A Night of Freedom (Jensen and Jet)

[Riv]

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[atrb=background,http://i.imgur.com/MDv4p.png] Jensen was enjoying the gala so far. True, when he had gotten there, he had been a little nervous. Having grown up in a corner of the world where only his few neighbors and his family lived as kingdom cats, they'd never had any sort of festival that was even near this large of an affair. He almost couldn't believe it--but then again, he'd been guarding the palace often enough when on-duty to have seen even the King running around and giving orders. He'd seen the cooks working hard on the food, the savory smells of their incredible dishes wafting to the place where he sat on duty. He'd been looking forward to trying that incredible food. As he made his way through the crowd (with many 'sorry's and 'excuse me's as he inevitably bumped into and pushed past other gala guests) he couldn't help but also notice the dazzling decorations, the lanterns that held the room in a state of constant movement, the beautiful streamers and pumpkins, the tapestries, everything that he'd heard and watched snippets of the servants making whenever he was at the palace. It was an incredible thing really, to have the chaotic preparations that he had seen so many times in the last few weeks become real before his eyes. The bits of cloth that servants raced around, the cooks yelling for more spice and less pepper, the harvesters carting in loads and loads of food. Jensen reached one of the many long table upon which sprawled all kinds of food. A lot had been eaten already, he was sure, but the cats had barely made a dent in the extravagant feast, it seemed. Jensen picked up a pumpkin tart, raising it to his mouth and taking a curious bite. It was even more incredible than he'd imagined that it would be, and he ate the rest in seconds. He hadn't been hungry when he had arrived, but now he found that he was very famished indeed, and he roamed around the table determined to taste everything. But while he samples (and in some case, ate more than he should have of a certain dish that he liked), he watched the proceedings around him. King Jasper sat on the high dais above them all, a pumpkin nymph at his side. Jensen had always wondered who the pumpkin nymphs were--what they were, really. But this one looked just like a cat--feline form, with a jack-o-lantern mask covering her features. Strangely, it didn't creep him out that way it probably should have. Maybe it was the mood. For fall was his favorite season, the season of change and a certain beauty that overtook the earth before the bitter winter held life in its grasp. Winter had its own sort of beauty--everything did--but it was autumn where the colors fell from the trees, raining from the sky, and colored the atmosphere in both day and night. The crisp cold that was starting to become present in the days in Gweillan held the night sky in a frosty, perpetual stillness, the stars cold and beautiful like gems embedded in the sky on such cloudless nights. Jensen was excited for dusk, when he could exit from the great halls of the gala to watch the harvest moon rise. And of course, there was beauty in everyone who was there that night. The felines living in the Kingdom had done an incredible job with their gala outfits. Flashes of silver gowns, golden dresses, outfits for the season and for the sake of looking the best that they could to honor this night of celebration. Jensen himself was dressed up, wearing more clothing than he ever had before (and probably more than he'd ever thought he would wear). A handsome green shirt, studded with gold with red and golden cuffs covering his wrists. A black cape, shorter than the red one that he usually donned, falling from his back. A slightly translucent red mask, tied behind his head in a way that made him look like the thief in a romantic saga. His green eyes glimmered from behind the black cloth mask, shaded from the brim of the hat that he also wore, feathers pluming out from the brim. His maple leaf brooch was pinned to the hat, polished and shining under the lamplight. The golden cuffs around his ankles yet another touch to his getup. He'd always been a handsome tom, even with the scar that was usually the first thing that his fellow felines saw. And now... the scar was barely visible, covered by the green shirt that he wore and the mask which covered a lot of his face. He always did a good job making it look smaller than it appeared--most cats who saw it in passing only saw how it spanned his shoulder and face, when in reality the bare skin crept down his chest and swooped over most of his back. It had always been hard to keep it concealed, and in recent times he'd given it up for the most part. He no longer felt ashamed of it, even if he didn't really like the staring. But now... it felt nice to have it be so hidden. It was almost as if he were free from it entirely, as nothing could really be seen of it but the slight patch of bare skin on his cheek and the side of his neck. It still might be the first thing that cats saw but... perhaps they wouldn't look at it for so long, nor judge themselves by it. Jensen had seen a lot of the other toms, nobles mostly, wearing soft silken robes, but the look had never really appealed to him. They were too soft, too rich for a cat like himself. He still fit the part of a legionnaire, a knight, a soldier, even on a fancy occasion such as this.

[Kitsani]

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[atrb=background,http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n533/KitsaniCat/JETPTMIDDLE.png] Her paw hovered over the handles of one of the giant doors. She could hear the music from outside, and she bit her lip with unease. This wasn’t her element. She had no idea what she was doing. A gala!? The sokoke, having been unable before to envision herself at any royal event such as this, found herself struggling to steel the nerve to step in there. She glanced down at her sunset dress, accented with silver bells and pale beads. What if she ended up looking as poor as she felt in front of these majestic doors, a fear that had been taunting her from the heartbeat she made the decision to attend? She pushed the worry to the back of her mind; she hadn’t made the dress herself, and she had it edited and fitted to her especially, so what’s the worse that could happen? Before her confidence had the chance to falter again, she pushed her way inside. The bright lights and decorations knocked the breath from her lungs, but luckily the dancer had more sense than to stand there gaping like a fool. Her surprise instead reflected in her ocean eyes, as they flitted everywhere, trying to take in everything at once. The Frozenpool palace was amazing, the decorations tasteful yet clearly celebrating the cause of the festival. Cats everywhere danced, their carefully groomed faces half-shielded by masks as they mingled and moved about in the giant open space. Smooth windows stretched towards the ceiling, where a chandelier caught the soft-coloured lights and cast them back down, making everything crystal-like and beautiful despite the shadows outside of dusk. Frozenpool Palace was a name more fitting than I had originally thought, Jet remarked silently, moving off to the side when the chill of outside ruffled her fur as cats streamed in and out occasionally. Never sure whether her attention should linger on either the decorations, the music, or the cats that moved around her, she the feeling of being painfully overwhelmed started to sink in. She bit her lip, hopping back when a dancing couple almost trotted on her toes. She shot them a un-lady-like glare form behind her mask; her paws had taken enough of a beating without dumbstruck lovebirds stomping on them. Maybe she was just being cold however. It wasn’t their fault of course; with everything going on, Jet couldn’t really see where she was going either unless she concentrated on it wholeheartedly. Confident she was safe from the other felines around her, she let her attention linger on some of the things they were wearing. Most of the she-cats wore long, flowing dresses whose elegance and maturity made Jet feel like a schoolgirl amongst them. But she tipped her chin, smiling as she saw none of them seemed to be in the same orange as herself, like the colour of the dawn while the rest of them seemed to be in blues and reds. Well, she’d take being unique over being the prettiest any day – or at least that’s what she told herself to keep from wounding her pride. She didn’t recognise anyone at first, and felt a knot growing in the pit of her stomach; she was far too distrusting to walk up to somebody and ask for a dance, let alone someone she didn’t know, Until she actually got moving and loss her reserved temperament, she would be stuck here on the sidelines, and that’s not where she wanted to be when she decided to come over here. She did, however, eventually spot a cat she did recognise. It was the soldier she remembered talking to a few days ago; the one who wore the dark red cape. He seemed to wearing a different cape here at the Gala, and it was far more formal accompanied by the green shirt he wore as well, and the mask that covered his face and made Jet doubt that it was actually him. Was it? She averted her gaze; she didn’t seem to firmly know anyone here, and she wasn’t all that sure what to do about it. [ This post is so short D| Especially for a starter post in this rp. I’m so sorry Riv! LMAO ]

[Riv]

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[atrb=background,http://i.imgur.com/MDv4p.png] [Oh shush. Your posts are always wonderful XD] Jensen was fiddling with the hem of his cloak when he saw Jet. The black fabric had been bothering him all night--not in an unbearable way, but it was annoying all the same. It was like an itch, the difference between his old cape that he was so used to and this one--the black color itself took some getting used to, for when he turned he didn't see the red and always thought for a moment that he'd misplaced it. And the way it hung was slightly different than the way his normal one hung, fastened as it was to his shoulders and not at the base of his collarbone. So he stood fiddling with it for a few moments, trying to get it straight again from where it had slid crookedly. It must have been one of the times that he'd bumped into someone. Or perhaps it had happened dancing? He'd danced with a few she-cats that night already, beautiful dames with red or blue dresses, even one wearing pure white. He'd enjoyed dancing--he thought that he might have been getting the hang of it, and in fact his partners had never complained. At least he hadn't stepped on any tails that night. He'd chatted with many cats who he'd never talked to before already--but he supposed that was the spirit of the gala. The whole kingdom coming together for a night of celebration and fun. And food. Jensen did love the food, as he'd been hovering by that table for some time. He'd finally adjusted his cape back to where he could live with it and leaned forward to look at something he was almost sure was sweet potato casserole when the sunset orange of her dress caught his eye. Thoughts of marshmallows and brown sugar crust were forgotten as he turned to catch sight of her. It took a moment for him to actually recognize her, but he was certain that she was someone that he knew. What had thrown him was the dress, the beautiful sequins and smooth fabric that matched the mask that she wore around her eyes. But after the puzzled expression had crossed his face, he could place her face to a name--Jet, the dancer that he'd met some time ago. Lovely and elegant in her gala wear, though she didn't look quite as confidant as he had seen her look during her dance. She hadn't been looking at him--perhaps she hadn't seen him, or perhaps she just didn't recognize him in his formal clothing, just as he had almost not recognized her. He turned away from the food and brushed the rest of the crumbs from his face as he crossed the floor over to her--it was lucky she wasn't too far away. He might not have seen her if that had been the case. "Good Evening, Jet!" Jensen said when he'd reached her, sweeping into a bow. As chivalrous as he had been the first time they had met, if she remembered. He hoped that she did remember--he'd like to be spared the embarrassment of having to jog her memory. "You look lovely." It was true--now that he was closer he could really see the way the light from the frozen chandeliers reflected off her dress like it was made of little sequins. Truly like the stars beginning to poke out from the orange dusk of a sunset... or perhaps the stars saying farewell as the sun rose in the sky at dawn? Jensen knew the difference in colors, but truth be told she was dressed as both sunrise and sunset. He liked the effect that it had, the way it made her stand out among the other gowns that didn't seem nearly so lovely now compared to hers.