Change of Scenery

[Mistress of Death]

"But how do you know I'm mad?" Mistress bit her lip as she broke character by slipping up with the next line from the flick. She acted quickly, trying to get herself back into character before her true self burst through. Taking her lip from between her teeth, she turned it into a devilish smirk. Just be a mean slytherin, like all those girls, you can do it. "I could never be as mad as you however. I wonder, why is it you have to hide in the dark on a night such as this to be together? Surely your costumes are enough to conceal your identities in the ballroom? Or are you hiding from a particular someone or someones?" Her sword lowered, and she began picking at leaves and feigning boredom as she watched their reactions

[Jack]

Jack tilted his head at the two of them, feeling like he was missing something, then focused in on the girl's question. "It's much more private out here, and too hot in there," he said, gesturing with his head towards the general direction of the dance floor. The way he had worded it sounded almost like they had planned meeting each other, even if that wasn't the truth.

[The Gilded Raven]

"Far too hot," the Raven echoed, lips curving into a somewhat crooked smile. "Hence the undressing." It had only been the one mesh glove that the girl had noticed, but only the Raven and Jack knew that. The Raven eyed the girl's costume, eyes shining with humor. "I see you had the same thought."

[Mistress of Death]

Mistress's eyes twinkled with humor. "Nonsense. I'm wearing more than usual." She felt bold stating such an outright lie, and it gave her motivation to continue the banter. "The pits of hell I've crawled out of are quite steamy."

[Jack]

Hence the undressing. Jack turned his head down, a broad smile breaking across his face and a low laugh coming up from his throat. The newcomer probably thought them rather easy by now, or very close, intimate either way, and it was very amusing to Jack, especially since she had no idea who she was talking to. In his attempt to get his laughs under control he missed the rest of what was said, so when he looked back up he didn't even attempt to say anything.

[The Gilded Raven]

The pits of hell. The Raven's smile remained. "You must be freezing out here. Of course, there are ways to warm up..." The Raven's feathered head inclined, as though considering, letting those words settle and draw the necessary conclusions. "But the music is barely audible from here, so it makes the dancing difficult," the Raven continued innocently.

[Mistress of Death]

Mistress had been about to make a witty comment when the Raven continued. Instead she laughed at his added words, unable to hold character. She caught her breath to comment, "Man if you weren't gay I'd say you'd be one hell of a lady's man."

[Jack]

Jack's eyes turned back to the Raven, successfully holding back a laugh at the Raven's words, but interested in the reaction to what the girl had said. "Who needs to be a ladies' man when you can have Captain Jack Sparrow?" he asked, turning his gaze back to the figure in front of him, unable to keep the words from leaving his mouth.

[The Gilded Raven]

"The pirate makes a good point," the Raven said, smirking at Jack, whose comment was--again--a surprise. "The Raven, however, does not recognize labels. Therefore, open to experience might be a more fitting description." It was a subtly layered statement. For the girl, it was only a correction; the Raven was not gay, but quite obviously not straight either. For Jack, it was that, as well as an assurance that the Raven was not labeling him any more than he labeled himself.

[Mistress of Death]

Mistress looked the pair over. It was hard to find any recognizable features through the costumes. She scanned her memory for any guys that might have been closer than normal but came up blank. "Well, at least we all agree that guys are incredibly kissable, though I can't say the same about girls, having never tried."

[Jack]

Jack nodded his head almost imperceptibly at the Raven's words, showing that he understood. He grinned at the girl, he had only kissed one guy, so he didn't know if he could really give an appropriate answer on if guys were kissable. But he supposed, with the knowledge he did have, it was true. "Oh, girls are just as kissable," he said.

[The Gilded Raven]

"Incredibly kissable," Raven said knowledgeably. "I'm partial to cherry ChapStick myself, though there's something to be said for going au naturale." The Raven gave a pointed glance at Jack, painted lips curving again at the implication and the truth behind it.

[Mistress of Death]

"I see your point. I always have liked the taste of my own lips. But guys lips are firm and controlling. They take hold and sweep you away. I just can't imagine being overcome by a girl like that." She thought to herself that this was probably one of the most bizarre conversations she'd ever had. Even if she wasn't playing the dark brooding evil temptress she'd intended, the costume definately made her free to speak of things she normally would have only thought.

[Jack]

There was laughter in his eyes when he caught what the Raven had said. Normally, outside of the costume, Jack never would have been so blunt about it, but under the protection of the mask it was so much easier. "Girl's lips can do just as much as a guy's," he said, "They can sweep you away just as easily."

[The Gilded Raven]

"It's all about the balance of power," the Raven said. "Firm against soft, hard meeting hard head-on, soft melting into soft. Sometimes you want to be soft. Sometimes," the Raven said, lips curving into a crooked smile, "sometimes you can't help being hard." The Raven's eyes glittered with laughter.