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 Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2016 7:29 pm
Nathaniel, in his quest to gather more information and figure out what was happening, was now at a complete and utter standstill.
This wasn't, unfortunately for him, new. Nathaniel was not a frequent attendee of otherworldly, magical parties that involved murder and mayhem, of course, and had little experience dealing with anything supernatural in general. Which put him in the frustrating predicament of: a) having a great deal of information and not knowing whatsoever what it meant; and b) having a great lack of information that would probably have helped him put said other information together.
Which meant he was a standstill.
He stood now, at the edge of the dance floor in the former Ivory Hall, Nathaniel frowning slightly as he contemplated where to go from here. Jeremiah and Algernon were probably gathering more information where they could, which was excellent - but still, sadly, left Nathaniel no closer to understanding.
A hand rose, Nathaniel absently tapping the mask on his face before his fingers dropped away, a long sigh escaping him. Maybe this was just another reminder that he was in over his head; maybe this was just another reminder that he wasn't useful at all.
It was not a nice feeling.
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2016 9:23 pm
Connor, being one who had given up rather early on when it came to trying to win over the other beings and gain their favor in hopes of garnering a little bit of information regarding the entire murder business, wasn't really aware of much that was going on anymore. Beyond what little he'd been able to glean here and there, he was hopelessly lost, though to be fair, he also wasn't very bothered by this fact. There were a few things he knew...or at least was led to believe were accurate and thus could only trust that they were, and out of those things, it was only that which might keep him safe throughout the evening that he was truly interested in. Which is why, again, he reached up to check that his mask was secured and not about to drop off of his face unexpectedly. That's why he was avoiding certain other beings like the plague. That's why he no longer ventured far from the parlor or the foyer for long, and often thought about just finding a nice place to sit and ride out the storm until he could go home. But then he began to question how much of what he knew was actually true and what might be false. He couldn't actually trust anybody, so what was the point in believing a single thing that he'd heard? For all they knew, the ones who were unmasked could have been the ones who were safe. <******** this place. ******** every god damn thing about it. Connor just wanted to go home, sit on his couch with Peebles laying happily in his lap, drink whiskey, and watch cartoons. Instead, he found himself in what used to be the ivory hall, skirting around it's outermost walls, gaze sliding over all of it's occupants, until one semi-familiar figure caught his attention. Squinting at the lone man for a few moments, Connor finally strode up behind him, an arm snaking around the others waist as he attempted to, forcefully, steer Nathaniel out onto the dance floor. "Evening, pansy boy." Connor smirked, "I thought I saw you skulking about." Not that Nathaniel was actually skulking.
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 8:18 am
He had not expected anyone to actually, you know, talk to him.
Or try and get him out on the dance floor. Which was an entirely different story, since Nathaniel wasn't exactly known for his dancing prowess around these parts. Which was why an arm being suddenly around his waist to drag him out to where the others were dancing was the least of what Nathaniel had thought was going to happen this evening, despite it being a ball.
"What the - hey - "
It took him a few seconds to place the sort of familiar smirk and the tone of voice, but as he stumbled onto the dance floor, Nathaniel finally picked up on just who had accosted him so unceremoniously. He hadn't tried to resist being yanked along, which made him stumble a little, letting out a sound of protest.
"Ah. You."
It was said with a touch of dry resignation, as though somehow nothing could surprise Nathaniel anymore. Beneath the mask, he lifted his brows.
"What are you doing here? More than that, what are you doing?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 8:21 pm
"Ah yes, me." Connor intoned, just as dryly in response. "Don't sound too ******** excited." His smirk widened, and as he pulled the other man out onto the dance floor, he turned so that he was facing him, his arm sliding until his hand was resting on the other mans hip, while his other reached for Nathaniel's. "We're skydiving, obviously." Connor rolled his eyes and gave an unimpressed, minute shake of his head. "And I could ask you the same ******** thing." At first, it seemed like he was going to leave it at that, but then he decided he might as well just answer the damn question. "I got an invitation. Hand delivered, because I'm just that ******** special. You?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 8:55 pm
"Oh, I'm completely thrilled," said Nathaniel, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "As you can see, I'm just overjoyed to be in your presence again."
The southern accent was thick now, rolling through his voice in spite of his attempts to keep it at bay. Nathaniel gave up for the time being, and instead settled for giving Connor a suspicious look as he took his hand, wondering why on earth this was happening to him.
"Are we actually dancing, or are you just trying to trip me?" Nathaniel asked, swaying slightly to the music, which was an instinctive, automatic thing that made him vaguely annoyed. "And I'll have you know, I was invited too, so there."
A pause, while he considered things, and then he said, in a resigned sort of voice,
"So. Figure out anything? Or are you just here for the show, whatever it is?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 11:49 am
"As you ******** should be. Your level of appeal just went up about two hundred percent just because I'm paying attention to you. Think of all the a** you'll get, now." For all intents and purposes, Connor behaved as if this was a completely serious statement, like he actually believed what he was saying. Really, even though he was incredibly egocentric, he was just trying to be as obnoxious as possible, simply because it was fun to do so. "We are actually dancing, now shut up and enjoy it." He cracked a faint smile, "Or I'll dump your a** on the floor." With that, they were off, with Connor leading ( of course he was). "Really?" He didn't sound impressed. "By who?" He was genuinely curious, wondering if Nathaniel had been accosted outside his home by what Connor could only assume now was some kind of fairy court other-being as well. The question earned Nat a smooth shrug of shoulders, and Connor spun them away from a couple who were just a little too close. "I'm here because I thought that if I didn't come, I'd piss somebody powerful off. I don't care what happens, as long as it doesn't happen to me, or to one of my friends." A thoughtful pause, "I was told that so far, for now, I'm doing exactly what I need to in order to stay safe. As far as I can tell, that's because I haven't ******** meddled in anything. I also suspect that whatever is going on with the doubles I keep hearing about...it's a distraction. I don't think they'll be a part of the tithe. Everyone's so worried about them, what they are, what it could mean...they're too focused on that to see what's actually coming. That's just my theory, at least."
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 8:07 am
Nathaniel resisted the very strong urge to reach up and slap Connor's mask off of his face.
"You don't actually believe that s**t, do you?" he asked, his tone a mixture of exasperation and weariness. "You are not the most fantastic person on the planet, and I don't actually want to get, as you say, a**, so all of your..." He wiggled his fingers in the direction of the other, since he couldn't pull his hand free. " - whatever it is, is nonsense."
Considering that he did, in fact, believe Connor and his threat of dumping him on the floor, Nathaniel resigned himself to the fact that, most unfortunately, he was stuck with this a*****e for a few more minutes. He let out a long suffering sigh, blinking owlishly at Connor from behind his mask.
"My student," he said dryly. "She's all up in this magic business, apparently."
He glanced around, trying not to look out of place with his clumsy feet and inexperience on the dance floor. Nathaniel's gaze flickered out across the people surrounding them as they swayed, then moved back to Connor, frowning slightly.
"I haven't heard much about the doubles myself," he said. "But if they were an attempted distraction from the actual tithe, that would make sense. Have people focus on that, instead of actually saving whoever needs to be saved."
He felt a frustrating lack of ability, of knowledge, even with all that he had gathered so far at the ball. Nathaniel shifted to avoid someone almost knocking into him, the expression beneath his mask a thoughtful, concerned one.
"I've heard that there is a woman named Adoelle that's going to be a part of the tithe," he said. "But I don't know what that means, or anything else I've learned."
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 8:43 am
Connor didn't answer him, just gave him a look. Knowing, arrogant, and with just a hint of mischievousness to give away that maybe he wasn't quite as full of himself as he was leading Nathaniel to believe. And then he let out a low chuckle. "Oh, you were invited that way. I see. So you're a teacher?" He asked, not giving a s**t if he was prying, "One that goes on dates with his students? Isn't that illegal or something." Again, he knew better, but winding this guy up was just too amusing. "The way everyone's carrying on," He changed the subject back to why they were there, "There are going to be more people hurt, possibly dead, than just that ******** tithe." For a few moments more, he was silent, leading the two of them around the dance floor like an old pro. When he spoke again, it was to say, "Can't say I know anything about her, either. I was told that anybody without a mask is at risk, though, so I guess she's just one among several."
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 4:33 pm
Nathaniel was momentarily speechless.
"I'm not dating my student," he said, practically a sputter, his cheeks heating underneath the mask. "And I'm a tutor. I tutor math at Rider-Waite, that's all. Do you thrive off of making blatant and outrageous assumptions, or do you just like to be an a**?"
He tried to school his face back to a calm expression, Nathaniel's eyes still glancing around at their surroundings, too aware of his own imperfections and his own lack of magic. Connor was quiet, which felt weird, like a rarity, before he finally spoke again.
A sigh escaped.
"I've only seen a few people without masks, only one or two," said Nathaniel. "But I was also told this is something that happens every...twenty-two years, I think. Something about how the 'red moon only rises every twenty-two years.' So it's something that's happened before, though I don't know how that helps to figure out what we're supposed to do from here."
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 11:01 pm
Connor flashed a grin, "I don't see what's so outrageous about it. You were invited here by a student, so perhaps she..or he? Have a thing for you. And obviously accepted, so maybe you have a thing for them. This seems completely ******** reasonable to me." At the last part, he shrugged. "Damn. You got me." Back to business. "I've seen more than just one or two, and from what I've been told of the doubles, one has a mask while the other does not..though having said that, I actually have no ******** clue how many of these doubles there actually are lurking around. Assuming it's true that anybody without a mask isn't safe, than it's probably also safe to assume that there's going to be a choosing of some sort...and until we know who is chosen, I don't see how anybody can actually be saved." A smooth shrug of his shoulders concluded his train of thought, and he let out a short sigh. "And I just ******** happen to stumble upon my own magical powers only a short time before this one. How incredibly lucky." His expression turned sour. "What else have you heard? Anything about an enemy revealing itself tonight?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 4:21 pm
"I do not," said Nathaniel primly, "have a thing for one of my students. Or anyone, for that matter."
When would he even have time for a relationship? It felt like a long, distant thing, something incomprehensible and unknowable. Nathaniel inadvertently tightened his grasp on Connor's hand out of sheer thought and then loosened them again hastily when he realized what he was doing.
"I don't really see how we save anyone, other than just masking everyone," said Nathaniel unhappily, though he was curious at the mention of Connor's magic, feeling another strange sweep of wistfulness at the thought. "And unfortunately, I haven't heard much of anything about a so-called enemy. Just that this tithe is a special occassion, even though they've held parties and balls like this before."
There was a pause, and then he said, deliberately casually,
"I wrote everything down, if you wanted to take a look."
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Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 10:01 am
"Sounds ******** lonely." Was Connor's reply. And he would know, because he was lonely himself, though it was only a feeling that had come upon him recently, a hole that was no longer filled by one night stands or a puppy that cuddled up against his chest in the middle of the night. Connor did, however, have a thing for someone, and perhaps that made his feelings of loneliness all the deeper, the wanting of somebody he definitely didn't deserve and likely would never obtain. The brief squeeze of fingers against Connor's was a surprise, and eyebrows lifted, but nothing was said. "And that only works if everyone wants a mask and is willing to take it. Whatever is going to happen tonight, I highly doubt there will be any stopping it...." Another brief pause, and he frowned. "....Did you bring a ******** notebook with you?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 11:36 am
It hit him harder than he'd thought - sounds ******** lonely. Nathaniel stared at Connor with wide eyes from behind his mask before a closed off expression shifted across his face, his lips pressing together in a thin line as he looked away.
"Maybe it is," he said, and he did not want to think of the ache in his chest or the wistful yearning for something more than what he'd been given in his lot in life. Focusing on the matter at hand was much easier than anything else, his mind going back to the court.
"Maybe we should just give everyone masks, regardless," Nathaniel grumbled. his eyes cut back to Connor once more, the music wafting around them.
"No," he said, with as much dignity as he could muster. "I used a napkin and a pen that I found in one of the rooms."
Sliding his hand from Connor's shoulder, Nathaniel reached into his pocket and tugged out a carefully folded napkin, which he then unfolded one-handed with great precision and care. On it was written - in a slanted, messy handwriting - a series of notes, some less clear than others, and more than a little scribbled, but still enough that it was readable.
"Here," he said, holding it towards Connor. "This is all I've got."
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