The Mad God's Masque and Bellicose Ball (IC) (M)

[Cogidubnus]

 "Thanatophorous." the badger said softly. "It took me many years to learn that meaning." he looked to the side. "A word from an old, old language, long dead." he seemed to crack a smile at that, and looked back at Andrace, his face again growing sober. "It means death-bearer. She meant that to be you."
He tilted his head back slightly. "As for the color...you should see your own eyes." he smiled. "In every color of the rainbow, intense as the sun. But your vision! You see the mortality inherent in all things - the end of all things. The eyes of Death. That is why there is no brightness, no color, only grey, but for the glimmering of those...not yet dead."

In the grey light of the afternoon, the badger somehow took on a more sinister connotation. "I fear I have done you no favors. But you must take it." there was fervor in his voice, an intensity that she'd yet heard from him. "Can you imagine if someone found this? Some collector, some..." he shook his head and looked at the ground, his expression twisted in some form of pleading. "It cannot be. You must take it."

Andrace heard a soft click, the sound of metal moving across wood. She saw the edge of the sword in his hands peeking out from the scabbard, just barely. With surprising slowness, the badger drew the blade entirely, the sword gleaming wetly in the sunlight.
"Beware the lady in the sword, Andrace." he said, his expression turning resolute and strange. "Someday she will find you too."

Andrace found her limbs unlocking as he charged, and his blade sang as it cut the air - the badger whirled the sword over his head and with a swiftness belied by his size. He swung at an angle, his sword a grey, shining arc as he aimed for the lioness's head.

* * *

Walter sniffed. "I can give it to her later, if you would prefer. I did not like the look of that...feline." he said, pressing his lips together. "Nevertheless." he said, and held the door open for Mel while she gathered her things.

Ten minutes later, they were well on their way to the Castle, the carriage halfway up the hill and making good time.

* * *

The officer turned around, his expression dumbfounded.

"I expect a shower might do you good, son." he said, tilting his head. "You homeless or something? The local YMCA might be able to help you out." he said a bit loudly.

[Azlan]

The golem had successfully managed to move away from the officer and carefully it settled into vehicle mode.  He eased his wheels into a quiet corner of the parking lot, a legal parking space for vehicles of his apparent class.  Perhaps now he could get some meditation in before anything could go wrong.

***

"The castle looked much closer than it appeared."  Huffed Kiet as he and Camiole approached the front of the old structure.

The clouded leopard gave a small chuckle as she gazed back down the path towards the town, "you really must get out of that academy and get back into shape.  A great warrior should not be winded by such a pedestrian walk.  I could have run that carrying water buckets."

"pedestrian walk?  Nice choice of words Cam."  Kiet straightened up with a short stretch and a yawn, "when you are as old as I am, you learn to conserve energy and take deliberate action.  Now... shall we?"

The ringtail gestured towards the castle with an outstretched, gentlemanly arm.

"Yes, I think so."  Camiole purred as she took his offered arm.  The pair approached the gates brushing them aside with simple magic.
 

[Aisha deCabre]

As Gareeku answered, Rynkura took note of the wolf's expression.  She knew a troubled look when she saw one; but it wasn't yet her place to ask, especially when she was still awaiting an answer from the librarian.  The white tiger kept her concern to herself as she heard the book snap shut courtesy of the lemur's hands.

"Hm, do see that you do," she nodded back and made a polite bow of the head.  "Do not worry about the bother; if anything it made the day a little more interesting before the party," she chuckled.  "Now, I'll take my leave.  And please do remember to tell me if any books on the history of the castle show up; I am still most curious about that."

With that, Rynkura took up her staff and walked towards the wolf, her headache's effects finally having dwindled.

"I quite honestly think that there are strange things happening in this place," she told the wolf, once they were out of earshot of the librarian.  "I was just attacked by a cursed book.  Some kind of prank, I suppose."  She hummed with a shake of her head, turning back to the warrior.  "I hope that is all it is.  Did you find anything yourself?"

[Yugo]

   Esme stopped, turning to regard Elyse with a look of both curiousity and happiness. A reconsideration of Elyse's position pleased her, and Esme looked forward to actually having a semi-normal companion for the rest of her attendance. Of course, there must be more beneath the surface than Esme initially appraised, but Esme tended to follow her instincts regarding others and her stomach had told her good things about Elyse. At least, so far.
   
     "Thank you," she managed, flashing a broad smile as she fell in step with her associate, continuing to move despite any lack of real direction or destination. Despite Elyse's relaxed posture and easygoing tone, there was a hardness to her face that suggested that other thoughts were perhaps on her mind. Again, the early curiosity bubbled forth from the depths of her mind, and Esme found herself thinking of the politics and swaggering that went around at such ritzy galas as this. Friendliness here could be a tool and a weapon, as could every question or even a seemingly benign statement. The concept made her head spin. Maybe sometime in the future she could ask Elyse about it, but for now she shoved the thoughts back into the recesses of her brain, and focused on the moment at hand. Noting the way Elyse's eyes trailed along the various platters of hors d'ouevres, and, with a slight flick of her wrist, Esme turned forth a small cube of cheese impaled on a toothpick in her palm that had previously been across the room. "Looking for this?", she asked knowingly with a grin on her face.

[SpottedKitty]

Andrace's eyes (shining all the colours of the rainbow) widened and her ears dipped as she realised the meaning of the badger's words. She had a horrible suspicion of what would happen next; and almost exactly on time, she heard the quiet metallic click of his sword being eased out of its scabbard. "Oh no, y' don't," she said quietly, with a warning tone in her voice, "y' not goin' t' make me th' weapon t' kill y' — I got a few more questions for y' yet!"

Too late. The badger charged, and the paralysis that had frozen Andrace's arms and legs released her almost after the last moment. With so little time and the badger's unexpected speed, there were only a few reliable moves she could make to counter... and she didn't take any of them. A block-and-bind move on the badger's sword, then a disarm, would have been easy. But if, as she suspected, he was being controlled or compelled to attack, that gave too many opportunities for him to throw himself on her sword if he was determined not to survive.

Crouching slightly, the lioness thrust her new sword up at an angle, across the path of the badger's strike, then she leaped straight up, swinging her knee up towards the underside of his muzzle as he rushed towards her. A riskier move for Andrace, depending as it did on the certainty of swatting the descending blade out of the way as she jumped, but it gave her opponent a much better chance of remaining unperforated. Unless something else was going on here...

[Stygian]

The bat didn't turn toward Esme until after a brief pause of a couple of seconds. Once she did though, she had somehow evidently managed, without any apparent movement, to down three of the little skewered snacks, and was slipping the toothpicks out of her mouth, pinching them between her fingers. She looked at the lynx, then at the proffered cheese, and offered a dry smile.
   'Yes, I suppose it's easy for some to make the mistake. However I am a bat, not a rat', she said. Her hand glided down her side and out of Esme's immediate vision, and without dropping anything to the floor or stretching in any way she somehow managed to produce a wine glass next, which she lifted to her lips. She drew the liquid smoothly and slowly, savoring as much as she could of the faint similarities to the taste that she craved and at the same time partaking in hints of perky, sweet-curious confusion that she gleaned from the other woman. A bit away elsewhere across the floor, a caribou waiter stared at the tray he was carrying in confusion, but in the bustle neither the lynx nor Elyse herself were in a position to see his consternation. Even under the circumstances, such as he were probably not quite used to glasses going off wandering on their own. Normally only the silver cutlery apparently managed that, and only in the presence of very particular types of visitors.

[Yugo]

   Esme snorted rather loudly, popping the small cube of cheese into her mouth, sliding the toothpick out without any apparent effort. "My mistake," she smiled, enjoying the sharp taste of cheddar on her tongue. Her stomach bubbled slightly as she realized she hadn't actually eaten anything during her train trip. She twitched her fingers slightly, producing multiple cubes of diced ham, sliding them past her lips, savoring the rich smoky flavor. Esme raised an eyebrow as she collected her spent toothpicks in her left hand. Lifting an hors d'oeuvre was one thing. An entire glass of wine was another. The two of them made eye contact briefly and she looked away, deciding to attempt a similar feat to the bat-woman's. As if pulling something from her pocket, a shining empty glass blossomed forth. Esme sniffed, clearly amused. "Some you win," she muttered to herself, placing the glass on a tray as the group passed a table.

[e_voyager]

"homeless? no sir i've just been dipped in hot chocolate and rubbed again a cold clock tower and dumped on the street. i don't want to return to the hotel with out at least trying to clean up some" the feline shook his hands down towards the ground  then resumed shivering and trying to rub the colling coco out of his fur.  " i only have a few hours to get ready for tonight after all." he said and as and after though he remember the book's he'd borrowed form the library and suddenly turned around looking for them. "oh man were did i drop those books. please don't be in the coco please don't be in the coco!"

[Cogidubnus]

 "Well son, I think you better think about just how you're going to get clean without going back to your bathroom." Officer Y'mir said, shaking his head. The lack of 'coco' on the ground or in any location - what might have charitably been called brownish water was currently decorating the sides of the building and growing vaguely sticky - didn't seem to faze the feline in the least. He was about to say something else, when his radio crackled to life.

It spoke in that strange, difficult-to-decipher, static-filled drone that were intrinsic to shortwave radios, and instantly understandable to anyone holding the receiver while being simultaneously incomprehensible to everyone else around them. He narrowed his eye.
"He said that it was upside down when he got there? No, no, I'm headed over. Look for tequila bottles, I think I remember this guy. We took him in last week on a domestic call. Right, the fistfight with the old lady. No, his car wasn't upside down at that time. Look, I'll be there in a minute."

He walked away, jogging just slightly towards this next call of duty, and as fast as possible away from the giant gryphon and insane feline bibliophiles.

* * *

The weight of the badger's strike nearly crumpled Andrace's arm - everything about the swordsmith suggested a bigness that belied his quick movement. There was a prodigious strength in those armslimbs, and despite somewhat of a gut, an ability to support those wrought-iron arms as they slammed into the ebon-bladed sword. Andrace landed a solid kick to his face, cutting his muzzle on his own teeth and knocking him back slightly, but she was surprised when a hand darted from the hilt of his sword, and with thick fingers wrapped his hand nearly entirely around her foot.

Again, his speed was deceptive - within a heartbeat, the badger pushed off his back foot, and putting the entire weight of his body shoved Andrace bodily backwards, up and through the air and into the wooden wall behind her, rattling the entire side of the room. A tea set clattered off its shelf, shattering.

"You think this is a game?!" he bellowed, sword gleaming wickedly in the sunlight. He moth frothed, the formerly calm badger consumed in battle-lust. "What kind of a warrior are you? If you do not kill me, I WILL kill you!"

As if to reinforce his point, he charged the feline again, his own curved blade a blurred, silver arc as he readied another strike at the lioness.

* * *

The gates of the Castle Damaske groaned and clattered, largely because they were already open, and the hinges only allowed them to move back so far. Still, the desired effect was accomplished, and Kiet may have even succeed in opening them yet slightly more, and possibly latching one on the automatic catch that the previous gate-keeper had failed to connect with.

The Castle stood before the incubus in all of it's glory. To Kiet the tactician, it was less than impressive - built less in the style of the keeps of old, it was more a grandiose manor house of stone, four-storied and vaguely rectangular, with nary a tower nor murder hole to be seen. Large glass windows begged to have fire thrown through them, and the roof might very possibly be made of wood or slated shingles, if the view from the hotel had been correct.
To Kiet the Noble, it was a thing of beauty. Grand, stately, built of black stones and tastefully accented in gold, it was a tribute to the gothic in every sense of the word - imitation, and done so with the most careful attention to detail, and the greatest ignorance towards actual gothic styles. It managed to be grand in it's own way, however, and it was this quality that impressed itself strangely.
It was readily apparent this castle hadn't been here very long, as castles go. Perhaps only in the last five to six hundred years had it been built.

They were not the first here, it was apparent - they had to dodge incoming traffic coming in the gates, and the internal gardens were already overflowing with guests, of all sorts and from all places, in all manner of dress. Two servants seemed to be taking invitations at the front door, each one standing on either side, and nodding in affirmation or shaking their heads sadly, depending upon their reception or a guest's dispossession of an invitation.

* * *

[Azlan]

"Oh what a wonderful place!  One could hold such foppish, pretentious... ostentatious... pompous parties here!  Reveling on the expansive grounds, looking down upon all the common folk through massive glass windows, and dieing in violent, bloody way as the peasants storm the poorly defensive walls because of some off-color remark about how they can eat the burned remnants of baking coating the inside of ovens."  Kiet managed to keep a sweet and innocent face throughout the whole comment.

Camiole's smile was slight as she nodded in agreement, "indeed, I would not want to have to hold this outer ward without at least four squads of elite, veteran terminators."

Kiet focused his eyes on the right servant, his right, and with a determined and confident step, made his way for her.  Twisting and turning this way and that, slipping through small cracks in the otherwise solid wall of beings and creatures, and just plain tail whacks on occasion, Kiet reached the servant in record time.  He produced the invitation and brought it to rest in front of her eyes by was of a single wing tentacle.  The draconic head's eyes winked at her and awaited her taking of the offered paper.

[Sunblink]

Elizabeth heard someone start talking behind her.

"Excuse me, did you know Harvey?" the voice said. She turned to see a roughly thirtiesh rabbit regarding her, casually dressed. His head was tilted slightly. "He did keep odd friends, I guess. Never knew Uncle Harv very well myself. Still, they have the funeral when he dies, right? I'm sure he'd be laughing, the bastard, if he knew he was raining on all those rich folks parades. He never did like them, although I hear he was a bit of a bastard to everyone." he smiled wryly. "Ah, sorry, didn't catch your name...?"

Elizabeth froze and craned her head around to look at the rabbit, cocking an eyebrow. She tried to minimize her confusion so she could appear, at least, somewhat helpful or pleasant, even when the Being was prattling on about some deceased relative. Not that Elizabeth could begrudge her all that much. She tried to act sympathetic, adopting a weary smile. "Ah, I'm afraid I'm just a visitor," she explained gently, trying to not seem suspicious. "I'm Elizabeth."

[SpottedKitty]

Whut th' hell happened? was the first thing to go through Andrace's mind as she sailed across the room. She instantly raised the badger several notches in ability and danger. Blocking his strike had rattled every tooth in her head, she'd felt the shock of the blades clashing go all the way up her arms and down her spine. As for the kick to the jaw, she might as well not have bothered, he'd shown so little effect. Then she'd felt a vice grip close around her foot, nearly crushing her paw, and the whole room flipped upside-down.

Training and feline instinct took over: the lioness ducked and tumbled as she crashed into the wall, taking the impact across her shoulders instead of smacking into it face-first. Somehow she kept her grip on her hideously dangerous new sword as she slid down the wall and landed in a heap. She was going to have a huge bruise over her shoulderblades, and as she moved she felt a sharp twinge somewhere between the back of her neck and her lower ribs. Scrambling to her feet, she realised she was in even more danger, the badger seemed to be about to go berserk. She laid her ears back and bared her fangs in a snarl. "I am Kithara," she growled angrily after a gasp or two to catch her breath, "we don't play games, not like this. What kind o' warrior am I? I'm one who don't always need t' kill — an' I'm not killin' y' t'day if I c'n help it!"

A snarl rumbled deep in her chest as the badger charged again. Still holding the sword in only one hand, she performed a parry that, with luck, should deflect the badger's sword into the wall at her back, where with even more luck, it might stick. With her other hand, she fished one of her old throwing knives out of its hidden pocket and thrust it up, slashing at the badger's right arm as it swung past. Those damnable lines across his body still pulsed and glowed, and she had no intention of giving him so much as a hickey on any of those spots. Even if he had gone berserk, enough damage should slow him down and leave him easier to defeat without actually killing him. Hopefully, before he killed her...

[e_voyager]

Aten heard the officer departing and but he didn't matter. instead what did matter was find the book. fortunately  it they were no in the coco but near a hug foot print Aten breath a sight of relief as he found them. she shook himself light  and shook his hands again before picking up the  books. the officer was right however. he should go back to the hotel. and he tried to figure out where it was he wondered if there were a way he could sneak in but he doubt that. sneezes he waked away form one of the most unseal situations of his life.

[Stygian]

'...some you botch,' the bat finished for Esme, in a voice that seemed somehow closer than it should have been. She herself was of the persuasion that luck just didn't play into things, but that at the heart of everything were the abilities to calculate and compensate for eventualities, and to discern when one should refrain from doing a particular thing that seems much too influenced by chance.
   'Helping you to your room would be our pleasure. Perhaps we can discuss things without interruption,' she continued, sipping once again. Her eyes sidled toward Jeremiah for a short instant, unpleasantness in her look. And you listen to Bal, or I think maybe I'll see if there isn't a way to put him in charge instead... she voiced in the amphibian's head.

[Cogidubnus]

 The badger's sword slid off Andrace's parry, burying itself firmly into the wall behind her. The ease with which it sunk into the oaken boards reminded her of the very subtle difference in sound between a cleft skull and a cleft board. He growled, pulling back - the boards bowed under his strength, but the sword stuck fast.

The throwing knife was indeed as keen as the smith had promised it to be - it cut through fur and flesh as easily as one cut through butter, and he hissed and let go of the hilt reflexively. A bright, red line bloomed from wrist to elbow, severing the muscle and starting to bleed profusely. The fingers hung limply.

He growled at the Kithara assassin, dribbling blood on the floor. "I thought you might understand. You are no warrior. You're nothing but a sellsword. I should have.... never - li..." he paused for a moment, his expression distant. A flash of rage passed through his eyes. "If you will not give me death, I shall take it myself." he snarled.

He grabbed his sword with his good hand, and with that same prodigious strength proceeded to rip it from the wall. The wood buckled and then broke, the blade coming free along with peices of wood and drywall. He spat in Andrace's general direction.
"May she betray you in the end, assassin."

With a single motion, he ran himself through. His eyes bugged, and a moment later he coughed blood through his teeth. In an act of supreme will, he twisted the blade, and cut to the side, disemboweling himself.
A moment later he fell onto the ground, the blade pushing through him as he fell. Blood pooled on the floor at an alarming rate. He craned his neck, looking at Andrace. His gaze was serene.

He opened his mouth, but only blood poured between his teeth. His face froze. The lines of color, indicators of the hidden seams that bound him to reality, and life, faded.

* * *

Herr Doktor felt a tap on his shoulder. Behind him, a fox dressed in charcoal black and flowery yellow was smiling with bright, white fangs. A golden pocket-watch chain gleamed from the bright waistcoat.
"Dr. Irisi, I presume?" he said, his smile overly smug.

* * *

The attendant took Kiet's invitation gingerly, eying the tentacle-head proffering it warily. He read through it once, and then let the tentacle clamp onto it again.
"Welcome to Castle Damaske, Mr. Ti'Pallo." the attendant said, his attention moving on to the next person in line.

The interior decor seemed to be largely in keeping with the outside. Stone walls and stone floors with plush carpets and rugs thrown over them, high arches and the general feeling of grandiose privilege pervaded the place. Drinks and food had already been set out, and people milled about, socializing and generally passing the time.

* * *

The rabbit gave Elizabeth a strange look, and nodded. "Ah, well. Right then. I hope you have a pleasant morning." he said, moving away and closer towards the rest of the family.

Elizabeth might have lost interest in the place, had her eyes drifting over the intricate wood paneling not seen a perfect replica of the Jyraneth clan symbol, sitting exactly at the crest of one of the wooden arches above their heads.

* * *

LL and Mel arrived at the castle not half and hour after departing. Walter opened the door, and Mel stepped out first - and was immediately struck with a feeling of oddness. She thought little of it, however, moving forward to allow room for her grandmother to step out.

The elder dragon took her time getting out of the carriage - as she did so, Mel thought she saw a bit of amusement in her eyes. The attendants, and the staff currently moving about outside, nearly in unison turned to look at LL. LL, in turn, stared at the stone edifice in front of her, and walked towards it with great dignity.
"It is always too long between these parties, is it not, Melodie?" she said, giving the younger dragon a surprisingly roguish grin.

[e_voyager]

there was no help for it. aten needed to get  to the shower and that was in the hotel was the one place he was sure he could do it with out being arrested. not to mention that all of his clothes were there including his suite. so with coco  still falling off of him mostly frozen now he walked into the lobby and quickly headed for the elevator hoping that no one would notice him especially not the one's he was looking for he wolf Cogidubnus and the dragoness Melodie.  Who knew how they would react especially after they letter he sent to her. the wolf he'd never found but he hoped that he'd see him after he got cleaned up and not before.

[Sunblink]

Elizabeth watched the rabbit drift back into the crowd, and waited until he disappeared before she actually reacted. Sighing and folding her arms delicately, she walked, her posture and stance taller than her countenance actually allowed, straying about the room. She quickly found that she was losing interest, and her previous indignation was no longer a reasonable justification for staying in a place that bored her. Elizabeth shrugged loosely, frowning at what she viewed to be a fruitless interlude, and mumbled something under her breath about this venture being a waste of time.

She was about to open the door when she spotted it carved into the wooden arch. An exact recreation of the Jyraneth clan symbol.

Years and years of learning how to keep herself from acting with irrational emotionality was the only thing that kept Elizabeth from simply exploding with shock. She stared in abject horror at that little crest, stunned, her mind starting to reel - this, combined with the name of this establishment, was not just a coincidence. This hack-job Hanging Garden had to be run by someone who was familiar with Jyraneth Clan traditions - or who was from the Jyraneth Clan. The possibility of encountering someone who had survived the catastrophe that destroyed her home city was starting to excite Elizabeth, beyond the point where she could feasibly keep her composure. She had to find who was in charge of this place. Now.

[SpottedKitty]

Andrace's left ear flattened as the badger's sword carved into the wall only a couple of inches away. From the sound, that blow would have split her skull right down to the middle of her chest. She sidled quickly away as the injured badger finally let go of his sword, but she kept watching his every move. Disarmed or not, a badger was still a dangerous opponent. He must be mad, though, the things he was saying —

"Oh hell, no! Don't!" Andrace yelled as the furious badger wrenched his sword out of the wall. Too late. The only weapon she had with the reach to disarm him immediately was her new sword, and she didn't dare try to use that. All the lioness could do was dodge the blood that sprayed out from the massive wound as he ran himself through. Well, most of the blood. Some of it did get on her trousers and paws, and a few drops trailed up the right side of her jerkin and across her face.

She stared at the sprawled body as the glowing lines faded away to nothing, half furious with herself for not being able to stop him, half not quite believing she'd got into such a mess so quickly. Her gaze shifted to the sword in her hand as she stepped back to avoid the spreading pool of blood (and an assortment of internal organs). She would have been happy — no, ecstatic — to throw it away, or destroy it, but she had the uneasy feeling she wouldn't be able to. And she might just need it later.

"Right, first things first," she muttered to herself, "pull y'self t'gether, girl, an' stop babblin' — clean up, then y' need t' get out o' here." She left the body alone. The badger had obviously stabbed himself, and there were still chunks of debris from the hole in the wall stuck to his blade. There was nothing she could do about the long cut in his arm, except hope everyone would think he'd done that to himself as well. Besides, the blood pooling on the floor now surrounded the body, so any attempt to move him would leave clear traces. Working quickly, she pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the worst of the blood from her clothes. A few dabs from a small bottle taken from a hidden pocket followed, in the same places: that would hide the scent of blood, at least until she could dispose of the shirt and trousers. Their colours were carefully chosen, anyway, so that bloodstains wouldn't be too clearly visible. She slipped all the new throwing knives into the sheaths hidden under her shirt sleeves: they weren't a perfect fit, but close enough. Her old knives went into the box.

A quick search of the wall display turned up an empty scabbard that looked as if it should fit her new sword: when she tried, it slid home with a whisper that almost sounded alive. Her eyesight twisted for a moment, and she hoped that meant her "rainbow eyes" had gone back to normal. Walking around with glowing eyes and waving an unsheathed spooky-looking sword would definitely attract attention.

A short time later, out on the street, the shop doorbell tinkled as Andrace opened the door and walked out. She looked calm and unhurried, and she carried a long parcel wrapped up with lots of brown paper. Her ears tipped back as she heard the door close behind her, and the lock engaged with a distinct clunk. A few paces away from the doorway, she tugged on a thin thread held in her hand. The other end of the thread went under the door, and inside the "open" sign flipped over to "closed". Maybe not all that convincing a performance, but the best she could do in a hurry. With luck, anyone watching might persuade themselves they'd seen the old badger lock the door and turn the sign. All she wanted was for the mess upstairs to avoid attracting notice until her job was done and she was safely away.

The lioness had to take a few detours on the way back to the hotel before she found what she wanted. The snow from yesterday was partly melted, leaving puddles and slush on the pavements and roadsides. When she finally stamped (and squelched) into the Firebloom Inn's lobby, her legs were dripping with very cold water. Andrace paused at the reception desk long enough to order a taxi to take her to the castle in half an hour, then she stalked (apparently) angrily towards the stairs, snarling dire imprecations on all drivers who splashed innocent passers-by with freezing slush.

Half an hour later, Andrace came back down the stairs looking very different. She wore a neat, businesslike jacket and shirt with a slightly frilled knee-length skirt, all in various shades of tan and brown, and a frilly collar round her neck. Dangling from her left ear, to match the silver ring in her right, was a small green feather, just an inch or two long. She was dragging the backpack now, it appeared to have little wheels on the bottom so it wouldn't scrape noisily along the floor. The bloodstained shirt and trousers were gone, cut into shreds and flushed down the toilet. The jerkin had been less stained and easier to clean, it was folded up at the bottom of her backpack. Her new sword was... carefully hidden. She walked up to the reception desk and handed over her room key. "I'm checkin' out now," she said cheerfully, "oh, an' I ordered a taxi, is it here yet?"

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Tim nodded gratefully at the officer, turned and whistled sharply at Rover, and jerked one thumb in the direction of the hotel. She then took off, hauling herself into the air, and cruising slowly, near Rover's head, as he padded carefully through the streets to where the crate was parked, pausing only briefly to wash the remaining hot chocolate from his paws in a fountain.

Once there, Tim skipped inside to grab her bag, and sort out the bill, then came back out and, after parking her bag inside, directed Rover to grab the container and lift off. A short flight back to the train station, where Rover dropped the steel box onto a waiting truck on a siding. Tim opened up the doors, and shuffled inside. Rover rested his head on the tracks, one huge eyeball peering curiously in through the open doors, from which various thumping and swearing noises were emitted as Tim shuffled things around, getting the suit ready.

Finally, she emerged, grumbling to herself, and persuaded Rover to assist her. Firstly, he removed a flowy white sheet, which resolved itself, as he put it on, into an extremely large shirt, followed by dark green pants, a cummerbund, a spotless green jacket, and bow tie, all in his immense size. Finally, with some disgust, he pulled out a huge green ribbon, and handed it to Tim, who thanked him gravely, before tying it in a large bow at the end of his tail.

The final touch was the large, expressive mask that was balanced on his beak. Not only did it carry a shape, and colour, vaguely suggestive of daisies, the impact was accentuated by just a few strategically placed sequins; sunlight reflecting off beaded dew. Tim tied it in place, then vanished back into the shipping container. Mere moments later, she emerged, wearing her own ball gown: layers of brightly coloured fabric, artfully wrapping her wings without interfering with flight; and mask: black, with a pair of lit antennae coiled like fronds from the top. Checking she had the invitation, she turned to her charge. "All, right, boy. Let's rock the house."


Taking to their wings, they flew towards the castle, the butterfly flitting around the daisy.

[Gareeku]

Listening to Rynkura speak of her being "attacked by a book", Gareeku raised an eyebrow as he glanced at her.
"Funny you should say that. I just had an encounter with a strange individual." The wolf explained as the two of the them walked back from the library to the hotel. "He not-so-politely advised me to leave before running off. When I gave chase, he disappeared, seemingly into thin air. I think someone, or something, doesn't want us sticking our noses into business that we apparently shouldn't. Too bad. I don't follow advice too well."

[Aisha deCabre]

"Is that so...?" Rynkura answered as she listened to Gareeku's own strange occurrence in the library.  She had barely noticed the cold of the outside while they walked back to the hotel, nor anything that was going on outside.  She was in thought, her curiosity still gnawing at the edge of her mind.

"Hm," she finally started.  "Strange goings on indeed.  Well, I have never been able to follow advice of that sort either.  Not if there is something that seems to want us to leave just as mysteriously as we've been invited."  The tiger narrowed her eyes, showing a bit of determination.  "If there is one thing I hate, it is something that chooses to sneak around and scare the innocent party-goers, rather than showing itself to fight."

And nothing shall make a fool out of us, either.

The inside of the hotel was warm, but as usual for during the day, a flurry of activity.  A few people she noticed were leaving just as she and the wolf were arriving, perhaps on their way to the castle and being thoughtfully early.

Rynkura looked around and let out a relieved hum.  "At any rate...I suppose there is nothing much more to tend to for me than to get ready for the oh-so-mysterious event," she grinned.  "I shall see you in a few moments perhaps then, Gareeku."

At that end, she made her way back up the stairs, looking for her room.  The place was untouched at least, with her invitation still where she put it and the dress she brought along for the occasion hanging in the wardrobe and protected from wrinkling.

It was as green as her eyes, a sort of combination of modern design and Elizabethan-like decor, elegant but not cumbersome, a dress befitting her commanding and scholarly demeanor.  The masque itself was filled with shining emerald and black sequins.  Not too fancy, but perfect.  The dress was also open in the back, in case there was a moment where she would have to reveal her wings.

For a moment after changing, she considered doing so.  After all, from what she'd seen, just as many Creatures as there were Beings were attending.  An angel wouldn't probably be overlooked, but also not suspicious.  And anyway, thinking of her experiences of the day, it would have been good not to have been mistaken for a weakling, and for the moment, her power respected.

So, leaving her hiding gems in a small handbag, and her staff stored in a pocket space within an enchanted bracelet that she borrowed for such an occasion, Rynkura paused only once to check herself over.  Her wings draped themselves over her shoulders and down her arms like a feathery makeshift cape before she returned downstairs.

[Gareeku]

"Mm...I agree." Gareeku replied after hearing Rynkura speak of her intense dislike towards things that sneak around in the shadows and do not show themselves properly. "It is cowardice. Plain and Simple."

No sooner had their discussion over the strange turn of events dwindled had both Rynkura and Gareeku re-entered the hotel that they were staying at. Like Rynkura, Gareeku too noticed the people that were leaving as they entered. Pondering whether they too were headed for the castle, the white wolf then turned to his feline companion.

"Right. See you in a little while." Gareeku replied to the white tigress, watching her head up to her room before becoming somewhat lost in thought. It was very likely that he would have to leave his sword at the hotel. He couldn't imagine weapons being allowed into an occasion such as the one he had been invited to attend. The thought of this made him somewhat uncomfortable, as considering the strange events that both he and Rynkura has been through only a short while ago, he would have liked to be properly prepared should anything actually happen. However, his sword wasn't the only thing that he could rely upon, so the lupine pushed his thought aside and headed upstairs to his room.

Once inside, the white wolf removed his current attire, throwing it onto the bed before stepping into the ensuite shower to freshen up. Gareeku wasn't exactly the tidiest individual around, so things like items of clothing would often be thrown to the side until they were washed or used again.

A short while later, Gareeku stepped out from shower having dried himself off and put on the attire he would be wearing to the ball. Checking himself over before tying his long hair with the red strip of fabric he always used, the wolf then headed out of his room, locked the door and heading back downstairs to the reception area.

When Rynkura came down the stairs herself, she would find him waiting there for her. Dressed in a black suit jacket and black suit trousers, Gareeku also wore a red waistcoat underneath that, over the top of a white shirt. In addition to this, he also wore a tie which was a darker shade of red than the waistcost. In the wolf's hand was a masque, coloured in a very dark red.

[Aisha deCabre]

Rynkura was careful to tread down the stairs, lest she nearly step on her dress.  She wondered just how fancy the party would be, if they frowned on a slight imperfection (and if they did, she would probably give them a straight nose in the air in return).  It had been a long time before the Healer was used to such a thing.

Just as she set foot close to the first floor, she was slightly surprised to see that Gareeku had gotten there before her; and was certainly dressed for the occasion himself.  Even she had to admit the warrior cleaned up well.  She chuckled to herself.  Young Aisha will have to hear all about it.

"A good choice of attire, sir Manoko," the tigress complimented and smiled with a short bow of her head, while straightening a few stray feathers on the edges of her wings.  Her own mask was then placed over the rim of her eyes.  "Quite fetching.  Shall we make for the party, then?  I think there were a few vehicles for hire outside that should spare us a long walk in the snow."  She chuckled.  "They had better, anyway."

[Cogidubnus]

 Opposite the swordsmith's house, a figure in black fiddled with his hat for a moment as he watched Andrace exit the building. The badger's disemboweled corpse was clearly visible from his location, behind the second-floor curtains of the house opposite the smith's. He shook his head slowly, taking off the hat and smoothing back his hair before putting it back on softly. A moment later he left, heading out the back and into the snow-dusted alley behind.

* * *

The funeral home was not that large - other than the viewing room, and a few waiting areas, there was only one main office. Into the hallway on the left, and past the bathrooms, she could see a distorting figure standing past the obscured glass window in the door. The door was unlocked - the succubus turned the handle slowly, and being careful not to make a noise, opened the door.

The figure in the room turned nearly immediately, giving Elizabeth a sharp look. Her eyes widened, twitching and clenching one side of her mouth involuntarily. Something was in her hand - she slammed it face down on the desk instantly. It looked like a picture frame.
Elizabeth noticed fairly quickly that she wasn't sensing anything from the figure - no emotions, no thoughts, nothing.

Without saying a word, she walked towards Elizabeth with slow, halting steps, never quite pausing, but as though she was approaching an animal - not timid, but slow.
She'd seen that face before...

Like a snake, her arm shot out, extending just slightly farther than it really should have been able to - a shapeshifter, then - wrapping around Elizabeth's throat. A sun went off in her head - her muscles contracted violently, her vision instantly charring black, and her limbs stopped responding to her commands.
Her vision came back a moment later, giving her a nice view of the ceiling.

"You're going to be a little late for lunch, I think." the woman said. The woman stuck her head where Elizabeth could see, the feature briefly melting into Tobias's, then into a third face, with a winged head and oh-so-familiar...

She felt something slam into her head, and darkness took her.

* * *

Elizabeth woke up.

She felt something cold digging into her skin, and pressing her into something soft - her vision unblurred a moment later, and she saw the chains wrapped around her and pushing her into the bed she was laying on. The woman from before was sitting on a chair next to her, smoking.
"This isn't really how I wanted this to happen, you know." the woman said, blowing a cloud of smoke.

[Stygian]

'Everyvone prezumes,' the rat responded cryptically. The brief nod that followed his statement though, together with a sly glint in his eye, revealed that whoever this vulpine encroacher was, the doctor had a bead on him, so to speak. 'Ze question is not vhether zhey are right or not, ov course, but rather ov vat their intentions are. Questions are just vun medium...'
   Tapping the book in his hand with a couple of bony fingers, Dr. Irisi turned to the man he was speaking to only when he considered himself finished with observing the bat and her lynx and frog acquaintances, which was at least two seconds after he finished his reply. His eyes peered cleverly at the fox over the steel rims of his spectacles, belying the... well, rattiness of his face, with their depth.
   'Vat is the matter?' he asked, brusquely.

[e_voyager]

the shower felt great to Aten but he knew it was getting late. he'd put one the suit he'd picked up special for tonight including a collar pin that was supposed to shield his thongs. he didn't know if it would work but he'd figured it best not to test it until he was heading for the party. even now he was less sure  of himself then he was six days ago when he was on train trying to deiced he it was wise to come at all. but wise or not he was committed and now he would see it through. he just hoped he  didn't get used to paint smileys a building with warm coco again. that was humiliating. even so it was time to go so he tucked his mask into his formal cloak and headed for the door. he'd give the lobby on quick check then head for the castle. perhaps he'd be lucky and see Mel's wolf friend again.

[Gareeku]

Hearing Rynkura's voice, Gareeku to see her descending the steps. Listening to what the tigress said, he chuckled slightly. He also took note of the fact that the angel was not hiding her wings like she normally did, which made sense as there were quite a few people that were not beings around.
"And might I say you look radiant as well, Mistress." The wolf replied with a smile, bowing his head slightly in greeting. "I imagine there would be vehicles available. I would hate to get a perfect good outfit wet."

Turning to look through the window to see if he could see any vehicles, The white wolf placed his own mask over the rim of his eyes before turning back to Rynkura.
"Might as well have a look outside." Gareeku said, holding his arm out towards Rynkura for her to take it. "Shall we?"

[Aisha deCabre]

With a smile and a nod, Rynkura took Gareeku's outstretched arm.  "Indeed my young friend, let's do so."

The tigress had recalled seeing coaches and rickshaws for hire, when she had gotten off the train station.  But there had also been a few motorized taxis as well, just a few of them, roaming around the streets.  It didn't really matter to Rynkura which one they took; so long as they got there without much contact with the snow, cold, and even water, as the wolf had observed.

Walking outside, they could spot where some of the said transport were waiting to be called upon.  Luckily there were some left, she thought.  "Excuse me, young sir," she hailed with a politeness in her voice, lest still any Beings were unnerved of her winged appearance.  "We are in need of a ride to the castle, to attend the party."

Thus they were on their way, convinced that hopefully it would be an easy trip, and a more or less fun event.

[Boog]

Jeremiah winced at Elyse's telepathic message. With the girls preoccupied with each other, he'd been hoping to sneak off. After all, SOMEONE had to taste the wine and the bat clearly had other things on her mind. Such as his mind. Another thing to file away for later use... The frog considered as Bal chortled to himself, She's not so good at picking up someone's intent.
And I WOULD like to see what it looks like...
Shaddap Bal.
Manners manners, greaseball. After all, the lady seems to be in favor of my plans.
I've seen your plans. Like the time you tried to attack a dragon with our teeth.
That wasn't so much planned as-
Few things you do are. Just remember what you're good for, Bal.
Tuning out the personae's infuriated profanity with a bite of jerky, the frog let his attention wander back to the rest of the group. He'd been taking in the party itself, keeping a tally of who looked like a Somebody (to those considering them a somebody was good for), a Nobody (if you knew what was good for you), or the various levels between that clung to Somebodies and Nobodies. He could practically feel the social tension in the air, like the room was strung with piano strings. It was rather nice.
The newcomer to show up was a fox, in black and yellow. Jeremiah approved overall of the garb, but rather hoped to remain a charming bit of the furniture for this bit of the conversation. The man's manner gave him the impression of the kind of Nobody mentioned above. As a matter of fact...
"Ah, Esme was it?" he turned to the lynx with a practiced smile, "I don't believe you've had the chance to get settled into your room yet, would you like me to show you there?"

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Tim glided over the gates to the castle, and swooped easily down to the front door. Landing perfectly, with nary a thump, she paused to check her outfit, brushing off an imaginary speck of dust, before stepping up to the porter.

"We have an invitation here, I believe." Saying this, she reached under the butterfly outfit to produce the red envelope.

The porter took it, without comment, and glanced at it, then back up at her. "We, Ma'am?"

Tim blinked, then glanced back over her shoulder. "Oh, for... Rover! Get down here!"

Somewhere, way up high, a tiny speck started to grow, just a little, gradually resolving into a gryphon, then continuing to grow, much much faster, as he fell towards the two of them. "Is that-" the porter began, then was interrupted by the massive, earth-shaking BOOM of the giant daisy planting itself.

Tim sighed, without looking, and buried her face, somewhat carefully, in her hands. "Yes. It is."