A Winter's Ball

[ateratmods]

Who; Everyone!
What; Christmas Festivities for all!
Where; The Grand Ballroom, Noble District
When; The Week of Midwinter (December 14th-20th)
Warnings; Positive emotional influence; if anything comes up in threads, please warn where appropriate

A Needed Respite

It's been some time since Halcyn has shown herself, let alone put together festivities for those gathered here from other worlds, but this winter, she's pulled out all the stops. While she's also looking forward to the Festival a kind new resident has requested her aid for, she couldn't very well let this festive season pass by without a Ball.

She's assured all those who may wish to attend have the finest clothing available to enjoy the evenings or provides them with a means to obtain finery from Aterat's premiere seamstress. The invitation arrives at their doorsteps, providing directions to the seamstress and a friendly reminder not to forget a complimenting mask. This is a masquerade ball, after all.

On the evenings of the ball, in the square outside the residential buildings, residents there will find a two-meter pylon, its central crystal pulsing like a beacon. Touching one of the hand targets at its top will immediately teleport you to the pylon's twin in the square outside the ballroom. While still present during the day, the crystal sits dull and inoperable during the day. There also exists a similar pylon outside the orphanage.

For those who live away from the community dwellings, each night, the cabs can be found looking for fares seeking to be taken to the noble district.

A Welcoming Gift

The entrance to the Grand Ballroom is covered is tiny bells, glittering lights, and wreathed in holly and evergreen branches. The foyer is equally decorated, its vaulted ceiling carrying easily the lilting music from the ballroom, and at the center of the foyer is a towering and opulently decorated yule tree, with presents gathered beneath it. Halcyn waits beside the tree to greet all attendees to the ball, to thank them, to welcome them, and to wish them a Merry Yuletide.

Everyone who attends will receive a gift, and she'll assure them while the item within the package they are given is not its true image, it is as close an approximation as she could manage to build from their memories. The packages are small, no larger than a foot square, and within is an item they would recognize from home that has a sentimental value to them. If it's a magical item, it will not possess the magic therein, and it is an item that is tied to a fond and caring memory of theirs. Holding it or wearing it (if applicable) or simply having it with them will fill them with a warm sense of whatever emotion is tied to the item. For example, if it is a ring that belonged to a loving parent, having or wearing the ring will make them feel loved and nurtured. The effect will last throughout the ball in an intense state, and after the ball in a more subdued state, but it will always possess that feeling in some regard.

A Serious Spread; feasting and dancing the nights away

The Ballroom beyond the foyer is dazzling in lights, more holly, and evergreen boughs, and enchanting music from the string quartet playing at the far end of the dance floor. Along one wall, near the stairs leading to the upper atriums and the balconies, is set a cornucopia of foods both familiar and alien. If it is a traditional Yuletide or Winter food from somewhere in the known or unknown worlds, it's available here, and nothing seems to run out.

For those old enough to drink, there is a fully stocked bar with refreshments (and non-alcoholic options for those who abstain), and there are also drink options on the food table as well if you want something lighter or less influential with your meal. Those who wish to dine in a semblance of privacy can ascend the stairs with their plates and have a seat at one of the white and gold decorated tables on the balcony overlooking the dance floor. The music here is muted but still present, affording better means of conversation.

From the vaulted ceiling over the dancefloor falls a light snowfall, reflecting all the glittering lights in the decorations, but never touching the floor, disappearing as though it never existed in the first place. Those who try to catch the falling snowflakes, or simply have them fall upon them, will feel a warmth spread through them and will find themselves immediately more relaxed and open to conversation, no matter the sort.

Those who join the dancing on the floor will find they know whatever dance they may begin participating in, as long as they let their feet do the moving and don't think about it too much. They'll also find they don't tire as easily as they normally would and could dance all night long. This impulse can be resisted, though, and someone might want to pull you away before things get out of hand.

Sky Painting; Outdoor Balconies

Those who truly want for solitude need look no further than the balconies off the upper floor. While they do open onto the outside, open-air fire pits along the balcony keep the area warm enough to be inviting. There are refreshments here as well, warm ciders, hot chocolates, and the like, and the sky above is a display all its own.

Every night until midnight, the sky over the Ballroom will be alight with Auroras, though they seem to only be viewable from the upper outdoor balcony of the Ballroom. Those approaching from outside will see only a night sky lit by stars.

Those who seek the refuge of the outdoor balcony will find themselves blanketed in an inner peace they may find foreign. So much so, in fact, that they may even notice its artificial, and if they step far enough away from the glowing fire pits, it fades at the same rate the warmth of the fire does from their limbs, also as though that inner peace were coming from within the flames.

Halcyn certainly wanted everyone to enjoy the evenings without care or concern, didn't she?

Comments

[ask_whydunit]

He nodded at her comment, more the same than either of them would admit… And Waver could easily focus on complaining about the nuisance that was the gatherings of mage society. “Lavish, insufferable flaunts of status and power where you get to be on edge all night while navigating conversations that could easily be traps to give someone the excuse to put a metaphorical knife in your back.” Or a real one later on, once they had enough reason to hire someone to do it for them. And the El-Melloi’s? They sat in a very precarious position at the moment, between several factions that wanted them to pick a side. It was another reason to avoid them when he could. “So this isn’t so bad. At least everyone seems to be enjoying themselves for the sake of that alone.”

As she continued to tease him, he felt his frown deepen. He did this to himself. This was his own fault. At the end of the day, Waver Velvet’s worse enemy would always be himself. “I have nothing to bloody well admit, dammit! It’s not like I’d waste my breath on a lie that wasn’t necessary.” Books to learn other things that should be learned by experience, though, he could not deny. At the moment, he wished he had a book on how to navigate conversations with Illyana that didn’t result in her getting a rise out of him.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t be the first to think that.” He responded with a huff. Very few people were left that knew him when he was younger, aside from a few classmates like Melvin. Even fewer knew him before he enrolled at the Clock Tower when he was a teenager; those people were, more or less, gone. He was surprised when she actually shared more. It was… very unexpected. Then again, given the nature of the gift and some of the evening enchantments? Maybe it was a little easier. “Something for comfort in a new and unfamiliar place…” Between this and their last conversation, it sounded like her brother cared a lot. And the childhood memory shared displayed a side of Illyana that certainly hadn’t been seen before. “Sounds like they both care about you a lot.”

The question gets an awkward turn of his expression, because he knows his answer isn’t going to help his argument from before. “I did. Halcyn gave me a book.” Of course he got a book. Not one for learning like the earlier topic, but still a book nonetheless.

[soulsword]

"Sounds awful and like nothing I'd ever want to attend. Demon parties sound better." Which was saying something since those were mostly just fighting, drinking, and other things that landed more on the hedonistic scale. "Except that last bit, everything involving demons is just an excuse to put a real or metaphorical knife in someone's back." That was what being a demon seemed to be boil down to: making alliances only to eventually betray them to take the power for yourself. Each time they talked about the similarities she was struck by how much his mage society sounded like a group of demons. Maybe that made sense given that some demons in her world were just mages whose souls became corrupted enough to transform into demons.

"Really? Because you seem really defensive." Which just gave her more reasons to tease him. He really did set himself up for it. It was appreciated how easily he gave her openings to keep teasing him! It was almost like he secretly liked it.

"I'm sure of that too." The huff only egged her on even more. Though his follow up comment actually did get more of a serious expression from her. She closed her eyes and then looked away from him to hide the emotions flitting through her face. "They did. My brother has always been protective of me. He took my death very hard." Harder than she could have ever imagined. "Strangely when I came back older Kitty became my closest friend." What a weird relationship to go through. Yet...from her voice she clearly missed the other young woman.

"What sort of book?"

[ask_whydunit]

“They are awful, I try to avoid them when I can.” He found it too frustrating to deal with people like that, and it was bad enough he had to in his day to day at work let alone his downtime. Though admittedly, that wasn’t always the best way to deal with it. Reines going to them without him seemed to present the other lords with another target, negating the point of her leaving him at the school. The similarity between a lot of mages and demons wasn’t missed by Waver either, he’d thought as much himself at times. Especially when anything involving the three clock tower factions was involved.

“I’m not being defensive!” He responded shortly, voice jumping in an octave slightly with an embarrassing pitch that it sometimes took on, before stopping himself from saying more. Grinding his teeth slightly, he knew to go much further would only end up bringing more down on his head. She really was like Reines in that, see an opening and take it for her amusement.

“The proof is already stuck on the network backlog, so it’s not like I could deny it if I wanted to.” He responded with a roll of his eyes. Sure, it didn’t prove he’d been a child maybe, but it did prove he hadn’t always been quite as he was now. He was more interested in hearing more from Illyana though. It was an odd flow of conversation to hear more of this side of her. A stark contrast to the woman who seemed to enjoy getting under his skin, something he realized she probably guarded more often than not. “Sometimes it’s the connections one least expects that become the most important… That she became so close even when you came back older and different says something.” And… Well, it tugs at a thread attached to Waver’s heart, considering his own situation with the person he cared who he hadn’t seen since he was a teenager.

The question gets an awkward pause, though. Unfolding his arms, he slipped the book from where it was tucked under his arm to look over the cover thoughtfully again. It was a thick hardcover, well worn, with a library tag on the spine. “It’s an anthology of the works of Homer. A big idiot stole it from a library during the grail war.” He responded with a shake of his head and a slightly amused upturn of his lip at the memory.

[soulsword]

"Does that mean you have to go sometimes?" If so, unfortunate for him. She couldn't really imagine having to go to some sort of function to preform small talk and keep up appearances or something like that.

"Oh, yeah, definitely not seeming defensive right now." Just as much as she wasn't seeming amused by it all. Which meant he definitely seemed defensive to her, because she certainly seemed amused.

"You could still try to deny it. Then I could pretend I'd never seen what was on the network. I'm a great actress." And a great liar. Her shoulders slumped slightly as he spoke about connections, a hint at how much it bothered her to discuss things like that. For a few seconds she fell completely silent and then she looked away from him. "She hates me now." So it wasn't like the connections really mattered, right? Kitty hated her now and that was just a fact. "Everyone does. Except Piotr. Poor stupid trusting brother Colossus." There was a bit of bitterness that managed to slip through her tone. She loved her brother more than she could ever express and yet there were certain difficulties involved with him as well. Like the fact that he always thought positively and as if there was always hope to be found. Which got frustrating for someone that had left their innocence behind in hell.

She tilted her head and looked over at the book. "Ah, I didn't know you were a thief too."

[ask_whydunit]

“Unfortunately, yes. It’s kind of expected when you're one of the 12 lords, even if I’m only a stand in.” He responded with a tired shrug. If he had it his way, he’d spend all his time on other things that were far more enjoyable. He rather missed the freedom of his days before taking on this mess. Even if he knew it, he had to take responsibility for his past actions.

Waver bit the inside of his cheek from retorting in a similar fashion again. He really was making this easy for her and harder for him. So she was treated to the amusing look of a grown man not-quite pouting like a child.

The mage felt an awkward twinge of something when she admitted that someone so important to her hated her now, likely for the things she’d spoken of prior. Though if she voiced the thought that those connections didn’t matter now, he’d offer his disagreement. Even if things had changed, the connection had still meant something at one time and influenced her life in a way. “You know… A lot of people hate me, either at first meeting or after a while… But their opinions also tend to change after a time.” He can’t even begin to guess why or what he does to change their opinions, though. It’s like they see something in him (that he doesn’t) and decide they’re not enemies anymore. “So hating you now doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll continue to.” He ended a bit awkwardly, tone stiff. He’s not good at offering emotional support, but he does try now and then.

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me, I think.” He responded with a raised brow, very pointedly not denying he was a thief. Because he was in a few senses of the word. The relic, other people’s magecraft that he’d reverse engineered; but the book was another matter. “That said, I used the term ‘big idiot’ and I was fairly short back then. It was someone else who stole the damn thing. I was more of an unwilling accessory to the theft, and returning it would have likely been a bit awkward considering the damages done.” Being charged with both theft and property damage that someone else caused would have been pretty inconvenient! “And I guess… hanging onto it and a few other things kind of meant I still had something to remind me of that idiot.” Waver, again, wasn’t good at admitting stuff like this himself… and somewhere along the way the term ‘idiot’ had come to mean something else when referring to some people.

[soulsword]

"High expectations even for the substitute-lord. Must be a lot of pressure. Explains a lot." Like why he seemed so uptight all the time, or at least why she was going to insist he did. It definitely had nothing to do with her finding it amusing to insist that to him because it seemed like it bothered him. Nope. Nothing at all.

"I can't imagine why or how anyone would end up hating you." Her voice held the driest amount of sarcasm that was possible. Though...strangely she did find herself oddly appreciative of this strange attempt he was making. She tilted her head slightly. "Trying to make me feel better, huh?" She shrugged. "It's fine. I don't mind that she hates me. Or that anyone does." Yes, she does mind. She minds quite a lot. The thing she wants the most in the world is for them to forgive her and treat her like they used to. But she sort of thinks that ship sailed long ago.

"Probably. There's a lot everyone here doesn't know about everyone." Which almost made her curious about them! Almost. "So you were too afraid to return it?" She nodded as though that too also made sense. "You like being reminded of idiots?"

[ask_whydunit]

It would explain a lot, if there weren’t people who could attest that Waver had always been a little uptight, even before the lordship. Which meant he was happy to let someone think that it was all on the Lordship. Then again, it was hard to deny some of it probably had something to do with the clock tower’s environment in genera, which was still often a direct result of the politics and the more old-minded lords. “It is a nuisance to deal with. I won’t miss it when it’s done and over with. I would rather just focus on teaching and research if I had a say…” He’s not sure how any of it will play out, though; and even after the lordship was passed on to Reines, that wasn’t necessarily the end of all this for him.

Raising a brow at the dry sarcasm in her tone, he shrugged. “Maybe you haven’t known me long enough yet.” Waver could provide a list of reasons people didn’t like him. It was the ones who did like him that he couldn’t explain. Which also meant he couldn’t really explain the people who seemed to get along with him here. Then again, this was a very different place with very different people. That said, her comment gets an awkward sound, and he pointedly looked away. Making an awkward attempt at making Illyana feel better was easier than admitting that was what he’d been trying to do… So he simply doesn’t. Clearing his throat, he finally responded. “I’m just stating that sometimes people change their minds and opinions over time, that’s all.” And he certainly doesn’t buy that she’s fine with being hated by her friend, not after her tone and the way she spoke about her before.

“Of course I was. He destroyed the entire security grate in front of the door to get out. I wouldn’t have been able to cover damages like that, let alone explain them.” He responded with a shake of his head, huffing at the memory. It was a library. If the man had wanted to take the books out, they could have just come back in the morning when it was open! Tucking the book back under his arm safely, his expression shifted to something between a frown of annoyance at the suggestion and something almost sad. “No, of course not! Just… Just the one.”

[soulsword]

"When will it all be done and over with? When they decide?" It was hard to imagine someone that actually wanted to lose the prestige that came with being a Lord. He was certainly an interesting one in that regard. He was honestly probably one of the only people she would actually believe didn't want that sort of power though. He probably really would have been more content to just teach and have nothing to do with any of it.

"Maybe I haven't. What do you think I'm missing?" Clearly he could tell her what about him people hated. Even if she was being just a bit sarcastic. Just a bit mind you. She does have a tiny smirk on her face as he looks away awkwardly. Ah, there was always some sort of strange joy in pulling out an awkward look from him. It was clearly a win in her book. A win at what? Who knows, but she found joy in the small things. Like his misery. "Some people are too stubborn to change their mind. Or to give someone the chance to." Meaning that Illyana was pretty certain she'd sooner avoid her friend than face her.

"Brave of you to just admit that. Admirable." And she honestly mostly meant that. Most people wouldn't just admit to that. "You need a way to make better money in your world." It seemed he consistently had problems tied to that. "Ah, they're a special idiot then?"

[ask_whydunit]

“When my foster sister Reines comes of age, actually. So only a few more years, then she’ll take the Lordship properly.” The other two aspects of their agreement were going to take more than a few years, of course. The repair of the El-Melloi crest, the ridiculously large debt they’d fallen into, those things were still on him to fix. So it was hard to say if he’d ever really truly be free of it, but the change of Lordship would at least be one step closer.

“What, you want me to deprive you of figuring it out yourself?” He responded, returning her tiny smirk with a little frown. Really, she wasn’t the first person who found joy in his misery. She also probably wouldn’t be the last. It was like he attracted people who did, which was amusing in its own way, really. Not for him, of course, but for anyone observing him. “Some people, perhaps. But you never know what kind of person your deal in with until they prove it one way or the other.” People were always confusing like that, and always kept him guessing… Often times the biggest surprises came from the people who should hate you in his experience.

Waver wasn’t sure if he would call it brave. It’s not like he was admitting it anywhere that could put him at risk of having to deal with it all these years later. The comment about money gets a half-amused sound. “You’re not wrong about that, unfortunately.” He had come up with a few ways to make extra cash to help speed things along, but that always came with certain risks.

“That’s a good way to describe him, yeah.” He responded hesitantly, a special idiot indeed. Waver wasn’t really sure what more he wanted to say on the subject. Like Illyana, there were some things that were harder to admit or talk about than others. “He was… the first person who didn’t write me off because of who I was or my lack of ability, even if he should have. A couple of fools standing together.” Which, considering how his life had been up to that point, and how alone he’d felt, people seeing some value in his existence and not trying to dismiss or get rid of him had been a big deal to Waver.