Daily Writing Challenge
Day 3 - Mask
He slipped on his ‘devil’ mask and smoothed out his suit jacket before turning to look at himself in the mirror. He blinked a few times in disbelief, leaning in closer while furrowing his brow; he looked like an almost completely different person. The silver, neatly styled hair, the sharp suit, this was definitely not a reflection he was accustomed to, but he liked it. A lot. He looked older, more mature, more...devilish. Well, maybe not ‘more’ devilish as he often wore an expression of innocence and youth with a healthy dose of confusion daily, but just devilish in general.
He could get used to this reflection.
Tonight was all about being anonymous, maybe even pretending to be someone else for a while. Not that he wanted to be anyone other than himself, but Aerden with a bit more confidence would be nice. Just about anyone close to him suggested or implied that it was something he should work on, and he always agreed. Easier said than done. It was difficult for him after a lifetime of being put down by his mother’s husband, and being bullied in school for always being the small, scrawny one. Things were different now, and had been for a while, but the confidence was still lacking. Thus was born the Silver Devil.
At first, he wasn’t quite the beacon of confidence at the Mabon Masquerade, especially not after that incident where he referred to Xylaes as ‘Mister Daddy’. There were a few people that would never let that one down, but in his defense, the older man did take the moniker ‘Bone Daddy’ for the evening and Aerden was just trying to use polite titles.
Throughout the evening, his confidence grew, especially once the dancing began. All those times his mother dragged him into the middle of the kitchen to waltz while playing her favorite classical pieces on her music player had paid off. He had hated it at first, groaning as she would hug him to her chest and twirl around the floor, while he played the part of a limp noodle in her arms. Reluctantly, he began to dance along, and soon enough he was leading her around their kitchen in a variety of styles. It had become one of their things, and now lessons and memories he would always hold dear.
Overall, it had been an amazing evening. He had only recognized a very small handful of people, but that didn’t stop him from speaking with anyone nearby, or from asking a couple of strangers to dance. He reminisced over the evening’s adventures as he wandered through the streets of Silvermoon towards his apartment early in the morning. His mask dangled from a finger and he smiled at anyone he happened to pass. There were a few strange looks given he was still in his fancy suit from the night before, but that mattered little right now. He was exhausted and his feet were sore, but it was an evening he wouldn’t soon forget. That was exactly what he needed at that moment in time, an evening to forget all of his troubles and woes. A time just to be young and have fun. He also decided to keep the hair this way for a while.
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