'Tis Nobler in the Mind to suffer.

Ivan Blahnik | 1018 | Currently Unemployed And so, from hour to hour we ripe and ripe. And then, from hour to hour, we rot and rot; And thereby hangs a tale.

[ivanblahnik]

hollychevalier·:

“Vulnerability isn’t always a bad thing.” She watched him carefully, and for a moment, she almost felt bad for him. The humanity was to blame and though she’d never allowed herself to lose sight of that as a vampire, she was well aware that she could be a little more detached as one. Being human came with far too many emotions that she couldn’t muffle and push away. 

What he said next sh’e’d never expected and it was almost a little too painful for her to handle, she was sure that he could see it in her pained expression and she had to close her eyes and look away for a moment to keep herself from overreacting. She was prone to that after all. “Why tell me that?” It wasn’t the question that she wanted to ask, though there were many at the tip of her own tongue, but it was the one that came out instead. “It doesn’t really do much.” 

It wasn’t how she’d expected the evening to go, in fact Holly had attempted to plan every moment of it, the minute she’d heard she’d be human again, even if just for a night, she’d made sure to get the most of it. Being near Ivan slowly careening themselves down memory lane wasn’t part of her plan. And yet, here they were. 

“Did you love me?” Holly found herself asking, though quickly shook her head. “Don’t– please don’t answer that. I didn’t mean to ask that. I don’t want to know.” She wasn’t sure what answer would hurt her more. “I’d take it back too. Saying yes. I was stupid. I still am stupid, but even more so back then than I am now.”

"Maybe for babies and dogs. I don't know how to handle being this vulnerable." He couldn't even fully remember the last time he'd been human. Sometimes he could catch glimpses of what his mother had looked like or what home looked like before it became the tourist destination it was now but the way emotions rushed through a person - that he couldn't remember.

"I'm sorry, you misunderstand." He watched her reaction to his words and wanted to wait until she'd opened her eyes to continue. As much as the truth hurt sometimes, it wasn't the way he wanted his words to be taken. That wasn't the way he meant them. For something that was once so easy, talking to her was proving to be more difficult. Perhaps this stupid human thing was rendering more than just the control on his emotions. "No, you aren't too blame. Let me start over."

"You weren't stupid then and you aren't stupid now. I've met plenty a stupid man and a stupid woman throughout my life. I'm merely wishing I could take it back now because I can see how the change affected you and how unhappy you are. I know that's my fault and if I could erase it, with this hindsight still intact, I would have simply left without cursing you and leaving you miserable."

He considered the question and weighed the options between telling her the truth or lying. She did plead for him not to answer it but it felt important that she know the truth. Even if it only made things worse for them and causing living in this town to be even more insufferable. "Of course I loved you, I still love you. Are you not aware of the kind of person you are? How could I not love you, in some part?"  

[ivanblahnik]

amberhorne·:

“You were there?” she asked, studying him for a moment. Even though Amber had only been in Hollow Grove for a short period of time, she wasn’t exactly surprised. Some of the vampires in the town were far older than she thought a vampire could be. They had gotten to experience moments of time she had only rad about. “And if you could choose to be at a masquerade, would it be happening today or back then?” she asked, her gaze drifting to her hands for a moment. The woman was good at reading body language and could tell he was nervous, not that she could blame him. Surely he was expecting something big to happen, something bad. “I’ve never been to Italy. I’ve never really been much of anywhere.” she admitted.

"I've been plenty of places, lived many lives and left many places." He wasn't nearly as old as those who came before him - Tobias as well as the Blackwells but almost a thousand years as a vampire had given him plenty to see and experience. "If we were including this particular masquerade, on a night when everybody is the same, I'd say one back then. Those parties sometimes ended in a bit of insanity but at least you knew what to expect by the morning." He recognized the girl in front of him but if everything had held the way it should, she'd never remember meeting him. "Oh? Are you a long time resident of Hollow Grove? I've only met a handful of people and most of them have ended up here after calling somewhere else home."

[ivanblahnik]

desmondbryson·:

The other seemed vaguely familiar, once he turned towards him, but that’s probably just because Desmond had seen him around town. The quote the man responded with made Desmond arch an eyebrow slightly. Curious way to answer, though it didn’t put him off, exactly. “No, it doesn’t.” He agreed, once the first comment was translated. “Are you? It seems unwise not to be.” Desmond glanced around, he refused to see it as a nervous reaction, but it was harder to keep track of everything going on around him without his heightened senses. He needed to stay vigilant, just in case something were to happen. 

[ END ]

[ivanblahnik]

foxycal·:

Part of the reason he’d asked the other man to dance was because he appreciated his outfit. There were so many well dressed people here but that didn’t mean Cal couldn’t appreciate individual outfits. “I think you’ll find I prove to be an excellent distraction.” He smiled and chuckled a little at the question about the mask. “It was part of a private collection but I managed to convince the owner to part with it.” The first part was true, but Cal hadn’t convinced the owner, he’d stolen it years ago because he’d been so charmed by it. He was pleased he finally had an occasion to wear it. “I had been planning to lead but I’m quite…flexible on that front, and in general.” He smirked a little suggestively. 

"We shall see and I'll let you know after the dance if it worked." He held the cane that came with the costume firmly in his hand as he joined the man on the dance floor. "I feel as if I've seen it before but couldn't pinpoint exactly when or where but it is a rather intriguing mask. I really wish I could remember here I might have come across such an ornate peacock mask before." Not that it would have mattered. There had been plenty of masquerade balls attended over the years, maybe viewings of people's ornate collections of this or that but there were few people he had managed to stay in contact with throughout the last few decades. "By all means, the lead is yours." He gave a sly smile, letting the panic over what might happen before the morning came dissipate slightly.

[ivanblahnik]

lauraxwilde·:

Laura smiled at him and nodded. She remembered him but she had worse customers come into the Java all the time and mostly shrugged it off. Laura glanced around the corner to make sure their way was clear. “No problem, no need to apologize. People need their coffee, trust me. You should see the 5AM rush. Those people are mean.” She replied with a small smile. “No, oh god no. I’m so fine.” She stated, waving him away. “Seriously. I just can’t believe any of this.” Laura was starting to get worried that they wouldn’t find their way back with the others. “Yeah, for sure.” She replied with a nod. “My sister, probably. Pippa, she’s got to be around here somewhere.” Laura said. 

"I don't know what hallway this door put us in but it seems relatively quiet over here." He tried to push down the panic being human had left him with as he peeked back through the door they'd come through. "Nobody seems to be following us but I think if we just follow the hallway back around, we'll find the people as well as whatever action is happening around here." The entrance they had all come through was on the other side of the building from where they currently stood or so he thought, given the direction they had exited the main room of the observatory. "Or if we don't want to take our chances that way, maybe there's a back door around here. We can come upon them all from a quiet direction and assess things before we make our move."

[ivanblahnik]

hollychevalier·:

His presence made her angry. And sad.  The kind of emotions that she couldn’t seem to shake no matter how hard she’d tried. And how she had tried. Holly had drowned in her sorrows once before, become a drunken mess every night of her life, a pure disaster and a toxic person to be around and it was only a harsh wake up call and the support of a friend that had pointed her in that direction.

Even with his reappearance she’d tried all over again to forget him, furiously throwing herself into anything and everything that could make her forget that he was in her town, threatening to haunt her at every passing moment. She could turn a corner and be face to face with him and as much as she wanted to put on that facade she knew even years later she was nowhere near ready to face him.

It wasn’t fair.

And in all of her  rationale, she too, realized that maybe it wasn’t fair to keep asking him to leave. She didn’t want to argue with the logical side of herself and she realized that every time she told him and every time she answered she was arguing a completely moot point. As much as she hated it, Ivan had every right to be there. As much right as she did.

Quietly, she took a seat, tucking one leg in under herself and allowing her eyes to focus on a spot on the table beneath them instead of directly at him. A part of Holly was dying to ask him what other people, the idea that he wasn’t there for her both a relief and a new source of anger for her, she was selfish like that. Again, she looked up at him, trying too hard to control the waver in her voice. “You think? Why do you think that? It’s very hard seeing you again, you know? What is it about this place. Here– that’s holding you hostage?” Her lips trembled a bit. “What’s so different about here that you’re so willing to stay?”

As she sat, he contemplated staying where he was. There was no reason to encroach her space even more but standing when the person you were talking to decided to sit could be seen as daunting. That was definitely not what he was going for, he thought as he slid into the seat across from her. He clasped his hands together on the table as he weighed where to start with her questions.

He looked up and above her at some spot on the wall that seemed to be discolored but just slightly, almost as if somebody had forgot to be as steady with the paintbrush so everything stayed even. "This isn't my first safe haven. It's not even the second I've stayed in but I feel..." He stopped talking as he tried to gather his thoughts, many of them disappearing before he could grasp them. "There are people here I'm suppose to be with again. It's been years since I've seen them and yet they all seem to be here. Or so I've heard."

"I've called many a place home over the years and I wouldn't be as quick to call this place home yet but I've grown weary of picking up and starting over elsewhere. The people I've ran into and the people I've heard are here are people I once cared for. People other than you, of course, but it's not my place to say that so I apologize." As he had spoken, his eyes drifted down the wall to rest on her, catching the way her lip trembled. "I'm honestly not trying to cause problems for you and if I had known you were here before I reconnected with people, I may have ignored the pull I felt to visit."

[ivanblahnik]

ronniegreer·:

Ronnie was losing her patience with the witch trying to pick her up as she attempted to enjoy her drink at the bar. Normally her looks did enough to scare off any unwanted attention, but this guy had had far too much to drink and thought she was cute, hot, sexy… and a number of other descriptors that had her rolling her eyes. Then he’d attempted to use smarts to impress her… which wouldn’t have worked since he wasn’t exactly Einstein to begin with. 

“It was Gandhi that said—”

“I’m going to stop you right there, my guy. Gandhi would want me to…” She grabbed her drink and slid down toward the end of the bar where a vampire was sitting hiding a smile, no doubt from overhearing her little mess. “I’m going to use you as a beard until Witchcraft for Dummies over there leaves. Play along and I’ll buy you a round.” | @ivanblahnik

Adjusting to this new small town life was taking a little while. It's not as if it was his first time calling a small town home, it's just been far more years than he cared to think about. It was just easier to hide in a big city from whatever called for hiding. Ivan had always found it easier to learn who and what a person was simply by watching them and their mannerisms, even as he sat with a drink in front of him.

He looked down towards the end of the bar as the girl who looked significantly younger, though he could be wrong, as she spoke for the great Gandhi. Or rather, the not to so great if you really ever met him, Gandhi. It brought a smile to his face as the man seemed to have no clue she'd even moved away from him. "You are wrong about Gandhi wanting you to cut that man off. That guy didn't know when to stop talking. He may have been anti-colonialism but he doesn't deserve to be quoted as often as he is. Is he gone yet?"

[ivanblahnik]

sparrowrousseau·:

She could tell he was humoring her but she didn’t mind it much, only keeping up her grin and shrugging at his question. “Maybe. How fast can you go?” Despite her love for all things nature she didn’t know much about science when it came to physics though she imagined Ivan suddenly flinging himself towards the heavens and had to laugh. “In that case, you might as well try the salted caramel cupcakes, too. At least until we see if you can fling yourself up with your speed of course.”

[END]

[ivanblahnik]

lauraxwilde·:

@ivanblahnik

Laura was pulled out of the large room, away from Lindy and Izzy. She thought she recognized the man that helped her. He looked familiar. “You…?” She started. “You’ve been to the coffee shop right?” She smiled at him. “Thank you, for uh, saving my life just now.” She replied quickly, glancing around their new surroundings. “Any way we can get out of here? Or uh, maybe go back and help the others?” She asked him. 

Ivan had moved as fast as he could, wishing against all that he had his vampire speed so he could have done more. The girl was only vaguely familiar as one of the baristas he'd met during his time spent at Java the Cup. "Yes, I've been there. I wasn't the nicest to you the first time we met, because that machine was giving you issues." He gave her a half smile back before looking around the hallway they now stood in. "You're welcome - I didn't hurt you at  all, did I?" He looked back at the girl, assessing her arm for any damage before quickly turning towards the open hallway. "We seem to be alone, for the moment and it might be best to head back out this way and see who we can offer assistance to. Do you have anybody I should keep my eyes open for as we go?”

[ivanblahnik]

emsawycr·:

“Because if we let fear dictate our behavior, they win.” the answer came simply and was given to her in the aftermath of the Bitter Ball by her grandfather when she’d wanted to back out of more town events. She had listened to it wholeheartedly, turning out to what she could, even after his death and after everything that had happened to the town so far. “I just needed some air, yeah. It’s okay though, you didn’t. Would take more than that to put a dampener on my evening. I’m Emma by the way.”

"That -" He tipped his head to the side, " - is actually really solid advice. I'd wish this night would pass around so the fear was no longer a part of me. I much like living without it." He gave a slight nod before taking a bow and tipping his hat in her direction, really playing up the choice of masquerade costume he'd chosen to wear. "It's nice to meet you, Emma. I am glad that I didn't bring your mood down as I try to handle mine. It's not always been my name but I'm Ivan. Has the air actually helped you then? And did you look at that moon while you were out here?"

[ivanblahnik]

valentinxremington·:

“I am,” He answered honestly, though it was the furthest thing from his mind right now. “Just because I’m eating this much doesn’t mean that I’m not keeping my eyes open for danger. I just hope that whatever’s supposed to happen tonight happens instead of keeping us in the dark.”

"Then perhaps you are wiser than I took you for with your gluttony." He missed being a vampire, if only because it kept these emotions at bay. How any human handled this ever changing wave of emotions was a mystery to him. "I wish I could concentrate on eating - it's been far too long since I've actually enjoyed what I've ingested that wasn't blood. Are you saying you're ready for it to happen already instead of after, say, your ninth plate?" He gave the other guy a smirk, pushing down the rush of nerves that was right below the surface.

[hgconfessional]

ships for Cal, Julia, Ivan, Amber, and Lindy?

“I must admit I’ve a soft spot for Mr. Renard and our very own Ms. Margaret Blackwell, don’t you? Julia’s a wild card, she could go in many different ways. Thomas, perhaps? I know Ivan and our lovely Lady Godiva have unfinished business, as well. Amber hasn’t made her preferences known to me as of yet so I must hold off. Lindy, it’s fairly obvious she’s only here for Chase, isn’t it? Nothing can stand in the way of true love, especially not when a woman looks like that in a red dress.”

@foxycal @margretxblackwell @juliasshelf @tomthewitch @ivanblahnik @hollychevalier @amberhorne 

[ivanblahnik]

madgeknight‌:

ivanblahnik‌:

“It is extremely easy to furnish one’s home with a few clicks of a button. Or at least it was out in the world when one didn’t have to keep their residence super secret.” Ivan mused out loud, giving a slight nod as the realization that trying to order random furniture to the middle of nowhere might prove to be a bit difficult. “What are your favorite podcasts? And speaking of Netflix - what’s the last show you watched from start to finish?” He leaned back with a slight smile, interested in possibly finding new things not currently on his radar. 

Madge laughed. “Yes, I think that might be a bit difficult here. But at least you know buying locally, it’s less likely to arrive broken or damage. And if it does, you know who you can go to, to complain.” She thought for a moment. “Missed In History, Lore, Welcome To Night Vale…the latter is rather odd, but I like it. Oh, goodness, I think A Series of Unfortunate Events. It’s clever and darkly funny.”

[ END ]

[hgconfessional]

MASQUERADE SUPERLATIVES. Top 5 Best Dressed Women? Top 5 Best Dressed Men? Top 5 Best Masks? Most likely to be wasted by the end of the night? Most likely to strip off their clothes? Most likely to pull a prank on a room full of fresh humans?

“My, you do ask a lot of questions, don’t you… Let’s see, in no particular order: 

Best Dressed Women: (+5)

Savannah Daniels, Pippa Percy, Cassie Cresswell, Luna Shaw, Delilah Reyes, Morgan Ambrose, and Nyx Brraganza. 

But really, all of them. Joslyn Blackwell? Ever and Issy? This was difficult. 

Best Dressed Men: (+3)

Less difficult. Wyatt LeBlanc, Tobias Pierce, Teddy Beacon, Ivan Blahnik, and Touma ‘Chou’ Dannika. Of course, Noah Blackwell, Emmett Bryson, and Nathaniel Greyson are also cutting fine figures in their outfits.

Top 5 Best Masks: (+11)

Noah Blackwell, Ian Tyler, Dora Lind, Mac Cameron, Tobias Pierce, Dylan Wright, Cat Santos Rose, Cal Renard, Chou Tannika, Lincoln Rossi, Chase Hastings, Adam Haley, Val Remington, Tom Scheffer. 

I hope you weren’t looking for accurate numbers, I simply chose not to choose. 

Most Likely to be Wasted: 

Jacob Thorne.

Most Likely to Strip: 

Rumor has it Holly Chevalier is looking for a reason to grace us all with a performance of her version of Lady Godiva. Someone get this woman a horse, immediately. 

Most Likely to Prank: 

Once upon a time I would have said Oliver Hastings. Adam Haley, even. Perhaps Scout Matthews, sans humanity. Now, however, I’m beginning to think the mantle solely belongs to Valentin Remington. 

Satisfied?

@savvy-daniels @pippapercy @cassandracresswell @lunaxshaw @delilahreyes @morganxambrose @nyxbrraganza @everaltair @isabellecresswell @wyattleblanc @tobiaspierce @teddyxbeacon @ivanblahnik @lxttlebutterfly @noah-blackwell @emmettbryson @nathanielxgreyson @iantylers @dora-lind @mac-cameron @dylcnwright @catxsantosrose @foxycal @lincolnrossi @chasehastings @adam-haley @valentinxremington @tomthewitch @jacobthorne @hollychevalier 

[ivanblahnik]

emsawycr·:

Emma could understand the man’s reservations, it was difficult to not be worried given the fact that they usually seemed to have some kind of attack during a town event, but equally, it was a night where they were all their most vulnerable. There was a reason she had weapons concealed in her outfit, after all, why most people were carrying something at this ball. She’d gotten swept up in the feeling of humanity for the night, but in the back of her mind the worry had remained there, just for a moment. “I get it.” she replied quietly, “Everyone is having the same thought deep down, I think.”

"If they all did, why were so many people willing to come to this party, to subject themselves to all be in the same place when there are other means besides supernatural means to take people out?" He was including himself in that sentiment. Maybe the best idea was to just leave and spend the remaining time of this godforsaken evening alone. The desire to party seemed to have disappeared right alongside his vampire abilities. He tried his best attempt at a smile which only resulted in some half smirk. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to put a damper on your evening. Were you just taking a breather out here?"

[ivanblahnik]

itskarasykes·:

A slow nod was Kara’s initial response to the man’s words, pursing her lips a little as she considered it. He was right though, he didn’t look familiar - though she did pride herself in knowing almost everyone in town… “Okay, that’s a fair point. While I’m pretty sure I know most people here, it’s true that you don’t look…super…familiar…at least not with the mask at the get up. But hey, your outfit is spectacular.” 

Her eyes followed the point of his finger as he pointed out people wearing full face masks, sure to make identity more difficult to determine, and nodded in agreement. “Fair point, good sir.” 

He took his eyes off of looking for the full fledged mask wearers and turned to look at her again. "I try to put forth the effort for parties, probably more than I do in my every day life." He held out his hand, a bit more shaken than he would be with the confidence that comes with a long life of trying out different personalities. "I doubt I'd look even more familiar without the mask on but I go by the name Ivan and your mask is quite exquisite."

"Do you think many of these people are actually unaware of the other people around them?"

[ivanblahnik]

mac-cameron·:

Mac normally viewed any party as a reason to kick back and have a good time, but this was work. Maggie was human, which was weird to think about, and so was he, so he had a lot fewer weapons in his arsenal. As such, he was armed to the teeth, practically clanking with weaponry, and kept checking the entryways. The problem was that the same people at this stupid shindig were exactly the people who might want her dead. “This was a stupid fucking idea. And I can’t even throw lightning bolts at people.”

Ivan had been to many a party over the years since becoming a vampire but none of them as this weak vessel he had become. Granted it was only for one night but he hated every single moment of it - the rush of human emotion, the lack of every single vampire ability, the hunger he was choosing to ignore. He'd found himself a corner to stand in, if only for a few minutes before he picked up and moved his nerves to some other space when he heard the man speak. "Is that a thing you actually do? I've only heard talk of one man who could hurl lightning bolts at will and you look nothing like how he was depicted in the old stories."