Masquerade! (Open)

The air was heavy with anticipation.  The feeling that came over a place that was about to be thick with guests, drinks, and general partying.  It was a masquerade and this fact raced through Akechi's heart with excitement, as it had been some time since he had been to this style of party.  A masquerade was a prospect that excited nobles and common folk alike.  Come to the masquerade and see what you're made of without the pretenses of who you are, how much power you have, how much money, or fame.  A bit of a social challenge if you would.  He mused to himself while sitting in the Lord's Hall, mostly by himself.  There were a few workers about, but he had requested a few moments before the party would begin.

Ibashiyama Castle was certainly up to the task.  It had been only two years since Akechi had moved here.  Two years since he had become a Fudai Daimyo, two years since his life had changed, two years to get used to the role.  Two years was certainly enough to have grown into the role and stabilized.  Of course he knew he was still fresh, but none of that had to matter for the party.  It was an occasion to celebrate, though not pointedly.  Publicly, the point was to party, but to Akechi it was indeed a celebration of his new role.

The Castle had been decorated in the appropriate fashion.  Masks, silk or velvet drapes, and other such decorations filled the halls and the rooms.  The party was designed so the Guests could move from the foyer, to the ball room, to the courtyard, to the guest rooms and back without any obstacle aside from other party goers.  He had spent a lot of effort making sure everything was just right for this party.  Food had been laid out in a buffet style and of course drinks would be available in a few hours when the evening approached.  

Flyers denoting the location of the castle and the details of the masquerade had been sent not only to the Vermillion empire, but as far and wide as they could send them feasibly.  He knew some of them had even reached the far corners of the Earth kingdom and the Water Tribes.  Of course whether or not people from that far away would come was entirely up to them.  Invitations were not required.  He had made sure that as much royalty as possible were aware as he knew from experience that something like this would be a welcome change of pace.

Sumi, his head of the castle, the one who organized all his workers and servants, approached respectfully and spoke.  Akechi eyed her costume, a very appropriate blue gown that suited her toned frame very well.  She carried her mask but didn't wear it just yet.  She would be the one to be the presented "host" of the party.

"My Lord, The decorations are in place and the party will begin in an hour.  Perhaps it would be prudent for you to change into your costume?"

Akechi grinned and stood up. "You do look quite good in that dress." he paused for effect and touched her lightly on the shoulder.  She was so stern, she maintained eye contact and didn't waver even slightly.  She was all professional and Akechi liked that.  "I will go get ready, please make sure Hideyo is ready and remember to keep an eye on her."

Hideyo, Akechi's sister, was particularly excited for this and had requested that Akechi didn't recognize her in her costume, which was of course part of the fun.  Of course the Security would know what all the residents of the house looked like in case of emergency, thus Akechi was not worried.  

He paced down the halls, his sharp eyes taking in the decorations and how neatly and efficiently they were placed.  He entered his own chambers and soon re-emerged with his costume and mask.  He wore a primarily red suit with a black checkered pattern intermixed here and there.  It was a very nice piece that he didn't often have the occasion to wear. His mask matched in color and had many features of a bird of prey, including a sharp beak over the nose and Red feathers coming out the top.  His hair was messy in style to throw off any would be guessers of his Identity. He proceeded to where the security was gathered as was planned.  He removed his mask and tipped his head to them and then, re-affixing his mask, proceeded to a side entrance in the castle and took a path around to the main route.

He would be entering his own party as if he were one of the guests.  The feeling of anonymity washed over him.  He had a good feeling of things to come.  A whole week of planning had lead to this moment.  Akechi relaxed into the party as it began.  Sumi greeted him at the gate, like all the other guests, and in he went, excited for the night to begin.

"And what was the name of the Fourth King of the Four winds?"

"Trick question," Adelaide said, a bored look in her eyes. "The fourth ruler was Queen Hannah, and she reigned from 178 to 214."

Adelaide snapped to attention with a strike at her back. "Sit up straight, young lady. A princess does not slouch."

Her instructor, Monk Helena of the Western Air Temple, was a brutal and assertive old woman. She was bitter and strict, and of all her instructors, Adelaide hated her the most. "I'm not a child, you old crone," she hissed. "I don't need to be struck to be taught. I'm aware of the rules, I just choose to ignore them."

"Well if you think you're so clever, name every ruler of your kingdom from the time of Avatar Aang."

Adelaide scoffed. "I've had these names drilled into my head since I could read. Youta, Hyma, Alexander, Hannah, Aria, Alan, Gregory, and my paranoid father, Roland."

Helena struck her again, this time on the wrist. "How dare you speak of our king in such a manner." She pinched the bridge of her nose.

A knock on the door caused both women to turn. A monk stepped in. "Apologies for the interruption, but it is time for the princess to eat dinner."

Helena nodded. "Very well, class dismi-" She was cut off by Adelaide dashing out the door, using her airbending to propel herself forward faster. "-issed," Helena finish, scowling in the direction of the open door.

Folliwng her betrothal, Adelaide had been sent to the Western Air Temple in order to be closer to the Empire of the Sun and the man she was soon to marry so the two of them could spend more time together. Her father Roland, meanwhile, remained in the Northern Temple, which meant it was easier than ever for Adelaide to get out and head over to the Empire after her lessons each day and have fun.

Adelaide was forbidden from attending the large masquerade, but she knew that if she played her cards right, nobody would even know that she was there. After dinner, she retreated to her quarters and got dressed for the evening. While she normally wore light blue or white to compliment her snowy hair, tonight she wanted something different. She wore a black dress that hugged her form tightly and cut off above the knees. It dipped into a V in the back, showing off her tattoos. Narrow straps crested her shoulders and cut into a sharp V in the front as well that exposed her cleavage and left little to the imagination. As a princess, she was expected to dress with strict modesty, but tonight, she wasn't a princess.

She pinned her white hair up in a bun, a few strands intentionally left hanging in short waves. The mask she chose matched her dress and showed the arrow on her forehead. She'd be drawing attention tonight: a sexy renegade air bender acting in total defiance of her culture. Her shoes had two inch heels and straps that went up her ankles, crossing over each other neatly. Then she left the temple, not to return for several hours.

Adelaide arrived at Ibashiyama Castle after dark, hoping to be fashionably late. She presented her invitation to the guards at the gate and strolled in, ready for a night of fun and freedom.

Inside a discrete and tiny tavern, a young brunette sat alone, her back to the rest of the tavern guests and a highly trained small red fox sitting gracefully beside her left foot. Clarissa nibbled on some bread as she glazed over a small love story she had always kept in her bag.
A light shadow fell over Clarissa's shoulder, the cold seeping in as the sun's light moved away. Ranger, Clarissa's pet fox, perked up and let a small and quick "yip" out before tugging on Clarissa's pant leg. Clarissa smiled as she held her hand open towards the dark coldness.
"I apologize, I will have to read it for you." The messenger spoke quietly, allowing the words to be spoken but not overheard. "It is an initiation to Ibashiyama Castle, as it seems Akechi has invited the entire kingdom to partake in a Masquerade."

Clarissa huffed for a moment before glancing towards the messenger. "Thank you for your insight." She told him, taking the invite in between her fingers. Did she truly care to go to a ball? Much less one that would most definately reveal her handicap to others of high stature. However, the feeling of having been invited somewhere hightened her will to follow through. Who knew how many people would be there, or what would happen that she would miss if she stayed home.

Ranger laid his head down between her feet, sensing her uneasiness to make a decision. "Well, boy. Looks like we are going to need a ride to the Castle. And a little bit of shopping too, I don't believe shorts and a t-shirt will quite be acceptable for this one." Clarissa tapped her foot for a moment before standing, Ranger jumping to his feet and immediately easing himself next to her leg.
A small shopping trip in a nearby trusted shop granted Clarissa with a Azure blue midline dress made of a soft satin with an almost cotton-feeling to the lining. The dress drapped down towards her feet, but pinned up by the seamstress so Clarissa wouldn't step on it while moving. The front of the dress was ebroidered with a light weight beading, of which she was told was a blackened color to highlight her figure. Clarissa, however, was jsut glad it wasnt a pile of rags.
{{OOC: Photo included below for reference}}

With a smile, Clarissa paid the kind lady and tapped her leg. Ranger joined her quickly, sinking himself under the folds of the fabric but keeping towards the pinned up portion, only his nose and whiskers peeked out from behind the fabric. With the dress aquired, Clarissa quickly found a ride and started her travels to the ball, hoping her decision wasn't a mistake.

With Ranger at her side, concealed but attentive, Clarissa stepped out of her ride and onto the castle pathway. With each step, a heartbeat soared through the ground beneath her steps sending her tidbits of information about the surrounding area and people...*Tap* *Tap* went Ranger's cold nose against the girl's thigh, just above her knee. She stopped and looked down at her familiar with a confused look on her face before re-examining the area around her. "No invite, no mask, no entry" a guard boomed near her, the weight of his armour sinking his bulky boots a 1/4 of an inch into the soft castle grounds.
"Oh, but I have an invite, and I do have a mask." Clarissa's voice was calm and collected; a seer opposite to the feeling welling up inside her. She presented the guard with the paper she believed was the invite before also pulling her red fox-fur lined mask out of her bag. "My apologies for forgetting such a strikingly important part of a masked ball."

Clarissa's sarcasm seemed to out-weight her uneasiness and she slipped the mask on, quickly replacing the black framed glasses she normally wore. Ranger let out a slight but not alarming growl of irritation before the guards let her pass through to the castle doors. The mask framed her face with a form that resembled a bit of a fire like appearance, like a dragon's breath coming out of it's nostrils. The light blue of her eyes shining slightly brighter than normal in contrast.

Spoiler:

Shu-Fang eagerly turned the open sign on the shop’s door around to say “closed” and quickly fumbled with an envelope. Her eyes sparkled as she read the contents of the invitation, and she quickly thought of every possible excuse she could give her father as to why their general goods store needed a presence at a masquerade so far from home. It’s free advertising, and what better way to go international than to try and secure some rarer goods? It was shaky reasoning at best, but a few of her siblings were old enough to help around the shop and the house.

Shu-Fang pressed the precious invitation to her chest and sighed. Whether or not it’d work, she owed it to herself to try. She caught her reflection in the dirty store display windows and frowned. She owed it to herself to try in something a little more festive than her work clothes. This “Akechi” person had invited his whole kingdom, and then some, but she knew better than to show up at a royal event like this. It’d be worth it to pretend to be some sort of princess or something for one night.
Her father had been somewhat difficult to sell on the idea, but when she had pointed out her specific plans to secure suppliers and discuss trade routes (and that she had saved up quite a bit of pocket money) he had finally relented. She had thanked him profusely, and packed up that very night. A dusty ride over a few days, and then her first time seeing the ocean, and she was finally here.

Standing before it, Shu-Fang eyed the grandeur of the palace, and couldn’t help but feel small and a little out of place. Nervously, she clutched the invitation in her hands as she walked up to the guards. She handed her invitation to the man on the left, and nodded at the other one on her right. The man standing there squinted at her, and she felt her paranoia spike under his gaze. Would they kick her out? Would she have to tell her parents that she was turned away and now had to scramble to make a profit to save face? What if she happened to resemble a famous criminal? Would they arrest her? She thought she’d be able to get away. Maybe.

“I get it.” The man finally spoke.

“Your mask.”

“What?” Shu-Fang asked, bewildered.

“It’s a rabbit. That's cute.” He shrugged. She could feel the tension leaving her body like a deflating balloon.

“You’re fine to go in. Behave yourself.” The guard on her left handed back the invitation, and she said a quick thanks with a nervous bow and shuffled on in. She sighed as soon as the guards were solidly behind her. She needed to be more confident. She had just as much of a right to be here as anyone else, and she needed to act like it.