This is just something I'm working on. Unfortunately, I also have about 60 hours of reading to do this week on top of class, so this is all I have so far.
She moved through a sea of masks, not knowing quite how she had gotten there. She could feel that she too wore a mask, although she couldn't remember putting it on. Passing one of the many mirrors in the darkened room, she saw a quiet face of silvery glitter with thorny vines twining all around it. Similar patterns were traced down her neck to the top of her dress, with a simple white ribbon encircling her neck. She'd seen the design somewhere before but was having trouble placing it. How had she gotten here…?
A leather-gloved hand fell on her shoulder and she jumped a little, but her instincts didn't scream the way they should and she wondered why this presence was so familiar, turning to look into a mask that was nearly the opposite of hers, all black with only hints of color, the pattern different and yet somehow connected, his clothing the literal opposite of hers, loose and flowing and all in black. She knew they had been designed to match. "I'm glad you're here." She heard a hint of hesitance in his voice and for some reason it surprised her.
"Did you think I wouldn't be?"
"I can never be sure. Not the first time." The words sounded strange to her, the whole situation cloaked in some quiet light and she found herself smiling at him, though she couldn't have said why. He couldn't see it behind her mask but he must have sensed it and nodded, "Although I will know next time." The hesitance was gone, replaced with a controlled cadence that she felt almost as if she recognized. The tone certainly was familiar and it set her heart racing, even in her half-dazed state. He must have seen her pulse jump because he took her wrist. The gesture surprised her a bit, most people would have taken her hand. His grip was firm but not painful and for some reason, she found herself vaguely disappointed at the lack. "Dance with me." It wasn't a request.
