December 20th, 1894 — The Minister’s Winter Ball

Mourning and half-mourning had felt interminable, and this was her first Big society event since before Cecelia’s death — Hanna prepared, working on puzzles all day until she had to get ready, but it was not enough. She had not had live music in months, had not been able to let the beats settle in her veins and beat back her static — and so now even though she managed to chase the new horrors back, her hands were still shaking and there was a very faint buzzing in her ears.

But Ezra was going with her, and she had to marry, and she’d been newly educated via her kissing lessons with Mr. Hudson. So never mind that she was newly twenty-seven, and never mind that her hands shook, she could be pretty and she could be charming and she could do this.

The champagne, Hanna knew, was a risk. She had wanted something to do with her hands, but it was harder to keep the shakes to herself while she was holding something. She was trying to be a charming conversationalist, really she was — but her hands shook and the champagne flute tumbled out of her grip and onto the floor, sending liquid onto her skirts and onto her conversation partner. Hanna could only stare at them, horrified.

  

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set by Bee

Don Juan was sober and irate about it, which meant he was distracted by his own head and not being the most compelling conversation partner, but even so, throwing champagne at him seemed a bit extreme.

If he'd had any sense of decorum he would have planned to be sober tonight; it was his sister's party, and everyone Oz worked for and with and over was here, and he ought to ensure he didn't make an ass of himself. But his sense of decorum had been thrown by the wayside when Griffith introduced him to a new substance earlier that month. Every time he came down he was back asking for more. It was only Griffith having been an ass about it most recently that had gotten him here tonight sober — hence his being annoyed. And while the young woman spoke he was making the appropriate responses, but mostly he was turning over all his various interactions with Griffith in his head and trying to guess whether he would be an ass next time, too. Griffith was unpredictable — conversations with him were playing with fire, and the longer Don Juan continued the higher the risk he'd get burned — but that stuff he made was so good, and it kept the opium withdrawals at bay.

"It's not the best champagne," he joked with a shrug. "But you might've gotten rid of it in a slightly less dramatic fashion by waving down one of the staff." He stepped back from the sticky patch of broken glass and did exactly that, though it wouldn't help her skirts or his trousers.

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MJ made this <3

Even worse, this was the Minister's brother. The Applegates were too mad to be involved in politicking, but this was still horribly embarrassing. Hanna flushed and kept staring, trying to find her tongue. The world span. She pressed her hands to her bodice to try to stop them from shaking, to no success — instead they were trembling against the fabric.

"I'm s-s-sorry," she stuttered out. "So, so, s-s-sorry." There were not enough apologies in the world! People were going to talk about her, and they were already talking about her, because she was now twenty-seven with no prospects! She was still standing in the champagne puddle, too, which was going to make it difficult for the now-approaching waiter — but she was too focused on trying to apologize.

  

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set by Bee

She was so obviously embarrassed that it was making him feel embarrassed for her, which was tragic because he had been rather determined not to have any feelings at all tonight. He glanced down at the champagne puddle in hopes that she would get the hint and step out of it. When she didn't he looked at her in a more animated fashion and then back down at the puddle, the silent equivalent of a polite cough. She was still frozen in place. He was going to have to actually do something, or else the footman was going to say ahem, and given her reaction so far he was quite sure she would never recover from that.

"Miss Applegate," he said, and though his tone was soothing enough he couldn't help but grimace as he reached for her arm. He tugged gently guided her out of the puddle and off towards the edge of the ballroom, shooting the servant an apologetic glance as they went. "Perhaps you'd like some air."

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MJ made this <3

Hanna allowed herself to be removed from the puddle, still gaping like a fish. "Air!" she said, latching onto the last thing that Dempsey had said. "I love air." Then she would at least no longer be embarrassing in super public — leaving the ballroom would get her some amount of privacy.

She was going to have to tell Ezra about this, specifically if she wanted to leave early — it felt particularly dire to admit to him that she was continuing to fail.

  

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set by Bee

She loved air. Who didn't? At least she was out of the champagne puddle, and she hadn't seemed to notice that her delay in moving had been slightly conspicuous. Of course, there wasn't really anywhere to take her for actual air. He couldn't get her all the way outside when they were in a hotel ballroom; it would have been scandalous to leave the building, even if he hadn't had the reputation that he had. They'd have to settle for the hallway... but then he'd be stuck in a hallway with a nervous woman, which wasn't what he'd had planned for the night. Hopefully she wasn't the swooning sort.

"If I get you another drink, do you promise not to throw it at me?" he asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

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MJ made this <3