(Open) Between the velvet lies

[Alain the Carnedge]

The Moors were as dull as ever. Alain walked through the lifeless wasteland once more, each step and breath slowly but surely boring him to death. He wasn't paying attention, hell, he wasn't even listening to his surroundings in case of an incoming attack. He was, by all purposes, sleepwalking. Yet, no predator struck from the shadows in an effort to tear him apart. Perhaps they knew better than attacking the wanderers on the road, knowing the danger of attacking a potential threat could potentially end in their untimely demise. Or perhaps not, and they were just preoccupied with some other unfortunate life-threatening situation. Either way, the Mercenary walked the path half-asleep, wishing for anything, anything at all, to happen.

Alain thus decided to think of something else other than walking through his pale hell. He didn't have a plan, no guides, no way of knowing where he was going or what he was going to do. All he knew is that what's-his-face, Lumia, had offered him a job in a place called Camelot. It was so incredibly obvious that what he was doing was illegal that it was hard not to turn him into the authorities that didn't seem to exist here just to teach him that his apparent inability to mistrust others would lead to his downfall.

But, it was an opportunity that he couldn't resist taking...after all, there's always some that want to take the law into their own hands, and Alain was willing to bet that some of those self-proclaimed Vigilantes wouldn't mind paying him in return for said information. Not like he expected them to succeed though, but each person he sold the information to would pile on the heat on Lumia's "organization", while giving him the money he needed to gain some power around here.

The fake smile that he usually put on to deceive others into thinking he's actually trying to be nice was instead replaced by one of the few genuine expressions he knew; a grin that knew trouble was going to start, and he was going to enjoy every moment of it as the chaos unfolded.

But, plans tend to fall apart quickly at a single mistake, so I'll need a backup. I'll gain some reputation with the most powerful faction so I can fall back on their territory if things go sour. After I get the idea that they'll be displeased that I'm killed, I'll start selling the info.

Alain was so absorbed in his inner thoughts that he almost didn't notice the tree that he was walking into, narrowly ducking under a branch and quietly stepping back onto the pathway. There were some pretty creepy looking woods ahead. The well, wood, was almost completely black, making the trees look like they were about to fall on any unwary travelers who so much as stepped on the road. Strolling on through the dark forest, his spirit renewed at the thought of horrible mischief, the silence of the moors breaking from the sound of others walking through nearby.

"I can't believe you got us lost again." One male voice said, evidently annoyed. Alain triggered his invisibility, the darkness spreading over his cloak before the party came into view, a woman scowling at who was presumably voice one."We're not lost, we just don't kn-"

"STOP SAYING THAT, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT LOST MEANS!" The man screamed, the birds in the trees taking off at his incredibly over-the-top reaction. A third member of the party spoke up in an attempt to calm things down... "Look, can't we just get along and try to figure out how to get to the Masquerade? Arguing ain't gonna help, guys." ...but that failed miserably, the two yelling in unison: "SHUT UP, LARRY!" Larry hung his head and walked slower, trailing behind the other members of the group who just shook their heads at him as if to say "don't even bother". Alain followed behind the party as the couple bickered, the other members sighing in exasperation.

"Shut up, I know what I'm doing!" The woman insisted, her temper starting to rise.

"No you don't, THAT'S WHY WE'RE LOST!" The man continued to shout.

Surprisingly enough, this wasn't fun for anyone. The mercenary just walked behind under his literal "cloak of invisibility", hoping to arrive at a town or anything, really. They looked rich enough to buy a castle. Maybe two. Wondering as he were at why exactly rich people were taking a calm little stroll through the Pale Moors, he decided not to think about it and just hoped the reason was because there were better clients than Darkshire. Whatever the case, he followed on, ignoring the incessant chatter of the pair in the front.

Just as he was started to get seriously annoyed at the pair's incessant chatter, they came out to a clearing; a mansion set in the middle of it, the home Said guests also just ran at the house, cheering and laughing, so Alain assumed it was safe and followed suit. The bickering immediately stopped and everyone was happy, for now at least. The mercenary slipped past the doorman and took one of the animal masks, (he didn't check which) donning it while the guard's attention was on the guests.

"Secondaries, I assume?" The doorman spoke like he was tired of greeting people for the night. But who could blame him, really? One of the guys in the back spoke up in response to the doorman's question. "We're from Camelot. This is the Masquerade, right?" The guy was either blind or really paranoid, as the pile of masks directly to the left of him wasn't exactly going anywhere. "Take your mask and go on. Don't cause any trouble." The man did his job despite his apparent boredom and started handing out masks, one by one to each of the group before letting them in.

Alain moved past him without a sound, walking through the absurdly large doors and disabling his invisibility just as he saw the group look away to thank the doorman, leaning against the wall until they approached. They all gave him shifty looks, like he should've been at a different party. He assumed it had something to do with the obnoxiously flashy red cloak, but he didn't care. He just rolled his eyes at 'em, though they didn't see it under his mask and hood. Probably for the best.

After the group had departed, Alain himself started walking for the actual party. Coming through the second set of doors, his expectations were very quickly exceeded. Though, exceeded or not, he silently vowed to himself to never touch the dance floor.
Each step that was taken was a cautious one, silently evading the dance addicts who were searching for partners. Taking what seemed to be a few minutes, Alain finally sat down in what he assumed was the break area.

Some of the partygoers moved to the dance floor, others either looked tired or like they wanted to leave, but decided against it because they were scared to depart until the appropriate time had come. Not many people stood out, each wearing the same mask and the same 'ol rich clothes. The only one who did stand out yet seemed important at the same time was who he presumed to be the host-the one donning the lion mask. The only one with a predatory animal for their mask, Alain noticed. Speaking to who he assumed to be a child and...maybe his bodyguard?

But before he could get a good look and check if they were a threat, he felt the distinct feeling that someone was watching him, at which point he very quickly diverted his eyes to the dance floor, attempting to look like he'd care if his attention was diverted from the music in a half-assed attempt of making sure nobody talked to him.