Old Ballroom

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The Ballroom

Settled deep in the artistic portion of Eether City is a grand ballroom where the rich once went to dance and make merry until their lives would wither away with the night. It has long since been abandoned, having once been the scene of several atrocious murders. If one should enter the ballroom today, the deep crimson stains remain on the velvet drapes and golden marble floor. High glass windows decorate all four walls of the old ballroom, some modest and fully covered by their scarlet attire, and others wanton with drapes flung open wide to the moonlight. Directly opposite the large oaken doors guarding the entrance is a wide marble staircase, curving around a long dry fountain, and leading up to the balcony floor, supported by grand pillars intricately carved. A few metal chairs and tables are pushed to the wall, remnants of banquets in ages past, a few of them having been overturned or stolen by thieves—their spots are still marked by a significantly thinner layer of dust. The centerpiece to the ballroom, ironically off center right to the grand staircase, is a polished baby grand piano. Perfectly in tune, it still plays a perfectly good melody, but it has yet to be removed, and, being far too heavy for thieves to remove, shall still remain.
© Zero for the description

As he removed the stones, she shuddered--as if, of all things, it tickled--until she was finally free. Upon becoming so, she swiftly changed her form to that of a sleek black feline, and leapt to his shoulder, perfectly unscarred as if she had never been hurt. Curling her tail about his cheek as she stretched from one shoulder to the other, she purred and rubbed her cheek against his.
"To be quite honest? Not really. You're quite the difficult target."
She poked her nose in his ear and gave an experimental nibble on his skin as she spoke before quieting down and sitting still, her tail flicking only occasionally.

*notices her apparent lack of injury*
Hyper-accelerated healing, hm?
'Tis a useful thing, your body can do.
*pats her head, gently, but without affection*
If you try and attack me again, Miss, a few shards of stone will be the least of your problems.

Purring under his touch, she rubbed her head against his hand, her claws latched lightly into his clothing so that she would not fall. The motion denoted affection, much like his own, but in the sense that it lacked, it was nothing more than mere familiarity.
"Quite~" she spoke.
On the topic of attacking him once more, she said nothing.

*walks over to the piano, and sits down on it's bench*
So, Cat. What brings you to the ballroom on this fine evening?

Arranging herself carefully, she stretched out languidly to lay around his neck like a sort of living scarf. Her paws hung down his chest lazily, occasionally kneading at his jacket lapels. She paused a moment as he said "Cat," believing him to use her name, then recalled her current form and cast the thought aside.
"What brings anyone anywhere? The promise of something they want. Perhaps a bit of the nostalgic mentallity--a sort of...'for old times' sake' reasoning."

Hm.
*nods, almost imperceptibly to himself*
A wanderer, are you?

"You could call me that," she mused, "Although stray is more the correct term."
Her slender body barely moved as she breathed, her eyes closing slowly. Only a sliver of the bright cobalt blue still shone in the moonlight, disappearing as she shut her eyes fully in a yawn. Her yawn was soft and sharp, revealing her pinprick fangs and a petite pink tongue which flicked over her lips at the end of the yawn.
Indeed, a stray.

*raises an eyebrow, hidden behind his mask*
And why would that be?

"Because," she returned softly, tilting her head so that one eye was visible to him, "that's all I am."
Her answer was simple, as if it were the only possible answer. Once spoken, she lifted her paw and licked it, closing her eyes and mewing softly as she groomed a bit, cleaning her ears and front paws.

*pats her head gently*
You're not the only one.
*put his hands on the piano and begins to play*
And if you see me losing ground, don't be afraid to lie, I know the pain inside my heart can't break the fear inside of yours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=676NVhkd5W0

Her ears pricked up as he began to play and sing. A gentle purr vibrated her slender form as she rubbed her head under his chin and against his cheek. The frequency and volume of her purring rose and fall with his playing, as if she were singing in harmonics with him despite lacking the knowledge of the word.
He's got a very calming voice...
Were he not playing, she would have spoken, but as things remained she held her tongue so as to not disturb his music.

Oh, sing for me again.
*comes to a finish*
C'est belle, vrai?

"Da~" she whispered softly, opening her eyes a portion with a quirk in her whiskers akin to a smile. "Very. You've a wonderful voice; it's quite relaxing."

*smiles faintly behind his mask at the praise*
Practice makes perfect I suppose.
And god knows I've had enough time to practice.

"You must have had an eternity to practice," she remarked, sliding down from his shoulders to land gently in his lap.
With a stretch, she arched her back and turned about so that she was facing him. Half-sitting, she stretched her front paws up on his chest as she kneaded them lightly.
"Is there a chance I could borrow your coat?" she finally asks, settling her bright eyes where his should be, through his mask.
I wonder what hides behind that theatric facade...

*shrugs the jacket off, and offers it to her*
What do you need it for?
*Synthesizes a new jacket, and pulls it from the ground*

As the jacket was draped over her, she twirled herself deeper within its recesses and rustled a bit, her size clearly changing. She sighed in content as she finally emerged, wriggling her arms through the sleeves and holding the jacket closed. Still sitting on his lap, her hair hanging loose now, she smiled up at him.
"A mere side effect of changing my form. I'm not particularly sure where my clothing disappears to."

*laughs quietly to himself*
'Tis a tad inconvenient, hm?

"One could say that, but one could also say that I'm used to inconveniences by this time."
As comforted as if she were with a long time friend, she leaned upon his chest and closed her eyes, softly purring.

*drapes an arm across her shoulders*
All you always so friendly with people who try and kill you?

Nuzzling into his chest and shifting into a comfortable position in his lap, she shrugged absentmindedly. Her ears flicked and her tail curled quietly across her folded legs under his jacket.
"It depends," she said. "It's few and far between that a stray finds a companion; the rest have all left or died."

*looks off into the distance, through the walls of the ballroom, straight into the past*
'Tis true.
*mumbles quietly to himself*
Lenore...

As he whispered, her ears caught the barest breath in them, and she looked up curiously.
"Lenore?" she repeated, reaching up to brush her fingers against the chill plate of his mask.

*blinks, before realizing what he had said*
Just thinking aloud, miss.
*pauses for a moment*
Could I trouble you for your name? I don't believe you told me it.

"You're correct, I have not, for you have not told me yours, good sir," she teased quietly.
For a moment, she fiddled with the edge of his mask--not attempting to remove it, but merely feeling it along.
"You've already got an edge up on me; you've seen my face, where I have not seen yours. Perhaps you should reveal your name first, then?"
So curious...