The Christmas Ball (Jason Todd and Avangelica de Forest née Niemeyer)

[Gotham Knight Todd]

All things considered, reviving an invitation to one of the richest men alive's mansion came as a shock to Jason. Somehow, this person had known he was alive, and was inviting him to this Christmas Masquerade ball and secret sant event. It was never something the young man would have considered, especially not since it took him away from Gotham and most specifically Crime Alley for a night or two. Not something he usually agreed too as he wanted to be the one out there keeping scum off the streets. Then, he made the mistake of telling the others. They all thought it was a great idea and had their little family's Christmas celebration together early and they managed to sell him on going to this mansion to join in on the fun.

The next thing he knew, he was RSVPing for this event. Removing some very important instructions over the phone and told where to meet the car that would take him right to the mansion the event would be held in. Honestly, it should have felt ridiculous being nervous about going to this mansion. He had been living at one off and on since he was eleven years old, but here he was completely and totally nervous about that anyways. Perhaps because it was so far from home, or perhaps because he was not sure that this was not some kind of trick by someone pretending to be this man. Oh well, too late to back out now as he had hopped on into the car.

The ride there was a bit quiet. Aside from the classical music the driver was playing. Jason never spoke much. He just protectively held his duffle bag, that for once did not carry his Redhood gear with him. Somehow, the others had talked him into leaving it behind. Instead, it had some forms change of clothes so he would fit in at this event, and it had an antique Victorian era teaser he had managed to find and purchase for his secret Santa partner. He did hope they would like the gift he had gotten them.

He was all too relieved when they arrived at the mansion. He was impressed by the architecture. He slipped the driver a tip, then stepped on out of the car. The mansion grounds looked quite beautiful. Though the white was definitely not the easiest thing on his eyes. He made his way into the mansion really quickly. He was not too surprised to be greeted by a butler, and then get handed off to another staff member. He followed this other staff member to his lodging, still being very careful with his duffle bag. He tipped the man when he made it there and went in.

He quite enjoyed how nice the room was, and it seemed it had quite the pick of classic literature. At least he would not be board in his room as he waited for festivities. He was excited to try on his mask. The fact he was a wolf inspired mask got him grinning. How ironic, and he doubted this guy knew just how much of a threat Jason was too the scum that troubled the streets of Gotham. Especially not that he was viewed by them as a predator. But the wolf fit him in far more ways than one too.

Finally, the big night came and he was able to make his way back to his room. Once again he found a letter and this time a pin. He would get the pin secured on the lapel of his tuxedo and put the mask on. Now picking up the now wrapped box he had put the antique Victorian tea set into and he slowly exited his room and headed down to the dining hall to celebrate the special Christmas holiday season at the ball. He also began to look for the person that had a pin that matched his, so they could be ready for the secret Santa gift exchange. He didn't know why, but he had allowed his nerves to make his heart beat fast. How unbecoming of him, oh well, it was time to celebrate, and celebrate he would.

@Ocha

 

[Ocha]

When Avangelica received her invitation she found it a curiosity. After all, while her and her late husband were not want for much materially in this world they were not of the social class that got invitations to parties by Louis Bancroft. She recalled turning the invitation in her hand over and over trying to figure out what she had done, or what she had let slip, that had caused her to be considered someone of interest to such an event.

She would of course go. It was a good distraction after the death of her husband. The first holidays were always the worst after a death. Others might not have understood why she didn't want to celebrate with family, but when Avangelica made up her mind there was little stopping her.

As the days lead up to the party she found herself amused by the whole concept. A rich people's party where she could schmoes actually did have a certain appeal. Maybe trading stories about travel or art?

Oh, she hoped it wasn't mostly young rich people. She didn't want to talk about social media trends or whatever superficial interest the super rich and bored were bound to talk about.

She would give Louis Bancroft his due, he made sure his guests were treated well even before stepping foot in his home. All the travel arrangements had been taken care of for her and she only had to get to the airport herself.

The flight was uneventful, which is how all flights should be. Her first class ticket gave her room to stretch out on the long flight, but no desire to chat more than a few pleasantries to her seat mate, who seemed to have a deadline of some sort and was working instead of enjoying the cocktails. Instead she laid back with her headphones and snoozed until their meal arrived.

Once she was off the plane she found a woman with a car waiting for her. The driver was a chatty sort that wanted to talk about her family, but when Avangelica asked about her employer the driver got a lot less chatty. "This is your first visit? You should get to know him yourself then. Oh I see that look you're giving in the back," and the driver gave a wink into the rearview mirror. "He's a good employer. Just enigmatic."

The driver then went back to talking about some of the things they were passing on the drive while Avangelica enjoyed the scenery. The driver wasn't going to say anything about her boss, but she was giving clues as they got closer to the house, by the decisions he made on his property, and that was something.

"Mrs. de Forest, welcome," she was greeted by a butler who took her carry on and passed it on to another of the household staff as she was lead to her room. It was a very bright room, facing south, and she could see something of the gardens down below. It was an enjoyable view as she pulled out her gown and the gift she had brought. It was time to get ready for the evening.

When Avangelica came out of her room that evening she could already hear music and conversation. Nervously she checked her mask was secure for the nth time and she had her package in hand. She resisted the urge to look at the pin she wore to ensure she'd recognize its mate. As she walked she could see very clearly that the pins people wore were not only unique but not easily confused.

"Excuse me," she said in a light tone as she stood to the right of a man in a tuxedo in a wolf mask who was wearing her pin. He looked fit and young, but considering the suggestions for his gift she did not fear him being a dull conversation.

For herself, Avangelica was dressed in a black velvet dress that went to her ankles and had straps to hold it up. Rhinestones were stitched in to almost look like the night sky. She wore a fur stole with it that looked older than she did. By appearance she couldn't have been much older than 30, but with the mask that covered her face it was hard to determine. It looked like a red and orange parrot was her animal. Her black hair ran down her back pinned up with combs with similar rhinestones as the dress, but her complexion seemed off. She looked like olive oil that had been accidentally put in the fridge.

"… I believe we have the same pin."