Azaria smirked as she saw her mother's face, touting obvious disdain towards her choice of
dress. "But honey, wouldn't you rather wear something....more colorful? After all, you're meeting the
prince." Azaria let out a soft sigh and rolled her hazel grey eyes as she sat back down and let Charlotte, the hired help, finish the last few touches to her hair. "Mother, every single girl there tonight will have on an extremely expensive...extremely elegant....extremely
frilly ball gown. You know that's not my style; I'd rather stand out." Another smirk played across her lips as her mother scoffed, "Oh trust me, I'm sure you'll stand out quite a bit." The aging woman was referring to her daughter's hair, which was a pale silver grey color. It was a genetic thing, the hair color, all the women in the Bran family's hair would start to color in their early twenties. Unlike the rest, Azaria chose not to dye her hair to cover the silver grey, but rather embraced it and made it work for herself.
"Done!" Charlotte squealed with excitement as she grabbed Azaria by the hands and pulled her to her feet. Azaria grinned and spun around to see what hairstyle of choice Charlotte had decided on. She had given Charlotte free reign over her long tresses, unsure of what style would compliment her dress choice. A smile played across her full lips as she stared at herself in the mirror, smoothing down the tight, black gown over her curves as she tilted her head from side to side. "A braided halo...excellent choice. You're amazing Charlotte." It was a simple style, but it was definitely a classic too. She toyed with the strands of hair that were purposely left out to frame her face as the brunette grinned. "Now all that's left is your make up and jewelry." Azaria took that as her cue to take a seat once again, a grin gracing her face as she playfully proclaimed, "I'm all yours!" Half a hour later, she was finally ready for the ball. She made her way down the corridor and towards the foyer where her parents were waiting. She saw her mother smile softly and returned the gesture, her eyes moving to her father who was staring at her in silence, mouth agape. "You look amazing darling. When did my little princess become a woman..." His voice trailed off as he made his way towards her, kissing her forehead gently and handing her the black masquerade
mask that she had chosen.
"Thank you father..." she replied as she glanced at the large grandfather clock in the corner of the room. "I guess I should get going. I'd hate to be late meeting the
prince." She laughed softly as her mother smirked and grabbed her hand, squeezing it softly. "Please be on your best behavior dear. You know what's at stake here..." The smile that had been lingering on Azaria's face quickly vanished, merely nodding in silence before making her way out the door. She knew that the House of Bran wasn't the most popular one, since they were the 'new house on the block', even frowned upon by some of the other nobles. Her parents hoped that she could marry into the monarchy so that a pedigree could be obtained. That would shut down a lot of the negative buzz going around about the House of Bran. Her father wasn't too worked up over the situation to be honest, but her mother was the complete opposite. She made sure that Azaria received the best of the best to prepare her for this exact moment. Another sigh escaped her lips as she finally arrived, placing the mask on before casually making her way inside. Her stomach was in knots, not because of tonight, but because she didn't want to disappoint her parents. She'd never hear the last of it from her mother.
Her eyes scanned the room as she searched for an area that wasn't too crowded, noticing a brunette in a beautiful turquoise gown standing in the corner. She, unlike the others that were here, didn't seem too interested in being here. Azaria made her way towards the brunette as the ballroom fell quiet, stopping briefly to turn and see the prince.
“Thank you for coming. I look forward to meeting each and every one of you. Please, enjoy the party.” "Hmmm..." she murmured softly, staring at him for a moment, he was quite the handsome man. As the musicians began to play, she looked back over to the brunette, continuing her path from earlier, smiling as she approached her, "You look ecstatic to be here." she joked as she reached the young woman, extending her hand. "I'm Azaria." While she normally wasn't the first to speak, she didn't know anyone here, and it appeared as if the brunette didn't either. So why not? At least then they both wouldn't look like flies on the wall.
