♡ ━━━ purcell's pairings - pls lock

[oakapples]

𝐑𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐡
[form] - [24] - [Scotsman] - [lover of whiskey] - [feeling nervous as heck] - [mentions: none] - [tags: open]

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xxxDoes every bachelor feel anxious and apprehensive when they are being transported to a palace? Because Rowan certainly did. His hands were hot with perspiration and he tried to calm himself with a few deep breaths. What was he so nervous about? It was just a ball.
xxxIt was just a ball. Nothing else.
xxxHe flattered lasses here and there, but wasn't keen on romance. Nobody had prompted such feelings of... of what?
Infatuation? Desire?
xxxLove?
xxxGood God. He scoffed at the very thought of it. Still, he was only getting older (and wiser, and handsomer, too, he told himself) and matches have already been made to the most beautiful, bright, and intelligent in all of Scotland. He'd never been particularly interested in high-born matches, but his newfound title as Earl required him to consider a partner more carefully. This is about duty, he thought, and now that he finally had the means to step away from him work at the distillery, he could devote himself to some of life's pleasantries. Hence his acceptance to the Purcell's Ball.

xxxRowan peered out the carriage window. His head hit the window frame on occasion. Damn gravel roads! Horseback was his comfortable mode of travel, but he had too many casks of whiskey to ask a single animal bear its weight. He hoped that he may happen upon a stable and get a good look at American stock. He was expecting muscular thoroughbreds and quarter horses, maybe elegant Arabians. And of course the mighty breeds of draft and work horses. He adored the working breeds, having grown up aiding them with the farm machinery in his boyhood days.

xxxHe wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. He was too old for getting butterflies at social events. For a moment, he questioned whether he even wanted to fall in love. Was it worth feeling like vomiting?

xxxHis anxiety eased slightly once the carriage doors opened and he was escorted out. Surprisingly, he felt better when he was in action, rather than in anticipation. The cast his eyes on the Purcell estate. No wonder these folks are on the executive buyers list, he thought to himself.

[wait for me.]

𝐔𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫

i. He/him ii. Heterosexual iii. Status: 3.5/9 iv. Paired with: Cosette Beaumarchais v. Mentions: Rowan vi. Tags: Harrison

Ulysses knew that getting all the dirt off of his body was going to be an extensive practice. After finishing his chores for the day, he began to make the many trips from the well back to his family's house, filling up the tub two buckets at a time. After the fifth trip, he determined the tub to be full enough. The water was cold, but he didn't have the time to warm the water. As he bathed, his bathwater quickly became a milky brown. He scrubbed every inch of his body, then dipped his head under the water to clean off his face and loosen the dirt from his hair. After climbing out of the bath, he dried and dressed himself.

It had been incredibly kind of Mr. Purcell to invite him to Annalise's party, he thought as he examined himself in the mirror. He tilted his head this way and that to try to find any dirt that hadn't been scrubbed away under the water. He found a streak speckling his chin and wiped it away with a washcloth. Given that even some members of the Purcells' own class had been pining after an invite and hadn't received it, it was surprising that the patriarch had considered one of his servants instead. Although the status of his host made his attendance feel like another order rather than a simple invitation, he was happy to go. He had always enjoyed Annalise's company, even if she didn't always seem to enjoy his. Sometimes she did; he knew that. He had taken her on walks in the gardens and made her laugh and he had admitted things to her that he never thought he'd tell someone of her wealth. Then, the next day, she'd be cold and disinterested and he'd hardly be able to pry two words from her.

As Ulysses was brushing his hair, his youngest sister, fifteen-year-old Susanna barged into the room. Ulysses was unfazed. After so many years of sibling after sibling charging in on him in more compromising positions than this one, his sister's entrance was entirely unremarkable, "Mama told me to give you this." She said, holding out a small bronze ring, "She says it was Grandfather's." He reached out one hand and took the ring from her, examining it in his palm. It was darkened with age and harshly hammered into shape, leaving indents at the sides. There was a word in Malay carved into it. Despite his mother's heritage, Ulysses had never been taught to read it, "Thank you, Sue. Run along now. I'll be down in a minute. Wait by the front door if you want to see me off." He slid the ring onto his index finger and began to work his hair out of his face, tying it back with a red ribbon.

Nearly twenty minutes later, after finishing with his preparations and bidding each of his siblings and both of his parents farewell, Ulysses left his house on foot. There was no point in calling a carriage for the little more than three-minute walk from the Millers' house on the edge of the property to the estate proper. He nodded to another gentleman as he was escorted down from his carriage, then continued on his way toward the front door. It felt so strange to come in this way, by the massive, ornate front doors rather than the demure servants' entrance. When he was asked for his invitation, he withdrew it from his breast pocket in a quick flourish so that no one could question that he belonged here. Indeed, here was his invitation! Still, he couldn't look the door attendant in the eyes. He was closer in status to him than to most of the other partygoers. In fact, he recognized him. This was Jacob Stephenson. They'd grown up together. Jealousy twisted in him. So many of the people already congregated in that ballroom, the one he had been told was so prone to collecting dust, felt obliged to the space, and could walk through it without feeling like an imposter or an infiltrator. "This is for you. Good luck in there, Miller. Stephenson said, placing a navy blue cufflink in his palm. Ulysses clapped the other man on the shoulder, "It's not luck I need, Stephenson. Just gall." He said, then fastened the cufflink onto his sleeve and made his way into the ballroom with a half-convinced smile.

Ulysses made his way to the refreshment table to pick up a drink, glad for a bit of social lubricant to take some of the edge off. There was another man lingering nearby and he picked up a second glass, holding it out to the other man, "Need a drink?" He asked. It seemed he couldn't escape serving, even when he wasn't supposed to be working.

[Mezzo]

♛ 𝐋𝐄𝐈𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐓
───────「 8/10 | Paired with: Marjorie Larsen | Tags: Annalise & Jasper | Mentions: Jemima 」


Though he likely looked more the fool for it, Leif had been nodding along to Annalise’s soothing words to their mutual companion with conviction. Did he know for certain whether or not Jemima Fairlie was attending the party? Not at all! Actually, the fact was that he’d hardly paid any mind to the other guests thus far, so engrossed was he in his present company, so he had not the faintest idea who else was there — a bit of a bad habit, perhaps, but then again he had never really been the observant type to begin with. However, even a fool could see that Jasper Addison needed some reassurances, hence Leif playing along with the idea that Jemima was out of sight and out of mind, at least for tonight. Personally, he’d never held anything against her - they ran in similar social circles and yet their paths never seemed to intersect, as he really knew her father more than herself, though he’d only heard good things about her until tonight. By all means, she seemed to be an upstanding young woman… as Leif’s parents liked to remind him whenever they had the bravery to bring up marriage! - but, well, he figured, why let a ghost haunt the rest of their evening when it was still so early and so promising?

Feeding into the compliments coming from his companions, Leif felt the beginnings of a self-satisfied smirk showing on his face. Why, of course he was always right! And he did look quite dapper tonight, didn’t he?! Now, Leif had never been an egotist, but he couldn’t help feeling proud hearing small praises from people whose opinions mattered to him. He was riding that cloud of arrogance… and then promptly returned to the ground at their next words. Righteously - but mostly jokingly - indignant, he exclaimed in mock outrage, “Why, Jasper, I daresay! I’ll have you know I would be a fantastic partner if I set my mind on it! I mean, truly, since when have I ever let you or Charles down?!” Probably dozens of times back in class, actually, but that was neither here nor there. Huffing and puffing, Leif only found himself calming at Annalise’s timely intervention, and he immediately jumped on her stalwart, if shaky, defense of him, agreeing with vehemence, “Rightly so! If Annie says it looks fine, then it must be so. I’ll take her opinion over yours any time, thank you very much!” He wasn’t going to point out the squeak in her voice, naturally — far as he was concerned, this matter was settled and that was the end of it! Considering Annie was always dressed to the nines, well, it was only right to assume that she understood more about fashion than Jasper did.

When the conversation moved to the centerpoint of tonight, the matchmaking, Leif had to suppress a scoff as Annie revealed what she knew - that is, what little she knew - about the situation. “He could’ve at least told you something, given how important this is to you. To all of us, really,” he murmured, crossing his arms over his chest. What was Philip Purcell’s gambit here, really? Oh well, it wasn’t like Leif could really say anything more when he knew he wasn’t going to be putting much stock into the pairing up, and he was fairly certain both Jasper and Annie were aware of that too. After all, since when had Leif Devitt ever been one to settle down? That just wasn’t him. No, he had every intention of meeting his so-called perfect match and letting her down as gently as possible. Friends? Sure, that was doable. Fiancés when they had probably just met? Don’t make him laugh. Besides, what was Philip Purcell going to do if his guests tossed aside the whole matchmaking scheme? It wasn’t as if he could enforce it… could he? Sure he had money and prestige on his side, but he wasn’t so crazy as to find amusement in somehow forcing couples to interact or - worse - get married just because he asked it of them, right? Leif suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the other guests; surely some of them must have come to the party with shaken nerves, expecting that they had no other choice but to go along with Philip Purcell’s demands. Color him a cynic, but somehow Leif doubted that was the case. His parents would have something to say on the matter if it was — unless his parents were going along with it? No way… well, he wouldn’t put it past them but surely they wouldn’t do that to him!

Leaning in with curiosity as Jasper began the anticipated reveal of his cufflink’s color, Leif might have rolled his eyes at the dramatics of his friend if he didn’t think he himself would have done the exact same given the chance. Blast, he should have left Annie waiting earlier when she had posed the question… Well, the night was still young. Perhaps he could employ the same tactics as his good old friend on someone else later. It would probably just serve to irritate them, but that was half the fun. He supposed now he understood at least a little why some of the professors did not like when he, Jasper, and Charles got together — the trouble they must have caused back then! Then again, there was a reason they got along so well — they were just too alike! Poor Charles had been the odd one out back in their school days, but even he had opened up with a bit of encouragement and a bit of time… and two great influences to help along the way, of course. At last, he could get a glimpse of the gem (Jasper was really taking his time with the spotlight, wasn’t he? Not that Leif would ever fault him for that, though) and it was…

Oh, it was the same silver as Annalise’s.

Moving back to maintain a proper distance between them now that the big secret had been revealed, Leif considered whether it was appropriate to reveal to Jasper that this was the first pair of the night to be discovered — that is, him and the one and only Annalise Purcell! And Leif knew Annie knew, so he could only wonder the thoughts running through her head at that moment, realizing that this was the man her father intended for her to be with. Did she feel relieved that it was someone she recognized, rather than a stranger? Disappointed, perhaps if she’d been expecting more? It was impossible for Leif to tell through her mask, and for that matter he couldn’t even describe what he was feeling either. It was all a flurry of confusion and bewilderment and uncertainty, and maybe a tinge of disappointment, though Leif was going to deny that to his grave and, if anyone asked, it was only because he had been certain Jasper’s match would be a virtual stranger just like his own and they could commiserate over that, nothing else. But everything he was feeling he was certain Annie was going through tenfold. Irregardless, it was ultimately her choice — if she wanted Jasper to know they were a match, she would say as such, and Leif knew it was not his place to intervene, so he settled on instead saying, “Wow, would you look at that. A perfect match.” A double entendre, of course; for all Jasper knew, Leif was talking about the way the silver gemstone went with his silver mask, nothing else.

And there Annie went, too, retreating as if she’d been struck, and with a vagueness that gave nothing away. Damn, well now Leif really found himself in a conundrum! Had she said something about their shared gemstone, he would have been able to roll off of that, maybe make a joke or two about Jasper’s impossibly good luck… but she had only said she had no say in all this, and that could mean anything! Leif couldn’t very well give away the lady’s secret — he wasn’t that type of person, but he was also a bad liar! It came with his expressive dramatics, he supposed; he liked to let out whatever he was thinking, consequences be damned, so he wasn’t very good at doing the exact opposite: hiding what was on his mind. For once he was thankful for the mask covering his expressions because he was certain they would give him away instantly, especially to someone like Jasper who knew him so well.

Hmm, but what was something safe he could say? He couldn’t just let the silence stretch out between them, that was not like him whatsoever, and it’d be a dead giveaway (though Leif was certain that Jasper was coming to his own conclusions from Annalise’s hasty getaway by now, after all his friend was no dunce). Sarcasm was always familiar between him and his old mate, so maybe that would do the trick this time, too. “Ah, look, you’ve scared the lady away with your insistence! You’d best find some time to apologize later, else we’ll never hear the end of it from you-know-who,” Leif ended up tutting, shaking his head in faux disappointment. Then, he looked around the room briefly, making a small effort to people-search. It seemed that their conversation had distracted him to the point he hadn’t noticed how many people had come in since the start of the party! “You know, with everyone that’s here tonight you’d think I would recognize some more faces. What about you, do you see anyone familiar? Seems like Charles continues to make himself scarce,” he commented idly, clearly calling for a change of subject and all the while curious how many more of his and Jasper’s Harvard classmates or family members had been invited.

[fawn,]

xxxxxx𝐋𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐀 𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐓
xxxxx( 20 years old . wealth; 7 . social; 8 . paired with; vincent ellsworth . tags; annie )
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x

The cool evening air had been a balm for Leo. She was glad she'd thought to excuse herself, she only hoped that her new friends did not think of her as rude for disappearing like that. Leo wasn't sure what quite came over her. One moment she was feeling completely fine, enjoying conversation with the very dashing Tate as well as the newly introduced Amelia and then the next it was like the room was a touch too small and every hearth had a fire in it! She took a breath, enjoying the stillness of the evening surrounding the party, she would take a few more moments for herself and then she would rejoin the party. Leo wondered idly about how her parents were doing, she had been reluctant to leave them, but glad at the same time. It was a very conflicting way to feel. She only hoped that she was able to find the perfect match to make her parents proud. That was what was important for this whole endeavour, reinforcing the positive reputation of her family. Leo only hoped that whichever man she had been paired with would be kind. It would certainly help if they had complementary personalities and if Leo could see herself falling in love with him also but she did not want to push her luck, in this instance she would be unable to have it all. She had faith in the choices of Philip Purcell, however, and she knew that Annie would not likely let her be paired with someone totally unsuitable. The thought of her best friend comforted her in that moment, she wished she'd been able to find her before now.

She was about to return to the party when she noticed a woman had joined her outside, from a quick side glance she could make out golden blonde hair and it was only after a swift double take that Leo realised who was stood before her. She noticed Annie take in a deep sigh and her best friend seemed rather preoccupied with whatever was plaguing her mind at that moment, Leo heard the girl mutter but she was not quite close enough to make it out. As Leo noted her rather flushed complexion, Annie turned to apologise to her. Leo met the girl with a grin as she recognised her and wrapped her arms tight around Annie with a squeal as the girl barrelled into her. The all too familiar scent of Bulgarian rose flooded Leo's senses and she was grinning so wide her cheeks were starting to hurt. She took a step back and held Annie at an arm's length for a moment, it had been a few years since the girls had last seen one another and Leo was keen to savour the moment, "Not as grateful as me my dear friend! I have missed you awfully!" With an excited squeal Leo pulled Annie in for another hug before settling with standing opposite her with the other girl's hands clutched in her own.

The two of them had so much to discuss! "How have you been? Let's never leave it for so long until we are reunited once again, I know we've had our letters but it is just not as good as being here with you in person!" The blonde took a moment to compose herself, she was getting emotional at being reunited with her best friend, she was trying her best to hold it together but Leonora was just one of those people who had little to no control over their emotions, Leo feared she would cry if she saw a particularly cute animal, she held a lot of emotion in her heart. She took a breath of her own and grinned at Annie once again, giving her hands an affectionate squeeze, "This party is simply wonderful Annie, I must say! The idea of matchmaking was a rather interesting one too, did you know anything about the process and the matches? I suppose your father must have kept it all a secret from you too as that would rather take the fun away!" Leo was aware she was babbling, all the excitement of actually being able to see Annie in person was clearly taking it's toll on her. [b]"I'm sorry Annie, I shall let you get a word in, I'm just so elated to see you again it's like two years worth of talking is trying to get out all at once!" Leo's heart felt fit to burst and in all her excitement of reuniting with Annie, she had forgotten that the girl had been upset only a moment ago. "Moving on from my inane chattering, are you okay? You seemed rather upset when you arrived, is there anything we can talk about? I hate to see you upset, especially at a grand party such as this, this is your natural element my dear!" Leo laid a reassuring hand on Annie's arm and gave her a gentle smile, she wanted the girl to know she was here for her.

[poppyxoxo]

𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚

❀ twenty years old ❀ (she/her) ❀ heterosexual ❀ 5-6/10 ❀ mentions: ❀ tags: Tate

Amelia turned her attention to the table of refreshments once she had once more woven herself through to the other side of the small crowd. She picked up an elegant glass, studying it for a moment before she turned towards Tate who had followed shortly after her. “What would you like? There is quite the assortment, however I am not knowledgeable as to what they are surviving exactly” Amelia explained, shooting the brunette an apologetic smile. Sure, she had been around her fair share of refreshments but nothing quite this elegant. She took a sip, surprised to find that it was actually not as frightening as what she had expected.

Amelia noticed Tate peering up at the ceiling and couldn’t help but smile from the corner of her mouth. She had been him, just a few moments before staring up at the ceiling and struggling to take in her surroundings all at once. He seemed like a true gentleman, from the way he paid attention to her to the overall way he portrayed himself. She too must have been quite happily watching him because she was suddenly aware of it after he had begun to speak. Amelia returned the smile as if to let him know that he hadn’t caused any discomfort. She didn’t blame him; this setting was one that would definitely take some getting used to.

“Don’t force yourself to get use to this setting in a hurry. It can be quite confronting when stepping out of one’s comfort zone but I’m sure you’ll find that many good things can come of exploration. Where is back home for you?” Amelia asked before taking another sip of her drink, her gaze once more resting on the gentlemen before him. She couldn’t help but notice the colours of his suit went well with the tones of his complexion. He knew how to dress and present himself well, despite the whole rush that this night had wrapped him up in, so she admired how well put together he seemed to be. She caught on to his infection chuckle, allowing one of her own as she tried to imagine the situation he referred to. “Why thank you Mr Ricci. Might I say, I love that name. I can say I’ve heard one quite like it, it’s rather beautiful”. Amelia smiled to herself, almost having forgotten that she had an accent, but she quickly recovered from the embarrassment. “You may. More specifically, I come from Edinburgh. I am not sure how obvious it is, but you are quite observant. I find that a lovely quality in people”.

[lemon!!]

𝙹𝙰𝙳𝙴 𝙳𝙰 𝚇𝙸𝙰
3/10 | she/her | Mentions; Annalise | Tags; Marjorie
┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ☾ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Marjorie’s words just made Jade giggle a little. Surely it wasn’t fitting for young ladies like her to snicker like a teenage girl gossiping in the schoolyard might do - but she couldn’t help but find the comment a little bit funny all the same. Excessive, she thought, that’s certainly one way to describe all of this! “Mmm, not so much personally-” she started, glancing around the room at all of the guests filing in. She couldn’t help herself, drawn to eying the various suits and gowns that adorned the walkways of this beautiful mansion. “My family knows them quite well. Mother has known the Purcells for years. I’ve met Annalise a couple of times, just in passing you know…” she trailed. “And how about yourself?”

She was genuinely curious. The girl didn’t have the same attitude as someone of the Purcell’s status would almost certainly have. Unless perhaps she had read her all wrong - maybe this girl was, in fact, well off, and Jade was simply projecting her own insecurities by thinking the worst of people having never even met them. She couldn’t quite tell - but she was curious to find out. Either way, it was such a relief to have found a very friendly face this early on. Even obscured by the mask, Jade was almost comforted by the girl’s kind eyes and apparent breezy nature. Perhaps these guests weren’t all as stuck up and snooty as she had expected the people here to be tonight.

“Well, no use in droning on about it if all is forgiven after all. Either way, I appreciate your kindness.” Jade nodded, exhaling a sigh of… almost relief, she supposed. “Marjorie!” her voice was almost a squeak, followed by a cough as though to dampen it back down. “I mean- well, I think that’s beautiful.” Such a classy, elegant name - it certainly suited her. The women's next comment was another that made her chuckle. It seemed as though her new acquaintance saw through the bright facade of tonight’s events. Yes, she really did think the whole thing was odd - but when she had voiced such concerns to her mother, was met with quick and snippy remarks. She was reminded regularly that it was a wonderful opportunity and not to think too hard about it. “I think, Marjorie-” she started, pausing with a sly grin working it’s way towards her lips. “I think you and I are going to get along very well.”

Her eyes fell to her brooch as she noticed Marjorie eyeing it - she had paid little attention to the gem, bubblegum pink in colour, rather awry against the ruby red tones of her dress. “It’s an ordeal alright…” the young woman couldn’t help but give a nervous giggle. She still felt very out of her depth - and was clinging to the notion that perhaps her new friend felt similarly. “I think… it’s certainly a new way of doing things. Very out of the box.” she commented, trying to keep her opinions light. Breezy. The way she had been taught for tonight. “These brooches were very generous. Don’t you think? Perhaps next time I wear it I’ll be able to craft a gown to do it justice.” she offered a soft smile.

She cautiously eyed the colour of Marjorie’s brooch. Aqua, worlds apart from her own bright pink gemstone. The colour suited Marjorie, she thought - it reminded her very much of the ocean. Calming and peaceful - just like her new friend’s aura. “I know that the gemstones are supposed to match the gem of another… it’s said to be quite romantic.” the girl nodded, trying to scan her friend’s face for some semblance of an emotion. Curse these masks, she thought, for making everything much harder. “But I think it’s human to be hesitant. How did they decide who’s perfect for who? Was it all left to chance?” she mused, all of this unexpected thinking was giving her quite the headache. “How do you feel about supposedly finding your one true love by the colour of your brooch tonight?”

[Mezzo]

❀ 𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐒
───────「 5/10 | Paired with: Ulysses Miller | Tags: Jemima | Mentions: x 」


Cosette couldn’t help but feel a touch of pride swelling in her chest as her current companion immediately guessed her birthplace; she had not even had to say as much herself! Though she supposed her accent and the interspersed French clearly gave her nationality away, at least she now knew that this woman was well-learned enough to recognize the language. Admittedly, when she’d first gotten that vaunted invitation to New York she’d been a tad concerned about coming to America, especially as to whether or not her understanding of English would be up to par - that is, whether she would be able to understand and communicate smoothly with others, for she loathed the idea of coming across as illiterate because of a language barrier - and that definitely hadn’t helped the bundle of nerves she already felt in regards to being invited to such a high-end, glamorous party. But at the very least, this woman had understood her with relative ease, so perhaps her English was not as bad as she thought.

And to have her sense of fashion commended on account of her birthplace as well! Though, truth be told, Cosette didn’t really know as much about fashion as she would have liked considering her family was less well-off than the likes of the other attendees (including, she suspected, this masked woman), rather her knowledge primarily came from observing what wealthier denizens liked to wear while out and about in the city. Now, Cosette liked to look nice whenever possible, as she believed anyone would, but she was undeniably no fashion connoisseur. Still, it was one of her passing interests, and she hoped to understand the current trends better with time — one of the reasons she had so excitedly dragged her père along with her to the relatively new store, in fact! While she wished she could do more justice to the present-day epicenter of fashion, she had more of an eye for rare gems and jewelry thanks to her family’s business, but she nevertheless soaked up the compliment, appreciating that this other woman both valued her opinion despite not knowing her and recognized Paris by one of its many nicknames. If ever there was a way to make a good first impression on Cosette, she supposed this was certainly how: feeding into her ego and her nationalistic pride!

The genuinity in the lady’s voice at her next words warmed Cosette’s heart, at least a little. She wasn’t used to compliments besides for her hard work and discipline, so it was a rare treat for others to notice that she had paid attention to her appearance — she thought she looked good, but there was something about hearing it from another person’s lips that felt invigorating. Then again, who would dare to show up to a party dressed in any less than their best? Okay, so admittedly she splurged just a little, but her parents had been fine with it - gone along with it, even! - and, as the old adage went, all was fair in love and war! “Thank you,” she said honestly, her smile widening a bit, stopping herself from automatically reverting to her native tongue and saying merci instead — though she had the feeling it wouldn’t have mattered either way, as she suspected her companion wouldn’t have missed a beat even with a sudden language change.

If only she was immune to compliments, superficial as they were, but alas, she was only human, and she decided at once that she liked this lady… insofar as you could like a person you’ve only just met. Sure, she clearly seemed more educated (given her ability to recognize French at once) and well-off than Cosette, but perhaps that just went to show that not all of the upper crust were materialistic and self-centered? Then again, this was but an initial encounter; Cosette had yet to see the commonplace condescension and egotism that she had come to attribute with the wealthy, and she still kept her guard up in case it was to flare up at any moment. Not to mention that everyone at the party was dressed to the nines, their identities obscured by the masks shielding their faces. As it was for herself, Cosette could only surmise that nobody here could immediately discern the commonborn from the blue-blooded with perhaps the exception of l’hôte himself… and maybe that raucous trio gossiping amongst themselves as if they were old friends, so who was to say her company wouldn’t treat her differently if they knew she didn’t come from generational wealth?

Speaking of which, something seemed to have suddenly given her lady companion pause, and Cosette tilted her head when she heard the other woman muttering under her breath. Hmm. Of course Cosette wanted to pry, at least to get a sense of what was going on, but at the same time she didn’t want to come across as demanding or overly familiar - not for a first meeting, thank you very much! - so she let it go. Instead, she addressed the lady’s answer to her question. So her father was old schoolmates with Monsieur Purcell? Then this woman must run in the same social circle as the Purcells, surely… so what were the chances she knew some of the invitees tonight? Cosette had not a clue how predisposed the other was to gossip but she did want to get an idea of who might be at the party, nevermind the entire point of the masquerade; anything was better than running in blind, right? From the most sought-after bachelors to the scoundrels and the rakes, she was dying to know it all — not out of a personal curiosity but rather pragmatism: who was really worth making nice with here? Those were the sorts of questions running through her head. Bringing her hand to her mouth and laughing sheepishly into it, Cosette conceded, “Then you are better than me. I admit, I am at a bit of a loss here – I do not know many Americains, so I do not recognize anyone. Et vous? Are any of your copains here tonight?”

It was only after posing her second question that Cosette realized she could’ve taken the chance to ask about the brooches. Shoot! It wasn’t so much that she personally cared who was matched with who, but she figured it would be helpful to know in the long run. Well, that was alright; she could just ask later — she didn’t want to bombard the other lady (at this point, she was really starting to question her previous decision of not asking for a name. It was starting to get ridiculous constantly referring to her as “this lady” in her mind.) with questions or alienate her right off the bat, and she absolutely wanted to ease into the arguably touchiest subject of the fête more slowly and carefully rather than just throwing it out there with hardly a care in the world. She suspected that there were some at the party who were not so keen, nervous even, at the prospect of wedding someone chosen for them; she didn’t count herself among them (so long as she and her partner got along, naturally… and it would be the cherry on top if they came from a well-to-do family too!), but she could certainly understand where they were coming from. Yes, that topic would require a subtle segue, one that she’d have to revisit later given the chance.

[senna_]

────────:𝙰𝙽𝙽𝙰𝙻𝙸𝚂𝙴 𝙿𝚄𝚁𝙲𝙴𝙻𝙻

:10/10 ● silver gem ● pair: jasper addison ● mentions; tags ● tags; leonora

Annalise had been rather excited for this night – the type of experience that sent jitters down one’s spine, and shook her hands, and caused her teeth to chatter, all whilst experiencing a blanket of heat within her core. But seeing Leo was something completely different. While Annalise had semi-prepared herself for this moment, this went beyond expectations. Or, perhaps it was merely the situation they had landed themselves in that made her feel so much different than what she had originally expected to feel. Whatever the case may be, Annie would be lying straight through her teeth if she said she wasn’t pleased to see Leo. Pleased, relieved, and everything in between. It was like she had awoken from an ongoing nightmare, and this was the angel here to save her. The guardian angel that she had been expecting for so long.

In a way, that was not far from the truth. Annalise had been expecting Leo for a very long time now. Childhood friends, they were, but with distance and family business, it was not often they were able to see each other in person the way they were currently situated. Annie personally blamed that more on the Purcell side of things than the Bennett’s; Annalise’s father drowned himself in business during all hours of the day. And that didn’t mean Annie could go with, either. Apart from her occasional visits to Harvard, which were only really because her brothers attended the prestigious school, Annalise was not often given the opportunity to explore outside of New York. Outside of the region, really. How long had it been since she last saw Leo? Years, though she did not dare to go as far as saying a decade. Whatever it was exactly, Leo had indeed changed since the last time they were acquainted. Leo had always been beautiful. She had round cheeks and sparkling honey eyes, and a smile so perfectly adoring that it seemed to have the ability to light up anyone who spoke with her. She had grown into a woman, now, and Annalise did not doubt for a second that the men would be fawning over her. Annalise didn’t even feel jealous, really; Leo deserved that. It made her dwell back on their latest letter; had Leo mentioned anything about suitors? Annalise truly could not remember.

“You look so incredibly beautiful,” Annie gushed, bringing her hands up to gently cup Leo’s face, like a mother to her child, admiring and adoring every single inch of them. While it was the tiniest bit difficult to see all of Leo’s charm past her stunning mask, Annalise knew her enough to practically see past it. “That colour looks heavenly on you, darling. Dare I say it was made just for tonight?” She dropped her hands down, only to have them pulled back in by Leo’s own. She squeezed them in return; while hers were undoubtedly still a bit sweaty from her panicked moment just prior to now, it didn’t stop her from bringing her friend in close.

Her head finally turned away at Leo’s comment regarding the party, eyes settled in the door she had practically burst from a few seconds ago. “You know Father,” she sighed in a breathy way, and while she shook her head slowly, she was not truly upset with what he had created. Of course she wasn’t; everything about the party was as elegant as she had hoped. “I know only as much as you do with the gems and the matches and everything in between; though I do believe it was more so to make me feel less singled out than anything else. It is that season, after all, and both Mother and Father are overjoyed to ship me off with a man.” She rolled her eyes lightly. While the thought did make her heart flutter, she was still hesitant about this idea in particular. Or, the rejection side of it, anyway.

Her smile did visibly falter for a split second as Leo took a closer look at her. Even with the mask, it was apparent her shock shone right through it. “I am fine,” she dismissed it quickly, shooting her yet another smile. “How are you, though? How is your father? I am so glad you could make it, I was worried you would not because…” She bit her tongue from continuing and squeezed Leo’s hand instead. Annie hadn’t ever experienced anything like it, and she didn’t want to upset Leo so early in. Ever, actually. The woman described all the happiness in the world. “Let me see your gem! I am determined to do as much matchmaking as I can during this time of, oh, utter chaos.”

[senna_]

────────:𝚃𝙰𝚃𝙴 𝚁𝙸𝙲𝙲𝙸

:'3.5/10 ● caribbean green gem ● pair: emilina browne ● mentions; tag ● tags; amelia

Tate couldn’t quite decide if he was surprised or amused at Amelia’s offering regarding the refreshment table. “Ah, my apologies,” he shot back, a small smile creeping up onto his face. “I hadn’t realized you were working a shift here! Should I leave? – ” he motioned behind him, a look of what he hoped was genuine sincerity semi-present – “I shouldn’t be distracting you. Although, a woman running the table without knowledge for what she is serving? Unheard of.” He dropped the act a second later, feeling warmth rise to his cheeks upon realizing that he could have offended the actual worker, who was lazily swiping a piece of cloth against one of the crystal vials. He hadn’t seemed to have heard, though, thankfully enough. Or, if he had, he chose to ignore it. Whatever the case was, it saved Tate an extra round of embarrassment. “I kid,” he still added, turning back to Amelia with the tiniest dip of his head, dismissing her words politely. “Thank you for the kind offer. I’m sure I will fetch a glass of water later this evening.”

It was interesting to note that there was a table with refreshments and goods, and servants scattered about with trays perched perfectly in the palms of their hands. Was that a sign that they were expecting an awfully large number of people? At the lively little parties Tate and his family went to, there was a small, round table with a few refreshments, but that was it. The food, however, was always practically stacked; Italians, especially in Tate’s neighbourhood, never seemed to know when to stop when it came to cooking. What was the food like here? Tate loved cooking, even though it had been deemed a woman’s job time and time again. He supposed that was rather sad; while he wasn’t looking forward to the food more than he was the party, it had crossed his mind before he realized he was to soon start looking for his pairing. Subtly, his hazel-flecked eyes dropped to the brooch clipped to Amelia’s pretty blue dress. It was drastically different than his own. Two lovely girls and not a relatively close match so far. Well, the Purcells certainly did not kid when they said it would be a game of cat-and-mouse. To Tate, though, frantically searching for a woman randomly assigned the same colour he had been given felt weird. It made him feel more pressured to find her and not properly converse with anyone else. Although he knew he was going to spending the next little bit with everyone in this room, it still felt very rushed. Perhaps he was glad he hadn’t yet stumbled into her. It gave him a chance to speak to more people.

“I’m sure the Purcells will be hosting more over the next few weeks,” he hummed in agreement, tipping his head slightly. “Parties and dances are thought to be romantic, no? That seems to be exactly the theme the Purcells are aiming for.” He cupped his left wrist with his right hand and propped them both behind his back in a casual manner. “Belluno, miss,” he answered. “The scenery there is far different than New York. Is this your first time here?”

Yet another smile crossed over his features at her compliment – this one more of a beam, prideful and thankful all in one. “It means ‘curly’,” he confessed, leaning in as if he was telling a secret. “Everyone in my family has them.” He quite liked discussing whereabouts she came from. In fact, Tate had been thoroughly looking forward to finding out where in the world everyone was from. His eyes lit up immediately. “Ah, that makes sense!” he chirped. “That’s a long trip over. I hope you are good with ships then. How are you liking New York?”

[ethereal .]

𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐑𝐎𝐄

𝟳/𝟭𝟬 | 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵; 𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 | 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱; 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗲 | 𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗱; 𝘂𝗹𝘆𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀

harrison had to admit, it was certainly the most lively party he had ever been to. perhaps it was the excitement, or more so the anxious nerves everyone was trying desperately to conceal. at least, that was only his assumption because he was trying to do the exact same. if you were to ask him he'd say he was glad everyone was wearing masks. it made others easier to approach if you didn't know who you were talking to. then again, he would rather know exactly who he was talking to. that way, if he made an absolute fool of himself he could apologize later. in reality, he was just glad that his identity could be concealed for at least a moment.

words were being said, throwing harrison through a loop for half a second. was that meant for him? he locked eyes with the man next to him, and it was like his brain was trying so hard that it failed all together. lord he must look insane. clearing his throat, he forced a smile and a nod to get him through the next few seconds. speak harrison! "my apologies, i was distracted.." he reached out and gently took the drink from the other man. "i will need more than one to get through tonight." a soft chuckle slipped past his lips as he raised the drink and took a small sip. it was the truth. having a drink in his system tends to be the only thing that helps. though, he tries not to use it as a crutch.

he took a moment to try and look past the mask of the gentleman in front of him, wondering if he knew this person. "i don't believe we've met before? normally i can recognize a face, but i will admit these masks have me at a bit of a disadvantage." shifting his drink to the opposite hand, he held the other out for a handshake. "harrison monroe, harry if it's easier for you." alright, this was progress. he was able to talk to another person without becoming a blubbering fool. though, he was definitely already rehearsing his next question in his head. he couldn't help it, but he was trying his best not to think too much about it. otherwise he would end up stuttering over ever word and embarrassing himself. trust, it's happened before. granted the last time was when he was roughly sixteen. you can never be too careful though.

𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐀 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐄

𝟮/𝟭𝟬 | 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵; 𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗰𝗶 | 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱; 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗲 | 𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗱; 𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗻

she had to hand it to her mother, really. she had gotten in good with a rather well off family, and it was finally showing. emilina tried not to hold grudges, but she was not normally the type to hold anything back. believe it or not, she'd been incredibly happy when her mother announced she'd gotten a job with the purcell's in america all those years ago. it was certainly a godsend for the family at the time. she supposed she still had her mother to thank. before this job there was no barrel to even scrape out of. the fact is, she can never stop herself from imagining how much easier her mother might have it. her father often called her ungrateful because of it, but it was a hard thought to tuck away.

maybe, just maybe, she was trying to make up for it. or perhaps she missed the daughter she hadn't seen in years. either way, she'd be arriving in style that's for sure. never in her life had emilina seen something so beautiful. she'd lost count of the hours she'd spent staring at the deep green color, and smoothing her fingertips over the soft yet slick material. even now as she approached her destination she couldn't pay attention to anything else. her mother had taste, and apparently knew her well even after so long. she was sure that a dress like this could buy broth and vegetables for a very long time. having such a thing in her possession was enough to wreck her nerves, but if she could do anything she could play pretend for just a little while.

it took her a moment after the carriage had stopped for her to gather her wits, taking deep breaths as she fastened the matching mask to her face. an interesting choice. well, in her eyes at least. not that her view mattered all that much, she'd never been to a party before in her life. sure, they had similar ones back home, but she always found herself staying in the comfort of her home. now was as good a time as any for such an experience. both hands gripping the front of her dress, she took seemingly confident steps forward, but all the confidence in the world could not hide how small they were. goodness, this estate was unlike anything she'd ever seen.

it seemed as though she wasn't the only one admiring the extravagance. "pardon me.." she did her best to speak in a steady tone, showing no signs of how she was feeling. she had to admit, it was a little difficult to walk in this dress. it took her a moment to translate in her head, but she liked to think her english wasn't the worst it could be. "would you..mind walking in with me? i hate to say i don't exactly know what i am doing." after all, he looked a little more..rassuré, or at ease, than she did.