Talking About the Weather (RP)

- Emma -

"I am sorry, ma'am. I understand if my demeanour makes you uncomfortable. I am doing the best I can." Your guide says without a hint of anything in his voice. "The party is through there, and then to the left." He points the way, giving you the option of going on your own if you did not want to be accompanied.

What do you do?

"Thanks!" says Benji, as Jacob pulls up to the drawbridge. He opens his umbrella as he hops out of the car. It may not be raining anymore but it’s not quite nightfall yet and the dwindling daylight stings. He looks back at Jacob in the driver’s seat and lowers his voice conspiratorially even though there’s no-one else in earshot. "Are you certain you don’t want help to hide the car or anything?"

- Jacob -

From a lower section of the loop of the path, you can get off the road and among the trees [streetview]. If the grass here were as waterlogged as everywhere else you would have left disincentive, muddy, tracks, but the lawns are just right and you have to look carefully to see the tire marks, which is good since there is not really a way to completely hide the car in the trees, hopefully it will be enough.

The invitation is not much larger than a smart-phone, so it can fit in a jacket pocket. You can't recall anyone ever being asked to present an invitation once they are inside, but you did not check in at the gate, and there may be some reason you did not get an invite, so having it may be a good idea? Bringing it with you —as opposed to needing to get it from the car if you are asked— might appear strange, and too eager, and draw extra attention, maybe you are better off relying on your (Let It Out) ability to 'appear unworthy of concern'... but then your brilliant forgery might go to waste.

What do you do?

Benji dithers outside for a few minutes after Jacob leaves before mustering his courage and heading inside. He’s only been to one of these parties once before, about fifty years ago, and he didn’t really feel like he fit in with the other vampires then. Most of them were polite, if a bit condescending, but others were cruel or downright homicidal. At least I’ll have a few friends there this time, he tells himself… though there’s a good chance Jacob will get kicked out and he’s not entirely confident Emma will survive the night.

- Emma -

There is a nook off to the side, well before the main entrance to the ballroom, it is hung with coats and umbrellas and handbags, but you can not get in through the security gate. Maybe your attendant would know how to open it, he did offer to take your bag before you rebuffed him, but, if you turn to look back, the corridor is empty and you can't tell where he could have vanished to. There was a branch in the corridor, but it looked like it lead outside, to some sort of amphitheatre, and you can see along that passage and it appears empty.

You could toss your bag through the grate, surely someone will be able to open and retrieve it for you when you need to leave?

What do you do?

- Jacob -

No one stops you as you saunter in.

Do you see anyone you know?

What do you do?

- Benji -

Do you see anyone you know?

What do you do?

- Emma -

All talk stops as you enter the main ballroom, and heads turn to look your way. There is no one announcing people at the door, yet some strange sense made everyone turn and take note of your arrival, it is very normal senses that make people keep looking, though, looking you up and down.

Your dress is spectacular, but you do realise that the cost is not a significant consideration in that appraisal. A striking woman of indeterminate age (probably not much older than yourself, but she carries herself as though she is much older) in a dark, tailored suit that probably cost more than your dress and shoes ... and car and house put together asks a question of an effete man standing half-step behind her, he contemplates the ceiling for a brief moment before whispering something in her ear. She considers you critically, then turns back to the conversation your entrance interrupted while her assistant makes his way over to you.

"Emma Harper." He says politely (assuming this is the name you use for your books and such, else he may use your pen-name?) "I am your humble servant, Federico Christobal." He says, though his accent sounds a lot more Greek than his completion and name would suggest. "My mistress, Shelyna Artmitage, ... this is awkward, so I will come right out with it. We are concerned that you might not know what you are getting yourself into. Real life is not like your books, and, while these gatherings are 'officially safe', accidents happen, and, I am afraid to say, they usually happen to neophyte mortals —no offence meant— who have little-to-no way of protecting themselves when their benefactors (in your case, Elliot Parry) are otherwise engaged."

You have not seen Elliot yet, and most of the people here do not look like vampires —not that you are any sort of expert at judging this ... though some of them definitely do look like vampires, to the extent that 'vampire-looking' would probably be the first thing someone said when describing them.

"If you would take my advice, you will return home right away. Your driver can be summoned to pick you up forthwith."

What do you do?

- Jacob -

"You might be able to." Crowley says. "But so far it is working on everyone else.

"Keep your voice down, though, your 'nothing to see here' trick won't last long if I am found out, and you might have noticed that we were not invited and there are ... officially... none of our kind here tonight. I want to know why not."

What do you do?

- Jacob -

Crowley shakes ... her (best to honour the pronouns, even if just to help maintain both your rouses) head that there is no one else. It appears like they are about to answer your question about the reason when they suddenly clam up and look at you suspiciously.

"Why? What have you heard?" They demand instead.

What do you do?

- Jacob -

"Oh, the gathering?" Crowley says loftily, obviously pleased to show up a hole in your knowledge and share information ... when said information is sure to be make pubic shortly. "Yes, its about the weather. How clever of you to work that out." They say, reaching over and patting your hand while also flashing a awful lot of decolletage that you know is not real in so many ways.

They know something else about this topic, but you know they won't offer that up freely.

What do you do?

Benji quietly sidles into the ballroom. He recognises many of the vampires here and a few of the other guests too. The woman in the suit looks familiar, though he can’t quite place her. The vampire are mostly clustered in pairs or small groups except… "Oh! Alasdair! How are you? I haven’t seen you in ages."

Lurking in a shadowy alcove, Alasdair bares his fangs and snarls at Benji as he approaches. Benji is surprised to see him here. Alasdair is at least 500 years old and more or less completely feral at this point. His clothes are little more than rags, his hair is long and tangled, and his fingernails look more like talons. Last Benji heard, he was living in the storm sewers. Looking at him, Benji cannot help but wonder if this is a worrying glimpse of his own future in another century or so. "You’re looking… well," Benji adds, with a nervous smile.