masquerade ball starter for @sharpnosedscout
There are few things Clive actually enjoys during festivities such as this. Usually he finds them too loud, too crowded and the false pleasantries exchanged make him uncomfortable, for he can see the way near all of these other nobles regard him in the same way his mother does, with disdain. By now it is widely knows that interacting with him would not gain them any favour with the Duchess, so they avoid him like the plague, granted that he's not at his brother's side. The ones that don't shun him are mayhap even worse for the pity in their gaze.
Clive sighs, gaze straying out one of the massive windows of the ballroom, wondering how much longer he'd have to endure this before he could sneak away.
For now he has found a hiding place leaning against a wall on the far side of the room, watching the spectacle, listening to the music. At some point his attention turns entirely to the musicians, captivated by the ease with which they coax beautiful melodies from their instruments. Clive isn't able to carry a tune if his life depended on it, so it always fascinated him to see other's do so with ease.
At some point he locks eyes with a bard just as another song fades out, having watched him work his instrument instead of anything or anyone else for what he realizes must have been a good long while. Embarassed to have been caught staring, Clive starts and looks away, hiding his face in the goblet of wine he'd been nursing over the past hour for lack of anything else to do, only to realize that it is empty.
Acting as if he didn't just try to take a sip from a cup devoid of liquid, he makes his way to get something else, mayhap some water would suit him better, his face feels flushed enough as is.