spirit live there?”

But her attention went immediately back to the fairy before Krepta had a chance to answer. Food generally took top priority.

“Rivka have!” the hostess said.

The words had barely finished leaving the mouth of the clapping fairy before the goblin wrapped her gloved hand around a bright yellow apple and snatched it up to bite into it immediately, chomping nearly half the apple in one bite. Her sharp teeth were better suited for tearing meat and weren’t the best for fruit. Still, it was nice as an occasional treat and she chewed the apple noisily, bits of the yellow skin getting stuck all through her teeth.

Then as the fairy offered her the spark, Rivka’s eyes widened at the unexpectedly friendly gesture. “For…. For Rivka?” She asked solemnly, even behind the mask looking as if she might tear up. She didn’t know what to do with the other half of the apple still in her hand, so shoved it into her mouth: seeds, stem, and all so that she could cup both hands to take the offering as if it were the most fragile, most valuable thing in the whole world.

Even the declaration that a dragon was in attendance barely pulled her attention from the spark that she now held carefully, both unsure what to do with it and seeming concerned about harming it.

"Look," she whispered to Eric, past the apple she was still chewing, showing him the spark of fairy light. "Gift for Rivka..."

Krepta had to fight hard to hold her tongue. God she hated fae. She hated them and their riddles, and rules, and the way they never, ever played fair. Everything that left their lips was another trap.

"I'm terrible at riddles," she told the winged one flatly. She wasn't afraid to admit it, and honestly, the best way to avoid terribly and inevitably losing was to avoid playing the game at all. "You won't find much sport there. But I have a gift instead. A peace offering, from the Walkers to the Fair Folk."

Fae never had a shortage of magic, so she had decided against anything enchanted that she had in her possession. It also wasn't wise to give them anything personal, including one's name. She'd have to think of a replacement for the night. Instead she had opted for something humble and natural, but powerful in it's own way. A jar full of acorns, one from each city she had visited over the last month. She pulled it from the leather bag over her shoulder, where they had been nestled in with her book. It clashed with the outfit, but Krepta never traveled without it. The acorns sat, glossy brown and unassuming in their glass container-- though she had prettied that up a bit with some feathers and beads. She offered it out to the faerie, frowning warily.

"They have some stories to tell, I'm told." She shrugged, uncertain if she had made the right choice, but willing to see it through to the end all the same. She wondered if it was as dangerous for a Fae to take a gift from a human being as it would be for her to take one from them.

Of course, both the taller woman and the fae were wrong. She wasn't human, not entirely. But it suited her for them to underestimate her, in case things went south. She was surprised she hadn't been picked up on yet. Walkers absolutely shone with magic, she had been told, and the strange, twisting lines of the foolish magical mishaps she had stumbled into in her youth had been a curiosity to more than one magi. The dragon part of her heritage was a mere sniff compared to that. She assumed that there was so much magic here, however, that that bright beacon became just another light in a hundred. For that, she was grateful. She had no desire to be in the fae's spotlight any more than the uncomfortable situation she had already found herself in.

She glanced back at the dragon woman, measuring her with her gaze. "I appreciate the compliment," she replied, choosing her words carefully. Rivka's question went unanswered, but not unheard. Her attention was occupied, and so too it seemed was the green woman's. Probably for the best for now.

She needed to get what she was here for and get out. This place was going to make her break out in nervous hives. Was that a thing? She had heard that was a thing. All this magic certainly made her itchy at least.

(I hope your kiddo feels better soon! Hang in there!)

Glittering eyes watched everything take place even as they were joined by another. Scenting the demon, Tiamat shifted her focus to him. Studying him as one would study a curiosity, her attention was pulled to the gift the goblin received. A dragon's true weakness was shiny objects and adding to their respective hoard.

Trying not to stare obviously, she forced her attention to the jar of acorns. The human had done an excellent job adorning it, listening to her title, Walker. Tiamat, herself, was unfamiliar with them but perhaps, when not surrounded by confounding fae with their rules, she could inquire.

She idly wondered if she would need to answer a riddle. Tiamat felt she was witty, sure, but mind games were not something she excelled at since brute force was her style. However, she couldn't leave until her duty had been met. Reaching up, she touched the mask she was wearing, a smart wear apparently.

Dragons were naturally resistant to magic, their young even more so Tiamat could see with eyes unfettered by fae magic. Still the party was in, how had the demon put it...a pretty place. "Yes, our hostess has outdone herself in setting everything up." Polite and simple, anything more would be trouble.

One gnome in particular had been very late for the ball. "Oh gosh! I'm late!! AAAAH!!" Taluna all but bumrushed into the ball, wearing what seemed like an oversized pumpkin costume. She tripped as she dashed in a rolled around forward until she hit the table with refreshments. "Ow! Well.. at least I made it." She said, thankfully wholly unaware of the goblin prowling around. She'd have a fit if she saw her no doubt.

Masquerade appears clearly put out when the 'human' refuses outright to even attempt to answer her riddle. Depthless black eyes no larger than a pin prick narrow dangerously, for to refuse the hospitality of the fey is a grave insult indeed. Luckily, the Walker is quick to offer their host something else in return. Like most small things, she's easily distracted but this particular small thing also has a weakness for collections. Her collection. Other people's collections. It really doesn't matter. To be gifted one, even one as mundane as a few ordinary acorns, well, it's perfect really. The creature's laughter sounds like the tinkling of sleigh bells as she presses her face up against the glass and gawks at her prize.

"You are most welcome in our midst, Walker!" Masquerade should know what a Walker is, honestly. Perhaps she did at one time. Today she doesn't seem to know or perhaps she simply doesn't care. Either is equally likely with such a fickle being. "Be at home among the flowers and trees for no harm shall come to you among them so long as our favor you keep." Well now, that is quite the blessing...

With a clap of her tiny hands, two sprites and a brownie leap out from a nearby shadow and escort the cumbersome (for such small beings) object away. Her newest precious safely stowed far from possibly thieving hands, Masquerade turns to Tiamat and Eric. As she does a bit of a breeze passes by and blows the fabric of her dress off of one shoulder again.

"You are most gracious, daughter of dragons. Lady Bandit." The little two and a half inch woman bows in mid air before fluttering upwards several inches so that she can look the woman in the eye. "The Queen sends her regards for you are one of her special guests tonight. Her regards and a gift!"

With a wave of her hand and a puff of glittering green smoke, the tiny little fey with her too quickly fluttering wings and white-less black eyes is now the size of a human. Her wings are gone and her eyes are still too black but at least the darkness doesn't reach from edge to edge. Surprisingly her dress seems to have resized with her. Fairy magic really knows no rules.

"Here." From seemingly from nowhere, Masquerade produces an amulet of deepest jade with a sparkling emerald set within the middle. The carving upon its surface is of twin snakes coiling endlessly and it hangs upon a chain of sea green pearls. Even as she's holding it out towards Tiamat, however, it's clear that she would rather not part with such a pretty shiny. Unfortunately this order came from no less than the Queen of the Fairies herself and even this reckless rebel dare not disobey. "My lady has looked into the Pool of Tears and seen that soon a dire fate will befall you. When the time comes, your fate and hers shall be entwined. She offers you the Amulet of Twin Snakes in good faith that when this time comes, you shall remember her as well as yourself."

Even as she's handing over this precious object, her now full sized dark eyes are tilting towards Eric. "Now you're an interesting one. I didn't invite you. The Queen didn't invite you. Did...the forest invite you? Yes I think that may be it." Tilting her head upwards, the spiky haired woman grins. "In that case I leave it to the forest to offer you its blessing on this fine-"

Before she can finish her sentence however what appears to be an awkwardly shaped pumpkin rolls between her legs and runs smack into the refreshment table. Laughing at the littler than her now person, Masquerade leans down. "You're late, my friend! The others have already eaten almost all the gnome cakes! I managed to save one for you though." Once again as if from nowhere Masquerade produces an object to be prized by the recipient. The very last of a special batch of gnome cakes baked only for this special night by the Queen's own chefs. This one even matches the said gnome's hair perfectly, as if it had been made especially for her and her alone. Still, it is fey food and any gift from the Fair Folk should be looked at as intrinsically suspect.

For his part, while Masquerade is distracted with the gnome on the floor, the canopy above Eric's shudders. The leaves shake and the sound of sighing can be heard mixing with the ethereal music of the night. The next moment and from above several leaves begin to fall. One in particular catches the eye as it drifts almost purposefully towards him. It's almost more of a thin, whipy bough with numerous small buds sprouting from it. The demonic man may not be much of a botanist, but if he had to guess, he might be justified in saying that this bit of foliage doesn't appear to match that of any of the surrounding trees. There's a definite feel of magic about it though. It smells of aloe and winter and starlight from a cloudless night sky.

The faerie narrowed her eyes. Krepta felt her heart speed up, jackhammering in her ears. Had she made the wrong choice? Should she have tried to guess? If she had failed though, likely something equally terrible would have happened, if not worse. The rules were always changing, and rarely made sense. She didn't want to be here. The moment seemed to stretch on for eternity for the scarred woman, and she fought every instinct within her that screamed for her to bolt.

Finally, the fae woman broke out into cheerful laughter, and Krepta released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding as the jar was happily taken from her.

Oh thank god.

She was given a blessing in return, which could have meant anything, really. Fae, for all their faults at least, tended to keep their word, but words could be interpreted in many, many ways, and the 'favor' of the fae was a fickle thing indeed. And Krepta knew that she had a hell of a tongue in her head. Eventually she'd say something to tick one of them off. She was blunt, and she spoke her mind more often than not. It was just her nature. But for now, she could enjoy a bit of peace. They'd see how long it'd last.

The winged woman grew, and lost her wings, and went upon her busy way handing out gifts. Krepta took a moment while she did to gather her wits and nerves, and to try to convince the muscles in her back and neck, which were about as tense as an overwound harp string at this point, to relax a little. A good long soak, she promised herself, and a nap by the fire when this was done.

But first, she had to attend to the reason she had come here in the first place, which meant that, after the Fae was done, she'd have to get her attention again, and a much more dangerous deal than a couple of acorns and a promise of safety would have to be made. It was important that this be done, even if Krepta hated it, and she would, at the end of things, do what she had to.

She raised her voice after their host, calling after her, "When you're not busy, a moment of your time? I'd like to ask... a favor." A favor. There were few more dangerous words here, but Krepta knew the price to offer, and it had to be done. She only hoped it would be enough. "But uh, take your time of course. I'm in no rush." She really wasn't. Procrastination sounded really appealing right now.

She took herself over to a quiet corner of the grove instead to wait, and sank down in the green with her back to one of the trunks of the trees. The movement of the branches above told her that, like everything else here, they were far from ordinary. But trees, for all their wildness, could be trusted. Their ways were odd, and Krepta didn't bother to try and grasp them, but for the most part, the green was a benign thing.

Unlike the Fae. She had never met one of the Fair Folk who didn't have just a touch of meanness to them. Even the 'good' ones. They were a different kind of wild, the kind of wild that took great delight in reminding human kind just how powerless and small they really were.

Eric leaned in closer as Rivka held up the spark of light the fairy had given her, trying not to stare too much at the half-eaten apple the goblin still had stuck in her mouth. "Ah, yes," the shifter replied. "That's quite pretty. I wonder how long it will keep glowing like that?" His attention was pulled away, however, as another newcomer literally crashed into the party, and Eric jumped back as Taluna rolled into the refreshment table. "Oh! Do you need a hand down there?" he asked the gnome.

However, before he could offer any assistance, in a puff of smoke Masquerade suddenly changed from being a few inches tall to something more Eric's size. The shifter turned to meet her gaze. Unfortunately, if there had been invitations sent out for this party, he certainly hadn't received one! "Sure, let's go with that," he replied, when the fairy suggested that the forest had invited him.

As if on cue, the trees above began to shift and shake. A cool, pleasant scent drifted through the air as several leaves broke free from their branch, including one bough with several buds attached to it. It was floating down right towards Eric. There was some sort of magic to it- even one as relatively inexperienced with magic as he was could sense that. Even so, Eric would reach out to try to catch the bough as it fell, heedless of whatever the consequences might be.

Tiamat was surprised by her words knowing that you had to take everything the fae said with a grain of salt. However, the gift was far too important for it to not be true. Tiamat eyed the now human sized fairy before slowly taking the amulet. "I humbly accept this gift from you and your Queen."

Staring at the amulet, her thumb rubbing against the snakes, she bowed deeply to Masquerade. Receiving such a gift was an honor and a curse and more so it was tied to the fae Queen, even dragons could be bound by a fae that powerful. She could already guess the ill fate that would befall her, there was a war brewing where her father resided.

Backing away as their hostess continued to address those in attendance, Tiamat couldn't help but worry about her mate. Strong as he was, he always fought on the front lines and should something happen to him it would transfer to her. However, keeping a confident smile on her face, Tiamat knew better than to let the fae see her inner turmoil.Turning to mingle with other guests, she would leave when it was socially acceptable.

"I'm okay! I'm okay!!" Decreed Taluna from the ground as Eric wondered if she needed any assistance in getting up. It turns out she didn't as she swung her legs sideways and used the momentum of her spin to put herself up on a hand stand from a prone position. She spun around on her hands with a move akin from a breakdancer before falling back on her feet. Taluna was used to going around showing a lot more skin, but it seemed that the puffy pumpkin dress she was wearing hadn't diminished her agility any.

It wouldn't do for her to wear something that'd actually restrict her movement and hamper her reckless personality, particularly when it was obvious that she had come to the party with a mission in mind. "No! Not the cupcakes! Awwww!" Taluna's eyes widened at Masquerade as she declared that all the gnome cupcakes had already been eaten. Though not quite fey herself, as a gnome Taluna was very in touch with the fickle roots of her fey ancestry and she could have reacted by throwing quite a tantrum. Already clinging to the sheets of the table in desperate search for her beloved cupcakes.

But as her good luck would have it, Masquerade had been gracious enough to keep just one more left specifically for her. "For me!? Oh thank you! Thank you!!" Cheered the gnome as she extended both hands greedily towards the blueish colored cupcake that matched her hair so spectacularly. Indeed, the gift of the fey should be view cautiously--- unless you're a reckless gnome, in which case all caution is thrown out the window!

"Yum!" Said Taluna as she greedily devoured the cupcake in what seemed two munches, one for the frosting and one for the cake itself. Her eyes swirling and glowing with delight.

“I wonder how long it will keep glowing like that?”

The goblin’s ears drooped slightly at the conundrum. She didn’t want it to stop glowing. But how did one save and protect such a gift?

She quickly chewed and swallowed the apple and moved a short distance away from the refreshment table as the gnome pumpkin came crashing in and as the fairy handed out her other gifts. Her eyes darted around, looking for something to use as a container for the light.

The jar! It was currently filled with acorns…. But no matter. She could dump those out. Except it was being carried away by two sprites and a brownie. The goblin started after them…

The hostess of the ball dips her head respectfully to Tiamat and grins widely down at Taluna. For good or for ill, she doesn't notice that Rivka has wandered off in the direction of her precious jar of acorns though its handlers have and are attempting to very awkwardly hobble faster. Their ultimate destination seems to be a slightly larger than average tree on the opposite side of the clearing with a wide hole in its trunk. They are all going to have to duck and dodge past dancers and revelers of all types if they are to reach their respective goals.

As for Eric, as he reaches out to grasp the bough, the feather light object almost seems drawn to his hand. As his fingers close around the stem, each little bud suddenly bursts into full bloom and that strange scent from earlier becomes even stronger. Glancing idly over, Masquerade smiles. "Ah. I was about the forest. That is a sprig of Somnia. Dust your eyes with the flower's dust before you sleep and you shall dream of true love."

Of course, she doesn't say anything about actually finding love or meeting the person of whom you dream. Powerful and pleasurable as such a gift may seem, it's still fairy magic and should be looked at with a heavy level of suspicion. And gratitude. Always gratitude.

Now that it seems all her newest guest have been tended to, Masquerade finds herself extremely interested in what the 'human' woman could want from her beyond the already granted boon. A favor? Fascinating. Shimmering in the bolts of moonlight raining down through the trees, the fairy steps lightly between the revelers and finally makes her way to where Krepta is sitting. Easing her lithe body down beside her unexpected guest, the full sized fairy grins. "You wish something else of me? I am so curious! I can hardly wait to hear it!" Truly, curiosity is a failing of the Fair Folk and there are none more curious than the Key Holder.

The faerie approached sooner than she expected her to, folding down onto the forest floor in a more graceful manner than Krepta could ever hope to achieve in her lifetime. The Walker woman was silent for a moment as she sought an appropriate way to phrase her request-- one that wouldn't get her into more trouble than she was equipped to handle. Honesty was appreciated among the fae-folk, or so she understood, but the truth to them, was also a game, and one that's hand should never be tipped too far or too soon.

It wasn't that Krepta wasn't smart enough to grasp this-- but her natural inclination was of a blunter nature. She didn't beat around the bush-- she went through it, and if there were a few thorns in her hide after the fact, well, she'd pick them out and heal up eventually. But making a deal with one of the good neighbors of the forest was not like walking through a bramble bush, it was like trying to jump rope through a saw mill that was actively on fire. The two animals couldn't be compared, and Krepta found herself floundering more than a little.

Eventually, she took a breath and spoke.

"Well," she ventured, "It's Hallow's Eve, at least, where I'm from, and I've been... tasked with collecting sweets." She lifted up her wrist, hesitated, then slowly offered it out. Around it was a small leather band, and attached to the band was a glass bead with a bright splash of red suspended in it. "Specific candy that's drawn to this." She hoped she wouldn't ask her why, because frankly, she didn't have a straight answer. Sometimes the book simply asked for things that made no direct sense.

"I've been sent here to collect one such from you. I know you'll want something in return. I offer a boon in turn. A single favor of your choice that you may ask at any time in the future, so long as it does no harm to myself or any other, and does not break the spirit of the agreement." The wording here was tricky, but she had to cover all the open ends. Open favors were irresistible to the fae, which is why she opted for it-- But if you weren't careful could cost you far more than you were willing to give.

She still was sure that she wouldn't enjoy whatever creative work arounds the faerie could find all the same, but as long as the 'do no harm' rule covered it, she could live with the eventuality. Should Masquerade even accept, of course.

"So... what do you say? Trick or treat?"

As the goblin noticed the sprites and brownie start moving faster, the goblin hurried her own pace as much as she dared while cupping the spark of fairy magic in her gloved hands.

"Hey, no step on Rivka!" she chided a centaur that came dangerously close to stepping on her boot as he danced by. Luckily, there was no harm done except by his magnificent flaxen tail that flicked across Rivka's face, knocking the wooden mask askew. She didn't take any time to fix it, just dodged deftly between a pair of elves, attempting to take a shortcut to the tree and hoping to place herself between the opening and the jar-bearers.




((Want me to roll? ))

(( Sorry. Long day. Yea, go ahead and roll. I'll roll for it's keepers. Highest on a d20 keeps the prize. Let's see what happens to that jar. I'm curious! ))

Masquerade tilts her head as she regards the bead that Krepta shows her. Fascinating. Candy that's attracted to it. The fey's pointed ears twitch with interest. "Blood for blood and hope for hope. This is how the mortals cope. Sweet for sour and trick for treat. This is how the Fae compete."

With a wink of one of her too black eyes and a poof of green glitter, the human sized fairy is once more replaced by her two and a half inch counterpart. Flitting away for several minutes, it doesn't take long before the host returns carrying a bucket made from half a walnut shell and a rope of braided grass. Setting her burden down on Krepta's knee, the woman will hear the magical creature's to high voice giggling in that bell like way.

"Treat for now. Trick for later." With that she flies away back to the refreshment table to await any further guests. Within the bowl of the walnut is a small, hand formed sweet of maple sap and crushed honeysuckle. It's a pale amber in color, shimmering in the fairy lights floating overhead.