kittyluna45

Château de La Lune

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Constance Monroe

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Location: Dining Room
Skills: N/A

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Constance was listening in to Beatrice's conversation about how the wine paired well with the salad dressing, when the salad places were soon cleared away and the main entrees were brought out. Constance had been looking forward to this, but her smile nearly faltered when she saw what was on the plate in front of her.

Eggplant parmesan was a vegetarian dish, yes, but it was loaded with calories! The breading and oil alone would skyrocket her calorie count for the day, and the cheese, ugh, don't even get her started on the cheese. They probably used something calorie laden to get it nice and golden. Heaven knew what else was in the sauce besides the tomatoes. She had chosen vegetarian because it was suppose to be the safe option, but looking around the table, nothing was safe. Sauce on the steak, sauce on the fish... Then she remembered, this was France. They drowned most of their food in sauces and butter. She had been doomed from the start.

She was jarred from her thoughts by Beatrice once more and her smile resumed at it's normal functionality, never letting on for a moment that anything had crossed her mind about the food. She would just work it off, as she had planned to earlier. She picked up her fork and knife and delicately cut into the parmesan and started to eat.

Constance had to admit to herself, the food was good, and when the handsome older man across from her spoke up, she chimed in to add her two cents, and for her part, she got his name out of it. Tony~ His name was Tony. She also got the promise of maybe interacting with him more later, which did make her happy. That could be one way of working off the calories, if he was so inclined.

The woman a little further down and across from her spoke up and introduced herself and Constance paused for a moment. She had heard of Millicent before, as another entertainer. Magic really wasn't Constance's forte, but she had to admit it had it's place in the entertainment industry.

Constance picked up her wine glass and swirled it for a moment before taking a sip of the lovely red wine. The La Lune's really did know how to make a good wine, and how to pair it with their food. Even if the food was caloric hell for the ballet dancer, she had to admit this was some of the best food she had had in a long time, and so she continued to eat and make small talk.

Château de La Lune

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Constance Monroe

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Location: The Dining Room
Skills: N/A

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As the foyer filled up, Constance watched the other nominees arrive, and looked each of them over subtly. Not one of them really looked like they had bothered too much with the dress code, in fact, one of them looked more like he was ready to hit the beach more than dine! She did notice that one of the others, an older gentleman that she thought looked rather dashing, had dressed up and pressed his outfit. She smiled to herself at that. That, there, was a man that knew how to present himself. She rather hoped she was sitting somewhere close to him to be able to strike up a casual conversation with him.

She did notice the scene being made as one of the nominees arrived, a drag queen, do a death drop. Constance was a little impressed, as that did take some amount of flexibility to do so, but this was not the moment for her to do such a move. This wasn't some drag brunch or drag show. This was a formal dinner, for goodness sake! Was was it that it seemed that almost everyone there, aside from the man in the cashmere blazer, didn't know basic human manners?

The doors to the dining hall opened and Constance filed in with the others and found the seat with her name on it. It as just her luck that the man wasn't quite next to her, but more kitty-corner across from her. That would make trying to strike up any conversation a bit tricky, so she would put away those thoughts for after dinner. It was her luck that she was right next to their host, Eleanor. She could win some points for the award, showing that she was truly the perfect candidate after all.

As they all sat down, the rather rude fat looking man made a rather disgusting comment about the drag queen that made Constance look over at him. If it had not been a polite setting, she might have given him a piece of her mind. 'Fake woman?' Ugh, what a disgusting thing to say! She turned her attention to the salad that was placed before her and picked up her salad fork and knife and tried to make some small talk with those around her.

The rude man made another comment, this time insulting the drag queens profession and sexuality, and Constance's knife slipped across her plate with a jarring screech. She, herself, was queer and saw no harm in that. There was also nothing wrong with drag queens! They were performers as well in her mind, not as prestigious as ballet performers, but performers none the less. She still not dare say a word or do anything, but it seemed that the situation remedied itself.

A young man, whom Constance was pretty sure was that Youtube guy, got up and punched the rude LaLune so hard that his nose was bleeding. The man that Constance had been eyeing got up and went to fix his nose. "Oh, so he's the surgeon. Good to know." She thought to herself as the situation was resolved by Elanor dismissing the rude man, and everyone returning to their meal.

Once the kerfuffle had been resolved, Constance found herself chatting with Beatrice about the Salad, blissfully unaware of the salad crimes being committed at the other end of the table.

Château de La Lune

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Constance Monroe

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Location: Evergreen Room
Skills: N/A

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Constance looked over to the other bathroom door, then to the counter and paused. The little timid woman, Renee, had left her bag there. She was most likely going to come back sometime before dinner, and so Constance decided the nice thing to do was give her a little time to do so. She walked over to the door that went to the other woman's room, unlocked it before walking back to her room and closing the door to the bathroom and locking it so the little timid thing couldn't come inside. For all Constance knew, Renee could just be playing pretend. She could easily be the blackmailer. Anyone could be the blackmailer. The maids, any of the LaLune Family, any of the other reward nominees.

She huffed and pushed those thoughts out of her mind and walked over to her suitcases. She picked one one of the firm case suitcases and set it upon the bed and zipped it open finding her mini travel steamer and mini travel iron. "Alright, we have about thirty minutes before dinner, we do want to look our best~"

At that moment there came a knock on her door, and she blinked. More blackmail? She narrowed her eyes as she walked over and paused by the door. "Whom is it?"

"Mr. Wadsworth at your service, Mademoiselle. Felix Wadsworth. Head Butler. I am here to collect your dinner selection card."

Constance took a breath at that. Of course. It was 4:30 PM, the time that they had said they would collect them. She walked over to the desk and picked up the little card and then walked back to the door and opened it. "Thank you Mr. Wadsworth. I do appreciate it."

He took the card, and bowed slightly. "If there is anything else you shall need, Mademoiselle, just let myself or one of the other staff know. We will be happy to help you."

"There is nothing else at this time. Thank you." With that, the gentleman was off, and Constance closed and locked her door again. She let out a sigh and brushed her brow a bit. Sweat? Her? Why was she suddenly nervous about dinner?

In the back of her mind she knew why she was nervous. The looming threat. Just because the pictures were gone did not mean that the blackmailer was gone. What was worse was she didn't even know what they wanted! Usually didn't blackmailers make demands of some kind? Money? Jewels? Anything? Isn't that how it usually went? This one had just left the photos. No note, no cryptic words. Nothing.

Constance walked back over to the case and pulled out the steamer and plugged it in so it would start warming up, and then did the same with her iron. It was only a few minor wrinkles she needed to steam and iron out, but everything still had to be perfect for the welcome dinner. It wasn't the black tie dinner or the award ceremony, but Constance was still going to look her best.

She started with the pants, finding a nice flat surface to lay them out on, and ironing out the bottoms, and making sure the creases were nice and crisp again. The pockets were pressed, she wouldn't be needing them after all. She would be using a clutch to carry her phone and any identification she needed with her to dinner.

Next, she steamed out her blouse, making sure there were no wrinkles and that the shoulders draped just so. She was content with her wardrobe choice for that night, and smiled as she fished out the last detail to tie it all together, the shoes.

By that point as she let her items cool down and hang, she figured that the timid little thing would be done in the bathroom so she popped back in to do a few last touches. She touched up her make up and her hair, making sure that every curl fell just right as she decided to leave her hair down for dinner. With that, it was time to change.

Her dirty clothing were gently deposited into a traveling laundry bag that had the neat label for dirty on it, and would be placed next to the wardrobe for the next few days. She reminded herself to ask Wadsworth or one of the maids about the laundry facilities when she saw them next, as she really hoped she wouldn't have to carry dirty things home. Her dirty clothing mingling about with her clean clothing? How scandalous!

She gently slipped on the pants first, zipping up the side zipper with ease before slipping the blouse on. She fluffed up her hair gently, and then slipped on her shoes next. She deposited her phone, some money and her ID into her clutch, as well as a small thing of lip gloss, before snapping it close. She did one last look over in the mirror, and after plucking one stray hair from her self, she determined she was once again perfect.

She looked at the map once more before deciding to tuck that into her clutch as well and set off for the dining room with a few minutes to spare. She wouldn't make a grand entrance, but she would make the perfect one.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω Officially Done

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Location: Camp Half-Blood -> Cabin #4 -> The Beach
Skills: N/A

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Stella felt Arbor rub up under her hand, and whine a bit as he looked up at her as they exited the cabin. She offered him a small smile, and rubbed his head lovingly. Sometimes she swore that her pet was more empathic than anyone gave him credit for, especially in moments like this. She gently scratched behind his ears and went back to following Andy towards the beach, her bag slung over her shoulder, and her weapons tucked away in easy to reach positions.

She looked around the camp as they walked to the beach, making sure to take it all in, just in case. She wasn't sure that this quest was going to be quick given everything that was happening. She took in the scent of the strawberry field and waved over to her siblings still working over there. She knew that she wouldn't be seeing them as well for a while and wanted to remind herself that there was a lot on the line... that this quest was an important one. As well as remind herself she had plenty to come back to, besides her dads. She silently followed Andy, taking step after step towards the beach together.

Château de La Lune

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Constance Monroe

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Location: Evergreen Room
Skills: N/A

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Constance looked over at the door as it opened and looked over at the rather meek looking woman there. Before Constance could say anything she had introduced herself as Renee, set down a bag and backed out. Renee... she was the teacher, right? Constance scoffed to herself as she walked over to the door Renee had walked through and locked it, effectively locking the other woman out. Clearly the woman had been invited as a seat filler. What would a preschool teacher have done to earn the award that Constance was up for. Some of the others she could understand. Surgeons saved lives, other entertainers did work, but a teacher?

She took another moment looking at herself in the mirror before she heard a knock at the door. "Ah, perfect timing." She walked out of the bathroom and to her door and opened it.

"Your Luggage, Mademoiselle." The maid offered Constance a smile as she gestured to the small pile of luggage by the door, before starting to bring it in. It took a moment, but soon all the bags were inside the room.

"Ah, thank you." Constance gently reached into her pocket and pulled out ten Euro note and handed it to the maid. The maid looked puzzled for a moment before tucking it away.

"Merci Mademoiselle. Do you need anything else at the moment?"

"No, thank you." With that, the maid departed and Constance went to lock the door to her room. She picked up her two garment bags and swept across the room to put them into the wardrobe. Those dresses had to be in the best condition for the next few days. It was then she spotted the pile of papers on the desk and walked over to look them over.

She looked at the card with the wi-fi information and went to type it into her phone. No use using up her precious date when they were offering free wi-fi. The second card had the options for that nights dinner on it. She did have to mull that over for a moment. While steak would probably be the tastiest, and given the La Lune reputation the chef would be incredible, red meat was always the fattiest of the bunch. Fish might have been a safe options, but they were in France. It meant some buttery creamy sauce with the fish, and that was too many calories for Constance. She picked up her pen and checked the vegetarian option. The safest option for her calorie wise. She had already splurged that day with the grapes and champagne. She was going to have to get up early the next day to jog it off, or find another way to burn off the calories.

She picked up the next paper to see the itinerary and paused. Relax? Enjoy yourself? Enjoy the pool? No, Constance thought. She would spend the day keeping herself limber and stretching. She couldn't truly afford a whole day to relax.

The next paper was a history of the Chateau but when she picked it up, what was under it caught her attention. It looked like an innocent photo. She went to pick it up, and saw there was another, and another. There were several photos there, and with each one her expression grew more and more panicked. How... how had anyone known?

She looked around the room and her eyes landed on the trashcan. Thankfully she had a lighter in her purse, and the trashcan was a beautiful metal container. She dashed over as quietly as she could, photos in hand and then over the trash can lit each one on fire and let it drop into the receptacle, one by one. She watched to make sure that each photo burned up into nothing but ash, and then paused. What if the butler or maids saw the ash? No. She couldn't be caught.

She lifted the bin and carried it to the bathroom and to the toilet. She lifted the seat and then dumped the ashes into the water, brushing it out with her hands. No one was going to see these photos. No one. Once she was sure all the ashes were in the toilet, she flushed. Twice. With the evidence disposed of, she walked back over to her room, set the bin back down, and then went back to the bathroom and washed her hands. She looked up at herself in the mirror and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Perfect. Now... time to change before dinner."

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω Officially Done

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Location: Camp Half-Blood -> The Arena -> Cabin #4
Skills: N/A

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Stella was thankful that they were being given time to pack up what they needed, as she was sure that if she had tried to leave just then and there, they would have been woefully unprepared. She heard the others talking about the Argo, and blinked for a moment before hearing about the Flying Ship. She wanted to ask a bit more about it, but felt Andy tug her off to go to their cabins. She silently agreed, the priority was pack first, ask all the questions she had later.

She waited outside of the Zeus cabin, leaning against the wall, petting Arbor for a moment, trying to organize her thoughts. The Underworld sounded like a scary place to be, and yet, they were going there to rescue friends and family. Did that mean that she'd see Jason there? Her grandmother? That nice man who use to give her honey candy? As she pulled herself out of her thoughts, she found that her index finger was bleeding, as she had chewed it down to the quick again. "Oh shiitake mushrooms!" She cried out as she realized what she had done. She shoved her hand in her pocket before Andy came out, so she didn't have to explain.

Once they got to her cabin, she dashed inside and pulled out her own backpack and sickle. She tucked the sickle away into her bag, and put her knife away on her belt, somewhere less obvious. She shoved some extra clothing in there, including her "Keep Berkeley Weird" sweater her otou-san had sent her recently, some extra shoes, and some extra of other things. She made sure to put her seed bag into her pocket as well, and with that zipped her backpack close. Before she headed out, she wrapped her finger in a bandage and made sure it was secure. She didn't want anyone to worry about her. She walked out and looked to Andy. "Ready when you are."

Château de La Lune

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Constance Monroe

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Location: Château de La Lune: Foyer -> Evergreen Room
Skills: N/A

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July 1st, 2025

Constance had been in her flat, sipping her tea when she had received the letter from Eleanor La Lune, inviting her to France for an award ceremony. She had to smile to herself as she was finally getting the recognition she deserved after that performance she had just finished. So much time and effort had gone into making it as perfect as she was. She was so close to becoming prima ballerina that she could taste it. Everything she had been working for, everything she had sacrificed, and it was almost in her grasp.

She checked over the invitation again and looked at her calendar. The timing couldn't have been better! She had just finished this production, and as waiting for auditions for the next one. She had just enough time to go to the award ceremony, win, and come back and be named prima finally. Of course she was going to win, there was no doubt in her mind, as she was perfect. Everyone told her so, and all her critics praised her as such.

She looked over the letter and smiled more. The prize money was nothing to sneeze at either, and it would set her up for her retirement, as well as anything else she might want to cover in the future. The most important part however, was still the prize. If she could show the world that she had earned it, then everyone would have to acknowledge what she knew about herself, that she was truly the best. All the hard work and effort, all the years of pain had been worth it to be on the top. To be the perfect ballerina her parents had wanted her to be and of course, what she had always wanted to be as well.

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The flight to France had been a short one, but easily one of the best of her life. Honestly, she could have just taken a train, but this had been much more luxurious. She enjoyed champagne on the flight, and nibbled on chilled grapes, some of the freshest in her life. She could get use to pampering like this, and she was sure that winning the award would help open doors that let her live a life like that. Especially if she invested the money wisely. Of course, she was thinking like she had won it already. Once there, she got into a limo and looked around. She recognized maybe two of the faces there, but barely. She was sure that one of the other women there was a dancer but... not a ballerina like her, and no where near as good as her. Constance didn't recognize any of the others, but maybe... oh yes, that one face. He had been on YouTube yes? She didn't use it except to watch other ballerinas, and their failures.

The boat ride had been alright, as boats were not her favorite methods of travel, but she would accept that she would have to ride to make sure that she got her award. Upon arrival, she smiled as Eleanor herself greeted them. The smile that graced her face faltered for a moment as she realized the rest of the group that she had traveled with were also there for the award. That made little to no sense to her. None of the rest of them were in the same field as her, so why were they there? She shook the thoughts of her head, and her smile graced her face once more before anyone could realize. She was going to be named the winner.

She walked over to the room assignment board and saw that she had been assigned the Evergreen Room. She did pause when she saw that she would be sharing a bathroom with someone called "Renee," in the Plum room. She wrinkled her nose, but hoped the other woman wouldn't mind her taking over the counter space. She needed it for her products. Keeping her body in peak perfection took work, not that anyone got the privilege of seeing that.

Her sensible shoes clicked along the floor as she headed up the staircase and towards her room. She was going to have to freshen up after everything, especially if she wanted to look her best for dinner. She was thankful someone else was going to take her luggage to her room, as she had packed as if she was going away for a month, not several days. She always had to look perfect, and she hoped that the accommodations would allow her to make sure that she could work her portable steamer and iron.

"Now. If I wish to impress, which dress should I wear?" She stood in front of the mirror, musing for a moment as she did.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω Officially Done

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Location: Camp Half-Blood -> The Arena
Skills: N/A

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Stella was a bit breathless as she got to the Arena and saw that Andy was running up to her. She looked at her friend, able to tell that she was excited, and on edge a little. "I heard about Thanatos, that's why I came here. How are you doing? What's the plan?" She looked at her friend as the two dogs seemed to enjoy each other's company for the moment. She heard Zeke, (or she was pretty sure his name was Zeke, she hadn't spent too much time with him) speak up, asking if everyone had everything they might need and thought for a moment.

"Um, if I'm going I need to run to my cabin really quick for my scythe... otherwise I should be fine." She patted her pocket, finding that cloak from earlier still there. She had a feeling that it was going to come in handy on this quest. She did also want to get some other things, like snacks, but it seemed that they might be leaving as soon as they could.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω Officially Done

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Location: Camp Half-Blood -> Strawberry Fields
Skills: N/A

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Stella smiled a bit at Eva's words, and pet Arbor and relaxed a bit. They went to head towards the dining pavilion, and she looked around and smiled a bit. However, she could hear some campers talking about Thanatos being there, and she gasped a bit. If he was there, that meant... The Doors right? He had to have found the doors, if he was there? "S...Sorry, gotta... gotta go. I'll see you later. C'mon boy!"

Stella heard that Thanatos was at the arena from some of the campers that were there, and dashed off in that direction. Food could wait, everything else could wait. She needed to be there for Andy, that she was sure of. Arbor was hot on her heels, yipping a bit as he was excited, but he wasn't quite sure what was going on, he just knew that Stella was excited, so he was excited.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω Officially Done

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Location: Camp Half-Blood -> Strawberry Fields
Skills: N/A

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Stella listened to Eva as she told her about the archery lessons, and then also that she would go with her no matter where she would go. "Thank you Eva, I do appreciate it. I'm thinking I might go to the rock wall... I just get the feeling that climbing might help a lot." Stella chuckled a bit softly at that and then helped finish packing up the crates and reached over to pet Arbor lovingly and nuzzled him gently.

"I might go after lunch... I'm not sure if I want to start climbing on less than a full stomach." She continued to pet Arbor more, as his tongue lulled out of his mouth. She relaxed a bit more, enjoying the moment, and the smell of the strawberries in the air.