All Hollows Eve Ball Event

[Taifallos]

Taifallos ate peacefully, occasionally glancing here and there. Her eyes finally rested on the card... what did it mean?

Elders & Mosquitos Gathered to a Ball
One lost his Head & took a Nasty Fall...

She felt something close to her and turning her head, Xander's eyes met her own. He was trying to read her mind, she curled her upper lip in disgust, purposefully letting her fang glint in the light. Tai's biggest upset was when fellow vampires attempted to pull rank by demonstration of power in an inapropriate atmosphere. She placed an outstretched arm on the table and flicked her red-french tipped nails. Immediately the room flashed with lightning and the sky roared with thunder.

The lights were blackened. All that remained in the dining hall was a vast hearth, throwing flames and glittering in the shadows. Candles flickered, dancing by the walls and on the table. Servants responded quickly to the electrical shock and brought out large bowls of oil and cloth, tossing lit matches in to them, creating more sources of light.  

[-xander-prescot-]

"I can't believe you just did that." Xander leaned forward a smile slowly crossing his lips. "Tell me Lady Tai, can the curse be provoked, or does it bend to your will?" His head tilted, sarcasm and amusement were driving him. He studied her before finishing his meal. Perhaps this was the time to unvail a few secrets.  

[Taifallos]

Her nails scratched the table as she flicked them back and forth, "Will. Xander, it's Will. Something you would know nothing about." Her voice was hard, cool yet seductive to the ears. The words flowed like honey.

Another rumble filled the room.  

[-xander-prescot-]

"Oh, I wouldn't know what will means," he sneered, stung by her scorn. "Perhaps not. In this case, it's curiosity that drives me. What I want to know is simple, really," but his words were drowned out by louder thunder.

"What I want to know is," he tried again through another rumble - "is WHERE WERE YOU AUGUST 28TH OF LAST SUMMER?" His bellow fell in the hush.

All eyes turned towards him for a moment. "That's better," he said. "In the summer, end of August. Where you were and what you were doing. I don't need all the details."

He waited.


((This is where you guys can either volunteer your secrets at the dinner table or Xander may make accusations. You don't have to agree with them or admit to anything. In fact you may even accuse him!))  

[[Barbarella]]

Bella said, I was at a school in Switzerland, tutoring the children of the rich. ...If you like, I'll give you the name and you may check my attendance. I have nothing to hide.

She guessed at what he was referring to. It was a good thing she'd subscribed to the Underworld newspaper.  

[Triltsch]

Faaiz took a moment to answer, shivering from all the loud noise. Finally, his eyes darting about, he swallowed and tried to breathe more slowly. Why was he so tense? He had nothing to worry about, he had no idea what Xander was referring to. Why, then, couldn't he shake this awful nervousness? He spoke quietly and shakily. "…I was… at a bookstore, purchasing a copy of an Anne Rice book… I remember quite vividly how my day played out. I really don't think anything particularly remarkable happened." Blast it, all this shaking just makes me look worse!  

[-xander-prescot-]

Xander nodded thoughtfully and gazed at the rest of the group, glancing at each member in turn.
His fist clenched under the table. Somebody else had better speak up.  

[-kalonice-van-tassel-]

Kalnoice smirked. Xander was bluffing, acting like a bully. How many knew he was actually begging for answers?
Although, he did have an ace up his sleeve - an object so powerful even Miss Storm-a-long there would have to take notice.  

[Taifallos]

Tai smirked, he couldn't seem to fathom the level of power some of the elders had. But then she reminded herself, when people bluff big, one of two things is happening: they're lieing and ultimately hold nothing in their favor or... they hold everything with lack of mercy to spare. The unsetteledness returned. Surely the curse would keep her safe, the worst he could do was try. But then again, there are far more fouler things in the world then death. She would know, they had both participated in them...

"As bound as I feel..." She said softly...  

[-xander-prescot-]

Xander's eyes turned to Tai, for a moment he felt hesitant. I know what she has to hide. If she'd only come clean, no one would believe it. They'd throw her out for fraud...  

[Taifallos]

"And boundless are all my fears..." She narrowed her eyes at him, allowing the gentle threat to penetrate. If he knew anything, he would take it seriously. The rain begain to pour down heavy hitting the windows with thunderous force. Was that the sound of dogs barking outside? Her eyes turned to Faaiz in a serious yet reasuring manner, for his sake she hoped he was where he said. Benefit of the doubt was nerves.  

[[Barbarella]]

Bella tilted her head, puzzled, her sharp vampire ears having caught the conversation even through the thunder. Bound? What could that mean?

She murmured to Faaiz, You must remember what else happened on that day - Black Bess was destroyed!  

[Triltsch]

Faaiz's expression muddied even more. "Black Bess? What are you talking about?" He felt awful that he had missed something that apparently all the others knew of. It was like being left out of something, only much, much worse… "Forgive me, but who or what was Black Bess? A vampire? A murder victim?" He kept his voice low, fearing for some reason that his ignorance would somehow turn on him.  

[[Barbarella]]

Bella widened her eyes. You don't know of her? But surely you've heard of the Stygian gem! The one that works on the undead. No -?

Black Bess was a highway robber in England about four hundred years ago. One night, she attacked the wrong carriage - a vampire elder, the keeper of the gem, was transporting it to his home and did not take kindly to our Bess. In the struggle, he nearly drained her but she destroyed him with the Stygian Gem. After that, it was decided that newly turned vampire Bess would be the gem's new keeper, for certain reasons, and she's kept it ever since. She was a good keeper, and didn't seek to gain any power with it. Becoming a vampire was enough for her. She gave up brigandry and led a peaceful unlife.

Except they found her remains at the end of August and the gem gone, and no one knows who did it. Bella's eyes gleamed with excitement.  

[Triltsch]

Faaiz couldn't believe what he was hearing. How had this never come to him before? "That's… that's awful. That's really, really terrible…" The story certainly was depressing. He hated to hear about good people coming to bad ends. "So… where was she found, exactly? And how was she…?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the question, thinking it rather unfeeling, but he wanted to know as much about it as he could. "Are there no clues at all?"