[IC] Arranged Marriages

[SaraiRayne]

"Hey, help me with my bow tie?" Everett was holding the tie on with his hands on the back of his neck. Evan was staring in the mirror, where a good looking version of him in a light blue suit looked back at him. "Evan, did you hear me?"
"Huh?" Evan twirled around to face Everett who was gesturing to the bow tie he was holding. "Oh, ya." Evan quickly tied it for him and then they both headed down the stairs, Everett in a matching white suit. "Hey Mother, Father."
"Boys, we need to go, are you ready?" Their Mother, Ella said as she began out the door.

---

Around half an hour later the boys and their family arrived at the ball, where Everett and Evan looked at each other and strode in, big smiles. Like they were told.

[HikikomoriMoxy]

Jacqueline was currently being squeezed into a lavender gown. Her hair was in an intricate up-do. When dressed her mother and father were waiting for her in the parlor. Her father smiled and stroked his daughter's cheek and her mother pulled her into a big hug. She could barely breath but no one could tell. She was the perfect lady.

She walked in on her father's left arm and looked around. Noblemen and servants milled about and a band played somewhere in the room. Jacqueline held her head up high and put on a gentle smile as if her entire life was lived for this one moment.

Belle of the Ball

[DarkStarLove90]

Karah stood in front of her bedroom mirror, looking at the black and blue bruises on her stomach, she shook the tears out of her eyes and put on her slip. Her mother was down stairs in the parlor waiting for her to appear dressed and ready to go. She couldn't wait to get to the ball, and be acquainted with who ever it was she was going to get matched with, and she would willingly marry him! He had to be better than living with her mother, being abused every night for pure and hateful fun. Her mother hated the sight of her, it reminded her of her father, Karah thought that was rather strange, shouldn't a mother relish the child who reminded her of her beloved? Karah pulled on her long flowing green dress, her mother had made sure at a private fitting a few days ago that the dress would not show any of the bruises her mother had given her over the last few weeks. She was a noblewomen, a widowed one at that, and she did not intend for the other nobles to find out about her private life. Karah sighed and fixing a strand of hair that had escaped her clip, headed down stairs. Her mother smiled at the sight of her, "Fit for a husband young lady, thank you for making yourself extremely presentable." Her mother grabbed her by the elbow and hurried her out the door.

An hour later, they were there. Karah looked up at the sight of the mansion in awe. It was huge and she couldn't wait to go inside, she started to open her door and her mother promptly smacked her on the thigh. "What do you think your doing? Its un ladylike to present yourself without an escort and since your beloved father is gone, you shall have Sir Jugo here escort you." A huge man of about 7'0" and 200 lbs opened her door and held out his hand, Karah put her hand in his and he practically lifted her up out of her seat and onto the ground. He escorted her inside and left her to stand by herself, alone.
Click Me

[Kira Chan]

Bliss grumbled at the dress her aunt had picked out for her "Why cant i just wear the one i picked out" She said and gave a sigh, the gown was beautiful it was red and sparkly accentuate her large breasts. But the one Bliss picked out was short and black very pretty "You are not wearing the black one because i dont want you to look like a slut!" her aunt chided and threw the long dress at her and walked out the room. Blissvia growns and begins to put the dress on and throws the black on in her purse. She was definitely going to wear it no matter what. the black one was so cute and leathery

red dress

Black dress

[Illusion]

Levana sat, curled up into a ball, in her wooden bathtub. Brushing aside a few strands of wet hair, she sighed and stared at the ceiling depressingly. "Am I really going through with this?" The thought had crossed her mind many times over the past couple of weeks ever since her father told her the news. Levana closed her eyes and recalled the day.

"I have a surprise for you," Bryce grinned widely. "You're getting married!" He held his hands up in celebration as Sabbirah clapped in the background. Suddenly they both paused and waited for a response. "A-ah, sweetie?" Bryce went to grab Levana's shoulder as she stared at the ground quietly. Suddenly she slapped his hand away and gave a look of fury. "I wont! You cant make me!" Then she...

"Ran away..." Levana looked embarrassed at herself. "Did I seriously do that?" She submerged herself for a couple of seconds. Just then, there was a loud knocking on the door.

"Levana! How many hours are you gonna spend in there? Come out already!" Sabbirah yelled. "I can't send a prune to a formal event!" Afterwards, footsteps could be heard walking away from the door. Levana stared at her fingers and decided her mother was probably right. Wrapping herself with a towel, she exited the bathroom and made haste to her bedroom. Sabbirah stood there with her arms folded. "Took you long enough," she began ruffling through a pile of fabric and pulled out a dull, peach colored ball-gown that had bits of turquoise and gold. "What do you think? I finished sewing it last night."

"What do I think?" Levana frowned and stepped over to her closet. "Well this is what I think." She pulled the curtain to reveal her clothes, all colored a dull-peach-with-bits-of-turquoise-and-gold. "Everything you ever make me is the same exact colors." She sighed and shook her head. "Well whatever, It's not like I'm trying to impress anyway so your dress will do just fine." Suddenly Levana clasped her mouth shut and slowly turned to her mother. "S-sorr-"

"But you... You said you love the clothes I make for you!" Sabbirah over-dramatically began forming tears in her eyes and then ran out of the room. "Stupid daughter! I hate you!" She yelled from down the hall. Levana stared blankly for a moment and scratched the back of her head nervously.

"Sometimes I wonder who's really the parent..." She began to change after drying her hair with another towel. After dolling herself up, Levana entered the main room where her father was comforting a crying Sabbirah.

"T-then she said *sniffle* said she hated *sniffle* her clothes and," Sabbirah stopped in her sentence and looked up at Levana. Bryce's eyes followed. Their eyes began to sparkle as large smiles grew across their faces. "You look beautiful!" Her bipolar mother teared up with happiness now.

"Thanks, I guess." Levana tilted her head and then shrugged. "Well, let's get going." Her parents both agreed and they all made their way to the venue. Bryce had been quiet most of the ride there. After he escorted his daughter inside, he looked at her and smiled.

"I'm so proud of you, Levana." He gave her a tight hug and then left. Those few simple words left Levana with mixed feelings. Originally, she was only against marriage for selfish reasons such as being independent, or the fact that becoming a bride irked her. She hadn't realized that getting married meant change. She'd no longer live her life the way she had all these years. But this also meant making her parents happy. She took a few deep breaths after her parents left, and then turned around toward the luxurious ballroom.

[Rin Okumura]

Jeffery wasn't really in a good mood. He had to get dressed to go to this ball and meet the girl they 'arranged' for him to marry. No one asked Jeffery for his consent, his parents barely even cared about him, and didn't even like them that much right now anyway. He had a formal suit on, since his parents forced him to, and had decided to go ahead without his parents. When he entered he sat down by himself, he was a whole ten minutes ahead of his parents so he decided to wait.

[YamiCuoreLaroux]

Sonja glanced in the mirror again. A pair of silvery eyes glanced back, somewhat shielded behind the little windows in the thin frames that rested on his face. White hair fell around his face, too short to tie back and too long to stay away on its own. The silver vest mimicked the color of his eyes, he noted. Perhaps to draw attention to them?

While he thought the white jacket and pants made him look like a ghost, he did agree that it was good how they didn't provide too jarring an effect. While he knew that he could not avoid everyone at this party, at least he would not draw too much attention.

The boy was not unhappy with what he saw in the mirror, but he could not say he was exactly satisfied, either. He was just doing this for his parents, who had suddenly informed him of their decision to send him to this event the day before. The rest of that day had been filled with preparations, and that morning had as well, up until this moment in which he stood in front of the mirror. Sighing, he turned away and exited the room. The ball would start soon enough, and he still had to let his parents approve their choice in his outfit yet again before he could get there.

Vest

[Quincyhunter]

Suit

"Son you should really hurry. We are already late." HIs mother called up the stairs to him. His father was waiting outside the bathroom looking at him. He kept having issues with the tie. He finally got it tied. He and his parents made their way into the ballroom and he sat off to the side very quietly looking around the room.

[Savi]

Faeya groaned softly and said "why must I marry?" Her mother, Duchess, glared at her through the mirror. "Because I will not have my daughter become a spinster and I will not have her marry into a poor family in which we get absolutely nothing! Now, we must show off your best assets if you wish for a rich man." Her mother held a smug grin, knowing she was going to finally marry her daughter off. Faeya rolled her eyes and looked down at the dress. She hated dresses and the fact she wore a dress her mother picked for her made her want to destroy it all the more. Faeya turned to her and said "I look fine now mother!" Duchess inspected her work. Faeya sighed. She was fit into a tight black dress and curled her long red hair so it looked like fiery waves surrounding her. Duchess smirked mischievously. "This is excellent. Now hurry up and get to the ballroom!"

Faeya ducked out of the room so not to hear more rampaging from her mother. She quickly made her way out. It wasn't a long journey, so her parents were going to meet her at the ball. She, on the other hand, wanted to just go home and read. She finally made it and entered the room with ease. Faeya told the person at the door that her parents were coming soon and she entered the ball alone. Her eyes wandered the room for someone to talk too and, alas, no one. She sighed and walked over to a seat.
~~~||~~~
Darius groaned as he walked along side his parents into the ballroom. "I'd much rather be at home, thank yo-" his father interupted. "No, you'd rather be partying with Dylan." Darius smirked slightly, but decided it wasn't the right time and just followed his parents. His outfit was the same as his father's, except a purple shirt instead of white. He hated ties and refused to wear them. Darius smiled mockingly next to his father, loving how his father hasn't noticed yet.

[paigesweetheart]

Edward looked at his mother. "Mom....why do I have to go and marry some girl that I dont know? I mean...what if she is ugly or somethin....?" He asked and then his eyes widened. "No...what if she is a man?! I mean. You never know. Ugh... I dont care if she is ugly, but what if we dont... connect...?" He asked raising an eyebrow and his mother just stared at him because he loves to ramble alot when he is nervous.

Edward dressed up on his tuxedo, or suit, whatever. And about an hour later he left to the ball, so he arrived a bit late. He didn't care. He looked around seeing alot of people and went to the food table, getting something to eat for himself, as he adjusted his glasses.

[Kira Chan]

Blissvia ended up a few minuets late as usual just to seem she was important and plus she was in love with her dress and wanted everyone to look at her, Bliss finally arrived at the ball and strolled in wearing the leathery black dress and bright red heels. she wore her hair in a long french pony tail but she took out all the rubber bands and pins and let her hair hang down, it was curled to perfection and gave a wink to a boy with glasses. She felt amazingly beautiful and she looked it too.

Hair

[YamiCuoreLaroux]

When he entered the ballroom, Sonja could see that people had already arrived. He frowned momentarily, hoping that he wasn't late, but at least he wasn't too early. His parents had come with him, but he had already lost sight of them. They had probably left already. Giving a quiet sigh, he glanced around at the people currently present. Fancy outfits everywhere, beautiful music, sparkling decorations... It looked bit like a fairy tale, actually. That was a nice thought...

It seemed that there were a few options now that he was here: Enjoy the refreshments, attempt to socialize, or find a place to sit and wait for the time being. The third option was actually a bit tempting, but he had a feeling that part of the reason his parents had brought him here was for the second option. They had been mentioning something about having him be around other people a bit more often lately... He hadn't thought much of it before, though.

"Hm... But how do I start..." He looked around again, taking note of a bunch of people who seemed to be just waiting around. Should he talk to them, or would they be bothered by his sudden presence? Perhaps he should walk around and observe for a bit. Unfortunately, just as he turned around, he found himself almost bumping into someone already. "Ah, I'm sorry. I should really be more careful..."

[DarkStarLove90]

Karah was still standing where she had been when she walked in, she wasn't sure what to do with herself. She hadn't had any coaching on how to present herself, or how to handle herself in a situation quite like this. Anytime she had asked her mother, her mother had answered her by swinging her fists at Karah, she had eventually quit asking her mother of anything. She stood, switching from foot to foot watching people fill in the room, she caught herself silently wondering which one she was betrothed to. She wouldn't find out till later, then they would all be forced to live in the mansion and interact either with everyone or just their betrothed. Karah found herself silently hoping that her fiancé was handsome and nice to her, lord knew she could use a smile shined on her once in awhile and not a fist. Karah was lost in her thoughts when suddenly someone bumped into her, they apologized to her. "That's quite alright, I wasn't paying attention either." She turned and stopped, it was a man.

[YamiCuoreLaroux]

Sonja took a moment to fix his glasses before looking up properly. Thank you. I'm a bit embarrassed to have caused this..." Oh? He had bumped into a young lady with red hair dressed green... It was a kind of cheerful color combination in his mind, and he couldn't resist a slight smile before remembering his situation. "Ah... I at least owe you my name, right? I'm Sonja." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly out of habit. "So, ah...pleased to meet you...Sorry again..."

Nice one, Sonja. Could you possibly be less graceful?

[DarkStarLove90]

Karah curtsied the young man and returned his smile. "That's quite alright, sir. Im not too terribly fragile." Karah smoothed her dress down and looked at the man. He was a rather good looking man, she instantly felt shy. She had never had any interaction with a man unless he was trying to get her alone. Her mother would sometimes try to sell her to the men of her society, Karah would fight her way free then her mother would beat her for it. The men never spoke a word of it, for fear of being laughed at. Karah looked out at the crowd that was beginning to fill the ballroom, she was nervous. She would have to stay here in this mansion with all these people, for who knows how long. She wasn't nervous too much about the staying here with them, it was the period of time she would have to spend at home with her mother before getting married that she was nervous about.

[Illusion]

Levana stood alone awkwardly for a moment and stared in awe at all the beautiful people. "Er... This is a lot weirder than I thought it'd be," she inhaled once again while scanning the area. "There's a few other people by themselves here too. What am I supposed to do right now? Mingle? I thought I was just gonna meet my fiance and then leave?" She grumbled to herself aloud with her index finger on her chin. Suddenly a girl with a short, black dress walked by. Levana's eyes widened at the sight. "So bold!" She stared in admiration. "Why couldn't mom make me a dress like that?"

Levana figured she'd kept to herself for long enough and made her way to start a conversation. She tapped the girl with the short, black dress on the shoulder and smiled. "Uh, hi there! My name is Levana, and I just wanted to say that I really like your dress." She laughed nervously in hopes of making a friend.

[Kira Chan]

Blissvia turned around hoping to see a man but in stead a very beautiful woman complimenting her on her little black dres. "why thank you,.my name is Blissvia but you can.call me bliss" she smiled at her with envy, she looked so adorable and innocent. " whats your name?"

[Rin Okumura]

Jeffery was sitting there complaining to himself in his mind, when his parents entered the room. His mother came over to him and asked him, "have you met anyone new yet?" He glared over at her giving off the message of 'what do you think.' His mother recoiled a bit and his father looked surprised. His mother looked cheery again and said something that would set Jeffery off, "we want you to have a good time, we really care about you." Those last four words made him flip out, "so now you care about me!?" He couldn't control himself he started yelling, "after seventeen years of being forgotten, you remember me now!?! I hate you two sometimes," he said calmly before walking away and leaning against a wall on the opposite side of the room.

[Illusion]

Levana smiled as the girl replied. "Nice to meet you Bliss!" She then tilted her head a bit. I thought I introduced myself already...? "Er... I'm Levana..?" She said unsurely and smiled awkwardly. Suddenly a boy could be heard yelling from the other side of the room. Levana's eyes were caught by curiosity as she glanced at a boy who seemed to be yelling at an older woman. After he walked away, she looked back at Bliss.

"W-what was that all about, right?" She laughed nervously once again and scratched the back of her head. I'm really bad at this...

[YamiCuoreLaroux]

Sonja wasn't really sure what to say next. In the novel he was reading, the protagonist would have probably said something charming and asked her to dance, but he didn't really have anything particularly charming in mind. He could probably ask her to dance, though. He knew how to do that. Before he could even get the words out of his mouth, however, he was surprised by the sound of someone shouting from elsewhere in the room.

After seventeen years of being forgotten, you remember me now!?!

He faltered a bit when he heard that, turning toward the sound. The view was blocked by a few other partygoers, so he couldn't see who had shouted. "That was...unexpected. I guess there was an argument or something." When the commotion died down, he turned back to the girl. "Ah...anyway..." He bowed slightly, extending a hand towards her for her to take. "Would you care for a dance, perhaps?"