Waltz of the Sugar Plum Candies

[visualspice]

Edward bowed gracefully before Janette before taking her in close as their hands linked together.
"Ah, Lady Treyburn, I do not mind divulging my secret unto you, but the identity of this blue bird is none other than Lord Edward Draven. I'm pleased to re-make your acquaintance. I do not know if you would even recall my true identity, however, as the last ball we might have attended together you would have still been just a child."
ANd naturally, his conversation was polite as he guided Janette, with grace, out onto the dance floor.

Along the side lines, Davishire was still grumbling as he and Avery remained as wall flowers, observing the other dancer's from afar.

"Well, it seems there are a lot of Treyburns here this evening. I suppose the whole lot of them came. Perhaps she just likes to be the fashionable late one," he mused as he released a hot breath, but then noticed something from the corner of his eyes that perked his interest as another Lord stormed into the place.
"Leif Arrant.." Davishire wrinkled his nose at the other man. If people thought Davishire was rude, Leif Arrant was famous for it. After all, Leif Arrant was the only man who gained a harsh enough reputation someone tried to assassinate him on his wedding day! Lucky for Arrant, the bullet had not killed...
BUt not one to gossip, Lord Callister held his tongue, but would soon be holding his breath as he witnessed Lord Arrant tearing across the ballroom. And Leif didn't care who he had run into, as his own shoulder slammed into Edward's and set he and Janette off balance in their dance. Edward managed to catch Janette as they paused in their dancing, and blinkingly, he turned to watch Leif Arrant and his situation turn into a train wreck-


For Leif Arrant's wife had just found out all of her husband's secrets in one go when she had stepped into his private conversation in the garden. He had been pouring his heart out to his friend, and he had no idea Valentina had been listening in. Now she knew that he knew she was a mage- and what was worse, he mentioned 'another woman' whom he had been seeing, (evne though that was his sister!) AND the fact he was none other than the infamous masked vigilante- the masked mordecai!

He was so desperate to seek her out to explain, that the moment he caught her amongst the crowd her tore after her- that was, until he stopped dead in his tracks to witness how Trevian was 'caressing'a nd attempting to woo his wife. Rage blinded him as he paused in the middle of the dance floor to bark out a roar.
"TREYBURN!!!!!!!!!"
and the voice would have echoed had the serene playing of the orchestra not muffled it's cries. But even the Grand Duke, dancing with his wife, turned his head to witness the exact moment Leif Arrant tore across the floor- and socked his fist clean across Trevian's face.
"Get your f--ing hands off my wife!"

[Vivi]

Oscar had finally managed to locate a glass of something appropriately fizzy when a small, fuming mass of feathers appeared at his elbow, making him jump and very nearly drop the glass. "Riley?" It was Riley, he was sure: for one thing, he recognised the feathers, and for another, no-one could sulk quite like his nephew could. He frowned, turning to acknowledge the boy properly. That he'd been responsible for part of Oscar's misfortunes that night never even seemed to enter his head. "Is something the matter?"

Everything was the matter, it seemed, and not just with this member of his family. His bellow was muffled by the music, but every eye in the room seemed drawn to Leif Arrant as he marched right for the costumed man he knew to be his brother, punching him square in the jaw. For the second time in as many minutes, Oscar had to catch himself from dropping his glass, letting out a shocked cry. Only a reluctance to leave the boy at his side kept him from rushing across to his brothers aid, leaving him faltering and dumbstruck side-by-side with his nephew. He looked to him, then to Trevian's predicament, green eyes wide.

"What on earth has been going on while I was gone!?"

[Brisinger987]

Things unfolded in a complex manner for Janette. Her mind perceived this situation slightly differently. Almost in reverse. Or perhaps a personal priority.

Someone had punched her brother. No-one but her punched her siblings. Be it Cherie or Redly. No-one punched them. In fact not even she did. Not with the intent to hurt them like that.

Secondly. Someone had barged into her. Into her, Janette, the street noble. That was as though it were a direct insult to her. And it had sent a jolt of fear through her mind that was unpleasant.

Thirdly. This man had interrupted her dance with a good looking noble, with an exceptionally chivalrous and courteous manner. Not her type, but enough to have a dance and socialise with.

Some man had barged into her, interrupting her dance, to punch her brother. It pieced together in the correct order, and every instinct and centre in her brain flooded with alcohol ridden adrenaline. She could see clearer as the alcohol fuelled her, and she recognised Trevian.

Then she acted, approaching the man directly.

Whereabout in the process of going over to hit the guy she passed out wasn't clear to her.

((OOc: Lol, until someone remembers about her, Janette is out now))

[Ivory]

Audric is entering from Dark Chocolate Eclairs

-----

Audric, who had followed Leif in from the garden, was a step behind -- but too slow to actually stop him from swinging at Trevian Treyburn -- or screaming his name like a buffoon.  And Leif seemed to think Audric had not a sneaky, subtle bone in his body?  Really?  Nevertheless, he hovered at Leif's shoulder, prepared to jump into the fray should Trevian decided to return the attack with one of his own.  The Treyburns, by and large, weren't a forgiving bunch.

Trevian was a trained soldier -- and, as a trained soldier, he was not overly pleased with how slow he was to react to the angered man's punch.  Though, he reflected, from where he sat on the ground, rubbing his jaw, for a nobleman, that was one hell of a punch.  Fire shone in his eyes at the mistreatment -- though the sight of Valentina quickly cooled the flames.  Still, his eyes watched Leif like a hawk as he slowly rose; if Leif chose to strike again, this time, Trev would be ready to retaliate.

(OOC: Stopped to wait for Valentina!)

[zozee9]

Illi walked into the ball from the veranda, full of excitement. It was finally time to dance! Maybe, she realized, she'd be able to get a dance in with Davishire. She didn't know why, but the idea of dancing with him (or, rather, him dancing) was an amusing one.

Except she entered just in time to see her brother being socked by some man she had seen before but didn't really know. It shocked and angered her so much that she didn't even see the man that she had originally been searching for. She only saw the jerk.

Given, Illi knew better than to think that Trevian wasn't at least somewhat at fault. First off, people tended to avoid drama at big events like this. Especially if that drama involved violence. Secondly, well, he was... him. He probably had a slip of a tongue.

But that didn't qualify someone punching him.

So Illi walked straight towards him, reaching him quicker than she thought possible. Just because she knew Trev could defend himself did not mean she wouldn't be there to protect him. He was her brother! Plus, it wasn't like she was going to hit the man back. Illi already told Dahlia that she'd try not to cause any more drama. But that didn't mean she couldn't stand by him to intimidate the puncher. After all, Illi was very frightening in her queen costume.

[visualspice]

OOC: Just so it's clarified (lol though too late now, derp!) I'm really waiting on Valentina's response to Leif's reaction- but no worries about it now- Davshire's got this!
BUt future notice, no one leap at Leif yet please until Caerina responds! X3
<3<3<3<3
But omg, I do love these Treyburns!

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


Lord Davishire, still brewing over this ball, found his intended target the moment the ballroom turned towards the crazed Lord Arrant. Davishire, never a man to intervene, found his eyes going wider than the tower of Uthlyn was tall and swore beneath his breath when he realized just exactly where Jillian Treyburn was headed. And instincts kicked in. She was too close to the scene of the fight and he pushed his way quickly past the other guests without so much as a warning to Avery, or those his broad shoulders were sifting through. But his heart was pounding in his ears, and his brain was only set to one task-
Protect the poor woman from herself!

Taking her by the hand suddenly, Jillian would find herself suddenly pulled from the fight before it had a chance to escalate into anything further.
"Miss Jillian!" his voice boomed through a whispered hiss. "Confounded, woman, do not stand so close to a fight!" And as he held onto her, he didn't realize how over protect he suddenly seemed, or how disheveled his hair had become beneath his costume, partially spilling out amongst the wolf hair of his costume mask.

Luckily, he was a strong man, so Jillian would not be one to so easily escape! But he had to protect her after all! What was she trying to do!? Approaching Lord Arrant was inconceivably reckless!



And while one man was rescuing away with one lady Treyburn, Edward would not abandon his.
"Lady Treyburn!" he said, dropping to his knees beside Janette. "Are you alright?"

[zozee9]

Jana entered the ballroom with the Raspberry Tart on her arm. After a quick glance around, it was clear something was wrong. Actually, it was clear something way wrong before they even entered the room, seeing as everything seemed to get hushed. And, as fates would have it, one of her many brothers seemed to be in midst of the troubles.

Turning towards Lady Davina, Jana said, "It seems our dance will have to wait. Those two men seem to be stealing all the attention." She paused. "But I suppose that is good. I wouldn't want all the gentleman here to come chasing after you." She winked before cleverly adding, "Alas, I do not know the names of anyone here. Would you be gracious enough to tell me what I need to know so that I will not embarrass myself while in your presence?"

While Jana was taking control of the situation on the other end of the ball, Illi was completely thrown off her track.

"Davishire?!" she whispered back, startled. He was... kind of close, she realized with a blush. And stronger than she had imagined. She tried to pull away, but her attempts completely failed. Out of all of her siblings, Illi was by far the weakest. "Let go! That's my brother! I have to help him! Or, well, support him!" Despite the strength in her words, her voice remained quite quiet. Spending lots of time in libraries allowed Illi to basically become the whispering queen.

A few seconds passed of Illi hopelessly trying to escape before she finally gave up and became still. "How could I abandon a sibling of mine?" she finally asked him, looking up at him with puppy eyes.

[Caerina]

If someone told Valentina just a week or two ago that she would be dancing with a man she barely knew and causing a fight in the middle of the dancefloor, she would never believe it! Stirring the society was what she usually did, but being in the center of a scandal wasn't really how she planned her evening. And since she was already shaken by her earlier run in with Leif, and she was now actually ready to admit that she had way too much 'adventure' for one night.. Perhaps even for a month or so...

Valentina was aware of her husband's presence even before he had shouted the name of her dancing partner, and felt the itching to flee. Instead, she stayed and watched a pretty nasty hit in the face of her suitor. And now the feelings of betrayal and sadness from before were enhanced by the feeling of anger. What the hell was he thinking?

"How could you do that?!" she shouted, not really caring to hear the answer or  really worrying about what other people would think. She didn't care if every one of the guests watched the scene with tension and unhidden interest. Nothing better than a scandal to make the rich people amused. Let them watch, because she had a lot of other things to say...

"Who do you think you are? Barging in and punching people!" Valentina took a deep breath. Although Trevian looked better now, after he had a few seconds to recover, he still took the hit pretty bad, and Valentina could only imagine how bad it hurt. The silence in the room was now near absolute and she could almost hear her own heart banging in her chest furiously.

And at that moment in the silence, she was quite lost. She didn't know whether she should be angry or sad or should she run or stay. It was all mixed up in her head as she finally looked straight to Leif who looked as angry as she ever saw him. Well, it was good that they at least shared that one feeling, she thought to herself sarcastically.

[visualspice]

The hate in Leif's eye was intense, and the nerve struck went down, nearly poisoning him to his heart. And he could have slugged the man again for the look in his eyes and had drawn his fist back, as if to punch him again, but instead, he turned to his wife suddenly and inspite of all the madness (or because of it) he grabbed her suddenly and smashed his lips unto hers.
Love. Hate. Passion and duty, it all swelled within his breast as he kissed her, holding onto his face and forcing all of his emotions into that first, sweet, intense and epic kiss.
And only after he had pulled away he told her right there before the entire palace with a trembling, raged voice, that remained just barely over a tepid whimper.
"Because I love you, Valentina. You are my wife."

[Caerina]

It was so hard for her to understand what was happening in that chaos of emotions. But something broke inside of her when he kissed her, and although she was more confused than ever it was also the moment when she understood him and his emotions more clearly than before. To the people around them this was probably the new juicy gossip, but to her it was the moment that was bound to change her future.

He told her that he loved her, and yet how could she do the same with all of his secrets now hanging over them. Her feeling have been clear to her for some time now, but him returning those feeling was just wishful thinking... Up to this moment.

"Damn you, Leif." she said in a quiet voice that almost matched his, as few tears rolled down her face "Just spilling all these things at me tonight." Valentina brushed the tears from her eyes. It didn't really matter whether the tears were from the anger or of joy. She knew she loved him, but he had some explaining to do.

[visualspice]

Leif kept her face held within his hands, brushing her tears away with his thumb.
"Yes, damn me to hell," he said, green eyes wavering. And before she could chew him out, he smashed his lips unto hers again, this time only pausing to tell her. "I'm sorry," but once before continuing to kiss her lips again.



And if Lord Davishire was to say anything to Miss Jillian Treyburn, the words were lost on him as he found himself staring, quite awe-filled, at the sudden love confession from Lord Arrant to his wife. ANd had he known better, he might have tried to hide his blush as he watched the pair and loosened his wolfish grip upon Jillian's arm.

[Caerina]

Valentina suddenly realized where they were and withdrew her lips from his, a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Everyone's watching." her voice a whisper, as she looked up to his eyes. She knew he was a private man, and kissing in the middle of a huge ballroom full of people he mostly disliked, was most surely not like him. To her, it didn't really matter where they were, but she was worried he would get to regret this tomorrow.

[kleineklementine]

Well, at least Davishire was taken care of, Avery thought as he watched his surly companion swoop in and usher the girl away from the ensuing melee. But things only seemed to be heating up and a Scene was rapidly building. So, deciding Davishire could take care of himself for a bit, Avery decided instead to come to the aid of the unfortunate Lord Draven.

"Let's move her somewhere less chaotic, shall we?" he asked as he approached the 'dancing partners.' Boy, was she a giant, though! All the better Avery came to help; he doubted Edward would be able to move the girl on his own. "You take her shoulders, I'll very carefully take the other end," he offered, a tad nervously, and very cautiously looped his arms around Janette's knees, staying very mindful of her dress! and helped Edward remove the poor, drunk, passed out girl from the scene.

Avery, Edward, and Janette exit to the music room.

[kleineklementine]

"What isn't the matter?" was Riley's surly response to his uncle's question. As the scene progressed, though, his confidence in adults to be have... well... adult, continued to flag. Then, to his horror, another stranger was attending to Janette. It was mortifying! That's what Trevian had been meant to be doing, instead of causing this huge scene just because he could never pass up a chance to flirt! It was all so frustrating!

Well, maybe it was up to him to be the responsible one after all. He heaved a huge, exaggerated, frustrated sigh and not a word to Oscar, Riley stomped off again. But he was far too ashamed to face Lord Edward now, so though he followed the odd trio of Edward, Avery, and the unconscious Janette out of the room, he kept his distance lest Edward spot him!

[Vivi]

In Oscar's opinion, it seemed that Trevian had lost this round. With a hefty blow such as that and the very public display of affection from his suitor and her husband, it was difficult to see how he could possibly bounce back from it. Honestly, what was the trouble with Treyburns and their dramas with married women? Whether they intended it or not, it all seemed to end in tears.

He was perfectly ready to agree with his young nephew, but clearly the boy didn't want to hear it. Still wrapped up in his own foul mood, Riley fled with little more than a few snappy words and before his uncle could call him back. At least he was heading away with other... well, he hesitated to say responsible adults, but they were adults at least. So long as he didn't throw liquor on Janette, it would hopefully be fine.

The only problem now was Trevian, standing smack in the centre of his own mess with a blossoming bruise to match Oscar's, dumbfounded and maybe a little defeated. He had yet to react properly, and it occurred to him that now was probably a good idea to save his brother from himself. He approached gingerly, one of the few people daring to move in the shellshocked ballroom, laying a hand on his brother's arm.

"Maybe you should step back, brother." He muttered, with a slightly embarrassed glance towards the embracing couple. His voice was pitched low, hoping for discretion, for some way to salvage this bloody situation. "You look like you need a drink - and maybe some ice for that jaw..."

[If I'm jumping in too soon, please let me know, and I'll edit it!]

[visualspice]

Leif kissed her again, despite her words.
"I don't care," he breathed, holding onto her face as he pressed his forehead to hers. "I've been a fool," he whispered. "And I'm sorry I can't be a better man but my words are true, Valentina, by Angsar's will they are. I do love you. And I am sorry. For everything."

[Ivory]

Trevian's expression shifted from amazement -- this was, after all, not how these things usually turned out -- to humor, as he clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder and laughed quietly.  "Well, I was going to suggest everyone kiss and make up, but it seems they beat me to it."

In spite of his immediate desire to return to blow, his blood had been cool enough in the first place to let matters lie: after all, there was little more terrifying to a lady of society than to have two gorillas fight over her.

And, anyway, this was her husband -- and Trevian was not one to fight -- physically or otherwise -- for the affections of a lady who clearly did not want to give them.

"Are you buying?" he inquired cheerfully of his brother.

Audric exhaled softly, relieved as the situation diffused itself and, suddenly, feel a bit awkward standing so close to the pair.  He wondered if he should remind them they were in the middle of a crowded room, but, as their affection seemed to be drawing more romantic sighs from some of the ladies and men alike, he thought it best to just leave them.  They'd remember they were in public eventually!

[Vivi]

Oscar visibly relaxed, his relief palpable now that Trevian didn't seem to be reacting negatively. On the contrary, he actually found it rather funny, and Oscar couldn't help but chuckle along, even if his own laughter was a little weak. "Looks like it." He glanced again towards the couple, who didn't seem to be settling down any time soon. It was not, however, something he was all too worried about. Let them make their scene, someone would break them up eventually.

"It's a party, brother, since when have we had to buy?" He stepped away from the epicenter with a wave of his arm, indicating the small army of servants (who were still staring). "Just point out what you want and I'll fetch it for you." And some ice, he added to himself, waving over a maidservant to relay the message, probably a lot of ice.

He kept moving as far from notice as he could conceivably get, already starting with a stream of worried patter. "Honestly, Trevian, I don't know how our family survived this long." At his elbow, the maidservant reappeared almost out of thin air, bobbing a curtsy. "Oh wonderful, thank you. I mean-" He continued, handing over the ice with the air of a fussing mother hen. "-Chaos seems to follow us just about everywhere! I'd say it's ridiculous but... well. It's probably par for the course, actually. How's your face?"

[Ivory]

"Are we at a party?  I must have been hit harder than I thought to be so disoriented..."  Trevian feigned cheerfully (and not at all convincingly) as he accepted the ice.  He pressed the pack against his jaw with a little bit of a shiver as the cool sensation passed sensation passed over his skin.

"Really, Oscar, you needn't hover.  Had the lady taken offense and slapped me, the damage would have been far worse."  That wasn't entirely true; Leif Arrant had one hell of a right hook.  "Nothing bruised but my ego."  Also not entirely true.

He gestured to the couple with his free hand.  "I'm happy for them, really.  It's a nice ending -- usually, they just drag their girlfriends or wives or what-have-you off the dance floor like a piece of property.  But beating the hell out of the other man, then sweeping the lady off her feet?"  Trevian grinned broadly.  "That's a great move."

[Caerina]

Leif kissed her again, despite her words.
"I don't care," he breathed, holding onto her face as he pressed his forehead to hers. "I've been a fool," he whispered. "And I'm sorry I can't be a better man but my words are true, Valentina, by Angsar's will they are. I do love you. And I am sorry. For everything."

After everything she had heard in the gardens perhaps it was silly, but Valentina trusted him. Although so many things in their marriage were fake and planned, and their whole relationship a lie for the society, she couldn't help but see hope that in the future that will change.

"I believe you." she finally said, and then remembering the words she forgot to say the last time she continued "I believe you, because I love you and I'll be here no matter what happens." her words were quiet and for him only. A gentle smile was now on her lips, while the tears still weren't dried from her face.