Simon glanced up nervously at the mansion before turning back to his freshly feline companion.
“Nah, I’m your designated driver. I wasn’t planning on wearing a mask.” Simon said.
“Not wearing a -” ‘Prince Chesh’ sputtered incoherently before recovering with a hiss. “This is a Masquerade Ball! Emphasis on *mask*! You can’t *not* wear a mask!”
“I’m sure they can handwave it,” Simon said dismissively.
“They will not-!” Again, Simon watched in amusement as his friend sputtered into incoherence. “No! You will take whatever mask Mister E gives you!”
Simon sighed. “I’m just not feeling it. I’ve got a latex and rubber allergy and plastic masks cut into my face. I didn’t want to say anything-”
“Well, you should have! This is a big deal, Simon! The winner of the Best Character gets the pot.”
“Okay. And?”
“The pot is currently sitting at 2.36 *MILLION* dollars.”
Simon’s eye twitched. “Ah. Well, that’s, um… unfortunate.”
“You weren’t kidding about the allergies?”
“No.” Simon frowned. “Maybe they have a makeup kit? You said something about them having costumes on hand, right?”
“You *could* use the costumes they have on hand, but they come from the losers of the previous year’s contests.”
“They took their costumes for being the worst?” Simon frowned. “Wouldn’t they be upset and want them back?”
‘Prince Chesh’ suddenly looked pensive, looking away. “No… it’s high stakes. But don’t worry, there’s only one loser each year.”
Simon thought he heard Clark say something about 'losing their assets'.
“Okay…” Simon paced on the asphalt driveway. “What makes a good costume?”
“It’s not a *costume* contest, it’s a *character* contest. You can still win, as long as you come up with a cool identity and act in character.” ‘Prince Chesh’ explained. “That’s why I’m in character now. Just in case.”
“I… damn, man. I wish you had told me this stuff *before* we drove out here. I’d have taken it seriously.”
“So you aren’t going to take it seriously?”
“Mmmm… “ Simon shrugged and sighed. “Nah. This is a lot of work you sprung on me. I’m just here to have a good time. Maybe get my dick sucked and my ass licked.”
‘Prince Chesh’ raised a brow.
“What?”
“Coarse language.”
“I’ve seen ‘Eyes Wide Shut’, I know how kinky these parties can get.” Simon rolled his eyes.
“You weren’t even thinking about getting laid five minutes ago.” ‘Prince Chesh’ pointed out. “You’re acting like a spoil sport.”
“Your fault for not telling me.” Simon crossed his arms.
“Fine! Go in there with no costume. Find out what happens yourself!”
“Fine! Then I’ll take a stupid mask from the loser’s closet.” Simon rolled his eyes.
“We shall see,” ‘Prince Chesh’ bowed again before gesturing forward, “Lead the way peasant.”
“Laying it on a little thick there Clark,” Simon started making his way up to the house.
“Chesh!” He hissed back. He reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a gold-foiled party invitation, “Here goes nothing.”
Simon reached out to open the door, only to find it sliding open on its own.
“Gentlemen, welcome, welcome!” A muffled voice greeted them. It belonged to a lanky man in a tuxedo. He was radiating some intense butler vibes, but the most striking thing was his face. He was wearing a porcelain mask with a completely blank expression.
“I’m Mister E, I’ll be your host for this fine evening.” He ushered the two into the entryway, “And who might you two be?”
Clark gave the man another deep bow. He had clearly been practicing. As he stood up, he held out the invitation to the white faced man. “Prince Chesh the Third. It’s a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”
Mister E took the invite and then tilted his head expressively, “My my, we’ve got royalty in our presence tonight! The pleasure is all mine!”
Simon was starting to get a feeling for how tonight might go.
A lot of big personalities playing off each other until you found someone that got your motor running. This could get tiring really quickly. Then again, it wasn’t the worst way to spend the night.
Their host turned his attention on Simon, “And who might you be? I can’t help but notice your expressive visage.”
Simon went flush, “Uh-expressive?”
“Ah! That’s your face!” Mister E stood up straight, “I don’t like to assume!”
Simon rubbed one of his cheeks self consciously, “Right. I’m uh-“
“Please, I don’t want to meet you.” Mister E held up his hand. He gestured to a small side room off the entry way. Even from this distance, the three could see a table with a few assorted masks laying around.
Their expressionless host somehow managed to carry a giddy energy despite being able to fully emote, “My masquerades are a chance to explore being someone entirely new. Let’s go find you a face worth the formal introduction!”
Simon found himself being whisked away into the room. His companion simply waved.
“Have fun! I’m going to go find a drink,” the the cat man waved, wandering off into the house.
“Wait!” Simon tried to call him back, but it was too late.
“You can catch up to his highness later,” Mister E’s voice was smiling, “Please, my selection seems to grow every year. Take your pick.”
Simon stared down at the table in front of him. The variety of masks on display ranged from small face coverings to entire hoods that went over your head. They all seemed to have a central theme to them: They would all be kind of embarrassing to be caught in.
Front and center on the table was a pig nose on a string and a headband with big floppy pink ears. Beside it was a large donkey mask with a muzzle that would probably rule out any drinking tonight. There was a wig resting in the edge of the table with some scruffy hair and round pink ears that took Simon a moment to identify as primate in nature. At the end of the table was a thick leather gimp hood, completely with a leash.
“Ah!” His host rubbed the smooth chin on his mask, “I usually keep these out for the stragglers and the spoil sports. Come on, I’ve got more over here.”
“W-wait. I have an allergy to latex and rubber.” Simon said.
“An allergy?”
Simon nodded. “Honestly, I didn’t even know about the mask requirement. Or the prize. Clark-err, ‘Prince Chesh’ kinda sprung this on me two hours ago.”
Mister E stared at Simon blankly. Which, of course, he would, since his mask was blank and featureless.
“D-do you have, like, face paint?” Simon prodded.
“...” Mister E gestured wordlessly to a shelf full of makeup.
“What?”
“The rules. You must wear something. Play something.” Mister E explained. Simon thought he heard the masked man sigh and mutter something under his breath. “Just…find some clothes and something to cover your eyes at least.”
“But I can wear makeup?”
“Of course. But only for your character.” Mister E shrugged helplessly.
“Give me a minute to look around,” Simon smiled at Mister E’s frozen featureless face.
“But of course. I’ll be greeting the new arrivals if you need me,” he tipped his head and headed back into the next room.
Simon eyed the makeup stand.
He was an amazing FX artist. So he had that going for him. But what should he be? It had to be a character with a backstory, an original one...