[OPEN] MURDER ON THE DANCEFLOOR

[baisant]

The Duke of Central London's Samhain festivities are open upon invitation only. Those who are fortunate enough to have received one, either from the Duke himself or from one of his guests, are privy to quite the affair. Raymond has obviously been planning this for some time now, and the bar is fully stocked, the room fully decorated for the festivities. Collected from the fae hunt that their leader had encouraged, fae blood flows freely, available freshly served in punch bowls or straight from the source itself, in the form of kidnapped fae off of the streets. The vampires who partake are drunk with it and high on the euphoria that it offers, a drug unlike any other their kind can partake in.

As promised by Raymond himself, it is a rave the likes that London has never seen before. And it's about to get a lot more memorable still...

Comments

[OPEN] THE LEADUP

[baisant]

Jean-Claude has invited along those that he can into the party itself, although those he cannot bring in personally he has arranged to watch the doors. The instructions are simple. Infiltrate the rave itself. Separate yourselves out among Raymond's vampires themselves. Those that are outside, watch the doors. Keep calm, and keep cautious. Wait for his cue. You will know it when you see it. When the time comes, prepare yourselves to fight. Vampire against vampire if it comes to that. And in the meanwhile? Enjoy yourselves! It's a rave after all. Just avoid the fae blood or you will be sorry.

Jean-Claude himself can be found among the fray, dancing here and there with another vampire in attendance on the floor, sometimes catching a drink at the bar. He has left a 'gift' to prepare itself in the back room, and up until the moment that it is time to present that gift to Raymond, he might as well enjoy himself with the rest of them.

for Eames

[freelife]

"Leave us." Evie waves a hand at the guard that's watching Eames. He hesitates, but Evie's look is enough to get him- a young, impressionable minion of Raymond's- to leave the room. When the door shuts, Evie already knows he's right outside, waiting. Not that Eames is any sort of threat. He still has orders.

Evie circles Eames, looking at the handcuffs they have him in- proper irons, and she winces for him. She approached him slowly, gloved hands going for the cuffs. it's a few moments, and she's managed to pick the locks, only to recuff him. This time, it's a bit more loose. She jerks her head towards the door, indicating the guard is still there. They've got to be quiet, play the game still.

But she wants to check up on him. Make sure he's alright. He volunteered for this after all, and she doesn't want their ally hurt.

"Treating you well, I hope?" Outside there's so much blood in the air, it takes every fiber of her being to stop herself from giving in. She needs to be sober for this, though her fangs are out in the natural reaction.

[falsify]

Honestly he'd forgotten how much iron burns. Pain is something Eames can handle, perhaps not always gracefully, but he can manage it. This however? The worst part isn't the pain itself, but the constant nature of it. The way it's impossible to be less than fully aware of it the whole time it touches him.

(Should've worn long sleeves, a part of him jokes, and Eames huffs an amused noise at seemingly nothing in particular.)

Eames looks up at Evie when she comes in, seemingly not at all pleased to see her, but his expression falls to something strained but still friendly when it's just the two of them. Groaning in the momentary relief of having his cuffs undone, and hissing slightly once they're redone. Not that he doesn't appreciate it, but it still hurts like a bitch.

"Good as can be expected," Eames says with an amused lilt, voice pitched low so it won't carry through the door, choosing to ignore the way her fangs are out. He wouldn't ally himself with a vampire he didn't trust to control themself. "Kind of funny, they really believe I'm not a threat like this."

Re: [OPEN] THE LEADUP

[loveconquersdinosaurs]

Thomas blended in seamlessly into the crowd at the rave, dancing, celebrating, and generally joining in with the revelry, though he refused to take a single taste of the blood offered, though the sweet smell was more tantalizing than he'd anticipated. His incredibly skimpy 'fairy' costume seemed to communicate that he was just there for a good time, though despite apparently losing himself in the celebration, he was incredibly alert the entire time, waiting for his cue. He might not be ready to take on their esteemed leader, but he was more than willing to fight those who might try to get in Jean-Claude's way.

Those who saw him also might notice that his hair was a bit different than before, as he'd finally decided to go sans wig, showing off his hair that had grown back rather nicely since his incident with Cooper, and was now about four inches in length. Of course, to those who knew him it would look like he'd gotten his hair cut, and he had no intention of saying or doing anything that would correct that idea.

[CLOSED TO EAMES & RAYMOND] THE SHOWDOWN

[baisant]

The clocks are nearing up on midnight, and Jean-Claude knows that it is his call to action. He has made sure that all of his preparations are in place, and there is no time like the present. So it is with great ceremony that he makes his way up onto the stage at the front of the room and spreads his hands wide to call attention from the crowd. The music lowers itself softly, in observance of the moment, and Jean-Claude nods to the DJ in thanks.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the nest and the night," Jean-Claude addresses the room. "Your attention, if I may. Tonight is a very special evening. And it calls for a very special celebration." He gestures across the room to Raymond. "I have brought a present for you, mon ami. A present for the nest as a whole, perhaps you could say."

[brightwitch]

Jean-Claude is ever the showman. When he steps up on the stage, Raymond is at a table surrounded by his usual cronies and he looks up in surprise at the other vampire's announcement. One or two of his guards mutter darkly about this being unplanned, their eyes narrowing in suspicion, but the majority of vampires in the room are too drunk to think anything of it.

Not Raymond. He hasn't touched a drop of fae blood, so he's as sharp as ever. "I hope it's not yourself, JC!" Laughter in the room. Raymond grins. "I know old habits die hard, but I'd have to turn you down."

[baisant]

That makes two of them, sober and sharp and dangerous. Jean-Claude gives the other vampire an obliging smile and a theatrical bow at the joke at his expense. His reputation precedes him, of course. Raymond will know that even before Jean-Claude had owned a strip club, he had walked the streets not unlike the women and the men who he employs now. He will know where he came from before that, straight out of the clutches, and the bed for that matter, of his previous master in France.

"Alas, no," he replies. "If I were to be offering myself, rest assured I would have dressed for the occasion." Not that he isn't dressed to the nines now. Complete with deep purple velveteen frock coat and a long metal blade carefully strapped to his back beneath it. "You have named your requests for the evening, monsieur, and there has been fae blood on the menu. But you have not had any for yourself yet, I noticed. It is just as well. Perhaps you understood just what I had in store for you."

He gestures to the side wings, for the guards to go and fetch the 'prisoner', as it were, as he turns back to the Duke himself and says, "I understand that you have something of a feud at work. With the Lord of Autumn, that is."

[OPEN] THE AFTERMATH

[baisant]

Once the deed is done, the room erupts in chaos, although they have all seen, they all know. The leader of the vampires is dead. There is a new leader in charge, and he has taken the city for his own. While Jean-Claude is normally a peaceable vampire, he has made his point quite clear. He will not suffer those who have an issue with the change in regime to live. If they cannot accept him as their new leader, then he cannot allow them to remain in the city. They can try and escape, but they will be found. They will be caught. They will be brought to justice. He will make certain of it.

The vampires in the dance hall have their orders. As do the allies positioned outside of the doors. No one is to escape. No traitor is to be trusted. Jean-Claude has few rules, few demands, but these are his orders and they will be obeyed.

[dredefulchilde]

"You actually did it."

Even after the fact, Joscelin can barely believe what's just happened. Jean-Claude's always struck him as being just a bit too romantic, a bit too soft, to actually get anything done.

And yet here they are.

"You actually bloody did it."

[baisant]

Jean-Claude can feel his heart pounding in his chest, pulse thundering in his ears, and there's a part of him that can hardly believe that he has succeeded in this either. It's not that he didn't believe himself capable of the hypothetical possibility of taking over the city. It's that he never believed he would ever have enough reason, enough backing, enough gall to step up and make it happen.

He glances aside at the other vampire from where he stands, covered in the blood of the former Duke of the city, and laughs. The sound loud and throaty, and perhaps a little shaky but then again he figures he is allowed here and now to need a moment to collect himself.

"It would seem that I did."

[freelife]

Chaos is where Evie thrives. The moment it's done, she's prepared. This isn't the first time she's been in a situation like this, and she knows it won't be the last. Sure, usually she's one for subtlety, but when you're dealing with a man like Raymond Harris, there's little time for it. This needed to be public, she'd understood. And it was.

Now came the fun part.

Armed to and including the teeth, Evie's ready. If anyone is watching, she moves like she's dancing. A sword usually makes it easy to decapitate, but this is close quarters combat, and she's prepared for a melee. Those who oppose the takeover will meet a swift end with a thrown stake or find themselves slowed by her Kukri. She takes her orders seriously. It's time to liberate London once again.

[ooc: come help her fight, or they can chat after the blood's been spilled WHATEVER WORKS.]

[baisant]

Jean-Claude wields the long blade he had produced from down the back of his jacket -- an old trick he had learned from a vampire hunter long ago -- and snarls in the face of the first vampire to try and mount the stage after he has let Raymond's body drop to the ground before running them clean through as well. There are other vampires who would let their people do the rest of the fighting for them. But Jean-Claude has no such opinion of himself. He just has to be careful that he doesn't get himself killed so soon after winning the city for himself.

It is only once the smoke has cleared, as they say, and Jean-Claude stands breathing heavily on the stage of the dance hall, covered in Raymond Harris' blood and that of his followers, sporting few new cuts and bruises that will heal in time but otherwise none the worse for wear, that he can finally take stock of the situation. And he tilts back his head and laughs.

"Ah, mon amie," he says, addressing Evie directly. "Remind me never to find myself on your bad side."

[outstandingbalance]

Natasha couldn't be there when the deed went down, wasn't welcome for it because of her allegiance to Redbright. Instead she waited outside, ready with loaded guns and stakes for anyone who tried to take the battle outside.

When the dust settles, though, Natasha has more freedom to meet her allies within the nest.

For Evie, she has a smile. "Hey," she says when she has a moment to reach the other assassin. "Hell of a night, huh?"

[loveconquersdinosaurs]

Seeing one of the attackers try to move in on Evie while she was fighting another, Thomas pounced, tackling his surprised opponent to the ground before slicing off their head with his sword. While normally he went for his gun in a fight, he'd realized going into things that a gun with regular bullets really wasn't the most effective weapon against their kind, and so he'd chosen to stash his sword out here earlier, fetching it quickly once the fight moved out here. Still, what he lacked in experience he made up for in aggression, as well as not being high on fae blood.

This, however, was not the only weapon on his person, as he now held a small, silver witch's amulet in his heavily gloved left hand that he had produced from a small pouch at his waist, which he was using to further damage any vampires that he caught in melee combat.

OPEN

[vampire_barbie_girl]

Tonight feels different than the Southwark claim. Caroline is still scared to be here, to be involved, but she feels better able to deal with that fear. She knows she cannot let it rule her anymore, not if she wants to make a difference and prove that vampires aren't all bad.

That said, she still has to be smart. She spends the evening near the doors, ready to support anyone out there while also making sure she doesn't get trapped in a fight she can't win. Luckily, so many of Raymond's followers are high on fae blood and thus not in a great position to fight.

She has a stake ready for anyone who tries to escape.

[dirtyredneck]

Daryl would have been too conspicuous inside. He knows that. But the knowledge does nothing to make him less agitated. He'd been asked by Jean-Claude to help. To watch the exits and make sure no one escaped. He just didn't give much in the way of time frames except sometime later after most of Raymond's cronies were too drunk to fight well. It was going to be a goddamn purge of everyone that had hurt him and his kind over the summer and he couldn't even get a front row seat.

No one was getting out the doors alive unless they were one of Jean-Claude's.

But would it be too much to ask for it to open so he could have the satisfaction of getting a kill?

[freelife]

During the fight, Evie caught sight of a familiar blonde. Hardly allowing herself more than a small smirk of reflection during the attack, she vowed to come back to her later. That time came far sooner than expected, as one of Raymond's goons began to approach the young American. Evie didn't waste a moment- sending a stake through the heart of the man she was fighting, she ran over toward Caroline.

"Caroline!" She yelled, hoping she'd turn and see the man set to attack her and if all went well, the man would turn his attentions to Evie.

She got her wish, as he pulled out what appeared to be a very long bowie knife.

Well. This was going to be fun.

Without a moment's hesitation, she moved in towards the thug, wielding her own kukuri with swift, precise movements.

Break of Dawn - for JC

[dirtyredneck]

Daryl paced the length of the building outside the main entrance. He'd gotten his chance to take out some of Harris' brood, but not nearly as many as he'd wanted. And the chaos had died down a good hour before. Enough that those without the means to stay out after sunup had made their way out of the building and to their homes.

Jean-Claude hadn't come out yet, though. Even with his victory being clear, Daryl had come to help on his request. A job he was getting paid for in more than just revenge.

If there was a little worry about the other man's physical state, it was being very forcefully squashed under general agitation and a desire to get his ass gone.

Re: Break of Dawn - for JC

[baisant]

Jean-Claude can feel dawn approaching straight down to his bones as he makes his way out of the building at last to give the all-clear from inside. It's not only the fact that it's been a long, long night (it has), but there is something about being a creature of the night in possession of daylight jewelry that makes him especially attuned with the ebb and flow of the orb in the sky. With the ring around his finger he is tied to no schedule, but his body aches from the coming sun nonetheless.

Still, even with his fine evening clothes ripped and torn and covered in blood and gore, most of which does not belong to him, Jean-Claude still holds himself tall. He must. He is the new vampire leader, after all. And despite his history and his regular attitude, tonight has proven that he must be taken seriously.

He realized an hour or so into the congratulations that he had not seen Daryl yet. The man he'd left watching the door from the outside -- a role that was necessary given the circumstances but he can understand why Daryl might think it something of a let-down. He wonders if maybe he's left already since he hasn't snuck inside by now when he sees the other man stalking about, not unlike the big cat that he is. The idea put a smile on Jean-Claude's face as he slips out the door towards him.

"A fine show we put on tonight, mon ami," he murmurs as he approaches.

[outstandingbalance]

Natasha performs her job dispassionately and efficiently. Vampires trying to escape or to take the fighting outside are met with bullets—mundane, but hallow point, with enough stopping power to keep most vampires stunned until she can finish them off. She knows what she's doing. Probably killed more vampires than most vampire hunters, even before she left her nest.

When the fighting slacks off, Natasha starts looking for Jean-Claude. She's sure he's busy, but if possible, she'd like to check in with him.

Maybe just to reassure herself she's made the right choice.

[longterm]

Cesare is sitting in a booth at the side of the room, his shirt bloodied and a cigarette balancing between his lips. He normally didn't partake in smoking and had decided it was a filthy habit, but tonight is a bit of a special occasion. Leaning back into the cushioning of his seat, his elbows resting on its back, he looks practically post-coital. He's missed this.

He had almost forgotten what it felt like to kill with purpose, drain the blood from a man when he was trying to do the exact same thing to you. There's a thrill in it.

He hasn't touched the fae blood but he's still on a bit of a high when he catches sight of Natasha, gesturing for her to come join him. He reaches for the bottle of scotch that he took from the bar and pours her a glass, sliding it over to her.

"So were tonight's actions of yours for Islington or for Redbright?" he asks. The two of them had ended up on the same side tonight. That had been a pleasant turn of events. And they'd done well. But Cesare isn't entirely sure if they'll be fighting on the same side again.

[baisant]

Jean-Claude knows that one sure-fire way to start off on the wrong foot with his people is to make them fight his battles for him. So fight he does, until the fighting winds down and Jean-Claude is left standing in tattered clothes, covered in blood and gore, most of which belongs to Raymond and his enemies although he has not escaped completely unscathed. He looks quite the sight and he's so tired that if he allowed himself the weakness, he might be swaying on his feet by now. But he's got a job to do. There's no rest for the wicked, after all.

He spots Natasha approaching and offers her a smile as she does, inclining his head in greeting as she makes her way to where he leans against the edge of the stage and surveys the work yet to be done.

"It is good to see you here with us tonight, mon amie," he says, in greeting.

[dredefulchilde]

Joscelin lowers himself into a chair with a visable wince as his body stitches itself back together. He is covered in blood, most of it not his, but a vampire drunk on fae blood had gotten in a lucky shot before Joss had been able to finish her off. But the pain is fleeting, and within seconds the tear in his shoulder has mended. The same cannot be said for the rip in his favorite tuxedo jacket. Ah, well. Sacrifices must be made in times of war.

He spies a familiar face nearby and motions her over to his table.

"Miss Romanoff."

Re: [OPEN] THE AFTERMATH

[loveconquersdinosaurs]

Thomas fought. The only sign of the fun, flirty, party Thomas from before was in his ridiculous outfit, but if one were to look past that, they'd likely only see a feral creature, pouncing on and attacking on any of Raymond's followers that tried to emerge. While he might be more of a lover than a fighter, his supernatural lent him an unnatural grace, and the tension from spending the night ignoring his urges had left him frustrated, and now he had something to pour his frustration into.

By the end of it all, he was breathing heavily, the wings of his costume were torn, and he (as well as the sword he loosely gripped in one hand) was covered in blood. Thomas looked around, surveying the damage, and looking to see who still stood. The silver witch's amulet he'd wrapped around his very heavily gloved hand still dangled there, though he suddenly seemed to notice and started to pack it away in it's pouch, where it would sit until he took it home where he could stash it and ignore the fact that it existed once more.

[baisant]

After the battle is over, Jean-Claude is making his rounds among the survivors and congratulating them on their victory. It is here that he encounters Thomas, and the outfit Thomas has on. Even if it is now somewhat destroyed thanks to the fighting that had come to pass, Jean-Claude can still appreciate the whole picture for what it is. And despite their surroundings and what has just come to pass, he flicks a smile at the other vampire and runs his eyes appreciatively over his body for a moment before meeting his gaze again.

"Whatever you do with your time these days, mon ami, your talents are clearly wasted. If you would ever care for such employment, I am certain we could find room for you somewhere at Guilty Pleasures..."