John yanked at his collar, a small scowl set upon his features. If there was one thing he hated, truly, it had to be these fancy dress parties he was forced to attend. Honestly, he'd avoid them all together if his rank didn't require him to maintain his good graces with certain families and officials that went to them.
He huffed out a quiet breath and readjusted the mask on his face, before flashing a brief, and very fake, smile at a couple of young ladies who giggled as they passed him by.
Debutantes, looking for a fine gentleman to give them sons and take care of them. Not John's cup of tea.
Finally, he decided standing around in the corner nursing his cup of wine was getting him no closer to leaving the god awful party, so he stepped away from the pillar he'd been leaning against and headed into the foray.
A smile here, a handshake there. Nothing to this socializing business, really, he thought to himself, chuckling quietly as one of his beneficiaries tried to figure out who he was. He had a hard time believing anyone couldn't figure out who he was, even with his extravagant red and gold outfit, and the feathered mask tied around his face.
He bowed when the man admitted to not being able to guess who he was, letting out a laugh before declaring that it would be no fun to tell before the grand unmasking at midnight. He then took his leave and meandered back towards the food tables set up against the wall, set on fetching himself a fresh glass of wine to keep his hands busy.
John only gave the smallest of starts when his fingers encountered those of someone else's hand as he reached for a fresh glass, immediately withdrawing his hand to his chest and blinking owlishly at the man standing next to him, before stuttering out an apology and waving for him to take the glass.
The man smirked at him, nodding his thanks as he took up the glass. He wore a fine black and blue costume, also wearing a mask with the likeness of a bird.
"Are you having a good evening, Captain?" the man asked John, tilting his head a fraction, the tall blue feathers on his mask swaying with the motion.
John blinked in mild surprise, before grinning. "How did you know who I was?" he asked, "No one's been able to tell all night. Not that I'm overly surprised, really. I'm not exactly camouflaged, but still."
The man chuckled, taking a sip of his wine. "Your posture, first. You hold yourself like a military man, even at ease. You also sort of…march. If that's a good word for it? When you walk. As for who you are specifically, well. The hair is a good start, " the man said, motioning towards John's sandy blond locks.
John simply laughed and nodded a little, picking up a glass of wine for himself and taking a sip, eyeing the other man for a moment. "Well, now you know who I am…care to tell me who you are?"
"In your own words, my dear Watson," the other man said, "Where would be the fun in that?"