ALTAIR LAURENT & GALE KAPUR (LATER IN THE EVENING).
As the party began to dwindle down, pairs and families and other assortments of attendees bading good-bye to the honored and their hosting families, Gale could feel her patience and energy slowly depleting. It had been a long evening, and she was tired. Exhausted, even, moreso than most of the nights she spent up studying her runes and her beloved spells and magical history, whatever she could get her hands on -- but then again, that was enjoyable. This, while not entirely abhorrent, was not. Usually she enjoyed such gatherings, but before tonight, none had really been focused on her and the topic of marriage. The last one had been her debut at the age of sixteen, years and years ago, and that had been less irritating, more tolerable overall, than this.
So Gale fled to the balcony, skirt whipping around her ankles. There were few people in the ballroom now, and she needed some time to breath. The fresh air of Emillion, perfumed by the jasmine gardens below, floated up and soothed her. She took long, steady breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Anything to let her mind center itself. She needed to let her mask drop, so she could flush out all the emotion in the system; this was the only time and place she felt she could do it.
She did not hear the doors open, nor the footsteps that stepped softly on the balcony's stone floor.