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[Gomer Caitiff]

On the fortieth day of winter, five hundred seventeen years after the Valterrian...

Time had stopped.

At the very least, it certainly seemed to have done so in what had been a previously empty plaza. The whole area was surrounded by a circular stone wall, a mural of the night sky shimmering on it surface. Within the plaza itself, candles hung in the air, suspended by nothing and drifting by in all manner of angles, their flames perfectly frozen casting a glimmering light through the equally static snowflakes. A band had been brought in, a hodgepodge collection of Alvads, each with their own instrument and style, happily riffing off of one another in an eclectic collection of songs.

There were only two entrances to the little pocket that time seemed to have forgotten save for the laughter and chatter of the city's people. At the eastern end a steady flow of curious people paid their way in, trading coin for delicately sculpted masks that appeared to be made of snow with a pleasantly plump, middle aged woman who's mask was that of a majestic peacock. The south eastern exit was watched over by a stern but kindly man, not necessarily keeping people out, but strongly suggesting they buy a mask to better enjoy the ambiance.

Gomer had stumbled into the impromptu, outdoor masquerade quite on accident, but he'd been one of the first to purchase and don a mask. His was a pale, almost crystalline likeness of a fox, the nose coming down just over the top of his lip, the natural curl of his mouth completing his guise's mischievous spirit. While the masks were not cold, as he had expected, they did more than disguise one's face. To anyone else, those wearing the masks were made completely of snow and ice, glittering sculptures that drifted and swayed across the frozen cobbles to the rhythm of the music.

There was not only dance - a couple of thin, spider masked individuals had constructed several mounds of snow to serve as tables and chairs, selling both chilled drinks and warm beverages for those more interested in soaking in the scintillating atmosphere, and several snowy figures sat cheerfully conversing in quiet voices. The few who had not purchased masks found themselves out of place, and most caved or left.

Near the far southern side of the wall, several people had gathered around a man silently sculpting busts of the dancers, chattering among themselves. Still others, those who were not quite so experienced or quite so brave as their counterparts on the main, makeshift dance floor had taken to teaching one another how to dance, their laughter boisterously appropriate.

Breathlessly stepping away from his current partner who waved him a laughing farewell, Gomer leaned against the wall, a cool drink in his hand as he grinned out over the calm scene. He was no dancer, but it was events such as these that he enjoyed most - illusions of time and the beauty that Alvads always seemed to find in them. It was when life felt as if it really were something to be lived not just survived.

Taking a sip of spice and citrus, Gomer surveyed those gathered, drinking in the delicacy of it all. Spotting a lone figure, much a mirror of himself even if he had claimed the role in respite not permanent practice, Gomer made his way over, eyeing the band as he passed by. The collection of instruments were truly in spirit of Alvadas: there was a guitar of glass, a violin played with no bow, and a harp-flute, upon with two pale haired women with matching bird masks played together.

Finding himself now next to a smaller woman, equally as sculpted from ice as he was certain he appeared to be, he ventured a smile, leaning up against the wall and letting out a contented sigh. "This city never fails to amaze, does it?"

Purchases2SM for the drink; 3SM for the mask

[Avela]

It was impossible to tell what sort of thing one might stumble across while living in the city. Avela had lived in Alvadas for all of her twenty-five years of life, and while she handled the city's oddities much better than any newcomer, the city still managed to surprise, delight, and occasionally terrify her.

Tonight's diversion was certainly a delight.

Avela had been on her way home that day, following the steadfast tug of her house key, when she stumbled across the party in the city streets, one that she discovered was a masquerade. Excited, she'd skirted the plaza, peering in past the blocked off areas at the dancers and their masks and listening to the sound of music in the breeze. When it became clear that she definitely wanted to be a part of this, Avela quickly joined the line of people at the eastern entrance to the square, handing over a few silver mizas for her own snow mask. The mask was wrought in the likeness of a rabbit, ears protruding from the top in a way that made Avela smile. It felt delightfully cool to the touch, not cold as she would have expected, and Avela giggled as she slipped it on over her face.

At once, the illusion swept over her, and as she looked down at her hands, she saw that they had been turned into crystalline ice, the light of the candles shining through them. She turned her palms forward and back, marveling at the transformation, then whirled in delight, her coat and hair streaming behind her like fine strands of crystal as she laughed.

Oh, this was wonderful. This was simply amazing. Avela joined the group of revelers, although she hadn't yet worked up the courage to dance, instead buying a cup of mulled wine from one of the drink sellers and finding a spot near the edge of the dance floor. She sipped at her wine and watched the dancers, enjoying the warmth of the drink and the sound of the music. The women with the harp-flute were especially talented. Avela wished that she had some talent in music herself, but unfortunately, that particular skill had always escaped her. She sipped her drink again, letting the warmth of it fill her.

Warmth. Music. Dancing. Masks.

It felt like a dream.

What wasn't a dream was the voice that spoke to her. Avela turned towards him, smiling at the man as he leaned against the wall. A tall man, his features indistinct behind the fox mask that he wore, his body seeming to be made of snow and ice. He looked tired; she wondered if he had been dancing. He seemed just as entranced by the scene as she was, although the irony of their meeting didn't escape her. A fox and a rabbit.

"It's incredible," she said, in response. "I can't believe I would have missed this. I'm so glad this happened to be on my way home." The word today was implied in that phrase. Like most Alvads, Avela's route home was about as predictable as the city itself. She'd learned early on to never make plans for the day, because it was impossible to know how her days would turn out. Like this. She never expected to be here, in a masquerade, drinking wine with a stranger. It was thrilling, with the sort of thrill that only acts that might be seen as rebellious carried. She offered her companion a shy smile.

Purchases3SM for the mask, 2SM for the drink

[Gomer Caitiff]

From the manner of her reply, from the excitement without the shock, he could tell she had lived in the city for some, if not her whole life. As so many things tended to not be as they seemed, he wasn't surprised when the little rabbit was as friendly an interested a character as he. Nodding, he swirled his drink, his crystalline fingers softly clicking against the glass. "I've often wondered if anything in this city can be missed."

The music had risen in tempo, and the dancers had begun to swirl about, the light scintillating as it passed through their refracting bodies. Some imagined that the city did things at random - that, like most things in life, Alvadas merely happened and those within it were carried along upon its whims. Gomer, however, found it far more a romantic thought that everyone within the city's domain tread a path set before them by Ionu - a path with many splits, many options, but with everything tailored to the walker.

To him, all it took to enjoy the city, to experience all it had to offer, was to merely open one's eyes and case after the quiet murmurs, the sudden surprises, and the gentle, soft evenings. The thought that he might have missed the scene before him had never even occurred to him, and it was with a tender sadness in his eyes that he smiled down at the little rabbit. If he had allowed himself to believe in a city in which such wonder could be missed, many things about his life would be very different and far more grey. His thoughts threatened to darken just fine without another storm to add on the horizon.

Eyes lightening once more, his lips curved in an inviting smile and quiet laughter in his voice, he made a small waving gesture at the dancers with his drink. "Do you dance?"

OOCI have a hard time with really long conversation responses. If you feel you just have a paragraph or so with a reply, that is absolutely fine with me! I hope you don't mind shorter replies on conversations as well!

[Avela]

The man put forth an interesting thought, the idea that the city's apparent randomness was actually by design, that there was a method to it. Avela wasn't sure which point of view she liked better. There was certainly something romantic about the idea that the city was random, that at any given time, she could be swept along on an adventure. An event like this was sweeter to her for knowing that she could have missed it.

But, perhaps the man was right. Perhaps this was, somehow, all by design. Either way, it didn't stop her from enjoying the evening, from watching the dancers as the music picked up. "I've never really thought about it like that," she said, smiling in response to the man's comment. "I suppose it depends on your perspective. I've lived here all my life, and the city still surprises me. It's wonderful."

She sipped at her wine, savoring the warmth and the taste and the company. Avela looked up, startled, when he asked if she danced. Apprehension laced with excitement coiled in her stomach--she was on the edge of refusing, but why would she do that? He had no idea who she was, wasn't likely to be able to find her again tomorrow. And she did want to dance.

For once, she didn't feel self-conscious, didn't worry about what he saw when he looked at her. Perhaps it was because of the illusion, but she felt as if she was truly some graceful, mysterious figure carved out of ice, and not the awkward, clumsy girl that she usually was. She felt like a figure out of the stories, and not the silly child who couldn't even read her mother's journal because she couldn't understand the language.

"Not well, I'm afraid," she said, with a rueful smile. "But, if you're willing to teach me..."

OOCPhew! Don't worry, my posts tend to be a little on the short and sweet side with conversational topics too.

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[Gomer Caitiff]

He chuckled at her condition, offering a wink. "Willingness I possess in spades; talent? Not so much." With a sweeping gesture, Gomer indicated the dancers before them, laughter in his voice. "We can certainly join them, but if you're wanting a pace appropriate to our respective capabilities..." He pointed towards the raucous laughter of those gathered by the southern wall were someone had just fallen, much to their own chagrin. "Might I suggest we join them?"

He extended a hand, allowing her the choice to lead where she felt she most comfortably belonged.

[Avela]

Avela looked in the direction that the man indicated, towards the group of people that gathered on the fringes, stumbling while they danced. Her eyes traveled from them to the first group of dancers, the ones that moved gracefully across the floor, in time with the music. Had she been in any state where she could have been recognized, she would have immediately gone to the second set of dancers, to the ones where embarrassment would be minimal.

But...

It was odd, but she didn't want to. They were certainly the safer bet but...

Tonight didn't feel like a night for safe.

Avela looked down at the remnants of her own cup of wine and at her companion's hand, considering, before she raised the cup to her lips and knocked back what was left all at once. The wine rushed down her throat. She set her cup aside, reaching for her companion's hand, and smiled at the brazenness of what she had just done.

"Well," she said, leading him over towards the main group of dancers. "I suppose we'll just have to learn together."

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[Gomer Caitiff]

Gomer's laughter blended with the music as he strode behind the rabbit with a grin. Either choice would have been fine with him, but he enjoyed seeing someone seize the moment. As they joined the dancers, the music shifted into a steady waltz. Glancing as those around them, Gomer gently tugged on the rabbit's arm and held his arms out in mirror of the others: left hand raised and right placed politely against the small of her back. He made certain that the placement was well above where the more amorous couples seemed to prefer, and he smiled amiably down at her.

"Shall we?" Glancing again to the side, grin wide on his face, he tried to step to the music, following the simplistic box step of those who seemed not too much more advanced than they. While others began to spin and twirl, promenade and dip, he instead focused on getting his feet to go where he wanted them, chuckling at himself as the spirit of the mood as they moved.

Sure of foot, he didn't struggle with tripping so much as it was staying on the beat of the music. The nature of the waltz was easier to follow than most, and he kept beat well enough, though they needed to reset several times. Focused as he was, he found it even more difficult to dance correctly and speak at the same time, but it didn't stop him. "I believe it's getting easier... to ignore the fact we can't dance."

Chuckling at his own joke, he stepped back, over-imitating a couple who had just passed them, a serious pout on his face as he awkwardly turned on his heels before rejoining her, the lights dancing off of the enjoyment in his eyes. "I wonder if Ionu is here."

[Avela]

Avela did her best to keep in time with the music. She wasn't sure she was doing a very good job of it. The wine had gone to her head in the most delightful way, making the ground feel springy and light beneath her feet and making her feel airy and weightless and warm. And she couldn't remember the last time she'd been this close to anyone before. Oh, if her stepmother saw her now, she would have fits all over the place.

But she was enjoying herself. She placed one hand on her partner's shoulder and one hand in his, imitating the dancers around them. She laughed merrily when they fell out of step, doing her best to recapture the rhythm. "What are you talking about?" she asked her partner, "We're doing just fine."

Wine was wonderful. She wasn't worried about anything at all.

She did blink, though, falling out of step for a moment as he mentioned Ionu. She tried to come back to the rhythm quickly, looking at him with wide eyes from behind her mask. "Do you think they would be...?" she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper as if they were sharing in a conspiracy. Her gaze swept over the crowd around them for a moment, as if considering something she had never considered before. "I'm afraid I don't know much about...them..." The last was said with a touch of embarrassment. As an Alvad, Avela of course paid her respects to Ionu. But...admittedly, not as deeply as others did.

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[Gomer Caitiff]

Taking her hushed cue, Gomer bent his head a bit more forward, his fox's ears almost twitching in response to his wolfish, mirth filled grin. "Does anyone, really?" He laughed, his feet failing to fall on beat to the music as they made a lazy turn, bumping into a nearby couple who playfully knocked them back into place. The pace the music had begun to pick up, and Gomer wasn't quite fit to follow but did his best regardless. "I can't speak for them, of course I can't, but I like to think-"

He paused as caught himself from tripping as a young man bumped into him from behind, offering a tinkling "Sorry, sorry!" before twirling off into the crowd with his partner. Still grinning, Gomer took a moment to reset his feet and shook out his shoulders, the strain of holding his arm just so - or as close to it as he could - was more than he hand anticipated. "I like to think that these sort of things are all orchestrated by them. After all, what fun would an entire city as your playing grounds be if you never took the time to walk the streets yourself?"

The waltz ended and, in its dying notes, a more upbeat song replaced it, one that immediately seemed to inspire clapping hands and stomping feet. Laughing with the rising boisterousness of the atmosphere, those on the southern wall cheered and joined the rest of the mass of dancers who had begun to create an empty column of space down which crystalline bodies began to parade their various styles of dance to the laughter and merriment of their onlookers.

Though the noise had increased a fair amount, Gomer still found it not too difficult to speak with his diminutive rabbit of a partner and nudged her with his elbow, a playful spark in his masked eyes. "Shall we show the deity of our fair city the talent of two he houses?"

[Avela]

Avela jumped a little as they jostled another couple. She honestly hadn't even thought about how they were dancing, or whether they were in anyone's way. She was still listening to her partner with rapt attention. Her eyes widened as someone bumped into her partner from behind, and she'd been about to call a warning, but at that moment, an ill-timed turn made her foot catch another woman's, and as the both of them stumbled, Avela turned her head to give the woman a smile and an apologetic wave.

The woman didn't seem to notice. She was still looking around to see who had bumped into her, so Avela counted her good fortune for what it was, offering her partner a sheepish smile as she changed her steps, nudging them both towards a section of the dance floor that seemed to have a little more space...and less chance for interruptions.

She really hadn't thought about Ionu in this detail before. And maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the evening, but the topic was suddenly that much more fascinating to her. She looked around at the crowd, taking in the faces of the people around her. "I wonder if I've ever..." she began, but she lost the thread of the thought somewhere along the way, so she shook her head with a giggle. "Never mind."

When the song changed to one that was more upbeat, Avela paused, watching with delight as the dancers on the southern wall came to join the group. The dancing in the center of the column was chaotic and wonderful, dancers running the gamut from those who were truly skilled and hypnotizing to watch, and others who seemed to be enjoying themselves more than anything else. "Yes!" she said in response to her partner, taking him by the arm and leading him out into the column before she could second guess herself.

Once there, Avela started moving with the music. She wasn't sure what she was doing, had never done this before, and was sure she must look awful, but right then, she didn't care. This was so unlike her. Everything she was doing felt so unlike her, and for some reason, she felt like her partner had to know that. "I don't usually do this, you know," she admitted, breathlessly. "Join. Usually, I just sit and watch..."

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