A Grand Masquerade Ball

It was that time of year again. Mayor Strider had sent out adds in the newspapers, billboards, radio stations, and TV commercials. Everyone had heard about this night one way or another. Only way you didn't was if you lived under a rock, hid in your house all day, or simply just entered town this night. Either way, the town was a buzz with the party. The Mayor had invited everyone to the Valentine Casino's grand ballroom on the hotel side. No invitation required. After all, this was a night about enjoying one another's company and getting to know your fellow neighbor. Wasn't that what the holidays were about? Well it should be!

The sheer number of people that had come to the ball was more than he had imagined. But Mayor Strider was someone who planned for the worst. He had hired top chefs to assist the chefs that worked in this casino. He had asked waiters and waitresses to help out in handing out drinks for a good lump some of cash. Hell, he had asked anyone who wanted to help out to come see him if they wanted a lumps sum of cash to just help out for tonight. The amount of people who answered this call was astonishing. Either people were desperate for the money or they really liked helping out and didn't enjoy parties too much. So he made a deal with them. Everyone would be divided into group A and B. Group A would work the first shift and group B would work the last shift. This allowed people to enjoy the party if they wished, or walk out if they wanted no part in it. The money would still be the same regardless.

He had also asked Police Chief Prince to bring in some of his men and women to patrol the party. They were fine with either being undercover or in full uniform. That was up to Prince. But the extra security would be nice just in case something had happened. After all, this casino and hotel brought in a good amount of money to the banks. As well as an open invitation like this was bound to attract unwanted criminals to attempt to do unspeakable things! That and Luke was a bit more at ease when he had said he would speak to Chief Prince.

The party had just started, but it was far from being slow. People were still trickling in and the mayor himself was mingling with the locals. Whatever was to happen tonight, it was going to go down in the record books one way or another.

A masquerade party. It wasn't quite like Julianna to attend large events like this. After all, despite the "open invitation," surely some guests wouldn't be thrilled to see a Shadow Reaper in their presence. Shadow Reapers, being known as the least trusted race, couldn't often get jobs of any credibility because of the stigma. They were often criminals of some shape and form for this reason.

During the great war, Shadow Reapers were Humans who, at that time of dire need, realized their innate powers over the shadows. After helping the Humans win the war, the Humans saw Shadow Reapers as threatening as all other Supernaturals and thus turned on them. Shadow Reapers ended up being disliked by both sides. It doesn't help that they are easily identifiable by one of two methods. Some Shadow Reapers' eyes go black when they cast their shadow magic. Others though, like Julianna, have a tattoo-looking black scar intricately marked across their body. Julianna's just so happens to be over her left eye.

Julianna didn't want to be treated poorly simply due to her race nor wanting people to make the assumption she was a criminal; willing to cheat, lie, steal, and kill with no remorse. For this reason, she was often a loner and had few friends. She was cautious and observant; always getting a good feel for a person's character before trusting them.

Tonight was an exception to this rule, however. Julianna could wear a mask over her eyes. It was a masquerade party after all. No one would have to know who she was. Even better though, no one would have to know she was a Shadow Reaper. That's why she didn't turn this down. Granted, crowds weren't her style, but getting out of your element is always a healthy experience... supposedly.

This all flowed through her mind as she donned her ornate black and forest green mask. It was a gradient variety with the forest green on the lower half. She looked in the mirror before leaving her residence and smiled. It looked quite good with her bold red hair. She was ready.

Upon arriving, she was greeted by what seemed to be some sort of security. There wasn't a list of names since there were no invitations, but clearly, there was some extra security to greet and casually evaluate the intentions of individuals as they entered. Security was pleasant and the conversation was simply of how the weather was outside and if this was the first Valentine event Julianna had attended. Her answer to the latter was "Yes."

There were already many people at this large event. Julianna wasn't late, so most of these people must have arrived a little early. Who knows, maybe a few had been there all day. Julianna shrugged. There was no way to know nor did it matter. She felt overwhelmed as she pushed inside. With so many people going various directions and so much talking, so many different conversations, Julianna felt her social anxiety creeping up on her. She felt it best to find the table of punch. There was always a table of punch at these events, wasn't there? Holding a fancy glass of fruit punch, she found her way to the closest wall near a corner. She sipped her drink, leaning her back against the wall while her left arm crossed her stomach to support her right elbow. From this position, she scanned the crowd and waited to see a familiar face or at least start feeling a little more comfortable in her new enviroment.

It had been a long time since Jasmine, Siresh, and Juliana had met up. Not since finding out Jesus was simply looking for Siresh. That didn't mean they weren't in some kind of contact. While the angel girl was still rather upset about their first meeting, and still a bit peeved at Juliana even after all this time, that didn't mean Jasmine couldn't appreciate her skills in a pinch. She came in handy when breaking into Jesus' office while Siresh was busy doing whatever it was he was doing. But that didn't matter right now. What mattered was what Jasmine was going to ware.

She had locked herself in the bathroom, telling Siresh that if he dared to try and enter, she would cut his throat open. It was a serious problem at the moment. The half angel wasn't sure who she wanted to go as. Did she go in as a guy, as Daniel, or did she go in as herself? This party would be a good way to find information on him and Dimitri Reyes. If she went in as herself, she could inquire a bit more than just going in as Daniel. But...Daniel could hide a gun better than her wearing a dress. Yes, this was the reason she threatened Siresh to the inch of his life. This choice was important and he needed to remove himself from the equation. But, she made her choice.

Donning the little black dress, she would go in as Jasmine. She had a job to do, and this might be the easiest way to do it. After all, Biran might show up there. He couldn't see her as a guy hanging around Siresh. It might have problems when it comes to work later. And so, slipping into the little black dress, Jasmine smoothed out the few creases that came with it. She gave herself a hard look. The hem of the dress reached down to the middle of her thigh with an open back. Yes, it was the same dress that she wore to see Siresh's family. It was, honestly, the only dress she owned. So might as well use it while it just hung alone in the closet. Her mask was also simple enough: The Mask. It was girly enough to suit the look.

With her look complete, Jasmine thought about her next form of business. Should she enter with Siresh? No. He could come when he wanted. After he was doing whatever checks he wanted to do. Finally, she unlocked the bathroom door, hung up the suit, grabbed her ID, slipped it in her bra, and walked out the door. If she needed to fight, she could improvise with something in a pinch. After all, Juliana was great at just running away. Maybe she could get a few tips from her.

Reaching the place in question, she was given a light pat down. Just to make sure there was no weapon on her. With nothing, she was allowed in. She was shocked to see how many people had already entered the party. Was she late? No. She had left slightly early so she could be here as soon as possible. Well, maybe it was time to start mingling? Or at the very least, looking to see if Juliana had joined the party yet or not.

Floating through the sea of people, Jasmine quickly glanced at anyone with red and or pink hair. Though there were many, only one actually stuck out: The one by a fruit punch bowl being awkward. Yeah that looked like the Juliana she somewhat knew. She fell into a type. Kids who grew up like her would refrain from wanting anything to do with people. Though, many weren't Shadow Reapers. That was besides the point. From what Jasmine could tell, people who tended to gravitate to electronics and computers seemed more antisocial. Her evidence? Siresh. She had met his family. His two older brothers, the pictures of his two dead brothers, his mother, and everyone else. They were all crazy. All of them. Even their partners were slowly turning crazy. Loco dealt with it and Alyse had six kids. Six kids...the thought of it made her shudder. Never in a million years would she even want one.

Regardless, Juliana and Siresh. They fit this mold of wanting to be as far away from people. Jasmine? Yeah she hated people. But she just flat out hated people. She could deal with them and speak with them. They would rather just avoid them for their own reasons. Well, better say hello. Strolling up to the other girl in a pretty mask, Jasmine stood next to her, sipping the punch she had picked up while heading this way. "You enjoying your time here?" Jasmine ask the other girl before taking a sip. She highly doubted that the other girl was having a good time. "I decided to be Jasmine tonight. Have you talked to anyone yet?"

Mayor Strider. To many he was seen as a man with a plan. The man who had taken over 50 years ago after the werewolf revolution and gave them back their rights. Many had seen him as a true hero and working hard in order to right wrongs that had been done to many. Many viewed him as a puppet on Travis' string. Still, few had seen him in his darkest times: When his family members started to die. First came his wife. A lovely human woman with a lovely soul. He knew it was only a matter of time before she grew old and he had to take care of her. What he didn't expect was for her to die suddenly before her time. It was due to her sudden death that The Mayor started to dress like a girl. It wasn't because he wanted to get with men, nor because he wanted to become a woman. By simply putting on a long blonde wig and his wife's clothes, he could imagine he was looking at his wife in the mirror. For a while, it became his way to grieve her. After business hours, he would go home and dress up. Eventually, he would start wondering out into the streets like that, turning ever guy's head and gaining all the cat calls. It both angered him and made him happy. After many hundreds of years, he has continued dressing up as a woman out of habit. It is not exactly a secret the Mayor of Twin City does it. But, most people are polite enough not to say anything. He has been known to start promoting gay and trans bars around the city, being a shining beacon to those who wish to express themselves and don't know how. And yet, even after all this time, he has never once thought about remarrying. His love for his long lost wife is one that many people in Twin City admire.

And, on nights like tonight, where he would be the most comfortable to dress as a woman, people would be shocked to find that pretty golden elven man as just that: A man. But there was a reason to this. It was the Holidays. And the Holiday party he opened it up to everyone. He had a image to keep up on the more political side. He would more serious than normal. But that didn't mean he didn't have a dressing waiting on hand and Luke to help him with the wig!

Regardless, Strider walked through the crowd, saying hello to those who approached him and stopping for conversations with people he reconized. Or those who simply wanted to talk to him. He had all night to speak with everyone. That and the more important people had not yet made it into the party yet. Likely they were held up on other things. No matter. Strider made his rounds.

Leo Prince, chief of the TCPD, would be dress elegantly in his black police dress uniform. Gold buttons lined the front of his jacket, on the left of his chest were various small silver medals given to him by the city. Below those silver medals was his badge, which he proudly put of display for those to see. On his right upper arm would be a patch with the words "TwinCity Police Department." On his head was a fancy hat. Around his waist was a belt that held stored away handcuffs, and his gun. Just in case it was needed tonight. Even though this party was a happy event, there was no way he OR ANY OF HIS FELLOW OFFICERS should be unarmed. Under this fancy uniform Leo wore a set of tough body armor to protect him if the night needed it.

Mayor Strider was one of the first people to greet him at the party, followed by a few cameras taking pictures of the two of them shaking hands. Talk was short and sweet between the two. They both asked each other how the night was going, followed by a small pep talk on how well Leo and his forces were doing keeping the city in peace. Then the two would disperse into the crowd of people. Like the Mayor, the Chief ha plenty of people to greet and welcome to the party. As he worked through the crowd each greeting would be full of meaning, telling some to stay safe and have fun, others he wished the best. Nothing was fake with this man.

Moving through the people, Leo kept a smile on his face, even though he held a slightly different purpose. These events always brought in plenty of good people, and plenty of bad. Ah yes, he knew 'they' would show up some time tonight. And as usual he would keep his eyes open for anything suspicious. There wasn't anything he could charge them with, a cold truth he hated. He knew they did evil, and they must be scrubbed clean of this world. However, he swore an oath. One he kept.

Every so often he would look to one of his enforcers, giving them a gentle nod. Any sign of caution from his people and he would go on a silent alert. Before this party had even started he had prompted his workers to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, to keep their wits about them. To uphold the law and as always be diligent, to respect the badge on their uniforms and the force they represent, but more then that he told them to enjoy themselves.

Scanning the crowd, Julianna saw many faces she didn't recognize. She, of course, spotted the big-shots immediately. Everyone knew them. However, for the rest of the crowd, at best she remembered seeing a few in the local grocery store. Julianna didn't get out much and, therefore, didn't have many friends.

Julianna would've liked to have claimed that it was then that she noticed Jasmine walk over with her punch. That, despite her mask, Jasmine was identifiable by the snooty gait she approached with. Unfortunately, that was just not the case. Jasmine didn't have an overly identifiable walk. She was much too skilled to have a tell like that. The only reason Julianna suspected it was Jasmine who was approaching her was that Jasmine was one of the few people Julianna knew that was also likely to be at this event. That and the approaching figure wasn't Siresh's body-type.

"I see you left your plus-one at home," Julianna greeted with a smirk. "Am I enjoying the event? I feel like this is one of those events you have to pretend to enjoy, whether or not you actually are," she chuckled. "It's not quite my cup of tea. But given the circumstances, I figured I'd give it a shot." Jasmine continued by clarifying her current identity to Julianna. "Jasmine," Julianna repeated to herself simply to ensure she wouldn't accidentally slip up later on that night. "I haven't talked to anyone besides you just yet. I just arrived all of two minutes ago myself. I figured I'd take it all in to start; enjoying the punch. I believe I'm just about ready to socialize." Julianna took a sip while trying to appear as sophisticated as possible; just short of holding out her pinky like an English person might drink tea. "So where is the infamous partner anyway? He's almost late."

They had been given a task, and Sireissa was going to do it...but she had to get ready first. A grand masquerade ball was nothing new to her. Her father and mother had hosted them before. Though, the big difference here is the fact that this was on land and not at the bottom of the ocean. And as such, her normal attire was not something that wold be acceptable. But the mindset was there. Just as she was in her castle under the waves, Sireissa would strive for nothing short of stunning. She was a princess. Not that anyone actually knew that. Aeolus would call her little princess, but she doubted very much they knew. It was a nickname to them. But it was the truth.

That was besides the point. There was an event that was needed and she was going to be there. The days leading up to the party, she had been watching these land dwellers carefully. She took in their options and had even went to several stores and tried on many different dressed. She tried on poofy ones, 'mermaid' ones, ball gowns, lacy ones....you name it. But there was a statement she wanted to make: Stunning. To who, she didn't know. To her fellow guys whom she worked with? Maybe. They only saw her as a girl who wore next to nothing. They only saw her as a little sister. Was that so bad? Maybe not. But she was not doing this just for them. Maybe for Carzeah as well. Maybe. She still wasn't sure how she felt on him. Did she want to own him completely, or was she good with just playing with him? Maybe this was to attract the attention of someone new? Feeding tonight would be frowned upon, but that didn't mean she couldn't take in a waiter.

Regardless, she was going to be stunning. She was going to do her work well. And she was going to entice someone.

The two unicorn brothers had decided to go in as a date together. It made no difference to her. She didn't care. She had to get ready, and this was going to take a long time. Locking herself in one of the many bathrooms, Sireissa got to work. A fresh shower and dry pat down. Lotion was applied and her dress was slipped on. Her hair was likely going to take the most work. Doing this herself was annoying. Many time she had thrown a fit. She even broke the mirror with a hair brush. But eventually she had it just perfect. Everything was falling into place. Hours of hard work was paying off. Whatever was going to happen tonight, she was not going to be caught unaware. After all, magic was her weapon. They could not take that away from her at the front door.

The last piece was the mask. A beautiful white velvet thing. It had caught her eye because of the silver seashell. When she had seen it, she knew she was going to ware it no matter what. Her dress? It was mostly cream and then faded into red and purple. It honestly reminded her of a blood in the water. And, to her, that was the most beautiful thing in the world. With everything set up, the siren headed to the party. Security was laughable at best. Here she was, a Rossi member, waltzing into a place full of happy people. A shark full of fish in the sea. The only question was, who was going to be her victim? That would be the real question now wasn't it?

Regardless, this 'shark', made her entrance to the ball, floating around waiting for something to happen if anything.

________
Wearing:
Mask: Link
Dress: Link
Hair: Link

"Ugh... A ball?" The idea wasn't something he was into, these kinds of gathers were full of rich snobby people. Stuck up women, and manners. There would be no belching tonight, no shot gunning beers or lifting skirts. No tonight he had to behave himself, after all he wore the title of Rossi. The weeks before he had been constantly pestering his younger brother about this 'party'. Arden would easily be able to whip out his best manners, he could ballroom dance, sip fine wine, but his biggest fear was going to a place where 'she' might be. Ah yes... The ball would be a great place to steal without being noticed, plenty of drunk rich people. A good place for 'her' to stalk prey. No matter, he had business to attend to tonight and he would obey.

Arden had ordered a rather lovely new suit for this occasion. (picture below) He had shaved, had his hair cut, even went as far as getting his nails professionally manicured. Something he considered a lesser evil. Looks were everything in these types of gatherings, and he made sure to look sharp.

Arden hadn't quite figured out if he would be entering this event by himself or with the rest of the Rossi crew. He had jokingly asked his brother if he would be his 'date' for he event since Arden didn't really want anyone on his arm. More so the question was being proposed to check to see if Aeo and him were going in together, or finding separate rides. However, since Sireissa already seemed to be headed there on her own, that told Arden that she wasn't going in with the boys. Which left the question of Carzeah. Was 'dad' going with the boys, or was he riding solo as well?

When they arrived at the ball, Arden's first choice of action was to start mingling with the crowd. Tonight he was, 'Edward Phillips,' personal gym trainer. This was a simple alias for him to play. He even had a fake I.D. for it. Talking to people was easy for him, he simply told them what they wanted to hear.

As he continued through the crowd he would keep his eyes open for any other members of the Rossi mafia. More so his own members. Sireissa, Carzeah, Aeo, and Boss Lady and her husband. After all, tonight wasn't for fun. Arden knew tonight would mean business, something always came up that changed these sort of gatherings. A death here, a quiet lie there. The biggest question was, what was tonight's business?

Arden's Suit
Arden's Mask

'Patience, be on your best behavior tonight.' Yeah... Ok... They always seemed to take the fun out of everything. Tons of random people walking around, getting drunk. Too busy talking and showing off to pay attention to a swift pawed cat. However, she wouldn't ruin this event. Anyone else telling her what to do would be greeted with a middle finger, but this ball was special to Elena, or so it seemed. Travis and Elena Valentine. The only two people in her life she would give everything for without even second thinking it. To a house cat, these two were like her owners. To a humanoid, they were the mom and dad she wished she had. Even though she never asked, or called them such, deep down she always hoped they might look at her as one of their own many children. And if they didn't, she would still do her best to make them proud of her.

Tonight Patience, or better known as 'The Raven,' would be doing what she did best. Quietly listening to people from the shadows. Stalking her prey was what she excelled in, quietly gaining information. Tonight was meant to be fun but she had been quietly given a task to fulfill. And she would. She would make them proud tonight.

As she moved through the crowd there were a few scents she recognized already. Mayor strider, chief of police Leo, and- Her thoughts would halt in their mind. Fear slightly shook her. She caught scent of something she hadn't smelt in a while. A rare strange scent. No one else knew it like she would. And if 'he' was here she was in danger. The freaks, both equally weird in their own way. Both unpredictable, dangerous. She would need to keep herself low and unnoticed. It wasn't like her cat ears and tail didn't made her stick out like a sore thumb, but she wasn't the only animalian in the city. Perhaps it wasn't them... Maybe she was over reacting. After all, all barnyard animals smelt the same. Taking in a deep breath she would let it out slowly, dismissing the scent and calming her mind. There were tons of people already pouring into the casino, so it could easily be someone else she was sniffing.

Making her way around the crowd she already kept her ears open for anything strange. Patience was careful tonight, she picked up a glass of champagne and slowly sipped it while striking up a conversation with some random woman in the crowd. Blending in seamlessly. Even though her black ears and tail made her stick out, she did her best to maintain the guest look.


Patience: Face Claim
Dress: Front View, Back View
Mask: Cat Mask

Dom quietly leaned against one of the back walls away from the crowd. He chose to keep an eye on everything from a distance instead of taking an active role. Everyone from the TCPD all had a job to do and a space to fill: Don’t let anything get stolen. Make sure the place doesn’t burn down. If it does burn down save the important people first. Look professional while doing so. Earlier the chief ended their briefing by urging them all to enjoy themselves. And if by ‘enjoy’ he meant avoiding another evening filing reports at the office, then yes, Dom was sure he’d have the time of his life. The free food was an added bonus also.

In the meantime, he tried not to look so indisposed to the festivities. His sister used to call masquerades glorified Halloween parties, and being the clever one in the family, even now, her observations were rarely ever unfair. While alive she didn't care much for theatrics. He found it hard to disagree. For attire he decided to go with the standard service uniform and a cheap black mask, so this was probably obvious. 
Keeping a neutral expression he watched a few of the local bigwigs exchange pleasantries. The Valentine Casino was definitely his favorite least-favorite building in the city. Truly it was the only place above the underground that the law either couldn’t or wouldn’t touch. Yet he had to admit he was impressed by the family's work ethic. Commercial gambling was a tough business to run. Mix that with hospitality and he was surprised the place didn't get a mountain of lawsuits every month. Well, maybe they did. Who could know? 

This brought his thoughts to Harper, whom he currently looked out for in the crowd. The other officer seemed to have a ‘thing’ for the Valentines, so he figured she’d be excited about rubbing shoulders with them tonight. The last case they worked together she shared a lot of information about the group. Which would've been unremarkable if not for the fact of how detailed her descriptions were. He wasn't sure why, but she could pinpoint some of their personalities to the last quirk; almost as if she'd encountered them firsthand.