Event: Eiko's Birthday Ball

[tidesnpcs.livejournal.com]

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.]

Comments

[empires-lapdog.livejournal.com]

After earlier, and the fiasco that had occured, Noah was certain he needed to explain things to Quistis. She had asked him something and he hadn't been able thanks to those meddling kids, even if Larsa and Selphie were the same age, or there abouts, as Quistis. She was just that bit more adult than they were which made him understand his attraction to her. She was intelligent, which helped as well.

Striding through the ballroom, Gabranth caught sight of his date and swiped hold of her hand, being brash enough to simply lead her off towards one of the balconies in the building. It was rude of him to just drag her away like that, but he needed to. He kept silent until they were outside, closing the balcony doors behind them.

"Quistis... my apologies... but I needed to speak with you after... earlier."

[herownhero.livejournal.com]

Quistis had just finished conversing with an acquaintance when she felt someone snatch her hand from behind before tugging her away without a word. She was immediately alarmed by the sudden gesture-- her head whipped around to look at whoever had the audacity to drag her off, her arm moving to retrieve her hand-- but her glare quickly softened when she noticed it was just Noah. So she allowed him to lead her off, taking a brief moment to put down the flute of champagne she had been sipping on a table they passed by.

Once they had arrived at the balcony, Quistis watched with questioning eyes as Noah made to close the doors, isolating them from the rest of the party. She was just about to inquire what this was all about, but his words answered her unasked question. With a small smile, she took a much more relaxed stance, leaning back slightly against the stone railing as she folded her hands over her lap.

"I have to apologize again for Selphie's behavior-- that was extremely unprofessional of her. I'm sorry if she made you feel uncomfortable."

[empires-lapdog.livejournal.com]

"Nay, I should apologise for Larsa. It was highly inappropriate for an Emperor to behave like that." Sighing as he sat on the edge of the balcony, Noah rested his hands either side of himself, his gaze cast down towards the stone floor of the balcony. "My apologies, also, for dragging you away so abruptly. I just felt the need to apologise for his behaviour. We had somewhat expected it from Selphie but..." But Larsa was so out of the blue.

Finally lifting his gaze, he tilted his head slightly. "Would you still like an answer to your question earlier this evening, Quistis?"

He knew that telling someone your name was supposed to be a trivial thing, but it was important to him. 'Noah fon Ronsenburg' was his true self and for all his coldness and pure brutality, he still held onto a shred of his humanity and wanted to let it expand now he'd let go of his bitterness.

[herownhero.livejournal.com]

She shook her head at Gabranth's words, dismissing his apology for Larsa's behavior. "Don't worry about it, Gab-- Noah." It would take a bit of time for her to adjust to his real name. "Honestly, I was glad to see Larsa in such a mood. I'm sure the past month has been hard on him." She had a feeling the death of a brother was not something to easily cope with.

Quistis gave him a small nod, answering his question with the simple gesture. "Yes-- I am a bit curious as to your choice to be regarded as 'Gabranth' to most of the world. That is, if you wish to tell me." She added the latter statement quickly, not wanting to pressure him into telling her something he didn't want to.

[empires-lapdog.livejournal.com]

"It has been difficult for him, but he has behaved with grace and dignity. Up until tonight," he murmured, sighing as he leaned back against the wall of the castle, still seated on the balcony railing. He was tired after tonight and while being with her had been a great chance to relax and feel like a normal man rather than a Solidor Lapdog, even if Larsa didn't treat him badly, he was ready to just go home now. Narshe was a lot more comfortable than he'd realised.

Nodding slightly, Gabranth rested his hands on his lap, his gaze wandering out to the dark sky. "Gabranth was my mother's maiden name; I believe I told you that part." A small sigh escaped him but he tried not to let his discomfort show. "When I was just a few years younger than you, my fatherland, Landis, was invaded by the Archadian Empire and destroyed. At that time, my mother was dying from illness. With no home left in Landis, we returned to my motherland; Archadia." When he thought about it, he would've easily fled to Dalmasca with Basch if their mother hadn't been sick.

"I was left to care for her while Basch deserted us in favour of Dalmasca. I wished for no ties to him, thus I chose to call myself Noah Gabranth." He'd honestly hated Basch for leaving them, leaving him to deal with their dying mother. It was spiteful and selfish of his twin. "Shortly there after I enlisted in the Imperial Army, and rose in the ranks, eventually shedding even the name Noah, once my mother had passed, wishing to honour her with my name at the very least. Thus I became Judge Magister Gabranth. A feared and cruel man; one of the Empire's finest hounds. Naught but a beast."

[herownhero.livejournal.com]

It was obvious that reliving his past was quite painful for Noah, and she found that her chest ached slightly as he told her his tale. Her brows furrowed as he recalled his brother's selfish actions, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of disapproval regarding Basch's choice-- as someone who never had a family of blood relation that she could remember, she couldn't help but be appalled that someone could so easily abandon their own twin and sickly mother. As Noah finished off his explanation of why he adopted his mother's maiden name. Quistis instinctively reached out to place a slender hand over one of his larger ones, giving it a small, comforting squeeze.

"I don't think you're a beast at all, Noah." She murmured softly. "It's understandable that you would be angry with your twin, especially since you were left with such a heavy burden on your shoulders at such a young age. But you wish to mend your relationship with him now, don't you? Your forgiveness and decision to let go of the grudge you hold against him shows that you don't have a cruel heart."

[empires-lapdog.livejournal.com]

Noah returned the squeeze gently, his gaze finding hers at the gesture, his hand curling around hers to keep it in place. Her words were certainly comforting, and while he didn't have a cruel heart he'd done very cruel things in his lifetime. A small sigh escaped him, and Noah shook his head slightly. "'Tis he whose forgiveness is needed for our brotherhood to be repaired. The things I did to him after we were reunited in Ivalice..."

Taking a shallow breath, he locked his eyes on hers. "I framed him for treason, staged a fake execution and tortured him for two years in a dungeon, Quistis. All in the name of the Empire." Looking away from her, he still loosely held onto her hand. It was like a lifeline right then and he expected her to recoil at the fact. "'Twas not my idea, but upon the Emperor discovering the Captain of the Dalmascan Army was my twin brother, the plan was set in motion with very little consent on my part. I was... I was a fool. Blinded by hatred, so furious that I let myself lose my honour and pride." His voice sounded strained. It hurt to tell her these things, but she had a right to know who her friend was. She had a right to know what a monster he'd been.

"There is naught I can do to attone for my deeds, save for beg his forgiveness, which I have received. I never expect him to apologise for abandoning our mother and I. He was always the one who ran away when we were younger." And Basch was the older one, which made it even harder on Noah.

[herownhero.livejournal.com]

As Noah's fingers curled around her hand, her own digits returned the act-- Quistis knew he needed comfort, and wouldn't deny him the simple gesture of joined hands. She couldn't help but notice how warm his hold was, and how she didn't particularly mind the feeling of his hand clasped around hers.

Unfortunately, her hold naturally loosened at his confession.

Quistis was shocked, to say the least. To hear him confess to such acts-- torturing and framing his own twin -- caused for her to momentarily blank, unable to form a coherent thought, a notable feat for someone who was praised for her ability to think quickly and rationally in the face of danger. After the initial numbness, a stream of emotions began to run through her-- hurt, shock, uneasiness, anger, sadness... even a touch of betrayal. She knew that some of these feelings were irrational-- it wasn't as if he had committed the heinous acts against her, nor did he ever try to come of as a completely innocent man-- in fact, there were many times in their previous conversations where he referred to himself as a cruel individual, someone who required the forgiveness of his twin for acts he had committed. Before, Quistis had thought he was simply blowing it out of proportion... and now, to know that all his words were with good reason? It was... unnerving.

She found that she couldn't keep his gaze, and so she averted her eyes elsewhere, glancing over the railing at the view provided by the location of the balcony. Even the breathtaking scenery of Lindblum could do little to distract her from the torrent of thoughts in her mind. What could she say? She didn't trust her voice at the moment. She didn't want to make Noah feel any worse that what he obviously felt, but at the moment, she couldn't forgive him for what he had done. Yes, he had confessed most of what he did was against his will-- but if that were true, shouldn't he have had the strength to deny Vayne's orders?

His touch was almost searing now, and gently she pulled back, folding her hands delicately over her lap once again. The closed door withhold the sounds of the celebration from reaching their secluded spot in the castle, the darkness of the night seemed to only enhance the severity of his confession. and even the two torches lit behind them seemed to dim slightly after Noah's words.

The silence was suffocating.

[empires-lapdog.livejournal.com]

Her silence burned in his throat and made his chest tight. She hated him. She had to hate him. Everyone except Larsa hated him. Even back in Ivalice, the only Judge Magister he'd truly been friends with was Drace and he had killed her by her words. It hurt to feel her hand slip out of his and Noah inhaled a shaking breath, his hands fixing his jacket idly. What was he supposed to say now? Explain himself? He had no more answers. If she asked him why he did it, he'd claim he was fueled by anger. If she asked him why he didn't disobey orders, it was because he was just a hound, and hounds didn't bite the hand that fed them. He wasn't sure what to even do now, and the longer the silence continued, the more he felt the distance grow between them.

His heart ached. He hadn't ever wanted to reveal the things he'd done, not to anyone, but the way he cared for this woman was too strong for him to just push aside what he'd done and keep it as secrets forever. There would forever be the worry that someone would let slip what he'd done and she'd hate him for never telling her himself.

Daring to break the silence, his voice was just above a whisper as he spoke. "'Tis only right you should dispise me for my actions; I could've refused. At any point, I could have simply said 'no', but I did not. I would not. I wanted him to suffer like our mother had. Like I did when she would ask for him and not have him at her side. When she died alone without her husband or her sons at her bedside. I was angry, yet I did terrible, horrible things."

He wanted to walk back inside, inform Larsa of his need to leave and just go. This whole night had gone downhill fast. He was upset, afraid... perhaps even angry at himself for even thinking a woman like her would understand why he'd done the things he had. She was a good girl, and he was nothing but a brutal man. He didn't deserve her sympathy or care.

[herownhero.livejournal.com]

With every whispered word he spoke, Quistis felt her chest tighten, an invisible hold on her heart constricting steadily until it almost hurt to breathe. There was no way she could disguise the confused and slightly pained expression she wore, no matter how hard she tried to adopt a look of indifference. After what felt like an eternity, she finally twisted her body to face him though her eyes remained averted, icy blue orbs fixated on her hands.

"I... don't despise you, Noah." Her words were slow and cautious, but honest. Yes, she didn't hate him, but at the moment that was all she was sure of. Did she understand why he chose to do what he had done? No, not at all. She wasn't sure she ever would. Her own hands were hardly unfamiliar to bloodshed as she had slain many in the past due to her line of work, but to draw blood and inflict pain on those she considered to be family? Her mind briefly flashed to a memory that had been burned into her mind, a vision of Edea and Seifer standing on the stage of the Galbadia Garden auditorium, and Quistis recalled the twisting sensation in her chest as she readied her whip for an attack. She shook the memory away though, reminding herself that it was an entirely different situation.

Wasn't it?

"I just... I don't know what you want me to say. How am I supposed to react to his?" Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears, a strained sort of vulnerability laced into her tone. Quistis was hardly capable of dealing with her thoughts and emotions when she was overwhelmed, and to have to deal with something of this magnitude? She was at a loss of what to do.

[empires-lapdog.livejournal.com]

Her words caused him to seek her face with his gaze, but Noah didn't say anything until she spoke a second time. She didn't know how to react, which made sense to him. There was not an expected reaction he'd been waiting for, besides hatred. She didn't hate him, or so she said, but that didn't mean she hadn't lost all her respect for him. It was so difficult a situation and Noah's hand reached to rest over both of hers, his touch gentle and cautious, just in case she recoiled quickly.

"There isn't anything I want you to say. I understand that this cannot be something you can easily comprehend. Even I find my own actions unforgiveable." At one point in time, he'd been blinded enough that he thought he was right, but his words upon the Strahl in his dying breath had been proof enough of his regret. He had never wanted to harm Basch the way he had; he was just so hurt he'd lashed out at the one person he'd held dearest.

Still watching her face, he didn't expect to find her gaze anytime soon. "My reason for telling you is simply that I respect you too much to allow myself to keep the truth from you. There are those that know the full story here on Gaia, and were you to hear it from another I would never forgive myself for not telling you sooner." Noah sighed, swallowing thickly. "I... care for you, Quistis... I cannot keep the truth from you and expect to have a real rela-- friendship with you."

[herownhero.livejournal.com]

Quistis didn't pull away from his touch this time, and instead allowed his hand to remain over hers. She listened to his words in silence, her gaze locked on their joined hands until the slight slip in his word choice caught her attention. Her eyes flickered up towards his for the briefest of moments, and just as quickly she glanced away, her head turned to the side slightly as she looked over the balcony railing once again.

She was flattered that he cared for her-- really, she was. He lavished her with attention that she was unfamiliar with, especially when she mostly felt ignored by her peers, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy her company as well as her personality. Quistis would be lying to herself if she didn't admit that she was attracted to him on some level, but there were too many conflicting factors that prevented her from considering anything more than friendship with him. And now, coupled with the secret he had just shared with her, the already slim possibility of anything more between them seemed to nearly vanish completely. Having to deal with his confession was enough for her already-- Quistis had no energy to deal with his possible romantic feelings towards her as well.

"Thank you, Noah." She finally gathered the will to look him in the eye, and she tried to force a small smile on her lips. "I appreciate the sentiment... it just might take a bit of time for me to sort out how I feel about this."

After a slight hesitation, she gently turned her palms over, taking his hand and giving it a small squeeze. "I don't hate you." She felt the need to reassure him of this, not wanting him to believe she completely despised him for his past actions.

[empires-lapdog.livejournal.com]

Just as her hand took his, Gabranth heard the familiar noise of his sky phone. A frown creased his brow, but he knew only Larsa would contact him personally and he withdrew his hand, reading the message his Emperor had sent. His eyes widened slightly. "Lord Larsa..." he exhaled, panic and worry flashing across his face for a brief second. Slipping his phone away, he swallowed thickly, trying to decide just whether he wanted to chase after him and find out why he was heading home already or whether he wanted to sit in this awkward moment with her. He knew his slip up probably damaged things further, and she had no reason to want to spend any time with him now. He was not the man she'd thought she knew, and he'd never expected her to accept what he'd done right off the bat.

His decision was made. He had to do what duty asked of him. He needed to be with Larsa and ensure his safety now he was returning home. "Larsa is to leave; I must return to his side." Putting away his phone, Gabranth looked at the blonde woman beside him, his heart aching at how he'd truly destroyed what friendship they'd had between them. He hadn't wanted this to happen. He just needed to be honest for once in his life. Perhaps honesty wasn't always such a wonderful thing as many seemed to believe.

Shifting to his feet, Noah sighed gently, his gaze cast down towards where she sat. "Take what time you need to decide what you wish," he murmured, turning to lean down, gently holding her chin as he kissed her softly on the lips. It was inappropriate, it was badly timed, it was probably the worst thing he could do, but what else did he have left to lose? As he pulled away, his gaze fell to her lips. "My apologies," he whispered, before turning away and retreating inside to find Larsa.

It was time to go home, and he could lament his own sorry situation when he was alone.

[herownhero.livejournal.com]

Quistis was secretly glad that Noah's Sky Phone rang when it had. The shrill noise of the ring tone sliced through the thick tension between them, and as he moved to check the contents of the message, her gaze drifted once again, looking anywhere but at him. His worried tone caught the attention of her ears though, and she glanced up to Noah, concern apparent in her eyes. Was Larsa alright?

"Of course." Quistis murmured, her head dipping into a small nod to acknowledge his words. Her eyes shifted tot he ground, and she watched his feet as Gabranth made to stand from his position on the railing. Her mind was still hazy with her conflicting thoughts, and she couldn't help but feel that maybe with his absence, she could properly sort through her feelings. Having expected him to simply retreat into the crowded ball room and make his way for the entrance as soon as he could, Quistis was taken completely by surprise when his fingers lifted her chin and he closed the distance between them to press his lips gently against hers.

He had just kissed her.

It was quick and chaste, and even she could feel the touch of sadness behind the gesture as there was a lingering sense of finality in the act. Quistis barely heard the whispered apology he left in her ear, and she watched in silence as he walked away, her eyes locked on his retreating form until he had been swallowed by the sea of guests, the crowd too thick for her to distinguish him apart.

A shaky breath escaping her lips, Quistis lifted a hand, her fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as she clenched her eyes shut. What just happened? Of all times to do that, why did he have to choose now? She was already conflicted enough-- the kiss only added another layer of complexity to the situation. Sighing, she opened her eyes, her body shifting as she gazed at the view provided by the balcony, though she could hardly appreciate the scene. No, her mind was far too distracted.

Alone on the balcony now, Quistis sat in isolation, feeling more confused than ever.