✧ Tʜᴇ Gʀᴇᴀᴛ Mᴀsϙᴜᴇʀᴀᴅᴇ

[Lady Poppy]

.
.
┏──────────┓
tagged: Michael
female
The lowly peasant
nineteen
┗──────────┛

xxx

Mirena .

Mirena placed one hand on the stone railing of the balcony and used the chance to place her the flute with champagne on a passing tray, the same one that passed by the male she was currently talking to . The flute was almost full ,considering she took just two small sips from it. She was ready to jump from happiness when the night breeze hit her face, it was way better than the terrible air back in the crowded room. She also enjoyed the view , not only because of the beautiful garden ahead. Even further ahead ,the forest could be seen and it was all dark. The woods only reminded her that she forgot to take some herbs from It the other day and this made her frown for a short minute but the moment she realized the change of her face expression , she looked away . She didn't want to leave the wrong impression in the poor guy, making him think he was the reason for the sudden change in her mood. The maiden was this way for as long as she could remember tough, very moody and sometimes the smallest thing had terrible effect on her and her mood. Now ,she wanted to leave this place only to do this thing she haven't done two days ago ,but those plants could wait, now oddly enough she was enjoying the company of this young man. Somehow with the time, Mirena learned to keep her distance from the opposite gender and avoided any encounters with them ,fearing she'll have to commit to something more serious and if she was unlucky enough, have a kid she couldn't take care for. Hell, she had trouble taking care for her own brothers from time to time . But now ,she started thinking differently, maybe allowing a male closer to herself wouldn't hurt , even just as friend. Things couldn't become so serious so quick, right?

''I hope not, sir . After all I just met you . '' she said half-teasingly ,looking down at her hands . The night was quite cold and her skin ; sensitive so pretty soon her fingers were red, her cheeks started coloring too. ''I'm can't and I won't judge you from our first conversation, but from what I've seen for now ,no, you aren't from any of those two categories.'' her bright eyes slowly wandered back to him, she then fixed her posture slightly and without any further word spoken, she walked downstairs to the fountain with a small smile on her face. After she reached it, Mirena looked behind her shoulder to the people not too far behind. They seemed to be in love from first sight already kissing . The moment she saw this, she swiftly looked away with slightly widened eyes. Luckily tough, she heard them walking away.

[Speak]

ｍｉｒａ ｐｏｒｔａｔｈ

❝ｔｈｅ ｎｏｂｌｅｍａｎ＇ｓ ｄａｕｇｈｔｅｒ❞

[age] twenty [title] lady [ location ] the garden [ tagged ] holden

The soft crunch of gravel beneath their feet Mira took care with her steps, heels were the enemy of any and all unstable ground but if just watching her steps was the cost of being outside Mira was more than willing to pay it. As they wandered deeper and deeper into the maze Mira couldn't help but smile at his reply, of course he wasn't giving up that easily. Glancing up at him she could see the determination alight in his eyes, in the past Mira had always known exactly why people had crowded her at events; her parents had always been prominent in society so what better way to get to the parents than through the child. This stranger however couldn't have any idea of her heritage...well...at least he couldn't know her name or actual station so (though a small part of her heart doubted it) his interest was genuine. That thought alone settled some of the more negative voices in her head, the ones that always told her how useless or meaningless she was, how she was only another piece of furniture to be paraded in front of others. -no...- her own voice argued back -tonights different, you're not that same girl tonight.- she told herself clenching her fist in determination. The strangers' voice pulled her back from her thoughts and Mira's grip loosened her fist falling limp against her side. Taking a second to process his words Mira couldn't help but join in his laughter softly, "even if we don't I doubt it would take too long to find our way out." she added softly blue eyes glancing up at the stranger's. In that split second Mira's heel was snagged on a rock and suddenly she felt herself falling face first towards the ground. Automatically Mira reached out for the nearest thing to steady for herself and that was the stranger standing at her side.

[KawaiQueen]

╔═══════════════════╗
XXXXXXуυℓє νєяиα ℓσνєℓℓ
XXXXXXтнє муѕтєяισυѕ мυѕιςιαи
XXXXXXLocation: The Ballroom
XXXXXXTagged: Victoria
╚═══════════════════╝

"Victoria, a lovely name." Yule stopped himself before he could add anything else to the end of the sentence, in case he embarrassed himself. He wasn't like his younger brother, the fourteen year old Cain, who could naturally charm his way into any lady's heart - though he was young of age. If anything, he was a bumbling oaf when talking to the more feminine gender - barely able to string together a sentence without stutter, and do not get him started on trying to be flirtatious. That was a disaster and a half. "And a pleasure to meet you, as well."

He paused for a moment, letting it drag on until he thought the silence between them would lean more of the awkward side. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the musicians on stage started an extravagant piece - an easily recognisable classic - however ruined it by having two of the instruments off key by a simple minor note. It made him visibly wince. His father would have made them all stop what they were doing, berate them over their insolence, before getting them to redo it from the very first note. Luckily, Yule wasn't that far into music - and he could tell that unless they had a keen ear for musical scale, barely anyone here would notice. Instead, he tried again to speak, ignoring the grinding off-note. "H-How has your ev-evening been, so far, mi-miss Victoria?"

[FEMME FETALE]

ｈｏｌｄｅｎ ｇｒｅｙ
❝ black-hearted bad boy ❞
▂▂▂ ▂▂▂▂ ▂▂▂▂

Holden had already sensed the girl's guard drop; she wasn't as cold or blunt toward him - and dare he think - comfortable in his presence? That thought lead to his next which was how far from plan this night had went. He predicted it would be spent drinking an excess amount of champagne whilst swooning multiple females with his final goal of spending the night with them. But how things changed, after bumping into her, it's almost as if his whole sinful personality was swiped clean. That confused Holden slightly, almost as if he was having a brief identity crisis in his mind. Thankfully, Holden was distracted by the soft laughter of the girl next to him followed by a comment about how simple it would be to navigate their way out. Their blue eyes met for a brief moment, that was until rather suddenly he heard the harsh gravel crackle beneath the stranger's heel, causing her to come hurling into him. Holden's reflexes where quick to act, placing himself swiftly in front of her so her fall would be against his chest instead of the menacing rock's beneath them. After Holden was sure he had a secure hold of her, he brought her up to stand steadily, his hands still firmly placed reassuringly on both her arms. "Are you alright?!" Holden asked frantically, his brows furrowed with concern as he studied the girls features to make sure she wasn't hurt.

[Speak]

ｍｉｒａ ｐｏｒｔａｔｈ

❝ｔｈｅ ｎｏｂｌｅｍａｎ＇ｓ ｄａｕｇｈｔｅｒ❞

[age] twenty [title] lady [ location ] the garden [ tagged ] holden

The sensation of falling was always an unpleasant one, the ground rushing up to meet her Mira closed her eyes preparing for impact when she hit something else. What she'd collided with was warmer and decidedly much softer than the ground and it smelled faintly of cologne, it was then that Mira felt the strong arms around her and pieced together what must have happened. For a moment Mira froze her breath coming out soft and shaky as she tried to process what had and had not happened in the last few moments and slowly but surely her breath became steady again as if nothing had happened. Quick to regain her composure Mira suddenly became acutely aware of exactly where she was at that present moment; in the arms of a strange man in the middle of a hedge maze. A situation that Mira didn't often find herself in it took everything she had to remain as calm as she did, just about to try and extricate herself from the situation she felt his hands tighten over her arms. The next words that came out of his mouth as well as the expression that followed them stunned the lady. It had always been easy for Mira to separate the truth from the lie but looking the stranger in the eyes and hearing his voice she knew that he genuinely cared about her welfare, she knew next to nothing about him and vice versa and yet he cared? The mere idea, especially to someone like Mira, seemed preposterous and yet there was no way to deny it. "I-I'm fine...thank you." she replied taking a careful step back. In an attempt to distract from her confusion Mira managed to summon a smile to her face "stupid heels were never meant for walking in but I couldn't find any other pair today." she added brushing a strand of hair from her face.

[neamrel]

────── ( M I C H A E L
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[ 21 ] . [ gentle blacksmith ] . [ location; ball/garden ] . [ tagged; Mirena ]

It was true that she didn't have much to judge him off of. They had only just met of course, and Mike had meant it as more of a joke, but somewhere deep in him, it made him slightly more happy not to be considered someone like that. Mike saw himself as someone that had many flaws, maybe it was just the old words of his family creeping back into his head, but he always saw himself as far from perfect. Of course, he didn't outwardly project his thoughts or feelings as he watched the young girl.

She had descended the stairs with quick, deliberate steps, and Mike had been able to catch a glimpse of the small smile tugging at her lips. She had been heading for the fountain it seemed. She sure does like to move. Mike thought amusingly as he followed her with calm, even steps. His added height making his stride longer and slightly more easy to keep her within eyesight as he came up on the fountain. When he drew closer to her, he noticed she seemed slightly rattled, but he didn't have a clue as to why she would be that way. It wasn't until his eyes fell on a couple that was walking away, they had clearly been engaging in some rather more intimate activities, that he finally realized why.

A gentle laugh escaped from him on it's own as he stopped about an arms length away. "Prudish much?" He asked with a small smirk as he watched the couple behind them disappear from sight, finally turning his eyes fully back to her afterwards. He couldn't deny that the fact she got flustered from that was amusing, because it kinda' was to him, but he could also understand that many people here were still quite conservative and viewed such activities as that to be for only in private. "I mean, I do apologize for laughing but that surely didn't rattle you as much as I think it did, right?" Mike asked as he tugged at his right sleeve unconsciously. Having grown to doing it so much while out to hide his tattoo sleeve, it had now become something he tended to do without actually realizing that he had done it. The moment after his hand dropped from his sleeve though, he immediately realized and mentally scolded himself without trying to bring light to the fact that his mind was now off of the girl in front of him.

[tsunami,]

┏--------------------------------┓
ＥＶＡＮＧＥＬＩＮＥ
❝ silver-tongued grifter ❞
▂▂▂ ▂▂▂▂ ▂▂▂
age: nineteen
location: ballroom
tagged: adam
┗---------------------------------┛

'ah, okay." evangeline was never one to hold her tongue when faced a threat, she dove headfirst into anything that involved her, and withdrew with ease when she was no longer needed. had she not have been raised the way she was, she might have even been labeled as a social butterfly. gossip wasn't something she took part in, but nothing ever stopped her from listening. rumors spread quickly in the small but beautiful city, especially if the information got into the wrong hands. she has her ways for getting information, and something told her that she was in for a bit of a ride at the masquerade. what exactly had been meant, she did not know, but felt no need to take the words under true consideration. perhaps, for once, she would enjoy herself a little.

she had noticed that he had looked away, sensing mild discomfort in the air. maybe she hadn't been too discreet while she had examined him, though she had no intention of doing anything quite drastic. "it really is." she replied softly, taking a moment to cast a glance over the large room. it looked to have been the size of her entire house, and evangeline knew that if she had enough money to do so, she would whisk herself and her siblings away to a better place in a heartbeat.

it was quite obvious that the party had been funded by the wealthy, most likely the royal court if she guessed correctly, and it truly was a beautiful place to be. the sweet music that filled the air filled herself up with a joy that could only be caused by the mere simplicity of things like music. she wasn't looker for the finer things in life, she couldn't even if she wanted, she just wished to have enough food to eat and enough money to fund things. it left her content with what she had, never used to taking such things for granted as she knew some did. the music playing also spurred a feeling to move, dance even, and she began to grow a bit restless in her place.

she shot a glance a adam, biting her lip. did she want to ask, or did she not? it would be more of a distraction to her than anything, but she wanted to move, feel free in this crowded party. fresh air would have helped as well, but they had music, and she was set of using it to her liking.

[Shadō]

╓⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯╖
Adam Spencer
The Secret Prince

xxmale // 21
xx» romantic interest;; Open
xx» location;; The Ballroom
xx» tags;; Evangeline
╙⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯╜

Everyone at the ball seemed quite comfortable now, and as he looked around the room, Adam could see people going about and mingling freely like they would in a group of friends or at a party, which is exactly what this was. The whole place seemed to have a brighter atmosphere because of it, the room seeming brighter, the decorations seeming cheerier. It was quite a lovely place to be. He was glad to hear that this woman he was speaking with agreed. Then a thought crossed his mind. What was her name? How stupid of him to forget to ask what her name was! Then again, he couldn't recall telling her his. Still, it would be polite to ask, he supposed.

Just as he turned to ask her name, a voice floated through the room, sounding as though it was coming from all around. Adam turned his head and looked around, looking for the source. It took him a few minutes, and at first he only found a speaker, but then he figured out that someone was standing at the front of the ball room. "Hello, everyone! Since it seems like everybody's warmed up to everybody else, it's time to start the fun!" A petite woman about a foot shorter than Adam wearing a short, tight blue dress stood on a platform behind a microphone, a perky glow to her with a bright young smile. She reminded him a bit of the kind of girl that would be announcing all the events at high school prom or something.

"Dinner is served for those who want it, and for those who don't or want to wait, we've got something special for you!" She giggled, an obnoxious giggle that was a little irritating to listen to. Thankfully, it didn't last long and she continued with her "something special" speech. "Since this is a dance, it's time to dance! Guys, go find your girls!" And that was all she said before hopping down and disappearing into the crowd.

Music started shortly after, and people started going around and either getting dinner or looking for a partner to dance. Adam couldn't help but feel a bit like they were being forced into it a little abruptly, but this was a coming-of-age event meant for young adults to meet each other, so he supposed there wasn't too much to complain about. I might as well, he thought to himself. Turning toward the girl next to him, the one he had been having the lovely little chat with, he said, "So... Would you like to dance with me?"

[FEMME FETALE]

ｈｏｌｄｅｎ ｇｒｅｙ
❝ black-hearted bad boy ❞
▂▂▂ ▂▂▂▂ ▂▂▂▂

Holden realized he was holding her for much longer than he needed too, although she probably didn't mind him comforting her,
he thought it was best to return his arms to his side. Feelings of concern and panic soon left him in the form of a small chuckle
of relief at the girl's light hearted words confirming she was alright. She was shocked, he could tell, but she didn't seem to like
showing her vulnerability so Holden brushed it off and continued to walk slowly. He wasn't sure on what to say, which was odd
for him because he always was good with words - especially around women - but the silence felt comfortable. In that moment
of bliss, Holden hooked his arm with hers so they were linked. "Just a safety caution..." He added softly in a teasing manner,
referring to the recent incident. He looked over to her as the made his remark, a seemingly permanent charming smile playing
on his lips paired with light eyes filled with glee and contentment. In a way Holden was glad a large proportion of his face was
masked, it made it less obvious in showing how totally into her he was.

[Speak]

ｍｉｒａ ｐｏｒｔａｔｈ

❝ｔｈｅ ｎｏｂｌｅｍａｎ＇ｓ ｄａｕｇｈｔｅｒ❞

[age] twenty [title] lady [ location ] the garden [ tagged ] holden

The fingers that were clasped around Mira's arms were comforting, as much as the lady would like to deny it this stranger made her feel safe something that even her family was incapable of. As this thought passed through her mind Mira couldn't help but smile at the mystery man laughing lightly along with him as they once again began to walk down the gravel path. Fearful of falling yet again and perhaps because she was afraid of betraying any of her thoughts Mira's eyes were now fixed to the ground to prevent any further fumbling on her part. Silence filled the air once again the only sounds were of their footsteps, their breathes, and a faint murmur of the voices they'd left behind in the ballroom. Becoming more and more relaxed in that moment Mira forgot who she was, what she needed to be, and soon all the stresses of her life (no matter how charmed) simply faded into the night air. Quiet and content Mira was surprised when an arm hooked itself around hers, without even looking it was obvious who the perpetrator was yet despite herself Mira locked eyes with him a smile tugging at the corner's go her lips "very well," she said finding a comfortable grip on his arm ", you saved me before so I have no reason to doubt you now." she acknowledged tightening her hand on his arm for stability. As the last of her words faded into silence Mira could just barely make out the sounds of music drifting from the ballroom and almost automatically the lady's free hand began to tap out the tune on an imaginary piano that seemed to float between her hand and leg. Though she did hate balls and social functions in general Mira could never get enough of the music that was played at such things, "They've started the dance..."she added glancing back towards the warm lights emanating from the windows. Music and dance had always been things Mira had enjoyed but people in general were not so as usual Mira was caught between her desire to go back and enjoy the music or continue on her quest to avoid as many human beings as possible.