---

As Laurel compiled the finishing touches on her look for tonight's Welcome Ball. Without a doubt some of her families associates would be there as Alumni returned every year for the ball, including Laurel's mother and elder brother. That meant that Laurel could be nothing less than stunning otherwise her mother would have an absolute tantrum when she saw her. It would be polite and quite but there would be hell to pay later on. Public appearances were everything to her family's business.

She had straightened her long nearly black hair until there was not even a hint of a wave in it and her make up payed homage to her family's linage even if only slightly. She left her lips bare, putting only a bit of chapstick on her full lips after she'd put on her dress, a stunning backless piece that showed the tattoo on her back that was laced with magic and looked as if it was 3D and truly metallic. It truly looked as if you could cut your finger should you slide it down her back along the edge of the blade. The last addition to her outfit was a pair of dangling chandelier earrings, black like her dress and a pair of tall black heels that were plain as no one would ever see them tonight. Everyone would be in their finest wears tonight, socializing and making names for themselves.

Laurel did one last quick once over before she called out to her roommate, Kiara or Kiki as she was often called. "Are you almost ready?" She questioned of the other girl as she stood nearly the door of their shared bathroom. Her mother had sent someone to get the both of them dresses, shoes and the works as they obviously would not be allowed to readily leave to go shopping. She'd bought only the finest as Laurel's mother was known to do, in fact she'd gone so far as to stitch together a dress fit for the Unseelie Queen herself for Kiara. She hoped the girl liked it and that the dress fit her well.

Meanwhile....

Niall

---

Niall mumbled quietly to himself about how trivial this would be, hopefully none of his raucous pack mates would show themselves at this damned ball. Moon forbid he have to discipline one of them in front of the entirety of the academy and show his true colors. His pack especially was known for being violent and short tempered and Niall was by far the best of the bunch. However, as heir he had no choice but to break down into the cruel fighter he could be when he had to if someone stepped out of line. His wolf growled at the thought of someone stepping on his toes in public. He brushed the wolf back a bit farther as he pulled the jacket of his tuxedo on and snapped the cufflinks. They were his pack's family crest and though he had shaved this morning there was already a thick coat of stubble all across his chin. "Fuck 'em." He growled as he ran his hand across it.

After pulling on his dress shoes and not bothering to wait for his roommate whom he didn't know particularly well. His eyes alight with a predatory gleam he headed down to the ball room or what was really the auditorium which was by far the largest room at the academy. Of course when he arrived he was greeted by doormen who offered to take his coat though he declined, preferring to leave it on as a reminder to stay civil so that he didn't ruin the item. The auditorium had certainly be entirely redone either by magic or manual means. The floors were white marble where people danced slowly to the live band that played on the small stage and where the tables to sit and mingle were placed the floors were some kind of starkly dark wood. The tables were covered with brilliant scarlet clothes and black and white napkins. Everything was precisely in order as it should be in an academy as prestigious as Rosa Claire.

Niall found himself heading for the small table filled with little finger foods that people always had at this kind of shin dig. There were little tiny sandwiches that were so small his wolf even chuckled a bit, causing him to make a rumbling bark of laughter at the sudden intrusion. His eyes which were generally a warm brown swirled with the yellow that was the identifying feature of his wolf as they both looked things over. He grabbed a tiny porcelain plate that was rimmed with something that looked suspiciously like silver though he was sure it was more likely titanium for safety sake he took a sniff and affirmed his assumption. He piled the little plate with those equally tiny sandwiches and a couple other foods that he couldn't name and he was sure his mother had taught him. Speaking of his mother he hoped that she didn't come with his father either. That would be just a definite walk in the park, if walking in the park involved getting scolded for not being the most menacing Lycan in the room, Niall's father was well feared far and wide across the globe.

Shukura

Shukura had gotten up early the day of the ball. Knowing her it would take her most of it to pick out an outfit that was near perfection. Whenever attending social gatherings she always had to make sure she looked her best, so the shoes had to be right, the dress to die for, the make-up was going to be non-existent, the jewelry tastful and er clutch to die for.

After an entire day she finally found something that looked good. The dress was a bright red and form fitting. It had a beautiful design on it amd the way the dress opened up at the knee was justso classy to her. Her shoes were a gift from her mother a while back that had never been worn before. The last few things would be simple; her makeup would be a red lipstic and thats it, he hair in a classic but to help show off her shoulder line . With all of this and a spray of perfume she was completed.

She turned to her roomamte and did a little twirl.

"How do I look? Is my butt to big? Damn no time, I am going to head down first and wait in the lobby, feel free to take whatever you like just make sure it finds its way back into my closet okay, and if you need help just call." She said this in one breath while she rushed out the door with her tear drip dimaond earings in one hand and a small wallet in another.

Her roomamte Samantha seeemed tomboyish, the exact opposite to her girly Shukura's girly exterior. Plus she was a lycan to boot but it did not bother Shu in the least the girl had not started any trouble yet.

Shukura made it down and bgan to check herself for everything while waitng for her roommate. She did not necessarily detest this ball, it was just some of the people there might tick her off tonight. Her mother always used to say that she had aone trck mind and could flap her jaws to no extent. Then a horrible thought crossed her mind, her mother would be at thks event, the onlt woman truly capable of humiliating Shu in public and live to tell the tale. Tonight should be fun.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Cimi

Cimi, was a deep sleeper but he could clearly hear someone getting ready for an event tonight. As he drifted in and out of concise he tried hard to remeber what exactly what was so important that was trying to will him out of his sleep. It did not bear him until he heard the door close, the ball was tonight. Cimi jumped out of the bed and scrabbled around to get ready, he was running late and need to hurry up. The suiet was plain, bow tie and all but it did look mice on him. Cimi ran out the door with out doung his hair so it was still a curly mess.

When he arrived at the auditorium , it was beautiful as always, white marbke and all other types of fixtures. He knew the place was just dripping with magic but he was still impressed. But for now he need to find his pops. The old man should be slithering around the place somewhere.

The room where silent, so silent you could hear the people moving down in the lobby, candles where the only light source right now casting it's dancing shadows on the fall and the figure who sat hunched on the bed. Joar had prepared for this event the whole day but still did not feel ready for it. He had never been much for big social gatherings and by the look of the buildings and ornaments there would be some pretty rich and ambitious people attending this welcome ball. He smiled slightly and reached for the suit jacket on the bed and putting it on. It was tailored in such away that he actually looked slightly bigger then he was. On the bed the tie lay in a heap, he had tried several times tying it but it always ended up looking really strange or it felt like it was strangling him.

With a deep sigh he took a last look in the mirror in the room, adjusted the collar of the shirt and tried a smile. It didn't feel completely wrong but still he felt and thought that he must look kinda out of place. Oh well he had made an effort washing and combing his hair but still it looked just as unruly as ever. Was he afraid of making a fool of himself? No that was not it, maybe it was because he had no good answer to questions that he might get about his mating mark? Absently his right hand went to his temple and traced the intricate mark down and along his jawline until it disappeared down his neck and should. With a last shrug he went around the room blowing out every candle before leaving the room, his steps leading him to the auditorium.

He had not expected the scene that meet him as he entered. The decorations and luxury was on a whole other level then he had expected, now he really was out of place. If he ever had felt lonely around people now was that time. With a slight smile he tried to slowly and discretely Joar tried making his way along the walls not want to attract to much attention. His eyes scanned the crowed of people gathered there, his ears picking up small talk, laughter and giggles. At least some where having fun already, excitement found it's way into his stomach as he started to wonder what would happen next when all would be gathered in the room.

Laurel looked gorgeous as Kiara sat back to stare at her face, made even more of a work of art by Kiara’s talents. The girls had chattered in front of the ornate vanity that Kiki had brought over from her room at Court while Kiara did her thing. It was originally her mother’s vanity and it depicted tangled vines and thorns that were carved from dark cherry wood and surrounded a shiny glass mirror. She was sure that her father was happy to see yet another reminder of her mother leave the Court with along with herself. It wasn’t that Kiara’s father didn’t love her, because he did, it was just that at least some part of him blamed her for the loss of her mother. Successfully conceiving and producing offspring was very hard for the Unseelie fey, and often times the cost for one life was that of another...

Cosmetics from both the human and faerie realms were piled high on the vanity, originally organized by type and color, but now in complete disarray. Laurel had asked if Kiara could infuse it with some faerie magick and, not wanting to look like a rookie, Kiki had agreed. Kiara’s talents with a brush were much more polished than those with magick so, when Kiki had originally attempted an ‘ethereal sparkle’ aura over the finished look, she accidentally turned Laurel’s whole face blue. Thankfully, Kiara had turned Laurel’s chair away from the mirror in preparation, stating that the ‘spin-around-surprise-reveal’ would make it all the more enchanting, so Laurel’s only hint that something went awry was the wide-eyed shock on Kiara’s face. “Oh my, that’s not right…” Kiki had said whilst trying to stifle a giggle “Let’s try something else…” On the second try, Kiki nailed the intended effect. They both seemed incredibly pleased with it, so Kiara moved on to do her own makeup, which consisted of cherry lips to match her hair and a dramatic olive green smokey cat eye look. She pulled her long, loose curls over her right shoulder, securing them with a braid of her own hair and hidden hair pins in lieu of a tacky hair tie or accessory.

The roommates went their own ways for the actual getting dressed part. As one could tell from her more casual outfits, Kiara personally didn’t care who saw her body - faeries weren’t known for their modesty, after all - but Laurel might not have considered them that level of ‘bestie’ yet. Fair enough. Once in her closet, Kiara was once again awestruck by her dress’ beauty. For a while, she just stood there, running her fingertips along the feathers in admiration. Realizing she was running a bit behind, she hurried and stripped down, putting on the easy part first: the floral lace accessories Laurel’s mother had found once being told Kiara refused to wear shoes. What? It’s not weird… faeries like to remain in physical contact with nature…

Kiara struggled with the dress itself. Stepping into it was easy enough, but there was the issue of the corset ties on the lower back that gave her trouble. “Are you almost ready?” she heard her roommate call for her. “Erm… not quite…” Kiki said with a huff as she flailed her arms behind her, trying to do it herself. “Just a little trouble... with... the corset… How do you normally do this? Faerie clothing is magical, it just morphs to fit your body when you put it on. If only my arms --” huff “were a little--” she hopped “longer!” In all her twisting, turning, and hopping, the faerie lost balance and fell against the wall with a loud thud. “I think I need your help…” she admitted in a pout.

Morgan groaned, quite loudly in fact, as he looked at the pile of clothing arrayed on his bed. Judas was curled up in the center of the mess, looking rather content. Morgan had sworn up and down that he had packed a proper suit jacket, but now that he was actually looking for it, it was nowhere in sight. One hand pushed up into his hair to hold it out of his face, he glared around the room as though his persistence would make the article simply appear. This lasted several minutes before Morgan sighed and slumped his shoulders, resting his forehead against his palm. Giving up, he considered the idea of wearing his usual jacket over his dress shirt for only a second before deciding against it.

Sitting down at the edge of his bed, Morgan pats the top of his familiar's head before reaching down to pull on his black shoes. Once the laces are secure, he stands once more to peer into a mirror hung on the wall. His unruly hair had been rucked up by his fingers, but a few moments of brushing at it with his fingertips had everything looking semi-normal. Adjusting his scarf and studying his own eyes, Morgan contemplates the evening ahead of him. Though it was unlikely that either of his parents would be attending, he expected to see at least one of his older sisters. While they tended to tease him, he looked forward to seeing them again.

Finally breaking away from the mirror Morgan looks around, wondering if his roommate was still around or had already abandoned him for the ballroom. Nearly a full foot shorter and a handful of years younger, Morgan considers Sulley to be quite... intimidating. Especially when he smiles.

Laurel

---

Laurel giggled a bit as she opened Kiara's closet door, "Just hold the front up and I'll lace it for you." After she finished opening the door she stood behind the Faerie and pulled the lace just snug enough so that the dress would stay in place but so as not to strangle Kiara. The Faerie was ethereal in the dress her mother had strung together with the help of her pixie fiends who sewed like no one's business. Her's mother's fashion skills were well known but she'd really outdone herself this time.

"Come on, we don't wanna be late for the ball. That would be entirely too cliché." Laurel ushered the other girl out the door as she herself gathered herself and composed her face so that if her mother's was there already, if she came at all. Laurel desperately hoped that her mother didn't come and neither did her brother. It would probably be a catastrophe if the both of them showed up at the ball.

As she made her way to the ballroom Laurel fiddled with her long straight hair, trying hard to compose herself for if her mother was waiting on the other side of the large set of wooden doors. Unfortunately for Laurel her mother's gifts weren't just limited to fashion, they also allowed her to find anything she set her mind to look for, including her children. Laurel paused before entered the ballroom which was decorated lavishly but with style and class. It was honestly quite spectacular.

"Suls you do know that this is absolutely insane. I don't know why you invited me but then again you have your reasons."

"Anders you worry too much besides I had gotten special permission from both the staff and the director of the school to allow you here considering your circumstances." Suley gave Anders a small smile before walking out the door and down the hallway, Anders shortly following him out before catching up to him. It was funny. Most of the students gave both of them looks but almost every single one was directed to Anders. Here was a figure that stood 6'4" and adorned a suit of armor with a designed piece of cloth that featured the crest of his order. On his back was a great sword that by the handle itself showed that it was of high quality, on his right was a short sword and dagger but o his left was...A unique looking longsword. it was about a foot and a half longer and had a slight hum to it. He looked as if he came from the old times. But what really had people looking at him for was thanks to his scent though Suley did not worry considering Anders was a very, very capable fighter if it came down to it. Suleykaar wore something a bit, different. His outfit was of a deep red with gold trimming with the upper half stitched in a scaly design. A short spaulder on his right arm held a small piece of cloth that held his banner with King pin wrapping around his neck like a sapphire necklace.

"So Suls, what's the plan should anything happen?" Anders gave him a sidelong glance as they kept walking. Suley sighed and looked at him. "On your toes as usual I see. But you shouldn't- Oh hello Laurel and...Kiiiaaarrraaa. Glad that you two were able to come and join us." Anders stepped forward, taking each one of their hands into his own before looking at Laurel and then Kiara.

"M'lady.." Kissing Laurels first.

"M'lady.." Then Kiara's.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. Suls has told me a lot about you two. I was glad to see that what he has said about your beauty hardly do you justice." He smiled at the both of them, causing Suley to have a slight twitch in his eye. "Modern times Anders...Modern times." he thought. A few interesting days had gone by since the announcement. Suley was still a nuisance to Kiara but they seemed to have a sort of...Love/hate relationship. Over time he learned a little about her and Laurel but refused to say anything about himself other then the usual smartass Suley comments.

"Ah-" A light bulb lit up in his head as he looked over at Laurel and Kiara, snapping him out of his thought. "Have you both turned in Lorenzo's paper on Old Elvish Language and its history as Irish-Gaeli or have you slacked off and forgotten? Suley gave both Kiara and Laurel his usual "quizitive" look, even though it was a little bit on the smug side. But since he was in a good mood, it was mostly just a lighthearted jab at the two.

@Aspen Wren@Silent Observer

After a few moments, it became obvious to Morgan that he was alone and his roommate was likely already at the ball. Deciding that he would be late if he delayed any longer, he started in that direction himself. Judas stared at him with half-lidded as he left the room, closing the door behind him. While he walked he wondered idly what the others might feel about their attending family.

The ballroom had been decorated with all the extravagance Morgan had come to expect in his short time here. Three of the other students he rocognized, and someone he didn't, were nearby, already conversing among themselves for the moment. When his eyes passed over them to see who else was there, they seemed to get stuck on Kiara for a moment before he could move on. Shaking his head slightly, Morgan turns to the rest of the room just as one of his sisters punches him lightly in the ribs.

"'Sup, kid? I was beginning to wonder if you would ever show." Never one to conform or impress, Piper Selwyn wore jeans with torn knees held up by a strip of leather studded with spikes. Her top was slightly more tasteful, a thick black turtleneck sweater. Her dark brown hair, a trait she shared with Morgan, was coiled in a bun.

"Had to be you didn't it?" came his reply, but his smile and the brief embrace they shared showed how glad he was to see her.

"Make any new friends yet?" she asks as they both turn toward the rest of the room, prompting Morgan to glare at her for a moment. That was exactly the sort of thing he hated about talking to family. "What? You know I was joking!" Rolling his eyes, Morgan gives his sister a light shove, and Piper can only laugh in response.

Joar had slowly made his way to the small table with finger foods while admiring the decorations and the room in general. He had noticed that many parents seemed to be here to visit their kids. Well his own parents would not be here as they most probably would be to busy at home and it had been a bit troublesome for them to accept that he wanted to leave to study at this academy. Now he had just arrived a few days ago and been given a room to stay in so he had very little knowledge about who anyone were, students or teachers so everyone in the room where strangers to him. As he bent a bit to pick up a small plate the scent of wolf found it's way into his nostrils, although his sense of smell where only a bit better then a normal persons this was a strong smell and he could not be wrong. Quickly he looked up and now really noticed the man on the other side of the table. With an amused smile he reach out his hand towards Niall, whom he guessed were either a Lycan or a shape-shifter like himself.

"Excuse me. We have not meet. My name is Joar and I am doing my first year here." He said smiling and putting down the plate on the table as not to drop it if the man decided to shake his hand. It would not hurt to get to know people here. At least he hoped they would not cause trouble like it had been back home.

Even though Niall looked like he was a bit more then half a foot taller and considerably broader across the shoulders then him, Joar did not feel intimidate. Still he could feel strength and dominance emanating from the guy across the table, certainly he was a high rank or leader with in his group. The nervousness of being in a new environment and all the magic around made him lose a bit of control for a moment and his eyes went from his normal brown to those of a bear before he blinked once and they returned to normal.

@Aspen Wren

Thankfully Laurel had come to Kiara’s rescue. “Just hold the front up and I’ll lace it for you.” she said and Kiki held the bust of the dress in front of her barely there b-cups while Laurel tugged the strings into place. “Oof!” Kiara gasped as Laurel cinched the corset as tight as it could go. It fit her tiny body like a glove. The cut of the corset fell just below the tattoo on her back. In her glamour, it appeared as a normal black ink tattoo would, a scroll of parchment depicting the unseelie code:

“Change is good.
Glamour is free.
Honour is a lie.
Passion before duty.”

When her glamour was down, she still bore that tattoo, but it looked more like a tombstone inscription etched into her stone-like skin. If you ran your fingers along it, you would feel it’s depth. When she let her wings free, the tattoo sat just below them. “What do you think?” Kiara asked Laurel, “Wings or no wings?” She had only been at Rosa Claire for a few days, and classes hadn’t even started yet, but Kiara was already getting better at controlling her glamour. Her guardians were right, this realm really brought out the strength and magick of the creatures within it. Who knows what she would learn to do in time…

Laurel mentioned that they should get going if they didn’t want to be a cliché. “Who cares about cliché? I just don’t want to miss a second of this party!” Kiara squeaked with excitement and followed after Laurel, glad that she wouldn’t have to walk into the ball alone. She purposefully didn’t choose a date, she wanted the night to go as follows: never stop dancing, steal a few kisses, and then take her favorite back to her place at the end of the night… or their place, or maybe even the magical brooms closet!

Kiara noticed that her roommate seemed preoccupied with something, she smelled nervous, so Kiara did her best to comfort her as they walked. Kiki tucked a strand of of Laurel’s long, dark hair behind her ear. “You look gorgeous. I’d love it if you danced with me at least once tonight. If you can keep the boys away long enough, that is.” She smiled warmly, truly meaning what she said. The unseelie faerie might love being troublesome, but she wanted at least this one friend here.

It was her turn to be nervous now. The girls passed through the large set of wooden doors together. The ballroom was breathtaking. The sounds of orchestral strings rang along the tall walls and pillars, and the tables were decorated lavishly. Kiara brought her left hand up to hold her boney right elbow as her eyes scanned the room. Would he be here with the others? The first love of her life and the first man to break her heart; Her father… she could just barely picture him. What would Cynbel, the Ironhearted, wear to a ball? Surely he would be the most handsome and intimidating man in the room, and he would have his iron blade sheathed at his side. He was one of the only faeries capable of wielding such a weapon besides the Regents themselves. Did she want him to be there? Of course she did, she must… and his absence broke her heart as it always did. But Kiki had to be tough, the war was more important… more important than the daughter who looks far too much like Edana…

“Oh hello Laurel and… Kiiiaaarrraaa. Glad that you two were able to come and join us.” The familiar timbre of the dragon’s voice, and the way he said her name, pulled Kiara out of her thoughts. Best not to dwell on them, anyway. Sul was with another of his kind whom Kiara assumed to be related, and good looks seemed to run in the family. Then again, you couldn’t throw a rock in this school without hitting someone that was drop dead delicious. The one who would be called Anders kissed Laurel’s hand, and then Kiara’s, causing a faint blush to color her pale cheeks. She hadn’t been treated like that since she was back home. It felt nice.

Suley attempted to make a light jab at them, but Kiara hardly gave him the time of day. “Silly dragon, balls are for dancing, not talking!” Her voice was honey-sweet and teasing. Her right eye twitched in the faintest of winks before she spun away in a woosh of black feathers and plunging back lines. The first person her eyes settled on was another first year she met who stuck out because his name was like that of her Queen’s. They were going to have potions class together with Lily Bertram as their teacher. Kiara had met the professor a few days ago, and she seemed really nice, so Kiki was very excited for the class.

“Morgie!!” Kiara chirped as she approached Morgan and some girl who appeared to be teasing him. “Hello!” Kiki gave a brief greeting. “If you weren’t planning on dancing with him, I’d love to steal him away for a bit.” Her eyes shifted to a sparkling yellow color in her excitement. Faeries loved to cause trouble and play with magick, but they really loved dancing. Faerie revels during the Solstices were parties unlike any other, where they would dance until their feet simply couldn’t carry them anymore, and even then they’d just use their wings to fly.

Piper was used to her brother's tendency to hold his own thoughts at a higher priority than human interactions, and so their mutual silence of several minutes was not uncomfortable. It last until the realized where Morgan's eyes, unfocused and distant as they were, rested. She smirks and reaches over to jab his ribs with one finger.

"Stare a little harder, she's bound to notice eventually."

"Wha?" came his ever so eloquent reply as his eyes focused again. Just as Kiara turned towards the two of them.

“Morgie!!” Kiara chirped as she approached Morgan and his sister, causing her grin to turn all the more wicked and his cheeks to redden slightly as he glances away. Morgan crosses his arms in front of him, using one hand to pull his scarf up a little in an attempt to hide the color.

"Hey, Kiara. This is my sister, Piper, and-" "And he'd love to dance with you," Piper interjects, lightly shoving her brother toward Kiara. He stumbles, barely catching himself in time to not run up against the other first year. "Go on, we can catch up later. You haven't been gone that long anyway. Have fun!" she says, turning to walk towards the rest of the crowd with a wave, perhaps to find her own partner. Morgan watches her leave, realizing he'd have to figure out how to get back at her later.

"Um... Well then..." he says lamely, suddenly unable to muster his thoughts in light of the swift turn of events. "Let's... dance? I guess?"

Laurel

---

Laurel was about as feline as anyone could ever get and as anybody who's ever met a cat knows, it's best not to pet a cat your don't know. Though Kiara didn't seem to notice anything odd about the young lad who seemed to be greeting them, Laurel was entirely too displeased by his behavior to not notice. That was when Laurel's mother appeared, if there were ever an embodiment of war and the goddess Sekhmet it was Laurel's mother. She was vicious and beautiful all at once, like the worst kind of poison. It was clear where Laurel's had gained her looks from as the woman, though much taller than Laurel still briefly resembled the girl. However, Nadia Demirci didn't appear to be much older than Laurel, 30 perhaps, it was clear that she was dark and cunning though. The woman was taller than Laurel, around five foot ten but she was every bit as toned as her daughter, perhaps more so. The muscles in her arms and shoulders were defined and rippled beneath her darkly tanned skin like those of a fearsome predator.

Laurel did not shy from her mother's gaze, the only trace of affection the woman showed for her daughter was the slight hand she touched the girl's arm with. "Suleykaar, this is my mother Nadia. Mother, this is my acquaintance Suleykaar. He is friends with my roommate Kiara of the Unseelie Court." Laurel's words were cool and formal and her mother nodded at her, looking down at her daughter with a set of chilling blue eyes before turning them on Suley and the extra party he had with him. Nadia did not speak for a slow lingering moment as she looked at the two, inspecting as she inhaled the scents around her. A human among a room full of beasts. A prepared human at least. "What do we have here? A dragon and a human who smells of dragon. An armed human. Do tell young dragon, what use is an armed human to you?" Nadia spoke slowly and with great care, her words were cold and precise but her voice was like a warm lullaby, one you would never wake up from. It would freeze you solid as soon as you closed your eyes. Laurel's mother was what was referred to in the Gifted community as a Reincarnate. She was a nearly identical copy of the goddess she stemmed from, Sekhmet, for that alone she was powerful. She was war and destruction wound inside the body of a woman who was as sly as a jackal and as fast as a viper without cause or reason. She was truly vicious.

Laurel looked pleadingly at Suley hoping that he might see the apology in his eyes because her face could betray nothing, not with her mother here in front of her. Just as Laurel prayed to her own Goddess that things might not get any worse than they already were the young woman's older sibling slunk up behind her. It was all Laurel could do to keep her composure at this point. There was going to be a war, a full out war in this ballroom tonight. Unlike Laurel who had taken after their mother, Jasper had taken after their father who was Greek. Jasper's God was Apollo and the young man looked like he was carved from the finest marble with his stone white skin and the fairest of blonde hair. His blue eyes were the only thing he had in common with his mother though his shone like the sunny waters of Delos instead of looking like the pool of souls in the underworld as his mother's did.

"Laurel, dear sister, what have you gotten into now?" He questioned her softly hoping dearly that their mother did not continue on the war path she seemed to be going down.

“Silly dragon, balls are for dancing, not talking!” His smile turned more into a frown and before he could say anything she had moved on to see one of her newest friends. Though, Sulley thought it was more f her next emotional meal than anything else. A slight grin appeared on his face with the faintest set of hungry looking eyes. 'Your such a tease...' He turned his attention back to Laurel and... Her mother?

He sighed as his posture and face became more stoic with his head cocked slightly to the side. "A little early to introduce parents don't you think?" A twitch in the mouth. "Suleykaar, this is my mother Nadia. Mother, this is my acquaintance Suleykaar. He is friends with my roommate Kiara of the Unseelie Court."

"Friends? A bit of a rush to call us friends."

"Suls, from the way you two were interacting I wouldn't be opposed to the idea that you like her. Suley shot him a glare before looking away. "Preposterous. She is nothing but a mere toy for me to play with." Anders smirked before drawing his attention back to Laurel and her mother.

".......You do." A light growl and a smoky snort came from Suley.

I do apologize for the digression. As stated I am Suleykaar and this here is my dear friend Anders." Anders gave an almost graceful bow before standing back up, his hand on the but his sword's hilt. It wasn't in a menacing manner but rather a gesture out of habit. It was comfortable.

"I see m'lady that beauty runs in the family. I would have expected nothing less." Suley rolled his eyes.

"What do we have here? A dragon and a human who smells of dragon. An armed human. Do tell young dragon, what use is an armed human to you?"

Anders spoke up before Suleykaar could answer. Instead Nadia's comment left Suley with a bad taste in his mouth. 'Smells of dragon? So this is the path you wish to walk, Gifted? So be it.' Suley looked over at Laurel and saw the pleading eyes at which he responded with the faintest of smiles.

"A friend and brother." If eyes could tell the history someone had with someone else, his word tell a story for the ages. They showed war and experience on the battlefield, they showed the loses he suffered and the painful hardships he dealt with. But more importantly, they showed the defensive side of Anders. His voice though only complemented what his eyes told.

Suley looked over at Anders with a smile before looking back at Laurel's mother, a snort of smoke escaping his nostrils. "If you were looking for a more in-depth answer you will not hear it. That is something between me and Anders and if you are displeased with said answer-"

He pointed over towards the door were the beginning of the hors d'oeuvres table. "There is a suggestion box by the door should you need to voice your complaints. Come Anders, I've been wanting to try this one thing called pizza." Him and Anders had begun to walk away until Suley had gotten this gleem in his eyes to which Anders took quick notice and sighed. ' Forgive me Laurel but I will NOT be spoken to like this."

"The funny thing is though, gifted-" A bit of venom was added in with gifted. His tone seemed to have shifted into what could be described as cockiness but for Suley it was more of a challenge towards Nadia as he turned to face the three of them. "the smell of human isn't any better and considering that the gifted-" Waving an open palm towards Nadia in a gesturing manner. "such as yourself are nothing more than glorified humans with magical capabilities, you carry this appalling scent that is just as pungent if not more so than any human thanks to that gifted side of you. It draws in this air that is a bit revolting but I guess that comes with the title, hm?" He contorted his face to that of a mild disgust as he sniffed the air.

Morgan’s blush didn’t go unnoticed. So innocent, so tempting. But innocence wasn’t very useful to an unseelie faerie. Lust would taste so much better. Piper grinned wickedly and Kiara smiled at her. Perhaps the girl would be more fun? Morgan introduced her as his sister, to which she promptly shoved him towards Kiara and insisted that he’d love to dance.

“Um.. Well then… Let’s dance? I guess?” he stammered awkwardly. “You guess?” Kiara teased him with a laugh that sounded like tiny, tinkling bells. “My goodness, this place is so dull! It needs more faeries!” That much was true, Kiara had yet to meet another faerie at Rosa Claire, and boy was she looking! Perhaps that was for the best, though, what if she had met one and they turned out to be some seelie scum? Kiara nearly growled in disgust. But, there was the matter of flustered boy in front of her right now, whose feet were much to still, and she needed to do something about that.

“Come, leave your guessing behind…” Kiara insisted as she took hold of his wrists and tugged him towards the dancefloor. “A few moments with me, and you’ll never want to stop.” her tone was a seductive purr. Once among the crowd of dancing students, Kiara let go of his wrists and began to move to the beat of the music. The cool stone felt heavenly beneath her bare feet as spun around Morgan, always keeping at least one body part of hers in contact with him as they danced, much like a tango. Dancing with a faerie was enchanting and hypnotic, often leaving both partners with an overwhelming sense of euphoria. Back home, it was common practice for unseelie faeries to steal the humans that they found prettiest, and bring them back to Faerûn. The faeries would then tempt the humans with faerie foods which, after a single bite, would bind the humans to the faerie realm, where they would forever dance and play as the faeries watched, like one might admire the scene in a snowglobe. It was a cruel practice, but the unseelie were never known for their kindness.

The song came to a close and the crowd of students stilled their bodies in preparation for the next song. Kiara looked up to the rather tall warlock and her eyes shifted from yellow to a red color that was slightly deeper than her hair. Standing up on tiptoes, Kiara was able to plant a butterfly kiss on his cheek. She pinched the feathers on both sides of her dress as she curtsied before him. “Thank you for the dance.” she said. Ever the slave to her unseelie temperament, Kiara flitted off to chase her next passion, leaving poor Morgan dazed and in the dust.

As most dances did, this ball offered a host of finger-foods and refreshments, and this little faerie had a hankering for something sweet. Kiara browsed the selection and decided on trying something labeled ‘strawberries’. They were small, red fruits that somewhat resembled yelkies from back home, except yelkies were bright purple. Kiki was just about to try a nibble when a more mouthwatering scent reached her nose. Violence, bloodlust… war. Kiara looked to the source of the delicious aromatic assault: a tall, proud woman who stood beside Laurel across the room.

“War calls to you, doesn’t it?” a deep, familiar voice asked from behind her. Kiara’s eyes widened, could it be? “That’s my blood in your veins.” he explained.

Before she could even take a bite, the ‘strawberry’ fell from Kiara’s fingers with a plop. Shocked, she turned slow on her heels until her eyes met her father’s. His hair glistened like silver moonlight and his pale skin mirrored that of her own. Cynbel was a breathtaking representation of all the ferocity and beauty of the Unseelie Court. After a few moments of speechlessness, Kiara managed to squeak out a single word.

“Daddy!” Kiara chirped before throwing her scrawny arms around him. Cynbel chuckled and kissed the top of her head. He ran his hands down her arms and separated their hug enough so that he could get a good look at her. "By all the gods… you look just like her.” His voice was rapt with emotion as he studied her, curling a lock of her cherry red hair around his finger. Kiara directed her gaze to the floor in shame. “But not just that,” Cynbel continued and tilted her chin up so he could look once more into her eyes, smiling with pride. “Your beauty would make Queen Morrigan herself green with envy.” That brought forth a smile and even a small blush from Kiara.

A slower song began to play and Cynbel extended a gloved hand to his daughter. “Care to share a dance with your old man?” Kiara wanted nothing more…

The pairs of dancing students and alumni gave Cynbel and Kiara a wide berth as they swayed to the soft music. Seeing the two of them together, it was no question where Kiara had inherited her aura of menace. Kiara closed her eyes and rested her head against her father’s ornate breastplate, savoring each and every moment with him as they danced. He had told her that he could only stay for a song or two but his presence, however brief, meant the world to the daughter he only saw a few times a year.

“Should I introduce myself?” Cynbel’s voice caused her eyes to snap open once again. “To whom?” Kiara mumurred. “The man staring at staring at us.” Kiki was about to ask a humorous, yet relevant question: ‘which one?’ before her father added, “He's about my height with long black and red hair…” Kiara froze up, if only slightly. “Oh! No. No... that won’t be necessary.” she said, trying to sound nonchalant, but failing completely.

“Oh reealllyy?” Cynbel mused.

Kiara's seductive promise proved to be quite true in the end. The purr in her voice caused Morgan to blush deeper and stumble as she pulled him out among the other dancers. Despite the trepidation in his voice and movements on the way to the dance floor, he couldn't help but be enchanted by the presence of the fey creature before him. Having grown up among many sisters he proved to be an able dancer once under te grip of the music, but was simply unable to see how he could hold a candle to the raw beauty of his partner. His eyes followed her every move, and were inclined to wander along her form as she danced. The warmth of their constant contact eventually turned his mind in a more indecent direction, only causing his cheeks and neck to redden all the more.

When, after what seemed like both forever and far too little time, the music ended, Morgan stood as though stunned. He was staring into Kiara's eyes as they changed color, and it struck him that the red quite suited her. His cheeks continued to burn while she thank him for the dance, and he could do little more than stare after her retreating form and mutter his own thanks long after she had moved away. Eventually, the press of other students reminded him that he was standing in the middle of the dance floor. Head still in the clouds, or anywhere else he could imagine himself with the faerie, he made his way back to his original position near the wall. Piper had already returned, and was positively beaming at the look on Morgan's face.

"Shut up," was all he offered as he leaned against the wall next to her, pulling his scarf up over the lower half of his face.

"Whatever, you can thank me later." Piper shook her head as her comment went unheard, as Morgan was already deep in thought again. While looking for Kiara amongst the crowd, his eyes fell on the confrontation between his roommate and a friend and what looked to be Laurel's family. It looked like something he wanted to stay well clear of, for the time being.

Shukura

Shukura stepped into the auditorium and lost her breath a little bit. Whoever dressed this place up every year need to get some kind of award. Every year since she started to go here, this ball had been one of her favorite events of the year. The first thing she did was take inventory of the room, Lycans, shifters, fae, even a dragon, but one smell did stand out to her as she walked over to get a glass of wine, it was a human. Shu had a bad obsession with blood, not drinking it per say but different types and colors, the study of it, and a human on this campus was as rare as it got.

She found him across the room with Suleykaar, that was an immediate sign of a no go...for now. Like a huntress she would wait for her moment to get a sample but now was not the time and place and her dress just looked to good. She saw a table with horderves on it and just noticed that hunger had came over her. She walked over and saw that a new kid and Niall were talking. Niall was the son of a very powerful Alpha, quiet the scary man if you asked her, but she knew that her presence was not one to be take lightly. She was the daughter of the head of the British Vampire coven. Her family were the first ever vampires to set foot on British soil who knows how long ago. The only bad thing about her life was that she might have to spend eternity with her mother.

Reality came back to her as she approached the table. The other boy was some kind of shifter but she did not care at the moment.

"Goodness I'm famished." She said as she came up to the table across from Niall.

"Well, well, well, hello Niall and friend. Never thought the big bad wolf was a ball type, or are you just here out of necessity." She said with a smirk while she made her plate. She had met him before, mostly when the Lycans and the Vamps had an altercation. But not on any other occasion.

@Aspen Wren @StoneWolf

Laurel

---

Laurel steeled her face as she prepared for the face off her mother would undoubtedly cause. She was right when she had assumed that her mother would cause a massive catastrophe. Her father was the personality face of the family for this very reason, either he or Jasper did most if not all of the talking when it came to brokering deals, her mother loved fighting entirely too much. She always seemed to know exactly what to say to make someone angry, it was just her nature. It was past time Laurel stood up for herself either way. Her mother's gifts were not nearly as dangerous as Laurel's.

"Mother it is high time that you learn not to anger every single person that you speak to. Suleykaar could have been a valuable associate for our family and you've absolutely ruined any possible relationship we might have been able to have with him. If you would control your tongue we might actually be able to have more business deals." Laurel turned on her mother, her eyes flashing the brilliant yellow of her leopard. Her mother started to turn on her but Laurel stood tall, her face steeled but blood oozed from her full bottom lip as her now massive canines pierced it.

"Laurel Wren Demirci don't you dare turn on me." Her mother hissed at her but Laurel was the one on a war path now. Her melanistic spots were already beginning to show on her skin but she was cooly in control of the shift. "I will only do what I have to to ensure the family remains viable. If you force my hand I am more than sure Father will have no problem with my actions." She was like the immovable Sphinx, her face was cold and vicious as she looked at her mother. It was only then that her brother Jasper stepped in, just not in the way one would expect.

Jasper was a warm breath of fresh air, like that first breath of salty air when you reach the sea. He headed after Suleykaar moving to walk along side him. "I know that you don't know any of us that well here but please do know that my sister is not our mother. Our mother is a Reincarnate of Sekhemt and she knows only war and bloodlust. It is her nature. My sister is actually her opposite equal. Her goddess is Bastet. Please do not allow my mother's behavior to color your views of our people or my sister. I hope that you take my words seriously. I shall leave you be." Jasper wasn't known for being very subtle but it was something their business associates often appreciated. There was little to not like about the young man. He was several years older than Laurel but he carried the same easy grace as his little sister.

Niall

---

Niall sat at a table near a wall as was strategically advantageous for himself at the very least, he had a clear view of the doorway and anyone who decided to approach him. He ran his hands through his hair which he's styled with a bit of pomade. Just enough to give it some texture. By now he had nearly a full coating of facial hair, it was a typically Lycan problem and the primary reason why you rarely saw a clean shaven one. His tux was something he would rather not be wearing at all, if he'd been allowed to he would have come in just a pair of loose fitting jeans.

As he munched contentedly on the tiny sandwiches he'd acquired like a wolf with a moose leg to naw on he scented around, pushing away the scent of the food he was eating so that he could smell other things. He spied easily a full breadth of creatures who were arriving very quickly and seemingly in a rush now. It was easy for him to ignore just about anything, when you lived in one of the largest packs in the world and it was filled with wild young males out to prove themselves. Always wanting to fight and brawl with everyone they had the chance to. His father's territory which would soon be his own whenever his father decided to step down covered almost the entirety of North America. They maintained all but the south western US and from there down.

A young male shape-shifter was headed for him, Niall could easily distinguish him from a Lycan due to the mating mark that was visible on the side of his face. "No, we have not met. It's a pleasure, my name is Niall." Hopefully the lad would not recognize Niall's name, it wasn't a very common name but still there were others with it. He shook the hand that was offered to him, firmly but not in challenge. That wasn't what Niall was here for. Before too long Niall caught sight of something to behold. Shukura made her way towards the food table but she didn't notice Niall at first. When she did however he knew there was shit to be had about him being in a tux at a ball.

When she spoke to him he nodded, "I enjoy watching people bicker mostly and I'm sure if my father shows up and I'm AWOL he'd have the entire pack looking for me. Shukura, this is Joar. He's a first year. Joar, this is a family friend, Shukura. Try not to make eye contact with her, she might try and eat you." His massive shoulders shook slightly as he chuckled, his voice was about as low as they came. So low that it was nearly a growl but anyone who'd met Niall knew he was possible the most sane unmated young male Lycan on the planet. He was the least likely to attack out of any, even possibly his own father.

@Mugin@StoneWolf

Joar had shook Nialls hand just as firmly trying to place the name Niall but right now it was not a thing he could do. With him moving from the human realm in Scandinavia and trying to get settled in here he had a hard time remembering all prominent people his father and mother had told him about. Both his parents were in relatively high positions in the shape-shifter community but far from the strongest or the once with most power. Joar liked it that way, he had no real pressure on him to live up to a reputation form his parents, although he had made a bit of a name of himself when he as a bear had injured the high leaders son in a fight. But that had been just before his mating mark manifest itself on his skin. Now he could not hid the blasted thing even if he wanted to. "All of this is quite new for me I must say. I am glad I could find someone that seems at least a bit as uncomfortable in these straight jackets as I am."

Joar smiled and put some sandwiches on his plate just before Shukura came up to them and addressed Niall. One thing he had was a keen eye for details and her remark about the wolf not being much for balls, made him feel that he had picked up that detail quite good. As he turned towards Shukura he bent his head slightly in greetings. "It is my honor to make your acquaintance Shukura. I am hoping that if you don't eat me that we all can become friends as time passes?" From the little words they had exchanged and how they both had acted Joar felt that these where people he could enjoy being around and hopefully not having to fight with. They seemed to posses a type of humor that appealed to him. Then he looked at Niall and tilted his head a bit. "Has she tried eating you since you warn me about it?" He said with a calm voice containing a bit of an amused tone as he kept Shukura in the corner of his eyes.

It felt good to be talking with someone but still Joar wondered what would be happening next at this ball. He could see people dancing, talking and laughing. Some did probably forge alliances and making important business contacts. For himself he was happy if he could make a couple of contacts that he could talk to and hangout with when not in classes. All this struggling for power and position had never been something he had wanted to do but he guessed it would happen sooner or later to. Oh well best to enjoy the ball as best he could and for now get to now Niall and Shukura even better.

@Aspen Wren @Mugin

Shukura

Shu put on a playful scowl. Niall was talking about an old incident that happened back during theirnsecond year here. See Shu had picked on a wolf from Niall's pack to be one of her "subjects" a while ago, what can she say he had a rare blood type and its not like he is not okay now, people just look at him differently.

"Joar, don't listen to this one, he is still a little soar about some history. It should have been water under the bridge by now." She said with a honest smile.

She looked around with her plate food and that same enticing smell hit her nose. Her eyes would have shined a brighter gold and gain a look of hunger. She looked a Niall and smiled sheepishly.

"You see there is a certain scent in the room. I know you smelt it...the human. I wonder why he is here don't you." She said that with another smooth smile and earned a look from Niall. It was a warning to not cause any trouble and she took it with a shrug as she got comfortable in her seat.

She looked over at Joar and studied him as she ate with some small pieces. He was a handsome young shifter, and his mating mark was evident. He would make a good friend in the future.
@Aspen Wren@StoneWolf