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 Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 11:42 pm
Aludra had never in his life felt more comfortable than he did now.
It was the night of Halloween, and he was at a party that was lasting a full three days -not that he was going to be there that long- to celebrate All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day. It was supposedly at the house of a couple that Noah had known since he was small, friends of the family, so-to-say. It was in the place of an extremely large mansion, and each-and-every person had one thing in common:
Anonymity.
It was a masquerade ball, in which everyone was dressed in extremely elegant clothing and masks. Aludra was no exception, wearing one of the most well-recognized forms of Venetian mask, with black and gold detailing, the parchment-coloured base smothered in music notes. His costume matched, the fabric dyed to match the colours of old parchment, small pieces of music painted in proper detail every now-and-again, as the entire costume being covered in them would be a bit overwhelming. It was little more than simply a tailored tailcoat and a pair of slacks, though the cloak clipped around his shoulders only added to the effect. It nearly swept the floor, pure black and detailed with thick gold swirls that started at the bottom and reached a vanishing point little more than halfway up, the hood kept off of his head for just that effect.
Even Aludra's hair betrayed that which he usually wore, gently curled -by his sister- and loose from it's usual ponytail, hanging in waves around his shoulders. He'd done his best to cover up both scars and scales, and even managed to keep his tail well-behaved beneath his robe. His remaining anklewing was wrapped in bandages to keep it pressed against his leg, however uncomfortable, so he was able to wear a pair of boots that went just above his ankles. In all honesty, no one who knew him would be able to pick him out of the crowd.
And that was exactly what he loved about it. No one knew who he was, and even if he saw someone he knew, anything he did tonight would be remembered with no face attached to it, simply a tag of 'that one kid in the mask'. He chuckled softly to himself, sipping a bit at a cup of water he'd poured for himself as he sat next to the snack table. He'd even managed to train himself out of his third-person for the night, creating his own persona for the night, someone who was him if only he were... better. More a prince than a knight, perhaps.
A smile crossed his face and he sighed to himself happily. Tonight would be fun. That he was sure of.
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:13 am
Unbeknown to her heartthrob, Lirona was feeling much of the same things that Aludra was feeling, as she was in the same situation. Courtesy of Adhara, she had gotten wind of this magnificent party and, even though her friend wasn't going, she had gathered up the courage to go alone. She needed to meet new people, anyway; it didn't do her any good to mope around on the couch when Adhi didn't take her out.
So the transvestite spawn mingled with the best of them, gliding happily through the crowds, smiling from underneath her extravagant beaded mask. It perfectly matched her black ballgown, trimmed along the edges with pale pink lace, the same shade as the lacy petticoats that bustled underneath. The bodice was beaded black in various intricate designs and was sleeveless, as Lirona was constantly reminded of whenever she shivered slightly and drew her silky deep pink shawl tighter around her. Her black heels clicked rhythmically as she walked to one of the many refreshment tables and refilled her glass with cider.
Sighing to herself, she walked back into the cluster of people, having already found several that made good conversation and eager for more. The fact that they only knew each other by their masks made it even more fun. A wistful smile drew across her face as she thought of the glorious spirit of the ball; it felt like something Aludra would like. Even though it was silly to think that he would go anywhere she went nowadays...
Lost in reverie, Lirona lost track of where she was going, and managed to trip over another person's foot, stumbling and splashing her cider all over a young man in a old-style Venetian mask and music-covered coat. Gasping in horror, Lir immediately began dabbing at the splashes with a napkin she had picked up, apologizing over and over. "Oh my God, oh my God, I am so sorry, oh goodness, I just didn't watch my step God I can be such a klutz oh I am SO sorry..."
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:22 am
For the time-being, Aludra was perfectly content listening to the music that echoed around the ballroom, the bustle of feet, watching as people commingled and nearly seemed to blend together as one entity given the wideness of the dresses, the glittering masks, quite a few of which matched his own. It was this that was the reason he didn't notice the female who tripped in front of him until a moment too late, jumping to his feet in surprise when he felt the wetness splash across his clothing.
The male laughed softly, taking the girl's hand in his own and pressing the napkin down with the aid of it, smiling gently in an obviously forgiving way, part of him honestly wondering if it was hard cider [and a smaller part of him wondering if he should go find out].
"It's perfectly fine," he said quietly, praising the Lord for his ability with words and how well that would mask his true identity; after all, who in the world actually knew how articulate he could really be. Maybe Adhara? Maybe? "After all, it's nothing more than a tiny spill, nothing to be worried about," he said, surprised that his voice was behaving and not shooting into the high, obnoxious pitches it had been exploring on occasion over the past month or so. "Much better than if it had been wine, yes?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:33 am
Lirona blinked at the boy's hand closing over her own and pressed it towards him, lipsticked mouth opening slightly in a silent question before catching his eye and smiling nervously, glancing down and drawing her hand across her face, as if to sweep a piece of hair away from her face. A force of habit here not needed, as her orange hair was safely done up in a twisting bun. Her tentacle, which had up until now been wrapped tightly around her waist, reached out and brushed the jacket gently, as if to apologize, before Lirona gasped quietly and tugged it back. She had no want to be thought of as different today, thank you very much. Laughing nervously, she smiled back at the male, trying to covertly rewrap her curious tentacle.
"I suppose so. I'm still sorry, though; jeez, I should really learn to watch my step," Lirona said with a small chuckle, playfully batting herself in the head. She bounced up and down on her heels for a moment, considering what she'd say next, before she looked back at the masked boy with a wide smile. "I know, I'll make it up to you! Um, do you want..." she trailed off, looking around the large hall filled with people before laughing lightly. "Anything? And it's no trouble, I promise."
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:43 am
Oddly enough, Aludra had managed to not figure out who this new female was for quite a bit after she'd showed up, somehow missing quite a few signs. Mainly, the clumsiness, the hair, the bright yellow eyes that only shone brighter from behind the black lace of the mask. It was when the marble tentacle extended that he realized who, exactly, he was dealing with. His temper immediately told him to lash out, but it was stomped into submission with very little effort. Rather, he gently brushed the top of the tentacle with two gloved fingertips, as though petting it, returning the affection.
There was no reason to blow everything about this night up just because Lirona-Lironax was here; he didn't need to hate everything because he ran into the transgirl. Besides, part of him entertained the idea of his persona actually liking females, something that he often wished he could do on a daily basis. And given how well Lironax pulled off being a girl... hell, if he didn't know any better, he really would think she was female. As such, he acted none-the-wiser.
A charming smile crossed his face, though he, himself, would never describe it as such, and he pressed the palm of his hand to the uncovered portion of Lirona's cheek. Letting it hover there for a moment, he slowly moved to take her hand instead. "I ask nothing more than to dance..." he said, voice a bit hushed to make sure that it wasn't going to crack, lifting the hand to his lips and kissing it gently. "...with one so lovely as yourself."
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:55 am
Lirona gasped quietly and even took a half-step back when the male's gloved hand touched her cheek so tenderly, heart skipping a beat as she felt a gentleness she had never felt from a boy before. In her experience, boys were rough and blunt and... hit things more often than not. The idea of a boy being gentle towards her was a novel one, and one she quite enjoyed.
She did indeed step back when this mysterious man kissed her hand, a faint blush rising to her cheeks and his words spinning in her head. Lovely? Her? The idea sent a pleasant bubbling feeling into her stomach, and she giggled, drawing her hand back to cover her blushing face. Her eyes glanced to the side, trying to regain control of herself. She couldn't let herself be swept so easily off of her feet by such a handsome, charming, elegant stranger...
She looked back at the boy sidelong, torn in-between desires for a moment, before she turned back and fidgeted. "I... I wouldn't recommend that. I'm... I'm not a very good dancer," she said with a forced laugh, trying to ignore sickly sweet memories of her and Aludra's first - and likely only - kiss. A light sigh almost escaped her lips as she stared at the ground. Was she doomed to have him follow everywhere?
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 1:09 am
The young male was trying to figure out whether or not Lirona was able to tell who he was, watching her every movement rather critically, though he was easily able to mask that with the glances being more appreciative than anything. Hopefully, he was covered enough to almost appear to be a normal child, although his horns did stick up behind the mask a bit. However, given the nature of the party, that was almost safe in comparison to many of the other things being worn by the partygoers.
It was the response that he got from his suggestion that assured him that Lir was unaware of who he was, and that made him hope even more that the red in his eyes was nearly invisible, or at least enough that it looked as though he was simply wearing contacts. He chuckled softly at the adorable reactions of the 'female' and smiled gently at her suggested retraction of the invitation, to which he shook his head.
"I don't believe for a moment that you could be any worse than some that I've seen," he replied, honestly telling the truth at that point; he'd seen some pretty terrible dancers in that class of his, even worse than Lironax had been. He reached out and took her hand gently in his own, leading her out onto the dance floor, positioning her hands just so and leaning forward to whisper something into her ear, only to seem less like he was telling her to do something to those who were simply watching all the dancing couples. "I'll lead and you follow. I promise that it won't be anything too complicated."
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 1:23 am
Lirona smiled almost sadly up at the masked boy, the encouragement being the single thing she wanted and the last thing she expected. She let herself be lead to the dancing floor, looking at the other couples and envied their grace already. Although that particular dance had had... pleasurable results, she hadn't pursued it afterwards; all she could remember is how much she had embarrassed Aludra.
The words of the mystery boy brought her back to the present, and she nodded her head, trying to disguise her lack of focus. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt the other's breath on her ear and she stared straight forward, eyes as wide as dinner plates. She couldn't help it; it was so... fairy-tale like that she was being constantly surprised by everything the boy did. Nodding once again, she glanced nervously down at her feet, praying that they not betray her this time.
And, miracles of miracles, they didn't. The boy was true to his word: it was a very simple dance. He led, and she followed. Pretty soon Lirona's worry cleared away, and she looked up at her partner with a delighted smile. She was having fun.
... oh my god, she was having fun.
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 1:36 am
Absolutely no part of Aludra wanted to ruin the happiness that played across Lirona's face, making his own heart race, wishing he was able to treat her so well on a regular basis without getting so caught up in such tiny little things like not doing something quite right. Maybe he should start rethinking how he acted, though. If he could do this, couldn't he be like this all the time? No, that wouldn't work... this was all a ruse, after all. An act.
But, damn, he was a good actor!
Unlike the more complex dance that Aludra and Lironax had been forced to practice the day that felt so long ago now, a Waltz was no where near as needing in direct focus, and Aludra was sure that he would probably be able to do it in his sleep if he ever needed to. A smile played across his own face in response to the female's, and he continued circling, though slowly their dance as he felt himself drawn toward Lirona's golden eyes as best he could with such a long mask.
Of course, his hypnotism changed when the music startled him by changing rather abruptly, making him chuckle a just a bit, shaking his head at the strange sounding symphony that was perhaps just a bit too fast for the boy-in-girl's-clothing to keep up with as well as he had been. Ending their dance carefully, he offered his arm to the girl. "Care to accompany me to the balcony, milady, for a breath of fresh air?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 1:47 am
Lirona easily lost track of time as the two of them span in slow, steady circles, smiling openly up at her masked partner. This was... perfect. It was like a scene in a movie. She was dancing - actually dancing - with a masked mystery man who was charming and gentle and kind... She sighed happily as she spun. She was so happy.
Caught up in these thoughts, she didn't quite notice when they had stopped dancing, and continued staring happily into the other before realizing herself and jumping a little, blushing and biting her lip as she nodded and timidly took the boy's arm, quite embarrassed.
When they reached the balcony, Lirona did indeed take a big breath of the crisp October air and leaned upon the marble railing, looking out into the city and sighing happily once again. She stood there for a few moments, a light wind rustling her dress, before she turned to look at the boy, a curious smile on her face. "Why are you doing this? I mean, I spill cider on you, and offer to pay you back, and you take me dancing, something that makes me happy." She turned slightly towards her masked boy, tipping her head to one side in gentle wonder. "Why?
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 2:06 am
This was driving him insane, by now. Not just the fact that he was acting, it was the entire anonymity thing that he'd previously been so happy with that was getting to him. He wanted more than anything at this point to be able to pull back his mask and reveal who he was, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to do that. With everything that he'd done, it would be too embarrassing to reveal that so many forward, flaunty, dare-he-say prideful actions had actually been him. He wouldn't be able to do that no matter how much his conscience told him that he should, and so he stayed quiet as he lead Lira out onto the balcony, stepping to the edge to cross his arms and rest his head on them, looking out into the city listlessly, enjoying the silence of the moment, and enjoying more when it was Lirona's voice that finally cut through it.
Tri-coloured eyes glanced over and the tip of his tail swished just a bit underneath the cloak, though it wasn't at all enough to be noticed. He chuckled a bit to himself, standing up and reducing the area between the both of them. Finally, he braced himself and stepped behind the female, wrapping both arms around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder.
"I can't say that I'm completely sure of the reasoning myself," he replied quietly, thoughtful. "I suppose it would be a result of a sort of 'Pay it Forward' concept. Never have I received any single thing, material or otherwise, that has ever made me happier than seeing each and every smile that has crossed your face," he said, seeming to drift into a daydreaming state toward the end of this, blinking in surprise at realizing what he's said and pressing the fingertips of one of his hands against his throat, as though wondering where that statement came from, before he smiled to himself and laughed softly. Well, now that it was out in the open...
Aludra took the female's hand in his own and spun her gently, covering her eyes with one hand in a manner that was anything but threatening, more joking, if you will. He leaned forward, once more to say something softly into her ear. "Promise to keep your eyes closed, only for the moment. I have something for you."
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 2:24 am
As had seemingly become her habit tonight, Lirona gasped softly as the boy slipped behind her, mouth opening in confusion, perhaps even to protest.
But his words silenced her. Golden eyes looked blankly onto the marble balcony, not able to believe what she was hearing because, well, how could that be true? How could the few smiles that she'd given this boy over the past twenty minutes mean more than anything else he's ever had? That was... that was ridiculous! That would be like saying that the masked boy was just in love with her as she was with Aludra, for there was no doubt that she felt the same way.
Felt the same way...
Aludra...
The same...
Whatever conclusion her mind was thinking up was swiftly eradicated before it could grow to fruition by the hand over her eyes. As odd as the position was, Lirona found herself to be unafraid. In fact, more than anything, she was excited. Gnawing at her pale pink lipstick, she nodded once. "Alright, Mr. Mask. I promise."
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 2:36 am
Had Aludra known the conclusion that the female was coming to, he would have practically fainted in relief that he'd managed to distract her before she realized who he really was behind the mask. A smile played at his lips as she simply stood with his hand over her eyes, chuckling softly at how oddly vulnerable a position she was in, with a complete 'stranger', and he shook his head. It was just like Lir to feel completely comfortable in a position that would leave many other people dead-scared for one reason or another.
"Now, now. Don't peek," he said quietly, moving his hand away from her eyes and lifting the mask onto his forehead, hands shaking already with what he was really doing. He'd never have believed he would do something like this anytime before now, but the moment, he felt, called for such actions. Keeping one hand wrapped around the beak of the mask to pull it down in an instant if need be, he let his eyes fall shut, taking a step forward and gently pressing his lips against Lirona's.
It was... completely different than the last 'kiss' he'd shared with his friend. Instead of uncomfortable and rather painful, it was softer and more emotional, filled with what he felt was a powerful lust, though in no way sexual. A want, a need for things to be like this in real life, for this to be more than the mere one-night fairytale that it was. Even for Aludra, who had to press his eyes shut tighter for a moment to press back the tears that threatened to fall, to ruin his facade, to show who he truly was, force him to admit that he was doing all of this because underneath everything, underneath the anger, the fury, the abuse, the self-loathing, the phobia...
He felt he was in too deep to be able to admit that underneath all of this, he truly was in love with Lirona.
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 3:06 am
Lirona chuckled at the other's repeated order, and shook her head slightly. "I said I'm not going to, silly. Now just gi-"
...a kiss. He gave her a kiss. A single, heart-stopping, mind-racing, skin-numbing kiss that almost made the spawn stare. But she didn't. She couldn't. She had promised this boy, for whatever motives he had, that she wouldn't look at him, so she wouldn't. She stepped a little closer, angling her mouth to deepen the kiss, her Lust DNA already clamoring for more of this knightly boy, already making plans to see and take all of him. And for a moment, the thought was clearly in Lirona's mind, how simple it could be to have him.
But her Patience intervened, as it always had. She... She couldn't. She couldn't be with him, probably couldn't even see him again. She was bound to Aludra. It was the angry, paradoxically self-centered boy she needed kissing her, not this prince. She smiled sadly as a few tears leaked out and traced down her cheeks, and she reached a hand forward and laid it on top of the mask and the boy's hand. After a moment, she slowly lowered the mask, breaking their contact at the very last moment and not opening her eyes until she was sure that he was covered. A heartbroken smile decorated her face as she leaned up and kissed him briefly on the cheek and whispered into his ear.
"I'm sorry. There's... someone I'm waiting for."
With that, she turned and ran, sobbing quietly behind her mask as she fled the party, a Cinderella without a clock, not stopping or daring to stop until she was a good ways down the road, sitting in the lawn of a park and sobbing quietly into her hands. It was so unfair. That kiss had nothing to do with him, and yet it insisted in reminding her of Aludra. Why did everything have to be him?
After a while, she stopped and sighed, looking up at the sky and over to where she could still see the mansion lit up in its festive glory. A few fireflies came out of nowhere and spiraled around Lirona's head before dancing off into a different darkness. She smiled, rubbed her eyes, and began to walk home, feeling a little better for some reason.
But no more fairy-tale balls for her.
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fallingUPstairs__x x Crew
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 3:23 am
There wasn't too much surprise when Lira's hand fell to his, pulling the mask back down. For that matter, he was grateful that the other had actually done that rather than not even bothered to follow the idea of the masquerade. And yet he was disappointed, ashamed that he was unable to reveal himself, unable to take off the costume and show her who he was, let her know that he felt the same way.
But it was what she said that had his hands at the ribbons that tethered the mask to his face, pulling at the bow until it came loose, letting the mask drop to the ground beside himself, for once truly sacrificing his own feelings about the situation to the stronger ones of another. When the mask was gone, however, so was the girl, and his heart stopped in his chest, a gasp falling from his mouth. He shook his head to himself; this couldn't happen- the one time he actually believed that he could say something, this could not happen!!
Finally regaining his ability to move, Aludra turned and ran through the throng of dancers, bursting out onto the balcony on the opposite side of the building, wide green-and-red eyes glancing around fervently for Lirona, anything to actually confess the stupid feelings that he accepted, at least for this one moment. Finally, he spotted the silhouette, running from the building, and he opened his mouth to call after her, only for not a sound to come out but a choked up sob.
Standing there, maskless and crying to himself, Aludra could do nothing more than watch his princess vanish slowly into the setting sun...
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