@Aspen Wren



A large creature approached the school, the flap of its wings boomed with each movement as it descended down towards the entrance. Its size was incredible at around 300+ feet and when it landed it caused a rumble in the ground that sent a tremor through the school. The guards and watchmen of the school began to scrambled, one of them, possibly a currier of sorts darted into the castle itself and down the corridor leading to the ball room where most of the staff and students were.

He swung open the door causing loud thud as it hit the door stop, causing a few students to become startled and silence in order to hear what the commotion was about. "Ma'am! Mrs. Langley! YOU..ha..MAY BE..ha..NEEDED... IMMEDIAT...ELY! We have a situation." It took a moment for him to catch his breath before he could finish. He gestured for her to follow before running out.

The creature began to move towards the school, its piercing white eyes focused in on the open door of the school before its body morphed into that of a humanoid form. He stood around 7'8" and with a large but well defined build. It's arms and hands scaly with claws in a very deep crimson, almost black and part of its upper torso the same. It adorned blackish wings and long blackish hair. It's eyes, however remained the same. It adorned enough clothing to cover up its lower half. As he approached the doors the guards immediately began to close them. As he approached he gavea light shove, sending the doors flying open with one almost knocked off it's hinges. He took a quick sniff in the air followed by a low and powerful growl before finding the scent that lead to the ball room.





Suleykaar waited for a response from Nadia only to find hat she could say nothing. With a snort he pivoted on his feet and begun to move to the appetizer section of the table, Anders in tow.

"Did you really have to do that, Suls? Was it really necess-"

NO ONE talks to me that way! NO ONE! Laurels lucky that I didn't attempt to do what I did to Kiara. I am-"

"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."

Suleykaar looked over at him before he begun to make himself a plate with some fresh shrimp and fish and few random assortments of foods. He ate one of the shrimp and nodded with a muffled "ah" before stopping him from leaving.

Well, your mother certainly knows how to make a first impression. Anders mumble "Isn't that the truth."

"Sekhemt or Sachmis was originally the warrior goddess as well as goddess of healing for Upper Egypt, when the kingdom of Egypt was divided. She is depicted as a lioness, the fiercest hunter known to the Egyptians. It was said that her breath formed the desert. She was seen as the protector of the pharaohs and led them in warfare. What better way to show how fierce you are then by picking a fight with a dragon. Stupid and smart at the same time. She must have thought that one out.... At least I'm not my brother. It would not have ended well for her." He took a bite out of the sandwich and before looking at it and giving a light nod.

By the way brother of Laurel, before I let you go on your merry little way to join the rest of your family, I know the only reason one would approach a dragon again after something like that is if they require something from them. But what could it be I wonder?" A smirk appeared on his face but quickly changed to confusion as he felt a tremor through the ground.

"What was that?" He noticed a few of the students took notice and a few who had their tails showing, had them tucked between their legs. Suley raised an eyebrow before shaking it off and brought his attention back to Laurel's brother.

@Silent Observer

We'll discuss this in a little bit brother of Laurel but currently I have someone I would like to talk to." He looked over to Kiara dancing with another male but he smelled like her. Her father perhaps? He gestured for Anders to follow as he made his way over to Kiara.

"Hello Kiara have we been enjoying the festivities?" A light smirk appeared on his face as he looked at the two. The man must have been her father. He carried a very similar scent.

Morgan was watching Kiara dance with someone else, her father if he had to guess, when Piper decided she'd had enough. If he wasn't going to talk to her about it on his own, she would force the situation.

"Alright Morg, that's enough. I agree, she's worth the look and certainly the dance, but you need to stop this. Get your head on straight, she's a Faerie!" She speaks in harsh whipers, causing Morgan to flinch at first and then turn toward her with a raised eyebrow. He crosses his arms over his chest, taking a long moment to choose his words carefully. While he and Piper were the closest among his true siblings, they also had the most heated rivalry. Her every attempt to shield him from the dangers of the world was met with a vehement reminder of her own mistakes and how she had needed to make them.

"So what if she is? And before you ask, yes, I remember what happened to uncle James. It's the risk every being runs when dealing with the Fae. Besides, don't I remember something about some guy you thought you had bewitched? Didn't he turn out to be a vampire trying to turn you?" Morgan shot back, pulling down his scarf to speak more clearly. Piper opened her mouth to retort, but Morgan wanted to press his point home quickly. "You never forgave Gwen for burning him to a crisp either. You never thanked her for saving you."

"That's not fair, Morgan, and you know it. This is different. If you screw up, if you get stuck on her, it'll take a lot more than Gwen's fire to get you out of it. I've danced with Fae before, I know what it's like. I know how tempting it can be. I just don't want you to go down a bad road. Think of your family. Mom wouldn't be able to sit idly by with you trapped in Faerie. And I wouldn't let her bargain herself away for your freedom, not while the rest of the coven needs her." There was an edge to Piper's voice as she leaned closer to her brother, staring him down. Morgan returned her glare in equal measure, looking for a second like he just wanted to headbutt her out of spite for getting so close. So soon after the euphoric dance, his sister's words struck a raw nerve.

"Have you even considered the fact that she's the only female outside the coven that has shown me any affection at all? I can't share absolutely everything with you, or them. So what if she's just playing with me? Maybe I don't care that 'it's just her nature.' Why can't I enjoy that while I may without you trying to ruin it? What if I just want to have some fun for myself, without you or anyone else butting in?" Though he barely managed to restrain his voice, Morgan felt his control slip elsewhere. As his hushed tirade continued the temperature of the air around him dropped several degrees and the floor under his feet took on a sheen of frost. "You can't hold my hand forever, and not even mom can protect us from everything. Could you please, for once in my life, fu-"

The sound of flesh striking flesh is far louder than any of the words traded by the siblings, and it leaves Piper nursing her hand and Morgan in a state of stunned confusion. The slap had scattered his thoughts, and likewise dissapated the energy that had been gathering around him in his anger. Collecting himself, the warlock levels his icy gaze on his sister for a second before pushing past her to head for the table laden with food and drinks. An odd tremor causes him to stumble and look around in confusion for a moment as he walks, but does not stop his progress. Looking at the food without really being hungry, he mulls over his sister's words of caution. While he still wanted to enjoy himself, he decided that he should perhaps guard his heart and his tongue more around Kiara.

Still rooted to her place by the wall, Piper watches her brother's retreating form. He was here to grow as a warlock and refine his control over his innate power, but she considered the possibility that the Academy was meant for more than that. After all, she had gotten into more than her fair share of trouble during her stay.

Kiara looked up at her father with pleading eyes. Cynbel was unseelie as well and, as such, a slave to his love for troublemaking, and the tone he used oozed trouble. Upon looking at his daughter and her adorable puppydog eyes, he caved. "As you wish, Princess.” Kiki’s eyes widened and scanned the immediate area, hoping nobody heard that. Technically, being the great granddaughter of the Queen did make her a Princess, but Moriganne had reigned for nearly a millennia, and that wasn’t looking to change anytime soon.

“But, I’m afraid that means we must cut this dance short, as said admirer is coming this way.” Cynbel held her hand and spun Kiara out of their embrace. They were the most graceful dancers on the entire floor and had gained several onlookers over time. Kiara responded to the spin with a dip, arching her back as she extended her right arm back in a pretty straight line before being pulled back towards her father. “I must be going soon, anyway. But, before I do, I need to apologize for something.” There was a steely seriousness in the war chief’s eyes that made Kiara feel uncomfortable. "I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. I was and continue to be a terrible father.” he admitted in a whisper. It wasn’t like him to show any emotion besides those found in war and battle, and the grief of losing his mate.

Kiara reached a pale scrawny hand up to his cheek. “It’s okay.” It wasn’t. “You were just following the code: Passion before duty. War is your passion and I am just...” her voice caught in her throat as she tried to hide the hurt in her eyes. “I will grow and learn here, and prove myself worthy of passion, not duty.”

Cynbel kissed her forehead once more. Kiara closed her eyes, hoping to hold back tears, while Cynbel’s eyes locked with the dragon’s over her head. In one look, Cynbel passed judgement, reluctant approval, and an underlying threat, before returning his attention to his daughter. “You already are.” he said and stroked her cheek softly before turning to walk away. It felt like the ground was shaking, but maybe that was just the feeling of her heart breaking. Again. Kiara looked after him, his gossamer cape billowing out from his armor, adorned with the royal crest of the Unseelie fae. So much for trying to keep a low profile…

“Hello Kiara have we been enjoying the festivities?” Suleykaar’s voice brought her back to the present. Shit. She had approximately three milliseconds to compose herself and hide any signs of weakness from the dragon before turning to face him. “Let’s see…” she began with a dark grin. “I stole a kiss and I danced with two of the most handsome men in the room so far. I’d say that’s a pretty good start.” She took a step towards him and crossed her arms behind her back coyly. “Have you come to me to make it better, or worse?” she asked in a sultry voice, her eyes the same shade of red that dancing with Morgan had brought out earlier.

Lyla rushed through the halls, the hem of her yellow dress swishing againt her knees. She had overslept yet again, and was now going to be dreadfully late to the ball. This didn't bother her overly much, as she had no known family to look forward to seeing, but she had gone to bed earlier in the day planning to be up and prepared for the evening.

So much for that... she thought, her small bare feet sliding over floor rather than taking normal strides. She could hear the partygoers up ahead, and it made it hard for her to concentrate on the environment. Rather than relying on her ears alone to guide her, Lyla had extended one wing to trail along the wall. She stumbled more than once, when a tremor made the ground rumble beneath her. Avoiding a complete fall, however, she eventually stands in the doorway of the ballroom.

Everyone already seemed to be talking, dancing, or eating, from what Lyla could hear. Intending to head for the relative safety of the table, she strikes out across the floor with short, careful steps. The myriad sounds around her made it nearly impossible to pick out one in particular, and there were too many surfaces and people for them to reflect off of. This was just another of the rare times in her short life where she was flying completely blind.

All of her caution turned out to be for naught, as Lyla soon found herself walking up against another person's back. Stumbling away a step or two, she flares her wings instinctually for balance.

"So sorry! Just so hard to tell where everyone is..." she says nervously, ears flattening to the top of her head as her cheeks flush. The poor girl didn't even have half a chance at knowing who she had collided with. "I hope I didn't make you spill a drink or anything..."

@Aspen Wren (Lyla walked blindly into Laurel's back.)

Niall

---

Niall chuckled lightly as Shukura but nodded at her before speaking, "I'm not entirely sure why there's a human here but it's with a dragon and smells like it. Nothing I want to be involved in. I'd steer clear, not either of our fathers would be able to get you out of that." He shook his head as he glanced over in the direction of the human. He wasn't quite sure what was going on but he felt the need to leave and when someone as dominant as Niall could be felt like they needed to leave shit was about to get real. He just didn't know why or how. Then he put it together.

"Shukura, Joar, I feel like we probably we will taking cover here very soon. There is a door in the floor just behind the stage. There is a tunnel that goes both back to the portal and one that goes back to the dorms. That human is definitely a part of whatever is about to happen." Niall was deadly serious now, his brow pulled tight as he looked at his old friend and his possible new one. He simply couldn't shake the bad feeling as he looked at the others. "Something is very very wrong."

Then it began.

The ground shook, rattling the tables and causing beautiful crystal glasses to slide off the tables and shatter if they were not being held. Niall was extremely alarmed as he watched and felt the vibrations. His wolf snarled as his eyes swapped, then it stopped. The ground stopped shaking. A wolf always knows when things are not quite over and Niall knew this was definitely not over. Very suddenly a young man ran in, an elf calling for Mrs. Langley. She was head of Defense Operations for the school. This was most definitely not good.

---

Mrs. Langley moved quickly as she stood abruptly, this was obviously quite serious and she looked more fearsome than ever. Her brow was pulled tight as she headed for the ballroom doors. She swept them out of the way ahead of her as she seemed to float in a rather eerie manner across the ballroom, far too fast for a human to have ever moved. She side stepped around the much younger elf. It was a good thing she had decided to wear a pair of dress slacks tonight instead of wearing a dress.

She met the overly tall figure in the hallway, stopping several feet away. "You had best be here as an alumni and in no other function Mister. I will have your neck if you cause any trouble and you know that is more than true." Her voice was not strained as one might have imagined it would be. It was cold and calculated as a true killers would be. She left no room for argument as she looked at the dark figure.

Meanwhile.....

Laurel

---

Laurel's mother had wandered off, hopefully Laurel's threat of ripping her throat out would quell her urges to fight with anyone else. Just as she was fixing to pick up a glass of water off the table she was disturbed rather suddenly by being bumped into by someone. She spun around immediately and grabbed ahold of the girls arm to keep her from falling down. Once she was sure the girl wasn't going to fall she let go of her.

"It's fine, I hadn't quite gotten my drink in my hand just yet." Laurel smiled softly as she looked at the other girl. She seemed kind of younger but she wasn't really sure what year she was in. As she looked carefully at the girl she noticed the tall foxish ears that she had flattened atop her head in apparent embarrassment. 'She must be a Splice,' Laurel thought as she looked at her. As she thought more about what the girl had said she quickly concluded that the girl must be blind or have very poor eyesight which was rather odd for a bat cross of any sort. Bats had excellent eyesight in daylight but it was poorer at night which was why they had echo location.

“Let’s see…” she began with a dark grin. An eyebrow of his rose as she began. “I stole a kiss and I danced with two of the most handsome men in the room so far. I’d say that’s a pretty good start.” Sulley let out a short laugh followed by a snort of flames before he looked over at Anders and nodded, signaling him that he didn't need him at the moment. "As you wish, Suls." He gave Kiara a noble bow and a simple nod to Sulley before moving off towards a group of students. Sulley looked over towards the area where his human friend had moved to and gave the people that way a look filled with killer intent before looking back at Kiara with a smile on her face. "Well I had a delightful conversation with Sekhemt reincarnate and finally had a chance to try some human food. A thing called "pizza" so I definitely say that I'm enjoying myself so far." She took a step towards him and crossed her arms behind her back coyly. “Have you come to me to make it better, or worse?” she asked in a sultry voice, her eyes the same shade of red that dancing with Morgan had brought out earlier. He slowly dipped his head to the side with a raised eyebrow, a light smirk on his face before returning it to a stoic position.

"I could always make it worse." He chuckled. He looked at her for a couple seconds before he sighed and looked around at the partygoers. "Emotions. Such a destructive thing they are. Anger, sadness, fear; they all cloud judgment and impede progress. All it takes is one wrong emotion to show itself it can cost someone dearly. That's why us dragons toss those frivolous things away." His sphalerite like eyes met her own red ones. "It's rare almost mythical for a dragon to show any emotions. Emotions show weakness and weakness kills dragons..." He smirked. "But I'm unlike most dragons. I retained my emotions. The only reason you have not fed off of them is due to how well I can hide and suppress them." A small smile appeared on his face.

Do you know what else clouds judgement? Family. What happens when one loses say, a Brother? Sister? Mother? Father? Emotions take over and harsh decisions spawn from these things." He sighed again and looked over at Anders. "It was stupid of me to have ever saved him. But at the same time I'm glad I did. Even if I don't see him too often. Mostly when I need him and I hardly ever do." He looked back at her with a genuine smile. "The point is, no matter how painful it may be, you do have family. Even if you hardly see them. Something that I......" He stopped himself and snorted out a puff of smoke. Sulley turned and begun to walk away until he remembered what Anders had said. "Suls, from the way you two were interacting I wouldn't be opposed to the idea that you like her. He stopped and lowered his head. 'Damn human.' He turned back to Kiara and gave a determined look as he briskly walked up to her and took her by the arm and spun her, releasing her hands from behind her back as he grabbed hold of her hand brought her onto the dance floor in one fluent motion with only three words muttered to her: "Come with me.".



Anders made his way through the crowd of students, staff and family in order to get to where the refreshments were. He was getting a few looks but to him that wasn't to surprising considering he might be the only human in the school at the moment and to add to that he was with "The" dragon. Suley had made a mark on a few of the students thanks to his natural affinity with magic and a few other subjects but it was the aura that he had which helped added to his image. Not to mention the ties he had gained. Kiara of the Unseelie court for example among many others. Anders however never let his guard down the entire time he was here at the ball. There were all sorts of races and species here and any of them had the potential to cause him harm, even if they were only students. As he approached he gave a polite nod to the guys as gave a bright smile to the lady. Not one that Sulley would fake but a genuine all-human smile. "It's a pleasure and honor to meet you all. I am Felix Andersen, son of Sven of Kalmar and friend of Suleykaar. Have you all been enjoying the ball?" He was subtle in his movements but Anders was sizing them all up, a precautionary measure that was second nature to him. "Also I have a question if you do not mind me asking. Since most if not all of you seem to take on a humanoid form, my I ask what race you all are actually? I do enjoy learning about different species and their cultures. Anders would give time for the group to respond before he would draw his attention back to Suley and Kiara after he made himself something to drink. "The funny thing is Sulley is quite a gentleman if you can get passed that abrasive rough edge of his. If it wasn't for him I may not be here speaking to you all." He would wait for another response as he watched Sulley and through his peripheral vision the group he stood next to. "I'll bet you 15 pieces of gold that Sulley will make the first move." He said rhetorically.



The figure looked down upon the vampire with macabre eyes and a low growl. His stance showed nothing but raw power and his aura, which was a visible heat wave, only added to the intimidation factor. His eyes pierced into her own with the same amount if not more conviction than her own. He radiated killer intent but in such a controlled manner it was chilling. A low but heavy growl was the answer to her question as he moved forward to the ball room.


(A/N: PLAY THIS THING)

A circle was made as the dragon and faerie took the stage to a classical track. As soon as he entered he brought her towards him with elegance and grace that only few could manage. Mostly those who knew and danced professionally to ballroom dancing would see the precision that he used. A hand on her waist and his other interlocked with hers. 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, half turn, twirl, 1, 2, 3, twirl, twirl half turn His eyes focused on her own as he held his usual smile. Slowly his wings would manifest and his movements would quicken and become more fluent and precise. The sound of his wing's material gave a muffled sound with each turn, similar to that of a flag blowing in the wind. "Your pretty good, for a faerie hmhmhmhm." He gave a muffled chuckle as he twirled her around before bringing her close into him for another turn going the opposite way. There was a bit of silence on his end before he decided to speak up again, this time however he felt a strange feeling that silenced him, causing him to show a look of confusion. 'What is this feeling? Is there something wrong? No...No nothing is wrong. Is this her?' He looked away for a minute and then looked back at her. It's not her? Is this.... His eyes scanned her own. He knew it wasn't her because he knew the feeling of lust would rise in him but that's not what this was. No.. He took in a breath and went to say something before his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to comprehend. "... K-Kiara. What is this feeling? Is this your doing?" He asked with almost with an accusatory tone. This feeling went on for a moment longer until the song ended which was rewarded with a round of applause, some whistling and whatnot as he stood there holding her. In the pit of his stomach he felt light, as if he could fly away. He licked his lips and bit on his bottom lip with no teeth showing but a furrowed brow before he instinctively began to lean into her. Inch by inch as he tried to either ask her or tell her something. Just before their lips touched a tall figure had immediately broken the moment as his eyes went wide and instinctively moved her behind him. Sulley, the one who never showed emotions had just shown two in the past 30 seconds love.....And fear.

He took a trembling breath as he said "Y-you..."

The figure gave a menacing smile. Hello..........

At the table, Morgan picked up a glas of water and sipped at it. He remained apart from the conversations around him, trying to sort out his emotions. He was sure there was more to his desire for Kiara than her supernatural influence, but Piper's words had given him cause for doubt. On some level, it was true that he didn't care if she was just using him for fun. In reality he was only doing the same thing, using her as an outlet for all the feelings he had found impossible within the coven. It just happened to benefit her more, and be a dangerous game for him. Besides that, the risk was exciting.

Finally coming to something of a decision, Morgan pulls himself out of his thoughts. Turning to the floor, he spots Suley and Kiara in the middle of their dance. He wasn't particularly surprised that she would want to dance with him, but jealousy burned in his chest regardless. The warlock wanted to turn away, but found himself rooted to the spot for some reason. The longer than dance progressed, the more his fingernails dug into the palm of his bare hand. As Sulley leaned in towards Kiara, Morgan's occupied hand suddenly grew cold and he gritted his teeth. It wasn't until after the dragon turned to regard the intimidating figure that had just entered that the warlock saw that he had accidentally frozen his glass of water. His hands shook when he returned the glass to the table, not wanting to drop it while he observed the scene in the center of the room.

---

Even though the help wasn't really needed, Lyla was glad that the other student caught her arms. She had been born essentially unable to see, and even the artificial light inside burned her eyes to some degree. Without her glasses she was bound to end up with a headache, but she always felt odd wearing them. If it got too bad she could always just hold her eyes closed, but that tended to put people off more.

"Thanks," Lyla said with a small smile. "I haven't really had the chance to meet anyone yet. Had to adjust my sleep schedule a bit for class and all. I'm Lyla, it's my first year here," she shared, clasping her hands behind her back as the music swelled. She could hear the steps of the dancers behind her, and she wished she could join them. It was likely she would just end up embarassing herself though, considering that she couldn't avoid running into people when she was only walking.

As she thought about this, a voice filled with menace rose above every other noise in the room, causing Lyla to turn her head towards it.

"Dont we all know the kind of trouble we need a father's help sortingout? But do you often get in that kind of trouble Shukura as Niall is fast to point it out?" He said with a friendly laugh and ate a bit more from what he had put on his plate. Joar was starting to feel at ease now, which he had not thought would happen until after the ceremony and he had left this room. But oh how quick things could change, when Niall spoke about a door behind the stage did Joar tense as he looked towards it. What could possibly be so bad that they would have to escape through tunnels? A second later everything shook and the change in his new friend Niall had become obvious. Without thinking Joar had begun to change too, his clothes looked like they where a couple of sizes to small and he had increased in height, now being the same height as Niall.

The feeling of dread and alarm did not leave him as the shaking stopped, his eyes scanned the crowd and sensing the wolf tense beside him as a young elf spoke to a woman Joar took as a part of the higher staff of the college, only reinforced his sense of danger. Suddenly his eyes caught the human approaching and he took a deep breath between clenched teeth. This would only make it worse, why would he be pulled into danger on the first day? Still he looked at Anders with a genuine smile as he had not done them anything wrong. Listening carefully Joar was taken by surprise that the human where from the same country as him. That made him feel a bit more relaxed and stopped his changing for now. Should he tell the human what he was or should he keep quiet? Then he made up his mind and shook his head. What harm could it do, Anders obviously knew about most races here.
"My name is Joar and my home is a bit further north then Kalmar. Which is a nice city I must say. I am a shape-shifter. But what my friends are the will have to tell you themselves if they want to." 

Then it all went to hel, as the tall figure entered the room Joar registered the rise in temperature, his every piece of hair felt like it was standing up, that was how much of danger and dominance he felt from the figure. Still Joar guessed that whoever it was did hide much of his dominance, Joars animalside had picked up on it. His body began to change again, his face being pulled out into a more canine jaw, as he kept growing in size and height his clothes tore into bits falling to the floor, the nice shoes split and disappear under his paws. As this happened his body quickly covered itself in a thick coat of brown fur. The plate he had help split in his grip and fell to the floor with a crack. In just a few seconds there on it's hind legs stood now a huge bear looking at the newcomer growling low but not making any other move. Joar did not want to get any closer to that man and it took him a moment to realize he had changed as he shook of the last pieces of fabric from his fur covered body.

@Mugin @aspen wren @fallentrinity

Shukura

Shukura chuckled at Niall's caution. He even told them about the hidden door, but the only reason that caught her attention was because she had never known about it.

"I'll keep that in mind, but you of all people should know I'm not some scared little girl, but I won't play with him yet." She said witha smirk.

After taking a bite put of her food she giggled at Joar's comment. She had a nack for getting in trouble sometimes, simply because when she sees somethings she wants she tries to go and get it. By now she had a nostalgic look in her eyes, remembering all the times she had "gotten what she wanted", but at a price of course. Then she looked at Joar and shrugged with another smile before speaking.

"You see Joar, I'm not a trouble maker, I just have a big mouth. I am not one to sugarcoat things and some people just can't handle the truth." She said to him then looked at Niall with a knowing look.

[color=f49ac2]"See the reason I hang out with men more than I do women is simple, men can handle the truth. Women are sensitive creatures by nature and if the truth is not how we envisioned, then it just isn't true, and there in lies my dilemma. Niall can tell you there have been numerous times when I have "shared" the truth with some of the...girls, on campus and they didn't quiet agree with it. Even one time ending in a fight, but lets not talk about that, its history too." She said this with a look in her eye, one of mixed emotions.

When she opened her mouth to continue the ground shook violently. Immediately her vampirc senses took over and she could feel the whole room. When the shaking stopped, their little corner had drastically changed atmospheres, one minute it was shits and giggles the next they were on emergency alert. Niall looked like some overly powerful body ready to jump out his skin and rip a throat out, while Joar was faring no better. The boy had already started to change, even going so far as to stretch his clothing.

"Now gentlemen I can sense it too but for now we wait there is no present danger. And might I add, this is no way to show a lady you are happy to see her, I am content with the normal blush of the cheeks and the flirtatious nature, no need to come out of your clothes." She said with a playful smile while gesturing towards Joar.

Her attempt to bring the humor back did not last long. She caught the scent of the human. Shu had thought him and the dragon were far away but he was getting closer to their table. This was not good, if the temperature was not already below zero it was now. The inner huntress had awoken within Shukura, and she was looking at him like he was a bag of meat. But before any problmes could arise she put on a genuine smile, to match his, when he introduced himself. Felix Andersen, son of Sven of Kalmar and friend of Suleykaar, that was quite the introduction, and the armor only added to it, he was a handsome young man. But that still did not answer the question as to why he was here, but she was sure Niall would get to the bottom of it. Shu on the other hand would indulge Felix.

"Well my name is Shukura, its a pleasure to meet you Felix. The ball has been interesting to say the least." She said with a smile.

"But a word of advice for the future, asking woman what species she is kind of on the same plane as asking how much she weighs or how old she is, you get my drift." She said said, while trying to convey her playfulness. She was always lile that on first meetings, playful and friendly.

When he began speaking of Suleykaar, and how he was the reason Felix was there, Shu wondered why he would ruffle the feathers of everyone here? The was sort of a summary or preface to what to expect out of the entire year, and so far she was seeing great things in the future. She responded to both of his comments.

"Oh really, well that's interesting. Well I have only met him once or twice before, and he did have a confident air about him so I think he will too."

She noticed the dragon dancing with Kiara on the floor and he was about to kiss her, that was until a entity of power broke not only thier moment but the new found peace in this corner. Whoever he was he gave Shu chills and he nothing better for the rest of them. Joar even shifted into a bear and dropped his plate on the ground almost gettin food on her dress. She looked at him with wide eyes and turned around to pour herself a glass of wine. This was her way of shower she was worried, she then looked at Niall.

"Well this night is going to shit. Niall that back door you mentioned earlier sounds good right about now, especially for our brown friend here." She said while gesturing to the bear.

"Oh Joar, you shifting is not a problem, but you almost getting food on my dress is. Now don't shift back, hate to have you running around in your birthday suit. Nice fur though soft and cuddly, you have to tell me, what you use later on. Ummmm...Niall don't you have to deal wi the loss of clothing all the time got any spares laying around." She said all that while petting the bear, and scratching him, behind the ears. It was not easing her nevers at all, she was trying to help Joar. Two dragons in one room turned the tension to butter.

"Hey Felix, mind shedding some light on the situation.

@Aspen Wren @FallenTrinity @StoneWolf

Sulleykar sent Anders away with nothing but a nod. Being the perfect gentleman he seemed to be, Anders bowed to her. Kiara couldn’t help but notice that he smelled strange, earlier she had pegged him for a dragon, but now she couldn’t be sure. Sulley spoke up, explaining how his night had gone so far and that he had tried a human food called ‘pizza’. Interestesting, so he wasn’t natively from the human realm either, then?
“I could always make it worse.” he had replied to her question. Kiara smirked, ‘worse’ for most people could still be considered ‘better’ by a faerie such as herself. The whole place could burst into flames, or be invaded by a group of bloodthirsty raiders, and Kiara would still rate it at five stars for being ‘entertaining’. Let us not forget that pain and fear are also delicious emotions to sustain yourself with. Speaking of emotions, something must have loosened the dragon’s lips because, for the first time since KiKi had met him, he started revealing things about himself. Kiara listened and watched him intently as he spoke, her arms still crossed behind her back.

“...I retained my emotions. The only reason you have not fed off of them is due to how well I can hide and suppress them.” he said. Kiara feigned a frown for a moment “Are you admitting to knowingly starving a poor, malnourished faerie?” she held out a bony arm for emphasis. Her gaunt frame was actually not part of her glamour; Since she hadn’t been to the human realm yet, Kiara had never felt sated by the emotions she fed off of. The humans that were trapped in the court weren’t the same as unsuspecting mortals, they didn’t feel quite as strongly anymore. “That doesn’t matter, though. I will catch you off guard someday, and then I’ll get to taste all the strength that a dragon feels with.” the smirk returned to her face, replacing the false pout she previously wore.

First he talked about emotions, and then he moved onto family. He sighed and looked over at Anders, “It was stupid of me to have ever saved him. But at the same time I’m glad I did…” Kiara’s eyes followed Sulley’s gaze to Anders and then looked back at Sulleykar. “Saved him? But, what kind of dragon needs saving?” she lowered her voice as if her next question was a big taboo, “Is he weak?” Sulley continued to explain his issues with family until he abruptly stopped and snorted out a puff of smoke before turning to walk away. Disappointed, Kiara wore a genuine frown now, she wasn’t a girl who was used to being turned down, and she did not like the feeling. As if reading her mind, the dragon turned around, took her by the arm, and spun her hands free to grasp. “Come with me.” he said as he pulled her towards the dancefloor.

So much for playing the coy game of cat and mouse. Kiara had become fond of the chase, but here was a grand opportunity that she wouldn’t throw away. Dancers had cleared out a circle for Sulley and herself as they danced to a classical track. For once in her life, Kiara felt the eyes of every person looking at her, and she even felt… embarrassed? The precision of the dragon’s steps were enough to distract her from her own thoughts, though. Kiara was hyper-aware of the way his hand felt on her waist while her own was perched on his shoulder. 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, half turn, twirl. The light’s in the room skittered across her eyes as he spun her around. Between the extravagance of the room, and the dance itself, this moment was magical, and Kiara felt spellbound. “You’re pretty good, for a faerie” he chuckled before twirling her once again. She felt like the pretty little dancer in the music box that her guardians had brought to her from the human realm. “And you’re quite graceful, for a big brute.” she teased, calling him the same thing that she had after he had held her up by her throat at the feast. Silence fell between them as they danced. Sulley was feeling some emotion and not bothering to hide it from her, but it wasn’t one that she really recognized, and then he spoke up once more. “K-Kiara. What is this feeling? Is this your doing?” he asked with an almost accusatory tone. “What? N-no. My faerie charm only really works on humans, and even then…” she blushed and looked down a little “I’m not very good with my magick yet.”

They finished the dance in silence once more. People clapped and whistled and, without even thinking, Kiara instinctively curtsied before her audience as she would back home. She turned to look back at her dancing partner. The magick of the moment was still there, and Kiara felt like she was floating. It was then that she noticed that his wings were out too. Kiara tucked her own wings together as she looked up at him. He licked his lips and bit on his bottom lip with no teeth showing but a furrowed brow before leaning into her. Like most small animals, faeries had high body temperatures and very fast heart rates, especially if they were flying; and inn that moment, Kiara's heart was fluttering so fast she thought it might burst straight through her chest. Their lips were millimeters apart and Kiara could smell smoke, as if she were holding her nose directly above a flame. She closed her eyes and waited, but the moment never came. Instead, she was pushed behind Sulley as he stared at some tall stranger. And then she smelled it, fear, Sulley’s fear. It was a mouth-watering aroma ,and Kiara struggled not to be drawn to it like a moth to a flame. She tried focusing on the stranger instead because, what in all the realms could make a dragon feel fear?

The war chief didn’t raise a weak daughter, and her mother’s hot-headedness boiled in Kiara’s own blood, so she stepped out from behind Sulleykar, standing by his side now. Her eyes had gone from red to straight black and her hair floated off of her shoulders as magick radiated from within her. The main reason she had come to this school was to try to control her magick. Like her mother, Kiara was thought to possess strong elemental magick that was closely tied to her emotions. It mimicked nature itself: wild, unpredictable, and most of all, hard to control. Whoever this stranger that Sulley feared was, he had somehow managed to make this night worse, and Kiara wasn’t about to forgive that...

He looked next to him to find that the recently introduced Joar had turned into a bear which he shrugged off with ease. He was used to people changing forms and shapes and sizes. This wasn't particularly frightening but Anders knew to watch both sides just in case. The other taller one seemed to hold back and the young looking Shu had eyes on him, asking for some information about the newcomer. Anders looked at her before his right thumb flicked his interesting looking blade out of its locked position, ready to be unsheathed and brought against flesh in a moments notice. He then turned back to the tall figure. "I never thought I would see that wretched wyrm again. Not so soon at least. That's Zhar'Ryk, Sulley's older brother. I have a scar that runs across my torso now because of him." He stood there for a moment before he glanced over at her and then back towards Zhar'Ryk. "The two of them were apart of this group of dragons known only as the Children of Tiamat. I don't know if you have heard of them but they are fairly well known in the realms I've been in with Sulley. He broke away from them for some reason but to be honest that is all I know." He then placed his hand on the hilt of the blade and lowered himself into a defensive stance as a precaution.



It was easy enough to say that the ball had an abrupt stop thanks to the dragon's older brother. Eyes and ears were now on the dance floor and its inhabitants. It wasn't a moment into the chaos did Sulley feel Kiara move out from behind him and stood firm directly next to him. Enternally, he smiled and smirked. He loved a strong, fearless woman but at the same time he cussed her out. 'You goddamn fool, you don't know who your dealing with, I do. Your going to get yourself killed.'.Then a moment later her hair began to stand on end. Was it fear? No. The air had thickened with this feeling and Sulley was familiar with it. Magic. He sighed as he gave his brother a hard stare. "What are you doing here." His brother frowned before cocking his head to the side with an smile that could send chills down anyone's body.

"That's no way to greet your brother after 300 years is it? I thought you knew better than that. Or did your manners disappear like you did from our brothers and sisters?" Sulley took in a breath and smiled or what could barely pass for one. However, Zhar'Ryk knew his brother well enough to know when he was putting up a façade.

"Zhar'Ryk my dear brother. It's been so long since we last talked. How have yo-" He was cut short as he felt the clawed hand of his brother's around his neck. The breath was taken from Sulley as he grabbed onto his brother's hand. A deep growl from Zhar'Ryk followed with "Don't you DARE patronize me. I am not some little werewolf or faerie you can puppet. You know exactly what I'm talking about. I wonder, how long will it take before you tire of her before you cast her aside while you wait for the next victim for manipulation?" He released Sulley as stumbled back and gasped for air. "I-I would never." He managed to gruff out. Zhar'Ryk's eyes then darted over to the faerie that was in front of him. His gaze studied her and pierced through her with bone-chilling precision as he released a little more of that killer intent he oh-so wanted to release. He could smell the anger in her and he could sense the air around her had changed. It became heavier, as air does when it becomes magically charged, something he had picked up from Sulley. His gaze turned more predatorily as his fangs etched its way into vision thanks to the large grin he adorned. "Oh? You must be Kiara of the Unseelie court. Daughter of Cynbel and great grand daughter of Queen Morrigan. What an honor to meet a...faerie of such nobility." His eyes locked onto hers. Sulley let out a low growl as he looked over at Kiara with pleading eyes that only said one thing, "Please don't" His brother took a step towards Kiara as he looked down at her. Suley immediately shot his hand out as a ripple in the air came in between both Zhar'Ryk and Kiara. Zhar'Ryk grinned as he glanced over at his brother before bringing his attention back to the faerie in front of him. Suley and his magic, oh how amusing. spoke in what sounded in a low voice tainted with a cold edge. "You are brave little faerie, but you shouldn't attempt something so brash with me. I'd tear the flesh from your bones, slowly and methodically just to here the sweet sounds of agony coming from such a cute little specimen such as yourself and after words I'd be sure to thank your father for the delicious meal. And if you think that your father would have even the slimmest of chances you should think again. We have certain pawns in the right places." Zhar'Ryk brought his hand up to the barrier. It was barely visible and no longer had it's outer aura showing. Sulley had made progress. He placed his claw on it, the tips of each claw begun to press against it as he flt it begin to give way. Once his claw was halfway through, he gripped onto it and yanked downwards, shattering it completely. "It would be a shame if you returned to the court to only find corpses of those beloved." Sulley's growling intensified.

"You wouldn't-"

"Oh but I would dear brother. Dovahro viing priidah yaav pah suleyksejun zeymah uv lost hi vodahmin? By the way Suleykaar. Have you even told her who you really are?"

That question caused Suley to slowly stiffen. His head dipped back slightly and to the side, as if trying to retain whatever pride remained.



He watched intently as the conversation began and it wasn't until Sulley ha a claw around his throat did Anders unsheathe his long sword in one quick and fluent motion. If one knew swordplay, they would be able to tell by his stance and the way he withdrew his blade that he was very familiar with it and had experience in using it, specifically in combat. Felix turned to Shukura. "M'lady I suggest you take those two out of here in case this gets any worse than what it already is."

@Silent Observer@Mugin@StoneWolf@Aspen Wren

---

Laurel nodded at the girl briefly, "I understand, my family has several nocturnal clients. It must be tough," She commented as she looked at the others around her. It didn't take a genius to feel the tension building in the room but her felines senses made it all the more palpable. "There is something about to throw you off balance probably. It isn't anything to worry about." She notified the other girl just before the ground quaked beneath their feet. She could feel the vibrations in her feet even before the full quake reached them. It was a benefit of having ultra sensitive everything.

She looked about quickly and found that Suley was at the root of all of this commotion. A large figure had just entered the room and confronted the other dragon. This seemed like it was going to be interesting to say the very least. Laurel moved easily as she stood before the girl, Lyla. "My name is Laurel, it's lovely to meet you Lyla. We are a bit close to the action currently so it would probably be a good idea for us to move a bit away. If you want you can follow me to a table and we can sit down for a bit till things settle down." Laurel glanced behind her at the dragons having a bit of a chat.

There was one flaw in that statement, Laurel knew from experience that dragons did not simply have a chat. They argued and threatened and various other aggressive types of conversing but they absolutely never simply chatted. Even when the beasts were perfectly placid they were always up to something and had an agenda. Her father had taught her that at a young age. Her father made sure that she knew that you should never owe anyone anything. That always landing you in trouble and in debt.

She moved easily, as silently as she always did as she moved several feet towards a table that was currently empty. Many people had bailed from the ballroom at the appearance of this new figure. She heard a name from across the room, Zhar'Ryk. Apparently he was Suley's older brother. Dragon siblings never seemed to get along. It was probably why they could never rule the world because they had the curse of greed, the same curse that plagued mankind.

"Would you like anything to drink Lyla?" Laurel questioned as she looked at the other girl.

Niall

---

Looking around at the situation Niall nodded at Shukura. He chuckled a bit a Joar shifting, "Got a smaller form?" He didn't know if the bear would fit through the escape hatch. His father had taught him long ago to control his shift, it was his duty as heir to be in control at all times. There was no excuse for anything but full control of himself and his wolf. Even dragons were not a viable excuse.

Niall's wolf was aware and awake as always but he was as close to the surface as it could be without exposing itself. He looked carefully at the human, Felix Anders, as he stood. "I am Niall Collins, son of Vincent and Emelia Collins, Alpha Pair to the North American Pack. Sorry to leave so soon but we are going to start our own party. We can go up to my room." He didn't shake the man's hand as it wasn't common practice in Lycan culture to shake hands. It could easily turn into a fight between adult males if one shook too hard or too aggressively. Fights were frequent among his people but it was socially acceptable and rarely caused more than minor injuries unless it was a direct challenge of authority or rank. The speed of their healing made for light work of anything short of major organ damage or death.

Moving easily he selected his path carefully. He wove between tables, sliding his large hands along the edge as he moved. His broad shoulders and muscles rippled and rolled beneath his tanned skin. He'd taken his jacket off and even the white dress shirt that was long sleeved failed to hide the massive bands of muscles that covered his tall frame. "It's just over here," He gestured to the floor just ahead of them by the stage. He touched the flooring briefly as he squatted down, crouching as he waited. Niall was just as patient as always and after several seemingly long moments he pulled his hand away and whispered several words in tongues and a handle appeared on the floor where his hand had just been. He pulled the hatch up and he looked back, making sure they were hidden by the curtain.

"All in, take the first left and it will take you back to the male dorm.

Lyla Warren

"What?" Lyla managed to get out before the ground shook again. She kept her footing this time, but couldn't help stumbling again and throwing her wings wide. "Thanks again."

Nodding when Laurel mentions getting away from the action, Lyla flicks her ears towards the center of the room and the commotion there. Just the voices involved had her intimidated, and she was thankful to get as far away from that as she could get. Waiting for a few moments, she listens carefully for the sound of footsteps moving away. No such noise comes, and for a moment she panics at the thought of having been left behind. Laurel's voice catches her attention from a few feet away though, and she moves to follow.

"Sure, whatever is available," Lyla replies, mostly wanting something to do with her hands. "What is going on, exactly? I mean, I get that they're brothers, but I don't know that much about dragons. This is supposed to be fun, why does he have to be like that?" she asked, stopping short of where she had heard Laurel's voice. What she said about being ignorant of dragons was true, but it was mostly that she lacked knowledge about other cryptids in general. Until fairly recently, she had lived a fairly sheltered life in the lab in which she had been spliced.

@Aspen Wren

---

Watching the two dragons go at it, Morgan noted the many other making their way toward the door. It seemed like a good idea to him, but he didn't really want to leave Kiara alone in the middle of it. Then again, he didn't want to involve himself either. Suley was his roommate, and that was the last direction he wanted hostility coming from. Deciding that she would have to deal with the dangers of dancing with dragons, he looked for his own escape. That was when he noticed what appeared to be a bear leaving the very table he was leaning against, accompanied by a couple others. With a shrug, he got up to follow them.

When the group moved over near the stage, he moved behind them. He hadn't been seen, but sure would be very shortly. The appearance of a secret door didn't really surprise him that much. A school with this many beings capable of magic would certainly have a few tricks up its sleeve. The one who led the small group looked back as Morgan fully entered the area behind the curtain, and he decided it was a good a time as any to speak up.

"Mind if I join you? Sorry for intruding, but I'd rather be rude here than dead over there," he explains, gesturing towards the center of the floor.

@Aspen Wren@Mugin@StoneWolf

“What are you doing here?” Suley demanded of the other dragon. Kiara was unaware of the magick radiating from her, as her powers had yet to truly manifest themselves, but, in that moment, she did feel powerful. And angry. Kiki glared daggers at Zhar’Ryk, her nostrils flaring like a petulant child whose ice cream cone just got taken away.

“That’s no way to greet your brother after 300 years is it?” The stranger asked and Kiki didn’t bother to hide her shock when her mouth fell agape. Brother? 300 years? Kiara looked over to Suleykar as if for confirmation… how old was he, anyway? He hardly ever talked about himself, except for in those moments before he took her to the dancefloor. Dancing… yes, that was so lovely until -- Kiara’s blackened eyes once again glared at Zhar’Ryk -- he ruined it.

It seemed as though anger wasn’t only flowing through Kiara, because it was rolling off of Zhar’Ryk in waves as he ranted at his brother. And Suley claimed dragons were good at suppressing their emotions... The air around Kiara took on a shimmer as she drank in the sustenance of the negative emotions around her with an innocent smile on her face. Only then did the dragon pay her any mind. Zhar’Ryk flashed her a menacing fang-toothed grin before addressing her.

“Oh? You must be Kiara of the Unseelie Court. Daughter of Cynbel and great granddaughter of Queen Morrigan. What an honor to meet a… faerie of such nobility.” Zhar’Ryk said and locked eyes with her. Well, that secret was short-lived. Had she ever really hoped to keep it, anyway? People will always gossip… Kiara handled the situation with grace, however, keeping her face straight despite her surprise at his knowledge.

“Pfft, honor?” Kiara asked with an incredulous chortle, “Honor is a lie.” The recitation came as easy as a breathing, the code was like the Court’s own heartbeat. Zhar’Ryk took a step towards Kiara and Suley pleaded with him, throwing up some barrier between them. It was a nice enough gesture, but the fey are proud creatures and, as such, Kiara never wanted to feel like she needed protection. She might not yet know the taste of battle, but she sure as hell would go down swinging if it came to a fight.

“You are a brave little faerie…” Zhar’Ryk began his monologue as, apparently, dragons were known to do. Faeries aren’t the only proud supernaturals, so it seems. Suley stiffened beside her. Zhar’Ryk’s words were meant to be a threat but Kiara always loved a good verbal sparring match, and it was her turn to monologue.

“Pawns, hmm?” she asked with an eerily civil smile and a twinkle in her dark eyes. “You cannot hope to pull the wool over the eyes of a faerie. We who cannot tell lies are oh-so-talented at detecting them. Your threats are hollow. There is no bad blood between our kin; no reason to break such a rewarding alliance. We want the same things: chaos, bloodshed, to please our Dark Queen -- different though their names may be -- and to take down the proud Children of Bahamut who fight beside the Seelie.” Kiara matched his step towards her with an advance of her own, crossing her arms behind her back once more.

“You won’t be tearing my flesh at all… but you will be apologizing for your rudeness. You interrupted a very lovely moment and then, apparently knowing full well who I am, greeted me without so much as a bow. Tisk tisk.” Kiara looked up at him haughtily over the bridge of her nose and then smiled at the obviously uncomfortable Suleykar. “And what of who he really is?” she asked Zhar'ryk. “Do you expect a member of the Shadow Court to be afraid of the dark?” Kiara punctuated the sentence with a spell of her tinkling laughter. Her anger was subsiding almost as quickly as it had come, as harsh and sudden as a summer storm, only to be followed by a rainbow.

“This is completely your fault!” A black garment was thrown behind a hunched over figure, two pairs of eyes following its arc through the half lit room before it joined a similar pile of crumpled clothing in the middle. The pair of pure black eyes tossed his head, making a disgruntled whinny. The person hunched over huffed, their shoulders rocking with the motion.

“Because you didn’t tell me how late it was last night, so we got home late, so I slept all day and never unpacked!” Another whinny, and this time the person hunched over stood up and whirled around, another long piece of fabric in her hand that was now placed upon her hips. She glared at the great beast occupying the other half of the room – though the face giving the glare wasn’t on top of her neck.

“You know I can’t ignore the call, and yeah, I could’ve unpacked earlier in the week – and I could’ve held off seeing the grounds with you too!” The great shire horse merely rolled his eyes unnaturally, and promptly turned his face away from the headless girl – and the head glaring at him from on top of the dresser. Underneath him the bed creaked alarmingly from his weight, and Claire only glared harder at her companion – well, as hard as one can glare with a grin on their face.

“Oh don’t be like that, I still need help finding… this?” Claire stared at her hand, jutting in the air as she pointed accusingly at Thanatos – or more specifically the blue cloth curled in her fingers. It was the latest item to be yanked out of her suitcase. On the bed Thanatos nickered in amusement.

“Har har, laugh it up you ham.” As though to say he would Thanatos just nodded his head up, making further noises towards his rider. Claire huffed and immediately started pulling the dress on, a simple dark piece the color of a late night’s sky. With no sleeves to adjust Claire just made sure the dress was down, though it felt tight against her waist and hips. Luckily the slit along the dress’ side, following the fabric to the floor, gave her legs some breathing room.

Of course the most important part wasn’t how it looked, though making a first impression was always good according to her father. No, the most important part was the high neck of the dress. Claire’s pale fingers wove through her messy brown-orange hair as she lifted her head up from the dresser, carefully aligning her neck. The dark blue smoke that drifted lazily from the openings on either of her severed neck began to curl, meeting each other as Claire finally lowered her head into place. A few pale tendrils wisped from the very obvious straight ‘gash’ that wound around her neck, but that’s what the neck line was for. Well, that and making sure the magic holding her head on had some reinforcement. It was surprisingly easy to lose her head.

“Well Thanatos, how do I look?” As Claire pulled on the neck to keep it in place she turned to her horse, the black beast tilting his head before shaking it. Claire immediately pouted, though Thanatos wasn’t deterred and looked pointedly beside him on the bed. “Yeah, yeah, that was next! It’s not like I go anywhere without it.” She grabbed onto the blue and green plaid material resting against Thantos’ side, quickly working the tartan sash over her shoulder and tying it at the opposite waist with practiced ease.

“Alright, ready to go?” Thanatos made an agreeing chortle, the bed once more creaking as the frame found its weight relieved as the huge horse stood and began to trot to the door of the dorm room. “Oh no, no no no – I can’t bring you like that!” The black horse paused and gave Claire a look, a glare that was much more effective on him than her. Thanatos did not have a smiling problem.

“You’re huge! I doubt anyone else is bringing an animal – well, besides themselves. What do you want me to do, ride in on your back, bust open the doors? … Well, it’d certainly be memorable. No, what I need is a nice, compact little companion.” Thanatos tossed his head up once more, stomping his hooves and shaking his head. “Oh it’s not that bad, come here you big baby.”

Less than five minutes later Claire was humming to herself as she practically skipped in her flat evening shoes towards the ball room, a fuzzy stuffed horse tucked into the sash across her chest with just a hint of lipstick mark on his face – Claire put just the basics on. He couldn’t really make an expression like this, but Claire knew Thanatos was pouting. Good, that’s what he got for making her this late.

… Okay, so he was right it was both their faults. Claire couldn’t help it though. When the whispers came for her, called her out into the countryside or through city streets with a desperate urging and a foreign name on her lips she would always come. After all, it was how she first gained Thanatos.

Claire’s musing were cut short as she found herself in front of the doors to the ballroom, mentally preparing herself for meeting all the other creatures in there. Living with her family – a decidedly human family – was nice and all, but didn’t quite prepare one for these situations. At least she had her manners – though her parents might argue if she even had those!

Well, not that it mattered. It seemed no one was even going to spare the little human-scented faerie a glance.

It was almost like a western show down inside the entrance, with tension so thick Claire could probably butter someone’s biscuits with it. It seemed there was a party crasher ruining the mood, to put it lightly. Really how bad could one person be? Though…

Honestly all the aggression, the anger in the hall? It was kind of… intoxicating. Unbidden Claire’s pink tongue darted out to wet her ever grinning lips, the corners of which stretched just that bit closer to splitting her face. Despite, or perhaps because of, the light feeling gathering in her chest urged the exact type of person Claire to come out and not allow this, so without preamble she called out in a cheerful voice.

“Isn’t this supposed to be a ball? Who died?” Hm, is that a bad thing to ask for some species? Eh, it was already out of her mouth. Claire patted the nearby behemoth of a man on the back, grin ever unwavering. “The food can’t be that bad. Ooh, punch.” And just like that Claire was distracted, though hopefully she wouldn’t lose her head in the bowl again.

In her sash Thanatos hoof palmed with one of his stuffed appendages. His mistress was awful at reading situations.

As he had turned he had become slightly taller then 9 feet as he stood on his hind legs. Quickly taking a couple of unsteady steps backwards he had dropped down on all fours now being only 5'1 feet tall at the shoulder. When Shukura spoke to him he looked as surprised as a bear could look and tried speaking back to her but all just came out as different pitched growls and snorts. Then as she started petting and scratching his ears he looked a bit annoyed at being treated as her pet but soon he kinda leaned much of his 1600lbs against her. This newly arrived dragon still in his mind Joar gazed out across the room just in time to Claire walk up and pat Zhar'Ryk on the back. He winced and a low growl started in his chest and rolling up his throat. That could really mean trouble and would his conscience let him leave if the large dragon would turn on the girl? Shaking his whole fury body Joar dumped into Shukura again before turning and following Niall behind the curtain.

As he lopes after Niall he changes into his smaller wolverine form, thoughts racing Joar is now able to place Niall. The lycan did come from quite a powerful and renowned family. Now he had showed off his forms to these people but Joar did not think of that as a bad thing and he had seen a judging look in Nialls eyes as he had shifted. Well he knew that you always had to control yourself and most of the times Joar could do that but he did not have perfect control yet. Which was one of the reasons he was here to get help learning that control. Just before he is about the get inside the escape tunnel a new person speaks up. Quickly he turns around looking at the newcomer sizing him up with a snarl before looking at Shukura and Niall then nodding while going inside the tunnel.

He stopped just inside the tunnel waiting for the others to join him there, it was a good thing he had shifted again. The bear form would hardly have been able to fit in here. Now he was no larger then a normal sized dog waiting his senses taking in all new smells, sounds and sights in here. His thoughts once again going back to the two dragons in human form and the other people in the ballroom. So many he might could have talked to otherwise but now it would have to wait. The could always party in Nialls room as he had suggested and get to know each other better.

@Aspen Wren @Mugin @fateweaver

Shukura

Shu watched the two dragons with amusement. Then looked over at Felix when he said something to her. When she looked at him he was in a fighting stance that she recognized from her father, and smiled at him.

"Oh, Felix but your sword away. Its not like he is gonna come all the way over here." She said with a smile.

She then followed the others to the escape hole but before she left she looked over her shoulder at Felix.

"Hey, you should come two, I am pretty sure your friend can handle himself." With that she was gone behind the curtains with the others.

A newcomer had joined their group, seeking escape as well. She said nothing of it as long as Niall did not either. Shu looked around as the filed into the tube and noticed the small brown wolverine. It was probably Joar, but still it was the cutest thing she had ever seen. Although most of the night she had acted with a cool head, she was curious as to why two dragons were getting ready to tear apart the school's auditorium. But most of all, Anders' presence still clouded her mind, and her feet where starting to hurt from these shoes.

Joar went in first, then Niall, then herself. All in all it was a good night and a nice kick-off to a new year. As they crawled through she spoke to Niall.

"Niall, when we get out of here and go to your little 'party' I want alcohol, plus anything that happens to this dress your paying for it. And Joar when we get out of here don't change back yet. Your wolverine is the cutest thing ever." She said to pass the time. Tonight was fun and eventful, but it was not over yet.

@StoneWolf@FateWeaver@Aspen Wren@FallenTrinity

Mr. Ghardelli had made his way to Mrs. Langley just as the events had begun to unfold. He had watched from a distance as the confrontation of he two brothers began and took the opportunity to use it to learn about who he was and whatnot. It wasn't until Zhar'Ryk had Sulley by the neck did he decided to vanish in a faded mist and appear beside Mrs. Langley. He sighed as he looked at her with a stoic face before the edges of his mouth twitched upwards. His eyebrows raised slightly but not in surprise. The man was a bit animated when he talked. "Hello again beautiful. Um, as for our newly arrived guest it seems he has ruined our little even we created for our students and is currently in the process of physically confronting one of the students. His brother Mr. Sulley and Sulley's friend of the Unseelie Court, Mrs. Kiara. I say it's about time we intervene before this gets any worse. We don't need to dragons fighting in the ballroom let alone the school. If you would kindly follow me." He turned and instantly vanished, or it would appear to the untrained human eye. He would assume that Mrs. Langley would follow and assist him I the situation so he had decided to just go on ahead.

Anders looked over at Shukura and nodded. She had a point. Suley was strong but more importantly he was definitely an improvisior. Cunning and witty, Suley had gotten them both ut of some major situations that could have gotten both of them killed. He sheathed his sword before looking back at Sulley and walking out, following behind them. As he followed he looked up and to the fron but at no one in particular. "If he's here. It won't end well and it won't be the last time we see him." He seemed to foreshadow. Whether anyone listened he would not care but he knew he would be there for Sulley if he did.

Suleykaar seemed to loosen up a bit but in a way that made him more of a tightened coil ready to spring forward thanks to the simple smile that Kiara gave him. He looked back at her with the slightest form of a toothy grin before his eyes looked back onto Zhar'Ryk but no longer with fear but caution. "My dear faerie. My threats are far from hol-" “The food can’t be that bad. Ooh, punch.”. Sulley's mouth was agaped with an incredulous look upon his face. 'Your an idiot." He thought. Zhar'Ryk instinctively flapped his wing in the newcomer's direction with the intent to knock her away as soon as she patted his back. But if she was as close as she seemed to him he would hit her with his powerful reflex alone. Sully eyes narrowed as he looked at his brother. The air in the room began to intensify as Zhar'Ryk looked at Kiara. “Do you expect a member of the Shadow Court to be afraid of the dark?” The question was followed with a bit of laughter to which Zhar'Ryk lost all expression in his face as he released the the chaos that was his killer intent. It crashed down upon Sulley like a ton of bricks and sent chills up and down his spine, as if a ghostly hand caressed his back. Sulley let out a low growl as it washed over him. It flooded into the hallway like a tsunami and those caught in its wake either cowered away or were frozen in place by it. Anders instinctively withdrew his blade again and spun around to face the ballroom, still keeping pace with the others. this time the blade wasn't just out for their safety but for his own peace of mind. Zhar'Ryk's eyes now seemed almost lifeless like a doll's eyes. "Brother do- "I have no brother." (A/N: Play this youtube.com/watch?v=c4tUuj-Shvs) His hand came up and over Kiara's chest in a second, tearing into her flesh and dress. He felt his claw pass through her skin like a hot knife through butter as the blood began to run from her lacerations. Sulley no longer showed fear or concern as it was replaced with one thing. Raw unadulterated wrath and the room begun to feel the same way as his anger overpowered his brother's own killer intent. His was colder, more malicious and pierced through his brothers like a light in the night. With a loud draconic roar he shot forward in only seconds, scales revealed, shining with a ruby-like colour as his claws matched. Zhar'Ryk did not have time to react as his brother closed the distance between the two and began with a fury of claws across Zhar'Ryk's body before he inhaled deeply, filling his lungs over capacity and exhaled a ball of condensed air at Zhar'Ryk, blowing him away from the two. He then ran behind Kiara as he took on his true form but only on a smaller scale at around 25ft. His body circled around hers in a crescent form, his tail on her left and his head on her right. He let out a deep guttural growl before roaring again followed by several bursts of fire and snarling. His wings were fully out and had reached across the dance floor.



Sulley looked over at Kiara with his large eyes. "Are you okay? I am ready if you are. He gave her his usual, much larger smile.

Zhar’Ryk was just about to inform Kiara that his hollow threats were in fact not hollow when a girl patted him on the back and then flitted away in distraction. Not just any girl, though, a faerie! An Unseelie faerie! Had Kiara not been so preoccupied she might have ran up to and tackled the girl in excitement.

Somewhere between Kiara’s disrespectful tongue and the other faerie girl’s indiscretion, Zhar’Ryk had lost it. It wasn’t until after it had happened that Kiara could begin to assess her situation with an appropriate amount of understanding and judgement. Kiki looked down to see dark blood pooling along three huge gashes across her chest. Her lip trembled slightly, she’d never felt something quite like this before. The pain was soon overshadowed by a much darker emotion. How dare he! He actually fucking hit her! No one had ever dared to strike her before, not even when she insisted on learning how to spar in court. But he had marred her beautiful flesh, and ruined her handmade dress, all in one inexcusable motion.

Kiara’s eyes turned a deep, dark red, there were no distinctions between pupils, irises, or sclera, her eyes just glowed with the color of her rage. Gone was any trace of light in the faerie, there was no more laughter and no smiles, it was like Kiki wasn’t with them anymore. This was just a shadow of the girl. When she spoke to say “How dare you,” even her voice had changed from bubbly and tinkling to deep and sinister. Her deadly gaze didn’t move from the the target of her ire, it was like they were the only two beings in the room, no one else mattered. If someone had tried to speak to Kiara, she didn’t hear them… she wasn’t there.

The skin around the lacerations was the first to lose its glamour, hardening into stone and sealing the wounds. The fleshy gashes were now huge cracks in Kiara’s torso as the stone spread out over her body until she was completely reverted to her faerie form. She looked like a statue that had been shattered and then pieced back together by magick. The cracks in between the pieces of her stone body glowed the same color as her eyes. Her bare feet rooted themselves in the ground as her anger caused tremors deep within the earth. The ground trembled as if a hoard of giants was marching by and the stone pillars in the ballroom shook, threatening to let the ceiling crash down upon everyone.

“Oh dear!” Lily Bertram remarked as she looked up at the unsteady pillar nearest her and then over to the first year faerie girl. Professor Bertram might not be the faerie advisor, but she was personally well-acquainted with wild fury of elemental magick, and this was not looking good. In her early, tumultuous, witch years, Lily had nearly leveled whole towns and forests with the power of her wind storms. A couple of the other teachers were heading over to break up the impending dragon fight and Lily busied herself searching through the potion vials she had on her person. “Where is it? Where is it?” she frantically whispered to herself as she thumbed through the vials. “Aha!” she said as she retrieved the power stripping potion nearly all teachers were required to carry as a security measure in case a magical student got out of control.

“You guys take care of the dragons, I’ve got the faerie.” Lily said to professors Ghardelli and Langley. Ms. Bertram strode over to Kiara and uncorked the vial before tossing it at the faeries feet. The purple liquid puddled around Kiara’s feet and began to glow as it temporarily drew out her magick. Lily stared up at the ceiling with worry in her eyes, hoping she wasn’t too late.

---

"Um, perhaps we should make for the door here Lyla." She smoothed her long black hair as she looked over her shoulder at the dragons. They and her faerie roommate were getting extraordinarily out of hand. Laurel moved silently towards the other girl. "Come with me, we will go out the trap door with the others to the dorms. Dragon siblings generally do not get along very well. These seem to not get along at all. You can hold my arm if you wish, I don't make enough noise to be helpful in following me." Laurel informed the other girl as she looked towards where she knew the others would be.

The dragons were going to fight and the faculty were scrabbling around to get control of the situation. This would probably not be ending very well, in fact Laurel was sure it was not going to end well. She was quite positive if they didn't get out of here soon that they would regret it. She smoothed her long hair once again, a bad habit when she was unsure of the events to come. Her brother was never nervous in such a manner for a reason. It was the same reason that he was so overwhelming persuasive.

She gave a sharp whistle, hoping that the noise wouldn't hurt Lyla's ears. She listened carefully for the noise that she knew would soon follow and give Lyla something to follow as well. Güzel appeared through the swinging doors through which the band had fled out the back. The large female striped hyena moved in the odd loping gait that was characteristic to her species as she made her way to her friend and keeper. "Lyla this is my familiar, her name is Güzel. She is a striped hyena. She should make more than enough noise for you to follow her easily." Laurel then moved away, the hyena trailing her but pausing briefly to wait for Lyla to follow them.

---

The older woman sighed heavily, she knew that she should have kicked the dragon out when he showed up on campus. Mr. Ghardelli would go get the larger vials of heavier duty potions as she made her way to the wall where some of the containers of disabler potions were located. Unceremoniously she drew two of the potions from the cabinet that was hidden with magick and then shut it. One per dragon, this was going to end and it was going to end now whether the dragons liked it or not. Lily had taken care of the young faerie so she moved quickly to make her way towards the dragons.

Calling for additional power from her own sire, a truly ancient vampire, one of the oldest still alive she brought down a great wall of power down upon the dragons that should stun them and give her enough time to toss the potions unhindered by their movements. She threw both the potions guiding them with her power to their marks to smash on the floor at their feet. The potions were designed to disable high powered beings by not just stripping their power but significantly slowing and inhibiting their movements and completely preventing shifts into forms other than a humanoid one. Once they were disabled they would most likely be shackled with magick to prevent them from causing more damage than they had already done. They were in massive amounts of trouble and would all be forced to attend extra control sessions.

She was exceptionally displeased that these children had destroyed the ball that she had planned and executed. Personally she would make sure that both Suleykaar and Kiara would promptly pay for their destructive behavior. Her ball had been ruined. This academy was the one place that rank in their own societies truly did not matter. All that mattered was the rules of the academy and if they were broken that meant punishment and it was something your parents couldn't get you out of. That was why people, particularly powerful ones, sent their children here. So that they might learn how to control themselves for when their parents or their powers couldn't get them out of the trouble they were in.

---

He moved swiftly down the stairs of the tunnel, he'd heard the gifted girl Laurel say she and the Splice were heading for the tunnel so he left the door open behind them. "I don't care if you join us really and Shukura you know full well I will get you another dress if you destroy it at my place." Niall laughed loudly as Shukura complained about ruining her clothing. The woman was so vain it was fairly amusing to Niall. His own people were proud of their looks but not like Shukura was. She was always rowdy and ready for a good time though, just so long as she had appropriate clothing which was really never an issue.

Niall had alcohol at his place, it didn't do much good for Lycans though, it was mostly consumed for the taste rather than the effect so everything he had was high quality and he was sure that Sukura knew that. "We'll be under the dorm in a minute or so. You can just run to your room and get clothes Joar." He moved easily through the tunnel though he had to duck significantly to make his way through the tunnel.

Soon there was a door overhead and he pushed slightly on it and jerked down the small ladder that would let them climb out of the tunnel. Above was the lounge in the male dormitory and Niall picked up Joar since he wasn't sure he could climb the ladder in that form and sat him above on the floor of the lounge before climbing out himself. He reached down to help Shukura out of the tunnel, offering her his hand.