Avery had watched the evening’s event unfold from the second floor - he counted almost all his siblings to be there, the eldest had been missing in her hostess duties for sometime. It was never a good thing and harked to his arguments why they shouldn’t through this Halloween Ball, to begin with. All of them were way to unstable and The Faction was barely keeping the tentative peace together. The last thing New Orleans needed was for the city to turn into a battle zone again. But in one ear and out the other; he dressed the part but had kept on the fringe of the party with carefully watching green eyes.
Eventually, he had left his post from above and came to the main floor and threaded his way through the guests choosing a spot int he corner that allowed him to keep an eye on all. It was about then that his dear elder sister wandered in dancing on high - he recognized the daze of bloodlust from across the room and all he could hope for was that his sister had taken care of the body or compelled her unwilling victim to forget. He stressed secrecy and protecting his family, but even after a thousand years, it was an uphill battle he seemed never to win.
Ignoring his sister’s whimsical movements he had wandered over and picked up a champagne flute and downed the alcoholic contents. Roman had tried earlier to get him to drink and have a good - one out of two of those things. The champagne would do little on the vampire’s system though as he placed the empty flute down and even with his back turned, heightened senses could clearly hear across the room the dangerous voice of the hunter. His head turned pointedly in the direction of the pair - listening to the threats.
He watched the hunter like a predator waiting for its prey to make its first move - no one threatened his family. He saw the glint of light on the smooth surface of something the hunter reached for - a weapon and from his sister’s words ‘stabbed’ meant a sword. Avery and his family had lived long enough to hear all about the rumors of such a weapons wielded by the supernatural hunters; a blade that could even strike down an original. That predatory glare from across the room shifted to making a move; blessed with a supernatural speed that no human eye could track, Avery with a blink of an eye was no longer in the corner, lurking, but across the room standing behind the hunter.
Avery’s beliefs were often something his siblings didn’t understand. He saw shades of gray but could be just as malicious as any of them. Now was one of those times, when it came to his family Avery was blinded by his loyalty and love for them.
Behind the hunter, Avery stepped in closer to his back, intimidating as he leaned in. His tone had an edge of warning to it. “Take one more move towards my sister and I’ll make sure to see you suffer through several of your lives.”
New Orleans had not been a destination on his map for several years, since he’d woken from having his neck snapped. It was a city he had left far behind him, working to return himself to a path of dedication and intent. But ultimately, Maddox knew that he would one day be set to return. He had a mission, after all. And feelings long since pushed aside would not get in his way — not again.
The infamous Atwood parties were something that he would rather avoid, steering clear of the original family until he was certain a loophole had been found. But there he stood, off to the side donned in a black suit. He had needed to fit the part, even if he’d rather be anywhere else. He ignored chances at conversation, held off on drinking or eating, and waited for the moment that one of the vampires decided playing nice just wasn’t for them. He was not there to socialize, was not there to partake in any niceties with those that had the potential to kill. He was there only for one singular reason.
And that reason was made known when he caught sight of the altercation, two original vampires very much familiar to his eyes and a supernatural hunter that he had crossed paths with on several occasions. He stiffened at the sight of the three, narrowed eyes deciphering what exactly was taking place. And that is when he saw the glint of the blade, catching a bit of light before it was gone. The interaction between the three was not friendly, was not of mere acquaintance. And Maddox knew he couldn’t stand back.
With his own Phoenix Sword tucked away for safety, to ensure that he was well protected throughout the night, he moved closer to the three. It was a twist in his gut at the sight of Avery, but Maddox did his best to ignore it, to focus on what needed to be done. Cutting around the ring of individuals within the party, he brought himself up behind Malene, his own hand reaching for the weapon he held dear. “I don’t think you’ll want to be touching him,” he stated firmly, casting his gaze directly at Avery.
it was all he needed, that flash of fear across her features. even if it was fleeting, it was enough to let sebastián know his threat was sinking in. the power of the phoenix sword was unmatched, even for an original such as herself. perhaps an eternity of suffering was much more appeasing than death. “I can. and I will,” he mused with the quirk of a smirk. the last time he had chosen to go up against an original, it had not ended well for him. this time would be much different. “friends??” he questioned, almost appalled at the very idea. “do you truly believe you have any of those? these people aren’t your friends, they fear you. but that ends tonight.” he shifted, aiming to make his move before he felt the presence behind him.
he growled at the intrusion, at the appearance of another original. though he shouldn’t be very surprised, given that he was in their house, at their party. his hand tightened on the phoenix sword, eager to drive it into malene’s chest and sentence her to the suffering she so deserved. “think you can snap my neck faster than I can drive this sword into her chest?” he challenged, mocking the original behind him. of course, it would be a close call. for while sebastián was much faster than a normal human, he was not yet matched for an original. but the uneven match was short-lived, for another of his own stepped up to the plate. a grin spread across his lips at the sight of maddox, already reaching for his own sword. “think you can get to both of us before we get to your sister here?”
of course, avery had to come to her rescue. of course her dashing brother was there to save her. idiot. she snarled at him almost the same time as sebastián did, though deep down she was grateful for his backup. it’s what they did, she knew this. but malene wasn’t some damsel in distress, she was handling things. or so she thought, until she felt a presence behind her and her body became tense. trapped between two hunters, her throat began to close as she realized there was truly no way out. she could try for the door or another room, but the room was so crowded it’d be difficult to get away without the hunters catching up, even with her speed. and she could never do that to her siblings, leave them behind to bear the consequences. malene may have been heartless, but never to them.
chin raised, she scanned the room while the men surrounding her had their little stand off. seconds ticked by and panic rose within her. she needed to think — and quickly, or she would be facing a fate worse than death. drunken guests kept stumbling by malene and she made her move fast, grabbing a passerby and pinning the girl to her chest with her back against a nearby wall in a millisecond. “make so much as a move towards me or my brother with your little toys, and blondie here gets a her neck snapped in two.” she wasn’t bluffing, malene’s hands were positioned in a way that could snap the girl’s neck in an instant, a slow smile returning to her lips. “do you really want that blood on your hands? is it worth another innocent human life being taken?”
