Zariya giggled softly, and somewhat held up her wrist, upon which dangled a small beaded bag which complemented her gown. "Ah, that's why us females carry around these bags -- you cannot imagine what sorts of items we have to carry around, that men cannot." She then laughed a little more. "But truthfully, we cannot carry much, so sometimes it really is more of a burden." The little bag swung around as she did.

Her golden-brown eyes glimmered behind her mask, the high peacock feathers trembling in the dance, as her head tilted slightly. She began casually, "Was there anything in particular you found interesting, about my conversation, that we could --" but she stopped as they were interrupted by a tall man and his plump dance partner who stepped into the dance next to them.

He was a little rude, interrupting as he did, this Declan Varagh, and he seemed to really pay no mind to his fluttering dance partner. One would wonder why he had even bothered asking her to dance at all. She merely seemed a piece of fluff that he could not rid himself of. Whatever had possessed this man to come and speak to them? Perhaps he had heard her conversation about her brother's work? Perhaps.

She smiled easily, and turned to Nathaniel, waiting for him -- as was proper for a man to do in these situations -- to introduce them.

Lady Mareen stepped delicately out of her carriage, her midnight blue dress swept the dust from the pavement as she began to walk toward the immense front doors of the Tremaine mansion. She raised her face to the darkened sky and sighed as the light from the silver moon poured into the shadows on her face. *Courage* she thought.

Lady Mareen continued up the steps to the entrance. When she reached the top Mareen heard the creak of the doors as they slowly opened for her.

Lady Mareen nodded in thanks to the doormen and floated past entering a sparkling, richly decorated ballroom. Many faces twirled around in dance as the music swept throughout the room. "Lady Mareen Von Dupont" her name was announced over the crowd. Mareen was grateful for her mask as a couple of faces covered by richly decorated masks turned toward her. She stood there in her midnight blue gown trimmed with silver. Her albino skin seemed to bounce the light off of her face. Her Mask was white porcelain that reminded one of the moon she loved so dearly. It was cracked like an old doll skin and was raised up on the sides reminiscent of wings. Her long silver hair was pinned around her oval face and a couple curls had found their way around her neck.

Her soft reddish brown eyes tried to take in everything at once, looking for a refuge from the excitement she was not used to.

“Any man would be lucky to have you as a wife.” Reed stated, as he spun her, chuckling when she complicating him on his dancing.

“Your lessons paid off very well, you are as graceful as a swan.” He said smiling at the maiden he was dancing with.

“Are you enjoying yourself Milady?” Reed asked after yet another twirl.
The sound a glass shattering drew Reeds eyes from his dancing partner. Spotting a young man on the ground sweeping up the fragments of the crystal glasses, Reed mentally debated on whether going over to help the young man or staying with Miss Alana.

“Excuse me for a moment madam.” Reed stated as he made his way over to the young man kneeling next to him proceeding to help him collect the pieces of glass from the floor.
“Are you ok?” Reed asked not removing his eyes from the glass shards on the ground.

Alana took the opportunity to have a seat on her chair. She noticed her parents walking toward Reed and mentally groaned. They were going to ruin her friendship with questions of matrimony. She hoped to death Reed would still want to be her friend. She grabbed some champaine from a passing waitor and took a drink watching what was happening closely.

"Hello Mr. Im sorry may we get your name?" Alanas mother said walking to where Reed was picking up shattered glass from the floor. Her father stood there also bending down to assist in the task. They may be rich and stuck up but they were still nice enough to help clean up an accidental mess.

Reed slowly lifted his eyes.

“I am Reed Nightingale, It is a pleasure to meet you, and I’m assuming you are Miss Alana’s parents.” He said standing up taking the woman’s had kissing it out of courtesy.

He turned to the man helping him pick up the glass and bowed. “I appreciate your help sir.”

Reed kneeled once again returning to the task at hand. His eyes causally floated to where Alana was seating and sent her a smile.

As the dance ended the great grandfather clock chimed loudly ten times to signal the hour of night. Compared to some the night was winding down and to others it had only just begun. And who knew what other festivities the Temaine’s had for their guests.

Excusing himself from his dance partner, Michael bowed but caught something odd out of the corner of his eye. He weaved in and out of the dancers paths as gracefully as he could, but with the full mask on it was rather hard to see except what was in front of him. “Gentlemen,” he addressed the men kneeling on the floor picking up glass pieces and then turned to the Countess, “Madam.” He observed the situation carefully before he spoke, his voice slightly muffled from the mask, “This is a party where you are to enjoy yourselves, please, allow the staff to clean this up.” He gave one of his award winning smiles but it was wasted, hidden. He then drew his attention to the pale masked man in the kimono, “Sir, pardon me, but I do not recognize you…are you a guest?” He was all in all rather confused by this situation and wondered how it had gotten underway in the first place. His guests (including a Count no less) were cleaning the floor! How odd yet humorously preposterous at the same time.

Allen caught the hint of sudden remorse in Margret's words. As observant as he was, he knew that although many women tolerated what society thought of them and acted accordingly, a great deal of them would rather have things differently. Allen had to think a while before he made a response.
"Me? I think that-"

Allen was suddenly cut off by the sound of glass crashing to the floor. Startled, he looked over Margret's shoulder once more to see that two men were picking up broke glass from the floor: The handsome young man he had seen with Alana earlier, and a newer face who looked feminine. Even more feminine than himself! He certainly was happy about that. Allen knew that many people at the masquerade had thought of him as pretty, but he couldn't say he liked that too much. It made him look a lot younger than he actually was, and Allen didn't like being treated like a child.

In the brief moment before Nathaniel was to introduce them to Declan, Zariya glanced to the side at the sound of crashing glass and the odd spectacle of those rushing to aid.

She wondered at their being such a hubbub -- it wasn't as if a chandelier had come crashing down because of some madman's whim. It was, she assumed, merely a servant who had been clumsy. But she smiled in brief as Michael quickly took care of his guests and the situation. Zariya herself was not without empathy, but she was still on the dance floor, and waiting to be introduced. Besides, it was not her place. Still, she added another tick of charm to Michael, and she turned back to her partner quickly.

At the startling sound of breaking glass, Margaret turned her attention to follow Allen’s at the odd congregation of people. She then noticed her brother and the twin’s eyes locked for a moment. Blue with a perfectly matching blue. She smiled and turned her attention back to the conversation she was with the young man having earlier. “Don’t worry Mr. Valainis, it seems as if my brother has everything under control,” she smiled as a proper servant arrived on the scene with a broom and dustbin for the glass. “You were saying, Mr. Valainis?” she inquired, evidently interested in the young man’s response. For the most part she respected the sound opinions of her peers (and old books of course) so she was quite curious as to Allen’s reply. He seemed like quite the intellectual so she hoped that his answer would be intriguing.

Alana stayed were she was seeing her parents conversing with Reed. She hoped they wouldnt embarrass her. She looked at Allen who was still with Margaret. She sighed. She hated to look like a wall flower by being alone but it was not quite ladylike to just get up and chat with strange men.


(parents)

"Mr Reed would you do us the honor of having a drink with us while you tell us a little about yourself and your family?" THe countess asked. The count stood up and went to sit at the table his wife followed behind.

Allen, realizing he was still talking to Miss Tremaine, turned his head back to her and nodded, still thinking about the womanly looking man and feeling happy he wasn't the only one effeminate around here anymore.
"Oh, right. As I was saying. It seems to me that women are often put in a position to be judged. Very much like it is a contest. The same goes for men, certainly, but in a very different way. While men seem to be valued more for their...'intellect'..." And by that, Allen meant a man's ability to memorize intelligent sounding texts and sound them off in an appropriate social situation,"...a women is valued more for her ability to decorate herself and her home, as well as providing children. In short, she is an expensive flower vase. Shouldn't women also be viewed for their opinions? I believe men are to attached to their own superiority to let this happen..."

“I agree,” Margaret nodded solemnly in reply, but then smiled. “You have quite the revolutionary opinion for our era, Mr. Valainis,” her blue eyes twinkled with mirth in finding a kind of kindred spirit with the young man. She had not had met many men with the ability to speak their opinions so eloquently. And the fact that Allen was a man realizing the plight of women, it was quite enlightening on her critical view of men. The only man that she had fully been able to trust throughout her entire life was her brother, and her world had consisted of an ‘us’ and a ‘them.’ ‘They’ were the hypocrites championing for reformation of society and the like, yet these men thought nothing of their wives. It was all very disheartening, but now finding Allen, maybe all of ‘them’ weren’t so bad after all. ” …Have you ever considered writing books? I think that you would have quite the audience. A man with your intellect and opinions would make quite the killing on the shelves, I think,” her face was lit with excitement at the very thought of someone out there championing women in England.

((Oh dear I seemed to have missed quite a bit.))

While picking up glass, people around Saiph were helping, and talking, and watching. It all confused him quite a bit, and all he could say in return was a small "I'm fine" and a little "oh.." After who he thought was the prince telling them all to leave the mess where it was, he stood.

Turning around, he came to face the young Tremaine boy himself, who had apparently said something to him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't.. Catch that." he said, his hands fidgeting.

Michael took off his mask, revealing his smiling face framed by golden hair. His blue eyes sparked with mirth about the whole preposterous situation. “Pardon me,” he said to the feminine looking young man in the kimono, “it must be rather hard to understand me with this contraption on.” He motioned to the elaborate mask in his hand and then continued, “I was saying that I don’t recognize you from among the staff, so you must be a guest, right?” He took in the other mans exotic attire and frigid looking mask with a grin on his choice of costume. It looked rather well on him. “I don’t believe that we have been properly introduced, I am Michael Tremaine. Did you arrive late Mr…?” He trailed off, waiting to be further acquainted with the other.

Mareen spotted a soft couch sitting next to a tall window overlooking the rose garden and noted it's position in the room for later. As a guest and a late one at that, Mareen needed to find the Tremain twins first and introduce herself so as not to appear rude. Then she would leave the dancing and flirting to those who appreciated it more.

*Oh dear.* She thought *The hard part now is finding them!* Mareen gazed about the room looking for an elegantly decorated mask and golden hair, her only clues to the positions of the twins. She noticed a large group crowded together, a lot of twittering and giggles could be heard from the females nearby. *That looks suspicious. This might not take as long as I expected.* Mareen thought as she slowly walked toward the group looking for any sign of the Tremain twins. Out of the corner of her eye, Mareen saw a flash of bright gold. It belonged to a simply divine golden butterfly mask. The face the mask hid belonged to a tall female who held herself with a royal dignity. *That must be her.* Mareen drifted closer and saw that the regal lady was speaking to a thin man decorated in black and white. His hair was pure black as well and while he seemed rather intimidating Mareen could sense that his aura was very kind. *I don't want to interrupt the conversation but I must introduce myself at some point. The sooner the better as it would be rude not to do so. Maybe I should start with Michael Tremaine. But I have not seen any sign of him as of yet so he probably has something to do with the crowd. Oh dear, oh dear.* Mareen closed her eyes in a hope that she could call forth some courage as she turned towards the lady she hoped was Margarete Tremaine. Who else could carry herself in such a manner. "Please do forgive my intrusion, would I speaking to the Lady Margarete?" Mareen asked approaching the woman with the butterfly mask.

Saiph, having never seen the boy before, took an unnoticeable pause to look at the boy. He of course, had heard women talking about his smile, and it certainly wasn't mere trivial gossip. His blue eyes almost seemed to sparkle without the mask to shade them, and Saiph thought how about his own dull gray eyes must pale in comparison. After that unnoticeable pause, he answered.

"My name is Saiph.." He bowed respectfully, then added "Chamberlain." It was always awkward for Saiph to tell someone his last name, for fear that they might know the rough translation of it: Attendant to the royal family. "I do believe I am a guest. But after I arrived, one of your staff addressed me as a 'new butler'?" Not quite remembering what the man had said, he slightly furrowed his eyebrows under his mask.

Saiph had in itch in his brain to say something else, to start a better conversation, but being the quiet, humble person he was, he couldn't, and he no longer had the ability to look this fine young man in the eyes.

((By the way, I figured out the meaning of his last name after I joined. XDD))

Nathaniel found it somewhat rude to interrupt their dancing, but regardless he tried to be polite to this new person. He bowed slightly then looked up sharply as he heard the small crash of glass. He frowned a little bit then returned his attention to his companions. "I am Nathaniel Wysing and this is Miss de la Cruz," he said with a smile to Declan, "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Varagh." The intelligent young man did what he always did upon meeting a new person; he discreetly studied them; the way they spoke, the way they moved and the way they held themselves. Of course no one would notice that he was studying them, for he didn't do so in a very open manner. People were not lab rats after all.

As she was waiting for Allen’s reply, a soft twinkling of a voice reached her ear. Calling her attention to it she curiously turned to face the pale woman who had addressed her. The woman in question was unearthly pale and rather beautiful with her angelic looking mask. Margaret had to stifle a gasp of surprise at the sight of such an unusual and ethereal countenance. She had certainly seen pale women before and women who had used powder to make themselves seem even paler, after all, it was unsightly for certain women of nobility to be sporting a commoners tan. But Margaret had never seen such…snow-like whiteness and moon-like luminosity. But she quickly reclaimed her decorum and gave one of her best and politest smiles, almost rivaling her brother’s. “Yes, I am Margaret Tremaine. I don’t believe that we have been properly acquainted, Miss…?

~.:.~

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Chamberlain,” Michael slightly bowed in return with a rather heartfelt and large grin. The young man seemed to put all of himself and his sincerity into his smiles, so they were always true. “I’m terribly sorry about the mix up and I’ll have my staff immediately notified that you are indeed not the new butler, but a guest,” he couldn’t help but add a chuckle here and there as he spoke. Certainly not out of malice or indifference to the other man’s plight. More like out of general lightheartedness. Once again, he considered the whole situation rather humorous as well as preposterous. A guest mistaken for one of the staff? It was almost as if it had come out of those penny dreadful books that women apparently enjoyed. “Tell me, Mr. Chamberlain,” he began, “Since you have just arrived and missed supper, are you hungry? I’m sure our cook can prepare something reasonably quick if you wish.” As the host it was his duty to see that all of his guests needs were attended and catered for, even the late ones.

"Although I enjoy reading..." Allen trailed off, his thoughts taking over his mind once more. The boy loved to read, and although he had many unexpressed opinions, he thought that writing wasn't something he would be fond of doing. After all, his name was already blood ridden, and because of who he was, his thoughts might not be very well received by other Aristocrats. The last thing he wanted was MORE attention. Noblemen would hire their butlers to set torch to his house!
Well, maybe nothing that elaborate, but the concept was still the same in his mind...

As a young girl with strikingly silver hair came to talk to Margaret, Allen bowed, starting to feel more comfortable with himself. "It was very nice speaking to you tonight Miss Tremaine. I won't covet you any longer, since it seems you have someone who wishes to speak with you. I look forward to talking with you more in the days to come. If you will excuse me." Allen felt somewhat rude for walking away from a conversation, but it seemed that Margaret would be busy with her new companion. So, straightening himself up he went off.

Studying the room, Allen noticed Nathaniel dancing with Miss De La Cruz. It seemed fitting since the pair were both very outspoken intellectuals.

“Oh, it would be my honor.” He stated following the count and countess. Pulling out the chair for the countess to sit, like he had done before for their daughter.

“I am Reed Nightingale only son of the archdukes of the Netherlands.” He stated after taking a sip of the wine in his glass.

“The Nightingale family you may have heard is one of the riches families in the Netherlands.” He stated not wanting to go into further details. Spotting Alana standing alone he stood, excusing himself from the table.

“If you excuse me I must be off.” He stated before heading off to join the woman.

“Bonjour Mademoiselle.” He greeted with a smile. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

Alana still sat alone at her table. Her parents busy with Reed. She sighed and played around with her fan. She drank sips of champagne and waited around for somthing to do. She watched the girls flit around the dance floor. There long beutiful dresses twirling around and around. She watched everyone have a good time. She could hear the gentle titter of laughter from ladies and the guffaws of gentlemen.

She looked up to see Reed back and smiled at him. "How did you enjoy my parents?" She asked seeing her parents heading toward them.

They helped themselves to a seat at the table and her mother began to mess with her hair and outfit. "O Alana you are a mess. You look like a heathen." She began to fuss all over her.

"Girls for you." The count said to Reed. "Always worried about appearances. So tell me some about your financial situation."

Allen, spotting Alana, suddenly realized he had forgotten all about her. How could he have done that? It wasn't a very gentleman like thing to do.
Approaching Alana and Reed, he sighed and bowed apologetically. "I'm truly sorry, Alana, It seems that I have-" Cut off by the sudden entrance of Alana's mother, Allen blushed and scratched the back of his neck nervously. Alana just couldn't get ride of these leeches, could she?

“Well, there’s not much to stay, we’re well off.” Reed stated absentmindedly, he eyes glued to the dance floor.
These where some of the things he hated about being an aristocrat, everyone was obsessed with one thing or another, whether it was looks, money, or what your rank on the hierarchy was.
Reed stood to greet the youngman that approched them, hoping maybe that would cause Alana's parents to leave them alone.

Alana smiled when Allen showed up. She was happy to see he still remembered her. She motioned for him to join them.

"hello Allen meet Reed. Reed this is my freind Allen. And my parents." ALanas mom laughed and stood upasking her dad for a dance. THey were thrilled that Alana was with guys that they wanted to give them a chance to talk n private.

Alana watched them leave relieved. She turned to the two guys.

"So have you guys been having fun??"

“I can’t belive they left…” Reed muttered to himself hoping no one else heard.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a feminine voice he turned to Alana and smiled at the young man. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mister Allen.” He stated after bowing as a sign of respect.

“And yes I am Miss Alana, I’m sorry to have left you to entertain you’re self, but, I had to help that young man clean the mess on the floor or someone might have gotten injured.” He said honestly.

“You’re parents are something else though.” He said his smile not faltering.