Jean had posed an excellent question, but it was one Ven had no way to answer. He only shrugged slightly still feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Watching as the prince and priest amused themselves, Ven couldn’t understand the motivation behind their actions. But then again he often found himself questioning the motivations of others. Especially as Jean had put it, the touchy ones.

Liana eyed Jean carefully, but shook her hand when it was offered. “Nice to meet you, I’m Liana.” She didn’t include a surname because she didn’t have one, hopefully the other woman wouldn’t notice. “Any friend of Ven is welcome to, ah, stick around.” A small smile touched her lips but it didn’t stay long. Liana’s eyes scanned the crowd hoping to spot and her date so she could formally apologize for earlier. It was then that she heard a sound echo inside her head and turned to find Kyriel. ()

The angel’s skin was no longer a deep blue so it took Liana a moment to truly recognize her energy. But when she did her heart sort of skipped a beat. “Goodness, are you alright?” Liana hurried over and reaching inside her coin purse, pulled out a soft teal colored cloth and offered it to Kyriel. “You’re, ah…” Not quite sure what to call it she simply gestured to Kyriel’s ear and blushed slightly still holding out the cloth.

Ven’s hand had gone to the hilt of his sword, once again mimicking a cane at his hip. But slid away as he watched Liana approach the lady with the large wings. He kept his distance and quieted a growl he felt rising inside his throat. No need for the now, not here anyway, not while he was working. ~

[img align=left]https://s26.postimg.org/rk8yht1ft/Dev2017.png[/img] Pulling himself and Sorn () back into an upright position the slightest hint of a rosy blush dusted the prince’s dappled cheeks. Devin was very much a living in the moment sort of man, and it often got him into a decent amount of trouble. This time however, it seemed like it was working out alright. At least he hadn’t been slapped, yet. “I know more than a few remedies.” He lifted a perfectly arched brow and flashed a devious grin.

(( something like that XD The details are still fuzzy. He doesn't like talking about it. ))

"Patience easier with friends." She'd always found it easier to put up with things if she liked the person doing them. "Besides," Shy added, with an unrepentant grin, "need excuse to make you come back next year. Yes?" Perhaps it was presumptuous, assuming Kasiya would be free and that he'd even want to come. He hadn't the past couple years, after all, and she'd been keeping an eye out for him. But she'd never been very good at subtlety, and she enjoyed spending time with him. "Or maybe this time you not wait for Masquerade and come visit properly. Saintzer come too, yes? After all, I am 'good for talking'."

Sabine was watching the display on the dance floor with growing disgust. She couldn’t seem to contain her ire and stomped onto the dance floor where she interrupted the couple. "We do not want such depravity for all to see. Honestly where is your decorum? And from royalty no less." Then her arm flew and contacted with Sorn’s mouth. Then she slapped Devin’s cheek and stormed off to the lounge for a drink.

Sorn’s lip was now bleeding but Sabine had no idea just how dangerous Sorn was. His red eyes started growing darker and darker—so his eyes were all black. Then the lightning started coming around him as his anger grew and his eyes changed again—full with power. Darkness surrounded him as he growled.

((OOC: lol Well, I brought in a Char and lol er good luck calming Sorn down lol. Jean, Ven and Devin might all be needed lmao. He’s NOT happy xD. Hehe and Devin's yet lol just changed ))

Badbadbad! The faeling's voice was shrill in Jean's head, and she sent it to Venom and Liana as well. Jean turned in time to see the first of the lightning and gasped.

"She's right. C'mon, Ven, we'd best make sure nobody trashes the ballroom. ...Honestly, Sorn, Kara needs to keep you on a shorter leash." Brows drawn together in frustration, Jean wondered how she could best sooth frayed nerves. ...Perhaps claiming it was a bit of a show might work, but that assumed things didn't get violent.

She really hoped things didn't get violent. It had been such a lovely party thus far.

There it was, the familiar sting tingling the side of his face. Devin absorbed the blow with little thought and dismissed the taste of blood in his mouth. The prince took a step back, his blue eye coldly watching the disgruntled lady as she walked away. Jealousy presented itself in strange ways. Another tingling sensation on his arm caused him to look over and notice how Sorn was literally crackling with anger. Little flecks of lightning were leaping from their host and scattering around the room.

“Come now.” Devin stepped in between the departing lady and his dance partner. “If you’re going to be angry at anyone, be angry with me.” It was out of character for Devin to take responsibility for his actions. But he had a nagging feeling that if the walls came crashing down around them it would ruin the mood entirely. Besides, being struck when he was away from home wasn’t so much out of the ordinary for him. The more the princeling snuck out the more often it happened. Apparently Sorn wasn’t so used to it. () ~

Liana caught her breath when Shir’s voice spoke in her mind. Her gaze flew to Jean as she sought to pinpoint the small creature hiding amidst her hair. () Quickly however her attention was diverted to the crackling sound and sharp scent of magic the 'bad' must have been referring to. Rolling her eyes she groaned. Leave it to the prince to cause something dramatic to happen. She probably shouldn’t have left him alone after all.

Venom had to step aside to avoid the headstrong woman stomping toward him. Her blue gown sweeping over his shoes as she went. Quickly he regained his balance and pushed past the crowd to see what was happening out on the floor.

Sorn’s magic was building faster as the seconds ticked by. He was aiming for something lethal and grand. He was completely unaware that his eyes had shifted in colour or that his lightning spells were already sending little flares out—thankfully nothing to harm anyone. When he turned to briefly look at the prince, he spoke in a voice that was full of malice and power—but unfortunately it was in his native tongue. In his ire he had reverted to solely his language. He did hear the prince—ish, but the words did not translate. The problem is that he was reacting as he would—as he should if he was in a drow ball, but he was not and even though in the back of his head he might have realised this, logic and reaction were too far apart for him to separate.

((helping with Passover food packages, and then I will have Jean step up to the wayward pair. <3))

Venom stepped past the last of the onlookers and absorbed the situation unfolding. His hand hovered above the hilt of his concealed weapon, but he would not draw it here. Not unless things took a turn for the worst.

Liana soon joined him, her small figure seeming smaller still beside the tall dark man. Three words fell from her lips, inaudible to the layman and indistinguishable to anyone else who may have heard. With the flick of her wrist she threw the words as they developed into symbols of dim light into the air surrounding Sorn and the prince. There was a ripple as the shield fell into place. Devin was on his own, Liana could only shield those on the opposite side of her spell. Even then, she doubted she could withstand a full blast of Sorn’s building energy. At this point she very much regretted leaving Mog behind.

Devin let out a long sigh. It didn’t appear that his words were getting though, Sorn had snapped and it was a little alarming how easily it had happened. Again Devin was reminded of his brother and suddenly the spark of excitement he had felt fizzled and went out. Taking another step back he realized Liana had turned up and gave her a shrug. “Well, can’t say I didn’t try.” ~ Venom took a step forward. He hadn’t fully understood what Sorn had said to the prince, but he had to try something. He spoke in his own native dialect, harsh and jagged sounding words that felt largely unpleasant to speak. Leaving the back of one's throat considerably raw. “Peace, brother.” Ven doubted Sorn would bend to his will but he had to start somewhere. ()

(sounds good <3 )

He saw others approach him and immediately was more on guard. Sorn’s gaze went from Devin, to Liana as she put a shield around him and the prince. Why would she do that? Surely she didn’t think he’d hurt her? She hadn’t done anything to deserve harm and he gave his word. Okay, so drows were duplicitous but he did almost always keep that word—especially when it suited him.

Devin took a step back and Sorn’s anger fell a fraction. Why was his dance partner moving? Had he not told him that he’d done nothing wrong? Sorn frowned a little and tried again, “You have done nothing wrong, fair one.”

Then Ven was saying something in a tongue that was both familiar and foreign. Another tiny piece of anger was replaced with frustration and confusion—which might be heard in Sorn’s new growl. Why did everyone seem so tense? Weren’t displays of such power seen often in the masque?

(Sorry guys, crazy busy time of the year and I've been feeling really under the weather D: )

Kia held onto Lucas as the commotion broke out, scanning the crowd for her friends. She frowned seeing Devin in the thick of it. "Oh dear," she said with a heavy sigh. "What has he gotten himself into now?"

Archer raised an eyebrow at Kai, But allowed himself to be lead off. "Kai, I'm sorry if I did something I shouldn't ha-" he paused looking back towards the sudden commotion in the ball room and shrugged before turning back to Kai. "I thought you would be happy to see me tonight."

"Is this... normal?" Lucas asked, clearly both uncomfortable and more than a little defensive. At the first signs of trouble he'd surreptitiously put himself between Kia and the commotion. "I admit I haven't been to many Masquerades, but I always thought they were supposed to be pretty peaceful affairs?"

Kai rubbed the bridge of his nose. He could hear something happening, but couldn't see for the crowd. His attention was already considerably absorbed, and even moreso as soon as Archer spoke again. "I am happy to see you," he protested, setting his drink aside in order to hold out both hands for Archer's. "I didn't think you were going to make it this year, and I'd resigned myself to keeping an eye on Kia instead. It's just... here, of all places." There was a note of hesitance in his voice as he continued, his eyes cast down to his hands rather than looking Archer in the eye. "You are just as aware as I am of how Ziaran society can be, how strict and staid and judgmental. Something like a kiss, no matter how small, can cause more of a stir than I care to be in the middle of again."

"Perhaps..." Kasiya paused when he felt the pulse of energy emanating from the ballroom. Something was going down. Saintzer had perked up as well, his eyes wide and his wings had flared out, however small they were. Perhaps they should see what was going on. The two angels shared a glance and Kasiya groaned. "Of all places. Come, let's at least see what happened," he said, looping Shylarah's arm through his and leading her back to the ballroom with Saintzer following.

Jean moved toward the blazing drow with the others, but she paused and let Ven speak first. She didn't know Sorn that well, but she did know a little about drow culture. Females -- even rather tomboyish ones like herself -- were superior. And a number of males had...issues, to put it kindly, as a result. But Sorn was still making a fuss, even with Liana's shield around him. He looked confused, like he was trying very hard to make sense of what was going on around him. Bridging cultures could be difficult.

The vagabond sighed and removed her mask, handing it to Liana. Then she moved forward slowly, being sure to keep her hands where Sorn could see they were empty. "This is not the land of the drow, Sorn," she told him, her voice calm and even. "There is no queen or matron here who will take you to task. This is not the place for a fight. This is a celebration, and you are frightening the guests." Jean extended a hand to the angry sorcerer, still not making any sudden movements. "Will you please stop?"

((And a little more for because I was ninja'd~ <3))

The girl felt the flare too, and immediately her personal barriers strengthened. It was one thing to be startled by a noise, and quite another to sense aggressive magic. She nodded her assent -- of course if people were going to be nosy she'd be one of them. But she hadn't expected her erstwhile dance partner to escort her back on his arm, even if it was a rather brisk pace he set, and she could feel her cheeks turning red.

Inside the ruckus seemed to be centered on the man from earlier, the one with the pale hair and dark skin. She recognized Liana, and it seemed Devin had turned up as well, but far more concerning was the lightning the first man had coming off him, though it felt like something was keeping much of it back. Was that the pattern of Liana's power? It was hard to tell, with Sorn generating so much interference. It didn't /seem/ like a fight, but her hand crept toward the hilt of her knife all the same, her wings spreading slightly so that if she needed to use them she'd be ready.

Jean came up to him. Slightly like he was a wild animal and maybe he was. Her brown eyes seemed to plead with him to listen. But that had happened to him before—try to get trust, blindside. Yet she was unarmed. His eyes slowly shifted from the white hot look back to his red. His head cocked sideways. “She challenged me. If I do not respond, I am weak and will be tortured or killed,” he replied to her. His powers were no longer building but he seriously looked lost. He wasn’t wanting to frighten people and had just wanted fun but there was no option now—right?

((oh my word you guys i almost got back into things and then y'all ran off to the races while i had a show >:( eesh goes to read through everything i've missed))

(( I blame the leches. How'd it go?!))

(( Ehhhhh... Could've been better, but wasn't too bad. And it looks like now is about as good a time as any for me to jump in with this commotion, so...))

"Untrue," Kyriel intoned, stepping up behind Liana. Power radiated from her now, as well, but more subtlely than Sorn's, and gentler; it was there, yes, and vast, but made no visible signs, and it seemed to have a reassuring feel to it. Her stance was relaxed and, like Jean, she kept her hands visible, to show their emptiness, the lack of a threat she presented, aside from the small dragon coiled around her right arm. She only hoped it would be enough, and that her hesitation hadn't made the situation worse, somehow. "Not in this society, at least. Cease. I can assure your safety, but only if you can calm yourself."

Pushing his mask up so he could see better, Ven let the others step in and persuade Sorn to calm himself. It seemed that things were starting to chill out. He couldn’t help but snicker a bit at Sorn’s mention of a challenge. “It is not like that, not up here, friend.” He spoke in the common tongue and it felt much better inside his mouth than his father's language. The tension in his shoulders eased and the smallest hint of a smile touched the edges of his lips.

Liana started to fidget with Jean’s mask, but she wasn’t ready to dismiss her barrier just yet. Narrowing her eyes she regarded Sorn like she would a child. Sure his powers were impressive, but his lack of self control left something to be desired… Still, maybe it was a cultural thing. Liana wasn’t very sure what had happened to cause all this but her disapproving gaze flickered to the prince and lingered a while.

Devin meanwhile seemed unfazed. Sorn’s temper was beginning to ebb. Delicately, Devin reached out and caressed a spark of lightning as it crackled into and out of existence. It left his palm tingling with a powerful sensation he hadn’t ever felt before. “Ah, he’s come back to us.” His grin returned full force when Sorn referred to him as ‘fair’. “So you had noticed. I was beginning to wonder.” He could feel Liana’s grimace behind him and laughed. Tilting his head to the side he tapped his chin thoughtfully while regarding Sorn. “Don’t know about you, but I could sure use a drink.” It was just like him, still self absorbed even in the middle of a commotion. (( // @ everyone basically X3 ))

Sorn held back a snort. “I have been promised safety before.” But his ire was softening and his magic was receding. “Why would you do this? What do you have to gain?” he asked the angelic woman in a tone of confusion.

It was Ven’s words and stance that seemed to cut through the anger the fastest. He was a male, males were safer. “No?” he asked. “I-I am sorry, I did not mean to break the rules here. I reacted as my kind would.” He smiled though it was more of a grimace. “A drink would be nice.” He saw the seriousness of most of the crowd and he realised the truth of their words—his magic crashed down back into his body. Shutting it off so fast was not without its sacrifices and he fell forward.

((he will be weak for a few moments until his magic readjusts. So might wanna catch him/help him to the lounge ;) ))

Sabine on the other hand did not know there was a problem and that she had caused it, if she had, she would not have done it--and would have apologised to Sorn and Devin. But she was in the lounge drinking a drink as her temper calmed.

((and everyone xD))

Jean glanced at Kyriel as she came forward. She seemed to recall seeing those lovely wings before in the past, but she had no idea how well the woman knew the drow, and she didn't want things to escalate again. Still, it seemed the fiery-haired lady knew what she was doing, and she had a gentle power the vagabond could just barely feel, something Jean lacked. She felt her own tension ease as Ven got through to the drow at last.

"We do this because not everyone needs to gain something every time." She shrugged eloquently. "Call it...enlightened self interest. If I treat others well, then when I am in trouble they will treat me well in return. I have little to lose, but a great deal to gain." Jean suspected that would make more sense to someone used to expecting ulterior motives. "In this case, we keep a lovely ballroom intact, and don't disturb the festivities. No harm done, Sorn. I know this is probably quite different from -- Ah! Sorn!"

Jean didn't even think; as the sorcerer collapsed she stepped forward and caught him before he hit the floor, though it was close. She'd not been expecting to have to take the weight of a grown man, and staggered under it before she found her balance. "Jeez, aren't magic users supposed to be frail or something?" she muttered, mostly to herself. She wasn't exactly short, and she certainly wasn't weak, but six feet of drow were not easy to catch on short notice. "Easy there, big guy. Ven, Devin, why don't you two take him for that drink? I'll catch up with you in a bit. I'm going to...ah, smooth things over." She transferred her burden to the other two men, retrieved her mask from Liana, and went to make apologies and excuses.

((Jean shall return shortly.))

Scary! The voice limited itself to Venom and Kyriel, with Jean moving off. Sihr could recognize the sort of power the winged lady wielded, and was not frightened of her. She'd fled from her usual companion to another member of the Fellowship when Jean approached the angry drow, and now her tiny fingers gripped his jacket collar as she nestled inside it. This is why I don't like big people. The faeling shivered, but she did stick her head out just long enough to check if the scary man was recovering or not, before quickly vanishing back under Ven's hair.