THE DUDEBRO: Arrived on a skateboard wearing a floppy horse mask, announced himself at maximum volume, and immediately demanded that the Shikabane “read his shit.” The Shikabane’s reaction was simply: the horse is here. An excellent summary. DEKAI: Fedora. Uwuspeak. Aggressive confidence. Somehow capable of making Dr. Latency retreat across the ballroom by speaking near her. He arrived with the Qaud Qonnoisseur and has repeatedly referred to her as his woman, matechan, companion, et cetera. QAUD QONNOISSEUR: Would like everyone to know she is absolutely NOT with Dekai. He is nothing. Nobody. Merely some guy who walks by her hive. They arrived together. He dressed her. She is getting angrier every time anyone suggests they might know each other. QAUD QONNOISSEUR, CONTINUED: Immediately redirected her attention toward the Raven, called her “everything,” attempted to curtsy, and fell directly onto the floor. The Raven helped her back up. Dekai may have entered a rivalry he does not understand. THE MECHANICAL: Entered with the stated objective of discovering why organic existence is worth maintaining. Unfortunately, something inside its cloak appears to be conducting an entirely different research project involving terrible whiskey. THE THING INSIDE THE MECHANICAL: Produced an enormously long arm ending in a talking hand, grew smaller hands out of that hand to drink with, acquired a tiny hat and bow, complained about modern parties, and was eventually physically reeled back into the Mechanical’s cloak. No further comment. THE RAKE + THE ANGEL: Mystery mostly solved. The Angel appears to be the person at the center of the Rake’s earlier emotional collapse. The Rake held her, told her repeatedly that everything would be alright, and specifically said, “I forgive you.” They then danced while the Angel cried, and the Rake had considerable difficulty making herself let go when the song ended. SCARFACE + THE COQUETTE: Scarface finally found somebody willing to call his bluff. The Coquette put a hand directly on his ass. Scarface visibly flushed violet before trying desperately to recover his swagger. Their conversation has since moved into dreams, drives, food, pinching, squealing and things that might get them removed from the venue if attempted publicly. THE VIXEN + THE VULPES: New dance partner, noticeably concentrated attention. “Guiding star.” “Gravity.” Chest-to-chest movement. Challenge accepted. The Vixen usually behaves like she is hunting the room; with the Vulpes she seems more interested in whether her partner can keep up. THE SHADOW + BEE: The staring has become a dance. The Shadow crossed the room specifically for Bee, took their hand and led. Bee used psionics to float upward and compensate for the height difference. Somehow one of the stranger interactions tonight is also among the most functional. THE BOURREAUCRAT + MADAME VOLEUR: Whatever this interrogation was originally supposed to be, it has become a game. Madame accused him of deliberately leaving his folio close enough to tempt her into stealing it. He admitted he wanted to see whether she would try. She asked what would happen if she did. He told her she would make it two steps, perhaps three, before he caught her, then informed her that her restraint disappointed him. Entirely professional behavior. THE MAGNATED + MERITOMB: Yesterday’s sequence of punch, dragging and drink-pouring has somehow transitioned into partner dancing. Meritomb deliberately stepped on the Magnated’s toes while criticizing her habit of observing instead of participating. The Magnated responded by dancing circles around the insult and refusing to give Meritomb the argument she clearly wanted. THE MOURNER + THE SHIKABANE: The Mourner immediately tried to secure another reading after finishing the first. The Shikabane reminded him that other mortals exist. He accepted this suspiciously gracefully, promised to find them again, and returned to the ballroom still carrying the Shikabane’s red spider lilies. THE MOURNER, CONTINUED: Returned from the quiet room, surveyed the complete social disaster now occupying the ballroom, declared that things had apparently become “quieter,” and immediately began watching the Bourreaucrat. Trouble recognizes trouble. THE SCARECROW + THE RAVEN: Still painfully gentle. He offered his arm. She took it happily and told him to lead the way. They returned to the ballroom together. Unfortunately for the Scarecrow, multiple unrelated guests have now independently begun noticing that he is cute. TEMPTer: Specifically described the Scarecrow as “cute in the pitiful way,” like a stumbling grub one might simultaneously adore and crush. This counts as admiration here. THE SPIDER: Continues to interact with almost nobody and appears to be having one of the best evenings of anyone present. DR. LATENCY: Currently losing a psychological war against Dekai’s speech patterns. THE NOIR: Still taking notes. Disturbingly relatable. #OutGlutMasquerade
