ioduanlogs | [EVENT] MASQUERADE! PAPER FACES ON PARADE

Characters: Anyone and everyone!
Date: October 20
Location: Aisling Tower grounds
Situation: It's the annual event! The Aisling Tower hosts an elaborate masquerade to celebrate Shadow Nights.
Warnings/Rating: In individual threads - please remember to warn!

As dusk falls on October 20th, the bone white spire of the Aisling Tower gleams brightly in the fading sunlight. Once a year, the Tower throws open its doors to begin the official Shadow Nights celebrations. It's a lavish and popular event, attended by all walks of life in Aifaran.

But as the Night Parade approaches, the excitement in the air is tinged with trepidation about the barrier. Perhaps the donning of masks will help Aifaran shed its fears.

In the week leading up to the masquerade, the Tower is a flurry of activity while things are rearranged and set up for the influx of visitors. A special room is designated to provide suitable attire to rent for the evening to those who cannot afford fancy clothes as a staple of their wardrobe. All for the low price of the dry-cleaning bill for the outfit!

When the day finally arrives, preparations are made in earnest during the morning and afternoon, festooning the surrounds with seasonal decorations. The steady deliveries of food, drink, and decor create a buzz about the place. Tables dressed with fine cloth are brought into the courtyard and as the gates open, spirit lanterns in a variety of shapes and colors are lit, and the courtyard shines invitingly as guests arrive.

At the base of the Tower, an atrium that makes up most of the ground floor has been cleared for the masquerade. Wide, sweeping ramps lead upwards, dotted with tables and some cushioned benches for seating. The upper floors of the Tower are still off-limits to the public, and discreet guards stand watch. The interior of the Tower is done in whites and creams, with accents shimmering like pearls. As a result, the vibrant costumes and decorations stand out all the more distinctly, a riot of color across a blank canvas.

Let Shadow Nights begin!

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OOC Notes: The Masquerade log is available for threading throughout the rest of the month. While there are starters available for threading, feel free to create your own top-level comment! Enjoy the festivities.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The eclectic mix of music and dance styles has Jacen rooted in the hall even if he’s not actually taken part in the revelry, just occasionally swaying or tapping his foot to the beat. The energy in the air is infectious, and he finds himself grinning, even laughing every now and then with the others.

But his attention is repeatedly drawn to one particular woman on the floor: the warrior-queen on the catwalk earlier, a striking presence even among the sea of people. She reminds him of an old friend, and that gets him thinking about Tenel Ka for a moment as he absent-mindedly pets the catbat on his shoulder. She’d rock that outfit even with one arm (it might’ve been her lightsaber that was faulty, but it was his blade that sliced off her arm). She was part of that doomed mission on Myrkr, which was probably a year ago now but actually feels so much longer... did she think he was dead, too?

So he’s caught by surprise when Valdis ends up standing right next to him — and starts talking to him. Kriff. He stiffens, staring at her dumbly for a second before averting his gaze to the dance floor.

“Y-Yeah,” he stammers, then he clears his throat awkwardly. “My mother used to have these state functions all the time.”

The boy's uncertainty is evident by the way he stares and the looks away. Valdis couldn't find it in herself to be surprised, her pride had gotten her into trouble before, but perhaps she could bask in it for tonight. Her comment seemed to have startled him from some thought, but his stammering makes her smile.

"She must have been an important woman," Valdis commented, looking up at the batcat on his shoulder, "I see you have a friend, care to introduce me?"

It might make him feel more at ease, despite how entertaining it was for her to be intimidating.

It's a pretty smile on a pretty girl, and it was making Jacen nervous. So he focused instead on her questions, although he did a quick calming Force exercise for good measure. "She was. She served as Chief of State of the New Republic for several years." It was hardly the ideal childhood, but that was how it was.

He paused, pursing his lips together. She probably didn't even know what the New Republic was, did she? Of the people in the archipelago only Anakin and Zohvin were from his galaxy, and they weren't even from the same time period as he was. Talking about the affairs of his side of the multiverse would be a moot point.

Fortunately, Valdis shifted the topic to his batcat. Now that was something he wouldn't mind talking about, and an easy, lopsided smile lit up his face. "I just got her tonight," he said, glancing at his new pet and giving her another affectionate rub. "She was smaller than all the others, and didn't want to be left alone. I haven't thought of a name for her yet, though. Any suggestions?"

Valdis lacked knowledge of any New Republic, but she could guess from the context that it was some sort of union. Perhaps a group of states under a single ruler, but there was no way to know unless she asked. It didn't matter too much though, they were both Dreamfolk now and their homeworlds lacked the same importance since she didn't care for hers. But he had a charming smile, and a lightness that seemed to arise with the mention of the batcat.

"She's very sweet," Valdis replied, "If perhaps a bit anxious."

She smiled, watching the small animal, "You are the one best qualified to choose a name for her, she already seems quite attached."

Anxious probably applied to both the catbat and her owner, but he’s not about to admit that. Focus on the catbat, Jacen.

“It’s her first party,” he tells Valdis. “She’s enjoying it, and she’s actually curious about everyone, but— hey!” He laughs as his pet decides to scale the side of his head, and when she can’t quite get her footing, he quickly supports her.

He ends up with a little flying alien cat thing at the top of his head. And during her climb, the critter manages to drag down his mask to one side so he looks like he’s blindfolded himself diagonally. “Oh come on,” he exclaims, but he’s clearly exaggerating. “I’m trying to impress the lady here.”

(Okay, maybe not exaggerating with that last bit.)

Valdis laughs with him as the cat scrambles up the boys face to sit on his head, the sound shifting ever so slightly at his last comment. She can sense the light anxiety that came with the desire to impress another, so at least he was truthful.

"Silly kit," she scolds, reaching out to straighten the mask, "My name is Valdis, I take it you are new around here?"

She didn't recognize him, not that she knew everyone on sight, but he still smelled of a place that wasn't Aifaran.

He practically blushes when she straightens his mask, and if he could only melt into the Force and conveniently disappear, he would most likely accept that offer.

"J-Jacen," he answers, stammering as he introduces himself in turn. Kriff, he wishes he had a mask that covered his entire face right now. "Yeah, I'm new. I just arrived a few days ago. With my brother. Well, not exactly with my brother, but he's here, too."

Then he grins sheepishly. "I'm not impressing you, am I."

Valdis smiled as kindly as she could manage, her eyes bright with amusement as he grinned sheepishly.

"I'm a very difficult woman to impress," she replied, "You'd do best to just be yourself and see where that gets you."

He was far too young, more like a puppy than a man, in an endearing way though. Yet she got the feeling he'd seen more than his years, though the existence of that feeling confused her. It must be something in his aura.

"You are lucky to have family with you, it will make the adjustment easier in some ways."

[EVENT] MASQUERADE! PAPER FACES ON PARADE

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