[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...

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[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.

[outstandingbalance]

"It can't be a surprise." She joins him, coming to stand before and to the side. She doesn't look much worse for the wear. A little tired, but she missed the thick of the fighting; she had done an admirable job of picking people off as they left.

"Or did you think I wouldn't come through for you?"

Her tone is light, not a serious accusation. Perhaps it reflects poorly on her, but she's pleased. Happy might not be the word for it, but there's a sense of satisfaction that comes with success. Especially considering it is a real victory; Jean-Claude might still disappoint her, but she trusts he's smarter than Harris even in the worst case scenario.

But she would like to believe he's a friend.

[baisant]

Jean-Claude shakes his head slightly in response to her question. "It is not a surprise, mon amie," he replies. "But I would not have blamed you if you chose not to fight with us tonight. You have chosen where you stand, and it is not with us." Not while she still answers to Redbright, at least.

It's a harsh statement though, especially after she has given so much of herself for his cause this evening, so he softens it with a gentle smile and the light incline of his head towards her as well. "Yet you are here anyway, and I thank you for that. Perhaps I should even consider myself flattered...?" She hadn't had to participate, after all. Certainly not all of the vampires allied outside of the Nest had shared in her support of his cause, after all.

[outstandingbalance]

Natasha is used to harsh opinions of her. At this point, she has to have a thick skin. Otherwise she'd have gone slinking off to a new city and a new nest by now, and she has no intention of doing either. Still, it doesn't escape her that Jean-Claude softens his statement or that he seems genuinely grateful she's here.

"I just came to help with clean up." She smiles slightly. "We all like to keep this as smooth as possible, keep the mess off the streets."