A White Christmas {Open}

[Jocelyn]

“Off to the Christmas festivities.” Moki sighed as he pulled on his red dress jacket. It was one he’d had for a few years and only wore for the Christmas season but it appeared to be new. He folded a white handkerchief in a simple design and placed it in the left breast-pocket. Straightening the collar of his dress shirt he checked that he was prim in the mirror before walking out the door. Black dress shoes tapping in the hallways of his home Moki passed other nobles ready for what was sure to be social event of the season.

Not that he was glad to be going to it. His father had simply pushed, prodded, and nagged his son until he had decided to end his suffering and agree to go to the party. Entering his carriage he waited for his “cab-buddies” to arrive before he ordered the driver to leave for the Center Sector. Although he often liked to walk about the city on his own Moki and the others couldn’t risk walking to their destination; they were dressed too nicely and would be easy targets for thieves.

The scientists made idle chatter as they traveled all none too eager to arrive at their destination. Why would they? Social recluses whose natural habitat was a lab didn’t like to be shoved into a foreign and “hostile” environment. What was the fun of dancing and becoming inebriated? Conducting experiments and reading up on the latest discovery were far more enjoyable.

“We’re here.”

Letting out a heavy sigh at the carriage driver’s announcement Moki stepped out of the carriage and into a typical Whitestag creation. Immaculately decorated evergreen trees lined the chosen portion of the central sector their décor glittering in the candlelight. Tables were placed around a dance floor where party-goers were already swaying to the music. The tantalizing scent of holiday treats wafted through the crowd and made its way to the carriage, and Moki could not help but lick his lips at the smell.

Waving a farewell to his companions the raven haired man made his way along the edge of the crowd and toward the dessert table where people were already gathered. Grabbing a quick slice of white Yule log cake and a coconut snowman that was smiling up at him Moki quickly retreated to a private table…where he noticed he lacked a beverage. Sighing he returned to the food table and grabbed himself a drink, only then returning to his table.

“Well, at least there’s some food.” He grumbled. Picking at his food he looked none too comfortable surrounded by the glittering festivities and poinsettia plants. It was too flashy, too noisy and too perfect for him. But somehow he hoped to have fun.

Somehow.

Moki’s outfit (Nolan, not Emily)

[Rivershadow]

Ryelle moved among the guests, smiling and greeting people like a true social butterfly. She smiled and waved at a dark-haired woman, stopped and exchanged light-hearted words with a group of young people. She laughed with them, then moved on, pausing to touch an old man on the arm and greet him. This was Whitestag's biggest social event of the season, and they always went all out. It was a wonderful places for making contacts. At least, as long as none of the guards or higher-ups recognized her.

She had left her beloved hoodie at home this time -- her normal attire was far too recognizable. For this event she wore a slender black cocktail dress with tiny crystals that spilled down in, gracefully accenting her thin figure. Upscale, expensive-looking, strappy high-heels made her taller than normal, and gave her an air of dignity and grace. She had swept her white-blonde hair up on her head in such a way that it hid her ears completely and securely, and added to her air of regality. Looking at her, one would assume she belonged to the elite of one of the houses. A human noble. And she could play the part, too. She behaved perfectly like a rich socialite, all the while scanning the crowd, observing, evaluating, and calculating risk in her head.

She drifted over to the food table and took a glass of champagne. She retired to the edge of the crowd, leaning against a tree and looked out at the lights and the people, her eyes picking up every detail. She kept a subtle eye on the loners. Loners at a social event were usually one of two things: a discontented person who might make a good informant, or a plain-clothes guard. But in this case, she was paying far more attention to the masses to the loners, observing who was conversing with whom, all the while she lounged and sipped her champagne like a true gentlewoman.

[Jocelyn]

“Bored, bored, bored.” Moki drawled as he twirled his Yule log cake on the fork. Silver in color and wonderfully engraved as was Whitestag’s style, Moki had nearly laughed out loud when he’d picked it up. Although it appeared to be the valuable silver metal it was indeed a clever fake; Whitestag couldn’t have the lowly peasants stealing from them.

How like Whitestag to be underhandedly “nice.”

“Middie…Middie…Noble…Metal-Men…Silverhollow…Goldsbloom…”

What’s this?

Spotting a young woman a ways away off by herself he studied her because she was, in a word, striking. Tall with long blonde hair that appeared silver in the light and dressed in a red dress she would attract any person male or female. Of course it would be more men since red seemed to symbolize more “sensuality” than other colors but…

Shaking his head to expel the sidetracking his mind had gone into Moki began to shamelessly stare at the girl. He tried to figure out to which house she might have belonged but she could very well have been a Middie or, at best, a Poor or a disguised Metal-Men. Indeed there were numerous Metal-Men here tonight, and with his trusty watch he could tell exactly which people where Metal-Men.

Not that it mattered to Moki. He was only there to appease his Pop-Pop and so didn’t need to socialize with anyone. Luckily he could observe others like a creepy (but well dressed) stalker.

[Rivershadow]

Ryelle, glancing to her left, noticed a man staring at her. She did her usual, quick inventory. Dark hair that hung to his shoulders, hazel eyes, very short, dressed like a noble but with the air of a middie. Definitely a Silverhollow, that much was plain. He certainly wasn't doing the arrogant strutting bit that almost every other young nobleman at the party was doing, in any case. He was, however, staring rather intensely.

She pulled her noblewoman's air around her tighter, like an elegant cloak, and drifted toward him. "Hello there," she said politely, with an even tone but a friendly smile. Too much open warmth didn't suit her elegant stature when speaking with strangers, but neither would she appear aloof. A nice balance was usually a good thing.

[Jocelyn]

Ah she's coming over. Moki thought as the woman began to walk if not to him then in his general direction. Making himself seem as uninteresting as ever he began to eat his cake instead of waving it around on his fork. It tasted quite delicious and the frosting was wonderfully light, and for a second Moki forgot that there was a woman, nay, a person coming toward him.

"Hello there."

"Hmm?" Looking up from his dessert Moki locked eyes with the tall blonde beauty standing before him. Is she talking to me? He thought incredulously as he looked around to see if there was anyone else around him. Alas there was not which unfortunately meant he had to interact with another living homo sapien.

"...Greetings." Moki mumbled as he swallowed his cake. He scanned her body once more in case he missed even one detail and noted that she had a black spot on an ear. Though odd he couldn't dismiss the fact that it could have been body paint for the party (a weird choice but who was he to say?). "Nice hair." That was customary right? He had to compliment a woman on some aspect of her appearance even if she was truly grotesque.

".........Do you have any business with me or...?" As rude as this was Moki didn't see it as such; to him such a question was frequently asked in the lab because they couldn't fritter away their time on trivial things. However Moki couldn't help but flush a light pink in embarrassment when he realized he was not speaking with another scientist in a lab. He was with a very real person who probably was used to more polite speech. "I, um, apologize." He said as he picked up another small portion of cake and placed it in his mouth. It was best to keep quiet lest he seem like an oddball in some way.

His plate was enough conformation on how he didn't belong. Whereas other guest's plates were a tad messy Moki's was meticulously uniform. The Yule log cake had been neatly sliced into smaller identical pieces that lay in a row while the coconut snowman's body had been butchered; the quadrants (the hat was the forth part) lay directly below the cake pieces. To the left of the plate he had placed a napkin that seemed to have been ironed (he'd folded it) and to the right of the plate his choice drink sat waiting to be drunk. All in all Moki's plate was normal. For him at least.

[Rivershadow]

He was an odd duck, this one. Ryelle contemplated him thoughtfully, then sat down beside him.

...Do you have any business with me or...?" and then I, um, apologize.

Ryelle gave him a sweet smile. "No apologies necessary! It's a fair question. No, I don't have any particular business with you...do you mind if I sit down?" she slid into the other chair without waiting for a reply. Picking up her original sentence she added "I just thought you looked like an interesting person. All these people..." here she gestured vaguely toward the crowds "only seem to be interested in social games. Although..." she chuckled self-consciously and smoothed her cocktail dress. "I am fully aware that I'm playing the same games." She gave a dramatic sigh, then grinned at him. "One must play the game now and then, though, yes?" She studied him for a moment, then said, "I'm going to guess you're a scientist. Silverhollow?"

[Jocelyn]

"No apologies necessary! It's a fair question. No, I don't have any particular business with you...do you mind if I sit down?"

“W-Well…” Moki began to protest before the she sat down. Really what was the point of that question if she was simply going to ignore him and sit down? It seemed even a stranger could sense that he was a pushover.

"I just thought you looked like an interesting person. All these people only seem to be interested in social games. Although…I am fully aware that I'm playing the same games. One must play the game now and then, though, yes?"

“I-I suppose so.” Moki replied, “Social interaction is seen as a “normal” action usually done with friends or family but strangers can and are often engaged. If people do not interact with others they are seen as hermits or recluses, and ostracizing a person is seen as a form of punishment. D-did you know that in some cultures people ostracize themselves voluntarily? It’s a form of meditation in parts of—“

“I'm going to guess you're a scientist. Silverhollow?"

Taken aback at her guess Moki looked at her with a quizzical expression before he nodded. “I suppose it is obvious.” He mumbled. Did he really smell of Silverhollow blood? “What are you? Ah, um, n-n-not to say that you’re a th-thing. I merely meant that, in the current context of our conversation…Er…What house or class do you belong to?”

Bad Moki! Bad! How could he have turned a simple question into such a rude statement? Speaking wasn’t hard and neither was thinking, but put the both of them together and an unorganized mess spewed from his mouth every time he spoke. Face conveying his embarrassed and uncomfortable state the Silverhollow scientist looked down at his plate and busied himself with pondering over what to eat next. “Would you…would you like a drink?” He asked the woman in an effort to redeem himself.

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OCC: Love your signature. I never thought about that before!

[Rivershadow]

"Really? People ostracize themselves on purpose?" Ryelle's grey eyes widened in astonishment. That sounded like her worst nightmare. She shivered a little, and focused back on the conversation.

"What house or class do you belong to?"

Ahh, the question of the hour. Fortunately, she had a well-established cover story. "Whitestag. My biological parents are Middies -- shhh, don't tell" she gave him a conspiratorial wink "but I was raised as a noble. Foster parents, and all that."

It really did make for the best cover. She presented herself as a noble, but foster parents meant that she didn't have to claim actual relations to any of the real nobles. Plus, Whitestag always had so many charity causes going on that even they couldn't keep track of all the children they had helped, as part of their "Aren't-We-Great" campaign, so they just assumed she really was one of them. And by now, she had been to enough of these functions that she had a firmly established alias.

"Would you...would you like a drink?"

"Oh, that would be nice thanks!" she smiled at him as she slid her empty champagne flute on to the tray of a passing waiter.

[Jocelyn]

“Whitestag. My biological parents are Middies—shhh, don't tell—but I was raised as a noble. Foster parents, and all that."

Shrugging dismissively at her “confession” Moki answered casually, “My mother was a Middie. Nice woman, good mother.”

"Oh, that would be nice thanks!"

“I’ll be right back.” Moki said as he left his plate on the table and quickly retrieved a drink; being short had its advantages as he could easily sneak a drink from a passing waiter. Returning to the table he placed it in front of his companion and said, “I just realized I don’t know your name. I am Moki Keawa Sorreson-Silverhollow, a pleasure to meet you.”

[Rivershadow]

"Wow, what a name!" Ryelle exclaimed in an impressed tone. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Moki. I'm Kaira, Kaira Drake."

'Kaira Drake' stretched out her hand to shake Moki's, a bright, friendly smile on her delicate features. Kaira Drake was the name she used as her Whitestag alias. Kaira was derived from her middle name, Kairavini, and Drake was her mother's maiden name. The Whitestag house actually fully believed that Kaira Drake existed, and had been raised by them. Only a very select few knew her true identity. It was, needless to say, a very well-established alias.

((Ehh, I don't know what else to say! Oh and I just saw your comment about my sig -- thanks! xD))

[Jocelyn]

Taking Kaira’s hand in a firm grip Moki shook it for two seconds before releasing it and sitting down at his seat once more. He stared down at his plate for a second before pushing it away; friendly or not the girl could have easily poisoned his food and drink. “Did you know that the handshake was first invented as a way to demonstrate you were unarmed. Of course they didn’t shake back then but…”

Shrugging for lack of a better thing to do Moki looked around the dance floor at the dancers swaying to the Viennese waltz. To his amusement some nobles were making fools of themselves attempting to dance this “fast” waltz, tripping and stumbling at every step. To their credit they did appear to be having fun (if with a bit embarrassment).

“I for one could never dance like that.” Moki commented as he motioned to the fluid dancers gliding across the floor. Shaking his head he turned back to Kaira. “Didn’t you come with someone?” He asked as woman didn’t usually arrive at parties without an escort. If so they were one of a few of things: a spy who could not arrange an escort, a fiercely independent woman, an “unmarriageable” woman, or a person like him.

Glancing at his watch as a waiter made his way by he noted that the hands moved and Moki glanced back at him. Although the man looked perfectly human his watch told him otherwise, and seeing as Moki wouldn’t exactly be on friendly terms with Metal-Men due to a certain project well…

“Excuse me for a second.”

And he hid under the table. Oh boy.

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OCC: I don’t know what to say either! XD I was hoping someone else would come along by now but it seems no one wants to do a Christmas thing D=

[pendrag0nknight]

ooc: nah, i'm in! (Thanks to lamberdini) lols, so here I go:
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Lillian Frances Goldsbloom had a reputation to keep up. Arriving fashionably late, as was customary when arriving to another house's function, she lifted her skirts with great care and awaited for Braid to move to her side. Together, the two of them began moving down the large staircase toward the central ballroom floor.

She was dressed in crisp silvery-white, strung with rich gold and deep reds as velvet motifs along her off-shoulder evening gown. Bejeweled with rhinestones, and trimmed generously, Lillian wore a decorative dress, but a subtle eyepatch hidden well beneath her bangs.

Tonight was the night to uphold Goldsbloom's dignity in the face of this other house--Whitestag. She moved to the window first, greeting those she recognized with aloof propriety and politeness mixed with honeyed tones. After, she nodded to the waiter to get her a drink, chin held up and pleasent smile on her face.

"Braid," she said softly, after recieving her glass of punch. "Do you recognize that boy?" she asked suddenly.

From the corner of her eye, she'd spotted a figure diving beneath the table in the corner. He was so odd, she swore she'd seen him before.

Then she heard someone call her name, and waited a moment before turning around to spot the speaker, and possibly answer.

[Rivershadow]

OOC: This is getting really interesting, really fast!!!
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"I enjoy my inde--" Ryelle broke off in surprise as her companion excused himself and dove under the table. "Umm..." Ryelle's eyes followed the direction he had been looking. It was just a waiter... Then the waiter shifted and... Lillian Goldsbloom? He was hiding from Lillian Goldsbloom? This night just got more and more interesting. She barely knew Moki, but she liked him. That, combined with the potential for information gathering, and even a future contact, made for a world of reasons to protect him from whatever had him hiding under a table.

Ryelle stood gracefully, took Moki's glass and her own, and stepped toward Lillian. "Lillian." She called the woman's name. She loved having a second life, essentially, in Whitestag. It gave her the opportunity to mingle with the higher-ups unquestioned. And it meant that, just like on the streets, EVERYONE knew her. Sometimes she hated the formality... But usually she loved being upper-class. So very many opportunities!

Turning to the waiter she set the empty glass -- Moki's glass -- on his tray. "I'm done with this, thank you." With a nod to the waiter, she turned back to the young woman. Well, girl, really. But 17-year-olds tended to like to be seen and treated as adults, so that is precisely what she did.

Giving Lillian the polite smile that befitted a Whitestag woman speaking to a Goldsbloom equal, she said, "Good to see you, Lillian. How have you been?" She nodded to Braid as well. "Nice to see you, Braid."

[Jocelyn]

I hope no one saw me. Moki prayed as he crouched under the table. The red tablecloth provided him cover from the rest of the partygoers and to his surprise it was actually quite warm under the table. Oh how horrible it was to have to evade Metal-Men (most of whom did not even pay him any attention) but Moki knew that it was best to be cautious. Odds were that several Metal-Men attending the soiree had known a person who had been a victim of a Magna-Weapon, and like any society some individuals would seek revenge.

So he hid.

Like a coward.

“I sure could use some food…” Moki muttered as he noticed a gnawing feeling in his abdomen. “Um…Miss Drake would you mind fetching me some…Miss Drake?”

She’s gone! He noticed as her legs were ostentatiously absent from beneath the table. “Miss Drake?” Lifting the tablecloth he searched for his companion who had probably left due to his rudeness. Catching her speaking with someone who he couldn’t see the scientist tried to look past Ryelle and toward the mystery girl (by the look of that dress) before he noticed that the Metal-Men waiter was staring at him.

Smiling stupidly Moki waved meekly and muttered an awkward hello before retreating back to his room under the table.

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OCC: Lillian’s done more than “see” him before. Moki ran her over xD

[Rivershadow]

OOC: Hahahaha!!! Well glad to know Ryelle is still helping by distracting Lillian, even if she failed to distract the waiter. =P I'm gonna wait for Pendragon to post...not that I can really post now anyway lol.
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