Dorcas did not like dressing up. She hated the whole idea of shopping for dresses, putting your feet in shoes that would render you limping by the end of the night, and caking strange things on her face. However, she must have been girlier than she had thought, for when she heard of the ball, she really, really, really wanted to go. She had headed to the castle early to get ready and visit her favorite baby cousin the wide world, and they had enjoyed a walk around the castle, regaling favorite memories and places. That walk had taken more time than she had thought, so she really had to rush to get ready, with some greatly appreciated help from Lily. However, she had to admit, the result wasn't that bad.
She had to admit, that she cleaned up well.
She had lost Derek, but in this sea of masks, it was probably inevitable. She figured that she could take off her
mask, so that Derek could find her, but she had a mission.
Yes, Dorcas was on a mission.
Her good friend Sturgis had been busy, busy, busy, and while she was an advocate of hard work, she believed that too much work did a person bad. It took a lot of pleading for him to show up; she was afraid that she would have had to go to his house and drag him out personally. So she had smuggled in firewhisky, and laced it with Sturgis's punch, careful not to make the strong taste immediately obvious. Presently, he began loosening up, as she knew he would.
Biting back a triumphant laugh, Dorcas stirred Sturgis around the edge of the dance floor, where she spotted a lone woman. Even with the mask, she could tell that the woman was very pretty. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, and calculated for a moment.
SHOVE!
With a push, she sent Sturgis stumbling towards the mystery woman, and quick as a whip, Dorcas stepped back into a nearby crowd of people waiting for refreshments. Oh yeah, she was convinced that she did good.
