#y2 thread 11

[toa-masquerade]

New experiences were something he couldn't, in good conscience, turn down, but that didn't mean they were always what he expected them to be. Curious fish flitted past, pausing for just a moment to marvel at the masked dancers before darting away. Light that filtered in from above was tinted by the deep, majestic blues of the waters, illuminating the scene with a shimmering, waving pattern that seemed to follow the dancers' own motions. The masked individual stood, awash in the splendor of the view before him, scarcely noticing that someone had come to stand alongside him. 

When his head turned, the look on his face was one of curiosity and surprise. Even with the mask covering his eyes, his emotions remained transparent. He had not thought he would attract anyone's attention, tucked away against the wall of water as he was. He had half expected to spend the duration of this event marveling at the scenery by himself. Perhaps it was because whoever had approached him did not know who he or any of the others were that they were so eager to join him. Maybe he ought to take that lead as an example for how he himself ought to behave.

"My apologies," he began, voice measured, if hesitant. "I hadn't noticed you there. Was it-- you seek a dance, I presume? I confess, I'm not much good at such things myself, but if it's what you wish, I would be happy to indulge you. Or... did you just come to look at the fish, too? It's fascinating, I think, to be able to observe creatures so candidly that we would otherwise never have the chance to stand beside."

[study-with-aura]

End of School Year Wrap Up

Final Course Grades:

Algebra 2 - 96% - A

Honors American Literature - 100% - A+

Spanish 3 - 102% - A+

Bible II - 100% (participation grade)

Honors US History I - 102% - A+

Earth Science with Lab - 101% - A+

PE/Health II - 100% - A+ (participation + RAD passed)

Music Appreciation - 101% - A+

Art Appreciation - 100% - A+ (daily work + final)

Goal Wrap Up:

Academics:

Score 90% or higher in all coursework

Read for 30 minutes each day outside of “class time” (American Literature) - finished 15 non-school related books (The Getaway, Threads that Bind, Swarm, This Dark Descent, Lunar New Year Love Story, All the Fighting Parts, Love Off the Record, The Great Gatsby, Mansfield Park, Choose Truth, All That's Left to Say, The Color Purple, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Side Quest, The Grapes of Wrath)

Study vocabulary daily (Spanish 3)

Complete the first half of Khan Academy US History (Honors US History I) - at 60%

Complete Khan Academy Algebra 2 course (Algebra 2) - at 79% will work on mastery through the summer since my course did not cover Units 11 and 12

Complete one Spanish, French, and Chinese lesson on Duolingo each day

Practice piano for a minimum of 2-3 hours a day, 7 days a week

Complete and pass RCM 10 practical + harmony/counterpoint exams in May - practical is next week

Pass Advanced 1 ballet exam and move to Advanced 2 classes

Character/Spiritual:

Earn Cookie Entrepreneur Y2 Family Pin

Complete two Senior Journeys and earn the Award Pins  - Mission Sisterhood! + Think Like an Engineer

Earn 13 Senior badges - Business Startup, My Cookie Network, Traveler, Voice for Animals, Social Innovator, Business Etiquette, Snow or Climbing Adventure, Savvy Saver, Digital Leadership, Game Visionary, Sky, Senior Outdoor Trail Adventure, Paddling

Earn Y2 Global Action Award

Earn World Thinking Day 2025 Award

Volunteer a minimum of 30 hours in the community - exceeded; volunteered 295. 25 hours total this academic year

Meditate for 10 minutes each day

Complete daily Bible studies each day

Other:

Post studyblr updates at least 2 times per week - Nope, but I did my best!

Limit video gaming to 6 hours Friday-Sunday, 3 hours max per day - I barely had the chance to play through the year

[lainahastoomuchsparetime]

…clearly I couldn’t think of a title for this post. Original Twitter thread found here.

Today we’re going to be trying to figure out the time period that Anne of Green Gables is set in and talking about the fashion of that time. This is going to be a multi-part series with a lot of images. Seriously, I have like 10 pages of notes and a LOT of pictures bookmarked.

So I’m gonna ask y’all to be patient with the speed on this one, okay?

Let’s start with what we know about the time period of Anne of Green Gables. (Not any of the sequels – in this thread, I will be treating AOGG as a standalone work.)

First, Montgomery wrote it in 1906 so it can’t be any later than that. In “Anne to the Rescue”, the Prime Minister who’s visiting Charlottetown is definitely John A. Macdonald. Marilla comments on his nose and that was something many political cartoonists caricaturized about him.

He was Canada’s first Prime Minister, and also technically the third as he served twice with another dude between his two terms. The first time was from 1867 to 1873 which is way to early to be Anne’s time period IMO.

Going by the fashion of the time alone, you’re looking at straight, tight sleeves and very slight bustles. Puffed sleeves don’t fit.

    Purple dress by Southend Museum Services via Wikimedia commons. Red dress photo is public domain from the Met via Wikimedia commons. First fashion plate is public domain via Wikimedia commons and the second is by Nicole.c.s.y93 via Wikimedia commons.

John A. Macdonald’s second term was from 1878 to 1891. “Anne to the Rescue” takes place in January of Anne’s second year at Green Gables. December of Y2 is when Matthew gives Anne the Christmas dress, and that year the size of the puffs have gotten even larger.

Let’s backtrack slightly and define our time periods.

Canada became a country (according to white people) in 1867. I’m sure y’all knew that. In any of the time periods Anne could be set in, the British influence will still be very strong. Because of that, in this series, I’m going to use the British eras for reference. (Eras in British history refer to who was ruling at the time.)

Queen Victoria = the Victorian era. King Edward VII, her son = the Edwardian period. Victoria’s reign was 1837 to 1901, and Edward was on the throne 1901 to 1910, but there is actually some overlap when you’re talking fashion, since fashion changes aren’t instant. Like, if you look at early 1990s, they look very 1980s.

As well, sometimes the term Edwardian is retroactively applied to fashion things that happened during the actual Victorian period as Edward was a big leader and influencer of fashion. So some stuff from before 1901 can be considered Edwardian. I know it’s a bit complicated, but we’re all on the same page, yeah?

Also Victoria Day is May 20th this year. Her birthday was May 25th so our holiday is the Monday before the 25th. May long weekend is also my town-wide garage sale. Not related, just a fun fact.

As Canada is a Commonweath country, obviously the British influence was huge. And still is, to some extant. We have the Queen on our money, we have Victoria Day, Boxing Day, we spell thing with u’s. It was even greater in Anne’s time period, though. Canada was colonized under Queen Victoria’s reign. So when we’re talking fashion, it makes the most sense to me to look to that direction than to look to the US for context.

Another thing I find interesting – they have afternoon tea in Anne, and Queen Victoria was the one who made that a Thing. One of her ladies in waiting began having a small meal in the afternoon, usually around 4, as she couldn’t wait for til a 9pm dinner. (I get that. My blood sugar isn’t down for that schedule either.)

The lady would invite friends into her dressing room for it and Victoria caught wind of it and really liked the idea, and it became an elaborate thing. That’s where “tea gowns” are from. Which I’m not going to get into because this thread is going to be long enough, but look up sometime. That was in the 1850s and you can see how normalized it is in Anne by our time period.

I just thought that was neat lol.

So, 1870s fashion we talked about.

Moving into the 1880s, it’s not too different. Still narrow sleeves, and skirts narrow as well besides a brief resurgence of the bustle in the middle of the decade. This is, I believe, the fashion period that Marilla is using to make Anne’s dresses in the beginning of the book.

This, for instance, is a great picture from the mid 1880s – from this site, used with permission.

This was a wealthy family from Ontario wearing their best clothes, so this wouldn’t be so much everyday clothes but it helps you get the idea.

Random trivia, the lady on the bottom left with the very short hair – she may have been recovering from a bad illness. A lot of the time when women in this time period cut their hair very short, it was because they were very seriously ill and couldn’t manage the upkeep.

In general, your early 1880s has a lot of 1870s influence… typical for most decades of fashion. It’s pretty minimal in silhouette.

    Brown plaid dress and floral dress by the Met via Wikimedia commons.

The bustles from the later half of the decade are kind of great though. (Bustles are the big butt bumps.) This isn’t even as big as they could get.

  LACMA, Met, Met, they’re all public domain, I’m getting tired here, lol.

Going up to the very end of the 1880s, you’re still in that same area.

Some pictures from 1888. Pictures from here out are from Libraries and Archives Canada or the Met’s fashion plate collection. All are public domain. Click to enlarge I think.

    And some stuff from 1889

    Oh and this is a series of photos from I think an ice show in early 1889 which… what is going on in this ice show? There’s another I can’t find now, I think, where her skirt is just a tennis net?

  Okay, back to establishing our timeline. Sleeves begin to puff as we move into 1890. Some of these pics have specific dates which is super cool.

So, we have March 1890, May 1890, and July 1890.

  I particularly like this one from October 1890 that’s titled as “Nidd, Mrs. & Friend” and how much it looks like an awkward prom picture.

Last one from 1890, specifically December 1890.

Moving into 1891, the sleeves continue to get larger but usually not as huge as they’ll eventually become.

Also I keep wanting to make up backstory for these people. Like that second picture especially. Who are they?

    More from 1891

  Now the reason I’m focusing a little extra on 1891 is because that is the absolute latest that “Anne to the Rescue” could happen. John A. Macdonald was no longer Prime Minister after June 1891.

He was also dead.

I found a couple articles that referenced Macdonald visting P.E.I. in 1890, but it was a casual visit to a Senator friend in Charlottetown. The political meeting of the book seems to be purely fictional.

That Senator friend just happened to be Donald Montgomery, one of L. M. Montgomery’s grandparents. (Her father’s father, not the one she lived with after er mother died.)

Montgomery even met Macdonald on that visit. It happened in August 1890.

There’s an article out there called “The Hijacking of “Anne”” by Virginia Careless that puts the year Anne came to Green Gables as 1880. She uses the sequels to make this timeline and honestly? My suspicion is that as we get into sequels we’ll mostly discover that Montgomery wasn’t great at math.

Careless uses later events that I’m not looking at because I only want to use evidence from AOGG itself for this particular thread.

And I’m sorry, but puffed sleeves were NOT a thing in 1880.

Do you see a sleeve puff??

  Careless says, “That date is more in keeping with her longing for puffed sleeves in 1880, when she came to Green Gables. In 1877, her eleventh year according to the Treasury, such sleeves were not possible with the fashions then current.”

NOPE makes no sense! I know the article is from 1992 but like. You got paid for that, Careless.

Going by the date of Macdonald’s visit to Charlottetown and his death, and the fashion trends of the time, I am comfortable saying Anne came to Green Gables between 1889 and 1891. Specifically I think she came in June 1890. I think Macdonald’s fictional visit happens in 1891, and Anne gets her dress in December 1891.

Thing in the sequels may contradict this, but that’s where I think we stand judging by AOGG alone.

The timeline I think works: 1890 – Anne comes to GG in June, is 11, Y1 1891 – Croup in January, Christmas dress, Anne is 12, Y2 1892 – Hair dye, Queen’s class, Anne is 13, Y3 1893 – Mostly just a lot of school, Anne is 14, Y4 1894 – Queen’s exam, white sands hotel concert, Anne is 15, Y5 1895 – Year at Queen’s, Matthew’s death, Anne is 16, Y6

Also you can’t just say any puffed sleeve fits Anne’s time period. Sleeve puffs in the 1830s are much lower than the ones in the 1890s (and beyond).

Plus it doesn’t work with the tea thing. Can you tell I’ve discovered a pet peeve?

I think that’s about good for today. Not the last thread you’ll be seeing on this though! We have many things to discuss.

Shout out to Library and Archives Canada and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s fashion plate collection.

Both were big helps in this and future threads.

Editing Laina: #LainaReadsAnne will be returning live soon! I’m getting caught up on a few things, and then we’ll be getting back into recaps! My summer job just got in the way.

Peace and cookies, Laina

#LainaReadsAnne, but make it fashion ...clearly I couldn't think of a title for this post. Original Twitter thread found here.

[toa-masquerade]

"You know, all these people... it's kind of exciting, don't you think?"

The masked figure's voice echoed strangely in the water, each syllable trailing like whispers through the currents. Sunlight fractured against the surface above, casting mosaics of light upon the ocean floor where distant figures drifted and swayed in languid rhythm.

He paused in his steps—or what one might call steps in the water—and twirled with a grace that seemed unbound by gravity. Gloved hands reached out, fingertips brushing against a patch of seagrass where a littoral fish hid, silver scales catching glimmers of light. Yet, some magic—something woven between the fabric of his gloves and the water itself—kept him from fully grasping it. The fish darted away with a flick of its tail, leaving only a trail of bubbles in its wake.

A frown ghosted his lips, fleeting but unmistakable, before it melted away into a smile—bright and boyish, as if he were a youth caught dancing in the rain.

"Oh, I didn't see you there." His voice held a lilting cadence, each word buoyed by the water's embrace. His hand extended outward, palm upturned, gloved fingers splayed in invitation. "Would you like to dance?"

[toa-masquerade]

It was hardly uncommon for him to remain still as he spoke. The fact he had not moved to take the other individual's hand hadn't even struck him at all, in fact. This was simply how he was to stand when he spoke, a habit long trained into him and not so easily discarded. He was to present a very specific image, and even when wearing a mask that did away with the need to curate his image, he could not stand to think of himself appearing any other way.

The fact it may have given the impression he did not desire to dance was one that the golden-masked individual had not considered... though it was not entirely inaccurate. It was nothing about the person who had approached him. He just wasn't keen on making a fool of himself in front of everyone, mask or no. He also wasn't keen on letting someone down, either, so he had every intention to fulfill her request regardless of the hesitation he carried.

"Aha-- yes, I confess, there are more than a few I've struggled to take my eyes off of," admitted the golden masked man, the ghost of a smile appearing upon his face. Whether or not his expression, too, was a form of mask he wore, even he was uncertain. "Regardless of how poor dancers we may end up being, we can take some solace in knowing we won't be the worst out there. I think there are simply too many people here for that to be possible. Being so drastic an outlier becomes increasingly difficult with as many numbers."

Watching the ocean life swim by, an analogy struck him. It would be easy to compare themselves to the schools of fish who huddled together for safety. It was not the increased vigilance of a group that made them safer, but the knowledge that, with more targets around them, each fish became less likely to be eaten than their neighbors. Still... there would always be that outlier, the fish that did end up in the mouth of a predator. Was it better to hide away from that possibility or try to swim regardless?

The only answer he could think of was to offer this partner his hand.

He hadn’t taken her hand, or moved to assist her to the floor... did that mean he didn’t want to dance with her, despite his words? She didn’t want to pressure him, after all. She dropped her outstretched hand slowly. “We wouldn’t be the only people dancing rigidly,” she said, indicating the floor — there were more than a few couples engaged in what looked more like a battle of will than a dance. “But we can look at the fish, too, if you’d rather. I too am fascinated by them. Isn’t it a shame that we’d only see some of these creatures on a dinner plate?” She joined his side, glancing up at the creatures darting between the stretched waves.

“They move so quickly, don’t they? It’s almost unbelievable. A dance of their own, it seems...” As if not even using their fins. Flying around within their ocean, dancing and diving at a moment’s notice. Large eyes are entirely enchanted...

[toa-masquerade]

He hadn’t taken her hand, or moved to assist her to the floor... did that mean he didn’t want to dance with her, despite his words? She didn’t want to pressure him, after all. She dropped her outstretched hand slowly. “We wouldn’t be the only people dancing rigidly,” she said, indicating the floor — there were more than a few couples engaged in what looked more like a battle of will than a dance. “But we can look at the fish, too, if you’d rather. I too am fascinated by them. Isn’t it a shame that we’d only see some of these creatures on a dinner plate?” She joined his side, glancing up at the creatures darting between the stretched waves.

“They move so quickly, don’t they? It’s almost unbelievable. A dance of their own, it seems...” As if not even using their fins. Flying around within their ocean, dancing and diving at a moment’s notice. Large eyes are entirely enchanted...

The masked individual before him had prepared quite the ornate arrangement to hide their identity. In some ways, it made him feel a bit inadequate. If nothing else, he certainly felt uncreative. Still, his mask had meaning enough to him, and that was the part that mattered. Whether or not the others had picked their masks for similar reasons, he could not say. Some seemed to delight in the mystique of their masks, in trying to keep their identities as secret as possible. It certainly sounded like an alluring concept, so he couldn't fault them for it by any means. That aspect did not call to him quite as strongly as it would for others, though-- the circumstances of his presence already provided essentially the same thing.

He had not realized he was being something of a "wallflower", despite how obvious it may be to onlookers. From his perspective, he had merely been marveling at the magics provided by Viscount Menja. Were others not equally wowed by it? His slight aversion to socializing had driven him onto the fringes of the crowd, but he also had not had a partner with whom to dance as of yet. It would be a faux pas indeed to intrude upon the dance floor alone, to get in the way of those trying to enjoy themselves with their partners.

"Aha, don't be so certain of that," the golden masked individual cautioned his would-be partner. "I've been to a few social gatherings in the past, but dancing... I would hardly call it one of my strong suits. People have tried to teach me. I just find it difficult to let myself go in the way that is necessarily to truly dance freely and elegantly. Besides, I'm hardly the most graceful person out there. I suppose that makes me the ideal partner for someone else inexperienced, doesn't it?"

[toa-masquerade]

The masked individual before him had prepared quite the ornate arrangement to hide their identity. In some ways, it made him feel a bit inadequate. If nothing else, he certainly felt uncreative. Still, his mask had meaning enough to him, and that was the part that mattered. Whether or not the others had picked their masks for similar reasons, he could not say. Some seemed to delight in the mystique of their masks, in trying to keep their identities as secret as possible. It certainly sounded like an alluring concept, so he couldn't fault them for it by any means. That aspect did not call to him quite as strongly as it would for others, though-- the circumstances of his presence already provided essentially the same thing.

He had not realized he was being something of a "wallflower", despite how obvious it may be to onlookers. From his perspective, he had merely been marveling at the magics provided by Viscount Menja. Were others not equally wowed by it? His slight aversion to socializing had driven him onto the fringes of the crowd, but he also had not had a partner with whom to dance as of yet. It would be a faux pas indeed to intrude upon the dance floor alone, to get in the way of those trying to enjoy themselves with their partners.

"Aha, don't be so certain of that," the golden masked individual cautioned his would-be partner. "I've been to a few social gatherings in the past, but dancing... I would hardly call it one of my strong suits. People have tried to teach me. I just find it difficult to let myself go in the way that is necessarily to truly dance freely and elegantly. Besides, I'm hardly the most graceful person out there. I suppose that makes me the ideal partner for someone else inexperienced, doesn't it?"

She’d never been one to put too much into appearances. They lied, they deceived, they twisted and turned just as much as tongues did. But here, everyone was faceless, shaved of anything that could make them stand one way or another. Here, they only had the language of their bodies and their masks to differentiate themselves.

So, after staring in awe of the world around them, usually unseen and now lit for them, she found herself drawn to a person in a corner, staring at fish. Perhaps it’s because he reminds her of someone else in her life — someone else who would be a veritable “wallflower”, though there is hardly a wall to, em, “flower”, in this case.

A dance, hm? She supposed it was exactly the time for it. “You can’t be worse on the floor than I am. This would be my first party.” She offered a hand and a rare smile. “Would you like to make fools of each other?”

[toa-masquerade]

She’d never been one to put too much into appearances. They lied, they deceived, they twisted and turned just as much as tongues did. But here, everyone was faceless, shaved of anything that could make them stand one way or another. Here, they only had the language of their bodies and their masks to differentiate themselves.

So, after staring in awe of the world around them, usually unseen and now lit for them, she found herself drawn to a person in a corner, staring at fish. Perhaps it’s because he reminds her of someone else in her life — someone else who would be a veritable “wallflower”, though there is hardly a wall to, em, “flower”, in this case.

A dance, hm? She supposed it was exactly the time for it. “You can’t be worse on the floor than I am. This would be my first party.” She offered a hand and a rare smile. “Would you like to make fools of each other?”

New experiences were something he couldn't, in good conscience, turn down, but that didn't mean they were always what he expected them to be. Curious fish flitted past, pausing for just a moment to marvel at the masked dancers before darting away. Light that filtered in from above was tinted by the deep, majestic blues of the waters, illuminating the scene with a shimmering, waving pattern that seemed to follow the dancers' own motions. The masked individual stood, awash in the splendor of the view before him, scarcely noticing that someone had come to stand alongside him. 

When his head turned, the look on his face was one of curiosity and surprise. Even with the mask covering his eyes, his emotions remained transparent. He had not thought he would attract anyone's attention, tucked away against the wall of water as he was. He had half expected to spend the duration of this event marveling at the scenery by himself. Perhaps it was because whoever had approached him did not know who he or any of the others were that they were so eager to join him. Maybe he ought to take that lead as an example for how he himself ought to behave.

"My apologies," he began, voice measured, if hesitant. "I hadn't noticed you there. Was it-- you seek a dance, I presume? I confess, I'm not much good at such things myself, but if it's what you wish, I would be happy to indulge you. Or... did you just come to look at the fish, too? It's fascinating, I think, to be able to observe creatures so candidly that we would otherwise never have the chance to stand beside."

[toa-masquerade]

"Oh, nice! I'm no musician, but I know a few lullabies." The confession comes without a second beat, his next movements becoming more scattered, his gait wide and open as opposed to reserved as it had been. There's a twinge of confidence that he didn't normally exhibit, despite the fact that his own endurance was being stretched thin by repetitive motion.

He isn't sure how to best answer that question without giving himself away entirely. "Oh, you know. I just like to keep moving. I get restless if I'm sitting still for too long."

Not exactly a lie.

"You should sing for me sometime, once all this is over." Nice save.

“ Hm… ” They muse, letting the flow of the dance continue for a moment before they answer, “ I apologize, I’ve simply been busy in the last few months… ”

Fluttering attire swirls in their dance, as it morphs into something faster- merging with the waters of the sea.

“ …I like to sing. ” They end, simply. Still quiet, a hint of pride seeps into their voice, “ Sometimes I write my own songs, as well. ”

Another step, they move slightly closer to the other as the movements grew more lively. Even if they could not keep this up for long, they wish to enjoy it, for the moment. “ And you? What is it you enjoy doing…? ”

[toa-masquerade]

"Auberon." He repeats, as though tasting the word upon his tongue.

He takes another step with a subtle flourish, evidently overjoyed to be led into a more lively set of movements. When they spin, a school of fish surround them in abject fascination before wading away, leaving the pair alone once more to converse at their leisure.

"It is good to meet you. Auberon. If we haven't met already." He echoes their words, before taking their hand in his own. "What do you like to do for fun?"

Despite their earlier protests, they fall into step easily, not quite pulling closer, yet not pushing away. A simple distance, and a similarly simple step; as much strangers to the water as each other. They take to following the other’s lead, as if it were as natural as the way the water danced alongside. 

“ You can, ah, call me… ” A pause, abashed, despite the fact that they had been the one to pose the question originally. “ Auberon. ”

It is a name they slide into.

“ It’s a pleasure to meet you, Bell, ” They say, gently, slowly guiding the two into a spin. “ ...If we have not met before. ”

[toa-masquerade]

"I try to be."

There's a warm laugh, and for a moment he swore that if there wasn't magic keeping the water at bay, bubbles might emerge from his lungs and rise to whatever surface lay above them.

"An alias... hmm..." He didn't have a mysterious bone in his body. "Let's go with... Bell." 

With that initial bit of resistance settled, he leads them into something simple: a sway that wasn't too intimate, nor too distant from one another. If this one were to push, he would back off. Likewise, if they were to pull he would move closer. With each subtle movement it felt as though he was gliding through the water. It merely was—peaceful and tranquil as the subtle waves that surrounded them.

"What about you?" It was a challenge to force one's voice to be softer than it normally was. "Do you have an alias I should call you this evening?"

“ ... You are very kind, ” Hand is placed in hand, hesitantly, just as gently as they had brushed against the water prior. Then, a soft laugh, as if to expel any further fear. “ I would ask your name, but I fear that goes against the purpose of this event. ”

“ Perhaps an alias instead, ” They smile, tentatively. “ To join with this memory, at least? If we are to dance, I ask that it is not in silence… ”

[toa-masquerade]

"That's quite alright. You could always show me a dance you know."

The fish surrounding them seemed to dance in their own manner, schooling amongst the others who were in attendance. 

Despite his better judgment—or perhaps in defiance of it—he reached out. His fingertips skimmed the surface, brushing the ripples the stranger had left in their wake. For a brief moment, he let them run their course, watching the gentle arcs spread outward. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he disrupted the delicate pattern, sending the waves curling in the opposite direction.

"Or we could take it at your pace." The gloved hand remains extended, patiently.

"What do you say?"

“ Exciting is one way to put it, ” Similarly as ethereal, but with half the volume, comes another voice to join him. Steadier, as if afraid to be noticed, to hide amongst the waves. “ But there is no way to know who has joined us tonight. ”

But, turning, a sigh. “ It’s beautiful… ”

The water, or the mask? Their own does not leave much for the other to guess. Hand reaches out to touch the surface, ghosting across the glassy waves, fingertips leaving soft ripples that rose far above where either could reach.

“ A dance? I am not much of a dancer, ” Comes a soft protest. “ The dances I know have not yet been shown at this venue. ”