Charity Ball ¦ Optional Masquerade

[Alexx Keyson]

Alexx's Outfit: [ 3.bp.blogspot.com/-cBZcwrHCI1E/T_PnrAXeSnI/AAAAAAAAbpg/nu44uJpY8-8/s320/Masquerade+Ball+Dresses+(2).png ]

Alexx wasn't one for fancy gatherings of any type. She found most of the company at such events to be dry, void of any form of communication that would be interesting, or at the least, worthwhile to listen to. Her aunt had sent her to many an occasion where she was not necessarily wanted. They ended up being nothing but boring get togethers where ederly people discussed politics or waves around wads of cash and pretended that they were meaningful in society just because they constantly gave away money. Alexx was brought up to know the value of a dollar; she rarely had money, and saw so many people throw it away to benefit useless projects like erecting a new town statue or building a better fountain by the welcome signs. What was the point?

When she heard of the charity ball, she was not very interested. sure she would donate a few dollars here and there, as much as she could, really - but she didn't want to have to suffer through a charity night just to prove that she had "sacrificed" her well earned money to help people. It was like bragging to people that she could afford to give away money to those who needed it. What was the point of showing off like that?

However, her aunt insisted that because it was so close to the college that it would be much more fun and she found herself being pushed to go. She expected there would he elderly people but was much surprised when she entered the park to see kids her age. Her own donation hadn't been a large one, only about twenty dollars every month or so, but she was invited none the less. Her aunt had loaned her a purple ball gown, two layered with intricate details in the trimming. There was even a matching white mask with purple sequins along the border, and small (probably fake) lavender crystals. It was beautiful and made her look like she had always pictured herself. the dress was so long that you couldn't see her overly skinny legs, and the top was cut just right to push her cleavage upwards. When she put it on, she looked like a different person, practically.

Walking towards the ball area, she noticed that it was quaint. there was a welcome table with brochures and donation boxes, but that was it. Anyone could get in, really. All the decoration was were bright lights strung around a large white gazebo, which was supposed to be the dance floor. there were tables and chairs, like a banquet, set to the side of the gazebo, which was the main attraction. Walking carefully on newly purchased high heels, Alexx was obviously uncomfortable. she was already blushing, since she knew not a single person there. She took a ringlet of hair and wrapped it around her finger, still warm from when she had curled it. The place was beautiful, the setting Sun giving an amazing view of the park and such - it was just that Alexx felt she didn't belong.

[Phoenix Green]

( www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=88475868 )

“But you promised,” her little brother whined. She didn’t even know what stupid charity he was spending his money to donate to, and it wasn’t her problem. Instead he was making her go to this stupid ball because she had promised months ago. She couldn’t even remember that, so she must have been too tired to not remember it, or she just said it so he would stop bugging her. She really thought he was too nice for his own good, donating to charity and what not.

She sighed and set her keys down on the kitchen counter. She really didn’t feel like hanging out with a whole bunch of rich people tonight but since she had promised her little brother so that he wouldn’t be alone with a bunch of rich people she rolled her eyes . “I don’t even remember saying that,” she said with a sigh. “and I don’t have a dress,” that was a good excuse. She didn’t even own a dress, so she couldn’t really go to an event like that without a dress.

“Call Jessica,” he shrugged. Phoenix moaned. She didn’t want to call her stupid older brother’s finance, she didn’t even like her that much to be honest, but she did it anyway, since they knew that was the only person that would help considering Phoenix didn’t have that many girlfriends. Soon enough she was in their apartment with a bunch of makeup and a dress. She had been hoping for a floor length dress, but since she was being dragged to this thing she didn’t really have a choice. So she sat stubbornly as a shit ton of makeup was put on her face.

“Stop blinking,”

“How am I supposed to stop blinking when you’re shoving something in my eyeball?” eventually though when her face was caked with makeup. She looked different, it wasn’t that she never wore makeup, because she did, a little eyeliner here and there and some foundation, but she didn’t regularly wear this much, or care if it matched her outfit.

She walked into the living room with her outfit complete and did a little spin.

“Uh no you are not wearing those shoes, and take that mask off I did not just spend an eternity trying to get you to stop blinking so you could cover your face.” Phoenix took off the mask, but decided she would just put it back on once she got to the ball. She was not giving up her converse however, because she didn’t even own a pair of heels, and she wasn’t about to break her ankle for something she didn’t even want to go to.

“I don’t even want to go to this the least you can do is let me wear my shoes.” With that Jessica scoffed. “be careful with that dress it was my prom dress, and take pictures Jai wants to see that magic I worked on his baby sister,” she said before she left. Phoenix sighed. She was ready to get this over with. She wasn’t going to take pictures with her baby brother either. She didn’t care if her older brother wanted to see. Needless to say she was probably not going to have fun at the party. Then again there might be free alcohol.

(http://www.polyvore.com/blahh/set?id=88477429 )

Ollie on the other hand was actually excited to do something social for once, and since his older sister had promised that one time he was dragging her with her so that he wouldn’t be alone. You could definitely tell they were related by their choice of footwear. Part of him wished she wouldn’t wear those, but another part said he couldn’t make fun of her or be embarrassed because he did the same.

When he got there he was surprised to see a few people his own age, that was always a good sign. His contribution hadn’t been much, but he thought it was good to donate even if you couldn’t contribute much. He looked around and didn’t really recognize people that could have been because half of them were wearing masks. That was when he noticed Alexx. He knew her from work, and how could he not recognize her hair?

“Hey I know you,” he said. He wasn’t really smart with his choice of words, but at least he was talking to someone and not sitting in his room all afternoon. That was progress right?

“That’s a nice dress,” Phoenix said to her friend when she finally caught up to Ollie who had spotted her from across the room. At first she hadn’t even been sure who he was chasing after, but when she got up close she sort of recognized the girl.

[Julian Hastings]

Not only did he himself donate to this particular charity, but Julian's parents also sponsored them as well. For this very reason, he was almost expected to show up. Family friends and such would be there to greet him and he would be representing his parents even though they were on the opposite side of the country. It was a complicated process, really, but Julian had already accepted this as he fastened the black bow tie around his neck. Call it overdressing, but he decided to wear a tuxedo instead of a simple suit for the occasion.

Although he was considered 'V.I.P.' because he and his family were considered one of the top donors to the cause, Julian didn't agree with their system. A middle-class woman could give half of her paycheck every month and it would have more value than a billionaire donating ten percent of his income, at least in his opinion. Regardless, that wasn't the way the world worked and so the name "Hastings" was mentioned constantly, reminding everyone of how rich they were. All Julian could do was smile politely and give a small wave to the unwanted attention as everyone would turn their heads to look at him.

Taking a deep breath, he entered the event and quickly passed through the unfamiliar faces saying, "Hello, good evening, how are you, thank you, it's nice to see you as well." Finally, Julian was able to get away from the people who really didn't know anything about him but his last name by standing by the refreshment table. Eyes peering over the rim of his cup, he spotted a very familiar face. It was the girl from the last charity ball. He didn't get a chance to catch her name, but she was so down to earth and easy to talk to.

"Where have you been?" he asked with a smile, moving to stand right beside Alexx without actually looking at her. "You're like Cinderella. I don't see you anywhere but here," he said, turning to face her. Even with the mask, she was as pretty as Julian remembered. He could definitely recognize that face anywhere.

[Sydney Clark]

_{Forty days and counting
I'm going to sleep
When I wake up there will be
Thirty nine more days left}

It wasn’t a secret that Sydney wasn’t much of a “girly girl”. Hell, she owned more athletic clothing than anything else. Getting prettied up took too much effort, and who was she trying to impress. She told herself that if someone fell for her it would be for the real her. She didn’t like to hide behind products to enhance things. The most effort she would put into getting ready was maybe a braid in her hair. Having naturally straight hair was nice. After a shower, she could simply do a brush over and she was good to go. It wasn’t like she didn’t want someone to find her pretty, it was just that she accepted her looks and herself as she was.

A benefit ball wasn’t something Sydney would normally attend. When Ollie had told her about it she simply laughed at the idea. She was in college, surely this had to be some kind of joke. When she told her mom how she wasn’t going, Katrina had heard it over the phone and verbally attacked her. Katrina had attended every ball since she’d been to Landcaster and the Clark family donated every year. Sydney wasn’t given a choice whether or not she was going to attend. She brushed it off though and would lie about the whole event. However, when a strongly worded letter and overnight package arrived for her from her sister, she didn’t have a choice.

Inside the package were various dresses, shoes, clutches, and jewelry all in her size. Sydney had rolled her eyes at how much work her sister had gone through. It was true that she didn’t own a single fancy dress, or at least she hadn’t brought it with her to school. There were about five dresses, all varying in degree and color. Sydney was stuck between a black lace dress or a soft pink. She glanced at the full length mirror behind her door and examined her body. She hadn’t been graced with amazing boobs or a rocking ass. Instead she had lean muscles. She poked at her nonexistent chest before turning back to her dresses.

Sydney decided she’d get people to focus on other things besides the ones she was lacking. She chose the soft pink knowing it would enhance her tan as well as show off her beautiful toned legs. Sure, she would love to have a nice rack, but she had to work with what she had. She almost thought about going to the ball with her hair in a ponytail, but decided against it. Instead she took the time to curl it with a simple waterfall braid. Rummaging through the packed jewelry, she grabbed at some items that seemed to match. She didn’t like heavy makeup, so she went with something light that would enhance the blue tones. Finally she slipped into some heels and grabbed her clutch.

She tried not to look awkward as she walked into the ball alone. Was she supposed to have brought a date? It didn’t matter now as the room was brightly lit. She wondered if she looked out of place in such a fancy environment. It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to money, it just she wasn’t used to haveing to pretend she exploited it. She was perfectly fine with her average costing Nike gear. A pair of cleats didn’t cost thousands of dollars. She glanced about trying to pick out familiar faces. She almost gave up until she spotted Ollie. She made her way toward him through the slight crowd. “Ollie!” she wrapped one arm around his neck pulling him toward her slightly in her signature greeting with him. She was normally two inches taller than him, and with the help of her heels she was looking down at him. “G'day, mate!” she greeted him with a smile on her face,” Ow-yar-goin?” She had yet to let go of her Aussie slang, and talking to Ollie was no exception. Besides, she talked to him enough for him to start picking up on what she was talking about.




Muse: Noice
Music: Lights- Siberia
Outfit: Click here
OCC: n/a

[Jeremiah Russel]

A charity ball really wasn't Jeremiah's 'thing' but he knew that you only have a few chances in life to impress the girl of your dreams and this was apparently his.... Or at least he honestly hoped that it would be his chance. He'd heard from a couple of different people that Kelvin was hitting on his precious Stacy boo bear. Okay, he had admittedly only heard about it from one person and that one person just so happened to be his sister Cici who lived with Stacy so he felt like she counted as more than one. How could she not? She'd never misled him like that! She was only telling him so he could get back on his impressing game! "Are you sure that this is such a good idea, Cici? I mean I feel like I look like a loser in this damn suit." He had been complaining about the tuxedo that she forced him into for the past ten minutes. He knew that wearing this was definitely the best way to get someone to love him but he just felt so freaking constricted in this thing! Why did balls have to be formal events? What would be so wrong with someone going in comfortable jeans and a t-shirt?

"I know that you don't like wearing suits but don't you want to impress your date?" Cassidy had been teasing him about his crush since the very first day that he heard about it all those years ago. "I do want to impress her but I just feel like she's going to take one look at me and know that I'm only doing this to impress her. I'm just not a fancy guy!" He reached to remove his tie but was immediately taken aback as he felt his sister's hand slap his gently but firmly enough that he knew a second attempt would be unwise. "I know that this isn't your style and Stacy will know that too but the this isn't about what you normally wear.. Do you typically wear a mask around too? I don't know what you do in your spare time but I definitely don't go around dressed like this but I'm doing it tonight because I want to impress Jack." He raised a brow at her mention of her male stripper friend - was she seriously taking someone who called themselves 'Firecock'? That just sounded like the result of an untreated sexually transmitted disease.

He chose not to comment on that little issue for the time being. She knew how he felt about the boys that she'd been hanging around with recently like really Benny, Kelvin and now Jack fucking Firecock? It was like she was trying to find everyone who would piss their parents off and flirt with them. He believed her when she swore that she wasn't looking to just get laid from these men simply because he knew how determined that she was to not end up like their mother used to be or even like she'd ended up being as a young mother. It seemed like all of them were avoiding that very thing. It wasn't like they didn't have lovely parents but having children at a young age just seemed like a bad idea for most people. Things don't always end up like they did for Jonathan and Esme or Aubrey and Caroline.

"I just... I guess that I don't want to look like an idiot." He couldn't even begin to explain the fear in his heart that the girl of his dreams since the eighth grade was going to take one look at him and decide to cut ties off once more just like she did all those years ago right as he found himself falling head first for the queen. Cassidy's voice was gentle as she placed a supportive hand over her brother's shoulder, "That girl would be a damn fool to not see how much that you are care her and how genuine that your love for her is and Stacy Daniels is a lot of things but a fool is not one of them." She couldn't promise that she'd fall in love with him but something about her kind words made Jeremiah feel like he actually had a chance. "Come on... We don't want to be late." Or rather, he didn't want to have a very emotional sappy moment with his sister before an important charity ball.

What charity was this even helping? Was he supposed to know that or did it really not matter? What if someone decided to ask him? Could he just lie and say it was to support narwhal research funds? He considered asking his sister on the drive there but he actually kind of liked the idea of this whole thing benefiting narwhals so he decided to just go along with that. "Have fun at the ball, Cinderella... Don't lose a glass slipper!" He had been making little Cinderella jokes during the entire car ride so he knew that it was probably best if he moved away from her and it wasn't long before he found his way to the food area... Yummy delicious things always seemed to attract him and if Stacy was really coming then she'd likely know that she could find him here.

[Cassidy Russel]

{ www.polyvore.com/cici/set?id=88602619 }

Cassidy had been honestly unsure about even attending this whole thing until she came to the conclusion that she needed to just get it over with and get over her ex-boyfriend. She'd broken things off with him because she wanted to date around and not end up like those bitter divorced forty year olds on Manhattan Royalty who felt like they had wasted their youth on one man so they turned to plastic surgery and sugar daddies. She definitely wanted some sort of commitment and stability at someone point in the near (or distant) future but there was plenty of time for that! She was only twenty-one and that just seemed really young to even think about who she was going to marry one day and possibly have children with hence her choice to invite Jack to the charity ball as opposed to someone who would want a relationship with her. Jeremiah and Elizabeth had already both shared their concerns about the whole situation which she obviously respected but she wasn't planning on letting them dictate her life. If this was as big as a mistake as they believed it to be then it was her right to make that mistake.. Maybe it wouldn't be such a big thing like her slowly decreasing the number of calories that she allowed herself to have in one day.

She'd actually expected to lose control but she was feeling so good about herself right now like she could walk on water if she tried and this dress was just a little loose on her right now. It'd been a tiny bit snug when she first purchased it which was why she was so reluctant to wear it and why she was insisting on wearing it to a charity ball.. The word 'ball' definitely implied that it was just a tad bit more formal than her skimpy little sequin cocktail dress was made to handle. It wasn't like she could possibly get kicked out of this whole thing - her mother and aunts were top donate-rs and she knew that it would be just plain dumb for them to piss her off and risk losing that funding. Damn she was sounding conceited as hell lately, wasn't she? It wasn't like they couldn't kick her out for her likely inappropriate dress but she highly doubted that they would. Jeremiah had just sort of shrugged off her concerns which was understandable - he was a straight man, what did she expect him to know about fashion or these kind of etiquette rules? He didn't even have the knowledge of putting your napkin on your lap or not placing elbows on the table.

Part of her had been hoping that Jeremiah wouldn't immediately dash off on his merry little way so she wouldn't have to walk up alone but apparently he had more important plans than keeping her company... Probably involving food. She honestly wasn't hungry (to be fair, she wouldn't eat even if she was) so she decided to just hanging out under the gazebo which she assumed was acting as a dance floor and hope for the best meaning that Jack would show up and she could give him a Cinderella night minus maybe losing the shoe and a pumpkin turning into a carriage even if that sounded quite lovely now that she thought about it. She often denied it and well it was true that she wasn't looking for her prince charming, she was still a sucker for Disney fairy tales.How could she not be? She'd grown up hearing Cinderella and The Little Mermaid along with her favorite love story of all time - her mother and father's. Being a hopeless romantic was just one of the small drawbacks for her upbringing.

If Jack made the choice not to attend this whole thing then she supposed that she could always ask Kelvin or Benny if they would do her the favor of just dancing with her once... All that she really wanted to do was have one romantic dance under this gazebo with a masked prince. She could already picture the soft music playing in the background, her hair blowing gently in the breeze and the glow of the lights would make her date just look even more perfect than usual.. Was that so much to ask for? Okay it was actually quite a lot to ask for but she'd never ask for anything ever again!

Or at least not again this week.

[Alexx Keyson]

Alexx had simply been milling about in the gazebo, minding her own business, for about fifteen minutes. She knew no one and avoided making eye contact. There were so many rich men and women milling about, making small talk and dancing across the small dance floor. They were dainty women, glowing beautifully under the lantern lights. It made Alexx long to be that Victoria's secret model she had always dreamed of being. these ladies were of high class, their jobs important and husbands important and kids in snooty schools. They had dresses that cost more than her tuition to college and all Alexx had was a job as a barista. Hell, she looked terrible compared to them. She could feel a pimple breaking out! She could feel her face was oily or beet red with embarrassment! Her dress had to be dingy compared to them. She felt pretty awful - which was a first. she didnt typically feel inferior. It was just that she was waiting so patiently for the day that she wound be an important lawyer who attended parties like these and was recognized and praised - instead of pushed into the corner.

She had been tempted to leave when she saw him. Julian, she even remembered his name. Doubtless, he didn't. She looked at him, focusing on all of the attention he was gettjng. Just seeing him made her heart hurt. She had developed a crush and he had forgotten her, pushed her aside, didn't even recognize her at school. she watched him and seethed silently, then noticed Ollie ans Phoenix approaching. "Hey, Ollie," she gave a distracted response. As the man of the night continued to come closer, she lost concentration on their conversation. "I'm sorry, would you excuse me?"

She stepped forward just as Julian came towards her. Awkwardly, she noticed they were too close together. takinf two tiny steps back, she forced a polite smile. she wanted to be rude to him for not recognizing her - he obviously forgot her name already! - but being anything but patient and kind was not in her nature. She attempted to calm herself by thinking that perhaps he did remember her, or perhaps he just didn't see her at school, anything to make herself feel better. It didn't help, but she tried.

"Oh, hello, Julian." She said quietly, glancing at her feet. she was trying to steel herself into being a woman, like those around her. she had to handle things with maturity to avoid making a scene. "I am no Cinderella," she offered a coy smile, looking directly into his eyes. Though seeing through the mask was hard, she had no trouble making out his chiseled features. He was handsome in a tux she noted. Her heart pounded faster as she realized how much she had liked him that first night at the other charity ball. He had been such a gentleman, she had fell for him. Now she felt stupid for liking him at all. "I mean... well haven't you seen me at school?" She let it slip out, the question she had been meaning to ask. It wasn't graceful but... she needed to know.

[Deleted]

Anastasia usually wasn't all too very fond of attending parties where she couldn't see anybody's face. That just seemed, creepy. Still, Stacy wasn't going to miss out on anything because that was one of her college promises - going wild and trying new things. She had never been to masquerade ball and even though it was only optional she was sure that there were going to be people following suit and wearing a mask. She didn't want to look lame or like a party pooper so she decided she'd dig out for one at an antique store. The store didn't carry a big deal of masks but Stacy was lucky to find a relatively pretty one to go with her little black dress she was planning on wearing. 

She arrived by herself simply because she couldn't find a date. However, Stacy's excuse was that dates were so overrated and who would want to be tied down to someone when the whole deal of masquerade parties were to get into a hot sex session with someone who's face you can't even see. Yeah, the nineteen year old was pretty bummed about not finding a date but she wouldn't want anyone knowing that now would she? Nope.

Stacy grabbed an appetizer from the table and popped it into her mouth. Hey, this masquerade thing was actually pretty cool. Even though her frame and features were easy to recognize she hoped that people wouldn't. She pursed her lips together after dusting her hands but while doing so, she spotted Jeremiah... Or at least it looked like it. 

Might as well take a chance. Although those big tall heels that Stacy was sporting made it impossible to not wince - at least mentally - as she made her way toward Jeremiah. She came up from behind him, making sure she didn't scare the bee jeebies out of him. Stacy slowly tapped him on the shoulder with her finger.

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[Jaden Sawyer]

A charity ball! Charity as in one of Jaden's favorite things because that meant this fancy event was all for a good cause. He felt so great attending it and even greater because he had finally found Champagne. It was a very lonely summer without her. He was a jubilant person by default but he wasn't terribly as happy as he was when Champagne was around. She was the love of his life, there was really no denying that. Tonight, Jaden was going to dropped the 'L' bomb. No, not that 'L' bomb the love bomb. Champagne needed to be aware of how much affection and dedication Jaden had for her. He had talked to his parents about it, as lame or dorky as that sounded and he wanted to make sure that he was actually in love with that talented girl that drove him crazy. Reason why he needed the expert advice was simply because he didn't want to hurt Champagne. Jaden didn't want to tell her that he was in love with her and a month later decide he wasn't. As dumb as it may have sounded, Jaden just needed his parents blessing. Obviously, the middle Sawyer was very close to them. 

"I feel like a stranger in this mask." Jaden commented while he and Champagne were making their way toward the door. He turned his head to her and was simply mesmerized by her beauty. Under the stars, Champagne was sparkling. She definitely did her name justice. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked tonight for the gajillion time since he had first seen her. 

Jaden stopped for a second and turned to her, he held both of her hands and brought them close to his chest. "You look beautiful under the moonlight." Well, obviously he had never said that to her and he was thinking that not everyone looked as good as her under the dark night. "Not that you don't look beautiful in the sunlight you look equally beautiful in both lights." he complimented with a cheeky smile. 

images.wikia.com/vampirediaries/images/9/97/Vampire-diaries-season-2-masquerade_(17).jpg

[Champagne McKnight]

www.polyvore.com/champagne_ball/set?id=88601327

Champagne couldn't be more happy knowing that Jaden was here, with her, knowing they could be together, that they'd actually seen each other again after what he'd said to her before their long period apart from one another... it was something close to a fairytale almost, only she knew it was real from how it felt with him. The way Jaden looked at her, how his words affected her in ways that no one else's could, she had that with no one else. He was special to her, to the point where it almost overwhelmed her. Champagne could go on and on about how he made her feel, write a billion different songs, and it still wouldn't be enough. They had something unexplainable, there weren't enough words in the English language to describe it and, this time? This time she knew she couldn't just let it go and doubt it. Champagne spent so long thinking that maybe she'd wasted her time, that it was just a teenage infatuation. But infatuations don't last this long, they don't just disappear and come back. This was something else.

"That's the whole point of tonight," she shrugged slightly, smiling, when Jaden said he felt like a stranger, "masking your true identity, hidin' behind a mask. You could be a stranger if you wanted to, you could be anybody."

Looking down, bashfully, Champagne laughed as he complimented her. She didn't feel... natural, in a dress. They were at some kind of fancy ball, and there she was, in a long, flowy skirt without a single chain around her neck. She lifted a hand to her face in order to adjust her mask before looking back up at Jaden, "I dunno about that, I mean," she pursed her lips, tilting her head to the side, "I kind of feel like a stranger, myself."

Glancing to the side, she took a moment to look Jaden over, as well, "But, you," she reached over to help fix his mask, a smile on her face, "I think you're fine any day, any time." She let a hand slowly caress the side of his face for a moment, taking a second to focus her gaze on his, before letting them fall to her sides and lowering her eyes, "We should go inside."