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Post by Anya O'Brien on Aug 4, 2015 21:36:02 GMT -5
Aedan O'Brien Hallie Keating
Anya added her cigarette to the same hand holding the champagne flute.“A beautiful name for a beautiful girl,” she smiled, placing her hand out in front Hallie to complete the introduction with a handshake.
She was quick to figure out what Aedan meant about her dress, knowing full well their father already informed half the family about her dispute with him. It only made sense for Aedan to be one of the first to know. Shifting her weight to her center, Anya held her posture stiffly and nodded, staring down her brother, “thanks,” she forced a smile, “I thought it would be a nice change. Wanted to try something new. Glad you approve.” He, after all, was notorious for his backhanded compliments.
Omph! “Careful!” Anya snapped, quickly returning her cigarette to it’s original place. “You’ll get burned, darling!” Not to mention spill my drink. Janette, sweet Janette. Probably father’s favorite after Aedan. She was the most obedient of all his girls. Lightly pecking Janette’s cheek, Anya shifted and kneeled the best she could in a dress. “You can’t do that right now, sweetie. Not here and not in your pretty dress, okay? There are others your age, now go off.” Bopping her nose, Anya nudged her off and she ran off.
Turning back to Hallie and Aedan, she flashed them both, more targeted at her brother, a smile. “So, tell me, how long have you two been together?”
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Cormac O'Brien
Head of the Family
On well-run farms pests have to be kept down.
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Post by Cormac O'Brien on Aug 4, 2015 22:23:47 GMT -5
Well, the time had come. Cormac crossed himself before stepping away from Darcy's portrait. This party was always difficult for him. Darcy's party ... oh, how she had loved gathering all their family and friends together in one place. God, how his heart still bled for her.
He stepped out of his bedroom, nodding at Kieran and Reilly before making his way down the hall to where Maureen was getting ready. He knocked at the door, and she practically exploded out of the room. He should have known how difficult it would be for her to wait, hearing all the people downstairs. The girl absolutely loved parties. But it was tradition, after all. There was always a guest of honor and Cormac always made a special introduction for him or her.
"Well, then," he said with an amused grin, offering her his arm. "Shall we?" They made their way to the top of the grand staircase and moved down to the halfway landing. Cormac used the sonorous charm to amplify his voice, then cleared his throat to get the attention of all the party guests.
"Welcome," he boomed, "and thank you all for being here with us on this beautiful evening. As you are aware, we always use this occasion to honor someone who has recently rendered great sacrifices to our family. This year's choice was ... difficult, to say the least. But, without further ado, allow me to present to you tonight's guest of honor: my beautiful niece, Maureen Brigid Brady-O'Brien, for her demonstration of great bravery in the face of adversity. So, please, raise your glasses now. To Maureen."
He was pleased to hear the voices repeating his words - "to Maureen!" - and the sounds of glasses clinking together. He toasted with Maureen, took a sip of champagne, leaned down to kiss her cheek, and then turned with her hand in his to present her to the party. Applause filled the foyer as Maureen blushed, and then they made their way down the rest of the staircase.
As he walked down, he noticed Anya ... wearing a red. fucking. dress. Of course. Cormac gritted his teeth, trying not to let anger surge through him right now at the beginning of a pleasant party. He simply stood at his accustomed spot at the base of the staircase. This was always the first routine: giving people the opportunity to come and pay their respects. The fun portion of the party would come later on, when he could drink to his heart's content and speak to people he wanted to speak to, rather than having brief little chats with everybody in attendance.
Lucky Maureen. She could run off, which she did at the first opportunity, making a beeline for her brother. Ah, they were damn cute together.
Cormac's Outfit / Maureen's Outfit / Maureen's Hair
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Post by Hallie Keating on Aug 4, 2015 22:33:59 GMT -5
Hallie waited to be properly introduced, then shook Anya's hand firmly, smiling kindly towards her compliment. "Thank you very much. I share in the stress of womanly struggles, I assure you," she giggled, motioning to her long, radiant red braid. "This took about an hour alone just to perfect I had to redo it several times. I'm a perfectionist, you see..." she paused, then laughed again. "Well, for the most part. There's some parts that I'm more lenient on." As she spoke, she looked herself over a bit, making sure everything was clean and in place. She realized it was important, especially on nights such as this, to look as best as she could. Upholding her family name, as well as the O'Brien name was definitely one of the ways to keep Aedan at the very least, mildly satisfied.
They were interrupted by a younger girl, who practically came bounding up to the three of them, then pounced on both Anya and Aedan. Hallie laughed softly, placing a hand over her mouth. Once she composed herself, she pulled her hand away and addressed the girl. "My, my...aren't you just a ball of energy. That's a good thing, though," she winked, smiling as well. "It keeps everyone on their toes."
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Post by Maureen Brady-O'Brien on Aug 4, 2015 22:38:19 GMT -5
Maureen was glad to get to the bottom of the staircase and out of the spotlight. Yes, she enjoyed when people paid attention to her, but it was a bit much to have everybody at the party look at her at the same time. But, you did what Uncle Cormac told you to do. That had been drilled into her brain when she was a little girl. Uncle Cormac's word was law.
Fortunately, now she got to bounce away. She saw Anya and Hallie with Aedan, but after how mean he had been to her at the Halloween party, she wasn't interested in speaking to him. She could catch up with Anya later. Her parents looked grouchy, probably because they were always grouchy when Fin was around.
So, where was her brother? Oh! There he was, talking to Miss Reid! Practically running, but keeping a close eye on her champagne glass as she did so, Maureen made her way to Fin and dipped her head beneath his arm to lean up against her favorite spot by the base of his neck.
"Hi!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly up at him and then turning the smile toward Kyra.
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Post by Anya O'Brien on Aug 4, 2015 23:24:43 GMT -5
“Oh?” Anya nodded. The structure of Hallie’s hair did display detail and delicacy. “Is that why you and my brother get along so well?-” She chuckled “-Striving for perfection isn’t necessary a bad thing, being lenient isn’t anything worse.”
After Hallie expressed her opinion on Janette, Anya kept a cautious eye on Aedan. She knew how he felt about his sisters, she knew what Hallie had commented would spark something negative inside of him. His aura was unchanging, or so her eyes made it out to be.
Shooing her little sister, still, Anya shook her head and chuckled, still watching Aedan with lingering concern. “That’s us O’Brien girls. The whole lot of us. We like to keep people on their toes.”
The booming voice of her father caught her attention. Anya turned to face the staircase at which he used as a stage. Applauding her cousin, she smile proudly at the girl’s unbroken spirit. O’Brien women, as she said, had a spark.
Before turning back to Aedan and Hallie, she noticed the glimmer of. . . anger? disappointment? of something in Cormac’s eyes at seeing the dress. She didn’t have time to react or think about that emotion evident in his eyes. No, she was more interested with the couple.
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Aedan O'Brien
Fuego Student - Year 7
one for your tummy, one for your cheek, one for the devil inside of me
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Post by Aedan O'Brien on Aug 4, 2015 23:50:10 GMT -5
Anya O'Brien / Hallie Keating
Janette came bounding through like some sort of tornado, and of course Hallie thought it was darling of her. Fortunately, Anya sent her away before she could become too grating. Aedan needed this night to go well. He needed nothing to spark his temper.
“That’s us O’Brien girls. The whole lot of us. We like to keep people on their toes.”
Aedan cocked an eyebrow and took a drag on his cigarette before replying: "Indeed. O'Brien girls are very good at that." Because his father couldn't just lay down the law. Far too sentimental, Aedan thought, although he would never say it to Cormac's face.
Of course Anya had questions about the relationship, and Aedan turned to shoot Hallie a bit of a look. Certainly she knew well enough not to go running to his sister the way she had gone running to her cousin? "A few months," he said in response to Anya's question. "We began dating at the beginning of the school year. I am very pleased to have finally gotten Hallie's attention." That was right, that was good ... the mask of formality.
Anya didn't need to know the details. After all, she would hardly approve of her brother's treatment of his girlfriend.
Fortunately, that was when Cormac and Maureen made their entrance, and everybody turned to listen. Aedan ended up toasting with his already-empty champagne glass, before trading it in for a new one when the tray was brought by. "Well, Hallie," he said, offering a perfectly comforting smile, "I must go pay my respects to Father. I promise he will like you."
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Finley O'Brien
Bartender/Hammer
When the world goes to shit, I will still have my family.
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Post by Finley O'Brien on Aug 5, 2015 0:19:22 GMT -5
Maureen Brady-O'Brien / Kyra Reid
Finley chuckled, as Kyra grew irritated at him, oh this was good, seeing her both embarrassed, and irritated. The blush on her cheeks, and the fire in her blue eyes, Finley couldn't help but actually notice just how beautiful she was. His fingers gently touched her her back, as they leaned against the bar. Seeing her in such a manner, where Kyra was suddenly so unsure of herself gave her this suddenly very feminine aspect, that Fin had never acknowledged. The way her dress hugged her body, and how her hair was done up perfectly to accent her face, and the soft curve of her neck. Fin smiled, blushing slightly and staring at the ground, there certainly was something attractive about this woman.
Raising an eyebrow, at Kyra, he shook his head. "Oh no... I was going to ask you to dance, but not now. With the speed of that music, and your heels, and my two left feet... We'd end up in a ball on the floor." Fin smirked and picked up his glass, drinking it down, before looking back to Kyra, and giving a sly smile, "Course there's been worse ideas." The words contained barely surpressed laughter as her cheeks turned red. He would have stated more nut his head turned at the sound of his Uncles voice.
Raising his glass of whiskey, Finley's voice was the loudest as he shouted the toast for his sister. His face lit up with a look of both love and happiness at the site of his sister comin down the stairs. She was the one woman in his life that had always loved him, no matter what, and he would always love her. Finley turned back to Kyra, and smiled, as his hand stayed at the small of her back. "The guest of honor has arrived." He stated happily.
When he felt a presence at his side, he smiled and swept Maureen into a hug, his hand leaving Kyra for just a moment. "Ya look beautiful as ever, sweetheart." He whispered, as she settled against his side. Looking between the pair, Finley smiled, and winked at Kyra.
"I do believe I am the luckiest man alive. I have the two most beautiful women in the world with me. My angel sister, and Miss Reid." Grinning he took a sniff of the champagne in his glass, and snatched it away. "Come now, darling. I true Irish woman doesn't need that french crap." Handing her a glass of whiskey, Finley held his up to the pair, "To family, and friends, and beautiful women."
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Post by Maureen Brady-O'Brien on Aug 5, 2015 1:36:17 GMT -5
Finley O'Brien / Kyra Reid
Maureen couldn't help but melt into Fin's hug. The safest, warmest, happiest place with her favorite person in the whole world. Then he snagged her champagne glass, and she started to protest ... only to realize that he was replacing the champagne with whiskey, just like what she'd been drinking on that silly night at the speakeasy when she'd gotten drunk for the very first time.
But it didn't matter how silly she'd gotten or how awful she'd felt the next morning. Fin was there the whole time, and Fin would never let anything bad happen to her if he was there.
"The two most beautiful women in the world ... "
Did Fin have a thing for Miss Reid? Did he like her? Well, that was interesting. And as long as Fin didn't call her "angel" or stop paying attention to his sister, then it would be all right. She clinked glasses with the other two, took a sip of her whiskey, and then grinned broadly at Kyra. There were things she hadn't said yet that she needed to say.
"Miss Reid," she offered, still snuggling up against her brother but looking at her former professor, "I didn't tell you yet, but I wanted to ... thank you. I know that you ... well, and it wasn't for me ... but you helped my brother. And I just think you're incredibly brave and ... and I appreciate you very much."
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Kyra Reid
Hammer
Men and their cocks never cease to amazing me
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Post by Kyra Reid on Aug 5, 2015 2:04:36 GMT -5
He wanted to dance with her? But... why her? Fin knew her well enough by now to know that she was just all rough and tumble and there wasn't one ounce of grace in her body. Just because she had a pretty dress on and heels did not make her a graceful lady, she was barely grasping the role of woman. "Yeah that just, and I don't know how to dance. No time to learn I guess." His next words kind of left her speechless, was he flirting with her? Why the fuck would he be flirting with her of all bloody people?! No she was reading this wrong clearly he was just being nice or... joking or something. "I suppose everyone watching us make fools of ourselves while dancing would be worst." She said blushing and shaking her head. Yeah... dancing seems like one of those thing you learn if you got the money and the time and the grace, like Maureen. She was probably the sort of girl that could dance and well and floated when she walked.
And it was very cute the way Fin cheered extra loud for her, and how she ran right into his arms and got that look of total happiness on her face and she couldn't help but smile. It was very much the same look she use to get when... when Gawain hugged her. And the way Fin called her angel was in the exact same tone Gawain use to call her Bug. His little Ladybug... You know, it was only now that she had realized her brother would never be around to hold her again or call her sweet pet names again or look at her with that proud look Fin had right now.
You are a absolute nightmare ladybug... How many time had Gawain told her that with that exact same proud look Fin had? And it wasn't until his words about being her being beautiful as well pulled her from her mind and she was blushing again with a small shake of her head.
"Nah not me." Because tomorrow she would go back to her old clothes and she would never be called beautiful again. Maureen then thanked her for helping Fin with Pietro and she couldn't help but look down some. "Thank you Maureen but it was nothing really, And trust me. part of it was for you."
Okay great she said what she needed to say to Maureen and now she got sneak out before she got too worked up. She was not about to let her own silly emotions come out right now and ruin anything. After all she never let anyone see her cry. "Excuse me for a moment Fin. Lovely to meet your Maureen." She somehow managed to make it out of the ballroom only tripping twice and the second she was away from prying eyes, leaned up against a wall and let out a shaky breath.
It was only then that it hit her... her brother was dead and she missed him more than anything on this planet. And she would never see him again...
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Finley O'Brien
Bartender/Hammer
When the world goes to shit, I will still have my family.
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Post by Finley O'Brien on Aug 5, 2015 2:59:52 GMT -5
Finley sgifted his glass back to his off hand, while the other slipped back to Kyra waist. Resting his head against Maureens, Finley couldn't keep from smiling. Literally on one arm, he had Maureen, the thing he loved most in the world. On the other hand, he had Kyra Reid, an unexpectedly striking woman who had managed to catch his eye. She had an unexpected beauty to her, and it was slowly working it's way under his skin. How was this beauty the same thing he had met in his Uncles house so many days ago?
Smiling at Kyra, Finely nodded towards his parents. "Maureen, you really should go speak to them, sweetheart. They are your parents as well, you know." His voice was soft as he told her what to do. However. When he turned and saw Kyra excuse herself, he frowned and looked to Maureen. "Did i..."m Sighing he shrugged and kissed Maureens cheek. "I'll be right back."
Finley caught her arm, and pulled Kyra into his em brace as they stood near the main door. Looking down at the woman, Finley shook his head, "What are you doing? Why are you leaving?" He didn't understand why she was leaving when they had just begun.
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Post by Maureen Brady-O'Brien on Aug 5, 2015 3:51:37 GMT -5
Finley O'Brien / Kyra Reid / Heath Mulligan
Maureen's face crumpled as Kyra left. Fin started to go, but she held onto his hand just long enough to say a few more things. "Hey, Fin, I didn't mean to. You know that, right? You'll tell her that, right? I didn't mean to make her go. I swear." He gave a sort of nod in her direction before leaving, and Maureen took a long sip of whiskey before leaning against the wall.
What had she done? What had gone wrong? She had come to be with Fin, and then she had tried to thank Kyra, and then Kyra had left, but ... oh. Oh.
Well, of course she was upset. Here came terribly insensitive Maureen to hug her big brother, while Kyra didn't get to hug her big brother. Because even though Maureen had been unconscious for that unfortunate event, floating in a dreamworld where she'd played a random game of Patty-Cake with Fin in the lake, she'd still heard about Professor Reid's murder. And there it was. That was the reason that Kyra had gotten upset and left. It was because Maureen was insensitive and foolish. It had nothing to do with what she'd said. It had everything to do with hugging her big brother. Of course.
But she still couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes. She couldn't help feeling as though she'd done something horribly wrong. She had to think about something else. There wasn't anything she could do about how she had made Kyra feel. All she could do was feel guilty about it, and that made no difference.
She needed to dance. Maureen liked dancing and, at the Halloween party, dancing had helped her fight against the terror that was sparked by her unfortunate run-ins with scary people. All right, then ... she looked over her prospects as she finished her whiskey, and Heath was very much the best one. Heath it would be.
Having polished off the glass of whiskey, she gave the empty vessel to the server and then made her way to where her cousin Heath was standing and looking terribly anti-social. With a huge grin on her face, Maureen gave a little curtsy before holding her hand out to her cousin. "I hope you will give this dance to the guest of honor?" she said teasingly. He would certainly dance with her! If he didn't, he knew he would be on the wrong end of a patented Maureen pouting fit.
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Kyra Reid
Hammer
Men and their cocks never cease to amazing me
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Post by Kyra Reid on Aug 5, 2015 12:17:33 GMT -5
She did feel bad about leaving without explaining herself, it seemed rather rude.But it just hurt in a way she never in her life expected. It occurred to Kyra right then that she had only cried about her brother once, and while she had been thinking about him this whole time it had been with this crazy revenge filled anger in her mind. Now that Pietro Antonucchi was properly fucked over, there was nothing to stop her from really taking in the fact that her brother was gone and it what Fin and Maureen had... She never would again.
The first trickle of tears started to run down her cheeks as she looked back at the larger double doors to the Ballroom, no she couldn't bring herself to go back in there. And she wanted to but she couldn't, not when she was already dressed like a girl. Then people might think she's weak and she had spent so long proving herself to this family.
She wasn't about to ruin it becauses she couldn't control these feeling about her brother. Because she couldn't get his voice out of her head right now..
Goddamnit Ladybug! How many times this summer you gonna come home covered in blood?! A nightmare I swear..
Bug aren't you gonna go back in? Come on don't leave. People won't laugh..."
That was at the Yule ball... And she didn't go back in, and he was right there with her that time. She move off the wall and wiped at her cheeks, thank god for Ana's magic to stop this makeup from running. She swallowed hard and slowly started to leave, then she was grabbed again and jumped. Turning around to throw a punch she found Fin holding her and asking where she was going. "Home... I just don't belong and beside you need to spend time with your sister and not me." She said trying to hold everything back, but then one look into Fin's eyes and she lost in.
The next this she knew she has found herself in his arms sobbing into his chest. "I miss him... I miss him so much and I never told him enough that I loved him and he meant the world to me and he's gone."
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Post by Heath Mulligan on Aug 5, 2015 15:01:51 GMT -5
Heath pressed a foot up against the wall and took a sip of firewhiskey from a glass he had picked up only moments earlier why was he here again? It was pretty clear that no one seemed to be particularly thrilled to see him, but in his defense, the feeling was mutual. Although he was a family man, and was extremely loyal to the O'Brien name, he was sure it wasn't a secret that he didn't really get along with everyone in his family. No, the only ones he were extremely close to were Finley, Maureen, and Anya. The rest of them...Aedan and Cormac and the like, he tolerated them; some better than others.
His eyes gazed boredly over the commotion of the room once more, and in a split, surprising second, Maureen appeared in front of him, a charming smile on her face and a curtsy in her step. She asked to dance, and he smirked, looking to the side for no particular reason. "You know," he drawled. "Normally I'd reject such an offer, but because the offer is coming from you, the guest of honor," Heath looked back to her, the smirk growing into a smile, "how could I object?"
With that, he bowed lowly to his cousin, then offered his arm. She took it without hesitation, and they swiftly moved to the center of the room, where the music became upbeat and cheerful. Placing one if his hands in her own, and the other softly on her waist, Heath continued to smile, keeping his words soft. "I'm honored you chose me," he told Maureen. "I was afraid I was going to die of un-amusement."
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Post by Hallie Keating on Aug 5, 2015 15:18:37 GMT -5
Although Anya and Aedan continued to make conversation around her, Hallie's eyes were glued to Cormac as he escorted a gleeful looking Maureen down the grand staircase and then to the place where they stood once their feet had reached the bottom. She kept her hands neatly folded in front of her and her posture straight and poised, but her gaze didn't falter. She studied the suave older man with a soft caution. She nah heard many things about him, and though she had been reassured that Cormac was no monster, the thought of the power he had above everyone else was certainly enough to make her cringe and feel small. What if she made a mistake in the future? What if she displeased him? If that were to happen, Hallie was sure she wouldn't only face Aedan's wrath, but his father's as well. No matter how much anyone downplayed it...this was a huge deal.
She turned her head back to face Aedan as he addressed her, then out on her best smile and nodded her head, waving to Anya a bit as he began to escort them away and towards Cormac. She forced herself to keep her breathing steady and her steps firm. The last thing she wanted to do was give Cormac a hint of her anxiety or fear.
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Finley O'Brien
Bartender/Hammer
When the world goes to shit, I will still have my family.
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Post by Finley O'Brien on Aug 5, 2015 15:25:37 GMT -5
Kyra Reid
Finlet hesitated for a momental with his sister, but in the end he went. As he caught Kyra, and held her in his arms, a look of confusion crossed his face. Was she, Kyra Reid, dragon tamer, and all around tough girl, actually scarred of others opinions. To him it made no sense, she had proven herself to be incredible dangerous, and intelligent, but now she was scarred of being seen as a woman? Her words about his sister cause Finlet to smile, and shake his head. "Hey, it's fine. She will understand, plus the entire family is here, she'll have plant of people dancing with her." He played it off easy enough, sure Maureen would try and steal Finley the entire night, and make fun of him for being a horrible dancer, but he would still be there for Kyra.
What happened next, though, that was something Finley had never expected. She broke down, completely lost it, and was sobbing into his chest, before it all processed. Gawain, she hadn't got to see Gawain before he died. Her words sank deep into Finley's soul, and he had to surpress a shiver. Those words were thoughts he had always had durine the war. What if he had died? Would Maureen understand, would she forgive him? Would his sweet angel know how much she meant to him? How much Finley had loved her?
"Shh, you'll be okay, love. Gawain was a good man, I know for a fact he loved you, and your sisters." Finley rubbed Kyra back, as she saturated his shirt with tears. Smiling he suddenly got an idea. Gently he lifted her chin, and stared into her tear stained eyes. Carefully he wiped the tears from her face, and stared down into them. "Tomorrow, I'll take you to where we buried, Gawain. Tonight though, you have to stay here and enjoy yourself."
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