Masquerade Ball - Totally not an ambush

[hiken]

Who: Anyone going to the Corsair Island Masquerade Ball!
Where: ...IDK?
When: April 26th - 27th (Early AM)
What: The Masquerade Ball + Ambush (12am)
Warnings: D for dancing, V for violence, A for Ace, L for Luffy
Style: Action or prose.
Status: Open to anyone attending!

There are going to be two main threads. One for the ball itself and the other for the Ambush! There will be an obligatory third thread for FASHION. Just remember to tag your muse in the subject header and OTA or 'Closed to ???' as you comment.

Comments

[donthithimintheballs]

[Never going to get used to people calling him kind. He can't even scoff that off for the moment. Not yet at least. He did snort, softly.]

Not sure I'm the kind of entertainment you'd enjoy, though I could offer you a dance, if you would be interested. [He's even trying to sound educated. Daww.] Otherwise, I might bore you.

[fierybluebird]

[Lmao, nope.]

[Marco notices and burst out laughing before giving Thatch a hug.]

Sorry, eh. Couldn't resist.

[alwaysgrumpy]

Wishin' that I wasn't trapped here, for one thing.

[om_nom_namur]

[His hearing is generally better than a human's, so he hears it nice and clear. Namur raises an eyebrow at the curtsy and takes her hand, pulling her up close. He expects a knife in his gut or a gunshot at any moment, though he feels no ill intent except from the hall up the hill and the ships skulking in the waters outside of the inlet. There's time for a breath as he draws himself up into as close as the right position as he can get by throwing his shoulders back and sucking in the base of his fin, then the downbeat hits, and he launches himself into motion.]

[the_grey_lady]

You'd be surprised. Refinement I can get in spades. [she smiles]

But a pleasant dance with a rough around the edges gentleman, well, I can hardly say no.

[holds out a hand for him to take.]

[fierybluebird]

[....]

[It's a problem.]

[He can't tell if it's the right girl or not without hearing her voice, and he doesn't actually feel like wasting a dance on a stranger, but after seeing her handle the D brothers without much trouble, Marco's pretty sure it's got to be Miss Black Rose.]

[So he goes over and gives a sweeping bow.]

May I have the honor of the next dance, Miss?

[Please don't kill him Robin, he just wants to talk up Ace, honest!]

[donthithimintheballs]

"That would be a pity." He said, glancing to the baboon guy again, who was now looking away from them. Caught? Yes. Even if he wasn't chatting up with Faye, he'd find this guy extra creepy.

He turned a bit to look the other way, talking to her while taking a sip of champagne. "Pretty sure." After all, he spent a bit of time watching her too---god he'd never admit that. What the hell Logan. "Wanna see for sure?" He asked, nodding towards an arch way with open doors, leading off to an outdoors area.

[the_grey_lady]

[she moves with him gracefully with the easy steps of someone who is perhaps as used to dancing as she is to other more aggressive things. After a moment, she gives a low chuckle]

You're certainly quite tall, are you not? And fearsome. What great teeth you have, my friend. What bright eyes. Perhaps it's the lure of danger that draws women to you?

[yatteyanyo]

I must admit... I'm a little impressed. -That knavish idiot cleaned up nicely... Though she wasn't about to dance with him, even if he apparently knew what he was doing. At least not without some convincing.-

[donthithimintheballs]

[Welp...]

[That set off almost ever warning alarm in his head.]

[He didn't really flinch, but the comment of spades, and pinning him as a rough around the edges gent? Damn it, he shaved and everything. He's being... grossly nice to people (when they were looking. The two guys he knocked out already were another thing).]

Then allow me. [he took her hand lightly, leading her out towards the edge of the ball room. Taking inventory on anything he CAN learn off her. Appearance. Smell. Temperature. Pulse if he can, anything. Someone to consider here.]

[theartofboom]

You'll like the second even better then!

[The energy in her arms pulsed with an angry orange light, flashing in arcing bands down her veins as she pointed at each gate in turn. The wood bowed from the sudden heat and the metal turned molten-red, exploding outward in a shower of splinters and liquefied steel. Chandra couldn't be sure if there were people down there but at this point that hardly mattered. The shouts and sounds of combat down below are just starting to reach her through the haze of power that's clouding her thoughts.

One foot stamped down hard, sending jagged lines of red mana through the rooftop that spiderweb out towards the barracks, and the fortified building began to rumble and shake. The earth itself began to split beneath it, a yawning chasm swallowing it up with roar of stone.]

And now it's time for the crescendo...

[Chandra's blazing eyes flicked out to sea, to the ships moored there, the ones that'd brought the military to this island...]

[the_grey_lady]

[she laughs lightly and allows herself to be lead onto the floor and into the dance.]

Are you enjoying yourself? I don't believe I've seen you at events like these before. Who are they recruiting these days?

[donthithimintheballs]

[he leads her out and this is some uncounted dance for him. He'll be full up on god damn dancing for a year or more.]

Strangely enough? [He lead with, smiling charmingly (or as charming as this big lug can)] I am enjoyin' myself. It's my first event. [neither of which were a lie...] And yourself? I take it you come to many of these events.

[fierybluebird]

Having fun fireflower?

[He asks, because she looks almost more like a wallflower for once.]

[donthithimintheballs]

[As she started really getting into it, he hunkered down more in a crouch, his right hand trailing on the roof, the claws coming out to sink into the roof just a bit, just in case he needed a quick drop.]

[He's keeping an eye on the fire and crumbling things, eyes narrowed behind his mask. His nose caught not only burning everything but blood as well. Figures. The split of the earth however had him glancing back at her.]

[She was concentrating out on the ships now, and honestly, crippling the ships was the best way to stick it to the Navy.]

[He could hear the roar of fighting starting. Ace must have given his signal. He was sure it was flashy no less. Logan wondered for a moment if some people had managed to get out of here by now. Those they 'cared' to warn should have left already so it should be fine...]

Try not to cripple our escape route, Chan...

[the_grey_lady]

I've gone to my share of them, certainly.

[a quiet pause and she cants her head slightly]

However, I must say that you're quite polished for it being your first time. You should never reveal that it is, you know. Seeming to know what you are doing, when in fact, you do not, could be quite an ace up your sleeve, mm?

[thatched]

Heh.

[ruffles Marco's hair before going back and folding his arms. He should probably say something more than that, though and absently chews on a toothpick he got from one of the bacon wrapped things]

Enjoying yourself?

[theartofboom]

Don't worry about that. I'm in control of it.

[Now is when Logan gets his dragon. Holding her hands high, Chandra starts to form and shape a ball of flame, a vaguely draconic body forming above her head. Gradually it grew and grew before it she finished. With an earsplitting shriek that would echo for miles out over the water, the flaming construct hurtled out over the water. Gouts of flame poured from it's mouth as Chandra directed it like a kite, setting the fleet ablaze.

And then she thrust her fists skyward, the dragon lurching straight up gracelessly before she moved her hands back down in a quick jerk and pulled them apart. The construct lost form as it came down like a meteor, splitting into dozens of small comets in mid-drop. Each piece of the starstorm slammed into the deck of a navy ship, burrowing through the wood and into the powder magazines. Gunpowder ignited with a thunderous roar, louder than even the dragon's screech, as the ships all went up at once.

Chandra's voice boomed out with a triumphant shout.]

That's right! Burn, you dogs! Fucking burn!

[And then in a lower voice, she looks over at Logan with a smirk.]

And now? The finale.

[om_nom_namur]

Guess if they're bein' lured in, that'd do it. An' chemistry.

[That's what draws him most, after all. Bursts of emotion spurred by chemicals coursing through the body. The right kind of burst is like a drug floating in the air. Her chemistry's confusing, but he recognizes a few things. One of them he's willing to change.]

Got y' figured out now, sweetheart.

[It may be a bluff. But his shoulders slump forward just a little as he relaxes into the tempo and presses forward, moving the woman deliberately over the sand. Taking control. He sends her out in a spin so he can pull her back tight against him, feeding her momentum into a series of quick swirling steps, like being caught up in a maelstrom.]

[theartofboom]

[She's only being a wallflower because she doesn't really know what one does at something this formal. She looks up when he speaks though.]

Oh, yeah, I am. Foods fantastic.

[fierybluebird]

[He could swear something's off, but he's not sure what, and a week away from Thatch might be throwing him off.]

Aye.

[Grins.] I'm surprised you're not dancing or surrounded by a dozen ladies, eh. [Aha, that could also be it.]

[donthithimintheballs]

That so?

[He canted his head a bit, still smiling, though he wasn't too keen on it anymore. And Ace up his sleeve, huh. There is another one. Who was this woman?]

Never said it wasn't my first party. [And it wasn't. He doesn't remember HOW he learned to dance, or the parties, but he remembers there was something there.]

Any other pointers, good lady?

[fierybluebird]

Is it?

I'm trying to avoid meat still. What's good?

ELISSA

[elissacousland]

Pardon my bad art skills. I couldn't find a dress that looked like that one I needed.

Elissa will also be wearing a silvery mask that sparkles with green and blue glitter as well as a tricorn hat with a fall of lace 'waves' that is topped with a tiny ship. Her hair is pulled back in a copy of Haytham's normal style, but her hair is wavy and much longer after it escapes the red hair ribbon.

Dress in varied colors of the sea Paper says: Vertical ruffles with hidden pockets. Ripcord removable underskirt for quick getaway.

Getaway version of dress Paper says: Loot skirt lined with heavy silk can be removed, turned inside-out, and converted into a drawstring bag. Getaway/fighting breeches worn under skirts.

One of her little pockets holds a few vials of Quiet Death - her favorite Antivan Crow poison. She has also wearing two daggers, but had to leave her sword Starfang at home as there was no good way to hide it.

[theartofboom]

Why avoid meat?

[Weird, Marco. Weird.]

I haven't tried anything but the meat and the cheese, and the stew, but that has meat.