undergrounds | [open] Vampire Ball - May 26th (backdated)

The invitations go out a week in advance. Some of which are hand written (ink on parchment, of course), to those of whom he wishes to see personally, though of course they are welcome to bring guests. The more the merrier, or so the saying goes. Especially in the case of such an event as this. Jean-Claude is vying for the spot of President of the Night Council, after all, and while the event is not technically connected to the election, timing is everything, mes amis. And what an event it is.

The instructions on the invitation are quite simple. There is to be a ball. But not just any ball, a Vampire Ball. If you are a vampire, an ally, or interested in becoming both, you are more than welcome to attend. It is a night to celebrate the collective history of the Nest of London. Formal historical costume is a requirement of attendance. Masks will be allowed as well, though the event is technically not a masquerade. All wood and silver will be checked at the door, for this is a night of entertainment.

The event is being held in a private historic home, presumably for the atmosphere. In the foyer there is a coat check (along with wood and silver check, courtesy of Guilty Pleasure's well-loved bouncers). The guests are funneled through from there into the main ballroom, where yes, there is a live string quartet playing. How did Jean-Claude afford such decadence? It helps when you have lived for so long as he has and have had very little to spend money on besides clothes and decadence. It certainly couldn't be his own private residence -- could it?

Off to the side of the ballroom is an array of chaise lounges and other sofas and chairs, while on the other may be located several tables of refreshments. It is clearly indicated which table is intended for the vampires and which is for those who are still among the living. There is another bouncer posted on watch over the refreshments, and the punch in particular -- they need not have a repeat of the last time someone spiked their drinks in such a fashion after all. There is quite a selection of finger foods on the table for those who are so inclined to partake in such delicacies, and there are offers of champagne, wine, and punch for that table. There are finger foods on the other table as well, although not as many, and each one has an accompanying card indicating the donor's name and blood type, just in case you were wondering why they were for the vampires.

The house is of course bigger than the ballroom and the foyer, but few guests are allowed to venture up the front stairs or beyond the little hall to where the restrooms are located. That does not mean, of course, that there are not those who manage to sneak past the little corded ropes meant to keep such troublemakers within check, especially when the bouncers are otherwise preoccupied. There are all sorts of fun rooms to explore.

And so many costumes from so many eras! Guests are encouraged to talk amongst themselves and share memories of the good old days for those lived through them, or ask questions if there are curiosities from those who did not. Today is a golden age, Islington Nest is at its strongest yet, and it is a time to celebrate what it is to be Vampire. There is more to such a life than drinking blood and having fangs, a sophistication and experience beyond the hunger. If nothing else, Jean-Claude hopes to share this with the attendees on this evening.

Which at least manages to begin without a hitch, but if you should manage to stay for the end of the night, prepare for some fireworks to ensue. For what is a party without a little drama...

(ooc note: anyone is welcome to attend, though if you are anti-islington you will not get very far in the door before being turned away. certain allies/those who have helped jean-claude in the past will have received direct invitations, but there is a general buzz passed around the nest and islington allies ahead of time that will have spread through the supernatural community leading up to the day itself. as stated above, historical costume is a must -- vampires are encouraged to wear something from an era they lived through, though humans are welcome to whatever they desire! masks are fun so wear one if you like though there will be no anonymity here.

details will be in jean-claude's comment below, but his ex, asher, is going to be crashing the party at the end of the night, so if you're there for the end of the evening expect that as well. i will make a comment for asher as well on his own so you can tag with him before the main event if you decide you'd like to skip out on the fireworks as he and jean-claude butt heads for the first time in hundreds of years.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Early Evening

Cooper is never comfortable attending fancy events like this, much more at home in T-shirts and the jean vests of a motorcycle gang than in any dressed-up duds. But to not attend would be an insult to JC. Besides, Nancy never would have forgiven him if he decided not to go with her. So here he was, and rather than a usual take on the style of the fifties as he was warrant to do, he had gone for an earlier time period, wearing a dapper little suit right out of the twenties.

Anyone who knows Cooper will be able to tell he's on his best behavior, all smiles and charm for anyone who approaches. And for all that some in the Nest think him uncouth, Cooper can be just as suave as any of the older vamps when he wants to be. He wants this event to go off well for Jean-Claude. He's hitched his star to the man's wagon, and thus far, it's always worked out well for him.

Late Evening

When the lights go out, Cooper is immediately put on high alert. He can sense the emotions bubbling in the room, fear, confusion, and a certain note like everyone is just waiting for...something. But what something is that?

He looks around and it's then that he starts putting the puzzle pieces together. The picture he'd seen in Jean-Claude's office and that golden-haired stranger earlier in the evening. Uh-oh. This is not going to end well. Cooper looks around for Nancy, just in case things start getting ugly.

Nancy's a few drinks in when the lights go out, trying to do her best to find Cooper, as it were. The result is that their murmurs blend in with those of the rest of the crowd.

"Cooper?" Nancy calls all the same, trying to find her way through the darkness toward her boyfriend. A few moments before she remembers that damn it, she's a witch- and Nancy's got a small ball of light hovering over her hand as she searches for him. Where the hell is her boyfriend when she needed him?

He sifts through the crowd, most of whose attention has been turned towards the drama that is now starting between Jean-Claude and this stranger. Cooper's not sure where this is headed, but he knows it's not going to be pretty.

Cooper sees the little ball of light and makes his way towards it like a ship guided by a lighthouse. He grabs her free hand, pulling Nancy close towards him. "Are you alright?" He may not know how things are going to turn out, but he wants to make sure she'll be safe no matter what.

The moment he takes her hand, Nancy uses her own free hand to grab on to his arm, steadying herself needlessly. "I'm fine," she promises him. "Are you?" She's breathless, and not wanting to draw attention to themselves, closes her hand and extinguishes the light.

"Good. I'm fine, don't worry, sweet-pea. C'mon, we'd best get through the crowd before things turn ugly." He pulls her through everyone until they're on the outskirts. He's not sure how this is going to end up, but it's not going to be pretty by any means.

"Do you know what's going on?" She asks, hurrying along behind him. She doesn't let go of his hand, her hold steadfast. Not for the first time is she thankful she's enchanted all of her shoes to be as comfortable and durable as possible.

"I think I know who that is. JC showed me a portrait in his office a while back 'n told me a little about the people in it. If that's who I think it is, he's not here to play nice." He hurries Nancy up the stairs towards the entrance. While he's not about to abandon his Duke entirely to face this situation alone, he wants to be positioned close to the exit in case he has to skedaddle Nancy out.

Though things might be strained between them, Cooper still cares for her more than anything. If something happens here tonight, he wants to make sure that she won't get hurt.

"Asher," she whispers. "That's not good." She'd heard the same stories that JC had told Cooper, she imagines.

Nancy manages to climb the stairs with ease, pulling her skirt up a bit to make it easier. Her shoes are remarkably comfortable, allowing her to race up with ease.

"Should we help him?"

"This is gonna blow up like the Hindenburg." He could hear the blond vampire's voice ringing through the crowd, accusing JC of things that may or may not have been true. That really didn't matter. What mattered was that people were listening.

"He's on his own. If anyone intervenes, Jean-Claude will be seen as weak. He's got to stand or sink under his own weight." But no matter what the outcome, this was going to damage his campaign, perhaps irreparably. That had to have been Asher's intention all along. Why else would he have taken such an opportune moment to publicly call JC out?

"Fuck," Nancy swears low. She'd rather have JC as their President any day of the week over Sylvia and even over Cesare.

She wanted to help, really. But Cooper's right. "Damn it, I wish we could do something." She looks down at her hands- Eames didn't think she was too great at magic to begin with, so maybe she'd be useless. Certainly against a vampire.

Unlike Cooper, Caroline is in her element at things like this. She's gone with a Victorian-inspired gown and while the size of the skirt is more than a little impractical, she loves it.

When she spots Cooper she grins and heads his way. "My, don't you look dashing tonight."

Cooper's already had a mixed drink of scotch and blood that did just the trick for relaxing him enough to get into the swing of things for the night. He smiles when the young vampire comes towards him. "Caroline! You look like a vision."

He leans up and gives her a light kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you," she says with another grin. "This is quite the party. I'm almost embarrassed to have had nothing to do with it."

"Give it a few months. I'm sure you'll have the excuse t'plan another one." After all, the vampires did love their parties so. Cooper would never understand while they all felt the need to get dressed up for any occasion, but that was because of his own dislike for suits and fancy attire.

"Been enjoyin' yourself?"

"Oh, always. What's not to enjoy?" Caroline loved the opportunity to get dressed up, she always had. And at least with this group, she could count on the party being worth the effort and didn't need to time how long she stayed by how it compared to her prep time.

"I'm not one much for glitz and galas. Give me the open road, a motorcycle, and the wind blowing in my face any day." Cooper was a man of simple tastes he knew what he liked and it was some of the rougher pleasures of life. But he'd dutifully come to these events to make a good impression. Now that he was a representative, he had to make sure his public image stayed secure. Not to show up would have been seen as a snub to JC and the tongues would have started to wag.

[open] Vampire Ball - May 26th (backdated)

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late evening

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Early Evening

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