[i]"I'm telling you, as your bodyguard, I think this is an absolutely terrible idea."
"I mean it, Nat.  See these monitors?  On any given one at any given time is someone who -Wants. To. Kill. You.-"
"If you -must- have this soiree, I insist you use a body double."
"I understand that being cooped up underground can drive a person mad, but you simply -must- listen to reason!"[/I]

And yet, Nat did not listen to reason.  And as her subordinate, all Leo could do was grin and bear it.  As they took the elevator to the mall where the Masquerade Ball was to be held, his eyes wandered about her figure.  He had to admit, as terrible of an idea as this was, he likely wouldn't have had another opportunity to see her dolled up like this.  She looked good.  'Fit', to use the vernacular.  And he hadn't seen her this happy in a good, long time.  And her expression wasn't the cheeky smile that she usually flashed at him when she was being scolded by him, but a true, genuine smile.

As the door opened and Nat made her way into the crowd, Leo remarked, "Glad you're happy."  Although he meant it sincerely, his tone suggested that he still didn't think this was a good idea.  And that's why the pistol that was in his holster was no mere prop.
[hr]
Amira scowled at her coworker.  The girl under her gaze shifted her eyes nervously left and right, quite unsure of what to do.  In fact, Amira wasn't quite sure what to do; she wasn't supposed to be working today, and in fact, the girl hadn't actually done anything wrong.

It was her costume.  The girl was dressed a Victorian waitress, as were most of the catering staff, whereas Amira was dressed as the "Lady of the Lake" of Arthurian legend.  For a brief moment, Amira considered trading costumes with the girl, they were roughly the same size, and if the girl refused, she could simply knock her out and [i]take[/i] her costume.

But...she was under orders.  The day before, Amira had received a package with the dreaded costume inside, along with a note from Natalia herself.  The Headmistress expected her to wear [i]this[/i] costume.  'You'll look so cute!' the letter said.

Amira let out a low growl of frustration and sent the waitress away, while swiping a glass of red wine from the tray the girl had been carrying.  After taking a sip, she glanced down at her dress, which she had to admit, did make her look sort of cute...she supposed...
[hr]
Toby was at first reluctant to enter the mall again after what happened roughly a week ago...two weeks ago?  He couldn't even remember how long it had been since that girl, Lyra, caused him to lose control.  But word had gotten to him that Artemis would be there.  He hadn't had any meaningful contact with her since she went unconscious, and he meant to remedy that now.  He adjusted the surgical mask that he wore, then he opened the lab coat he was wearing as he took in the sights of the ball.  [i]Man, Miss Dawson went balls-to-the-wall with this place.  Where's she get the money for all of it?[/i]