rest in the mourning.

Tonight had been long, so fucking long. The masquerade had overall been a success, but Mr. Shostavioch’s lack of an appearance had certainly complicated things. Frustration and adrenaline were probably the only things keeping Aiden awake as he walked back to his room. He was physically and mentally exhausted, ready to crash for the few hours before he had to get up and work again. He was pulled from his thoughts when he looked up towards his door and saw a familiar figure standing there. "Do I even want to ask why you’re standing outside my hotel room, angel?” he asked as he walked up and wrapped his arms around Idris’s neck.

“Like he fell in?” That certainly sets her mind to not wander far from the path. “That’s terrible.” Juliet looks over again at the start of the muddied path, it was clearly a path, but not as maintained as the one she’d been walking on. “I think I’ll have to avoid any treks on my own then. If it’s dangerous for a— for a man on two strong legs I can’t say it would be any safer for a woman with only one.” Leg, that is. Though he wouldn’t be able to tell that she literally mean she only had one leg, he might infer one good leg (ie that the other is injured), but people rarely guess amputee right away, especially when she’s wearing long trousers. “Are you a guest? I just arrived as a plus-one. I’m Juliet.”

The masquerade was in full swing and things seemed to be going as expected. Aiden grinned to himself because of course things are going as expected, I'm the one who planned this. His hubris always got the best of him when it came to his work. He was proud of his events and nothing would change that.... Especially not Samuel Wade, who was clearly busy talking to guests rather than doing his damn job. He was fairly certain he'd instructed the boy to do something out of sight, so that he couldn't cause trouble. He shouldn't have been surprised that he wasn't following orders. As Aiden approached, he nodded in greeting at the guests. "Mr. Wade, I require a moment." He spoke with authority, making it clear that he wasn't asking. Even if Samuel did mistake the tone, there was no way he'd miss the anger in Aiden's eyes.

She glances over at the man not quite hearing his approach over the sound of the wind. Juliet grips her cane firmly, glancing down to check if the metal grip is still turned down right. “Yes I’m fine,” she replies, taking the opportunity to step away from the mouth of the trampled, muddy path and closer to the man. “Just came across this scene, I was getting some air after sitting so long. Planes and cars… leaves you restless.” She laughs lightly and brushes some hair out of her face. “Do you know what happened here?— why there’s caution tape?” 

OPEN — TIMESTAMP 01 STAFF OR GUESTS WHOSE TIMELINES ALLOW

She can’t say she genuinely feels unsafe, the path is clear and so is they day, but finding the police tape has set her on edge. No one had cleaned it up. The snow is disturbed by boot tracks and has been left muddy. There’s no telling what happened here but it sets her ill at ease. Could someone have fallen here? Died here?

Wind swept across the hillside, the left behind caution tape still swaying at the base of the hill. Richard Mikkelsen. Aiden had lost count of how many years he’d known the other man. At one point he may have even called them friends. He was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of footsteps nearby on the main path. Glancing the direction of the sound, he saw a woman looking rather upset. Without hesitation, he walked over to her. “Are you alright miss?”

timestamp five: upper courtyard

the moon is high. she sways with the wind while clutching a trench coat the color of rust around her. she’s without shoes, but her feet are made warm with socks that crawl up her calves. and it’s cold, but she’s had enough alcohol to warm her. a cigarette hangs precariously from her lips then the lights to her back go black. “comme c’est gentil à vous,” she says while turning her attention to the stars - a whispered ‘thank you’ to whoever let the night sky have its moment. 

steps begin to approach, but she doesn’t shift her attention. “ah, come to howl at the moon with me? maybe speak to a few spirits of indeterminate origin?”

Despite being the first night of what was sure to be a long period of planning, Aiden already found himself tiring of people. It wasn’t that he minded people, but there was only so much pretentious whining and bitching he could listen to before he was ready to kill somebody. Is it too soon to make murder jokes? He pulled a cigarette from his cigarette case as he walked out into the courtyard. It was the first opportunity he’d had all day to smoke and he was so grateful for it, even if it did take a damn power outage. 

Lost in his own thoughts, he hadn’t noticed the woman standing a few meters away until she spoke. “Why speak to spirits when you could walk inside and talk to people of indeterminate origin?” 

basics. 

name: Aiden Darroch age: 48 years old, born February 13th, 1971 pronouns: he/him hometown: Blackburn, Scotland occupation: luxury event coordinator relationship status: married

questions.

does your character have a criminal or questionable past? he’s got a bit of a temper and it’s gotten him into trouble. his record is littered with fights and assault charges. but when you’re one of the best event planners in europe, you can get away with an awful lot. any important factors to know about your character? he’s not afraid to hurt, physically or otherwise, people who get in his way. that’s why he’s had such a successful career because it’s built off the backs of the people he knocked down. any wanted relationships / connections for your character? former clients/friends/enemies/lovers/etc. I would love to have his husband Idris Bowen.

biography.

childhood was rough for aiden. he grew up with a father who expected him to be perfect when he couldn’t be. now he feels he has never been good enough, it’s why he pushes so hard and is willing to sacrifice others along the way. he always had strong emotions but when he was seventeen, he lost his best friend. this set him down a darker path and is part of the reason he can become violently angry.