Penelope adjusted her full red skirt before smoothing her wig. It was hard to believe this moment was finally here after all her months of planning. Looking around the ballroom, she began to see people trickle in. According to Rossi, they had sold the maximum number of tickets allowed for the ballroom, something that hadn't happened in a number of years.
She sauntered up to Rossi, her mask firmly in place. "How goes it, Sir Fox?"
"We're a major success. You were right, this is exactly what everyone needed. You look lovely, by the way. Who are you supposed to be?"
"I am the Rose Bride, looking for her Prince to rescue her."
"So, Kevin is still MIA?" She nodded slightly, watching the feathers on her mask bob in the reflective floor. "You'll find someone better, Kitten. Want to take a spin around the dance floor before it gets too crowded?"
She grinned and nodded more energetically. Taking Rossi's proffered arm, she let him dance her out onto the floor. Others seeing them began to join in and by the time the song was over, the floor had filled up. They went over to the refreshments table and he handed her a flute of champagne. "I'm glad we went with higher end bubbly. This goes down like velvet." She smiled at him over her glass.
"You have good taste, Kitten." A woman dressed as a phoenix approached Rossi, as if she knew who was behind the mask and led him away. He waggled his eyebrows at Penelope and she giggled, gliding over to the edge of the ballroom, watching the others.
Feeling eyes on her, she looked across the room and caught sight of a masked man with short pink hair quickly looking away. "My prince," she whispered as she lost the man amongst the crowd. Sighing, she picked up another glass of champagne and sipped at it, watching to make certain the others were having a good time.
"May I have this dance, Baby Girl?"
She looked up to see Derek standing in front of her. Smiling, she nodded. "You may always have a dance with me, Hot Stuff." Together they went out and danced through the next three songs until someone who sounded suspiciously like Emily cut in on them. Once more, she found herself drifting to the outer edges, watching and waiting.
And then, she felt someone once again intently watching her and she scanned the ballroom, looking for the person. From the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of pink and a white and black military uniform. Her heart lurched a little as she took a small step forward. The man was able to blend in and disappear once more and she sighed, turning to watch the dancers again.
Penelope found her stomach grumbling, so she made her way over to the food table and made up a small plate of finger foods, nibbling on some strawberries as she smiled at the twirling partners. She was amazed at the variety of costumes on display, even the men had put serious effort into their disguises. She saw one Thor and one Captain America, along with a number of other assorted superheroes and fantasy characters.
A young man dressed as Sherlock Holmes made his way over to her and she realized it was Reid by the way he walked. "Good evening, Watson," he said softly, holding out his hand.
"My dear Holmes, how are you this evening?" she asked as she set the plate down and took his hand, letting him lead her into a waltz. Reid moved with surprising fluidity and she smiled, genuinely enjoying this dance with her friend. She snuggled close to him as the songs blended together, and he rested his chin on her head. "Have you seen Ashley lately?"
"She's here somewhere, Andi bought her entire team tickets to the event. But she never told me what she'd be wearing. Now that you mention it, I'd kinda like to dance with her."
"Ah, she expects you to find her. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say she's Cinderella for the evening."
"That's not the most helpful."
"Oh, I forgot about your gaps in pop culture knowledge. Look for her to be dressed in a low cut, poufy, sky-blue dress."
He nodded and smiled. "You have an admirer, Garcia." Reid turned her so that she could see the man watching them. It was the same person and she noticed for the first time the blood red rose in the breast pocket of the costume. The attention to detail was amazing, but if he really was trying to emulate Utena, well, then, her guy should be a gal.
"Dance me closer to my admirer," she said lowly and he nodded, carefully getting them closer to where the other person stood. From the corner of her eye, she saw her Prince stiffen, looking to run. "Reid, try to nonchalantly dance with me a bit longer. I think this admirer of mine is a bit nervous."
"Whatever you need, Garcia." They danced through two more songs and she saw her Utena focus on her, never taking her eyes off them. And then, on the next turn, she was gone.
"May I dance with the Rose Bride?" a low voice asked and Penelope found herself drowning in ocean blue eyes. A strange rush of desire flooded her body and she nodded slightly, letting go of Reid to step into her Prince's open arms. Everyone and everything seemed to fade into the background as those soft arms closed around her waist.
"It's so nice to see you here tonight, Utena," she said just as softly. She hadn't recognized the voice addressing her earlier and was hoping that more talking would reveal her partner's identity.
"And you, Anthy. Ms. Garcia did a wonderful job setting all of this up." In that instant, Penelope realized her mystery woman had no real idea of who she was and she smiled at being able to retain her anonymity.
"That she did. And it looks like everyone is having a good time." A slow song began to play and she let the woman draw her close as they swayed back and forth. Falling under the spell of the music and the feel of being in her arms, Penelope rested her head on the other woman's shoulder.
After three songs had passed, they broke apart. "Would you like a glass of champagne?"
"I don't drink, but I would like a glass of water." Penelope nodded and hand in hand they walked over to the refreshment tables. Penelope picked up a flute of champagne while the woman asked a server for water. While she was waiting, Penelope made up a plate of sweets for the two of them. Once her Utena had a bottle of water in hand, they went to a secluded table and sat down.
Penelope picked up one of the delicate dark chocolate seashells and held it out. Her companion took it from her fingers, smiling. The touch was electric and she shivered slightly. While she'd always heard of such things occurring, it had never happened to her and she was unsure of how to continue.
"This certainly is a magical evening," the woman said and Penelope nodded. Once they were finished eating, the woman held out her hand. "Shall we dance once more?"
"I'd like nothing more." Penelope took her hand and they made their way back to the dance floor. By the end of the third song, Penelope felt like she was fast becoming part of some wonderful, magical, dream. "Would you mind if I kissed you?" she whispered.
"No, I wouldn't mind." Penelope nodded and leaned forward, covering the other woman's lips with her won. It was a hungry kiss, and Penelope let it be deepened, relishing the sweet taste of the other woman's breath.
"I rented a room for the night, once the party was over," Penelope said as she gasped for breath. "Would you come up with me?"
Her Utena nodded before kissing her once more. "The unmasking is at two, right?" Penelope nodded. "If you still want me to come up with you, after we see who we really are, I will."
Penelope wondered at the cryptic remark and could only smile at the woman. "I doubt anything will change this desire I have for you."
"We'll see." They continued dancing and Penelope welcomed the hand on her ass, as it emboldened her to move her own hand lower as well. The striking of the gong at two startled her from her reverie and she lifted her head up off her Utena's shoulder. "The ball is over, my sweet Penelope."
"How is it that you know who I am, and yet I'm in the dark about you?" she asked as she reached up to untie her mask, pulling it off her face, looking still at her Utena.
"I know a lot about you, Penelope. I have to." Penelope felt her brow wrinkle as the woman reached up to untie her mask, pulling it off her face so that she could stare into the stormy eyes of one Erin Strauss. "My daughter loves Utena, and she got me hooked on it. I was not expecting to find a Rose Bride here tonight."
"Don't you mean your Rose Bride?" Penelope reached up and cupped Erin's face, smiling gently. Erin looked away from her and Penelope sighed. "The champion cannot refuse the Rose Bride, they're sort of bound to each other."
"This is madness, Penelope."
"Maybe so, but I want to see where this will lead. I've been sort of lonely since Kevin left me, and you kisses filled that need for just a moment. I'd kind of like to see what you feel like next to me." She leaned in and kissed Erin once more, finding her lips just as sweet as they were before. "I still want this."
Erin nodded and clasped her hand tightly. "All right then, show me the way." Penelope nodded and made her way through the throng of people. Deciding not to wait for the elevator, she took her over to the stairs. The climb up to the fourth floor was punctuated by breaks for kisses, and Penelope wondered if it was that or the physical exertion that was causing her to lose her breath.
"This is my room," she gasped out as they stopped in front of 419. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her key and let them in. Once the door was closed and locked, she turned to face Erin. The woman nervously smoothed her pants, looking anywhere but at her. "You're cute when you're nervous."
Erin finally looked up at her, her cheeks bright red. "I'm that obvious, huh? I want this, I really do. It's been a year, I can move on, I just didn't realize it might be with a woman, with you. I don't want to fuck this up."
The honesty tugged at Penelope's heart and she smiled. "Sex is kind of hard to fuck up. Now come here." Erin did as told and Penelope pulled her into a tight embrace. "You are going to enjoy tonight, I promise."