The Ball Room [EVENT ROOM 1]

[orphans]

It wasn’t a surprise to Azza at all when anytime she tried to listen in around her while at the dessert table that all she could hear were whispers and blatantly rude comments about her. A mention about a “dirty pigeon pecking at the food” while another replied with “more of a lost mountain goat.” Add in a bit of snide, monotonous chuckling just loud enough for Azza to hear and she just about lost her appetite... or at least she would have had it been her former and younger self.

Truth be told, she found the jeers to be amusing as she never pretended to be part of their social standing. Some of the women she noticed looked at her with a bit of envy as well; there they were refraining from eating too much or anything too sweet or heavy while Azza gorged herself without much care. When it became obvious that the “barbaric girl” wasn’t reacting to the subtle taunting, most lost their interest and began discussing other topics that were much more tantalizing.

‘The masked dragon of the ball’ as he was being called. As speculation and rumors began to circulate around and around again, the hearsay began to grow more wild and fanciful. If anything, it sounded as if there was more than one dragon abound.

‘Perhaps even a chromatic dragon?’ Azza wondered to herself.

Hushed voices close by caught the Azza’s ear as she maneuvered herself closer in the direction it was coming from, collecting desserts on an empty serving platter she had obtained earlier. “You’ve heard or seen the dragon yet? My cousin got a look at him after hearing rumors - the lost second son of the late king.”

“The hidden prince? Please, that was naught but a rumor to incite the masses.”

“But it’s true! My cousin said the way he carries himself is no doubt of royal blood. I heard he was seen mingling with foreign dignitaries near the courtyard gates-” The two men talking suddenly quieted and stopped. Then, more quietly than before that Azza had to strain to hear, “I say, what does that peasant girl intend to do with all that?”

Uh oh. There was only one person that Azza knew of in attendance that even fit that description and ‘all that’ was probably referring to her overburdened tray of tea cakes, jar puddings, various fruit tarts, cream puffs rolled in raw sugar grains, cream pies dusted with flakes of chocolate and an assortment of sliced fruit.

Taking that as the cue to leave, Azza began to head towards the courtyard entrance with her platter of desserts. Now that she had amassed such a bounty, it would be a waste not to eat it, but even she was becoming slightly embarrassed by the amount she was consuming. The courtyard would have less prying eyes and if she just happened to catch sight of the supposed dragon it’d be a bonus. After all, hearing such scandalous tales of a man were intriguing.

As Azza moved along the sides of the ball room, she inevitably drew more stares and chuckles. Some were of amusement while others were less kind. As she neared the courtyard gateway and steered herself around a pillar, a foot stuck out and caught the hem of her robe just as she turned to the other side.

Azza and her mountainous serving plate of desserts careened forward and despite her scream to warn those in her way, it would be to no avail as she and all the eats toppled towards the very 'dragon' she had hoped to catch a glimpse of. Miraculously, the dragon mask itself stayed upon the man’s face and equally as misfortunate was the triple layer chocolate cream cake slice that flew and made a home for itself against the face of the person currently engaged in conversation with the 'dragon' - a sway agent.