1 June, 1894 — Wellingtonshire, Titania's Debut

Viola had been sorely lacking in any information Willa found particularly interesting or credible. What do you mean you don't know why she left school? Willa had demanded as they were preparing for tonight's ball. Yes, of course Viola knew she Miss Applegate had been sick, but that was hardly sufficient. Willa had a flu in her third year and a mild pox in the beginning of her fifth year, and neither one had seen her removed from school and shuttered away for two years. Miss Applegate's absence was suspicious; her return to society even more so. And Viola knew nothing about it?

Willa did not consider herself a gossip, but mysteries such as this were too compelling to be ignored. This was practically the opening to a novel. All it needed now was a windswept hero to stride into her debut and make some overtures which would uncover all her dark secrets. At any rate, Willa had decided Miss Applegate's ball was bound to be theatrical; she was looking forward to attending. Only when she arrived it all seemed quite... mundane. No one conversing in hushed whispers in the corners. No windswept hero about to unseat all the hidden truths. Just a debut like any other. Eventually she decided she ought to go find the woman of the hour herself and see if there was anything especially exciting about her, or whether Willa had been completely and entirely misled in her imaginings of the evening.

"Miss Applegate," she greeted, warmly despite not having met the young woman previously (well, maybe in Hogwarts, but they would have been too far removed for her to have remembered). "I trust you're enjoying your evening? Who have you danced with so far?"

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Gorgeous Set by Bee <3

Titania once lived for the idea of nights like this-- a fact which she had already had to remind herself of several times since stepping into the ballroom. What she wouldn't give to enjoy it now as much as she'd once imagined. Going quite mad had never been part of the plan. It still wasn't, of course, but it was happening anyway, and stripped all the tantalizing intrigue from her first Season. Still.. she supposed she ought to be glad she'd come this far at all. A year prior, Mother had been prepared to consign her to an asylum for life.

So Titania made of it what she could, and in truth she had enjoyed the night thus far. This ball marked her first glimpse of many a familiar face since her departure. Her first chance to truly socialize again. Her first promise of some sort of normalcy. She had only to find some way to cling to that.

Miss Kensington found her in the wake of only her second dance that evening, still out of breath and concealing a tremor in her hands by nursing a half-finished drink. Strange fingers kept running up and down the length of her spine, and that was fine. She was fine. Though she and Mother both knew an early retreat might be necessary, she was determined it would not come this early.

"Miss Kensington," Titania answered with a smile, practiced if quite pale, and a greeting lilt of the head. She knew this woman only by distant reputation, but... well, she would have made small talk with a statue at that point, if only it would answer. "I'm so pleased you could attend! I've just danced with [Name TBD]. Quite a talent. And what of you? Have you found any interesting partners tonight?"

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Truthfully, Willa had been too engaged with the mystery of the evening — the history of Miss Applegate — to devote any energies at all to securing herself good dance partners. The night was still plenty young; she had time for it. Besides, these same men were at every party she attended. She'd danced with a third of them already, and had seen them all last week, and would see them all again next week. Miss Applegate was the novelty.

"Oh, Mr. [----] is fine enough," she agreed, to Miss Applegate's remark about his dancing talent; she sidestepped the question of whom she had danced with entirely. "A little heavy on his step. You can never really tell whether someone is an excellent dancer until you've shared a waltz with them. Being so closely interwoven with your partner doesn't allow them to mask errors so easily," she confided. "Which means a waltz with the wrong partner can end with many a stubbed toe, but if you find the right partner it's positively divine. Have you waltzed much, Miss Applegate?" She wasn't sure whether the younger woman had been taking lessons, since she left Hogwarts; dancing lessons were part of her routine, as a debutante, but she had not been taken ill and possibly bedridden for two years.

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Gorgeous Set by Bee <3