(Im so sorry guys, I had an oral surgery :/ )

The hands on the large grandfather clock clicked away. Click. Click. Click... DING DING! The pendulum beat against the metal interior of the large clock as the time struck 11:30. The party was scheduled to be over by 12. But why so late? Parties of this sort were not supposed to go on deep into the night. or were they? Perhaps it was simply something that the Saiforro's had come up with on their own. They were quite different themselves and so unusual things were to be expected when in their presence.

As Aamu waited patiently in the corner for Tarik to show up a sudden feeling of discomfort crossed her path. Her wings grew tense and she watched the hands of the clock. But there was something else going on. Her attention turned to one of the tables as some whine in one of the tall glasses rippled. once twice, and then again for a third time. She could feel pulses of movement on her bare feet. With a skeptical look on her face she made her way over to Alice, 'Do you hear that?" The distance sound of pitter patter on clay tiles could be heard, but only very slightly.

Upon being approached by the tiefling, Mr. Saiforro turned his attention to Damakos. "May I help you?" The man asked, a smile coming to his face. He had only seen Damakos a few times, and had been informed of some of the trouble that the man had gotten into. But he was more curious than ever as to what the tiefling was like.

Time ticks as Damakos grows increasingly anxious in each and every single step. One foot close to an exit, another close to sating his curiosity, it feels right. The sound of Jordyn’s sudden withdrawal from the crowd evokes a sinister grin across his cheek. He cared little for when the party ended and more so for when he could allow himself to finally leave the place. Its people and general presence are beginning to get on his nerves, every last single one of them.

To Mr. Saiforro, Damakos hastily imitates the man’s smile though it fades quickly. He reaches into his pocket and immediately pulls out an invitation he had received prior to his arrival. Now holding up the invitation, he asks “Why was I sent here?” offhandedly. It is just a gruff replacement for being invited, his smile faded long after putting up a welcomed façade.

Alice had barely danced a step with the little one when the dinging of the clock sent her heart jolting. For some reason, the sound sent chills up her body...the air about her felt even more ominous than before. She looked behind her towards the source of the sound, then slowly turned to scan the room for Tsukasa, or possibly Isamu. Where /were/ they? She'd thought at least Isamu would have returned by now.

The space beside her suddenly went empty, and that was when Alice noticed Jordyn had left them with a strange trail behind him. What was happening? She couldn't be left alone with Isamu's daughter--Alice could barely fend for herself, how could she protect the poor girl on her own? Granted, Airi did have some fangs that could be used to her advantage. Why Alice was thinking these things she did not know, only right now, she trusted her senses more than ever, and a gut feeling told her to find someone to group with in case the two of them were to end up in some sort of danger.

Alice's gaze came across the demon, now talking to what appeared to be Mr. Saiforro. No, definitely no. Through the crowd it was hard to see much of anyone, but it was clear that Tsukasa was nowhere in sight. Darn. Why did she let her out of her view?

Her last resort was to follow Jordyn. Despite their strange encounters, he was still her friend, and between him and Damakos, Alice definitely trusted Jordyn more. “Come on, Airi. I think we should go for a bit of a walk with our friend, hm?”

Alice took the girl’s hand and gave it a small, reassuring tug and started for Jordyn, following the trail of…sand? What…? No. She shook her head. There wasn’t time to question everything, just to keep pushing forward in the best way she could. A few quick strides later, snaking through the crowds, Alice spotted Jordyn and quickly walked up to him. She took a small moment to mentally give herself a pat on the back for not tripping even once in her shaky heels. Alice’s grip on Airi’s hand tightened protectively as she strode beside him. “We’re coming with you,” she breathed.

Mr. Saifforo looked at the invitation and smiled, "Well... I had those sent out throughout the lands to people I thought may know of others in need of the assistance we offer here at Barlo." Which was a straight up lie. If Damakos was wise, he would see right through the crooked words of Mr. S and his cruel ways. "But you in particular, I thought I may be able to use your help. You seem like a strong fighter and defender, I wanted to ask you, personally, if you would have an interest in helping me train some new guards. Isamu is out of the question and Ivan is far too busy. I certainly do not have the time either."

Darkness showed through the large windows of the Celebrations hall. There were no stars in the cloudy sky. The winter breeze was far below zero and snow soon began to fall in a chaotic flurry. Several guests stopped what they were doing to watch the beginning of the blizzard. Mr.S noticed this, and decided to use it to his full advantage.

"One moment, sir," He apologized quietly to Damakos as he turned to the guests. "As im sure most of you can see, there is quite the blizzard outside. I welcome you all to remain here until it passes, if you would like. I would rather you all stay safe and warm in this large mansion than go out into the dangerous storm." There he went, putting on another chivalrous facade. Of course, everything was a part of his master plan.

The guests went on the talk about how generous the vampire was. Of course, most of them were too numb to notice just how creepy and sneaky he was. Aamu watched him from her corner, her brows narrowing in skepticism. "What a freak," she mumbled to herself. Her eyes scanned the clock as it struck 11:40. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, why was the time bothering her so much? The young woman took a few more steps back before leaning against the wall and watching everyone closely. Where was Tarik?

The sounds from the rooftop grew louder and more audible. Tick-Click-Tick-Click. The pattern sounded quite as similar as a dog's nails on a hardwood floor. Click-Tick-Click----- the noise stopped almost as soon as it had started. Many of the guests froze and began looking around in confusion. Perhaps it was just a bird?

-THUNK-

The sound of something heavy hitting the roof rang through the hall and everyone froze. Mr. Saiforro lifted his hand, signaling for the band to stop playing their music. "Everyone, please remain quiet for a moment..." He walked over to the window and peered outside, but was unable to see anything through the flurry of snow. He then turned to the guests once more and smiled, "Everything is well, you may return to your activities."

Aamu scowled and watched as everyone seemed to have forgotten about the odd noise. She remained in her spot and watch as the clock struck 11:48. The feeling of sickness that she felt deep down in her gut remained and she couldn't get herself to calm down. Her attention turned to the entrance of the hall as Tarik finally showed up.

He didn't even notice Aamu at first. The medic walked around and chatted with guests as though everything was fine. but that was his job, wasn't it? Tawny wasn't with him. Perhaps he had told her to stay behind because he sensed something bad was going to happen? Who knows. When he finally faced Aamu and noticed her, his former crush, his eyes lit up. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut short by the horrible ear-piercing sound of a solid object scratching against the glass window.

Aamu ducked and covered her ears. Guests turned in fright towards the window and several people screamed. Before anyone could truly react there was a very brief silence, then a loud crash. Glass sprayed in every direction. Fine, tiny pieces, large chunks, all of it flew in every direction. Most guests ducked in time, but a few were struck and let out yelps of pain.

Tarik just barely managed to dodge a football sized chunk as it flew past his arm.

On the floor among broken glass and it's own blood crouched a dark creature. It's yellow eyes scanned the room. The beast was about the size of a horse that had two large wings with one claw on each. It's back legs were like an eagles and it had a tail the same length of it's body. The skin was covered in black feathers.

It opened it's beak-like mouth and let out a shrill shriek that sounded somewhat like a scream and a growl mixed together. Guests screamed in panic and began running in every direction. They did not care who was in their way. Tarik watched in a daze as they bumped into each other and scramble for the exits. Upon regaining his mind he began a sad attempt to calm everyone and assist them.

Everything was a flash.

The window had broken and now a furious creature was bloodthirsty and loose in a hall among about one-hundred people. It's gaze turned to Mr. Saiforro before it turned and hurried down the hall, in pursuit of Alice, Airi, and Jordyn.

Mr. Saifforo looked at the invitation and smiled, "Well... I had those sent out throughout the lands to people I thought may know of others in need of the assistance we offer here at Barlo." Which was a straight up lie. If Damakos was wise, he would see right through the crooked words of Mr. S and his cruel ways. "But you in particular, I thought I may be able to use your help. You seem like a strong fighter and defender, I wanted to ask you, personally, if you would have an interest in helping me train some new guards. Isamu is out of the question and Ivan is far too busy. I certainly do not have the time either."

Darkness showed through the large windows of the Celebrations hall. There were no stars in the cloudy sky. The winter breeze was far below zero and snow soon began to fall in a chaotic flurry. Several guests stopped what they were doing to watch the beginning of the blizzard. Mr.S noticed this, and decided to use it to his full advantage.

"One moment, sir," He apologized quietly to Damakos as he turned to the guests. "As im sure most of you can see, there is quite the blizzard outside. I welcome you all to remain here until it passes, if you would like. I would rather you all stay safe and warm in this large mansion than go out into the dangerous storm." There he went, putting on another chivalrous facade. Of course, everything was a part of his master plan.

The guests went on the talk about how generous the vampire was. Of course, most of them were too numb to notice just how creepy and sneaky he was. Aamu watched him from her corner, her brows narrowing in skepticism. "What a freak," she mumbled to herself. Her eyes scanned the clock as it struck 11:40. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, why was the time bothering her so much? The young woman took a few more steps back before leaning against the wall and watching everyone closely. Where was Tarik?

The sounds from the rooftop grew louder and more audible. Tick-Click-Tick-Click. The pattern sounded quite as similar as a dog's nails on a hardwood floor. Click-Tick-Click----- the noise stopped almost as soon as it had started. Many of the guests froze and began looking around in confusion. Perhaps it was just a bird?

-THUNK-

The sound of something heavy hitting the roof rang through the hall and everyone froze. Mr. Saiforro lifted his hand, signaling for the band to stop playing their music. "Everyone, please remain quiet for a moment..." He walked over to the window and peered outside, but was unable to see anything through the flurry of snow. He then turned to the guests once more and smiled, "Everything is well, you may return to your activities."

Aamu scowled and watched as everyone seemed to have forgotten about the odd noise. She remained in her spot and watch as the clock struck 11:48. The feeling of sickness that she felt deep down in her gut remained and she couldn't get herself to calm down. Her attention turned to the entrance of the hall as Tarik finally showed up.

He didn't even notice Aamu at first. The medic walked around and chatted with guests as though everything was fine. but that was his job, wasn't it? Tawny wasn't with him. Perhaps he had told her to stay behind because he sensed something bad was going to happen? Who knows. When he finally faced Aamu and noticed her, his former crush, his eyes lit up. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut short by the horrible ear-piercing sound of a solid object scratching against the glass window.

Aamu ducked and covered her ears. Guests turned in fright towards the window and several people screamed. Before anyone could truly react there was a very brief silence, then a loud crash. Glass sprayed in every direction. Fine, tiny pieces, large chunks, all of it flew in every direction. Most guests ducked in time, but a few were struck and let out yelps of pain.

Tarik just barely managed to dodge a football sized chunk as it flew past his arm.

On the floor among broken glass and it's own blood crouched a dark creature. It's yellow eyes scanned the room. The beast was about the size of a horse that had two large wings with one claw on each. It's back legs were like an eagles and it had a tail the same length of it's body. The skin was covered in black feathers.

It opened it's beak-like mouth and let out a shrill shriek that sounded somewhat like a scream and a growl mixed together. Guests screamed in panic and began running in every direction. They did not care who was in their way. Tarik watched in a daze as they bumped into each other and scramble for the exits. Upon regaining his mind he began a sad attempt to calm everyone and assist them.

Everything was a flash.

The window had broken and now a furious creature was bloodthirsty and loose in a hall among about one-hundred people. It's gaze turned to Mr. Saiforro before it turned and hurried down the hall, in pursuit of Alice, Airi, and Jordyn.

He continued his march as random indescribable images of horror assaulted his senses even going as far to not just affect his sight but also his smell and touch; the smell of sulfur and bird made him sick to his stomach and ever so often, he would feel a feathered wing brush past his arm. It all felt so much more vivid now; heck, maybe it was a mistake coming to Barlo in the first place if holding in his "sickness" only amplified the intensity of it - his stable mind that struggled to hold on feared the end of his dementia.

'For those of you at home who still don't get it; it works like this..
Phase 1 : Depression. Something pushes me into an unrelinquishing sadness and gloom.
Phase 2 : Hallucinations. Very.Disturbing.Shxt.
Phase 3 : Unadulterated Violence, maybe some anger. You ever see in those cartoons where they drop a safe on a guy?'

Jordyn blinked hard, why did he suddenly feel the need to explain.. to no one, in particular.. how his madness worked? Geez, he was really losing it now, wasn't he?
The young man cupped his hands and curled his fingers inward so the sand poured into his hands, it was then he had a sharp encounter with reality. Alice! He dropped the sand that, regrettably, might've landed on her foot - there was nothing special or strange about it unless it got in one's eyes. As a Sandman, he had the ability to give and take away dreams but one thing he realized was that, according to psychology, dreams were only available during R.E.M. sleep. This meant, in essence, that /he/ had the power to inflict sleep onto whoever he chose; while it wasn't easy at first, he came to be able to make that hypothesis a reality.

Regardless, the colour drained from his face and his eyes were as saucers in his face when he saw Alice and little Airi.. who.. were they? Their bright shining faces were cloaked in light and he knew he /should/ recognize who it was but..this was weird..
Jordyn shook his head which sent his blonde hair this way and that then he cupped his hands as he had them before and took a fast step away. Would he get away? But, oh yes.. he would. Before the sand filled his hand to the point of overflowing, his body flickered out of existence once.. then he was there again.. then flickered again.. in a few moments, he was invisible and sped from the duo, whoever they were.

Tawny was actually having a decent time as long as she was at Tarik's side - it didn't even matter that there wasn't anything between them but for right now, it would suffice that they were on as friendly terms as they were. It felt strange, feeling as liberated as she did after she'd been set straight from her old ways - there was always the old demon that lurked at the back of her mind that called for blood, that called for someone to draw their own blood but she would not listen, she didn't want to ruin the moment.
The way Tarik offered her something to eat made her feel in a way that perhaps /he/ wanted something to eat so she went off to the buffet table with a tea plate and looked over some of the deserts on display - they all looked so good but surely, there wouldn't be enough space on the plate if she wanted to carry one of everything so she would merely have to choose the best looking thing and hope that Tarik is pleased with her decision. It was then though.. that tragedy struck.
The glass shattered and the entire incident played in a slowed down version of what happened - the shadow of something monstrous appeared behind the window and cracks appeared first as the creature struck at the pane and then.. it happened. Her eyes immediately flew to Tarik and she screamed as the shard of glass whizzed past his arm; she, unfortunately, was not as lucky; she began to run to him, feeling quite restrained in the dress and found herself struck twice - once in her torso and another that barely glanced her forehead but still made purchase. The Coronai winced as blood poured out, staining the dress then shivered as a strange heat overtook her body.. she was hurt but it was starting to feel.. good.

That creature though.. it better not.. be thinking about hurting her Flyboy.

--Darla--
Darla had actually missed seeing both Tawny and Tarik on her way going to and coming from the dressing room so changing was uneventful for her. It would've been uneventful either way since her doggy-mind didn't care if anyone saw her naked; granted, her human-mind did care but it was often overwritten by her animal instinct in this matter, for the very least.
Upon returning to the Celebration Hall, she padded along and kept her tail in her hands to avoid having it swing and bump someone's drink into them as had happened earlier; poor Darla already had enough attention as it was wearing the kami-shimo.
But.. she would need to see Mr.Barlo, wouldn't she ? He'd chosen the Noh Mai dance, a traditional Japanese dance that normally had men playing both the roles of men and women but she would have to alert that she were ready anytime he wanted her to perform. It was then though.. that tragedy struck.
As she stepped closer to Mr.Barlo and the tiefling, the glass broke and the ultra sharp projectiles flew everywhere, Darla held her hands in front of her face defensively but nothing happened to the young inu - by her own power or otherwise. The creature stormed in and a burning anger filled her, just what was this thing and why would it hurt all these people? Not all of them were her friends and the only nice one was probably Mr.Barlo but.. but... why? Her hair bristled on end, she wanted to growl but she couldn't.. so she kept her glare fierce on it until it left.
--Warden Kerovski--
The only /real/ place to find any sleep was, of course, going to be in the Celebrations Hall, Warden didn't want to risk being seen by that girl again who'd made fun of his Toxic Breath - partially because he was embarrassed of how he acted and partially because of the aforementioned fact that she'd made fun of him once so she would probably just do it again.. that's typically how he was treated. The sounds of glass breaking and people screaming reached his ears even before he got into the grand, decorated hall.. just what was going on today? First that girl, now this? Perhaps it would've been better to just leave and head somewhere else that didn't have so much chaos going on.

Regardless, he sped into the hall, almost being flattened by the creature that was on its way out and followed after it - there was likely nothing he'd be able to do in there but maybe he'd be able to put his Toxic Breath to good use if that beast had caused so much suffering inside.

Damakos is caught off guard by the perplexity he’s experiencing. He expected an answer like this and he thought it would make sense, but it does not. This is especially true while pondering every occurrence leading up to their encounter. It is not good when an answer raises suspicious questions. It annoys him. The second question serves to further irk his nerves because it implies that Mr. Saifforo knows more about the Tiefling than he is letting on. It is as frightening as Jordyn stalking him; damn near the same concept even.

His prepared response is interrupted by wind beating furiously against the large windows. Damakos can only glance above with his jaw agape as nature impedes his exit the exact night he plans to leave! The most frustrating aspect is how it came literally out of nowhere, almost like magic.

An equally interruptive thump causes the Tiefling to follow Mr. Saifforo, but does not turn away immediately when he does from the window.

He squints at a mysterious creature tapping against the glass. It is easy to spot from inside due to his Dark Vision, even with the chaotic flurry of snow. “Everything is not well” he affirms, glancing back to the man. His suspicions are confirmed through the bursting of glass, scattering debri and the people with it in a fit of panic.

Damakos used his quick reflexes to evade the significantly larger shards. He then catches a glimpse of the creature direction before it goes down the hall. Having ignored Alice, Airi and Jordyn earlier, he is unaware of the danger they were in. The only person whose life counts at the moment, besides his is Mr. Saifforo’s.

"If you need help training guards" he grunts, "Then start by sending them after that beast".

(Bump to Etoile!)

"Jordyn..." Alice whispered beneath her breath when she watched his strange expressions, the uncontrollable sand, the flickering of his presence. Just as she reached out to grab his hand he he disappeared. She stared at the blank space in front of her, stunned. Why was he leaving, why didn't he stay with her and Airi? Was he...no, he couldn't be one of..

Chaos from the Celebrations hall Behind them awoke Alice out of her reverie and she shook her head. She felt more alone than ever, confused and wanting a friend. Unfortunately, the only one left had fled from her, rather unexpectedly and left her with millions of questions that couldn't be answered now.

Alice whispered beneath her breath, "We need to get out of here..." Grasping Airi's hand, she started down the hall in search of r Jordyn, but she couldn't find (or see, since he had gone invisible) anyone. They hadn't gone far--her damn heels were weighing her down. Alice stopped short and whipped off her heels, tossing them aside. The cold floor sent chills up her legs and knees. She knelt beside Airi, looked into her eyes. "How're you doing, are you all right? We're going to be fine, just..stay with me." But Alice didn't know she was going to be fine. Or that Airi would be safe just with Alice.

Her gaze shot up around her. There was only one last resort, and that was to find Isamu.

Mr. Saiforro raised an eyebrow at Damakos' comment. It was blunt but certainly made a large deal of sense. With a snap of his fingers the three swallows were at his side, "Go after him," he ordered. The three birds flew in two circles before darting off down the corridor after the winged beast.

He then looked at Damakos once more, "Do you care to watch?" he asked as he strolled on down the hall at a casual pace. He was in no hurry. Even as his guests hurried past him and ran out the door he did not seem to once raise a hand in comfort. Whatever was going on, it was not the highest on Mr.S' priority list.

--------------

Tarik froze in a moment of fear as Tawny ran to him, blood staining her beautiful white dress. "Tawny..." he whispered as he stared at her blankly. A strange shade had passed over his eyes, as though something far worse had happened. Something that had interrupted everything in his life. Something... ominous. The man's body began to tremble as he stared at his friend blankly.

Aamu ran over to the two of them and took Tarik by the shoulders, then shook him gently, "Tarik!" she waved her hand in front of the man's face. "TARIK! Wake up!" She snapped. "Come on, we have to help before the guards kill it!" Of course, Tawny knew nothing about the Barlo Mansion curse of never being able to die or leave if you spent a night there. The woman had a strong sense of helping others and no creature was worth slaying.

As the clock struck 12:01 a strange panging sensation rang through her chest. She winced and looked at Tawny, then back at her friend. Tarik's expression had returned to normal. He nodded in response and flew up to the ceiling where he grabbed a curtain rope and threw it back down to both Tawny and Aamu, "Lets go!"

Airi had tried her best to keep up with Alice, but her legs were beginning to ache quite a bit. She whimpered in pain and clung to the young woman's dress as they walked. Upon hearing the loud crash from the Celebration's hall her grip tightened even more. "I wan't my p-papa!" The small girl whined, tears welling up in her large eyes.

A sound echoed through the halls. A bone-chilling, toe-curling, blood-curdling sound. Tap... click...tap... click... the sound came closer and close and soon a shadow appeared on the wall. A gigantic shadow, shaped almost like a dragon. The noise stopped and the shadow remained in it's place, sticking to the wall, quietly.

Upon seeing the shadow Airi let out a scream.

The shadow's head turned, and then the body seemed to lift into the air. Before they knew it the large beast from the Celebration's Hall stood before them, it's tail curled at it's side and it's eerie amber eyes studying their every move.

Damakos shakes his head and brushes away the offer. He makes very little haste while following alongside Mr. Saiforro, who adopted a surprisingly leisurely demeanor during a clearly unstable situation. On the other hand it has made the Tiefling much more aware of his surroundings. There is no telling what else entered the mansion. What is twice as off putting about Mr. Saiforro is what he had stated before.

“Who are these ‘people’ you thought may know of others in need of ‘assistance’ here? Specifically in relation to me” he inquires “And furthermore, what ‘assistance’ are you offering here?” While asking this question, he hears Airi scream from down the hall, but she is of no real concern to him at the moment. He will definitely have to stay in the mansion right up until the storm clears up, watching his back the entire time, but the least the man can do is acquire answers while the opportunity remains.