There's a beast at the door...

[Dorian Gray]

Someone's fancy dinner party. No cheap little tea social, oh no. His parents had connections in France, oh dear Alastor with his unusual and scant friends who did things like collect skulls of native indians and pygmies when they went to Africa and India and Xanadu... he sighed heavily, and took a long sip of the blood red wine in his little glass. Perhaps Africa over the summer, to go and shoot elephants and such... assuming that it wasn't as filthy as he had heard, he thought, brushing a fleck of something off his silk cravat. Sky blue, a lovely deceptive colour, but so befitting with his eyes. The very colour of his eyes, he mused into a decorative mirror. Glancing about to look for suitable company, an innocent little bundle of petticoats and pastels, or perhaps a devious sort with dark eyes and a spanish nose... there goes a petite little thing with... ah, your fourth finger of the left hand seems occupied, little one. What a shame. Do you terribly mind if-- oh, I see. Burly Russian fellow... well nevermind then. Good evening, Miss...? What a lovely name! And you're from...? Irish. I see. It was... pleasant to meet you. And you. I know you, I know it. One of Alastor... no, Hecate's friends... short, blonde, and prim as a peacock... but I don't remember you directly...
   
He froze suddenly. Oh dear God... he knew exactly where he had seen her. She was in one of those whorehouses in the Red District.... no, no, she ran the whorehouse... and some poor thing with a long, Arabic nose and lovely, lovely hair was recieving threats and a sound beating... what the hell was she doing here, of all places? Did she know the Grays? Did she recognize him? He paled e'er so slightly at the thought. He had been with some other boys, and between the opium, absinthe, hookahs and wine, they had been a rowdy bunch. He realised after a few moments that he was indeed, staring, and yet he couldn't bring himself to look away. Was it possible that the whole of the world had a double life?

[Lilith Dalton]

Proper social gatherings were quite an exhausting and overwhelming experience for anyone and even more so for Lilith Dalton.  There was the usual planning, preparing, and hours of grooming, but Lilith always had to take the extra step to go outside of her comfort zone and get back into the swing of etiquette, protocol, and expectations that her usual circles didn't exactly give a damn about.  Lilith had to be careful to watch her tongue, watch her drinking, keep certain things secret, and act like a lady.  It was a good bit of work and well worth a chance to mingle with society's elite. 

More importantly, it was a long awaited opportunity for Lilith to show off her new Worth gown--or rather, the new gown that she swore was a Charles Frederick Worth original.  Lilith was dressed richly in brown and gold silk with elaborate ruching, bows, and lace trim of the sleeve cuffs.  She surrounded herself with a group of young women in pastel colors, half listening to their mindless chatter and half wondering if she could lure any of them in to work for her.  Her attention was grabbed the the stare of a young man who she thought she recognized, and, based on the perplexed look on his face, it did not take her long to guess from where.  This certainly was not the first time Lilith crossed paths with someone she knew from the business.  Most simply ignored her or only spoke to her if introduced by someone else, and Lilith rarely sought out interaction with her clients.  It was a situation best avoided.

However, this particular situation needed to be handed delicately.  The man had already stared long enough that Lilith could not simply ignore him while keeping up her illusion of good manners.  Worse yet, his gaze seemed to catch the attention of some of the girls around her.  Something had to be said.

"Excuse me sir, do you need something?" she asked coyly.

[Dorian Gray]

He gave his most charming and rakish grin, and said with a long, deep bow, "I beg your pardon, Madame, but you must be a friend of my mother's... Hecate Gray. I'm her devil of a son, Dorian." He looked back up, peering straight into her eyes, hoping to convey that he knew he knew better. Maybe she'd catch on, maybe not.

At any rate, he offered his arm. Least he could do for a "friend of Hecate's".

   "Shall we... explore the terrace, Miss....?"
   
Ring. Ah. It was a compliment then. Don't you look young, dear Madame? Who knew, perhaps she wouldn't be quite as vicious surrounded by other well-to-do creatures.

[Lilith Dalton]

Devil of a son indeed.  "Why yes, yes I am a friend of Hecate!" she answered with false inthusiasm and perhaps a bit too dramatic.  She took Dorian's arm, and as soon as her attention was focused on him, her little flock of young women dispersed and went their separate ways.  Damn.  One of them seemed stupid and impressionable to be easily swayed.

"Mrs. Dalton," she replied.  "And I do wish that my husband was around; his jealous fits make for quite a show."  Even though Lilith was quite confident in her little act, there was something she needed to say.  Lilith lowered her voice to just above a whisper.  "You know, you're very bold.  I've been in situations like this before, and most think it best to ignore me entirely."

[Dorian Gray]

"Madame," he began cooly, leaning his head e'er so slightly, and barely breathing the words, "What is a man if he be not bold?" The corners of his lips gave the faintest curl of a satisfied grin, as he led the way to the balcony.

"Jealous fits, you say? Well, it's no surprise. I'd probably fall victim to the same sad fate if I were a married man. But alas..." -and here came the theatrical sigh- "I am still a batchelor." Still? Please, he was barely twenty, and didn't care much to be attached in the long run anyway. Still, women with connections to money and power... and powerful tempers... were hard to come by. "Pray tell, what were you discussing with the lovely lassies in the corner. One or two of them seemed viable for company." He said, trying to make conversation. She was interesting enough, and perhaps getting on her good side would be beneficial in the long run.

[Lilith Dalton]

Lilith was beginning to take a liking to Dorian and his boldness.  There was certainly something exciting about being able to stroll about with one of her establishment's customers and openly displaying her double life while still keeping the whole thing secret to everyone around them. 

"Nothing I think you would be interested in, I'm afraid," she answered with a sigh.  "Just some foolish feminine chatter."  It was true enough.  Lilith's intentions were less than pure, but they were mostly talking about silks, diamonds, and attractive young men.  "Though, I must agree with you.  There was one in particular who seemed very viable indeed."