The Silent Circle (boyxboy, PAFP)

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    Lucas McAllister


    The two men got more than a few lingering glances as they left the apartment and headed down to the street, likely for more than one reason. On one hand, they looked damn good. On the other, most people in the building had seen both Evan and Lucas a few times by now, and they’d never once been this dressed up. Speculations ensued, but it was unlikely that any of them guessed any closer to the truth than “They’re going to a fancy party”. Not too far off, really, but the devil was in the details.


    Nor were the two the only ones; A mere two or three minutes later, as they were nearing the Hall, more and more people in black-tie could be seen, moving toward the Hall at varying speeds. Whiteridge itself, when it came into view, had clearly been gussied up for the occasion; The structure looked brand new. Peeling paint had been replaced with bright color, once-faded wood now rich and deep in color and texture, dusty windows pristine and clear. It was a grand building even in its more run-down state, but looking as if it had just been completed yesterday was an entirely different story. Multi-colored lanterns, each floating unsupported, could be seen beneath each and every window, illuminating the building’s surroundings in a soft, multi-hued glow. The normally modest gardens around the Hall had grown exponentially, the flowers larger and more vibrant than any ordinary gardener could have managed. Some were glowing, to boot. A massive perception veil had been raised over Hudson tonight, and both Lucas and Evan could feel it around them, working to distract and deter any mundanes who might have been coming this way tonight, no matter the reason.


    A tall, well-dressed man with dark hair and eyes too green to be natural seemingly sprouted from the ground in front them as they approached the front door, appearing suddenly and without warning. He was handsome, almost impossible so, with utterly flawless features. His beauty wasn’t natural, however, and one could see it almost immediately; There was an almost otherworldly quality to his appearance. If one looked closely at him, one would also notice that his eyes were slitted, like a cat’s. He was a Sidhe, after all.


    “Welcome, Mr. McAllister, Mr. Hoffman. You’re both looking dashing tonight, I must say. Mr. Hoffman, I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure,” the man greeted them magnanimously, turning to Evan and extending a hand toward the much younger man with a friendly smile. “My name is Lethranin, and I have the distinct pleasure of being greeter for tonight’s event. May I offer you a drink before you go inside?”


    Lucas rolled his eyes and stepped slightly in front of Evan, a protective gesture. “Nice try, Leth. Evan, this is Lord Lethranin Dualis ap Rhydderch, a Sidhe lord of the Court of Summer. Rule number one of dealing with the fae; Never ever accept anything they give you that you haven’t already paid for. It places you in their debt, and they can use that debt to make you do almost anything,” he warned Evan, giving the Sidhe lord a look that was distinctly unimpressed.


    Lethranin smiled again and spread his arms out, a gesture of lazy surrender. ”You are correct, of course, Mr. McAllister, forgive me. On nights like these, I often find myself quite forgetful. Mr. Hoffman, my little slip aside, it is truly a fascinating pleasure to meet you. I knew your grandfather, a fine man, if a little aloof at times. But, then, you Hoffman’s have always had trouble expressing yourselves, haven’t you?” the Sidhe said idly, his eyes fixed on Evan with unfeigned interest.


    Evan’s grandfather? In keeping with the obfuscatory standard by which his race was known, Lethranin hadn’t specified which one. Lucas didn’t know much about either of them, but if the Sidhe had known one of Evan’s grandparents, then it was a good bet that the magic in his blood had come from him, or at least that side of the family. That bit about Hoffman’s being a little on the guarded side was also true, but Lethranin wanted Evan to think he knew more about his family than he really did. That was also standard Sidhe practice; Make everyone believe they know everything there is to know, all without telling a single lie.


    “Next you’ll tell me all about how we McAllister’s bury our real feelings under false confidence, and how you knew my great-aunt. I’ve heard this routine before, Leth, and I’m sure you have other guests to greet,” the sorcerer said, not particularly fond of the idea of Evan sitting here and listening to a high Sidhe talk. They had a distinct talent for getting into your head and twisting everything they found there, and Lucas didn’t want Lethranin to use that talent on his friend.

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    evan hoffman

    Even after weeks of studying under Lucas’ tutelage and being exposed to magic every day, Evan still jumped when a man practically appeared sprouted from the earth. There was a strange air to him, and as the two approached the green-eyed man Evan realised that this figure was quite evidently not human. He appreciated that Lucas took the lead in exchanging pleasantries with Lethranin, as Evan quickly learned was the name of the creature. Evan still wasn’t fully confident in his abilities to navigate social situations, never mind magical ones.


    He was slightly flattered that the far offered to get him a drink, but couldn’t help but wonder if it was routine to do such things. Lethranin was being incredibly polite to him, and he couldn’t help but appreciate it. That is, until the man mentioned a man that Evan hadn’t thought of in a very long time.


    His grandfather. His grandfather? Evan’s easy smile vanished in an instant as the man, no, sidhe, spoke to him in a nearly detached tone. What the fuck was that supposed to mean? His grandfather on his mother’s side had died before he was born, ten years before in fact. It was heart attack, and that was all to the story that Evan knew. His father’s father, however, was not so simple.


    Martin Hoffman was of course by no means a simple character. Evan’s mother had described him as ‘wildly erratic, mentally unstable, and a terrible example’, which is why Evan had never had the chance to meet him more than once. It was close to his eighth birthday when he met his grandfather for the very first and last time. The well-dressed man had sat alone in the parlor room, sipping at a cup of tea when he laid eyes upon his grandson. Martin had paused, setting the cup down gently on the saucer and clearing his throat before speaking with a level, distant tone.


    “You mustn’t let him get to you.”


    Seven year old Evan had frozen in his tracks, unsure of what to say or how to act. He only stared openly at this man that he realised just then was his grandfather. His mother had given him strict orders to avoid the man, who was visiting for the weekend. But here Evan was, now speaking with the looming presence of the man from across the room.


    “Do you hear me? This is no laughing matter,” the older man’s voice had risen in urgency as he leaned forward towards Evan. His words were not unkind, but impatient rather. “You need strong wards around you, boy.”


    It was at that point that Evan had fled the room, running fearfully to his mother to ask what ‘wards’ were, and why he needed them. Evan’s mother had reassured him with a sharp, tone that he was he was being silly and that wards were just nonsense that grandfather made up since he was very sick in his head. She had sent Evan up to his room then, but he could still hear they muffled shouting exchange between his mother and her father. His grandfather had left that night without another word to Evan, and they resumed life how it had been.


    Evan found himself forgetting that encounter a few months later. Years later when he asked his mother what had happened to his grandfather, she had simply responded that he was locked up now, and that was that. Some later digging that night had shown Evan that Martin Hoffman had been checked into a psychiatric ward only a few weeks after Evan had seen him that night so long ago. But further research showed that he was no longer a patient there. There was no information about his departure, and upon calling the ward, none of the nurses could recall a man that fit the name and description. Evan’s father had discovered Evan’s little investigation shortly after the call, angrily demanding that Evan dropped the subject. Terrified of his father’s rage, Evan had done just that.


    He hadn’t thought of his grandfather in years, but now? It all seemed to make sense. Lethranin’s vague implications could only mean one thing, and Evan wasn’t too fond of it. He couldn’t start questioning his family’s history and involvement, not now when he still had an entire night ahead of him. The thought of his family carrying magic in their bloodline made his feel incredibly tense.


    “Let’s go inside,” Evan found himself saying quickly as he moved beside Lucas and offered Lethranin a slightly uneasy smile. “Thank you,” he said distantly to the sidhe. “For the greeting.” He wasn't sure if he was ready for answers yet. Everything was just beginning to calm down it seemed.

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    Lucas McAllister


    Nodding immediately at Evan's request that they go inside, Lucas gave the Sidhe a warning sort of look, which was answered with a serene smile. Bloody Sidhe, ruffling their feathers was nearly impossible even at the best of times. They were generally either calmly arrogant, or arrogantly calm. Unless they were mad, of course. That was a different story.


    "Enjoy yourselves, my young friends. Do try the violet-colored cocktails. I understand that your Supremus was able to procure a few drops of dragon's tears to flavor them. Exquisite," the faerie recommend, turning away from Evan and Lucas a moment later as another small group of well-dressed Circle members came up behind them, greeting them with the same easy warmth.


    Dragon's tears in the drinks. This was going to be harder than Lucas had thought.


    "They've never had dragon's tears available here before, I would have warned you earlier if I'd known. Just don't touch the violet drinks unless you want to spend the next three days tripping out and trying to either fight of have sex with everything that moves. Dragon's tears will knock you on your ass after just a few sips, I guarantee it," Lucas muttered to Evan as they went inside, visions of Evan getting totally hammered by accident floating around in his brain. It wasn't a pretty picture, though, he did have to say, drunk Evan was a very fun person that Lucas had only seen twice before. He'd greatly enjoyed it both times.


    The interior of the Hall was more crowded than Evan had ever seen it, even counting the first night he'd discovered this world. On top of all of the Circle members, there were representatives and guests from all over the world; To the right as they entered was another group of Sidhe, but these fae were dressed head-to-toe in ceremonial armor, and each gazed imperiously around the place, only occasionally muttering a few words to each other. There, next to one end of the buffet, were two men and three women dressed in iron-gray robes with deep cowls, reminiscent of monk's habits, though these people also had belts of some kind of silvery metal. The servers, all beautiful, graceful men and women with pale blue skin, glided through the room (literally) with trays full of food, drinks, and, strangely, little bowls filled with glowing dust. It was at once both a familiar sight to Evan, being a high-society function filled with suits and ties, dresses and champagne glasses, and also perfectly alien, with many creatures he'd never laid eyes on before to be seen right there in the entrance hall. The most obvious example was the creature sitting right in the middle of the room; A horned lion. As in, a male lion, perfectly normal beyond a magnificent pair of antlers sprouting from its head. Its golden gaze focused in on the two young men as they entered, and both Lucas and Evan felt a whisper of something odd, brushing past their senses. Then it was gone.


    Goddamnit, they had Elyrium too. Did the Circle really have to choose this year of all years to go all out on the drug-like substances?


    "Also, don't touch that glittery dust in those bowls, either. It's called Elyrium, and it enhances your magic, significantly, but it's also a powerful narcotic if you don't know the proper counter-spells before taking it. My advice; Don't do drugs, kids," the red-head further warned Evan, his dark eyes flicking to several young practitioners, some Circle, a few Venatori, and even one member of the Radiant Order of the Silver Teaspoon. Didn't see one of them very often. They were all taking the Elyrium, though each muttered something and waved a hand over the bowl before they did, neutralizing most (but not all) of the narcotic effects. A few curious faces turned toward Evan and Lucas as they noticed the pair; Mostly Circle members who knew some of Evan's unusual induction into their number. No one approached, however, and Lucas just gestured for Evan to keep following him.


    "In fact, just make sure you stay near me tonight. I know, I know I said that a few times already, sorry. Nothing permanently harmful can happen to you here, I promise, but if you're not careful, you'll end up teleporting yourself naked to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge and then conjuring a tiny rainstorm over just the Empire State Building just so you can freeze the water to make it all sparkly. I speak from experience, because I didn't have anybody looking out for me the first time I came to one of these. Learn from my mistakes," Lucas said in an undertone to Evan, flashing him an easy smile to reassure him that it wasn't serious. It was a bit like your first frat party; If you weren't careful, you would end up doing something you regretted, but it wasn't likely to be serious. For most people, at least.


    ...Had Evan ever been to a frat party?


    "Take a look around for a minute, check out the guests. If there's someone, or something, you want to go talk to, just let me know. Or we can just get some food and laugh at all these people taking this so fucking seriously. Like I said, these things are mind-numbingly boring," he suggested, rolling his eyes at one particular well-dressed young sorceress, probably a Tertius, who was clearly trying to ingratiate herself to a group of older students; Adjutor's and Primus', if Lucas had to guess. The stink of ambition was all over this event.


    OOC: Sorry about the delay! I just started a new job, which is great, because money, but not so great too, because time. I may be a little sporadic from now on, but I'll always reply within a day or two, promise. ^.^

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    evan hoffman

    Evan nodded in appreciation at Lethranin despite his utter lack of understanding at the Sidhe’s words. As strange as the encounter was, it was more than welcome compared to the chaos that any conversation with the wrong person could turn to. It was a simple and calm introduction to the night, but Evan didn’t forget about the fey’s vague comments about Evan’s grandfather. He would certainly like to know more about the man but since contacting his own family was nearly out of the picture Evan figured he’d have to resort to other methods of information gathering. Another thing to add to the list.


    His opinion of the faerie diminished slightly when Lucas leaned in towards him and cautioned him about the ‘dragon’s tears’ that Lethranin mentioned. Yet again, Lucas was saving his ass and Evan was then left wondering if dragon’s truly existed, and why were they crying in the first place? Shaking the childish thoughts from his head he followed Lucas into Whiteridge Hall.


    Overwhelmed was an understatement as to what Evan was feeling when he stepped foot inside. There was simply too much going on to just focus his attention on one person or area. Instead he found his head on a swivel and his eyes darting back and forth across the room as he attempted to drink in his surroundings. There were so many colours, lights, spells, just people milling around in some form of organised chaos. It was impossible to see it all, but Evan continued to look around, fully aware of how naive he looked.


    Evan didn’t tear his eyes away from the sights around him but continued to walk closely beside Lucas, feeling unease at the man’s warnings but nodding all the same. He was comforted by his roommate’s presence yet again, especially at the careful warnings he gave Evan. Drugs. Great. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Lucas’ easy smile and relaxed slightly. The redhead's sense of humour never did seem to fade.


    But despite all of the strange sights dancing around him, Evan felt oddly comfortable. The obvious shows of the arcane and the very oddly dressed people of all magical races aside, there was still that underlying feeling of being at a formal event, and that Evan knew how to deal with. He was good at lying low and observing. It was one of the few skills he thoroughly enjoyed practising when at places like these.


    At Lucas' casual suggestion to look around and perhaps find someone to speak with, Evan began to focus more on the individual people in the hall rather than the big picture. As wild as each group was to the next, Evan found that they all held that similar bizarre air to them. It was somehow hard to stand out in a crowd like that, especially with the efforts many made to outdo others. However, one particular cluster of individuals caught his eye.


    It was more so the simplicity and isolation of the trio that attracted Evan’s attention than a gaudy appearance. The three, two women and a man, were dressed smartly in formal attire that quite frankly, looked far too plain to be attending such unconventional event. Evan would have considered them mundane at first glance had it not been for the fact that they were at the gala. They were too far away to make out distinct features though, and Evan couldn’t help but wonder that if they drew closer he would notice more about the figures. No one else seemed to approach them or pay them any mind for that matter. They seemed to talk amongst themselves only, ignoring the rest of the population as they sipped at the drinks in their hands.


    “Who are they?” Evan nodded his head in the direction of the group, knowing full well that there was most likely more the what met the eye. Regardless, they were the first group that had piqued his attention. "And what was the deal with that lion?" Evan found himself asking as well. He wasn't able to push the image of the strange lion out of his head. The beast had vanished, and Evan couldn't help but wonder why exactly it was there in the first place.




    ooc // no worries! I understand how it can be sometimes

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    Lucas McAllister


    Lucas’ eyes followed Evan’s nod, and soon landed on three largely nondescript individuals standing slightly apart from everyone else, a bit like the Sidhe. It took him a moment to even place them, considering he hadn’t seen anyone from that particular organization for a little under four years, since his formal induction into the Circle. Interesting that Evan should notice them specifically, and right off the bat, too. But, then, once one began to really explore the world of magic and the supernatural, one quickly learned that coincidences were nothing more than a popular myth.


    “I’m pretty sure those are Knights of the Sacred Heart. They’re sorcerers, like us, but they focus on one particular thing above all others; Demon hunting,” Lucas answered, eyeing the small group suspiciously. “I haven’t seen much of them, but from what I’ve heard, they’re hardcore. Dedicate their whole lives to eradicating evil wherever they find it, and in whatever form. The Sacred Heart’s modus operandi is to exterminate with extreme prejudice first, and ask questions later. The Circle generally doesn’t like to associate with extreme factions like the Sacred Heart, so I’m not sure why they’re here. They might have caught wind of a Greater Demon making trouble and came running to investigate, and the Council would have been obligated to invite them to this event if they were already in the city. Courtesy, and all that,” he further explained, noting one of the blue-skinned, floating waiters approaching.


    “I wouldn’t worry about them for now. The Supremus will make sure they don’t get in the way of the Circle’s investigation into what happened to you,” Lucas reassured the other man, taking two glasses of a pale red liquid from the tray the server was carrying, and offering one to Evan. “It’s called Rosewine. Much milder and less prone to black-out benders than anything with dragon’s tears in. Give it a try, I think you’ll like it. It tends to taste like whatever drink you most want in the moment, even when you don’t know yourself,” he suggested, taking a sip of his own drink, and grinning as the taste of tequila hit his tongue. Apparently he felt like he really needed a strong drink, tonight. No surprise there.


    Evan’s question about the lion got a more positive reaction out of Lucas than the query about the Knights had, as it got a genuine laugh out of him. “Oh, that was just Roland. He’s kind of a guardian animal for the Hall, checks all the guests for anything forbidden or dangerous that the wards aren’t able to catch. He usually hangs out in the gardens out behind the Hall, but he likes to be where the action is on nights like this. He can be kind of scary at first, but he’s really a big softie, trust me.”


    At that point, the doors that lead into the Scriptorium opened up, and a man that by this point Evan knew to be a Consiliarius stepped through, green eyes sweeping over the room. “If I can have your attention, gentlepersons, we would like to respectfully ask that you accompany me into the Scriptorium. We have secured some entertainment for tonight. This way,” he announced, quieting the room with his ability to project. The guests began to murmur amongst themselves again once he was done, but most also began to move toward the Scriptorium as well.


    “Last year they cast a mass levitation enchantment on the whole gala, we all flew around the place for nearly an hour. Almost made the whole thing worth it. Not sure how they’re gonna top that this year, but hopefully it’ll be something good,” Lucas observed to Evan as they joined the crowd heading into the Scriptorium.


    Evan was keeping very close to Lucas. That was a good thing, obviously, in fact the red-head had literally asked him to. And, yet, he was finding the proximity far more distracting than he’d imagined, to the point where he was hyperaware of Evan’s every movement, especially when the man’s arm just brushed against Lucas’ own. All this extra time spent with the other man was having odd effects on Luke’s mental state, that much was clear. He’d been in a somewhat similar position before; In high school, to be exact, as he’d had a crush on a straight guy for quite awhile during his Junior and Senior years before finally getting over it. Lucas had no desire to repeat that experience, especially not with Evan, whom he literally lived with. But tonight wasn’t the time to worry about it. Time enough for that in the weeks ahead, when Evan starting learning from other sorcerers as well as Lucas, and they weren’t spending quite so much time together.


    OOC: I’m thinking there might be a bit of an incident after Lucas and Evan leave the event and are going home, to break the lull of the last three weeks or so. Though there is one thing I do want to do at the gala before we get to that, probably after your next post.

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    evan hoffman

    Once again the subject of demons came into the conversation. It wasn’t that Evan was particularly afraid or interested, but every so often in the past few weeks the topic of them came up. The thought of them still deeply unsettled him and he was glad that it dabbling in demon magic was strictly forbidden. Evan knew he wouldn’t be able to bear the thought of knowing that there were even more monsters sharing the surface with him.


    The Sacred Heart seemed a little too intense for Evan's liking and he was grateful that the all-knowing wealth of knowledge that was Lucas was there to inform him about these sort of things. Evan barely knew what to search for in the Liber Speculum, nevermind where to start doing research of his own. There was an entire other world that Evan had been living ignorantly beside for his entire life, and now he was trying desperately to try and catch back up. His wandering thoughts were interrupted when Lucas offered him a glass he somehow suddenly had acquired when Evan was staring into the distance. Evan wordlessly took the glass from Lucas’ hand, trying not to react as their fingers lightly brushed against each other.


    Evan cautiously eyed the glass, the man’s warnings on drugs far from forgotten. “Alright,” he agreed as he watched Lucas take a sip of his own drink and smile. Evan knew that Lucas certainly wouldn’t give him anything dangerous, but the man himself did say to stay on guard. Evan peered into the pale liquid for a moment before lifting it to his lips and taking a tentative sip. Immediately the delightful taste of hot chocolate flooded his mouth, the warmth spreading through his body comfortingly. Evan couldn’t help but smile down into the glass as he savoured the taste in his mouth. Lucas was right. Evan hadn’t quite realised it until then, but a comforting hot drink was just what he needed to sooth his nerves. “This is amazing,” he praised as he took another quick drink.


    Lucas’ answer to Evan’s question about the strange lion certainly surprised him. First of all, Roland? Evan almost laughed at the absurdly human name. He had been expected something grand and regal, but Roland? Somehow the silly name and the fact that Evan had a great big lion looking after them all comforted him as much as his hot chocolate. He hoped that he’d have a chance to chat with Roland at some point or another. A magical lion must certainly have some interesting things to say. Evan nearly shook his head as he realised how absurd his thoughts were. Of course, that was if the big cat could even talk. Evan found himself making so many assumptions now to fill in his lack of knowledge.


    Speaking of knowledge, Evan didn't have the slightest clue about what the man was suddenly speaking of. Secured some entertainment? The wording was certainly strange, but Evan didn’t take the time to dwell on it as him and Lucas moved in with the masses of people towards the Scriptorium. He was curious to see what this would be all about. “Entertainment,” Evan mused aloud as he tried to conjure thoughts of what it could possibly be. Easy for him, Lucas quickly filled that gap with a mention of them all flying around the hall.


    “Levitation? That's creative.” Evan couldn’t help but comment in surprise. He didn’t see that one coming, but he was sure that Lucas probably hadn’t seen it either. The Circle was an incredibly odd group, he figured out on only his second or third day of Lucas’ teachings. They were strict as hell, with rules that Evan didn’t dare think about breaking. Yet somehow they were very nearly a group of children. Captivated by the smallest things and excited by often the most juvenile, The Circle was very complex to read. Evan had only been there for a few weeks really, but he was beginning to slowly understand the workings of the group under Lucas’ guidance. Nothing made sense half of the time, but Evan was realising that understanding that seemed to be half of the learning itself.


    But now wasn’t the time or place to think about the circle. There was ‘entertainment’ to see. “Let’s go then,” Evan turned to Lucas and returned one of his smiles. They had only been there for a couple minutes, but it certainly wasn’t as awful as he had pictured. Sticking with just Lucas was more than welcome and Evan was relieved that Lucas wasn’t pushing for them to talk and mingle with others.



    ooc // ok gotcha!