Being Human[PARTY-OPEN]

[Mercy Scarborough]

The night was alive, people chatting and dancing. Parties at Scarborough mansion were always the talk of the town, everyone jumping at the opportunity to attend. It was fairly easy to get in too. You just had to be well dressed. Of course, there was always a police officer about, so it was rare that someone got away with stealing something.

It was a cool spring night outside and there were people all over the mansion, well, almost all over. It wouldn't be very respectful for the guests to be hanging out in the bedrooms after all... unless they were up to something. People chatted out by the fountain in the middle of the garden and there were plenty of bachelors and bachelorettes about, dancing and flirting.

The Scarboroughs were scattered about, Christopher entertaining a couple of men in his study and smoking cigars while his wife joked with other ladies in the courtyards. John was... well, god only knew where John Scarborough was. He was always wreaking havoc or flirting with young women.

Mercy Scarborough was right in her room, getting herself ready. Her dog, Jotti, was lying on the bed, watching Mercy with her head on her paws as she went from one side of the room to the other, looking for something to wear. She'd tried on plenty of dresses and stood in front of the mirror, finding something wrong with each one. Ok, there really wasn't anything wrong with any of them. Mercy was a woman and just plain couldn't decide what to wear.

Finally. Mercy stood in front of the mirror, wearing a gorgeous dark blue dress with black lace on the trim. Her hair was in gorgeous curls and, walking over to her vanity, she pulled some of her hair back with an intricate black clip. Grabbing her favorite necklace, she went to her full length mirror and fastened the clasp of the necklace behind her neck, allowing it to fall perfectly over her chest. It was a pretty silver necklace with a single pearl in the silver pendent. "How do I look?" Mercy asked the dog, turning back to the bed and showing off.

Upon being addressed, Jotti lifted her head off her paws and her tail wagged as she looked at Mercy. Laughing somewhat and smiling, Mercy pet the dog, and made sure once more that she was ready, putting on a very nice, softly scented perfume. Looking out the window, she could see people were still arriving. Good, she wasn't going to be the last person to arrive to a party taking place in her own home.

((Everyone can just jump in from here on))

[Tara Calder]

She was looking for someone. Someone certain. Tara's parents were... well, they were overjoyed that she had finally showed an interest in a man. A rich man at that. Well, the son of a rich man. Of course the Harpers would be attending the party, Mr. Harper being a friend of Christopher Scarborough. And since Markos Harper was pretty much guaranteed to be at the part, Tara Calder had been forced into the finest dress she had ever worn. It was a gift from her grandmother... to help her "woo" this man.

Tara didn't want to fool Markos Harper into loving her though. No, if Tara was going to be in a relationship with Markos... then she wanted it to be real. Lately, all someone had to do was mention his name and a wide smile would cross the young girl's face, her cheeks flushing. Her dress was a a dark, gorgeous shade of green, bringing out her deep hazel eyes. Her hair was in curls, pulled back in a pretty clip and a silver necklace around her neck.

She was wandering about the party, hoping to catch sight of the man she had taken such a liking to. Just the thought of seeing Markos Harper sent butterflies fluttering through her stomach. She was in the ballroom, ignoring any men who tried to get her attention. She wasn't interested in them at all. After a little while, Tara's heart kind of sunk. She didn't see him. Even if he was there, he was probably with someone else, another girl, probably prettier and more... ladylike. As soon as that thought came to her, an almost heartbroken felling came over her and she left the ballroom, heading into a lounge which was apparently abandoned for the time being. Sighing, Tara sat down on the chaise lounge chair, bitterly thinking about how the expensive dress her grandmother had gotten for her had gone to waste. Perhaps if she feigned illness, her mother would allow her to go home...

[Aiden Calder]

"Don't ruin that suit, my mother will kill me," Aiden said, looking over at his friend. They were riding in a carriage, heading to Scarborough mansion for the party. Aiden didn't usually go out at night anymore, but he had to tonight. He had to keep an eye on his family and keep them safe. Especially his sister.

Across from him was a good friend of his. Tyler Van Helsing. Though Aiden was the son of a wealthy man(well, a once wealthy man), Aiden had always been a rebel and had been friends with Tyler since childhood, having reconnected with him after his return from traveling abroad. Aiden was wearing a black suit, looking very charming... though smelling slightly of... garlic. Yes, Aiden had garlic necklace on which couldn't be seen, tucked safely beneath his shirt. Not even Tyler knew of the things Aiden had seen... nobody but Aiden knew.

The carriage was just pulling up to the mansion and Aiden looked to Tyler, smiling, though there was a wary look in his blue eyes. "Are you ready?" he asked Ty, cocking a brow. "You know the rules, just don't touch my sister. She's off limits." The carriage door opened and Aiden climbed out, noticing the man who drove the carriage smelling the air around him. So what if Tyler wasn't wealthy? He was dressed nice tonight thanks to Aiden and therefore, he'd get into this party. "Lets go," Aiden said, walking up to the front doors. The place was huge.

[Laurel Wayland]

Laurel had spent the entire day being poked and prodded and prepared for tonight's party. A servant had run her a steaming bath and washed, brushed, and styled her bright red hair. Another staff member had been working two weeks on a custom gown for Laurel, in a dark, rich green heavy satin with gold braid trim. A third had been entrusted with the picking out of jewelry, and a final servant had been wrangled to transport Miss Wayland and Anne Marie to the party in a chaise and four.

Not two moments passed after entering the Scarborough manor before Laurel had escaped from her mother's side. She was searching for Eric Calder. Laurel slipped behind pillars and through crowds, avoiding her mother's watchful glare. If Anne Marie found out that Laurel and Eric had agreed to meet here tonight, heads would roll. Laurel still had a faint bruise on her cheek from where her mother had struck her across the face, her wedding ring leaving a small gash and a bruise on her cheekbone. She had tried to cover the mark with powder, not wanting Eric to find out just how much trouble she'd gotten into for their little escapade in the stables. However, powder could not do much to hide the raised cut on her cheek.

[Markos Harper]

Mark walked in ahead of his parents, since they were always so slow with entering, getting distracted with this and that. He smoothed out the dark gray suit he was wearing, grunting slightly as he saw a wrinkle right by the shoulder. He didn't want to look like an ass if he ran into Tara. That's who he planned on running into the whole time anyway. Once he heard of the Scarborough's party last week, he had been running about frantically getting his maids to help him find the perfect outfit that made him look best.

Walking into the room, women stared in awe, and men stared in jealousy. Markos ignored them all, he did not believe he was a catch, or a prize. So he never listened to women or paid attention to them when they fell head over heels for him, complimenting him and swooning over him. It almost annoyed him, he wanted a women who liked everything about him, not just the pretty face that they see walk into the room.

He walked all over the mansion, seeing Tara's mother, but not Tara. He grew angry, thinking she was flirting with yet another man and that he meant nothing to her. She seemed interested, why would she lead him on? His dark brown eyes fell to the floor underneath him and he walked away, sighing slightly. He didn't know why else he came but to find Tara. What was he suppose to do now?

A broken look was obviously strewn across his face as he pulled to the outer parts of the rooms, keeping away from the groups of people, just encase he happened to bump into Tara, dancing with another man. He would just have to try again, maybe... some where there was another like Tara. Passing by a rather darkened room, where no one seemed to wander into yet, his brown eyes just happened to wander into it. He froze, stopping in his tracks. A smile formed across his lips and he turned around, walking right into the room without a second thought. "Tara." He said simply, he should have called her Miss.Calder, but he wasn't thinking clearly. "I've been looking for you." he said to her, offering to help her up since she was sitting. "You look amazing. Why are you hiding in here? You should be showing off." he said with a wink...

[Tyler Van Helsing]

Tyler was busy fixing his suit that Aiden had loaned him. Thank god they were the same body type.... for the most part. Aiden was a lot more fit than Ty was, but it wasn't by much. His green eyes rose to meet Aiden's, and a smile crossed his face, "Don't worry, Just because I'm poor doesn't mean I don't know how to take care of clothing." he said, rolling his bright green eyes.

It was surely a different feel now that he was in the carriage, usually he was the one driving it. Aiden convinced him to come with him tonight and he gave Tyler all the things that would make him look like a wealthy man. Now that he was cleaned up, dressed nice and smelling good... Tyler was a knock out. He did smell the faint garlic smell, but he knew who Aiden was and he didn't bother to ask.

"Yeah, I'm ready." he said, slipping out of the carriage after his friend. He walked right next to him, green eyes shifting from one police officer to another. Tyler wasn't the most.. responsible guy in the world. He had stolen before, but it was stuff that he needed to get by. "You sure I'm not going to be shot?" he said, feeling a little jittery now. He lowered his eyes and kept his face away from a cop that knew Tyler well. Tyler stole... and sometimes he got caught, at least he used to, he's gotten a lot better at it now.

The only reason Tyler agreed to come to the party tonight was to try and spot Mercy, the girl he just always seemed to run into. He couldn't help but think about her all the time, she was really something and she didn't seem like most rich girls, at least she didn't when she was alone with him. Who knows, she could be nice when she wasn't around the rich, but when she was, she could be the biggest bitch. Tyler saw this all too often. This was one reason he didn't like the rich. Most of them were fake. Staying close to Aiden till they were inside, he looked over to his friend, "Meet back up soon?" he said smirking, knowing Aiden was going to run after every single pretty girl he could find...

[Tara Calder]

As soon as she heard his voice, the brokenhearted feeling melted away and a blush crossed her face as she looked to the hand he offered her. She accepted his help getting up without hesitation, smiling at his compliments. "I was taking a moment to breathe is all," she said, standing close by him and letting her smooth hand rest on his a few moments longer than was necessary. She felt the butterflies in her stomach. She looked amazing.

"You look quite stunning yourself, Markos," she said, considering he had called her by her first name. The sound of his name coming from her mouth was quite nice, rolling off her tongue. She liked saying his name. "I'm afraid if I let you go back out there, I might have to wrangle all the women off of you." She gave him a charming, almost shy smile. She couldn't help but wonder if he would dance with her.

[Mercy Scarborough]

By the time Tyler had arrived, Mercy had already made her way down to the party, keeping Jotti up in her room to prevent her from jumping up in excitement and ruining anyone's dress or suit. She walked amongst the guests, chatting with a few girls she knew here and there and politely refusing to dance with the men who asked.

To be honest, Mercy wasn't very into most of these men... she had her eyes set on someone. Someone that she didn't expect to be at this party at all. Actually, it would be the last place she would ever expect to see Tyler Van Helsing. "Miss Scarborough?" came a voice behind her. Not his voice, she could just tell, but she turned to the man by way of answering him anyway. "Would you like to dance?" "Oh, no, I'm sorry, I couldn't possibly. I've twisted my ankle you see..." She was about to leave the man's side, but he caught her attention again.

"Please, miss, do allow me to look at it. I'm a doctor you see." DAMN IT. "Oh, no, it's quite alright, I'll just have my maid look at it..." The man just didn't catch on. "Please Miss Scarborough, I must insist," he said, giving her a charming smile and offering his hand to her...

[Aiden Calder]

Aiden walked inside with his friend, rolling his eyes. "Relax," he said, shaking his head at Tyler. "Just don't steal anything and you won't get shot," he said, already looking around for a pretty girl, preferably without fangs. He heard Tyler's words and fixed his suit a bit. "Of course, I'll see you soon. Stay out of trouble."

After giving Ty a nice slap on the back, Aiden took off through the crowd, knowing his friend would probably find a nice lady friend to entertain him. He had no idea who though. It didn't matter though because Aiden had already spotted his new lady friend. Rawr.

[Eric Calder]

Eric Calder had arrived long before his brother, having come with his sister and parents. He looked stunning in a black suit, his blue eyes searching for his pretty lady. He knew she would be there and as soon as he set eyes on her, a smile crossed his face and he came out behind her, quickly grabbing her and pulling her into an empty room, covering her mouth so she wouldn't scream out.

"You look gorgeous," he said into her ear, letting her go so she could turn to him and see it was only him, charming smile on his face as he looked down at her, lovingly. He had been aching to see her again, to kiss her. Too bad she had a beast of a mother who would do anything to keep them apart. He pulled a red rose out of the front pocket of his suit jacket, offering it to her and bowing a little, being overly politely to get her to smile. "Miss Wayland," he said, holding out the flower to her...

[Laurel Wayland]

Laurel was just beginning to lose hope of seeing Eric there that night when someone caught her around the middle and pulled her backwards. She began to scream, but a hand instantly clasped over her mouth, stifling the noise. She was pulled into a dark, abandoned room, and as she turned to face her assailant, her face split into a wide grin at the sight of her Eric.

Immediately she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth- most unladylike, but she didn't give a damn. It had been days since they'd seen each other, and even when she was out in town, she was accompanied by her vulture of a mother, who never left her alone for a moment. She had tried twice to run away from her mother in town, to search for Eric until she found him, but both times she'd ended up in terrible areas of Devil's Hollow. Finally, her mother had announced that Laurel would be sent away to boarding school at the end of the month, where she would be watched like a hawk at all times. It was, of course, a school for young ladies- no men on the campus at any time.

Laurel broke away from Eric, stroking his cheek with her long, elegantly gloved fingers. "Oh, Darling," she whispered, burying her face in his chest. "They're sending me away. I'll never see you again!" She was positively distraught. Even though their first encounter had been their only one so far, she had fallen madly in love with the detective, and the thought of being away from him for any length of time was unbearable.

[Eric Calder]

Eric kissed her back, holding her tight. He'd missed her s much, even though the time they had spent together had been so short. He couldn't help but chuckle when she said they would never see each other again. "Relax," he said, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. "Do you really think anything could keep me away from you, Laurel?" he asked her, eyes on hers, gleaming.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his strong embrace. "I'll come to you, I have my ways. You don't need to worry." He smiled at her reassuringly, resting his chin on her head as she buried her face into his chest. "If your mother thinks she can keep me from you for good, she's a downright fool for messing with a detective like me." He pulled back a little, gently lifting Laurel's chin so she could see the look in his eyes. He bent his head down then, running his lips along her neck and breathing in her scent.

[Laurel Wayland]

Laurel smiled, perhaps a little sadly, at Eric's sweet words of comfort. He was trying so hard to reassure her, but she was firmly convinced that her mother would never allow them to be together. If she found out that Laurel and Eric were finding a way to be together, even after Laurel was sent to St. Augustine's, Anne Marie would certainly send her out of town for schooling.

Laurel looked up at Eric, her bright green eyes meeting his startlingly blue ones. "Promise you'll come for me," she said, choosing to trust him. Henry had broken her heart two years ago, leaving her behind and never coming back for her. "We can write to each other, and surely we can meet in secret. Just don't let me become a mad old spinster," she teased with a little sideways grin.

She placed a hand on either side of Eric's face and pulled him gently down to her level so that she could kiss him tenderly. As his lips moved to her neck, she shivered with anticipation, wondering what they could get away with in the middle of the Scarborough Mansion. Surely there were at least twenty bedrooms in the manor. Perhaps, if they were careful, they could sneak away...

[Eric Calder]

"I promise," Eric said, lifting his head up to look her in the eye. "There's only so much she can do to keep me from you Laurel. And I assure you, nothing will work. It's a bit hard to hide from a detective, darling." It was the first time he had called her darling, but he liked the sound of it and wanted to call her such names more often. Looking around, he grabbed hold of her hand. "Lets go somewhere that the beast surely won't find us." He winked at her and pulled her gently from the room, making his way through the halls, trying to find a nice, quiet gust bedroom.

They had nearly run into the wicked witch herself, but Eric had quickly pulled Laurel with him behind a statue, holding her close until he was sure the woman was gone. After a quick kiss on the lips, he continued on with Laurel, sneaking up a set of stairs and finally coming across a guest room, not a soul in sight. He closed the door behind them, making sure it was locked before turning back to the pretty girl he had brought with him.

[Laurel Wayland]

Laurel followed Eric up through the ballroom, giggling nervously as they hid from her mother. When Eric pulled her in close behind the statue, sneaking a kiss, she eagerly kissed him back. She thought for a brief, terrifying moment that her father, Mortimer Wayland, had spotted them, but if he had he made no move to show it.

Laurel looked over her shoulder as they crept up the stairs. She tripped once on her long skirts, falling against Eric's back and laughing at her own clumsiness. "Sorry," she said with a grin. "Someday, I'm going to scandalize the whole town and go about in pants!" It was a shocking thing to say, to be sure, but she didn't care.

After several moments of searching, Eric led her into an empty guest room and locked the door behind them. She looked around the room, making sure there were no other doors, before pulling the heavy damask curtains closed over the windows, leaving the room in dusky half-darkness.

"Do you think we were spotted?" She asked as she moved in closer to Eric, wrapping her arms around his waist and looking up at him adoringly.