undergrounds | The Other Mayor of London

The OTHER MAYOR OF LONDON invites you to a night to remember...

Hosted at The Angelo in the heart of Islington (courtesy of Cesare Borgia), Raymond Harris invites you all to join him on the night of Saturday, 6th August to celebrate his self-proclaimed ascension as the Other Mayor of London. His aims are threefold: to stake his claim as the most powerful supernatural being in the city, to persuade other interested factions to ally with him, and to intimidate his enemies with a show of extravagance. All members of the Islington Nest are expected to work hard tonight to achieve these goals.

The party officially begins at 20:39 when the sun sets and ends at 05:34 when the sun rises. Of course, there's no guarantee that everyone will make it until dawn...

Rules of entry
• This is a black tie event. Anyone who fails to wear the appropriate attire will be denied entry.
• No stakes or other vampire-killing weapons. That's just rude.
• No more than five werewolves and shapeshifters will be admitted in total. Raymond wants them to witness his power, but not to spoil his party. They will be closely watched and likely mocked by the surrounding vampires.

Raymond is guarded by his vampire henchmen at all times. Any perceived threat will be dealt with swiftly and mercilessly.

Places to go
Once you're admitted to the hotel, you'll walk into the lobby, where you're free to mingle with the other guests. It's here that you're likely to first spot the party's human contingent: a collection of young and beautiful men and women whose sole purpose is to provide a live food source for the vampires. Dressed in uniform black suits and cocktail dresses, they will offer up their wrists and/or necks to anyone who wants them.

From there, you can head over to the bar for a more relaxed and cordial atmosphere. Drinks are free until midnight; after that you'll have to pay. The bar does not serve blood; it's expected that vampire guests will drink directly from their nearest human.

If you're looking for something a little more substantial, try the tea room where you'll be served tea, coffee or red wine, and a selection of cherry tomato canapes, strawberries and scones with jam and clotted cream.

The main action, however, takes place in the ballroom. Red mood lighting continues the general theme and live music will be playing all night. Professional dancers provide entertainment in the early evening, but it won't be long before the ballroom is crowded with party-goers revelling in the fun, free and wild atmosphere. This is where you may find Raymond, the benevolent host watching over his guests. Drink and be merry. He wants everyone to have a good time.

(You can check the OOC plotting thread for more info and to ask any questions about this event. Enjoy!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Cooper," Natasha says, smiling in greeting. "I guess I am."

Shaking her head slightly, she looks out over the crowd. "I don't know that it's quite my scene, but I don't have a lot of chances to get dressed up these days. I wouldn't miss it."

It's a dodge, but only a slight one. The party is a little rough for her—the temptation to indulge when there are so many willing blood donors is strong, and she feels acutely both how she could fit in among the Islington vampires and how she doesn't. But that's hardly friendly conversation.

"I'm not one much for fancy parties. Give me a pub 'n a pint any day over this." Cooper wasn't ashamed of his tastes. Sure, he was a little rough, but he wasn't going to pretend to be a refined, cultured sort when that's exactly what he wasn't.

"Any of them try t'give you the recruiting speech yet?" Cooper knows he should be doing his part and trying to do just that, but he's hardly going to be inviting vampires to join the nest when it's in such a state of turmoil. Plus, Cooper is none too fond of the current leader, even if he hasn't been as vocal about it as he could have been.

"Oh, a couple of times." She smiles wryly and leans in close enough to whisper conspiratorially. "I can't say any of the pitches have been convincing so far."

Then she shrugs as she withdraws a bit, giving him back his personal space.

"Do you think it's working? Are you bringing in us stragglers?"

Cooper considers her question seriously, giving a serious answer in lieu of his usual flippant talk. "There will be a few who are impressed by all the glamour and glitz. It's pretty impressive for new vamps or those that come from more provincial nests. But--"

He makes a hand motion like he's sweeping away something. "--Raymond's shaken up the status quo by breaking away from the Night Council like he did. Some will like that, but the more cautious vamps won't." That's as close as he'll get to admitting that he may not be as enthused about what's going on as some of the other vampires in the nest are.

Natasha nods. She's not inclined to make him admit more, especially not in this company. She doesn't want anyone overhearing Cooper saying something that could potentially get him in trouble with Harris. Especially not when his discontent might make him an ally in times to come. After what happened with Alex, Natasha almost looks forward to the two of them being on the same side of a conflict.

So instead, she smiles slightly and nods her understanding, and takes the conversation in a slightly different direction.

"Well, with a pitch like that at least you sound honest. I can respect that. Especially when not everyone's been that realistic." She tilts her head a little, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, I tend to be the cautious type."

"Cautious is good. It means you live longer." It was a laughable concept, considering how Cooper lived his life, but he was more of the 'Do as I say, not as I do' school of thinking.

"As for me, I survive everythin'. When the apocalypse eventually comes, it'll be me 'n the cockroaches sharing space on the road." Cocky and confident? Yes. But his claims aren't without merit. For all that he's a sarcastic little shit, Cooper tends to bounch back no matter what is thrown at him.

"Now that's a future to look forward to," Natasha says with a huff and a ghost of a smile. "Cockroaches don't sound like the best company."

She glances around the room theatrically, raising an brow. She doesn't say it, but the look clearly communicates that the cockroaches might be better than some of their present company, though.

"Me, I'd just as soon avoid the apocalypse if it's possible."

"So would we all. If it happens, I have no doubt the fae will have somethin' to do with it. It'd be just like them to watch the world eat itself wrapped in a shower of pretty, sparkly glitter." He hadn't been fond of the fae even before they turned him into a binturong as penance for eating too many of them when he was on a fae blood bender. The fact that Harris now wants to ally with them galls the vampire.

"Have you had anything t'eat yet?" He watches and waits for Natasha's reply carefully. She's never outright mentioned her eating habits to him, but he's had his suspicions right from the start.

"I'm not sure even the fae want to watch the world burn that much," Natasha says. At the end of the day, there weren't many people of any faction or species who were interested in destroying the world. To one degree or another, they all lived on it an relied on it or their continued well-being. Even if only as a source of food.

Speaking of which...

Her expression changes only subtly when he asks if she's eaten. He smile thins slightly, the look in her eyes growing a little more brittle. "I'm fine," she says. "I didn't come planning to eat."

Cooper winks at Natasha in a good-natured fashion. He's surmised as much from their previous meetings and this just confirms it for him. A vampire would be hard pressed to control their blood lust during opportunities like this unless they were hardcore on the wagon. "It's all good. Just means there's more for me then."

"Seems like there's more than enough to go around," Natasha says more lightly. The undercurrent is still there, that it's difficult to be around, that the display might not be in the best taste, but she doesn't have any inclination to pursue those points.

It is something of a relief when he doesn't become defensive, though. "Not everyone's been so laid back about the fact I'm not taking advantage of Islington's generosity."

"Eh, you know how most vampires are. Prickly 'n vain 'n touchy about things that hardly matter at the end of the day." Of course, he's like that himself, aside from being vain. Kind of hard to be so when he was permanently stuck in the oh-so-awkward throes of puberty.

"I figure live 'n let live. You do what you want, 'cause I'm hardly the type t'be forcin' people to do what they don't want to." He was a pretty casual sort in the way he thought about things. He's never been one much for the pomp and glamour of the vampiric way of life. His niche in life had much more been Rebel Without a Cause than the courts of Versailles.

"Some of us are a lot more prickly about it than others." She has to agree with him, though. Most of it didn't matter at the end of the day. "Too many noblemen, you think? Too used to getting their own way even when they were human."

Being a vampire, in Natasha's estimation, has rarely improved anyone's disposition.

"It seems to take a certain type."

The Other Mayor of London

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