The night had grown cold, the ball would be taking place in half in hours time. It was a lovely fall night, the breeze was quiet and gentle, the colors adding to the natural beauty of Venice, something Ryuu was still not use to. This town was more water and architecture then he could stomach. Which being his mother was from here he had to endure it quite abit on the clan reunions. He sighed softly and looked to the giant castle-structure of the palazzo. Ryuu flipped up the hood of his costume sliding the mask into place that covered most of his face except for the area around his mouth and nose. This was suppose to be the biggest of the masquerade balls yet. Ryuu wasn't so thrilled, except for the thought of seeing him there. It had been several years since the ending of the war, and the last time he had saw the pup.

His mind whirling with memories but he stopped them completely once he reached the gates of the structure. "salutare, salutare Please as the one of the first guests tonight make yourself at home.." The vampire said and Ryuu only smirked, "Oh i will thank you.." He said as he moved inside the vambraces on his costume hiding something, and the glove over his left hand hid even more, His costume was simple, a robe from his mother's side of the family, something she said that her grandfather wore during missions, which intrigued him it looked like something an assassin or someone with fine tastes would wear as well as noble being the cape over his left shoulder. He entered with plenty of stares from a few undead, which made him smirk.

Here he was one of their greatest enemies, now attending their little ball, how the irony was not lost on many of the men and women here, as he bowed and smiled. "So glad i'm here please don't stop your amusements on my account." His words came out nice and simple, but had a cold feeling to it if one was aware. Once the eyes were off him he retreated to a small corner to relax and watch the prey--, people dance and have a wonderful time.

Karr had to be honest, he was not looking forward to the evening. A ball for peace, from vampires? It did not sound right at all, even if the war was over. The leader of the vamps might've changed with more honourable intentions, but there were probably still others with the same views as their old leader, who would love to ruin the peace and continue on with the war. And just incase this was going to be the case, Karr had come prepared.

"Karr, you're tense." The soft voice of his companion ringing his in his ears for a moment, snapping him back to reality. The pair of werewolves stood by one of the many fountains in Venice, not too far from the location of the ball. He looked at the girl beside him, who's arms were wrapped around one of his, pressed up close as she looked up at him with big golden eyes.
"I'm sorry, Iliana." He sighed, putting a small smile on his face for the sake of the girl. Iliana had been his closest friend over many years, one of the few he'd trusted with his deepest darkest secrets. He slid his arm out of the girl's grip, slipping a plain silver mask out of the pocket of his midnight black blazer. The mask was molded to his features and needed no strings to hold it on, it sat gently on his nose, covering only his eyes and cheekbones.

"You shouldn't worry," Iliana said, gently placing a scarlet mask on her own face before looking up to Karr again, reaching up to the taller boy to re-arrange his hair around his face. "He won't be a problem. You've grown since then, gotten over the worst of it?" She added, giving Karr a reassuring smile, only getting a weak smile in return. "Who knows, he might not even be there."

"If I'm lucky." Karr sighed, taking hold of Iliana's hand before leading the way to the gates. He didn't say much as the vampires ushered them inside, leading the pair into the hall. He didn't dress up too much for the ball, just sticking to a midnight black suit with his white shirt with an open collar. Iliana was much bolder than himself, in her long scarlet dress adorned with many ruffles around the skirt.
Karr gazed upon the scene before him, not surprised to see that vampires stuck with vampires, and the same with the other races. So it wasn't just him that felt rather awkward in this place.
There was a scent in the air that he could never mistake, a slight frown settling on his face.

"I'm not lucky this evening," He told Iliana, who's pleasant smile didn't last too long after those words. This evening was going to be even worse than Karr had originally thought.

~~~

Selphie was already settled inside the ballroom, one of the few Fey that was attending this evening's events. The Fey were still recovering their own lands, even years after the war. Only a few had the time to attend fancy balls like this. She however, had plenty of time for socialising. She stood amongst a group of werewolves, exchanging pleasentaries with them, complimenting outfits and thanking them for their kind remarks.
She gently ran her fingers through her misty blue hair, a gentle smile lingering on her face as she nodded along with conversation. She adjusted the bronze mask on the left side of her face, leaving the right side uncovered.

It was then she felt a gentle tap on her bare shoulder, misty blue gaze looking behind her to find a tall vampire towering over her with one of those flawless expressions that the vampire's could always get away with.
"Would you care to dance, Miss?" The vampire's silky voice brushed against her, and after he asked so nicely, she could not refuse. She took the outstretched hand of the vampire, lifting the front of her silky blue dress from the ground so that she could follow him to the dancefloor.

In the grand hall the twins danced together, rotating slowly, their eyes for each other alone. Dante, his hair falling in neat layers to his shoulders, led naturally. The tails of his black dress suit fluttering a little. A top hat perched on his head. A lace veil covered his eyes and nose. His brother was not dressed as smartly, wearing loose black trousers and a white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbow. A black waist coat over it. As always his white hair was a shaggy mess not that he minded, although he knew that Dante did. They commanded the floor beautifully, taking little time to look around them and notice that more and more people were arriving. Dante felt it when he passed close to a were, a demon or a fey but took little notice until the song finished. He pulled back from Jesse and the boys clapped with everyone else and bowed their heads. They fell back into the crowd and moved through the room together, around the dance floor.

There were certainly a few eccentrics in the room, Dante found many untasteful and only a few interesting. There was a girl with a brilliant red dress that first caught his eye but he soon found himself drawn to the boy beside her. Now he looked nice, not too fancy, just smart enough to be attractive to Dante. "Very nice brother." Jesse commented quietly, knowing instinctively who his brother would be looking at. "As is she."

Jesse knew his brother wouldn't be interested in the girl, if anything was going to happen it was always with the boy. The room was really filling up, as the representatives of the English vampires they had been promptly on time. Dante was always polite, no matter what. He smiled at the right times and seemed to breeze through life. Jesse sighed his tongue flashing over his lips to wet them. His skin was porcelain, marked out like marble. It was something that made him similar to all of the other vampires. The Fey and the vampires were always the easiest to spot. Jesse found that he had to get close to weres or demons before being able to single them out.

Ryuu's ears twitched and his nose did as well as a scent hit him like a sledgehammer of memories; Karr was here, and it made him think of the male as he blushed behind his mask and just lowered his head. He was surrounded by his own race, them laughing taking about the battles before the peace, he wasn't much into caring about the past as he stood up and smiled down at his friends and bowed. He had to talk to Karr at least once, even if the male didn't want to hear him, he missed the male as much as it could be seen, but he didn't know how to show it after so long.

He doubted a hug would be appreciated after such heated words were given so calmly. He sighed alittle as he walked towards the male rubbing the back of his neck calmly and biting his lip until it bled. He was nervous and expected to be scorn and ignored but it would seem worth it to him at least to talk to him again. If things didn't go well he could always try a different approach. This made him smile as he stopped in front of Karr. "Hey pup, long time no see..how have you been..?" he asked with a monotone voice and a cheerful smile as he looked to the male from behind the mask and hood. "It seems the years have treated you well Karr." He stated with another larger smile as another dance seemed to resume and he just shuffled alittle closer being he didn't want to get swept up into it.

"So, are we going to dance, Karr?" Iliana asked, trying her absolute best to try and distract him from the thoughts of Ryuu. Looks like her attempts were not working very well as he still held a troubled look on his face. She had began to lead the way towards the dancefloor anyway, thinking the movement might have snapped him out of it; but Karr's path was soon blocked by a hooded figure.

Karr couldn't bring himself to look at Ryuu at first, the mere scent of the demon overpowering him. He felt like he was the small pup from all those years ago. Why would he come over here, knowing full well he would make things even more awkward than it already was between them. After what Ryuu said last time, he was reminded how much he'd been hurt by this man. He wasn't sure he wanted to go through with that again, even standing infront of the man was bringing it back.
"You're bleeding," Karr pointed out instead, able to taste his blood in the air.

He felt Iliana press herself close to his side again, her hand intertwined with his and giving it a squeeze of reassurance. She wouldn't let him do this alone.
"Not the best idea in a room with vampires in." He added, bringing his emerald gaze up to look Ryuu in the eye for a moment, peering at the male through his silver mask for a moment before edging past the male, leading Iliana along with him. "I promised Iliana a dance," He murmered as he moved past.

Iliana didn't go quietly though, the dark haired girl glaring up at the demon with her big golden eyes. She scowled at the man, letting him know she wasn't happy with him being here either.
"How do you think he's been?!" She hissed, almost snarling at the man though she held it back. They had to be decent in this place, it was supposed to be a peaceful time - despite tension already being in the air. "Stay away from him," She warned before Karr managed to drag her away to the dancefloor.

~~~

Selphie glided around the dancefloor as gracefully as her vampire partner. This was supposed to be what the ball was about, mingling with the other races in a night of fine dancing. It looked like most were lingering with their own race though, which was not the best sign. At least she was making the effort, as were a few of the vampires. If they made the first step, it was more likely that the others would respond in the same way. Hopefully, the first step would be on the right foot. The wrong one would bring too much trouble. At the end of the song, Selphie and her partner politely clapped along with the other dancers, the vampire bowing his head to her and the fey giving a little curtsey in return. The fey then made her way to the refreshments, being careful not to pick up one of the glasses of blood that had been left out.

She looked around the room as she gently sipped her wine, holding the glass delicately within one hand. She spotted an interesting situation with a demon approaching what appeared to be a werewolf couple. Her brow rose slightly as she watched them, able to feel the tension from over here. She glanced to the side of her, finding two silver haired vampires beside her, the corner of her mouth curling into a smile.
"Looks like they'll be worth keeping an eye on tonight," She commented, wondering if they shared her opinion.

Dante and Jesse decided as one to move towards the refreshments, although Dante's eyes were still on the boy with his brilliantly dressed female. "It seems that your boy is spoken for." Jesse smiled, nudging his brother and looking to them. Dante seemed unphased by this of course, despite his polite attitude he was terribly arrogant. Jesse knew that his brother would think that he could still get to that guy. He watched as Dante shot the boy a look across the room before turning to the drinks and taking a wine glass full of blood, laced with vodka. He handed one to Jesse.

Jesse accepted the glass as he saw a young fey girl looking to the blood with a look of distaste. He smiled a little, "What a wonder it would be if that wine could keep you alive." He sipped the blood. Knowing that Dante was moving off to scope the room a little more and exchange pleasantries with various species. Jesse shook his hair from his eyes, that were covered by a silver mask, and allowed himself to appreciate the girl. She was slender with a wonderful hair colour. "Would you like to dance with me?" He thought that he had seen her dancing with a vampire earlier so knew that she didn't mind it.

-

Dante was leaning against the door frame, the door leading out to the gardens. He was chatting to a young fey boy, he was rather pretty. Light pink hair curled to his collar. His grey eyes were rimmed with glitter, each long lash coated with shimmering dust. He was pretty as all fey were and chatted with elegance and refinement. He had been in the wars, and told Dante of how glad he was that they had ended. Dante could not comment on the horror of the wars, he and Jesse had not been interested in such things. He avoided the other species if he could as they all did. He and Jesse had spent much of their lives travelling and discovering the world. They had always been too busy with that. His eyes occasionally flickered to the boy dancing with that lady in red.

Ryuu stood there his head slumped slightly as did his shoulder. He didn't really know how to think, he knew he was wrong in acting as if nothing happened. He really shouldn't have just talked to the male. he rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand, and tightened his right hand into a fist. He looked towards Karr and then sighed a bit. Tonight was going to be a bad night, he figured he might as well try and spend it without showing sorrow. He took a deep breath and pulled down the hood, his black hair fell down to his shoulders. his teal mask resting on his face without the need for strings. He figured he might as well let others know exactly who he was, instead of hiding behind a hood and a mask.

He then looked around calmly, for something to keep his interest, and hopefully see how much he still effected Karr. He tried to distant that part of his mind from the here and now as he began to associate with the other races finding himself in a small circle of Demon's as well as were's that he had seemingly been around during the war. He just laughed along with a few jokes, but unconsciously he kept looking over to Karr dancing with that girl who told him to stay away. He sighed softly, he still couldn't get over Karr, but how to explain that to anyone, it wasn't like anyone would understand it. He groaned and rubbed at his forehead and smiled at the people he was talking to, excusing himself and walking towards the garden's, that a vampire seemed to be leaning against the door frame out of there as he excused himself outside finding a bench in the garden near a fountain.

He pulled off the mask for a bit rubbing at his face. He looked towards the water as he reached in pulling out a lire and stared at it, before throwing it in without any real mind, he didn't exactly know why he did it, he just felt like it was a good idea, he closed his eyes and bowed his head resting it in his hands, he needed to hide his turmoil or it'd be a hard night for his race seeing one of their heroes so helplessly lost currently. He rubbed on his forehead as he stared up at the night sky enjoying the peace of the garden and the noises in the background.

"You didn't have to be so harsh to him," Karr said quietly to his dance partner as he guided Iliana around the dancefloor, a slight frown on his face as he looked down at the girl. Still the pair danced with the utmost grace, even through their talking. Iliana didn't look amused by the worry in her friend's voice. So he still wasn't over the demon, which annoyed the slightly younger wolf. After all these years, Ryuu still had a big effect on Karr, and she hated to see her oldest friend hurting.

"He didn't have to come over acting here like you were old friends from the war. He needed to be told that it wasn't okay to be like that. Hopefully he sticks to my advice and steers clear." Iliana replied, smiling for a moment as Karr twirled her round, not wanting everyone to see that the werewolves were having a deep discussion. They might have been in company, but not everyone needed to know their business.

Karr held a sigh within, not wanting to make Iliana any more angry than she already seemed to be.
"Even if he does come back, it's not like you can threaten him into going away. You cannot challenge him."

With that, their dance ended. The pair bowed politely to eachother, clapping along with other dancers before slowly edging off of the floor. As they moved, Karr couldn't help but notice Ryuu disappear out into the gardens. He was half tempted to follow after him, to apologise for Iliana's comments and actually make an effort to be civil. He wasn't sure if he owed it to the male though, even if he had been a little rude in not replying to Ryuu before.
"Don't go after him, Karr." He heard Iliana warn him, looking back to her with a slightly confused face. He wasn't all too sure what to do, and that was obvious with his expression. "You'll get let down again..."

~~~

Selphie glanced at the vampire that spoke about what might happen if wine was what kept her alive. She smiled a little, taking a small swig from the rounded glass, savouring the fresh taste in her mouth.
"I think the war would've been much more disasterous for us Fey if we lived from wine. Luckily, we shouldn't have to worry anymore." She replied, her smile widening a little as the vampire asked if she would've liked to dance. She raised the glass to her pale lips again, finishing off the small amount of wine left in the glass before laying it on the table. She hitched up the front of he long silky dress, just enough to not trip up on it, before offering her free hand to the male.
"I will not deny one as handsome as you a dance," She said, waiting for him to lead the way to the dancefloor.

Jesse finished his glass and set it down, feeling the warmth of the blood flush through his body. His eyes sparkled as he looked to the girl. He took her hand and began leading her to the dance floor. He twirled her as he backed onto the floor. Flashing his white teeth. He pulled her close, holding one hand and holding her waist with the other his fingers trailing her hip. So she thought he was handsome, there was a good sign. "I was never one for the war." he admitted to her, he wondered if that made him less of a man in her eyes. "My brother and I prefer the art of the world to blood shed."

He lead, twirling her again and pulling her close again. Despite the fact that Dante often lead when they danced Jesse was equally good at leading. His brother liked to be flamboyant, often trying hard to show off, Jesse did what he pleased. It wasn't his fault that he got noticed for it. He pulled her around, holding her close again before relaxing and spinning again. He kept his eyes on hers, not wanting to be rude and look away.

---

Many people were interested in staying inside so when the demon, who had been vying for the boys attention earlier, passed by Dante his interest spiked. He allowed the demon to move off some way before following after him. Moving silently, although he knew he'd be sensed. He watched from the shadows as the demon sat by the fountain, looking troubled. Perhaps the boy had brushed him off? It certainly seemed like it although Dante could not help but see something more there. The demon was certainly upset about it all.

Dante moved out of the darkness and towards the demon. Moving swiftly, his head held high. "Having a hard night?" He asked as he stood by the man, straightened his jacket.

Ryuu looked at another Lire, (the currency if anyone else was wondering for Current Venice) but before he could throw it he could sense another presence, and with a sight he shook his head, it was only a vampire not the male he was hoping to hear from. Once words were spoken Ryuu slipped the coin back in his coin purse and looked to the male. "I guess you could say that, old wounds acting up and all.." He stated nonchalantly. He then tilted his head and smiled. "What brings you out here, shouldn't you be enjoying your pallone?" he asked as he cleared the smile from his face unconsciously, he didn't really know how to react to a Vampire to him it was strange to have enemies now allies so quickly. He then tilted his head once more. "Weren't you dancing with another Vampire your twin it seemed earlier..?" he asked and without waiting for a reply.

"You both are very graceful, though I guess it should be quite obvious most of your kind are.." He stated calmly, not meaning to be offensive in anyway, as he slipped his mask back on his face once again hiding the skin behind the teal coloring, with an idea in his own head, as he figured why not try and enjoy the party and take the chance of making Karr jealous if he could. "Would you like to join me for a sparkling conversation in the moonlight?" he asked and laughed at the corniness of the question, but waited patiently for words to be spoken from the vampire. "Oh and if I may i never caught your name I'm Ryuu.." He stated smiling the usual charming smile.

Karr and Iliana ended up wandering into a crowd of mixed races, mainly werewolves and demons though there was one or two vampires and a fey. Here they joined in on conversation, which was quite light considering the general mood of the place. During the talks, some of the werewolves that knew of Karr commented on how he seemed to be rather distant this evening.
"Hm," He would reply, "I just have alot on my mind." They didn't have to know the story. Thankfully, Iliana took over from that point, distracting the others from him. Karr wasn't sure what he was going to do without his best friend.

His emerald eyes would somehow always wander towards the door that Ryuu had disappeared through, even if he didn't try to look that way. It was as if he was waiting for the demon to return, somewhat becoming impatient as he found his gaze at the door more often. He might as well have been staring. He cursed himself for being so needy, forcing himself to return to the point of conversation so that his mind would be preoccupied. Perhaps another dance would stop him from looking that way.

~~~

Selphie was glad that this vampire knew how to lead in a dance properly, it was nice not to have to give hints of what to do. From her upbringing, it was supposed to be natural for a man to be able to lead his partner around the floor. Some of these people didn't have that kind of teaching, though the smart ones usually kept off the floor in that case. It was strange, to hear that this vampire had no interest in the war. Most at least had an opinion on it, especially vampires. She couldn't help but smile as he continued to talk of his brother and art.
"Ah, so you are brothers. Seeing you earlier, I knew you two looked too alike to be mere friends." She said, pausing for a moment as she was spun around by the male.

"I can't help but be jealous of your life of luxury, as would most warriors of the war. Only in these last few years have we been able to enjoy the simpler things in life. What happened if you and your brother ever ran into those of the other races, if you were not involved?"

Jesse smiled, holding her gently as she spoke to him, she'd noticed him and his brother earlier? That was sweet of her, but not surprising. He listened as she carried on, talking of the war as so many often did. It was a dry subject, the apparent reason for this gathering. He spun her out again and pulled her in as he contemplated her question, stretching his mind back to when they had met with others. He held her hip how, feeling her breath on his neck, warm against the cold of his skin.

"It depended." He said truthfully. "Once we met some of your people," He smiled, remembering. "My brother took a fancy to one of the young men, and we had a good night." There was no sign of embarrassment in his expression. "We helped them on their journey, having passed the demon troops just days before. We moved on before the fighting began."

He turned them again, leading her around in a tight circle. "On another occasion we met a group of rowdy wolves and barely escaped with our lives." his eyes darkened. "You are a beautiful dancer." he complimented her as the music slowed and eventually stopped. He would be sorry to see her go. He held onto her hand. "Perhaps we could find somewhere to talk of things more pleasant than wars."

---

"I should." Dante smiled, "But I'm not. I find the whole thing dull, it has been organized for a reason that does not interest me." He moved to sit beside the young looking demon. He looked fine, handsome, tough. Not sweet and gentle as the were boy had seemed. He wondered what connected the two. Chivalry prevented him from asking. "Sparkling conversation." He found the term delightful. "I'm sure a character like you has a lot to talk about. You were in the wars of course." most were. Although some weren't it was a guess on Dante's part.

He tried to place the name when he heard it, but came up blank. Tilting his head back he looked tot he sky, white hair falling back from his shoulders. The stars looked so different when you were a vampire, he remembered how the sky had been when he had human eyes. Barely. He lowered his gaze to Ryuu. "It is a pleasure, I am Dante." he bowed his head a little. His eyes lit with interest as he focused on Ryuu, "Are you one to talk of the wars?" he was highly interested in them, having not been a part of them. He had heard the stories from vampires but never from those opposing them, the demons and the werewolves in particular.

Ryuu listened to the male and followed his eyes, but as the subject came to the wars he closed his eyes in thought. "Yeah I do have alot to talk about unfortunately the wars were quite bloody for my unit." When Dante asked if he would talk about them he laughed softly. "Well yes and know I mean i slaughtered countless vampires, more so then i can keep count.." He said calmly and rubbed at his chin. "Don't get me wrong your kind was strong and able, they put my unit through hell and killed several of us, but I slaughtered as many of them as they could us.." He looked towards the sky admiring the stars as well. "To be frank and I do hope no offense is taken, when the vampires came to my unit it usually took three or four Vampires to take down one of us.." He said with closed eyes, and then thought about explaining why. "I come from an ancient demon race, one thats been around for quite sometime, so we've had chances to master tactics and abilities in our blood line, and the ones that fought in my unit were the best of our clan.." He said and then blushed realizing he had rambled off.

"Excuse me i'm sorry I do ramble alot about that type of stuff, it's hard not to..you never really can forget it once you've been apart of something that gory." he said and then looked to Dante, the male was small, well by his standards being he was much bigger then most and quite cute, though his eyes several times looked back towards the ball, his mind thinking about Karr. "Things did become different when our clan formed an alliance with the werewolves. I got partnered with that pup that you no doubt saw me talking too.." He said calmly taking a breath. "Yes things have been hard to say the least.." was the last comment he made and then turned to look at the male once more, "So why so much interest in the wars..?" he questioned the male, hoping to find someone alittle bit more interesting then most the people in the party so far.

Karr continued to be quiet as conversation blossomed all round. All these years he'd been working so hard to push the demon out of his head, thinking he'd never see him again. Being here tonight put all that to waste, everything rushing back - including the pain in being told that he was still too much of a child for someone like him. He was not that much younger, but he guessed that the difference would always be too much for the demon to deal with.
"Karr," Iliana's voice snapped him out of his daze, blinking a few times as he looked to her. A fey was standing behind her, a hopeful look in her eyes as he returned to reality. "This lady did ask if you wanted to dance, but you seemed like you were daydreaming again..."

Iliana then edged out the way, allowing Karr to step towards the fey with an apologetic smile on his face.
"I'm sorry," He said as he offered his hand to the girl, glad that the girl was still willing to dance after his original ignorance. "I tend to lose myself in thoughts lately." He explained, putting the smile back onto his face. "My attention is all yours now."

And with that, Karr took the young girl to the dancefloor. Perhaps someone else could keep his mind from Ryuu.

~~~

Selphie couldn't help but smile as he spoke of how sometimes things were easy, and sometimes things were hard.
"Sounds like a much better way of life than risking your life everday for the sake of the future that looked so unclear a century ago. Even if you did risk your lives sometimes." She said, able to sigh through a gentle smile as she allowed herself to relax around the male. Surprisingly, she was having a rather good time this evening. Much better than she'd thought about. She then laughed as he commented on her dancing,

"It has been many years since I've been able to put my dancing lessons to good use," She said, "I'm surprised I haven't fallen onto my face yet."

Selphie was actually quite disappointed as the dance came to an end, having rather enjoyed the last one. She was happy that he suggested they continue talking, though it had to be something more pleasant the wars.
"I'm sure we could find something else to talk about, though I will miss your fine dancing." She replied, gazing round the place trying to look for a quiet spot.

"I wouldn't let you fall." Jesse commented as he lead her through the crowd, remembered what she had said about falling on her face. He too was searching for a quiet place to go. She definitely interested him a lot more than others had. Of course with Dante around he usually left the talking to him so it wasn't surprising that he hadn't found someone to talk to until Dante had left. Looking around now Jesse wondered where Dante had gotten to. He smiled as she mentioned his dancing.

"Yes well perhaps we should dance again later, this beat is a little too fast for my liking though." Dancing was supposed to be a graceful act, one taken slowly. "Shall we get drinks?" He asked, offering her his arm, "I didn't catch a name, by the way." he flashed a smile as he moved towards the drinks table for the second time that evening.

---

Dante listened as Ryuu talked, genuinely hanging on every word that the demon had to say. He smiled softly when he talked of killing vampires, obviously they had been the main prey of demons. Dante knew that much. A part of him wished he could have experienced the war, then perhaps he would feel as if he had earned a place amongst the elite of his kind. His eyes brightened when the were was mentioned, "A pretty little thing like him is bound to cause trouble." He commented, liking that very much. Although it seemed that the were was spoken for, this did disappoint Dante a little.

"My interest stems from not having experienced the wars." he said bluntly. "My brother and I were not built to fight. We travelled instead, appreciating the wonders of this world." he sighed. "We are not without pains, but none could possible be as horrid as your own." he thought of all of the people Ryuu must have lost. For Dante life's pains had been few. Sure he liked to play about with the men from various races but it was Jesse who was a lover. He had suffered the most during their long lives. When Jesse suffered, Dante suffered. "With my brother by my side I can wish for nothing more and hate no one, so you see the wars held little point for me to be involved in." he leant back, setting his hands slightly behind him so that he could tip his head back. He smiled softly.

Ryuu listened to the male and laughed at the mention of Karr being trouble, that he was Ryuu had earned most of the scars that were oddly placed on his body trying to keep the were from danger when they first joined forces, but then again Karr learned quickly, and was able to hold his own soon enough. Ryuu then looked to the male and smiled. "I see, well to be honest you didn't miss much, the wars were gory and just down right a waste of time nothing was accomplished except this, and several of your kind don't seem pleased with it. He stated with a sigh. "The battlefield was where i was born, i was raised in war, and so far. Peace has been my greatest enemy no vampire has ever plagued me as long as this has.." He stated with a sigh and leaned back as well letting his eyes stare at the moon, and once again Karr filled his head and he sighed.

This male was to much for him, Karr was to much for him. What was he suppose to do how was he suppose to act what would be the best course of action, he truly was lost in this as he looked to Dante. "You know you seem to have eyes for all the races have you ever thought more about your own then others..?" he asked curiously, noticing sometimes the glances Dante had given while they were still in the ballroom. It was interesting to say the least to watch a vampire chase after the many different races instead of being stuck up and sticking with his own.

Karr exchanged conversation with the fey girl he lead around the floor, nothing more than pleasantries and views of the wars. She seemed to have little experience in them, only here at the ball as a representitive of some family well looked upon in the fey community. It meant nothing to him, he had been a soldier in that bloodshed, though he refused to tell her any of the tales. He told her that the stories of the war were not for those with clean minds, not wanting to taint hers with such gruesome tales. It seemed to be enough to stop her from asking questions, which meant he would not even have to mention Ryuu.

~~~

Selphie was somewhat glad that he said that he wouldn't let her fall. It made her feel like she could somewhat depend on the male to save her from a rather embarressing moment. Something she would much rather avoid. The smile still lingered on her face as he said that they could return to their dancing later, agreeing that this pace was a little too fast. There would be a higher chance of falling if they danced to this beat.
Her arm snaked round his as he lead the way to the drinks table, looking up to the taller vampire with a coy smile,
"I didn't give a name." She replied, "It's Selphie, for future reference."

Her gaze then wandered to the drinks table,
"Are you trying to get me drunk, Mr..." It was then she realised that he hadn't given his name either, "twin?" She laughed a little at her own silly cover up, looking up to him, expecting him to tell her his name in return.

Jesse picked up a glass of wine and offered it to Selphie, then took up a glass of the blood. He laughed when she called him Mr Twin, his laughter sounding faintly like music. "Darque. Jesse Darque." he told her as he turned from the drinks. Guiding her away as he tried to find somewhere for them. The garden seemed the best option as everyone was still packed into the main her. He lead her out there, instantly sensing his brother, Jesse looked around, catching sight of his white hair. He decided to leave him alone seeing as he seemed to be involved in a pleasant conversation with a fine young man.

He took her to a low stone bench amongst the trees, draped in fairy lights. He held her hand as she sat then took a seat beside her. Looking to her with gentle eyes as he reached to pull his mask off. The blasted thing was a little uncomfortable. He held it in both hands, turning it over. He looked to her, his long lashes casting shadows over his high cheek bones. "That's a pretty name you have." He complimented as he sipped his glass of blood. The tang of the vodka dancing on his tongue. "So what do you do with yourself now that the war is over?"

---

Dante listened intently to Ryuu once again, he was an interesting speaker. Dante liked to listen to him. He smiled indulgently. Yes, he had laid with many other races before. "I have eyes for what is beautiful." he looked around the gardens. "Beauty captures me, and I see beauty in every race." he turned his eyes to the demon. Showing that this included him. He sighed. "I do not always see it in my own race." his eyes darkened. It was then that he sensed Jesse, looking to the door he watched as his brother led a girl out into the night. Narrowing his eyes he was that the girl was a pretty fey. Trust Jesse to find the prettiest girl in the room. As Jesse looked to him then lead the girl into a small cluster of trees Dante willed him to be careful. Do not loose your head brother.

He turned his attention back to Ryuu. "What is wrong with peace?"

He looked to Dante, but his eyes shifted to the door and the party as he sensed two other people moving away into the gardens but dismissed it, though as their conversation resumed and he made a comment about the beauty of races and then looked to him, Ryuu did blush but he laughed more. "Well I do not know if i'm beautiful but thank you for including such a barbaric race as mine.." he said with a smile, though it disappeared as he was asked about what was wrong with peace. "Peace...i'm useless in peace much like a music box without a gear.." He said calmly and looked down. "To be honest things have been hard on me i'm to take over my clan, and yet I've to be in an arranged marriage as well.." He laughed alittle. "To a woman no less, and to be honest i'm not fond of women to a degree..to many problems i've had in past relationships.." he said calmly and looked back to the dance floor. "Father said he'd abide by a decision of who i want to be with but only if i can prove them worthy..alas things have been difficult there in..."

He said this with a deep sorrow and let his body fall from the bench landing on the stones beneath and staring at the sky. "Such things are trivial to most races, and they'd gladly take the con's to look at the pros of being a leader of an entire clan much less a nation.." he said with a shaky voice. "I on the other hand see the cons more at risk, and would rather be a warrior or anything else other then a leader.." He stated and looked to the sky laughing and he smirked. "Maybe a male prostitute would suit me eh?" he joked.

Karr was growing sick of dancing and prancing about with all the girls. It was growing tiresome, he just wanted to stand around the edges of all the action and wait for something to slip up that would eventually ruin the peace. No doubt there were some vengeful vamps in the room ready to pounce and end the fun. Karr could just see it now in the news, we're at war again, after a mesely few years of peace. The thought kind of amused him, more the irony of it, as the actual action of it wasn't exactly pleasing. When his dancing with the fey was done, Karr made quick pace to the doors to the gardens. He thought that some fresh air would probably clear his thoughts.

Instantly the punch of Ryuu's scent hit him again, so the demon was still out here. Great, that was all he needed. He caught a flash of the demon, who was sitting with what looked like a vampire. Good for him, perhaps it would stop him from coming to bother him. Karr was looking to be alone for a while, enjoying the cool night air by himself. He moved away, trying to make it look like he hadn't even noticed the demon as he looked for a good spot. He wandered past another vampire with a fey that looked all too like the one that was hanging around with Ryuu. Both working their magic outside? Not surprising. Never the less, he continued on till he found a cherry blossom tree, pink petals scattered on the ground around it.

He had to admit, it was a beautiful sight. This looked like the perfect spot for some alone time. Karr was soon making himself comfortable under it's branches, his suit jacket laid on the floor as a blanket. He leant back, propped up by his arms, emerald eyes watching as a gust of wind took some of the blossom petals into the air with it and made them dance before letting them fall back to the grass.

He sighed as he heard a rustling behind him,
"I knew I wouldn't be left alone..." Karr mumbled, looking up as Iliana came infront of him, kneeling down beside where he was sitting so that she was facing him, the ruffles of her skirt spreading around her as she sat.

"I was worried..." She murmered in reply, her golden eyes sharp in the moonlight as she looked at Karr, concern obvious in her features.

~~~

Selphie gratefully took the wine, cradling the glass delicately between her spindly fingers as she was lead outside. She couldn't help but smile weakly as she noticed how his brother was also out here, seemingly charming a young man. Her gazed wandered along the fairy lighted trees, her bronze eyes twinkling along with them admiring how soft the place looked. Inviting. They had really thought of alot, hadn't they?
She took a seat beside the vampire, now able to unhitch her dress, allowing it's silky folds to fall over her heeled feet.
"Your name is fitting for you," She replied as he complimented her name, "A handsome name for a handsome man."

She took a sip from her wine glass, taking the moment to decide how much to tell.
"I have become a teacher for the young fey," She said, looking to Jesse with a hint of a smile, "Many of the female fey did not fight in the wars, most had the children to care for. I was not one of those, and so when I returned, the only place that seemed to make sense to me was teaching. They could almost be considered my apprentices," She continued, "Of course, I did not allow them to accompany me to an event so grand as this."

"Tell me of you travels then, you must've had many adventures over your years,"

Again there was attentiveness in Dante's gaze as he listened to Ryuu. Smiling slightly when he mentioned where he stood with women. "I agree." he murmured as he spoke of relationship problems. He too had had such difficulties when it came to women. He had decided long ago not to bother with them. He preferred men anyway, sweet boys and independent men. Like this demon, although he was obviously hung up on the were. How cute. It made him terribly attractive. A shame really. He had to agree with the demon when he talked of being a prostitute. "You would make a lot of money," he agreed. I'd pay

He sighed "You must meet my brother, he'd set you straight on the idea of peace. He really is quite set on it, loves it all." thinking of Jesse made him wonder what he was up to. He'd seen him with a girl earlier, and knew what the boy was like. It was then that someone else came outside. Dante only sensed him there because he recognised the scent. A werewolf. The werewolf? Dante glanced to the doors. Of course it was. His friend followed closely after him. "Very pretty, that young were." Dante commented.

---

Jesse smiled, it was a nice compliment. He listened to her, smiling gently, not taking his eyes from her. He was a little entranced by her, she had a beauty that was rarely seen. Something regal about her, yet soft. She was a teacher? Yes he could see her doing that. How perfect. He wasn't surprised that she asked about his travels, many had. "My dear lady." he sounded a little shocked, "You can not expect to hear all of it in just one sitting.I have travelled for many years, I've been to every city you can imagine. Rome is probably my favourite." his eyes went dreamy for a moment. "I fell in love with it all." he looked starry eyed. "Paris is beautiful, I'll take you one day." he promised. "Now that the wars are over." he could take her everywhere of course.

Although he thought that Dante would probably mind. He hated to travel in threes. Even when Jesse's son had travelled with them Dante hadn't liked it all that much. Jesse sighed, perhaps he wouldnt show her everything. Just Paris. "Maybe Rome." He murmured as his thoughts ran away from him.

Amaranta De Luca was her name, and being openly flashy and showing off was basically her game, due to this her outfit was quite; unsual to say the least the dress flowed freely along her form like silk and yet it is not as transparnet as silk usually is, her mask was also different only covering part of her face much to the surprise of many men, the mask was quite different as well, it was oddly colored and in a word was ugly, but yet her face was quite beautiful, making it all the more unusal and easier to notice. As she entered many of each race took notice, and some gossip seemed to pick up amongst the small groups.

She just smiled as she tilted her head and brushed her hair over her shoulder in that all to appealing manner, and in moments she seemed to have a small group of men from every race asking her for a dance, and yet she just admired them "I'll have to get settled in first.." She said in a manner most suiting her demeanor and then smiled as she brushed past them taking a seat and a glass of wine all in a fluid movement as she began to watch things happen and enjoyed only the sights of action.

Ryuu listened to the male and smiled alittle, but as he felt Karr near he trembled and looked over to watch him walk away like he didn't notice him, this made him feel bad, as he trembled inside and looked down at the ground. "Yeah he is..please excuse me.." He said as he stood up and went after Karr, he really didn't know what he was gonna do but he had to talk to him, if he could. As he got closer on the other hand though he sighed noticing the girl was there but he had to talk to Karr no matter what. "H-hey Karr C-can i talk to you alone..for a minute or so..I-if we can talk..I-i'll leave you alone for the rest of the night if you wish it.." He said sadly rubbing the back of his neck as he looked to the girl and back to karr a few times trying hard to keep a straight face and not let his emotions show.

(sorry it's so short i'm sick and not feeling well but here you guys go hope it's alright..)

Karr was then surprised as the familiar scent of Ryuu crept closer, followed by the stuttered words of the older man. He glanced at Iliana, who's expression had suddenly darkened muchly, her golden eyes bright in the mooonlight. She didn't like the idea, not at all. But Karr had never seen Ryuu like this, all stuttery and not as confident as usual. Perhaps something was really wrong with him. He could at least hear the guy out.

"Iliana," He murmered, reaching for the girl's bare shoulder, though she flinched away. She still did not agree.

"But..." She tried to argue against it, though Karr snapped back, not allowing her to contiue. With that, she quickly rose to her feet, hitching up her skirts enough to hurry off back to the ballroom, hiding the hurt as best as possible.

Karr watched her go, his mouth gaping a little as he realised what he'd done. He hoped he'd be able to win her friendship back later. His attention was returned to Ryuu, having tried to narrow his eyes at the demon, though he couldn't bring himself to give the older demon such a hard stare.
"There better be good reason for me pushing my friend away like that."

~~~

Selphie smiled as he spoke of how he had so many tales to tell that they couldn't possible be told in one sitting. It must've been a wonderful life being able to wander free. She nodded how he spoke of how beautiful Paris was, and how he'd fallen in love with Rome.
"We passed through Paris on the way to the wave of fighting in Spain, it truely was a magnificent place, even during the wars." She said, looking around the garden a little more, scanning across the place with her bronzed eyes. "I've never been to Rome before today, hopefully I'll be exploring this place before I return home." She said as she looked to Jesse, her small smile still lingering on her face, "Perhaps you could show me some sights?"

Ryuu watched the girl go and felt a ping in his chest as he sighed. "I just..wanted to set the record straight about the wars..." He said rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a funny thing to think about all those years passed isn't it..?" he asked and looked away trying to muster the courage to say something but each time he felt he could his mouth felt like it was full of peanut butter. He sighed again and finally felt it was time. "Look Karr wither you want to believe me or not..those days..when i said..." He seemed to stop and breath. "When i said that It wasn't true...Karr..I-i couldn't confess back I wanted to but.." He sighed and just looked down. "The excuse isn't really worth mentioning..but there you go.." He said and stood there, his entire past laid bare to the male. It was interesting to be on the other foot, and he wondered if Karr would take this chance to shoot him down like he had done so violently to him so many years passed.

He rubbed at the back of his neck, his body was fidgeting even though he didn't realize it, so many different emotions ran through him, but mostly fear was present, how could he expect forgiveness after all of this? He really couldn't and didn't, he expected the male to destroy him as he had done to him so long ago, but who knows what would happen as he waited for Karr to speak.