Allen wasn't surprised when he saw Asta sitting by herself, but he did wonder why. Girls confused him. Why would she torture herself and keep trying to be alone? Better yet, why would she torture them both by flirting with other men when she obviously had no interest in them? Shaking his head, he obeyed when Ana told him to find something to keep himself occupied. Vaguely, he wondered if there was a library or something like that in the mansion. Maybe he'd be able to find something good to read to pass the time.

Ana sent Allen off to amuse himself for a while and went over to Asta.

"Ready to go?" she asked. "Allen has already gone to be fitted, so now it's just you and me." Already, she was going over what colors would look best on the girl, and in what fabrics. Perhaps sapphire, or emerald...

She was a bit surprised by the fact that they had been done so soon. Asta happily got to her feet though, and said her goodbyes to the disappointed looking male in front of her.
As for the fabric ideas, Asta wasn't so sure. She was thinking of something with either gold or silver in it.. She wanted neutral colors, and they were both very neutral.

"Where are we going, though?"

Of course it was to be fitted, but she wanted it to be specified.. She always did these days.

((please forgive any translating mistakes, i'm using an online translator))

"I have a friend in town who I always go to for formalwear," Ana replied. "Nobody is better at gowns than François is." Here, she grinned. "She'll make you the best gown you've ever seen. She's made most of mine, remind me to show you them sometime."

As she talked, she led Asta down to François' shop. Even as she opened the door, she could hear the industrial-strength sewing machine clicking away as François put together an order, most likely Allen's.

"François," Ana called.

"Anamaria? De retour si bientôt?" François asked. She huffed dramatically, but was smiling. Ana nodded.

"Yes, I'm back so soon," she replied. Quickly, she rattled off in French what she needed, and François ushered Asta up onto the stool to take her measurements.

"Le rubis rouge ou bleu saphir? Peut-être vert émeraude?" François asked as she measured. The question was simple enough, so Ana looked at Asta.

"Red, blue, or green?" she asked.

Asta was so lost in the French. She herself could not speak French, and so just sitting here and listening to it all made her head whirl around. She loved the French language, and it clearly fascinated her.

"Oh.." her voice came out much louder than she had intended. "Well, I was thinking something gold...?" She sounded hesitant, as she knew anything she wanted was going to cost money that was not her own. "Or blue is fine too.." She didn't want to seem greedy. But if she had to pick something nice, she wanted to look extravagant. "Whatever is cheapest."

(Totally fine. xD I don't speak French, so..)

"Asta, pretend for a moment that money is no object," Ana instructed. Clearly, this was going to be like pulling teeth from a werewolf. "Aside from gold, which will be used regardless, what color do you want most? Red, blue, or green? This is going to be your gown, Asta. Not mine or anyone else's. I already have something in mind for my own gown. Anyways, after this will be fabrics, but color is first."

François asked Ana something about the cut of the gown, and Ana responded absently. Best to make it similar to Ana's own gown, since the cut she usually chose was flattering to almost anyone. Now, if she could only get Asta to stop being so hesitant... Ana understood that Asta didn't want to spend money that wasn't hers, but for a formal masqerade, Ana would only have the best, and really, money wasn't an object. François was one of her blood-sisters, after all.

But Asta still didn't want to pick the most expensive colors and fabrics that she possibly could. "Green and gold...?" She was still very hesitant, and she looked down just a little bit. She wasn't used to being spoiled, and treated like she was anything more than normal. Even after a year of being a vampire, she still kept her human traits, and habits. Like eating human food. It wasn't good for her, and more often than not, it made her sick, but the taste still was good.. Mostly, it was just sweet things, like ice cream.

"You really don't have to do all of this for me, though, Ana.." Ana was so hospitable to her over the time she'd been changed... It really wasn't fair, in Asta's eyes.

"But I want to," Ana replied. "It's almost like tradition. I was spoiled by my sire when I was turned, although formal gowns were easier to get your hands on in the 1690s." She grinned and glanced at François. "It helps when one of your sisters is a dressmakler. Besides, you don't have to pick the most expensive thing here... Pick what you like the best. I've found that a lot of times, the most expensive thing is also the thing you'll least like."

Here, Ana made a face.

"It's usually the most gaudy, too. But if it bothers you that much, we'll get you the gown and shoes, and then you can look through my jewelry back at the townhouse. I'm sure I have something to match whatever you choose."

Ana's game plan indeed made her feel better. At least now she didn't have to worry about spending even MORE money on expensive jewelry that she would ever wear once or twice. No, she could use something of Ana's, and all of Ana's jewelry was nice anyway.

"Alright.." she said softly. The only difference between Ana and Asta's thinking, was that usually, anything that Asta did like was pricey. She didn't pick things according to most expensive.. it was just her taste.
Turning as Ana's 'sister' instructed, the fitting was done in no time. Soon enough, the fabric needed to be chosen.. and now she knew that Ana's wallet was doomed.

Ana watched as Asta picked out her fabrics. She wasn't surprised that the girl went towards the velvets and the silks. While Asta was choosing, Ana let François reaffirm her measurements. Not that they had changed in the last three hundred years or so... Once that was done, and the cut of her gown was discussed, Ana went over to chose her own fabric. She chose a satiny brocade in rich, sapphire blue. Embroidered all over it in silver thread were tiny, finely sewn stars. As soon as Ana set eyes on it, she knew that was the fabric she wanted. Quickly, she chose a bolt of linen in the same blue as the lining of her gown, and shimmering silver ribbons as the trim.

"Perfect," she murmured. She could visit the maskmaker later to have him make her a new mask. She had some for Asta to choose from, since she was fairly sure the girl wouldn't want much more money spent on her. Mentally, Ana shrugged. Asta would learn that money built up when your only living expenses were heat, water, and electricity. And Ana could certainly teach her how to live without the last one, if she wanted to.

Asta was so scatter-brained in this situation. Eventually, though, everything got done in a reasonable amount of time. But after a bit, she noticed what Ana had picked out, and it was then that she knew that she was out-gunned. Asta would never look as good as Ana, or any of the other vampire women, for that fact. She would never measure up..
Asta's heart sunk just a little bit as she wandered off to her own corner quietly. There was no need to watch someone prettier get inevitably prettier.

After they left, Asta was quiet, and there was no more excitement in her eyes. Maybe it was a a bad idea to come along on this trip. Besides, it wasn't like there was any reason for her to be there anyway. She didn't want to be around Allen, and him being around her was just.. horrible too. She didn't want to be around him any more than he wanted to be in the same room with her. This was stupid.

Ana noticed Asta was quiet on the way back to the townhouse, but she couldn't figure out why. She'd been fine until they left the shop.

"Asta," she said softly when they got back to the townhouse, "please tell me what's wrong? If it's about the cost of the gown, it's really no problem at all." Ana was starting to worry about her. Asta seemed depressed more and more often lately, and it made her worry. If only she would give Allen another chance... He seemed a bit lost ever since Asta rejected him, and Ana was sure he'd do his best to make Asta happy again, if she would only let him.

Asta had been making a bee-line for her bedroom. She didn't want to see anyone anymore, she wanted to go home.. Home is where the heart is, that's what people said. But when your heart wasn't beating, and when there was no warmth left in your soul, home didn't feel the same.
"It's nothing, Ana.. I'm just.. tired." It was harder to get tired these days.. The more blood she had, the more awake she began to feel. She was never tired during the night.. But then, there were the times like now.

Before Asta had been changed, she slept when she was sad, or didn't feel well. She would love to be sleeping now.. but she was barely even tired.. It wasn't fair.

"I'm just going to lay down.." And with that, Asta stepped into her bedroom, shut her door, and locked it. At least, she thought it was her bedroom.. Until she saw Allen standing in it, staring at her. She also noticed the change of decor.
Her throat tightened, and she looked at Allen darkly. As usual, she was going to blame him..

Allen had spent the day in his room, reading a particularly good book he had found in the mansion's library. He could tell the sun would be coming up soon, he could just feel it. Maybe it was the lack of caffiene in the blood in France; everyone drank wine instead of Red Bull. Getting up, he dug his pajama pants out of his bag and began to strip his shirt off to change. That's when he heard the door open and slam shut again. Startled, he looked over to see Asta there, staring at him with a dark look in her eyes. Alright, what had he done this time?

"Before you say anything," he began, "I've been in here all night. I haven't done anything."

Of course, he felt a bit stupid standing there shirtless defending himself. He tried so hard to stay out of her way, and now she looked like she was going to yell at him again for no reason. Sometimes-- well, most times-- he really wished they could go back to when she actually liked him. He definitely still liked her, as much as he didn't want to admit it. That's why he stayed out of her way. It seemed to be the only way to keep her at least fairly content.

Asta and Allen stood in silence, and then finally she took in a sharp breath out of habit. She couldn't help it.. After twenty or so years of requiring oxygen, it became a habit of sorts.
But she didn't speak as she glared at him. Instead, she looked at the floor for a moment, her gaze softening slightly. She had nothing to say to him, he knew how she felt about him these days. It wasn't like she could just forgive him for something so.. permanent. And literally, she would be with this curse forever..

Without looking back to Allen, Asta turned her back, and began for the door. A sad feeling washed over her body. She missed him. She always had.. ever since it happened. But she was so stubborn.. What was she to do now, with the very 'man' that she was teaching herself to hate, being right in front of her? There was no excuse to be so callous anymore.. At the same time, she didn't care. And so she had the same argument with herself as she always did.

She wasn't saying anything... that was new. Moving slowly and cautiously, Allen tossed his shirt onto his bed. No sense in holding onto it. At the same time, he kept his eyes on Asta. Her rage seemed to be... dissapating. That was different. Maybe she wasn't quite so mad at him anymore? Just the thought of her not being angry gave him a bit of hope. Now that her anger wasn't in the way, he could tell something else was bothering her. And his sister used to say he was dumber than a box of rocks...

"Asta?" he started, soft and hesitant. "Is there something wrong? I mean, besides my continued existance?" He was a bit concerned, but made no move to go closer. If she wanted his comfort, he would give it, but she had to make it clear that she wanted it first.

And it was then that she left. She didn't want to be told, or talked to. There had been people trying to talk to her this entire time, and now she was sick and tired of it.
Asta closed the door behind her, and just like that, she disappeared into her own room. She systematically locked her own door before finally flopping onto her bed quietly. She was tired of this life, and these people.. She wanted to disappear, and start a new life, with new people. People who didn't know her for what she was.

Laying on her back, Asta stared at the ceiling; she made a decision. She would go home, and then she would vanish. She would never bee seen or heard from again.. and then she would forget about everything that made her hurt.. Yeah..

((i'm guessing she's not going to give him another chance any time soon. ...and i was just hit with an idea~))

Allen silently cursed when she left without a word. Why wouldn't she just give him a chance?! He'd already tried to express how sorry he was for what had happened, multiple times, but he constantly hit her wall of sheer stubbornness. He knew girls held grudges, but this was getting ridiculous!

Throwing himself onto the bed, he buried his face in the pillow and waited for dawn to come. Hopefully, the oblivion of sleep would ease the continued ache of Asta's rejection.

Ana winced a little when she heard the slamming of doors. She already knew it was probably Asta, though she didn't know what had caused it. Sighing, she finished the notes for her fledgelings and looked at the two masks she had picked out for them. She knew the masks would match that the two would be wearing, although they themselves didn't realize that they had chosen the same colors to wear. Perhaps it was a bit of matchmaking on her part, but really, they were the best gold masks she owned. It wasn't her fault that they were a set. Carefully, she put the masks in boxes, along with the notes, and left them outside of her fledgelings' doors. The two would find them that evening, and hopefully neither would want to choose a different mask.

(I'm skipping to the dance. D; We're getting no where. )

The first thing she heard when she woke up, was music. She blinked for a moment or two before it finally hit her, and then she knew. She was late.
Asta was in a whirl of movement, and she knew that in order to not look like a complete and utter idiot, she needed to get there soon. After what seemed like forever in her book, she was finally done, and she looked at herself, genuinely unsatisfied with her appearance.
Asta's dress was extravagant, and it was strapless. The dress barely drug the floor, the gold trim cascading down the tastefully green fabric, lace weaving around her bust. In her opinion, the beautiful gown was wasted on her plain physic, and even more plain face.

Asta looked quite nice, though she would never admit it, and the mask on her face only disguised her 'plain'. The only thing she enjoyed about her appearance, was her hair. It was curled all over the place, and tied up on top of her head.

Within moments she was into the 'ball room' of sorts, and all eyes turned on her. There was Ana, looking absolutely gorgeous and wonderful.. She knew that if she could have, she would have turned beet red, and melted away. Instead, she was forced to stand awkwardly as the late, new-born, vampire.

((thanks))

Ana smiled when she saw Asta slip into the room. Gracefully, she excused herself from a conversation with her sire and went over to the fledgeling.

"Fashionably late, very nice," she said. "You look wonderful, Asta. The gown suits you so well. I think green really is your color." It was true. The rich emerald silk set off the girl's pale skin perfectly and highlighted the color of her eyes. The gold warmed the green, making it seem more alive than silver would have.

Ana could see envy in Asta's eyes, and became a little confused. Why would Asta be jealous of her? Asta was just as lovely, if not more so, and her gown and jewelry just enhanced it. She had nothing to be jealous of.

Allen walked into the room hesitantly. It was just his luck that he wasn't able to wake up on time... And then it took him a little while to figure out how to properly wear his formal things... He felt very self-conscious in the green and gold, but he had to admit that Ana had good taste in clothing. He was proud to say that the choice in color was all his own, though. Green was his favorite color, so he couldn't pass it up.

He looked around for a moment, looking for Ana and Asta. It didn't take him long to find Ana. He had to admit, her gown was nice. The blue and silver looked good on her. But he couldn't find Asta. Then he did a double-take. The gorgeous girl standing next to Ana... It was Asta. She looked beautiful... It didn't even occur to him that he and she were wearing the same colors. All he could think about was how pretty she was. Slowly, he walked over to them.

Though Asta couldn't see it (or at least she wasn't looking for it), people were taken aback by the women in front of them all. The two women before them looked splendid, and one of Asta's 'friends' had taken notice.. and it was not Allen.
It was Michael.

He was dressed in all black and silver, a silver mask to match his silver tie, and his silver cuffs. He looked just as impressive as the vast majority of the other men, and he was on a mission.
He wanted a dance with Asta, at least ONE. And if he couldn't get one with her, he would try Ana. She looked gorgeous too. He wasn't lowering or changing standards, but he wanted to at least be able to say that he danced with one of the most beautiful women there.

Once he got up to them, her grinned at Asta. "Asta, " he said, as if making sure she knew that he was talking to her. No matter what. "You look beautiful.."
Asta looked down, "Thank you.." He was still smiling at her, who was also smiling shyly to herself. "Asta.." She looked back up to Michael as he took her hand. "Asta, would you like to dance...?" She smiled a bit wider, and then looking down once more, she began nodding.
It was with that that Asta was swept away from Ana, and almost instantly into a decently paced dance to match the tempo of the music.

Ana watched as Asta went to dance. Perhaps a few dances would get the girl to loosen up and actually have some fun... She saw Allen looking a little awkward and out of place, and went over to him.

"Come and dance with me," she said as the orchestra transitioned smoothly into an easy waltz.

Allen was bewildered when Ana asked him to dance.

"I don't know how," he sputtered. Ana laughed.

"That's alright. Just look like you're leading, I know the rest of the steps," she replied. Allen tried to ignore the stares as Ana put his hand on her waist and slowly started to lead him in the dance. Allen was surprised at how easy it was to fall into step with the waltz, and he vaguely wondered if Asta would let him dance with her afterwards. He was already getting jealous of the man dancing with her, and focused on dancing to get his mind off of it.

Michael was a very good dancer, and it showed as he twirled the smiling Asta around the dancefloor. However happy she seemed, her mind was elsewhere, as well as her eyes. Asta was watching from the corner of her eye, Allen and Ana. She was growing that gnawing, unnerving, feeling of envy within her. She wanted to be the one in his arms, even though it was clear that he couldn't dance worth anything. She wanted to smile with him, up to him, and then in the end, be happy with him.
Asta looked down, then back up to Michael. He was looking at her almost anxiously. It was clear that she was enjoying his presence less than he enjoyed hers.

But she couldn't give in now. She was almost free of Allen and his... his being. She would get home, and get away. That was all she had to do now. Just get home.

Even as he danced with Ana, Allen kept glancing over at Asta. HE wanted to be the one dancing with her, darn it! He didn't care that he couldn't dance, he still wanted to dance with her. He figured that she wouldn't want to dance with him, though, which left a sinking feeling in his heart. If only she would give him a chance... The waltz ended and he practically jumped away from Ana. He tried to casually make his way to Asta, but he probably only ended up making a fool of himself. Even still, he was able to get closer to her.

"Asta?" he asked. "Would you dance with me?"

Hey, it was worth a shot, right? There was always the microscopic chance she would say yes.

She wasn't expecting anyone to pop out of the woodwork like Allen had. Especially not for a dance with her.
Michael's eyes flashed, and his grip around Asta's body, and that was when she realized that he was more attached to her than she would have liked. In order to break clean from everyone, that included leaving Michael behind as well.

Asta didn't say a word to him, she only looked at him with innocently shocked eyes. She wouldn't tell him yes, but she couldn't bring herself to say no again.. there was hope in Allen's eyes, and for once, she was finding herself less willing to crush it.
Michael looked between the two for a moment, and then slowly his arms loosened. "Go ahead," he said, slowly edging Asta into Allen's arms. "It's fine. I'll get her again later."
By now, Asta was still silent, and she sort of stood in his arms now, eyes on the floor.

Allen was surprised when the other vampire put Asta into his arms, but he wasn't going to complain.

"Asta, please look at me," he said softly. When she slowly looked up at him, he gave her a small smile. "You're so beautiful," he said. And he meant it. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and he never wanted to take his eyes off of her.

"I know I can't dance very well... But at least I won't step on your feet. As far as I know, at least," he added.