towerofanimus | they've got all the right friends in all the right places

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they've got all the right friends in all the right places

Characters: "Pandora" and the Tower populace.
Setting: Floor 82 - The Masquerade Ballroom.
Format: Party style - pick your poison.
Summary: As the lights begin to flicker and the month rapidly draws to its close, the mysterious "Pandora" has invited the residents of the Tower to a masquerade ball.
Warnings None as of yet.

"Between the noise you hear, and the sound you like..."

Well, now, that invitation certainly was mysterious, huh? Who is Pandora, and what's the occasion for this party she's holding? And what was that message on the back all about?

Remember this: There will come a time when everything around you seems to be not what you thought it was, and you won't know what to believe about anything at all. At that time, look for something that is still true.

In the wake of the chaos caused by those rumors written on the walls, perhaps it seems like a too-late warning. In any case, the ballroom on the eighty-second floor shimmers and shines exquisitely, awaiting the guests' arrival. The dance floor is open and spacious, and, as promised, refreshments line a buffet table on one of the far walls. While much of it has obviously been nicked from the cafeteria, there is also a variety of meats and seafood not otherwise available in this month's menu.

Yes, this also means there is alcohol.

Take care not to lose the mask that is placed upon your face the instant you step off the staircase, however. You don't want to be the single recognizable person in a crowd of anonymous dancers, do you?

Who knows what you might hear from a masked stranger...

"... are we just sinking in an ocean of faces?"

[Description of Floor 82 from the setting page: "A masquerade party is taking place in this intricately decorated, expensive-looking ballroom, and you're going to have to participate. As soon as you step onto this floor a mask is placed on your face. Anyone wearing a mask is completely anonymous even to those with supernatural abilities. You can take off a mask, but anyone with their mask off is compelled to truthfully answer any question they're asked."]

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No kidding! I could handle being a wealthy widow, but a poor one? Yuck! No thank you!

[She makes a face, wrinkling her nose and sticking out her tongue, but when she allows Ion to take her arm in his the comical expression melts away into a smile.]

I don't mind at all, Ion. [She grins.] But don't worry about being able to find me! I'm your guardian and your friend, so we share a special bond. I'll find you wherever you are, no matter what. Okay?

[Despite himself, Ion feels a measure of his apprehension fade. He doesn't move to let go of her just yet, but his grip on her relaxes substantially. Even just having a friend with him...Ion felt like he could handle so much more.]

Thanks, Anise. [He pauses. It wouldn't do to stand around in a gaggle of anonymity, would it? This was a ball, after all--and regardless of how ominous the invitation may be, they had come to enjoy it.] Would you like to dance?

I'd love to! ❤

[The tone of voice may be a habit, but her enthusiasm is genuine. She giggles and leads him out to the dance floor - anyone who comes too close to the Fon Master might just find themselves getting elbowed out of the way by his guardian - and once they've got enough space, she beams at him.]

Treat me like a lady, okay?

Edited 2013-05-27 22:32 (UTC)

Of course! [He shifts his hands away from her elbow in order to intertwine his fingers with hers and get into proper dancing position. It had been awhile since he had had any cause to dance...and he had never really been allowed to do so for too terrible long at a time, given his constitution, but Ion still remembered how. If vaguely.] You are a lady, Anise.

[As Ion began to move his feet, he found himself counting steps in his head. The movements were a little rusty, but they worked well enough even though they were sluggish. He just wanted to be extra careful not to step on her toes, was all. He'd get the hang of it! The Fon Master was nothing if not a quick learner.]

Aww, Ion! You're too kind!

[Anise's countless years of studying dances - "I have to be able to know these if I'm going to marry into money!" had been her rationale for learning them - seem to fly out the window. It's one thing to look up the steps in a book, or dance with someone she doesn't know well. It's something else entirely to be dancing with Ion - with the Fon Master.

It's a strange feeling, having their fingers intertwined. She's no stranger to touching him, but usually she's just pulling him along. It's never been like this.

She takes a breath to steady herself and follows his lead. ...it comes as a bit of a surprise to her that he's actually leading, but then again - he is a guy, no matter how much grief she's given him about being "like a princess."]

Wow! [She finds herself babbling - it's easier to do than thinking about how this is actually sort of a strange situation.] You're a way better dancer than a lot of the nobles I've seen! [And she has seen them. She's not above sneaking into formal dances.]

[Ion could have blushed at the compliment. Even if he had, it wouldn't have been visible beneath the mask that obscured most of his face. Still, he smiled humbly. He knew Anise wasn't one to sugarcoat things--at least not where it didn't benefit her (e.i. to him)--but still, he couldn't stop that nagging, detrimental voice in the back of his head from suggesting that

Maybe she's just trying to make you feel better.]

I'm sure I can't be that good...but thank you, Anise. I've always tried to be...at the very least, decently proficient in all my fields of study. [That included those activities he'd need to know as a traveling dignitary representing the Order.] It's been so long since I've practiced, though.

That's okay! It's been awhile since I've practiced, too. [There was something about a journey to keep a psychopath from destroying Auldrant and replacing it with a world of replicas that sort of put a stop to things like dance practice.] So, we can just practice together!

It'll be lots of fun! Right?

[Ion laughs before he can stop himself, his step becoming a bit easier and less mechanical.] Right! And then I'll be prepared to dance at your wedding when you marry into royalty!

[Anise laughs, but the laughter is just the slightest bit strained, and she really hopes he doesn't notice it - though it's not exactly subtle. Ion won't be dancing at her wedding - he won't be dancing at any wedding at all - he's already dead, and if he's not yet, he might be soon if he ever goes back and...

Suddenly, Anise wishes her mask covered more of her face. For now, though, she manages a smile and tries to distract him by going up on her tiptoes so that she can make him spin.]

It'll be the grandest wedding in all of history! Eheheh...

[Ion notices it. He knows her too well not to. His smile falters as he spins haphazardly on one foot. The question is...should he say something? Back in Auldrant, he probably wouldn't have, too worried that he'd be butting into something where he wasn't wanted or needed. Anise could take care of herself; she didn't need him prying and giving her "words of wisdom" when he was really only a two-year-old replica. How could he possibly help?

But here, in the Tower, it eats away at him. Because her peculiar reaction could mean a number of things--none of which are in the least bit good. Ion tries to push it from his mind.

He can't.

And so, after a few moments of (slightly slowed) dancing, he tentatively speaks.]

Anise...what's wrong?

[His tone of voice suggests she's not going to convince him that there isn't something. Though, he's likely to feel guilty for asking and drop the subject of she's persistent enough in her denial.]

[She doesn't know how to answer him, and it's written all over her face - even with the mask. There are a few moments where she's entirely silent, though she does keep dancing; it's just slower than it had been seconds before.]

Actually, I... think I might not get married at all. Maybe.

[It was sort of hard to have a family when you were planning to reform the Order of Lorelei.

A moment, and then she grins a little shakily.]

Sorry, Ion, you're not going to be able to dance at my wedding! Maybe... maybe someone else's, yeah?

[Ion couldn't say he knew exactly what sort of response he was expecting from his friend...but what she gave him was the farthest thing from it.]

You...you aren't?

[He wasn't sure what to say. Why not? How come? What had happened to spark this? Was she really sure?

But it wasn't his place. If that was her decision...it was her decision. He would respect it. Still, somehow, it made his heart feel heavy. He imagined Anise all alone...and he didn't like it.]

Well...I'm sure that whatever you decide to do, someday you'll meet someone you want to spend the rest of your life with and who will make you happy. [He smiles as brightly and encouragingly as he can manage. If it weren't for his mask, it would be much more obviously plastic. He's not fully satisfied with the answer she gave him...but he'll accept it. At least for now.] Even if you don't get married.

[Squeezing her hands lightly, he adds, a touch more soft--]

In that case...I'll just have to savor this dance with you.

Yeah, you know... can you really see me getting tied down? Hah! I can make my fortune some... other way.

[She giggles again, and while this one sounds a little more natural, the bit of the smile visible behind her mask is still a little shaky. She doesn't want to worry Ion, though, so she very quickly latches onto his last words and squeezes his hands back just as lightly.]

Mhm! ❤ It's not every day a guy gets to dance with someone as cute as me!

[This time, her smile and the accompanying giggle is much more genuine.]

Only, I guess I can make an exception for you if you want to dance again, Ion.

I guess when you put it that way, [Ion agrees] I can't.

[But if any man were to capture Anise's heart and her hand, he should feel honored. At least, that's how Ion saw it. He knew, if nobody else did, how thoroughly kind and warm she was. True...she'd make an unconventional sort of wife (Ion couldn't imagine her in an apron), but she'd make an excellent one, regardless.]

And I thank you for allowing me the honor even without my lack of a substantial fortune. [He beams.] Really? You'd do that for me? That's so nice of you!

'Course I would! What, you think I'd just leave you to practice all on your own? Get real.

[She says the words like they're the most obvious thing ever and punctuates them with a shrug. Fortune or no, Ion is Ion, and she's got every intention of looking out for him in this place. From the sound of it, it wouldn't hurt to have something lighthearted and purely fun every once in awhile; it wasn't like they got many breaks between traumatizing experiences.]

If you're going to practice dancing, who better to teach you than me? [Well, a professional dance instructor, for one.]

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they've got all the right friends in all the right places

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