Midwinter Masquerade

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

"Lady Blossom?" He repeated, thinking. "I don't know, but I could always ask her. Or you can, when you join us for dinner, day after tomorrow." He added with a little smile. "I couldn't really speak for the others of my party." While he would sort of rather not involve the others, he also wasn't planning to prevent them from joining them, if they wanted to. And he had no idea what sort of schedule his friends planned to keep while they were here.

He was, however, pleased to hear that combining the sunrise and Pelennor ride might make things easier for her. "Good! We have a plan, then." He grinned. "Even our horses get to be reunited." He laughed. "They did seem to become friends, I thought."

Her compliment about his dancing took him by surprise. "Really?" He smiled, glad to hear it. Even if he didn't quite feel like he was as skilled as some others he'd seen around them, he was still quite happy to accept the compliment. He was a little amused at the comment about Lady Butterfly doing a good job. "She did, didn't she?" he agreed with a little laugh. "I'm glad you aren't bored," He added quietly, with sincerity. "I certainly aren't, but I did worry a bit that you might be. I know I'm nowhere near as skilled as that last fellow you danced with.. or even the young fox." He grinned, half-teasing about that one.

---

@Arnyn

Lady Cat

She watched him while he was observing the other couple, but did not look back toward them herself, lest the man notice she was watching him. As Golden returned his attention to her, stepping closer, running a hand along the side of her face, she smiled slightly as she looked up at him. Partly in mild amusement at how he chose to word that question. "I did not say that he scares me, Sunshine," She gently corrected him, speaking softly. "Only that I am wary of him, as I cannot be certain he is who I think he might be."

She paused for a second, thinking. "Ever since I danced with him, I have been keeping at least half an eye him, but as far as I can tell, he doesn't seem to be up to anything undesirable." She gave a small shake of her head. "It seems best to me if I act as if I have no cause to be alarmed by him. And I would enjoy another dance." She informed him, her smile growing a little bit. That was why they had returned to the dance, after all.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

Not linking the decrease in his enthusiasm to the possibility the Dragon would prefer not to involve anyone else, but rather to thoughtfulness, the Fairy decided she would just ask at dinner, then. It would be easier to do all the planning then, with everyone present and with her schedule at hand, as well.

"I think so too," she agreed about the horses. "I wonder how they'll react?" she asked him with a smile. "But we will see soon enough."

That quiet little comment about how he was glad she wasn't bored, made her tilt her head at him thoughtfully. She understood he had been very insecure about his dancing, having learned from a book just the night before and not having any precious experience. What he said next, only confirmed that insecurity as far as she could tell. The Fairy lightly squeezed his shoulder in reassurance. "The Lion might have been a more advanced dancer, but the conversation is much better with you," she assured him. She also felt much more at ease around him, not feeling the need to have to play any sort of part.

As for what he said about 'the young fox', she raised an eyebrow behind her mask, it taking her a few moments to realize that he must have been watching both her dancing with the Fox and the Lion long or closely enough to deduce they were better dancers than him. "Were you keeping tabs on me, sir Dragon?" she asked. "Concerned I'd need to throw more drinks around or something, in case one of the gentlemen might let their hands wander?" He'd never seemed like the overprotective type, so her question was rather meant in a joking fashion.

Her own question reminded her of Lady Blossom - because the Dragon had come to the masquerade with her, after all - and something Gladhron had said about her earlier: how Blossom would be able to take a man down a peg or two herself, if necessary. The Fairy's eyes found Blossom on the dancefloor, and her lips parted in surprise to see Blossom dancing with a man whose hands were quite a bit lower than was 'the norm'. She wasn't immediately sure what to say or not say about it to Gladhron, so her gaze lingered on the other dancing couple for a while. "Are you keeping tabs on Lady Blossom too?" she finally checked, giving a nod in the other lady's direction.

---

@Rillewen

Golden Sunbeam

He did like the name, as it turned out. Especially when spoken in that soft tone she'd just used. He listened attentively to her words, analyzing them in turn and giving her a slow nod. "If that is the case," he spoke lowly, "then allow me?" He offered her his arm with only the smallest hint of a smile on his face. When she took it, he guided her out onto the dancefloor, completely ignoring anyone else beyond not bumping into them.

When he turned toward her to take her in his arms, he first assumed the standard dancing position as he started them off, but soon his hand at the small of her back slipped further around her and he stepped in closer until their bodies were barely a few inches apart. "Is there anything that scares you, Temptress?" he asked, leaning in close to her ear, before turning them around as one, the movement pulling her against him for the duration of their joint twirl.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

"Hmm," He considered for a moment as he tried to imagine how the horses might greet one another. Probably joyfully. He found it doubtful they would have forgotten each other. Horses had very good memories about such things, after all. "Excited, I'd guess." He grinned. He knew they had both seemed a bit saddened after being parted from Narsule, especially after being left at the Forsaken Inn's stables with Narsule and Tinion for so long while the rangers were on foot.

He smiled, inwardly pleased to hear that she much preferred the conversation with him, than with Lion. When she asked if he had been keeping tabs on her, he hesitated, a little unsure how to respond about that. He had been observing as subtly as he could, whenever he could, but he wasn't sure he ought to tell her how much he had been paying attention while she was dancing with other men. As she went on to ask if he had been concerned she'd need to throw drinks on them, he let out a little laugh. "Maybe." He grinned, then shook his head. "Maybe I was watching some of the other guys, trying to pick up some dance moves." He suggested teasingly.

Her next question caught him by surprise. Was he keeping an eye on Blossom? He had not been.. not really. Should he have? He followed Celume's gaze and blinked as he caught sight of her. That was her, right? He knew it was, for no one else had on a dress like that, and besides... he knew what she looked like well enough. But the way she was dancing with that fellow, the way she was smiling at him.. he found that baffling. Unless.. could it be that she had found the one she had hoped to find?

Another couple briefly blocked his view of them and he frowned, unable to get a clear look at the guy's face.. even what could be seen of it. And he had never seen the guy all fixed up in nice clothing.. or even properly cleaned up. It was difficult to imagine him without a layer of mud or something on him or his clothing. "Huh." He muttered under his breath, turning back to Fairy after realizing he might have been staring a bit too long. "I know she was hoping she might find her fella, here in the city somewhere, but.. honestly, I couldn't tell you if that's him or not.." He admitted, sneaking another quick glance their way before trying to tell himself to ignore it. "Seems.. unlikely.. that she'd be smiling at anyone else like that, though." He added, recalling what she had said when he was trying to convince her to come to the dance in the first place.

---

@Arnyn

Lady Cat

"I'd be delighted." She answered. Smiling as she took his offered arm, Lady Cat walked close beside him as they returned to the dance floor. She noticed that they found a place a reasonable distance from the one she wished to avoid, so she was satisfied about that. The song being played was quite pretty, even if she was unfamiliar with it. Resting one hand at his shoulder, it seemed effortless the way they joined in with the timing of the dancers around them without bumping into anyone, despite their attention being rather intently focused on each other.

As they began dancing together, she wore a hint of a smile on her face, looking into his eyes. Though she was aware of him stepping closer to her, and of his hand slipping a bit lower on her back, she didn't attempt to adjust either of those things as she had done when sir Lion briefly attempted something similar. As he leaned closer, whispering close to her ear, she let out a little breath of a laugh at the question, while adjusting the position of her arm to accommodate for the closeness, following the turn. Instead of resting at his shoulder, it now loosely wrapped around with her hand coming to rest near the back of his neck.

"Maybe... Maybe not." She murmured in reply, placing her other hand on his upper arm, and brought her hand briefly up his arm as if feeling his bicep, then back down to rest near the elbow. "I have to keep some mystery about myself, you know." She smiled at him with a hint of teasing in her eyes. "There'll be other times to learn about each other... yes?" She asked quietly, her dark gaze searching his, in hope that he would be wanting to see her again on other occasions after this.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

His alternative made much more sense. He'd just learned to dance - and the masquerade offered him a chance to practice but also to observe. It would almost be a shame for him not to pay attention and try to learn a few more things through observation. "People do claim dragons are smart creatures," she told him with a grin. "I'm starting to see why."

Gladhron's words about Lady Blossom hoping to find a specific man she was interested in, brought forth an expression of understanding on the lower part of her face. "Ooooh, I see. Then I do hope that she has found him," she said. "It's that thing about liking happy endings," she explained. "Most people's happily ever after includes someone to love, right?" She shrugged with an apologetic smile, as if such a sentiment was anything to really apologize for. Her gaze returned to Lady Blossom and the Bearded Courtier of the Night Sky. "So it would be nice if he were here and that were them dancing..." In fact, she wasn't sure how she would feel about Lady Blossom dancing that way with any other man than the one Gladhron had just called her fella. "...like that."

The Fairy cleared her throat and looked back at the Dragon. "Not that it is a bad way to dance," she clarified, not wanting to come off as if she were judging them. "Even if it is someone else, they both seem to be enjoying it. Which is the important thing. And everyone has a right to their own idea about these things," she said with a one-shoulder shrug. "I just don't think I'd ever dance like that with someone I didn't... feel for." Shaking her head, she grinned at herself. She was probably over-sharing. Not something she usually did. "Anyway. If you are so invested in improving your dancing that you were trying to learn earlier from watching the other men, you know I could help with that, right?" she asked him with a smile. "Lady Butterfly isn't the only one who could teach you something."

---

@Rillewen

Golden Sunbeam

Her hand at his shoulder went to the back of his neck, and Golden closed his eyes for a moment. When she put her other hand, the one he had been holding in his own, on his arm, he slowly lowered his hand to rest at her waist, right next to his other hand, which had slipped almost entirely around her. When she spoke of her mystery, he had to laugh quietly as he returned her gaze, liking that sparkle he saw in those brown eyes of hers. "Trust me, Lady Cat, you have plenty of mystery left about you," he promised her.

Her question brought about two things. First, he wanted to say 'yes' immediately. He'd never met anyone like this dark and clever beauty before. She intrigued him in more ways than he could count on one hand. Secondly, part of him suddenly felt... foolish. Torn a moment between wanting to continue along the road of his earlier move of pulling her in closer, and between not wanting to seem like he was pressuring her into anything, Golden made no further moves besides what was required to keep them dancing. He needed some clarification - and apparently so did she.

"Does that mean you want to say goodbye at the door, later?" he asked her, giving her a moment to think about that before he continued. "To be clear... We obviously... connect. I don't know where this leads. All I can do is find out."

"I'm game for anything with you, Temptress." Which was surprising in and by itself, if he were being honest. When was the last time he'd even considered getting into anything serious with a woman?

"You want to wave that lace-gloved hand at me later and send me off? I'll wave back and walk away. Even if you want it to end this there - all that it could perhaps be or become - then all of it ends there. I won't fight you on it, even if it would surprise me. I didn't get the impression earlier that you'd be content with one single night of dancing and conversation. But I admit I could be wrong."

"You want me to kiss you senseless, later? I'd enjoy that. If that is where you want to end the night, that is where it ends."

"You want me to take off those lace gloves for you later, behind the privacy of a closed door? I'll lock the door and take them off, along with anything else you want. You want nothing more to do with me after that? That is your prerogative. I'll take the chance."

"You - you are holding all the cards. And regardless of whether you want to dismiss me, kiss me or more - Yes, my lady. My preference would be to make plans to see each other again. Take you on that city tour. Show you my woods. Does that answer your question?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

Dragon grinned at the comment about dragons being smart. Not only was he relieved that she didn't question his wording, but also that her words seemed to imply that she thought him to be smart, also. And that made him feel good. "According to all the legends, yes." He agreed with a little grin. Having always enjoyed all the tales involving dragons, he'd made it a point to know all of them pretty well, too. Including the newer one involving the downfall of the one who'd taken over the dwarves' mountain.. that had been one of special interest to him as a teenager, having traveled to that area with his father for his first time leaving home. But he preferred not to think about that particular trip at all right now, since a lot of it had turned out quite unpleasant.

As she mentioned happy endings including someone to love, he shrugged slightly. "I prefer to think of those as happy beginnings, really.. an ending means it's over, right? At least, usually that's the end of the story." He looked briefly toward the couple in question again as Fairy mentioned how it would be nice if that was the guy she had hoped to find. "Same," He agreed quietly, returning his gaze to her. And if that was him, then Dragon would be pleased to see him again as well, since he was a friend of the brother's as well. But that could wait. No need to cut any dances short or anything like that.

As Fairy went on to add how it was fine for some people to want to dance in that way, yet that she didn't think she would ever dance like that with anyone.. unless it was with someone she had feelings for.. he was slightly at a loss for how to reply. A part of him wanted to ask, 'so, is there anyone like that?' But the thought that he might not like the answer held him back. Though she grinned and seemed to make light of the matter, he wished he could see her eyes, as he felt like that might tell him more about how she may feel about it. But alas, she had them concealed. "Yeah," He agreed quietly, after a slight pause. "Me either." She probably could have guessed that about him already, though.

Returning to the former subject, he was a bit surprised to hear her offering to teach him to dance better. "I didn't think of that," He admitted with a faint laugh, though he probably should have, since she had offered him a little advice earlier. Still, he wasn't quite sure how he felt about that idea. On the one hand, he thought it'd be nice, if he was going to learn more dance moves, to surprise her with them later. But when would another occasion to dance with her ever come up? Then again, on the other hand, it would be a perfect excuse to continue dancing with her tonight. So, he smiled. "That would be nice." He nodded, deciding he would go with the latter. Grinning slightly, he added jokingly, "if the graceful fairy doesn't mind helping a big, clumsy dragon, that is."

---

@Arnyn

Lady Cat

Her smile increased just a bit as he assured her that she still had plenty of mystery. She was quite pleased to hear it, but perhaps a bit more pleased by the way he said it. There were, of course, other factors involved in her reluctance to divulge things like her fears, but she didn't mention any of those, preferring to leave that topic for another time.. if there was another time.

When he responded to her question, however, her smile faded into puzzlement. Say goodbye at the door? Unsure how he had arrived at that conclusion by her question, she shook her head, with a tiny frown. No, she did not want that, but she let him finish speaking, partly to hear out whatever he was trying to express to her, and partly to let herself try to understand what was going on with him.

At first, she was getting the idea that he intended on them going their separate ways once the ball had ended, and she was feeling some disappointment creeping in, but when he reached the conclusion of his speech, she found her confusion melting away, replaced with gladness, and perhaps relief. And, yet again surprised at how straightforward he was.. despite how honest he'd been about everything else he said, all evening. And it also hit her that, just as she had been a bit unsure of his hopes about what might come of this, it seemed maybe the same was true for him.

Lightly stroking his upper arm, as she had done before, she smiled with a flicker of amusement. "Now it's my turn to ask if you're real." She couldn't resist saying with a faint laugh. She even squeezed his arm lightly, as if to check. Then, growing more serious, she met his gaze with her own. "That certainly does answer my question, yes." She assured him, to start with. "I agree. I have never felt such connection with anyone else before.. and I would very much like to know where it may lead, or become. I only wanted to know if we were on the same page, as far as.. seeing one another again. Because I absolutely want to.. as much as both of our schedules will allow." She swallowed, finding it a little more difficult to be so open and forthcoming. How did he make it seem so easily?

Drawing a slow breath in, she hesitated for a moment as she searched his eyes, and what she could see of his face. "I have no intention of "dismissing you", as you put it.. I can assure you of that." She murmured. "I would not have told you what I told you, outside, if I had no intention of seeing you again after tonight. But you hold some of those cards too, Sunshine. And if you had not wanted to make any further plans to see me, then what could I do about it?" Shrugging slightly, she then brought a hand up and traced along the edge of his mask, near the temple. "I am glad that we agree, though."

Smiling softly, her other hand lightly played with his hair, tied back near where her hand rested. After a little pause, she leaned a little closer to his ear. "As for 'kissing me senseless', there was a later promised for that, as I recall... and other such things." She reminded him, a little smile tugging at one corner of her mouth. "I will confess, I am not as one of your prim and proper Belfalas ladies..." She spoke too softly for the words to carry beyond the ear close to her lips, with a little side glance, almost pointedly, toward a couple not far away.. the man was one of the matching four, but not one of the bearded ones.. dancing quite 'properly' with his lady partner. They almost looked as if they were afraid to touch one another. "...but I suspect that it doesn't bother you." She grinned at Golden as she eased back away from his ear.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

His idea about finding the right person being a happy beginning, gave her pause. Now that he mentioned it - was a bit bizarre, wasn't it? How stories usually ended at that point? As if it would no longer be satisfying to hear a story about two people being happy together? "You're right about how they should be considered happy beginnings," she said, mildly surprised by the novelty of such a statement. It shouldn't have been novel at all! "Maybe you should create some stories where it is the happy beginning, then," she suggested with a slow smile. "As a counterbalance for all the ones where it is a happy ending. You certainly have the talent for it."

When he agreed with what she said about the closer dancing, she smiled. It did make sense for him to say that, after his past experiences, but you never really knew - especially with men. Good for him, she thought. And good for any woman he'd be interested in, too. At least there wouldn't be any mixed signals. She'd heard that could be a problem.

She chuckled and rolled her eyes. Oooof course he hadn't thought of it. "Why not?" she asked, feigning offense. "Did you forget I already taught you a thing or two?" He agreed, however, so at least that meant he hadn't found her previous attempts at teaching him inadequate. His next words made her shake her head with a grin, and she moved her hand from his shoulder to lightly tap the top of his head. "Not that big," she grinned broadly, though obviously speaking in good humour. As her hand returned to his shoulder, she slanted her head as if she were making an important point. "Also not at all that clumsy." If he'd be bothered by that, he could consider it payback for calling her a 'graceful fairy'.

"Alright," she said suddenly, her tone a bit different now. "You have your twirl down pretty well. Twirl me again," she instructed. "But - whereas you would usually keep my hand in yours, and where you would usually replace your other hand on my back," she said, "you lower and let go of my hand just as I come back around to face you..." She squeezed his left hand a little with her right. "And then you take my other hand -" She tapped his shoulder with the hand in question. "- And you gently guide me along into another turn." She smiled at him with a little nod. "I'll show you what I mean. It should sort itself out. Ready?" she asked, curious to see how he would handle himself.

---

@Rillewen

Golden Sunbeam

There were flickers of amusement in that smile of hers, but she was sending flickers of heat up his arm with the way her hand moved. He had to grin when she said it was her turn to ask if he was real, enjoying the way she was using his own words from earlier, and turning them around on him. When she squeezed his arm, his fingers briefly tightened on her waist. Hearing that she had never felt such a connection before and that she absolutely wanted to see him again, made his grin fade into a content smile.

So, she did not plan on dismissing him. Thank Yavanna. His lips quirked when she claimed he also held some of the cards, and as she called him Sunshine again. Her fingers along the edge of his mask kept him quiet while she said she was glad they both agreed. He offered a low, brief hum at that, feeling the way the fingers of her other hand were toying with his hair. Her leaning in then, her lips close to his ear, using the words she did - confirming that she did not intend to back out of anything that had been previously implied... A little smirk found its way to his face, and he closed his eyes as he tilted his own head down as well, catching more of her scent and perfume.

"I will confess, I am not as one of your prim and proper Belfalas ladies......but I suspect that it doesn't bother you."

She started easing back from his ear, probably to look at him, but that made him put light pressure on her back with one of his hands as he kept his own face dipped in toward her, brushing his lips against the skin beneath her ear. "I've never been one to enjoy Belfalas," he breathed, before gently pressing an unabashed, warm kiss into her neck. His left hand reached up to find her right hand at his neck and he twirled her around rather suddenly. Rather than catching her waist with his other hand when she was about to face him again, however, he placed it at her back and lowered her down into a dip. A low dip, and he followed her down, bending along with her, much more than what would be the norm. Just so he could well appreciate the way her loose, dark hair fell back, exposing what it did of her neck, collarbone and shoulders. He paused, momentarily in stasis, before slowly bringing them both back up and pulling her close against him once more, guiding her hand back to his neck before replacing his own at her waist. He leaned down to touch his cheek against hers. "I'll show you how real I am," he promised her, before tasting her neck again - slower, this time, and less gentle. "Once we leave this place," he murmured against her skin. "Which I think we should."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

He grinned at her statement that he was right, and that he should create some stories like that. "Well.. if you recall my story about the fairy and her raccoon-turned-human friend, it concluded in a similar fashion." He shrugged. He had ended it by saying that they went off on many other adventures together, which would become tales of their own. He had no idea what would happen in those future tales but he need not worry about that right now. That was a thing to decide at some later date.

When she feigned offence, he smiled apologetically. "No offense to you, I promise," he laughed. "You did help me learn a couple of things, you're right." He refrained from mentioning that he hadn't thought of asking her because he had wanted to be good at dancing for her sake. Because she had seemed to enjoy the dancing she had done with those with more skill than him. In fact, of all the fellows he'd seen her dancing with, he was evidently the least skilled. So, it was time to correct that, right?

Grinning as she teased him about not being that clumsy or big, he shook his head a bit in amusement. "You are graceful, though." He insisted. "Even when you fight. I remember thinking it looked almost more like you were dancing than fighting." As she took on a more serious tone, he nodded and paid attention to the instructions. It was nice to hear that he did the twirl well, but he was curious what else she would teach him. Another twirl? He nodded as he tried to picture the motions she was describing.

When she asked if he was ready, he smiled and nodded, trying not to look at all skeptical about this. "Sure." He started her through the twirl at a somewhat slower rate than he had been doing, so that he could figure out what she meant a bit better. "Then.. take the other hand, for another turn..." he repeated under his breath, trying to think of how this would work going at regular speed.

---

@Arnyn

Lady Cat

She was going to look up at him and smile, but he seemed to have other ideas. Feeling the pressure against her back to keep her close against him, she yielded to it, and didn't try to resist. The soft words, and the brush of his lips against her skin, brought a little smile of satisfaction as she enjoyed the sensation. With an almost inaudible 'mmm', her eyes closed briefly as he pressed his lips to her neck, for half a second forgetting all the other people around them. If there were any rules against this, she really couldn't care less at the moment.

The unexpected twirl caught her by surprise, a heartbeat later. Opening her eyes swiftly, she caught her breath as she spun. It happened swiftly, and then she was.. not exactly falling. But she ended up quite low to the floor, her hands instinctively moving to catch herself by holding onto him, the arm that he had used to twirl her, ending up around his shoulders. But there was no need, for he caught her, just as he had caught her before. In fact, it was definitely reminiscent of the moment outside when she had slipped on the ice, and he caught her.

Her heart raced from the minor adrenaline from the sensation of 'falling', yet, being held so securely in his arms, she was had no fear though she was so near to the floor. Her other hand came up to gently caress his jaw as she smiled, letting one leg come off the floor a little way, to complete the reenactment of the ice incident.

Returning to an upright position, she found both feet on the floor again. Her arms around him still. Her heart still beating harder than normal as he kissed her neck again, she almost forgot to let her breath out. She released it a moment later, as he suggested they leave. He was making it difficult to think, again. "Once again, we agree." She murmured. The song was close enough to ending, as far as she was concerned. The hand behind his head lightly stroked his hair as she let her eyes close, enjoying the moment for just a bit longer. She took a slow breath in, then back out, then opened her eyes and gently pulled away, because it would be rather difficult to do anything until they had pulled away from one another a bit.

As it turned out, the song drew to a close just about that time. "Best go then.. before we're asked to leave?" She gently teased with a half-smile, and then took a slight glance around wondering if anyone else might be giving them any disapproving looks. Not that she was exactly self-conscious, and she had no objections personally to any of this, but she didn't know how the hosts would feel about it.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

"Well... thank you," she said when he seemed to insist that she was graceful. She smiled a little when he compared her fighting style to dancing. It wasn't actually the first time she'd heard that, so it wasn't a surprise. It was flattering, too. But she never quite knew what to say when someone spoke of her style like that. Luckily, the Dragon quickly focused on what she was trying to teach him.

Pleased with his undivided attention to what she was trying to show him, the Fairy then let him twirl her around, more slowly this time. During the turn, her eyes swept over Golden and Lady Cat, and the Fairy rolled her eyes behind her mask. She didn't say anything, however, her commentary merely spoken in the privacy of her own thoughts. As she completed the turn, she tapped the Dragon's hand with her thumb when it was time for him to let go and reached for his other hand. She kept turning, just as slowly, moving their joined hands herself - so she could show him how they were supposed to move behind her back as she turned around.
Then she told him to let go when he had to, and they returned to the normal dancing position once she came back around.

"It's mostly timing," she said. "No fancy footwork or anything like that. Someone who knows the move and is attuned to your lead will pick it up and go with it. Or even if you're a strong lead, and she knows the steps... Though it is probably not a move to try with just anyone," she apologized. "If the lady doesn't know how the move works and therefore doesn't recognize your cue, she won't know what to expect or do."

The Fairy smiled. "Let's try that again?" she suggested. "Slowly, one more time. But now you take me through the movement."

---

@Rillewen

Golden Sunbeam

He let her pull away this time, looking at her with a little, thoughtful smile. He couldn't care less about any looks of disapproval himself. Anyone who didn't like it, could look elsewhere. There were countless other things as well as individuals for others to look at. If anyone was looking at them - one of the many duo's among the crowd - they were choosing to. "If anyone asks us to leave," he replied with an amused smile, "we have but to agree, I reckon." He offered her his arm. "That way, everyone is happy."

As they made their way off the dancefloor, Golden would meet any look he saw from a man. Unashamed. Perhaps even with a little smirk that asked the stranger: 'Don't you wish you dared do the same?' Any looks from ladies, he pretended not to see. There was but one who mattered at the moment, anyway, and she was at his arm as they headed toward the attendants who were charged with everyone's outside garnments. Taking charge, as Lady Cat had reminded him he could, Golden asked for the lady's cloak before requesting his own. He helped her with the black and golden cloak before bothering with any of his own outerwear, ignoring the attendants' staring when he put Lady Cat's cloak over her shoulders as he stood in front of her, staring wordlessly into her eyes and leaning in until their lips were but a handwidth apart while he fastened the garnment for her.

When he stepped back from the lady and held out his hand for his own vest and cloak, the attendants had to take a moment to 'unfreeze' but then one of them hurried to hand them over to him. "Thanks," Golden grinned at them, before smirking a little as he opened the door for Lady Cat. "Temptress," he invited her to step outside first, with a nod of his head toward her as he held the door. "Watch the ice," he said quietly as she passed him. And then he followed her out, letting the door fall closed behind them.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

Keeping his attention on Fairy, Dragon waited for the next signal that she would give. When she tapped his hand, he released her hand and switched, so that he took the one that she was reaching for him with. At this speed, it wasn't all that difficult. But he wasn't sure how well it would work going at a faster speed, as it seemed like it could be too easy to miss her hand if she were twirling very fast. Still, he was smiling as she completed the second turn, and came back to resume the regular dance position.

"Yes, the timing seems like it might be difficult, the faster the twirl is." He could see how it might not work with a lady who didn't know what the signal meant. But for tonight he didn't really plan on dancing with any ladies besides her, and so it didn't matter that much for tonight.

"Alright," He agreed to the suggestion of trying it again. He grinned as he waited to be sure that she was ready before leading her through the twirl again. Slowly. When it seemed like about the same point as before, he let go, hoping it wasn't too early or late. And held out his other hand to find hers, and finish the second twirl. However, he forgot to actually guide her through it as he was so focused on making sure his other hand was ready to catch her hand as she came around.

---

@Arnyn

Lady Cat

The remark about agreeing made her grin in amusement, then her grin shifted into a smile of satisfaction as she took his arm, wrapping both hands around it. "Good point," She answered, half-smirking. "We certainly want to help everyone stay happy and joyful on this wonderful evening."

As he settled her velvet cloak around her shoulders, leaning in so close, Lady Cat was tempted to close the distance, but she refrained. Instead, she gazed back at him while he was fastening her cloak. With her lower lip lightly caught between her teeth, she was peripherally aware of the attendant's staring, and she found it a bit amusing. Whatever they were thinking, she figured they could go ahead and think it.

Smiling at him as he opened the door for her, she started outside after wrapping her cloak tight around herself to ward off the cold. His words made her pause and turn to him with a little smirk, then she leaned in close to him. "With my Sunshine at my side, I have no need to fear the ice." She murmured close to his ear, then smiled as she took his arm and guided it to wrap around her shoulders as they stepped out together.


[exit]

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

He let go of the right time and took her other hand in his just about at the right time, as well. But... "You forgot to actually lead, Gladhron," she chided him gently when she had completed the second turn and was facing him again. "That being said, your timing was on point." She smiled at him and took his hand in hers - the one was supposed to guide her through the second twirl. "Remember," she said as she started turning around again, moving his hand the way he was supposed to move hers as she turned her back to him and half-looked over her shoulder so her voice wouldn't get lost in the music and other sounds around them.

"You are supposed to move my hand like this. I'm only supposed to follow your lead." Facing him again, she grinned. "It took me a while to accept that I had to follow," she admitted. "Don't make me regress," she teased, her tone clearly amused, before she took his hand again. "So," she encouraged him good-naturedly, waiting for him to move her hand - and by extension her arm - the right way, "Lead, Sir Dragon. I promise not to hit you with some fairy-spell," she teased.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

"Ah, I knew I forgot something," He lamented, shaking his head in a mix of amusement and frustration at himself. "Sorry." As she went on to say that his timing was good, he grinned happily. "Well, at least there's that." He chose to look at the positive part of it, and watched as she slowly went through a turn while telling him what he was supposed to have done.

"Right," He nodded, assuring her that he would remember this time, then grinned as she asked him not to make her regress. "I'll try my best," He laughed. At the promise not to hit him with a fairy spell, he laughed quietly. "I appreciate that. I'm not even sure what a fairy spell could do to a dragon, but it sounds frightening." He grinned, teasing as well.

He took a moment longer to prepare himself to try again, mentally going over the moves he needed to do, to accomplish both the guiding and the signaling thing. Then, he took her through the first twirl, still doing it slowly. He had managed the timing pretty well the last time, so he only had to make sure he remembered to do all of the guiding stuff properly. After catching her hand when she came around from the first twirl, he guided her along through the second one before she came around to face him, and they resumed the previous dancing position. "How was that?" He asked, hoping he hadn't forgotten or missed anything this time.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

"Quite frightenening, I'm sure," she agreed about the spell, trying to sound serious but kind of failing. And not really caring that she was failing.

When he took her through the first twirl, and then the second, slowly but successfully, the Fairy smiled at him when she faced him again. "That was perfect," she told him. "Both on the timing and the lead. Now all you need is the right speed." She tilted her head. "Feel up to trying it a little faster? You could start us off into a slower slow dance, then give it a try," she suggested. "Unless you want to be 'crazy' and immediately try it at a normal speed?" It was obvious she didn't really think it would be crazy, and that she was using humour to keep things light. She did not want to make Gladhron feel too uncomfortable at learning a dance move in the middle of a crowded dancefloor.

[Pele Alarion]

@Rillewen

The Gilded

Gilded looked around for a while at various people dancing or feasting at the buffet table or at the bar, and then looked back to Teal.

“I am not sure I know anyone else here either, and it seems that most are already socialising with others in pairs, or in small groups,” she observed. While she felt brave enough to go and insert herself impertinently in some conversation, it might not necessarily be the best way to spend the evening.

“Dancing, dancing…” she hummed in response when he admitted that he liked dancing with her, and then laughed quietly. “The evening has been truly amazing,” she then noted. “I doubt I would often have a chance to wear such a dress or participate in a ball like this, not a high-born noble, as you well know. Well worth it then. Or what would you say?”

Red Rooster

“I bet they are already used to all the staring,” Rooster waved off what he took as concerns from Orchid towards the comfort of their King and Queen. He did not intend to stare too much though as per her suggestion.

And then, out of the blue (and the dress was definitely very blue) another young lady appeared among them and proceeded to chat away Orchid’s ears. Rooster tilted his head slightly with a slight grin as he observed, and then straightened and gave a polite nod of his head towards the newcomer at the introductions.

It seemed to him that Orchid was not overly happy with the arrival of her cousin, but he did not comment on it, retaining a small smile.

“I doubt a lady will like to drain flagons of mead, so perhaps a fruity drink would do you good; or not so heavily fruity and lighter bubbly water with refreshing lemon and peppermint taste?” he offered the options which he thought of first.

@Rillewen

Black Lips

“I find no fault with bacon wrapped things,” Black Lips said, entertained by what seemed a bit of flustering on the part of Sir Fox. “Though I still have to taste this particular one; and there I trust your word.” She pointedly took another of those and added to her plate, and without undue hesitation tasted some of it.

She savoured the delicious morsel as she looked after Meadow for a few moments and then turned her attention back to her current company.

“Never mind, Sir Fox. That is my sister, and she is full of mischief,” she claimed, a lopsided grin touching her features for a moment before a polite smile replaced it. “And… what proof do you have to show for your friendliness? Well, except… that your are courteous and knowledgeable in suggesting tasty food.”

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

He grinned to hear that he had done it perfectly. Sure, it had been slow. But he'd gotten it right! So now he just had to get the timing right while spinning her around at the regular speed. Hopefully, that wouldn't be too hard. Her question made him laugh lightly. "Sure, why not?" he asked with a little smile, when she mentioned trying it a bit faster. "Yeah, let's not get too crazy," He joked back, although really, he didn't think it would be smart to try launching into too fast of a twirling thing until he had this figured out a bit better.

As they were already dancing rather slowly, he didn't feel like they needed to slow that down any further. Mentally, he was going over all of the necessary things to do during the double twirl. Then, after a few steps of regular dancing, he decided to try it again. "Ready.." He muttered, then started her into a twirl. After guiding her through the first, regular twirl, he let go of her hand and tried not to stress out too much about catching her other. For a second, he thought he might miss her hand, but then he didn't, much to his relief, and continued guiding her through the next one, just as she'd taught him.

As she returned to his arms as before, he couldn't help grinning. "How was that?" He asked, feeling quite certain that he'd done it well. Maybe not perfectly, but well enough. Then, a thought made him nearly laugh, but he refrained. "You aren't getting dizzy, are you?" He asked, in a tone somewhere between concerned and amused. "If you are, just let me know, and we can stop the twirl practice." He had no idea how much tolerance she might have for all this twirling, but he wanted to make sure.

---

@Pele Alarion

Teal

Teal smiled at her response, pleased to hear that she was both content to remain dancing with him. He nodded when she mentioned most people seeming to be socializing in small groups or pairs. That was fine with him, really. They could go and meet new people later, perhaps. Although, as his gaze wandered about the tavern's ballroom, he happened to catch sight of a couple dancing sort of nearby. Was he imagining it, or was the lady giving her dance partner a lesson in how to twirl her? It wasn't as if they stood out or that it was terribly obvious or anything, but once his gaze rested on them for a few moments, he felt sure that was the case.

Realizing that, he nonchalantly moved himself and Gilded just a bit closer, while still moving them through the basic dancing steps. Just close enough so he might be able to catch a bit of the verbal instruction the Fairy lady seemed to be giving to the guy in the dragon mask. "It has been wonderful," he agreed with Gilded, smiling as he looked at her again, then nodded at her comment about the dress. "It's a very pretty dress," He agreed, while attempting to 'eavesdrop' a bit.

He heard the lady say to the man, 'You are supposed to move my hand like this.' His gaze shifted back toward them, watching for a moment as she seemed to be demonstrating what he had been supposed to do.. but that seemed to be different than the other twirling he had seen done by others, and he had not really been doing anything other than raising their arms up. So, was he supposed to have done more? Intrigued, he watched the other pair in his peripheral vision as subtly as he could while they went through the move slowly. Ah.. they were doing a double twirl? Interesting!

Then, realizing that Gilded might be wondering why he was so focused on something else, he looked back to her apologetically. He leaned in a little closer to her. "Sorry, I am trying to learn better dance moves." he whispered to her in explanation, with a tiny nod toward the other two so she would understand. "I think I have been doing the twirl wrong, maybe?" He frowned very slightly. "Or, that I wasn't doing something I should've, to help you twirl.." He added quietly, uncertain.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

Remembering what it was like when she had learned these things, herself, she didn't laugh at how serious he was when he was focusing on getting it right. She just nodded when he muttered 'ready...' and smiled a little when he got it right as she twirled around twice and he guided her through it.
His grin afterwards challenged the focus she had seen just a moment before, and she couldn't help but grin in return. "You did well," she reassured him, right before he asked whether she was getting dizzy.

She laughed briefly. "Not yet." Even if she'd gotten the impression she was getting close to a little bit of vertigo earlier. "But, if it suddenly hits, you wouldn't let me fall. Right?" Slightly narrowing her eyes behind the veils on her mask, she breathed another laugh. "A break from twirling might be the wiser thing to do, regardless."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

He was glad to see her grin, and even more glad to hear that he had done well. "Thank you." He was relieved, since he didn't really want to have too much failure to deal with, in this situation. It was nice that she was so patient, but then he remembered that she had been like that before in the North when she was teaching them things, so it wasn't really a surprise. Still, it was nice.

Her laugh was always a nice sound to his ears, and it made him smile as she did so. "Of course, I wouldn't!" He was quick to assure her, smiling. "But just in case, we'll take a break." he agreed, amused. "Are you content to remain dancing without twirls for a while, or does that mean you would like a break from dancing as well?" He asked, checking to be sure of her preference.

---

@Pele Alarion

Yellow Orchid
&

"Forget-Me-Not"

"Ooh, a fruity drink sounds nice." She declared, but tilted her head with a little 'hmm'. "But so does a bubbly one. Do you think they'd have both? Fruity.. and bubbly?" She wondered, intrigued at the idea of it.

"They might, but you won't find out if you don't ask." Orchid mentioned with a slightly amused smile. She wasn't about to ask for her, and it seemed that Rooster wasn't, either.

Shrugging, the other claimed a seat on the other side of Orchid and hailed one of the bartenders, asking for a bubbly drink with fruit, and then proceeded to chat cheerily with the fellow while he was fixing the drink for her.

While the girl in blue was busy making her drink request, Orchid turned to Rooster with a slightly apologetic smile and shrug. She felt it best not to speak about any sort of plans to explore the Pelennor while her cousin was in earshot, and most other topics she could think of at the moment seemed uncertain; her cousin might decide to join in on the conversation. In fact, Orchid wasn't sure whether she had come over here with hopes of getting Rooster to ask her to dance, but she actually hoped he would not. But, since most fellows did seem to find her cousin to be prettier than her, she couldn't really be certain about anything of the sort. So, she remained quiet, somewhat awkward about what to say or do, since she didn't want to tell her cousin to go away, but also didn't really want her around at the moment.

"Oh, this is really good!" The girl in blue declared, grinning at the bartender before she turned back to her cousin. "You should try it, D...cousin." She nearly slipped up but caught herself before revealing the other girl's name.

"I'm sure it is, but I already have a drink." Orchid pointed out with a little smile. She took a sip of it, as if to prove it. Then, having an idea, she glanced at Rooster briefly and flashed a smile that hinted at mischief before turning back to her cousin. Adopting a 'gossipy' type of look, she leaned in closer. "There's a young man over there who keeps looking at you..." She told her in a conspiratory tone, and nodded in the direction past her cousin.

"There is..? Where?" The other lowered her glass as she whispered back with intrigue, trying to subtly glance around to find the young man in question.

"Over there.. in the blue, gold-trimmed jacket, and gold mask." Orchid nodded toward a fellow who was not looking this way at all. "Oh, he looked away, now that you're looking," Orchid explained. "But he was definitely looking at you, I'm sure of it. Wasn't he?" She asked Rooster, hoping he would play along and aid in her harmless little deception, and also hoped it would encourage her cousin to go elsewhere.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

"Good," she said when he reassured her he wouldn't let her fall if she lost her balance from too much spinning. "I'm doing this for a good cause, after all," she teased.

Speaking of a good cause... "You should teach Gwestion, too, sometime," she suggested as the thought entered her mind, trying very hard not to laugh at the idea. For some reason, that seemed so unlikely it was comical. "Then he could dance in the snow with Bel in winter." It was probably because she last saw Bel in winter, when it was snowing, that made her think of that.

At his question, she glanced around. "How long have we even been out here?" she wondered out loud, not bothering to guard her thoughts at the moment. "I don't know," she said thoughtfully. Kaylin knew who she was. Surely they'd been dancing together for multiple tunes, and definitely longer than would be expected. She might face some prodding about that. "I'm having a good time. If you don't think it's weird, I'm fine with staying where we are. Is Lady Blossom the type to tease you about dancing with a friend? As long as we have," she clarified.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

He grinned as she declared that she was doing this 'for a good cause'. He was about to think up something funny to say back to that, when she saved him the trouble by suggesting he teach Gwestion. He couldn't help it.. a laugh slipped out. "You're joking, right?" He grinned, shaking his head. "He refused to do anything more than help decipher the book," he informed her with amusement gleaming in his eyes, and a smile lingering on his face. "I think they were doing good to go for a walk together in the spring, to look at the stars." he added with a bit of a grin.

When she asked how long they'd been out there, he paused and glanced around as well. "I've hardly noticed," he admitted. Had the first song even ended? Had they danced through ten or twenty without him realizing? He really couldn't have said. At the question about Lady Blossom, he paused to consider that, and glanced around for her again. "I don't think she's noticing anyone except for that fellow she's dancing with." Still. He left that word out, but it was in his mind. "But as for teasing," He shrugged with a little grin. "Since when have I ever minded a bit of teasing?"

---

@Pele Alarion

The Fox

Now that his attention had been called to some of the other items that he had not tried, Fox decided he might as well. But he waited for the lady to take whatever she wanted, first, and only then added a couple of items to his own plate, smiling a little as the lady sampled the bacon wrapped roll. "Well, did I lie to you?" He asked with a little grin. "Or is it good, like I promised?"

Hearing that the other lady was her sister, he glanced toward Meadow, then back again. It was almost as if they had chosen to be night and day to each other, and that was a bit amusing. "That must be nice, having your sister here," he mentioned, thinking with a smile how very nice it had been to see his own sister, earlier. Even if he couldn't let her know he was there, or that he was her brother. He was tempted to mention that he'd had a pleasant opportunity to see his sister here, but something held him back. Just in case it might be a mistake to do so.

He wondered who this might be that he was speaking to, because although she did not look at all familiar, there was still something that seemed to tug at him that he ought to know her. Her question gave him pause, slightly. Proof? He smiled at the addition she added, and he shook his head slightly. "I'm afraid I have no proof, except for that which you listed yourself." He acknowledged, smiling as he played along with what seemed like teasing. "I guess you'll just have to take my word for that, too."

---

@Pele Alarion

The Lion

Having danced with several ladies since parting from the Fairy, Lion was indeed enjoying the evening, now. He had not yet dared approach the one in Red, but his eye did keep drawing toward her, especially whenever he saw her without a dance partner. For now, he was seeking to dance with as many of the pretty ladies present this evening as he could manage.

With that in mind, he wore a pleasant smile as he approached one who did not have a dance partner at the moment. A bright and cheerfully dressed lady. She, too, had drawn his eye earlier when he saw her enter the room, partly because of the brightness of her attire, but also because she simply appeared to match it in personality, from what he had observed from afar.

"Good evening, my lady!" He greeted her as he arrived near where Lady Meadow was gathering her 'tasty morsel' from the buffet table. "You make me wonder if spring has come already." He informed her with a little laugh, smiling. "It seems there is at least one flower who has not succumbed to the cold of winter."

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

She only allowed herself a more controlled smile when Gladhron laughed. Obviously the suggestion had been funny, and meant to be funny, but she didn't want to cross the line into actually making fun of Gwestion. "Well, I'm sure he did not see the point. Since he was not coming this evening, and like you said - there aren't really opportunities like this in the woods or on the road." She smiled. "I know what my brother would say to that, though. That a trail or road is much more suitable for dancing than people might think." The smile grew into a grin then. "Then again, I can't see the two of you dancing out in a forest together. So unless he actually dances with Bel, the point does seem a bit moot."

Pleasantly surprised to hear that Gwestion and Bel actually went for a walk together in the spring, just the two of them- or so she assumed - and under the stars, no less, the Fairy wondered whose idea that had been. And what they'd talked about on that walk. For Bel, she hoped some progress had been made... Maybe she ought to ask Gwestion about that, later. If she could manage that without him shutting it down completely. Maybe during that dinner...

Seems like Gladhron had been paying as much attention to the changing tunes as she had. Too little, she mentally added, amused. His question didn't lessen her amusement. "Oh, I don't know," she said, smiling. "It seems to depend a little on who does the teasing. Your brother can get on your nerves from time to time. You were always good when I did it, though," she recalled. So, considering his question after she had now mentioned teasing from Lady Blossom... "Which now leads me to assume it is only Gwestion's teasing that you 'mind', from time to time. So then we should be good to continue dancing a while longer. Until one of us gets thirsty or hungry enough. Or tired enough,I suppose," she added thoughtfully, watching some people leaving. "How late is it?" she wondered out loud, before looking back at Gladhron in his dragon's mask. "Did I mention that is an excellent mask, by the way?" she asked.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

"True, but he would also say there is no point in it later, since he has no plan to go dancing." He rolled his eyes but smiled. "Your brother sounds like a pretty smart guy, though." He added with a grin. "You know.. it's kinda too bad it never occurred to us back in the North, to do any dancing. Like, when we stopped to camp or something. You could have taught me some of this, then. Maybe you could've convinced Gwestion to give it a try, too." He mentioned, thinking for a moment about that. "I'll have to work harder at dragging him off to visit Bel more, when we get back to the area." He sighed. "The only way I can manage to get him to agree, is to mention that we need to check in periodically to make sure that she's alright, you know?" He would have to try and think of some other reasons to go to the inn more often. "Which he agrees with, but he also thinks we shouldn't loiter too long." He rolled his eyes at that.

When she mentioned that he minded sometimes, when his brother teased him, he shrugged. "A bit, but only because he knows how to really get to me." He made a face briefly, recalling the spider comment. "But he does it so infrequently that I don't really mind that much." He didn't comment on the other times when they were arguing or annoyed at each other, rather than just 'teasing', and that wasn't as nice. But he figured that was common with all siblings, right?

As for lady Blossom, he didn't know whether she would say anything to him about his dancing with one lady so long, but he would definitely be asking her about the fellow she happened to be dancing with. So it would only be fair if she did. He was pleased to hear that she was fine with continuing to dance for a while, until either of them were hungry, thirsty, or tired. And since he'd already eaten plenty, and had just finished off two glasses of liquid before they came out to the floor, he was fine for a while.

"I have no idea, actually." He replied, as to the time. He briefly glanced around but saw no way of telling the time, and he didn't really care enough about the time to try any harder to find out. He was enjoying the evening too much for it to end yet. But her comment about his mask made him grin again. "Thanks! I thought so too. It feels a bit weird, having it on my face, but it was too awesome to not get, you know?"

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

"If Gwestion said that and I was around," she said in reply to Gladhron's thoughts on what his brother would say about there being no point in learning at all, "I would tell him that his refusal to learn any new skill would be a surprise. He won't know when it could come in handy. Or has he never found himself in unexpected circumstances before, where some random skill turned out to be useful?"

His words about how her brother sounded pretty smart, made her chuckle. "My brother would love to hear you say that, I'm sure." She had to laugh at what he said next, however. "Dancing in the woods while accompanying an attacked family to Bree? Or while trying to find out what had happened to the owner of the inn? Or while chasing bandits?" That hardly seemed... fitting. Then again, they had played plenty of games in the evenings, after those first few days. Why would it have been so different to teach them a bit about dancing? Frowning behind her mask, the Fairy still thought it would have been... strange. It was one thing to dance with someone at a social event that was basically geared toward doing exactly that - and it was another to dance with someone spontaneously at some random place and time. Wouldn't that have been awkward?
"I doubt it," she said when Gladhron voiced she might have convinced Gwestion to try it, too. She wasn't sure whether Gladhron could have convinced her, in fact. But she chose not to mention that out loud.

Instead, she picked in on what he said about Gwestion teasing him infrequently. "Yes, you do tease him more than the other way around," she pointed out with a little smile. "Unless you've let up on that a little, the past few years?" she asked lightly, trying to see if Gladhron had changed anything about that since last they'd seen each other.

"I guess it doesn't really matter how late it is," she allowed. She had the next day 'off', after all. She had the time to get whatever rest she needed. For once. Not that her habits would probably simply break for the day. When he said the dragon's mask had been too awesome not to get, she laughed quietly. "It is very nice," she confirmed yet again. "But I can see why it wouldn't feel the most comfortable. It's quite elaborate. Mine is much simpler - but I've been to a few of these masked dances before and, yes, the masks can get bothersome, so I went with something simple." Meaning, something that wasn't too big, and which didn't have any addendums. Things like feathers on one side and such, could throw off the balance, and got uncomfortable around the head after a while. And more elaborate masks around the nose or mouth area could get bothersome when drinking or eating. "But at least it seems like yours isn't bothering you too much?" She hadn't seen him readjusting it or anything of the sort, and he seemed to have no trouble when drinking water or wine - or hot chocolate - earlier.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

As she spoke of Gwestion refusing to learn a skill, he tilted his head thoughtfully. "Yes, good point." He answered, taking a moment to think about that, then shrugged. "He'd probably say it has little to do with rangering, so it's not important." He rolled his eyes. "But there have been times when random skills turned out to be useful.. maybe I should remind him of that." He grinned. "Maybe instead of telling him it's so he can dance with Bel, I should say something about how it would help him get better at fighting. That's a thing, right? Footwork and such?"

He was amused as she mentioned her brother would love to hear that, but he was more focused on the idea of dancing. Sir Golden had said something earlier, asking if he and Celume had ever danced back then, and he had been regretful to say that they had not. "Well, there were many evenings, sitting around a campfire and all, while we were hunting the bandits. It would have been a good time to learn something like this, that could be useful later." He shrugged. "But then, I had no idea then that I'd end up going to a ball, a few years later." He added with a little laugh.

He hesitated as she asked whether he still teased Gwestion so often. "Well, I.. there's some things that are just expected with brothers, you know? I do try do less.. picking, and more trying to get him to laugh." He shrugged, and gladly moved onto the topic of masks. He smiled as she spoke about his mask being elaborate. "I'm sure those additions would get annoying," He agreed, glancing at some of those around them who had extra stuff decorating their masks. "Actually, I was really lucky I found such a great mask, so late." He mentioned. "And yours is very pretty, by the way. Goes really well with your dress." He smiled. "I don't know how you can stand having that mesh over your eyes, though. Isn't that annoying?"

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

"It most definitely is a thing," she agreed about the footwork. "Helps with coordination, too." She didn't go into it any further though, not offering a reply to his comment about how she could have shown him and his brother how to dance on those evenings sitting around a campfire. If they had known each other for much longer at the time, it might have been something she would have considered. But what was the point of insisting she wouldn't have done it? Those days were long behind them, and what she would or would not have done if they had asked, hardly mattered now. Still, she had to smile at him saying he'd had no idea back then that he would end up at a function like this, years later. "No, you didn't. Maybe it was better this way, though," she said. "Now you got all the excitement of trying to learn something 'on the fly'," she joked.

Noting he seemed uncomfortable when she called him out on the frequent teasing of his brother, the Fairy wondered if the Dragon had really made a noticeable change. But seeing as it was clearly not a topic he preferred to delve into, she let it go.

She smiled at his eagerness to speak of his mask, and masks in general. When he complimented her mask, she dipped her chin a little as a silent 'thank you'. "That was the idea," she said, amused, when he said her mask fit her dress. Everyone tried to do that, didn't they? "The mesh isn't actually that annoying at all. Being as close to my eyes as it is, I can see through it really well." She grinned a little. "It's probably much more annoying for those trying to narrow down who I could be by the colour of my eyes. Or someone trying to see more of what I might be thinking. No - I'm enjoying the mesh," she laughed quietly. "It has made it much easier a few times throughout the evening, to try and hide my thoughts about something. Very convenient." She smiled conspiratorially. "Want to give it a try?"

[Ercassie]

@Rillewen

Night Sky Courtier 2 - Bearded, dancing with Blossom

“It is no easy thing for any man to admit he is no longer the most important in a treasured daughter’s life,” the Bearded courtier relented, a little begrudgingly. “I imagine that you in particular .. were a difficult treasure to let go,” he smiled, returning to their matter at hand. And enjoying the exploration of his own hands. “Yet I am far more agreeable to taking on the title of father-in-law, than I would be .. grandfather,” The confession saw him shake his dark head slowly, as though he had not until now considered that evolution. “At least not yet,” he threw back his head as though to laugh, and yet did not.

“And, here, I had begun to believe you came all this way just to see me,” he teased the beauty in his grasp instead. “See then, the lengths you are forced to resort to, when I am not around to deliver you patients in need ! At least, I hope you are not in some need of healing yourself ?” The lady’s attention to their dance certainty betrayed no malady for her part. For all that this failed to stop the man supporting her, as though he stood the solid branch on which her easy beauty might bloom. But when she spoke of ‘seeking out new places’ and ‘adventure’, although it were an innocent remark to merely reference one of her party, .. brown eyes swarmed with an emotion he could not express, and great arms clasped her bare shoulders now in close, as though all space had escaped from the room.

It was difficult to begrudge the seeing of her .. here .. now. And yet .. he wished to have her safe, as though all risk might suddenly present, summoned by thought alone.


“He certainly does not sell fancy clothes,” laughter fell easily, too easily perhaps. from him, as he held his heart close enough that she should not manage to properly judge his expression. “The shop is named ‘Wood Works’,” he uttered more quietly, for her ear only. Little further explanation was required as to the type of wares involved, although the lady might be surprised, to find less cabinets but rather more ‘constructed’ limbs, displayed in the window if she were to seek out the place. She was certainly smart enough to require no greater direction, were she to require him or his, while she was in the city.

“I give you my oath, Lady of fair blossom, that I shall have you enjoy all the sights of all seven circles,” drawing his face back from where he had almost nestled about her hair, to gentle run one raised thumb along the soft contours of her jawline. “Inside and out,” he smiled.


Having escaped his cousin’s notice now, the bearded man with an unusual accent .. took the fingers of his raised hand back down a slow walk of the lady’s spine, until unblushing fingers cupped the fall of her fine dressed hips, back within a comfortable hold. Close. The only style of dance he had been taught was .. too flamboyant .. too showy .. for how he felt right now. He simply wanted to have her .. near. Not bring her to the attention of any man he might then have to count as rival. He yearned for a room all to themselves, where he might properly appreciate all that his eyes only could enjoy. Though the hope seemed rather unlikely, with such an entourage on both sides to consider. But where there was a challenge .. never had he easily accepted defeat.

“Another familiar face then,” he deduced, with a slow nod toward the Dragon-masked man who showed no signs of tiring from such an event. “I assume that his brother must be watching over the girls.” the guess betrayed whom he suspected had brought her hither. As he slowly began to explore the options.

---

@Arnyn

Night Sky Courtier 1 - Youngest, now merely loitering .. with the Pink-painted Wildflower
And so prey once again to the Lilac Plume and the Damson Bouquet

At the buffet, the spread of enticing foods lay still before them with enough diversity to ponder it’s delights. The Youngest of the Night Sky Courtiers glanced over the options, seeing none so well as the chance for distraction. If he had cared any about pairing up, he might now have been disappointed by how things had turned out. As it was, an unexpected surprise had come and duly gone during the course of the event, proof as if he required any that he ought not to bother expecting anything more. It was better this way.

“You are a lovely dancer,” he awarded the lady in pink .. and then startled somewhat as she descended into a curtsy. Was he supposed to bow ? Somehow the usual salute he was accustomed to, as a sign of respect .. seemed wrong and so he refrained, and remained thus awkwardly stood there, as she resumed her full height.


“It wasn’t awful,” he shrugged in response to her concern, and meant to elaborate .. but was cut off by another .. almost walking straight into him. For a moment brown eyes were robbed of the delectable pretty miss, and forced to note the interjection. Who was stuttering an apology. As the newcomer turned his remorse toward the lady, the Young courtier poked at a plate closest upon the table to his hand.

“No harm done,” he assured the other .. untroubled, if thenafter drawn to a soft tap on one shoulder. With a sigh and unsure what to expect next, he turned and found .. the Damson Bouquet blinking brown eyes before him.


“It is you,” she decided, and he smiled, recognising the very same words he had commenced in conversation with the Pink Painted Lady. “I didn’t realise,” the brunette leaned in to whisper at one of his ears, as he came to recognise her too now.

“It isn’t me that ..” he began then, to ask for an apology, for his devastated dance partner, but was cut off in confusion as the brazen beauty looked him up and down, unreservedly.

“You’re taller,” she observed, with momentary puzzlement. And then waved away the next attempt he made to stall her. “Any means, I wanted to apologise,” she got there before him. “The two of you .. we thought you were .. you know .. ” it took another close encounter for the young woman to share the derogatory terms which she did, for a member of the more reserved and civilised of social classes. When she regained space between them, Damson giggled. “It's not really my fault you know. I saw you dancing with that other one ..” she explained. And the young man groaned, understanding. Of course, such efforts had been made to manage dancing with a fine lady of Belfalas .. honestly he was still amazed he had gotten through that.


“Well don’t apologise to me,” he tried again. And turned to indicate the painted lady in pink. Only to find that the other young man now seemed to have caught the Wildflower’s attention, since both Damson and he were now stood between them. No doubt while he had been engaged in trying to bring Damson’s attention to that other young lady also. But his old friend from the First Circle was otherwise engaged, in urging her Lilac accomplice over to make good their regrets. At this rate they would be lucky if the younger lady and her new devotee had not embarked on a new chapter of dance all of their own in the meantime ..

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

"Aha, see? An excellent reason to convince him to give it a try." He grinned slightly at the amusing thought of getting his brother to actually try learning to dance. The idea was a bit comical, and he suspected there would be a great deal of resistance involved. But it was worth a try, and he could insist that he also teach Bel, so that... Oh, that was an idea. He pondered that for a moment, but then the Fairy's comment about it being 'better this way' distracted him. He laughed a little at the bit about him learning 'on the fly'. Was that another one of her puns she loved so much? He grinned. "Indeed, I believe you're right. Doing things on the 'fly' does tend to be more fun and exciting." He agreed, although he suspected she may not entirely agree. She tended to be more of a planner, right? He seemed to recall her being more like Gwestion on that.

"Oh, it's not?" he answered, after she said the mesh wasn't annoying. Listening to her explain about why she enjoyed having it, he wasn't entirely sure why she would find it such a good thing to be able to hide her thoughts or emotions. Hide from who? Why would she want to? He understood trying to conceal the color of her eyes, so that others could not so easily figure out who she was, but the other.. well, he didn't get it. But he figured Gwestion would, so it sort of made sense in that way. As for giving it a try? He found that offer surprising. "What, don't tell me you've got more of that mesh hidden in your pockets?" He asked with a slightly surprised laugh. "Although, does that dress even have pockets?" He wondered as an after-thought, unsure if dresses had those. Or rather, fancy dresses like that one.

---

@Ercassie

Blossom

Smiling, Lady Blossom nodded her acknowledgement of the sentiment. "I'm sure you will always have a special hold on her heart that no husband can replace." She assured him softly. She was not quite sure how to respond about herself being a difficult treasure to let go of, and merely gave a slight, smiling shake of her head. "Mm, I have to agree with you on that," She added, laughing lightly at his declaration that he was more willing to be an in-law, than a grandparent. "Although, I have had a bit more time to adjust to my daughter being married," She added, giving a little smile of knowing.

Laughing quietly again at his teasing, she smiled up at him as one hand moved to brush along the edge of his jaw, inspecting the different trim of his beard. "That was a driving factor, the hope that I might come across you," She assured him softly. "Although, the official reason is to explore whatever medical knowledge they may have here, in hopes of supplementing my practice back home." She rested her hand back on his shoulder, happy to let his arms hold her close. "No, rest assured, I am not in need of healing." She shook her head, smiling.

Hearing that his brother's shop was not one that they might have visited earlier this day, she was curious to learn that it was a wood working shop, instead. "Interesting," She replied in a murmur, although admittedly, she was a little distracted by him holding her so close, speaking so softly into her ear. Why that was interesting to her could wait for another time to explain.

His oath surprised her somewhat, and she gazed curiously at him as he withdrew slightly and ran a thumb along her jaw. "All seven?" She asked, with an eyebrow raised inquisitively. "I had the impression that one of those levels was not open to the general public..." She lightly challenged his claim, curious whether he might have misspoken; perhaps he had only meant six? Blossom certainly didn't wish to end up in any trouble with the guards, by trespassing into an area where she was not allowed to be, but she could not deny being a bit curious where all he might be allowed to take her for a tour.

As he returned to the topic of her dragon friend, Blossom blinked and followed his gaze briefly before turning her smiling gaze back to her own dance partner. The guess of a brother told her that he knew now who it was, and she gave a little nod. "Most likely, yes." She confirmed. She had no idea what the time might be, nor whether those who had remained in the inn might have already decided it was time to sleep. "You'll have to say hello to them both at some point, but I've no doubt that you will." She grinned. "They'll be glad to see you, I think."

---

@Ercassie @Arnyn

Pink Wildflower

The compliment to her dancing brought a little smile to her face. Just as she was going to say something in return about his own dancing, his next words left her a bit stunned into silence. It wasn't awful? Blinking at him, Wildflower wondered what exactly he meant by that. 'Wasn't awful'.. wasn't exactly a compliment, after all. It sounded more like 'it could've been worse, but at least it wasn't awful'. Like, it definitely could have been much better. What had she done wrong? Why wasn't this going like she had imagined?

As a stranger nearly walked right into him, Wildflower was almost glad for the interruption, to spare her from having to figure out how to reply to that comment. Because she was quite at a loss about that, really. She managed a tiny smile to acknowledge him, when the other young man addressed her, but she hesitated about replying to his question. Was she enjoying the evening? Right now? Not in the slightest. In fact, the thought of crawling under a table to hide from all these people seemed quite appealing to her, right about now. Obviously, it was not an option, however. And while a part of her wanted nothing more than to just leave this place already and curl up in her room, she also didn't want to leave right now, lest it appear like she was leaving because she was upset. Which.. well, she was.

And then, if things weren't bad enough, even as she was trying to think of how to reply to the new young man's question.. the Night Sky Courtier then turned his attention to another girl. One of the two who had made fun of them, no less! Wildflower stared for a second or two at the back which he had turned to her in favor of the other girl. Well, if that wasn't a clear enough indication he had lost all interest in her.. she didn't know what was. And as much as that stung, she wasn't about to dissolve into tears and let everyone here know of her hurt. And, there was also that young man still there, and she didn't want to be rude to him.

After a small frown toward Night Sky Courtier, she turned back to him. Slightly forcing a polite smile as she remembered to use her feigned accent when she spoke. "It is a lovely evening." She answered him softly, after only a couple of second's delay. That wasn't a lie, although it didn't actually answer whether she was enjoying the evening, she hoped that he would not notice that. Also, hopefully, he would not pick up on any of what was going on inwardly, other than her frowning slightly toward the fellow who had just danced with her. Perhaps he would only think it was disapproval of what he'd done. "And.. you, sir? Are you having a pleasant evening?" She asked him as she stepped a little closer to him, so that the distance between herself and Night Sky grew, while the distance between herself and the other fellow diminished. Perhaps talking with this guy would allow her some distraction from the other, and all the unhappiness going on inside her after all that.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

She joined in with his laugh, smiling broadly as he asked if her dress had pockets. "Alas, no," she told him. "A shortcoming of most dresses, really, which is one reason I wear them less often." Less often being... rarely. Mostly only when there was a special occasion like this or when her brother wanted to take her dancing.

"But there are more places to hide things than pockets," she said mysteriously, before removing one hand from his shoulder and freeing the other from his hand, to pull off her right hand glove and reach back toward her updo. "Just a moment..." She slanted her head a little as her right hand fingers carefully quested what she was looking for. "A-ha!" Soon she was holding up what looked like a very thin string that had three small pieces of mesh looped through it. She'd figured the odds of Kaylin coming up to her at some point, to complain she'd lost one or more of the mesh bits on her mask, were rather high. Besides, she wasn't sure how well they would stay on either of their masks, so she'd brought spares. Just to be prepared. "The string was looped around my bun, the mesh pieces tucked into the hair," she explained quietly, leaning in a little. "So. DO you want to try?" Grinning, she curled her fingers around his arm and tugged slightly, indicating they should probably not stay on the middle of the dance floor as she fixed the mesh to his mask.

"Unless you're more of a chicken than a dragon?" she asked, pursing her lips a little in mock sympathy - in case he wasn't willing.

---

@Ercassie @Rillewen

'No harm done.'

Well, that was a relief. He smiled, grateful, and nodded at the youngest Courtier of the Night Sky. Soon, however, the other young man's attention was drawn away by a different lady (the Damson Bouquet), who had approached to speak with the Night Sky. The moment was awkward, as it was unclear whether the conversation would continue. If one could even argue it had already started.

For the Damson Bouquet seemed to speak to the Night Sky in a more intimate fashion several times. Leaning in as she did. The young man in the brown mask was not sure how he felt about that, and rather than focus on that interaction, he gladly turned his attention to the Wildflower. A much more pleasing sight to behold, he thought. She smiled at him - so polite - and her voice was soft as she finally answered him. So that was what she sounded like. He didn't have to force his own smile at all as it became clear she was not opposed to conversation, and even stepped closer to him. Away from the Night Sky. If he had not been mistaken, it seemed that the Wildflower was also not taken with the way the Night Sky and the Damson Bouquet had started talking among themselves. Well. If nothing else, he could at least ensure she did not become a third wheel to whatever... that... was.

"I am," he acknowledged with a nod of his head, still smiling at her, having to hold back from admitting he had been admiring her from afar for a while now. "Have you just returned from the dance floor, my lady?" he inquired - as if he did not know. "Might I pour you a glass of water?" he gestured at the table, the pitcher, the clean glasses, so close to them.

[Isolde Alarion]

Embers w/ Snowflake

@Rillewen


Having finally gotten out what he'd meant to tell her for a while he couldn't blame her for looking abet stunned as she seemed to take a breath and look away from him. He was afraid for a moment till she looked back up at him again and drew a deep breath.

She then explained to him her feelings and about him being a Ranger and the worry it caused and grief she'd suffered because of losing her brothers in the line of duty. He watched a frown form, and she looked down. His own gaze went straight ahead, lost momentarily in the past. His stubbled jaw tightened and flexed in a moment of thought, remembrance. Another time when his duty cost him the woman he loved. This time he really couldn't blame her; he understood the mental toll it extracted on loved ones.

He noticed her looking up again. His eyes met hers as she continued, her words causing the tension in his jaw to fade and his gaze to soften. He listened as he moved them across the dance floor. He met her with a soft laugh at hearing she would have said no a month ago. Good thing he hadn't asked her a month ago he thought to himself. Now it was he who was holding his breath as she explained further. He did like the little blush on her cheek.

When she gave her permission, he smiled from under his mask. "If it helps, I'm nervous also. But I look forward to it and it makes me very happy." And to show his happiness he took a step back and guided her into a twirl which then ended in him guiding her gently into a dip. When he brought her back up, he took the hand he was holding and looking up from the edges of his mask he softly kissed the back of her hand, pausing briefly to smile at her. " You won't regret this; I won't let you." He grinned and returned them to dancing as he added. "Your brothers would hurt me if I did." A nervous chuckle escaped him.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

"That's too bad," He replied sympathetically, upon hearing that most dresses did not have pockets. He didn't really know much about dresses, to be honest. His curiosity was piqued, however, at her words about there being other places to hide things. He watched in curiosity as she reached up to her hair... and pulled out more pieces of mesh! Amazed, he let out a little laugh. "Backup supply?" He asked, curious why she had extras. Was she really that worried about having her eyes revealed?

When asked once again if he would like to try it, he hesitated slightly, a little grin starting on his face. "Sure, alright." He decided, although he really wasn't quite so interested in trying that, as just going along with this. He certainly wasn't going to let himself be called a chicken! And anyway, if this amused her, then sure, why not? He looked amused as he indicated for her to lead him wherever she had in mind. They could come back to dancing after this, unless she preferred to get a drink or food or something.

---

@Arnyn

Pink Wildflower

The whole situation was one she would rather get out of, very quickly. She had no idea what had happened to the nice dance they'd been having, but Wildflower deliberately did not look back toward the youngest Night Sky Courtier, for fear that it would only upset her more. Nodding instead to the new fellow as he asked if she would like a glass of water, Wildflower smiled faintly. "Yes, please." She agreed. Perhaps that would help.. something. She didn't know what else to do right now, but a few sips of cool water might help calm the turmoil inside.

"I did just come from the dance floor," She added, returning to the other question he had asked. "And yourself? How may I address you, sir?" She wondered, finding little inspiration for a 'nickname' based on his outfit or mask. At least, not at first glance. Perhaps he had already thought of something, or perhaps she might think of something to call him after she had spoken with him for a moment, like she had done with that guy in the white and gold who had been so nice.

---

@Isolde Alarion

Snowflake

It actually was a bit of a relief to hear that she was not the only one nervous about this. It was an entirely new thing for her, having a guy ask to court her. She had always expected that none would look her way, or if they did, that they'd quickly lose interest when they saw how non-girly she tended to be. Working in a forge, making weapons and armor. Her father had always insisted it was no place for a woman, anyway, and had always held the opinion that she should be more girlish if she wanted fellows to look her way.. and always before, she had never really had much care about that, and had felt sure she wouldn't want them to. Now... however, well, this was different. He was different, or something.

She smiled slightly to hear that her answer had made him happy, and then as he brought her into a twirl, she let out a little laugh, and was smiling bigger by the time she came back around to him, only to find him dipping her. She kept her gaze locked onto his, as her smile softened to a smaller one, yet still just as happy. As they returned to fully upright position, she watched him bring her hand up to kiss it, promising that she would not regret this. The addition about her brothers made her laugh quietly again. Grinning, she tried to picture that. "True. I wouldn't advise messing with either of them," She teased lightly, recalling the traps incident from shortly after Midsummer, which had been the work of one brother, and thinking of what she knew the other brother could manage if needed. "Nor me, for that matter." She added with a smile. "Someone I know has taught me very well how to defend myself." She couldn't resist a little grin, amused as she referred to him, in fact.

[Pele Alarion]

@Rillewen

The Gilded

As they dance, Gilded felt as if Teal was guiding them somewhere on purpose, though he did not say anything. Instead of asking she simply observed him but still could not make out what he was up to.

“Oh,” her eyebrows shut up, though well hidden by her mask, when he eventually explained his move. For a moment or two she glanced at the two dancers Teal had indicated, and then whispered back. “Perhaps we should ask for instruction?” Her dark eyes laughed, since she suggested it jokingly and yet would not be opposed to learning right here and now.

“I wouldn’t know if you were doing anything wrong,” she then said and gave him a sincere smile. “The twirl worked somehow either way even if it was not fully correct. So…” She shrugged as much as being in the middle of a dance allowed.

Red Rooster

Rooster was glad that the mask helped cover up at least some of his amusement as he watched interactions between Orchid and her cousin. Could it be that Orchid was not really fond of having Forget-Me-Not around? He did nothing to dispel the slightly awkward silence that had settled for a few moments while the young lady in blue sipped her drink.

It appeared that Orchid had finally come up with a way to get her cousin away, or so he assumed. He looked at the gentleman Orchid had pointed out and shrugged, wearing an easy smile.

“He might have, aye,” he allowed, avoiding making any solid supporting or denying statements.

@Rillewen

Black Lips

“Mmm,” Black Lips gave a small nod as she savoured another bite of a bacon roll. “I have to admit that you are right. This is delicious and very filling as well,” she added verbal assessment once she was able to.

Then she laughed lightly when Sir Fox it must be nice to have her sister here. “Perhaps, though she is such a… mischief, as I said. I’m not sure I’ll want to go to that many balls or other fancy events with her,” she shook her head slightly.

“I do not think I will contest your ability to be friendly, Sir Fox,” Black Lips relented in terms of the other subject they discussed. “I figure I might look more unfriendly in my mask than you might ever look in yours.”

Meadow

Meadow had ended up by that section of the buffet which held sweet food rather than savoury ones, and she did not mind much as she easily picked a couple biscuits and some grapes. She was not really hungry, even so a few small bites would not go amiss.

Hearing a greeting right next to her, she turned and found herself facing a man in a lion’s mask.

“Good evening, sir,” she responded and beamed a warm smile at him. “This hall is certainly warm enough so that even the most fragile flowers could flourish. The cold of winter outside does not matter at the moment. Wouldn’t you say so, Sir Lion?”

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

"Yes," she confirmed with a grin at his question of whether that was a back-up supply. "Just in case either Lady Butterfly or I needed a spare. I also wasn"t sure how well they would stay attached." When he agreed to try, she led him off toward the bar. "Alright," she said, pulling one of the mesh pieces off the string. "Let's see if I can do this with you keeping your mask on. That is, I assume, what you would prefer?"

When the bartender approached, she asked for tea and honey in a separate jar. She also asked for a napkin.

When Gladhron replied*, the Fairy rolled her eyes with a little smile. "They won't kick you out," she said, dismissing that option. "Regardless, I can try with your mask on. Shouldn't be that hard," she reassured him. It didn't take long before the tea and the honey was served, and she thanked the bartender. Her right glove was still off, and she dipped the top of her ring finger into the sticky honey. "Don't worry," she said,"this will come right off with a napkin and some water, later." She stepped in close so she could brush the honey along the very edges of the eyeholes of the mask, without it getting places it shouldn't be. She dapped some above the opening, and some below. It was hardly visible, except when it caught the light just so. Then the Fairy carefully pushed the piece of mesh into the sticky substance, then plucked the napkin the bartender had brought over off the bar, and wiped away some of the excess honey. With the mesh pressed into it, it no longer glinted when the light hit it.

"One to go," she grinned, pleased with how her impromptu solution seemed to be holding pretty well. "I didn't actually think the adhesive through beforehand," she remarked, drily amused at herself. "But this seems to be working. If you close one eye, you can get the idea already," she continued, dipping her finger into the honey again and then brushing it above and below the hole for his other eye. Fairy took a second pieceof mesh from the string, and just as carefully pressed it onto the mask, repeating what she had done earlier with the napkin. "All done," she said, her voice quiet with focus as she finished up and took a step back again so she could assess the job she'd done. "Looks good," she determined.

"So? What do you think? It's not all that bad, right?" She casually picked up the cup of tea to sip it, still feeling out how hot it was. Borderline drinkable. She blew over the top, helping it cool down a little.

*Gladhron's reply was checked with his writer, Rillewen

---

@Ercassie @Rillewen

Once she'd agree to his offer to pour her some water, he smoothly moved to do just that, making sure not to turn away from her completely in the process. Her question of how she could address him, made him blink as he poured the water. "I am not exactly trying to hide," he admitted after stepping close enough to the Wildflower to hand the glass of water over to her. "So, you may simply use my name, even if you might prefer not to do the same yourself - which would be perfectly fine." He offered her a genuine smile. "Lucion. Pleased to meet you, miss...?" He asked, leaving room for her to give whatever name or alias she liked.

Working up the courage to finally ask her what he had been longing to ask for much longer than they had actually been talking, Lucion clasped his hands together behind his back and took a slow, deep breath. "If you have not yet tired from the dancefloor, would you consider another tour when you have finished your drink, my lady?"

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion

Teal

He gave a little laugh when she suggested asking for lessons. "I wouldn't want to interrupt," he mentioned, a little self-conscious anyway about trying to 'spy' on another's lessons. "They're moving away now, anyway," he added, a little disappointed, since he had not quite caught what the lady was teaching the dragon guy. But he had managed to gather a little bit of information from watching them, at least.

He smiled to hear that she had not noticed anything he did wrong. That was a relief, at least. But he felt that he could do better. "There seems to be something I was not doing," He explained, thinking back to watching the other two do it. The lady had said something about the guy being supposed to guide her through the twirl. So, the arm movement thing seemed to be the key there, right? "Let's try it?" he suggested, hoping to get this sorted and maybe be considered a bit better of a dancer, even if it was only for this one night.

Stepping back slightly from her, he raised up their hands, and this time tried to move their joined hands in a sort of circle over their heads, which he realized made sense, now that he was thinking about it more. It would direct the lady through the circular motion in a subtle way. He smiled once the turn had been completed, and returned to dancing. "Was that better?" He asked, hopeful, and wondered why he hadn't thought to ask anyone to show him how to dance before coming here.

---

@Pele Alarion

Yellow Orchid
&

"Forget-Me-Not"

Forget-me-not gazed curiously toward the place her cousin had indicated, but there were people blocking her view of the gentleman in question. She sipped her drink while trying not to look too steadily. Rooster's reply seemed to confirm the fact, and she debated for a moment while taking another small sip of her drink. "Well..." She drew out the word thoughtfully, then decided. "I suppose there's only one way to find out for certain." Grinning, she waved to her cousin and Rooster before setting off toward the buffet tables in a leisurely sort of way, taking her drink along with her.

Watching her, Orchid bit her lip and hoped that she was not going to be too annoyed at her later if she ended up being disappointed by this 'false alarm'. "Sorry about her," She said softly, turning to Rooster after a moment. "She is... a bit excited this evening." She offered a little smile along with an explanation. "But she can be rather chatty, and.." She hesitated, looking down at her drink as she felt a bit shy about admitting that she'd worried her cousin might try to get Rooster to dance with her. "If she heard about the plans to meet you tomorrow, she might tell her father.. and my uncle would not permit me to meet with you, I'm sure." Shrugging slightly, she looked up at him again. "He worries so much, I wouldn't want to add to it."

---

The Fox

He grinned as the lady admitted that he was right. "I try never to be wrong, but it doesn't always work." he shrugged, then took a couple of the bacon wrapped things for his own plate. Listening curiously as she replied about her sister, he tilted his head with a little curiosity when she mentioned her sister being full of mischief. "That's not always a bad thing, is it?" he asked, smiling. "Some mischief is just harmless, silly fun. Other mischief falls into the 'malicious' category. So long as she sticks to the first category, what's wrong with that?"

He popped one of the bite-sized bacon things in his mouth while the lady in black was speaking again, this time mentioning that she looked less friendly than he did. He smiled as he finished the bite of food. "Well, at least you aren't acting unfriendly, to confirm such visual impressions." He pointed out. "But I don't think you look unfriendly, exactly.." he paused, taking a moment to take a look at her mask and dress and all. "Dark, perhaps? I'm not sure I have the right word to describe it." He added apologetically. "But, you don't seem unfriendly." He assured her, unsure what else to say.

---

@Pele Alarion

The Lion

A grin spread over the visible part of his face at the lady's reply. "Indeed, I would." he agreed. "Though all the world outside may be frozen and blanketed in snow, we need not fear the frost in this exquisite ballroom. Are you enjoying your evening, lady of flowering fields?" He asked, smiling pleasantly.

He refrained from taking any of the goodies laid out on the table, partly, because he had already eaten his fill earlier, and partly, because he did not want to get anything on his gloves that might leave a stain or require washing. "If I may ask, my lady, are you taking a break from dancing, or are you merely waiting for some gentleman bold enough to ask you?" He wondered, with a brief glance toward the dance floor before looking back at her with a smile. "If the latter is the case.. then you need not wait any longer." He informed her, grinning slightly with a bit of amusement about the fact that he was wearing a lion mask, which were known for their boldness and courage.

---

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

He was a bit curious what the mesh things would be like over his eyes, even if it wasn't something he would have chosen to do on his own, he was willing to go along with her suggestion. He grinned as she led him off of the dance floor, a bit amused. Settling onto one of the bar stools, he watched her taking the mesh pieces off of the string, then asked him whether he preferred to keep his mask on. Letting out a soft laugh, he shrugged. "I don't really care, to be honest, as long as we don't get kicked out." He said with an amused half-grin. He had seen something about how masks were required past the door, so he wasn't sure whether taking it off for a moment would bring repercussions down on them.

As it turned out, she didn't need him to take if off after all. In a way, it was good, since then he didn't need to wonder if anyone would be frowning disapprovingly at him, or even ask him to put it back on or leave. But in another way, he was a tiny bit disappointed. Having a mask against his face still felt odd, even if he had gotten used to it by now. And it was just a bit hot, keeping the thing against his face for so long. But he'd suffer through to the end, for as long as he stayed at the dance.

As Fairy employed a very clever use of honey to substitute for glue, he grinned slightly as he watched her, keeping as still as he could while she dabbed a bit of honey onto his mask. "If we get ants in the room from this, I'll tell Gwestion it's your fault." He joked, teasing. "Although, I guess there aren't really any ants out and about, this time of year." he admitted as an afterthought.

After just a moment, she stepped back looking quite satisfied, or at least.. what he could see of her face gave him the impression that she was pleased with her work. He smiled slightly, blinking a few times, then turned to look this way and that to test how it actually was to see through. "It's.. different." He shrugged. "Not bad, no. Just.. not something I think I'd want to do all the time." he gave a little laugh.

---

@Arnyn

Pink Wildflower

The young man was quite polite, at least. She smiled faintly as she watched him pour a glass of water for her. "Thank you." She accepted the glass, speaking softly. Taking a small sip, she listened as he answered her question. To her surprise, he did not offer a disguise nickname, but rather his actual, everyday name. "Oh, pleased to meet you, Lucion." She answered, then hesitated as he seemed to ask for what to call her, without actually asking. "I have been named Wildflower, for this evening." She offered, smiling slightly.

She realized, then, that didn't remember whether they'd gotten to the topic of 'names', with her last dance partner. She glanced ever so briefly toward him before quickly returning her focus back to Lucion. Night Sky seemed to be quite involved with that other girl, or so it seemed to her.

As she was taking another little sip of water, the additional question from Lucion surprised her. She paused, swallowed the water she had sipped, and lowered her glass slightly as she hesitated for a second or two. She had certainly not come off the dance floor because she had wanted to, but.. did she want to dance with another stranger? well, why not? The other stranger had been really nice, and he had cheered her up tremendously. Then, despite dancing with someone that she knew well.. it had ended in such a way that she almost felt as if she had been dancing with a stranger. Maybe this one would restore her mood. With a little smile, she nodded. "Yes, that would be lovely." She decided, glad that at least someone wanted to dance with her.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

"If you get ants, that is all on you. You should wipe off the honey when you get back to the inn," she told him, amused. While the Dragon looked around to see what he thought of the mesh additions to his mask, the Fairy decided to put down the tea again and properly wipe off her finger on the napkin. The honey was sticky, and she had no intention of getting it all over everything she touched.

At his assessment, she nodded with a little smile. "Yeah. I suppose I wouldn't, either." Not really. "Though, imagine if using it all the time would then give us some sort of crazy fighting advantage when we don't use it," she mused. If they were used to a more limited kind of vision during training, and then had no limit when in a real fight... She wondered if she had just gotten a new kind of training idea for herself. Might make things interesting...

"Think you'll step on my toes, now?" she teased, picking the tea back up. When she sipped it, she found the temperature to be just right. "Oh, and did you want a drink? I figure I might as well finish this." She lifted the tea cup the tiniest bit.

---

@Rillewen

Lucion

"Wildflower," he repeated, his gaze taking in the beautifully painted flowers on her face. So lovely. Yet he was not certain he would call the young lady wild. She had been so poised, the whole time he had been paying attention...

Her hesitation at his inquiry had his hopes of her agreement dropping very low. Already preparing for rejection, it took him a moment to register that she had actually said yes. Yes- she would dance with him, when her drink was finished. Lucion had to take a moment, but then a slow, very genuine smile spread across her face - even if half of said face was hidden by that silly mask. "Do you live here, or nearby, Lady WIldflower?" he asked her curiously, keeping a close eye on her water so he would be able to offer her his arm as soon as she was done. "I live in the city proper," he shared. It shouldn't take too long before her water was gone and he would be able to hold her. In his arms.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

He grinned when she informed him that any ant situation would be his own doing. Not that he really expected any problems with ants, since it was winter. Watching her wipe her fingers on a napkin, however, he considered. The cloth was more likely to leave little fuzzy residue on her sticky fingers than to entirely eliminate the stickiness. It helped, sure, but he figured they could do better than that.

Amused at the talk about the mesh thing giving some sort of advantage, he was distracted from his thoughts for a moment. "I have no idea when something like that could actually be useful, but perhaps." He laughed lightly. "But as for your toes.. I hope not! But if I do, I apologize in advance." He smiled. Then, as she asked if he had wanted a drink, he was reminded of his plan a moment ago. "Actually.. yes," He turned to the bartender and asked for a small glass of water. Well, he wasn't actually wanting it to drink, but whatever.

After receiving the small glass, he grabbed the napkin that she had laid down and dipped a corner of it into the water. Thankfully, the mesh didn't interfere too much with his vision, so he could see what he was doing. After squeezing the excess water out of the cloth, he offered it to her once again. "Figured it might do a better job cleaning your fingers." He explained with a little grin.

---

@Arnyn

Pink Wildflower

She took a drink of her water while he was absorbing the fact that she had said yes to a dance with him. Smiling slightly to see him smile, she was a little caught off guard by the questions. For a moment, she delayed by taking another drink of water. How to respond to that? She didn't want to lie, but she didn't quite want to tell him that, either. Even if he wasn't the one she was.. well, hiding from. She resisted the urge to glance behind her to see if he was still there. Between the music and the other background noises of people talking and socializing and such, she couldn't even pick out his voice nearby, but that didn't mean he wasn't still there.

Lowering her glass, Wildflower offered a small smile. "Do I sound like I live nearby?" She asked, a bit evasively, but without saying one way or another. She made sure to use her fake accent that Xyler had helped her with, too. The news that he lived in the city made her curious. "What part of the city do you live in, Lucion?" She asked, before taking one more, last sip of her water. She had been thirstier than she'd realized. Now, she set the glass aside and smiled slightly at him. "It is a lovely city, isn't it?" The current song sounded like it was ending, which meant another should be starting up in a moment, so she'd had good timing, apparently.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

The Fairy smiled when her friend said he hoped not to step on her toes. "If you do," she warned him with an amused smile, "then I'll simply return the favor, so we can call it even." She watched the dancefloor as she sipped her tea and while the Dragon asked for some water. Therefore, she didn't see it when he dipped a corner of the napkin into the water he received, but she glanced over just it time to see him squeezing some water out of the cloth. Raising an eyebrow behind her mask, she gave him a questioning look (not that he would notice).

'Figured it might do a better job cleaning your fingers.' Blinking at that statement for a second or two, the Fairy then put down her cup of tea to accept the napkin. "Thank you." After doing a much better job of getting the residue of the honey off her right hand, she smiled contently. "That is much better." She finally put the long glove back on, so there was no need to keep it tucked between her arm and torso anymore. "Good thinking," she said, smiling at him before picking the cup of tea back up and taking another sip. "You really don't want anything yourself?" She'd actually only ordered the tea for the honey, so it wouldn't look weird, but... now they were here, they might as well combat the thirst to come. "Are you going to keep the mesh for a while?" she inquired. "Or do you want it off, before you we go back out there and try the double twirl thing again?" she asked with a half-grin. "It should stay on just fine if you want to. But it's also pretty easy to remove." She nodded at the napkin, now lying next to his small glass of water on the bar. "We have the means to clean it up right away, as well, if you are not a fan."

---

@Rillewen

Lucion

"You do not, lady Wildflower," he said with a smile when she asked if she sounded like she lived nearby. "However, people move, don't they?" He watched her put her glass down and he smoothly offered her his arm. Or at least, he hoped it was smooth. "Excuse us," he half-said, half-mumbled to the Night Sky and the lady he was talking to.

"I live on the Second Level, currently," he told the Wildflower as he led her back out to the dancefloor. "I'm an apprentice there, so it made sense to get a place nearby. But I used to live with my parents in Calembel. I moved here about a year ago. The White City is a wonder," he agreed as he turned toward her, one of her hands in his, his other on her waist. He had actually made it to the dancefloor with her! "I am not sure whether I should say something about this or not," he said a bit more hesitantly as he started them off into the dance. "But it's a bit more of a wonder to me that you agreed to a dance with me. I saw you, earlier, and..." He smiled in a way that betrayed his lack of confidence in the matter. "Well, I figured the odds of managing a dance with you were stacked against me. So, thank you. For indulging me."

[Pele Alarion]

@Rillewen

The Gilded

“You could blame the interruption on me,” Gilded stuck out the tip of her tongue at Teal in a very unladylike fashion and allowed herself a merry laugh. “Though fine… fine… let us not chase unknown people.”

“Guide through a twirl? Well, I don’t know. Let’s try, yes,” she agreed readily, willing to test out whatever Teal had managed to overhear and learn.

As they attempted the twirl once more, she felt the slight guidance from Teal through their hands, and – luckily, she was not in a mind to resist and do her own thing – it somehow seemed to assist her.

“I think… it does makes it easier,” she told him when they faced each other again. “Must be better, I assume.”

Red Rooster

Rooster looked after Forget-Me-Not a moment as she finally left to investigate the possibly interested party. Then he looked back to Orchid, managing to suppress a hearty laugh to a broad grin.

“Was there really someone or did you just make things up?” he asked quietly, even though the other young lady was now a safe distance away from overhearing them.

“I would guess most people would be at least somewhat excited,” he then shrugged, and after a moment of mulling over what he had seen this far he said: “So she would not be a good companion for adventures if you set out on more than one? More like to talk about it rather than keep it secret, hmm? But yeah. Let us not make your uncle worry.”

@Rillewen

Black Lips

“If you somehow find a way to always be right without except, tell me too, Sir Fox,” Black Lips said with a light laugh. “I would definitely want to know!”

She ate a moment in silence as she pondered over the mischief and which category her sister would fall into. “Hmm,” she eventually concluded. “My sister is by no means malicious. She can certainly be a nuisance sometimes, that is all.”

“No? I am not unfriendly?” Black Lips tilted her head slightly and looked back at Sir Fox when he seemed to be studying her. “It must be a good thing, for this dark lady does like some company too.”

“And what about you, Sir Fox? Have you found the evening to your liking?” she asked in return.


Meadow

“Yes, I am certainly enjoying the evening, Sir Lion,” Meadow said happily. “And it is certainly warm enough here to cause all thought of winter to flee.”

She nibbled on the sweets she had taken in a leisurely manner, deciding that a little wait would not harm the Lion. Patience is a virtue, they say.

“Yes,” she said again once she had finished with the delicacy she had been enjoying. “On both accounts. I am taking a break AND I am also not opposed to a dance.” She did not hasten to respond to his invite right away and took to finishing the rest of the items on her plate to see whether he would wait or leave her for someone else.

[Ercassie]

@Rillewen

Night Sky Courtier 2 - Bearded, dancing with Blossom

Choosing to depart from thoughts of both children and marriage, the Bearded Night Sky Courtier basked in the company of Blossom. Her hand found it’s place upon his shoulder so easily, as though they tended to dance like this, or at all, all of the time. He had to admit, it was not a recreation that he generally took much time over. The northern ruins and the snowy woods were not generally known for such entertainment, and her quiet cottage was a far cry from the great bonfire parties which held wolves at bay in the more Easterly woods he had dwelt in before. Still, he might have to rethink the frequency of such a pastime, in the days to come.

“Then you must allow me to stand as your willing volunteer, for any practice or demonstration that you wish to put your hands to,” he raised one eyebrow, and toyed with a suggestion of sincerity. “Stand .. or .. lying down. Either way. I do not mind. I will not have it said that I stood as an obstacle to progress and learning,” he took their slow turn to a greater speed, and then slowed it anew, quite purposely. Until they had come to a full stop. Somewhere along the way he found her lips with his own, surprised to enjoy how much closer he could enjoy the contact, with less of a beard between them.


“You have already looked into it then,” he put to her, immediately afterwards, as though he meant to catch her off her guard, or short of breath, with the new question. He did not seem at all surprised that his lady queried of the private cloisters in the city. “Yes the Seventh is not for everybody. But if you have a want to steal a kiss, up where the crystalline droplets of the nearby fountain bead down your skin like rainfall, well .. you know better than to try and tell me it can not be done ..” They were not such strangers to each other that she wouldn’t know where any such chance of thought might lead. And if she was to meet his family and friends here, there might yet come tales to prove that many of his ‘claims’ were not in fact mere boasts. But rather true accounts from surviving witnesses of managed mischiefs.

His guess at the Dragon’s identity was confirmed as though it had never been a question. For it had been no real mystery to deduce, of the most likely pair of escorts, which brother would leap at a chance to attend an event like this, and which would avoid it. “I would be just as glad to see them all and each again,” he agreed, of her travelling companions. “At the very least to thank their diligence in getting you here safely. The King’s Road is still a work in progress, as you doubtless discovered.” Brown eyes loitered in the thought a time after he finished speaking. Ought he bring himself to ask, how long they were planning to stay …

---

@Arnyn

Night Sky Courtier 1 - Youngest, with an old friend in the form of Damson Bouquet
Leaving Wildflower to discover a new friend.

“Well then I shan’t,” the Damson Bouquet let her smile spread, as the Youngest Night Sky Courtier dismissed all need for her to offer an apology. To him. The lady thus assuming he had no want for her to apologise to his dance partner either. His .. former .. dance partner, she corrected herself, casting a keen eye from the one of them to the other. “I have to ask though, why you think dancing with only the uppity ladies here will be any sort of a good time ?” One hand grazed his jacket as the brown-eyed smiler fluttered her eyelashes. Until he laughed. “We could have a good time ..” she suggested, without any thought for subtlety.

“I remember .. ” he began. “Distinctly.” A half glance back, a confused notion on how he might manage to entertain two so different type of girls, at the same time .. was solved. As it appeared that Miss Pretty Painted Pink had taken up a separate conversation with the other fellow who’d come over. “The point where you hit me in the head with your shoe ..” he recounted to Damson, absently rubbing at the back of his head, even as he fought to tear eyes away from the mystery Rohir lady. Would she even be there by the time he turned back around again ? Should he be sorry if she were not ? Certainly she had come here to dance … and he had tried to warn her that she would lose interest in him soon enough. He would never understand what it was women wanted. The kindest thing that he could do was just let the inevitable happen .. save them all a lot of heartache. He could not give a girl like that what she had come here for after all. And the Starlit Lady had schooled him well of late. Look for someone you can be yourself with, she’d said. He'd almost fallen right out of himself this evening. Unexpected ..


“Well, I couldn’t wear it any longer .. now could I ?” the brunette laughed somehow in slow motion, and grazed one palm smoothly down the front of the ‘gentleman’s jacket. “What did you expect me to do ?”

“I’m fair sure that I didn’t expect that,” he assured her, vacantly, staring past her, at the back of his recent dance partner’s head. ‘Turn’, he willed the Painted lady, without words, eager for even a last look before it was over .. But she did not look back toward him. Not until he had already turned away from her again. The two of them each missing any chance to find the other’s eye .. to find any cause to keep on with what they’d started ..


“Did anybody ever tell you .. oh .. you have berries in your pocket ?” Damson startled halfway through her sentence and retrieved a forest of stained red fingers from where she had just planted her hand in the other’s pocket.

“Not until just now,” he returned, still unsure how or why her hand had ended up inside his pocket in the first place. A quiet ‘excuse me’ called the pair to note the Wildflower and her new partner head out onto the dance floor.

“No harm done ..” the flower-garlanded young woman he was left with, found use for the same words that Young Night Sky had offered to his replacement, moments before. And brown eyes met, sudden, in surprise, as the couples switched up. Damson delivered each of her long, slender but ungloved fingers slowly between her lips, and licked each one clean of berry juice. “You never did pay me back,” she recalled, as though the thought had just this moment occurred to her. “For ruining my shoes ..”


“I will,” he assured her. “You have my word.” And as she moved in to take his hand, the young man turned away, as though he really was evading a creditor. As she watched, he made his way to where a taller version of his same outfit was heading off the dance floor, for the door. With the same gold-starred lady who had now danced with them each. The three shared words that the second young woman that he had abandoned that evening .. did not hear. Nor care for.

“Wasn’t your word that I was wanting ..” the abandoned Bouquet sighed. But with a shrug, she soon afterwards caught up the hem of her skirt to allow a short run back to the Lilac Plume. She was not done for the evening yet. She was used to staying out and dancing until a far later hour. And there were plenty of young men still about the place.

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion

Teal

Grinning slightly, Teal shook his head. "I'm sure there's some sort of rule against a gentleman casting blame onto the lady," He disagreed, although he really had no idea about that. Still, he laughed along with her as she did. Clearly, neither of them knew much about this sort of stuff, but it was fun to pretend. They would be back to their ordinary selves tomorrow, so best to make the most of this thing, tonight.

When she went through the twirl, with his guidance, he was pleased to hear her say that it seemed as if it might have been easier this time. "Good!" He smiled, happy as well as relieved. It seemed that he might have actually done it properly, hopefully. Although he still wasn't sure about that second twirl the other guy had been doing. It would be fun to try it, but he didn't know that he had picked up enough from his eavesdropping to try that just yet. And, sadly, they had gone off the floor for the time being, so he couldn't try and copy any more stuff from them. Too bad.

"How do you feel about the twirls, then?" he asked Gilded, now that he seemed to have finished out how to do it right. "Do you want to keep doing them, or do you not want to?" he wondered, curious what she preferred.

---

@Pele Alarion

Yellow Orchid

It was a minor relief to see him grinning, and it looked like he was amused. So, at least he must not think her a terrible person for that little 'prank', anyway. Orchid smiled a little shyly as she glanced toward the direction her cousin was heading, and noticed that the fellow she had been referring to was no longer where he had been. She turned back to Rooster. "Well, there was, but he wasn't really looking at her." She admitted. "And he seems to have gone off to dance with someone else, now." She cleared her throat softly, feeling a little bad for her cousin for that. "He may have glanced in this direction, but I doubt he was actually noticing her." She shrugged.

When he mentioned how most people would be excited about this event, she nodded with a little smile. "Yes, it is wonderful here. Very exciting.. but for me, it is mostly the excitement of seeing a new place, visiting a city I have never been to before, and meeting someone new." She smiled slightly at him. "My cousin is mostly excited about dancing with boys and showing off her pretty dress." She said softly, then glanced toward where she was, again, before looking back at Rooster, hesitating as she thought about how to reply to his question about her cousin. "She.. isn't very good at keeping secrets, really." She shook her head slightly. "Not if it isn't something she wants kept secret. As for adventures.." She hesitated. "I don't think she would want to participate in anything that might get her dirty, or make her break a nail, or mess up her hair or... anything of the sort." She explained with a little smile.

In fact, she suspected that if her cousin learned that Orchid was making plans to go and explore and do something without her, and she wasn't invited, she might tell her father about it, just to keep Orchid from it. Or else she might try and coerce her way into joining them and then manipulating things around to have them do what she wanted to do. And Orchid didn't really want to have to deal with that.

---

@Ercassie

"Forget-Me-Not"

Forget-me-not frowned slightly as she looked around. There had been a couple of young men around here, when her cousin pointed out the spot to her. At least one of them had been matching the description her cousin gave, of the one who had been supposedly looking her way. But where had they gone? She set her almost-empty glass down on one of the tables for empty dishes, and let out a little sigh.

The young man her cousin had surely been referring to, she spotted at last. He was already dancing with another girl, however, and that made her frown deepen slightly. Had he grown tired of waiting for her to notice him, or what? She gave a soft 'hmph' and turned to glance at the sweets on a nearby table. After a moment of debating, she stepped over to claim a small little morsel of deliciousness. But when she felt something under her foot, the blue-clad young lady paused and took a step back, gathering as much of her very full skirts as would fit into one hand so that she could pull her skirts closer to her, and get a look at what was on the floor.

To her surprise, a dainty necklace lay strewn onto the floor, as if dropped and perhaps forgotten. Intrigued, Forget-me-not picked up the small piece of jewelry and cupped one hand around the blue-green streaked stone that dangled from the end of the fine golden chain. It certainly wasn't the sort of thing that she would wear, but it obviously belonged to someone. She hadn't really paid much attention to most of the other girls here, except to admire some of their dresses and such. This, however, was not something she'd seen on anyone. Who could it belong to, she wondered? How could she locate its owner? Or, perhaps she should leave it with a bartender or one of the attendants, and be done with it? Thinking about the various options, she glanced up and around, as if the owner might step forward and claim it and solve the whole problem right then. They did no such thing, however, which still left her with a choice to make.

Well... there were a couple of girls (Damson Bouquet & Lilac Plume) standing nearby. They were the closest females to the spot, which made them the best candidates to being the owner, right? So, she put on a smile and flounced over. "Hello!" She greeted them cheerily. "I just found this over on the floor. Does it belong to either of you?" She asked, holding the necklace out so that they could get a look at it. She figured, if they said no, she could always pick one of the other options. Or leave it on the buffet table where its owner could hopefully see it and claim it.

---

@Pele Alarion

The Fox

Letting out a little laugh, Fox shook his head. "I don't think I would want to be right all the time. There are a few times when I would rather be wrong about things." He shrugged and nibbled on some of the goodies he had claimed for his plate, while she spoke about her sister. He smiled to hear that her sister was not malicious, then nodded thoughtfully. "I think all siblings can get on your nerves, now and then." He shrugged. "It's part of their job as your sibling," He laughed softly. "Still, it's better than having no siblings. Right?" Or having lost a sibling, but he didn't add that thought out loud.

When she asked about whether she was not unfriendly, he smiled and shook his head. "Not that I can tell, anyway." He was a little unsure how to reply to the next question, for a moment. Had the evening been to his liking? He stalled for a moment by taking a bite of a savory little pastry thing, while he thought about it. After he had finished, he smiled, having decided to focus on the good parts. "It's been excellent, so far. There have been some very nice moments this evening, for me." He answered, happily thinking about having danced with his own little sister, and also.. witnessing his stepbrother get a well-deserved face-full of wine.. seeing that alone had been worth getting all dressed up and in disguise. "And for you, ma'am?"

---

@Pele Alarion

The Lion

Waiting as she nibbled on some of her sweets, he maintained his smile.. figuring she would surely agree to the dance in just a moment. She was only toying with him, right? And soon enough, she proved him right. He couldn't help feeling a bit smug inwardly, though he tried not to let it show on his face, when she said she was not opposed to a dance. But she was also taking a break. So.. did that mean she wasn't willing to dance just yet? Would she want to wait a long while, he wondered?

With a little nod, he waited while she seemed to be planning on finishing her sweets, at least. For that, he couldn't really blame her. "Well, my lady, when you are ready to grace the dance floor with your presence once again, I would be honored if you would dance with me." He told her with a smile. "Would you like anything else, in the meanwhile? A drink to go with your desserts, perhaps?" He offered.

---

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

The threat of her stepping on his toes made him grin. He suspected that him stepping on her toes would hurt her more than vice versa, but he didn't bother mentioning what seemed obvious. "I'll try my best to avoid your toes, so that I may avoid your retribution!" He laughed lightly.

It seemed that he had caught her off guard by the gesture to help her clean the stickiness off her hands, and he smiled slightly as he watched her accept the napkin and then clean off her hands. He was glad to see that she seemed gladdened to have her hand clean enough to put her glove back on. "No, I'm good." He assured her with a little shake of his head. "I just finished off a glass of wine and water a moment ago, remember?" He pointed out with a little smile of amusement.

The question about the mesh made him consider for a moment, trying to decide. Then he nodded. "Yes, I think so. For a little bit, anyway. I haven't done anything but sit here, so far.. it's not really an accurate test of how well I can manage with it, yet." He mentioned with a little smile. "We can try the double twirl again, if you think you're safe from getting dizzy." His smile widened into a grin at that. "However, if you do get dizzy, please warn me if you think you're going to throw up." he added jokingly. "Wouldn't want to spew anything on the poor folks around us, you know?"

---

@Arnyn

Pink Wildflower

Smiling as he declared that she did not sound like she was from around here, she had to nod in acknowledgement when he mentioned people moving. "Quite true." She admitted, as she accepted his arm and let him lead her to the dance floor. Once she was far enough away from a certain other gentleman, she added, "In fact, yes, I do live nearby. In the Pelennor." She explained. "There is wonderfully lush grassland out there. My horse loves it," She smiled. That ought to sound like a Rohirrim girl, right?

Hearing that Lucion lives on the second level, she tilted her head in curiosity. An apprentice? "Oh? What are you an apprentice for?" She wondered. "Calembel is a ways off, isn't it?" If she remembered from the bit of geography her father had taught her, that was in Lamedon, right? She hadn't really studied any maps in a long while, however. But somehow, she felt as if she'd heard something about that area not too long ago. "The White City is beautiful," She agreed with him, trying to suppress a bit of instinctive pride as he spoke well of the city. Though she lived outside of it, she still considered it her 'home', and was pleased to hear any praise of it. Although, she had to stop herself from mentioning anything about the changes it had undergone since the war and all that.

Letting her hand rest on his shoulder, the other in his hand, she was surprised when he admitted that he was more amazed that she'd agreed to dance with him. "Why?" She tilted her head in curiosity as he mentioned thinking it unlikely that she would have agreed.. and thanked her for indulging him. "Actually, Lucion.. I was glad that you asked me." She said softly. "In fact, to be honest, I was.. a little disappointed that the other fellow ended our dance so abruptly." She frowned slightly, still a little confused by that, and actually quite glad that he had given her an excuse to get away from that really awkward situation. "I don't really know why he.. suddenly seemed anxious to be finished dancing with me." She was still quite confused about that, and if she didn't know him like she did, she wasn't sure what she might think. "And earlier, I was starting to think no one was going to ask me at all." She added quietly, with a tiny shrug. "So.. thank you." She paused, then added, "I should warn you though, I am still mostly a beginner at dancing." She added with a slightly shy smile.

---

@Ercassie

Blossom

His offer to be a willing volunteer brought a light laugh from her, and she looked at him with a teasing hint of mischief in her eyes. "Careful what you volunteer for," She warned him, amused. Although she did suspect what he was actually hinting at, she couldn't resist teasing a bit. She was going to say more, but all thoughts of whatever she had been going to say vanished when he kissed her. Her arms slipped around his shoulders, quietly enjoying this moment and unwilling for it to end too soon.

It was over a little sooner than she would have liked, however, and his comment had her blinking to bring her mind back to what they had been discussing before the kiss. Right, the tour of the city he had promised. His description of 'crystalline droplets of the nearby fountain' made her smile softly. As did his comment about her 'knowing better' than to try and tell him it could not be done. "Did you bring all your girlfriends from your youth there for such purposes?" She asked softly, teasingly. She didn't actually know much about his youth, but he had told her he grew up here, so it seemed like a logical enough guess.

The question of the road had her nodding slightly. "Indeed, it was not a journey I would dare undertake on my own, nor would I have brought the girls along if I did not trust the brothers to keep us all safe. They did an excellent job bringing us here safely, as I knew they would." She smiled softly. He ought to know, if he remembered from the incident which had brought the two of them to meet, that she thought of those two as family; almost as if they were her nephews, and not merely some friends of her daughter. But there would be plenty of time for him to visit with the rest of her traveling companions, later. The one seemed quite occupied with keeping Lady Fairy company, she noted, spying them over by the bar, still together. Turning her attention back to her dance partner, she smiled. "I'm sure that a certain member of the group will be eager to regale you with the 'exciting tales of our adventures', but don't let him fool you," She said with amusement. "It was really not very eventful, except for one of the girl's being reluctant to cross the river. But we made it across without any issues.. clearly."

[Arnyn]

@Karis Ziranphel

Macardil

They had danced more times than he could count, by now. Sometimes talking, sometimes looking around, sometimes only looking at each other. Regardless of the pleasure such a simple thing, really, brought him, was bringing him, he was starting to feel ready to return home. Back to the quiet of the house they now shared together, as husband and wife. He led her through the last few turns of the song, and pulled her into him gently as the tune came to an end. To dip his head and press a light kiss to her lips. "Let us go home then, Ziran," he said quietly, once he had withdrawn. He offered her his arm, and led her off the dance floor. He would then take her onwards to the cloakroom attendants, to help her into her winter garnments, before escorting his lady wife home.

On the way, he spotted Thûllir dancing with Kaylin, and he gave the man a nod. Kaylin's back was to him, and Macardil wasn't feeling as sociable anymore as to actually go ahead and approach them. Unless... "Did you want to say goodbye to your cousin and his wife, my lady?" he asked Ziranphel, quite willing to make the detour if it was important to her.

---

@Rillewen

The Fairy

"Good thinking," she smiled when he said he'd do what he could to avoid her retribution. Once he reminded her about the wine he had finished both his own water and her wine earlier, she shook her head, still wearing her smile. "Well yes, but that was a while ago..." she told him, pointedly looking at the dance floor and the room, which was looking noticeably less crowded than it had been the previous time they'd been at the bar together. More than just a few songs had passed since then, and some of the guests had seemingly decided to head home. Since she had no way to tell the time at present, though, and since she was not overly concerned with it anyway since she had the following day off - at Pele's almost annoying insistence - whatever time it was, wasn't bothering her.

"Well," she began, before finishing the last bit of tea that had been left in her cup and putting it back on the bar. "We cannot have you not testing it accurately, can we?" The Fairy gave him a bit of an incredulous look at his comment about her possible throwing up. Then she touched her gloved hand to her mouth, laughing a little. Dropping her hand again to briefly rest it on his arm, she grinned. "I'd be more worried about yourself than the others," she teased. He'd be the prime target, after all, ifsuch a thing were to happen. Stepping away, backwards - since she still had her back toward the dance floor and was still facing the Dragon, her grin didn't fade. "Scared yet?" she asked him, wordlessly inviting him back to the dance floor.

---

@Rillewen

Lucion

She lived... on the Pelennor. Not in Rohan. Lucion couldn't help but smile at that hopeful tidbit of information. That was not far at all. That was a very, very acceptable distance, in fact. "Cartography," he told her with a smile. "I've always loved to draw and learned how in Calembel, so when the time came to get serious about choosing a profession, cartography seemed like a good option. I managed to impress the cartographer in the second circle and he granted me an apprenticeship with him about nine months ago. I've learned a lot since then, but I still have quite the way the go. The city's cartographer has been an excellent mentor, though, and he pays me enough so I do not need to use my savings to pay for living here."

"Calembel is a bit of a journey, yes." Which is why he had not been back to visit his family. They did maintain a steady correspondence, however, so both his parents and himself were well informed of all goings-on on either end. Blinking at her when she asked why he was amazed she'd agreed to dance with him, Lucion took a breath before answering. "You are joking, are you not?" he asked quietly. "You... you are exquisite. Obviously I cannot compare. Nor can the other gentleman," he told her with slightly heated cheeks, which would hopefully be fully concealed by his mask. "I am in no hurry at all to stop dancing with you. If you want to, I will gladly dance with you for the rest of the evening."

Guiding her into a twirl, he smiled genuinely when the Wildflower returned to his arms. "Beginner or not, you move wonderfully as far as I'm concerned."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

"Was it?" He asked, somewhat surprised when she mentioned that it had been a while ago when they had last been here at the bar. He followed her gaze out toward the dance floor. It was indeed emptier, but he still felt as if they'd only been away from the bar for a moment. "Well.. I haven't gotten thirsty yet." He shrugged slightly, smiling as he assured her that he was fine without getting anything else.

When she finished off her tea and agreed that they couldn't leave without him testing the mesh stuff fully, he grinned. The grin didn't even falter when she warned him that he should be more concerned about her throwing up on him. As she moved backward toward the dance floor, he let his grin soften to a smile as he stepped forward to offer his arm. "Scared?" He tilted his head, considering how he wanted to reply to that. "Should I be scared? Are you going to cast some sort of fairy spell on me?" He grinned in amusement at that.

---

@Arnyn

Pink Wildflower

Listening as Lucion spoke of his apprenticeship as a cartographer, she nodded with interest as he mentioned having always loved drawing, and how he had turned that into something he could do for a career. That was nice for him, she thought. "Good for you." She smiled, hearing that he had impressed the cartographer here in the city, and that he was paid enough.

As he spoke of how far away Calembel was, she nodded. "It seems almost as far away as Rohan." She remembered how long that journey had taken, and thought absently of the fun she and Nal had had together during that trip. About that time, she caught a glimpse of him just as he was going out the door. Wait.. he was leaving already? She blinked, feeling a bit confused. Was that why he had wanted to be done dancing with her, so he could leave already? For a brief moment, she started to wonder whether he had only danced with her out of some imagined obligation... had she said something, or done something, that made him feel as if he had to ask her to dance? But he had approached her, right?

Before she could let her mind get too wrapped up in that enigma, Lucion's words drew her full attention back to him as he declared her to be 'exquisite'. That was.. quite a description. Not 'pretty', nor even 'beautiful', but 'exquisite'? Hazel eyes gazed into brown as she wondered if he might be simply saying that, just to flatter her. His eyes were a similar color to her last dance partner's, she noticed. And.. was that a blush? Did that mean that he really meant those things he said? While the Night Sky courtier had said some complimentary things without knowing that she was herself.. it somehow was different, coming from someone she didn't know at all. She couldn't recall any time in the real world when Nal had spoken of a girl being pretty or anything, unless he'd said that before about the one he was infatuated with. The one that was not even available.. whom Wildflower had tried so hard to mimic so that she might draw his interest toward her. Clearly.. that hadn't worked, and the thought briefly flickered through her mind to wonder if he had only said she was pretty because of what she'd said.. maybe he didn't really mean it, and was only trying not to hurt her? But this guy.. Lucion.. he seemed of a much different opinion.

Smiling when he led her through a twirl, the smile grew a tiny bit more as she returned to his arms. "You dance very well, yourself." She told him, slightly unsure what else to say, but it did seem true enough. At least, as far as she could tell. As he mentioned the possibility of dancing with her for the rest of the evening, her smile grew a little more. "I would not mind that." She added, since.. well, the fellow that she had come to the dance with hopes of dancing with had left after apparently losing all interest in her, and she would rather have the evening end on a more positive note than that.. maybe dancing with Lucion would cheer her up a bit more.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

She chuckled when the Dragon questioned it had been a while. "Yes," she said emphatically. "I believe so. But time flies when you're having fun - isn't that what people say?" In any case, he did not seem scared at all. Not that he had any reason to. She wasn't one to easily... relive a meal like that. When Gladhron asked if she was going to cast some spell on him, she rolled her eyes while she waited for her to come close enough so she could accept his arm. "I know I made a joke about that earlier," she said, and it was obvious she didn't think her earlier joke had been her best work, "but - on the spell-casting- no." She grinned. "Even if you once called me 'a woman of many talents', spellwork is not one of them. I hope that's not too disappointing, sir Dragon?"

"On the should you be scared?" She gave him her most innocent smile as they turned toward each other and she placed one hand in his, and the other on his shoulder. "Not if you're still mostly the same as when I got to know you, I think." He'd never given her a reason to be upset with him, as far as she could remember. "And I don't get queasy all that easily, anyway."

---

@Rillewen

Lucion

"I've never actually been to Rohan," he said when she mentioned it by name. "What do you think of it, yourself?" he inquired, curious to hear her perspective. For she had at least obviously been there - perhaps she'd even grown up there... How likely was it that a Rohir girl would have such lovely dark hair as she did, though?

Her hair was only one of her too many beautiful features, but even so she seemed rather unaware of that fact. He could tell it wasn't an act, either, from the way her hazel eyes stared into his. She was caught by surprise. Which... caught Lucion by surprise, in turn. "Has truly no one ever told you before?" he asked, finding that very difficult to believe. "If not, then the young men here must be much more reserved than they are in Calembel." It is true, he had hesitated before mentioning it himself, but then he had only been speaking with her for mere moments. That was very different from someone who was seeing her regularly.

"You are very kind, lady Wildflower," he smiled when she complimented his dancing. Despite her smile, however... Lucion couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. "Is something on your mind?" he dared, hoping such a question from a stranger would not chase her away from him immediately. Especially now she had just basically agreed to dance with him for the rest of the evening...

[Pele Alarion]

@Rillewen

The Gilded

“Ha! Perhaps we should also find someone to teach us dancing AND proper manners for going out into high society,” Gilded suggested, entertained by the thought of attending such lessons. Perhaps she would attend if someone offered those to her, though she was not sure if she would not grow bored or annoyed by constant restraints.

She cast a glance around at other dancers, and then looked back at Teal with a smile. “I don’t mind twirls, though perhaps not too many one after another. I am not sure I’d be able to keep up my balance,” she said and chuckled softly.

Red Rooster

“Ah, so he’s gone. But I’m sure someone will soon come along and entertain that cousin of yours,” Rooster said merrily in an attempt to clear away any guilt Orchid might be feeling. “There’s a plenty of young guys here.”

He observed Orchid for a few moments with a light-hearted smile and then ventured to rephrase what she had said and to add an additional guess.

“Right. So you don’t care much about all the formal interactions and fancy stuff? And should I assume that you would not be opposed to a possible stain of dirt or two in the case of exploratory mission?” he asked, leaving out any comments on what he thought of Forget-Me-Not’s approach to keeping secrets. There was no need to discuss the other girl more than necessary, he figured.

@Rillewen

Black Lips

“I would say you are right about that too,” Black Lips tilted her head slightly, pondering the words that it would be good to be wrong about some things. Then she added about the matter of siblings: “Perhaps it might be lonely to be without any siblings, yes. Though then again good friends might make up for that.”

“I hope those nice moments are in majority for you,” she said smiling. “It would be no good if it ended up being otherwise, or else there would be no use of coming here. No?”

“And yes, the evening has been rather pleasant for me,” Black Lips admitted, popping the last bit of savoury food into her mouth before she set down her plate. “And the food is good to nibble on in between various interactions.”


Meadow

Meadow’s blue eyes seemed to assess the Lion with interested keenness as if she was making some sort of calculations or comparisons while she finished off the last biscuit she had picked.

“If I were to get a drink, I would also have to pick more food,” she said, a slight tease in her voice. “But then it might delay the dancing for a good long while. So perhaps dancing first, since you seem to stand ready?”

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion

Teal

Laughing, he shook his head slightly. "I bet if you really want to learn, Nal's cousin could teach you some of that." He shrugged, smiling as he recalled some of the letters between himself and his Gondorian friend. "I hear he's a real stickler for some of that stuff. But I'm actually quite fine without having such lessons," He grinned in amusement. He wouldn't mind learning a little more about dancing, but that was about all.

As she said that she didn't mind the twirls, just not one after the other, he nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." He promised. "We can stay as we are for now." He suggested, quite fine with just dancing with her in his arms, for now. For as long as she was fine with it, at least. He wanted to keep dancing with her until whenever she was ready to go.

---

@Pele Alarion

Yellow Orchid

"Yes, I'm sure someone will." Orchid agreed, nodding. Her cousin had exhibited no difficulty in getting asked to dance by various gentleman during the course of the evening, and Orchid didn't expect it to stop now. She would probably see her out on the floor before too long, so she wasn't terribly worried about that.

When Rooster asked her about whether she was worried about a possible stain, she blushed lightly with a small smile. "Well.. I wouldn't want to get this dress stained," She sought to make clear. "But for exploring, I would wear something less.. fancy." She gave a little laugh. She had her traveling clothes that she could wear. She toyed with her glass slightly, debating how to answer the other part. "I would be quite happy to go roaming in the fields and forget all the 'fancy stuff', if I could. But.. let us not speak of that. Perhaps tomorrow, there will be a chance to explain more." She smiled slightly at him, not wanting to have to get into all that.

---

@Pele Alarion

The Fox

Blinking when she told him he was right, when he'd said he wouldn't want to be right all the time, Fox gave a little laugh at the irony of that. He nibbled on one of the pastries he had picked up while the lady spoke of how it would be lonely to not have any siblings. "Hmm, friends are nice to have." He had to agree with that, having made several friends since coming to this city. It was much better than being alone, that was certain. "Though, sometimes, depending on where a person grows up, it is not possible to have any playmates to call friends, unless you have siblings." He shrugged as he finished his pastry. That had been his own situation, after all; his siblings had been his only friends and playmates, although one of those had been more of an adversary and bully, rather than friend. But whatever.

"Thank you," He smiled slightly when she said that she hoped the nice moments were in the majority, and decided not to mention that some of the events of this evening had left him quite confused and unsure of things, and had given him much to ponder about. No need to bring all that up. "And you as well." He added, sincerely, preferring to try and focus on something else.

"You're right," He agreed with a little nod as she mentioned that it wouldn't be much use to be here if it wasn't enjoyable, thinking of how he had been considering leaving. And he likely would still leave once he had finished conversing with this lady. Although, he hesitated inside, feeling that he ought to maybe dance at least once more. "I'm glad to hear that your evening has been pleasant." He added politely. Seeing her set her plate down, he debated inwardly for a brief moment, and figured he might as well ask. "Would you consider dancing with a fox, my lady?" He asked with a slightly amused grin. "I promise not to live up to the reputation of being sly and mischievous."

---

@Pele Alarion

The Lion

He smiled when she teased about how she would have to get more food to go along with another drink. "It would indeed delay the dancing," The Lion agreed, with a little nod. "So, perhaps a dance now, and more refreshments after?" He suggested. He offered out his gloved hand, waiting for her to accept so that he could lead her to the dance floor. "You have the loveliest eyes, my lady. Like the bright blue of a spring sky, over a field of flowers." He couldn't help but make the comparison to the field of flowers, given her outfit and all.

Leading her to the dance floor once she had accepted his hand, he smiled as he started off by twirling her, then moved them immediately into the steps of a dance that was a bit beyond basic skill level. Easy enough for the lady to follow along with his lead, but clearly took a bit more skill from him to manage. He was somewhat eager to show off that he was skilled at dancing, and wanted to impress a few of the ladies here with how well he could dance.

---

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

He grinned at her words about time flying. "That's what I've heard, yes." He agreed, smiling further as she rolld her eyes at his joke. It hadn't been the best one, he admitted, so he didn't mind her rolling her eyes at it. "Not at all disappointing, no." He assured her, smiling as she put her hand on his shoulder.

"I believe I am still the same as I was," He added, with a small shrug, finding it a little unsure how to even know that. As far as he could tell, he hadn't changed, but he also knew that when you're around someone all the time, including yourself, it can be harder to detect small, gradual changes, like weight loss, and other such things. Hopefully, he hadn't changed so much she would find him too different.

He smiled at her when she said she didn't get queasy all that easily. "Glad to hear that." He added quietly, and started moving them into the dance. He found it strange, looking through the mesh pieces in his eyeholes, but he could understand the benefit of being able to look around without anyone seeing his own eyes. He could admire how stunning she looked, for one thing. That dress and mask and everything, it was so vastly different from anything she had worn when he knew her in the North, it was still almost unbelievable, but he was also glad to have gotten to see her all dressed up like this.

"Are you glad you came tonight?" He asked, after they had danced for a few moments in silence. He hoped that she was enjoying being in his presence, just as he was enjoying being in hers.

---

@Arnyn

Pink Wildflower

"Rohan?" She was a little surprised by him asking what she thought of it, and had to think for a moment. "It was wonderful." She answered. "Wide open fields, as far as you can see. There were many horses. They had a festival in the spring, which I enjoyed very much." She smiled, and went on to describe a little bit about the place, as she had seen it during her journey, trying to remember the best parts to talk about, although she tried to remain vague about whether she had only visited or had lived there.

As he asked, apparently surprises, whether she had not ever been told before that she was pretty, she hesitated a moment as she considered how to answer that. "The last fellow I danced with, he said that I was 'buckets of pretty'," She answered slowly, quietly. "But, it wasn't long after that when he seemed to lose interest in dancing with me, and.. then he went to talk with that other girl." That was.. both confusing and disappointing, and she had no idea what all that was about. And did that mean he hadn't really meant the things he said? She was finding it a little hard to match up that guy with the guy she knew so well.

She smiled a little again, when he called her kind for complimenting his dancing. But the smile soon faded a bit when he asked if something was on her mind. Should she tell him what was really bothering her? For a moment, she hesitated about what to say, but she didn't want to seem rude to him by talking too much about another guy. One who had, apparently, rejected her, if she understood things right. That hurt, but right now she wanted to put that from her mind as much as possible. "Nothing important." She smiled as well as she could manage. "What is it like, in Calembel?" She asked, hoping for something to distract her a little from thinking about anything else.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

"Good," she laughed a little, when the Dragon said that it wasn't disappointing. "Well, you don't seem to have changed much as far as I can tell, so far," she added once he said he thought he was still the same. He was still sociable, with those easy smiles and the same kind nature she remembered.

There was no reason for her to hesitate when he asked if she was glad that she'd shown up here this evening. "Very glad,"she confirmed with a smile. "It was more fun than I'd have thought. Helping out Lady Butterfly. Playing wordgames. Flicking some wine around. Dancing. Being anonymous, recognizing people who didn't recognize me. Or at least, all save for one of them," she added, amused. "One guy finally figured it out." She flashed him a grin. Honestly, she was still impressed with how discerning he'd been in figuring out who she was. "Very impressive," she decided to voice the thought out loud. She didn't really have to ask the question in return, though. It had been clear from their first conversation together this evening, that he'd been happy to be here. And the sentiment didn't seem to have changed.

"You might have started your time in the city with too much of a high," she mused, instead. "If you're having a really good time on your second evening, it might just be all downhill from here. That would be a shame. Minas Tirith is really a lovely place."

---

@Rillewen

Lucion

Lucion had to smile a little when she told him about the other guy calling her 'buckets of pretty'. He didn't much like the way her expression fell when she spoke of him. A young lady like this deserved better, he thought. "That is his loss," Lucion told her quietly, earnestly. And perhaps his gain. If she was open to it. He decided to drop the matters that might be bothering her when she said nothing important was going on. He could take a hint. And he wanted to see her smile and laugh - not sulk or frown.

He told her about Calembel, at her request, as well as the river it was built along, and the mountains it was close to. In that respect, it wasn't all that different from Minas Tirith, even if it was nowhere near the same. That was a funny thought. He also told her about his parents, and what he missed the most about his home town: the people. He hadn't really had much of an opportunity or luck in making friends in the capital, unfortunately. Lucion wasn't shy about admitting that.

Twirling her once, Lucion offered her a kind, encouraging smile when she returned to his arms. "Did I mention how beautiful those painted flowers are? Was that your own idea?"

[Karis Ziranphel]

@Arnyn

Ziranphel

His timing couldn’t have been better, and Ziran’s eyes lit with a smile when Macardil indicated he was ready to go after that light kiss. Despite her delight in the evening and dancing many times with him, she had begun to tire of the crowd, and her feet were beginning to remind her of the length of time they had been spent gracing the floor. “Yes, Hervenn.” Taking his proffered arm, she walked with him off the dancefloor in the direction of the coatroom, adjusting her mask briefly in anticipation of soon removing the item once they gained the door.

Macardil’s comment about her cousin drew her gaze up searchingly until she too saw the couple, who had started into the next dance already. Smiling gently at the sight, she lifted her free hand in slight wave to Thûllir, but hummed lightly in her throat rather than assenting. The two looked very wrapped up in one another despite Thûllir’s vigilance that had him acknowledging the wave with another nod. “Nay, Macardil. I would not disturb them now. We can catch up another time, and I am most eager to walk home with you and catch a glimpse of the stars along the way if the snow has cleared.” Ziran looked up at him with warmth in her gaze. She kept her attention on him until the attendants returned with their cloaks, and she gave polite thanks before letting go of Macardil’s arm and turning so that he could help drape the garment around her before their departure. After her own clasps were closed securely to keep out the cold, she reached to straighten the edges of his and trail her fingers across the fabric of his coat before looking back up at him with a glint in her eye. It was time to go. “All set.”

[Pele Alarion]

@Rillewen

The Gilded

“Depends on if Nal’s cousin is as mischievous as he, for then any lessons might turn out in very unexpected ways,” Gilded laughed quietly, and then leaned it slightly to whisper: “And are you saying you prefer learning by watching other people who are unaware rather than have someone teach you?”

Leaning back again in appropriate distance, she cast a glance around again, thinking how this setting was so different from what they had at home, and any camping on the road could not even stand near. She certainly did not mind sharing this ball with Teal, since it was likely that they would not be able to attend many other of this kind, if any at all.

Red Rooster

“No, it would surely not do to go traipsing around the countryside with an exquisite dress like this, but still… some people just don’t want to get their hands dirty,” Rooster shook his head with a grin.

He then tilted his head slightly as he looked at Orchid. “Would you like to dance some more, m’lady, since we are right in the middle of this fancy stuff? Or have you had enough of dancing?” he asked, his grin changing into an easy smile. “Should I entertain you with some food, a drink, or some descriptions of nature instead? Or maybe simply allow you to be?”

@Rillewen

Black Lips

“I would guess having any people, siblings or friends, nearby is good, no?” Black Lips still added. She liked spending time alone too to recharge and relax, yet overlong loneliness hurt. There seemed to be a fine balance in this area.

She turned more fully towards Fox when he offered a dance. “Dancing with a Fox, you say? I would not mind too much, since you do promise to reign in any mischievousness,” she agreed, willing to dance a bit more before she considered an option of leaving the ball to head for some much needed rest.

Meadow

“I take it, you would not want to wait much longer, Sir Lion?” Meadow laughed gently as she accepted his hand to follow unto the dance floor, yet she managed a small curtsey before that in response to his compliments. “Thank you for such kind words!”

It seemed that the Lion was very good with dancing, and for a moment Meadow found herself comparing his skills with those of the other dance partners. Soon enough she quit this activity though, and glanced up at Lion.

“Have you travelled far to join the festivities?” she wanted to know.

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion

Teal

Teal grinned and shook his head. "Not the way he speaks of him, in his letters, although I have never met the guy." He answered. "I've got the impression he's very dull and proper, and sort of an 'always follow the rules' sort of guy." He explained. "But, as I said.. I've never met him. Who knows if it's only Nal's impression of him? He shrugged, then smiled as he continued dancing with her.

"I don't know. I wouldn't mind someone teaching me," He answered, speaking just a bit hesitantly. "it's just.. I don't want to bother people I don't even know. They're here to dance, and I reckon they probably know each other already, so they may not want to teach strangers how to dance." He shrugged again. "But I think I have enough knowledge now to ensure you have a nice time." He added with a smile, hoping that was the case. Really hoping that she would not grow bored with his limited knowledge of dancing, and want to go find someone else.

---

@Pele Alarion

Yellow Orchid

She smiled a little more in amusement at the thought of traipsing around the countryside, dressed in her fancy masquerade gown. Her uncle would certainly not be pleased by such a thing! Especially, as much money as had been spent on the gown and accessories. She smiled. "I don't really mind getting dirty, if I'm dressed suitably for it." She assured him. "Although.. perhaps I should have some sort of plan in mind for cleanup, just in case." She could just imagine how her cousin and uncle might react if she were to return to the inn with dirt on her dress, or grass stains, or smelling like horses.

Switching from that thought, to the thoughts of the dance she was currently at, Orchid smiled when he asked if she'd like to dance some more. "Yes, I think that would be nice." She agreed, then took a glance around. "I don't know how much longer my uncle will be willing to stay, so I had best make the most of the time I am here." She added. "I imagine he must be rather bored without my aunt here to dance with, so he may wish to leave before much longer." At least, he was likely to consent to staying a bit longer if her cousin pouted about having to leave so soon, but she knew that it was only a matter of time. "As for descriptions of nature," She added with a smile. "You may do that while we dance, if you like. I wouldn't mind hearing more about that. I like the outdoors.. plants, especially."

---

@Pele Alarion

The Fox

Smiling slightly, he nodded at the mention of having any people around, being good. "It's much better than being alone," He answered lightly, although he really did mean it from experience. He didn't mind spending a little time alone in the woods, and it had been easy to tell himself that he didn't need anyone else. But now that he had many friends and lived in a dorm with other guys around his age.. it made him realize how lonely it had been, without them.

As she agreed to dance with him, he let out a little laugh at her words about reigning in any mischief. "I promise." He said, crossing his heart with mock solemnity, before offering his arm. Once she had accepted, he set off for the dance floor and turned to the lady and bowed with a level of formality that seemed borderline between serious and silly. With a little grin, he waited until she was ready to begin dancing before beginning.

---

@Pele Alarion

The Lion

He merely smiled when she commented on him not wanting to wait much longer to dance with her, and soon they were involved in dancing. He watched the lady as he led her through the steps, curious how well she was able to follow along and if he needed to tone it down to easier steps or not. She seemed able to keep up well, however, so he smiled, pleased by that.

Her question made him consider briefly. "I have, yes." He agreed. "Although, not as far as some seem to have," He added. "I heard a rumor that there were some people here from far in the northern lands, although I have not met any of them." He mentioned, intrigued. He had heard a good deal while sitting off on the sidelines. "And yourself, my lady?" He asked, smiling as he kept his gaze on her. "You certainly know how to dance," He remarked, smiling a little wider. "It is a pleasure to find a lady who is not only beautiful, but skilled in dancing, as well."

---

@Arnyn

Green Dragon

He grinned and let out a light laugh. "Well, that's a relief." He declared, although whether it was because of her saying he had not seemed to change much from what she could tell, or because she said she was glad she'd come, it was difficult to be sure. In fact, he meant it about both things. He was very glad that she was enjoying herself, most particularly because he was taking up a lot of her evening. And he did not really want to let anyone else take his place in that regard, either.

His grin remained as she spoke of all the good points about the evening, and it widened just a bit when she mentioned that he had impressed her by figuring out who she was. "To be honest, for a while there, I wasn't sure if it was only my own wishful thinking, and maybe I was going to have some unknown lady thinking I was nuts.." he laughed. "But I figured.. what's the worst that could happen? You'd say 'sorry, you have me mistaken for someone else' and I'd be disappointed." He shrugged, then paused. "Of course, you could have decided to douse me in whatever drink you had at the time, but I don't really think you would have, since I think I was rather polite about asking." He paused, glancing at her to check if she agreed with that.

As she spoke of how he might be in for disappointment for the remainder of his stay in Minas Tirith, the dragon laughed softly, shaking his head. "No, I doubt that." He assured her. Not now that he knew she was here. How could he not enjoy a chance to spend time with her again? "I've found an old friend.. maybe two, in fact," He nodded briefly toward where Blossom was dancing with her mystery fellow, whom he felt sure must be who he thought it was.. "and I've made a new friend as well," he added, thinking of the guy in white and gold, whom he was going to be seeing tomorrow, and hoped that the friendship would stick. "Not to mention there's an entire city still to explore. How could it go downhill with all of that going for me?" He asked, mostly rhetorically, with a happy grin.

---

@Arnyn

Pink Wildflower

She listened with interest as Lucion told her about Calembel, and tried to remember. Hadn't Trastion mentioned living there for a while? She was pretty sure it was the same city, but she didn't mention that, however, and merely listened with a nod now and then to show that she was still listening and interested. She was a little surprised how freely he spoke of his parents and himself, but then, she also remembered that he'd said he wasn't trying to hide or anything. She could not be quite so free with her own information, in turn.

As he twirled her, she smiled with enjoyment, and the smile lingered as she came back around to face him, a light blush tinting her face pink beneath the painted flowers as he spoke of how pretty they were. "I don't recall if you did, but thank you." She answered with a little smile, and shook her head at the second question. "No, that was my friend's idea," She answered. "She is an excellent artist, isn't she?" Smiling, she resisted the instinct to reach up and lightly touch one of the flowers on her face. It had felt weird, sitting still while it was being put on, and it also felt weird at first, every time she shifted her expression, but by now she had become used to it.

[Ercassie]

@Rillewen

The Violet Plume and Damson Bouquet
meeting the Lady Forget-Me-Not

While her only dance partner this evening had been taken up with speaking to the Youngest Night Sky Courtier, the Violet Plume had made up for her apparent abandonment by filling time, and also her mouth with a steady stream of dainty food. All around the conveniently close tables, there were several drinks glasses, still half or at least partly full; and apparently either forgotten or unsupervised. It became a game, to innocently raise a forsaken refreshment, and turn so that her back veiled all view of quite how swiftly it was downed. By the time her friend had come back to her, the giggly young miss was rather light headed and even more giggly than she had been before. Clearly she had satisfied more drinks than delicacies.


“It is him,” Damson confided, in some small triumph for her guess work. Though the celebration did not last long, disappointing into a small sigh. ”But I think too many fancy girls has put him all in a spin this evening.”

“Well daaaaarling, we are all so very absolutely terribly and awfully fancy this evening, are we not ?” Violet swished the modest hem of her dress as though it was as elaborate as those others being showcased.

“Oh so definitely,” Damson grinned and fell into their play of posing as a pair of ‘fancy girls’. “It is no wonder that men are so intimidolted to approach us.” She fanned herself with one hand.

“Though daaaaarling, I seem to have mislaid all my precious jewels and gems that I bought for this evening.”

“You must simply buy some more tomorrow ..”

“But how can I walk upright for the rest of this night now that I have lost my lovely necklace ? My hair will throw off the weight of my head and I shall fall in my ridiculous shoes ..”


The two exploded into giggles, until they realised that a third young lady had approached them meanwhile. And not only did her elaborate gown leave both of their modest efforts in the shade, but she was holding out a necklace for their attention. Perhaps they had been too loud and/or convincing in their amusement.


“Why, are you not the most kindest of dears ?!” Lilac Plume rustled the fingers of one hand through her large coloured feather, and accepted the necklace, before the other young lady had properly offered to hand it over. “Whatever might be the odds that such a one as yourself would have chanced … up … on … ,” she gushed and then failed to think quite hard enough to complete the sentence.

“Were you not just remarking how you absolutely positively could not bear to be without it ?” Damson joined in, laughing at the sheer chance of such a thing. She did not even pause in her mirth to properly admire the pretty pendant that her friend was already trying to force over her home-made head-dress. Soon a rather giddy Violet had surrendered to the chain being caught up at her brow, so that the jewel rested like a tear drop tiara, as she struck a jubilant pose. “Beeeeaauutiful,” Damson awarded praise, clapping her hands together with great glee.

“But of course,” her friend threw back her head and laughed. “How ever can we thank ..?” she began, and swayed in some confusion as she watched Damson lean in and hug Forget-Me-Not, affectionately. Before her friend entirely forgot herself then, Violet took off her shoes, took up her friend’s closest hand, and took off across the dancefloor. "You !" she shook her head in a mock despair.

“Farewell. Fare thee well, And fare all ye ..” was the Damson Bouquet's overdramatic parting shot as the two skittered merrily across the floor towards the exit. "Her dress is soooo soft," she put in, only slightly more covertly to her accomplice, as they slipped through the door, each turning to wink at a Guard posted there before disappearing into the night, with only the sound of giggles to echo in their wake.

[Ercassie]

@Rillewen

The Bearded Night Sky Courtier - 2
Dancing with Lady Blossom

“Do I seem like the sort of man to repeat the same old patterns, time and again ?” he teased, with a hand now upon each of the curves of her waist. Not so much that he might steer her, but rather that he wished to keep his hands close to their sway. “No, I never took another there.” He might well still be in the dungeons now if he had ever tried such a thing in his youth. But he was smarter now if no longer quite as swift. “It will be all ours.” A promise. A prospect. He had not shied away from the subject of past girlfriends of course. They’d both shared their tales of respective partners from times previous. Both widowed .. both parents .. it had been inevitable. But he had never been so interested in girls when he was younger. These days of course … he had certainly learned to appreciate their charms.

“It occurred to me just the other day when I passed by the place, if you would like to know,” he admitted, unashamedly. “I do this thing, sometimes, where I find myself unable to stop thinking of you,” The newly groomed man grinned and stepped their spin up to a greater speed just long enough to forego anything too sentimental. “Of course I did not expect to have such a daydream come true, any more than I once ever thought I’d be back here myself.”


As Lady Blossom recalled her experience of travelling this far, he lost a portion of his smile however. “That is good,” he returned, almost relieved to hear they had not known any real trouble on the road. Quite how grateful he was that she and the girls had come with such a faithful escort, was maybe more evident on the man’s face than even a mask could conceal. “You know a reason why I returned here, more than one perhaps. Family .. is on my honour, a big part of that. But answering the King’s questions about the progress of rebuilding Arnor isn’t the entire other reason I have been away from you so long. As if !”

He didn’t want to spoil their evening, and he didn’t intend to derail even this enjoyable dance. But he could not keep it from her. “You will have to let me steal a turn at keeping you safe now,” he warned her, in as much as the evening allowed for. “From furious Fountain Guards …. And too much hard work while you are here …” The humour nestled between them with little hope of proving a valid distraction. “You might come to miss simply missing having me around ..”

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

The Fairy

He'd said several things by this point that indicated he had really wanted to see her again and while it felt good to know he and Gwestion were in town and that she would be able to see them again and catch up... It was still a challenge to the assumption she'd had for years now. That neither of them would spare much thought on her, once she'd left.

"Wishful thinking or not," she said as she let him guide her through the steps of the dance, "you still figured it out. And you couldn't have done that without paying close attention, nor without thinking it through." Or without a pretty darned good memory, for that fact. "And yes, you were polite enough about asking." A small pause. "So, no airborn drinks were required." Suddenly, she grinned. "You do realize I don't make a habit of that, right?" Her grin grew, imagining her throwing drinks left and right whenever someone said something that wanted to make her roll her eyes or sigh. Though the practice would likely soon lose its novelty.

As he reassured her there was little chance for the rest of his visit to the city to disappoint, the Fairy couldn't quite lose her smile. "I'm glad," she simply said, instead of answering his question. "Glad that you aren't likely to be disappointed for the rest of your stay, and glad because, I, too, apparently have two old friends in town." She was looking forward to hearing how they had been, and what they were planning, and so forth. "Want to try the double twirl again?" Part of her dimly wondered how many she might manage in a row before needing to call a halt to it. Not that she was curious enough to mention it out loud. For her dancing partner might actually consider accommodating her!

---

@Rillewen

Lucion

"She did a wonderful job with them," he admitted, though he felt it would be too much to speak his thoughts out loud. About how the flowers were made all the lovelier by the lady who was wearing them. Even if it would not have been a hollow compliment, he did not wish her to think of him as... well, anything negative, really. He had to find the right balance. "I bet it helps in keeping your true identity hidden from those who know you."

"Speaking of... I realize you are trying to stay hidden," Lucion allowed, "and I would not wish to impose on that. But can you tell me a little more about yourself, lady Wildflower?" Before he found himself lost in the fields? "I'm curious to learn a bit more about you, and would prefer not to only talk about myself."

---

@Karis Ziranphel

Macardil

He understood what she meant about not wishing to disturb her cousin and his wife. They seemed to be dancing in a world that was entirely their own, with Kaylin not even sparing the occasional glance around the room anymore. Macardil nodded at Ziran's decision, and the way she put words to what she wished to do - and the way she was looking at him, warmed his heart.

He caught her fingers in his hand when they trailedacross his coat. "Homebound it is." He held the door open for her, and after one last look at the inside of the tavern, he smiled and followed his lady wife into the cold of the night outside.

[Pele Alarion]

@Rillewen

The Gilded

“Dull, proper and always following the rules,” Gilded repeated and then laughed gently. “Is being proper and law-abiding a bad thing though? I kind of had an idea that most Gondorians were just that, though not necessarily dull. Suppose you thought differently?”

Her brown eyes smiled at Teal, as she leaned in ever so slightly to whisper: “Perhaps I should not speak of such things loudly considering where we are…” Then she laughed again as she drew back. “I did not mean learning to dance like… right here and now. Perhaps at some point in future,” she explained, sensing that perhaps Teal was a bit apprehensive. And while she felt in a mood to tease him about it, she also felt that it would likely be a wrong thing to do for she thought him good company and did not want him upset at her.

Red Rooster

Rooster looked at Orchid thoughtfully when she mentioned the plans for cleanup, but all he could think of was probably not very suitable for a lady. So instead, he took the cue and slipped off his seat as gracefully as he could to offer her his arm.

“If you would please, m’lady,” he extended a verbal offer as well with a slight bow of his head. And while he waited for her to respond to his arm, he said in hushed and conspiratorial tones: “You could take a dip in one of the small streams in the Pelennor, but I figure that would only make your outfit look worse. Should I take a spare set of my own clothes so you could change into them for exploration? They’d be too large for you, no doubt, but nothing that a belt could not fix.”