the ballroom.

[jamie]

there's a piano in the corner where music is being played regularly during the parties hosted every
friday night. otherwise, this room is mostly empty. 

[jamie]

luna sat down at the bench in front of the grand piano, her dainty fingers running along the keys, getting a feel for exactly where she was before pressing down on c sharp. a small smile tugged at her lips and she sighed contentedly, bringing her other hand up and presing down on a few more notes, playing her favorite song - waldscenen 9 by robert schumann. it was one of the songs she played most often.

[erin]

enzo is making his way back to his sleeping quarters, a drink in hand, when he hears the piano located in the ballroom being played. odd. that room in particular is unoccupied unless valentino miraculously decides to liven this place up. pun intended. approaching the grand door leading from the hallway to the ballroom, enzo cannot stop himself from gazing at the room. its beauty, like all, has faded from his memory. it's merely a room. he walks in further and finds none other than pretty little luna moving her fingers across the keys. "did you know-" enzo begins, an eyebrow raised cheekily. "that a man lost his head in that very spot some years ago. that was a bitch to remove the stain on the floor."

[ems]

katerina was wandering the hallway of the manor, the one just outside of her room, her converse-clad feet scraping against the neatly kept wooden floor, kicking up a bit of dust that hinted at its age. it smelled musty, the stale air brushing across her scrunched up nose, causing her lungs to expand rapidly and produce a subtle wheezing noise, which turned into a cough. approaching the end of the thin branch of hallway, she turned the knob on a door, opening it to reveal an open space - the ballroom. tucking a strand of long, straight brown hair behind her ear, she stepped into the opening, the skin crawling on her neck as it shut behind her, without her touch. turning quickly, her eyes narrowing, she let out a breath. something seemed off about duntmore, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. it couldn't have possibly been haunted, as her batty old parents suspected. ghosts didn't exist. dead people were dead. kat head a voice interrupt your thoughts, and beautiful piano playing as well, drawing her attention to the center of the room. "hello?" she called out in her thick italian accent, hugging her arms to her torso. she was adorned in an over-sized sweater, one that smelled faintly of cinnamon and vanilla.

[jamie]

luna stopped playing abruptly as she heard enzo's voice behind her, freezing in spot. "how charming," she murmured, turning her head back in the direction his voice came from, her blind eyes looking right at him. "why must you feel the need to ruin a perfectly peaceful moment?" she asked with a tiny pout, standing up from her chair and reaching for his shoulder, holding onto him for support as she couldn't see where she was going. when she heard another voice, one she hadn't heard before, she whirled around. "hello!" she called out, excited that they had a new visitor. "come this way, i can't see you."

[erin]

enzo grins. "baby girl, if you could see my face you wouldn't mind me interrupting." he drawls, narrowing his eyes when she feels the need to lean on him. however enzo's attention is quickly diverted. new arrivals are always the most fun. fresh. alive. new toys to mess around with. "ciao. it is a pleasure to welcome a fellow italian into my home, and a bella ragazza no less."

[ems]

katerina - hesitantly - approached the voice of a girl around her age, possibly, if not a little order. nervously taking the ends of her sleeves into her palms, fiddling with the soft fabric between her fingers, she stepped out from behind the wall that was blocking her from the view of enzo, not so much luna, but she didn't know that. "hello," she trilled lightly in luna's direction, blinking her wide, clean eyes at her words. she was makeup-less, and if she ever wore any at all, it was a bit of mascara and chapstick. "oh, uh, grazie. it's nice to be here. you own this place?"

[jamie]

"his brother owns it. but he likes to brag," luna corrected her, smiling widely as she heard her voice coming closer. she reached forward, her hands cupping the girl's cheeks. "i bet you're beautiful. you have such a pretty voice." she murmured, tilting her head. "tell me what you look like so i can picture it." 

[erin]

new day

elena tentatively walks further into the grand foyer, the first vision her eyes set sight upon when walking through duntmore's front doors. she did not expect this place to look so... grand. upon further inspection elena figures that this place had to have been around for a long time. all of the furnishings look original, having never been replaced. and expensive looking. elena catches a group of people in the corner of her eye, and after inspecting them she decides she is without a doubt underdressed. whilst they all graced in ballgowns and tuxedos, elena had arrived in mud-clad boots, an every-day dress and her black leather jacket. all of which were soaking wet, along with her shoulder-length hair, thanks to the torrential rain outside. biting her lip elena tries to figure out where she is supposed to go.

[ems]

  

  - katerina, balancing a small glass in her hand - filled to the brim with a fruity mixture that was certainly illegal for her to drink - sighed, focusing on the sensation of her heel tapping against the hard floor. her parents were enthusiastic about this whole ordeal, now more certain than ever that the dead walking these halls as regular people. 'who-" her father had began only an hour earlier, "throws balls like this anymore? old people, old dead people. i'll get the salt". groaning at the idea of her mum and dad making a mockery out of her again, she took a long, much needed sip of the strong drink, almost choking as she quickly realized that she wasn't as tough as she thought she was. "god, gross," kat muttered, reaching for a nearby napkin, she was near a row of tables, and wiping her lips.

    - charlie was seated in the corner of the room, eagerly documenting everything she saw; every sight, every smell, and even how the residents danced. finally coming to terms with the fact that ansel was, indeed, a long dead king, her eyes had suddenly opened to mountainous possibilities - the history she could discover! she was dressed for a dance, provided with one of mary's fine dresses. they had been getting along quite swimmingly, despite the threat of a beheading. charlie and ansel, however, still did not see eye to eye. the very thought of him made her scowl, her grip tightening on the edge of her notebook. "i will not let him ruin my night."

    - mary was positioned just above the stairs, her arm hugging ansel's from a respectable distance, her hand gently placed over his. "my dear," she began, raising her chin to catch another glimpse of the crowd, "are you at all excited for tonight? you look so very somber." it was to her up-most knowledge that ansel was never the party man, unlike his father, who always called for france's finest brews when celebrating, and the finest maidens whom he would shag and leave. "everyone's having a good time, you should try and smile for once."

[jamie]

"i am always somber, mary. you should know that after eighty years or so," ansel mumbled, glancing in her direction for a split second before glancing down at the crowd below the grand staircase, taking his first step down. "i'm only here to entertain valentino, i know he would be beside himself if his best friend didn't show up to his grand parties." he muttered with a chuckle. "and, i am also here for the alcohol, and to provide you with a date. i wouldn't want my wife to be lonely."

valentino had his arm pressed to the side of luna's waist, leading her in the direction of the piano. "there you go, bella." he drawled in a heavy italian accent once the girl had herself seated in front of the instrument, lighting the room up with the sound of cheerful music. a smile tugged at the man's lips as he turned to face the rest of the ballroom. there were people dancing, eating, socializing. exactly as it always was. he took a few steps back, leaning against the wall, watching from a distance.

[erin]

enzo staggers into the ballroom, unwrapping his arms from around the two ladies that entertained him last night, sending them on their way. he grabs a drink from one of the passing waiters, sloppily fixing his tie before swallowing his drink in one go. through his fuzzy eyesight enzo spots valentino leaning against a wall, and a sloppy grin graces his effortlessly handsome face. "valentino, my brother, how nice of you to join the land of the living." he greets him loudly, chuckling to himself at the irony of his statement. "it appears duntmore has a new arrival. a living arrival. young, fresh, new. and hot. poor girl looks lost in the foyer." enzo drawls, collecting another drink.

[ems]

- "how generous of you, darling," mary replied graciously, using her free hand to gently pull her dress away from her feet as they descended the stairs to avoid tripping. "but i also know that you're here to see charlie." smiling wistfully, she cocked her head to look at him, tightening the grip she had on his arm. "again, try not to murder her in broad daylight, the last one brought us enough attention, don't you agree?"

- katerina, trying desperately to avoid looking like a clumsy fool in heels, started towards the middle of the room, grasping tightly to the fabric of her poofy dress, which was driving her absolutely crazy. avoiding twirling couples in flashy dresses and smooth tuxes, she was prepared to sneak up to her room, her one place of absolute solitude, and peace. on her way towards the main hall, her chest gracelessly bumped into another girl, someone who did not look like they were prepared for a night of dancing either. (elena) "oh, shit, i'm sorry!" katerina squeaked, her thick italian accent skewering her words only slightly. "i didn't see you in my rush to escape, i suppose."

[jamie]

"you disgust me," valentino said, though he looked at his brother rather fondly, his smile never leaving his lips. "have you ever heard of a shower? you reek of alcohol, enzo." he said, placing his hand on his shoulder and shaking him about the slightest bit. "alright, i'll deal with it. you should get yourself a glass of water, and sit down before you fall over from being too drunk." he rolled his eyes, giving him one last pat before walking towards the foyer where he'd been told there was a lost girl. upon his arrival he noticed not one but two girls, both he'd never seen before, but he was sure that the one who wasn't necessarily dressed for the occasion was the one his brother had been speaking of. "are you lost, ladies?" he spoke up, standing before them with his hands behind his back.

"i have no interest in murdering her, my love." ansel chuckled under his breath, glancing around once they'd reached the bottom of the staircase - his gaze immediately landing on charlie. "she is far too amusing to get rid of.." he spoke, looking at mary out of the corner of his eye. "unless, perhaps. she begins to bore me. then i will consider my options, yes?"

[erin]

enzo waves him off. "always the buzzkill, valentino. when did you stop being so fun?" he drawls, spreading his arms wide. "it's a party. i don't need to sober up, until say, tomorrow?" enzo muses, waving him away before surveying the room for more entertainment. he spots pretty little luna by the piano, again, and makes his way over. "luna, luna, luna. you just can't stay away, can you?" enzo asks with a drunken grin.

elena stumbles slightly when a girl bumps into her, but is quick to regain her composure. "oh, it's fine." she brushes it off and opens her mouth to ask what it is she is escaping from, when a man approaches them. a very attractive man. elena blushes red, feeling even more out of place and under-dressed than ever before. "well, i've just arrived. would you happen to know where the rooms are? this place is, well, huge."