Last Night. August 30th, 2023
For about the fifth night this week, Vincenzo watched her again. Through the surveillance footage of the cameras he had placed in her dorm, he could see that she was showering. Sweet. He thought, as he watched run her fingers through her hair, dousing them in the bubbles from her shampoo.
He sat at his desk, watching the tapes from his computer. He wore a black tank top and pants from earlier in the day, getting closer to the screen with his hand on his chin as if he were perplexed, trying to figure something out. By now, she got out of the shower, and put on her pajamas. A big, oversized tee shirt, and her underwear. His favorite outfit of hers; where she did not try to look beautiful. She just was.
She went to her room, and snuggled up into the sheets, looking like she was trying to sleep, but she didn’t. She just tossed, and turned, until she went to reach over to her nightstand, and pulled out a little toy. A small wand designed to make her feel what the men of her past did not. She pushed it down under her blankets with her, and the sound began to whir. Pleased, Vinnie reclined in his seat, sighing as he watched her.
Some day.
The Next Day. September 1st, The Masquerade Ball.
Vincenzo had not spent much time deciding on his dress for the ball, instead he had just kind of selected the pieces out of a store intuitively. And before leaving to the event, he wore the outfit for the first time, a bit proud of his choice as he observed it, finishing the loop on his tie. Then, he sprayed a bit of his cologne, and looked around to the rest of his dorm. His bedroom was quite vast, garnished in different shades of black and blue. It was not a standard color combination, in fact, it kind of reminded him of bruises, missing a hint of purple to complete the picture. Strangely, he found a bit of solace in that, appreciating the lush black of his duvet, the constellations drawn upon the ceiling, and the royal color lava lamp he kept by the nightstand.
His eyes reflected that same color, actually, as he looked upon the place, looking like melted glaciers residing in his stare. He smiled to himself before leaving, absent-mindedly thinking of an event the masquerade night might hold. Then, he went out through the door, and saw the rest of the Umbra Coven in the quarters, his group of boys… with an exception. And a few of them headed together to the area, mostly his favorites. Renlin, his mate Dante Blackwell. There was a new guy, too. Dominic. Vincenzo intended to keep a few tabs on him, curious as to what he had to offer the group. And, Jesse and Amani, he supposed, were most likely getting in a quickie before the event, which, quite frankly, he preferred to ignore.
Through the vast expanse of the academy, they strolled under ceilings at thrice their altitude, perhaps more, before reaching the ballroom. It was adorned stunningly, void of cheap balloons, and instead containing very magnificent table centerpieces, and frames of botany entwined with gold cords, it was exceptional, and he had forgotten how he missed it.
In the beginning, they sat, and Vincenzo and his friends heard a word from the headmaster, which they listened to with a bit of half-interest. Then, the performers went along to share their talents, which he found to be a bit more engaging. He listened to the angelic voices of their singers with pleasure, stunned by their affination to their music in classical styles. The show went on, with other people who did magician-like acts, catering to the whimsy of the room. It was almost as if nothing had gone wrong, and no student had disappeared. It was like, in the olden days, when the family members of someone passed were expected to wear black for some time after. If the Ninth House was the family of Miles North, why did they hardly seem to care? Condolences were one thing, but the show went on, was that really the only option?
After hearing a handful of symphonies, the dancing commenced, and the students stood to share their masked exchanges. In a swarm of the crowd, Vincenzo seemed to lose mind of who was who, forgetting his preconceptions guessing their identities before he noticed the silhouette of a woman, standing out very much from the rest of them. Her dress was cut out along the abdomen, and replaced the vacant space with chains of gold, showing off her flawless body. Her mask was black, like her dress, and the feathers perked upward like horns. They seemed to suggest malice webbed into her demeanor, which he could not help but appreciate as he went up to her.
He approached, and gently pulled her in by her waist. For all he knew, she was a stranger right now, but he didn’t care. Her scent lingered close to him, and he tried to place what it reminded him of. Not roses, not daisies. No, the sweet part of champagne. That was the scent of which she reminded him, as he noticed her dark, luscious hair, and the mahogany brown color of her skin, the slope of her shoulder under his neck, emphasizing their proximity. The song begun to ring, and he whispered in her ear. “Shall we?”
@Kristi Amani
mentions
@kristi also amani
@novella jesse
@Madilfill renlin
@jass dante
@idiot.exe dante
basically the entire umbra coven briefly