cuddlecity | EVENT: A VERY NICE BALL.

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EVENT: A VERY NICE BALL.

Blink, and a week goes by; close your eyes, and the evening of the fifteenth comes to life, the cool glow of moonlight illuminating the quiet streets of the city. For once, it seems like the entire city's come to a standstill — many of the local businesses have closed early today, with signs advising they'll reopen first thing in the morning, and even the dependable, cheerful squawks of the street vendors have hushed for the time being. Hurried as this year's event may seem, the annual celebration is a city tradition that's not to be missed; bakers and booksellers alike know this all too well, and any lingering souls in their shops will be gently but firmly shooed to the exits by late afternoon. They've got to get all dolled up too, after all, and such finery takes time.

Whether the Social Committee's video enticed you or you've been dragged by the metaphorical scuff tonight, the Samhain Ball hopes to offer you an evening of seasonally appropriate escapism. There's something for everyone tonight, from the comforting swells of smooth jazz and upbeat swing pouring out from the stage where a live band plays, to the mouth-watering smells and tastes of a gourmet plated meal served early in the evening, to even the simple beauty of the decorated ballroom itself.

The first hour or so of the evening allows for guests to enter at their leisure through double doors at the north end of the ballroom, where all are greeted by the smiling faces of Flora and Cornelius in their matching cream pantsuits. Should you choose this main entrance, you and your companion — or companions, if you've brought more than one — will be announced in grand style, befitting the occasion. (Savvy — or sneaky — attendees may note the auxiliary entrance on the west side of the ballroom. Follow the garden path, and be mindful of the sprinklers. They do have a tendency to go off at the wrong moments.)

Take a look around, and soak in the sights. The ornately carved ceiling of the ballroom has been obscured for the evening with tasteful black draping dotted with the gentle glow of strung lights. It lends a twilight quality to the evening, enhanced by the soft flicker of tea lights placed at the center of each table on the east side of the ballroom and the sconces hung on the wall throughout. Each table, too, features a soft cream tablecloth and a bounty of autumnal florals, perfectly arranged to match the golden chairs surrounding. There's plenty of seating for all, and no assignments — feel free to claim a table for you and yours, and free your hands of anything you may not wish to carry.

The slow fade of music from the stage signals attention to a single woman illuminated by spotlight, whose silhouette should look familiar to anyone who's spent time in the city. With a small, tired smile, Mayor Drake welcomes you and yours to the city's annual Samhain Celebration Ball; her speech is short, but touches on the importance of the holiday, from the appreciation of the harvest to the welcoming of the new year, and reminds both natives and visitors alike to take time in the coming months to cherish their blessings — including this most immediate one, the promised Samhain feast.

Once you've settled around a table, the ballroom welcomes you to chat with strangers and friends alike, encouraging conversation with soft instrumental music and the quiet, pleasant generosity of passing waiters carrying flutes of happily bubbling champagne. A little liquid courage never hurt anyone, after all.

Dinner is an affair in itself, plated and served by hushed but skilled waiters whose capable hands whisk courses in and out with no more than a smile. No matter your dietary preferences or needs, there's an appetizer, entree, and everything in between available for you — simply raise a hand, and a member of the waitstaff will be at your side to assist in taking your order when you're ready. Linger as long as you like at the table; there's no rush to leave, but when you're ready, let the swells of the music from the stage entice you to the west side of the ballroom, where a dance floor's lit by the warm glow of so many twinkling lights overhead.

The music itself goes on through the wee hours of the evening, so there's plenty of opportunities to fill your dance card with any number of partners. The songs themselves vary from gentle waltzes perfect for cheek-to-cheek swaying to faster rhythms suited for swing dancing's signature dips and twirls, and requests are always welcome if you've something particular in mind. There's even a microphone tucked to the side, just in case you feel the urge to croon with accompaniment to someone special as the night goes on.

Of course, if you don't feel like dancing, or just need to rest your feet, there's plenty of entertainment tucked in the hall. In a small room just off the ballroom, you might find a collection of old-fashioned photobooth machines, ordered on accident and set here where they won't clash with the rest of the decor. They're operational, of course, and free of charge; feel free to take a few silly photos, but be sure to wait for them to print. There's the gardens, too, equally decorated with twinkling lights, though the effect is muted by the moonlight that trickles through the canopy overhead; the adjoining hedge maze and walking paths have often been a perfect site for quiet walks and romantic interludes in years past.

While a perfect world might allow such a charmed evening to last forever, unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and as the late hour of the evening gives way to the promise of dawn, a familiar tune is played to signal the end of the event. As the lyrics go, you don't have to go home... but you can't stay here. Time to make your way to the exit, and see where else the night takes you.

Whew, talk about words. Should you need a recap: be pretty, because this is a fancy event. Bring a friend or come stag, whatever you choose; eat, drink, dance (or don't) and be merry, for this is an event without any dramatic accidental consequences. Well, except the sprinklers... and maybe your own excessive consumption of champange, but that's up to you!

And, though we say it every time, please don't forget that your mod team is here for you with answers to any questions you might have, whether related specifically to this event or the game in general. If you have any further questions specific to this event, we encourage you to ask away on our QUESTIONS COMMENT here in this post. If you have general questions, or prefer a more private venue, our GENERAL INBOX (and SCREENED INBOX) is always available for you.

Enjoy your evening, cuddlers, but if you would, please — save the last dance for us?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

While he's not expecting the kiss just then, it certainly isn't unwelcome. Maybe Glinda hasn't quite figured out just how interested in her Derek actually is. In her defense, he's a lot more guarded now after Jennifer and Braeden than he used to be when it comes to showing it.

Glinda pulls away and apologizes, likely because the kiss came so unexpectedly that he hadn't really had much time to react before she moved out of reach. Instead of responding right away verbally, Derek shakes his head and draws her back to him.

"Don't be," he finally says, looking back at her. There doesn't seem to be anyone around, but he wouldn't much mind if there were, anyway. Partially in an effort to assuage her worries, but also largely because he just wants to, Derek closes the gap between them once more, picking up where she left off in her concern that it hadn't been wanted. His mouth meets hers, capturing her bottom lip between his two for a soft but lingering kiss.

When he parts a moment later, it's only barely and his eyes are still closed as he smiles and shakes his head again. "Seriously, don't be sorry."

Glinda hasn't exactly been wearing her heart on her sleeve lately- perhaps she's been relatively reserved as far as she's concerned. Then again, she went through a lot before arriving here. She's easily drawn back to him- mostly because she doesn't want to be apart from him really.

She looks up at him, waiting for more of a reaction? More of an answer apart from "don't be"... And as soon as his lips are on hers, lingering and soft, she forgets to breathe. She doesn't want the kiss to end, but even as it does, she doesn't open her eyes either. She breathes out a small giggle and smiles as she bumps her nose against his. "If you insist."

It seems silly, a lot of this unnecessary worry does... But any tension that she might have had dissolves now. "Did I mention how glad I am that you asked me to this?"

There's something sort of adorably intimate about it, the way her nose bumps his the way a couple of twitterpated teenagers might do and, for the first time in a long time, he almost feels like a twitterpated teenager. ...and it's nice.

"I do," he assures her with a grin. His nose brushes against hers again when he shakes his head to her question.

She hasn't said, but he's glad to hear it. "Maybe just now," he teases. "Did I mention how glad I am that you said yes?"

"Only just now??"

Glinda laughs, breathlessly, as her nose brushes against his. She watches him through her thick eyelashes, pulling away just enough to look at him easier. "I could have sworn I've said it at least twenty times," she teases back. "Which means you must have said that an equal number."

Derek's eyes flicker back and forth between Glinda's own two as he studies her expression, a smile on his own face. "Oh, I don't know," he jokes. "I don't recall that."

He does, of course, because he's said that just as many times, but that look on her face and the way she looks back at him through her long lashes is worth teasing her each and every time. It will probably not be his last time saying it before the night is over, either, if she tells him again that she's glad he invited her.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" he asks after a moment of swaying quietly with her.

The Good Witch bites down on her lip, grinning as she does so... Watching him, relishing this moment as it happens. "I'll keep saying it just in case you keep forgetting," she laughs after a moment.

"Tomorrow?" Glinda repeats as she tilts her head. "I don't have anything planned... Why do you ask?"

She still hasn't found an actual job- just volunteer work as required. So there's no job demanding she be there at any point in the day. She likes to keep her schedule open. (And- okay- she's a little picky about the work she commits to.)

There's something about Glinda that just...feels good to be around. Maybe it's her beautiful smile or the way that she seems to radiate goodness from her every pore in spite of the fact that she's no longer fooling Derek with the Everything Is Perfect act she puts on. Maybe it's the way that she can put on that sort of a facade and it's hard to discern until you've spent significant time with her up close like this. Derek hadn't ever been able to hide that sort of thing. Whatever it is, it's nice and the more time he can spend with her, the better, in his opinion.

Giving her a little facial shrug that turns into a smile, his shoulders move into a shrug as well. "I don't know, I thought maybe if you didn't have anything else going on, we could go out."

For a moment, he almost says "hang out" but decides at the last minute that that sounds entirely platonic in the context of the conversation and he doesn't want to make her think that it has to be that way when it doesn't. He'd be happy with that, too, of course, but he's mostly looking for a chance to explore whatever...this...could be. They may or may not be able to go any further than being friends who've shared some kisses and dances, but it's worth looking at a little, at least, isn't it?

Perhaps she'll let down her guard sometime. It's very difficult, unfortunately, even with how they continue to spend time together. The shrug, first in his face and then in his shoulders, makes her smile grow. "I'd like that."

She hadn't come to Cadelle in search for something more than volunteering- to be perfectly honest, she didn't think she was deserving of anything like this. Whatever this was, or whatever it could be, without presuming anything. "I'd like that a lot..." It's best to emphasize, after all.

There's probably more relief in hearing her response than there ought to be. It isn't like Glinda's ever given Derek a reason to think she wouldn't be interested in spending more time with him, whether platonic or romantic. He's not really sure he should pursue anything romantic with her, if only for that niggling voice in the back of his head reminding him that everyone he cares about gets hurt.

Derek shakes that thought off, because now is neither the time nor the place for it and, besides, this isn't Beacon Hills. It's safer in Cadelle. She's safer in Cadelle.

"Good, then I'll call you in the morning and we can make plans?" he asks, eyebrows lifted with question. Not that he plans on leaving their conversation at that, because he'd much rather they continue dancing, but this way, he'll have that all nailed down and he can stop losing focus to the desire to ask.

All she manages is a nod. It's silly to be tongue tied- she's spent plenty of time with him and she was the epitome of confidence in her youth. She shouldn't suddenly feel shy that this is all happening...

They could make the plans now, they were here together after all. But just as much as she wants to make those plans now, she also wants to revel in the here and now before it ends... Which reminds her:

"We came out to see that hedge maze, didn't we?"

They haven't made it to the maze just yet- though she was hardly complaining. Perhaps it would allow them a little more privacy, though.

At her question, Derek's eyebrows lift suddenly and his expression shifts into the surprise he feels because he'd gotten so wrapped up in the dance and inviting her out for the next day that he'd completely forgotten the point of coming outside to begin with. Honestly, he'd been looking forward to the privacy he assumes will come with the hedge maze, but he'd lost himself in the moment more than a little bit.

"Yes! Yeah, yes, you're right. We did," he agrees, stepping back slightly and taking her hand with a smile. "And so we should."

With that, he starts to lead her toward the edge of the maze. "I can probably sniff our way back out if we get lost," he says in a low voice. "So should we just wing it and see what we can do?"

The way his expression shifts has her giggling, wrinkling her nose up at him and shaking her head. It was easy enough to forget, she was enjoying being this close to him herself. So it's almost disappointing when they part, even as his hand grabs hers.

Glinda laces her fingers with his and follows him towards the edge. "Oh thank goodness."

She's not actually worried about getting lost in the maze, she could just as easily float the both of them out, but that doesn't really matter. "Though, there's no one I'd rather get lost in the maze with," she adds, tugging on his hand as she takes the lead into the made. For now.

Derek laughs a little when he moves into the maze with her, her comment adorably flirtatious. "I'd say the same thing but then I'd sound unoriginal," he replies as they disappear into the maze. He's never been in one of these things but it seems like it could be fun. If nothing else, the quiet and privacy will give them a chance to talk a little more about things they wouldn't necessarily discuss in public; they can get to know one another more.

"Can I tell you something and have you promise not to freak out...again?" he asks with a lopsided smile that borders on apologetic. It's kind of important that he let her know that he knew who she was as soon as she said her name. He needs her to know that so that she can decide whether or not to keep seeing him. It occurs to him a little belatedly that he shouldn't keep that secret any longer.

Glinda slows so she's not pulling him along with her, but instead next to him. "I'd allow it," she teases. At least he shares the sentiment. She nearly misses a step as he asks her if he can tell her something else.

"Of course," she assures him as she glances back up at him. "You can tell me anything, you know."

Or perhaps he didn't and that's why he was so careful to confide in her. It's not that she could blame him, there were things she had yet to tell him... Things she had yet to really tell anyone here (or back home). Maybe, just maybe, she should confide in him as he's done with her...

Having to tell Glinda something like this is not something he's really looking forward to doing, but the longer he waits, the less it's awkward and the more it just becomes a giant lie he's holding tightly onto. The last person he wants to be lying to is Glinda the Good Witch.

At her response, Derek gives a small little smile that looks a little bit preemptively apologetic. He slows to a stop, then, giving her hand a little squeeze as if to reassure her before he's even spoken yet.

"You know how we kind of all come from different worlds, here?" he asks, lifting his eyebrows slightly in question. "The thing is...in my world...your world is...from a story. Books adapted into a couple of films." He pauses a moment to let that sink in, wanting to get it all out before he lost his nerve, but not wanting to barrel forward before she can process what's been said. "...I already knew who you were. I don't know your whole life or anything, but I know a little portion of it. I know what Oz looks like, or looked like, depending on when you're from. It wasn't a real place, where I came from, but I just...thought you should know that I know a little. I felt bad kind of keeping it to myself when you deserved to know."

Glinda slows with him and squeezes his hand, not quite sure what to expect as he starts. She nods slowly before tilting her head, breathing out a small 'oh?'.

It was a bit to process- that her life was a story to some people... or at least part of her life was. In a way it was almost comforting that he at least knew what Oz looks like, that there were some things he already knew. "Thank you for telling me," she finally manages with a small smile. "You don't have to feel bad, though. I can't imagine having to break that kind of news to someone."

It's probably just as awkward for him as it is for her. She brushes her hair from her face with her other hand and takes a deep breath. "I think... maybe tomorrow? We can talk about just how much of this story I'm in."

(Maybe all of it? She's nothing if not a star... Though, perhaps, that's the old her talking.)

As much as Derek appreciates Glinda's calm attitude while receiving the information, he still does feel bad. "Yeah it's not been my favorite thing to have to do ever," he admits with a sheepish smile, apology still in his eyes. Even though he can't control the fact that he's aware of her fictional existence in his own world or the fact that he really had to tell her before they can truly proceed with any level of relationship, he still feels responsible for making her uncomfortable by sharing the information.

When Glinda tells him she wants to dismiss it until tomorrow, that's actually a huge weight off Derek's chest, because it means that he's got time to sleep on how best to gently proceed without breaking her brain more than he probably has. "I don't know the whole series, but what I do know, I'm willing to share. Tomorrow. That works for me."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT: A VERY NICE BALL.

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