A Grand Masquerade Ball

He cleared his throat, shuffling a bit on  his feet as he stood near the periphery of the hotel’s large ballroom. Arms tucked gently behind him he hummed along to the music, swaying back and forth somewhat in tune with the beat. Bottom of the TCPD-food chain Ashur Lucia! The newest cadet to the force, and yet still somehow asked to stand as security for this event… Or so he assumed. He never really asked why there was a small group of officers here. Dressed to the nine’s in his uniform he looked out at the room at all of the elegant people dancing to the music their expensive suits and dresses most likely costing more than his yearly salary. He blew out a small bit of air from his cheeks… He couldn’t even afford a good mask for the event… So he improvised! Instead opting to go with white and black face paint and white-out contact lenses. It wasn’t Halloween or anything… But he didn’t have a lot of paint lying around and he couldn’t afford to go out and splurge on all the fancy colors needed for a masquerade mask design… Oh wait he could have just done a black and white one?! Damn… Well too late now!... Guess that explained the comments he got from some of the guys on the force.

“You’re going to scare the guests lookin’ like a ghost man!”

“Don’t stifle my creativity!” was pretty much his only response…

Ashur exhaled softly, wondering what he was supposed to do exactly. Were they security, were they guests, were they something in the middle? He snapped his fingers lightly to the music, tiny arcs of electricity bouncing between his fingertips as he did so. He stopped though when he noticed one of the lights next to him was beginning to flicker. He shook a bit, straightening up his posture once more before staring attentively ahead back into the sea of colorful dancers and onlookers. So… Was this how rich people lived? Like… Really rich people? His parents had always been successful, especially his mom, but not quite like this! This was like… 0.001% stuff right here! As he looked through the crowds he tried to put races to the various people in the room. Some were easier than others, the animal parts or horns and ears made it significantly easier to deduce… But then there were the races that looked just like humans most of the time. One of the older officers warned him about that. 'Don’t just a book by its cover and all that!' He didn’t want to piss off some crazy god-like thing by assuming they were human… Or worse, get turned into a charred mess on the ground! He swallowed the lump in his throat… Oh well! That was the life he signed up for! Protecting the people and serving the community!

~~~~~~ Reference Links ~~~~~~

Face Paint - Spooky Ghost Face!!

Having left the surprisingly pleasant conversation with Officer Bhatia, Julianna was attempting to hunt down her good ol' pal Jasmine. Slight bitterness was in her gaze as she scanned the very crowded establishment. With no warning or reason, she was ditched with no clue as to where to find her later; absolutely terrible communication. Perhaps Siresh had finally shown up? Why was he late anyway? This didn't feel like an event he'd usually be late to; though admittedly, Julianna didn't know him well enough yet to make those types of assumptions.

After pushing through a sea of people, drowning from claustrophobia, Julianna spotted a familiar figure in the distance. Make that two familiar figures. They were... dancing? Ugh... Julianna rolled her eyes. Ditched for a dance, huh? She didn't realize they got along so well. "Gross you two. Get a room. Ew!" she mentioned once she caught up to them. "I heard my name. Glad to hear I wasn't entirely forgotten," Julianna glared at Jasmine. "So if you two are quite done flirting, I'd like to get down to more important matters. I don't have all night to waste watching you two love-birds do... whatever it is that you're about to do next."

Dom tipped his hat to Julianna as she ended the conversation and slipped back into the crowd. The woman was unusually warm for a Shadow Reaper, albeit rather mysterious in her own right. But he wouldn’t mind sharing her company again. Maybe even as a colleague someday.
 
Leaning back against the wall, he returned to surveying the floor. The clattering of dice echoed like fireworks from the nearby game rooms. No one ever seemed to win big from what he could tell, but the sound only grew more enthusiastic as the night went on. Poker appeared to be the most popular sport among guests, which he figured was due to its sustainability as a party favorite, while slot machines seemed to draw the least amount of traffic. Earnings there were fairly scarce, and as he noted from watching the guests meander from table to table, people preferred to try their luck at roulette instead.
 
Makes sense. There are 37 ways to play. He raised a hand to lazily pinch the rim of his collar, attention wandering as his musings kicked into high gear. Ah, right. 38 here in the states. That means calling is out of the question, and the house edge is definitely a buyer’s premium. Best to bet on red and stick to corners, then pray for a busted wheel…
 
The Valentines most likely treated their win rates as any other high-end casino: Not caring about the odds, that is. Hundred-dollar earnings were commonplace for big parties like this, but of course these numbers would be insignificant compared to the profit they’d make overall. He reckoned they didn’t even hire security with the expectation of facing any real emergency, but for what it was worth the precinct could do with some friendly interaction with the upper-class.

But admittedly, it was kind of strange seeing people from city hall up close. They were a lot more interesting than the papers made them seem. Many resonated well with the party’s merrymaking atmosphere. Others proceeded with a ‘robotic’ sort of charisma; very learned and patient. Either way if made for a fun show to watch, and if not for the fact that he was on the clock, Dom might’ve joined in with a drink. However, it was better to keep a low profile for the chief’s sake. As equal parts their commander and spokesperson, he’d be taking the heat from not only officials, but, well…everyone. So while all the pageantry of the evening looked enticing, the TCPD's core attitude had to be one of discretion. Stay cool, smile at management, shift attention accordingly, adjust uniform. Repeat.

With Elaina successfully taken from Travis, Mayor Staider linked arms with his new partner in crime, the two walked away. Elaina was a delight. An utter delight. With her kind words, she could speak lies and make them sound like honey. But Agis knew better. Elaina was a woman who would never lie nor spread gossip. She was not that type. And he loved her for that. "You flatter me. But if it wasn't for your attention to detail, no one would stay to enjoy this party we have created. My darling Elaina, without you, this would all be for not." It was a common thing for the two to go back and forth with one another. They were often seen speaking with one another with or without Travis. It was a wonder that nothing was spun from it in the tabloids. Then again, Mayor Strider knew better. Travis would not stand for that. He had large pockets that reached out. While he could not stop them from writing that they had seen one another and talked alone, he could influence the way the story was received.

The two glided across the floor, talking back and forth about how things were going and complimenting one another to no end when suddenly disaster happened. Or was inbound. Mayor Strider knew that there was friction between Rachael Rossi and his Valentine friends. However, he was also the host of this little get together. If you could call it little. With his larger than life smile, Mayor Stider nodded to Rachael as she sat there. "Good Evening Mrs. Rossi. I am delighted that you have graced us with your presence. Is there anything I can help you with? Is your husband with you as well?" Likely a silly question but Agis Strider was always the gentleman and liked to make sure everyone was looked in upon. Regardless if they were here or not.

Harper couldn't help but laugh at that. This poor girl, struggling to not spit out the candy."It's called candy. There are many different kinds. Chocolate, gummies, mints, flavored stuff. Next time you can just get a napkin and spit it in that. You don't have to force yourself to actually swallow it. But good on you for doing so." Glancing around, the werewolf girl looked around for water. Finding it, she offered it to the drow she had come to call friend. At least Harper felt she could call her friend. But she was shocked Vareaam read so much on how to be polite at a party like this. It meant she was doing homework. Not that she needed to really blend in well with the locals. There were some pretty strange people out here anyways. But maybe she felt better if she didn't seem so out of place? Drow culture was different than this. Or at least that was what Harper read.

"Well, you got in and I'm proud of you. But now that you are, we can start introducing you to some people. They Mayor is here. Chief of police for sure. I think a few more big people are yet to show up...." She thought on that. Valdreaam made a very good point. There was fashionably late and there was late. Some people dind't like things such as this, and some people liked to just come and leave pretty quickly. But, there was an question to be answered and Harper was going to do her best. "Some people just don't like coming to events like this so show up when the party is pretty much over. Some people like to make a grand entrance so being really late makes people take note of you." Hopefully that answered that for her. Otherwise Harper had no other answer for that.

Taking a look around, she could see that there were some people who were still just showing up. Her Aunt and Uncle just showed up. JT and Chandler, though worked as a Twin City Police officer, weren't on duty tonight. She was a bit envious of that, but what could she do? Her secret was still hers. Only a few select people knew it and she was going to keep it that way. Even if it killed her. Maybe. Maybe not killed her but until she simply had to spill the beans. But that was for another time.

Returning her gaze back to Vadreaam, Harper smiled and begun speaking again. "Well, is there anyone you'd like to speak to? I know there is someone who might be interested in speaking with you but I won't force you to speak to him." Abel and Vadreaam seemed like lonely people. Maybe lonely people could end up speaking with one another. It was just a matter of finding him. Taking a gaze out to the ballroom, Harper scanned the area to look for him. What she saw was him speaking with a man and another woman with a very short dress.....maybe not the first place she wanted to take Vadreaam to.

Saddie had been taking an interest in the world that was known to her as Twin City. There were so many different sights, sounds, smells, and people. Maybe too many. Biran had been trying to make sure she stayed safe. Like some kind of father figure to her. Maybe he felt responsible for her, and she understood to a point, but she was a free spirit. To be locked up in this base, even though she was free to roam as she pleased, was still a cage. Many of Untamed knew that. Maybe the one who understood her the most was Fairfax and Frader. The two were like other brothers to her. Both making sure she was okay and seeing if she needed anything. Frader would shower her in gifts, even give her extra snacks while Fairfax would treat her like a wolf should. It was nice.

When she heard about this party, Biran was more or less against it. She saw his points. She couldn't speak. When she got overwhelmed or cornered, she attacked. This place was going to be jammed pack full of people. Strange people. There were going to be bad guys as well as good people. But, mos of Untamed was going. Fairfax, Jesus, and Soori were going. They had something they needed to do. Saddie wasn't stupid. She was mute. However, on the other hand, the likelihood of Carzeah being there was fairly high. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who would like parties...but she hoped maybe he would be there. And for that reason alone, the young red haired girl begun hunting down dresses and masks behind Biran's back. Like the rebellious teenager she was.

It was actually Frader and Laney who helped her pick out dresses. While Frader wasn't exactly mister rebel, he could hold a secret like no other. Laney? Okay she was rebel. They were best good cop bad cop duo. Maybe because they could play off one another's strength's and weaknesses. But that was something entirely different. With their help, Saddie had managed to obtain a very pretty blue dress with flowers on it. It was short, but it was cute. She made sure to find the right hosiery and shoes to complete this look, donned on her mask, and made it to the party.

Stepping through the large doors, her heart started to beat a mile a minute. What if Biran caught her? What if those people in the white lab coats found her? What if they were here to find her? So many things begun swirling in her mind. If she wasn't careful, she was going to start panicking, just like Biran had said. No. She was better than that. She just needed to get her head on straight. It wasn't until she walked through and into the party when her small panic attack started to die down. She was here. Biran didn't stop her, no one was trying to take her away, and no one recognized her with her hair braided to the side and the mask on. All she needed to do was to find the man she wanted to see.

Laney had once asked her who the person was that was sending her mail everyday via a bird. She asked if it was some kind of secret lover. While Saddie attempted to explain it, the words didn't exactly help. Though Laney said she understood, the animalian girl knew she still thought Carzeah was her secret lover. No...that wasn't it. Carzeah was important to her. Yes. But not in that sense. There was love, and she knew there was love. Not the same kind of love that Bran gave her. A different king yet still similar in feel. She wanted to see Carzeah, know that he was safe, know that he was not gone....but that was where the feelings ended for her. Carzeah was a symbol of strength for her. He was her future. Or rather, he was helping to obtain a future. Without him, she would feel lost. It was a hard emotion to explain, even if she had the words to do so.

Her green eyes scanned the large room. There were just so many people here that the young girl wasn't sure she was going to be able to actually find him. But Carzeah couldn't hide from her forever. As she begun walking through the crowd, she finally spotted him: A tall red haired man with golden eyes that looked almost dead. Yep, that was clearly Carzeah. Not many people fit that profile. So she made her way over to him. Without the ability to call out to him, the two had to figure out a way to more or less call out to one another. Their solution? Link pinky fingers. Her hand was small enough to be able to fit into his pocket and do so. And Saddie? Well she never really liked to keep her hands in her pockets. Especially now with this secret alerting system. It was mainly for Saddie to get Carzeah's attention, though, from time to time, Carzeah would do it to her too. It was comforting.

Reaching out, Saddie slipped her pinky around the older man's and waited for him to acknowledged her. Either telepathically or out loud. And hopefully, Biran wouldn't come crashing in on their party too soon. Was it going to happen? Yeah. But maybe he would be distracted for a bit. Maybe just maybe.

Mask: LINK
Dress: LINK

Why was he always the one to park the car? He would never hear the end of this... He finally entered the ball a bit later than his two companions, dusting himself off a little bit. He wore a plain black suit and a white shirt underneath and a silver half wolf mask, that he had more up than over his face like everyone else. They were uncomfortable and after that event... He was relieved he still had it, to be honest.

His gaze scanned the room. A few people he recognized from here and there, but he avoided most of them as his gaze found Biran and Soori. Of course, they would be at the bar. Why did he even look anywhere else for them? He smiled to himself before he walked over to them with a less than graceful waltz, running his hand through his hair and coincidentally dropping the mask to clatter on the floor. “Crap.” He mumbled to himself as he picked it back up and continued toward his companions.

He put the mask back on before he got closer to the group, with his usual unprofessional smile that lit his eyes with the good-natured look of a Labrador. “Sorry I’m late guys. Just a bit of car trouble.” He said as he scratched the side of his head. He’d never hear the end of this one either… But now wasn’t the time to talk it over, was it? “Hey barkeep, can I just get a plain beer?” He asked as he tapped the bar interjecting himself in the conversation between Biran and Orion as they talked about a volleyball game. Shame he hadn’t been invited, but it was probably for the best. He didn’t want to be tied up in all of his leader’s games.

“Orion!” He exclaimed loudly with a grin. “Good to see you here. It’s been a while. How have you been doing lately? Causing trouble like always?”

Almost as soon as Juliana came over, she started accusing the two for being some kind of couple. Jasmine took a very large step away from the man she had been dancing. Get a room with him? She had to deal with that every day. She didn't like it. "We're not love birds and it was just a dance. I didn't have a choice." both a lie and not...but regardless, there was work to do. Maybe too much work. "You can have the next dance. He's all yours."

Jasmine motioned for the two of them to follow her, to move off of the dance floor and over to a more secure location. It was going to be a short meeting. They had already spoken before coming here, making this more of a...making sure they were all on the same page. Pulling out some earbuds, she handed one over to Juliana and put one in her own ear. Bronze was going to have one for himself, so Jasmine didn't bother pulling one out for him. Plus she didn't pack one for him. There was only so much room for things. "We're all clear on the plan, ja? Tell me where to go and who to talk to."

Running a hand through her hair, the blonde woman glanced at the people out and about on the dance floor. They were here for a reason. Not to just enjoy dancing and being social butterflies. It was too much work for her. But who else was going to deal with the people here? Juliana? Yeah she already gave the gun that Jasmine stole to a guy named 'The Bullet'. She couldn't be trusted to do the job Jasmine was tasked with. And Bronze? Well to be fair, he was the one who had managed to help her get the gun to begin with. She could trust him with must anything. That didn't mean she couldn't just Juliana. To be fair, their last mission turned out to be a very good thing. Jasmine had to rely on her for a lot of things. And so she was tasked with a very important job.

The half angel looked to Juliana and smiled. "Don't let me down. If you get caught, this goes south. I'm trusting you." Though Jasmine smiled, it wasn't something to take lightly. A Jasmine smile could mean so many things. Today? it wasn't exactly a threat. More like a if she fucks this up again, Jasmine wasn't ever going to forgive her for stealing the gun. If she pulled this off? Jasmine would be impressed beyond words. "Alright, then I'll see you guys later. Enjoy the party, ja?"

Siresh couldn't help but roll his eyes. Such an accusation and his partner fell into hook line and sinker. "You're both so dramatic." He'd drag out his whine to pick fun at them. But for Jasmine to say she was forced into anything, he was hurt. Only slightly. Would he ever recover? Yeah, it was time to move on from these games. Of course he would recover. He followed closely behind the girls and had their backs as they filed on through to a more remote location. Jasmine asked if they were clear on the plan. Of course they were, they had talked about it just last night or so. "The question is do you all remember the plan?" Siresh teased them, a brilliant smirk graced his face as he took his own earbud out from his inner vest pocket and placed it into his ear in conspicuously, as if he was merely combing his fingers through his luscious brown hair. Just like that, Agent Bronze was on the case.

"I've got a pretty busy schedule. If you're lucky I'll catch you ladies both for a dance later." He said a little on the loud side to boisterously announce his inconspicuous exit from the group now to go set up at his perfect spot. Through the casino, down the halls, far away from many of the party goers, Siresh found himself at a small cafe that was nestled within the estate. A quite side of the casino, that catered more so to the business class than the events, like the one taking place this fine evening. He ordered himself some fancy Valentine coffee and sat himself down so that he could play around on his phone for a few moments. That was all it should take. From his phone he opened up the proper backdoors and slid himself in. The Valentine's had a list of Rossi's he had to find. And in finding them and matching it to the guest list, perhaps they can figure out who has this gun.

Proficient:
Investigation
Hacking

The member 'Siresh Brozus' has done the following action : Dices roll

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#1 'Proficient' :


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#2 'Proficient' :