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

[sageprincess]

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."]

Comments

[warriorscribe]

Yes...though I've heard people say this could be a trap, I can't imagine so many people with so many unknown abilities or weapons could be trapped so easily. The air here is too hopeful for that, besides.

[culbutiri]

But hope is the best trap of all. And no powers can save you from it.

[warriorscribe]

Hope can be exploited, but I think it's too valuable to simply leave it at that. Hope can also make the difference between victory and defeat. We could be looking at either, in our situation.

[culbutiri]

So the question is whether the hope can save us, or if it will turn into a despair so great that it will destroy us all. [She looked at the dancing figures] It's a dangerous tool, yet it's the only one we have.

[warriorscribe]

Hope has never led me astray. Even when it seemed fruitless, there was always some merit to continuing to pursue it.

[culbutiri]

Well I hope it continues to not lead you astray in the future.

[warriorscribe]

And I hope yours lead you true, as well - though it might be easier if I pass on this message I was told to spread: "Change is our friend".

[culbutiri]

Under the mask her eyebrow rose, so this was one of those who had summoned them here.

"Is it indeed?"

[warriorscribe]

"So it seems. I was told to pass that on, and to tell you to do the same, without letting the other know who gave it to you in the first place, just as the person who told me had."

Enoch was not normally a good liar - but this was a simple one, on the order of an alias and vague fake background. This was nowhere near as complex, and it protected him and everyone - nobody should know where this chain started, if all went well.

[culbutiri]

"So it's a giant game of whispers." She nodded, "I'll do as you bid."