Welcome to the Masquerade

Come one,
Come all,
Welcome the Grand Ball!
For here the strong run for cover,
And the weak stand tall.

If you're not afraid,
Welcome to the Masquerade...

Rainie eyed the odd flyer suspisicously, violet eyes narrowed slightly. A Masquerade Ball? It seemed like a rather open invitation. She brushed the curling bottom of the parchment down, revealing more writing.

Begins at Sunset
18th of June 1893

The tall girl frowned, and glance up at the sky. The ball is today, and the sun is setting, She fretted as she tucked an unruly red hair behind her ear that came free from her neat bun. She glanced back at the flyer. It said Ball, and that insinuated a ball gown.

Without another thought, she snatched the flyer from the post it had been nailed to, hiked up her skirts to avoid tripping on them and ran home with a smile on her face. She ran about half a block before slowing to a walk, for the large house was in veiw. She'd already conjured whispers and girlish exclaimations behind her for running in such an unladylike manner, so she walked at an agonizingly slow pace, her eyes trained ahead.

Finally reaching the her grand home, she grabbed the knocker and dropped it. The kind housemaid opened the door and frowned, taking in Rainie's flushed appearance and her red hair in ruin. "Miss Em'rson! Wha's the matter?" She asked worriedly.

Rainie gave the maid a dazzling smile. "It's fine, Cauline. I just need to find Luna and Shade." She said briskly, already heading for the staircase.

Cauline struggled to keep up with the girl. "Allow me to cah'll 'em, miss --"

"Luna! Shade! Come here!" Rainie called with a wide smile, ignoring the maid all together. She took the stairs two at a time, holding her skirts up with one hand and waving about the flyer with the other.

I currled in a chair in the study my skirts hanging over the edge brushing the floor. Rather un-lady like if you asked my mother, not that I much cared. Nor did Shade seem to care much from where he sat across the room reading one book or another, he always had his nosed shoved in some book when we weren't walking about the city causeing trouble.
I decided to amuse myself since Rainie was out and about the city somwhere. A small piece of paper sat next to me, I tore a piece off as quitely as I could and flicked it across the room with a small gust of air. The paper smacked Shade square in the forehead. I ducked my head and pretended to be absorbed in the book The Importance of Being Earnest, well not so much a book as the script, even though I didn't really care about it at all. I heard Shades quite chuckle as he prepared his counter strike. Another small slip of paper flew across the room this time aimed at me. I grined at the challenge.

Minutes later there was a full scale paper war taking place. Shades floor was coated with a layer of paper as paper rode on the air currents. As I prepared to launch 3 peices I heard the door downstairs burst open. I turned and looked at Shade.
"Rainie's home." He grinned and pulled out the peices of paper that had found their way into my long black hair that hung down my back. I turned as Rainie called for us and walked quickly from the study to the hall.

Rainie was standing there looking flushed and I assumed she had ran here. Next her stood the flustered looking maid, Cauline. I looked at Rainie assumeing she was the reason for Cauline's flustered looked. I tilted my head to the side as Shade walked out of the room to where I stood, he too looked at Rainie. My bright blue eyes glimpsed the piece of parchment she held in her hand I crained my neck to get a better look.
"Well, are you going to keep us here in the dark? Care to share what has you in such a state?" I asked laughing at Cauline's face as she looked at Rainie with a slight amount of fear. Not all Rainie's plans ended well.

Rainie skipped over to her sister, leaving the maid fluttering confusedly behind her. She straightened the flyer and held it in front of Luna's nose, grinning widely. Cauline seemed to give up and lumbered back down the staircase, to which Rainie was completely oblivious.

Rainie released the parchment, leaving Luna to catch it before it fluttered to the ground. She smiled and spun around, throwing her arms in the air, her blue skirt twirling as well as loose tendrils of red hair. "A ball! Tonight! And not just any ball! A Masquerade ball! How magnificent!" She gushed, gleeful for something to alleviate their boredom.

Suddenly, she became very serious and businesslike. "Shade! You shall need a nice suit. And a mask, as well." She said seriously. "You will be our chaperone. That way, Mother shall have no complaints."

Shade's eyes were now sort of wide, seemingly frightened. "Rainie, and how did you come across this?" He asked, quite bewildered.

Rainie's head jerked up, her fists on her hips. "It's an open invitation! It was on a flyer, wasn't it?" She asked rhetorically. She spun around and faced her twin. "Luna! We've much to do! Let's look for proper gowns." Rainie said, smiling widely. She took the girl's wrist and practically dragged her down the hall.

Quote :

This is Earth, so Akio’s father is alive [No mother. Sad face. ] and Mae is completely different.

Akio stirred. He wasn’t exactly used to these types of commodity gatherings…much less at his house. The idea was centered on fundraising. They were going to host a Masquerade ball, using the proceeds for development in the town. Of course his father got plenty of prestige for that. He wasn’t really in a state though, he loved masquerades. But at his house? Well he didn’t really find reason after that point. There was a soft knock on his door, and Akio shifted up from the plush upholster couch, and straightened his suite. It was hardly even a suite, part of it flowed down from his arms which to him made no sense, but he was being forced to wear it anyway. The pixy like little entered then,

“Hello ‘Kio.” She said pleasantly enough, giving a smile he had already seen through. Hello Satan’s mistress. he though coolly in his head. In physical, he just nodded politely having an idea of what was coming. “Anyways, I just wanted to let you know, if you mess anything up today, or you speak to any of my friends I’m afraid I’d have to gouge your eyes out of your miserable sockets.” She smiled once more, turned, and left the room; shutting the door quite audibly behind her.

“That’s Mae for you…” He sighed to himself, he did feel trapped here, not honestly seeing the sense in attending the party, and anyway, he already had a scheme in mind. He glanced out the ornately framed window and saw that it was now snowing. Well, he wasn’t going to miss that. Snow was to beautiful to pass up, it always seemed to remind him as his mother. “Ahh mother, if only you were here.” He sighed again. Another knock on his door, this time a sharp rap—an order. Akio sprung from the couch and stood straight as his father calmly entered under his own power.

Without real introduction, his father began to speak. “Did you distribute the flyers?” He asked curtly. Your going against etiquette… Akio criticized, so much for his, never mind his father being a huge hypocrite. Aloud he said,

“Yes father.”

“Good, you have done well to serve the family.”

“Thank you father, it is a true honor.” He spoke like a wound up toy, not really able to voice his own opinions or feelings. The whole exchange sounded flat even to his ears. What he would make if he knew what he was…

“I want you to review this flyer, and make sure that it is indeed the ones you posted around town.” Of course that was coming, he thought he was stupid. How would he even manage to acquire a different flyer? He gave the overused parchment a cursory glance, having seen it a thousand times.

Come one,
Come all,
Welcome the Grand Ball!
For here the strong run for cover,
And the weak stand tall.

If you're not afraid,
Welcome to the Masquerade...

Begins at Sunset
18th of June 1893

Invitation is open to all who pay the sum of 1000 copper pieces (100 gold) at the door.

He nodded yes as he knew all the flyers and where he’d posted them. Of course, what his father didn’t know that on most of them, the bottom portion involving his ridiculous price was torn off. Akio’s face betrayed no emotion as he recognized this fact. His father tucked the flyer back into the pocket of his suite, and backhanded Akio harshly on the face. The action honestly didn’t hurt and he was almost certain that it would leave a bruise on his father’s hand, but one could only feel degraded to the extreme when it happened. He stood there, a blank look in his eyes rejecting the event all together, but his father began shouting anyway.

“Then WHY, tell me WHY son, is the most CRUCAIL PART, THE WHOLE POINT of this operation, TORN OFF?!!” Aki o did not answer. He would get less out of defiance than he would should he speak his true reasons. His father returned his blank stare with a look of utter disgust, and pushed him back on the couch. Akio was tempted to stay put in his tracks, and watch as his father feel down, but he knew that would give too much away, he might even guess what he was…

As he towered over him, he began to speak in a calmer manner. “Since you felt the need to defy me, you will join the guards down the back of the manor; you will make sure none of the delinquents you have tried to bring upon me see the insides of this house. You will do it alone, and you will get it done. Am I understood?”

Akio nodded, but it wouldn’t be enough. “AM I UNDERSTOOD?!” He shouted at him, spit hitting his face.

“Unconditionally, sir.” He spoke softly. His father after one shake of the head turned and swept from the room. And as he was closing the door, Akio could’ve sworn he heard something along the lines of “Damn right I am.” For awhile he stood there, still processing the spectacle. Of course there was a whole new ordeal in front of him, and he would have to face it alone. As he considered this fact, Akio realized he’d rather have it that way. So your just doing me a favor! he thought. Whether that ideology came from spite or true logic he wasn’t sure. Akio had no desire to walk through any of the halls, and he was sick of the place again, already. He quietly opened the window and leaned on the sill. He looked out at the black sky, and smiled in spite of himself. He leapt quietly out of the widow and fell. What would a maid of the house think, a boy flying down from the near top of the manor, some 10 stories high to land in the snow? He was certain they would resign within the day.

He neared the ground now, he could see it rushing up to meet him, and there was no need to position his foot. The soft snow mound successfully quelled his landed to the most inaudible of swishes. But it was not a small mound, and he sunk a good 4 feet into the snow touching the sodden earth beneath the white layer that now tickled his skin. He hopped out and smoothly landed a couple feet away from the mound, where the snow was around 4 inches. Some of the snow must have fallen from the roofs. Well, it was convenient anyway. As far as he knew, the people who’d actually taken the ripped off flyers as fact would try the front entrance, following the large crowd of people advancing on his house, and find out that they had to pay. Perhaps a riot would ensue, that would be fun. But Ahh…his father would most likely station a few guards to prevent any of that as a precaution. Akio turned around to face the edge of the walls hugging the house and bordering the forest, awaiting his would-be intruders.

Cauline shot me an annoyed glance over her shoulder and I shrugged helplessly. Rainie had an idea in her head and now it would be almost impossible to talk her out of it. I caught the flyer as it fluttered to the floor. My eyes glanced over it briefly:

Come one,
Come all,
Welcome the Grand Ball!
For here the strong run for cover,
And the weak stand tall.

If you're not afraid,
Welcome to the Masquerade...

Begins at Sunset
18th of June 1893

My eyes scaned the fryed edges at the end of the flyer. Had something there been torn? I glanced at Shade catching the end of Rainies sentance. I started laughing.
"How, Rainie, is Shade to act as a chaperone, when he as is likely to get into trouble as we are?" I asked as I caught the somewhat nervous look in Shade's eyes. It seemed he to had seen the frayed edge of the parchment. "Bring some gold with you...make that a lot. Who knows what might amiss here." I muttered handing the flyer over to him.
Rainie wirrled and grabbed my wrist saying that we had much to do before this ball...it was nearly sunset now. I looked at her.
"I do hope we don't have to do too much. The ball starts soon." I said laughing at Sahde who was still looking distressed in the hallway.

Rainie glanced back at Luna and smiled widely, looking slightly mad with her wide violet eyes. "Shade shall do just fine. Let's just try not to burn this place down, agreed?" She said with a short laugh. A passing maid politely opened the door for them, and Rainie shoved Luna into the large room.

Rainie made a beeline for the closet, though it was quite unladylike to run or walk in any hurried manner. She practically dove into the closet, going straight to the poofy dresses. She yanked a white one off the rack, flinging it at Luna, then flinging a blue one and a green one in suit. Her hand touched a violet one and she fell in love.

She pulled it to her, looking down in awe of its magnificence. The violet satin of it touched the floor, black lace tumbling down the back of the skirt. Black lace burst from the base of the violet-and-black corset in an untamed fashion. There weren’t sleeves, which was quite odd, so she decided black gloves would look wonderful. The whole thing was bold and daring, very much like herself.

Rainie smiled at her twin and said, “Best find one you like quickly, we’ve little time.” She draped the garment gingerly over her arm and turned to an ornate armoire. Opening it swiftly, she found what she was looking for. Masks were neatly arranged in one of the drawers, and she found gloves in another. Selecting black satin gloves that went up to the middle of her upper arm, she searched for a mask to accompany her wonderful dress.

She noticed two side by side, as if they were part of a set. They were identical, though one was violet instead of red. They were elegant, fading to black on one side, with black designs painted on them, and swirling feathers in complicated designs on one side. Rainie smiled and grabbed them both, holding the red one up for Luna to see.

“Look! This one suits you. Perhaps you can find a dress to match it!” Rainie said briskly, gliding out of the large closet and heading towards the dressing screen in the corner of her large bed chamber. Once behind it, she slipped off her white boots and stockings. She stared at the black and violet corset with an unhappy expression. “Do you think you could assist me with this bloody corset? I’ll give you a hand with yours after.” She said, her highly unladylike curse sounding completely blasé. She and Luna did not let the regulations of polite conversation interfere with their own conversations.