Stories from RhyDin & The Rings

Between the snowstorm and the deep freeze that followed, Mallory was thrilled at the idea of a gubernatorial luau in place of a winter-themed ball.

She dug the Hawaiian shirt, bamboo sandals, and sunglasses out of her closet, something she'd bought for a beach vacation once upon a time; picked up a navy bandeau bikini from a local store at a steep discount; and cuffed a pair of her favorite denim shorts for good measure.

Following Shae's reassurance that it would not be pathetic to wear roughly the same thing to this event that he'd worn to the last one with a Summer theme, the pair arrive together by his own vehicle. The warm air the Governor has ensured for, hopefully, the duration of the evening is very welcome and allows him to ditch his heavier layers while still in the lot. With fond memories of Rhy'Din's previous balls and galas, he's eager to attend another, made all the more worthwhile for the company of his most treasured companion. He will gravitate toward familiar faces but won't refuse introduction to new ones. Consumption of food and drink will be scarce, and he will not deny any requests for dances.

Colleen celebrated the summer theme by allowing her inner faery to come out and play!

Eri was delighted to forget about winter for one night, in spite of her fondness for the season. Her dressing to go out was haphazard as usual, in a bikini that was found on one of her bargain hunting expeditions. Of course her customary sukajan was worn over it.

After making a point of attending most society events in the city for the past three months - especially the balls - Nicklaus Burison and Juniper Fae are notoriously absent for the Governor's Ball.

However, a pre-scheduled delivery of two large barrels of rum - one black and one white - arrives shortly before the guests, designated to the bar for mixed drinks. The black rum carries a tracery of charcoal color and odor from its burnt barrel, while the clear white rum is labeled "160 Proof. Caution: Highly Flammable." Both barrels are branded with the logo of the Unifier Brewing Company.

Winter beware: Peaches reigned as a ray of sun in all the drab gray the city was covered in. A slick topping of whipped up white had made the city a dull kingdom of too big coats, too many scarves, so many fucking mittens. It was enough to drive a hibernating girl-creature out from wherever she had been (lost beneath neon lights and probably wrapped in strangers arms) and show up to a fascinating little man-made bubble of warmth. Kokomo, was it?

She laughed, probably danced, definitely drank; by the end of the night she was rubbing elbows with Bailey near the bathroom and suggesting slurred promises of more potent party favors, trading flirting looks of sincerity and silliness with Jewell (but there was something off with the Empress that the landlocked siren couldn't put a lazy finger on), asking Lucy to introduce her to the arm candy the red-headed uptown girl had brought with her, and eventually disappearing as if she was a mirage.

Peaches was known for her whimsy, after all.

Michelle was not one to typically attend social functions, but if she was going to start a pie and tart bakery she would need to learn how to mingle. A few days before the gala she finally picked out a simple summer themed dress to go with a pair of black sandals.





Most of her time was spent doing small-talk with others, most of which she didn't know very well after her long absence.

The promise of heat and humidity in the middle of winter proved irresistible for Eden and Ransom, who had spent their New Year in Chicago rather than their preferred Fiji. They arrived a bit later in the evening, dressed in understated—and coordinated—white and slate. Their clothes may not have been flashy and bright, but they were comfortable and made for movement. Good thing, too, as the pair spent the night dancing and chatting it up with friends. At some point, they managed to snag their favorite violet-haired companion for a three-way twirl around the dancefloor, and soon after that, they melted away into the crowd, leaving behind the echo of their laughter and the pleasant afterimage of their charming smiles.

"You see this?"

Logan tossed down a wrinkled pile of papers for Jace to catch the front page. An announcement for a ball that included a few photos of the establishment with a few suggestions of a confusing theme. Jace slowed down the methodical working of his hands around the G19 so he could give a skewed look between that and Logan.

"You asking me out on a date, Kelley?"

"You're not my type. Too fat in the head, but your tits aren't half bad."

"You know I'm sensitive about my image." Jace set the glock down and arched back in the wooden frame of the chair he occupied. "But, what about it? You planning on going just because there will be free food?" Both of them were vulture enough to dine on scraps but Jace was less obvious, more a scowling lion in the background in comparison to the wide mouthed hyena grin of his partner. Logan snatched the paper up from the table to give it a good look again.

"Free food is always a good reason to go anywhere. We don't get paid enough to afford shit like this, right? Might as well feast while the gettin' is good. Also --", Logan began to trail, warming up his tongue like it needed to be revved up for what he was thinking about saying next. "-- I think she might be there." Newspaper was too thin to be used as a shield but he used it anyways to conceal most of his face. Even from behind the flippant layers of black and white words, he could feel Jace staring at him.

"Why would she go to that?"

"When have you ever known her to pass up a party? Look, they're going to have a pig. A fucking pig." Logan seemed more interested in the menu than he did in explaining. "She hasn't really popped up on the radar at all so we should probably explore any and all avenues. This is just a bonus."

Jace kneaded his teeth into his bottom lip and dipped his head in a short lived nod to agree with Logan.

"Guess we better pretend we know how to dress up."

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Both of the men that showed up looked out of place. They were strangers in a strange realm of age old bonds and youthful friendships. Not their cup of tea. In fact, Logan and Jace were not tea at all; whiskey hinged, cigarette lipped, brooding looking men who sculpted fine grins for those that wanted to share smiles with them. Logan was less familiar with those surrounding him while Jace recognized one, maybe two, and one in particular, Lucy, was given a half nod but he didn't approach to make small talk.

They lingered for a while, long enough for Logan to choke down every piece of food he could stomach and for Jace to realize that who they were hunting for wasn't going to be showing up.