[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/8AE4n4n.png?1[/img][/center][hr]
It was chilly, Esther decided. Especially with what she was wearing - it was stylish, but the thin fabric and lace didn't do much in terms of combatting the crisp winter air. She was too classy for a coat. Then she would have to lug it around all evening, and it would be awful. No, it was either be cold or not show up at all.

At that moment, she wasn't the coldest Frey, however. In the place of a coat, she'd draped a suit jacket around her shoulders, black with red accents, much like her own dress. As for the owner of it? He was at her side, shivering just as much as Esther was and making no attempt to conceal it. Cain Frey, her very own cousin and personal wind breaker. 

[color=de74be]"Hey, uh, Ess. You're gonna give that back, right,"[/color] Cain whined. He sped up slightly and his cousin followed suit. Both of them were pretty desperate to just get to the damn masquerade and out of the cold. And both were seriously regretting parking so far from the location. Esther had claimed that it was safer for them to not be anywhere near the actual location. That turned out to be a mistake, because it had been ten minutes and they were only just coming close to where they were supposed to be.

[color=978ab8]"Oh, you shouldn't worry about that. Of course, I wouldn't be caught dead in this thing."[/color] As if to prove a point, she shrugged it off of her shoulders, letting it slide to the ground. Cain caught it quickly, putting it back on just as fast. [color=978ab8]"But hey, that can't possibly be it. We must be in the wrong place."[/color] There wasn't much to look at. Just an abandoned hotel in the middle of somewhere. Not nearly extravagant enough for this kind of event. Esther narrowed her eyes. She'd been looking forward to the masquerade. [color=978ab8]"Look what you've done. We'll definitely be late at this rate."[/color] As they walked up to the front of the building, nothing about it changed.

[color=de74be]"You're the one who... oh, nevermind,"[/color] Cain said. [color=de74be]"Well, it's totally the right address. Unless we got the wrong invite, this is the right place, yeah? Maybe the budget's been a little tight lately so they had to cut back on costs. You know how things are these days. Capitalism and all that, yeah."[/color] He pushed on the door, dragging a reluctant Esther in with him. She eyed the building suspiciously as she passed through the doorway.

Then the mirage vanished, revealing the true interior of the hotel. Esther let out a sigh of relief. Much, much better. But there was no time to admire it. This time, it was her who took Cain by the wrist.

[color=de74be]"Wha-"[/color]

[color=978ab8]"Drinks, darling. They're free, aren't they?"[/color] Esther gave him a harsh tug.

[color=de74be]"Cheers to that."[/color] Cain rolled his eyes, allowing himself to be led to where all of the tables had been set out. Not what he'd expect as his cousin's first priority, but that wasn't to say it annoyed him in any way. The food didn't disappoint at all. He absent-mindedly picked up a few things as Esther checked out the variety of beverages, looking around. A lot of people, more then he even knew. And Cain liked to think that quite a lot of people came around to the shop. Most were well dressed, though there were a few in more causal outfits, and some that were just straight up gaudy.

Who wore chains to a ball, anyway? Even Cain, who had worn the same jacket every day for the last three years, found that a little distasteful. The sheer amount of confidence that woman must have had was impressive.