headandhand: (mayor marcelina)
the head | the hand ([personal profile] headandhand) wrote in [community profile] dualislogs2019-11-16 05:12 pm

oh, we dance in misery

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.
chaosvessel: Credit to <user name="vikael"> (✘ Hide from all the pain)

[personal profile] chaosvessel 2019-12-25 11:19 pm (UTC)(link)
"Nothing...like that." There was something about her, something he had yet to be able to articulate and likely wouldn't for some time. She was right about one thing, though: they were unlikely to learn anything worthwhile here. He could simply leave, but something made him stay.

Something about her in that dress, but he didn't know what, and he didn't know how to invite her to join him for anything, so he instead just nodded awkwardly. She was right, after all.
hellofishies: (pic#13627873)

[personal profile] hellofishies 2019-12-26 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
"What happened was understandable given what we were. That people were afraid. We didn't even fully know. Still don't." She chuckles at the admission. It's probably a bit strange to laugh at something like not knowing what she really is, but it's better to laugh than to linger on the confusion of it.

"Lets dance." It's time for a topic change and a very quick one. Can't linger too long anything that has to do with her. She takes his hand and teleports them into the main room where others were dancing.
chaosvessel: Credit to <user name="vikael"> (✘ Neutral)

[personal profile] chaosvessel 2019-12-30 05:30 am (UTC)(link)
He shakes his head briefly but doesn't comment further. That sort of uncertainty didn't afford parents selling off their children. Nothing did, but she didn't seem to want to discuss the topic further and he didn't possess the social skills necessary to push the subject.

He was instead taken by surprise at her suggestion and even more so by suddenly appearing on the dance floor. Startled, he looks around for a moment before looking back to her. "...how did...?"