house of cards.

❝ everybody says its over, but i can't stop. is this sweat or tears ? i can't really tell. my love tripped bare, the stormy winds. they make me run again. my heart beats again. make me run. let my feet rip apart with wounds. at least i can smile when i see you. run, i can't stop it. run, i can't help it. this is all i can do, anyway. all i know is how to love you. ❞

[mvgicshcpx]

❝ ✦ ◜ 𝐂 𝐇 𝐈 𝐖 𝐎 𝐍 ; 𝐓 𝐇 𝐄  𝐃 𝐑 𝐄 𝐀 𝐌 𝐄 𝐑 ◞

          WHEN SOHYE OPENED the door, chiwon made a show of gasping and pretending to faint, stumbling backwards with the back of his hand against his forehead. ❝ your beauty !! i’m dying from sohye’s beauty !! i’m going to die right in this hallway because sohye is shining brighter than the sun !! ❞ he wasn’t able to keep the act up after that, breaking into a fit of giggles and grinning at his friend.

          ❝ oh, i’ve got something for you !! ❞ he said. his hand rummaged through his pocket, and when he took it out, something was hidden in his enclosed fist. ❝ surprise !! ❞ when he opened his hand, there was a pair of earrings in his hand. they were little ice-cream studs, vanilla ice cream with sprinkles. ❝ i wanted to get you something, and they’re not super fancy or anything, but hopefully you’ll like ‘em !! ❞

        ❝ ✦ ◜ AT CHIWON’S DRAMATICS, the tiny girl burst into a fit of giggles, twirling around a bit before bouncing up and down excitedly. ❝ chiwonnie !! chiwonnie, you silly !! ❞ she exclaimed, clapping her hands together as best as she could while holding her clutch. ❝ you can’t die before we go to the ball !! if you die, then i’ll die !! and then we’ll both miss the ball !! and you look too handsome to miss the ball, chiwonnie !! so, you can’t diiiieee !! ❞ she shouted, in a fit of her best dramatics, before breaking out into giggles once again.

                  ❝ you do ?? oh, chiwonnie, you didn’t have to get me anything !! ❞ she gasped, laying her hand over her heart at the sight of the earrings in his hand. ❝ oh, chiwonnie !! they’re lovely !! ❞ carefully, she took the earrings from his hand and removed the ones she’d already had in her ears. ❝ i love them with my whole entire heart !! they’re perfect !! ❞ she replaced the earrings she had previously been wearing with the ice-cream studs. ❝ and they’re my favourite ice cream, too !! ❞ ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

❝ ✦ ◜ 𝐄 𝐋 𝐈 𝐀 𝐒 ◞

          ELIAS LEANED AGAINST the wall, though only a little, just in case he ruined his suit before he’d even headed inside the ballroom itself. looking a bit dirty was inevitable when one fought crime, especially under the radar like he did, but tonight wasn’t the night for that. tonight, he planned on just enjoying himself because life was too short to be fight all the time.

          hearing his name, elias peered over and through the crowd until he spotted someone he swore was adhira. he couldn’t be completely sure by her appearance, but her voice was a giveaway, at least to him. he raised his arm and waved it around, as if to confirm that it was definitely him and that she should make her way over as quickly as possible.

          ❝ right here !! ❞ he called, not caring about how loud he was being. there were other people trying to gain the attention of their friends, after all, so he didn’t think anyone would mind too much.

        ❝ ✦ ◜ AS SOON AS adhira saw the figure whom she’d assumed was elias raise his hand and wave it around, her assumptions were proven correct, and she let out a small sigh of relief. she truly was far from skilled in the art of social interaction, and shouting at some stranger from across the room would most definitely have not been the most civil of occurrences to begin her night.

                  she let out a light laugh when he called out to her and made her best effort to weave through the maze-like sea of people as quickly as possible. it was odd seeing elias in such formal attire, considering she most commonly saw him while in his vigilante suit, but he looked nice, just as nice as anyone else in the room.

                  upon finally approaching him, she gave a small smile. ❝ you look handsome, ❞ she said, slightly awkwardly. she had ever been all too great at giving compliments, after all, even if she meant them; such a skill had simply never been in her nature. ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

❝ ✦ ◜ 𝐉 𝐀 𝐄 𝐒 𝐔 𝐍 𝐆 ; 𝐂 𝐎 𝐒 𝐌 𝐎 𝐒 ◞

          LI WEI HAD always been pretty. jaesung had always known this from an objective standpoint, though he’d never really said as much, if only because he wasn’t inclined to participate in class gossip. still, it was something he’d thought once or twice for a brief moment before continuing on with his day, so he’d known before she opened the door that she would look nice. he just wasn’t ready for how nice.

          ❛ pretty ❜ was a complete understatement. his eyes widened behind his mask, and he was glad his expression was mostly hidden beneath it, though he was sure no one would blame him for having such a reaction, even if it was subtle. on most days, li wei was pretty. tonight, she was beautiful.

          he smiled slightly as she greeted him. ❝ and you look… wonderful. ❞ there were better words he could have used, but he didn’t want to be too forward. ❝ but thank you. i have something for you before we go. ❞ he offered the flower clip that sat in the centre of his palm. ❝ it’s not much, but i didn’t want to go overboard. ❞

        ❝ ✦ ◜ IT HAD TAKEN everything in li wei’s power not to start crying when jaesung had told her that she could go to the ball with him, but it took even more power for her not to sobbing now that jaesung was standing right in front of her, looking as handsome as ever. this was already a night the small girl had only ever dreamed of, but not one that she would have ever expected to come true.

                  she just barely noticed how his eyes widened, but she failed to think anything much of it. she just smiled and twisted one of her curls around her finger. she hoped she looked alright. jaesung looked as handsome as she could have ever imagined, he always did, and so she hoped that she looked alright, too.

                     at his words, a light pink blush came to her lips and she puffed out her cheeks, as if trying to stop herself from reddening too much. ❝ thank you very much, sungie-pie, ❞ she giggled softly, looking down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at him. ❝ oh, sungie, you didn’t have to get me anything !! ❞ still, she let out a small gasp at the sight of the flower clip. ❝ sungie, i love it !! it’s perfect !! ❞ she took the clip from his hand and carefully clipped it into her hair. ❝ it’s the bestest gift i have ever received !! thank you, thank you, sungie-pie !! ❞ and she meant it, with all of her heart. then, she pouted. ❝ oh, but i didn’t get you anything, dearest sungie, i’m oh, so sorry !! ❞ ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

❝ ✦ ◜ 𝐀 𝐋 𝐄 𝐗 𝐀 𝐍 𝐃 𝐄 𝐑 ; 𝐒 𝐇 𝐎 𝐂 𝐊 ◞

          ALEXANDER HADN’T HAD any intention of going to the ball, not because he thought he wouldn’t have had a good time, but because there wasn’t any real reason for him to go, and it wasn’t like he would know anyone there. he hadn’t felt like playing any pranks, either. he’d been sure plenty of villains would have the same idea, which was exactly why his mother wanted him to go in the first place. she’d thrown a suit she’d stolen at him and told him to keep an eye out for the other league members, the ones from the main branch, leaving nothing up for discussion.

          of course, he didn’t plan on completely following through. why bother ?? he was getting sick of all these missions based around spying on their fellow league members. instead, he was going to take himself, his black pants, white shirt, and fancy floral suit jacket and have a bit of fun. if his cousin ever stopped complaining.

          ❝ you just hate it ‘cause you’re too short for your dress, ❞ he said with a crooked grin, enjoying her discomfort. ❝ as far as i can tell, plenty of people. ❞ he gestured to the other attendees around them.

        ❝ ✦ ◜ THE ONLY REASON seona had gone to the ball in the first place was because her father had heard that alexander was going, so she had to go too. he had thrown the stolen gown at her and told her to go seek out whatever the other league members on their mission failed to. thus, while she had a habit of throwing tantrums and defying most people, she obeyed her father with complete and utter ease, not even throwing a snarky comment his way. she knew better than to disobey her father, after all.

                   so, her plan was to be grumpy all night until she actually had to do what her father had instructed her to do, and if annoying alexander came in hand with her being grumpy, so be it.

                  ❝ shut the fuck up, you jizz-guzzler !! i’m not too short for the dress, the dress is just too long for me !! ❞ she grumped, punching his arm lightly. ❝ yeah, well all of these people are sissies. they’re spoiled brats who do nothing but this all the time !! of course they want to wear these dumb things !! it’s all they know how to do !! ❞ ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

❝ ✦ ◜ 𝐇 𝐘 𝐄 𝐑 𝐈 𝐍 ; 𝐇 𝐄 𝐋 𝐈 𝐗 ◞

          IT WASN’T EVERY day that helix was able to go to such a prestigious event, even if it was for a mission. she’d taken the opportunity to obtain ( read: steal via pixelis’ hacking skills ) a dress that was perfect for both her and the ball itself. black and gold truly were her colours, and the gold mask she wore only complimented the outfit.

          after entering through the hotel’s back door and messing with a few members of the security staff, she’d gone to one of the bathrooms to change, her makeup already done. she left once she was ready to not only sneak around and gather as much intel as she could, but to find honey. she knew they were here and it was her job to make sure they didn’t say anything stupid to any heroes or other important people. they’d done it before and they might do it again. the league couldn’t have that.

          honey was easy to spot. they were severely underdressed, and helix felt a pang of anger at their father, knowing he was to blame. it was a good thing she’d come prepared just in case.

          ❝ uh-uh, you’re not going anywhere, ❞ she said, coming up behind them and dumping a sling bag at their feet. ❝ put those on. i’ll wait. ❞

        ❝ ✦ ◜ HONEY BRIEFLY CONTEMPLATED between going to find the other villains that were at the ball on the mission or simply leaving the way they entered and fleeing back home, telling their father that he was right and that they shouldn’t have gone to the ball at all.

            the crack in their cheek chipped a bit more and cracked even further as they anxiously scratched at it, and, despite their usual dread of it, the needle that their father so often stuck into their arm sounded almost welcoming, almost comforting. and they had just made the decision to rush back to the base and to their father when they heard a familiar voice speak from behind them.

            they jumped a bit at the sudden voice before spinning around, and they couldn’t even get one word in before helix dropped the bag at their feet. they stared at the bag for a moment, silently contemplating whether they should argue that they should really go home, since their papa wanted them home and all, before realising that they weren’t allowed to argue. so, without uttering so much as a sound, the doll-like boy picked up the bag and hugged it close to them as they scurried off to the bathroom ( which took them a few minutes to find, but they found it eventually ) to go get changed.

             honey had never seen a suit so nice, let alone been told to wear one. it was mostly black, with gold, tree-branch-like embellishments subtly adorning the surface. it was trimmed with a bit of pretty gold lace, and the cuffs of the sleeves were of the same lace, soft and frilly against their hands.

             once they were dressed, they went to steal a quick look in the mirror and, as they slid the black, lace-embellished mask onto their face and let it rest on the bridge of their nose as they tied the gold ribbon around their head, they swallowed hard; they couldn’t even recognise themself. the only thing telling them that it was still them was their silver hair and the crack in their cheek, and they smiled. they somewhat liked that the sudden lack of familiarisation, liked the feeling of not feeling quite like honey.

             after that, though, they quickly rushed back to helix, struggling to find her amidst the crowd for a moment before finally spotting her, right where she had been when they had left. ❝ d-do i ... do i-i --- ❞ again, they scratched anxiously at their cracked cheek, little bits of porcelain chipping off into their hand. ❝ ... do i fit in ?? do -- do i fit in okay now ?? ❞ ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

❝ ✦ ◜ 𝐒 𝐎 𝐎 𝐉 𝐔 𝐍 𝐆  &&  𝐙 𝐈 𝐇 𝐀 𝐎 ◞

          ZIHAO LAUGHED WHEN he saw taesuk, not because he looked bad – when did anyone in their group ever look bad ?? never, that’s when – but because he should have expected all the sparkles. they weren’t a surprise in the slightest, just as he was sure he and yaozu wearing the exact same suit wasn’t.

          ❝ you’re shimmering under the ballroom light !! though i wouldn’t expect anything less from you, ❞ he said, grinning, then looked around. ❝ no soojungie yet ?? ❞

          MEANWHILE, SOOJUNG WAS only just entering the building, feeling a little self-conscious as she made her way to the ballroom. she didn’t think anyone recognised her, what with her curled hair and golden mask to match her golden dress, but she wasn’t used to wearing such beautiful clothes.

          when she arrived at the ballroom, she made a point of standing with her head up and her shoulder’s back. even if she wasn’t feeling all that confident, she could at least seem as though she was. ❛ fake it ‘til you make it ❜ and all that.

          she took a deep breath before walking through the doorway and descending the stairs. she held the skirt of her dress up the slightest bit to ensure she didn’t trip, and she was so engrossed in keeping herself safe that she almost didn’t hear zihao yell her name from the bottom of the stairs. looking up, she gave him a quick smile and a slight wave.

        ❝ ✦ ◜ AS SOON AS taesuk heard the shouting and the laughing, he spun around, knowing exactly who it was that such a ruckus was coming from. a smile broke out on his face at the sight of the twins and he let out a laugh of his own. ❝ that’s the point !! everyone would be utterly disappointed in me if i wasn’t shimmering, ❞ he said with a dramatic sigh, and then a smile. ❝ no, no soojungie, yet. not as far as i’ve seen anyone --- maybe she already came in and i just didn’t see her. ❞

            he looked toward the entrance again, watching as dozens of people entered and walked down the staircase. everyone looked enchanting tonight and everyone seemed happy --- this was the kind of environment he liked to be in.

            distracting with watching everyone enter, he almost didn’t recognized soojung amongst the crowd, not until zihao yelled out her name and she waved in their direction. instantly, as if on instinct, his eyes widened and his lips fell apart in absolute and complete awe. his heart beat a little bit faster and he suddenly felt just a bit nervous. he couldn’t even bring himself to wave back, all he could do was stare. ◞

        ❝ ✦ ◜ ❝ SOOJUNGIE !! ❞ YAOZU CALLED out, a bright smile upon his lips. ❝ you look fantastic !! stunning !! i love your dress --- did anyone help you pick it ?? oh, look !! you and taesukie are matching !! ❞ soojung hadn’t even reached them yet and the smile upon the twin’s face had already turned just a tad bit mischievous. ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

❝ ✦ ◜ 𝐘 𝐄 𝐉 𝐈 𝐍 ; 𝐃 𝐎 𝐕 𝐄 ◞

          YEJIN DIDN’T KNOW why she was trying so hard. she’d ensured her hair was in the most precise waves she’d ever seen and that her makeup was on point, not to mention that her dress and mask were absolutely perfect. it did bother her a little that she was focused so much on her appearance ( this was exactly what her mother would want ), but she supposed it was fine once in a while. this was an event where they were supposed to look their best.

          it had occurred to her that she hadn’t actually asked yumi what she wanted to do about meeting, whether they should do it in the dorms or at the ball itself, and she was about to text her when she heard the knock at the door. she had a feeling of who it was even before the person on the other side spoke, and she straightened her dress one last time before heading over to answer it.

          prior to opening the door, she’d known that yumi would look nice. of course she would, she always did. she just hadn’t been ready for just how nice she was. naturally, she prided herself on her ❛ resting bitch face ❜ and quickly recovered.

          ❝ hello, yumi, ❞ she said, looking the girl up and down briefly in a moment of weakness. ❝ you look nice. ❞ an understatement.

        ❝ ✦ ◜ YUMI HAD SPENT the entire afternoon trying to convince herself to not start crying when she saw how beautiful yejin looked, because she knew yejin would look beautiful. of course she would. yejin always looked beautiful. and the tiny girl thought she was prepared, thought she had had gotten all of her potential tears out and was ready to see her friend ( her date ?? ) look absolutely ethereal.

             boy, was she wrong.

             when the door swung open, yumi’s eyes instantly widened and her lips instantly fell apart. she was absolutely captivated by yejin’s beauty. part of her was thankful that the other girl was still here for her to pick up, otherwise this moment may not have happened. another part of her, however, thought that maybe she wouldn’t have made such a fool of herself like this if they had met at the ball ( or maybe she would have made even more of a fool of herself, who knows ).

             ❝ i -- you ... i -- you look ... i --- you’re beautiful, ❞ she spluttered for a few moments before blurting it out, instantly turning bright red with embarrassment. instantly, she held out the bunch of flowers and the charm bracelet toward yejin --- it only had one charm so far; a sun charm --- and tried to hide her blushing face with her pigtails. ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

❝ ✦ ◜ 𝐀 𝐏 𝐑 𝐈 𝐋 ◞

          WHILE APRIL WAS happy that she was going to the ball, she’d wanted to attend with someone rather than on her own. sure, she would see some friends there, so she wouldn’t be lonely, but she’d wanted to be asked. and not by just anyone. perhaps it had just been her fantasies running away with her. after all, heaven could probably ask anyone he wanted and have them say yes, so she didn’t understand why she’d been so hopeful.

          she was just about ready to go after ensuring her white-pink gown was in place. the sleeves – if she could really call them that – wrapped around her upper arms, the flowery lace design matching the one on her bodice and the very top of the skirt. it was a miracle she’d been able to acquire such a lovely dress.

          white clutch in her hands, she was about to head out the door when she heard the knock, and she frowned in confusion. she wasn’t expecting anyone, was she ?? she was sure she wasn’t. still, she opened the door and was surprised to see heaven there, her appreciation of how handsome he was overshadowed by her surprise.

          ❝ heaven ?? what are you doing here ?? ❞

        ❝ ✦ ◜ HEAVEN KNEW THAT there were quite a few fangirls who would have been far more than willing to attend the ball with him. some of them had practically thrown themselves at him, trying to get him to take the hint and ask them. there was only one girl that he wanted to go to the ball with, though --- there was only one person that he would go to the ball with. everyone knew who that was, so not even he was sure why people had even bothered with trying to get him to ask them.

              the day before the ball he had been pestered endlessly by sima about what he had ‘ forgotten to do ‘ regarding the ball. of course, he had no idea what she had been talking about. he hadn’t forgotten to do anything. he had a pretty suit, his favourite barista, and a beautiful corsage and gift for her --- he was set. sima was delusional.

              now, on his way to pick up his favourite barista, he had been entirely prepared for her to look absolutely stunning. april always looked stunning, after all. when the door actually opened, however, he suddenly realised that he hadn’t been prepared at all to take in just how beautifully stunning april actually was.

              he simply stared at her for a moment, eyes slightly wide and lips parted in a fit of complete and utter awe. he couldn’t bring himself to speak, couldn’t even think about speaking. he briefly thought that he was going to have a seizure right then and there. thankfully, he snapped himself back into reality before anything of the sort happened.

             ❝ i -- i, uh ... i --- the ball ?? unless you look that ... that --- ❞ beautiful. ❝ --- nice for another event entirely, but i ... we’re going, right ?? ❞ a stupid question, really, but it was all he could really manage to splutter out, giving her one more look over before letting his gaze fall down to the items in his hands. ❝ oh, right. for you. ❞ he offered the corsage to her first, still holding the small jewelry box in hand. ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

❝ ✦ ◜ 𝐀 𝐂 𝐄 𝐑 ◞

( @mvgicshcpx )

          THE BALL HAD barely begun and acer had already lost his siblings. sylvie was surely holing herself up in a corner, and cleo was probably chatting away and networking as much as she could, making the most out of so many important people in the one room. as much as acer wanted to talk to a bunch of heroes and heroes in training ( they were cool, and everyone wanted to talk to cool people ), he didn’t know where to begin, and so he stood there in his floral cleo lee original, stuffing a ginormous chocolate cupcake in his face.

        ❝ ✦ ◜ YAOZU HAD SOMEHOW managed to get separated from zihao, taesuk, and soojung, and his natural instinct was to try to find his twin brother. how hard could it be ?? they looked exactly the same. turns out, it could be a lot harder than he initially thought, what with the sea of people blocking his view from finding even taesuk, who was as sparkly and obvious as ever. what he found instead was a flowery boy, stuffing his face with what might have been the biggest cupcake he had ever seen.

               ❝ don’t choke, handsome, ❞ he called out, breathing out a light laugh, ❝ not sure how well a death at the ball would go over with our dear principal. ❞ ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

❝ ✦ ◜ 𝐘 𝐔 𝐍 𝐀 ; 𝐏 𝐒 𝐘 𝐑 𝐀 ◞

( @mvgicshcpx )

          YUNA WASN’T USED to such fancy clothing, let alone such fancy parties, but she knew she had to blend in as much as she possibly could. still, the mauve dress felt like too much for someone of such a lowly status like herself, with all its lacy embellishments down the bodice. helix had done her hair into something fancier than her usual ponytail, and the makeup felt foreign on her face, but most of it was covered by her mask, anyway.

          despite knowing she had to at least act as though she belonged there, she didn’t know if she would be able to do so properly. she hadn’t thought about dancing or socialising or anything of the sort, just observing. that was what she was here to do, after all, and so she continued to just sip on her drink and watch.

        ❝ ✦ ◜ VESPER HAD NEVER exactly been the biggest fan of formal events. he always found himself to awkward to ever actually have a fun time at them, but chaewon had done her best to convince him that he should go, and so he did, even if he didn’t have anyone to go with at all. he was sure he would find his friends there at some point.

                he wasn’t sure why he spent so much money on a suit that he was probably only going to wear once, but he did and it was too late to take it back. the suit was fairly simple, all black with sparkly, silver starry designs adorning the surface. his mask was similar, all black with subtle hints of silver here and there.

                upon arriving at the ball, just as he assumed, he ended up simply walking around a bit awkwardly. he tried to catch a glimpse of his friends, but couldn’t seem to spot them. he was beginning to think that he should call it quits and head home, but, luckily, he was torn from his thoughts upon lightly colliding with someone. instinctively, he let out a small yelp and a quick, ❝ oh my god !! i am --- i’m so sorry, i --- i’m so clumsy, oh my god. i’m so sorry --- ❞ ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

❝ ✦ ◜ 𝐑 𝐀 𝐈 𝐃 𝐄 𝐍 ; 𝐁 𝐋 𝐀 𝐂 𝐊  𝐂 𝐀 𝐓 ◞

( @mvgicshcpx )

          RAIDEN WAS FEELING pretty confident about the night ahead. he felt like a celebrity ( or perhaps more of a celebrity than he already was as a hero in training ) with his black suit with golden trimmings, his gold mask giving him away with the feline-esque shape to it. perhaps it made him stand out just that little bit more, but he had a brand, and he was going to follow through with it.

          he’d brought a corsage to go along with her dress – he’d begged saskia to tell him what colour it was – wanting to ensure the night went perfectly. he knew chaewon wasn’t the type to be easily swayed by gifts, and he didn’t want her to be. he just wanted to do something nice for her.

          he sent apollo a set of finger guns as he approached chaewon’s door, earning him a roll of the eyes and a bitter grumble as the other boy went downstairs. chuckling, he knocked on the door and waited.

        ❝ ✦ ◜ RAIDEN ASKING HER to the ball had been surprising to chaewon, considering she was sure that he could ask anyone he wanted and have them say yes in a heartbeat. what was even more surprising to her, though, was the fact that she had said yes. she still wasn’t entirely sure why she had said it, but she tried to convince herself that it was simply to get him to stop bothering her ( even if heaven had tried convincing her that that wasn’t the only reason ).

                 still, she made her best effort to look as night as she possibly could, even if it wasn’t a real date. she wore an all black dress, the bodice an almost sheer fabric and embellished with intricate, shimmery black designs all over. there was a triangle shape cut out at the stomach , right before it went into the skirt, which shared the same designs as the bodice, and was a high-low that ended just above her knees in the front and then slowly trailed down until it dragged across the floor in the back. her mask was simple, black with subtle floral designs adorning the surface. her hair was in loose, slightly messy curls, and she pinned them out of her face with a crescent moon and stair clip at the back of her head.

                 she had just sent saskia a ❛ wish me luck ❜ text as she heard the knock on the door, and she tucked her phone into her clutch before moving to answer it.

                 ❝ hey, rai, ❞ she greeted, allowing a soft smile to make its way to her lips for once, ❝ you look very handsome. ❞ ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

❝ ✦ ◜ 𝐂 𝐇 𝐈 𝐖 𝐎 𝐍 ; 𝐓 𝐇 𝐄  𝐃 𝐑 𝐄 𝐀 𝐌 𝐄 𝐑 ◞

( @mvgicshcpx )

          CHIWON HADN’T BEEN nervous in the slightest about the ball, at least not to the extent a lot of the other students seemed to be. all he’d had to do was ask sohye to go with him, find something decent to wear ( a golden-coloured suit with a matching gold bowtie to embellish his black shirt ), and grab her a little gift while he was at it.

          almost skipping towards her door, he held his present behind his back as he knocked on the door. ❝ sohyeeeeeee !! it’s meeeeeee !! ❞

        ❝ ✦ ◜ UNLIKE SO MANY people that she had seen, sohye wasn’t nervous for the ball at all. she was going with her chiwonnie, and there was absolutely no reason to be nervous about going with her chiwonnie. she was glad he asked her, and she made sure to look as nice as she possibly could for the occasion.

                 her dress was a sunset yellow colour, intricate gold embellishments adorning the subtle strap-like sleeves and the bodice, ending just at the top of the skirt. the sides of the dress, just around her waist, were cutout and replaced by a soft, sheer fabric with small, gold beads scattered about. the skirt of the dress was so fluffy and long that a tiny girl like sohye had trouble moving in it, but she loved how it moved and swish against the floor as she walked. her mask matched the gold embellishments of her dress, made of a gold medal and molded into an intricate design, a short strand of gold beads and rhinestones dangled from the outer corner of the right eye.

                 she finished pinning her pretty curls into place just as she heard chiwon knock on the door, and she quickly rushed to answer it. ❝ chiwonnieeee !! ❞ she exclaimed, giggling softly. ❝ oh, you look so very handsome, chiwonnie !! i believe you shall be the most handsome out of everyone at the entire ball !! ❞ she clapped her hands together excitedly, and bounced on her feet as best as she could in her tiny, gold heels. ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

❝ ✦ ◜ 𝐄 𝐋 𝐈 𝐀 𝐒 ◞

( @mvgicshcpx )

          ELIAS ADJUSTED THE jacket of his suit, a mostly black and silver ensemble with a faded floral pattern that one would have to squint to see in the dim light. his shirt was the only thing that was white, aside from the paper accessory he held in his hand. he figured that he should probably give adhira a gift for agreeing to go with him, and while it wasn’t much – just an origami flower with the same pattern as his suit – it was something.

          they’d agreed to meet at the ball itself, though he was beginning to wonder if that was a good idea. his mask, black like his suit with the tiniest white roses along the edges, may have made it too difficult to tell who he was. as though he didn’t wear a mask as a vigilante all the time.

        ❝ ✦ ◜ ADHIRA WAS ALREADY finding herself tired of being in such a formal setting, especially since she couldn’t tell who anyone was, what with the masks and all. she didn’t think the mask would be the trouble in finding elias, considering she saw him with a mask all the time, but she wasn’t sure she would be able to find him amidst all of the people.

                  she lifted her dress a bit as she walked around, careful not to trip on it. her dress was fairly simple, a soft grey colour with silver embellishments adorning the bodice. her mask was made from a silver metal, shaped into intricate designs that covered only the upper left half of her face and ran along her right eyebrow before tying with a white ribbon around the back of her head. her mask truly didn’t do much to hide her identity, but she didn’t seem to care all too much.

                  while weaving through the crowd, she stopped short as she saw someone who she swore was elias, before making her way over. ❝ elias, ❞ she called out, probably not as loud as she should have. considering the hundreds of people surrounding them. ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

❝ ✦ ◜ 𝐉 𝐀 𝐄 𝐒 𝐔 𝐍 𝐆 ; 𝐂 𝐎 𝐒 𝐌 𝐎 𝐒 ◞

( @mvgicshcpx )

          JAESUNG DIDN’T REALLY know how to properly take someone to a formal event. the only time he’d technically done so was when he was younger and his father had forced him to take jieun. that was different, because they’d been nine and eleven years old, not to mention they hadn’t cared about the event in the slightest. they’d just spent the entire function making fun of the other attendees while sitting in the corner. things were simpler back then.

          he’d felt the need to bring something, and so he’d texted jieun asking for advice. it had taken all his pride to do that. still, she’d given him some sound points of advice, one of which being to bring something she can wear to the ball, like an accessory. he held the flower clip in his hands, hoping it was alright. it was a bit of a contrast to his basic black suit, but he preferred dark colours. he doubted li wei was the same.

          he knocked on the door of li wei’s room. ❝ li wei ?? it’s me. ❞

        ❝ ✦ ◜ LI WEI HAD NEVER been to a formal event. she had been held captive, used and treated as nothing more than an experiment, for the grand majority of her life. there had been no opportunity to enjoy the finer things in life, or any things in life, really. and, during her past few years at saturn, she had chosen not to go to the formal events held, had there been any. she hadn’t ever had the money to afford a nice dress, so she’d always stayed in her dorm and pressed pretty stickers to her wall all night. tonight, though, she was actually attending the ball --- with jaesung. thus, it was needless to say that she was a bit more nervous than she usually was about things.

                   she wasn’t exactly sure how to go to a ball with someone, but she figured that making sure she looked as nice as she could was a good start. she’d managed to find enough money to buy the perfect dress ( she’d had a little help from hevaen, who was always more than ecstatic to spend his parents’ money ). it was a dustry rose, with light pink embellishments and flowers making up the subtle sleeves and adorning the bodice and trailing down the top of the skirt. the skirt was long and fluffy, trailing on the ground behind her, and decorated beautifully with more light pink floral embellishments. her mask was the same soft pink, with a sparkly, white trimming around the edges. a small cluster of rhinestones decorated the space just passed her right eye, and a fluffy, dusty rose feather sprouted from the very end of the mask.

                   she had just finished pressing a pretty, shimmery heart sticker to the outer corner of the left eye of her mask, matching the one pressed to her cheek, when she heard the knock on the door. she jumped a bit, stealing one last look in the mirror, making sure her curls were as perfect as could be before rushing to the door, nearly tripping over her dress in the process.

                   ❝ sungie-pie !! ❞ she exclaimed as she pulled the door open, a bright smile upon her lips. ❝ hi !! oh, you look very handsome, sungie-pie. the most handsomest handsome i have ever seen !! ❞ ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

        ❝ ✦ ◜ @heroicisms ◞

        ❝ ✦ ◜ SEONA WHINED AND grumbled about how she hated wearing gowns, stomping her feet and crossing her arms childishly. the gown was long, touching the floor and dragging quite a bit with the girl’s tiny stature. it was a shiny black with a scaly effect that covered the whole of the dress, the black scales fading into a white at her waist before fading back out into black down the skirt. her hair was tamed for once in her life, no longer tangled and wild, and, instead, curled into the prettiest, most precise curls the girl could have ever imagined. she hated it.

                    ❝ i don’t like this !! i don’t like this !! ❞ she grumped, shaking her head back and forth in an attempt to untame her hair once again. ❝ i don’t want to be here. i don’t want to wear this !! who in their right mind would want to wear these things ?! ❞ she kicked out her leg and let out a frustrated huff as her foot was caught by the long skirt of the dress. ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

        ❝ ✦ ◜ @heroicisms ◞

        ❝ ✦ ◜ THE ONLY REASON honey had been allowed to go with the mission group to the ball was because: 1) they could kill without leaving a dead body, and 2) everyone was too afraid that they might manage to sneak out and attend the ball alone if they weren’t allowed to go with the group ( and honey being around any heroes and heroes-in-training unsupervised was not a good idea ).

                    so, they were allowed to go to the ball as ‘ part of the mission ‘, even if everyone who was actually part of the mission knew entirely well that the doll-like boy would be little to no help whatsoever. still, honey was ecstatic to be going to such a formal, dreamlike event, even if the attire they had to wear was less than that. their father simply didn’t care for dressing them up, even if it was for the sake of the mission ( in fact, the wicked man hadn’t wanted honey going at all, but, thankfully, his decision had been overruled ).

                    they wore the nicest sweater they owned; it was a soft pink with white around the collar and wrists. there were holes in the sleeves from where the boy had poked their fingers through the fabric when they grew too anxious, and there were a few loose threads here and there. they had thought they looked nice until they actually arrived at the ball and, suddenly, they paled in comparison to everyone there.

                    their hand came up to anxiously scratch at the crack in their left cheek and they stopped walking before they even reached the entrance. ❝ i ... think i-i should go home, ❞ they murmured suddenly, ❝ th -- think papa had ... think papa had --- had stuff he w-wanted me for, a-anyway. ❞ ◞

[mvgicshcpx]

        ❝ ✦ ◜ @heroicisms ◞

        ❝ ✦ ◜ ORIGINALLY, TAESUK’S PLAN had been to ask soojung to the ball with some big, grand gesture. he had already ordered the roses, rose petals, everything. all of that was thrown out the window, though, as soon as yaozu mentioned the concept of all four of them going together. he didn’t want to seem pushy or like he didn’t want to go with the twins, because that wasn’t the case at all, so he just went along with the plan. no questions asked.

                    he had spent all day getting himself ready within the confines of his beloved rose point chateau. his suit was a shiny black, embroidered with an intricate floral design and shimmering with taesuk’s own sparkles. his mask was gold with black accents around the edges and the eyes, and it shined with the same sparkles as his suit.

                    milling about the around the staircase that had lead to the ballroom, considering he had come on his own, he looked around for soojung or the twins, not wanting to enter entirely without them. ◞

        ❝ ✦ ◜ ❝ OH, TAESUKIE !! ❞ YAOZU called out upon spotting the sparkly boy amidst the crowd. ❝ zihao, he’s over here !! we should have known he would be the most sparkliest person here !! ❞ the twins wore the most high-end suits one could probably come by and, to the surprise of absolutely no one, the two were entirely identical. ❝ we’ve been looking for you. ❞ ◞