Viscarias

Words by runi

Payton trails his hand against the ivory balustrade of the balcony overlooking the main floor, the soft chatter of the crowd below fading into white noise.

He sighs, reaching up to scratch an itch beneath the mask adorning his eyes. Within his fingers, the stems of the viscarias stick to the pads of his fingers. The music starts to swell into a waltz, the crowd below moving along with it. Men start to hold their hands out to women, asking them for a dance.

His eyes scan the room for his target — blonde hair with a small silver tiara tucked within the strands, fair skin, a midnight blue ball gown and a mask to match. It’s surprisingly easy for him to spot the woman, a small smile finding its way to his lips. He pulls at the cuff of his sleeve, keeping an eye at her as he descends the staircase, making a beeline towards her as soon as he steps foot on the main floor.

Weaving through the dancing bodies, he twists the stem of the flower in hand as he approaches the lady. Payton clears his throat to catch her attention, flashing her a charming smile when she meets his eyes. He takes note of the confusion that flits through her eyes, bending slightly in a bow and extending the flower towards her.

“May I have this dance?”

Hesitantly, she takes the flower from his fingers with a smile before placing her hand over his upturned palm. His smile widens, gripping her hand softly as he pulls her towards the dance floor. She places her free hand on his shoulder as he snakes his over to her side. They sway in time with the music for a few minutes, his eyes flitting subtly towards the other attendees before leaning in closer to his partner, whispering in her ear.

“Pardon my rudeness, princess.” He starts, keeping his tone nonchalant. “I’m afraid that I’ll have to keep you safe with me for now.”

He pulls back to see her face shift into a frown, her head tilting to the side ever so slightly.
“And why is that, may I ask?”

He hums, sparing a glance over her shoulder before replying.

“Well, you see, someone’s trying to take you away. I’m simply here to make sure that doesn’t happen, princess.”

The confusion on her features continues to grow, making him frown slightly. That isn’t the reaction he was expecting to see.

“What do you mean?” She asks, before adding. “And why do you keep calling me princess?”

They stop moving, frowning at each other. He opens his mouth to express his own confusion when the music stops abruptly, causing everyone else to stop as well. A man on the balcony cups his hands around his mouth, grabbing the attention of the crowd.

“There’s an intruder in the premises and has taken heiress!”

His jaw drops, dragging his wide eyes back to the woman in front of him, reaching over to lift her mask from her eyes. His heart drops when he sees that the face beneath isn’t the one he was familiar with, her eyes equally as confused and surprised. Oh.

“Crap.”