tushanshu_logs | Event | Masquerade Ball

Event | Masquerade Ball

Characters: All
Date: The Evening of October 30th
Location: The Courtyard of Public Opinion
Situation: Valdis and 'Rue' have put together an All Hallows Eve Masquerade Ball.
Warnings/Rating: None

The day has finally arrived and the morning and afternoon are spent putting together what will be the scene of the Masquerade Ball at the Courtyard of Public Opinion. Kedan can be seen coming and going, carrying in decorations and lights and later on, various foods and desserts. Valdis, and Rue can occasionally be glimpsed directing people and moving things around, but anyone not a part of the setup will be ushered on and discouraged from lingering.

As night falls, the Courtyard will be brightly lit and ready for guests...

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"...This was the plan," Pepper admits a little sheepishly. Truth be told, most of the planning had gone into the making of the contents of the box.

"I figured you wouldn't, but then I thought, well, you don't have to be the one actually going. Sort of. You can be someone else, if you want. That's kind of the point of a masquerade party, you know," she says, almost teasing. "At least open it. Even if I can't literally drag you out of the dojo it can be a nice birthday present."

If he does open it, he'll find a red coat with lines of silver similar to the cloak worn by the Thief King, but instead of solid bands of color, there are hieroglyphs woven into them, a repeating pattern that spells both Bakura and the name Wepwawet, an Egyptian funerary god whose name means "opener of ways". Pepper thought it was appropriate. The names repeat with the exception of one section around the wrist of the hand Bakura draws his cards with, which spells Diabound.

Along with the coat is a grayish white mask of a wolf, and a nice hair tie, should Bakura be willing to tie back his mane in order to alter his appearance just so.

Bakura's eyebrow had raised slightly until he got what Pepper was talking about, with not going as oneself. At her request, he dipped his head and pulled the box a bit closer, tugging off the ribbon and lifting the lid.

The colour strikes him first, and though he knows he showed Pepper his past self, that she managed to get a coat so similar in colour still catches him off guard. Standing from his chair so he can lift it from the box fully, his fingers trace over the hieroglyph borders, until they find his own name there and he realizes they aren't simply random embellishment. "Wepwawet," he says, bemused. "A good choice."

Bakura's fingers still, however, when the reach the sleeve where the hieroglyphs break from their repeating pattern. Diabound. Combined with the obvious attention to detail and thoughtfulness of the whole thing -- far above and beyond what a normal gift would be, he was certain -- leaves the thief struck mute for a moment.

And far too magnanimous a gift to not use for its intended purpose.

Bakura glances back up at Pepper, a wry smile appearing. "Aa, well, far be it for me to turn down such a pointed invitation," he replied. Picking up the hair tie, he caught it lightly in his mouth to use both hands and begin sweeping his hair back into a high ponytail, in a way that suggested he's done this before.

For a moment, Pepper is worried that he doesn't like it. She's not exactly well versed in Egyptian symbolism, and Bakura might have some history that wouldn't endear him to the gift. And then he smiles. The thief might be exceptional at keeping Pepper on her toes, but she has a particular talent for surprising him.

"Great," she says, grinning. Pepper clasps her hands together so they don't betray the internal dance of triumph that's going on. That was easier than she thought it would be. "This dance will totally make up for the fact that I'm probably not going to prom this year either."

When he's finished tying his hair back, Pepper notes that he does look quite different, even though it's obviously still him. It's enough to pretend he's someone else and get away with it, if he chooses.

Bakura spoke around the hair tie, distorting his words somewhat, although what he said was still discernible. "Fair warning, biahbenat, I don't know how to dance, and I don't say that just to be modest."

With his hair up, his features seemed even more narrow and angular, thought he mask would cover most of it. The coat draped over one arm, he picked up the box and went through the other door into the apartment, so that Pepper could follow. "I'll be a moment," he said, passing through the kitchen, living room and into the bedroom, bumping the door halfway closed with his foot as he went.

"I don't either, actually," Pepper says smoothly, shrugging it off. "Not like waltzes or anything, at least, but I doubt Valdis or the kedan are familiar with the dulcet tones of "Call Me Maybe" or any of the better metal bands I listen to that make for good dance music."

She follows him into the apartment, a little amused at the sight of the ponytail bouncing on the back of his head. It's a good look for him, she thinks.

"I've heard fighting is a lot like dancing," she continues, a little louder so he can hear her through the door, and leans against the kitchen counter. "Although you probably end up with a lot less bruises and the dress code is way prettier."

Bakura strips off his shirt and tosses it carelessly onto the bed, reaching for a clean black one to put under the coat. His jeans shortly joined the discarded shirt, and after another moment he emerged, fastening the front and looking at Pepper. The red did suit him, though not quite as well as it had when his complexion was dark. Still, it played well, and the cut of the coat fell briskly from his shoulders. He hadn't buttoned it up all the way yet, the collar parted for the moment, and the wolf mask neatly tucked under one arm.

"Well?" he said, feeling rather self-conscious.

When Bakura re-emerges, it's Pepper's turn to be surprised. After a moment's consideration, she puts her hands on her hips and tilts her head to the side, the corners of her mouth upturned in a failed attempt to force the grin down. While it's true that a tan might be of use to complete the image, she's pleased with the result.

"Wow. I might have done my job too well. People might decide you're better to look at than me, and I think we both know I'm the pretty one," she says brightly, lifting the mask off her face. "I told you that you should wear red more often. It looks great."

"Everyone knows you're the pretty one," Bakura returned absently, fiddling with the cuff of the jacket before glancing back up at her. "I'll see what I can do about more red."

Gift of clothing aside, he still wasn't entirely sold on the party idea, but there was nothing to be lost by not going, and Pepper had gone out of her way to make sure he could while fitting in.

"To the Courtyard?" he asked.

This time, when Pepper blushes, she's not wearing the mask (slamming it back down on her face is not a graceful option), and she hopes she's far enough across the room that her cheeks have time to cut it out before Bakura notices, even though she should have expected that response.

"Yup! I can't wait to check out the refreshment table, I heard it's supposed to be amazing," Pepper replies. She will never pass up an opportunity to sample delicious food. "And maybe someone can teach us how to dance. You know, properly."

Following in the footsteps of Sadie Hawkins, she offers her arm to Bakura.

"It might have been wise to learn that before the night of," he replied dryly. "But we'll see."

He wouldn't have understood the Sadie Hawkins reference, but he took the proffered arm.

((Jump up to the regular headers?))

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Event | Masquerade Ball

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