Cambria shook herself from the power of the other noble, somewhat annoyed. She did not like being caught off guard as Dominik had done. Pushing her anger down far within her, Cambria moved herself through the frozen crowd, appearing up at the balcony within a moment. "Not exactly the smartest thing to do." She hissed at the noble. "Anyone powerful enough could shake themselves out of your little ability and attack the King. Something we wish to avoid."
She barely spared a glance at the Prince. Millennia they have known each other and yet they still couldn't stand the other's presence.
Ames was beside Dominik in a flash, standing in between his master and Cambria, ready to attack if necessary. "Anyone powerful enough to shake themselves out will stand out among the crowd, making it easier for us to spot them." he refused to acknowledge Cambria as nobility, especially when she hissed at his master.
Dominik set the boy at ease, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, sighing heavily. "Forgive the child's rudeness, my lady, he takes his job a little too seriously." The lord snapped his fingers, and life once again filled the dead crowd. "Now, I think it is time we take our leave. This ball is starting to bore me."
He smiled. "I would be most grateful."
(I SURVIVED MY EXAM EVERYONE!!!)
Etzli smiled and continued their circuit around the floor. "It'll be nice to see you more often." Suddenly, someone tripped her up from behind and she fell into Victor's chest. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" Her heart was thumping as she pulled away from him, face flushed.
Victor backed away, his pale face flushed for an instant. And his arms retreated from her frame with the speed of light. He cleared his throat and laughed uneasily. "Well that was an adventure."
(I have done something like this before Lol.)
Edith had stayed behind once Cambria joined the others above on the balcony. Ever so coolly, she sipped from her tall glass, her pale eyes on the trouble maker, Lord Dominik. She could only pick up bits and pieces of what was being said without stretching her senses out to gather every breath, it proved to be sufficient. From the start, she had pegged him for nothing but a nuisance, stirring the pot more than necessary, especially after his tomfoolery in the council room. But, he was proving to be a bit more. He had power, that she could see obvious. And there was a certain prowess about him that piqued her curiosity.
As life began to flow once more, Edith set her now empty glass on the tray of a passing servant, and made her way to the door. Sure enough, Gunther and Hugo followed suit from where they had been stationed about the ballroom. They pulled both doors opened for her as she exited. She'd only be a minute – she wouldn't abandoned the Queen's Memorial ball for the world– Nevertheless, she felt it was prime time she and Lord Dominik shared words.
Cambria looked down her nose at the other Lord and his manservant. The sneer that appeared on her lips was enough to send even the strongest men back a few steps. "Teach your dog proper manners, Dominik, or next time I will not let his offenses slide."
She turned away towards the ball once more, dismissing them entirely. Her flames were begging to be released the more agitated she got, but she had to keep control. If the assassin should attempt to kill the King once more, she would need all her strength to defend him. Well, more accurately, defend herself should this all go to hell, as it seemed to be. Cambria sighed heavily. Might as well take this moment to vet out more suspects and perhaps make alliances. "This is becoming a nuisance. I doubt the assassin would be so bold after his botched attempt at the King's life. What do you think?" She threw the last part over her shoulder at Dominik, casually, as if actually curious to what he thought.
Etzli looked down at her feet as the song ended. She quickly bowed to him. "I beg your pardon… Thank you for the dance." Then she turned on her heel and scurried away in embarrassment, disappearing from view among a crowd of servants.
Victor watched her leave, a turmoil of emotion in his chest. He started after her and stopped. He stood by himself in silence trying to decide what to do. He moved. He decided following was better than standing around so with a twist he disappeared and turned into a cloud of glowing blue dust. The cloud followed lazily in her general direction.
(Hey guys sorry this is kinda going slow. I'm trying to work out some plot points with our killer. :D)
(It's fine! If you ever need suggestions, I'm sure we all have them. In the meantime…)
Etzli escaped into the hallway. Where she breathed relief. She had tears in her eyes as she wandered down the hallway, rubbing her arms. She started to cough from the stress. She quickly grabbed her kerchief and held it to her mouth while she spat up blood.
"I think that this is all a waste of time. I'm getting bored of just waiting for something to happen, I'm in the right mind to do something myself." Dominik grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "As a suspect I really shouldn't be saying that, but when I found out the Queen had been killed I was expecting something a little more thrilling. I'm just bored."
Ames snickered quietly, only he knew how much Dominik was itching for violence. Dominik and Ames vanished from sight, reappearing again in the hallway. The lord cursed, planting his fist into the wall beside him. A large, spiderweb-like crack exploded underneath his fist.
"My lord, you should be careful." Ames muttered. "I smell a lady nearby, and you wouldn't want to hurt her, would you?"
"Keep your damn mouth shut, boy. " Dominik hissed, then he stopped, and sighed. "I'm sorry, you're right, I don't want to hurt her. Especially since she is so delicate already."
Etzli slumped against a wall, trying to keep consciousness as her head spun. she wiped the blood from her lips as she trembled, feeling incredibly hungry and thirsty. She needed blood…. Her fangs swung out as she tried to control herself. No. She needed to get to her bag of coconut milk.
(Well yea! If anyone has ideas they want to chat about, go ahead and pm me about it)
Victor appeared next to her and dropped to the ground. "Are you alright Etzli? I hate to intrude, but…" his voice trailed off.
Etzli jolted in fear, not realizing it was just Victor. She began to run, but tripped, hitting her head against the corner of a table with a vase of flowers on it. She fell to the ground, her head spinning and her vision fuzzy.
Victor gasped. "I'm so sorry I'm so sorry!" He raced forwards, catching her just before her head hit the stone floor. A bolt of fear shocked through him. He pulled her up so she rested in his arms. "Are you alright? Can you hear me?"
Etzli nodded, but started to cry softly when her head felt like it was on fire from that simple movement. "I-it's hurts…"
His heart trembled as she wept. "Come. We should go back to your room. You need to rest."
Etzli sat up slowly but she burst out crying as the pain flared, causing her vision to flicker. She held her head and bit her lip, trying not to scream. Her stomach growled. She was so hungry… Her fangs slowly slid out, piercing her lip.
Dominik and Ames were startled by the figure that fled past them, and quickly followed after her, fearing she was in pain. The found the girl, sat up on the ground, weeping, with an unknown man beside her. He was present in the throne room, but he was not a noble. Dominik quickly knelt by the girl's side, noticing her protruding fangs, and the way she held her head. "My lady," he murmured in a gentle, soothing tone. "Are you able to stand?"
Etzli choked out without moving. "I-it just hurts to move. I-it feels like my head is on fire…." Etzli started to curl in on herself. She opened her eyes and looked at the new men. She was startled to notice faint, colorful light around them.
In the hall, Edith listened to the comotion not to far from her, her eyes narrowing. "Go." She told her guards, sending them back into the ballroom. Once they were gone, she extended her senses and moved towards the voices she heard. She came upon a young girl on the floor, flanked by two males, one being Lord Dominik. Her eyebrows raised in alarm as she regarded the girl. "What is going on here?" She demanded, moving closer.
(Three males actually. Victor, Dominik, and Ames.)
"She is collapsing. She has not had any blood for many years." He shook his head. Nothing but milk of a coconut. She will die of it I fear."
Etzli yelped as her entire body convulsed in pain. She shook, trying to bite back her screams. She panted, eyes turning a bright, poison-green. She bit her lip hard, drawing more blood.
"Someone get some blood," Victor ordered. "Non human if available. We need to get her to drink some."
