There Was A Confident, Borderline Arrogant Sharpness To The Smirk Nestled In The Right Corner Of Holden's

there was a confident, borderline arrogant sharpness to the smirk nestled in the right corner of holden's mouth as he kept his eyes on the approaching man. he was attractive, every bit a good visual representation of the heretic's type (despite the mask) but holden wasn't the type to make things easy.

he wanted to try and play with his food before he gave in and devoured.

"how do i know that your opinion of yourself isn't unfairly biased?" he challenged, he teased, as he cocked his head to the side. his posturing carried hints of feigned disinterest as he glanced around the room, letting other strangers borrow his attention for seconds just to annoy the man with him; to make him want holden to pay attention to him and him alone.

"you look good, i'll give you that," reaching out, holden breached the other's personal space to adjust and smooth out his tie, patting it against his chest with an almost mocking glint in his eyes as he leaned forward to whisper in his ear; his head angled to keep the horns on his mask from knocking against the man with him. "but like i said, i don't know you. i don't know if you actually are... how did you put it? quite good? why don't you give me a demonstration... get me hard without using your hands. right here, right now..."

"should be easy for you unless you aren't as good as you think you are."

masquerade balls had never been in lysander's life before now, he vaguely remembered his family going to a few when he was a child but he wasn't allowed to go. instead, the siphoner was locked away in the attic where he'd wait until they returned home and secretly try to master his unique gifts.

it took a bit of an adjustment for him at first, it wasn't like other parties that lysander had attended— normally people just drank beer or whatever liqour was provided and danced to whatever music was popular at the time. this was a lot more formal and he couldn't recognize anyone behind the decadent and elaborate masks that everyone seemed to be adorned in.

he'd been sitting alone at a table when he caught the eye of a blonde, his bare torso was visible and lysander had to appreciate the muscles that were on display for everyone. however, he didn't intend to be caught and could have sworn his cheeks were burning a bright crimson right now.

"i, well i was just appreciating the view." he got up, his hand around the rim of his drink as he approached the stranger. "and i don't know you." he retorted, resting his arm against the side of the wall. "i need to prove myself now?" he cocked a brow, though the grin didn't fade. "well for one, i know i'm quite good." he took a step forward. "and you'll see how good i look without a mask on."

he had danced with a few people. he mingled. he had his fun. really. he didn't just spend the entirety of the party lounging at one of the many concessions tables stuffing his face with food because it was all delicious and free. (well most all of it)

stuffing a cube of cheese into his mouth, or six, he looked up with cheeks full as someone settled into place beside him and asked him a question. swallowing without chewing, he blinked through the brief discomfort as he turned to face the man. "you've come to the right place. trust me when i say everything here is incredible. i keep coming back. you know, now that i think about it, i wonder if they put something in the food to make it this good or if they just have a really talented kitchen staff here... i don't taste magic though, or smell it, so we should be fine..." he rambled, a bit, with a shrug of his shoulders before gesturing to the wide array of available food.

"the finger sandwiches are surprisingly not dry despite how long they've been out, some have meat and some are strictly vegetarian-- we love options-- the veggies are, well, you should know your vegetables..." he explained with a loose smile as he looked over at the man next to him, "personally i like the sweets the most. the dark chocolate squares with sea salt and caramel on top are so good i'd actually wager that they taste better than sex... oh!" thomas blurted out as he turned to face the stranger fully. "don't try the grey stuff. despite what you might have been told growing up, it is not delicious. at all. just... no."

@unveiledvagabonds

Truthfully, the witch felt on edge. He knew he shouldn't, given the fact that he wasn't sure who he could consider a friend or a foe, but he had to dial back. While part of himself wanted to keep a small current of electricity running over his skin so that anyone that dared try to touch him without his consent would be shocked, he also knew that sometimes accidents happen. Still, Xavier kept himself on high alert as he made his way to the concessions table, looking over the variety of food and drink before he shifted his glance to the guy next to him.

"So, you know what's good to eat here?"

"no, really, i can go. i've been in here for far too long anyway." it was a lie but he was trying to be nice. it was funny, in a way; these two had separated themselves from the party and yet in that moment they still seemed to find themselves dancing through politeness and social niceties as they tried not to step on each other's toes.

taking a step forward, his lips settling into a neutral line, christopher let out a slight sigh as he placed his left hand on his hip and gestured back to the bed with his thumb. "you know I think we should share..." he was implying that they could more so share the room itself than the actual bed but now wasn't the time to worry himself with semantics.

"if we're in here together no one can really accuse us of slipping away from the festivities by ourselves to hide out, and we get to take a break from it all; eat, drink, and just relax for a minute-- plus i don't think it would be smart for me to drink that entire handle of tequila on my own. which is, really, just my way of saying i think you should stay..." he offered with a soft smile. "...and i'll stay with you..."

the banshee was having fun, somewhat at least and as much fun as a recluse can have at a social event. yet at some point in the night, too much was enough and he needed to retreat into the house. he grabbed one of the keys without thinking and just moved around until he was going up the stairs and finding the number that coordinated with it.

thankfully, he was already doing the best he could to blend in. that meant that no one was going to follow him up the stairs unless they were hungry and wanted the small plate of appetizers that he managed to bring with him. he didn't think that they would want actual food, since most seemed more worried about the bodies around them, so he was in the clear.

when he did open the door and managed to slip in, he noticed he wasn't alone. katriel sucked in a quick breath out of surprise. he almost closed his eyes in fear that they were undisposed.

finally, he opened them back up again when he realized that they were clothed. it seemed like this man just had the same idea that he did, escape to a place a little more quiet. "please don't leave on my account." he blurted that part out first. he would've felt terrible if he ended up kicking someone out of their room. "i was just looking for a quiet place to have a couple of snacks. i can find another room." before turning around though, he did want to be a gentleman. katriel noticed the bottle of tequila. "did you want some food?"

chacecrawford: “Season 4 still gettin after it @theboystv”

"no, it's fine. really." the human argued as he swung his feet over the edge of the bed so he could pull himself up to stand. despite originally wanting to take a breather for himself and be alone, he found himself gravitating towards the stranger; even going so far as to close off the space between them so he could gently place a hand on the other man's bicep, cupping over the muscle, to show that christopher wasn't telling him to leave. "if our roles were reversed i'd be a bit curious too; i'd want to know how shows up to the so called event of the year and almost immediately hides." he teased, himself mostly, with a soft smile.

"nerves?" he offered in defense of himself. "which is why i grabbed this... which, i'm not sure if i was allowed to take the whole bottle so let's just keep this between us." the man laughed weakly under his breath as he took a few steps back to pick up the handle of tequila; eyes cutting back over through his mask to glance at the stranger darkening his doorway. "i don't know anyone," christopher added on, unprompted, as something made him feel like he needed to at least try and a make a case for himself to the handsome stranger. "th-that's one of the reason's why i'm in here by myself, and why i'm in here in general. surprisingly the mask's don't help the whole feeling out of place thing..."

"sorry, i don't know why i'm dumping all of that on you. here," he twisted the cap of the bottle, breaking the seal, and took a swig of the tequila before smiling and holding it out for the stranger to drink from. "i'm making things awkward, the least i can do is offer you a drink."

although bayram's parents insisted that he attend the ball and that they'd be fine for a few hours, he had this nagging thought eating away at the back of his head to go check on them and make sure they were fine. sneaking out of the ballroom, the harpy made his way upstairs until he found his parents room. his mother scolded bayram, telling him she was fine and didn't need anything and he better not come back until the ball was over.

once he was sure they didn't need anything, the harpy finally left and headed back towards the ballroom. the hallway was mostly empty still, the evening had just started so people hadn't excused themselves upstairs to the various rooms made for this very occasion. except for one door that was cracked, although bayram knew he should mind his own business he couldn't help but peak in to see for himself.

it was a handsome guy who was sitting on the edge of the bed, just as he was about to turn around and leave the guy he stepped on a creaking floorboard and got the mans attention. "oh no no," he tried to assure the stranger, taking a step back. "i was heading back myself and saw your door open." he tried to explain. "i shouldn't have been snooping."