well don't they look darling {tyler}

[ADDISON ROWE]

Awkward.

That had been terribly dreadfully awkward. Addison was still feeling the embarrassment, the entire situation playing over and over again in her mind. Things she should have said and done. Things she definitely should not have said or done. It felt so cliché. Addison wasn’t really one to think about mortifying moments like that over and over again. She forgot them easily enough. If anything, she wrote them down to use in future stories. Now that she was wandering around the large ballroom, looking for somebody she knew, Addison couldn’t stop thinking. It was almost frustrating. She finally just stopped and moved to the edge of the room, deciding she could be a wallflower for a little bit. At least, until she found somebody else to spend time with.

It actually wasn’t that bad, being a wallflower. It made people watching that much easier. Addison found it fascinating, especially because she was at a masquerade. She didn’t know these people, which meant she could come up with little tales in her mind. There was a girl in green, staring wistfully at a boy dressed particularly brightly. He was talking to a blonde in a short dress. Addison was already naming them, giving them character traits, and assuming anything and everything she wanted. Because she could. That was the great thing about not knowing people and being creative enough to do whatever she wanted. Filing that idea away for later, Addison meandered along the wall, making her way by other people hanging about, trying not to bump into them.

It seemed impossible, though. For the moment she’d thought she’d like to avoid running into anybody, she walked right into someone. She’d somehow missed seeing them there. Stumbling back, reaching out to the wall to steady herself, Addison was already apologizing, silently praying that they hadn’t been holding a drink or anything. “Oh dear, I’m so… so sorry,” she shook her head, looking up at him. He was a couple inches taller than she was, and for some reason, he reminded her of Tyler. Addison wasn’t even sure if Tyler had planned on going to the masquerade… They had talked about going as friends but then Addison got swept up in dress shopping and planning for the day of and… she’d kind of forgotten. That she was suddenly feeling so guilty did not help that she was now accidentally ignoring the stranger she’d crashed into.

“Sorry, again… I was doing so well with not running people over, too…” She said, laughing quietly, somehow feeling even more humiliated than before.

---

this outfit with this mask

[TYLER CARTER]

The night had been perfectly planned. He was not supposed to be worried at all. But he was.

Tyler had panicked the entire day; what could he say to Addison at the Masquerade? It was never difficult for him to speak to her. They were close friends, it should be a piece of cake.

Not the case, apparently. This was different though. This was his moment to speak up, to tell her that he cared about her and to NOT be put in the friendzone again.

Getting ready hadn't been a total disaster. His mask did a fair job at hiding his face. His suit fit well. At least he wouldn't look like a complete fool when he was acting like one.

He hadn't spent much time in the ballroom before he began to be discouraged. He had searched for Addison but couldn't find her anywhere. Close to giving up, he turned just as a girl ran into him.

She steadied herself, then looked positively mortified.

“Oh dear, I’m so… so sorry.”

Tyler smiled. He knew her voice, her eyes, her face anywhere. It was Addison. He was lost for words for a moment.

“Sorry,again… I was doing so well with not running people over, too…”

But wait. She didn't recognize him! Disappointment flooded through him as she stepped away, embarrassed. Then it clicked. She didn't recognize him. Right now, he wasn't Tyler, just a friendly stranger in a mask.

Tyler was suddenly overwhelmed in a confidence that he wasn't sure was his own.

"Please, don't worry about it. If anyone were to run into me, I'm glad it was you."



(EW IT'S SHORT)
Outfit&Mask

[ADDISON ROWE]

He didn’t seem upset, and that he wasn’t about to go off at her for being a stupid girl for not paying attention was making her feel a little better. Apparently, he… he was actually more than okay with her running into him? She blushed a little, laughing again. “O-oh. Well. Then. I suppose my clumsiness worked out well this time.” Well, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to get to know him then, would it? He seemed friendly enough. She almost stuck out her hand, but then she remembered she was at a masquerade and wearing a dress and there was no reason to pass up on curtsying. So, she did just that and once she’d straightened back up, she smiled, and introduced herself. “I’m Addison. It’s nice to meet you.”

For a second, she wondered if she did know him. There was something about him that was familiar. It might have been his voice. Hadn’t she always been quite good at voices? Not as well as she’d thought, as it were. Addison thought maybe it could be Tyler, but surely Tyler would have said so, right? He would have told her. Yeah. Yes, of course. Definitely. So, with that out of mind, Addison focused on meeting and getting to know this new person. “Are you having fun?” She asked, gesturing around the room. “This is my first time going to a masquerade.” Addison nearly went on about how inspiring the event was, how it was giving her all sorts of ideas.

Thank God she was thinking straight. Addison never gave away her stories before she’d had a chance to write them down, and though she had before ranted at a stranger, now was no time to do so. Whoever this man was, he hadn’t come to the masquerade to listen to someone ramble about something they probably didn’t care about. She did, however, make a note to herself that she should certainly attend more masquerades. Addison wasn’t sure how often they were held, but she would make sure to look into them more often. “Are you going to school now?” She asked, trying to start up a conversation and feeling like she was failing miserably.

[TYLER CARTER]

Her cheeks flushed pink and he felt his confidence soar.

“O-oh. Well. Then. I suppose my clumsiness worked out well this time.”

She smiled to herself, then curtsied, looking pleased at her ability to introduce herself in this fashion.

“I’m Addison. It’s nice to meet you.”

Tyler bowed gracefully, catching hold of her hand and kissing it like a gentleman. He felt stupendous. This mask was like a superhero's suit. It allowed him to be however he wanted, without being afraid.

It was like pretending.

"It's very nice to meet you as well. I'm.." There was just the shortest of pauses. If he told her he was Tyler, the mask's power would fail him. But he couldn't lie to Addison..

"..Logan."

It wasn't a lie. Not really. After all, it was his middle name.

“Are you having fun? This is my first time going to a masquerade.”

Tyler Logan looked around the room, interested at last in all the other costumes and hidden identities.

"I am having fun, actually. I've never been to one before, but I like it a lot. I think it's a very good place to be creative."

He threw her a smile.

"I wouldn't have guessed you were a first-timer. You look lovely."

“Are you going to school now?”

He nodded to her.

"I am, for now. I'm going to leave when I graduate from Baum, and I'll be joining the Marines. I've wanted to for a long time."

Thank goodness he hadn't told any of his Baum friends about his plans to join the Marines. He felt it unfair to them that he spent so much time with them, only to leave quickly.

[ADDISON ROWE]

Her face felt very warm. Pressing her free hand against her cheek, she smiled and wondered who on Earth this man was. She could not remember the last time she’d met a gentleman like him. Addison wondered why a gesture as simple as being kissed on the hand was making her swoon. Much less, by someone she had just met. Perhaps it was the atmosphere. They were at a masquerade and anything could happen. Addison worked very hard on appearing not so flustered, hoping she didn’t look as red as she felt. Logan. Did she know a Logan? There was nobody coming immediately to mind… “I do believe you’re the first Logan I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.” … Was that a strange sort of thing to say? Who spoke of names like that, like it was some sort of big deal? Oh, her mind was a roller coaster.

Addison blinked at him, wondering if he had said what she’d just heard. Creative. Was she not the only one who thought so? Addison had been so sure that she was the only one who would go so far as to make stories up about the guests. “Y-yes.” She finally stammered, smiling so wide, it hurt. “Creative. One of my favorite words. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who thinks so.” It was both their first masquerade. Probably not a rare sort of thing… Addison was sure there were plenty others here who had never been to such an occasion. It didn’t seem they were held often. “Would you like to walk?” She asked, not entirely sure how she felt about asking somebody to dance, especially since they had just met.

It was nice to know all of her hard work, spending the entire day getting ready, had paid off. “Thank you.” Compliments seemed to be so much better at this dance. It might have been that she was so dressed up and not expecting the kind words. She hadn’t exactly felt as pretty as she did now, so she wasn’t sure how anybody else would see her. Evidently, she looked lovely. “Oh? I’m at Baum, as well. I’m a junior.” The Marines? Her stomach felt twisted suddenly. It might have been the thought of this man being in danger of any sort and that worried her (though she kept reminding herself she had just met him and she hardly knew him. He could probably take care of himself). “You sound like you’ve got your life all figured out.”

[TYLER CARTER]

“I do believe you’re the first Logan I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.”

Tyler grinned at her as her face steadily turned a pretty shade of pink and for the first time, he saw her look unsure of herself. He was ever so relieved when her face broke into a dazzling smile.

“Y-yes. Creative. One of my favorite words. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who thinks so.”

There was an odd sort of pause, and Tyler wondered if perhaps he should ask her to dance. The shy Tyler held him back, but he need not have worried. Addison had it covered.

“Would you like to walk?”

He nodded and the two walked around, watching the dancers and observing the strangers in masks around them.

She thanked him graciously for his compliment and there was a fluttering in his stomach that made him want to tell her how beautiful she was all the time.

“Oh? I’m at Baum, as well. I’m a junior. You sound like you’ve got your life all figured out.”

Tyler shrugged a little, putting his hands in his pockets.

"If all goes according to plan, at least. After all, things change. Who knows? By the end of the semester I may decide that my lifelong dream is to capture the Loch Ness Monster or to develop a way to end world hunger."

His blue eyes sparkled as he laughed. Looking to her, Tyler gave a smile that was quite shy, the way it normally was, but his voice was quite confident as he held out his hand.

"Of course.. If being a Marine gives me a better chance of dancing with you, then I'd have to stay on this route. Unless you're into mad scientist types."

[ADDISON ROWE]

He was sort of quiet, wasn’t he? It was… nice, actually. A change of pace from her normally loud and rambunctious friends. If going to masquerades meant meeting lovely people like Logan, she really would have to attend more of them (as if the muse inspiring part of it wasn’t a good enough reason already). As they took to walking around the room, Addison continued to admire the decorations in a new sort of light. She wasn’t quite sure why, but things seemed different now that she was beside somebody as interesting as Logan. “What other sort of things interest you?” Perhaps a better way to put it would have been ‘hobbies,’ but she was having trouble thinking straight.

She laughed at the very possibility of one spending their life searching for the Loch Ness Monster. It was certainly a big dream, and one she imagined could be quite fun. They needed more people trying to end world hunger, too, though, didn’t they? It surely seemed like he had a lot of ideas. “Well, I support whatever you decide to do.” Addison wondered why she hadn’t figured out where she was going in life. Sure, she liked writing and books, but it’s not like being an author is an easy thing to become. Did she really support him joining the marines, though? Admittedly, they had just met, but she already felt herself worrying over him. She really did need to get this mother hen thing under control.

Addison stopped and looked at Logan and then at his outstretched hand and – oh, she was blushing again. Addison found herself giggling a bit and she shrugged, “there is just something about mad scientists, you know.” Addison took his hand without hesitation, deciding now was as good a time as any to live in the moment. “I wonder why I’ve never seen you at Baum before…” she said absentmindedly as they headed out to the dance floor, “unless I have and I just don’t recognize you under that mask,” Addison teased, watching him curiously.