Masquerade in Silver (Challenge #161) -- PG-13

[librarian_7]

AN: So, this is for Challenge #161. This party has been over for so long, not only have the guest left and cleanup taken place, they’ve thrown two subsequent parties after it…but, one thing and another, and my blazing disregard for deadlines, led me to produce a finished piece long after everyone else had weighed in on the challenge. Still, the point of a good story is that it is always relevant, right? Hoping that you find this one enjoyable. And many thanks to Allegrita, for her help and suggestions.


Masquerade in Silver

“I can’t believe you’ve never brought me to one of these before,” Lucky said, surveying the crowd on the dance floor below them. “I’ve never seen anything quite so fabulous.”

Josef frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t believe there’s been one for 10 or 12 years now,” he commented. “We –” and he gestured to take in the crowd, “aren’t exactly known for being slaves to the calendar.” He plucked a crystal flute of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter, and offered it to her. The waiter, a young man dressed as a faun, and sporting a naked face, bowed adroitly, the tray in his hand remaining rock steady. There would be another waiter along shortly, Josef thought, with a beverage more to his liking. He could see several circulating on the main floor. In addition to the fauns, there were a number of nymphs, young women in scanty tunics. Some carried trays of drinks and appetizers, some merely mingled with the crowd, flirting and cajoling the reluctant onto the dance floor.

Lucky accepted the champagne, with a tiny caress of her fingertips across his cool hand. She was rewarded with a smile. Josef might make grand gestures, but he appreciated subtlety. “Have I mentioned that you’re looking particularly dashing tonight?”

“This old thing?” he replied, with a quirk of his lips. He shifted his shoulders within the perfectly tailored tuxedo jacket he wore. The formal suit, combined with a simple black domino mask, presented a far more elegant and striking appearance than some of the outlandish costumes of the others.

Below them, on a long dance floor, costumed couples mingled and danced. Most, although not all, of the guests wore some form of mask. And costumes ranging from fantastic to elegant, from antique to modern. A woman in full Tudor regalia was dancing with a man in a zoot suit, his face painted like a Dia de Los Muertos doll. Next to them a tall man in a Western leather duster and sporting a top hat twirled a girl in a modern couture evening dress. Dancing by himself, a tall, thin man in full Marie Antoinette drag fluttered a fan in front of his bearded face, his other hand reaching up to steady his towering powdered wig, carefully avoiding the model sailing ship that decorated it. The panniers of his skirts were at least six feet wide.

A fair number of gentlemen had chosen to wear kilts for the evening, although the authenticity of their Highland attire varied widely. And there seemed to be servers everywhere, pretty girls in diaphanous nymph costumes and pretty boys tricked out as bare-chested fauns. Even as Lucky watched, a stout, middle-aged man in a Revolutionary War uniform pulled one of the nymphs into his arms, and unceremoniously set his fangs into her neck. Lucky thought him rather gauche, and mentioned as much to Josef.

He looked down in time to see two fauns supporting the nymph off the ballroom floor. “It's a party,” he said. “She knew what she was hired for.”

Josef turned his attention from the crowd and surveyed Lucky’s outfit with a critical eye. He had overseen every detail, but wanted to be sure that his instructions had been followed. She wore a reproduction of a 1920s flapper dress, or at least what passed for one in the popular conception these days. The original, he mused, frankly had been slightly more interesting. But this would do.

A narrow sheath of gray-green velvet, sleeveless, fell from her shoulders to slightly above the knee. Sewed to the fabric in overlapping rows, sparkling strings of crystal and silver beads swayed each time she drew breath. She hadn’t gone with anything resembling historically accurate rolled hose, opting for glittering silver mesh tights. The metallic t-strap pumps were reasonably in tune with the best of Josef’s recollections about shoes of the time. She had, at his instruction, donned a jangling set of silver bangles on each wrist, and a long string of silver beads was looped around her neck to form one tight circle, the ends of the necklace falling almost to her hem. Her hair was bundled under a close-fitting hat that most closely resembled a jeweled bathing cap, the crystal and silver adorning it matching the beads of her dress.

“Before we go down, I want to run over the rules again,” Josef said.

“I thought we covered this at home,” Lucky replied, tilting her head to one side, a questioning look in her eyes.

“It’s important.” He took her hand and tucked it through his elbow. Even through the fine wool of his tuxedo jacket, and the silk shirt beneath it, he could feel a sparkle of pain from the silver bangles she wore. Ah, well, one of the perks of surviving as long as he had, was the ability to mask his reaction to pain. And this was minor, all told. He’d hidden far worse. “So, tell me.”

Lucky sighed. “Everyone here is either a vampire, or in the know.” She paused. “Josef?”

“Yes?”

“There have to be over 700 people down there, not counting the servers.”

“There were 837 on the guest list. As you say, not counting the servers.”

“And how many of the guests are vamps?”

“I don’t like to say, exactly.”

She shook her head in mock exasperation. “Does anyone ever get a straight answer out of you?”

The smile slipped away from his face, and his gaze intensified. “You do. Surprisingly often.”

Lucky melted a little inside. That was – an unexpected response. But she needed to press on with her point. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “But, can you say, non-exactly?”

He looked down at the crowd, as though doing a brief visual census. Lucky thought he probably had the guest list by heart, and was already well aware of the composition of the gathering. “About half,” he said. “Give or take.”

“I don’t mean to be pointing out the obvious here, but it’s seemed to me for some time that – forgive me if I’m being rude – the existence of vampires in this town is, well, not really a closely held secret.”

Josef laughed. “Just now figuring that out, are you?” He shook his head. “There are almost four million people in Los Angeles. Probably five thousand know about us. It’s a drop in the bucket, and we make very sure that the incentives for keeping this information quiet are very compelling.

“A lot of the movers and shakers in this town got their start providing blood. Vampires are not stupid, Lucky, and we’re also not poor. We know we’re not invisible, but you’d be surprised how much anonymity money can buy.”

Lucky glanced down, abashed. “I didn’t mean to offend you, Josef.”

He put two fingers under her chin and raised her face. “I don’t think you could offend me if you tried, sweetheart,” he said. “And I know you never try.” He waited for her to smile at him, then went on. “So. We were discussing the rules.”

She sighed. “Never leave your side, never leave your sight. Not even with someone I recognize.”

“Right.”

“What if I need to visit the ladies’ lounge?” She frowned a little. She always hated reminding him of her mortal limitations.

“Not a problem. I have backup.” He swung around and beckoned to a woman standing by herself about 15 feet away.

She was dressed in a black velvet gown, flaring at the hips into a graceful bell. It was spangled with tiny clear crystals that made her look like the night sky. Her tall, athletic frame and thick blonde hair made her look like a Valkyrie. As she strode forward, the velvet of her full skirt flowed like liquid around her long legs. Brilliant blue eyes blazed from a painted on mask embellished with rhinestones. She made Lucky feel gaudy, and vulnerable.

“Lucky,” Josef said, “I’d like you to meet Vivian Macbeth. She’ll be helping me keep an eye on you tonight.” He paused. “Vivian, This is Lucky. As we discussed.”

Vivian nodded, and Lucky had a sense of being coolly appraised. “As we discussed.”

For the next hour, they mingled on the dance floor. Lucky was always aware of Vivian’s presence, just at the edge of her sight. Never obtrusive, never obvious, just there.

They did run into a few people Lucky recognized, vampires and mortals alike. Mick St. John, dressed as a ’40s-era PI, his fedora pulled low over a black mask, was dancing with his girlfriend, Beth Turner, glamorous in a vintage ’30s evening gown, her hair styled like Jean Harlow’s. And there were several freshies in attendance that Lucky had met before. Everyone seemed to be having a glorious time.

& & &

Lucky was putting the final re-touches on her makeup, when it occurred to her that the ladies’ lounge had gone very quiet, and she realized with a sense of unease that she was alone in the room with a vampire who was little more than a stranger.

“Well,” she said, dropping her lipstick into her tiny clutch, and closing it with a snap, “I guess I’m ready to get back to Josef.”

Below her painted mask, Vivian’s smile was gently sad. “I’m sorry, Ms. Alexander, but I don’t think so.”

Lucky’s heart sank, and she felt a fluttering fear in her stomach. Ruthlessly, she pushed it down. Vivian would sense fear, whether it was a change in her scent or a difference in her respiration. Trying to force a calmness she didn’t feel, she took a deep, steadying breath.

She thought about a conversation she’d had with Josef, a few months ago. She’d been cuddled up to him, her body heat imparting a fleeting, false warmth to his cool flesh, and he’d rolled up on one elbow, all at once serious and intent. He’d reached up to smooth a strand of her long hair away from her face.

“I don’t mean to scare you, sweetheart,” he said, “but sooner or later, someone’s going to try to get to me through you.” He paused, letting the implications sink in. “And I’m going to give you one instruction about that. Stay alive.”

She could remember shuddering into his arms at the thought.

“I mean it, Luck’. You hang on, and I will come for you.” He smiled then, one of those frigid shark smiles that scared her more than his frowns. “And God have mercy on whoever tries it, because I won’t.”

Looking Vivian Macbeth straight in the eyes, Lucky could hear Josef’s voice again. “Stay alive.” She felt her fear wash away. “You’re making a mistake, you know,” she said, conversationally.

“Probably. But I’ve got debts. And you cancel them out,” Vivian replied.

“Josef will double whatever they offered you, and let you walk away.”

“And he’d do this, why?”

A slow smile spread across Lucky’s face. “Because I’ll ask him to,” she said, with unmistakable confidence.

Vivian stopped to consider this, then shook her head. “Nah, he’d have to kill me.” Her voice was matter-of-fact, not apprehensive or angry.

“Maybe I know him better than you do.” Lucky hoped that was true. With vampires, especially one as old as Josef, you never knew if a stranger might be an old associate, or even worse, a former lover.

The vampire gave her a shrewd look, tilting her head to one side. “I wondered a little, about a vamp like Kostan taking up with a human. But I’m starting to appreciate his choice.”

“I’ll be sure and let him know about that,” Lucky said dryly. She could tell that Vivian’s slight answering smile was in spite of herself. Good. A crack in the armor. “Look,” she pressed on, “you’re in a bad spot. Whoever paid you – they can’t protect you from Josef. If I don’t come back, he’s going to know you’re the one who betrayed him. You’ll be the one string he can pull.”

Vivian was looking thoughtful. “If I don’t take you, the ones who hired me will hunt me down and kill me.”

“Play your cards right,” Lucky shot back, “and Josef will protect you.” She paused. “Besides, what’s going to stop them from killing you as soon as they’ve got me? Seems like you’ve made yourself expendable.”

Vivian pursed her lips, tapping one foot noiselessly against the carpet. “How I know you won’t turn on me, as soon as you get back to your boyfriend?”

Lucky shrugged. “Maybe you don’t. But think about this. You keep faith with Josef, and he’ll want to use you to bodyguard me again. More often than I’d like, probably. Because he’ll know that he can trust you. And I’ll know that we won’t have to have this conversation again.”

The vampire narrowed her eyes, thinking hard. “Damn,” she said. “Aren’t you the devious one?”
She stuck out her hand for a handshake.

Lucky grinned. “Josef would tell you I learned it all from him.” She took Vivian’s hand, and was surprised to see the vampire wince, and pull her hand away.

“Silver?” She gestured up and down at Lucky’s outfit. “The bastard covered you in silver?” Vivian shook her hand in the air, trying to alleviate the sting.

“I’m – I’m sorry. I honestly didn’t realize –”

Vivian smiled then, and Lucky realized it was the first honest smile she’d seen out of her. “That’s okay. If he fights this dirty, he might just be all right. Let’s get back to the party.”

As they made their way across the ballroom, to where Josef was chatting jovially with some vamps she didn’t know, Lucky thought she would never understand vampires. Feeling the bracelets moving at her wrists as she walked, she frowned. Now wasn’t the time…but there was one vampire she was sure as hell going to have a talk with when they got home.

&&&

Lucky wasn’t sure what time it was when Josef finally decided to call it a night, but she felt like it must be close to dawn. The normally crowded streets of Los Angeles were almost deserted, and the Ferrari glided unimpeded between the dark, locked storefronts. As tired and annoyed as she was, she always enjoyed riding with Josef. He caressed the steering wheel and controls of the car as though it were a living being. Watching him manipulate the paddle shifters with a deft touch, she was reminded of how he touched…she was embarrassed to feel a blush rising to her cheeks. And more embarrassed when he turned his head and smiled at her. She knew he’d be able to sense the blood rushing to her face.

“Blushing, sweetheart?” he asked. “Now what kind of thoughts are causing that?”

No point in lying to someone who could hear your heartbeat, even over the purr of the engine, she thought. “I like watching you drive.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

She looked down at her hands, folded in her lap.

“You know, by now you shouldn’t be shy, doll.”

The sight of her wrists, with their multiple bracelets, however, had drawn her mind back from the delights of Josef’s lovemaking to other matters. She sighed. “I need to talk to you about something.”

He sniffed the air, and took his eyes off the road long enough to give her a questioning look. “Something unpleasant, I take it.”

“Maybe. It’s—Vivian Macbeth.”

“What about her?”

Lucky took a deep breath. “Someone had paid her to abduct me.”

Josef’s hands tightened involuntarily on the wheel, causing the red Ferrari to shiver slightly in its course. Lucky thought she could literally feel the temperature drop several degrees. “I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me,” she replied. “But I convinced her it wasn’t in her best interests to follow through.”

“Obviously.” He paused. “You know she’s going to have to be put down.”

“I promised her you wouldn’t kill her. And that you’d double whatever they offered.”

“I wish you hadn’t done that.”

“She was cornered. She didn’t think she had options.”

Josef’s voice was cold. “She could have come to me.” He slowed the car, and turned in at the gate to his house, giving the Ferrari a bit more gas as it glided up the hill to the garage.

Lucky shook her head. “I really don’t blame her. You told me she was new in town. And you don’t have the reputation of being easy to reason with. You’ve said so yourself.”

Josef stopped the car in front of the house, and came around to assist Lucky out. She always felt graceless, levering herself out of the low seat, and Josef’s cool hand, with all its strength, was a welcome support. But the jangling bracelets reminded her again that she was angry with him.

“You’ve put me in a difficult position, Lucky,” Josef said as they walked into his study. “On the one hand, I don’t like going back on a promise you’ve made. On the other, as you point out, I do have a reputation to maintain.”

“So enhance your reputation for being smart, and put her on retainer. Once she’s been bought, it’s going to be to her advantage and yours for her to stay that way.”

“There is that. But only if it’s very clear that the mercy extended for this lapse will not be repeated,” Josef said thoughtfully. “She didn’t lay a hand on you, did she?”

“Only to shake hands on our—understanding.” Lucky paused. “Which brings me to what I’m really angry about.”

“What? A near-abduction isn’t enough to get your goat?”

“You booby-trapped me!” she replied hotly. She hadn’t wanted to bring that up in the car. It was too intimate a space. Now that they were home, however, all bets were off.

Josef reached out and grabbed her forearm, moving it just enough so that the silver bangles jingled. “You mean this?” He said. “You must’ve known they were silver.”

She shook her head. “No, how was I to know? Did you expect me to assume you would send me into a ballroom filled with vampires, dressed in the one thing that was going to offend them?”

“Give me a break. What did you think it was?”

“I don’t know. I – I thought it must be white gold. Or nickel. There are things that look like silver.”

Josef stepped back, and folded his arms. “Nickel, seriously? White gold I’ll allow, but did you honestly think I would put you in nickel?” He shook his head. “Don’t be stupid.”
They glared at each other, wordlessly, for what seemed an eternity.

“It’s not –”

“Look, you have to understand –” he began at the same time.

Lucky closed her mouth, waiting. She’d listen, although she didn’t expect he’d change her mind.

Josef began again. “You have to understand. I did it to protect you.”

“Right.” Her voice dripped sarcasm.

He put a hand over his eyes, thoroughly frustrated. “Yes. I was taking you to a vampire ball. You are damn right I had eyes on you at all times. And took a few other precautions. What did you expect?”

Lucky sighed. “You’ve taken me to plenty of events without this kind of security,” she pointed out. “You always told me that your name was protection enough.”

Josef echoed her sigh. “Yeah,” he said, “and when I told you that, it was different. Situations change.” He unfolded his arms, and shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked away from her, and she could tell he was searching for words.

“Just tell me, Josef.”

He looked at her, his eyes ablaze. “Fine. It’s different now. You aren’t just a freshie now. It makes you a special kind of target.”

“I thought you were powerful enough no one would dream of touching me.”

“You’d think it would work that way, but no.”

“That’s insane. Not to mention, uncivilized.”

Josef shrugged. “You knew what I was when we took it up a level. My – culture – is made up of people who come from less civilized times. And we learned our ways from people far less civilized than ourselves.”

“I’m still not getting this. If it was that dangerous, why not leave me home? Honestly, I would’ve understood that,” she said.

“Yeah, that’s where it gets a little tricky. See, if I have – someone special, someone like you –” His eyes flicked away momentarily, then returned to her face. “If I left at you at home, it would be an admission that I didn’t think I could keep you safe in the crowd.”

“So for you not look chickenshit, you have to put me in danger?”

Josef’s lips thinned. “I thought you trusted me to protect you.”

Lucky crossed her arms. “Of course I do. But I also trusted you to tell me the score. If I’m not just a disposable blood bag to you, I ought to have explanations.”

“If you were disposable, do you think I’d have covered you in silver tonight?” Josef snapped, then gave a little laugh, shaking his head with a wry smile. “That was no picnic for me, either, sweetheart.”

Lucky balled her hands into fists, fighting the urge to slap his face, glaring at him. “Good,” she said, flatly. She was distracted, momentarily, by the chiming of her bracelets. The realization that he’d quite literally suffered for her hit her hard. As much as she wanted to berate him for being such a damn masochist, she couldn’t quite bring herself to do it. Abruptly, she turned on her heel. “I’m going to go change.”

Josef knew he shouldn’t ask, but the words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop them. “Are you coming back?”

Her shoulders stiffened, and just as quickly softened again. “What you think?” And she was out the door, on the way to her room.

Josef looked down, spreading his hands to see the raw, red weals crisscrossing his palms. A little blood, and they’d fade by morning. There were some things in his life that were too precious to hazard. Some things that were worth a little pain.

[cassysj]

How wonderful to see a new Lucky story. Josef is in a difficult spot and the fact that he's willing to tolerate it says what he thinks about Lucky. I personally like that he covered her in silver although Lucky is one of the few humans you could have explained the reason. Most of us would be too afraid and that scent would reach every vamp in the room.

[francis]

Wow! I love your Lucky more every time you write her. She is not chickenshit, as you call it. She should be a diplomat in the UN or something, deal with politicians who have to keep face but may be convinced to change their ways. She would look much better than Angela Merkel, too.
(trying desperately not to imagine dear Angela in a flapper gown)
I love the description of the place and Lucky's gown (and the bathcap).

I also love the tense conversation at the end and that Josef somehow punished himself by touching her silver jewelry.

Well done, my dear!

[allegrita]

OMG, francis! I'll never be able to look at Angela M. without snickering now.

Lucky, I really like this story, because it brings up the politics involved in a human-vampire personal relationship. Things have changed, and Josef has to think of the possible (and evidently, likely! ) consequences of that changed circumstance, where Lucky's safety is concerned. His big mistake was in not telling her in advance, because as has been stated, she's a person he can tell about stuff like that, and she'll accept his word for it. What Lucky doesn't like, and I don't blame her one bit, is when Josef tries to slip one by her. Did he? Or did he honestly forget that she wouldn't know the gown and jewelry were made of silver? Sometimes, where Lucky is concerned, I think Josef tends to think of her as just knowing things... because she works so hard to anticipate everything where he is concerned. But she hasn't got superpowers, Josef.

This is a lovely look into that glittering, dangerous world that Josef and Lucky navigate so well. Great story--and a great response to the Challenge! And hey, as Josef said, “We...aren’t exactly known for being slaves to the calendar.” That works for Challenges as well as vampire masquerades!

[eris]

This could easily be the start of a new multi-chapter. (Where's the smiley for being subtly unsubtle?)

I think this is actually my favorite line in the whole thing. A lot's said in a few words:

“You do. Surprisingly often.”

[LadyAilith]

I was pleasantly surprised to find a notice of a new story from librarian_7 in my email tonight! And I was even more thrilled to find that it was a Lucky and Josef story! How marvelous! It made my night.

Thanks so much for sharing a new story. It was delightful!

[MickLifeCrisis]

I enjoyed this very much! Wonderful to see a new Lucky story! Your descriptions are so... descriptive. I could picture everything. And Josef... in his position a vamp's gotta do what a vamp's gotta do.

Great response to the challenge!

[librarian_7]

Thanks for all the kind words! It was really lovely to post a story, I don't do it nearly often enough these days.

I like to think that Josef and Freshie Lucky's relationship is evolving, although it does tend to change slowly (until it doesn't...). And I love how readers are still along for the ride!

[AggieVamp]

OH how excited I was to see a PM with the information of a new story! And Lucky & Josef to boot! Wonderful story line and I could really REALLY picture it with all the costumes & people. Josef needs to remember to *NOT* underestimate Lucky - she is one smart cookie - and while he's the top of the food chain so to speak, pissing off his 'menu' will leave a very bad taste in his mouth.

Karen

[tigerpass]

Another great Lucky story and sooooooooooo glad to see one!

[darkstarrising]

Always glad to see another Lucky story and this one was worth the wait. The relationship you've created between Josef and Lucky is one that would have been a fabulous aspect of the series, had it continued. What I love about these stories is how the relationship has evolved over time, with Lucky becoming more and more precious to Josef, without losing the essence of who she is.

"It’s different now. You aren’t just a freshie now. It makes you a special kind of target.”

And that change in their relationship has made Lucky a means to get at Josef, who, in one of his more creative ways of protecting her, adorns her with silver jewelry. He's willing to suffer a little pain to protect her, because she does mean so much to him. Lucky loves him, but she also stands up to him, something he respects.

Wonderful answer to the challenge, Lucky

[librarian_7]

A long time ago, Luxe de Luxe commented to me that one of the problems (for her) in the Josef/Freshie Lucky dynamic was that she was too self-negating when it came to him. That he'd respect (and hopefully value) her more if she did stand up to him from time to time, as it would show that she valued herself. I've tried to bring her along in that way, and I was thinking of this as one of those times when they needed to have a "discussion" about some of his actions regarding her. On his part, he's got a LONG history of "I'm the vampire" = "I'm the boss," and it's not easy to get over that.

Thanks so much for your comments--it makes the writing worth doing, and trying to do well.

[moonlight_vixen]

Well, it took me forever and a day to finally log on to read this (insert sarcasm here...) but I made it!! And it was worth the wait as I knew it would be. You made another fabulous Josef and Lucky story... I loved the following lines:

She shook her head in mock exasperation. “Does anyone ever get a straight answer out of you?”

The smile slipped away from his face, and his gaze intensified. “You do. Surprisingly often.”

Awesome job!!

[tigerpass]

Great story. I do miss Lucky and Josef....hint hint.

[MickLifeCrisis]

Enjoyed revisiting Josef and Lucky! I wonder how long Vivian remained in Josef's employ and under his protection???