the three kings of volterra step into the room, and the whole room slows. they move as one onto the makeshift stage that is covered in AGED carpet, and...- and as kate’s eyes lock onto his, violet meet golden, something fragile breaks within her. something snaps. she has worked, all night, to keep herself a vision of detachment. to ignore the ache inside her chest and the blood rushing in her ears and to force a friendly smile when confronted with the GUARD. she had managed it, BARELY, had clenched her hands into fists so tight that she was sure she would feel the results for a lifetime, but she was done. in that moment, the rage she had been biting back all night erupted - and without a single conscious thought gone into the movement, she was moving towards them.
it was impossible to read her intention, mostly because not even she was sure what it was. she moved with purpose, jaw clenched, hands unfurled, but she struggled to push through the human crowd that was beginning to converge as one upon their ‘gracious hosts’ without automatically exposing herself, and maybe, that was for the BEST. she was heading for the stage. she was itching to do something. but there were too many bodies in her way, and as she was met with more resistance in her path, it was all that that she could do not to shove them aside - words a hiss as she said, instead, “get out of my way.”
the VISIBLY nervous man tries to stand tall as he approaches the microphone, set up on a velvet covered podium. it takes more than one cough for him to clear his throat, and more than a few ‘excuse me’s’ and clinks of a champagne flute for him to catch the attention of those in the room. no one was aware that there would be a speech, and curiosity fills most gazes ; mixing with boredom, in some cases.
“good evening, everyone.”
those more savvy with their city knowledge might RECOGNIZE him as the bumbling mayor, who many had called to be ejected, over the previous year. he’s on his way out, that’s for sure, but he has clearly been chosen, for tonight, to fulfill a role.
“this is... such an impressive turnout, and we really- we really couldn’t have expected BETTER. this is...- an incredible event, and it wouldn’t have been possible had the volturi family not... tirelessly pulled it all together, opening their doors to us all-”
he raises his glass, and there is a very polite round of applause that fizzles out, quickly.
“we all owe them a great deal. the money we raised tonight will help the city of seattle. it’ll be put towards our ongoing search for the missing members of our community, and...- and i am so HONORED, to be the one stood here, tonight, to tell you all that the board of trustees- the benefactors of this whole thing, have just now made a...- a jawdropping personal donation, to the cause. they wanted this to remain anonymous, but i think we can all agree that one million dollars is simply TOO much, to hide. this money will be put towards our efforts, and a set amount given to the families of those affected by these horrible times...”
there is a palpable energy to the room, now. a shocked MURMUR seems to make it’s way around at the declaration of just how GENEROUS the donation was, and no one seems to be really listening to what else he had to say. there is, however, very little time to digest what’s been said, as the black curtain at the edge of the room is pulled back by a member of the volturi guard, and five figures emerge -
“please- please join me, in putting your hands together in thanks, for ARO, caius and marcus volturi, and their wives, who we are so lucky have graced us TONIGHT with their presence. and who promise that they aren’t going anywhere until this scourge on our city has been ended.”
OUT OF CHARACTER.
the leaders of the volturi and their wives have arrived in seattle - certainly sooner than expected, but... you can’t blame these guys for wanting to make an entrance, can you? no member of the guard was informed of their imminent arrival ; but they are here to stay, and this means... fun things, for the rp.
marcus, caius & sulpicia and athenodora are all now playable characters, though they are ALL 30+, and their face claims must reflect that. didyme remains dead within the rp, so we will NOT be accepting any new take on her.
aro will remain unplayable, but not unplayed. the decision was made fairly early on that aro’s gift and standing is simply too much for us to be able to trust in the rp - but since he’s an important figure, we’ve got... something pretty fun in store. we’re going to halve the responsibility of playing him ; you can find his blog at @ariistocratic, where his face claim is jamie dornan. you may request a thread with him from one of us, personally - or you can respond to opens that we’ll post every now and again, to have his involvement levels high. we’re REALLY excited about this, and we sure hope you guys are too!
the event is still ongoing, we just wanted to give you all something fun to do. feel free rp the aftermath!
“was looking as if you work here intentional?” edward did not have the respect for alec that he should have had - this was not for lack of braincells. he had no idea the danger this boy could pose him, someday... and when he thought of his unique gift, he was not filled with heartstopping fear. jane was terrifying. alec’s power would be... a welcome release, at this point of his immortal life.
"oh, thank god,” she would recognize that beauty anywhere, and she had already started to make a beeline over to the OTHER before she felt she’d consciously registered her. esme cullen is a welcome sight in this sea of HELL, and though kate is not the type to offer a warm embrace as hello, she does manage to turn a rather FRAZZLED, friendly smile unto her, instead. she’s... relieved to see her, in a way that doesn’t become ABUNDANTLY clear until- “it’s long past time that idiot son of yours is dragged by his ear away from this CULT. if i have to deal with another day of tanya moping around our house about his loss of innocence, i might just have to take drastic measures of my own.”
“tonight must work out better than i’ve been imagining after all, if YOU’VE decided to wander into the snake pit.” anyone else, kate would think she was sneaking up on them. when it came to alice, however - she had no doubt that the other knew who would be at her shoulder, even before she had begun to make her way there. it’s hard for people like them to show stress, but there’s a degree of it to kate’s expression - a kind of edge to the curve of the smile she offers her cousin, born from being in such close proximity to the volturi. she knew it was better, to keep them in sight... but gods was it difficult to stand. “here i thought they were planning to slaughter us all. we must be safe if the psychic dares drop by.”
"sorry-” she needed to leave, she had decided ; she needed to GET out of this building, because being inside of it was... it was torture, and she had no idea why. sidney was upset at the loss of her twenty dollars, and maybe moreso was upset by the fact that this was happening to her - that for REASONS unknown, her body was revolting against her. it had started with a stomach ache. dull, but manageable. within the hour, she was feeling increasingly lightheaded and there was a burning itch in her veins - a feeling she could not abide, and could not make sense of. bumping into him was an accident. “i’m sorry. i need to go.”
“you think this is really quality wine?” their lips were pulled into a PERPETUAL frown, it seemed, the swirl they gave the glass in hand incredibly lackluster. the thought had been that a glass or two of wine might’ve helped them with the feeling of sickness that had come down on them ( it made sense, to them ), but...- but it WASN’T, and they could feel their moodiness and cynicism growing. “i don’t..- know the difference. does anyone?”
“i don’t think i’m enjoying this very much.” the familiar girl is a welcome sight, at least as sidney’s going through this shit. she couldn’t place anyone in the crowd, but made a beeline for mackenzie ; hoping to find someone else who isn’t ENJOYING this masquerade in the same way that she isn’t, if not just to confirm she isn’t going crazy. “does it feel...- wrong, to you?”
