[color=lightgray][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SKVTeAj.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/AGNa9uB.png[/img][/center]
[color=B7AAE0]Time:[/color]Evening
[color=B7AAE0]Location:[/color] Calbert's Estate
[color=B7AAE0]Interaction:[/color] [@Helo] Leo [/color]
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Charlotte let her brows furrow as Leo stayed in place. She appreciated his bravery, especially toward Calbert. Perhaps she even would have loved to stand up to him then and there too. However, instead, she frowned at her friend, then glanced in the count’s direction. 

Guests swirled around them and in between them, oblivious to the rising tension. Despite the space that separated them, Charlotte could feel the weight of Calbert's intense gaze even throughout the brief movements of obscured vision. The very air around him carried a malevolence that sent shivers down her spine.

Calbert's attention briefly wavered, his calculating eyes darting elsewhere, and for a moment, relief washed over Charlotte. But the respite was short-lived as his eyes very soon returned to them. The pause stretched, an agonizing silence that heightened the anticipation. And then, as if the silence were a prelude to a storm, Calbert's lips curled into a smile devoid of warmth. With deliberate slowness, Calbert changed direction, the smile lingering.
Charlotte nervously twirled a lock of her hair, attention fixed on the count's retreating figure. When he disappeared from view, her gaze shifted to Leo, concern etched across her face.

[color=B7AAE0] “When did that happen to your voice?”[/color] Her voice, tinted with worry, broke the silence. [color=B7AAE0] “Quite frankly, Leo, I'm a little concerned. “ [/color] 

[color=B7AAE0][i]That laughing fit. That was so strange... Did someone use magic on him? [/i][/color] The questions danced in her mind as she awaited her friend’s answer. 

Her gaze drifted over his shoulder, attuned to a shift in the atmosphere. The room had suddenly seemed to brighten, and colors had become more vibrant, leaving her momentarily disoriented. As she glanced about with confusion, brown eyes, framed by a deep blue mask, met hers, igniting a surge of nostalgia within her almost immediately. He had brown hair that was swept back in a gentle wave and a face that held a delicate beauty.  She could not tear her gaze away as her eyes followed his movements as he twirled with an unseen partner.

A haunting melody of the music added an otherworldly quality to the scene as it echoed dimly through the grand hall.

The man seemed out of place, his entire presence standing out against the backdrop of the room. His partner came into view as they weaved through the crowd and moved closer. She was a small black-haired woman in a white feather mask and a glimmering long white gown. The pair momentarily paused, acknowledging Charlotte before the man gently broke away from her.

A step back was Charlotte's instinctive response as he drew near, his hand extending towards her. A warm smile graced his face as his hand lingered, reaching out to her. Time seemed to freeze, the music pausing in tandem. The next few moments were suspended in that moment. The man unrealistically remained just where he was as they seemed to stare at each other amongst of room of statues.

She finally reciprocated, reaching for his hand. 

Then, in an instant as their fingers just barely graced each other, it all vanished. [i]He vanished.[/i] And as it all disappeared it became ever so clear that the scene presented to her had been a different ballroom and a different time, with people who were not here anymore.  Yet, Charlotte stood there, hand outstretched toward the air, caught in the echo of a memory that had somehow momentarily intertwined with the present.

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