THE MASQUERADE MEME - 2023

[melplayspersonal]

 You’re invited to a Masquerade
One night only, let yourself escape
Make your way as black cats serenade
You’re invited to a Mysterious Masquerade!

THE MASQUERADE MEME

In the simplest of terms, a masquerade is a masked dance, and that’s what this meme is all about! Pop on a simple domino mask that goes around the eyes or go with a full brand-new ensemble, gather in a gigantic ballroom, and let the music take you away. Though this trope is a tale as old as time, there’s many ways to go about it! You know the usual rules – pop a character with any preferences or leave it blank, and go for it! Mix and match prompts or make your own!

Royal Regalia

The royal family is throwing one hell of a shindig in order to get their prince/princess to find a worthy bride/groom, or maybe the lucky one is already hitched and celebrations are underway! Has Cinderella been invited to this ball or did she stumble in by accident? Maybe you’ll meet your one true love without realizing the crown comes with the mask!

Supernatural Sides

Get a taste of the macabre when all the monsters show up for this mash! Perhaps it’s a Vampires Only party with you as the special exception. (Or their dinner!) Are the witches and warlocks gathered to perform a special spell once every hundred years? Or you thought this was an ordinary humans-all ball, just to discover your elaborate costumes are taking over your own personality!

Criminal Caper

Bring this party to modern times with this take on Ocean’s 11! You (and maybe your gang!) are here to steal something or someone precious, and everyone has a role to play. Observe the crowd, blend into the crowd, or be the major distraction. On the flip side, you may be the eager detective trying to finally get the cuffs on your target. There could be a huge UST blow-up if criminal and copper wind up in a dance – especially if they don’t recognize each other!

 

Comments

[makingmyway]

Dorian can’t help cursing to himself when Imogen confirms that no one knows what happened to Orym. He asks her to see if Chetney would be able to pick up his scent and for everyone to keep a lookout as he continues moving through the crowd.

And he berates himself that he hadn’t prepared for this. They had decided to present him as Brontë to put attention on him, but he should have considered that it could possibly make Orym a target too. How could he have been so stupid?

He’s heading to meet the others when a figure sudden steps in front of him. And he’s about to move around him when the words has him hesitating despite his impatience.

“…a message?”

[bigmoonlittlemoon]

Imogen assures Dorian that Chet will help and the group breaks into action as much as they can. Some of them are still caught up in the roles that they're playing for this particular mission. The frustration and concern in her tone is clear, even if she's trying to sound calm for Dorian's sake.

The messenger nods and holds out a folded piece of parchment. Once Dorian has taken it, the messenger bows and slips back into the crowd.

When Dorian opens the letter he'll find a short, simple note. 'Brontë Wyvernwind. If you want to see your little lover alive again, you'll meet us in the back gardens within the hour. Come alone or the only thing you'll find is his body.'

[makingmyway]

Dorian starts as the messenger slips away, but he can’t stop him from disappearing into the crowd. With another muttered curse, he looks at the parchment in his hands, hesitating for just a moment before finally unfolding it to read its contents.

And it’s honestly exactly as he expected, just as he feared. And despite having an idea that this is where it was all heading, he still can’t help the way his heart drops into his stomach, the edges of the parchment wrinkling where he grips it too tight.

Crumpling up the message, holding it in one angry fist, he calls out to Imogen again as he hurries to find the others. He certainly will be going to meet these people alone, he isn’t going to risk Orym for anything. But they have little time to come up with a plan, and he isn’t about to go in unprepared either.

Not with Orym’s life on the line.

Once he’s able to meet with the rest of the group and let them know what’s happening, there isn’t a lot of time before he has to head to the gardens, looking around for any sign of Orym or who might have taken him.

[bigmoonlittlemoon]

Orym is not out quite as long as his abductors had hoped, and there is a moment where the whole kidnapping and extortion plan almost fall to pieces. He overhears them talking, hears about their plans to get the access they need to the Silken Squall one way or another, even if they have to murder the Secondsun and put an impostor in his place. That's enough to stir him the rest of the way from magically induced sleep. No fucking way is he allowing that to happen. He spares a moment to snag the sending stone from his pocket, to activate it and reach out to Dorian in an urgent, whisper.

'You have to get out of here! They're after you and your family. Run! I'll find you once I-- ah!' The message ends abruptly in a cry of pain as the stone goes clattering to the floor, and Orym squares up to fight.

The halfling fighter might not have his weapons thanks to the rules of the ball, but that doesn't make him defenseless. He takes down two of his captors before reinforcements come and he finds himself entirely outnumbered.

His kidnappers are not so unarmed, and the tide turns too quickly. Orym finds himself bleeding and half broken on the floor. His captors honestly aren't entire sure whether or not he's even alive, but they still bind his hands and feet for good measure, stuff the small body into a chest and that's what Dorian will find when makes it to the prearranged meeting place in the garden -- a well dressed human perched on a stone bench beside a wooden trunk, sipping at what's left of a glass of wine.

[makingmyway]

The relief Dorian feels when the Sending Stone lights up and he hears Orym’s voice is short-lived when the message is abruptly cut off. Gripping the stone tightly in his hand, he finishes making the plans with the rest of Bells Hells before heading to the garden.

With an invisible Pâté following him nearby, Dorian steps into the garden and finds the man at the stone bench and eyes the wooden trunk.

Nails bite into his palms as he clenches his fists, trying to keep his voice level as he speaks, “As you requested, I’m here. Where’s Orym?”

He can only hope the others can find the rest of the group that he’s sure is hidden around the garden and take care of them. He just needs to keep this man’s attention on him for a while.