a gilded ball –– open starter –– garden of eden ( winter palace )
hands clasped, folded neatly behind his back, azrael walks with near perfect posture, even as his footsteps are muffled by the paths winding through the lush gardens, and no soul accompanies him to lay judgement were he to slouch. cliche as it may be, and he knows it is, he needs the coolness of air to soothe the dull ache in his head. he’s already tasted too much wine, and the night is still young. if he is not careful he will become properly inebriated, and such a state would be ill-advised, given the mountain of paperwork he has to go through.
frowning, he moves to settle near one of the smaller pools, far enough away from the waterfall that it does not fill his ears with rushing water to further cloud his senses. his fingers, unblemished, reach to draw through the cool waters, colorful guppies chase after them, nibbling at his fingerpads. he sits in quiet contemplation for some time, thoughts wandering to the many strangers filling the gilded halls. the palace is not his home, but it is not far off from his patron’s residence. he is not unused to iron, glittering gold, colors too bright, just as the fish are. he thinks of the company of men and women who arrived with a flurry of gossip. stories arrive to the capitol so quickly these days, and while he suspects some truth in them, he cannot help but believe much to be exaggerated, if nothing else. the individuals though? well, surely there are many brunettes with green eyes all across the land. it cannot be who his heart yearns for it to be and he refuses to permit himself to think on it any further, eyes closing beneath the coolness of his mask.
he loses track of time, when he hears another, but does not rise to meet them, first turning his head to see. blue eyes undistorted by the elegance of the mask shielding the rest of his face, his smile is only slightly changed. “it seems these places suit cliches for a reason,” he hums, warmth in his tone, “are you finding the palace to be as daunting as i have?” he asks. even after all this time, azrael is not comfortable here, hidden away, his mask immediately marking him property of his patrons, the bronze chosen not by his own hand, nor the artwork giving him an almost owl like disposition. how appropriate for a scholar, he thinks, bitterly, only momentarily thankful that the brand shields his true feelings from the stranger.
events like this adriella has always been so used to being practically glued to her uncle's side for most of this. she was his apprentice and assistant it was only right for her to stay by his side and help when needed. discussions on uses of magic or areas where their assistance could be needed. plus it seemed her uncle and her shared a similar view of what these parties were like.
but tonight she needed some separation from her uncle, whom she missed dearly. tonight she was not just a regular member or the party but a part of a larger group, here with a job. her uncle could wait a moment before she got out the information they were looking for.
sweeping through the party, she often felt like she stood out in these events. her black clothing like an odd marking amongst the beautiful pastels dresses that swirled around her. but it was traditional for a magician like her to keep in black clothing as much as they could. she always had memories of her mother in black dresses and it was something marli had always just seemed to stick to. her mask maybe not as intricate as the others or covered as much of her face but it was enough to keep the status of who she was.
after wandering the party she ventured out into the garden, happy to get away from the chittering of guests for a moment. but there in the distance, she saw a familiar face."azrael you know i always find all of the daunting, just as you do." the magician smiled at her friend. it only took a few steps and she was by his side, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace. "i have missed you dear friend." she said as she held him tight. letting go of him, she took a step back to really look at him, mask and all. "I'm glad you are here tonight."