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EVENT: A VERY NICE BALL.

EVENT: A VERY NICE BALL. | |
![]() 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! |
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I don't... know. [ Because it was the truth. He really wasn't sure what Alec thought of him, at all. ] I think he's probably not my biggest fan.
[ Which Baby would like to understand, but it's tough - being a single child with the family life he's had, having sibling support is not something he's ever really thought about. Isabelle and Alec are completely new territory to him, and he has to wonder how he'll get Alec to like him. ]
What should I do, in your opinion?
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of course, intentions for an impression differently greatly when it came to a woman, and then her brother. she's witnessed first hand the nerves that often flare up in the forefront of baby's mind, but as they've presented themselves in all of those moments with her—it's no different now that she wishes to soothe them over.
she can't help but to snicker, and it isn't out a lack of sincerity, but more so the fact that that's basically par for the course to another's perception on how alec may feel about them. she reaches a hand up to brush her thumb against his cheek, the flush that's taken it over, before she's finding his hand and bringing it to her lips to kiss one of his fingertips. ) Alec isn't really anyone's biggest fan, Baby.
It's nothing personal. ( perhaps a cliche statement, but it rings with reverence. ) It just takes him awhile to warm up, he's protective. ( a lithe shrug, mindlessly toying their digits together, letting them down to their sides where she laces them. )
Once he sees how I feel about you, how I trust you, he'll come around. I promise.
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I think it's definitely at least a little personal, Isabelle. [ Baby smiles, reaching up with his free hand to brush his thumb along her cheek. ] He's protective of you. I think his opinion would be a lot more neutral if I was dating someone he doesn't have any connection to. He might not like me still, then, but it'd be a lot less. Well. Personal.
[ Still smiling, he squeezes his hand around hers where they're holding onto one another. ]
At least I'm sure he and I can agree on a number of things. At the end of the day, his opinion is not the one that matters most to me.
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it wasn't something small for her, wasn't just another boy to bring home to the parents—her life certainly didn't fit to the stereotypical life of another girl her age, but even so, she's never really had someone to speak for. she makes a face, depicting a press of 'relax' upon her features, before it ultimately dissolves into a smile to mirror his own.
his thumb at her cheek, as always does, leaves behind a brazing trail. ) Of course it would be more neutral. He cares about me, and I care about you. ( two digits gently take hold of his chin, reeling him down for a brief, sweet kiss-- as if to seal a reassurance behind it. )
That's what matters. ( a little hum, tapping nail to the body of her glass before she's nodding back toward the dance floor, holding a gathering of couples gliding to an easy, softer melody. ) Dance with me?
no subject
It's the only thing worth doing, anyway. And she's right: the fact that she cares, and she likes him - that's the only thing he really worries about, when it comes to the two of them. Hopefully, if her brother doesn't come around, she'll still like Baby.
He nods, putting his glass down on a nearby table. ]
Of course.
[ He leads her to the dancefloor, wrapping an arm around her waist and keeping her hand in his, swaying to the music as he pulls her close, his nose against her temple. ]
Is this what you thought life in Cadelle would be like?
no subject
she takes her time answering, thumb brushing along the side of his palm, crown bowed just slightly. when she does speak, it's a hushed tone meant only for the two of them to share. was it where she thought she'd be within a foreign city, offering so many promises? not even slightly. ) Honestly? I wasn't sure what to expect. If it was even right of me to come here at all.
I had to leave a lot behind, even though it's just temporary. It was... difficult, the first few days. ( a quiet breath is stolen, catching teeth at the inner of her lip. ) Then I met you.
no subject
But then he looks down at the girl in his arms and he can't imagine doing it any differently. This is perfect - she is perfect, in all the ways she isn't. She is perfect for him, making him want to be a better person, every single time she looks at him. He didn't think he would get to meet someone like Isabelle. ]
Yeah, it was hard. [ Despite everything, it was tough for him too. He had to come to terms with the fact that he probably wouldn't see Joe again. ] You've been a lot more than what I expected, though. [ His voice is soft, too, genuine, as he presses the words to the top of her head. ]
no subject
all she can do is keep him close, ravel their laced fingers a little tighter. ) What did you expect?
( it's one of the two routes she could take this conversation. instead she could've chosen flattery, had him tell her exactly how it was she impacted him, though it seems as if that's a conversation meant for just the two of them. all the more private than they were right here and now ( in bed, maybe, curled together and sharing the same breaths ). )
no subject
I expected to fail. To be the same person I was back home, and struggle to make friends, struggle to find a legal job. I thought it'd be more of the same, here, as it was back home.
[ And how mistaken he'd been. From the day he arrived in Cadelle, he'd been accepted, welcomed, changed, from the inside out. In a few short months, he felt like a different person. Someone with a future and possibilities. ]
I definitely didn't expect to fall for anyone.
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there's a reverence hidden within them, a sincerity that causes pulse within her chest to give a stuttered thump. edge of her mouth only manages to twitch upward, though it's only for a moment, drawing lower brim into the catch of her teeth. ) I didn't either. I still wonder the whole wish thing is too good to be true. ( a shake of her head, a stolen breath, limbs naturally adjusting to the next song in queue, still just as lulling. )
But I feel better knowing I'll still leave with something. Someone.
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It's her last words that stop him short. He blinks, surprised, and gives her an appraising look as he forces himself to move to the music once more, like nothing happened. ]
What do you mean, knowing you'll leave with someone?
[ There is a breath of confusion in his words, as he wonders - does she mean to go home soon? Does she mean to take him with her? Questions spin in his head as they spin on the dancefloor, his lips parted as he looks straight down at Isabelle. When he thinks about it - which he tries not to do too much yet - he quite likes the idea of going home with Isabelle, or taking her with him. But he knows it isn't that simple, far from it. They both have responsibilities, back home. People they care about, families to get back to. Their own, fully formed, lives.
The thought of not seeing Isabelle again feels terrifying, and he clings a little tighter, fingers digging into her hip. ]
BACK TO WORK but i wanted to toss this at you because my heart
With you. I— ( she takes a moment to gather her thoughts, organize them into something a little quieter. was she the only one that thought on it? that this place, this city, it wasn't their home. they'd come from two separate worlds, two different lives; was it expected for her to let go when they left cadelle behind? ) I like to think I'd still have you when we leave.
( she's searching between both of his hues, trying to gauge what's right to say, and all she can come up with is how she feels. the truth. )
Even if we're apart. I guess I should've asked. ( a flustered breath, sights dropping to where their upper halves connect, a blush sitting at the swell of her cheeks. and then back to his, beneath sooty lashes. ) Would you want that?
no subject
[ There's no hesitation there, in his tone or the words. There's nothing he would want more.
And of course he'd thought about it, but without a solution in sight, he'd let it go. Because she was dedicated to the life she left behind, but Baby couldn't just leave Joe. So he'd folded the thoughts in a corner of his head, determined to make the most of the time they had here. ]
I guess I just - I figured, we have time, to think about it. To think on how to make it work. Are you really eager to leave?
[ He isn't. In Cadelle, he's found a peace and the ability to be the person he's always wanted to be. He likes it here. But he knows their lives are entirely different, and she's got different goals from him. ]
Did you think of it as - did you think of taking me with you?
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We have time. It's not that I'm... eager, it's just not home, here. I'm not looking for it to be.
( a slight shrug, there wasn't anything wrong with cadelle, but it wasn't the institute. here she felt restless, like most of her time was spent far too idle, and while she knows it's for the sake of too many lives lost, she can't help but to feel like she's abandoned her duty in brooklyn, that she's shaming the lightwood name by taking time off. )
I'd love nothing more than to just enjoy you here, right now while I do have you. I guess I'm just not used to having to consider these sort of things. It feels like such a temporary place, fragile, even. You—being with you doesn't feel that way.
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But it wasn't quite that. It was more complicated than that, and Baby knew it. Her life, back home, was incredibly different from his, in ways he could not even fathom. And while this place, Cadelle, could turn into a home for him, it was too far removed from what she knew, what she lived through, every day. He could find ways to make himself feel useful here, but her skills were too different. ]
Is it so bad to... not? Consider these things? At least, for now, while wishes are still unfulfilled and neither of us are going home anytime soon?
[ He pauses, biting the inside of his lip for a second before continuing, wishing he was better at expressing himself. ]
It's not that he wants to run from the facts, Izzy, because - I know this is not a forever thing, not like this anyway. But I guess I wish we didn't have to worry about it now. Or just... we can agree to look into what we can do? If we both go home, I mean. How to make it work.
[ Basically, not contemplate the possibility of not seeing each other again. ]
no subject
there's no part of her that wants him to carry any sort of pressure, but she can't lie to herself, can't pretend as if he wasn't one of the sole reasons she'd consider staying past that point. was he worth it? she likes to think so, she feels he is, but how long could she put off duty, her name for the sake of love before it proved naive?
she isn't one to push things off, and perhaps that's where they differ. she's bowing her head, tucking her lips together and drawing a steadied breath in thought. she can resolve this, if just for the night—it's going so well, so tender, the last thing she intends is to ruin it with something that isn't necessarily soft. ) Sooner or later, I will have to go home, Baby. Three months is the first opportunity.
( a pause, looking up at him with honesty, clear in her gaze how torn she is. ) I don't have to take it. If you don't want to consider it, not now, you don't have to. But you're important enough to me that I will.
no subject
There's a small. smoldering part of him that's angry, right now. A tiny ember deep in his gut, living through his feelings that none of this is fair, that, at the end of the day, he'll end up alone again. Memories flash in his head, of being in the system, feeling so lost and lonely he lashed out.
He doesn't lash out at Isabelle. It isn't her fault. Does he wish she wasn't constantly thinking about leaving - leaving him? Sure, he is. But he knows that home is a part of her in a way it isn't for him, that this is just a pit stop. A means to an end.
The anger dies out, as he reaches out and brushes two fingers along the shell of her ear, down to the hinge of her jaw, gentle, a soft smile appearing on his lips. ]
One of the very best things about you - one of the most attractive things about you - is how much you care. You have to go home, there's too much there that you need to do. I won't keep you here.