Hades.

“You are probably correct. I think most of the budget probably went into this charm, but at least they had the good sense to splurge on the alcohol too. I couldn’t stand it if we were stuck on beer and house wine instead.” She pulled a face at the idea. She’d be lost without her espresso martinis. 

“Really? I’m surprised I don’t recognise you then. Even with this charm I should surely remember such a handsome face,” she said with lighthearted intent. It never hurt to compliment others. “Only a little while. It made me happy when I found it so I decided to wear it. Though I’ve almost twisted my ankle twice already. I should have worn more sensible shoes and not these… stilts.”

“That would have been a tragedy” Hades told the unicorn with a shake of his head, “If I couldn’t get a good whiskey I think I would have left hours ago”. That was true as he sipped on his third one of the evening, it seemed they had decent brands of alcohol and that made this whole thing a lot more bearable. “Do you need a new drink?” he asked noticing her empty hand, “What would you like? I’ll go get you one”.

Hades couldn’t help but laugh at her compliment, if only she knew who was behind this charm then she might have been surprised. “I could say the same for you, though I guess we’ll have to see at midnight who we really are” he shrugged with a smirk, “If it’s any consolation those stilts look very nice. Though I don’t think they’re worth twisting your ankle over” he chuckled, “My-” the word seemed to get caught in his throat, “Friend, I can’t remember her name-that’s odd, she wears heels like that most of the time” it must have been part of the charm, shaking his head Hades turned his thoughts back on the petite brunette in front of him “I do think they bring the costume up a few knots”

“Not having fun, I see,” Eric commented on the words of the person next to him. “I suppose not everyone likes having their memory wiped. You think they would have had to made us sign contracts or something.” Chuckling, he sipped on his own drink before looking over at him.

“Re-wallpapering your closet versus the ‘party of the century’?” he asked, brow raising. “Make sure to put me down as a plus one. Always wanted to re-wallpaper a closet.”

“I don’t have an issue with wiping my memory. I actually prefer not to know anyone in this room” Hades told the man, “It’s more the waste of decor that I do not enjoy” really Hades was just looking for something to complain and the decor had been the easiest thing to pick on from this event. 

“I’ll definitely put you down. I’ll need some help, currently it’s a navy blue stripe but I was thinking about more of a grey pattern, might make the closet seem bigger”

With his comment Aphrodite laughed and turned herself away from him suddenly very positive that she didn’t know him normally. She wouldn’t associate with someone of such horrible manners. “First of all, try to have some semblance of manners. If I of all people can use them, so can you.” She only registered once she said it that her comment wouldn’t matter all that much considering he wouldn’t know her true identity. But she figured the point was there all the same. “And second, I could,” she admitted with a shrug before a smirk pulled up the corners of her lips. “But you just made getting under your skin seem more entertaining than anything else.” Glancing at his costume she tried to take note of any significant details, not that there were many. Most of the men seemed to be in some kind of suit, but she wanted to remember this one if only so she could find him later and find out who the man behind the attitude was. “What are you even supposed to be?” 

Was she stupid? That was Hades first thought when the girl refused to back down. There had to be something wrong with her. Delusional perhaps. “I am using my manners. I’ve yet to say anything explicitly rude. I’ve been keeping all opinions to myself, so you’re very welcome”. If he did not have better manners he would have simply hexed her and been on his way, but that was not in the Halloween spirit. Instead he took another shot before standing up from his place on the wall, if she didn’t want to walk away then he would “Again, your giving me a headache so I’ll ask you to find someone else to try and talk up. I know that’ll be difficult for you to understand as I’m the most attractive man in the room,  but keep trying maybe one of those princes will take you home with them” and with that he made his way to the bar for a real drink. Shots could only do so much and the bar seemed like the perfect excuse to get away from the annoyance at the wall. 

Cleopatra looked at the man in front of her, almost surprised that he had spoken to her since she’d been in her own world for a moment. He seemed suave and she offered him a smile. “No, not the party,” she said as she held up her plate. “The canapés. There’s this olive pinwheel thing and I just want to eat more of them.” A thought struck her. “Oh, do you want one?” She held her plate out.

“Thank you,” she smiled, genuinely, at the compliment. Her lips pursed. “What’s your costume? It looks Greek.”

The blonde barely seemed to notice his compliment which only intrigued Hades more. Most women loved his compliments so why was she not biting? “No, I’m good thank you” he declined the appetizer. It looked fine and all but not his ideal food. “I’m Hades” he explained before taking a sip of his drink, “I needed an excuse to wear a suit and Hades seemed like the best option” allowing his eyes to take in her costume Hades was curious what she might be, “And you are?” he asked, “Besides breathtaking, of course”

Looking over at the sound of a voice, Aphrodite frowned at the unfamiliarity of it. Was he the man she was supposed to be with? Had she even attended with a man or was she there with one of her girl friends? 

Nevertheless, Aphrodite’s lips quirked up into a smile and she shrugged angling herself towards him. Whether she knew him or not she couldn’t very well be rude and just ignore him. “That seems a tad overdramatic, but I guess you have a point. At least they thought to have good alcohol.” Bringing her own champagne glass to her lips she briefly scanned the party while she took a small sip before returning her eyes to the man before her. “You could always try leaving the wall and mingling a little? Might make the night pass quicker.”  

Hades had not actually been addressing the girl who spoke to him, but the man on the other side of him. Truth be told he had not even noticed her at all, she blended in well with the wall but as she spoke a lazy once over deemed Hades not interested in whatever she was saying. Directing his eyes back to the crowd rather than the girl he took a long sip of his dark liquor, “You know what would really make the night pass quicker? If you would go find someone else to mingle with” finishing his drink Hades grabbed a shot of mysterious liquid from the table beside him feeling the need to down at least one more drink in the next minute, “Someone who doesn’t get a headache from the sound of your voice”.

If the zombie hadn’t been worried about leaving anyone he may have come with behind, he probably would have left already. Parties were overwhelming enough, but not even being able to have a friend across the room or by your side for comfort was even worse. Sure, it eliminated pockets of people stickign to themselves all not like they were school children, but it really kept them on edge. 

“As far as I know, the spells in place aren’t keeping you here,” the zombie said as he overheard the cynical comments within earshot. 

“There are not spells and I will be leaving momentarily but for now I will be enjoying the alcohol and just how ridiculous most look” Hades told the man with a yawn, “They should enact a dress code however it would take any of the fun out of these events” finishing his drink, Hades plucked a flute of champagne off a passing tray. “I wonder if people actually look in the mirror before they leave for these events, because there’s no excuse for how atrocious some of these costumes are” Hades said as he shook his head at a passing man in a cape. He did not look suave, he looked stupid. However that seemed to be the theme of halloween this year.

“You know things like this are all what you make of them?” she asked, shaking her head with a smile. From his attitude, it seemed like he had arrived determined to be disappointed. So it was no surprise that he was. “Come on, it’s not that bad.” The Wonder Woman tilted her head, smiling teasingly at him.

“You know I don’t really care for your opinion” Hades replied mockingly as he took a long sip of his drink, “If you came over here to patronize me for my opinions you’ll be very disappointed to find out that it’s not going to work” finishing his drink he set it on the platter of a passing waiter, “What are you supposed to be anyway? Some sort of warrior?” It looked like one of those stupid outfits the muggles paraded about in, in his opinon, though Hades was not rude enough to give her that. Besides at least it wasn’t as ridiculous as most others he had seen tonight, she was at least wearing clothing. 

“Now, now, no one forced you to come,” she tsked, shaking her head. Her antlers swayed along with her blonde hair. What was the point in being grumpy at a thing like this? “And it’s too little too late at this point. So drink up, love. That drink looks like it almost matches your mood.” 

“Only because you appeared, love” Hades told her with a pointed look, “I think my mood will greatly improve once you walk away”. She was boring and Hades was uninterested. He had no time for women scantily dressed as woodland creatures and was not interested in keeping her company. “Now why don’t you run off and find someone else to bother. I’m sure there’s a stag somewhere that may keep you entertained”.

“Do you think so?”the fluffy unicorn asked. She was having a wonderful time, even though she had no idea who was whom and where her friends were. It made the evening so much more magical. “Maybe it’s not meant to be original? They are classics for a reason, after all.” 

“Do you spend a lot of time in your closet?”

“I could agree with you” Hades answered the tiny brunette, “But I still think for a masquerade they should have gone less cliche and more dramatic” he explained, before glancing her costume over. She was dressed as a....unicorn? It was a odd but he respected it because unlike the other ladies who had approached him this evening she didn’t seem well....desperate. 

“I do not spend a lot of time in my closet, I just naturally look this good” Hades joked with a laugh, “How about you? Did it take you long to figure out your costume?”

Soldier couldn’t help but laugh at the man’s cynicism, continuing to sip on his flask, filled with vodka. “They can put as many damned floating candles and pumpkins as they please.” He shrugged. “The booze’s free, and that’s all that matters. This can be covered in pink fluff, for all I damn care.”

The man did have a point, the alcohol was free and free flowing and that was a perk to the evening. “Cheers to that” Hades told his companion holding out his drink to clink against the mysterious man’s flask. “’Bout the only thing they did right tonight was the free booze. I think the party would be unbearable without it”.

“If it’s too dull, it only means you haven’t found the right people yet,” the devil said with a smile. “Though I agree that the decor is somewhat lacking.” 

“Well that would be a shame for the rest of us,” he said, not sure whether he was being sarcastic or not. The man appeared to be in a well tailored suit, and in the Devil’s eyes that counted for something. “What are you supposed to be?”

“I just feel money could have been spent better elsewhere” Hades told the devil, taking a sip of his drink. “The candles are fine, though chandeliers would have been nicer. I just think the pumpkins are a bit kitschy”

Not that Hades knew a lot about decor, however it just felt off. The concept was a good one, he enjoyed not recognizing faces. Including that of the man next to him, who was dressed well. Hades wondered if he could recognize him if he would know him. “I’m Hades” Hades explained taking another drink, “I figured if it was a costume party I needed something that wasn’t atrocious”  glancing at the other man a smirk appeared on his face, “A devil? Not outrageous but on theme, good idea”.

If she was being honest, she hated everything about this party. Not being able to remember her own name was so far out of her comfort zone, let alone not knowing who she came with or who she was speaking to. Trust was difficult to come by these days, and frankly it was stupid that the ministry made everyone so defenseless. 

“Oh, because the decor is the biggest problem with this party.” The stranger (well everyone was a stranger tonight), appeared next to her, drinking something dark and sinister looking. “Not the utter lack of consent for taking away all of our sense of self and memories, no that’s not a problem at all.”

Hades didn’t have to speak to the people around him, he was attempting to be polite so when he was met with sarcasm it took all his power now to tell the ditzy blonde to fuck off. However that would have been rude and caused a fuss, and though Hades did not recognize her he felt that he still needed to at least be polite. 

Though he had no time for those who wanted to complain over details of a party they willingly entered in to.  “Well if you have that big of an issue with it, then you should just leave” he told her before finishing his drink,

“No one is keeping you here” and with that he pushed himself off the wall to get a new drink. It seemed at this rate he was going to need multiple to get through this evening. 

The Bullfighter did not like the feeling of being without his mental faculties, of having forgotten who he’d come with. The thought itself was frightening to some degree - he idly wondered if those married couples who had come together had forgotten the other for the evening or if they’d simply thought the other had come at a different time. But this event was supposed to be fun, a time for merriment, and so the Bullfighter kept a smile on his face as he mingled throughout the event. 

He did not do well in social situations where he knew no one. Except that wasn’t quite true, was it? He knew a lot of people here - he just didn’t know who they were. Even so, the thought was maddening and he sipped at his drink as he surveyed the room. He had just turned to the other side when he bumped into someone. “I apologize,” he said with a smile on his face as his free arm went out to steady the other individual. “I am clearly more careless when I don’t know a soul.” A quip that would have been much more appreciated had the other individual known who he was. 

Hades was tired of his spot on the wall. He had only been approached by those of the annoying sort and instead had decided to seek out company more worthy of his presence. Halfway across the room he was jostled by a man not paying much mind to those around him. Hades first reaction was to tell the man to watch where he was going, however before the words left his mouth Hades reconsidered. The man seemed distinguished, much more the type that Hades felt deserved his company. 

“If there was a time to be careless I would imagine now would be the best” Hades quipped allowing a thin smile to settle on his face, showing he indeed was friendly, “If you leave before midnight no one will know exactly who you are and therefore no friendships or relationships can be ruined”.

It was an odd feeling, the Peacock thought, to feel the exact same as always but to know that she did not look the same to anyone else. There was a tinge of pleasure in the anonymity, a hint of seduction in the air, and while she had no intention of being seduced, she could appreciate the atmosphere all the same. Her dress was a deep turquoise, her mask a matching shade with gemstones and peacock feathers. The bodice of her strapless gown was sequined, gold and purple and green and blue, all mixed together until her low hip, where the deep turquoise fell in waves designed to look similar to feathers. At least the spell hadn’t ruined her hard work on her costume. 

The Peacock moved toward the bar, her dress flowing as she walked. “I’ll have…” she trailed off, unsure of what she wanted tonight. She did not want to be the same as always and so she tilted her head, ordering something different from her usual. “A whiskey sour, please.”

“I’ll have whatever she’s having” Hades told the bartender as he sidled up next to a bird in turquoise, literally a bird. The girl was dressed as a peacock and it was hard not to stare as the sequins and gemstones glittered in the light of the candles floating above. “I’d ask if you’re here alone, but we’re all kind of alone this evening” he smiled finally addressing the woman to his left. “You look phenomenal. That dress must have taken a lot of work”. It was carefully crafted and looked to be quite expensive, however with magic anything could look expensive. Whoever was hiding behind the mask had done quite a bit of work into their look and Hades appreciated the effort.

Should Hades have been flirting with every attractive woman he came across? Probably not but he would be leaving before midnight anyway so it did not matter who these people were in their day to day lives. No one was themself this evening and there were no pretenses to abide by. So instead he was to take full advantage of the evening.

Cleopatra enjoyed the concept of the event, the anonymity. She saw it as a challenge, really, to see if she could determine which of the guests were those she cared for, were her friends. And Cleopatra was not one to back down from a challenge. But currently, she was hungry, which was a bit strange as she remembered eating a very large lunch earlier in the day. It didn’t matter now, though, and she moved toward the refreshments area, picking up a few canapés and adding them to her plate. 

After popping a canapé into her mouth, Cleopatra took a sip of her drink - bloody hell, she’d grabbed sparkling apple juice instead of champagne - and though her nose wrinkled, she took another sip before finishing her second canapé. “This is fantastic,” she said to no one in particular. 

Glittering candles and pumpkins galore, all so drab. What was next? Black cats were to come raining from the ceiling. All so very unoriginal. Three drinks in and Hades was on his way out the door, this was enough for the evening. His time was better spent doing things of importance and not at some silly costume masquerade put on by those who did not understand the concept of an actual party.

Something glittering caught his eye as he passed causing Hades to stop momentarily “I hope you’re not referring to this sad excuse for a party. However, my dear you look fantastic, I must say”

Swirling his drink around Hades eyes left the whirlpool of alcohol and soda to find his companion leaning against the far wall alongside him, “Next year I think I’d rather stay home and re-wallpaper my closet, it would be a much better use of my very important time”.