timeandtides_backup | Event: Eiko's Birthday Ball

Characters: OPEN to all party guests
Progress: Ongoing
Summary: A big party for a small girl. Yep, it's Eiko's birthday and she's having a ball.
Location: Lindblum Grand Castle
Date: March 21st, 1804
Warnings: N/A so far

Nobody could say that Regent Cid wasn't generous when it came to his adopted daughter, Eiko. In fact, some said that he was too indulgent. But on this, the evening of Eiko's tenth birthday, the citizens of Lindblum were ready and eager to celebrate. A free ball! Free drinks, free food, and a free pass into Lindblum Grand Castle. Many had failed to acquire tickets in time and were disappointed, but the lucky few piled eagerly into the castle.

Security was tight, and every single guest was checked by the guards before being allowed to enter. Once inside, they would find a wide and sumptuously decorated ballroom. A small group of musicians played slow and ambient music, while the party guests swayed across the floor dressed in all their finery. What could only be described as a flock of moogles flew or scurried around the room, offering glasses of champagne and various sweet treats. Regent Cid himself sat on a grand throne at the head of the room, nodding graciously at the guests who came to pay their respects.

The ball was already in full swing, and the party would go on for a long while yet.

[ooc: Don't worry if you didn't comment to Regent Cid's earlier post requesting tickets. Handwaving is just fine if you want to hop in. It's party style - go tag and mingle! Thread jumping and ninja tagging is encouraged.]

[ooc: Eiko has made a very loud announcement about a celebrity couple's engagement. Feel free to overhear, react or congratulate.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It likely would have been a good idea to just act as if he were guarding the place... but it was too late now to change that. He glanced at Yuna as she approached. Then he looked aside to be sure she hadn't meant that greeting for another person. Not seeing anyone else around, he realized that it was in fact him she was addressing.

Kain figured that it was obvious he wasn't enjoying himself... nor was he planning on doing so, either. So he shrugged. "I suppose not, but... I don't mind it, either."

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"I would have had no reason to come on my own." His way of answering that. It was certainly true that Kain wouldn't have had reason to be here were it not for the guilt he held, and the resulting obligations it gave him.

Still, Yuna didn't seem that bad to speak to, so Kain would attempt not to be too aloof. "There are others I'll meet with, but I've yet to locate them."

Kain shrugged. He certainly didn't know what they'd be wearing, so that was very out of the question. "I suppose we may as well..." It wasn't like he had any other demands on his time. "Rydia may be the most obviously noticed... she has green hair."

"I am." Leave it to Rydia to likely know most of the people gathered there at the ball. Kain nodded. "She's from the same world as myself." More or less, anyway.

"It's... complicated."

This was a difficult question to answer. Telling her 'we met while attacking her village and killing her mother' wasn't exactly anything he cared to explain. Bad enough that he'd had to relive that incident with Rydia not that long ago.

"We met at the beginning of a terrible conflict on our world."

Kain tried not to act as if it bothered him to think of, although it truly did. He shook his head. "It's no trouble to speak of it. A great deal has... changed, since that time. It was a while ago."

"I'm sure." Reassurance had never been Kain's strong suit, but he still made a fair attempt at it. "That conflict I spoke of is resolved, and order had been restored to our world, the last I knew." True, Kain had kept himself well removed from current events in pursuit of his goal, but the others seemed to have indicated that peace remained...

That was certainly not a question he expected, and another which caught him off-guard as to how he should answer. He shrugged. "I had a long way to go before I could deserve such a thing."

So Kain was beginning to notice. He shook his head, guilty over making her react that way. "It's nothing to be sorry about... and nothing that happened was your fault."

Still, she couldn't have known he had so many issues... And as soon as dancing was mentioned, Kain looked uncertain. He'd been dragged out there a couple of times, and it hadn't been that bad. It just wasn't something he thought himself very skilled at. He would attempt to do the right thing here, however. He felt some guilt over making her possibly a little uncomfortable...

"...If you would like."

Kain wasn't always the best at social interactions, so it was no surprise that it had slipped his mind. Still, he nodded at her, also acting quite formal when he replied. "Kain Highwind."

Kain glanced at the dance floor warily. It would be so much more inviting were it a bloody battle, but dancing just made him uneasy. He had given his word though, and wouldn't go back on it.

"...Very well." Kain eyed what others were doing to get a good idea of how this should work once they were out there.

Kain shook his head to attempt reassurance. "No... that's all right, I'm willing to try this. ...As long as you still are." He'd feel rather foolish backing out after he'd already said he would. So, after another moment's hesitation, he offered her a hand.