• Event • Midwinter Masks (Moderated Thread)

[Rey'na]

Rey gave a polite smile as her and Xander separated, ready to turn and head towards Fridgar. Her attention, however, was drawn to the door as the Empress entered and was announced. When the man who thought himself a 'dashing rogue' had been announced, she thought that the worst of it was over - but this was a new level of ego. Any who needed that kind of introduction, Rey thought, was more than likely compensating for a mass of insecurities.
As that thought entered her head, Fridgar made his approach and interrupted the woman. Rey had no objections about that. "The dance was interesting, though I've had better. I think I'm rusty, though" she explained. She needed some practice at dancing, admittedly. Maybe her and Fridgar could try it some time.

Hearing of the mage made her tense with anger. He'd spoke to her and threatened her. As the thought of all she could do to kill him flooded through her head, Fridgar brought up Lisirra - then claimed they only retaliate. A volley of emotions flooded through her. Retaliate? And what the hell did he mean 'We need to talk about your immortal'? What about her? She found herself clenching her fist.
Rey ignored the rest of his conversation until eventually Fridgar kissed her and made his departure. As he spoke the egg in her head went insane. It didn't take an idiot to work out that Fridgar and the mage had spoke about Lisirra. After all, why else would he know directly if he hadn't worked it out before? That meant one thing - the mage needed to go. He was taking Fridgar from her, or so the egg said. She felt it twist as he walked away, her head thumping with hate and pain.

With her head thumping and anger surging through her, Rey made her way to the group. Two men, including the 'dashing rogue' himself. She felt herself snarling quietly, before she realized she was doing it. She then shook her head as the egg started to slow down and hurt her less. Her eyes glanced to Andras and she smiled, nodding gently. She then looked to Tristan, unsure of if she had seen him before. Something was familiar. She just smiled and nodded to him as well, ignoring the slight headache.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both, let's enjoy the games."

[Woe]

Of course, his luck was terrible, as ever. The noble refused to leave his side. Then Robek tilted his mask to show that it was Fridgar, not some boorish rube of a noble, tripping on his words.

Woe was perhaps wrongfully surprised to find that the 6'10" noble was actually the 6'10" snake trainer he'd helped out of a jam a few trials past. A silly mistake, but he didn't like making assumptions and 'Robek's' disguise was admittedly pretty good despite his unique stature. It just went to show how clueless he was about the nobility, to find that this man wasn't one of them. "Oh, how goes it. Don't worry, I won't tell the guards if you won't tell them about me." It was interesting that they were now allies of a sort. Woe still had his suspicions about the man, but they didn't serve him at the present moment. This was just another lesson in intrigue this night. Then the man thanked him properly for 'saving him' from the giant snake. It was almost too much, Woe had nearly gotten himself crushed and eaten himself, "Anytime, Robek."

He nodded as Fridgar excused himself and went to mingle among the others.



Then the latest comer to the party entered the scene, the Empress herself. She made a pretty speech about the plight of the poor, and how they ought to donate to them. Woe found his lips twisting into a smile as some of the others squirmed at this intrusion. The ex-slave wondered idly if he should give up the ghost at this point, just to claim a small part of that bounty. Of course, that was not in the cards. In fact, he'd add to the plate just to keep up appearances. He left ten gold in the servant's collection plate. A few trials pay for him, but these nobles would probably think less of him for it. Oh well, his terrible luck came to the rescue again.

Then it was revealed there was to be a game. As they were quickly shuffled into trios, Woe took stock of the competition, shrugging at who he'd been assigned with. There was Olivia, and another noble that looked absurdly rich in his fancy clothing. This should be fun... He mused sardonically.

Ledger and OOC

Deduct 10 GN from my ledger, hah. Sorry bout the short post, just having some writer's block and wanted to keep things rolling here.

[Yanahalqah]

The party was in full swing when the Empress arrived, or so Yana thought. She wasn’t all that well versed in social events like these. For her though, the Ball was well under way, and believe it or not, she was actually entertained. Good company could improve just about any situation, her mother had said many a time, and now Yana experienced it to be true. Rathaan probably was the best company she could hope to find in Rynmere, so it was no surprise he managed to get her to enjoy the ball.

That is, until the Empress was announced, pompous titles being strewn around like rice on a wedding. The announcer had to speak even more than when he’d had to announce the ‘Dashing Rogue’, and that guy had already provided a mouthful of titles. Yana sighed inconspicuously. This kind of people just could not arrive anywhere without a grand entrance, now could they? Sure, they were important, but were all those titles necessary? A short “Empress Emerson Sands” should suffice, no? The Yludih made a mental note to have someone slap some sense into her if she became one of those people when she attained a relatively high rank in the Hand.

What was even worse was that the woman’s outfit screamed for attention, a plain and relatively simple dress in the midst of all the extravaganza of the Ball’s guests. That coupled with the feeling of the Empress casting a judgmental stare of superiority on all people present just ticked the false Eídisi off. It was as if she was making that annoying face teachers make when they want to let a child know they are disappointed with them. Like she was wagging her finger at the display of fine silks and expensive embroidery. And when the Empress opened her mouth, it did not help Yana’s opinion on the woman any.

First of all, she assumed that everyone present was nobility, which was certainly not the case. Some people had had to spend about half a season on wages to pay for the necessary clothes so they could be allowed entrance and so they would not stand out from the crowd. That meant half of their wages that could have been spent on clothes that could be worn on more than one occasion, and on food. Not everyone could afford to spend even more this evening just because some stuck up bitch felt they should. However, the nobles would, no doubt. To maintain their imago, to get in both the King and the Empress’s good graces. Which meant there would be peer pressure, and people would indeed spend more than planned, leading to having to ration the food for the coming season, or smash the piggy bank.

There was something more infuriating than that however. Yana could resist peer pressure, she could shrug off other people’s opinions of her. Their judgment did not matter to her, and she was not going to let others decide who she should be. Besides, she was wearing a mask. Perhaps they knew her race, and had her name on the guest list, but it was not like the organizers of the charity would write down who did and who did not support the cause. No. What was more infuriating was that she, as some of the other non-nobles present, had worked hard for her coin. She wasn’t born in wealth, she wasn’t living in luxury. In fact, her room in the barracks was nearly Spartan. To lump everyone present into the group that had basked in wealth and privilege since birth was just an insult to those who had spilled sweat, blood and tears to get their hands on their well earned wage.

Of course there were those of different opinion than hers. It was only natural, and in this case most nobles were all to glad to donate for the poor. On the surface, that is. Yana wondered what was beneath their usual masks, what selfish and utterly human thoughts brew there. She turned her head to Rathaan, quirking an eyebrow, even though he couldn’t see it.

“Well, I am not going to donate,” she confided in him, “I need to eat too. Plus, I have no money on me tonight.” Going to a ball with a coin pouch dangling at her hip was just asking pickpockets to steal from her, not to mention that the worn leather pouch did not combine well with the fancy silk of her new dress. Perhaps she could have placed it in her sleeve, but that just was not a safe place for it, and it would get in the way as well. More endowed women might have put their cleavage to use in this instance, but Yana –and especially her Eídisi form—had not enough of a chest for that sort of thing.

Another sigh followed when she compared her fan to Rathaan’s handkerchief finding they were in different groups, as alas their colours did not match. Great going Empress. Well done. Genius idea, those games. The false Eídisi gave a huff, then inclined her head to Rathaan. “I suppose this is where we part ways. For now. Shall we meet here again when the entertainment is over?” She waited briefly for him to answer, then walked straight to the host of the same color as her fan. In doing so she deliberately ignored the people with buckets collecting donations, not even giving them a second glance.

[Sintih]

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hen did it suddenly get so hot in here? Sin hooked a finger under the neck of his outfit and tried to make some space for fresh air to travel down through. Nothing would budge. The outfit had been tailored to fit him perfectly and so it did. He leaned in a little as Saeri spoke, making sure to catch every word. While it wasn't deafeningly loud here, the amount of people that had gathered here already and the new ones constantly arriving caused a general buzz in the air that made it a little more difficult to hear what people were saying in general. There was only so much people could do to keep their voices from spreading. He was glad to hear that she agreed with his unspoken opinion. "Indeed. It's just a little game for the rich and noble citizens of Andaris to play."

He didn't really know why but when Saeri mentioned trust and knowing her, Sin felt his asterism push light to his cheeks, the illusion following suit and darkening his skin to a little less pale. Surrounded by the light skin, it would have been clearly visible had he not been wearing a mask that covered most of his face. The fact that he tried to drink through his glass and Saeri obviously had noticed his mistake didn't help to get rid of the blush on his cheeks. At least she was enjoying herself this time. When he finished drinking and got himself back together a little, he held onto the glass. He waited a moment, his illusion mimicking the taking of a deep breath, as he calmed himself down, before speaking again. "I don't think you should have picked something different. It suits you." Just for one evening, let me pretend you're just like me and that I don't need to worry about any of the lies that lie in the future.

When she asked her big question, Sin hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to ramble on about how he thought this was all a mistake and a waste of resources. The Rynmere Citizen's Alliance would have a field day with all of this. When he did respond, he wasn't really sure where the courage to do it in such a manner had come from. Maybe Aelig was looking out for him and decided, for once, not to turn everything into chaos around his son? Sin leaned forward so his face was right next to Saeri's. His carefully touched his empty hand to the lower arm of the hand she was holding her drink with and spoke softly so nobody but her could hear it. "I have to admit that I haven't really thought about anything besides the fact that I managed to get such a beautiful date to the ball. However extravagant or outlandish their choice of dress, so far they all pale in comparison to my date."

The burning feeling underneath his mask increased as Sin stepped back. His mask lightly touched against her, the glass clinking together softly. He moved his hand from her arm as he stood up straight, glad the mask covered most of his face right about now. Before being overcome by a desire to run and hide from his own stupidity, Sin managed to wink from underneath his mask. Luckily, he didn't have to run and hide for long as all eyes turned to the entrance with the announcement of the longest string of titles Sin had heard tonight. Whatever Saeri had planned on doing in response to his rather open words had to wait as she turned to look at the entrance as well.

It was curious how people always said that looking the empress in the eyes was a sure fire way to get cursed and yet, now that she stood a little higher and in plain sight, everyone was looking at her. While he found the whole title announcing thing way over the top, especially in this case, Sin had to admit that he enjoyed her choice of dress. Even the servants were more extravagantly dressed than her. He wondered if the whole curse thing would work on him considering that he didn't actually have any eyes through which he could get cursed. Was that even how the curse worked? Sin wondered if maybe there was some type of domain magic behind it all. If it was then it was a highly useful skill to have to keep people at bay. His mind returned back to reality as the empress called for donations from the attendants.

Now there was something he could get behind. Taking money from all these golden spoon fed nobles and spending it where it was needed. Not that he had any nels to spare for these charities but he was sure there were many nobles here who did. In spirit, he thought, they could spend a little bit more for his sake. His attention was pulled back to his side, where Saeri stood, as she mentioned not wanting to donate. "I already did. To the fund for the continued survival of the Rathaan, a rare species of Eídisi." Where did he keep pulling those awful lines from? Unlike the previous lines, however, this one didn't bring a heated blush to his face.

When the entertainment was announced, Sin's first thought was to simply ignore it and continue on with Saeri in the main hall. He was sure that not everyone would go into these games. Not everyone was here to be seen either. Many attendees were simple people who had saved up for this night out for the past seasons in order to be able to let go and enjoy themselves. whatever entertainment they had in mind involved very little games and very much free drink, food and dancing. When he turned to tell Saeri of his thoughts on the subject, he noticed her checking her fan for her colour. When she asked to check his, he pretended to look for his kerchief. Now where had he put it again? He could only stall so much before he found it and, reluctantly, showed it to her. They were not in the same group.

"I guess so, yes. I hope it's over quick, though. Maybe, if we're lucky, there'll be a match of chess between our teams somewhere down the line? I wouldn't mind teaching you a thing or two about strategy in the name of 'entertainment'." Sin smiled and nodded, giving a short bow in her direction before they separated. Once she was out of sight, Sin went his own way to look for his group, avoiding servants with donation boxes as best he could and claiming to have no money when he couldn't. However, with the crowd of people in the ballroom all looking for their colours or getting out of the way of the people looking to play, he couldn't seem to find his specific group anywhere.

[Rafael Warrick]

Midwinter Ball

Rafael remained rooted to his spot, though he cocked his head ever so slightly when a servant girl approached Robek and complimented him on his mask. Nothing extraordinary in itself, especially since Robek seemed equally surprised, yet he couldn't shake the feeling there was more to it. But what? Relenting for a moment, he caught a glimpse of his cousin in the corner of his eye and offered a quick smile in return, but otherwise remained focused on Robek. The towering man toasted, all by himself, to Ilaren before mingling with the rest of the crowd.

For a while longer, Rafael observed as Robek struck up a conversation with a tall, pale man with cold blue eyes. Judging by the stiffness of their movements and the handshake that followed, the two hadn't met before, and Rafael relaxed somewhat. Maybe he was just imagining things. His mood was further lightened when the announcer, with clear hesitation, proclaimed Andraska Venora as a dashing rogue. It was not his place to laugh, but he couldn't help but stiffle a chuckle at the choice of words and he wondered if Andraska actually believed it himself or was merely joking.

Even more amusing was the sight of the hulk Robek, dancing in the arms of a lavishly decorated Alistair Venora. As befitted a Venoran, Alistair somehow managed to look graceful throughout the entire ordeal, but the same could not be said for Robek who appeared to be completely alien to the concept of dancing. And as much as Robek struggled to dance, Rafael struggled to keep laughter from bursting past his lips. Fortunately he was saved from the embarassement by the arrival of Emerson Sands. Unlike many others, Rafael did not look away but let his gaze sweep across the assembled. He had a duty to secure the event after all and so he considered himself excused. While the Empress spoke, his eyes flicked over to her every so often. He'd heard rumor of her beauty and now that he witnessed her in the flesh, he knew the rumours were no exaggeration. There was a certain grace to her, the way she carried herself, the way she spoke, that made his heart flutter. It was a shame that her face was largely hidden behind a veil...

A great curiosity welled up in him. What did she look like behind that veil? What color eyes? Did she ever smile? When she had finished speaking and the as the guests reached for their coin, Rafael stealthily changed position and moved as close as he could reasonably get to the Empress without giving cause for suspicion. But he paused halfway through. She was looking at someone...he traced her gaze to Andraska Venora. The dashing rogue was in luck it would seem. Or...was he? As Alistair held his speech he saw the Empress' gaze slide over to...Tristan? Despite his outlandish choice of dress, or perhaps because of it, Rafael would recognize the young Venoran Lord anywhere. The man was eccentric to say the least and prone to drawing attention to himself, whether by design or by accident. But was it design or accident that Emerson Sands sent such curious glances toward Tristan? Not once or twice, but many times Rafael spotted Emerson's head turning ever so slightly. If she hadn't been Empress, there wouldn't have been anything unusual about it, yet he felt it was off, especially because the Empress seemed to feign interest in Andraska while secretly glancing at the younger Venora. He hadn't forgotten the one time Tristan had received him at dinner, when Faith had been his servant, now would be a good time to repay the hospitality and perhaps start making a friend in the process.

And so, just before Tristan departed to attend the games, he would feel a light hand on his shoulder. "Emerson has eyes on you," he whispered before feigning a different interaction at normal volume. "Alright Lord Venora, my apologies..." A nod later, he vanished amid the crowd and started to make his way over to a small group of guards at the far side of the room. Something was brooding here, but he couldn't tell what.

[Pegasus]

Timespan: During the First Game

Speeches and gestures were made, the repercussions of which would reach much, much further than those here gathered suspected. The Silent Watcher watched and they peeled off into their groups.

But not all of them.
Sintih seemed to be left without a group to join and, of all things, the Empress herself walked up to him. "Have you chosen not to take part, sir, or would you like me to escort you to your group?" Close up she was undoubtedly beautiful and she did not seem to mind looking at him. Maybe the curse was a lie?

"I would be happy to walk you to your group or, if you would rather not join them late, we could stay here and chat, wait for them to return?" She seemed quite content with whichever option he took. "They are just playing a game where they pretend to be other people, all in different scenarios. Very dull, I'm sure." Could it be possible, but there was a wicked grin briefly on her face.

Whereas Rafael gave a message and then moved over to a group of guards. His was a military presence and, once the groups had all gone, Rafael would notice what Sintih would not. There were far less guards here than there had been before the ball started. "We got the short straw. Don't get to guard one of the groups," one of the guards said to him. Gaving Rafael a smile, he whispered to him quietly. "Hey, lad. Want to know a secret?"

Whether Rafael did, or didn't, the guard whispered to him.

Off Topic

Rafael: the whisper has been sent to you in a PM.
I'm continuing with this thread for Rafael and Sintih only whilst the spin off threads are ongoing. As groups finish their spin offs, I will post a sign-off for you and say (something like) "please rejoin the main thread". At that point you may rejoin.
Until that time, this thread is for these two pcs only.
As always, any questions, throw them to me!

Please note: This thread is currently CLOSED to new pcs (sorry!)

[Sintih]

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his night was just getting better and better. First Saeri turned from an interesting companion into a beautiful woman and now, due to his inability to find his group, Sin found himself in the presence of the Empress. And not the presence people used when they spoke about someone sitting high above them on a balcony during a play or something like that, no. In the actual, physical, I-could-touch-her-if-I-wanted-to presence of the Empress. In what was a sea a opulence and beautiful clothes and masks, the maskless and soberly dressed Empress was unmistakeable.

Being this close to her, and having her ask him a direct question, Sin noticed quite a few things. The woman looked much more imposing from a distance. Standing next to her, towering over her, Sin didn't feel like he stood in the presence of possibly the second most powerful person in the kingdom. Without a mask, it was quite plain to see that she was a beautiful woman. It seemed that Rynmere didn't have a shortage of those, the Empress included. But it was not the beauty Sin sought after. He couldn't really tell why but after having spent the beginning of the ball in the presence of Saeri, Sin had to admit that this woman didn't measure up. Not that she was ugly or anything, not even by a long shot, just... less beautiful.

Lastly, he noticed that she didn't seem to have a problem looking at him. Was she testing him to see if he would brave the curse and look back at her? Sin didn't think twice on it as he let his empty, white, illusionary eyes rest on hers. His glass decorated mask his most of his face but the eyes betrayed his race without a doubt. Or at least the race of the illusion he wore in Idalos. "I have to admit that I'm not interested in the games provided tonight. I came for the ball and the company. The game sort of ended the first part for me although, right now, I couldn't complain about the second part if I wanted to. If you wouldn't mind, I'd be honored to spend some more time with you."

Sin brought rossed his right hand over his chest, lightly resting his fingertips against his shoulder before giving her a quick bow. Despite his thoughts on the person in front of him, or rather, his thoughts on what she represented, Sin had been thought proper manners, both outside of noble circles and in. "Unlike a lot of people, I don't see the need to pretend to be someone else. Since they'll just be talking as other people, I would prefer to simply talk as myself. A wonderful event, by the way. It took a little longer than expected to get started but I'm glad that we still managed to get it on track this season. Nothing beats the Cylus cold more than crowding together with a lot of good people, warm food and enticing music."

Sintih waved to one of the many servants that were looking after the remaining guests and took one of said nibbles off the plate he was carrying. His half empty glass of juice was still in his other hand, something he seemed to have forgotten since his separation from Saeri. He ate the bite in one go and washed it down with some juice. Not that he could really taste anything but the feeling of the food clattering down the hole in his body towards his asterism gave Sin the slightest idea of what the other races of Idalos felt when they ate or drank something. He knew that it wasn't even close to the real thing but Crystals weren't as good at creating feeling as flesh and blood were. Then again, crystals were better at surviving than flesh and blood was.

[Rafael Warrick]

Midwinter Ball

The very air seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as many bloated egos were escorted to game rooms while the plebs and lesser nobles remained in the hall. Yet again, he was pleased to be working that evening and thereby escape the whole miserable ordeal. He wondered how many of those people of importance even wanted to play any game. Perhaps they ought to be pitied, forced as they were to part with their money - and now their spare time as well, all for the sake of keeping up appearances. How ironic, as they were also all required to wear masks.

Musing thusly, he rejoined with a small group of guards near the entrance and was shaken from his daydreams by a particularly burly specimen.

“I don’t mind,” Rafael shrugged in reply to the man’s disappointment at being posted outside. But then the man’s breath wafted into his ear and though he was quick to hide it, his eyes widened for a moment. Could it be? As he glanced around the hall he certainly noticed that there were far fewer guards left in the hall now. The guard’s whispered conspiracy had some merit, it would appear. Yet, he wasn’t wholly convinced. “But why?” he mouthed back to the middle-aged guard.

[Pegasus]

Timespan: During the First Game

Emerson Sands listened to Sintih as he spoke and a soft smile graced her features. "Yes, it did take rather longer than we had anticipated at first, but that was for a reason. There is more than one game afoot, all will become apparent soon enough." She smiled at him and looked around the room as though seeing it for the first time. "Yes, I suppose. It all seems rather lavish to me, when there are poor amongst us who starve and suffer. Still, it is not my place to question, just to attempt to help to the best of my ability."

Looking over at him, then, the Empress gave Sintih a radiant smile. "I am sorry, you have me at a disadvantage. I was not here when you were announced and so I do not know your name. May I ask?" She lifted her lips in a slight smile as she asked him for his name.

Meanwhile, Rafael asked the older guard and the man in question shrugged. "Thought it would be funny, I guess. I don't know, who's got a clue with this lot?" Whether he meant the man he was specifically referring to or nobility generally was not clear, but he certainly didn't seem overly impressed. Still, it was just a few bits later that Rafael's companion was called out. There was trouble, apparently and so the older man went. Rafael was to stay and given the specific order to protect the Empress. How he did that, of course, was up to him.

Meanwhile, once the Naughty Bear had been taken away and secured (although not by any of the doors that anyone saw), the first of the game-players came back in. But only two of them. However, shortly after that, the others followed in and soon ~ within a few moments anyhow ~ the room was buzzing again as people returned from their games and rejoined old companions or found new ones. That, of course, was up to them.

There were rumours, it must be said, that there had been some kind of altercation. Would anyone notice changes in group numbers? Just a brief time, chatting and re-acclimatising was what happened next.

How strange.

Off Topic

This thread is now open to all previous posters.
I am going to post again on the 1st April ~ if you are not able to post before then, drop me a pm and we'll see what we can do.
As always, any questions, throw them to me!

Please note: This thread is CLOSED to new pcs (sorry!)

[Rafael Warrick]

His head pivoted towards Emerson Sands in her plain dress. He was supposed to guard her? Didn't she have a personal guard? He distinctly recalled her entering surrounded by tough, strong knights, or hadn’t she? He scratched the back of his neck as he tried to remember, but all that his memory showed him was the veiled face of the Empress for he too had been enraptured by her beauty.

Cursing inwardly he looked around for another knight or squire but found none nearby. Where had they all gone off to? There had been more guards at the start then there were now. His eyes returned to the Empress and burned into her back as the responsibility bestowed upon him crashed down on his shoulders. They didn't seriously expect him to protect one of the most important people in the Kingdom all by himself, now did they? Flattering though the thought was, he had only one pair of eyes and one pair of ears, yet threats could emerge from anywhere, especially in a thick, shifting crowd such as this. For a moment he wondered if perhaps this was some kind of joke, or perhaps a test...with a shake of his head he discarded the thought and focused on his duty instead. While he had no love for King Cassander, he had no quarrel with the Empress and having been raised in priviliged circumstances, a deep respect for the Empress and Emperor had been instilled in him from his earliest arcs.

His hand hovered over the hilt of his blade before he reconsidered and shifted his hand to the borrowed dagger on his belt instead. After all, should something bad happen, there simply wasn't enough space to draw a sword, and by the time there would be, it might be too late. Taking a deep breath, he approached the Empress from behind and tugged ever so lightly at the hem of her dress to draw her attention.


"Empress," he spoke quietly, "my apologies for interupting but, for your own safety it would be better if you- if we moved to the edge of the crowd." He was on the verge of explaining that he was the only one assigned to protect her but kept his tongue at the very last moment. After all, who knew who else might be listening in...

"I am afraid I must insist," he added, shooting a brief glance at the tall Eidisi that the Empress had been conversing with. He lowered his voice so only the Eidisi and the Empress would be able to hear. "Something is brewing here..."

ooc: @Sintih I know your character is a squire but didn't want to assume that Rafael knew him, hence why Rafael doesn't spot anyone of the Iron Hand nearby.