The air within the grove was thick with the scent of wine and food, alive with song from a lute somewhere. Everything was tinted in those soft orange hues known only to late day, and a few pinpricks of light could be seen in the air above, promising a beautiful night sky once the sun set in full. Fireflies flitted about here and there, doing whatever it was that fireflies did. Not a single spot of land went unused as there were people everywhere, clustered into smallish groups, chatting about one such thing or another.

There were also the lanterns. Some of them floated along with the wind, a few were hanging from the trees, others were playfully balanced on fingertips or set in the laps of those who lounged around the area. The whole scene seemed to be something out of a nobles painting, right down to the scenic landscape to the ornate masks adorning the faces of everyone there. They lent the entire gathering a mysterious, somewhat ghostly air. They also removed any type of social barrier among the people; those wearing clothes fit for kings chatted easily with people who were clad in things that could only be deemed rags.

Sitting among such a spectacle was Owen, the upper part of his face covered by an ornate gold mask. Actual gold he reasoned, from how heavy it felt upon his face. Maybe he'd be able to pawn it off for some extra money later. Yeah, it was pretty, but he'd rather have a bit more coin to spend than something so fancy and well, useless. Then again, it could also make for a good story to tell a friend down the line… 

Musing over his facial covering aside, he'd strayed so far from his original goal that it was almost ridiculous.

Originally he'd came to Ancense to inspect the rumored tunnels below and find some treasure. Instead, he found this. A party. For the past half hour or so, he'd just been sitting around eating strangely sweet cakes and sipping on drink.

Well no, scratch that, he'd found an interesting looking mask lying on a rock beside a slip of paper, put it on because why not, THEN he'd stumbled across the party. And after a few conversations with his fellow attendees, he began to feel as if everyone there was of the same breed as he, adventurers or politicians with more important things to do dawdling about in some picturesque field. Not that any of them cared.

Anyway, Owen continued to rest himself on an overturned pillar, looking out among the people also just. Resting. His figure looked very inviting, probably. How nice would it be if someone waltzed over and started up a dialogue?

Ernest slid through the crowd, watching everyone, but saying nothing. She wasn't sure why she was here - besides the free food, of course. How could she pass up an opportunity like that? Information was also on her mind. She wanted to know everything, and if she could pick up something here, where nobody knew who she was, all the better.

She wore a simple blue paper mask, the one she'd found travelling buried at the bottom of her bag. She still didn't trust it. There was no way to tell who had sent it, or what their intentions were. 

With her bag stuffed full of cakes, she wandered around, keeping a sharp eye out for trouble. She supposed she looked out of place, speaking to no one, looking at no one. She scanned the crowd, looking for someone interesting-looking to talk to. A figure caught her eye, sitting in a gold mask at the edge of the party, as if waiting for someone. She figured she'd say hello. If nothing else, the person had to be rich - that looked like real gold on his - or her - mask. 

She wandered up and sat next to the person as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Hello," she said. "What brings you here?"

The girls sudden appearance doesn't shock him in the slightest–in fact she is accepted like an old friend. Owen scoots over a bit so their shoulders can touch, an action that will hopefully make the air between them a little more congenial. There aren't any ulterior motives to him doing this, he simply wishes to be friendly. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he hopes that his invasion of her space won't cause her to be angry, or anything. 

"Adventure. I came here intending to uncover whatever secrets this place had to offer, though…as you can see I have gotten a tad sidetracked by. Multiple things." He gestures to first the party and his mask, one corner of his mouth quirking up into a smile. Ha, A tad sidetracked. More like completely derailed. 

"I'll turn your question back on you. What brings you here, my la…" Owen trails off there, suddenly squinting quite hard at the odd bulges in her bag. They make him a little suspicious at first, he's read stories about seemingly nice people hiding things like miniature orcs and goblins within their satchels to pounce on those unsuspecting victims, but a few moments of sharp observation reveal them to be nothing but cakes. 

An innocuous thing for her to carry. Still, strange. 

"…I guess you're saving those for later?"

Ernest resisted her first urge, which was to slide back a few feet, keeping the space between them. Nothing can happen at a party like this, she told herself. Anyway, it didn't seem like the boy wanted to harm her. She kept an eye on him anyway.

A small grin appeared on her face when he commented about the cakes. "Yeah. I've learned never to pass up free food." Still, she understood his confusion. Most people probably refrained from snitching food at parties and the like.

Her mind flicked back to his question, the one he never fully finished. "I came here for information. Party gossip wasn't my original intention, but I'll take what I can get." She shrugged. "I was thinking of looking at the ruins at some point. I've heard there are ghosts." Ernest was unsure if the rumours were true, but, either way, the ruins had sounded interesting.

A question suddenly occurred to her. "If you're an adventurer, where did you find the mask? It seems like it would draw… unwanted attention." Secretly, she wondered if she wasn't the only one who had noticed the masks falling from the sky.