Eberron felt like a rag doll. Having been led around, left. Talked at by someone else, offered food... It was all a bit mad really. Unused to quite this degree of hustle and bustle, he placed himself in a corner and glanced around at the people here. They seemed friendly enough... Although the sudden drop in light had caused him to panic slightly and knock into somebody in the dark... he thought. It was hard to tell. It could just as easily been a table or... Passing away such thoughts, Eberron decided he would eat just a few more rocks... then he could pass amongst people. Smile and laugh and make jokes about... hmm. He wasn't really sure what to talk or joke about. Maybe if he listened to people's conversations he would get an idea... Sitting up in shock when he heard someone talking about killing, Eberron began to feel his limbs shivering slightly. Suppressing a little squeak of anxiety, he calmed himself down while crunching into yet another rock from his bag. It was probably just some bizarre joke that he didn't understand. He wasn't used to these 'party' things yet. Maybe that's what people did at parties. Pulling himself together, Eberron moved back towards the crowds of people and looked around for some food. His grin grew wider as he began his favourite activity, searching for rocks... Approaching the woman who had appeared in so dramatic a fashion that seemed to be in charge of the 'party'. His grin fading to a shy smile, he waved in what was meant to be a discreet way. Unfortunately his goronic hands made this rather more difficult then expected. Ignoring the burning feeling that moved along his face he moved towards the host and, unsure how to great her, bowed slightly.

"Umm.. hello. This is a nice... party. Excuse me, but is there food I could try here?"

Zeze gave a friendly grin as she saw Shada walk towards her. She couldn't help but be dazzled by the vibrant beauty of the girl, just full of life. Zeze flattered herself that she and Shada were rather alike, preferring to live the life of joy and basically, that of a hedonist. But then again, she might have just been presumptuous, as she didn't really know Shada that well. The Bard was about to offer her some wine when she realized that the refreshment platter had been set somewhere else during the blackout scare. However, it seemed that Shada already knew what she wanted.

"Beer?"

She looked doubtfully at Shada at the killing part, then back towards the group of three hanging out by the refreshment table. She looked back and fro hesitantly, wondering if some catfight was inevitable. However, it became an abstract and ridiculous idea as she saw Shada's charming smile. Being an optimist, she saw the best in everyone, and couldn't imagine anything literal in the killing that the Sheikah had mentioned. Linking arms with her, the Bard led her to the cellar. She explained,

"I rather wanted this to be a sophisticated dinner party type of thing, so I wasn't going to get the beer out...but since you insist, of course I can't refuse."

She walked down the long, winding steps leading to the musty underground room. The cellar smelled damply of moist wood and some type of fungi. Zeze began to search for the beer, muttering to herself, "I know I saw it somewhere...been abandoned for awhile...might be rotten, for all I know..." She went through several more boxes until she found what she was looking for. With an exclamation of satisfaction, she withdrew a very, very dusty bottle of what appeared to be very pale yellow liquid. She beamed,

"Here it is, Shada! Look, it's antique. The more ancient the beer the better, isn't it? We go high class all the way, darling. There's more in that box there, if you'd like. Knock yourself out! Now...I need to go and attend to my guests."

She winked, and handed the large bottle to Shada. After she had climbed the extremely long hike back towards the party room, she made her way through the revelers. Spotting the musicians who were chilling around, she clapped her hands loudly. Immediately, they fell into action, strumming and plucking at strings with ethereal delicacy.

Sakiko's ears perked up at the music. Her face blushed immediately at the thought that had just popped into her head. Should I ask him to dance? No...he doesn't seem to be much of a dancer, and I'm not either. She glanced at Arrika, who had already made her first move. She scrunched up her eyebrows in despair; the pressure was on! Let the best woman win...? She darted her hand to the table, swishing down a glass of wine to calm her nerves. Rejection already looming before her like the grin of death itself, she asked with a shrill voice,

"Alpha, you me dance yes?"

She wiped her clammy hands on her dress, her head hung down as if she had already been refused. Of course, why in the world would he say yes? Her face was burning a crimson red, biting her lips nervously.

Meanwhile, Zeze noticed the very...large movements of Eberron. (Ooc: I wasn't sure if you meant Zeze or Sakiko...^o^;) She smiled gently to see that Eberron was...blushing? Zeze felt an immediate like to this simple Goron, and grabbed his hand in a friendly manner.

"Food? Of course. Come right this way."

She walked briskly to the kitchen area; in all honesty, she hadn't expected any Gorons in the party, and therefore didn't put out the gourmet rocks on the refreshment table. Zeze opened the stove, where some rocks had been kept warm.

"Here you are, darling. Enjoy yourself. And afterwards, perhaps you'd like a dance?"

She winked, and slunk out of the kitchen.

ooc: I meant Zeze. So good guess!

IC: If Eberron had been red before, he was slowly turning scarlet now. He REALLY wasn't used to somebody grabbing his hand... finding himself being led into the kitchen, he was just beginning to get used to the idea of someone being this friendly when first meeting when he was suddenly attacked by another new sensation. Someone was offering him food. He always offered someone else food but... someone... was offering... Eberron sat there speechless and watched as the stove was opened revealing the warm rocks. Standing with his mouth slightly open, Eberron shut it in case he started drooling. He wanted to tell her thank you, to say that he'd never been so honoured to receive such a gift. Unfortunately all that came out was a barely audible

"eep."

Zeze then said something and left him to eat. Eberron barely heard her, his face was a huge set grin. As soon as she had gone he sat himself down calmly, reached across and shoved a whole rock into his mouth. Making happy mumbling noises as he crunched down. This was fantastic. After finishing the second, he stopped. A memory... Suddenly remembering that she had spoken to him before she left, Eberron thought back to what he had just heard.

"Here you are, darling. Enjoy yourself. And afterwards, perhaps you'd like a dance?"

She'd winked as well.

"AHHHH!"

Eberron leapt up, all nerves and confused emotions. Pacing back and forth he began to talk quietly to himself.

"Ok so first, darling... I have no idea what that means, but she sounded like... and dancing is... I don't know what dancing is and... AGHHHH!"

Calming himself down, Eberron decided that he had only one choice. To eat his rocks.
Sitting down he did so.

"Ok... good rocks now... OH WHAT IS DANCING!"

Pacing back and forth once again, Eberron finally stopped and shook his head. Now was not the time. This was a party, have fun... and parties were fun things, which would suggest that dancing was also fun so... Looking back out of the kitchen area, Eberron marched back into the crowd and gazed around... if he stayed quiet, perhaps he would see people doing something and recognise it as a dance....

Keychain was huddled in the corner. A scowl was on her face. She didn't like parties. Especially when the lights kept going off. Aqua, however, was going around chattering with people as well as doing some wild jig that made her look funny, but she didn't mind. Aqua was one of those spontaneous people that had enough energy for two people. And that's what she was doing at the party.

"You're being ridiculous," Aqua said as she sat next to Keychain. The girl gazed at her shortly before turning her attention back to the crowd of people. "How about we get you out on the dance floor?"

"I don't think so," grumbled Keychain.

"Oh, but, Key--"

"I. Don't. Think. So." This time Keychain growled her words. Glaring at her friend, she said, "I told you, I do not want to be here. Parties are not my thing. I can't . . . mingle well with people. Dances, talking, anything like that. You of all people should know that."

"I know, I know. But you should at least get something to eat. I can hear your stomach rumbling across the room. Come on, I will get some food with you." Aqua stood up on her feet, slapping Keychain's arm playfully.

"I just saw you eat!" accused Keychain. The tall girl grinned. Feeling herself losing the battle quickly, Key sighed. Standing up, she mumbled, "Alright, alright. Let's--" Aqua yanked her arm before she could finish, leaving Keychain in a squeaking mess.

Ooc: Since it's a basically free-to-do topic, it's ok if you bring out dead people or new NPCs etc... yes, I just said that for my own convenience... hahahah....

IC:

One of the few guests had been Masakazu, the twin brother of Zeze. His shaggy black hair jutted out all over the place, spilling over his face and covering part of his ears. He was dressed in a black tux, and the only colors on his outfit that wasn't black were his green eyes and a silver earring dangling on his left ear. He would've appeared to be a tall figure had he not slouched over and leaned against the wall.

He had been sipping on his vodka with an interested look in his face, staring at everyone at the party. He glanced at Sakiko, who was now asking Alpha for a dance. Masakazu felt a pang of jealousy, his eyes narrowed. Since when was she a passionate fan girl of his? Masa sighed, knowing that his feelings were futile. And besides, he really wanted this whole thing to work out for her...the party. He scanned the room, looking for anything he could help with.

He noticed a girl being dragged by another taller girl, and obviously, she didn't look like she was enjoying herself. Masa strode over to Keychain, and bowed slightly.

"Why would a beautiful girl as yourself have such a frown on your face?"

He put out his hand, smiling charmingly.

"Come, everyone is dancing. Would you do me the honor?"

_________

Zeze had just come out of the kitchen and was about to join the musicians when she heard a series of yelling. She peered inside the warm kitchen with a surprised look on her face, wondering if anything was wrong. A mischievous smile crept into her face as she saw Eberron's crisis. She had merely mentioned the dancing to be amusing, but she hadn't expected him to take it so seriously. Well, it had all turned out to be interesting...

She was about to go and engage him into a conversation when he came out himself and started to look around. Zeze strode up to him, her high heels making loud click clacks on the floor. She held out her hand, raising her eyebrows with a large grin.

"I'll teach you...a classic waltz, maybe? Just don't step on my foot...I plan on being a fabulous walker until I'm dead, ya know?"

Eberron physically fell back and stared up at the offered hand. He felt himself flushing with embarrassment. How much more stupid could he look, talking to himself, falling over and...

"I'm sorry, I'm new here I mean really new, not just new new, but proper new, I don't really know much about everything I didn't even know what a party was before but I don't know what dancing is really, it's I think umm I..."

Suddenly Eberron stopped. A new look swept over him and he gulped slightly. A far away look entered his eye and he lifted himself up briskly. Standing at his full height and stepping forward with an ease of foot that surprised him, Eberron realised he was fighting. Not literally but... it felt like he did when he fought... more confident, capable... not the clumy oaf that... No NO! There it was again... ignore that. Shutting it off as deep as he could, Eberron looked directly at the hand of the kind person whose name he had not yet even asked. Taking it as gently as he possibly could in his own enormous palm, he smiled at her and began to speak.

"Sorry. I get like that. Where were we... Ah yes. If you'd show me this dance? I don't think I know your name... I'm Eberron. And I don't step on feet when I don't want to."

Eberron grinned cheerfully and decided maybe this was what parties were for, making you stronger.

So far, the party seemed fine, no problems, people, even those like Alpha, were enjoying themselves, and hey, Kasei even found himself a pudding cup to eat up, he didn't have the chance to have one of them very often. So, after having himself some vanilla-flavored goodness, Kasei decided to wander a bit around the party.

He glanced around. I'm one hundred and twenty five years old, where can I find a dance partner that not only looks halfway decent, and also doesn't instantly make me Hyrule's greatest pedophile? He wondered with his eyes glaring at his feet as he trotted around.

Aside from Kasei, others were showing up out of the blue to the party. Aria had come along for the fun of it, and behind her, she dragged Denkou and Jack, two entities one would think could never appear in a party. Denkou, being the thief he was, would not be trusted. And Jack, with his frozen personality, mask, and the general unease people had around him, could turn good parties sour fast.

Today though, the two of them seemed well-behaved, perhaps because if they weren't, Aria would slaughter the both of them. So, while she went off to have sweets, the two of them began to mingle in the darkness and quick re-lighting. Denkou first instantly made a beeline over to where Shada was, and smiled widely as he bowed low. "We meet again, miss Shada." He said.

Jack, on the other hand, seemed to almost float past the party-goers without being noticed, until he found himself behind Keychain and Aqua. "Good evening to you two." He greeted them with his chilling voice.

Back to Kasei, who was still wandering about. After minutes of wondering what to do about the lack of a dance partner, he found his head suddenly hit something very soft, and looked up, to find that his face was buried in a rather, well endowed pare of breasts. "Silva." He said muffled. "I didn't know you were coming to the party." A squeal of glee escaped the Gerudo's mouth as she hugged Kasei tightly. "It's been a while, 'Rebel Flame', care to have a dance?" She questioned.

Kasei stepped back and admired the gerudo in full. She wore a rather nice Arabian-esque dress with rubies around the trim, and large gold bracelets. It was cut so that her belly was exposed as was a large portion of her chest. He hair was in a long ponytail that ran down her back. Kasei just smiled. "You know, I was wondering about that very same thing."

And dance they did.

OOC: I think that's everyone who would possibly show up >>;

Instantly, Keychain's blue orbs for eyes became the size of saucers. Colors from pink to dark red scattered across her face. "Um, well, you see, uh--well--er....Hi." If she wasn't in front of the guy at the guy at the moment, she would have banged her head on the nearest available cool surface. Her face felt like it was on fire.

It didn't help when Jake suddenly appeared behind her. A shiver went up her spine, and it wasn't one that she liked so much. Her eyes flickered behind her shortly before turning to Masakazu in front of her. "Well, I'm not sure if I'm the girl you should be asking. Maybe my friend here---" Keychain went to gesture to Aqua, but the girl was gone. Looking around for her, the red head got a glimpse of her moving around the crowd, looking for some drink that was filled with alcohol. Keychain gritted her teeth. I am going to kill her when I get the chance, she thought stubbornly to herself.

Snapping her attention to the young man, she mumbled something that couldn't be heard. She knew that as she cleared her throat. "I, uh, don't dance." That was a lie. Keychain knew how to dance very well from her father. He said one day it would come in handy, on the day she realized who she would be with forever, on her wedding day.

But here was one place she wasn't going to be showing off her skill.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but I don't dance, not at all. I don't even know why I'm here." She stepped back, bumping into Jack oh so slightly. A gasp came from her throat. "Sorry! I'm truly sorry. I--I really should just get going." Being so well on her feet made it look odd when she placed one in the way of the other and ended up toppling to the ground.

Where was Aqua when Keychain needed her?

Shada grinned at Zapheta as she handed over the bottle of beer. "Oh yes, thank you. This should be perfect!" she replied with a giggle as the host headed back to her party. But once Zeze had vanished her expression grew serious - far more serious than it normally was. In one swift motion she popped the cap and looked down at the pale yellow liquid. Tilting her head back, she brought the drink to her lips and -

Stopped right there, a sudden idea mixing with a memory she had from Kasei's party . . .

* * *

The music lightened the atmosphere of the party somewhat considerably, causing Alpha's last lingering questions about the earlier blackout to vanish into the folds of his mind. He glanced over at the band, searching for . . . okay, no flutes that he could see. That meant that he could enjoy himself without memories flaring up to bring him back to earth. Heh, he had to smirk at that one - enjoy himself? What a laughable thought--

"Alpha, you me dance yes?"

He blinked more than once as the high voice of Sakiko flew past his ears; he had to replay the message in his mind just to make sure he had heard her correctly. 'Is she serious?' he asked himself as he turned to glance at the girl, already trying to figure out how best to say no; dancing was far from his .

He stopped himself, though, upon seeing the dejected look on her face. She had already resigned herself to rejection, blushing as she waited for the reply she knew was coming. So what? a part of him asked, encouraging him to go right ahead and decline the offer - that was the most reasonable option, seeing as he had no reason or desire for some triviality like dancing.

But the part of him that hated to see innocent people upset and in pain was the stronger, and was already reaching out his hand to take her own. "Sure, why not?" he finally replied once he'd realized there was no fighting it.

Masakazu stifled a chuckle, his eyes twinkling. He knelt by the fallen girl, and gently grabbed hold of her wrists to help her stand up. He supposed that asking for a dance once again was out of the question. Instead, he held out his arm for her to take and asked in a playful voice,

“Shall we head over to replenish ourselves, milady?”

_____________________

Zeze beamed when Eberron took her hand and began to introduce himself. She squeezed the large hand and said cheerily,

“M’name’s Zapheta, but call me Zeze, if you please. Wait, listen…”

She craned her neck towards the musicians, her eyes half closed. The Bard nodded her head in tune to the beat, and turned her head towards Eberron.

“OK, so it’s like this…mirror my move, m’dear…one, two, and three, one, two, and three…”

She began to move her foot slowly, first left, then right, then left again. She guided Eberron’s other hand to her waist and placed her own on his shoulder. All the while, she kept whispering the rhythm patiently, although they were briefly interrupted by laughter once in awhile.

__________

Sakiko’s eyes almost bulged out of her head, almost boring a hole into Alpha’s face. A long, silent moment passed as she swallowed drily, wondering what to do next. She had been so consumed in the idea of rejection that she had forgotten the fact that music itself was a thing of another dimension.

“Uh…um…thank you.”

She awkwardly stammered out a few sounds, and hesitantly put her palm on top of his. She began to walk towards the dance floor, her face burning as if on fire. What do I do…?! I am so stupid! Stupid! And idiot! Sakiko coughed lightly to suppress the awkwardness welling inside her , and began to move her legs. She squinted, catching the sight of Zeze dancing with Eberron. The Mage tried to mimic her friend’s moves as best as she could, but still as stiff as a tree. The blush from her face traveled down to her shoulders as she realized that she was holding Alpha’s hand and they were extremely close together. She had forgotten the intimacy of a dance, and with that embarrassing thought, began to stumble and twist over her own feet.

“Ah..sorry….”

OOC: I am deeply afraid of Shada’s evil plan….

OoC: Oh no you di-in't, Saki! I would have never expected such behavior from you! *gasp* ...doesn't this bring up memories of 'the slug'?

IC: Arrika felt heat rise to her face as Alpha's hand momentarily closed on her wrist in the dark. The moment was over too soon, the electric feeling of skin touching a mere fleeting sensation.

"Saki!" she called out to her friend, the appearance of the solitary mage enough to take her mind off Alpha. "I missed you so-" Just as she moved forward to embrace Sakiko, the pale mage girl did something the thief could never have foreseen-

"Alpha, you me dance yes?"

Hah, he'll turn her down, there's no way-

"Sure, why not?"

The thief's eyes widened in shock as she tried to comprehend the situation. And was she just imagining it, or did Saki even throw a snotty, triumphant look back at her? Her hand drifted down to the dagger strapped to her thigh under her dress, but she forced the violent thoughts away. It was just a dance, right? It didn't mean anything, did it?

With a practiced look she observed Sakiko's body language. The usually perfect, porcelain skin looked as if it had been dyed with tomatoes from the degree to which she was blushing. Her body was bent at a somewhat awkward angle, pulling away from close contact yet uncontrollably drawn closer. She was clearly overjoying holding the Sheikah man's hand. And relishing it. Was she still throwing Arrika dirty looks? No- Yes- Maybe?

"I hope she trips!" Arrika snarled under her breath. Her best friend knew how she thought of Alpha. This was like a stab to the back. Well, not really to the back. More of to the front. A slashing of the eyes. A slitting of the throat. Her hand twitched to the dagger on her thigh again, and with a quick motion whipped it out and plunged it deep into the banquet table beside her.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to exhale calmly. No. Violence was not the answer. Her temper was getting the better of her. She resolved to get back at Saki- but how?

A pale man drifting by the tables with a melancholy expression on his face caught her eye. Despite Saki's cold nature, Arrika knew she was a sucker for handsome men. And this one was incomparably the most handsome in the room! Each of his movements were smooth, swift, and graceful... almost as if he were gliding across the floor instead of walking. He had light golden hair tied back at his neck, and wore a fine greatcoat, with ruffles at the sleeves. The buckles on his boots shone as brightly as his hair, and every part of him was as impeccable as a model.

"I'd stay away from him if I were you."

A droll voice painfully drew her attention away from the man. "Seth? What are you doing here-"

"-you think I'd pass up on free food?" The young thief replied swiftly. "And a pickpocketing extravaganza?" He had somehow managed to scrounge up an ill-fitting suit at least three sizes too big, and he had rolled up the sleeves and pant legs many times to keep them out of the way. He looked back at the beautiful man almost lazily- he was picking up too many of Kobas' habits. "Like I said. Stay away from him."

Arrika raised an eyebrow. "And why would I ever do that?"

Seth fell silent, losing his sanguine demeanor for a moment. Something passed in his clairvoyant eyes. "There's just something... wrong..."

Arrika scoffed and left him. "Hello, would you like to dance?" she asked the man, proud of the lack of tremolo in her voice. Unlike Saki, she sounded confident. Didn't men like that?

The downcast expression on his face disappeared, replaced by a sly, calculating one that threw her off completely. She drew back on instinct, but he reached forward and grabbed her hand.

A rush of music filled her ears, drowning out the sounds of the party and the band already playing. It was loud and overbearing at first, but a simple melody broke through the chaos- one of a piano, with a simple melody that nearly made her fall to her knees. All of a sudden all that mattered in the world was that song, and the man, and she wanted to dance with him and never stop-

"-Excuse me dearie, hope you don't mind-" A large woman in a pink silk dress had bustled over and pulled the man away and towards her.

He dropped her hand, and all in a matter of two seconds cast the large woman a venomous look, replaced it with a cordial half-smile, and threw Arrika a look one would give to a dirty, cast-off sock. He and the woman glided away, leaving her behind.

Arrika reached for her dagger, wrenched it out of the table, and stabbed it into the wood again. A few people gave her curious looks but went on to mind their own business.

"I saved you."

"Shut up, Seth! Are you saying you made me lose him to that elephant?!"

"Better her than you."

"I. Hate. You!"

"Not for long..."

The female thief scanned the crowd, craning her neck for some sign of the ethereal man and the fat woman. They had disappeared.

"Seth..." she growled. "What's going on?"

"A lot of things. I'd leave this mansion while you can."

Across the hall, Kasei and Silva danced. Quite wonderfully they danced too, for one of Kasei's... age.

As Keychain tumbled to the ground, possibly into a somewhat undignified position, her foot brushed one of the tapestries against the wall, and a rush of cold air hit her. The kind of rush one gets from an open door. Now Keychain had two options- to continue one with the party and pretend she hadn't discovered a secret passage, or explore.

OoC: I, personally, prefer the second option...

Ooc: Sakiko is a sucker for hot men? hahahaha.... my curry tone: I saw a mushed up slug on the pathway of my front yard the other day...and was reminded once again of how disgusting these slimy creatures tend to be. Normal tone: don't reminndd mmeee!!!!!!! GRRR!!

but I have to admit that the atmosphere was pretty tense those days... and static electricity sparking off everywhere. And all for a slug. A SLUG!!!

Again, my feminine charm...wasted... T_T...just watch me run out one day and grown a beard. O__o

IC:

Sakiko peered over Alpha's shoulder, glancing at Arrika who had spite and anger written all over her face. The Sheikah had resorted to venting her frustration by stabbing at the very innocent table beside her; the Mage was rather glad that it wasn't her throat...However, she couldn't help but give a slight smirk; that's what you get for throwing yourself on Alpha...because I can charm with sophistication... With this thought, her confidence was boosted slightly.

The pale girl slid her hands further down Alpha's shoulder so that her wrist rested lightly and close to his neck. She felt rather malicious, but Arrika had always been the charmer of men, and it was quite satisfactory to have the situation switched.

___________

Keychain's discovery was entirely unknown to Masakazu. He held out his arm with undying patience, and the cold swish of invisible wind sweeping across the girl's face and hair was unseen, unheard, and unnoticed by the young man.

Where Keychain's foot had disturbed the tapestry that hung on the wall, the bit of rich and heavy cloth was skewed sideways to reveal part of a vast opening. The slightly dusty decoration depicted a grand painting of beautiful women, kneeling and standing in a circle with a young man in the center. His face was that of ethereal beauty, his arm pointing to the sky, and the other caressing the hand of one of his many companions. It was just as any other painting, but the most notable of the spectacle was that there appeared to be a small black gap in the wall where the corner of the tapestry had been, and if one could push the cloth aside a bit more...?

Keychain's face was bright red. How clumsy of her! If only she wasn't so embarrassed, she would have gotten up herself and strolled away from Masakazu without even looking back. But she didn't. That would be rude of her. Instead she allowed her arm to link with his, nodding her head. Maybe if she kept her mouth full of food, she would be able to not need to keep a conversation up.

Her legs felt cold. Colder than what they have been the whole evening. Glancing behind her with a frown plastered on her face, she saw the small black hole in the wall. Interested, she thought about ditching Masakazu to find where Aqua was so they could both look more closely. Or maybe she could talk to Masakazu about the small passageway.

But then again, it was an old house, by most guesses. It could have been there for years, undisturbed. Keychain wasn't going to take any chances alone. She glanced at Masakazu. "Um, uh. Oh dear, I don't know your name. How rude of me, I should have asked in the first place."

Aqua was having a blast. And she didn't even need anyone to dance with. When someone asked why, she would wave her arms and say, "Bah! Who needs men when they're so short!?" Considering that Aqua was above the average height for both men and women, she could barely be paired up with any kind of men at all. She pushed herself through the crowd at first, but then decided to start dancing with the crowd.

She was getting into it. But she was starting to get bored. Everything seemed so stiff. Moving through the crowd, a grin formed on her face. Aqua went up to the nearest couple dancing and screamed. They jumped, glaring at her darkly. Grinning a toothy grin, Aqua moved away from them.

"ENJOY THE PARTY!" she screamed at the next two people she ran into. She yelled so loud that time that Keychain heard her. Resting her head on Masakazu's shoulder, she groaned lightly. Just once did she want Aqua to be the least bit normal.

Eberron felt himself turning red once again, despite his efforts to do otherwise... This... what had she called it? Waltz? Was far more... close. Then he had imagined. Still, he was doing surprisingly well for someone who had never heard of a dance but a moment or so ago... So intent was he on following the steps and not stepping on feet that Eberron's movements were becoming almost robotic. Chiding himself, and noticing the fluid way that Zeze moved around, Eberron began to try and get a more natural rhythm to his movement.

"Hey! I'm doing it, I'm..."

Eberron opened his eyes wide, smiling as he began to feel more comfortable and confident in his movements. Unfortunately, all good things would come to an end. Suddenly taking a wrong step, Eberron moved to correct it and ended up tripping over his own leg. Falling flat on his back and almost taking Zeze down with him he sat there like a turtle flipped over. Staring up at Zeze with an shocked look on his face, Eberron tried to think of something to say.

"Hi."

Unable to contain himself, Eberron's shocked face turned to smile, and then a grin. Pretty soon he was laughing uncontrollably, clutching his stomach. He didn't know why it was so funny. It just was. Wiping a tear from his eye he pulled himself up and faced her still giggling slightly.

"heh... Sorry. hehe... I umm... Yeah. Giggles."

Holding out his hand again he calmed himself down, a friendly smile showing on his face.

"Maybe no more dancing for a bit. Might be safer. Perhaps we could go back out of this kitchen?"

Shada at last emerged from the cellar, far from the drunken state she had expected to be returning in. In one hand she held the bottle of beer that Zeze had handed to her minutes before, and her grin was all the wider as she reveled in her 'evil plan'.

* * *

The current dance was a slow one, but Alpha still found himself shuffling his feet as he tried to pick up the rhythm and fall into tune with it. As he'd known beforehand, this was far from his forte; not only did he tend to avoid social situations, but his lifelong revulsion towards flutes had lent itself towards dashing any chance he might have had of becoming musically inclined. One of these days he might need to fix that, he thought for a second; Victor knew some pretty powerful songs that could prove useful in battle . . .

His partner, the silver haired Sakiko, abruptly tumbled forward; her stance had been far too stiff, he realized belated, so it really had been only a matter of time before she fell. Instinctively his hand slid forward around her waist and tightened its hold around her, drawing her in until her body was pressed firmly against his. That close in, it was hard not to notice how red her normally pale skin had become; not just her face, but her shoulders as well, giving her appearance a spark of life and vitality it normally lacked.

Still looking down at her, he noticed her glancing behind him and abruptly smirking, contrasting her stiff form with relaxed lips. The girl seemed to become slightly more confident, sliding her hand along his shoulder and close to his neck; whatever - or likely, whoever - she had been looking at right there seemed to have helped her out with whatever had been bothering her. He smiled at the fact; her depression was vanishing, even though she still seemed a little tense.

In the process of loosening up, her body had pressed up a bit closer to his. Compensating for the distance, his arm subconsciously reached further around her waist once more, sliding up and resting against the small of her back

* * *

"A-rri-ka!"

Shada bounded up to the girl, doing everything in her power to avoid looking at the image she had spent the last minute gawking at: Alpha and Sa -

'No, don't think about that. You'll get her next.'

In her hands were two glasses of wine, although one of them looked to be a bit darker in coloration than the other. She held the first one out to the thief. "Feeling thirsty?" she asked merrily, smiling in spite of herself.

'First I'll discredit that silver-haired witch, and then nobody will mind when I start ripping her to pieces!'