The Ballroom

Subject: Re: The Ballroom Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:44 pm

Gilbert turned his head and followed the wizard's gaze, letting his eyes take in the three at the table's appearances. The vampire's red eyes carefully looked over each of the teens sitting there, taking in how one of them looked scarily like Arthur. He allowed himself to be led towards the table, and stayed quiet as his lover interacted with the boy.

Peter.

Well, that was one face he knew from the photos Arthur kept hidden away. Not that he would mention the photos. Not with the hostility that came off of the boy and the girl sitting next to him. Deciding that Arthur was more then capable of taking care of his own offspring (and Gilbert was more then willing to step in, should his help be needed- he wondered if Arthur would be angry if Gilbert had to kill his son. Hm.), Gilbert's gaze passed over the blond human easily, and locked on the girl.

Werewolf.

Gilbert's skin tingled, fangs throbbing a little bit, eyes brightening. All of his sense seeming to set to combat mode. He gave the girl a sharp grin as she looked at him, amused. She was on edge, this close up, he could smell the wolf on her. He'd thought wet dog, but he'd been wrong, this up close, he could tell the difference.

The scent of the night, was strong on her. A nocturnal creature like himself. She smelled of forests, and oddly like the sea.

In the time Gilbert had spent with Arthur, he had managed to pick up a good bit of information. Mostly on vampires, needing all the help he could on that front. Of course, when you read about vampires, there is always information about werewolves, so a few random facts had wormed their way into his head.

He knew, for instance, that werewolves didn't do water well. He also knew, that an out of control werewolf could be both harder and easier to kill. The idea of a challenge, one he was almost certain he could win, gave him a thrill, and he hardly noticed the shaky boy next to the wolf, who looked better suited to becoming a meal than anything else.

Locking his eyes with the werewolf, he shifted closer to Arthur, slinging an arm around the wizard's shoulders. A possessive gesture, one meant to match the way his gaze never faltered from her's. A dominant move to provoke her into action.

He was itching for a fight now.

Tonight was looking to be more and more fun.

Subject: Re: The Ballroom Sun Jun 12, 2011 9:38 pm

Peter’s tone was sassy, disrespectful, all the things that Arthur expected of a child who would run away, just like the one before him, and it made it all the easier for the wizard to hush that annoying inner voice that seemed to think Arthur shouldn’t be so cold, even as it panged at his being called father for the first time in so long despite that scornful tone. His smile became smoother and darker with those denied emotions silenced. He listened as Peter named his companions, head tilted in mock interest. The human was of no real consequence. Timid and innocent in appearance. No threat whatsoever. And the werewolf girl… She behaved submissively as if she did not want any hostility herself, but the aura that surrounded her spoke to the contrary, as did her now strikingly golden eyes. Her inner monster was clamoring for blood. Now why was that? His and Gilbert’s presence perhaps? Arthur was well aware of what an intimidating pair they were. But a glance at the wide-eyed human was very telling.

Oh… They hadn’t been aware of what she was. Or at least this human wasn’t. How amusing. Peter didn’t seem surprised, but then he was a Kirkland. He must have sensed something about her. And he didn’t mention it to his little friend. Interesting. It seemed that he and Gilbert had inadvertently outted her. No small wonder that the wolf inside her was raging.

At his side, he could sense the air around Gilbert electrifying. Arthur glanced at him from the corner of his eye. The brightness of the vampire’s eyes and the way in which he smiled… clearly looking for a fight and the object of his attention was the wolf girl. They had only just avoided a fight outside with the damned pirate and the stolen property and here they were about to start again.

Seems there was no getting along with anybody at this party, the wizard thought with an internal laugh.

But the fact remained that a fight would be counterproductive. Arthur didn’t care for the wolf-girl’s well being in the slightest and at any other place, on any other night, he would have been content to let Gil have his fun. The vampire should be immune from the effects of lycanthropy, so he could get in as big a scrape as he wanted to with little risk. But Arthur was still curious about the purpose of this party and the mystery behind its organizer. If he wasn’t willing to throw the opportunity to learn of these away by fighting outside, he was even less willing to do so now when it would be for no good reason whatsoever.

He leaned against the arm around his shoulder (Gilbert was so possessive tonight) and snaked his own around the vampire’s waist. Unlike the loose holds they had shared before when a fight was likely, Arthur’s grip was firm, pressing the vampire to his side and attempting to silently convey the message that now wasn’t the time.

It was hard to say if much could even be done to quell Gilbert’s desire to fight. Even if they were loyal to one another, Gilbert was still stubborn and strong willed. The wizard was already contemplating the most useful spells to employ if this got out of hand. As tempting as seeing Gilbert release his bloodlust was, Arthur still did not know enough about the situation to be certain that something…unpleasant wouldn’t result from it as a response from their gracious host.

He decided to try to steer the tide of trouble elsewhere. He turned his attention back to Peter fully. “Your ‘good friend’ appears to have been taken by surprise by the identity of your other companion.” His smile was dark and condescending as his eyes flickered to the boy and then the wolf girl before returning to Peter. “Did you not tell him that you two were consorting with a werewolf? Surely you knew? I would be sorely disappointed if someone gifted with Kirkland magic couldn’t even tell a were from a human.”

He smiled in mock kindness. “Well, I am much more considerate to those unable to sense. Please do not judge me by Peter’s lack of manners. I am a sorcerer, of course. Or wizard if you prefer.” He gestured then to Gilbert. “And my companion is a vampire. There, isn’t it so much better with everything out in the open?”

Subject: Re: The Ballroom Sat Sep 03, 2011 6:07 pm

Peter wouldn't admit that he was happy to see Angelique and the vampire occupied with one another, but he was. The fact that they looked quite at odds, was something very beneficial to this situation. Angelique may not be able to stand up to the Vampire, but she should be able to maim him a bit, and leave the rest of the job to Peter. If all went well, she might be able to even kill the vampire. That would certainly be ideal, and would save Peter the trouble of doing it himself. But if something like that was to happen, he'd have to distract his father somehow. He wondered idly if his father would care if the vampire was killed, but doubted it. Arthur was good at letting things go - even a faithful person didn't mean much to him, Peter knew that first hand.

The fact that Angelique was a werewolf seemed to dawn on Raivis for the first time. It should have been obvious, simply by how he had been acting that she was not normal, but sometimes Raivis simply did not catch on to these things. He was not gifted with the senses Peter was, so in all fairness the revelation probably came as quite a shock. Either way Peter disregarded it. Raivis was important, but there were more pressing matters at hand. The comment by his father was obviously intended to make Raivis distrust him. It figured, really, that his father would want to ruin any relationship he had. That was just the natural course of things, now wasn't it? Well, Peter knew better than to just let his father do what he wanted. Allowing such a thing would only show Arthur that he could, and there was no way Peter was going to do that any more. He'd had enough of letting his father get away with doing horrible, horrible things.

"Some people don't like their dirty laundry hung out for all to see. I suppose you wouldn't understand that, would you? Since we're being honest here, let's be honest. Does your 'Pet' know how both of your sons ran away from home? Does he know that both of then ran away so they wouldn't have to be around you, father?"

Subject: Re: The Ballroom Tue Oct 04, 2011 10:08 am

She would have had to be blind to not see just what the vampire was trying to do. His every move was made to provoke her, and it was working. The conversation going on around her was heard as if through glass. She was being outed more then she'd already been, and it didn't take a genius to tell that whatever chances at normalcy with Raivis at least was now long lost. Some part of her was deeply saddened by the thought that he would be afraid of her now. She'd been trying so hard not to. Not to put them at any risk, to get this meeting finished so she could leave before anything horrible happened.

But now Raivis was afraid of her, and she could smell it. The wolf was so close she could smell the hostility between the father and son, the aggression off the dead thing, and the fear off of the boy beside her. She didn't want anyone ot be afraid of her, even though she knew they had every right to be.

Her gaze never wavered from the Vampire's, not once he'd established the challenge. She couldn't. The wolf beneath the surface wouldn't allow it. Her eyes burned bright gold, and her senses sharpened until they were almost painful. Certain colours grew dimmer to her eyes, others more vibrant. She could smell the death coming off both of them, the blood on the hands of even Peter.

She took the other man's, the one who looked like Peter, (his father, she reminded herself) movements into account as well. The vampire moved in a way that inclined the man was his, a territorial marking that annoyed her when it shouldn't have. Perhaps, because a vampire was meant to be alone, and as a wolf she was naturally a pack creature? Was it jealousy that made the wolf inside her howl so angrily? She couldn't quite tell.

But the way the man returned the gesture did nothing but make the feeling of anger swell more. Her hands shook, and she stood up rather suddenly, dropping her eyes to the floor, trying to ignore how the sound of the chair scrapping against the floor hurt her ears. “... E- Excusez-moi, s'il vous plaît.” She murmured, nodding at each of them, before turning to hopefully make an escape before things got worse and she lost the little control she had.

Subject: Re: The Ballroom Mon Oct 17, 2011 3:28 pm

Raivis sunk lower and lower into his seat, growing more terrified by the minute. This was not a situation he wanted to be in at all. True, he had faced trouble almost just as bad. It kind of came with traveling with Peter and following him in his line of work. Or was it Peter who was following him? Raivis wasn’t really sure anymore. His whole journey had started as an attempt to escape his captivity and return back to his parent’s homeland, a place that had ended up not holding as much meaning for him as he had thought it would. The pilot had been born into servitude. He had never known any life beyond that, but he had spent years and years dreaming of a better place, a place where he could be free to do as he wanted and where the mark on his back would hold no power over him anymore.

When he had met Peter, the other had asked him where he was going. All Raivis had had at the time had been a map with a large circle drawn around the country where his mother and father had been born, the same country all the slaves he knew came from. He hadn’t even known what city they were from or if they were even from the same one. Like many of his race, his parents had been bred like animals, chosen for their physical traits and capabilities in order to produce favorable offspring to sell into the market. The blonde had never really known them, sold off as soon as he had been old enough to work. Raivis sometimes wondered if he had come out a disappointment.

They had traveled to that land, having nowhere else to go. Part of Raivis had known Peter was running too, but he had been too afraid to ask from what because he knew he couldn’t tell the younger boy his own answer to the same question. After a while, it had just become accepted…Neither of them wanted to talk about it, so neither of them did. Raivis had always assumed that Peter was just like him, a prisoner of some sort running away to be free and get away from whatever was making his life miserable. Maybe he hadn’t been too far off.

His skin was prickling, his brows furrowed in terror and confusion. Everyone was treating him like the ignorant human he was, and Raivis felt very out of place among all these supernatural creatures and magic users. Peter’s father was a wizard…Did that make Peter a wizard too? He at least had to have magical blood…Raivis wasn’t really sure how these things worked, but now that he thought of it, things were slowly starting to make more sense. He had always noticed something different about Peter. Not just that he was braver and stronger than most boys his young age, but that he could tell when something troubling was coming their way. There was also something about him that just made Raivis feel safer when he was close by. Though that something could have very well been friendship…something that had been as foreign to Raivis as magic itself.

Vampire. Raivis leaned closer to Peter, eyeing the white-haired man next to his father more warily. He hated vampires. They scared him just as much as werewolves, but at least Angelique had a friendlier face. This guy just looked like he was itching to tear something apart. Even Raivis noticed the way the two monstrosities stared at each other, and he couldn’t help but feel an odd pang of worry and fear for the girl’s safety. Despite knowing what she was, he was still falling for the illusion he had believed in before. She was someone to him, not just a monster. They had only spent a short time together, but they had talked as equals, at least in his view. He didn’t want to see anything bad happen to her. He knew there was nothing he could do; he was weak, powerless…but that didn’t mean he had to be heartless too.

“Peter…” he whispered, though not loud enough to have any effect. His friend was already talking back to his father, exposing a piece of his past the pilot hadn’t even been ready for. So this is who you were running from…

Raivis frowned at the wizard nervously, as if he was looking at his own master. Unlike the master the pilot had served, however, he doubted this man had actually been looking for the one who escaped from him. At the same time, it was hard to believe that their meeting here had happened just by chance. Had this really all been unplanned? Had Peter’s father been looking for him after all? Did the host of this party know how these two were connected? Too many questions that he knew nothing about- it made his head hurt.

Then, before he knew it, Angelique was leaving. Raivis’s mouth dropped open for a moment, but closed quickly. He wanted to say something, but no words would come. What could he say? “Wait”? “Please stay”? No…She’d be better off getting away from here. He had a stronger urge to follow her than to stay here himself, but he refused to abandon Peter. He knew he couldn’t do anything. He knew he would probably only get in the way. But to leave his friend alone with a vampire and the very man the knight had been running away from just wasn’t an option.

So he sat there. And he squeezed Peter’s hand beneath the table, giving it a small tug and giving his friend a look that begged him for reassurance. He wanted the knight to tell him that they could leave this place and be just the same as they had been when they had come. But he had a feeling that fate didn’t really have that in store for them tonight.

Subject: Re: The Ballroom Sun Mar 18, 2012 6:40 am

He tried not to be bothered by the arm around his waist. It was too tight, he could get out of it easily, but that wasn't the point. Arthur clearly didn't want him to do so, which meant he didn't want him to fight. Which felt so unfair to Gilbert. He was charged up with the magic in his lover's blood, and wound up from the werewolf's presence, it felt just wrong to hold back and not fight. He wanted to pull away and do it anyway- but Gilbert had learned that sometimes it was best to do things Arthur's way, so he bit lightly on his tongue, and stayed where he was, letting his side press close to Arthur's, and keeping his eyes on the werewolf, who he deemed the most interesting, and dangerous, person in the room.

He let himself be outted as a vampire, thought little of that. And even listened to Arthur's son's words with only half an ear. He hadn't known the circumstances under which the boys had left, just that they had done so and it had been a devestating move on Arthur. But it had also made Arthur who he was now, and Gilbert was far too attached, almost in love, with who the wizard was now, so he wouldn't be bothered so easily. He did, however, curl his lip and growl a little at being called a 'pet'. Gilbert had been called something similar while they were in Egypt, and he didn't like the term any more now, then he had back then. He showed off his fangs, and leered at the shaky blonde boy, who seemed the most bothered by the current collection of inhuman beings. Watching him quake was a lot more amusing then it should have been.

He felt himself tense when the girl got up. Half expecting her to challenge him, longing for her to do so. But she muttered in French, and made an escape. Gilbert nearly went to follow, his gaze following her as she moved, and he even pulled slightly to try and keep her in his gaze. But he went tense as she opened the door to re-enter the main hall, and he caught a flash of platinum blonde hair, and a whiff of a scent that was far too familiar for his taste. Quickly, he pressed himself back against Arthur's side, and let his gaze move over the room, unlike how it had done before, now he sought out another exit, or perhaps a place he could hide if he needed too.

Subject: Re: The Ballroom Fri Mar 23, 2012 12:36 am

Arthur’s smug little smile did not waver as Peter’s words attempted to cut him, but did not even scratch the surface now that the inner voice of his long dead past life was silent once more. The wizard inclined his head ever so slightly, as one would while examining something of mild interest, and in doing so displayed the ghosts of scars that adorned his throat, though this had not been intentional. His magic was more than able to erase the marks that Gilbert left upon him, but it took days, sometimes weeks to do so completely. Though perhaps that was due to some subconscious desire to let them linger on Arthur’s part. He did like the sight of them and the memories they stirred.

“Gilbert is aware that there is a part of my life that is dead and gone as surely as the same is true for him,” the wizard replied cooly. “The absence of a couple of ungrateful whelps means almost as little to him as it does to me. Though I am sure that he appreciates the vacant room which he has for himself now.” His smile and gaze flickered over to the vampire beside him, his fingers lightly teasing against the man’s side. He was pleased that Gilbert was resisting the urge to engage the glowering werewolf. He would have to reward his self control later.

He could not help but chuckle as the lingering control the werewolf girl had over herself was used to excuse herself and run from the room. She was a sad specimen, really, yet to embrace the change that had come over her. It would destroy her, most likely, that inner battle. Shame for her that she had not had a patron to lead her away from self-destruction, as Gilbert had. The vampire was tempted to follow, Arthur could sense it in his body language. The wizard tightened his hold and that seemed to have been enough to subdue the vampire’s desire to give chase. With Gilbert pressed close to his side once more and the only who posed even a mild threat now out of the room, Arthur was free to taunt his offspring and the shaking mortal human who was in way over his head.

“Odd thing, though, for an untrained magic user and a simple human to be invited to this den of monsters, magicians, and maniacs.” Even Arthur was fairly certain he fit into more than one of those categories. “I must wonder if the gracious host brought you here in some misinformed effort to get to me, for our combined presence is quite the coincidence.” He turned his sly grin on to the shaking human boy, quirking his lips a bit wider. “Or perhaps you are a simple party crasher and you brought your little friend along? I do hope you can protect him from the many, many things here who would like to gore and gut and eat him up~” He chuckled again, his voice taking on a slightly darker tone. “You know, the heart of a virgin is one of the main ingredients in a particularly potent Enamoration potion that one of my clients has been pestering me for for quite some time…”