aterat | A Winter's Ball

Entry tags:

A Winter's Ball

Who; Everyone!
What; The Ball promised by Halcyn!
Where; A newly (and quite abruptly) renovated ballroom in the Noble District
When; December 15th, evening
Warnings; None as of yet, though there is some mischief afoot for those looking for it

The morning of the 15th, the day of the Ball, opens with a letter under every door, reminding the residents that today is the day, that the Ball to celebrate and be merry is upon you. It also includes a small golden ticket that all attendees are asked to present at the doors to be allowed into the hall in the Noble District. It bids the attendees to enjoy themselves, forget their worries for a time, and is each personally signed by Halcyn.

Arrival | Under the Mistletoe;

The chill in the air at the change of seasons makes for a cold journey to the Noble district, though the streets are well-lit (an improvement in the otherwise dilapidated quarter in the first place) and at the end of the street indicated in the invitation letter, stands a beautifully restored building wreathed in white lights and adorned with wreaths and holly. All roads and citizen paths have lead to the ballroom today, and it is a beacon of civilization in the otherwise unused quarter. A guardsman is checking tickets at the door, and allowing admittance to the foyer of the ballroom.

The foyer is also decorated in trees adorned with shining lights. There are people flitting about with trays of champagne and people are greeting each other, gathering in groups and generally enjoying one another's company. Six archways lead further into the ballroom, and into what seems to be a seating area with round tables atop which glittering floral arrangements sit and to which servers bring meals for those who have a seat. At the top of each of the six arches hang six bundles of mistletoe.

Some are able to pass beneath the bundles with no issue, but others may find their way blocked by an unseen wall, unable to escape the arch until someone joins them, and a kiss is exchanged. It could be innocuous, even a cheek would suffice, but who's to know that without experimentation?

Try the Grey Stuff, It's Delicious

In the dining hall, meals are limited, but there are options for various palettes and even a vegetarian option. There is wine and champagne, and also non-alcoholic options of you're less inclined to partake. The music from the main ballroom, accessible through a set of ornate double doors, is muted here, providing a sense of ambiance but not overpowering the conversations that may occur at the tables scattered about the room.

The desert is the same for all who try it, though, and fluffy (is oddly colored) meringue that is simply to die for, but it seems to have some strange side effects. As the night progresses for those who've eaten the strange confectionary, they will begin to feel more and more happy and carefree, but also much more open. Those who are reserved about their feelings or their thoughts, even their histories, will feel less inclined to be so withdrawn. That couldn't possibly make anything awkward, could it?

Shall We Dance the Night Away?

The main even by far is the grand ballroom. A 15 piece orchestra sits atop a small stage to the north of the dance floor, their music varying between melancholic, haunting, warm, and uplifting, and the citizens are quite enjoying the time to let loose and dance the night away with their partners.

Spiral staircases lead to the balconies on the second floor overlooking the dance floor below, affording tired dancers chairs and refreshments with which to rest in order to return to the floor below. The music here, due to acoustics, is muted which affords a more intimate place to converse.

Even more intimate are the outdoor balconies accessed from either side of the second floor. Here, small sconces have been lit to afford a romantic glow to the area, but the light is dim enough to enjoy the glittering starlight above. The flames also give the area some warmth, warding away the chill in the night air and allow guests to enjoy the solitude of the area without freezing. The music out here is a pleasant background hum, making the setting even more romantic and ethereal.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"You have no idea." The Hunger shoved itself against its cage he'd forged for it with his thoughts and he fought down the urge to take her, then and there. It wanted to know her, her desires and her taste, but he denied it, as he had done so many times before. No, she really had no idea what he struggled with from one breath to the next, and she didn't deserve to find out. No one did.

"I mean...I guess it's only a kiss." It wasn't, though. Not with him.

Something in his tone raised her curiosity but now wasn't the time to pursue whatever raised her hairs. Instead she shrugged her shoulders and then ran a hand through her hair. Just a kiss was it? Well, she supposed that was true enough. It was just a kiss under mistletoe placed as some sort of joke on everyone that got invited to this ball.

She gave him a tiny smirk and put her arms around his neck. "Just a kiss and then we get free, right? Not a bad price to pay."

The only problem being it was never "just a kiss" with him. It was true he was keeping the Hunger satiated with the lives of murderers and thieves in the harbor district, but that didn't mean it didn't want to taste her. She was wild, untamed, and that only made her more attractive to the demon within him.

"Seems that way." His hands moved to her hips without his noticing, his eyes gleaming a cold steel grey.

"Could be worse." Her tone was low, almost like a purr and her eyes flashed for just a brief second. There was something in the back of her mind telling her not to do this. Instincts ignored that though and she pressed her lips against his. Even as the wall that had been trapping them went down she felt a pull to stay longer in the kiss. There was no denying the instincts and strange hunger that were pulling at her to stay longer with him. It whispered in the back of her mind and enticed her to press closer and wrap her hands tighter around his neck.

"Mmmm," she pulled away slowly but kept her arms around his neck debating if she wanted to stay longer for something more. There was no denying her instincts wanted more.

He mustered up all the will he could find to move a hand behind her, to test the barrier that barred their way, glad to find it was gone. Shalimar was tough, that much he'd seen when they'd gone on their little expedition. She wasn't human, either, which added an entirely new facet to this untrod territory, but he didn't want to hurt her, and that need for release, to let the animal inside her free, wasn't helping anything. He needed to put some distance between the two of them quickly.

When he pulled away from her, his eyes were shining, the color of a laden morning mist, and when he spoke, his voice was layered with need. "I guess we're free."

"Don't act so excited," she said with a slightly awkward chuckle. It was obvious he wanted to get away as quickly as possible and she wasn't really sure what to make of that. Then again she wasn't sure what to make of this entire exchange. Something about him was predatory and her heart was pounding both with the instincts to run and the desire to stay.

"Interesting joke to start off their ball though," she said as she walked through where the barrier had been. "Sorry you got stuck with me."

He winced at her comment, shaking his head. He didn't look back to her immediately, only took a step away, closed his eyes, and breathed for a moment, shoving the monster within him back into its mental cage, filing all the details about Shalimar's desires it had fed him away for future reference, and that was to never use them again.

"No. I'm sorry you were trapped in there with me" You should tell her, Thomas, the rational part of his mind said. He swallowed. "Do you want to check out the food tables?"

"Ominous," she said with a quirk of her eyebrow. There was something off, something clearly hidden in between the words they were both speaking. At least the subject changed but the air still somehow feel heavy.

"You sure you wanna ago with me?" it was a joke but there was a slight edge to it. "Can't say I'm not hungry though and the smell coming from the area with food was enticing.

"You have no idea." But he had to admit she had a point. He was being intentionally vague, but so was she. If they sat down, occupied themselves with something else, maybe he'd have a better time of controlling the Hunger. It was a long shot, but it was the only one he had at the moment.

He nodded. "Yeah, why not? I'm starving."

"Keepin the air of mystery alive forever, huh?" she gave him a flash of a grin before moving forward towards where the food was being served.

"Looks like they've got a ton to choose from. Thoughtful of them, huh?"

He breathed a sigh, working over how to answer her question as he made his way over to the table.

"I'll tell you what." He pulled out a chair for her. "You tell me what you are, and I'll do the same." His expression was serious rather than playful. She did deserve to know, after all, if they were going to be friends.

"Me?" she feigned a look of innocence. "Nothing strange about lil'ol me." Maybe she should consider telling him the truth, especially if he was willing to tell her. There was no denying she was curious about what was with him. She took a seat next to him and then tilted her head. "Why do I have to go first?"

"Ladies first?" He shook his head. "But fine. If you want fairness, I did ask first." He took a deep breath. "I'm a vampire."

She blinked at his response and then tensed just a slight bit. "A vampire?" Guess that would explain a lot of the predatory vibes she got from him. "Like the blood sucking fang guys?"

"Not blood." He shook his head. "Or sun, obviously. I feed on life energy, and I know that sounds impossible but-" he shrugged. "It's the truth." And he doesn't look pleased by it. In fact, though he puts on a mean nonchalant face, it's clear he hates it, and he might hate himself a bit, too.

"Huh," she replied with an arch of her eyebrow. "Life energy. That's...mildly creepy." She wasn't going to lie there. There was something about the way he was explaining it to her that gave her the distinct impression he wasn't too happy to share the information. "Anything else I should know about that?"

"No. I'll do my best to keep it, the...Hunger, under control. Most of the time it's not a problem." And look, he can distract himself with the finger foods available on the table. "When it is, I'll keep my distance."

"You call it the Hunger?" There was something even more spine chilling about that and she couldn't quite place why. At the same time she somehow found herself even more drawn to him. There was denying how relatable it was that he had to try to keep himself under control and just chose to keep a distance when he couldn't. It was something she had to do back home all the time.

"It's the best description." He distracted himself from oversharing by decided to give some of the desserts a try. Ironically, he didn't have much of an appetite otherwise. "It...craves. All the time."

"Must be hard," she said with a sympathetic tone. "Unless you usually just give in to what it craves." That definitely wasn't the impression she was getting from him though. There was always an edge to him that had felt familiar from the very first time she'd met him.

He clenched his jaw, playing with the weird grey stuff on his spoon but not eating it. "It might win one day, but...not today." He looked up from his spoon, leveling his silver eyes on her.

"But you get that, don't you?"

His question was unexpected and she visibly tensed in response to it. "Yeah, I do." She paused to take the final bite of her grey stuff and then let out a light sigh. Fair was fair and he'd told her quite a lot already. Besides, there was something strange edging her to open up just a little bit more.

"Ferals always dance on the edge of losing it to our animal side."

She'd used that term before, but they hadn't exactly been in a position for him to ask what she'd meant by it. Now they had time, and something was making him want to keep talking. Normally he would have wandered off to sulk somewhere by now.

"And what's that look like? Losing it to your animal side?"

"Becoming the animal," she replied simply. This wasn't something she liked to talk about, not with anyone let alone someone that didn't even know. Yet, here she was, blabbering on about it and feeling strangely compelled to say more.

"My world doesn't have supernatural but we have new mutants. People whose DNA has been messed with gifting them with unique abilities. Ferals are part animal," she looked around for a second then turned to face him directly letting her eyes flash like a cats. "feline in my case. There's two sides to every feral that are always fighting each other."

"You seem to be doing okay." He could sense it, almost, her animal instincts idling beneath the surface. It wasn't something preternatural, but just a tension there, like a taut bowstring, waiting to fire. "But it can't be easy."

Lord knew it was a struggle to keep the demon in check. "There's a demon wrapped around my soul. It makes me immortal, faster, stronger, but it's also hungry. All the time." He didn't know why he was saying this, just explaining rather than going home to stew over it, yet here he was. "If I don't feed it, it will eat my psyche until there's nothing left of Thomas. If I give in...the same thing happens."

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