"The Only True Way To Know A Person
Is To Argue With Them..."
Blue eyes followed her every movement. Vayne watched silently as the young woman danced, absolutely enticed by her presence. A mess of glittered red chiffon swirled across the dance floor of the masquerade ball. She stumbled slightly, perhaps because of all the champagne flutes she had emptied. Still, she continued to twirl across the ballroom floor.
Classical music was accompanied by petty social conversations, obnoxious amounts of laughter, delicious food, and an abundance of drinking. It was a celebration of some sort for one of the many noble families of Ivalice. The guests were all dressed elegantly in lavish coats, dazzling gowns, and an assortment of different masks. Vayne had always despised these formal celebrations, he'd much rather be planning future military strategies. However, his obsession with power always led him to events such as this, to mingle among his fellow future politicians and leaders. These were social obligations he could not avoid if he wanted to become a future Dynast King.
"There are many beautiful young women to dance with." A sweet voice called out to Vanye. "Yet, you seem to be content standing alone."
Vanye looked to his side to find the masked young lady in red standing beside him. Her dazzling blue eyes were watching him, waiting for a response. But silence among the two persisted for several minutes.
"Do you find this strange?" Vayne finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"Yes." The young lady replied. "Very peculiar."
"What exactly do you find so mystifying about my inclination towards solitariness?"
She did not reply. She only smiled with obvious amusement.
"Your pretense for acting coy is unwarranted." Vanye spoke sharply; obviously agitated by the fact that she had ignored his question. He was the future Emperor of Archades and he was obviously not accustomed to being disregarded so easily. "Most would expect more refined mannerisms from a young lady at the royal court."
"Well then, please allow me to apologize for my unrefined etiquette." She replied with a smile, letting out a faint giggle before continuing. "I suppose I find your voluntary seclusion peculiar because the youth of royal court are reputed for our enjoyment of balls, hunts, jousts, and other various social occasions. Masquerade balls, for example, are typically the most enjoyed events of the season. However, instead of sharing in the pleasure of this lavish display of gluttony, you seem as if you'd rather be anywhere else but here."
Stunned by both her forwardness and how well-spoken she was, Vanye had managed to embarrassingly choke on the champagne he had just sipped. He coughed, eventually regaining his breath as his cheeks flushed bright crimson from the slight humiliation. She stood silent at his side, not even glancing at his heavy breaths. Another amused smile graced her lips. After Vanye regained his breath, he turned to the young women and spoke fiercely. "Just because I am part of this ridiculous aristocracy does not mean that I will be compelled to act as if I actually enjoy these ludicrous social occasions."
"And no one is compelling you to." The woman replied, turning to face him with that ever present smile accompanying her sarcastic tone. "Like all people of our ridiculous aristocracy, I'm sure that you have already been well-educated in the basic social graces – dance, polite conversation, music. I apologize if I implied otherwise."
"Well, that is where you and I differ greatly." Vayne replied quickly, feeling slight entertainment from the quarrel. "I chose to dedicate every moment I could spare to the library and battlefield. I am well-educated in history, foreign literature, magery, and military combat." He paused, allowing himself to gloat in his own accomplishments for a second. "I was trained to be a leader, a military commander. Social pleasantries were of little significance to me. "
"How unusually skilled you must be for your age!" The young woman quipped insincerely. "Formal education was uninteresting to me – so mundane and monotonous. I did as little of that as possible. My free time was spent dancing and entertaining guests. Many consider my natural charm and grace a unique strength; an art form if you will."
"Indeed, I have no doubt that you are one of the most attractive girls in most rooms you chose to grace with your lovely presence." He taunted, the tone of his voice tainted with utter contempt. "Having possession of so many shallow traits, I don't find it difficult to imagine that you never had to put much effort into trivial matters like universal knowledge or royal politics."
"On the contrary!" She quickly retorted with that amused smile still present. "My charm is a useful skill that can be applied to anything, even military matters and royal politics."
"You have my attention." Vayne laughed with implied doubt, but he was genuinely curious. "And how would that be, pray tell?"
"My socializing has allowed me to observe and learn how to read the people around me. That has in turn taught me how to acquire anything I desire from someone with minimal effort."
Vayne was taken aback by her response, a slight grin across his face. "Most would call that manipulation."
"Manipulation is such an ugly word." She chuckled. "But would you argue that it could not be an extraordinarily useful skill to a powerful young man striving to be King?"
And he did agree. But before he could even answer her, she had disappeared – transforming into a mess of glittering red chiffon swirling across the dance floor.
"For When They Argue In Full Swing,
They Reveal Their True Character."
- Anne Frank