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

Entry tags:

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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[And everywhere a tagalong redhead - he's definitely not letting go of that hand, Sheba, because what he's hearing is certainly interesting. The easy cheer that filled him earlier isn't entirely gone, but Asch is definitely aware that it is now time for business. They didn't just come here for information, after all.

He'll let Sheba lead this particular "dance," though. She's got far more experience with her own powers, and hiding them, than he does.]

Hm?

[If it weren't for her thoughts betraying her, it would be nearly impossible to tell anything negative about the jovial figure that's been dancing and mingling the night away. Even her voice remains pleasant, if muffled by her mask.

But her thoughts do betray her, and there's definitely a spike of anxiety at Sheba's question. What? She thought her act was working well!]

Of course; why wouldn't I be all right?

It's just...

[Sheba hesitates, then reaches up with her free hand to pull off her mask. It's just for a brief moment, long enough for Zelda to see her face - and she hopes that whoever's behind the princess' mask, the face is enough of an explanation, though she has no real way of knowing - before she puts it back firmly in place.]

...I, um, heard you. You sounded a little... worried about something.

[It's vague enough to be taken in more than one way, at least, should Zelda not be aware of Sheba's skills.]

[...Welp, Sheba sure did demask there. After a moment, Asch drops his hand out of hers and follows suit, just long enough to be seen; if there's repercussions, hell, they're going down together.

It's only once the mask is back in place that he speaks up.]

Either things work out, or they don't. There's better things to spend your energy on than getting worked up over it.

[It's pretty ambiguous, too, but it gets the point across.]

[... Ah, Sheba. And Asch as well. She can't say she knows precisely how they found her out, but now is not the time to question it. She steps forward, using them as a sort of wall, almost, and briefly shifts her own mask away from her face. And while the physical mask is placed right back on, the blithe act is not. Her voice lowers and quiets, suddenly much more serious than before.]

I can still do what I can to give such things a fighting chance. Or... try, anyway.

[They're so close to the end now, she doesn't want a few misplaced words to ruin everything...]

I think I understand. Um, may I...?

[She holds out her hand, and her gaze flicks up to Zelda's face - or rather, her mask. She can't see what sort of an expression lies behind it, but she can certainly hazard a guess.]

I'd like to... listen, again. And to see if you can hear me the way I heard you, sort of.

[If Zelda takes her hand, Sheba will close her eyes and focus. Theoretically, it should work - she'd been able to share the mind reading Psynergy with Asch through touch because he was a Fonist, and she was almost certain that Zelda had made use of magic in her own world. It seemed to be only the people who had no abilities at all that it failed to work with.

Should it work, Zelda will hear dozens of different thoughts at once - but very faint, very muted, because Sheba doesn't want to overwhelm her. After a moment, there will be another voice. Sheba's, though her lips aren't moving at all.

Can you hear me?

She glances at Asch and nods to him - she'd like to see if it's possible for Zelda to hear him, too, when they're connected this way. If it was possible... well, it would certainly make discussing the specifics without being heard a lot easier.]

[There's just a slight incline of his head - as much or maybe more than Sheba is, Asch is used to making himself heard on these kinds of connections. Please pardon him for being a little loud, Luke doesn't listen very well.

If we need cover, I do know of a three-person dance.

Technically it's a festival dance, not something for the ballroom, and it's not one he's exactly practiced, but hey, maintaining the cover is what's important, isn't it?

With an inward look, it's more obvious that he's not as solidly assured as he seems, either, but there's no hesitation in his thoughts.

Even if nothing good comes of it, there's value in choosing to try anyway.

It's what he really meant, back in that bathroom stall. Choice is the one power that can't be taken from them here.]

[With no small amount of uncertainty, Zelda takes Sheba's hand. And oh, her powers work all right, and quite well. The legend goes that Hylians have pointed ears so they might receive the messages of the gods, and it's rumored that this extends to a kind of telepathy as well as just sensitive hearing overall. Zelda always thought it rather foolish to try - she has plenty of things she would like to keep secret from the general populace, after all - but the potential is there.

She tenses up as the world is suddenly abuzz with murmuring voices that don't match the movements of mouths, and the hand around Sheba's clenches tightly. In the first moment, there is only shock at the strange sensation, but then, right, they're trying to talk to her, aren't they...?

I... I can hear you, yes.

She's not exactly bothering to test if the connection goes both ways just yet, instead focusing only on controlling her own thoughts.

I know there is value in trying, I just... fear it will all end up for naught if the wrong men catch wind of it.

Yet for all she tries to control her mind, Sheba and Asch will likely get a vivid picture of a giant of a man, one with dark skin, bright red hair, and a menacing grin upon his face. She knows precisely who she doesn't want to learn of her efforts, and the thought that he might be here is what worries her most of all.]

[The face in Zelda's mind is not one Sheba is intimately familiar with, though it's not one she's never seen before. He's familiar in the way that almost any resident of the Tower who's been here longer than a month or so is - not familiar enough to know by name, but by sight.

That man... we can't let him know about any of this, then.

So that was one more person to keep secrets from. Maybe even more, if she saw that man's face in any of the minds of the people who were here...

If we talk like this, we can say anything we need to say without others hearing. I'm reasonably certain that I'd know if anyone else was intruding on our thoughts. She'd been able to tell when Ivan had, after all; the detection of others in her mind was something she'd been doing for awhile. And it might be possible for me to speak like this to others, through touch. So if I can get them to dance with me...

But that would mean leaving Asch's side and she's not sure she wants to do that. Oh, well - some things were necessary for the greater good.

We need to spread the word about those noises, right? Do either of you have any ideas how we should do that?]

[Asch, on the other hand, recognizes Ganon, even if his previous encounter with the man had been through Luke's eyes.

It's probably safer to assume that no one can be trusted with everything. That includes ourselves.

Because, unfortunately, the administrators have proven all too clearly that they have the power to turn anyone against their own best interests, to use their own minds against them. A compartmentalized approach, where everyone knows something but no one knows everything, seems the safest way to ensure that things will actually get done.

At Sheba's mention of feeling other minds, there's a purely mental bump of agreement, something like a nod within the link. Asch doesn't have much experience but he's reasonably certain that he could feel any intrusion, as well. When it comes to having her spread the word, though -

It's better to keep a few trump cards. This is one of them.

He wouldn't trust the entire tower knowing about Sheba's mind-reading abilities any more than he would trust them all knowing about his hyperresonance. It's something to be kept under wraps unless they really have to use it.]

[Mm, and some might not appreciate their minds being peered into, even for a good cause. We do not want to cause a scene, either.

Considering the only reason she didn't freak out was because Sheba gave a bit warning. It's still too strange and new for her to mimic Asch's "nod," but she does agree. Knowing who and who not to talk to would help immensely, as well as ease her nerves.

I have been acting the part of gossipy noble, spreading the word in the form of a rumor. People can choose what they want to believe that way, and it is easy to say "I don't know" if they start asking too many questions.

It's not the perfect plan, but it's what she's working with given what resources and limitations she has.]

[Oh, that's true...

She sighs. That's right - not everyone would be as accepting of her blatant disregard for privacy as these two have been so far. Though she can certainly understand why, that still isn't enough to keep her from doing it.

So that's why you've been mingling with everyone! It was something that Sheba might have guessed, if she'd thought about it long and hard, but - well, she hadn't. If she's being honest, she's been a bit swept away by all the glamour of their surroundings. It works really well, too, because no one will be able to say with any sort of certainty who it was that told them the rumor. I'm impressed.

There's a pause, during which she glances from Asch, to the crowd of others in the room, and then to Zelda. Would it make it easier on you if we did the same thing?]

[And with all the rumours that were going around last week...

Some of them were true. Others not as such. But at least there's something to back this one up, the humming and buzzing of the chips in their bedrooms and all over the Tower.

It won't be hard to convince the people who did come.

And after a moment's glance around, he starts tugging their connected hands towards the dance floor.

Come on, this looks suspicious.]

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

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late back in this party. Notifs why.