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It had been a long day for Deceiver, he'd been committed to telling the future for various kin for free as a gesture of goodwill and now his small window of altruism was closed. He arrived at the ball in a vision of white, adorned in his best purest white furs, with a flash of white swan like feathers tucked behind his ears. He didn't hurry, but meandered flirtatiously through the kin gathered for the event before settling himself down on one of the soft areas laid out for dancers to rest, or for those too worn from the previous night to walk around.

It had been a very good day, and he hoped it might become even better, if he played his socialisation correctly. He didn't need his Sight to tell that there would be amenable kin in cheery moods here.

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Wherever his father went, so too went Be Seeing You, but unlike said father, he was dressed subtly, smeared with markings of ash from the bonfire. The ball was a time for merriment but he had not forgotten the dead. If it had been in his hands, everything would have been much darker, with sacrifices and feasting. It would not be open to all, it would not be welcoming and friendly.

He had other ideas about what the season represented and sat sullenly on the lower branch of a tree overlooking the clearing, his long serpentine tail flicking this way and that.

"I'm glad you did. Many avoid me, or well.. because I'm blind sometimes think I might be deaf too and there's plenty of unkind things that I've heard." so he was more than a little glad Song wasn't that sort of kin, and was genuinely nice.

"Plenty of things have a scent yes! Some much nicer than others. But the nicer scents tend to fade away faster than the stronger, sometimes less pleasant scents." he was smiling some. "Your scent is nice, and it's strong. No worries about yours fading away. I'd be able to pick you out of a crowd, I think."

Though he gave a soft laugh. "I don't know. I did this thing...got my fortune read and I had to jump into snow but...I didn't know to get back out. So I laid there awhile till I heard others commenting on it. I don't always do very well. I probably would have kept laying there longer if someone hadn't been making mean comments just loud enough for me to hear." sometimes the mean comments were helpful to him at least.

He breathed a soft note though. "I'm glad I managed to get to a good, out of the way spot then!" oh he was very glad for that.


@Izaeah

"Well, it's their loss that they think so little of you. It is my gain. I get to spend time with you without having to worry about others stepping in." D'aw. "I'm sorry they seem to treat you so differently from how they should, however, that is hardly right, all should be equal."

He shifted his weight again, his gaze taking in the fact that others were coming in. The greater crowd was leaving him feeling vaguely uncomfortable and he couldn't pinpoint why. Maybe his mind still was on the half-vision he'd seen as he stepped in, whatever had been near this one remained on his mind. He started to speak but then stopped again, thinking better of it.

"That can hardly be considered your fault if no one told you that you had to get out of the snow a certain way after you'd gone in, and not being able to see things probably made it very difficult to not mess up the marks at all." It was what made sense to him, in the end. He hadn't had an easy time of getting out of his own snow mark without messing it up and he could see it all, or well, most of it all? He didn't know.

Again, he shifted his weight and sighed a little, "there are quite a few more others who have come to be around, it feels a little crowded out here, perhaps, if that might be all right with you, we could continue to talk away from the crowds? I could make sure you don't step anywhere you shouldn't, I don't mind leading you to a much quieter stop. Though it's up to you."

Oh no, not at all, he wouldn't force this one into anything. He just wanted to be able to talk in a slightly more private environment.

@Lirilei

He could tell more were showing up, the voices were starting to over lap in ways that only larger groups could manage, and he found himself moving closer to the other buck not just to hear him easier, but so they wouldn't somehow become separated. It wasn't until he felt the others... back? Flank? Neck? He didn't know. Some part of Song was against his cheek anyhow, that he breathed a soft note.

"Somewhere quieter would actually be nice. Sometimes...all the voices... makes it hard to focus on what I want to focus on...and right now, I want to focus on just you Song." it was sweet, and it was the truth. Simple as that.

"Lead the way, I'll stay close to you." quieter would be much better he knew, and he felt he could trust the other not to randomly abandon him somewhere away from everyone else. It'd happened once before a long time ago, so now he paid close attention to things, counted steps as much as he could, that sort of thing. Better to be safe, than in danger.

@Izaeah (and away we go)

As his son and the Acha moved away for some private time, Watch Me grinned widely, red berry juice staining his chin.

“Just like his father,” he crowed, not addressing anyone in particular but certainly making him loud enough to be heard by anyone in the vicinity.

His chest was puffed out proudly and only when they were out of sight did he look away, dipping his head to gobble up another piece of fruit and then eyeing the closest kin, who happened to be the extremely handsome and clearly important, King of Night or something like that.

“Young love, isn’t it grand?” He asked, shifting closer to get his attention and eying the fellow up and down. “Is that a dead mouse in your antlers? Quite original! You look simply marvellous!”

@Baneful

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/images/abbacus/traitor_uncert.png[/imgleft][imgright]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/images/abbacus/keeper_uncert.png[/imgright]"Is that how you address a king?" Traitor stood, his tail quivering. He had been helping himself to the vitals on offer, and the buck's pelt, bright in the firelight, had caught his eye. "It's clearly—hic—a frog. See how it's rounded, just so, over his eye there? I'm right, aren't I?

"And you." He whirled to face Watch Me, but the air must have turned to water, because he found himself swaying. "You..." he squinted, his gaze focused on a tendril near the buck's ear. A great calculation seemed to be working itself through the labyrinth of his mind. "You're a bumblebee."

Keeper stood behind him, petals falling off of the vibrant orange mask he wore. Silently, he mouthed the words, "One cup."

@Baneful @Ruriska

Watch Me might have argued that he was only governed by himself but that seemed a foolish endeavour, since the handsome Acha questioning his loyalty to king and swamp seemed to have imbibed a little too much.

“You are quite correct,” he said instead, turning with a flourish and offering King of Shadows an elegant bow, the tip of his nose nearly touching the ground. “A king should be given the utmost respect, surely. Especially one who so daringly wears all manner of creatures across his mighty brow.”

With a laugh, he looked towards Traitor for approval, amused by the way the other swayed. This fellow was clearly not used to parties. “For you, I will be the busy bumblebee.” Catching the mouthed words, Watch Me winked back at Keeper. “Perhaps you would like to sit down? The ground looks ever so comfortable.”

@Baneful @Ryuukishin

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]King of Shadows was in a good mood for him, and was much harder than usual to slight. He’d had half an eye on the sprightly Acha and his new friend, and seemed pleased the night had worked out well for him. As he was addressed he found himself for a moment a fraction self conscious. It was ridiculous to be thrown so easily, but he didn’t run into a large number of outside visitors in the tribe and it was on these evenings in particular he was reminded how slight and strange he was. Next to a kio, there wasn’t much of him to compare.

He shrugged his shoulders indifferently at the discussions of his attire.. “Both technically correct. There are a few different creatures there. Thank you for the compliments though.” He said.

Still, he found himself a little bit off kilter, his usual confidence and boldness more a front than anything that had significant roots.

He couldn’t help but admire the other kin regardless, but wasn’t quite on solid enough ground to flirt. “I don’t need any sort of respect.” He said. “I’m simply here to facilitate the respect for the swamp and the shifting seasons.” His dream had been a complex one, of a shadow who led other shadows to a place and it had been difficult for him to translate the complex feelings it gave him. Language had left him limited.

Finding himself looking in the crowd for his advisor in a hopeful sort of way he curled his tail. “I’m glad that everyone seems to be having a pleasant time.”

@Ruriska @Ryuukishin

Traitor was buoyed by their affirmation and he smiled at the bright yellow buck. It wasn't often that he was (1) right, (2) acknowledged in his rightness, and (3) induced to counting. He tucked his head and plumped his mane in a way that indicated much pleasure, and thought himself quite fuzzy--perhaps like the bee. He had seen one up close once; they were hairier than he had ever thought possible.

"Traitor." Keeper nudged the buck, who had adopted the look of a particularly distraught and constipated turtle with his eyes squinted and his head tucked into a swelling mane. "Traitor, my dear: you're buzzing. Out loud. Hello?"

The wolfish buck sunk to the floor. He seemed fervent in his reponse; his speech was so slurred it could not be made out, but from the tone he seemed to be declaring that, yes, he was enjoying himself. When the sounds coming out of his mouth returned to the realm of comprehension, it was clear he was snoring.

@Ruriska @Baneful

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/images/rejam/fair_uncert.png[/imgleft] There was a different flash of cream in the crowd. For Fair, she was dressed modestly, her face hidden in snowdrops and other delicate winter flowers, their fragrance and subtle color defying the cold.

"Everyone?" She asked King with a fluttering smile.

"Have you danced, my King?"

@Baneful

This King seemed to be quite the cool and mysterious type, which Watch Me found quite charming. He listened with perked ears, nodding with great enthusiasm. “And that alone is worthy enough of respect,” Watch Me declared. “The swamp should be treated with utmost care, as she offers us so much of her bounty.” Even if he wasn’t going to declare himself a royalist, he was always keen to keep a handsome fellow happy.

“Everyone seems to be having pleasant time indeed,” he said, smiling with great amusement at Traitor as the fuzzy buck went from being a buzzing bee to sinking to the earth within a matter of moments. As the first snore rang out, Watch Me tossed his head back and laughed.

“Poor fellow, he’ll be feeling that later. I would suggest some mint and ginger for when he awakens; it always does the trick for me.” Though his heftier Kiokote body and many nights of practise meant he rarely suffered for long.

The arrival of a cream vision, a soft beauty whose hidden face was surely beyond compare, lit a fire in Watch Me’s chest. Visiting this tribe had been a wonderful idea. So many Acha, so many new and wonderful faces.

“A good question!” He crowed. “Have you danced? I would be happy to oblige either of you. One would be a fool not to ask such a lovely lady for a turn around the fire.”

@Baneful @Ryuukishin @Toshiful