Rubbing Elbows and Avoiding Eyes [Duvalier Gala] [Tsubine/Murasaki]

Tsubine saw her immediately after getting comfortable. She was unmistakable, even in the World of the Living. His heart skipped a beat when he thought she may have seen him. Oh, how her eyes were keen. She probably did see him. What shall he do? Hide. That's what his instincts told him.

"Shit." Tsubine muttered to himself before ducking behind an ice sculpture and almost spilling his flute of champagne. The last thing he wanted was to talk to her. He looked over the sculpture and through the gaps. She wasn't seeming to pay attention to him. He slunk out from behind the statue and ended up nearing a gap in the ever-moving crowds.

Tsubine didn't see a way through to get to an escape. He would have to stall. Thankfully, there was someone near what he presumed would be the first place to close ranks and become one large group. Tsubine approached one of the partygoers who had just extricated herself from another conversation. "Hello there, we don't know each other but can we pretend as though we're old friends or at least that we do know each other, just for a moment? There's someone I'm trying to avoid," Tsubine's eyes glanced back in that woman's direction, "and I'm praying social propriety will stop her. I'm Tsubine, in case you forgot.". His cue to the lady in front of him was a quick wink.

Murasaki didn't scream, tell him to fuck off, or loudly go "Who?" and look around. She was playing along! Tsubine let the tension he was holding drain away. He was going to owe this woman a personal favor after this. He didn't quite relish the thought, but it was far better than the alternative. The name Murasaki kept setting off some kind of recognition alarm, but he just couldn't quite place where he'd heard the name before. He mouthed a "thank you" before starting some small talk.

At first, it was simple things like the weather. Nothing that would mean anything to anyone, but would show the two engaging in conversation. Tsubine leaned in a bit as he changed the subject after a substantial pause in conversation. "Say, do you know what this gala is really about? I... don't exactly get out this way much. I know it's for fundraising charity for some kind of disaster in Africa, but I have no idea what's going on there. Business at home has kept me... occupied." There was a quick glance around to see if he saw her again. So far, only glimpses.

Tsubine was, one, horrible with names, and two, fully unacquainted with the leadership in the Gotei 13. Yamamoto was the only Captain-Commander he knew the name of, and that was more out of him being a household name for many years. If he had known who this was, honestly, he would have steered clear. With an injured Shinigami being found post-Hollow attack, whatever was going on with Kanae, and a smattering of other smaller issues, he was concerned about how much attention his group could be getting. Getting the attention of the Captain-Commander was among the things he wanted least. But of course, fate had other plans.

"I had heard some rumblings about a hole somewhere in Africa... I honestly thought it was just a big sinkhole." Tsubine was truthful. He thought it was, at most, a sinkhole that swallowed like half a block or something. "I had no idea it was bad enough to warrant... this." He gestured around to the magnificent almost-palace they were in. "My secretary is supposed to keep up with big events like this, but family problems, business expansions, and some unwanted visitors has kept me needing to be on my toes. I also don't really get out this way much. Especially with recent happenings, travel is more than a little difficult. I'm a bit surprised by how many people I see here... There's more than I would have expected." Tsubine looked around to see if he recognized anyone else. A few faces he'd swear to have seen before, but truthfully no one else really stood out to him.

"Or they just want to flaunt their money." Tsubine chuckled to himself at that. He'd known quite a few people who were like that. The Shirazumi-rengokai held a few fundraisers every now and then—though none quite like this. Each time, there was at least one person who came around flaunting his wealth. It was frowned upon, but never acted upon. "Though, I'll be honest, even I'm not entirely here for charity... I mean, I'm glad this is going to a good cause—it's about the only reason I'd make a trip like this... But I'm hoping to get something for my dau—someone I really care about from the auction." Tsubine caught himself again. "I haven't exactly been a good... care-er, and I was hoping that a very nice souvenir would help."

Tsubine caught himself swirling the champagne and stopped himself. "But I guess that's just another way of buying someone's affection, huh..." He shook his head to get that thought out of his mind. He was going to do right by Mayumi. Just... not yet. She was safer with J, and he needed as few angles for that woman to maneuver with. That wasn't the only maneuvering going on either. A waiter—or was it a server? Tsubine didn't quite know the difference in this kind of fancy establishment. Either way, a member of the staff was carrying a tray of filled champagne flutes when another patron stumbled from his own almost-drunken guffawing. The waiter/server/butler himself stumbled—sending the tray flying at the two of them

Tsubine was prepared to either take the blow himself to keep Murasaki from getting hit by it. To his surprise, she didn't need it. She was reacting with far more grace and speed than he expected. He had seen movements like these before. He felt his heart skip most of a beat. Knowing she was going to be safe, Tsubine barely avoided it himself. A clatter of silvered tray and breaking glass almost broke the silence, but it was quickly covered back up by conversation. The waiter/server/butler apologized profusely as other staff hurried to clean it up. Tsubine ignored them and instead turned to Murasaki. "That was close. You move a bit more... fluidly than I would have expected, no offense. You... wouldn't happen to be a martial artist of some kind, would you?"