The Masquerade

[MadameNyx]

A mansion stood atop a hill on a clear night, it's gardens illuminated by the moonlight. Really the structure could be called a castle more than a mansion, its faquade imposing yet, somehow, managing to look romantic. It's columns and archways, doorways and rails were accentuated with decorations for the gathering that was taking place inside. The grand ballroom shone with almost inhuman light, the big chandeliers glittering and casting a glow to everything their light touched. The marble floor gleamed between the shoes and skirts of those in attendance and the laughter and conversations of the masked people there twines to make a low hum of voices that could be overheard even over the orchestra that was playing.

Outside, a carriage finally arrived at the steps, having been on the ever growing line of rides for almost 20 minutes. The door was opened and out stepped a smallish figure. As she walked up the stairs, the moonlight would illuminate her dark curls, reaching past her lower back. Once inside, the chandeliers bathed her bronze skin in light, her seductive curves hidden by a strapless, flowy burgundy dress, delicate features hidden behind an eye mask. Full pink lips crowned her face as she looked around with hazel green eyes, taking all of it in.

I wonder what will happen tonight...

OOC: This thread is closed for myself and BlueMage. But if anyone's interested in taking this idea and opening a group thread, PM me. Maybe we can work something out

[Bluemage]

He had been in the ballroom for some time now. His blue eyes, reminiscent of a clear sky as the sun sets, half hidden behind the mask that was hiding the top half of his face. The dark feathers, a mixture of blues, blacks, and other dark hues seemed to shimmer slightly in the light. Every movement of his head caused a light sheen of color to bounce back off of the dark surfaces, causing a few rather stark contrasts that made it all the more beautiful. Of course, the dark mask was hardly a comparison to his hair, which was the color of midnight, a dark black of the most supreme quality, and yet with a light touch of what could almost be defined as blue. At first it would be difficult to tell where the mask came to an end an his dark hair began.

When getting dressed for the evening's entertainment he had considered going with a frilly outfit, but had decided that there would no doubt be all too much of the stuffy outfits that you would see on an admiral or a general. As a result he had decided on a much more minimalist approach to the evening's attire, choosing a black button up shirt, and leaving the top two buttons undone. His pants were a similar black, with a pair of thin embroidered lines of what appeared to be silver venturing down the outside of each leg. His boots were similarly simple black boots, a dull shine to them so that they wouldn't stand out as opposed to the shiny clothing of many of the people around him. All of this black probably wouldn't have looked as striking on him had it not been for the fact that his skin seemed to be as pale as moonlight.

Of course, as this was a masquerade ball, and everyone was in these frilly, puffy costumes that would look perfect if they were being worn by someone who was a fencer, he had decided to poke just a little bit of fun at that, and strapped to his left side was a slim steel rapier, which looked right at home on his hip in it's black leather sheath.

His thin lips curled into a soft smile as he looked around the room, his arms crossed over his chest. The light of the ballroom caught on a small silver ring that he was wearing on his right index finger, causing it to glitter slightly but only for a moment. Unlike the other patrons of this ballroom, he had managed to avoid conversing with anyone for any real length of time and was keeping himself hidden in a corner so that he could watch the crowd.

[MadameNyx]

Her hazel eyes had been scanning the crowd when a glimmer caught her eye. Biting her lower lip, she allowed herself to discreetly look at the handsome man dressed all in black, feeling her heart skip a beat as he smiled. Blushing lightly as she realized she had been staring, she looked away and slowly made her way through the crowd towards the table with the drinks. Grabbing herself a glass of champagne, she took a small sip and continued watching the crowd.

She briefly wondered how she was going to recognize anyone, and mentally chuckled at that. Maybe she should be more adventurous tonight, act more like herself instead of the proper young lady she was supposed to be.

[Bluemage]

His eyes had followed the girl and had gained a darker quality to them when she had blushed. How cute...a shy girl. He smirked softly at that and brought his right hand up, tracing his thumb and index finger over his chin for a moment as he continued to examine her closely. How interesting indeed. He had figured that everyone would simply be themselves here, after all, everyone was wearing a mask, and it wasn't like you could see anyone else that you recognized anyway. The whole idea of having to hide your blush seemed ludicrous to him. However, she felt the need. That amused him. He was going to have to look into it, but not this very moment. Watching her from afar was the best way to start. Perhaps she'd share a dance or two and then he'd go over and see her.

[MadameNyx]

She had only been standing a few minutes there, drinking from her flute when a masked man asked her to dance. She hesitated before placing her hand in his gloved one, smiling politely as he led her to the dance floor. He placed his hands on the appropriate places and kept a respectful distance between their bodies as they started to twirl around. He made small talk as they danced, asking her in a polite tone, which she answered accordingly even as she found her eyes scanning the crowds for the masked man that had caught her attention when she arrived.

Her green eyes locked with his blue ones as her dance partner and her traveled over the dance floor, her own full of curiosity and interest.

[Bluemage]

His eyes followed her until she had found herself a dance partner. At that point he had quickly lost interest. It was not appropriate for his eyes to continue to follow her after she had found her way into another's arms. Well, that was just the way that things were. Of course he had found himself interested again when he had looked up from the spot that he had moved to to find that her eyes had sought out his. He smirked softly as he looked at her, watching her closely. How interesting. He had been sure that she was going to quickly forget about him and view him only as a shadow for the rest of the evening, but it seemed that she had become set in what it was that she wanted. Strange then that she would find herself dancing with this strange man whom she didn't know the identity of. He smirked softly as he watched her and her partner dance silently, his hands sliding down his sides to find his pockets.

[MadameNyx]

After a few moments, the dance finally ended and she bowed politely to the man she had dance with. Declining a few other invitations as she made her way to the balcony, she sighed as soon as the cool night air touched her skin. Walking t the railing, she leaned there, relaxing as she looked out at the gardens the stairways at either side of the balcony let to. She smiled then, the slight maze like structure reminding her of an old Dracula movie she had watched once. Chuckling at herself, she wondered if there were lovers hiding behind some of the bushes, having found the perfect hiding place with enough moonlight to light their partner's face.

Pushing those thoughts away, she sighed and looked up at the clear night sky, quietly marveling at the starts that seemed to wink at her.

[Bluemage]

He smirked softly as she moved out and slipped out onto the balcony. So now the girl that he had been paying such close attention to was going to try and slip into the shadows, was she? He really didn't plan on letting her do that. He closed his eyes and moved quickly to follow her. It was time to see what was going on in this girl's head. Time to see what fun could be had.

He smiled as he leaned against the doorway behind her, his eyes looking over her carefully. She was looking up at the sky, or possibly out at the hedgemaze. He let a soft chuckle slip past his lips, breaking the silence, his cold blue eyes still watching her, "Thinking about flying away?"

[MadameNyx]

"Thinking about flying away?"

She gasped softly, surprised at the voice as she turned, finding the dark haired masked man that had caught her eye. Taking a moment to look into his eyes, she smiled shyly, leaning against the rail as she tried to calm her racing heart even as her long hair moved lightly on the breeze that seemed to have picked up a little.

"Aren't I missing wings?" she asked in a playful voice as she watched him, feeling herself being drawn to him. The confidence and intelligence in those blue eyes called to her and it was all she could do to stand still and not walk over to him.

[Bluemage]

He smirked softly at her question about missing the wings. Well, that would be a conundrum. His blue eyes scanned her green ones for a few long moments until he finally spoke up again, "Perhaps for the moment. Of course, you look like the kind of woman that might sprout wings at any moment." He chuckled softly at that and then pushed forward off of the wall, his body moving with a smooth grace like his form had taken on all of the properties of liquid without actually losing its hold on itself. He smiled as he approached her but stopped a few feet away, just far enough away that if either of them were to reach out for the other they would come up just short. His lips were still curled into a slight smirk as he looked into her eyes, "You look like the kind of woman that is just full of surprises. I don't think I should take my eyes off of you."

[MadameNyx]

She blushed at his words, especially the comment about sprouting wings. If he only knew. Her eyes followed him as he moved closer, wondering at the almost inhuman grace he seemed to posses. His next words made her lips turn into a charming half smile, and slowly she moved a bit closer looking into his amazing blue eyes. "I think you have it backwards... you're the mysterious handsome stranger" she said with a light blush. She stopped a few inches away from him, wishing she could breach those few inches and press herself close to him, yet knowing she shouldn't. "Do I get to learn your secrets, mystery man?"

[Bluemage]

He chuckled, both at the way that she had willingly accepted his lame come-ons and the way that she had turned them around against him. How truly delicious this was. His eyes watched her closely for more reactions that he knew weren't going to be showing themselves to him. She was going to keep her cards close to her chest from now on, he was sure. She had decided that he had as many mysteries about him as she had about her. It was only a matter of moments until she decided that this was to become a game of who could keep their secrets the longest.

His lips kept the soft smile that had spread across them. He felt like this was some form of intense fencing match where he was pitted against an opponent who probably had at least equal to his skill. This would be an interesting match for sure, but he wasn't sure how he was going to get out of it without being hit. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a long breath of the cool night air, "So...you seek to strip me of my secrets? I'm not sure that's going to happen tonight."

[MadameNyx]

She chuckled softly, echoing his own as she watched the piercing blue eyes watch her even as a light breeze reached them, making her long curls dance around her form, the bottom of the dress moving lightly about her feet. Her own eyes watched as his hair moved about, a particular strand catching her eye as it teased his cheek.

"Mmm that's too bad. I thought we might share." she replied in her soft voice, feeling herself shiver a little at the sudden chill, the skin on her uncovered shoulders, arms and the top of her chest erupting in goosebumps.

[Bluemage]

He chuckled as he looked at her for a few more long moments, his eyes examining her carefully for any move that she might make. She was admitting that she had secrets and she was willing to trade. Well, he knew ways around that. It was easy to trade fiction for secrets, or to trade things that weren't really secret for secrets. He shrugged softly before speaking up very softly, "Well, you were the one who suggested that we should bare all and share our secrets. It would be an act of good faith if you started with one of yours, don't you think?" He smirked. This way he'd get a piece of information for free. He knew that it would be a tiny piece of information, likely something that he could have discerned for himself. If it wasn't a tiny information than he would have to question the validity of anything that she said as she was going to have to have faith in him to tell him a big secret if it was truth, but wouldn't have to if she had weaved it out of the lies and half truths that her mind could produce. Still, it would start them on something.

[MadameNyx]

"Alright. I guess that's fair." she said quietly as she watched him, knowing that by the intensity of the blue orbs that gazed at her he was trying to figure her out. Deciding to surprise him a little, she smiled.

"You're probably wondering why I was dancing with another guest. I assume, by the way you moved from your previous location to another, that you thought I was interested in him. That was not the case, though..." Locking her eyes with his, she allowed him to see the truth in her next words "I only danced with him to not seem improper, hoping that you would ask me to dance for the rest of the night."

She watched for his reaction from behind her burgundy mask, the silver lining to the very soft feathers, glinting softly in the moonlight, her dark curls hiding some parts of it.

[Bluemage]

He chuckled. What an interesting confession she had just dropped on him. It really didn't say much, but at the same time said a great deal. She had just confessed that she was interested in him, not much of a personal secret, but at the same time, probably something that took a great deal of nerve to say. He was going to have to respond in kind, he was sure. He chuckled softly and brought his hand up to adjust his mask slightly. What was he going to tell her though? At the moment he hadn't been able to weave together and fiction, and really, he didn't want to lead off with something so elaborate as creating lies. Lies tended to trap you later in the game, and it was better to keep as close to the truth as possible most of the time when you were making lies. He had come up with a truth though.

When he spoke his voice was soft, but at the same time confident, "Well, in that case, I must confess, that I am not much of a dancer, at least not vertically." His lips curled into a mischievous smirk at that, knowing that she would pick up on his meaning, and knowing that she would likely reply in kind.

[MadameNyx]

She chuckled at the slight amusement in his eyes and watched quietly as he adjusted his mask, waiting for his own little secret. When it left his lips, it made her chuckle again, her eyes glinting with mischievousness as she thought of the next secret she would share.

"Then, I must confess, I've never danced horizontically..." she said with a grin before her eyes looked behind him, noticing a couple making their way to the balcony. "Hmmm I believe it's time we leave the balcony for the lovers.... Care to take a walk with me through the gardens?"

[Bluemage]

He chuckled at her confession. She had never 'danced horizontally', eh? Well, that was something that he was going to have to remedy for her by the end of the night. When she suggested that they move on so that they could leave the balcony to the lovers he nodded, albeit reluctantly. Personally, he felt that if everyone played their cards right this evening, then later people might say that what the two of them had ended up doing definitely merited them being able to stay on the balcony, but at the same time, he wasn't sure what she had in mind. If she wanted to take him somewhere...a bit more secluded, a bit more...private, it was really hard to argue with that.

His eyes followed her as he slowly followed her to wherever she had in mind, at least until she decided to relinquish the lead, "Well then...I suppose I should confess that it is rather enjoyable." His lips curled into a bit more of a smile, that on its own wasn't really much of a secret, "...and if you wanted lessons, I might find my way to teaching you."

They hadn't even exchanged names yet and already he was offering her sexual release. Smooth.

[MadameNyx]

She blushed visibly at his words, waiting for him to walk beside her before she headed into the maze, wondering where they might end up. Her heart skipped another beat and her body shivered at his words, wondering if he really meant that. Shyly, she brushed her fingers along his arm, feeling the toned muscle beneath the shirt.

"I might just take you up on that offer..." she murmured softly before letting him lead, wondering if he had been here before. "My name is Inaru..."

[Bluemage]

He smiled softly at her taking his arm and then telling him her name. It wasn't much of a secret, but it was one that he could respond to easily enough. As they ventured into the maze that he knew they'd become lost in soon enough he spoke up softly, "My name is Felix." It was a secret he supposed...in the fact that she hadn't known it before. He simply smiled as he looked over at her for a moment. really, she was incredibly trusting. They were headed out to who knew where and he was the only one of them with a weapon.

[MadameNyx]

"You owe me another secret..." she said in a playful voice as she leaned gently against his side, letting him lead her where he wished as they walked. She looked up to find his deep eyes looking at her, making her chuckle, speaking up in a soft, playful voice "I shared two; my name and that I might take you up on your offer to show me how to 'dance horizontically'"

As she waited for his response, she stretched her unoccupied arm, running her fingertips along a flower's petals, feeling its silky texture.

[Bluemage]

He smirked softly and looked over to her for a few long moments before speaking up softly, "Well, then I suppose I'll say, I think you're a very trusting person as we are wandering off into a hedge maze where you could easily get lost and never find your way out, and of the two of us, I'm the only one who seems to have a weapon." He chuckled softly and turned his attention back to the maze, "Also. I'm not the kind of guy who would do something like that."

[MadameNyx]

"I guess you're right... though any other person would call that being naive... Though youre mistaken..." she murmured in her soft voice before she smiled and placed her fingers between her cleavage. Slowly, she pulled out a very slender dagger, its handle full of intricate and delicate designs. "A girl always has to be prepared..."

[Bluemage]

He chuckled softly and looked at her for a moment before speaking up, "You owe me a secret, as I told you that I thought you were a bit foolish to come out here unarmed and that I wasn't the kind of guy that you had to be afraid of and all you told me was that you aren't unarmed." He smirked softly at that. It was fun to turn the tables on her.

[MadameNyx]

She chuckled and carefully placed the dagger back in its hiding place before smiling at him "The dagger is the secret. You didn't know I had it. I will also add that I have two more strapped to each thigh under the dress..." she said before standing on her tip toes and letting her breath tease his ear " And that you intrigued me the minute I saw you."