[open] welcome to the masquerade

[implying]

Date & Time: Friday the 7th, 4pm to midnight.
Location: Palace of Versailles, France, 1772.
Characters: anyone! Even characters not yet accepted as of when this log goes up. 8)
Summary: It's just some fancy masquerade dance with spiked punch.
Warnings: here be pictures, slow connections beware.


Welcome to Versailles.

The decorations are arranged, the food is prepared and laid out, the music has been rehearsed, and... most people have their costumes and masks ready. At precisely 1600, the Transporter machine activates, and a full room of people and all of their decorations, food, musical instruments, and costumes are sent back to 1772. The Palace of Versailles is in the height of its splendor, the weather is perfect and cloudless, and the gardens are in full bloom for the spring.

➣ Explore the Palace

Holy shit look at this, you have the chance to get your grubby little fingers all over history before it even becomes properly history. Do you know how many famous butts sat in all these plush velvet chairs? Or are going to sit in these plush velvet chairs? And they were all probably just talking the hell out of French, too. Wow. Go invade some bedrooms, poke your head into the kitchens (but no more than that, or territorial cooking elves might take offense), just. Touch everything. Everything. Just know that where ever you are, there's no escaping that beautiful music your fellow Transports are inflicting on you, that shit's just echoing all over the place tonight.

➣ Admire the Gardens

Jeez look at this, these people just had way too much money. But you get to benefit from it! You can basically just get yourself lost for hours here, so try not to starve or anything. Meet all the statues, go streaking through the fountains (please don't, no one wants to see that), get lost and desperately burst through cute little trees in your increasingly frantic attempts to find the exit. There's all sorts of fun you can have!

Just don't wander too close to the edge of the grounds, or you'll encounter (run into?) the invisible forcefield set up to keep wandering guests from utterly ruining history. That's probably a good way to get yourself a bloody nose.

➣ Enjoy the Banquet

There's tables and tables of this finger-licking good finery here, and it's all for you. And can you believe how fancy it is? Oh my god, those sausages have adorable little spears through them. And those spoons gently cradling their cheesy goodness? Yeah. They're made of crackers. And don't even get me started on these desserts. This is amazing. You've never eaten this good. And naturally, each drink (some of which are spiked, you're welcome) has adorable little frozen flowers in the ice cubes. Who even comes up with this stuff? Elves, that's who.

[[ HEY LOOK: AN OVERFLOW LOG! You're not required to move your threads there, but you're welcome to, in case this entry is getting difficult to load for anyone! ]]

Comments

[kingside]

[One of the mysteries, at least, but he doesn't say that. Instead (and for the hell of it), he'll give her an appropriately courtly bow, his expression perfectly serene once he rises again. Why not?]

A fearsome prospect. May I ask your name, miss?

[ino]

[That gets a laugh -- so gentlemanly! -- and she'll hold out a hand for a handshake]

Ino. And you?

[kingside]

[Or they could do handshakes. He's fine with those, too, and without appearing to lose his thread at all, he takes her hand in his for precisely that.]

Lelouch Lamperouge. It's a pleasure to meet you.

[ino]

[She prefers to be a bit more casual. But she appreciates the bow anyways, Lelouch!

Her handshake is firm and strong, though, despite her delicate appearance]

You too, Lelouch.

[kingside]

[He prefers to be more casual, too. He just likes to acknowledge the ambiance. ... That says just about everything about him, really.

As for the handshake itself, he's pleased that she apparently knows how to properly execute one (too many people seem to veer on the too strong or too weak side) and responds in kind, his half perfectly professional. If she's the sort who can read handshakes, it may or may not come across as being too seasoned politician for his apparent age, but surely that's inconsequential.]

Have you been enjoying the masquerade so far?

[ino]

[She's pretty observational, but it doesn't strike her as pointedly odd. She's seen younger people do the same too many times to find it strange.]

Better than the banquet the other day, I'll give it that. Though I was lucky to find a friend there.

[kingside]

Was the banquet that awful or is the masquerade that good?

[ino]

[She laughs.]

It was a little jarring, showing up here, so you could say the banquet was going to be bad no matter what.

[The showing up part isn't really what surprised her. In fact, that part she could take in stride. What really hurt was how few people here knew her or remembered her. But that part of her story prior to arrival, she's learned, comes off as a little unbelievable to most. Instead of elaborating, she plays with a piece of her long hair that's laid over her shoulder]

But the food is good, here. Better than anything I could make.

[kingside]

[That neatly answers the question he hadn't yet asked, and he's content to leave it at that for now, not at all inclined toward reminding Ino of anything unpleasant. This is supposed to be a party.]

Any dishes you can recommend? I haven't gotten around to the banquet yet myself.

[ino]

[She appreciates it! While she's not entirely opposed to tackling the tough topics, and it wouldn't necessarily ruin her night, it is their first meeting, and she'd rather keep it pleasant.]

All of the desserts are delicious.

[What? She has a bit of a sweet tooth.]

The drinks have these beautiful ice cubes with flowers in them, too.

[kingside]

[It just so happens that he doesn't have a sweet tooth, but he files away the information regardless. No sense in dismissing it out of turn, although--]

Flowers in the ice cubes?

[Seriously? But why.]

I suppose it's novel if nothing else.

[ino]

[That gets a little chuckle]

I'm not sure there's a point to it, but you could say I'm biased. [She'll push her ponytail over her shoulder.] My family runs a flower shop back home.

[kingside]

[That would explain it, and there just might be the faint twitch of another smile. Sentimental as well as inexplicably philosophical? Interesting. Of course, she could just as easily not be, but if there hadn't been room for error, he'd have been bored already.]

And you're not already tired of them? That's good.

[Although, again, ice cubes... but Nunnally would probably have loved it, too. In fact, he knows she would.

He glances away.]

Perhaps I should investigate. If we talk about food for much longer, I may end up eating my mask.

[ino]

I could never be tired of them.

[There's something behind that statement that gives the impression that she hasn't been home in a very long time. Just a tiny hint of nostalgia and longing. That sentimental comment isn't too far off the mark, after all.

But it's quickly pushed aside as she laughs at his mask comment.]

Well, don't let me keep you. I wouldn't want them to run out before you get there.

[kingside]

[A tiny hint but more than enough to echo his own, and he hesitates, internally debating. He'd been thinking of making some sort of invitation anyway, but perhaps... oh, to hell with it.]

Would you care to accompany me? We can take the long way, if you'd like to sightsee a little more. It's not like I'm starving.

[ino]

[The invitation surprises her, but it gets a genuine smile]

Sure, why not. [She looks curious, though,at the mention of sightseeing:] Have you heard of this place before, then?

[kingside]

[Ah. An answer to yet another question he hadn't gotten around to asking, although...]

I have, yes. My home world is a version of Earth not entirely dissimilar to this one, although I imagine my knowledge of history is useless here. The Palace of Versailles is something both Earths seem to share, though.

[ino]

Huh. [She looks up at the ceiling for a moment -- so ornate! -- before looking back to him.] I've been told the place that I come from is sort of like an Earth country called "Japan". But we definitely don't have anything like this.

[kingside]

[He follows her gaze for a moment, but while looking at the ceiling is easy, thinking of a response to that definitely isn't. Does it always come back to Japan or is he being oversensitive?]

All the more reason to explore. Have you seen the gardens yet?

[ino]

[Of course, she has no idea about all of that! She's learned to use it as a comparison, for those who don't come from her world. She doesn't know what could cause him to pause, or anything like that -- but that invitation sounds right up her alley. Flower girl loves her flowers, after all.]

I haven't. But I'd love to.

[kingside]

This way, then.

[Because going to the gardens sounds lovely, and maybe the walk will do him some good. Maybe. Also, he'd offer his arm or something (again, just to acknowledge the ambiance), but a) he still doesn't know Ino that well and b) casual, right? That doesn't mean he can't throw in a fancy wave to show which direction said gardens are in (and he does, make no mistake), but still.]

With any luck, they won't be too difficult to navigate.

[Or, you know, not, seeing as how the grounds are freaking huge, but surely two intelligent young folk such as themselves can manage.]

[ino]

[She'll tease him about it anyways, just because -- well, that bow before has her pegging him as the more gentlemanly type]

You aren't going to offer your arm?

[It's said with a half-grin as she moves to follow, though, clearly just a joke.]

[kingside]

[He both is and isn't, for the record. Sort of. It's complicated. As for the teasing--]

Why? Are you feeling neglected?

[ino]

[She laughs, joking right back. If she's being honest with herself, it's one of the few conversations she's had since getting here that didn't remind her of how shitty the situation is.]

Well, not particularly. I just wouldn't want you to go down in my books as horribly rude or anything.

[kingside]

Trust me, if I were being horribly rude, you'd know it.

[He says it perhaps a bit more dryly than the situation really merits, but whatever, it's not like it disrupts the tone all that much. Besides, it's true. Except--]

Wait, but why would that matter?