ROLEPLAY HQ - love-is-a-masquerade

TW: erotic content, use of alcohol, trauma, violence, adult themes

Ezra looked over the masked crowd gathering in the ballroom and once again wondered if this was a good idea. In the past few weeks he had been called back from the war front after the assassination of his elder brother who was meant to be king of Genosia. Ezra had always been the back up, the second son only meant to take the crown if something had happened like in the unfortunate situation his family was in currently. Knowing he was never meant to have the crown Ezra had taken to the battlefield fighting along the front lines as he lead the armies and became a war hero, giving up his right arm in the process. He didn't want to be king, never had but as the eldest son now it was his duty. His parents had rushed to throw together a grand party to bring in the noble women or those from wealthier families to find a suitor for him, something else he had never wanted. His stipulation for having the ball was to have a masquerade, a party to where faces would be hidden and obscured so he could find a potential bride not based on their lineage and station, but someone whose company he enjoyed. He also demanded the ball be open for anyone in the country who could make it and find a mask. Ezra had always been a man of the people and even now that he would be leaving the battlefield he didn't plan on changing that.

14:23

Ezra waited patiently out of the way while the crowd began to grow. There were few that recognized him, most wouldn't have seen him in years much less with only the one arm. Some did however, mostly children of other nobles who served in the war and he didn't mind them since they tended to be more down to earth and not approaching him about their sisters or daughters. Ezra took his time making his way through the crowd talking to most but trying not to dwell for long on any one person. He wore a fine regalia in the colors of his family, a dark grey the color of charcoal and a verdent green like emerald. His green shoulder cape hung over his right arm, mostly hiding the lost limb and a mask in the likeness of an owls face covered the upper portion of his face. The mask hadn't been planned to cover the series of scars that covered the area of his right eye but it was appreciated.

14:23

@Mystique MJ

The ballroom was already filled with people when Alaric entered through the big open golden doors. His blue eyes, that peeked out of a golden mask that was decorated with ornamental swirls and covered up the upper half of his face, wandered over the crowd. Alaric didn't want to be here at all. Such great balls were never something for him and usually as the third in line to their family's heir, the youngest son of the family, he'd only have to attend a few. Yet today both of his big brothers were busy so he was the one assigned to represent his family name, along side with his little sister Marie who had to basically force him to accompany her. If it would go after Alaric, he'd be at home in the garden to read or somewhere... less crowded. "Come on Alaric! Let's go dance!" His younger sister tugged on his arm, her blonde hair draped in beautiful curls to frame her pretty blue eyes, his own. "Do we really have to? Can't we just get a drink first?" Alaric complained a little timid, mildly annoyed at the fact that he would have to go onto the dance floor between all those people. "Does my big brother seriously want to deny his sweet little sister her first dance of the evening?" Marie looked at him pouting like a small child, her light blue dress flowing gracefully around her hips. After a moment of silence Alaric let out a long sigh. "Of course not. But only one." He said persistently. He couldn't deny her sister a dance for long. His little sister grinned at her with sparkles in her eyes as she pulled him along into the crowd of people towards the open space were a group of people was already dancing. Marie was fast, almost pulling Alaric behind her. She was going a little too fast for him as he had a hard time keeping up with all those people around him. He tried to fix the collar of his white and golden suit and looked down for only a second that he noticed too late that Marie had made a sharp right turn, making Alaric run against the shoulder of another ta

01:31

ller man, the smaller impact making him loose the arm of his little sister. The man was tall, dressed in emerald colored suit, an owl mask covering his face. Alaric couldn't but stare only for a moment until he managed to say something. "I beg your Pardon Monsieur." He said rather nervously, making a little bow before looking into the direction of where his sister had went, only to realize that he had lost her in the crowd of people. @Triceratops&Bottoms

Ezra had been in the middle of talking to a few masked people on the edge of the dance floor when he felt someone bump into him. He moved quickly turning to look at the figure to see a man who had quickly apologized. He had unconsciously flexed tightening his muscles and preparing to fight, his instincts from the battlefield and his unease in the tightly packed ballroom having him on edge. The man was...pretty, his golden hair and pale skin almost blending into his garb. He also couldn't help but note the blue color of the man's eyes not much different than his own. "I'm afraid that's unacceptable, I think there must be a price to pay." He said in a stern voice. Ezra had been hesitant to dance mostly due to the dances that had been happening would be near impossible for him with only the one arm. The music had changed however to one he knew, something with a quicker tempo but only needed one arm and a few minor steps. They would simply clasp their left hands and hold them up in the air while spinning around eachother in slow circles with the right hand behind their back. Ezra had been trained to dance all the common dances during his upbringing but this was one of the few he could still perform. "I think a dance would suffice as fair payment." His voice changing from the stern expression to one more pleasant and gentle. His voice was deep and warm, like drinking a hot beverage on a winter night but no deep as to be unpleasant or intimidating. "Would you agree to this price?"

10:29

@Mystique MJ

Alaric turned back around at the sound of the man's voice, his blue eyes piercing through him as he talked about a price to pay. Immediately panic grew inside his chest. Did he upset this man so much that he wanted Alaric to be punished. "I-I..." Alaric tried to say something, nervously wanting to get out of this situation until his stance and expression changed. It caught Uriel by surprise that this man wanted to dance with. "But i'm-..." Alaric began, eyes wide in surprise. He didn't expect anyone to ask him despite his sister for a dance, yet there was something about his blue eyes and brown hair that made Alaric curious. No matter if he was interested or not, a dance would be the only solution to his problem. "Yes, I agree." Alaric replied nervously, not noticing that his cheeks gained a little color as he couldn't but stare a little at this man. @Triceratops&Bottoms

"Well then let's go." Ezra said simply before taking the man by the hand and leading him to the floor. The music began to pick up as more people went out to the dance floor and Ezra took the lead. "Do you know this dance? If not it's simple and you can just follow my lead." He instructed as he began to encircle the other man, his grip firm but not too tight as to be painful. "Are you enjoying the ball so far?" He asked curious how others were feeling about the events of the night so far. Ezra could tell from the faces of most of the people around that they were having a good time but he found himself unable to know with this man. Ezra considered himself good at reading the room but he found himself unsure at the moment. @Mystique MJ

"I do know it." Alaric responded rather timidly as the Two began to dance. Somehow the way the man held Alaric's grip in this firm way made his cheeks grow red a little. "Yeah it's... fun and all." Alaric gave Ezra a faint smile before he looked away for a moment. "I have to admit, I have no other choice to be here since my little sister dragged me along to this ball." He said after a moment of silence, chuckling a little nervously as the two continued their dance. The truth was that Alaric wouldn't have attended this ball in the first place if it hadn't been for his little sister. He would've preferred just to stay at home and bury his nose in some old books or write some of his poetry. @Triceratops&Bottoms

"I understand the feeling, I'm here for my family alone as well. I can enjoy a good party for a while but I would rather be in my study or garden if given the opportunity." Ezra spun the younger man around when the dance called for it. "At least there is good food and drink though." He could tell the song was getting to the end and partners would be changing soon. With a flourish Ezra gave the man a final twirl before pulling him close and looked down into the man's face and the redness of his cheeks before the song ended. "I would say the payment was made in full. I hope you enjoy the rest of the night at the ball..." He paused realizing he never got the man's name. "I'm sorry I never asked for your name." He could see the partners stop dancing as the music began to change. @Mystique MJ

"If I had the choice I would've rather visited the library. Reading in an old book sounds more appealing to me than... all this." Alaric let let out a small sigh, his gaze wandering around the crowd as the stranger twirled him around to the music. Alaric had always been told that he was a good dancer, able to memorize every step even if he didn't care to. Alaric couldn't help but chuckle a little at the comment of the man about the food and drink. This man seemed to understand him, not like most of his family did. "Aren't names supposed to be kept secret at a masquerade?" Alaric asked, a mild smile on his lips since he actually enjoyed this dance with this man as he was so close. @Triceratops&Bottoms

"Only surnames." He said with a grin before straightening up with him as well. "It would be against the spirit of the masquerade though to know eachothers full names, but my first names is Ezra." He told the man in a warm but confident tone. "But now our dance is over, maybe we will meet again before the night is over." He told the man giving his hand a light squeeze before letting go and disappearing into the crowd. Ezra stopped and grabbed a mug of ale before walking through the crowd and having a few conversations with strangers. This wasn't his scene but he had an obligation to make polite and converse with the other partygoers. Eventually his social battery was running low and he made his way to the balcony to relax. @Mystique MJ

"Well then, my name is Alaric" responded with a light and polite smile as he looked up at the man, blushing softly as the man squeezed his hand before taking his leave, leaving Alaric standing in the crowd of people. "There you are Alaric! I've been looking everywhere for you!" A familiar high voice called out to him before he turned his head to see Marie make his way towards him. "Look, im sorry Marie-" "Yeah yeah, save your apologies for later, let's dance!" Marie would chime in, grabbing him by the wrist to drag him to the dance floor, this time making sure not to loose her big brother. She seemed to have no idea that her brother just had given his first dance of the night to someone else. Later this evening, Alaric was done with all the people on this party. Moving constantly in this crowd seemed to rob him of all his strength. He decided to look for a less crowded space, maybe catching some fresh air when he would be able to find a good place. Luckily he found himself on one of the empty, further off balconies. It was quiet out here, the stars shining bright in the nightly sky. He stepped out on the balcony, looking at the stars in awe before his gaze wandered over the balcony, seemingly noticing only now who stood there at the rail. Ezra Alaric thought to himself as he felt his heart beating a little faster for no reason as he slowly approached the man at the edge of the balcony. "Looks like we meet here again." Alaric chuckled nervously in a greeting, settling himself besides the man. "Mind if I keep you a little company out here?" @Triceratops&Bottoms

Ezra stood there leaning over the balcony taking the occasional sip from his ale and tuning out the rest of the world. He always spent so much time alert and ready to move that he had to train himself to relax as well. The blanket of the night sky made that an easier task however and he found himself calming down rather quickly. Ezra thought back over the night so far and the better moments. He had shared a few good dances with some beautiful men and women although he wasn't sure if there was a spark with any of them. This ball wasn't just about fun, at least not for him and his family and it did add extra pressure to him for the day. Ezra was about to leave when he heard a voice from beside him. He saw the man he had danced with at the beginning of the ball come and stand next to him. "Help yourself, plenty of room." He said with a smile before looking back over the garden. @Mystique MJ

"The garden here in the grand palace is truly beautiful." Alaric slowly walked up besides Ezra, gazing down into the luscious garden beneath. "Wish I could see more of it someday." Alaric let out a defeated sigh, resting his arms on the railing. Slowly the evening start to wear even through the thinnest cracks. He had never seen the castle gardens up close. @Triceratops&Bottoms

Ezra made a show of looking around as if to check if the area was clear. "Then let's go check it out." He said in a mischievous tone. He took Alaric's hand and began to gently pull him along. He knew there would be guards walking the grounds but they would only be making sure no one was causing trouble or destroying anything. The cooblestone path that lead through the gardens was hard to make out in the moonlight but he knew he only had to give it a moment. In a few minutes the closed white lillies around the garden would open up and release a silver light over everything they touched like miniature stars. All the railings and lattice work were covered with them and he hoped Alaric would enjoy the sight. @Mystique MJ