first dance [gala/open]

[king]

the gala seemed like a great place to meet people. luke had been tailored for a tuxedo, and felt clean cut for the first time in a year. garrett perched on his shoulder, luke had also swiped a comb and cleaned the little eevee up a bit.

a flute of champagne was in his hand, held delicately in an attempt to see more high class. garrett scratched his face with his back foot, but luke admonished him gently. "c'mon, we're supposed to be fancy and meet people."

yeah, maybe some day garrett would understand that. but for now, the eevee just huffed and jumped down to sit beside his trainer.

max participants (i guess) : 3?

[nette]

masami was comfortable here. fancy decorations, formal wear, and fine eating were all things that she'd learned while away from secluded mount aurae, and she could walk the walk and talk the talk as any city-born native. this meant that she was now holding a glass of wine in one hand and synphonie cradled in the other, her light blue dress swirling around her ankles as she met with people.

on one side of the room, though, she saw someone she hadn't met yet. with a smile she approached the man, whispering to her togepi to settle down as she did so. "hi there! i noticed that you were by yourself, so do you mind if i join you? i'm masami." she hoped he didn't mind; she needed to meet new people and find some new friends, and what better place to do that than the juno gala?

king toska

[toska]

unlike her estranged cousin, milly is not actually very adept at holding her alcohol, and she wasn't as inclined to test anything at lady mercedes' gala. she balances a glass of a virgin mary between her fingers. she didn't want to seem like the child that she is.

she came alone, and she almost feels a tad insecure without an attendant at her side. at the same time, this is her element. this is where she belongs, and not in the scourge-ridden fields of bacchus or pax.

both of her eevees are also in attendance. they were favored among the wealthy and high class, so it was to her every advantage to bring them. milly made sure to impress upon them how important it was to be on their best behavior.

the eevees look on to find a third eevee friend. eevee friends! they run over to garrett excitedly when milly's back is turned.

king

[king]

luke smiled at the woman approaching, easily sliding back into that charming masquerade he had donned for years. "hello, miss." he bowed, offering a hand as he placed his champagne down. "i don't mind at all. may i ask for a dance?"

even in here he could still schmooze people.

he didn't notice when another eevee approached garrett, not until garrett fell over on his ass and crashed into luke's leg. "behave." he said gently, scratching behind the eevee's ears.

"it would be a shame if you didn't dance with that beautiful dress. my name is lucas, call me luke. what may i call you?"

nette

[nette]

masami smiled back, and took the man's hand with the poise of a noblewoman. "of course; i'd love a dance," she said, and left synphonie with the trio of eevee by their feet. the little pokemon could come find her later, and if she couldn't, then masami could just ask lyraie to find her. but hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

she'd already introduced yourself, but perhaps luke hadn't heard her. "most people call me masami," she said with a smile instead, and looked around for the owner of the two pokemon. "i do have to wonder who these two eevee that joined us belong to, though. or all three of them yours?" that was always a possibility.

the togepi waved cheerfully at her newfound company, almost stumbling in her haste to join them.

toska

[toska]

oh god, her eevee totally crashed a man's attempt to woo a lady.

milly's guilt overshadows her secondhand embarrassment. she should...probably leave those two be. at the same time, it would be rather irresponsible of her to simply walk away.

xelha and kalas are eager to help garrett back on his stubby little eevee legs. they certainly didn't expect such a reaction. xelha's ear twitches when the togepi approaches them, and she turns around to greet her.

"i apologize. i didn't expect them to be so overeager-" this would usually be the part where she introduces herself, but somehow, milly feels like that would be...rather imposing on them. "i will be sure to get them out of your hair."

she glances down, and milly suddenly doesn't ... have the heart to break them up.
king

[king]

"a beautiful name for a beautiful lady." luke pointed out, smiling. he took her haid and lightly placed his other on the girl's waist, moving to the beat with a light waltz. "i haven't the faintest clue." he began, before the clear owner of the eevees showed herself. "ah, it's fine. garrett needs some friends anyways, he seems lonely most days." he flashed the new girl a smile, multitasking on dancing at the same time. "please, do let them continue."

wow luke is such a schmoozer.

nette

[nette]

"thank you," masami says as she moves to luke's lead. she doesn't mind the waltz that the song's at now; it's rather nice to simply relax and dance, for once. and she knows how to take a compliment. "lucas is a wonderful name too," she added, before glancing to the owner of the eevees stepping up to claim them. "oh, no, don't worry! synphonie loves making friends."

and it was true; the togepi smiled widely at the group of eevees, pleasantly surprised by the greeting from one of them. hi! i'm synphonie, what are your names?

toska

[toska]

milly isn't fond of the way that the man dismisses his own pokemon, but it isn't her place nor her time to comment.

"if that is alright with you, then i will leave you two be."

(milliarde! you are not here merely to sample pomonan wines!)

of course not. of course she isn't. milly feels like a ghost in this place, and like any ghost, she should refuse to be ignored. she should, but -

(why can't you do anything right? just stay out of our way, why don't you?)

it's a waltz. it's a waltz that she knows, a waltz that had often played at her home. say what you want about the mephistopheles priorities, but music would always have a place in their home.

it is a random young man who catches her by the hands and proceeds to waltz with her on the dance floor, right next to luke and masami. milly does not know his name, does not know his occupation. all she knows is the dance.

sometimes, the dance is enough.

"or not." milly says as the couples on the floor dance together in tandem.

the pokemon dash to avoid being run over by the flurry of human feet. xelha even has the decency of pushing the togepi to safety. <i'm xelha! and my breeding mate is kalas!>
king

[king]

the beat of the music was comfortingly familiar, and luke moved fluidly to it. there was someone in the prison who insisted on everyone knowing the more refined things in life. mostly to fit in for a play. welp.

the song ended, and luke bowed. "please excuse." he said, before making his way to milly. "i couldn't help but notice you seem a bit lost. could i get you a glass of something to drink?"

a charming smile, of course, accompanied all of this.

nette

[nette]

she doesn't recognize the beat, not from her past, but from recent years. mount aurae is not the best place for waltzes and formal dances, but the university in proserpina is. where she'd gone to school, all of her friends had loved this type of music, and masami thinks that she can recognize this tune from somewhere. but she's not heartbroken when the song ends, nor when luke bows out. "i don't mind," she says with a smile, and turns her attention to the eevees.

she doesn't want to interrupt his attempts to hold sway with milly, and so masami gives a smile to the pokemon by her feet instead. if anyone else sees a pale-haired woman looking down smiling, they don't comment; they leave her alone as synphonie hops back into her arms after a brief those are really nice names!, and as she glances to the pokemons' owners.

toska

[toska]

"this is a ballroom." she offers him a small smile. "no one is lost as long as they know the rules." personally, milly thought that her waltz with the man was fine. she didn't know his name, and he had left for a group of cheery young people soon after the music ended, but it was all fine in the name of tradition. "maybe. best not to tell my father, though." mere small talk to maintain the casual mood. her father sits all the way in nerio, unfettered by anything that his daughter wants.

suddenly, milly feels rather foolish to have assumed courtship between the man and the light-haired woman so quickly. life isn't a fairy tale, and men have flighty hearts.

two's company. three's a crowd.

"don't you think that drinks are better in a crowd?" she addresses luke, but looks masami in the eye with a smile. "i would think that it is to everyone's advantage if we were to know each other professionally."

xelha chirps to the togepi happily. <yep! milly named us after one of her favorite fairytale pairs! it's about a queen who set out to destroy an evil god and met a young man who succumbed to the darkness for a pair of wings! but then the queen helped to save his soul and they destroyed the wicked god together at the end!>

<you make my namesake sound so uncool.> kalas grumbles. <his love brings the queen back from the dead in the end, remember!>

king

[king]

"very well then." he turned back to masami. "would you like something to drink as well?"

garrett was quickly developing a personality into trolling luke. he jumped up on luke's leg, pawing his way up until the little eevee was situated on his shoulder again. luke, however, didn't look particularly annoyed. "okay then. that's fine." he said, scratching the eevee between the ears. "i'll get you some water too."

nette

[nette]

she straightens, smiling at the woman and her offer. "i would love to," she says simply, to both milly and luke, and although she feels like laughing at garett's antics. she'd always found the smaller, younger pokemon dearer to her heart, which could explain synphonie's presence here now. said togepi only snuggles deeper into masami's arms and she tickles her in that one single spot that she knows she hates, and the pokemon squirms until she stops.

over the heads of everyone else gathered masami can see a fairly empty seating area off to the side with a convenient table in the center, ladden with drinks of all kinds. she leads them all there, sitting down on a white formal couch with various others around a smaller, lower table, her legs crossed. she leans back, and looks to her company. "we haven't introduced ourselves to each other formally, have we? i'm masami aeta, a breeder. it's nice to meet you - officially."

masami named me after someone she knew at home! the togepi said when she was settled in her owner's lap. apparently they were really close friends until she moved away to study, but they still talk. i've seen them on the phone lots! what about you, garett?

toska

[toska]

milly's opinion of luke improves.

at the table, she takes a lemonade and sips it as masami speaks. waltzing was a good light exercise.

"i am pleased to meet another eos breeder." she holds out her hand to masami. "my name is milliarde mephistopheles. and you are?" she looks to luke.
king