trans_9 | Care to Dance? [Masquerade party is A GO!] [Bendytimed to before the contagion plot]

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Care to Dance? [Masquerade party is A GO!] [Bendytimed to before the contagion plot]

It was the night of the ball, and Nanashi was in high spirits. She had recreated her castle in it's entirety, though it was devoid of residents. Instead there were several servants, half of them vampires and the other half human. Some of them had the sole purpose of escorting the arriving guests into a sort of small cocktail room. The walls were lined with tables with various dishes- and room for the guests to think up more if they so desired- and plenty of drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Once some people arrived, the double doors were opened to reveal the Grand Hall.

The hall itself was spectacular, rising several stories high with silk tapestries depicting dragons and legendary battles decorating the walls. Every so often along the wall one could find a sculpture, many of them busts of apparently famous people from long ago, others showed more dragons, while some were full-sized and somewhat resembled the great statues of Greece. Paintings both in oils and in inks could also be found where there were no tapestries. There were large oak tables with intricately carved legs and borders so it almost seemed as if the carved leaves had grown naturally. The tables were, like the ones earlier, covered in finger foods and drinks, while smaller tables were off to the side with more servants standing at wait where one could sit and be served a meal if they so wished. The room was softly lit by a great multitude of blue-flamed candles lining the walls and hanging from crystal and stone chandeliers above. A full orchestra played behind a partition, though clearly it was just a formality, as they somehow played some of the music she heard while wandering Zokez II as well. Another servant sat by the partition and was taking song requests. Above them was a balcony with a staircase that sloped down in such a way that the side closer to the hall curved away from the wall.

Normally, Nanashi would enter from the balcony, but she instead slipped in among the guests, wearing a white dress with the hem just brushing the ground and a pair of angel wings that looked a lot more realistic with the help of the sensoriums than they would look in her world. She also wore a silver mask to match her wings and dress.

Above even the balcony there was a giant clock that quietly ticked away the minutes. A chime would sound when the hands struck midnight, but hopefully no one would be losing a glass slipper tonight.

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She nodded sweetly, and extended her arm to be guided to the dance floor. She knew it was silly on one level, but she missed something like this: being on the ship meant never letting your guard down a lot. You had friends but you trained, you tried to find a way to make ready for the fight. Who knew when it could come?

So she felt happy to have the time to just enjoy things a little bit. She could fuss and worry about things later. She allowed Billy to lead her into a waltz, a dance Katara picked up fairly easily.

Ah, yes, a waltz. And he wasn't tripping over himself! Katara was graceful as ever, of course, and he was sure he'd see a smile if he could see her face.

But the point was to be disguised, and even though they couldn't hide from each other, they seemed to like pretending.

"Do you dance often?"

Katara was glad to see Billy in such fine form: he truly was a gentleman at heart. Most people wouldn't have noticed that, but she saw it,

"I do, actually," she said, smiling. "I'm usually dancing much faster than this but its still really nice. I guess it goes with the pace of this evening."

She gave him a polite curtsy. "How do you like it?"

Of course Katara was a wonderful dancer, she was excellent at just about anything else requiring physical control. It was almost artistic, even.

"It may speed up in the future," he adds idly. He's willing to try faster now that he's got his legs under him, but maybe it's not appropriate just yet.

How does he like it? "It's not something I was born to do, to put it mildly, but the social aspect is very appealing."

So is the twirling aspect, so he's going to try that now. Ready?

She didn't mind if it stayed slow for a little while: her dress wasn't really made for dancing very fast to begin with, so she didn't want to risk getting it damaged. She shrugged.

"I like it too," Katara said, grinning. "I love the whole idea of a ball in some ways: its very freeing."

She's ready, and moved with him.

"Especially if we don't know each other." But they do, of course.

He was all too happy to keep moving at a steady pace. "Does mystery excite you?"

Katara giggled. "Yup, I definitely have no clue who you are!" She grinned, giving him a hug.

She moved with him, and at his pace, nodded. "A little bit, yes. But I actually like honesty more than anything, you know?"

"Oof," he muttered lightly, returning her hug.

"I knew that," he sighed, looking for onlookers before tweaking his mask. When he did, his head reverted to its normal appearance and the green accents became blue. "You knew all along, huh?"

Katara grinned. She knew that Billy was unused to showing his affection so openly, but as she was Katara, it would have to be something he got used to: they were, after all, brother and sister by way of bonding.

"I don't think its possible for me to not know its you anymore," she admitted. "I'm not sure how it happened, but I think because of what we did before, I'll always know its you. Strange, huh? I like the green on you, by the way. It's a nice change."

Oh, Billy would get used to it all right. She'd seen how much he usually snuggled up with Renne, and this wouldn't be too different. Hell, if one of his friends ever awakened, he'd probably shock them with a hug.

Being loved felt nice.

"I knew, but I think it took me slightly longer. As we practice with this, we'll get better at sensing each other wherever we are and communicating over longer distances. And...you think so?"

He blushed lightly, and those accents faded to somewhere between blue and green. "I've always felt distinctly uncomfortable without blue, but adding other colors might be worth looking into."

With that, he continues the dance with slightly more confidence than before. "You look spectacular," he added with a small grin. "As always."

"We can do that?! Wow." Here Katara grinned. "I never knew that we could do something that advanced. Have you and Renne been able to do this back and forth all this time?"

Here, she winked. "I have an eye for colors and I definitely like it on you. It's good to experiment with different things. Even I can see the good in changing what you wear every once and awhile. It compliments you."

Katara did blush a little. It had been awhile since she'd been complimented, overs something she wore. "Thank you," she said, smiling. "It actually took some thought in picking, but in the end Rein did a spectacular job!"

Once again she wondered how Bill wasn't taken by a girl yet. She dipped, then spun around and brought Billy with he back into the dance.

Yeah, Billy reminds her from within. When we exercise the Bond, it will become stronger. We've been able to do this in some form since the first days.

Grinning, he adjusted his mask a little. "I might pick a broader color palate, but Rangers feel uncomfortable when they don't wear their color. I don't yet understand why that is, but it's almost like an addiction."

He shrugged, knowing full well that it sounded ridiculous. "Rein's the seamstress, right? I haven't seen her yet, but if you're any indication, I should."

And they survived a dip without tripping up? As this song entered its final notes, he slowed them down gently. What a ride that had been.

She should have been more surprised, but with all that had happened when she had arrived on the ship, she could say that many things had opened her eyes. She'd visited dreamscapes and fought nightmares: she'd seen her share of the bizarre.

Katara nodded. "Well, I can definitely understand that. Look at my dress: I couldn't get away from the blues either. After you wear it fora while, you start to get used to it. I get that."

She laughed. "You're really good at making a girl feel appreciated! Yes, Rein is an amazing seamstress. I know she had quite a few orders for this ball, and I'm glad helped me choosing the perfect dress."

Finishing the dance, she gave Billy a polite curtsy she'd seen at one of those movies with the Outsiders. She thought the gesture looked something like a bow in her world, and she liked it.

"Some parts of the past are more than worth hanging onto," Billy mused as their dance finished. He bowed to her with another sweep of his cape.

"Would you like an escort off the floor?"

Katara seconded that. "Especially when they remind you of what you've been, what you fight for. It's a little like a symbol that way, don't you think?"

That was what she thought anyway.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Katara said, giving him an impish grin. "Lead the way."

"Right. It's our identity, and I don't want to lose that."

He led her off quite happily. "I'm sure you'll be swept away soon enough. You're quite popular."

"Definitely not," Katara said grinning. "Not that I think we really could, when it comes down to it."

"Oh you're just being too complimentary," Katara said, shaking her head. "I doubt I'm that popular."

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Care to Dance? [Masquerade party is A GO!] [Bendytimed to before the contagion plot]

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