The Devil's Ball

[Piper Wren]

"He's obviously a sleazebag, I honestly don't think she'd tolerate that... Shaehern character near her for very long."

Sleazebag was certainly a word for it...Piper hoped to not have much contact with Shaehern if at all possible, he didn't scare the wits out of her like Iugo did but he was still enough to make her nervous. Piper was glad to hear that Naelona had enough sense to not want Shaehern near her for any length of time. Perhaps speaking to her wouldn't quite be like putting her hands in a thumbscrew and watching it turned after all. Piper glanced over at Naelona, still dreading the conversation none the less, getting a story about being claimed by Zarek ready in her head. It wasn't exactly a lie...

"We'll hang around by the walls then. Maybe we'll find someone else you know...Did you know if Tristan kept any slaves other than Aione and you?"

"How about the balcony for a minute? Having Shaehern out of sight for a little while would be good..."

Piper wanted to be away from a sea of masks if only for a few minutes, she didn't say anything to Elric about it...but the rebels would be making a move tonight. Just before midnight, she didn't feel prepared for it and didn't anyone getting hurt like last time. Maybe she should say something, if only just to make him aware of what was going to be happening. That lump in her throat was back and she finally was concious of holding onto Elric's sleeve. She let go, putting the offending hand behind her back.

"Sorry."

[Elric Vlarintos]

Getting out of the sea of people would be good. Elric never really was a fan of crowds. At the suggestion of using one of the balconies Elric found himself raising an eyebrow. Of course, the gesture would go unseen because of his full face mask, but the point still stood.

The balcony was out of the way of people. Maybe she just wanted a little bit of air to breathe without worrying about people. Maybe there was something she wanted to tell him. A lump formed in his throat as he made his response. "Okay."

Once again, he had been oblivious to her holding his sleeve. She noticed before he did and pulled her arm away. Elric felt his teeth sink into his lips as he considered it--licking his lips was impossible with the mask on. "You know, I really don't mind when you do that. If it makes you feel more comfortable then..." Elric just sort of trailed off and picked up a moment later. "You should."

Making their way up the balcony away from people was only so much of a challenge as navigating the bodies normally would be.

[Piper Wren]

"Okay, You know, I really don't mind when you do that. If it makes you feel more comfortable then...You should."

In truth it did make her feel more comfortable about this whole situation, Piper felt completely out of her depth. She was only here in the first place out of loyalty to Augusta as one of her closest friends. Hesitantly she placed her hand back on Elric's arm, fingers gently gripping the fabric once again. She followed Elric out onto the balcony, shivering at the sudden chill in the air after the heat of the ballroom...but it was good in a way, it cleared her head. Piper was set in her mind now about warning Elric about the upcoming events, he wasn't a member of the rebels but he wouldn't blurt it out to everyone in the ballroom.

'How the hell am I going to explain this one?'

'Just be honest'

'And that did me any good last time because?'

'Fair enough but do you want people to get hurt?'

'Fine...'

Piper glanced back to the bustling occupants of the ballroom, no one was close enough to hear their conversation over the music of the orchestra...she hoped anyway. When she was sure it was safe for them to talk she steeled herself to lean in closer, not taking any chances on being overhead. It was a risk she couldn't take, shyness would have to be put aside.

"Listen, I'm only saying this once. The rebels are moving tonight, right here in the ball...I don't know what could happen so I want you to get out when it starts if you can...please."

[Jasmine Krisp]

Jasmine saw the same basic reaction from Shaehern as he too spotted the demon among demons. She really wanted to get out of his line of vision, even if right now he seemed to be busy talking to young woman. Human woman. Hope she gets out fast. Without so much of a thought she nodded at Shae's escape plan, a bit excited that the person they'd be escaping to was Naelona Ezel. Jazz had always watched the woman from far off. And she was very, very beautiful. And smart. The kind she liked.

"Naelona, you say? Hells yes." the little Boogie threw Luther another worried look, "Anywhere but here."

Of course, the next question brought a bright smile back to Jazz's face. "You look utterly glorious, babe. And the mask is perfect. You look like a true queen." There was a double meaning to that compliment. She wasn't really sure she meant more, but she meant it.

[Kristopher Roberts]

Finally being able to get away from Shae, Kris rounded a corner that was hidden from others view points. He leaned againt the wall and sighed deeply, "For the love of God, did you HAVE to whistle at him? You could of been taken to a dark ally and more." The younger blond shook his head as he glanced at his twin.

"Anyways, I need you to take my place for a short time. Think you can handle it?" He asked his twin with a raised brow, granted it could not be seen due to the mask he wore.

Kristopher had to take care of a few things within the shadows and being stuck to Naelona's side or anyone elses would make it impossible for him to do what he needed. "Unless you feel like being in charge." he chuckled with some amusement at the thought. Switching with Zeke was always something fun.

Speaking of fun, Kristopher dug around in his pocket and pulled out a small case and handed it to his twin. "Contacts, Love. You'll be needing them no matter what."

[Zeke Suzushima]

Zeke laughed at his place besides Kris, this time soft enough so they wouldn't be seen. "A dark alley? Gee, sounds like you know this Shae very well. You failed to mention him..." Blue eyes scanned around for a moment, thinking of his response. It was the moment he'd been practicing for, they'd been practicing, but it was still incredibly dangerous. "I think I can handle being in your shoes. How long will you take?"

The older boy blinked at the second offer. "Hmm...well, I think I'd fail at that." He smiled foolishly, "Never thought I'd say this, but you're better at lying than I am. And sweet." Zeke took the little case from Kris' pale hand before opening it, showing the red and green lenses. It would take some getting used to, but if they started to bug him he'd just fake a coughing fit to adjust them. It was going to be fine. One hundered percent fine.

I hope.

[Kristopher Roberts]

"Sounds good then and by the way, Naelona is waiting on her drink. If anything blame the crowd and Shea for being late, she will understand and um, you know what to do. You should have me done to an art now." He chuckled as he looked around the corner for a moment and then went to work on his jacket.

It took him only a few seconds to pull it off as well as his shirt and toss it to Zeke. "Change and be quick about it. I'll be coming back in about twenty minutes tops. I'll let you know when Im ready for us to go back to normal and if anything happens..." He paused to think about this, "Be sure to find me as fast as you can. I won't have you getting hurt or introuble on my account. Remember that."

With that said, Kristopher walked over to Zeke and promptly removed the others shirt without warning, a grin on his face, tonight was going to be interesting. Their trial begins now.

[Elric Vlarintos]

The balcony was more than a little different from the ballroom. It was less crowded and more open and the fresh air was a relief. Getting here had involved pushing his way through crowds of people. Elric disliked making his way through groups of people, but at least he didn't feel like he had made an ass of himself doing it.

This was a nice scene. Elric might have been able to enjoy it on another night. Instead his mind was on other details.

He turned to Piper. Maybe he'd be able to try asking her about Tristan again, though he really didn't like the idea. Aione might have been the better choice anyways. Before he could put the question to her again, Piper came out with another revelation from left field.

"Tonight..." he muttered with a shiver. Elric hardly liked knowing, because that meant he was part and parcel of the crime now. He knew about it in advance, which meant that he had a responsibility to tell Naelona or somebody. Deception seemed so contrary to everything Elric did. He spent so long worrying about that thought that he almost missed something even more important.

"How do you know that?" Elric's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Piper hardly seemed the type, but Elric had seen where his judgment of people's characters had gotten him before. It could very well have been that he was surrounded by such people and he would have never known.

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

Shaehern could have sworn that his new friend's face lit up when he suggested they go pester Naelona. That brought a smile to his face. If any doubts existed before as to how well the pair would get along, then those doubts had vanished now. It was time to go pay the dear lady a visit now. If Shaehern's last encounter with Naelona set any precedent for this one, then the two of them might even manage to set down peaceably with a drink.

He absolutely adored the compliment to his sense of fashion. Lifting up a finger to his lips he offered Jasmine a wink. "Thank you, Jazz dear. It's good to know that you have such a wonderful taste in fashion. I especially love your mask. It's so... bold." In Shaehern speech 'bold' was no doubt code for something, but even Shaehern wasn't certain what. It was something that could be communicated without words.

He quickly lead the trot over to where Naelona Ezel was staying. Every one of his steps made the clicking sound of his heels hitting the floor. Even so, his bodily motions were like watching water flow through the air.

"Oh, Naelona dear," he called out as he approached. Clearly she must have some idea who he was. After all, with the entrance he had made there was no doubts who he was. The doubts would be more along the lines of what kind of equipment he actually had under the dress.

[zarek]

There were far too many people in this room for Zarek's test, far too many. He stood off to the side and away from most of the boogies and humans. He chose to keep to himself, granted most people would notice him (and he talked to a quite a few boogies since he stepped into the room) and that was fine. He just wanted people to know he had been here even if he really didn't want to be.

The idea of the main event made him sick to his stomach but also hungry. Afterall, boogies did consume humans on a daily basis. So, it was normal to get hungry just thinking about what was to come. The main event would start sooner or later and that was when the real fun was going to come about.

Though, for now, he merely stood there, staring at people and taking note of what was going on. He saw two blonds disappear, Madam Naelona sitting and Shae getting along with Jazz. He took note of two humans dancing and now talking to themselves (one being his slave, Piper) and a pissed off Kazn.

It was certainly a busy night, though to busy for him. Pushing away from the wall he leaned against, he vanished among the crowd for his own reasons, after all there was far too many people here for his taste. But at least he stopped by if only for a moment.

[Naelona Ezel]

Something was definitely amiss. Ever since Shaehern had practically attacked her slave and another boy, she'd yet to see a hair of the blond slave. Now where was that boogie-who-would-be-a-bird anyway..? If he had something to do with it she'd- nah, there he was again. Kristopher wasn't near him. If anything Naelona had to smirk for a brief moment at how the other boogies swarmed, mingled, parted and regroups around Luther as he passed them.

Listening to the upbeat tempo of another song Naelona found herself absently humming to it, looking about the balcony and the other boogies there when something caught her eye, killed the tune she'd been carrying, and devoured her attention for several moments. Off in the corner, not even far from her table sat a large black dog. It wasn't part of the decorations, that was for sure, and her heart quickened a little when she realized it wasn't some subconscious shadow creation either.

It took a moment before her mind finally concluded it was merely a statue. Letting go of the breath she didn't know she was holding, Naelona turned in her seat to better see the stone carving. It was very dark, and very lifelike. The only thing that told her it wasn't the real deal was.. well.. all this life and it was still sitting there. ..unless it was Luther's.. no.. he'd be a fool to bring his familiar in here. It was a statue, there was no other way.

At then a bemused tendril of shadow rose out of the floor beside it. It grew into a large size comparable to the statue before it started to mold and shift at her command. Within moments it was a very close replica of the statue - and just as black. With a faint smirk Naelona worked on the finishing touches, adjusting the shade to make the lighting appear just right for proper look of the desired surface. In another moment, no-one would be able to tell them apart.

"Oh, Naelona dear," came a voice, and only one voice would ever greet her so cheerily. "Shaehern.." Oh joy. "Good Evening." Naelona greeted. "That was quite the entrance earlier, given my father's reaction I almost had to applaud you." Almost, not quite. It was an eyesore the lot of it, but Kazn's reaction had been worth it all. Cast a glancing to Jazz, Naelona nodded to the woman. "Good Evening." She greeted, directing her last remark to Shae. "You've brought a friend with you tonight, I see." Undoubtedly, introductions were in order.

[Zeke Suzushima]

It's a dangerous game we're playing.

"Kris"-Zeke looked around the ball room as soon as he'd stepped back into the crowd, trying to see the quickest way to the refreshments. He had to make sure Shaehern wasn't near-by...that would only delay him further, considering how he acted. Luckily he seemed to be going up the steps with a young woman. Which Zeke considered a little surprising. Maybe they were just friends. Or was he straight? Kind of hard to tell with that outfit on.

Hello. I wear dresses and I'm with Serenity. Nothing wrong with that.

Soon as the newly green/red-eyed slave made his way over to the table he got the drink and started back up to the stairs. He did well to avoid looking at the scarier Boogies, mainly that big guy making his way around and the one conducting the orchestra, but he couldn't help glaring at a few wandering eyed. Dammit. He'd known Kris would get Zeke in this outfit somehow. And here he was...getting eye-molested. As he knew he would.

But once he was at the top of the stairs, he spotted the man-of-many-feathers standing between him and Naelona. Crud. An obstacle.

Make a face. Kris doesn't like him. But reign it back a little like he would...pretend you don't like him, then pretend to pretend you don't mind...this is going to be a challenge. Fun.

With a small, pretend-forced smile, Zeke-"Kris" started toward the table, purposely taking the longer way around to avoid any area near Shae to get to Naelona's side. He also had to pass the creepy guy with the beak. "Your drink, madam." He said softly, trying not to mess anything up as he handed it to her. A dangerous game indeed.

[Jasmine Krisp]

As she trotted after Shaehern, Jasmine's face began to darken to a soft pink with anticipation. She'd always noticed Naelona. Always seen her wandering around, mostly with one of her slaves or with that monkey of hers. Since Jazz's close encounter with Kyle, she'd not only been given an excuse to watch him and make sure he was okay...but also to spy on Naelona when he was around her. Although she'd never once spoken to the woman, Jasmine admired Nae a lot.

A girl-crush, as it were.

"U-Um...good evening," the little one began as Naelona addressed her, taking it on herself to introduce herself rather than let Shae. She wanted to speak to her. "I'm Jasmine. Jasmine Krisp. It's an honor to meet you...I've heard much about you..." Jazz's eyes trailed to watch the little blond slave, the name Kristopher came to mind, then noticed the bird-man sitting at the table. Gold eyed blinked behind tinted glass.

Only one name came to mind when she saw that get-up...and that almost silver hair was unmistakable.

"Doc? Is that you?"

Her face heated again, but this time for reasons she didn't understand and couldn't control. Jasmine had hoped she would see Iugo tonight. But him and Naelona at once might give her an aneurysm.

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

Shaehern offered a bow to Naelona after her near-compliment of his performance. Knowing Nae as well as he did, Shae could hardly expect better from her. Bothering the 'old' stiffs was something Shaehern loved to do. Those were the moments for which he lived. Of course, it also meant that hanging around where Luther could see him or find him turned out to be a dangerous game. Shae couldn't recall exactly what it was that he had done to earn that vendetta, but he knew better than to try crossing paths with the brute now.

"I'll take what I can get from you, then. My new friend here is-" Before Shae could introduce Jasmine she had taken the liberty. In all likelihood it was better than she perform her own introduction, though Shaehern noticed a few odd things about the way she spoke around Nae. Those were clearly nervous habits coming from someone who moments ago had seemed so confident. A smile crossed his lips as he considered the meaning of it.

The other figure at the table was a peculiar one. Shaehern had never seen the outfit before, but he could have sworn he remembered hearing about it at some point or another. The names involved were escaping him until Jasmine made the point of asking for the individual's identity. Doc.

Doctor Iugo Nationis was a man with a reputation that preceded him. Very few families or names garnered quite the same response that his name did. The Ezels were hoisted upon the same level. The brute that he had left on the floor held more of a 'legendary' status among the Boogies who knew him. Unfortunately, the only people who knew facts were much older than Shaehern, and no one ever wanted to share.

"The doctor? Quite an honor." Shaehern seemed suddenly very aware that something had changed about Jazz again. Had he, by pure happenstance, discovered a double-ringer for his new friend? Shaehern would have to consider bringing it up in conversation sometime, since he hardly was going to let this new friend go after the ball. Finding like-minded people was hardly an easy task.

Out of the corner of his eye Shaehern could have sworn he saw the man he had been waiting to see. What a shame he was here with Naelona, Jasmine and the Doctor now. He considered slipping off, but decided he could spare a few moments longer to pester Naelona.

"I should mention that the affair I mentioned before is in order now, Naelona dear. Everything is as it should be."

[Piper Wren]

"Tonight...How do you know that?”

Now this was the hard part, Elric looked incredibly suspicious of how Piper even knew about what would be happening. She had to be honest but if he betrayed her on this one…then she could be responsible for all the rebels getting hurt or worse. But Piper was torn, tell Elric, the rebels might get hurt, keep it a secret and something might happen to Elric. Why did it have to be so difficult? Anxiously she bit down on her bottom lip, frantically trying to come to a decision…it took a moment but she decided to make her warning about the rebels and the consequences. Piper wasn’t religious but all she could do after that was hope and pray. Taking a deep breath she leaned in close to Elric, hesitantly putting both hands on his shoulders, lowering her voice to a whisper.

“Listen, I know because I’m involved, you can’t tell anybody about this, if you say anything I don’t know if I’ll be able to trust you again because you’ll be putting us all at risk…Elric, I only told you because things could go wrong and I don’t want to see you get hurt. Take the chance and get out if you see any sign. Please, for my sake?”

Piper gave Elric a pleading look, begging him not to say anything and betray the rebels to the boogies. If something went wrong tonight it could be ugly, last time people had died and Piper knew she couldn’t go through all of that again. If something happened then she couldn’t forgive herself if she hadn’t given due warning.

‘Please, don’t say anything..’