Stage Set Up: Aristocratic Ball

A large estate. A ballroom to fit hundreds. Beautiful chandeliers. Expensive dishes. Ladies in gorgeous gowns. Men in the finest suits.

Mao looked around at it all, trying to keep his eyes from growing wide, trying not seem out of place. His newest mission had led him to the upper class of the city and now here he stood in the middle of an Aristocratic Ball.

One was held every other week, always in a different location. So one could imagine the trouble he'd gone through just to arrive here tonight. He glanced around the ballroom once more, glad that his client had forked up the money for him to buy his suit and be able to fit in to the party with ease.

No sign of the target, he thought to himself, though he didn't give up hope. She would be here. It was just a matter of waiting now.

In an upstairs bedroom Trina was being fussed over by some maids. Holding onto the bed post for dear life as the maid strapped her into a black corset that was lightly decorated with red and white lace. The full skirt, with the same color scheme, fell in loose layers over her hips and to the floor as she refused to wear a hoop skirt. Her hair, partially pinned up and decorated with red and white carnations, fell in soft waves and curls lightly brushing against her shoulders. The lipstick she wore was a crimson red, almost the same shade as blood. Trina was lost in thought as the maid slid the white gloves over her arms.

It was a week ago that they had found her passed out and shaking with a fever, somewhere, they weren't very clear about where they found her. They were a really nice elderly couple and despite her efforts they would not be deterred from their mission of helping her. They knew she was homeless and that just made their arguments hold stronger then her reasoning, it wasn't like she could just tell them the truth about how she was a monster. Well, she actually did and they laughed at her and told her to try harder next time. Trina missed the smell of the forest and her stream she was almost homesick for it but the bed they had put her in was something of a miracle to her. They had given her clothes, perfume, books and many other items that she would have kept in her home, if she had one. They acted like doting grandparents on their first grandchild and even though she was nervous about being around them they still made her smile with their generosity and made her feel almost human.

Trina opened her black lace fan as she descended the stairs into the ball room as the air moved through the room a scent made her body tingle and her heart soar, Mao. How she wished he really was here her mind had been playing the meanest tricks on her every once in a while she would smell him, but he was never there. Damn he was a hard one to let go.

Upon entering the ball room from the living entrances the crowd stopped to stare at Trina, she was on a raised platform that overlooked the room. Her heart thundering she curtsied to the crowd as a signal to resume their dancing and thankfully they did. Trina smiled thankful that her disastrous clumsy state of mind only occurred when she was near Mao. Taking her time Tina moved off the platform and into the crowd.

Where could she be? It was getting late and although the party didn't look like it would be stopping any time soon, Mao was starting to wonder if this Sakura Woman was even going to show up. He was so deep in thought that he almost didn't notice how the dancers suddenly stopped. Fearing that he'd been discovered, his heart began to race. But the dancers weren't looking at him. They were looking behind him... Slowly, he turned around and his heart only raced faster.

He should have caught her scent but tonight, she didn't smell like herself. The heartwarming scent of wood and earth and fresh air was missing, replaced by flowers and bath oils. It was a change but he wasn't sure if it was for the best or the worst. All he knew was that seeing Trina again was dangerous for the both of them so he reached up and pulled his fedora down a little to hide his eyes. Then he slowly made his way to the back of the ballroom, if only to stay as far away from that woman as possible. If she recognized him, she could blow his cover.

Taking a seat at one of the many tables, he proceeded to watch Trina out of the corner of his eye, licking his lips every time she smiled politely at a guest. "I guess she's not that much of a mystery after all..." he mumbled to himself, his gaze gliding over her expensive attire and straight to her chest. "Just another little rich girl..."

The last one he'd involved himself with almost got him killed.

Trinas heart was racing around all these people as she fanned herself in an attempt to hide the fact that her eyes were flashing between green and amber. Her breaths were coming in small pants as her eyes were starting to water from her anxiety at being around so many people staring at her as though she were a juicy grade a prime rib. She was going to be sick, Trina turned and started for the garden door, holding her breath. In her haste she tripped almost landing in some mans lap with a fedora pulled down almost to his eyes. At the last moment she caught herself and proceeded her haste to a small bit of freedom, never noticing the menacing eyes on her.

Freedom. Taking a deep calming breath Trina looked around at the garden, the lush flowers the green grass and the tall shrubbery forming a labyrinth. It was breath taking underneath the softly light night sky sparkling with its stars and crescent moon. After sliding the gloves off her arms she reached out to touch a rose bush. Letting out a soft curse when the stupid bush pricked her finger causing the blood to well Trina moved her finger to her mouth to stop the bleeding. A low chuckle male chuckle came from the entrance to the labyrinth and Trina turned with a soft gasp to look at the grandson Micha. Trina had heard about him and his abuse of his grandparents generosity. He had no money as he always lost it gambling and on booze but they let him live there, despite taking him out of their will. He could be mildly attractive if the smell radiating off of him didn't make her want to vomit. "Hello, Micha." Her voice was soft and firm as she did not have much of a taste for him. "I see you have enjoyed the refreshment table."

"Hello Trina. Yes I did, in fact." There was a swagger in his step as he moved closer to her. "I was wishing to speak to you." Grabbing her arm and dragging her into the labyrinth he started babbling about his family and where they came from and a lot of endless droning topics that Trina zoned out on.

Trina's free hand was gliding smoothly over the shrubbery wall as she had heard once it you touch a wall at all times when you are in a labyrinth you will find your way out. The smell of it almost reminded her of the forest. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a movement from around a bend and saw a rock half the size of her face coming at her head. She screamed throwing up her arms in a defensive maneuver against the rock slamming down on her head.

From the moment that she'd almost face-planted his lap, Mao had kept extra close attention on Trina. She seemed overwhelmed by all the attention. There was something he was definitely missing... But as much as he wanted to understand that beautifully dark angel, he had a job to finish - a woman to murder.

With still no sign of his target, he grew more frustrated and thus more distracted. He tuned his hearing onto Trina outside, talking with someone. She sounded annoyed, which in turn annoyed him. He flicked his eyes up to the dance floor again. Where was that woman with the sakura tattoo?!

A scream too familiar for him to enjoy filled his ears and at once he got to his feet. No one at the party had heard it which meant he had to go to her rescue yet again. He slipped out the same door she'd used, glancing around the patio to see if there were any prying eyes. Satisfied that he was unseen, he closed his eyes and his body burst into black smoke. When it cleared, a silky black wolf stood in his place. It perked up its ears and slowly trotted into the maze with its nose to the ground.

Hang on, Trina. I'm coming.

The rock smashed against Trinas head before her arms made it up. Her vision swam as she fell to her knees. The hidden stranger had grabbed her arms, pulling them back, as his foot was pressing against the center of her back, holding her against the cement. Her vision was cloudy from the unshead tears in her eyes from the pain of it. Every time she struggled the pressure was increased a bit more, the man who held her was trained for this sort of thing.

Micha squatted next to her and picked one of the carnations from her hair and began twirling it between his fingers. "I think you have overstayed your welcome here. Perhaps it time you leave and go back to where ever it is that you came from. Nothing will stand in the way of what is rightfully mine. Not even some pretty little beggar.Why don't you stay here and have some fun and think about it." Dropping the carnation on the ground Micha stomped on it as though it were a lit cigarette as he walked deeper into the maze, knowing every inch of it.

The man pulled back harder on her arms as she stepped on her spine enough to strangle her scream as her right arm popped out of the socket. Her body convulsed so violently to the pain that her motions almost caused her to dislocate her other shoulder as well. She whimpered as her was held securely to the ground her right arm useless even with her super human healing abilities. Her eyes had bleed fully to a deep amber color.

Following Trina's scent, Mao hurried down the rows of maze, his paws pounding against the ground. He slowed a little though when he heard a man talking, perking up his ears again. What he heard, he couldn't understand. If Trina wasn't part of the rich family, then why was she here? There were so many questions once again that he wanted to have answered.

He realized then that he'd stopped walking, so lost in thought he hadn't even noticed. He sniffed the air, sneezing when he caught wind of something foul. He didn't like where this was leading and when he heard that sickly pop...well he took off running again, skidding around the final corner and coming face to face with a scene that angered him beyond words.

How dare that piece of shit lay his hands on Trina! He lowered to the ground, his ears flattening as he bared his teeth and growled menacingly - no, viciously! Drool seeped from between the rows of teeth as he took a few threatening steps toward them both, his golden eyes locked onto the man's throat. He'd rip it to shreds!

Get off of my woman!

And then he launched himself at the man, teeth sinking into flesh, blood spurting. He tightened his jaw on that man's throat so hard that he heard and felt the spinal bones crack. And when he finished, he dropped the contents of his mouth and slowly moved toward Trina, his head lowered like an unsure puppy to show her he meant no harm to her.

His scent crowded into her mind and heart, Mao. Her heart pounding as for a moment she thought her mind gave her something comforting to concentrate on. It all happened so fast she heard a growl and then the weight of the man was lifted off of her followed by a thick crunching sound and a wet plop.

Trinas left arm was shaking as the strain put on it weakened her ability to function it. Her right arm hung at her side at an awkward lifeless angle. Despite the pain of the action she pushed herself into a sitting position. She stared at the ground not wanting to see the mess that, what she though was one of her wolf companions, had made of the man. She could smell the blood and death, over her own blood saturating her hair from being smashed with a rock.

Trina caught the slow movement of the black wolf....Black? There wasn't a black wolf among her companions. Taking a slow deep breath with her senses she still smelled him. Then it all suddenly made sense. It was him, Mao was just like her and he saved her. It had to be him. She looked up at him her amber eyes of the wolf in awe and wonder. "Mao..." She said with the same wonderment that her eyes held as her "good" hand sank into the silky fur of his neck.

He'd been about to run.
Trina speaking his name didn't have to mean anything. He could have left her and she would have never really known for sure. But when Mao saw the color of her eyes - so beautiful, so brilliant, so...inhuman - he couldn't so much as move an inch away. Her gentle touch trapped him where he stood but those eyes hypnotized him. It was as if he were looking into a mirror...

Could she really be like him? Were they both cursed souls, drawn to each other simply because they were the same?

He leaned closer to her, sniffing the arm that was clearly damaged. In this form, he couldn't help her, so he shifted back to human, taking out a handkerchief from inside his jacket to wipe the bit of blood off his face. "Your arm... Should I fix it?" It was going to be a painful fix but at least he knew what he was doing.

Trinas heart was thundering as she watched him transform. Her mouth was dry and her hand shook with the giddy nervousness she had anytime he was near. Trina reached out and lightly brushed her fingertips against his cheek, astonished that this was real. Never in her wildest fantasies would she have seen this. He was just like her and the only man she had willingly let touch her since her incident. Was it ok to feel for him now that they were the same?

Her hand fell from his cheek at his offer to fix her arm. Trina could only manage to nod afraid that if she spoke her voice might sound hysterical. As she nodded a drop of blood fell from her hair and slowly rolled down her right shoulder. Even though her head wound was healed her hair was still saturated in blood. Trina moved her body for him to have better access to her right arm and realized that her back was bruising. He had tried breaking her spine with his foot and they had never intended on letting her live. She shivered with that thought and realized that she owed Mao her life.

Trina turned her head to the side as she offered her neck in a show of trust in him. Trina bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly as she was sure this was going to hurt more then the actual incident did. As she nodded her head to give him the signal to do it more blood shook from her hair and onto her skin.

He didn't quite understand the gesture she'd made with her neck but he figured it was a wolf thing. Living on his own, he'd never had anyone to teach him the rules so while the gesture confused him, it also fascinated him. The interest didn't last long though because it was quickly stolen away by the sweet scent of her blood. She hadn't spilt very much but it was spread out to the point it drowned out any other smell. His eyes flickered to gold for a brief second before he hurriedly grasped back his self control.

Gently, he positioned Trina on her back and slipped off his shoe. He took her arm with both hands and carefully sat on the ground, wedging his socked foot against her underarm. "I'm going to pop it back in place," he mumbled, his eyes locked onto his task. Visions of a bloodied and badly wounded little girl on a hospital bed flashed in front of his eyes, her scared eyes looking up at him. Quickly he blinked them away again and slowly began to pull on Trina's arm until he felt it pop.

He was so gentle with her and it warmed her. Trina held her breath as he looked down at her as though she were a painful memory and cringed inwardly. Perhaps it was to much to hope for something with him, maybe he resented her in some way. After all trouble seemed to follow her everywhere and he always seemed to be the one saving her. Trina groaned softly realizing she always seemed to have this cliche of a damsel in distress when he was near.

"Mao.... thank you." Trina said as he started pulling on her arm. "Please don't leav..." Her voice faded as she didn't want to be selfish and that the pain was getting greater, stealing her breath. Her eyes got wider as she tried her hardest to not cry out however small whimpers escaped. When she felt her arm pop her whole body writhed off the ground as she screamed.Trina lost consciousness for a few minutes.

Well this wasn't going well at all...

Mao checked her shoulder to make sure everything was back in place, being as gentle as possible. He couldn't bear the thought of hurting Trina. Well...not physically anyway. Hurting her feelings was allowed. It was for the best that she stay away from him.

Wrapping her in his jacket so he wouldn't get any blood on his clothes, he carried her from the maze, making sure to stay to the shadows as he looked for another door to use - going through the ballroom would only cause trouble if the guests saw Trina in this kind of state. He found a door that led to the kitchen and quietly slipped into the mansion, taking the injured girl straight upstairs to the bedrooms before the smell of her blood could mess with his head. He figured he'd found Trina's room when her scent almost overwhelmed him upon entering.

"I can't stay... But you'll be okay so just forget about me..." he whispered to her, brushing some of her tousled hair from her face. For a few minutes, he couldn't bring himself to look away from that beautiful sleeping face. Then his watch beeped to signal a new hour and he finally remembered what he'd come here for. Without another thought, he checked himself in her mirror, making sure there was no blood to give him away.

Then he headed back downstairs, just in time to see his target waltz into the ballroom...

Trinas eyes opened slightly, in time to watch him walk away... again. Sighing softly she sat up slowly clutching his jacket to her as it was the most precious thing she had. Getting up Trina smelled the blood and walked into the bathroom to rinse out her hair.

Taking only enough time to dry it to a damp curly mess on her head her hair fell to about her collar bone. Taking a deep breath she made her way back to the ball. Mao's jacket was bunched in her hands and held to her chest as she looked around the ball room for him. Looking like a lost child clutching her teddy bear she began wondering trying to catch his scent.

The room was filled with the scent of sweat and booze. Even then Trina still stood apart from the people denying offers to dance from overzealous and eager young men, because she was still a monster. As she looked and looked for Mao her spirits dropped and her heart pounded with the need to cry. She was hopeless and there was apparently nothing human or animalistic she could hope to have in her life. She was caught in in between two worlds and didn't belong to either of them. Hanging her head, with her misty eyes, Trina bit her lip in her effort to hold back her tears. Clutching Mao's jacket she began making her way back into the crowd of spirited and happy dancers.

(I'm sorry for my lack I've been dealing with a lung infection)

(oh my gosh O_O I hope you're alright! *huggles*)

He could be very convincing when he needed to be and the moment Mao caught sight of Trina, he turned to the sakura woman he'd been dancing with and flashed a handsome smile. "Let's go find ourselves a nice and quiet place to talk," he said, his voice low and smoother than silk. He could hear her heart beat just a little faster. He could see her blood pumping in her veins.

The rather beautiful green-eyed woman bit her lower lip and blushed, a half nod giving him permission to take her hand and escort her from the ballroom. He made sure to move away from Trina. She was the last person he ever wanted to see. They found themselves in the kitchen, dark because everyone was in the ballroom. He didn't have much time to look around because he knew it wouldn't take long for Trina to find him again. He had a job to do so he turned his attention on the blond beauty, watching her with his dark eyes as she slowly hoisted herself onto the counter top.

He moved in for the kill then, stroking his fingers over the sakura tattoo on her left shoulder, kissing her jaw down to her neck, gaining her trust. He was a snake disguised as a harmless piece of rope and as he coiled himself around her, she hadn't a single clue about his true nature. His fingers unbuttoned the back of her dress, sliding the silky material down to her waist. One hand caressed her breasts, the other pushed her long blond hair away from her neck...

At first she struggled, too shocked to scream as his teeth sank into her neck. She pounded on his back, clawed and thrashed but he refused to stop. It'd been too long since his last meal and the taste of her blood drove him to the point of insanity. He let go only to bite down again, puncturing his fangs through her throat this time and in a matter of seconds, she fell limp in his arms as her heart beat slowed to a stop.

He stepped back, wiping his mouth on his shirt sleeve, and her body fell to the floor in a crumpled heap of blood and golden silk. It was only then that he noticed the second tattoo. It'd been hidden by her dress but now he could see it clearly.

A wolf bent over backwards on it's hind legs with a spear through its chest to the ground.

Mao shivered as he stared at the hideous picture. He could almost hear the wolf howling in pain and torment. His hands shook as he moved over to the sink to wash the blood off his face and his shirt. His sleeve was stained so he rolled both of them up and quickly slipped back out into the ballroom, heading straight through the doors and down the front steps. Only when he was past the front gate did he sink down on the side walk and take a deep, shaky breath.

Jack had been watching the silent Assassin all night and was waiting for him to leave so he could properly introduce himself and make his proposition to him. He silently watched him kill the young lady without letting him know he was there. As the young Assassin left the Ball and went outside past the gates he followed him until he saw him sit down and look somewhat shaken.

He was smiling as he walked up towards the young man sitting on the stairs. Jack looked at him as his breath was shaky and then said "young man why is your breath so shaky? You know what never mind I'm not here to make sure your doing ok I'm here with a proposition so you just stay there and be quiet and listen. O.K. here's my proposition: you work for me from now on and u can still do any job you like but whenever I call upon you, you must come. The pay will be really good. By the way my name is Jack, Jack Willington. if you decide to take my offer heres my card." Jack handed him his card and said in a light tone "And don't worry you'll be treated as an equal." He then got up and then in a blink of an eye Jack was gone.

"...the fuck?" Mao grumbled, looking the card over like it had a million answers to every single question he'd ever asked himself. When he realized it was just an ordinary business card, with bad spelling, he tossed it to the ground and ran a hand through his blond hair.

He didn't have time to deal with this bullshit. He had to get far, far away and never let Trina find him. Now that his duty was done, he could quit his job as a bartender and move on to another town.

Well, after that woman paid him of course.

He wouldn't ask questions. He wouldn't ask her who that sakura woman was and why the horrific wolf-killing tattoo frightened him to the point he wanted to claw the picture right off her skin. Nor would he go find that creepy couple and ask them to shed a little light on his dark past and tell him just exactly what he was and why and how it happened.

And forget about that jackass with the card. Where the hell did he even come from?!

Or go?

"Jack Willington can go fuck himself. This town is the shittiest I've ever been to."

Because it completely threw your system called Life right off of its well thought-out tracks and left you in the unknown.

You coward.

Screams of realization that someone had been brutally bitten to death sounded from the mansion and that was Mao's signal to get the fuck out of there. He got to his feet and started walking, stopped, strode back to the card, pissed on it, then strode off into the night.

[Annnd he's gone. I'll be jumping into another scene once I find my chance.]

Trina had finally found him sitting outside the gates. She was almost to him and the man that he was talking to. When the man left Mao had started screaming about how shitty everything here was. She was here... Trina bit her lower lip and wrapped her arms around herself as she watched his childish scene. In all his anger he did not notice her once and she was less then 20 feet away from him. With skills of that poor level he was going to get himself killed.

Trinas attention was pulled from Maos tantrum by the cry of one of her wolves. They had missed her and come to find her. An excited smile spread across her lips as she took off the high heels and left them neatly infront of the gate and took off running. Her heart raced, as the animals she refused to become still came for her because they loved her, even if she was a monster.