“We’re late!” William burst from the limousine with impatience followed by a trail of beautiful escorts dressed in violet and pink silk dresses with long shawls that wrapped around their smooth thin shoulders and trailed to the ground like fountains of near transparent fabric. He was dressed in a close fitting suit of black with long coattails and a frilly violet men’s blouse that wouldn’t have been out of place in the 1700s. “Mask fetch me my mask sweet Robb!” William put a gloved hand out snapping his fingers impatiently. Robb hurried around the car and handed William the silver etched mask in the shape of the top half of a rabbit’s face with the rounded muzzle and long silver tipped ears. William smiled his charming smile and waved dismissively at the doorman.
“The White Rabbit and my charges. These lovely women are gifts for the guests.” He announced to the man before walking past him. Robb adjusted his small tophat perched cutely on his head and donned his own silver mask which had a simple bandit’s design with the similar silver edged designs around the eye and along the edges. William stopped one of the waiters wandering around with trays of hors d’oeuvres. “Alan, I need to speak to him.”
The man nodded and gestured in the direction Alan was and William strode off with Robb at his tail, his escorts diffusing into the cloud of guests to entertain at the best of their particular strengths. William spotted Alan and opened his arms in greeting.
“My dear friend and most honorable associate, I must say you never hold back on such magnificent events.” His voice travelled though he didn’t raise it much and a few guests looked at him strangely. He approached Alan and looked to Anais. “My dear you are looking absolutely….devine this evening.”
He gracefully took her hand and planted a kiss upon it his rich magenta eyes glinting within the eye holes of his rabbit mask. Robb averted his gaze, pretending to be more interested in the guests. His eyes lingered on Iven, wondering why he was standing at the bar grinning like an idiot but chose not to dwell on it.
“I want to apologize to the both of you for my…behavior back at the club. I’ve had hand crafted, for the both of you, a fine gift in hopes that you won’t think badly of me. Cherish them greatly.” He handed them both pale off white boxes tied with gold silk ribbons, both where long rectangular boxes but Alan’s was longer and wider and a bit heavier than Anais’. Where they to open it and see what was inside Anais' box would contain a magnificent necklace threaded with crisp white diamonds on a cascade of thin silver chains. Alan's gift was a dagger, sharpened and well made, with the hilt and scabbard made out of the polished thigh bone from a tiger. Ivory white with gold bands where the hilt and the sheath met. "Hand crafted, both of them and specially made."