Holiday Ball! [December GM Event]

[Mordechai]

Mordechai settled back against the ragged bark of the huge hemlock as his multi hued eyes roved the outside scene. The corners of his lips quirked up for a moment as he watched the platinum tresses of his ‘mum’ flow gracefully behind her as she sprinted across the field towards the reindeer paddock. The moonlight reflected alluringly from the creamy pale expanse of thigh that was exposed as the elfin female hiked her skirts over her hips and leapt to the back of the alpha buck in the pasture. The killers head snapped around locking eyes with the prodigal caribou that had been nosing around Zodiac. It was skittish, but he knew his ‘sis’ was in its mind, calming it. The diminutive romanian had a way with animals, and he knew it wouldn't hurt her. She patted its rump, then raised her eyes, searching the shadows. At about the same time the wayward ungulate joined in the rear of the small herd charging across the open land of the mansion, he felt the tender caress of Zodiac in his mind. Stepping from the shadows he moved closer, finally settling to the bench as his mind spun wildly making tactical assessments of everything that had gone on so far. First off it was obvious, more so now than ever, that paladins were no different than allurists… Fueled by blind rage and emotion. It was the reason that he had never truly feared the small factions and groups of paladins that occasionally spawned within the city limits. The reaction of the inbred paladin he had laid to rest once already was proof beyond a doubt. Instead of any honest reaction, of a true warrior, the inbred paladin had vomited. How could such a pale representative of a species ever stand and do battle. Shaking his head at the thought he let his arm slide about the diminutive raven haired beauty that had tucked to his side. No doubt the fool was probably a vegan as well. He should be out saving the whales with movie stars like that fool Enver Marshall II. That would be a match made in heaven a warrior wannabe that ate tofu, and a vampire that wanted to bow down to its food.

The smile returned for a moment as he answered the silent query, “ Just some paladin… he didn't have the stomach to meet a real vampire. Evidently he thought he would find us all shiny sparkly pussies. I strove to disillusion him, but it appears he was not man enough for the job.”
The slight shrug settled her in closer, more protected by his bulk. “Cure” he whispered, “I have not.” Tipping his head he looked down searching her face. "It is rumored, but by the time I reached the level, most of the traitors and their ilk had left. I know it is rumored, but I do not know if I would trust anything made by spiders or humans. An acquaintance of mine found much information that vampires were tortured to test whatever concoction was made, many were. I see no proof of a final viable cure.” Raising one finger to gently brush back a few stray hairs, "I would not wish to be among the first that these experiments were continued on” Glancing out ward he nodded to the quickly diminishing herd in the distance “I think Noelle is channeling Annie Oakley. It appears your friend will be save from the spiders, even if the fools inside are not”

Once more the killer let his mind tackle what was happening within the walls of the mansion. Bancroft had planned this… Vampires and sirens, humans and those that strove to be what they were not, all gathered under one roof, while the initiator was curiously absent. Pictures being taken, a solid recording od many that were here, a list of many that were up and coming in all aspects of this world. Individuals that he had once thought highly of, had reduced themselves to the position of sheep, blindly following direction, like the now vanished herd of caribou. The siren did have a voice… and many seemed enthralled by her, but anyone that had any willpower at all, should be able to see through the charade. So many battle hardened warriors acting like the greenest of butter-bars. It was no wonder life expectancy was so low. These attendees in general, had no sense of self preservation. Both vampires and the siren acted as though mutual companionship was the most natural thing in the world. Lowering his gaze once more he reached out silently, preserving the still peacefulness of the moment.

“Before we go farther, I have a question I have never seen the results of eiriennes act like this, this hippy love fest that is going on inside. Is there another aspect of magic that could be producing it? Some drug in the koolaid, a scent upon the air? The goings on within defy all logic.” He paused waiting for an answer before continuing, eyes sharpening on her as he tried to read her face, without breaching the sanctity of her memories. “You made mention of the cure….?”

[Elizabeth]

Paladins.

Her blue hues circled around the room as Elizabeth sat at the bar, awaiting her ordered drink. It took her a few seconds as she scanned the crowd and eliminated those she knew, those that she knew were vampires and then those that were human, to those that were more than human. Her head tipped just a little, wondering what they were doing here.

I have been informed that there are Paladin's here, Alaric. There was a history with Alaric and Paladins and while the individuals might not be able to do much, it would make her uncomfortable if she were him and had lived his life. There were certain topics and aspects that she herself tried to avoid and so, Elizabeth thought that it would be useful information for the fellow Noble elder.

Should we leave? Elizabeth asked, her eyes circling off the paladin's that seemed to be entertained, for lack of a better word, by others who were aware of their presence. It seemed they had not noticed her, which was a wonderful time to make an escape, in her opinion. Too public for her liking to really do anything about it-not that she could. Elizabeth could feel the supernatural protective measures of a ritual she was all too familiar with.

[Zodiac]

A paladin? That made her smile. She knew Mordechai could have various effects on people, but this was the first time she had heard of someone tossing their cookies because of him. At least he got a reaction out of them– unlike her.

She listened to him answer her question. Yes, it was what she had heard in general as well. A lot of talk, a lot of chaos involved, but not a speck of tangible proof. It was probably a pipe dream, but the fact everyone seemed to agree vampires were abducted and subjected to experimentation against their wills was disturbing. Her flitting about the research center did not reveal anything like that. Visions of opening a door and finding a scene from some Resident Evil movie were replaced by office spaces of bored scientists. If all that had happened, then whoever had it now had access to all their discoveries and was working their way past all of that.

If it was real.

She broke her gaze at the mansion and turned to see what Mordie was describing. ”Now, if they were to post wanted posters, would they read ‘Wanted for Reindeer Rustling’ or ‘Caribou Thief’?” her thoughts laughed. She had no idea why Noelle was doing this, but at least it looked like she was having fun in the process. She returned to her observing and the pair sat in silence. She knew that look on his face. He was processing what was going on so far and, like her, was trying to make the various strings meet up and make sense so she said nothing and returned to observing the exits she could see. Nothing had happened in the back. A couple had stepped out of the side entrance to look over the playland that had been provided for them and returned inside, and some new arrivals pulling in the front. So far, nothing suggested the siren was anywhere else but still inside the mansion. In reflex she pulled her hands back into the sleeves of her cloak, only to push them out again inside a pair of white fuzzy mittens.

When Mordechai finally spoke, she considered a few moments before answering. ”As you yourself experienced, the Will did nothing to curb your rage or your tongue or the desire in your heart. All it did was still your hand from striking. That is all I have ever experienced it doing when casted. It does not effect your emotions. In fact, I imagine your emotions were more angry that before when you discovered you could not strike or did you suddenly feel all sunshine and puppies?” she shook her head. ”It doesn’t work that way, brother. It stops physical acts, not mental ones. Whatever is going on in there is caused by something else and was already in full swing before someone casted the Will. The most logical answer would be the Siren, but I heard no song beyond the children’s choir singing slightly off key– bless their little hearts. The sound system only recently came back on line so how did one Siren manage to sing to a crowd unnoticed?.”

Zodiac looked up into his eyes. ”I am, to say the least, stumped on this one as well.” she said in apology.

When he made eye contact, she knew it was serious time. Oh yes, the Cure. What would he think of her if she told him what she was really considering? She wasn’t ready to have that conversation with him just yet. The thought of seeing those eyes looking at her with contempt would destroy her worse than anything a herd of Paladins could do if they managed to corner her. She had been privileged to catch glimpses of the heart the man so denied he even had. She saw it in her parlor when she read his cards and in his actions with others. So capable of great kindness and love.

She snuggled closer and hugged his arm tightly. ”I was just curious what your view on that whole deal was is all. So many was talking about and now-nothing at all. Part of me is sure that is tied up into the whole mess that is currently going on as well.” it was the first time she had ever lied to him-indirectly at least. Later when she was ready she would apologize for that, but not now.

Not yet.

[Amalea]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

Tagged:
(spoken) Ayuka, Doc, Every
(telepathic) Azraeth, Doc

She frowned momentarily as the thought from Azraeth reached her. Leave it some dumbass group to choose tonight of all nights to pull a stunt like this. Being sucky is one way of putting it. A mental sigh. I love all those ideas so make sure you two are in one piece come tomorrow. I’d offer to come along but aside from not being dressed for it… weapons and medications really don’t mix well. Kick one in the *** for me for being assholes and interrupting a nice night? She really didn’t feel like trekking along on this one partly for the reason stated and partly due to the company she was currently with. Though she had to wonder when she’d get a visit from Mortll on the subject.

Her attention turned back to Doc as she nodded at his comment on the ball thus far. ”I’m not so surprised the Mayor isn’t in attendance given the Longslade incident. Too many security concerns, I bet, though one would have thought he’d have at least made a quick appearance at some point.” She kept her voice low, not wanting to drawn unwanted attention to the conversation. ”I’m glad the sound system is fixed now. I don’t think I was the only one ready to shove that megaphone in places it shouldn’t have been.”

I’m surprised by hostility that people seem to be radiating towards Ayuka, honestly. I had hoped they had learned from the cure business to gather information before jumping to conclusions. She paused in her mental grumbling; she hadn’t meant to get carried away like that. It was the truth, though; people still weren’t thinking before leaping which was going to cause issues in the long run. Listening to the Administrator without questioning things wasn’t the best idea. She suspected people were going to end up injured or killed for a cause they didn’t fully understand. And no one really knew what the entity’s agenda really was. Siren… spider woman… whichever people see her as… she still deserves a chance to be known for herself not what people think of her race. It was something she was all too familiar with herself; she wouldn’t wish it on another.

It was nice to finally be able to pair the paladin’s name with his face for the other’s sake; she had known of him since the bank heist. A drawing was nice, but it paled in comparison to the real deal. If he was here, she had to wonder if Mona would be popping out the woodwork next. It had been quite some time since the reporter had been seen at any sort of gathering. The blood thief also couldn’t recall the last time one of her papers had been printed. Had the woman retired? Was she playing stay-at-home mom? It would be interesting to see if things returned to normal soon.

The red-head’s eyebrow rose at Every’s comment on Gideon’s connections. ”Shouldn’t they be at church like the good little God-fearing men they claim to be? Mob connections? Oh that’s rich.” She felt like cackling with glee but that would have drawn far too much attention. She’d file that tidbit away for later examination and amusement. She wasn’t about to argue the assessment that he was a nutcase, but her nose wrinkled at the idea of him being attractive. ”Somewhat, perhaps. But his taste in friends and baby mama is lacking. Could you imagine dealing with them at every family gathering?”

The gentle brush of fingers along her shoulder was unexpected though she instinctively knew they belonged to Ayuka; after all they had been there earlier. Was she really that tense that it was so noticeable or was it one of the Siren’s abilities to pick up on such things? It was one of those things to add to her list of questions for later. ”Despite the protections in place, there is a decidedly negative vibe in the air.” Her tone and voice were kept light as if one was discussing the weather.

I do apologize for leaving you alone with the giant and the gypsy. I would not have done so if you would have been in any danger. The gypsy doesn’t like me, so I figured it best not to hang about. The thought was slipped into the Asian’s mind as the red-head bit back the purr of delight. If all Sirens were this talented in massage, it was a shame they didn’t have eight hands; they’d make a killing in the massage business. She wanted to ask what the trio had wanted from her; to confirm the suspicions that she had, but it didn’t seem like her place to do so. Instead, she focused on an earlier thought, I’d love to find out more about your people and your company at some point, if you’re willing. She would leave that ball in the other woman’s court.

The question about the paladins being friends caused her to blink though she was pretty sure the Asian already knew they were not. ”Hardly,” she whispered back. Her head shook lightly mindful of the woman’s fingers. ”To them, I’m no better than a vampire.”It was a quieter statement than her first. The memory of the attack was ever present in her mind; a dark reminder that she was not of either species. Oddly enough, it had been the first time she had been purposely shot at since coming to the city; not even the vampires had attempted to cause her injury. Well, save for Ripper, but he was a class all his own.

The loss of fingers from her shoulders brought the red-head from her thoughts. Her lips twitched into a small smile as she noted the reason for the loss. It was amusing given she had shared the thought that perhaps the Asian was someone to know for his campaign. That Ayuka knew he was running was a bit of a surprise; though she supposed it shouldn’t have been given the earlier greeting of Councilman Davis. Perhaps it was her business to know or perhaps he was considered someone of interest. In either case, the red-head held it would be a potential boon to at least talk to the woman.

The announcement that they were next was rather welcome even if it was punctuated with the sound of someone tossing their cookies. A quick glance in the general direction of the sound had the blood thief wishing she hadn’t though there was a bit of amusement at the notice of the person responsible. The departing form of the behemoth vampire gave a bit of context to the event. ”Wonderful. I’m debating between reindeer ears and a Santa hat. How about you guys?

As she waited on replies, she turned her mental attention to Doc. I think after this I’ll be ready to go if you guys are. Anything else she had wanted to do could wait. She was ready to go home and relax for a while before heading to bed. Not to mention, she was more than a bit hungry and cranky.

[Alaric von der Marck]

Alaric nodded. He had known the answer before Elizabeth had spoken it, though would not admit to his own disappointment. It did not show upon his features as he smiled, and offered Elizabeth the subtlest bow. The sentiments that she spoke were reflected in Alaric’s features, warmth spreading from lips to eyes and written in the creases of his brow. Elizabeth parted from him and Alaric straightened; his gaze swept the crowd again to find Aurelia and Judah in separate places. The elder had no wish to try to get to them both to make his exit, so instead he sent them each a telepathic message.

”I think that I will leave. You both should stay. Have fun,” he said, the same warmth he had shown Elizabeth clear in his tone. They had all come separately, and it was none incumbent upon the younger von der Marcks to leave when Alaric did.

Again, he kept the edges of the room as he made his way toward the exit; it took some time to disentangle himself from the group that had gathered, the newcomers bringing with them a vibe that Alaric did not like. It was a little better out in the fresh air, though there were still party-goers lingering outside where the reindeer rides were still taking place. It was as Alaric reached the corner, almost peeling away from the revelry completely, that he heard from Elizabeth again. He frowned, glancing back at the entrance. He then focused again on Judah and Aurelia.

”There are paladins present at the party. Though I do not think they will wish you any harm, I will warn you in case there is violence,” he said. The two were independent and, though he would wish that they, too, would leave with him at this new revelation, it was up to them whether they would, or whether they would risk staying.

[Doc]

It wasn’t a minute after Doc had warned Lizzie, when Mordie strode up to one of the Paladins and put him in a lip lock. Doc was lost for words. Normally he would have some pithy asshole comment that would trip right off his lips, but not this time. He watched wordlessly as the Mordie gave the paladin a long thorough kiss, and then finally let go. The male lost his lunch five seconds later. Doc just turned away, with an amused look on his face.

He did not have time to remark on the incident, a the Spider chick eloquently opened her clutch, pulled a business card and tucked it into his hand in one fluid practiced movement as she murmured her comment about contacting her to him. Doc inclined his head politely in acceptance, an affable smile plastered to his face, but inwardly he felt he was being sized up as a meal. Still holding the card he had gotten from her, he pocketed it. Yes, Doc would be in contact with her, but he would not be doing it privately. Spiders. He repressed a shudder of distaste, but then smirked again, as people started moving away from the paladins.

As Lizzie asked him telepathically if they should leave, Amalea was commenting about the Mayor’s absence, and the event at Longslade. Doc replied, “One could argue, that would be all the more reason for him to have a show of force. To have this event, but not show up, could be telling. One could suspect he stayed away, because he knew what was going on at Longslade and condoned it.”

Doc glanced from Amalea to Every, then over to Lizzie, across the room. “I am not saying he did know. But his absence could give that impression. But, in either case, once we get our photo taken.. I think I will be taking Lizzie home, and giving her some quality.. One-on-one time.”

Telepathically he message Lizzie, ~We are next in line for a photo. As soon as we are done here.. I will bring the car around.~

[Aurelia]

She hadn't meant to miss the Yule Log. A man named Charles Wallace had stopped her, recognizing her face from a photograph that she knew that sat on top of her father's desk. "You must be Arielle!" The man had claimed, to which Aurelia gave a smile and a shake of her head, polite although she was used to being confused for her little sister at times. "It's Aurelia, actually. Arielle is my younger sister." She had explained as he set his hand on her arm, the champagne flute in her grasp being shifted from her left hand to her right as the touch lingered. The woman could smell the man had been drinking, but his wife beside him didn't seem to mind how close he was to the younger woman, a smile gracing her lips as he said, "Your father helped us out of such bind, but he never stopped talking about his daughters when he had the chance, nor the von der Marck family."

The smile that graced her lips was sincere, the sense of pride in her family one that Aurelia had never been ashamed of. Her family, even if they drove her crazy sometimes, were the most important people in her life. An ex had made the mistake of insulting them once when she had left for a funeral, and it had cost him two black eyes and a broken nose in the end. It was a surprise to hear the voice in her head, something that she was still taking to, although the warm tone of who it belonged to made her not flinch or seem bothered. It was better than some of the spirits she used, the woman hoping that he had enjoyed his time in the evening. She turned, slightly, offering him a wave to indicate that she had heard him.

It was however, with the warning that Aurelia moved properly to look for her cousin - she'd not had much issue with paladin, but she'd heard how some where from wraiths. It wasn't something she understood, how vampires and humans couldn't get along - their family was a prime example that it could work if everyone was willing, weren't they? A frown played across as she disliked that she couldn't reach for her phone to respond. It was something she was more worried about for in his manner, than her own. "Miss von der Marck?" She heard confusion and looked back to the man.

"My apologies, you were saying?" She said, turning to give her full attention again. "I had asked how you planned to spend your holiday, surely not bogging yourself down on work?" He chuckled, to which she gave a shake of her head. "No, certainly not. With the exception of doing this for my father, I'll be spending the holidays with my girlfriend, and my family. I'm looking forward to not having to leave my home early tomorrow." She laughed, clearly pleased about it. "And what of you, are you and the misses enjoying your holiday?" She listened as the man began about disappearing up to a cabin for a few days.

As Aurelia could imagine the snow fall and peace of that, her mind drifted to how she would be passing out gifts for the next few days, who would be getting what, as well as if Evangeline would like the bracelet that she'd be gifted. It made her nervous, in a good way. It was the first holiday the couple would be spending together.

[Every]

It was with great temptation did Every consider to go and ruin the paladin's night, especially given there was a ritual in place to which he couldn't harm her in any manner. Her arm remained around Caligrace, not wanting the small red head to get too far away from her, nonetheless. Not with the paladin around. "I don't know if the other with him is, but Gideon as he's calling himself now knows my stepfather's brother." She would elaborate at it more on another day, her expression one with her nose crinkling an estimate on how enjoyable it was of a subject for her. "Eh, just because a guy is attractive doesn't mean he's bed material. It'd rather slit his throat, honestly." And as she said this, she idly glanced down to her fingernails, neatly kept, but she knew they were able to become razors in moments.

As Amalea mentioned about the negative vibe, Every nodded lightly in agreement. She smiled to Ayuka as she returned to the little group that they had become part of. She listened to the red headed blood thief explain how the paladin felt about her, and her lips twitched in soft amusement as she said, "It's not particularly a bad thing to be, personally. They'll fall just as a paladin elder did, as well as the group that followed him. It'll just take time." Her gaze drifted over to Gideon and his friend, her amusement only growing as Mordechai approached the two. However, she looked slightly mortified as she watched the giant kiss the scruffier of the two. "Well, that was unexpected. And kind of gross." But, certainly amusing enough in the knowledge that there was a chance the man would possibly want to drink bleach to get rid of the sensation later on.

Hazel eyes moved to Doc as he spoke, Every nodding lightly before she added, "In my opinion, I don't think he had any intention to mingle with us. If I were the master of the thrall, I wouldn't want it any where near people had a say in whether or not the Crow fell. It'd just leave the owner more likely to be tracked down and handled."

She listened to the two talking about the mayor, a soft hum escaping past her lips as she considered it all. "Honestly, if I were the owner of Bancroft, I wouldn't want him to remain near any of the species nearby. We could devise a plan to trace the mayor back to them - we've done more on less. I remember that power source when I tried to appraise, I don't trust it." Every's gaze moved back over the individuals in the ball, debating about aura tracking. Could she pick up the trail again? Would it make her as uneasy as it had, now that she was stronger? The brunette folded her arms in front of her chest as she then said, "It doesn't bid well with me, the secrecy." She admitted, even if she was standing there in Bancroft's mansion. She would potentially do some snooping later, pulling her shadows around her so that she'd have two hours of solitude while snooping.

"I might go with santa hat. Give my outfit a little bit of color." She smirked, a twitch of her lips evident before she looked around the room once more. As her gaze landed on Sawyer, she reached out for the woman's mind to give a playful taunt, "All these vampires in the room, and you can't do a single thing. Must be hard, pet." She grinned afterwards, pleased with herself before she turned back to the photographer. At least that was one thing that they'd all be able to have, a souvenir for the evening. It'd be a nice touch, really. She knew eventually, that they would all need to leave. She needed to go and find a gift for Azraeth and Amalea, too, now that they would be stopping in. "Does the cabin need to be cleaned?" She asked into her thrall's mind, connecting into Locryn's as she stood waiting for their turn. In response, Locryn looked around. It was clean, but there would still be a few things that needed to be tended to, plowing the snow, for one.

[Game Master]

MORI, ayuka ◦ Hebigumo Foundation Representative ◦ #804080

[for_peace][/for_peace]

Oh god.

Oh god, it was a reference to Deliverance. She immediately saw the giant of a vampire as the man with the two missing front teeth from the film. And then the enormous vampire pulled one of the two men Ayuka suspected was a hunter into a kiss. What happened after was absolutely priceless. The look of revulsion on his features was immediate, intense, and she was thankful for a moment that her guard was up if only because she was almost certain nausea was contagious. And really. Did anyone want her spilling her dinner? Probably not. She swallowed thickly and took a step back, a hand lifting her clutch so that it covered her lips. Her eyes were more than animated enough to demonstrate her amusement with the whole scene though. It looked like the behemoth was looking to antagonize as many people as possible, and he was having some luck with the endeavour.

Unfortunately, that meant it was a lot closer to time for her to leave than she had originally planned. She had no doubt with that sort of scene and the souring mood, the social elite were going to start finding a way to exit. People who were used to being pampered were not necessarily the best at dealing with uncleanliness and confrontation. She didn’t have to guess that the elves and perhaps some of the other servers were going to rush to clean up the mess though. Perhaps offer the sick human a room to rest in, or a trip to the bathroom to clean himself up.

The mental words cascaded into her skull, which confirmed for her that Amalea was the flavor of humanity which derived power from the blood of vampires. This information was not at all surprising given where they were and the company the redhead kept. Unfortunately, Ayuka did not possess telepathic abilities, so she had to settle for leaning closer to Lea, her lips pressed near the woman’s ear. “What’s not to like? Actually. Hold that thought. You can tell me more about it another time.” She offered. And then, with a little more volume. “I couldn’t begin to speculate about Bancroft’s intentions, though he has always been the sort of man to play his cards close to his chest.” Of course, he hadn’t been her first choice for election, but a woman in Ayuka’s position had to make due with whatever hand she was dealt. The mayor certainly had secrets, secrets that even the Hebigumo Foundation had not been able to uncover. Or maybe the higher ups just weren’t telling her something.

Whatever the case, it was their turn and they were being ushered in by professional photographers dressed like elves. Now. Did they use the green screen for their pictures or did they go with one of the pre-made backdrops? The latter meant they could get their pictures almost instantly. The former meant they would have to wait a little bit.

Outro coming up next round. <3!

[Yekaterina Ostrovsky]

Tag: Grayson and Bohan

Wearing

Yekaterina Ostrovsky was not one to be trifled with.

Perhaps it had been quite a long time since anyone knew the long-suspected but never-captured assassin’s name to be attached to anything more than several thriving business ventures – legitimate ones, this time around – but despite the (entirely fake) friendly face she put on to entice people to those establishments, Katya was and always would be Emanuel Broussard’s Russian. To those who could recall the crime family alone, that was enough to ensure no one really messed with her, or her money, or those very select few she gave a **** about. Her reputation might have faded a bit, but there was enough of it left in the circles that counted to insulate her and precede her in almost all of her dealings.

It was this very reason she had recklessly decided to head out, unaccompanied, to the party of the year, or so the courier of the hand-delivered invitation had imparted late one night at the Kit Kat. A sly smile had curled over her lips as she considered the advantages of attending the soiree Bancroft had obviously and carefully planned out. The entire City invited, no matter one’s undead status… Though she wasn’t exactly a social sort of creature on even her best nights, anything that might endear her further to the government establishment currently in power could only be a good thing. She’d accompanied Emanuel to more than enough larger scale events that she knew how to dress, what to say, and how to behave, as well as how much to donate, even if those baser urges to maim and kill were now harder to tamp down than ever, especially without someone trusted at her side to keep her calm and distracted.

Lex was in some god-forsaken part of Texas for the holiday and though she had been invited, she knew enough of Russian families to avoid his – and her own – like the plagues they were. And who knew where any of her other associates were when she herself had become something of a hermit? Even at the club, she often retreated into her office these nights and kept an eye on things from the bank of security monitors rather than deal with … people. She simply didn’t trust many to keep her grounded, other than the small number she could count on the fingers of one hand. But she hadn’t done a very good job of keeping them near and dear, either. Still, even in the face of near-certain disaster and against the inner voice of sounder judgment, she’d carefully chosen a slinky, chic black gown and glittery heels (designer, of course) and paired it with the very last item the Broussard boss had ever gifted to her – a huge, ostentatious mink coat that she almost never broke out of storage. She wasn’t a sentimental sort, exactly, but somehow, this seemed the perfect time to remember her errant mentor.

And so the blonde Killer had arrived at the party, blending seamlessly as a perfectly normal upstanding citizen as she had long ago learned to do, greeting those she knew by sight and generally keeping to herself as various events and outbursts that held no interest for her took place all around. But eventually, and perhaps predictably, it had been just one too many of those ‘surprises,’ one too many insipid ‘small-talk’ conversations that had finally driven her outside, hastily in search of a breath of fresh air to stabilize her mood when irritation with social niceties had her thoughts turning to death and destruction just a touch too easily. Perhaps it hadn’t been the best idea to venture out on her own…

It was on her way back into the crowd, though, once she had settled herself enough to return, that some twit in an elf costume had dared lay hands on her. Well, on her coat, actually, but close enough. She had whipped around with a hiss and a frigid look at the male who, though rather attractive, had managed to piss her off with barely an effort and blighted out any appreciation she might have taken in his appearance… despite those green hose that her discerning eye had been unable to miss… or dismiss. That had thankfully been enough to send him off, but something about it had set in and festered, even though her mood had had enough time to relax from murderous to simply uncomfortable around so many people. She had set her teeth and continued on her way, debating whether it was time to put the mink in the coat check and try to grin and bear the rest of the night, or make the last of her rounds and get the hell out of there before things could get ugly.

With a resigned set to her jaw remaining well in place, she decided firmly upon just that second thing. Her mood was already far too precarious, likely from the bright and loud displays that cropped up unexpectedly, leaving her far too hair-trigger to risk stretching out her appearance. It remained further blackened by the absolute audacity of anyone, especially any male, thinking he could take whatever liberties with her he wished and she had to truly fight the curl of her lip that wanted to appear, to block the sharpening of her teeth that threatened to tear into her lips and tongue in lieu of something living and breathing. It was for those reasons, more than anything else, that she wrapped things up quickly with those she had any social obligations to, and slipped back outside into the frigid night, where she felt far more comfortable away from the large number of mortals milling about.

It had definitely been a bad idea to come out alone.

Immediately, though, upon feeling the kiss of the chilled air greet her cheeks and hands, the heavy pull of it into her lungs, she felt her shoulders relax. Something about the sub-zero cold could nearly always lull her, allow her to reorganize scattering thoughts and calm whirling desires. She breathed in another good, deep breath before slipping a bejeweled case from her clutch and lighting one of the gold-tipped cigarettes found within. She relaxed further as she started the walk home – she could have called a car, perhaps, or spirited herself there once out of the way of that pesky barrier that, she supposed, had quelled at least some of the more destructive urges that had tried to come out and play – but something about a long walk did some excellent restorations to one’s unsettled mind and if anyone needed it, it was Katya.

Until her icy aqua gaze swept farther into the general area and fell straight upon the scene before her. The would-be fur thief, still dressed in that ridiculous outfit and now cupping his nether-regions seemed to be gearing up to fight another… or something. It certainly looked like it might become a fight from where she was standing, and suddenly, for the moment, all animosity was temporarily forgotten in lieu of a growing, cat-like curiosity. She took in the rakish good looks of the bearded opponent with an appreciative once-over and weighed up the potential options before her, drawing in a deep drag from the expensive tobacco at her fingers all the while, with one brow sharply arched. Oh now this was simply delightful... and already more entertaining than any of the nonsense to be found within the venue. In perhaps a complete 180 from her just-prior mood, her interest more than a little piqued at the potential for spilled blood, she desperately hoped – and hoped that it would not – soon come to blows, for far too many conflicting reasons to describe.

“Oh Fur-Thief,” she could not help but purr out the sing-song words, a slow and clearly fanged grin growing to marginally warm up her features. "You and I have some reparations to discuss..." She had enough …issues… to hide without the burden of vampirism being one of them, and so once the kitty was let loose from bag, so to speak, she hadn’t bothered working to conceal it any longer. Only time would tell how the two seeming mortals before her would take that sharp display and Katya, for one, could not wait to find out.