Day 03: The Masquerade Ball [Pre-Ceremony]; [Open]

It was the final day of the fair, and also the day of the biggest fair event. The Masquerade Ball was when all festival goers came together under one large tent in the hosting city's square to dance and make merry. Noble and commoner, young and old, Walpurgis and humans, all alike joined in the festivities, and all under the anonymity granted by the safety of masks. While many people had masks they wore yearly for the occasion, stalls boasting the accessories in glass or papier mache could be found all over the town. Masks the shape of cats, butterflies, foxes; masks that covered half your face or your entire face; masks painted in fake gold, silver, or enchanted with Cartic charms; all were present, and the fancier your mask, the classier you were.

During the masquerade ball, stalls would be ushered to the sides of the square and along adjacent streets to make room for everyone. There was a raised platform in which the country leaders and nobles would be watching from and dining from while everyone danced together. A band of musicians was parked at one corner. In the middle of the town square would be a fountain altered by Cartic enchantments so that it shot out sparkling water of multiple colors, and, if caught with one's chalice, would turn out to be tinted prosecco that was more than good enough for drinking.

The ball would officially commence once the Unanimity ceremony finished, but people would often start arriving before that and begin dancing so they could dine and dance a bit before it got too crowded.

The day finally came, the day of the Masquerade Ball arrived, with all its guests looking prim and proper for the festivity. Despite the spirit of mirth that clouded the previous days at the fair, the air here was elegant, sophisticated, and definitely of no-nonsense. And that is definitely the impression Goibniu wanted to leave, as he arrived to the Ball with his immaculate outfit: A black, long tail buttoned coat with a white shirt underneath, dark grey dress pants, and black boots. His mask of choice was one of a fox, given how he thought people were probably going to expect an Enkidu to have one matching his animal characteristics, and he wanted to break such a notion.

That, and because there aren't any deer masks.

There were probably other people of importance there, and others of very little importance, such as a young adult wearing a cat mask, with a formal wear that, while fancy, was rather ordinary compared to other people. But now, here was Goibniu, staring at the rather beautiful display at the fountain, more focused at the use of enchantments to keep it's beautiful, than seeking an actual partner to partake in conversation and dance, as some people were doing.

Maia had no idea why she came. She had never even been to a ball before, so she had no idea what the proper etiquette was. Besides, the way she even got the dress should have made her retreat from this. When you arrive back at your room at the inn, and see a box addressed to you, you probably shouldn't open and wear the dress and mask. Still, the person seemed to intend no harm and even got her measurements right. She supposed it was her desire to be normal for once that drove her to come here.

She was dressed in a simple blue gown with a turtleneck collar (to hide her seal of course) a pair of white silk gloves, and a pair of blue pumps that gave her a few extra inches to her height. Her hair was styled into a tight braided bun. Her mask for the ball was a simple white and blue mask that resembled an owl of sorts. The most prominent part of her outfit was a lovely silver pendant with a large turquoise in the middle. It seemed expensive but was a gift so Maia accepted it.

Maia eyed the other people currently in attendance. People were asking each other to dance, but she seemed to have been skipped over in that process. She eyed a man standing by the fountain. His build seemed familiar but Maia wasn't able to tell who it was. Still, he was alone, so she decided to approach him.

She soon found herself standing next to the man. The fountain was even more lovely up close. "It's amazing, isn't it. How they can make even a mundane object like a fountain beautiful."

The view of the fountain was rather interesting, but the voice that rung next to him stole Goibniu's attention from it. When he turned, he was greeted by the visage of... "Mmmh?" Was that a young girl? A woman that was short? Well, she didn't appear to be supervised or anything, and perhaps her parents wouldn't allow her to wear such shoes if she were younger. And, why did she look so... familiar? Then again, this was a masquerade ball, no one can tell for sure who is who.

"I agree. Truly, one can do anything with the correct touch of magic." Then again, his mind began analyzing the fountain, and wondering if there was a way to replicate it without magic. Getting the water to shoot out wouldn't be an issue, but how could it change colors? Perhaps there should be a secondary mechanism that adds some sort of color right before it is shot out? But there's gotta be more, as he saw some people catching the water with their chalices, and drinking from it. Would it be possible to inject color and flavor?

His mind started working like a clock for a moment, causing him to forget there was someone next to him. "Ah, apologies, I zoned out for a moment. The system employed in the fountain is rather eye-catching, and it made me curious about how it could be remade without Cartic magic." Surely, the woman wouldn't be so interesting in technical conversation, so he adjusted his mask a bit, and flashed her a smile. "Say, are you on your own? Lot of people here appeared with their partners and whatnot."

After a long and boring trip, Cassima had finally arrived in Aldmerrow and she was impressed at the region so far, as it was just like it was described in the books that were written about the region that her grandmother Liliana left behind back in Eislelyn. Cassima took a step forward into the ball, wanting to join in the celebrations that were going on after the long trip and stared at the room she was in, impressed at where she was. "This is a marvellous set up they have here...Wait, could this event in question be the Unanimity fair? I heard so much about it once a long time ago!" Cassima thought, her expression was merry. She turned towards the fountain that was near her and she decided to attend to it, impressed at its creation.

This was also the first time she would see such an amazing fountain. She stopped, standing at the other side of the fountain from Goibniu and Maia and slowly removed her thick darkened glove that was around her hands before putting them in the wintry jacket that she was wearing. As she reached her hand towards the fountain, wanting to touch it...That was until she noticed Goibniu. "Huh...Is that an Enkidu!?" Cassima thought again, moving her hand away from the fountain and turning towards the side of it, wanting to see Goibniu with her own eyes, which sparkled in delight.

"It...Is...He looks amazing." Cassima also noticed Maia and raised a brow in curiosity at the girl.

Liseran knew she was putting herself at risk by going to the ball. The entire event would have Expiate members around the nobles and royals, and the Expiate meant her father. Still, she could stay closer to the locale dancing in the square rather than the fine gazebo where most the nobles planned to sit later on. Her reasons for going to the ball had nothing to do with her line of work. No, Liseran was here in hopes of gathering intel on Remi's mother. She could let the others do the intel work for now. In fact, because of Richard being at the part, there was strong detestment against Liseran's attendance there. Still, she promised Remi she would try to find out more about her mother, and this was how she would find it.

An associate of hers arranged to talk about her potential whereabouts, and they would meet up here. Still, there seemed to be no sight of her just yet. Getting off a carriage that stopped just a block away from the square, Liseran walked. While she still wore her cloak, the girl had put her hood down to reveal a blue butterfly mask of intricate design. Allowing the rest of her cloak's fabric fall behind her like a cape showed a pale gown topped with deep blue chiffon and forget-me-not flowers caught in the fabric in an intricate pattern. Her hair remained up, albeit in a french braided bun, and flowers traced more on its side. She hadn't wanted to dress up, but she realized it was better to dress for the part than be under-dressed and catch attention.

Speaking of under-dressed...

Liseran arched an eyebrow to find someone in winter traveling apparel by the fountain. She seemed enamored by the fountain, letting cool prosecco run over her ungloved pale hand. She wondered if the girl was a traveler, but also feared for her should she be placed under the relentless eyes and gossiping mouths of the other ball-goers.

Quietly, Liseran moved close behind her before raising a blue fan to her face and covering her mouth with it before speaking. It added to hiding her identity.

"First time at the ball?" she asked, her voice soft, but also inquisitive.

Eun hopped off the wagon she had hitched - sorry, bartered a ride with, and stretched out her arms and tail. Once she heard of the fair that was going on, she knew she needed to pay it a visit, but unfortunately it seemed she had arrived fairly late. At least she had arrived for the best part. Looking around, she noticed that most everyone was dressed up in fancy clothes and wearing masks; looking down at herself, she had neither. Just her usual, plain leather outfit. Well, the mask part could be fixed. She considered trying to guilt one of the people wearing fox masks, particularly eyeing a male Enkidu, but decided that in light of the festivities, she should just be proper and buy her own. Soon enough she came into possession of her own simple white-colored fox mask, made of paper mache as that was all she could afford, so she donned it and began to explore.

First she came across the fountain. There were a fair number of people already hanging about and seemingly starting up conversations, and even though she absolutely loved the way it looked and would love to interact with said people, she didn't linger long. There was more important business to attend to, as her ears were picking up the only thing that could drag her away from such a gathering: The band.

After a few more minutes, her search ended, and she found what appeared to be the dance floor. A few people dotted the area, but that didn't matter. She listened to the music for a few moments, slightly unsatisfied with the slow tempo, but soon enough, she couldn't control herself any longer as she made her own way out to the dance floor. The band was just about to start a new song, and her feet were ready to move. The slow sounds of a three beat song began to play, perfect for a waltz, only making Eun smile underneath her mask. She knew just what to do.

After waiting for the first few notes in order to get a feel for the song, Eun began to move. She followed the basic box steps for a waltz, but her movements appeared far from graceful; at every downbeat, she would raise her foot and stomp the ground. Often she would spin her body in the opposite direction that her feet moved, even incorporating her tail as she would wind it around her body before spinning, as if pretending it were her dance partner. Her arms swayed to the beat, though she would occasionally wave them above and around her head as she spun about, losing herself in the song.

To anyone expecting a contemporary dance, her movements would appear unrefined and almost primal, with the way her hair swung wildly as she pranced about. But the mask she wore hid the smile of a girl having the time of her life.

"Enchanters can do wonderful things. I've never grasped enchanting, but I do find it interesting." Maia replied to the Enkidu man. His voice sounded familiar but she didn't think much of it. At least he seemed nice enough. She waited a few seconds before replying. "I'm alone. I don't have a partner with me." She said. Then looked coyly at the man. "Why do you ask, are you interested in me?" Maia asked. Normally, she wouldn't say such a thing, but she didn't know the guy and he didn't know her. She might as well have fun.

Maia noticed the girl eyeing the man and smiled. "Looks like you have a fan!" She said. The girl didn't look like she was dressed for a ball, but she wasn't going to judge. Before she could say anything else, a young woman appeared and was talking to the Enkidu's fan.

Her eyes scanned the dance floor and saw an Enkidu woman dancing. Not well, but she seemed to be having fun so it was fine by Maia. She just watched the dance, trying to remember the steps of the waltz. She had been taught, but it had been quite a while since she had actually danced. Perhaps someone at the ball would ask her.

[color:60f9=#fe0]"Oh my. Is it a hard subject for you to grasp? Or are you physically unable to do it? I can emphasize with the latter, magic practically escapes me if I merely yell, ha ha!" He said, letting out a short chuckle at the young woman(?), which incidentally caused him to not notice how Cassima was looking at him. And then, Maia replied to his earlier question, adding a caveat of him apparently showing any interest in her. [color:60f9=#fe0]"Ah? Well, you see..." Well, that might imply that her appearance is just deceiving, and she is actually a woman, but given the amount of people present, he wondered if someone would get the wrong idea. At best, they might think he's her father.

But before he could answer, Maia noted that someone was apparently looking at him, a young girl wearing an outfit that didn't match at all with the formal wear of anyone else. She didn't even have a mask![color:60f9=#fe0] "Do I...? Huh, a peculiar guest." He let out, as he also noted that someone else approached the girl, someone that was trying to conceal her identity rather well, as if the mask wasn't enough. But no matter, he still had to deal with the diminute lady.[color:60f9=#fe0] "Well, since you are without a partner, it would be rather to leave a, lady, all alone now wouldn't it?" He added, as he moved his arm a bit, enough for Maia to place her hand around his elbow.[color:60f9=#fe0] "Do you know how to dance? We wouldn't want to cause a spectacle like... that other lady." True enough, Eun's 'dancing skills' were noted by him, the lack of grace causing him to feel a bit of embarrassment for her.

Meanwhile, on the dance floor, one of the many guests also took a note of Eun's dancing, and among them there was a rather timid looking young man, with a face that looked like he would be scolded by her if he were to point out how badly she was dancing. He moved his hand across his dark brown hair, unable to take his out of the spectacle, wondering if he should intervene or not. "Oh, boy..."

Cassima looked away with Goib and Maia, feeling a little worried because the two seemed to have noticed her. Well it was no use fighting it, she might as well go and introduce herself to the two, seeing as how she doesn't have anyone to talk to and she felt kind of awkward just standing around and doing nothing near this fountain, but before she could try and approach Maia and Goib, she was stopped when a woman approached her. Cassima turned and looked up at the woman, not sure what to say, she nodded to the woman's question.

"Y-Yes, may I ask you something in return?" Cassima calmed herself quickly and pointed towards the woman's mask. "That mask your wearing, may I ask how I can get a mask like that? I noticed that it's one of the few people here that does not have a mask and I feel like it would be pretty rude for me to have my presence known in this ball without concealing my face like everyone else." Cassima hoped there were good masks, like the one the woman on the dance floor was wearing.

Speaking of the woman, Cassima looked at the woman and was, surprised, by her dance moves and tail. She hasn't seen dancing like it, then again, she didn't see anyone dance for quite a while at her old home, it impressed Cassima and she thought the woman's dancing was amazing and she slightly snickered when she saw her tail. "Wow, that figure's movements on the dance floor is quite, striking." She looked back at the woman in the nice gown beside her, wanting her input on the other woman's dancing.

"What do you think of it, don't you find it, nice?" She gave another question to the woman, without realising so, as she wanted to have the woman to ask another question before she asked her current one.