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Aria had taken a small sip of her drink after Jack had tapped her glass, using the motion to hide the big smile that threatened to break out on her face. She was used to her and her family members being the only ones that could play around with their words and mannerisms - so finding out that one of her teammates could keep up and hold his own? Oh, she just had Christmas come early! A bit more cheerful than before, the blonde's voice took on the usual, carefree tone she had been using earlier on the other guests.

"Oh my, do I sound that stressed? Well, I'll admit, when I saw you walking around in such an agitated manner, I had feared the worst - I do worry about all of my friends and acquaintances, you know!"

As she said this, Aria quickly scanned the sea of party guests, discreetly checking on their teammates as she did. She noted that Luna, Kayla, and Shaun were making themselves comfortable - and while she saw that as a good thing, she could also see the almost obscene amount of food they had squirreled away with them. It wasn't enough to make them suspicious, so no need to try and intervene there, but a part deep within Aria's subconscious still shrieked in horror. Deciding to address that later, just in case their team ended up infiltrating another ball in the future, the blonde quickly moved on, seeking out the others and---

… huh. She appears to have lost track of Mercy. Now, normally, most people probably wouldn't pay much attention to such a thing - there's a lot of people here, so losing sight of someone would be perfectly normal. However, considering the circumstances, being unable to find one of her own teammates is A Very Bad Thing. And so, she quickly finished off the rest of her drink before looking over at Jack, and began to speak in a way that, unless someone was specifically paying attention to her, sounded perfectly natural and not at all concerned.

"Speaking of acquaintances, did you happen to see where our dear Mercy disappeared off to? I haven't seen her in a bit, and I wish to exchange some fascinating stories with her!"
 
Valentine silently berated herself as she scanned the ballroom.

As a Ripper type lillit, it was necessary for her to be on high alert as much as any other member of the group. Without her, nothing could be done if the group were suddenly ambushed without a warning from the Detection or Communication lillits. She knew from previous experience with the Hallowed Council that it was imperative for her to closely guard all of her teammates to secure their safety.

Instead of focusing on the potential dangers involved with the mission, Val had been immediately seduced by the luxurious mood. She made a beeline for the food as soon as she saw it, and she absolutely reveled in the various flavors that swam in her mouth as she stuffed herself with everything she could find to put on her plate.

From the beginning, Val had planned on keeping an eye on the rest of the group and maybe speaking with them after she finished her meal and her teammates settled down. However, she had been distracted by the delicious food, and now Mercy wasn't in sight. She was aware that she couldn't always maintain a perfect line of sight on the girl, especially when she chose to stay in the largest and most mobile mass of bodies in the ballroom. However, her instincts told her that it was far better safe than sorry.

Valentine stood from the chair she had been eating in and made sure to calm the tension that developed in her muscles. She made sure that no one was actively watching her before pulling a toothpick from the pile of junk on her plate. After a few moments of holding it, the object began to glow with a faint red light. She subtly threw it across the ground, letting it slide beneath a sea of feet before reaching a blond girl's location. Val had seen her interaction with Mercy, and she assumed that she was the most likely to know of Mercy's whereabouts.

After briefly glancing around to check if anyone was watching her, she suddenly burst into a flash of red light. The light appeared for no longer than the blink of an eye, and after vanishing it reappeared near the location of the toothpick on the ground. Val had teleported directly behind Aria, and she leaned down directly next to the short girl's ear while wearing her best smirk.

"Hey, muchkin!" She made sure to speak loud enough to intentionally spook the girl unless she had extremely good self control. "Have you seen Mercy?"
 
Aria has gone through many interesting moments in her life as a member of the Fauxvue family. She's seen cyclical arguments abruptly turn to agreeable conversations, 'coincidental' events that heavily influenced important politics, and - one very memorable/somewhat traumatizing time - what happens when you try to assault a family gathering where every family member has a hidden weapon. That last one, she had thought, would truly be the last time she had reached that level of surprise.

Today did not change that. Though, it did achieve a very solid spot in second place. To her credit, Aria didn't startle too badly - she did, however, get about halfway through the motion of prepping her crossbow gauntlet to fire before she realized that she was staring into the mischievous eyes of one Valentine Duchamp. The blonde quickly disengaged the mechanism before leveling an aggravated looking pout in the older woman's direction.

"Val! Please, you really shouldn't sneak up on people like that! You nearly made me do something unseemly!"

On that last word, Aria made sure she caught Valentine's eye to try and sent her an image of what could've been the red-head's reason for an early retirement. It wasn't a threat, obviously - Val didn't mean any true harm, after all! It was just... Aria didn't want a potentially fatal mistake to happen in the future. There's a time and place for everything.

Speaking of places... Did she just ask where Mercy was? Aria couldn't help the sudden rush of concern that went down her spine at the implications that suggested. However, she didn't let that show on her face, and she replied back with as much casualness as she could muster.

"... Oh? You haven't seen Mercy either? What a coincidence - Jack and I have been speculating on her whereabouts as well! Do you suppose she found someone... interesting?"
 
Luna nodded at Kayla's words half heartedly keeping her eyes on the dance floor. After being full with food, she was able to think straight for a moment. After a long day of travel and a mission almost immediately after, she was far too tired and hungry to be able to function properly. Now that she could think straight, she was almost certain there was at least one snatch currently on the dance floor somewhere. She quickly turned to Shaun and Kayla with a serious expression for once and spoke to the two in a quiet whisper.

"Don't freak out, but I'm pretty sure there's a snatch currently dancing on the dance floor. I dunno who it is, but it's there somewhere." She paused for a moment and crossed her arms. "Ima have to side with Kaya and ask that you check and rely the info to the others Shaun. Make sure no one acts too rash either when they find out." She turned back to the center of the hall and tried to spot someone who looked suspicious, but the people were moving so much that she couldn't keep track of the people and the music was too loud to keep track of where the sounds were coming from.
 
Mercy's eyes shook as she felt her entire being quake with agony. She hadn't held on to a Snatch this long. Her arms ached, knees buckled, she overall felt ill. "Excuse me, but I do seem to be dehydrated, I believe I'm in need for some juice or water. Do you mind if I break the dance?" she inquired as she struggled to keep the corners of her mouth up. The only good thing in the situation was that the snatch couldn't steal her magic in front of everyone. There were other lillits besides her team there, and they'd likely strike if necessary. Any negative attention to either of them could bring them down. She couldn't attack either.

The snatch's grip only tightened on her hand and hip. Mercy's breathing turned careless as she was engulfed by the icky feelings given off from a snatch. It knew. It knew she was a lillit. That was likely due to her outward expressions from the affliction that enveloped her. But, the real question was whether or not it knew she worked beneath the Hallowed Council. The key to getting lillits in a social function was to use yourself as bait. A snatch wouldn't go after a Hallowed Council worker though.

The song swept to a splendid end and Mercy was ready for it to be over. She figured she could try to get the team's attention as she left the ballroom into another part of the mansion, and the snatch would follow her, as well as her team. Much to her dismay and confusion, the snatch didn't stop dancing. As the next song mused from the orchestra, it didn't let her go.

Mercy paled and eyed the crowd. No teammates. Not even Burne. Surely it knew she was a detection type by now, so it wasn't like it could swoon her anymore. It didn't talk much in the first place. That's when her eyes widened and she pulled back her head. It didn't talk much. Then this snatch was even worse than a level 1. Level 1 snatches were unbearably talkative. Mercy's eyes flicked around again until they landed on his cufflinks. They were metal.

Mercy pushed her hand into his until the bottom of her palm touched his cufflink. She let her power rage there. Heating he metal more and more. She gritted her teeth as clinging on to the beast became far more trying. And then, as the metal became hot red, it let her go with a shallow yelp. The maiden instantly took several steps back, pivoted on her heel, lifted her skirts and attempted to go the other direction. But, was stopped by another man. "Excuse me, I must go."

"But I wish to dance with you now," he said and grabbed both her hands, forcing her into a twirl and, sure enough, a shot of snatch feels entered her. "I must say, you are fine looking. Just dashing. Handsome beyond compare. The way your red hair cascades on your shoulders...." it droned on and on. This was a level 1. But that meant there were at least two.

The other snatch stayed near. Mercy was in a deep seabed of thoughts. She was alone. Stuck between a level 1 and an unknown level. All she could do was bite her bottom lip and bare with it.
 
Shaun listening very closely to Luna, hearing and heart beats. Detective types sure where interesting this was the first time he had heard someone else powers that weren't similar to his own, the fact she could hear him anywhere anytime did make a bit squeamish since they all lived so close together now. He has sure she wouldn't listen in on him though as he wouldn't listen in on her. "I wish we could of strategise to before coming here, as well. I really want to know what everyone can do. I've never seen anyone else powers before."

Shaun felt very anxious about using his power again so soon but if its what he teammate wanted. "I could, I wouldn't mind checking up on two our teammates right now." Now Luna also said the snatch was also making its entry. Snatch's did make Shaun uncomfortable he'ed rather not have to deal with one then confront one. "Alright, who are we most worried about? Whos on the dance floor? Who can we see?"
 
"Erm...I dunno?" Luna took her eyes away from the dance floor and to the sides for some of their other teammates. She found another group of their team standing off by the other side consisting of Jack, Aria, and Valentine. She knows Mercy is in here somewhere since she can in before Luna but she couldn't seem to spot her.

"Well...Jack, Aria, and Valentine are in a group together, so maybe one of them. And then there's Mercy. I can't seem to find her. You think she might be on the dance floor somewhere?" She looked away from the group and back at the dance floor a bit worriedly trying to see if she could spot Mercy though the dozens of people spinning around.
 
"Perhaps it would be best to check on everyone?" Kayla suggested. She was nervous that she could only see three other people of their group. "I could go over to the group over there and invite Jacques to dance? That way if there is anything happening on the dance floor we have a good way to get close." She put herself forward for that role in consideration of Luna in such a loud area but she made a note to herself to apologise to Jacques later for her dancing skills.

"Mercy mentioned that her detection worked through touch, correct?" She mused as she looked about the hall. "I would have expected her to have taken a break by now." Her thoughts had started to race so she took a breath. "Shaun, could you please contact Mercy? If she is in danger then Val and Aria will need to be notified." She stood and carefully constructed a smile on her face in case anybody happened to be watching. "I hope things go well on your end" she said as a farewell and walked away.

Kayla had never been the type to act on an impulse, so she had shocked herself with her own swift actions but it was a testament to the feeling of foreboding in her stomach. She maintained her smile as best she could and approached the three teammates she could see.

"Hello again, I hope you have been enjoying the evening" she said with a small nod of her head "Our friend Luna has informed me that an acquaintance we hoped to meet may be on the dance floor." She made sure to put emphasis on the word acquaintance in the hopes that her true meaning would get across. "I'm aware that it breaks convention somewhat for me to be the one to ask but, Jacques would you care to join me for a dance?" Her cheeks had to be reddening in this situation but she held strong and politely held out her hand towards the man.
 
Jack had just finished another drink while listening to Aria speak about Mercy's disappearance. Initially, he wasn't all that worried. The place was huge, so it was easy to lose sight of someone momentarily. It was the case for him many times as he made his laps earlier, but everyone became easier to find as they were located near the perimeter. If anyone were to get lost in the crowd, they would be near the center. The mass of people almost made it like navigating a maze. Just as he was about to speak, he saw a flash behind Aria and a figure appear behind her. Jack almost involuntary reaches for three of the toothpicks he stashed and was extending his arm to throw them. That's when he noticed it was Valentine and stop himself before he could release the impromptu weapons. The brawler put the toothpicks back in his pocket and sighed.

One time is a coincidence. Twice holds a reason. That's what went through Jack's mind as he heard Val ask about Mercy. Mercy did say that she was a detection Lillit and that she'd need to be up close to find out who is and isn't a Snatch. However, it was starting to look as if no one had eyes on her. Isolation could lead to death in a situation like this. Jack thought about his plan from earlier and the theory behind it. If it worked, and if Mercy was somewhere near the center of the room, there's a good chance she's in great danger. This thought made him feel guilty and frustrated at himself. It would indirectly be his fault if something happened to her. He was ready to fight again, but he quietly took deep breaths to calm himself down.

Lightning strikes a third time as Kayla approaches the group and drops the 'A' bomb(acquaintance). Now it's a problem. Jack is sure that the rest of the team has also lost track of Mercy. They had to find her fast and at least regain vision of her whereabouts while not drawing too much suspicion. It was time to make a move. Luckily, the opportunity presented itself when Kayla asked Jack to dance. It was against tradition, but he didn't care. He saw the other healer's face beginning to turn red, seemingly showing a nervous blush. Jack smiled at her and took her hand.

"Certainly." he said in a confident, yet calm tone. "Come, I know the perfect place for us to dance. Somewhere I haven't been yet."

The latter statement served as a hint that he had already circled the outside area. It was time to put his theory to the test. With one hand holding Kayla's and the other resting on her hip, he shook off his nervousness and guided her towards the center of the room. Since she was also a healer, he didn't need to use her shadow at the moment. When they got to an open spot, he stopped and gave her a twirl. As they danced, he locked eyes with her whenever he felt someone was watching them and looked around for Mercy when no one was looking.
 
Shaun felt extremely guilty about having to dig though two peoples thoughts let alone everyone. Not to mention the headache. Val and Aria and Mercy seemed to be who they where going for. He was hopeful he wouldn't have to talk to Mercy since they barley met and it would be really rude to just pop inside her thoughts. To delay the inevitable he would first contact Aria since she was the other communicator, Shaun thought if anyone was expecting him inside their heads it was her. He did the universal sigh for telepathic communication by putting two fingers to his forehead and thinking.

"Aria." He dulled all other senses for the both of them. His voice was shaky and nervous. "Its me Shaun, I didn't know if it would be alright to do this, but I just thought you'ed already know I was the other commutation, being one yourself. Me and Luna are here, and Jack is with Kayla. I see you on the other side of the room with Val. Luna is saying theirs a Snatch on the dance floor, I'm going to talk to Mercy since no one knows where she is. If you could keep in communication with everyone else, not that you have to if you don't want to."

Shaun put his other hand down on the table after that. All his nervous where already exhausted. Wiping the sweat from his head, a wave of clarity strangely rushed over him. Where a team, this is for the team. Everything started to slow down for Shaun, like time was going at half the rate. He felt it, a great presence among the dancers, Mercy? No this wasn't her, this was a different mind. He quickly forced his way into the head of his lost teammate.

"Mercy." Shaun head went blank as he wasn't sure what to say next. "Its Shaun. I'm not sure if you remember me, we all still haven't formally talked. I'm the guy with the blonde hair, I'm telepathic. I don't want to alarm you, I won't every do this again, I swear, unless your fine with it. I promise I haven't tried to read any of your thoughts. I hope I'm not intruding on anything but Luna thinks theses a Snatch on the dance floor. Think your current situation I'm reading your thoughts currently."
 
Mercy glanced at this snatch's cufflinks as well. They were normal buttons. Nothing she could use to her advantage. She was sure she was about to keep over at any moment. Any time she tried to detach herself from the creature, it but crunched her hand with its more and more. Starving for relief was an understatement.

"No, no, don't leave dear. I still have so much to talk to you about. I can't sense whether or not humans have magic. It is a dying shame isn't it? I've killed countless, useless humans, but you're the first of the night that I know is a lillit. You seem pale. Perhaps I should hold you closer, or I can have my friends take you to another room."

"Friends?" Mercy managed to squeeze out of her lips. "Plural?"

The creature's voice changed, as was typical of a level one snatch. "Indeed. You know, I am sure you're strong. You seem to be holding out far better than any other lillit would be able to. I could have claimed your corset was too tight if you fainted, and swooped you out of the ballroom and no one would bat an eye. You're different. It is a dying shame that you aren't supposed to use magic in front of normal humans."

"A dying shame indeed," she repeated as it already had done twice. She still saw no signs of her teammates. It made her consciousness fade even more as she wondered if Burne was right. And then, she heard a voice in her head.

Shaun! she belted in her mind. Mercy had been on plenty of teams before, being talked to through minds was nothing new for her and it was the first sense of relief she had had in a long while. Get me out of here! I, from what I know, am stuck between two or more snatches. I can't stay awake much longer. It won't let me go.

She paused in her thoughts for a few heartbeats. Not only could she not attack, but neither could her teammates. Don't make a commotion, she continued, have someone ask to step in. And fast...
 
Okay, so their first mission was off to a not-so-good start. They had managed to lose track of Mercy, and only now was everyone trying to find her. Aria internally shook her head at both the whole situation and the overly polite way Shaun had 'spoken' in when he reached out to communicate with her. Did he not know that Communication Lillits were generally used to suddenly connecting with each other? Ah, well, he meant well. Nothing wrong with that. Now, what was wrong was that almost nobody had eyes on their missing teammate, who was probably more towards the center, and that's always a very crowded--- wait, was that a break in the sea of dancers she sees there?

Aria blinked. Sure enough, somehow the crowd had parted enough so that she could see the center a bit more clearly - and there was Mercy, a very distressed look on the red-head's face as she danced with... what appeared to be an unusually handsy/talkative dance partner. Simultaneously pleased and disturbed at the sudden turn of events (she found their missing teammate, but she wasn't in a good situation, apparently), she quickly turned to Val and began speaking in a somewhat nervous tone.

"Oh, wait, I believe I've found her! Give me a moment, let me just..."

As she trailed off, she casually brushed a hand across the side of her head, appearing to the casual observer as though she was brushing an errant hair back into place. However, what the blonde actually did was position her fingers so that it would graze the side of her head, allowing her to send the scene she had witnessed to all of her teammates - sans Mercy, for obvious reasons.

... There is something very important to note about Aria and her usage of her lillit. Now, sharing details is usually something that most vision-based Communicators have a problem with - their images are usually too blurry and lacking in enough detail to pinpoint exactly what's happening. Aria has the exact opposite problem. She is perfectly capable of transmitting anything, down to the finest detail - it was just that she has a very hard time remembering that everyone else's definition of 'important details' is radically different from hers, which is Everything in My Current View Must Be Important and Should Be Shared. It was an unfortunate habit that she has yet to shake, and that didn't change now.
 
Just as her cheeks were starting to burn so hot they might really catch on fire, her offer was reciprocated. Relief softened her tensing shoulders and she let out as discreet a sigh as she could manage.

After allowing herself to be escorted to the dance floor she nodded as Jack dropped his hint, if only because she had seen him circling earlier. Following his lead as best she could she focused on the situation before her. Worry and suspicion could wait, all that was important now was finding Mercy. Dear God, please let it not be too late she thought before brushing it away. Luckily Jack proved to be a competent partner and she was just about able to keep up with both their dancing and searching. It because almost a dance in itself: Step, search, twirl, step repeat.

Still no sign of Mercy! No, calm, the rest of the team are searching as well. But - just as the panic was starting to creep back in a strong burst of an image resounded through her mind. Having so recently felt the sensation of having something sent directly into her mind she knew that this must be a communication from another lillit, Aria perhaps? Now's not the time!

Even though she was suddenly struck with such a surprise, her expression only faltered a little. It was her footwork that failed her, causing her to stumble mid-step and catch on to Jack for support.

She only just managed to hold the strongly detailed image long enough to make out Mercy and looked around to see anything that could point her in the right direction. Just happening to see a familiar jacket she turned and finally saw her! She looked bad, her face was very pale and her movements were sluggish.

A small laugh was all she could muster and she looked up at Jack with a sheepish smile. "I never was much good at dancing, it may be time for me to return already." Taking a small breath to steel herself she pointed over to Mercy "I have, however, spotted dear Mercy. Perhaps you could cut in? Her partner seems to have had long enough." She kept her tone as light and nonchalant as possible to not alarm the other dancers but leant in close "we need to deal with this as quietly as we can, a ruckus will only aim them" she whispered, trying to drive home the gravity of the situation.
 
As Jack is dancing with Kayla, he continues to search for Mercy when images suddenly started to flood into his mind. It was as if a movie was playing in his head. He could see the room, but it was from a different point of view. Confusion ensued since he wasn't sure what he was looking for or why this was happening. Then, he thought about Aria's powers. This must be what she meant. If this was the case, he secretly wishes there was a guide to help him navigate through this. Seconds passed. Everything seemed normal until he finally spotted something. It was a woman deep in the crowd, but relatively close to where Jack and Kayla were currently dancing. The woman was Mercy. She was distressed and looked to be in danger.

Something needed to be done quickly. Jack thought about just running over and tackling the guy dancing with Mercy. A quick move, but not a wise one. It would likely put even more people in harm's way. Plus, if he ran off like that, he'd be leaving Kayla by herself to potentially go through the same thing. He needed a way to get them close to her without looking suspicious. Then, he needed a way to get Mercy free from the man's grip. Speaking of which, is the guy a Snatch? Is he the one causing her pain, or was it someone else and he's just unaware of the situation. No. If a normal gentleman saw a woman looking like she's about faint, he would stop dancing and bring her somewhere to sit and drink some water. Jack wondered how he could get close and interact while making it look natural. Natural like someone accidentally spilling a drink. He paused for a second. That's when he had an idea. A risky one, but one that at most would only put himself in the most danger.

Just as Jack was about to carry out his plan, Kayla stumbled into him. He looked to see if she was okay, and thankfully she was. When she told him that she saw Mercy, he figured she had also saw the vision. He walked with Kayla and held her close so that he could softly whisper to her while not raising suspicion. "I believe you saw that vision too. Mercy's close, but she's in trouble. I'll handle the guy she's dancing with. You check on Mercy and get somewhere safe. If things go south, I don't want you two getting hurt because of me."

When they were close enough for Mercy to see them, Jack twirls Kayla away from him and 'accidentally' lets go so that she has the chance to bump into her. Meanwhile, he gives a shocked look. "Oops. Sorry. I think those drinks are getting to me." he adds before turning his attention to the Snatch. Wherever there's a place with lots of people and liquor, a few of them getting drunk is no surprise, so Jack pretends to be drunk considering he has already had four glasses of wine. A wide grin appeared on his face as he approached the man. "Heeeyyyy long time no see man!" He says like they were long lost friends reuniting. One pair of dancing people look at the two of them and he looks back while still keeping the supposed enemy in eyesight and arm's reach. "We were old travel buddies growing up. We'd fight each other and then get drinks afterwards like brothers." He says with a laugh as he 'inadvertently' punches the man in the face, making it look like he was aiming for the shoulder but the liquor misguided the swing. Jack had infused a bit of his shadow power into the punch, but it wasn't enough to be noticed by the naked eye. He looks back at the guy. "Whoops. Ehhh, you'll walk it off." He says and then looks back and orders a water for himself and a glass of wine for the Snatch before looking at the people he was talking to. "He'll walk it off." They smile and shake their heads as they go back to dancing while Jack returns his focus to the guy he just popped in the face.
 
Shaun's head went completely blank he didn't know the first thing to do. He stood there staring off into the distant. A Snatch? More then one Snatch? Where are our rippers? He needed to help Mercy but he had no idea how to do that without causing a commotion. His head throbbing he sat down next to Luna. "Luna." He whispered to her. "Big trouble. Mercy is in danger, there's more then one Snatch by her and she wants us to get her out of there without causing a commotion, Any ideas? I talked with Aria earlier. I think shes the first who needs to know. I think I got one more telepathic link me before my heads gonna come off. Aria needs to know about the situation for sure."

Staring off into the dance floor, he found it hard to concentrate. Peoples thoughts where starting to leak into his head, people wondering if they left their water on at home. One man wondering how his dog was getting along outside. It was overpowering his mind, his power was great, to great for him to handle. Keeping his vision on Jack, Kayla and Mercy. Jack just straight up punched the Snatch in the middle of the crowd. Well it seems like he got the situation under control. Shaun's head felt heavy, everyone presences, like his head was a light and them the moths draw to it. He looked at his fingers, wiggling them, huh did his fingers always feel like wood?
 
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Luna nodded and looked over at Shaun a bit concerned before looking into the crowd and spotting Mercy, Kayla, and Jack through a small split in the crowd. After watching Jack punch the snatch in the face she sighed outloud and rubbed her head. What happened to being subtle? Luna shook her head and looked at Shaun. "How about we group up with Valentine and Aria Shaun? You really aren't looking too good and you shouldn't try to reach someone we can quickly walk up to and talk to."

Luna stacked the plates her and Kayla had eaten off of and sat them off to the side before getting up from her seat. "Can you walk properly? Or do you need some help?" Luna watched Shaun stare at his fingers and scratched her head a bit confused. Was he like having a delusion or just spacing out? "I'd love to let you rest here a bit Shaun, but I don't think it's safe to leave you here alone. Especially when you're like...this."
 
In truth Luna didn't need to say a word, he could hearing everything she was about to say before she said it, he looked up into the purple eyes of hers. There was something almost freeing about just letting the whole world spill out everywhere, like this was the natural state everything was mean't to be in. Slowly everyone's thoughts just seemed to fade away like sea mist out into the open ocean air. Was everyone's minds going blank? He could still hear Luna's thoughts. "Yea." He just muttered out to her. It wasn't like he was physically ill just loosing control over himself.

Standing up straight he moved over to Val and Aria.
 
Luna watched Shaun and was almost shocked at how quickly he responded to her questions. She honestly thought he might've just been zoning out. While he was looking at her while she spoke, she could tell his mind was occupied on other things. However he seemed to be well enough to walk on his own. She walked beside him just incase he tumbled over as they made their way to Valentine and Aria while constantly glancing between the two girls and the dance floor.
 
The power that Mercy had to wield in order to stifle her laugh was a challenge she never thought she ever had to face. Between feeling faint and ill, seeing the snatch punched in the middle of others helped her feel a tad better. Not to mention that she planned to relish and replay the moment for the rest of her breathing life.

The snatch stopped dancing and let go of her waist, but continued to hold her hand as Jack spoke. And, as he moved on, the snatch didn't. He stood there, clamping down in her hand with its own. It lifted it's free hand and gestured toward a butler. The uniformed man scuttled across the dance floor, doing his best to not be plowed down by the dancers.

The moment the butler arrived the snatch point at Jack. "That man is drunk. He just punched me in the cranium. I would have no problem with such a reckless attitude, but my fiance was right beside me. She could have been hurt." He turned toward Mercy before continuing. "I do ask that he is forced to leave the ball. I haven't a single idea who he is. I would also like to be escorted to a private room so I may tend to myself and my lady, as she doesn't feel well after the short commotion."

Mercy's bones rattled as she clung onto every word. "No, no, I am fine," she cooed and tried to RIP her hand free, but it didn't budge.

The butler agreed to at least take the two to a place to relax, but could not guarantee that they could bounce the drunkened dancer. With that, the butler began guiding the way, the snatch dragged her along with it.

At first, Mercy gave him eyes that pleaded for help. Now, not only was she winded from being forced to cling to a snatch, but now they were headed somewhere alon...

Alone! From pleaing eyes to narrowed into a determined glare, she pointed at Jack and gestured him to follow, but sneakily. As the snatch continued to tug her along, two "men", one being from the one before, followed at her heels. She stopped trying fi get Jack's attention. She could only hope that the rest of the crew would follow, or at least, find her before anything happened.

(Written with my phone. I'll edit later.)
 
It was worrying to hear Jack talking about dealing with the snatch but he was right that something needed to be done. She walked over with him even as the fear of what she was doing sunk in. When Jack slugged the snatch right in the face, Kayla thanked her stars that she was not the type of woman to faint from shock.

She just about recovered enough to get close to Mercy but the snatch wasn't letting her go no matter how much she struggled. Matters only got worse when a butler was called over and she internally groaned. It was clear that she couldn't get Mercy away without causing a fus- wait! A private room? Her eyes widened ever so slightly at that and she just about hid her smile.

Acting fast she took the coin that she had shown to Luna and Shaun earlier, one that had already been infused with her healing and slipped it into Mercy's hand when the snatches were preoccupied with Jack and the butler. She made sure to touch Mercy's hand as she did so, not sure exactly how her detection worked she simply focused all her thoughts and feelings on trying to give Mercy a sense of this will heal you, we'll be right behind you.

With that done she held onto Jack, worried that he might try to stop them. They needed to get somewhere that they could plan without too many listeners. Feigning a laugh again she put her arm around him as though she were really supporting the weight of a drunk man "apologies for the disturbance, I'll take him somewhere to rest" she said as she attempted to steer him to the edge of the dance floor, all the while keeping Mercy and the snatches in sight.

"We need to tell the others" she whispered as quietly as she could while making sure Jack could hear her. "Do you think you can follow them without them knowing?" She asked as they reached the edge of the mass of moving bodies.
 
Hell yeah! I've been waiting to hit somebody all night! Now let's see if he hits back. Jack's thoughts were filled with excitement. He just casually decked a snatch in the jaw right where his teammates would hopefully be able to see the action. The first punch had been thrown. However, he would have to wait a while before taking a second shot at it. The snatch may have let go of Mercy's side, but it still clung to her hand. On top of that, it was smarter than Jack expected.

Instead of answering the indirect challenge to fight, the pseudoman went with a tactical approach. It called over a butler and declared that Jacques should be thrown out for being dangerously drunk. To make things worse, it also claimed that Mercy was its fiancé. The butler believed this since he had no definitive reason not to. It had appeared that Jack's plan backfired. Not only was he about to lose sight of Mercy, possibly forever, but it seemed that he would also be shown the door. The butler stated that there was no guarantee that Jack would get kicked out. That was the good news. The bad news was that the butler was going to guide Mercy and the snatch to a private area. If she's left alone with it, it may very well kill her. It was time for Jack to try something different. It was time for him to exercise patience for the sake of his teammate.

As the snatch drags Mercy with it, she gives Jack a look that screams that she desperately needed help. He looked at her with an unwavering stare to show that he wasn't giving up that easily. A few seconds later, the look on her face changed from fear to determination. She motioned for him to follow, but with the butler onto him, he couldn't just casually walk with them because the snatch would just claim he's harassing them. To make matters worse, two more "men" walked behind them like bodyguards. They were likely snatches as well.

Jack's initial impulses wanted him to go up to them and slug it out anyway, but Kayla held on to him. She helped sell his drunken act, something he'd have to remind himself to thank her for later. She asked him if he could follow them without them knowing. Jack nods his head and whispers to her. "Of course. Rally the troops as fast as possible and come find us, but be careful. We know there are three snatches here, but we don't know if they have backup. I'll stick with Mercy so that they can't isolate her."

With that being said, Jack had come up with his next move. He takes a moment to look around and make sure he's not being watched by anyone not on the team. Then, his body turns into a silhouette and melts into Kayla's shadow. From there, he swiftly hops from shadow to shadow like a shark navigating through water until he lands inside of Mercy's shadow. He didn't want to freak her out. So, while the snatches weren't looking, Jack morphs her shadow to look like his for a second to hint that it was him there before morphing the shadow back to how it was. As much as he wanted to fight, protecting Mercy was his top priority. He had to be still and silent long enough for them to get to the private place and for the butler to leave. Jack would continue to rest in her shadow, waiting for his moment to strike. Since he was there, his healing mitigated the constant strain the snatch was putting on her. This made it easier for Kayla's coin to heal Mercy even though Jack doesn't know she has it as he was busy dealing with the butler.
 
The relief she felt as Jack played along gave her a spark of hope and she watched him fold himself into the darkness of her shadow fully before turning and walking with calm but brisk steps towards the her allies, already helpfully grouped together. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a way to convey what had just happened to the others.

Not sure if they had seen she decided to start with a guilty smile "It seems out friend Jack really cannot hold his liquor. He has gone to rest in a private room but I believe he could use some company. Shall we join him?" She gestured towards the door that the two had just exited by with the butler and three snatches. "It also appears we had more company than anticipated" her eyes narrowed slightly "be sure to greet the trio escorting our dear Mercy, should you come across them"

Hoping that her hints and warning had been communicated well enough, she waited to see her teams reaction.
 
'Well,' Aria thought to herself as she watched Jack throw all pretenses of subtlety to the wind and straight-up deck the Snatcher, 'this could've been worse, I suppose.'

It truly could've been worse - the Snatcher could've retaliated immediately, or maybe Jack could've been seized and thrown out of the party. Nevertheless, despite the overall not-bad-but-not-good outcome, the blonde was still seized with the incredible urge to hit her head against a nearby wall.

Before she could even attempt to carry out that particular fantasy, the rest of the team had decided to come over. Aria looked over each of them as they approached, and other than Shaun - who looked as though he was mere moments from collapsing - everyone appeared to be fine.

When Kayla told the group about the situation - three Snatchers, heading to a private place with Mercy, Jack is tailing them - Aria realized that this was their moment to dispatch the creatures.

'Though... how are we going to play this off? A group of people leaving at the same time always looks odd...'

She glanced over at Shaun, and the metaphorical light bulb went on over her head. She then turned back to Kayla with a smile.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Kayla! In fact, from the looks of things, Shaun appears to be in dire need of some rest as well - perhaps that's a sign for the rest of us, hm?"
 
Luna listened to her teammates carefully as they suggested heading into a private location to relax. She of course got Kayla's hints about Mercy and three Snatches heading off to a private room, if anything she could hear the snatches drift farther away from the crowd on the dance floor along with Jack tagging along.

Luna looked at her team and let out a small giggle. "It seems like you two have read my mind! Shaun had gotten a bit tipsy from the champagne and a good rest was exactly what I was thinking of, plus it seems to be a great way for all of us to relax a bit from the partying and eating."
 
Valentine's bemused expression shifted when Aria said that she and Jack had also lost track of Mercy. "That doesn't sound good...but we shouldn't jump to conclusions. There's no guarantee that Mercy made contact with the enemy just because we temporarily lost track of her. For now, we should stay calm and observe the situation..."

She trailed off as Kayla suddenly approached Jack and asked for a dance. Her immediate instinct was to joke at their expense; she reveled in the shyness of her approach. The face she made just now was adorable!

However, Val bit back her jibes for once after quickly catching on to the hidden meaning behind Kayla's words. She wanted to get closer to Mercy's location, and this was a subtle way of doing it that would prevent suspicion from any prying ears. Well played, clever girl.

For a moment, Val became extraordinarily confused when she suddenly seemed to be viewing Mercy's location from only a couple feet or so from where she seemed to be standing before she realized that it must have been Aria's ability in use. "You don't have to send me the image when I can already see her too, you know. Jeez..."

Val's eyes widened in shock as she viewed Mercy's expression—extremely distressed, as though her life were in imminent danger. There was no doubt about it now; the man Mercy was currently dancing with was a Snatch.

Valentine watched the situation unfold, trying to keep herself from looking as tense as she felt as she resisted the urge to push past the crowd and give assistance to Mercy. Unfortunately, any hostile action she took would definitely draw too much attention to the group, and she was sure that the rest of her team was thinking the same thing. All they could do was watch and wait for an opportunity for them to intervene.

Val gave a relieved sigh and smiled in response to the news that Kayla delivered. If she was reading her words correctly, Mercy was going to an isolated location with the Snatch and this was their chance to go to Mercy's defense. "It was only a matter of time before that blockhead Jack caused trouble for us. I suppose we're all at least a little tipsy from an event like this. As long as I don't have to babysit anyone, I'm all for it—let's give him some company."
 

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