Oh mercy, will it overcome us

While the masquerade was a tremendous idea in a wonderfully chosen location, the temptation to exit the masked ball had struck the young woman more than once through the still young evening. What lay behind the coifs? What lay beneath the exquisite lace guarding eyes made up with sparkling shadow and thick lashes, alluring in every way? The bits held together by an expensive dress or suit were stacked upon themselves, poised with lustful intention. For an extravagant adventure or evening, maybe the masks were a guiltless way to extract oneself from the bores of daily life, allowing for the mysterious to occur for once. With every turn of the head, there was another beautiful being to catch your breath and steal your heartbeat if only for a moment, and in that moment it was the masks that allowed heart beats to be snatched by unsuspecting individuals. Had it been another night in a different bar or a different location, perhaps the young woman would not have found herself cozied up to the bar beside the gentleman who seemed to be the source of the amused grin plaguing her lips.

"See? Look at all you have going for you." While my gaze never left his face, my lips curled further into a deeply amused grin at the reasons for which the man explained a different man might neglect a challenge offered by a pretty woman. Clearly, he did not believe he was the sort of man to back down from any sort of contest and with his words strengthened by some kind of inner confidence, he extended this belief to the young were-anaconda. Would he continue to allow her to engage him in some kind of playful competition, even if fueled by some kind of gut-warming alcohol? With a vaguely impish simper boiling its way onto her lips, Bethel raised her glass to the speech Blake had begun in her honor as if to toast those words made up on the spot. Regardless of how lighthearted his words may have been, Bethel would have responded with a scowl dampening her generally upturned, bright features. The scowl would permeate her general vicinity, roaming over the man's figure like a low fog until he looked at her face, and would realize that remaining there, still, was a playful glint. "Now that sounds like plagiarism, to me."

With the playful bat swung, Bethel let her eyes remain on Blake as she lifted the glass in her hand to touch her pink painted lips. The drink slid between them with a fervent fizz that left a tingle on her tongue in a way that a hiss generally did, reminding the young woman that there was something beneath her skin demanding to be felt. With a deep, deep sigh, her inner being stilled and allowed her to tilt her head gently and listen to Blake's quip at her compliment. A soft ghost of a laugh would fall from her lips as a brow raised in compliance with her false confusion. "Oh, he just left..." She trailed off, slowly raising a hand to move the mask secured to his face. It was obvious it was bothering him, enough that Bethel didn't worry about letting her fingers touch a stranger's cheek to remove a nuisance.

"If you want to get some air and take that mask off, I won't tell."

Bethel Mercy Ayer -- were-anaconda -- played by auree