Flint had passed up on the chance to try some of those little fancy green things, but didn't seem to pass on the opportunity to tell his story once again to the curious Jo-Kam and recruit Argus. "None taken, nothing rude about asking a man about his travels. It has been awhile since I had last been in a position to tell some of my stories, those dime novels already did that for me, but between us I've never actually taken on the entire Ambrose Gang with just one spell. I'm getting ahead of myself though, I'm guessin' you two want to hear the tale of how I gotten the Ol' Six Shooter? Well, you best believe me proper because it is one hell of a strange one."

"You see, back in my early days I used to use everything as weapon besides that fancy magic as I had no skill in that trade. All the townspeople thought I was just right insane since all of the bounties worth chasin' were the people who made a name for themselves using some dangerous magic. The lawmen could take down at most some of those small town kids, but people like Molly the Butcher or the Ambrose Gang? Nah, those little tin-star men were just rightly happy being alive. However, they can't just let those people run wild so they would stoop so low to have other people take on those problems for them, and that you two, is where I came in."

"See, I was still a small time bounty hunter, I've done my share of some gun-slinging but battling people with some of that powerful magic? Out of the question, but I was young, stupid, and arrogant from my past victories that I thought I could take on one of the bigger bounties. Bill Carson was his name, robbed two banks, killed six lawmen, and racked up a hell of a bounty by escaping jail more than dozen times. I was after that big meat, cash could last me any number amount of trips to the bar, and with my mean-ass attitude I thought I could take on that fire-spewing asshole. But boy, was I wrong about that, the rascal had gotten smart and nearly hired every drunken drifter and saddle bastard to report about anyone walks into his territory. And I soon found myself ambushed at the Martha Junction, fifteen men stood up from the brushes to give me a close casket funeral, but I beat them away easy. Found myself some cover, waited for the fire to stop, and sent three unlucky whoresons to their grave. It doesn't take much for those drunks to scare off, but little did I know it was just a nasty trap as I found myself with a quick jut to the head and falling face first into that nasty dirt ground."

"So I found myself waking up, head pounding and body feeling like I've been trampled by a stampede of horses. And as I was starting to get my bearings, guess who was standing right above me? Bill Carson himself, with a big bent pig iron bar in his hands and a nasty look on his face. So as I get up, he says to me, "About time you woke up! Been hitting you with this here bar for just about twenty minutes! Man, you is one tough boy but you ain't tough enough to kill Bill Carson!" He laughed at me, and I was rightly angry at him, but he was right, I was looking black and blue all over with red dripping everywhere around my body. At that point, I was beat to near death but Bill didn't just end it right there, no he did not. He grabbed me by the neck, felt like I was just about to choke to death from that mean boy's farmer hands. He forces me outside with a blindfold, shoves me forward and says that if I just keep walking in front of me and said if I can survive till' sundown, they would let me go free. I knew it was a bad deal, I had my broken body and Bill had his sick sense of torture, but I still walked since everything I wanted at that point was to live and to later take revenge on that man."

"So I walked... And walked, and walked until I could feel my feet bleed from the stony ground. I was left with nothing but my knickers, and I knew once nighttime came that I would be a frozen treat for those blasted coyotes. My arms, couldn't move em' one bit as I trudged along with the blindfold leading me to nowhere. I thought it to be my end, alone, broken, and most importantly disgraced from that no-nothing Bill Carson. I got tired from all that walking and found myself falling face dirt once again, this time with no one there to pro-long my life... Well, none that I was aware of."

"I woke up again, feeling even worse than I did if that was even possible. I didn't think the afterlife would make you feel this bad for my deeds, but after opening my eyes I just found myself in some small little cabin. Nothing too bad, the bed wasn't exactly my style but it was better than a mouth full of dirt. My body felt even worse than before if I forgot the mention that, couldn't even leave the bed for darn's sake as I felt groggy all to hell, but I saw something on my lap. It was a note of all things, after being dragged through the dirt, bullets flying at me, bars of iron, and walking through hell itself it was just a piece of paper this time in the past few days. I pick it up, and read it out all slurred like, "Avenge my daughter and you have earned your reward, ask the town of Dead Rock about Prisilla and they will tell you what you need to know," I was confused for sure, didn't know anything about what I was reading or what I was doing at this place, but as my eyes drifted away from those words and to my thumb, I realized something strange, this ain't my thumb. My mind focused itself from its pained state, and I soon found my arms had went missing and were replaced with something entirely new. Hard to admit, but I was screaming for the next ten minutes like a kid that just been disciplined... So, that is how I found Ol' Six Shooter, stories say different but that is how I had gotten these things. If you want to know about more, after I had gotten my unwilling transplant, we gotta find something to wet my whistle."

@Caits@Lugubrious@Burthstone

It would seem that she played the role of her Earthlander self quite well. It wasn't really hard when you're literally inside their head and can extract memories tied directly to the brain. That was good, she didn't particularly need to act like Earthlander Karn with folks like these Frenzy Plant. They didn't know him and by the looks of things, pretty much defaulted to the stereotype of what one would think a shapeshifter. Trickery. Her other self just was more wanting to be affectionate and friendly rather than plan anything devious. However, for Phoenix Wings members, she'd have to note down a few things. Flirting was off, intentional at least. Shame. Innocent affection of a child was more Earthland Karn's style.

"Yay! I'll try to be gentle!" Edarn chirped, giggling softly intertwining her slender fingers with his and leading him to the dance floor with a happy hum. Cheerfully giving a final wave to the simple meatheads she had been messing with.

With a cheerful hum, she placed a hand on his shoulder, while the other raised while grasping his uninjured hand. Gliding them into a dance. Her movements were a bit graceful, precise, and agile. There wasn't a ounce of klutzy behavior within her movements. Even if Mayt stumbled, her feet move quickly out of the way, but held him firm enough to assist in keeping him upright. This Mayt's attitude seemed to have changed if only slightly. Then again, she had avoided him since the encounter back in Edolas. Considering her current situation, she supposed she could understand some... poor behavior in that situation.

Still... when she gazed at his face... she couldn't help but miss her own guildmate back home. At least she supposed she could still feel loneliness. Better then nothing.

"So what exactly happened with this train of yours? I take it that is why you were a bit late?" she asked with a bright curious smile, jostling her thoughts away from her home world for now. At the moment, she at least didn't want to poison this Mayt's drink. Perhaps slice his head open and dissect his brain, but that temptation was with any wizard really.

Pleased to be remembered and held in high regard, Fleo felt her anxiety slipping away. When Amaya pointed Joshua out, he suddenly seemed obvious. Of course, Fleo had seen her guildmate before, most often in the guild hall in Magnolia. Seldom had they spoken, though. Having recognized him, Fleo executed a polite nod of acknowledgment. Amaya's ensuing point about Nolan struck her; until now, she hadn't given much thought to the reason why Nolan seldom spent time with any of them anymore, but her counterpart hit the nail on the head. Ever since the Ash God Slayer put his face into the public sphere, he'd been surrounded by more attention than he could possibly want. Plus, Fleo remembered seeing the younger wizard with Ariel. A twinge of sourness came to her face. ”Heh. So much for being scared of women. Guess he was just saving himself for 'the one'.” Well, no matter. Since her early years, Fleo had never been the trendiest of girls, so now that Nolan was a fad, she could put him behind her.

From the sky, the epitome of charming came soaring in. A purple cat in a tiny tuxedo made for an uncommonly, irrestisably adorable sight, and Fleo couldn't help but crack a wide smile at him. ”Hi, Dalton! I'm doing much better now that you're here. You're the cutest thing alive!” She reached out her arms as an invitation to hold him, so that she might give the little creature a big hug.



A good story was one that the listeners could get lost in, and as Flint began his tale, the ballroom seemed to fall away for Joakim. His appreciation for stories could be seen in his face and his bearing. For a while, in fact, he didn't realize that his legs were growing stuff. Instead, he absorbed every detail of the story, thinking to himself more than once that it would make for a classic novella, or one of his family's old folk tales. He paid rapt attention to the exploits of the bounty hunter, all throughout the rising action and the introduction of Bill Carson. Hints of exaggeration could be found in Flint's recollection, but as it did for any good yarn, they improved the experience. Perhaps, Joakim mused, they were even true. Who was he, an emissary of the frozen north, to make judgments about how things went down in Fiore's western wilderness? The account of Carson's cruelty and Flint's near-death experience gripped him. All too soon, the story ended, but with its cliffhanger came a request that Joakim was only too happy to oblige. ”Yes, of course. I'll go and find something, or we can go together. I believe there's a little cocktail bar on the other side of the room.” He glanced at Argus, who until now had remained silent. ”Can I get you anything?”



The observation that Gabriel was standing up for himself ignited some pride in Jane's heart. So long as he recognized danger and refused to allow himself to be played for the fool, she felt, he would be alright. All the same, she didn't doubt that her intervention had been necessary. This conclusion only grew stronger when the repugnant shapeshifter, after confirming Jane's suspicions, changed his countenance and manner entirely to talk to Mayt. In an instant, it was as if Karn had become a completely different person. Lecherous, manipulative, and obnoxious one moment, cheery and innocent the next—Jane suspected that it was Karn's guildmates who had been the most deceived of all. Indeed, Mayt barely reacted to the cannoneer's hostility at all, instead blindly putting his faith in Karn. What a joke.

The two continued to talk, and Jane was only to happy to claim victory and turn her back on them, motioning for Gabriel to listen. A few parting words from Mayt before he left with Karn had laid to rest her last suspicions. ”D'ye spy that? The instant that fellow appeared, on goes the mask o' innocence. Thar be a two-face if I've ever seen one! And did ye 'ear 'im? The lass that almost picked ye up was a 'he' all along. Mark me, lad. The world's full o' pathetic scalleywags. Some don't 'ave talent, discipline, wealth, fame, friends, or dreams—just their bodies and their tongues. Some get along by sellin' themselves, others pull the wool o'er the eyes of good folks and hornswagglin' 'em. Idiots 'n bullies is all they be.”

She straightened up, adjusting her hair. ”But it sounded like ye know what yer doin'. I bet ye knew all this already. Until we sail again, me bucko.” With that, Jane left him, sure that he could take care of himself for the rest of the night. Her bitterness vaporized the moment that ordeal was behind her, and she made to rejoin the festivities with a smile on her face.

Mayt didn't pay any attention to the two other mages when Karn took his hand, and he gripped Karn's hand lightly in return. Once they reached the dance floor he gripped it a bit more tightly, and positioned himself properly, his cast finding its way to their hip. He was an alright dancer under normal circumstances, but this wasn't really a normal circumstance. His ankle hurt, his feet seemed oddly sluggish, his balance was off, and his mind felt as clear as a dirty glass. He was often stumbling slightly, and his feet would not stay in time. He did eventually get into some kind of rhythm, but it wasn't quite in time with the music. At least he stopped trying to step on Karn's toes.

"Well, mishap may be a bit of a misnomer, it was pretty on purpose," Mayt offered, his smile fading into a normal, positive countenance. "But, essentially, it blew up. I got thrown from the car I was in, and I don't remember anything after that until I got up and started looking around. There, uhm, there wasn't a lot of survivors, it was pretty bad," he frowned some, and his brow furrowed like he was trying to think of something, but couldn't. He shrugged, giving up on whatever it was, and the frown faded back behind a poorly constructed mask. "I was pretty lucky, to be honest."

"But, anyway, how are you? How did the games end?" Mayt suddenly changed his attention from himself to Karn, letting his lighthearted smile tentatively return. He wasn't smiling because he was happy per-se, but he didn't want to put a damper on Karn's enthusiasms. This ball was supposed to be a happy occasion, as he understood it. He could let everyone read about the terrorist attack in the papers tomorrow.

@Silver Fox

@Burthstone

Edarn hummed as she listened, nodding in a 'awe wow' kind of manner as within her head she thought a bit more seriously. That explained a lot. Mayt probably was actually the vulnerable one at this point and time. Easy to fool or push in a direction. In the back of her mind, a thought occurred of getting a little payback for what he did back in Edolas. There was several things she could think of to drag him down and make him wish that he wasn't particularly alive. Edarn would admit she was not a sane person. Nor a good person. Good and evil were just arbitrary words people came up with. Like those of Frenzy Plant, they acted all huff and buff but in the end, they were the same as any other person from the richest, to the scum of the earth. But dummer. Despite that though, and despite her distaste, he was a Phoenix Wing Guild Member. And he was Mayt, well a different version of Mayt. And if she pushed aside her misgivings on him, he didn't seem very terrible. Maybe at least deserved a bitch slap.

Plus, she did have to hold some of her home Guild's values in place. Even if they weren't here to keep her stable.

"Awe, it's really sad you had to go through all of that, Energy-man! But I'm super glad you're alright!" she chirped cheerfully, keeping up the act of playing her counterpart. She wondered, how many she could of fooled if she had done this from the very beginning? Does it count as cruel if she totally took over but them never know about it? Maybe. But it's also cruel to trap someone in another world in a body that isn't yours. Not even the same damn gender.

"WeeeeeellllitkindawasalittlecrazyandIdon'treallyremembermuchthathappenedintheend. BecauseyouknowthelastIwasenteringsomeweirdguysstartedtokindamesswithmymind. SoIkindawentberserkandrampagedeverywherebutdon'tworrytheotherstookcareofitandbeforeyouknowitIkindagotabithurtfromthatbattle. SointheendIkindahadtositoutfortherestofthegamesbutIthinkthegamesbasicallyendedupwithnoonewinning." Karn rattled on cheerfully, his excitement forcing Edarn out of control for a brief moment, the ethereal green glow in his eyes disappearing as he took control. However they returned when Edarn regained command.

Clearing her throat, she mentally cursed at her counterpart and his ridiculous explanation. "Um. It was pretty crazy in the end there. As for me, well... you could say it has been a spiritual adventure in this little tournament." Edarn chuckled innocently.


@Caits

"You're Guildmate is quite the fiesty one eh buddy?" a cool cheerful voice cooed behind Gabriel. Prince stood there, standing pretty tall. Well as tall as he could as he was almost head to toe covered in bandages, arms holding tightly to crutches as a arm was completely covered in a cast as well as his left leg. Entire torso completely white with bandages. Still he wore his red coat and hat and gave a cheerful toothy grin. Ears twitching and tail flicking mischievously from side to side.

"Well, take it I won't have much of a chance of a dance either eh? Guess I'll have to ask your Bro or Sunshine over there when he's done." Prince chirped as his teal colored eye glanced towards Karn. Though narrowed slightly. He could tell it was Edolas Karn. He tasted her spirit from here. It seems the plan wasn't going correctly. He might have to take care of it. But for now, he couldn't quite do much.

@Caits

Zephyr Hardt

He sighed but smiled at her, knowing this would be no easy challenge to make her relax for once. "I get you want to fix the council and that itself is a task that I can appreciate. Yet you know I would never say just let everyone fight and kill each other. Have some faith in the guards. Sure some grudges might be around, but if I could almost have my arm ripped off. I think the most that will happen is just that. A grudge." Zephyr said trying to convince her before tapping his head. "Besides, power of a god lurks inside me. I may not be able to use it to its full potential, yet putting everyone through a portal to their own respective guilds, while would be incredibly taxing. Is do able. So if any fights start to happen, I'll just send everyone right on home."

@Lugubrious

Malice Hardt

She would nod along jotting the location down in her mind, when she stated she was the only one who could wear one. She tilted her head slightly in confusion when she then moved her arm indicating the other Frenzy Plant soldiers. "So it's like a privilege for you... Commanders? I think that's what the S ranks in Frenzy plant are called. Yet I must agree some do look good in the uniform, while no offense. Some others.... not as much." Malice would reply with before Indigo would proceed to compliment her dress saying it went well with her hair. Had that certain allure that men go mad for, even nailing the nail on the head with breaking some hearts.

Malice would brush a strand of her hair to the side and would smirk. "Oh a few. There were those boys in my hometown, This one wealthy man, This really nice guard I meet, oh and Salem aka my guild master. Well at least I think he is still a guild master at this point. Yet I see you're breaking some hearts yourself. Showing off your good looks and then playing the married card." Malice said giggling a bit.

As Trinity and Penny conversed, a figure made his way through the crowd, dressed in a military uniform reminiscent of the standard issue one for the army of Fiore, albeit in black and red coloring, red on the right side of the jacket, black on the left with the pants a similar shade of black and silver embossed dress boots. On his back was a cape emblazoned with an unfamiliar sigil, but one that marked who wore it as a member of a border protection unit, and it also rested on the wearer's left breast. And while the sigil was not readily recognizable, the man who wore it was, Phoenix Wing's Blade, Damian Gerard. He greeted each person he met with a smile and a handshake before reaching the pair to catch the tail end of their conversation. With a smile, he taps Penny's shoulder lightly. "Sorry to say, dear Trinity, but I'm going to be stealing your dancer for the evening." Leading Penny away, Damian takes her hands to begin dancing. "You look beautiful tonight, Penny."




Jack stood near one of the walls near the banquet tables laid out with food, enjoying a glass of punch that had an emerald flame dancing upon it's surface while watching Jackie and Aria when Sanders and Hyun approached. With a smile, Jack returned their greetings. "Master Sanders, Lady Hyun, a pleasure to see you both this evening. I take it all has been to your liking?" His own preference for being at the ball he kept to himself, as he represented not only his guild this evening, but also magic in general as a Wizard Saint, hence why he wore the white cloak that was associated with them. All told, he didn't care for large gatherings such as this, as the formality was always...stiff. He smiled once more when Amelia approached. "Ah, Miss Averyona. A pleasure to see you here. I understand your mother was nervous about you wanting to come."




Clinking classes with Isabella, Jane took a drink of her champagne, listening to her date speak. "I didn't expect to be so nervous. I've never attended such an affair with another lady before." This caused Jane to giggle herself, standing after accepting her hand and kissing Isabella on the cheek.

"Don't worry, Isabella, I'm familiar with attending with another lady. You'll enjoy this evening." As they left, Jane noticed that Isabella called back into the building and turned, catching Bullet's smile and offering her own in return. It would seem that the evening was shaping up to be rather enjoyable for everyone.




Jake nodded and lead the way towards the palace. "Indeed we should." As they walked for several minutes, Jake had a hard time finding anything to talk about, but eventually managed to think of something. "So I've been doing some thinking about our next, um, date, and I though maybe you could pick where we go. Maybe somewhere you haven't been before?" His nerves were jittery, this being both his first ball and his first ball with a date, but he hoped they'd calm soon.

@hatakekuro@Caits
Meandering around the crowd Ariel turned when she heard her name being called. It was a little hard to tell who said it but was pretty sure it was Nolan. Sure enough that was the case. Looking quite sharp in formalwear she froze briefly as Nolan approached. Actually the thing that broke the tension for her was actually watching him squirm trying to get through the crowd, which of course included women. If there was any doubt that Nolan still had a fear of them that confirmed it.

It was a slightly awkward moment when Nolan was finally standing in front of her. For a time he just seemed to stare and Ariel wasn't quite sure what he was doing. Was something amiss? She briefly glanced at her own attire and everything seemed in order. The two of them probably looked silly, completely inept on how to respond to one another. However Nolan finally commented on how she looked. Blushing her color shifting finally stopped on her pink Charm magic. Most in the guild by now knew that was her loving personality.

Still she acted a little shy for a moment, wringing her hands, before falling back in line with the personality. Smiling she stepped closer and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. You look handsome in that suit. I like it." She whispers in his ear. "You're really cute when you blush like that." Taking a step back she twirled around to show the dress. "You really like it? It's a little weird wearing non-magic clothing."

To be entirely honest, Mayt completely missed everything Karn said about the games. He managed to catch that they had ended suddenly, and that no one won, but the rest was just a mesh of sounds that didn't really mean all that much to him. He nodded to it all the same, acting like he understood what had been said. He tilted his head at the spiritual experience line, and ended up letting it pass without saying anything. He let himself relax as they continued to move in careful dance, Mayt slowly regaining enough control over himself to dance normally. As the song came to a slow end, Mayt would bring Karn into a hug without really thinking about it. After a moment he would break it, and offer them a good, genuine smile.

"Thanks for the dance. I think I needed it more than I thought," Mayt said, his hand hesitating in Karn's. There was something here he wasn't sure about, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it was his intuition trying to tell his bleeding brain something, but he couldn't think of what it could be. Or maybe it was some more memories trying to come to the surface. He hid a grimace at that thought, but it didn't stop his smile from vanishing. Why had so many of his ancestors been such horrible people? He decided to keep talking to Karn instead of thinking about some of the things he knew he had done that he didn't like. His hands fell to his sides. "Shame the games ended with no winner," he tried. "Now all anyone can do it tell everyone else they believed that their guild was going to win, whether or not logic would agree," this managed to get Mayt to smile slightly again as he waited for Karn's response, but it was short lived. He idly wondered if the exuberant mage would ask him to another dance.

@Silver Fox

[color=8dc73f]Gabriel
@Silver Fox

Gabriel hesitated as Jane left him, suddenly feeling vulnerable once more as she left him. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, and wondering if he ought not just...sit down somewhere. As someone else approached him-someone he recognised from the games, and his brother, he shifted. "The guild is protective of one another, and I haven't exactly given them much reason to believe I can handle myself. She was just worried I'd get taken advantage off" He looked back to the shapeshifter. "Thats not really Karn, is it?" He frowned, looking Prince up and down, something had obviously happened to the cat man, and he wondered what.

"No, not with the way you look. Like one gust of wind will knock you over and break you into a million pieces" He said, "And I'm a hazard when I dance. What happened to you?" He asked, finally disregarding politeness, shifting to try and judge Princes Injuries.

---

Carrie
@oblivion666

Carrie sighed, "I don't trust the guards, Zephyr. I can't help what I am, and what I am is a worrier. The council can't take another blow' She said wearily, wondering why zephyr even bothered with her. What the hell did he see in her? She shook her head, moving away from the guards, but avoiding the crowd that was building up. "Telling me not to worry doesn't help, and in fact makes me worry more" She said after a moment, "I just want things to go right"

---

Penny
@zarkun

When Damien approached them, a slow, happy smile crossed Penny's features, lighting it up. She said goodbye to Trinty, moving smoothly as Damien let her away, simply letting him guide her in their movements. "Thank you" She said softly, "You do, too. But what is that mark?" She asked, curiously. Penny knew a lot of the marks and sigil from different guilds, organisations and armies, but she couldn't say she had seen that mark.

@Burthstone

Edarn chuckled slightly in amusement, nodding in turn and giving a bright smile. "Anytime! Happy I could be at your service. Though, you should probably rest for a little bit. Don't want to strain your booboo's too much." she chirped, leading back to the dining tables and letting him have a seat. Thinking for a moment, the blonde simply shrugged in return as she thought about the events that transpired.

"Well maybe it's for the best. It seems everyone was getting a little too competitive. Plus if no one wins, then everyone's a winner! Yay!" she chirped cheerfully over something her other self probably would say.


@Caits

The tall feline hummed, watching the blonde, cat eye calculating. "If you mean if that is the regular crossdressing blondie who loves dresses and frilly things and giving out affectionate clingy hugs, then no it isn't." he answered with a cheerful smile, tilting his head as he glanced down at himself with a thoughtful hum. "Weeeell... you could say, Karn got a little possessed and went a little berserk. He's soft and squishy when he's all friendly, but a Chimera is still a Chimera. They are deadly creatures when they are on a rampage." he chuckled, seeming a bit nonchalant about basically being mauled to certain death.

"So tell me. The thing you just met. Would you say they really did have ill intentions for you? That perhaps they probably should be the one to be.. taken care of first before they try something?" Prince hummed innocently, though his red feline ears twitched a little curiously as he awaited for a response. A bit darker meaning under his words. After all, he didn't particularly care if he had to kill someone who was already dead and would be erased from existence if it meant saving a friend. But he wanted some sort of... excuse he supposed.

Mayt had to admit to being just a little disappointed that Karn didn't ask him to another dance. The shape shifter was nice, and good with their feet to boot, but he didn't complain about sitting down. His ankle hurt, and would probably keep hurting whether or not he had another dance. Mayt would take a breath, and look Karn up and down as he sat. It was odd, seeing them in a dress. It wasn't that Mayt had never seen them in a dress before, it was just odd he saw someone wearing it in such a way that it was hard to tell if they leaned towards being more male or female. Maybe that was why Karn acted so much like a cute younger sibling, he just hadn't got enough genes in one direction to really develop as one or the other. Or maybe it was a trait of a lot of shape shifters, as guessing Mithera's gender from how she acted was impossible too.

Mayt's attention drifted back to the conversation at hand, and how the games had ended so abruptly. "That's reasonable, don't want everybody at each other's throats after the games. It was meant to bring everyone together after all," he commented, knowing he was probably just repeating what a bunch of other people had said already. "Oh hey, where's that other shape shifter? Myth... Mithera," Mayt felt his cheeks heat up a little at forgotten her name after having it come to his head so quickly earlier. "I thought you two were like... Besties. Would've expected her to be around."

@Silver Fox

"Whatever, huh? Hmm..." Trinity thought for a second before Damian swooped in and ran off with Penny. "Oh, sure. Whatever you want, Damian." She rolled her eyes and shook her head apathetically before she went over to find the music. To replace it, of course.

"Oooh, this is a nice setup... but really? A ball in the Royal City of Fiore should be more than... this." It was a really high-spec magitech sound system with a sophisticated DJ setup, but they were just playing music for now. She waved over some local staff and told 'em to turn it off when she was ready. A party like this deserved a live performance. Nearby, where there was space, she'd make sixty four Energy Make spheres, starting with a large one and splitting it repeatedly in two. The hard part done, she lifted a hand and a purple energy extended straight out from her wrist before it became a conductor's baton. "Bard's Magic. My Orchestra." She lowered the baton and pointed it at the spheres of golden light. Starting from the bottom and swirling upward through them, they became purple, and once purple, their shape began to change. An orchestra slowly emerged from the orbs. The purple light would evaporate off of the formed shapes, leaving fresh, crisp instruments, gleaming and polished in the party's light.

"Whew. That's the hard work out of the way." She waved the attendant to turn down the music, and turned to her instruments. She lifts her arms for their attention, and she waves her baton shortly in the air. They give a single note, all in unison, and then stop.

Drums introduced the first song on her internal playlist. Brass toots followed them in, then the deep bellow of a tuba, before Swing de Chocobo got wholly underway.

Shujin @Caits

Shujin sighed, not quite believing her when she said she wasn't up to anything. Wither frowned somewhat, tiptoeing up to him. "You know... I'm really not doing anything. Maybe a little reconnaissance for the master, but that's all... I swear!" She took his hands, pulling him onto the dance floor. Shujin felt very nervy, Lazarus and Sasha right next to them. Surely Wither wouldn't try anything stupid, considering the amount of powerful wizards present. Then again... he had never seen her use her magic properly. Come to think of it, he had no idea how strong, she or any of the other orphans had become over the past few years. If they had been taught by Father Budo all this time, stronger than himself no doubt. Suddenly, Wither had a mischievous look on her face. Before Shujin could do anything she shoved him backwards in a spin. "Change partners!" She cheered, sending Shujin colliding into Sasha, whilst snatching a puzzled Lazarus. Shujin couldn't say anything. It was perfectly normal at a ball to dance with different people. He did not want to cause a scene with Wither present. Not only did he not want her to get caught, he didn't want to risk people getting hurt. He put on a very transparent chuckle, and offered Sasha a dance, hoping Lazarus was ok. Lazarus had left before Budo had lost his mind. He would have no idea what had become of Wither and the others. Things were getting too dangerous now. He had tried to convince her to stay on their side already. He would tell Master Jack tomorrow. Everything.

Lazarus

He had managed to relax. At last. A whole night, which he could let himself become submerged in, giving Sasha his full attention. SHe has nuzzled into him whilst dancing, but something seemed wrong. "Is something wrong Sasha? Is there anything you want to tell me? Because now would be the time to do it." He asked bluntly. Before she would have to respond his grip on her would become empty, as a wild Shujin tumbled into the scene, whisking her away inadvertently. He was tugged in the opposite direction, be a pretty young women with long pitch black hair. He could've sworn he had seen her somewhere before. "You seem familiar, have we met?" He asked, suddenly realising that they were dancing. She replied rather sweetly. "Excuse me where are my manners?" Her whole character had changed. "I'm an old acquaintance of Shujin's. I know he was raised in the same place as others, including yourself. Any family of Shujin is a friend of mine. 'Correction. Family of mine.' She thought to herself. Lazarus frowned. "I'm sorry, I've put that part of my life behind me, it's a pleasure to meet you though... miss...?" He prompted her for her name. She looked him in the eyes, growing tired of her own games. "Lazarus, its me. Wither." She shut her eyes momentarily and beamed. Lazarus was taken aback, and hugged her. "Wither I'm so sorry for not recognising you. It's just... you've grown up!" He took another look at her. He thought he would set her straight too. "Wither, I want you to know I'm not the same man that left you guys behind. I've changed. I'm a phoenix wing wizard now, with light magic. I meant to come home, I really did... it's just...." She hushed him. It was good to see him again.

Gabriel
@Silver Fox

"Possessed? But I thought Karn was a shapeshifter, not a necromancer" Gabriel said, a little confused. "Anyone can be dangerous, they just need the right incentive" He said softly, with a sigh. "Oh, I think they did. But I think it was more...manipulative. Trying to prey on someone they consider weaker without seeming to" He looked up at Prince, frowning.

"I already have one protector, i don't need another. Leo is annoying, and I can't get rid of him" He said, "I'll be fine. They won't underestimate me again, don't worry about me" Gabriel said, shrugging as if it meant nothing. "Maybe Karn can be helped. Maybe leo might have some ideas..."

Sasha
@YipeeXD

Sasha stood a little perplexed, at Lazarus's words. She didn't get a chance, as they were suddenly seperated by shujin. Sasha stared, a little wide eyed as some girl took Lazarus over. Glaring, she shot a glance at Shujin, to see if he had a hand in this. From his shocked expression, it didn't seem like it. She sighed, and accepted the dance, a little put out. She didn't trust the girl, there was something going on there..."You really have good time for these things, don't you Shujin? We were having what could be an important discussion" She glanced towards Lazarus, glowering.

"If she makes one move I don't like, I'm freezing her ass" She said, perhaps to try and get anything from Shujin about the girl. but she really did mean it, and she planned on keeping a careful eye on her. She trusted Lazarus. But other girls tended not to have boundaries, even when it was known they were together.

Jessie

Jessie was lost in the grounds, a microphone in hand, and a lacrima nestled safetly in her other hand. "Well, welcome all to the Grand magic games ball! I know we are all terribly excited for this, even if the games didn't go as planned. Its been great, and really, you are all winners! There are so many wonderfully dressed mages here, all unique, oh and there's Frenzy plants unifrom, its just spectacular. What a wonderful show of unity!" Jessie moved through the crowd, using her small frame to push her way through, consious of her dress, a mix of colours that didn't seem to clash and that was all her.

Joshua was relaxed and enjoying himself but he was also keeping an eye on Amaya and trying to make sure she was enjoying herself. She seemed rather on edge for a time but she seemed to relax when a woman he didn't recognize came over. Amaya however, knew the girl as the other female member of Team Powder Keg. The name still escaped him until another exceed came over, giving her name away as Fleo. Joshua tried to recall her, but all he could think of was a few passing words here or there, nothing special.

Seeing as to how Amaya seemed more comfortable talking to Fleo then hanging around him in the current crowd, he let her be, as he did want her to enjoy herself. When Fleo nodded towards him, he nodded back in acknowledgement before letting the girls talk, turning towards Cecilia, who he found be to rather surprisingly quiet for once.
"Aren't you going to talk to your fellow Exceed there?" He asked her, truly curious by this sudden silence.



Lucus let out a small chuckle at Raiden and Ryu's complaints about the outfits they had to get for the party. Still, he perfectly understood Ryu's complaints, feeling exactly the same way himself when it came to tuxedoes.
"Rose is right. I'm a wind mage, so this thing I'm being force to wear right now is about as welcome as... hhhhmmmm, not really sure what to compare it to, but something I would really, really hate. Probably whatever boyfriend Elyse gets when she's finally old enough for that stuff." He said before suddenly being struck with a thought he found a bit funny, which brought an amused smile to his face. "Say Ryu, is there a lucky lady you have your eyes on yet?"

Elyse meanwhile, finally spotted Sam and ran over to her.
"Sammy, Sammy!" She said, running up to her bet, and currently only, friend. "Did you find candy yet?"



Amelia managed a small smile as Master Jack greeted her, expressing a bit of surprise by her prescense. Apparently her mother had been nervous about wether she would come or not.
"I was... nervous to come. I ate being with crowds since i feel like I'm so... different from everyone around me. But, I figured since the whole nation saw me during the games, it would make little difference at this point." She said, though a bit of nervousness still crept into her voice as she spoke. It truly was taking everything she had to stop herself from asking her parents to take her back to the hotel but she knew she couldn't hide forever. "I just hope I don't embarrass Mama or Papa."



Pyrrha smiled as she and Jake walked through the streets. She could tell he was nervous but she was as well, so she figured they would both be fine. When he brought up the possibility of another date after this one and her selecting the destination. She mulled it over as they walked and even after they finally arrived at their current destination, she still didn't have an answer.
"I... don't know honestly. I've done alot of traveling, so I've seen alot of things. I think I'll have to get back to you on this." She said. "But for now, let's focus on the ball for now and getting through tonight. I'm... rather nervous to be honest."

@joshua tamashii
"ryu was hitting on Amelia earlier"said rose as ryu looked around before answering "I was making friends not hitting on her alrigut" he said
[Color=salmon]" let me give you a tip alright. Amelia is a celestial type mage her wings aren't for decoration, her wings hold some very powerful spirits that will destroy you with she wishes it in a instant..so if you want to get to know her here's your tip don't tick her or her guild leader parents off if you wish to actually grow old"she said

" I know I saw her matches and unlike you and dad I don't have the over bearing anger that comes out of the blue of you both."

you don't know how to talk to her without somewhat scaring her" rose replied
Raiden laughed at lucus's reply "luckily Rose put the fear in nearly any male that wanted to even be a friend or boyfriend I never had to worry. If Elyse happened to bear the Yashia attitude and strength in magic...you won't have to worry about that* he replied before seeing Elyse talking with another girl "You need to keep close watch of any flare of emotion that comes from Elyse cause she might not have your or her mother's known magic but her emotions could tie into some sort of magic...that is how Rose's started to pop up suddenly after a bird she was caring for was accidentally killed by a neighbor kid. I seen her mother move the shadows but I never knew rose could even make a so called "imaginary friend till I saw the eyes in those shadows...it was actually scary..Rose wasn't much old then Elyse at that time. So you need to keep close watch over Elyse's emotions...I pray she doesn't grow the temper like her Mom" Raiden added


@joshua tamashii@Lugubrious@hatakekuro

"Dalton! There is my adorable fluffy ball of adorableness...How is Nolan...oh that reminds me...Dalton I want you to meet someone I think you might like...as a friend.. Cecilia," said amaya looking around as she saw the female exceed originally occupied with her saucer of fish she had grabbed. She was currently sitting on Joshua's shoulder taking her time enjoying her fish.

The exceeds ears twitched when Amaya's call snapped her out of her happy place. She soon saw Dalton as she nearly dropped the n saucer. "Oh my god...your right amaya there is another one"she exclaimed happily as she jumped off Joshua's shoulder landing next to Dalton "Hi I'm Cecelia...I'm Amaya's partner...she told me about you."she said happily.

"Oh Floe...this is Cecilia. She said she was in the desert near that battle we all had with that s rank rouge wizard. Our first mission with all of us there."said Amaya

@Burthstone

Edarn hummed, thinking for a moment as the name 'Mithera' rang in her mind, digging through the memories of information she had of this person. A little dragon appeared in her mind, then a big one. Another shapeshifter though a different sort then Karn was. Indeed, she seemed to be held in high regard to this world's Karn, not that no one wasn't but perhaps being a fellow shapeshifter, Karn had a better time relating. It seemed the two, despite some obvious differences, held some things in common.

"It's odd.... I haven't seen her around... Wish she was here to see the games. It's been a blast. She'd like it. Maybe a little too loud though." Karn chirped within their mind.

"Sadly, I haven't seen her. Hope she's doing okay. Maybe she didn't really want to be around this big of a crowd?" Edarn replied, echoing her other self's thoughts as she gave out a concerned curious expression.


@Caits

Chuckling, the feline flicked a ear as he gave a amused sing songy hum. "Silly, possession can happen without a necromancer. Easier with one but it is achievable. A ghost finding a perfect host, and taddaaaa they gotcha. Little blondie wouldn't know the first thing of that sort of magic. Too lovable for that kind of sort." he chirped, as if this was a cheerful game of cards. What he said was true. Of course, he did leave out the little detail that this was a sort of necromancy spell, that was purposely caused for more lifesaving intentions. His cheerful expression didn't give much away however. Ears flicking as he listened, the tall man gave a soft thoughtful hum and nodded.

"How dreadful, that wouldn't do." he mused. In honesty, if this version of Karn was like him, she probably actually didn't mean anything by it. Just simply wanted one thing. A reaction. Testing the tempers, testing their personality, testing this world's people. So she tested a couple from Frenzy Plant, got her answer and was pretty much satisfied. After all, she probably already knew she was the weakest in this room. That's just a hypothesis though and one he wasn't going to share.

"Ohhhh don't worry handsome, I'm not worried about you or Frenzy Plant. I know full well any of you can take care of yourselves. I'm just asking in case they target someone who can't handle themself. After all, someone like that doesn't stop at one simple target. Who knows? Could be someone who can't use magic. Imagine if this ghost had the power to control Karn's magic. After all, you look at me and know what that power is capable of." he chuckled as he glanced down at himself with his own good eye, weakly waving his arms as his crutches thumped against the ground.

Tilting his head thoughtfully, Prince gave a little nod. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask. I do have a idea of my own, though its a bit of a riskier call of the cards you would say."

Argus Leandros

"Huh?" Argus looked up from the spot on the floor he'd been staring at for awhile. "Oh, uh. . . Nah, I'm fine. Just trying to figure out where to mingle. Like, I've got a long time to talk with Frenzy Plant peeps, but not so many chances with the other guilds, I would think." Argus chuckled slightly while taking a small step away from Joakim, fidgeting with a few stray strands of hair. Looking around the room, he couldn't help but feel mischievous thoughts enter his head.

One or two odor-producing Lacrima, a little magical energy applied to the ceiling. . . gah, this is killing me. But I gotta keep calm and resist the urge to prank anyone here. . . well, maybe Gabriel and that other guy with the bad attitude, they kinda deserve it a little, right? Arus chuckled slightly at the thought, but let it go with a sigh, knowing that he was already on thin ice with the guild as it was. Something that Joakim's presence made him feel keenly aware of. Argus' hand went from his hair to his neck, the pressure from the seal seeming to tighten the more he thought about the damn thing. No, now's not the time for pranks, no matter how deserved they may or may not be. I just have to relax and talk to somebody. Anybody. With that settled in his mind, Argus took a moment to stretch a little before making his way about the ballroom, offering Joakim and Flint a brisk wave.

"Well, I'm going to see if I can't make a few friends tonight. See ya both later."

From there, Argus made his way through other Frenzy Plant members, making a plan of social attack. First, he'd find some Frenzy Plant member, chat it up with them, then move on to somewhere else to mingle. He'd keep moving on from chat to chat until he either found someone he thought was cool to talk to or got hungry and decided to start raiding the buffet table. So thought up was Argus in his planning that he didn't watch exactly where he was going and bumped into some red head's plate of food with his arm. While he managed to grab the plate before it toppled to the ground, the same could not be said for about half of the food on the plate, which was now decorating the floor. "Oh shit, I'm so, so sorry about that. I should've been paying more attention. Er, what did I mess up, cause I could go and get some more for you to make up for, yeah?" Turning quickly to address the stranger, Argus recognized that they were wearing the same outfit as he was. You know, I'm not making many friends in my guild, am I? Ugh, I should've just hung back with Flint. . . bu then I probably would've done something to piss him off. Guilds are hard, man.

@Lugubrious
@The Wild West
@Lunarlors34



"Uh. . . I don't I'm ready for that, Mr.Buchanan," Ezekiel looked down with a slight blush at the man's suggestion. "Besides, I'm not quite sure where to even begin or who to talk too. Everyone already seems to be talking to each other, and I'd hate to be rude and interrupt." Biting his lip slightly, he didn't really notice the fact that his anxiety had brought in the attention of a few wandering felines, several of which had jumped on top of the buffet table and were helping themselves.

"Mr. Buchanan, are you sure it's okay for me to be here? What if the queen or king comes in and I end up saying the wrong thing or using the fork or something? Not even mentioning what's likely to happen once people start dancing. . . ugh, now I feel a bit queasy." Ezekiel sank down to the floor, face turning a sickly shade of green, though it died down a bit as several felines came to rub themselves against his legs. He was going to pick one of them up and pet them, but then remembered the clothes he was wearing and where he is, so he quickly(though gently) started shooing them away lest they get his nice clothes covered in cat hair.

@Silver Fox*if you think Prince would be affected by Ezekiel's Cat magnetism*
@Hatakekuro

Mayt stuffed another chocolate treat in his face while Karn thought about where Mithera was, and shrugged when Karn suggested that Mithera might not like the crowds. "Nah, from what I've seen of her Mithera loves attention, so a crowd would be a perfect place for her. Then again, too many people with their hands all over you could be obnoxious," he gave Karn a sideways glance. "Something I'm sure you know all about." Mayt chuckled to himself slightly, before getting up from his chair.

"Thanks for hanging around and talking to me Karn, but I figure I might as well get out of your hair and let you go and hang with someone else. I'll find someone else to mooch sympathy off of. Or, I saw Carrie around earlier, and I might go and give her a late apology," Mayt gave Karn another happy smile, and considered his options for what to do next. Pretty quickly apologizing approached the top of the list, followed immediately by asking Jamie where Mithera was. As S-Class, he figured he should keep at least have a vague idea where all the members were at any given time, in case he needed to go and help them out. Glancing around, he managed to at least spot Carrie. He had no idea what Master Jamie looked like at the moment, and didn't spot a face that might be his guild master's in the crowd. He decided that once he and Karn had officially parted company, he would head over to Carrie, maybe even with a candy or two from the dining table, and officially apologize. Maybe even offer her a dance. He knew that didn't really make things any better, but if he got stabbed in the stomach by someone he'd definitely feel better about them if they later apologized and gave him chocolate for it. Even if it was months after the event.

@Silver Fox