New Year's Ballroom [L]

[Mellie]

[You can no longer join this roleplay if you hadn't before the second of January.]

(This roleplay takes place on New Year's Eve (in the evening))



This ballroom is not only the largest on the planet, but it also hosts the biggest party on the planet as well. Most everyone is invited to partake in the celebration of this period of time coming to an end.

The ballroom itself is lovely, huge and spattered with tables around the outside that look out onto a cityscape of the General District. The large windows double as doors to the balcony where there are stone benches, statues, and a staircase that leads to the back of the building where there is a large garden complete with a fountain and hedges.

The ballroom is decorated in golds and silvers with crystal decoration. The band plays from the center of the room, and they are then surrounded with the largest dance floor in the world. Dinner is served: Your choice of dragon, phoenix, or hippocampus. There is an open bar that serves not only alcohol but a cornucopia of juices, sodas, as well as water, mineral water, eggnog (the alcohol side of the bar serves it with rum), milk and chocolate milk.

(By posting in this thread you will be eligible for some New Year prizes. Every post will make you eligible for a different prize. The best prizes will go to the highest poster(s).)

[Skylar]

The new year's celebrations had never been something Skylar was particularly fond of. It wasn't that he didn't like the parties and the tons of free food that was available, but the passage of time didn't affect him as much as he wanted it to and, as such, he hated noting it when it wouldn't make him all that much older. He was still just a kid, and would be for centuries. It was a shame, really. However, he pushed that thought from his head for the time being as he came across the gigantic ballroom that took up quite a chunk of the General District. It was all spiffed up and decorated for the end of the year party, already beginning to fill with people from all over Setsuwa. So, the party was beginning.

"What do you think, Jinx? Should we check it out?" He glanced over at the grimalkin, who was eyeing the tables laden with food. "I'll take that as a yes." So they made their way through the doors and into the building, which looked even bigger than it had on the outside, though it was hard to imagine it looking any bigger. It was also decorated to the nines and the smell of food was everywhere. Come to think about it, when was the last time he had eaten? Probably not as recently as his stomach would like, that was for sure. He tended to forget about basic needs sometimes.

While he had been distracted by the table nearest him, Jinx had shifted into a girl that looked about his age and headed over to another table to start getting herself some food. He supposed that was smart, because people would be much less likely to object to a girl eating from the table than a cat.

((Meh, it's something))

[Tehodis Kitai]

It had been a year chock full of change for Tehodis. For the first of many differences, she had made a vow to separate herself from any romantic entanglements - something that seemed to make her life severely complicated. There was the prospect of one, or two maybe, on the horizon, but she didn't want to look ahead. She didn't want to dream or wish upon a star. She wanted to live in the moment. Whatever was happening now, and only to her own end. Mostly. The second difference was the fact that she had now - officially - visited every continent once. Yes, she had not yet visited each city of even country, but what a start this was! Finally, and most importantly - to her, at least - she had a job.

Now, Tehodis had never had a job before. She had done little odds and ends, but not for payment, simply for favour. Now, however, she was doing work regularly and was getting paid regularly. It was a magnificent change. Not only did she manage to rather quickly (she thought) melt into her surroundings and become good at her job, but she now had the funds to purchase things she had only ever dreamt of purchasing before. Case and point was her gown for this years New Year's Ball. It was handcrafted for her, every inch of it was created by either her imaginings, the designer's, or them together. And she felt fantastic in it.

The fabric clung to her as nothing ever had before. At first, she was unsure of wearing something like it - but then the designer confidently assured her that she could pull it off, and she was easily persuaded. The colour was, of course, blue. She absolutely refused to have it any other way. The designer convinced her to use two colours, but it was only as the dress continued downward that it faded into a lovely purple. The dress pooled elegantly at her feet, but a slit up the front that went up to her knee kept it from being too understated. Where the real magnificence of the dress came in, however, was the back. The triple spaghetti straps holding the piece up were flawlessly changed into an elegant, ornate pattern that made it look as though perhaps she had gotten a blue, sparkling tattoo. The back drooped down to only a few inches above her buttocks - and normally that would have been a problem with Tehodis - but due to the fact that that the pattern decorated her suitably, she felt confident and unique.

To keep the attention mostly on the dress, she had done her hair up in a cascade of curls and done a small smattering of make-up that did little to take attention away from the garment. Her birthday present from Lord Woodrow himself decorated her ears and draped her neckline. Earrings and a matching necklace made of sterling silver and a blue gem that seemed almost as endless as the open sea.

Lord Woodrow had not only surprised her by gifting her with such an item, but by also inviting her to be his guest at the ball. He had apparently discovered she was going alone, and wished for her not to have to go without accompaniment. She had refused, of course. A big part of the new Tehodis, was the fact that she was independent. Incredibly so, in fact. So she went alone. She had walked up those big marble steps confidently and without any murmur of nervousness hindering her approach...

Then however, she entered the building and felt a whole new wave of self doubt. Every person who even glanced her way, she decided, was judging her. Every woman was laughing at how silly she looked and every man was joking with his friends about how ugly she was. Her face flushed, and she kept her eyes low to the ground. Her hands tried to smooth out her dress, and she sucked in, trying to make herself look thinner. "This was not a good idea," She decided.

[Ichabod Afof]

Oh how Ichabod loved a party. The wine, the women - oh the delicacies... There was one problem with this specific party, however. It was far too nonexclusive. Everyone was invited, everyone attended. Yes, this seemed like it might very well be a perfect opportunity to get his name out there - but at the same time it was made extremely difficult by the fact that there were several bands playing, a million people talking all at once, and a major impossibility of getting ones voice heard over everything that was happening. Even magic couldn't elevate his voice enough - not that he had enough magical prowess for such a thing to happen.

Ah well, a party was still a party. Even if he could not spread his word or his name, at least he could enjoy himself and perhaps find a delicious meal along the way. The night had yet to truly begin, and such there were only thousands of people filling the largest room in the world (or so he would wager). There were only so many choices. There were some lovely rich women, some dowdy poor women, some poor women trying to look rich while they ate their first meal it who knew how long. There were the beautifully thin and the grossly thin, the voluptuously weighty and then the 'I've-let-myself-go' weighty. Many choices, and yet, none of them really enticed him.

No. No, that wasn't entirely true. There was the one that definitely caught his eye, but he knew it was the one that was as off-limits as it could get. She was important, not to most people. Not in the sense that she was a benevolent and wealthy politician. No, she was important because of what she would do for him. She was in good relations with three men - two of whom would be helping to get his name to be one of the most treasured in the world. Tristan Cowell and Kikuriku Gouken. Both were instrumental in his worldwide fame, and if he decided to make a meal of her, he knew that he would not survive to consume another.

So instead he turned his sights to the drinks. He snagged someone's unattended martini and stole away into the crowd, sipping contentedly as he looked for a table that either was empty or held an interesting variety of people whom might offer a nice story. The latter could not be spotted within a ten mile radius, so he settled for a table that no one had yet arrived at. He was quick to down the rest of the alcohol in his class, chewing the olives calmly while keeping an eye on the door.

[Violet Macar]

Violet had mixed feelings about the New Year's Ball. On one hand, it seemed like the absolutely perfect opportunity to fish out some tasty gossip... On the other, it was the one event that she had to go as herself. Well, not herself. She had to go as Daisy Wright. This was the only day where anyone met Daisy. Her boss thought that it might be a good way to reinforce who Daisy is, what she stand for, all that jazz. Violet didn't find it fun. She couldn't take heavy risks, she couldn't pretend to be people's friends, since they didn't really want to be friends.

At least she had a way to take some credit, however. People would come up to her and compliment her, insult her, all of those fantastic things that made you feel like you did your job just right. Some might wonder how everyone would recognize her, but that was quite a simple deduction. She wore something that stood out, that was completely different than what everyone would wear. If that didn't help enough, she also wore a gigantic Daisy in her hair, one that was nearly as big as her face.

Daisy herself was nothing much like Violet. Where Violet had sharp lines on her face and dark hair, Daisy had strawberry coloured hair and soft curves on her face that were accentuated with a red flushed shade and a smattering of freckles. Instead of the dark coloured eyes that Violet had, Daisy had bright green eyes with little golden flecks in them. Her red hair was in ringlets around her face, letting her daisy stand out.

Her dress this year was not really like a dress at all. Instead it was made of a mini dress and leggings made in the colours of bright blue and orange. The mini dress was covered in a mixture of three different, combating, patterns and embroidery of all kinds. A pair of bright orange gloves graced her hands while orange sandals with daisies covering the leather of it covered her feet. A wrap found it's way snaked around her in an almost eye burning shade of orange with gold and blue accents on it. She was certainly a conversation piece. Even as she walked through, fake smile on her face as she made some small talk and bounced some insults, people stared at her; they made comments, they smirked, they laughed - and then they made the realization that she was Daisy Wright, and they had a completely different opinion.

When she had greeted the usuals, she got to a vantage point to see if anyone interesting had arrived yet. Her eyes gazed through the crowd quickly, noting the various differences between the attendees. There was a table with every chair filled with laughing, talking and drinking. Then there was one where a man sat drinking a martini confidently, surveying the crowd like she was. There was a warlord, and then there was a young boy with purple hair and a cat. Then there was someone that did catch her attention.

"Little miss murmur maker herself..." Violet grinned. One of her favourite people was in attendance. How wonderful. Tehodis Kitai, the ex-fiancée of Tristan Cowell, one of Balfour's top men, and the rumoured attention-holder of Sumish Sea Peacekeeper leader Markus Woodrow. She was definitely going to be targeted. Violet needed to look at all of the people, but she would definitely track the girl later. A good story was sure to be gotten from her. Perhaps: Tehodis Kitai's Reasons; The Exclusive Story. It could make a good feature. This might end up being a profitable night after all.

[Relos]

Relos was intrigued to hear that there was a ball this year. The ball last year was alright in his opinion, but he felt that he should go again this year. He had to rent a suit once again, though that hardly put a dent in his wallet, so he went to the ball to partake in the festivities to celebrate the new year. Of course, there was one thing that took precedence: a nice, tasty meal and drink. He made his way to the bar, scooting his way through the crowd with mutters of "Excuse me." Taking his seat on one of the stools, the bartender made his way to ask Relos for his order, cleaning a glass as a good bartender would.

"I'll take a soda, anything with a lemon lime taste to it." The bartender nodded and went to fill Relos's glass. Relos took a few sips before setting it down on the table. He looked behind him to see if by some chance there was someone he might recognize, but there was so many people in attendance that it was basically like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

[Lord Woodrow]

Disappointment was the first thing Woodrow felt when it came time to go to the New Year's Ball. He had asked Tehodis to attend with him - seeing as neither had a date, he told her, and it would be far better than going alone - but she had refused. She had refused him. What kind of world was he living in when the woman of his choosing refused to attend a ball with him? Any other woman would have fallen out of her dress to go with him, but not Tehodis. Perhaps that was the reasoning behind him so desperately wanting to be with her. Yes, at first it was because of her beauty. Then her traditionality. Now, however, it seemed to all be based on the chase. Ah well, where there was another year there were more opportunities. For now, he would have to put up with the usual. He presaged that he would be approached by the usual kinds of people - fans, prospective funders, warlords, politicians and royalty. Just another day of work for him. While some may attend the ball for food, drink or dance, he instead attended for business. How dull.

Having just finished a conversation with a reporter trying to take over the current gossip columnist's shoes (Daisy something or other, he believed) he determined that what would make this night infinitely better would be to grab himself a drink. He straightened his kerchief, excused himself from undesirable company and headed to the nearest drink counter. This one was not as crowded as most seemed to hold, there only being a young boy of probably sixteen or seventeen drinking a soda in a suit that didn't seem to fit quite right. Probably a rental, Woodrow decided, rentals never fit anyone just right. At least the boy was making an effort. Woodrow ordered himself a scotch, smiling congenially at the woman serving him before turning about to lean on the counter while watching the festivities.

Watching was a bit of a loose term for what he was doing. He was less watching and more looking. Looking for the girl who just happened to fill some of his dreams with her lovely taste in fashion, her increasing skill in her new job, and of course her beauty. Somewhat her personality as well, but he had not been able to spend as much time with her as he liked, so he didn't know much about her other than favourite foods, colours, and dances. He was approaching the prospect of giving up his search when his eyes finally locked onto her. She was looking fantastic in a blue dress, yet again making the colour seem fresher than ever. His heart skipped within his chest when he saw that she was wearing the gift he had bought her for her birthday. A gorgeous necklace that had cost more than he would admit to anyone doing his taxes.

"Such a beauty," He admitted, sipping at his scotch. Just the look of her made him smile, and then he thought about the fact that she appeared not to be attending with anybody, and his smile grew wider. Even though she had rejected his invitation, he was glad to see that she had at least not found someone else to attend with. He was sure that if she had he would have been both depressed and angry. Not at her, of course, but he would be quite angry at the man and would ensure that he was removed from the picture. Even if she felt sad or lonely due to it, he would be there to comfort her. And she would realize that --

Don't get too possessive, His brain reminded him and he sipped his assent. He would have to wait on the release of the jealous and possessive personality. When they were officially an item he would allow himself more leeway. For now, however, he would have to concentrate on someone else. He let his eyes pass through the room, looking for someone who wouldn't be too annoying to converse with - which eliminated most of the people who knew him - until they finally came back to the young boy next to him in the rented suit.

"Tell me, I can't quite decide - are you from Aebrynis or Celestia? I just can't quite put my finger on the mannerisms," He asked, smiling as he turned his back to the dance floor once again. A question always seemed to be the perfect way to initiate conversation.

[Relos]

The drink was quite delightful, to say the least. He would have ordered another drink, but he needed to save his money. Oh, forget it, it's New Years, so he should just enjoy it. Before he could order another drink, he heard the man sitting next to him ask him a question, wondering where he was from.

"Neither, actually. I come from Dirys, though I've been considering Aissic. I don't have a fondness for cold weather, but my mom grew up there and I figured I should stay there for a while." He was rather curious as to how one can determine the home of another through their mannerisms, but took no note of it. "Well, since you asked where I'm from, I'll ask the same of you. I'm afraid that I'm completely at a loss as to where your home may be." Relos felt a bit of regret for talking more than than he should have just to answer a simple question. He reached for his drink in an attempt to drown his embarrassment, though there was hardly much left to his drink.

[Major Tommy Dunn]

(Hopefully towards Vincent...)

Since he had invented the aircraft, flying had been a favourite pastime of Tom's. There were so many things about it were appealing. One things, one of the great big things, was the amount of power you felt. You had found a way to fly without magic or bodily functions. You were up in the air and it was just you, some birds, and a heck of a lot of clouds. He had never been interested in breezing brooms or gliding galleons, they always seemed so fake an unreal to him. Besides, they were controlled by magic - magic was so easily undone. This, however, was something that only many negative vicissitudes of hazard would undo. The mechanical controls made by a genius mind would not be outdone by a bunch of hocus-pocus.

There was one thing that was rather unfortunate, however. At least when one was planning on going to a fancy party on the eve of the new year. The top was wide open and high speeds had wind rushing past him, over him, enveloping him. On a normal day, he would be happy with this. It was a rush he didn't get any other way - and it really didn't bother him now. He knew, however, that it would likely bother him when he touched down in the General District and realized that he had to fix himself up before entering. He would not falter and worry about such a thing, but people cared - especially the people he intended to see within the party. So, when the plane found it's landing it a clearing he was given permission to park within, he stopped for a time to fix himself up. First, he pulled off his goggles, dropping them into the seat and hopping out of the plane gracefully. It would take a couple of minutes for the proof of wearing tight goggles to disappear, so he would take the time to try to remove the wrinkles from his suit and the looseness from his hair.

When he seemed to have fixed everything (he used the reflective surface of the aircraft to check himself) he straightened his bowtie and tested a sociable smile before walking 'cheerfully' to the Ballroom not too far away. He entered from one of the side entrances, making his way through one of the gardens to get there. He took his time, taking solace in the rushing water of the fountain that reminded him of the tanks of his lab; the clicking of heels on the cement making him think of the clock he used to time himself in creating small devices. He was forced to pause once or twice, shaking the hands of some diplomat from Artavia who he had met at some point in his career. He smiled at them, laughing at their jokes before patting them on the back and heading closer to the Ball.

When he finally did enter, he kept the smile on his face, but his brain went into a far more serious mode of sorts. He concentrated on scanning the crowd, looking for the reason he had even bothered to attend. There were the reasons based on reputation and suspicion that would have likely had him here whether or not he was aware of the man's attendance, but at this point he would call business his only venture. The heavy crowd came as a bit of a surprise to him. Dunn had not expected the place to be so full - he had only attended once, and hardly recalled it. It seemed as if everyone in the world was in attendance - the room itself seemed to take up city's worth of space filled with tables, food, floor and bands. And people, of course, so many people. It would have been enough for a dim man to give up - but Dunn was not a dim man.

He is a well known man. Rich. Which would mean he would have a reserved table for him and his guests, Tommy took in the room, the tables isolating themselves in his mind, He's powerful, famous, and other than royalty and presidents, he would be at the top of the list... These tables are grouped together... Far enough away from bands to not have headaches, but close enough that the music can be heard well -- He quickly cordoned off some of the tables in his mind, pausing for a moment to reply to a greeting someone had proffered him. He gave a great smile and continued to walk in, pausing at a drink cart to make himself look occupied. Being the rich and powerful, they wouldn't be having to go and fetch their own food or drinks - in fact he probably orders off the top of his head and gets whatever he decides he wants. Fortuitous pigs they are, they would stay separated from the common folk as much as possible... But... He smiled, pinpointed one select table in the perfect position for such a man as he was. He took his drink - a soda water with a lemon twist - and straightened his suit jacket before making his way to the choice table.

"Excuse me ladies - gentlemen," He said in the most friendly way he could muster while still seeming completely believable. He took a moment to squint at the placecard on the table noting who it belonged to. And that would be a bingo for me. "I'm looking for Mister Woodrow, do any of you know where he may have run off to?"

[Cherry Milerand]

Cherry had found it quite hard to believe that an entire year had passed since the last time she had found herself inside the biggest, most beautiful Ballroom the world had ever known. Where ever did the time go? It was amazing sometimes. Not as amazing as a pig that could deep sea dive, or a Cat that could talk and morph into things, but amazing none the less. In any case, weather she had noticed the passage of time or not (which was understandable in the long run, considering her Lamini heritage), it didn't change the fact that she was more than delighted to be in attendance once again. After all, last year had been going so well before that little fiasco that had to go and ruin the evening. She needed to make up for it, and hopefully, avoid a repeat scenario.

But one thing that didn't change was that style of hers that made absolute sure she would have as much attention on herself as possible. After all, she would never make it in the Fashion industry if her clothes and designs couldn't grab the attention of the masses - and that was one thing she was not willing to let fail. And so she arrived this evening wearing the absolute best party attire she had possibly managed to cook up - She came adorned in a gown that would make even nobility jealous. From the waist up, the garment was form-fitting, a deep, velvety purple rising to cover her bosom, thin straps moving over her shoulders to hold it in place. But rather than leave her chest and arms bear, they were instead covered in a fishnet material, of the same color, which was woven into several rose-like patterns as it moved about her skin. At the elbows, the fishnet disappeared and made way for a pair of gloves, which covered the entirety of the rest of her arms, save for her fingers - they were left exposed, as the the glove ended in a sort of ring around her middle finger, allowing her blue-painted fingernails to shine in the light of the ballroom.

As was typical for her, a light, transparent purple shawl hung around her shoulders and wrists, giving her an elegant, dignified look that was at odds with her personality and playful smile. Finally, from her waist down, a wide-spread, multi-layered gown of light and dark purples flowed gracefully to the ground, stopping just about an inch off the floor, floating delicately. On her feet was a pair of open-toed heeled shoes, causing her steps to click just slightly. Her hair had been curled into a wavy due which fell over her shoulders and behind her back, unrestrained, and her lips and eyes had been colored to match her dress.

All in all, she was quite pleased with her appearance, and was more than happy to see that it had been gaining the desired effect; from the moment she stepped foot inside the Ballroom, several eyes had turned to her, several women looking at her with scathing looks that could only be envy, while their mouths kept their fake smiles in place. Of course, not all women were so petty - many others were simply admiring her outfit, giving her genuine grins before returning to their business, enjoying their own stunning appearances.

The only thing that would have pleased the Lamini more would have been if she had entered on Yuusuke Shirotori's arm - but unfortunately, he had to be all shy, insisting he remain waiting outside until he was prepared. She had dressed the boy herself, and in her own opinion, he had finally looked appropriate to the public eye (and out of those ghastly things he called clothes). She had even gone out of her way to bring him to the party with her, and he couldn't even walk in with her? Something was clearly wrong with him, she figured with a sigh.

Oh well. As long as he came in eventually, loosened up a bit, and had some actual fun, she could be satisfied. As it was, she was already pleased just by the looks she was getting. It surely wouldn't be long now before someone approached her about who she was wearing, to which she would happily reply about how she designed it herself, and then this person would just happen to be a major designer looking for the next big thing, and she would be made rich and famous (by her OWN efforts this time)!

Lost in her day dreaming as she was, though, she didn't even notice where she was walking. And so it was a very unfortunate at that moment that she happened to walk right into a big, blue something.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!" she blurted, feeling quite flustered with herself that she could actually loose track of where she was walking - that had certainly never happened before. Chuckling nervously, she straightened herself out, smiling at the woman she had managed to walk into, and attempting to see if she had been knocked down or needed any assistance. "Are you alright miss? I'm so sorry, I must have not been paying much attention... oh, how embarrassing! I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?" she babbled, feeling like a fool as she gave the woman another once over.

She seemed rather familiar, now that Cherry thought about it, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen her before. But she had definitely seen her before, of that she could be sure. However, before she could place just where it had been, her attention was instead drawn to the clothes the girl was wearing... and her eyes widened at the sight. "Oh my.... if you don't mind my asking, Miss, where did you get that? It's magnificent!" she announced, her mind completely onto a new as all thoughts of familiarity were gone. The woman in the blue dress was absolutely ravishing, and her dress was a damn masterpiece!

Getting a hold of herself and putting proper distance between her and her new acquaintance, she smiled and held out a hand. "I'm Cherry. Sorry again about bumping into you, and about my little outburst just now. I just... I must know who made this dress!"

[Yuusuke Aelchr]

Well then. Yuusuke stepped inside the grandeur and awkwardly shuffled to the side, eyes averted from the crowd and focusing on his newly clad feet. He hadn’t chosen to be here, of course, it was all up to little miss wardrobe who had dragged him alongside. The best he could do was try and be less noticeable in the process of entering – stares weren’t something he appreciated, unlike Cherry. The woman in purple had gone ahead due to his request to linger for a little while longer, and well…from what he had just seen, it had been a wise choice. He waited until the woman surrounding Cherry finally began staring a little less before starting towards her slowly, slipping through the crowd of people that had already entered.

“Aren’t we a little late?” he had asked. But no no, there were no excuses he could come up with, she just had to have another visual representation of her fashion work at the ball. So he sidled awkwardly towards her – he had nowhere better to go. Murmuring soft little ‘excuse me’s, he couldn’t decide whether he was glad or not that he didn’t have the ability to part the people in front of him with his appearance, like the Lamini girl had just done moments ago. Not to say he wasn’t dressed nicely, of course, Cherry had made sure of that with her little make-over, but well. He didn’t make it a point of his to be seen.

To be honest, he didn’t particularly have a point to his being there. He scanned the crowd again – Cherry had moved more, of course – when he noticed her talking to another woman. Another woman that he knew. Tehodis, wasn’t it? Well now this was awkward. She was a very sweet girl, and all, but…well. He didn’t find it very appealing to be the focus of two gorgeous woman at the same time when one failure of a word could result in a slap to his face and a ballroom of people looking at him. No it didn’t sound nice, even if he was clearly expecting the worst. So he looked for the least active person instead – a purple haired boy at a table, no wait, he had a girlfriend…a man chewing on a…drink. Well maybe an olive or something, but his eyes had a glint of something that scared the Venese off.

Yuusuke’s eyes caught on a bright flash of color in his peripheral vision, and he headed in that direction – it was a woman, but she seemed harmless enough, just standing there and observing. He envied her grace about it a bit, seeing as he probably looked as awkward as he felt, but well, her clothing was particularly distracting, and since she was probably proud of it, he couldn’t do wrong in complementing the attire, right? “Ah…excuse me miss, may I ask if your clothing is home made? I’ve never seen anything like it…” Yuusuke stood a little too far out then most people would expect in a conversation, but he assumed it wouldn’t be too noticeable that he was about…a foot or so father away from the woman than her arm’s length. “The uhm…the orange complements your skin rather nicely though.” That was a good thing, right? Cherry had said something of the sort about his eyes when she was making his current attire, and it seemed complementary enough.

He didn’t find it necessary to ask, however, what she was staring in the direction of Cherry and Tehodis’ direction with that hungry look in her eye for. Probably just for fashion advice anyway, he thought, looking in their direction as well then back at the spectacle in front of him.

[Tehodis Kitai]

Dec 31, 2009 18:56:52 GMT -7 Cherry Milerand said:

Lost in her day dreaming as she was, though, she didn't even notice where she was walking. And so it was a very unfortunate at that moment that she happened to walk right into a big, blue something.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!" she blurted, feeling quite flustered with herself that she could actually loose track of where she was walking - that had certainly never happened before. Chuckling nervously, she straightened herself out, smiling at the woman she had managed to walk into, and attempting to see if she had been knocked down or needed any assistance. "Are you alright miss? I'm so sorry, I must have not been paying much attention... oh, how embarrassing! I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?" she babbled, feeling like a fool as she gave the woman another once over.

She seemed rather familiar, now that Cherry thought about it, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen her before. But she had definitely seen her before, of that she could be sure. However, before she could place just where it had been, her attention was instead drawn to the clothes the girl was wearing... and her eyes widened at the sight. "Oh my.... if you don't mind my asking, Miss, where did you get that? It's magnificent!" she announced, her mind completely onto a new as all thoughts of familiarity were gone. The woman in the blue dress was absolutely ravishing, and her dress was a damn masterpiece!

Getting a hold of herself and putting proper distance between her and her new acquaintance, she smiled and held out a hand. "I'm Cherry. Sorry again about bumping into you, and about my little outburst just now. I just... I must know who made this dress!"

Tehodis had been so busy worrying about herself that she had been paying just as much attention as Cherry had been. Instead of watching wear she was standing, who was around her - what was around her at all, she had been completely enamoured with worrying about how she looked in her outfit and how it just didn't seem like her at all. Perhaps if she had been paying attention there would had been no collision, but she hadn't - and neither had Cherry - so now they would finally meet in person, instead of just by viewing across a large room like they had last year.

When the collision first occurred, Tehodis wobbled a bit, trying to find a way to steady herself. Her feet were adorned with a pair of heels that were perhaps a bit too high. Then she thought about how much sillier and weirder she looked in the dress before, wobbling precariously and bending in odd ways to try and steady herself in a clingy dress. She started by cursing herself, but then realized that she had in fact been bumped into. She had not been moving, and thus it was not her fault. Now she could could blame someone if she wanted to.

The someone that she could have blamed had been talking while Tehodis steadied herself, saying her required sorries and 'oh dear, are you alright?'s. Then she switched over to something else. The girl began complimenting the dress that she was wearing and wanting to know who the maker was... Tehodis' face lit up, smoothing the dress over her stomach with a smile. "Well it was made by a very talented designer in Submiere, his name was... Uhm... Oh right it was-" Perhaps Tehodis would have finished her sentence, but she had instead chosen to look at who had bumped into her and complimented her dress.

"You," Tehodis accused, eyes narrowing as the memory shot through her heart, causing it to lunge into her throat, leaving her unable to speak. She remembered the girl from the year before, dressed like a garland-covered tree, groping Kiku! And Kiku reciprocating and... She had not realized it, but her fingers had clenched into fists and left her knuckles white as she thought it over.

"You cause such turmoil in another person's life and you just think that you can... Walk right over here, bump into me and curry my favour by complimenting the way I dress?!" Tehodis was not the kind of person to yell loudly in the company of strangers - at least not without a drink in her - so it was strange to her. It seemed strange to the strangers as well, seeing as people were turning their heads to look at her. "I... I..." Tehodis took a breath, glaring daggers at Cherry as she did it. Finally after a few moments, she turned heel and began to walk away, pausing at a woman with her arm entwined with some man that she was obviously with. Tehodis turned to her and made sure to warn her, "Don't let him get to close to that one, she doesn't have limits like the rest of us."

With one final look at Cherry, Tehodis stalked off through the crowd, wanting to escape people looking at her, looking at them, as if they were some sort of spectacle to be gandered at. Her cheeks were flushed with colour caused by her anger and embarrassment, and her knuckles cracked from the tight grasp they were suffering, but still all she could find herself thinking of was last year at the Ballroom. That was all she thought about when she ordered herself a drink at one of the many drink counters. That was all she thought about when she rose the glass to her lips and tilted her head to pour as much of it down the hatch as she could before pulling it away and setting it down. She stared at the empty champagne glass, regretting her actions already. She probably should have thanked the girl. If not for the compliment, then for the fact that without her doing what she did, and Elaina helping her a bit, she would not have visited so many new places. She would not have gotten a job. Sure, what the girl did was wrong... But couldn't the ends justify the means?

"Stupid ends," Tehodis commented, letting her finger circle the lip of the glass aimlessly.

[Violet Macar]

Dec 31, 2009 21:08:03 GMT -7 Yuusuke Aelchr said:

Yuusuke’s eyes caught on a bright flash of color in his peripheral vision, and he headed in that direction – it was a woman, but she seemed harmless enough, just standing there and observing. He envied her grace about it a bit, seeing as he probably looked as awkward as he felt, but well, her clothing was particularly distracting, and since she was probably proud of it, he couldn’t do wrong in complementing the attire, right? “Ah…excuse me miss, may I ask if your clothing is home made? I’ve never seen anything like it…” Yuusuke stood a little too far out then most people would expect in a conversation, but he assumed it wouldn’t be too noticeable that he was about…a foot or so father away from the woman than her arm’s length. “The uhm…the orange complements your skin rather nicely though.” That was a good thing, right? Cherry had said something of the sort about his eyes when she was making his current attire, and it seemed complementary enough.

He didn’t find it necessary to ask, however, what she was staring in the direction of Cherry and Tehodis’ direction with that hungry look in her eye for. Probably just for fashion advice anyway, he thought, looking in their direction as well then back at the spectacle in front of him.

She had watched the whole debacle between Tehodis and Cherry, grin on her face. When the ex-maid of Tristan Cowell had walked into Tehodis, Violet felt that it would be very entertaining. Tehodis probably knew her from Tristan's castle, if not, Cherry would tell her that she was a maid for Tristan. This alone might spark something in Tehodis. But then, man oh man - Cherry would tell Tehodis what Cherry told "Irene" at the Tavern whenever ago... And then - bam! Anger and yelling that Violet couldn't hear from where she was from. That was the thing about gossip, though. You didn't need to hear what anybody was saying in order to write something interesting about them. Violet would definitely spin the two stories together and then it would be fabuls-

"Look, yowah," 'Daisy' replied to the guy who'd just interrupted her thought process. She kept her eyes on the prize, watching Tehodis escape through an interested crowd, smiling to herself. "Just because you cermentiblant me, does definitely not-at-all mean I'll modiclify what I say about you in the Tablet." She turned towards the interrupter, an unimpressed frown on her face, then she froze, her eyes trying to pinpoint who this was. She was clueless. He didn't look like anyone famous. "Who in the dangling deity are you?"

[Major Tommy Dunn]

(since Vincent didn't manage to get a post in before it was too later, I shall simply continue with Tommy)

"Thank you," Tommy grinned, shaking some hands at Woodrow's table, now having received the information he needed. A couple of people had simply told him that he had left, some explained he went dancing - then others corrected that he had last been seen at drink counter four. Being the most specific answer, and the answerer being the most sure of themselves, Thomas found himself trusting them the most. "I hope that you all have a magnificent evening."

"You as well," One of the women bid him, "But please, feel free to come back and join us - or perhaps we could go for a dance?" Tommy grinned outwardly, but rolled his eyes inwardly. What was the point of dancing? He never really understood it. Perhaps it was because he was an awkward dancer, or perhaps it was because he didn't like music that he didn't get it; but perhaps it was simply because the whole idea of it was stupid. It was the reason why he thought that the stereotypical Diryn-born person was rather stupid - all they seemed to do was dress up all fancy-like and dance. It was even how they chose their warlord, which was the stupidest thing Dunn had ever heard of. "Maybe I will," He replied with a charming smile, turning away and heading to the drink counter he had been directed to.

He had been right to trust the man who had been sure of himself. There at the counter was Lord Woodrow talking with some young man about something that wasn't nearly as interesting or as important as what Dunn had to say. Still, first impressions were important, and he didn't want to blow it by interrupting the man. So instead he pulled in next to the peacekeeping equivalent to a warlord and ordered himself a second soda water, not wanting to cloud his judgment before getting into it. He cautiously ran a hand over his breast pocket, ensuring that what he needed was in fact still there, and then sat in wait - eavesdropping on the Lord's conversation.

[Lord Woodrow]

Dec 30, 2009 21:27:43 GMT -7 Relos said:

The drink was quite delightful, to say the least. He would have ordered another drink, but he needed to save his money. Oh, forget it, it's New Years, so he should just enjoy it. Before he could order another drink, he heard the man sitting next to him ask him a question, wondering where he was from.

"Neither, actually. I come from Dirys, though I've been considering Aissic. I don't have a fondness for cold weather, but my mom grew up there and I figured I should stay there for a while." He was rather curious as to how one can determine the home of another through their mannerisms, but took no note of it. "Well, since you asked where I'm from, I'll ask the same of you. I'm afraid that I'm completely at a loss as to where your home may be." Relos felt a bit of regret for talking more than than he should have just to answer a simple question. He reached for his drink in an attempt to drown his embarrassment, though there was hardly much left to his drink.

Hm, he had never been so off before. He didn't even guess specifically, not by city or by country - he couldn't get it right by continent? He was getting busty. Rusty. Rusty is what he meant to think. Then again, that was probably the reason he was so rusty, he was thinking about Tehodis. He turned to look at her again, only to find that she had disappeared from sight. She wasn't where she had been, and he couldn't see her noticeably blue dress within the crowd of dancing, drinking and talking.

"Where I'm from?" He turned back, taking a sip of his drink as he did so. If the boy wasn't so young, Woodrow would have shook his head and clicked his tongue at the fact that he did not know who he was. Everyone seemed to know who he was. But at that age - couldn't be too old, maximum of eighteen, Woodrow decided - a young boy didn't pay attention to news. A young boy paid attention to doing stupid things and girls. Even Woodrow had gone through such a phase, not that he would ever admit to it. To everyone else, even as a young boy he was a dedicated hard worker.

"I'm from Submiere, of course. Born, raised and still there after all these years," He smiled at the physical memory of the smell and feeling of cold salt water. He doubted he could ever live away from the sea. "The most beautiful place in the world," He assured, sipping away at his drink as salt water filled his nostrils with it's imagined scent.

"My name is Lord Woodrow," Markus told him, proffering his hand to shake, "Perhaps you have heard of me?"

[Cherry Milerand]

Oh yeah, this was going to be alright! The woman didn't seem too peeved at all, what with the compliments she had just received. She was all smiles now, ready to answer the questions and satisfy Cherry's curiosity with the identity of the Designer she was now idolizing for this piece.

And then all at once, she made a total 360, her eyes narrowed, and she spat a single, venomous "You," at Cherry.

Cherry blinked, straightened her shoulders, and blinked again. What....what just happened? But this woman wasn't done. Without warning, she had suddenly become very heated, anger very much evident on her facial features and in her voice, which was rising to a shout. Well now! She was certainly overreacting a bit to simply being bumped into, wasn't she? And that comment about Cherry causing turmoil in other people's lives? Where on earth had that come from?

But this still wasn't the end. Amidst Cherry's shocked, slightly gaping expression, the blue-clad woman had turned around, marched off, stopped by a couple, and then warned the woman to keep an eye on her man, claiming that apparently, Cherry had no inhibitions. In a very suggestive sort of meaning. Okay, now THAT was crossing the line! Cherry did know this woman, however familiar she may have looked, Cherry was no prostitute or mistress, she was not planning on stealing another man from someone, and she was most certainly NOT going to allow this perfect stranger to just say such things about her and get away with it.

"Now you hold on one minute!" she called after the woman who had already walked out of earshot. Eyes narrowed, Cherry hiked up her drapery and stormed after her, moving very quickly for one who was adorned in heels, determined to catch up with the brunette. She spotted her after a moment, now seated at a bar and already downing the contents of some fruity-colored beverage. Cherry was behind her in another twenty seconds, reaching out and seizing the woman by the shoulder and turning her roughly to face her (okay, maybe not so roughly, seeing as how the barside seats seemed to be rotation-friendly).

"Where do you get off!?" she demanded of her query, releasing her shoulder and placing her hands firmly on her hips, looking down at the shorter, seated woman with a convicting glare. "Listen here, you. Whatever it is you were implying back there, and I'm sure I don't really need to guess, you have no business or reason to warn some other woman to Guard her Man around me. How dare you even suggest such a thing! You are no company of mine, Miss, and have no idea of who I am or how I live my life! You have no right to speak ill of me, and I demand an apology. I mean, I don't even know-" she cut herself off then, staring at the woman she was scolding for such rude behavior as recognition finally ticked in. Patrons around the bar were all looking eagerly at her, apparently quite interested in this little fiasco so early in the evening.

Now the role was reversed. It was her narrowing her eyes this time as she spat the word right back. "You."

Cherry was not at all sure how she should be reacting right now. Here, before her, was Tehodis Kitai. The would-be bride of her former employer who left him at the alter, and subsequently, made the next few months of her life a living hell. Sure, the blame mostly resided within Cowell's apparently fragile self-control in the anger department, but this alcoholic had been the damn trigger.

"Now I know where I've seen you before." she was speaking lowly now, not privileging the other guests with the rest of this conversation, glaring at Tehodis with an almost murderous intent she was not aware she was even capable of feeling till now, her shoulders rigid, fists not tight, but closed, and eyes glowing an unusually brighter green than normal. Then she laughed, a dark, humorless laugh. "I don't believe this. I was lectured by you of all people on causing turmoil in someone else's life? The phrase "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" must be a foreign one to you, am I right?"

More and more people in the area seemed to be so very interested in what was happening. What was it with people and gossip? Oh right, it was fun. She remembered that last Glass Houses remark, and almost laughed a genuine laugh at the irony of herself condemning other people for gossiping. How silly of her. But there would be time for that later. She had a blue-clad woman in front of her to accost right now.

[Tehodis Kitai]

Tehodis had thought things were over between the two, which would have made it quite obvious that she was not used to catfights - or really, fights of any kind. She had expected the woman to take what was obviously coming to her, and then walk away. Then they could at least feel like a bigger person - but no. She came marching up to Tehodis, fuming with anger that she had no right to have and then forcefully turned Tehodis in her chair.

"I see that you're still not above touching people so f-" She was interrupted by Cherry beginning her own angry tirade. She went off saying that Tehodis didn't even know her, and Tehodis just shook her head. You didn't need to know someone, not if you knew what they did. What Cherry did was inexcusable in Tehodis' eyes. Acting so close to somebody else's man! Tehodis flushed with anger as she stared down Cherry, not really paying attention to what she had to say until she paused and got this weird look on her face before proffering Tehodis a 'you' like the brunette and given the Lamini a few minutes before.

"Now I know where I've seen you before," Cherry told her, speaking much more quietly - something that kind of frightened Tehodis. People always seemed to speak more quietly when they were ready to attack someone, and Tehodis was not up for being attacked. Moving quickly she slid off of her chair and to the side, keeping eye contact with Cherry as the Lamini yelled and Tehodis moved. This time she was actually listening, and she felt nothing but confusion. When Cherry finally stopped Tehodis continued the shaking of her head for a moment before staring Cherry in the eyes. Green to blue.

"What are you talking about? What don't you believe? What turmoil did I cause in your life, huh?" Tehodis shoved Cherry a bit in the shoulder to emphasize her point, "You go around... groping! My Ki-... You go around touching someone else's man inappropriately, and you say that I'm the one causing trouble? Unless you're an unjust, unwieldy, unclean pirate!... I have nothing to do with your turmoil." Tehodis turned away, taking a quick glance at the people around her and flushing from embarrassment. "That's it though, huh? You are a pirate. It wouldn't surprise me. Whores aren't so common in every other area of business."

ooc: Oh snap.

[Cherry Milerand]

Cherry wasn't exactly sure what she had done until it was too late. The action was just too impulsive and subconscious. Clearly, the word "whore" had been a tirgger.

Slap!

Gasps of surprise from around them made themselves known, the Lamini stood with her hand aloft, post-strike, and the blue-clad woman stood before her, 2 inches shorter and sporting a nice red mark across her left cheek. Cherry slightly gasped at herself at the action - she was usually against violence, and had not ever in recent memory initiated an act of violence against anyone unless she had been forced to. And clearly, she had not been forced to slap the woman in front of her.

But her surprise subsided when her bubbling anger reared its head yet again. "How dare you. How DARE you! You of all people are the last person who should be using that name with me, Miss Kitai! You claim to know what I do? Well tell me, then! What IS it that I do that gives you license to judge my character without actually knowing me? What is it you claim to know? That apparently I groped someone you know?!" she demanded, remembering the bit of sentence she had caught from the other woman. "And if you want to know the turmoil you caused in my life, why don't you ask your ex beau, Mister Cowell, hmm? I'm sure he could tell you all about the things he put me through thanks to you."

She didn't care that people were looking, hearing, even writing down the things she was saying and doing. This woman was out of line. She was selfish, and spoiled, undeservingly high and mighty, and needed to be taught a proper lesson on manners.

"Now I will have an apology from you for your rude words, Miss Kitai." she continued, emphasizing this sentence with gravity. "I will have an apology, or I will have your silence. You're not worth wasting further words on if you can't even manage that."

[Tehodis Kitai]

When the slap flew across Tehodis face, her head had been whipped to the side and a red mark had appeared on her face, quickly turning into a bruise due to her Kinaroe race and own biological problems. She flexed her jaw slightly, not as concerned about the painful ache in her cheek as she was about the fact that this woman had just slapped her in front of a large group of people. It was an offence to her pride and her dignity and... Well, at least now Cherry looked a lot worse in the eyes of all of the people surrounding. A woman didn't attack someone like that, especially not in public. It was incredibly rude and terrible and just not at all p-

The woman began yelling again and Tehodis straightened up, frowning and wanting to slap the Lamini girl with everything she had. Still, she wouldn't. She understood how improper it would be. Just to be a catty, new world kind of girl who just went around slapping people. At least if Tehodis slapped Cherry it would have been justified. Tehodis stared at Cherry, but didn't really listen. Not until Chery began talking about Tristan. "What?" Tehodis said, looking perplexed and even angrier.

"So," Tehodis said once Cherry had finally silenced herself. She spent a couple of moments gazing briefly at the crowd the two had gathered and then cleared her throat slightly, "Your turmoil wasn't even caused... by me?" The anger rolled in undertones beneath her faux amused voice as she shook her head at the idea. "What Tristan Cowell does, is none of my concern nor does it have anything to do with me. Cowell's actions are his own, and if you take issue with those actions, I suggest... Well, I suggest you bring them up with him or with someone who cares! Cowell and I have nothing to do with one another. We haven't for over a year... And yet you have the... you have the nerve to offend me and to assault me over what he does to you? At least my issue with you has to do with what you have done to me. Directly!"

Tehodis turned her head away for a moment, brushing a hand quickly against her eye to remove excess moisture. "You think you deserve an apology? Go ask him! I'm sure he's in the building tonight. Go up to him, and slap his face, and tell him that he owes you an apology because the only person standing right here who deserves an apology - is me. You ruin my relationship with Kiku, you nearly ruin my dress my crashing into me, you yell at me and you slap my face... And you're the one who deserves an apology?"

[Cherry Milerand]

This woman was insane. Sure, rationally speaking, it wasn't directly Tehodis' fault that Tristan had done what he did. His actions were in fact his own. But she still triggered them, and that was still something. And what's more, Cherry Milerand had never met Tehodis in her life before now - how was it possible she could directly cause anything to harm her?

And then she mentioned Kiku. Oh, that was it. This woman thought something was going on between them? Wow, Kiku had some very poor taste in women if this is the way she was reacting. How in the world would she have even gotten such an idea in her head?

And it was like magic. Just like that, Cherry's anger subsided, ALMOST completely. A negligible thread remained, but it was ignroed while the Lamini girl started to laugh at the Kinaroe. A good humored laugh, but a laugh no less.

"I don't believe what I'm hearing? I ruined your relationship with Kikururu? Look, Kitai, I don't know what you've heard or what you think is going on, but he and I are friends. I met him some time ago, after escaping your ex-fiancé's clutches, and he gave me help I seriously needed. We're nothing more than friends, so if you've got a stupid little idea of me kidnapping him away from you, then you can forget it. I'm most certainly not that type of girl." she finished with a mild huff, still irritated a bit.

"Which is precisely why I want an apology. I am not a whore - such a name is one of the worst things you can call someone, and I will not stand for it from some ignorant woman who thinks she knows it all. Here, allow me to start - I apologize for slapping you. You were out of line and I acted out of impulsive anger." she spoke, crossing her arms and looking at Tehodis with an expectant smirk. "And for the record, dear, I didn't nearly ruin your dress. Someone is over-exaggerating a bit, hmm?"

There were murmurs around her now, and she managed to pluck up a few choice words here and there. Most notably bi-polar - she supposed she couldn't blame someone for thinking that, what with her righteous fury from mere moments ago being replaced with... well, not cheer, but a dull sort of humor.

But it's not as though she could stay mad now - this stupid, ignorant woman had just confessed that her supposed turmoil was all centered around her belief that Cherry had tried to steal Kiku from her. Hell, Kiku had never even mentioned Tehodis before, so how was she supposed to know anything about it? But the point remained that the woman had a very, very simple mind - to think that she was reacting in such a way over such a stupid, trivial misunderstanding?

Cherry had far more grounds to be mad. She had actually physically suffered, nearly died even, all because Tehodis had led Tristan on, and then left him. Oh yeah. the woman certainly deserved that slap. It was the least she could do to apologize. But apparently, that was not going to happen.

And to think, Tehodis called Cherry a whore? Cherry may have been a flirt, but at least she didn't delude men with the promise of love and lust, only to take it away from them. When Kiku got friendly, she made sure to drop all pretenses and remind him of their platonic relationship. She did this with anyone who tried to get too frisky. She did not lead them on, she not make them believe they had a chance with her. Could Tehodis say the same thing? No, and Tristan was perfect evidence of that.

All this, Cherry wanted to shout at the woman right this moment. But she held it in. It would be pointless to keep arguing with a woman who had already shown herself to be so very short-sighted. Plus, Cherry was already sure she'd see her face all over the Tablet after this little incident as it was - no need to make things worse.

Hmmm.... wait now.... watch me turn this negative into a positive...

"Of course, if you really feel I ruined your dress in any way, allow me to make it up to you by repairing it myself. I'm a tailor, you know, and a good one at that." she announced with just slightly more volume than before, doing a little twirl. "I made this one all on my own. In fact, I'd love to treat you to a personal, custom-made design, completely free of charge, just to show you how sorry I am about slapping you. How does that sound, dear?"

Cheesy, yes. Laying it on a little thick, yes. But if she was going to be in the Tabloid anyway, she might as well make it known that she designed her outfit, and get her clothes out there to the viewing world. Besides, Tehodis was a semi-famous figure. Even if Cherry half-loathed the hypocrite right now, she would be more than happy to have her go out and about in something of her creation, just waiting for the paparazzi to snap photos.