Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ugh. It was too much. Really, it was. He could hear them talking to each other, reunited as if they had not seen each other in years, and it made him feel sick to his stomach while simultaneously tearing a hole straight into his chest, painful, harsh. He had come here out of sheer curiosity, his first and perhaps only chance to see the type of festivities these students of Halloween performed in celebration of their day. Hel having been here, one of very few students that he might have recognized, had been terribly fortunate, for a time.

But then Sal showed up, and while he had actually grown quite fond of the old b*****d despite their many, many differences, it had stolen away from him, however briefly, that one shining moment where he had felt like he had been important to somebody again.

There wasn't enough alcohol in his flask to drown out his feelings. There probably wasn't enough in two. What he required was something to obliterate his senses altogether.

Still, he mustered a smile after another long swig. "Ah yes, of course you have. a pretty young mare as yourself must often dream of a stallion such as me." He grinned, grabbing the hand that patted against his abs, lifting it to lay a brief kiss against her knuckles, and then he directed a look towards Salbei.

"See! Even she admits to being an adult." He was swaying just slightly, his words just a bit slurred at their edges. "They can not stay remain the children you once knew forever, Salbei. Soon they grow, they die, and eventually, they leave you all alone!" He laughed, and took another drink, before slumping back against the wall again with an almost bemused sounding sigh, though there was a hint of sadness as well, a sadness that shone briefly in his eyes before it was blinked away.

"Something stronger, next time, I think, Sal. I think I can handle it." He smiled over at the other horseman, for all the world behaving like this was all perfectly normal and okay and that this behavior was not at all ridiculous or embarrassing.

She kept silent as Mathias talked, hoping it would ease whatever plagued him. and something was bothering him, and she wondered if it had anything to do with whomever he had sent the text to earlier. It was not his fault, though. Mathias had bought her, and she wasn't accomodating enough. "What is better?" Her brows drew together as the tinger stared into her eyes. There was something intense about his gaze, and then... it softened, gentled into a sweeter blur, like a sugary glaze on fresh cake.

"Mathias, are you alright?" Hollandaise reached out a hand, placing it gently on his shoulder. His compliments were welcome though, Hollandaise was not immune to being called pretty, to having someone fawn over her. There was something unnaturally serene about it - was this what he had been speaking about earlier? But it was kind of nice seeing happiness light up his face, the traces of scowls all smoothed away.

"If you are sure, Mathias," she reached out and rearranged a particularly messy strand of hair. "-then you can do this, and we shall dance. Teach me?" Her hand slipped easily into his and briefly, Hollandaise allowed herself a moment of weakness and glanced around the room, immediately locating Deszeld and Aisha. She dragged her gaze back to Mathias, feeling as though the corners of her eyes were a little tight.

The warder laughed a little, tugging on Mathias' hand as he nearly backed into someone. "Watch out!" He had made everything light-hearted, more or less, and Hollandaise had bit back a laugh at his excessive flattery. Hollandaise could tell something was strange about him, that this was not exactly Mathias. But, as long as he was happy, she would be happy, she decided. And she knew too well that sometimes happiness meant not thinking about very much at all. She would follow his lead, mostly. But no matter how much she wanted to ignore certain ghouls, her unsteady heart kept track of them.

It was a bit of a weird sensation - to have someone hold her waist - and she instinctively shied away from it for a moment, before willing her body back into place. His hand was warm; Hollandaise tensed. "Lead on, Mathias. So does this make you mine right now? I had thought it was the other way around. After all, you bought me." She made a false step and nearly stumbled, embarrassment leaving two high spots of color in her cheeks. "Where do I put my hands? On your ears?" A teasing note had entered her voice. They were clearly two creeple trying to forget the things that gnawed holes in their guts - if only for a while.

Deszeld moved to the beat of the music, an uncharacteristic smile on her lips. It was fun, the green decided, to dance -- not only did it not seem to matter that she was larger than most, but there were times it even seemed to give her a leg up. The dance floor was spacious enough (not that it mattered because she did not stray far from Aisha).

The moment she caught sight of Hollandaise, Deszeld did what Deszeld did best -- she stated the obvious. This time she did not use words. Instead, she tugged Aisha close to her and pressed her lips to the other ghoul's. It was a slow, closed-mouth sort of kiss, but the green took her time because she wanted Hollandaise to see.

Look at me, the kiss screamed, because I command it.

Hollandaise saw, oh she saw. How could she not? Even though her attention was mostly taken with Mathias and the nice, beaming smiles he gave her, she knew exactly what they were doing at all times. So when Deszeld kissed Aisha, she stumbled, trodding on Mathias' foot. And now, she was just blatantly watching them, an odd expression on her face.

A hundred mixed emotions pulled through her chest, the sensation like bark being stripped from a tree to leave its flesh exposed, sap beading on the surface. Hollandaise didn't understand exactly why it bothered her, but it did. It quickly ate at her as she watched Aisha blithely kiss the dragon ghoul back. Why Aisha... why... She regretted the package she had left outside Aisha's dorm. A grumble sounded in her chest and she shook her head briefly, a loose lock of hair curling around her collarbone. Aisha was taller than Hollandaise, more self-possessed than Hollandaise, so maybe, maybe that made her a little better. Perhaps that was why Deszeld was with the undead ghouls and not with - She didn't let herself finish that thought, instead continuing to move her feet as Mathias willed. Even so, all Hollandaise could think of were all the things, all the nice things Deszeld had said to her, even if the mean things had been said with more frequency. Fickle. Inconstant. The music suddenly seemed dimmer, as though it came from a very long way away. Her mouth tightened. If they could kiss, had kissed so that she saw, then she could too. And she hoped Deszeld and Aisha were watching.

She pulled Mathias to a halt, trailing her fingers down his arm. He was nice, too nice right now and she would take advantage of it, just as she had taken advantage of his unwariness and stroked his ears, just as she had cuddled the drunken Mellow. Her toes curled against the hard floor and she put those thoughts away. If Deszeld and Aisha wanted a show they would have it. Leaning forward, less than a breath away, she tipped Mathias' chin up. One hand stole around to the back of his head, slipping through his silk-fine hair, fingers ghosting up to stroke the base of his ears before pressing him close. "Forgive me," she murmured, her breath fanning across his face. And then she kissed him. Hollandaise wasn't entirely sure how such things worked - she had never really kissed before, but she had seen creeple kiss and emulated them now. And so, her mouth was slightly open as she pressed it to his and her teeth nipped at his lower lip, sucking it briefly between hers. Tongues were involved somehow, but Hollandaise wasn't exactly sure how so she let it pass with no thought.

Kissing. It was an odd feeling. Not unpleasant, just... wildly different. She broke their first kiss and quickly kissed him again, leaning further against him, chest pressing flush to his. It was warmer with two creeple closer together, closer than dancing. One long-fingered hand still remained tangled in his hair, and the other snuck around to grasp at his shoulder. Her white white dress seemed to drift around them both like a shroud, a fog there not to obscure but to draw attention. Mathias' lips were warm and just slightly moist, she thought and the boil smelled of earth and pine sap and that light musky scent that all creatures with fur carried. She hummed against his mouth and breathed him in. And, all the while, she keep one eye half on the other ghouls. You may kiss, she thought, but so can I.

Lacie spotted a few people she was familiar with.. acquaintances she had met at one point or another. But they all looked pretty busy with their own friends and dates so she didn't attempt to bother them. But it was certainly pleasant, since Lacie had been out of touch with her friends. mrita for instance, perhaps she would greet her later! o/ Instead, she wandered over, finding herself at the refreshment table. She poured herself a cup of red fruit punch.

When her phone vibrated with a received text, she fumbled with it in her hands, nearly dropping the punch in the process. She saved it from dropping, sighing with a relieved sigh. When it finally settled down, AJ's text could be read on the screen. She wanted to tell him not to trouble himself but was that too ungrateful of her?! ━Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)━ Even after she came late, he was coming back for her. In the end, the text she sent was strictly neutral, unable to convey the jumble of emotions inside of her.

She cupped both cheeks with her hands, unable to contain her pleased but embarrassed smile. Even though AJ had plenty of other dates and many friends, he was very thoughtful of Lacie despite their new acquaintance. She would be very happy if they became better friends.

It seemed that, suddenly, Mathias only had eyes for Holly and nobody else in the room. He seemed much less troubled, and much more happy. He was smiling with ease, his eyes taking on an almost dream like quality as he gazed at her. He helped her get her hands into the right position, and then he slowly began to teach her, step by step, how to dance in the style that he was accustomed to. At regular intervals, he would ask if she was enjoying herself, or if she was ready to add in a new step or two.

She was doing splendidly! Though she honestly could have been stumbling around like a cow on a skating rink and he would have still thought that she was moving with absolute grace and fluidity. He was, for the moment, completely smitten with her, head over heels infatuated, and only too eager to please her in any way that she wished.

He did notice that she was often looking away, or beyond him, to something further off in the crowd, but he paid it no mind. So long as she smiled at him and gave him words of reassurance, that was all that he required.

But when they came to a halt, he frowned slightly, concerned, unsure of if he had done anything wrong. "Is everything oka---?" He began, but the touch on his arm, the trailing fingers, was enough to distract him from his words. It was an odd sensation, intimate, and though they were in a very public setting, it was all too easy for him to feel as if it were just the two of them here. After all, she was the only one that mattered to him anymore.

She was tipping his head up, and he continued to look at her, a smile returning to his lips. Her hand went to the back of his head, and he tilted it back slightly into that touch, relaxing into it, enjoying the feel of fingers tracing the base of his ears, a shiver working it's way down his spine.

His body was suddenly pressed up against hers, and he could feel her warmth. It was wonderful. His heart was beating, hard and fast in his chest. He was anticipating something, an event that he was sure would be absolutely fantastic.

"Of course." He murmured in response, and in a half a breath later her lips found his, and from that kiss he felt first what was much like the electric charge he had gotten from the strange devices in the entrance jolt through him, quickly followed by a pleasant warmth that ran down his chest and fanned out through his belly.

Mathias had kissed somebody before, once, but who it had been and why were like a distant memory that he could no longer grasp, one that he honestly, at the moment, felt no need or urge to. That was then, and this was now, and much more importantly, this was the ghoul that he belonged to.

He kissed her back, arms snaking around her, claws digging in to the fabric of her dress at her back, kneading lightly against the flesh beneath. His teeth pressed against her lips, the long fangs perhaps slightly in the way, though his own mouth opened in response to hers, following her lead, giving what he thought she wanted.

It was the most wonderful thing he thought he had ever experienced. It was a moment that he enjoyed so much that he did not want it to end, and when she pulled away, he was pink cheeked, breathless, and completely overjoyed that he had pleased her enough to earn such a reward.

But that wasn't all. There was yet another kiss to bestow, and he leaned into it eagerly, again quick to forget that they were not alone, that they were indeed in the middle of a crowd on the dance floor. She was just so warm, so overwhelmingly beautiful and fantastic in every single way, he could not, in that moment, have possibly been happier, or less concerned with anything going on in their surroundings.

As long as she wanted him, as long as she wanted to be in his arms, kissing, he was more than willing to reciprocate.