Hide your face so the world will never find you.

[Diego Liberatore]

It both amused and hurt him to see how tentatively she took his palm, but he was delighted to see her accept his offer. He couldn't help but wonder how long this peace would last, and if she would forsake it once the holiday had passed. But Diego pushed the thought out of his head; it didn't really matter now. He bowed his head and kissed the top of her hand cordially, smirking slightly. "I don't bite." he said. "Much."

He put the mask back over his face, shielding it from the cold and walked close beside her back towards the church and its festivities. It felt like a much longer walk back than it had coming out, but of course they had run out of the building the first time. Diego felt like running back now and into the warmth it offered, but kept his pace with Rahmil. It was awkward, with no words passed between them and he didn't know what to say. He had betrayed her. Well, her creed, anyway, and despite his good intentions he had broken whatever small trust she had had in him. It was a shame. He had hoped to find a friend in her, however small or challenging. "You really are a good dancer." he said, bringing up the compliments again despite the lack of response from the first few. But it was all he could really do to break the silence, and was all he had been taught to speak to those he didn't know, which was how he had decided to treat her, at least to start. Like someone he had never met, a stranger. If they were going to start over, or at least have peace for now as he wanted, he had to start from square one. "Did you come here with someone?" he asked stupidly. Of course not, he would have run after them as well. Unless she had been ditched, and that was why she had asked him to dance.

[Nicola Rangé]

Nicola blinked as she leaned forward, and finally gave a defeated sigh as she told him to remove his mask. He leaned forward as well as he slowly lifted his mask, revealing his face to anyone who might have been looking his way. "You remember me, don't you?" he said with a small laugh. "I didn't realize how hidden my identity was when I wore this," he added humorously as he slid the mask back over his face. But perhaps the mask wasn't the only thing. Nicola was acting outside his realm of usual awkwardness. But tonight was different. He wanted to be someone else, and according to his old friend's reaction, he had succeeded in that sense.

[Rosa Giovanno]

"Nicola?!" she whispered, flustered and surprised and happy all at once. Flustered that she hadn't figured it out sooner, surprised at his behavior and happy it wasn't someone else. "Bello." she said, still a bit surprised, and agitated. You twit. "How did you know it was me?!" she asked, regaining her composure and sitting up straight again to eat her food like a lady. But suddenly she wasn't so hungry, and left her knife and fork where they lay.

[Rahmil Binachi]

She felt the awkward haze rise, and she felt strange. His kiss burned her hand like hot coals, and then his presence behind her was like cold fingernails raking down her skin. So, still holding her mask, she promptly put it back on even though all it did was feel like a big clump of unnecessary weight on her face.

"You really are a good dancer."
It was simple and cheesy, and with all the uncomfortable space around her- she laughed.
" _{Give me a few more drinks and I will give you the same complement.} " Sure it was a little harsh, but it was said with good humor. Besides, she could have said worse.

The next bit caught her up quick, he was treating her like a stranger. The unknown behind the mask.
And she was okay with it. She figured it would be easier that way, no hate, no grudges, no past. Just a clumsy dancer in a bear suit.

" _{No I did not.} " She replied with an even tone, despite her shivers.
" _{Did you?} "

[Diego Liberatore]

Diego laughed with her politely, happy that at least some of the ice had been chipped away. "Give me a few more drinks and I might believe you." he said. Honestly, he had already had enough to drink that he would have believed her if she had told him he was a good dancer, but he knew in his mind that his skills were out of practice. "I give you credit for not ditching me sooner." And, of course, asking him to dance in the first place. "No, I didn't come with anyone. Some others were going to come with me, my cousins, but they stayed back." His cousins had the same tattoo as him, and Diego thought it would have been a fine way to approach women if they had all come together. Four bears, four Liberatores. And unlike him, his cousins were not forced to be spies and had been able to remain living a life of nobility, while Diego now only had the status and not the lifestyle. They were better at these balls, these dances, and would have made him look better by association. Oh well. Now his tattoo was covered by his bearskin cloak, concealed out of some slight embarrassment that had now been forgotten.

The warmth of the party beckoned him in, drew him out of the cold. He went straight for the table covered in goblets of wine and ale, and handed a glass of wine to Rahmil first before taking his own. He was about to put it to his lips, but paused nodded it slightly in her direction. "To your very merry Christmas." It was a bit difficult to drink with his full-face mask, but he found that he could tilt the mask up enough off his chin to sip his wine without revealing too much of his face. "Shall we, Donna?" Diego held his hand out to her again. He could dance and drink at the same time.

[Nicola Rangé]

Nicola's mind clouded with thought at Rosa's question. It wasn't like he picked her out from the entire room-full of people; he just picked a seat, which would turn out to be next to one of his only friends in Rome. "I just saw a lone woman sitting and decided to sit next to her," he shrugged, and then decided to begin eating again. "It was fate that decided that that woman would be you," he added. "But perhaps if you hadn't used the term 'bello', I might have never figured out who you really were," he grinned before putting another bite of food into his mouth.

And that was an entire discussion on its own. Her insistant use of that word. But it wasn't like Nico should scold her for it. After all, she was a grown woman, much older than he was. She could could use whatever vocabulary she pleased.

[Rosa Giovanno]

"Well, how very kind of you." she said, laughing a bit inwardly at herself. She hadn't realized how memorable it was for her to use that term. "Next time, just don't startle me." she teased him, but in a way she meant it. She didn't like being caught off guard, not in control of a situation or knowing all of its corners. It just wasn't how she conducted herself. And so it was time to change the subject. "You are having a happy Christmas, I hope?" she asked before taking a sip from her wine. "Have they given you a vacation?" It wouldn't be fair to be sending him out on missions at this season of the year. But then she looked at him curiosly as the thought came to her mind, but didn't really want to ask it. He wasn't on a mission now, was he? She gave a quick glance around the room, not that it helped. She couldn't recognize anyone.

[Rahmil Binachi]

Cousins. She wondered if they were spies too, if they were in the creed, sucking out informatio- She stopped herself abruptly. She could have kicked herself, but instead let a smile play out.
She wasn't going to be mad. She was going to have fun.
So when he offered her a glass, she took it without hesitation and chugged it. Only to set it down when it was empty, and to grab another, and bring it up to his toast.
" _{And to you.} " With the satisfying clink of the glass, she took another gulp and smiled broadly, taking his hand and pulling him to dance.
She wasn't even drunk, and she was completely a different person. Perhaps it was the music, perhaps it was the atmosphere, or maybe it was just her outfit. She didn't know, and doubted she ever would. But Rahmil wasn't going to worry about it, she was going to go full out with it, because she doubted that once the ball was over, she wouldn't see him for a long while- and wouldn't have to bare the embarrassment of what ever she might do tonight.

She kept beat with the more up-beat rhythm, while trying not to step on his feet nor spill her reality-escaping liquid. Due to all her past drunken states, her tolerance level was higher than it used to be, so only then did she feel the smallest buzz of alcohol. So she drank the rest of her glass, and swapped it out the next chance she got.
This was going to be bad. The still sane part of her mind concluded. She was going to wake up the next morning with a killer headache and a churning stomach will little remembrance of what happened.

But that was okay. That was why she was here.
That was the whole point. It would have been stupid of her to expect something else.

A few drinks and songs later, she felt her feet grow tired, and was grateful for the slow songs to start.
Finishing her last glass and setting it on the ground, where it was soon to be broken, she wrapped her arms around the bear and let him lead. Letting most of her weight fall onto him.
" _{So, L'orso, you aren't going to let me fall are you?} " She nearly purred, the alcohol thick on her voice.
" _{Because I sure do hope your strength is better than your rthym. You wouldn't want to loose your partner di ballo would you?} "

partner di ballo- Dancing partner.

[Diego Liberatore]

Six drinks. Six drinks in all, that was what he counted. It amazed him that such a small body could take on so much alcohol and still function without falling over. She was, as he had so correctly dubbed her, scrawny, and lacked the weight that would normally be needed to keep her sober. And yet she hid it like it was second nature to her. This was the first glimpse he had truly gotten as to how much of an alcoholic Rahmil was, and it surprised him. Her tolerance was what kept her dancing so well. Either that, or she had simply grown accustomed to being in this state, it was hard to tell. Her entire personality had altered. She was no longer the quiet, laid back and low key woman he had first met. She was fiery, social and very much alive.

But finally the wine did take its toll on her, and he could feel nearly all of her weight leaning against him as the musicians began their slow songs for the evening. And now she was actually... flirting with him? Maybe? A little bit? The wine was prominent in her tone, and he doubted if a woman who had hated him so much would ever speak that way to him if she was sober. "I will not let you fall, la signorina Binachi." Diego answered her as warmly and as smoothly as she had asked. He had already failed her in that, though, by letting her fall into this drunken state to begin with. He should have cut her off a while ago, but he hadn't imagined she would have so much. As for himself, Diego had stopped drinking after she had her third glass, feeling that he would have to be the responsible one if anything came up. She was so close to him that her coat tickled his belly, and he hugged her close as they danced, the only way bears knew how to hug, and guided her around the ballroom floor. Luckily for him, slow dances had been his forte before he had begun his spy work, and returned to him much more easily than the patterned, faster dances had.

It felt strange, but somewhat intriguing to be dancing with his frenemy. Her arm lay on the healed-over scar on his shoulder that had once been the stab wound she had given him. And judging by her dancing skills, her leg had healed as well from the injury he had given her. At that point, when he had kept her locked in his family's house, he had hated her for everything she had said, everything she had threatened to do and every step she had taken in preparation to kill his family. But in the end, she stunned him. She saved them. Diego knew he had decided to leave their past out of it for the night, and to treat her like someone he had never met. But it was difficult. Actions spoke louder than words, even the words they had shouted at each other. And although he was grateful, he still couldn't understand it. "What made you change your mind?" he asked, whispering softly in her ear so that only she could hear him. "Why didn't you give us away?" he asked her politely and sweetly, hoping she was drunk enough to forgive him for bringing it up.

[Nicola Rangé]

Nicola gave a humorous smile at her request to not startle her in the future. No promises, he thought to himself. "My Christmas has been quite enjoyable, actually," he chimed. Although, he didn't really have any family or friends to spend it with. And he definitely wasn't going to be spending it back home in Venice. "And yes, no missions for a while," he replied. It was nice to get a break from all of the work--and oh, how he had worked. After finally earning his hidden blade, he wasn't going to let himself fall behind the other assassins.

"Well, I'm sorry for ruining the..." he paused as he tried to search for the right word, "Mystery of this night." It was nice to see a friend, but that's not what this night was about. This night was about the mystery of who was behind each mask, meeting new people. "Why don't we... Start over--pretend that we're still strangers to one another," he suggested with a small nervous smile. "Would you... Like to dance?"

[Rosa Giovanno]

Rosa smiled back at him, and almost laughed at his apology. "You didn't ruin anything, Bello. I didn't even really want to come. I just came for the food." She looked down at her plate, which was piled with the excess food that represented the difference between the size of her eyes and the size of her stomach. Now she was quite full, but finished the rest of her wine anyway. "I would love to dance." she lied, but smiled earnestly anyway. Just because she was a stick in the mud didn't mean she had to effect his night, too.

[Rahmil Binachi]

He was better at slow songs than the more up-beat rhythms. That much she noticed, and she was glad for it. She didn't have to worry about the next step, he was leading her in the dance, and it gave her the freedom to let her mind wander. Though throughout the dazing/dancing, she had to be mindful of her beak. She had come close to smacking him one already, and she really didn't think it would be fun in her beak got caught in the mouth of his bear mask.
So to make things easier, She allowed him to pull her closer, and rested her head on his chest, and it stayed that way. No pulling back, not shying away from it. She just let it be, letting the music play in one ear, and her partner in the other.
It was strange, one who hated to be touched now practically hanging off of someone. But for once, she liked it. Or perhaps it was just the wine talking, which was probably the better answer of the two.
So when he leaned down to whisper in her ear, it tickled, and she flinched slightly before pulling back to look at him. It took her mind a few seconds to process what he had actually asked her, and she was quick in response.
She smiled, a very mysterious, secretive smile, even though she had nothing to hide, and forced a dancing twirl. Only until she reeled herself back in, and pushed herself closer than she was before, standing on her toes did she reply.
" _{Well L'orso, you did not kill me. Even though you might have wanted to, you didn't. Is that not a good enough reason?} " She whispered, as close to his ear as she could without her beak getting in the way. Not only to match his tone, but to make him listen.
Pulling herself back, she expected to see his face. Wanting to see his reaction, but of course it was covered by a mask- just as hers was.
Maybe that was why it was so easy for her to escape her normal personality. Everything was a mystery, even when it really wasn't. It was easier for her to picture just a bear, instead of the man who she had tried to kill. Which made her wounder what he could possibly be thinking of her. Was he cowering away inside of himself in disgust? Was he having as much fun as she was having? Or was this all an evil plot of revenge?
She couldn't help but chuckle at the last thought, but soon stopped herself, realizing she probably looked like a lunatic.


Oh how she couldn't keep a straight train of thought in this state.

[Diego Liberatore]

The weight of her head slowly found its way to his chest as well, and Diego couldn't help but smile to himself. He was beginning to remember why he liked these dances. Despite how out of the ordinary this particular dance was, he liked having her close to him. Even though the chill of the outside air had already left him, she kept him warm. He rested his head on top of hers lightly, and watched the rest of the crowd for a moment through his mask. The rest of the dancers went on in similar ways, and those without partners either left or stood awkwardly at the side of the room.

"I never wanted to kill you." he whispered back to her. He hadn't even wanted to hurt her. His arms wrapped themselves around her tighter as she returned to him. "Thanks." Deep down, Diego had wanted to believe that his family had won her over somehow, or that a spark of conscience or something had kept her from turning them in. In reality, she was just repaying debts. Oh well, it didn't really matter why she did it. It still showed that he had misjudged her, and he was sorry for that.

Diego spun her around in a twirl again, anticipating what she might say, as it was her turn to ask him something. Unless she didn't want to say anything at all. Then he would be left to come up with his own conversation inventions.

[Nicola Rangé]

Nicola blinked at Rosa's words. I didn't even really want to come. I just came for the food. Now that completely changed his attitude. Here she was, attending the ball just to get a warm meal, where Nico had intruded on her so childishly with his games. It made his stomach twist.

And now she was going to dance with him, where Nico had no dance experience and was likely to humiliate both him and his partner. But more than anything, he knew she only agreed because she pitied him. He could sense it in her tone. Her of all people. The courtesan who sold her body to men just to keep food on the table was going to dance with him out of pity. The very thought made Nicola sick to his stomach.

"You... You don't have to," he said remorsefully as he rose from his chair. "I can't dance. I don't even know why I asked," he murmured as he turned his head away from her.

[Rosa Giovanno]

"Bello," she said, reaching out to his cheek to tilt his face back towards her, "Come on. It's a slow dance now, and you said you wanted to start over." His sudden change of heart was unfamiliar to her. Usually, men either wanted something, or they didn't. Black and white. They didn't change their minds at the drop of a hat. But then she had to remember how very different Nicola was. She had thought that after so many months in Roma he would have changed, become what he practiced. A hero, a killer, and a man. Not the boy she had met so long ago. But apparently he took more time to change than others. She remembered how reluctant he had been even to enter their little brothel, and how disinterested he had been in their normal services. "Unless you have just remembered what I am," she said, "And are ashamed to dance with me." It was a low card to play, but she felt that at least part of it was true. Nothing else could have changed his mind so quickly as to remember her occupation. Rosa hadn't thought he would be ashamed of her for it, but maybe. They were in a place where she was normally shunned after all. Maybe even a mask wasn't enough to suffice. Truthfully, she still didn't want to dance, and didn't know why she was pushing it. But she didn't want to see her only friend standing alone on the sidelines, either.