Okay, I'm not gonna lie, when I first read today's theme… My brain went crazy. Said some nice things like "How the f*ck do you want me to f*cking write on Male when I'm supposed to write a lesbian ship?!" – yeah, my brain tends to curse a lot… - and I had to find something to calm it down. Trust me, it's easier said then done…
Masked balls… One of Yang's least favorite activities. But today, she was kinda forced, since her sister had insisted on her presence. And she could understand why Ruby would want a familiar face – or in this case a familiar mane of blond hair – in this crowd of masked strangers. Especially since those masked strangers were mostly of Weiss' entourage, meaning that they were mostly rich and disdainful people.
Her back resting on one of the walls closest to the bar and slowly drinking gaseous water, she was comforting herself by thinking that at least Ruby was having fun. Or at least she seemed to, spinning and twirling in her girlfriend's arm near the center of the dancefloor… If only they served something else than water and non-alcoholic cocktails, Yang could at least have a little fun, but she was stuck with her sober self, and the pompous attempt to drag her on the dancefloor that a few men had pushed on her. In any other case she would have gladly accepted, but those guys creeped her out with their mannerisms and chastised language, to a point she thought that tonight wouldn't be of any fun to her.
That's until anther man approached her, standing out of the white crowd with his black suit and mask, but mostly by his nonchalant, casual attitude.
"What does a beautiful girl like you do here all alone?" he started slowly
"Oh, you know, drinking water, waiting for the time to pass until I'm allowed to leave." Came Yang's bitter answer, meant to push him back… and failing miserably as he just laughed
"What are you, a kind of reversed Cinderella?" he teased with a smile. "Or someone too sober to endure those old guys ranting?"
"Wow, someone who do have a sense of humor! Call the ghostbusters, I think I've found something paranormal," Yang replied with a smirk, finally enjoying something in that otherwise boring evening
"Surprised to see a ghost when you're surrounded by mummies? I have to admit it's unusual."
"You do have a point." Yang conceded with a serious face, a few seconds before breaking up in laughter. "And how did a young man such as yourself end up in an old-fashioned meeting like this one?"
"I happen to have known miss Schnee for a long time now… And since we're in an old-fashioned meeting, may I have this dance milady?" he accompanied his saying with an exaggerated curtsy
Still smiling, Yang abandoned her half empty glass on the countertop before seizing the hand that was extended toward her.
"With pleasure."
They spent the next minutes dancing, but mostly discussing, ignoring the outraged looks of the surrounding dancers as they made small talk. More than once, Yang tried to learn the man's identity, only to be met with a smooth diversion. Though something bugged her, something that seemed out of place despite the fact that she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Before she could find it, the music stopped, and each dancer did the same, all heads turning to the massive clock that was suspended in the hall. Seeing the pointers closing to midnight, she suddenly remembered another stupid tradition of masked ball: they all had to unmask at midnight. But for once, this tradition arranged her, since she would finally know who was the sharp-minded man that had gotten her out of her solitude. What she wasn't expecting though was the sudden -and perhaps hurried by the clock – question of said men.
"May I see you again?"
"What do you mean, like a date?" yang laughed, not expecting the answer to be affirmative.
Truth be told, it was quite bold from a masked stranger to ask her out, especially when none of them knew the other's name… Nor what they actually looked like, their mask effectively concealing their identity.
"I'm sorry but you're not exactly my type…" she said with an awkward smile. "Well you would have been, if you weren't of the male category" she added, with an as awkward laugh, sincerely oping that she hadn't hurt him.
That's the precise moment the clock chooses to ring midnight, the entire crowd cheering and throwing their masks away, while yang just calmly removed hers. The first thing she noticed was that the stranger hadn't taken off his mask yet. The second was that he was displaying a huge smile, which was quite odd seeing that she had just refused his advances.
"I know it might seem weird, but I'm actually quite glad you said that." The man added, his hand hovering his mask before taking it off entirely. "Because I'm not exactly 'of the male category'…" she added slowly, her smile still radiant but her voice a little more feminine as the mask wasn't giving it metallic artefacts anymore
That's about when Yang's brain stopped working, the only rational thought circling again and again in her head being "Now I know what seemed odd".
"The name's Blake, by the way. Blake Belladonna." Once again that parodied curtsy, this time accompanied by a satisfied smile.
"I'm Yang Xiao Long. Congratulations on blowing my mind, I truly didn't see it coming" Yang replied, knowing that admitting her defeat was probably the only coherent thing she could express at the moment.
"So, about my proposition?"
Smiling, Yang decided to give it a shot. Now, she wouldn't be able to say in all honesty that masked balls were completely boring. This one had proven itself to be surprising, if not interesting.
Late again, but not that much. Quite satisfied with this one, even if I had trouble deciding of the end. It ain't the best of fics I've written, but regarding the theme… I think I handled it pretty welL. Let's answer to reviews !
SomeRandoFromTX: I just said that because your last comment was made with "Guest" as a pseudonym, not SomeRandoFromTX as you use to. I don't think there's anyone one actually copying you or anything. And thanks for the kind review, it's always nice! Also yeah, having a bit of a down period in terms of creativity actually, so I'm not entirely satisfied of my latest fics. I feel like they all lack developpement, but I'm not really motivated to write more, so...
And as for the list, well I can tell you what the next theme are going to be : Mansion, CHildhood, Stripes and Proud. (Well for the last one I have a few ideas, as it'll mark the half of the challenge... But any prompt on 'Stripes' will be greatly appreciated. Seriously I have no idea what I'm going to write for this one XD
Anyways, hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you tomorrow!