Underworld Ball (Open to devils)

Underworld's annual ball was always something of an event, it was the only time of the year that the imperial family socialised with the higher ranking devils of Underworld society, with all the frivolity, custom, and etiquette a ball would suggest. Everybody was dressed in their finest clothing, military officers wore their dress uniforms and non-military their finest black tie suits. It was perhaps the oddest thing you could imagine to see for a group of devils, who were known as chaotic and hardly prone to such official events.

The royal family had a table at the furthest end of the room, right in the middle where they could easily be seen. Which was naturally why Isaan looked as bored as you could possibly be at an event like this, sitting back in dress uniform with his feet up on the table and taking slow sips from a glass of what was presumably red wine. It had been a long time since the emperor himself had attended this annual gathering, which meant that the highest rank person present was the High Prince, Daziriel who was currently not at the table.

While he was sitting there peering out at the sea of people dancing, men with women, men with men, and women with women - there were no inhibitions in Underworld - he didn't notice a rather disgruntled looking raven haired man coming up behind him wearing a fine black suit. The man stopped behind him and peered down looking unimpressed by his behaviour, then broke into a smile and took a seat in a chair beside him, one of the few people not of the imperial family who could simply sit at their table.

"You look bored, Prince Isaan." He said, tapping his fingers slowly on the table.

Isaan locked the man with his gaze, giving a nod of recognition and taking a small sip of his wine before responding.

"Melaus," he said, as if surprised to see him there, "I thought you tried to shy away from these things."

"Normally I do, but Yomi became rather insistent I attend." He replied, frowning irritably, "he threatened to burn down my library if I didn't."

A genuinely amused laugh followed Melaus' story. Yomi was an archdevil much like Melaus, holding the position of dealing punishment to the damned, it was just like him to threaten to destroy Melaus' most precious thing to get him to do something. While they were talking, Daziriel returned to the table and gave Isaan a harsh look which made him take his feet down and sit properly, probably the only person beside their father who could get him to behave to any degree at these things.

"Well, if you'll excuse me." Melaus said, sensing the mood and bowed to both princes before taking his leave.

Daziriel was in uniform of course, he was the General of Underworld's entire army, he couldn't be in anything but. His red hair was the colour blood and a stark contrast to Isaan's raven head, though that was not a genetic difference it was merely the colour isaan preferred, it'd been a long time since anyone had seen him with his naturally red hair and would be a long time to come likely. A pair of purple eyes locked on Isaan and he knew that Daziriel was glaring at him, in that way he did which made you fear that you were going to be attacked.

"You should dance." He said bluntly, then continued before Isaan could reply. "At least show interest in the ball, there's many girls... and a few boys out there who would love to dance with you."

"Are you trying to whore me out?" Isaan asked incredulously, though he sounded more amused than anything. "I'm just saying, I'm not opposed to it."

There was an awkward moment of silence and Daziriel rose from his chair and left to mingle without another word, Isaan's disregard for anything savoury always got under his skin and he preferred to leave than hit his brother. Isaan just grinned from ear to ear and returned to putting his feet up on the table, observing the mingling and dancing while his ears were filled with the orchestra's music. The music was probably the only part of this that Isaan remotely enjoyed, he began to wonder where the blazes Altieran, Rainak, and Seth'ryal were, at least then he might have conversation.

"No no Miso, you cannot attend the ball. You are not a devil, you are a cat!"

Liandri shook her head and gave Miso a stern look, who then curled up into a ball on the dresser, next to the mirror that Liandri peered at her usual self in. She brushed through the ends of her hair carefully before looking at a note she had handwritten on the dresser.

"Screw it, I'm not going."

She pouted at the mirror and thudded the brush down on the dresser, startling Miso, who ran out of her quarters in haste. Liandri walked towards the door and slammed it shut, looking over to the long traditional Chinese dress that hung up on her wardrobe. The dress was decorated with a lotus theme, the green being somewhat complimented by small accents of pink. It was a shame to let the dress go to waste, although it was seemingly far too big for her, and rather provocative for someone that looked around ten years of age, this was a once in a life time thing, where she could pretend not to be herself.

"Miso! Go hide, Liandri has got some wine to drink!"

She slumped against the door of her room and grew a few inches in height, her hair gradually gaining length and changing into a deep auburn red, pulling the eye patch off her green eye she let it fall to the floor as her red eye turned into the deep emerald green so they would both match. She tore off her clothes recklessly and slipped on the dress before sitting in front of her dresser, matching her hair with her attire by pinning it up with a couple of chopsticks she had left on the dresser. Overlooking her shape shifted self she sighed. I wish I could show them the real me, but....no.

Brushing herself down and looking over herself once in the mirror she walked towards the Ball, smiling happily to herself as she hummed quietly to the beat. Upon arrival she looked over the vicinity, grabbing herself a small glass of wine and watching over all the couples dancing peacefully in the center.

There he was, she could see him from miles away, her heart beat rapidly upon seeing Isaan. Liandri turned away, blushing slightly as she begun small talk with a military officer about the food and drink that was being served along with the taste of music, avoiding subjects such as the royal family themselves.

"If you're reading this - I'm not in my room! You clever clogs you, don't go reading through my stuff.
But understandably the music is rather loud and not to my taste, official events are more boring than...well they're very boring.
I've gone for a walk...and stuff...with Miso.
So yes...I'm not here...
Don't look for me...
STOP LOOKING THROUGH MY THINGS.
- Liandri"

"OHMYGODILOVEYOURDRESS!" Altieran pushed aside several male Devils (all a few centuries younger than him, naturally) who had crowded round him to gather his affections. The Ball had always been the one social event of the year Altieran looked forward to the most: it always brought out the best Underworld had to offer, and he hadn't quite achieved a "full house" yet, as he liked to say. His new focus of attention, however, was a marvel of fashion, an oriental style dress which fitted perfectly on a woman he had never even seen before in his life. Still, a woman so finely dressed would have the taste to see that he was the classiest person at the entire ball and she would be compelled to befriend him, of course. His inner monologue flattered him constantly as he grabbed the woman by the hand and made her give a twirl, not even bothering to notice how she was reacting to his attention.

"You MUST come and sit with me and tell me all about yourself. I'm Altieran, by the way." he flashed a grin then clicked his fingers, his cane flying across the room from a coat stand to his hand. He tucked it neatly in the crook of his arm and indicated towards the head table before striding off, still clutching her hand. "I'm sure Sissy won't mind you sitting here. Hell, you might get lucky and he'll take a shine to you. I'll make sure he doesn't get too handsy, don't you worry." He said as they approached the table, winking slightly before he offered her a seat before sitting down in the one next to it, a few seats down from where Isaan sat.

Lilly’anna sighed hovering around the entrance waiting for Seth to arrive. “ I don’t see why I had to be here on time if he was going to be late “ she grumbles as she watches people enter shaking her head at some of the dresses the women wore and wondering how the managed to move mummified in so much fabric and why they would want to. Her own ensemble looks simple in comparison there’s not a lot to it. A band of some form of shimmery fabric in a band around her chest and a long skirt made of the same fabric the front falling just between her legs the back just covering her rear with the sides free exposing her legs. When she moves it changes colors in the light and it’s not until a closer look the one can see that its not made of fabric but very tiny crystal beads strung and woven together. It’s a traditional dress from her home world and it was the only way to get her into formal attire.

Furyae grins as she watches her husband stalk out into the crowd and excused her self from the people she had been attempting to listen to. She like Daziriel was dressed in her military uniform. She touches his arm lightly when she reaches him. “ I I know its boring, But perhaps you should look less like you're about to make the guests run drills?”

A little off to the side in the ballroom, a thoroughly unusual sight could be seen. Flitting amongst the sparse crowd (Most devils seemed to be giving him a wide berth) Jowan could be seen with his arms outstretched in front of him, as though dancing the waltz with an invisible partner. It was a rare thing for him to attend social events, after all for him even being alone felt like being in the centre of a yelling crowd, yet he seemed to have made an effort on this occasion. He wore his finest crimson dress robes (they barely had any stains on them!) and had strips of dark silk to cover his eyes and to tie his hair in a ponytail. The effect made him look surprisingly dashing, though that was somewhat ruined by his actions.

Those close enough could see him stroking the air in front of him and hear him murmuring a steady stream of nonsense under his breath; "Yes my dear...it's been so many years..not since...since...then. We didn't like it here...so loud, so many voices, drowning in the sea of music...you're right my dear, it is pleasant...What? No! Hush dearest, you really musn't say things like that in public! This is supposed to be formal..." He let out a quiet squeak and turned a shade of red almost as deep as his robes before starting to edge his dance towards a quiet corner of the room. He seemed to be muttering something about "voices touching the bad places of my mind."

Isaan had drowned out the sound of the ball at this point. By the time Altieran had brought over the unrecognisable Liandri, Isaan didn't even look up to acknowledge their presence and instead was content to take small sips from his wine while staring at a point on their table in deep thought. It wasn't until he heard the distant comment about his becoming too handsy that he finally raised his head, looking right past Liandri and locking his eyes directly on Altieran with a wolfish grin.

"Trying to halt a force of nature again, Altieran?" He asked, his voice ringing with teasing. "You and I both know these hands can't be held back by the likes of you."

It was only now that he noticed the poor woman that Altieran had dragged over to sit at the table with him, it wasn't like Altieran to bring women home and as Isaan's eyes traced their way up her body (not remotely discreetly) he could only presume that it had something to do with her fine dress. He was about to make fun of Altieran regarding this but his eyes had just found the woman's face and he froze. His eyes widened so slightly that you wouldn't easily notice, then came the slow thudding in his chest that rang in his ears.

"Who..." He began, but suddenly seemed unable to find any words to say.

Meanwhile, Seth'ryal was finally arriving at the ball, half an hour late and still fastening the buttons of his jacket. It was as rare to see Seth in uniform as it was to see his father in it, but he certainly filled it well. When he came upon Lilly he gave her an apologetic smile, followed by a quick kiss on the cheek and took her hand in his.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, cutting in before she could tell him off, "my work took a bit longer than I wanted it to, then I had to find my uniform. You know they keep a whole room of spares?"

Seth offered his arm to his wife and then walked into the ball once she had taken it. Unlike his father he didn't mind these social events, though he did find them rather tedious all the same. The collection of lords gave them a long look as they entered the room, particularly Lilly who wasn't a devil nor even an immortal, they surely thought her beneath a person of Seth's standing but they would never speak out. Not in public anyway.

"Perhaps I should make them run drills." Daziriel said bitterly, glaring out over the guests and then shooting a glance in the direction of his brothers in the company of a young woman he didn't recognise over at their table. "Come on."

He took Furyae's arm and led her back to the table, there were more chairs at the table than were needed, and the one at the head of the table was empty as Krell wasn't present - not that he ever was. Upon arrival, Daziriel sat down and looked across at the silent Isaan who was apparently trying to avoid eye contact with the woman he didn't recognise. With a tilt of his head he caught the light sound of a pulse, it wasn't his own and of course he drowned out the pulses of other guests to pinpoint on Isaan, then gave a rather surprised look and turned his gaze to Furyae again.

"Sitting down may have been a bad idea." He said quietly, feeling like things were about to become awkward.

Liandri nodded politely towards Isaan, flushing a bright red before gulping a large portion of her red wine down.

"Isaan, isn't it? A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

She sat comfortably, one leg crossing the other and fixating her gaze upon Isaan.

"I'm Mistress Kushina, a family member of a military official you have probably never heard of, being so high ranked and all."

She giggled rather adult-like compared to her normal self and continued to sip on her wine, feeling a little more tipsy by the second, she really was not used to drinking. She turned her gaze onto the abundance of couples dancing and looked down to her feet, before returning her gaze longingly at Isaan.

"I'm not usually one to ask this...but would you care to dance? I mean...I probably have two left feet and will fail miserably, but it beats talking about my boring self, really I do not lead much of an interesting life."

She smiled warmly at him before turning her gaze towards Altieran.

"Thank you, sir. I do have to say, your outfit is absolutely fabulous, you'll have to keep me up to date on any social events you may host in the future."

She extended her hand politely towards Isaan and cocked her head waiting for a reply.

Feeling his duties as matchmaker for the evening were finished, Altieran stood up from the table and quietly made his way back into the crowds of people gathered. Making his way through the crowds, he found a moment's peace within the roar of laughter, music and general chatter. Though the noise levels in the room remained constant, everything around him seemed more quiet and distant to him. He could feel it poking around the edges of his conciousness again, looking for a way out. He had suspected this would happen tonight, and had taken proper precautions: hours of silent meditation followed by a mantra he had worked on over the years to help him fend off his darker impulses in order to help him remain in control. Typical of his Inner Devil to choose social occasions to try and wreak havoc - better to make Altieran's life a nightmare again. His perceptions returned to normal after his very brief period of internal conflict, just as he bumped into Seth and Lilly.

Thud

"SETH! LILLY! So good to see you both!"

Thud

"Enjoying the festivities are we?"

Altieran's face lit up at the meeting, his near loss of control forgotten as he was again with pleasant company, and though the pounding in his chest was irritating him, he still grinned widely as he butted between the pair and squeezed them both tightly around the shoulders, his cane floating in front of him. He gave them both a quick peck on the cheek after asking them the question, before awaiting their response.

Furyae leans down putting a gloved hand on the strange woman's shoulder grinning right next to her ear she had heard what her husband had heard but the woman was acting strange" Issy there Might not have heard of your relative But i assure you my husband and I have. Now Please Do tell us who this family member is." Peers at the woman searching for any hint of recognition or family resemblance to anyone the men that served under her and her husband.

Lilly smiles when she sees Altieran. "Were not yet we just got here. and you? Is the ball up to your standards?* she hovers next to Seth more then a s foot off the ground so shes at eye level with him her wing shimmering and giving off small reflections in the light.

Daziriel suddenly clutched his wife around the shoulders and pulled her away from Liandri, if the girl thought she could fool a man as attentive as him she was wrong. His brother was fooled though and as far as Daziriel was concerned, that wasn't a bad thing. He smiled at Liandri, or Kushina as she was calling herself, and gave a polite nod.

"Your father speaks about you often, Lady Kushina, you are the reason he keeps fighting." Daziriel said, completely making it up of course but his foot colliding with Furyae's told her not to say a word.

Isaan observed the exchange quietly. The constant thud of his heart didn't usually phase him anymore, he'd long since given up on love but for some reason this time it was getting to him. When Daziriel was done he cut in before anymore conversation could start, rising from his chair and taking her hand gently in his own, a faint sense of affection to his manner as he guided her out of her chair.

"I would love to dance," he crooned, leaning close so that she would hear him over the sound of the ball.

After pausing to give a nod in the direction of his brother and sister, Isaan led Liandri onto the dance floor completely unaware of her true identity. Perhaps he just didn't want to notice the obvious connections, or maybe he was just the oblivious sort. Either way, he placed his hand on her side once they reached the dance floor, his other still holding hers gently before he began to lead her in time to the music. Isaan was a very good dancer, but then he was a prince and raised to be able to act accordingly at these ridiculous events.

Seth looked at Altieran with a small grin when he got between he and Lilly, giving him a pat on the back with Altieran's arm still around his shoulders. He nodded in agreement with his wife's answer to the question, then nodded in the direction of his father and Liandri dancing with a wolfish grin, like he knew something they didn't.

"Rare to see my dad dancing at these events." He said, looking at Altieran. "Who is she anyway?"

Liandri's heart was pounding in her chest, unsure from the wine or the sheer excitement that she was having a romantic moment with Isaan. Her nervousness reflected with her poor and clumsy dancing, this was actually completely typical of her character when under pressure. She clasped her arms around the back of Isaan's neck and watched his face, almost engrossed as she attempted to compose herself in front of him, taking deep breaths as she did. As they spun around the dance floor she let off a slight smirk at Seth and tipped her head, trying to make it the least bit obvious.

She gulped and tried to think of various topics of conversation she could cover, before eventually settling on a single question.

"So...Prince Isaan. Do you have any love interests currently?"

Altieran frowned, noticing a strand of Seth's hair slightly out of place. He quickly fixed it, his hand perhaps lingering slightly longer than he intended. He cleared his throat quickly and let the couple go as Seth asked him who the girl Isaan was dancing with was. "I have no idea, in truth. I just love her dress, don't you? Just..it's perfect! Well, not quite as perfect as my tux, but you know - near enough." he smirked, spinning on his heel to face them both after he had been looking across the room at Isaan and Liandri dancing together. "Besides, what difference does it make who she is? We all know she won't last long. Issy hasn't had a serious relationship in the whole time I've known him. Not that I blame him. Relationships are booooring, don't know how you put up with the same woman night after night, Seth...uhh, no offense Lilly."

Altieran grinned as he began to back off slightly, not afraid of the repercussions of his words, more that the constant pounding in his chest was beginning to give him a headache. Normally it didn't bother him in the slightest, which got him thinking about his earlier little "episode" with his inner devil. Perhaps tonight wasn't a night he should be in the company of others, he thought to himself as he began to walk away from Seth and Lilly, giving them a wave as he wandered off into the crowd. He began heading in the direction of the nearest exit, hoping to disappear without anyone noticing. His absence would be noted, but he knew everyone would assume he had left with someone, taking another man back to his chambers for a loveless night spent in his bed. He partook in brief small talk with whatever dignitaries or whoever else wanted a word with him, but he kept excusing himself quickly after anyone engaged him, the whispers on the edge of his mind getting closer. Wrath was being particularly insistent on breaking free, it seemed, and Altieran wouldn't allow it here, or anywhere else in the palace tonight. He needed space and room to breathe without people constantly hounding him. He eventually managed his escape and made it to his room, though he paid no attention to if anyone was following him along the way, being more focused on actually getting there.

Fury turns and raises her eyebrow at her husband but stands up saying nothing further then watches as her twin walks off with the woman. When they are gone she turns fully towards him." So are we mingling or sampling the refreshments? she knew better then to question him about this now but she would ask later in private.

Lilly watches the exchange between Altieran and her husband with no outward reaction save for a slight change in the tempo of her wing flutter at the lingering touch. Smirking at his remark at sleeping with the same woman every night. and she says after him as hes leaves"How can it get boring when we know each other's body well enough to make the other catch fire with one touch. w" she sighs shaking her head as he leaves she turns and smiles at Seth. " Sorry I know i shouldn't let it bother me. But sometimes when he dose that I wish we where home. I would be well within my right skewer him for that.

Isaan looked at her momentarily like she had just spoken in some alien language, which being a god was impossible for him, but all the same he was thrown. Not by her asking if he had a love interest, but by her calling him by his proper title of prince. So much of his time was spent with Midnight that he sometimes forgot he was a prince, hearing such a beautiful woman address him as such was oddly sobering. He looked down into her eyes for a moment, then let out a small and almost nervous chuckle, shaking his head.

“No.” He replied quietly. “I don’t have any love interests.”

Except you, is what he had wanted to add at the end. But of course, even being devils just blurting something like that out was unconventional. True, having your heart beat to tell you that you were in love was useful, but it was also a curse that meant if the feelings were not returned you could feel a fool or worse, render yourself heartbroken. Isaan had experience of this, but he had never told others of them, they were private memories that kept him seeing the reality of devil life when he felt like he might go just a little too crazy.

The music changed and Isaan’s arm tightened just little around Liandri’s body, drawing her closer to him while he held her right hand gently in his left, continuing to dance with her even as some people left the dance floor due to the change. Holding her closer unfortunately worked against Isaan, because his deviant mind took over and he leaned his lips closer to her ear, remaining there for a moment before a smirk that she couldn’t see due to the angle came to his lips.

“What if I told you that my heart was beating for you?” He asked, his voice a soft and alluring whisper.

Meanwhile, Seth hadn’t reacted much to Altieran fixing his hair into place properly. Of course he knew fully well the feelings that he had, but Seth was married and his heart beat only for Lilly, he wasn’t going to feel guilty over that - not because he didn’t care, but because for devils, there was no point in feeling guilty about something that could not be helped. He gave a small frown at what Altieran said regarding his father and serious relationships, he recalled his mother and father being very serious, but it was true that Isaan hadn’t had anyone seriously since then aside from the typical one night stands.

“Don’t start a fight.” He said pointedly after Altieran had left, looking at Lilly and kissing her on the side of the head. “You don’t understand what it feels like for a devil’s heart to beat, it’s a constant reminder of unrequited love. We should dance.”

He took Lilly’s hand and took her onto the dance floor, remaining on the other side of it to his father and Liandri, not wanting to get in the way of their moment.

Daziriel looked at Furyae, honestly he would prefer to just sit and sample refreshments, mingling with some of these people was the most tedious thing he had to do as regent in his father’s current ‘absence’. He stood from his chair and held his hand out to his wife, obviously wanting her to accompany him in ‘mingling’.

“I suppose we should speak to the fools who make up Underworld’s so-called elite, if only for appearance sake.” He said simply.

Liandri's eyes widened at Isaan's remark, and she began to shake slightly. The thoughts began to overwhelm her slightly and her current appearance became hard to maintain. Momentarily her eyes returned to their natural state of one red, and one green, she shut them tight briefly, and on re-opening they returned to her shapeshifted colour. She had hoped he hadn't noticed, but that might as well have been a wish, it was inevitable that he would notice, but whether he would question it was a matter in itself.

"I...uh..."

She had no idea what to say, anxiety from the situation completely took over her thought processes and she attempted to keep dancing. Tightening her grip around Isaan in return she began to flush a deep red.

"I'd...be, just...completely flattered Prince Isaan. I...came here for the sole purpose of seeing you, in hope we could dance just once."

She looked to the floor briefly then back at him, her red face beginning to fade slightly the more she looked at him.

"I think, you are a truly beautiful person."

Before she could turn back to the bright red she previously was, she leaned in towards him in attempt to steal a kiss.

Isaan continued to dance with her slowly, but if she thought he would not notice the signs she was mistaken, his every day was attention to detail. But somehow none of what he saw wanted to trouble him and that he had left her at a loss for words, he considered endearing. But when she did reply he found himself at a loss, that was a confession of almost fairytale proportions and yet it caused his damned heart to flutter like a schoolboy.

He cursed internally, his words had caught in his throat and she had seemed to have garnered more confidence. That she called him a beautiful person left a slight ringing in his ears, his mind flashing back to a rainy night near a burning village, where a young woman and her newborn child were thanking him for rescuing them. He never imagined anyone would ever tell him something like that again, though back then it had not been said quite so directly.

“I...” He began, unable to quite find the words. “Thank you.”

Then before he could do anymore she was leaning in, an obvious attempt to steal a kiss which he would normally have withheld at a function like this, yet his pounding heart and her charming words had caught him off-guard. Leaning down, his hand released hers and joined his other wrapped around her person, drawing her in closer until their lips met in a sweet and tender kiss that saw the dancers near to them stop momentarily.

Meanwhile, in a shadowy corner, Jowan sat sipping some cranberry juice from an elegant crystal glass. He could have sampled some of the fine wines on offer of course, several of the Voices recommended he did so. But the Dearest one reminded him that alcohol did not mix well with someone of his mental state. "Yes, yes, we remember the last time Dearest. Raspy decided he wanted a dance with that young angel didn't he...?" 'Raspy' reffering to another of his mind's voices, purely a result of his insanity/ He reached up and rubbed the side of his face, frowning at the memory of a stinging slap.

He sighed heavily and took a sip of his drink, feeling decidedly bored. His inner eye scanned the room for something to distract him from the rising argument that had flared up between a few of the Voices, and surprisingly, he succeeded. Spluttering around his drink, he spat a fair amount out in an entirely cartoonish fashion as he caught sight (If the word sight could be applied to someone with non-functioning eyes) of the Prince of the Underworld kissing a young woman.

Of course, that on it's own wouldn't be surprising. But the drumbeat reverbating through the couple like an angry rainstorm was. He made no attempt to hide the grin slowly creeping across his face, a grin that quickly evolved into a shrill cackle that made sure that anyone lingering nearby the crazy old devil swiftly moved away. He continued to chuckle for a good minute before finally calming down, gasping for breath and nodding a little to the whisperings in his head. "Yesyes...the emerald and ruby cat has caught it's mouse perhaps? Or should we call it a mouse...more like a bigger cat really..."

He rose from his seat and pushed his way through the crowd until he stood at the edge of the dancefloor, watching and clapping his hands like a schoolchild with accompanying maniacal giggle. "Hehehe...yes, bigger cat definitely. Tiger maybe?" He started laughing hysterically at his own joke, doubled over hugging his sides and likely causing quite the scene.

"I'm not. If I haven't started one yet i'm not going to start now." she smiled at him as he led her out to the dance floor. if it could be called that swaying and twirling crowded onto the floor . she had to bend her wings awkwardly in a more horizontal position so she didn't smack anyone with them. She never under stood why beings that could levitate and fly bound them selves to the ground. But she was happy enough just to be in Seth's arms. As usual the looks from those miffed about a mortal not only being here but married to one of their princes didn't phase her. she wasn't here to make an impression on them. She was here for Seth, and she had t admit he did look good in his formal uniform. She pauses for an instant when she feels a change in the crowd floating just a little higher during a twirl to see what had changed the crowd her eyebrows raise when she sees what it is and she has a half smile when she evens back out with Seth Well that's something new. You father looks very happy right now



Furyae puts her arm though her husbands and leads him to start making the rounds subtly steering them towards the doors leading out of the ball room She freezes when she sees Isaan stopping to kiss woman right on the dance floor.Well Look at that " she mutters under her breath to Daz.

Liandri's heart stop beating momentarily, purely from the shock of the whole situation, she returned the kiss as her heart started pounding in her chest again. She knew this wasn't right, Isaan would be falling in love with her, but not her. Over a matter of seconds her brain seemed to loom around all the possible outcomes of the situation. She pondered whether he would be mad at her for doing this, but from the moment they had first met, she knew that they could spend an eternity together and her feelings wouldn't change, through everything she would still be in love with the unobtainable Prince of the Underworld, and her, remain his serving girl.

"I...uh...there's something I-"

She blushed as she pulled away from the kiss and looked up towards him, her eyes flickered back to their heterochromic state as the music stopped around them. It was at this time that Miso came bounding in, straight towards Liandri herself, climbing up her body and curling around her neck, purring loudly.

"Uh...who let animals in here?"

Her awkward laugh was blatantly obvious over the sudden pause in music, as the song changed and a more upbeat song was played. Her eyes returned to an emerald green suddenly as she remained a peachy pink, Miso, purring rather loudly around her neck.

It was impossible not to be aware now that this was the girl who had been at his side all these millions of years, the arrival of Miso had been the nail in the coffin for that revelation, though of course he had an inkling when he had seen one of her eyes return to its natural green. There was hesitation from him and the slow beat of his heart permeated every inch of his body, trying to make him succumb to its whim, but it needn’t have bothered because the prince had already fallen for the serving girl.

“Liandri,” he said gently, using her real name and leaning closer so that only she could hear him after the sound of the new music. “I’ll be waiting, when you’re ready to be yourself, come to me.”

With that he leaned away and turned, walking away, not back to the table he had been at but to leave the ball itself. Once he slipped out of the hall, he felt his heart become still once more and he sighed, feeling very alone without it. As much as he might have tried to leave love behind, he couldn’t help but be overcome with the sensation of it, a sensation that only devils were able to feel. He made his way down the palace corridor, aiming to reach his chambers before he was interrupted by anyone.

Both Seth and Daziriel stood in silence after Isaan had walked away, clearly unable to quite find the words to way in the moment. Seeing their father and younger brother respectively leave like that had caught them off-guard, they hadn’t heard what he had whispered to Liandri but they both could see on his face that he had realized who she was and really, anyone who knew Liandri at all would know now that Miso has climbed up and wrapped himself around her shoulders. The ball continued, but it did so without Isaan, not that anybody really missed him. Save maybe the young woman he had left on the dancefloor.

Some ways along the corridors outside the ball room, Jowan wandered slowly back to his room doing a waltz alone to the music drifting through his head, poorly imitated by the discordant humming of his voice. He was in a rather good mood, that little show at the end had amused him far more then these balls usually did. Perhaps he would come more often. In fact, he had teleported out of the ball early in the hopes of catching Isaan and commending him.

He grinned broadly as he spotted the Prince coming, rushing over with his usual absence of tact. "Tigger! Salutations and congratulations!" He clapped eagerly, falling into step with the man wether he wanted it or not.
"Ahh, to love! To have one's blood-pump beat with the exuberance of a gorilla playing a drum! We remember it's feeling Tiggy, the rush of lifejuices!" He developed a wistful look, his head tilted as though staring at some distant image of beauty for a moment before twisting in irritation as he gave a sigh of exasperation. "No, Dearest! You will never replace her! You can't...you are dearest yes but not..." He stopped walking, clutching at his head and muttering to himself with a wince, giving Isaan the chance to escape the well meaning devil if he so chose.