bsumone | ❝ Masquerade ❞

Entry tags:

(open)

❝ Masquerade ❞

{ seething shadows breathing lies }

Traditional thing that Iseul is, he made a point of sending out invitations to every monster and supernatural being with whom he's acquainted the day after telling Damian of his masked ball. Each is written in a large, looping hand and reads:

My Dear Friend,

You are cordially invited to a most exclusive masquerade ball to be held at my estate on the next new moon. The attire is formal with a theme of silver and gold. My doors will open promptly at 8:00pm. Dinner will be served with music, dance, and festivities to follow.

I do so look forward to your attendance.

Kindest Regards,
Your Host

Iseul's calling card is included for those who may not recognize his handwriting. It also happens to have his address on it, as well.

Guests will find the house dark and sprawling, positively goth in decor and style. For those who know or know of Iseul, this won't be a surprise. There's a running joke in the community that the Fae is truly meant to be a vampire... more so than his long-standing vampire rival. Those in attendance will be shown to the parlor, the pocket doors thrown wide to the adjoining suite to make it something of a small ballroom. Musicians sit off to the corner playing with few breaks throughout the night.

The dining room boasts a long table with a veritable banquet. Though, one must be careful about eating Faerie food. Never fear, dear guests, for none of this food was prepared or even harvested by Fae hands. Outside, the grounds are covered with sprawling flower gardens, topiaries, and even a small maze of hedges. Lanterns light the paths since there's no moon for light. Both in and out, the house has many dark nooks and crannies and unoccupied to rooms to disappear into. All guests are welcome to stay if, for any reason, they are unable to leave at first light.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Felix was relatively new to town; he only moved there in the last four months. So, he’s surprised to have received an invitation to a party! Someone’s keeping tabs on their neighborhood! Well, he’s definitely going to show up in a cream colored button-up and slacks, an outfit to match his cat mask.

Once he’s close enough, he can smell the Fae and… a lot of other creatures, too! So this is a supernatural soirée. Felix wiggled his fingers in excitement. Being new to town, he really didn’t know any of his fellow creatures yet. What better place to meet on equal ground than a Fae party. They’re such stickers about manners.

Felix made his way to the back of the house first, slipping out to enjoy the fragrant gardens. After a time, he wandered back in for some dinner and even charmed a few strangers into having a dance with him. Mostly, he kept returning to the spread of food to eat his heart out.

When someone he didn't recognize (not a surprise since he didn't have a reason to care about this one existing) came walking up to him, he gave him a look up then down from where he was standing. He had a glass of something in hand. Wine perhaps? It was mostly just for show that he was holding it at all.

Tiras hummed softly as he tilted his head to the side. "Dance? Do you know how to dance?"

He hummed a bit as he smelled him. A cat of some kind. Newer too since the city was still fresh on him. Months perhaps? As a predator his senses were very refined. As an apex predator? They were honed down to the finest detail.

Felix grinned. This one seemed playful with a question like that. Or maybe he was condescending to the cat, but if that was the case, Felix chose to ignore it. Playful was preferable.

“I know a few dances,” he assured. “You can ask…” He rose up on his toes and scanned the guests. “That lady over there, that man in the purple cape, oh and that couple over by the table~! They can all vouch for me.”

Most of these creatures Felix could identify by scent. He also possessed a keen sniffer. But Tiras? All he could get from him was age, power, and sex. Felix never encountered an incubus before, so he had no frame of reference to identify such a thing as him.

He gave a flourishing bow and held out his hand with a toothy grin. “Shall we? Once I dance with you, I can say I’ve had all the prettiest partners tonight.”

"I would ask but if I do they'll lie and say you're a terrible dancer and they're superior to get my attention." He knew how it worked. It was all so boring really. But this one didn't seem to be under his spell so his influence hadn't touched him currently.

Good. Maybe he could really enjoy this dance then.

"You had best say you danced with the prettiest after dancing with me though," Tiras finally declared as he took the offered hand to let himself be led out to dance.

“Mmm, that’s probably true~” he quipped with a little grin. “You smell like the sort of person everyone loves.” Delicious, sexy, everything another enjoys. Felix idly wondered if Tiras’ scent changed based on what another found attractive.

“I will,” he promised, taking hold of Tiras’ hand to lead him out to the dancefloor. Given how much older most of the guests were than Felix, he wondered if his new companion expected him to waltz him around the room. He could but he’d be faking it the whole time and putting poor Tiras’ feet in danger.

“But maybe not in front of our host. He might get upset.”

"You can say it before him as long as you include my name. He'll be more understanding in that case." Or he might not. That wasn't Tiras' problem really. But he did like to tell people that his friend would be more lenient if they used his name just for the fun of being able to say that Iseul was a dear friend of his for many years.

Name dropping could be fun sometimes when things weren't annoying.

"What dances do you know? I know a great many so I can follow you easily."

“Oh~?” Felix grinned as he shot a look over his shoulder. “I suppose you’ll have to tell me your name, then. So I don’t insult our dear host.” Once he found a nice place for them among the other dancers, Felix pivoted around to face his new friend, all happiness and smiles.

“I can waltz with you.” Sort of. “Or you could lead.” That’s an option, too. He didn’t mind either way, whatever Tiras preferred was fine by him.

“Oh! I’m Felix.” There, now he’s offering a name instead of just asking for one. That’s better, right?

"Tiras. And I think you're trying to impress me, right?"

He was amused by the friendliness though. That wasn't something he encountered a lot among supernaturals. It was rather nice to be around someone who wasn't so aware of his reputation like this. He wouldn't get used to it, of course. It wasn't likely to happen that often. But it was nice for right now.

"Show me what you feel you're good at."

“Am I~? Maybe a little.” He does smell like someone who a cat should try to impress, after all!

He drops his voice into a little whisper, eyes wide as he looks around to make sure their host isn’t in earshot. “I’m surprised Iseul has a friend… other than his blond cutie.” Even if they denied being friends and pretended to be rivals. It was kind of cute to see.

Then a thoughtful look overtook the cat’s face and he hummed before taking the traditional waltz pose with Tiras. Only a few steps in, and Felix grinned. “Now we spin, like this…” As if Tiras didn’t know how to be spun. Surely he’s been spun in a dance before, right? A few more steps and, “Now the dip~”

That’s what Felix thought he’s good at. Other than solo pop dances. He knew every step of the Thriller dance, thank you very much.

"He and I have been friends for a very long time." Not in person really but they did love to exchange letters. The old fashioned way, of course. Something he knew they'd continue to do until it was so far out of fashion that they'd have to adjust and not a second before then.

Tiras smiled at him then and found himself amused by the cat's notion of a waltz. But he didn't complain, just allowed the creature to entertain him instead.

"Who taught you to dance?"

Well, Felix never promised a proper waltz. He didn’t even say he was a good dancer, only that he knew some dances. At least he hasn’t stepped on Tiras’ feet at all. Even if he did, the incubus would find him light and quick to move so he was not longer trodding on his shoes.

The cat looked at him with big eyes and a small pout. “I learned by watching. Isn’t it more fun like this?”

"You must be very, very young. Your efforts are cute at least."

He'd allow him that. Besides, it was enjoyable. Very different for the usual affair of people trying to impress him. He'd have to make sure to get Iseul something extra special for this charm he'd given him for tonight. It was actually allowing him some rather fun moments. Something he rarely ever got to have at parties.

“I’m two~!” he chirped. That’s in feline years, of course! Even by feline standards he was pretty young. How became King of the Cats was anyone’s guess. Probably had something to do with dear old dad having that title before him.

No, Felix wasn’t trying to impress him. Not in the way others might. Tiras definitely smelled like someone he should try to impress and yet… Felix would rather have fun with him.

Then he pouted just a little. “Isn’t it fun?”

"Very young. An infant really compared to someone like me." Less than that really. But it wasn't a complaint. He was finding this kitty to be rather amusing. The young could bring something interesting to this world if they really tried, after all. And it seemed this one was.

Lifting a hand, he cupped that lovely cheek. "If I wasn't having fun then I would have left already, kitty cat."

Felix tilted his head slightly into Tiras' hand – he's the sort of cat who enjoyed that sort of affection – and flashed a happy smile. He liked Tiras' attitude already. He doesn't meet a lot of people who are upfront like this. Especially among supernaturals. It's so much manipulating and game-playing (and not in the fun game-playing way!).

"You've been around a while, huh?" Felix had a keen nose, and in addition to sex and the underlying appealing scent, he could smell time on Tiras. An old creature. Being a young thing, the cat had no real concept of how ancient Tiras actually is. But that's okay! He's not the sort to treat someone differently just because they're so much older than him. "Does that mean you've been a lot of places, too?"

"A very long while." Far longer than most that he knew. He might have even been older than everyone at this party. Might only because he had no idea how old Iseul was and fae ages were so unique and different. In quite an entertaining way really. Tiras didn't fully understand it and that was fine with him.

"I've lived all over the world at this point. I usually stay somewhere awhile until I tire of it."

Felix would've wiggled a little in excitement if he weren't busy spinning Tiras around the dancefloor. How nice it would be to have time to see so much of the world. Maybe some places are really different now from when Tiras was there. What a thought!

"Do you have a favorite?"

"A favorite place?"

Tiras thought about it a moment or so. There were so many stunning and interesting places that he'd been. He'd seen history unfold right before his eyes. And yet...

"My house now. That one is my favorite." The one he shared with Su-jin, that he's waited to buy until Su-jin agreed to live with him finally.

"It must be very comfortable for you." That's why Felix loved the house his little old lady left him. It's very comfy and it reminds him of how nice she was to him when he was still a street cat.

"Comfort is high on my list of important things." Felix gave another little sniff and grinned. "I bet you have a pool and a really nice view of something pretty. You smell like someone who likes nice things."

"Inside the house has nice views of paintings I own. But the walls of the yard around the pool are high so no one can look in. So you can't really see a view from there."

Which meant that, yes, he had a pool. And he understood his yard well enough to know what the view was like which meant he spent time in it quite often. "My partner isn't fond of when I sleep outside naked where people can see me. So the walls let us both have what we want."

Felix gasped audibly. What a tragedy for Tiras! He, himself, likes to sleep out in the pools of sunshine on his balcony. Not usually naked because he has fur but...

"Could you have someone paint pretty murals on the walls so you still have something nice to look at?"

"Why would I need something nice to look at if I'm sleeping?"

What an odd concept. If his eyes were closed to nap then what could be looking at other than the insides of his eyelids? He wasn't really an outdoors type so it mattered little to him if there was a view out there. And if Su-jin wanted things like that he had his wolf for it. Oddly enough.

"You have to wake up eventually."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

❝ Masquerade ❞

𝐹𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑥 𝐾𝑜𝑦𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑖

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Somewhere at this party, Su-jin's getting an inexplicable warm and tingly feeling.

ew gross. go away, Su-jin.

No. He's going to rub all his warm and tinglies all over you, Tiras.

ewwwwwwwwwwwww

warm and tinglyyyyyyyy