Ran: “Young miss, would you prefer to lie down for a while? There is a tree behind you that you can lean against if you feel too dizzy to lie down flat.”

The male voice almost startled the pink-haired man who currently had his head drooped downwards out of exhaustion. ’Shoot! My hair is a wreck.’ Suddenly, a high pitched purr gurgled out in front of him and Lesley couldn’t help but look up to see what exactly was making that noise? Once his gaze trailed up the clawed, scaly paws of Cobalt, he came to stare at a toothy-grinning baby dragon. The reptile blinked and bared its teeth as it widened its smile. “Oh well, aren't you just a precious lil’ thing!” Lesley gushed and reached forward, squishing Cobalt’s cheek in one hand. Finally turning his attention to Ran, he flashed the gentleman a charming grin and flicked his bouncy curls lightly. “I would, but could you help me get over there?” He asked with a pained tone and a slight pout.

Once Ran picked him up, Lesley wrapped his arms around the man’s neck in satisfaction with his compliance to the request. After he was set back down against the base of the tree trunk, Ran asked about help coming to get them.

“I hope it’ll be soon” Lesley mumbled to no one in particular as he combed his fingers through his knotted locks.

---

To everyone’s dismay, help never came and they set out on the journey back to Sol on foot, injuries and fatigue weighing down on them the entire trip. Lesley’s limb-loss was treated and replaced with a functioning prosthetic hand. Though his real hand could never be brought back, he was still thankful for his new one.

Laying in his cot, Lesley fiddled with his artificial hand in deep thought. He heard some of the nurses talking about Avian’s cremation and how Victoria had reacted to the loss. Just imagining it made him tear up on the infirmary bed. It made him wonder what his parents might be thinking by now. His mom was probably causing all hell to break loose at Empire just looking for him. Cringing, he decided to push out the somber thoughts by sleeping.

---

Lesley was sitting alone at the bar sipping on a fermented candy drink when Queen Delirium stood up and clinked her glass to call everyone’s attention. ’She looks nice…’

Queeny: "Thank you very much for attending this grand celebration. Never before in Nowhere's history have the humans come so close to completing the living list."

Raising his champagne glass in front of him, he swished the liquid in circular motions with a snort. ’Ah, so I was right. No human batch has ever gotten home yet. They all died before any of em’ could finish.’

Queeny: "As of now, they only lack two more items, then those dearies can finally go home, and when they do," a smile crept up her face. "All of Nowhere will celebrate!"

Crowd: "Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!"

Bringing the rim of the glass up to his lips, he downed the rest of the alcohol in one swift tilt. ’I wonder where the others are.’ The cheering and sounds of celebration sounded like a blurred murmur to him.

---

Amiel: "I'm charmed to make such a lovely woman's acquaintance. Oh, where are my manners.”

Hearing a voice directed at him from his right side, Lesley swiveled around on his barstool to face the speaker. The pink-haired man had been seeking to get drunk that night and had asked for a second refill. Taking a quick swig of his drink before turning, after coming face to face with the gentleman who had so graciously struck up a conversation with him, Lesley almost spit up the contents within his mouth. Doing the sign of the cross hastily, he forced his drink down with a troubled gulp. ]’Lord, he’s gorgeous.’

Amiel: “My name is Amiel Brightenburg, perchance could I ask for your name, fair maiden? It would be an honor."

Placing a hand into Amiel’s extended one, he cleared his throat daintily. “Lesley. Lesley LaBelle.” He flashed the male an exuberant smile along with one of his “looks”.

Amiel: "My father is good friends with the queen, so I've been here more times than I can count. If you like, I could show you around. There are many rooms in this castle, some so beautiful they just take your breath away."

“I would love to!” He replied excitedly. ’I’m sure I’ll take your breath away’ The pink haired man giggled mischievously to himself. Linking his arm around Amiel’s, the two made their way through the crowded dance floor towards one of the halls. Once they emerged from the jumble of Nobodies, he was pleasantly surprised to find Riley and Ace standing there fixing their own outfits. Pulling his new friend towards the girls, he smoothed out the hem of Ace’s dress. “Wow, you two look fabulous!”

“Amiel, meet Ace and Riley” Pointing his prosthetic palm at each lady, he was glad that Amiel could at least show them around. Alone time would have to wait.

eh.

music.

Leila arrived at the Queen’s feast late, meaning…

...whatever it was supposed to mean in a place without a valid concept of time.

She glanced momentarily downwards on her chest and shoulders that she couldn’t see. The healing potions worked magic. Its results were particularly impressive considering that the liquid tasted like a solution of rust, charcoal, and animal gut; an alcoholic one that, too. Not like she actually tasted such a thing before, though.

Like technology, any kind of magic had its flaws and drawbacks - Leila figured. for the potions mended ruptured organs and broken bone, but it seemed like the bruises and rashes on the skin would have to take the time to heal on their own, and the pink trail on the back of her shoulder that was what remained of an open wound still ached faintly from time to time.

Leila didn’t mind it that much itself, but several of the outfitters for the party were visibly frustrated when they realized that the areas of skin allowed to be shown in their fashion choices had to be severely restricted.

Standing in the middle of the dining hall, Leila looked up idly at the fluorescent jellyfish that navigated the insides of the half with much the same halfheartedness, the slowly altering pastel hues reflecting onto her clothes and skin and off the shiny waxed floor.

She didn’t feel the urge to extend an arm and poke one in its umbrella.

Music was playing in the background - not Bach or Vivaldi or anything Leila recognized, except the occasional few loose notes from the first chair violinist that were characteristic to the hyperactive bunny that accompanied them through the first portion of their journey.

Leila tried to smile at those memories and succeeded, although she acknowledged the fact that that didn't really help her feel any better.

The background noise wasn't as much music as it was the combined content of the chats, exclamations, and otherwise small-talk of the residents of this incomprehensible realm. The same sort of indistinct hums that sent her scrambling looking for exits the first time - it felt like so long ago - she walked into this place.

She noticed that she wasn’t afraid of this anymore, and she wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing.

It felt like she hadn’t seen her fellow lost souls for a while as well - most of her time spent back here was resting, mostly alone. How were they doing? She couldn’t really recall what happened to who back in the forest, perhaps partly because she didn’t want to. She saw Harper with a couple of the guides at a distance, and decided to walk over to them.

She didn’t know exactly why, or what she should do afterwards, so she just stood there, not saying anything. Not far away, a lady with colourful hair rambled on in her thrilly voice, and the item hunter and scarved cat man replied.

Leila shook her glass of a bit, perhaps out of feeling obligated to at least do something except...except not doing anything. A few bubbles sparkled their way to the surface of the pink beverage.

She slowly raised the glass and took a sip - she noticed the bitterness, present in all carbonated drinks more or less - even Nowhere’s strawberry soda. She looked down into the sparkling liquid and remembered it to also be first item of food she had since she stepped off the train.

She still thought the sweetness could be tuned down a little.

Looking back up, Leila saw Cello grab a shrimp from Harper’s plate. The amount of food on the container had otherwise not decreased at all. She then looked at the fellow human, who was dressed now in a suit. He looked much less pleasant than Leila remembered him to - not even that much better than on their painstaking trip back from the woods. She glanced occasionally down at where a sword wound would have been, only to be repeatedly reminded that she couldn’t see it.

“...How ... have you been?”

She instantly regretted uttering those words because the answer wasn’t going to be one of those she was taught to expect, so long ago, back home, when that question was to be proposed.

“’Fine’!? I feel like shredded fruit!” Songbird wheezed out at Cello, one hand clutching at his heart while the other was draped over his eyes. Like everyone else, he was treated with those rare but highly-effective potions the Queen so thoughtfully gave, but what he didn’t know was that an overdose of the stuff would leave him with a splitting headache.

“Shut up, you big oaf! Get away from me or I’ll rip your hair out with my teeth!” The item hunter bolted up from the couch and yelled at a nearby pair of partygoers who were being a tad too noisy for his tastes. Though they glared back at first, Songbird pulling his sleeves up and preparing to jump over the chair to brain them urged the two ladybugs to leave at once. “Gah, pathetic weeaboos,” He grumbled and sank back to his place beside Brandy, at once deflating from angry Thugbird to something that looked more like a limp noodle.

The past week saw him go through an astonishing amount of mood swings, from all-consuming fury that more or less scared the poor nurses away (he sent the lovely dears a present to apologize for his behavior) to … well… weeping his eyes out over the slightest of things. Songbird recalled crying over how tired he was, which was a “minor” side-effect of the health potions, and waking up Brandy who had been stationed in the next cot. The entire night, his reasons for letting out the waterworks went from aforementioned exhaustion, Martini’s colorless tail, Lesley’s (lack of a) hand, two of the humans dying, the stupid pink-haired hobbit appearing out of nowhere and stealing the witch’s heart, Brandy expending too much stamina to make that shield layer, the crappy hospital food, and finally how he didn’t like how a certain nurse always smelled of milk.

Cello’s next suggestions were left unanswered until the topic swerved to the USB. The cat also decided to pat him on the head, which knocked his hat off and gave Songbird the opportunity to look around. Ah, the pomp everywhere was so irritating. He was probably the only one who didn’t give much thought to his clothes since he just reused the ensemble he wore on the Queen’s first (?) welcome party for the humans. “Ugh, that’s good. That Falkner woman could take care of things. Thanks, Cello,” The nobody muttered back and was about to lean against the couch again when he noticed Harper rising from his seat.

That kid didn’t look so-

"Songbird, if it isn't my favorite item hunter!" The voice was shrill and excited. "It's good to see you again," a Nobody with beautiful hair in all sorts of colors appeared by their table and she beamed at both the guides and humans. "Darling, it's been far too long. Brandy, would you mind I borrowed the adorable pumpkin for a short dance." Her eyes sparkled at the thought. "What do you say, Songbird?"

AAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Songbird clutched at his heart again and he fell back against Brandy. Thankfully the bunny covered for him and even made up a proper excuse. “Yeah, thanks for the offer, Mona. Um… Crepester’s right over there, by the way,” He nodded over to the opposite direction and the colorful nobody squealed before bouncing off, completely having forgotten her previous offer to him. Being an item hunter had its payoffs because you know who liked who and it’s perfect to use as extortion material.

“The way you look right now, it’s like you’re the one asking me for a dance,” Songbird sighed as the woman finally left and grabbed onto Brandy’s hand to get up from the couch. “Thanks. I should go check on that kid, though. Give me a few, okay?” He jerked his thumb at Harper’s direction before patting the bunny on the shoulder, and when he turned away he bumped into Leila with his bad arm.

Ack.

“Ssssssssssssshhhh-orry!” Songbird blurted out and steadied the girl, casting a meaningful glance at Brandy over the top of her head, and then left. They were both quiet people so they should be fine… Maybe. Ahhh, if all else fails Cello can intervene.

Harpurr- er, Harper had seated himself a ways off from the center of the party. To be honest the boy looked just as colorless as Martini’s tail despite his extravagant clothing, and despite his angry spiel at the humans Songbird could feel himself getting sad too, just don’t get him near that spear guy. He racked his brain for a way to break the ice since the poor dear just seemed so out of it but conversation was never his forte, and without realizing it the item hunter backtracked to what may have caused Harper to lock down like this. He wasn’t sure since he was stuck inside his hospital room and stayed in his home once he was released from the clerics, but considering what the Lost Souls have been through it was possible that he was like this thanks to that run-in with the witch.

Songbird sighed and sat down beside the boy.

He’d probably not hit Songbird since he knew the nobody was wounded… Right?

“Aight kid, c’mere,” The item hunter cleared his throat and pulled Harper over for a hug.

Ohhhh hairless catbus this was awkward, why did he think of this.

“It’s not your fault. And I’m not telling you to get happy once I tell you this, because it’s fine for you to get sad and grieve and all that. What I just want to say is you gotta pick yourself up eventually, you can’t let the sadness eat away at you, but there’s no rush, okay?” Songbird said haltingly, still not having warmed up to the role of a big brother figure, “Uh, I mean it that’s what you’re thinking about. If not, then… er… just assume this advice is for future things you might encounter in your life.”

Someone asked him how he was doing, and he stopped in his tracks.

On one hand, they were stuck in this pastel painted hell until they completed even more suicide missions, and on the other hand, several of their companions and friends were dead. To make matters worse, it turned out that whoever died in Nowhere would have their existence erased.

He was doing wonderful, thank you for asking. It was definitely all flowers and rainbows.

The boy clenched his hands into fists until his knuckles turned white. The person continued to stutter and the familiar voice made Harper raise his head. A retort was already on his lips, but he stopped himself. Leila wasn’t exactly the most social person. Sure, she could be a little weird, but she probably didn’t mean any harm. “I…just forget it.” He held up a dismissive hand then walked away without saying anything else

The longer he stayed in Nowhere, the more he felt like a ticking time bomb. More than anything, he wanted to be alone. Really, the last thing he needed was a party, and he was guessing that some of the others probably felt the same way. After much searching, he found a silent corner and practically threw himself onto the couch.

The party, the streamers, it all upset him. Because really, if none of the other humans managed to make it home then how exactly were they going to accomplish such a feat? They were just a bunch of teenagers. And, if people like Hakuren and Vincent had been killed so easily how would people like Leila, Jasper, and him ever hope to survive? If a single witch had singlehandedly crushed them how would they face bigger foes?

They were just a bunch of kids playing hero, and if it hadn’t been for the hooded figures, they would have all perished at the stone of sacrifice. He didn’t notice, but once again, he had balled his hands into fists. Harper wished he never believed in the Midnight Train. Ace, Jasper, Inadi, Lesley, all of them were going to die, and all because they had tossed logic to the wind on that cursed evening of December 31st.

He thought about all the deaths that had happened on the SSF and his shoulders sagged. If a higher being existed, then it was unfair and cruel.

“C’mere kid”

Songbird pulled him into a hug.

Go away…we’re all going to die.

He wanted to snap.

Everything will amount to nothing.

The guide pulled him closer and for the first time since the forest of the ancients, he allowed himself to cry. Songbird made him feel like a kid who had skinned his knees after a tumble and maybe that’s what they all were—children, struggling to pick themselves up again after a rough fall.

It felt like someone had wrapped a warm blanket around his shoulders, but he peeled away from the hug. “Y’know, after what happened, no one could blame you guys if you left...I wouldn’t.” He kept his eyes on his feet. “If you keep following the queen’s orders, you might die too. None of us would want that.”

You know, not too long ago, he actually believed they had a shot at making it home, but now, it seemed like just a dream. Harper stood up, “Hey…Songbird? Take care of yourself, okay?” he gave the guide a serious look, muttered a weary thank you then began walking away.

On the trek back...

Her whole body quivered and ached, her eyes could barely manage to stay open, and her legs were threatening to collapse with every step. She felt light headed and nauseous. The crumbling walls of the kingdom in the distance; it gave her hope. What is hope? The girl merely snorted at the word.

~~~~~

Infirmary...



The boat tilted viciously and the little girl fell. Four bleeding holes through the chest matched with four black claws as long as swords. Multiple branches in one piece of flesh... so much for a kebab. Aimless anger and tears; he turned into a rock.



~~~~~

Jasper stared at her reflection in the mirror while she combed through her hair which had now grown to the base of her back. She never let it lengthen that long before. It was a pleasant change. Even though she would binge on sweets and desserts during parties in the castle, every time they went on a quest, she would shed the excess fat storage and lose even more than she had consumed. The albino was already as skinny as a stick, but she almost appeared emaciated right now.

Placing the comb down gently on the dresser, she swiped at her dress and studied her arms and legs. They were heavily bruised, but make up had been applied over top of them to lessen the pigmentation. She made a face at her bony shoulders and stick-like legs. 'I still hate dresses.' Attending the celebration was something she dreaded so she took her time in preparing to leave her room.

Knock! Knock!

"Miss, you must come out now! The party has already star-"

Opening the door just a crack, Jasper eyed the mouse and nodded.

The maid frowned slightly before walking away briskly whilst dusting off her apron.

Once she was sure the handmaiden had left, she made her way back to the bed and fell forward like a ton of bricks. Rolling over, she looked up at the ceiling, red irises trailing each and every detail. 'Why celebrate when we're all going to die?' She blinked.

~~~~~

Strolling into the festivity hall, Jasper arrived just in time for Queen Delirium's speech.

"Thank you very much for attending this grand celebration. Never before in Nowhere's history have the humans come so close to completing the living list. As of now, they only lack two more items, then those dearies can finally go home, and when they do, all of Nowhere will celebrate!"

Puffing more air out out of her nostrils than usual, she ducked to avoid a jellyfish tentacle. The room was magnificent indeed, but Jasper was in no mood to appreciate it.

"Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!"

'Mindless Nobodies. You don't even know what you're cheering for. More death? More bloodshed? Heh.'

Wandering and pushing through the sea of beings, she struggled to search for a familiar face. Her gaze was scanning among so many different faces at once that she was starting to feel dizzy. A few minutes had passed and she still felt lost. Her stomach grumbled. Approaching the nearest buffet table she could find, she nabbed a plate and began stacking on the sugary confections. Cakes, brownies, cookies, cupcakes, and candy galore. Her dish was filled in no time. As she neared the end of the smorgasbord, right at the very end of the lay out was a minuscule selection of healthy fruits. She snickered as she plopped a couple macarons onto her plate. 'Who would want that when there's-' As she glanced back up towards the borderline of the dinner table, she squinted her eyes at a guy wearing a ridiculous yellow suit who held a dish filled with nothing but fruits and also stuffing himself with grapes. Finally casting a look onto the man's face, she almost spilled the contents of her own plate to find that the fellow was actually Inadi.

'His outfit though.' This continued for a good minute or so until she had completely devoured her treat. Walking towards him she said, "Wow, you must really like grapes." She bit off the ear of the pink bunny macaron. "The Nobody who dressed you should get fired," Jasper stated bluntly as she munched away on the strawberry tasting tart while scrutinizing the blinding banana get up.

__________________________________________

Ran the Odd Job Man
__________________________________________

A gloved hand reached into the tin bucket. The big, black spider reared up as it began backing away. The ginormous finger and thumb pressed against each other to form a perfect circle then the index finger struck. The spider flipped onto its back as it was stunned by the blow. The hand grabbed it and stuffed the arachnid into the huge crack. Ran heaved a sigh of relief as he wiped away the sweat from his brow. Mission accomplished! He managed to return the spiders back to their nooks all around the castle. The man climbed down jauntily and hopped down the last three rungs. He grinned as he held out the bucket to the Nobody at the foot of the ladder.

“There you go! Eighty spiders were caught and returned. None of them lost any legs.”

His current employer nodded and paid him for his services. Ran counted the tiny stars in his hand. 1…2…3…4! This place was even stingier than McDonald’s. Even though he ran around delivering last minute party invites, deshelled three hundred boiled eggs, hauled kegs of hot water and caught spiders, he only managed to earn a grand total of twenty stars today. Don’t they have better paying jobs in Nowhere? He only managed to accumulate a hundred and twenty stars over the last week and a half.

Still Ran smiled as he added the newly acquired stars to the small pouch. Maybe he might be able to do this. Twenty stars a day isn’t that bad. In fact it would take him approximately about a month to earn back the required amount. With some stars in excess. The kids would definitely love to have some extra money to spend. And… maybe! Just maybe he could sell the wagons, the two horses and the lame mule after the castle guards return them to him. Better yet! Maybe he can return them to the farm. Which means all the stars he earned will be his to keep! Satisfied, Ran, put his hands into his pocket and returned to the room.

“Toby! I’m home.” He shouted as he rapped the door.

There was no answer. Not even a rustling or footsteps. Odd. Where was his young friend? “I’m coming in! Don’t stand in front of me without a towel wrapped around your waist, alright?”

“Coming in 3… 2… 1!”

The door swung open lazily and Ran stepped in. There was one messy bed and one neatly made bed. No one was there. He quickly closed the door and sat down on the edge of his neatly made bed. He was about to flop down when he noticed a tiny note with messy handwriting and badly drawn emoticons decorating it. He picked it up and read. Then stared.

“Crap! The party.”

He scrambled to his cupboard and flung it open. What was … God! He was not going to wear that! Why is his tuxedo burgundy? Couldn’t they have given him black, grey or white? He searched the whole cupboard, but there was only one suit. What happened to the other sets of clothes? He finally found a note tacked to the door.

“Do not forget to bathe and put on clean underwear.”

Yes mom, Ran replied mentally. Shrugging to himself the man removed the suit and clean briefs before headed to the en suite bathroom. Tacked to the mirror of the bathroom was more instructions – how to style your hair and recommended cologne and aftershaves. All he did was quirk an eyebrow. Okay that second note was pretty awesome. He picked up the suggested bottle and sniffed. Compliments to the stylist. If there was one. The scent was lovely.

__________________________________________

May I have this dance?
__________________________________________

Ran walked into the hall pretending to admire the decorations. He stopped to greet familiar guests and compliment the ladies. Slowly he made his way towards the buffet table. He beamed and waved to the two familiar faces seated there. Songbird was it? And Brandy? The two definitely looked much more alive compared to two weeks ago. He studied the food carefully. All the tasty things looked like they had dairy in it in the form of some sort of cheese or cream. Fruits… fruits… ah ha! Celery sticks. Ran picked up the tongs and was about to grab several pieces of celery …

Anna said "Oh you must try the queen's deviled eggs, they are to die for."

“They certainly look tasty,” he replied even though he had dismissed them a couple of seconds ago. He politely put one on the plate he was holding and offered it to the lady in question before putting one on another plate for himself. He tried his best not to stare at her cat ears and tail. Was she a neko? His eyes followed the swishing tail for a couple of seconds as she finished the egg in two bites.

“Can I get you anything else?”

He chatted happily with Anna as they ate. Being a gentleman he was far too polite to decline tasting whatever she recommended. He cringed inwardly at the thought of the copious amounts of dairy he just consumed. At least she was a pleasant conversation partner. It wasn’t too difficult really. She loved talking and all he had to do was provide a couple of words here and there. He noticed the group of ladies standing at the side of the ballroom. All of them seemed to be giggling, waving and blowing kisses. He turned around for a brief second as Mona went to pick up yet another macaroon and loaded it onto his plate. Damn! Those two – Songbird and Brandy – certainly are popular with the ladies. Not that he was surprised, really. They were quite good looking even for cartoon-like beings.

He smiled and waved to them too. This was almost as awkward as high school. Though nothing was ever as bad as the day his younger sister asked if he liked anyone in class on Valentine’s Day during his senior year. He named his only female friend, and all the girls started giggling. He still can’t figure out why. Of course he would like her, she was his childhood friend. There was absolutely nothing else between them.

Anna giggled as she introduced the pointed the other ladies. He bowed to each of them in turn even though he was far away. Ran noticed another lady with cat ears and a tail. Were they sisters? His lovely companion didn’t allow him to pay the other women too much attention for long. She had stuffed a strawberry into his mouth.

Anna said "Say human, would you like to dance with me? I'm dying to have you sweep me off my feet."

Ran took a bite off the fruit and removed it teasingly before offering her a bite. He then bowed and offered her his hand. Just like what they do in the movies. Now how do they dance? This was so different from dancing in the disco or at the club.

“It will be my pleasure, Ms. Anna. I am honored to be your dance partner.”

As he led her towards the other dancing couples, Ran desperately tried to see how the other people were dancing. Oh gosh! Must they actually stand so close? And the man had an arm around his partner’s waist too! No wait! Watch the footwork. He bowed as she curtsied and he stepped forward. Awkwardly he wrapped an arm round her waist and stepped to the side. She followed suit. Oh! So that’s how it works. Guess I could try faking it for the rest of the night. Erm… just say it’s a modified version found… where he came from. He continued humming. His eyes flicked towards their feet occasionally. He already had two near misses. Nothing would be more embarrassing than trotting on the poor lady’s foot when she was wearing glass slippers.

Leila tried remaining calm and not let her thoughts show as she regretted not thinking things through before acting. She mentally braced herself for whatever unexpected course this chain of events she shouldn’t have started would then take a turn into. She almost exclaimed something when an elbow bumped into her, having expecting it to be no less than a punch from Harper when something suddenly touched her. She resisted the reaction, and because of that didn’t do anything in reply of Songbird’s hasty apology except allowing her eyes to flicker in the direction of the guide for some seconds.

She looked at the ground as Harper looked up. Their lines of sight didn’t cross.

”I…just forget it.”

Leila froze as Harper replied, and remained still long after the boy slowly walked away. His voice was coarse and sounded like it was on the verge of breaking. She wondered if Harper was close to breaking too, of if she was herself. She still glanced at where the sword wound would have been on Harper’s body from time to time.

The apology that took her so much effort preparing for did not escape her mouth.

The festivity continued around them. Leila kept her eyes to the ground, looking at the colours and shadows that fluctuated on the floor.

“Just forget it”, he said. The longer you stay…

...why were they there? What were they looking for? A train brought them there. A train filled with sparkles and stars and bunnies with laptops transported them to a realm where everything was pastel and the laws of physics as she knew them obviously didn’t apply. Where they put themselves in great danger collecting things like fragments of dying stars and voices of mythical beings - all of which apparently very well existed despite all reasoning suggesting otherwise; and then they return to the hall and beings from this nonsense world toasting over whatever they thought was worthy of celebrating in this scheme of neverending struggling and confusion.

The threads of thought started flowing her mind again, something that she hadn’t had time to do for such a long time when she was just struggling to stay alive. Finally now she had the time to think - but the thoughts tangled themselves into a chaotic mess as they accelerated. Anything that seemed like it was starting to flow smoothly would then run into a pile of unresolvable contradictions that triggered what could only be analogized to mental screams of “does not compute”. Above that noise, then, was the yells that couldn’t be silenced, the pledges for them to complete the list, to go back home. And those voices didn’t follow from anything else, and nothing could be said reliably that it followed from there.

Stay alive. Get home. Why? She had no idea.

She flinched. So that’s what they had to do? Scramble to ensure the achieving of a goal whose meaning they’ll eventually come to entirely forget.

Leila realized their interaction had ended only long after. In a scenario no worse than all those she had anticipated, but one that she hadn’t expected either. She sighed - still couldn’t rationalize these things, could she? She wasn’t sure whether she was supposed to feel relieved that it ended like that and she didn’t have to put up with a conversation. She didn’t.

She then looked again at Harper and Songbird and tried her hardest to persuade herself that she didn’t need to care for them, didn’t need to pay that thought. She succeeded, not because she convinced herself that Harper would be okay, but because of the realization that there was nothing she could do to help.

Leila sighed. Flowers and rainbows...

She raised the tall glass and gulped down the rest of the strawberry soda all at once. The surge of sparkles felt like they burnt as she pushed the liquid down her throat, but she ignored that and continued, only stopping on the exhaustion of the bright pink beverage. A few droplets escaped and fell into her airway instead, triggering reflexive convulsions in her chest, bones and muscles now healed and coping alright with the conflicting orders given by her conscious mind to suppress the coughs and sputters.

She stood there, eyes in a blank gaze into the crowd. The background noises persisted, and the jellyfish still sailed idly through the indoor air. The nauseating sweetness of the syrup persisted in her mouth.

music.

Inadi continued to pull grapes off his plate and enjoyed the sweet taste of the fruit. Also digging into some of the apple slices made the man's cheeks swell up as the contents were going in faster than he could swallow them. Chewing down the different fruits he heard a faint voice beside him. He quickly turned to see Jasper in her bright white dress commenting on his eating habits and his garb as well. Both made the man feel slightly embarrassed.

Quickly swallowing the food in his mouth so as to not look like a winter starved chipmunk, Inadi shot Jasper a quick smile as he filled up his plate with a just a few more fruits such as a few slices of melon that he noticed just before Jasper had arrived. “You spend two weeks with a giant bear making nothing but gingerbread men, cookies and cakes and you tell me if you have any kind of a sweet tooth left,” He joked with the girl as he held up another thin apple slice as if showing it off the the lady standing beside him. “Besides, this stuff ain't so bad in comparison I think. Just sweet enough for my liking.” Inadi explained as he tossed the apple in his mouth and chewed it up quickly.

Looking Jasper up and down, he saw just how skinny the girl was and it made him feel worried for her. Clearly this was because of all the running around the Queen had been making her do since she arrived in Nowhere. Inadi began picturing himself in a similar state and let out a sigh. It wasn't a matter of if that happened to him. It was just a matter of when. He was already bruised and scarred from all this adventuring. Soon he would be malnourished and wasting away as well somewhere down the line. He made a mental note to compliment Jasper on her dedication at some other time, as it probably wasn't best to point out her physical appearance so bluntly.

Aside from her skinny build, Jasper was very eye catching in her garb. In the good way. Inadi was stared at more often than not just because he was an elephant in the room with the suit he had on. Looking down at his suit after Jasper made the comment about shooting the Nobody who dressed him, the spectacle wearing man gave a slight shrug and smile. “I don't know, it's different at least. Definitely not the same old tired black suit and tie I'd normally wear to things like this.” He told her as he pointed out to all the dancing and camaraderie going on around them.

“Of course though I have to say you wear your dress very well Jasper. You look very...” Inadi began looking for a proper way to compliment the girl. Pretty wasn't a good word to use since it really wasn't that descriptive and seemed like a lazy way out of a compliment. Beautiful may have been a bit too far since he didn't want to make the girl feel uncomfortable. Surely there had to be some kind of middle ground. Visibly scrunching his face to try and find a proper word, he finally found something he felt worked well. “Exotic. You look very exotic in your dress tonight.” He said with a smile on his face. Letting the sentence sit for a while however made the smile slowly melt off his face as he began looking very confused at his own words.

The confused look eventually just turned into a chuckle and a head shake. Inadi looked at Jasper with a defeated look as he set his plate down on the table and crossed his arms afterward. “I don't think that was a good word to use for that. I'm sorry Jasper. I'm just not that good at the whole complimenting girls thing. A lot of times back home I would say something to a girl and they'd just walk away after. I don't blame them, sometimes I out think the situation and make a fool of myself,” He explained to the girl with a laugh. “I hope you can forgive me.”

Inadi then began looking around the great hall they stood in and saw all the hubbub going on around them and it made the boy scoff in agitation. “So on a scale from one to ten, how good of an act do you give this whole celebration. Hardly feels like a good way to remember everyone who is gone now. Quite frankly I would have much rather gone out and practiced a bit more with my spear since we don't have our amulets anymore,” He told Jasper. He was able to convince the soldiers of Sol to let him keep the spear, saying it brought him luck. Now with the magic gone he really only had the spear to protect him and the others that were left. And he knew he would need a lot more practice for whatever came next. “But in the end I guess it is as the old stories say. 'War is young men dying and old men talking.' And we're the ones going out to war.” He said in a hushed tone looking at Jasper with a worried look as he began thinking of Harper and the others who were in bad shape back during the fight against the witch. Reaching back he took another grape and popped it in his mouth, this time letting it sit in his cheek for a moment before crushing it between it and his teeth. The whole thing made him tense and angry, but he supposed he should enjoy the little party for what it was worth. It and the grapes it provided.

Out of place. Toby felt very out of place.

The nobodies he had encountered so far were like no other he had seen since arriving along with the bunnies, oh the bunnies! Goodness he wanted to befriend every bunny in the castle, the only thing stopping him were their mean glares and intimidating rifles. One had even snapped at Toby when he was only trying to pet the cutie. They looked like scary jerks, but the kind of scary jerks you wanna cuddle with. For hours. He couldn't help but stare with excitement at each one that passed by. Finding Carrots is definitely a priority now.

But not only the bunnies, or the nobodies, or the strange and quirky oddities that dwelled around, but the Queen too! Toby very much wanted to introduce himself to her, she was absolutely adorable. He wanted to sit and hear all the crazy tales and funny adventures she's probably seen and witnessed. Or maybe she hasn't seen any at all, maybe she just like... sat in the throne room all day drinking tea. He had no clue, thus sparking his interest even more.

But still, as wondrous as the castle was along with those within, Toby felt out of place. There was a vibe in the air every time he was near any of the humans. Feelings and emotions lingered in the air around them, feelings and emotions he knew all too well. It was palpable. Fear, doubt, rage, denial, hopelessness, confusion, a damaged psyche, a crushed spirit...

...Sadness.

Thinking about it all made Toby uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. It made him think of home, where all of these feelings and emotions were unavoidable. Every morning he woke he felt hopeless and every night he tried to sleep he felt rage. Home was unpleasant to think about, well for him at least, who knows how the others felt. On his way out of the forest one of the woman's hands had been cut right off! And a boy lay unconscious with blood all over him, yet they were both still here with the others at this little get together. Well, the woman was. He hadn't spotted the boy. Was he dead? Were they friends? Is this a funereal? Why isn't Ran with him? So many questions. Toby was beginning to feel uneasy until the Queen began to speak and he lost himself in her cute-fulness, along with the rest of the interesting nobodies.

"Thank you very much for attending this grand celebration, Never before in Nowhere's history have the humans come so close to completing the living list. As of now, they only lack two more items, then those dearies can finally go home, and when they do, All of Nowhere will celebrate!"

He had heard the term living list pop up a few times but was still too taken aback by the state of the humans to ask what it wa-"OOH! BALLOONS!"

Balloons and streamers, food and jellyfish! Music and dancing and bright colors everywhere, the party was absolutely grand, Toby almost felt guilty for coming since he hadn't helped set it all up. Almost. Instinctively he turned his head in excitement to find Ran and tell him that there were flying jellyfish, but he was nowhere to be found. Standing alone amongst a number of nobodies and such he felt out of place once again but decided to shrug it off. It was a party in celebration of humans and he was a human, so party!

Quickly Toby made his way to the buffet table. Grabbing a plate he didn't hesitate to start piling anything that looked sweet onto it and tried his best to be careful not to get anything on the damned tuxedo he was forced to wear. Goodness was that a battle.

---

"Please boy, just put this on! You'll look like quite a handsome man!" The nurse spoke in the most convincing tone she could muster, but there was no hiding how annoyed she was at the moment.

"No!" Toby had been cornered by one of three nurses that practically barged into his and Ran's room. The moment he locked eyes on the blue tuxedo and the brown, sparkly suit, he knew there was going to be trouble. "If you're going to attend Queen Delirium's party you must have the proper attire!"

"I'LL HAVE MY OWN PARTY" With that Toby dove for the floor and between the nurses legs who shrieked as he did so. By this point they had already gotten him into his boxers but no matter, he still made for the door only for a nurse to jump into his way. He felt like a damn running back, except the entire time he evaded the nurses he couldn't stop himself from giggling. "Boy, please!" Dodging the nurse that blocked the door only lead him towards another, forcing him to turn once more and hop onto his messy bed where he grabbed a pillow and threatened the nurses with it, as if it were a weapon. The three eventually surrounded him on the bed and slowly creeped towards him.

"There is no reason to be afraid of us boy! Now put. on. the. CLOTHES!"

"I'm afraid of yoUR FASHION SENSE LADY!" Toby threw his pillow at the nurse on his left and jumped off, sprinting past her as he giggled once more. Toby almost slammed himself into a nearby window and frantically opened it before shoving his head through. "Freedom!-HNG" Two nurses latched onto Toby's legs and pulled him out of the window. He clung onto the still for dear life but eventually gave out, his face falling to the floor.

He couldn't stop himself from giggling as his body was dragged to the other side of the room. This was fun. Suddenly though he was reminded why he had tried so hard to run. Toby was on his knees, both nurses holding him still by the arms as the third approached him, a white dress shirt in her hands. He groaned in failure, his head falling forward. He accepted his fate.

---

The damn thing felt like it was choking him. Suddenly he didn't care if sweets were spilled onto the tux, he happily piled the food onto his plate before walking off into the party. Toby moved throughout the dance floor, sidestepping and moving his body to the sound of the music as he ate his treats and moved amongst the crowd with unintended grace. The feelings and emotions that lingered in the air before evaporated at this point and were only filled with joy. It wasn't the best party he head ever been too, but it was without a doubt the funnest he had attended in quite some time. A smile was permanently plastered onto his face.

Eventually Toby found himself back at the buffet table. By this point his plate was empty and his mouth along with parts of his tuxedo were covered in candy. Quickly he tossed his plate into a bin and cleaned his face with a napkin before pouring a nice, cold cup of...something orange. It didn't taste orange though, the drink was very sweet and hard to describe. He chugged it quickly and tossed the cup into the bin. Toby grabbed a plate once more and began to pile it with treats, thus beginning the cycle.

Hall of Doors: Ace, Riley, Lesley, Toby and Amiel:

"Very impressive, Ace." Riley clapped her hands and grinned. "Those bunny guards will have a hard time catching up, their stubby legs don't look ideal for this sort of thing." She wondered how they did much guarding, they looked too cute to be threatening. Really, any thief or criminal with a bit of experience beneath their belt could easily scoop a bunny guard into their arms and chuck it far, far away. The queen needed better security. "That way, huh? Let's hope the queen doesn't have a man-eating guard plant."

"Aah, so these are your friends, Ms. LaBelle? They're quite lovely as well." Amiel gave them both a gentlemanly bow. "Haha do not fret, ladies. As far as I know, the queen does not keep any sort of carnivorous plant life. However, if perchance dangers arise, I'll assure you. I know my way around a sword and shall not let a single hair on your heads be harmed. 'Tis my word as a gentleman."

Riley jerked her head in the voice's direction. For a moment, she wondered who the pretty lady with pink hair was, and then he spoke and she realized that it wasn't a woman but Lesley. "Oh gosh! Lesley, you're rocking that dress." She elbowed Ace in the ribs and spent a moment gushing. Oooh, Lesley looked more ladylike than some of the queen's guests, it managed to make Riley a tad jealous but she laughed at the thought. "Thanks Les, and I see you've managed to nab yourself a date." Riley's expression turned mischievous. "He's a looker isn't he, Ace?"

"My, my, if anyone's stunning tonight, it's Ms. LaBelle and you humans." Amiel laughed heartily at the compliment, but waved it off.

Riley nodded before putting on a serious expression. "Lesles is definitely a delicate flower, so you, sir! You better take care of our friend or Ace and I," she was trying hard to look intimidating. "We'll kick the crap out of you."

Amiel was turning red with laughter, "you definitely have caring friends, Ms. LaBelle, I'm rather envious." The young nobody fidgeted with his collar before he noticed a young human several tables away. He was by himself and consuming unhealthy amounts of sugar. "Hmm, isn't he one of your friends? Perhaps he'd like to join us on this tour of the castle? We'll be seeing some fantastical sights."

"Huh? Oh, that's Toby. He's one of the new humans." It would definitely be a chance to get to know their new companion more. "Hey Toby!" The girl waved an arm in the air then grinned. "You should join us, we're going on a tour." Riley didn't even wait for him to respond and as soon as she was in arms-length, she grabbed the poor boy by his sleeve and charged forward. "Amiel, we're all set."

"Perfect, though you might want to let go of the poor lad." Riley did as suggested and he began walking down the hallway. "Now, if you'll follow me, I can give you all the grand tour." His eyes flitted towards Lesley and he gave the pink-haired human a rather flirtatious wink. "Perhaps when this is all over, we can watch the stars on the rooftop. I'll grab a bottle of the finest champagne and it'll be marvelous." He held out his hand then began leading them towards a hall of colorful doors.

"Dang, the queen's castle is bigger on the inside." Riley peered at all the doors.

There were old wooden doors that smelled of moss and rain. There were blue doors, red doors, and doors that looked like portals to different realms. Some doors were big, some were small and others were made of mirrors. One door, even had a magical blue glow.

"These doors lead to different places within the castle." Their guide strode confidently towards a cold steel door. "For example," Amiel wrapped his fingers around the doorknob and pulled. Slowly, the door opened with a creak and inside it revealed a room covered in snow. "This door leads to the snow room. Usually, you can tell the theme of the destination depending on how the door looks, so what shall it be?" A playful smile tugged on the corners of his lips, "the choice is all yours, my friends, and the possibilities are endless."

---

Dance Floor: Ran, Jasper, Inadi, Harper, Leila, Brandy, Songbird, Cello, and Anna


Slow Dance Time 8D
"And now, ladies, gentlemen, cheesecakes and apple biscuits. It's time for couples to hit the dance floor!" The Jellyfishes went from a cool and relaxing blue to a more passionate red, and suddenly, the music went from lively violins and drums to a soothing piano solo. "Party goers, you better find that special man or lady! In a few moments, we'll be starting our dance competition, and the lucky couple that knocks our socks off will win 5,000 stars and five barrels of Mr. Cuddle's strawberry tarts!"

"Do you hear that, sweetie?" Anna leaned in so she could rest her chin on Ran's shoulder. "We should join the competition, don't you think so?" He struggled a little to learn the steps, but watching the man flounder around as he tried to dance was just so adorable.

It was clear that he didn't want to mess up, but to be honest, she wouldn't mind if he did. Seeing him apologize and get all flustered would definitely be a sight to behold. Hmm, maybe he was too suave and cool to stutter and blush, maybe he was the sort of man that would apologize coolly. Aah, she was dying to find out. "You're not the best dancer here, darling, but you're not half bad. Niran, was it? We might actually stand a chance." She whispered the last part, her breath warm against his neck. "So what do you say? Will you be my partner?"



"Hey Anna," Cello stood by the pair with an amused expression. "Sorry to interrupt such an intimate moment, but could I borrow the human?"

Anna scowled at the fellow nobody. Oh how he had broken her heart! That wretched five-timer! "I'm sorry, I never knew you were into men, Cello." She looked absolutely furious. "This human is my dance partner, and I suggest you find your own."

"Yipes, yipes, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," he raised both his hands then backed away. "Celery! Good luck human." Damn, Martini had been pretty upset for the past few days, so he was hoping he could find some of the humans to help cheer her up. Cello looked around the room, that pink-haired human was her favorite, right? It was a shame he couldn't find the boy. Errrr, he was a guy, right?

Oh well, his eyes landed on a hideous yellow suit and he laughed. This was the next best thing.

"Oiiii, lovebirds." He waved at both Inadi and Jasper then placed one hand on each of their shoulders. "Would you two mind doing me a little favor? I can't find that Lesley person and Martini's been really down in the dumps lately." He heard the young man call the girl exotic and his serious expression changed. His lips quirked up into a knowing smile. "Oh, I see what's going on." He placed a firm hand on Inadi's shoulder. "Sorry to interrupt your date humans. Were you guys going to slow dance, cuz, y'know, I won't interrupt." Cello was grinning from ear to ear now. "But yeah, I really, really need your help." He nodded at the two of them, "I'll ask your other friends to pitch in too...er, like her!" His eyes landed on Leila and before they knew it, he was scrambling towards one of the buffet tables.

Cello grabbed as much plates as he could and practically dumped them into Leila's arms. "Songbird and Brandy will go with ya, right guys?" He didn't even wait for a reply. "You'll find Martini's room at the end of the west hall." The Nobody was now in front of Jasper and Inadi, shoving all sorts of desserts and meals into their arms. "Make sure she eats okay? She's lost her color and that really isn't good. Hey if you hurry," he leaned in and laughed. "You two might still be able to join the dance competition." He saw Harper walking away and was about to call out to the boy, but before he could say anything, the human left through one of the doors.

Oh well, the human was looking irritated and gloomy, so maybe some time alone would help the kid cool his head.

“You spend two weeks with a giant bear making nothing but gingerbread men, cookies and cakes and you tell me if you have any kind of a sweet tooth left. Besides, this stuff ain't so bad in comparison I think. Just sweet enough for my liking.”

Moving onto the macaron chicks, she smiled at his humor and he did have a point. She imagined attending Queen Delirium's parties everyday and getting stuffed on pure sugar confections and desserts. Sweets were only so appealing once in a while, but eating them on a day to day basis would probably result in cravings of edible matter from an alternate food group. Inadi continued to load his plate then they began to naturally wander away from the buffet table whilst conversing.

“I don't know, it's different at least. Definitely not the same old tired black suit and tie I'd normally wear to things like this.”

Glancing around at the other guests, she bit her lip in agreement and raised a brow. Maybe that's why she was having such a hard time looking for any familiar faces. Her eyes were literally drowning in blacks and whites, with hints of color here and there. At least his yellow suit made it easier for her to spot him and if she ever got lost again, she would be able to find him without much strain. Jasper had grabbed a few slices of cantaloupe as well, realizing that she hadn't gotten any proper nutrition in a while.

"You're right. It's definitely a change... and you can pull it off." She noticed that the hue of his irises were a darker goldish-brown color that sort of went well with the apparel.

“Of course though I have to say you wear your dress very well Jasper. You look very...”

Pausing in her steps and nibbling, she blinked at him while he stopped his sentence short of one word. Receiving compliments, especially in correlation with physical appearance, were rare for her and made her feel insecure and timid. For some odd reason her face felt hot as she anticipated his next words. She didn't know why she was feeling so anxious, but she felt that the word that followed was going to be important. Inadi twisted his facial features as he thought and it made her mind spin with panic. 'Why did he make that face? What's taking him so long? Is it difficult to describe how I look?' Remembering her weak figure in the mirror, she hoped that he wouldn't say anything revolving around that. The sides of her forehead were beginning to moisten and she strayed her eyes away from him.

“Exotic. You look very exotic in your dress tonight.”

Exotic he blurted, followed by an unsure grin. 'No one's ever used that word to describe me before.' Her skin was pallid and bland, the image that came to her head when she thought of exotic was a tanned woman from a tropical island or something along those lines. Eyes wide, the two of them stood there, almost frozen for a few seconds while they both contemplated the adjective. Suddenly, the man burst into a laugh while his head hung down, turning from side to side. Jasper was stunned at his unpredictable outburst and she took a few steps back in surprise. But while his chuckling had yet to cease, she found her self giggling along with him for no other reason than because of his laughter. She didn't know what to think of it. Was it a good thing or a bad thing? Jasper had no clue. As he straightened out and folded his arms, she tilted her head a bit with a smile, awaiting what he would say or do next.

“I don't think that was a good word to use for that. I'm sorry Jasper. I'm just not that good at the whole complimenting girls thing. A lot of times back home I would say something to a girl and they'd just walk away after. I don't blame them, sometimes I out think the situation and make a fool of myself. I hope you can forgive me.”

Brows furrowing a little as she listened, she wondered why any girl would walk away from praise. When he apologized and asked for forgiveness, she shook her with a light chortle, waving her hands as she did so; empathizing with him. "No, no. Really, I'm flattered," She offered as their laughter died down. Though a little puzzling at first, the compliment made her feel good inside and boosted her confidence.

Picking up a brownie next, Inadi continued the convo saying, “So on a scale from one to ten, how good of an act do you give this whole celebration. Hardly feels like a good way to remember everyone who is gone now. Quite frankly I would have much rather gone out and practiced a bit more with my spear since we don't have our amulets anymore."

Munching off half the petite brownie, she chewed the chunk thoroughly before responding, "I don't think they care much for our losses," She swallowed, "The Queen didn't even bother acknowledging the deaths in her speech." Jasper tried to focus on her desserts to block flashbacks of the people and guides who had passed. Thinking about her amulet, she realized how much she had come to rely on its power and how much it helped her and the others get through their last quest. "You're lucky they let you keep your spear. My staff was absolutely ruined after the zombie fight." Her nose scrunched up at the thought of the undead.

“But in the end I guess it is as the old stories say. 'War is young men dying and old men talking.' And we're the ones going out to war.”

All she could do was nod and continue to clear her plate, a somber atmosphere settling over them.

~~~~~~~

"And now, ladies, gentlemen, cheesecakes and apple biscuits. It's time for couples to hit the dance floor! Party goers, you better find that special man or lady! In a few moments, we'll be starting our dance competition, and the lucky couple that knocks our socks off will win 5,000 stars and five barrels of Mr. Cuddle's strawberry tarts!"

Jasper perked up at the announcement, gaze trailing from jellyfish to jellyfish as each one faded into a deep scarlet to set the mood. Once the pianist began to play, she tensed, but kept nibbling her cupcake to keep herself from thinking too much. Observing as couples came together, she noticed Ran, one of the new humans, dancing with a Nobody. Cello exchanged words with the pair for a bit, then looked straight at her and Inadi with a gleeful smile.

"Oiiii, lovebirds.

The cat-like guide was by their side immediately, a hand landing on her shoulder. Jasper still needed to adjust to being touched involuntarily so her arm went a tad rigid, but she managed to relax it. 'What did he call us? Low nerds?' She couldn't quite hear him and she felt concerned as to why she would call them that, but since she wasn't sure of what Cello said, she decided to put it off.

"Oh, I see what's going on. Sorry to interrupt your date humans. Were you guys going to slow dance, cuz, y'know, I won't interrupt. But yeah, I really, really need your help. I'll ask your other friends to pitch in too...er, like her!"

She watched him run off towards Leila and Jasper's eyes twitched in annoyance with Cello's voice. It reminded her of a small yappy dog almost, which was ironic because he was a neko. Turning to look at Inadi with a questioning expression, she ate the last bite of her cupcake. "We should go see what we can do," She finalized as she stood up from her seat and tossed her empty dish into the wash bin. When Cello returned he had his arms full with food and he passed them onto her and the frame-faced man.

"You'll find Martini's room at the end of the west hall. Make sure she eats okay? She's lost her color and that really isn't good. Hey if you hurry," he leaned with and laughed. "You two might still be able to join the dance competition."

Face flushing almost as red a hue as the jellyfishes that hung overhead, she walked quickly to join up with Leila, Song, and Brandy. The way Cello was addressing them made her feel uncomfortable and she didn't want Inadi to feel pressured so she decided that leaving the hot-spot would relieve the burden.

Once the group had gathered, all of them balancing a plate or two in each hand, the lot of them made their way to the west hall.

~~~~~~~

Stepping into the ocean themed chamber, she stayed behind the guides, knowing that Martini would feel more at ease with their presence. She was glad that they were a larger bunch to avoid awkward tension from building up since most of the humans had yet to make relations with her, or any of the guides for that matter.

Setting her plates down, she held her breath when her eyes finally landed on Martini. The poor mermaid appeared very ill and her complexion lacked the beautiful blues and purples that were usually there. Jasper could barely bring herself to keep looking, her eyes wilting down to the ground as she struggled to keep them on the sickly guide. How could the Queen put up with this? Her own friend, suffering for humans that didn't even belong in their realm nor wanted to be there. The whole goal was to escape, but why were Nobodies getting involved, especially ones who were in association with Queen Delirium?

Fiddling with the hem of her dress, she twisted her foot in guilt and shame; both feelings that crashed down on her, from where? She did not know.

Brandy watched as Songbird shifted into 'big bro mode', giving the poor human an awkward hug and some advice. If he were some other Nobody he might have cooed at the adorableness of the scene, but being the grump he was he merely gave a small smile that faded when Harper peeled himself away from Song and left the ballroom. Looks like the incident had hit him much harder than the previous ones. He nudged his way through the crowd and patted the Nobody on the shoulder. He knew the item hunter was rather fond of the small human as well.

"Party goers, you better find that special man or lady! In a few moments, we'll be starting our dance competition, and the lucky couple that knocks our socks off will win 5,000 stars and five barrels of Mr. Cuddle's strawberry tarts!"

The rabbit blanched at the announcement, flashbacks of the last time he got caught in the dance competition resurfacing in his mind. Somehow he had gotten pulled in by a lady with four feet, and despite the odds all four of them were left feet. For a moment he swore he could feel his poor feet ache in remembrance.

"We should get out of here..." Already people were grabbing partners left and right, this year's reward being especially enticing because the added bonus of Mr. Cuddles' tarts. The bear was a pastry genius for sure, but Brandy would very much prefer to buy them than win them through public humiliation.

Before they could make a hasty retreat, however, Cello popped out from the crowd ushering a few food-laden humans. Before he could react the cat disappeared and they were left to the task of going to check on Marti. It wasn't a bad idea, persay- he had made plans to drop by her room on the way to the library anyhow. The rabbit rescued some plates from Leila who's arms looked almost ready to give out. He raised an eyebrow when he spotted the human in the obnoxious yellow suit, however. Was it really a good idea to bring this guy? And he would've thought Lesley would have wanted to tag along. Whatever.

"Martini's room is this way."

He nodded his head and gestured for them to follow. They made their way through now dancing crowd, miraculously not suffering any casualties (plates or otherwise) before ducking into the hallway. The mermaid's room wasn't far and quickly they made their way in front of a door painted a bright blue and decorated with various shells as well as ruffles and bows. Juggling a few plates in his hands he managed to knock before pushing open the door. The entire room was tropical themed, complete with a sandy beach and sparkling lagoon surrounded by palm trees and bright flowers. The entrance to the room was covered in wooden floorboards and made up about a quarter of the room which was still quite a large area. Fabric was strewn everywhere where it was dry and half finished clothing were draped on lounge chairs and the large sewing table; a dress even dangled from a leaf of a palm tree.

"Marti, we've brought food. How are you feeling?"

---

The mermaid had plopped back into the water at the knock, poking her head out of the water so that only her eyes and the top of her head was showing, grey hair billowing around her. She certainly didn't expect a small crowd to file into her room, pale blue eyes scrutinizing each figure carefully. Even if she was starving very kind of peckish, did they really all need to come? They couldn't possibly expect her to eat everything they'd brought.

"I'm fine," she burbled, mouth still underwater. Her eyes settled on Inadi who was standing behind Song and she froze. Slowly the rest of her head poked out of the water as she stared, eventually settling on the rock as she gaped outright. This was an outrage! How dare they? How dare they!?!? She resisted the urge to screech. As much of a mean and scary guy Indadi was, there was no need to put him in a fudgin' banana suit! A look of rage had crossed her eyes as she took in what he was wearing. WHat they were all wearing.

"Unacceptable! I will not have this!" She dove down, before launching herself out of the water and onto the little scooty chair the Queen had put there so she could move around. All thoughts of her own color loss were gone and she wheeled right up to the group, raging nonstop. "Who in the whole of Nowhere dressed you? They put you in a white dress?" She glared at the offending dress on Jasper. "You need color! COLOR! You look like a total ghost in that. Oh don't look at me like that, I should be feeling sorry for you the way you're dressed. And they put you in a suit?" Next was Leila. "Not as bad, but don't you worry I'll get you in a dress fitting the occasion that will look just gorgeous on you." She paused at Brandy and Songbird before shaking her head. Those two were rather hopeless. "And you!" She screeched at Inadi. "You will take that horrid thing off and burn it first thing, you understand? Nobody deserves that thing." She gave the suit a stink eye.

"You are all getting changed. All of you. Now.I will not have people talking about horridly dressed humans especially since I usually dress you." She shuddered in disgust , picked up a remote and with a beep a large section of the wall slid away to reveal an enormous multi-story walk in closet. "Well, move it!" She snapped, hands flapping as to herd them inside. "Put your dishes on the table and get in already. I can't assist you in finding things today in this state," she sniffed in disappointment. "so you'll have to pick something out. Everything's sorted by size, style and color. And nobody," her eyes glinted dangerously, "is leaving this room until I approve. Got it? Dress, accessories, shoes, everything. I can help you with the knick-knacks since they're in lower drawers but you'll have to deal with the clothes."

She directed them to each of their sizes, some having to climb up to the second floor to look through the clothes. Brandy tried to protest but the glare she gave sent him hurrying to suits in his size. By celery the woman could be terrifying when she wanted to be.

"Why thank you Riley. Heh, it's what I'm good at." Ace playfully bowed, forgetting that in a dress it was probably more polite to curtsy.
Right before the two could dart off and disappear, a familiar voice called to them. She turned and smiled to see Lesley all nice and dolled up. "You look nice yourself." She complimented. Even in the dress, she wasn't sure of Lesley's gender. Ace wasn't the type to judge people. If a guy wanted to wear a dress then so be it. It wasn't like she wouldn't have thrown on a tuxedo if she had the chance. After all, Leila was able to- and she looked nice in it. It was pants after all. Ace was pro pants. It made movement easier without having to worry about flashing people. She was about to ask about Lesley's gender once and for all, when she noticed that Lesley had a friend. And the thought was pushed to the side for the time being.

Hearing him speak, she gave a polite smile like she learned, though it turned into a grin when he offered to guide them around. "Well, exploring without much hindsight could be pretty dangerous. And I don't know how fast Riley can run in a dress," She teased playfully. "So, thanks. We can use a guide around the place." Well, he seemed nice. She turned her head when she was jabbed in the ribs. Though her gaze returned right back to Amiel. "You sure did find a catch Lesley. Lucky you." She laughed lightly.

Ace made no expression towards the compliment and only smirked towards Riley's threat. Ace crossed her arms and added on, "Do believe the threat sir. I will take offense to you hurting Lesley. So think twice before you act." Though, her attention turned when the human was mentioned. It was the new guy Toby. She had yet to 'properly' introduce herself! That had to be done. Riley did the extra work of dragging Toby over, so when Riley let go, Ace walked alongside of him. "We haven't been formally introduced because I think I went unconscious on the trip back. But! I'm Ace! Don't forget it!" She informally hugged him, careful not to move too fast and snag the strapless dress she was wearing. She had already had that issue when the nobodies were sizing her in it...

"Alright! Let's go!" Despite her normally always being in front of the group, she decided to let Amiel lead with Lesley at his side. She didn't want to ruin their little 'moment'. So, while everyone listened to the guide's rambles, Ace moved a little ways behind the small group to peek into the doors. She saw a wide variety of things. From a indoor garden to a place littered with pillows. She didn't realize Amiel had stopped talking until she opened one door, completely ignoring the caution sign on the door. The one door with a caution sign in it.

Of course Ace would chose something dangerous.

As soon as she opened the door, she wasn't prepared to be sucked into a gravity-less state. A startled squeal escaped her lips before she ended up floating upside down in what looked like a space room. The entire night sky surrounded the large room. "Whoa...pretty." Being upside down, Ace quickly realized she had to push her dress down- or was it up- in order to cover what needed. "Heeey! You guys! A little help over here?" She couldn't help but laugh as she turned right side up and crossed her legs. "This is kind of fun actually..."

Tossing all the treats onto the plate that he hadn't had the chance of trying last time he was at the buffet table, Toby's head jerked up as he heard his name shouted, his cheeks as round as a squirrel due to the amount of cake balls he had yet to finish chewing. He thought maybe someone had caught onto his sweets consumption and was going to confiscate his plate, causing him to tense up, but he was delighted to see it was only Riley.

"You should join us, we're going on a tour."

"But i'm eating!" Was what he wanted to say, but with a mouth full of cake balls what came out sounded somewhat like "Buuh mm eeeng!"

He wasn't reluctant to join them though, in fact he was glad he was finally being included. It was understandable and all, but still. It felt like he was seeing Ran less and less and being without a friend wasn't too pleasant. Toby tightened his grip on the plate of sweets and smiled as he approached, or rather, as he was dragged towards Ace, Lesley and Amiel. Nonetheless he was ecstatic to join them.

"Amiel, we're all set."

"Perfect, though you might want to let go of the poor lad."

"It's okay," Toby said rather blankly. It really was okay, Riley had included him and he was very thankful for that. It clicked that the whole party was in celebration for the humans, so it was probably not a good thing that they were ditching. This only sparked his excitement, that plus the sugar rush, now was the time for fun. Before they walked along down the hallway Toby tossed a strawberry dipped chocolate into his mouth, leaving a tad bit of chocolate on his thumb and index finger. As soon as Riley released her grip he caught Ace's eye who had immediately approached him and smiled, glad that she was interacting with him. He was already licking the chocolate from his finger as she spoke.

"We haven't been formally introduced because I think I went unconscious on the trip back. But! I'm Ace! Don't forget it!"

Toby's finger popped out of his mouth as he recalled that moment in delight. "Ace! That's an awesome name! I don't think I could forget it, even if I tried. My names Toby, with a capital T! And some other letters," He was surprised Ace hugged him but happily wrapped his arm around her in return, trying to balance his plate of treats at the same time. "Alright! Let's go!" Toby trotted along down the hallway with the rest of the group, munching on treats as he looked at all the doors, eyes opened wide with curiosity. He admired the design and interior of the castle very much, colors colors colors! But with each step he couldn't ignore how tight the stupid tuxedo felt on him.

Trying to distract himself from the feeling, he approached Riley who was only a few feet in front of him and poked her arm. "Want some?" He offered his plate towards her as they walked. There was still a significant amount of unhealthy yet delicious food. Whether or not she accepted the offer Toby would grab another chocolate dipped strawberry and eat the thing whole. His mother had scolded him for years about talking with a mouth full of food. Flashbacks of painful flicks to the forehead reminded Toby to finish his strawberry before speaking to Riley. "Thanks a bunch for bringing me along! I was kind of just, awkwardly moving around the room. Where are we going?"

Listening to Riley's response, Toby jumped at the sound of Ace's squeal and suddenly his plate of treats was sucked from his grasp along with the rest of his body "Whoa-WHOA!" . Toby was practically yanked off of his feet, grunting as his back bounced off of the ground, into the air and through the door. The momentum propelled Toby into the night sky and his body practically dove towards Ace. "Hi Ace!" To avoid ramming into the girl Toby twirled his body to the right and threw his arm out, grabbing Ace's wrist to slow his speed and keep him from floating into space. "Gotcha!" As both their arms extended fully Toby's speed slowed down, but the momentum was too great and against their will the two began slowly spinning in space as if they were skydivers latching onto eachother's arms.

"This. is. Awesome! Haha!" Donuts and cake and brownies, all sorts of sweets began to float amongst the night sky.

Crying boy.

Oh no.

Help.

“Hey… Songbird? Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Kid, the way you look now, you’d best stick to those words too,” Songbird’s muscles swiftly relaxed and he nodded at Harper. The item hunter remained seated on the couch as the Lost Soul (so very lost indeed, poor mite) walked away until Brandy nudged him, suggesting that they leave the dance floor as soon as possible. As he regained his bearings he couldn’t help but feel grateful for his friend’s quick intervention; with Songbird’s level of luck, it wouldn’t be long before he got roped into this competition despite having no sense of rhythm. With a heavy sigh, the crestfallen nobody pushed himself up.

Although he really wanted to make Harper feel better, he couldn’t deny that the boy’s words were true. Even if he could’ve said something like “I don’t mind dying for you humans” he would be lying. They were strangers. One of them is a jerk. Half of the lot are probably going crazy. This nobody sure as fudge ain’t dying for weird biscuits like that. His life was a bit painful in a few places but he treasured it very much, thank you, not to mention that Songbird wasn’t sure that the other humans would echo such loyal sentiments if the situation turned around. Frankly, he just wasn’t that type to sugarcoat things, but he wondered whether he should’ve done so for Harper.

Ah, whatever. Everybody has a tough life.

That kid should toughen up.

Songbird sighed deeply.

Yeah, maybe he should have lied.

Fortunately, Cello was there to sling a new task at them which took the item hunter’s mind off the current issue. Although Songbird narrowed his eyes at the prospect of presenting the humans to Martini, he was able to prevent himself from chomping down on Inadi’s head and wordlessly turned away from the three, then nodded at Brandy to take the lead.

The walk to the mermaid’s room was quiet and he busied himself with balancing two plates of cheesecake on his good arm.

---

They entered the beach.

“Uuuuugh,” Songbird whined under his breath. Maybe it was just him, but for some reason whenever he entered this place it felt like his whole body was melting. The aesthetic was too sunny! “If you’re fine then I’m a woodland princess,” He couldn’t help but quip back at the mermaid’s reply, although the lack of interest she had before quickly changed as she surfaced from the depths.

Uh-ooohhhh. She wasn’t looking at him, right? Songbird glanced over her shoulder and realized that Martini was gaping at Inadi’s horrendous excuse of a suit, but he sidestepped away just in case. The white-haired nobody kept his eyes on Martini, getting more and more worried the longer she remained silent until an all too familiar emotion flashed across her face.

"Unacceptable! I will not have this!" He couldn’t help but step forward in alarm when the mermaid suddenly dove back into the depths of the lagoon, and barely had no time to react when she reappered, plopping herself down on a chair and wheeling towards their group with a vengeance. "Who in the whole of Nowhere dressed you? They put you in a white dress? You need color! COLOR! You look like a total ghost in that. Oh don't look at me like that, I should be feeling sorry for you the way you're dressed. And they put you in a suit? Not as bad, but don't you worry I'll get you in a dress fitting the occasion that will look just gorgeous on you."

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I… I mean…! HAHAHAHAHAHA!” Songbird covered his mouth but it was too late to stop the waves of laughter (which, strangely enough, sounded like a bevy of birds singing as it faded away) rolling out from his center. Oh celery, she just went… Dive! Then sploosh! Then chair! Then righteous fashion anger! “Whoooooh. I think I’m okay now. Hehe,” The item hunter blushed and crossed his arms over his chest, adopting his usual grumpy stance but now with a grin on his face.

Martini turned to glare at him and Brandy next.

“You made this, don’t complain! It’ll be self-contradictory,” Songbird smiled and made a halfhearted attempt to cover his mouth again when she harrumphed then wheeled away to lecture someone else.

"And you! You will take that horrid thing off and burn it first thing, you understand? Nobody deserves that thing."

“He shouldn’t just burn it; he should also bury the ashes in the ground in case someone catches a case of criminal ugly,” Songbird retorted under his breath, but in a cheerful, uncharacteristic tone of voice that actually made it sound as if he was making a good-humored joke instead of a sarcastic remark.

But seriously, the nobody who made that sorry excuse of a banana replica should be thrown in the dungeons.

The mermaid showed them her gigantic closet and ushered the humans inside, but the item hunter dawdled.

“I’m glad you’re back, Martini,” When she looked at him, Songbird smiled gently and said those few words, and then patted the mermaid on her head.

And then he grimaced, said something along the lines of “bleeeeugh”, then ran towards the rack she pointed him on to.

Riley: "Oh gosh! Lesley, you're rocking that dress."

Covering his mouth, he giggled a bit and swatted the air in an embarrassed manner.

"Well, you know me. I can make anything look gorgeous!" He bragged with a shrug of his shoulders.

Riley: "I see you've managed to nab yourself a date. He's a looker isn't he, Ace?"

Ace: "You sure did find a catch Lesley. Lucky you."

"Well actually, he found me." Lesley was proud to be the one latched onto a handsome Nobody's arm and he patted Amiel's shoulder with a pleasant smile as the ladies complimented his date.

Amiel: "My, my, if anyone's stunning tonight, it's Ms. LaBelle and you humans."

Blushing, he teetered some more and narrowed his eyes at Amiel playfully when Riley and Ace threatened to hurt him.

Amiel: "You definitely have caring friends, Ms. LaBelle, I'm rather envious. Hmm, isn't he one of your friends? Perhaps he'd like to join us on this tour of the castle? We'll be seeing some fantastical sights."

The poor guy looked a tad nervous as the two women flared their noses in a serious manner, but Amiel saved himself by pointing out Toby as a topic changer. Riley waved the newbie over and practically yanked the kid into their party, eager to get going on the tour.

Amiel: "Now, if you'll follow me, I can give you all the grand tour. Perhaps when this is all over, we can watch the stars on the rooftop. I'll grab a bottle of the finest champagne and it'll be marvelous."

Redness filled his cheeks and he giggled again, sliding his hand into Amiel's open palm. "That sounds wonderful," He gushed as he imagined what'd it be like to go stargazing with this dashing fellow.

As they walked across the hall, Amiel was commentating about various doors and whatnot, but the entire time, Lesley rarely paid attention to what was actually coming out of the man's mouth and cared more about staring at the guide's lips while they moved. The pink-haired Lesley couldn't help it, Amiel was just too beautiful. It was about time he came across a lad this fine.

Parting hands momentarily, Amiel pushed a large metal door open to a room filled knee-deep with snow. Mouth dropping, he observed as chilly air circulated out from the crack and snowflakes settled onto his face. It was all real, unlike the fake styrofoam they'd use on modeling sets.

Amiel: "This door leads to the snow room. Usually, you can tell the theme of the destination depending on how the door looks, so what shall it be? The choice is all yours, my friends, and the possibilities are endless."

Hearing a squeal and sounds of slight panicked surprise, Lesley swiftly turned to see Toby get sucked into a room with a flashing yellow caution sign clearly tacked to a space themed door. As Amiel, Riley, and Lesley rushed to the scene, all three of them were vacuumed in as well and Lesley laughed in delight. "I'm flying! Woohoo!" He flapped his arms and grabbed Amiel's hands and the two spun beside Ace and Toby. Letting go of his date, he "swam" towards Riley and took hold of the girl's wrist, he didn't want anybody to feel left out. "Come on hun," He dragged her higher up and snatched Amiel's hand up as well.

Desserts from Toby's plate were also floating around them in slow motion, as a chocolate covered strawberry hovered near his mouth, he quickly breathed inwards and in one swift motion, the treat was sucked into his lips. "Yummy!" Looking into the starlight sky, he gazed into Amiel's eyes and said, "Well looky here. We might not have our champagne and a rooftop, but the stars are in sight," Lesley rested his head onto the Nobody's shoulder lovingly with a light sigh.

Gravity Room: Ace, Riley, Lesley, Toby, Amiel

"Damn, the queen really went all out with her desserts." Riley plucked a cream filled cupcake from Toby's plate and popped it into her mouth. "This cream is to die for. Heh, I bet it was made by Mr. Cuddle's stuff. Seriously, that bear has talent." She took another piece of chocolate then spun around to see an upside down Ace.

Her friend was floating? "Hey Ace," she gave her friends two thumbs up then chuckled. "How's it hanging?"

"Very punny, Ms. Riley, was it?" Amiel didn't even get an answer because the next thing he knew the boy named Toby had dropped his own plate and joined Ace in the gravity room. "I know you're all excited but I need to take something along for this trip--oh my." Lesley tugged him along and soon enough all of them were spinning around the gravity room. "This is a rather nice feeling, yes?" He leaned back and crossed his legs, it was almost like lying down on a magnificent waterbed and scenery, it was superb.

"Haha, hey Lesles!" They spun around in place before Amiel was tugged along. "Y'know, it's days like these that make me wish I had my camera with me. Gosh, what I wouldn't do for a photo of all this. THIS IS LIKE." She gestured wildly, her eyebrows furrowing together in irritation. "THIS IS LIKE, PHOTOJOURNALIST HEAVEN." Really, her being here without a working camera, it was a tragedy.

Their guide blinked slowly, wrapping an arm around Lesley's shoulder. "Even if you had a camera, I don't think anything from our real can be sent into yours. It's two entirely different worlds, if I remember right." He chuckled a little. Yes, a bottle of champagne was nice, but even without it, the evening was still a rather splendid occasion. "Hmm, it's a shame, isn't it? Nowhere is full of lovely souvenirs."

The girl was grumbling now. "Shame, more like an outright crime." Soon enough she was grinning again. "I mean, Lesles, as an artist you gotta understand, right?" There was a slight pause. "You're always trying to create beautiful images and now you're drowning in them. Doesn't it just want to make you paint like there's no tomorrow? Don't you wanna capture all this. I know I want to, but who'd believe us?" She puffed out her cheeks in indignation then kicked at the ground, but there was no ground to kick at so instead Riley was sent flying back. "Whoa!"

She turned to look at the laughing Toby and Ace. "Hey guys, when we all y'know, go home and stuff. Are you going to tell people about this place?" She looked at all her friends. "I'm guessing the police will question us and all that since we've been missing for a long time, but are they going to believe us?" She really wondered how her parents would react to all this. Hopefully they weren't blaming poor Kim for her disappearance.

“Just follow me, okay?”

“Eh?”

Ran was pulled along. He floundered around for a couple of beats, and slowly adjusted his steps. He took smaller ones to accommodate the Nobody’s dainty steps. Ms. Anna was a really good teacher. How could she be so patient? She never stopped smiling even when he stepped on her foot. Surely a lady this magnanimous should have many other willing dance partners. He had no idea why she insisted on sticking to him.

Step. Touch. Step. Slide. Step. Press to the left. Step… step… come back to the starting position. Erm… why was Ms. Anna staring at him like that? His eyes fell on the couple in front, and he mimicked the man’s actions. Dip. Pull her up. He felt himself slip slightly. Must not drop her! Grab her arm to pull her up! Okay. Now step to the right then skip to the left. Ooops almost collided into that couple.

“Sorry!” Niran said hastily with a wink. He turned his attention back to the dance as he felt his face grow warm. The poor oblivious human didn’t notice that the other woman was giggling and attempting to wink back. Her dance partner sighed before trying to get her to notice him once more.

Skip some more. One more twirl… and bow. Ran smiled brightly as the couples gathered on the dance floor clapped. The members of the orchestra stood up and bowed. Dancing at the party didn’t seem too bad, though Ms. Anna had to take the lead at the start. He even enjoyed a couple of the dances. Those were dances that went with the faster songs.

The best dance was the group dance. Only because it was the easiest. The couples on the dance floor were instructed to form two lines. The men stood in one line facing the ladies who stood in another line. The music started after everyone bowed or curtsied. People bounced and clapped along to the music, and when the spot light shone on a randomly selected man and a randomly selected woman, the pair would head to the center and swing around a few times before returning to the nearest vacated spot in their respective lines. Sometimes three pairs were selected at once.

The whole scene reminded him of the Atlanta ball in Gone with the Wind. That was one of his mother’s favorite American movies. She could recite the entire plot verbatim even though she barely spoke any English. Thankfully she never forced any of them to learn ballroom dancing, especially Victorian ballroom dancing, though that would have been really useful right now.

The music only stopped after every each lady had the chance to dance with each man at least once. Yet somehow he was called up after every other pair. How odd. He danced with each lady twice and in some cases thrice. As for Ms. Anna, she was his partner four times in a row. Next time he should insist on standing in the middle. Those men hardly ever get selected.

“Ms. Anna, can I get you a drink and maybe more of those cream filled macaroons?”

Announcer said "And now, ladies, gentlemen, cheesecakes and apple biscuits. It's time for couples to hit the dance floor! Party goers, you better find that special man or lady! In a few moments, we'll be starting our dance competition, and the lucky couple that knocks our socks off will win 5,000 stars and five barrels of Mr. Cuddle's strawberry tarts!"

5000 stars? Are they serious? That was more than what he can earn in a month! He prayed Toby will be not be mad. The boy was probably not too happy to have been left alone. Honestly Toby was partly at fault. Even when he came back to check on the teen after transporting the hot water, delivering the party invites and deshelling the eggs, the kid was still asleep.

“Ms. Anna, would you like to be my partner?” He asked quickly just as she spoke.

Anna said "Do you hear that, sweetie? We should join the competition, don't you think so?"

Freaky! It’s almost as if she could read his mind. He chuckled and made no attempts to step away. Gosh Anna really reminded him of Mazu! Both woman are simply too awesome. They were fun and kind and don’t blush or giggle so much. Women at the clubs seem to always do that, and it made him extremely nervous. It’s like they were expecting something, but he always guessed wrongly. Most certainly didn’t want a free drink, and even fewer wanted him to call a taxi. Some actually looked offended when he pointed out where the taxi stand was. Still one or two would bluntly offer him their phone number before leaving. He never called back. There was a high chance that those women were insurance agents, and his older brother would flip if he bought another useless policy.

He stepped back and bowed. Then he offered Anna his arm as they made their way back onto the dance floor. They were one of the first few couples. Once again they faced each other. He bowed and she curtsied. He took her hand and wrapped another arm round her waist. The slow beat was killing him. How exactly were they supposed to stand out like this? He continued bobbing his head as he eyed the competition. This beat. Oh yeah! He can definitely squeeze in some funky moves. Thank god even techno can be slow at times.

“Now Ms. Anna, it is your turn to follow me.”

“Eh?” she responded, echoing what he had said earlier that evening.

He swished to the side and spun her round till her skirt flared out. He pulled her towards him and swung out again. Next he pulled their arms up and then slowly twisted it till both of them turned in a full circle on the spot. She seemed to be getting it. He grabbed her hand again as if to resume their former position. Instead of side stepping. He bounced on the spot and pumped his free hand up and down in the air. Dum… ba dum… da dum… dum dum.

Next he jumped two steps backwards. He swayed side to side. Hands up. Hands down. Rap style. Slide. Now a little moonwalk. Shoot pass Ms. Anna. Fall to the ground. Lie onto the side like break dancing. Lie flat and flip up. Remain down. Kick around. Drop once more and now spin around on his bum. Back to freestyle. Would the gangnum style be a bit too much? Yeah. It probably would. Continue with this slow motion dance then. Hell yeah! She totally gets it. He was pleased to see Ms. Anna joining in. Who would have guessed she knew these moves too! Why were so many people staring? He managed to make all those moves slow enough to match the tempo of the current song.

“Come on everyone! Join the party!” He yelled in an attempt to ease the awkwardness. Damn! Guess this wasn’t the typical dance competition after all. At least he didn’t boogie.

While Inadi stood next to Jasper eating away the fruits he still had left on the plate an announcement went over the room to let everyone know that there was a dance competition going on. Inadi rolled his eyes at the rewards the winning pair would get. He had eaten so many of those strawberry tarts he could be able to tell the winners that they needed to be eaten as fast as possible. For whatever reason the strawberry ones always seemed to dry out pretty quickly. Hell, he made so many of them he knew how to make ten barrels of those things in less than a day. Definitely not worth embarrassing yourself in front of all the professional dancers.

Cello, a guide he didn't immediately recognize until after looking at him for a while, decided to pay him and Jasper a visit. Calling him and Jasper lovebirds made Inadi choke slightly on a piece of apple skin that he was just about to swallow. Looking at Jasper he could tell she didn't hear the title and felt relieved as he didn't feel like handling another awkward moment like he had just a few moments ago. As Cello continued his speech and walked off Jasper suggested they both go off and see what all else the castle had to offer. Nodding back at the girl he chewed his last grape and tossed the plate into the wash bin Jasper had used.

The neko returned again and handed them more food, which was an issue since the grapes had done a pretty good job of taking up space in his gut. Hard to think that such a small thing could make one feel so bloated. Then he heard that the food was for Martini and gave a quick nod, understanding the job at hand. As Cello then decided to suggest they join the dance competition Inadi was a bit shocked, but didn't see anything wrong with the idea. Sure, the treats weren't really a worthy reward, but the stars could be useful. Perhaps they could buy something similar to the amulets that the Queen had given them. Maybe even something to provide healing magic like Jasper was using before. Just as he was about to suggest the plan it appeared that the albino girl took off in a hurry to meet up with the others. Letting out a sigh of disappointment he quickly followed after her. Well now it was clear. She was embarrassed at the idea. Pitching the idea was definitely not going to be as easy as he thought it would be.

Reaching Martini's room he took up a spot next to Jasper as he looked up at the guide. She didn't seem to be looking all that well, as indeed the color in her face seemed to be a little wavering compared to before. Then again nobody was probably that well off in terms of wellness. While looking at the guide he couldn't help but notice that her gaze stopped on him. She seemed almost....mad at the sight of him. Suddenly fear and guilt began building in his chest as his heart began beating faster. Was she angry at him for what he said at the cabin? Did she blame him for what happened to Avian? Feeling the impending doom of whatever the mermaid could do to him made the plate in his hands begin shaking slightly.

As Martini screamed out her disapproval, the plate flew in the air and Inadi began covering his face in pure fear. The mermaid scooted up to Jasper and began saying that she needed color and something about her dress. As she continued commenting on other people's clothing his nerves began settling as he peaked out from past his arms to see where Martini was focused on. Just as he did the mermaid addressed him in a voice almost befitting that of a military general. It was loud and stern. His fear came shooting back as he covered his face again. She then told him to....burn the suit he was wearing. The hands dropped quickly to his sides and he looked down at the jacket he was wearing. Inadi then remembered that Martini was some kind of fashionista here in Nowhere. He let out a few slow breaths, letting his nerves finally settle after his near heart attack.

Martini then shoved each of them towards some large closet that was awe inspiring to see. It took up a whole wall and he was supposed to choose some kind of outfit for himself. He had never matched clothes in his life besides socks. He would wear white t-shirts with plaid shorts if that's all he had in the drawer clean at the time. Now he was expected to settle his own outfit for a ball? Definitely a new kind of fear Inadi would have to remember for a later time. Considering how serious the mermaid was too, he figured it was best to take it seriously, otherwise she may drown him in her tub of water she was in before they arrived.

Going through the suits he noticed there was a lot of stripes and squared designs in the jackets. He normally kept his suits plain, but he had to admit the pinstripe look was drawing his eyes. Though he didn't want to get anything too bright, after all that was why he was in this mess in the first place. Then his eyes found a jacket with red stripes on it, and he was taken in by the look. It gave a real casino or high life look to it. Something he imagined the big time gamblers wore before going out to test their luck. He looked over to Jasper and Leila and held up the jacket to them. “What do you think? Granted it looks better than the thing I'm wearing now, since the way Martini reacted a burlap sack would look better on me in her eyes,” Inadi joked with the two while grabbing the lapel and opening it up to reference it as he spoke. “But do you guys think this would look good on me? Or should I keep looking?” He finished asking them as he went back to looking at the suit jacket. He really liked the look, but would it look good on him. Hopefully his peers would have a better idea than he would.