((Hey guys. I'm sick. So...I'll be back, but there might not be another post from me for another day while I recuperate. We'll see how I'm feeling later tonight.))

(( feel better))

"Yes, the creature can barely function whilst I am away. He gets such anxiety," Sorn said. "Though I do pity the poor dancers left. None shall compare to our beauty." He smirked. It was a nice dance and he liked Orion so far.

Orion laughed softly, "Oh indeed. I do hope you'll agree to dance with me later, Sorn." Later, as in soon. He rather liked the drow himself. It wasn't often he ran across a creature like him. His arrogance was amusing too. He brought Sorn back to where they had left 'Gwendolyn' and kissed the back of the dark-skinned hand. "Until later, then," he said and smiled at the two before he glided away, silk rustling and shifting as he moved.

Platina glanced at Daniel, smiling a little. "Oh, no. I've just... I'm glad that I'm not as petty anymore. I had avoided Kai for so long after what happened, and I was afraid I'd say or do something stupid. But it felt natural and friendly. I'm relieved, that's all." He gave Daniel's hand a squeeze. "I have you to thank for that."

Having found an unoccupied high top table in the corner of the bar, the lady slumped beside a few empty glass flutes, while toying with a third. She was definitely drunk now, but her mood had not seemed to improve. Plan A had been to attend the Masquerade for a distraction. When it did nothing to quiet her nagging thoughts, she started on plan B: To become inebriated as quickly as possible. Mission successful she supposed. But now none of the drinks looked good anymore and the smell of food was turning her stomach instead of enticing it. Grumbling she slumped farther forward and with her head leaning on her arm, gazed out into the ballroom to watch the dancers sway. (( a little Lala update while Ven awaits his reply c: ))

"I shall indeed honour you with another dance," Sorn said. "And be honoured myself with your presence, pretty Orion." He pulled the man closer, sucked in his breath and kissed Orion on the neck as he moved some of his hair way. "Yes, till later."

Daniel smiled back and pulled Platina closer as they danced. "I'm glad to hear that. And I'm glad we've grown so much, you and I. So much as to be able to talk about this."

As they danced away and the music started fading, Daniel moved his arm as to give Platina one last spin, but the move caused a tiny box to fall from his vest's pocket. He noticed it and all he could think of was "please don't open." It didn't. And also luckily for him, the music was fading, so he managed to retrieve the black box easily from near his partner's foot, without it being kicked around by dancers and under frilly skirts.

However, it did fall right by Platina's foot, of all places!

Orion touched the kiss on his neck, smiling as he headed over to the refreshment table. This was turning out quite nicely. He picked out a drink, a pretty one the color of a sunset, and handed over a small handful of trinkets to the barkeep. Perhaps it looked a bit too fruity for his taste. Regardless, he took a sip and exhaled. No, it was perfect. Orion moved along to let others buy their refreshments and found a spot on the wall to watch and wait.

He didn't have to wait long; a young woman got the courage to approach him and then her friends followed suit. Soon, Orion's dance card was full and he was among the dancers again. The women seemed to velcro themselves to him after each dance, fairly basking in his presence. They flirted, giggled, and generally just tried to keep his attention. Orion wouldn't deny he was enjoying it.

Platina couldn't help but smile the entire time he was dancing with Daniel. It was wonderful to finally have some time with the man. When the small box fell to the floor and rolled to a stop by his foot, he paused and gave it a curious glance. "Oh my. That would've been awful if it had been trampled underfoot by other dancers," he commented, unable to help but follow the box's path back into Daniel's pocket. "I imagine it would've been difficult to retrieve then."

Daniel couldn't avoid shaking, ever so slightly, and he turned pale as soon as he met his lover's eyes again.

"ah-I-... you..." He swallowed dry, then turned to stand at the angel's side and offered him his hand with the palm facing upwards, mimicking the gentlemen who were now escorting their partners from the dance floor. He took Platina outside to the balcony, where it was secluded, except for a girl by the doorway.

Finally, he spoke again: "Aren't you the least bit curious about what's in here?" He asked, his voice failing him a bit, and his shaky, unoccupied hand landing over the pocket where the little box lied.

Platina laughed, "Of course I am, love. But I know you'd tell me if you felt it was important." He gave Daniel's hand an affectionate squeeze and smiled at him. The box looked suspicious... but in a good way. But it gave Platina anxiety. What was in it? Was it what he thought it was? Was he even ready for this? Platina shook his head slightly and instead wrapped his arms around Daniel's waist and hugged him, resting his head against the younger man's shoulder. "I'm just happy to be here with you."

Daniel kissed Platina's forehead and took a deep breath. "Well... it kind of is important..."

He briefly looked around to make sure they were alone, then knelt on the ground and produced the box.

"I want to be with you for the rest of my life... If you'll have me..." He opened it to reveal an intricate ring adorned with tiny gears. It looked well and patiently crafted, and obviously handmade.

"Will you marry me?"

() Garrin looked at Sorn as he introduced him with his made up pet name, one of them at least. "Well, Sorn --" he said with a hint of playful sarcasm tinging his voice as he looked over at Sorn. "He has a tendency to call me clever nicknames but my name is Garrin." Garrin nodded and smiled at Orion. "It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance Orion. I see that Sorn has acquainted himself quite comfortably with you." He had taken notice of how handsy the drow had gotten with Orion. Orion accepted gracefully and made his way away from the small group and continued to peruse the dance floor, leaving Sorn standing beside Garrin once again.

"You know, I am not trembling with anxiety," he said with a sideways glance at the drow, a smirk upon his lips.

Platina blinked at Daniel, half a moment too long before he smiled lovingly at the young man kneeling before him. "Yes." It was all he needed to say. Honestly, it was all he could say. Several emotions quickly raced through him: joy, anxiety, stress, love. He was infinitely grateful that Daniel was thoughtful enough to do this when there weren't any people around.

The ring was perfect. It wasn't what he expected, but then neither was Daniel. He would never have expected to fall in love with a young man like him, and yet here he was. He and Platina were perfect opposites and that's what this ring encapsulated.

The young man grinned from ear to ear and got up in one move, picking Platina up by the waist, half crushing his middle wings. "Sorrysorrysoryy," Daniel said in one breath, putting his fiancé back down. He was in such a state of joy and nervousness that the ring was still in the box in his hand. He laughed when he realised this, and took Platina's hand and the ring, placing it on the angel's finger, its now rightful place.

"I'm so happy!" He finally proclaimed, removing his mask to wipe unavoidable tears from his eyes with still shaky hands.

Hope you feel better!

Goldy spotted a woman with beautiful white wings and a small dragon hanging around her. "You behave." she whispered to Tanwen as the kitsune also caught sight of the others' companion. The kitsune grumbled but stayed by Goldy's feet, casting glances up at her then to the dragon, seemingly waiting for a time of distraction to investigate the dragon. The woman walked into the lounge, closer to Goldy and Tanwen, Tanwen took a few small steps towards them before realizing Goldy was watching. "Leave them alone." she scolded, scooping the creature up and walking to a table. Tanwen yipped a little in dismay and shock as she was scooped up once again but barely struggled once held.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked the table's occupant, he seemed to be a touch past tipsy but mostly intent on watching the dancers, something they could probably both to peacefully without too much talking. She wasn't good at that. Goldy set Tanwen only another chair at the table and waited for a response.

( I hope you feel better soon. Take it easy. Sorry for taking so long to get back to you! Work has been crazy this last week and I've been plying catch up.)

Quercus let out a sigh of relief as Sihr settled in her vines. She immediately began to relax and she could have hugged Jean when she appeared. Instead she grasped the offered hand. "It is so good to see you both again. Thank you." She searched for an appropriate compliment for Jean's outfit. "You look startlingly wondrous. You could make your debut in the court of Birds and thought the most elegant among them." She hoped she'd gotten it right. One of the problems with being part of the forest was you did tend to struggle with cultural norms. The idea of dancing was one that was worrying her. She could dance but only knew how to dance to faster tunes. Reels and tribal drums were more familiar but it was clear they were not the norm here. "Fruit here? I would love to try some. Maybe I can repay you with a dance?" At least with Jean she would be told if she was going too fast. She followed Jean towards the Lounge, trying to take in everything and understand what she was seeing.

She noticed another dancer with skin a little like hers but they lacked the rainbow colours that Quercus' kind had. Still, they might be willing to converse. At least she hoped they would. She'd seen enough to recognize a sword sheath even if it was artfully hidden. There were other creatures here too. That surprised her. She felt a pang in her heart as she spotted a small fox like creature. It was hard being without Tipper or Star. But they would have gone mad here. Too many people, too much metal and too many things to frighten them. Sihr was helping though. She spotted Venom almost despite herself and waved hoping to catch his eye. Several of the people around her made derogatory noises or comments about 'bumpkins' and moved away. She stopped and dropped her arm, uncertain if Venom had seen her. He ended up dancing with a strange young lady and seemed to be among friends. (maybe I shouldn't interrupt.) She thought. She followed Jean to the bar and ended up with a drink. It wasn't bad if a little strong. Generally she didn't drink alcohol, mostly because it tasted bitter to her and had no effect. Her plants absorbed it fast and would probably start producing perfume soon. She'd never understood how they did that. Jean had spotted other people she knew and had moved to speak to them. Quercus waited to one side, letting them catch up and wondering if she should ask to be introduced. It was so hard to know what the right thing to do was. She took another gulp of her drink and offered some of the fruit to Sihr. "Do you think I should try and find someone to dance with?" She asked the little faeling. She was distracted by the sight of Venom at a table looking more than a little lost in his cups. "Hm. Not a good idea." She muttered. Bar fights were something she had experience with and she really wanted to avoid that. She moved towards the table hoping Venom wouldn't mind the company but another reached it before her. She arrived soon after A tail brushed the edge of her dress. She glanced down to see the little kitsune from before and only just stopped herself from petting it. She looked up at the person the kitsune was with. She smiled. "Well, looks like I'm not the only one fond of this style. It looks good on you." She wasn't sure if this was how you started a conversation here or not, but she was willing to try. She turned the same friendly smile to Venom. "It's good to see you again. Want another? I can get us all some snacks too."

Goldy blushed slightly, not expecting a compliment on her dress. "Thank you. It's not nearly as pretty as on yourself though. Mine was a bit last minute" Goldy managed to get out. The masked complimentor looked beautiful in their red and black dress, it looked heavy but they seemed to be comfortable in it. At least they wouldn't have to worry about being cold if they stepped out onto the balcony. "My name is Goldy if you'd care for a dance." she offered to the person.

Platina gently cupped Daniel's face in both hands and kissed him deeply. He broke the kiss after a few moments and rested his forehead against Daniel's, unable to keep from smiling. "Well... Sounds like I'll need to put together a wedding of some sort." He wasn't sure he wanted a large reception but there were still things to do. It wasn't his first, but it would certainly be his last. He kissed Daniel again, this one was shorter and sweeter. "Or we could just go elope somewhere," he teased, "And just get to the good part."

Daniel returned the kisses and then laughed at the idea of them eloping. "My dads and nan would kill us, but you know what? I'm fine with whatever you prefer." He adjusted his mask back on his face before giving a little kiss on the tip of Platina's nose.

They'd indeed come a long way since they first met. They'd broken up, gotten back together, survived a year of a long distance relationship, started living together and now, finally, they could live happily ever after.

"I just want to be your husband... and you, mine. We can have a big party, a small party, or even no party at all!" He smiled and gesticulated, clearly excited. "We can have a big wedding by the Veta Lake or we can write and read vows to each other..." He then leaned closer and whispered in the angel's ear, "... naked and entwined on top of our bed." The young man teased, and gave his betrothed a mischievous peck.

Just a reminder that my female HA character is free, if anyone is interested xD she'll be around the ballroom :3

(( I should probably color code my kids, lol. Liana is sitting at the table drunk, Ven is still on the edge of the dance floor with a character played by n.n Sorry I’m being so slow to reply. But that seems to be the theme this year XD

I hope you are feeling better by now :c ))

( sorry for the radio silence! Been busy the last couple days!)

As... circulatory-challenged as El was, that didn't seem to put any sort of damper on her lively personality. She grinned back brightly, pocketing the trinkets and handing over a few in returns. "That's how they do it, yeah! Not sure I see the point, dancing's enough reward for me, but I'm sure not complaining about getting food for free, more-or-less!"

At his comment, her attention is drawn down to the rabbit-thing. "Oh! He doesn't eat!" She chirped this as cheerfully as every other comment. "Or, well, he can, but all the food would just fall out from between his ribs. Isn't that right, Cottontail?" She bent down to scoop up the creature, coddling and cuddling it like a lapdog. "He remembers eating, but he doesn't really get hungry, so!"