The City had seen fit to dress her in moonlight, or so it seemed to Beauty. The dress, which was far too scandalous -- even for a Parisian -- could not be avoided. Indeed, the young lady fought invisible spirits for the better portion of an hour to avoid wearing the body-hugging slip of silver. In the end, however, the City had its way with Beauty. She arrived (late though she was) dressed exactly as the City desired her to be dressed -- beautifully, with a modern twist that it typically spared her.
French women knew all about masquerades, and so she showed with a mask all her own -- a half-moon, ornate and beautifully engraved, balanced delicately on a stick. What Beauty didn't have was jewelry -- and she very much felt the lack of it as she stepped up the staircase and into the walkway. When the proper gentleman handed her a gift of a ring, however -- assuring her that the City passed it to her with its compliments -- Beauty couldn't stop the smile. It fit perfectly -- a milky blue moonstone surrounded by dots of diamonds. She was still admiring it as she walked into the masquerade. She wasn't one for finery, but this was a beautiful gift indeed.
She hadn't been watching where she wandered, and so when she accidentally ran into a man in velvet, the surprise of it made her yelp. It was a very unladylike sound, which sent color blooming brightly across her high cheekbones. "I'm so sorry, sir," she stammered, backing up.
When she backed up, she backed INTO someone else. Another yelp.