RPA's 8th Year Masquerade Ball (IC)

[P.K.]

P.K had toasted to the end, though decided not to see what was in her glass, it was most likely whine, she was sure she was of age but it was just not something she drank. She set it aside on one of the tables before she and Arch were both ushered to the balconies to watch the fire work show. "Oh wow...." She breathed for a moment losing track of time, losing track of the bodies around her, lost in the fireworks. She didn't even realize everything starting to fade until it was almost gone. "Goodbye!" She said in a last ditch attempt to say a good bye without missing it... And then she was again sitting in front of her computer in her PJs, alone in her room.

She let out a heavy sigh for a moment. Back to being plain her. On her side table was a mask... she figured it was the exact kind she'd had at the masquerade and she couldn't help but smile as she picked it up and looked it over. It been a wonderful night, though she would have wish for a thing or two she couldn't deny that she'd had fun. And that was what matter here and now. "To 8 years of RP, 4 of which I've been here for." She said quietly before looking to her computer. "And I'll probably be here for a while yet." She got up to find a quite place to put her mask, nestled amungst her other collections before stepping back to gaze at it a while longer. "Till next time guys..."

[Liono]

What could have been...

"Come on, it'll be fun," Onyx said to the group. Onyx wanted to explore the castle with his friends, when suddenly, he was whisked away into his house again. "No... No... wait..." Onyx was home again. The castle was gone. He was checking his private messages... And now he was back to regular life.

At least he had fun, right? Onyx jumped off the castle, ate and danced with Ani. Ran into Clear... Onyx made friends and now they were gone. Disappeared... Clear, Vestige, and Ani were gone. They were back to being an avatar on the forums.

"No, not anymore..." Onyx whispered silently.


"Not anymore."

[Vestige Warrior]

Vestige followed the group after a quick nod, trying his best to keep up with the others. Thankfully it was too crowded for a full-on sprint, which he would not have been able to sustain for more than a few steps before his prosthetic got in the way. Following behind the group, a thought began to form inside his mind, worming its way down into his stomach. In all the rush and excitement and dancing, Vestige realized that eventually, whatever reality surrounded him, must fade away into the world of the real. He didn't want it to end, not yet. There were so many people that he'd met online and he wanted to see them all.

Rounding a corner, Vestige saw Ani holding a piece of cake and a glass of grape juice. He, himself, was promptly handed the same items. The booming sounds of fireworks could be heard through the castle walls, compelling him to search for the nearest window so he could watch. Fireworks were on Vestige's top five list of favorite things, and it was very near to the top. A few steps forward took him to a glass window, which he flung open and let the light blaze into the corridor. All manner of colors flooded the space and bathed Vestige in their light, bringing a smile to his face.

"Wow, hey come look at this," he said, waving his new friends over to watch with him. His hand, however, was quickly disappearing, along with the rest of him. Whatever magic had brought him to the world was now pushing him out. He looked at the three then settled his eyes on Clear. It had been a wonderful evening, but like all good things, it was coming to an end. He smiled at her warmly, mouthing the words thank you.

"No -- thank you!" Clear exclaimed, and she swore she could feel the familiar prickling of tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. Regardless, they weren't sad tears; they were happy tears, the kind that made Clear feel euphoric and nostalgic and just overall warm. With the magic of the event, the wonderful dance and the lovely fireworks to top it off -- all of it was just too much to let go.

Regardless, she too found herself fading away as the magic that kept them together began to dissolve. "Vesti, Onny, Ani! I hope we see each other again!" she said to her friends, "Thank-- ...oh."

She didn't have time to finish as she soon found herself in the familiar area of her room, and there's a small burst of disappointment. It felt too good to be true. She was now back in her room, as if time hadn't even passed since the enchanting event--

"Huh?" Blinking in mild surprise when Clear felt an odd weight on her hand, she cast her gaze to the object, and within moments her smile returned. Her fingers were wrapped around the intricate white and gold design of her mask, and smiling at it fondly, Clear exhaled a sigh. Looks like it really happened, after all. "Thank you. I hope we meet again -- happy birthday, RPA."

As for Vestige, he got a chance to see the three one more time before the world blinked in front of him and returned to normal. He glanced around his room to confirm that he was indeed back home. He sighed as he thought about all the people he didn't meet, doubting very much that he would get another chance like he'd had. "Happy birthday RPA," was spoken softly as Vestige took his mask in his hands and held it against his chest.

[TheDoctor]

"Ah, if only I knew what 'gentle' meant. You should be a tad more specific." He nodded at her toast, raising her glass in the air. "To us indeed!" The glass tilted, and champagne poured to Kris's mouth. He may have raised it a tad more than he should've, but before he had time to correct himself, it was his turn instead.

As she poured the drink into his lips Kris chuckled as the liquid left the sides of her lips, "My! at least I don't need to be worried about being amused!"

The Doctor found the golden drink spilling from his lips as well, and then the drink was finished, gulped down with stinging retribution. As he emerged from the toast with a small cough, he laughed, wiping his chin with his jacket sleeve. The familiar buzz of spirits tickled his lips, and his confidence and comfort of his company soared greatly. He didn't have too much to drink, but it was certainly enough to make him feel just right.

"Come now, dear!" He snatched the empty glass from her hand, setting both his and hers upon a nearby table. His hand took hers as he nodded towards the ballroom floor with a smile. "Let us have one more dance, before the night grows old."

"I thought you never ask", she got up, so excited she nearly forgot to wipe up her mouth.

The Doctor tugged them to the dance floor just as the previous song ended, found an empty space amongst the dancers, and set his right hand upon Kris's waist with his left hand holding her right. Somehow, he knew what type dance it would be, their last dance of the night. Not a tango, not a shuffle, and certainly not Gangnam Style. No, it was something much more elegant.

"Tell me, Kris; are you fluent in the Viennese Waltz?"

And with little preparation, the music began to play, and The Doctor lead them into their more eloquent waltz.

One can never be fluent in any language unless born into. Same is true for love and music. Still, she found herself waving her hands, and her body started to move on its own, “Oh! that's lovely!", Kris smiled instinctively stepping on her toes as she recalled the ballet classes she was forced to take as a kid. One step and another, she hopped for his direction, extending her hand as she bowed.

The Doctor smiled with a wink as she bowed back to him, holding her hand and taking a knee to let her circle about him. Their introduction was slow at the lounging tone of the piano as they recovered into position together, moving gently back and forth to the slow tempo. Then, with a slight pause for tension in the music, the 6/8 tempo emerged quick and flowing, and the two of them burst into a graceful prance. Step-step-turn, step-step-turn came the ticking in The Doctor's head, reminiscent of his old dance lessons, and how wonderfully they pulled through. It was surprising how quickly they danced around the allotted floor space, and he found himself adjusting their turns and long steps faster and less dramatically than he would in a more expansive space.

What a lovely thing it was.

The tempo increased, their legs entangled, yet their movement was flowing like flowers dropped into a lake. It felt like their own private stage, with nothing but the wind to guide them. Then they held each other’s hand and started to spin fast, their legs anchored in the center.

Spinning and spinning and spinning.

Voices echoed around.

Sure they were going to fall any moment now…

But instead The Doctor pulled in the moment Kris let go of his hands, grabbing her in his arms and spinning until he stopped making them pause in an extravagant gesture, like a newlyweds, to the clapping of the crowd.

And then it was over.

The music dwindled to a halt, and The Doctor knew that the end of their night had finally arrived. His eyes glistened with excitement as he lifted Kris back into a standing position, releasing all but her hand. The partiers and dancers were steadily making their ways from the ballroom back to the entrance hall, knowing that their coda was upon them.

It was time for goodbye, then.

The Doctor sighed, his eyes locking with Kris’s. “I could think of no better way to conclude our evening, dear, for I suppose it is time for us to depart.” He raised her hand to kiss it, then leaned closer to kiss her on the cheek. With a gentlemanly smile, he released her hand longingly.

“You’re so old fashioned”, she sighed, grabbing his face and landing him a smooch. Payback for earlier, but what a sweet revenge it was.

Now it was a decent ending, with the clock ticking for the ball to end, and everyone disappearing from the castle.

[Skeletor]

After everyone was done taking a moment to bust a move, they were ushered out to the balcony for some fireworks.

Alistair smiled as she looked around and saw all the faces of the people of RPA, gazing at the wondrous spectacle in awe. "Let's hope there's many more years to come, my friends," she said softly before eventually being faded back into reality.

She was back on the hotel balcony, in her normal clothes with another Swisher tucked behind her ear after they were sent back home. A housekeeper passed her and craned her head around to gape at Alistair for a moment before shrugging and heading off to the giant laundry room below. "I wonder what her problem was," muttered Alistair before going to tuck her hair behind her ear. Her fingers came upon the feeling of a ribbon and she followed along the ribbon to find that she was still wearing her mask.
Alistair chuckled and lit up another cigarillo, watching the smoke fly away. This time, she didn't feel so sad watching it go. She decided to leave the alcohol in the mini-fridge alone and to go back to finishing the latest chapter of her novel; a hunger to write again ignited by passion, joy, and the inspiration from her friends on RPA to continue to write and live her life fully.

[Miyopup]

Miyo was swept away to the dance floor and had no problem dancing to the music in her large dress. She tried to do all the crazy dance moves she could think of: the sprinkler, the robot, a failed attempt at the moon walk. She giggled and let loose on the dance floor. When the songs had ended and the crowds started to move toward the balcony, miyo followed.

There were gorgeous fireworks that lit the sky. Miyo could feel every boom on the tips of her fingers and toes. Miyo smiled wide and sighed happily watching the fireworks shift and blurt as though it was a dream. She found herself looking at her ceiling before she realized she was back at home. Miyo looked around and saw her previously burnt burger on the floor. She sighed and jumped when her front door opened and her best friend came in through the door.

"Hey, I had such a horrible day at work and- what's that on your face?" She asked. Miyo touched her face and felt the mask. She quickly took it off and smiled at the beautiful masked shaped like a fox. Of course it was a fox, of course! Miyo started to laugh and skipped around the room, grabbing her friend's hands and dancing around the kitchen. Miyo and her friend laughed and sang together until they were tired.

"Geez! What's gotten into you?" She said and walked out of the kitchen. Miyo took her burger and threw it in the trash. She realized she didn't even get to have a piece of that cake. Miyo smiled and turned the lights off in the kitchen.

"Hey, Katie! We should go get cake!"

[Elizabeth16]

THE END