Lyra: Hi Jane!

Lyra: so uhm... did we leave things okay?

Lyra: cause one minute I was talking to you, and then the next I was on my way home but I don't remember saying goodbye

Jane: Worry not Lyra, everything is just fine.

Jane: You seemed weary so I suggested you head home.

name : Caius age : 39 / 3000+ birthdate :  Before 1300 BC; Greece gender : Cis Male sexuality : Bisexual species : Vampire coven : Volturi mate :  Mattea Nicolosi

While she had loved getting the invitation and been excited to come, Lyra quickly found herself out of people to speak with. Some seemed to already know one another and others appeared to be staying with their partners or what might be their friends without really mingling anymore. Which was natural, and with a beat and a dance floor the dj wouldn’t have minded. But without one though she felt a little hopeless and weird, drinking her champagne alone but trying to start conversations whenever someone paused close to her. So far she seemed to be a bit out of luck. That was until she moved a bit, ending up next to a decent looking guy who sounded to be as lost as she felt. 

“I suppose that if you don’t know many here or are an expert mingler, this is the point of the night where it gets a little tricky.” she replied with a soft smile to him. “I’m Lyra.” she introduced herself, figuring that was a good place to start. 

   “And I sure ain’t either of those,” he chuckled, she wasn’t wrong, he hadn’t known where to begin in the slightest, but it was nice to know he wasn’t alone in that feeling. “I’m --” it always felt wrong introducing himself. “ -- Noah” he finished, nodding the greeting through his mask as it sat annoyingly on his face. He’d decided pretty quickly that he hated the thing. 

   “I’m guessing you’re short on friends here too?” He’d actually been surprised to find the invitation waiting for him at his hotel, but if this mystery benefactor was whom everyone expected, it was best not to ignore it. At least as a vampire, he wasn’t sure how humans came into play tonight. He hoped for Lyra’s sake, it wasn’t anything nefarious. “I’ve only been in town a few months, but someone decided I needed an invite.” he told her conversationally. 

benjamin  might’ve  been  a  bit  more  livelier  than  most  vampire  guests.  after  getting  over  his  panic,  after  reading  some  of  the  books  the  volturi  had  tucked  away  and  after  spending  time  with  yasmine  again  it  seemed  something  had  awoken  in  him.  heck,  he  even  wanted  to  dance  again  but  he  couldn’t  seem  to  find  yasmine  with  all  of  the  smells,  heart  beats  and  chatter.  his  attention’s  pulled  to  the  red  head  and  while  he  wants  to  frown,  his  expression  remains  the  same.  “it  could  be  a  possibility,  sure.”  though  benjamin  had  a  hope  that  that  wouldn’t  be  the  case  considering  there  was  a  human  somewhere  nearby  he’d  rather  not  see  dead.

   “Well, my people are suppose to play nice tonight.” unless they were required to quiet a party crasher, she’d almost been hoping for one at this point. “We’ll see how that works out.” she turned her attention to the vampire she conversed with, smiling at his Anubis mask donning his face. Fitting, a lovely piece clearly worth more than the wire and lace most wore tonight.  

   “I’m Jane.” she nodded, in lieu of offering her hand. “I will say, you have the nicest mask I’ve seen this evening.” she offered the compliment sincerely, despite how bored she sounded. “Does it have a story?”   

HE ALWAYS HAD been a little bit different than the rest of his coven. where they were all sunshine and rainbows for the most part jasper was a little bit darker. he always had been. the only time he ever truly seemed to be happy was when alice was around, infecting him with her never ending happiness.

“last i checked i didn’t have any masters as i was free to come and go as i pleased. unlike some people.” he stated with a quirked brow. letting out a small sigh jasper shook his head. “it’s not like i had a choice in the matter, being held back kind of stops you from reaching your goal. didn’t you know that?”

   “What will you say next, I’m rubber and you’re glue?” she laughed, short and sharp. “I’m free to come and go as I please,” her brothers recent absence a painful reminder of just that. “And I eat what I please without judgement.” she added, tiling her head as she looked a him, “Can you say the same?” it was a valid question. Why anyone would live that self-imposed flagellation was beyond her understanding. The shame of it all was Aro would welcome this repressed ball of vampire with open arms, but he was being held back. 

There were so many people here, Lyra had to admit she was relieved at the possibility of spending more time with Jane tonight. At least she knew one person who based on not just the invitation but the reaction to her appearing, was genuinely pleased to see her. Her cheeks pinked just a little at the compliment, though she nodded, not about to poke at things Jane didn’t want to talk about. “This old thing? I guess its fairly decent. You however look truly radiant. Red really is your color.” Lyra said, beginning to think that red wasn’t just a color Jane suited but one that was her signature look. Which was nothing short of sexy as hell. 

“I couldn’t miss this, or the opportunity to get to know you better. I’m glad I can make your night more bearable. What should we do first? Drink? Dance?” In truth Lyra found herself with an abundance of questions about the all too intriguing redhead. Who she was, where she was from, what she spent her life doing. “Its not the kind I normally dance to but I don’t mind it. Actually reminds me of my dad composing at home on the piano. Short lived career but the music was heartfelt.” Her tone reassuring at first, though ending up being rather thoughtful. 

   Jane preened under the compliment. The dress had been a bit of an impulse choice, something a little different from the shades of black she usually wore, but it was a night of excess, and she’d fallen in love with it on sight. Bolstered by Lyra’s words she already begun planning the future cherry red editions to her wardrobe. 

   “Music is in your blood.” she smiled, soaking in new bits of information. It didn’t come as a surprise to hear, listing to her play, watching her dance, dancing with her. It was a thing of beauty. 

⚜

If there was one thing Chelsea loved above all else was control. And she knew very well she had the coven wrapped around her finger. What she did not like was strangers invading her home. Even if only for an evening of debauchery and decadence. As she rolled her eyes at her own thoughts, she spotted the Jane. She was hard to miss considering her chosen color. Weren’t they supposed to blend in?

The tight fitting dress Chelsea wore that evening waved with each step she took toward the smaller guard, pausing only when she reached the redhead, their shoulders nearly touching. “A few hours? My, my, how generous of you.” Chelsea’s head turned to face the younger girl, a single curl of dark hair brushing against her exposed shoulder. “Who’s idea was it to have humans present as guests?”

— “It had to be a moment of madness.” the redhead agreed, acutely aware of the very human guest she’d been waiting for as the other vampire approached, her own moment of madness maybe. She blamed her brothers absence for her recklessness. 

   Brushing the thought away she smiled at Chelsea, leaning in the inch needed to bump the others shoulder lightly, “You look lovely,” she complimented, enjoying the others elegance for a moment. If anything at least these events were beautiful, and it gave them the excuse to step out of the norm.  

SULPICIA   WAS   waiting   for   this   night   .   she   had   been   looking   forward   to   it   for   days   .   she   couldn’t   remember   the   last   time   she   attended   a   ball   ,   it   had   to   be   centuries   ago   .   she   was   expecting   nothing   less   than   excellence   and   perfection   of   the   ball   ,   and   that’s   exactly   what   she   got   .   

she   was   glad   to   see   people   enjoying   themselves  ,  though   she   wasn’t   sure   how   long   it   would   last   .   “  you’re   giving   them   too   much   credit.”   she   chuckled   slightly   .   “ i’m   surprised   they   haven’t   started   already.  ”    as   entertaining   as   it   would   be   ,   she   knew   it   couldn’t   happen  .   “   though  ,  maybe   they   aren’t   so   foolish.   maybe   they   value   their   own   lives   too   much.”

— Jane chuckled, her fellow Volturi a welcome sight in this crowd of outsiders. “I’m sure it helps that we have been asked to play nice.” they were a harsh coven, that had never been a secret. But tonight, as per request, she was only able to put down party disrupters as a final resort.  

   “Its a shame. I suppose we’ll have to come up with another way to liven up this evening” she suggested conspiratorially, there were plenty of non lethal ways to toy with their guests. “Did you hear that little mortal who started all this upset has left the broody Cullen boy who tried to have us kill him? - Not that I blame her.” she gossiped.

Among his own coven, it was no secret that Liam had trouble accepting authority in his life. The only person he had ever and would ever take orders from, on his hands and fucking knees mind, was his mate

-and Siobhan wasn’t here.

Liam eyed the girl from afar, hardly inconspicuous thanks to standing a solid 2 inches above the tallest patron, and he loathed. Liam had never met the Voltrui before, not in person anyway. He had seen them from afar, always from afar, like zoo animals they paraded and pranced and he had watched it all happen. 

Pricks, he thought venomously

Liam was then doubly surprised when the tiny read head spoke up from his elbow. He lowered his glass, tilted his head down and stared right back at her, in partial disbelief that she was talking to him, of all people.  “Aye….at your hand probably…” he muttered into his glass eventually, the vampire then sighed and answered her properly. “Is that you on guard duty then is it?” he asked, accent thick and tone bored.

— Jane looked up, and up a little farther at the speaker with the Irish brogue and rolled her scarlet eyes. “If they’re unluckly.” she agreed, tone short. “Not that my duties are any of your concern, but if it calms your fears, I’m not on the clock tonight -- ” it wasn’t entirely true, a member of the Volturi was always that, but in this instance she had been asked to play nice with the invited covens, so she might as well be a set piece for Aro’s play.

    “ -- I have a date coming, actually.” as if he required further proof. She would never admit to the kernel of excitement fluttering in her chest. She’d felt lighter than she had in centuries. “So I fully intend to ignore the lot of you for the whole evening.” she added, lips curling into a smile. “I’m Jane," she gave him a nod, officially greeting the covens guest. One might even say she was being friendly. “I assume the giant clan you hale from has named you?” 

HIS SHOULDERS WERE squared as he walked through the crowds. he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. he didn’t want to be there at all. in fact he would be quite content in being held up in his room far away from everyone. the mixture of emotions around here were driving him up the wall. if he didn’t want to draw any eyes to himself he would shut everyone’s emotions down right now, give himself some peace of mind. but that wasn’t the case.

making his way towards jane he wondered if it was excitement or just plain curiosity coming from her, he couldn’t quite pinpoint it. “hopefully not by your own hands, surely your masters wouldn’t like that isn’t it supposed to be a calm and peaceful evening?” he questioned as he looked at the smaller vampire.

— Oh the desire to send the other to the ground in agony had been a strong one, but she settled for a glare. He hadn’t been wrong, she had been ask by the powers that be personally to ‘ play nice’ this evening. As irritating as the self-righteous Cullen clan was she could be a team player when requested by the right people. 

When Lyra had been invited to the party, she hadn’t really considered just how fancy it would be. Yet as she arrived, the pink haired dj looked down at her own attire and felt.. somewhat underdressed. Everyone seemed to be clad in sparkling dresses with centuries old inspired broidery or wildly expensive jewelry. And here she was in a black and pink accented dress with gladiator heels. If she’d wanted to stand out tonight she sealed that fate for sure. Straightening her back, and trying to not overthink it all, she made her way into the crowd. Naturally she felt herself looking around for the one who had invited her tonight. Jane. Though Lyra didn’t have to look long before her eyes fell on the painfully beautiful redhead, looking as if she fully belonged. 

“Why would someone die tonight?” she couldn’t help but ask, catching the last part of what was probably more of a personal commentary than one meant for conversation. “I wanted to say thank you for inviting me tonight. Its quite the party.” She smiled warmly at Jane, not unlike before, finding it difficult to look away from her. God she was just.. flawless. 

— Jane found herself smiling as she turned to greet her guest, pleased she’d been able to come with the short notice given. “Lyra” she walked to meet her, taking in the sleek silted black gown she wore, its deep blush pink petals a beautiful accent, and gladiator heels hugging the length of her smooth legs. She may as well have been Aphrodite reborn as far as Jane were concerned. “Oh never mind that - You look stunning,” she had to tell her, this strange mortal who had walked into her life and now occupied more of the vampires thoughts than she was comfortable admitting. 

— He knew next to no one at this masquerade, maybe that was kind of the point but either way it made him more than a little uneasy. At least he could take comfort in the fact that he was as masked as everyone else. And the grounds were nice and open, that and no one vampire or human had bothered him much at all since coming to the city. Maybe tonight was his chance to socialize a little, get an idea of who else resided in Volterra. 

— The party was beautiful, opulent even, the anonymous benefactor had outdone himself with grandeur. Not that she had expected any less. With vampires from across the globe entering the city daily it was important the coven Volturi presented a strong, sure image. Even if they were only strictly party goers tonight. 

Lyra knew it was silly, and that it might feel this way because she was still moderately young, but she felt at home in the club. It was a place where she belonged, where she could contribute simply by playing good music that made people happy and able to enjoy themselves. In truth, you didn’t come to a club scene if not to escape everyday life or let go of your inhibitions. Both of which led to a euphoric sense of freedom and excitement. Tonight the crowd was a big one, the club packed to the brim.

Their eyes met, and Lyra found herself unable to look away. She had to be wearing contacts, right? It was both eerie and somehow appealing. The red eyes that were much deeper in color than the girls hair. Somehow their starkness fitted with the rest of her appearance so well that had it not been for the fact that the color itself was so unusual to Lyra, she wouldn’t have seen it.

While she might not know the tall, gorgeous stranger, Lyra was never one to turn down a person in need. Especially not a girl as stunning as her either. Though she mentally pushed that thought a bit away. Taking advantage was not her style. Her brows furrowed in further concern at the downright vulnerable confession. “Is there something I can do? Get you water? So you need to sit down? Get somewhere a bit more quiet?” She asked gently, lightly placing her hand on the girls elbow, tempted to lead her to her backstage dressing room. Not just to help her but to get away from the noise. The club did not leave much room for one to get to know one another or in the very least have an open conversation.

— Slim ginger brows knit at the human beauties show of concern before understanding took her. A misunderstanding. Jane wasn’t ill, not in any physical sense -- however the lure she felt toward this human tipped her on her axis. Thousands of years of immortal life as her curious self had taught her well, she knew what it could mean to suddenly feel such a pull to another. And this -- it was inexplainable. If it was true this could be...difficult. There wasn’t a single part of Janes life a human might exist -- aside from a meal for her or her coven.

   There were choices to be made as she stood across from this uniquely dangerous human. She could leave, forget what she’d stumbled on and simply wait the year until she expired, or she could take care of this problem now, tonight. It would be how she normally handled such a messy situation. The most efficient way to prevent others from using this against her. However, as the lights danced across the concern in the lovely woman’s gaze Jane hesitated and began to ponder other options.

   “Could we go somewhere quiet?” she replied, clinging to her last suggestion, whatever it took to continue this conversation until she had the information she needed. 

LOOKING AT THE man chris quirked a brow. people came to drink, socialize, heck some even came just to sit in a corner and enjoy some alone time. moving closer to the other he let his lips curl into an easy smile. “you sure about that request, man?” he asked once more. he didn’t mind getting the other some vodka but at the same time he didn’t want the other to feel forced to get it. “you can get normal drinks here too, doesn’t have to be alcoholic. or hey you don’t even have to get anything.” chris eased as he grabbed a glass waiting for the final decision.