Havin' a Ball

[Fate]

In the following nine posts will be the text from the original nine pages of this thread. The MODs will be working on the formatting issues over the next little while but the words will be there so we hope that all of you will be able to pick right up where you left off whever you're ready. Don't wait for us, we're just making it look pretty again. ;D

So once the ninth reply is up, which it will be shortly, feel free to jump right back in again. We hope this setback hasn't hurt anyone's muse too much. Thank you.

[Fate]

~~~~~~~~~~ Page 1 ~~~~~~~~~~

Creed:

He hung about at the fringes of the room, noticeably uncomfortable with the crowd. Creed liked space and solitude and all the damn people ate up both of those like they did all the food he could fix for them. Still, he kept a meticulous eye on the hors' douvres, the entrees and the drinks, he made sure that everything looked good, smelled good...tasted even better.

"There ya go, Tootsie", he said to the girl that worked for him as he pointed to a partygoer's empty glass. Before he could even finish saying her name wrong, the glass was filled to the top. He had to admit, she was doing a great job making sure the servants kept up with everything. He nodded, and managed an expression that mixed a hint of irritation and dash of a smile in with his normal disgruntled scowl.

Everything was perfect, as it always was. Creed was determined to make sure that whenever someone mentioned balls, his was the name they thought of first.

Bobby:

Bobby stepped up and clapped his hands together, rubbing them briskly and looking around the palace. The freaking palace, man!! Oh man...first his little scandalous visit with Dazz (which had grown to a very pornographic encounter in his twisted mind involving her not letting him go until he performed some duties and then tossing tiny pickles at him from a distance while wearing nothing but compact discs over her unmentionables).

He looked around. There was a kind of rough looking guy over by the food. Definitely not feeling hungry, he decided. In fact...for some reason he suddenly had a stomach ache.

Anyhoo...

"AJ, would you get your hiney front and center?" He looked around. "We're missing all the fun!"

There was hardly anybody else there yet.

AJ:

The palace...The closest she had come to seeing anything like it was when Bobby had described his encounter with Dazzler, which she didn't want to retell.

"AJ, would you get your hiney front and center? She heard him call her. "We're missing all the fun!"

She stepped forward, rolling her eyes. "What fun?!" she exclaimed. "There's hardly anyone here."

Kitty:

Was it more appropriate for a princess to be fashionably late and make a grand entrance, or to arrive early and graciously greet the guests? Every year she swore she would remember, and every year she forgot. She forgot a lot of things, or maybe she just became apathetic towards them. She couldn’t quite figure that out, but she blamed it on the headaches. Who could think when their head was pounding so?

Luckily tonight there wasn’t even a hint of a threat of headache. Her last trip to Ms. Frost had done her a world of good.

Although she still couldn’t remember. Oh well, grand entrances weren’t really her style. That meant everyone’s eyes would be on her, even for just a moment, and that would only make her nervous, and she was already nervous enough. It was only the beginning of these parties that set her on edge. Once the room filled up and she had made her greetings and he dancing had started, then she could relax and just enjoy herself.

Unfortunately that time hadn’t come yet. Smoothing the front of her gown and checking her appearance one last time in the hall mirror, Katherine entered the ballroom quietly. People were already arriving, so she should probably mingle… though maybe she would have a quick bit to eat first. As inconspicuously as possible, she started to edge her way toward the nearest tray of food that was circulating about the room.

Tati:

Mentally, the young woman rolled her eyes at her boss. Outwardly she nodded and zipped to fill the indicated drink. "Tatiana sir..." Tati mumbled under her breath. Normally she would have said it aloud, but never in a very public function like this. Her eyes were glued to the food platters that were being offered around. She gestured to one servant whose tray was getting empty. It had to be refilled promptly.

There were very few very important people in the room at the moment. And the specially reserved trays of appetizers for the royal family were being held right out of view. A shrimp trio specially made just for them. Tatiana's eyes caught the sight of a gorgeous gown entering he room. A princess! With a low whistle, the young woman signaled the special servants. The three trays of reserved drink and food shot out towards the Princess Katherine.

Kurt:

Kurt had moved to refill his tray the way Tatiana had commanded him to when one of the royal family entered and everything changed.

The very air seemed to shift as people caught their breath and suddenly Kurt and the other servants shifted with it to anticipate the family's every whim. He set aside the other tray and jumped to grab one of the reserved ones concentrating not to lose his balance or spill anything along the way.

Normally, it was bad enough and the punishment was severe. At one of these, it could mean something far worse.

And so it wasn't until he was almost to her that he realized who the VIP was. And when he did, it was Kurt's turn to catch his breath.

It was her. Katherine. His jaw fell open and he gaped at her.

She was beautiful.

Covering quickly, he fell to a knee in a low bow and offered up the contents of his serving tray. "Milady", was all he could manage to say.

Kitty:

For a moment there was a hushed silence and Katherine could feel a light blush creeping to her cheeks. She should have waited a little longer for the room to fill up. Then maybe she could have slipped in a little less obviously.

Oh well, too late now. No point dwelling on the should haves. She was a princess. She was supposed to be poised and graceful. Wilting and blushing was not an option. So she straightened her back and tilted her chin up, willing the blush to recede. She almost succeeded too until she was suddenly presented with a tray of food by a kneeling servant.

It was him.

He was beautiful. Simply the most beautiful man she had ever seen, but therein laid the problem: he was just a man. A human. A homo inferior. Beneath her. To even entertain the thought would have disgusted many. Worthy only to serve, to kneel at her feet. Lucky to even be in her presence.

But it wasn’t disgust she felt, except perhaps disgust at herself.

On instinct she almost curtsied, but although it would be a proper greeting to her guests, it would be scandalous to show such respect to a servant. Luckily she caught herself. She should say something, but there were people watching. She hated being on display. Instead she took one of the treats from the tray and popped it into her mouth.

In retrospect, she should have probably taken a dainty bite instead of stuffing in the whole thing.

Bobby:

AJ started to say something but Bobby clamped his hand over her mouth. "Princess at five o'clock," he hissed as Princess Katherine stepped into the room. Man, she was a hottie and a third! What were the chances that a princess like her and a suave sophisticated, intelligentleman like himself could do the wild thing in a coat closet without rousing any suspicions?

The world may never know.

He looked at AJ intensely, suspecting this was his chance to make full fledged reporter and finally gain some respect in Guido Carosella's eyes. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" He smiled and nodded, laughing as he did and then gave her a hug."Come on!"

Grabbing her by the hand, Bobby led her over to the servant boy where he was momentarily sidetracked. "Oooh, are those what I think they are? I love little wieners!"

Cypher:

In truth, Doug used to love social events.

That was before he became aware that he could read body language, and discern a person's true intention.

Now? Now social events, especially around the palace, were an exercise in observation and deception, more work than pleasure. In fact, except for the security detail working the Ball, he was surely convinced that he was the only person attending who'd have to fill out and give a detailed analysis of the night's activities.

The door to the private turbolift hissed open quietly, depositing him at the ground level of the courtyard, the Ivory Tower rising behind him stark and imposing. Although he couldn't see them, he knew that there were guards keeping a close eye on him. He was King Magnus' MVP. It was only to keep him happy [and to acquire the insider dirt] that he was even allowed to leave the Tower without a small contingent beside him.

Crossing the pristinely immaculate lawn, he mused quietly. While most guests would be entering announced from the Main Hall, he, on the other hand, would be entering from the Great Patio beyond the Grand Ballroom... an exclusive priviledge of those who lived in the Royal Compound.

He stepped up the stairs, the expanse of elegantly decorated windows standing tall and ornate before him, and peered inside. It was early, yet. Few visitors. His eyes quietly scanned the room in hopes of seeing her.

Straightening his bowtie, he pulled on the stiff starched shirt, before tugging on the sleeves of the long tailed jacket and with a soft sigh, entered.

Time to put on his game face.

Sapphire:

What a better way to find out the motives and strategies of the mutants intentions than at a party specifically inviting nothing but such individuals. Blending into such an elaborate array of high society participants would make use of every skill she was trained with as a child and young adult to discern herself from anyone every knowing anything about her. She could blend anywhere she chose to attend for the cause she was fighting for..lives. This party would be like none other she had attended before completely resorting to her own tactics and keeping her intentions locked tightly away within the confines of her mind. Even a good telepath would find it difficult to forge through the fortitude she set up as a great deal of mind conditioning was meditated upon before arriving here at the Magnus Mansion.

Another quality of having the ability to become a chameleon of sorts was the advantage of looking like a Victoria Secret model making the attention of most males wonder away from her intentions and settling on the view instead. A black chiffon designer gown graced her body with no straps but a black beaded mesh neckline voluptuously wrapping around her neck. Her hair was softly placed up in a loosened bun with adorning black sparkling flowers scattered about holding the locks in place. Black velvet strings were thinly coiled around the top of the feet which was a compliment to the sandaled heels accentuating her long legs. A beaded black purse topped off the décor of her exquisite attire along with very expensive cologne specifically designed to please the nostrils with a soft subtle scent.

Arriving at the mansion in a limousine, Samantha gracefully took her leg out of the vehicle and gave her soft ivory hand to the driver as he pulled her out of the car and escorted her to the front door. He whispered something in her ear to let her know she was being very carefully watched and that no one would detect the very sophisticated technology placed within some of the beads on her neckline. It was to allow Nick to know exactly where she was and see exactly what she saw, to a degree. She knocked at the door in hopes that someone would answer that wouldn’t be asking her a million questions just to get inside.

Besides, she was a little hungry.

Tara:

There's not many people here yet. Were Tara paying attention to that, she might reason this a good thing - a lot harder to lose track of the small girl she's chaperoning-babysitting-watching tonight, and more time before it gets chaotic and all that...

'Course, she's not really paying attention to that. 'Cause they're in the castle! And she's probably as excited (if not more-so, because, dude, it's the castle!) as Callie over just that fact alone, looking around at everything with her own childish delight, and wishing she could come back and draw everything tomorrow (or even had brought her sketchbook tonight) 'cause it's amazing...

Plus getting to be all dressed up to come here? Awesome. 'Course, her style's a lot less formal and stiff than most of the people will undoubtedly be, still the overabundance of jewelry as per normal.. though she's not real fond of these shoes (and is wondering how she's going to be able to dance in them, if she were to dance, or chase Callie should the need arise, and debates taking them off and stashing them under a table or something, then decides she'll wait a little while), all high-heels and little support, generally making it hard to not fidget in place and the like.

She tears her eyes off the chandelier (which is all sparkling and lit and generally very, very shiny) long enough to look over and flash a grin to Callie (losing track of her this early would be bad, and she doesn't want to make a bad impression on her new employers by losing their daughter, especally not so soon), one that's laced with excitement she's trying really hard to contain (...well, she's not jumping up and down yet, or even bouncing at all, so that's ...something like an accomplishment, at least) so as to maintain some level of maturity and authority and whatever it's called...

"...Dude. You as excited's I am?"

Callie:

"YES!" Callie squealed, grinning so hard at her new nanny that it almost looked like the top of her head was about to fall off.

This was the first ball she'd been allowed to go to (now that she was a little bit older, and there was somebody to watch her, keep her out from underfoot, and take her home when it was bedtime), and just as Princess Katherine promised it was wonderful - even if it had barely got started.

She felt just like a princess herself in her pretty new party dress, and the ballroom looked amazing - just like she'd always imagined it would, and the people were all so elegant and pretty, it was like a dream come true, like a real live fairy-tale.

It was better than sugar. Callie had never been so hyper in her life.

"Can we go look at the food?" She asked excitedly "Oh and we should find Princess Katherine! I bet she's real busy but I only want to say hello so I'm sure she won't mind that, right? Do you think I'll get to dance? Do you have to have somebody to dance with? Maybe I could dance anyway, or would I not be allowed? Anyway there's not really anybody dancing right now so we can think about that later, right, shall we go look for food?" the flow of words left her mouth almost in one breath, eyes alight with utter enthusiasm as she looked up at Tara with a bright smile.

Tara:

“YES!”

Tara laughed, something closer to a giggle really. ”Good, glad ‘M not the only one.” Indeed she is, because being the only one excited would make her feel slightly out of place. Maybe. If she weren’t too excited to care about that, really.

"Can we go look at the food? Oh and we should find Princess Katherine! I bet she's real busy but I only want to say hello so I'm sure she won't mind that, right? Do you think I'll get to dance? Do you have to have somebody to dance with? Maybe I could dance anyway, or would I not be allowed? Anyway there's not really anybody dancing right now so we can think about that later, right, shall we go look for food?"

The girl could easily compete with Tara’s own babble once she got going, something which definitely amuses Tara everytime, because normally no one keeps up with her, let along surpasses her, so this is brilliant, and she’s already quite attached to the girl, even after only about a week of being her nanny.

”Food sounds good. And princess-finding. If y’see ‘er, lemme know.” She flashes a grin, and then glances around again, spots the nearest food-spot, and starts leading Callie off towards it, talking as she goes, and trying to walk carefully without tripping in these heels, ”I don’ think y’have t’have a partner, if y’just wander around dancin’. Not like they could stop ya, really, right? Well, they could, technically. But whatever, they won’t.”

As they reach the food, Tara’s grin brightens even more upon spotting the chocolate dessert-type foods, and she eyes Callie a second, wondering if it’d be fair to eat some and refuse to let the girl have very much since it's late...

Nah, would probably be horrible of her – besides, it’s a party! So Callie should so be allowed to be as sugar-affied as she wants to be, right? Not like it’ll be a daily thing, or anything – it’s a special occasion….

”…So, how much would y’parents kill me if you go home all sugar-high and don’t sleep at all t’night?”

Emma:

Emma Frost, dressed to kill in a flared, white, knee-length formal with Austrian crystal adorning the folds in snowflake patterns, wandered out into the ballroom. A crowd was quickly gathering, but as of yet the party was about to begin. She lifted a hand to the back of her head to check on the status of her sleek up-do, only pausing a moment to nudge the hair ornament deeper into the thin strands and then to adjust the spaghetti straps on her shoulders.

The party was slow starting, and she could see the plates of food that would either never be touched or, in the end devoured in minutes. Personally, she never cared much for fancy cooking. It was good, but there wasn’t nearly enough of it to fill an empty stomach. Casually, she glanced down at her rail thin arms and stomach. No wonder.

She smoothed the bodice of her dress.

Hawk-like eyes gracing the room with her presence as she stretched her neck to its fullest, most regal extent, Emma scanned the room for her daughter and the new nanny. Since little miss Tara had stepped in, the blonde doctor had only seen her daughter enough to hug her in the morning and kiss her goodnight. The realization that she didn’t even know what dress Clarissa was wearing to the ball tonight had her biting back a string of other emotional motherly thoughts that she normally wouldn’t have even considered if things hadn’t… changed.

There they were.

She made her way over, following the pair towards the food, and was just in earshot to hear Tara say, “…So, how much would y’parents kill me if you go home all sugar-high and don’t sleep at all t’night?”

Standing right behind the new girl, Emma smirked and made herself known.

“It’s not such a matter of ‘how much’ as it is of ‘when’ and ‘with what’.”

Omega Red:

Arkady Rossovich had reached a level of celebrity. It was unusual, his line of work was completely unglamorous, much like the mafia, the acting business, or living on an uncharted island, all things that were never as highly praised as his penchant for catching the slime that covered the Earth. Humans. He was disgusted by them. And that was why he had even bothered to attend, not the slimy presence of human scum, but his unprecedented fame. Plus, he knew, as he walked in the door, wearing his only suit, a dark jacket with a black tie that was a bit askew. He kept his leather trench coat over his person, despite the surprising warmth in Castle Magnus.

He is weak, frail, Arkady noted of one of the human servants, he would do.

Arkady had discovered something about humans, and that was this: they were easier to catch if you had done it before. Not the act of catching a human, but that particular human. He had seen almost everyone of these pathetic faces before, having already caught them and sold them for use as servants in the castle.

A servant walked by him, carrying an empty tray.

"You. Get me a martini, three olives. Dry." he barked. he felt no remorse for the frightened and startled person. Each and every one of these homo inferiors deserved to be afraid.

Him as well, I have caught him before, he pondered again about the servant who had just left to take his drink order. I could take him down, when things begin to go darker.

He had decided. The human returned with a glass filled with vodka, and Arkady took a sip of it. He squinted his eyes. It wasn't nearly dry enough.

[Fate]

~~~~~~~ Page 2 ~~~~~~~

Sam:

As the commanding officer of the world's most elite army, Samuel Guthrie knew a thing or two about his duty to the crown.

SHIELD was first and foremost Magneto's army. They did as he commanded.

So when Samuel received his invite to the ball, he knew exactly why. He would be acting as security this evening. It took talent to do what Samuel did, outwardly appearing to be a fool for the media and a sucker for praise, but Samuel had honed his flaw into a powerful tool. He reveled in his celebrity, and when the opportunity to use it to get close to a possible threat surfaced, he took it.

Then he would take them.

For now all was well, he took note of Creed and his assistant making sure the h'or derves were in order. Princess Katherine was being her less than regal self, and McCoy's brat was bouncing off the walls with a new nanny in tow.

Although his wife did look rather stunning. A smirk broke the surface of his cold glare as he entertained the details of the conversation he had with McCoy earlier.

He quickly banished it away when his eyes caught a glimpse of Douglas Ramsey's entrance. It was better to remain straight faced and stoic in Ramsey's presence, anything else could spell disaster.

If Sam was often portrayed as Magneto's loyal terrier, Doug would best be described as the know-it all parrot that perched on his shoulder.

Worse of all was that, by a technicality, the sixteen year old was Samuel's boss. And in order to keep his position of power, Samuel had nurtured a reluctant respect for the young man. But he still would keep his distance, just in case.

His main concern was Arkady Rossovich, a titan of a mutant who had developed his own celebrity through the hunting of humans.

He would keep his eye on him for sure. Of course the beautiful blonde that accompanied him would have his eye on her as well.

Tabby:

Tabitha walked into the ballroom with Samuel's arm linked with hers. She was wearing a chic black evening gown. Samuel had his head held high, observing all the comings and goings of the ball. He never shut off. He was always in soldier mode.

Samuel Guthrie had come to her room earlier that day and said that she would accompany him to the ball. She had recieved the royal invitation and was going anyway. Guthrie had not exactly ordered her to join him but it didn't take a stretch of the imagination to consider it so. Things just seemed to be in her best interests if they went together.

It appeared that everyone that was anyone was going to be there that night. The papparazzi were out in force. Tabitha was sure the Guthrie would love that. More attention for him to bask in.

As they entered the room they passed by a mirror. Tabitha saw their reflection and noted We don't look half bad together. That almost sent a chill down her spine.

"I think we need to get some drinks," she said to her escort.

She was smiling. Despite being there with one of the 'drones' Tabitha was determined to have a good time.

Logan:

As anyone might have guessed, the big party wasn’t exactly the kind of event that you would find Weapon X in. He stayed outside while it got kicked into gear. The shadows stretched out over the immaculate lawn as the sun sank behind the trees, and Weapon X stood stock still with his cloak wrapped around him as his eyes caught the form of one woman who didn’t seem to understand this was an open house invitation.

Hidden in the shadows, he looked her over because...that was what he was supposed to do. Something looked right. Something looked wrong. Either way, he wasn’t complaining.

Weapon X stepped out into the light and as the soft evening winds shifted they carried her scent over to him. He drank in the strangest array of smells he had encountered in a long time. Sweet perfume...bamboo...the smells of strange plants radiated off of her, as did other unexpected smells. She smelled anxious.

Two cold eyes studied her unnoticed for a moment. There was more here than was supposed to be noticed.

“No need to knock,” he said in a hushed and harsh voice.


Sapphire:

”No need to knock”

A voice came from behind that sounded like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Sam wasn’t on her toes with her feline senses so the sudden appearance of the male took her a bit off guard. Jumping slightly with a gasp, she turned to see who was addressing the young mutant. The look of intimidation and judgment reeked all over the man’s face. Being very inconspicuous, she took in his scent and….well….enjoyed what she smelled. Feral? Apparently, something was stirring inside this man, maybe a shape shifter like herself. But still, he seemed a bit odd the way he looked at her giving the young female a somewhat uneasiness within her stomach.

“I thought it would be more appropriate to knock at someone’s door than to just barge in”, she countered. A warm smile protruded across her lips, something Nick had always told her made others melt in their stance. The feline’s persona had a peaceful euphoria, which she tried to carry with her everywhere she went. Harboring humans needed a lot of compassion and warmth, and Sam seemed to have plenty of that to go around. However, if anyone dared messing with those she cared about, they’d deal with her anger and six hundred pounds of fur with teeth, very large teeth.

She turned to open the door when she stopped and glanced back. “Are you coming inside or is it your duty to stand outside and scare the guests?” It was more of a soft joking manner, but somehow she felt it might have upset the mutant in the darkened cloak.

Des:

This had to be the most boring job at the ball, but it was the only one Jacob was qualified to do. Carrying trays had turned out to be a fiasco the first time he had tried. He had ruined his best suit. His only suit. Somehow, Amara had gotten the champagne out. He loved her, in a totally platonic way. She just made his life run a bit more smoothly than it would otherwise.

So, they banned him from carting trays at these events, as they equivalized it to giving a bull china and telling it to run. This wasn't exactly untrue. Instead, they had him at the most boring post there: taking people's invites and announcing their entrance. This was classified as "open house," but people had still been given invitations. Those people were special people, and thus they needed to be announced to the world whenever they showed up. Jacob could make his voice a controlled loud, so this had seemed a perfect position for him.

The only problem was that he kept on wanting to fall asleep. And he would sometimes mispronounce people's names. He was getting better, though. That and standing around for so long in one place marking off names of people who had received invites proved very tedious to the servant known for his nervous energy. Not only that, but he was hungry, and the food was close enough for him to smell but against an adjacent wall, so he couldn't go out to get it. The only real perk to this job was getting to see so many righteous babes in slinky dresses, even if they were Superior.

The man was Inferior, not blind.

Ali:

A toned ankle emerged from the open door of the black limosine that had just arrived at the castle. Dressed in delicate blue and black satin, the world famous rockstar, Ali Blaire, emerged. Unaccompanied, she approached the massive mansion wherein the King resided. Up ahead, a woman had paused, speaking to someone. Ali followed her gaze to see a gruff man, cloaked in the shadows. Uncharacteristic for Ali, a slight chill went up her spine at the sight of him, half-hidden.

Easily keeping pace, the punk moved for door and only gave the man a nod to acknowledge him. Probably security, she mused. The shady vibes he gave off were a tad intimidating, but no way in hell would she show it. She'd dealt with bigger and scarier men in the past. Still, she didn't want to stare him down rudely. A polite nod, and she continued inside, handing her invitation to the servant just inside. Poor guy looked ready to fall asleep.

Ali didn't need any introduction as she entered the ballroom. Her dress was dazzling, low-cut and held together by strings of crystals to keep it from being too revealing. However, more startling than her gown was her shocking pink hair, so out of place at a formal event. However, the odd color was trademark for her and she had no intention of changing it for a party. Besides, one of the princesses had shocking green, so why not pink as well?

Brushing a manicured finger behind her ear, she tucked a loose lock of hair out of the way. Too short for an updo, she simply wore a more polished version of her usual hairstyle. Instead of jagged pieces, her hair was smoothed into a bob. Drop sapphire earrings were visible in pleasing contrast to the pink, the same shade as her bright eyes that scanned the room before her. There were a few faces, recognizable from the media, but none familiar to her personally. Until, that is, she spotted a certain obnoxious goof with a camera round his neck. Quickening her pace, she approached him with a wide grin on her lips.

Cypher:

Entering the ballroom from the Patio was the complete avoidance of being announced... a plus for someone who could read body languages as well as he could the written kind. To the guests present, it will always be a question of how long had he been there, before they noticed him?

A wonderful chat would be immediately had, only on the subconcious level of perception, completely without the consent of the participants.

Everybody's got a 'tell', as they called it in poker. Doug liked to think of it as the language of instinct, but he jokingly referred to it as his Bee-Ess-ometer.

A quick scan revealed three people that were on his must-do rounds.

The ever delectable Mrs. McCoy, delightfully distracted by her adopted child.

The ambitious SHIELD Commander, Samuel Guthrie, who's subtlety was as akin to his nickname, "Cannonball" Guthrie.

The delightfully refreshing Princess Katherine, who wouldn't know protocol if it bit her.

The Bounty Hunter might be a good call, too. Doug could have uses for a proper freelancer. <i>Sometimes its good to release a hound in the henhouse.

The SHIELD Commander noticed him first. Of course.

Doug took his cue, and stepped into the room, crossing down the stairs to the main floor, making an indirect intercept course with the man and his... associate.

An interesting anomoly, for one ambitious as Sam. Doug mused. Unless its strictly professional.

Logan:

It wasn’t so much the words that Weapon X was listening to as the woman talked to him. It was everything else. So much was revealed to him. So much more than people were usually aware of about themselves.

He smelled the strange exotic plants and it took his mind down strange avenues of memory as he did. Tropical. Tropical plants. She wasn’t from around here. There were soft traces of an accent. He didn’t put his finger on it right away, but it was a puzzle that cried out to be solved.

And beneath all of that? There was something more. Something about her caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. It was neither good nor bad...but there was something about her that was powerful and...animalistic.

Beneath the cloak his hand rested on the hilt of a very old Japanese sword. The Blaire woman walked past, but he only cast her a brief and emotionless look.

“Are you coming inside or is it your duty to stand outside and scare the guests?”

His hand relaxed a little at her tone, but he just glanced in at the door and then at her again. He was going to keep an eye on her, that was for certain. His only acknowledgment was a slight bow of his head and eyes. The eyes lifted back up to hers but the head stayed declined.

Then with a ruffle of cloak, he turned and headed back out into the yard.

Rogue:

Even after all of the effort that Anna Belle Davis had put into her ensemble for the evening, just in case a certain Priest decided to show his face, the very sight of Commander Guthrie had her instantly wishing she was back in her room asleep. She stood for a moment, and then decidedly turned on her heel to march back out of the room, embroidered dress and all, when Samuel’s partner caught her eye and she froze. He actually had a date

A snicker lingered at the corner of her lips, Prob’ly forcibly tak’n.

Well, as long as he was distracted.

Of course, her gown was rather hard to miss as it wasn’t exactly the normal sleek Selkie’s skin that many of the women here wore. It was reminiscent of a southern belle style with pristine white fabric, a pink and green floral pattern, and a single, wide ruffle hanging loosely about her shoulders. The semi-broad skirt brushed the floor as she entered the room, and she prayed that it would not hinder her sneaky-stealth-ish-ness. Suddenly, she found herself in want of those typical red-carpet designs.

At first, she thought the pattern had been a good idea. It was the perfect man catching design, low on the chest and shoulder and bound tight by a corset about the waist. She would know; she’d made it herself. Yet, she only really had one man in mind. And that was definitely not Samuel Guthrie.

The man she desired, supposedly she couldn’t have him… but she would sure as Hell try.

Inwardly, Anna was sickeningly anxious; and though she tried to keep it physically hidden, her eyes were engaged in an once-over of the room. He was not there, and she began to feel, ultimately, silly. Anna hated to dress up, admittedly it did make her pretty, but the whole womanly routine was too much of an effort to impress the plethora of louses she lived amongst in SHEILD.

As quick as she could, Anna edged around her commander and his doctor lady-friend, and went to stand quietly and survey the room from a corner away from the hustle and bustle, visible from the entryway in case her not so planned date would show his face at this God-forsaken ball, but hopefully well hidden from the Security.

Sam:

"I think we need to get some drinks."

He could have kissed Tabitha then. Perfect timing for him to escape Ramsey.

Then again, he probably would have tried to at some point in the night anyways, but the embarrassment/pain of having a small explosive go off in his uniform trousers would have taken the magic out of the whole deal.

Of course, he had asked her for the sake of his image. It was expected of Samuel to arrive with a date, and the woman he would have liked to be with had grown cold to his advances.

Samuel had chosen to settle, at least until he could have Anna for his own. She was still on his mind, and just a moment before he swore he could smell her...

Ah, that's why. He caught her moving in his peripheral vision. If she wished to avoid him, so be it. Good things came to those that waited, and Anna was definitely a good thing.

"Of course, I'll be right back...Tabitha," Samuel replied, he wasn't sure whether it was proper for him to use her first name, but he didn't let it get to him. If she didn't care for it, she'd tell him.

He removed his arm from hers and set off towards the refreshment table. Unfortunately, his path crossed with Douglas'. He would have to be civil, and tactful.

"Good evening Douglas, how are you?" He asked, almost lamenting how close he was to the punch bowl.

Tabby:

Samuel had called her by her first name. That was a first.

As he headed toward the punch bowl Tabitha stepped to the side. She looked around the ball room and smiled slightly. It wasn't because she was pleased but it seemed the appropriate thing to do.

She spotted Rogue. She looked stunning even though her dress was perhaps a little...unconventional. That was fine, Rogue had always been her own woman.

Across the room Alison Blaire, Dazzler herself, had entered. Wow! Tabitha was half tempted to go up to her and ask for an autograph. Tabitha had a couple of Dazzler's albums. She hadn't expected her to be here.

Tabitha looked back to Guthrie who was at the punch bowl. Douglas Ramsey was standing with him now. Sam must be loving that, she thought.

She could feel the hatred emanating from Sam. Douglas was only sixteen and yet he was Sam's superior. I'll let him squirm for a little bit.Tabitha decided to approach Dazzler and just make a quick comment. There was no need to act like an obsessed fangirl. Dazzler was just another Homo superior just like the rest of them. She was just musically inclined, that was all.

She made her way to Dazzler just as the star had come to meet a young paparazzo. "Ms. Blaire. I just wanted to tell you that I'm a fan of your work," Tabitha said smiling before either of the others could speak to each other.

That was good. Very good. And not crazy at all. How often do you meet a celebrity?

Cypher:

It was almost amusing, had it not been so hurtful for the young lad, to have someone like Sam sweating to avoid him so badly.

He understood, though. Mental mutations were much more difficult to find acceptance in the world. Telepaths and empaths messing with your perceptions without you even being aware of it. Enough to make one paranoid.

Doug's reputation as a walking lie detector didn't help. Whereas folks like Sam took the physical fight, Doug and his telepaths in the Secret Service rooted up the hidden things, and brought them into the light. Sam was as subtle as a freight train... whereas Doug understood that a mere nuance attached to a single word can change peace into war...and back again.

Uncomfortable. Guarded. The usual.

"Good evening, Samuel," Doug nodded his head politely, while reaching for a glass of sparkling cider. "Its good to see you here. I'd ask if you came for the social status or in an official capacity, but your apparent date just positively oozes SHIELD subordinate. Isn't that against regs?" Doug smiled coolly, as he sipped from the glass, his crystal blue eyes never leaving Samuel Guthrie.

"Of course," Doug continued, "I am actually surprised and a little confused at your choice, Samuel. An ambitious man, Commander of SHIELD at just the right time to be remembered as the mutant who solved the human problem once and for all, plus a most eligible bachelor at that... and you aim beneath your station, socially. You stand poised to be named a High Lord, clearly could take the reins when the old man passes on, and yet you show no interest in any of the three Princesses, with whom a marriage could seal the deal. Now... why is that?"

Doug raised an eyebrow, and watched him carefully.

Oh, yes. THAT should do the trick.

Cyke:

Guard duty.

Well, not officially, but as Commander Guthrie pointed out time and time again, there was no off-duty when you were in service to the King. So Scott was dressed in his finest military regalia. Brass buttons reflected the light of the room like golden fire, the boots were polished to perfection, and his uniform was immaculate, sleek and black. The only thing that seemed out of place was Scott.

Mouth set somewhat in a frown; Scott made his way around the room. He hadn’t seen Jean around much in the past few days. For all he knew she was still upset about the last mission he’d been forced to go on with no notice. It was pretty common in the service, the wives felt like the other women.

Still, he couldn’t exactly remedy that situation.

As he stepped over to Commander Guthrie and Dr. Smith...he mused at how odd it was that just recently she was whispering conspiratorially her disgruntlement at being in service. There had been sharp undertones of her feelings about Commander Guthrie, and now here she was as his escort. How far her service to the Kingdom stretched, Scott could only wonder.

But Doug Ramsey was stepping up just as Scott approached, and he hesitated. That was one man he wanted to avoid at all costs. In fact, he was pretty sure Doug was responsible for some of his woes.


Bobby:

Bobby stuffed the little wieners into his mouth, completely ignoring the looks he was getting from AJ, or the servant guy...or just about anyone else that was within eyeshot. “Mmm, the sauce,” he said to himself. He had it all over his lips.

“Hey...could you fetch me something cold and refreshing to go with that?” He looked at AJ. “You want a drink? She wants a drink. What do you like? Make it iced tea.” She didn’t have a chance to answer for herself. “And I’ll take something with booze in it. The good stuff, not the stuff you give to the guests.”

Movement caught his eye and Bobby turned to see Dazz coming his way.

Aw crap.

He was standing there with his camera and his assistant and she thought he was a freelancer. At all costs he had to make sure that Dazz didn’t find out he worked for Guido. Especially after that day they had together.

To top it all off, Doug Ramsey was in the room, standing real close to Ali. Bobby wasn’t sure what his deal was, but he knew the guy had super hearing and could see through walls for one thing. He also knew the guy could tear you apart with one word from his mouth...so Bobby spoke quietly to AJ, using code talk so Doug and Dazz couldn’t hear him (assuming the whole super hearing thing was right).

“Ixnay on the alktay about uidoGay.” He thought about that last one and laughed. UidoGay!


Sapphire:

As the man took his hand and reached for something under his cloak, the young mutant could smell the remnants of blood, be it a stain of some sort or something else, but she could sense it. Part of the swords metal caught the young feline’s eyes, but she didn’t show nor need to hinder any fear towards this man. If he tried anything, she could surely escape quickly with the agility of the cat that was harbored inside. Besides, would this man risk the explanation of why he slaughtered an innocent woman..no..mutant without any answers or reasoning? In her mind, she hardly thought so, but spoke gently to him anyways.

When the man nodded, she expected to watch him walk closer up and take a stance behind her as the doorknob was turned and the door slightly ajar. But instead, the feral made his way back to where he came from giving Sam a small amount of disappointment, although she didn’t know why. Maybe, I’m just not….nevermind. She had rather more important issues at hand, like feeding her hungry stomach. The young woman’s eyes watched the man disappear to wherever it is he was going and then she simply turned and walked inside returning to the catwalk grace in her steps.

When she reached the doorman, he looked a bit bored and ready to place himself in a slumber. Pulling out her invitation, she tilted her head to get his attention smirking a bit with a small “ahem”. His eyes reached her sapphire irises and she saw that he was extremely handsome like the man she just encountered, but surely not as intimidating nor feral. Her hand stayed extended with the invite waiting to be let formally inside.

“Are you alright sir?”

[Fate]

~~~~~~~ Page 3 ~~~~~~~~

Deefer:

Like many of her colleagues, Deefer had read the invitation as non-official guard duty, it was about the only reason she'd even think of turning up to a ball.

Unlike the other women, Deefer wasn't wearing a gown, she didn't even own one (or, that was her excuse), so, like Scott, she'd chosen instead to wear her full dress uniform (though she had, at least, worn the skirt) just as immaculately presented, of course. Her customary ponytail had been swapped for a neat bun held up with hair sticks.

As she stepped into the ballroom with Kenny, her eyes instinctively swept the room.

The usual crowd, it seemed, one or two people she hadn't seen before. Her gaze sought out her colleagues, Commander Guthrie and the Doctor? Interesting... talking to Ramsey... and Summers nearby. She spotted Anna in the corner as well, so it seemed there were quite a few of them here, more than enough should any trouble arise.

Callie:

Callie nodded happily along with what Tara was saying, giggling slightly.
The food looked wonderful! It wasn't like she wasn't accustomed to good food - her mother, of course, would only have the best - but something about the atmosphere just made it look even better!

”…So, how much would y’parents kill me if you go home all sugar-high and don’t sleep at all t’night?”

"Well..." she turned, grinning, but somebody else answered for her.

“It’s not such a matter of ‘how much’ as it is of ‘when’ and ‘with what’.”

Callie giggled 'Mummy!' she squealed happily "You look very pretty." She complimented, running to give her mother a hug. She looked like she was already on a sugar high.

Kenny:

Kenny was a little nervous for he has never attended anything in his life, but when he learned that he got an invitation to attend a ball he thought it would be good to have a fun time without any troubles. Dressed sharply in a tux, Kenny was with Deefer and it felt like he was on a date with her which made him felt good.

The good feelings went off however when he saw Guthrie and that made him feel uncomfortable a whole lot but he tried to shrug it off because he was here to have a good time and not stir any trouble whatsoever.

Sam:

"Its good to see you here. I'd ask if you came for the social status or in an official capacity, but your apparent date just positively oozes SHIELD subordinate. Isn't that against regs?"

"You know better than to assume that Douglas, its for appearances sake only. SHIELD is here on security detail." Samuel answered abruptly, "I chose Dr. Smith because apparently, the new recruits think we look 'good together'..."

That and the woman he wanted so desperately felt nothing but disgust towards him. He took a foolish glance towards Anna, but covered it as a look over of the whole floor.

Then Samuel grabbed his own glass, and took a sip, "Besides, if I were to achieve that rank of High Lord, I want to earn it...." He paused gathering his words, "And not receive it from marrying into the family."

Besides, as far as he knew, none of the Princesses were into him anyways. And if they were they had a reputation for being very, very high maintenance and Samuel had no patience for that sort of thing.

Which is why the strong willed, independent Anna was so perfect for him. Even still he couldn't resist.

"Besides, I've yet to see any sign of interest from any of the Princesses, and I'm sure their hearts are set on others..."

Kitty:

Oooh, are those what I think they are? I love little wieners!"

One moment Katherine was attempting to quickly chew and swallow that rather large shrimp thing, and the next she was letting out a rather undignified snort that only led to much coughing, choking and sputtering.

This was not a graceful impression at all.

Hopefully everyone would be distracted by the sudden appearance of a famous musician because, let’s face it, singers are much more interesting and popular than princesses. In fact, had she not been suffering at the moment, Katherine herself would probably be holding herself back from asking for an autograph.

Maybe once she could breathe again. As it was, she tried to hold back the choking and hacking as she took what she hoped were a few discreet steps back. It just might work… just as long as she didn’t pass out.


Cypher:

Douglas watched intently as Sam dismissed his bold, provoking statement.

It was true. He wanted to be attending with someone else.

Sam's position changed. He quickly scanned the room, as if looking for someone. His tension changed as soon as he saw someone. About two o'clock. That certainly wasn't his associate.

Doug smiled towards Tabitha, and turned to face the same direction as Sam, overlooking the room. He quickly scanned for the two o'clock position. The oddly dressed woman...? I'll need a follow up on this.

Sam continued to rebuke his second question, as Doug figured he would.

As Sam brought up the Princesses, Doug's eyes wandered to find Princess Katherine, a warm smile crossing the 16 year old teen's face. Hello.

Embarrassment. Panic. Panic! Katherine's body replied, from across the room.

"Samuel..." Doug interrupted the Commander's justifications quietly and with a voice of conviction, "Princess Katherine is in trouble."

Sam:

"Samuel....Princess Katherine is in trouble."

Samuel quickly about faced, noticing Katherine right in the middle of a coughing fit.

"She's choking.." Samuel replied, quickly assessing the situation. He would have flown to her, but with the crowded room he would certainly hurt someone. And under the eye of Magnus' Court, that would be foolhardy.

"Outta the way!" He bellowed as he pushed his way through the crowd over to Katherine. That was where Douglas differed from him, Samuel was a man of action, he lived by doing.

And he was going to do his duty. He only hoped he could break through the crowd in time.

And as he shoved the last group of party goers aside, he put that fear aside. In a tight spot, Samuel could always be depended on.

However, the Heimlich was a dangerous maneuver, and one had to be careful before preforming it.

"Milady! Can you breathe?" Samuel asked, hoping the answer was 'Yes'.

Kurt:

One moment Kurt was lost in Katherine's eyes. Any other interruption or distraction and he might have been grateful for an excuse to slink away, but suddenly she was sputtering and gasping for breath.

The way she drew everyones' eyes, he should have expected others to jump, but Kurt was caught between the desire to help her, the panic that made him want to step away, and the realization that her distress was his fault. It was a victory over his fear when he took a step toward her then, ready to offer....<

...what? His help? His concern? He knew it meant less to her than it meant to Commander Guthrie, who roughly pushed Kurt aside reminding him of his true place. The tray he was still carrying fell loudly to the floor.

Darkness overcoming the momentary and unexpected delusion in his eyes, Kurt fell silently to his knees and began picking up the mess.

Kitty:

Oh, this was so not going well. Instead of everyone being distracted by Ali Blaire and her shocking pink hair and the guy that liked little wieners, Commander Guthrie was pushing people out of the way and yelling which only made sure that all eyes were going to be on her.

And the party was just beginning. It was probably in her best interest to make an excuse to leave or who knew what catastrophe she would cause before the night was through.

Managing to swallow down the food, Katherine held a hand to her chest, wanting nothing more that to just sink through the floor, something that was entirely possible for her to do, though not very appropriate of a princess. Not that laughing at the word “wiener” and choking on a much to large mouthful of food was either. How embarrassing! And now Samuel Guthrie was there, hovering over her. She knew he meant well, even if his concern was only in regards to his job security, but she wished he would just go away.

“Yes… I’m fine… thank you. Wrong hole… shrimp…big bite… fine now,” she sputtered. Oh man, they needed some damage control. Now would totally be a good time for some more celebrities to arrive or for a telepathic whammy or something. “Just gonna… walk. Fresh air.”


Beast:
Callie giggled "Mummy!" she squealed happily "You look very pretty."

"She does indeed", Henry said as he stepped in from behind her and put his arms around his wife. He put a kiss on the side of her face.

Henry was dressed in black tuxedo with tails. Only the bowtie conjured his normal, science guy mode of dress.

"Did I miss anything?", he asked with a smile. The look he gave Emma was an apologetic "Sorry I'm late."

Tati:

Tatiana sighed and beckoned to two extra servants to go and help clean up the spilled tray. They needed to get that stuff out of there and quickly. She knew Mr. Creed was going to be unhappy as it was, and no use making it any worse.

When they returned to the sides, she hissed at them. "Go and make all the appetizers smaller. We can NOT have this happen again." Tati shook her head. Why couldn't everything just go right with the food?

Her eyes never stopped scanning the room. There were such lovely dresses and handsome men. For a moment she wished she could get rid of her stiff jacket and look a little bit pretty. Maybe even have time to find a man or something. Tatiana gave a small laugh. Yeah right. Food was her life.

Cypher:

Douglas Ramsey refrained from the desire to bay like a Kentucky hound dog, as Sam loped away from him to attend to the Princess. Fetch! he thought, a smile curling the edge of his lip.

Doug reached into a jacket pocket, taking out a small cell phone. Sliding the cover open, he spoke into it briefly. "Get me the identity of this woman," he simply said, and raised the camera to point over in the corner where Anna stood.

Click.

Doug folded the phone shut and slipped it into his pocket again, smoothly, as he proceeded to follow Sam across to the Princess, at a much slower rate.

He paused momentarily by Corporal Scott Summers.

"Always cannonballing in without thinking first, unlike some soldiers." he said, just loud enough for Scott to hear.

Sapphire:

There was seemingly nobody around and the man was asleep. She felt a bit of pity for him, but still she didn’t want to come in without the proper entrance. Looking around the man so as not to disturb his standing posture. Boy, I’d love to fall asleep that easily, she thought while looking around and finally noticing some invites lying in a pile behind him. Each one had a check mark distinctly on them and each one pile neatly on top of the other. Quietly and quickly, she placed hers with the others. Then she peered back looking for it, not finding it….ah, there it was in his pocket. Slipping it out even more quietly, Sam took the pen, and checked off the invite like everyone else’s. Her name on the list? She wasn’t sure if that matter was attended to, but she didn’t stick around to find out. Surely, they wouldn’t know the difference with so many people around.

Finally, she slipped into her purse and pulled out a large bill, placing it in his upper pocket. She hated servants, not the people themselves, but the idea of making others serve you instead of serving your self. And she knew these servants weren’t treated to the utmost respect they deserved, and it miffed the feline a bit. Without any other actions, the young mutant slipped around the slumbering man and walked a few paces when a lovely woman in a very southern style dress caught her eye.

Looking around, it was apparent she was alone. Well, Sam hoped so. It would be a good way to start mingling in without too much trouble. And besides, woman always have something to talk about right? She gathered her breath thankful now that the Samurai warrior didn’t follow her in and walked over to the young southern belle. With a smile, she stood next to her without looking at the woman and just commented on her dress.

“My you look absolutely divine”, she said looking around as though she herself was expecting someone. “But it wouldn’t be worth the price tag if a handsome young man wasn’t there escorted such grace.” Finally, she looked at her with a warm smile in greeting. “At least, that’s my problem anyways.”


Deefer:

Deefer's gaze was instantly drawn as Commander Guthrie took off across the room, but a quick scan of what was going on assured her it was nothing he'd need any help with.

She nodded slightly to herself, somewhere around the edge would be the best place to keep an eye on everything. She took in where the other SHIELD members were, and nudged Kenny slightly towards the food tables.

"Shall we go see what they have to eat, koibito?" she asked him quietly. Not really interested in the food, her mind half on strategy and positioning - not that she particularly expected trouble, but if anything did happen, she wanted to be well placed.

Sam:

Oh that son of a.....

She was fine, just a cough born of eating like a slob, which was the exact sort of thing the odd one out of the Princesses would do.

But why had Ramsey done that, why send Samuel away? He would have to meditate on that later this evening.

Better to be a gracious loser than a dead one, anyways.

"Forgive me Milady, I was merely alerted to your plight by a concerned party, and acted on instinct...." He added, with a bow of his head, "Pardon my intrusion, please..."

[Fate]

~~~~~ Page 4 ~~~~~~


Kenny:

Kenny was watching Guthrie saving the Princess from choking on food when Deefer asked him to see what was at the food table.

"Sure, I have no problem with that." Kenny replied as he watching Guthrie tending to the Princess and checking if she was alright.

Tara:

"Well..."

"“It’s not such a matter of ‘how much’ as it is of ‘when’ and ‘with what’.”"

Tara's pretty sure she probably shouldn't jump, spin around, and nearly trip over herself trying to see if the voice behind her belongs to who she thinks it does, but she can't help it, not entirely, though she does manage not to really trip, just sorta stumble a little and mutter under her breath (careful not to let any not-child-friendly language slip out, because that would be bad, of course) about the evils of these shoes, and then look up... Which, of course, it's exactly who she thought it was, and Tara flashes a bright smile, just a little too bright in her effort to look innocent and normal.

"Oh, hey there... I was jus' playing around, y'know. Wasn't really serious. No killin' required."

It's not that she <i>actually</i> thinks Emma will kill her - no, the worry that she'll be fired is sorta a lot worse at the moment, because surely that'd come before killing, right? And that so wouldn't do at all.

"Mummy! You look very pretty."

"She does indeed... Did I miss anything?"

Tara offers a small wave as Dr. McCoy arrives, still in over-bright-sheepish mode, and picks up a chocolate-covered cake-cookie-thing of some kind, fiddling with it almost nervously, but more absently than nervously of course because nerves so don't become her.

A few things flash to mind to say in response to the question - mostly nervous and hyper babble and a lot of handwaving-gestures, but she decides to just stay quiet 'cause the question was probably for his family and so she just sort of half-shrugs with another too-bright smile and takes a bite from the cookie-thing, green-blue eyes flicking past the happy couple that employ her to scan the room briefly (the previous ZOMGCASTLE! excitement returning, and again she's totally trying really hard not to start hopping around in glee, a task made slightly easier with the knowledge that if she tried she'd totally fall on her face in these heels and that so wouldn't do).

Larza:

Waste of time.

That's what this is, this whole event, the whole ordeal of preparation for this on the part of the palace staff, and the ordeal of getting dressed up and putting on a show for the world around, is a waste of both time and money, all socialization and fake interaction, overpriced decor and complete and utter impracticality. Suffice to say that Larza isn't exactly pleased to be here...

Certainly, she'd far rather be filling out reports or papers of some sort, even researching or training or something like that... But she'd run out of paperwork to do on her return-trip to the base, and even she'll admit that the fact that there's not any actual action right now is a good thing (albeit mildly annoying, because she needs to be doing, and there's nothing to do). So here she is, heading inside in a dress (not nearly as impractical as the dresses of other women around, simple and definitely not gaudy), ad as on-edge as if this were some sort of 'mission' right now. Probably more-so, because on assignment she gets calm and oddly relaxed when there's something to do, when it's all in the moment and thinking is no longer needed, not really.

Still, she supposes it's best she at least try to enjoy herself...or at least make it look like that's the case. Or at least make it look like she's not not-enjoying herself, even if actual entertainment isn't going to work and she'd definitely rather not be here.

Passing the servant at the door, Larza barely spares a glance his way, pushing the invitation over (not that she wants any sort of announcing, nor is she exactly famous enough to properly warrant it, but she assumes that's how these formalities go - give the invitation if you got it, so they know you're there or whatever stupidity they've reasoned important; more meaningless ways to make those with some level of importance feel as though they're getting an ego boost just by walking in the door) and not waiting around to see what's meant to be done after, heading into the room...

And then she's just sort of standing in place just inside the entry a moment, scanning the room, picking out those she recognizes - fellow soldiers she knows only barely, most only by last name or codename, and the occasional non-SHIELD person (Like the Princess, and Magneto's pet - something-Ramsey, is it? - and the unmistakably-pink hair of Dazzler [she doesn't intentionally pay attention to popular music, but when people are that level of famous, there are things even those pointedly ignoring the media pick up on]) - and automatically identifying potential trouble (very little, thus far, but she knows better than to decide too early-on that anyone is entirely clear on that point) and is minorly amused - such as her amusement goes; it gets a small half-smile that doesn't actually last more than a few seconds - to note that she's not the only one eying everyone around, acting like this is duty not socialization... Definitely a good thing, in her eyes. Focus is important.

Seeing nothing that immediately screams for any form of attention, she can't help but be slightly disappointed - something to do would be good, a nice distraction from the pointless socializing that she should probably be involved in.

Rogue:

The crowd made Anna antsy. She still hadn’t gotten completely used to this whole powers-in-her-control thing and the lack of sleeves, gloves and a turtle neck made her pale skin itch. As she looked on, Rogue noted that Samuel saw her, and so did the gentleman standing next to him, although she couldn’t clearly see his face. The way he seemed to analyze people made her dislike him strongly.

Scott was here, as well. In her opinion, he really made a quite charming soldier. His girl was lucky. Broad barrel-chest, a mature look. Inwardly, Anna wished some of his traits, both physical and mental, would rub off on their narrow-minded Commander.

Her emerald eyes whisked around in time to see a seemly blonde obviously approaching her as she walked in a b-line. Amiable enough to other women, Anna returned the greeting with a kind smile.

“My you look absolutely divine.”

The southern girl nodded her thanks, a bit sheepish. If only the other divinity would show his face.

“But it wouldn’t be worth the price tag if a handsome young man wasn’t there escorted such grace. At least, that’s my problem anyways.”

Finally, Anna replied in perfect twang to match her outfit, “A man? Ah’m lookin’ for him now, but ah don’t know if he’ll show.”

Around them, the guests moved about, fetching drinks and eating. From her seat, she could easily see Dr. McCoy and his lovely wife, whom Anna envied greatly, with their young child. There was something to be said about holding a family together in the mess of a world that they all lived in.

“Besahdes, it really doesn’t mattah. There was no price tag; Ah made the pattern an’ everythin’ mahself.”


Emma:

"Oh, hey there... I was jus' playing around, y'know. Wasn't really serious. No killin' required."

Emma raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow in response to Tara’s stuttered reply and just stared at her before replying to Callie’s praise.

“Thank you, darling.”

There really was something weird about that young woman. It wasn’t enough to turn Emma off of Tara’s work, but instead she merely worried for the nanny’s sanity. Seriously, if the girl was going to spend such a great amount of time being afraid of the parents instead of solely focused on the researchers’ daughter, Emma would have to consider reconsidering.

Of course, there is nothing like a worry cleansing hug and kiss from a distant husband, and Emma easily forgot all about Tara’s skittish behavior.

"She does indeed... Did I miss anything?"

Emma graciously took his late apology, but sent him a foreboding look of her own that said, It better not happen again.

“Not much, just the boring flimflammery of the typical party socialites and blood-sucking reporters.”

Ali:

“Ixnay on the alktay about uidoGay.”

Bobby was a lucky boy with Dazz once more. Had she kept on her intended course to him, Ali would've overheard his not-so-secret Pig Latin. She may have been naturally blonde, but she definitely wasn't dumb! Lord knows how she would have reacted if she caught his little slip-up, but Fate saw fit to provide a diversion in the form of another party guest.

Ali wasn't surprised that she was receiving this kind of attention. It wasn't often that she went and mingled with so many people. For them, it was a golden opportunity to meet the rock star.

The blonde woman interrupted her course politely. Ali stopped, taking her focus off the photographer for the moment. Looking at the fan, she returned a polite smile.

Ms. Blaire. I just wanted to tell you that I'm a fan of your work."

"Hey Thanks, Miss...? Since you seem to know my name already." Ali extended her well-manicured hand and waited for the woman opposite to fill in the gap. She could talk to Bobby later.

Jean:

“I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind.”

It was one of her favourite quotes, because for Jean Grey it was the most ironic one she knew. It was her job to ensure that people never knew that freedom, specifically those employed as Magneto’s guards.

It came at a price, though, and not just for those whose minds she tampered with as they were never aware of her presence, but for her. With each walk she took through their minds, glimpsing their memories and strengthening “their” beliefs, she lost a little bit of herself. By the end of a work day, although she felt complete mental exhaustion, she could rarely sleep. She needed time after her shift to separate her memories from those she stole, her beliefs from those she imparted and her feelings from those she stifled.

Each day she needed longer to accomplish this.

So one would think that an event like this would be something to look forward to, but not for Jean. Even though she gave every appearance of this being her night off from a job that nobody knew the true purpose of, she was still on the clock. Many of the soldiers would be attending, and in a social event like this, the possibility for something to trigger insubordinate thoughts was great. She would need to remain on high alert at all times.

Even as she entered the mansion, a calm smile on her face, she was already reaching out with controlled tendrils for anything amiss.

Kitty:

Great, people probably thought she was like a drama queen now, although, looking around, she would have breathed a sigh of relief had she had enough breath in her. Most people seemed to be caught up in their own conversations and were paying her little attention. Eternally grateful for this stroke of luck, she stopped her eyes from roving the crowd when the fell upon the servant, Kurt, who was cleaning up a mess of food from the floor.

This time she had another reason for her breath to catch. An entire tray of food dropped because of her, an act that he would surely be punished for and there was nothing she could do about it. She was a princess, yes, and had the power, but what could she really do? She wasn’t supposed to care about him, about any of them, but the fact of the matter was that she did.

She really wished she didn’t.

She wanted to kneel down to help him, but that would be positively scandalous. Besides, two more servants had all but materialised at his side to help. It was there job, not hers. But perhaps she could make it her job to deliver the punishment? Or, at least make then all believe that she did…

“Thank you for your concern, Commander, and thank your… friend as well,” she said a bit stiffly, tearing her eyes away to meet Samuel’s. “Your instinct was impressive, and had it been the real thing I’m relieved to note that my life would not have been in danger for long.”

A polite smile, a grateful nod of the head; all perfectly practised. Sometimes she could get it right.


Bobby:

Dazz was sidetracked by a fan, and Bobby had to wonder if he was thankful or not. What it did do was to buy him a few minutes to try and figure out a real killer excuse of why he was here. Now if AJ would do her part and not mention Guido everything would work out fine.

Because...what could go wrong??

Was it coincidence that a recent release of Dazzlers' was playing over the speaker system not more than a few minutes after she entered the room? Probably not, but it was hard to say. Everyone played her music like...all the time.<br/><br/>And he'd seen her naked.

Well, not really naked, but he saw all of her naked except about two and a half inches of fabric over each boob and a small cut of fabric over her...bizzle area. Bobby adopted a dreamy sort of faraway look.

Drink. He needed a drink to wash down the wienie. Maybe he'd just grab one for Dazz too.

Spinning around, he collided with Princess Katherine, but tried to play it off by dancing to the beat of the Dazz song. Something that this particular white guy should have never attempted, let alone in a Royal Ballroom with wienie on his face.

Cyke:

It was pretty obvious that Commander Guthrie was into the Princess. He thought he was coy with his intentions, but it was really no different than the kind of display he put on when he was around Anna, or Deefer, or it angered him to admit it, but even Jean. Maybe he'd spent too much time around Jean, but Scott felt like he was pretty adept at reading that sort of thing. He could spot it from a mile off...Commander Guthrie was interested in anything roughly humanoid with breasts.

It didn't really bother him. He wasn't threatened by the Commander in that way. It just served in his mind as proof that Guthrie wasn't exactly cut for leadership. His mind was always too distracted by his drives and his pride. Though it hadn't happened yet, that was exactly the kind of thing that would get people killed on a mission.

Of course, this was the reason that Scott had taken so many trips to the telepaths.

He turned away just in time to see Jean enter the room. She was beautiful. Heartstoppingly so. As she glanced around the room he knew that she was seeing things in a way that he could only imagine.

The haunted sort of sadness did not escape his notice. It broke his heart just like it always did. Tensing his jaws, Scott made his way over to her side. He missed her. "You'll never guess what I'm thinking," he said in a low voice.

Tabby:

"Hey Thanks, Miss...? Since you seem to know my name already."

Tabitha took Dazzler's hand and shook it. She was actually shaking the star's hand.

"Oh. My name is Tabitha Smith. I'm a sol... doctor here. I first heard your music through a boyfriend I had in college. He was into the whole underground scene. It's amazing to see with your second album how much your popularity has grown," she gushed.

Cool it. You don't have to give her your life story.

It was true that Tabitha had heard the music through her boyfriend in college but she left out the fact that she hated the first album. Maybe it reminded her too much of that guy. He was an art major with the ability to project his thoughts directly to canvas. Only the art he made on a major bender was taken seriously. That kind of partying was not part of Tabitha's career-driven life plan. She couldn't party or babysit his intoxicated ass and ace her finals as well.

Dazzler's latest album was a bit more radio-friendly and Tabitha liked it.

Tabitha did notice out of the corner of her eye that Guthrie had freed himself from Douglas Ramsey and was now attending to some matter with Princess Katherine.

Sam:

"Thank you milady, you honor me with your praise." Samuel said bowing at the waist, and turning quickly on his heel. He did however give himself enough time to sneer at the form of Kurt Wagner as he attempted to gather himself from the floor.

"Homo Inferior indeed," He scoffed quietly as he returned to Tabitha with a glass of sparkling cider in each hand. He made a point to kick a bit of food at Kurt as he passed, chuckling slightly.

That stupid boy, if there had been a real emergency, that precious time that Samuel had wasted pushing him out of the way could have cost Katherine her life.

Just another item to the growing list of reasons why Samuel wanted them wiped out.

Tabitha was having a conversation with Ali Blaire, known to the public as Dazzler. Samuel had little time for popular music, and he often made a point to avoid it, so the idea of being star struck was entirely lost on him.

"Still thirsty I hope?" Samuel stated, smiling slightly, "Sorry if it took so long, I had a minor crisis to deal with..."

He would have called Douglas something very naughty in his head, had he not noticed the lady standing near his Corporal. Jean Grey. One of Ramsey's psychics.

Drat.

Sapphire:

The woman truly did look very beautiful before her and only wished she could have shared in such beauty in the room. Samantha never saw herself as anything more than daddy’s little girl growing up; that and the soldier that became embedded within her soul when she began helping the humans. Nothing would have pleased her more than to see them get the rightfully deserved freedom that all individuals should have. But that wasn’t the case and anything she could find out tonight could aid in saving so many innocent lives.

But the feline shape shifter had to be extremely careful. There would be telepaths amongst her tonight and the young mutant would need an extra guard over her thoughts. This wasn’t such a hard task, since the female was trained in such maneuvers over and over again with exercises that made her think of other things at all times while gathering the necessary intel she would need to take back to her father and group later.

“A man? Ah’m lookin’ for him now, but ah don’t know if he’ll show.”

Sam’s heart was bit touched and went out to her. The woman’s eyes just reveled in anxiety for someone and this someone must have been very special for her to be looking the way she did. It only reminded the young feral that she herself was here with no one and probably no one would be sweeping her off her feet anytime soon. She dreamed of a day, she could be in the arms of a man, to feel loved and protected. But, alas, that wasn’t meant to be tonight and probably any other night.

“I’m sure he’ll show. He’d be missing out if he didn’t”, she leaned in and said softly. Her eyes were peering around looking at all the guests, scanning, gathering information. She had paperwork and files neatly tucked in the back of her mind of who and what these people did, but she kept it clear in her head because that would only give her away. Still, she had to mingle, had to fit in. That was Sam’s specialty.

“Besahdes, it really doesn’t mattah. There was no price tag; Ah made the pattern an’ everythin’ mahself.”

That was a bit over the edge, but hey, she made her own dress, good for her. Sam just smiled again, then nodded and left with a short soft grin and made her way to one of the servants with drinks on their tray. I need a drink and fast.

Des:

Jacob's head perked up, and for some odd reason everyone's position in the ballroom had changed. Crap. He checked the clock that was built-in to the little podium that he stood at. He had lost consciousness for four minutes. Double crap. That wasn't good. He quickly, yet discreetly, counted the number of checked off guests and then counted the number of invites. Then he double-checked.

Yep, one off. He looked at the first invitation in his stack. Larza Milliner. That was a funny name. He then looked through the list of guests and spotted her. Strange. She was sandwiched between two 'Me' names, but the 'Mi's' started up right after, so it was probably a typo. He checked off her name, and then rubbed his eyes. Reading all of this small text was giving him a doozy of a headache. Maybe he would ask about getting glasses.

Offhandedly, he wondered who Larza Milliner was. And who would name their child 'Larza.' It didn't matter. He was awake, now, back to work.

Jean:

So many minds, so many thoughts. Jean had to keep a tight grip on her shields to keep them all from washing over her. Some days it was almost too much and she felt herself fading away, unable to distinguish between flights of the mind and reality. Other days she was in complete control, treading wherever she liked but always able to walk away in one piece.

Every day they droned on in her mind, a constant buzzing in the back of her skull that she was certain the absence of would only signal her death. They were always there, talking, thinking… living, and she was always there with them.

Even Scott.

Especially Scott.

Turning to face him as he arrived at her side, Jean chuckled at his statement.

“Care to make a wager on that?” she replied.

[Fate]

~~~~~ Page 5 ~~~~~~

Ali:

"Tabitha, or Dr. Smith if you prefer, it's a pleasure." Ali responded genuinely as she shook the woman's hand. Already, the smile Tabitha wore was growing as wide as her face could accommodate. Ali got that a lot, but by no means was she tired of it.

Babbling just a bit, the doctor told her quickly about her interest in the music. Perfectly cued, the sophomore album that she appreciated began to play over the speakers. She nodded politely. Again, those words were something she'd heard many times before. A bit boring and irrelevant at first, but she still appreciated the woman's enthusiasm and smiled. Even Tabitha seemed to realize it and toned down a bit. She was quite well-spoken once she'd calmed down.

"I'm glad you like," Ali started to reply. It was a bit generic, but what else could she say to such a statement? She opened her mouth, looking for something more intelligent to say, but never had a chance to utter a word. With a drink in each hand, a blonde man, cold in demeanor and evidently Tabitha's date, had approached from the side and interrupted. Guthrie, she realized from the news. He didn't seem to register Ali as anything more than a stranger. Ali managed to give him a polite smile, but said nothing for the moment. He was a pretty boy and a glutton for the spotlight, but she knew how that went. He was always too practiced and poised; scripted even. Ingenuine. It wasn't her business to mind it, but she didn't like it much either.

Her eyes drifting from the soldiers in front of her, she saw a convenient distraction over by the food stations. Bobby, ever the graceful one, had just smashed into a girl on the dance floor. The Princess, no less.

Oh god...

Kitty:

Well that was highly uncalled for! Katherine thought, glaring after the commander as he taunted the help. Too bad she was probably the only mutant in the room to think so. But the poor guy was already humiliated enough, and was probably fearing the consequences of his actions when all he had been trying to do was his job.

It was times like these that no amount of telling herself how lucky she was could make her feel like she belonged, or even wanted to be here.

She wanted to say something to him, anything, to let him know that everything was fine and that she wouldn’t let anything happen to him, but before she could figure out how to go about this without causing another scene she found herself being pushed forcibly. Stumbling a few steps, she managed to hold her footing without much trouble, but her already sour mood was going beyond unsweetened lemonade.

“Excuse me?” she snapped, propping her fists on her hips and glaring at the… ridiculously dancing guy.


Tabby:

"It was wonderful meeting you, Ms. Blair. I'm sure you have much more important things to do," Tabitha said politely allowing the starlet to go about her business.

Despite anything she might say, Tabitha had been starstruck.

She turned to Guthrie and took the drink from him. "Thank you sirrr....Samuel."

It was weird referring to him to his face by his first name. It was a good thing that things like this didn't happen every day.

She sipped the punch. He was sipping his as well and surveying the room. Typical awkward silence.

"I saw you talking to Douglas Ramsey. I'm surprised you escaped the winged monkey unscathed," Tabitha said. That might have been pushing it but she was trying to make conversation. What were they supposed to talk about; missions training or combat techniques?

Sam:

"I saw you talking to Douglas Ramsey. I'm surprised you escaped the winged monkey unscathed,"

Samuel's eyes widened, and a uncharacteristic grin crossed his features. Sure the Doctor was a notorious pacifist, and Samuel was positive that she had spoken out against his tactics, but that had scored major points with him.

";I think we have a lot more in common than we'd like to think, Tabitha..." Samuel said, returning to his normal, cold features. Although most of SHIELD had a general dislike of Douglas, Tabitha was one of the first he had actually heard insult him like that.

But that didn't answer her question. "I probably didn't, to be honest..." Samuel answered, "That's how it is with Ramsey, anything you do can be a grave error..."

He moved closer to her and whispered; "You'd best banish any thoughts of that nature from your mind, one of his hounds is here."

Despite what she thought about him, Samuel was coming around to Smith, and although his heart pined for Anna in a way he wasn't sure how to deal with, at least he wouldn't be lonely this evening. And that was the important thing, after all.

Oh, and he had ignored her for long enough, so Samuel extended a hand. "Ms. Blaire, I'm Commander Samuel Guthrie it's a pleasure to meet you."

Tabby:

Wow, an actual smile. That was a first. He grinned and then shut down into the cold hearted war-mongering drone he was trained to be.

Sipping from the glass, Tabitha nonchalantly looked around. Sure enough, she spotted a telepath across the room. What was his motivation for the warning, though? Was his heart even capable of altruistic compassion or was he just trying to secure the position of one of his soldiers? Regardless, it was the second time that Tabitha had been discreetly warned about her comments that day. She had become a bit more reckless with her tongue lately.



Omega Red:

Arkady had seen enough. The spectacle that the Princess had made of herself and the incredible thick-headedness of the S.H.I.E.L.D. commander sickened him as it was. Things had become far less interesting anyway, as the continuing stream of vodka was beginning to lose its feeling. He looked up and saw the same human servant offering him another drink.

Bait.

"You know what, I'm just about finished tonight, I think I should go home." Arkady said to the staring expectant human.

Arkady patted himself down for his keys, he feigned missing something.

Set the Trap

"Damn! I can not find my keys. You! Come outside with me, help me search the grounds for them. They should be somewhere between my car and here." He smiled through his somewhat yellowed, crooked teeth.

The human nodded nervously and placed the drink tray on a table nearby. He followed Arkady out the door and down the steps.

"You lead the way, my van was parked just around the corner, to the left."

The servant stepped ahead of Arkady and tread slowly, looking down at the ground, searching in the dark for a glint of light as he turned the corner.

"What type of car was it? Cuz, I'm not seeing anythi..."

The human was cut short, because Arkady delivered a sharp blow to the back of his head. He slipped a black bag over the servants head and threw him over his shoulder. He slammed him into the back of his van and drove off.

Capture.

Sapphire:

That first glass of champagne went down real good and now the young female was on her second. Her body was bit more relaxed and concentration was still at its peak. Still, she kept herself distant, but not obvious. One could get the impression she was actually intermingling with the crowd although the only person she spoke to besides Genghis Khan outside was the lovely woman still apparently waiting for her date.

That’s when a large figure just caught Sam’s feline ears. The set up was all too familiar and Sam knew something was about to happen. The feline’s eyes just glanced over to the man and servant as they exchanged words.

"You know what, I'm just about finished tonight, I think I should go home."

Sam knew he wasn’t here long since she made it there only a short time after it started. So why all of a sudden leave?

"Damn! I can not find my keys. You! Come outside with me, help me search the grounds for them. They should be somewhere between my car and here."

Her heart skipped a beat knowing something was amiss. Don’t go, find an excuse, anything.

"You lead the way, my van was parked just around the corner, to the left."

It took every effort not to follow, not to see what was about to happen, if anything. But a gut feeling told her something was wrong, terribly wrong. All the female could do was wait and she gave it about 5 minutes. Still the servant had not returned. Her stomach turned in knots. 5 more minutes. No servant. The worst part was, there was nothing she could do.

That was eating her up inside.

Bobby:

“Excuse me?”

Bobby didn’t stop dancing. The Princess was apologizing for bumping into him? “It’s okay,” he told her with a smile. “Don’t worry about it.” That might have seemed like a ‘pretty big of him’ kind of gesture, but Bobby was just that kind of guy.

Besides, she was the Princess. Standing there and looking beautiful was what she did.

He kept dancing in front of her and a smile spread across his lips.

“Don’t they teach Princesses how to dance?” Ice formed beneath the ball of one foot as he spun, making his twirl impossibly fast. Then he stopped in front of her. “Or hey, are Princesses allowed to listen to Dazz?”

There were many social faux pas being committed here. Bobby had to go and add to that by doing the ‘Robot’. “This here’s called street dancing,” he said to her with a proud grin. But he was mostly playing. He’d learned a few pretty decent street dance moves from all of his time ‘under cover’ on some assignment. Time to pull out the big guns.

His body started to shimmy a little as he danced, strangely appropriate rhythmic spasms contorted his arms and legs and he spun in a small circle clearly unconcerned with the spotlight being on him. In fact, it seemed more like he adored the attention.

As the song continued, so did the oddly fascinating display.

And then he stopped in front of the Princess proudly, a smile on his face as the last note of the song dissipated. "But hey, there's some things you shouldn't do in a dress...trust me, I know. Oh, man...did you try the wienies?"

Callie:

"Daddy!" Callie grinned when her father appeared, ignoring her mother's cynical description of the party with a child's selective hearing - this party was fun, and everybody was having fun, and she wouldn't hear anything to the contrary.
She nodded at her mother's thanks for the compliment, then grinned brightly, waving a hand to get their attention then twirled before the both of them "And I look pretty too, right?" she asked enthusiastically.

Deefer:

Deefer raised an eyebrow as Kenny barely looked away from the Commander as he attended to the princess, she shook her head slightly.
Sometimes, Kenny seemed slightly obsessed with him.

She headed over to the food table, glancing over it briefly, disinterestedly, before moving to the side, her gaze scanning the room again.
Commander Guthrie had gone back to the Doctor... Jean had arrived, meaning Scott was talking to her.
Anna had been talking to some woman, but she left, and Larza had arrived.
One more soldier here to keep an eye on things, good - she had no doubt that even if they <i>were</i> engaged in conversation, Summers and the Commander would both respond to trouble almost instantly.


Cyke:

“Care to make a wager on that?”

At least she was smiling. That much wasn’t even as familiar as it once had been. Scott kept his distance and admired the view. “Well...at least you aren’t slapping me for them,” he said hopefully. “I’ll take that as a good sign.”

She was obviously as on the job as he was. From what he knew she was always on the job, strolling through people’s minds, making sure the Empire held its strength all the way down to the very foundations of thought.

No wonder she always looked tired. Scott studied Jean with some amount of empathy.

Sometimes he wondered...was she just assigned to him? Paranoid thoughts were difficult to put down. He’d seen too much.

“Either way,” he said as his hand touched her shoulder. “You look fantastic.”

Rogue:

The girl had up and left, pretty much without a word. Actually, Anna had expected it. To say that you sported a piece of craftsmanship of your own hand on your body was to almost degrade yourself to a servant level, and Rogue was a soldier. She was trained. She could fight. She could win. And she could kill. Mercenaries just didn’t make their own costumes.

Yet Anna wasn’t only a soldier, and that was something that any of her breed chose to forget as soon as she was put into the forces. She ceased to be anything remotely interesting and became a puppet of the master in charge. Magnus.

Glancing around the room, she could spot what she had nicknamed ‘Magneto’s Psychos’ standing patrol in the room. Douglas Ramsey and Jean Grey. Anna knew this meant she’d be scanned most of the evening, and she quickly tried to clean her mind of any impure or incriminating thoughts. She had to believe in the system. She needed to. To save her life.

Subconsciously, she fiddled with the folds of the fabric in her skirt. Could such a random act, like sewing, set the guards off on her? Probably not, but all the same. It was only recently she began getting these queer urges to draw or design. She’d redone the suits for SHEILD about fifty times, and still hadn’t come up with anything as lousy as the uniforms they wore now. Yes, that’s how much thought that the novice slaves put into their work. Not much.

She supposed her calling was a strange one, but it kept her busy and her thoughts away from the Priest. Not to mention, it was something safe that she could do while she was in repair from that damned accident.


Wildchild:

Kyle Gibney was late. Terribly late.

If only Darwin had written shorter volumes, he would have been able to arrive sooner. But his studies were much more important than any party.

So after rushing through the last few chapters, he hurried to get dressed, and nearly sprinted there.

Which accounted for why he was putting his socks and shoes on now. He was much faster on bare feet.

Quickly combing his hair back behind his ears, he scanned the ball for a familiar face. SHIELD was certainly out in full force, and he even caught a glimpse of famous rock goddess Dazzler.

King Magnus sure knew how to throw a party. His sensitive ears picked up the sound of a familiar voice, so he followed it."And I look pretty too, right?"

Tati:

Tatiana was puzzled. She had a servant who was supposed to take a small tray of food made specially for a young child over to the only child she was told would be attending. One Miss Callie, the daughter of two of the most important people around. That was what she had been told. And she could not find him anywhere. Well, he would be in for quite a scolding when she found him. No one slept on her watch.

Shrugging, Tati ducked out for a while to get the tray herself. Some nice cut fruit and some other things she had been told that children liked. And a selection of drinks, nothing too sweet though. She hoped that the child liked what she had made. Children were not Tatiana's strong suit. Sure they were cute as babies, but how did one handle the messes?

Reamerging into the now getting crowded ballroom, Tatiana maneuvered her way through the party-goers with a practiced ease. She found the perfect-looking family and smiled. "I do hope I am not interrupting, but I have a special selection tray made just for Miss Callie, if she would like."

Kitty:

Oh, did he just… did he seriously think that was an apology from her? He was the one that bumped into her! Him with his weird… what was it that he was doing? Okay, so the spinning was impressive, but… “street dancing”? What? And did he really expect her to dance with him like that? Who did this guy think he was, anyway?

Actually, who was this guy, anyway? A name would be useful, because right now all she had to call him was Wiener Boy, and that was just not appropriate.

Maybe he was having a seizure or had mental problems and she shouldn’t be so harsh. More likely he was just drunk. Or on drugs! He had showed up at the royal ball all high! Bad Wiener Boy!

Seriously, he was obsessed with the wienies. And apparently sometimes dressed in drag. It was no wonder that Katherine simply stared at him the whole time with an expression something akin to a hybrid of amazement and disgust.

“Yes. Well. This was pleasant, but I have… something to attend to,” she said slowly, taking a slow step backwards. Taking a look around, she spotted Kurt still nearby. Perfect.

“You! Follow me. Now!” she commanded, forcing as much of her earlier irritation into her voice as she could. “I will deal with you myself!”

Turning on her heal, she did her best “storming out of the room” routine, mentally adding Wiener Boy to the list of people to avoid for the rest of the evening.

[Fate]

~~~~~~~ Page 6 ~~~~~~~~

Cypher:

As Bobby distracted the Princess with his media-driven need to be the spotlight, Douglas stopped quietly before the form of Kurt Wagner.

"Report what you have done to the Caterers. NOW." he ordered the human.

He continued his leisurely walk, finally stopping next to Sam [Sapphire].

"Good evening, Miss...?" he asked, smiling with a twinkle in his sixteen year old blue eyes.

Kurt:

Kurt had cleared the floor and held the tray full of unusable appetizers and covered it with one of the white linen napkins from a nearby table. He started to respond to the princess's demand when he received a snapped order from the young man.

Uncertain what to do, Kurt froze and looked nervously between them. He watched Princess Katherine leave the room.

For a moment, he just stood and looked confused. He could not possibly obey them both. Kurt bowed his head and decided that her order meant more than anyone else's did. He would have to inform the caterers whenever she was through with him.

He followed Katherine.

Sapphire:

Samantha had just placed a small napkin with a brownie on top to divulge herself with a small treat with her champagne. It looked so sweet, moist, and tantalizing as she brought it up closer. The chocolate scent was teasing her, begging for the shape shifter to take a bite. Opening her mouth, she could almost taste its smooth sugary texture....

"Good evening, Miss...?"

With a small bit of disappointment, the brownie lowered with the young mutant's hand and she was left with telling this man her name and getting out of this conversation real quickly. Intel told her of his capabilities, but she also could avoid practically anything by just acting normal, no hidden agendas, no secrets.

Her eyes went from the brownie to the glass of champagne in her other hand. "I would shake your hand, but my stomach is so craving this delicious looking treat", came with an innocence and grace of a woman in distress. She smiled warmly to the young man and then remembered, "...oh, how rude of me. Carter, Miss Carter. Very nice to meet your acquaintance."


Aurora:

As Aurora walked through the doors of the exquisite ballroom, she knew all too well that she was quite late. The invitation had borne a suggested arrival time of course, but she didn’t pay much attention to those. She preferred to be, as they say, “fashionably late,” though in reality she typically took the term a bit to the extreme. While others might feel overwhelmed or even embarrassed, she basked in the attention typically paid to latecomers of a party of this magnificence. And of course, she always dressed for the occasion.

Tonight her pale skin was draped in a sleeveless cerulean satin dress which hugged her torso, increasing the amount of fabric and elegant folds as it reached towards the floor. and displayed her slender shoulders and collar bone beautifully well. To accentuate this, she had dawned a delicate silver necklace which bore an elegant collection of tiny diamond flowers which seemed to glow with their own light. This, in truth was achieved with a little help from her power, which she also used to intensify her already bright blue eyes and add an attractive shimmer to her dress and perfectly done up hair. Her white gloved hands--complete with a lovely diamond ring on her right hand--rested gracefully at her sides as she glanced around the ballroom. The one aspect of her ensemble that was rather lacking in magnificence were her shoes. Aurora had chosen a more practical route with plain black satin flat shoes dusted with tiny diamonds. She’d never understood the point to wearing unbearably high heels when they would be hidden by yards of fabric.

Jeanne Marie had protested desperately against these extravagances, but Aurora had brushed her aside in annoyance. There was nothing wrong with feeling beautiful.

Bobby:

Figures.

Bobby wasn’t totally surprised when she got all ‘royal’ on him and made her exit without really even talking to him. Though if he was being honest with himself, he’d probably have to admit that he had wished for something else.

“Yeah, okay,” he hollered as she huffed out of the room, calling her servant like a lapdog. “I had something to do anyway.” She was already gone. Bobby looked around the room and sighed.

For some reason he just wanted to get out of here. He saw Aurora walk in, but he felt a little deflated right now. And Dazz was still here, but he wasn’t totally convinced that she didn’t just want to hurt him for what happened the first time they met.

Feeling lonelier than he had in years, (and much more so than he would ever admit), Bobby stepped up to one of the servants carrying a tray and helped himself to a drink. It was big and pink and fruity.

Somehow it bummed him out even more as he sipped through the straw.

Beast:

She nodded at her mother's thanks for the compliment, then grinned brightly, waving a hand to get their attention then twirled before the both of them 'And I look pretty too, right?' she asked enthusiastically.

Henry slipped from behind Emma with a wide grin and scooped Callie easily into his arms. He lifted her as though she was utterly weightless and he purposefully drew his lips just close enough to tickle her sensitive ear.

He pulled her into a bear hug.

"Pretty as a princess", he whispered softly, knowing that the sensation of the words themselves would amuse his daughter almost as much as their meaning.

Gambit:

It had been empty. How was that possible? How could a non-mutant, a human, have appeared and disappeared within the confines of a small box without the use of a door? What sort of devilish trickery was that? But he had seen it with his own eyes; perhaps not seen it, but seen enough to prove that it had happened.

Why had he come? Why had he left? Why didn’t he leave? How could one who could disappear into shadows be a captive? Why could he not leave? Or, perhaps, why did he not want to leave? What was it that kept him here and held him captive, yet allowed for him to visit the church?

So caught up in the millions of questions that filled his mind regarding the latest confession he had heard, Remy took little notice of anything going on around him as he made his way through the corridor of the castle. That is until he encountered a screaming princess. Stepping aside to let her pass, he felt pity in his heart as he watched the lone servant trail after her, obviously about to face a much greater wrath. What a life to lead… barely a life at all.

The distraction having been enough to break him of his reverie, he nervously adjusted his white collar before entering the ballroom. He may have traded the black robes for a black suit, but the collar was ever present.

Inside the room people were talking, laughing, drinking and dancing. He chose to keep to the fringes. Parties were nothing but a source of discomfort for him, but it would have been rude to refuse the invitation. The plan was to make an appearance, perhaps speak to the King and a select individual or two and then retreat to the solitude of the church once more. Hopefully it wouldn’t take long.

The music was dreadful.

Ali:

Oh, the spectacle that was Bobby...

Rolling her eyes inwardly at the awkward display, Ali didn't dwell on it. Given his behavior before, this seemed almost par for him. Still, it pulled her attention away from the military couple before her, until Tabitha spoke. Politely, she exchanged pleasantries that would allow Ali and easy out. Samuel spoke next, introducing himself cordially.

"The same," She responded cooly, taking his offered hand. However, she was still impolitely distracted by her friend on the dance floor. He'd gone on for some time, but when she glanced over again, the Princess was gone and he looked sullen, a frothy cocktail in his hand. He was doing that kicked puppy look again...

I gotta stop falling for that...

Looking back to the Commander and his escort, she politely excused herself and made her way again toward the photographer.

"Bobby, you're wonderful, but never dance like that to my music again or I'll mute it, kay?" Her tone was joking, not mean. She wanted to cheer him up. People that goofy aren't allowed to be sad.

Emma:

Watching as Henry scooped their daughter up into his arms, Emma beamed delightedly. She missed time like this, and with the nanny a pace or two away, it almost felt like a normal family.

“Yes, sweetheart!” she chimed in, a wide, bright smile lighting up her face. “You’re beautiful!”<

Just then, the little cook-helper wandered over. Tatiana was her name, if Emma could remember properly, and she asked if she could supply child appropriate foods to little Clarissa. Emma nodded her head accordingly.

“I hope you kept in mind that I like my child to eat things that create as little of a mess as possible,” she said simply, “She’s still young, and everyone has such wonderful clothes, we would hate for her to mar them or her own.”


Bobby:

Bobby was bummed.

But it was really hard to be super bummed when drinking a big fruity pink drink that had a cool umbrella in it! The thing really worked. He sat there looking all broody and opened and closed the umbrella. Each time he did it he imagined he was inflicting himself with another couple of years bad luck. They were small umbrellas, so how bad could it be?

Five. Five times, what? Three years? That was...twelve or something. It gave him a kind of sick pleasure. If he knew what masochist meant, he might be onto something. A thought occurred to him...

Maybe I’m displacing myself from the true subject of my negative emotions and using humor to express ideas or feelings that are too difficult for me to face sincerely.

He opened the umbrella again. Thirteen. Nah, that sounds like a load of horse crackers if he ever heard one! He jumped again as someone joined him at the bar.

"Bobby, you're wonderful, but never dance like that to my music again or I'll mute it, kay?"

Looking over, Bobby recognized the playful tone and smiled at her. “Don’t worry,” he said with a grin. “That was only the beginning of my moves.” Which was true. It was also true to say that it was the end of his moves. He was something of a one trick pony.

"Man," he said admiring the dress. "You even look hot with clothes on."

Ali:

Sliding up beside him, Ali wore a genuine smile, not just the polite one she brought for most of the guests at this shindig. He seemed receptive of her words and looked up at her, a bit startled perhaps, but smiling. That worked.

”Don’t worry. That was only the beginning of my moves.”

She let out a laugh that was halfway to a snort.

Never play music around him, got it.

“Ah, that makes me feel so much better.” Her tone was sarcastic. “Maybe I just outta hire you as a backup dancer.”

All joking aside, Ali was happy to have a familiar, entertaining face to speak to. He commented quickly on her outfit of choice for the night. Not as scandalous as he’d like, she imagined, but he seemed to approve.

“Heh. Thanks. I’m glad to see you’ve broadened your horizons.”

Giving him a lopsided grin, she looked around the ball room. When she first spotted him, Bobby was talking to a young, raven-haired woman, but she wasn’t nearby at the moment. Almost as if teasing him, she queried.

“So, a hot young bachelor like yourself can’t be here alone, can he?”

Tabby:

Tabitha was enjoying herself. Meeting Dazzler was an exciting moment. She had never met a celebrity before. We'll she'd been in the same room as His Majesty before but that was totally different. She worked for him. She protected him. She served under him.

Somewhere in the ballroom she thought she caught a glimpse of the actress Jean-Marie Beaubier. Wow! Yet another celebrity. Tabitha was about to explode! There would be time to meet the star later on. She decided to try and engage her commander in small talk.

"So, how are you enjoying this?" she asked after a sip of her punch, looking over the brim of the cup into his eyes.

Sam:

Enjoying this? Hardly. This was work for Samuel, despite meeting celebrities and the perks of being favored by the King's court.

Although, he'd probably be enjoying it more if Anna would just look at him. Even for a second.

But she wasn't, nor would she ever as long as that Priest existed to distract her. And despite being around dozens of beautiful women, including the one before him, Samuel remained fixated on the one he would never have.

Realizing that he had been hijacked by his own train of thought, Samuel responded:

"Tabitha, I think you know the answer to that...." Samuel replied, "My duty to Magneto far outweighs my desire to have a good time..."

For the most part.

"Of course, it helps to be in good company..." He added with a slight smirk, then taking a sip from his own glass. Tabitha wasn't half bad, sure her views may have conflicted his own, but still...

It's better than being alone.

Tabby:

"Of course, it helps to be in good company..."

Tabitha smiled. "Thank you." Is he actually trying to flatter me?Pfft.

Tabitha knew what he was like. Gung-ho army man. All work and no play makes Sammy a dull boy. She didn't mind, though. If he thought he could conquer her he had another thing coming. Tabitha might have been a pacifist but he was certainly not her type. She wasn't attracted to war-hawks. She would have had a perfectly fine time by herself.

But this is better than being alone, however.

Tabitha placed her glass on the tray of a passing waiter. "So, are you going to be like a junior high boy and just stand around or are you going to ask me to dance?"

She felt hypocritical about asking him to dance in that round-about way. She wanted to dance but it would have been improper to dance with anyone but her escort. She had to be a "good little soldier" after all.

Tara:

"And I look pretty too, right?"

"Pretty as a princess."

“Yes, sweetheart! You’re beautiful!”

"Yup, prettiest here, Cal'." she supplies, "Well, 'side from me, that is. But I'm just amazing like that..."

Her tone is blatantly playful (because really, she knows she's not the prettiest here, and even if she were she wouldn't say so seriouslike and insult anyone... Because insulting people is bad, and very sad, and all that not-so-good stuff, and her ego isn't that big that she'd insult people on purpose), and she tries to strike a pose, sort-of succeeding, up until the point where she stumbles again, making a face down at her feet as if offended they'd betrayed her like that, and half-wonders what would happen if she broke her ankle or something tonight, before deciding she really doesn't like the idea and pushing the image away, tacking on a half-giggled, "But y'probably more graceful'n I am, so you win anyhow."

As someone from the catering comes over and speaks to the McCoys about kid-food of some kind, she looks around, unintentionally looking all false-sneaky, making sure she's not really being watched a whole lot (but what with all the celebrities in the room, she hardly thinks she'll be the center of attention for more than a second, and that'd be only if she did something silly and catch attention, which she so won't do).

Turning, she steps (cautiously as she can, trying to look casual and not fall at the same time, both important things right now, though not-falling takes priority) over to the table, kicking off the heels as discretely as possible, standing on her toes so as to make the illusion of her height changing more subtle for a second, before she gives up on that 'cause her dress isn't that long, and it's not like anyone's going to think she's just wearing invisible shoes, and she slides the offending shoes under the cloth covering the table where they're well-hidden, and makes a mental note to come get them before leaving.

Then she grabs a chocolate-covered strawberry off a platter on the table (...to help the illusion she wasn't stashing her shoes under the table, but getting food. Of course. Mmmhm), and spins back to face the small group, much happier, even, than before. Barefoot in the castle! This night's just getting better and better, and she's hardly been here, what, ten minutes?

She takes a bite from the strawberry and tries to look like she's not staring off at the glamorous people in their shiny dresses, or the shiny chandelier and decor and all the other generally shiny objects around, dancing in place a little to the music playing, more like wiggling very slightly, as though she were the one who was a little kid trying to restrain all the hyperactive energy (which - that part's pretty much true; she'd had like five coffees before she got here, and with the excitement and the caffeine-and-sugar together, she's surprised she hasn't started bouncing off the walls and setting a properly hyper and veryvery fun very bad example).

[Fate]

~~~~~~~~~ Page 7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bobby:

<b><i>“Ah, that makes me feel so much better.”</i></b> Bobby thought maybe he detected sarcasm in her tone. <b><i>“Maybe I just outta hire you as a backup dancer.”</i></b><br/><br/>“You couldn’t afford me,” he said simply. It was a lie. He’d do it for very little money and probably just the hope of ‘favors’ being exchanged at some point in time...even if that never happened. Ever. Which judging by the way she acted when he tried to plant one on her, it most likely wouldn’t.<br/><br/>Anyway, he liked her outfit, and let her know...in his own way.<br/><br/><b><i>“Heh. Thanks. I’m glad to see you’ve broadened your horizons.”</i></b><br/><br/>Nobody said anything about his horizons, but she looked so proud of him, that he couldn’t bring himself to correct her. (He was still picturing her naked.)<br/><br/>Dazz looked around the room for someone, and Bobby followed her gaze. <b><i>“So, a hot young bachelor like yourself can’t be here alone, can he?”</i></b><br/><br/>Though Bobby had actually an over-abundance of self-confidence (outwardly) most of the time, right now he saw that for what it was. “I’m gonna pretend you aren’t making fun of me, and just answer the question.” He looked around and saw AJ looking all out of place. “I’m with the ghostly looking girl over there. Another coworker. She’s kind of my assistant.”<br/><br/>At least in his eyes she was. He was supposed to be training her.<br/><br/>“Should I have her go fetch us some coffee?”<br/><br/><br/><br/>

Sam:

<b><i>"So, are you going to be like a junior high boy and just stand around or are you going to ask me to dance?"</i></b><br/><br/><i>Yeahbuhwha?</i> Samuel thought. She despised him, she loathed his way of life. And now she was requesting, nay, <i>ordering him </i>to come into close contact with her. <br/><br/>And right as she finished, the tempo of the music slowed. Contact was inevitable.<br/><br/>However, it would seem as though she was warming up to him. At least in Samuel's skewed vision she was. <br/><br/>"Well forgive my rudeness...." He said, extending his hand out to her, "Dr. Smith, may I have this dance?"

Callie:

Callie giggled delightedly at her parents' compliments, particularly her father's, and she beamed proudly at him after his words.<br/>Giggling, she grinned at her nanny "I'm not very graceful either." she giggled "Not like mummy or the other ladies here, but that'll change when I'm older, right?"<br/>She hoped anyway, she had noticed a distinct absence of brightly coloured plasters on grown-up ladies, which suggested that they were not prone to falling over or breaking things, so perhaps one day she would become more graceful.<br/><br/>Hearing her name, from someone other than the three adults she was standing beside, she blinked, looking up.<br/>Special food just for her? Her eyes widened with intrigue as she balanced herself on her tiptoes to peer at the tray and what was on it.<br/>Her mother had already given her consent, but Callie nodded anyway "Thank you very much." she said politely to the woman, dropping back down onto the soles of her feet and smiling pleasantly. She could remember her manners most of the time.

Wildchild:

<i>Ah, there we go... </i>Kyle thought as his super senses lead him directly to his employer, his employer's wife, his employer's daughter, and...<br/><br/>Wow.<br/><br/>Callie's new nanny. She was so breathtaking, so gorgeous, that Kyle was instantly smitten. Her hair was like <br/><br/>Wow. <br/><br/>He was staring, <i>SPEAK! SAY SOMETHING YOU IDIOT!</i><br/><br/>"Good evening, Sir.." Kyle finally said, addresses his boss, "I filed those samples you wanted, according to incubation period, as requested."<br/><br/>Being a lab assistant, by the way, meant Kyle got to do all kinds of things that most people would find grotesque. But he got to live in a castle, and the job paid very well.<br/><br/>Typical Kyle though, everyone else wanted to relax and have a good time and he was thinking about microbes.<br/><br/>"And don't we look b-a-utiful, this evening Lady Clarissa?" Kyle said, "Like a little princess..."

Tabby:

<b>"Dr. Smith, may I have this dance?" </b><br/><br/>Tabitha smiled politely and took Samuel's hand. "Why, I thought you'd never ask," she replied. She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. <br/><br/><i>If you want to have a good time sometimes you have to take initiative. Tonight, we're not soldiers, just remember that.</i><br/><br/>The dance did feel awkward at first. Eventually, she began to get the feel for things. Samuel wasn't the best dancer ever but at least he was trying. Hmph. This was just like junior high. Except, the boys in junior high didn't have a body like Samuel Guthrie. <br/><br/><i>Don't even begin to think like that! This man is the scum of the earth.</i><br/><br/>"So, what are you....er...we on the look out for tonight?" Tabitha asked.<br/><br/>

Omega Red:

Arkady knew this was a bad idea.<br/><br/>He had just dropped off the inferior to the mysterious presence at the warehouse. He knew his returning without the servant meant casting quite a large amount of suspicion on himself. However he also knew how incriminating that both of them disappearing would be. Besides, if he had really been done drinking, he wouldn't have been able to drive stick-shift all the way to the industrial area and back. He snapped to another servant and beckoned him over.<br/><br/>"Martini, three olives. <b>Dry</b>." he barked.

Tati:

Tatiana nodded in agreement with the Lady Emma. "But of course. Everything I have here is finger-food edible and kind to clothing. I will leave the tray here on this close table. If you need anything else. Please do not hesitate to send a servant to get me." The young server bowed her head and exscused herself. She did not want to intrude on a lovely night for these important people.<br/><br/>Winding her way through the crowd, Tati filled drinks and organized the servants with empty trays. People were consuming a little food, and a lot of drinks. She sighed at the spectacle of a loon trying to dance and insult a Princess. She winced at seeing one of her better servants drug out by that self-same Princess. Well, she would not be quite so harsh on him when she got him back.<br/><br/>A loud and harsh barking order caught her ears. Another disgusting drink order. And by the sounds of it, it wasn't his first. Tatiana shook her head. That was it. No more. She marchd right up and caught the servant by the arm. Glaring at the tall and imposing looking mutant, she shook her head agin. "No. No more for you. I am in charge of these people and you are not. And aren't you the man who has comandeered one of these already? Where is he?" She demanded to know.

Jean:

<b><i>“Well...at least you aren’t slapping me for them,” [Scott] said hopefully. “I’ll take that as a good sign.”</i></b><br/><br/>Jean didn’t need to use her gifts to read the way Scott was looking at her. She knew perfectly well what he was thinking on the surface, but she also knew that if she did pry into his mind that she would find that he was at least partially occupied as he always was. She knew he cared about her, but his thoughts never strayed far from his work.<br/><br/>She had made sure of that.<br/><br/>It made him an excellent soldier, one of the best, but when it came to time alone with him, it left her wanting… regretting. Sometimes she even gave back a little of what she stole and told him secrets that would never pass her lips.<br/><br/>Then she would take it all away again with the dawning of a new day. She had secretly restored and stripped away his memories so often, implanting false ones to replace what she had stolen, that she wasn’t sure she could ever put all the pieces of his mind back together if she ever so desired.<br/><br/><b><i>“Either way,” he said as his hand touched her shoulder. “You look fantastic.”</i></b><br/><br/>“Thank you,” she smiled at him, expertly blocking her own thoughts behind one of the many mental walls she had constructed. Reaching up, she followed through the motions of straightening the already perfect collar of his dress uniform. “You are looking quite fantastic yourself.”

Omega Red:

Arkady squinted and cracked his neck. This...little girl had made a demand of him. How cute, she asumed her authority. Very well, he would explain.<br/><br/>"Commandeer? You must mean...of course, I see how you are confused. I had asked the gentleman for assistance, I had lost my keys. As soon as we left the building, he bolted! I chased him for a good mile, but somehow, he slipped away from me. Now, if I could please address a far more courteous and less rebellious human servant than he was, I wish to order a drink. Or if you are in charge, maybe you can explain why you are allowed to dictate the drink limit."<br/><br/>He looked directly into her eyes, if Arkady had learned one thing from his business, it was that a good story was better than no story, and even more importantly, always be lucid, even when hammered beyond recognition.

Sam:

<i><b>"So, what are you....er...we on the look out for tonight?" </b></i><br/><br/>"Any activity that may be connected to enemies of the Empire," Samuel answered, "Although, only a fool would be brazen enough to send a spy amongst King Magnus and his court."<br/><br/>"This ballroom is filled with those that would fight in the name of the Empire, let alone Magnus himself." Samuel continued, "And his strength alone..."<br/><br/>He, making a fairly decent attempt, spun Tabitha under his arm. It had been wise of him to dance with her. It threw off those that thought he wasn't paying attention. Of course the way that black dress clung to her body was certainly a powerful distraction.<br/><br/>"It would be foolhardy, let's leave it at that."

Tati:

Tatiana crossed her arms in front of her. Like she believed that little story. "Ok, first, if that little story is true. You will still owe the king for losing one of his servants. And trust me, if I even doubt your story, we will go and have a little chat with Master Ramsey over there. Nice boy. Second, I may limit drink as I see fit in order to keep order. I can smell the alcohol on your breath from here. Now, if you would like a nice Fuzzy Navel, that I can provide for you."<br/><br/>She looked straight back into his eyes. Tati might be short, but she was no fool, and was not intimidated by the much taller man. There was only one man she answered to, and that was Mr.Creed. "If this does not please you, be my guest to go and repeat everything you have told me to my boss, Mr.Creed."

Creed:

As if on cue, he stepped in behind her and placed his enormous hands supportively on her shoulders. The sharp metal tips of his claws shone under the chandelier light. Her upper torso almost disappeared.<br/><br/>"We got a problem here, Tammy?", Creed said as he lowered his head nearer to hers. His eyes stared evenly at the drunken idiot she was trying to reason with. Though he said nothing to the man directly, it made him look a little like a lion stalking prey.

Tabby:

The spin was a nice touch. Guthrie turned out to be a good dancer. Tabitha hadn't expected him to be so deft on the dancefloor. <br/><br/><b>"It would be foolhardy, let's leave it at that." </b><br/><br/>His arrogance in this situation was almost entirely justified. There were enough powerful mutants in the room to take on practically any army that the humans could muster. <br/><br/>"True. Anyone foolish enough to try an attack on this event deserves to be crushed, no?" she asked sarcastically.<br/><br/>Maybe it was her own fault for opening him up to such a question. Tabitha should have known that some of Guthrie's patented tripe would be served up tonight and she had a feeling this was just the appetizer.

Kenny:

After watching Guthrie dancing with someone and doing a good job at it, Kenny started to think of something to impress Deefer here at this ball but felt a little scared but gave it a shot. "Um Deefer" he said "Do you want to.....um? I wanted to know if you would like to dance?" he said as he lowered his head down a bit.

Deefer:

Deefer was so caught up with her observations that it took a moment for Kenny's words to filter into her understanding. She blinked, looking over at him, uncharacteristically startled.<br/><br/>Deefer often had to remind herself that Kenny's shyness with people didn't interfere (or, shouldn't interfere) with his abilities as a soldier, though sometimes it still came as a surprise to hear one of her colleagues so hesitant.<br/>She brushed it aside. It wasn't very often that they came to one of these things, and she couldn't even remember the last time they'd danced together, maybe that was why he was nervous.<br/>It was a good idea though, dancing was the perfect way to circulate the room and keep an eye on everything.<br/><br/>"All right," she smiled, nodding "But I'm not very good." she added warningly.<br/>Her training meant she had enough co-ordination to not step on somebody's feet, but that was about the extent of her dancing ability - military training didn't exactly go hand in hand with a waltz.

[Fate]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 8 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kenny:

Kennys eye widen after Deefer agreed to dance with him and then went back to normal as he extended his hand out for Deefer to take and they began to dance to the music that was playing. "Thanks Deefer, don't worry I'm also a beginner as well" he said as he was holding her hand while they danced.

Warren:

Warren arrived to the ball. Being late didn't matter to him since he was held up by business. That's how he was most of the time now... business before fun. After receiving the kindly invitation he decided to attended. After all, who can think of a highly wealthy upper-class individual skipping a royalty ball?

He walked up the stairs as he heard his chauffeur pull out. His shiny dress shoes clicked with each step ascending the marble stairs. He was wearing a low button waist jacket with a ruby colored long tie and vest over a white shirt. His black slacks accented his long legs adding to his already tall height. He had his large metallic wings retracted into his back; he didn't see the need to cut two slits in his brand new five thousand dollar tuxedo. He could hear the musings of the ball as he drew closer to the huge doors.

He was greeted and entered the ballroom. Everything was heavily underway. People were chatting, dancing, eating, and the music was beautiful.

He strode over to the side and stood along the wall. He panned the room just searching amongst the crowd for various people. He saw a few photographers, people he'd rather avoid, and people he got along with. He saw many of his comrades: Kenny Orion dancing with Deefer Mallone, Anna, and Scott Summers, his long time friend, talking with Jean Grey.

He noticed Commander Guthrie dancing with Dr. Smith, then Dr. McCoy and his wife Emma. He exhaled a deep breath of air as images of his past life crept from his memories.

He quickly dismissed the thoughts as a waiter greeted him. He didn't bother to make eye contact let alone speak. He just grabbed a glass of champagne and dismissed him.

Homo-inferior garbage.

Sam:

"True. Anyone foolish enough to try an attack on this event deserves to be crushed, no?"

Ah, he was wondering when the outspoken pacifist side of Tabitha would rear it's...well formed and proportioned head.

Focus.

"It would be a grave mistake. That is all." Samuel countered, "Not only is SHIELD out in full force, but even the most...peaceminded of us...have such potent abilities...it would be foolish."

It was no secret that Dr. Tabitha Smith could create bombs as a part of her gift. Why such a impressive gift was given to someone so unwilling to use it was beyond him.

"Although, from a warrior's perspective...I'd have a great deal of respect for such a bold maneuver." He added, turning Tabitha again.

And I would take a great deal of pleasure in feeling his bones break in my hands.

Ali:

Ali probably should have seen through Bobby's compliment, but her mind was out of the gutter and thought he liked her dress as much as her bikini. Frowning playfully, she managed to be polite in her disappointment at his cost.

"Shoot."

Curious about his date, Ali left the joking alone and waited expectantly for Bobby to point out his date. Before he pointed her out, Bobby replied in a way that left the rock star insulted.

"I'm gonna pretend you aren't making fun of me, and just answer the question." What?! What the $@^% is that about? #%$^#^^%& ^%&## %$^....

Bobby's face was still turned away as he pointed out his date in the crowd. He didn't see the pissed off expression in its full force. But by the time he'd see it, she still wouldn't be happy by any means. She managed to minimize it to a glare. A raging rock star was not a good public face, and she and Bobby weren't alone here. She had to keep that in mind.

"Uh huh." She said finally when Bobby finished explaining his date. Ali's voice was stiff and unhappy. "You must do well. Two nice young co-workers. I thought freelance guys worked alone."

Her voice filled with forced cordiality, she answered him politely, before dropping her tone to a seething whisper.

"Yo, where do you get off thinkin' I'm out to bite you're freakin' head off? I wasn't making fun of you, y'know. I'm just being me with you, and you get all offended? I make a lot of jokes, but that was a serious question. Now you're all pissed and mopey. What the $%#@'s that about anyway?"

Her lips pursed, eyes narrowed, she wanted a good answer.

Tabby:

"It would be a grave mistake. That is all." Samuel countered, "Not only is SHIELD out in full force, but even the most...peaceminded of us...have such potent abilities...it would be foolish."

That one was directed for her. Yes, she was one of the more 'peaceminded' people, and yes her powers were highly destructive. You couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it. She was a doctor who was dedicated to peace and the abilities that she was born with were good for nothing but destruction. She couldn't heal someone with one of her timebombs. Within her was enough firepower to level a sizable chunk of the palace.

"Although, from a warrior's prespective...I'd have a great deal of respect for such a bold manuever."

He spun her around, continuing their dance. She had twirled and then come back, face to face, with Samuel.

"The warrior's perspective? Hm. From a doctor's perspective I'd have to mourn those that felt they have no resort other than bloodshed."

Deefer:

She took his hand, placing her other on his waist as they began to move, quite slowly, but at least in time to the music.

"Well I suppose we're quite evenly matched then." She smiled a little. For once... she added mentally.
Well, maybe that was cocky of her, it wasn't like she surpassed him in everything, far from it, it was just she knew she was better at some things, and she definitely got more recognition for what she did - she knew that was a sore spot for him, but she could never quite bring herself to feel guilty. It wasn't like it was her fault the commander chose to recognize her efforts more.

Omega Red:

Arkady looked Creed right in the eyes. Victor had not yet addressed him directly, so Arkady considered not answering. After all, seeming defensive was a sign of guilt. He took his time, and formed his own question instead.

"Is there a problem with requesting a drink? I apologize if it seems that I am at fault, little girl, but I have not done anything with your precious humans. However, if it would mend some wounds, I would accept your 'Fuzzy Navel' as an apology for harassing me."

Sam:

"The warrior's perspective? Hm. From a doctor's perspective I'd have to mourn those that felt they have no resort other than bloodshed."

What nonsense, no other resort...of course there was more than one option. You either fought or surrendered.

Sam decided the best route would be to answer simply. There was a quick change in the direction of their dancing, while a quick retort escaped his lips.

"You say that as if I have never mourned for anyone Doctor."

Tabby:

Tabitha was losing track of her dancing. She actually stepped on Guthrie's foot. He was starting to rile her up. He was remaining calm all the while keeping time and step with the music.

"You say that as if I have never mourned for anyone Doctor."

Was he twisting her words around? Once again, she stepped on his toe, rather ungracefully. This time however, it might have been slightly intentional.

"I'm sure you have mourned for someone. But I'll ask you this, do you know how many soldiers I've sewn back together only to get killed in battle not long there after?"

Really, the number was staggering. Such a waste of life. That fact didn't deter her however. Dr. Tabitha Smith was dedicated. Any soldier, any mutant for that matter, that came to her would receive the best of her medical abilities.

Bobby:

Nothing better for snapping you out of your pity party than having a pink haired rockstar rip you a new one. Bobby’s self-absorbed comment hadn’t really meant much to him when he said it. In fact, most of what Bobby said was classified under the self-absorbed category. He was already turned and making a joke about AJ fetching them some coffee when Ali spoke.

Though if he were being honest, he could feel the prickly stare at the back of his neck, and the heat of her glare on his skin...long before he turned. The other thing he noticed was his slip up about the co workers thing. He was going to turn back to her and come up with some half-baked explanation, when she made it clear she wasn’t happy.

"Yo, where do you get off thinkin' I'm out to bite you're freakin' head off? I wasn't making fun of you, y'know. I'm just being me with you, and you get all offended? I make a lot of jokes, but that was a serious question. Now you're all pissed and mopey. What the $%#@'s that about anyway?"

And the thing about it? Bobby really felt bad. Ali had been nothing but honest and friendly to him from the beginning. In fact...he didn’t have anyone in his life at all right now who met the description of honest or friendly. Tiffany was honest enough, but she was as far from friendly as you could get.

A pained look crossed over his face and he apologized with his eyes. “I was already mopey,” he tried to explain and then shook his head. “And not really offended...it’s ...” he sighed. “I really needed...” His eyes locked with hers and he hesitated. No more explanations, no more excuses, no more lies. Holding her gaze, Bobby just pursed his lips before saying, “I’m sorry.”


Cyke:

Though Scott did not know why exactly, a pang of sadness rang through his heart. It was a hollow and unheard sound and it filled his senses one moment, only to be gone the next. Jean had reached up and was smoothing out his collar. He wanted to grab her by the arms and get her attention. He wanted to shake her out of this and just then he wanted to leave all of this behind.

But he silenced his own thoughts as she spoke.

“You are looking quite fantastic yourself.”

She did love him, he was sure of it. His suspicion was that she was being pulled in too many directions at once. Where her ultimate loyalty lie wasn’t in question to him...and if he let himself dwell on it he would be both saddened and infuriated.

And then he’d probably wake up with no memory of ever having thought anything contrary.

“I don’t suppose two who are on duty like ourselves could spare time for a dance?” You look tired, Jean. Let me take you away for one dance.

Sapphire:

The gentleman...or young boy..seemed very content on watching the crowd. Samantha took in the last bite of the small brownie and lightly tapped her mouth with the beverage napkin. She looked around the table for a garbage can of sorts but found nothing and just placed the napkin in her small black purse. Can't be rude and just leave it on the table, although the thought had crossed her mind. Have another drink Sam why don't you. Soon you'll be dancing on the tables.

As Mr. Ramsey seemed preoccupied, the young feline mutant looked around the crowd again, just looking and trying to piece out who she may get some information from about the dissappearance of that waiter. Her eyes softly and unnoticeably scanned the room until her sapphire hues almost popped out of her head. That's him!

Keeping herself calm as not to alert anyone, especially telepaths, she noticed he was talking to a servant and she didn't look all that happy. Maybe she has some info went through the shape shifters mind as she began to stroll leasurly in their direction heading towards the bathrooms across the hall. Well at least she thought they were. If anything, she needed fresh air and some reassurance that this guy wouldn't take anyone else.

Upon passing, she heard he mumble something about not knowing the whereabouts and demanding another drink. Sam knew better and just kept walking until she reached a hallway and the door to a back patio. The door was unlocked and the mutant gladly opened the glass and walked outside. Her steps led to a cement pathway, but Sam's feet were killing her in the heels she agreed to wear. Although they accentuated her long ivory legs, they also were murder on the spine. Murder, get off the subject and take a walk. Lifting up one foot bending it behind, she reached and took off one shoe and repeated herself with the other. Without the strain of nylons, the feline placed her bare feet into the soft cooling grass. "Much better", she whispered beginning to walk the grounds in search of somewhere to just take a breather. An inviting cement bench with exquisite carvings down the legs came to Sam's attention and she headed in that direction. Once seated, the shoes dangled from their straps between her fingers. The hand with the shoes gripped the side of the seat letting the shoes and purse swing free while her other hand rested palm side down for balance.

Taking in the midnight air, the stars were shining a bit brighter tonight and skies were clear making this a very relaxing moment to a very nervous pussycat.

Gambit:

With his dark suit contrasting so sharply with the stark white walls, one would have thought it difficult for the priest to blend so easily into the background. Fortunate for him, it seemed that everyone was either too caught up the festivities to notice him, or too uncomfortable to approach him outside of the confines of the church. Whatever the reason he was grateful, but it didn’t relieve his own discomfort.

Telepaths. Although his mind was impenetrable, they made him nervous. As a priest, he held far too many secrets that the very idea that they could be discovered without anyone speaking a word set him on edge. He could see two of them now but they were soon forgotten when his dark eyes fell upon Anna. She was positively breathtaking.

Drawing his eyes away, he quickly retreated from the room before she could catch his eye. If he was lucky, she hadn’t seen him at all. Adjusting his collar again, he slipped out onto a nearby patio, the cool evening air refreshing him instantly. I had been silly to run away, but he could not be sure how she would act toward him even in a room full of people. It was best not to tempt… anything, really.

Taking a few deep breaths as he walked, his mind wandering, he suddenly found that he was not alone. Looking at the woman seated on the bench, he bowed slightly in greeting.

“Pardon de intrusion,” he apologised softly.


Sam:

Sam was no stranger to pain, but the assault on his feet caught him a bit off guard. He winced only slightly, and continued to dance.

"I'm sure you have mourned for someone. But I'll ask you this, do you know how many soldiers I've sewn back together only to get killed in battle not long there after?"

That was uncalled for. Of course he knew, he had to file reports on losses every day. It was only by the grace of his personality that he wasn't driven mad.

"Dr. Smith, do not lecture me on losses. Everyday, every little choice I make isn't so much 'Flank' or 'Pincer', it's 'Can I stand to lose another thousand troops?', or perhaps, 'If we survive this, how can we regroup before they attack again, and I lose more men?'"

It was true, few people ever realised that Samuel Guthrie's job was one of the hardest there was. Every choice he made could result in massive fatalities....or worse.

"I admire your passion, it's a rare trait that few possess...." He said, taking his gaze off her and scanning the floor. He was about to say something else, but his eye caught sight of something infuriating.

He was here. And talking to her.

"That priest..." He muttered "Damn him to hell..."

Sapphire:

It wasn’t long before she felt the presence of another individual coming outside towards her. First, she thought it was the man who apparently took the servant then so graciously denied it in front of what appeared to be head caretaker of ‘the kings’ slaves. The frustration had built up enough to make the young mutant leave the abode for a while and be where she honestly felt the safest, the most comfortable, and the most relaxation. The scent coming from the man was a familiar one and right away she recognized the voice.

“Pardon de intrusion,”

Her sapphire eyes met with deep red ones that some how entranced her being within the pools of crimson. They were a beautiful site, however, they were also very intimidating at the same time. Something about his looks gave an uneasy impression, almost as though he needed the fresh air as badly as she did. However, such questions would be rude and improper. Sam was sure he had a ton of secrets to keep withheld in his heart and having telepaths cross your way probably made a great headache in trying to avoid anyone prying in. She gave the priest a soft grin and leaned up somewhat patting the cold cement next to her.

“Please father, you could never be an intrusion. Would you like to join me? It’s such a beautiful night tonight.”

[Fate]

~~~~~ Page 9 ~~~~~~~

Father LeBeau:

She spoke with a familiarity that Remy did not feel, but this would not be the first time. She was most likely one of the visitors to his shadowy confessionals whose voice he had not heard enough yet to recognise. It hardly mattered beyond his own curiosity.

“Merci,” he replied, accepting the offer and seating himself on the other edge of the bench. For a moment he said nothing, just stared at the millions of stars clearly visible overhead, before a loud laugh from inside drew his attention to the lighted doorway he had left behind.

“Are y’ enjoyin’ de festivities?” he asked nodding his head toward the castle.

Sapphire:

The handsome priest took her offer and sat next to the young mutant with just as a smile as any man of the cloth could offer. She was a bit embarrassed at just how good looking the man was and took her thoughts back to the stars. Mustn't think that way with a father now Sam.

“Are y’ enjoyin’ de festivities?”

The feline glanced her focus to the door hearing the subtle sounds of laughter and conversation and then back to the priest.

“Not at all. I'm only here as a favor to my father. It's full of too much bureaucratic nonsense and military personnel, you'd think the place was about to be invaded or something. You seem a bit....disappointed father, were you expecting to see someone yourself?”

Tabitha Smith:

Guthrie mourning? Perhaps Tabitha had been too harsh in her judgements of him. Of course he would mourn the death of someone dear to him. But he went on trying to make it sound as if his waging a war was really that taxing for him. Tabitha didn't doubt he tried to spare the lives of his soldiers.

"I admire your passion, it's a rare trait that few posess"

Wow, that was a shocker. He admired her passion, not her cause. That was the difference. She was passionate in what she believed. That's what he admired, her dedication.

She was about to offer up a "thank you" and a similar compliment but he muttered "That priest..." but she didn't catch the rest.

Tabitha twisted slightly and craned her neck in the direction that Samuel was looking. Father LeBeau was talking with a stunning woman. "Father LeBeau? What about him?" Tabitha asked. "Who's that woman he's speaking with?"

Alison Blaire:

Ali was glaring daggers at the back of Bobby's head, waiting him to face her and explain himself. The intensity didn't change when he finally met her eyes. He didn't look happy either, but it was sadness, not anger, that he projected. His eyes spoke before he did, pleading for foigiveness. Ali wasn't ready to give it just yet.

"I was already mopey... And not really offended...it's..." Sigh. "I really needed..."

Bobby answered her in a small voice, the tone of which didn't fit him at all. At least, it didn't fit who she knew. She'd clicked with Bobby from the start, but his attitude made her think. She really didn't know him at all...

After his string of half-explanations and incomplete thoughts, his mouth fell closed. Resolutely, he looked her in the eye and stopped trying to explain himself. Quite simply, he answered.

"I'm sorry."

Ali's bright blue eyes weren't staring daggers anymore. She spent a long moment of silence, just staring at him as she made up her mind. She opened her mouth to speak, let out only a small sigh, then was quiet for a moment longer. Finally, she made her judgment. Her tone was genuine, not too serious, angry, or joking.

"I know you were already mopey. That's why I came over to cheer you up and you took it the wrong way. I don't appreciate that. But I guess you're more than just a goofball, and you're entitled to some bad days."

The corners of her lips began to turn upward into a smile.

"So...apology accepted. Now I still want you to cheer up. Just don't bite my head off this time."

Tatiana:

Tatiana grinned when she heard her boss come up behind her. Now he could hear for himself what was going on. And at least Tammy was better than Tootsie. She was prepared to answer him, when the lout in question called her a little girl and accused her of harassment. She hissed to herself and began to speak, but not so loudly as to alert the entire party.

"Exscuse me? Ok, listen here mister, One, I am not a little girl. Two, yes, you ARE responsible for losing one of the servants, he 'ran away' as you so kindly put it, when you were supposed to be watching him. I don't care for them so much as knowing the cost it will be to replace him! And under no circumstances have I been harassing you. There is something wrong with requesting a drink when you clearly have had too much already." Tati glared. "I will NOT be making any drinks, or any apologies. So there."

Victor Creed:

Creed chuckled softly and patted her on the shoulder. He gave the loser a smile that was almost sympathetic.

"Guess she told you, bub", he said with considerable amusement. "Y' been cut off."

Commander Guthrie:

He looked again. It wasn't Anna he was speaking with, it was some other woman. Blonde, black dress. She wasn't one of his troops, that was for sure.

Was he going mad? Had Anna driven him over the edge?

"That....priest....is on my watch list.." Samuel said shaking off his worry, "Nothing is more dangerous than a man in a white collar."

Religion, the great manipulator. Lebeau's very influence proved to be a nuisance, and his grip on Anna's affections was more irritating than that ever growing buzzing in his skull.

"I don't trust him."

Omega Red:

Arkady blinked for the first time the whole evening. He was not nervous, he did not blink when surprised. He was furiously rising from his chair. Standing at a stature of nearly seven feet tall, the alcohol he had been so graciously served earlier had completely left his system. He was not an angry drunk anymore. He was just plain head smashing angry. He also realized that the last thing this little girl wanted was a spectacle. He thrived on chaos and disorder. His voice was raised in an nonabrasive manner, but loud enough to create a hub-bub amongst the nearby guests.

"If I had been properly addressed, as I am accustomed to, I would know your name, little girl. However since the first assumption out of your small, delicate head was that I was inebriated, we never exchanged pleasantries. I called you as I would describe you, therefore, little girl." Arkady emphasized these words, with care to step a bit closer, in order to show the height difference between them. "And as for your worthless servant," Arkady reached into his pocket an pulled out a single gleaming coin from the sack he had been given, "something of far more value for your trouble."

He turned to leave, but then looked Victor Creed right in the eye. He smiled a bit more. He knew how to twist the knife even more.

"On the other hand, I have not met you. In my own ranting I have forgotten my manners. I am Arkady Rossovich," he stuck his hand out to shake, "master bounty hunter and bane of the rebel human. You must work for this little girl. Are you her bodyguard, or simply a trained monkey man?"

Bobby Drake:

Bobby would have never thought in a million years that his first real friend would be Ali Blaire. He listened to her as he grew up, and he knew she was a little older than he was. In fact, her posters were still all over his room. Most of them she had this real sexy kind of snarly thing going on, and she looked like she was all angry and stuff. Those posters were his best friends for many of his adolescent years.

And now she was standing in front of him and trying to decide if she was still pissed. She was giving that angry look to him in person, and even though it scared the crap out of him, he loved it!

At length she sighed. "I know you were already mopey. That's why I came over to cheer you up and you took it the wrong way. I don't appreciate that. But I guess you're more than just a goofball, and you're entitled to some bad days."

It occurred to him again that he was letting more of the real him show than he was really comfortable with. And that whole not being comfortable thing made him uncomfortable.

"So...apology accepted. Now I still want you to cheer up. Just don't bite my head off this time."

Still, the mood was set, and she was even kinda sorta smiling again. Bobby returned it. “What if I just nibble on your ear or something?” He held up his hands to ward off the expected attack. “Kidding!”

Not really.

Looking out at the dance floor he saw several people heading that way as the song changed to slower. Bobby spun in his chair and looked at her. “You look great tonight. I mean, you always look great, but...” His eyes admired the whole of her. “Tonight you are just...wow.”

He nodded over to the dance floor.

“Would it be bad press to dance with a fan?”

Victor Creed:

Rossovich was even dumber than he looked. His taunt did nothing more than add to Creed's amusement.

"Pretty girl like this", Creed said through his grin, "prob'ly find quite a few 'monkey men' with that dress." Creed scanned the room. There were enough soldiers to make the bounty hunter's life complicated fast if he decided to cause a problem here.

Not that it wouldn't be fun if he did.

"Nice outfit", Creed said with an appraising glance at Arkady. "They got those for men?"

Jean Grey:

Although his spoken words made her smile, the silent continuation made her hide a frown. Sometimes she felt that Scott was the only person who understood her, but she was quickly reminded that she was truly on her own.

“It would be quite cruel to expect us to show up in our finest attire yet stand on the sidelines while everyone else enjoyed themselves,” Jean replied. It was easy for the rest of SHIELD to take a break. There were no obvious problems that required their immediate attention that she had noticed. The telepath, though, was never off duty as it was the soldiers themselves that she was required to watch.

At least those that required it. Samuel Guthrie was never a problem. He didn’t need that extra push to ensure his loyalty. And then there was Warren Worthington, Jean thought as she saw him enter the room. At one time she had had to use her abilities on him to keep him in line, but now? The change had been disturbing to say the least.

A disturbance had broken out across the room between the catering staff and a party guest. Although they seemed to be handling him quite well, as she began to dance Jean reached out and touched upon the mind of Arkady Rossovich…

Alison Blaire:

"What if I just nibble on your ear or something?"

Immediately, Bobby's hands flew up to fend off the impending slap to the face. However, Ali was only shaking her head at him, laughing.

"Kidding? Yea huh..." Her tone was full of disbelief. "Not in your lifetime, hornball. Christ, you make me look good..."

Still laughing under her breath, she stepped back slightly to give Bobby room as he spun his seat toward her. When he spoke again, he seemed to have a fresh attitude. Complimentary, not mopey or overly sexual.

Sure, he's probably still picturing me naked when he says that, but whatever...

"Well, you clean up rather nicely yourself, Bobby." Grinning, Ali decided to take the compliment as genuine. Then, at his suggestion, she continued.

"Let's hit it then. Oh, but step on my toes and I'll kill you. Nothing personal, though."

[Gambit]

“Not at all. I'm only here as a favor to my father. It's full of too much bureaucratic nonsense and military personnel, you'd think the place was about to be invaded or something. You seem a bit....disappointed father, were you expecting to see someone yourself?”


Remy couldn’t help but chuckle at her blunt honesty.

“Even agents o’ SHIELD can’t be soldiers all de time,” he replied, although he wasn’t certain he believed his own words. Samuel Guthrie always seemed to be in the role of Commander, especially when it could benefit him personally.

“Disappointed? Non. Dere's a few people I hope t' talk t', but t’ be entirely honest,” he said with a secret smile, tilting his head toward her, “I ain’ exactly comfortable at dis type o’ event. Feelin’ quite outta m’ element.”

[meltdown]

"I don't trust him."

That was a bit peculiar, but Father LeBeau was in a position of power. He'd hear all kinds of confessions. If he was any sort of proper priest he'd leave those confessions between him and God.

"I have to confess, I've never gone to seek absolution from him myself," Tabitha said.

In fact, Tabitha had never gone to seek absolution ever. Sure she was open to the idea of religion but she wasn't entirely convinced.

[Bobby Drake]

"Kidding? Yea huh..." Dazz said in a voice that didn’t really say much in the way of believing him. "Not in your lifetime, hornball. Christ, you make me look good..."

Somehow from the time the words left her lips to the moment it touched the inner sanctum of Bobby D’s ears, that turned into a compliment. Because her lips said non non, but her mouth? She said oui.

And so while she checked him out in his spiffy looking blue and white button up, Bobby got up and held his arms out, spinning so that she could get the whole effect and check out his butt and all that. Chicks totally did that stuff! He heard them talking in the cubicles all the time at work!

Well...not about him...

"Well, you clean up rather nicely yourself, Bobby."

It occurred to him that she had really only seen him that one other time, and more than half that time he was only in his jeans. But still, he beamed at the compliment. It meant more to him than she would probably ever know.

"Let's hit it then,” she said about the dancing. “Oh, but step on my toes and I'll kill you. Nothing personal, though."

From bumming to beaming in no time, Bobby D held out his arm for the whole escort thang. “I’m too scared of you to even try,” he said with a grin. Passing by the military, Bobby checked out the serious dudes for a minute. Especially that Commander dude. Looked like he had rotten lemons up his butt.

And as that image haunted his brain, they hit the dancefloor. The lights were lower, the music louder, and Bobby felt like the luckiest guy ever to walk the face of the planet as he turned to his partner. For once he did the right thing:

He didn’t talk.

Hands lightly on her warm waist, he pulled her closer, moving slowly to the music.

[dazz]

The insults resolved, Ali was happy again to finally see her plan working. Bobby had been so sad-looking before, now he was grinning from ear to ear. Standing from his seat with a flourish, spinning around so she had a full view of all his assets. Laughing good-naturedly at the gesture, all she could think of was I'm suprised he didn't wiggle his ass or something...

Placing a hand on his offered arm, Ali let him lead her onto the dance floor. He did surprising well at the show of class, only making one comment to which she nodded.

"I'm too scared of you to even try."

"Excellent. Reasonable caution."

Getting her own last joke from her system, she walked with Bobby onto the dance floor, past the highest members of society, celebrities, socialites, scientists and military. Ali didn't really care to look around at the other dancers. Instead, she left her focus on Bobby as he placed his hands on her waist lightly and without a word. Her brows raised, surprised. This was an amazing chance for him to cop a feel or make some gutterminded comment, but he didn't say a word to ruin the semi-serious moment. Shrugging it off, again she thought of how much she didn't yet know him. Still, she liked his company, and Ali stopped thinking so much and they began to dance. Bobby was surprisingly graceful.

[scott]

“It would be quite cruel to expect us to show up in our finest attire yet stand on the sidelines while everyone else enjoyed themselves,” Jean said in what came off as somewhat of a cold kind of tone. It reminded Scott that maybe he was losing his mind after all.

Whatever it was that he thought he knew, he didn’t. There was no life, no love. He really was all alone in this.

Scott nodded, noticing that Jean was already focusing her attention elsewhere. His jaw tightened a little and he couldn’t quite keep the anger out of his heart. But he did manage to not let it do much more than smolder.

And so he was where he forever would be.

Words were failing him.

“On second thought,” he said somewhat stiffly, “duty always does supersede pleasure.” He looked at her a moment and then bowed, brushing past her and toward the crowd and carefully guarding his thoughts.