Chapter Text
Soft chirps with gentle coos alerted the morning sun to rise, it’s warm rays casting it’s loving gaze upon the buildings below. The morning always came too quickly, forcing workers to awake and tend to their jobs. It was not kind today, a coolness still hanging in the morning air. Stretching with a bit of stiffness to his limbs, a young tanned man let out a soft groan as he gingerly pulled himself out of bed. He hadn't slept again, though that was the least of his worries. Running his hands through his tangled hair, his fingertips drifted to touch the burn marks etched into his skin which trailed further down his left side. An aching memory of that accident lingered in his every being, his hand trembling as he exhaled in attempts to quiet his mind.
A man of few words and for good reason, The Prospector knew his place in the world. Lucky alone for making it out alive with the pain he endured, his injuries went far deeper than the scars that blossomed on his skin. A nightmare - That’s what it was and had been from the beginning. Driven immensely by greed to enter that abandoned mine, a terrible accident had struck due to his own poor planning. The damage had been done in minutes; a simple explosion was all it took for everything to fall apart. His entire left side was left burned, his lips cracked from the screams that left him as he desperately tried to hold himself together. He wished to never taste blood on his tongue, to hear the desperate cries of his companions, to never feel the cold shoulders of his fellow workers around him for making it out alive. Nobody wished him well, not one soul asking if he would be alright, only gossiping at any given possibility. Naturally, he became cold, ultimately leaving him to his lonesomeness. Rumors spread, saying that he had become scrambled up too badly from the incident as he often glared at those he walked past… though he remained silent, polishing that magnetic stone when he wasn’t holding his heavy magnets that he tended to.
Perhaps that was why his head throbbed and his mood varied greatly, eagerly looking for a distraction of sorts. As if right on schedule, a familiar knock was heard at the door as he quickly pulled on his work clothes. Flinging open the door, he was surprised to find it was only the postman. Victor Grantz.. That was his name. The two had crossed paths more than once, and had held soft conversations, gentle words always came from the postman’s lips though it was no surprise coming from his sweet appearance. The boy looked much happier today, though the other’s eyes remained “dead” as usual. He figured it was his time to pay rent, though his face always remained stone cold.
“Good morning, Mr. Campbell! Sorry to bother, but I have a letter for you!” The young man spoke with a soft giggle, a warm blush flourishing on his cheeks. He was quite a cheerful one, a smile was always present upon his soft lips whenever he came to the door. The two had a bit of a history together, Norton had taken him in for a night as he had gotten stuck out in the rain and they had talked for a few hours about their troubles. Surprisingly, both had dealt with disastrous flames and the loss of a friend… Victor was the first that Norton expressed his feelings to. He had blamed it on the rain at the time, but ironically the prospector considered him to be one of his own, a brother of sorts. A soft smile appeared upon his lips as he looked down at the boy and his postdog, who gave a friendly yip.
“Mmn, mornin’,” He said gently, rubbing his eyes in attempts to wake up. He looked tired as ever, though he seemed to perk up with the soft words from the postman. “What’ve you got for me today, Grantz? Anythin’ interesting?” Norton asked, holding his hand out gingerly as the tall man delicately placed a letter within his palm. His name was scribbled with what he assumed to be some sort of fancy hand, causing him to gulp nervously… Hopefully it didn’t have to do with that incident again. Before he could even speak, Victor chimed in with another giggle.
“I-It’s from the Balsa Estate!! The Prince is an inventor… Prince Luca!! Surely you know him, right? A-Apparently his birthday is coming up soon and he wishes to celebrate!!” The postman said rather excitedly, “I even got a letter… A postman like me got a letter! A-And they trusted me with handing them out as well…” Victor seemed to be in extreme adoration as he held his hands to his chest, in the next minute, suddenly gripping onto the older man’s arm, to which he tilted his head to.
“Balsa…?” He echoed back aloud, thankful that Victor had already known what awaited inside. “I believe I’ve heard of him. You going, or somethin’?” The Prospector asked, still a bit tired as he flipped over the letter and peeled it open, mindful of the wax seal with the crest upon it. Once the paper within was revealed, he swiftly pulled it out and read over the contents. It was an invitation, addressed to him… Certainly everyone had gotten one similarly to this… Yet for an odd reason, Norton felt… Special? This would be an opportunity to impress the higher class, a distraction… Something to keep his damn mind off of it all.
“Y-Yes..! I-I’ve been trying to persuade the Gravekeeper to come with me… He said he isn’t good with people, but…” The postman trailed off, his cheeks becoming rather red. To this, Norton merely smiled sheepishly and pinched at his cheek gently. Victor was usually good at hiding secrets… But to affection, it always showed upon his face, and this was one of those times. Seeing his reaction, Victor let out a soft gasp as he stared up at the other. “Mr. Norton…! E-Er…! I should get going!! I-I’ll see you tonight—! The Masquerade is tonight, don’t forget!!” And with that, the boy hopped off of his porch and ran onwards to the next home.
A Masquerade ball, huh? This was actually the first time he had been invited to one, at least one with royals. He assumed something like this was only for the upper class, though it was on occasion that he would manage to sneak into a few local dances here and there. Somehow, women would always be extremely entertained by his dancing expertise, and it was rather common that their partners became angered by the looks on their faces.
Maybe, just for once he could have some fun with something. He could dress up — Though honestly that was expected considering it was for royalty.
As Norton turned and ducked back inside his humble little home, a grin fixated upon his lips. An outfit was what he needed — He still had that old one that a distant family member had gifted him way back when he worked, before that damn scar came about. Shamelessly, he managed to dig out the box from the depths of his closet. Opening the lid revealed a tailored costume sparkling with golds and a vibrant red. A precious golden rose rested atop the costume as the Prospector picked it up with as much delicacy as he possibly could. Certainly, this would be enough to catch the eyes of many.
“Ah shit,” He muttered to himself as he let out a soft chuckle, resting his hand upon his forehead. “I’m really going to this, aren’t I.” But who was he kidding? The man never slept, never dreamt unless it was nightmares and rarely got any pleasure from his daily life. Sure, he hated people but maybe, maybe just this once he could say screw it all and have some fun with himself — with a stranger or two for the night.
Slipping his invitation inside the box as to save it for later, Norton Campbell felt a soft smile appear on his face.
Tonight, he would have fun. That was decided.