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

Barbers, hopefully, or the rest of us won't get to enjoy it.

[onemorebounty]

*Samus accepts the offered arm with a lopsided smile, tucking her hand into his elbow.*

Hmm, ask Verity about my style of mercy, sometime.

*Her friend and self-defense student gets a smile.*

Oh, I can move quite well in them, I promise you.

*It's settled: on their next run, she's wearing the costume.*

[shardofwinter]

"I am a Swiss knife of a man, my dear." Arms in arms, he'll lead them down to the dance floor, being careful not to drag or pull either of them.

Someone is missing out on an in-joke and looks between the two wondering why shoes are so much of a concern. "If they become a problem we could all go barefoot like a group of free spirited merrymakers."

[brave_heart_verity]

"But carefully avoiding the army? I suppose that would be an off-season sport for you." Verity can keep pace. The only thing likely to slow her up is when the chao inevitably come to join the dancing.

Samus gets an innocent look in response. If she wears the costume for training, Verity might die laughing. Or die while laughing, which is close enough to the same thing.

"I've never been a free-spirited anything, and I don't think there's enough wine here to change that. But you're welcome to try." She should probably be more careful saying things like that to him.

The things on the tips of the laces are called "aglets." Their true purpose is sinister.

[onemorebounty]

You shoot twice and go home?

*Samus may be thinking of Swiss soldiers, there. And it lets her keep up in the wordplay.*

Is that why you wanted both of us on your arms? So you could leave sooner? Tsk.

*Verity must learn that sometimes the thing chasing her will look terribly silly! Doom approaches in kinky boots!*

[shardofwinter]

"I've been in the army before. Something usually regretted by all involved. Too few pretty women looking to dance," he tells her matter-of-factly.

"I wanted both of you on my arms because it would be shameful not to use both arms." As they reach the dancefloor he takes both their hands so that he can guide them to a good spot. "I have no intention of leaving either of you until you are both happily exhausted."

[brave_heart_verity]

"I thought women were supposed to like a man in uniform. Maybe you were wearing it wrong..." The teasing is delivered with an innocent look, as if she believes this is really a possibility.

Samus can handle the innuendo. Thus is the privilege and the responsibility of wearing kinky boots.

[My other boots have jets in them.]

[onemorebounty]

You really want to take us both on with a promise like that?

*She gives Reynard a wry look, while letting him choose a place to dance.*

Verity's got some good stamina built up, and I helped her build it. What's our prize if you can't go the distance, hmm?

[shardofwinter]

"I never wear anything wrong," he informs Verity, voice low and assured.

Once he settles on somewhere with enough space, he spins them both to bring them in front of him. It's a slow movement, in case they didn't expect it or need a minute to get into the swing of dancing. "Whatever you can dream up, my dears, since it will stay a dream."

Better than a jetpack setting your shoe on fire.

[brave_heart_verity]

Reynard does an amazing job walking the line between being confident and being annoying. Verity's very impressed, secretly. And she's getting spun. No complaints here. "You are pulling that costume off," she admits. She could have been pedantic about it, but that's not as much fun with him. Not right now.

"Learn to make my favorite ice cream. Nobody here makes it." And it's the little things you start to miss.

[onemorebounty]

What is your favorite kind of ice cream?

*That Reynard plans to dance with both of them at once gets an amused look and a raised brow from Samus, but if he's opening with a spin, she can certainly spin. Spinning is practically her natural habitat.*

Ambitious, both of us at once. Let us know if you sprain something and need to ice it.

[shardofwinter]

"I've never made ice cream before," he muses, pausing for half a second before deciding, "It could be fun."

"I'm old, not decrepit, my dear." His hips and steps match the music tempo, arms dedicated to guiding his partners around himself and each other. He leads Samus in another spin, this time also in a circle around him so that his arms are crossed when he pulls the two of them closer. "And how could I not be spry as a fox around such exciting and witty women?"

[brave_heart_verity]

"What kind of self-respecting king of frozen things has never made ice cream? Really." She doesn't roll her eyes nearly as much when she's dancing (on account of not wanting to make herself dizzy), but the intent is implied. "Cannoli."

He is really good at this. If he can keep it up, she might even admit it out loud. She thought she was a pretty good dancer, but keeping track of two partners at once is a whole different kind of problem. No wonder nobody can really get maypoles right. "I didn't know foxes were known for their dancing skills."

[onemorebounty]

People overreach and sprain things when they're young, too.

*Samus' admission of Reynard's dancing skills might be a little more grudging than Verity's, or at least longer in coming, but she tends to like to be difficult in general. Hedgehog words aside, she is enjoying herself considerably.*

I thought they were known for faceplanting into snow.

[shardofwinter]

"I get overzealous and end up with ice pops. True ice-cream is a delicate endeavour."

"And for dancing around Winterscapes with boundless enthusiasm." He untangles himself with a twirl, coming between the two and dancing towards Verity, Samus in tow. "But I will make your cannoli ice-cream if you wear me down." Then he spins Verity and dances them back and forth.

[brave_heart_verity]

"That doesn't bode well for your winning tonight," she points out with a little laugh.

His skill, on the other hand... she and Samus might be in more trouble than they'd bargained for. She takes her eyes off Reynard just for a moment to look at Samus, and then, surprise spin. Definitely needs to be more careful about that. "I'm looking forward to it. And what do you want, Samus?"

[onemorebounty]

Hmm, you make a strong case for cannoli ice cream.

*Her grin has a brief flash of teeth, and she tries turning the tables on Reynard, trying to draw him into a twirl of his own.*

Overzealous, boundless enthusiasm that ends with a faceplant--you're going to talk yourself into exhaustion at this rate. And then you'll owe us ice cream.

[shardofwinter]

The twirl catches him by surprise, so he draws Verity close to join him in spinning under Samus' arm. "I only need to be less exhausted than you, my dears, remember that."

[brave_heart_verity]

A second surprise spin? Reynard is 123% made of trouble. By the end of this go-round Verity is laughing and clinging to him. "Just remember that making me dizzy isn't the same thing as making me tired."

[onemorebounty]

And you have to wear us both out to win.

*Samus puts out a hand to help Verity steady herself, if she'd like it, giving Reynard a challenging smile.*

[shardofwinter]

"But making you laugh might be," he points out with the cheekiest smile you ever did see. He will ease up on the spinning for Verity's sake, dancing them back and forth, hip twisting and shoulder rolling like there's no tomorrow. "It's a win-win for me either way."

[brave_heart_verity]

She's grateful for the assist from Samus and her smile makes that known, even if she's still laughing. It isn't long before she's back to the dancing. "Oh, you are a sneaky one. Next thing we know, you're going to be convincing us you planned all along for us all to have fun."

[onemorebounty]

*Verity's smile is answered with a smile, and her jibe at Reynard earns a chuckle.*

Oh, you fiend. Just how many ulterior motives do you have? How deep the schemes?

*Not that she minds a whit; the dance is fun, and the self-declared snow fox king keeps well in step.*

[shardofwinter]

"Ah, your smiles are the most moving of all my motivations. Your laughter the best music to dance to." Samus gets a spin. "So long as you enjoy them, there shall be schemes for you to uncover!"

[brave_heart_verity]

Verity takes the moment to catch her breath and watch them. They make a handsome couple. "I'm not sure if that's a promise or a threat. Maybe we should stop encouraging you."

[onemorebounty]

*Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. Samus and Reynard are dancing...

...well, crap.*

Really? I think I'd have trouble with the rhythm, but if you want to try...

*She can't resist another laugh; between the spin, Reynard's bold claims, and Verity's remark, the last of the Chozo is having quite a time.*