#mabon masquerade

[kharrisdawndancer]

Mask

Too much wine, too fast, with too little to eat. Tinnaire gave a slightly undignified chortle, braced against the wall and feeling a bit stuck. She was trying to slide her heels off, and had managed one, but the other had fought and pitched her here, against the wall outside her Silvermoon apartment. She hadn’t danced much at all, but her feet still protested the new shoes she’d bought. Ahhh~ Finally. Off. Her perfectly manicured toes flexed and curled a couple of times. It took another few tries to hook both shoes on her fingertips, but she managed eventually. She slumped against the bricks and looked up at the dark sky over the city. Gods above and below, the world was beautiful. Her smile likely looked how she felt: drunk, bemused, and sleepy. Her mask loosened as she pushed open her door. Another amused smirk at the timing, so apt. Shoes, purse, keys, and more were dropped in their spaces by the front door.  The mask slipped further the farther she went into her home.

There would be wrinkles in her gown when she woke, but for now she wiggled into the bed indulgently.  Sleep called her. It had been a good night, even if she admitted a little personal disappointment to herself. She’d gone out. She’d talked to strangers. She’d charmed and been charmed. She ate, drunk, and been merry. All in all, a good night.

[aerdendios]

Daily Writing Challenge Day 3 - Mask

He slipped on his ‘devil’ mask and smoothed out his suit jacket before turning to look at himself in the mirror.  He blinked a few times in disbelief, leaning in closer while furrowing his brow; he looked like an almost completely different person.  The silver, neatly styled hair, the sharp suit, this was definitely not a reflection he was accustomed to, but he liked it.  A lot.  He looked older, more mature, more...devilish.  Well, maybe not ‘more’ devilish as he often wore an expression of innocence and youth with a healthy dose of confusion daily, but just devilish in general.

He could get used to this reflection.

Tonight was all about being anonymous, maybe even pretending to be someone else for a while. Not that he wanted to be anyone other than himself, but Aerden with a bit more confidence would be nice. Just about anyone close to him suggested or implied that it was something he should work on, and he always agreed. Easier said than done. It was difficult for him after a lifetime of being put down by his mother’s husband, and being bullied in school for always being the small, scrawny one. Things were different now, and had been for a while, but the confidence was still lacking. Thus was born the Silver Devil.

At first, he wasn’t quite the beacon of confidence at the Mabon Masquerade, especially not after that incident where he referred to Xylaes as ‘Mister Daddy’. There were a few people that would never let that one down, but in his defense, the older man did take the moniker ‘Bone Daddy’ for the evening and Aerden was just trying to use polite titles.

Throughout the evening, his confidence grew, especially once the dancing began.  All those times his mother dragged him into the middle of the kitchen to waltz while playing her favorite classical pieces on her music player had paid off.  He had hated it at first, groaning as she would hug him to her chest and twirl around the floor, while he played the part of a limp noodle in her arms. Reluctantly, he began to dance along, and soon enough he was leading her around their kitchen in a variety of styles. It had become one of their things, and now lessons and memories he would always hold dear.

Overall, it had been an amazing evening. He had only recognized a very small handful of people, but that didn’t stop him from speaking with anyone nearby, or from asking a couple of strangers to dance. He reminisced over the evening’s adventures as he wandered through the streets of Silvermoon towards his apartment early in the morning.  His mask dangled from a finger and he smiled at anyone he happened to pass. There were a few strange looks given he was still in his fancy suit from the night before, but that mattered little right now. He was exhausted and his feet were sore, but it was an evening he wouldn’t soon forget. That was exactly what he needed at that moment in time, an evening to forget all of his troubles and woes. A time just to be young and have fun.  He also decided to keep the hair this way for a while.

@daily-writing-challenge​ @xylaes​

[maxparkhurst]

Max buried her face into the chair’s cushion, hiding from the intrusive rays of sun peeking through the curtains. The leather, cool against her puffy eyes, smelled like amber musk and old booze. Oddly enough, it brought a smile to her lips as she pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Memories from last night floated in the calm morning air. She made feeble attempts to catch them. Brief flashes of masks, bards, and far too much wine spun around her head. Or maybe it was the room that was spinning? By the Tide, she was starting to feel queasy. 

The sound of her creaking mattress tethered Max to the present moment. She cracked her sleep crusted eye open in time to catch Augustine stumble through the apartment and disappear into the bathroom. She tried not to listen to his dry heaves; instead, she threw herself upright and surveyed the remnants of their misadventures strewn about the apartment. Inklings of the night came back to Max as she settled her gaze on the vulpine masks hidden under the table. 

The Mabon Masquerade.   A night of celebration and revelry for the arrival of Autumn. They dressed in honor of both the season and their family crest. Fox and Kit were their aliases as they danced and drank through the evening. She recalled everything up until their fifth glass of wine. She had scolded her brother, warning him to slow down, and he had mocked her before slipping into the throng of attendees. Anything after was merely a murky snippet: her brother flitting through the crowd,  gold gilded lips hidden beneath a soft veil, and a keen memory of a woman singing about Gasellis. 

Max’s brows dropped in a furrow. 

What even is a Gaselli? 

Her musings were interrupted once again by her brother as he stumbled out of the washroom. Augustine dug the heels of his hands into his bleary eyes and yawned. He looked like a shadow of himself. His curls were crusty with old gel , his skin was pale and clammy, and his face was pocketed by zits and specks of dried vomit. The sight tugged at Max’s heart. She should’ve kept a better eye on him. 

“You look like ass...” she breathed, keeping her voice soft and quiet. 

“I feel like in it...” 

Max scooted over and opened her blanket, beckoning him to come sit. Augustine crawled in beside her and laid his head on her shoulder with a tired sigh. 

“I told you not to keep drinking,” Max mused, running her fingers through his hair. 

“Mmmmm,” he hummed, “Yeah...I know.” 

“You’re too young to be drinking like that.” 

Augustine looked up at her with an impish grin. “Says you.” 

“Yes”- Max smoothed back his bangs- “Says me. I am your guardian after all.” She breathed a laugh and shook her head. “Jeez. What would Mom and Pop say if they saw us now, hm?” 

Augustine shrugged. His gaze lingered on the window for a brief moment before he shuffled over and opened it. “I think,” he murmured, returning to the safety of the blanket, “They’d be glad that we had fun.” He turned to Max and smiled. “I had fun.” 

Max returned his smile with one of her own. Her myopic gaze drifted to the open window and peered out at the morning sky. A beautiful silver cast in golden streaks. Golden streaks. Her smile turned into something a touch more melancholy as she recalled the night’s final note. Bittersweet.

“Yeah. I had fun too.”

And for once, she actually meant it. 

-@longveil for vague mentions-

- @fio-renze​ for hosting an awesome event!-

[zeehva]

Wish Maker and Wish Granter

@seskel-darkmoore

[maxparkhurst]

Max and Auggie’s Outfits for Lady Fiorenze’s Mabon Masquerade TONIGHT! 

[zeehva]

The Trio of Wall Flowers turned mage table caterers! 

I originally just dropped a table for us when I saw Fio say there were floating tables, but then others interacted with them, so we decided to put a bunch down. It was honestly so much fun and so great to see people interact with them. 

10/10 lovely event, would attend (and impromptu cater) again.

@seskel-darkmoore @kevyn-thornrough