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

[As soon as he's outside, he catches the glimpse of her from behind. Having left Buffy, he heads out for some air (he says air, he means a cigarette), and when he's smoking, he sees the line of a bare back, making him once again think that people have too loose habits when it comes to their clothes here, but Vasquez is profiting from this with a long leer at her back, a muffled laugh swallowed up by his smoking.

He heads after to follow, mainly because there's the slightest of chills for him, so he can't imagine for her. Tugging off his jacket, he lets it dangle from the fingers of his free hand, whistling at her once he takes the cigarette from his lips. Dressed this time, which is a far improvement, he can't help his smirk.]

Now who's taking their clothes off in public?

[It's not the same, of course, a bare back is nothing like how nude he was, but still, he offers out his suit jacket to her.]

Just in case you're cold.

[ She doesn't hear him until he's whistling, startling a little as sh turns around, raising an eyebrow. It's Vasquez, dressed, looking quite handsome, if she does say so herself. She lets her eyes wander over his body, up and down, looking at him in the light of his cigarette and the moonlight, and then she smirks, shaking her shoulders a little. ]

I could be showing a lot more skin if I really wanted. Do you think this is outrageous?

[ Still, she reaches out, grabbing his jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders, fighting the chill of the night. ]

Thank you. Are you having a nice night?

It's a lot of people.

[That's the truth of it and why he's come out for fresh air. He has been having a good time, helped along by the fact that Buffy had taken him to dancing lessons before, but the trouble is that it's so much people, so much noise, so much that Vasquez isn't used to that it starts to get annoying.]

Do you really want? To show skin.

[He can't help the tease with a smirk, turning his head to the side to exhale a stream of smoke, grateful when she takes the jacket and he isn't left standing there holding it like an idiota.]

What about you? Why are you out here?

[ wrapping the jacket around her shoulders, Claire looks up at the moon for a moment, takes in the beauty of the gardens surrounding them. It's a romantic setting, probably all on purpose to get people closer, to get that energy flowing. She flicks her eyes back to Vasquez. ]

Depending on the circumstances, I'm not against it.

[ Because she isn't. Claire is confident, in herself, her sexuality, and her body. She's well past worrying about what a man would think of her, with or without her clothes on. And she has no issue enjoying herself, without putting labels to it, or wrapping strings around it, either.

Vasquez is good company, nice, and very handsome. If he really wanted to see her naked, she wouldn't necessarily object. ]

Just wanted some fresh air. It got stuffy in there, and I had no one to dance with.

Where I come from, most people don't usually seek out those times in public.

[At least, not in his experience, because ending up half-naked on a town street is something that happens after you get robbed. It's no good, basically, and something he tries to avoid on principle. Still, her? In that dress? Yes, Vasquez could see how this is a very pleasant thing, something nice to look at.

Grinning at her, he gives her a cluck of his tongue.]

You're lying. You must be. No one to dance with? How is that possible?

I think the thing is that Cadelle cares more about getting people close than it is about public decency. Where I'm from, the clothes also only tend to fall once people are in private.

[ She raises an eyebrow, a smile quirking the edges of her lips. ]

Anyway, is it your way of telling me you don't like my dress, Vasquez?

[ She doesn't think so, but who knows; Vasquez can be difficult to read. Still, she keeps smiling, shrugging a shoulder, the sequins on her dress catching the moonlight where they show under his jacket. ]

I've had partners earlier, but not in the last hour or so. I don't have a date to rely on, makes it more difficult, doesn't it?

That's not the first time I've heard about this closeness. Are you saying that this whole place is one big brothel, when you scratch surfaces?

[It wouldn't be the biggest shock, but it's a lot of work to go into something just to get people to be close. Lucky for him, he can focus on something else very soon, eyeing her up and down with a slow grin.]

Chica, not a man here could say he disliked your dress and be telling the truth. [He does have a date, but he thinks Buffy wouldn't mind if he made some other friends, at least for a little.]If no other man or woman will take you dancing, you could settle for me? I'm very bad at it, but I try.

[ She makes a face at that, mouth twisting up as she thinks on how to respond to it. He didn't read much on the bottle he drank from that got him to end up naked in public, she shouldn't really be surprised he didn't ask many questions about Cadelle, either. ]

Not a brothel, no. It's not like we're paying each other, it's not... a business. But, I guess the whole city and these events are geared towards us - the volunteers - to forge bonds. Physical or emotional, I'm not sure it matters to them.

[ Turning fully towards Vasquez, Claire nods, leaning down to slip her shoes back on. She wouldn't exactly call it settling, but she doesn't say any of that. Keeping some mystery is important. ]

That'd be nice. And just so you know, I'm not much of a dancer myself, either.

[He'd just been happy to be somewhere where he wasn't being shot at or had to hide from the lawmen, where there's drinks and beautiful people. Maybe he should be paying more attention, acting like he's still wanted instead of going around and not paying mind to things.]

Aren't we forging emotional bonds? I gave you a jacket, I don't do this for everyone, you know.

[He grins at her, offering a hand and gesturing for inside.]

We can step on each other's toes, then?

We most definitely are. Forged in nakedness and Spanish fires.

[ Chuckling, she takes his hand when he offers it, her other one keeping the jacket around her shoulders for now, while they're still outside. She should have thought of taking a jacket herself, but it'd have ruined her outfit. Better not to. ]

I'll pretend you didn't if you pretend I didn't, deal?

Deal.

[ He takes her hand to lead her inside, knowing that he's not going to be the best dance partner, ever, and he doesn't want to hurt her, but he thinks they can definitely have some fun, taking a spin around the dance floor. ]

[ She follows easily, letting him lead - or more accurately, letting the two of them sway as best they can without stomping over each other's feet. It's nice, and for a while, Claire just enjoys the moment, before speaking again, switching to Spanish. ]

So, did you come to this ball alone, or did you take a date?

No, I came with someone. Buffy, she's a blonde, bartends at the Deviant?

[He's not sure how close everyone is in this city, but he's not going to just assume that everyone knows each other - on the other hand, he also doesn't want to assume that she is a stranger. He's also grateful for the switch back to Spanish, the comfort showing in how he starts to ramble on faster than before.]

Very beautiful, very much of the future, like you. I think everyone I meet is beautiful, though. She took me, though. I didn't really know what any of this was.

[ Claire smiles, expecting a hint of disappointment that doesn't actually make an appearance. She doesn't know Buffy - in that she hasn't met her - but Claire can agree on the 'everyone is beautiful' thought. ]

Yeah, I have to say, people around these parts are all pretty hot. A blessing and a curse, I guess.

You two a couple, then?

[ It's good to know boundaries. Claire finds that she'd be fine being Vasquez' friend. She can imagine he's not going to be extremely forthcoming with it, but Claire likes to know where she stands. ]

I don't know yet. Back where I come from, you sort of just sleep with the people you're interested in, unless a man is courting a woman to marry her, but I don't think that happens here.

[He likes her, though, and the soft smile on his lips reflects in the sparkle of his eyes, as well.]

How do you become a couple, now, in the future?

[ Claire lets out a thoughtful hum, brushing invisible lint off of his shoulder as she thinks on her answer. ]

In a general sense, it's actually still pretty similar. Although nowadays, people sleep together before they get married, most of the time. It's like - you'd date and-or sleep with someone, and if you like them well enough, you just keep on doing that. And usually, it becomes this exclusive thing, where you don't sleep with, or date anyone else.

[ She looks up at Vasquez, a soft smile on her face. ]

I think one of the things that's important in becoming a couple is communication. See what she wants to do, how serious she is about it, if at all. See what you want out of it, too, if you know. Relationships are about what the people involved make of them.

Don't get me wrong, I still slept with women before I was married.

[Men, too, sometimes, but then, given his life, it was sometimes actually safer to end up seducing another farm hand rather than get a shotgun in between his eyes because he decided to be stupid and seduce the daughter of the farmer or someone else important. Then again, he still wound up with a bounty in the end, so what did it matter?]

She invited me here? So maybe this is a start? We haven't fucked yet, though.

[He may not be very delicate about talking about this, which he should clean up, especially around a beautiful woman like Claire.]

Back home, I was wanted, on the run. And, before that, scared of being responsible for anyone but me. I want to be a decent man, but sometimes I worry, I'm not ready.

So you're married, back home?

[ She can't help but be curious - not so much in an interested way, but mainly because she likes his company, and his stories, and how incredibly different his life is to hers, or anyone she's ever known.

She doesn't wince at the language - she's not exactly that delicate. ]

Well, you could do that and still want to fuck other people, too. It's not a contract. But maybe she wants it to be, or you do, hence the communication part of it. But if you were married, I'm guessing you must know all about that.

[ Smiling up at him, she gives a tiny shrug of her shoulders. ]

To me, you've been nothing but a decent man. Here, you've been nothing but a decent man. Who cares about what you did back home? What matters is what you do, who you are, here and now.

No, I just did a lot of sleeping around.

[He got close to marriage, but never because he wanted it so much as it had been because he got caught, which is why he got away from some of the farmer's daughters and girls in town, for a while.]

Maybe this is what should be talked about, then. I should learn to do things in the future. Still, my problem isn't decent. I know that I could be good, but I don't know that I could be good and not scared. I always felt that I couldn't be responsible for anyone but me.

[He's still not sure about that.]

How do you change this part of you?

[ Claire honestly did not think that this evening, a fancy poncy ball of some sort to welcome new citizens, would lead to such a deep conversation. For a moment, she thinks on his question, her hand gently squeezing his where he holds it, the two of them still swaying to the music. ]

I don't think you can live your life without being scared. I think making the right decisions is scary. And it should be. It's harder to be good than it is to be bad.

[ Looking up, she puts on a soft smile, wishing it was something that was easy to change. ]

I guess you have to start small. Let someone in. Allow yourself to care, and worry, and feel responsible of some things. A part of their happiness. I think it's a natural thing, one that happens over time, slowly. You've just got to accept it.

Being responsible for something or someone, it means that you can be weak. It can be dangerous. I told a boy that his father was brave because he put his son above all else, I meant it.

[He's not sure that he can change so quickly, but it might be nice to have actual connections in the world again, instead of just always worrying that he's going to fuck it all up.]

Is that how you did it? Do you have someone here? I don't think I asked, which is rude of me.

It can be dangerous, yes, but it's also the most rewarding way to live your life. In my opinion.

[ She shrugs. ] I might be saying that because my whole life has been dedicated to helping and caring for others. It's my job, after all. But I think it's important.

[ She licks her lips, thinking of Matthew, happy with someone else, somewhere else in Cadelle. She thinks of others she's met since. ]

I've just always wanted to help others. It's why they call it a vocation, I guess. I want to be useful, to be able to make a difference. But no, I don't have someone in particular here. At least, not yet. I'm open to the possibility, though.

Before Rose Creek, my job was hiding to keep my life alive. Now, I think I have to find something new, but I'll find something. No bounty on my head means no more hiding, so that part is good.

[He gives her a fond smile, happy that he's able to talk about such things.]

Are you a nurse still here? Helping people? You know you've helped me very much, both with the clothes and now keeping my company. I think you're still being very good at your job.

[ Tilting her head up, she raises an eyebrow. ]

There must be skills you can put to good use here, right? Or something you want to do? You could always go to school, as well, if you wanted to learn a new trade. This place, sometimes, feels like endless possibilities.

[ Claire smiles, a bashful look on her face. ]

Yeah, I work at the hospital here. It's pretty quiet, though, and I'm not used to that. Back home, the hospital was hectic, especially since I worked for in emergencies. So I feel like there's more I could do here.

[ She chuckles, pleased and embarrassed, all at the same time. ]

Well, I'm glad I've helped you, but that wasn't my job. That was just making a friend.

I have some ideas.

[ And he does, but he doesn't want to talk about them just yet in case they go wrong and he doesn't find success. The last thing he needs is to embarrassed by failure. ]

We'll see. If I manage, then maybe I will tell you all about it. And, hopefully, I will never need your attentions at the hospital. This place doesn't seem half as violent, which is good and bad.

[ Bad, only in that sometimes, he gets bored. ]

EVENT: A VERY NICE BALL.

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