• This section is for roleplays only.
    ALL interest checks/recruiting threads must go in the Recruit Here section.

    Please remember to credit artists when using works not your own.

Kingdoms of Darkness and Light

(Lol Happy belated Thanksgiving!) 


Flower and Vicente
​


Flower looked over Marco and let her gaze fill with the warmth she was known for. He seemed unsure of what to do now. It was going to be hard on him. She knew everyone was a little overwhelmed. She herself wasn’t sure how to feel. She knew she was happy Draco was gone, but now she would have to deal with Vicente who, much like a puppy, just attached to her


She knew that this was only the center of the storm. It would be calm for a while before things started picking up again. Flower knew this was going to be a mess and it would take all her authority and strength to keep things calm. Flower was young for an elf, but she had gained many supporters that would trust her judgement…for the most part. Flower’s ears drooped at the thought of the backlash that would surface from Vicente…and even more of Thea’s offspring.


Flower’s ears twitched as he asked if she was sure she was okay. Flower sighed deeply and pushed her fingers through her hair. Her hair was messy and stained with blood, making it a bit of a hassle getting her fingers back out of it. She grunted with displeasure as she noticed her own bloodied appearance. Draco had done a number on her as did all that magic she absorbed. Honestly, Flower was feeling pretty exhausted and sore. That shoulder Draco healed from Marco’s sword was incredibly tender.


“Honestly? I have no clue, but I’m standing aren’t I?” She smiled at Marco. She looked off to the side and noticed a group of Elfin Generals were gathering. She needed to speak with them and sort out a few things. Flower sighed as she glanced at Vicente. She supposed she should introduce him as well.


“There are things I need to attend too. I’m sure the elves wish to rest and start heading back to our kingdom. I should ask for Dominic’s permission to set up camp in the town so the army can rest.” She frowned lightly. She wondered if Roger and Isabella had gotten out of the castle and if they were alive. She really could use Roger’s help right about now. Half of this army had been under his leadership and they would be more inclined to listen to him than to her or Dominic.


She looked at Marco. “Get yourself checked out and rest.” She said and smiled lightly. “Even you are going to be busy with this rebuilding.” She leaned down and brush her lips on his forehead and her magic for a split second danced around him. “May the moonlight guide your way, light the shadows until day. May the sun be your power and let you rise in your hour.” Flower backed off. “It’s a blessing of my people, I once told it to Dominic and now I’m telling it to you.” She looked at him softly. “You are so much more than what you give yourself credit for, and as much as I believe in your brother I believe in you too.” Flower smiled.


 She was a curious woman. Even if she wasn’t sure about herself, wasn’t sure about her identity away from the Knight that seemed to disappear from her so long ago, she would always encourage those around her. Even if she did feel close to Marco…as one could get to Marco, she kept them all at arm’s length when it came to her own needs and feelings. It was hard to let that go when for so long she protected them under the mask of the knight.


Vicente looked at Flower and frowned. “Um…what do I do?” He asked as he looked down and back at Flower.


“I will introduce you as mine, and you will come with me.” Flower stated as she looked at him. He was slightly taller than her and he looked around her age, but that didn’t mean he seemed to act like it. Flower just couldn’t help but see him as a large oversized puppy.


“I’m not sure they will accept me as your kid. It is a technicality.” Vicente deadpanned.


“You’re the one who keeps calling me your mother, and I DID have to deal with the pain of having to put up with Draco basically trying to seduce me because of you. Shut it, and let’s get going.” Flower said as she pointed her thumb over her shoulder toward the Elves.


Vicente scrunched up his nose at that thought. “I apologize for that.”


“Yep.” Flower grabbed his arm and started dragging him. “Time to annoy some people!”


“M-mother!” Vicente yelled before he glared at her. “I AM NOT SOMEONE YOU CAN USE TO ANNOY PEOPLE WITH!”


 
​


 Nick 


Nick sighed deeply and looked down at Thea. He leaned down and wrapped his arms around her. He softened his gaze before he looked straight ahead of her. He knew this was going to be hard on everyone and carrying Draco’s child or claiming one of his offspring would be a difficult task. Nick glanced as Flower dragged Vicente off somewhere. Nick smirked as he pointed at Flower from behind Thea.


“Flower is going to be dealing with that same backlash of keeping Draco’s child and taking him in as her own. You will have someone to talk to and she’ll surely back you up and probably going in with fire and furry if they dare try to deny you this child.” Nick stated and watched as the elves started discussing things with Flower. She seemed to have that handled fairly okay.


Nick placed his hand on Thea’s stomach. “Flower may not be able to cover up the origins of Vicente, but if you would like or would think it would cause less problems than the baby being claimed as Draco’s, I will be willing to claim the baby as mine.” He frowned for a moment. “You aren’t alone in this reconstruction, Flower obviously got the elves involved this far, she will be doing everything she can for you. As for raising a half-vampire.” Nick smirked a bit. “I know a thing or two about that. I wouldn’t dare leave you on your own to deal with this.”


Caretaker and Nick
​


“And I might offer some assistance. I did raise most of Draco’s children in the past.” A familiar voice spoke out and Nick instantly snapped his head toward it. His eyes widened as he saw a man standing there with blond hair and one blue eye. He was hardly recognizable without the bandages covering his body, but he did still have that distinct bandage side of his face where he was missing his eye.


Caretaker stood there with a wide grin. He crossed his arm over his chest and bowed low for Thea. “I would be happy to offer my services for you once again, Princess Thea.”


Nick pulled back from Thea. “How are you…?”


“Without Draco’s control, the castle used the last of her magic to transfer the life energy and even new flesh from some of the dying monsters around the castle and…” Caretaker frowned as he bowed his head. “From your brother Ty. I live because he died. Please accept my utmost apologies and know I would not have chosen this willingly. However, I cannot change what has been done.”


Zelda
​


Zelda looked at Maverick before she smiled lightly. “Heh, Deathwish can’t be tranquilized, I think his alcohol tolerance will be up there.” She said before she giggled in excitement. “I can’t WAIT to see that though. Now, I must discuss Nick how to get him to try it! He’ll probably stop after one drink…but we most give him more! Maybe spike the rest of his drinks!”


She looked at Maverick and winked at him. “I’m so glad I have you on my side. I have just been waiting for an opportunity to mess with Deathwish and you are just the miracle I have needed!” She looked around for a moment before she spotted Mia and Deathwish. “Ah, I found them!” She said and pointed toward Deathwish and Mia.


“How on earth does he still look THAT good after all this? His hair doesn’t even look messy!” She stomped her foot. Her hair had been tossed all over the place and she was sure it was uneven thanks to Altair’s talons. It would take weeks for it to regrow if she had to get it cut. “Not…fair.” She did notice his cut clothing and the blood on his shirt. She smirked as she thought about how to get him to take off his shirt and get a good look at him. She frowned when she noticed him moving toward Dominic.


 
​


 Deathwish


Deathwish looked down at her as she seemed to be overcome with embarrassment. He tilted his head before he reached over and rubbed her head. He released a breath through his nose as he thought on what to do with her. She was so stubborn and headstrong, but right now she seemed very vulnerable. Deathwish slid his hand down the side of her face and forced her to look up at him. His eyes seemed to soften at the look of embarrassment she seemed to carry.


“I will be back.” He stated stoically as ever. He released her chin and turned as he headed for Dominic. Deathwish let his aura spread out and drape over the air as he approached Dominic and who he was talking to. People moved as the stoic and cold man stood in front of Dominic. Deathwish bowed on his knee for the new king.


“I formally request to be back in your guard, King Dominic.” Deathwish looked up at Dominic. “My apologies for all that has happened since I have been gone.”


There were whispers about what Deathwish had done during the battle, his strength and terror was still felt by all. Deathwish ignored them. Trust in who his loyalties lied in would have to be earned. Deathwish wasn’t sure if Dominic knew what had occurred or was transpiring for Deathwish to lose control, but he would explain it if he asked and would accept if Dominic did not want him back.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
((Ugggh. Finals have me in a complete vice grip right now! I can't wait for Christmas break. I get all of January off, so hopefully I'll be back on track with my replies. I'm dying to write but there's barely any time! Curse these ridiculous music major requirements! *shakes fist at the sky*))

Marco's chest clenched as she smiled at him. He partially blamed himself for her injuries. After all, if he hadn't gotten in the way, she wouldn't have been stabbed... or, more accurately, he wouldn't have practically impaled her on his sword. He opened his mouth again to apologize, but before he knew it, Flower's magic was glittering around him. He blinked in shock, not entirely understanding what she had said to him. His eyebrows furrowed as he slowly processed what had happened. What did she mean by believing in him? What did she think he could accomplish? Almost killing her again? Getting in the way? It didn't make sense how she could be so genuinely kind to him after the mess he had created. 

He looked at her in confusion for a moment as she addressed Vincente and went about her business. It was strange how he felt so drawn to her. As she left to address Dominic and the elven council, he stepped back and into the shadows. He knew Flower had wanted him to get checked out by a medical professional, but he wasn't in the mood to explain what was going on with his arm at the moment. Even the thought of dealing with prying doctors made him internally cringe. He found some shade next to a large piece of rubble and sat down, his mind still struggling to slowly process not only the aftermath of the war, but how he was going to deal with his feelings about Flower. There was guilt and confusion, but curiosity and a glimmer of affection deep down inside that he couldn't quite sort out. 


Thea smiled softly, shaking her head and huffing a tiny laugh through her nose. "I think you being the father of my child would cause just as much scandal as Draco." she said, leaning into his arms. "After all, at least I was married to him. Cheating on your psychopath spouse is a big grey area that would cause a lot of controversy."

She sighed and looked up at him, that twinge of a smile never faltering. It was hard to tell if it was an expression of happiness, melancholy, bemusement, or something else all together. Thea was still a bit of an enigma after all of this - strong and caring with the ability to both break your arm and heal a broken heart. She could look right through you and always find something admirable deep down inside, but simultaneously will not tolerate being treated less because of being a woman. She was capable of accomplishing anything if she set her mind to it, but still recognized when she needed help. Balance and order with a flicker of rebelliousness combined inside of her and all of this somehow showed in that one little half-smile. 


She was about to open her mouth and say something when a familiar voice snatched away her attention. Her eyes widened. "Caretaker!" she exclaimed, grabbing tightly into Nick's arm in disbelief.

She held back the tears as she looked at him. He was what was left of her brother. "Apology accepted," she breathed, completely awestruck. "I should've known... Ty was always so practical and efficient. He wouldn't even die without something coming from it." Quickly wiping her tears away, she refused to let anybody see her cry. She had to be strong for the kingdom, for her family, and for her child, and getting emotional over reuniting with her favorite ghost was not a good enough reason to break down. 


"Sadly, I think Mia's called dibs on him." Maverick said, eyeing Deathwish closely. He noticed how Mia kept her eyes locked on him as he walked to address Dominic. It was an interesting juxtaposition, the pair of them. Mia being significantly smaller, covered in blood and scrapes and in desperate need of a good haircut, and Deathwish tall, muscular, and looking as perfect as one could be after fighting in a bloody war.

Ruffling her already messy hair, Maverick let out the softest chuckle. "You can check him out later. I know Mia knows a thing or two about hair. She could fix you up so you look a little less a mess when you finally get to be Mr. Stoic's doctor. Because, honestly, putting you next to him right now would be like putting a troll next to an elf. It just doesn't make a good impression on all those single soldiers out there."


Mia leaned into Deathwish's touch, her heart aching as he turned and walked away. She wanted to believe him, but the image of him and Neshema together kept flashing in her mind. Shaking her head, she scowled to herself, thinking "You're losing it, Mia... stop gawking... It's ridiculous..." but she was firmly planted where he left her, trying her hardest not to look his way.


"Deathwish," Dominic said, turning his attention immediately to one of the most powerful men he had ever seen.  While living in the castle, Deathwish had been part of the royal guard. Deathwish struck fear into everyone in the building, including him, but he also always felt safer knowing that such a fierce warrior was watching over them. But, after seeing what had happened in battle, was it really worth the risk? Looking Deathwish over, he couldn't read him. He was perfectly guarded, just like he had always been. What carnage he had wrought on the battlefield felt like a bad dream. 

He outstretched his hand, smiling brightly. "I accept your request, although you wouldn't have had to ask. You've always been loyal to my family, the kingdom, and our causes and I would never dream of letting you go. Not after what happened in battle. Not after anything. Your position is for you and you alone, if you're wanting to take it. Your brother as well is more than welcome to return to the guard if he so chooses. After all you've done for our family over the years, you will always be welcome and easily forgiven." 
 
 
(Fight fight fight! Cheers on Headless  You can do it!)


Time Skip to a few weeks later! Setting, Elvin Kingdom, Event: Large party!


 


Flower
​


It had been a few weeks since the battle and Flower had been working tediously in order to not only get the council to make an alliance with Dominic’s weakened kingdom, but to help along preparations for their massive rebuild. Honestly, Flower was exhausted. Now that the Moonlit Knight was nothing more than a memory, her royal blood took full priority and more and more of her duties consisted more of the elfin kingdom and less on the royal brothers. Flower felt regret for this fact. She had become the largest voice on the side of Dominic, still tried to advise him when she could, and did everything possible to help the massive shift in power go smoothly. She still wanted to protect him fiercely, which is probably why she also was keeping very close tabs on all of the remaining boys.


Flower had felt a massive backlash after hearing of Ty’s death and seeing the proof on the restored body of Caretaker. Flower had taken it possibly harder than anyone. Her mindset had yet turned from her original design. She still felt responsible for their lives and now for the life of Vicente.


Flower had felt incredible pressure for Vicente’s very existence. Vicious rumors had spread that Flower had an affair with Draco, obviously they were either ignoring the whole story or had not heard the whole story. Still, Vicente had done his hardest to quell those rumors. He had gotten very protective of Flower and vice versa.


The accelerated growth of Vicente didn’t exactly reach his mindset. He still was very much childlike. He still was very mischievous and Flower quickly learned his sense of humor was something that needed to be curved. He nearly scared Zelda half to death after replacing a patient with a very large frog he dissected on the table. It didn’t help that said subject was a siren. He seemed very skilled with a scalpel as well. He learned very quickly and his genus showed very brightly at times.


Flower was sitting at the desk in her room at the Elfin Kingdom. Sometimes she stayed in the Elfin Kingdom and sometimes she stayed at the Human Kingdom. It all depended on what kind of work she was focusing on. Flower was writing down the finishing touches to the agreement of becoming allies with the humans. She wanted to help Dominic desperately, but she couldn’t do it for nothing. While they help resupply the humans with food and shelter, there were promises made for trade that slightly favored the elves. Flower knew running this past Dominic would have to wait, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t finish it while she had the time. The party for tonight was still being set up, so she had some breathing room.


Flower paused in her writing as she felt a hand touch her hip and slowly rise up her side. Flower’s eyes widened for a moment before she quickly lunged out of her chair and turned to face whoever dared touch her so inappropriately.


“Aw, you’re looking a little pale, Flower…” A voice sent a shiver down Flower’s spine. That voice…it couldn’t be! Flower’s heart started to pound as red hair and black eyes stared at her from the suddenly dim light in the room. “I see my handy work with your eye didn’t heal, how wonderful. It seems I have managed to mark you for life.” Draco stepped closer like a predatory stalking her.


Flower felt her light magic sting at her fingertips as she growled lowly at the figure before her. “Draco….”


“What’s the matter, Flower? Are you afraid?”


“You’re dead.” Flower narrowed her eyes at him.


“Does it look like I’m dead?” Draco chuckled darkly before he suddenly lunged for her. Flower quickly moved but he caught her arm and pulled her to him. “I wouldn’t advice running.” He smirked at her and Flower struggled before Draco started to siphon her light magic from her. “Aw, feeling tired?”


“Let go of me!” Flower kicked at him as she tried to twist out of his grasp. Her heart was pounding as panic started to take over. He couldn’t steal her magic again! Not again!


“No!” The struggle between the two of them continued until Flower managed to bang him against the wall before he swung her around and tossed her to the side. She fell and knocked over the writing desk. Flower groaned from the floor before she felt Draco press down on her. Flower gasped as he quickly secured her to him.


“I believe we had a deal, Flower.” Draco nipped at Flower’s ear.


“No!” Flower awoke with a startle. She quickly jerked her head from the desk and looked down at the paper she was working on. Flower quickly read what was on it before noting she must have finished it and dosed off. Flower placed her hands over her face as her body began to shake. She had been having nightmares about Draco. Draco had gotten her in such a vulnerable state, he had staked his claim on her, gotten his scent all over her, and made sure she knew what would happen if he actually had won the battle.


Flower reached up and touched her left eye. She felt the scar before Flower tried to get herself to stop shaking. She had always been afraid of Draco, he had managed to do things to Flower and made her feel completely out of control, turning her into a vampire for a short time and sucking her magic from her. She still felt haunted by it all. Flower sighed deeply and managed to calm herself before she stood up and turned leaving the room and whatever cold chill managed to fill it. She hadn’t told anyone about her nightmares, not even Roger.


 


Roger and Isabella 
​


Roger, he and Isabella had showed up shortly after things on the battlefield calmed down. Roger had a lot of injuries, but Isabella managed to save him from death. She of course preceded to tease Roger by telling people of their apparent passionate time alone. Roger of course denied the whole thing and said she had only used her healing abilities on him and that he was knocked out for most of the time. Of course Isabella relented eventually after Roger threatened to use his eye on her.


Isabella then preceded to try and smother Nick right in front of Thea. Nick of course while happy, tried to play it cool as possible, but Isabella wouldn’t have any of it and gushed on him. She had been so worried over her children and she made sure to make it known to Nick.


Roger had rested and appeared no worse for wear. He had returned to his farm and made a point to visit Flower periodically, mostly when she was staying a few days in the human kingdom. He of course was here for the party, like most of the soldiers that had survived the war.


Deathwish, Zelda, and Nick
​


Deathwish of course had gone back to duty. He and Nick loyally took on their duties and kept everyone in line. Deathwish once again was a fierce wall that everyone feared or respected. He worked nonstop to make up for the insanity brought on by Draco and the shapeshifter. He of course had yet to explain to Mia who Neshema was. He used his work to avoid it any way he could. He had loved Neshema more than anything in his life, and he had once wanted to spend his life with her…or at least be in her life for as long as she lived.  He had murdered her, granted that was only because of Draco’s control, but that old wound had been opened up and exploited again and again, in front of Thea and his own brother no less.


Deathwish was hurt and he was grieving once again. He might have affection for Mia, but he wasn’t sure how to deal with the realization that he did have affection for Mia and the fear that he would be the end of her. As long as his reaper lived, she was in danger. He knew she would never accept that, she was stubborn and desperate to prove she was not as fragile as she appeared.


Deathwish was in the elfin kingdom and his stoic mask was at full force, despite his current surroundings. Deathwish’s cold violet eyes turned back to Zelda and her current shenanigans.


“Oh come on…. you can let Maverick bring in his specialty alcohol…” Zelda leaned into the male elf as she toyed with his hair right around his ear. Elves were specifically sensitive in the ear. The elf blushed lightly.


“I’m not sure…. that is a good idea.”


“Listen, there will be all kinds of species here…. your elfin wine will not satisfy everyone of them. Having variety will be most helpful to keep everyone happy.”


“Hmmm.” His nose scrunched up. “We are not here to get drunk.”


“Elves are so boring.” Zelda whispered under her breath. She looked back up at him and continued to play with his ear. “Listen, dragons will be here as well and if you think your sissy wine will even come close to making them happy, you will have an empty stalk and some pretty unhappy allies.”


The elf sighed deeply. He had heard dragons did drink a lot. They weren’t known to get drunk, but they were known to get upset if their drinks were not strong enough for their tastes. “As you wish. I suppose I can let this Maverick fellow bring in what he’s got, but only if it’s been thoroughly checked out. I want no funny business.”


“On Deathwish’s honor.” Zelda raised her hand with a wide grin before receiving an intense glare from Deathwish.


Nick walked over and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Zelda, you’re here early.”


“So are you two.” Zelda smirked and wrapped her arms around Nick’s neck in a hug. “You ready for a good time?” She smirked mischievously. “I have a few pairs picked out for you.”


“Not this time, Zelda.” Nick stated as he gently pulled off her arms.


“Ohhhh, someone’s got a girl.” Zelda smirked widely. “Tell, tell, tell!”


Nick frowned lightly before placing up his usual smile. “Now now, no kissing and telling this time.” Nick said and winked at Zelda. “Now I believe you have been meaning to introduce me to someone?”


“Maverick! Yes!” Zelda grabbed Nick’s arm and tugged hard. “Come come come!”


Nick looked at Deathwish in a plead for him to come along. Deathwish had already met maverick after all. Deathwish stood up from the table he had been sitting on and slowly followed poor kidnapped Nick. Deathwish was sure Mia was probably with Maverick and he’d rather find her than her find him and ambush him with questions.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Recovery from the battle was an arduous process and Dominic was doing his best to keep up with all the tasks at hand. The first thing he did was set up camps for refugees who had lost their homes and livelihoods to Draco's reign of terror. He had to make sure that the people were taken care of before he would do anything else. He then had to sort through paperwork, taking into account all of the alliances that they had managed to form in order to take down Draco and what their kingdom had to do to keep those in good standing. Any extra time he had was put into reconstruction, even to the point of sneaking out to the camps and villages and helping out wherever he could. There was no way of holding him back. Not until his kingdom was stable again.


When he needed a break, he'd leave his desk and go outside to where they had memorialized Ty. There wasn't anything left of him to bury, so they just placed a headstone under a tree. It was a simple grave, nothing flashy, made of a piece of rubble they had found in the remains of Draco's castle. After all, that was where he passed away. That small remnant of the castle walls was not only a memorial to their lost brother, but to all of the people they had lost in battle. They had kept the funeral private, not wanting to make a big show of one lost prince when everyone had lost someone they loved. 


Dominic would sit by the stone and close his eyes. It was the one place he could turn off his racing mind and come to terms with all that was happening. He was the king now, his brother was dead, his sister was pregnant, and his kingdom was in shambles. It was a little difficult for him to grasp, but he did what he could. 

He was thrilled to hear about the party that was being planned. After all of the loss and tragedy, everyone could use a moment to celebrate freedom from Draco and let loose. He had never been much of a partier in the first place, but he loved to sit back and watch others enjoy themselves. After all, as king, he had to keep up some appearances, and when he knew that the twins would be causing mayhem the entire night, he was going to have to restrain himself from letting go too much.

"Are you ready yet?" Chuck called, impatiently waiting outside of Dominic's door. Him and Benn had been itching to get down to business for days, and now that the night of the party had arrived, they were more impatient than ever. "I need to stuff my pockets with some of that nice shrimp before they run out!"

Dominic opened the door, rolling his eyes. "You do realize you're royalty, right? It's not that hard for you to get your hands on some shrimp." 

"But where's the fun in that?" Benn chimed in, leaning over his twin's shoulder. The burn on his face had healed quite nicely, but still left him with some white scarring and an uneven texture to his skin. The twins were no longer identical, but it didn't change the fact that they were inseparable.


Thea, on the other hand, was not so eager to join in the celebration. Sure, she had spent plenty of time at fancy balls and gatherings and celebrations, but she had never enjoyed all of the pomp and circumstance that came with it. Her family always had to leave a good impression, and that meant that she was stuck babysitting the twins when they had too much to drink. And, now with her pregnancy, she couldn't even have a few drinks herself to take away the stress. And, worst of all, Nick would be there, and she knew he wouldn't let her sulk on the sidelines the whole night just because she was pregnant and keeping an eye on the twins. Those weren't good enough excuses and she knew it. 


"We got the ok?" Maverick called, looking expectantly at Zelda. He knew that she was going to work some magic to let them bring in their cases upon cases of alcohol, but with how uptight most of the elves he had met were, he was doubtful. As soon as he got the ok, he broke out in the biggest smirk. He hobbled his way over to a horsedrawn cart loaded higher than high with crates and barrels and kegs galore. Grabbing the reigns, he lead the horse closer to Zelda. 

Mia was standing on the back of the cart, making sure they didn't lose any of their precious cargo. It had been difficult for her after the war. She was more wary of Deathwish than she was before, keeping her distance while simultaneously refusing to lose sight of him. It was conflicting, because even though her heart felt shattered, the little bits and pieces that were left still yearned for him. She had spent most of her free time training, although not with Deathwish's knife. The last thing she used it for was to give herself a choppy haircut, bringing her blonde hair back to its usual ragged, layered chin-length. After that she put it away and refused to even look at it, instead working with punching bags until her knuckles cracked and bled. Even though the was was over, she was still fighting. 
 

Zelda, Nick, and Deathwish
​


Zelda smirked as she nodded vigorously at Maverick. “I told you I could do it.” She said as she crossed her arms and looked at her long nails. She smirked and looked up at Maverick with a wide smirk before she walked over to Maverick and leaned on his horse. She glanced at Nick and Deathwish. “Oh, this is Nick, the second hottest twin.” She said and gestured her hands to Nick who smirked and waved his hand at Maverick.


“At least I don’t have a stick up my butt.” Nick chuckled and cringed as Deathwish smacked the back of his head. Nick laughed and smirked at his brother. “It’s true.”


“Hn.” Deathwish raised his eyebrow at the load that they had. It had a strong scent which intrigued him. This was not normal alcohol. In fact, it had to be at least ten times stronger. Deathwish watched Elves approach the loud and quickly scan it with magic. Once they were satisfied, they gestured to where Maverick could unload his cargo. Deathwish only moved to eye Zelda as she smirked at him.


“You are plotting something.”


“I am not.” Zelda said with her chin held high. Deathwish narrowed his eyes at her. “I was merely admiring the way the sun lets me see all those muscles you have.” Zelda stuck her tongue out at Deathwish. Deathwish suddenly snatched her tongue and leaned in quite threateningly.


“I am not to be trifled with, dragon spawn.”


All Zelda could do was nod before Deathwish released her tongue. She closed her mouth and glared at him. “You do have a stick up your butt, even more than usual.” She said and stuck her hands on her hips. “Usually you can take a little flirting, but now you act like it completely offends you! Hey! I’m talking to you!” She growled as Deathwish promptly ignored her.


“Lay off him, Zelda.” Nick glanced at Zelda. He watched Deathwish observe Mia before he moved off probably to go meditate.


“What happened to him?” Zelda frowned as she looked at Nick.


“It’s not something that should be discussed now.” Nick smiled. His smile was perfect and charming, unlike how he was feeling. “We have a party to prepare for, not try to solve the unsolvable mystery of my brother.”


Zelda smirked at Nick. “We need to get Deathwish drunk.”


Nick suddenly started laughing. “You really think that’s possible?”


Zelda pouted like a child. “It has to be. He can’t be perfect all the time!”


“I’m his twin brother and I tell you I have never seen him drunk, not even close.”


“Oh come on!”


“Listen, if you can get him drunk, I will buy all the drinks it takes to do so.” Nick crossed his arms. Zelda suddenly rubbed up against his side.


“Ahhhh, another bet! We haven’t bet in a long time. So if we managed to get him drunk, you’ll buy all his drinks? What do you want if we can’t?”


“You buy all my drinks.” Nick said as he leaned over Zelda. “And don’t get drunk before he does. It won’t do any good if you’re too out of it to even notice if he is too.”


“What do you think, Maverick?” Zelda smirked up at Maverick.


 


Flower and Roger
​


Flower walked through the halls and watched the servants busy themselves with preparations. The elves were incorporating many traditions from all walks of life in this celebration. It was certainly going to be a very large affair. The streets were filled with decorations. Flower sighed deeply before she pushed her hand through her bangs. She was exhausted. Flower leaned back into a pillar under a bridge. She stared up as children ran in the streets with streamers and something that made a popping noise. It seemed the kids were getting an early start before they went to bed.


“You seem preoccupied.” Roger’s voice sounded out from behind her. He made sure his eyepatch was on properly as he watched Flower for a moment. Her ear twitched, but she did not turn to face him.


“It’s been busy, is all.” Flower stated before she felt Roger’s hand on top of her head. He gently rubbed before he placed his hand on her shoulder.


“You won’t enjoy yourself tonight?” Roger carefully read her. Her hair was dimmer than usual, her eyes looked tired and glassy, and her ears drooped ever so slightly. She was depressed to say the least.


“I’m sure the council will probably make me dance at least a bit.” Flower stated as she looked at his hand on her shoulder.


“You should try to relax.” Roger suggested before he smiled at her. “The council will be too busy having their own fun to keep close tabs on you. For once, take a page from Zelda’s book and let go.”


Flower chuckled. “Should I dance on tables too?”


“If that is what you want.” Roger smirked at her.


“No, thank you.”


“Well, don’t go destroying every male that wants to dance with you.” Roger stated as he smiled at Flower.


“Why would anyone want to dance with me?”


“You haven’t seen it yet, have you?”


“Seen what?” Flower’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Roger smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his head.


 


Hunter and Sky
​


Hunter stared at the outfit that both she and Sky picked out for Flower. Hunter blinked before she looked at Sky. “She will not want to wear it.” She stated as she crossed her arms and looked at her old companion.


“She will have no choice.” Sky stated as she looked up from her reading. “Flower’s own self confidence as gone down. She does not believe herself desirable, I plan to make a point.”


“She does have suiters.” Hunter deadpanned. “She has other problems beyond that of her physical appearance, have you not noticed Flower is avoiding sleep as of late? Should we not address that first?”


“Nope.” Sky turned a page in her book. “Flower will eventually become a queen; she needs to learn how to wear a dress.”


“Perhaps one less revealing will be more to her liking.” Hunter stated.


“You’re the one who originally pestered her about wearing dresses.” Sky stated.


“You know that was not me. My interests lie in what is best for her.”


“This is best for her.”


“I fail to see how, old friend.” Hunter sat down in a chair. “By Heaven’s name the child is young.”


“The child has suiters.” Sky added before she looked up at Hunter. “Have you been so blinded by your own interests in the cat that you have no noticed something quite odd about another of the young men we have become aquatinted with?”


“I do not have an interest in a cat!” Hunter’s ears lowered and she growled.


“Calm yourself, proud Inu.” Sky stated calmly before she set her book down.


“This is another one of your schemes?” Hunter’s ears suddenly stood at attention. Her tail began to slowly wag behind her.


“Exactly.” Sky once again began to read her book. “I am also doing research.”


“I fail to see how a dress will prove anything to you.”


“Sometimes it takes a little shove for feelings to surface. I want her merely to be noticeable as a woman.” Sky stated. “As lovely as Flower looks in her usual armor, there is still something captivating about a lady in a dress.”


“You never wear dresses.” Hunter smirked lightly.


“Remember, this isn’t entirely about getting Flower noticed by others. This is also about increasing both Flower’s confidence and adapting her to life where she will have to wear certain clothes for certain guests. Flower is captivating enough on her own after all.”


“I see your point.” Hunter stated before she turned and looked at the dress. “It will be hard to ignore her in that. God help any male that attempts to charm her.”


“I do need things to amuse myself with.” Sky smirked wickedly and Hunter jerked her head to Sky. Wait a second, THAT WAS THE REAL REASON!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
"Hey, as long as I get paid at the end of the day, I'm in." Maverick said eyeing Nick up and down. What a shame that both him and Deathwish were painfully straight. The twins were definitely a force to be reckoned with when it came to attractiveness. Although he did have initial doubts about Deathwish's sexuality, after seeing how Mia couldn't keep her eyes off him, he wasn't going to press the matter. Even speaking his name made the poor girl look like somebody had just kicked her in the heart. It had gotten to the point where he just stopped mentioning the man all together. 

"I agree with Nick," Mia said, coming around from the back of the cart and crossing her arms. Her hands were bandaged tightly, having broken open the skin on her knuckles with her intense, non-stop training. This was probably the first break she had allowed herself since the war. She wasn't the kind of person to turn down a party, after all. "Deathwish doesn't just have a stick up his a*s. He's got the whole d**n tree. There's no way that b*****d is getting drunk." 


"We'll see about that," Maverick said, patting the top of a large barrel with pride. "One sip of this will get almost anybody tipsy. I've never had a customer left sober yet, so if this doesn't work, I don't know what will." 

Mia rolled her eyes. "That is if you can even get him to take a sip in the first place." 

Maverick looked to Zelda and raised an eyebrow, "I'm sure Zelda here has plans A through Z to make that happen. It shouldn't be a problem." 


"Ugh, you're not even close to ready!" Chuck exclaimed. The twins pushed their way into Dominic's room, identical disappointed scowls on their faces. "You're going to a party as the King of the human people and you look like a homeless man!" 

"Hey!" Dominic exclaimed as the twins poked at him and dug through his clothing. "There's no way I'm letting you two dress me. It's just a party, not my crowning!" 

"You're King. You have to look kingly." Benn pointed out, pulling a cape out of a pile of clothes and holding it up. "Here. This is a little royal-looking, right?" 

"No, it's ridiculous," Dominic said, eyeing the twins with extreme skepticism. 

"Too bad, you're wearing it." Chuck said, tossing the cape at his older brother. "Don't make me go get Thea. She's already in a cranky mood and I would bet money she'd side with us on this one." 


Thea held up the dress she was going to wear and sighed. She liked clothes that were loose and easy to move around in, and this was the exact opposite. With her growing baby bump, it would fit tighter than she would've liked. It was a dark red color, much more audacious than her usual shades of grey, with a low-cut neckline and a long, flowing skirt that she was silently praying wouldn't trip her up. Sliding it on, she stood up straight and looked in the mirror.

"This is too much..." she breathed, but it was the most appropriate outfit she had for such an event, so she didn't have much choice. She pulled her hair back into its usual high ponytail and put on her best 'I'm a princess, don't even try to mess with me' face. "Nick is going to have a hayday with this..." she added and pulled up the low neckline of the dress as high as it would go. 


Marco had spent most of the day lurking around the elven city, keeping as much to the shadows as he could. He was dreading the party and couldn't seem to escape the buzz of excitement filling every corner of the town. He wasn't one for dealing with people in the first place, let alone going out of his way to socialize with strangers. He didn't really care that it was to celebrate winning the war. He would much rather lock himself in his room and be alone with his thoughts. 

Of course, his royal status would never allow that. If the twins didn't drag him there against his will, they would call in Thea who would guilt trip him with her talk of fulfilling one's duty. He had to avoid his family for as long as possible, get ready at the last minute, make his arrival, be a wallflower in the background for the minimum amount of time, and then disappear back into the shadows like he had never been there in the first place. 


Ezra was ready for anything. He hadn't seen Flower since the war had ended. She was incredibly busy. He knew that Dominic was still technically competition for her hand in marriage, but he was determined to stake his claim on her tonight. The council would see that he was the far superior suitor. After all, he was everything they desired when it came to producing light elf offspring, while Dominic was... too common. There was no way he would let a human take his place as Flower's spouse. 
 
 

Nick and Zelda
​


Nick suddenly narrowed his eyes dangerously at Mia as she cussed out his brother’s name. She still had no idea what was going on with Deathwish. Nick held his tongue, however, he was very protective of his brother and once the party was over if she did that again he might point a few things out to her. Nick looked back at Zelda. “I guess it’s a deal.” He looked up at Maverick and smiled as well.


Zelda looked up at Maverick and smirked. “I’m going to whine like crazy. He can’t stand it when I whine.” She snickered and wrapped her arm around Nick. “Or I’ll make it seem like he’ll be offending you if he doesn’t at least try it.” She winked at Maverick. “Deathwish might be a pain in the butt, but use rules or manners against him and you’ll always win.”


“What can we say?” Nick shrugged. “We were taught to behave one hundred years ago. We tend to take things seriously.” Nick chuckled as he looked at Zelda. “Just remember that if he starts dancing that doesn’t mean he’s drunk.”


“Wait….HE DANCES?!”


Nick started laughing. “Deathwish was obligated to dance because of a number of vampire balls. Deathwish is actually quite the dancer.”


“I want to dance with him.” Zelda’s eyes widen with possibilities.


“He doesn’t dance like you do.” Nick stated dryly and Zelda pouted. “It’s more formal.”


“Awwwwwwww!” Zelda hugged onto Nick. “At least I have you. Thank goodness you two are identical!”


“Come on, you’re beginning to get pathetic.” Nick smirked as he teased Zelda. “Don’t forget Elves can be quite the lookers too.”


“Elves are boring too.”


“Oh?” Nick leaned down and whispered something in her ear. Zelda’s eyes suddenly grew wide.


“AN ELF DID THAT?!”


“Don’t underestimate the controlled. They have their secrets.” Nick laughed as Zelda smacked the side of his arm. Nick smirked at her in a perverted manner, and she pushed his face to the side.


“I’m extremely old, and I was married to her at the time.”


“Wait…you’ve been married twice!”


“I don’t think that counts…I was drunk and it only lasted a week.” Nick said as he began to walk away.


“No! You need to explain!” Zelda chased after him.


“Zelda! There isn’t anything to tell!” Nick laughed as Zelda lunged on him from the back. Nick soon was forced to give her a piggyback ride. Nick turned around and looked at Maverick. “Come on! I’ll help you guys set everything up!” Zelda smirked and beckoned Maverick from Nick’s back.


 


The party was held at the center of town. The large white buildings circled a large stone area. Pebbles decorated the floor in large repeating circles until the beautifully decorated colored glass at the center. There were two balconies looking over the area. The buildings were held open were the food was kept. Wide windows showed the center of town from inside. The bar was directly across one of the large windows. The main area of the bar was large and had tables and chairs slightly pushed more to the walls to give room for dancers.


 


Flower, Hunter, and Sky
​


Flower stood in front of a mirror with the most annoyed face anyone ever could see. Sky and Hunter had tracked her, kidnapped her, and worse of all Roger only smiled and waved as they dragged her off. She was going to get him for that. Now Flower stood wearing the dress they had picked out for her.


“No.” Flower said sternly.


“Yes.” Sky replied back nonchalantly. Sky looked at Flower. “You must look your best.”


“What I was going to wear was fine.” Flower said crossing her arms over her chest.


“And what you’re wearing now is better.” Sky said. “You will be opening up the ceremony, so you should look your part.” Sky said. “Stop messing with it.” Sky said before she smacked Flower’s hands away from the hem of the front.


“I’m uncomfortable.” Flower growled out.


“You look like a beautiful Queen. Without your duties as a Knight you will be forced to wear similar clothing for special guests. The council will be pleased with this.”


“Too pleased is what I’m worried about.” Flower frowned at the mirror.


“I think you look very nice, Mistress.” Hunter stated as she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Besides, I already put spells on all your other clothes. You cannot change now.” Hunter stated and ignored Flower’s glare.


Flower sighed before she looked at the time. “I need to get out there anyways.”


Hunter stepped in front of Flower. “Keep your head up.” Hunter grabbed Flower’s chin and forced her to look up. “You will be turning heads, so look straight ahead and be confident. You are still first and foremost a force to be reckoned with. This takes nothing away from that.” At Flowers chuckle, Hunter tilted her head to the side.


“Once you would have merely teased me, now you are only giving me advice.”


“I’m sorry I was not myself. I should never had hidden myself; you needed me more than I knew.” Hunter smiled lightly at Flower.


“Come, let’s show these poor elves what power truly looks like.” Sky stated as she walked out of the room. Hunter followed before stopping and looking back at Flower. Flower took a deep breath and turned to walk out.


Zelda, Deathwish, and Nick
​


The buzz was at its high as the attendees gathered. Zelda had a long pink dress that fit to show her curves perfectly and also hid her dragon tail with a long skirt in the back. She sat at the bar with a smirk on her face as she watched Nick come in with Deathwish.


They wore similar outfits but still very different. Nick had a short jacket with a white shirt and black pants. The white shirt had buttons all the way up to the collar which he left open. Nick also had black gloves. Deathwish wore a long coat with a black shirt of the same design and no gloves. Deathwish also had a pocket watch with a chain running over the front of his pants.


Zelda was already sipping so beer before the corner of her eye caught the sight of Flower. She suddenly spits out her drink. “Woah. I think Flower lost a bet. She would NEVER wear a dress.”


Nick and Deathwish turned their heads to see the Queen walk down to address the people. Nick suddenly smirked. “Whoever she bet with, I’m going to give a hug.”


“Hn.”


Flower
​


Flower’s dress was slim and carefully showed off Flower’s form. One side a white with the other was a dark blue. Gold colored metal decorated the middle of the dress separating the two colors and swirled at the bottom. One side showed off her entire shoulder with a metal strap just below her shoulder. The other side had a long sleeve with metal covering the top and pointing up. The dress rested low and was short in the front looking more like skirt. The long back curved around her legs slightly and the hem had the appearance of wings. Lighter detailed stitching covered the bottom of the dress.


Flower’s hair was pulled up away from her ears and back with metal made to look like feathers lining around her pointed ears and down her hair to keep it back while allowing it to be fully down from behind showing how truly long her hair had gotten.


Flower didn’t like that the chest also showed the scar on her chest clearly, but at least that scar was faded. She was extraordinarily uncomfortable, but she kept her chin up and looked straight forward, unwittingly showing off just how long her neck was, while the dress showed off how long her legs were. She seemed to please Zelda as her very annoying friend whistled at her from inside the bar. Honestly, she couldn’t take Zelda anywhere.


Flower released a breath as she stood in the center of the glass. Magic glowed below her as it amplified her voice.


“Thank you all for coming to this celebration of the victory we all share. Tonight we celebrate the end of a terror that both took a proud and mighty kingdom but terrorized many others for thousands of years coming finally to an end. With the death of Draco, we have brought something unprecedented for all our kinds, peace and alliances that will last a lifetime. The Elves welcome all of you as our friends and our family as we take a much needed break from our work and finally truly feel the joy of being free.” Flower smiled warmly as she opened her arms.


“May the Moonlight guide your way, light the shadows until day. May the sun be your power and let you rise in your hour. It is an honor to see all of you. I wish you a very good night!” Flower laughed at the cheering and stepped out of the glass circle.

(Reference for the Dress) 
 
Last edited by a moderator:
After the preparations were complete, Maverick stood proudly behind the bar, ready to get to work. He had never been much of a dancer, and because he didn't trust the elves to serve his mountain of alcohol correctly, he was glad to stick to the sidelines and bartend. He wore something a little nicer than his usual attire, but not entirely out of place. He had a dark blue vest over a dark grey shirt and a towel slung over his shoulder. 

He could tell that the elves were a little skeptical of him, suspiciously eyeing him when he would present them with a glass of their own wine. Just because he was in the business of getting people drunk didn't mean that he was going to trick people into drinking something they weren't prepared for. He was proud to say that nobody had been roofied or drugged in his establishment, and he wasn't planning on having that change any time soon. Although, he would bend the rules a little bit in the case of Deathwish. He could accept getting someone unintentionally drunk if they just happened to underestimate the strength of what they were given. 


Mia leaned up against the bar, her lips pursed into a thin line. She wore a black, velvet dress with a high-low skirt that showed off the bright red interior lining. Even though it had long sleeves, Mia was still showing off some skin with a cut-out back showing her entire spine as well as a keyhole in the neckline. Her tattoos were out for the world to see. Although the one of a choker around her neck was always in plain view, the open back of her dress perfectly framed the large sword she had going down the length of her spine. To cover her bandaged knuckles she wore gloves that cut off right after the injuries stopped, leaving the top of her hand and wrists exposed. Even though she tended to be a rough-and-tumble kind of person, she could also pull herself together for a night of glamor when she wanted to. 

She took a sip from her glass of red wine, half-listening to Flower's little greeting. She was too busy scanning the crowd for prospective dance partners. She had a way of turning on the charm when it came to men, finding a way to wrap them around her little finger and buy her a few drinks. She had plenty of nights where she went to the bars and never had to pay for a single glass. Locking her eyes on a tall elf with dark brown hair, she could tell that he would be a fun target. 


The royal family arrived just in time to hear Flower speak, having had trouble finding Marco. They were all dressed to the nines and as ready for a night of celebration as they could be. Dominic was feeling a little ridiculous in the outfit his brothers had stuffed him in, but when he saw how elegantly Flower was dressed, he couldn't help but smile. At least he wasn't alone when it came to being pressured into outfit choices. 

Thea subtly scanned the crowd, not breaking her composure as she stood beside her older brother. Her head was held high and her hands were clasped behind her back in a way that oozed royalty. She knew plenty of people wanted to question her about her time spent with Draco, and so she made sure, from the get go, that it was clear she was part of the royal family and should not be toyed with. When her eyes fell on Nick, she eyed him up and down before cracking the tiniest of smiles. How was it possible for someone to look so good all the time? It was ridiculous.

Marco kept his eyes locked on the ground in front of him, only daring to glance up when Flower began to speak. He didn't want to be there, and the sooner this event was over, the better. As soon as she was done speaking, he slipped away to the edge of the crowd while the twins simultaneously slipped into the center. He watched them closely as they laughed and flirted with every attractive woman they found and seemed to instantly befriend anybody they came across. How did they do that? They were naturals when it came to socialization while he felt uncomfortable just standing on the sidelines. 
 

Nick
​


Nick glanced at spotted Mia. He lightly elbowed Deathwish who was watching as the music started. Deathwish turned and observed Mia. Nick looked hopeful only to be annoyed as Deathwish only turned to observe others. Nick shook his head before he spotted Thea. Suddenly the widest smirk spread across his lips. One could almost see the wheels turning in his head. He was already plotting. Nick decided to slip away from his terrifying twin and slip away into the crowd.


One moment he was there and the next he was gone. Suddenly he was right behind Dominic and Thea. He leaned down toward Thea’s ear. “Hi.” He smirked before his eyes turned to Dominic. “King Dominic.” He greeted.


Nick spotted Flower navigating the crowd as best as she could. He examined Flower closely. He didn’t exactly get a close look at her since the time of Draco. Nick noted how Flower really aged since he met the little fireball so long ago. She had a few more scars, but she even looked wiser than the naive girl just trying to do her job. He turned his head and looked down at Thea.


 


 
​


 Flower
​




Flower did her best to try and avoid most people. There was no helping it, however, she eventually was stopped by someone either to talk business or be admired. Flower could tell this was going to be a long night for her. A few vampires suddenly surrounded her. She bowed slightly to them as she was swept up. Flower did ever so slightly let her magic shine through. She didn’t like the way the males were looking at her. Flower’s ears twitched as she did her best to try and escape. Flower was immensely uncomfortable, but she managed not to show it. Finally, Flower slipped past them and scanned the crowd for anyone she knew.


She saw the twins, but by the looks of it they were the last people she wanted to be greeted with right now. They appeared to be mostly flirting and she wasn’t sure how much of that she could take before snapping. One would end up on the floor and the other probably thrown into a wall. Flower pushed those thoughts aside as she turned only to be stopped by a few Nekos. Flower bowed to them and pulled up a warm smile.


 


 
​


Zelda and Deathwish 
​




Zelda watched as Deathwish watched everyone carefully. She glanced at Maverick and smirked as she called to Deathwish and waved her hand. Deathwish looked at her and she examined him. He still walked over, finding nothing else logical to do. She leaned back into the counter with a wide grin. “Why don’t you have a drink? You stick out like a sore thumb. Nick ditch you again?”


Deathwish stared stoically at Zelda. “No.” He said although he did sit down. Zelda frowned and stared at him. “Nick will be preoccupied for the rest of the night.” Deathwish knew Nick wouldn’t be able to resist Thea. Either it was his protective instincts or just the thought of teasing her, Deathwish could only guess that he would be sticking close.


“You’re not going to be any fun tonight are you. Did you ever have fun as a child?”


Deathwish stared at Zelda with a look. Zelda carefully backed off of the subject before she awkwardly sipped her drink. Deathwish glanced at Maverick before he slightly tilted his head. “Hello, Maverick.” Deathwish assumed Maverick wasn’t much for being the center of attention. Deathwish himself was just hoping to be able to slip away without Zelda tracking him down. She was going to insist on something, he could tell.


Deathwish’s eyes found Mia once more. She seemed to be staring at someone. He followed her gaze to a dark haired elf. Deathwish eyed the elf before he looked away as if he didn’t care. Zelda did look over to Mia before she turned back to Deathwish with a tilt of her head. What on earth was going on with those two? She knew Deathwish was stubborn, but what did he do to make Mia avoid him so much? This only fueled her plans to get him drunk, he’d probably be less tight lipped about his problems.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
"Good to see you Nick!" Dominic exclaimed, giving the man an affectionate pat on the shoulder. It was pretty obvious to him that Nick and Thea had something going on. Part of him had expected it for a while now. When it came to relationships, Thea was shockingly rebellious. Her only previous relationship before the mess with Draco had been a top-secret, 100% scandalous endeavor that didn't end well for anybody involved. It was nice to see her loosening up a little bit when she was around Nick, and even if he had to concoct some sort of royal decree to allow a princess to be with a member of their staff, then so be it. His family's happiness was one of his top priorities.
yet
"Keep a close eye on her." Dominic joked, pointing a thumb at Thea. "No alcohol for the pregnant lady. And I know for a fact she's already dying to steal a few sips of a stiff drink."

Thea rolled her eyes. "I'd be more worried about Chuck and Benn if I were you. Their pockets are already overflowing with stolen food and they aren't even drunk yet."
 


I'm sure they'll find some way or another to ruin our family's reputation tonight, and I'm doubtful that any of our efforts will hinder them." He looked out at the crowd and smiled with pride. All of these people were finally free of the tyrannical reign of Draco. They deserved this time to celebrate, and it made him happy to see so many of the soldiers he had fought alongside enjoying themselves. His eyes landed on Flower and he could tell she was uncomfortable with all the attention.

"Go rescue her," Thea said, knowing exactly what Dominic was thinking without him having to say a word. That's the way she was with her siblings. She was practically a psychic.

"I'll see you around." he said with a smile and meandered off to usurp Flower out of the hands of the adoring public.

"Excuse me," he said, giving a gracious bow to the Nekos Flower was talking with. "But may I steal Flower away for a few moments? Thank you." He gently grasped her arm and whisked her away toward the bar, whispering "You looked like you needed a few more drinks before dealing with any more people. Nice dress, by the way. Was it Sky or Hunter that forced you into it?"


As Dominic left, Thea turned her attention to Nick. "You look like you're scheming something." she stated with an accusatory glance. "What are you planning? She crossed her arms in a subtle move to cover the low neckline of her dress. No matter how much she loved Nick, she knew he was a bit of a pervert and didn't want to give him the satisfaction of ogling her all night.


"Zelda's right. You look like you need this. On the house." Maverick said, pouring a glass of a clear amber liquid out for Deathwish and sliding it down the bar toward him. He gave the intimidating man a knowing look, noticing every time he glanced away at Mia. He knew more of the situation from what Mia had vented to him about, but he also understood more of Deathwish's side than Mia could see. As a bartender, you learn to be a good mediator and an even better listener pretty quickly. 


Mia could feel Deathwish's gaze on her and smirked ever so slightly before sashaying away from the bar toward the elf. She put on her best sultry smile and approached him with her usual confidence. "So, I'm guessing you're from around here." she said, putting a hand on one of her hips. 



"Yes. My entire life." The elf said, obviously a little startled by this human's spontaneous approach, but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. 

"You really have a beautiful city," Mia said before flashing her teeth and offering her hand. "I'm Mia. It's a pleasure to meet you." 

"The pleasure's all mine." the elf responded, bowing and gently kissing her gloved knuckles. "My name is Alessander." 

"So, the question is," Mia said, brushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "When is a handsome gentleman like yourself going to get me a drink and ask for a dance?" 

"Why not right now," he retorted with a grin. Offering her his arm, he lead her to the bar to get her the drink of her choice. Her usual scheme was working. It would be a good night filled with free alcohol.
 

Nick
​


 
​




Nick chuckled at Dominic. Dominic was certainly going to make an interesting king. He only smirked wider as Dominic commented that he should keep a close eye on her. “Very close, I’m sure.” His voice hinted at his true meaning. Even after all he has been through, he still was the same. He still held that smile whether it was genuine or not. No one really got past his playful and flirtatious side, although, Thea had probably seen more of him than anyone including his own demons.


He supposed that was just one more thing to feel grateful for…she knew more of him than anyone else before. He glanced at Deathwish at the bar before he looked at Thea and Dominic.


“Don’t worry, I’ll sic Deathwish on them if they get too out of hand.” Nick stated with a wide grin. “He’ll straighten them out real fast.”


As Dominic left to go rescue Flower from people trying to either surround her or talk about trade and alliances, Nick’s attention turned fully onto Thea. He chuckled as she commented on how he seemed to be plotting something.


“Me plot? I’m offended you think that, Thea.” He said before leaned down toward her. “I mean, I’m a powerful vampire male with a very lovely looking woman in front of me and her neck perfectly exposed. How could I possibly be plotting anything?” Nick offered his hand to her. “Would you like to dance, my lady?”


Flower​


 




Flower smiled at the nekos before she heard Dominic’s voice address them. Flower turned her head just in time for Dominic to grab her arm. Flower followed and chuckled as he whispered to her. “You’re a lifesaver." She smiled at him before she gently placed a hand on the arm guiding her.  She could not think of anyone better to get her away from everyone. She ignored the knowing looks tossed their way. They didn’t know anything and honestly Flower rather didn’t care. They would at least be left alone. She guessed that was one advantage to Dominic being her “fake” suitor. She looked away as he mentioned the dress.


“Mostly Sky, but Hunter supported her. Something about being a Queen and dressing like it.” Flower took a look at his outfit. “So, Twins or Thea?” She asked as she eyed him up and down. “You may be a King, but somehow I get the feeling that is not to your taste.”


Flower enjoyed Dominic’s company. She could always relax around him. He was her friend and he had known much more about her than any of the boys. Other than what might have been seen during the assault on Draco, only Dominic ever saw her cry, ever saw her drop that pillar of strength she always represented.


 




Zelda and Deathwish
​


Deathwish looked at Maverick and raised an eyebrow at him at the offer of a free drink. Deathwish suddenly got the feeling these two were plotting something against him. However, it would be rude for him not to at least try the drink in front of him. Deathwish glanced at Mia once more as she was now with the elf. If you blinked, you probably missed the slight twitch of a shadow behind him.


“Okay, Deathwish. What’s going on?” Zelda leaned toward the man. “I know your instincts are going off right now.”


“I do not know what you mean.” Deathwish stated as he stared curiously at the drink before him.


“Oh please, the whole bloody world knows you and Mia have a thing for each other. Now she’s getting a drink from some other guy and you’re a half vampire not doing anything about it.” Zelda narrowed her eyes. “That’s not vampire behavior.”


“She can do what she wishes.” Deathwish responded coolly.


“What did you do?” Zelda whined. 


It took whining, and begging, and poking, and prodding, and every other trick in Zelda's book including seduction, fake tears, and down right banging her head against the counter before Deathwish finally answered her question. 


“I kissed another woman.”


“Deathwish tell me now or-!” Zelda froze mid-scold. “You did what?”


Deathwish looked over at her and raised an eyebrow.


“Who, what, when, where and why?!”


If Deathwish wasn’t so controlled, he might have sighed. The stoic man only looked at the shocked half dragon. His violet eyes stared coldly into her own. “There is nothing else you need to know.”


“Right, like I’m going to accept that. Deathwish, I’ve known you a long time, and you’ve never been interested in another woman let alone two EVER! I was beginning to think you were incapable at looking at women.” In other words, she was beginning to think he was gay.


“That is not correct.”


Zelda froze a moment as something clicked in her head. “Neshema.”


There was a moment you could see Deathwish’s muscles tense at the name. Zelda bit her lip in regret for saying it. Deathwish stared at the drink suddenly finding it more appealing somehow.


“Draco created her didn’t he?” Zelda didn’t see one of his hands suddenly turn into a fist. “He used her against you.” She finally looked away from his perfectly controlled face to the fist that was shaking ever so slightly. She suddenly regretted putting the pieces together. Even if it was slight, even if he still looked the same and had those cold eyes, she had never seen him lose his ability to remain in control to the point of this. It might seem like something small or not important, but it was everything to a man like Deathwish.


“Your mother told me the story about her, and told me you killed her.”


“Hn.” After a long pause, Zelda grabbed his shoulder. She wanted him to continue and Deathwish decided that if she was going to pester him, she would have to deal with the consequences.


“At Draco’s order I murdered her over and over again. She was incapable of remaining dead and would always wake up only to be thrusted back into pain and darkness. A woman I claimed to have loved.” He didn’t look at her and even throughout his whole tale, his face never moved an inch out from under that stoic mask. He said nothing else, but Zelda got the whole gist of it.


Finally, Deathwish took a sip of the drink before him. He blinked at the taste before he drank the whole thing. He set the empty glass down and looked at Zelda. She stared very closely at him. At Deathwish’s raised eyebrow, Zelda banged her head on the counter.  He didn’t appear the slightest bit effected.


“Thank you, for telling me, Deathwish.” Deathwish only stoically stared at her. Zelda looked at Maverick. “I’ll keep buying his drinks.” She said with a small smile.
 
"I don't think you deserve a dance after threatening to bite me," Thea teased as she took his hand. "But, I'd rather not give you the chance to think of something worse to do, so let's go." 

Thea pulled him onto the dance floor. Having done plenty of self-defense training, she was light on her feet and incredibly coordinated with all of her movements. She had been forced to take dance lessons as a child, but rarely ever accepted peoples offers to dance unless they were either an incredibly interesting dance partner or someone she needed to make an incredibly good impression with. She was really glad that Nick was one of the former rather than the latter. After all he'd seen her through, she didn't feel like she could do too much to change his opinion of her.


"This was all the twins doing," Dominic said with a laugh, grabbing his cape and pulling it up in front of him. "It's a little gaudy, don't you think?" 

He gestured to Maverick who nodded and slid a set of drinks across the bar. He was really good at aiming the trajectory so the glasses would slide right in front of the people who wanted them. Dominic gave him a thumbs up before taking the glass and having a small sip. He was glad to have Flower's company. Although he could feel the stares and whispers from the people in their company, he didn't mind. She was his friend and ally and talking things out with her always helped him clear his head and calm down. He loved her like a second sister, which was a little conflicting thanks to their little engagement ruse, but that was something to worry about at another time. 


Maverick nodded knowingly as Deathwish explained the situation. He quickly poured another drink, setting it down on the counter beside Deathwish as Zelda pieced together exactly what happened. Looking across the bar, he watched Mia and her new elf friend interact. She was flirting to her hearts content and every move she pulled the poor elf fell for. He was completely trapped in her snare, which meant that if the free alcohol stopped flowing, she would need to move on to find more interesting prey. 

"Hey, Deathwish," he said, his voice serious and calm. "I get that your whole situation is pretty awful, and it's definitely not easy. You can't change what happened. You feel guilty. I know the feeling myself. It's hard to move on when you feel responsible for losing the people you care about the most. But you can't let yourself be miserable forever."

His gaze drifted back toward Mia and he sighed. "Mia might seem heartless, but if you ever want to make things better, she really appreciates honesty. There's no getting rid of her either way, but putting in a little effort would fix her little broken heart in an instant."


Mia finished off her drink and took Alessander's hand, pulling him onto the dance floor. She wasn't the best at dancing, but her confidence made up for her lack of skill. She knew how to move her body to draw attention to her best features, primarily her curves. He spun her under his arm before pulling her into a low dip. "You're pretty good at this," she said, flashing him a charming smile as she stepped out of the dip and pulled him close. 

"I had lessons. You're not bad yourself." He responded wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her against him. 

"Thanks. I've had practice." She replied tilting her head coyly.

She was feeling a bit of a buzz, but wasn't quite drunk yet. She had developed a high alcohol tolerance over the years. She could still feel every time Deathwish's eyes landed on her, but she ignored him. She was going to have a good night, get drunk, dance the night away, and maybe even have a one night stand with this virtual stranger she was dancing with before running off and finding another sucker to snatch some free drinks from. That's what she planned to do. She was tired about how her heart was pining after Deathwish. She needed to bail before he pulled something that would shatter it yet again. 
 

Nick
​


Nick smirked at her before he leaned down. “Who said anything about biting?” He asked as he ghosted his nose around her neck. He smiled widely as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the dance floor. Nick instantly pulled her to him as close as the current baby growing inside her would allow. He himself was a rather good dancer, but then again given enough time one could become good at a great many things. Deathwish was still the better dancer, but that’s probably Nick liked to flirt with their dance instructor rather than dance.


Nick of course was just happy to dance with Thea. He practically hadn’t even looked at another girl let alone flirt. Of course, being stuck with someone for as long as Nick and Thea have, it probably wasn’t all that surprising.


 Flower​


Flower placed a hand over her mouth and snickered slightly. “Well human kings are known for that. Besides, my clothes are no better.” She lightly tapped at the metal pieces of her dress. She looked down at the drink and gave it a careful sniff. Flower took a sip before her ears twitched and she glanced at a few people. Flower crossed her leg behind her and gave her foot a slight tap. Suddenly a group slipped on what appeared to be nothing. Flower hid her smirk by taking another sip of her drink.


“How are you handling all this?” Flower asked as she looked at him with a gentle smile. “I’m sure this party is a welcome break.” Flower said as she tilted her head to the side.


Deathwish and Zelda ​


Deathwish stared at Maverick. There is was again, that frightening stare that could look straight through you.  He glanced at Mia once more before he carefully rolled his shoulders. He looked straight at Maverick with a cold look. Deathwish emptied another glass.


“What makes you think I want to fix this?” Deathwish stated still perfectly calm and collected.


Zelda put a finger under his chin before turning his head to look at her. “Because you keep looking at her. Come on, Mr. Stoic, why not let your guard down just for one night? Draco’s gone, he can’t force you to kill again, and you can’t shatter that girl’s heart out of fear.”


Deathwish raised an eyebrow at the level of maturity Zelda was displaying.


“I can act my age every once in a while.” Zelda smiled lightly before she looked at Maverick and winked at him. “I’ll be back. I want my drinks you owe me.” She said before she grabbed Deathwish’s arm. “Come on. If I’m going to set you up with a girl that is not me, I’m going to dance with you first.” She said and tugged harder when Deathwish refused to move.


Zelda used her tail to tug on the chain on the front of his pants. Deathwish’s eyes widened slightly before he composed himself and she pulled him close. Deathwish instantly took the lead of the dance and elegantly danced.


“Wow, Nick wasn’t kidding!” Zelda said before Deathwish pulled Zelda close and dipped her back. Zelda blushed as his hand moved down her side before he pulled her up and spun her out. Zelda eventually ending up back against him, but this time her back was facing him. Zelda blushed at the closeness. She really could feel all of his muscles this close.


“Can I ask you something?” Zelda stated as they continued to dance. “Do you have any idea how strong that alcohol was and you’re not stupidly drunk right now?”


“Hn.” Deathwish stated as she rolled back into him. He stared down at her as she stared up at him in disbelief. He wasn’t going to answer her, probably because Deathwish actually feeling it quite strongly, but he would never let that on.


Zelda glared at him. “Killjoy.”


Zelda pressed Deathwish to guide them closer to Mia and her elf friend. Zelda suddenly separated and slipped right in between Alessander and Mia. “Oops, excuse me!”


Deathwish positioned himself behind Mia. “We need to talk.” He whispered lowly to her.  (What you had plans? Well here’s Deathwish….destroyer of all plans.)
 
Thea pursed her lips into a disapproving look, but the glint in her eye showed that she wasn't really bothered by Nick's flirtatious attention. A year ago she wouldn't believe Nick could keep his attention on one woman for more than fifteen minutes, and she would have downright laughed at the idea of her dancing with him and actually enjoying his company. Even now she still had trouble openly admitting how much she enjoyed spending time with him. She had learned he had a soft heart underneath all of his flirtatious smiles. Plus, after all this time, the things she initially was irritated by were growing on her. 

Looking back, she probably disliked him so much because he reminded her too much of her first love. After how poorly that relationship turned out, she had no desire to attempt that again. Too bad she had realized she couldn't sacrifice her own happiness a little too late or else her unfortunate marriage to Draco may have never occurred. It's not like falling for Nick would solve all her problems, but he understood heartbreak even more agonizing than she could imagine, so if she was going to take someone's hand and move forward with her life, she was glad that it was Nick.

"I should have known you would be a good dancer," Thea said with a small smirk. "I'm guessing this is one of your many tactics to make women swoon over you?" 


Dominic chuckled at the sight of people tumbling around and assumed Flower, with her little smirk, was to blame. Even though she was one of the most strong-willed, powerful people he had ever seen, he personally believed she was at her best when she let her sense of humor show through. It was in those moments that he knew she wasn't working to fit into one of her many roles, whether it be that of the knight or a queen or the head of an army. She was just being herself, and it made him happy to see her open up like that. 

"Being royalty is the absolute worst," Dominic said, propping his arm up against the bar. "When I saw my father working as King it was like he didn't do anything, but the way the situation looks at the moment, I'll be doing paperwork until the day I die. Everybody needs documentation of alliances and treaties and then they want to amend the same papers about fifteen times and with the family still trying to regroup able staff and council members for the human kingdom, the mountains of work just keep getting taller and taller." 

He smiled out at his family in the crowd. "We all needed this, though. After everything that happened, it's good to finally get out and do something fun for a night." His eyes landed on Marco, who was still lurking on the sidelines in the shadows. "Even Marco needed some time outside, although he'd never admit it. He's already reverted back to hiding away and avoiding other people like the plague." 


Maverick turned his eyes away from Deathwish as he gave him that dreaded stare and quickly busied himself with cleaning a glass with the towel on his shoulder. "Just making a suggestion is all..." he muttered under his breath, only relieved when Zelda pulled Mr. Stoic onto the dance floor. Smirking slightly, he could tell that, even with his strict control, Deathwish was feeling the alcohol. "A job well done." he thought to himself as he slid a few more drinks down the bar to some waiting customers. 

Every now and again he would glance up at Zelda and smile. She was handling losing her brother better than he ever anticipated. Tonight was a good night where he thought that she could actually be enjoying herself rather than putting up a fake smile and pretending to be ok. He had trouble telling the difference with her. He hadn't known her quite long enough to tell between a real and a fake smile on her face. 


Mia's eyes wandered over to Deathwish as Zelda pulled him to the dance floor and was shocked by what she saw. He was actually... good? Better than good even. He was a fantastic dancer. She shook her head and quickly turned her attention back to her own partner, which only lasted a few moments before they were rudely interrupted by Zelda and then Deathwish. 

Mia turned around to face Deathwish, her face immediately turning to her irate scowl as she turned away from Alessander. "I'm a little busy at the moment," she said, her voice still holding that elegant cordiality that she was pulling with Alessander. 

"Oh, don't worry," he said as Mia whipped around and flashed her smile again. "This must be important." He bowed and kissed her knuckles once again. "You've been a wonderful dance partner and I'd be more than happy to buy you a drink if we meet again." And, with that, he was gone. 

Mia whipped around to face Deathwish, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a burning glare. "Okay, what the f**k do you want?" she growled, her composure immediately changing from the charming, flirtatious girl she was with Alessander to her usual bold, brash, scrappy self with the foulest mouth you could possibly find at such an elegant party. 
 

Nick
​


Nick looked down at her. “Well it was required for us. Vampire balls are quite common, but I suppose it has been useful in the past.” He said before leaned down toward Thea. “But to tell you the truth, I like dancing. It gives you a hint of your partner and true dancing requires chemistry between the two partners. It’s very easy to tell and read people when they dance.” He said, he gently leaned her back, being very careful with her in her current condition. He also was always careful where his hands were placed. Nick might be a slight pervert, but he would never do something that he knew his partner wouldn’t allow. “And I must say, we are compatible, my lady.” He said as he slowly started getting more complex.


“Besides, Deathwish was always a better dancer than me.” Nick admitted as he winked at her. Nick could tell that Thea was relaxing around him, actually starting to show her true self. Nick had unintentionally fallen for her, long before she ever realized she cared about him too. Honestly, Nick wasn’t sure that even after Draco’s death if he could really have her. Nick by all intensive purposes was the son of a Queen, but he was not true royalty. Queen Vampires were special vampires that ruled over others, but they were not kingdoms.


 
​


Flower and Alicia ​


Flower only stared out among the people and smiled truly as she watched them dance, laugh, and drink. Flower was only truly contented when her people were contented. Flower watched as a few men from the council were sharing a drink together. She brought out a smirk as a slightly tipsy member started hitting on one of the women in the council. She covered her mouth as he got slapped. It was unusual to see such displays from elves, but Flower supposed this party was coming from some unusual circumstances.  


Flower only laughed as Dominic claimed being royalty was the worst. She had to agree before she settled her eyes back on him. “I’ve had to deal with just as much and checking up on you every once in a while.” Flower stated as she poked his arm.


Flower followed his gaze toward Marco and she sighed lightly. “Yes, it appears he has.” Flower suddenly smirked as she crossed her legs and placed both her hands over her mouth in a triangle as she plotted something. Flower searched through the crowd before she spotted the perfect person. Flower beckoned her over.


“Flower!” Alicia hugged onto Flower with a wolfish grin. Her lycan friend pulled back as she looked over Flower. “You look amazing! You did you lose a bet too?”


“Sky ambushed me.” Flower explained before she waved it off.


“Ah, showing you off.” Alicia sniffed at Flower. “What is it mating season? She trying to get you out of the den?”


“Alicia…focus.” Flower glared at her friend.


“Right, right.” Alicia smiled at Flower. “But it’s so exciting you know! You have two suitors to show off too! What do you want them fight? Pick out who’s the best mate?” Alicia had heard of Flower’s suitors, but obviously didn’t know who they were.


Flower hunched over the counter and placed a hand over her forehead. “Alicia….”


“You are showing off to them right? Males need to know what they could lose. You are a young and sexually prime female. If they are stalled, you should try flirting. I know a perfect way too-”


“Alicia!” Flower put both her hands over Alicia’s mouth. “This isn’t about my suitors. Understand?” Alicia slowly nodded. Lycans could be intelligent beings, but they did tend to trail off on more instinctual grounds when it came to finding mates and were very single minded on the subject. That didn’t mean there weren’t exceptions to the rule. Love was still as strong in lycans as any other species.


“What did you need?” Alicia asked as Flower slowly removed her hands.


“I need you to track down someone who’s off in the shadows and encourage him a little. Don’t flirt, that’ll make him run away.” Flower stated dryly.


“I’m not Zelda, I am slightly picky with who I flirt with.” Alicia said before she examined the crowd. “Who’s the pup?”


“Marco.”


“Ah, the quiet one.” Alicia remembered from being shortly introduced to them. Alicia leaned to the side and waved at Dominic. “Hello, handsome.”


“I thought you were picky.” Flower deadpanned.


“I’m a lycan and he’s an alpha.” Alicia smirked flirtatiously at Dominic. She made a noise that could be considered purring as she hooded over her eyes at him.


Flower stood up, grabbed Alicia’s shoulders, turned her around to face Marco, and shoved her off. “Flower!” Alicia laughed before she winked at Flower. “You owe me for this!”


“I owe you a lot of things.” Flower said as she smirked at Alicia. “But then again I did introduce you to Nathan.” Nathan was a Lycan that lead many strikes on other packs and controlled a massive pack out of loyalty and love. He was highly sought after and Alicia got to know him personally.


Alicia’s hair almost fluffed up. “Oh right.”


Flower sighed before she looked at Dominic. “She’ll help him out. I mean she’s practically a dog, gotta count for something with him right?” She snickered lightly. Flower was finally starting to feel better than she had been for several weeks. 


 




Alicia snuck through the crowd before she found her sulking target. Alicia knew he was shy in nature and decided to approach things more carefully. She walked up to him before she smiled and held out her hand. “Hello again, Marco. I’m sorry to intrude, but these events are never fun without someone to stalk with you at the sidelines.”


Zelda and Deathwish ​


Zelda stuck her tongue out at Mia before she snuck right toward Alessander and slung her arm around one of his. “Sorry to have interrupted, but it was official doctor’s business.” She winked at him before she glanced over at Deathwish and Mia. “So, I guess I’ll have to fill in!” She chuckled.


 




Deathwish watched Alessander move off before Zelda caught him. Well, now he was never going to escape. Zelda would either have him clawing to escape, or fully wrapped around her tail…so to speak. Deathwish refocused on Mia as she cussed at him again. Deathwish only tilted his head before he offered his hand.


“I owe you an explanation.” He said simply. He assumed her need to have answers would overwhelm her annoyance with him. After all, she always would pester him about his motives and reasons. Would she really turn down an opportunity for him to be honest with her? Well, if she did he’d only carry her on his shoulder straight out of there anyways. He was scary enough to be able to get away with it without too many people stopping him. Besides, Zelda would have his back anyways.
 
"I wouldn't be dancing with you in the first place if we weren't compatible." Thea said, bringing one of her hands up to playfully tap him on the bottom of his chin. She never really did dance just for the sake of dancing. There was always something to gain. Whether it be money, power, or information, she usually had hidden ulterior motives. For once, with Nick, her only intentions were to enjoy the evening and enjoy his company.

"I usually only dance when I want something," she added in the most casual way possible, deciding to let his perverted mind jump to conclusions on its own. She was much more subtle with her flirting than he was. She tended to come across as uptight, but in all reality she just had a different way of approaching romantic circumstances. She rarely ever made it completely clear that she was interested in somebody and preferred to drop hints and let their mind do all the work of figuring out exactly what she meant. It was almost like a puzzle and anybody she was genuinely interested in had to work to piece it together before her affection would be fully revealed.

She did a turn, allowing herself to rotate right into Nick's arms with her back pressed against his chest. She was doing well at keeping up with his skill level, although she could tell that he had much more time to practice his technique than she did. That was one of the little problems with falling for a vampire - it was hard to find something you could be better than them at. 


"Nice to see you Alicia." Dominic said with a chuckle. He was entertained by her focus on Flower's love life, even though half of it was undesirable and the other half was completely faked. As soon as Flower mentioned her approaching Marco, though, his eyebrows shot up. He listened intently to what she was scheming and, as Alicia left, he leaned in close to Flower and whispered. "How much money do you want to bet that this will backfire horribly?" 


Marco was startled out of his solemn trance by the sudden appearance of Alicia beside him. He raised a skeptical eyebrow at her, doubting that she had arrived on her own accord. Nobody wanted to ruin the good vibes of the party by striking up a conversation with the prince sulking in the corner. 

"I'd have to argue that these events are never fun no matter what," he said, glancing away from her. He was back to his old self, leaving no trace of the powerful warrior he was on the battlefield. It was difficult for him to hold eye contact, let alone talk to anybody. His habit of constantly isolating himself had returned in full force. He stuffed his pale hands deep into his pockets and shuffled his feet, unsure of what to say. He didn't know Alicia well. He didn't feel comfortable around her. All he really wanted to do was go home and be alone. 


Alessander smiled warmly at Zelda, offering her his hand. "May I have this dance?" he asked, his entire demeanor that of a perfect gentleman. His eyes sparkled with earnest interest as he addressed her, even though she had cut short his lovely night with Mia.


Mia cursed under her breath, a grimace spreading across her mouth. On one hand, she was extremely irritated with him for interrupting her evening of free drinks and partying, but on the other hand her curiosity was eating away at her. Part of her wanted to punch him in the mouth, and the other part wanted to take his hand and listen intently to anything he had to say. It was an incredibly conflicting moment with her as her broken heart ached for him now that he was right in front of her again.

She abruptly shoved his hand away from her and started to stride toward the bar. "I need a drink for this s**t!" she called back to him. Maverick expertly slid a glass across the bar to her, which she effortlessly picked up without faltering her hip-swaying walk. Without looking behind her, she gestured for him to follow. If she was going to get answers, she wanted it to be somewhere a little more private than the center of the dance floor. She made her way right outside the exit to the party. There was nobody around, but you could still hear the commotion of the festivities.

She took a sip from her drink and, with a scowl etched on her face, waited for Deathwish's explanation. 


 
 

Nick
​


Nick gently smiled down at Thea and only made his smile into a smirk as she mentioned that she only danced when she wanted something. He secured her to him when she turned back into him. Nick was rather enjoying this little game she was playing at. Thea knew how to keep someone guessing and that’s what made the chase so much fun.


“Oh?” He replied huskily. He leaned his head down and smirked at her. “The lady is playing a dangerous game.” He looked down at her and gently took one her arms and pulled it out before twirling her around to face him once more. Nick grabbed her chin. "But then again, usually I get what I want first." 


 


Flower
​


Flower glanced at Dominic from the corner of her eye. She leaned toward him and detached a bag from the inside of her skirt. “That’s up to how much you want to lose.” Flower winked at him with a wide grin. “I grew up with Sky, I’ll run circles around you boys.” She replied as she spun her pointer finger to make her point. She looked at Alicia before she leaned back and set her arms on the counter.


“There was a time in my life where I wouldn’t open up to anyone. I was a child still dealing with the pain of all that happened during that time. There was Hunter, but she wasn’t herself. There was Sky, but she sometimes was too brutal. Sky brought me to Alicia who was also a pup at the time. She was the one that got me to open up. She’s gentler than she looks.” Flower looked at Dominic and smiled as she brought her glass up to her lips.


 
​


Alicia 
​




Alicia only smiled warmly at Marco. “Oh? The young prince has strong opinions.” She said before she leaned back against the wall. She tapped her chin before looking at him. “You know you remind me of a young white haired girl I met so many years ago. She never spoke a word, she hated other people, and she often found herself sulking alone.” Alicia looked at Flower before she turned back to Marco. She leaned close to him.


“You aren’t fooling me, Marco, and you can’t fool her either.” She smiled before she offered her hand to him. “Humans are still pack animals.” She smiled and winked at him. “Now, do Flower a favor and at least dance with me just once. I’m horrible at dancing, but at least you’ll look busy instead of standing here getting all the strange looks from everyone here.”


 


[SIZE= 12px]Zelda[/SIZE]
​


Zelda smiled and took his hand. “I suppose I owe you at least one dance.” She giggled before she stared up at him with her golden gaze. Dragon eyes were considered one of the most striking eyes of all the species. Even vampires couldn’t compare to their molten deaths. Each species had their own traits. Vampires had physical beauty, Elves had their wisdom, and Dragons had their size and striking eye colors.


Zelda pulled him close and gave him a wide grin. “I’m not much for formal dancing, Deathwish was carrying me most of the time.” She snickered. “So forgive me if I trip up.”


 
​


Deathwish
 
​


Deathwish didn’t bat an eye as she rejected his hand. He only pulled his arm back and clasped his hands behind him. Deathwish carefully followed her as she gestured for him to follow. As they came to someplace more private, Deathwish took a long look around. He ignored her scowl and remained silent as if to push her patience, or perhaps to prepare himself. He didn’t like divulging information, and he certainly didn’t like having to explain what happened with Neshema.


“50 years ago I fell in love with a woman named Neshema. For us immortals, are feelings are slow to change but they have a depth that is far beyond what most humans provide to their partners. This is because when we get together, we expect to stay together for hundreds of years, so our bonds to our partners are important. That being said, even I am no stranger to emotional bonds and even I feel the agony when they are taken away.”


He didn’t look at her. He only stared straight ahead as if it was the only thing that could keep him talking. “I was fully prepared to marry her, but Draco had caught wind of it. I was careless. He ordered me to kill her, and I could not refuse.”


[SIZE= 12px]“I lost my mind and before I woke up, I was riddled with her blood. Even after 50 years I still carried that pain. Our kind do not move on like humans do. You don’t have the luxury to, your lives are so much shorter. Draco created a shape shifter that took the image of the woman I murdered so many years ago. He allowed us to spend time together and I was all too willing to grab at the chance to right what I did wrong, to see her again, to hold her. It was an illusion, but I was so desperate that I did not see it. As punishment for not slaughtering the troops, he ordered me to kill the image of Neshema over and over again. I could not take it, so I hid away back the insanity my reaper pledges upon me, not realizing that as soon as I did the shapeshifter could take control of me and keep me there.” [/SIZE]


He finally did look at Mia. “That is what you saw, a foolish man grasping at an illusion until it took him over. I am sorry.” He released a sigh before he turned around to head back inside.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thea tilted her head up confidently as she looked up at Nick with a coy little smirk on her face. "Well, what is it that you want, Nick?" She asked, allowing her flirting to be ever so slightly more obvious in that moment. She normally kept to the subtler side, but Nick had a way of bringing out her rebellious side. When she was able to get over her frustration with his constant flirting and perverted comments, she was actually able to let loose and throw it right back at him. 

She spun out of his arms before taking a step closer to him and bringing a hand up to his shoulder. She had a dangerous glint in her eyes, like she was ready for anything, or possibly plotting something. Her fingers gently grazed the side of his neck before she gave his shoulder a little squeeze. That was her way of charming him. Tiny little gestures were how she showed affection. If you weren't paying attention, you'd miss it completely.


Dominic shook his head with a gentle smile. "I've lived with Marco for his entire life," he said, his voice soft, expressing a bit of his concern for his youngest brother. "He's never had confidence unless it's in the middle of conflict. The war was when he really came out of his shell, but now that he's back to a peaceful existence, he's back to isolation. He leaned his elbows up on the counter and crossed his legs. "That boy's a complete enigma, if you ask me. I'm not sure if even Alicia can handle him."


Marco raised his eyebrow as Alicia obviously compared him to Flower. Was she serious? The two of them were practically polar opposites. She was light and confidence and beauty while he was shadow and isolation and hiding himself from the world. He shook his head with disbelief, refusing to accept that him and Flower had anything in common. No way was he going to allow Alicia to pull that card on him.

"I don't dance," he said in a low monotone. He continued to refuse to make eye contact with her, his face a blank slate covered by a curtain of dark hair. Since the war had ended, he hadn't bothered getting a haircut and his hair was currently in a state of shaggy disarray that completely hid his eyes from the world along with most of his face. He crossed his arms over his chest to emphasize the point that there was no way on earth he was getting on that dance floor. Not with her, not with anybody.



"You are absolutely stunning," Alessander said with a bright grin. "And your dancing is spectacular as well. I have to say, I'm completely charmed." He took her hand and gave her a little spin, gently leading the dance in a way where he could sort of teach her some formal moves without making it too obvious to anybody who might be watching them from afar.


"Deathwish." Mia said, grabbing his arm and pulling him back before he could leave her there. She inhaled a deep breath, taking a pause to sort out her thoughts. There were so many things she wanted to say. She was angry that it had taken him this long to explain what had happened. It hurt her even more to know that all of those monstrous things she had seen in her nightmares came true, but in a slightly different way. Could she really blame him for succumbing to Draco's evil plot? Did she even have the right to be angry? 

"Deathwish, please..." she said, looking up at him with her bright blue eyes. "stop running away from me." She loosened her grip on his arm ever so slightly, leaving her fingertips gently touching his skin as if she was scared that he would disappear if she let him go. 

"I... I know I'm not her..." she said, looking down at the ground. "You loved her, and losing that... that pain never really goes away. If I was in your situation, I would chase down the person I loved in a heartbeat and never let them go. Even if it was just an illusion."

She glanced at him for a moment, her expression incredibly vulnerable. "But I'm real. I'm here. Just because I'm a hateful b***h most of the time doesn't make me completely heartless. I care, Deathwish. More than you'd probably think. And I need to know what you want from me because I'm getting really f***ing tired of you staring at me all night long just to have you apologize and disappear." 

She set her gaze back down on the ground, feeling a little pang of fear in her chest for his response. Would he even say anything? What was she supposed to do if he didn't give her what she wanted to hear. Would she chase him down and bother him until she got what she wanted? That was her usual tactic. But, she was also tired. Tired from the war, tired from training, tired from her emotions. Maybe her plan to run off on her own should happen sooner rather than later. She'd gotten her free drinks. Now she could leave and never have to see Deathwish again, no matter how much it might hurt her heart in the end. 
 
 

Nick
​


Nick smiled at her as she started to be more obvious about her flirting. Nick liked it when she allowed herself to loosen from her strict control. If he wanted control, he would go talk to Deathwish. Nick liked to tease, liked to push her limits, her emotions were fascinating to him, probably the same way as Deathwish was secretly fascinated with Mia’s emotion. Nick loved to see the glints in her eyes, the movements she made to try and show her affection.


Nick knew he was more of a big show and Thea was subtle, but that’s probably the only way to keep his attention. He needed to analyze her, to constantly be watching or he’ll miss something. She was perfect in the way she kept him enthralled. He wouldn’t have it any other way, just like he had his way of bugging her so he had a way of sneaking into her thoughts just by being irritating.


As she stepped closer, Nick wrapped an arm around her waist before he smirked and decided to answer her question. He tilted his head before he leaned down to her ear. “Your complete love, and I want it bad.” Nick quickly nipped at her ear with the tip of his fang. There were very few women that captivated Nick for so long, but when he was captivated he fell…hard. Perhaps that was a weakness in immortals, their need for strong bonds could be their ultimate downfall.


Flower 
​


Flower looked at Dominic before she smiled lightly and shook her head. “He’s no enigma to me. He hates his role just as much as I did. He hides out of fear and hate because his only security was taken away from him by the passing of your mother.”  She said before she stared at Dominic with a serious look. “His confidence only comes out of conflict out of necessity. People show more of themselves in pressure and conflict more just as much as vulnerability and love.” She closed her eyes.


“I fear I would terrify him and you if you ever knew the extent of my hate and my fear of my younger days. There was a time that my magic would not respond to my call. I was practically mortal.” She played with her light in her hand before she opened her eyes and looked at Dominic.


“He thinks he is useless, he would never become king, he would never become a general, he soon rejected it out of anger. He has yet to see what his role would play. I believe he can become very important. After all, there are many species more animal than human.” She smiled lightly.


“Wisdom comes when you go through fire and fury and manage to come out alive.” She stretched herself out and yawned slightly. “I’m not going to back down from this and neither will Alicia, so just watch me put you all to shame.” She said with her usual determined tone.


She glanced at a few males ogling her. Flower’s initial reaction was to blush. She glared and snapped her fingers before they all were tripped up by magic. She smiled once more as they tried to get up again only to fall once more as she was just playing with them now. She seemed to truly enjoy putting men in their place. Flower definitely had a vicious side that also took some humor from it. She was definitely telling them to back off.


Alicia 
​


Alicia looked at him as he rejected the idea that Flower and him could have once shared similarities. She shook her head. “You don’t know Flower at all.” Alicia stated as she looked out in the crowd. “The hate she held, the furry she couldn’t release. The absolute rejection of who she was and what her roles were.” Alicia crossed her arms again. “Sure, Flower is the way she is now, but you didn’t know her when I met her. I bet you didn’t even know she couldn’t use her magic as a child. Ironic at how she could use it so strongly now.” She smiled lightly before she looked at Flower. As their eyes met, Flower only nodded before Alicia smiled at her. She looked at Marco. “Perhaps if you actually tried to get to know more than what you see, you might realize that she’s more than just light and there is a reason she puts so much value on you and your family. She believes in you so much, and she wants to see you come out of your shell. Isolating yourself won’t stop her.” She said and chuckled. “Face it, Marco, you’re doomed.” She said and lightly patted his shoulder as she laughed about it.


“You know, refusing to look a lycan in the eye is like submitting to a wolf.” Alicia smirked to show off her sharp fangs. “Is this how you would treat a wolf, pup?”


 




Zelda
​


Zelda chuckled lightly. “Now you’re just saying that.” She said as she carefully followed his lead. She smacked his leg lightly with her dragon tail before she smirked and her eyes seemed to shimmer. “My name is Zelda. Although, you’ll probably forget that in the morning.” She teased lightly as she tried to keep up with his moves without tripping up. Her tail made it slightly easier to keep her balance, but it was obviously showing how she was only half dragon and had dragon characteristics in her human form.


Zelda was ignoring them, but she received glares from pure dragons who were able to shift into human forms. It was fairly difficult to have a human form when you were a dragon, but if your magic was strong enough you could pull it off and it would function just like a human body. That explained how there could be half human half dragons like Zelda, but there was a large social cost. Half dragons were not widely accepted and usually were shunned by other full dragons. Zelda was use to their glares, but she didn’t care. It had long been since she actually bothered to worry about things like that.


Zelda was carefree and nothing took that away. Even if she lost her brother, she knew that she had to remain the same, just for him. She would carry that pain for a while, but she would also hold close to the good memories. Such memories could hold her together, even as she danced with a perfectly handsome elf. She truly was having fun.


Deathwish​


Deathwish remained perfectly still as she grabbed his arm. He waited patiently for her to get out what she had to say. He didn’t turn to look at her, he only paused. If he had any less control Mia might have seen him wince when she asked him to stop running away, but she didn’t and he remained perfectly unreadable. He was a brick wall, as usual.


Deathwish did finally turn his head back at her as she told him that she wasn’t Neshema. Of course she wasn’t. She was her polar opposite. Deathwish felt his control start to slip as she gave him that look in her eyes. This woman…this small human could make him angry so quickly, but she could also make him throw down his barriers. Yes, she was different from Neshema, and she pulled different emotions from him.


Deathwish fully turned to her as she finished. He was silent as he carefully read her face. He had been so unfair to her. He realized that. There was no way he could protect her and keep her at a distance. She couldn’t take that.


“You are not her…” He paused only for a moment. He allowed his eyes to be gentle. “But that is why I care for you.” He grabbed her and pulled her into him. What did he want? He didn’t know. How could he know? There was very little in his life that ever asked him what he wanted especially from other people. Perhaps…perhaps he truly didn’t want anything from Mia. He gently used his thumb to make her look at him. He wouldn’t run anymore. He knew he couldn’t afford it, and he definitely didn’t like seeing her flirting with other men. That didn’t mean he would stop all of his habits, but he would make sure that if he ever did leave, he would always return.


His eyes leaked through all his feelings in one spectacular moment before it was swiftly gone and his face remained stoic once more. He could show her glimpses, he owed her that. She could see him, past all others. Perhaps that’s what he wanted from her, to see him.
 
Thea let out a soft laugh as Nick pulled her closer and revealed his intentions. "Oh, Nick..." she said, letting her fingers drag up from his shoulder to the back of his neck. She gently pulled him down to her level so she could lean into his ear and gently whisper, "Don't you know you already have it?" She brought her hand up to his cheek and stepped back to flash him one of her rare, wide smiles. She rarely, if ever showed her teeth, but Nick had a way of making her grin like nothing else. 

She could tell how he felt about her quite easily. Almost anybody with eyes could see that he paid particular attention to her, reserving his flirting for her rather than any female that was breathing. She was obviously more subtle about her attraction, but that didn't mean she didn't feel any differently. She wasn't the kind of person to openly admit it, but she had fallen head over heels for him. He had her heart in his hands and she trusted him fully to take good care of it.


Dominic's eyes widened as Flower discussed her previous inability to use magic. He could barely believe that such a powerful magic user was unable to utilize her abilities at one point in her life. But, he had to trust her. Maybe she did understand Marco better than he did. After all, she was one of the few people he had connected with in his entire life. While Marco pushed him away, he sought out Flower. Maybe it wasn't Dominic's place to interfere with Marco. Maybe he had to allow others to urge him into his full potential. 

He couldn't help but chuckle as she tormented the men giving her the eye. With a gentle smile he held out his had. "Would you perhaps want to dance?" he asked in a tone that suggested that it was really all up to her. If she didn't want to, he wouldn't be upset. He knew that she wasn't too fond of men trying to pursue her, but he was just trying to be a good friend. She deserved to have a good night and not have to worry about Marco or the people staring. 


Marco looked Alicia in the eye and raised an eyebrow as if silently saying, "There. Are you happy now? Can you leave yet?" 

He wasn't in the mood to be thinking. He just wanted to go home. Alicia was picking at his feelings for Flower and forcing them to resurface when all he really wanted to do was repress them. She was supposed to get married to either Dominic or Ezra anyway. He didn't stand a chance, so why even bother, right? But, Alicia did have a point. Maybe they were pretty similar. Maybe he should try to reach out to her more and learn what was underneath the confident persona he usually saw.


"What a beautiful name," Alessander said with a smile. "I'm Alessander and it is my honor to be your dance partner tonight." He took a little step back to bow and kiss her hand before pulling her back into the dance. 

He didn't mind that she was a half-dragon. In fact, he thought it was incredibly intriguing. The blood status of dragons was for dragons to worry about, not elves. He thought she was beautiful and charming and an incredibly good dancer for her proclaimed skill level. In fact, all thoughts of his previous encounter with Mia were practically wiped from his mind when he looked at her. She was stunning and carefree and he could tell that, unlike Mia, her mind was there at the party. He could genuinely catch her attention, and he liked to have that opportunity.


Mia's eyes widened as Deathwish pulled her close. Her body was practically shaking from all of the emotions going through her head at the moment as she slowly wrapped her arms around him and leaned into his touch. He had a way of pulling her vulnerabilities into the light, which is why she was so angry and aggressive toward him. But, just this once, she wasn't going to argue. He let her see him and how he felt and he deserved the same treatment from her. When she looked into his eyes, for a brief moment, she could see everything. The shattered pieces of her heart felt like they were piecing back together in that very moment. Just for him to openly admit that, even though she was nothing like Neshema, he cared about her made her head spin. She wasn't expecting it, and she was going to embrace the moment while it lasted. 

As she watched his usual controlled demeanor return into his gaze, she just couldn't help herself. Throwing her arms around his neck, she pulled him down into a kiss. She had to make the moment last just a little longer, so she closed her eyes and leaned into him, allowing time to slow as she pressed her lips to his. It was her own way of telling him exactly how she felt. No matter how angry he made her, her heart would always yearn for moments like this, and all in all, she firmly believed it was worth it. 
 

Nick
​




Nick turned his head slightly closer to the fingers trailing up his neck. He opened his eyes and held back a chuckle as she pulled him down. He playfully frowned when she stepped back from him, but he immediately smiled just as wide as he saw her smile. He absolutely loved her smile. He chuckled and winked at her.


“You have no idea what you got yourself into, my lady.” He said as he brought her in. “There is still so much more left to find out. Your complete love still escapes me.” He softened his eyes. “We still have plenty to learn about one another.” He said as he gave her one last spin before he separated them. “Come on, I’m hungry.” Nick said with a wide grin as he nodded his head in the direction of the food.


 




Flower
​


Flower glanced at Dominic before she smiled gently at him. Her magic was connected very much to her emotional state. It displayed her emotions just as much as her body language. There was a level that had to go beyond emotions, lest whenever she was nervous or fearful it wouldn’t respond to her, but it still very much was bonded to her in that way. As a child, Flower felt nothing but fear after the passing of her parents. She shut down, which shut down her magic. Traumatized and afraid she couldn’t call upon it, but only when she accepted her pain and carefully went through it, did she gain her abilities back.


It was always slightly humorous to her to see people be surprised by the fact she at one point did not have any control over her magic. It merely was a fact to her and she rather suspected without that time she wouldn’t have such strength and control with it now. She learned what truly made her magic strong and how to utilize it to its fullest.


Flower tilted her head slightly as Dominic offered his hand to her. She looked at him before she nodded and took his hand. Flower didn’t let it be known, but she actually loved to dance. She was rather shy about it, but Flower supposed she would be forced to dance one way or another, she rather start on her terms.


“Thank you, Dominic.” She said as she stood up and smiled at him. She could kill two birds with one stone, have genuine fun with a friend and please the council by more openly making it seem her suitors were actually courting her whether it was true or not.


 




[SIZE= 12px]Alica[/SIZE]
​


Alicia looked at Marco before she down right laughed. “For a human, you are very entertaining.” She said as she smiled at him. There was no way he was going to be rid of her now. She had just started. Alicia fully transformed into her Lycan form, a large wolf just under the side of a horse. Her tail wagged behind her as the large animal stared at him.


Flower had told her once that Marco connected with animals and relaxed around them. What better way to try and get him relaxed than introduce that she was in fact an animal? She play-bowed before she tugged at the bottoms of his pants. She wasn’t going to leave until he at least had some fun. Her ears twitched to lightly hit the side of his hand. No one really batted an eye at the sight of a large lycan, after all, there were a few more lycans that decided to turn and wrestle around. Only the humans found it odd for a bunch of giant wolves to be racing around.


 




Zelda
​


Zelda stared at him and smiled warmly at his compliments. “Your name isn’t so bad either.” She said before she straightened up her back a little. Zelda actually had a longer neck thanks to more dragon characteristics. She bowed her head.


“The honor is all mine.” She said in a teasing tone. Zelda knew manners, but that didn’t mean she completely dropped her teasing nature. “Formal you elves are aren’t you?” She said as he pulled her back in. He was right, he could capture her attention and he was succeeding. Zelda of course wasn’t one to be charmed by formality, but one does get tired of the typical male they seem to find. She liked the change in pace.


Deathwish ​


“Hn.” Deathwish gently hummed as he settled into the embrace. Deathwish wasn’t use to these kinds of interactions. Neshema of course had gone a long way to teaching him to be more physically affectionate. Deathwish had learned much from Neshema, but that time was gone. Now, he would learn how to let go and accept something completely different. He suspected this would be the single most tormenting, agonizing, and painful experiences of his life, but moments like these would make it worth it.


He was fully prepared to seal himself up again, but almost out of desperation, Mia flung her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Ironic how a single human female could force him down but several human males couldn’t get him to move one inch. He supposed Mia had a way of telling his body to relax far before he knew he did.


He instantly took control of the kiss. He placed one hand on the side of her face and tilted her head back as he pressed into her. In his mind, she asked for it the moment she flirted with someone else. He was going to show her just why that was a bad move. Vampires were possessive creatures by nature and staking a claim to things that they thought were theirs was all too natural. Deathwish fully made it apparent that he was staking his claim to Mia.
 
"I really hope you didn't have your heart set on any of the shrimp." Thea said as Nick led her toward the food. "You'll have to scrounge through Chuck and Benn's pockets if you want some." 

As they reached the table, Thea's stomach audibly growled and her eyes went wide. She hadn't even realized how hungry she was until this very moment. Grabbing a plate, she leaned mostly toward having fruits and vegetables. She'd always been health-conscious when it came to her diet, but now with a baby on the way, she was even more careful about what she ate. That being said, eating for two was a little bit difficult in the post-war world they were living in. You had to eat what you could get, even in the royal household. This was one of the rare occasions where the people had the chance to indulge themselves. 

As soon as the two of them had their food, Thea took Nick by the arm and led him over to a table just close enough to the bar so she could order Nick a drink, but far enough away where they were separated from the commotion of the party.


Dominic smiled as Flower accepted his offer to dance. Part of him couldn't believe that he didn't have to persuade her any further. But then he realized that maybe Flower knew her way around the dance floor almost as well as she knew her way around the battlefield. She just kept this skill more under wraps.

"I should warn you," he said, leading her out to the dance floor, "I'm not a natural when it comes to dancing, so I'm a little... rough..." he admitted with a sheepish grin. He pulled her in close to him and started to dance. Every step was thought through, being that every dance move he knew was something he was forced to memorize as a child. He may appear to be the kind of person who would love to break loose on the dance floor, but in all reality he was a little self-conscious about his own skill level and preferred to stick to what he knew best. 


Marco raised his eyebrows as Alicia turned into her lycan form. It was a little unexpected and startling at first to see the person he was just talking to suddenly become a wolf but, just as she had planned, he started to relax. As she tugged at his pants he even let out a soft chuckle. "I can't tell if you're trying to get me to move or strip." he said, reaching out and absentmindedly scratching behind one of her ears. He didn't know if that was considered disrespectful or not, but it was more out of habit than anything. 


"Only in the public eye," Alessander said with a soft chuckle and a glint in his eyes. He spun Zelda around in a graceful sweep before pulling her into a low dip. "In private, we elves are truly overflowing with surprises." 

Who knew what Alessander had up his sleeve? But, whatever it was, he seemed to have his heart set on Zelda as the recipient of his flirtation and charm. 


Mia let out a soft squeak of surprise as Deathwish took control of the kiss, pulling her against him. It was obvious what he was doing. He was claiming her as his own. Her initial response was to lean into him an accept it. Her heart wanted him so badly that this moment was like a dream come true. But, her rebellious nature got the better of her. She had to show him that, although her heart was his, she wouldn't be submissive. With a small smirk, she nipped at his lower lip, dragging her fingers down his shoulders and pushing against him. He wasn't going to take control so easily - that was certain. 
 
Nick


Nick smirked a little bit. “I hate shrimp. The texture is unsettling to me.” He stated as he chuckled. “But I could steal some for you.” He said and winked at her. Nick nearly doubled over when he heard her stomach growl. He used his hand to hide his snickers. It wasn’t something he expected from her, which only made his eyes gleam with humor. She was so prim and proper, but even she couldn’t beat biological functions.


He didn’t comment on it, however, he knew pregnant woman, having had to deal with his x-wife when she had Peter. He rather not be on the receiving end of hormones. He filled his plate with various meats and some fruit. Most vampires only ate for pleasure, but Nick wasn’t a full vampire which accounted for the part as to why he need to feed unless it was for a quick power up.


Nick of course knew food had been scarce since the war, which the elves had been attempting to help with, but they still needed to get up on their feet to farm. Elves only could do so much and Flower was pushing the council as far as they would go. If Humans were a rare species, maybe the elves would be more helpful, but they weren’t so the elves considered rarer species their top priority. It wasn’t that Elves were unreasonable creatures, they themselves had to deal with a large amount of debt acquired with hiring soldiers. He supposed it was a good thing that his mother decided Draco’s death was all she needed as payment and her soldiers would not go against her, no matter how much they disliked it.


As they sat down, Nick looked over Thea once again. A small smile creeped up his lips once again. It was mischievous in nature. True to form Nick’s thoughts were a bit on the perverted side, but he soon shifted his gaze back to his food.


“Sir Nick.”


Nick blinked at use of sir in front of his name. He looked to see a lovely looking female vampire holding out a glass for him.


“My lady wishes for you to partake in this.” Ah, so she was a servant vampire meaning the vampire offering him the drink was of high rank and probably looking to make herself more high ranking by choosing the son of a Queen vampire. As she held out the glass to Nick, he felt his fangs snap into place. It was obviously blood. It held a very enticing scent to it too, someone knew of his favorite blood type, which already caused red flags to go up in his mind.


“Ah.” Nick caught the eyes of another stunning vampire eying him. She was waiting for him to drink it. Nick might be a flirt to every other female under the sun, but he tended to be very careful about female vampires. As much as male vampires were conniving and murderous, female vampires were worse. “No, thank you.”


“Sir, it would be an insult not to accept.” She frowned.


“And what would it be if I did?” Nick added, there was a bite to his tone even if he was holding his smile.


“That you wished to bed.” She stated as if confused. “You are Nick Calhan?” She leaned closer to him and offered the cup. Nick turned his nose up at it. There was an outraged huff heard from somewhere.


Nick kept his smile. “I may be a bit of a perv, but it takes more than that to get me to come hithering.” He snickered a bit before he leaned back in his chair and placed his arms behind his head. “I’m eating with a perfectly wonderful young lady here; would you please excuse us?” He was completely polite which threw the girl off a bit.


She nodded and bowed slightly before she turned and came back to her lady. The other vampire seemed very displeased and Nick merely took a bite of his meat, making sure his fangs were in clear view. It was a type of display warning her to keep away from him.


Nick rolled his shoulders and leaned forward once again. He had expected some type of display from the woman here towards him, but he hadn’t expected it to be so…unwanted. It was a foreign feeling to him and actually left a bad taste in his mouth. He looked off to the side and wondered if this was how Deathwish felt all these years, unsettled. He furrowed his brow and tapped his fork on his plate.


 




Flower


Flower could have chuckled at the look that passed over his face when she accepted so readily. Flower was enjoying herself for the first time in a very long time. She smiled warmly as he admitted to being a little rough. Flower leaned in just slightly.


“Don’t worry. Fighting is just like dancing, only one is more fun.” She said not revealing which one is more fun to her. Flower loved to spar, but she also loved to dance. She did usually keep it low key. She wasn’t one to boost about anything other than her fighting ability. Many light elf forms or practices held ceremonial dances, and Flower knew them all. They required flexibility and grace, which admittedly sometimes Flower lacked in the latter part.


Still, she was an excellent dancer and Flower slowly began to push Dominic into more unfamiliar territory. Flower loved to push people, and this would be no different. Flower was shy in many things, but she wasn’t shy in the things she loved to do.


 




Alicia


Alicia’s eyes nearly sparkled as she saw him relax. She let go of his pants and looked up at him with a very wolfish grin. “I was initiating play.” She said as she giggled. “But now that you mention it, stripping could be fun.” She let loose a playful growl. Her voice was slightly gruffer and it appeared to be very difficult to talk in human while she was in that form, but it could be done. She could practically could hear Flower scolding her. She promised not to flirt, but as far as Alicia saw it, he was asking for that comment and did bring it up first. It wasn’t flirting in that context; it was a quip.


Alicia did sit down as he scratched behind one of her ears. She leaned into his touch. It doesn’t matter who you are or what type of canine you were, scratching behind the ear was enjoyable. Thankfully, it wasn’t disrespectful or had any other significant meaning. In all honesty it wasn’t something lycan’s did to each other since usually both were in lycan for at the same time, but some saw it as an intimate gesture and some didn’t. Honestly though, Alicia just enjoyed getting a scratch.


 




Zelda


Zelda nearly laughed as he responded. When he set her into a low dip, she broke out in giggles. “O-oh? Is that so?” She asked as she remembered Nick’s little story earlier today. She pushed it aside before she broke into more giggles. She smiled at him. “I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised, I grew up with Flower, and she certainly isn’t your typical overview of an elf.” She said as she straightened up and leaned into him.


“I have a feeling you have some of those surprises in mind?” She was enjoying his company and couldn’t be happier she stole him away from Mia. Speaking of which, she noticed Deathwish and her were taking their time talking. She was happy they were getting everything sorted out. Hopefully everything would be fine with them. Mia was so stubborn, but Deathwish could match her in that. She just hoped they didn’t end up tearing each other a part.


 




Deathwish


Well, tearing might be a strong word…


 




Deathwish noted she wasn’t backing down. Part of him noted he probably shouldn’t rise to the challenge, it could get out of hand and that wouldn’t be good. Yet, Deathwish felt something stir when nipped at his lip. There was a rumble in his voice, whether he was annoyed her not couldn’t be determined but clearly Deathwish was choosing the more emotional response to such a challenge.


He shouldn’t, but he was going to. Mia was all too good at pulling emotional responses out of him as annoying as the supposed emotionless man found it. He let his fangs snap out and returned the nip. However, he quickly turned and pinned her against the wall making sure his height dominated her. Back down or not, he wasn’t going to let her think she could win.
 
Thea watched Nick closely as he dealt with the vampire woman's advances, but played it off as if she didn't even notice. She was good at that - making it appear like she wasn't watching intently when she actually was. She was even able to subtly steal a glance back at the woman who apparently had her eyes set on Nick. She had to admit, the vampire was gorgeous. Definitely the kind of person she had seen Nick flirting with in the past. She was curious to see if any of his old, flirtatious nature would come back. 

But, it didn't. He denied the advances. Thea immediately felt a hint of jealousy that she didn't realize she was feeling leave her completely. She had Nick all to herself and she didn't have to worry about his eyes wandering to someone else. Her mouth twitched into the faintest of smiles with the knowledge that one of the most sought after, attractive people at the party belonged to her. 

"So, out of curiosity," she said as the vampire's assistant sulked away. "What would it take to get a man like you to 'come hithering'?" She leaned forward and gently placed a hand on his forearm, allowing her fingers to glide across his skin. It was obvious she was teasing him. Lifting her hand, she picked up a cherry tomato off of her plate and popped it into her mouth before leaning back again, acting as if she hadn't done a single thing to try and get a rise out of him. But, there was that glint in her eye that showed just how much Nick piqued her interest. 


Dominic noticed Flower pushing his boundaries when it came to his dancing skill and tried his best to go with the flow. He handled himself relatively well, only tripping over his own feet a handful of times and stepping on hers a few more. He quickly apologized with every mistake, smiling and laughing it off. He wasn't embarrassed by his failures because he knew that Flower would never genuinely hold them against him. She was one of the best friends he had and he genuinely enjoyed himself as he spent time with her.

"I bet the council is shocked that this dance hasn't turned into an all-out brawl yet," Dominic said with a chuckle. He could feel the eyes of spectators watching them closely and knew that there were rumors being whispered about their 'engagement'. He wasn't as oblivious as some may think. He knew that Flower was beautiful and powerful and marrying her would be a benefit to him and the human kingdom. Strategically speaking, she would be the perfect wife. But, he also cared about her - too much to force her into something like that. He would have an alliance with her through their friendship and he was more than happy with that. It was just a matter of getting the council - and Ezra - off of their case.

"Excuse me, but may I cut in?" a soft voice said from beside them. Dominic looked over to see Ezra, perfect as always, standing with a hand outstretched toward Flower. Even though he had been through the war like the rest of them, he didn't seem to have a scratch on him. Dominic looked to Flower, leaving the decision up to her. He knew it would be the courteous thing to allow Ezra to take her, but Dominic knew that she would rather dance with the scum of the earth than with Ezra and he wasn't going to make her do that, despite the social implications.


"I'd rather not partake in either," Marco said, moving over to Alicia's other ear to give it some attention. "Playing and stripping are more Chuck and Benn's territory anyway. By the end of the night one will have set up a gambling ring and be taking bets while the other will be shirtless and flirting with anything that moves. Then by the time morning rolls around they'll come crawling back home with matching black eyes. No matter how hard they try, the pair of them are terrible with people. They'll always go a little too far and offend someone." 

Marco watched the crowd of party-goers with a glazed over look in his eyes. Even with Alicia's persuasion, he didn't want to partake in the festivities. He could see his entire family enjoying themselves. Thea was with Nick, Chuck and Benn were cracking jokes in a crowd of people, and Dominic was occupied with Flower on the dance floor. But, suddenly he focused in on Ezra approaching Flower and his brother and his chest clenched. He wasn't a fan of his brother and Flower together, that was certain, but the idea of Ezra and Flower made his vision go a little red and left a bitter taste in his mouth.


"I wouldn't mind taking you home with me," Alessander stated as if it was the most common, casual thing to say. He brought a hand up to her chin and lifted her face. "I have never been quite so charmed by a woman. It would be an honor to have you for the night, if you would be so willing." 

He definitely cut straight to the point, but he didn't want to miss a single opportunity with Zelda. After all, he didn't know too much about her. She could easily be from the other side of the world and, after tonight, he had no idea if he would ever have the chance to see her again. Even though he had obviously done his best to charm her, she had him wrapped around her little finger. Her wish was his command. 


Mia let out a soft gasp as Deathwish pushed her into the wall, a little startled that he was actually taking her bait. With a fire in her eyes she quickly got back into the swing of things. Even though he had her pinned, she was still able to drag her hands down his chest to his hips and pull him closer. She detached her mouth from his, bringing it to the side of his neck, trailing kisses and little bites down from his throat to his collarbone. Even romance was a battle with the two of them, and it was a fight that Mia was determined to win. 

 
 
Nick


Nick seemed to be in thought before he heard Thea talking to him. He felt her fingers on his forearm and he snapped his eyes to hers. Nick quickly hid his shock under his charming smile. He slightly shifted as he brought his arm up to hid his smile. She was teasing him and Nick could rise to that anytime. There was that mischievous glint in his eye as he examined her own words behind her eyes.


[SIZE= 12px]“Well, you have to charm me, and showing off your status doesn’t do that.” He stated before he leaned toward her. “You have to beguile me with personality, although looks does help.” He let his eyes wander over her. “You have to tempt me, but out right stating it doesn’t do it. I like the game.” He returned his eyes straight looking into hers. He moved to brush his hand up her own arm. He was very light in his touches just barely ghosting across her skin. [/SIZE]


“And…you have to keep my interests; I like a puzzle.” He smirked widely. “I’d say…” He grabbed his fork and took a bite of a strawberry. “...only one woman has matched those qualifications.” He smirked at her.


 


Flower


Flower didn’t mind his slips up and she kept her laughter at low as she kept that smile on her face. She only would keep guiding him and trying to show him new moves. When Flower was happy, she actually almost glowed. Her magic danced under her skin much like it turned to fire when she was angry. Her magic was apparent of how she felt. It matched her own personality with soft warmth or burning fire depending on how she felt. It was a quality that was said her mother and those before her shared.


It was hard to hide when you were a light elf, and that’s probably another reason why Flower didn’t necessarily like her role as their maid so long ago. Pretending to be human was difficult and hiding every nonhuman characteristic took concentration. Now she was free to be herself at any time only to have the council back on her back. Either way, she could share these moments with Dominic.


“I’m not one to always be doing the expected.” She replied with a chuckle.


Flower knew very well what people thought of them and she very well didn’t care. She also knew that Dominic probably was a prime choice for her husband, but she didn’t care. She was a light elf and they were notorious for being difficult elves. She knew very well Dominic and her would make a good match but there was one problem…she wanted to be in love. Her parents had loved each other, her grandparents, and even her great, great, grandmother eventually got what she wanted…through blackmail. Flower had always done what others wanted and devoted her life to them and to supernaturals. Yet, they wanted more from her and she didn’t want to give anymore. When she wanted to have children, she would, and when she wanted to marry she would. When it came to who she would marry, she certainly wanted to be selfish on the matter. However, Flower very well could see herself settle for Dominic.


Flower’s ear twitched as she heard Ezra. Irritation clearly was written on her face as she looked at him. Of course he looked perfect and she had a scar over her left eye.  Her magic seemed to flash just for a moment before she looked at Dominic. He was asking her permission. Flower sighed and knew people were watching. While she didn’t care what people thought of her, rudeness was not necessarily a good thing to be pegged to be for Dominic. However, that wasn’t what made Flower pull away from Dominic. Ezra had irritated her for far too long, she wanted to face him head on once again and hopefully finally push him to back down.  She looked at Dominic with a determined glint in her eye.


“Fine.” Flower stated coldly before she grabbed his offered hand. Her smile was venomous all of a sudden. A look that didn’t go unnoticed by a few closely watching.


[SIZE= 12px]Roger and Isabella, Sky and Hunter[/SIZE]


Far away, Roger had moved to step up, but Isabella grabbed his shoulder.


“Let her handle it.” Isabella stated and used this opportunity to sneak Roger to the dance floor. “You have bigger things to worry about!” Roger looked away and grumbled. Isabella wouldn’t leave him alone all night and trying to find other partners was out of the question. The vampire queen wouldn’t let any females near him.


 


Hunter and Sky were having a drinking contest, which might be unusual for the religious Inu, but it helped when she got to turn water into wine for the first round. A trick that Hunter didn’t get to use often with the type of magic she normally held. Hunter was an old inu though, and magical secrets weren’t unknown for her. Now they were on their third round and it was shots.


Sky looked completely sober and Hunter was only stoically downing whatever Sky picked out for them. Hunter definitely was more composed than she was before.  


“This has to be a very boing night.” Sky stated as she eyed the crowd. She tapped one of her nail-like talons on the counter.


“Oh? How so?” Hunter stated as she took another shot. Hunter looked at her longtime friend before she looked at Flower. “Ah, she hasn’t beat anyone to a pulp yet.” Hunter noted and smirked lightly as Sky momentarily grumbled.


“You just wanted to see her beat up poor unsuspecting males by putting her in a dress, didn’t you?” Hunter didn’t expect an answer and she didn’t get one.


“She’s grown up slightly.” Sky stated as she watched Flower trip up a few men before Dominic took her to the dance floor.


“She has. She’s not like she use to be when she was extra defensive when you stuck her in a dress.” Hunter smirked. “She’s grown up well.”


Sky continued to sulk before Hunter peeked her wolf ears at the sight of Ezra interrupting them. Suddenly, Sky look a bit happier.


“You’re terrible, Sky.”


“I’d have to be to get someone as religious as you drunk.”


“I’m not drunk yet.” Hunter growled lightly. “And I’m sure God would forgive me if I manage to show up your prideful tail feathers.”


“Hm.”


 


Alicia


Alicia looked up at Marco and shifted closer as she brought her tail to wrap around his legs easily. She noticed how he looked at Flower, despite him trying to hide it. She had easily picked up on a few things. Alicia did have a bit of an advantage, and that was scent. Scent had a lot to do with emotion. Alicia looked up at him before she turned to Ezra and Flower. Her hackles rose and a growl slipped through her throat. However, there was a look about Flower that eased Alicia down. After all, Flower in Alicia’s mind was her alpha and she couldn’t go against her and that look was something that said she wanted to beat Ezra at his own game on her own.


She looked at Marco once more as she settled. “How long?” She asked as she perked her ears up. She looked up at him wondering how long he had feelings for Flower, or if he realized he did. She tilted her head to the side as she nuzzled against him slightly. She was comforting him as much as she could.


 


Zelda


Zelda blinked as he stated something very straight forward. She looked at him as he held his hand under her chin. Zelda definitely didn’t expect that from an elf. Usually they only took life partners home and she certainly didn’t qualify as that. Zelda suddenly broke out in laughter again.


“You are quite the surprise, Alessander.” Zelda had quite the wild streak and she would definitely take him up on the offer even if she could just feel Flower slapping her upside the head. Zelda ignored the mental slap before she nodded to him.


“If you think you could handle it.” Zelda added with a wide grin.


 


Deathwish


Deathwish felt her pull him closer. This was dangerous, Deathwish realized that. Deathwish seemed to stiffen for a moment when she went at his neck. Vampires were understandably protective of their own necks. He opened his eye to stare at her, something swirling in their normally cold depths. He grabbed her arms and pinned them back on the wall behind her. He left loose a deep breath right next to her ear before he nosed her one neck. He slipped a hand behind her and trailed his fingers up her spine.


Deathwish almost appeared he was searching for something before he found it. A rare smirk formed on his lips before he licked a pulse point at her neck. “Hn.” He hummed against her neck before he suddenly bit down onto the spot.  All too suddenly he was a few feet away from her. Deathwish was suddenly back to normal, his face remained stoic and his hands were clasped behind his back. He stared at her with his usual stoic mask as if nothing had happened. He was perfectly composed.


He had left a clear mark on her neck. Deathwish tilted his head up slightly as he waited for her to realized he had physically marked her. Those with a sense of smell would smell him on her, and those without would see clearly the mark on her neck. She was his; the thing that Mia would have to figure out on her own was that he was hers. It worked both ways. Deathwish turned and headed back toward the party. He still kept his hearing tuned on her in waiting for her reaction.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Similar threads

Catro the Writer
Fantasy Kingdom Hearts: A Family of Nobodies
sliceoflife
Replies
0
Views
25
Catro the Writer
Catro the Writer
KilljoyConstruct
Fandom Look Alive, Sunshine [Killjoys: California 1x1 with Inquieta]
danger days oc and cc oc and oc
Replies
2
Views
51
Inquieta
Inquieta
Lumpkinz11
Realistic or Modern Socks and the City 1x1 RP w/ deadly king
Replies
11
Views
169
Lumpkinz11
Lumpkinz11
heartstringss
Futuristic a game of cat and mouse. | fxf
fxf horror laboratory
Replies
0
Views
37
heartstringss
heartstringss
Savelius
Fantasy The Land of the Dead
fantasy
Replies
7
Views
117
stormcaller
stormcaller
Back
Top