⋆Into The Void Sanctuary⋆

The room is alive with fellow guests mingling and conversing between one another, the grand ballroom lit from the four hanging chandeliers above you. Gentle music from the orchestra along the furthest wall keeps the mood pleasant and light, but the quiet of the instruments makes it clear that the dancing had not yet begun.

It's quite an atmosphere; elegant, warm, and regal. You smile as you take in the heavy tapestries that cover the many windows lining the room. To the smallest details, this place was extravagant and expensive. You couldn't imagine the sort of wealth one would require to purchase what was in the ballroom alone.

Somehow, you felt underdressed for the occasion, despite wearing the fanciest gown you owned.

As if by some unspoken cue, the light song died away, and your attention became rapt on the musicians. The composer stood at the head of the small orchestra, and with a few waves of his baton, the music swelled in triumph, signaling the beginning of the dancing.

You look around for someone to dance with you, and almost instantly lock eyes with someone a dozen feet away. And with purposeful strides, he came to stand at your side.

Dressed in an ornate black suit jacket and wearing an intimidating wolf's mask, you can't help but take a step back out of reflex. His attire was fitting, what with the way he'd sought you out so intensely. As if on the hunt, on the prowl.

He seemed to have found his prey.

With a graceful bow, the black-haired man reached for your hand with a tattooed one of his own, then sent you a dazzlingly charming smile. Oh, you were impressed already.

"Care to dance?"

"How could I refuse an offer from such a charming gentleman?" You ask, fluttering your eyelashes at the sound of his smooth voice. You could listen to him speak for hours and never grow bored, you were sure.

You curtsy as would be expected of accepting his invitation to dance--even in the face of meeting such an interesting man, you didn't forget the social pleasantries--before allowing him to guide you to the center of the swiftly-filling ballroom floor.

His hand settles at your waist while yours takes it's place on his shoulder, and as if you'd danced together a thousand times before, you both move with steps as fluid as a babbling creek.

"Let's see..." He suddenly muttered, gray eyes inspecting you with interest. "Well-spoken and poised, practically bleeding with confidence, and wearing what is no doubt an expensive dress. I'd say you are the daughter of a high-ranking Marine."

You can't help you smile, and incline your head in acknowledgement of his statement. "Lucky guess."

"Call it good intuition." He retorted, satisfied grin still in place. "You look right at home in a place like this. Elegance suits you."

He was as smooth on his feet as he was with his charm.

"You're remarkably skilled at dancing," You say quietly in return, smiling up at your mystery partner. "which surprises me, considering I suspect you're one of those dangerous pirates I was warned to stay away from."

"Hmm. What gave it away?" He muttered in amusement, the lilt of a chuckle ready and waiting at the back of his throat. Clearly your accusation of his occupation didn't bother him in the slightest. So either you were correct, or he found your guess to be quite preposterous and entertaining a thought.

"The tattoos, mainly." You drift your thumb along the back of his hand and fingers, drawing his attention to them as you step in time to the music. "But also that smile. So smug and cunning...the thought of being right under the World Government's nose amuses you, I'm sure."

"All that from a smile? What remarkable observation."

"I pride myself on knowing who I dance with, discerning small details and making conclusions from that. For example," you regard him for a moment, pondering what you thought as a whole from the way he looked at you. "you look like you're just waiting for the right moment to steal me away."

"Now there's an idea..." His fingers at your waist tighten, tone drawling as he considered you. You found you truly enjoyed the way his gray eyes roved over your visage, clearly liking what he found. "I wouldn't go saying such things carelessly. You never know what whim us 'dangerous pirates' might decide to act upon."

"Something tells me that's not as much a threat as it is a promise."

He chuckles, then, amused by your candor.

"For many, that wouldn't be the case..." He sends you both in a spin, grip on your waist and hand controlled and gentle. He leans in close to whisper the rest in your ear. "but for you, perhaps I'll make an exception."

You can feel your cheeks grow hot behind your mask, the implications of all the unspoken curiosity and lust in his eyes making your imagination run wild. Perhaps there's something about edging the line of danger and desire with a man who literally had death at his fingertips that made you incredibly fascinated. Or daft. Or both, even.

You continue your dance, a silence simmering in the space between you as you both focus on the steps, mindful of those around you and each other's feet. The pace slows again, and you're once again in close proximity to one another.

"So tell me..." You start again, relishing the way his calculating gaze from within the wolfish mask regards you. "What's a pirate like you doing at a Marine Gala?"

"Given your ties to my enemy...I'm not sure that's something I should disclose." He mentioned, smile never leaving his features.

"What a shame...anything out of the ordinary would have made tonight interesting." Was your coy response, head tilted to draw his curiosity. "These things get terribly boring, year after year dancing with the same snobbish people, talking about the same frivolous things..."

"Then why attend?"

"I believe I asked you that question first."

"So you did." He conceded.

"Well? Don't disappoint a girl...what sort of dastardly pirate deeds are you up to at this masquerade?"

For a time, he didn't respond, perhaps wondering whether to entertain your question with the truth. Or, more likely, he was coming up with a reasonably believable answer that wouldn't raise suspicion as to his real intentions there that night.

"Since you're so curious..." He finally said, laughing despite himself, and his tone dropped to a whisper. "There happens to be an item of value here that I want. And while I keep an eye on those in attendance who may make things complicated should they catch wind of our plans here, my subordinates are hard at work procuring it."

Your hand tightens on his shoulder and you lean in closer. "That sounds an awful lot like an excuse to dance with pretty girls while the others do all the work."

"If you must know, I had no intention of dancing."

You quirked a brow at the admission, and you pull away to look into his eyes that stare back at you from within his mask. "Oh? And what suddenly gave you the notion?"

Another low chuckle came from deep in his throat, and you watched his eyes narrow slightly. "One particularly fascinating--and might I add beautiful--woman who happened to catch my eye."

"Whoever she is must be quite a sight, to garner a pirate's attention."

"She's quite the oddity." He continued in a coy tone, lips descending to just beside your ear. The hush and heat of his breath against the shell of your ear sends shivers down your spine.

"I can't help but want to steal her away from all these prying eyes. You can't imagine the dastardly...pirate...deeds I'd do to her." He muttered in a quiet whisper for only you to hear, fingers beginning to trail up your side as he slowed his words. "I only wonder if she'd accept the invitation."

Your eyes close, and with a start, you realize the song had ended. When you open them again, the wolfish grin he gives you matches the mask that conceals his identity. There's a heavy lust and amusement in his gray eyes, staring intently at you as your movements cease.

"Yes..." The thunderous applause of the other dancers covers your reply from nosy ears, and you pull him closer by his jacket collar. Your voice is husky and breathless. "She would say yes."