St. Patty's Day 3 [Guild People]

[Daphne Holliday]

 Daphne ran a finger across the silver hoop earring she wore, sliding the back of her hand further and clearing her long, rich black-brown hair over her shoulder. She wore a dress that was as true a shade of emerald as it got, fashioned of satin. It was a rather simple D&G piece, a simple stretch mini dress. The fabric was unbelievably radiant in the ambient lighting of Bonne Chance, and even amidst the usual green-wearing people she stood out. Of course, Daphne always stood out, no matter where she went. It was a wonder she worked in the hospital and not anywhere else more prestigious, but then again, she couldn't fulfill her desire to cut on people if she worked in an office, could she?

She leaned forward towards the mirror of the spacious powder room/bathroom that Bonne Chance had on the reserved floor for the party. Crystal-clear blue-green eyes stared back at her critically, covering every inch of her reflection for flaws. Satisfied, she swiped a thin layer of gloss from the tube in her black clutch across her lips, rubbing them together as she put the cosmetic away. She glanced up as she heard the door bang open and observed Victor's newly-discovered pink-haired daughter in the doorway.

"Dad's off the phone," she said. "You ready?"

Daphne nodded wordlessly and walked to the door, which Nina still held open with her forearm. Normally, she would not have been okay with the girl's presence at all, but she liked Victor enough to tolerate it, one, and two, the girl had potential. Also, she tended to look at Daphne with awe, and that wasn't terrible for her ego. Daphne knew she could use it somehow, she just needed time to determine exactly what she wanted to do.

"All taken care of?" she asked, perfectly-sculpted brows perked as Victor turned to greet the two girls. "Really, the hospital has other professionals. I turned my phone off," she said slyly. "Didn't feel like having to constantly mute it."

Nina tilted her head. "You can just do that?" she asked. She smoothed down the hem of her shockingly bright green bubble dress. She couldn't believe she'd even been able to wear it; Victor had opened his mouth about the fact it was both short and strapless, but somehow Daphne had distracted him with some stupid technical question and handed off his credit card in the process. Nina felt like they had a good relationship.

"I shouldn't, but I do," Daphne admitted. "My entire life is spent at that facility. They can survive for one twenty-four hour period. And if they can't, that's hardly my fault. Ah, Colleen!" and with that, the hospital business was forgotten and Daphne broke away from them to speak with the other dark-haired woman.

[Victor Batten]

Let's face it, there was absolutely nothing about a big party at a place like Bonne Chance that suited Victor.  He was dressed for the occasion because he had to be, and the only real reason he was even there was because Daphne and Nina had wanted to go and he couldn't come up with any kind of logical reason why they shouldn't go except that he didn't want to.  Usually, that was enough, but not anymore.  A lot of things had changed the night that Midnight had attacked the guilds, Daphne's attitude regarding him and Nina's appearance among them.  Daphne seemed more open and involved in his daily life than before (and much more willing to butt in or be present outside of the hospital), and he hadn't even known that Nina existed until she appeared at the guildhouse that night asking for him.  

Now, he had a teenged girl taking over his study and he still didn't know for sure what to make of Daphne and the new information he had on her, but he was pretty impressed with how she'd handled herself and the situations presented to her.  He was also suspicious, because he knew there was very little chance of a normal person reacting the way she did, but there was something painfully practical about his mental processes (as there always was) that kept him from analyzing the fuck out of something that he needed so much.  Daphne was handling a corner of his life that could spin ridiculously out of control if he wasn't careful, and she was doing it in a way that involved him and still took most of the burden away.  Nina had appeared and nearly turned his life upside-down when he was least able to deal with it rationally.  It was Daphne who'd helped him change the study into a bedroom for the young girl and it was Daphne who'd brought certain concerns to light regarding girls Nina's age, including joining them for shopping trips.

Victor's bank account wasn't happy about it, but he wasn't actually complaining.  It was all just very surreal, and the most basic proof of just how weird the situation really was happened multiple times a day when Nina called him 'dad'.  It was correct, that was his role in her life, but it wasn't a title he was used to hearing applied to himself, yet.  He also wasn't used to the displeasure he got from seeing Nina in that strapless, short dress, but he was quickly getting a grip on the situation and had only needed to suffer the teamwork that Daphne and Nina could manage when they wanted to once before he realized just how dangerous it could be.  He'd be more careful about letting Daphne distract him next time.

"For now, yes, it's all taken care of.  Your guess is as good as mine when the next moron will do something wrong," he told Daphne, deliberately not commenting on her decision to turn her phone off.  He could have done the same, but he really though one of his patients would relapse or the hospital would burn down if he stopped answering his phone, knowing the people he worked with.  Yes, he had that low of an opinion of most of them.  He was just a fantastic role model, wasn't he?  

Glancing Nina's way, he frowned a little and turned his phone to vibrate -- it wouldn't stop it from getting his attention, but it was actually less likely to demand his attention if he didn't have to listen to it incessantly ringing (Nina had set his ringtone as 'Dr. Feelgood' the day before, and he had yet to find something to replace it with).  He gestured her after Daphne with a light hand at the small of her back, already aware that Nina's attention would only hold so long if they were going to be making smalltalk with adults that she didn't know.  Hell, his attention would only last so long.  He expected no more out of her.

"Do you see anyone from the guilds you've met?" he asked, mostly curious as to who she'd ended up talking to on the many occasions she'd been at the guildhouses with him, but also interested in making the evening less boring for her.  He wasn't actually a stuffy, self-centered adult most of the time; he just pretended he was.

[Nina Batten]

Nina looked around, pressing her glossy lips together as she absently ran her fingers through her vibrant reddish-pink hair. It hung arrow straight thanks to Daphne's talent with a straightener, and it was soft and silky to the touch. She looked back up at Victor, her brown eyes reflecting something that had been there a lot lately - confusion, loneliness. She shook her head a little.

"No," she said, echoing her body language. "Kenzie is the only person I really know, and I don't see her anywhere. It's fine, I can hang out with you." She'd only been with Victor since January, and even then her appearance had been a bit of a shock. She hadn't had a chance to get to know many people - after all, two months wasn't much time to get to make friends when the guilds were still repairing themselves after their losses. She had been at Crimson quite a bit, but when Victor wasn't around she'd kept to herself. Shannon had watched her a few times, but those times had ended badly - for as capable a hunter Shannon was, she was horrible material for a baby sitter, especially of a teenage girl.

She let out a sigh despite her forced smile, and reached up to snatch a champagne flute off a tray as a server floated through the crowd. Her brows perked up suddenly as she noticed a woman at the bar, and she turned to her father. "Who is that?" she asked in a loud whisper. She was looking at the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen - even more beautiful than her mother, come to think of it. Nina blinked a few times, resisting the urge overtaking her body to get closer and talk to her.

[Victor Batten]

It was true, Shannon was a terrible babysitter, and it was making Victor rethink his choices in that department.  Connor seemed to have had good luck with Rafael keeping Kenzie out of trouble, so he was starting to think that threatening and paying the macaw would be a good idea; the fact that he had such an interesting situation with his wings would be sure to catch Nina's eye as well, and Victor was not above using Rafael's misfortune to his advantage if it would help alleviate Nina's boredom.  Whether it was Rafael or someone else, he was going to have to figure out an option other than Shannon.

Hell, Verde would be a better choice.

Yeah, that was pretty sad, but no less true.  Verde had a lot more experience taking care of young girls than most of the hunters because of his partner's younger sister, so it wasn't actually a bad idea.  Who knew? 

"We won't stay the whole night," he assured her, because he wouldn't stand for either of them being bored senseless and he was certain they could find something else to do with his night off.  He didn't get a lot of them between the hospital and the guildhouses.  He especially wasn't going t have her staying the entire night if she was becoming too interested in vampires she didn't know, though at least Gabrielle was relatively safe.  As soon as she asked and he followed her gaze, he sighed.  "That is Gabrielle, a vampire.  Appearing very beautiful to mortals is actually one of her talents.  It's a mind trick."

Actually, he was lying a little, because even if her mind tricks didn't work on him, he found her to be extremely attractive.  There was no getting around that fact, even wearing firestone, but he didn't see it to the extent that others did.  He wouldn't make a fool of himself or take extreme risks, and it helped that Gabrielle was good about keeping her power dimmed down around the hunters.  Victor really didn't want to have to peel Nina away from the vampire.

[Gabrielle Fortunato]

As if on cue, Gabrielle turned to meet Victor's eyes while he was explaining her "mind tricks" to his daughter. She excused herself from the conversation she'd been having with Farrah and made her way to them. She smiled warmly, her hazel-green eyes lighting up as she greeted them. She tilted her head a little as she held her hand out to Victor - he may not like vampires, but Gabrielle had worked with the guilds in the past, and had even hired them out to hunt down the vampire responsible for the death of her lover so many years prior. For as utterly breathtaking as Gabrielle was, she was entirely alone in the world without her Isabel, and no amount of attention or adoration could change it. They do say that sometimes the ability a vampire gains is ironic, though.

"Doctor Batten, so wonderful to see you again," she said, her voice melodic and heavily accented. She had her ability turned down all the way in lieu of being surrounded by so many guild members, but it still wasn't enough. She watched as Nina watched her every movement, and turned to her. "Hello, my dear," she lilted. "My name is Gabrielle Fortunato, and this is my restaurant. Your father and I are... old acquaintances. Are you enjoying the party?"

Nina felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She stood there, dumbfounded for a long second, and then snapped back to attention. "I'm Nina, Nina Check," she stammered. "It's so nice to meet you, Miss Fortunato. You have a beautiful restaurant. The party is nice, but I don't know anyone..." she said honestly.

Gabrielle looked at Victor with an arched brow. "Oh, I think I can find someone." She turned to scan the room, and then spotted the cluster of police - specifically, the NYPD "siblings". "I'll be right back," she assured them, and with that, turned on her heel and went to go and find London's son, Tristan. She figured Nina to be about sixteen or seventeen, and she knew Tristan was about eighteen or so. Perhaps they would get along?

She found him almost instantly, sitting at the bar and looking bored while his father and their friends chatted and laughed. "London," she called, "I'm going to borrow your boy for a bit. I've found him some company." She flashed him a brilliant smile, one Tanith returned more than London, but she wasn't so surprised - London was too guarded, and so he didn't always respond to her kindness.

"Nina, this is Tristan. Tristan, this is Nina - and this is her father, Doctor Batten."

She smiled again.

[Katherine Summers]

 Katherine was happy that the night had turned out so well. She noticed that Britton was standing uncomfortably close, but she realized that both his ex-wife and her new husband were there, and suddenly she felt less judgmental about his proximity. She'd taken the opportunity to try and play matchmaker, but she wasn't as good as Gabrielle, and evidently the pick she'd had was interested in other things...

"Do you see that?" she whispered to Gabriel as she stood by him at the bar, waiting for the lovely lioness to fix the bloody Mary she'd ordered. She nodded to Cassandra, Rasmus, London and Tanith where they'd left them by the lovely doors that lead out to the ample balcony. "Ridiculous," she said, disgusted. They were all laughing, and Gabriel turned just as London put his arm around Tanith's waist. They watched as the bird turned her head and looked into the cat's eyes, and neither of them missed whatever had just passed. Then Tanith opened her mouth and titled her head back, cackling loudly as she reached up to push him away.

"So?" Gabe said, looking at his nosy girlfriend with a grin.

"I was going to try and hook she and Britt up," Kat protested, reaching for her now-prepared drink. The one good thing about Bonne Chance being run by a vampire? The bloody Marys were real. "Oh well, he's probably not interested, anyways."

Gabriel lead her back towards the balcony, noting that a Ramsa PD detective had Britton's attention then (Catalina? they were old friends, it seemed). "He's still very much stuck on his ex wife, one, and two, it's none of your business. Why do I feel like we have this talk every time you get the urge to set someone around the office up?" he asked, exasperated.

Kat shrugged, deflated. "I'unno," she muttered, burying her face into her drink. "It's fun to meddle."

"God, please never let me hear you say that again," he groaned. "You're far too mischievous for your own good. Ma'am," he said, addressing Cassandra as she held her hand out to him. "'bout time you finally showed up. We were beginning to think you'd decided to skip the party altogether."

Cassandra grinned. "It's Cassandra tonight," she said, tipping her brow in greeting. "You've just missed the newest debate. What would you say forty-eight divided by two, times nine plus three is? Here, give me a napkin, I'll write it down."