April 23rd, 1891 - Minister's Masquerade (Arabian Nights)

It was hard to figure out a dress that worked for multiple themes even when she had a bit of a heads up, especially with Xena no longer living in the same house. Although they had never been close, Zelda had gotten used to having her sister's input on her outfits — especially for significant balls — and was sort of missing it today. She eventually settled on a marigold-and-green gown, with a feathered mask of the same colors. This ought to work — and if it didn't, what did it matter? The mask at least hid that she was stressed and tired and worried for Dio, worried about Alfred, and as long as she was here, tonight, none of those were problems she particularly had to think about. This was very possibly the first time Zelda had ever been relieved about a ball she had to go to.

And maybe she was a little tipsier than she ought to be, in only the second hour of the evening, with the vaguely Arabian music and the genie's lamps and the thematic decor and everything. But as long as no one could tell, then this was fine, and she could sip her mixed drink. And besides that, as long as she had a drink in hand the odds of anyone trying to get her onto the dance floor were low. This was also made even safer by her current position up on the mezzanine, resting her arms on the railing and looking over at the people dancing below.

She'd been there for several minutes when she became aware that she was being watched. (Although whether she was actually being watched for some amount of time or whether someone had just been looking at her for a few minutes — who was to say.) Zelda turned around and affixed a bright smile to her face. "Hello!"

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AMAZING set by MJ

Jack was enjoying himself for the most part. He didn't like that there was a mask magically affixed to his face throughout the entire night but he was enjoying seeing if he could recognize anyone. So far, he had correctly guessed two former cetemates. They had enjoyed a good chat before Jack had moved on to mingle more.

He had gone up to the mezzanine when he noticed a young woman. He did not mean to stare, not entirely. But there was a familiarity sort of feel that came from her. It was not Tamsin Skeeter - he had already seen her earlier and her laugh had been quick to recognize. And then the young woman turned and greeted him. Was it, Zelda maybe? She was one of the girls from school that he was most familiar with since they'd had the same group of very close friends, most of them Puffs.

"Zelda, I thought that might be you!" He said with a laugh. They had been close in school but differences that had meant nothing in school had gotten into the way of Jacks friendships a lot more in the real world.

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She didn't recognize Jack until she heard his voice, but she laughed when she did. "Jack!" Zelda said brightly. She didn't get to see any of the boys she'd been friends with in school as much as she maybe would have liked — the constraints of her gender that hadn't seemed as real at Hogwarts were much more real now — so it had been a while, but she was still pleased to see him.

"I felt you looking," Zelda said, as if that was a normal thing to say, "C'mere, we can people watch." Hopefully he would still be into people watching, and the constraints of being the Honorable had not killed that as a hobby.

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AMAZING set by MJ

"I somewhat recognized your stride but was trying to figure out where I might know you from," Jack said. It was a little amusing how the way people carried themselves tended to stay mostly the same. He went over to her as she mentioned people watching. "See anyone you recognize?" Jack asked as he observed the masked people going to and fro below them.

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Zelda leaned over the railing. "Oh — this is cheating, we came together," she said, pointing, "But that's Rowan Yaxley, with the silver hair. And I think maybe over there —" she pointed in another direction, to someone dancing "D'you think that's Helga Scamander?"

This was nice, already; entirely separate from everything she was trying not to think about.

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AMAZING set by MJ

Jack squinted down at the young woman in question. "Maybe. She's too short to be one of the Browne ladies," Jack said. Those women were almost all about his height, if not a smidge taller.

"That one's Tamsin Skeeter. We were speaking earlier in the night. Do you think that bloke there is Miss Begonia Belby?"

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"With that hair? She has to be Miss Belby," Zelda said; Begonia was easily identifiable, at least to an extent. "Did you think the rumors were true?" she blurted suddenly. She hadn't, at least not really, but one never knew.

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AMAZING set by MJ

"Which rumor?" Jack said, his attention snapping back to Zelda. If his sisters had ever spoken about them with him... well, he probably had just been pretending to pay attention. He certainly hadn't heard much about Miss Belby but was keen to rectify that now.

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"Some people —" well, Witch Weekly, but surely they were people too "— were saying that she got into trouble with Fortitude Greengrass."

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AMAZING set by MJ

With Ford Greengrass? Jack couldn't claim to know the man well but he had encountered him once or twice before outside of their school years. "I just can't see Greengrass doing anything that could count as 'trouble'," Jack said with a laugh.

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Zelda grinned. "I don't know him well enough to say," she said, although the one time she remembered talking to him in adulthood she had not exactly been impressed by him.

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AMAZING set by MJ

Jack chuckled because neither did he, really. It was more the impression he got from the few times he had come across him. "Look there, do you suppose that man with the dark hair is Theodore Gallivan?" Was Gallivan even the sort to go to Ministry parties? Jack supposed it was a possibility since he was a sponsor and all.

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"I think it may be," Zelda said; but she was starting to lose interest in this game, and had never known Theo Gallivan very well besides. She tapped Jack on his elbow. "Want to go down there and get new drinks with me?"

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AMAZING set by MJ

"Oh, yes. My glass is almost empty and whatever I had is now quite warm," Jack said in easy agreement. He waited for Zelda to join him before heading down to the drinks table.

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