How Green Becomes Wood

Dark nodded to the Musketeer while Daizi reacted in mild confusion about what had just touched her. After he passed, Dark whispered to Daizi and said, "I wish I had brought my vampire teeth, I did not know if they would be too much."

Without a word, Daizi went into her purse and pulled out a small container and a compact mirror. Taking them, Dark's eyes glimmered and he said, "I love you so much," before putting them in, bending so Daizi mostly blocked the brief, inelegant action. By the time his fangs were in place and the objects stowed back away, the elf had come up. Neither knowing how to answer, they paused for a moment or two before Daizi simply replied, "We're just travelers."
 
"Oh, just travelers?" The elf looked them over before giving a slight bow. "I am honored to have met such distinguished travelers," they said in a lofty tone. Then, slightly breaking character, they asked, "Have you seen a golden fairy? He was supposed to meet me at the buffet, yet all I found was cheese and a horse."
 
"It's a pleasure," Daizi said, allowing herself to play up her natural accent a bit. At her question, she turned towards her husband, "Darling, have we seen a golden fairy?"

"We have not," He answered, "I am sorry to disappoint."
 
The elf sighed and then gave them a graceful nod of his head. "Thank you for your assistance. May favor of the Fae grace your evening tonight." He reached into a little pouch on his belt and pulled out a tiny pinch of blue and gold glitter that he tossed in Dark and Daizi's general direction. It was only a small amount, so if any stuck to them, it would be nothing more than a few specks. Then he bowed and walked off.
 
With an amused chuckle, Daizi said, "Thank you, you have a nice night as well." At the same time, Dark took a small step back and made an involuntary noise, but it was so quiet only Daizi would've heard it.

"What happened?" Daizi asked, while the elf walked away.

"He tossed a small bit of glitter at us," Dark replied, brushing his suit to make sure none was on him.

"...Are we utterly certain Alec didn't sneak out tonight?"
 
The band had just finished a version of "Pink Pony Club" and started playing, "Music of the Night." A few couples tentatively made their way out onto the floor, encouraged by the slow melody. Surely even a poor dancer could keep up to this tune, even if it did have its sweeping moments, right?
 
Hearing the notes of one of their favourite songs strike up, Dark took his wife's hand in his and invited her to dance. Naturally, she willingly joined him on the dance floor, and easily melted together. If anyone were to watch them for even a moment, even the smallest move they made immediately revealed their deep and passionate love for each other.

"Promise me you'll sing me this song later," Daizi murmured, just before he dipped her, "You always sound so lovely singing it."

"I promise," He assured her, although his promise was wholly contingent on if their children were asleep by the time they returned home.
 
As the dance wound down, a tall man - though not as tall as Dark - approached and bowed. He was dressed in a suit with steampunk elements. Nothing too over the top, just a few little touches here and there, and a bronze mask that appeared to be made from gears. (It was not really, but it made an excellent fake.) "If the madam pleases, might I have the next dance?" he asked politely.
 
"Oh," Daizi replied, a bit surprised. It wasn't like it was the first time someone other than her husband had asked her to dance, usually being a good dancer overruled other hesitations at places like these, but it was still as surprise.

"Would you be okay by yourself?" She asked Dark, not because she needed his permission but because she knew he was uncomfortable in crowds and talking with strangers and didn't want to run off if he'd feel uneasy.

"Yes, go have fun," He told her.

"In that case, I'd be glad to," She replied, holding her hand out to the man, "Just make sure you don't lose me, I'll never find my way again."
 
The man smiled as he took her hand and gallantly swept her away. "Madam, if you were not clearly already spoken for, I would make a fool of myself and say how I never intended to lose you now that I found you!"

Once Daizi and the Steampunk Stranger had swept away to the dance floor, a man dressed exactly like Gerard Butler's Phantom, down to the last detail, came strolling over to Dark. He looked Dark up and down. "That's an interesting take on the Phantom. The gold mask is an interesting touch. Which version are you doing? Or are you going rogue?" he asked, indicating Dark's outfit with his champagne glass..
 
"That would be foolish," Daizi said, trusting him to lead her because she had to, "It's quite the event tonight."

While he went to find somewhere to wait, Dark picked up a drink. As usual, he took a few moments to look over this stranger before replying, "I am not necessarily any version of The Phantom, I just prefer this style. The more classic style," he gestured with one hand, "It does not suit me." It made him feel like he was all mask and beard, which was a look he found quite unattractive, but it wasn't something he'd tell a stranger.
 
"It really is a shame because I would love to flatter you and tell you that you are truly the most arresting woman here," he remarked, leading her flawlessly in a simple but fun dance. "Yes, this event is turning into quite the success! It is gratifying to see such generosity. And creativity in costume."

"Really? I would think you'd look rather good. Though, you might have to trim your beard a little," the stranger said conversationally. "I am rather partial to the 2004 version, clearly, though I do have immense respect for the Michael Crawford version, naturally."
 
"Considering we all have our faces half covered at the minimum, I'm not sure that's saying much," Daizi replied delicately, easily keeping up with him, "I could look like anything beneath the mask, I may not even have eyes." After a twirl, she admitted, "Honestly, I do not know much about the event itself, or the organizers."

Oh, god. Small talk. Why didn't people find him standoffish anymore? When did he become approachable? Hopefully it was just the mask and the lighting obscuring his unfriendly aura. "No version surpasses the one I saw at the Cadilac Theatre. The understudy went on as The Phantom, and since then all recordings have disappointed."
 
The man chuckled as he gave her a careful twirl. "Ah, but that is the beauty of a masquerade! It reminds us all that the face is merely one aspect of beauty, and, if I may be uncouth, while a face can truly be a work of art, too much emphasis is placed on the face. Beauty is so much more!"

"Oh really? Then I am sorry to have missed that one," he said fervently. "What about it made it unique?"
 
"At the same time, all you know about me is my appearance," Daizi pointed out, cautiously teasing, "So I must wonder if the beauty which appeals to you is of lowly sort. It's not like my personality or wit could have 'arrested' you before we had ever spoken."

"He had a richness to his voice I have not heard elsewhere, and he sang some notes lower than is typical," Dark explained, thinking back, "and I am sure the acoustics of the space only emphasized the impact."
 
"Ah, you have caught me, my lady!" he chuckled, swooping her around with care. "It is true that I know nothing of your personality, but it was not just your physical beauty - of which I would be a fool to deny - that caught my eye. It was the grace and confidence of your movements. The comportment of one who knows who she is and is comfortable in her skin. That is truly an element of beauty!"

"Oh, how lucky!" the man said enviously. "You know, it reminds of this time I caught a play in the park being put on by this little group. It was not good, certainly not in the technical sense, but the passion! Passion makes up for a lot of faults, don't you think? And the Christine, lovely girl that she was, had a very interesting contralto..." He chattered on happily, explaining to Dark the ins and outs and details of the play he'd watched, seeming completely content to do the talking as long as Dark nodded now and then.
 
"You're rather bold for someone who whisked me away from my husband," Daizi told him.

Dark nodded and politely murmured in response to this stranger while he sipped the rapidly dwindling remnants of his drink and watched his wife dance with a stranger.
 
He smiled. "Fortune favors the bold, but I would never be so bold as to assume I could hold a match, let alone a candle, to your own beloved. Merely enjoying a dance that shall stay in my memory for a lifetime, for I am certain I danced with something akin to an angel, and I am unworthy." The song ended, and he bowed to her before leading her toward the edge of the dance floor. "Thank you for this honor."


"Harold!" called a plump woman in a dress that may or may not have been a wedding dress and a mask that looked like a swan. "There you are. I have been looking for you. Come, I have finally found the McPhersons!"

The man nodded to Dark. "I am afraid duty calls. May your music be sweet and your mirrors unhaunted!" He drained his glass and set it on a nearby table before joining the woman. "Coming, my dear!"
 
"Believe me," Daizi told him as he led her somewhere she could only hope was where she wanted to go, "I am no angel. Your flattery may work better on the next woman, though."

"No need to apologize, I would hate to keep you," Dark replied, cordially honest. Then, finishing his own drink, he fetched a second and met Daizi over by where her dance partner was leading her, "My darling, you look thirsty, I brought you champagne."

"Thank you," She said, relieved to have been spared the trouble of finding him, "and thank you, sir, for the dance."
 
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