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

[rebellions]

[Ragna considers that for a short moment, glancing around. Seems like his ungentlemanly behavior and sudden movement earned him a number of displeased looks from other guests. Feeling their glares on him doesn't make the Grim Reaper any more comfortable, but at least he appears to have realized he might need to forget about his usual habits for the evening.

The man lets out a sigh, scratching the back of his head a bit.]

... Right. Sorry, I'm not good with that kinda thing.

[He doesn't specify whether he's talking just about physical contact or the ball as a whole. To be honest, it's probably both.]

[missvicegirl]

... It's alright.

[she pulls away, shrugging. Then, her friendly expression returns]

So. Let's get down to business, hm?

[rebellions]

[Ragna would lie if he said he's not relieved to see that─ if he's to spend the entire evening here, he'd prefer it not to be filled with awkward silence. Thus, there's a small grin on his face as the Grim Reaper replies.]

Sure thing. [He makes a pause, his smile fading away as he frowns slightly.] ... is what I wanna say, but. What is there to do here, anyway?

[Nothing that would interest him, it seems.]

[missvicegirl]

We go around, acting like we belong here. I try to get as much jewelry, cash, or sensitive information. You're my bodyguard in case I get caught, alright?

[rebellions]

Gotcha─ Wait a sec.

[The man raises an eyebrow. She did mention something to that effect earlier, but Ragna didn't think she was being serious.]

... You for real?

[missvicegirl]

[Luka put her hands on her hips]

Yes? What did you think this whole thing was? A date?

[rebellions]

A da─ are you stupid?! 'Course not!

[Perhaps it's a minor thing to get flustered over, but Ragna appears really determined to make it a point such thought never crossed his mind. Which, admittedly, it didn't, but neither did the idea of being Luka's bodyguard for the evening. Hell, what does she expect him to do? He's never been good at this... "protecting" thing... destroying is so much easier.

The Grim Reaper sighs yet again, shrugging. Oh well, it's just for tonight. He'll deal... somehow.]

Fine, be that way... Do whatever you wanna.

[missvicegirl]

[Luka stares at him for a few moments... before realizing the music is changing. She smiles a devilish smirk, and grabs his hand]

Fine, one dance, lovrboy.

[is she pulling him out onto the dance floor? Why, yes she is]

[rebellions]

[Ragna stares back at her in disbelief, his mouth hanging half-open as he tries to form an appropriate response to that─ and before he knows it, they're on the dance flor. CRAP.]

Wha─ Wait, I'm not─ I don't─ I CAN'T DANCE!

[There are many things his Master has taught him, but dancing was certainly not one of them.]

[missvicegirl]

I'll let you in on a secret - neither can I.

[and as Luka pulled her into the dance, it quickly became apparent that she wasn't lying. Her movements were clumsy, unrefined. But she also didn't seem to care]

[rebellions]

... It's not a secret at this point.

[Always the gentleman, Ragna.

But honestly, Luka is doing far better than he is, in that she's... moving. Meanwhile, the Grim Reaper is as stiff as a board and clearly has no clue what he should do with himself. He briefly considers getting out of there fast, but a part of him realizes he really shouldn't.

So instead, he'll just. Stand there, feeling extremely awkward.]

[missvicegirl]

A bit of advice, ease up... this isn't just about having fun, you know.

[she leans in as she moves to the music and whispers]

We're in the middle of enemy territory, and you're looking as suspicious as humanly possible. I know it's hard, but you gotta relax at least a little, okay?

[rebellions]

["Relax". What a joke. Ragna hasn't had a chance to take it easy in ages, not to mention he's not exactly a good spy material: usually when he enters the enemy's fortress, he simply kills everyone in sight, blows the place sky high and leaves. This time it's obviously not an option, so like it or not, he might need to bear with it...]

... Alright. The hell am I supposed to do?

[He may need a few pointers.]

[missvicegirl]

[Luka smiled, moving her hands up to his shoulders.]

First off, you're really tense. Take a deep breath, and ease up.

[rebellions]

[And in doing so, she's causing him to tense up even more, but this time he doesn't shove her hands off; letting somebody touch him feels unnatural, but Ragna is willing to try to make an exception this once if it means avoiding attracting unwanted attention to them.

The Grim Reaper follows Luka's instructions and takes a deep breath, then exhales slowly. Surprisingly, it seems to have worked─ when he looks down at her again, most of his tension is gone, though he's hardly picture of composure, either.]

... I think I'm good.

[As good as can be, anyway.]

[missvicegirl]

That's better. Now...

[she slowed a bit, as the music took on a similar tempo]

Move with the music. Don't worry about how to dance properly... it's all standing on ceremony bull anyway, right?