RPA's 8th Year Masquerade Ball (IC)

[Arthera]

She blinked once, twice, then rubbed her eyes to make sure it wasn't cleaning vapors doing tricks.

Did she just sleep through the months separating her from the office Christmas party? Even then, as ostentatious as they were at times with the themes, none were THIS nice. Certainly no castles in the city or nearby, and she'd recall the expense of a plane to go visit a real one! And this DRESS. Wow. She didn't own a dress this stylish. She had a lot, but never quite got around to buying one with this type of cut, style and texture. She had something kinda close to this, years back, for a LARP vampire stint, but nowhere near close to this quality. It fit her perfectly, hugged where it should, yielded where she needed it to, it felt like a caress against her skin and the colors were just so rich. Grabbing the fabric gently around her hips, Arielle spun around briefly, grinning from ear to ear, heels clicking against the hard ground. She felt like a fairy tale princess.

Must be a dream then.

But everything felt so real. The cloth in her hands, the sound and feel of heels on her feet, the breeze against her neck. Whereas moments before she was in her new place, finishing up setting curtains and not nearly as well dressed.

Deciding to roll with things for now, Arielle made her way towards the castle, crossing a few other people she didn't recognize, mostly because she didn't visually recognize them, partly because of the masks they wore. She reached for her own face then and felt the lightest fabric covering parts of it, replacing the regular feel of her eyeglasses. Another giggle escaped her throat before moving on with an extra spring in her step. When she caught a glimpse of herself in one of the many shiny reflective surfaces hear the castle's entrance, she saw her hair all done up, touches of makeup and lipstick all perfectly applied. The dress looked even better than she at first considered. The embroidery, the materials and stitching... Arielle had to stop herself from hopping up and down and squeal like a schoolgirl.

"Roll with it Ari, roll with it!" she thought to herself, still feeling the warm fuzzies inside.

At the majestic doorway, she was met by a diminutive girl, child or otherwise. The girl smiled, twirled her ornate metal stick with great prowess and tapped it three times against the marbled floor to make a very noticeable sound that echoed in the grand hallway beyond.

"Presenting the arrival of Lady Arielle Therah, called Arthera by present peers." she said in a loud voice, then leaned in towards Arielle and grinned. "Go right in Arielle, have fun at the RPA ball." the girl added in a hushed tone with added wink.

The RPA ball?!? The leading silly gooses at the RPA managed all of this? Arielle let out a hearty, if brief, laugh when she heard this. Taking her best effort to make a proper curtsy, Arielle made her way inside the castle and into the grand hallway, seeing yet more people gathering and likewise eyeing the grandeur displayed before them. This would be quite the surprise to cap off her day. Hell, this would cap off quite a lot of events in recent memory!

[Dire Hoef]

Did I Really Just End Up At A Castle?

'Seriously... Did I just really end up at a castle in the middle of the bloody clouds?'

Obviously not in the mood for any sort of small talk, Hoefian - or Hoef - scaled the steps of the majestic architecture. He had not, once, noticed he was wearing some formal wear. But until he reached the top of the steps he found himself fingering his clothing. He then realized he was wearing something formal and to put the icing on the cake, he was wearing a mask that he was not familiar with.

'Seriously people... I was enjoying some bloody Doritos! Where the hell am I!?'

That... Was the least of his troubles... Because a pixie, a fairy, a sprite, or whatever the hell it was announced his presence to the whole damn party. The feminine voice boomed with general excitement, "The Onion has arrive! Hoef is here!" Hoef shrunk his shoulders down to avoid being seen. He would scoot along as though that whole sequence was simply a dream to forget. Hoef was not, necessarily, in the mood for a party. But since he was here, and it seems like he was going to be here for a while, he might as well make the best of it.

'I seriously made up that name as a joke... But whatever floats their boat I guess...'

Silent he was. He simply didn't like the whole masquerade scene with all these people. Matter of fact, who were these people? Hoef wanted to know who these people were, but seeing as they were all wearing masks made it kind of hard to distinguish faces. He would have to rely on voices, body-language, and the like in order to successfully distinguish people. And what made it even worse was the fact that he was alone. Serah. He surely missed her presence. Only more so that she was occupied with other things. She was going to be his Mrs. in the coming years, and so it would feel right that they could cherish the time of teenage freedom. True love it was.

Hoef sighed as those thoughts came with the sense of loneliness. He would - eventually - hang out near the entrance - without a second thought - watching the other invitees pour in every now and again.

[Toon Yoshi]

He was sitting in a car, on his phone after a long day of being a Yoshi. At least, that's what he was doing. That's when he noticed a notification. Ooh, did I get another Visitor Message? He thought as he clicked it. It said: 1 Private Message. He clicked text. The list of Los from the past were listed along with: The Masquerade? He clicked that text, and was greeted with a nicely made invite to what read as a masquerade ball. An image flashed to mind of the similar event in Romeo and Juliet, and before he knew it, his mind wandered too far. He opened his eyes, and saw the sky. It was beautiful, especially along with the sunset. Then he turned, and saw the largest and most extravagant building he ever saw. His mouth gaped. Then he noticed the suit. It was amazing. He pinched himself, if this wasn't a-- He felt pain, which proved it was all real, then headed up an endless corridor of steps (or so it seemed) as he had saw others do. It was all very pretty, so he took it slowly. He then entered the great ballroom, since it had to be a ballroom because ithhad foods he couldn't even think of naming on the sides along with a hopefully bowl of punch. He entered the room as his name was called out. "Toon Yoshi" What the-- How do they know my... eh... I don't wanna know. The next thing he noticed was how most of the others wore black, white, red, and blue while he wore... the most amazing ensemble of clothes a Yoshi could want. He decided that unless something were to happen, he'd sit by the punch bowl, though, since he didn't recognize anybody there.

[Liono]

Onyx looked around the party again, watching. Am I supposed to have a date? He really didn't know. Onyx saw some people already had a date, and some just hanged around the wall. He didn't want to just pick someone off and dance. That would've been weird. But, there were many people not paired. Who here can be my prince charming? He was just joking with himself. He went over to the table and grabbed himself a sandwich.

Onyx went outside to enjoy his snack. He looked out at the beautiful sunset, the fluffy clouds, he could see a few birds in the distance. Onyx leaned on the edge, looking down at the abyss below. "What happens if I...?" He threw a piece of the sandwich.

[Lorne Archer]

Lorne was getting ready to create a new thread. He had everything planned out. The theme, the plot, even the name! Lorne was about to click the button when he received a notification. The boy didn't know who it could be. As far as he knew, the only private messages he got were questions about his last rp which he held. What was this? He moved his mouse slowly towards the notifications and clicked on it. Sure enough, it was a pm. He read the title. Masquerade? What masquerade? Intrigued, he clicked the message and began reading. As he read, he realised he was invited to go to a ball. Lorne never went to dances like this, so he wasn't planing on going. However, he couldn't help it. His room began to change. First, it got colder, as if he was letting in the air. Then, it got darker. Lorne's light had disappeared. How? What was happening? Magic wasn't real. There was no way this could be happening. It's a dream. It's all a dream. I have to wake up. Then, the confused male slapped himself on the cheek, leaving a read mark. He looked around to see the results. Nothing had changed. It was still transforming. Not a dream?!? Then, what's happening? As if the world wanted him to know the answer, a castle appeared in the sky. Okay, that can't be real. Another slap? Yeah, that should wake me up. Lorne slapped himself on his left cheek this time, leaving another red mark. It should be gone now...right? The red checked boy looked back towards the castle. It was still there, staring at Lorne. You've got to be kidding me... Lorne blinked and he was....somewhere else.

What the hell is happening? I'm not even... Lorne looked down and saw he was dressed up in some of his best clothes. I stand corrected. He then realised he was holding something. A mask. A rather strange mask. He looked at it more and noticed it had small fangs. Wait, this is the masquerade. Why am I at the masquerade! With a sigh, Lorne put on the mask and looked at the others who were there. Who are they? Other members? No, that would be strange. This whole thing is strange! Reluctantly, he put on his mask. He took a step forward and walked into a floating globe. This has to be a dream. The only places these things are in are fairy tales. How are they here? How am I here? Lorne looked closer and saw more around each guest. They were common here. Some circled around people alone and some around couples. Couples? How could they have planned for this? It was so random. No one in there right mind could know that this was going to happen. How did they get people to even think this was going to happen? Lorne's mind hurt as he tried to think for an explanation. May as well go inside and look around. His cheeks still red from slapping himself, he walked towards the entrance.

If there was a reason to call the entrance grand, it was this. Right in the centre of it, one huge staircase split apart at the top to make two smaller ones. Candles were lit everywhere to create the light in which made this room visible. The second floor had pillars on to support the roof. And the roof. The roof was a massive dome. It was the perfect entrance. The only thing that made it bad, was the consonant talking that the other guests were doing. Everywhere you went, you would hear people talking. If it was only a few guests it would have been fine. But there was about seventy, all dressed up and ready to make him deaf.One of the many reasons why I don't come to these events. As he thought that, a weird looking person said his name. She wasn't human, but had the features of one. And she spoke with a sort of gurgle in the back of her throat. The girl said his name out loud and told him to go to the ball room. How is this not a dream? Slowly, he walked up the stair case and through a hall. He walked for a good five minutes before finding a massive open door leading into the ball room. Lorne gulped at the sight of the room. It was so big! Bigger then his hole house! Why did anyone need a room this big? It was so big, there was stair cases in the room which only took up a quarter of the space. Why?

Lorne walked in and looked at the people already inside. He didn't dare go down the stairs. Instead he looked at the room in more detail. Over to the left, a table of food. To the right, another table. On the ceiling, the lights seemed to dance with the people on the floor. They seemed to move at the same time, as if each light represented one of the guests. He looked closer at the floor and saw some floating trays carrying food. This isn't a dream? The floating trays weaved through the dancers, keeping the food and drink perfectly on, without spillage. Someone set this up. Someone invited me. I have one question for both of those statements...why? Lorne continued to watch the magic happen from above the staircase. He found himself debating if he should go down a few times, but never actually did. He would just embarrass himself if he did. He couldn't dance. He didn't have a partner. Why was he here. He should just leave. But he had the feeling he couldn't. Lorne was on a floating castle, no where near his home. How could he get to his house if he didn't know where he was. Looking back, he realised it was his fault. He had to read the message. He was such an idiot...

[DCaesar of Wakanda]

DC was eating his sandwich and not even paying attention to anything until a girl bumped into him. It startled him a little, he turned to look at her. Sizing her up DC concluded that someone definitely liked the food here. When asked where he had gotten the sandwich from, he pointed to the spot on the table where he had gotten his from. Seeing her, - probably coming out of some sort of self-induced trance- apologize for it, DC could only smile a bit.

"It's alright, it wasn't that weird. The food here's great.." He responded kindly. It really wasn't, the place was 'enchanting'. So, it would only make sense for the food to be enchanting as well. Still though, he wondered just how exactly he was brought here. He didn't believe in magic, (like the song) yet everything here defied all knowlege and logic in the world that he had come from, the Real World.

DC wondered if he had been drugged by someone or something, he did try a red bull before he came here. Damnit! The energy drink probably gave him wings and flew him up here or something like that. That was absurd but was oddly more plausible to him than just teleporting here. He knew that he shouldn't have done that..

..Actually, he quite honestly thought that it would be pretty funny if that was what really happened. It would definitely be something that he would tell his sister. Wait a minute. Would he actually be able to go back home? Would he even see his beloved little niece again? All this was doing was bringing more and more questions to his head. 'Hey, stay focused. Stick to positives. This looks like it'd probably turn out to be a pretty fun party...right?

[Craze]

He felt an arm brush up against him and hook in with his. He flinched in surprise briefly, but chuckled once he saw that it was her. His date, the one and only. The thought of having someone of such high stature as a date made him slightly anxious, though it was an absolute honor. He smiled at her, though, she would only see the ever-present grin on his mask.
"It is, isn't it?" he whispered back, glaring at the guests that passed by. "After all, purple's my color." he was proud of the British accent that escaped his lips - he was still working on it, but it was definitively getting there.

"If I may be so bold," he continued, now turning to face his companion. "You look absolutely stunning." it was a relief to him that she and he were about the same height - that didn't occur much. It would certainly make the dancing much easier. Craze took the initiative of stepping forwards and heading for the castle. "Shall we?"

As they entered, Craze took her hand and lifted it up as if he was presenting her. Then he made a gracious bow and the sprite next to the entrance exclaimed:

"Presenting Lady Maeve, Admin of Awesome and Staff of RPA, accompanied by Sir Craze, the Clown Prince of Crime!"

[spooky]

Upon hearing this voice, I jump and yelp in surprise. Who is that? Straightening myself up and clearing my throat-there was nothing I could do with the burning redness of my cheeks- I turn around, and see a beautiful woman with a pixie cut. Oh, she said her name was Griffin.

"Oh, hi! I'm.. erm... Violet Spook," the name blurted out of my mouth. My username on RPA is Spooky, but the name Violet sounded right in my mind.

Platonic partners? Date? "Yes, let's be partners tonight, Griffin," I say eagerly with a bright smile. "You look marvelous tonight. Did you see that trouble with my heels? Oh gosh, haha!" I giggle shyly, touching my neck and feeling that lacy texture that I've come to adore.

[Price]

Masks. Such an antiquated and childish interest for Price to have at face value, and yet an interest it was. Perhaps his little fetish was silly and ridiculous to the common observer, but Price would argue that nothing beats a mask. It was quite ironic actually. Price felt he could be himself more freely now that he wasn’t recognized as himself. Gone were the expectations of the carefully groomed personality cultivated over years in the community. Now, he could show off the person that he had become....the person he was when he wasn’t hiding behind normalcy. The grandest liberty of all was that there would be no worry of rejection. If his true self winded up being hated, his mask would conceal his identity.

Only moments before, Price had been on his computer slaving away on some posts in one tab and watching Markiplier getting shit scared from Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 in the second tab. Now....now he had been transported. There was no computer, no posts, no Markiplier....only a magnificent and magical site to behold. A splendid castle towered above him prompting the young man to look from side to side seeing that he was in good company. Lots of confused individuals dressed in glorious, gallant ballroom attire. He noticed that each of them were also wearing masks. This must be the RPA’s Masquerade. Price deduced. It was only now that he realized he was in the sky. Such a beautiful scene surrounding him must have been created by the imagination of the most beautiful mind. Price made a mental note to compliment this mind at the first chance he received. With his confusion relieved and his curiosity peaked, Price entered the opened doors.

The lavish exterior was surprisingly surpassed by a splendidly divine interior. Feeling massively out of place, Price looked down at himself and realized he too was dressed in high class clothing suitable for this event. Gone were his t-shirt and red basketball shorts. They were replaced by a regal gentleman’s suit coat and tie and matching trousers. A smirk adorned his face recognizing his pristine silver mask. His messy brown hair had fixed itself into a short, straight style. Up the stairs he went admiring all the pretty people that he was surrounded by. In a sort of bashful trance, the out of place Price heard his name called by a beautiful sprite. “Sir Price!” The voice was honey sweet and soul soothing putting him instantly at ease. Price couldn’t help but smile as he performed a gentleman’s bow before the sprite. “Just Price, please." The angelic creature smiled and flew off to greet the other guests. Price allowed his pocket watch trinket to dangle from his coat pocket as to alert his date, Miss Queen, to his identity. Hmm...I don’t see her, but there is no harm in mingling until she arrives. Price stood by searching for someone with whom to interact.

[Toon Yoshi]

Toon looked around, filled a cup with punch, then decided that he'd better do something. Dancing? Hell no, even though my sister can dance, I never will. Find a date? I could hardly recognize anybody, especially with the masks. Though some aren't too bad. What does my mask look like? Hopefully it matches the theme of my outfit. Maybe he could play DJ? Or... he decided to walk around a bit. Toon walked around the interior, studying the horses all along the walls. "Meh, I prefer canines." He stopped walking, because if he didn't he'd bump into someone surely, since this place could probably not be anymore cliché. "But seriously, why horses?"