The Samhain Ball - Come as You Aren't

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

A woman strides through the Nexus, garbed in royal finery of a distinctly Elizabethan style. In the crook of her arm, she carries an ebony scepter shod and capped in silver. There may be something familiar about her confident bearing, her angular features, her mismatched eyes. When she pauses to speak, the cadence of her words might spark recognition--is this Schön?!

"People of the Nexus, friends, in the world from which I hail we stand on the cusp of a special day, a harvest-fest when the walls between worlds grow thin, when masks and costumes are worn to frighten away the wicked spirits--or to invite them in on more congenial terms. So on this day, I invite you, each and every one of you, to join me in a revel to bid farewell to Summer, and welcome with fire and song the coming dark! Join me, won't you?" Letting her gaze sweep the crowd, she raps the heel of her scepter once against something solid, vanishing in a flash and leaving a sparkling trail for the curious to follow.

A cool wind herds dry, crackling leaves through the gathering gloom. On the cusp between the parklands and the residential district, darkness and cloudy skies have been slowly coalescing for days around a stately house of Gothic style, ivy-encrusted and showing its age somewhat. A square tower stands vigil over the entryway, tall windows overlooking the flagstone drive looping around a fountain gone dry. The house’s angular wings stretch to either side, the windows dark save for occasional glints and gleams of colored lights bobbing within. A glow does creep over the line of the roof, however, and the faint throb of distant music hint at something happening behind the house. The door stands open, a silent invitation to every brave soul who passes by.

((Happy Halloween! Enjoy the festivities. All LOLs are optional. Threadhopping is encouraged. Backtagging is forever, so don’t worry about missing out: we’ll still be here when you get back from your more mundane ghosties and goblins.))

Playlist
Visualosity
The Entrance
The Ballroom
The Banquet
The Bonfire
The Corn Maze
Dark Corners
Costume Icon Requests
The Photo Booth

Comments

[heirtothearcane]

That was unexpected but he does his best not to look surprised. No, he'll try to run with it instead, even if he's not entirely sure if there's something he should be doing. Patting her back maybe? He doesn't know.

The small joke gets his equivalent of a tiny chuckle, a small smile. "I don't think you're lying. You wouldn't lie to me, I don't think, not much. You're too good to me. Which I... I really appreciate. I don't know how I could have managed being around the Nexus so much without your help. I might have stayed in the library forever."

[brave_heart_verity]

Hugging is good. Back-patting works in a pinch. But so long as he shows her some kind of affection, she's fine with it. She's in no position to be picky. (Someday she'll kill that surprised reaction with her neediness.)

"No such thing as 'too good' to you." But the rest of it has her blushing again, and relaxing. Nothing can be so terrible if he thinks well of her. "The library's loss is my gain. Obviously, I'm just being terribly selfish."

[heirtothearcane]

Hugging seems like the best plan, since she's already leaning against him looking for support. Even though his grip is light, he will wrap his arms around her.

"I don't mind. I like the library, but I do a lot when I'm with you. Things I... I wouldn't do on my own. I've learned so much." He's quiet for a second. "I... I don't know what I did to deserve a friend as good as you, but I will try to be a good friend in return. It's difficult though, I'm not sure if you realise, but you're so very strong, brave, beautiful and incredibly smart too, I... I'm not always sure what you need me for."

[brave_heart_verity]

Hugging is generally the best plan when it comes to Verity and her emotions. All of them. Sad? Hugs. Happy? Hugs. Angry? Hugs until she calms down, then more hugs. It's a beautifully simple system.

She's not quite sure what to say to all that. There's a lot to process, lots of lovely wonderful things and a few that are worrying. Eventually, she manages to find some words that, she hopes, will work. "I'm not this brave without you. I need you because you make me feel safe. I can be this wonderful strong person you're talking about because you're there with me."

[heirtothearcane]

Viatorus smiles softly and the slightest laugh slips past his lips. "That doesn't make an awful lot of sense. But, if being here for you is what makes me a good friend to you, then I'll do that, and more, where I can."

[brave_heart_verity]

"You know what they say, the truth is stranger than fiction." She lifts her head from his shoulder finally so she can give him a smile. That laugh of his always cheers her up. "But if you need more reasons..." read: compliments "okay. You're a good friend to me because you can see past the defenses I use to keep the world at bay. You actually care about being my friend. You're willing to work at it. And we can be together in our solitude."

Don't let her get poetic, V, that never ends well.

[heirtothearcane]

"You don't need to give me more reasons," he says hastily, with some more nervous laughter, because the complimentary explanations are making him awkward. "I just... like to know. So that I can try to be better. I'm not sure how anyone could not care if they were your friend, but I'd like to be as good at it as I can. I like making other people happy. I like making you happy. It's the least I can do."

She can get poetic and he can prattle on... It works out.

[brave_heart_verity]

She'll stop, for now. Making him feel worse right before he's going into the lion's den would be unkind. "You do. You make me very happy, dear. More than that: I feel safe being happy with you. I hope I can do that for you, too."

Maybe there can be more poetry later, some quiet evening of books and wine and intimacy. They've earned some of that.

[heirtothearcane]

He ducks his head, hiding his smile a little, only to lift in again to nod. "You do. Of course you do."

Not sure what to say, he gestures vaguely back to the ballroom. "Should I... Would you... Would you like me to get you a drink?"

Quiet evenings are always a winning plan to Viatorus.

[brave_heart_verity]

'Of course' she does? She's never been one to assume she's a good influence on someone's life, but if he's so certain who is she to argue? Her lower lip is caught between her teeth to keep herself from saying something foolish, but that doesn't stop the ridiculous little happy sound she makes.

She follows his gesture inside and shakes her head quickly. "No. Please, can we stay out here a little longer?" She's not ready to have anyone else seeing her make a fool of herself like this. Not yet.

[heirtothearcane]

As quickly as she asks, he replies, "Yes, yes, of course. Yes." And will use the hand that had been gesturing to rub the back of his head.

He has no idea what he should say or do so he opts to stay quiet for the moment. Maybe she's hoping for a particular kind of conversation or progression that his awkward attempts to make her feel better aren't helping with.

[brave_heart_verity]

The quiet is just fine. He's there with her, she's safe, and there are chao climbing over their feet. Life is pretty good at the moment. It's a peaceful moment in which she can recover herself and steady her nerves.

"Thank you for being patient with me." He may think he's being awkward, but it seems pretty well-timed to her.

[heirtothearcane]

"Oh..." He smiles bashfully and dips his head again. "You're welcome. I'd be a very poor scholar if I couldn't be patient. B-Besides, it's even easier when it's for someone I care about."

Looking down means that he spots the chao climbing about their feet. When one of them decides to sit on his foot, he decides to tap his toes, giving the chao a little ride, much to its delight.

[brave_heart_verity]

Maybe it's a good thing they're making each other blush so much. Maybe it'll get it out of their systems for the rest of the night. "I care about you, too." She hopes he already knew that, but, fair's fair.

The chao love rides. And they love V. V giving them rides is fantastic. "Keep that up, and you're going to get one that looks like you soon."

[heirtothearcane]

Or maybe they'll be stuck with a permanent blush and stay shy forever, through this night and the next. Her reply does get a large smile from him.

Viatorus is all smiling and cooing until Verity says that and he does a double take, blinking at her, brow sky high. "Sorry, come again?"

[brave_heart_verity]

All the more reason to stick together, if that happens. She's not seeing a real problem with that.

"One of them started looking like me. She's pink and green and has little tattoo markings on her arms now. Naugus said that sometimes one will bond with someone and start looking like them." She's clearly looking forward to a Viachao to keep her Verichao company.

[heirtothearcane]

"Oh." He looks down to the chao again as he considers this. "Oh, well, then I should let you play with them. So they can all look pretty."

[brave_heart_verity]

"I'd like if they looked like you. One of them at least. Someone has to keep mini-me company, right?" Because these aren't turning into surrogate children or anything.

The chao just want more rides, or upsies, or the usual games. If he isn't careful they're going to start swinging on his tails.

[heirtothearcane]

He'll have to keep an eye on that. He needs to look like he hasn't been to the Nexus when he gets home.

"I'd feel bad," he admits without thinking much on it. He has to stop doing that, speaking before he thinks, but he gets so comfortable around Verity that it just sort of... happens. "I'm very plain. They wouldn't get to be pink or green, or even half as interesting as Naugus. Everyone else is so much more... colourful."

[brave_heart_verity]

He should never stop doing that. She loves that he trusts her with these things, even when she disagrees. "You're not plain. You're so handsome, and you have some of the nicest eyes I've ever seen. How can you say you're not colorful with such pretty green... eyes..."

She hadn't realized before. Maybe she's a little dense sometimes. Maybe she was trying to protect herself. But suddenly, she realizes how much he looks like Loki.

And that is something she's going to lock up tight in her heart to deal with later.

"And we can always dye your hair if you want," she reminds him with an attempt at a mischievous grin. "If you feel the need to display more colorful plumage."

[heirtothearcane]

When she calls him handsome it's straight back to blushing, which is a little problematic in that it prevents him from forming proper responses. Otherwise he'd be quick to point out that he's not sure that 'handsome' translates to chao as easily as 'bright and colourful'. "I'm not... I... Uh... Thank you...?"

For now he shifts his weight awkwardly and rubs the back of his head some more. "E-Even if you did get my hair to change colour, I'd be hopeless trying to do it myself."

[brave_heart_verity]

After a minute of awkward head rubbing, she reaches up to coax his hand away from that. Better to hold her hand, isn't it? "You're welcome." In exchange for the hand-holding, she won't press the point any further.

"I have a little experience with these things if you wanted to try. It's okay if you don't." She wants him to be happy and have fun. What color his hair is doesn't matter much so long as he likes it. "Anything that'll make you happy."

[heirtothearcane]

Hand-holding is a stranger alternative. It leaves him with very few ways to fidget and suddenly a thousand thoughts about whether his palms are clean or sweaty and wondering how it can be so hard to tell the difference sometimes.

There's a moment where he hesitates, and then he shakes his head. "I couldn't. It's... You... I think it's nice, but... my family..." She knows already, there's no point repeating it, so he looks down at his hand and hers and gives a shrug. "Besides, I wouldn't want to draw attention to myself. I don't like people looking at me. Not that you do, but... you can deal with it better."

[brave_heart_verity]

His palms are fine. Obviously: she's not complaining about them. But she can feel the urge to fidget, those little twitches. They'll need to address this, in just a moment.

"Okay." You see? It's easy to decline her offers because she's not upset. There's no strings hidden or otherwise, there's no huge secret agenda, there's no 'wrong' answer. "Whatever you want is fine, darling."

His hands get a squeeze, then she turns her left hand over so he can see the palm. "You see the callus, there, near my thumb? When I want to fidget I fold my hands and rub my thumb into my palm. It's much less obvious. If you can do this instead of more obvious gestures, people will have a harder time knowing they're getting to you. You'll keep more control over the situation."

Doesn't she know nifty things?

[heirtothearcane]

Easy acceptance isn't something he's come to expect from expressing his own thoughts and opinions. So his eyes flicker over her face, looking for some twitch in her expression to be more displeased than her reply. He can't find one, though, and he's not sure what to make of that.

When Verity explains, she has his full attention and he turns his palm over to find where that spot would be for him. He meets her gaze, sounding a little sceptical when he asks, "You get more control just by doing that?"