The Royal Ball [OPEN]

[HEATHCLIFFE RYAN HALLOWAY]

The king walked through the hallways of the Halloway mansion. Any moment now the guests would be arriving for the ball and the main ballroom, as well as much more of the mansion, would be filled with the scents of all the different species that had come. It wasn't very often that the royals decided to do these events and allow people in their home but they had decided that it would be the best way to show peace between all species and give everyone the chance to get along for once. Not that Heathcliffe cared much; he only looked out for the vampires, they were his people after all. Providing the vampires were safe, he couldn't really care about the others. Still, it was a nice gesture.

The last time that Heathcliffe had presented a ball like this had been when his beloved wife was human. It was the night that they made their relationship official and also the night that the king truly started to love someone. That night had gone well, even if everyone was getting a little drunk. Surprisingly there had been no fights at all and all the people invited had all gotten along well. It really had been a fantastic night in more ways than one. Hopefully this ball would go the same direction and be an event that everyone could enjoy. Of course, it was also a chance for the royals to check up on things and see how many changes there had been to the town. How many new threats had been added to the list of people that would love to take the monarchy down.

Drumming his fingers on the table once he got the the ballroom, Heathcliffe spoke to one of the servants. It wasn't a meaningful conversation, then again he never had those with the people that worked for him, it was more authoritative; with him ordering the staff to make sure that everything was in order and that the guests had enough food and drink to last for the entire night. Without even getting a response, his majesty began to walk out of the room and down the grand staircase, he quickly pulled open the doors and stared at the night sky for a few seconds before walking into the kitchens to make sure everything was going well. No doubt the queen would be arriving downstairs soon so that she could greet the guests. It was her that he worried about the most, her fragile state of emotions could make this entire night fall to pieces. He trusted her to keep to her duties. His eyes fixed on another of his servants, "find the queen and let her know the mansion is open for our guests."

[CORBIN ROSE HALLOWAY]

She was staring back into the eyes of a gorgeous woman. It was hard to believe that her reflection in the mirror was really her. For some reason she always seemed to think she was still human. Her emotions were still very much there and causing her to struggle, but she couldn't deny the beauty she seemed to possess now mixed in with her pale skin. She assumed that's how she had always looked...its just when she was human her worried weighted down. She pressed her lips together as she allowed the lipstick to coat her thin lips. Tonight was going to be interesting. She knew Heath was counting on her to hold things together and she didn't want to disappoint him in the slightest. This was her chance to show that she could be the queen he had always pictured. He life depended it after all. Corbin placed the string of diamonds around her neck and after applying the rest of her makeup. She was ready now....her dress was now perfectly matching her beauty. "Your Majesty the king wishes to see you." Corbin gave a nod as she got up from where she was sitting and looked over to make sure everything was prefect. She was looking forward to tonight, she couldn't deny that. With her mask in hand she made her way downstairs to greet the kind before her face would be hidden from him the rest of the night.

Her arms wrapped around his neck as she kisses him. She stood behind him hoping she had successfully surprised up on her husband. "The guest should be arriving any minute then?" her eyes flicked with excitement as she walked around in front and kisses his sweet lips. "Lets hope that the wolves don't stink up the place. I'm all for peace and harmony but you really can't get that smell out of things for days." she said with a slight smirk. Her eyes lowered slightly before she looked back up at him wondering if he was still worried for her. "You don't think I'm going to mess up tonight do you? Your not still worried that I could be---." she couldn't bring herself to say it. She didn't even want to think about having to face her true death if she couldn't keep her emotions under control.

[k1138t]

This damn royal ball was a security nightmare Michael thought to himself, at least according to his standards. The King had also vetoed the more 'extreme' security measures Michael had proposed. So that was a no go on the bomb sniffing dogs, the snipers in the ballroom, and the random strip searches. This was to be a party not a trip to an airport someone had said to him, what do they know about security he thought. Michael just wanted to keep the monarchs safe especially since things like werewolves were invited, they tended to have nasty tempers Michael thought. His security teams were also restricted to handguns only, no assault rifles at least where they could be seen. Michael would have to stick close to the monarchs, just to make sure no one tried anything.

Michael was wearing a simple black and white tuxedo; he also had a mask that was half black, half white to match. Michael didn't bother with a gun, he really didn't need one, after all his telekinetic powers were way better than any gun. They were also more than a match for most supernaturals for that matter. They could be as strong as they wanted, it still didn't help them if they were suspended in mid air. He was of course wearing his radio concealed on him with an accompanying ear piece, that way he could maintain contact with his security teams.

Michael called over his radio to make sure one of the security personnel had a visual on the King and Queen. The 'guests' should be arriving soon, although Michael considered them all potential assassins. Once Michael had the location of the monarchs, he head there with purpose. Maybe he could change the King's mind about having snipers stationed inside the ballroom. It was too late for the dogs, they're impossible to get on such short notice.

As Michael approached the King and Queen, he realized they were having a tender moment. He decided to wait for them to acknowledge him, he didn't want to intrude. Michael also privately hoped the Queen wouldn't have any... difficulties tonight. Then again with security so lacking as it was, Michael thought that the Queen would be the least of his worries tonight. Michael hoped everything would go smoothly but he was preparing for the worst, then again that is what he always did, and what he was paid to do.

[SAMARA BRIDGET BERRIGAN]

Out of all the things Samara thought she would be assigned to deal with that night, she never thought it would require a fancy dress and an one hundred dollar hairdo. But seeing that she proved to be most successful accomplishing every task assigned to her by the royals, Samara wasn’t all uninterested at this event, seeing that it was above all a ball. The feeling of being trusted by the monarchs filled herself with pride, something clear on her facial expressions as she put on the diamond earrings she had taken from the last vampire sentenced to meet the True Death. The past few days had been busy, but above all thrilling as they come. Samara did not only find one human pet for the Queen, but she managed to find two. The torture of Luke Johnson was swell, although those events did take an interesting turn after a couple of hours, but it was nothing that the queen or king needed to know. The point was that Samara had her night off hit woman duty and had been assigned as the main bodyguard to both monarchs. She doubted the humans would be to much use whoever their help was needed but she wasn’t one to doubt the monarchs’ judgment. As she got up from the tool placed in front of a Venetian nightstand mirror she bought on her first trip to Venice, Samara looked rather pleased at how she looked. She had her golden hair wavier than it had ever been and curled down a few millimeters above her breasts and the dress was a short light golden gazar that seemed to have more of a gentle tone of Chantilly rather than bright golden, the dress was embellished with embroidered Swarovski crystals on both ends of the dress. Before leaving, Samara got hold of a metal Venetian mask that matched both her mask and shoes.

She left the part of the mansion on which her “trianon”, a faithful replica of Marie Antoinette’s petit Trianon had been built and walked in a rather hurry towards the residence of the royals. Like a humble servant that was quite aware of her place, Samara entered from the backdoor and while passing through the kitchen helped herself to a glass of champagne. After literally pouring it down her throat, the witch headed to the room assigned as the ball room. As she entered the room, she saw the servants making sure everything was in place, adjusting any possible decoration malefactions. As she walked past a buffet woman, Samara leaned in to speak to her. “ If for some reason we’re serving tru blood make sure to have it on crystal glasses and not those cheap bottles they use. After all….we’re not doing a merchandise commercial.” after that the witch walked towards the king the queen and the dark hair security man she knew as Michael. The witch waited for both royals to greet each other in the tenderness of their rare romantic nature, to properly greet them. “Your majesties” she bowed down before turning around to face the head of security. “Michael.” Samara did not smile, but greeted the man rather coldly seeing that she didn’t get along with any evolved human mainly due to the fear of being replaced.

[HEATHCLIFFE RYAN HALLOWAY]

Heathcliffe stood near the window as he watched the kitchen staff do their work and get some more food and drinks ready for the guests. His eyes watched as they put everything on a tray and proceeded to take it upstairs, a smile on his face as he moved forward and walked over to the other side of the room so he could sample the blood that would be put out for the vampires. It was common knowledge that each vampire had a different taste, so it was vital that all types of blood would be ready for serving. His hand gripped one of the bottles and he swiftly drank it, allowing the warm, thick, liquid slide down his throat. That did the job for him. It never really took much blood for him to be satisfied.

It wasn't even five seconds after he had put the bottle down that he felt the cold arms of his wife wrap around his neck. A smile spread across his mouth as she began to speak and walked around in front of him, kissing his lips with her own and making him get slightly excited. Then the talk about wolves came, how they left an awful smell and that it would take ages for it to disappear; he couldn't help but chuckle at that remark, finding it amusing how this was supposed to be a night of peace and yet here Corbin was making funny comments about one of the invited species. But that comedic side of the moment died when she began to discuss the conflict of emotions that she was going through. Yes, the fact that she still had human moments worried him but he would never let her die. He loved her and that meant he was to be faithful, compassionate and protective. Heathcliffe would die for his queen.

His lips pressed against those of his wife as he held her close, wanting her to feel just how much he loved her. Sometimes actions were better than words but in this case both were needed. "Corbin Rose Halloway, I will not let anything happen to you. You have my word." A smile crossed his mouth again as he heard the familiar sounds of the bodyguards entering the room, almost instantly he turned around and looked at them, first looking at Michael and nodding his head, then fixing his eyes on Samara as she bowed; he merely gave a wave of his hand as a sign for her to stand. Eyes still fixed on the loyal bodyguards he gracefully took hold of his wife's hand before stepping forward, "I presume that all is well?" Heathcliffe's head tilted slightly as he stared at them with his dark eyes, his face not all smiley as it had been when he was talking to his wife, instead a rather cold and serious expression was there instead. That was just how the king was. He was a very cold hearted man unless it came to his wife.

"The security will keep an eye on the guests. They have permission to dispose of anyone that should act suspicious." He briefly glanced at the queen before looking back at Michael and Samara, "you two will stay close to myself and your queen, not too close though, we wouldn't want people suspecting that we are in any way scared." A cold laugh escaped his lips as he kept his gaze on the pair, watching their reactions to everything he said and did. "That being said, if anyone tries anything then have a little fun. Torture them until they beg for death. Not in a place where the other guests can see, of course."

"Our guests will be arriving soon."

[laura]

Stepping out of her car Laura looked around, not completely sure why she had decided to come. Actually she was; hunting for her dad had her running all over the place trying to locate him. ”This town is too big.” Shaking her head so walked up the steps of the place where the party was being held. She had received the invitation in the mail, and it actually made her wonder how the hell these people knew where she lived. Though she supposed they probably sent one out to everyone, based on the size of the crowd that was starting to gather around the “royals” mansion.

Placing her mask over her eyes Laura let out a deep breath. This was going to be the biggest gathering of vampires she had ever been even near, one of them was bound to know where Luke was. If he wasn’t here himself, which she was really hoping he would be, she was getting sick of all the dead ends she was getting sent to. The people in this town sure liked to lie to people, and her wanting to find him to badly followed up every lead no matter how silly it sounded. ”This is all probably a waste of time...” She said under her breath as she showed the person at the door her invitation. If nothing else maybe something amusing would happen over the next few hours.

When her feet found their way t the Ball room where the gathering/dance was being head Laura was sure he eyes were bulging out of her head. ”It’s huge...Even bigger then it looked from the outside.” Looking around she huffed out a small laugh at herself, she needed to stay focused, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have some nice alcohol. The idea had came to her when he saw the table that had (what she hoped was) punch on it. Walking over she picked up a glass and sniffed it for a couple seconds. ”At least it isn’t blood.” Moving away from the table she walked to a corner where she had a good view of the door, other people were starting to file in and she needed to keep an eye for for Luke. Though she wasn't sure how she would recognize him, everyone was wearing masks.

Outfit: click

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[visceral]

It had taken Visceral way too long to get ready for this event that the local corpses were throwing. He had been berated by Arrow about his hair and general condition of his facial hair, so he had her cut it, shave him, and pick out what he was wearing. Blindness is not conducive to picking out a matching outfit. Then, he decided that if she was going to be picking what he was wearing that she should pick what she was wearing too. He was NOT going to a vampire's house alone. He thought that this venue would work out great as a first date, as long as things did not get violent.

So, wearing some kind of soft nicely fitting suit. Ok it wasn't nicely fitting for him it felt extremely constricting. Anything tighter than jeans and a T felt restricting. She said that they were both going to be wearing purple. He didn't know exactly what that looked like but he smelled lavender coming from his pocket and she said that lavender was purple so he made the association that way. the little touch of nature helped him feel less restricted and soothed his nerves as well. It was amazing what a little scent could do to bring good memories. This would have to suffice to keep him at his calmest. He thought he might be able to concentrate on the lavender to block out some of the less desirable smells when surrounded by corpses.

Along with buying the clothes, and the masks, he told Arrow to rent a car. He didn't know what a Shelby cobra looked like, a purple one of course, but with the way she squealed when he gave the Okay, he thought it was probably breathtaking. That, and the fact that she would have to drive it. Of course Vis couldn't drive, thinking like that was ludicrous. Even being in a car was somewhat unsettling to him. Not having control of where he was going was a bit of a problem for him. He trusted his pack with his life though and she was Pack.

There was only one good reason for him to go to the party. He had to scent the local living dead. Like any other race, they all had the same basic scent with subtle differences between each individual. If he cataloged the scents and names of those he met at the party he would be able to know if any of them tresspassed, poached or caused any other general trouble. It was too bad that there were so many reasons not to go to the party, first being that he would not have the full support of every pack member. The second being that he got a little itchy around other predators. Last but not least, he would be positively possessive of his date. He would not tolerate any of the attending mosquitos trying to get a nibble of Arrow. There was so much potential for violence that he probably should not go.

It was too late to back down though now that he had already gotten ready and bought all that they needed for the party, let alone asking Arrow out to it as well. Thinking that he would sound weak if he backed out now, he decided it was time to get to this disaster waiting to happen. Making his way to the front of the den, he called for arrow. When she came to him, he inhaled deeply of her scent. Since he could not compliment her on her beauty, he complmented her on the mixtures of her scent. If they were of any other race, it would have been a much more perverted comment than he intended, but seeing as they were wolves, it was more commonplace than one would think.

Leading her outside, his hand in hers, he lead them to the awaiting rental car. Running his hand along the smooth curves of the vehicle he could see why she squealed as she did. It took him a few seconds when he found the door to find the handle but he pulled it and opened her door. He moved around the scent of motor oil, antifreeze and gasoline until he found his own door and got inside. Putting on his safety belt, he prayed to the moon that nothing bad would happen. She had more experience with vehicles than he of course, he just hoped it was enough to get them there alive.

When the motor roared to life, then hushed to a rumbling growl, he turned his head to her and raised an eyebrow. It was a noisy but satisfying sort of sound that the car made, he knew that it must be a top of the line engine beneath the hood. The car ride to the mansion or palace, or whatever they called it was exciting. Exciting in the way any situation where you are putting your life in another's hands was. They got there safely though and he was thanking the powers that be.

When she announced that they had arrived, he unbuckled his belt, put on his heavy bronze and iron mask, then moved to her side of the cobra. Finding the handle in an instant this time, he opened the door and held out his hand to his date. "Stick close to me Arrow, I need to know you are safe at all times. Are you ready to mix with the fine undead of the city?"

The Mask
The Car

[ARROW KATRINA CONWAY]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,100%,true][atrb=cellPadding,15px,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0px,true][atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/11uul8l.jpg] Stand in the rain, STAND YOUR GROUND, STAND UP WHEN IT'S ALL CRASHING DOWN. JUST STAND THROUGH THE PAIN AND YOU WON"T DROWN. Alone in this fight with herself and her fears whispering if she stands she'll fall down. Arrow had underestimated how much fun she'd have dressing Vis up. She enjoyed being around him and it was an excellent excuse for touching him and being closer to him then normal. She still had butterflies in her stomach, but at the same time she was completely comfortable with him. She was extremely grateful that he had introduced her to the pack, and a whole new way of living. He'd really changed her life and how she viewed her wolf. She laughed more then she had in a long time while helping Vis get ready. Cutting his hair, fixing his suit and answering his questions. She was nervous, both about being around the vampires and about spending this time with Vis, It would be the first time out with just the two of them and no other pack members and she didn't want anything to go wrong. Though, it was just her luck for their first date to be at a Vampire party, Vis was sure to be on full alert the entire time they were there and she knew he was far from comfortable about it. She did understand the severity of the situation. Things could go bad in a second, so she'd have to be ready as well. Though, while she'd make sure to stay alert she'd also try to get Vis to enjoy the Ball, she had a few ideas in mind that she wanted to try. Arrow just couldn't contain herself when he had told her he'd let her rent a car, and of course it would have to be a Purple Shelby Cobra! She'd always wanted to drive one and now was her chance! She smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek when they headed out to the car, hand in hand. She was surprised when he lead her to her side first and opened her door for her, even though it was such a simple gesture she was touched by it. She couldn't help the grin that appeared on her lips when she started the car and heard the powerful purr of the engine. She could tell Vis was very uneasy about cars, so She tried to make the drive as smooth as possible for him, though it wasn't hard in that kind of car. Though there was no way she was going to pass up the opportunity to race down the highway in a Shelby Cobra, she had to see what this car could do. She looked up at the mansion and just stared for a little while before announcing that they had arrived. She reached for her clutch and quickly put on her Mask as Vis made his way over to her side and opened the door. She took his offered hand and squeezed it gently. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." she shrugged at his last question as they walked, pressing a little bit closer to him as they neared the entrance to where the Ball was being held. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." she told him, digging in her clutch to produce their two invitations to the first man she saw standing at the door. She held them out with an easy smile, refusing to show anyone any weakness. "Visceral Chemaganish and Arrow Conway of Vision Pack have arrived for the Ball being hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Halloway." arrow;; Twenty Three | Werewolf | Straight | Single notes;; lyrics from Stand in the rain by Super chick credits;; post template by vitriol of on the edge.

[BUFFY JUDAS DIOR]

Buffy was free to do as he pleased. He was single and he was not tied down. He very easily could of spent the night with another human or humans at a bar but he decided the best course of action was to casually bump into Brodir at the Ball. He wasn’t one to get into trouble much, well he wasn’t one to purposefully cause or get into trouble, trouble usually found him. Nevertheless, he was going to the Ball banking on the fact that since the Ball was a sort of a way of introduction to the townspeople, no matter how good his blood smelled, the vampires would not bite him. He knew he was gullible and naïve but he would have to be guarded tonight. Vampires smelled him miles away.

There was a thing about virgins, people who haven’t been bit before, that vampires liked also. Even still he knew he would be safe so long as he didn’t go down any dark stairways with a vampire. He gave his mask a once over before putting it on and closing the overhead mirrors of his car. He opened his door and got out of his car, slightly tripping but no one was aware or even near him in the parking lot. His house was walking distance from the mansion but he still decided that he should drive. Being caught walking alone was much more dangerous. He took a deep breath before walking towards the mansion. Despite himself, he was actually pretty calm. He didn’t want to get pointed out by….

To his left, he noticed a vampire snickering and whispering to a woman, whose ear he had. Buffy simply turned away and kept walking. He made it to the double doors and opened his mouth at the decorative mansion. This was the kind of place you only saw in movies. He wore a simple black tuxedo and white gator shoes, nothing too fancy but he did love his shoes. They clicked, and for some reason the sound always amused him when he walked. Upon entering the mansion, his eyes darted around for exits and fans. He would go no where near the fan to let his scent be sniffed out. He was definitely on guard, and there was only one cure for that.

He made a beeline for the bar. “Midouri sour, please?” He asked. The bartender looked at him, and Buffy couldn’t help but noticed his sniffing the air. “Thanks…” Buffy told him before abruptly turning and walking away from the bar. He took a sip and looked around the crowd for familiar faces. More and more he felt that he should of never came but ignored that and determined that it was for the best. To bid his time, he walked aimlessly around the crowd of partygoers, reading minds as he walked for entertainment. The lady in the tan dress was fixated on a vampire but purposefully ignored him and stuck her butt out so he would notice her too.

That was a big plus in being whatever Buffy was. He could relax around vampires since he couldn’t read their minds. Usually it was difficult being around humans because all they did was think so he had to use half his brain to hold up barriers and the other have to be coherent to what was going on. A man in a yellow tuxedo was picking out which vampires would actually turn him and what he his chances were. Buffy couldn’t help but laugh.

[MORRISON CAMERON WHELAN]

“Come on,” Morrison groaned as his friend straightened out his bowtie, “Prue, this is stupid.”

The woman stepped back, surveying him, then turned her made up eyes to glare up at him. “It’s not stupid,” she sighed, “it’s a ball.” She grabbed her purse back from the were, who had been holding it for her, then spun around on her high heels and headed to Morrison’s car. “It’s stupid to me,” the man hissed after her before huffing and following her. He ripped his keys out of his pants’ pocket, trying to tear the fabric without success, and opened the car’s driver side door. Once he’d also opened up the rest of the doors, Prue slipped into the passenger’s side and made sure her dress was in check before slamming the door shut.

“You don’t have to enjoy it,” the human sighed, watching as the wolf turned on the car and started to pull out of the parking lot, “but you need to be there.”

“Why?” he asked, gritting his teeth and taking an unnecessarily sharp left turn, “It’s a stupid dance and the place is going to smell like those damn leeches.”

“Morrison,” Prue said, growing a bit softer, “is that what this is about? You can’t judge them all because of one-“

“Shut the hell up,” Morrison snapped, “you have no idea what I went through, no idea. You didn’t know Meadhbh at all, so you have no room to talk.”

The woman didn’t speak for a short while, but then she ventured a few words, afraid of really setting the were off, especially now that he was driving. “I’m sorry Morry,” she almost whispered, “I didn’t mean anything.” She was quite again, waiting for him to react, but he didn’t say a thing and she figured that it would be safe to keep speaking. “I just want us to have a nice night,” she said, leaning forward in her seat to see his face, “I know you’re stressed because it’s near the full moon and you’ll have a hard time because of the vampires, but please try to be positive.”

Morrison bit his lip hard, doing his best to reel his emotions back in, and let out a deep breath. “I’ll try,” he said quietly, “at least I’ve got you to keep me sane.”

Prue let out a soft, sweet laugh at hearing this, and relaxed into her seat, glad that he wasn’t too upset. Morrison had yelled at her a lot for the short time that they’d known each other, and in a strange way, it had kept their relationship close. In fact, the first time they met was because she’d been on call when he had gone to the hospital for a knife wound that he needed stitching up and he’d screamed his head off at her. She had refused to treat him until he told her why he was healing in such a strange way, but he had lost his temper completely. Eventually, he’d broken down and explained his being a werewolf, though that was only after security was called down and they threatened to kick him out if he didn’t calm down. From then on, she was the only doctor he ever trusted to treat him, since she didn’t have to ask about anything physically strange and she’d even become a good friend of his. Because of all of that, she had been able to convince him to come with the ball with her, though he was now regretting the decision to go.

It didn’t take long enough for them to get to the Holloway mansion. Morrison had even taken the ‘scenic route’ so that they wouldn’t be there too fast and so he wouldn’t have to deal with all of these people so soon. And now that they were actually there, he was tempted to just drive right by and go back home. Unfortunately, his plan was ruined when Prue started to open her door before he’d even come to a complete stop outside of the entrance of the mansion, and he couldn’t very well drive off with her hanging out of the car. “You’re coming too Morrison,” she told him, seeing how reluctant he was to move.

“Fine,” the man muttered, switching off the car then getting out. He tossed his keys to the valet without a second glance and was at his doctor friend’s side in no time. “Take my arm,” she muttered to him as they started up the stairs leading to the grand front doors. Morrison made a bit of face, but he obliged and slipped his arm around hers, pulling her close. At least this way no one would try to steal Prue away from him since it looked like the two of them were a couple. “Oh,” she gasped softly, realizing something and pulling him off to the side, “I forgot.”

Morrison was about to ask just what she had forgotten when she reached into her purse and pulled out two small, navy blue masks. “No,” he groaned, loosely taking a hold of the mask she pushed into his hand. Before he could retort anymore, Prue spoke up. “Think of it this way,” she hissed, “if you see any humans you don’t like, at least they won’t be able to tell who you are.” He glared at her, thinking that these masks wouldn’t do much to disguise anyone’s face, but he figured that it was easier to bend to her will than to fight her. Looking down at the piece of fabric covered plastic in his hand, he supposed that it could be worse, at least it was blue and at least it wasn’t covered in sparkles like Prue’s was. He tied the mask behind his head and adjusted it onto his face so it wasn’t too uncomfortable. “Now can we get this over with?” he asked, glaring into the woman’s eyes that were now obscured in the shadow her own mask was casting. “Yes,” she said, smiling softly before grabbing his arm back up and leading him inside the building.

The smell was the first thing he noticed. Vampires, damn, and he wouldn’t be able to escape it, so long as they were there. “You’re glad you can’t smell it,” he whispered to her. She shot him a nasty look, but he was now too busy frowning at his surroundings to notice. At least they were serving drinks and that was always a good sign. Maybe it wouldn’t be completely intolerable and just maybe he’d find another were that would talk to him willingly.

[levi]

Levi hated crowds. He could deal with a lot of things, from psychopathic murders to crying women and children, but he could not just stand crowds. They made him feel boxed in, trapped and unable to escape quickly if the need arose. It had been eleven years since Levi had needed to be wary about crowds, but there were some things that just stuck with you, no matter how long it had been. Well, if he survived the next two hundred years or so he might be able to deal with his nervousness, but that was pretty ridiculous to Levi even on his most optimistic days.

So, with all his dislike of crowds, what was Levi doing at a masked ball, of all places? Well, that was a question Levi was wondering himself. He could have made the excuse that he wanted to be sure that he knew every local vampires scent, or that he was there to look after any poor human who might have otherwise "disappeared" but, in truth, Levi was at the ball simply because he wanted to provide a certain amount of security for his Alpha. Vis was a good bloke, a smart man and a very fair Alpha, but that didn't mean that Levi would feel comfortable about leaving him in a room with filled vampires. Sure, Vis was more than capable of looking after himself, but he couldn't pick up on visual clues and, given the way Arrow had dressed him, Levi figured that Vis probably wouldn't want to be disturbed too much. Basically, Levi was there to make sure that the vampires didn't ruin Vis and Arrow's date and to absorb any damage that might come their way.

Now, Levi wasn't a big fan of formal wear. In fact, he'd said more than once that if he ever got married he'd much prefer to do it in a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. However, unlike some members of his unit, Levi could manage to hide his discomfort and look good in a tuxedo. The tuxedo he was wearing had a very Casino Royale feel to it, although it had been bought for a friend's wedding a couple of years before the movie came out. The tux was a little loose, hiding Levi's muscular body, and had been gathering dust since then, so he'd needed to send it to the dry cleaners to get it cleaned. His mask, which was very plain and a tribute to The Phantom, completed the outfit and the image. Too anyone looking at him, Levi was perfectly comfortable in his suit, if a little unimaginative. He even moved as though he was used to the suit.

Out of habit, Levi parked as far away from the mansion entrance as possible, so that, when the inevitable pile up from everyone wanting to be near the door occurred, his car would be in the clear. Well, it wasn't so much a car as a slightly worn ute with a massive steel bull bar on the front, and it did look kinda strange in comparison to all the fancy cars that were arriving, but Levi wasn't going to waste money on hiring a car for this occasion. After all, what did the vampires expect? He was all dressed up, wasn't he?

Casually strolling towards the mansion, with his hands in his pockets, Levi whistled the Caisson Song, a habit that he'd picked up from his father. He noticed that the car Arrow had rented was already parked, and he could smell the two of them, their scents mingled with that of dead and living alike. A small smile crept across his face as he pictured Vis and Arrow. They'd looked good, both of them, perfectly matched in their purple outfits. Seeing Vis in a tie had been worth a laugh, even if he did manage to pull it off pretty well. It was good that they'd gotten here first, partly because it meant that Levi had gotten his timing right, but mostly because it meant that Vis wouldn't be as likely to suspect that Levi was running security for him. Hopefully it should take a little while before Vis suspected that, and with any luck he wouldn't get uptight about it.

Taking a deep breath, Levi walked up to the man at the door, presented his invitation and walked in calmly, his hands by his side this time. He didn't want to look too casual.

The first thing Levi noticed as he entered the mansion was the smell of nitrocellulose and gun oil. That made some kind of sense, although Levi had figured that the vampires would have been providing the security themselves and not bothered with guns. Unconsciously, at the smell of the guns, Levi scanned the room, picking out the roaming guards, the static guards and looked for snipers. He walked in a circle as he did so, using his hearing and sense of smell to avoid bumping into anyone, and then started to walk straight into the middle of the crowd in an attempt to break visual contact with the guards, just in case they had noticed his sweep of the room. He wasn't going to cause any trouble, he hadn't even brought a weapon, but he didn't want to be watched by the guards all night long. Although, mind you, if the guards started taking an active look at Vis and Arrow his previous performance might make a return.

Mingling with the masked guests, Levi started to track down the various vampires and get their scents. He did it slowly, unobtrusively, talking to people, sipping a glass of champagne - disgusting stuff, that. With any luck, he wouldn't get himself into any trouble tonight.

[TINSLEY JADE LYLE]

This is what going to prom-. Well, um. Feels like. Tinsley quickly spared a thought all to herself, because lets face it, those were rare moments that she owned. Often, she would be in the middle of a thought and then some other thought would barge in. Tinsley figured that being happy and nervous at the same time is what going to a High School prom felt like, as she didn't go to her own. In fact, she never really thought to ask her own sister about that when it did happen, she just wanted to forget. Tinsley crossed her arms against her chest, and allowed a fingertip to play with a loose curl of hair, she was trying to focus better. She was at least glad that her sister wouldn't be at this event, that she had work prevented her from showing and that was because she would worry. Tinsley didn't keep it a secret that she was weary of vampires, but here she was now, attending a ball that would be full of them. She wasn't sure why she was attending, but she would try to make the best of it. In fact, Tinsley uncrossed her arms before clearing her throat a bit awkwardly. She figured that maybe she looked idiotic in front of her friend and date for the evening, she really didn't want that. "So-. Thanks for taking me. I appreciate it."

Tinsley had spoken and shook her forehead to how short her commenting had begun, how awkward it was. She focused by placing on her mask for the ball, and looked for her invitation within her clutch bag. After finding it, she tried to smooth out the wrinkles so it would be readable again. At that moment, she chuckled and smiled before heading toward the entry of the lush mansion. "Wow, that's big." Tinsley murmured and pretended that she didn't really say anything at all, placing her clutch bag under her arm. She outstretched the invitation toward the person responsible for taking them, and was eager to head inside. It was mainly because of wondering if anyone she knew would show up, she hadn't asked around for details. She kind of wanted to be surprised for once. Given her gift, and new techniques she had tried to learn and practice; that wasn't to much to ask for. Was it? If one were about of the Were community, and had met her due to-. Well, a "happening" of reading a certain mind to find out about were's in the first place, she would be easy to spot. Smell. Her scent never really changed from that of strawberries, she couldn't help it; that was just a comforting smell. "Now that we're here, will you save a dance for me?" Tinsley didn't want to constrict her friend, slash date and gave a curious glance around the room.

The set up was amazing! It reminded her of what a fairytale might be, sprung right to life. As so far, things appeared to be going well, from her eyes and Tinsley fidgeted with her fingertips. No matter how enchanting things might be, she had to be alert. Right. Difficult, but not impossible. Deep down, she also hoped to meet someone that she knew, as well as being asked to dance a few times. How fun would that be. This might actually be what normal is supposed to feel like. Little to no thoughts at all. It stumped her as to why she couldn't hear certain minds, but she was also glad for the break. Extremely glad. Tinsley was sure that her sister would be sore to miss this event, a grand party and mingling with vampires. Thinking of ways to downplay things had seemed moot, figuring that her sister would poke around for details to confirm things. It wasn't her fault. Tinsley just wanted to protect her sister. She could jump into the fray first and see if things were ok, but her sister was also a grown up. Capable of making up her own mind and she didn't really need her. Tinsley mentally sighed before looking over at the refreshment area, a drink would be nice.

OUTFIT!

[CORBIN ROSE HALLOWAY]

"We don't really need all this do we?" she whispered as she pulled her husband back a little. It was as if she was scared her very words would hit the floor and shatter before they even reached his ear. Corbin didn't think all the security was really necessary but it had been something she had been surrounded with her whole time as queen. Heath had always been rather protective of her. She wondered if half the staff in there ready to attack at the least bit of trouble had been stationed to make sure she would be safe. As scents began to fill the air Corbin turned to see the guests that were starting to make their way into the mansion. Her attention fixed back on her husband as she gave a soft smile. "Relax. Nothing is going to happen tonight. You can be at least thankful that we are keeping them all off the streets and from ripping each other up. I'm sure this will be a very good thing for vampires." the back of her hand gently glide down his cheek before she planted a kiss.

Confidence hadn't been a thing Corbin carried. Although she was the vampire queen. Her undead life seemed to echo the same amounts of confidence she once carried as a human. It would be surprising to anyone to find out that the queen had been so deeply impacted by her human emotions and was now struggle with keeping them under control. Her past and personal life had been kept under raps for good reason as Heath tried to delay anything severe from happening to his wife. True death was certain for Corbin if she couldn't get a handle on things and she knew this night was critical to her ability to rule. If the public saw her as weak it was almost certain what her fate would be.

Her fangs extended responding to the smells that began to fill the room. She hated how automatic her responses were as a vampire. So much to the fact she was embarrassed by the sudden presence of her fangs. Her hand hovered in front of her mouth as she glanced at her husband. It was natural for them to respond in this way when they were close to meals and threats but Corbin trusted that she wasn't in any real danger. Her eyes scanned the areas as she tried to pick up familiar smells. She wondered if her creation would be there tonight. It had been a while since she had seen Isabelle. "Keep your eyes on the wolves." she said shooting a glance at Micheal. As much as the queen wanted to trust the wolves she couldn't. Weres always managed to put her on edge but she would never be the first to strike.

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[HEATHCLIFFE RYAN HALLOWAY]

"We don't really need all this do we?" Oh if only he could tell her to be quiet. That was exactly what he wanted to do right now. He wanted the night to go perfect, for everyone to be safe, and for everything to be peaceful. If having armed security was going to make that happen then by all means he intended to use that. His eyes fixed on his wife for a few seconds before lifting his head up when catching the scents of the guests. It was show time. "Relax. Nothing is going to happen tonight. You can be at least thankful that we are keeping them all off the streets and from ripping each other up. I'm sure this will be a very good thing for vampires." His wife stroked his cheek and kissed him, he gladly returned the kiss before whispering in her ear, "i'd rather our kind were out removing the infestation of mutts we seem to be getting in this town, or at least forcing them to have a shower so that annoying smell would be gone."

Heathcliffe had once got into a fight with a werewolf. Just a young one. Well, young to him. At the end of it the wolf certainly wasn't going to be eating or walking around any time soon. That was just how he was, even if someone was in the form of an animal he would have no problem attacking them and causing serious damage. Tonight wasn't a night for that though. Tonight had to be calm and peaceful, a chance for everyone to get along for once. His eyes glanced at his wife again as her fangs extended and she tried so hard to cover them up. Certainly not a wise thing to do when Heathcliffe wanted her to be proud of what she had become. Being a vampire had it's downsides but it also had it's perks. Sure there weren't that many but eternal youth, the heightened senses and the ability to fly had to be good things to have, right? He thought so at least.

As Corbin began to talk about wolves to Michael, the king put a hand on Samara's shoulder. "I have a very important mission for you." He made sure to keep his voice low so only Samara could hear it. "One of our assassins seems to be missing and unwilling to do her duties. One, Maggie Evans. I want you to find her and show her that I am deadly serious when I say this is her very last chance." With that he gently patted Samara's shoulder and proceeded to walk out into the crowd of guests, making sure that all was going well. To all those that he bothered to talk to, he told them that drinks and snacks would be served all night and there was no need to worry about supplies, the staff had made sure that there was enough to last.

[EMILE PETER AVAANT]

Trying to convince Emile to get himself dressed up was practically wishing for the world to end. He hated getting dressed up to the point he had to be tickled and otherwise restrained while the others got him dressed, such was his sheer dislike of the whole 'tuxedo' thing. The others had gone on ahead while he'd searched frantically for his mask - which, rather than anything fancy, was a mock bloodstained Hockey Mask - he was a kid, after all. So, having to run all the way there to the big mansion as a wolf - shifting twice in the process - left the boy rather tired, but really only the others would pick up on it, and his nose picked up on the scent of all three of his pack mates. Now human he jogged up the steps and flashed his invitation, giggling he skipped inside and was promptly hit by several hundred - or so it seemed - scents that put him to the edge of being sick. Like a thousand rotting bodies jammed into a can for several weeks.

Vampires. He'd forgotten that...

Groaning inwardly the small were pushed his way politely through the crowd, locking in with effort on Levi's scent and finding it as he stepped away from a Vampire, Emile practically ran over to him and ran his head along Levi's side as a way of greeting, looking up through his hockey mask.

"I think I'm going to die in here. It stinks!"

He said in a hushed tone - seriously but all the same it was adorable because of the fact he was still a child. Offense typically wasn't on his order of the day. He stuck close to Levi, though it was a comfort thing for him. He hated crowds and worse, he hated feeling so powerless and he knew mentally he was still sore from shifting twice in half an hour - the subtle shakes of his body would tell Levi that.

He was also wearing - quite to everyones suprise - a long pink dress. He quite liked it and he'd changed the tuxedo before he'd left the house so as not to get anyone mad - plus he was small and feminine enough to pass as a girl easily. Only if you lifted the skirt and took a peak could you actually have proof he was biologically male.

"And I had to run here and nearly ran into a tree like four times because I was trying not to trip over but then I saw a rabbit and chased it... it got away."

And there was typical Emile back - playful and childish, but all the same he could flick to mature in a second. He straightened the front of his dress and sighed a little.