CHAPTER I: Steel Industrialism&Caramel Perfection

Trading in her metallic studs and flashy attire for pearls and a black evening gown were one of the sacrifices Blanca had to make on this particular evening. This was a fine event after all, and she had to appear more tamed than she usually liked, but this wasn’t much of a concern to her. Sometimes she enjoyed surrounding herself with members of the upper class, and truth be told she actually fancied a few of the finer things in life such as horseback riding, and even travel. However to this point she found the majority of attendees her age to be uninteresting or strange; the men usually conversed about their OH SO MASSIVE collection of sports cars, whereas the young women usually kept to their own group of friends, constantly looking down at any female outsider that came their way. And they would all stand there with their already stuck up noses held even higher than she thought they could possibly go, while munching on some finger foods, taking light sips of their wine and swiveling their glasses around. Pretending to be classy and all that while taking the fact that their parents earned them the right to such a privileged life, rather lightly.

So naturally with her ill feelings towards the majority of the youth present, she was sitting on her own at a table to herself. She couldn’t bring herself to converse with any of the more mature attendees of the ball either, as she noticed some have been giving her odd looks. Not the kind that expressed disgust. No, it was more of the expression that accompanied the wonder of ever having seen that person before. Her family was well known around the world for owning so many businesses, and currently they didn’t know of her whereabouts. It would have been absolutely awkward if someone familiar came up to her and asked her the very question she dreaded to hear that night.

She was not here for shallow small-talk anyways; however she couldn’t help but feel stagnant from her lack of social activity. But as long as she couldn’t find anyone of interest, she had to remain for the sake of finding out what she could about the possible weaponry she could equip herself with. Being a woman that constantly exposed herself to the dangers of street crime; a weapon would obviously be of extreme help. Now the question was what? Lifting her glass to her glossy pink lips, she takes a long sip and begins to contemplate on her options. And as she does so, she notices a young man, seated on his own just as she was, and clad in a classy looking suit. She recognized him as the host of this event, and seeing him by himself made her rather curious. Her lips part from the glass as she stood up, deciding to find out for herself as she pushed her seat back and began to walk over to him.

“Hello, Sir. Mind if I join you?”

She noted the gesture and couldn't help but smile, this man certainly had manners. "Thank you-" She replies sweetly, gently sitting down on the chair that was offered out for her. A wave of relief began to spread beneath the soles of her feet as she felt herself sink slightly into the thick cushion of the seat. This new found comfort nearly tempted the young woman to lean her back against its' rest, however that would not have been a proper thing to do at a setting such as this. But that wasn't much of a big deal in comparison to being seated with the host of this extravagant gathering. That was enough for her to beam like a gleeful idiot, at least on the inside.

Looking up at the man before her, she couldn't help but notice his mixed features, from the shape of his oriental eyes, to the sea blue orbs she nearly found herself drowning in. He was rather attractive, she had to admit. But coupled with the fact that he was alone made her wonder as to why someone of his looks, not to mention status, would seclude himself from the world around him. Curiosity was her main fault, after all. "So are you just here on business?" She tilts her head slightly to the side as she gently swivels her glass around. Her golden irises, with their strange almond shaped pupils, were fixed on the young man beneath a soft gaze that lasted about a second before turning her attention to the glass of wine before her.

“Business brought here; pleasure is allowing me to stay.. I don’t get much time to myself, so when I do, I’d rather much enjoy it.”

Her ruby red lips curled into a smile before she took another light sip of her wine, curious as to what was keeping him in the country longer. Perhaps it was the food? The elegnt array of old buildings that decorated the country of Amestris? Or the women perhaps? She wouldn't be surprised if that had been the case, for Amestris was the home to a vast number of blond beauties that graced the world with their angelic looks.

“Honestly, you’re the first person to approach me without an tributary motive. And for that, I thank you. My name is Taka,” He held out his hand for her to shake, to which she did. One would think her grasp would be limp or gentle, given the small size of her hands. But hers was in fact firm enough to signify equality and confidence. Unfortunately, her foreign genetics had the best of her at this moment, for the massive hall was a bit cold, and being that she was built for the warmer seasons of Esparia, her hands were slightly chilled. Her gaze made up for this however, for her eyes, the color of the sun, were fixed right into his blue orbs.

“My name is Blanca Perez." She replied, releasing her hand from the shake before returning it to its' rightful position around the stem of her glass. Gently, she lifts the glass to her lips to take another sip of its’ intoxicating contents, before placing it back on the clear circle-shaped mark it had left on the white cloth of the table. The color of the print her lips had left were almost exact in hue as the remaining liquid that took up the bottom of the glass. "And-" She adds with a chuckle, "actually, I came to you because you looked a little bored." That alone was something she was still rather curious about. It just did not make much sense to her as to how the man of the evening was all by himself.

Perhaps he needed to take a break from everything that was going on all around him? Her eyes began to linger around the hall, and indeed she had spotted a few individuals glancing at the man before her, looking rather eager for her to leave so they could take her place on the table. Did this man just want escape from his normal routine? Honestly, she wasn't quite sure.