(no subject)

[ineffable-angel.livejournal.com]

Date: October 31st, 1999
Setting: Tadfield Ballroom
Status: Public
Summary: Hallowe'en party. Costumes enforced.




"You really should have brought one," Aziraphale said admonishingly as he led Gabriel down the stairs towards the decorated lobby. "And watch that stair."

Earlier, while Aziraphale was still readying the final touches on his own costume (Sherlock Holmes, the clever detective, from one of his favourite novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was rather a lot of tweed), Gabriel had arrived.

Without a costume.

It was a good thing Crowley had left by this time, with only a mysterious comment about meeting the angel at the party later. Aziraphale suspected he hadn't bothered with a costume yet, and was hoping Adam wouldn't catch him.

After a few fussing moments, in which Gabriel maintained that he didn't really need a costume, as he could just take out his wings and leave it at that, and Aziraphale fussing and fretting, there was a Silence.

And then a Pop!

They both blinked at each other. Aziraphale's costume hadn't changed, but the other angel...

Gabriel was wearing a French maid outfit. One that was, as Aziraphale pointed out, eyes wide, far too short and really, were heels necessary? Then Gabriel yelped as he noticed his change in undergarments and they heard mild profanity as someone down the hall noticed the abrupt change, but Aziraphale was far too distracted calming the angel down to notice whom it could be.

It was quick to fix up Gabriel's new makeup - Adam couldn't quite manage to get the mascara on perfectly yet, and there were a few streaks as if someone mostly inexperienced had tried to do it.

"I did warn you," Aziraphale said again as they carefully navigated the next and last set of stairs, Gabriel's fingers clamped tightly on his arm.

"I didn't think I'd be forced into an apron," Gabriel said tightly.

"Well..." They entered the ballroom, and Aziraphale led Gabriel over to the nearest table. He said, "Ladies first," before he could stop himself, offering Gabriel a chair politely.

The other angel glared, a blush painting his cheeks quite fetchingly, and refused it, smoothing down the skirt. "How would I..."

"That is a very short dress, my dear," the angel said, and adjusted his pipe.

"I wonder where everyone else is."

Comments

[dangeroushabits.livejournal.com]

"Roman! I wondered where you'd got to," John said, grinning. "Didn't recognize you in the getup." He wanted to ask how his erstwhile drinking companion was getting on; but since neither Roman's profession, his condition, or the subject of magic wands (about which John had been intensely curious since meeting that Draco kid) seemed a likely topic for public discussion, he simply said, "'s good to see you around. Crowley and I escaped in the nick of time, we came up with our own costumes at the last minute," and accepted the portrait William handed him.

He chuckled softly at the exaggerated features. It might not strictly speaking be art, but hell, it didn't seem that the man was charging for his services, so who was John to complain?

Turning to hold the picture up in slightly better light, he caught sight of something off to one side of the room that made him stop and stare for a moment, then brought a slow, slightly wistful smile to his face. Well. It's about bloody time, he thought, watching with perhaps a bit more of a warm fuzzy feeling than was strictly necessary as a certain angel broke out of a very compromising embrace, insistently tugging a certain (quite cooperative) demon out of public view.

"Brilliant!" he said aloud, turning back toward William. (No harm in letting the newcomer think he was talking about the portrait.) "Thanks, mate." He looked around at the guests, who, with a few exceptions, appeared to be having a good or at least a tolerable time. "Gotta say, this party's going over a helluva lot better than the last one. .."

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

"The last one?" Remus said, amused. "Pray tell," his Darth Vader voicepiece rumbled, "what the last one was like?"

He turned to William. "That is a lovely picture. Would you mind...? After the initial, ah, shock, I think I'm becoming attached to this." He grinned beneath his mask. "Draw me?"

[entropyoptimism.livejournal.com]

"Sure." Destruction looked him up and down. "Wow, I'm really in demand around here... okay, just stand still for a bit, yeah?"

It was a pretty good Darth vader costume. Maybe a bit too big...

"There you go," 'William' beamed proudly. It was a bit of a sketchy picture, but it still somehow managed to convey the feeling that Darth was a bit too small for his cloak, giving him a somewhat hunted expression... as much as possible when said picture shows no face.

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

"Thank you," Remus said gratefully, studying it as he was passed the sketch. Once an animal... darted through his head, unannounced and unwanted. "I'll treasure it."

He stood there, feeling slightly awkward as he looked around the party. He wasn't a particularly festive person - Sirius or James were festive, and he was the stick-in-the-mud who got decorated with their leftovers (in one case, several blindingly psychedelic-coloured ribbons that caused even Lily to tease him). Parties weren't for him, especially. He preferred quiet evenings in with his friends, even if they were just books.

[entropyoptimism.livejournal.com]

"No problem," Destruction said cheerfully, getting up."Hey, is that a chap in moose antlers? I'd like to draw that. I knew a man with antlers once - friend of my brothers. Nice meeting you," he added, almost as an afterthought.

And with that he wandered off, notepad in hand.

[mssr-black.livejournal.com]

At that moment, Puss in Boots sallied forth into the hall. He hadn't met many of the manor's patrons, but viewed this as an opportunity to get to know at least a few of them.

The myriad scents of the gathering assaulted his senses, intoxicating him at once with the life of the party. His eyes brightened when he spied the drinks table, and he made his way toward it, swaggering to enhance the swish of the long tail that followed.

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

Remus smelled something... odd.

He turned to glance at the drinks table, where a harmless enough Puss in Boots was strutting. He blinked. Cats. They never liked him.

"Oh, well," he sighed through his mask, and went over anyway to get a drink. Perhaps Puss in Boots would react better to his temporary Darth Vader persona than his usual werewolf self, he told himself as he poured a glass of punch and wished, not for the first time, for Butterbeer.

[mssr-black.livejournal.com]

There were a number of suspicious looking substances in glass on the table. Sirius eyed them all with interest, and gamely chose a glass of what appeared to be red wine.

He swirled it and gave a delicate sniff... but what caught his attention wasn't the scent of the wine, it was something else. T'was just a flash, whatever it was, but it slid through his mind, causing his abdominal muscles to tense and his head to whip around in search of the source.

None forthcoming, he had turned his attention again to the wine, when he noticed a reasonable interpretation of his favorite Star Wars character approaching. He smiled beneath the fur of his mask, and raised his glass gallantly at Darth Vader.

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

"Enjoying yourself?" Remus boomed*, gesturing to the party with one big, black-gloved hand.

*It should be noted that he was only taking the initiative because of his costume, although it was in spite of his mouthpiece. After all, you could hear his breathing with that thing, it was so sensitive. It made him seem all gaspy, like an asthmatic porn star.

[mssr-black.livejournal.com]

A feline grin slid into place as Darth Vader addressed him. Adolescent adoration of the character came roaring back, and he did his best to refrain from using his own Vader voice in reply.

"Well, not as of yet," he purred*,"but I've only just arrived."

He set the glass of wine back on the table.

"Puss," he said, as he extended a hand, "In boots.



* goes with the costume, you know...

[-moonylupin-.livejournal.com]

"Darth Vader," Remus rumbled delightedly. "Very pleased to have made your acquaintance."

There was a moment of silence as both took a drink and watched the crowd idly, and then Remus said, as mildly as possible, and more than slightly inebriated, "Perhaps, kind kitty, you'd like to dance? You'd enjoy yourself more, maybe, and it would liven up the party. Not that I think the party needs any more livening, mind you."

John took the opportunity to bump into Remus and tip over the beverages table (http://www.livejournal.com/community/neutral_omens/28810.html?thread=380042#t380042) at this moment of time, to shock of everyone else.

The boots were very heavy, and Remus found himself and cloak overbalanced, tipping right against the one and only Puss in Boots. Remus stumbled against him, and there was a moment of stillness where they were very, very close together.

[mssr-black.livejournal.com]

A moment of stillness where they were very, very close...

Having had the wind knocked out of him, Sirius inhaled sharply. In a brief moment of subconscious recognition, his pupils dialated and his mouth dropped open slightly.

Uncharacteristically, he stumbled for something to say...

In a fraction of a second, he fully recovered, leading Darth Vader to the floor, and turning the graceful step of the naturally inclined.