[i][b][color=a187be][color=8493ca][center]Annabeth Gulch[/center][/color][/color][/b][/i]

[color=a187be]"Spider?"[/color] That would explain the webbing Annabeth was feeling when she reached out to Colette. Likely also meant that she probally hit the thorax of the creature, assuming she hit at all. Point is that it was low to the ground, so trying to get a short on it wasn't going to be easy. Instead Annabeth sheathed her bow and drew her Estoc. Her telepathy allowed Annabeth to pick up on the fact that the creature had moved up onto a wall, and possibly the ceiling if there was one above her. [color=a187be]"Careful Colette, it's trying to get a jump on us. Stick close to me and strike when I tell you to..."[/color] Standing close to Colette Annabeth expanded her telepathic field, including Colette and her demons among the minds she could sense. Without the ability to actually see in the dark this was the only way Annabeth could perceive these hostile creatures. She also remembered seeing a light before, so Annabeth lightly took Colette by the hand. Only hard enough to maintain a grip, but light enough that Colette would have no problems getting her hand free if she needed it.

[color=a187be]"There was a strange light back the way I came. Follow me, and keep your senses sharp."[/color] Annabeth walked back, keeping her telepathy up to detect the monster in the dark and anything else that might come at her. If anything came, Annabeth would tell Colette where the creature came from so she could react too.

[i][b][center]DIPLOMACY MISSION[/center][/b][/i]

Brannor smirked, clasping Leith by his non-demonic hand. [b]"A pleasure to meet you, Leith. It is good to know that someone from the college remembers what power can lie in a skilled sword."[/b] He gestured to one of his servants to fetch drinks, wishing to speak to Leith after a few rounds. [b]"Though I must ask. You don't smell mortal, yet you don't have the scent of a vampire either. Have you... Given yourself to demons?"[/b] Brannor said bluntly. As if Leith's hand wasn't obvious enough, but Brannor's vampire scent did not detect any blood from Leith that he'd care to drink, nor the familiar smell of a fellow vampire. Though Leith certainly had the look.

As for Ssarak, he'd quickly note that the bird had died. The last thing that Ssarak would have seen from the bird was a larger, bird-like creature swooping from the darkness to snatch it out of the air and wring it's neck. It came suddenly and quickly, and the bird never saw it coming. As for the man, the last thing Ssarak would have seen of him was walking into the forest. Elsewhere, Ssarak may have felt another, stronger prod against his wards. If he remembered from his lessons, he would know that this stronger prod came from multiple sources. As Satori once explained, multiple Psychomancers could attempt to simultaneously penetrate another wards. Gather enough of them together and even a novice could break through a master ward, and more skilled practitioners could use less people. However like any sort of teamwork, it required training and skilled cooperation with others. Simply having everyone attack a single ward doesn't make their collective attempts stronger. Thus, Ssarak could easily conclude that there was a group of psychomancers trying to break into his ward. The only trouble was that even if Ssarak could trace back the source of the invaders, he would quickly realize that they were scattered about the gala.

Most notably, Keri would be assaulted by feelings of hunger, as if she needed to feed. This was regardless if she had fed or not, or eaten her blood candies already. The feeling came gradually, first just a itch in her throat, and then it became a pit in her stomach. There was a force working in her mind that was trying to make her feel hungry, though the wards she had would allow her to fight this feeling, if only for a moment. Because while there were certainly Psychomancers at work, it wasn't as if Keri being blood-thirsty was unusual or impossible. It would even be worse if she really hasn't fed yet, because if she falls for the spell, she would seek fresh, mortal blood. Not the drinks and cocktails being served, but fresh from the veins of a living being. And the only people who weren't vampires were the college students.