Eira regarded the man who had invited her to dance. She placed her hand in his lightly and allowed him to lead her into the dance. He wasn't a dancer, she could tell, but he kept up well enough. She wasn't much for dancing herself, but she could dance as well as any queen was expected to. Given that he wasn't much of a dancer, she took the liberty of leading, but did so without it seeming obvious to anyone else. As far as everyone else could tell, they were simply dancing along as though it were the most natural thing in the world.<br/><br/>She could also tell that his attention was not entirely on her, but she didn't mention it, although she was a bit curious. "Thank you." she replied in a somewhat simple manner. She found it curious, the way he addressed her, calling her miss. That wasn't typically how one addressed a queen. Even if he didn't know who she was because of the mask, 'My lady' would have been a safer bet than miss, given that most people here were highborn. Excluding those who were royalty, most of those here were lords and ladies. It didn't matter too much to her whether someone referred to her as 'your highness', 'your grace' or any of the many titles she was given, but he had never been called miss by anyone, regardless of kingdom or status, so it was rather curious.<br/><br/>She didn't particularly care, really, she was simply curious. She didn't say anything, simply continued to dance. She noted when the younger of the princes of Pyralis entered, late, and clearly not enthralled to be here. Not that she blamed him, really. Balls were not for everyone, that was for sure. Although, most people at least pretended to enjoy it, even if they didn't. Of course, his face was covered with a mask, so most people wouldn't even notice what he wasn't happy to be there, but his body language told her everything she needed to know.<br/><br/>She returned her full attention to dancing and the man before her. She couldn't say that she recognized him, which was unusual. Still, she couldn't be expected to know the face of everyone in every kingdom, especially when they were at least partially obscured by masks. And of course, she couldn't very well ask who he was, given that this would defeat the entire purpose of wearing masks. She wasn't much for conversation, but it was sort of expected at these things, so after a short time she spoke up.<br/><br/>"So, what made you decide to come to this ball on this lovely evening?" her voice was light and airy, taking on a more polite and pleasant manner than what was typical of her, but it suited the event better for her to be a pleasant host, or at least a pleasant enough dance partner, she supposed. The question itself was not quite so odd as it might seem. Every person here had their own reason for attending tonight, just as those who had chosen not to attend had their reasons.<br/><br/>Whether they came because they welcomed the distraction after the war, because they enjoyed parties, because it was a formality, because they wished to see how the kingdom of Eirwen fared in the days after the war, or for some other reason. They all had a reason, and that reason would tell her a great deal about the one who answered. Perhaps more than one might think. Not to mention that she was rather adept at telling when someone was being honest and when they were not, and this, too, would tell her a great deal.<br/><br/>Whatever answer he chose, even choosing not to answer, would give her a glimpse into what kind of person her was. And all of this was done while seeming nothing more than an innocent question meant to pass the time and fill the silence. Never mind that she was not typically one for idle chat. Every word she spoke had a purpose, whether or not that purpose was clear to the other individual.