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All this time Alto was worried about leading the conversation. Though Lady Evangeline Grace asked a few questions herself, Alto did not want to ask too many in turn. Other than appearing to pry, he was afraid his lack of knowledge would be most apparent. He of course was a good little heir and studied hard, but there just was not enough knowledge that extended past the kingdom's boundaries. What was rather amusing about it all was that most nobles he knew paraded around as though they knew the world, but upon closer inspection, they only knew what they felt was important. Customs that suit them and things that only appeared to be expensive. Which in reality wasn't much at all. The world was there, whether one wanted to acknowledge it or not and there were more important things besides one's own opinion. But really, who was he to judge? He didn't know much more than the rest of them, but he'd like to think he was better off being curious rather than being ignorant.

Fortunately, Evangeline was more than comfortable leading the conversation. And even when that dreaded awkward silence reared it's head, the din of the ball seemed to dull it down to nothing more than a curious wonder. Alto could see Lady Evangeline looking about and taking in her surroundings. If this was indeed her first masquerade ball, she certainly showed it. And though she tried to hide it, the silence was quite telling. First impression told Alto that this had to be her first masquerade ball. But second thoughts that followed seemed to support Lady Evangeline's calm statements. If she's a foreigner, she's never been to a Masquerade ball, but that didn't necessarily mean, she had never been to a gathering. "A lovely little gathering indeed, a tad bit too extravagant, but not unusual for you I assume." Alto agreed. "I am certain you are used to far larger crowds where you come from, and masks, far more cultural." Alto replied smoothly. He had meant it as a hook for her to catch and tell him more about her back ground with out directly asking. " As for the Princess..." Alto tried courageously to keep from sighing in dismay upon mentioning her. "...One can only guess that the princess is hiding till her grand entrances. But you do catch on rather quickly Lady Evangeline Grace. The masquerade ball is like a game were we all try to figure out the others identity..." And that was as far as he got before the young nobleman hear a succession of cries behind them. Upon turning he found a vase flying through the air right at the both of them. Though the 'how' question should have come to mind, it was always the 'why' for Alto. Why was there a vase flying through the air heading straight for them? On any other day, the young dark noble would have easily settled for the duck to safety option. But tonight, and in Lady Evangeline Grace's company, well it appeared as nothing more than an obstacle just coming at him because Alto didn't have enough obstacles in his life. His next reaction was precipitated of annoyance as well as determination.

He was NOT going to let this random vase appear out of no where and ruin a unique opportunity. What do you know? Alto supposed he really was a noble just like the rest of them.

His arms came as he turned, swinging out the only thing he held. His mask, and though it wasn't spot on the mark, the rod of the mask and his fist that gripped it connecting with the vase, it still accomplished what was intended. Shattering glass and a splash of water rang out as Alto destroyed not only his mask, but the vase as well, the contents falling to the floor in a hundred, wet pieces. Alto shook his hand that still gripped the broken mask's rod, but paid it no mind as he looked to the Lady behind him. "Are you okay Lady Evangeline?" Alto continuously shook his hand because now that the moment was past, his hand began to hurt like hell. Who in the world threw such a thing?

"Wah?" Gal gasped as he hit the stone cold floor with a loud thump. Shortly after, he heard a loud crack amidst the noise in the ballroom. It took a few seconds for Gal to regain his senses as he sprawled on the floor in a daze. "Goodness," he mumbled as he slowly got up, taking precautions not to hold onto anything without it being stable. Picking up his notebook again, Gal sighed as he looked around, still wet.

Everyone still seemed to be centered on the duo, the foreign lady and the man in the... broken mask. That must be what cracked, Gal thought as he tiptoed to see what was going on. He was a little cold though from the spill earlier, and he really should try to find the washroom... In his daze, he didn't notice Rainey dash by to the couple in the distance.

If Evangeline had actually known anything at all about the Eastern continents, she might have taken these clear opportunities to elaborate, but as it was, she was probably the most clueless one in the room. She recalled the one or two Indian merchants she'd known back on the streets, although they had reached a point where they, like the rest of the thieves and beggars, thought of little but their stomachs. Still, when they were fed, they could sometimes muster up stories of their homelands. While Evangeline was sure most of these were horribly exaggerated, she figured it was a starting place. "The masks are a good deal brighter back at home," she agreed, noting that although the range of colors here was wide, the hues themselves were all deep and rich. She imagined India to be lighter, breezier. Perhaps she was wrong. Chances were good that nobody here would know.

When the vase came flying, Evangeline was prepared to duck and save herself, so it was a good thing Alto deflected it. Ladies' reflexes were not supposed to be polished via years of having shoes and rocks chucked at them by shop owners. "I am fine, thank you," she said, shocked-- the shock was not even feigned. While projectiles flying at her head were not uncommon on the streets, she wouldn't have expected such things here. "I am... intrigued," she said, trying to find a noble-sounding word to express her feelings on the matter. "I hadn't expected the game to include such violence," she said, referring back to Alto's comment about the point of the masquerade.

When the servant girl said her name, Evangeline froze. Her hair was down. She was wearing a mask. She looked nothing like herself, and yet someone had recognized her? Already? No, no, no-- this is not good. She turned to see the servant girl-- Rainey, her mind supplied automatically-- and thought for a moment about what to say. Perhaps it had been stupid to use her real name. If she'd chosen another one, she could simply say that the girl was mistaken, but nobody would overlook the coincidence now. Well. She'd have to come up with something else, then.

"The servants here are quite bold," she said to Alto. "They are helpful, though. I believe this one was the girl who pointed me in the right direction when I first arrived here several days ago." She gave Rainey a smile, but her eyes were apologetic. Please, please play along... "I'm almost ashamed to admit how lost we were." She turned back to Alto, the haughty expression back on her face. "Still, I had not expected to be addressed so casually."

When she looked back at Rainey, the apologetic eyes and soft smile were gone. "I'm not sure of the customs here," she said, "so I hope I am not offending anyone if I ask that you address me as Lady Grace in the future."

Taken aback, Rainey frowned. Eva, masquerading as "Lady Grace." If there were two things in the world Eva lacked, it was the status of "lady", and grace. Nevertheless Rainey decided to play along. Eva was full of interesting schemes and ideas, surely this was just another.

"Why - forgive me, lady," she said, curtseying low. "I'm afraid I forgot my place." She turned to the young man beside her childhood friend. "Now then, sir...sir," she realized she did not know his name, "may I help you with that?" She gestured toward the cut on his hand and held up the rag and pitcher of water once more.

Alto suddenly sneezed as he watched at the brief exchange with some surprise. 'Someone must be talking about me...' It was only a side thought. But everything was cleared up between the servant girl and Lady Grace. It was odd as Alto had never seen a servant ever become so casual with strangers or even their own Lords and Ladies. He wasn't exactly harsh on his own group and still they walk on pins and needles around him. But before he could give it further thought, the young girl pointed out the wound on his hand.

The one that still hurt and was perhaps bleeding right through the gloves. Alto slipped off the glove to see a rather nice gash, a wonderful reminder of how one ought to step to the side rather than punch a flying vase. It didn't look too bad, or Alto was trying to convince himself. If it was, he'd have to step away and have it looked at. That meant, he'd have to depart Lady Grace's company and then she'd be up for grabs by other nobles. He could not accept that! He helped her out of the carriage, and HE punched a flying vase to get his cut hand. He'd be damned if he let this opportunity slip by. It startled the young man somewhat when he realized he was so enthralled with the foreigner. Even Alto himself wasn't sure what he was expecting out of her. Was it all really just to have a good time? Alto smiled slightly, putting on a brave face for the young servant girl and Lady Grace, even as the blood seeped from the deep cut that ran along his knuckles. "Oh, this is fine. If you can hand me a bandage, I can take care of it. I've had a bit worse than this. Not necessarily from punching things like vases mind you. It just looks pretty bad because it cut where the skin was very thin." He dabbed at it with the rag the girl offered and the blood cleared instantly revealing the gash. Not a cut, a clearly defined gash. It mocked Alto and he sighed inwardly as he knew it was probably best to take the girl's help. If he tried to wave it off, it would probably make Lady Grace worry or think he's crazy. Alto sighed as he felt as though the whole universe was against him and conceded. He looked to the servant girl and nodded in agreement, accepting her help and looked back to Lady Grace bowing as well as he could. "Please forgive me, I hope you do not think ill of me if I leave you on your own for a few while I get this seen to." Infections were no joke, Alto knew that well, there wasn't many medicines available to counter all the diseases that plauged the kingdom these days. The best things to do to protect oneself from an early death, was to live cleanly, and stay healthy. He couldn't count the number of times his parents drilled that into him. Alto had feared that he might grow up, unable to leave his room in the early part of his life. Alto turned to walk with the servant girl to find a more suitable corner where they wouldn't attract attention and where the servant could help him clean and dress his wound more properly. When they had parted company with the Lady Grace, Alto looked to the servant girl remembering the odd exchange earlier. "So you have met Lady Evangeline Grace before? She must have been awfully nice to disarm you so easily. So tell me, what is she really like when she is alone and not surrounded by nobility."

Alto blinked widely at the servant girl unsure of what to say. "A...fantastic right hook?" Maybe she misunderstood him when he said disarm? He was about to ask when she spoke up again saying that she was not really one to say. Ah, another roadblock. This Lady Grace really was mysterious. At her direction, Alto followed the servant girl into one of the many unoccupied rooms. Immediately she began to tend to his wound, now that she had washed the blood away and cleaned it up a little more, it was far worse than what Alto had thought. And every minute it was beginning to sting more. If he attempted to flex his knuckles the pain rose like sharp pins in his fist as his body protested against it. Funny, he didn't remember it hurting so much. When the alcohol touched flesh Alto hissed a response to the liquid burning his skin. He shut his eyes tightly stemming the pain and breathed when the servant girl wiped it dry. She apologized but carefully wrapped it and the wave of pain subsided. "No, no, it's fine. I've had worse. You're better than the doctors I have working at our manor." Alto forced a pained smile. "Thank you for your help, you have a very motherly touch you know? Feels better already." The dark haired noble flexed his fingers again and in response the sharp pain came again. He winced but replied it was just the alcohol that she'd administered earlier. "Tell me something, what is your name? I've come to this castle often enough and I don't recall seeing you around. I'm fairly certain." He practically grew up here, and many of the servants knew Alto as the princess's playmate. "Are you new? Perhaps you know where the princess is or when she'll make her appearance?"

Suddenly, the trumpets blared an official fanfare, calling for the attention of everyone in the large room. An official announcer, elegantly dressed, was in at the top of the red carpeted grand staircase. Waiting until he had most of the guests' attentions, he then started speaking in a loud projecting voice. "Presenting Her Highness, the Princess Claire!"

The Princess Claire almost froze as she heard the fanfare as the maid ushered her into place to make her appearance. Well, it was time to make a dazzling appearance.

"Mask," the maid whispered placing a mask onto Claire's soft pale face before stepping away.

Claire sighed and then appeared before the crowd at the top of the stairs alone, without a man guiding her since the plan was for her to capture everyone's attention. Claire straightened her stature haughtily as she elegantly descended the stairs slowly. She mostly looked straight forward, but managed a few glances around. She had a soft smile on her face.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, Claire wondered which man would try to woo her first. She smiled at the thought.