Bells and Ribbons [Dusk + Dvyniai]

Dusk

the eye of the beholder
Original poster
STAFF MEMBER
DONATING MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Looking for partners
  2. Not accepting invites at this time
Posting Speed
  1. One post per day
  2. Multiple posts per week
  3. 1-3 posts per week
  4. One post per week
  5. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
Most days, most hours
Writing Levels
  1. Elementary
  2. Intermediate
  3. Adept
  4. Advanced
  5. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
  3. Nonbinary
  4. Agender
  5. Primarily Prefer Male
  6. No Preferences
Genres
Adventure. Angels and demons. Apocalyptic. Arthurian. Comedy. Dystopian. Fantasy. Historical. Horror. Post-apocalyptic. Romance. Science fiction. Supernatural.

L A R K I N

Larkin considered himself an interesting man so he was not surprised to have caught the attention of Louis Bancroft. Larkin had never heard of Louis Bancroft before he received the glossy invitation, but it made perfect sense that a rich man with a fanciful name noticed him. The dark-haired man's reputation as one of the most talented sorcerers alive earned Larkin a fair bit of eccentric attention, and invitations. This invitation was a bit different, however. It wasn't every day a man with both the desire and resources orchestrated a gift exchange in the flavour of a masquerade entirely at his own expense.

The event was one shrouded in playful mystery, and it wasn’t as if Larkin was preoccupied with anything else. Even if his schedule had been quite full, he would’ve knocked some things around to make it happen. The unique scenario posited a once in a lifetime opportunity Larkin was sure he would've regretted missing. After all, who but Louis Bancroft would throw such an event? And would the man (who Larkin had made an effort to learn about following his jaunty invitation) ever host something like this again? Bancroft's record of sporadic but lavish events with no thematic connection suggested he would not. And as Mr Bancroft even fronted the money for the gift, how could Larkin refuse such a tantalising proposition?

Larkin could’ve taken the money and bailed, but what was money in the face of adventure? The sorcerer received only a snippet of information regarding the kind of gift he should procure, nevertheless it was enough that the man felt confident in his choice. Contrarily, Larkin expected to receive something bland (especially with the kind of gifts his counterpart wanted) as he’d offered no preference of his own for the type of gift he might enjoy. However, even an innately disappointing gift was thrilling through the lens of total surprise. At least before opening it. Plus, Larkin hoped whoever he’d been paired with was at least a little frazzled to have no information.

In the weeks preceding the ball, Larkin explored the mansion and grounds. He always wore his mask, as instructed. Larkin didn't normally like rules but this one was more of an enhancement to the experience than it was a hindrance to enjoyment. On his adventures, he took Styx everywhere he went. His widowbird familiar faithfully accompanied him throughout rooms and across the mansion grounds. Styx even joined Larkin for a few conversations, not that the bird was capable of saying anything, but he made an impressive shoulder piece.

Come the night of the masquerade, the already decadent decorated mansion was garnished with the final touches. Floral wreaths on windows and arches, and silver twinkling lights wrapped around draping red ribbons. Strings of bells chimed gently above as they filled the ballroom with a lighthearted melody. Larkin dressed to the occasion. He decked himself in a shimmery dark red suit with long tails and silver accents, which matched perfectly to his ruby mask. The man finished off his appearance with studded snowflake earrings before fastening the silver enamel pin to his lapel.

“Perfect,” he announced to Styx, who was perched on the back of a chair with his head tilted in disinterest. Larkin was glad he'd been granted such a perfectly matching mask upon request. He would’ve hated to be anything less than eye catching.

"Come on then," Larkin said to the bird as he held up an arm. "We have a gift to deliver."

As soon as Styx joined him, Larkin left behind his temporary lodgings to search the ballroom for whoever wore the pin that matched his own little wreath. He grabbed the thoroughly ribboned and bowed package from the dresser on his way out the door. It was a shame he’d had to settle on his second choice, on account of needing to be able to wrap and carry his gift.


Code by Jenamos
 
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SIU BOK
bancroft's mansion --- @Dusk

It had taken Siu a lot of consideration, (and pressure from his fledgling) to go to this masquerade ball. If Hanjae and his boyfriend hadn’t been there when he received the invitation from the esteemed Louis Bancroft, it probably would have gone directly into the trash. Siu didn’t even know who this Bancroft was. Why would he attend one of his parties?

Hanjae had pretended rather melodramatically to swoon, leaning heavily into his boyfriend’s shoulder. “He doesn’t know who Louis Bancroft is!”

Sonnie had patted Hanjae’s shoulder, an amused smile pulling at his lips. “Hanjae, not everyone is as up-to-date on elite socialites as you are.” Especially not Siu, local recluse extraordinaire, Sonnie was too polite to add. Siu was not above making this point himself.

But of course, this was not good enough of an excuse in his fledgling’s eyes and so Hanjae spent the next few hours “educating” Siu and making his best effort to convince him to go.

“Come on!” Hanjae had whined, throwing his arms around Siu’s shoulders and practically climbing into his lap. “When’s the last time you’ve been to a fancy party?”

After thinking about it for a long long moment (it had been quite a while since he last attended a party, let alone a “fancy” one–by Hanjae’s standards), Siu opened his mouth to answer, but Hanjae cut him off. “Actually, I don’t want to know. It’ll make me too sad for your social life, you crusty-ass hermit.”

Hanjae shrieked as Siu shoved him off the couch in retaliation. “Hey!”

“Don’t look at me,” Sonnie had said with a smirk when Hanjae turned beseeching eyes to him. He hadn’t even looked up from his book, which Siu found quite impressive for a mundane mortal. “You started it.”

Even after they had left, Hanjae had badgered Siu about the party (which was really quite unnecessary, why was it his business anyways?) until he finally relented and agreed to go.

So now Siu stood at the edge of the ball, wine glass in one hand, poorly wrapped present in the other, decked in one of the few (probably outdated) suits he owned. The mask he’d been gifted itched, and he resisted the urge to reach up and scratch it. Not that he had a free hand to do it with.

Fuck, he thought, eyeing the growing crowd with trepidation. What the fuck was he doing here? He didn’t know anyone here, he didn’t know what he was doing, he was way out of his depth. Not to mention the person he had been paired with for the secret santa event hadn’t given any help with what to get them–he didn’t even know their gender! Was it too late to leave? Probably. Fuck.

He downed the rest of his blood-wine in one gulp, handing his empty glass off to a server when she passed by. Bancroft was at least considerate enough to provide vampiric delicacies for his guests, despite (seemingly) being human himself.

Siu did have to admit that it was a nice party, if a bit overwhelming to the senses. The mansion was gorgeous, the people more so. There had once been a time when he was all for parties like this. Now? Not so much. But he’d at least make an effort, just so he could tell Hanjae he tried. Plus he had already gotten this gift and everything. And his secret santa partner would be disappointed if he just disappeared, right? Right.

So he heaved out a great sigh, and dove back into the fray, hoping to catch a glimpse of the matching pin on his partner’s suit jacket or dress. Sure enough, he spotted him on the other side of the ballroom, decked in a stunning red suit with a matching mask, and there, pinned to his lapel was the small wreath that matched Siu’s own.

As Siu made his way across the ballroom (at a normal human pace, as moving at a vampire’s speed would be quite rude in a crowded room full of strangers), he eyed the bird perched on his partner’s shoulder. A familiar? How interesting. It seemed his secret santa partner wasn’t likely to be human either. He had to say he was a bit relieved. He hadn’t wanted to deal with any fear, his partner looking at him like he might decide to eat them at any moment.
 
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L A R K I N

It wasn't that finding his partner wasn't a priority for Larkin, merely that he had other priorities, too. How was anyone expected to not drink in the atmosphere of the event when such effort had gone into making it fanciful? Deep pockets created plentiful distractions. Along with what was unquestionably dazzling decor were attendants of equal splendour; as well as a resplendent array of drinks and appetizers. And Larkin would be damned if he didn't indulge a little. Although he learned in a quest for variety the assortment of foods contained less palatable options, too. A fact demonstrated by his pale champagne which tasted like sparkling sea water. He was still going to finish it. Out of principle.

With his terrible drink in hand, Larkin strolled around the edges of the ballroom. He occasionally made light conversations with other guests but mostly he observed. It was in observation that Larkin spotted the other man with the matching silver laurel pin, dressed in an outdated suit. Larkin did not find that surprising based on the little information he had about the other half of his designated pair. In addition to the old suit (and haphazardly wrapped present), Larkin took note of the man's almost silvery pale hair. A striking combination in contrast to his dark eyes.

Styx bristled ever-so-slightly at the man's approach, and Larkin felt it, too. There was something off about his compatriot. It was an inkling the magician tucked away for another time. He doubted he was in any danger, but he hated to be off-guard. The sorcerer remained where he was instead of helping to close the distance between them. A position near the edge of the room seemed likely to be convenient. Larkin gave a theatrical bow in greeting, arms outstretched to either side. He couldn’t resist a bit of extra flourish for their first meeting.

“At your service, sir,” he said as the bow came to a finish and he was once again righted. He took another sip of the champagne and scrunched his nose at the taste. Larkin could've shared his name but it was ever-so-fun to be mysterious at least a moment longer. And, in hindsight, many of the rules for the event were vague.

"And this," he said seizing the moment, "is for you." Larkin offered up the gift from his left hand to the man. They could get the acquainting done afterwards. The present was in a box, rectangular in shape and insignificant in size, easily carried in a single hand. At first glance, the present appeared immaculate (he made sure of that). The velvety red ribbon and glittering gold bow against the silver paper were a fine distraction from the various small crinkles and creases. Larkin tilted his head to one side, the bird on his shoulder imitated him. There was a playful smile on his lips as he waited expectantly.

Code by Jenamos
 
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SIU BOK
bancroft's mansion --- @Dusk

Now that he was right in front of his partner, Siu couldn’t help but feel rather undressed compared to the other man. Not that he typically minded, being out of place, however in this case it was rather stark. His outdated outfit paled in comparison to his partner’s immaculate scarlet suit. Even his present was flawlessly wrapped. At least Siu’s suit still fit him; one of the many… benefits of vampirism was the incapability of gaining or losing weight.

How old-fashioned, was his first thought, at the man’s bow and subsequent greeting. Bemused, all he did was tilt his head in recognition. He might have been out of touch, to put it lightly, with modern society but humans no longer bowed to one another. Right? He could’ve been wrong, he supposed. Or perhaps, while not terribly likely, his partner was well-versed in vampiric customs and… happened to recognize him as both a vampire and an Elder.

Yes... not very likely at all. He definitely couldn’t have been a vampire himself. Siu could pinpoint all the vampires in the room by smell alone and his partner definitely wasn’t one of them. Plus he held a flute of champagne in his hand. Siu was going to go with the first option; that this man was old-fashioned and/or odd, and a touch dramatic.

“Uh, hello,” he greeted in return.

The small gift was presented to him, and Siu stared at it for a moment. While able to be held under one arm, his own gift was not as small, and he couldn’t very well hold it while at the same time open his own gift. After a moment of awkward shuffling, he thrust his hastily wrapped gift toward his partner. Siu wasn’t one to normally wrap his gifts, and it showed in the weird folds and excess paper on the right side.

“Here. This is for you, uh, as well,” he said, before taking the present given to him. “It’s uh, some of it is sort of… homemade. I wasn’t sure, you didn’t really provide much… aish, he swore with a sheepish laugh. He didn’t know why he was so flustered. He didn’t want to examine it too closely. Probably something to do with the way he felt very inadequate next to this very immaculate man. There was no other reason, surely.

“I hope you like it,” he settled on saying, sincerely.

Without much to go on, he had decided on a universal gift–self-care. He had made some bath oils and lotions, in relaxing scents like lavender and chamomile, and mildly charmed with relaxant properties. There was even a bottle of oil charmed to smell like the user’s favorite scent. If you were magically or supernaturally inclined, as Siu suspected his recipient was, you might even pick up on the scent of Siu’s magic itself, a note of earthy spice. It most likely wouldn’t seem as special, gifted to what Siu still suspected was some sort of magic-user himself, who could probably make similar things on his own.

It hadn’t really cost him anything, so he had used the money to splurge on a very nice unisex bathrobe (which he had charmed, using a rune at the collar, to resize to its wearer) and some comfy slippers.

Once both hands were free, he began to carefully open his own present, not wanting to destroy the beautiful wrapping. “How did you get it to look so nice?” he asked, mostly rhetorically, with a quirked eyebrow.
 
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L A R K I N

The sorcerer wore a confident smile that conveyed nothing else to an outside perspective, however, he was mildly surprised at how uncertain his partner spoke. Larkin expected the man to appear more self-possessed based on what he knew. But he was thoroughly pleased to see the lack of information he'd given regarding his gifting preferences appeared to have stumped the man. Larkin found the slight fumbling of the man's demeanour oddly charming. Larkin liked being right, and he often was, but he also enjoyed when people were not what he expected. It was always a small rush accompanied by the mystery of the unexpected. Noth that he considered mild uncertainty a grand mystery.

The other man shifted in an attempt to take his offered gift while the darker-haired man and his familiar watched patiently. His problem was solved by shoving his larger gift into Larkin’s arms. The sorcerer — still holding his glass of appalling champagne — had to readily readjust so he would not drop either present or the glass. He was quick about it and managed to get the new one under his arm while the other remained in his hand. It was a difficult juggling act to briefly hold both presents and the delicate glass without dropping anything and the man was impressed with himself for achieving it. He was, however, relieved when the act came to an end and he only held a medium-sized wrapped package. But one-armed he still could not hold and open his gift so without hesitation he downed the rest of his champagne and set the empty glass on the edge of the nearest planter.

I hope you like it

The man sounded far too sincere and Larkin truly hoped he did. He’d do well to hide his disappointment if he didn’t. Larkin gave the package a cursory examination. It was wrapped poorly but the man quickly moved beyond that. He didn’t wait for the silver-haired man to open his gift before Larkin started on his own. His compatriot had said some of it was homemade. Some which meant it was more than one thing. An interesting choice, but not a bad strategy if you don’t know anything about the recipient.

Larkin casually tore away the paper to reveal a variety of lotions and oils, sat atop fabric. A fabric which he learned was a robe as he rustled through the package. Before he even opened it, Larkin had been immediately aware of the magical nature emanating from the package. Impressive — and confirmation that the other man was not human. But he didn’t appear to be a sorcerer, either.

Larkin was a vain man, he would never deny that, and while he was sure to dislike some of the gifts he would enjoy the others. The bottle most charmed — the one that smelled perfectly of sawdust and freshly baked bread when he carefully opened it — would be his favourite, he knew. Larkin could make things of a similar ilk — but he appreciated the gesture nonetheless. If he was a more mundane man it would truly be a spectacular gift. The bathrobe and slippers (they had been near the bottom) were another matter. He had his own glorious robe at home and suspected he’d never use this one. It was soft, however.

“Thank you, a fanciful gift indeed,” he said. To his delight, he did not have to fake the contented smile that crept onto his lips. It wasn’t an exciting gift but it was enjoyable. Spectacular was the unreasonable expectation he had placed in his mind, so of course he was a little disappointed. Relatively satisfied with his gift, all things considered, Larkin snapped his attention back to the other man.

Larkin was confident in his gift. He guessed the other man had no use for his gift, but then gifts didn't have to be useful to be enjoyed. Inside the package was a large ornate pocket watch in a dark wood, with intricate carvings of swirling design crossing above the face. The hands were similarly carved into a simplistic but pleasing design (at least to his eyes) above a pale yellow background. And it was not an average pocket watch, either. Larkin had done some enchanting of his own and like a music box, it played an old melody when opened. It had, in fact, cost more than the amount of money Bancroft had provided, but Larkin never was one to do something halfway.

Code by Jenamos
 
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