The ball-Alicia Le'roux, Hanus Wolfblood, Crown-Prince Xavier and Mila
The brightness of the spotlight managed to dazzle the Vampire’s unhidden silver eyes: causing spots to form in her vision which she tried to blink away. After a moment of regaining her composure, she stares down at the gathered assembly with a barely masked mysticism. Such a group of obviously prominent figures, gathered in honour of the blades and, by extension, her.
She slightly shifted the weight of her footing, trying to get comfortable in the courtly dress. It was a deep purple colour, almost nightshade in colour, with a number of white ‘stars’ to complete the motif. Despite the pomp and showy-ness, she wore at her hip a silver rapier. Most would consider it an accessory, and she was thankful that Xavier set a precedent by carrying his own weapon on display: she felt uneasy being disarmed in such a large crowd.
She waited for the queen and the Amazon princess to stop speaking, and for the queens to begin walking around the ball, before she left the pedestal at last. She knew who she was seeking out: after all, he had an agenda and a promise to keep. It would hardly be fitting to keep the general waiting.
Standing amongst several of the other nobility, though mainly a mix of the drow, renaltan, and imperial nobility, he looked mildly uncomfortable. Dressed in high quality silk and wool, with a primarily black colour scheme save for green patches on his shoulders, he adjusted the few medals on the upper left half of his chest almost obsessively. Even his hair, normally a little unkempt from one physical activity or another amongst his men, was instead combed back. The way he stood, shoulders raised, back straight, indicated that of just another nobleman, rather than the berserker that raged underneath his skin.
Spotting the approaching Alicia, he sized her up and raised an eyebrow, repressing a smirk as he did so. “You just cannot part with thy rapier, can you?” He said with a voice that almost made him sound like an entirely different person from the one she met in the barracks. “We nobles fancy ourselves above such barbarism.” A rather pompous looking renaltan nobleman stated as Hanus knocked him aside to reach Alicia’s side. “I think she looks wonderful, though that should be expected of one of Diana’s upper class… Working women.” He says, the smirk finally breaking through.
Alicia smirked at both Hanus and the noble’s attempts to greet her with insults and indignation. She had expected at least some of the banter to come, but she had to admit: so quickly was a minor surprise. She decided to keep her calm this time, as opposed to charging in like an over-eager bull. “Hanus, you look positively dashing. It honestly surprises me that one of Malaki’s brutes could clean the blood off their paws long enough to look so presentable.” She nods at the Renaltan nobleman, not even bother to acknowledge him in her moment of verbal riposte. “I expected you to keep better company though, might I suggest myself?” She offered Hanus a smile, trying her best to at least play polite. She knew the general would likely keep up the bloodline snark until she truly bested him. She would learn to just take it in her stride, though. He was right about her pride being a weakness, and if this is what it took to conquer it, then she would.
“Of course.” Hanus says, though as he grasps for her hand and bows slightly, kissing her fingers. The Renaltan nobleman looks disgusted as he turns away, though judging by his waist, it was certainly no great loss for Alicia. Hanus then speaks quietly as he looks about the ball room. “You are not experienced in the gatherings of nobles, I can tell.” His hand was cold, unlike hers that mimicked life functions. Notable, his hands were also gloved. “Nobles speak in the language of… Allusion. They always veil insults with enough language barriers that they can proclaim innocence should they get a rise out of their opponent.” He then starts to subtly lead her towards Crown-Prince Xavier, as he had his own agenda in mind. “Just as I insulted you in our duel. It made you angry, and it caused you to make mistakes which through my own sort of veil, I used to obtain victory.”
Alicia smiles at the display of Hanus kissing her fingers, well aware that it was merely a formality, but enjoying the attention, none-the-less. When the Renaltan noble was gone, she speaks in a similarly hushed tone. “Forgive me if it comes across as rude, General: but perhaps you underestimate me. I was more than happy to ‘get the rise’ of that particular noble. Although I imagine it is thoughts of you, not I that will be doing that, later.”
Noting how rapidly Hanus was steering them towards Xavier, Alicia felt a growing lump form in the back of her throat. The last time she had seen or spoken to Xavier, she had been effectively banished from Liveria with the task of representing the state’s nobles amongst the blades. To meet him again so soon was daunting, if nothing else. “Lets get this over with. I would prefer not to be at the forefront of Xavier’s mind, come the end of this evening.”
Hanus had neither the time or apparent inclination to try and teach her further social mannerisms that he didn’t appear to particularly care for in any great measure. So, without further adieu, he silently reaches Xavier’s backside and then whispers quietly, “hello Xavier.” The man is startled as he turns on his heels, then spots the pair of silver eyes mere inches from his face. “General.” He states with slight annoyance as he looks at Alicia. “...And you, how is the life of the blades treating you, vampire?”
Alicia looks at the man without a smile on her lips. Xavier was a very real threat to her, and one she couldn’t deal with in any normal manner. He controlled her fate, and he could easily toss it aside like so much waste from a chamber pot. “The blades treat me well, your excellency. I am still humbled by the chance you have given me.” She offers a bow of her head to Xavier, silently hating the fact she had to act in such a way in front of the General, no less.
Hanus squeezes Alicia’s hand reassuringly, then lets it go as he takes one step closer to Xavier, causing him to take one step back. A power move, of sorts, though it disguised the real intention: To get himself between Alicia and Xavier. “I have a question for you… I have received reports that witch hunters have been traversing the border and killing vampires.” Hanus raises an eyebrow as he kept his tone hushed, to prevent half the ball room from staring at them. “Why, you would not happen to know about this, would you?” Xavier crosses his hands behind his back and tilts his head slightly. “Witch hunters? You are certain?”
Alicia feels a growing sense of gratitude towards Hanus, in both his support and his mere presence. The way in which he stepped between herself and Xavier was no small comfort, and she would have breathed a sigh of relief, were she not forgetting to breath. She had found that in times of extreme stress, she forgot some of the more human aspects of her disguise: breathing being one of them.
Yet, being the damsel in distress suited her ill. She was not the sort who would abide by taking a back seat, even when it would probably be more beneficial if she did. She stepped up beside Hanus, head still lowered before the Crown-Prince. “The reports identified them as Witch-hunters, your lordship: in the east grasslands, I doubt many could imitate their skill.”
“True.” Xavier said as he took another step back, looking somewhat uncomfortable in front of the pair of undead that stood imposingly on him. Without needing to say a word, Mila arrives at his side and stares at the pair. Behind her glasses came an icy glare at the both of them. “No witch hunters have been performing authorized tasks beyond our own borders, save in the mountains, which are unclaimed by any nation.” Her eyes wander to Alicia. “Why does this one bow so much?” Hanus narrows his eyes. “Do you not recognize one of your own?” Mila raises an eyebrow. “Technically I am a foreigner, excuse my mistake, fair woman.” She says, bowing her head briefly to Alicia. “Still. It is unnecessary.”
Alicia was slow to raise her head, feeling uncomfortable in the company of giants. Her posture was over-straightened, making her appear a half as uncomfortable as she was. “My apology. I am afraid I am a little overwhelmed. I am hardly used to being at such prodigious events: especially ones that celebrate the success of an group I am a part of.” She offered a slight smile to Mila. “I suppose I am a relatively small fish, in the grand scheme of Liveria’s court: I have yet to do anything truly noteworthy.”
Mila looks at Alicia and smiles slightly. “Aren’t we all just small fish.” Xavier looks around the ball room before glaring at Taigyn, though, more specifically, at the Templar Order. “Some of us have sharp teeth the rest should be wary of.” Hanus shakes his head. “We all have teeth.” He then looks at Mila. “You said something funny, though.” Mila cocks an eyebrow, the smile growing a little. “Oh? What entertained you so?” Hanus’ smirk leaves his face as he watches for Mila’s reaction. “A certain word… Authorized.” Mila paused, and Alicia catches it sharply: The way that Mila’s pupils dilated. A give away that a human is trying to avoid something. “Yes. It is true, no authorized witch hunter activity is going on.” Hanus looks at Alicia and nods, giving her the floor.
“Which would indicate that you are both aware of the actions and trying to hide them.” She keeps her eyes locked with Mila’s, her posture looked less uncomfortable now and more focused: it seems she had found her footing, after all. “So are these Witch hunters acting against the will of the crown, or are they fulfilling their intended purposes outside of the borders of Liveria?” She glanced briefly at Hanus, not sure how she was suddenly so involved in the political interrogation. Surely such accusations against a representative of the Crown-Prince could be seen as treasonous? Was she not risking her very life in Liveria here? Her father’s legacy? Her wealth? Her livelihood?
Crown-Prince Xavier was, indeed, unpleased, and glared at Alicia. “How uncharacteristically liverian of you.” It seemed like he was about to continue, but Hanus interrupts him. “She is simply performing her duties as a Queen’s Blade and hunting out potential signs of demon corruption… Last I checked, it was a function also held by your estimable witch hunters.” Xavier doesn’t appear to have anything to add as Hanus continues. “If there is something that has attracted their concern to such a point as to disregard political protocol and begin murdering vampires across the border, most certainly, you could inform us as to why this is?” Xavier looks up at them both with a stone cold look, almost as though incapable of bringing himself to rage, which contrasted against the directness of Hanus’ statements, that came from a great, seething anger underneath his skin. “There is, and I will tell you in private if it so pleases you.” Hanus nods. “It does.” Xavier then looks at Alicia and straightens out his collar, forcing himself to smile a little. “I apologize… I should not go off on a liverian for pursuing corruption. I simply have much to learn still about my… Position.”
That apology having been said, he motions for Mila to join him as he breaks away from the pair, having nothing more to say. Hanus, knowing social protocol, does not pursue them. Instead he pats Alicia’s back. “Well done. We’ll make something out of you yet, overgrown child.”
Alicia was a little shell shocked at the sudden developments. It had happened very quickly: The Prince’s accusations, followed by Hanus’ defence and then Xavier’s apology. It was a very sudden change and in honesty, she wasn’t sure that she’d deserved it. “It seems my view of the world is going to require a great deal of adjusting.” She looked at the General and smiled. “I am thankful for your help, Hanus. I wouldn’t have been able to do that alone.”
“I know that.” Hanus stated bluntly, and without mercy in his tone, though it wasn’t meant to be cruel. “You have a lot of growing to do. In such a short time.” He then looks her over. “I’d be careful. A lot of people would try to use your naive nature with politics to their advantage.” With a chuckle he motions into the crowd. “Now, shall we blend back in with the rest of these important people?”
Alicia paused at Hanus’ words, tempted to lash out but eventually choosing to hold her tongue. Hanus was right, of course. He had yet to prove himself wrong in these accounts, probably because he had dealt with similar ordeals not so distant a time ago. “I fear that I am not the only naive one who will be prone to manipulation.” She presses a thumb and a forefinger against her nose. “I think blending in would be nice: I could do with a drink or three.”