This place sure was fancy, everything looked like it cost a fortune, and it probably did.

Dylan and Dallia told them that they could pick whichever clothes they wanted, it was very generous of Tobias, but she didn't really feel comfortable with the thought. Then again, if he insisted it would probably be rude to refuse. Besides, the others were already getting dressed and Lucien was dashing around like a child in a toy store. Xan waited for Lily to get her measurements then thanked the woman when she was directed towards rows and rows of dresses.

Those things were always hard to move around in. The metallurgist made her way towards Trixie and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's almost like we're going undercover, a group of superheroes on a stakeout." She gave the girl a grin then made her way towards the clothes. There were so many thing to choose from, it was overwhelming. Especially since she was no good at these kind of things. Xan spent a few moments walking down aisles and aisles of dressed before finally choosing to retreat and request some backup.

The metallurgist made her way towards Aria and gave her friend a tap on the shoulder. "Hey Aria," she rubbed the back of her head, looking defeated. "Mind if I request some backup? This is more your forte than it is mine." Missions and responsibilities, she'd gladly accept. This, well, this was much more difficult.

Aliquam: The Tailor’s

“Are you sure this is alright? The whole ‘pick whichever one’ deal… Everything in here’s a lot more expensive than I thought it would be.”

"He must be rich if he's hosting parties all the time and offering us to pick whatever clothes we want," Amy responded to Aria's concern. Her eyes were half-slit, aloof almost, as she perused through the clothes the tailor's offered after having her measurements taken. Aria had chosen a lovely red dress for herself, one that outshined Amy's current silky crimson by a longshot. "Wow," she muttered to herself, before resuming her search. The cleric had always considered her dress to be relatively fancy, at least for how low-class she and Trixie were, but with what she'd seen both at Vandrell and here at Aliquam - how much fancier could dresses get?

Soon enough, Amy emerged donned in a green dress, silky with layered frills. She stood tall in front of a mirror, running a finger along her side. Like the silk she wore at Los Paraisos, this one matched her eyes - except was much more... gaudy. Still, she felt beautiful in it, and had no plans to return it after the party ended.

“Um, Amy? Could you help me pick a dress, please?” Amy turned to see Estelle cooing from afar, still unsure of what to wear but slightly bedazzled for the flair in Amy's dress choice. Amy smiled softly. Seeing as she never wore anything but dresses, she had a keen eye for them, although she typically preferred plain and casual. Usually Selan or Aria would be preferable choices, she'd think, but seeing as the latter was already assisting Xandra...

With Aria already claiming red with white hints, Amy had the perfect idea in mind for Estelle's color scheme. She only hoped Estelle would agree. After digging through dresses to match Estelle's measurements, she emerged with two. Both were white with red hints, opposite to Aria's. The first one had subtle red flames (instead of vines) along the torso, while the other had the same style of flames along the bottom hems (instead of white vines). "How about these, Estelle? White's not my color, although I think they would make your hair stand out quite a bit..."

Once Estelle had made her choice, Moira waltzed by soon enough in her own outfit, proud of what she had chosen. Amy clasped her hands together. "Nice choice, Moira. Looking to score some free drinks?"

Amy had taken the time during this dress up segment to lighten up, as she had been moderately quiet since their arrival at the Academy. However, her overall suspicions for what was to come next were as high as ever. Still, at least she would be keeping the fancy dress this time (she planned).

---

Xandra patted Trixie's shoulder and gave her a grin before moving on towards Aria. "It's almost like we're going undercover, a group of superheroes on a stakeout." She had no idea what kind of impact such a statement would make on little ol' Trixie.

The prankster was rearing to go for a dress even while Lily was trying to get measurements. Soon enough, she had vanished into her own little aisle for young teenagers her age and, surprisingly, her size. The next time she had reappeared, she was glomping Lute from the side and knocking him right over.

"Oooh! Oooh!" she called as she ran to the virtuoso, before both had crashed to the floor. "Marcus is right! You're pretty!! White suits are so prettyyyy!" When she realized she was on the floor, she quickly got off of him and dusted herself off. "Ooph, sorry Luke! But look at my dress! Look at it! I SAID LOOK AT IT, WHY AREN'T YOU LOOKING." She whirled around a bit before jumping on top of one of those chairs people sit on when trying on shoes. "It even has a cape!"

Then she leapt off it and buzzed to where Syed was at - where a particular accessories section was nearby. "Now to find me a mask!"

Aliquam: The Tailor’s
"Nice choice, Moira. Looking to score some free drinks?"

Moira strutted towards them, before doing a twirl. The range of dresses which were both petit and plus-sized was fairly small, but it helped if anything. Less to choose from. Especially if really, she had no idea what she was doing. In the end she just picked something which wouldn't inhibit her movement at all. And the corseted dress fit the bill.

"Ey, if I can get this whole do for free then we're on a winner," she grinned. "What you reckon? Up for a challenge?"

She sighed, putting a hand on her hip. "So you picked Estelle's dress out? This has gotta be good."


Syed meanwhile had managed to pick a slim fitting suit, which he showed quite awkwardly to Lucien while trying not to laugh at his hat and his awful pick-up lines. As much as Lucien really did look fantastic, he was kind of failing on the not laughing front. Still, he couldn't help but fiddle with his own outfit a little, trying different ties, adjusting the cuffs, deciding whether to wear his pendant over or under it or whether to wear a coloured or even black shirt instead of white. Even then...

"Now to find me a mask!" Trixie shot by in her purple dress, calling back to Lute.

"Trix?" he asked, which caused the prankster to nearly trip as she came to quite the comical skidding stop. "I think my outfit's missing something too, don't you think?"

There was a very brief moment of silence as she studied him. Like, really studied him. Complete with loud 'HMMMMMM's and 'Aaaaaaah's. Then suddenly, a finger was thrust into the air! "You're just like Wonderboy when he went to sneak into the Molemen Crew!"

Syed blinked. What on ddeaer? Was this a comic thing? It had been decades since he last read a comic. "What?" But she was already gone, diving in between the rows of accessories. Completely out of sight. All he could hear was her scurrying about, the sound of her shuffling through the various things... he shrugged towards Lute, completely lost. "Who's Wonderb-AH!"

She was suddenly back, wrapping her arms around his waist. At first he thought it was a random hug to complete the overall disorientating experiance, but as she withdrew he saw the sheer golden fabric of a scarf... complete with a horribly sloppy knot to his side which was already beginning to slide down. "There!" she exclaimed in triumph.

And he had to admit, it worked. It wasn't exactly conventional, but what about him or any of the others was? "It's perfect..." he murmured, before turning back to Trixie. "I love it!" He clapped his hands together. "Come on then, let's try and find this mask," he grinned towards both her and Lute.

Sorted.

Aliquam: The Tailor’s

Despite the fact that many of the Pride were still clearly wary of Tobias’ intentions, it didn’t take them long for them to dash into the aisles and find some of the best outfits that Lily had. Though as few of them floundered, seeking help from their compatriots, a few of them proved to have impeccable taste. The gorgeous blond, for example, was able to easily pick out two dresses that would suit the red-head just fine.

Maybe Lily had been a little too quick to judge this group. Though they had come in with clothing that she would not have given a hobo to wear, they were quickly finding dresses and suits that would make them shine at Tobias’ party.

“Oh Dalia,” she said as she moved on from the last one she had been measuring. “Your dress is ready, if you would like to grab it now. It’s on the rack in the back. Dylan, you remember what to do.”

Dalia - who had been fairly calm so far - burst out into a loud squeal and dashed into the back room, causing Dylan to laugh. It came out of nowhere, a loud guffaw that probably scared those around him. This was ridiculous - the dresses, the suits, the upcoming party, Moira. Trixie trying to convince Syed to be Wonderboy. It was crazy and terrifying and that just broke him. Clutching his sides, he broke down into a fit of hysterics against the wall.

“Dylan?” A concerned voice asked, and he turned to see Dalia running towards him while trying to carry a long evening gown without it trailing on the ground. “Are you okay?”



“I’m fine,” he managed to gasp out. “It’s just...Tobias. Again.” But where, just moments ago, the man’s name had brought a terrible scowl to his face, now he was beaming. “But now I had my friends, my wonderful, great, amazing friends. And Tobias is the past, and they are the future. So tonight I’m going to go to his party, I’m gonna wear clothes he paid for, and drink his wine.” He leaned forward, locking eyes with his sister. “So he can just suck it!” 


“Umm...yeah,” Dalia said. “Are you sure you’re alright?” 



“Sis, I’m wonderful!” He jumped to his feet, dashing past her towards the suit racks and hugging single one of his friends along the way. Upon reaching the racks, he skimmed through them, familiar enough with Lily’s styles to be able to find what he was looking for quickly.“Aha!”

Aliquam: The Tailor’s

"Mind if I request some backup? This is more your forte than it is mine."

Aria blinked up from her dress, grinning when she spotted her friend standing beside her looking rather overwhelmed. Xan had never been interested in anything overly glamorous, so it made sense that the metallurgist would be rather bewildered. She gave her friend a gleeful pat on the back, draping her chosen dress over Xan’s arms. “Leave it to me! I’ll definitely find something that’ll catch the men’s attention, don’t you worry.”

With a teasing wink, once more Aria dove into the racks with a determined glint in her eye. She hadn't expected Xan to approach her for help- The tailor or perhaps Amy would have been more knowledgeable in choosing these outfits, but since Xan was trusting her enough to let her pick the outfit then Gods forbid if she let Xan down. She didn’t think her friend would want anything too fancy or bold, so perhaps something in a subdued color? It would probably be long sleeved as well; the girl had always been rather self-conscious of her prosthetic arm.

A few minutes later, Aria was back with two dresses in each hand.

“How’s this one? Or this one perhaps?”

Before she could hand over the two dresses for Xan to make a decision, Dylan bounded up to them, mood looking to have improved from his glum demeanor by a lot judging from the gleeful smile on his face. Aria floundered, giving the man an awkward pat on the back while trying not to drop the hanger, laughing as he embraced Xan before dashing off again.

“I… Guess he really likes clothes?” Aria shook her head in amusement. “Though I’m glad he’s feeling better. He was looking pretty gloomy back there for a while. I wonder why?”

Aliquam: The Tailor’s

“Huh,” Lute watched as Marcus helped him with his suit, straightening edges and folds that the poor virtuoso never suspected as improper, “So it’s supposed to look like that. And that too. Weird. Thanks!” He grimaced when the mage mentioned dancing with a pretty woman but he nodded to show that he understood, blushing at the compliment the man gave him. “Thanks again. You look great too!” Lute smiled before tuning in to somebody saying “Oooh! Oooh!” over by the side. Probably Trixie getting excited? The white-haired man then looked himself over before being knocked down.

“Ow… I’m pretty? Nah. You’re prettier!” The virtuoso replied quickly and then got up when the girl dusted herself off, then mimicking her actions with his own suit since Marcus had just fixed it up for him. "But look at my dress!” Lute nodded but was distracted by a folded gold square on his sleeve. Did he rip it? “Look at it!” Oh, it was supposed to be like that. “I SAID LOOK AT IT, WHY AREN'T YOU LOOKING." “I’m looking, I’m looking!” Lute exclaimed as he glanced up at Trixie who was now on top of a set of chairs. “It even has a cape!” They simultaneously cheered before the prankster shot off to find an accessory. “I better go there too,” He excused himself from Marcus and followed after Trixie, worried that she might have tripped or-

Oh, well there she was with Syed! The tall man approached him and Lute was about to say he didn’t know who Wonderboy was when Trix returned, and voila there was a new addition to Syed’s outfit. “Looks like everyone here has better fashion sense than I do,” The virtuoso laughed before approaching the rack. A mask, huh. Obviously purple to mix with her dress. Lute nabbed a white one and wore it before turning to the others. "Wow, is this real gold? Fancy, huh?" Then he returned it.

As the three rummaged about for a fitting mask for Trixie, Lute posed a question of his own. “By the way, you two,” He pulled his bangs back while blushing almost furiously. “Like this or,” He let go and his messy (or fluffy, if you ask Aria) hairstyle was back, “This? I have to make an effort to look as nice as the both of you do too!”

Aliquam: The Tailor’s

"How about these, Estelle? White's not my color, although I think they would make your hair stand out quite a bit..."

“These are…” Estelle’s body trembled as her hands clutched onto the two dresses Amy had given her. Her face was held low, her expression hidden from the cleric and everyone else as she focused intently on both of the stunningly gorgeous garments, before she threw her hands into the air with a triumphant cheer and squealed in delight. “PERFECT! They’re both perfect, I just, I can’t… I don’t know which one to choose!!”

Her eyes shot back and forth between both dresses, and then she dashed for the changing rooms, sliding the curtain railing behind her as she busied herself into trying both on them on. If only there was a way to possibly wear both… but alas, she could not. In the end, she settled for the second of the two Amy had suggested, being particularly impressed with the way the flame designs curled upwards from the bottom of her pristine white dress, and she found herself blushing as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. So far she was only wearing the dress, and not any makeup or accessories, but she looked… beautiful. She didn’t know it was even possible for her to look like this. Like… like a lady.

“Oh Amy, thank you!” Estelle scrambled out of the changing room with all the lack of dignity a lady really held, and threw her arms around the blonde in a warm, happy embrace. As she pulled her face from out of her bosom to smile up at the stunned blonde who looked back down, she finally released herself once she noticed how clearly uncomfortable Amy was from the invasion of personal space. Or maybe because she had just then caught Aria and Xandra both trying to choose dresses for the latter. She bounded over to them, latching onto Aria’s arm.

“Aria! Aria! Look! We match!” She grinned, her dress inversely reflecting Aria’s own beautiful gown. She looked down at the garments Aria had recommended for Xandra, and her mouth cooed into a wide ‘o’ at the beautiful fabrics there. “Oh, Aria, those are beautiful! Xan, you’re going to look amazing!!”

Her face then drew more mischevious, and she looked towards both of her friends and Dalia as well as she remembered the other dress Amy had selected that she unfortunately couldn’t wear.

“Tobias offered to pay for all these, right? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind buying an extra dress or two or five if he has all that money… right?”

Aliquam: The Tailor’s

Amy's smile widened, both from seeing Estelle flock to Aria in sheer joy from their matching dress choices, and from Estelle's suggestion with taking home extra dresses. "That seems to be the case," the cleric said, eying over the rack she had taken her beautiful green silk from. Ooh, and they had one that was red and gold... silver and black... Gods, there was so much to choose from. She was so tempted to fling all of them over her shoulder and haul them back with her to the guild.

She looked over her shoulder once Moira passed by again, still holding her confident strut. Damn, she really did look nice in that corset. "A challenge? Do you mean...?" The smile on Amy's face never left. Her eyes loomed over to where Aria was, before returning to Moira. "Perhaps Aria could join as well. She did say she liked drinks, didn't she?" The last time they had something to drink together was back in Los Paraisos, but even then that was interrupted by some macho pigs. Amy's cravings had been roaring for some good ol' wine since then, and drinking was always better in company.

The illusionist looked a bit preoccupied for the moment, so Amy would approach her with this offer later. If Moira doesn't before her, anyway.



The entire time Syed and Trixie dug around for some masks, she couldn't help but flock around the mage. "You just look epic and so cool," she cooed, completely enamored by his outfit. Then she turned around and saw Lute come into view again, and had to be repressed by Syed from pouncing on the virtuoso a second time. "Ahh! No, put it back on!" As the poor young man toyed with his hair and asked for suggestions, Trixie quickly nabbed the mask he had taken and shoved it back onto his face. When she peeled back off of him to look at him from a short distance, she made the same "hmm" and "ahh" noises as she had with Syed earlier. Then she went back to Lute and rustled his hair again. "Yeah! Yeah like this! This looks awesome!"

Trixie flung back to the shelf Lute had found his mask, and after digging around for a bit, she found a sweet purple one to match both Lute's mask and her own dress. "Yessss!" She waved over to Xandra once the metallurgist looked her way. "Look! Awesome undercover outfit, eh? Eh? Oh my omelets I feel so cool." She snapped back to Syed, a mischievous grin crossing her lips. "Hey, hey Sparky - that's your superhero name - you should find a mask too!" She snapped to Lute next, but her smile had suddenly warped into a toothy frown. "Don't you dare take that mask back off."

Her bright tone and sunny smile returned immediately. "Soooo, Lukey Luke. What's your superhero name? You better have one."

Aliquam: The Tailor’s

“Tobias offered to pay for all these, right? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind buying an extra dress or two or five if he has all that money… right?”

“Oh...I don’t know about that,” Dalia said with a smile. “I mean, he probably does have the money to cover it all, given just how rich he is, but he does donate quite a bit to the Academy. And his galas - gives the really talented artists all over Ddear a reason to hang around Aliquam. So no, I don’t think we should really rip him off, that wouldn’t be too nice.” She glanced around. “Right Dylan?”



Dylan had wandered back in mid-way through Dalia’s ramble, looking dashing and comfortable in his suit. He wore it with ease, like it was a second skin, and he beamed at his friends. “Hmm? Yeah, I suppose it would be wrong. But just a little bit tempting, am I right?” He glanced up, taking in Estelle’s and Amy’s dresses. “And you two look absolutely wonderful! Dare I say, we all do?” He straightened his tie, casually turning to show off the lines of his suit.

Dalia rolled her eyes. Put her brother in a good suit and all of a sudden he started acting just like one of Tobias’ many sycophantic guests. Nicer than Tobias, and certainly less lecherous, but it still bothered her a bit. “Alright, buddy, stop posing.” Hoisting up her dress, she smiled at them, “I’m going to go get changed, don’t get too big of a head while I’m gone.”

Crossing over to the dressing room, she paused next to Trixie. "Soooo, Lukey Luke,” the girl asked.“What's your superhero name? You better have one."

She arched an eyebrow at Lute. “Superhero name?” she mouthed quietly. This ought to be good.

"Wow, you all look grand." Lucien popped up behind the girls with a silly looking grin. "Actually, we're probably the most dashing guilders in Aliquam." He struck a silly pose then tugged down excitedly on the flaps of his panda hat. Everything looked so fancy, it would probably be one hell of a party and he was starting to feel pumped. "Hey, Dylan." The matter artist charged towards the suits, looking a lot happier than he did back at the school.

He hugged everyone on the way towards the rack and when it was Lucien's turn the summoner laughed. This reminded him of the first time he ever went out with the Pride. Don pretty much threw both him and Dylan over his shoulder while he ran all around town. It ended at the tailor's and he ended up buying Moira a new skirt, but it had been a blast. He deflated a little, he missed Don's antics, they were always so fun.

"Looking good, Dylan." Lucien gave his friend a thumbs up then made his way towards the superheroes.

The masks definitely looked great and the yellow bandanna around Syed's waist was a nice touch. It'd add in a nice touch of flair. He plopped down on one of the waiting chairs, laughing as the trio began to pick out all sorts of masks. "I guess Trixie the pixie does need to protect her identity." His eyes flitted to both Lute and Syed and he laughed again when the virtuoso began to get all flustered with his hair. "Doesn't matter, with our suits, we'll be bound to impress. We all look great."

Trixie began talking about superhero names and Lucien listened intently. This day just kept getting better, though he was still mad at that stupid horse. Oh well, it wasn't like he'd ever see Sebastian again, right?

---

"Thanks Aria, I really appreciate the help." Xan gave her friend a sheepish smile, far more thankful than she was letting on.

The girl eyed the dresses Aria had picked out and both looked great, though the thought of going to some stranger's fancy ball made her nervous. "Those both look really good, I'll try them out." She nodded her head but before she could say more, Dylan charged towards the suits, pausing to hug everyone in his way.

“I… Guess he really likes clothes? Though I’m glad he’s feeling better. He was looking pretty gloomy back there for a while. I wonder why?”

She laughed a little, "I guess he does, it's good to see everyone so happy." Aria asked about why Dylan had been gloomy back at the academy and Xan answered. "I think he and this Tobias aren't in the best of terms." She lowered her voice so no one else would hear then shrugged it off, it wouldn't be good to pry. If Dylan wasn't telling them then it was probably something personal that would be best left untouched.

Estelle popped up beside Aria as energetic as always and Xan laughed. Amazing, haha, no. She just hoped she wouldn't end up tripping on it later on. She placed a hand on both Estelle's and Aria's shoulders. "You both look wonderful." The metallurgist gave them both a grin then excused herself so she could try on the dresses Aria had picked.

Both dresses Aria had chosen were lovely, but in the end, Xan decided to go with the first one. She fumbled around the dressing room for a bit before rejoining the others and looking a little embarrassed. This was even fancier than the outfits they had to wear at Los Paraisos.

Trixie called out with a wave and Xan turned to see the girl, and both men in masks.

She gave the prankster a salute, "you heroes look ready to save the world." She grinned in their direction before returning to both Estelle and Aria. "Everyone is always so full of energy." Her eyes landed on Estelle. "Travelling together for so long must have been one amazing journey."

Aliquam: The Tailor’s
"Perhaps Aria could join as well. She did say she liked drinks, didn't she?"

Moira didn't immediately respond - choosing instead to look over to where Aria was stood. With Xan, of course. She was always with either her or Lute, huh. "Yep," she grinned. "She's definately coming with," she smirked, "whether she likes it or not."

She soon had to leave Amy, however. She could feel her bond pulling at her, and sure enough it looked like Syed's little group was heading to the accessories. And he couldn't exactly reach it with her where she was. "Pah, goddamn curse" she huffed, heading off towards them. She had no interest in really joining their silly discussion, whatever it was, but he seemed to be having fun and she couldn't really bring herself to shit on that right now. She was rewarded by Syed giving her a quick, grateful nod.


"Go with whatever you like, Lute. You're lucky you can style your hair," he smiled. He pulled his own hair back, only for it to stubbornly bounce right back up into it's stubborn somewhat wild waves again. "Mine's got too much static in it. Once Don tried to fix it, I ended up with a whole pot of gel on my head."

On Trixie's suggestion, he too began to dig around in the masks. He felt a bit silly, really, but hell. He'd been dressed up more stupidly than this before. In fact, he may as well go the full distance with it. He picked up a gold coloured mask with what looked like half a bird's worth of feathers glued around the edges. Except when he caught sight of himself he just burst out laughing. "Do you think this is subtle enough for undercover?" he chuckled. Oh, he looked silly as anything. "Lucien, try this one."

In the end he went for something much simpler, grabbing a nearby tophat to go with it. Sure, the tophat didn't match the colour of the rest of the outfit, but he didn't really care. This wasn't serious anyway. "Right, are we ready for the mission?" he asked, trying to sound serious but failing to suppress his chuckling. "Infiltrating the biggest party in town!" He winked at Dalia.

Moira looked on with an expression of mild disinterest on her face. "Ey, you put one of those things anywhere near me and you're gettin' a knuckle sandwich." She instead caught sight of Dylan, a smile just nudging the edges of her mouth. Well. At least he had perked up.

Aliquam: The Tailor’s

The smile on Aria’s face only widened when Estelle popped up beside them, donning a gorgeous dress with an inverse color scheme to her own. The illusionist gave a pleased blush at the girl’s compliments of the choices of dress she had picked out for Xan.

“You look fantastic, Estelle!”

Aria cooed happily, giving the girl a more thorough inspection. It wasn’t often that she saw the swordswoman in any dress, but Estelle was certainly rocking this one. She could only imagine how lovely the girl would look with some subtle makeup and accessories…

“Tobias offered to pay for all these, right? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind buying an extra dress or two or five if he has all that money… right?”

That certainly sounded like a plan. Too bad Dalia was right- it wouldn’t feel right to take funds away from the arts. Dylan piped as well, looking quite dashing in his suit. Everyone was certainly looking very glamorous- everyone had picked out gorgeous dresses while the men were looking very handsome in their suits- maybe someone would end up needing to beat off suitors with a broom before the night was over. They would all fit in at the part no problem, at least looks wise.

Looking over to the accessory section, she had to bite in a giggle at the getup of masks they had donned. If they really decided to go with that then maybe they’d end up drawing some weird looks after all. Knowing the Pride, however, they would no doubt end up standing out nonetheless.

“Perhaps we should all put on masks,” She grinned, picking up a nearby mask and plopping it on her face. “and be the most gorgeous and mysterious group there.” She winked playfully, striking a pose.

Aliquam: The Tailor’s

“Oh yeah, this look works! Thanks, supergirl!” Lute readjusted his mask and saw that Trix already had her purple one on. Cool! They looked awesome! Well, he didn’t look that cool, but if he stuck along with everyone maybe their sparkly radiance thingy would make him appear nice too, huh?

Trixie asked him what his superhero moniker was and Lute took a moment to think about it. He was never really good at naming objects, like that time Ruana adopted a mouse and he called it Cheesebits as opposed to her much more refined choice which was Randolph, much less himself. To think of it, he’d probably ruin his reputation as a superhero if he made up his own alias.

He shot a look at Dalia and Lucien for help, but upon feeling the prankster’s stare intensifying he decided to, well, wreck it. Sweeping his arm downwards in a melodramatic manner, Lute bowed before raising his other fist in the air. “I.. am.. the one and only Echo!”

‘Well shit, bro. You totes ruined our lives.’ Delilah looked even surlier than her usual fix as soon as she heard the name the virtuoso had whipped up.

“The name’s under reconsideration! I mean, the superhero league’s still deciding whether my alias is up to par, you know. Ha ha ha…” Lute’s cheeks turned pink and he scratched the back of his head. “Anyway, looks like we’re all set!” He hastily swept the conversation to another topic and tugged on his suit, ready to leave as soon as everyone was okay.

Aliquam: The Tailor’s

Estelle clapped her hands with delight as Xandra exited the dressing room, now garbed in the beautiful, fetching dress that Aria had chosen. She almost seemed to sparkle with how perfect it was! After she, Xandra and Aria had their attention diverted with the shouting occuring from where Trixie was with Lute, Syed, Moira and Dalia, dramatically bellowing how much they needed good masks for their superheroic disguises, Xandra turned to Estelle, a small smile warming across her lips.

"Travelling together for so long must have been one amazing journey."

Estelle laughed.

"Well, it hasn't been that long... but it's been something alright. We've seen a lot of things, but it's just beginning!" Estelle threw her arm around Xandra's shoulder and began slowly walking towards the others, following Aria's lead as she started to fumble through some of the alluring, attention grabbing masks that could be found. "And you're on this amazing journey with us now, Xan! Haha!"

After letting her go, she followed Aria's lead in trying to find a nice mask that would help compliment her dress, as well as browse through to hopefully find something for Xandra. After the way in which Amy had helped her, and Aria had helped Xan, she wanted to help one of the others with their outfit now! What she settled upon for herself certainly suited her and her dress, even if it was a bit uncomfortable to wear at first. She was amazed at how well they gripped onto her face though, she would have thought they'd have slipped and fallen off quite easily. She also found more then a few that she thought Xandra would look good in, but the sheer number of masks she had picked, compared to what she had left behind, it was almost the same as just looking through the collection of masks proper. But again, Estelle couldn't contain herself, and again she had to ask, even despite Dalia's reply from before, whether or not they could possibly buy a lot more...



Marcus meanwhile simply held back, watching the rest of his friends with a silent smile as he waited for them to move on. Would the party begin soon, or would they have some more time inbetween? And how long would this gala of Tobias' run for?

Aliquam: The Tailor’s

"Echoooo!" Trixie cooed back in amazement. She bounced with enthusiasm. "I love it, I love it!" She turned to see Aria and Estelle picking up masks as well, and the grin on her face grew even wider. Everyone was playing along so nicely. Even Dylan seemed to be back in his spirits, posing in his suit and complimenting the ladies. Trixie began to flock to and fro all the other guilders, at least those who picked up masks, as well as Dalia. She of course avoided Moira though, since the berserker had threatened Sparky earlier.

"Ooh, ooh, okay, so since we're all going on a super big infil- infa- inf... super secret mission, what's everyone's superhero names?? We've got Sparky, and Echo, and the Doc"--she jerked a finger at Dylan--"and, wait Lucy, you can't play superhero, you're a bad guy. Unless you wanna switch sides! You better not stab our backs though. And umm... oh yeah! I'm Pixie. Well I'm actually Wondergirl but Pixie is a coverup name for Wondergirl since they can't know it's her - me - and... ... ... ..." She rambled on and on.



Amy had taken a spot beside Marcus during all of this, watching Trixie's antics with a subtle grin. She shook her head, though in a much less patronizing manner than usual. The prankster had been really rallied up in her superhero antics lately. This couldn't be some sort of compensation for Don leaving, could it? She'd thrown a fit after Don's departure but hadn't said anything about him since. It was the same with Lisette and Selan as well. The girl just didn't handle friends leaving too well, but at least she had other friends surrounding her.

"Looks like we'll be in for a wild ride later..."

Aliquam: The Tailor’s

Dalia smiled at Trixie as the girl rambled on and on, listing off superhero names that she had apparently made up for all the members of the party. It was cute, though she was really confused why her brother was named “Doc” - he was an artist, not a healer! “Well, I know I’m new here, but can I have a superhero name too?”

Dylan walked over just in time to her this, holding a pair of masks in his hand - one for him and one for his sister. “I’m sure you can have a superhero name, sis, even if you haven’t earned one yet. You just have to think of one.”

“Well, I’m sure we’ll come up with something before the party, won’t we?” She winked down at Trixie. “You’ll help me, won’t you?”

THAT EVENING



Aliquam: Tobias’ Gala

They arrived together in a group, arriving fashionably late to the party which was already in full swing. There were Priests and Priestesses, artists and students, paid entertainers and impeccably dressed waitstaff. They circled the room with trays carrying hors d’oeuvres and drinks. There was great music flowing through the room, art on display, and couples dancing on the floor.

“Here we are!” Dylan said as he turned to the Pride. He dropped his voice low, just loud enough for his friends to hear him. “Alright, I know you guys probably have questions about my history with Tobias, but that doesn’t matter let’s just say it ended poorly. It’ll be fine. Relax and enjoy the party - they really are the best in Aliquam. Just...don’t let him hit on you, okay?”

Dalia cocked her head to the side. “How are they supposed to stop that?”

“By being forceful?”

Before anyone could question Dylan’s wonderful logic, they were interrupted by a waitress holding a tray of glasses. “Champagne, anyone?”

Aliquam: Tobias’ Gala

"Wow, this is huge!" Lucien grinned like a Cheshire cat and tugged down on the flaps of his panda hat.

The party had everything, and was that a chocolate fountain on one of the tables? He rubbed his hands together, ready to bounce all the way towards the refreshments, however before he could do just that Dylan began talking about Tobias. "Don't worry about it," he puffed out his chest. "We'll make sure he doesn't get near any of the girls." He attempted to look threatening but it was hard to take him seriously, he wasn't exactly intimidating to begin with and the panda hat on his head didn't help at all.

"Don't stress yourself out, okay?" Xan gave Dylan a reassuring smile. "We're a group of superheroes." She turned towards her masked friends, her smile widening into a grin. "This shouldn't be a problem." They had survived both Los Paraisos and Thaum, so a party, it wouldn't be too hard, right? Xan looked around and everyone seemed to be having a good time. The food to the music, everything was astounding.

A waitress approached with a tray of glasses and for a moment Lucien stood starstruck. The summoner popped up behind Lute and Syed, swinging an arm around their shoulders. He pulled them close and was pretty much the epitome of ecstatic. "There are so many girls!" He whispered so only they could hear. The man let out a snicker before his eyes flitted from Lute to Syed. "You know what this means? Operation babe hunt!" He released them, hopped back, then began fumbling with his suit, smoothing out the creases and straightening his tie. "What do you say?" He winked, "it might be fun, yeah?"

Aliquam: Tobias’ Gala

Well, they were here. The grandeur of the event was apparent and only served to rekindle his discomfort, but at least they were still unnoticed. It would’ve been worse if the music stopped and everyone paused to look at the Pride… Ugh. Lute was about to suggest that they go search for Tobias to thank him for the invitation since that was what he thought a guest should do upon arriving at an event, but Dylan didn’t seem too warm with any idea concerning their host. The artist even gave them a warning, one which Lucien happily complied to, but if the virtuoso was being honest the girls were more than capable of protecting themselves. ‘It’s us that need protecting,’ Lute thought as he watched Lucien tug at his panda flaps while glancing around in excitement. Gods preserve them.

The summoner then pulled him and Syed close, their faces squishing against each other so much that Lute’s mask moved out of place. He quickly pulled it back and listened to Lucien’s proposition, unable to get a word in edgewise since the boy was so fired up with his idea. “A ‘babe hunt’?” Lute narrowed his eyes and imagined the three of them yelling while running after some poor girl. He didn’t know Lucien was into that kind of activity. Delilah quickly corrected his false assumption and the virtuoso turned pink under his golden mask, his eyes seeking out Syed to gauge the man’s reaction. “Hahaha… ha,” He laughed weakly but the summoner stared at him. Like really stared. Waiting for an answer.

“But we’ve already got babes here!” Lute gestured to the girls in their group. “Oh yeah, speaking of, one of them just called me over! Thanks for the offer, Lucy! It’s really sweet! Good luck to you two!” The virtuoso intentionally talked louder than normal as he retreated over to Aria’s side, where the summoner would probably not pay attention to him anymore. “Whew, glad I escaped that pickle. Say, Aria, if I drink one of those, will I get drunk?” He tapped her by the shoulder and gestured at the waiter with his tray of champagne glasses. His eyes wandered over to the dance floor and Lute winced. “Looks like your type of scene. Are you going to try it out?” It would be uncomfortable if he hung about while she went off to dance, so the virtuoso looked at his longtime friend, awaiting her response.

Aliquam: Tobias’ Gala
The gala room, much like pretty much everything else they had seen today, was a grand and equisitly decorated place, screaming wealth and sophistication from every angle. Tobias' status as a patron was fairly evident, judging by the various artistic pieces arranged around the edges of the room. As such, much like earlier, both Moira and Syed were feeling pretty out of place. And slightly uncomfortable, thanks to what happened last time they had a fancy formal dance in an extravagant setting.

Still, Syed nodded in response to Dylan's very short briefing. So, it was like that. He kind of doubted it would be just the girls who would need to watch out. Judging from Dylan's words as well as their actions earlier, Tobias and Dylan must have been once closer than friends.

He was just in the process of turning down the offer of champagne when he was suddenly pulled slightly downwards by the shoulders. Lucien?! "You know what this means? Operation babe hunt! What do you say? It might be fun, yeah?"

In contrast to Lucien's smooth acting, Syed just became a little flustered, his hair beginning to stand on end a little as he flushed spectacularly. "Wh-what?! I- I'm not looking! I'm not interested! I'm not into... you know!" He looked desperately towards Dylan and Marcus for help. Oh Vayu either of those two would have been more qualified for this than them! "I mean, I'm cool being a wingman for you, but I'm not... I don't...!"

“But we’ve already got babes here!” Lute exclaimed, excusing himself. Syed, his face still a particularly luminous shade of crimson, looked sideways at his friend. Oh. He had been ditched. Suddenly his own anxiety didn't seem to be such a big deal anymore. He patted Lucien's shoulder sympathetically.

"Come on, let's find you a girl then. Somehow... even though I have no idea where to even start..."


However, when Moira was offered the champagne she grabbed two glasses. One for her, and one for...

Oh for crying out loud the insane music guy was making a beeline for her again. She glanced towards Amy - they had to intercept this fast. "EY! REE!" she yelled as subtly as ever towards the Illusionist. Which really wasn't needed since she wasn't even that far away. "Gotcha a drink! It should be decent I reckon. Maybe?" She brought her own glass to her lips and took a big gulp. "Yeah it's good. Fancy joinin' us? We ain't had a proper chance to hang out yet!"

She wasn't particularly bothered by Dylan's caution. She kind of doubted she would be Tobias' type anyway.

Aliquam: Tobias’ Gala

She had to hand it to Tobias- the guy sure knew how to throw a party.

The place was already filled with gorgeously dressed people, some dancing to the music while others mingled and admired the pieces of art on display. It was easy to tell from one look that the host had very nice taste in art; even the entryway was sculpted meticulously.

She adjusted her mask, looking over to Dylan as he warned them about Tobias. Hit on them? It was a weird warning, but Dylan did know the man a lot better than any of them did.
” Say, Aria, if I drink one of those, will I get drunk?”

She turned around to see Lute who had seemingly escaped from Lucien’s grasp. Judging by the grin on the summoner’s face and Syed’s flustered state, she was rather certain that she knew what they were talking about.

“It’s only champagne,” she started, but paused in thought when she recalled some past shenanigans that had occurred due to the virtuoso’s inability to handle alcohol well. “Actually, no, you would probably be able to get drunk on that. Yep.”

"EY! REE!"

“Oh, hey Moira!” She gladly accepted the flute of champagne, rather flattered at the sudden invitation. “That sounds great actually. We’ll be hitting the bar, I presume?” She gave an apologetic look to Lute, nudging him towards where Lucien and Syed were working out their plan of attack. “Lucy’ll probably use all the help he can get,” she winked, sending him over to the two with a reassuring pat before turning back to Moira and Amy.

“Shall we go then?” She gestured to the direction of the fancy looking bar, with its several displays of fancy looking drinks and a bartender shaking drinks in a way she hadn't seen before. She tilted her head, peering at the man. "Do you think that's considered modern dance?"