Terneus Andros

Time: Late Afternoon
Location: Roshmi Hall

'That's right... look upon my elegance, you inferior creatures...' He thought and allowed a soft grin under his mask, feeling the various people turning to look at his approach. a man came up to him with a bowl cut-up pieces of paper.

"What's this? Do you want something signed?" Terneus raised a noble brow under his mask, his hand went for a gold decorated feather pen before realizing to his horror this wasn't an adoring fan at all, but a lowlife seeking to have HIM dance with who knows what. The very idea was appalling to him, yet with so many eyes on him, he could feel the pressure. Damn it, how could he end up in this position? "Don't you 'Hey' me... An icebreaker? Fine..." He said in a swift manner, reaching to take a paper. The elf could after all feign being too busy to dance and make someone else look bad. Commander Feldrin also took a piece of paper, before going close enough to his lord to say in a hushed manner.

"My lord, you may be able to find someone able to track those down those who caused your injury..." Feldrin adviced, nodding his head to the piece of paper in Terneus hand. Terneus looked over the paper, and whilst the elf's face was obscured by a full mask, Feldrin knew that the ever so graceful governor was not pleased. The governor threw a glance to an elf leaning against a nearby pillar momentarily, before proceeding deeper into the hall. In the near distance he could spot what looked like a feline-demi-human and a centaur. He briefly took his mask away, bringing up a napkin to his nose and mouth. "Commander, when did this place turn into a barn?" He furrowed his eyebrows, his scar clearly visible for a moment, the thread still attached to it. Then he put on the mask quickly again as he noticed, Commander Dreadclaw in the distance. He would -not- allow that man to gloat on his misfortune, the very idea made him almost want to throw up. It made him ill within. The elf strode past the various others chit chatting in the middle of -his- path. Two elves by the looks of it. The governor merely softly pushed them aside.

It was then that the governor heard and saw someone. An elven man was grabbing his spotlight! The nerve. The elf introduced himself as Vaeril, and that he was the host of the grand ball. The governor couldn't pinpoint who this elf was, he knew not this elven man. He wasn't part of the sun elven people he governed over, was he a moon elf? 'How dare he take advantage of my radiance to make it reflect unto him....' The elf gritted his teeth under his mask. Could this elven man before him be new nobility? New nobility having risen during Aklenroth's rule? Impossible.. the dark elves would never allow a non-dark elf to host this big of an event. It would reduce them as figures of power. The governor grew quiet and pondersome, before he realized that he needed to find himself a good seat where he could be admired from. While looking around it, hushed voices drew his attention as a large section of the ballroom grew quiet.

Terneus felt fear, like a chill up his spine. What in the world was going on. He heard an elderly fairy say a name in a hushed manner. Queen Camellia. The light elven governor raised an eyebrow. 'Queen Camellia? I remember this name... but she is..?' The elf turned fully to look upon who it was that was treading into the large room. It was as if he had been struck by lightning, there was someone here on an equal footing like himself in jewelry and regality. 'Impossible... this is... a statment... a coup?' The elf's eyes grew wide, he could feel sweat falling down the side of his face, his blue eyes focusing on the feminine figure he saw before him. It took all of the elf's will reach for his mirror, to look at himself. He allowed as soft sigh to escape from his lips, he was still the most prefered choice according to him. But Terneus seemed to recall in the back of his mind that Queen Camellia of the fairies died years ago, it couldn't be her. The person also seemed far too young, in both movement and form.

Now came the question, what should he do? This was an opportunity to grab admiration from people, if he could dance with her then he would be the talk for months to come. The very idea made the elf feel like he had miniature fairies in his belly. But he also became worried, what if this indeed were a coup of some kind? He could be implicated and they could possibly even hold him responsible... he'd rather see the entire ballroom hang than giving that Commander Dreadclaw the pleasure of putting him to death. The governor decided to play it safe for now and watch. If the crowd and host were fine with her presence he would make sure he would be the one to dance with her. Despite her obvious inferiority to his magnificent race, she was still royalty no doubt and thus glorious gossip material.

Baraian Paladice

Time: Late Afternoon
Location: Roshmi Hall

Baraian quietly took the cut-up pieces of paper from the bowl provided, that which would determine dancing partners. He didn't like dancing at all, normally most dark elves highly disliked it as far as he knew. His gaze fell down on the pieces of paper. 'Eight and seven...' So whomever he was going to end up dancing with would also have drawn these numbers.

That's when an announcement caught his attention, it wasn't Aklenroth, it was far worse. It was that arrogant light elven governor. Baraian gritted his teeth and slid to the side, the least he needed was to be in that elven man's presence. To him, that elf represented everything wrong with the world, he wasn't any better than the dark elves he knew from young age or those who had sold their souls to the lich king. This elf had to not only be destroyed later, he would have to be destroyed in a poetic manner. Cast down into the darkness and then ended.

But even so. Surely Terneus Andros also despised Aklenroth deep inside, but the spineless elf as he was would likely never dare take up arms against him until he would be weakened or even removed. That elf was a opportunistic sloth, an ambitious bigot and a parasitic plague on the world alltogether. The dark elf shook his head softly, there was no use thinking ill of the elf, that wouldn't harm him. Despite how powerful the governor may have been in magical power, Kuroi had managed to wound him to such a degree the elf was no doubt more borderline insane now than ever. But it had come at a cost, both himself and Kuroi had gotten wounded and that demented elf had heard the name 'Ra Monde'. The dark elf came to worry if he would have told the authorities about this find, if he had then it would surely be only a matter of time before their sanctuary would be found.

'The little miss has to be here somewhere... that centaur over there could be Regulus. I really have to talk with him later about his part in the attack on that governor...' Baraian thought and looked around, sneaking around the walls of the ballroom, making sure to not be located close to the middle. As that's where the generally more famous and wealthy would likely be found.

Then he heard the voice of an elf, which seemed to be the host of the ball himself, introduce himself and welcome all to the event. Baraian didn't recognize him as a local elf, but then again... it wouldn't be too strange if he came from any of the area around Roshmi. Elves tended to stick to their own ilk, or that's the impression he had gotten himself. A small figure scurried past him with a fox mask and a fluffy looking attire in the direction of the tables holding all the fine food and drinks. 'A child?' His red cold eyes followed the figure until he vanished behind some others. 'Eat, drink and get married for tomorrow you'll... Ah no matter...' He softly sighed, turning to look behind him as some people began to speak in a hushed tone. Into the room came a finely dressed fairy woman, accompanied by two others. The dark elf stood still, as if trying to pinpoint what were so special about her, aside from her elengant dress ofcourse. The hushed whispers began to speak of a queen. How odd. He didn't recall anything about a queen, a queen of what? The fairies? This might be a possible ally, this fairy woman. Providing she isn't taken by the guards later. He would have to seek her out. There was also possible that this was a trap set by the royalists to capture rebels. He weighed the options and decided it would be worth the risk. His allies might also be able to recognize him with his golden skull mask on.

Zelginn

Time: Late Afternoon
Location: Roshmi Hall

Zelginn approached the table on light feet, sneaking under them and then popping up on one side of a table, grabbing unto the table with one clawed hand and pocketing various sausages, chicken legs, dried fish and various other kinds of delecacies. It was times like this he wished he could have tranformed and just gulped down the entire table, especially the meaty parts. That or have a few extra hands for pocketing things with. He swiftly raised his mask so that it attached itself at his head and began stuffing his mouth full of all manner of meat, even mistaking a piece of carrot for a sausage, causing the small figure to cough and spit it out under the table.

This was almost as good as causing chaos, at least it felt tasty in his mouth. Raw food, roasted, cooked... it didn't really matter! But the small figure soon found out more had seen the goodies which he were in the middle of stuffing his mouth full with. Some woman with a long fine dress approached, she were covered in flowery details on both her dress and mask. But Zelginn knew this type. It was a food rival. He wrinkled his nose, which was now partly covered in jell-o. 'Aww not now, go away you dumb vegetable head.' He thought before greeting the approaching woman (Sakura). "Here for the food mm?" He swallowed down another piece of chicken, licking the bne clean soon after before sticking it into a nearby potted plant. As a half-effort way of hiding the evidence.

"Didn't your father ever tell ya, a lady needs to think of her weight? But here you could still drink." The small figure reached over to pour up a highly alcoholic drink to the approaching woman in one of the nearby, presumedly clean glasses.

Then he made note of a odd looking fairy at an adjacent table, filling up some glasses with drinks, he was being flanked from all sides now. Even if he wasn't interested in the drinks, this meant he had to eat alot quicker or there wouldn't be anything left for him!

Elthrael Vol'Kerno

Time: Late Afternoon
Location: Roshmi->Roshmi Hall (Outside on balcony)

The moth fairy leaned his head and chin into one of his hands, looking at all the various beings ascending the stairs leading into the grand hall. Some in particular stood out, one was a clearly elven man accompanied by what seemed to be a servant and holding unto some weird device. There was also a very impressively shapened elven woman in a very elegant dress which also caught his attention, he had to find that one later for a closer look. Then he saw something which he could only describe as a flashback, to a drawing his mother had made years ago of the old fairy queen. A fairy woman was ascending the stairs clad in such a dress, and flanked by two others who were slightly behind her. This had to be Risa. As the old queen had died, this was known even to he whom dwelled in the forest.

'Oh? What in the world are you doing, Risa? Are you trying to get yourself captured? My my... and I suppose you are bringing that witless vulpine and the fieryheaded disappointment with you...' He softly sighed and leaned back abit from where he sat. 'I guess I have no choice now but to make sure you'll get out of there alive. This is a trap and you are walking right into it, my mentor always warned me not to walk into others area of control... rather lead them to yours. What to do now though... is the question...' He threw a glance up to the highest located balcony of the building, which was lit by a few colourful braziers of fire.

'If the stakes are high, so must you also be... to keep up.' He thought to himself, standing up from his location at a nearby roof, looking up towards the balcony far above, before darting off into flight up towards it. Standing guard at the balcony was a finely dressed dark elven man, with a halberd and helmet. His facial expression laid back, if not even abit bored. A soft breeze in the wind caused the elf to turn to look away from the inside of the building to the outer, close to the railing.

Then he looked slightly upwards, hovering upside down was a dark winged fairy with golden eyes and a slight smile on his lips, the light from the brazier reflecting in his eyes and his white teeth. The dark elf twitched as if he had been close on falling asleep, blinking once to make certain he was seeing this right. That's when he opened his mouth to speak, and found himself having a red apple shoved into his mouth forcefully and the dark winged fairy grabbed him by the tabard he wore.

"An apple a day, by your favorite fey." He said calmly, pulling the dark elf violently against the railing, causing the heavier upper part of the dark elf's body to topple over and fall towards the grass and bushery far below, landing with a minor crushing sound. The apple prevented any scream or sound, being a perfect tool for muffling it seems.

"Flying and being grounded... who'd knew you could do both?" Elthrael mused softly, looking down to the fallen dark elf who had landed in the middle of some thick bushes.

The fairy realized that the balcony offered a slight glimse of the grand ball itself and those attending to it, though he had to lean abit in order to properly see. He however had no intention to enter the place unless he truly had to, for now he found it far better to sit or stand close to the side of the balcony, using his wings as a temporary cover to camoflague himself against the outer wall.

Time: Time to dance!
Location: Roshmi city, grand hall
Interactions: Risa @Princess
Ambiance: Butterfly dances

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Ilan watched all the guests arrive, still seated in the swing, hands folded in his lap. He rocked back and forth gently, at a pace where he didn't need to hold on to the ropes to steady himself. He admired from a far, there was so much to see. Once his jade eyes had settled on one scene, they were drawn to the next. The grandeur of the ball almost made him forgot why he was there. The people he'd joined up with, Kuroi, Baraian, Belle and later Cade, Ayita and Sakura. Everyone at Ra Monde, the members of the Golden Death. They were here to find humans and keep them safe from the Lich King.

Before the faun had time to sink deeply into the weight of his troubles, the slip of paper inside his palms stirred, its magic awakened. It glowed with an iridescent light, folding itself into the intricate shape of a butterfly. It fluttered up into the air, beckoning Ilan to follow it. Ilan smiled softly, giving the enchanted paper a curious look. He hopped of the swing with a light jump and walked up to it. He attempted to stroke the beautiful colored wings of the paper butterfly, but it was too quick, his fingers brushing through the empty air instead. It amazed him how lifelike it behaved.

He began to follow it around the hall, forcing him to mingle into the large crowd of people. In his mind he held his breath, and physically he tensed up slightly. It was like jumping into a pool. Luckily the butterfly proved to be the right amount of distraction for him and slowly his anxiety calmed, his nerves forgotten. The anonymity of his dance partner was no longer a source of fear, as the butterfly circled around one of the most beautiful fairies he had ever seen. She was like the heaven at night, with shimmering stars leaving behind a trail of purple and pink against a deep blue sky.

Ilan was hesitant to approach her. He could dance a little bit, but he wasn't like a fairytale price. They would surely make an odd couple. Yet there was something about her, aside from her obvious beauty which alerted his preternatural senses. She was here with a purpose, Ilan was sure of that. He knew fairies to be kind and good, she looked to be exactly that. There was truly only one way to get to know her better. He brushed off some invisible dust of his dapper clothes, and smoothed his curls back into place. Ilan cleared his throat, both hands folded behind his back.

"Hello..."
He simply said, feeling somewhat awkward already. He was too nervous to look directly into her eyes, instead he pointed out to the butterfly fluttering about and eventually landing on her hair.

"I think that means we will share a dance."

Time:Late Afternoon
Location: Roshmi Hall
Interactions:@Dreamingflowers

"Let the dances begin! Follow the magic!" A voice bellowed through the ballroom.

Risa looked down at the paper she had just recently been handed as it started to glow and Risa felt it tug her body forward. Before it could begin to contort into shape, she saw something fluttering about in the corner of her eye. Glancing up she saw a little paper butterfly and she smiled, her eyes lowering to find a faun in front of her. He greeted her but did not exchange eye contact. It eventually landed on her hair.

"I think that means we will share a dance."

The charming curly-haired boy was young, perhaps even a few years younger than Risa, and well-dressed in silk and lovely green and peach colors. He had a sweet and shy demeanor. Risa considered him to probably be unlikely to be involved in the mess; it would be extremely unfortunate if so. The plan had been to find some allies, but if this was her dance partner, she was extremely hesitant to drag an innocent teen faun into the battle.

She glanced backward over her shoulder. Elsea and Kyran had indeed entered after. Elsea looked absolutely stunning and Kyran looked very handsome. She had not seen him dressed so nicely before and it made her heart race. They were being approached by partners to dance with as well so she turned back to Ilan, still blushing a little from her glance towards Kyran. She'd dance with this boy in the mean time but she felt it was only right to give him fair warning of the situation. "Hello there sweet faun." She gently greeted him with a polite curtsy, "My name is Risa. You may have heard of my name earlier today. I would be honored to have a dance with you, but if you are reluctant to associate with the infamy of my name, I will not be hurt if you choose to decline."

---

---

The demoness let out a sigh of relief. It looked like none of her father's lackeys and even himself noticed her presence. Though part of her wanted to get a chance to get to talk to the Lich King, she understood that he had to protect his identity. Of course, he had to wear the most regal and expensive clothes in all of the lands even in his disguise. How typical of Father, she thought to herself. She did receive a piece of paper with numbers on it like Cade, Ayita, and the rest. She wondered who her dance partners will be...

Sakura was also one of the many who stared at the woman who just came in. She couldn't believe that the girl who started it all, the one they call Risa she believed, was right here in the flesh in the same room where Aklenroth was. Her eyes suddenly widened at the realization of what will be happening later tonight. Was this the day he'll finish her and end the rebellion once and for all? What will Sakura do once chaos ensues in the ballroom? A voice in her wanted to walk straight to the regal-looking woman right now and finish her herself but the other voice also wanted to wait and see how the night will turn out instead. She chose to follow the latter.

Besides, she figured it was probably just her getting anxious and jittery and stuff. It's been a long time she had seen Aklenroth. She was kind of enjoying the part of her life where she didn't have to kill anybody, where she could go on without ever worrying about the constant impending doom of disappointing her father.

Nevertheless, the stares eventually lingered down and everyone went back to mingling with their own peers but she could tell some still stole glances at the her. Sakura just raised an eyebrow at her and turned her attention away from her. Only a fool like her would go to a very dangerous place and risk herself getting killed or maybe she was just an attention hog. Either way, Sakura was certainly sure she was way prettier than her.

"Compliment them, the rich and mighty love it when they are praised. Of course, the night will be full of fake smiles so you will feel your jaw ache after a while. Nevertheless, Cade was right for once. Be polite and respectful to them and there would be a good chance they'll do the same to you." Sakura said to Ayita. The demoness had lots of experience mingling with elitist and haughty nobles. She had been a VIP to the Demon Lord of Pride's parties. She then turned to Cade and sighed. "Never change, big guy. Never change."

She continued on with Ayita and Cade to the buffet. Every single food was really beautiful to look at and she bet they even tasted better when they're in her mouth. She got some food for her plate and was feeling bliss in every bite. She was about to advise Cade about using the cutlery when someone talked to her. She was a bit surprised when the 'someone' turned out to be a small someone. She looked at how of a messy eater he was and how he hid a chicken bone in a potted plant. She narrowed her eyes at him. Children.

"Unnecessary input but thank you for watching out for me, little one." Sakura sarcastically-but-still-kindly replied to the boy. She actually wanted to be snarkier but figured she wouldn't want to bring anyone down on such a wonderful night. "I will accept your offer for a drink if you take this table napkin to wipe the smudge off your face. Do we have a deal?". She said while offering him a clean white napkin. She suddenly saw her own paper glow and contort into a small butterfly, fluttering around and magically tugging her towards her partner. "But I'm still eating..."

Ayita heard Cade and Sakura's advices about how to interact with others. Indeed, despite her lack of experience, common courtesy and just being polite would probably be enough to make her be able to successfully interact with the others. Talking about others, praising them as Sakura said were also important, coupled with a fair share of false smiles and empty compliments, of course.

When she was about to say something though, a strange silence filled the hall, followed by low murmurs. Not much was needed for Ayita to figure out who was the cause of the silence and center of the murmurs. A beautiful fairy woman wearing a dress that was simply breathtaking had entered the hall. While Ayita didn't know who she was, she knew that the fairy was certainly an important figure. There was no doubt about it, be for the regal aura the fairy had around her or the dress and jewels that adorned her.

"I sure hope I don't end inadvertently stepping on a noble's foot or something... The type of dance we had back in my tribe isn't exactly... tame and formal." Ayita said with a chuckle as she looked at the fairy.

As the silence disappeared and everyone went back to their own business, Ayita heard Cade mentioning about the food, which indeed was looking just fantastic. There was such a large selection of meats and all kinds of foods that it would indeed be a shame for them not to eat.

"Indeed, just the smell is already making me hungry!" Ayita said to cade with a giggle as she accompanied Sakura and Cade, getting some food for her to eat.

Among all the guests to that ball though, one drew Ayita's attention, particularly to how voraciously it was eating. Noticing him after she saw a pair of ears and a tail from under the table before approaching Sakura with a snarky comment about her watching her weight. With a small laugh, Ayita watched the exchange between both of them. She was surprised to see Sakura accepting the boy's offer for a drink in exchange for some napkin to clean the boy's face, who seemed to make no effort to clean himself or even try to eat in a more polite manner.

"Who would have known that Sakura would make such a good and caring big sister!" she said, laughing as she teased her.

"Hey there! What's your name? It seems we're not the only ones hungry here." she said, looking to Cade and to the boy with a smile. Something told her that Cade and the boy might like each other. Not only for being demi-humans but also due to their clear love for food.




Myra continued to analyze and stare at the strange elf for a while longer, still trying to decide if she should trust him despite the undead scent coming from him or not until she heard Artemis mentioning food, which immediately made her shift her attention from the elf to Artemis and then looking around for food. When she finally saw the big table with lots of food on it after Darius mentioned it together with her name. Before she could do anything else though, a cat person appeared nearby them, handing out two pieces of paper for both Darius, Artemis and Myra herself, who took them gently from the bowl and looked at them, curiously.

"Foo?" she asked, looking at Darius, Artemis and the feline demi-human as she sniffed the papers. Was that something she needed to go to the big table to eat? Since both Darius and Artemis were speaking about that before the papers arrived, Myra was fairly certain that it had something to do with the food.

When Darius stood up, holding his hand to Myra, she almost jumped out of her seat with a big smile on her face, grabbing Darius' hand, happy that they were going to eat something.

"Foo!" she said excitedly as she held the two strips of paper with her free hand almost as if it was something very valuable.

As they arrived near the table, Myra had her eyes glued on the many types of meats, her tongue going in and out of her mouth periodically as she looked forward tasting them. That said, since she was in such a fancy and strange place, she simply waited for Darius instead of just going there and started eating. Just in case too, she had her two strips of paper with her, holding them near her chest. She just hoped that it wasn't one piece of meat per strip of paper...

When they got closer to the table though, one of Myra's strands of paper suddenly turned into a butterfly and flew up on the direction of a strange, tall, dark elf. For some strange reason, Myra felt her eyes pull towards the man, curious about him as she let go of Darius hand, trying to go after the paper that had turned into a butterfly. Stronger than her curiosity though was the disappointment and desperation in her stare as she looked at one of the two piece of papers fly away. That meant one less piece of meat for her to eat from what she had understood.

"Ah! Foo..." she said, with a clear disappointed expression as she looked at Darius, the tall elf and then at the piece of paper that was flying away higher and higher before disappearing.

A many-sided war was waged at the banquet tables as gluttonous opponents gathered to fill their stomachs. Despite the class that many tried to uphold, he found many stuffed faces, which only helped hype up how delicious the food had to be. And despite posing as a demon, Darius couldn’t keep the bright smile on his face every time he heard Myra’s voice. He managed to squeeze in between a few guests so he could get a few portions of different foods before all the good stuff was taken. A lot of it was different than what Zorrah prepared back on Daka. There was a larger variety of seafood and different types of vegetables. There was also the wine, champagne, and mead at the table. His eyes lit up at the alcoholic beverages but something kept him from grabbing a glass. Would it be responsible for him to start drinking when he had a job to do? One wouldn't hurt, right? Just one glass… Maybe two.

Before he could indulge in food and drink, however, Myra suddenly let go of his hand while trailing after one of her papers that was oddly fluttering away from her. “What the?” Darius uttered before following after her, and then...

"Let the dances begin! Follow the magic!" A voice bellowed through the ballroom.

"Right now?" He was a bit caught off guard by the announcement and figured that the man Myra’s paper flew towards was her first dance partner. He wore a similar mask to Vaeril in that it was a golden skull. He sized up the stranger before nodding with a smirk. “Myra, it’s time to dance. Remember what Airdan showed us. How to dance like an elf? The fancy dance! He seems like he’s okay, but if he gives you trouble, you can bite and scratch him as much as you want.” His smirk turned devilish as he looked at Baraian and winked. Darius didn’t want Myra in any danger, but he also knew she could readily defend herself. “Have a good time you two!” He then playfully poked Myra’s side. “We’ll eat after the fancy dances are done. I promise.”

Darius then reached towards his pocket, but one of his papers had already flown up towards his face with the number "3" showing. He carefully grabbed it with his thumb and index finger, curious as to what would happen next. That’s when things got pretty bizarre, yet captivating at the same time. Everything around the paper seemed to darken and blur as he felt it tug his hold as if guiding him across the ballroom floor. He followed it step by step as it became the center of his focus. As if only it mattered at that moment. He silently stepped through the crowd of guests before he noticed the tugging had stopped. His paper and another's made contact, collapsed, and then folded into each other, forming a star-like shape that slowly rotated and elevated upwards.

Looking past the star, Darius' crimson eyes met a partially masked familiar face. He didn't believe he could forget a smirk like that. It wasn't the kind of smile that was made from being lighthearted or giddy. It was more like excitement or perhaps it was pleasure… but from what?

"Azriel." He said softly as if confirming her identity. Darius stared for a moment as he admired her appearance. The deep hues of red went so well with the black. And that partial mask completed by the application of her own matching makeup possibly made her outfit one of his favorites so far. How could a beauty accompany such a terrifying creature like Umber? His open-mindedness allowed him to push on and not worry so much about his first time seeing her at the castle. This was the first dance at the ball after all. The fun part. The easy part. "I must be lucky..." Darius attempted a forward bow which wasn't all that graceful. He brought the wrong foot forward and quickly retracted it and corrected himself. Shit. Airdan, I will fix this! He then gracefully transitioned to the ceremonial bow which was a surprise to even himself before looking up at Azriel and smirking. "...I get to dance with an angel." Darius said as he stood upright and held his hand out for Azriel to take.

O'Ner Faister

TIME: Late Afternoon
LOCATION: The Grand Ball, Roshmi City
INTERACTIONS:@Tae Kenia

O'Ner felt a bit stupid for not ordering any water for Artemis, but he was not going to admit he was wrong. He felt more restless as time passed, he needed to stand up and leave the table. "Excuse me" Addressing the people seated at the table, starting to walking around the ball room floor, he was wondered if this suspicious. However he shook his head disregarding the notion, walking around he made note of the people around him. He then noticed people starting to dance, this made him quite uncomfortable since he has not danced in a long time. "Damn it to hell" He muttered to himself, grabbing a wine glass form a waiter's tray. Chugging the wine down, placing the now empty glass on a table.

He thought he could try to at least have some fun, an idea that was lost on him. Although the distant memory of having fun was appealing, scanning the area of potential rebels he could report to his comrades. Even though he detests them, he still needed to show loyalty to Aklenroth. Walking around he stopped in front of a table, he noticed a elf speaking with a male he could not recognize. "Excuse me madam, i know this request comes across strange. But i was wondering if you would like to dance with me?" He asked, For some reason he felt compelled to dance with this elf female.

Perhaps he had not been with a woman in a long time, he pondered if he was repressing his desire for human contact. He had gone so long with being undead, that he subconsciously wanted to feel human again.

“A worry we both share, it is, unfortunately a myth that cats are always graceful.” Cade spoke to Ayita, who shared her concerns about making a misstep during the dances. He was certainly not a skilled or graceful dancer but his lack of rhythm never prevented him from enjoying it. He chuckled a bit at the child who spoke to Sakura, who handled the comment with the same graceful pose she always seemed to show. The child seemed completely out of place, not even making an attempt at proper table manners the way Cade was, and he was almost certain the boy wasn’t actually invited to the ball. He had to admire the craftiness of the young fox for sneaking in for a chance to raid the feast, something he could easily imagine himself doing as a child.

Cade notice the approach of another woman, with a hand outstretched holding a paper butterfly. He had not noticed his own paper fluttering about due to the food. He was delighted to see so many of the paper butterflies about the ballroom, and had he still been a cub he imagined they’d be great fun to chase about. He did not think about the butterflies for long though, quickly noticing that the woman who had approached looked quite distressed. Although she wore a mask, he could see the red tinge to her eyes, the way those who looked less animalistic than he got when they cried. He noticed how she did not meet his eyes nor did she speak to him. Cade worried that his dance partner might be afraid of him and he sat his plate down no longer thinking about the food he’d left unfinished. In an attempt to seem less imposing he relaxed his posture, hoping to lessen his height to the clearly nervous woman with brightly colored hair.

“Apologies, m'lady, it seems I have forgotten my manners when surrounded by a great feast. How shameful to make such a lovely maiden search me out, I hope I have not offended you.” Cade bowed politely and did his best to keep his normally booming voice soft as he spoke. “I am called Cadence of a Thunderstorm, but most simply call me Cade. While I would be honored to share a dance, if you’re not up for it I am an excellent conversationalist.” He offered, hoping to put her mind at ease some.

---

Boreas had noticed the approach of the elf even before Bowyn did, the bird seemed quiet interested in the amount of paper butterflies flapping around the room. As the elf spoke it was more than clear that the time to duck out unnoticed had more than certainly passed them all by. He let out a sigh as he accepted that he was going to be stuck here for the time being. He realized he had to play the part, like he was supposed to be here and act like he too was some grand noble who found such an event to be his idea of a great time. He buried down his utter disdain for the whole thing as deep as he could and focused on what he had to do, figure out who at this party they could trust.

”Hi, you must be my dance partner. It’s nice to meet you.”

Bowyn paused for a moment as he studied the elf that had approached him, her dress and mask both invoked imagery of fire. He quickly finished what was left of his mead and with one final glance towards Torvi and Belle he stood to face his dance partner, wearing his very best fake but polite smile. He had no way to know for sure whether this elf was a friend or foe, heck he couldn’t even be sure she was, in fact, even an elf. He hoped for the sake of his friends that it was not so easy to tell the difference between a disguised human and an elf. Her expression seemed calm and neutral, one not easily read, though he noticed a slight nervous tick; her momentary chewing of her lip. That could easily be nerves from dancing with a complete stranger. He hoped his unease with strangers was difficult to read, but none the less it seemed now was the time to play with fire.

“Hello. I’m Bowyn.” He spoke softly, the way those who concerned themselves with politeness frequently did, and bowed to the female elf before him. “May I have a dance?” He asked offering an outstretched hand to the elf. Although the dances had been magically predetermined it still seemed ruder than even he cared for to assume there was no choice in the matter. “My incredibly handsome friend is called Boreas, and he insists on following me around. He’s quite clingy so I hope you don’t mind if he comes along.” Bowyn added gesturing to the bird and attempting to cut through some of the awkwardness of the whole situation. He had only one dance to determine how trustworthy this elf was so he did what he could to seem charming, not matter how irritating he found the charade.

Time: Late Afternoon
Location: Roshmi Grand Hall
Interactions: @Helo-Bowyn @Potter Belle @FunnyGuy Umber

---

Torvi followed Belle towards the table she had pointed out, but before she sat down she began to hear the stunned whispers. She turned to see what the commotion was about only to be greeted by the sight of a very beautiful fairy. She watched the woman and her companions enter, thinking there was something strangely familiar about them. She couldn't quite place it at first, however. It wasn't until Belle asked if she knew who the woman was that something clicked. Still, it was hard to know for sure with the mask. "I haven't the slightest clue, but doesn't she and her companions look rather similar to the ones that were shown wanted the other day?" She asked curiously. If that were the case then perhaps they'd be ones they should talk to. If she remembered correctly, one of them in the sketch looked to be human. "I'm glad to have your company as well." She'd told Belle with a grin.

Bowyn returned with three meads, even though Belle had asked for water. This made he'd wonder if everything was alright with him. She felt a bit guilty with dragging him into all of this and she began debating on telling him that he could leave if he wished. He'd helped her so much already, there was no reason he needed to endanger himself any further. She could surely find others here to help her, plus she now had Belle. Before she could say anything, however, Bowyn began explaining who the fairy was. So she was a princess? Did Aklenroth view her as a threat? That was most interesting. Bowyn then explained how the situation may be more dangerous than they anticipated. She opened her mouth to speak, to suggest that yes maybe they should leave just to be safe, but then the announcement that the dances were beginning happened. She felt a strange pull in a direction as one of her papers took form. Hers looked more bag like than butterfly, but that may have been her imagination. She found herself standing, but before she left she looked to her two friends. "Please be careful you two. I'm not opposed to revisiting your suggestion of leaving after these dances tho." The last bit was directed towards Bowyn before she walked away, giving the woman approaching the winter fairy a friendly smile. Hopefully Bowyn would be on his best behavior.

She weaved her way through the crowd of people finding their partners, following her bat like paper until it stopped in front of an older elven man. It was the same man who had greeted them all as they came in. That must mean he was close to the host of this event. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity to learn more about said host. What was the motive behind the ball if there was one other than just to show off wealth. "Well hello again, I believe the papers have spoken and we are to dance together." She said, smile on her face as she dipped down into a small curtsy.

Time: Evening
Location: Roshmi Grand Hall
Interactions: @FunnyGuy Darius

---

The dances were beginning and Azriel felt a mixture of dread and excitement for seeing what the night would bring with that event. She felt dread, however, as she knew that she’d be dancing within a mix of people who would no doubt bump into her wings at some point. She absolutely detested having her wings touched as it made her think back to a time when they were mangled and broken. Those thoughts brought her much anger and she didn’t need that anger right now. Perhaps that anger could help later on in the night when the fun began, but for now she needed to keep in check. She only hoped her partners were capable enough dancers to help guide her out of harms way.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she noticed a figure approaching her and she gazed at the familiar man now in front of her. A giddy smile crossed her face as she realized it was Darius, the human that seemed to be much different from Jack. He wasn’t broken like Jack was and this was something that truly intrigued Azriel. Darius spoke and attempted a formal bow which caused her to giggle a little at him. He was definitely trying, his second attempt was much better and she actually applauded him. It was then that she realized what he had said and confusion crossed her face. Was he...flirting with her? Never in her life had she had someone actually try and flirt with her. They were always too terrified of her to do so. This human was bold and he actually made Azriel feel a little flustered for a second and she felt heat rising to her cheeks. She forced herself to recover quickly and then a playful smirk came across her lips. ”Lucky huh? I don’t think anyone has ever thought dancing with the angel of death was something lucky.” She took his hand as she spoke, ready to start the dance.

”I must say, you’re very different from Jack. Much more charming. It makes me wonder which of the two of you are the normal ones amongst your kind?”

---

As he socialized with the patrons and drank the fine wine that he received moments prior, he eventually came face-to-face with a servant who began to give out bits of enchanted paper to each of the people in his temporary social circle. He took two random bits of paper before going back to socializing with the people at the party. Kuroi departed after a while and began to hop from circle to circle, wanting to make as many connections as possible despite his tarnished name. Some people did in fact recognize him, and some even asked him to sign any blades they may have snuck in for personal protection. It brought the young fox great pleasure to know that no one was out to get him (besides that damned governor).

The late afternoon shifted into the early evening and Kuroi soon heard the dances being called. He felt a little wiggle in one of his pockets and took out a piece of paper that had become sentient before his very eyes. Upon seeing the paper morph into a tiny butterfly, he began to follow it to his designated dance partner, curious who would bless him with his first dance of the evening. The vulpine followed his paper, weaving through the crowds of people who were also moving around to find their first dance of the night. Moments later, his eyes lied upon a beautiful fair-skinned, red-haired woman whom he quickly met with a small bow. "It seems I am to be your partner. May I have your name?" He asks, tilting his head as he asked his question, a small smile on his face.

Kuroi offered his hand out to her, his smile still intact as he stood there with perfect posture. He had his feet crossed and his chest puffed out as if to exemplify his agility and the handsome face he knew he bore.

Time: Time to dance!
Location: Roshmi city, grand hall
Interactions: Risa @Princess
Ambiance: Butterfly dances

---

The name of the beautiful fairy princess sounded familiar to Ilan. Risa...
During his time in Ra Monde he remembered her name being mentioned. The faun tried to recall as much information about her as he could muster from his memory. Ilan was again confronted by his introvert nature. He'd kept to himself most days, and even when he accompanied his companions, he was often with his head in the clouds. Yet there was this peculiar feeling which only grew stronger as she spoke, like someone pulled on the strings of fate. Their destinies were intertwined. Ilan liked to believe spirits of benevolence were guiding their path.

Ilan returned her polite curtsy with a modest bow. He took a moment to find the right words to say to her.
"Your highness..."
Ilan began politely, holding out his hand, with the other behind his back. He was unsure who would lead this dance. Though he had read many fairytale books, with drawings of princes and princesses who danced beautifully. He hoped that would help him now. Often ridiculed by his brothers for reading such nonsense, Ilan could not contain the slightest smirk. It seemed there was ever a purpose for the most unexpected things.

Ilan lead them into the first steps of a slow and gentle dance. He tried to stand on the edge of his hooves, to be a little taller. The fairy princess was only slightly taller than him, but usually the princes in the tales were tall and handsome. Though in some way he was living in a fairytale now. Who would have thought he would dance with a fairy princess?

"I believe I am meant to help you somehow. It's something I feel strongly about, even though we have only just met"
Ilan finally looked at her face. When their eyes met, he felt that same peculiar feeling. He stared into her beautiful violet colored eyes.

"My journey did not have a purpose, but I think the benevolent spirits lead me to your cause, and that of the humans"
He whispered the last word quietly. His ears perked up and his senses were on high alert momentarily. His jade eyes darted across the room quickly, to his relief no one seemed to have heard.

Time: Late Afternoon
Location: Roshmi Hall
Interactions: @Tae@Potter


Malachi felt his paper tug in his hand and sighed. He glanced up at Corvina and Kenia, "Be safe, please. Meet back here after."

If anyone hurt those two, he didn't know if he could control himself. He let go of the paper reluctantly and watched it fold into a butterfly and flutter into the air with disinterest. The theatrics were unnecessary and with everyone's papers fluttering in the air, it was difficult to keep track. He folded his arms and followed it like a grumpy child being forced to go somewhere by his parents until he came up to a blonde young woman in a short red dress. The outfit was definitely more revealing than he was used to but he knew this was a more recent style in Avalia and times had changed. She seemed young and he was sure he'd be able to pick up on her emotions and motives fairly quickly. He greeted her simply with a bow, already analyzing her for her facial expression and every slight movement. Malachi was good at doing this without being too obvious about it. He extended his hand for a dance with the woman without a word, his eyes meeting hers.

Time: Late Afternoon
Location: Roshmi Grand Hall
Interaction with: @Tae Torvi, Azriel, @Alivefalling Aklenroth, and @Eviledd1984 O'ner

---

Umber smirked as he watched Belladonna's reaction to her female companion stepping away from their table whilst following her bat-shaped paper slip.This fool is just sad… The rebels should have kept this one away from this ball… A being that is a stranger to their own emotions lacks the capacity to reign those emotions in when they're let loose. And like the monster I am, I lure them away from you. I move them how I'd like to… I become their master and therefore I become yours. Umber had never known Torvi was a human until Belle's emotional spike and actions towards her after his bait of a threat was cast.

"Aklenroth, Azriel, Xenelith, O'ner… I have confirmed another human… blonde, a bit taller, mask is adorned with flowers and two horns. A gown of white… with shades of gray and black… she is coming my way… That is all for now."

Umber shifted his gaze away over to Azriel and Darius when he noticed Belladonna's companion coming his way. He didn't want to show that he had been keeping an eye on the two… confirmed… humans. And though he only looked to his pupil as a false distraction, he found himself captured by what he witnessed.

An eyebrow raised as he caught Azriel's reaction to Darius' approach. An emotion struck her that sent a shiver up his spine. His eyes locked on Darius who was just now taking her hand. He was puzzled and therefore he was also interested.

Hmmmm… This human… These humans… So much to offer… So much to take from them... This Darius
... Hmm… I believe I see why Aklenroth held onto this one. Jack is but a demon in human form. Able to kill with no remorse. A soldier that can slay many enemies. But Darius… His charisma can make him a... Umber's thoughts were interrupted by Torvi's sudden words. He faced her and gave her a friendly smile.

"It would be my pleasure to have you as my first partner. My acquaintances call me Caius." Umber took a bow before taking Torvi's hand. He led her into a slow gentle dance and seemed to be extremely light on his feet. Her being another human made him curious. He wanted to dig into that mind of hers. He wanted to know her fears, her sorrow, her pain. It took a moment, but Umber could feel what she was trying to keep down… It was as if she was attempting to keep her head above water. Treading water well. Yes, she was good at it. She had years of experience. But Umber had a feeling that he would only need to add a little more weight onto her heart to watch her drown in her dread.

Angel of death? Now that's a badass title. I gotta earn my own while I'm here. Darius placed his freehand at the small of her back. Avoiding touching her wings seemed like common sense. You're not supposed to ruffle a bird's feathers, so why would you ruffle the ones of a woman who was friendly with a frightening demon.

"Jack? I actually never got to meet the guy. He can take the slot for normal. Just think of me as the… hm?" Darius smiled as he pretended to ponder. "How about the better one? Handsome one?" Darius chuckled which caused him to get distracted enough to miss a beat.

When he had first approached Azriel, he could tell his words stunned her a bit, but in a good way. If he could have a good time while in turn granting her the same, then perhaps tonight he could say he didn't find any rebels or humans, but he sure as hell found a friend.

"Sorry, I got distracted." He said with his head down as he tried to correct their offbeat steps to the music playing. Once he thought he got them back on track, his eyes met hers again. "Where is this Jack guy anyway? I haven't had the chance to meet anyone like him yet… But hey, you're just as good if not better, but you know what I mean, right? Sometimes I feel like I might be the last one left." Darius' voice quieted as his smile faded at his own negative outlook on the situation. He had been in Avalia for almost two weeks and hadn't even seen another human. Was this place just that vast? Were there just not many humans left? Or perhaps he was the opposite of what he claimed he was. Unlucky.

Edited out.