Fio nodded a bit, letting Emilio grab ahold of his arm. "Yes, I believe we are. The party should not be "hair-pulling", Emilio, please do not pull anyone's hair. Including your own." he gave his younger brother a faint smile, and started to head towards the door, where he let go so that they could actually all go through it.
(yo would the party be at different Families' houses every time, or should the LaTours host it every year??)
James kept walking throughout the festival, stopping at some places and hurrying past others. He sat down at one point and read for a bit. Somehow, he managed to focus amongst the festival chaos. James got something to drink when he realized he could be doing something so much better.
James walked into a nearby alley, where nobody was and nobody would see. It was simple, what he wanted to do. He focused on the image of a simple crow. The way it flew, the way it cried, every little detail. Let's do a little espionage, shall we?
A crow flew out of the alley, the alley where James no longer stood.
Emilio laughed but gave Fio a comically deadpan look at the hairpulling statement. "Last years party someone spilled wine all over my shirt and let me tell you, I almost became the 'big bad scawwy necwomancer' that everyone thinks about when they hear our family name right there." He wiped his deadpan look off and looked down at his hands, fixing his skull rings so that the skull was facing upwards.
Lou grinned, unlinking her arm from Emi’s and gently pulling on his hair, sticking her tongue out as she did so. Skipping through the door, she began humming a tune to the rhythm of her jangling bracelets. Turning around, she noticed that her brothers were being left behind, and slowed down to allow them to catch up. “Let’s go!! I can’t wait any longer!”
They had finally arrived at the Festival, and Arlo sighed as he got down, tray in hand "That took longer than planned" he said, looking at Aunt Sangue "What are you talking about boy? That was the shortest carriage ride I've ever been on" she replied, he stared at her "Right. Well, me and Opale are gonna split here, we gotta put these cookies on one o' the tables" he grabbed Opale by the wrist and pulled her towards the crowd of people on the street, the sound of music growing as they got closer. Opale looked back and saw a bunch of other older women approaching Sangue for conversation as Sangue rolled her eyes. Suddenly her vision was cut off by a ton of people, the sweet and savory smell of food and liquor flooding her nose, she looks forward, Arlo still holding on to her wrist, determined to get his tray to that table. Once he finally pushes past the crowd and places the tray down he lifts the lid releasing the sweet warm scent into the humid air, and places a small sign in front of it. "Take one" it reads. He then looks to his side and spotted a Gumbo stand " Ooh, let's go get Gumbo Poppy!" she grimaced " I don't quite… enjoy Gumbo" he looked mortified "You don't like GUMBO! Staple food of Cajun Louisiana?" he yelled, calling the attention of a good 5 foot radius around them, she replied quickly" But you can go, I don't mind staying here on my own!" she definitely did mind, but she didn't want to hold him back " Ok, but I'll bring you back something I think you WOULD like" and he leaves to get his gumbo. She looked around her, scanning her surroundings for anywhere she could rest her legs, when she spotted a bench, out to the corner of the street, obstructed from most people's view by a large willow tree. She hated being in large groups of people, because she knew that her families ability took effect even if she didn't want it to. You see, the Catoire family's ability was that they could kill people unnaturally easily. Supernaturally. Most people knew that much at least, but what they didn't know was that they do this by consuming life force. They can focus this power on one person of course, to make the job go faster, but in groups of large people it's very hard to control, and they will begin consuming life force from all those at the party. Arlo knew how to control his, but she had a really hard time controlling her's. Of course Aunt Sanguile didn't care to control hers. Opale sighed as she sat down, she pulled down her hat over her face and fell asleep.
_
Arlo headed towards the gumbo as he thought of what he could bring Opale that she would enjoy. They'd only known each other for a couple of months despite being cousins, so he didn't really know what she liked and disliked. "A cup of your spiciest gumbo please" he reached into his purse for coins and handed it to the man. As he got his gumbo he noticed a man walking away from the gumbo stand, he was tall with tan skin and he wore a very basic outfit, nothing really interesting about it, but from his aura Arlo could tell that he would be a good first target for Arlo's flirting tactics, so he approached him. " How'd ya do monsieur?"
(This is @The-Tower 's Remi btw, idk why I just thought it would be fun if they interacted)
( @_luxlibson the members from all the families have met before, right? or will the party be the first?)
(Well, I think my characters would still be strangers to everyone since their families have them as social outcasts)
(boop)
Remi’s unfeeling eyes panned upwards as he heard a voice addressing him, and he raised a singular brow. “The first thing I notice about a person approaching me is the audacity.” He drolled, looking thoroughly unamused with the individual in front of him.
No one just approached Remi unless they knew him, and even then it was rare, so why did this complete stranger—albeit a good looking one—feel the need to speak to him. “Can I help you?”
"Well your mother didn't teach you manners. Is that how you introduce yourself?" he scoffed "I'll show you how it's done; Hello, nice to meet you, I'm Arlo" he greeted, smiling a little, making sure he was making the right impression " I can tell you don't want to be here, so I decided to make the party a little funner for you?" he said tracing the lines on his skirt, trying to look as innocent and lady-like as possible " I see your a gumbo lover. How's about I make you a bet? I'll buy you as much gumbo as you can eat, if by the end of tonight" he smiled as he paused on the words a mischievous but sultry smile "You manage not to fall in love with me" he raised an eyebrow, took the glove off his hand, revealing his delicate pale skin, and held it out in front of him "Deal?"
Remi blinked as he stared at Arlo, before his face twisted and he let out a howling laughter for the first time ever. “You jest! That is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard!” He took a deep breath as his joyful expression faded back to its solemn state, before he sighed and shook Arlo’s hand. “I guess it’s a deal, but you best pray you have the money for when you lose.” Remi drew his hand back to himself and wiped it on his coat. “Also why do you wear a skirt?”
He chuckled at the question " I don't abide by the rules of high society, I like making my own rules. I wear whatever I feel at the moment" he looked over at the gentleman "Speaking of rules, proper etiquette dictates you tell me your name before you fall in love with me. WAIT, let me guess first" he furrowed his brow and squinted " You look like a Peabody. Am I right? It's Peabody isn't it"
Remi once again started laughing, this time so hard that he ended up violently coughing. The name ‘Peabody’ was a lot more hilarious than what it ought to have been, and he didn’t know whether to be offended or not that this person thought he looked like a ‘Peabody’. “No one cares about proper etiquette, not anymore.” Remi grumbled as he managed to calm down, though his heart still pounded against his chest. “But I’ll humour you. My name is Remi, Remi Mounier.”
“What earrings and linen are you wearing?” Serafine asked softly with a smile, staring in the general direction of her siblings. “Are they as beautiful as I hope they are?”
She completely skipped over the comment Delphi had made about men; the idea that Daus was only attending the festival in order to hook up with someone wasn’t one she wanted to entertain.—————————
"The one's Grandmere gifted me," Daus replied gently, content that Serafine had taken note of his attire in a way that was much less forward than Delphi. His older sister let go of his face with a large grin, scrubbing over his white curls excitedly. If anyone was ever excited for an excuse to smoke publicly, it was her.
"Well, let us get a move on then!" Delphi declared with an exasperated huff, grabbing her brother's hand and Serafine's in the other, practically leading her siblings to the gate of the estate. "We don't want to miss any of the festivities, and I would actually like to see the floats this year."
The sun beckoned them to make their way to the town center as it began to dip behind the cover of the evening clouds, a dusky rose gliding over New Orlean's and alighting the Ardoin's snow colored hair. The air was humid and suffocating–tense. Daus wondered what this would mean.
After all, the spirits and families were all out tonight.
A crow was flying over the festivities, observing with keen eyes. It eventually stopped on top of the gate of a manor, and observed as three people, two ladies and one man, walked out. Uncontrollably, it started cawing. But the cawing became coughing - James was having an asthma attack.
He tried to hold it in, but he couldn’t. He became human again, and fell off the roof, into a bush in front of the Ardoin estate, still hacking loudly.
Remi once again started laughing, this time so hard that he ended up violently coughing. The name ‘Peabody’ was a lot more hilarious than what it ought to have been, and he didn’t know whether to be offended or not that this person thought he looked like a ‘Peabody’. “No one cares about proper etiquette, not anymore.” Remi grumbled as he managed to calm down, though his heart still pounded against his chest. “But I’ll humour you. My name is Remi, Remi Mounier.”
" A Mounier huh" he looked him up and down, once he reached his face he stared into his blue-brown eyes, as if studying him, and then crossing his arms crossing his arms stated matter of factly " I see it now. You definitely share the aura, sort of… shapeless." he smiled softly, crinkling his button nose a little, and pushing back his short auburn hair "Although, " he chuckled a little " You don't exactly give me a demonic freaky feeling, more of just a passive looming shadow" at that moment the light of the setting sun began to shine from behind the clouds, illuminating Arlo's face, making it more visible. His lips were tinted a light shade of red, and his face was a pale cream tone, light makeup covering his few moles, and his ears, it seemed, were a light shade of pink. A hint of a blush.
(I thought Opale was a Catoire?)
(Sarry, I misread the text)
(Wow, I'm so bad at paying attetnion. It's a little embarassing 😭😭)
Lou grinned, unlinking her arm from Emi’s and gently pulling on his hair, sticking her tongue out as she did so. Skipping through the door, she began humming a tune to the rhythm of her jangling bracelets. Turning around, she noticed that her brothers were being left behind, and slowed down to allow them to catch up. “Let’s go!! I can’t wait any longer!”
"We're going, I promise! Some of us are older you know!" Emilio teased, forever holding the fact that he wasn't the youngest triplet over Lou's head. "My bones don't work as well as you youngins'." He dramatically leaned against Lou when he caught up, not putting all his weight, but quite a bit of it on the other.
( @_luxlibson the members from all the families have met before, right? or will the party be the first?)
@_luxlibson can I, uh, re-ask this?
Fio laughed quietly at his younger siblings, closing the door behind them. "Alright, kiddos." He said, a smile playing across his face. "Respect your elders, and let's go." Three could play at the age game; he was, after all, the eldest LaTour and, as such, the Heir. They were all, as far as he knew, okay with that fact. Emi didn't want the responsibility, and neither did Lou. Fio don't exactly want it, but he would accept it. It was his burden to bear, and he was alright with that.
Emilio gently knocked the side of his head against Fio's and laughed. "Old, old man, look at my old man brother, needs a cane old man." He relinked the three's arms, keeping him in the middle as they walked, nearing the festivities.
“The idea isn’t for me to be a ‘demonic freaky feeling’,” Remi rolled his eyes, closing his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the bench. “The fact that you see me as a looming presence is exactly what I intend for others to perceive me as. My siblings are a lot more friendly than I am, yet they hide what makes them Mouniers, while I embrace it.”
He leaned forward just for a moment and sniffed the air. “And you are a Catoire, yes? But what makes you so, how do you fit within your family?”
—————————
Serafine’s ears perked up as she heard the spluttering of someone coughing behind them, and she slowly stopped walking to turn around. “I can’t make out which direction that noise is coming from. Delphi, Daus, do you see anyone nearby?”
" I… didn't mean it like that. I've just never met… any of the other families before. I've been going off of description alone, which now that I think of it, I should've known was wrong." He put a hand on his elbow and rubbed it, slightly ashamed that he had said what he said aloud " And yes, I am a Catoire" he said the name with a lot of disdain, letting go of his elbow, his pink lips furling into a scowl of sorts, eyes squinting slightly " But to answer your question, I don't fit in. My family is a bunch of leeches, they suck the life out of everything" he rolled his eyes, aimed both at his family and the terrible pun he made " And I was NOT going to let them do the same to me." he down from Remi's gaze " What with the skirts and all, I didn't really give off the image they wanted. So they sent me away, to live with my grand-tante and my beautiful cousin." Once he mentioned her, he remembered what he was supposed to be doing "Oh!" he looked back at Remi " Would you be a gentleman and show me around to the other food-stands? I'm trying to find something my cousin would like, and I'm sure you know your way around to the food at this festival"
(Blink blonk, in case some people lost it)
(bump)
(I’ll respond when I’m home from work in 5 hours)
(I'd been trying to wait for Ash but I'll get a post up)
Fio let out a quiet laugh. "I'm not that much older than you, brother dear." he replied, smiling softly as he looked over at his two siblings. They weren't as close as they used to be, and he knew it was his fault, but he wasn't quite sure how to mend that gap. Or even if it could be mended.
“I wouldn’t say I know much about the food here.” Remi rolled his eyes, before rudely yawning. “And do stop with the ‘being a gentleman’ stuff, I am most likely the most ungentlemanly gentleman you’re going to meet.” He paused for a moment before groaning, standing up from the bench with an obnoxious stretch. “I guess I’ll show you around, sooner you get it over and done with the sooner you can stop mithering me.”