Banquet of Decadence (open)

[Anonymous]

Stepping onto the cobblestone floor below, the cloaked woman closed the door behind her and looked down the hallway. It was so dark that it was nearly impossible to see your hand in front of your face. The candles that lined the walls had been burning for so long that the flames were close to dying. This would be a problem for most people, but she knew the building well enough to do without. After all, she had been coming here every week for as long as she could remember.

She silently walked down the shadowy path, the end of her cloak dragging against the ground. Normally there were a few other people walking with her, but today they were nowhere to be found. Not surprising, considering that she usually arrived about a half hour earlier. Her son had come down with something, and she had to stay with him until the doctor arrived. She normally would have had the maid keep an eye on him, but the incompetent wench decided to take a sick day. If her little vacation ended up costing her any information, she could expect to start looking for another job.

Stopping for a moment, she sighed in relief when she heard instruments being tuned in the distance. They usually sat down at the table around now, which meant she had not missed out on any of the conversation. Even so, she made a note to start looking for a more reliable maid. The only reason she tolerated these ignorant buffoons was to see if they had heard anything she might have missed. She had several good sources at her disposal, but theirs were better.

She stepped up to the double doors at the end of the hallway. Sighing, she pushed them open and stepped out into the main auditorium. The lighting was much better than in the hallway, but it was still rather poor. This was understandable, as it would have detracted from the atmosphere of the gothic building. And if she remembered correctly, the opera playing today was a tragedy, so no doubt bright lights would kill the mood.

Closing the door, she pulled her hood down and removed her cloak, hanging it up on a nearby hook. Her curly brown locks were pulled up into a messy ponytail, and a beaked onyx headdress adorned with arched horns concealed her face. She wore a loose black robe decorated with designs of vines, each sewn from pure golden thread. A rather odd ensemble to say the least, but wearing flamboyant outfits was a common practice of her little clique.

She walked out onto the balcony that overlooked the auditorium, glancing over the railing to get a glimpse at the crowd below. It was filled to the brim, which was hardly surprising, considering the popularity of the play showing tonight. Looking out at the balcony opposite theirs, she raised a brow. Curious. The nobles on that side had all ready begun to dine. Did her group decide to wait for her? A pleasant thought, but she knew they lacked the manners.

"Lady Ramsden?" a young man called out, walking over to her side. "Lord Modestine has yet to arrive, so the dining area is currently unavailable. Why don't you have a seat with the others until he arrives? They're at the other end of the balcony."

Giving him a curt nod, she made her way down the balcony. As she approached the dining area, a large platform raised above the rest of the balcony, she noticed that it was sealed off with red ropes. She could hardly believe that Modestine was late. The fat moron was always the first to greet her and would talk her ear off until the end of the opera.

Something suddenly slammed into her, breaking her from her thoughts. Scowling, she looked down to get a look at the offender: a small child no older than eight. He was sitting on the ground, rubbing his behind. Judging from his rowdy appearance and total lack of manners, he had to be the son of one of the stagehands. What kind of moron would let their child run around unattended, especially in the presence of nobles? She knew the commoners were dumb, but this kind of idiocy deserved an award.

The child looked up at her, smiling awkwardly. "Sorry about that, ma'am! Was in a hurry to go see my sister," he apologized, extending his hand to her. "My name's Matthew! What's yours?"

She completely ignored his gesture of friendship and stepped forward so that she stood at his side. Reaching out, she gave him a powerful smack across the face, the nails of her metallic glove digging into his skin. Her thirst for blood quenched, she continued down the balcony, smiling as she heard the boy wailing behind her. A harsh response, but he needed to learn that it was unacceptable for commoners such as himself to mingle with the nobility. Besides, he just got his germs all over her brand new dress.

[Anonymous]

Ah, culture. Or at least, what it'd turned into. Vincent had gone so long without attending a formal event of some sort that he couldn't help but invite himself to this one. He didn't crash the place of course (though, he COULD, wasn't like anyone could do much to stop him), he'd paid his way in. There was a merchant in town who'd soon be building a much nicer house for him and his family to live in, all because Vincent Fontaine wanted to have a nice evening.

He couldn't do much to mask his appearance from the neck up, so he did the next best thing and just made himself more presentable from the neck down. Well, sort of. He'd kept his old coat, it'd served him well for the past hundred and sixty years, and he'd be damned if he'd toss such a dedicated garment aside just to impress a bunch of snooty upper-crust folks. Same reason he kept the worn black fedora atop his head. He did choose a nice pair of polished black leather shoes though, along with a nice black shirt to go with the matching slacks. He even got himself a tie, though he had to admit it was harder to find a white tie than he'd anticipated. Everything was in black for some reason. He figured he should at least find something to compliment that bleached white skull of his, since he couldn't very well get anything that'd compliment his non-existant eyes.

So of course, one of the first things he sees through the door is a kid crying. And not because of him, which was a nice change, although that still left the whole 'the kid's crying' problem in the equation. He let out a sigh and approached the boy, though he took off his hat before hand and used it to hide his head from view. The kid was already crying, lord only knows what he'd do if he was suddenly face to face with a talking skull. "What's the matter, kid? Get yerself lost?" he asked, kneeling down to speak with the child at roughly the same level...less likely to spook him that way.

The boy shook his head, not that Vincent could see him do so with a hat in front of his face, but thankfully he gave a verbal reply as well.

"N-no si-sir, th-that lady h-hit me!"

Well, that promted Vincent to get rid of his hat to examine the kid. He wasn't screaming his head off, but he'd certainly been in some kinda misery when Vincent had walked in. If he still had a face, he'd have been scowling when he caught sight of the puncture marks. He was bleeding a bit, but it wasn't anything terribly serious to worry over. Of course he'd forgotten why he was holding the hat in front of his face in the first place, and the child gave a startled cry when he found himself staring into a skull, but Vincent raised his hands in an attempt to show the kid he meant no harm...course, the poor kid probably thought he was just getting ready to shout 'boo!'

"Hey, relax. I'm..." Vincent started to explain, and started to try coming up with as believable excuse as possible to explain himself. "...in costume, is all. I don't mean you no harm, alright?"

"No you're not, my dad's in charge of costumes!"

...figures.

"...alright so I ain't in costume, I just made a bad mistake a long time ago 'n got in an accident, alright? Would it make you feel better if I helped you get back at the lady what done this to ya?"

Well, that at least put a smile on his face again, and he nodded enthusiastically at the idea, apparently now able to talk with the strange man with a skull for a face. "Alright...then here's what you do. Now I'll be watchin' ya just in case she does anythin..."

A moment later, Lady Ramsden would feel a tug at her dress. It was Matthew.

"You're no lady, you're just a miserable old hag with more wealth than brains!" he said angrily, and followed it up by spitting on the ground at her feet before turning and running off laughing, passing Vincent in the process who playfully mussed his hair with one black-gloved hand.

"Kids. Go figure. They really are smarter'n you'd think..."

[Anonymous]

Making her way across the balcony, she noticed several of her acquaintances sitting together near the other side of the dining area. Had she not personally known them, she might have mistaken them for statues, considering how stiff they were. She had expected to find them laughing like the morons they were while they rambled on about the usual nonsense, but it seemed they were as interested in one another as she was in them.

It seemed Modestine was the glue that held them all together. Even though he was a bumbling idiot, he was easily the most influential member of their little club, which was more than enough to earn him the friendship of those shameless sycophants. She had suspected as much for a while, but she doubted he was smart enough to figure it out for himself. Then again, as long as there were people around that he could brag about his wealth to, she had a feeling he could not care less about what they thought of him.

Smoothing out her dress, she sat down a few seats away from the others and turned her attention to the opera. It seemed the show was finally beginning! Smiling, she removed a fan from her bag and held it in front of her face.

The curtains opened to reveal a beautiful princess wearing a snow white dress. She stood at the edge of a balcony overlooking her kingdom, a sorrowful expression on her face. Although she had missed the opening narration because of her tardiness, she had seen it enough times to know the story. The Western Empire had just conquered her kingdom and her lover was presumably slain during the final battle. Now arranged to marry the prince of the invading kingdom, she is torn between moving on with her life or committing suicide.

Amor mio, caro bene
Perchai lontan da me?
Giurasti un amor, che mai non dovea
Aver fine per noi

Her attention was torn away from the song when she felt someone tugging on her dress. Looking down, she frowned when she saw who it was: none other than the snotty brat that ran into her earlier. After he insulted her and spit at her feet, she watched as he ran off, a brow raised in curiosity. She was surprised that he had the audacity to approach her again after breaking down like a helpless baby. Perhaps she gave him too little credit.

Before she could turn back to the opera, she heard a voice. She looked over to see a finely dressed lich standing near her seat, Seeing him run his hand through the boy's messy hair, she quickly put the pieces together. No doubt he was the one responsible for the child's newfound courage. But why would he send the brat back after her? Perhaps he just felt sorry for the boy and decided to give him a chance for revenge, which was entirely understandable.

Chuckling, she turned back to the stage. "Indeed. Quite a courageous little fellow, isn't he? Reminds me of my son when he was his age."

[Anonymous]

She'd never had much interest in plays. Maybe in was the acting, or maybe it was the time spent sitting around, watching some story she could easily read and get a better reaction from. Whatever the case, for as often as the Duchess attended, she always felt her mind wandering. Of course she paid enough attention to chatter about it should the need arise. Women that attended these sort of things seemed to think they were a hot spot of gossip. Yes, clearly, what an actor might do on stage could readily have effect in actual court. Ridiculous. All it did was pander to romanciful idiocies, or depict some sort of moment in history that no one truly cared about. Either the play was false, and thus pointless, or it was real, and could be better understood out of a book than by the interpretation of a bunch of actors.

What this sort of this –did- do, however, was make people dress up, look important, and be seen. That was the only reason Senoniya was here. As Duchess, it was important to be a public figure. Elegantly dressed in a deep black down with subtle silver thread, black gloves that covered her arms, and a single deep blue pin in her hair that matched her eyes meant Senoniya looked the title she had claimed. She had her own area to sit and watch, with a smattering of empty seats around her. They were occasionally filled with family, or those she wanted to be seen with. Political friends, allies, and even rivals. All this was a way to dance in the public's eye. Currently, the seats had been pushed back, with a small table next to her hers, and a lone seat next to it. Clearly reserved for someone. That being her Husband, should he wish to show. Senoniya didn't require him to attend her at all times, but liked to be seen as the dutiful wife who would reserve him a seat should he wish it. She was very well aware that too many times of sitting next to an empty seat would make her look desperate, as though he'd dismissed her... which meant is was rare she was ever with an empty seat. The others could be pulled forward if any more of her family arrived, and an attendant was on standby to wait on her every whim.

A wine bottle claimed the table next to her, with two glasses. One half filled, the other empty. The bottle had been opened, and the wine poured for her. She'd only taken a sip of the bittersweet wine, and would take no more. Alcohol opted to put a haze on one's vision, smearing their rational mind. And she would not be without her wit in public. Senoniya could enjoy a drink or so later on, in the privacy of her own estate. Without prying eyes. Even though the back of the chair leaned some, the Duchess was upright, and appeared fully intent on the stage. Even her eyes seem to be actively paying attention, though really, she was calculating moves to be made, people to speak to, and what she had yet to do. That gleam in her very blue eyes was the sort that came from deep thought, not attentiveness. Though those that didn't know her would not be able to tell the difference. To anyone who may be observing her, Senoniya was paying attention. There was even a hint of a smile along her slender lips, as though she was pleased with what she saw.

The Duchess heard the whine of some child nearby, but didn't bother to investigate the source. She only had one child that may cry, and it was not a boy... and neither would Katarina do so in public. Her darling daughter would know better. Which meant the source, cause, and disturbance was to be disregarded. The other nobles some distance away didn't hold much interest for her either. Senoniya had already noted their names and mused over who was here and why. When it had not seemed to be of grave importance, she'd shrugged it off and went back to her own thoughts.

[Anonymous]

"Indeed. Quite a courageous little fellow, isn't he? Reminds me of my son when he was his age."

"How nice," Vincent answered dryly, clearly entirely uninterested in anything the woman had to say. He entered the balcony area where she was seated, and a glare (albeit an eyeless one) was all it took to convince the attendant to let him pass and continue walking toward Modestine. Once he got there, he lowered his voice and leaned in close so only she could hear what he had to say. Some measure of courtesy had to be maintained, after all. "By the way...I see you strike a child again, and I will personally break every finger on the hand you hit the kid with. Do it again after that, and I'll break your whole damn arm. If you wanna act like some animal or barbarian or whatever the hell your deal is, that's your business, but don't let me catch you takin' it out on some kid."

As he stood upright again, he tipped his hat and went back to using a normal indoor voice. "Have a pleasant evenin, ma'am." With that taken care of, he turned and headed back the way he came. He didn't need to seat himself to watch the evening's performance, and truth be told he was happier just standing at the entrance and watching from there. He'd startle a lot less people that way, but he could still enjoy the show. Besides, wasn't like he needed to eat anymore...

[Anonymous]

Instead of focusing on the mysterious stranger, she simply continued to watch the opera. She could tell the skeletal man was aggravated over how she treated the boy, but she could not care less. If he tried to give her a piece of his mind, she would just focus on the show and ignore him. Should worse come to worse, she could always get the guards to take care of him.

Waving her fan in front of her face, she listened as the princess continued her mournful song. She wandered aimlessly around the castle rooftop, plagued with visions of her deceased lover. Just as it seemed she was about to throw herself to her doom, an apparition of her fallen knight appeared and wrapped its arms around her, calming her and giving her the strength she needed to move on with her life.

Nei momenti di tristezza
Nei momenti di dolor
A te, mia stella, penso
Con infinito ardore

She hoped Modestine would arrive soon. This particular actress had one of the worst voices she ever heard. The woman who played her in the previous performance was much better. The emotion she put into the part moved many of her acquaintances to tears. Being the jaded woman that she was, she felt absolutely nothing, but that did not stop her from enjoying the show.

Her reminiscing was interrupted by a familar voice. The stranger had moved over to her seat to speak with her. She frowned in annoyance as she listened to him speak, but her fan concealed it from him. How rude, threatening a woman of her status! Unbelievable. Then again, what could she expect of a crude commoner? She was tempted to alert the guards, but that would likely be a waste of time. This man seemed powerful, and there was no doubt in her mind he would follow through with his threat. Nevertheless, she was not about to let him get away with disrespecting her like that.

"I do not appreciate being threatened, sir," she told him evenly as he started walking away, her eyes never leaving the stage. "It is important for common children like him to learn their place. And since you seem to have forgotten yours, perhaps I should remind you of it by arranging a little accident for your friend."

She would never actually have a child killed, but he didn't know that. It wasn't that she was above doing it. If it were absolutely necessary, she would do it without a second thought, but it seemed like a waste of time and energy to arrange a hit on a brat like that. She just wanted to antagonize him. The opera was interesting, but nothing could compare to a good confrontation.

Un legame senza speme
Perche' mai dovrei aver?
Che cosa tu vuoi ch'io faccia oramai
Mi Devi dire tu

Once again losing interest in the stranger, she allowed her eyes to wander down the balcony. Modestine was nowhere to be found, but she noticed that the Duchess had arrived. She had never met the woman, but she heard a little bit about her from the other aristocrats. Looking back to the stage, she waited to see if the gunslinger would return.

[Anonymous]

Orphelia didn't want to be here. She would rather be home, scrying on other families, or finding out things the old fashion way. Why was she here then, a lot of people would ask. Well mainly it was because Senoniya needed someone to come with her to this banquet and her husband was unable to do so. So she was asked to come with and Orphelia could never say no to her. She looked for her amongst the crowd and finally found her.

She made her way over to her, ignoring the sound of a crying child. Orphelia did give a sneer in the direction of the brat. She hated kids, didn't understand why people would want them except to continue the population. She would never have kids, even if that meant her being a virgin her entire life. She hated them that badly. She did manage to get along with her nieces and nephews, but it was only because they were family. She stayed away from them as best she could though and avoided any conversation with them. Only the thought that in quite a few years they would no longer be children gave her the will to deal with them.

At least the opera was a little entertaining, but Orphelia wasn't too thrilled with the whole mourning sad parts. She was pretty content to just sit and watch the opera, but out of the corner of her eye she saw some common looking man talking to one of the noble ladies. She recalled seeing him before and realized that he had been talking to the child that was crying. She reached Senoniya then and leaned in close to her and said, "What do you think that is about?" She might have startled her sister, but that was okay with her. She liked getting the jump on her sister.

[Anonymous]

Senoniya knew something was going on. Something along the edge of her vision... something involving the brat, the woman, and the man. Still, she didn't care. The boy had either done something to be punished or hadn't, the man either knew the boy or didn't.... and it all came down to the fact Senoniya didn't care. She didn't know the woman, which meant she didn't need to, and didn't know the man... which meant he wasn't important. The odds the child was of consequence in this whole thing was slim... which meant the situation was just... as pointless as the play.

She'd already gone through this, had already considered the worth of stepping in, and deemed it not appropriate. Maybe if more people were paying attention, then it would be worth saving the child. Appearances and all that. But... Senoniya sucked in a sharp breath when her sister spoke. She'd not expected it, had been caught off guard... Considering who it was, Senoniya smiled. Good to know her sister was so silent. Even if she'd been rather deep in thought. Her blue gaze flickered to Orphelia before she waved at the empty seat. "Join me," she whispered softly so as not to cause too much disturbance. The opera was, as predicted, boring her. Maybe Ophelia would have something of note to say... Which reminded her, Ophelia had said something.

Senoniya spared a look toward where the disturbance had been. Ophelia asked, which meant she'd spare the consideration for it. "Misbehaving child, I presume," she whispered softly, using the opportunity indicate to the attendant that her sister should share in the wine.

[Anonymous]

"I do not appreciate being threatened, sir,"

Frankly, that bit of her reply didn't get his attention. Mostly because he didn't particularly care whether or not his warning was appreciated. It was just that, a warning. One that he wasn't above enforcing should the woman ignore it. What she had to say afterward however, certainly did get Vincent's attention. And for all the wrong reasons, for that matter.

"It is important for common children like him to learn their place. And since you seem to have forgotten yours, perhaps I should remind you of it by arranging a little accident for your friend."

The attendant no doubt knew something was wrong by the way Vincent turned so quickly on his heels and began storming toward the woman's table, and even moved to intervene...to no real avail of course, Vincent's right hand shot out to grasp the man by the throat before he could get a word in edgewise. He wasn't in the mood to kill anyone however, anyone besides that damned noblewoman anyway, so rather than simply strangling him on his way to the table Vincent instead smashed his head against the railing and let him fall limp to the floor. He'd be fine when he woke up, just have a nasty headache to contend with. Which would pale in comparison to the sort of agony Vincent was willing to inflict on 'Lady' Modestine if she was stupid enough to go through with her threat.

When he reached her table, he was considerably less quiet than he'd been in the past, and his growled threat could no doubt be heard by most of the balcony...

"Listen, and listen good, you cantankerous old whore. I don't have a place, and I don't much want one. I just exist, and that's good enough for me. But now that you've gone and opened yer trap, know this: you'd better hope to whatever god you pray to that nothin', and I mean nothin happens to that kid, by your hand or otherwise, because if somethin' does happen I will come down on you like the black death itself. Your kin will die, every last inch of your estate will be razed to the ground, and I will personally gut you like the swine you are and crush your still beating heart before your eyes with my bare hands before selling you piece by piece to the flea-bitten strays lurkin' the back alleys. Do I make myself clear?"

[Anonymous]

Nyx arrived fashionably late to the play. She checked a full length mirror to make sure her smile was on and her hair had no been ruined on the way there. No, the bun was stil perfectly in place, and her smile still glowed only slightly whiter than her own skin. With a short smile, she walked down the short stairs into the auditorium.

She searched for her mother, as she had sent word that she was to be attending that evening. She soon saw the back of her head as she spoke quite briefly to her aunt. Just as she caught sight of the two of them, however, she heard a cry coming from a child, and then the shouts of an angry man. She had to suppress herself from smiling broadly, but she couldn't help looking up at the balcony where the noise had emitted from.. She waited anxiously for the sound of the first blow she hoped was coming. But for now, she could only glance in earnest.

She gracefully sat down in the seat beside her mother, "Hello Mother, Aunt Orphelia, excuse me for my late arrival.." She said in a soft voice, and with an elegant smile.

Nyx turned her attention then to the stage, wondering to herself what exactly the story was. She had expected something grander.. She relaxed a little in her chair, but for the life of her remembered to keep her posture. When she was in the privacy of her own chamber she might slouch as she pleased. but not here..

[Anonymous]

Closing her eyes, she sank back in her seat and listened to the opera. The princess was nearing the end of her song, which was a shame, as it was easily the best piece in the whole show. Even though this particular actress shamed it with her atrocious voice, the orchestra more than made up for it with its spectacular performance. She always had a fondness for music, perhaps because it was one of the few things in this world that she actually enjoyed.

Ti ringrazio, caro bene
Amor mio, vita mia
Al grave doler, al buio timor
Che il cuore mi turbo'

The girl poured her heart out over her fallen lover, wallowing in her sorrow. One would expect for her knight to appear near the end of the play and save her from the wicked prince, but she knew better. He would eventually reveal himself, only to die in a duel with the prince. The heroine, consumed with madness, promptly kills herself to join him in death.

Most critics considered this opera a heartwrenching tragedy. She, however, had always seen it as more of a comedy. For them to come so close to their happy ending, only to have it torn away from them at the last second, was nothing short of pure hilarity. A bit twisted, perhaps, but still quite amusing.

Dolcemente, con amore
Hai risposto al mio gridare
Per sempre ognor, per sempre ognor
Qui a me, t'attender

The crowd rose from their seats and erupted into thunderous applause as the maiden returned to the castle, completely unaware of the furious gunslinger that was making his way down the western balcony. She could not hear his footsteps, but knew full well that he was coming back. He hardly seemed like the type that would ignore a threat like that.

And as she suspected, there he was. How pathetic her attendant was, going down so quickly! She made a mental note to find a more competent escort.

Listening silently as the gunslinger threatened her and called her all sorts of names, she kept her eyes on the stage below like she did the previous time. The next scene was beginning, and the audience had resumed their seats. She was completely unfazed by his words, having heard them all before. Not surprisingly, she had a talent for getting herself into trouble.

"You seem rather confident in your abilities," the woman answered sultrily, waving her fan in front of her face. "Your courage is surpassed only by your stupidity. If I were a less forgiving woman, the disrespect you just showed me would have sealed that child's fate."

"Perhaps I will reconsider if you apologize to me. Or would you rather kill me instead?" she asked him in a tone most would reserve for discussing something over coffee, her eyes never leaving the stage.

[Anonymous]

There was a list she had of things Katarina hated. Each time she went over it, it seemed to have doubled it's size. Right at the top of the mental page was being left out, rushing, and being late. Cobblestone quickly joined the list. Luck would have tonight be her match with all four at once. She had known about the opera since her mother made it known to her this morning. Though Senoniya was attending for certain, Katarina did not fully attend to go. She knew of the play, but lacked desire to view it. Searching for books, fabric, and people seemed to be a much more appealing evening. After coming back from her trip, while the slaves tended the carriage and the servants took in her things, she noticed Nyx was on her way to the event. It didn't take much for her to discover more of the family was attending. Of course, the young Verot'dess had to attend now. With the time it took for the arrangements to be made, finding the proper attire, an gathering her transportation, it became quite clear she was going to be late. Though all the servants acted in a polished, professional manner, and Katarina in a calm, mature one, she still was rushing. Her aunt was going to be there. Her sister would be there before her. Maybe even her brother. Oh, how she despised being out of the loop.

Katarina made it not much longer after her sister did. Not wanting to arrive later than needed, the young Lady hurried along in a way that didn't give this fact away. In the entrance, the attendant took her cloak and let her know which direction her family was in. As she walked, the rim of her midnight dress gracefully swept over the floor. The low sound of her steps was drowned out by the music of the opera. As the actress sung on, Katarina approached her own family area trying to resist a wince at the sound. It had seemed better in her head when read. Weither it was the actresses fault or the production itself, it mattered naught to her. She was here in the name of her family, with the other Ladies of her house. The dim light caught on the warmer thread of her dress. The deep gold was subtle, but did a perfect job of accentuating the the details. The smile on her face was slight. Her eyes just a tad wider with excitement. She loved spending time with her family, and watching people. This was a great way to accomplish both.

All three Ladies looked exceptional. Nyx always did, despite her solemn moods. It was her appearance that proved to be a threat for the youngest sibling. Though Katarina was mature, she had to make it known through action where Nyx did not. It was a fact that came with the burden of youth. Aside from that though, the two held different interests and different strengths , though all had their overlapped similarities. While Nyx looked to battle of blade, Rina looked to battle of tongue. Still, the middle sibling was more a mystery to her than their older brother. Perhaps it was this fact that made the love for her more dutiful than most other family members. Nyx was the one she kept a closer eye on though, be it from a competitors standpoint or silent admiration was up for others to decide for themselves. Aunt Orphelia was always a stoic being in her mind. The dislike she had for children made Katarina even more pleased to be around her. It aided to her claim that she was not a child, despite the true feelings felt for her neice. Certainly not least of all was Senoniya. The beauty and strength of her mother could never be denied. Practically everything Katarina did was to get approval from her parents. She needed it more than air at times. This was a silent fact the young one never spoke aloud though. Mother and father meant the world to her. They before anything else were the source of her pride.

"Mother. Aunt Orphelia. Sister." Katarina said to each with a small bow of her head. While an attendant brought a seat for her to the table, sounds of the "discussion" between a man and a noble caught her ear. "Why do they quarrel so?" Though a frown didn't appear, her small smile was gone. As she stood, she judged weither or not she should get involved. Their bickering would take away from the time made for the small family gathering.

[Anonymous]

Orphelia sat down next to her sister and then took the proffered glass of wine from the servant. She sipped on it contently, happy to have the soothing liquid running down her throat. There was nothing like a good glass of wine with family while watching a fairly good opera. Orphelia had always lived the 'easy life' as some would call it. Never wanting for money or any material needs, the life that most people dreamed of. She personally didn't think of it as the more privaledged life, it was simply a different life with different hardships.

One of Senoniya's children came up then, Nyx. The girl said her greetings and apologizes to her mother and to Orphelia as well. Orphelia nodded to her in acknowledgment, then went back to watching. Next the youngest girl came up, Katarina. Of all the children Orphelia liked the youngest the best, which was odd considering her distaste of children. There was just something about the young girl that was different, probably how mature she acted compared to her age.

Orphelia's attention was turned back to the argument in the corner. It seemed to be escalating to something that could be potentially turn harmful. One of the woman's attendants had came to step in, but the man had grabbed him by the throat and put him to the floor. Next it seemed as if the man was threatening the woman. "Should we be doing something about that? It seems to be turning into something."

[Anonymous]

Senoniya continued to watch the opera, though not really paying much attention. At least she was looking at the actress. And while the others stood up to applause, the Duchess did not. She never did. Not even if it happened to be something she enjoyed. Assuming there was a play or opera that could be consuming enough to pluck her from her thoughts. Thus far, there wasn't one. What was becoming rather... intriguing... was the problem between the man, the woman, and the child. While she was extremely apathetic as to what may happen, or what the outcome may be, she was piqued as to what the fuss was all about. While she was never the sort to smack a child, she preferred assigning duties as punishment than actually striking her children, that was based off of a personal preference. If the child didn't belong to the woman, well then, Senoniya couldn't figure out why the woman bothered to begin with. And the only reason Senoniya was paying more attention now was because the whole ordeal was getting wildly out of hand over a crying child. That was what children did. They cried. Or at least when they didn't know better, or had no sense of decorum. Regardless, there was no reason that some heated debate should stir up.

The Duchess was pulled from her thoughts when her eldest daughter actually showed up. While Senoniya had made in known to the rest of the family she'd be attending, none had said they would be. Did it irk her that Nyx was late? Of course it did. Senoniya was terribly punctual, had been from the time she was a little girl. Her cool gaze settled on Nyx as her daughter was granted a seat by the attendant closer to Ophelia and herself. Asking to be excuse was proper, and the smile added a nice effect. Were Senoniya anyone else, the matter would've been settled, and there would've been no problem. If Nyx were to take over for Senoniya eventually, tardiness was a big deal though. If anyone other than family –had- been present, Senoniya would be very displeased. She picked up her glass, hovering it close as she softly asked, "Had trouble getting here?" Her words were barely above a whisper, enough so that Nyx would hear, and maybe Ophelia, but no other.

Much to her surprise her youngest arrived late. Senoniya had figured Katarina wouldn't bother... but considering Ophelia and Nyx were now here... yes, it did make sense that Katarina would be. The youngest had a sense of propriety about her that Senoniya took great pride in. And while it had seemed Katarina had discarded the necessity of coming before hand, the current guests had encouraged her to change her mind. While arriving late was frowned upon by Senoniya, she did applaud the forethought of her youngest. Katarina recognized the importance of being around those of note, and in public no less. Her initial irritation that they'd both were late faded some as her daughters were settled, and the discussion was turned back to the argumentative man and woman. Senoniya's blue gaze settled on Katarina as she whispered softly, "Sit." She wasn't about to have her daughter get caught up in the disagreement.

What settled the matter for the Duchess was the fact the attendant had been harmed by the man. Bickering between one another she could handle, if only because it made them look the fool and was harmless to those around. But this? This was something else entirely. Senoniya looked away from the problem to her family, attention pausing on each to judge their reaction. What made up her mind was the fact her two daughters were present. She wouldn't risk their safety for any reason. Senoniya managed a small smile, while not genuine, was meant to enforce the idea that everything was fine. "We will not be intervening..." Even as she spoke, Senoniya waved over her attendant. The man moved to her side and bent enough that she could whisper to him. "I would suggest you fetch the guards. The man over there is being most disruptive... and seems to have hurt your coworker."

The attendant had clearly been torn between leaving her side to do just that, and staying around her. He'd have been fired in a heartbeat to leave the Duchess and her family alone... but the man definitely needed to be dealt with. With a soft 'thank you', the man quickly hurried off to do just that. Senoniya shared a look with her sister, one that said she clearly did not want to be directly involved, before saying to her daughters, "It in neither our responsibility nor our business to step in. When such things occur, it is best to leave it up to people trained to do so. We're ladies, not bouncers." Figuring the matter settled, Senoniya turned back to the stage as though dismissing the subject all together. What really annoyed her now was the fact she'd had to say something at all. There would be words exchanged between herself and the owner of the establishment. The Duchess should not have to speak up to ensure that her daughters were not caught in the crossfire of some pointless argument.

[Anonymous]

Nyx was immensely pleased by the goings-on on the balcony. The tension got her quite excited, but she pretended to act indifferent like her family. She noted the small changes which occurred on her mother's face. She wasn't pleased, and Nyx knew entirely why.

Had trouble getting here?

Her words had posed casual, but Nyx knew that they were terribly serious. She paused for a moment, then gave the smallest indication of a frown, "The carriage man had a bit of trouble driving the horse onwards..." Her stated in a tone of voice indicating that he wouldn't be a problem any longer. Of course she had dismissed him with a few to-the-point words. There were rarely ever second chances for the servants of the Verot'dess, and the coach was absolutely no exception.

Shortly after speaking her own piece, her smaller sister, Katrina arrived. The smallest smile appeared on Nyx' face. Katrina was later than she, but Nyx' had assumed she wasn't coming at all. She had remembered faintly seeing her small form out of the corner of her eye on the way there, but she hadn't been sure.

"Good evening Katrina." Nyx greeted in return briefly. She went back as her aunt did to watching the opera. Her aunt Orphelia seemed quite distant to Nyx, but perhaps Nyx acted quite distant to everyone, so it was only a fair return. She let a few moments pass in silence.

Her mother spoke then a few words of absolute finality and Nyx absorbed them. Letting professionals handle such things was fine with her. She only wanted to view the action, not participate in it.

[Anonymous]

Orphelia nodded at her sisters words. "Some people are so disrespectful. And where pray tell is the owner or one of the people in charge here? You'd think a place with such a notable reputation would stop those sorts of situations before they happen." She said with more than a bit of disdain. She didn't take her eyes off of the pair that was arguing. In fact she planned to get more information about what had transpired later on. Things like that was always useful to know, just in case they could come in handy.

Orphelia then went back to eating and drinking. At least there was someone going over there to split things up. "People need to learn to keep their kids under control. Otherwise that whole situation probably could have been avoided." Orphelia stated to no one really. She just felt like voicing her own opinion, which she did often no matter what it was about. It didn't seem to mind her that there were children present near her. The two of them were more mature than to ever cause that kind of a scene. At least she thought so.

[Anonymous]

"Should we be doing something about that? It seems to be turning into something."

As her Aunt spoke this, Katarina looked at who it was addressed to. Senoniya had a way of knowing the best course of action. It was a skill the young one hoped to obtain through watching her mother. Her mother's eyes caught hers as Senoniya delivered her quiet instruction. There was no argument to be made about it. Katarina took her seat and listened. She was pleased with herself that she didn't interfere. Even though her original question was not answered, she's was smart enough to put two and two together. "Yes, mother," Katarina said. Mother knew best after all.

While the attendant came back with reinforcements, one was kind enough to bring a well dressed, brown teddy bear. It wasn't just any bear though, it was Altoron, the only male from her collection. In her rush to get here, she must have left him while she was being tended to at the entrance. Taking him from the attendant, she gave her stuffed animal a quick overview while listening to the conversation around her. "I couldn't agree with you more," she agreed with her Aunt wholeheartedly. Kids should be kept under control. Especially younger children.

Katarina's attention remained on Altoron for a few moments before he was settled on her lap. She lost interest in the scuffle and was now focusing on locating the spot in the opera. It was most likely the end of it, what with their love story ending and such. Her eyes gracefully wandered around to the other people present. It was important to know who was there after all. If anyone caught her looking at them she didn't bother to hide the fact.