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Another Start
Tweet Topic Started: Jan 20 2009, 05:15 AM (630 Views)
Dorothy Khushrenada Jan 20 2009, 05:15 AM Post #1
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Dorothy Catalonia held her champagne flute, which was still fairly full, as she cast her eyes on the art before her. She was looking at a handful of miniatures at the moment, done back when the things were quite fashionable. They were done over a couple centuries with a number of artists. She felt she could tell which ones had artists who were either very giving or very intimidated by their clients and which ones had artists who were either very accurate or at least had meeker clients. These particular miniatures were made for betrothed couples, in order that they may see each other (or remember each other) before the wedding. It was an art that had become extinct with the invention of what would become the camera and photography. Still, she had a bit of a nostalgia for the pictures, and she wished that she had one of...him.

She tore her eyes off of one couple and moved to look at some of the others. She went to look at the miniatures and portraits of the children of the family. They were a little less painful, and she did not want a reminder. Not at this party. This party....

She was a little unsure as to why she had come. In truth, it had been her cousin. He had come as a representative of the family, and he felt that it would help her. Many of the guests here were the "cream of the crop" and at the height socially or politically; else they were important back in the war ten years. The ball was to commemorate that end of the war ten years ago when Colonel Une surrendered and White Fang failed to destroy the Earth. Dorothy had her suspicions, but for an unknown reason, her name had stayed out of people's ears in connection to the war. No one would have thought to put her name on the invitation list. They did not know of her contribution to the "Eve Wars," nor was she at the top of the social ladder. In fact, she highly doubted anyone remembered her; she was here as her cousin's guest. It was because of him that she was one of the guests to stay at the palace.

Shortly after the war, she had found a man. Well, he had just reached the end of his boyhood. Though she hated those women, she fell for him. He was from a wealthy American family, but they were a rather quiet family, and as she spent more and more time with them, she quietly fell out of society. After a couple of short years, they married in obscurity. It was a happy marriage, but then tragedy had struck. They had not been married for even five years when he left her. She had found it unbearable to stay with his family, so she had returned to hers and took back her maiden name.

She had not yet returned to society, though some part of her craved it more than anything else. Here she was, though. Staying at the palace, she was one of the first guests to arrive, so she had come to the gallery to kill some time. She wore a black dress with red highlights such as on the trim and a black mask with red gems and embellishments. She went as a black widow. Her hair was pulled into a bun with extra hair braided around it.

She heard someone approach her from behind, but she decided against turning to see who it might be. Instead, she forced herself to keep her eyes on the art and to sip the champagne, waiting for her visitor to make the first move.
No, I'm not a crazy beezy. Why do you ask?
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Duo Maxwell Jan 20 2009, 06:26 AM Post #2
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The black widow drew his eye as she stood there physically aching for the arms of another. Predictably, Duo matched her gown to the inseams--he was dressed in a red and black tuxedo with a black mask that pointed into abstract horns. Stones fell on other side of his face, clinking with every movement and hampering his stealth considerably. If anyone asked, he was the Reaper, but really, he wouldn't be caught dead in anything colorful. That much, at least, had not changed in Duo Maxwell's life the last ten years.

Then again, nothing else much changed either. Aside from the first five years spent drowning in whatever sin he could buy (or steal, rather), the last five had been spent as a sweeper, taking jobs his other mates wouldn't dare and killing himself on nearly every mission because it had to be done--and quite honestly, he had nothing better to do. Duo now flew one of the best ships in space (at least, if you asked him), and he was considered one of the best pilots on the world (according to his mates). He was odd, sure, and maybe just a little bit rash (only a little), but Duo loved what he did and he didn't have to answer to anybody.

Except Hilde.

But that doesn't count.

Anyway, all things considered, Duo had managed to adjust to peace by refusing to change even a little. He was still the same git everyone hated ten years ago, except now he had even longer hair, he wore a fashionable beard and mustache combo, and having evolved from gangly youth to six-pack manly man, he was drop dead gorgeous.

And he knew it, mostly.

Except during the times when he didn't (which was usually when he was insecure, which was all the time).

Duo shook his head to clear the thoughts, his braid swishing at his back. A scarlet ribbon was corded all through the length, a sad attempt to steer away from notoriety, though he knew pretty much everyone would figure it out. Through his work in the sweepers, Duo had become fairly well known, and he didn't keep his status during the war a secret. Some not-so-small little boy part of him loved being a name in the history books. Being invited to the masquerade was a great opportunity to be an egotistical jackass, and you couldn't have enough of those if you were Duo. It was nice to be made important. Even if the memories of said war and gundam-pilot-ness sucked to oblivion and he rather wished they would just forget the whole thing ever happened.

Duo approached the black widow, thinking his options. It wasn't like he had anyone better to talk to, and at least this girl looked interesting.

"Hi," he said, the complete opposite of suave. "I'm, uh... actually, can you give your name out in these things? That's not against the rules, is it?"

It couldn't be more obvious Duo did not belong here. He missed his ship already.
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Dorothy Khushrenada Jan 20 2009, 05:15 PM Post #3
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Dorothy turned as the man spoke to her. The voice sounded familiar, but it took awhile for her brain to locate the file that identified the voice. In the meantime, she turned to face him. His appearance gave her a slight shock, but she was happy to find that she was able to keep her eyes and face from betraying her surprise. His appearance was not quite what she expected, and she decided that he must have been connected to the war. It made sense that he were, for it would explain why she could not identify the voice right offhand.

"I don't believe there are a set of rules, but perhaps the president's wife has decided to have her own. From what I gather, most people end up divulging the secret of their identity—especially to those they are attracted. However, I think it would be more...shall we say, exciting? if we keep things anonymous...for now. We can try to guess who each other and who other people are."

She took another sip and surveyed the man. "You were connected to the war, and you were not part of OZ." She gave him a small smile. "What is your costume? You look rather devilish." She suddenly wished she had worn gloves, but she had not been able to get her custom gloves, which would be thin and breathable, made in time, so she had gone without any. "Not the sort I would expect to meet here."

She hoped he would not be able to recognize her. In fact, she rather hoped no one would be able to decide who she was. It was not that she wished to shrink into oblivion and to be forgotten. Rather, she wanted to see what she could learn and hear from people when they did not realize she was Dorothy Catalonia. She knew many people changed their demeanor around her, and she was curious as to what they said when they thought she could not hear. Perhaps she could even somehow find a way to learn their opinion on her (if they still remembered her).

"Have you come to the gallery for refuge as well?"
No, I'm not a crazy beezy. Why do you ask?
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Duo Maxwell Jan 20 2009, 07:37 PM Post #4
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He noticed her shock at his appearance, though he did hope it was a good sign. He never really did get the hang of this high-price social life... and soon as he crossed through these doors, every face judging his movements, he couldn't help but recall the horrors of his youth. There was a reason Duo never finished high school.

But this was fine. If she wanted him to guess her identity, he would try his damnedest. She sounded vaguely familiar, anyway--something about the rich lilt to her voice. She spoke like a woman who could hold her own on a battlefield. The costume fit her well.

"You were connected to the war, and you were not part of OZ.... What is your costume? You look rather devilish."

He smirked, and put a hand on his hip, attitude coming to the fore. It was just as much a mask as everything else in Duo's life, but at least this one was comfortable, and he wore it very well.

"You could say that." He wondered vaguely just what would be giving too much away. It wasn't like it'd be hard to guess--he had one of those faces. But this girl, damned if he knew her at all. With those sharp eyes and that forked tongue, she could be any number of associations--probably OZ, though, what with the mention.

Still, something about her was a vague tingle at the base of his spine. He felt that, in spite of appearances, she was not a woman to be taken lightly, It gave him the first spark of real excitement he'd felt since coming here.

"Not the sort I would expect to meet here."

Interesting. Well, at least he knew he still stood out painfully in a crowd--check.

"Have you come to the gallery for refuge as well?"

"Yeah. Sad to say, I'm fairly simple. The idea of playing dress-up was amusing, at first, but I feel like I'm in a foreign land and I don't know the language. Do you feel the same?" He sighed, and glanced art work. If only life were simple as he'd lead himself to believe. "Sometimes, I wish I'd never been part of the thing. Because events like this? It seems ignorant, by comparison. That war was ugly, and it was nothing to celebrate."
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Dorothy Khushrenada Jan 20 2009, 11:00 PM Post #5
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She was happy that her infamous eyebrows were safely hidden behind the mask. Should anyone see those, she would be found. Luckily, her eyebrows wore a mask as well. Perhaps she should have dyed her hair and plucked the brows. Oh well, too late now. She twisted the flute in her hands as if she were nervous.

"...but I feel like I'm in a foreign land and I don't know the language. Do you feel the same?"

Did she? No. She was a little rusty, but the world had been pored into her since her birth. It was rather like being on a bicycle after being off so many years. One may be wobbly, but it came back to one quickly. She thought it might be amusing, though, to pretend as if it were a different language. How different things would be for her if it were? And how would anyone guess who she was?

"It's rather strange. People say one thing and mean ten others. How do you know which is which?" She gave him a smile. "Heroes should always be celebrated, though. Even in the gravest of circumstances—perhaps especially in the gravest of circumstances. Were you a hero?"
No, I'm not a crazy beezy. Why do you ask?
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Hilde Schbeiker Jan 20 2009, 11:17 PM Post #6
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Hilde smirked as she walked up to the two talking; she knew the man behind the mask, as she had seen him putting it on before he got here, though he didn't know it. Her own mask was a silver full face mask, complete with delicate filigree and curls of metal she had made herself.

In an attempt to confuse Duo, she put a little sway in her hips and said in an accent she'd heard on old vids from the Old American South, "Howdy, y'all. What's some purty folks like you doin' way over here?"

She looked at the other woman's dress an was jealous that she could look so good in it; her own was mediocre, a simple, toga-like gunmetal-silver dress that made her feel like she was an alien influenced by the ancient Greeks.
"I'm sure I can provide more entertainment than a window cleaner. It might even be better than watching pigeons."
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Duo Maxwell Jan 21 2009, 12:25 AM Post #7
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Was he a hero? That was a good question, one that Duo, ironically, did not bother to think of often. After his little spree into lie, cheat & steal, he'd joined the sweepers in effort to pretend that he had a place in the world. Because heroes didn't have a place--they withered and died after the fighting was over. (And there, as you have it, the infamous Maxwell Pessimism. What RP would be complete without it?)

By contrast, Duo shrugged the question off as if it had no serious connotations whatsoever. "I wouldn't know," he said, lightly. "Certainly a lot of ghosts out there who'd love to--"

He was interrupted by Hilde some lady entering the conversation with a rather bad southern accent. Duo smirked at the sway of her hips and took a moment to admire her costume. It was Hilde, alright.

"Howdy thar, lady! Can't say, really, 'cept a mighty fine girl like yourself should be seen with a date or two. Ya mind of I hold your hand all sweet like?"

Duo took Hilde's the lady's hand, and kissed it affectionately. He turned back to Dorothy. His accent went proper again. "My apologies! Another beautiful lady to cherish on this fine eve! Shall I kiss your hand, as well?" He swooped dramatically, and kissed Dorothy's knuckles.

And, like clockwork, back to the bad southern, "Now ya'll can't say a man never noticed your beauty. Such a lucky boy, I am."
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Hilde Schbeiker Jan 21 2009, 12:40 AM Post #8
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Hilde frowned under her mask; it seemed her accent hadn't fooled the fool. Oh, well. "Gracious, yer a naughty child! You should be...spanked."

She turned to the other woman, unsure of whom she addressed, but treating her with comraderie just the same. "He always does this, you know - sweeps a little lady off'n her tush, and then whistles his way off to work with nary a glance back..."

She slipped a hand into a fold of her dress not visible from Duo's side and pulled out the toy she kept with her at all times, keeping it hidden until the right moment presented itself.
"I'm sure I can provide more entertainment than a window cleaner. It might even be better than watching pigeons."
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Dorothy Khushrenada Jan 21 2009, 01:25 AM Post #9
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Dorothy acknowledged the addition with a simple nod. She was certain that she did not know this Southern Greek Goddess. Nothing in her manners, voice, or appearance told Dorothy that the other woman had ever met her. The woman seemed to know this mysterious Devil Man, though. Dorothy wondered how long they had known each other. If she knew the Devil Man and he had known the Southern Greek Goddess for over a decade, did they ever meet? Did the other woman remember? No, of course not. No one knew who she was.

"You two are such a happy couple," she murmured.

"Gracious, yer a naughty child! You should be...spanked."

She raised an eyebrow, but thankfully the mask still hid it. Certainly she had heard such talk before (and worse) at an even such as this, but for some reason, there seemed something different this time. Perhaps it was that the woman was able to joke around without being sauced.

"He always does this, you know - sweeps a little lady off'n her tush, and then whistles his way off to work with nary a glance back..."

"Our man here is a heartbreaker then? What work would he be whistling off to?"
No, I'm not a crazy beezy. Why do you ask?
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Duo Maxwell Jan 21 2009, 01:39 AM Post #10
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Hilde was up to something. Duo knew that look, and she probably wasn't joking about a spanking, either. Doh!

"Our man here is a heartbreaker then? What work would he be whistling off to?"

"Oh she's just mad because I ditched my last job to come here. It's not my fault I was invited, fair and square! As I should be, seeing how important I am and all that." Duo gave a huffy nod and brushed his lapel importantly, as if the very lint on his clothes offended him. If only they knew how hard he had to scrub to get all that darn engine grease off!

"But I'm no heartbreaker, miss." Err. "Well... that is to say, I don't mean to be. Haven't broken a lot of hearts lately, though. Miss High And Mighty wouldn't hear of it." Duo lightly patted Hilde on the head, knowing he was going to pay dearly for that later. "She's my boss. I'm an... err..." Aw, heck. The woman was going to figure it out eventually. "I'm a Sweeper."

He carefully judged her reaction. He still couldn't place who this woman was, but whoever she really was, he wasn't fooled by her casual demeanor for an instant. If only he'd see her face... Duo never forgot a face. Voices, maybe, and names on occasion, but faces were the photographs of life. For now, he only had clues to go on--high society, possible OZ relation, and gorgeous blonde hair. It was like a name stuck on the tip of his tongue, and it bothered the hell out of him.
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