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 Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 9:25 pm
Who: Rivener and Lucia
When: The ball goes from 9pm through 3am
Where: Durem Masquerade Ball
The Siegl entered the ballroom and looked around. The posh shop in which Lucia had been working as a salesgirl – selling sexy clothes to the masses (and herself) – had given her an invitation to the massive Durem Masquerade Ball. For a small fee, the Kitten had herself a party to go to. The attire: formal and period appropriate; masks must be worn at all times.
Lucky for her, working in a shop allowed for some access to amazing clothes. And borrowing exclusive clothing was something required during working hours, requested for other times. The dress that Lucia borrowed was absolutely amazing. A long dark emerald green renaissance-era reproduction. Sizing was perfect. The hem reached the floor, and staring at the triple-mirror at herself in the dress, it was easy to move in. Spinning left and right, she had seen how holding the hem in one hand as she danced with a pretend partner allowed the dress to move and fall perfectly. With everything, she thought, looking around the chandelier-lit ballroom, no one would know she had no legs. The Sigel held her large (for her – though she was used to them now) wings perfectly still, mimicking the fake strapped on wings that she had seen in her own store. In the store she had laid her ears back and tossed her hair over them. Now it was no mimic. Her ears, pinned down with hair pinned over them, were not visible. Her waist-length hair fell down, well below the high waist of the dress, in a combination of long ringlets and waves. Her dark hair spilled, cascaded over her shoulders. Her dress, a short-sleeved off-the-shoulder ball gown flowed to the floor and left a small train behind her. Her mask matched her dress sort of. It was black and had purple and green feathers coming off the right side. It was simple, but covered her face well enough. Adjusting it slightly, she looked around the ballroom.
Large was an understatement. Her home was no small place, but this area, a mansion on the far outskirts of the city, was enormous. She had been led directly through the entrance to a room on the right. The room was already bustling with guests for the party. Three chandeliers were lit with a soft light, a yellow glow shown down on the room from that and the candles lighting up all the corners. Spotless zombie waiters and witch waitresses carried around trays of wine and hors d’ouevres. The decorations were all dark, Halloween appropriate including spider webs, massive spiders. The large fireplace in the room had a black fire going with demon fire stokers. The light was dim enough to make the mood spooky and a little surreal. It also helped that all of the guests were dressed in renaissance attire and all of their faces were covered. The men were in suits, tuxes, and some, she thought with a giggle, looked exactly like Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon. The women were dressed in gowns, for the most part, in a variety of colors. From bright red and violet to navy and a black, the colors ran the gamut. Many of the guests had additional Halloween adornments too. Some wore wings or tails or ears. Others had skeleton-like faces or wore witches' hats and carried brooms.
The Sigel floated, not moving her wings a bit, into the room. She hovered over the floor and looking at her it would seem like she was gliding. That assumption would be pretty accurate, but that was how one was supposed to walk at a ball. She looked around for co-workers and spying the red curly ringlets of Hanna, she went over for small talk. The room wasn’t so full yet, but the band – complete with a string quartet for traditional ball dances and a rock group for some fun – was starting to play a slow ballad – was it by the Rolling Stones?
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Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2010 9:38 am
A party. This had been exactly what Rivener needed. After going back to work for Felix (secretly, of course, lest Aphismet blow a fuse), Rivener had only been feeling more and more frustrated with the sling still holding his arm in place. The shattered clavicle would take another two months to heal up perfectly, and he needed to wear the sling til then... Being so handicapped did not make for very impressive threats as a bodyguard, and people had been cowering less than usual from the irate Sigel. Felix, astute as ever, had noticed his employee's disgruntled feelings and had offered this ticket to a masqued themed ball: perfect place for Rivener to unwind, have a few drinks, and mingle with people who wouldn't know who he was or what he did. A simple, pleasant evening.
A costumed rennaissance ball gave Rivener the perfect opportunity to hide his sling, too, so he'd get no questions about it: he chose to wear an old-style english lord's outfit, whose cape he draped over one shoulder to cover that side completely. It hid his sling almost to perfection, since he'd hidden the only visible strap under the ruffled collar of his shirt. He's hidden his horns by punching holes in a stylish top hat for them, making the glossy black things look like part of the hat instead of his own head. His wings were carefully tucked against his back and hidden by the cloak. A black mask colored a swath of darkness across the upper half of his face, one side bursting out into a colorful display of short peacock feathers. The smirk Rivener wore did a good job of playing up the choice of feather: Riv indeed felt like a peacock tonight.
He'd been led into the room so dimly lit by the chandeliers and fireplace, and didn't waste any time milling around by himself. Tonight was about mingling and getting to relax and realize that he was still perfectly alright in public. That everything was good. That Rivener was still Rivener, and no splint was going to change that. He only wished he'd had TWO tickets, he could have brought Zul... Riv wondered if the demon would even like a party like this.
Grabbing a drink with his good hand, Rivener approached the first small group of people he saw, hoping he could join whatever conversation was going on. A woman with long, jet-black hair and demon wings poking out of her dress was talking with a red-head whose ringlets caught the light. "Good Evening", Rivener began with a slight bow and a smile when he sensed a lull in their talking. "Very beautiful venue, isn't it?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2010 12:28 pm
While his clothes might have made her look twice, Lucia certainly knew by the half-floating body and two-tone hair who it was approaching her and Hanna. She quickly whispered to her friend not to mention her name or that she was a raevan to him, and then broke into giggles as he got closer, disguising that he had just been the topic of conversation. It wasn't that she wanted to deceive Rivener, just that she didn't want him to leave because it was her. She didn't know what had happened to the box with the quotations, nor the flowers, since she had never heard back from him. Then again, the flowers she had purposefully left anonymous. The pair continued their topic, Hanna was admiring a hottie in the band and Lucia was piping in that the long scraggly beards really didn't do it for her, when a small lull as Hanna turned to plainly check out the singer caused the 'mysterious man' to jump in to the conversation.
Turning to face him, Lucia had to admire his period costume. He looked pretty dashing in the hat, cape, and attire. She knew she hadn't seen him since before she grew. And with the mask, lack of ears, and larger piercingless wings (she had removed the rings and studs for the night), it seemed he didn't recognize her. The corset that was pulling in Lucia's waist made it more difficult to breathe, so her voice was slightly higher than normal - maybe due to lack of oxygen?
Lucia, who had practiced her British accent for the occasion - just to feel like she fit the night - spoke up. "I'm Elle." Her sparkling eyes caught Hanna's - using the 'girl intuition' to tell her not to spill the beans - Elle, or "L" was a major part of her name after all. "This is Hanna. And yeah, this place is beautiful." She looked around a bit, as if to emphasize her statement and take everything in.
Hanna turned as she heard his voice and smiled. She wouldn't spoil Lu's fun, whatever her reason for fibbing was. "It's pretty bitchin'. We were lucky to get invites." She blatantly looked him up and down. "You're one of those raevan things, right?" Her dress was all black and had a gothic style to it. Another borrow from the store, Hanna hadn't bothered to remove her pierced lip and nose rings. And her large back tattoo that snaked up her neck was still plainly visible in the more risqué low-cut back in the dress she was wearing. It wasn't period exactly, but it certainly had a Halloween flair to it. She had adorned angel wings and a halo - kind of a dark meets light type of thing.
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Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 12:39 pm
"Elle and Hannah," Rivener repeated, committing their names to memory. He smiled in a friendly way, bowed lightly in greeting, and offered his own name in return. "I'm Rivener, pleased to meet you both. And yeah, I'm a Raevan. We must be getting pretty well-known, this is one of the first times someone hasn't said What are you. I take it you've met some of my kind before?" The Scorpion realized all his careful camouflaging work up top had been wholly undone by his lack of legs. He had been so eager to come here tonight, and so focused on hiding his splint, that he hadn't planned this out very well at all. But then again, it's not like he could have put on fake legs. And he was NOT going to wear a dress, even if it would have covered him up properly below!
"Both of you look stunning, by the way. Wonderful accessories. Halloween is always so interesting. One of the times I feel like I really fit in with you humans." He grinned, a flash of fangs in the dim light.
This felt good! Rivener wasn't even being flirty, like he'd usually be trying to do. There were no sultry bedroom eyes, no lowering of his voice, just a friendly smile. He'd normally be trying to woo anything that moved, but ever since he'd almost lost Zul, everything had changed. He didn't want to flirt anymore. And it felt so different to talk to people without trying to gauge how interested in him they might be. So freeing, so light! Rivener decided he liked this very very much.
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Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 12:59 pm
"Rivener, eh?" Hanna said, her eyes turning to Lucia. No wonder she was hiding her identity. I mean - did he like the flowers or no? "I've met a few of you before." Hanna raked her mind for names Lucia had mentioned, but it was blank. "Elle here and I work at Cristal in town, so we see lots of people."
"I've met a few raevans," she said, her fake accent not hiding the playfulness in her voice. "Cordelia. Zul. Vyn. Melisande. A few more I think. I think I've seen you before as well, but I don't think we talked. Or at least not for a while." The names were just the few that popped into her head, but it was a plan that would hopefully be enough to catch his interest.
At the compliment, a smile lit up Lucia's face, and Hanna just grinned. "Thanks. You look good too.. Dashing." She didn't mind being called a human. It just meant that the plan was working.
"Thanks! I'm getting a drink Ya'all want somethin'?" Hanna asked, before she saw Rivener already had a drink in his hands. "Are you all set? Lou, you want somethin'?"
Lucia blinked at the slip. "He said his name was Rivener, not Lou. And if you don't mind, can I have some of the wicked hard punch Boss was raving about?"
The Sigel looked at Riv, hoping her friend's misspeak would not ruin her gig. She felt her ears trying to move, and she forced herself to control the muscles. It helped that they were pinned down and her hair was pinned over them. "I don't know about you, but I love Halloween. Getting all dressed up and partying. It's so much fun."
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Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 1:11 pm
Rivener raised his eyebrows at all the names Elle listed off. Wow, she'd met a bunch! Was she one of the people who regularly showed up at the Lab parties, and Rivener had just never crossed her path? He scoured his brain for any memory of someone with long hair like this, dark black, curvaceous... No, nothing came to mind. He tsked his tongue thoughtfully, taking a sip of his drink.
His thoughtful frown switched to a flattered grin at her praise, the Scorpion chuckling happily. He did so enjoy being called dashing, in particular. Hannah interjected to ask if they wanted drinks, but Riv only brandished his own glass to show he was good. Oddly enough, the red-head then looked to Elle and called her "Lou".
Elle seemed to be under the impression that Hannah had called HIM Lou. Rivener quirked an eyebrow, confused. Maybe Hannah had just accidentally called someone else's name? That must be it. Something... something didn't sit right in that explanation, but Rivener didn't want to ruin his evening by being paranoid. He'd come here to have fun! So with a faint shrug he decided he'd not make anything out of this.
"I have to agree about Halloween. I really love this holiday! Though this is the first time I've come to a human party. There's normally a Raevan thing going on, but this year it looks like no one took the time to set something up. Must be busy." He smiled. It was a bit lonely, but last year's halloween party had been... horrendous to say the least. With the Infection and all the confusing behaviors...
Not that he wanted to change the topic, Rivener couldn't resist going back to the subject of his friends whom this woman had met. "So you've met many of us, then? Mind if I ask you where? All the ones you listed are people I know very very well. I hope you have good impressions of them." He smiled proudly, like someone about to take out their wallet to show off pictures of their new baby. Riv couldn't help it: he felt like a big brother to them, and hearing others speak well of his Raevan friends would definitely make his night.
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Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 1:37 pm
Lucia let out an internal sigh of relief, though no such look crossed her face. She just looked relaxed, collected. She was enjoying the game she was playing, pretending to be Elle, but hopefully if and when she came clean he wouldn't be pissed for the deception.
Busy was right, Lucia thought. She had tried to see what people were doing this year for Halloween to no avail. She hadn't heard about any parties. It was disappointing to say the least.
She smiled warmly as he brought the topic back to their friends. "I've met a lot of the raevans. I've been to quite a few events. And seen more other places too. Events are usually a good time. Though the storm after the summer bash was...sad." She blinked, thinking about Zave, and her violet eyes turned away slightly.
Her eyes turned back up to his as he mentioned having good impressions. "Those are just the ones I like best. I've met -- most everyone I think." The funny thing, Lucia thought, was that so far, other than her name, she had not outright lied to him. It was all 'lie by omission.' She wouldn't carry on with it too much longer. It didn't feel right.
"So I take it you don't recognize me then? I bet I look pretty different from the last time we met. I saw you at the summer party, but we didn't speak at all. I have changed since we spoke last."
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Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 1:43 pm
Rivener blinked. She'd been at the summer party? And even more, she knew what the storm had meant? ...Well, to be fair, it was hard for people not to understand the feeling of loss that had overcome almost every Raevan present, and most Guardians too. If Elle had been there, she would indeed know what the storm had meant. Riv pushed his newest paranoia aside and sighed, lifting his shoulders. "Yeah, that summer bash. It kind of ended on a bad note for everyone, didn't it." Although it was a little more personal an admission than he wanted to give to someone he'd never met before.
Though apparently this was a person Rivener had spoken with sometime in the past, too. He raised his ruby eyes back up and frowned in thought, trying desperately to place her. He felt it might be rude to admit that no, he didn't recall who she was. You'd think that if nothing else, he'd remember the name... He'd never met anyone called Elle before. After a good solid minute of Rivener wracking his brain for the answer, he gave up with a sheepish smile, looking quite contrite as he spoke.
"I'm afraid I don't remember you, no. I'm very sorry. Could you refresh my memory? When did we speak, exactly?" If he could get some hints, he might be able to start recalling...
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Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 2:08 pm
Lucia smiled a bit as he played right into her game. If she could make this silly, maybe he wouldn't be upset with her at the end of it. Let's try to give a few hints, she thought, ease him into the realization. She could play with it a bit, make it a fun and funny game.
"Let's see...I met you -- was it over two years ago already? A bit more than." She smiled slightly. "That was at an event too. I remember you were playing with a camera. Do you still take pictures?"
She looked at him, noticing how he was avoiding his one side. Obviously he was good enough to be released from the hospital, but he was babying one side.
"I heard about what happened to you. The wound. I wanted to visit at the hospital, but wasn't able to. Are you doing okay?" her voice still had a British accent, though she would occasionally forget to have a word or two.
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Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:16 pm
Who WAS this woman?! The more she said, the more Rivener was convinced he SHOULD know who she was! She'd met him a few years ago, and knew him enough to ask if he still took pictures. She even knew he'd been in the hospital! Had Aphismet called her, or did she learn of it through someone else from the lab? Gah, it was eating Rivener alive, and he pressed his lips together as he went meticulously through the people he knew. Had he owned legs, his foot would be tapping with impatient frustration.
The only british woman Riv had ever met was Ebony, and she looked nothing like this. Besides, by now the Scorpion was half-convinced the accent was faked: he could have sworn it dropped sometimes, a word here or there.
After a few seconds of silence it occurred to him that he should answer her questions. He moved slightly straighter, shaking his front-most hair back into place over the cape and cleared his throat. "I ah, still take pictures, yes. Though not as much as I used to. Have I taken a picture of you, then?" That would narrow down the suspects, for sure. "As for me being okay, I'm doing fine. Well, considering." He afforded her a peek under his cape, showing the splint still keeping his arm immobile against his ribs. "Really obnoxious and inconvenient more than anything, nowadays. But it's healing."
He waited for her answer about the picture, hoping it would shed some light on this person he supposedly knew...
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Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:30 pm
Lucia smiled at his apparent frustration. She didn't mean to torture him, but it was obvious that she was a little. She had honestly not known he still took pictures. It surprised her and made her a little happy to know that he was still using his camera.
"Oh god!" she said, looking at his immobile arm, accent gone. Then she picked it back up again: "But you're okay again. That's good." She had ignored his question so far, but she finally figured out how to gloss over the pictures.
"You have taken a picture of me. That's how I met you actually. I thought you were pretty cute." Then she didn't give him too much time to think about it. "Do you paint still too?" He had promised her one of his paintings, she recalled. But she wouldn't mention that.
"How are Eiry, Aphi and Isi doing? I don't think you knew that I went driving with Eiry once. I'm sure it was pretty traumatic." If his brother HAD told him about their little adventure, her game was done. But that was a chance she would take.
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Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:36 pm
Rivener HAD taken a picture of her? And that's how they met? Riv knew every picture he ever took, if not exactly down to the detail. He couldn't believe he'd forget snapping a picture of such a pretty lady, so something HAD to be wrong here. He needed to shift his perceptions. Perhaps she used to be a smaller girl? Humans matured quickly around the teenage years... Or maybe she was actually a HE in drag? -No, one look at that bosom killed that idea. There's no way those were fake. Maybe she had different hair back then, or this was a wig? If so, she could be anyone! With that mask in place, Rivener couldn't rightly recognize her face...
She knew he painted, though. That wasn't something Rivener announced to people unless he showed them around his house. And she knew his family, even admitting to having been out driving with Eiry! Not that the minty Sigel had ever mentioned anything about it.
Rivener's frustration only mounted, and he downed the rest of his glass, a dry smirk lifting up his lips. "Alright, screw it, I give up. Who are you? I have no idea at all, I can't figure it out. Just tell me, this is getting on my nerves." He didn't like feeling like he'd failed. Hopefully when she revealed her identity, Riv wouldn't feel like a total douche for being unable to place her.
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Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:44 pm
Lucia pouted slightly at his obvious frustration and then looked at him plainly, not willing to just say her true name. Her accent, however, was gone. "Did you get my flowers? I know I didn't label them with my name. But I figured if you could get who they were from, you'd know I was worried.
I don't want to talk about serious s**t now - it's a party. But the last time you saw me, I was different. My wings are bigger now. My hair is longer. I have a stomach. If you want I'll show you sometime, but with this dress and corset it's a little hard. Besides the fact that this dress is weighing me down, though I'm trying to float at my height, it's hard without beating my wings at all.
And if you want me to leave you alone now, I can." Lucia smiled slightly, trying to let bygones be bygones. "And if you don't want me to leave," she said looking around for Hanna (who she spotted talking to the singer with what was probably the punch she had asked for in his hand), "wanna get a drink? I can drink now."
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Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:58 pm
Rivener knew. The moment she mentioned the flowers, he realized who she was. Hell, he should have known: those lips were clearly Lucia's, and now he could suddenly recognize her bone structure, her wings... though they were much larger, her hair longer, just as she said. Then Riv vaguely recalled Ripley once telling him that Lucia was a Sigel now. All these realizations happened at once, crashing down onto the wounded Sigel, and by reflex he floated half a step away from her, lips tight.
She'd said her piece and made it clear it was up to him now to set the boundary. Would she be allowed to stay and talk to him, enjoy this party in a friendly fashion? Or would he walk away and lock her out one more time? Riv had realized, when he received those flowers, that he wasn't really angry at her anymore, but-... was he ready to just act like everything was peachy between them? He didn't want to talk about "serious s**t" now any more than Lucia did, after all. Not tonight.
It felt like forever until Rivener spoke, his lips finally moving out of their thin line. "...I did get your flowers, thanks. They were nice. ...I think we probably both need a drink now, don't we." He gave her an uneasy lopsided smile, not quite comfortable around her but at least making an effort. He turned sideways to wait for her to join his side before they headed towards the drinks counter in the back.
"...Congratulations. On growing." He couldn't really think of much else to say. Everything felt awkward. Clearing his throat again, Rivener angled his gaze down, watching their path ahead.
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Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 7:18 pm
Lucia waited. Patiently. She had been patiently waiting since Zul had gotten rid of the parasite controlling her and ruining things for others in the afterlife. Though the time he spent before replying to her seemed to last forever, Lucia knew it wasn't. It was nothing compared to the time she had waited or maybe would wait until he would be willing to see her again.
When he didn't turn and stalk off, Lucia smiled slightly. "Sorry for tricking you. I thought if you knew it was me right away, you would have left. We talked, a little, so you know I won't bite. And I'm not possessed." She looked at him and smiled again, hoping he would lighten up a little. Really, they had hurt each other. Lucia knew, with Ty's information, that she could have used a friend and Rivener had left her to the wolves. And Lucia knew how she had hurt him.
Lucia nodded. "Thanks. You should see it. Kinda crazy." She knew it was appreciated by some, especially since starting the job, she had been drawn to the club scene and had to push humans away -- well at least those who didn't worry about her not having legs.
She joined him as they went towards the back of the room. She had to follow him, not having had a drink yet. As they approached the bar, the bartender - a Frankenstein's monster complete with prosthetic makeup 'stitched' together, green skin, and bolts on his neck, "What's your poison?"
"Can I have a cup of the punch?" she asked him lightly, looking at the drink that glowed green under the black lights that surrounded the bar. He waited for Rivener to order before getting the drink.
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