#thread 29

It isn't long before chaos erupts onto the stage. A new threat makes themselves known as the Phantom of the Masquerade, obsessively chasing those it wishes to offer its challenge. Suited and masked, it backs you into a corner. An embellished rapier flourishes into its right hand, and it holds a string of pearls in its right. It speaks in a strained voice,

Sage sat against a tree hugging his knees, he just wanted to be alone. He wanted to crawl into a ball and disappear. He knew he should be going back to the cells, it was late and probably pass curfew but he didn’t move. He sniffled rubbing his eyes when he heard someone approach. He relaxed slightly when he saw Dhani. “Oh, Hey Dhani, hi, how are you?” He said, hating how his voice caught a few times.

“I’m okay.” Dhani said with an obvious note of worry in his voice. He refrained from mentioning he had been actually looking for Sage. No one he usually hung out with had seen him in a few hours and Wat had done a bit of a search with no luck. Dhani shouldn’t have been out past curfew either. Leib wouldn’t be happy. On top of that he wasn’t supposed to bring home anyone without permission, not staying overnight more than once a month.

“Okay,” Dhani squeezed Finn’s hand and sat down trying not to breath as deeply, or noticeably, as he really wanted. For almost as long as he’d known Finn he worried about him. At first it was just because he was so sweet, and they’d both gotten singled out more than once over nothing. Because they both looked innocent, Finn with his boyish face and Dhani with his big doe eyes. But lately, more months than Dhani cared to admit or even realized, it was other things he’d noticed in his friend. How often Finn lost focus when they studied together, and even Jody asking Dhani to help Finn out in the first place. Why Finn wouldn’t just come to him to ask himself hurt a little bit, but it wasn’t surprising. Finn didn’t like imposing anything on anyone for any reason.

Finn brushing off Dhani’s insistence that they could talk about anything, they were best friends, Dhani would do whatever Finn needed of him... That half smile Finn gave Dhani insisting he was ‘fine’. None of that had sat right with Dhani for a long time. But you could only lead a horse to water...

“No-- I wasn’t--”

Dhani shut up before damning himself to this... person and what his mind told him was a wildly complex costume for this costume party he didn’t remember coming to or even being invited to. Something something brain injury. That was evidentially going to be his excuse for a while. Just having burst of memory loss. Dad said that might happen and it was okay and not to try and make excuses and definitely not try and cover it up over being embarrassed about it. Especially not to Dad.

Dhani looked and felt 18 and with that came the trappings of his senior year, the head injury he’d suffered from a fight little over a week before. The stitches were out but the scar on the back of his head was relatively fresh. A human boy growing up in the suburbs of Malibu, the only feathery flying humaniods were ones in his fantasy books and Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. Just made up.

“I’m Dhani.” He introduced himself as he helped Noah out, doing his best to be efficient and also not cause any damage to his incredible art protect.

“Nothing-- I mean not you-- Not that you’re nothing. You’re... really pretty. I’m-- Sorry I did not mean to stare.” Dhani smiled, finally getting the words he wanted out and gave a bit of a sigh of relief. He was dressed up like some old west saloon keeper or something like that. Fancy old west but not a cowboy. Maybe some 1800s dress up party? He tried to think on one of Bubbe’s old period fashion movie books he used to look through as a little kid.

He looked 18, a little skinner, far less muscle, but still the same swimmer’s build he always maintained. His head was shaved close and there was a rather obvious nearly two inch scar at the back of his head, peaking out under his hat.

“I’m Dhani. I ...also don’t remember coming to this party.”

Dhani breathed a sigh of relief. She was excited. She ‘would love’ to have coffee. She seemed sweet. Their letters and birthday cards and general text messages to one another seemed liked they were really in love. He’d had a search through a wall calendar, various dates with a little daisy drawn on them. First Kiss. First ILU. Anniversay. First Day We Met. You didn’t keep track like that unless you were in love... well, right away. It was like that for Dad.

Dhani started searching in his closet for something nice to wear though clearly he didn’t have to worry so much about a first impression. They’d been going out for years. Which didn’t really make sense. And Dad wasn’t here. This wasn’t his house, or Bubbe’s house. Obviously. There were two cats living here and neither of them were orange like Seeger. He was doing his best not to freak out. He just really wanted his dad to come tell him things were okay. But Dad wasn’t even in his phone.

[text] Oh yeah I’m Dhani. This is Dhani. It’s all in the contacts and I’m not seeing any of my friends name’s in here. I’m a bit worried. Trying not to freak out haha

[text] Sorry cupcakes is good! I’m sure they have them. It’s a coffe shop and bakery? Southern moon? It’s in my contacts as well. I couldn’t get anyone to pick up so I hope they’re open...

[text] If not we can meet like... at each other’s houses? Either one. There’s photos of a guy I don’t recognize here but he’s Jewish by some of the stuff around so maybe one of my grandma’s friends? Or something? I had a bad accident a few weeks ago at school. Jeremy knocking me teh fuck out. If you know about that. I would think it’s left overs from that but if you can’t remember stuff too than... IDEK

Dhani chose a nice button down short sleeved shirt and jeans before giving a little attention to both cats and starting off towards the bakery on his bike. It was an old Schwinn that looked almost exactly like the one his mother had owned, so he took a educated guess that it was his. The cafe racer he was too chicken to try out even if he figured the key was on his ring of house keys. There were a few other keys he wasn’t sure about and it took him a minute to lock the house back up before he left.

The raven haired woman stood in the shadows on the edge of the forest watching the kingdom that stood in front of her. People were bustling as they moved in and out of the metal gate that was constantly guarded by the royal guards almost all the time. Snow heaved a breath and sunk back further into the trees that were masked by the darkness that night provided for her. Luckily there were always more than one way to get in and out of kingdoms and luckily for Snow she knew of that way. She had been on the run for the longest time and she had been stealing from the royals to give to trolls for certain items that only they would have. 

The green hood of her cloak was pulled over her head as she ran out of the woods and across the dirt path into the shadows once more. She leaned against the stone wall and huffed a breath before continuing down the way she was going to find the door that only maids and servants used. The cool air that surrounded her was crisp and perfect for her attempt to grab the jewels she wanted. The jewels were that of a rare kind and it was said that they came from a far off land that no one dares to venture to without wanting death to come to them.

When Snow reached the servants old wooden door she popped it open and snuck in, letting the door creak open and shut swiftly. She pushed her hood down and stared into the dark cold kitchen letting her eyes adjust before she was willing to move. The dark haired woman crossed the stone kitchen where the next door was, she proceeded to open it and make her way up the winding stairs to the royal rooms. She hoped she would get in and out with what she wanted without having to tangle with anyone of the family that lived there or the guards that protected them.