Young Writers Society

I could not help but smile at the effect I had had on Lorcan, but as a gentleman, I did not press the matter.

''Nobody here knows. I've been making my rounds, and no-one is the wiser.
I am sorry to tell you that simply asking around is a waste of time.
It seems the only way to work this one out is through careful observation.''

I took a hearty swig from the glass of wine I had on me.
I had considered the idea that if intoxication had gotten me into this place, perhaps further intoxication could get me out. But somehow I felt as though I had tried it once before, in the dream about the city on the sea, to little avail.
While I could not for the life of me remember this event in anything more than the vaguest of notions, I decided that this time I should try to stay within my natural limits.

''In all honesty I'm simply hoping for the best. If I don't wake up in about, say, the next half hour or so, perhaps then I may worry, but until then I shan't waste my energy fretting about it. If this is a dream, I will wake, and so shall you. If it is not, the author of this puzzle will have left clues in some way or another. I fully intend to deal with him when the time comes.''

As with all my threats, this one was in earnest. If this was not a normal dream, and somebody was behind this, then I did appreciate that they at least had the decency to make a party out of it.
But they were still robbing me of my time, and my time was a precious thing. I would not forget this when I met them.

''Until then, I shall keep you in mind whenever I deduce anything of note. I trust you will remember me likewise.'' I said warmly.

Lorcan wanted to object that dreams tended to actually feel like they were something false and not as real as this experience, and that he had been fully awake prior to ending up here, but realized his argument would fall on deaf ears. Boris was certain that this was just a figment of his imagination. Why that would include other people, Lorcan wasn't so sure.

Maybe it was a coping mechanism, and the time limit was just however long said mechanism would work? On the other hand, Boris might have just wanted to enjoy the party for a little longer. Whatever the case was, he didn't know anything and Lorcan was almost completely sure that Boris was still trying to flirt with him.

"I will," Lorcan awkwardly replied. "It was nice meeting you."

Then he slipped into the crowds, starting to look for any face that he recognized. He found none. But what he did find was what looked to be a growing group of people in the center of the room. Either they all knew each other, or they were in a similar situation and were trying to figure things out. He hesitated before approaching them, unsure of how his appearance would be received.

But did he really have any other options?

He stopped when he reached the edges of the group. "Hello," he said, hoping at least one person would turn to look at him.

And one person did almost immediately after he had spoken.

He found himself nearly getting knocked off his feet by the sudden force of the embrace. "Lorcan!" the stranger exclaimed, and then he realized they weren't a stranger at all - it was Second.

He gladly returned the embrace.

"Raiden!" Taber said, grabbing him immediately and pulling him into a hug. "You look great!" He set Raiden back down, then balanced on his tiptoes as he talked and gestured wildly. "It's been a while since I've seen you, where you've been, have you met my girlfriend yet, I know I talked a little about her in that murder building place, thanks for pulling me out of the window by the way, it was very nice of you!" Taber wheezed and took in a deep breath.

The girlfriend in question looked around, not exactly interested in greeting someone who looked like the victim of a prank. All around her, the crowd steadily grew. Old friends reuniting, new people introducing themselves to each other. All the same story - nobody knew where they were or how they'd gotten here.

Eremia felt uncomfortable being around this many people, particularly while wearing a dress as loud and colorful as hers. She decided to slip over to the table with the punch bowl - it was close enough to Taber, and suddenly the idea of not being sober was compelling. She slipped into the crowd.

Lorcan was clearly not interested. As always, I shrugged it off, and replenished my glass.

My new acquaintances were concerned only with escape, and while I subscribed to the epithet of 'to each his own', I could not help but shake my head at those who could not stop to enjoy the roses. And the free booze. That was, admittedly, a factor.

But lo and behold, I was joined by a lovely young blonde, and what could be seen of her face was no less than intriguing. Perhaps this night would be a lucky one after all.

''It is good to see somebody else take advantage of our mysterious host's hospitality.
I for one believe that whomever devised this elaborate setup deserves to have his reserves run dry, if nothing else.'' I raised my glass in a toast.

''To rebellion.''

This man was clearly impossibly drunk and/or delirious. On the other hand, he was alone, this was a quieter spot, and his state said a lot about the quality of the alcohol. Eremia ladled punch into a glass, resting her scepter against the table. "To rebellion, I suppose," she said, raising her glass before taking a sip.

When he saw the young lady depart from the gathered group he took that as license to do so on his own. He gave Maahes a look.

"I'll be around," he said quietly, before pulling away with finality, his cape fluttering behind him. He departed towards the general area where the girl had fled to, but with no intentions of joining them at the bar as he began to walk past.

The comment took a moment to register. When it did, Maahes reached his hand to grab on his friend - but James was already too far away from him to reach him. He should have guessed something like this would happen. The few times they had met in the past, James had staunchly disliked being around too many people. He was a lone wolf at heart, something that Maahes could understand but couldn't act on himself.

And he felt absolutely horrible for not making him feel more comfortable.


So his new friend apparently already had a friend here, and Asteri wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about that. He wanted to be happy for Second. Finding one of his friends here would have made him ecstatic. From the way that they were hugging each other and excitedly chatting, it seemed like Second and his tall friend were quite close.

But all he could feel was jealousy - jealous that he had someone with him here, someone who knew him and someone he could be himself around. He didn't have that. He just had himself, and he hated when he was his only company.

Especially when he had to hide such a colossal secret.

He decided to leave the group. He had already done it once before, so there was no point in not doing it again. He slipped away so quickly and quietly that he doubted anyone even noticed his absence. He rejoined the rest of the crowd in the room. Some people gave him a wide berth. Maybe they realized the horns didn't attach to his mask like they appeared to, or maybe they were simply intimidated by him.

He eventually found himself standing by the man that had left the group before he did. He didn't mean to. He just ended up there. But now that he was walking near someone who apparently was also lacking friends, he decided to make the best of it. He looked him over, his eyes lingering on the mask that the man was wearing. Was it just a coincidence, or was this man royalty? That was what had happened with Eremia, hadn't it? She had looked the part of a princess, and that was what she had turned out to be.

"That's an interesting mask," he said, gesturing at it with a flick of his hand. He kept his eye on the man's reactions as he continued to speak. "Does it have any symbolism, by any chance? The last person I met here who looked like royalty turned out to be a princess."

James slowed slightly, turning his gaze to the horned fellow. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t know what it looks like,” he said simply, though he knew he sounded a little miffed. It wasn’t directed at the man, though. It was the implication that he was a royal that made his skin crawl.

Well, he must have touched a sore spot. The man sounded more than a little annoyed at the question, but he was known for being an annoyance - ask anyone who knew him, especially after they first met, and they'd be quick to confirm that. Kentaro alone could tell anyone how often he had a tendency to irritate.

"Your mask looks like it has a crown on top," he said. "You should really try looking in the mirror. I haven't myself, but what's there to look at? My whole face is covered by this mask." He pointed at the mask in question.

James could feel his annoyance bubbling up when the man said crown but he decided to save his choice words whoever put him in this getup instead. He took in a quiet breath and calmed himself.

“I suppose the only reason would out of curiosity, of which I am sorely lacking, as far as the details of my costume goes.”

"You're not just a little bit curious?" he asked. Though he hadn't looked in a mirror yet, he had looked down to get a good look at his outfit. He was surprised that this man didn't feel the same way. Each to their own, then.

He held out a hand for the man to shake. He didn't particularly care for the gesture - he didn't see why it was needed in the first place - but Kentaro had said it was the polite thing to do when meeting someone. "I'm Aaron. You?"

Raiden nearly died from Taber's rib crushing hug. When he was put down, he took a very much needed breath of air.
"Well, it's good to see you too Taber! Your girlfriend seems to have run away, but that's okay. Also, uh, I've been in uh...yeah nothing much actually. I've mostly been relaxing at home," he replied, grinning at Taber. He patted him on his shoulder.
"Quick question, how long has it been since that weird murder building place for you?"

James hesitated for a second, having to stop himself from saying his duplicate fake name. He shook Aaron's hand.

"James."

The moment James finished shaking his hand, he brought it back to his side. There was no need to drag the introductions out. He slipped his hands into his pockets and found the closest thing he could lean against - an elegant chair. He rested against the chair's arm and looked over at James. "What do you remember last before you got here?" he questioned, studying the man across from him. "I remember being with my brother."

A brother who must have been worried sick about him. A brother who would have known that he would never leave the house, especially when it was the middle of the day. A brother who would be calling everyone they knew, demanding them for answers they couldn't give-

He needed to get back.

Fast.

Auryon slipped away from Kratzer as the fox-masked man approached Lorcan, Maahes, and the others. Her attention was more directed at the man in the golden mask who'd caught her eye. Or Apophis'. To be honest, she wasn't quite sure at that point who was who or who wanted what but she didn't really care, either. He was currently engaged speaking to another man, so it seemed she'd have to wait, but she was a patient woman. She looked him over and leaned against the punch table idly while observing the conversation.

~**~

Kratzer glanced sidelong at Auryon, but mostly ignored her as he approached Lorcan, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.