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One could not imagine how incredibly wealthy and successful a man had to be to host such a wondrous and auspicious masquerade. The smell of luxurious, sweet red wine. The sound of glasses clanking and hearty cheers. The sight of shimmering lights from the golden chandelier. It is obvious that all the guests constituted a society of delightful and famous celebrities, but tonight, they hid their faces behind fancy, decorated masks.
All of that luxurious stuff isn’t important or even of the slightest concern to Vincent. He’s never fond of parties, especially the parties of the high classes. Their laughter and cheers, all so bothersome.
However, it is a perfect place to find connections and fulfil his desire to be at the top one day. Vincent took a small sip of the whiskey in the glass he was holding, tasted awful. Made you wonder why these morons enjoy it so much.
As Vincent glanced around the crowd, and as expected, all he saw were colourful masks, some were styled to resemble animals, mostly birds. His own is just plain metal grey, with a small shark pin on it.
It was that moment when he caught a glimpse of one mask in particular. It was a crimson red mask with a beautiful golden pattern traced along it. What sparked his interest was that the mask was made in a shape that resembled a deer.
He can’t seem to take his eyes off the mask, along with its owner. Vincent was captivated by the way that man carried himself. His elegant and mysterious manner, his charming smile and how he conversed.
As if pulled by an unknown force, Vincent made his way through the dense crowd, eyes fixed on the man.
“Excuse me, mister–”
Suddenly, he tripped over. He can hear someone cursing, before his face hits the ground in the next second.
The chattering all collectively went quiet, and all the eyes were glaring at him. As Vincent struggled to stand up, a hand reached out to him. He looked up; the bright light from the chandelier above was almost blinding.
“Are you alright there?” He heard a soft voice. Vincent took his hand and finally got himself to stand again. That’s when he realised the one who had just offered his hand was none other than the one he came for, the man in the deer mask.
Vincent felt a deep regret, and it got even worse when he noticed the glass of whiskey he had been holding a while ago had been shattered on the floor, and the liquor had splattered onto the man who had just helped him. Vincent felt like the whole world was laughing at him at that moment.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, sir, I’m terribly sorry. I’ll clean it up for you”
Unexpectedly, the man pressed his finger on Vincent’s lip to presumably shut him up so he wouldn't embarrass himself more than he already has. Vincent was a little taken aback, and he felt his face getting warmer.
“It’s alright. I don’t mind your mess” The man smiled softly “Also, your nose is bleeding”
Before Vincent could even process anything, his vision became blurred all of a sudden. The dark crept in from the corner of his eyes, and the next moment, his world went silent.
Nothing in the world confused him more than the sight Vincent saw before his eyes when he regained his consciousness again. He could still hear a ringing in his head. When he finally came to his senses, he realised he had found himself in a dimly lit room, lying on a queen-size bed.
A faint ballroom music can still be heard from outside. There are two doors, one that leads out of the room and another that leads to the bathroom. The curtains were all closed. Looking around the room, it was quite well decorated; you can tell that whoever set up this room has fairly good taste. Perhaps this is a guest room, and quite a fancy one at that. But the most important thing is, this is not his room.
Just when Vincent was debating his life choice, the bathroom door creaked open. A man dressed in a bathrobe stepped out, one hand holding his robe and another wiping his hair dry with a small towel. He grinned slightly when he noticed Vincent’s intense staring and his so obviously reddish face.
“It’s quite rude to stare, you know”
“Oh-uh, sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to” Vincent turned his face away. He heard the man chuckle.
“No need to be so nervous, Mister Whittman. It’s just us here after all”
“You... know me?”
The man chuckled.
“Of course I do. The rising star of the picture shows Vincent Whittman. Oh, dear, you are indeed remarkable”
“Ahahah, why thank you! I’m- flattered, really”
Vincent’s face flushed; he had never truly been recognised by his work before. After all, he’s still not exactly a rising star, at least not yet. Not to mention what method he used to gain his recent promotion. Whatever the case, he did his job well enough that he’s sure it wouldn’t cause him trouble later.
Vincent sits up on the bed, gently tracing his finger across the fabric. The bed was really soft; it even reminded him of his childhood bed. If only he could lie down in his old room again- Oh- wait fuck, right, this isn’t his room. Then, in that case, he’s been sleeping in the other man’s room this entire time?
“Oh my god. Sorry, sir, I need to go now” Vincent stood up so quickly he almost lost his consciousness again.
“What’s the rush? Nothing is waiting for you out there, right?”
“I mean, yes, but-”
“Besides, the whole party must be talking about you already. Perhaps a quiet time is the most suitable for you right now”
Defeated. Vincent sat down on the bed again. The ballroom music still echoed softly from the party. The tension between them had softened. As the man was putting on his garments, Vincent quietly observed him. His beautiful frame, charming smile and hypnotic voice. It all felt so familiar. Just where had he heard that voice before?
“Hey, have we met?” The question was followed by a brief silence. The man turned to Vincent, his hand holding his own deer mask.
“Hmm, what makes you think that?”
“Well…It’s just-” Vincent hesitated for a bit “Your voice. It felt so familiar to me”
“Hahahaha!” Maybe because I’m quite famous for my voice, dear.” The man walked over to the bed before sitting just beside Vincent.
“Oh well, now that it has come this far, I suppose it’ll be rude not to introduce myself” He reached his hand out to Vincent.
“My name is Alastor, pleasure to meet you, quite a pleasure”
And then it finally clicks. Alastor. Alastor, the famous radio star. The host of the radio show that he used to listen to every night. The one person whom he has respected the most. The one person who was the only reason he dreamed of being a TV star in the first place. It’s as if a huge thunderstorm has struck Vincent, staring blankly into the man in front of him.
“...Mr.Whittman?”
Alastor flinched when Vincent suddenly grabbed his shoulder. His eyes were full of sparks like a toddler finding his favourite toy.
“Alastor. Mr.Alastor! Hahaha, I can’t believe it. I’m your biggest fan! I listened to your every show. They’re all amazing! You-You’re a big inspiration for me, really.”
“Ah, that’s great to hear. I appreciate it,” Alastor smiled.
“Haha, sorry, that was unprofessional, wasn’t it?”
They both went silent. Outside, the sound of the party is still there. Alastor started humming the song along with the faint sound of music, and Vincent couldn’t help but be amazed. The man’s voice is just mesmerising, like a siren from the forbidden deep sea. Along with that, he noticed Alastor looking at his deer mask so intensely that it almost felt unsettling.
“It’s very lovely”, Vincent said, which Alastor responded with a small “Hm?”
“The mask, I mean”
“It is indeed lovely”
The party almost came to an end, yet its voice kept going on and on. Through the wall, soft and calming music came on, louder than any other song. Alastor softly tapped his foot along with the rhythm.
“You’re driving me crazy”, Alastor mumbled.
“Huh?”
“It’s the song, my dear. My personal favourite, actually”
Vincent closed his eyes, listening to the song. Unconsciously, he tapped his fingers along as well. Certainly a beautiful tune.
“In that case”, Vincent suddenly stood up. This time, he’s the one who reached his hand toward Alastor. “Would you like to dance with me?”
Alastor stared at him. He seemed to be deeply in thought for a moment, but finally, he took Vincent’s hand.
“I would love to, Vincent”
You left me sad and lonely
Why did you leave me lonely
For here's a heart that's only
For nobody but you
I'm burning like a flame, dear
Oh, I'll never be the same, dear
I'll always place the blame, dear
On nobody but you
Yes, you, you're driving me crazy
What did I do? What did I do?
My tears for you make everything hazy
Clouding the skies of blue
How true were the friends who were near me
To cheer me, believe me, they knew
But you were the kind who would hurt me
Desert me when I needed you
Yes, you, you're driving me crazy
What did I do to you?