A hybrid comes to have the blood of one. (Male needed, vampire/werewolf hybrid 1x1)

[No_such_thing]

He raised an eyebrow. "Nosy aren't we?"

The fact that she wanted to meet them wasn't surprising, he'd expected as much from her. After all, he was the stranger in town, a dark, mysterious man who'd turned up without so much as a by your leave. Someone had to know the background of him, and who better than his out of town friends. At least Sean would be here soon, he'd rushed him to move up his flight, he should be in town in a few hours. He looked at his watch.

"Well, Sean and a few others should be arriving at four, that's in about two hours time, until then, what can I do? All the main doors upstairs have locks and you can't get into the rest of the house without getting through them, so that's safe."

She'd noticed the window, he cursed himself silently, he should have found some way to sort it. But it was too late now, and honestly he had no idea what he would have done anyway, hopefully she wouldn't catch onto exactly what had happened, suspicious or not, there would be enough to do sorting out the rest of the house to distract her.

"As to good looking, I'll leave that to your personal preferences."

 

[TieMeTightly]

Emma had again let her gaze wander to the window, actually taking a few moments to zone out, her eyes taking in the glass on the floor, realizing easily that it had been broken from outside - not inside.

Charlotte seemed much more happy with the situation, however, stepping in immediately.

"I bet they are. And there's more than one of them so at least one of them has to be good looking. That's what I think anyway. The more options, the better. Right Emma?"

She still wasn't paying attention to them, actually leaning against the doorframe somewhat as though for support.

"Emma?"

The voice came again, more pressing, and Emma seemed to snap out of it, looking to Charlotte only to fake a smile for her friend. "Yep. More the better."

At least she seemed to have heard some of the conversation.

"As for what you can do.." While she was speaking to Dimitri, Emma wasn't really looking at him - she seemed somewhat lost, again trying to force herself to remember things that were missing from her memory. "Maybe order a pizza.."

She stepped away from the door but left it open. As though unable to take it anymore she used the hair tie around her wrist to pull her hair back off of her neck, seeming to be getting annoyed with having to repeatedly tuck it behind her ear.

Charlotte watched her carefully, obviously confused by the sudden change in her friend, stepping to her side, speaking in hushed tones.

"Emma..what's going on? Do you want to go? We can go.."

Emma looked up at her, shaking her head slowly. "I'm okay. Can you help me move these chairs into the study? We need to keep ourselves busy until this..Sean person gets here and you have someone new to flirt with."

She lifted one side and Charlotte grabbed the other, walking the chair easily into the other room.

 

[No_such_thing]

Hmmmm, she wasn't settled, she'd been zoned out there. The binding was shifting on her memories, the shattered glass sparking some suspicion that tried to push it's way through. But it was too strong, for now, the binding held.

"Right, pizza it is."

He snatched his phone out of his pocket.

"Errr, any good places?"

He followed them with the other chair, lifting it with one hand but resting it against one leg, lugging it through to the study, pretending that he couldn't lift it easily. Though in truth he could have carried one in each hand without difficulty. Charlotte provided him with a number and he dialed, ordering a couple of pizzas for the house.
______________________________________________________________

Two hours later, pizza boxes cleared out by resentful cleaning staff, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it."

He opened the door to reveal the grinning face of Sean. Shaggy brown hair framed hazel eyes in a face that Charlotte would undeniably find attractive. There were three behind him.

"Long time no see Dimitri

He couldn't help but smile back at the irrepressible Sean Grecko. The boy was his closest friend, as much as he had friends, even including Henry, there was just something about him that made him trustworthy, and therefore useful. They had pulled each other out of enough scrapes to develop a friendship though, even Dimitri had to admit he was fond of the young werewolf. Though his friends caught his eye.

One was older, scarred, weather beaten. And looked about ready to tear out Dimitri's throat. There was another guy, this one shorter, snub nosed and red haired. The last was a tall, willowy female of breathtaking beauty. Long dark hair flowed down over her shoulders, piercing eyes staring out of a finely sculpted face of aristocratic features. Sean gestured to each in turn.

"Sven." This was the bald, scarred giant.

"Connor." The redhead.

"Marie." The last title went to the woman. All of this had been under his breath, so low none but Dimitri and the werewolves could hear it. Sean knew the situation and they didn't want the girls knowing he'd only met three of them. So Dimitri made a show of welcoming them in and introducing them as though they were life long friends, though in fact Sean was the only one.

 

[TieMeTightly]

After the pizza was delivered, Emma managed to help Charlotte with boxes in her car. The rest of the two hours was spent setting up candles all over the place to create some sort of ambiance for the party. They'd be a bitch and a half to actually deal with and light but they'd certainly set the mood, and the fact that this was some sort of mysterious ball for a mysterious man - well - it worked perfectly.

The rest of the house was relatively in order by the time the knock came. Both Emma and Charlotte stood, somewhat flushed from moving furniture around and getting the place ready for company, but both came to the door a few moments after the quiet niceties were made, almost missing them completely.

Already Charlotte was beaming at the brunette, tugging on Emma's arm. Emma, in turn, winced, tugging her arm free and rubbing her wrist, bringing an almost immediate apology from Charlotte. She instead stepped forward, barely a step behind Dimitri, actually surprised at the amount of people who had arrived.

"Hi. I'm Charlotte.." She paused, lifting her hand and pointing to Emma, who still was rubbing her wrist, the tug having been enough to remind her of how sore the injury was. "That's Emma. I'd offer you pizza but we managed to kill a few boxes on our own."

Emma smiled politely, stepping up to Charlotte's side, holding out the wrapped hand as it was her good hand, to shake everyone's hand. "Nice meeting you all..we don't want to intrude,..we were just trying to help get things sorted but we can leave if you all need to catch up."

 

[No_such_thing]

Before even Dimitri could respond Marie stepped forwards. "No please, I've been stuck with these three for hours, leave the guys to catch up, maybe you could show me round town?"

Dimitri shot her a quick reappraising glance, she obviously had initiative, and he trusted Sean's judgement. That was what they needed, there were fewer and fewer vampires or werewolves who would work together, certainly on the part of the wolves. Henry had arrived with five others during the night, they were in town already, getting to know the layout of the place, he'd have to contact them if Emma and Charlotte decided to show Marie around.

The two youngest had been Henry's blood kin, only forty or fifty years old, but utterly loyal, not that Henry would force it upon them, they had a very strong relationship, almost that of father and children, and the two were in fact twins. Henry had lost control once, killing the twins mother in front of them. Guilty and shamed, he had turned them into vampires rather than kill them, but instead of hating him as he had expected, the two had accepted his shame and guilt, helping him to get over them, it was not what he'd expected at all, but it was what had brought him back into the fold from the Council, so Dimitri was grateful to them.

Alex, Christopher and Valia made up the rest of Henry's cohort, all old allies, all reliable. Though Valia could have arrived at a better time, her and Dimitri had been at odds the last time they had parted, though she hated the Council almost as much as he did, that and her continuing friendship with Henry was probably the only reason she had allowed him to call in that favour and then come herself. Fortunately, Emma and Charlotte hadn't seen any of the vampires, and wouldn't until the masquerade if he had anything to do with it.

 

[TieMeTightly]

"No please, I've been stuck with these three for hours, leave the guys to catch up, maybe you could show me round town?"

The comment immediately brought a true smile to Emma's lips and she nodded, actually seeming happy for some sort of distraction. Trying to remember what had happened the night before was proving more trouble than she anticipated and giving a tour of the small town would be a welcome distraction.

"It's really not very big.."

Charlotte was already off grabbing her purse and keys before stepping past Dimitri and the men, turning with a grin on her face to Emma and Marie.

"Come on let's leave the boys to be boys..we're pretty much done here anyway."

With a slight nod, Emma glanced back at Dimitri, giving a small wave as she followed Charlotte out of the house and to her car. The tour definitely wouldn't take very long which was fine. Mostly it actually felt good to be away from Dimitri simply because she felt such a strong pull to him that it made her think that if she distanced herself - maybe she'd feel better.

They waited for Marie to get into the car before Charlotte pulled away from the house, chatting the entire drive to the town center.

"So really we're a small town..I mean…small. This house doesn't really count as part of the town. Me and Emma live right down the street from each other and we can walk into where everything is..it's pretty boring actually…we have a town square..a bar, a couple shops..a town hall..a church…obviously we have a school but that's also a drive and not within walking distance. So..that…Sean guy..is he single?"

The change of subject was so abrupt and blunt that Emma couldn't help but to laugh at her friend, shaking her head.

"You're impossible!"

 

[No_such_thing]

Dimitri let out a relieved breath as the door closed behind the three girls. Shaking his head as Emma's presence filtered out of the room. At least he got some proper time where he didn't have to worry about her getting attacked, though he did need to worry about Henry and the others. He flipped his phone open, sending a quick text to the vampires in town letting them know that Emma was on her way and they should make sure to keep out of sight. At a masquerade the girls were less likely to notice new people. But if they saw them in town, things could get a little tricky. He turned to Sean, "wow, that girl attracts trouble like a magnet, it's good to see you again."

Sean smiled back, taking his hand and then pulling him forward into an embrace. "Good to see you too man, though I see what you mean, there was something about her that just doesn't quite fit isn't there."

Dimitri nodded thoughtfully. "She is something, I can see why the Council are after her, but I just can't put my finger on what exactly it is the makes her special. We're going to need to get ready for them though, how much stuff did you bring?"

"Well Sven stocked a lot." Sean indicated the giant, whose threatening demeanor barely changed, "but it's Connor you really have to thank, most of the stuff in the vans his, I've got no idea how he managed to get some much together over here in so short a time, you'd have to ask him that."

Dimitri turned to the short redhead, raising a questioning eyebrow and was slightly surprised when the stereotypical Irishman turned out to actually be Irish. "My brother runs the biggest pack in New York, we'd do anything for each other, I just called him and asked him if he could stock us up. He sent a van to meet us at the airport, I told him a bit of what was going on, but only about Sean, I don't really know anything else except that you aren't what you appear and it's about that girl."

"Well, it's a long story..."
______________________________________________________________

Marie laughed at Charlotte's blunt and forthright question, the sudden change of subject hardly seemed to faze her at all. "Sean? No, though I know it's hard to believe, he is pretty hot. And you don't need to worry about me either, I'm with Sven, he might look like a psycho, but he's all heart underneath that hard exterior."

"So you guys have lived here all your life? It seems like a kinda cool place, I mean, you can only take so much of the big city and this place is like another track, you know what I mean, not quite as empty as the countryside can be, but still got life to it. What do you guys get up to here? Is there a good nightlife? Not that we're gonna need it with Dimitri in town, things usually get fun when he's around apparently."

 

[TieMeTightly]

Emma took over as soon as Marie started asking questions, Charlotte still very obviously thinking about Sean, especially when Marie said they didn't have to worry about her - and who she was with. Odd pairing, certainly odd.

"Charlotte and I have been here forever."

Emma turned in the front seat so that she could see Marie, not wanting to be rude by talking at her instead of talking to her.

"I was adopted..but lived here since I was a baby so obviously I consider that my whole life…I can't really remember the three months before I was adopted."

"Yeah, but she only found out that she was adopted after her parents died." Charlotte bit her tongue as soon as she spoke, clearing her throat. "Sorry, kind of telling someone else's story didn't mean to!"

Emma's mood changed immediately, any sort of happiness leaving her eyes.

"They said it was an animal attack. There tends to be a lot of those we have some pretty intense woods in this area and if you're not careful…it's very possible to get attacked. But it was just such a random thing..anyway Charlotte's right, I found out after that. When you inherit everything you inherit everything, even things that you might not really want to know."

"Is there a good nightlife? Not that we're gonna need it with Dimitri in town, usually get fun when he's around apparently."

"Did..I mention small town? I mean we have events all the time, this place is big on it's history. And we have a pretty good bar in town, it's where everybody goes..it's..actually where I met Dimitri."

"Oh my gosh yes! Marie you would have loved this it was like…something from a romantic comedy! Emma…clumsy clumsy Emma almost fell flat on her face and Dimitri like…he pretty much just swooped in and caught her. It was amazing."

Almost on queue, just reliving the moment he caught her made her blush, a smile slowly returning to her face. "Yeah. I can trip on nothing, it's a skill not many people have."

 

[No_such_thing]

"Don't worry about it, between you and me."

She lowered her voice conspiratorially, "Sven used to be like that, he got over it, sometimes people are just like that, it's not a bad thing. Kinda cute if you think about it."

Marie winked, a mischievous grin on her face. "Although I have to say if Sven tripped and fell into my arms he'd probably squash me."

And it was true, though Marie was tall, nearly six foot, Sven had looked nearer seven, though in truth was probably only about six foot six, his sheer muscle bulking him out till he appeared as a a human wall. A very definite contrast to the willowy slim Marie.

"Anyway, enough about me, what about you and Dimitri? If you had this little 'moment', is something going on between you two?"
______________________________________________________________

As the cleaning staff had finished already on the upper levels of the house, the areas he was going to lock off were clean and now secure. Taking advantage of the current absence of any civilians they took the opportunity to unload the van. Dimitri was a little shocked to see just how much Connor had managed to get his hands on. There were a couple of swords, including Sean's, explosives, cameras, trip wires, motion sensors, the works. There was even a hard case of what Dimitri was pretty sure were guns. Despite the amount of equipment it was the work of barely twenty minutes to get it all up stairs. They lugged it into the room Dimitri had cleared for anything like this, and Connor started opening boxes and plugging stuff in. Shrugging, Dimitri, Sean and Sven grabbed a box of surveillance equipment each. He wanted to turn this place into a fortress, well, it looked like they would.

 

[TieMeTightly]

Charlotte pulled to a stop in the middle of town square, parking in the street next to the curb. She was listening to her friend talk, and then seemed even more intent on hearing what Marie had to say, actually laughing at the comment about Sven falling and the fact that he'd most likely squash her.

Emma was listening, too, though became very guarded as soon as the tables were turned back on her.

"Anyway, enough about me, what about you and Dimitri? If you had this little 'moment', is there something going on between you two?"

Her cheeks burned and of course Charlotte noticed the deep blush, though seemed incredibly interested on hearing the response to this one.

"He..seems like a really nice guy. It has been a rough couple of days and he let me even stay in his bed last night." Seeing the look she was getting from Charlotte she shoved her before clarifying. "Alone..just me. Alone in his bed." Shrugging, her fingers undid the seatbelt as she continued. "I don't know. Let's be honest I just met the guy…but..he's good looking and..I don't know. I don't really…tend to let people in. Some trust issues I guess.."

Of course she completely left out the fact that she felt drawn to him and wanted to be around him all the time. Yeah, no need to tell someone she just met that information.

She hopped out of the car and Charlotte followed, locking it when everyone was out.

"So..this is our boring town.."

 

[No_such_thing]

"Well, you know he's a real gentleman. Always looks out for the people he cares for."

She didn't really know that, she had never had the fortune to meet him. She'd found out most of what she knew of him from Sean, but she'd heard of him before as well. There were few who hadn't, he was unique, genuinely. There were no other hybrids she'd heard of, and he'd been around for millennia, how he'd been created was a mystery. There weren't even many vampires still around older than him, most of the Council was, but they were few, and kept themselves in isolation.

Perhaps that was half of way she'd come over to America. Sven hadn't wanted to, but she hadn't been able to resist the chance to meet the one guy who could bring the two worlds together forever. Not that he was particularly popular among the hierarchy of both worlds. Perhaps that was what made him so interesting, he didn't care, and whatever he was doing now was important. The energy and excitement she had felt when she'd walked into the manse had promised something that could shake the world forever.
______________________________________________________________

"Wow" The word was apt, the room had been transformed into what looked like the operations room of an evil genius. Hard drives whirred while half a dozen screens on the wall flickered as they patched through the various cameras and sensors now hidden in the grounds. If anyone tried to get in, unless they were invisible, then they would be spotted.

 

[TieMeTightly]

Charlotte and Emma gave horrible and inaccurate history lessons about each building that they passed. Of course Emma would correct Charlotte and vice versa every time each of them thought that the other was wrong, but they were practically both wrong all of the time. It was sad, really. They went to every event that the town had and would memorize facts when they needed to, but when it came to knowing things on a regular basis,..well they were both awful.

It was a couple hours before they pulled back into Dimitri's driveway, and Emma turned to Charlotte while opening the door with ease. "I just have to run in and grab my bag..and if you can drive me home after that?"

Charlotte nodded with a smile, turning around in the drivers seat. "It was really nice spending some time with you! We'll obviously see you at the masquerade thing..well..if you can find us that is." She winked almost playfully before holding up her hand. "Oh wait! So…tell Sean hi for me. Okay that's it."

Emma rolled her eyes as she stood outside the car, shutting the door only to turn and move back to the front door. Her bag was still sitting in Dimitri's room, and it shouldn't really take her a long time to get it. No distractions - just..get the bag, and get out. Simple as that. She knocked on the door, smiling up at Marie. "I hope you had fun..we're awful at tours.."

 

[No_such_thing]

No, it was fun, I learned a lot", at this she winked ironically, it had been obvious what the girls tour technique had been, bullshit as much as possible about the towns history. Not that it had mattered, Marie had enjoyed it, and learned a bit about the girls as well, it would help with keeping an eye on them at least.
______________________________________________________________

Dimitri heard the knock from upstairs, as did the three werewolves, fortunately the 'operations room' was away from his bedroom so it should be fairly safe. Even so, he ushered the other three out, taking a key from his pocket and locking the old door behind them. He didn't want there to be any chance of anyone stumbling upon it. The others followed as he went down the stairs, though Sven looked as sullen as ever, only perking up when Marie's scent reached them at the top of the stairs. He came across as a hardliner, the kind of wolf who would kill a vampire as soon as look at him. Dimitri's hybrid status and Marie's wishes seemed to be the only thing that seemed to stop him ripping out Dimitri's throat.

"Hey girls. How was it?"

 

[TieMeTightly]

Emma shook her head at the comment but didn't really respond until Dimitri greeted them. She managed a somewhat defeated shrug, though had a smile firmly planted on her face.

"Here's the thing.."

She paused, stepping into the house and standing briefly in the foyer.

"I am very..very bad at giving tours. And I am pretty sure Charlotte is worse. It should be illegal or something. Anyway, I just stopped by to grab my bag. I think I'm going to try my house again tonight."

Emma didn't really allow for any discussion, moving easily up the stairs and into his bedroom, gathering her things into her bag.

 

[No_such_thing]

Dimitri frowned after her retreating back, if she was going to stay at her own house tonight then he had best make sure someone was there to keep an eye on her, Henry, or one of the other vampires probably. He didn't need to be there personally to protect her, merely have someone watching.

He followed her up, leaving the others in the study. He stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. She was gathering various items into her bag. Toothbrush, clothes and so on. She hadn't really allowed any discussion and so for a moment he just left her to it. Before interrupting.

"Are you sure, the place is fairly livable now and there's enough people here that I don't think you need to be worried about anything. Are you sure you'd be safer at home?"

He let just a hint of concern creep into his voice.

 

[TieMeTightly]

Emma looked up to see him in the doorway. She didn't really think that he was going to say anything and when he did he almost sounded like an overprotective boyfriend - not really someone that she'd only met a couple days ago.

"What could possibly go wrong?"

Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she zipped the bag, lifting it off of the bed before stepping up to him, her head tilted back in order to look up at him.

"I know I've been having really..pretty terrible luck but what are the odds that I'm going to be attacked three nights in a row? I'm fine..and thank you. Obviously thank you for letting me stay here,..you didn't have to do that. I just..I think Charlotte would feel better if she knew where I am, she's going to crash at my place tonight so I won't be alone. She's probably kill me if I stayed here two nights especially because she thinks there's something going on between us.."

Again her cheeks flushed and feeling the heat she couldn't help but look away, wanting to move past him though with him in the doorway he proved quite the obstacle. To cover the blush she forced a smile, rolling her shoulders in a shrug.

"But then again, she's crazy,..so..."

 

[No_such_thing]

He didn't say anything to deny it, debating with himself whether to comment or not, instead settling on a slight smile of amusement. He had to admit it was somewhat amusing. While he was sure he wasn't affected, she evidently was, he might as well play along, it would help keep her close and easy to control.

She was close now, very close, a slight blush rising in her face. She had looked away in an attempt to conceal it but it was obvious. He could feel the coolness of her body, he was breathing her scent in deeply, it was intoxicating and for a moment her neck was exposed to him, he blinked hard. Knowing he couldn't let himself loose here, not with Charlotte downstairs.

He snapped himself out of it. Stepping aside to let her out into the hall. He didn't know what was wrong with himself, maybe Charlotte was right after all, he almost laughed.

 

[TieMeTightly]

Emma found herself moving past him faster than she had anticipated, saying nothing else as she left the house. He hadn't said anything. It was almost as though he was too indifferent about the whole situation to even bother to respond to anything that she had just said, merely smiling down at her.

So in response to no response, she had stepped past him, her fingers barely touching the railing as she descended the staircase, not even pausing to say goodbye to anyone else that she had met, the door echoing somewhat - she had closed it hard, but not hard enough to slam it.

When she got into the car, she was frustrated, Charlotte looking at her in confusion.

"Can we just go please?"

"Yep..we can do that."

Charlotte pulled away from the house, Emma clutching the bag in her lap as she struggled to figure out what had happened. Honestly - she thought that he would react. Either deny it flat out and agree that Charlotte was crazy, or act on it - instead she got nothing.

"You..want to talk about it?"

"I just thought that he would do something. Like…I don't know - maybe kiss me. Or maybe say that you're a crazy person to say that there was something going on between us but he just..stepped aside. Like…see ya later, random girl I let stay at my house but didn't even bother trying to sleep with because I just couldn't be bothered to do that."

Charlotte cleared her throat at her friends' admission, forcing a smile.

"Maybe you just shouldn't read into it…look. Tomorrow we'll go get our dresses and masks…and then before you know it we'll be partying. Not worrying about a boy."

 

[No_such_thing]

He closed his eyes, pushing his head back in annoyance at himself. He'd just let her go, nothing. Why'd he done that? He'd hesitated. He didn't hesitate. He hadn't got this far by hesitating, but he had. What was she doing to him? There was something about that girl, something about her, something special that he couldn't pin down. He couldn't deny it anymore, it was something more than her blood that so disarmed him. If he wasn't careful his distraction could spell the end for them all.

At least there were more of them now. He had that to rely on, and Valia was sure to pounce on any moments of weakness. The old witch was one of the few he was genuinely wary of, few survived as long as she had and the powers she wielded were unworldly and terrifying, no, if he became weak she wouldn't allow him to continue, not after last time.

He moved to the top of the stairs, staring down through the arched windows to either side of the door, staring at the point where Charlotte's car had just been. He'd catch her at the Masquerade on Friday, no, what was he thinking? He'd keep an eye on her, nothing more. That was all.

 

[TieMeTightly]

The night was filled with ice cream and romantic comedies. Charlotte was trying to make certain that her friend didn't really have to think about the past events of the last few nights, even though she wanted to get all of the details out of her that she could. It could wait. It was obvious that for some strange reason there was a draw to this Dimitri character. She couldn't really blame her. He was good looking, but the fact that she was frustrated by it wasn't really the best thing for her at the moment.

It also seemed that Emma was still upset about the fact that she couldn't remember who attacked her, or that it even happened. She just remembered what he had told her - just standing there in her house,..blood everywhere. Her own blood to be more specific.

-

The next day was meant only for fun. They had gone out for breakfast near the center of town and decided to follow it up with dress shopping. It was like prom - but better. There were many more attractive men around and the girls didn't even know that they hadn't met all of them yet. Charlotte's advice was that she could go in to the masquerade and make everybody's eyes pop out of their head, including Dimitri, and then of course then she would be in the position to turn him down. It seemed that Emma liked the idea, though like with everything else, she wasn't very certain about her own looks and charms when it came to men. It was a good thing her best friend was there to tell her otherwise.

-

Charlotte arrived first. In fact she arrived a few minutes before it was meant to start to make sure that everything was going to run smoothly. She had on a crimson gown, corseted and floor length, the corset embroidered, holding a white shawl around her shoulders. Covering half of her face was an off-white mask, with a few feathers on the side, secured by a ribbon on her head. She didn't seem to be interested in any of the guests that were already beginning to fill the house, though did help herself to a glass of champagne while she made certain the hors d'oeuvres were all correct before letting the wait-staff send them out.

-

Emma arrived about thirty minutes past the time marked on the invitation. She was actually not expecting the doors to be opened for her, having to thank the men standing there in tuxedos as she stepped into the foyer, her fingers clutching the dress in order to keep herself from tripping over it.

Her hair was down and curled, pinned to one side so it only draped over one shoulder, leaving one side bare. The gown was navy blue, the entire corset beaded. Her mask was more intricate than her friends'. It was black lace, allowing parts of her face to be seen where there were holes in the lace, still leaving cutouts for her eyes. She had on a bit more makeup than she normally wore, darker eyeshadow on her eyes while she left her lips a pale nude colour.

Charlotte was grinning when she saw her enter the room, waving from across the hall as she ordered one of the servers around about something, Emma's eyes darting around the already full house, the hundreds of candles creating an incredible ambiance.

 

[No_such_thing]

Well they had known what they were doing. A few hours before the event started the various companies Emma and Charlotte had hired and he had paid for had arrived, setting up in the kitchens, in the courtyard, the main hall, the foyer, everything. The place looked fantastic, and once, closer to the event, the candles had been lit the atmosphere was one you could have found in a Venetian ball centuries ago. All that was needed now was for the guests to arrive.
______________________________________________________________

Charlotte was the first guest in, though she floated around acting more like a hostess than he was a host. She checked the various hors d'oeuvre the catering had prepared, making sure everything was perfect before helping herself to the rather expensive champagne and allowing the waiters out, as though she was their employer. Sean appeared next to him, looking down at Charlotte, ignoring the guests who were no beginning to trickle in and eyeing up the commanding blonde. He made to speak, but Dimitri interrupted.

"All yours Sean. Just be careful you don't cause any trouble, I know what you're like."

The werewolf was, rather appropriately, wearing a mask that was fashioned to remind the viewer of a wolf, but his eyes staring out of the shadowed holes made it appear disturbingly real. He was dressed in a well cut tuxedo, and smiled charmingly, his trademark cocky attitude almost following him like an actual presence.
______________________________________________________________

Then Emma walked in. The place was buzzing now, even so he found her in the throng easily. She was truly breathtaking, her dress hugging and accentuating her figure perfectly. The mask was intricate, detailed, fascinating, shadowing her face and exposing other areas. Lending her an air of mystery. He himself was wearing the given tux, but his mask was plain, matte black that covered his upper face and cheek bones, seeming to drink in the light of the candles.

The music was starting up, people clearing to open up a space as other couples flooded in as they started to enjoy the vibe. Energy was pulsing through the hall now, laughter and chatter intermingling and combining with the music. What the hell, it couldn't hurt. Smiling slightly, knowing the irony of how it fit the ambiance as he approached behind Emma.

"May I have this dance?"

 

[TieMeTightly]

It was stupid really. Her eyes scanned the room cautiously in an attempt to find the one person that she had done well to avoid the couple of days that she had been away from the house. It looked incredible, of course - and she knew that Charlotte wouldn't really let herself relax until she knew that everything was going perfectly. Any event that she would end up doing would turn into a baby of sorts for her.

"May I have this dance?"

The voice came from behind her and she couldn't really help but to jump, spinning immediately to face him. She was actually grateful for the fact that there wasn't a really very harsh light in the place. If there were her blush would be apparent and really she was doing her best to act as nonchalant as possible about the entire situation.

She looked better than she had a few days ago. There was still a splint on her wrist but it was black and on both hands she wore black lace gloves as though to cover up the slight..impairment. But the broken wrist seemed to be the only thing that hadn't healed in the past few days.

She wasn't really..sure if she wanted to be close to him. Not yet. Every time she got close to him she ended up feeling less sure of herself, and more certain that she was drawn to him in a way that she didn't understand.

"Sure.."

Well that wasn't what she had wanted to say. She just couldn't make her mind work right and getting her words to follow what she wanted to say seemed impossible as well. Too late to back out now.

She was reluctant to be led to the clearing but allowed it, facing him only to place her hand in his, letting her other hand rest on his shoulder.

"Believe it or not..organized dances are probably the only thing that I can do without falling."

-

Charlotte had finished the glass faster than was probably best, but her focus didn't seem to be on anyone but her friend, now standing in the center of the room. They had talked about this - about her playing hard to get and she had been all for that plan, but it didn't seem to be working for her. "Great going, Emma.." The words were muttered in a whisper under her breath, the faces hidden behind masks somewhat unnerving.

 

[No_such_thing]

He smiled down at her, so delicate, so fragile. The splint was still on her wrist, but almost miraculously the rest of her wounds had all but disappeared, if he hadn't known before he would hardly have guessed she had been attacked two nights out of three. Like any human, but not like any human he'd ever met before. It was what made her so fascinating.

She was doing her best to stay relaxed and dismissive of the situation, though it was obvious that despite her feigned nonchalance her heart beat and sped up noticeably. There was a slight, almost invisible flush to her skin that was the only outward sign that she was not as composed as she otherwise appeared.

"Believe it or not..organized dances are probably the only thing that I can do without falling."

He smiled, "that's good, though I might miss the chance to catch you this time."

He almost rolled his eyes, what the hell was he saying? He had let this girl get to him, he knew. He shouldn't have done. But what's done is done, he would have to make sure he didn't let it affect his judgement. A slow waltz began and they began to step, this way, that, one two. Revolving towards and around the other dancers as the manor house dropped backwards in time.
______________________________________________________________

"They look like they're enjoying themselves."

Sean smiled at Charlotte, he'd never been one to turn down a chance with a pretty girl, and Marie had let him know that Charlotte might be interested.

"Though anyone would think you didn't trust him. You don't need to watch him like that, I've always been able to trust Dimitri, and it's not like he's going to do anything with all these people around."

 

[TieMeTightly]

"Believe it or not..organized dances are probably the only thing that I can do without falling."

She was being completely serious about the comment, though had not been expecting the response that she was given in return.

"That's good, though I might miss the chance to catch you this time."

What the hell? Emma did not understand this guy. One moment he was being a perfect gentleman…he'd flirt but only just enough, and then when she questioned him about it in a rather passive aggressive way, he acted as though the entire situation were not only not a big deal, but that he hadn't been flirting with her - that he hadn't asked her to drinks and instead of just standing her up, actually came to her house to let her know that he didn't really mean to be that late..apologizing for the entire misunderstanding. And now - now with a comment like this, she was completely thrown. And it was obvious.

The couples each seemed to know the steps, and those who didn't were simply swaying back and forth on the side lines. Those people were few and far between, as the town was so deeply rooted in tradition, practically every event had formal dances to go along with them.

"Are you kidding me?"

Her voice was quiet - loud enough that she knew he'd be able to hear without having to cause much of a scene.

"Just..so we're clear? I came because I said I would..I didn't come for you. You made it perfectly clear the other day that there isn't anything going on here so these little comments that you make aren't helping anyone."

Her voice had hardened, but barely, and she seemed to be aching for the song to end, now envying her friend for having found the champagne tray early.

-

Charlotte looked up at Sean, actually thrilled with the fact that it took her a few seconds to realize who it was with the mask on. Of course as soon as he began talking about Dimitri and Emma her happiness with the situation seemed to fade, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"I'm not watching him. I'm watching her. She's had a rough week..and honestly? You might trust your friend, but I don't know him..and I don't. And…and saying that he's not going to do anything with all these people around? Well geez, what does that mean that he's going to wait until they're alone to murder her or something?"

She crossed her arms over her chest defensively, nearly pouting now.

"Besides I don't know who you're watching, but Emma looks pissed…"

 

[No_such_thing]

Ah, he should have known that would come back to bite him. He hadn't known why he'd frozen like that, didn't know why he'd almost frozen now, hesitating almost imperceptibly in the dance, but probably enough for her to notice.

"I..." He shook his head, looking down, almost in embarrassment. "I don't really know how to explain, things are just... difficult. I've never been much of one for feelings, never really been good at it." He looked away, "not that it's what you want to hear."

They kept moving along with the waltz, one two three four, one two three four. It was strangely therapeutic, calming, the simple, mechanical movements taking him out of the immediate stresses of the room, the world. Her closeness, her scent was intoxicating and impossible to ignore. Not that he could, or would do anything here. Well, would at any rate. Though somehow he doubted that the slaughter of the dancers would help his cause. No, he suppressed the desire to let loose, he shouldn't have to try and win her around to his side, but he would have to. Wanted to.
______________________________________________________________

Sean smirked, "you're right, she does look pretty pissed with him, I wonder what he said? Probably not something clever. But..." He swivelled to look at her, "you really do look out for her don't you? It's nice, you're a good friend, but whatever you would do for her, Dimitri would do more. But why are we talking about them? It doesn't seem to be cheering you up at all. Anything I can do?"