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This was asinine. Granted, the night had played out exactly like Max had expected it would so far; there was no way Eris would miss making a public appearance at a ball of this caliber, and Max knew he'd be expected to attend the vampire while he was putting on his little show for the masses, but that didn't mean he had to like it. At least the outfit he'd been wrangled into was fairly tame, at least compared to some of the other garish costuming sins he witnessed the other passing attendees committing. 

The [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/63/dc/e0/63dce00e564df861f6971025357a539c.jpg]suit[/url] was fairly tame, in a dark enough color that he wouldn't be drawing too many eyes but bright enough he wouldn't look totally out of place. Max didn't think red was really his color, but Eris apparently wanted them to match. The [url=https://www.italymask.co.nz/ic/3976847948/05453%20Venetian%20Masquerade%20Cat%20Mask%20Gatto%20Vivian%20Music%20Black%20Gold-2.jpg]mask[/url] was a bit of a different story. Not that there was anything wrong with the general appearance; the black and white color contrast gave it a nice balance, and the gilded trim added a regal flair to an otherwise simplistic outfit. His grievance lied in the cat-earred design. While Eris might've been innocently going for an animal theme, Max doubted the comparison between his standoffish attitude and an antisocial feline was lost on the vampire. He could just picture the leech snickering to himself while he was ordering the mask. 

Still, he had to give Eris credit; he did know his way around high fashion. Hell, Max had barely recognized himself the first time he walked past a mirror. His hair was styled back nicely with whatever products Eris had pulled out of his cosmetics collection and he'd been spritzed down with some trendy fragrance against his will. Coupled with the mask, he was fairly confident no one would be identifying the dashing stranger tailing Eris Samael all night as a cleaned-up Maxwell Alderman at first glance.

And tail he did; Max dutifully fell in step with Eris as he chatted along on the phone about business or something equally dull en route to the dance hall. Max was grateful he hadn't been put on secretarial work for Eris yet, it sounded boring and exhausting, even if the other mages seemed to handle the bulk of it. Then again, Eris was probably smart enough to know Max handling his important affairs would be asking for things to turn out badly, whether the mage intentionally sabotaged him or simply mouthed off to the wrong business partner. 

When they actually arrived on the scene, Max took care to present himself in a more dignified manner than his usual apathetic slouch. In all their two-faced methods and subversive games, the nobles had a point - tonight wasn't a party, it was a [i]performance[/i], and though the eyes would be on Eris, they might wander to him too. It was a chore, but in the public sphere, he needed to exude confident disinterest; it wasn't enough that he was unapproachable, he couldn't look like a pushover either or Eris' fans would eat him alive. Plus, if anyone ever accused him of being [i]anxious[/i] again, he'd probably throw a chair at them. 

Max quirked a brow behind his mask as Eris signalled for him to follow. Either he was about to meet one of Eris' doubtlessly weird associates, or they were about to play some political game. Possibly both. Probably both. The mage stuck close as they crept around the outskirts of the dance floor, snatching a champagne flute off a passing waiter's tray effortlessly. The taste that greeted him was decidedly [i]not[/i] champagne, however. How pretentious, juice in a fancy cup. No going back now, he supposed, but depending on how this played out, he might need to find the actual liquor soon.

[color=ccff99]"Joryldin! Had I known you were coming, we could have arrived together!"[/color]

Ooh, Eris had found his target, apparently. [i]This[/i] was critically-acclaimed acting? He'd seen Sinnenodel propaganda less fake than that gesture of "surprise" Eris had just pulled. At least he got to the point quick, wasting no time slithering into the seat beside his new friend. They clearly knew each other, but Eris' interest could've easily been in the slutty outfit and not so much the person wearing it. Max wordlessly took up a spot behind Eris' chair, leaning his elbow on the back enough to look casually dismissive while still maintaining the visage of an attending mage. He idly surveyed the ballroom, taking care not to glance in the direction of - what did Eris call him? Jordan? - and get sucked into the conversation against his will. 

[hr][@Hero][@Jade Blades]