Richard Barton's Story

ORP: No! Not those creepie clowns! Those things gave me NIGHTMARES! 0,o

RP: Juliana pondered that thought, then another one came to her. "I'm not too sure about this, but... usually in stories and movies, aren't people who have something in common taken? Like social misfits, criminals, people with the same dirty secret, unknown relatives, the like." *Well, I certainly fit into the first category...*
*No dur.*
*Shut up,* was her response to the sarcastically annoying voice. *You aren't wanted at the moment.*
"Wait, did you say a resemblance of the personality?" Once more, the red-head took off her mask, looking at the small, plain black thing. The one rose looked so lonely... yet the sparkles complimented it nicely, making the whole thing come together in an odd way. "Well, that certainly makes me quite the plain person, doesn't it?" She joked, placing it back on her face.
An idea hit her about the first thing she had said, bouncing back to the real issue in front of them. "They can't be!" She exclaimed, an excited smile on her pale face, and she clapped once in accomplishment. "If we were all taken from our homes, then this would be a mass panic, not a masquerade! I have an idea of how to figure more out before we go searching on our own, too. It won't be as threatening, either. Though maybe not as fun... I'm not much of a dancer..." Her excitement ebbed away, going to depression at the last sentence. "Maybe that wouldn't work, then..."

Juliana took a mental note at Richard's flush when she mentioned the whole common because of criminal thing. *Who is this man?* She wondered for the first time, surprised at how much she had let her guard down in her presence. Something she had been taught to never do around anyone. *And why do I feel safe around him? He's still pretty much a stranger to me...*
Going back to the question, she snapped herself out of her little 'moment'. "I was planning on dancing with the people who seem as if they... belong. The ones who seem more like they're in their natural habitat. I'm sure the ones like us, who've been taken, are going to have a different... 'aura', I guess you'd call it. They'd be the more shy, reserved people, probably away from the crowd. If one, or both, of us can get... er... *cozy* enough with one of these locals, we may be able to find out more about this entire scheme. And if not, no worries, there's still this entire place to explore." She scanned the crowd for the perfect example and spotted a man she found quite attractive. He was rather tall, probably around 6'1", dark brown hair, and a light tan. His mask covered nearly his entire face in black, and had intricate designs weaved into it, mainly in colors of orange and red. One weaving seemed to look suspiciously like an instrument, and Juliana thought for a moment it was a bass. "Like him." She hoped her face wasn't as bright as the warmth in her cheeks was suggesting. "He seems as if he's in his natural environment, like he does this all the time. Someone from our own world wouldn't have that much confidence or naturalness to them, since masquerades are nearly non-existant now."
*You want to dance with him, don't you?*
*Shut up. I know I want to. He's... really, really hot.*
*Someone's hormones are getting out of control.*
*I said shut *up*. I do *not* need this right now.*
Her cheeks felt a bit warmer, and she silently cursed the mysterious master for not giving her a larger mask, since the one she currently had only covered to her cheekbones, leaving the rest exposed, freckles and all. "Even though he isn't dancing," she added, just now noticing he was off to the side, watching the dancers instead of being one of them himself.

Juliana managed to pull herself back to the way she was before, fighting a split in her mind. And fighting against the voices that were threatening to comment. For once, she managed to suppress them all, but her will was stronger than usual, too. "Oh, wait... how do we tell the other when we've found out something? It'd be odd if we questioned, then went off on our merry way..." There was a slight impatience in her, the part that really wanted to dance with the mystery man before he found another to dance with. "I guess we'll just figure that out on our own. Good luck with your search, Richard." And with a small curtsy, the red head made her way to quiet man leaning against a wall.
She curtsied as she came up to him, fighting her extreme nerves at not only initiating a conversation, but with a *man* no less. "G-good evening..."
He smirks a little, obviously finding her nervousness amusing. "Good evening to you, too. What brings you to my quiet little corner?" For a second, she manages to glimpse his eyes in light. They're mainly green, but get a hazel hue around the pupils.
"W-Well..." *Should've thought this through!* She chastised herself, annoyed at her stupidity. "I thought you may be a bit lonely. It *is* a ball, after all..."
He chuckled quietly and gave a slight nod of the head. "You thought wrong, though. I'd rather stand and watch."
*And leave it to me to pick out the most difficult!* "W-Well... would you mind one dance with me? But I warn you, I'm not too good..."
He chuckled once more and shook his head. "You're rather backwards." He takes a step back, and for a second, Juliana worries she's lost him. But then he bows, and holds out a hand. "Good evening, I am Vaughn. Would you care to dance?"
Though she tried fighting it, Juliana couldn't stop the blush from creeping onto her cheeks, contrasting sharply against her pale face and black mask. Since she couldn't manage a word, she just takes his arm, and he gently pulls her close. The two begin to waltz, and she's surprised that she isn't stepping on his feet. "I-I'm just warning you now, I'm not very good..."
Once more, then man chuckles. "You're doing perfectly fine. Just follow my lead."
He twirls her a little, and she finds herself closer to him. "I'm Juliana..." she mutters, just now realizing she hadn't introduced herself.
*Smooth move.*
*Shut it.*
"D-Do you play...?" He gives her a questioning look, and she feels her blush spread. "Th-the double bass. It's on your mask, so I was wondering if you play."
"Ah! So you know what it is!" He exclaims, smiling widely, his green eyes shimmering. "In fact, I do. I had originally been asked to come and play, but as soon as I arrived I was told that I was no longer needed. So I was given a mask and told to enjoy myself."
Another twirl, and the two are a little closer. "But isn't that rather rude of them? To ask you to come and play for the ball, but instead telling you that your talents are unnecessary?"
"I suppose, but... I'm glad they did." He gives her a small smile, and again, she feels the blush spread a little. "Your eyes... are they naturally purple?"
"A-Ah... yes. I was born with them..." *Since this man is obviously from this world, and contacts are probably unheard of. Boy, am I glad I know there actually *are* naturally purple-eyed people.* Then her mind strayed to a song she heard when she was younger that had something to do with a purple people eater... She brought herself back, knowing she'd have to pay more attention now.
He watches her a bit, and she begins to feel uncomfortable. She'd kept her mind occupied with the mission, but now that it had gotten to this... "You were called to play? By whom?"
It's his turn to feel uncomfortable, and Juliana can tell. His dancing becomes a bit more tense, and his moves don't feel as fluid. "I don't know much... the Master of this dance had requested me to play. He hadn't said anything else."
Knowing that she wouldn't be able to get much more out of the mystery man without having to explain herself, Juliana dropped that route and went back to the drawing board.
The duo dance for a little more, before Juliana finds that he has led them to the garden door. Vaughn separates from her and holds the door, bending slightly. "Would you like to enjoy the garden with me?" He asks with a small, polite smile.
Juliana smiles in response and surveys the dance hall quickly and inconspicuously, hoping Richard would see her leave in case he found something important. And, she needed to know where he was.

ORP: And, the writer needed a reason to stop writing. XDDD