R O W A N F L A M E
{ male - 24 moons - scout - location: the courtyard - tags: open }
Rowanflame trotted down towards the Gala entrance with his chin and tail held high, a grin lighting up his good eye. He might have even looked graceful were it not for the green boa wrapped around his shoulders that bounced merrily with every step he took and the ruffled mess that was his fur. Passing a couple she-cats who were obviously still waiting impatiently for their escorts to show up, the flame-colored tom threw them a lopsided smile, "Whoever is late to escort you ladies must be out of their mind. Or very immersed in their own reflection. If you get tired of waiting, I'd love the pleasure of your company."
That statement earned him looks of exasperated amusement, a reaction that he was well-used to by now. Everyone knew him as the irresponsible, flirty, extravagant scout, and the image suited him just fine, which meant Rowanflame had grown to enjoy this little show. Especially when it came with the opportunity to boost someone's self-esteem or lighten a rather disappointing day.
Some of the looks he got were appreciative too, and though he let most of his clanmates believe that he often participated in a fling or two, it had been quite some time since the ginger tom had last taken anyone up on the offer.
Since he hadn't been assigned as an official escort, he sat in line by himself, chatting to the cats around him with ease, his posture relaxed and calm. Upon reaching the guards that had been stationed at the entrance, Rowanflame smirked, knowing they recognized immediately who he was, what with the kohl merely creating a shadow over his face. But even if he had put in the effort of wearing a traditional mask, his milky, blind eye and the gruesome scar cutting over it would have been a dead giveaway. Good thing he wasn't interested in anonymity.
S M O K E S T E P
{ male - 49 moons - pharaoh's squire - location: courtyard - tags: gleamingheart }
Smokestep dipped his head in a nod, a warm smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. If the steel gray tom had been a more talkative cat, he would have probably tried to further express the feeling that washed over him when he was near her, just to make sure Gleamingheart knew he was being sincere and not just exchanging meaningless pleasantries. Because it was completely and utterly true; every time he saw her, his breath caught a little, whether with or without a mask. But big words and frilly phrases had never been his style and he was fairly certain that if he tried, it would just come out as a jumbled mess. And so he settled for falling into step beside her, a solid and calm presence.
When they stopped to wait in line in front of the gates to the Gala, his attention snagged on the way his mate's tail twitched and eyes darted around, all obvious signs of distress. Instinctively, he glanced around, a furrow in his brow, to make sure that there was no immediate threat anywhere nearby. Satisfied that they were as safe as one could be among a crowd of rowdy cats, he turned back to Gleamingheart. With practiced ease that came from moons of shadowing the Pharaoh, Smokestep shifted his weight, using his bulk to shield her from all of their excited clanmates. Meanwhile, his pale green gaze scanned her face, as much as her own mask allowed him to, trying to figure out what was wrong.
"You know," he started, his voice a low murmur, "we don't have to be here. We could just bail and go somewhere quieter. I hear the forest is quite lovely after sunset." There was a softness in his eyes that the tom had learned long ago how to hide, finding it beneficial when dealing with all the tasks his job brought. But never with his mate, with her, he didn't want to be anyone but himself. "Or, if you'd prefer to enjoy some peace and quiet alone, I could help you with this daring escape and escort you wherever you want to go," he was quick to add, not wanting to force his company onto the she-cat if she'd rather be with her own thoughts. Gods knew some days he needed that as well, especially after having to sort through the thoughts and requests of all his clanmates.
F A L L O N
{ female - 22 moons - courtier - location: the throneroom, the mines - tags: fenrys }
Fallon watched as cats slowly trickled in through the doors and quickly got to work filling glasses and making sure everyone had all they needed or wanted, all the while balancing delicately between making her presence known so that no one would look for her, and staying inconspicuous enough that they wouldnβt notice when she disappeared later. It was a delicate line to walk, but Fallon managed, drifting through the crowd until she found herself once again behind the table where she had hidden her precious disguise.
With a deep breath and a quick glance to make sure that no one was watching, the white molly ducked under the tablecloth, her heart hammering in her chest. She shed the mandatory mask of the courtiers, instead putting on a white masterpiece that glittered in the firelight. The mask spread over most of her face and up towards her ears, carefully hiding the three scars that marred her cheek. The rest of her accessories were few, but she was particularly proud of the diamond earrings that she clipped to her ears. Given her highblooded ancestry, she had inherited a lot of precious pieces of jewelry, but most of it had been forfeit when she got demoted to a courtier.
After applying some perfume to mask her natural scent, attaching a simple silver necklace and a delicate white shawl, Fallon took a steadying breath and slipped out from under the table. Thankfully no one had been looking her way, because they would have been sure to notice a ghost-like figure, the silver details on her mask and accessories only accenting the snow-white color of her pelt and bringing out the striking midnight blue of her eyes, emerging out of nowhere and drifting into the shadows.
Getting out of the temple was not too hard, the guards were mostly focused on checking the cats coming in, not the ones trying to leave. She even managed to swipe a chalice filled with a sweet-smelling wine that made her head swirl from just sniffing it. Soon she found herself free of the chatter and noise, standing out in the deserted courtyard. Now for the hard part.
Padding over to the entrance to the mines, she spotted only a single tom standing guard outside, an obviously annoyed look on his face at having to miss the party. Well, that at least worked in her favor. As Fallon approached, she let her tail flick calmly from side to side, an innocent smile playing on her lips. The guard turned to face her, interest sparking in his eyes. The courtier steeled herself and stopped only a few steps away from him. "Hey, I saw you out here and thought you could use some company. I even brought some of the party along," she meowed, offering him the chalice with a flirty glance from beneath her lashes.
It was actually quite funny how quickly he pounced on the bait,even accepting and drinking the wine, her attention obviously boosting his ego, so that he wasn't suspicious of her motives for a second. He launched into a self-centered monologue that had no particular point and she nodded and smiled with interest even though her skin crawled and her paws itched to turn around and leave. No backing down now. After what seemed like an eternity, she bated her breath and asked, "Do you think I could go have a look down ? I've never seen the mines before," Fallon asked, hoping that she didn't sound as suspicious as she felt. But after a moment of the guard's hesitation, when she brushed his shoulder with the tip of her tail, he nodded with a goofy smile.
The white she-cat brandished her most dazzling smile before turning and entering the tunnel at a leisurely pace, promising to join him again soon. The moment she was out of sight, her whole body shuddered in disgust. Arrogant mouse-brains really weren't her cup of tea. But with the poppy she had mixed in the wine, he should be out like a light soon, saving her from any further interactions. She had done it and within moments was standing in front of the cell block, her gaze catching on the tom behind the bars, realizing that having spent so much time on planning how to get into the mines in the first place, she had not quite thought of what to do once she succeeded.
Quite obviously, the mines had not been kind to him, what with his scruffy, dirty fur and the hollows in his face that suggested poor feeding. But what made her steps falter was the strength and tension evident in the line of his shoulders and the defiant spark in his eyes. She could recognize the small acts of rebellion, because she saw them in the mirror every morning. And so she stayed rooted to the spot, even as some small, rational part of her brain screamed at her to get the hell out, that toms only meant trouble and this one could be no different.
But Fallon ignored that little voice, instead lifting her chin, her eyes sparking as she waited to see what the prisoner would do. Would he even recognize her with all the trinkets and without a whip at her back?
R A V E N W I N G
{ female - 21 moons - fighter - location: the courtyard - tags: open }
Ravenwing kept a smile on her face as she checked cat after cat, striking their names from the list she had been given. It was a tedious task, especially when she could hear the music and laughter coming from inside the temple. But thankfully, the line seemed to finally be getting shorter, and the uncrossed names on her list dwindled.
If she was being honest, the most alluring was probably the music. Of course she longed to show off the costume that she had worked so hard on, but the way her very blood seemed to pulse with the reverberating beats was incredible in and of itself.
B A D G E R P A W
{ male - 12 moons - guard's apprentice - location: courtyard - tags: sandwhisper }
Badgerpaw got to his paws with a smile as Sandwhisper approached and gave her a respectful bow of his head. Even if she was smaller than him and tonight ranks weren't supposed to hold any weight, but it was still hard to fight what had been drilled into him from a young age, especially when he knew it was the royal adviser standing in front of him.
"Hey, don't worry about it, I just got here a little while ago myself," he replied, tilting his head slightly to the side with a smile. "You look beautiful," the black and white tom meowed, taking in the elaborate mask and accessories. But a flash of dark fur just inside the throneroom made him whip his head around before he could stop himself, only to see Layla disappear behind one of the columns, obviously taking care of the last details before all the guests would be let in.
Badgerpaw would be lying to himself if he pretended not to be on high alert when it came to the she-cat. He couldn't wait to see her and hopefully spend a little more time with her, this time without being afraid of someone seeing them.
Realizing that he was being extremely rude, the young brute swiveled back to face Sandwhisper and gave her an apologetic smile. "Shall we?" he asked, nodding towards the line at the entrance, where their identities would be checked before they were all allowed to join the gala.
