Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Official Masquerade Topic - Winter 2020

The duchess smiles wide, pleased to see so many guests intermingling. She casts twinkling eyes over those singing, dancing, and cloud-afflicted, and drops a small curtsy to those gathered. "If you'll excuse me just a moment, I must check that the kitchens will have our next round of treats ready on time... I'm sure you all can keep each other entertained in my brief absence." With that, she disappears into the house, shutting the door tight behind her and leaving the party goers out in the decorated glade.

The cloud, fed its second rhyme, shivers in a way that almost seems to indicate that it is purring and swells once again, this time growing so large it could hardly be described as a single cloud any longer. And then, ahhhhhh, sweet victory! A third rhyme! A crisp wind blows through the glade, carrying with is a flurry of large snow crystals, and suddenly the clouds are gone but snow continues to fall gently from the clear, moonlit sky. It doesn't take long for a soft dusting of snow to begin to build up everywhere but the dance floor. Fluffy snow, the kind that is perfect for a snowball fight or building a snow sculpture.

Ears perked up at what was said and he raised his head once more and smiled. " You're too kind. I must say your looking well yourself" A circle was made around her as he looked over her. " I see you have fine pair of wings yourself. Would you care to-"

One ear turned when he heard another address him. He turned to see the dark elf. It surprised him more to see them remove their mask but he forgot himself.

" How rude of me" He said refocusing on Ivy. " What was I doing? Well..." The rose's lovely glow and power drew his attention once more. " I was enraptured by this flower. I felt so free I had to dance in the air. Perhaps you would like dance with your wings to?"

Elora adjusted Cassia's mask so that it felt comfortable on her face. Not that she was planning to wear it for very long, of course. Indeed, after a few minutes, she felt as if whatever magic had come over her was gone. In the meantime, she'd watch as the others told poems to the ever-growing snow cloud, until it finally flew away, leaving only a dusting of snow behind.

"Mmm... I think- yes, that does seem better," Elora said to Cassia, as she finally felt certain that she wouldn't be forced to sing anymore. "Thank you so much. I'll be happy to trade this back to you again now. And... I would be careful around the drinks tonight. That was very strange."

The Spirit figured there was nothing here for them at the moment. They quickly unclasped the lantern from their belt, holding it in their right hand. They blew a strand of white hair from their face, smiling softly. Without a word, the spirit rushes out of the main entrance, a flurry of wind rushing behind them as they made their exit. That last gust of wind was the last of their current presence. As if a goodbye parting gift, the silent spirit had left a small piece of paper with 'Thank You' written in elegant cursive writing, and next to it a glass case with a flower within its seals. The case itself seemed to look similar to a lantern, but was unable to be opened but decorated with white winter vines and blue glittery dust. The flower inside looked as if it was made from ice, like it may shatter at any second. It was left there for whoever may seek to have it, whether it be the event's host or a random guest.

Perhaps the Spirit would return later in the evening, but for now, that was all that was left behind.

The Sword gave a quick salute as the Dragoness spoke her desires, then excused himself. As he walked away, she would be able to spot that he limped slightly. The armored fellow walked among the tables of refreshments, looking for suitable fare. The selection was honestly dizzying, but the very first bottle he picked up seemed perfect: he could not read the words on the label, but there was a picture of a honeycomb and ripe berries. He looked again and spotted two crystal goblets, though he swore they hadn't been there a moment earlier. Once he'd poured the drink into them, he picked them up and brought them back to the Dragoness. The goblet he held out towards her shook slightly, making the pink liquid dance. "Strawberry mead, I think." The snow began to drift down over the gathering, and the Sword tilted his head up towards the sky, smiling warmly. Remembering his drink, he took a sip, and made a noise of surprise--it was warm!

Maw adjusted the gold and purple accented cat-like mask on their face, fixed their rather large buns of oddly pastel-colored hair, and arrived ever so quietly to the manor. They were a little late, perhaps they got too caught up with choosing an outfit. Their white and gold trimmed dress was trailing behind them a bit as they pulled the warm patterned fur around them more, the barely audible footsteps of their black "boots" (and thereof lack of footsteps) heading straight towards the banquet areas with mind to avoid being in others way. Food wasn't exactly a requirement to have for them but Maw always did like to try out new foods whenever they had the chance. Maybe they'd find something good.

If someone wanted to talk to them, that was fine with them. They knew how they looked, considering they didn’t want to put on their human disguise for this. It was much too drab for such an event.

"How odd..." She looked up at the sky, noting the sudden snow. "Hrm. Definitely not ideal weather for flying.. Apologies, whoever you are, I don't think I'll be able to take you up on your offer. I never was a fan of the cold.." Poorly equipped for the situation, she tugged her hoodie closer to her body, shivering slightly. "Uh... I think I'm going to head inside, if you don't mind?" She looked over at Spectrolite apologetically.

Once Cassia and Elora had traded their masks back, the dark elf would turn to slip hers back on. "Thanks again," she said. "I don't know what I would have done otherwise." With that said, Elora would step back towards the edges of the glade, fading into the background as the masquerade went on.

((Unfortunately, I've got to go to work now, so I'm going to have to call this here. Have fun, everybody!))

Torie smiled at the snow, holding a hand out to let the snow fall on his hand. He felt his spell release as the song came to an end. "Thanks for the dance, I am going to get something to drink.." He said softly, slipping away to find something to drink. He glanced around for other people, wondering who else had spells put on them.

" I see...very well. There is still plenty to see and do but before you go" Spectrolite's horn glowed with magic and a light appeared at Ivy's neck. When it faded, a pendant with a fiery stone rested on her neck. " It's not much but it should help keep you warm for future outdoor activities during this time. A pleasure meeting you" he said with a bow.

He glanced around wondering who else he may meet and what else could be done. Then again, who said goodbye was needed? Perhaps indoors held its own delight.

A Winter Masquerade. Magic and mysteries. These words all sounded more provocative to Itsuki than an invitation to a party. He was out hunting the other samurais, when a mage appeared before him and dropped him the parchment that "La grande-duchesse de L'hiver" wrote to him. Of course, Itsuki tried to attack the mage but they disappeared as fast as they appeared. The only way to find out what was going on was to go to where this "Masquerade" was. Perhaps, the people that invited him knew about his brother.

The young, but seasoned, samurai, didn't care about the dress code written on the invitation, but lucky for him, Itsuki was already wearing a black mask that ran up to his nose and covered the bottom half of his face, so that only his brown eyes could be seen under his helmet. The overall was meant to conceal his identity while taking on missions.

It seemed as when he arrived to the place, the party was already taking place. Many chatters were heard and lively music and some people cracking up jokes. Not his kind of place. No matter, Ituski came for one purpose: to find this duchess and ask her about where his brother was.

However, having missed the beginning of the ceremony, Itsuki had no idea who she was or what she looked like. Itsuki decided to take a guess and talk up some folks to find out, but a scent caught his nose. The scent of delicious food.

Immediately his body turned him to where the smell was and he briskly walked to the buffet of delicious meats, treats, and more. His impulses were to pounce on the food then and there, but his honor would not let him eat in such a disgusting way, and so Itsuki stacked up a whole plate of food, as well as a goblet full of drinks, got himself a table to sit in, clapped his hand together, and started to rip apart the dishes before him.

((Srry for the silence, had to take a food break lol

Gustav's eyebrows raised in interest at the mention of Torie being able to create his own world. Though he wasn't one to dabble in magic, it never quite interested him, he was impressed by others who could do it. When Torie left him to get himself a drink Gustav tried to stop himself from dancing but was quick to realize that he was unable to stop himself. He shot a small questioning glare in Torie's direction, was that pre-planned? He thought Torie was using a silly figure of speech to joke, so much for that he figured. Now he needed to figure out how he was going to break this spell, he figured he may have to dance with someone else, but who was the question.

After passing the goblet of strawberry mead over to the Dragoness, the Sword caught a glimpse of something on the edge of the gathering. He stood up straight, his green eyes fogging over slightly. "Ah ... prithee, pardon my rudeness, my lady," he told her. "But I think I see ... hmm ... a-anyway, I hope to see you again later." He quaffed the rest of his mead in one draught and placed the goblet on one of the serving tables, bowed a final time, then hurried off towards the edge of the glade.

Annette entered the glade wearing her usual working clothes. The only concession to decorum was the feathered mask she had spent days crafting, and only now understood why the urge had struck her.

"A masked ball," she whispered.

How odd it was to be among the guests and not part of the staff. Her experienced eye told her it must have taken hours, nay, days to set up everything. It was lovely.

She looked around... so many odd people mingling, talking and even dancing. Feeling overwhelmed by this fantastical crowd, she stepped to the side, hiding near the buffet. Food was always a safe option.

It had been a long while since she last felt this comfortable with being present alongside many other living beings such as this. There was a never-before-felt tingling in the air all around the area and she wondered if it was the buzzing of life dancing among everyone, as clearly some of them were not human, as well as those hidden behind human charms. The scene of the Gala was her element entirely; moonlit and winter scenery, though the source-less warmth did not reach her, it was a pleasant change to her new normal. Currently her eyes were closed though, which plunged almost all of her presence into darkness, only noticeable by the dimly lit and shiny teal strokes upon the left side of the mask that adorned her concealed face and the bright red front of her dress. Hands were clasped comfortably behind her back, nails painted the same teal colour on her veil. The coat she wore covered most of her choice of dress; two layers of thin blueish-black material completely obscured the top portion of the dress on their own, but a buttoned up third layer was there as well. The third layer, which was actually the first layer, could only button up two buttons below the waist and it revealed the bright red bottom front of her dress.

Almost as soon as she had stepped up to grand view before her she had stood still, basked within the sudden peace that had filled her. It was an unknown amount of time since then, time felt surreal at the moment, but it was realized that she should probably actually go to the Gala itself.

...But surely another few moments here couldn't hurt?

Torie giggled some as he got himself a drink, choosing something WITHOUT alcohol in it. He sipped at it, glancing around the room. He had so far met 2 people, that was better then most days and gave him a sort of confidence that told him he wanted to meet more people. He decided to go sit outside in the snow while he drank his drink, smiling to himself. He noticed Gustav still dancing, walking over. "You have to dance with someone..." He said. "I didn't think it would pass the spell on though...."