RPA's 8th Year Masquerade Ball (IC)

[Elizabeth16]

As you read your invitation, the world around you disappears. Whatever you were doing before, it stops. The world you know melts away at the same time that a new world grows. My world. The shades around you glow, shinning and shimmering away into the hues of sunset and shining white stone. The first thing you'll see is the sky. For you see, you're in the sky. A castle in the sky. Sunset sets a light to the air that hints at the darkness to come but instead enhances the best qualities of day, a magic touch to everything near. In the air around you, just starting to come alive, are small glowing glitter-globes. I'm not sure if they are bugs or magic; I prefer to think magic.

After all, it is such a magical night. You'll look down to find yourself in the dress best suited for the occasion. Something fantastic for those who shine, something unique for those on their own path, or just a bit daring for my dangerous friends. Whatever your mundane clothes were replaced with is exactly what you dreamed of. That's what I want for you. I want your dreams to come true. This is your night, your ball. And a very special kind of ball. It's a masquerade. Maybe you've just reached up to touch the mask you find tied or fitted to your face. Don't take it off. There's something reckless about hiding a part of your identity. You can dance and love and enjoy and wonder at who your prince could be, or where this princess has been hiding. But, that's your choice.

You're on the steps and grand entrance of my castle now. The doors are open, and waiting for you. The castle shines in every way. Ignore the maybe too much equine decor; I have a thing for the horses, if you didn't know. Walk in. You'll find my grand entrance. Isn't it grand? Linger there and wait for your date if it pleases you, but, in time, walk up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs there will be a sprite to announce you. The sprites are my dearest friends; there are many of them around, to suit your needs and your every whim. The sprite at the door knows your name and your title, your RPA member title, if you have one, and she will announce you to the room. There's quiet music playing, enough to make the mood.

But once you're in my Glimmering Ballroom, you'll enter down long stairs to the shining ballroom floor. The floor is enchanting on its own. When viewed from the top of the stairs, the floating lights from the ceiling dance and play across it, reflecting the colors of those dancing on it. There are tables set on the sides, and food and drinks to be found carried and on tables. It is elegant and perfect, shining and magical in every way.

Go inside. Get to know your friends and partners from RPA. The Ball will start soon, and I'll be there shortly.

Most of all. Be magical.

[Derpnaster]

Derp did not often get out. In fact he never got out, his entire adult life was spent inside an office or datacenter often for many days on end managing the ever expanding needs of many a large corporation.

But today there was only the massive building in front of him, now dressed in his only suit he walked up the steps and slipped quickly inside, not really paying much attention to the small creatures announcing his name as if he was someone important or someting.
Just keep it calm and keep to the side, better to observe than to jump right in.
The somewhat short IT expert thought to himself as he made his way to snack table and sat on a simple stoo.

Now let's see what this is all about.

[Tatsuke]

Landing just below the stairs Tatsuke looked up the stairs that lead into the castle. It was truly something to be fascinated over, who ever lived here had to be amazing. The celebration of Role Play Adventures birthday was going to be a day to remember. Tatsuke slowly walked up the stairs, her hand on the glossy railing as she headed up. She noticed a Sprite and smiled to it before her hazel eyes looked around.

"Tatsuke!" Shouted the Sprite as Tatsuke slowly entered and followed the stairs to the main area of the ball. She looked down to the main ball room floor from the stairs it was truly something in awe, and she wondered what music would be playing for the celebration. She smiled a little as she hung around the railing.

'I'm never good when it comes to these things...' Feeling nervous as she slowly walked down and onto the ball room floor. She staid on the edge of it though not wishing to interrupt anything or anyone that might be dancing. Slowly she moved to a wall and leaned against it. Fiddling with a necklace she always wore. A purple heart with thorns along its edges. Something that she held close yet had no real value. Looking over the floor, it was going to be an amazing night. And to be part of something this amazing was something she just couldn't refuse.

[Naraness]

Crisp air filled her lungs and with a delicate gasp, the young maiden of seventeen was swept away to place she had never before set her eyes on. "Oh my." Nara whispered, her gaze trailing across the sky which swept for miles in hues of blue and red. She reached down to smooth her clothing, only to find that an elegant, black, lace ball gown had replaced the ordinary clothes she was used to. Her fingers flew to her mouth in shock just as a blonde wave of hair fell down her shoulder, and her hazel eyes widened. "I must have stumbled into a dream." She murmured. "This is impossible." Further inspection led to the discovery of a delicate mask which hid her facial features. A small thrill of excitement raced through her veins.

I can be anyone.

With a grin filled with mirth, she lifted her skirts and began walking up a set of beautiful marble steps, leading to a castle which was set in the clouds. Her heart was light with joy, and it seemed that though she climbed hundreds of steps, she was not left breathless or tired. There wasn't even sweat on her brow, although the air was comfortably warm.

Once at the top, Nara paused, her eyes wide as she took in the view. The castle seemed to climb toward the sky, glowing in the colors of the sunset. She wondered if these colors of dusk would linger, or if they would fade and be replaced by a billion stars. Either option seemed equally magical, and she smiled wistfully. "Now..." She wondered aloud, turning a slow circle. "Do I go in, or am I supposed to wait for something?" A gentle breeze tickled her ankles, playing with the edges of the young lady's lacy skirts. It felt like, if this was a story... There would be the moment when a handsome prince would sweep in and take her by the hand. A soft laugh rose in her throat, and she shook her head. "Now, just who would want to dance with me?" The notion seemed silly, and she stepped towards the door.

[Kicks]

Hop. Hop... Hop, hop, hop.

She stopped.

Just grab your arms, lower your head, and hop like a bunny. Nobody will see you. And maybe if you're weird enough with the hopping, you'll like you belong.

Kicks nodded to herself. It was logical reasoning, really. But the two acts seemed to balance each other out no matter the circumstance. It was like taking a cute puppy and putting it into an ugly suit. Even if the suit were fairly ugly, the puppy remained cute. And thus, no solution was made to entering a ball.

Walking with confidence was an option, or even dancing on inside. Yea. She could be cocky. Ha! She could be the cockiest of them all! Why, she could be like Austin Powers when it came to woman. But... wait... that didn't make sense. In fact, that sort of contradicted her own self worth. She was a woman.

But no, the simile still stood. For the emphasis was on the confidence and arrogance, not on the implication of sexism and perversion.

Kicks gave herself a thumbs up. Well that self-argument sure did boost her confidence. Maybe she didn't have to continue hopping on inside. Or did she...? Well, it was fun. But on the other hand, it was really weird. And she didn't want to be that person.

So like a normal person, or close enough, she swaggered on in. Too gangster? Dang it. She simmered down to a gentle glide. There we go!

Okay, now all she had to do was go straight to the nearest corner of the room and pretend she was a stripper- er, uh, wall. Pretend she was a wall.

[DCaesar of Wakanda]

DC stood silently for a moment, blinking as he looked around at his surroundings. Damn! This is definitely a step up from a guy doing nothing in a New York apartment.. He thought. This looked almost scary fancy. Was he dreaming? He looked down at himself, seeing what he has on. Yep. Definitely a step up. He kinda stared at the castle from the outside for a minute.

The young man had growm up in the ghettos of New York and had only heard of stuff like this in books or something. He couldn't believe it, he just couldn't for some reason. Almost like his mind was attempting to reject the vision of the castle from Cinderella standing before him. DC even pinched himself to be sure. Ow! Still hurt, definitely hurt. So now he couldn't deny that he was physically here. He was almost afraid to go inside but something told him that he should.

He was still looking very hesitant to move though, managed to pull himsslf through the doors. He looked at the grand staircase before him. He took off his hat and ran his head up the back of his head, which his hair was cut into a fade, not much hair on his head other than at the top. He put his hat back on, once doing so, feeling that something was on his face. It was metallic almost. A mask? Dude, where was he? Was he supposed to be a superhero or something?

Probably not but was pretty sure he shouldn't take it off. Following the stairs, DC made it to the main room. Seeing how everything was arranged, DC smirked. What was this supposed to be? Somebody's fantasy prom? Was this really just going to turn into some princess type stuff? DC couldn't be too sure, but he was brought here for some reason. Did this mean that he was going to find his Cinderella? DC had some serious doubts. Come on, it just doesn't work like that...does it?

Ah. He was probably overthinking this, just enjoy the moment, or something like that. Kind of unsure what to do with himself, DC leans against the wall with his hands in his pockets, unsure(and still kinda afraid) of what should happen...

[Kourtney]

Kourtney's hair was neatly curled with two strands of hair braided and bobby-pinned in the back of her head where her body was covered in a tight, much tighter than she was used to, shiny dress which covered a bit of the ground underneath her feet which was settled inside a small black rhinestone-like pair of heels which made her stand a couple inches taller than her normal 5"2 height. Her well-made black and red mask was already attached to her face where her fingers gently ran against the material that she was rather unfamiliar with. A sigh escaped her lips as a breeze swept through her hair. Staring at the gorgeous castle ahead of her in awe, she started to wonder if she should just wait outside or go in.

Shortly making up her mind to go in, she let her feet guide her into the direction of the entrance of the castle. She quietly followed a few other people ahead of her in as her eyes scanned the new sights. She felt a slight shiver run down her back nervously as she went deeper inside the building. She let her hands rest in front of her body together as she tried to concentrate more on the soft noise of her heels clicking the floor than the other people.

"Kourtney! Over here!"

Kourtney's feet paused in her tracks as her head swerved to the direction of her name. That's when she knew she had found her sprite that would surely announce her and guide her in the right direction. The sprite quickly ushered Kourtney to her, which she soon followed. The sprite made her way to the ballroom where several people were already enjoying the fun. Smiling, Kourtney thanked the sprite kindly before it had wandered off.

The young woman's eyes scanned the area once again before her eyes located some seats and a table. She soon made her way over. Sitting down, Kourtney carefully adjusted her dressed as she watched other people storm in with curious and bright eyes.

[Omac]

The stroke of a keyboard turned into a dash of sparkles as he appeared into the castle. Is this real?. Omac questioned his own existence, but moved forward anyway. His shirtless nighttime ritual turned into a tight polo that seemed fit for his personality, almost perfectly, which slid into his tan dress pants. For the most part he dressed almost like he normally does except for the gentlemen's shoes tied to his feet and the themed mask covering his face.

Omac smiled as he made his way through the castle, up the stairs and into the ball room where he was greeted by a strange creature that knew his name. His real name. He shook it off before spotting a more beautiful creature before him. It was impossible to tell who it was under the mask, but her dress was an elegant, black gown that seemed to sparkle under the lights.

"Who are you?" he asked himself unable to take the grin off of his face. Making his way over to her he reached out almost grabbing her shoulder before he resisted making his way over her and through the door.

[Blazing Falcons]

A ball? Really? Well. If that's the case, time to get my fancy on. Blazing thought. A masked ball, at that. Perhaps I should don a fancy name for the night (It's just too bad I put off getting a haircut...). I'm thinking... Duke of Fire? No, that's stupid. Think, man, think! You have a chance to be mysterious for a minute or two! Lord Gyrfalcon! But that too would immediately reveal who you are... Oh! Latin! That's what my alias needs! Lord Falco rusticolus! Science-y! He cracked a sly grin and sauntered up to the entrance, holding his hands behind his back. "Good evening." He said once, but it was directed to all outside with him. With his greeting, a smile came surprisingly easy to him, as though he'd just heard a good joke. Well, guess that means that a good night is soon to be had. Wonder how long I'll keep up the fancy?

[Liono]

I'm in a castle... I'm in a suit, and... Onyx reached up to his face. I have a mask on. Masquerade party. This was going to be a long night, Onyx never felt good at a party. He usually hanged around the wall watching everyone drink beer, Onyx standing there with his water. In fact, he never went to a party unless his friends force him too.

As he walked through the castle, Onyx was met by an unusually high voice. "Say hi to Sir Onyx!" a large, sparkling woman with wings called out to him. A fairy? "Sir Onyx, over here!" another sprite called out. For some reason, he followed the fairy towards an astonishingly shiny floor, capable of blinding anyone if you had a flashlight. "Go on, dance Onyx!" the sprite said. "If I really have to..."