WoDA fiction World of Darkness: Attrition - Boot-Scooting Boogie

[Owns-The-Night]

The cop looked with some surprise at August, then at Triessa, both of whom were adopting a plainly protective posture around this silver-eyed man who fairly radiated... something. The cop had come across plenty of thuggish and brutal men in his time, and considered himself to have good instincts when it came to separating the truly dangerous from the run-of-the-mill street trash. He'd never felt anything like the intense ferocity he got off this Perault dude, especially when he'd started to get visibly angry. He wasn't swaggering or putting up a hard-case front - he was dangerous, the cop felt it in his bones. But a glance at Declan's face showed plainly that the sudden closeness and support was just as surprising to him as it was to the cop, who (rightly) deduced that it probably wasn't a pre-prepared demonstration he was witnessing. The big guy might have been trouble, but right now he was looking down at the two women with a genuine expression of mild amazement. His story was likely, therefore, true.

"Fine." the cop snapped his notebook shut. "Thank you for your help, Mr Perault. I'll need to talk to Mr Hunt now." Nodding politely, if a little curtly, he wandered over to where Lucien was standing, watching the going's on, and in a few moments had engaged the elegant, well-dressed model in conversation. It did not go unnoticed by either Triessa or August that he hadn't apologised for giving Declan a hard time.

"Thanks, guys." Dec looked down at Triessa and smiled, then looked over his shoulder at August, his expressive silver gaze showing traces of quiet wonder for some reason. Both women felt the tall man relax and lean into them somewhat, some instinctual urge causing him to enjoy the tactile contact in a way that, whilst slightly intrusive of personal space, was not aggressively sexual. For all the world it was similar to a wolf pressing against the flank of a packmate, or a dog against his human friend's leg. "I could have handled it, ya know. But... thanks anyway."

[z-August Turner]

"I know you could have handled it," August said, enjoying his lean; it combined nicely with the memory of their interrupted kiss. "And you could have gotten through it fine. We just expidited the process with boobs." As Triessa snorted with laughter, August continued.

"Besides, he was singling you out for no good reason," August added, her brow furrowing with anger. "Pisses me off when people do that. No way I was just going stand back and let him harass a guest at my party - or one of my stars." She gave Dec a wink at the last, giggling at the roguish grin she got in return. It should be illegal to be that hot. Well, for men anyway.

Her thumb idly caressed the smooth mound of muscle on Dec's arm as she watched the paramedics and cops ruin the party. It was all for a good reason, August knew, but it was still sad that it was going to end this way and so soon.

[Ira Sagebrush]

Romeo allowed himself to be escorted by the paramedics to the ambulance after they had checked him out and determined he should be fine to walk. At his insistence, he was going to be taken to the hospital for lab work. The last thing he needed was a medication interaction to come back and haunt him. Not to mention, if he was going to build any kind of case, details and records of the incident would need to be hip-deep.

He gave everyone a cold stare as she shuffled off, unwilling to say good-byes. Right now, as far as Romeo was concerned in his self-centered, post-traumatic state of mind, they were all in on it, and would be back to finish 'the job' later.

He'd ask for his phone...it was like the security of a child's blanket to him, but he knew the likelihood of getting it back from the officer right now was slim to none. So with his stomach a nest of knots, he climbed into the back of the vehicle and idly wondered how hard it would be to get more of whatever he'd been injected with.

[Aradia McConnell]

As the madness began to disburse - or at least, began moving in the general direction of an ambulance, Aradia made her way over towards the small core of people that had been at the center of it.. Oneca, August, Declan, Triessa, and Lucien.

"Hey. So.. everything okay? Did we figure out what happened or what?"

[SalmonMax]

"Not reeeeeeeeeeeally," Triessa said in a drawn out word. "But at least he'll be fine. Physically at least. He did seem pretty mad though."

[z021]

Now that the scene of the crime had been discovered, taped, and photoed and the victim moved to a hospital, most of the cops had thinned out. This was a mugging at some rich kid's party, not really an A-rated crime in LA in most cops mind's, but rich was involved so they had to at least go through the basic motions. Oneca rejoined the others, bringing Kaitlin after having shown her the guest bedroom (and quickly stripping the rumpled sheets and plastic liner off in favor of new, clean sheets; she had done these parties before) and letting her know that it was available to her as long as she nee-wanted it.

"Yeah, well I'd be pretty pissed, too. Then again, I wouldn't go wandering off into the dark with people I didn't know. Probably. Well, I'd be more angry at myself if I got messed with after doing something like that. Ugh. Sorry, still a little drunk." She gathered up Aradia and August with her eyes, "Hey, Kaitlin's gonna spend the night, maybe stay for a while."

She nodded to Declan and Triessa, "Do you guys want to crash? I've got couches, air matresses, and other people's beds left." The last said with teasing grin, though it was a little strained of a grin.

[z-August Turner]

"There's also booze left," August said, releasing Dec now that the cops were gone. "We can do Circle of Death or other games. Spin the Bottle could be fun."

"You just want an excuse to kiss me," Lucien told her, grinning widely.

"I don't need a game for that," she told him, her green eyes sparkling.

"Oh?" Lucien said, his grin a dare.

August gave him a sly grin. "No, I don't." She looked around the group, still grinning. "So. Do we try to liven the party up again? I mean, the DJ's still here. We could possibly get some tunes going. And we have booze."

[Kaitlin Vandussen]

Kaitlin gave the group Oneca introduced her to a small wave, a single shake of her hand next to her shoulder, and a pretty grin. This was way better than wandering the city at night by herself before skulking back to her LA 'abode.' Surrounded by people, human people, not a monster in sight. And the room Oneca was letting her stay in was nicer than her room back home, let alone the storage unit she was residing in. Since she found out that vampires and werewolves existed, this was about the best thing that had happened to her.

It certainly helped that those still at the party were all hot. They said everyone was beautiful in LA and while Vegas had its share of insanely hot people, it was balanced out by the tourists, which each year seemed to have added another spare tire to their guts and an extra chin to their faces. She was growing to enjoy her time in LA, despite the turmoil in her life.

This close to Lucien, she had to admit, he was pretty dreamy. August might not need a game to kiss him, but I wouldn't need an excuse. The other guy with the intense, glittering grey eyes, on the other hand... He was really tall and athletic with a fierce aura to him - which she normally liked - but there was something about him put her on edge, that made the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand on end with instant irritation and something like dislike or loathing. And she didn't know why. She shook her head, dismissing the thought, her grin reappearing. He's probably just an asshole.

"Hey guys. I'm game with keeping the night alive, I ain't ready to turn in yet," Kaitlin chirped brightly. She recalled the look August and Aradia had shared when Oneca said she'd be staying the night and maybe longer and felt the need to make something clear. She didn't want the pity, though she'd take the help.

"Oneca, thanks for the room - that's super-awesome of you - but I just wanna say, I'm not a runaway," Kaitlin elaborated stoutly. Even though, really, you did runaway, just not from what they think. Ah, Madison, have they even found your body yet? "My dad knows where I am. Well, not exactly where I am, but he knows I've moved to LA. It's just, er, some plans fell through and I don't have the funds I expected to have. I just need a little time to make some new ones. I'll totally make this up to you," she promised, "once I figure out how."

The perky blonde shifted her weight from one foot to the other, almost bouncing on her toes... and not incidentally emphasizing the strong, shapely contours of her legs. "Let's give this party a Jumpstart!"

Coincidentally, just as she said that, music began playing, the DJ assaying the mood of the remaining guests.

[Finn]

August gave him a sly grin. "No' date=' I don't." She looked around the group, still grinning. "So. Do we try to liven the party up again? I mean, the DJ's still here. We could possibly get some tunes going. And we have booze." [/quote']

From somewhere behind August a smooth and rich voice, baritone and very commanding, called out, "Does that mean this party's not over yet?"

August turned towards the source of that voice and found herself looking straight at what might - under normal circumstances - be adequately described as 'a pair of pecs', except that in the case of these pecs that would be like describing an Audi R8 Spyder as 'just another car'. The torso supporting this impressive pair of muscles was in no way less impressive than the pectorals were (the abdominals were, perhaps, even more impressive), and crowning it all were a pair of shoulders that probably helped define what a man's shoulders were supposed to look like for most who saw them from that point onward, and that themselves supported a pair of equally exemplary and equally powerful arms. Standing out strikingly on the left pectoral, directly over the heart, was a tattoo of a hand print that was both delicate and feminine in its appearance, as though a lover's caress had been immortalized there in all its intimacy, while both arms and both shoulders were covered in full tattoo sleeves done in what were obviously tribal designs of one sort or another (and not the false kind of 'tribal' designs that stupid frat boys got to impress no-one-but-their-own-delusions that looked more like badly drawn vines with thorns on them, but rather the real sort of tribal designs that had real - and ancient - meaning).

Realizing that she was doing the female equivalent of staring at someone's chest (not that she was the only girl in the room guilty of this), August forced her gaze upwards... and still further upwards, past an unsurprisingly thick and powerful neck, a strong and well-formed jawline, a set of lips that were full, sensuous, and very expressive, followed by a broad but not too large nose. Finally, almost a full twelve inches above her own, August found the pair of eyes she'd been searching for. Eyes that were large and every bit as expressive as their owner's mouth had been, that were already creased with a handful of smile lines that gave them a look of wisdom and insight beyond their owner's evident years, and that were so dark brown in color they might almost have been solid black, through and through. The man's skin was noticeably non-Caucasian and and well-tanned and, combined with his distinctive facial features, he appeared to be Native American, or perhaps Hawaiian.

The net effect of all this was more than impressive. Keywords for Googling the body being presented here would undoubtedly include such words as 'powerful', and 'magnificent', perhaps even 'gorgeous'.

Seeing that August was staring at him, and perhaps misinterpreting its meaning, the (huge) man offered her a slightly embarrassed, but somehow still confident smile and said, "I'm sorry if I interrupted", his voice still that same baritone that seemed to cut through all of the noise so easily and without shouting.

"Uh", August more-or-less mumbled, her neck craned so that she could look up at the new arrival, but then she seemed to remember herself and quickly added, "No! I mean, 'no' you're not interrupting, and 'no' the party isn't over!" Finally finding her 'hostess' gear once again, August slipped it back into drive and quickly managed a gorgeous and winning grin. "I'm August", she offered brightly, and finished with, "this is Lucien!"

"Name's Finn", the big man offered back with an easy smile of his own. "And I'm glad to hear there's still a little party left in this place. I saw the police leaving as I was getting here, and noticed a decent-sized crowd following them, so you know - I was a little worried. Prematurely, obviously!", he added quickly, with a wry smile and good-humored sarcasm.

"Nice to meetcha, Finn", Lucien said, grinning his thousand-watt smile as he shook Finn's hand confidently (and noted that Finn returned the handshake - and the grin - in kind). "And yeah, August's right", he went on, playing along with Finn's sarcasm, "this party definitely isn't over - not even close. I admit, now that we've been crashed once by the police we might have to close 'er down sometime next week, 'stead of next month like I'd originally planned, but that's just life sometimes, right?"

"Don't I know it, brother", Finn commiserated sarcasticaly, managing not to laugh but grinning hugely at Lucien's joke all the same. "It's important to pace yourself at these things", he said, still smiling as he gestured around at the party (that was still going on, all jokes aside) and then continued in a sarcastically reassuring tone, "six, seven straight days of partying" - Finn stopped, looked off to one side with a mischievous look in his eyes, made a wavering motion with his hand and pursed his lips as if weighing the potential consequences of some important decision he was about to make, and then said - "well, maybe nine days if you've got a really professional crowd of partiers - that sounds like a good, safe, conservative number to go with to me, man. Especially right after you've been raided by the police, and all..."

Chuckling, Lucien turned to August and joked, "So, what do you think? I know he's sort in violation of the dress code, but I say we let 'im stay."

August was laughing too as she looked first at Lucien (and savoring the excuse to do it, too) and then turned her beautiful green eyes on the big newcomer. "Yeah", she asked him with a friendly smirk, "what is up with that outfit, anyway? Not that it doesn't look good on you", she added quickly and reassuringly, "but I have to ask."

Finn's laughter at August's blunt question was short but heartfelt and then he hung his head in mock-shame as he regarded what he was wearing. His 'outfit' consisted of what looked like a leather skirt or apron painted or maybe dyed with ornate and very complicated tribal patterns - some of them obviously the same as the patterns making up his tattoo sleeves - that went down somewhat past the knees, with long leather tassels hanging from its hemline, and a pair of leather leggings done up in an equally ornate fashion. They were obviously very authentic, and they made him look very much like an Indian. Which, August and Lucien reflected, was probably what he was. Finn didn't look like he'd shown up in costume - he looked like he'd shown up as himself - the one real 'Indian', alone at a party full of pretend cowboys.

What he didn't look like was like he was in any way outmatched or out of place. Despite being the only guy at the party wearing an outfit that, on a lot of guys, would've looked pretty ridiculous, Finn appeared more at ease with himself and more confident than most of the other guys around him wearing their expensive and newly-made cowboy costumes, and he carried off his 'outfit' with such natural confidence that it really was as if he was the one 'normally dressed' guy at the party, surrounded by people playing dress-up. And whereas most of those 'pretend cowboys' around him had probably never even held a real revolver, let alone fired one, Finn looked very much like he had a very good idea of how to go about killing shit with weapons made out of bits of wood and stone. Probably handmade weapons that he'd crafted himself, no less.

There was just something about him that was, plainly and simply, wild. Or untamed, if you preferred. Like some huge, predatory beast that knew enough to be cautious around people, but wasn't afraid of them in the slightest - or of anything, really - and, worse, was smart enough to turn that situation to its advantage.

"Yeah...", Finn began, and took a moment to laugh at himself unselfconsciously, "the guy I heard about this party from - he's a guy I work with", Finn explained, glancing at Lucien and then back to August, "he specifically told me the theme for this party was 'Cowboys and Indians'. And he said I should totally wear this outfit I'm wearing, because, he said, I'd look awesome in it. And, also, I'm going to kill him the next time I see him."

Finn looked back up with a rueful, yet cocky smile, and asked, "So, anyway, you folks got any booze around here or what?"

[SalmonMax]

Triessa had an odd reaction to Finn. She looked over at him when he commanded attention, and burst into a quick, sharp bark of laughter which she instantly suppressed by putting her hand to her mouth. She shook her head, at herself and at anyone who looked at her.

"Sorry. It's just..." she waved a hand at Finn, then around at everyone else. "I need to sit down for a second." So she did. Right there on the ground.

Inwardly she wondered if Lucien, the untrained mage, was somehow unknowingly twisting fate to call so many otherworldly beings to his party. Or perhaps Oneca and her friends? They seemed normal enough, but even if their auras were mortal, there was something a little strange about their bearing. Clearly something was going on...or maybe not? Sometimes a cigar WAS just a cigar. Coincidence? Was that possible?

Not for the first time that evening, she lamented never having studied Fate before leaving.

[Owns-The-Night]

Dec looked up at the big dude (along with pretty much everyone else present) with a certain amount of appraisal. Finn had two inches and about 40 lbs on the Vargr, and radiated that confident predator-at-ease vibe - What type of predator, though? - but oddly enough to those that had inklings of his nature Declan didn't feel the urge to bristle.

Part of it was the easy, friendly air Finn had about him. Sure, he looked like the wrong dude to piss off, but he wasn't aggressive. He was friendly, looking to socialise rather than dominate, and it showed. Another part was that Dec was in an uncharacteristically social mood himself. The evening so far had contained ups (being chatted up by strange girls) to downs (being hit on/targetted by a vampire's shill) to ups (a little fiery makeout in August's room) to downs again (the attack on Romeo), then up again (meeting Swara), down (the cops picking on his ass) and most recently the up of both Triessa and August standing by him like old friends. It'd been a wild few hours, and overall it was positive.

Declan was a solitary creature by preference - his secret was part of that, but usually he just plain liked solitude - however these people were okay. Lucien Hunt was every bit as decent as August had claimed. Oneca and the other girls present tended towards being either hot, interesting, or both. Most of all, he'd felt welcomed by them all. So the big dude had the girls staring (or in Triessa's case, giggling and having to sit down, which was kind of funny as hell). Dec grinned down at her, shaking his head slightly, then looked back at Finn as he finished telling the story of the outfit. Dec barked with laughter himself.

"Sounds like your buddy got you good, so you might as well enjoy it. Like the ladies and gent said, this party ain't done yet." he suggested, grabbing a bottle and passing it over companionably. "Here's an appetiser. I'm Declan." he said by way of introduction, offering a work-roughened hand.

[z-August Turner]

"Once you're done killing your friend," August said after he and Declan had shaken hands, "I'd like to talk to him."

"Why?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow before sampling the bottle Dec had passed him.

August gave him a wicked smile and said, "To thank him on behalf of women everywhere." As everyone chuckled, August leaned in to inspect the hand on his chest. The ethereal glow that lined the hand kept drawing her eyes. The pale light was, to her eyes, a blueish-gray color that sometimes seemed white or even tinged with green at times. The word that kept rising in her mind was 'ghostly' and even if she didn't like that word, it was all too accurate for the light. It was strangely disturbing, but also compelling. August feared needles too much to get a tattoo, but found herself considering it now, assuming she could get one that glowed. She wanted to touch it; had it not been on his chest, she might reached out for it. That was just a little too personal, even with her delight in finding reasons to touch hot guys. Instead, she contented herself with studying it closely for a moment.

"That is an awesome tattoo," she said, her green eyes locked on it. "You'll have to tell me where I can get one like it."

The tattoo glows to August because she has the ability to see the dead. Anyone else with this ability would see it glow as well. To all others, it's a black tattoo.

[Finn]

Finn glanced Triessa's way as she broke out laughing, apparently at him, and then dropped to the floor just like that. His expression was caught somewhere between surprised amusement and cautious offense - after all, whatever his other talents, he wasn't a mind reader and he had no way of knowing that Triessa wasn't mocking his 'costume' - but it was obvious that he wasn't letting her behavior bother him too much. Instead Finn focused his attention on Declan, gladly taking the man's offered bottle.

"Thanks, brother", said Finn, who used the word 'brother' not like some wannabe gansta trying to sound cool or a new-agey hippie trying to sound spiritual, but in the way of someone who knew what the word meant and who recognized its truth - and the importance of that truth - and was simply acknowledging it with his own words. Finn returned Dec's handshake using a hand as work-worn as the Vargr's was, even if it'd been worn rough by a different sort of labor. As he shook the other man's hand, the Vargr's keen nose was assailed by the scent of rather too much cologne (it was Jake Cologne, not that Dec was likely to know or care about that, but the guy had sort of gone overboard, especially in the opinion of a feral wolf-man who could've smelled a drop of the stuff from across the room), but lurking underneath all that cologne was another smell, one that Dec almost didn't recognize at first. But then he had it: he was smelling the ocean on this guy. And not in the way he'd expect someone to smell if they'd just spent the day at the beach or something, either. Finn smelled of the sea, literally, as though it were as much a part of him and his odor and the smell of forest and wood were a part of a deer's odor. Or a wolf's.

In fact, between all the cologne and the strange, wild smell coming off of him, Dec almost found it hard to smell the human in the guy. No, Dec reconsidered, that wasn't right. It wasn't that Finn didn't smell human - he did, absolutely - it was that he smelled so strongly of Nature itself that Dec almost forgot he was standing in the middle of a party in the hills of LA for a moment. And there was something... else about the man's smell, too. It was nothing that Declan could put his finger on (or his nose, in this case), but whatever the smell was, it was like nothing that he'd ever smelled before* and it instantly made him feel wary. Not enough to start disliking the guy already - he'd let Finn demonstrate whether or not he was worth Dec's disdain himself - but enough to raise the Vargr's hackles.

No one could watch the two big men as they shook hands and fail to notice how oddly similar they seemed (and not simply because of their size, either). Certainly, their similarly large size played a part in it, but it was more than that. Both men possessed a vital intensity that was quite simply more than that found in most, and that constantly threatened to overwhelm everything around them. There was also the veritable reek of The Wild about them, too. Watching Declan and Finn shake hands was like watching two living cracks in civilization meeting for the first time, and the threat seemed all too real that those cracks might give way and let the wildness hiding behind them come pouring through. That sense of 'wildness' was noticeably stronger in Finn, whose appearance and bearing made him seem more like some character out of a story than a real flesh and blood person, but whatever Dec may have lacked in wildness when compared with Finn he more than made up for with the aggressive, alpha-male presence that he was so notorious for.

As the two men-slash-apex-predators finished their greeting, August cracked a joke that was simultaneously at Finn's expense and yet very flattering towards him. Finn laughed good-naturedly, and a little self-consciously, his slight embarrassment only serving to heighten and accentuate his good looks. "Uhm, thanks", he said, grinning, "I guess in that case, I'll just tell him myself the next time I see him - on behalf of women everywhere, of course. Then I'll kill him."

Finn was still grinning when he realized what August was staring at, and his grin slipped, just a little. When she asked him about the tattoo and where she could get one like it his smile slipped just a little more. "Yeah...", he said, his large expressive eyes flicking to one side as he obviously searched for words, "that's gonna be hard. The... artist who did this", and he laid one finger against the handprint on his chest, "is, uh, dead, unfortunately." Finn smiled a little weakly at August after he said this and then shrugged. "I guess you could say it's one of a kind. Sorry...."

*-- The smell that Declan is picking up on is the smell of The Shadow. As a Wind-Dancer with the Shadow Bond Aspect, Finn smells just a little bit odd to other ferals (or at least, the ones with keen senses of smell, anyway).

[Astra D.]

"Well, maybe we won't be stuck with the short-short version of a party, after all," Astra mused, watching the commotion die down as people and officers filtered out. In the somewhat thinner crowd, she caught sight of Lucien chatting amiably with someone he'd probably just met thirty seconds prior. Maybe she could've tried harder, earlier, and it felt awkward now, going up to talk to him, but she wanted to say something, at least.

"Hey," she said by way of greeting when he glanced up at her approach. Damn it, I'm really not good at this stuff. "Listen, um, I guess we got off on the wrong foot before, and..." Taking a deep breath, she forged on, steeling herself to look him straight in the (gorgeous, melted-chocolate and coffee brown) eyes. "...and I'm sorry, and I was kind of hoping for a mulligan. I'm kind of (seriously) out of my element, here. In this kind of neighborhood, I mean," she quickly clarified, shoving her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. The intricate patterns of the ink on her shoulders and collarbone shifted with the motion as her tank top was pulled taut across her chest. Cool tattoos, was Lucien's first thought, followed swiftly by, She is so not wearing a bra. "So, I was wondering if you'd be willing to fill me in a bit on how you guys party up here in Posh Central? I didn't see any canapes or cucumber sandwiches, which is a plus," the dark-haired girl added with a gently teasing grin.

[Kaitlin Vandussen]

"Hnngh," Kaitlin mumbled, mouth dropping open for a moment as she stared with frank and unabashed awe at the giant, Indian (or maybe Samoan) warrior - Warrior was the only word she could think of to describe him. Finn was even bigger than Declan, and just as hot, maybe even hotter, with the same... primal intensity. Maybe it was Finn's affable grin or simply the fact that she didn't want to claw his face like she did Declan's (for no particular reason she was aware of), but she found him a lot more attractive and approachable. Even if he did look about as agile as a whale - a skateboard would snap under his weight and he looked more likely to go through an obstacle than over or around it like a true traceur.

And she liked his tats - denser and more elaborate than she would have liked on herself, but they worked on him, worked for him very well - despite feeling a trace self-conscious about her own. His possessed an authenticity that made hers look almost trite. But her bashfulness quickly faded under her renewed sense of self. Finn's tattoos might have held deep and traditional meanings, but her far more simple one held meaning for her. To her, it suggested flowing wind or rolling water, and seemed to move with the flex and twist of her oblique muscles, a suitable sign of the philosophy behind freerunning and her dedication and delight in it. Plus, Madison had urged her to get it; it was a permanent reminder of their time together, short as it was, and she liked the look of it besides.

The tattoo of the hand, on the other, uh, hand, was intriguing in its own right, and drew her attention as much as it drew August's. She sidled closer, coming around Finn's left side to get an unabashed closer look, the intricate details popping to life: the whorls of prints on the pads of the slender, feminine fingers, the unique, entirely life-like lines crossing the palm, the creases of the joints. It was as black as the freshest ink, blacker even, with a sleek, shiny sheen.

And whether it was her own nature, the proximity of so many hot guys and girls (and the subliminal pheromones and the lingering alcohol in her system) egging her own, or just the sheer relief of hanging with people and not worrying about the things going bump in the night, Kaitlin didn't share August's restraint. So Finn watched with a bemused grin as the cute, tawny, taut-bodied hottie (who may or may not have reached the age of majority), caught his eye with a quick wink just a moment before reaching out with her left hand and firmly slapping his bulging pectoral right over the tattoo with a hollow thump, lining up her fingers and palm with the image on his chest.

"That is so cool!" she squealed in delight, feeling the warmth and solidness of muscle radiating through Finn's flesh, not embarrassed in the least by her presumption. "I mean, not that the artist died of course, that sucks and is sad too. But it makes this tat like, the Mona Lisa of Tattoos or something. An artist's masterpiece and all that." She pulled her gaze off her hand and the tattoo, craning her neck up to meet brown eyes with large ones of gold-flecked green. "Oh, hey, I'm Kaitlin, by the way."

Finn, fair being fair, gave the young woman a good once over. She was clearly athletic, her legs particularly strong looking, and above average in the personal flotation device department despite her toned physique, with a vivacious and open grin and lively eyes. "It's pleasure to meet you, Kaitlin."

She beamed. "It is, but like August said, us women are the grateful ones." She looked over a shoulder, appreciatively catching Astra's braless breast-thrust, finally noticing the hippie's gigglefit - sampling her stash too much, I think, or just enough - before finding Oneca. "So, you have a deck 'a cards somewhere? Everyone can get to know each other better over some party games."

"There should be some in a kitchen drawer, I-" Oneca said.

"I'll get 'em!" Kaitlin chirped, belatedly removing her hand from Finn's chest, before weaving deftly through the circle of people, plucking up an empty beer bottle and flipping it in her hand and loping towards the house in a fluid gait to look for the cards... and for some completely innocent, incidental snooping - after all, Oneca had practically given her blessing. It was implied, at least. "I'll be right back!"

[z-August Turner]

"Too bad," August said to Finn, still smiling. Her expression was subdued as she took a final look at the handprint. Then Astra distracted her; August's Lucien-dar went off as another cute girl approached him and thrust her boobs at him. August swallowed back raw, rank jealousy and forced a smile; then Kaitlin touched Finn's tattoo, doing exactly what August had wanted to do. Another surge of irritation rose in her, this one more muted. She didn't have the depth of feeling (possessiveness) for Finn that she felt for Lucien. But that tattoo had drawn her, like a moth to a flame. Even though it made her subtly uneasy, she also liked it.

"Well, since we're to the groping part of the evening," August said to Finn, rolling her eyes a little at Kaitlin's departing form, "may I please touch your tattoo?"

"Yes," Finn said, grinning at the prospect of not one but two pretty ladies eager to touch his chest. His tattoo had inspired women to touch him before but there was something odd about August's interest. It was more intense than most women's.

August reached out but didn't touch his skin immediately. Instead, she played her fingers through the glow, noting the odd way it seemed to cling to her fingers. The area covered by the glow was also a little chilly to her. Her expression changed from fascinated to perplexed, and she finally touched the tattoo itself. His skin was chill to the touch. Startled, August drew back. "That's... weird," she said with an uneasy little laugh.

"What?" he asked.

"You're cold," August replied, looking up into his wild, primal eyes. For some reason, she thought of a large wolf on a bloody winter day. Shivering, she buried the mood. "Just a little odd."

[Owns-The-Night]

Unresisting, Dec let the Brownian Motion of the group circle him away from the current main attraction, smiling a little to himself at how very similar the dynamic was to a wolf pack in human groups. First the males had greeted the new male, and then the females came forward to check the newcomer over, and now the greeting was done and Finn had his 'clearance'. Declan hadn't even thought about it that way before, but it was apparent to him now. Kaitlin was dashing off for the cards, August was examining the handprint tattoo (which Dec thought was some damn fine work) as though it disturbed her a little, and Oneca was chuckling quietly as she watched Kaitlin tear away with something like a big-sisterly expression on her face. Astra (and that was an interestin' name) was plainly on the flirt with Lucien, which wasn't surprising, as Richie Rich had looks, money, and wasn't a complete asshole: in short a great catch. Triessa, who was rapidly approaching the point where she wouldn't surprise Dec if she decided to do a can-can while quoting Shakespeare, was gathering her composure on the floor. Dec considered offering a hand up, but she seemed happy where she was right now. The lady was odd, that was for sure, and it wasn't drugs, of that Declan was certain. Swara was around somewhere too - he could still smell her, and wondered if she was going to hang out. She smelled like Wolf, maybe a little different, but close enough he wanted to talk to her some more. Plus, of course, she was amazing looking and had the cutest damn growl. He wondered if she liked to run.

He found himself next to the girl with white streaks in her dark hair and gave her a 'whatcha gonna do?' raised-brow-and shrug, then smiled. He remembered that she'd asked what had happened and gotten a vague account... not that Declan could really fill in many of the blanks without awkward questions. Still, she was a hottie and seemed to be on the outer ring of the circle with him, and was friends with Oneca and August. So what the hell, he threw her a bone.

"Short version is some guy got lured off into the bushes and attacked. Not sure what for or why, since we found his jacket and wallet, and he was babblin' about being drugged. He definitely got jumped though - there was sign of a struggle." He told Aradia in a quiet tone. "I'm Dec, by the way." he added as an afterthought, offering her his hand.

[Finn]

Finn chuckled softly as he watched Kaitlin practically sprint off after a deck of cards. He'd been flattered by her attention, but he wondered how old

Finn was used to the tattoo over his heart getting special attention from people - not that it made him any more comfortable with that attention - but he'd never gotten quite the reaction from it as he got from August. Kaitlin's was a little more typical. He frowned and looked down at the hand print on his chest as he placed one of his own large hands over it, as if testing August's assertion for veracity. He wasn't cold, as she'd said, but then he'd known he wouldn't be, just as he also knew that the hand print on his chest wasn't a tattoo either.

Finn forced a smile of his own and looked back up at August. "I've gotta be honest", he said, trying to make his smile seem a little bit cocky and a little bit flirtatious, "I've never gotten that complaint before!"

August laughed obligingly, her grin looking - at least for the moment - a little less forced, and said, "I didn't mean you, I meant...", and she gestured a bit vaguely at his chest. She seemed to realize how vague that was, and the fact that she was now basically staring at his chest - again - so to clarify herself she hastily added, "your tattoo. It seemed kinda chilly when I touched it..."

As soon as she said this, Finn fixed August with a stare that was so intense and piercing it felt like she was being pinned to the wall behind her and she felt a sense of being in deep water as something dangerous approached, like 'sharks were circling her' only... not sharks, but something larger and more dangerous. And then the moment passed like it had never happened, and Finn was just another very good-looking (if unusually big) guy looking her way.

His grin returned with renewed charm and Finn shrugged nonchalantly. "It's probably just the night air", he suggested casually, "I did just come inside a minute ago and I guess it made the bare skin on my chest seem cold, is all."

Then he adopted a coy expression and a purposefully effeminate posture, reaching up with both hands to delicately touch his chest - he was only moderately successful at this, however, given that his enormous size and huge muscles were just about the antithesis of 'feminine' - but he did manage to look pretty ridiculous, which was obviously his true goal, so in that sense he was very successful. "Lord knows my nipples sure are feeling it tonight", he exclaimed with mock-surprise and equally false embarrassment as he made a show of caressing said nipples, "little bastards are as hard as rocks!"

[SalmonMax]

"Cold?" Triessa was abruptly on her feet and coming purposefully over to Finn. She stared at the tattoo for a moment, as intently as if she could see through his hoodie, skin and muscle to the very bones.

"This is rather amazing," she said after a moment. She looked up to meet his eyes. "Might I ask who gave this to you?"

[z-August Turner]

At Finn's stare, August almost did throw herself backwards against the wall. As it was, she felt her shoulders hunch and she started to sway back in what was a clear gesture of submission. It had been instinctive to cower, to try to tell the suddenly-frightening man that she was not a threat. It would have never occurred to her that with Ferals it wasn't always best to be seen as weaker. Had she even known she was dealing with a Feral, she might have had a chance; might have been able to approach it differently. But instead, her instinctive reaction to her father when he was in a rage was the response she fell back on now.

Finn's goofiness after the moment did a lot to mitigate the jolt of fear that had passed through her. But it didn't remove it completely. Like Dec had done, Finn had managed to impress on her sharply that he was capable of being dangerous. He wasn't going to be able to laugh that impression out of her head - even if she was laughing at his joke. "So sexy," she giggled. "I love a man with rock-hard nipples."

"Cold?" Triessa was abruptly on her feet and coming purposefully over to Finn. She stared at the tattoo for a moment, as intently as if she could see through his hoodie, skin and muscle to the very bones.

"This is rather amazing," she said after a moment. She looked up to meet his eyes. "Might I ask who gave this to you?"

August looked back at Finn, interest in her eyes, wondering if he'd offer more pieces to the mystery.

[Kaitlin Vandussen]

Once inside the house, Kaitlin sauntered through the halls, taking a roundabout route to the a jaunty bounce to her steps, eyes flicking around in a quick,practiced manner, studying the layout... and the furnishings and knick-knacks. It was a helluva nice place. Not that she was casing the place - really! Oneca was giving her a place to stay after all and you don't shit where you eat - but if the monsters found her, she wanted to be ready to bolt, and being able to snag something to provide traveling funds would be a help.

In the kitchen, Kaitlin leisurely perused the drawers, finding out where things were. She found the deck of cards easy enough, flicking the package in the air and catching it, then looked for a suitable cup to place in the center of the Circle of Death - they called the game Kings in Vegas. She decided that the hand-blown spherical glass - with a flattened bottom and the top chopped off - that looked like an oversized tumbler would do as the King's Cup.

Her quest complete, she sauntered back out, but paused by the food table, eying the plate with the remaining wings, then glancing at the glass, beer bottle, and deck of cards occupying her hands. Her eyes brightened and she placed the beer bottle and the deck of cards in the glass, freeing up a hand to grab the plate of wings, then headed over to a large, round, stone deck table near the group and sat down, leaning back against the edge of the tabletop.

"So, what's it gonna be? Spin the bottle or Circle of Death?" Kaitlin chimed, lips curving in a slight moue of disappointed for missing how Finn had ended up caressing his nipples. I'd be totally willing to test their hardness myself... with my tongue. Oneca's and August's too.

She slipped the deck of cards from their sleeve, shuffling them adroitly with a professional flourish, the cards almost seeming to dance in her hands. Seeing some of the looks turned her way, she shot them a playful smirk. "Mmhphgmass!" she boasted around a chicken wing that had somehow found its way to her mouth in the middling of shuffling. She slapped the deck of cards, neat and square, down on the table and clarified," I'm from Vegas, whattaya expect?"

[Lucien Hunt]

"Well, maybe we won't be stuck with the short-short version of a party, after all," Astra mused, watching the commotion die down as people and officers filtered out. In the somewhat thinner crowd, she caught sight of Lucien chatting amiably with someone he'd probably just met thirty seconds prior. Maybe she could've tried harder, earlier, and it felt awkward now, going up to talk to him, but she wanted to say something, at least.

"Hey," she said by way of greeting when he glanced up at her approach. Damn it, I'm really not good at this stuff. "Listen, um, I guess we got off on the wrong foot before, and..." Taking a deep breath, she forged on, steeling herself to look him straight in the (gorgeous, melted-chocolate and coffee brown) eyes. "...and I'm sorry, and I was kind of hoping for a mulligan. I'm kind of (seriously) out of my element, here. In this kind of neighborhood, I mean," she quickly clarified, shoving her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. The intricate patterns of the ink on her shoulders and collarbone shifted with the motion as her tank top was pulled taut across her chest. Cool tattoos, was Lucien's first thought, followed swiftly by, She is so not wearing a bra. "So, I was wondering if you'd be willing to fill me in a bit on how you guys party up here in Posh Central? I didn't see any canapes or cucumber sandwiches, which is a plus," the dark-haired girl added with a gently teasing grin.

"Oh, no, the canapes and cucumber sammiches we only break out for the raves." He offered a mischievous grin as he continued. "Trust me, you haven't lived until you've thrashed out to Vivaldi while on X in a room of glo-sticks. We posh rock out hard core, you know."

"You have a quip for every occasion don't you?" The she looked at him gave away that she was ammused by his antics, but still a bit on edge.

"I'm still working on some bar mitzvah material, but I've got quite the repertoire, I admit." The young playboy excused himself from the conversation he was having to give Astra his full attention. Draping his arm around her he began leading her over to where Finn was having his legs copiously humped by everything within' ninety feet with breasts. "Seriously though, Astra, there's no need to apologize for anything. No harm, no foul, right? We're all strangers until we take the time to get to know one another, and that's what these parties are for, er, well, that's what this one was for until the trollish little man with large eyes and social disorder got mugged. No wonder he's going balled, he way to stressed."

Once they were close enough Lucien turned on his mega-watt smile and raised his arms out wide. "Alright, what now?" He asked, since the party was officially done in a 'cops just ruined our fun' kinda way. "August, Oneca, Declan, Triessa," He looked over Finn and quirked a brown in a 'damn, he's huge' kinda way. "Stragne-Man-With-Abnormally-Large-Pectorals... anyone have any ideas? Our new friend Astra wants a sample of how we party up here Posh Central, let's give her a taste of a kick ass after party, eh?" He looked at Finn again and offered a polite smirk. "You and your pecs can come too, don't worry."

[Swara-Ann]

*-- The smell that Declan is picking up on is the smell of The Shadow. As a Wind-Dancer with the Shadow Bond Aspect, Finn smells just a little bit odd to other ferals (or at least, the ones with keen senses of smell, anyway).

Just a few steps behind Lucien and Declan, Swara-Ann kept quiet and tried to remain as invisible as possible. Once the police were gone she planned on making a bee-line for the door before Sarah's scent got too cold. When Finn entered the picture her plans changed dramatically. She wasn't the fawning type, at least not in public, but there was certainly something electric about the man and not just his near flawless appearance either, indeed he was quite 'yummy' though, as Swara-Ann would put it.

He reeked of The Shadow though, a place Swara-Ann had been traveling through for many weeks to solve the mysteries of her past. She couldn't see what he was through the skin he wore, but she knew that smell, and she knew he was either one of the people, or something that didn't need to be in this world (amazing how the poor girl only thought in black and white, when she bothered to think at all). She stared at Finn until she caught his eye, which given her natural beauty and were-blessed perfect frame wasn't overly difficult, Finn was a man after all. Once she momentarily caught his attention she scowled at him, her arms folded over her chest like a mother scolding him from afar.

With a displeased look on her face she just sat there, scowling at him...

[Finn]

"Cold?" Triessa was abruptly on her feet and coming purposefully over to Finn. She stared at the tattoo for a moment, as intently as if she could see through his hoodie, skin and muscle to the very bones.

"This is rather amazing," she said after a moment. She looked up to meet his eyes. "Might I ask who gave this to you?"

"A dead woman", said Finn, a bit shortly, and with an oddly serious expression on his face. To that strange statement he quickly added, "Like I told August, here, just a minute ago, she, uh... passed shortly after she put this on my chest. So, you know, it's sort of a touchy subject for me..."

The big man smiled, a bit tightly, a Triessa but seemed visibly relieved when Lucien and Astra came over to rejoin the main group.

Once they were close enough Lucien turned on his mega-watt smile and raised his arms out wide. "Alright, what now?" He asked, since the party was officially done in a 'cops just ruined our fun' kinda way. "August, Oneca, Declan, Triessa," He looked over Finn and quirked a brown in a 'damn, he's huge' kinda way. "Stragne-Man-With-Abnormally-Large-Pectorals... anyone have any ideas? Our new friend Astra wants a sample of how we party up here Posh Central, let's give her a taste of a kick ass after party, eh?" He looked at Finn again and offered a polite smirk. "You and your pecs can come too, don't worry."

Finn smiled wryly at Lucien's joke and then looked down at his 'abnormally-large-pectorals', cupping them like a woman would her breasts, before glancing back up at Lucien with one eyebrow arched in mock-coyness. "They can?", he asked, his wry, confident smile still firmly in place, "Hey, thanks beautiful!"

Right about then Finn noticed the good-looking blond standing off to one side and scowling at him something fierce. He blinked in confusion at this and his smile slipped a little before he forced it back into place.

Looking back at Lucien, Finn's grin changed from wry to genuine and he continued, "Seriously, though, I'm pretty sure I heard, uh...", and he paused while he screwed his expression into one of thoughtfulness for a moment before going on, "Kaitlin, if I'm remembering her name right - she kept distracting me with her jail-baityness, so I might be getting her name wrong - say something about a card-slash-drinking game of some kind. But card games and my pecs aside, I just got here so I'm up for pretty much anything that involves fun and drinking."

When he looked again the blond was still staring - and scowling - at him, so Finn returned his attention back to those gathered near him and held up one finger while pursing his lips in a classic 'just gimme a minute' gesture, and then separated himself from the crowd and moved over to where Swara-Ann was standing.

"Hi", he said with a cautious smile once he'd reached the beautiful Uratha, and then he just stood and looked right back at her, matching her glower with a placid expression of his own. This close, Swara-Ann could really smell the Shadow on him now - and the ocean. What was up with that? She was also much more aware of just how big Finn really was too, and not just in the literal, physical sense, either. There was something about the man's presence itself that was just plain huge, and again, it reminded her of the ocean. Like the ocean, Finn seemed easygoing and open in a way that bordered on indifference and, also like the ocean, there was a sense of something hidden beneath the man's surface, something enormous and incredibly dangerous that could surface at a moment's notice and was just waiting for an excuse.

For all of that, however, Swara-Ann wasn't left with the impression that Finn was waiting for an excuse to let that side of himself surface, just that he wasn't hiding it from her.

[z-August Turner]

August frowned as she realized that Lucien had brought the black-haired woman over with him. He wasn't her man, but August still had to fight down jealous urges. As Finn played the clown and then wandered off, August slipped up to Lucien's side and slipped under his other arm. "Kaitlin found the cards," she said, grinning up into luscious brown eyes. "I say it's time we play 'Circle of Death'.

"Ah, one of the best games for getting drunk," Lucien said, looking pleased. Of course, part of his pleasure may have been the attractive young women hanging on him.

August nodded, her eyes sparkling. "That business with Romeo blew my buzz," she said, casting flirty green eyes on Lucien. "I need to get it back before the night is done."

"So which version of the rules are we using again?" Oneca asked.

August grinned and laid out her favorite version. While she spoke, she and Oneca cleared the large dining room table and set up the cup in the middle. While Oneca filled a glass with Everclear and a hint of koolaid, August ringed the cards lying face down. "Remember, you want to pull one card without breaking the ring," she reminded everyone who was gathered to play. "And make sure your glasses are full of your drink of choice." She followed word to deed, hurrying to the kitchen to make a rum-and-coke that was mostly Cherry Coke before returning.

The Rules:

Aces: "Waterfall" The Player Who drew this card begins to chug or sip, so then does everybody else. When the person who picked up the card stops drinking the person to their right can stop drinking. When that person stops drinking the person to their right can stop drinking. This goes to the end of the circle. In this version kings is commonly named "waterfall"

2: "You" The Player who drew this card selects someone who then must drink.

3: "Me" The Player who drew this card must drink.

4: "Whores" Ladies or women drink.

5: "Beer Bitch" The Player who drew this card is responsible for getting up to get people beer until another player picks up a five where that player then becomes the "Beer Bitch."

6: "Dicks" Gentlemen or men drink.

7: "Heaven" The last player to point at the ceiling must drink.

8: "Mate" Pick a person to drink with you for the rest of the game.

9: "Rhyme" The player who drew the 9 says a phrase, then the players go around in the circle saying phrases that rhyme with the original. No phrase may be said twice, the first player who can not come up with a phrase, or says a phrase that doesn't rhyme must drink. Shot judio.

10: "Categories" The player who drew the 10 picks a category such as "sports teams" or "bands from the '90s," the players then go around in the circle saying items from that category, the first player who can not think of an item or says something not in the category (or if all items have been exhausted) must drink.

Jacks: "Social" Everyone Drinks

Queens: "Question Master" Whoever draws this card becomes the "Question Master". Whenever they ask you a question, you are not allowed to answer them. You can still talk to them as long as you're not answering a question they asked you. If tricked into answering a "Question Master" you must take one drink. This person is the "Question Master" until someone else draws a queen.

King: "Rulemaster" This person makes a rule when he draws the King and everyone else must follow this rule for the remainder of the game."

Joker: "Wild Card" House rule.

[Aradia McConnell]

"Short version is some guy got lured off into the bushes and attacked. Not sure what for or why, since we found his jacket and wallet, and he was babblin' about being drugged. He definitely got jumped though - there was sign of a struggle." He told Aradia in a quiet tone. "I'm Dec, by the way." he added as an afterthought, offering her his hand.

"That's some weird shit. Nice to meet you, Dec. You guys always throw such fucked up parties in L.A.?"

She said it with a grin, and took his hand, giving it a firm shake. Not as firm as his, of course, but pretty damned good for a chick, a bit rough with callouses, despite her prettily polished nails. She smelled earthy to him, underneath some sort of fruity shampoo and chlorine from the pool... a hint of nature and forests and life. And... wild cat. Which was kinda weird, even for L.A.

"Dunno.. don't go to a lot of them, really. You not from around here?"

"Nah. Not from anywhere, really. Grew up on the road."

The fondling of Finn's tattoo drew the you woman's attention briefly, and she eyed the big man as eagerly as the rest of the women present, but didn't linger overlong. She didn't believe in buffing up men's ego's too much, and Finn's was probably already shining like polished silver. August's claim that the tattoo felt cold drew a curious look, but she turned her focus back to the primal, dangerous-looking man next to her. There was something appealing about him, she couldn't quite put a finger on it, but she was eager to know more. To find out more.

"What about you - the way I hear it, L.A.'s just one big party - how'd you miss so many of 'em?"

[Swara-Ann]

When he looked again the blond was still staring - and scowling - at him, so Finn returned his attention back to those gathered near him and held up one finger while pursing his lips in a classic 'just gimme a minute' gesture, and then separated himself from the crowd and moved over to where Swara-Ann was standing.

"Hi", he said with a cautious smile once he'd reached the beautiful Uratha, and then he just stood and looked right back at her, matching her glower with a placid expression of his own. This close, Swara-Ann could really smell the Shadow on him now - and the ocean. What was up with that? She was also much more aware of just how big Finn really was too, and not just in the literal, physical sense, either. There was something about the man's presence itself that was just plain huge, and again, it reminded her of the ocean. Like the ocean, Finn seemed easygoing and open in a way that bordered on indifference and, also like the ocean, there was a sense of something hidden beneath the man's surface, something enormous and incredibly dangerous that could surface at a moment's notice and was just waiting for an excuse.

For all of that, however, Swara-Ann wasn't left with the impression that Finn was waiting for an excuse to let that side of himself surface, just that he wasn't hiding it from her.

"Hi." She responded flatly. This was shaping up to be one messed up night. Between the variety of things that had her inner pooch growling and snarling, to the bird man and a vampire attack... now there was this: a shadow saturated 'something' who was simply too yummy. Why'd they always have to be yummy? It wasn't fair. Declan was yummy, this guy was yummy, even the bird guy was yummy in his own 'bad boy' mysterious brooding sort of way. Swara-Ann inhaled deeply and tried not to say something stupid (which was a stretch).

"I know where you've been," she started softly, cutting to the chase. "I smell it on you. I don't know what you are, but tonight, I'm guessing you're not like me. These are good people so if you're here to mess up their lives, we're going to have a problem."

With the Wolf circling so closely on the edge of her instincts, Swara's normally ditzy intellect was subdued. She could think clearer when the Wolf was near. Deep down she knew the responsibilities of her people, and the oaths she'd sworn. "It's been messed up already, the night I mean, I just hope things are going to be cool you, me, and them."

[Owns-The-Night]

There was something appealing about him, she couldn't quite put a finger on it, but she was eager to know more. To find out more.

"What about you - the way I hear it, L.A.'s just one big party - how'd you miss so many of 'em?"

"Just lucky I guess." Declan said with a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Aradia chuckled as the shaggy-looking man indicated August with a nod. If he was bothered that she was snuggling up under Capitan Underoos' arm, he didn't show it. (In fact he wasn't too bothered. There was plenty of female attention to go around, and from where Dec was standing the ratio was firmly in the favor of the guys, even with Finn tweaking his nips like he was trying to receive AM/FM or something). "She's the first person to ever invite me to one, truth be told. I've never thought of myself as a party person, but August and me got along, and she told me about her cool friends Oneca, Aradia and Lucien so I decided to come and see what all the fuss is about."

He was distracted for a moment by Swara and Finn standing off to one side. He couldn't hear them over the music and babble of folks getting ready for the game August outlined, but the blonde she-wolf's face was grave as she stared hard up at the big guy, who looked like he could snap her with one hand. The situation screamed 'tense' to him, and though he knew neither shapeshifter, if he was being honest if and when crap started to fly he'd come down on the side of the hot blonde who was a wolf. Thems was the breaks. So far, though, it seemed under control, so he fought the faint urge to go over there and show moral support and instead focused on the hottie with the white streaks. Mostly. He did shift position slightly, moving a little closer to Aradia in such a way that he could watch the possible blow-up out of the corner of one eye. Besides, it also let him get a better look at the awesome cowgirl outfit the girl was wearing. Whoever decided that cowgirls wore bikinis, we who are horny as fuck salute you he mused as he took in the rhinestone ornamented cleavage-cannon.

"Her cool friends, hmm?" White-streaks said with a smile. "I like that. I'm Aradia." This close, the short acrobat had to tilt her head up to address him, as Dec was a whole damn foot taller. Normally, Aradia would consider this a sign that the universe was unfair, but right now, with a solid looking chest covered in a crisp, clean white t-shirt at face-level, she didn't mind at all.

"The circus gal?" Declan asked, then chuckle. "Apparently you're nice and a bit eccentric." His wolfish grin was playful, as was the mischievous gleam in his odd eyes. "How plead you?"

[z-Wakiki Izumi]

Wakiki sighed through his nose, his expression bored and annoyed. His wonderful system was sitting silent before him, muted at the cop’s request. The party was definitely dead, and Wakiki was trying to decide if he’d give the customer a refund or a discount on the next party. The refund would be easier to handle, but the discount meant another job. Since he was trying to build his business here in LA, that latter was probably best. Pushing himself off the planter he’d been slouched against, Wakiki went to find Lucien or Oneca.

The house was massive and quiet. The cowboy boots made no sound as they sank into the thick carpet; he was wearing jeans and a simple blue cowboy shirt to compliment the theme of the party. Wakiki walked slowly through it, studying the interior. He’d never been in a house this nice. It was like being in another world, to think that four pretty women lived here. Like Heaven, he thought with a little smile.

Voices pulled him out of his reverie, and Wakiki followed the sound to a small group of people. He noted that they were setting up a drinking game. Maybe the party isn’t quite done yet, he mused, contemplating bringing in a couple of speakers and setting up his table in here. He’d be willing to finish out the night, even if it would be for a smaller audience than he’d planned for originally. “Lucien, Oneca?” he asked, moving discreetly to their side. His voice was accented by his native Japanese, but his years of living in the United States was apparent in his easy speech. “Do you have a moment to conclude business?” he asked politely.

Even as he spoke, Wakiki’s eyes roved over the room. To his eyes, he could see the ebbs and flows of magic in the room. Interesting, he noted, his interest piqued by all the power flowing in the room. The relaxed woman who looked like she ate tofu and then the short cutie with the white streaks in her hair were both using magic. There wasn’t that there was a lot of it, but there was a lot for the context. Wakiki never expected to walk into a Sleeper party and find even one other practitioner. Finding another one, let alone another two, was something of a surprise.

Then the realized that he knew the tofu-girl: Tree. She's about the last person I'd expect to see at one of these places, he thought, giving her a small wave and a smile when he caught her eye.

Mage Sight roll: 3 sux

Carver *rolls* 6d10: 8+8+6+1+9+6: 38

Allows him to see the magic resonances in the room (as I understand the rote) and as far as I know, Triessa and Aradia both have spells up. I didn't see any mention of a spell active in Astra's. If I'm wrong, let me know and I'll edit.

Mental Shield roll: 3 sux, spent a Mana to last all day

Carver *rolls* 9d10: 1+3+3+2+1+9+5+8+10: 42

Carver *rolls* 1d10: 2: 2

[SalmonMax]

Triessa was just selecting her own drink when she noticed a guy she hadn't seen before looking her way. When he saw her looking back he waved, and suddenly it snapped together in her head. Seattle!

Her eyes widened in genuine shock and she covered her mouth for a second, then hurried around the bar into the room that the card circle was being spread around in to give Wakiki a big hug! "Oh my god, Imriel, I can't believe you're here!" she told him. "You won't BELIEVE this. I'm still in shock. I mean, it must seriously be some kind of node or confluence..." she disengaged and turned around, staying at Wakiki's side to look at the others. "Argh, okay, hold on a second."

"Guys, this is a friend of mine from Seattle where I used to live before coming down here. I have no IDEA why he's here, but I'm really glad to see him so everyone be nice to him, okay?"

She turned again to face Wakiki. "When you've said your hellos, meet me in the kitchen. I have so much to tell you."

And then she was hurtling back away towards the kitchen, dodging the card circle's table adroitly as she went.

[Kaitlin Vandussen]

Kaitlin followed August to the kitchen, mixing herself a Vodka-Red Bull, and as if it had given her wings, practically flew back to the dining room, spinning her chair around and straddling it. She was almost quivering with anticipation - it was nighttime and she was having fun and the monsters seemed far away. And if they weren't, there were a couple of big - hot - guys to get in their way to protect the hot girls.

She had beat the rush to fill their drinks and she waited impatiently to get the game started. Finally, when enough people were sitting down, or at least idling around the table with drinks in hand, Kaitlin figured it good enough to begin. "Youngest starts!" she proclaimed, and with the possible exception of Aradia, she was obviously the youngest, so she immediately reached into the circle and deftly plucked up a card and spun it around. "Eight - Mate!"

Just as she announced that, the hippie spazzed out, jumping up and giving the DJ a hug, squealing. When she called him a friend and asked everyone to be nice to him, Kaitlin gave him broad grin. He was kinda cute, and he was a DJ - maybe he get her into some of the better clubs that took carding seriously.

"Oh, we'll be nice," Kaitlin promised with a vivacious light in her large, cat-like eyes, pointing a finger at him and cocking her thumb like the hammer on a gun. "You're my mate for the rest of the game now. When I drink, you drink - thems the rules, pardner."

[z-Wakiki Izumi]

Tree's greeting startled him; he'd never really thought of them as being close enough for hugging. Of course, he'd never felt that close to anyone, really. He expression turned bemused as the perky girl started to babble, slipping slightly toward alarm as the babble veered a little close to the weird. But she restrained herself and then was gone before he could react.

He had time to react to the hot blonde who'd called him out. "Just a moment, pardner," Wakiki said with a grin at the pretty girl. She was one of the many reasons he loved living in LA - all of the woman around here were dangerously hot. Or at least, all of the women in the nicer part of town. "I need to talk to the hosts. Keep count of the drinks and I'll catch up."

"Oh, I will," the beauty assured him and Wakiki was still smiling as he turned back to Oneca. She'd been the one that originally hired him and he said, "Since the fun was cut short, I'll be happy to offer you a discount at the next party."

Oneca made a 'don't worry about it' face and said, "Forget it. It's all good. Stay, have fun."

"You hired me for eight hours," he pointed out and she laughed.

"And you played music for a few hours and now you're going to have fun with us for a few hours. Get drunk, maybe get laid," the pretty girl told him with a wide smile. "It's all good."

"You are the best boss ever," Wakiki said with a grin. "Thanks. Call me anytime you need a DJ." His business concluded, Wakiki strolled into the kitchen, his mood good and his aura mellow. "Tree," he said as a greeting to the young woman. As he started talking, he headed for the fridge and dug around for a bit. A Chianti was nicely chilled and already open, pleasing Wakiki. "How have you been?" He found a fat glass that would allow the wine to breathe and loaded up.

[SalmonMax]

Triessa had calmed down quite a bit since her overdramatic introduction, and when she addressed him now it was with a quieted voice, and a quick glance to make sure no one was following them. "I've been great, really, and I'll ask how you've been too, but first you need to know a few things. This party, what's left of it, is not normal. Not Sleeper-normal. Besides you and me, there's three other Awakened. At least one of them hasn't even had a mentor or any training yet." Another furtive glance, and she dropped her voice to a whisper.

"And the two big guys are some kind of shifter. I can literally see the Primal Wild exploding in their auras. That's why I was so glad to see you. You know a little Fate, right? This can't be coincidence, Imriel. I feel like something important is happening right in front of my face, but I can't see it."

[Thomas Gabriel Morrison]

Having only joined the UCLA campus as a teacher this year, Thomas had been at first a little uncertain about joining this little party when he heard about it, but as his teachers in the mysterium had told him, and his experiences in university politics, social connections were necessary and a way to find out things that one otherwise often would never know at all. Rumor and gossip had this as the place to be at the end of summer, so the professor, or Professor Morrison as most as the campus knew him, decided that he would drop in, get to know a few folks, and maybe find out a few things.

Of course, he had activated his ability to see magic, and his shields early in the day before checking out the folks who had signed up for his history and literature class in the upcoming fall semester, but was pleased to know there was a bit of free time before classes started. Of course as a mage, he needed time to do other things, but life was a mix of things, the mysteries were always there to be uncovered, and could surprise someone.

So here he was, wearing a cowboy hat and boots, as that was part of the party, but also wearing his usual glasses and coat, looking around a moment to see if there was anyone he knew, or anything or anyone whose aura stood out to his vision.

[z-Wakiki Izumi]

"A little Fate," Imriel said lightly but his expression was intent. He took a sip of the wine, savoring the explosion of fragrant bitterness as well as the bite of the alcohol on his tongue. "I know I haven't had the formal training for it." Imriel studied Tree for a moment. "Have you asked around? Before we run to magic, we should check the mundane."

"Most of these people are meeting for the first time tonight," Tree murmured. "Their connection seems to be all supernatural."

Imriel exhaled through his nose. He hadn't come here with the intent of solving a mystery... But such was the life of a modern mage, he mused. He set the glass on the counter in a sudden motion, having reached a decision. "I'll need a moment. If someone comes in, please don't let them disturb me." Resting his hands on the counter, he imagined seeing colored ribbons in the air. He imagined each of these ribbons being a connection, a mark of fate between two people. He held that thought in his mind until it was real; imagination made reality - the Imago. When he was sure that he had properly built the construct in his mind, he tapped the magic.

The essence flowed through him; thankfully the spell was subtle enough that his nimbus remained quiet. He opened his eyes and looked at Tree. A ribbon of light stretched between the two mages now. "Alright," he said, "I think I can get us some more information now. We can talk after, yes?"

"Yep!"

"Then get your drink and let's go party." Imriel gave her a wicked grin. Suddenly, the stories about him being a feckless seducer seemed all too possible to Tree. She'd dismissed the rumors in Seattle, but that smile was certainly... encouraging.

Fate + Gnosis + Willpower: 4 sux

Carver *rolls* 6d10: 9+5+8+6+8+8: 44

[Carver] 11:56 pm: Yay!

[SalmonMax]

Triessa grinned back, grabbed her glass and went out to sit at the Circle of Death table.

"Sorry about that," she said without a trace of sorrow, "What did I miss? Who's up next?"

[Lucien Hunt]

"Comin' through." Lucien announced with a playful smack on August's rump while he slithered through all the women in the kitchen making themselves drinks. "That, Kaitlin, looks like a winner. I'mna go with one of those, but I'll up your Absolut Bull with a Bloody Matador." With the deft skill of a college bartender he began brewing up his potion of hangover that consisted of Cuervo Gold Tequila, Grenadine, Limeade, a Red Bull and some Triple Sec.

"For the record, what happens at Neca's, stays at Neca's." He announced with a party grin and his toxin of choice in hand. "I don't wanna here any shit from the lot of you if I wake up to Finny MacPecs over there nuzzling me lovingly down by the pool."

[z-Wakiki Izumi]

Wakiki sauntered out after Tree and took the seat next to his 'mate'. The pretty blonde smirked at him and Wakiki smiled back. "Your name's Imriel, right?" she said. "That's not very Japanese."

"It's not supposed to be," he replied, smiling widening. He liked her attitude; he'd never enjoyed the demure attitudes of Japanese girls. Of course, when that demure nature was an affectation that covered a passionate and vibrant personality, it was a lot of fun. Wakiki had known a few of those, and they were a lot of fun. “What should I call you?”

“Kaitlin,” the blonde all-but purred.

“Lovely name,” he replied, his dark eyes locked on hers. “Thank you for making me your mate.” There was a wry twist to his lips as he spoke but there was a heat in his eyes that had little to do with humor.

“You’re next,” Kaitlin told him. “Clockwise around the circle.”

Wakiki reached out and snagged a card, pulling it to him with a smooth motion. Flipping it over, he smirked and said, “Of course it’s whores.” As all the women drank, Wakiki took his own sip of wine. As attention moved on to other players, he scrutinized the strands of Fate in the room. Those who glowed with magic were all linked tentatively together. Wakiki was bemused to note that he was tied to the woman with white streaks; he didn’t know her, but he would come to know her. Fate was strange, at times.

There were other ties, those present and future. The green-eyed woman and the silver-eyed man; the green-eyed woman, Oneca, Kaitlin and the girl with white-streaks; these connections and more were just as clear. But the spell showed Imriel that Tree was right – this was no ordinary party. Everyone was linked together, but the ties were distant and tenuous. Interesting.

[Thomas Gabriel Morrison]

Thomas looked around a moment, the party was over from all appearances, but the house was still open and lights still on, and he still heard a few voices, perhaps it wasn't quite finished. So he moved to the door and inside wondering what had happened to the party, and he would have left, except that he noticed something unusual, a group of folks including, what, from the gentle sign of magic he could see was a number of mages, and the opportunity to get to know some of the local magical talent was worth the visit completely.

Watching the game a moment, he wandered over, thinking over the name he'd chosen as his shadow name as he moved into sight of those playing the game, Icarus, who fell from the sky cause he flew too close to the sun, pride going before a fall. But still, he had flown, which was an amazing accomplishment, and a thing of wonder, and the name was as much as a warning to himself, to be careful of his pride, and a reminder not be afraid to take risks.

"Hello there, is there room in this game for one more?" He spoke up as he stopped at the edge of the game where they were playing.

[Kaitlin Vandussen]

Kaitlin took a large sip of her drink, her eyes straying to Lucien and his drink then back to her own, suddenly finding it lacking. She envied him his beverage-blending panache. She leaned over and clinked her glass against the rim of the underwear model's Bloody Matador. "When I run dry, mix me one a' those? Or show me how to make one myself? Pretty please?"

"For the record, what happens at Neca's, stays at Neca's. I don't wanna here any shit from the lot of you if I wake up to Finny MacPecs over there nuzzling me lovingly down by the pool."

Kaitlin burst out in giggles. "No words needed, Lucien. That will totally be going on YouTube. Betcha it gets more hits than the Star Wars kid!" And that just from the girls right here.

Wanting to get a taste of a Bloody Matador, Kaitlin made every sip a big one. She felt the heat of Wakiki's gaze and her large green-gold eyes alight with their own interest. Oneca's kiss had been heady - and at any other time, she wouldn't have minded tumbling into bed with her and/or her roommates - but a tiny part of her still moaned that was a betrayal of Madison, who wasn't even two weeks in the ground.

But she didn't want to think about that, didn't want to think about the nightmares that were real and out there in the night. Didn't want to be alone. The alcohol and a nice, hard cock would help with that and wouldn't make her feel like she was cheating on the memory of her dead girlfriend. She could almost imagine Madison urging her to go for it. It was a comforting lie, a lie the charming and witty Imriel made easy to believe.

"Oh, don't go thanking me yet," Kaitlin teased, leaning back and subtly arching her back to best advantage in the somewhat too-small bikini top. Her eyes cut to Lucien and Finn, a playful grin on her lips. "Who knows who you'll end up waking up next to, hmmm?" Wakiki could almost see the answer in Kaitlin's bright eyes, but what she said was, "So, how'd you get the name Imriel? Sound's like an angel's name, but you don't seem like an angel to me."