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

[elissacousland]

"Oh! Terribly sorry - was I in your path?" asked Elissa to the young woman. She flashed her an apologetic smile and then gestured to her little plate of food. "Have you tried these? The ones with the shellfish? Oof. They are wonderful."

[myfayevalentine]

Faye turned to Logan and moved a little closer so that she could speak with her voice lower, "Why do you think he's watching? What does he want?"

But when she moved through the crowd to outside, Faye was all big smiles, playing the part of the lady enjoying herself with a handsome gent. Once outside, Faye waited, knowing they'd been followed, but not sure what to say or do next. So she drifted away from Logan, as though she was going to look at some flowers, but behind her mask her eyes were narrowed and focused.

[elissacousland]

Elissa's brows lift beneath her mask when she spies the Tyrant and she sends an answering grin to the other woman. Snagging another little plate of puffed, savory tidbits from a waiter, she wends her way through the crowd. "I did not expect to see you here," she says with a laugh while holding the plate out in offering. She lowers her voice to add, "If you were on the official invitation list, we may need to have serious words in a more private location."

[darknessinside]

"Eh..." Riku glanced down at himself, shrugging a little. "This isn't really my thing. I'm glad it's not something I have to wear on a regular basis."

He looked back up at Selphie with a grin. "You look so...adult right now, though." There's no way the Selphie from Destiny Islands would be able to pull off a dress like that yet. But give her a couple years. "Seriously, you look really pretty. You've probably had a ton of people asking to dance with you, huh. Are you having fun?"

[elissacousland]

"Thank you, my dear. I simply told my dressmaker what I wanted and set her loose with her creativity. She did very well, I think." Elissa pauses to take another sip of her champagne. She very well knows she should slow down, but the bubbles are a delightful novelty.
"The next time we go to Gun Frontier, I shall have to stop in to thank her."

[dragonbadfaith]

[Lifts his chin, smile turning a tad cocky -- though he's more teasing than smug.]

Why thank you. I do clean up nicely, don't I? All this roughing it on the high seas, I was worried my hair would be damaged beyond repair or I'd end up as red as a bloody lobster, but I've held out all alright. I'm glad for the excuse to dress up again, though.

[Of course he'd prefer to be in Wizarding dress robes, but he'll take what he can get.]

[thethundersaid]

[He'd been hoping that their shared sense of impending violence wouldn't come to fruition, which was a rare enough hope from a ninja that he almost felt cheated that things hadn't worked out. It was only a fleeting moment of irritation, however, and although the event had provided a sense of just how pumped up to overconfidence the bulk of the Navy was, it had been low on actual information on Sasuke's side.

So it is that as soon as the violence breaks out, Sasuke throws off his ridiculously heavy coat and leaves a path of paralyzed soldiers behind him as he leaps onto a table, shouting for his crew to get out. Bad enough there's a bounty on the ship and on him as captain without any of them earning more.

Tojiko is at least proving reliable after all, month-long sulk notwithstanding. He draws the Kusanagi from the sheath that has been hidden all night, landing in line with her.]

You and I are deepest in the room. Move out and keep the rest of the crew between you and the exit.

8D?

[thethundersaid]

[He's left Tojiko holding her part of the invisible line pushing their crew out of the room, spreading their strength out and being careful with his chakra just in case Sakura turns out to be right about the costumes after all. As such, he's not using Susano'o's ribcage when bodies start raining down around him as if punched up from the ground -- in the absence of unconscious protection he's forced to slice through a falling body.

His glare for the source leads him to a strange creature (formed in chakra, something oddly similar to the release of a tailed beast) apparently controlled by -- wasn't that the person Luka had escorted to the ball?]

You were with Luka, weren't you? [He calls it as he sweeps a handful of soldiers aside, lightning chakra singeing clothing and skin.] When did you get separated?

[thethundersaid]

[The thing about the party being a masquerade means that behind the serious mask covering half of his face, it's not at all weird to have a pair of red eyes staring out at the world. It's not that Sasuke is uncomfortable in a crowd -- such a minor thing shouldn't bother a shinobi, so it definitely isn't an issue for him at all -- he just doesn't like them, and the press of bodies and wisps of strange chakras is easier to parse when he can actually see the energy in the room.

The Sharingan has been unexpectedly useful in identifying regular Navy sailors here and some of the odder, wilder energies of 'pirates' from other worlds, and here again he blinks a few times to clear the strange haze of misdirecting chakra before recognizing Codi's.

It's an interesting technique, he has to note, almost like a henge but much subtler.]

Is that your code phrase?

8Db?

[thethundersaid]

The chakra was one Sasuke recognized, Sharingan-red eyes narrowing for a moment before he placed it: a serious man, a serious conversation. Behaving in a considerably less serious way here, but he supposed there were myriad reasons to attend an event like this. Maybe Haytham's ship was low on funds.

He was about to move along, drinks in hand for himself and Sakura, when the question came -- unsure at first if he were being addressed, he turned, frown hidden behind his mask for once.

"Not yet," he replied. "No doubt something will turn up before the end."

[elissacousland]

Oh, I do like your choice of costume. You look quite lovely.

[Elissa offers a respectful curtsey to the unknown woman and then salutes her with her flute of champagne. She really should not be drinking so much of it - at least not so quickly - but it is a novelty to her to have wine with bubbles in it.]

[dragonbadfaith]

[Believe it or not, Draco's here for the food, too. Well, and for the excuse to dress up. And maybe even the dancing -- if he can find anyone tolerable enough to spin around the dance floor.

But after sailing for months on end without any house elves to take care of the cooking, he's craving some of this fancier stuff. Much better than what he's had to grow accustomed to over the past half a year.

Despite the many odd things he's seen as of late, however, Luffy still somehow brings an extra level of madness to the game.

Draco pauses halfway down the buffet, full plate in hand, and just stares a bit.]

...Have you somehow managed to magic yourself a second stomach?

[allendsmeat]

No I don't think so. [hey look! More chicken fingers! fwip! Now they're all gone.]

Na, did you find any more of those. [fwip. There goes your crepe, too. And your carrots but he gives those back]

[sun_goddess_sacrifice]

Do not look so down, I apologize for not having seen you soon enough to avoid causing you discomfort.

[myfayevalentine]

That grin that he gives her is almost enough to make her laugh, but she doesn't and continues with her despairing scowl. She barely mumurs gently in reply, "You too", then turns to disappear into the crowd. Sure enough, it isn't long before several of the heavily medalled men are giving her their attention, and that includes Faye gaining all the info that she needs. She does, though, throw one glance Akira's way, just to be sure he got away safely.

8D!!

[rebellions]

[Ragna doesn't answer immediately, too busy fighting off another wave of Navy officers. He spins around, kicking the approaching soldier when dark-red claws form around his leg, cutting the man. That's when the Grim Reaper stops to catch a break and look around for the source of the question─ and surely enough, he finds himself facing some guy he's never seen before.]

"Separated"? She's right─

[He turns to point nearby, only to pause as he realizes Luka certainly isn't there. Crap. When did that happen? Some "bodyguard" he is... It was easy to predict it'd happen with all the chaos around. He should've paid closer attention to her whereabouts... Dammit.]

... Not too long ago, I guess.

[yatteyanyo]

Hmm. -A small smile.- You do seem much more in your element at gatherings like this. And quite a bit happier than you have been for some time. -She sort of missed his good mood during Topsy shenanigans given her own experiences, sadly.-

[yatteyanyo]

... You never apologize for the right things.

[yatteyanyo]

Understood, sir. -She wouldn't need to call out to them. Masks or no, she knew every crewman's face by memory at this point. That was, after all, one of the duties of a watchman. And even more so as a strategist. She cast out another wave of high voltage pain towards another group of naval officers, every bit of metal on them from their sabers to the shiny brass buttons on their jackets glowing with heat as they all fell before her. She wasn't in a good mood for showing mercy. Her date had been ruined.

She immediately began to seek out other crew, making certain they had adequate support to make way. It was fairly easy to "snipe" out unaware assailants with arced lightning. She just needed some high ground...-

[yatteyanyo]

-There was the loud, burning crackle of high voltage electricity behind her followed shortly by a collapse and the distinct smell of lightning related burns. Turning in that direction would show Tojiko, having just zapped someone who had been trying to ambush the girl from behind.-

Impressive. Not that you needed the help, but I figured it was only courteous. -She fired off another bolt towards someone coming at Lenalee from the front, right over the girl's shoulder.-

[streetferret]

[First thing Mako thinks of is Marco making sure the younger members of the crew stayed clear of anything that could go wrong.]

You don’t seem like the snoop around type. [Sorry, Roxas. You’re fifteen and a kid to him so far.]

Where’s your friend at? That Sora guy. [Guessing he’s a friend, Mako’s still working out just what Roxas told him about that.]

[heartismyown]

[He could be insulted but he just smiles a little.]

Maybe that's what makes me the perfect snoop around type.

[Roxas blinks a little.] I dunno. Sora's not really my friend but he probably went to the ball with everyone since I don't see him here. I mean maybe someday he'll be my friend...

[dragonbadfaith]

[It takes a second for him to even realize that it's his own food Luffy is suddenly swiping.]

Wha— Excuse you.

[A second later he's got his wand in hand and is flicking at Luffy.]

Accio crepe!

[Before it quite makes it to Luffy's mouth. It comes zooming back to his place...not that Draco wants it now, but. It's the principle of the thing!

He grimaces down at it anyway.]

Oh, bloody hell. You can't just steal other people's food, you git! Keep your sticky fingers to yourself!

[dragonbadfaith]

I suppose this is more my natural setting. Might as well enjoy it while I can.

[He glances around the room in approval, then looks back to Tojiko.]

And you? Are you enjoying it?

OTA!

[elissacousland]

It was a shame to ruin such a nice party, but Elissa had anticipated something like this taking place. As the fire and chaos begin, she ceases being subtle about her thievery and simply begins stealing outright from the overdressed nobles. Rings, necklaces, earrings, anything shiny enough and valuable enough is yanked, tugged, ripped, and pulled from its owners.

An aging noblewoman screams as Elissa plucks the decorative comb from her hair and the brooch from her bodice, drawing the attention of an old Navy officer. The portly man is outraged at Elissa's audacity, but that doesn't save him from a kick to groin and an elbow to the back of the head.

Within a moment, Elissa is wearing the red sash that had draped his uniform - complete with all of its shimmering medals.