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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!)

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Despite the general... Well, everything about Eames' wardrobe, he cleans up pretty well. He also seems to have aged recently, but so far that's just a some of flecks of grey at the temples and a few wrinkles around the eyes. But he's a fae, so he must just be trying out a new look, right?

Unfortunately he's pretty beholden to the rules, so no weapons. Eames comports himself with confidence regardless, and a certainty in his movements that you wouldn't really expect a fae to have in a den of vampires. He'll just have to improvise if someone starts something.

Eames starts in the lobby, greeting a few familiar faces as though it's great to see them even when it's not. (Chatting up a few of the women offering their blood services, because if the cure to this fucking curse is what he's narrowed it down to, they seem like the most likely to be down with it.)

After a while though, the whole thing gets to be a bit much to be around and he decamps to the bar, taking full advantage of the free bar while he can. At one point he spends a little time talking to a shapeshifter, sharing a few laughs at the expense of vampires and making fun of the pomp and grandeur of such a pointless little event. It's a good place to get an idea of who's with Islington — as members or as allies — but Eames is highly aware that it's almost better for getting the names and faces of their detractors too.

The ballroom doesn't see him until much later, and once he's there he doesn't dance. If someone invites him he'll probably accept, and he'll be amazing, but in the meantime he doesn't look impressed. Watches Raymond for a little while and contemplates going over for a chat, but Eames quickly decides he'd rather not and stays where he is. Leaning against a wall with a drink in his hand while he silently judges everyone in attendance.

Edited 2016-08-06 23:29 (UTC)

Evie was completely unarmed. Conventionally, of course. But she wasn't here with any plans to kill anyone- tonight was about making an appearance. She didn't want to support Raymond, but in order for her plan to work, and to skirt any suspicion that may be thrown her way, she needs to be wooed.

So Evie's once more at a fancy shindig where she refuses to wear a dress. Though her heels are high, you can be certain she runs better in them than any has any right to. Throughout the night, she'll be found mingling with the other guests, mostly in the bar. But if anyone wishes to lend her ear for a more private conversation, she's more than happy to accompany them to the tea room.

Towards the end of the evening, when enough alcohol has loosened her proverbial corset strings, she'll be found in the ball room. She can dance, it's hard not to have grown up an Assassin and not learned how, but she's hardly a taste for it.

Sometimes Cesare likes to lurk in the shadows, keeping away from curious, prying eyes in favour of privacy and anonymity. Tonight is definitely not one of those moments. Tonight is fun and Cesare is here to enjoy it to its fullest. He is in his element, after all, this is home, and with the way that he is acting, the uninformed might mistake him for the pseudo neo-mayor, Raymond Harris himself. Cesare would correct them, of course, but only a little.

1. With few objectors in sight, he is having a good time drinking out in the open. He tends to save his appetites for back rooms with no windows and dark carpets that don't show blood, but tonight is a welcome change. Cesare is fully indulging in it. He is happily snacking on three willing participants in the corner of his moodily lit ballroom, with blood pooling onto tongues and smirks and whispers breathed against necks. Is it a little ostentatious? Yes, and Cesare is totally ok with that. Being a vampire is fun and Cesare is perfectly fine with showing what everyone else is missing out on.

2. Cesare has had his fun and now it's time for business. He fixes up his suit and makes his way to the tea room. He has schmoozing to do and negotiations to make. He casually grabs a cloth napkin from one of the tables and pulls a pen from his jacket, fingers calmly slipping past the gun of silver bullets hidden under his coat (he's enjoying himself tonight, but he's not stupid). He places the napkin down on the table, with the pen next to it, and smiles slightly.

"Everyone has their price. Why don't you tell me yours?"

3. Maybe Cesare doesn't like someone who's here. Maybe some quiet, secret chats need to be made. I don't know. Wild card!

Edited 2016-08-07 01:05 (UTC)

Usually at this sort of thing, Nancy is working. Tonight is a rarity in that she's actually attending as a guest, rather than looking for someone to take home at the end of the night. Naturally, she's here with Cooper, and it's the first time she's actually gone in public public with him. Nancy's dressed-up, and incredibly proud of the emeralds she wears.

Most of the night, Nancy is on Cooper's arm, but is never without a drink in her hand. Occasionally, she escapes to the bar for a long drink. Later, she's in the ball room, dancing up a storm, even if Cooper isn't anywhere near her. She gets chattier, the more she drinks.

Honestly, she's not here politically. She's just here to have a good time. And maybe make-out with her boyfriend in a darkened corner.

Now that's where Nancy's wrong, at least in Cesare's eyes. Everything is political. Every action is a move and Nancy has just made a poor one. Cesare isn't entirely sure why she's here, whether she was so foolish (surely not?) to turn up like this or was being deliberately challenging. Either way, Nancy has strolled up to a professional establishment in a very unprofessional manner. Not in his house, thank you very much.

But then there's Cooper. Poor capricious Cooper, technically a peer, though Cesare doesn't exactly see him as one. Cesare wonders if Cooper knows he's dating a whore, or if Nancy has managed to hide that from him. She has always been socially savvy, at least up until tonight.

Cesare strolls up to the two of them, a drink in hand and a smug, overly cordial smile on his lips.

"Mr. Cooper, I'm glad you could make it. Nancy, I did not expect to see you this evening."

Cooper doesn't bother to hide the thin line his mouth becomes when Cesare approaches. He has his many wonderful qualities (even if no one else seems to think so), but his jealousy regarding Nancy is hard to reign in. If she wasn't with him, he knows she'd be working the crowd of powerful, wealthy, and all-too-charming vampires. Cesare is just full of that mysterious foreign air and Cooper really just wants to smack it out of him.

His arm is casually curled around Nancy's waist and he not so subtly pulls her a little closer to him. The message is clear: She is mine, not yours. Still, he's not going to start anything. "Cesare. We're both glad we could attend." Emphasis on the 'we' part of that statement there.

"Cesare!" Nancy's bright when he strolls up, giving him a warm smile. Wasn't he just telling her how great she was at people? She extends a hand to give him a warm shake. "Good to see you!"

Cooper's a pleasant weight against her, and she glances up at him to show him yes, she's got the message. "Well, it's a wonderful party. You certainly know how to throw them." She takes a drink of her wine, not straying from out of Cooper's grasp. She didn't want to. She didn't need to. She was here with him, and the fact that this could have any negative impact on her business was the very last thought on her mind. She was just happy to be here with him, and it showed in the way she looked up at him. She was young, she was foolish, and she was certainly in love.

"And it seems like everyone is having a good time."

Never let it be said that Natasha doesn't know how to make an appearance. She arrives just a bit after sundown, in an eye catching dress, hair coifed, makeup dramatic and impeccable. It's a change from how she's presented herself up until this point during her London stay, but clearly she has experience with this kind of showmanship because no only does she look the part, she acts it flawlessly as well.

She stays in the lobby and mingles long enough to make a good appearance, fending off offers of blood gently and smoothly enough not to draw attention to herself. If the temptation tries her (and oh, it does), she keeps the struggle off of her face and out of her posture, even when one or two of the human representatives from the nest grow particularly bold in their attempts to win her over.

From there she moves to the bar where she discreetly fortifies herself with a couple of gin and tonics under the pretense of continuing to circulate the crowd.

It's not long before she mains an appearance in the ballroom though. That's the center of the action, so inevitably that is the place Natasha will spend most of the night. Up until now, she's been a light touch feeling out Islington, but her she lets a little curiosity show. Not enough to give too much false hope to the vampires and human hangers on who try to win her over to the cause, but enough to encourage them to try. On the whole, both charm and threats are met with the same noncommittal reserve and a slight, professional smile—an expression that reveals little but invites her conversation partners to draw their own conclusions about where she stands.

Periodically through the night, Natasha will excuse herself to step outside and get a breath of fresh air. She attempts to avoid it, but when the smell of blood or the sight of open feeding becomes too much for her to white knuckle her way through without drawing attention to her thirst, she allows herself to make a graceful retreat to rally her self-control.

Natasha avoids Cesare in the ballroom. The view she gets of him from a distance is enough to warn her off—being around that kind of feeding would be too much for her tonight. Maintaining her self-control is too high of a priority.

She keeps an eye open for the chance to engage him, though. She's been meaning to speak with him, see if she can gauge if he's loyal to Raymond Harris himself or if it's the nest he's siding with, and Harris is an extension of that. Depending on what particular principles have Cesare supporting him, there may down the line be the potential to flip him to Jean-Claude's support. His money and influence could go a long way when the time came...

Well, she'd like to get a feel for if that idea has a future at all.

So when he moves into the tea room, she follows. She helps herself to a glass of red wine and she meets him, standing across the table from him until she's invited to sit.

"That really depends. Just what is it you think you're buying?"

Jean-Claude is certainly a man for a demonstration. But there are certain things that make him uncomfortable, and one is the flagrant way that Raymond has allowed the vampires to behave. You will not find him availing himself of any of the 'snacks', though you can be damned certain he is taking note of who is making use of the offer themselves. And how.

He spots Cesare in the back of the ballroom with not one, but three companions. Raising his eyebrows and stepping forward to approach the other vampire. He is fairly certain that the other man will not kill any of them, at least. He is old enough to be able to control himself better than that. Of course, given Raymond's latest stunts, perhaps it shouldn't matter to the other vampire whether he does or not. And that's what is most uncomfortable of all. Jean-Claude would know how Cesare stands in all of this. Though he knows he must be careful. Especially given the other vampire had volunteered his own bar as the venue for such an event, of all things.

"Be careful, mon ami, that you are not too greedy with them," he comments, moving to position himself a few strides away, leaning against the wall behind himself and casually observing Cesare in turn.

Jean-Claude has not seen Nancy for quite some time. Certainly since the last time she had reprimanded him for his latest offense against her friend. He does not allow his thoughts to linger on Kenzi for too long, though he knows as soon as he steps up to greet the girl that will be the first thing on the front of her mind as well.

He does not know whether she knows of his position, or his plans for the future, but she is here, and accompanying one of the vampires who has proven himself loyal to Jean-Claude's cause thus far. So he figures he might as well step up and find out.

"He does not know what a charm he has brought to this gathering, here," Jean-Claude comments, as he steps up to her, managing to have caught her in a rare moment without her vampire companion of the evening. All the better to discuss him behind his back, after all. Assuming he gets that far.

Jean-Claude has watched her, as she made her way through the lobby, excusing herself from the offers of blood and smoothly making her exit away from those who are partaking and away to the bar instead. He has to note, he does not think he has ever seen her feed, or mention it for that matter. Not that every vampire does talk about these things with one another, but he finds it... Curious.

Stepping forward, Jean-Claude makes his way to join her at the bar, sliding into the seat beside her and offering the slight quirk of a smile as she does. "A familiar circumstance, we find ourselves in, although perhaps in slightly more unfamiliar settings, to be true," he comments. Cocking his head slightly to the side at her as he does.

"We do seem to be developing a pattern," Natasha says, smiling in return. It doesn't quite reach her eyes, though. Nothing personal—she's actually pleased Jean-Claude is here, that he's chosen to speak with her. She's glad to see how he's comporting himself. She wants to see how he handles this situation.

But in this situation, surrounded by politics and blood, it's easier for her to fall back on her training. As pleasant as her response is, there's still something guarded and professional about her demeanor.

"Maybe a sign I spend too much time in bars."

She recongnizes his voice and, pursing her lips, turns to face him. Yes, it was on the forefront of her mind- she did just happen to be talking to the sire of her best friend who, oh, y'know, attacked her, nearly killed her, and then went to rehab. It's very hard to forget that, especially when you have less than nineteen-years worth of memories. But she can see why it would be pushed to the back of Jean-Claude's mind.

Nancy blinks slowly- was he trying to complement her? Or insult Cooper? Either way, it's one way to open. "Oh, I think he knows." He was quite the possessive one- it's rare she's gotten a moment away from him. "He's been showing me off all night."

Natasha spots Eames when he joins the crowd in the ballroom, noting where he positions himself and the look he's giving the others in attendance. She doesn't move to join him immediately, finishing her conversation with a Circle Midnight witch first and allowing herself to briefly be waylaid by a young vampire who think she can be wooed over to Islington with a little awkward flirting. Once she's finishes with them, she drifts into his orbit, though, flashing a smile.

"You're looking more distinguished tonight," she comments. She notices the differences, but she wouldn't say they don't suit him. She also assumes that the changes are his own doing—fae doing what fae do. "Not interested in dancing?"

Evie had been looking for a good excuse to speak with Natasha all evening, and when she noticed her move to slip outside, she saw her moment. Excusing herself from the conversation, she followed behind Natasha a few paces, waiting for an opportune moment to approach her.

"Lovely party, isn't it?" There's a smile in her lips that remembers all too well the conversation they'd had in Natasha's apartment. Both women knew how advantageous it was to appear at these sorts of things.

She waits for a moment, to be sure they're alone before she adds: "You doing alright?"

Cooper shows up with Nancy on his arm, looking proud as a peacock to have a gorgeous girl as his date. He's even put on a suit for the occasion, though he absolutely despises it. He thinks it makes him look he's going to prom.

Most of the night will be spent with Nancy, but if one wants to catch him by himself, he'll be putting on his best behavior and at least attempting to be cordial to everyone while he mingles in the lobby. Curiously, he drinks only sparingly at the bar, far from his usual behavior. Could it be he's afraid of saying something he shouldn't if he drinks too much?

Later on in the night, he'll be in the ballroom, dancing with Nancy a bit before he takes some time off for himself. He'll hanging off to the side, observing the dancers and folks coming in and out. He's taking this time to judge the mood of everyone and how they're reacting to the evening.

Cooper is, for once that night, by himself in the ballroom. Nancy's off doing her own thing and he finds himself watching the crowd. He spots Natasha in the dress. She looks good, of course. He might now be unavailable, but that doesn't mean he's blind. He hasn't seen her since he was looking for Alex and wonders what she must think about him taking her in.

He sidles over to her, looking a touch uncomfortable in his suit. It's definitely not his style. "Evening, 'tasha! Enjoyin' yourself?"

Nancy has showed up to this event on the arm of a vampire that Eames may not recognize, aside from being an annoying pest, but it is instantly clear that this is indeed the boyfriend that she has been talking about. Cooper and she are a sickeningly cute couple and he's very interested in keeping her next to him for as much of the evening as he possibly can. While there is something a touch possessive about his behavior, he clearly adores Nancy. His eyes and mouth go soft whenever he looks at her the way it doesn't with anyone else and he's every inch the attentive boyfriend.

They dance a little in the ballroom, Cooper leaning in to say something that occasionally makes her laugh out loud. He's feeling relaxed and in good spirits when they finally leave the dance floor. Nancy takes off for a few minutes to go do her own thing and Cooper decides to take a minute to take in the crowd up against the wall. He finds himself next to Eames, watching with adoration as Nancy leaves the ballroom. "I could watch her do that all night," he says softly as she bounces along in her heels.

So, fae dad, your daughter is dating a little twerp of a vampire. What will you do?

It was a vampire party, and to Thomas a vampire party typically was an opportunity to wear something he could have fun with, something revealing, seductive and eye catching. Alas, looking over the invitation, it appeared that Raymond was bound and determined to sap away any aspect of things that Thomas might enjoy. It looked as if the dress code was a little bit stricter than what Thomas was used to, and while part of him was tempted to go with a black tie and no shirt, he suspected that would ensure he wasn't allowed admittance.

Eventually Thomas settled on a white suite with a black tie and lapels (and yes, he wore a shirt). It was eye catching without being inappropriate. He certainly looked good in it, even though Thomas would prefer to show a lot more skin, but he'd still pause in front of the occasional reflective surface to admire how good he looked.

In the lobby Thomas could be seen flirting with the men and women who were offering blood, enjoying their company and getting to know them a bit. Noticing one woman in particular hanging on his every word, he eventually decided to take her aside, finding as quiet a corner as he could to flirt a bit more, before eventually slowly easing into feeding.

Once he was done with that, he took her over to the tea room and bought her some tea and scones.

The rest of the night he could be found either at the bar or ballroom, mingling with vampire and non-vampire alike, though having a distinct preference for hanging around those who didn't express much joy in the recent free range carnage that had been allowed by their esteemed leader.

He's looked into this Earl of Holloway, of course he has, but the information is useless by and large. Short, Irish, young, bit of a shit. Nothing noteworthy either way. He had no idea it was this little shit though. To be fair, he hasn't witnessed Cooper do anything except be annoying, but god. Eames sees the possessive behaviour too, and it's not overbearing but, it bugs him regardless. Possessive partners are perhaps his least favourite kind — Eames has had a couple. They didn't last long.

But beyond a cursory look when they're in the same room, Eames doesn't pay much attention to them. He still thinks it's a monumentally stupid decision on Nancy's part, but he can't say he cares enough to expend any real thought or time on it.

When Cooper's next to him though. Ugh. He wrinkles his nose in distaste and looks out over the room to spot her. "She looks like she's having a great time."

There. They've exchanged words and no one died. Now leave.

He quirks a smile at what he assumes is a compliment, (because why wouldn't it be,) and turns his gaze to Natasha.

"Not with any of the assembled," Eames replies, raising an eyebrow as he gestures toward the floor with a tip of his head. Islington as far as the eye can see, he wants no part of that.

Arthur spots Eames at the bar shortly after he arrives and finds his way over there casually, stopping once or twice to say hello to some old contacts, keep up appearances. He's there scoping out the vampires for Hillingdon but he'd be here anyway; he can't help his own curiousity.

When he finally finds his way next to Eames, he frowns briefly at the grey in his hair - he didn't think subtle differences were Eames' style, and it's not like he's well-disguised. He'll have to ask about it. But for now, he just says, "didn't expect to see you here."

He's so polite.

"I was invited," he says as though it explains why he'd come at all. Truth be told, it's largely the same reason Arthur's here; chronic nosiness. Regardless, a familiar face that doesn't come with a set of fangs is a welcome sight, one that makes Eames relax just a smidge as he looks at Arthur with the facial equivalent of a shrug. "And I could say the same to you."

"I was invited," Arthur repeats back to him dryly. It wasn't terribly hard to get invited, but Arthur did seek out one of his Islington contacts anyway to make sure it didn't just look like he was there sizing up the major players of the nest for their stakes.

He glances away, at the party, and then looks back at Eames, frowning gently.

"What's with the grey hair?"

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The Other Mayor of London

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Evie | OTA

Cesare Borgia | OTA

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Natasha Romanoff | OTA

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Cooper | OTA

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Thomas | OTA

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