fête de la masque
festival of masks

part
o1 of o2

You are cordially invited to attend Naminé Nishidake's nineteenth birthday extravaganza. It shall be held at her grand mansion located in the outskirts of Twilight Town. Your presence would be wholeheartedly appreciated in this rather special event. Please bear in mind that this is indeed a masquerade ball; so take care to bring a mask and dedicate the whole time to, not only having the time of your lives, but also concealing your identity from others.

At least, for the night.

Thank you,
Naminé Nishidake

Sora snorted, exchanging glances with his best friend.

"Ee-yeah. I say we burn it." He edged towards the fireplace. A masquerade ball…? It was an absolutely ridiculous thought. Wouldn't it be awfully confusing and irritating to be unaware of everyone else's identity during some party? And it wasn't like he had a mask. Or anything formal to wear… it was going to be a ball, anyhow. Naminé was a nice girl and all, but he didn't feel up to going to a birthday full of… masked people.

Roxas quickly reached out and grabbed the violet-scented, ribbon-graced invitation from Sora's hands. There was a hasty, hesitating look reflecting against his eyes—his blue eyes, a color equivalent to that of his friend's but the emotion completely opposite. He shook his head, smiling awkwardly, and said defensively, "No—think about it. It could be fun. We don't even have plans for tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night!" Sora echoed, growling, grouchily collapsing on the sofa. He crossed his arms over his chest defiantly, a vaguely bothered pout resident on his face. His lips twitched stubbornly before lifting his gaze to meet Roxas'. "Tomorrow night, Roxas! That's such short notice. Why do you want to go so badly, anyway? Oh, wait. Excuse me. I think it's because you're craving some alone time with Miss Nishidake—and you can't bear to go to her posh mansion without your best buddy tagging along, because you would look lame going alone. I'm not oblivious, Roxas."

Roxas turned three shades of red. Then he turned two shades of pink. "B-But," he stammered dumbly. It was sort of pathetic. So pathetic, in fact, that Sora sighed… almost giving in.

"Give. Me. One. Good. Reason."

Suddenly, Roxas' face regained its normal color, and a wickedly taunting smirk spread across his face. His azure eyes lit up knowingly. It was slightly eerie. "Olette might go."

Sora fell off the couch. "Olette?"

… …

Olette snorted, exchanging glances with her roommate.

"Uh huh. I say we burn it." She turned on her heels, grasping the invitation in her hands, and began parading towards the next room. Burn it. Definitely. She wasn't into these types of things. Seriously, a masked ball…? With everyone's faces concealed and everyone's identity unknown? I think not. Olette felt intimidated by the mere thought of attending a party running on mystique. Naminé was a great girl—Olette would have considered going if it wasn't for the theme of the party. But, in this case, the theme of the party was masks and, first of all, she didn't even have a mask.

Kairi immediately grabbed Olette's frail wrist, a little too forcefully, causing her friend to reel back and land on her rear end. She stared down at Olette's chestnut locks, a pleading look developing in her light crystalline eyes. She frowned gently, reaching down and helping up her friend. "Olette… we don't even have a fireplace."

"I'll use the stove!" Olette declared, pointing a finger in the direction of the small kitchen the two girls shared. The brunette mellowed down when she received a high-powered glare from Kairi. She let herself collapse upon a maroon armchair. Sighing, she lightly folded her hands in front of her. "I know Naminé is your best friend and everything… and that you really, really want me to go—but seriously! It's, like… such short notice and stuff!"

Kairi leaned against the side of the armchair, blowing at a stray lock of red hair that fell against her gleaming eyes. "Don't make me come down there and hurt you."

"Oh, I'm so scared," Olette drawled, rolling her eyes in clear exasperation, and stopping her gaze to meet Kairi's. Guilt began to rise within her as she saw the upset expression on her friend's face. It was then that she felt the smallest bit of sympathy for her roommate, and even slighty considered attending the party. "Give me… one good reason."

Kairi arched an eyebrow. "Sora might be going."

Olette nearly had a seizure. "Sora?"

… …

Sora practically gagged, hauling himself to his feet. He ruffled his unruly brown hair in a beleaguered type of manner, groaning. "Now I really don't want to go! She hates me, Roxas! Everything I do, everything I say—she finds a reason within those things and takes offense toward it. She twists my phrases around and makes me look like an idiot. It's like she lives and breathes to make my life a living—"

"See?" interjected Roxas, tweaking his head to the side and grinning as he closed his eyes. "You like Olette so much that the mere mentioning of her name makes you babble out useless stuff!"

"I don't like her, Roxas! Haven't you ever noticed our constant arguments?"

"The best couples always start out that way." Roxas opened his eyes, still smiling toothily as he shrugged his shoulders. A devious glint shone in the boy's orbs. "And you can't really refuse, because I promised Naminé we'd be there—I've already gotten our tuxes and masks. Everything's ready. You're going, even if I have to bind you with rope and drag you there myself."

Sora's eyes narrowed. "And I suppose you've got the rope ready, too?"

"Heck yeah."

… …

Olette was up in an anguished flash, pacing back and forth madly, heatedly across the living room floor. She pulled on her messily tied ponytails, expelling a steamed breath from her mouth. She whimpered. "Now I really can't go! He hates me, Kairi! It's like whenever I speak to him, he thinks I mean something else… when I don't! And when I say things, I'm not that careful. I don't try to make him look like an idiot. He just naturally is one. He probably thinks I'm out to get him to make his life a living—"

"Breathe!" Kairi took Olette by the shoulders, as if that would order her friend's lungs to function properly. "Jeez. The thought of him gets you really worked up, doesn't it?" She smirked, as if she knew something Olette didn't. Olette disliked that feeling. She despised being looked at in such a way. "You must really like him…"

"I don't like him, Kairi! Have you ever noticed that we almost never get along?"

"I, for one, think it's cute." Kairi's nose shot up snootily, still eyeing her roommate. "You're going, you know. Naminé and I already picked out dresses—and I took the liberty of getting you one. And the mask I found for you… you'll love it. You can't really refuse. Because I'll seriously haul you over there myself."

"I'd like to see you try," seethed Olette, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't have to try."

… …

Sora shook his head. "I am not going and you—"

… …

Olette sighed. "—tell Naminé that it was great of her to invite me, but—"

… …

"—I can't go." Sora finished, shrugging just as Roxas had done earlier. And that was that. He wasn't going. Roxas couldn't make him—no matter what he said. Ever since early childhood, Sora and Olette had never interacted harmoniously. Friendship between them seemed impossible and not meant to be. A single act of kindness always went the wrong way. Every good intention turned negative. Every smile looked like a rude smirk, and every lighthearted laugh seemed like a dastardly chuckle. Everything had always perceived to be the opposite. It seemed as though the flaws were not capable of being hidden…

Unless, of course, they used a mask.

to be continued.

end of part o1.

for my darling mucky.