Vhalar 107
The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?
The Northern peaks had been covered in a light layer of snow over night, as soon as word came in, an almost imperceptible tension broke, and quiet preparations that had been going on in the background where suddenly brought to the forefront in a frenzy of activity. Merchants made sure all their best wares were on display, and in many cases even those with permanent stores set up small stalls in the streets. Bonfires were lit as the light began to fade, and slowly the every day crowds were replaced by Masque goers.
Rich or poor, it didn't matter. Almost all of Andaris took part. Wearing the best the could manage, all masked, the masks ranging from towering, and intricate, to perfectly crafted and delicate, to simple strips of cloth. Nor could you necessarily judge a mans standing from his mask. A rich man might choose to wear a simple beggars mask and view the night through a different set of eyes. Find company with those he would not normally be seen with. In the same way, a common man who saved up might on this one night be taken for and treated as a noble.
Some of course made sure their identity was plainly obvious, and often the noble families would at least find some way to show their affiliation, if not their own personal identity. For the most part though, this was a night when anyone could be anything.
In Mid-town and Low-town, the festival was largely on the streets, getting food and drink from stalls, dancing around the bonfires. Occasionally it extended into a tavern, or a home left open to the event. Up in the crown, some nobles had their homes open showing off to their peers, though always well staffed to make sure no one wandered where they shouldn't, or pocketed anything they ought not to. The heart of the event though, was the Andaris Gala and Winery. Opening to the public, or the part of it that was well dressed enough to pass muster at the door, it was the place to see and be seen. To dance. As for what was in it to the Gala, well, dancing people were thirsty people, and they expected to see brisk trade.
Ashira arrived alone. Sleek in a black dress, dark hair falling in thick waves, face hidden beneath her mask. Everett was working. She wanted to be angry at him for that, but she couldn't be. Not really. He worked to better the both of them. She would not be at this masquerade at all were it not for him. Besides, as much as she wanted him there, should it not be he who was angry that she had time to play and he did not?
Still, she'd looked forward to showing him her mask. To dancing the night away with him.
Ah well, it was night to be. Smile on her face she stepped forward into the crowds to see what the night would bring.