oh, we dance in misery

[headandhand]

WHO: Open to all Dualizens!
WHAT: the Plague Memorial Masked Ball
WHERE: the Mayor's Mansion (central Dualis)
WHEN: the evening of November 16
WARNINGS: Visuals/discussion of disease and death in the setting. Anything else, please use appropriate warnings!

At 8 p.m. sharp, the lights inside and around the Mayor's Mansion turn up, and the doors are opened to the crowds that begin to trickle inside. All entrances are manned by Iterations, and all party-goers are scanned for both proper attire (formal and masked, mandatory) and weapons (absolutely forbidden) before being allowed entry.

Once inside, attendees are greeted to a spectacle of warmth and light and lavish decorations, all themed in white accented with gold and violet. Venture into the ballroom, and you'll see intricately carved ice sculptures in various representations of death, all laden with garlands of marigolds and violet chrysanthemums. At one end of the room, a rotating cast of musicians plays soft music in differing arrangements of strings and piano. Long tables at the other end of the ballroom are piled high with punch fountains and platters of delicious party foods, and a few bar stations serve beverages of the more adult variety to those of age.

Outside the main ballroom are seven smaller rooms, for more intimate conversations and quiet recovery from the main gala (or just skulking like a brooding weirdo, if that's your thing). Six of the rooms are decorated in monochrome blue, purple, green, orange, white, or violet, and the seventh room is pitch black with red accents.

Throughout the night, the mayor herself winds in and out of the crowds, shadowed by a pair of bodyguards. She is all smiles, greeting people with a friendly handshake and effusive words of thanks for attending the ball, but she never stays in one place long enough for a true conversation. This is a celebration of life and a remembrance of the dead, after all - not the time or place for talks of business or politics.

Enjoy yourselves tonight, everyone! And remember - death eventually comes for everyone.

Comments

( b. )

[wishalone]

[Kyoko didn't go out of her way to seek him out or anything, but she's aiming to take her food-piled plate somewhere out of the way to eat in peace while still being able to people-watch. The color rooms just don't cut it for what she wants. And this corner over here, it's mostly empty anyway, except for this one dude in a (frankly cool-looking) hover chair.

After standing there for a moment, chowing down on some kind of weird sweetbread from the top of her pile, she starts to feel awkward, even if he doesn't seem to have noticed her yet. Kind of like she's intruding. It chips away at the dark, bitter feelings still boiling away in her chest. She'd leave, but she's feeling kind of stubborn about it. So, instead, she decides to go for a peace offering and slinks closer.

Aaand that's when he finally reacts to her presence. She raises an eyebrow and blinks.] Uh... no. It's fine. [Another awkward pause.] Sorry for botherin' you. [She's bad at this. She gives up and just grabs something off her plate -- no, that's a piece of cake. She grabs something else off her plate, a kebab with a mix of some kind of vegetables she can't identify, and shoves it towards him.] Here, old man. You look like you could use something to eat.

[... he doesn't even look that old. She's just fifteen and a brat.]

[axiomed]

[ red hair. for a moment, there is pain lodged in his throat, grief too close to his heart to respond before he shakes it off. charles smiles at her kindly, the corners of his eyes crinkling. ]

I do. Thank you very much.

[wishalone]

Well... Here. Take it. [A beat.] Unless you don't like it, I guess.

If you need something to eat, why haven't you gotten it? [That's the real reason she's frowning, and not because it's a kneejerk response to that kind smile being levelled at her. No, really.]

[axiomed]

I don't need it, but it helps.

[ charles pokes at the vegetable idly, giving it a sidelook before taking a bite of it. no time like the present after all. ]

There isn't a lot I can do about my headaches.

[wishalone]

[Hrrmm.]

If it's too much, you should leave. It's not like you'll miss anything. [She clearly doesn't have a high opinion of the party.] There's no point hanging around someplace giving you trouble.

[axiomed]

[ charles shakes his head. ]

Maybe so, but I came with my partner. I'll ask how he feels first.