Seashells and Stars

One fiasco down, another to cause. Well, maybe better not to. Perhaps taking someone's invitation through a bet hadn't been his brightest of ideas, but the results spoke for themselves. He was here, he was dressed to the nines with a gold gilded mask, and the party was in full swing. The bun debated the champagne for a moment before figuring up building a reason to be thirsty first was for the better.

Which left Echo cocking his head as he heard the musicians starting their newest song. There was a dance floor. Talking was a way to justify things, but when in hell, do a demons would. And in this case, he was at a ball. Dancing seemed the proper course of action. And while he certainly could have kept to himself, that might make him look silly. So... a partner it would be.

One hooved paw raised to tap at his mouth as he scanned the crowds, looking for any wallflower who'd make for a suitable victim. Er, no, someone to gift with the pleasure of his presence. Yes, much better. Eventually his gaze settled on a teal figure who wasn't too far from the floor that might work. A fellow greed bun. That'd work. After all, they could have been planning to head out too right?

So with all the confidence of someone who got his way far too often Echo trolled over, a sly grin slipping onto his face as he offered a light sweeping bow. "Good eve, my dear. Would you perhaps grace me with your presence? Parties are so droll when by oneself, wouldn't you agree?"
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Admittedly, Tempest was a little out of his element. The only reason he was here in the first place was because a good friend had been so kind as to get multiple invitations from Angora and give one to him, and declining such an invite was incredibly rude.

At least the mask he had been given to wear was pretty cool, decorated with shells, his favourite thing. All the other buns were dressed so fancy, decorated in gold adornments and having highly sophisticated conversations, out of his league completely.

To Tempest's surprise, he was approached by a bun who looked like a living galaxy. He also spoke really fancy, but Tempest managed to get the gist that he wanted to chat and dance.

"Oh, hello! I guess being by yourself isn't very fun, but it's a bit tough to socialise when everyone seems interested in speaking fancy. No offence, of course!" He rambled a bit, already feeling like he was blowing it.

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Echo had to take a moment to question if he should blame Mink for his ability to manage to pick the out of their element one. Sure, the bun had seemed a bit unsure which was why he picked him, but the similarities in some ways made him question himself. Internally. Mink was apparently more of an influence than he thought. He'd work on that later.

Still, the smile didn't drop from his face. Keeping his expression as he wanted it was part of the job of a dealer in a casino, so this was child's play. "None taken." He replied, waving one arm to show he was dusting it away. "You did seem a bit unsure, so I opted to introduce myself. That said, my name is Echo. Could I ask for yours? And if you'd be interested, perhaps a bit of fun after?" He idly gestured to the side, toward the dance floor as he moved to sidle up next to the other bun, planning to snag his hoof and drag him off if he made the mistake of agreeing.

Obviously, no meant no, but come now. It was a party. Who'd say no? He was being so nice.

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"Oh of course! Silly me. My name is Tempest! And yeah, I'd like to have fun! You seem really nice!" Tempest was grateful to Echo for approaching him first.

A few of the buns nearby turned away from their conversations to glare at him and Tempest realised he was being kind of loud. "Sorry!" He apologised before turning his attention fully to Echo.

"Did you want to dance? I'm not the best, but I know how to avoid tripping over my own hooves!" In his mind, tonight was supposed to be all about fun, not skill level.

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"Perrrfect~" There was literally a purr to his reply at hearing the other bun wanted to have fun. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Tempest." Honestly, he considered it winning when the other bun agreed to the dance. And oh, how he loved to come out on top in anything he considered a game or challenge of any kind. It was part of what made him a good dealer for the casino he worked for.

The buns who'd given them a look did get a cursory glance, but really he didn't care. For a number of reasons. One being that that weren't meant to know who was who, and two-

Who cared what grumps thought? ...wait he needed to add that thought to another reason Mink was a poor influence. Tsk tsk. Regardless, concerns for another time.

He reached out to catch the other buns hoof at that point, intending to tug him along toward the floor as he easily moved with more grace than one would expect from such chubby legs, but it was something Echo prided himself on. Smooth tongue, smooth movements. It wasn't about being an elitist, just looking good in his own way. "Well, if you're unsure you can watch me, and if all else fails..." He shrugged his free shoulder. "Freestyle is an option. I doubt they'd kick either of us out if we claimed we'd had a bit too much of the alcohol clouding our judgement if anyone truly protests?" He quirked a brow, grinning cheekily at the bun in his shell mask.

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Tempest giggled and followed Echo onto the dance floor. The other bun was oddly charming despite Tempest not understanding half of what he was saying. That was more of a fault of his own for not mingling with high society enough. If Natalia was anything to go by, they all had god complexes. Yeahh she probably wasn't a good frame of reference.

There weren't many buns that were actually dancing, most of them standing around and drinking champagne while gossiping. Tempest managed to overhear some tea about some bun who was kicked out of the gala. Hopefully he didn't do anything to actually get kicked out. Natalia would skin him alive if he did.

"So uh, what kind of fancy dancing do buns normally do at these kinds of parties? It's my first time being invited to a gala so I'm a bit clueless but you seem so nice and I think we'll have a lot of fun!" Tempest said, his tail swishing back and forth like an impup's.

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The humor of it all was that Echo was anything, but high society. Despite the fancy star themed mask with gold accents and little matching cape he'd thrown on, he worked his nine to five so to speak. And made the list even less than Tempest had. Not that he'd admit it if asked. Fancy shmancy talk he might have or not.

Which was why he took more of a hint from the current dancers than anything. And frankly... Echo came back from his polling the few other dancers with less answers than anything. The music wasn't slow per say, but it wasn't some clubbing bop either. Still the dancing ranged from formal to some dolls and buns just doing jigs. Gold eyes narrowed as an audible hum escaped him in thought. Well it meant anything went really.

Even if snobs might abound.

"Then less fancy dipping and more just keeping pace with the beat?" He offered, doing a light spin away before extending a paw back toward Tempest in a flourish. Honestly, his dance date seemed easy enough to impress so that would likely work out. "It's as you said. As long as we're not ruining it for someone else and we're having our own fun, who's going to have a problem?" He gave an all too confident grin. Honestly if anything his ears were the most likely problem for the pair since they'd easily trip someone if they came to close from behind, tied back or not.

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"Sure, that sounds easy enough!" Tempest agreed, taking Echo's hoof and the two began their dance. He found that keeping pace wasn't as hard as eh thought and they were spinning across the dance floor in no time! Of course they were careful so as not to bump into the other guests and Tempest may or may not have stepped on Echo's tail and his own ear at one point, but his dance partner was very gracious and brushed it off.

They were even more careful after that and Tempest didn't step on Echo's hooves once, which he was very proud of. The dancing was a lot more fun than he'd expected. Honestly Tempest had expected to stay near the wall all night, waiting for Natalia so they could leave, since it was rude to leave without the person who invited you out, and Tempest was not a rude bun.

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Of course it was easy. It was the basis of dance. Anyone with any sense of rhythm should be able to manage as much. Right? Right... right? Actually, peering around might prove the opposite. He'd just steer them away from those buns who had either imbided a bit too much, or were possibly deaf. Or maybe a mix of both. Hard to say.

Gracious was not a term usually given to Echo. Sure, his customer service smile and poker face were toptier, but anyone who knew him knew he judged. His mouth may have twitched when his tail was stepped on, and he was probably going to carefully brush out any marks on his ear after that woopsie of a step, but he took it to realize when Tempest would slip up. Reading people was part of the job too. So he learned when the bun would likely misstep and maneuver away from it, which in turn seemed to imbue a bit more confidence in the bun? After all he was 'no longer' stepping on his partner.

And he didn't seem to notice that the reason was that whenever he was about to Echo has chosen to step back at the time. Still it WAS fun. A lot better than a night in, or sitting at a table taking carats from gamblers for the casino. And even if he was a but on the simpler side, Tempest was sweet. Quick to apologize when he had stepped on him, and he was trying. Oh sure, he wasn't perfect, but he was trying. And that was sweet in itself, which lead to a sort of breathless laugh escaping him as the song was winding down to move to a new tune. "See, not too hard! A bit more practice and you could rub elbows with the high society folks sipping champagne, wouldn't you agree?"

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Tempest let out a hearty laugh. "Yeah, maybe. Doesn't really fit me though. And besides, you're more fun to dance and talk with." He said honestly with a bright smile. The current song the orchestra was playing ended and they stopped their dance.

"This was really fun, but I could use a break and a drink, what about you?" Tempest wanted to talk more with Echo, get to know him better. Maybe they could hang out together again after tonight if he was lucky and Echo wanted to be friends.

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"Mmm, perhaps not." He replied with a hum. As much as he said it, it had been in jest to a degree. Tempest clearly wasn't the best fit for high society, and even if he could manage a dance, that didn't make up for the rest of what he'd need to manage. Rubbing shoulders and hooves was probably nowhere in the bun's future. Thankfully the bun seemed to agree and prefer not to go the route. For the best.

As the music died down he laughed, a quiet thing that wouldn't draw the wrong attention at the party. "Well, who am I to deny such a request?" He chimed, somewhat heading toward the edge of the dancefloor before another song started. Though he did make sure his dance partner came along with. "If I'm to be honest, seeking a dance was something of an excuse to justify a nice drink after. Company for both is quite the treat to be granted."

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Tempest nodded along, vaguely understanding what Echo was talking about. The other bun made sense, but also didn't at the same time. It was rather strange, but he liked the way he talked. They made their way over to a table where beverages were provided. Now, Tempest didn't drink all that often. Being a lifeguard required him to be sober, though he wasn't against getting a drink with friends. However he didn't recognise the drinks on the table. There were no fancy glasses like the way Hops' served drinks to signify what they were, instead they were all just served in champagne glasses. A little worried, he looked to Echo to see what he planned on getting and he'd just get the same and pray it tasted good.

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Such was the way of high society. Say one thing, mean another entirely. Smile while being an absolute monster to them. Not that he was trying to do that now, but- well... Echo understood the way of things well enough. Even if he wasn't the upper crust himself. He saw enough of the posturing around the Casino at work. And he knew how to fit in in the scene well enough.

Which was why he didn't hesitate when reaching for a glass, the champagne a clear set of bubbling bliss. He'd picked one that would be crisp and refreshing in it's own way. At least in his opinion. He didn't get to drink much either. The risk of ones poker face slipping at work was not an option. Though having a drink that looked like you were could bait in someone hoping the dealer would slip up. "These are a lovely one if you ask me." Which, it certainly looked like that was what Tempest was wordlessly doing? He took a sip. "The best for a light drink over talk." He added, offering a smile as he moved to head toward a wall. Close enough to listen for gossip, but out of the way. Tempest would make good cover to not make it obvious, and he felt a conversation held with him wouldn't suffer if half of his attention was elsewhere.

"So... anyway, what was it you do..?" Just a bit of idle chit chat to while away the time over drinks and see if anyone said something interesting on the side.

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"Oh, I'm a lifeguard!" Tempest said, sounding pleased with himself as he puffed out his chest subtly. He was proud of his job, since it was very important in keeping buns safe and sound. Plus he loved combing the beach after hours for shells to add to his collection at home. No bun had ever drowned on his watch because he was so good at his job.

"What about you? What do you do for work? I bet it's really cool!" He added, his tail swishing behind him slightly. Now Tempest had an IQ about six points higher than butter, but even though he wasn't the smartest or most sophisticated bun, he had a massive heart of gold and all of his excitement towards Echo, who he perceived as his new friend, was a hundred percent genuine.

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Oh, that was intesting. And... pretty fitting. A brief look over the bun definitely made it all the more obvious. He nodded his head with understanding. "My self?" He smiled, a bit deviously really. "A dealer for the Casino. If you'd ever like to make a wager over a hand..." He said it more to tease than anything, taking a sip of his drink. "Just don't expect to win." He added. Sure there was some luck to cards, but there was more skill to it than people knew. "Or you can stop by my work, I'll be at a table somewhere." He added, chuckling at that.

He then took to asking a bit more about the beaches that Tempest worked at, as he really hadn't had as much time to visit as he wanted. Certainly they could spend a bit of time learning a bit about each other while he listened to the conversations around them. Information was it's own kind of power too. Either way, Tempest was a good guise and easy person to talk with until something else came up for one of them.