Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Official Masquerade Topic - Winter 2020

The Duchess claps her hands, laughing in delight. "Perfect, two most excellent dance partners!" She reaches one hand out to take one of Laterd's hands, and weaves her other hand into Cosmic Spectrolite's mane, and somehow, it works -- Despite all of their different sizes and formations, it seems part of her nature as the perfect party host is to make matches work. To the gnome, she seems the perfect size dance partner, and to those looking on, there is some kind of optical illusion -- although once can see they are different sizes, the brain simply seems to adjust their sizes in post, so they feel matched. She begins to lead a courtly circle dance, stepping first left and then right, pausing to clap and spin with her two partners as the beat unfolds.

Before Sarthelia could even answer his question, Xefry quickly made his way onto Gyrfalcon's hand, his tail coiling around his wrist loosely as a gentle wave of magic washed over his hand and crept up his arm and to his neck. A voice, childlike but wise beyond his years spoke to his mind. "It is a pleasure to speak with you sir. I hope I am not intruding by speaking this way." Sarthelia smiled. "He really likes you." She said softly, stepping a bit closer as the smile on her lips widened further. Her cheeks, just barely visible beneath the mask were slightly more red than before.

Alfred stared after the alicorn, frowning defeatedly. It seemed he was too late for a chat. He watched as everyone began to dance, some coupled, some with the duchess, and some just by themselves. He admired them all, his eyes wistfully scanning the grounds then down to the snow and flowers at his feet. Something in him wished to dance, but he just couldn't bring himself to get out there. To face their host, who was last so angry. He sipped on his mead, letting it further warm his belly, something he didn't think was possible anymore. Could it be, that just for tonight, he was full? He sighed a happy sigh and leaned on the table behind him, viewing everything as if it were far away.

Alizha bustled in, extremely late. Her skirts rustling, she ran through the last of the hall, and stopped to catch her breath.

Looking around, the young princess saw glowing lights, bright and beautiful people and creatures everywhere, and the whole room filled with dancers and food and shimmering laughter.

She smiled and stepped in, thinking that she could at least sample the festivities before the whole event was done. She thought, she could even eavesdrop a little.

As the Sword took her hands she managed a little laugh, replying with a small shrug, "Well, that makes two of us."

For a few moments she did her best to simply focus on putting her feet down in a way that didn't make her stumble and didn't impede on her partner's boots, but as she felt another tingling wave of magic she looked up. The magically-produced flowers appearing all about, coupled with the Sword's soft comment, made the entire world feel gentle and magic for a time.

"It is," she agreed quietly, looking around in subtle awe. "I haven't seen anything so beautiful in...a long time." Her gaze returned back to her partner, and the blush that had briefly subsided returned while she tried to figure out what to say next. Curse her lack of social interaction...

"Thank you," she began slowly, attempting to find the right words. "It might be hard to understand why something so simply as talking and dancing could mean so much to be, but--I truly appreciate your companionship tonight. You've been very kind."

The crisp smell of snow in the glade takes on a cold floral scent, and suddenly, the snowflakes falling from the clear, moonlit sky aren't snowflakes at all, but an endlessly falling rain of white rose petals. The spell that Cosmic Spectrolite had cast to spread magical blue flowers throughout the snow seems to catch hold of whatever magic this is, and the blue flowers suddenly grow rampantly, twining up the legs of tables and climbing the walls of the manor in but a moment. And still, they are dappled with falling white petals, swirling down from above...

Though the final petal still clings to the enchanted rose in its glass dome, its light has grown searing, as if it is almost at risk of catching fire as it clings to the final moments of the perfect party. The light bathes the glade until the moon above is barely visible, and the dark shapes of the evergreens that surround the glade become a black, impenetrable wall, as if the only place left in the world is the glade itself.

Look in the meantime has taken to watching the scene: the forest ground covered in roses and snow, the dancing partners, the moonlight illuminating turn all and the single pearled rose. There’s another feeling that’s almost too big for him, that he doesn’t quite understand, but he’s not a bad one.

He finds a seat between the roses, and takes in the scene one more time. Alizah gets a small wave and gesture for her to hurry in, and Look begins to sketch.

The sudden dark has him slightly worried though. Is..is this another “not bad” thing?

Aspen eventually regained his composure and continued to dance.

Alizha stared as the petals fell, swirling across the room like a dream of beauty- like her favorite opera, or the glide of her skates. She almost longed to have the skates for this floor.

How easy it felt to dance around them and such a free and delightful energy that filled him. His feet seemed like they might tangle as he kept up the beat yet he gracefully weaved among their hostess and the gnome in a fine dance. When she spun, he reared up and released another burst of magic. Glowing snowflakes filled the air and sang with a magical tune.

Every regret faded away and a light filled his soul as he watched the first spell spread farther. The falling petals made him realize something, he didn't need the flower. He was dancing with it and it had given a gift he could hardly repay.

"My heart is saddened. I have missed all the festivities."


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