The Masquerade

The story followes several of the characters through Masquerade, essentially a yearly city-wide party.

Lena gets an unexpected and unwelcome chance to see how Uptown celebrates after Kris bullies her into attending the family Masquerade party... a situation Lena's displeased about before Gabrielle invites herself along. And before Kris's latest prank gets seriously out of hand.

Riley is at the same Uptown party, courtesy his wife Vivienne. His night is made marginally better when he runs into Quinn, and considerably worse when they both encounter Franz Castlen.

Travis, on the other hand, has let himself be talked into attending a race on the lower end of town with his ward Ria -- a decision he'll regret after someone sabotagues the race and starts a minor riot. Sal, Ana, and Fausto -- along with the confused cause of all the trouble, the cyborg racer Ian Sanderson -- all end up trying to survive the night and rescue Ria together.


Characters: Lena - Murdoch - Kris - West - Gabrielle - Ian - Ana - Sal - Hans - Quinn - Travis - Ria - Franz - Riley - Fausto - Damon - Claude



Pages: The Invitation - Lena's deal - Masquerade night: Sal and Ana - Masquerade night: Viv and Riley - Masquerade night: Ria and Travis - An unexpected benefactor - Gabrielle drops a hint - The worst that could happen - Playing the odds - A simple message - On your mark - Social hell - Choose your poison well - Wallflower - False advertising - Gabrielle makes a mistake - Kris outdoes herself - Lost in the crowd - Subtle differences - Meet Ian - In trouble is easy, out is hard - Blood tells - The Look - Innocence and guilt, part one - Innocence and guilt, part two - Off topic - Cities go up, too - Busted - Outdoor jobs - Combat experience - Ana looks on the bright side - Loudmouth - Analytic minds - Tolerance and grace - Police work - The wrong kind - The fountain at last - A warning shot - Parenting trouble - Mob justice - Common ground - A sincere apology - A little company