Reversal of Circumstances
@vmxtaemin
How is it that within the inferno that engulfed the city, and scalded its every surface a few layers deep, a party could be thrown so simply, so childishly, to celebrate a meaningless holiday. How could anyone feast through the screams of the injured, and the agony of those who've lost a loved one, or two, or three... to a seemingly invincible terror that shrouded the city in fallen corpses, and polluted its air with a raspy scent of metal. The blissful ignorance that clouded the eyes and minds of the upper class was exactly what drove her away from it. Sera carried the weight of the world on her shoulders as the personification of the strength and justice arcana. But she was also a girl of raw emotions, and deep beneath the well-constructed façade of politeness, she was seething with anger.
She had read once that in order to act like a character, you’ve got to be the character. And so, just before they left to the party, she exchanged her chic flats with a more befitting pair of heels. Stitches on one of her legs or not, she had to remain in character.
Plump lips sipping some carbonated punch, and smoky eyes hiding behind a golden mask to comply with the terms of a masquerade, she awaited her turn to pick a random number from the baskets going around.
Her eyes locked with a taller figure not too far away, she couldn’t recognize him through the mask, but she knew he had been eying her since her arrival. They exchanged a smile, but she was quickly dismissive as she had to fumble through a stack of cards and pick a number.
Such silly games they had to play, and yet she abided with a delightful smile and a lighthearted chuckle. She thought it humorous that the number she received was none other than the number 4; a number that is considered unlucky by many people in East Asian countries. But of course, she did not believe in such mundane superstitions.
Finally, the scavenger hunt for the partner with the same number had begun, and the crowd broke into busy chatter. None of those directly around her carried the other card of 4, and so an expanded search was issued. Once again, she caught the same eyes from earlier, familiar yet unfamiliar, and a smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. She strolled leisurely in his direction.
“Well, what have you got?” She held her card up between two fingers.