Here For the Party {tag: Connor, Diana}

[Stormy Quattrone]

It had been a long, long while since Val had been to a party. Or any social gathering.

So far, what he could see if it was not as bad as perhaps he had been imagining. In the past decades he had managed to mentally vilify any event that included more than two people, and thus he was surprised to find that even a party that included this many normally sworn blood enemies, he might actually have fun.

Now he just needed to locate Connor.

He had never done anything this... showy, before. Even when Hiroshi had accompanied him to events, it had never been for the purpose of flaunting the fact that he HAD a bloodbond, and thus a power base, and therefore any right to expect attention. Not that he wanted too much attention tonight; some conversation and minor appearances would do fine. But he would be making the effort to being seen, and that was new. There were a million things that could go wrong - the least of which was Connor himself - but Val was for once deciding to hell with it and being optimistic.

He located Connor among a group of Hunters. Unsurprising. Val left him to it with only the slightest mental brush to declare himself present, before heading elsewhere for Connor to find him when he was ready. Connor was more pleasant to deal with and far more cooporative if he thought he was getting his way and running his life on his own time.

Val wandered his way to a small buffet table and waited, observing the food's presentation. Arrogant slavers as they were, you had to hand it to Midnight's lot; they knew how to throw a party.

[Connor Batten]

Fortunately, Connor hadn't gotten himself too caught up in conversation with the other hunters, having stopped by mostly to check on them, especially Capri.  When he felt that mental brush, something he wasn't terribly fond of in the first place, he set his jaw, managed a smile and said he was heading off.  His mask went back on, he reached out on his own to ensure that he could locate Valerie for certain, and returned to the vampire's side.

"Have I told you lately that this is dumb?" he asked, still feeling stupid.  He hated dressing up, and this was about as 'dressed up' as it got.  It was true that he was easier for Val to deal with when he was at least given an illusion of having control over his life, though.  Sure, he was there and dressed like all the vampires against his better judgment, but Valerie was being surprisingly careful about bossing him around too badly.  Connor naturally knew that this was because Val didn't want him messing things up, but still, he preferred it that way. 

[Stormy Quattrone]

Val managed not to look smug when Connor arrived at his side. The Hunter's observation was correct; Val WAS keeping himself from pushing his bond around too much, although both for his and for Connor's sake. Certainly, Connor was easier to deal with when he wasn't annoyed, but now that they were mutually recognizing the fact that this WAS an official bond, however contorted it may be, Val was feeling a few of the responsibilities towards Connor that he did towards Hiroshi. Connor may not have escaped the little box in Val's brain that said "tease it for personal amusement", but he WAS worming his way into another one that said "give it some semblence of respect". Connor was part of Val's hypothetical power base now. The position came with certain... benefits.

None of which Val would any time soon be telling Connor.

The Hunter's opening statement earned him a raised eyebrow and an amused smile. Not smug; just amused. "This is the first time tonight." He gave Connor an approving once over. "You have done well, Mr. Batten. We will be beating the hungry vampires off of you with a stick." A broader smile and blatant show of fang said clearly that there was only ONE hungry vampire who was allowed near Connor tonight. "Do not be so glum; this is a party, is it not? You should be having fun." Val certainly was.

[Connor Batten]

Connor hadn't yet noticed any 'benefits' of being Val's bloodbond, except those funky little things that came with the bond itself, like the fact that his hurts healed up faster than usual, he seemed to be able to put quite a dent in Valerie's face when he opted to punch the guy in it, and a few other things.  From Valerie himself, though?

Nada.

All Connor saw was the 'tease it for personal amusement' bit, and so he returned the favor by being a total ass for personal amusement.  It was a mutual situation, though he sometimes thought that he was losing.  "I didn't say I couldn't clean up, just that I don't.  This is a matter of me keeping my hands away from my hair and trying to pretend I don't feel like a total idiot," he told the vampire, and he made a face.  Any hungry vampires would be eating lead, with perhaps the exception of Valerie only because he couldn't and didn't know how to do anything about that yet.  "I won't be bothering with a stick if any hungry vampires come my way, I'm warning you.  You either keep those freaks away, or I will."

Needless to say, playing nice with Valerie and the vampires didn't quite make Connor comfortable, and he hadn't exactly told Valerie what his major malfunction regarding vampires (especially female vampires) was.  That'd come eventually.  Of course, Val hadn't asked about any of his scars, either, so Connor couldn't really be blamed for neglecting to bring it up. 

"I never liked these parties.  What's there to do that's fun?" he asked, though he was prepared for something he either wouldn't like, or wouldn't think was fun.  He knew enough about Val, and vampires, to expect the worst. 

[Stormy Quattrone]

Connor's response didn't exactly add to Val's attempt at optimism. The use of undiplomatic force (and, in Connor's case Val was willing to bet, a gun) would not help Val in what he was here to do. He expressed his displeasure with a frown. "If this is to go smoothly, you WILL refrain from doing anything rash, and leave any problems to me. You are not the only one who can be made to look a fool, here." Nevermind that over half the vampires here could probably take him down without trying. Fortunately, with Bruja providing the security it shouldn't come to that, and Val preferred words to fists and fangs, anyway.

A bit of lint clung to Connor's shirt; without thinking about the action, Val plucked it away. Perhaps he hadn't rid himself of all those pesky nerves, if he was getting nit-picky about his bond's appearance. Or, worse, allowing himself to give into that ever-present nag to rely on physical contact for comfort. Connor was lucky that Val had fed heartily before arriving, or else they would both be dealing with the awkward complication of Val becoming increasingly fixated on the pulse in his bond's neck. Such a situation did not appeal to him any more than he knew it would appeal to Connor.

The question put a bit of that smile back on his face. "I'm certain you can find SOMETHING," he mused, then reconsidered the implications of that statement and added, "within reason." Val would NOT find himself in a fix thanks to Connor's deliberate misinterpretation.

[Connor Batten]

The problem with Connor, especially where Val was concerned, was that the man didn't take orders well.  When he was told what to do, he had to fight down this sudden urge to do EXACTLY the opposite, which would have been bad here.  Fortunately, he had slightly more self-control than that.  "I already feel like a fool, so you might as well, too," he pointed out, but he wasn't going to do anything.  "Relax, I won't shoot anyone.  If it makes you feel any better, I have one knife on me, and that's just in case the shit hits the fan and you're not as good at fighting off other vampires as I'd like to hope you are."

Somehow, he got the impression that Valerie wasn't the most feared of the leeches.

"Stop that," he said, resisting the urge to crack Valerie in the ribs for picking at his clothes, if only because he really didn't need to have the vampire focusing so much on his appearance.  There had already been enough nagging for his preferences.  "I don't think you're going to be able to do all that much to save me from looking like a slob by picking my clothes for lint, so calm down.  You're making me think you're OCD or something."

He was mostly kidding, but sometimes he had to wonder.  As for finding something to do, he didn't think that much would involve Valerie, and wasn't that the point of all this?  "What are you going to do?"

[Stormy Quattrone]

Connor was smart to have reassured Val that he wouldn't be shooting anyone. The vampire didn't appreciate the implication that his fighting ability sucked, regardless of it actually being true. The entire point of tonight was to present himself as less of a weakling than usual.

He also ignored the OCD comment. "I'll be making appearances. Not to anyone in particular, but we'll hardly be hanging on the sidelines. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to; the attention SHOULD be on me." This was something of a political maneuver, after all, although vampire politics often even more delicate to handle than human ones.

[Connor Batten]

Between the necessity for security and Val's desire to look like he was stronger and more impressive, Connor wasn't well-armed, which would have certainly put the other hunters on guard if they'd realized.  Walking around with only a knife wasn't exactly something that told other people he was prepared to take care of himself, which really should have let Valerie know that he was depending on the vampire if things got hairy and scary.  Bond or no, he wasn't physically much of a match for a shifter or a vampire, even if he had a few tricks up his sleeve and the training to make him more dangerous than most humans.

"Okay, go make your appearances, I'll just follow and try not to say something stupid or to instigate," he told the vampire, smirking ever so slightly.  He'd have LIKED to instigate, since he did it on hunts a LOT, but hey, he'd promised he'd behave. 

Really, though, he was being remarkably good about this.  Agreeing to stand off to Valerie's side like a good....what?  Servant, pet, bodyguard?  Whatever it was, he knew it wasn't an equal as far as the vampires were concerned.  It was a blow to his ego, especially since he never wanted to be a part of their world, just to destroy their kind and make things safe for humans.  Val had made a few good points to convince him to cooperate, however, and those included the fact that if Valerie was considered weak and killed, Connor would likely follow just from the trauma of the other end of the bond shutting down and he couldn't risk dying over something he hadn't even done.  It didn't take a metaphysical genius to know that he wasn't the more powerful being in this bond, and that didn't bode well for him.  He had Capri and a baby to worry about suddenly, and that meant not dying over stupid things, like vampire politics that he could swallow his pride and deal with, even if he'd rather just flick the whole group off and tell Valerie to shove it.

Not that he didn't say things like that to Valerie all the time, but doing so in front of other vampires might...undermine Valerie's non-existent authority a little too much and cause trouble.  He'd refrain.

[Stormy Quattrone]

They seemed to be as ready to wander as they would ever be. Since Connor had expressed his dislike of Val's attempts to neaten him up, he fixed his own lapels instead. He had dressed on the formal side of buisness casual, working towards a sort of generic tall-dark-and-broody personage rather than someone or something specific. Playing pretend and wearing costumes were activities he left to those who felt they could carry it off. Val preferred not to burden himself with both a costume and whatever personality it might imply.

Taking Connor's words at face value (although 'face' probably wasn't the best phrase to use, given the man's smirk) Valerie brushed past him and away from the buffet, into the fragmented throngs of party goers and honored guests. Taking note of a few faces that were both important but possibly not the best individuals to approach while Connor was assuming the role of "bond", Valerie placed a casual hand on Connor's elbow, for all appearances simply getting the man's attention. He tried to think of a polite, delicate way to phrase his question. "Although I imagine I can guess, is there anyone here whom I should know NOT to introduce you to like this? Hunters or vampires with whom you would prefer to... be discreet?" Connor might have a stroke if he thought Val was doing this out of consideration for Connor's reputation. However, as they had indirectly discussed on previous occassions, it was in both their best interests that people who knew Connor NOT know about his moonlight occupation as a vampire's bloodbond. Valerie had no more desire to share this with Bruja than Connor did.

[Connor Batten]

The thought that Valerie might actually be considering Connor's well-being, or at least, reputation was a bit surprising, but he managed to contain his shock for the time being.  He was just a bit hesitant to believe it, considering the number of times he and Valerie had been messing with each other since they found themselves stuck in this situation.  He wasn't so sure if he was ready to really trust the guy.

"All hunters," he told the vampire immediately, shaking his head.  "There isn't a hunter out there that won't recognize my name.  If we're keeping this quiet, don't try introducing me to hunters by name.  I don't know what vampires would recognize me."

He wasn't exactly the most low-key of mortals on vamp radar, considering he was the leader of Crimson, but at least Crimson wasn't the most showy and violent of the guilds.  They were a little more subtle, so he might not cause a ruckus being introduced as Val's bloodbond.  He hoped not.

[Stormy Quattrone]

Valerie dropped his hand from Connor's arm and went back to scanning the fray. The answer had been about what he had expected; Hunters off limits and no real idea which vampires to approach and avoid. Ah, well, it hadn't hurt to ask. Setting off again, he headed for a small cluster of vampires who, by appearances, were not affiliated with Midnight. Best to start with the small fry and work his way up. Slowly.

As they approached the group, one of the vampires caught his eye. She ended abruptly her conversation with a young brunette in favor of turning to Valerie. Her smile was coy and highly amused, her words distinctly French.

"Valerie!" She held out her hands expectantly, and Valerie took them lightly as they exchanged polite kisses on each cheek.
"'Bonsoir, Madame Adeline."
The woman giggled. "{Come, come, Monsieur Valencia, has it really been so long that you can no longer call me Adele?}" She turned to her friend the brunette, who had on her arm a vampire who by Val's estimate could not have been more than a decade old. Mon dieu, what WERE his people getting up to these days?
"{My apologies, then, Adele,}" Valerie corrected. He would be more glad to see her were it not for that awkward complication of a man standing right behind him. "And it would be further rude of me to neglect to introduce to you Monsieur Connor, my bloodbond."
Adele raised a manicured eyebrow and scrutinized Connor. "A new one? Mon ami, what happened to the last one?"
Valerie coughed. "{Hiroshi is still residing in my home in Japan. Connor, I acquired here.}"
"{Someday you must teach me your secrets,}" Adele teased. "{First that lovely little oriental boy, and now a handsome blonde adonis.}" She gave him a side look. "{On the other hand, one could also argue you need to, as they say, get a girlfriend.}"
Valerie colored.
"Monsieur Connor, how good to meet you." Adele's smile was thankfully pleasant and bland. "You are enjoying the party, yes?"

*{French}

[Connor Batten]

Well, at least Valerie had taken his words to heart and gone for a few vampires that it was highly unlikely he knew, but it wasn't until he heard them talking that he realized the joke was on him.  Valerie obviously knew them, and they knew Valerie.  Great.  It made Connor wish he knew more French than he did.  He'd had to learn some for various assignments overseas before he became Guild Leader, but he'd never been incredibly good with languages.

He understood some of it, though, and that was perhaps not so good for his ego.  It didn't take a whole lot for him to catch 'handsome', 'blonde' and 'Adonis'.  The rest he caught in bits and pieces.  Like, 'need' and 'girlfriend'.  He smiled, rather liking that.  Valerie definitely needed more time with a girlfriend, though Connor somewhat remembered hearing that Val HAD one.  They'd said it all in French, apparently so he wouldn't understand, and so he didn't comment, but he wanted to.  "Yes, Ms. Adeline, I am.  It's a pleasure to meet you as well," he told her with a deep nod of his head, considering she didn't offer a hand to shake or anything of the sort.  He also wasn't going to attempt French titles, considering mutilating the language might be a bit disrespectful here.

'Handsome blonde Adonis?'  I think I might like her, Val, he offered up, aware that if he tried to direct the thought, Val would get it.  So much for not commenting, but at least it wasn't out loud.

[Stormy Quattrone]

Valerie had been rather hoping that Connor didn't know any French. He still wasn't sure, given that the Hunter might only know enough to barely follow along, but Connor knew enough to have picked up the general gist of what was being said. Épatant.[1] Valerie was even less pleased with exactly WHAT Connor had understood.

Seeing as she finds you attractive, I'm not surprised.

Adele smiled even more at Connor's reply. She spread her hands and said theatrically, "Meeting me is always a pleasure," then laughed at her own pretension before turning back to Val. "It is good to see you out and about again, mon ami. We have not seen you formally since... mon Dieu, I cannot even remember."
"Marseille, 1870." Another vampire came up behind Adele, a gentleman just shy of Valerie's height. He put his arm around Adele's slender waist and nodded to Val. "It was at another party like this, do you remember? The bal du 14 juillet?"
"Roch." Valerie shook the newcomer's hand. "{I do remember. It has been many years.}"
"{The absence was yours, if I recall,}" Roch replied, but without the malice one would expect of such an accusation. "{It would seem you have returned from your time as a hermit.}"
"Returned and brought a friend, chéri," Adele said. She nodded to Connor. "He has replaced his Hiroshi with the lovely Connor."
"Men don't like to be called lovely, mon fleur," Roch said, then turned to Connor and gave his nod of acknowledgement. "Bonjour. I suppose congratulations is in order, then?" To Valerie: "To you, for adding a second, I mean. It must have been recent; the power you have acquired is... unsteady."
"All the more reason to see and be seen, then, is it not?" Adele asked. She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Although mon Roch does have a point. {This bond of yours feels most unusual. Since when have you been attracted to such antagonism?}"
"{Since I have stepped upon new soil and begun a new life,}" Valerie returned smoothly, but their keen observations were not what he wanted to hear. Hopefully they could only sense the difference because they knew him so well, or had once. "{Please do not think me rude, but I had intended to converse a few others tonight, and should find them before the night grows too deep...}"
"Of course." Adele smiled and banished him with a flick of a hand. "But do come find us soon, mon cher? We have missed you, and I am eager to hear the Orient boy's violin once more."
The compliment to Hiroshi drew a smile from Val. "Certainly. {Good evening, my friends.}"
"{Good night.}"



[1]Excellent, wonderful.

[Connor Batten]

Alright, it was a good thing Valerie hadn't wanted Connor to talk too much, because half of this conversation was in more French than he could easily put together, though he got the general gist of it, and the rest happened to involve events he didn't know anything about.  Yay for being uninformed.  It was a good thing they weren't a threat, or he'd have been horribly unprepared.

Connor returned the nod to Roch, remaining silent and simply listening.  Naturally, he didn't catch all of it with their rapid speech, but he tried.  Unsteady?  Yes, he supposed he had to agree with Roch on that, and perhaps that was his fault as much as Valerie's.  If other vampires could sense that they didn't get along well, then it could be an exploitable weakness.  That didn't sit well with him, and he frowned slightly thinking about it.  He hated the idea of giving in to this mess, but he didn't want to be easy pickings because he wasn't willing to play along.  He never liked being weak.  This was going to require some thought.

He smiled at the woman and gave them both a good-bye before releasing a long breath at their departure.  "You call those 'friends'?  I'm worried about meeting your enemies," he remarked quietly, scanning the crowd almost like a good bodyguard would do.  As though those enemies might appear rather suddenly before them.  "Nice save, though.  They might almost have believed you know what you're doing."

Considering neither of them seemed to know what they were doing, that wasn't so bad.  And hey, at least he'd kept his mouth shut and hadn't offended anyone.  "Where to next?  As long as it's away from the buffet table and that pack of hunters I was talking to earlier, I have no ideas."

Verde was by the table, and Capri was somewhere near where he'd left her, he assumed.  He didn't want to be anywhere near her if something crazy with vampire politics happened.  He hated normal politics.

[Jessica Markova]

Speak of the devil; here came one of Valerie's enemies now. Well, enemy was perhaps a bit of a stretch. Antagonist would be closer. Diana loved being powerful - you could annoy people all you wanted and there was very little that they could do about it. Especially little weaklings like Valerie.

Diana was resplendent in a swan costume, with a small pearl diadem in her hair that was matched by pearls interwoven with the rest of her hair, winking like stars from the dark background and a snowy ball gown that seemed to be made half of lace, half satin - finished by a pair of white wings she'd managed to attach to the back. The train was long and elegent and designed to look like feathers; gauze and lace. She had pearly makeup on, primarily around her eyes, that almost looked like feathers itself - the amount of detail that was somehow brushed out in primarily white and shimmer pearl was almost insane. Still, despite all that she did still have a mask, one of the kind that was attatched to a stick, not ribbon or elastic that would trap it on your face. It was currently dangling from her wrist by a white satin ribbon. Ironic, really, that she should be dressed as a swan, but there you are....

Nothing much seemed to be happening at this party, and that made life dull. Therefore, naturally, when she spotted Valerie with someone else - a new bloodbond? Huh - she decided to go over and bother them. Bothering Valerie was fun.

"Hello, Valerie," she said, tone polite enough. For now. "I wasn't sure if you'd be here. You didn't exactly seem like the party type."