(( It's that time again!))

Jean stepped into the ballroom, adjusting the small pair of goggles pinned in her hair. Cin had mentioned the event near the end of the Marmota case, and it had sounded intriguing. Even though she had thought to arrive early, things were clearly already underway, even at so early an hour. The tiny faeling hiding under her hair was not pleased with her hairdo, since it left her more exposed. "You'll be fine, Sihr, I promise," Jean assured the little creature. She looked around the room, wondering if she'd spot Cin, or anyone he'd mentioned.

(( Woo! Masquerade! c: ))

Kyriel sighed, sagging against one of the ballroom's walls, being even more careful than usual not to cause damage to her dress, since it wasn't technically hers, after all. She had, somewhat to her surprise, been one of the first to arrive this year. Then again, maybe it wasn't so surprising; considering everything, she could use the break, assuming it was one and there didn't end up being more time-traveling and rift monsters...

The angel sighed, running a black-gloved hand - her left - through her hair. She wondered if anyone would even recognize her. She'd finally returned her skin tone to normal, which was certain to throw some people off. She still had her rather distinctive wings, but even those looked a little different, a little more... Divine, perhaps? And with the mask, it was even hard to see her bright golden eyes, probably the only thing that hadn't changed. Ah, well. She'd just have to approach people she recognized herself, she supposed.

Zahyl confidently, and almost gracefully, pushed through the door with a single hand. He allowed it to fall to his side, his tail slightly waving just above the marble floor. A sly smile crossed his face as he saw that he was one of the first people this year to show up to the Masquerade this year. His golden eyes scanned the room, his eyes finding two particular women, one an angel and the other what seemed to be the companion to a small faeling. The demon dismissed the thought of approaching them for now, and leaned against the marble walls, awaiting for anyone new to come in.

He gently and elegantly brushed a lock of hair just out of his eye, actually checking to see if his horns were still there. He mentally smiled as the only ones to be found were on his faun mask. He lifted his barbed tail to waist level to inspect it. The single rose seemed to be holding well, and the smaller, sharper barbs seemed to be still gone as well. Still observing his sleek tail, he mused what other kind of people may appear at this dance.

(ooc: OMG YOU GUYS IT'S THE EFFING MASQUERADE MY JOY CANNOT BE DESCRIBED)

[img align=left]http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x416/kibu_subeta/violetleft.png[/img] It had been a big year for Kai and Archer. They were living together full time, and to make things even more interesting it was Kai's first time living exclusively on Subeta with very little time spent on Atebus. With Archer at his side, Kai entered the ballroom and couldn't contain his grin. The Masquerade Ball was such an important part of his life; finally getting to return to it was almost like coming home again.

"I really am surprised at how dashing you look in white," Kai commented, not for the first time. "It makes your eyes stand out."

Kai himself was in colors outside his norm as well. His signature color was purple, and it was odd to see him in the warm reds and golds that made up his outfit for the night. With such unusual coloring and short hair, Kai knew that he was harder to recognize than he would have been in previous years. Hopefully he would be able to recognize his companions from years past even if they did not recognize him.

((ooc: I AM NOT GOING TO HAVE TIME TO ahem reply until tomorrow evening. So I'm going to hold off on my hideously long-winded entrance bit until then X3 But I love you people and I am looking forward to seeing some new players this year!! BEST SUBETA EVENT EVER resumes freaking out ))

((ooc: just popped on to find the masquerade in full swing. Currently at an anime convention with my table, but feel free to send dances. Will try to return them after Monday. Super exhausted already as I was making things into the wee hours of the night. Tinkering as you would say. Then a 3 hour drive north after loading it all into my new SUV - the joys of car tetris at it's finest. Love you all, have fun dancing!))

Archer laughed and gestured at himself as they entered the ballroom. "Dashing?" He said with his usual roguish grin. "You're only now realizing this?" Archer was happy to see how excited Kai was to be at the Masquerade. It was all that he'd talked about for the past few weeks.

He took Kai's hand in his and raised it to his lips. "You my love, look positively ravishing. You should wear red more often."

"Red can be such an aggressive color," Kai said as that very color tinged his cheeks. "It's not really my style." He gave Archer's hand a squeeze, then tugged him in the direction of the dance floor. "Though I suppose while I'm wearing it, I might as well live up to it. Dance with me?"

They passed by the people who were already milling about, including a couple of women, one with a pair of wings that seemed familiar to Kai, and a golden-eyed man who radiated self-confidence yet also a strong feeling that maybe they ought to keep their distance from him. For the moment, however, Kai only had eyes for his boyfriend as they joined other couples on the sparsely-populated dance floor.

(( Oh my gosh, you're in this group too? Hello! tackleglomp Hello lovey!))

That man over there, he's looking at you! The words popped into Jean's head, though nobody else would hear them, and suddenly one man in the crowd sharpened into focus. "Sihr, calm down. I know it's a lot of people, but he's just looking. Goodness knows I've looked at a bunch of people as well." The faeling shivered against her neck and moved across her shoulders to where the man she found particularly intimidating couldn't see her.

Another woman, this one hardly more than a child, entered the room, her eyes shining with delight behind her mask. She fussed with the long green dress she wore and shifted her wings, but the discomfort wasn't as bad as it had been the first year. And it was a small price to pay for the event, which she had come to love. She'd even tried to do something with her hair this year, though it still showed evidence of the rather rough care it usually received. As she moved farther into the room, one nearby presence registered clearly as a friend, and Shylarah blinked at the change in appearance. "Kyriel?" she said, her accented voice surprised. "You look very different. What happen? You okay?"

As dusk began to settle the lamps were lit and gilded carriages drawn by steam-work horses began creaking and hissing their way up the cobbled lane toward the dance hall. Usually the soundproofing inside the carriages allowed for muted travel, some of the more expensive ones even offered musical accompaniment. But the windows of one particularly inexpensive carriage had been thrown open as soon as its current patron had agreed to step inside.

The user in question now sat with her nose pointed out the small window, painted eyes closed tight against the breeze as she absorbed the sounds of the evening. Taking deep breaths of the chilly air helped to keep her mind at ease. Posture was ridged awash in yards of dark fabrics, facial features carefully hidden behind a mask stark in contrast to her exceptionally pale skin. With her gloved left hand she idly stroked a tuxedo colored cat who purred contentedly in her lap, all the while mentally counting every bump in the road.

Wistfully her eyes fluttered open as the carriage ground to a halt, the steamwork horse letting off a hiss instead of a nicker as it paused on the designated platform. Sounds of the gala softly drifting down to replace the bumping and creaking of her chosen transport. Hurriedly she pushed open the door, stepped from the wagon, and tipped the driver with trinkets leftover from years past. Taking hold of the sides of her skirts the small lady then turned and made a dash up the steps toward the entrance of the grand hall. The sooner she got into it the sooner she could start to relax… Or so she kept telling herself.

Kyriel recognized Kai and Archer by the feeling of their minds, if nothing else, and spared the couple a smile as they passed, just in case they should happen to see. Her attention was drawn to a darker presence in the room shortly after, though, and she might have started trying to find its owner more clearly if an old friend hadn't appeared and actually spoken to her.

"Oh, hello," she said, seeming more than a little startled, if only for a moment. "I'm fine, thank you. Whyever wouldn't -" She cut herself off, frowning and absently cradling her right hand with her left. "Actually, don't answer that. But yes, I'm okay. I just finally - finally, after all this time! - figured out how to control that, ah... Well, my appearance." She chuckled lightly, though it was rather halfhearted and nervous-sounding. "Believe it or not, that isn't actually how I'm supposed to look."

Archer and Kai gracefully moved across the dance floor. Archer thought that he noticed a few familiar faces, but it was difficult to tell when dancing. Also difficult to tell when most of his attention was on the man in his arms. He smiled at Kai as they continued to dance. "I have you all to myself," he said happily. "At least until Kia and Lucas show up."

"So it's just like usual?" Kai joked. Since purchasing their house in Centropolis, the two had spent most of their non-working hours together. The closeness had resulted in a few heated spats, mostly about nothing important, but had forced them into learning more about what worked in regards to communicating with each other.

Kai slid his arms around Archer's shoulders, pulling him close enough to a light, chaste kiss on the lips. "As for Kia and Lucas, I'm sure they'll be here soon. Didn't you say Father actually stopped by your office to tell both of you in no uncertain terms that he didn't want to see you there for the duration of the festivities? If Lucas isn't working, you know he's with Kia." Kai smiled fondly; he liked Lucas, and the fact that Lucas made Kia so happy. As the song came to a close, Kai returned to the edge of the ballroom with his hand in Archer's.

Zahyl's eyes brightened as he witnessed more and more people arrive. He saw multiple people give him a sideways look, including the girl with the faeling and the couple of boys passing by. He sighed to himself with a smile. Sure he was a demon, but they didn't have to treat him like it. At least not for tonight. Soon after he felt a force of light encroaching almost upon him, until it suddenly retracted. Of course he could hear most people's thoughts, but he didn't have to be a psychic to know that that was the angel searching for him. He regarded it under the slightly negative category, as most people who looked for him were either lovestruck, or searching for him for other purposes.

He supposed it was the latter. At that moment he headed towards the dance floor. Along the way he politely asked a young maiden if she wished to dance. As she accepted he gently took her hand and they headed to the dance floor. As the song began to play, Zahyl started out slow. His golden eyes gleamed in the light as the young lady looked up at him. Zahyl wasn't hearing the song being played, but instead was hearing the song "Ravens Land". As both songs' pace picked up, so did Zahyl's. He moved gracefully across the floor, his feet seemingly floating half an inch above the ground. The young maiden could just keep pace with him as he elegantly danced across the floor. Other people not on the dance floor looked upon the two, seeing almost a blur of gracefulness. His tail wrapped the two of them and brought the girl just close enough to have Zahyl brush his lips against her cheek. With that, as the song came to a close he left the floor, leaving the now recovering girl searching for her mysterious dancing partner.

Archer laughed heartily as Kai led them off the floor. "Yes, I believe that Lucas said he was actually told twice." archer glanced around the gathered people. He noticed a young woman come in followed by a black and white cat. He didn't immediately recognize the young woman, but he certainly remembered that cat.

He nudged Kai with his shoulder, gesturing towards the door. "I believe that is someone you know?"

"Hm?" Kai followed Archer's gaze, breaking into a grin as he recognized Mog and immediately knew the lady whose heels he trailed behind. "Liana!" he exclaimed, raising one arm to wave at her over the growing crowd. Kai knew there must be others who had already arrived whom he knew from previous years, but few had such obvious tells as Liana's little follower. Even such things as wings and tails were surprisingly difficult to match up with the correct owners sometimes.

"Oh," Shylarah said. "Was pretty though. And made you easy to find." As usual, it was practical concerns that immediately sprang to her mind. "Still, glad you look right now." Her ears tilted up slightly as she heard the sound of a familiar name, said in a familiar voice. "Ah, Liana is here?" Her senses swept out, searching for the proper signature so she'd know where to look. And there it was! "I go say hi. You want come too?"

Regardless of the answer, Shylarah made her way over to Liana and Mog, what could be seen of her face delighted. "Liana!" she exclaimed. "Is good to see you!"

((Is it just me, or can we not subscribe to threads?))

(( I think thread subscribing has been broken for a while now? There's been a lot of work done on the forums lately, though, so hopefully it will be back soon... ))

A faint blush colored Kyriel's cheeks - one which, perhaps surprisingly, hadn't changed, and still cast a golden tinge to her now-pale skin, just as it had before. "Well, ah, thank you?" she stammered. She really should be more used to compliments by now, but even her self-confidence had its limits. Especially when it seemed she'd done something that wasn't entirely approved of. She didn't even give Shylarah a proper answer about seeking out Liana, but followed anyway, and distracted herself on the way by seeking out that dark presence she had noticed earlier. She wasn't looking to pick a fight - not yet, not here, at the very least - she just wanted to know what, exactly, it belonged to and, if possible, what their intentions were. Some angel she would be if she just let some sort of evil take advantage of the crowd.

((thread subscriptions should work now, yay!))

(ooc: Still broken for me :( Edit: Okay, it DOES work but it takes a few clicks and it kept telling me I had unsubscribed before it let me actually subscribe XD)