I had all but thrown the invitation to this Masquerade ball out, very readily discarding the tiny paper without much of a thought. As it were, curiosity began slowly getting the better of me. What kind of host would manage to disperse invitations throughout a city, and create such an extravagant event? If you had asked me, I would have suggested that such a host was probably nonexistent, and this was the brainchild of a handful of upper-echelon women that would generally deter me. There was only so much work my facial muscles could endure trying to sustain a brilliant smile. Unfortunately, the idea had dawned on me that there might be a splendid bar as the location indicated expensive tastes in liquor. I was relatively sure that the environment might sour my mood, but a masquerade meant one thing: masks. Hiding behind the very thin fabric of a mask was intriguing, as essentially there was nothing to alert another of your identity save for your eyes, if they had a memory for such a thing.

The black of my suit contrasted starkly with the metallic, light sheen of the silver mask I had acquired for the occasion. The silver brightened the crystalline blue of my eyes, a signature color that would have made me easily distinguishable from the variety of other men, something I often appreciated. The black cat, Church, was sitting on my counter as if he was approving of my attempt at a social gesture and that his subject may leave the building. Before I convinced myself otherwise, I slid into the driver's seat of my polished, black 1972 Dodge Challenger; a car reserved for impressions and as a treat for my active participation in a social event that didn't involve blood, alcohol, or attempted attacks on vampires gone wrong. The witchery wasn't far, honestly it was too close to enjoy the drive. Although that was enough to regularly salt an otherwise good mood, I parked the Challenger and straightened myself out with an amount of savoir faire that was truly characteristic, but often not near the surface of any of my behaviors. The guard at the door was clearly a hunter, but he seemed passive enough that I could pause for a moment and contemplate the room before me. I had an itch for an entrance, feeling the electricity of a crowd.

After giving the hunter a slow and deliberate smile, I shut my eyes to find a silent, still center where I could produce the illusion from. It was quickly becoming easier and easier, especially with all of the electric energy all but pulsing from the room. Using that energy, I encouraged the lights to dim and candles in all areas of the room to flame violently as I slid past the entrance. It was tiring, but it was only an illusion and it would fade. My eyes would have mirrored the flames- violent but calm, meeting whatever gaze would have found me. Although fantastical masked figures littered the room, there were familiar faces (okay, some I didn't want to be familiar) enthralled in their conversations. I easily made out the figure of my feline man companion, finding a smirk etching its way over my lips. He was beside a curly haired - ... A curly haired woman who could only have been the very wolf who had made her way into the shop I worked in in search of a dagger. It would take effort to avoid her, but perhaps the acknowledgement of my relation with Tobias might help ease the pain in that wound, literally or figuratively. The circle wouldn't have been complete without the confident drawl of Damon, the only leech I wasn't vehemently against. His eyes fell on an incredibly ornate woman with long, perfectly cascading hair. I had heard her name before, though it was far from on my tongue now. I slowly made my way through the crowd, noting individuals I had seen before but making no attempt at conversation yet.

There was a drink with my name on it, past the throng. Opting out of a typical corner, I found myself drinking something other than whiskey in a long fluted glass, and quite pleasantly so. The woman serving drinks was friendly enough, but I was more than content to sip the drink during a stroll towards Tobias, finding a buzz-induced urge to suggest that the leopard change the were-wolf's opinion of me. Tactfully, I approached the two with an easy smile.

"Don't you look effortlessly human, Tobi," I started slowly, moving my amused gaze from him to Raven. "I don't suppose a compliment would be readily accepted by you, Raven, but you look stunning." Perhaps the leopard might display some form of recognition that might encourage the wolf to ease her mind in thinking of me. I meant for peace with her, feeling a genuine (okay... buz-induced, but close enough) sort of amiability. With a bright smile offered to Damon in greeting, I found my eyes wandering the sea of heads before finding themselves uncomfortably affixed to a familiar head of black hair, accompanied by a sultry dress that I wanted to inspect personally. Forward, no. I had a sincerely increased amount of patience, and I found myself letting my gaze rest heavily on her regardless of the man she was currently with as if simply waiting for her to feel it's weight.