star light, star bright

[Ruby Rayne]

Ruby was ecstatic to be attending another ball. she had come dressed as a the night sky with a charm cast so that the embellishments on the dress twinkled like stars. All in all, she was quite satisfied with her appearance. The rest of the girls did not look too bad either which was a relief. There was nothing Ruby disliked more than to be associated with sloppily dressed people. Her fellow Roses seemed to be having varying levels of enjoyment of the ball. Even the undebuted ones got to attend this time around which she was sure they were enjoying.

Done her people watching for the moment, Ruby put a slight smile on her face as she started her circulation of the room, with her fan in hand. She was hoping for a dance to be requested of her (she quite enjoyed the activity!) though she was not overly fussed if a friend stopped her for a chat either.

  

[Aldous Crouch]

That November was presently dancing with Gaius Malfoy—for the second time that night, no less!—put Aldous decidedly at ease. While she was still woefully unattached (and now on the threshold of two and twenty years!), all hope was not yet lost. This small, blooming sense of relief was enough to put him almost at ease as he walked about the room with the aid of his cane. The incidents of that summer assured that he could not dance that evening (or any other), but it did not mean Aldous could not find other ways to amuse himself until his sister was ready to retire for the evening.

The wizard idly surveyed his surroundings, dressed quite lazily indeed with merely a black mask to accompany his suit. This observation did lead, however, to some distraction, and it was only when he felt resistance that he realized he had brought his cane down upon the train of a young lady!

“My most humble apologies, Miss!” the wizard offered quickly and genuinely, mortified—though at least the garment had not torn.

  

[Ruby Rayne]

Ruby was a tad startled at she felt a pull on the train of her dress. Luckily, the dress did not tear or else she would have been quite cross. A Ruby Temper was not something any person should wish to experience as she had quite decidedly inherited the temperament of her veela heritage.

The man had quite a handsome appearance so he was rather easy to forgive, vain creature that she was. His costume, however, seemed quite lazily put together with only a mask. "It's quite all right, sir," she said in an assuring tone. "No harm was done."

  

[Aldous Crouch]

Aldous knew too little of fashion to know how accurate the statement was—and he had already seen more than one intentionally torn garment that evening so he could judge even less where costumes were concerned—so he instead elected to take the young lady at her word. To look at her, she did not seem at all the sort that he would have liked to offend: her delicate, attractive features spoke not only to her youth but to good breeding, a true lady in every sense of the word. She also seemed confident enough that, unlike his sister, she would not still be unmarried at one-and-twenty.

“I am very pleased to hear it. Yours is quite the impressive—and lovely—costume and I would have so hated to be the one to ruin it. You are quite sure all is well?”

  

[Ruby Rayne]

Ruby smiled at the compliment, making sure to keep it demure but genuine. She did so love getting compliments but it would not do to show it profusely.

"Thank you for the compliment," she replied, allowing the smallest of blushes to appear on her cheeks. "And yes, all is well. You are quite kind to be so concerned, Mister..?"

  

[Aldous Crouch]

“Crouch,” he replied after only a moment’s hesitation. “Aldous Crouch.”

While a ball did, to an extent, reduce the need for a more formalized introduction, he was a traditional enough gentleman that he mentally winced at doing it on his own steam, so to speak. Still, it would have been the epitome of rudeness to have not given his name, especially when doing so was only indelicate to the strictest of society.

  

[Ruby Rayne]

This was mildly awkward but Ruby had been instilled with the learning to attempt to overcome such things. While Ruby was no wanton woman that flaunted the rules of society, neither did she adhere to it completely.

"I'm Miss Ruby Rayne, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

  

[Aldous Crouch]

“It is a pleasure, Miss Rayne,” he offered with an only slightly forced smile. Charming though he was, he could not begin to recognize the name. Curious, he asked, “‘Rayne’ does not sound particularly…mainstream, as it were. Might I inquire after your family?”

  

[Ruby Rayne]

Was he asking her without asking her if she was a pureblood? She was not a pureblood but she had heard of these sorts of men though this was the first time she was coming across one. Well, she had heard about them being ruder and if Mister Crouch continued being polite even after discovering she was half-blood, she would reward him by circling his name and virtues she was aware of among the pureblood roses.

The ones he wasn't too directly related to anyway.

Certainly. What is it that you would like to know?"