He waited until he heard the door close and her footsteps fade before he proceeded to change clothes. He wore one of the more casual suits from his wardrobe seeing as he doubted too many people from school would dress up much-if they showed up at all. As a rule, it tended to be better to over dress rather than under dress, but at the same time the last thing Horatio wanted was to look like a pretentious rich kid. The only thing he couldn't help was how damn fine he looked in a suit, though that probably had something to do with the exceptional tailoring and quality material as much as it did with his own dashing good looks.

Once dressed he made his way through the hall and to the large ball-room area where nearly all the guests had by now gathered. It was a classic large room with a grand staircase entrance that likely resided in every little girl's dreams, from the glittering chandelier in the ceiling to the plush carpet that cascaded down the stairs and to the polished hardwood of the main room.

As soon as Mrs. Aetis, Horatio's mother, spotted him, she took a few steps up the stairs and clinked her glass of champagne for everyone's attention. "Ladies and Gentlemen" she spoke once everyone had quieted down. Her own attire was both stunning and perhaps just slightly too young for her but she filled in the sequined navy dress quite nicely all the same. "The guest of honor has arrived," she turned to look at Horatio as he made his way down the stairs, "My dear son, Horatio Aetis"

People clapped and Horatio, contrary to his usual attitude greeted the room with a wide smile, "Thank you all for coming, my apologies for my delay but I couldn't decide between the red tie or blue one. Do tell me, did I make the right choice?" he pointed to his tie, which was definitely black. A few people laughed at his little blind joke-those that knew him well enough were happy to giggle at it while anyone else might just feel awkward at the jest to his blindness. Something that he secretly enjoyed doing to others. "Oh come now, tell me I'm not speaking to an empty room. Though it wouldn't be the first time-this is the right hall, isn't it mother?" that bit of encouragement prodded the rest to relax and there was more laughter this time.

With his little greeting aside Horatio finished counting the stairs down to the main level and soon found himself being escorted into the crowd. He certainly knew how to be charming if it really came to it, he would smile and joke and greet new people with enthusiasm but none of it was more than just skin deep. He would have much rather spent the evening by himself and his irritation and boredom was relevant in his eyes-fortunately no one really knew how to read blind eyes, so they tended to ignore the signs and focus on his smile instead.

Just before the welcoming, the white haired millionaire arrived. He tucked himself away in a corner, but the moment his face appeared in the crowd, a man picked him up. The two discussed his business. Everyone was always interested in making deals and joining his firm. This guy was no exception. He wanted his son to get a job interview there. Serk, not wanting to seem rude, gratefully accepted the idea and asked the guy to spew off a few reasons why his son was so desirable. The more he listened, the more he agreed that the kid would be excellent on the team. With a good, firm handshake, the men went their separate ways.

It was at that moment that the green-haired man at the party rejoined his master, Serk.

"Calister, is that..." his voice trailed off as his eyes moved across the sea of invitees. He didn't need his butler to answer for he knew it was just who he thought. "My, my," his hand moved to his hair, "things are rather interesting, aren't they." Noticing the exchange between the two men, Serk stepped back out into the lobby between the house and the garage. He knew what was coming and wanted to be ready for it.

Calister, as if on cue, waited until the situation aligned flawlessly. Sure enough, everyone he wanted to trap fell right into place. With a hair-thin needle grazing the line that drew up the mighty chandelier, he watched as it came clashing down. Jumping away, he pulled Horatio away from the disaster that waited for him. "We need to move you," he said while looking toward Cimmeria and her partner. His yellow orbs flickered to Constance. "Come with me, I need someone to open the door. We need to check and make sure no glass marred up his skin."

With Calister whisking Horatio and Constance away, it was Serk's turn to step in and add a bit of a distraction to the scene. Running into the mess caused by the crystal object, he started to pull people away from the shards of glass. "Quickly, quickly," he instructed, "I'm sure it was just a fre-" he stopped mid-sentence. "A... a... a bullet?" His hands picked up the small shell that was wedged into the wood beside the string that once held the chandelier in place. "How odd," he mused. "Looks like we had a failed assassination attempt." Taking some of the richer visitors at the party into the garage, which was located underground (meaning safer), he tried to herd up everyone to ensure all were okay. "Mrs. Aetis, I assure you, your son is safe. I saw Calister, my most trusted butler, take him away. I'm a bit peeved that he's more worried about your son, but I suppose it cannot be helped." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Once the coast is cleared, I'll reunite you. Until then," he turned to address everyone, "we need to keep safe and stay hunkered down here until the cops arrive."

While Serk was controlling the masses, Cimy and her partner were left to pursue Calister, Constance, and Horatio up the stairs. Once into the empty room, Calister placed the blind boy into the bed. Moving quickly to the windows, he slammed them shut, which happened to coincide with Cimy's partner slamming and locking the door.

"They're all yours." With a bow, he stepped away and guarded the door. A smirk playing on his face the whole time.

It would be easy to say that Constance wasn't fond of the male's bossy attitude; he may have had a party to attend to and she was impeding on him getting ready, but in her mind he could have been much more polite in getting her to leave. The red head would have slammed the door as she left were it not for a couple of maids walking towards the room as she left. With a sigh, she made her way to the room Horatio had told her had extra clothes that should fit her.

Well, I'll show him that way, she thought to herself as she closed the spare bedroom door behind her as she bee-lined for the wardrobe. She was going to find the trashiest (tacky would be the proper word, but she wasn't aware of that) thing to wear to the party to embarrass him, but her eyes landed on a red silk-like dress that went over one shoulder and split at the other leg. It was pretty in her mind and after seeing that, she had no interest to look at anything else so she pulled that on and slipped on a pair of flats that she had in her bag before heading down to join the rest of the party before Horatio.

There was a very large crowd and it looked like very few from school had joined the fray which left Constance to her self as she leaned against one of the white pillars in the large ballroom. She watched people mill about, not really paying attention to them though her gaze shifted upon a woman announcing Horatio's entrance. She found his jokes to be 'lame' and something used to bring those fake laughs from business people. "No wonder no one from school showed up," she said under her breath as she crossed her arms under her chest.

It was shortly after that the whole party seemed to fall to chaos. The massive chandelier at the roof of the ballroom came crashing down, Constance running from the shards that exploded every which way only to fall not to far beyond. As her body regained the painful air that had been forced from her, her gaze traveled upward to where she met the golden eyes of a green haired male. For whatever reason, Constance saw no reason to argue with the male as she scrambled to her feet, running after the two. Once upstairs and locked away with the male, Horatio, and two others her brows furrowed.

"What do you mean we're all theirs?" She spat at the male as her ruby colored eyes narrowed to glare at him.

A noise, an unfamiliar and strange noise touched Horatio's ears, it sounded like a chink, the breaking of a chain or something perhaps. It was that noise that seemed to start the chaos because next thing he knew he was being tackled by someone. Letting out a sharp cry of surprise he found himself completely off balance and plummeting to the floor, only to be caught and steadied again by unknown hands.

"Horatio!" screeched Mrs. Aetis in horror, instantly trying to push through the crowd towards her son but he was being pulled away too quickly.

"What happened?!" Horatio demanded, "I am not a porcelain doll, just explain it to me!" he spoke in protest while being whisked away. Soon he found himself plopped into a bed that was clearly now his own. He wasn't even entirely sure what part of the house they were in, it felt like one of the spare rooms but was it the ones of the east or west wing? It had happened in such haste that he hadn't been able to pay proper attention.

"My son" Mrs. Aetis protested Serk as he herded them away, "Is he... Oh very well." she seemed rather irritated by him, but all the same grateful to know Horatio would be okay, "It'll be your head if there's harm to him though!" she pointed right in Serk's face.

The girl known only as the Cimmerian took a step forward into the room, her sadistic eyes taking everything in. "Smooth boys" she commended, taking the simple wooden chair from the desk and spinning it around so she could sit on it backwards and face them. Her attire was an assortment of reds and oranges, rather giving her the appearance of being on fire. Even her hair had been died a very dark red and her dark skin could have been thought to be burnt brown.

Her gaze moved from the sight of the boring boy to the more interesting female, though it was probably just the dress that had caught her eye, "Nice dress" she complimented Constance, "You won't have to worry about blood stains in something like that" girl talk had never really been her thing. "And he means simply, that we need to have a little chat with you two. You see, there's been some funny business going on around here and we want to get to the bottom of it" she watched closely for their reactions. Horatio seemed to quiet pretty quickly at any rate, "You know" Cimmerian continued, "things you can't quite explain. Sometimes other people dismiss them but you know it was more than that. It was something you did, you caused..."

Calister shifted as he exchanged a glance with Cimmerian's partner. He didn't really have anything to add, but he did like the idea of demonstrating. His eyes flickered and, for a brief moment, a pair of fangs protruded over his lips. A flash of terror was enough to make Constance understand just what Cimy was referring to. There was no way this girl wouldn't get it now, that is if she didn't understand before.

A man donned in all black with glowing red eyes and pretty white skin sent Calister a smirk. "Any thoughts on what Cimmerian had to say. Have you noticed anything strange?" His boots clicked against the hardwood floor. Draping his hand over the back of Cimy's chair, he paused before sending Horatio a cold glare. Even if he was blind, he would probably feel the eyes of hatred on him. It was just something those red eyes of him did. It was fun to torment those who thought they weren't able to be tormented.

"If you don't start talking, you do know they'll feed you to me. You see, I haven't had blood in a week." His fangs reappeared. "Better hurry up before I get... lustful." A pair of laughs were exchanged between the raven and the green-haired man. Were they brothers? Related? Just friends? Clearly their dynamics had more to them than meets the eye.

Cimmy had been certain to stay vague enough as to not mention what their powers might be, but clear enough to suggest that they knew more than they actually did. It was a sort of bluff tactic, much like a horoscope, if people believed enough in it they would find themselves finding connections that weren't really there. It might not have been as much fun as the 'scare it out of them' approach, but it was certainly an effective one.

It was certainly working on Horatio, he shifted uncomfortably, wondering just how much they new, how long they may have been watching. Did they know about the book? It stood to reason that he wouldn't be the only person in the world who could do such an incredible thing. He felt like they were likely staring at him expectantly so finally he spoke, a little timidly, "... Can you do it as well?"

"Something of the sort" a triumphant grin spread across Cimmerian's face, "Everyone's a little different. How much have you figured out about your own ability? Any control yet?"

Horatio shook his head, "You can control it? How?" now he was interested, "it just seems to happen"

"It takes time" Cimmy replied, not realizing how ironic the comment was.

Horatio couldn't help but laugh a little, he thought she'd made the joke on purpose, "Time I have. Too much of it I think." When he was met with silence he added uncertainly, "because... I can... stop time..." Cimmy's eyes widened, clearly indicating that she had never heard of such a power before, "I can see when I do it to" Horatio added, "is there a way to maybe... keep my sight from there somehow?"

An exchange went between Calister and Reaper, the man dressed in black. "The limits of such powers is unknown. They are still new to this world. Time control, although not common, isn't rare by any means. Ever have a moment in time where everything slows around you and you can't describe why? Another person was probably slowing time. The stronger the bond, the wider the radius." His arms crossed over his chest before he moved beside Constance. "What about you, missy. What's your secret?" Those red orbs of his looked deep into her soul. If he had the power to read minds, he would have. But rather, he would just coax her into submission and have her talk. Granted, if that didn't work, the knife that he was twirling between his fingers might be the perfect motivation to speak. "Well...?" He was growing bored, as was Calister.

Constance kept up her brave face as she glared down the woman that spoke with and questioned them. Her calm look slowly became a scowl as she her red eyes bore into the woman as she questioned them noticing things that were out of the ordinary, that they couldn't explain. A sound behind her drew her gaze to Horatio as he seemed uneasy which only caused the redhead to furrow her brow further. Even with the intimidating look from the new male, Constance kept her glare up. "I have no reason to talk to you guys about anything and besides, it's not like you guys can do-" Constance was cut off by the green haired male's words and appearance change.

Glare falling, the woman stared at the trio wide eyed; just who and what were they?! Hortaio started speaking shortly after, whipping her head around she went to tell him to not say anything, but it seemed that he and the woman were in their own world which left Constance with the two male's before her. She watched the black haired male move and even though he didn't show off any fangs, he still held the more intimidating appearance between the two.

As he approached her and took his place beside her, Constance turned to keep the armed male in front of her, her stance wide in the dress causing the part in the material to fall over her right leg, exposing it up to her mid thigh. "Even if I had a secret," she spat out at the male, "It's not like I would tell you anyway."

A panic swelled slightly in the woman as she couldn't watch both men at the same time and she had no idea what the other would do. "I don't see what all this has to do with the party anyway," she then uttered, though her words were not as strong as before. Constance's head was starting to hurt and it was distracting her from the situation at hand. It was making it more difficult to be aware of what people were doing and the pain was spreading quickly. It wasn't the first time it happened; it actually wasn't uncommon for the woman to suffer from headaches whenever she started stressing or became fearful, it was something that she had been seeking medical assistance for some time over, though so far with no luck as to a cure.

She tried to will the pain away but it wasn't working; she was a stresser. The more she fought the pain the fuzzier her vision became; she was actually feeling nauseous as well, her body being hit with hot and cold flashes as she slowly started to lose her balance. Though she refused to lose her footing, Constance was no longer looking at the men and was physically wobbling slightly.

It was a nice act but it was an act nonetheless. Reaper's crimson eyes watched her every move. There was nothing those orbs couldn't see. He noticed the sweat start to dot her brows. He saw her head wrinkle and move, as if to make a sudden pain go away. As her ears moved up and down in her attempt to regain composure, Reaper picked up on her sudden wobbling. Reaching out a hand, he steadied her. Not a word came from his lips.

"I didn't peg this one as a fainter," Calister casually remarked, noticing her change in behavior. "I didn't find you that intimidating, Reap."

A chuckle came from Reaper's direction. "I don't think she's fainting. It just appears that our fiery miss has herself one hell of a headache." Despite Constance's best efforts, the raven guided her to the bed where Horatio still sat. "How long have you had these," he questioned. Before she could answer, his hands were all over her. They moved through her hair and across her face. His slender fingers drew down her nose and circled around her eyes before returning to the base of her head. Hands sliding over her neck and over to her shoulders, he continued to massage the woman. The amount of pressure he applied was enough to hurt, but it was also just enough to numb the pain. The repetition was enough to lull someone into a sleep. His hands, although cold at first, warmed right up. If she breathed in deep enough, she might smell a hint of peppermint (or some form of mint) on his hands, or rather, his body.

Finally releasing his hands, he stepped back and gave the redhead a good once over. A light pat on the head was given before he moved to the window. A look of boredom overcame his features. Gazing out the window, he saw the police arrive. He also saw Serk move out to inform them of everything.

"We probably only have five more minutes. So let's wrap things up, okay?" Using the glass as a mirror, he looked at Cimmerian and nodded, signalling that the police had arrived and would soon be up to question them.

Constance glared at the male, 'Reap' as she heard the other guy call him, as he guided her towards the bed. With her head hurting as much as it was though, the glare was short lived as another spike brought yet another look of agony to her face. She wanted to fight and pull away from him and in her mind she had, though she knew the noodle version of her in reality was doing nothing more than being pulled along to wherever people wanted her at that point.

After she had been laid down, hands started dancing across her body. She could no longer see straight or really make much of anything out so it felt as though there were an army of people feeling her over. Her vision had become so muddled that at this point she had settled for closing her eyes and focused on willing the headaches away. Of course, with the headaches at their peak the hot and cold flashes got worse and the blood seemed to drain from her face. She could barely hear the male ask how long they had been going on and she wanted to retort that it was none of his business, but she lay there silently, her breathing shallow.

The dance the male's hands made across her face before moving down were calming and seemed to numb the pain going on within her skull enough to get her breathing patterns a bit more normal, though still somewhat shallow and labored. Not too long after he started, Constance felt her conscious drifting away until she fell asleep, the pain not seeming to bother her though it was still present.

"Constance?" Horatio turned his head towards her with concern. He was no longer paying attention to anyone else. Feeling the change of weight in the bed he reached over to her and... well, accidentally the first thing he reached was her breast. "Con...stance?" he questioned again, quickly realizing and moving his hand to her arm, nudging her lightly, "What happened? Are you okay? What did you do to her?!" he demanded.

Cimmerian met Reaper's gaze in the reflection of the glass, she did not look happy with what would have to happen next. She had seen many people's reactions to their little recruitment shpeal and a fainter plus a panicked blind kid were not high on her list of favourites. "It's time to go" the red clad woman rose from her chair, "Horatio, if you ever hope to control this ability of yours, you have to come with us now."

"What about Constance?" the blind boy demanded, still holding onto her arm. He didn't look ready to let her go anytime soon. Even though they hadn't really gotten along in the past didn't change his concern for her. In truth, it had almost been nice to have someone be so infuriatingly interested in him. Despite the attempts to shake the girl, she was ever persistent in pursuing his friendship and... well, he might have begun to enjoy it, just a little, not that he would ever admit to it.

"She isn't one of us" Cimmy stated plainly, "she stays behind." there wasn't much room for some fainting little girl with no powers in their organization.

Horatio seemed hesitant, Constance hadn't seemed to keen on trusting these people, even though they appeared to know what they were doing. Perhaps, however, she merely saw something in them he did not? In more ways than the obvious that was. His fingers clung to Constance's wrist, he wanted to go and learn but he didn't want to go alone. "Can't I just have some time to think about it?" he asked.

"Sorry kid" Cimmy shook her head, "now or never" of course, it was really only the illusion of choice. Either he chose to come in with them or they knocked him out and dragged him in. The latter tended to be much less pleasant for the new recruit and often involved some heavy use of narcotics and brain-washing techniques that Cimmy didn't really want to think about.

"Well what sort of choice is that?" Horatio demanded, "My parents do not even know and I refuse to go anywhere with you lot if it is without Constance."

"I'll carry Constance," Calister piped up and found himself moving toward the bed. Slipping his hands beneath her slumberous body, he easily lifted her into his arms. "I've got a story worked out for this one too." His yellow orbs flicked to Reaper who seemed to agree with the green-haired man's plan.

"Very reasonable. Serk will play into it nicely too. You'll just say you know where the girl lives and are taking her home. As far as us? We'll vanish for a bit. Horatio, since you know Constance, you can tell your folks that you want to make sure she's well. You'll ride back with Calister and Serk. We'll all rendezvous at Serk's mansion." His red eyes moved to Cimmeria to make sure she was okay with the plan. Even if she wasn't, she couldn't really argue. It was a sound plan that wouldn't cause much alarm.

The moment before a knock came, the pair slipped outside and perched below the window, listening to everything exchanged between the cops and Calister.

"Hello, officers. I'm afraid this young miss fainted in the confusion and bustle. Her good friend Horatio here wanted to make sure she was well and dandy, hence us being up here away from the crowd. Sadly, her condition hasn't changed much so we're going to bring her home." Around that time, footsteps came to the edge of the door. It sounded like maybe three of them - Serk and Horatio's parents were a logical guess.

"See," Serk's voice came, "I told you he would be just fine. Calister would never let-- heavens, what happened to her?" Serk stepped forward to inspect Constance. "Is she injured?" His butler's head informed him otherwise. "Ah, overdone it with the excitement." His blue orbs moved to Horatio. "Do you know where your friend lives? We can drop her off, if you'd like." His eyes flicked to the parents. "Assuming you're okay with this."

For not knowing the plan whatsoever, Serk was following everything perfectly. Why, he was even looking for a way to remove the parents from the situation, as well as the cops. "Nonsense," he waved his hand at the cops, "Calister is a licensed First Aid giver. If she needs any help, he can assist. I don't detect any injuries. I'm thinking she's just fatigued. College, a party, and a murderous attempt. Yes, I think I would curl up and nap, too.:

Cimmerian gave a nod of agreement and then decidedly kept to the back of the crowd. She didn't like getting involved with parents or authority figures-she would if she had to but with any luck she'd be able to blend in the background for this one.

"Horatio!" exclaimed the overly dramatic Mrs. Aetis as she rushed over to her son and embraced him, "Are you alright?" she instantly began looking him over for any trace of ill wear. "You aren't going out anywhere tonight! You're staying right here at home with us where it's safe," She had always fussed over him far more than need be and while he had learned to simply stand still and let it pass, the boy was in no mood for that today.

"stop" Horatio demanded though when she didn't listen he pushed her away from himself which definitely startled the poor woman, "Enough!" he snapped, "As much as you may not wish to admit it, I am old enough to make my own decisions and one of those decisions include me leaving, tonight. I cannot say how long I will be out but unless these gentlemen of the law have reason to arrest me then there is nothing that can be done about it." he stepped to the wall and stormed down the hallway with his hand trailing along the wall for minor guidance.

"Young man," Horatio's father spoke sternly, "That is no way to speak to your mother and-"

"And you will simply have to deal with that" Horatio retorted before disappearing around the corner, leaving his parents in quite a state of shock. Up until that point he had had nowhere else to turn. Now however, there were people with answers which meant that finally he could leave. It wasn't as though it was the worst place in the world to live but rather Horatio was finished with that chapter of his life some time ago and he was due to move on. So he headed outside and waited for the rest to catch up.

An exchange between Serk and Calister followed the commentary between the boy and his parents. Serk slipped into a bow and offered his apologizes for sweeping his son away from the night. He explained that no harm would come to him and, if needed, they could call to confirm that Horatio was okay. Even though they weren't pleased with the situation, who were they to argue. There boy was already long gone.

Calister moved next and followed after the blind boy. Taking his hand, the butler escorted him to the car that he arrived in. Buckling Constance in, he instructed that Horatio sit beside her and see if he can get her to stir. Around that time, the white-haired billionaire was making his way to the car. Taking shotgun, he looked over his shoulder at the kids in the backseat. Just as he opened his mouth, Reaper and Cimmy appeared. "I thought I smelled you, R-" an elbow moved into his chest. Calister was behind it and Serk gave him a raised brow.

"Reaper and Cimmerian are coming with us." He said no more. Once they were all in the car, he awaited instructions. "Our place? Or have you somewhere else in mind, Cimmerian?"

As everyone headed off to follow Horatio, Cimmerian trailed behind with Reaper on the way to the car, "I'm not sure what you're thinking about all this Reaper" she commented quietly as not to be overheard, "but there isn't a happy ending coming those two. The girl will likely be sent to testing-if they can make something of her she may live and the boy, should he refuse to cooperate at any point, will be locked away as they toy with his mind. This is what happens to new recruits, they don't see the light of day for months or even years." her eyes seemed to trail aside, lost somewhere in the past for a moment and her shadow danced in the moonlight in protest of her thoughts.

Turning her gaze back on track she looking at Reaper again, "if we're gonna stand a chance, we'll need backup and who better to recruit than those the company don't have their hooks into yet?"

((Should I edit my last post? I have all of them in the car. Not sure Cimy wants to have this conversation in front of everyone.))

((Well... where are they going in the car?))

((To Serk's mansion, I assume so they can figure out what side Hor's on. Constance is getting dragged along as she's unconscious and Hor requested it.))

((M'kay. I was thinking they would head straight to the government guys XD which she didn't want to do before talking to REaper. so... my bad))

The drive was rather peaceful. Reaper ignored Cimy's previous comments as he was too busy trying to figure out just what she was hinting at. Would he really turn the kids in to be tortured like he was? It hardly seemed right, especially for some so young. Luckily, they arrived at the large mansion and were soon moving.

"Can I get any of you something to drink? I can put on some tea. I also have some pastries to much on while you talk." Vanishing into the kitchen, he didn't return until later with a silver tray full of delectable looking foods and fine china full of rich, black tea. "If I can be of any further service, just ring the bell." Bowing, he left.

The room was now full of only Serk, Reaper, the two kids, and Cimmerian. Reaper stood at attention behind his redheaded partner and Serk sat in his lovely cushioned chair. Horatio and Constance were popped on the couch that sat between two end tables with expensive looking lamps. Before them was a fireplace and a wall of books to each side. Serk's chair was tucked in a corner to their right while Cimmerian and Reaper had their backs exposed to the main lobby. Drumming his fingers on the back of her chair, he impatiently waited for Constance to stir. Surely she would for the scent of sweet food filled the air.

Being unconscious like this was an unexpected trait for the normally wild woman, but Constance's current condition never seemed to last as long as it would for other people that were more prone to it. Part was through the car ride, the woman actually came through but she held firm. She could feel Horatio was there; she never opened her eyes to confirm that thought, she just knew he was there. She could also tell there were others there as well, though she was exactly sure anything beyond that fact.

When they arrived to their destination, it would be an understatement to say that Constance had a hard time in not blowing her cover. Must be the ninja, she kept telling herself as she fought to maintain her lack of compsure, for as much sense that made.

There was one voice that spoke up that she recognized and it mentioned bringing in food. At that point her hand twitched suddenly and as she mentally cursed herself, her brow furrowed once again. She could hear a little while later, that a tray was set down before the footsteps that set it down faded back into the distance. Must be the ninja, she kept trying to tell herself until the smell of the pastries was just too much for her.

Constance opened the eye nearest the treats first and peaked at them. The sweets were beautiful, their own work of art and something she had actually never seen before. With that in mind, she flung from her faux slumber and landed on the floor beside the table in a rather ungraceful manner, which was a pity for the beautiful dress she had on.

The woman quickly nabbed up a few of the pastries and began munching on them when she finally lifted her red orbs to land on the male sitting in the corner. Gasping, the woman had a stricken look on her face as she jut a finger at the man. Her action caused the platter to rattle, throwing a few of the pastries onto the floor. This was his fault. Glaring at the male, Constance greedily picked up the fallen morsels before retreating back to her seat next to Horatio. She sat with her face facing the back of the couch, her back to the stranger.

"I have nothing to say to you," she darkly spit at the male before turning her attention back towards the back of the couch. At that point, she went back to eating the pastries, her senses on high alert as she tried to keep some piece of her mind to knowing what the three strangers were doing.

Horatio allowed them to guide him to the room, though he did keep a hand on Constance the whole way, not wanting them to try and trick him into taking her away. The smell of food filled the air and he felt his stomach give a bit of a growl, he hadn't had much time to grab any food at the party to be honest. Or rather, when he had, somebody had already made a massacre of the cheese platter.

It was a bit startling when his friend flopped out of his reach onto the floor with a less than graceful sounding thud. "Constance?!" Horatio reached for her, but the sounds of her munching on food already were reaching his ears. He sighed and sat back again, shaking his head before reaching out to take a couple of the sweets for himself as well.

Of course those sweets soon ended up on the floor as Constance's next outburst startled the boy. "What are you talking about Constance?" he demanded, "Who are you talking about? And why?" Who else had joined their party without his realization? And why was she so adamant that he was trouble?




Cimmerian took a seat in a rather comfortable looking red chair and leaned back, crossing her legs as she watched their two new companions with calculating eyes. She wasn't entirely convinced that Constance had been passed out the entire time, particularly when she sprang up out of nowhere to fill her mouth with goodies.

Cimmy rolled her eyes a little, this girl was eccentric and would probably only get in the way... and yet, a bit of a grin tugged at her ruby lips. As troublesome as it might be, Cimmy loved eccentric people. That grin faded upon Constance's reaction to their comrade in the corner and Cimmy glanced between her and the man, "And what exactly is your problem with him?" she inquired, rather disliking the effect that Constance's skepticism was having on Horatio.

It sure was interesting to see how this woman reacted to their presence. With how she wolfed down the treats offered, one might have thought she would be more hospitable. Around this point, Reaper was stepping away from his location and moving closer to the greedy woman. Hand firmly clutching the last of the pastries, his dangerous eyes dared to edge the girl on. Would she jump at him for such a treat? Or would she merely back off for "she hand nothing to say to him?" Reaper couldn't help but tease the idea more so he seductively licked his chops, tongue gleaming over his pearly whites. Before opening his mouth, he made a sucking sound that was caused by him pulling air between his teeth. Firmly lower his jaw into the juicy treat, the raven just watched as Constance's eyes said it all. She was nothing but a whiny, spoiled brat.

"It's fine if you despise me dear but please do not toy with me. If I find you useless, then you'll simply be removed. And then what will happen to your dear comrade? Do you really want his fate resting in your naughty hands?" Turning away, he smirked. "So think twice before you doom your friend. Your every action will determine his life." Drawing a dagger of sorts from the back of his boot, he twirled it lightly in the air. It glistened and shimmered as the dim light caught it. "It would be a shame, wouldn't it? You just couldn't save the one you wanted to protect. Oh, don't worry. Your story would be glorious. We'd paint you in such a pretty light. And when you just don't know how to live with yourself, I'll be there. And I'll plunge this dagger through your selfish, rotten heart." His venomous tone was vile enough to cause even Serk to sink lower into his chair. If there was one man you didn't mess with, it would be Reaper.

Noticing that the atmosphere had changed from standoffish to brooding in a matter of seconds, Serk cleared his throat before leaning forward. "Reap is a man of his words. If you have anything to share, I suggest you do it now."

Constance's eyes bounced between Horatio and the only other woman that was in the room with them. She rose a brow towards the woman, her back twisted so that she could make eye contact with her. "Clearly I have nothing wrong with my friend," she spat out. "You people on the other hand, well that's a different story." She blatanly rolled her eyes at the woman before returning to her snacks, offer Horatio one as well.

It was hard to tell if Constance was really that brave or just too oblivious for her own good; in reality though, it was the latter of the two. Such a thing could be seen as Reaper, the man that had frightened the skinny woman earlier, approached her once again. She ignored him at first, with a full belly, she was back to her usual self, though a bit rebellious at this point. How long had it been since I last ate, she thought to herself just as the man started talking to her.

She rolled her bright red eyes to the corner, to watch him a it, but did not turn to give him her full attention. When he was done with his little speech and just as the other male started talking, Constance let loose her last snack and sent it flying at the scary-looking guy. When the other man across the room finished talking, only then did Constance turn around to sit facing him.

"Anything to share?" She rolled her eyes at the guy as she questioned him. "I think you have it backwards dude. What would we have to share with the likes of those that kidnapped us for no reason, hmmm?" Yup, Constance was definitely just not so bright.

"We didn't kidnap you, sweetheart. You passed out and your friend, being blind, couldn't aid you much. Serk here has some of the best tools and toys for awakening the fainted. Figured we should try them on you. From the look of things, it worked. Calister is a fine chef and it's likely you will be craving more of his treats upon your leave." Waving a hand toward the door, Reaper lost his interest in the girl and decided perhaps the boy was better suited for the job. Then again, neither sounded much fun. He would much rather be out doing his own thing. With a sigh pursing his lips, he turned to the redhead before him. "Feel free to jump in any time. I just love babysitting Princess Cakes."