[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

[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?

[ino]

[ She would know, huh? She believes it. After all, she has a certain propensity for being friends with some pretty big jerks. ]

Oh, it doesn't, really. I was just going to tease you about being two-faced. [She points to his mask with a grin.]

[kingside]

[He blinks at that, then laughs. He'd almost forgotten.]

You have me there. I am a man of many masks.

[ino]

Really?

[She turns to walk backwards in front of him, hands clasped behind her back. It's no small feat in the dress and heels she's wearing, but hey, she's got the grace of a ninja.]

How many?

[kingside]

[No small feat indeed, and he just might be watching her a bit more carefully than before because of it. Don't fall over, please, he isn't sure if he'll be able to dash forward in time.]

Wouldn't that ruin the mystery?

[ino]

[She laughs. It would ruin the mystery, and she's got no interest in truly pressing him for information -- at least not right now. So she'll change the subject (sort of):]

Do you like to play games?

[kingside]

That depends entirely on which sort you mean.

[ino]

Any kind, I guess! My friend Shikamaru likes to play shogi. It's like chess, if you know what that is.

[kingside]

[Ino just said the magic word. He brightens.]

I'm familiar with and fond of both, in fact, but I'm better at chess. I grew up playing it.

[ino]

Really? I think you might be the first person I've met here who knows what shogi is.