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Esteemed Amamiya-san,
With your latest donation this past month, it is with great pleasure that I announce you have made it to our Top 30 contributors. Your generosity has allowed us to help people in need in various parts of our country and around the globe, and now it is time that we allow you to celebrate our monthly accomplishments with our most loyal contributors as well.
Attached to this email is a list of our Rules and Guidelines should you accept our invitation for our party to be held on April 11th at the Wilton Hotel as per customary.
Please reply to this email with your confirmation until March 25th so we can prepare accordingly. Your presence is most welcomed and anticipated.
Best regards,
Igor, CEO of Persona Organization.
Persona Organization Masquerade Party
Rules and Guidelines
Our Masquerade Party is an event held in appreciation of our most generous contributors, people from all around the world that have decided to share their riches with those in need. If you were granted this file, it means you are now part of our Top 30 contributors.
It is our way of thanking you for helping with our cause; for looking out for those less fortunate; for helping to guarantee that children have food on their tables, a roof over their heads and schools to attend; for ensuring that medical help is accessible for settlements in far away places, and for making it possible that everyone can have access to clean water.
Heed the guidelines and happy partying,
Igor, CEO of Persona Organization.
The Masquerade Party is a monthly event held at Wilton Hotel. To attend, you should ask to be taken to the Velvet Room and a concierge will guide you. The Velvet Room is simply one of the many large rooms provided by the hotel to hold such events, but the party is hardly held in the same room twice in a row.
As the rules of our organization dictates, donors are to be kept anonymous for the sake of their privacy. Not to mention, helping people and not boasting about it makes every donation all the more genuine.
That being said, every guest invited to attend needs to follow the rules:
- Masks are obligatory. As the name of our party suggests, guests have to make use of masks that cover at least 1/3 of their faces. Some guests create elaborate outfits around the theme of their masks, so costumes are allowed (and heavily urged to be made use of);
- Use codenames. Do not reveal any names, whether they are maiden names, first names or last names. Keep your identities a secret;
- Do not mention any name that can be traced back to you, be it a company name, a friend, a relative, and such;
- Do not share personal information such as e-mails, phone numbers, addresses, and other means of contact;
- We urge you that personal documents and items such as cellphones and car keys are to be left in the locker room adjacent to the Velvet Room under the care of Justine and Caroline;
- If you cannot leave your phone in the locker room in case of an emergency, do not take pictures of the Velvet Room and its occupants.
- You are to enter and leave the building with the mask still concealing your face. Secrecy is key.
For more information, contact us at [email protected].
Wilton Hotel is truly one of the most lavish hotels Ren has set foot in his life, and he’s been to plenty of these luxury hotels before. Not that any of this matters since he will not be making use of any of the facilities in here, though he would like to return to enjoy the restaurant or maybe take a look at their famous pool area.
The receptionists are unphased by his looks, the somberness of his black trenchcoat and the red leather of his gloves, though the strangest thing of all in his outfit is the white mask on his face decorated with black designs around the eyeholes. He had thought it wouldn’t be too different than using his fake prescription glasses, but he was wrong. The mask sits almost funny on his face, a different weight and fit than black frames.
A man accompanies him to the elevator up to the ninth floor where the masquerade party is to be held. The hall leads to a single door, the locker room, where two blonde girls in matching costumes guard another door and look over the guests’ personal belongings. The flat looks they give him are not what he had been expecting, nor is the curtness of their answers and the snappishness that finds its way to their words. The one with the eyepatch over her right eye (Justine? Or is it Caroline?) slips his personal items in one of the lockers whilst the other grants him entrance to the adjacent room.
The Velvet Room is far tamer than he had expected. One cannot blame him for having expected to find a kinky assemble of equipments given the name of the place, and it’s a relief to find it void of any kind of device used in sexual acts. Instead, the dimly lit room is highlighted with dark red and gold, much like the PDF file attached to that last email, with circular tables placed along the window panes overlooking the cityscape, a stage and a dancefloor.
Personnel in white suits and black undershirts walk around serving the guests, faces concealed by simple masks, refilling cups of sake and glasses of water. A masked middle aged woman stands behind a podium by the door, checks his name and guides him to a table set for five people. His codename, Joker, is printed on a standee and placed in front of his assigned seat.
Most of the occupants from his table have already arrived and are currently talking amongst themselves. A man with blond bleached locks and a skull shaped mask; the high collar of his vest conceals the lower half of his profile, and a red scarf is tied around his neck, the end falling over his chest.
He’s talking with another man with a fox-like mask and dark hair, a slight blue tinge to it in the darkness of the room. His black and white suit is form fitting, though the sleeves are puffy around his forearms as he gestures, the high collar of his outfit is as impressive as his companion’s.
And lastly, a third man, his mask a simple piece of black fabric wrapped around his head in a Zorro-esque fashion. A yellow bandana is wrapped around his neck, and his blue eyes are bright and piercing.
Ren takes his seat and three pairs of eyes turn to him curiously. The one man with bleached hair leans forward as if the additional inch helps him scrutinize Ren better. “We heard rumors that there was a new contributor. What’s up?”
“I’m- Joker.” The codename slips out in the last minute. It will take time to get used to it. “I received the invitation a few weeks ago. You are?”
“I’m Skull!” The blond one says, bumping a fist to his chest. “These are Mona and Fox.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” the one in the white mask, Fox, says as he dips his head. A very elegant individual, it seems, a clear contrast between the other two men.
“Congrats on making it to the Top 30,” Mona says, flashing him a wide grin.
Ren nods. “Thank you.” Ever since enrolling in his family’s business, it has been easier and easier to donate money to good causes. What else would he do with so much money? Ren is a simple man with simple needs, even if he lives in an apartment too big for a single person and owns too many designer clothes, all of which are of varying shades of grey and black.
Fox turns to him once more after accepting a glass of wine from a passing waitress. “I hope you’ll like the party. The food is simple but divine, and there is some dancing too. Although I don’t know how to dance anything that isn’t a waltz.”
“Panther is trying to teach him some moves.” Skull leans over to thump his companion heartily on the back, earning a grunt from Fox at his roughness and a soft gasp from Mona.
“Oh my! Where is my lady? Is she late?”
Tugging back on the sleeve of his coat, Skull takes a glance at his wristwatch. “Yeah, she is. Odd, she normally arrives in time.”
“I hope nothing has happened to her,” Mona sighs and presses a palm to his heart. “What if my lady needs a gentleman to rescue her?”
“Well, it’s only a quarter past nine. Her name was on the confirmed list, so she will be coming, unless something happened.” Fox muses. Neither he nor Skull look nearly as put off by her lateness as Mona. “If anything happens, I’m sure she contacted Igor. He will let us know if it’s important.”
Ren accepts a glass of water and a cup of sake that he promptly knocks back, hoping it will ease the tension in his body and lighten him up for the party. It’s a foreign place full of strangers, and though he’s been to many events like this before, he doesn’t feel all that comfortable here. Must be the masks, he figures. Even if they provide some sense of anonymity and make him feel more detached to other guests and their surroundings, Ren doesn’t think he can really trust people when he can’t see their faces.
Skull tries to include him in the conversation, which breaches simple topics such as hobbies and favorite movies. Nothing too personal, he notices, but still enough to know more about one another.
Some minutes later, as Fox is exclaiming his love for fine art and painting, Mona chokes on his grape soda and he shoots up to his feet. “She’s here!”
Ren can’t help but to turn immediately towards the door, not really registering the words, only catching the urgency in his voice. What he sees is- who he sees is absolutely breathtaking . Red leather clings to each curve and slope, shining under the dim lights of the room, hips swaying with each step taken. He forces himself to shut his mouth and swallows hard, then risks a glance to the vacant seat between him and Fox.
Panther.
As she draws closer, the feline features of her mask become clearer, as well as the delicate chin and full lips coated with shimmery lip gloss. Luscious blonde hair is tied away from her face in twintails, one of which she brushes over her shoulder as she stops by the vacant seat, her seat.
“My lady!”
He catches her lips twitching before she pulls them into a controlled smile. “Ah, Mona, hi!” Then she turns to Fox and Skull, her smile stretching and turning into something more genuine. “Hey, guys! It’s been a while.” Lastly, her sky blue eyes land on him, curiosity swirling in their depths. “And you are?”
“Joker,” he provides, standing up to offer her hand for a handshake. Her grip is soft and delicate. “I just recently joined the Top 30.”
“Welcome to the club!” She smiles so brilliantly he swears it could rival the sun. “Glad to have you on our table. I hope you’ll like it here.”
He is sure he will.
The following month, Mona and Panther are sitting alone at the table when he arrives. Fox and Skull seem to be nowhere in sight, but his attention quickly returns to the table as he can feel Panther’s discomfort all the way from the entrance. She’s trying to hide it, and though she’s doing a poor job in it, Mona doesn’t seem to notice.
Yet, the clearly infatuated man stands up and leaves in pursuit of something. Ren quickly joins her at the table and reclaims his seat, previously occupied by Mona as he chatted Panther up.
“Nice to see you again.” She smiles, tension still coiled in her shoulders. “How has this last month treated you?”
He thinks of the mounting paperwork on his desk and the preparations for the meetings to occur the next month, and tries not to shudder. “Busy as always. Yours?”
“Mine, too! I spent most of it travelling. I’m looking forward to returning home and sleeping until midday.”
Ren casts Mona a glance and sees the man in question following a waiter to the kitchen. Panther is calmly sipping some water when he turns back to her. “Was he being disrespectful?”
Panther lowers her glass and licks her lips. “Mona is... Insistent, you could say. He can’t catch a hint. I don’t want to spell it out that I’m not interested in him because I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but...”
“I understand,” he says. “I’ve been in your shoes.”
“Oh?” Panther places her elbow on the table and rests her chin on her palm, her smile a coy little thing. “Are you the heartbreaker type, Joker? A ladies’ man?”
He can’t hold back his abrupt bark of laughter, trying to smother it into the red leather of his gloves. Her smile is sweeter again, eyes sparkling in response to his own mirth. “Far from it, but I was told I was charming in high school and university.”
She giggles quietly, picking up her glass of water again. “When you smile like that, I can see it.”
Before he can follow that up, Mona joins them at the table again with a pink drink in hand, a tiny flowery umbrella stuck in the lime wedge decorating the rim of the glass. He places it in front of Panther with a flourish and gives her a flirty smile.
“Told you I could get them to prepare it for you, my lady,” he purrs, sliding into his seat smoothly.
Panther smiles, but not as joyfully as before. “So you did. Thanks, Mona.”
Mona preens under the praise, and Panther shares a conspiratory wink with Ren when he turns his back.
The Velvet Room has tables for the formal dinner, a dancefloor, and a small lounge area with plush couch and seats. Ren finds himself in one of the armchairs, a plate of food balanced on his thighs as he talks to Skull. He has become good friends with them over the course of the months, even if they only see each other once a month.
Panther joins them shortly after, her plate piled high with sweets, the quantity rivaling Ryuji’s own stock of smoked meats. Mona is still hovering over the buffet table, hoarding as much fatty tuna as he can.
Skull is talking about the new trailer for an upcoming action movie, but Ren is distracted observing Panther. She’s savoring each bite of her food, humming in delight at the juiciness of the strawberries or the texture of the chocolate as it melts on her tongue. She sinks deeper into the cushions after each bite, body becoming pliant and cheeks growing rosier. Soon, she’s half lying down on the couch, licking the fork and her lips to get as much sugar as she can.
“I’m gonna go back to the buffet table,” Skull declares as he stands up, his plate once again clean of food. “Want anything?”
“I’m good, thanks.” Ren watches him go, checks Mona’s position (still by the table) and joins Panther on the couch. She’s biting on a truffle when he sits by her side. “You really like sweets, don’t you?”
“Best things on Earth,” she replies around a bite of chocolate, swallowing before tossing the other half into her mouth. “What’s your favorite food?”
He pauses and finds that no particular dish comes to mind. Something has to be done about that. “Well, I really like coffee.”
“Me too! They have some coffee infused truffles in the buffet.” She glances over the spread of sweets on her plate, gloved fingers catching one of the truffles dusted with cacao powder and lifting it up in his line of sight. “Here!”
Ren doesn’t know what possesses him to not pick the truffle up with his own hands, but rather to lean forward and catch it with his mouth straight from her fingers. Panther sits there frozen, and it might be a trick of the lightning, but he thinks her pupils have dilated. The chocolate melts on his tongue and he licks his lips, catching her sharp intake of breath before he slowly straightens up on the couch.
“Delicious,” he says, and she makes a quiet, helpless noise. Something in their friendship shifts.
From the table, they watch as Panther tries yet again to teach Fox how to dance. Ren has been watching this go on for months, and Fox has gotten better. Somewhat. He’s still too stiff and awkward, and the orange haired girl that joins them on the dancefloor sometimes isn’t any better.
Watching them (try to) dance always gives Mona the opportunity to say he would be a better dancing partner for her, and yet for all the times he says that behind their backs or to their faces, Panther never asks him to join her on the dancefloor.
All of Fox’s clumsiness evaporates as they walk back to the table, his mask slightly askew but still concealing his face. He retakes his seat and drinks from his glass of water, while Panther remains standing and drinks all the contents from her own glass in a single gulp.
“Come on, Joker!” She takes hold of his arm, tugging gently to get him to stand up. “Dance with me!”
He doesn’t look back at Mona, but Ren can feel a part of his soul departing from his body.
Ren isn’t much of a dancer, but he follows her to the dancefloor anyway, that pull of attraction taking him wherever she goes. Panther weaves through the other dancers until they are mostly concealed from their friends’ sights, and whirls on the balls of her feet to face him. Even with her heels, she’s still adorably shorter than him.
He keeps up with her well enough, the bass of the song drumming through his veins and the lights reflecting in her eyes making him light headed. The distance between their bodies is just a few scant inches, even if the dancefloor isn’t that crowded, but they could get closer still.
A hand on her waist and a light tug, and their chests are now pressed together. Her lips twist into a wicked grin and, god, is she aware of how alluring she can be sometimes? It’s no wonder Mona and other people are always flocking to her feet during these dinners, Panther effortlessly exudes sex appeal.
When her fingers lace together behind his neck and tugs lightly, Ren rests his hands on her moving hips and lowers his head. Under the colorful lights of the dancefloor, he kisses Panther for the first time.
The charity dinners often go like this, with Ren and Panther hiding in some dark corner and making out like silly teenagers. Behind the decorative curtains, he hoists her leg up and around his waist, stepping ever closer and swallowing up the moan that travels up her throat, her lips flushed and swollen, lipstick long gone.
She’s the reason why he looks forward to this event, and these monthly encounters have ruined his chances of indulging in his mom’s wishes of dating someone. For all that they kiss and touch, they will never have a normal relationship.
But that doesn’t matter now. He swallows up another sound she makes and pins her hands to the wall behind her. They try to be as discreet as they can be, for even if there is no rule in the guidelines that forbids this, they would rather not deal with the consequences. Nor do they want to hurt Mona, who’s been sulkier than ever lately.
Besides, kissing with the masks on is a bother.
The dark corner ensures that they will not see each other’s faces, therefore never breaking any rule, but still leaving them with that urge to go further and see . He’s traced her eyelashes and the curve of her nose, and she’s kissed his cheekbones and his eyelids. If he focuses hard enough, he thinks he can see a vague features of her face in the shadows, the shimmer in her eyes as she gazes at him in the darkness.
His tongue slides with hers, his teeth catch her bottom lip, and his hands know where to squeeze to get her to melt. Panther is always so receptive of his touches, and so eager to reciprocate in kind.
Their lips part with a wet pop, Ren tucking his head into the crook of her neck to catch his breath as her now free hands fall to his shoulders. Her chest heaves so close to his, her heart thundering in her ribcage at a pace that equals his own. Slowly, her leg falls from his hip, the clack of her heel drowned out by the music.
Ren presses a kiss to the spot behind her ear, “You go first.” His voice is raspy and makes her shiver, but she nods and extracts herself from his hold after a minute or two.
Panther rejoins the party, and Ren yearns.
Alone in their table, Ren leans forward towards Panther, his smile purposefully crooked the way he knows likes. The slight quirk of her lips is the same as if she were arching an eyebrow, and he waits for her to finish her drink before placing a little box on the table.
“A gift,” he replies when she asks, clasping his hands together in the space between his knees, leg bouncing in place as she picks up the box after giving him a look.
It’s too big to contain a ring inside, and as much as the idea of being with her forever sounds lovely, it’s ill advised when he barely knows her outside these gatherings. Still, as she lifts up the silver bracelet and gingerly holds the custom made pendant to get a better look, he thinks that’s a subtle way of letting the world know she’s his.
“This is beautiful,” she breathes out, turning the tiny white mask around, a perfect replica of his own. Beneath the high collar of his outfit, a necklace with a feline-like mask rests over his beating heart, but he keeps that to himself for now.
“So you’ll think of me.” Cheesy, but it’s part of the truth. And since they don’t have any pictures together, a photo of their pendants side by side is used as his new lockscreen wallpaper.
Panther returns the bracelet to the box and tugs at the fingers of her glove. “As if I would need that to think of you.” She leans forward, but stops herself, biting her bottom lip instead of kissing him as she had intended.
Wordlessly, she offers him her hand. He takes a moment to appreciate the sight of almond nails painted red, the fairness of her skin and how soft it looks. The bracelet rests a little loose on her wrist, but a trip to the jeweler should fix that. Ren ducks his head down to kiss her palm, and she pinches his cheek in retaliation.
“Not in public, silly.” Panther lifts her hand to take a closer look at the bracelet before putting her glove on again. “Thanks, Joker.I love y- I love it.”
If he has trouble sleeping that night thinking of what was almost said, no one has to know.
In the little café area of his apartment building, Ren sips on some coffee upon his return from another successful business trip. After lengthy meetings and an even lengthier flight, he’s looking forward to taking a shower and reuniting with his bed.
As lovely as the coffee is, though, his exhaustion is catching up to him regardless of the amount of caffeine consumed in the past twenty-four hours. Ren pays for his coffee and loosens his tie further as he walks to the elevators, walking in just behind a woman with long blonde hair, which curtains her face as she looks through her purse.
He presses the button to the fifteenth floor, the button to the fourteenth already glowing yellow, and steps to the other corner of the elevator. The ascent is marked by the upbeat jazzy song of the speakers, and he taps a finger to his suitcase as his other hand works on the buttons of his blazer.
Ren works the first two buttons of his button up undone, slipping his finger beneath the fabric to play with the silver chain around his neck. Idly, he wonders what Panther might be doing now, and tries to do the math to know how many days are left until he sees her again.
Probably some twenty days more; the last party was held just recently.
The woman moves as the elevator approaches the her floor, pushing away from the wall as the doors open to reveal a hallway lined with familiar doors. Ren tilts his head as she leaves, gaze moving down her body to take in what she wears. Red blouse, tight jeans hugging shapely legs, black side purse, nails painted black, silver bracelet around her left wrist-
Ren nearly drops his suitcase as he catches a glimpse of white and black hanging from the bracelet. Quickly, he presses the button on the panel to halt the closing doors and scrambles out into the hallway after her retreating figure. “Panther?”
What are the chances, really? It’s so unlikely, and yet- and yet she halts as his voice echoes in the hallway, slowly turning around to face him. The gentle curve of her jawline, the shape of her lips, her figure, her gait. Panther. His Panther. Has been in his apartment building all along, of all places.
She frowns lightly at him, the cutest pinch settling between her eyebrows. And then her beautiful eyes widen as her breath hitches. “...Joker?”
His suitcase lies forgotten on the floor as he rushes in her direction. Later, he will pick up all the documents. Later, he will check if any of them as missing. Right now, he sweeps her up in his arms, her own looping around his neck, their mouths meeting in a kiss that steals his breath away. His heart feels full and ready to burst as his bare hands touch the uncovered skin of her arms. Finally .
“Ren,” he whispers against her lips, setting her down but still holding her close, his forehead pressed to hers. “My name’s Ren.”
“Ren,” she muses, smiling, and the sight is even prettier now that he can see her blue eyes creasing gently. “I’m Ann.”