It's for charity (AMBER)

[adrhi]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true] [atrb=style, height:330px;width:470px;font-size:10px;text-align:justify; border: 1px dashed #000000; padding:15px; border-radius: 20px 20px 20px 20px; background-image:url(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/Kyo-Sun/1-2.png);][STYLE=text-align:center;font-family:georgia;font-size:20px;background-color:66ccdd;opacity:.7;color:000000]SING US A SONG YOU'RE THE PIANO MAN[/style] [STYLE=float:left; border: 5px solid #000000; opacity: 0.9;margin-left:10px][/style][STYLE=float:right;width:300px; height:200px; overflow:auto; background-color:ffffff;font-size:9px; padding:10px;text-align:justify;opacity:.9;font-family:verdana;color:000000]“’Drina, get your ass out of that closet and lemme get a look at your hot little ass!”

[/color] Adrhina Lynn cringed at the sound of her best friend’s voice, as if it were as bad as nails on a chalkboard. Staring herself down in the mirror in front of her. If Rhi had a choice, she would go and say the speech she had worked on clad in jeans and a t-shirt. And that of course, was probably why she and the screeching banshee just outside the doors of her locked closet were so close. As much as she wanted to dress for comfort and not to impress the mothers of her students and the rest of the rich people in town just around to be a part of another upper-class social event, she didn’t really have much of a choice, as Mallory had so artfully painted it out for Adrhina. She had to represent everything her grandmother, or whoever had owned the ballet studio first, had built it up on. Which meant class, grace, and all the proper, lady-like traits of a socialite and prima ballerina. Which Adrhina was neither.

She turned on the balls of her feet, from side to side, eyeing her reflection, trying to decide what to make of it.

The dress was long and elegant, showing no cleavage, leg, back, and instead only a small triangle of her side. Nothing scandalous or improper. The neck-line was straight as a ruler from one shoulder to the next, the only adornment on all that fair flesh of her neck and shoulders being the diamond and pearl choker. Her bouncy blonde curls were piled up artfully against the back of her head in a large hair barrette, though shorter curls had managed to escape the barrette’s snake-like grasp to frame her face or spill down her neck. Her earrings peered around through her wisps of curls by her ears, and the cute demonia sandals that had been part of the compromise in the whole deal were well-covered and out of sight thanks to the length of the dress. On her right arm was a bracelet Rhi was quite fond of, purely because she found it amusing. It attached to each of her fingers on her right hand to look more like a skeleton hand atop her own, and on the other wrist was an embellished brass snake-cuff. Accompanied with the appropriate makeup to match the attire and occasion, Adrhina thought she looked…

Like a rich, socialite, snob.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Adrhina supposed she didn’t look horrible. It was for Christmas, for the needy, and to help those who needed it most. That was worth the trouble of dressing up so extravagantly and being without her guards for the night, wasn’t it?

Yes. Yes it was.

Mallory’s yelled threats were white noise to Adrhina as she turned around and opened her closet doors, letting Mallory get a good look at her. She had startled the witch with the sudden opening of the doors, which brought the slightest amused smirk to Adrhina’s face, but that smile slowly faded back into a neutral, blank state as Mallory circled her with her critical gaze. Eyeing her as if she were some dying antelope on the desert floor and Mallory were the vulture, circling overhead just waiting for the last ounce of fight to leave her. The mental image made Adrhina tense nervously, though only for a moment. For then Mallory was in front of her once more and sputtering nonsense Adrhina wasn’t going to listen to about her wishing she would replace both her bracelets with more appropriate ones. But it wasn’t really such a big deal, Mallory supposed everything else more than made up for it. Mallory had said other things as well, but by that time, Adrhina had tuned her out. She didn’t much care about the latest gossip Mallory had heard till she got the words “… looks so different-”[/color]

“Huh, what? Who looks different?”[/color] They had been parading out of Adrhina’s room and through the loft when Mallory’s words managed to regain Adrhina’s attention. It was always nice to know who was in town, who left, who returned, who changed and who got into the latest trouble, especially if the bits of gossip were actually hints about different members of the supernatural community, and there was no better source for gossip than Mallory.

Mallory crossed her arms, narrowing her deep blue eyes at her best friend. “Did you not hear me the first time? Amber DeGregory! Remember camera-girl? Well, apparently, her parents were bounty hunters and got killed by some werewolf. Wonder of that’s why she turned into a total freak.”[/color] Mallory snapped her chewing gum as she spoke as if the news were the most obvious bit of information and anyone who didn’t know it could possibly be the stupidest person alive.

“Werewolf… I wonder if the old ulfric had punished that wolf for his actions, or if the humans got to him or her first...”[/color] The errant thought passed through her head, a random stab in the dark guess of why someone would bother returning if they didn’t have much to return to. Rhi thought back to her days on the playground, keeping up with Mallory and all the faces she had ever seen in those hallways and classrooms. It seemed familiar enough. “Really, Mal? Mocking someone who lost her parents? Congrats, I think you’ve hit a whole new low.”[/color] Adrhina hid the smirk on her face from the now glaring witch who had seen her through the worst life had thrown at her so far. But it never changed the fact that it was fun to tease the spell-caster every now and then. Adrhina turned back to her glaring friend before the witty witch could think up a decent comeback to remind her of the real business. “The studio is locked out for the Pard tonight, and everyone knows it. Which means if anything happens and they need somewhere to hide for god knows what, they’re taking it to your club. Try not to cause too much hell for my Pard, alright? Don’t forget that some of them were recently dismissed from duty for getting infected and are still pretty sore about it. Poking fun at some of them isn’t the smartest of ideas-”[/color]

“Yeah, yeah. I know, I know!”[/color] Mallory interjected, glaring at her best friend once more. “I really wish you could keep your guards for tonight, or at least have picked one of the yummy boy-toys you’ve brought in to be your arm-candy for tonight. The last thing I want to see is you lying dead on the floor, staring up at me with lifeless eyes.”[/color]Adrhina rolled her eyes as they waited in the elevator.

Adrhina, to get out at the ground floor while Mallory would be going to the basement and taking the back entrance out through there. “All it is, is a pretty speech, then small-talk for a good few hours. I wouldn’t wish this torture on a hated enemy, why would I let someone suffer through it with me when it’s really not necessary that they do?”[/color] And then the conversation was over, because they had reached the ground floor and it was time for Adrhina to step out and greet everyone.

Mallory had hidden by the button panel for the elevator and would stay there till the doors finally got around to closing, but whether the formally dressed adults and children of all ages in their proper ballet attire could see the young witch was the least of the young Nimir-Ra’s worries. She stepped out of the elevator and made her way through the crowd, till she was at the base of the front stairs. Stepping up to see above everyone’s heads, she waited for silence before speaking. “Welcome and fondest greetings to everyone who has shown up on this lovely evening. I am Adrhina Lynn Jessamina Rushmore, owner of this fine establishment of dance, and it is exquisite to see all your beautiful faces.”[/color] She stated with a big, sparkling smile plastered onto her face, her voice carrying out through the room. “This charity event is a tradition of the Rosemund School of Ballet, and though we are very well-funded for our activities, we still hold this charity showcase for both the viewing pleasure of our fair city, and now to help the less fortunate have a wonderful Christmas. As always, these showcases are open to all and there is no dress-code to speak of. It is required you donate some money for each of our classrooms you visit, though there is no minimum requirement for donations. If you would like information on the charities we will be donating tonight’s sum to, please visit the front desk where employees there would love to answer any questions you may have. If you have any questions about the studio itself or the programs it offers, feel free to ask either myself or one of our wonderful staff.”[/color] She was almost done and she knew it, then just the small talk with the boring parents, she was virtually home free and could hardly wait. “Once again, welcome, and I hope you enjoy the performances the students have worked so hard on as much as some of you have loved our performances in the past.”[/color] The rousing applause sounded and the crowd started moving in every which way. However, despite the fog of people, Adrhina couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She made it through the whole thing and hadn’t messed up yet. Now, if only she could go the rest of the night…

((NOTE: Amber can come in at any time you like :) if it's a while after Rhi gave the speach, then she'd just be moving through the crowds, greeting people and making small-talk that bores her to no end ^_^))

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[STYLE=height:100px; width:100px;float:left; border: 1px dashed #000000; opacity: 0.9;margin-left:10px;margin-top:10px;font-family:verdana; font-size:8px; padding:5px;color:000000]TAGGED: Amber

COUNT: 1607

OUTFIT: here[/style]











[STYLE=height:26px; margin-top:10px;background-color:66ccdd; opacity:.7;font-family:verdana; font-size:10px; padding-top:3px;text-align:center;color:000000]coded by JIN of BtN[/style][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[amber]

Dave had to remind the impatient young woman for the third time why she was going that night when she came to see him to complain. Ivy was busy, as was her mother, which left Amber with just Dave to complain to. The man had happily stepped into the role of the father figure in Amber’s life after the death of her parents, even if he was careful to never appear as if he was replacing the young woman’s father. That would be a taboo of the highest order with her.

A sigh escaped as she fingered the envelope in her purse.

She had avoided this for nine years.

She wasn’t sure how, but she had.

The envelope was her mother’s money, set aside before she died for charity. Her mother, Jenna, had always supported any cause that kept young people healthy, athletic and flexible. It helped them survive, she always said. She was usually tugging her sullen teenage daughter along to the charity function as well, laughing with the other socialites, which her mother was not though she played the role wonderfully. Amber had never been good at it.

Now to go among her mother’s old acquaintances, mostly replaced with acquaintances of her own from high school, seemed like the highest form of torture. She would rather be out hunting. Amber’s hair had been woven back from its usual thick dark mass into an elegant, if loose, Mermaid’s Tail Braid. This was mostly to keep it out of her way. Higher end jeans and a silky violet blouse which brought out the violet hints to her eyes was as close as she could go to wearing anything that could perhaps be seen as fancy.

She stained her lips a dark red, borrowed from Ivy being that the only makeup she owned was the thick black eyeliner, and did not line her eyes as darkly as she so often did. Knives were hidden throughout the ensemble, including the tiny ones underneath the silver bracers on each wrist and forearm. The only bit of jewelry that she wore that was not doubling as a weapon was the silver heart that hung from her neck, the last present she had received from her parents and now was seen as a treasured item.

Amber did not like the way people looked at her when she entered.

She supposed it could be perhaps due to the way she had entered in the middle of a speech.

But that did not change her dislike of it.

“Once again, welcome, and I hope you enjoy the performances the students have worked so hard on as much as some of you have loved our performances in the past.”

Applause sounded all around her but Amber did not see any reason to join in as well. She merely kept back and to herself, once again fingering the envelope in her bag lightly before looking up to see who it was who had been speaking when she had entered the building. She faintly recognized her from school, but many of those years were a blur to her now, especially after the tragedy. It took her a moment to place a name to the face and then she simply nodded, taking in the way the girl looked now. It appeared that some things were never to change, correct? She shook her head, noting with satisfaction that no wisps of hair escaped the braid in which it was bound as she did. Amber made her way through the crowd, figuring she should be polite to the hostess, drop off her mother’s money, and then move on with her life.

I can’t believe it, little Amber all grown up?

How have you been doing dear?

You know your mother—

She cut off the women who had managed to surround her with a polite smile. ”Ladies, you shall have to excuse me, but I believe I need to say hi to our hostess before I begin to appear rude” she said, to murmured Oh, yes, of course dears as she made her swift escape, waving through the crowd. Now she had lost sight of the woman. Darn.

She sighed. She would never escape this never ending drudgery of socialites and fancy jewelry to get back to her comfy apartment and studio room, would she?

[adrhi]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true] [atrb=style, height:330px;width:470px;font-size:10px;text-align:justify; border: 1px dashed #000000; padding:15px; border-radius: 20px 20px 20px 20px; background-image:url(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/Kyo-Sun/1-2.png);][STYLE=text-align:center;font-family:georgia;font-size:20px;background-color:66ccdd;opacity:.7;color:000000]SING US A SONG YOU'RE THE PIANO MAN[/style] [STYLE=float:left; border: 5px solid #000000; opacity: 0.9;margin-left:10px][/style][STYLE=float:right;width:300px; height:200px; overflow:auto; background-color:ffffff;font-size:9px; padding:10px;text-align:justify;opacity:.9;font-family:verdana;color:000000]Rhi may have pulled it off well, the smiles and polite niceties her grandmother had drilled into her years ago, but Rhi had never been one for the scene of the socialites. She’d much rather be going from room to room, to watch the beautiful art that was dance. Yes, the world of knowledge and scholars, and intelligence had always called to Adrhina strongly, but that didn’t mean she hated the arts and the theatre. Of course she loved them! Her grandmother had once called the ballet studio “A temple of the arts”, a place of inspiration and emotion. It was almost funny, how her grandmother had treated dance more like a religion than anything else, but the woman had once said that dance was one of the first forms of prayer, though song was a close second. So in that way, it kinda made sense… Okay, not really. Not so much. But as a teacher, it was Rhi’s job to encourage gifts and talents for the arts. As well as to nurture and perfect said gift when the gift happened to be for dance. The socialites that had showed up tonight, Rhi didn’t really pay them any mind. They were tossing their money away, but to a worthy charity, and that was all Rhi really wanted from them. When maneuvering her way through the crowd, attempting to avoid some of the dance moms that weren’t so happy with their child’s lack of talent and liked to blame Rhi or the teachers for it. In a way, she also considered this practice. Practice for dealing with the other leaders of the supernatural community. How so was a little difficult to explain, but it worked for her, which is what mattered. Carefully choosing her words, she kept all conversations short but sweet, encouraging those still in the main lobby to go see the performances and just seek her out afterwards, for that was why they had come after all, wasn’t it? Her polite smile that never quite reached her eyes never faltered or dulled, no matter how much she may have disliked who she was speaking with. Until, that is, she spotted a familiar face. Rhi’s smile brightened a few shades, always happy to see an old school-mate that didn’t hate her for something her best friend may possibly have done to them. Adrhina tapped Amber on the shoulder before speaking. “I never did get quite used to seeing you without a camera in your hands.”

[/color] Adrhina’s eidetic memory hadn’t been very much of a secret in school, she had been the girl who remembered everything, back then. Though that hadn’t changed as she years passed. Photography always reminded her of Amber’s sad story, but in the same breath, she always remembered Amber to be such a nice person, though more specifically, the girl with the camera.

She smiled softly, the smile lighting up her bright blue eyes. Yes, Rhi was very aware Amber was now someone she shouldn’t be anywhere within a 50 foot radius of, and her bodyguards would flip their lids if they found out, but Adrhina didn’t much care about that. It wasn’t like Amber knew Adrhina had become a wereleopard during their time at school together, or that Adrhina now lead the local wereleopards. None of that was very common knowledge after all, not even among the supernatural community.

“I heard you’re a Bounty Hunter now,”[/color] Rhi paused momentarily, rethinking her last few words as a look of unsurity crossed her face “or is it Federal Marshal?”[/color] She asked. To some, there wasn’t much of a difference between assassin, bounty hunter, and federal marshal, however, Rhi knew the differences quite well. Assassins were hired by anyone to kill anyone for a high price which varied from target to target, as well as skill level of the assassin. Bounty hunters worked for the government in part, capturing and or killing those who the government decided needed to die, or on the off occasion, escaped from prison. Federal marshals were the danger to Rhi. They received orders of execution from the government, to kill those of the supernatural community who broke the law. However, the orders of execution were worded a slight bit vaguely, which was the trouble and made them public enemy number one for the supernaturals. There were likely other distinct differences, or her summaries of one or all the jobs was a tad bit off, but that was the vague gist of it. “So sad to see talent for the arts go to waste…”[/color] She sighed, more to herself than to Amber. “I saw a few of the pictures you took for school assignments back then, they really were amazing, you know.”[/color]

((NOTE: I AM BOTH A HORRIBLE PERSON AND INCREDIBLY INCREDIBLY INCREDIBLY SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG! But feel free to take your time with the reply, no rush at all xD))

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[STYLE=height:100px; width:100px;float:left; border: 1px dashed #000000; opacity: 0.9;margin-left:10px;margin-top:10px;font-family:verdana; font-size:8px; padding:5px;color:000000]TAGGED: Amber

COUNT: 787

OUTFIT: here[/style]











[STYLE=height:26px; margin-top:10px;background-color:66ccdd; opacity:.7;font-family:verdana; font-size:10px; padding-top:3px;text-align:center;color:000000]coded by JIN of BtN[/style][/td][/tr][/table][/center]