Birds of a Feather

He was bound to garner attention like this.

The place was gaudy in his opinion, with flashing lights, loud heinous music playing in the future-esque background; as crowds of scantily dressed people thronged onto the dance floor.

And Alister was in the middle of it all. Which brings him back to his first point, he was quite different than all of the guest there tonight; far being that while some there wore their dresses with holes and tears as a fashion choice, he wore it with no choice. He had his common attire; a worn raggedy shirt and ripped stained trousers. He looked like a homeless man. An obvious figure in the crowd, sticking out like a sore thumb. And while he did it to get a certain person's attention he had also garnered others unwanted looks. Mostly by the security guards and waiters, probably questioning the bouncer that had let him in (with bribes of course).

Underneath the dry-iced smoke, he spots her. His ticket. With purpose in his feet, he strode through the large dance floor ignoring the angry or aggravated looks he would get as he shoved and pushed his way. He made it to her table just as she noticed him. Pretty brown eyes were her features he first remembered from the photo and note; dark lustrous hair, green emerald dress, and red-painted lips that looked perfect with her cold eyes.

"You are beautiful..." He said, in lieu of a greeting. Her perfect eyebrows rose as she gave him a snarky smile.

"Oh thanks, that's quite a compliment coming from a man who never had a bath it seems."

Alister only smirked. "Well, you're welcomed."

She sneered as he still stood there.

"Well, as much as I like for us to continue chatting here, I am waiting for my date, so if you don't mind...?" She shooed him.

"Oh come on, I'm sure your partner could wait, right?" He pushed on, moving to sit at her table. Her face scrunched up in disgust.

"Believe me, he can't. Since he's already late. But, that doesn't allow you to just enter into my personal space."

"Ah, my apologies then... Miss. Elice."

Her eyes widen at him only to return to neutral in a flash. Instead of what he expected to be anger or shock forming in her face, maybe even spurring out intolerable words, her expression turned to a sort of neutral curiosity.

"And where does a man with looks like yourself know my name?" She hissed.

"Only an important man trying to capture your attention," he narrowed his eyes at her, "which didn't work it seems."

Realization abruptly dawned on her as she stared him down, then she had the gall to look pleased. "I'm sorry, the club is a pretty hard place to spot someone in."

"Even people with my attire?" Elice rolled her eyes.

"I had to do a double-take before realizing it was you, Mr. Alister, you weren't wearing your assigned clothing." She gestured to his clothing.

Alister replied, "well, actually, this was what they told me to wear to the meeting. At least you finally noticed. Now, shall we go and join the others?" He offered his arm to her.

She gave a questioning look to his hand as if afraid it would explode, but in the end, she took it. Elice led the way through the club into a backdoors room. The music had died down as they traveled but he could still hear the thumps of the melody in this space, it was an empty room, probably a VIP room if he had to go by the glitzy decor, she led him to a dark corner of the room at the very end. Letting go of his hold, she used her hands to knock around the walls.

"They always change the combination every week. Paranoid, the lot of them." She complained.

Alister quirked a brow. "Sounds like careful planning to me." Elice huffed and moved away once an audible creak! Resonated in the room. Slowly a section of the walls moved, leading to an elegant hall.

The hall was only seen for a few seconds though as the view was instantly blocked by a large suited man. A security guard, Alister musses as the man clicks his earpiece on and murmured something to it before taking out a desert eagle and pointing at them.

"State your names and purpose!" He growled.

Elice was first. She straightens herself and spoke in a powerful voice. "Miss Elice Western, 'hummingbird', a loyal member of the Council."

The man then turned to him. Waving the gun.

He laughed. "Alister Gold, 'peregrine falcon', also a member of the council."

The security guard stood and watched them with sharp still eyes, analyzing their movement and faces, taking every detail, and finding any identification he could register in his brain or crack them in a wary sweat. But the two of them were confident, in their own ways; Elice with prideful confidence and Alister with a hint of playfulness that screamed warning. Then, at last, the man sighed and moved aside to let them in. "Fine, enter."

They both walked along the red marble hall, walls lined with shiny ceramic plastered with diamonds and gold carvings, Alister openly admired the scenic beauty of the foyer while Elice just brushed it off as she tried to speed up in her high heels. Finally, the reach to the end of the hallway, leading to two large well-polished dark oak doors, Alister reached for the handle when Elice swiped at his hand.

"What are you doing!?" She loudly whispered.

Alister frowned. "Going in?"

"Without knocking? Do you want to die? We can't just walk in during a meeting." She said it as if it was a known rule though he had never known, then again usually he comes in time. Elice then proceeded to give the smallest quietest knock on the door.

A long solitude moment happened, Alister who was forced to wait took the time to study his partner more; Elice Western was called 'hummingbird' in the council, hummingbirds were small, little creatures who while are fast are not strong, which places her place as quite lowly if he remembers. He watches her stare at the door with an almost harden glare, he glanced down at her hands and watched in terrible fascination as her fingers trembled ever the slightest at her sides, letting out her worry only in small bits.

Time passes and Alister starts to wonder if his partner would break down any moment before the doors began to open. Elice immediately took to regain her composure. They looked at each other silently before arm in arm entered the Council of Avium.

It was a huge chamber, the walls were even more extravagant here than the halls outside. With icy blue gems attached to the walls, creating glittering imagery of different birds, golden dome cages filled with pigeons hang from the ceiling, and in every corner of the room held ostentatiously detailed pillars painted in brilliant white. In the middle of the room was a large and long table made of fine wood, the legs each carved to depicting the fiery bird of mythology, The Phoenix.

Outside the room, the halls, there in the club were normal people dancing and laughing. The atmosphere was light and happy there. Here, the climate was tense and heavy. People with cold faces and stares, all wearing bird-related accessories in their costumes, they were all seated at their perches, only two seats left empty, seated side by side.

Elice acted in instinct as she bowed her head and spoke in a painful voice. "I apologize to the council for my belatedness. Hummingbird ask for forgiveness if you would bestow it.'"

Alister followed her lead and bowed as well, though he didn't speak.

There was a shuffle of whispers as the members began talking in hushed tones, most shaking their heads while few were nodding. Then, came a clap from the front end of the table. Everyone turned their gaze. There, a man stood loomingly above the rest of the council. While he wore the same outfit- fancy suit and tie or silk feathery dresses-as the rest of the council, he exuded power in him. In everything; his dark eyes, black fountain hair, and eyes that rivaled the dead's icy stare. It was clear he was the leader.

The Eagle King. Edward Zephyr.

He looked at them with an expressionless smile. Voice deep, he spoke with authority. "The Eagle forgives you Hummingbird, Peregrine. Please, take a seat."

They shuffled their way to their perches in the middle right side of the table. And as soon as they sat down, the focus of the room shifted from them to the Eagle.

"Now that the last pair of our siblings have returned to the nest, it is time we finally start our reason for being here." Edward lifted his hands to the skylight as members began clapping at his words.

"Let the meeting commence."