creatingvisions

Prince Gabriel was in an excellent mood. They'd finally apprehended that bastard brother of his, and he was currently enjoying the hospitality of his dungeons while the flower of nobility graced his hall. Queen Lorna of the Savage Lands had even graced the event with her presence, and he was glad he'd spared no expense when it came to the ball this evening.

Silk bunting draped the walls, hundreds of candles burning to brighten the room. The feast had been plentiful - the royal hunstmen had been out for days beforehand, bringing in boar and deer and pheasant for the roast. The wine and ale had been plentiful, flowing without halt for the pleasure of the guests.

Gabriel had contracted the finest musicians in the land for the dancing that would follow, and when the floor had been cleared and the music moving from general background entertainment to that to which they could dance. He rose from his seat to lead the dancing, turning to Queen Lorna with his most charming smile and the offer of his hand.

"Shall we, your Majesty?"

[ OPEN ]

ooc: please feel free to jump in with your characters if they were at the ball, dancing and carousing and generally having a marvelous time.

havenmods

Everyone might have been on guard for another potential quake - but this was so completely off the scales of what anyone imagined. At around 3pm on Friday afternoon, the ground buckled and rippled out from the epicenter, quickly extending far out beyond Santa Monica's borders, the entire state and the surrounding areas soon feeling the shake.

At Paradise Hotel, they were luckier than most. Thanks to the quick thinking of Jean Grey and Madeline Pryor, they were able to reinforce the hotel, keeping it from completely collapsing around everyone's ears. It wasn't perfect - the top of the building still swayed and buckled, the two top floors crashing down in on each other and partially damaging the third. Most of the windows shattered, with the balconies quickly collapsing in on themselves and the back stairs following suit.

In the upper levels, Julian Keller found himself caught underneath a piece of falling concrete, knocked out as it pinned him down. Mark Sheppard, having stepped out onto one of the balconies not long before the quake, was instead impaled by a broken railing, suspended almost in midair. Forge would later be found buried underneath a slab of concrete that had once been part of the back stairs. They weren't the only residents who needed immediate help, and everyone needed to get out of there in a hurry.

Paradise Hotel was trying to fall down.

[ OPEN ]

flyingfree

It didn't matter to Warren that he still felt echoes of the mind trip Betsy-Bogan had taken him on. Every moment he made he felt the dig of the knife, felt feathers tear from flesh. But there was something more important than his pain - Tessa. And getting him home safely. He hovered around her, using his body to shield her from everyone else as they hurried back out of Bogan's house, Remy and Wade making sure no remaining security staff got in their way as they left. Warren heard something about not being able to find Bogan, and he thought he saw Rogue and Madeline helping a barely conscious blonde out with them.

( When they returned to the hotel, Warren started snapping orders. )

flyingfree

The plan was simple. Warren didn't care about subtlety on this one, in fact, the more damage he could inflict on Elias Bogan, the better. Even if it was only structural. Remy had gotten them inside, now it was time to get down to work. They were splitting up - Rogue, Remy and Warren would be looking for Tessa. As much as Warren would like to be leading this party, he knew he couldn't. There was no guarantee Bogan's pete telepath wouldn't get into his head, turn him around so much that they'd never get anything. So Remy was in the lead, his mind so difficult to get into he should be safe. If all else fails, he should be able to find Tessa. Wade and Madeline were to go after Bogan - Warren wanted him dead, if possible, and Madeline should be able to keep either of them from being messed with.

( They didn't bother to try and sneak through Bogan's mansion. )

havenpeople

Sources tell us that English model Betsy Braddock has mysteriously vanished without a trace. Braddock, who was last spotted leaving Inferno nightclub on the 22nd of December, failed to turn up for a Teen Vogue photoshoot on the 29th. Her sudden disappearance has caused concern amongst her close friends and family members, with others questioning if the model has returned to England for another stint in rehab. Her publicist was unavailable for comment. [...]