On Metal Wings

After an intense battle with my hair and the dress, Sonja finally finished me off and ran off saying she had to get herself ready. I had met Niko by the beach where he told me to meet him. My feet sloshed through the damp sand as I caught up with Niko, a mask covering his face, but not his crooked smile, and we made our way across the beach. The wind slightly chilled my bare shoulders, sending a small shiver through me. "Are you sure this is the right address?" I ask, noticing the grandeur of the manor. It was huge and swanky, covered by a thick and luscious fence of foreign trees and plants. Niko nodded his head. "Yup, right on the other side of the beach." he said as we reached the sidewalk pathway leading up to the house. "Here, put this on your face." he said handing me a mask that covered my eyes with a decoration of swirls around my eyes. I held the silver rod attached to the mask level to my collar bone so that the mask sat perfectly on my face, as Niko opened the grand door.

We stepped into the manor, which was full of people dressed in costumes. Each of them was hiding behind a unique mask with no match to it nearby. The women danced around us, the men leading the way. I grasped his hand, afraid that I would lose him in the crowd. I tightened my grip as if this connection was going to be severed as we made our way through the room. He smiled at me from under his mask and he pulled me closer and rested his hand gently on my waist. He twirled me around gracefully around the dance floor. "I wish that mask wasn't covering your lovely face. . ." he said under his breath, so quietly I almost didn't catch it. We found our way to the other side, and took a moment to rest at a staircase leading up to a balcony with more people, engaged in conversation rather than dancing, around the refreshments table. "I should greet the head of the house, it'd be rude not to pay my respects to the kind gentleman who invited me." he said with an oddly coy look. "You stay down here, and try not to draw too much attention to yourself." Niko said as he winked. I nodded my head and let his hand slip out of mine, watching as he ascended the stairs. I turned back to the ocean of people trying to find a familiar face. It was extremely hard to see through the blurs of colours made by all the dresses that were making sudden turns. I looked over to my left, and saw two heads of blonde. My mind acted on it's first impulse' Akio and Airi'. I made my way over to the two people, and quickly turned them around.

"There you two are! I began to think I wasn't going to see any of you!" I said taking a good look at the two of them, only to find that they were not who I thought they were. The person I had mistaken for Akio turned out to be an older man with a barbell mustache, and a white stripe ruining through his hair. The girl, looked like a super model who was wearing too much make-up under her mask. "Get your dirty paws off of me." the woman said slapping my hands away. "The nerve of these young people, Jethro." she said as the man nodded his head. "What's swine like you doing here anyway. Go make yourself useful and dig some ditches somewhere." he said. "You're no better than those dirty sky pirates." the woman continued. "I'm so sorry..." I said slightly bowing at them, embarrassed and slightly annoyed, tears stinging my eyes as they threatened to defy me. "There's no need for that." a voice behind me said. The man turned around as the woman followed his lead. "I'll take it this belongs to you?" she asked slightly tossing her glass in my direction. "She does, so treat her kind, alright." the man behind me said. His hair was pitch black and his mask was that of a wolf with silver fur. "Come, let's get a drink." he said slightly pulling me to the stairs. Maybe it was his top hat, but this dude was practically towering over me. I nodded my head, and followed his lead.

I stood at the table, sipping on some suspiciously red liquid with the tall man standing next to me. "How is it?" he asked me. "It's a bit bitter and dry.." I said pulling the cup away from my lips as I frowned at it. "But it's good, yes?" he asked obviously amused with my comment. I nodded some since it actually was kind of good. "Here, let me show you something." he said pulling my drink away from me,and setting it in the table. I nodded some, and followed his lead. I noticed that my head was getting foggy some time while following him. It seems I've gotten really good at getting drunk. He stopped and whisked me onto the dance floor and glided me around and around. I noticed people began to notice. I tried to look into his eyes and judge what kind of person he was, but the mask even covered his eyes with a black mesh. As he danced, he gently led me out through two ornate, glass doors, that lead to a balcony outside. This was the only part of the house that was free of people. I stood at the railing, looking up at the moon which was high in the sky, and full. "It's really nice out, tonight." I said smiling some, as he closed the doors. How much better it would be if I was sharing this moment with Niko. . . "I suppose so." he said standing next to me suddenly. I got a chill in the bottom of my gut, but I brushed it away. He turned me to him, and lifted his mask off his mouth, leaning my head up some as he stole a kiss in one swift mood. His scent of roses and wine, mixed with the husky scent of the woods, intoxicated me. My cheeks turned a shade of red as my shock paralyzed me for a moment. I didn't know what to do in this type of situation. Partly due to the alcohol which inhibited my senses, and also because this seemed like a moment straight from a fairy tail. I pulled away first, and stared at him. "You really don't recognize me, do you?" he asked with a dark humor, slipping the rest of the mask off his face. A familiar pair of red eyes pierced through me, as I became paralyzed with fear at the realization of who he was. The same man from the ally who had tried to kill me. Mr. Tall, dark, and psycho.