@Masquerade
You are hereby invited to a celebration of the rediscovery of Veilspuns in this world. Masks are mandatory.
The path opened before anyone who might take it. A card with the invitation written elegantly could be found stuck amidst the brambles for anyone who had not been given or stumbled across one before. Those with cards already were instead drawn to a crack in a hedge that hadn’t been there before. A dancing speck of light led everyone invited in such a fashion to a vast black hall adorned with lanterns and surrounded by roses blooming beautifully— not just red, but white, pink, yellow, and of course multiple shades of purple.
The art station, tucked neatly around one corner with its own separate entrance, was a bustle of chaos and too-eager creativity. While they’d been ensuring the staff could manage a glitter-cleansing spell (or knew how to call someone who could), one had been cast on this door. Those who went through it were freed from tracking the sparkly menace with them. Like this, it was kept from becoming
too much of a problem, especially with other forms of cleaning magic available.
No one’s invitations were checked at the door because anyone who showed up at the party was now invited to it. The main entrance swung open for whoever wished to go in. As such, the former doorkeeper had been allowed to run off with her friends, and the twins had been put in charge of dealing with those who failed to bring a mask with them-- whether through active choice or not having known the path would take them to a masquerade. A proper masquerade
required the guests there to have masks, and so they would. Anyone with their face unadorned by a mask of their own had one fly down to firmly attach itself to their face and fit itself to them perfectly, chosen at random from the vast collection the twin Pearlcatchers had acquired since this idea was first mentioned. There was no telling what the mask that had chosen them would be like, but it would not be pried off while the guest was still in the clearing, no matter how hard one tried.
None of the doorways could be seen through, especially the main entrance. Stepping through it to see the ballroom within was slightly dizzying— and intentionally so, to promote the feeling of having stepped into another world. The outside was unadorned, featureless walls save for the lanterns hanging around the top. The inside…
Looking up at the ceiling gave the impression of staring through a thick canopy of trees at a dark and moonless night. It was more like staring into an abyss than anything, with the stars scattered far enough apart to make even the largest of dragons feel small. The trees woven through with vines crept down the walls and took the places pillars would have otherwise been. Glowing mushrooms grew around their bases, poking through the plush carpet, alongside flowers and reeds with gentle scents that could be seen growing at the base of the walls. Even the faint babble of a river and crashing of a— surely small— waterfall could be heard, if not seen.
And yet, looking around for several seconds longer, fixtures far more normally expected in a ballroom became clear. Lengths of sheer black silk with silver borders were strung up between the trees. Candles in shades of blue and purple so dark they might as well be black, burning with lighter blue or silver flames, floated all around, a layer below the silk, to light the room. There was a vast table for gifts, another for food, and quite formal tables and chairs interspersed with ones that looked far more purposefully designed to be cozy instead. The dance floor set in black marble had excited musicians and instruments surrounding it anyway. Above the dance floor and buffet table hung a pair of chandeliers dripping with jewels and seemingly just as enchanted candles.
At one end, over towards the sound of water, hedges rose up further than any guest could see over, clearly indicating that something was going on in that space and piquing the curiosity of guests who then wanted to go take a look. The entrance was clear— a replica of the Sunportal functions as the gate. Through that gate was the main activity for the night (aside from dancing, of course).
Unlike the rest of the ballroom that maintained a cross between magnificently decorated and total wilderness, the maze was a beautiful, perfectly manicured garden. Flowers, trees, and vines combined with flower beds, trellises, and multiple layers of paths that made up a far too three dimensional hedge maze. Bridges and catwalks broke up the paths as well as made new ones. Enchanted maps with the locations (and optional descriptions) of all the hidden treasure (most, but not all, of which was simply spotting different plants and flowers) for multiple difficulties were given out to anyone who wanted to enter.
… On top of any anti-cheat features the architects had built in, the maps had been quietly tampered with a little to alert the mimics upon cheating being detected. The maze was set up to put the “hunt” in treasure hunt that way. Of course, no one was actually told that upon entering. Only that there would be consequences.
This early into the ball, the buffet table commanded the majority of the attention. All kinds of food were laid out neatly or artistically on a large buffet table over to one side of the room, one clearly blocked off and labeled for dining. Portions ranged between Veilspun and Imperial sizes so everyone could have a chance to try things properly— and having a Veilspun and Imperials in the same family certainly made that one easier to handle properly than it might otherwise have been. The food had all been carefully gone over to make sure it didn’t explode after one… particularly
enthusiastic suggestion, and there’s nothing remotely resembling a sharp object to be seen.
The centerpiece of the half the buffet dedicated to desserts was a large, elaborate cake with a Veilspun statue made of spun sugar adorning it. It was surrounded by other cakes, some of which were more suspicious-looking than others. All kinds of desserts could be found on that half of the buffet— traditional pastries, non-traditional pastries, what appeared to be a challenge some caterers undertook to crystallize as many different kinds of food as possible in sugar, equally as many different things coated in chocolate, an unreasonable amount of gelatin, frozen snacks, every kind of cookie imaginable, mini cannolis, and very small fancy-looking desserts on tiered trays. Then equally fancy-looking desserts recreated at a size that would be small for an Imperial so as not to leave anyone out of having adorably tiny fancy snacks.
Separating the desserts from the rest of the food was a miniature recreation of the Sunbeam Ruins made out of intricate twists of little white flowers dotted with candied glowbugs. After a passing suggestion to design appetizers in the shape of the architectural wonders of the world, the hosts had tried to think of what the architectural wonders of the world were and realised none of them knew anything about architecture. Or archaeology. Instead, there was a recreation of the Sunbeam Ruins being used to hold
quite a lot of Sunbeam Figs.
At the far end, there was a tray where every single item on it was different. They were shaped into various kinds of plants with some kind of artistic glaze and range the gamut of flavours, food combinations, food types, and what may have been added to or used to prepare it. They were not all plants. Leaves were just agreed to be the easiest to shape random things into. Some of them may have had the side effect of making your tongue or stomach glow. Some of them may have been unbearably spicy or cold. That sort of thing. What if the food, too, could become a prank? The tray was merely labeled “Try at your own risk.”
Hotpot was a very popular suggestion among the hosts so it was very lovingly implemented. The cozier tables were all enchanted to be self-cleaning and had warm surfaces that could be turned up to be a good temperature for cooking soup with or turned down to be a comfortable, cozy space to curl up on. There were quite a number of savory soups and stews already prepared, but alongside them were several soup bases that could be filled with a wide variety of ingredients and cooked at one of the nice and cozy tables. Really, a lot about the hotpot setup was designed to be as warm and cozy as possible, perfect for sharing a meal with your friends.
Beyond that, there were a number of savory dishes traditional to the area, and a large variety of dishes that marked the exact moment the hosts had told the caterers to do whatever they wanted and given everyone who asked access to cooking supplies and equipment. More food had sounded better to everyone than strictly controlling the menu. With the sheer variety of caterers they’d acquired, not to mention anyone else who wanted to make something for whatever reason… there was a lot. Veilspuns were omnivorous, though. Surely it’d go over well.
As people tired of trying out everything in the dining area, more and more attention naturally shifted to the rest of the ballroom. The treasure hunt and musical selections were certainly the main activities, but far from the only ones. A vast orchestra and choir surrounded the dance floor, performing pieces that had been popular from around the time the Veilspun had disappeared. Not all instruments actually had a dragon playing them. Other mimics had found a performer they bonded easily with. Since everyone had had time to get accustomed to mimics with extremely passionate opinions on music showing up beforehand, the blended orchestra was going beautifully.
There were other organized games using cards or pieces on large tables closer to the hedge barrier, alongside games of riddles and puzzles, for those who wanted quieter fare or merely something to do while waiting for a chance in the treasure hunt. A storyteller entertained a small crowd at an appropriate distance from a magician troupe blending sleight of hand and illusions in with actual feats of magic. Each show had appropriate soundproofing around it to keep attention focused on the entertainer in front of you while also making it feasible to put them closer than they otherwise could have been.
Attention was inexorably drawn back to the musical performances time and time again. It
was a masquerade ball. The orchestra and choir members were given time to enjoy the festivities (and check out the buffet) themselves whenever a new act commandeered the dance floor. Interspecies relations were even going well enough for it to be quietly understood that tossing delicious snacks beneath the table you’d seen a harp disappear under was appreciated. A violinist was cheerfully explaining where the mouth was on their violin to others with instruments following them around.
A smaller band and several dance instructors taking the floor was perhaps helpful to keep interspecies relations from taking up too much attention overall. Those who had heard of a ‘line dance’ before were encouraged to come join in. Those who hadn’t were also encouraged to come join in with promises that it was simpler than it looked and anyone could get enough of a hang of it to at least not trip over themselves. Music joyfully filled the air while one of the dance instructors stayed on hand to explain that this helped everyone get a good sense of the swarming behaviour of the Veilspun and all the rest tried to make sure said swarming went smoothly.
It was a little harder than it would have been if they’d tried to break it into different size groups, but… even if it was harder, the participants couldn’t help but end up caught up in the good-natured cheer of it all, and the sentiment of making sure everyone would fit in. Especially because the hosts themselves were being particularly insistent on it. Things get a little more difficult in general to accommodate for size when a Veilspun and Imperials are part of the same family.
Increasingly modern tunes were played the longer the ball went on, allowing the initial orchestra to take more and more breaks. Performers were rotated out to keep any one of them from becoming exhausted. After all, the night was far from over…
“Attention, please.”
The Pearlcatcher host who drew everyone’s attention had their face covered with an expressionless white mask. All identifying marks on their body seemed to have been hidden through illusion— those two saw any of the hosts taking their masks on or off could confirm that with how drastically different the change could be.
“We’ll now be moving on to the last performance… and the finale.”
Small spheres floated through the air, all throughout the hall, having appeared practically from nowhere. In unison, they burst open, revealing Veilspun hatchlings with miniature disco balls attached to their tails, and bright, multicoloured confetti and streamers. The lights hitting the silver balls became a nearly blinding display of dazzling shades of light.
In the midst of the chaos, a lone performer in the centre of the dance floor began to sing.
“When I was a hatchling, I was sent away from home.
I was told that I had siblings, yet I remained alone.
Love was a distant concept, as was family,
And yet I got a letter, wings to set my heart free.
Today we celebrate him and his lovely wife
Today we celebrate the dragons who became part of our life.”
“Three cheers, my friends, for those dragons found again.
In the depths of the woods, stories no one understood,
Became a part of this world and family.”
Another dragon stepped up to take her place and sang about the Veilspun they held dear— and when the chorus came, a few dragons among the crowd sang along. When the chorus played for a third time, more people had caught on, and a few hatchlings ran up to the current singer, falling into a simple, well-practised dance. A fourth time got more hatchlings dancing on the makeshift stage and people starting to pick up on the dance in the crowd.
It was evident that each singer was singing
about someone, or multiple someones, in their life, and quickly also evident that a director in the shadows was signaling who should go next. With a deliberately simple and short structure, it didn’t take long long before someone who’d written a verse on the spot joined in the queue, singing while reading from a notepad in front of them. The initiative spread from there. More and more people turned to see what was going on and picked up on it themselves and the chorus and accompanying dance seemed almost contagious with how easily they were joined in on by those further and further away.
The ballroom slowly filled with joy, excitement, and unrestrained love for the important Veilspuns in people’s lives. The song finally ended with an unmatched sense of jubilance in the air.
…
In the few lingering moments of silence after such a collective and captivating performance, a creak from far above was all the warning anyone got before one of the two massive chandeliers fell.
Most people were out of the way at the time. One… wasn’t so lucky.
As jubilance turned to horror and people turned to look at the viscous purple leaking from around the unmistakable silhouette of a body, one of the hosts stepped forward. The exultation was all too clear in her the gleam of her eyes. As she discarded her mask, Lenore could be seen smiling at last.
“My present to you, dear brother.” The same voice many of those here had become all too familiar with now traveled across the hall. “The perfect ending for such a magnificent ball. Truly, it could have been no other way.”
“… But it’d be terrible to take all the attention off of you and yours tonight, don’t you think? So there’s no need for anyone to think about this too hard. No need for anyone to remember.”
“Go home now as if nothing had happened and focus on the ones you love. When Shadow’s power surges again, your memories may stir, and you’ll be invited back here...”
“Invited to my symphony of despair.”
Even as she spoke, the details of what just happened became hazier, less important to focus on, and gradually disappeared altogether. There was nothing that had happened after the main performance. Everyone had started getting tired on their own, and had their fill of activities and food until they were ready to leave.
Outside the hall, surrounding and lining the way home, all the roses bloomed black.
