Star Trek: Starbase 777

The ballroom was a spacious floor with high ceilings, bathed in red and blue light that gave everything standing in it an air of mystery befitting of a masquerade. The ceilings appeared high and painted with miniscule patterns and pictures, as if one were standing in a cathedral. The floor was smooth, perfect for dancing, and the large faux windows in every wall with the illusion of some natural light coming through them promised just enough visibility for all stunning guests to make a lasting impression.

Maggie's quick little skip slowed as they came into the ballroom, whistling low at the gorgeous room, the lighting, everything was.. phenomenal. They really leaned hard into the red and blue thing, huh?.. The magician spun around again, just to see everything, mentally taking note of things that stood out to them. They fixed their mask, standing up a little straighter, eyes flitting across the ballroom in search of a dance partner.

Verelan was twirling around in a dusty pink evening dress with iridescent threads woven in that illuminated beautifully in the coloured lighting, slightly elevated on glittery heels that made her about three inches taller. She wore a black lace mask that covered her eyes and disappeared into her hair, which was loose and crowned her head like a halo. She had been talking to someone when she walked in, though she extricated herself from the conversation to walk onto the ballroom floor, intent on finding someone to dance with. She ended up in front of Maggie, who she didn't recognise immediately but thought looked lovely, and held up her hand in invitation. "Care for a dance, darling?"

They, ungracefully, nearly bumped into the person in front of them, though thankfully steadied themself before they did. Settling with a dazzling smile, if not a bit nervous, they studied the stranger: with soft intrigue. Their dress was really pretty. Pink was a nice color on them! Thanks to both of their heels, they were at proper eye level .. oops, they should probably speak instead of admiring, huh? They swept low in a bow to save themself. "I'd love to," they accepted happily, though thought better of taking her hand, giggling awkwardly and tucking a stray lock of pink hair behind their pointed ear. "If we can find a way to do this, um, maybe without holding hands --" They reached out, hovering a hand over her shoulder, though not touching yet, waiting for permission. "You look.. divine, I must say, that dress is gorgeous."

Verelan understood immediately, reaching her own hands for Maggie's waist. "Of course, of course," she said, straightening up a fraction so Maggie's hand would touch her shoulder naturally. "Thank you very much for the compliment. You don't look too bad yourself," she returned, and the genuine smile on her face conveyed pretty easily that she meant it as a grand understatement. Once her dance partner was actually holding her shoulder, she walked them further onto the ballroom floor, not at all forcing but instead gently taking the lead. If she found that the other preferred to lead, she'd gladly let them, but for now, she could absolutely take the two of them through a box step of some kind. Dancing wasn't that hard, after all.

Maggie broke into a grin, their other hand settling delicately on Verelan's shoulder. They weren't much of a leader, especially when it came to dancing, so they'd be happy to follow her lead. "Verelan, right? Also known as Re:Vere? I was in the crowd, I think we all traded information for a possible future drag show in the showroom." Testing the waters, they moved their hands up, winding around the back of their neck. "My head's still reeling from the performance, to be honest with you. I wish I could've been up on stage, but I don't have much to offer besides cheesy tricks and cheesier jokes." Oh! "It's Maggie, by the way. The Magnificent, if you'd rather. I was dressed for more of a burlesque show than a drag one," they laughed.

Oh, that's why their voice sounded so familiar! "I knew I should have recognised you from somewhere," Verelan said, smiling pleasedly as Maggie's arms wound around her neck. If all balls on this station went like this, she would absolutely not mind attending regularly. "Yes, I remember vividly, you're the cute magician who came up to us after the show." Verelan had a great memory for potential business associates and customers, and an even better memory for cute people. "Perhaps if She-elzebub and Re:Vere ever make another appearance, you'll have to join them," she suggested cheekily, her grip on Maggie's waist tightening by a fraction. "I mean, clearly you've got an exquisite sense of style yourself. And you're a professional performer, so we know you can put on a show." Honestly, Verelan hadn't intended for that to sound half as flirty as it did, but alas. That was the burden of being really gay and having attractive people all around you, clearly.

Verelan had a nice smile, Maggie noticed, a little bit of green spilling across their face at the playful compliment. She was easy to follow, easy to squeeze in a little closer to. Mentally, they thanked Jin for the drink again. "Oh, thank you, love," they gushed breathlessly. "That's very kind. I suppose I've always had a flare for the dramatics... I like a good suit more than a dress, usually, but well. I suppose I couldn't resist.. making an entrance." They never could. They would've made it even more flashy, if they could. "But," they posed, smile a little mischievous, "you're perfectly capable of putting on a fantastical show yourself, darling. Swords and balls, you're fit to be a knight," they teased. "Stunning either way, if you don't mind my saying." A strong grip, too. Not tight and uncomfortable, but steady.

"Me too, you won't see me do business in anything other than a three-piece suit. It's the easiest way to do business while wearing comfortable clothes," Verelan chimed in. A well-made, properly fitted suit was as comfortable as any pajamas, after all, save for perhaps the neckties, "but I too can't resist an opportunity to go all out. I'm known to enjoy receiving a share of the spotlight," she joked lightly at her own expense. She laughed at Maggie's compliments. "Darling, you've already got my arms around you, you don't need to charm me any further," she said teasingly, though she almost glowed with delight at what Maggie told her. "Though if I'm ever in dire need of a career change, I'll make sure to procure some shining armour first," she added, the cheeky wink only barely visible through the dark lace but absolutely audible in her voice.

The magician hummed their agreement, though their work attire usually consisted of a tight pair of shorts rather than a traditional suit. Comfortable..ish. "Spotlight suits you, sweetheart," they posed playfully. "I could learn a thing or two from you." They wondered how willing she'd be to cut them in half for a show. Just one, a special guest appearance. Hm.. Verelan lighting up only made their smile widen. That was the whole reason Maggie was in their industry -- to make people smile. It was nice to be able to do that even outside of work. They gasped, shameless in their jokingly dramatic fawning. "My hero," they swooned, unable to stop themself from a fit of giggles after the fact.

"Thank you, darling. I'm sure you're much the same, once you get your shows going I'll be the first in line for tickets," Verelan said. Of course she'd seen magicians before, but she wanted to see her new friend on the stage! "I'm sure we can both learn a lot from each other," she added, which came out more suggestive than she'd intended it, but she didn't actually mind. When Maggie pretended to swoon she giggled right with them. "I'll come to save you from overzealous fans who are swarming you for autographs, whisking you away to the privacy of your dressing room. Clearly you'll need the extra protection," she said, portraying Maggie as an interstellar superstar. This was a very comfortable meeting for Verelan, she felt at ease to flirt and converse as she pleased, knowing that the person opposite her gave as good as they got. As they danced more, their steps became more comfortable too, finally used to the motions and hard to mess up. (edited)

The magician felt a little more at ease at that. They already had quite a few people promising to show up for a show, maybe this wouldn't be such a flop after all... Normally they'd insist they push their work from their mind, but it was a little difficult when wrapped up in a conversation about it. Their brows raised a little under their mask, the only indicator being the subtle widening of their eyes. "My dressing room, huh? Such a scandal, what will the people think?" Maggie teased, highlighted by the green in their cheeks brightening just a little, heart beating in capriccio to combat the steady music. They were far from an interstellar superstar yet, but they'd let the both of them have her little fantasy. Tentatively, they leaned in a little closer to Verelan, testing the waters. And here they'd been so nervous about attending the ball, they'd been so worried they wouldn't get to know anyone.. They were having a fantastic time, they didn't want the dance to end! "Any chance you can do that before being knighted?" they offered, just as playful in tone and expression alike.

Stars, but she was having fun. Verelan only encouraged the physical closeness, making a mental note of the contradiction between the magician's willingness to be close to her, but refusing to take her hand. She loved little quirks like that. "Oh my, I didn't mean anything salacious by that. What were you planning to do to me in that dressing room?" she asked, just as playful as her counterpart. "If your answer sounds good to me, I could be convinced to try it out sometime. Like a dress rehearsal, if you will, before I'm fully knighted." This was quickly exiting flirting territory and instead becoming a proposition, but, well, Verelan was nothing if not ~~extremely gay~~efficient.

"Ah, quick to it, aren't you? That's cute," they shot back, a flustered giggle slipping past as they lowered their head just a little to hide their blushing face. Maybe it was worse with the both of them, Maggie's empathy buzzing with the delight that fluttered around Verelan. Gods, this was almost better than being on stage. They hummed non-commitally as the music began to slow to a finale, thinking over their answer. "Well, as, fun as that sounds.. If you don't mind," they continued instead, "I'd like to see you again, after this. Rather than the both of us dashing off into the night. I'm.. having a lot of fun." Their smile brightened, though it wasn't the dazzling showman's smile. Something softer. "You're fun to talk to. I'd like to be friends, to start." ... "And then, maybe, we can figure out how to put that room to use." They finished off with a cheeky little wink.

Verelan's forward demeanour softened with the smile on Maggie's face. She was happy to see them having a good time, as half the fun in flirting was seeing the person you were flirting with eat it up like a dessert. Or blush so hard their blood pressure got wonky, that could be fun too. Maybe a bit of both, today. "I wouldn't dare say no to that," she said, responding to Maggie's offer to meet up again sometime soon. "That sounds like a lot to look forward to," she continued with a charming grin on her face. And she meant it, both to the offer to be friends and the cheeky joke about what could come after.