People, masks, intricately designed dresses as low as the wooden tiled floors or draped right above the knees, wide coridors holding vast amounts of hidden faces and an array of colors not only decorate the guests, but the newly occupied ballroom awaiting her arrival, welcoming friendly faces, varying in age and height, race and skin color. That is the beauty of masquerade balls. you can't see the person behind the mask; therefore, it leaves no room for judgement. All you have to do is hide behind an extravagant mask to fit in with the crowd. Ain't it beautiful? she breathes softly, palms perspiring slightly at the thought of entering the ballroom in her new gown with a simple golden mask outlined with scarlett red propped up on her nose. she was new to this. she had no idea how to act, how to be, how to feel when going to a masquerade ball, but she enters anyway, fingers lightly gripping her dress to hold it up, allowing her to walk without the possibility of falling. The back of her dress lightly touches the ground, grazing as she makes her way over to the food table almost immediately, finding that getting food always helps in awkward and uncomfortable situations. once she is at the table, she feels a small tap on her shoulder. She turns around to see a dear friend of hers: Amber Liu. She is relieved and excited to see a familiar face, one that was actually unmasked.

"Amber?" Krystal asks, shock evident on her face as she stares at the girl. Amber grins, giving her a small hug before pulling away. Amber is dressed in a simple tux, hair geled and slicked back, revealing more of her facial features and structure. She looks fantastic. 

"Hey! fancy seeing you here."

"You too. I didn't even know I was coming to this thing until yesterday. Luna invited me, but she's not even here I don't think," Krystal says as her eyes wander the filled room, searching for her friend in the mass, finding it impossible with all of the masks. "Hey, why is your mask even off? isn't it against protocol?" Krystal teases with a grin. Amber rolls her eyes, crossing her arms.

"I hate masks. They're...weird and honestly kind of uncomfortable. Besides, the real thing hasn't even begun so why would I wanna wear this mask right now?"

"Fair enough," Krystal mumbles as she grabs a small plate, loading pigs in a blanket, baby sausages, and quiche onto her plate. "Please tell me they offer more than just this..." she gestures to the small table of refreshments and a few large platters of baby sausages, quiche, and pigs.

"I believe there's a dinner later, but after the dance."

Krystal freezes in place, a baby sausage slightly hanging from .

"D-Dance...?"

"Yeah, everyone grabs a partner in the room and share a dance or something. I don't really wanna do it, but Luna will probably force us to."

"That is if she finds us. This room is packed," she responds, eating the few sausages on her plate. "Who did Luna even invite?"

Amber simply shrugs, looking around the room. "A lot of people. That's all I know, but a few of the companies made it mandatory for its artists to attend this event. I don't know why, but it ain't optional."

"Huh...interesting. Meanwhile I only came for Luna."

"That makes two of us," Amber replies with a soft laugh before grabbing a cup of water complemented with a small slice of lemon. She takes a sip before looking over at her friend. "Where you sitting?"

"No idea...I just got here," Krystal responds as she finishes the rest of the food on her plate.

"Let's go put our things down before the event officially begins," Amber suggests before leading the way over to a rounded table draped with gold complemented with golden napkins, golden candle holders, and more golden decorations. Amber sits down, patting the spot beside her that Krystal takes no time in taking. She sits down, folding her arms on the table and resting her face against them with a small groan. Amber looks over at her friend and chuckles lightly. "You okay? not excited for the dance?"

"Not at all," she mumbles, hiding her face in her arms, closing her eyes lightly as she lets the music in the room travel, gracing her ears, almost putting her to sleep, but it gets ruined by the sudden voice speaking through the speakers placed in different parts of the room. Krystal groans lightly before sitting up, leaning against her seat. Everyone is seated with their masks still hiding their faces. The voice informs the group of a dance where each person has to grab a partner and share their first dance before dinner is served. It is a way to bond, to know one another without having to physically see what they look like. "Didn't know this was a freakin therapy session," Krystal whispers under her breath with a small snort, blocking out the rest of the voice. A few moments later, a few people begin to stand up, eyes scanning the room for potential dance partners as Krystal just sits there clearly uninterested. "Man, I just want food and drinks. Some good wine to help me get through this dreadful occassion," she says to herself. She tends to talk to herself when placed in a situation like this. In that case, she talks to herself a lot. She sighs, standing up to see most of the people in the room already partnered up with random men and women, sharing many laughs and excitement for the dance. As she walks around the room, she feels a tap on her shoulder. She furrows a brow, turning around only to be met with broad shoulders of a much taller man. She gulps, eyes following the figure before finally looking up to see his masked face. She blinks a few times, not recognizing him in the slightest as they just stare at each other. "Uh- hi...?"

He clears his throat, chuckling lightly before speaking. "Would you like to be my dance partner?" he asks, voice smooth and pretty deep. She can't help but be slightly mesmerized by it. She blinks once again, his words processing as she seems to be slightly starstruck. 

"Oh sure! yeah um yeah...that would be good," she replies, stuttering slightly as he chuckles once more, revealing a wide pearly toothed smile that captures her heart instantly. For God's sakes, he is masked. He could be an old dude for all we know with dermatologist appointments every other week and a y voice. Okno.

"Perfect. Come on," he says, offering her his hand to guide her to a free space in the room. She hesitates a little before placing her hand in his which he tenderly grasps, leading her to an open spot. She imediately gets shy as she takes his hand, this y voiced man's hand, this anonymous stranger's hand and lets this man guide her. Once in the perfect spot for the two of them, he takes her hands. "Have you ever been to a masquerade ball before?" he asks out of curiosity, keeping her hands in his.

She shakes her head immediately. "Um- no. I have not, and I don't really know how to uh...ballroom dance so...yeah."

He lets out a soft laugh. "Well, luckily for you I have some experience in this, so, I got you."

The way he says that he has got her makes her heart pound just a little faster.

"O- okay..."

He smiles and keeps both hands in his.

"So, this hand here," he responds, holding up her left hand, "will be placed here on my shoulder," he instructs, placing that hand on his shoulder. "And this hand here," he says, holding up her right hand, "will stay right here in mine," he says which a somewhat smug smile on his face, holding her hand gently in his own, being careful not to have a tight grip on her for she seems fragile to him. Small, cute, and fragile. He had just met the girl and he is already amused by her presence. Highly amused. Her cheeks heat slightly from the tender grip of his hand holding hers. "As for my hands, one will be holding your hand and the other will be," he begins to explain, resting his hand on my waist before gazing down at the girl, being careful with her, "right here if that is okay with you."

"I-yeah, this is fine," she softly replies, clearing slightly to calm her nerves. This is the moment where she is grateful for the masks. The song begins and Krystal slightly panics, unsure of how to move along with the music. She studies the other partners, focusing on the women and their movements, but it still is not enough for her. "I-I don't know how to do this."

"Relax. Just...sway," he says, swaying slightly with the rhythm. "Follow me, okay? just do what I'm doing. Nothing too fancy, love."

Krystal nods, clearing once more before swaying along with him, bodies in sync with the music as well as each other. He keeps his eyes on hers, holding a strong gaze as his arm slips around her waist to have a more firm hold on her body. She blushes, her small hand gripping his shoulder lightly and the other fitting perfectly in his own.

"Just like that...you're doing great," he compliments, flashing her a reassuring smile as they continue to move along with the slow yet beautiful melody. As the pair continue to dance, she finds herself fully engaged in his company, melting in his warmth and tender hold of her hand. She hardly knows the man and she is already awestruck by him despite the mask hiding his face. He finds himself enamoured. He holds a small amount of adoration for her already, and he cannot seem to pull his eyes away. She smiles shyly up at the man, a smile that strikes him as the most beautiful smile he has ever seen. He takes this moment to admire her, all of her, from the way her hand fits perfectly in his to the way she clears when she is nervous and trying to avoid awkward moments. He loves her smile. Oh, he absolutely loves  that smile and he would appreciate seeing that smile a little more beyond just this dance and this masquerade ball. "For someone who has never done this before, you clearly know what you're doing."

She giggles softly, earning another strike to his heart. "It's just swaying. Like you said, nothing too fancy," she mimicks with a wide grin, eye smiling up at him as the pair continue to dance. He maintains a comfortable hold on the girl as well as her hand, suddenly spinning her a little, earning a soft gasp and laughter. "You spun me! you could have warned me!"

"Oh, I have more up my sleeve for you, princess. At least I didn't do-" he begins to say before wrapping both arms around her small body, dipping her suddenly, earning a small shriek from her and a pair of hands covering her face as she giggles, "that," he finishes, bringing her back up with a grin. 

"You just did!" she responds with a laugh. He grins, placing his arm back around his waist as he takes her hand back into his. 

"I just couldn't help myself, princess."

She rolls her eyes with a small smile as the pair continue to dance. The longer he stares at her, the more he begins to recognize just small features such as her smile. A wave of familiarity washes over him as she continues to smile, laugh, and share his gaze. He grows more and more fond of her presence and finds himself not wanting to let her go even after the dance. She focuses on the small details that seem to stand out the most to her, details that seem recognizable to her the more she studies him. She is familiar with him, but how? the familiarity is there, but it is warm and inviting. She does not stray away from him in the slightest. He spins her once more, maintaining a nice hold on her so that she does not fall or trip. He protects her and makes sure she does not hurt herself. He finds himself being protective over the small girl due to this admiration he holds for her. The song eventually ends, but it goes unnoticed by the pair as they remain holding one another, swaying to complete silence now. The other pairs separate, but these two stay swaying, earning stares from the rest of the guests. They hold each other's gazes for a moment before suddenly stopping, keeping her hand in his. 
 

"Can-can I see something?"

She tilts her head to the side slightly in confusion. She nods nonetheless. He releases her hand and his arm around her waist before reaching up, tilting her face slightly to grip the mask with the ends of his fingers. He gently lifts the mask off her face, eyes focused on her own as he does so. Once it is off, he grins.

"Krystal...beautiful," he mumbles underneath his breath. "I had a feeling you were Krystal just by your smile. Your smile is infectious and very recognizable," he says with a grin. She blushes, hands moving up to hide the faint red on her cheeks. 

"Who-who are you? I think I know you..."

He winks playfully. "Meet me out front right after the ball ends then you will find out."

And with that, he flashes her a grin before parting ways, making his way over to his table, stealing glances at her from time to time. Oh what a tease.