dara-bythemoon

[dara-bythemoon]

[dara-bythemoon]

"There's always someone angry about something," she remarked with a shrug of her own at the mention of the protests. It's all Dara can do to try and brush it off but she couldn't deny that it was growing a bit concerning. "Did you happen to see how large the crowd had become?"

Looking over at the man, Dara grinned and nodded. "I wouldn't mind entertaining a free drink either way," she replied playfully. "And we can pretend you bought it for me. How about that?"

Zane immediately retracted his hands as she pulled back, instinctively reaching to adjuster his mask. He just wanted to get through all this till he could play his part. "No problem." Hands slipping into his pockets his shoulder lifted briefly then dropped back down in a light shrug. "Wouldn't say its that's dangerous, though the protest outside is a bit foreboding. Can't imagine that helps the tension"

He motions over to the bar, "I'd offer to buy you a drink in putting you in the dangerzone but i'm pretty sure its an open bar"

[dara-bythemoon]

"You mean you didn't want to listen in to the millionth person make bets on which horse they think will win the race?" she asked sarcastically with a small laugh. "Or what new trendy investment everyone is shoveling their money into that is definitely not a new ponzi scheme?"

Finally in the comfort of some semblance of privacy, Dara slid off her face mask and placed it to the side. "Definitely a little weird, though I can't tell if it's just my paranoia." She had thought it had been in her head but hearing Nikolai mention it put her a bit at ease. "But we've also have a bunch of important people in one confined space; what could possibly go wrong."

"I suppose we could, but this is more fun and I'll be able to hear you better without all the bodies," Nikolai said with a lazy wave of his hand. The crowd felt suffocating, crushing. Sardines in a tin can came to mind.

He managed to shoulder past a few people wearing avant-garde wigs like they were judges or castaways from Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. As they drew closer to the revolving doors of the kitchen, Nikolai looked over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't lost Dara in the sea. "Does something feel off about tonight? Outside of the protesting, that's been normal over the years, I suppose."

[dara-bythemoon]

"That's all relative," she shrugged, though Dara doesn't disagree that those protesters are definitely expending a lot of effort for something that didn't seem likely to change. "Everyone's got a hill they'd die on; guess this is theirs. Or maybe they just like to be loud and call attention to themselves."

Dara raised a brow and laughed as she shook her head. "You just look out of place in that sort of get-up." Hand gesturing vaguely at his form. But, she does let her gaze linger for a moment before shrugging and turning away. "You can keep your clothes on. It's far too early in the party to start stripping down." Looking at the offered arm, she took it with a smile and placed her hand gently on it. "Surely, we could have gone a bit longer before we were missed. There are too many faces in there to notice."

"I guess. Sounds and looks like a waste of time to me," but what did he know ? "You really think they're gonna end horse racing when it's a world wide spread activity?" At least the horses were treated like royalty around here.

"What?" He glanced down at his suit. It had the benefit of being a lot more comfortable than your regular suit, but he would have felt a lot more at ease in regular clothes. He felt as though he was wearing a costume, and the mask was the part he minded the least. "If you're itching to get me out of my suit, you can just ask Dara dear," he teases, sparing her an amused glance before he turns on his heels and offers his forearm to her. "We better get back to the hippodrome before Papa Liddell catches us here."

[dara-bythemoon]

"Everyone's got to do something with their spare time," Dara remarked idly as she sidled up beside Malo, her eyes lingering on the scene outside. Signs and posters accompanied the impassioned chanting. If it wasn't one thing people were upset with, it was something else. There was simply no pleasing everyone. Though it was rather curious how this protest was happening today of all days. Turning away, she took a sip of her champagne. "Surely someone's called authorities to rid of them by now."

Finally looking at Malo, Dara chuckled to herself. "And you look like you're itching to get out of your suit already."

Where: The Hippodrome's hall. When : 6pm

He'd rather be out there with the protestors. It's a bit too quiet, and those sorts of events are the perfect opportunity to cause mayhem, or push inebriated, chaotic or more revolted members of the mob into crossing the line. It usually doesn't take much, and he adores that sort of energy, to see a switch being flicked within a person, from docile to freed.

"Fucking pathetic," he finally comments. Because they aren't doing shit other than yelling cheesy slogans they must be oh-so-proud of (like a middle schooler who managed to put a pun in his science presentation). How fucking comical. When has comedy ever changed shit. Fucking clowns. Hands stuck in his pockets, he glares at the crowd, disgusted. It doesn't help that he's forced to dress up on those sorts of events. He's fine in graphic worn out tee-shirts and old jeans, but then he would not fit in.

[dara-bythemoon]

Seeing Nikolai's grimace at the nickname, Dara couldn't help but smirk a little at his expense. It was just a bit of light fun--she needed to find some kind of light teasing considering their line of work. Watching him down the other flute of champagne, she chuckled. "Glad to know it's not one of those events," she agreed. Spotting the revolving door, Dara stepped forward and followed through to the other side with Nikolai in tow. "Here I thought we could just ask someone to bring some to us," she joked. Now it felt somehow like a small secret mission to get a stronger drink.

Nikolai winced at the nickname. He was never fond of nicknames; they felt infantile from the mouths of those who didn't see him in diapers. Given that it was his rushing that led to the two of them colliding, he bit his tongue and downed one of the champagne flutes. He eyed Dara at the question, wheels beginning to turn. Something stronger would be nice and would ease the edge of his nerves; being among the crowd never quite sat well with him and he much preferred the distance of a stage.

"I can't imagine Viktor would host an event on champagne alone," Nikolai said. He downed the second flute with ease -- Dara didn't sound like she wanted it anyways and he didn't blame her. Champagne tasted like sour grape juice. With a shake of his head, he squinted at the corners of the room and made out the faint wave of a revolving door. "That looks like our ticket," he said, gesturing for her to step ahead of him. "I doubt anyone will pay any mind to a missing bottle or two."

[dara-bythemoon]

Dara ran a hand through her long hair, sweeping it back as she surveyed the crowd. There wasn't much that excited her about this crowd, though she did enjoy people-watching and familiarizing herself with anyone she needed to know. As she headed to the bar, Dara felt herself bumping right into another person. Feet tripping over one another, she nearly fell headfirst into the ground.

Certainly was, she thought but instead offered a tight smile as she held onto him. "Thanks for catching me," Dara said before pushing herself off of him. Not someone she immediately recognized. "Didn't realize this event was going to be so dangerous."

who: dara @dara-bythemoon

where: masquerade

Zane tugged at his suit jacket faintly, trying to distract himself from adjusting his mask. He wasn't surprised that he received more than one text reminding him to wear a suit. While there were some in his line of work that got a thrill from working a room like this, grifting their way through the room. Zane preferred the shadows, preferred variables he could predict. Still he'd play his part.

Tucking a newly acquired watch into his jacket pocket he made his way through the room toward the bar. Before he could make it though, he collided with one of the other masked party goers. Catching himself before reaching out to steady her, he offered a nod in apology. "Sorry about that, wasn't watching where i was going"

[dara-bythemoon]

oh to wear a knife strapped against my thigh beneath a silk dress

[dara-bythemoon]

Donna Tartt novels, a summary

[dara-bythemoon]

🖤🖤

[dara-bythemoon]

"I want a boyfriend," no you want to pin a boy to a wall with a dagger to his throat, don't settle for less.

[dara-bythemoon]

This sort of hoity-toity lifestyle was not much of Dara's cup of tea, but it allowed her to circle around a few familiar faces. Normally, these sorts of events allowed her to keep eyes on folks making bets--bets far larger than they really ought to make--with any Jabberwocks business. However, with the masked dress code in place, this certainly made Dara's job a little harder.

As she wandered throughout the event, watching people more so than the event, Dara found herself so focused that she hadn't noticed the oncoming form towards her. With a soft gasp, she frowned and turned to glare at the individual before registering the familiar voice. "Ah, Nikky boy," she cooed with an amused chuckle. "Do you think they have rum around here? Or do I need to pretend to be a little more proper and ask for champagne?"

Open Starter for: everyone!

When: March 2024

Where: Liddell Hippodrome

On principle alone, Nikolai tried his damnedest to avoid these events thrown by his family. It seemed Viktor finally managed to outsmart him by figuring out that he was not expected to be at the Royal Opera House for the entire week. So, there Nikolai was outside of his house and among the masses. He sullenly drifted among the crowds, half mask pressed to his face (as if it did anything to truly hide his identity), in search of Max or Eliza.

As trays of drinks passed by him, Nikolai's eyes searched until they finally noticed a piano by the stage. A lighthouse in the ocean. Nikolai beelined for his beacon of hope when he stumbled into someone else. He coughed at the impact, mask only slightly askew, and lightly patted the shoulder of whoever he brushed against. "My apologies," he said, before lifting two drinks off the tray. Well, now he had to play social. It was the least he could do, he supposed. "Care for a drink as an apology?"

[dara-bythemoon]

[dara-bythemoon]

━━  ⊰ DARA RATANARAT , JABBERWOCKS COLLECTOR ; *the moon ; [ zorzo natharuetai , 28 , female , she/her ]

full bio • musings • visage • connections pinterest • london falling

{zorzo natharuetai, she/her, 28 We just saw {dara ratanarat} entering {tate modern}. I heard through the grapevine that their loyalties lie with {the jabberwocks}, and that they also go by {the moon}. Be careful, they work as a {collector} and are known to be {haughty}, {vindictive}, or {nihilistic}. However they’re also known to be {intuitive}, {incisive}, and {charismatic}. – {starling, she/they, pst}