* MASQUERADE BALL !

[Amelia Elnora Hale.]

And through the rising and falling apart, We discover who we are

Nervously, Amelia huffed a breath, twiddling her fingers together as she waited. Her usual patient nature was growing increasingly thin, her hands moving up to fix a twirl of loose gold from it's pin, or to adjust the mask on her face. All around her, her deep brown eyes laid upon the wolfish kind - only once did she see a human join the fray. A pretty girl, maybe a year younger than she, with wild dark curls. She seemed utterly innocent enough, and someone who wasn't likely to fit in. Amelia mutely and wondrously pondered why such a sweet little thing could be found here - for surely, it had to be by mistake. Or also by invitation. Unless there was another Ortega, or even a rogue, interested in humane company, of course. Because the Krosa were fairly open about their hatred and passionate dislike for anyone that wasn't their own. Especially from what she's heard from those around the warehouse; of a certain Erik, apparently as much as a king as both Theta and Drake were royals, and also of another name that she didn't quite familiarize. A James. Her heart sped madly at the thought of being caught by either one of them, or anyone, for that matter. Only the sight of the other human kept her company in a sort. This was a gathering for the wolfish kind, which Amelia wasn't apart of. Her very presence was intruding; more so once she entered hung on the arm of Drake himself.

However Ammie stood her ground proudly enough, twirling around in her mainly white ballroom gown. She couldn't help by keep a soft, almost undetectable smile on her face, though. For she had to keep the appearance of a misplaced kind of girl, one who was seemingly oblivious. And from the mismatched looks of both hunger and delight from passersby - clearly not of her own like of people - she was doing her duty well. She had a bright air about her, which stuck pretty well until she caught sight of someone in a hidden kind of rush. One werewolf man that appeared her own age or a few years older, dirty blonde hair showing over the mask covering his face. And he hid his face well, not once turning his eyes in her direction at all. Amelia's breath was caught in her throat, holding it there as she watched in silence. The way he walked, the way he ignored her so well, even.. it wasn't just any coincidence. It had been over a year now, just by that much, but Ammie would recognize him in a crowd anywhere. And of course, he wouldn't have looked at her.. it would have been too obvious. "Adam?" she said aloud, very faintly. Amelia stood in disbelief, lips parted and eyes travelling into the mass of people in the casino where the Masquerade was held, where her twin had disappeared. She had half a heart to run after him, to see him. Part of her couldn't quite believe it, another was angry he would show after being absent for so long, and yet another, smaller part of her wanted to embrace her brother again. However, she had to stay where she was. Drake wouldn't be the most happy camper around if she weren't waiting for him when he arrived. So she bit her lip, shaking her head slightly in silent aggravation, vowing to at least speak to her brother by the end of the night. Drake, where are you?

WORDS, 589. TAGGED, EVERYONE. ATTIRE, CLICK. NOTES, ---.

[Adam Maxwell Hale.]

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Throughout the process of Adam finding his way over to Poppy, he still made sure he kept a close eye on the door to be sure that Amelia wasn't looking in his direction. He was positive he lost her when he made his way into the mess of the crowd, but she was sneaky when she wanted to be. The thought of being confronted by his sister and the growing crowd was enough to drive Adam insane, his uncomfortable exterior apparent to anyone watching. Isn't that why he approached Poppy to begin with, to ease his troubled mind? His eyes peeled away from the door at Poppy, who he seemed to be entranced by at the moment. As beautiful as she looked this evening he still could tell this was something new to her, even something uncomfortable. He still kept a small smile focused in her direction however, his attention completely focused on her eyes. He was hoping to hear her speak, maybe a greeting or even some russian would suffice. But instead he caught the attention of the girl standing at Poppy's side.

The blond, to most, was prettier then Poppy. She was that ideal blond girl that every guy fantasized about, but Adam couldn't of cared even if he tried. He arched his eyebrow at her, watching as she tried to show off her feminine curves like she was the best thing since sliced bread. From his peripheral view he could see Poppy's smile fade immediately when she introduced herself to him, Adam not liking that. At all. "So you're Linda. Poppy has kind of told me about you. You know, how you couldn't take five minutes out of your very busy schedule to pick her up," he started, a hostile attitude directed at her. "Thanks for that, by the way, because I literally carried her home," he snapped, debating if this should be the end of the encounter. Oh no. by the look on Poppy's face she was passed up often because of her sister, which he was not going to have. "I don't even remember talking to you. Did I say 'Linda' when I came over here? Don't think so," he said, turning back to Poppy with a small grin on his face. Moving to Poppy's side he placed her arm around her casually - oh, that must of set Linda off - and looked to her again. "You might want to try that guy over there. I'm sure he likes cheap thrills," he said, and with that he led Poppy away from her sister, heading deeper into the crowd and farther away from the door. He made sure he walked slow however, not wanting Poppy to face plant in front of all these people and wolves. "I don't understand how you live with that," Adam whispered in Poppy's ear with a small laugh escaping afterward.

Eyes floating around to some of the faces in the room, he caught some disgusted looks from others - he knew some of these people were like him, wolves in disguise. It must have been because he had a human under his arm that attracted so much negative attention but he could care less. Stopping by a table at the far end of the room Adam let his arm fall back to his side. "Thirsty?" he questioned, eyes looking back to the door (which was a good distance from the two now), before grabbing another cup of water. One for himself and of course one for the lady.

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[Anastasie Elena Vega-Krosa.]

She tensed at the feel of someone pulling her against their frame; small growl bubbling forth from her chest in warning to whoever was touching her. Growing up raised only by Erik Krosa the teachings of personal affections were lost on her; touching or hugging of any kind always had her tensing with nervous energy and even as far as to fidget, quickly snapping to anger to persuade the other to let her go. "You look stunning, my love," Lips thinned over bared teeth, this time the growl nothing but annoyance, eyes shifted to Maddison with a look of plea and helplessness. Craning her neck in an effort to escape his wondering mouth she dug her nails into the wrist wrapped around her midsection. "I think I was more than clear when I asked for you not to call me those awful petnames." She spat out the sentence while he turned her around, face contorting into a heated sneer as she was pressed so flush against his own body.

From the corner of her eye she could see her fathers' pleased smile and it made her skin crawl; stopping she pulled herself from his grasp trying to make to much of a scene knowing she would be dragged out by her father and punished for making him look bad at such an important event. Glancing once again at the man she could feel the eyes of on her she finally looked back at Corvenus with a raised brow. "Honestly why do you bother? I will never be ok with being forced to marry you!" She all but snarled; her father said love would come, but honestly Anni had lost all belief in love or truly didn't think it existed.

[Drake Ramsy Beldon.]

"Ortega..your not welcome here." Drake stopped while lifting his brow at the hand placed against his chest, the guard scowling down at him as if it were he who was the piece of dirt before his eyes. It wasn't surprising that Erik Krosa would make a point to ensure his absence to the event; he was never welcomed at the functions were the hierarchy of Ashford were to gather, which made inviting himself seem to much more rewarding. "But I even dressed up for the event." He grinned while the Krosa snorted and pushed against him trying to forcefully move Drake away; did Krosa know nothing of him? It was almost insulting that Erik believed this poor excuse of security would be able to deter him if he wanted entrance. Faltering one step back he lifted his hand to wrap tightly around the others throat, the man struggling against the grip while clawing at his hand at a weak attempt at escaping. Sneering Drake quickly flicked his wrist, hearing the disturbing sound of bones breaking the body fell from his grip to crumple upon the ground; smirk soon returning. Reaching down he grasped his daughters hand beside him and moved to step over the body with a wicked smile; "People forget their manners so easily these days." Looking down at Kimberly he grinned; she was royalty after-all and if anything she would be a disruptive to the event resulting in the Krosa royals grinding their teeth all night.

Entering he easily spotted Amelia, dropping the hand of Kimberly he couldn't contain his smile at how the nights event would soon change. It was delusional for the Krosa to believe they could keep him out or even stop him; they thought to highly of themselves. It was Ortega who had pushed the Lytran down until finally ridding them of their existence in the city. Spotting Maddison he chuckled to himself, well perhaps not all were completely gone, however he doubted the woman would be trying to bring back her old name; Erik would never allow it. Motioning for his daughter to follow him, he approached Amelia, his hand gripping her shoulder while his mouth whispered against her cheek. "Waiting for someone, pet?"

[Amelia Elnora Hale.]

And through the rising and falling apart, We discover who we are

You could say Amelia was "happy", but then that would be a downright lie in on itself. However, her trick of patience was soon quenched, hearing a familiar ruckus from behind her, towards the main entrance of the casino. "But I even dressed up for the event," she heard Drake declare, a Krosa lackey already sizing him up before he entered the ball. But not even a Krosa of sorts could take on an Ortega in this case, for Drake was going no where that involved leaving. He was here for a party, and a party he shall attend. Rolling her eyes, she softly and slowly turned on her delicate heels, smoothing out the ballroom gown of a dress, checking her hair and mask for sheer perfection. Her eyes lit a bit aglow, however, seeing no one other than Kimberly, Drake's own daughter, holding her father's hand in tow.

And although she saw him break the man's neck and take away his breath with only a flick of a wrist, Amelia held her breath and stifled a nervous cry. Death was a familiar thing now, but she thought of what his daughter would see - the influence it would no matter bring eventually. Ignoring such thoughts, though, her pale lips curled up at the corners by the slightest, but noticeable, watching them keenly as they approached. With Drake's hand gripping her shoulder, she could feel his breath on her cheek, and her smile drew upward rather wickedly. "Waiting for someone, pet?"

[/u] he asked her, voice low. Drawing forward, her lips barely brushed his ear, her voice but a whisper but enough to be heard by a one of lupine blood. "Only you, Drake, only you."[/div]

WORDS, ---. TAGGED, EVERYONE. ATTIRE, CLICK. NOTES, APOLOGIZES FOR SUPPA DELAY.

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[Poppy Olivia Sokov.]

Did... that just happen....?

Poppy's eyes were wide with disbelief, their minty green color shinning like a leaf that was rained on. For the most part her expression was pretty blank-- empty even. She couldn't really "see" anything except Adam's lips moving. His voice was like a distent echo, something you would hear in a nightmare where the killer was bearly heard but his voice was echoing and it scared you. To Poppy it was like time foze in place as she witnessed the moment of her life she swore everyday living with Linda as her sister (even Deliah-- n--no... don't think about her.... who? who's Deliah....?) would never happen-- rejection. Rejection of the prettier sister....

Linda was furious, shouting random things at Adam that Poppy couldn't force herself to make out. The blondes face was red with furry as she stamped her heeled foot and watched with utter hatred as Adam moved her awkward Russian sister. So when Adam's arm wrapped around her, her feet moved with him on their own. Poppy herself was still stuck in time, watching Adam's lips completely shoot the beautiful blonde princess down. Was this really happening? Poppy's eyes looked down at her trembling legs, seeing that the long length of Adam's were moving in short strides-- probably to give a comfortable pace for her patheticly clumsy tendencies when nervous. Green eyes left the image of their walking feet to look at her shoulder, where Adam's arm was drapped casually. Was he really holding her?

"I don't understand how you live with that," his voice was a soft whisper aganist her ear, warm air traveling through the dark curls that clustered around it. Poppy could only look away, her hand nervously reaching up to press to her own cheek. The skin was burning like fire, but only everyone except herself could see that both her cheeks and across her nose was the color of a freshly blooming rose. It was amazing that she hadn't fallen yet. She felt like she couldn't breathe...

Before she knew it she was standing at a table full of treats and drinks for the guests. Poppy's eyes fell on a punch bowl but she wasn't really looking at it-- she felt rather lost until Adam brought her back with a question. He was holding a cup of water out to her. For a moment she stared at it, then without answering she simply took the water and turned away to chug it down. She hadn't realized it but she felt like throwing up-- she seemed to be having an anxiety attack. The water was cold in her mouth, which she needed. God forbid she throw up and somehow ruin Linda's night... or Adam's shoes....

"Adem," Poppy whispered after finishing her water. She turned slowly on her heels and glanced up at the boys face. "D--did... that veally--" she cut herself off by blinking, her thick lashes drooping in a way that made her eyes look utterly confused and lost. "V--... No. You did not ave to do that!" she gasped, literally sounding a bit frightened, "Linda is pretty girl en.... en...--" her voice was trembling and coated heavily with her russian accent, almost worse than usual as if she JUST started learning english, "V--vhy would you do that...?"

[Adam Maxwell Hale.]

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Little to no attention was paid to Linda as she continued to shriek and yell at Adam as he walked off with her Russian sister deeper into the party. His strides were short and he walked slow for Poppy's sake. But she was pretty quiet - here he was, thinking she was going to be happy for the things he said and did against Linda but she was almost petrified. At lest that is what it looked like. He could feel her lets wobble a bit with every step, he making sure he had a good grip on her to save her from falling. But to his pleasant surprise she didn't fall at all - they actually made it to their destination without tumbling to the floor. He was .. impressed.

She still remained quiet, even when Adam handed her a glass of water. The violins were a soft sound in the distance, Adam watching as Poppy turned to kill off her drink, he waiting patiently for her to respond or say anything for all. Hell, even if she didn't look so dumbstruck he would have been happy. But all he got from her when she finally spoke was concern and questioning as to why he said and did those things to Linda. He was .. insulted, for a moment, taking a large gulp from his cup. "Really?" was the first thing he said before placing his empty cup down on a silver bussing tray near by. "I wasn't doing you a bloody favor. I was saying what I thought and acting the way I felt," he told her, frustrated that she would still defend her sister. 'Your sister is a cruel person. She's hideous inside, it's not just about physical appearance. She's nice to look at, but I'd rather hear nails on a chalk board then hear her talk," he told her, justifying how he felt about Linda, even though he new so little of her. He sighed, one hand reaching into his pocket before speaking again. "You're the most beautiful person I've ever met. Inside and out - your sister would have been a step down," he told said, eyes catching hers for a moment before looking to the door.

Something didn't feel right.

As if he was hit by a train, Adam fell silent as his unique eyes fell upon his sister, a man touching her shoulder an whispering into her ear. Adam watched intently from a distance. Something didn't feel right about that man, but Adam couldn't place a finger on it. He could feel him all the way across the room, which meant he was a werewolf, and what seemed to be a very strong one at that. Adam watched the faces of some of the other guests look at him with disgust, he moving slightly closer to Poppy. He watched his sister talk back to the man, the two seeming to get along just fine. It didn't seem that Amelia was in any danger, which was relieving for Adam. He caught little of what they spoke, his werewolf senses only picking up some of the conversation. Was that who his twin had been waiting for? One hand still in his pocket he wrapped the other around Poppy's waist and pulled her close to his side. It was more of a protective manner than anything else, not wanting to let her move from his side. He didn't know what was going on or what was about to happen, but he wasn't going to let anything hurt her.

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[Drake Ramsy Beldon.]

It was an excruciatingly slow and tired dance he perfected with Amelia by now, but the human seemed to captivate his attention enough that he kept to his word of ensuring the lives of her brother and lover; "Only you, Drake, only you." He let out a deep, almost dark chuckle at her promising words while she breathed against his face in an almost seductive manner, but seduction has lost its' appeal to him long ago when it came to the blond before him. She was merely a card or pawn in his ever growing game that he was still setting up before he moved his pieces; one of those pieces was the daughter of Erik Krosa. Anastasie. Glancing over Amelias' shoulder he smirked at the red-haired woman wrapped in the arms of the Elder who she was promised too. It wasn't business that directly effected him, however he made sure to keep himself informed of the business that Krosa thought was secretly guarded, swallowing down any he could that might benefit him.

Not looking at Amelia he traced her jawline briefly before as if an old dance gripped her chin to tilt her head as his eyes met hers in a heated stare. "Don't sound so devoted, pet." He grinned mockingly down at her before crushing his lips to hers with bruising force; moving against her mouth while he bit harshly at her bottom lip intending it to bleed. Pulling back he looked at her bruised lips and could only merely smirk before taking her hand and nearly dragging her around the party. He could sense the eyes of another across the room staring at him, his brow furrowed as he searched out the burning eyes and his eyes briefly widened in surprise before they twinkled almost mischievously. Pulling Amelia to his side he lowered his head to whisper for only her to hear; "You wouldn't be not telling me something would you?" He made no move or action that he noticed her brother clinging tightly to a human, only tilted his head as if generally curios if she were hiding something, though the tight grip he placed around her waist was warning for her to answer correctly.

[Kimberly Summer Beldon.]

I hate this! Kimberly swore at herself, the thought bouncing off each wall of her mind as she stared forward with a scowl on her face. Why did she have to go? And why did she have to wear a dress? Earlier she had punched Leander as hard as she could, which at her age, wasn't very hard because he had been laughing at how she looked. Normally if you saw the young Ortega royal, she was in jeans and a white shirt that said "I bite" or a shirt along those lines. Not a dress. Especially not the black dress that her father had sent Zhane to get in her time to baby-sit. "Ortega... you're not welcome here."

Kimberly had stopped short, just beside her father, Drake, as the guard scowled at them. It was that kind of attitude that the young Ortega wanted to kick the man where she knew it would hurt. That's what Z had taught her. "But I even dressed up for the event." The guard snorted but looking up, Kimberly brushed a loose strand of her brown hair out of her face to see Drake was grinning. It was quick, and the seven-year-old heard the snap of bone before a hand grabbed hers and she jumped over the body on the floor. It wasn't every day that she saw this happen, but every once in a while, and many of the members had told her to expect it. She didn't care, really, he had been rude to her father.

"People forget their manners so easily these days." Looking up again, she saw his grin and she just smiled, hoping he didn't want her to do any damage... because she was small and easily apprehendable. Looking around the room, impressed by the people standing and sitting, speaking with their small group, Kimberly noticed Amelia. Following her father as she knew, despite his motioning for her to come along, Kimberly bounced behind him, stopping slowly to stand next to her father and Amelia.

If it was one thing she liked, it was the human that her father kept around. Although she didn't know why Amelia was around, especially if the rest of the people in the house were wolves, but she didn't question. Kimberly liked the human, even if it was possible she was human herself, shrugging it off, Kimberly began to step in circles, arms spread to the side. Lifting each foot one at a time only to place them back down in a different place. If she was going to have to be there, there was no way she was going to stand still, it was practically impossible.

[Leander William Stephenson.]

"But I even dressed up for the event." Oh how Krosa didn't know what his pack was capable of. If the low-ranking Krosa guard had any idea of what power was, he would have joined Ortega. With Drake in power, the pack was practically unstoppable, and Leander knew that, signalling his thoughts with a smirk as he watched the guard. Does he really thing he can take on Drake? Stupidity must run in the Krosa.

Watching his leader grip the guard by the throat and flick his wrist, the sound of bone breaking sounding in his ears, Leander smiled. To think he got the good end of a fight, a quick and easy death. Although, Leander wasn't entirely sure what Drake had been thinking bringing his daughter along. Sure the seven-year-old girl was going to become a force to be reconded with, more so of her affection with the Warehouse and the elder didn't have the patience to listen to her whine when Drake would send her to him.

Stepping over the body with ease, Leander followed his friend into the building that the Krosa had occupied for this, quite lame party. The elder wasn't a fan of wearing formal clothing, but he didn't make it common knowledge that he could dance formal like a professional, a passion of his mothers. Looking around and watching Drake drag his daughter off to meet the human he kept around, Lea shuffled to the side, keeping against the wall, stopping about half way through in case a commotion was caused by one of the Ortega members and he could mark off the exit as a means of protecting his pack.

[Zhane Marina Morgans.]

Zhane didn't want to be here. Hell, she didn't even want to have left her computer, just in the middle of a level on her online game when Drake had called the pack together to leave. Formal wasn't her, and she hated it in return; especially when one of the males began to bust out laughing as soon as she walked into the room. The werewolf could still hear the ringing of laughter that started around the new member as she had stalked over. Her only thought in the moment had been 'If Drake has a problem, he can talk to me about it later.'

His panicked breathing as she had walked closer only made her smirk when she shoved her palm into his nose and the sound of it breaking only made her happy. Just as suddenly as that happened, the laughed had stopped by the time she gripped the boy by the back of his neck, easily lifting him off the ground and throwing him through the entry way to crash into another room.

So, it was only natural for Zhane to smirk when Drake had gripped the Krosa lackey by the throat and broke his neck. A solemn thought wondering if the boy was alive... apparently she forgot to check before they left. Sucks to be him, right? Growling as she stepped over the body that laid crumpled as she stepped over in her god-forsaken heels. The same black heels that matched her black dress. Scowling as she looked around the building, watching both Drake (along with his daughter) and Leander go in separate directions and she noticed an empty seat off to the left corner, opposite the direction the elder had gone and began her way towards the chair. Her only thought to try and avoid the party as much as possible.

[Amelia Elnora Hale.]

And through the rising and falling apart, We discover who we are

Quirking her pretty head to the side, she simply gazed at Drake, well aware of the feeling of being watched from afar. The muscles under her skin tensed, but with a quick exhaling breath, Amelia willed a calm matter into her stature. However, as Drake's eyes wandered away from her's, she closed her own, just focusing on the feel of his finger tracing the edge of her jawline. Please don't find him, I have no idea if it's him anyway.. Because, what if he did? What if Drake noticed that a certain someone was here? And if Adam were to lash out at all.. things could go from worse to hell in a matter of moments. That's even without the Krosa getting in the way. Mind that there was already one wolf that wouldn't be returning home tonight.

Her brown eyes snapped open though, the hard grip of on her chin forcing her to look at the man holding her life. "Don't sound so devoted, pet,"

[/u] he spat with a grin, bringing his lips down to her's in a bruising kiss. She wouldn't like to admit that she couldn't hold her breath; the skin around her lips was sore and a cut on her lip from where he bit her began to bleed. When they broke apart, Drake only pulled back with but a smirk on his face, brow furrowed. Oh, God, please don't.. He pulled her to him, his lips at her ear in a whisper. "You wouldn't be not telling me something would you?" Gulping, she held her chin high, forcing her heart rate to slow. Her chocolate eyes only flicked up to his own remarkable blue, praying that her face or her voice, let alone her eyes, wouldn't lie. "Not at all."[/div]

WORDS, ---. TAGGED, EVERYONE. ATTIRE, CLICK. NOTES, ---.

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[Poppy Olivia Sokov.]

"Really!?"

Poppy flinched at the sound of his voice, her eyes shifting away from him as she had taken a habit of doing whenever he snapped at her like this. She took the time to preoccupy herself with setting her cup down on the platter so that she wouldn't have to meet the intensity of those icy and honey eyes but it proved to be a hard task since what Adam was saying nearly sent her into another heart attack. The minty green eyes looked up to his curiously as he explained that Linda was an ugly person. To be completely honest, she totally agreed. If she wasn't so submissive to the more aggressive people maybe she would of acted the same as Adam had. The fact that Adam would much rather have her company over Linda's made her feel strange. Her chest ached slightly but in a good way, like there were butterflies fluttering about inside of her.

Despite her nervous feelings, Poppy started to smile-- he thought she was beautiful...

"Vell, look who as romantic bone in his body," she smirked, giggling softly in a teasing manner. Adam didn't usually say things like that, so the fact that he DID made her feel special-- like she was just given a gift. She hadn't exactly noticed what he was looking at but there was a strange heaviness to the air around them. Poppy could feel tension, maybe from the slight flex of Adam's body. She stopped her laughing to watch in curiously, "Adem are you alvi--" a gasp raced past her lips, cutting off her sentence as Adam pulled her in so suddenly. The pull had taken Poppy off the delicate balance she managed to keep up and she stumbled into him, her tiny body hitting his with a bit more force than intended. Her cheeks flushed a rosy color under the pale skin of her cheeks, "A-- Adem...?" she whispered silently, awkwardly allowing her hands to grip his dress shirt so that she could straighten herself back onto that thin line of balance.

"Ey..." once she straightened herself, Adam pulled her in a bit closer. She could actually feel how tense he was nothing-- something clearly bothering him. Poppy reached up, letting her the tips of her fingers jut barely touch his jawline, "vhat's the mattair? You are... um...?" she thought for the right word to use, "Um... stiff? no..." she blushed, "Tense."

[. RED .]

*this thread is now closed