P I P E R YOUNG
if they think you care,
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzthey'll walk all over you.
xx
After their mission (which, while it was deemed a success, Piper wished it had gone better), there was just the matter of waiting for the next meeting. The information led them all to a masquerade ball; honestly, attending a ball of any kind felt a bit like a childhood dream come true, but this would be a job, and there would be no prince charming to sweep Piper off her feet. Instead, she would be there with BludWynd, and she didnât know much about him.
They were really just meant to be backup; hold back, look out for trouble, neutralize it (peacefully, if possible) if you see any. It made sense to put Piper in this group, and she didnât mind taking a more passive role at all. Running for her life and fighting enemies were not her ideas of a nice evening. But Piper had decided that if she was going to a ball, she was going to look stunning. She spent plenty of time âshoppingâ around for her dress and mask, until she was happy with her choice.
Getting ready for the ball was massively simplified by the fact that she didnât need to wear much makeup, just a little around her eyes. Sheâd hidden a communicator in her mask, made sure her ear piece wasnât too obvious, and she was ready to go.
She gave them her fake name at the door: Clementine Antoinnette Abernathy. It was a bit of a mouthful, but at least she didnât have to contend with anything particularly ridiculous or obnoxious. She could thank Malfyre for that, at least.
The venue was beautiful, elegantly decorated, the music was lovely. Piper felt a bit of envy bubble up within her. The fact that people lived like this, threw these parties and plotted to kill people like her, all while sheâd grown up with barely enough to survive, it made her a little angry. They couldnât see that they were likely contributing to the conditions that made people with powers turn to crime, or at the very least, they werenât doing anything to lessen the spread. Perhaps she was just trying to legitimize the things that sheâd done, but she really felt like the people in that room (at least, the ones whose names werenât added to the list by a particularly skilled hacker) were really blind to the real issues of their city. Piper may not have grown up in Barden, but she had grown up close enough.
Piper met up with BludWynd by the edge of the room. It had taken a little work to find a spot where they could keep an eye on most of the area, but when they did, they locked it down. Piper didnât have a whole lot to say, and most of his attempts at conversation were met with one or two word responses. She wasnât here to make friends, least of all with a hero, no matter how well he cleaned up. She managed to spot Red Witch through the crowd, there with Icarus. If she didnât know better, even she could have been fooled by them. They made quite the couple. Piper returned Red Witchâs wave with one of her own, lifting her hand and wiggling her fingers. She would have smiled, but no one could see it, anyway, so she didnât see the point. Then she crossed her arms and looked around, trying to remember the gist of who and where everyone was. Piper was fairly sure the different groups would be fine on their own, but she couldnât reasonably relax until she knew everyone had accomplished their goals. Then Red Witch and Icarus started dancing, and Piper couldnât help but wonder how long theyâd practiced that.
She joined in with the applause when theyâd finished. That was some distraction. She knew there was another one due any time, and she leaned over to BludWynd, âMalfyre and Paladin are your friends, right?â She kept her voice low, only he would hear her over the music and the chatter. She rested a hand on his arm, fairly sure it would look like flirting to a casual observer, âDo you know what theyâre planning? Iâd like to keep an eye out for it in case something goes wrong.â It was, perhaps, not the vote of confidence they would want; but between how easy he had been to command, and his track record, Piper wasnât sure Paladin could reasonably pull any sort of mission without there being horrible consequences.
After their mission (which, while it was deemed a success, Piper wished it had gone better), there was just the matter of waiting for the next meeting. The information led them all to a masquerade ball; honestly, attending a ball of any kind felt a bit like a childhood dream come true, but this would be a job, and there would be no prince charming to sweep Piper off her feet. Instead, she would be there with BludWynd, and she didnât know much about him.
They were really just meant to be backup; hold back, look out for trouble, neutralize it (peacefully, if possible) if you see any. It made sense to put Piper in this group, and she didnât mind taking a more passive role at all. Running for her life and fighting enemies were not her ideas of a nice evening. But Piper had decided that if she was going to a ball, she was going to look stunning. She spent plenty of time âshoppingâ around for her dress and mask, until she was happy with her choice.
Getting ready for the ball was massively simplified by the fact that she didnât need to wear much makeup, just a little around her eyes. Sheâd hidden a communicator in her mask, made sure her ear piece wasnât too obvious, and she was ready to go.
She gave them her fake name at the door: Clementine Antoinnette Abernathy. It was a bit of a mouthful, but at least she didnât have to contend with anything particularly ridiculous or obnoxious. She could thank Malfyre for that, at least.
The venue was beautiful, elegantly decorated, the music was lovely. Piper felt a bit of envy bubble up within her. The fact that people lived like this, threw these parties and plotted to kill people like her, all while sheâd grown up with barely enough to survive, it made her a little angry. They couldnât see that they were likely contributing to the conditions that made people with powers turn to crime, or at the very least, they werenât doing anything to lessen the spread. Perhaps she was just trying to legitimize the things that sheâd done, but she really felt like the people in that room (at least, the ones whose names werenât added to the list by a particularly skilled hacker) were really blind to the real issues of their city. Piper may not have grown up in Barden, but she had grown up close enough.
Piper met up with BludWynd by the edge of the room. It had taken a little work to find a spot where they could keep an eye on most of the area, but when they did, they locked it down. Piper didnât have a whole lot to say, and most of his attempts at conversation were met with one or two word responses. She wasnât here to make friends, least of all with a hero, no matter how well he cleaned up. She managed to spot Red Witch through the crowd, there with Icarus. If she didnât know better, even she could have been fooled by them. They made quite the couple. Piper returned Red Witchâs wave with one of her own, lifting her hand and wiggling her fingers. She would have smiled, but no one could see it, anyway, so she didnât see the point. Then she crossed her arms and looked around, trying to remember the gist of who and where everyone was. Piper was fairly sure the different groups would be fine on their own, but she couldnât reasonably relax until she knew everyone had accomplished their goals. Then Red Witch and Icarus started dancing, and Piper couldnât help but wonder how long theyâd practiced that.
She joined in with the applause when theyâd finished. That was some distraction. She knew there was another one due any time, and she leaned over to BludWynd, âMalfyre and Paladin are your friends, right?â She kept her voice low, only he would hear her over the music and the chatter. She rested a hand on his arm, fairly sure it would look like flirting to a casual observer, âDo you know what theyâre planning? Iâd like to keep an eye out for it in case something goes wrong.â It was, perhaps, not the vote of confidence they would want; but between how easy he had been to command, and his track record, Piper wasnât sure Paladin could reasonably pull any sort of mission without there being horrible consequences.