[J]~Sena's Lair

[[kaleido]]

Prelude

Another charity fund raiser, but Sena Tsubokura was thrilled it was a costume gala. Tire of boring high society functions, the All Hallow's Eve Costume Ball quickly became the pinnacle of the season for the young socialite. On such a hauntingly beautiful and crisp October evening, the thought of the moonlit verandah going unused was a crime. With her husband tied up with committee detail, Sena chose to walk alone and take a break from the hustle and bustle of the dance floor. The layers of her ball gown rustled along the marble as the wind billowed the upper layers gently.

"What a breathtaking night," Sena sighed, removing her elaborate masque decorated with peacock feathers, and letting the chill caress her wine rouged cheeks. Thinking of a favorite aria, she sang aloud to herself and the night.

A swirl of wind, zipped by, forcing her to pull her beaded shawl up over her bare shoulders. Long opera gloved fingers rubbed a bit of the chill out, but just enough. Hearing a rustling in the trees, Sena turned her attention toward the far end of the balcony and the stairs leading into the hedge maze garden. The second time, the rustling was closer, yet she couldn’t see anything… clearly. Looking over her shoulder and seeing her husband up to his ears with politicians, Sena set out on a little adventure. Gathering up the ocean, jewel-toned layers of her dress, Sena snuck down the marble staircase and resumed singing. She hoped it would tempt whatever she did or didn’t see, to make it appear.

The moonlit illumination of the garden, gave it an eerie atmosphere, and had Sena not been mildly intoxicated, she would have shown better judgment and returned to the party. She walked in a dream, pretending she was a model dashing through Italy’s famed Tivoli Gardens in her ball dress. The rustling grew closer and closer one moment and suddenly retreated the next, drawing her further and further into the maze. Sena felt exhilaration chasing after the sound, entranced by the faint howling of the wind. To her, it sounded like a hypnotic and melancholy tune which she could not tune out.

A need for closure quickly dethroned her mild curiosity over the dancing shadow Sena believed to have observed. Her heels clicked and occasionally slipped on the cobblestone paths. The dry air parched her throat, but there was no time for refreshment. Sena couldn’t risk her chance to bewitch and reveal her mysterious partner in the garden. Winding her way past rose bushes, fountains, and statues, she eventually found herself before one of the gazebos in the center of the garden. Wisteria wound and climbed the sides, but as she flopped down to rest her achy weary feet, Sena realized she was alone. Or was she?