the formal (icon of hell optional)

[molotovmartinis.livejournal.com]

WHO: [OPEN]
WHERE: the Brandt Banquet Hall
WHEN: Sunday March 29
WARNINGS: B|
SUMMARY: the superhero formal. Will things explode?
FORMAT: whatever you feel like


There are extensive tables for hor d'oeuvres, small desserts, and champagne as well as an open bar. Room for dancing is obvious, flanked by a small group of musicians. And there are alcoves for the shy, the hiding, the amorous, the machinating, or the creeper lurking.

Comments

[darkprophecies.livejournal.com]

Raven had both dreamed of and dreaded this night since the day it had been announced - scenario after scenario of what might happen played in her head. Now, being here, it seemed rather surreal - a beautiful location, the man she worked for would no doubt never have anything less. As she walked the large open room slowly, her eyes attempted to take in every detail, treasuring it in some strange way.

She did not try to hide herself, or make any signs of being shy whatsoever - she had psyched herself into stay out in the open. But she would never get the look of obvious nervousness out of her eyes, regardless of who she would talk to throughout the night. She had never done this sort of thing before...

Smoothing out the red silk of her floor-length dress, she inhaled deeply.
Things couldn't go that badly, could they? Surely she was overreacting. She would have pleasant conversation, perhaps dance - on top of that, she even had a rather handsome man escorting her.
It would be fine...

[molotovmartinis.livejournal.com]

Quite abruptly at her elbow, Balthazar scanned her in a clinical fashion, approval forthright. "It's a very flattering color on you."

In all his unpleasant oiliness, he had a certain precision in skeeve that ranked the comment several notches below icky. It helped that he possessed a certain aloofness tonight, one borne of highly internalized uneasiness as the fact that the Fallen would be attending. His thoughts were occurring in capslock and at high speed, but he managed to appear attentive to Raven, offering her a flute of champagne.

He himself was uncharacteristically clad in a black suit and tie, pinstripes nowhere to be found for once.

*late due to work...cries*

[leadtraveler.livejournal.com]

Bobby was a little uncomfortable. He'd always thought he'd go to one of these kind of things with Courney, but that had been years ago. So much had changed since then and everything was gone. Instead he was going with a girl he barely knew, a girl that looked very lovely (a thought he had managed to voice without stuttering) and had him a little flustered.

Okay, Bobby was more than a little uncomfortable. He'd never gone to anything like this and couldn't really dance and - so many things were going through his mind about how he could make such a fool of himself. Although he didn't understand why he should be so worried about that, he had a girlfriend - kind of. If you could count being in love with a woman who didn't want any kind of relationship until the war was over your girlfriend. Oh and there was the fact that she might not even be alive anymore thanks to his mistake.

Stop thinking like that, Bobby finally snapped to himself. Stop thinking about that, everything has to be fine. You're here to have fun and make sure your date has fun too.

"Wow. I didn't know what to expect but this is pretty fancy."

Pretend I bothered with a nice icon.

[notyetwritten.livejournal.com]

The second party in a week. Well...

Fakir was dressed in a fairly old-fashioned dress-coat, Victorian style, complete with a dark green cravat and a lapel pin in the shape of an oak leaf. This was far more his sort of gathering. He helped himself to a Shirley temple, then found himself a back corner from which to observe the rest of the room.

*pretends?*

[willofjustice.livejournal.com]

Ah, but there was no hiding forever, Fakir. Especially not from nosy princesses who are set on having a good time and are making rounds of the room. Amelia's gown did not seem to be from any particular era -- certainly not the modern one, with its full skirt, and yet not a particular previous one, shoulders exposed and the sleeves long. It must also be noted that the dress was pink.

Pausing before Fakir, she beamed at him. "Enjoying yourself?"

[liverletdie]

Tony had arrived to the party relatively early, and although the suit he had managed to find wasn't exactly a Georgio Armani, but it would do for the event, at the very least. He straightened his bow-tie, and took a small sip of the water he had managed to find.

His eyes scanned the room, keeping an eye out for anyone he should probably avoid, although he was Tony Stark, and meeting and greeting was what he did best, after all. He was perfectly willing to swerve and move through the small amount of people who had arrived, feeling somewhat at home in the ballroom.

[darkprophecies.livejournal.com]

The small band that played the music that echoed throughout the ballroom seemed to liven up Raven's spirits a bit, allowing her to loosen up, greet an occasional person she felt was important to speak with on behalf of her gracious employer.
She slowly made her way around the ballroom, having done her best to avoid the dance floor at all costs so far - and she took another slow sip of the champagne in her hand. Eyes grazing the crowd, she then spotted him - the way he seemed to hold his posture, how he was dressed... this was definitely someone important that she should speak with.

Raven casually walked towards him, casting him a warm smile the moment she believed she had caught his attention.
"A beautiful evening, is it not?"

[meowminx]

Selina had chosen a silk chiffon gown in a deep shade of plum. Low-cut, but not too daring. It floated when she strolled into the banquet hall. A beautiful woman without an escort, perfectly at ease in the formal surrounds.

She gave the room a once-over -- nice, but not nearly as ostentatious as she might have expected from a demonic host -- snagging a glass of champagne for herself. She'd hold off on the bar for now. Nice to have it as an option as the night wore on.

She was a little curious who would show up the the event, she had to admit.

[betwixting.livejournal.com]

Although modeled after the potentially most wooden man in his world, this did not mean that Owen did not at least recognize beauty or elegance, even if he did not act upon it. Having selected his glass across from the tray when Selina chose hers, he nodded to her, taking up a post close to the the dance floor -- an ideal point to at least watch the majority of the room, if not to partake.

Here we go!

[liverletdie]

Tony made his way over to the bar, leaning against it as he ordered another drink (water, of course, he wasn't stupid) before turning against it comfortably, and examining the room before him. A woman in a very lovely gown caught his eye, and he approached her slowly, a small smile on his face.

"May I just say," he said, a hand rising th adjust his bowtie slowly. "That you look absolutely lovely tonight," he said as he approached her, a flirtatious smile lighting his face.

[meaculpable.livejournal.com]

Quite appropriately, Lucifer waltzed into the place as if he owned every disparate atom of its making, his gold-colored eyes darting here and there to take in all those assembled in a single, arrogant glance. Of everyone present -- the half-demons, the reality benders, the heroes -- almost none of them piqued his interest; perhaps this meant that it would be a quiet night after all.

"I supposed that it seems like at least one member of Nephilim still remembers how hard it was for his forefathers to integrate themselves," he stated, half-chuckling beneath his breath.

[molotovmartinis.livejournal.com]

If he happened to so much as catch Lucifer's momentary attention, he would lower his head before disappearing into the crowd. The way he saw it, the less time spent around Lucifer, the less likely he was to displease him.

[darkprophecies.livejournal.com]

Upon his arrival, Raven found it difficult to tear her eyes off of his form - stumbling over conversations with the various guests as her demonic senses bounced off the walls. She could only imagine was Balthazar was feeling with his actual presence here.

It took her nearly twenty minutes before she found that she was able to approach him with as calm a demeanor as she could manage. She was aware he would be able to see right through her facade, and had prepared herself for such a thing.
But in truth, there were others here that bothered her far more.

"Good evening."

[daughterinexile.livejournal.com]

Mazikeen had never been one for functions such as these, with their pomp and their gowns and the tittering of people whose lives bared no consequence upon her own. When she had first decided to attend, it was simply to bare witness to some of the beings she could sense moving across her perception -- shadows of power or energy or magicks, some from Heaven and some from Hell.

Nowhere in Mazikeen's original equation was he involved and nor did she believe herself to have the heart or the stomach to include him.

And yet here she was, standing beside him in a dress, the color of which was his choosing. With one hand raised towards her mask, she looked up towards the elaborate ceiling overhead, adorned with of laughable representations of what humans imagined the Host was like. Overfed babies fawning over resplendent saints. She laughed, very quietly to herself before saying very lowly: "As inaccurate in this creation as in the last."

[tinprodigy.livejournal.com]

Ed hated everything. Specifically, he hated his little brother. He hated Amelia, because Al wouldn't have thought of this if it wasn't for her. He hated Ling for insisting on coming with, and laughing so fucking hard - it wasn't funny, dammit. He hated Lust, because if she wasn't such a nuisance and Al hadn't insisted on coming in order to keep tabs on her, all of this would be completely unnecessary.

Mostly, though, he hated this fucking dress.

Jesus fucking Christ on a goddamn bloody cross, how had he allowed himself to be talked into this? Puffy fucking sleeves. The lengths he went to in order to look out for Al astounded even himself - though he'd drawn the line at frills. At least with the hair dye and colored contacts he was unlikely to be recognized. He'd drawn the line at high heels, though. No way could he walk in them, much less run to assist should things get ugly around here.

He and his 'date' entered the ballroom, Ed fuming and trying not to get tangled in the ankle-length skirt. He glanced over at Ling, who looked infuriatingly dashing in his Xingese formal wear. Sourly, Ed whispered, "So you remember the cover story, right?"

Fuck you guys for pulling me off hiatus for this. AHHH

[kingofthepeople.livejournal.com]

Oh, Ling laughed. He laughed hard, on the floor, for almost seven straight minutes. Then he'd gotten up. Spared Ed a silent, tear-filled stare, and then resumed his place on the floor, holding his stomach from the volume of his laughter.

After that was out of his system, though, he had no problem tagging along to this little event. Ah, he did love parties after all, and he did enjoy a good undercover plan. He also enjoyed grinning from ear to ear with Ed on his arm in full drag and then glancing at everyone as if he were his trophy wife.

It probably made the Alchemist even more mad than he already was, but he was enjoying this far too much.

Though, they really were quite the pair. Ling for the first time since he'd probably been in the City had dressed up in Prince appropriate attire (http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n276/s-teh-geekpimp/lingprofile-1.jpg). His long hair was neatly braided in the back, tied with a delicate red bow. It matched Ed's dress.

"Ah, actually no, I forgot. Run it by me again?" He whispered back, nodding slightly to someone else as they walked by.

[returntoeven.livejournal.com]

The remainder of the walk from the rendezvous point to the ball itself was relatively uneventful as neither Knives nor his companion had really spoken during that time. The silence wasn't really an uncomfortable one, though--they were simply two people who knew what they were about so there was no need for idle chatter. They passed by security with relative ease as well so Knives assumed either Lust's alterations to her appearance had worked or that there had been no warnings about her. Either way, they were both in, just as planned.

He took in surroundings, finding none of it really to his tastes, but he masked those sentiments as best he could. Knives had no real desire to mingle either so after swiping two glasses of champagne, he chose a spot in table that seemed to have a good vantage point for observation purposes. Then, once they were seated, he offered her the glass, occasionally sipping at his drink.

"See anyone you know?"

[easytochop.livejournal.com]

She had already been giving cursory glances to people as she passed them, of course, but it never hurt to repeat. Lust looked down at the champagne glass and took a sip, more to acknowledge its presence than anything else, and then proceeded to turn her attention to the crowd once again.

Nobody there seemed familiar to her, but that didn't mean much. If Ed and Al had come, they would definitely have disguised themselves, and she still didn't know what that unidentified friend of theirs looked like. Envy and Greed almost certainly wouldn't have shown up to a thing like this--and if Envy had, how would she even be able to tell? Overall, the crowd looked utterly foreign to her, and completely boring.

"Not yet," she admitted, turning back to Knives. "Give them time."

[meowminx]

Well. There was a face Selina certainly hadn't expected to see here. And certainly not so sharply dressed.

She made her way across the hall, fresh glass of champagne in hand. "Knives," she said by way of greeting, managing to keep almost all the amusement out of her voice. "Nice tux." She nodded at his... date? A dark-haired woman she didn't recognize.

[alphonse.livejournal.com]

Al strolled into the banquet hall right on schedule, making an effort to seem as little like his usual self as possible. This wasn't exactly how he'd envisioned his first formal party, but with Lust in attendance, it was the way it had to be.

The contacts he was wearing irritated his eyes and he wanted to pout every time he saw the unfamiliar dark hair reflecting back at him from a mirrored surface, but Al didn't dare complain. Not when he could have ended up in the same ridiculous getup as Ed instead. The mere thought of such a thing was enough to make him want to shudder.

As it was Al looked like a normal kid for once, if a bit plain. He could live with that so long as it allowed him to keep an eye on things while remaining undetected. The only problem was that with Ling along to look out for his brother, there really wasn't much to do other than watch and wait for signs of trouble. A necessary job, but dull nonetheless. He would have tried to kill some time by checking out the buffet tables, but a quick glance revealed that Ed and Ling had already beaten him there. Great, leave it to those two to head straight for the food during any occasion.

With nothing better to do, Al supposed this was as good a time as any to practice acting like an awkward teenager. He grabbed a glass of champagne to better blend in (drinking was apparently a thrilling novelty to his age group in this century), and leaned against a wall in that manner he so often saw people doing in movies. It was a decent enough spot to give the room a once over before he decided on his next course of action.

[willofjustice.livejournal.com]

Having tortured Fakir sufficiently through attempted conversation, Amelia continued her passage through the room. This was more her element; that was obvious. She slid between the chairs with ease, even in a skirt far poofier than those of her contemporaries, dropping a greeting to nearly everyone, pausing to talk to a few and trying to draw others out of their shyness. It didn't always work, of course, but she didn't seem daunted, either.

Passing by Al, she gave him the smile she'd given nearly everyone else. It was necessary. She forced it. In truth, her eyes flickered back to him and to Ed and Ling on occasion as much as she dared.

At the very least she would return to Al later. He *had* promised a dance.

[areallygoodbook.livejournal.com]

The idea of a ball was not one entirely foreign to Malchior, attired in a suit (http://www.brides.com/images/vendor/tuxedogalllery/mwtux/00_main/1504_primary.jpg) which reversed the colors most typical of suits, yet suited his pale appearance all the more for it. He had, after all, raided one or two in his time to collect their supply of fair maidens, and Rorek had written of one or two such affairs in the book Malchior had been trapped in. The fundamentals, as he understood it, were much the same as before: it was a celebration by the nobles, or at least the more high-minded, in this class-less age, in which individuals engaged in feasting, dancing, conversation, and romance, at least, in the ideal.

He had found an escort to the ball in the form of the bookish young woman Yomiko Readman. While it seemed likely she would be a little out of place, he didn't mind. He needed to get to know her better, with her knowledge of books like his, and in a setting like this, out of her element, and without the ready distraction of books, it might be easier to learn about her and her past, easier to puzzle out how to ensnare her further.

Then there was the matter of Desdemona-- or Raven, as the one known as "Garfield" had called her-- who was also here. Naturally, he might not have a chance to further slip under her defenses, given she had a date of her own with whom to converse, on top of her duties... but, if nothing else, this would give him an opportunity to gauge her superior's abilities and nature, much as he had hers, as well as those of those who called themselves her friends, and identify those who would prove useful... and those who might prove detrimental to his plans.

Finally, the event would serve the purpose of scouting for others who might have the power to free him. Already, he had met three such individuals and had begun teaching them what they might need to know to free him, offering his magic to each freely, seemingly as a boon, without revealing to any the truth of his situation, but knowing other who other such individuals might be might prove fortuitous in the future.

It was going to be an interesting evening, to say the least.

[darkprophecies.livejournal.com]

Raven had been on the far side of the ballroom upon his arrival - not noticing him until much later, when she had slowly begun to work her way back to the entrance. Her eyes seemed to light up the moment they laid on him - finally, someone she truly knew! She hesitated, however, seeing as he was escourting Yomiko here - she did not wish to steal any time away from the girl.

Thus with that thought, it took many more minutes for her to finally make her way to him, having collected her champagne glass again - if nothing else, it gave her something to keep her hands occupied with if she became nervous or jittery.

"Malchior." as she walked ever-so-smoothly towards him, the name rolled easily off her tongue, and she smiled. "You look quite handsome tonight."

[blk-arachnia.livejournal.com]

Blackarachnia had been looking forward to this event since it had been announced. She wasn't one for mingling with organics but a chance to dress up and flirt sounded nice to her. Something she could use to relax and take her mind off current issues.

The femme had spent the days before hand going to several dress shops, looking for a dress. Finally she'd found a nice black and gold number (http://www.edressme.com/119061.html) that suited her quite well. Her dark purple hair was tied back, curled, a few loose strands that seemed to have been perfectly placed where they were.

For the time being she stuck to the outskirts of the main area, looking for anyone she might recognize.

[1000thocean.livejournal.com]

Willow wanted to hide.

She went shopping with the girl brigade, Teddy included, and apparently everyone thought she would look lovely in a skimpy number (http://www.polyvore.com/when_clock_strikes_midnight/set?id=7606716) that she felt she had no business wearing.They even gave her heels and Willow felt like she was going to fall over. Now she finally knew what baby giraffes must feel.

The witch was just glad that she could afford this with her steady paycheck. The store was practically hers any way and she loved every second of pouring into the books, looking over new shipment, and dealing with the customers. Soon, she'll be needing to find new help, and--

OK, stop thinking about work, girl. You're here to dance and be--be fierce! Only Willow was the exact opposite of anything remotely fierce looking.

She sighed woefully, standing near the main entrance and trying to blend in with everyone else despite being one of the reasons for this extravagant event. There was another girl there and she felt like she had to say something. Be social. Pretend to be social.

"So. U-um," she stuttered. "Nice lights?"

Smooth.

[of-thursdays.livejournal.com]

It would have been an understatement to say that Castiel was out of place here.

He was, after all, unused to humans and had barely enough understanding of their needs for and methods of socializing to barely make it through the front entrance without commentary from Aziraphale. Originally he had intended to arrive in the way he arrived everywhere else, through passage along the Spaces Between -- where he and his vessel lost shape and form and were able to travel great distances with nothing more than his will and intention to make it possible.

But no. Their intention had been to simply observe, not to disquiet the humans and other beings who had seen it fit to attend the banquet of a half-breed demon, and any show of power, any outward aggression would simply prove counterproductive to their cause. Intervention at this time, they had decided, would be unwise and ill-timed, but to ignore the growing threat that Balthazar and his influence were proving to the City was not something that neither Castiel nor Aziraphale could or would allow.

However strong his purpose was, though, it did not suddenly provide Castiel a better understanding of how to go about behaving at a banquet. So he stood at the fringes of the room, half obscured by one of the columns that formed the row of lining alcoves. His posture slumped and his tie was still too loose, though his shirt appeared to be ironed for once. His hair was a bit unkempt.

With a faintly confused but fascinated look on his face, he watched, but said nothing.

I just want to hug him or something...

[darkprophecies.livejournal.com]

Castiel's presence was hardly something that Raven had a problem with detecting - in fact, midway through her conversation with Lucifer himself, she had determined it would be best to make her way to wherever the angel was hiding. It took mere moments for her eyes to scan the room and find him; the slight anger she felt towards him firing up inside of her body as she thought about him.
However, at realizing where he was, and taking note of how he had entered the event, she managed to laugh softly. He looked almost... pitiful, confused, like a lost child now stranded from their mother in a public place.

There were many ways she could approach him.
She could sway her way over seductively, she could run straight up to him in frustration and anger, she could even ignore him completely - but she instead decided to take small graceful steps in his direction, her hand lightly being placed on the column he stood behind.

"Now, given that this is an event hosted by a half-demon, you must admit that the music is delightful, Castiel."