Like Playing Dressup with a G.I. Joe

[Moonfang]

Roderick hated the mall. Too many distractions and too many stores selling things that folks don't actually need. Not only that, he wasn't entirely sure he had this 'Blush of Life' thing down well enough to risk too much contact with the living. He snagged a thick long overcoat when he left his temporary shelter in the Avalon club to go over his normal attire, a button up long sleeve shirt, blue jeans and a sport coat completed with a pair of dark brown steel toed shoes. Now he walks though the after Christmas crowds getting last minute deals, spending their Christmas money or making returns in secret.

In his hand he held a piece of paper with three words on it that he occasionally looks at and grumbles as he moves from clothing store to clothing store, only looking more upset as he makes the fifth lap of the mall tonight. Finally he stops in the middle of mall, the water fountain splashing in front of him with it's coins glittering under the surface and at least one person at any given time trying to snag a coin or two while they think no one is looking. He looks at the paper, his anger finally boiling over as he shouted to no one,

"The fuck kind of theme is 'Darkness and Night'?!"

[Moonfang]

Roderick let out a low groan when he felt the presence of another Beast near him, his mood not currently one where he wanted to see anyone. His mental grip on his Beast's chain went slack slightly and the wild instinct went to the end of his mental chain and made it's presence clear. But the old soldier kept a firm grip on the chain when his more rational mind saw an advantage in speaking to someone that might have more insight into social events than his own. With a sharp tug, he pulled his beast back to where he could keep a tight control on it and turned to face the very young looking girl.

"Roderick. Roderick Pearson," He responded, giving his name in a professional and practiced fashion. He looked at the crumpled phrase in his hand for a moment before looking to her and going on, "If you wish to file a complaint about the theme, I would speak to Miss Martha Villiers, the local Herald. Mostly because you might just get away with a relative slap on the wrist compared to speaking to the Prince directly to complain about his poor theme idea."

He lets that sink in for a moment before leaning down and lowering his voice, "Perhaps it would be more adventitious for you to assist me in making myself look best and in line with this theme so that I forget what you said. Otherwise, when I go speak to Martha, she's an old friend of mine, I might let slip what you said. Not a good first impression, I would think." Roderick was making a leap in his assumption. But it wasn't too far to think that the woman he was speaking to hadn't been around for long as she hadn't seen the notice that was posted in all of the Elysian Fields in the Domain.

[Hildegarde Bingen]

Two figures wove aimlessly through the madding crowd. Actually, it would be safer to say that one figure drifted aimlessly through the festive surge with the second determinedly trying to keep up, laden as he was with bags and packages.

Iago had the quietly pained look of the long suffering servant. Fortunately, Hildegarde was a few steps ahead, her vacant eyes and doll-like face staring at windows, even if she wasn't really aware of what she was seeing. From the ghoul's point of view, having his Mistress actually leave the Haven without his efforts to persuade her was a plus. The more hopeful part of his being felt this was a move in the right direction.

He was musing this possibility when Hildegarde pulled up short, her entire body rotating on one leg as she locked into a pose that perfectly matched the mannikin in the window (with its hand artfully on its hip, leg poised to show of the hem of a dress). The Lord's eyes were coming back into focus, loaded with venom as they sought out the Beast's she had felt.

"There..." she said with a sudden certainty that her voice normally lacked.

"Mistress?"

"We have friends abroad. We must greet them. Come, Iago."

Iago sighed.

[Moonfang]

When the young woman did her best to reconcile the situation, the old soldier straightened up and nodded, "Not bad, but you would do best to not get yourself in such a situation in the first place." His tone changed to one teaching rather than someone who felt slighted. He kept his voice low as he went on to explain. "In this society, words are like rope. You will either find them used to build bridges or used to hang you when you say one thing too much. Sometimes, it is better to fake ignorance and come across as a simple minded fool who asks too many questions than to jump to conclusions and into a pit of vipers."

Holding out the paper with the theme written on it, he goes on with a much appreciated tone. "I would indeed appreciate your assistance in helping me find an attire for the Court. I am more used to uniforms than party attire." He kept his voice low as he explained the location of the event, sounding more like he was explaining a mission rather than a social gathering. "The location will be the reopened Elysian Field below the Club known as 'The Avalon'. It's located near the State Capital Museum so it isn't hard to miss. Date is the second Saturday of the new year. Theme..." He held up the paper with the words written on it, "Darkness and Night."

Taking a scan of the crowd, he caught a glimpse of another Kindred followed by that almost familiar sensation of his skin prickling and his Beast fruitlessly trying to mark out a territory. "Get ready to put what I said into practice."

[Hildegarde Bingen]

Hildegarde sashays forth, holding her pose as she does. "Good evening," the words tumble from her lips. "Are you preparing for the New Years parties as well. It is so troublesome..." The blank stare that accompanies the words has a shark-like quality as there is little emotion there. It is as though she were reciting lines in a terrible soap opera. On auto-pilot.

Behind her, heavily leaden Iago comes to a grumbling halt.

[Jaqen]

Korvin had fed, then decided to get a lay of the land and maybe see what five finger discounts were to be had at the local shops. Korvin loved a little shop. His beast he tucked away behind that beautiful bohemian face of his with his skills in Obfuscate, and the blush of life continued to add to his deception. He was smiling, wearing his leather fedora and vest and a pair of worn jeans. Not pre-worn mind you, anyone who knew anything about fashion would see that, though they would also see how fantastic his ass looked in them and wouldn't likely complain. He was absentmindedly twisting one of the rings on his fingers and looking at some different gift ideas he wanted to send to his Family. The Angustri didn't celibrate christmas, per sey. It was a christian holiday and the Gypsies were anything but devout. However the gift giving season was here, even for his folk. The over crowded malls made easy targets to get what you would like, the hustle and bustle allowing one to walk about and chose what to get with some ease...that is until he felt a snarl form on his lips, breifly as he walked passed a group of what he knew had a handful of Kindred.

He put on his best smile, tucking his beast back after it's little outburst when noticing others. By the time approached the beast was safely behind the mask when he reached his destination. He then sat down looking mortal enough and began casually drifting his finger tips over the water occasionally plucking out one of the larger valued coins he would see while he listened to them talk about some kind of New Years festivity. Korvin loved a good party, and so he sat listening, not looking their way in particular and trying to be of little notice to see what he could learn. A clever Shadow always knew it was better to let others talk unless that shadow had something to say.

[Moonfang]

Roderick needed a moment to get used to the sudden arrival of a more powerful beast before he could speak, but someone more experienced was too much of an opportunity to pass up. "Yes, I came here with the intention of buying an attire for the event beyond my usual suit. However, the theme is eluding both I and my new acquaintance here, Joslyn. My name is Roderick Pearson. I do believe I saw you at the last court where the Herald made the announcement of the contest for the territory that lacked someone to command it, perhaps you had better luck understanding this court's theme, miss...?" This was Roderick's first real attempt at making a social contact with someone that wasn't prearranged. He hoped that at least his smile wasn't too forced.

If anything would break his stride, it was the slowly building prickling in the back of his neck. For a brief moment, he found himself back in a desert village, surrounded by bustling people going about their day in the market. But he knew that someone in the crowd was watching him and his squad just a bit too intensely. When he snapped back, he had to clear his throat to help bring his focus back on the conversation. "Miss Joslyn made an interesting observation about the theme, that it was either a formal or costume themed event." Even with his attempts to focus on the conversation, the feeling didn't let up. Finally, he looked at both Joslyn and Hildegarde and asked, "Perhaps we can move to a more private location to continue our conversation?"