forum Fancy Deaths (Reboot) (Closed)

Started February 23, 2023 by @DancingWithMyDemons business

tune

Lucious lightly walked between all the people in the crowd. The constant buzz of the people was getting to his head but it was something he had to deal with. He was like a nomad at this point in time, moving from town to town, city to city, Kingdom to Kingdom. It had been this way for quite some time. About a year to be exact, ever since he had been kicked out of his old work in the Palace of Lord Tippet (which in his opinion was one of the most unkempt and smaller palaces a lord would have).

Lucius hated larger events yet he knew if he would ever want to get used to the places he goes, he'd at least like to have a good time. In a previous town he had been in the towns people had a little gathering. Fun place to be, small but fun. He looked around to see if anything would catch his eye or maybe his stomach… he hadn't had a decent meal in quite some time. Lucius decided to head toward a table full of refreshments. Ah this will satisfy me for the time being. He thought, accidently tripping on his own foot and quickly catching himself.

(lol help i've done it too)

Reyna sees a flash of purple hair - the person she was looking for, finally - and politely excuses herself from the conversation.

She sweeps through the crowds, tracking that purple hair, before stopping in front of a gorgeous young man.

"Hello, Master Neo Caddel. I'm Reyna, of the Shapeshifter Republics." she says politely.

The twins arrived at the same time, in the dramatic fashion typical of the Laurent family. They never entered nor exited without the whole function knowing that they were doing so. Despite them being vampires, they detested living in the shadows. The Marquis Laurent himself was, of course, the first to enter. He enjoyed these events, though not nearly as much as his youngest son. Claude was itching to catch sight of one he was enamored with, ready to flirt as if his life depended on it. Tonight, the whole Laurent family was in attendance, even Sébastien, who generally avoided these sorts of events if he could help it. The second son of the Laurent family liked to hole himself up and read or work on his intellectual studies when he could, being both the most hermit-like and the probably the most knowledgeable of the Laurent name. Alexandre was always at these events because he had to be, he was the heir to the family title and land after all, something that both Claude and Véronique were jealous of.

As the high class vampire family entered the ballroom in their typical dramatic fashion, both twins rushed off to do their own separate things. They had gossiped all the way here about who might be in attendance, sighing dreamily about those they admired and laughing derisively at those they did not. This would be a hell of a night for the Laurent twins.

Claude, of course, went straight to the drinks. Sure, he was a vampire, so he did drink blood, but he would be lying if he said that he didn't appreciate a nice, full-bodied glass of wine on occasion. He poured himself a glass gracefully, sipping a bit off the top with a small smile, licking his lips. God, he loved red beverages. Maybe it had to do with his vampiric nature, and maybe it was personal taste, but either way, it gave his lips a nice red tint. Now was time for him to find himself a dance partner. He just had to hunt down the right one. He looked for a flash of blue hair or red eyes, curious to see where they would be hiding. He himself would be fairly easy to spot with his delicate gold mask and the matching cloak he was wearing. He was dressed much fancier than his usual dark academia style tonight, even having added a little gold eyeliner around his eyes to finish off the look.

Meanwhile, Véronique was on a very different sort of hunt. Her long dress swished as she tried to find a nice, quiet corner to read her book in. Unlike Claude, she brought a book with her to every function. One never knew when they might need it. And besides, she was easily bored and often liked to have a bit of peace and quiet before Claude caused some sort of drama (though she would still happily watch or even sometimes participate in said drama anyway). Though they shared many similarities, the two could be like night and day sometimes (which was more or less the theme they had gone with in their outfits for this function). Véronique's dress started out black at the top and gradually turned into more of a purplish-blue hue as it went down, a bit like the night sky and in direct contrast to her brother's ensemble. Her mask was more of a silver color, and her jewelry matched this theme. She had winged black eyeliner and smokey eyeshadow to accentuate the look, complete with matching silver heels that could be seen through the slit on one side of her dress. She would start out the night calmly and then perhaps join in a bit of the fun later. This room had to have a nice corner for her to sit.

Reyna glances over at the newest arrivals - obiously one of the noble families, probably the Laurents - and sighs. She never could understand vampires.

But she didn't need to. What she needed was to understand Neo - her goal was to negotiate with him, even though he was a bastard. But it couldn't hurt to socialize with one of the more notable lines of nobles.

So, bowing herself away with a "We'll talk more later, Master" she makes her way towards the one nearest to the wine table.

She smiles politaely, her silver half-mask cutting a perfect line across her face.

"Hello there. I assume you're the wonderful Claude Laurent, of Laurent's March?" she asks, smiling.

Claude perked up at the mention of his name, turning to take in a woman he didn't recognize. He honestly didn't seem to care much about those beyond his own spheres, and he rarely spoke about others unless it was gossiping among his friends or with Véronique. Who was this woman and what did she want from him? Needless to say, the young man was intrigued. This could be quite interesting.

"You would be correct in that assumption," he responded, taking a sip of his wine as he eyed her up and down. She seemed like someone of note, so he supposed that he might as well humor her in a conversation. Claude had never pretended to be the humble sort. "And you are?"

Perhaps this woman was trying to get in good with his family; it would hardly be the first time. No matter what, he would definitely tell his sister and possibly more people about this interaction. He did enjoy to recount his meetings and his days more than he should; those close to him would doubtlessly know about his love for his own voice (well, really his love for talking, but he didn't hate his voice at all).

Reyna chuckles, noting Claude's look.

"Reyna Freedform, Ambassador of the Shapeshifter Unions." she replies, bowing low at her waist. "But, for simplicity's sake, just call me Reyna. I'm not one for titles."

She kept a pleasant tone through all of this, but it was also calculatedly casual.

Claude noticed her tone, raising a slight eyebrow as he decided exactly how he would be telling Véronique this story later. And possibly also his boyfriends. That depended on how interesting this Reyna woman proved to be. She clearly understood the mechanics at work here, with the power dynamics at play. She was no idiot, that much was certain. But what was her goal? Claude was just dying to know. He wanted to know why she had approached him in particular when she could just as easily have spoken to Alexandre or Véronique or any other member of his family. Maybe he just happened to be nearby. He took another sip of wine as he thought, twirling a lock of hair around his finger.

"Nice to meet you, Reyna," he responded evenly, matching her tone. Talking to new people was like a dance; you had to figure out as much as you could while not revealing too much about yourself or yielding any power. If one wanted to be successful, one needed allies, but one could not be too dependent on them. These were the sort of lessons Claude had taken from his father–when he paid attention to Claude at all, that was. "In that case, you may call me Claude. Pray tell, what's your drink of choice this fine evening?"

Floris was this close to just straight up leaving, he had yet to find anyone with an IQ above three and he had constantly been sucked into mindless conversations with other nobles. At this point, he would be lucky to find a corner to nurse his bottle of whiskey and ignore his growing headache.

He finally found himself a quiet place to sit down, a small group of armchairs that was only occupied by a purplish-haired man. He slumped into the chair a few chairs away and took out his decanter of booze, taking a sip. He may not have any cigs, but at least he had his, slightly less favorite, coping mechanism: Alcohol!

Reyna smiles delightedly - a fake delight, of course, since she knew this dance well herself, and she knew Claude was now matching her step for step.

"My drink of choice would have to be the Kłunsen rum being served." she replies. A controversial choice - and just as calculated as everything else. Kłunsen rum was notoriously finicky once ingested, as though it had a mind of its own, but once it agreed with you, you could drink however much you wanted and not get hungover the next morning, making it a good betting drink. She knew not very many people would be trying their hands at it tonight - she herself only did because she knew no matter the alcohol, she'd only get the taste and not the alcohol itself. Kłunsen rum was also known for being used to issue a challenge of bravery. If one mentioned it was their drink of choice, even a noble would raise and eyebrow and have a sip to see what the deal was.

"How about you?" she asks.

"I'm just saying that training would be a little more fun if we used real swords, Rowen." Eilwyn muttered to her older brother as she adjusted her mask. Across the room, Cordelia was conversing with a group of nobles. Suitors of hers, no doubt. Lady Adfir had been trying to get her eldest daughter to marry for a few years now. Of course they had been invited, given their status.

Rowen chuckled, giving Eilwyn a playful smirk. "You can use a real sword when you stop swinging that broom at my ankles." He replied, to which Eilwyn rolled her eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, dear sister, Father has requested that I stay by his side this evening. He wants to introduce me to some foreign delegates."

Eilwyn watched him walk away, then looked around the ballroom. These sorts of events weren't exactly her thing. It wasn't that she was nervous, she just didn't like being around a bunch of snobby nobles who thought they were better than everyone.

When Lucius had gotten to the table, He grabbed a plate and put some food on it. The amount of people in this hall was amazing but annoying in many, many ways. He had no where it sit and eat. Lucius looked around and spotted a few open seats near a black haired Pact-Blood.

Maybe I could start a conversation with the man. Lucius thought, now walking towards the seats. Seems that I have nothing better to do than talk to someone. I've been here for a while already and I have been standing around, doing nothing the whole time!

Lucius got to the seats and started to eat slowly. He looked around, for some reason feeling like he had forgotten something. Eh, Lucius shrugged, If I forgot it than it's probably not important.

Floris immediately stiffened when someone sat down next to him, he took a second to take another swig of whiskey before corking the bottle and slipping it back into his jacket pocket. The man cleared his throat, hyping himself up to speak, before sighing and finally talking. "Hello." He muttered, just loud enough to be heard, his french accent barely peaking through.

Lucius was spacing out until he heard a voice. He almost choked on his food due to the fact that he actually didn't expect the other man to start the conversation first. Lucius cleared his throat.

"Hullo." Lucius said awkwardly. "What is your name?" Lucius had placed his plate down, under his seat. It was… disrespectful to be talking to someone while eating. At least that's what he was told.

Floris glanced around, trying to find any means of escape, he did not expect to actually have to talk to people. He really didn't mean to say anything, but fuck, here he was, which meant he had to talk to people… And he had to remember his full title. He cleared his throat again. "I'm Floris Orion Caprese Brook Astor," The Pact-blood paused before talking. "Duke of Bahishton" He added.

"Ah." Lucius thought out loud. "Duke…" Lucius had seemed to remember what he had forgotten. It could wait for later. "My name Is Lucius Silverwood. I am- was a butler of a man named Lord Tippet." Lucius smiled softly. He understood that both of them were a bit unconfutable but that's a problem they would need to sort out themselves.

"Im not sure why Im hear, in all honesty. I've been going around different settlements, looking for something to do. As I've said, I was a butler of a Lord but I was accused of thievery, It was not true." For the most part. Lucius did take a pendent from the Lords son but it was only because the son had taken something of his. Lucius thought of that as fair game.

"I know why I'm here, supposed to be arm candy of sorts for whichever royal wishes to use my discoveries as a talking point." Floris scowled, crossing his arms in annoyance. It was obvious he hated the idea of being just an icebreaker for snooty royals and nobles. He chooses to ignore the other man's reasons of being kicked out of his former position, focusing instead on himself and his problems. As he did.

Reyna smiles delightedly - a fake delight, of course, since she knew this dance well herself, and she knew Claude was now matching her step for step.

"My drink of choice would have to be the Kłunsen rum being served." she replies. A controversial choice - and just as calculated as everything else. Kłunsen rum was notoriously finicky once ingested, as though it had a mind of its own, but once it agreed with you, you could drink however much you wanted and not get hungover the next morning, making it a good betting drink. She knew not very many people would be trying their hands at it tonight - she herself only did because she knew no matter the alcohol, she'd only get the taste and not the alcohol itself. Kłunsen rum was also known for being used to issue a challenge of bravery. If one mentioned it was their drink of choice, even a noble would raise and eyebrow and have a sip to see what the deal was.

"How about you?" she asks.

Hmm. A challenge of bravery then. Claude certainly admired her audacity. As Reyna continued talking, he wondered whether he would try his hand at the Kłunsen rum. He quickly decided on the affirmative. In certain circles it was well-known that the vampire couldn’t resist a gamble or bet, and here was one presenting itself on a silver platter. The other twin, wandering through the ballroom slowly, would likely not have accepted such a challenge, but she was not Claude. Claude couldn’t help himself.

“The Kłunsen rum, hmm?” he asked, raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow. His gaze skittered over to the table where it sat innocently, as if unaware about the amount of suffering it caused those who it disagreed with. The last time Claude had tried it, he had gotten a terrible stomachache and ended up throwing up once he got home. But this time would be different. He had eaten before coming here this time, so hopefully that would tip the scales in his favor. “My drink of choice is a nice red wine, and the one they are serving tonight is divine. However, a challenge like that cannot go unheard. I’ll try some of the Kłunsen rum too.” He quickly finished off his glass of wine and headed over to get himself a glass of rum to replace it with.

Claude was well aware that he was likely playing right into Reyna’s hands, but his gambling problem and curiosity wouldn’t allow him to pass up this opportunity. He poured himself some rum, more than most people might dare—one could call Claude a daredevil, or perhaps just lacking in common sense if one didn’t like him—but not so much that it was a crazy amount. As he picked it up, he looked directly at Reyna before chugging it and then licking his lips with a satisfied grin. He set the glass down on the table and went to pour himself another glass of red wine. “Delicious.”

"I know why I'm here, supposed to be arm candy of sorts for whichever royal wishes to use my discoveries as a talking point." Floris scowled, crossing his arms in annoyance. It was obvious he hated the idea of being just an icebreaker for snooty royals and nobles. He chooses to ignore the other man's reasons of being kicked out of his former position, focusing instead on himself and his problems. As he did.

Lucius felt bad for Floris. In one hand he understood why Floris wasn't in favor of being forced to work but on the other hand Lucius always loved a good, long job or in general something to keep him occupied. When he wasn't doing something, He'd usually end up in places that he wasn't supposed to be in.

"Well, I understand that. I would also hate to be used in ways that are only beneficial to one person and not yourself. Though I don't understand why the royals are so… head strong getting more troops or more of… Anyone really. They have plenty but dont know how to use it." Lucius huffed. "Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean for all that to come out. Anyway, Before you came here what did you do? Did you have another job, perhaps?"

"Oh, I'm not much of a fan of red wines. I prefer white wines, myself. And who said it was a challenge?" Reyna says, acting innocent. But she knew, as soon as Claude had repeated the name of the alcohol, that she'd hooked him.

She watches as he drains the glass with a small smile. "My, with that much you'll be begging for mercy before the night's over."

She takes one of the larger glasses that were sitting on the table and fills it with the Kłunsen rum, staring Claude down as she downs it all in a few seconds.

She licks her lips delicately.

"Indeed it is delicious." she agrees.