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I wish I didn't have to... It sighed with regret. But I cannot hold off the Bogeymen. They would have us both within an hour, if not sooner, and... It shuddered, wings chiming discordantly. Their justice would be swift, and sure. It embraced her fiercely, though, closing its eyes as if it could focus all of its being into her, and leave a scrap behind for her to cherish after it had gone.

Its eyes opened, though, at the additional cries. "Ah... perhaps I should assist..." It didn't move, though, just watching the others, eyes slowly narrowing as it assessed the situation.

Truthfully, Amarus would probably forget the pinup thing later. She didn't tend to remember things for very long. Unless they were good things. Those, she'd never let go. She would keep hold of them in her mind forever and ever O AO ... good memories were A OK.

Amarus stared at Mot. Stared, and then winked. That was her response to his haughty look. Oh, she was not afraid, not even a little. In fact, seeing him smug or haughty merely cemented her will. And suddenly he was off. Arching a brow, Amarus curled up on her side and waited. Why not?

She rolled onto her back in order to ring the bells, waking her up again, when she started to drift off. It had been a very, very long night. "Welcome back. Welcome back with cake," she replied, sitting up, smiling. A bit of the evilness had sapped out of her. "Well, if you owe it, then you must dance," she agreed, looking solemn. "Although, if it is with a Valkyrie, are you sure I could not take your place? I would love to dance with a Valkyrie-- I guess that I should wait until I am better at dancing, before I subject anyone but you to my... moves," Amarus added. She wrinkled her nose again and leaned back.

Then, finally, acknowledging her inevitable defeat: "Just leave me with the cakes to remember you by..." Amarus pressed the back of her wrist against her forehead, as if suppressing some deep sadness.

She smiled at Mot from under her white gloved, dramatic gesture. And then yawned, picking a cake up and nibbling at it. At which point she broke the cake into four pieces, stuck one of the small ones on her tongue, and ate it the way that Jin devoured things. Live things, usually. It was lizard time! Well, Wyvling, so not quite.

"Mot?" she began, having actually eaten the bite of cake, and trying not to get the rest all over herself. "Just so you know... when you leave the castle, I am taking over and crowning myself King of All the Known Tableverse." Amarus held up one finger, as if to tell him that is just the way it has to be.

Riley turned, feeling the pull at her hem, and disengaged herself from Malodore carefully. The little fae who'd hailed her for attention looked so forlorn.. would this be a similar experience to Amrita?

Riley's dress puffed as she dropped down to her knees, and she reached out to press her hand against the ghoul's cheek. Perhaps the sad incident with Amrita could have been prevented by a more pro-active method of greeting.. so she tried to be as comforting as possible. Her hand cupped, and held Astra's face within it.

Hello. She whispered. You look very beautiful tonight. I'm.. sorry if my presence here disturbs or upsets you. Riley's voice caught. But please, if you can, do not be upset with me.

It was the best she could do.

Eris needed a distraction, because if she didn't, Lizzy was going to find herself quickly burned to a crisp.

And Riley was that distraction. A perfectly lovely distraction indeed.

There was a certain burning in her molten gold regard as the Protector of War sauntered towards the couple in blood red, a heat which was by no means innocent. It was a gaze which one didn't normally use in the company of those they didn't know exceptionally well, one which held secrets and devils' promises, accompanied by low, sultry whispers of power beyond your wildest dreams. She had made many a student and horseman writhe uncomfortably beneath such a stare, had unhinged more than one hunter, making no motion to hide the glee with which she did so. Always it came with a smile, a smile almost more unsettling than the predatory eyes which stayed locked on her target -- the broader the smile, the more dangerous the look became. And under the dim lights and gentle glow of the candles, dressed as what could only be considered savage compared to the elegant, flowing ballgowns of the rest of the ghouls, there could be no doubt that she looked dangerous.

The horsewoman would not deny she was up to no good. With Invictus dancing with another woman, she was exceptionally volatile... and there was no one to keep her in check.

Sidling up to the couple, Eris gave Riley a devious little smile, her voice low and warm and almost too friendly. "My dear protoge~" she purred, her eyes roaming unabashedly over the other ghoul's form. There was something different about her, something intoxicating she couldn't quite put her finger on... and yet she knew, just as clearly as she felt her own heartbeat, what it was. Upon first meeting the tentacled demon, the once-heir of War had stated that the ghoul had tasted of War. It had been what had drawn them to each other, why Riley had asked her to join her clan, she was sure. But what had once been merely inviting was nearly exhilarating now, the essence of power and lust for war tangible. For a moment, Eris merely let her words hang in the air, savoring something unseen and unfelt by most if not all around her, fueling her already capricious Insanity.

Lifting her fingers to rest against her cheek, the Protector let her eyes slide open again after a moment, giving the demon a dark look. "I must admit, I'm delighted to see you."

Admittedly, she was quite unfamiliar with Malodore, however. Although it earned itself some intrigue, one which she fully intended to explore a little further, he tasted more of Death, something which did not nearly appeal to her on the same level. In fact, it was with a quite different level of interest with which she eyed the other student for the moment, reveling in the very different taste which reminded her quite a bit of her dearest Aisa, her thoughts wandering momentarily as she considered why this was, and whether she found it pleasant. In the end, the horsewoman decided she did, and decided it would find itself a target of her interest as well. Later. For now, she merely watched as it turned its attention elsewhere, on the chaos which was apparently plaguing another group of students.

An opportunity which she happily took.

"I promise I will take good care of her, should you decide to assist your kin~" she crooned to the plague doctor, offering it a little bow. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Astra tug at Riley's dress, and for a moment she felt her temper flare again, the air around the horsewoman growing hot once more.

That was all Astra wanted to hear.

Wiping the tears away as best she could, she held onto Riley tightly, but only briefly as she felt a surge of heat. For a moment she panicked, thinking Jericho was around, but was instead greeted by another being...

...She would of preferred Jericho, actually.

Thankfully Riley put her down, and with a pat on her head directed her attention at Eris. This was good, as the horsewoman..looked like she wanted to eat her. Or fry her. Most likely fry her.

So, she quickly made haste to put as much distance between herself and Eris as possible.

Untrue. Riley's gaze flared in interest when Eris answered. I've heard of you. The Heirs. Riley's hands pulled Eris back after her bow, once more positioned for the dance. It's an honor, and a pleasure, to - well.. I suppose this isn't our first meeting, is it? You did call me protege.. Riley chuckled. That phrase makes much more sense now. I did so wonder who would dare consider me tutorable.

Why she had chosen to be honest with Eris, and not others, was a mystery only Riley could decipher. But it was clear by the way she continued, that she was holding no secrets from the woman. I regret to inform you, my dear, lovely lady, that I have had a bit of a falling out with life. And life has not granted me it's blessing back, unfortunately.

She twirled Eris with one hand, and then pulled her back against her. Her free hand pressed against her own temple.

Amnesia, they call it. I call it a second chance to set things right. So tell me, my dear Lady of War, is there anything to set right between us?

Nukpana's low growl had dark fingers tightening subtly where she had them curled around his arm, and frowned as she moved them towards the gymnasium doors. She pushed them open, stepping aside so the skinwalker to could slip through with her, then let them close behind them before giving the boil a little nudge towards his right. After a few seconds of walking the ghoul stopped and turned so she could release his arm, only to place that same hand firmly on his chest, pushing him back against the wall. There was a delicate little pout on ink colored lips, but the look in those bi-colored eyes as she watched him was thoughtful, contemplative.

By now she'd figured out that he wasn't as new to the school as he'd said, but frankly that didn't much matter to Nergui. After what she'd just witnessed with the undead canine she could see where a fresh start might be appealing. She didn't like the lie, but she could rationalize it. For the time being it didn't matter.

"You're upset," she pointed out rather obviously. It didn't take a scholar to figure out what sort of situation had transpired between the skinwalker and the pricolici, but again, Nergui didn't care. Nukpana had tried to leave his past behind him, so she would let him, at least for now. Her concerns were far more streamline then idle curiosity about some past drama. They might not have come to this function as dates, but they had spent the whole of the night together, and she wasn't about to let an entire evening's company and conversation be wasted on a scorned lover. Neru was a very practical individual, so her solutions to problems were generally pretty direct.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" She offered, though it was hard not to pretend she wasn't a fan of this idea. "Or would you rather I help you forget about it?" The thin irritation in her voice faded, and she met glowing gold eyes with a look that promised she'd do whatever she could to help put the last five minutes out of his memory, and replace them with something far more pleasant.

Practicality had it's perks. The priestess wasn't one to beat around the bush or drag her feet. She was direct, and very honest. It made life a whole lot simpler.