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D.E.666 ~ An Arranged Future ~ Nekrosilisk88

D

DarknessEmbraced666

Pulsar
Joined
Jan 9, 2009
The excitement in the town was running high, though it had been running high for the past few weeks. It was the day of the most popularly talked about event that was being held in one of the more influential and wealthy homes in the neighborhood. The Wesley family were hosting a large masquerade ball and anybody who was anybody were going to be there.

Up at the fairly large manor, a large crowd of guests were already gathered. Men dressed in an array of wild costumes and fine suits while the women were all competing to see who was best dressed, though none said it out loud. They were all dressed in costumes that ranged from barely there to extremely extravagant and large dresses.

The room was filled with laughter and gay conversation before a hush fell over the people slowly as a figure in a scarlet red and gold ball gown descended the steps. Faith looked around the room as she walked down the steps and she smiled to herself, knowing that she was definitely making a statement with her costume.

The fabric of the gown was a deep red silk with a gold pattern on it to make it look like flames when she moved, red jewels on the dress making it sparkle while she wore a matching red and gold mask that was tied on with black silk ribbon while a mix of red, gold and orange feathers decorated her hair which was pulled up into an intricate twist, several curls falling free around her face.

Faith chuckled faintly as she glanced at the sea of black, white and pastel colors. She knew her mother wasn't going to be happy about such a scandalous outfit, but the white cat didn't care.
 
Jansen Lamb followed his parents to the party. It was another fancy big to do in the high society life he'd been born into. He remembered the family vaguely though he hadn't seen them since he was in high school. His junior year, he'd started working on following his father into the family business, and between classes and working at the winery there hadn't been much time for him to get out and socialize. That had been nearly eight years ago.

The young panther was successful at the art of making wine, and had begun fermenting his first vintage last year. Tonight was going to be the test run for his first independent attempt, as his father had decided to bring a few bottles as a gift for the Wesleys. Jansen honestly didn't care though as he had developed something of a rebel attitude. He was good at his job, but he didn't care about the management or financial aspects of the job, And he wasn't big on these social events either, still his father was making him come so here he was.

He was dressed as bandit for the evening. A simple costume, peasant shirt and pants, boots, duelists gloves, and a cloth mask to cover the upper portion of his face. It wrapped around his head, and had two small slits in it for his ears, but otherwise covered everything completely. It didn't take him long to slip away from his parents. They'd probably hand him by his nails for it since he was supposed to be here to reunite with the Wesleys and their daughter, but he honestly didn't care for the girl. They'd never gotten along and he didn't see why they would now.
 
As Faith began to enter the crowd, she looked around slowly. While she didn't know who was who in the crowd, she did know what families and who was at the party. Most of the people were family friends and business partners as well as potential business partners. Her mother had told her it was the perfect setting to make 'connections' and allies. To her though, it screamed boring. Not only that, but the Lambs were going to be at the party that night. While the young woman adored the parents, Faith really didn't like their son. He had always irritated her and they never got along with each other. It also didn't help that their parents had always forced them into each others company as they grew up.

Faith was about four years younger then Jensen, so it wasn't surprising that they didn't get along as they grew up. Shaking her head slightly, the feline forced the thoughts of Jansen from her mind as she began mingling. Looking through the room, she easily spotted her mother and father standing at one end of the room. It was rather easy to spot them. After all, they were the only pure white feline couple dressed as a king and queen. Not only that, but Faith had helped her mother into her dress.

But while Faith knew what her parents were dressed as, the young woman had kept her costume very hushed, so her parents wouldn't know what she was dressed as. Satisfied, the feline swept through the ballroom towards the table where beverages and snacks were being served. There was bowls of punch as well as servers pouring glasses of wine while there were platters of small finger foods.
 
Jansen milled about the floor, blending into he crowd almost instantly. Given the simplicity of his costume among the others, he didn't particularly standout. He smiled given how ostentatious so many of the others were, his wouldn't draw any lasting attention, so it would most definitely be an arduous task to spot him amongst the crowd. He recognized some of the people there as investors or business partners of his father, and gave them polite smiles as he moved about the crowd.

Still it wasn't long before boredom began to set in. He stopped by the serving table and helped himself to a glass of wine and reached for something blindly on the table as he thanked the waiter for the glass. He felt his hand brush against another as he began to swirl the glass with practiced ease. He turned to apologize, but was struck dumb by the sight of the damsel before him.

For once in his life at a loss for words, he brought the glass to his nose. The task was twofold. It allowed him to savor the wine's bouquet and bought him the time he needed to formulate his words, a difficult task as this was the first time they didn't come immediately to his mind. He took a sip and put the finishing touches to what he would say to the stunning white cat clad so delicately in red silk. To his mind it seemed to take forever, though in reality it happened in scarcely a minute.

“My apologies fair lady. I should have been paying more attention to what I was doing.” He felt so out of place talking to her. With the exception of his white shirt, which called attention to his shaped torso, the muted black of his garb seemed so plain and improper talking to such an elegant figure. “It would be a great honor to this humble bandit should you would allow me to escort you this evening to make up for my carelessness.”
 
Faith looked over the different things on the table before taking a glass of red wine from the table, softly thanking the server before looking at the many platters of food. Many of the platters had fancy and expensive finger foods while others had more common foods. Some of them she liked while others she did not. Sighing softly, she reached out a hand to pick up a piece of bruschetta that was on a platter near her when someones hand brushed against hers and she looked up, a little surprised at the contact.

Standing near her at the table was a feline dressed as a bandit. And he was a rather handsome bandit at that. Smiling slightly she withdrew her hand while lifting her glass to her lips, pausing long enough to enjoy the scent of the wine before she took a sip. While she sipped on the red wine, Faith took a long moment to study the male standing before her. As he gaze swept over him, she did indeed notice his chest and for a moment allowed herself to appreciate the view of the male before looking up again.

She could see he was thinking while he sipped upon his wine as well. As he began speaking, she slowly lowered her glass and smiled gently. After he apologized to her, she softly chuckled, the sound soft and gentle.

"Your forgiven sir." she said to him before taking another sip of her wine. When he offered to escort her in order to make up for his carelessness, she felt her cheeks heat up a little before she smiled a little more, her whiskers twitching a little. "Your offer is much appreciated and it is accepted." she told him with a slight bow of her head, a couple strands of her black hair falling in her face. Carefully, she reached up and brushed the curls back, tucking them carefully behind a black tipped white ear.

For the first time that night, she was a little unsure about her outfit. While the skirts flared out, the bodice of the dress was a corset style that clung to her and pressed her breasts up a bit, the swell of them exposed and framed by red and gold silk and lace.
 
As he stepped around the table, Jansen took the fair damsel by her paw and delicately kissed its back. He took a whiff of her scent as he did so. It was pleasant and familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Likewise something about her ears seemed to bring back memories. Ah well such were for later, for now he was content to enjoy the evening in his fair lady's company. His eyes drifted up her frame, following the shaped curves of her torso, before resting however briefly on her framed breasts. A prim and proper gown that was at the same time deliciously scandalous. He would've compared her to a vixen, but the fling he had with one when he got into college had soured his opinion of the vulpine ladies. No this one deserved a much better classification than that.

He allowed his gaze to continue up her neck and finally met her face.“My lady you do me a great service. How may I serve you this evening?” He took another sip of his wine while he awaited her reply. It was best for now to allow her the lead, and merely act the gentleman.

By now his parents would no doubt be looking for him, furious at his slipping off, but then they were also looking for a matador. Fortunately he'd been clever enough to leave the ostentatious coat and hat in the car with them unawares of what he looked like now. But then they wanted him to meet people, so he supposed he could at least say he'd been socializing, regardless of his ulterior motives. It would probably sell his mother, but his father on the other hand... well as his father often reminded him he'd been in his shoes once upon a time as well.
 
Stepping away from the table a bit, she watched the bandit step around the table to the side she stood on and smiled while holding out her hand, faintly giggling when he took her hand and kissed the back of it. The high pitched, irritating giggle wasn't that of the usual bubbly, air-headed girls that usually attended these events. It was a gentle sound of a happy young woman. When he took in her scent, while it was a tad familiar to him, the gentle scent of her shampoo that she used mingled with her natural scent so it was a mix of fruity and floral. The feline felt her cheeks heat up a little as his gaze moved along her frame and she smiled a little more, her whiskers twitched a little.

Once his gaze moved up to her face, she gazed him in the eyes and made a soft mewl before looking thoughtful when he asked how he could serve her. She could think of a couple of things but decided to keep things a little subtle for now. Before answering him, she took another drink of her wine before speaking once again.

"Well, how about a dance?" she asked softly with a chuckle. "And while we dance, we can.. get to know each other. Besides, I suppose my parents should see me dancing and mingling." The feline shook her head and rolled her eyes in a playful manner with another soft chuckle. It was clear by her mannerism that she wasn't a big fan of these parties, but she was here because her parents expected it and pretty much demanded her to be there.
 
Jansen's smile became a little strained when she mentioned dancing. He certainly could dance, but it wasn't exactly his forte, at least ballroom dancing wasn't for the most part. He could do swing and break dancing just fine, but something about the slow pace of a waltz or foxtrot threw his gait off. Still such was his lady's request. He led her by her gently by her hand to the side of the dance floor and awaited the next song so as not to interrupt those already on the floor.

He smiled as he watched them glide across the floor, a grace he was certainly envious of. “A fair warning madame, while I do possess a measure of grace, it's like to abandon me in the ballroom. I shall do my beast to lead, but my apologies now for any stumble or should I accidentally step on your toes.”

As the next song began he whisked her away onto the dance floor, doing his best to move with the beat of the song. His gait was certainly less refined and fluid than that of the other men, but it was strong and steady. His ears folded sheepishly, and a nervous smile played across his face. He was hoping she was enjoying herself, even though he felt like an utter fool.
 
Faith could see the change in his smile and her head tilted a bit in a curious manner as she finished off the last of her wine and set the glass down, glancing briefly at the server that quickly cleared it away so not to mar the perfect setting of the table. Personally, she liked faster paced songs then what her parents had the musicians playing. Her favorites were the rumba and the tango, among others. However, her mother saw to it that she could dance all sorts of dance styles ranging from ballroom to tap and freestyle.

Placing her hand into his, she walked gracefully to the edge of the dance floor and watched the dancers twirling together. She was glad that he didn't try to make them fit into the group already dancing as other partners might do. Hearing him speak, she looked over at him and chuckled softly. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do fine. But either way, I suppose it's a good thing I wore shoes with harder toes." she said with a soft laugh. Her laughter met her crystal blue eyes and made them shine brightly. Her eyes had changed quite a bit since she was young. They had used to be a darker blue, like a dark sky blue and they had once been hidden by glasses, but now they were unhidden and now a bright crystal blue.

Hearing the song change, she looked out at the dance floor as he led her out and she placed one of her hands onto his shoulder as he led her into a dance. She could feel that his dancing wasn't perfect and by the way his ears were folded, she knew he wasn't feeling all that confident. With a gentle smile, she tightened her grip on the hand that held hers. "Just relax." she whispered to him, her body moving closer to his. "And follow my lead." Carefully, she guided him through the steps without making it look like she was the one leading.

The others in the crowd were whispering amongst each other while watching the black clad male dancing scandalously close with the white female. Murmurings of the pair perhaps being lovers and the like beginning to travel amongst the guests.
 
The young panther skipped a beat as she suddenly took the lead and stepped in closer to him. He had to admit she was quite skilled, as to all appearances it probably looked like he was still in the lead. He chuckled lightly. He seemed to relax, his ears slowly perking up once more, and mischievous glint rising in his hazel eyes. Like her, his eyes had changed, though they'd become darker instead of lighter. Originally the green in his eyes had been much more prominent, but as got older the brown had become more pronounced. The nervousness in his smile faded.

He spoke in a hushed tone as he let her lead them in the dance. “Why my lady, dancing so close, you're liable to start rumors of the most improper sort. Not that I'd mind, of course, but you must be weary of your reputation. Masque or no, such things have a way of circling home. Though had known you wished to be so close, I'd have asked for a different kind of music.”

As he thought about it a wicked grin started to creep across his face. He was planning something most definitely, and while still allowing her the lead, he began to edge them closer to the band so he could make a request once the song ended. He already knew he was in deep with his parents, so for a catch such as this he might as well go for broke. His parents were liable to murder him when he got home.

When the song ended, he bowed and then turned to the leader of the musicians. “I'd like to place a request if I may. Are you familiar with the song Zoot Suit Riot at all?” The scandalized look he got from their head said everything. “Very good. I realize that it is some what improper for the setting, but it's one of my favorites. Should the lady of the house later object, you can always pass the blame along to me.”

He led his lady back out on to the floor proper, and assumed the standard dancing position, the smirk still on his face. He could see the band leader mortified look out of the corner of his eye as he began the drop into the song. Jansen didn't waste any time, and pulled the lovely feline he was dancing with in so close he could almost feel her legs through her dress, and began moving with a near perfect elegance. “The ballroom is not my forte, a seedy night club on the other hand...”
 
Gazing up into his eyes, she grinned. He had beautiful hazel eyes and she felt like she could gaze into them for hours. When he spoke in a hushed tone, she laughed softly. "Let them talk. If that's all they have to do with their boring lives, then let them." she told him with a slight shake of her head. His mention of rumors coming back made sense and she knew she was going to be in big trouble for the way she was acting with a stranger, but she couldn't care less. "Yes, I suppose that the rumors would eventually come back to me after my parents find out about my costume." she said with a mischievous grin.

The white feline saw the grin creeping across his face and she chuckled. Feeling him edging them towards the band, she nodded slightly and moved towards them with him. Her mother would probably give her a long lecture about this not being the way that a real lady acted and she should behave herself while her father would attempt to ground her and take away her phone and all other forms of entertainment for the girl, though he knew he'd fold after a day or two because he doted upon her and loved his daughter more then anything. The main thing her parents would have a fit about would be about being embarrassed in front of their guests.

When he turned to the band leader, she curtsied to the man and smiled at the musicians as her partner requested a song. She was a little surprised at the song he requested before she chuckled at the scandalized look from the band leader and she smiled slightly. Once he led her back out onto the dance floor, she laughed again as she was pulled as close to him as he could and she began dancing with him, her feet gliding across the floor as she fell from the elegant steps of the ballroom dancing to the fast pace the song called for. "Oh, you are rather naughty." she said in a playful tone. "But I must admit, I do prefer the faster dancing."
 
Jansen laughed as she spoke, dipping her back, before sanppign her back to him. “You aren't alone in that dear madam. Never could get the hang of ballroom dancing, but the less formal schools just seem to flow for me. Drives my poor mother insane.” As they continued dancing he let hiz eyes begin drifting across the place. He finally found what he was looking for, his parents. They were on the upper balcony, and while it seemed that his father was smirking about something, his mother was going off one one of her infamous tirades with another woman and her partner.

When the song ended, he stepped back and bowed to his partner. “My lady you are an excellent dance partner. Such grace and skill a most becoming of you. And much as I would love to go for another song, I'm afraid I need some rest after such a vigorous session.” It wasn't entirely a lie, but in all truth he was more interested in getting off the dance floor before his mother looked down and saw him. She may not have been the most observant of people, but given enough time even she could see the obvious.
 
Faith grinned as she was dipped back. Luckily her corset was rigid and tight, so it offered her back plenty of support as she was leaned back before pulled back up to him and she grinned while gazing up into his eyes. "Don't get me wrong, I love dancing. It's just so.... boring." she said with a grin. She noticed his eyes drift and she tilted her head before following his gaze up to one of the balconies. She could see a couple people up there, but none that she recognized, mostly because of the costumes. A moment later she turned her attention to him.

When the song ended, she stepped back as well and curtsied to him. Faith chuckled and smiled at him. "Thank you. And you're pretty good as well." she told him gently with a gentle smile. At the mention of rest, she nodded. "Of course. I could go for another glass of wine and perhaps a small snack." she replied, glancing off towards the table that they'd been standing near earlier then back at him. "Then we can find a seat and get to know each other. Or take a walk in the gardens."
 
Jansen gave her an over the top bow, playing up his role as her servant and escort for the evening. "As my lady commands. But find a place to rest your gracious and delicate frame and i shall return with nourishment." He smiled gently and slipped over to the tables, grabbing a plate and placing a few tidbits on it, and then grabbing two glasses of wine before returning to his lady. He took a seat beside her, and placed the plate where they could both reach it before handing her the glass.

He took his own and swirled it taking in the aroma of the bouquet. Strictly necessary or not, it was a habit that carried over from his work. A ritual he had to perform with each new glass. He took a drink and grinned as he took a piece of baklava from the plate. "So a stroll in the garden unattended? I think it sounds like a lovely idea, but i must ask, Do your parents know what you're up to, or are they as left in the dark as mine are?"

He enjoyed playing this game, toying with his prey, admiring it from every angle before he swooped in for the kill as it were. His eyes watched here, a hunger was there that was easily recognized once seen, but as of yet hidden in the depths. A keen eye would be able to pick up on it, but few were so, and he'd learned how to hide his desires.
 
Faith covered her mouth and laughed as he bowed, lightly grasping the edge of her skirt and curtsying to him. After he told her to find a place to rest, she nodded slightly. "Very well." she said gently. "I look forward to your return." After watching him turn and start to walk off, she turned and started for a table to sit at. On her way she was stopped by another male who tried to persuade her to join him on the dance floor, but she icily shot him down and continued.

The feline found a rather private table back towards the edge of the room near a corner. When he joined her, she smiled up at him before taking the glass he gave her. "Thank you." she replied gently. The way she sat in her chair, her back ramrod straight and her shoulders back, told that she has had plenty of etiquette training. So she wasn't one of the more 'common' ladies that were there in the ball room. Then again, it could of been the corset she was wearing.

While they sat together, she swirled her wine a little before taking a sip of it. While she did have the teaching of how to 'properly' drink wine, as her mother put it, Faith preferred to keep more relaxed with things. Hearing her companion speak up, she gazed into his eyes and smiled gently before chuckling when he asked about her parents. "Yes, a stroll in the gardens. I've heard the roses there are gorgeous." she replied. "And no, they don't know what I'm up to. If they did, I've little doubt my mother would be pulling hear hair out." Her eyes glinted brightly with amusement and mischief.

Reaching out, she carefully picked up a piece of baklava from the plate and ate it, loving the wonderfully sweet taste of it before she took her time to lick any sticky residue off her fingertips.
 
Jansen chuckled as she mentioned her mother's likely reaction. It sounded about like what his own had a tendency to do when he did something improper. He still remembered the lecture from his little interspecies tryst with that vixen in college. “Perhaps we should introduce our mothers? I have no doubt they would enjoy complaining to each other about our impetuous behavior. Every time I've done something even slightly improper it usually resulted in a week long lecture that entertained my father for the rest of the month.”

He took another sip of his wine savoring the taste of the fermented grapes. He caught motion out of the corner of his eye, and turned to look at it, seeing his father there, and looking for him. Deciding to head things off, he turned back towards his partner for the evening. “Please excuse me for a moment milady, I have something I need to take care of. Perhaps you'd like to meet me at the garden entrance in a few minutes?”

His father hadn't noticed exactly where he was as of yet. While he did have every intention of learning who this young lady was at some point, and introducing himself properly, for tonight he wanted to savor the mystery and having his father show up wasn't the way to do that.
 
Faith smiled as he chuckled when she told him of her mothers most likely reaction and she smiled brightly with a soft laugh. When he said about introducing their mothers, she laughed louder and nodded. "Indeed. Perhaps then they can keep each other busy and out of our hair, yes?" she asked with a playful smile. "My mother likes to nag about things and should I do anything slightly improper and she finds out, I will hear about it constantly for weeks to come. It's not becoming of a lady." she said with a roll of her eyes.

She watched him take a sip of his wine and tilted her head curiously as he turned to look at it. Taking a sip of her own wine, she began to turn to see what he was looking at when he turned back to her and asked to be excused a moment and she nodded slightly. "Of course." she said gently before getting to her feet and finishing her wine. Setting the glass down, she smiled at him. "Don't take too long. I should hate to think I've been abandoned by my escort for the night." she said with a giggle.

With a slight curtsy, she turned and walked off with a twitch of her black tipped tail, the scarlet clad feline disappearing into the crowd as she made her way to the large french doors that would lead out onto the back terrace. Upon reaching the doors, she paused and looked back, looking over the room. She spotted her mother and father rather quickly and with the way her mother was scanning the crowd, she knew the older feline was looking for her. Laughing to herself, Faith pushed one of the doors open and slipped out onto the terrace, walking across the stone towards the path that would lead down to the garden entrance.
 
Jansen put on a properly appalled look when she mentioned being abandoned by her escort. “My good lady perish the thought. I may be a thief to steal away such fine company from others, but to abandon such a jewel? I'd be forced to do something so extreme the very thought makes me faint!” A bit melodramatic perhaps, but he liked to have his fun. He bowed to her as she curtsied. “I shall seek you out as soon as I am able.” With that he slipped in to the crowd intent on slipping up on his father, and trying to con his way back into their good graces for the evening.

Unfortunately for him, he was lacking eyes in the back of his head, and was suddenly met with a sharp pain in his ear. The voice that was just a hairs edge from shrieking told him exactly who had found him.” “So help me young man, the only reason you aren't in more trouble is because the Wesley's haven't been able to find their daughter.” His mother was dragging him along by his ear, and he knew better than to fight her too hard. “I swear we bring you to these affairs to mingle and build connections, not so you can go gallivanting off recklessly. Now where is... Johnathan I have him right here.”

As his father got close he finally manage to wrest his ear from his mother's fingers. His father quirked his eye, asking the question, and yet saying nothing at the same time. “I have been mingling mother. I might be more inclined to follow you around if it wasn't always people you and dad know that I have no clue what they do you wanted me to talk to.” His father laughed lightly. “Really boy, and who have you been mingling with? And more to the point how much have you had to drink tonight? Once that song of all of them came on I knew I’d find you around the dance floor.”

Jansen laughed nervously. His father as usual had him pegged. “Two or three glasses of wine with a rather charming young lady, who now that you mention it, is waiting for me out in the garden, so if you'll excuse me I need to reunite with her before she worries about her escort disappearing.” As he spoke he was already edging to the crowd. “Please give my apologies to the Wesley's but I'd rather take charming company over Faith.”

With that he ducked back into the crowd, his outfit allowing him to vanish once more, his mothers inarticulate shrieks ringing as music in his ears as he slipped twoards the terrace and then made his way to the garden..
 
While her companion was inside, Faith waited patiently out by the path to the gardens. Reaching into a pocket somewhere in her skirts, she pulled out a fan and began lightly fanning herself. It was a rather warm evening, so being covered in fur and then bound in several layers of silk made her hotter then she would of normally been. The feline stood with her back to the doors, so she didn't notice a tall grey wolf exit the mansion until it walked up behind her. "You caused quite the stir darling." a deep voice said and she turned with a soft gasp before smiling with a chuckle. "But of course Brutus. Did you expect anything different from me at one of these things?" she asked and Brutus laughed.

"Of course not." he said. Brutus was dressed in an outfit that matched two other wolves inside. Him and his two brothers were dressed as the three musketeers, though each wolf had different colored fur. Brutus was grey while his brothers were black and white. When she was younger, Faith and Brutus were inseparable, the two having become close friends. It was another thing that had rather irritated Jansen when they were younger. Faith and Brutus liked to irritate the black feline. It had gotten so bad at some point, that Faiths mother had banned Brutus from the house whenever Jansen and his parents visited until Faith and Brutus were older and more mature.

"So, who is this male that has stolen your attention tonight?" he asked and she chuckled. "I don't know who he is, but he's a very charming male who has promised to be my escort tonight." she told him and he nodded while smiling gently. He moved forward and lifted her mask enough to kiss her cheek. "Alright Fay. I get the hint." he said while fixing her mask once again. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, your parents are actually letting me stay the night as long as we're on our best behavior tomorrow." With a grin, the wolf bowed with a flourish before turning and heading back into the mansion.

As he entered the mansion, he passed his friends darkly clad escort and nodded to the black feline as they passed before he disappeared into the crowd. Meanwhile, Faith continued a little further down the path towards the gardens. By the time he reached her, she was standing near the archway that was the entrance to the maze like gardens.
 
Jansen saw Brutus coming as he stepped outside. Rather than make a big scene, he quietlystepped to the side and into the shadows. He didn't need to get into a fight here. The two of them had never gotten along, and had on more than one occasion gotten into an all out brawl. Of course the two of them made sure it never got back to Faith, or their parents. The fights, and the hatred were their dirty little secret.

Sadly Jansen didn't even remember what had started the hatred. Brutus was Faith’s friend sure, and they'd had enough verbal barrages, when Faith was in the picture, but the reason the hatred and anger had developed was lost to him anymore. Once the large gray wolf was past him, he resumed his trek to the gardens. He saw his lady standing there by the entrance and quickened his pace to reunite.

“I thanks you for your patience milady. I had a minor problem to deal with, but it has been resolved, at least for the evening I think.” He had no doubt his parents would force him to deal with Faith eventually, but he pushed the thought from his mind, and instead returned his focus to the charming damsel in front him. If only his mother knew what a prize he'd found tonight. He took his ward by the hand and led her into the gardens.
 
Faith stood there waiting patiently, lightly fanning herself while gazing at some of the flowers that were growing on the archway that led into the gardens. When her evening companion finally appeared, she turned and looked at him with a smile as he approached her. "I do hope that it's nothing that will spoil the night for us." she said to him with a soft giggle.

The white feline allowed him to take her hand and she walked with him into the gardens, her tail slowly swaying behind her as they disappeared into the hedges and flowers. The gardens were made of some of the most exotic flowers that Faiths mother had been able to find, though Faiths favorite part of the gardens were the roses. They grew in the garden in all sorts of different colors ranging from different shades of red to white and even a dark purple.

"I am glad that I had decided to actually attend this little party." she said to him. "I was tempted to defy my mother and not show. But I suppose the temptation of causing a scandal with my dress was a bit much." She sent him a grin, showing that she loved causing a bit of trouble. "Besides, I got to meet a charming rogue to escort me."
 
Jansen was finding harder not to outright laugh. “You and I both. The though of playing sick had crossed my mind this morning. Milady I'm afraid this clinches it. Tomorrow when the masks are off, we are finding each other and dragging out mothers into the same room to get them out of our hair.”

He looked into her blue eyes and felt himself being entranced by them. She was elegant, beautiful, charming, witty, so many adjectives that just seemed to roll from his mind and coalesce into this wonderful package that even his mother would surely approve of. The best part was, if he was reading her correctly, a tricky prospect even under the best circumstances, she was having similar thoughts.

He could feel his heart racing, it's thudding beat seeming to echo in his skull. He'd felt like this once before, with Sheila, but that hadn't worked. They were both young and stupid. The relationship had been a mistake. Despite being different species, they just couldn't get things to click right. Still he didn't entirely regret what had happened. He shook his head. This was a new start though. Perhaps she would be different. So much about them seemed like they were meant to be.

He continued to hold on to the young woman whom he'd agreed to escort. “The woman of the house certainly has an excellent appreciation of aesthetics, but not one of these flowers could possibly compare to the one that stands before me.” A bit on the cliche side perhaps, bit it was still true.
 
Faith glanced at him from the corner of her eye as they walked together along the path, smiling a little wider as he spoke about having thought of playing sick that morning. When he said that when the masks were off, they'd find each other and drag their mothers into the same room, she laughed, her eyes glittering brightly as she nodded slightly. "I can only hope that would work with my mother." she replied, turning her head to gaze up into his eyes, her blue ones bright even in the low lighting of the lamps along the path.

She was enjoying her time with him. He was so kind, funny and charming. While she knew a number of nice guys, she'd never been attracted to them quite like she was to this one. Surely her mother and father would approve of him. Especially if he was at the party. Her parents never invited anyone but the usual upper class kind of people they liked to hang out with. Though her parents didn't know, Faith and Brutus had dated for a while and when they had come of age, they decided to be each others firsts. But because they were feline and canine, the relationship didn't work out. They argued a bit too much and they ended up deciding to be just friends.

Now Brutus was dating a female wolf that he'd met at college. Of course he introduced her to Faith first, wanting his best friends approval. After a bit of clashing at first, the two females began to get along and Faith let her best friend know she approved. But even through everything, Faith never regretted anything.

When her escort spoke up, Faith looked at him again and smiled brightly, her eyes bright. "Thank you." she said softly. While she was thanking him for both comments, he would only think it was for his compliment. Her mother had started the garden and over saw everything that was done, but Faith helped to tend the garden despite her parents and the gardeners protests. She had asked for the roses to be planted, the beautiful flowers having always been one of her favorites. "I love these flowers." she told him as she moved a little closer to a bush of red roses that almost matched her outfit. "Not just these though. All roses. There's so many different colors and styles and each one has a different meaning."

Faith leaned in and closed her eyes as she took a sniff of one of the ruby red flowers.
 
Jansen smirked as she said she could only hope for success with her mother. Honestly He knew he'd have to do something to royally piss his own mother off to get it to succeed, not that he wasn't doing that already tonight. Maybe it would work, and that would leave them alone together. So much the better that he was definitely considering how to make it work.

When she stopped at the roses, he gazed at them. Her favorites, he made a mental note of that. Roses were certainly a common enough thing to send one's love interest so he'd have to figure out which roses were her favorite. He wasn't well versed in all the meanings of the different flowers, but he knew enough to be careful about which flowers he sent.

He decided to try risking the limits a bit. As she leaned in to smell the scent of the deep red rose, he stood behind her, and slid his hands around her waist. His grip was firm to let her know that he wanted to hold her like this, but loose enough that if she decided to break away she could do so easily and wasn't imprisoned by unwanted advances. He nuzzled gently into her neck, taking in her wonderful scent.

“But which roses are your favorite my lady, the red, deep and fiery as our strongest passions, or perhaps one of the others?” He seductively purred into her ear. He wanted to take her here and now so badly, but she was just like these flowers she loved. Elegant and beautiful, but delicate, If he pushed too far too fast, he'd ruin everything he was trying to build here.
 
Faith closed her eyes as she took in the scent of the roses, smiling to herself as her fingers lightly cradled a flower, lifting it towards her nose carefully. She loved these flowers. They were so bright, vibrant and beautiful, yet if one wasn't careful, they could end up hurt because of the thorns.

As she sniffed the flower, she felt a pair of hands move around her tapered waist, smiling a little wider as she opened her eyes. She rather liked the way he held her waist firmly in his grip but not too tight so if she wished, she could pull away and move. Feeling his nose against her neck, she giggled before turning her head just enough to gaze at him. Her scent was a mix of several different ones. There was the faint scent of the roses she loved so much which hinted at either a rose shampoo or rose oil used in a bath, then beneath that was a light scent of something like cinnamon and perhaps some kind of citrus.

"My favorite?" she murmured, shivering in his arms as he purred in her ear. "Mm, I believe my favorites are red and orange. Orange is for desire and enthusiasm. Red... is beauty, courage respect..." she paused and turned around to face him. "And passion." She had a flower in her hand after she turned, having plucked it from the rose bush. Faith made sure that the gardeners went through the garden and trimmed the thorns on the bushes, not wanting anyone to get hurt on them.

Gazing up at him, she smiled while raising the flower to her nose again and taking a brief sniff before reaching up and carefully tucking it into her dark hair.
 
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