Halloween Party!

Ruvel started to walk slowly towards the companies headquarters, he had enough of being surrounded by strangers and he wanted to be away from the one who caused him to feel such anger and disdain. The last time he felt like this was when Demi was killed and that didn't work out well for anyone involved, he was done with it all at this point. Deep within his own thoughts he let his normal analytical nature slip and paid no attention to his surroundings, he could be grabbed and dragged back to his former 'home' at current and wouldn't have anytime to prevent it happening; not to mention he came without his summoning dagger. This was his home now, he should feel safe but with the other there he didn't, he wanted to go back to his room and just remain there. He hadn't realised he had been followed and that the person was now in front of him until he banged into them.

"A-ah!" he seemed dismayed as he took a few steps back "I am so sorry, I was deep in thought." he was truly apologetic "I didn't mean to get in your way, please enjoy the festivities." his voice was warm as he smile, that was until he looked up and seen exactly who it was. His expression changed instantly to be a glare his hands clenching under his sleeves. "I am glad you are attending so you may learn more about us." he said in a civil a tone as he could muster, which was more hostile than anything else. It was out of character for the normal stoic Ruvel that tended to remain to himself, even when he showed emotion it was far from the true thing but he could mimic it perfectly but the current expression was genuine as it could get that was for sure. For now he listened to the other his golden and moon blue eye never leaving the man who he knew nothing of.

"I don't care that your analytical, I'm analytical... I've had to be!" this had been the first time ever since he could remember that he had let his guard down fully and not kept an eye on his surroundings for possible dangers. "It's the only reason I'm still alive..." he looked to the right his face plastered with shame and pain "So I would suspect that others would likely do and be the same..." his voice showed the pain that he was feeling but his face grew cold as quickly as it had softened "But I never and I mean NEVER overstep bounds!" his voice booming slightly with anger and he didn't care who heard him right now "I never do to other people what I would never allow done to myself; it's a filthy tactic!" he continued, he had everything taken from him so it gave him a clarity that most never gained through out their lives "I don't care if I was ordered under threat of death... I'd still never do to anyone what you've done to me!" he shook his head the veil and long hair dancing around his slender frame.

"How would someone like you understand?" he sighed walking once more but paused looking over his shoulder for a moment before turning around and looking to him "Do I really look like a fighter or any real threat to you?" he was irked with that given the other had seen how he was, more to the point he seen his way of thinking when it came to killing from the job they had done together. "I am not a fighter, I will never be a fighter... I am a summoner and I am very much reliant on my summons." he said in a very matter of a fact way. He looked down "I often feel like I'm a burden to them and my teacher because of my weaknesses, but I still try my best in other ways." he admitted looking up to the other "You uncovered no secret of mine, you have however took away the one illusion of safety and normality I had in my otherwise messed up life." he said with a huff his hand going to his head as he started feeling dizzy again his shadow moving on its own to help him to a nearby tree to sit down. "Thank you both" he whispered his eyes closing for now, he knew getting to worked up was bad for his health so was glad the twins where there to help him.

"I would never do that to anyone, like I said I'd never do to another what I wouldn't do or want done to myself" he said honestly as he tried to calm down, the last thing he needed was to alert Cirven that he was more than a little annoyed or disrupt the festivities for others, it would look bad on the company after all. "I want nothing from you" he said calmly not moving from his current spot "What is done is done, and unless you can use time magic there's no way for it to change." he said honestly, nothing the other could give would ever make amends to the youth, he had very little he classed as his; even his name he knew wasn't the one his parents gifted him but one of two he was forced to accept. "My summons could show you a day of my old life, make you feel everything I had to endure and go through so you could understand why what you done is an unforgivable act to me." he placed his hands flat on the ground "I just want to move forward, feel... normal..." he said looking to the other with saddened and pain filled eyes.

Ruvel's first words were clearly false. Although the reason still eluded Oras, the man was clearly still hating him for his prior mistake. The man was certainly hostile at the very least. If the man wished to be his enemy then Oras would like to explain the situation to another member of the organization so as to not have a bad reputation with them. He would hate to lose a potential ally, one whom seemed similar to Oras' own personality, but if he did lose it, he would rather not have this company looking at him in a dark way. Should this happen he would need to keep himself protected at every solitary moment of the day. And he would rather not take chances. Of course the way Ruvel was responding to Oras right now was telling him that things between them probably wouldn't work out.

Oras was silent as the man snapped, beginning to angrily rant at him about how he didn't care about his analytical nature, and how he would never overstep boundaries, how it was a filthy tactic. Oras felt he was overacting a bit, but then again he didn't know what it was that he uncovered. All Oras had discovered was that the man created a false layer of skin to hide something. He didn't know what it was and he couldn't force Ruvel to tell him either. And it wasn't a filthy tactic. He observed the man, had a theory, and asked for clarification. Oras honestly didn't see how that was a bad thing. As he was realizing it wasn't the process itself, it was what he uncovered that pissed Ruvel off. He wondered what everyone else would do when they heard the situation. How could they miss it? He was yelling for all to hear after all. There was also the part where he said he had to be analytical in order to survive. That was information he had just thrown to Oras and he would memorize it immediately in case this man turned into foe, which seemed dangerously close to becoming true.

How could someone like him understand? That was a good question, and the answer was he couldn't. While he lacked the information, he heard Ruvel last time mention that he had too many scars to count. This told him he went through some torture, but there could easily have been more to it than that. Oras would never be able to understand because he wasn't Ruvel. He mentioned how he wasn't a fighter which was obvious to Oras from the beginning, mentioning a teacher. He then made it more clear what he was talking about, and why he was upset. Like Oras with his mask and cloak, his secondary skin was his shield. His invisibility cloak. It was his one way to safeguard himself, his past and truth, from others. Oras kept his identity a secret in case he needed to lay low, but this man probably had far more need of that protection than he did. He was beginning to finally understand why the man was so furious with Oras, and now that he knew how he messed up he could move from that point forward.

Oras walked over to Ruvel and kneeled down on one knee as he looked at him. He reached for his mask and took it off, lowering his hood as well. It was only fair after all. Of course he made certain no one else was in visual range of him when he did so besides Ruvel. He looked into the man's eyes, showing him honest regret. When he spoke, his words weren't flat or emotionless as when he wore his mask. "Your right, ok? There is no way that I could possibly understand what you went through, how you feel, or just how much I've hurt you. And I can't take it back. If you choose to hate me from this point forth I wouldn't hold it against you either. I will pry no further and I shall leave you be. If you find you are able to forgive me... Well, perhaps we'll have another chance encounter." Oras stayed there for a moment. If Ruvel immediately spoke back in anger he would listen. If he forgave him he would be grateful. If he said nothing then he would stand and begin walking back towards the party once more, putting his mask and hood back on.

More and more new faces started to appear into the room. It had seemed that the party didn't have all that many people who weren't going to show up which was good for the WFTC to expand its horizons. One of the targets on the CEO's list happened to come straight to him and his VP and say hello to them. Julius replied and then introduced the devil to the woman. "Yo, I'm Cirven Mizune, the CEO or Guildmaster of the West Fiore Trading Company. It is a long name but I really couldn't think of much else to call it besides the abbreviated version. It's always nice to meet another guildmaster. Probably have a few things in common with the craziness that running a guild brings, though there might be differences with how my guild is more of a trading company than most things." He smiled to Sorano and the other Fairy Tail members around her. "I used to have a few friends in Fairy Tail. I almost joined FT at one point myself before I joined this guild and now I'm leading it. Weird how things work, huh?" He continued to talk and would have spoke more but suddenly his ears and eyes caught the sight of his mentee and what was going on.

From what he could tell someone seemed to be bothering Ruvel to the point where the younger man made his way out of the building where the person followed him out. "Sorry but I will be right back. Might have some security work to handle personally. Juls, make sure to keep them company and if you want start up some of the more exciting festivities. Do a speech or something if you need to. What power I have you have." He spoke out before using his power to fly through the air quickly over those at the party to where Ruvel had ran out. The many voices in the room stopped him from making out exactly what was said but he could hear how the voice of Ruvel sounded and it didn't sound like he was happy to be around the person.

He landed at the door Ruvel had gone through and opened it to see the man he was speaking to stand up from a knee and start to walk towards him. "Yo, whoever you are. I saw you were causing issues for my mentee over there. Do I need to make my presence felt?" Cirven glared at the man with his red and blue eyes with a serious look on his face and waited for either Ruvel or the man to speak up. "What is going on?"

Ruvel looked to the one who he had done a few tasks with before his eyes closed as he tried to gain control of himself once more, his secondary magic was still new to him and it triggered due to strong emotions like the ones he was currently feeling. The side effect of this though was it also triggered his sickness due to not having it under control yet, he was thanking his lucky stars that though he was getting sick it didn't warrant a needle being stuck in him, at least not yet. He watched carefully with his dim glowing eyes as the other seemed to have come to some sort of epiphany on the whole situation, his hands holding onto the inside of his willowed sleeves. At this current moment he didn't exactly know what he should be feeling everything was muddled and he didn't like it. He couldn't hate the other for curiosity but at the same time he could hate him for violating his privacy. "You realise, I can't lie..." he said gently knowing that what he said earlier when he failed at being civil could be read as such. "I am glad you decided to come and enjoy the festivities." he continued a sigh coming from his lips as another wave of dizziness came over him.

"My past is something I wish I could forget.." he said leaning against the tree his voice a little faint, this was normal at the stage he was at and knew it would pass shortly "I don't hate you." he said opening his left eye revealing a dull moon blue eye as he felt the movements in the ground 'Summoner...?' Shindara said a slight concern heard in the others otherwise emotionless voice, Ruvel shook his head to let him know nothing needed to be done besides last thing he wanted to do was disrupt the festivities because he decided to have a fight with one of the guests. He had no idea how he would explain that one away not to mention the blemish it would leave on the company's reputation and that was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

When the other moved closer he felt somewhat at ill ease his hand going to the sword that he wore on his costume ad where it was there for decoration. What no one knew was that there was nothing attached to the hilt so he could focus his light magic through it, much like he did with his make abilities thanks to the armlet he wore even now. He didn't know the others intentions when he moved forward but he was leaving nothing to chance that was for sure but then how would he be able to explain things, after all he himself had given the other the invite to take part in the party and now realised just how much of an issue it could be. Then he was caught by surprise as the other took a knee in front of him much like a servant would do a noble, how that made his skin crawl but for the moment he remained quiet his hand removing from the weapon once more as he watched to see what was going to happen next.

He sat up properly and blinked in utter surprise as the other took off his mask and lowered his hood slightly revealing his red hair and blue eyes, the other wasn't what he had expected. "Why would you lower your defences around me? Like I said I wanted nothing from you." he sounded as confused as he looked, he was getting more and more confused as this situation went on but listened to everything the other had to say taking it all in. "I can't forgive you for what you done..." he began, it was true the one thing that helped him feel normal had peen ruptured thanks to the other he wondered why kept it up now. He was about to continue when he heard his teachers voice a sigh escaping his lips as he used the tree he was leaning against to get up.

"I'm sorry Cirven, I didn't mean to disturb you or anyone else. I do apologise." Cirven knew more than any Ruvel's unique history having been through something similar himself. Then again through their journey to stop a crazed scientist and get his medicine the lightning god slayer had seen first hand just how bad Ruvel's life had been before they had met as his hell was still up and running. He also was the only one that knew about Ruvel's fears thanks to his old home, his born weaknesses and the unique illness he was born with all of which he had either made adjustments within the companies headquarters at the bequest of his mentee's summons or through training to help Ruvel understand himself and his abilities better. "I'm not feeling to well is all." it wasn't lying he at current wasn't feeling overly well but knew all to well that the elder male had as keen hearing as he had, he just didn't want more issues to come from it.

"Sorry, I should introdu-" he clenched his eyes and sat back down "Dizzy spells" Ruvel's shadow once more moving on it's own to help him sit down without issue, he took a moment with his eyes closed before opening them once more "Lets try it again." a weak smile on his face "Cirven, I would like to introduce you to Verus." he said calmly "He is the mage I met when on the task to take care of the griffin and other beings that wandered out of there allowed area." he still refused to call the island by it's name thinking it was something that Laurea would come up with. "He touched my fingers on purpose while I passed him an invitation to check a hunch, you know what I'm like with touch in general but for that to happen..." he clenched his hands once more as his body stiffened, he knew it better to divulge all information to the elder male or his summons would later putting him into more trouble for holding back. "Verus, meet Cirven the CEO of the trading company, my teacher and the one who has taken it upon himself to be like my big brother." He was glad for the latter two even if it did mean hellish training, he was glad to finally have family especially one who understood everything and not just by witnessing it but having been through something similar.

Oras could see the emotional struggle on Ruvel's face but said nothing. He would say nothing at all until Ruvel replied... Or if the silence was long enough he would walk away. This entire situation was new for Oras, and the fact that he was taking his mask off and pulling his hood back a little to reveal his face and identity to Ruvel was even more so uncomfortable. However he had taken away this man's security, safety, illusion and disguise. It was only fair that he knew Oras' real identity. Of course Oras only knew that the man had scars on his flesh and nothing more. It gave hint to his history but Oras himself couldn't identify what his story was. And it was clear that he shouldn't dig any further into this man's past, but rather who he was now, today. This was no small stretch for Oras of course. He intended to learn more about this man, especially now that he knew Oras' face. If at all possible, he could be an excellent ally. Whether he'd be a friend was more of a stretch for Oras.

Then the man surprised him by saying that he couldn't lie. At first Oras believed that he meant it was against his principles to lie. However as he looked at Ruvel's eyes he could tell that the man was telling the honest truth. He simply couldn't lie. Whether it was a spell, or in his genes somewhere, he just couldn't lie. This made Oras extremely wary. He was planning to tell him his first name but now decided against it entirely. If this man could tell the truth, he didn't want someone gaining any information about Oras leaking out through him. In regards to the two of them of course... "Then I will do my best to keep from abusing that in any way."

The next things he said made Oras feel more relaxed, or rather, less nervous. He first said that he wished he could forget his past. Oras understood now that his anger came out of his pained memories. He was attempting to create a clean slate where there was none, and Oras had accidentally undone all of that. His second statement was that he didn't hate Oras. He was silent afterwards of course and that was completely understandable. When Ruvel opened his left eye however, he noticed a dull moon for an eye which surprised him greatly. He was curious now about this feature however he was wondering if it was a question that should be asked. If Ruvel didn't push Oras away, perhaps they would be able to come to an agreement. Such as if Oras had a question, he could ask Ruvel if he would be comfortable with answering said question. Normally Oras would ask and people would agree to share or not, but evidently Ruvel didn't have a choice in the matter.

After Oras had taken off his mask and pulled his hood back, Ruvel was baffled and confused to say the least, and asked why he removed his defenses. Oras took in a breath before speaking, clearly uncomfortable with what he was doing regardless of why. "Even though it was by accident, I stripped you of your only security. I never attempt to harm or offend others unless it means my survival. Up till now I have not made a mistake. If I make one then I intend to restore balance, to a point. I have shown you what I look like under the mask, and although it's uncomfortable, I feel required to do so. I swear I will never cross the line again. Knowing now that you cannot lie, I will check to see if you're comfortable with answering a particular question before asking it. If you still wish to work together after this, that is." He knew this man wouldn't forgive him. If he never did then he lost an ally. However at least he'd end it right, he supposed.

Before anything else happened he heard a voice filled with anger, clearly directed towards Oras and mentioned his mentee, most likely meaning Ruvel. Oras quickly put his mask back on and stood up with Ruvel, turning around with his mask and hood once again secured, keeping his identity between himself and Ruvel. If Ruvel wished to continue working with Oras, and if he proved trustworthy.... Perhaps he could help Oras find Raven. If she was still alive that is. On the other hand he needed to focus on staying alive right now, as the man seemed ready to kill him on the spot. Ruvel began to speak, clearly Oras' only safeguard at the moment. He started to mention how he should introduce Oras when he stopped and sat down again, mentioning dizzy spells. Oras was confused but he felt that the teacher would know what's going on... And probably wouldn't like it.

Ruvel recovered and told his mentor, evidently named Cirven, to Verus. He mentioned Oras touching his hand but he didn't share the rest of the information. Oras knew that he had some good reason for doing this and didn't add to any of it. Then he introduced Verus to the man as apparently the CEO of the trading company, as well as Ruvel's teacher and sort of adopted brother relationship. Oras scanned the man quickly, knowing he was indeed strong. What was confusing Oras however, was why would a powerful wizard choose to be the CEO of a trading company? It made no sense to Oras. When Ruvel told him that the company had wizards as guards and such he could understand it, but the CEO? He felt that was stretching it a bit far and was more interested in how this company worked. Nonetheless he would focus on the now. He did not approach the man which seemed the wisest option and merely nodded to him, saying nothing.

Kanrya's Costume:

Fidget's costume:

Kanrya fiddled with her outfit as she stood outside the event hall where the Halloween party was happening. She had seen the invitation on the boards for Sabertooth that both Cirven and Julius had sent and gotten a costume to go to the ball. However, she really didn't know anyone at the party besides Cirven and that was only because he had helped the Sabertooth guild avenge the attack on the guild itself. In fact, as she walked up to the fancy hall where the party was taking place she saw what seemed to be a girl sitting under a tree talking to another person. Huh. Wonder what is going on there. Better leave it for later and make myself known to Ole Mismatch Eyes...She thought as she entered the event hall and was awed by the spectacle. Her jaw dropped in astonishment. "Huh..." She managed before recovering her sensibilities and slight embarrassment. She should be used to grandiose things living in the Sabertooth dormitories. The entire guild hall floated at one point, why not a grand ball? She heard Fidget running towards her clanking in his samurai pup armor and chuckled at his whine. "Just for tonight Fidget. But we gotta find Cirven first. He did send the invitation to Sabertooth." She said and received a sneeze in response. She chuckled and scratched behind Fidget's ears before looking around.

She pulled the black fabric up to cover her mouth and nose. So many costumes... She swore she had caught glimpses of Cirven a few times, finally making her way to the refreshment table to get a glass of wine for herself. She felt sorely out of places not really knowing anyone at this party.

Itori sat in a relatively dark room, with only a small line of moonlight managing to sneak in between the drawn curtains of the single window. There wasn't much reason for there to be little light other than that she found that it was easier to focus all her attention to the information she received through her ears rather than her eyes when the world wasn't too bright and colourful. For most people that would be detrimental to the task that Itori was working on, but thanks to her magic Itori had some unusual ears, and she was taking full advantage of that fact as she kept moving her hands, her ears twitching occasionally as she was completely absorbed into the task.

Black Sails, a guild of which Itori knew little because of it being a relatively young guild, was holding some kind of party for the event of Halloween. This wouldn't have been very important to Itori if it wasn't for the fact that every other guild had received an invitation as well, which included Sabertooth and by extension, Itori. The Kitsune hadn't been too sure about going at first, but eventually decided that it was an opportunity to get out and meet some people. She was usually working a lot, keeping the place around her clean and tidy. She did this voluntarily, but even if she enjoyed what she did this was still an opportunity, and there was no harm in going. The world wasn't going to collapse if she didn't work for a day.

However since it was Halloween she would need a costume. Everyone else would be wearing one, so she would as well. Finding a good costume took some work, however, since she didn't want it to be something just put together at the last minute. Eventually she gave up on finding one to her liking and instead tried to think of what she could make herself. Fortunately the invitation had been made long in advance, so Itori and others who wanted to make their own costume would still have enough time to do so.
It took some thinking, but finally Itori decided on something which wouldn't take too long to make while still giving an impression appropriate to the theme of Halloween. Itori wasn't entirely clear on how much humans still paid attention to the origin of Halloween when deciding their costumes or if they just put on whatever they felt like (it was an opportunity to wear a costume after all), but as long as it was something ominous or dark it should work. Fortunately she could get most of the materials very easily, after which it was mostly a case of cutting and sewing.

After she was done with the clothes she prepared the prop she had bought, painting it black to suit the rest of the outfit. With the outfit and the fake sword ready the last step was to work on her own appearance. Fortunately that didn't take more than making her hair and fur look rough and unkempt while using some dust to remove its shine (which bothered her on some level but she ignored it), and then the somewhat larger procedure of painting her entire body a stark white.

About half an hour before she would leave for the party she checked her costume a last time, deemed it appropriate and then spent the last half an hour doing some minor work before finally departing.

---

Arriving at the party Itori stepped inside after getting her fake sword approved, looking around through the strands of hair that were now hanging in front of her vermilion eyes. It did look like a genuine party, with quite a few people already having arrived. The only person she could recognize was the blue oni in the back, and the only reason she recognized him at all was because costumes tended to focus on the visual. For the rest they were all strangers, but most if not everyone looked like they were having a decent time. There was one person who for some reason was bleeding from her nose while wearing some metal suit, but someone else was already helping them so Itori wouldn't get involved unless it looked serious.

As for Itori herself, she had garbed herself in dead black clothes. Not the shiny black that was used to impress, but the dull black used to indicate a lack of colour. It contrasted starkly with her now white skin and her always white hair and fur, which made her look like some kind of spirit or undead. Combined with her vermilion eyes which she had made glow with a minor illusion and she couldn't say with certainty what exactly she was, but she doubted anyone would object to an undead killer costume.

With only a single white tail behind her and her fake sword sheathed at her side Itori walked further into the hall, watching the people around her as she thought of who to approach first. There was a man who she was fairly certain was in charge of the event, since she could feel his presence being a lot more solid than that of the others... Which both indicated that he had already been here for a bit and that he held importance here. He was already talking to a few others, but surely there wouldn't be an issue if she came over and briefly greeted him. Itori was already heading towards Julius when one of her ears twitched and she looked around, blinking when she noticed that there was someone she did actually know. She was somewhat surprised that she hadn't noticed the woman before, in fact.

Approaching Kanrya Itori raised one hand to draw the woman's attention if possible, then when she had arrived at the refreshment table spoke up.

"Greetings, Kanrya." The large scarf she had wrapped around the lower half of her face to help make her look less like a person and more like a killer was muffling her voice, but still the melodious nature of her speech should make it easy to identify her if the tail and ears didn't do the trick. "I failed to notice you at first amongst the many participants, but I'm pleased to meet you here." She gave a tiny bow, more to emphasize her words and repeat her greeting than anything else. "I have not seen anyone else belonging to our guild of Sabertooth yet, so most likely we are the first arrivals. I hope you do not mind my company, although I desire to greet the host soon as well." Her vermilion eyes, glowing from behind the strands of dull white hair, studied Kanrya's costume. "I'd like to say that I find your costume very appealing. Did you make it yourself?"

Costume (no gun):

After Hana had arrived at Mura's she was gently guided to a carriage, allowing her to enjoy a peaceful ride to til the two made it to the party. It was at that moment when Mura when Mura opened the door to the party hall that her shyness had finally decided to kick in. There were so many people, she couldn't even concentrate on the familiar faces that barely appeared in her vision. She couldn't say the exact same for Mura though as he spotted Julius through the crowd and decided on heading towards him to meet up. Not like she had anything against it, Julius was a beloved team mate and friend; plus it beat standing there awkwardly watching other people converse. With that said Hana gave a slight nod in the shaman's direction and followed him, trying her best not to bump into too many people. "Hey Julius!" She greeted, throwing her arms out for a long awaited hug. Soon enough Sorano wearing a kimono came into the conversation as well, making Hana smile even brighter. It had been so long since they've been together, all at once she began to wonder where those times have gone. Suddenly getting a dry feeling in her throat, Hana went to go ask Mura to accompany her to the punch table. As she looked over at him however, she saw that he was happily conversing with Ardere, someone she was well acquittance with, and decided against ruining his fan moment. Slipping past people cautiously she used both her nose and sight trying to scope out the area for the drinks and snacks. She was getting closer, she knew that, until suddenly somebody happened to bumped into her by accident. By the force of the impact she lost her balance, stepping into the other direction trying to regain her balance as she bumped into more people, just making the situation worse until she finally fell. She was far too clumsy at these social gatherings......

"I've had a good time I guess." Said Gangting as he stroke his beard, "A job here, a job there. What about you? Have you been up to something?" Johann had a new question for him right after that. "No, I have not, walked straight up to you." Said Gangting, and not much later there was a glass in his hand with an alcoholic beverage. "Thanks, cheers." He downed it in one go. "Beer or wine, it doesn't matter. Down it goes."

"So how did you find your way to the Fiore... eh, that trading company?" Asked Gangting in a while.

The CEO wasn't dumb at all and could see through what Ruvel was saying. The man wasn't exactly what Ruvel was saying to him and probably had affected him more than what was being let on but Cirven didn't want to make anymore of a scene of the situation than he needed. He knew this because of his hearing and what he saw earlier which anyone at the party could have seen and deciphered the same conclusion as the devil had.

Ruvel then introduced Cirven to the man and playing along, the devil dropped his aggressive stance towards the situation and instead wore a smile over his face. "That's good that this wasn't as serious of a thing. Now I know how my ex, Raven felt running the Sabertooth Grand Ball in the past. So much stress and you want it to be perfect so you tend to jump at things that could cause problems. I'm sorry about that, Verus." He bowed his head to the man then picked it up and kept talking. "Sorry about this also but you don't mind giving me and Ruvel some alone time, right?" Before the man could answer, Cirven moved passed him and grabbed Ruvel by the collar of his costume and moved away from Verus. "Go ahead back into the party. I just need to see if my mentee has been training is all. We will see you in there." He called out to Verus as he dragged Ruvel.

Once the duo were far enough away or Verus made his way back into the party, Cirven would stop moving Ruvel and speak out. "So this costume is something that one of the twin made for you or someone else? It really brings off a feminine quality to it." He started with small talk to the man he trained daily. "Either way, if your body can't handle the people here or just being here you are free to leave the party. I know that everyone thought this was a good idea but your health is way more prominent of a thing than you meeting some mages from around Fiore and maybe further. I moved you away from that guy so you can actually talk to me and not to him, by the way. I got the vibe that you felt you couldn't say what you wanted near him but I have some things to do at this party. Gotta show everyone our brand and meet old friends so I will leave you here to talk with everyone about your next move." He knew the younger man with a similar past, would understand when he kept bringing up 'everyone' as his summons that spoke to him inside his own head. After he was done speaking he would start to walk away only to stop after a few steps and then put his right index and middle finger up to his ear. "Next time you lie to me like that I will make you train with the big guy and I for twelve hours straight in your use of weapons again as punishment." He spoke to Ruvel telepathically using the link Alisha could set up between people that Cirven and Ruvel seemed to always have up. His face was a smile and he waved to Ruvel hiding the fact of what he was saying to the boy to any around him possibly.

Once back into the Party Hall where everyone was, the CEO flew back into the air and over everyone where he moved back towards Julius and landed near him. "Sorry about that, Juls. What did I miss?"

Itori wrote: Approaching Kanrya Itori raised one hand to draw the woman's attention if possible, then when she had arrived at the refreshment table spoke up.

"Greetings, Kanrya." The large scarf she had wrapped around the lower half of her face to help make her look less like a person and more like a killer was muffling her voice, but still the melodious nature of her speech should make it easy to identify her if the tail and ears didn't do the trick. "I failed to notice you at first amongst the many participants, but I'm pleased to meet you here." She gave a tiny bow, more to emphasize her words and repeat her greeting than anything else. "I have not seen anyone else belonging to our guild of Sabertooth yet, so most likely we are the first arrivals. I hope you do not mind my company, although I desire to greet the host soon as well." Her vermilion eyes, glowing from behind the strands of dull white hair, studied Kanrya's costume. "I'd like to say that I find your costume very appealing. Did you make it yourself?"

She noticed Itori in the crowd and smiled even though it wasn't visible. She felt a tiny nudge of relief that another Sabertooth member was here. "It is a bit crowded in here, but I suppose that's the sign of a good party, neh?" She asked and returned the kitsune's bow. "At least I'm not the only Sabertooth member here anymore. I'm glad you're here. I might say hi to Cirven also."Kanrya looked over Itori's costume and was mildly impressed. "Make it? No. I pieced together things I bought to be apart of the costume. I have no sewing skill whatsoever." She said and pulled the black fabric covering her mouth and the tip of her nose down. "I think I did a better job with Fidget's outfit..."

Fidget barked and shook himself looking a little irritated with the music but being fed treats kept him happy otherwise. "Say have you seen Cirven in this crowd?" She asked Itori.

Morrigan wrote:It was not long before the mage had popped up near the drink stand. There she saw a lone figure and the cutest little dog she has ever seen. Floating over with her crow wings, she makes them disappear as she lands next to Fidget and gives the dog a ear scratch of its life and rubbed the armor clad pooch on the belly while asking it whether its a good doggy, pretty much forgetting Kanrya's presence as Twitter, her pet raven, wearing what seemed like a gypsy outfit with all the clothe and jewellery and landed on Kanrya's shoulder, giving the female mage a beak rub on the neck.

Fidget was in heaven getting a belly rub and other lovings, his tail going a mile a minute, one could almost mistake him as a dog rather than a wolf. Meanwhile, the raven landing and rubbing his beak on her neck startled Kanrya, causing her to pull back her hand going for a gun that was clearly not there, before realizing that the bird clearly meant no harm and pet the raven. "Where did you come from?" She asked and then noticed Fidget getting loved up by a girl in a witch costume. It was hard not to chuckle at how silly Fidget was acting, especially since he really didn't want to come to this in the first place.

Ruvel looked between the two for a moment silently he was worried that this was going to take a turn for the worse, his eyes going to the one he had invited "I don't lie, and I don't tell secrets." he said calmly his eyes closing for a moment as he sighed trying to go through the events and make sense of everything that had happened recently. It had been such a mess since he had left his former life and he had been faced, it might have been hell but everything was done at certain times and for certain reasons. He shook his head as he tried to stop thinking about such things if Cirven even suspected he was thinking like that he knew for a fact he wouldn't see the outside of the training hall for a week and that could possibly kill him. 'It'll get easier with time, small steps are what is needed for now...' he reminded himself of something the elder male told him on their journey. He knew that it was true the other had gone through it but for some reason he was finding this task more difficult and had no idea why.

"I am grateful you won't abuse it, but if I don't want to answer a question I no longer will." he had enough of that in the past he said in a stoic tone. He looked to the elder man for a moment before looking at the hooded one "My home before wasn't very pleasant so I have... issues, so I understand not trusting." he began speaking to the other "It's very hard for me to trust even my brother and summons I do not trust, not fully.." his eyes went to the one who was his teacher and family knowing he could hear every word he currently spoke his eyes saddened "But my summons say a tree outside a forest isn't just isolated but unprotected. As hard as it is I try and though still difficult, I keep trying in the hopes the barriers won't be up any longer." his eyes moved back to the one closest to him "You need to find someone or a home that doesn't make you a singular tree." his hands moved to his lap as he raised the willowed sleeves his hand scratching at his right wrist, he had no idea he was doing it but he felt at ill ease as he spoke on such a matter. He knew Cirven had seen his development from when they first met til now and that progress especially on the trust front though slow had happened.

"Before you ask, yes since we last seen each other my left eye has turned moon blue and no I don't want to explain why because I would likely try kill you afterwards." his tone showed that the final part of his statement was absolute and he would follow through with it if pushed. It was still a raw thing for the youth and never wanted to revisit the memory if he could help it. 'You're not at fault' Shindara said "Will you stop saying that, I was... If I..." he went silent looking away 'Our summoner, the only things that would different would you would still be there; and being hurt.' Amuul started 'There is no guarantee she would have been alive even before that point, the place where death came not on the whim of death themselves but selfish mortals.' Shindara continued and as much as Ruvel knew it was true he didn't want to accept it.

For now he wanted to block the twins out, in fact he wished he had the strength and know how to knock them out and the knew it. They didn't blame him he was still in mourning over someone he held close to him and like the others took the pain, resentment and hate of their young summoner knowing eventually it would pass. His eyes went back to the once again masked male "Nothing is ever truly balanced, I would think an illusionist would know such things." he said calmly his tone somewhat cold again but this time it wasn't intentional his emotions where just all over the place. "I'm glad you won't cross the line once more but now I find myself wondering why I even keep this glamour up. Its safety and protection... it's gone and when such things are gone there's no true way of ever feeling safe again." he said honestly "Like I said I can't forgive what you've done to me, but I was given a second chance at life it would be wrong for me not to at least attempt to give you one with me too" he said hoping that the other understood that even though he did have a second chance the sin he committed would remain.

His eyes now went back to Cirven, the man who was both teacher and family to him and if he had learned anything since meeting him it was that he was far from stupid. Ruvel's eyes went wide as he let out an eep of surprise as his collar was grabbed, last time that happened it was to his hood and that was because Barthenz wanted to go to a bar for a drink. "Training... you want to talk about training at a party..." he let out a groan as he was pulled onto his feet and dragged off, he could fully believe that the other wanted to talk about training, he just wished it wasn't right now. He blinked however as they stopped far away from everything that they could talk freely and the first sentence was about his costume "The twins?" he blinked shaking his head "Shindara and Amuul had nothing to do with this, I made this outfit." he said calmly holding onto the inside of the sleeves, he knew he could pass as a female in his normal clothing so being in actual female clothing wasn't exactly helping his case any "The clothing you see me wear daily, even my company clothing and the other stuff I made those too" he hadn't realised that the other had no idea he was a tailor.

"I sew, I cook, I garden amongst other things like playing music and dance." he said realising where the other knew most things about him they had no idea what he done in his personal time "I like everyone else want my name known, to leave my mark. I just don't want mine to be known with bloodshed." he said truthfully to the other. He knew his want was dangerous as he could be dragged back to his former life, but the one thing he did fully trust and believe in was that he was safe with the elder man who he now looked upon as his older brother. "Aelona said Halloween was a time that people came together to celebrate and/or remember, she also said people didn't dress like they normally did." he said leaning against a near by tree looking to the stars "I promised Demi if we ever got free I would make her something beautiful to wear..." he started his eyes moving down to look at Cirven "I would have made this for her and made it for this party so I could celebrate and remember." he was holding back the tears but knew the elder would understand.

"My body can handle people just fine Cirven, stop worrying." he huffed crossing his arms, yes he was fragile and this party was taking a lot out of him but he knew it was really something he had to do. "My illness flared due to my new magics reacting to my anger, it was my own fault I should have kept my emotions in check" he looked to the side as he scolded himself for being so stupid. "I guessed as such, certain things I wanted to explain but couldn't because.. you know." the company had secrets but then didn't most businesses, but then theirs didn't have a completely different side to their coin. "He's met both sides of me..." he whispered knowing the other had keen hearing like himself whispers may as well be him talking normally, and he only whispered because he didn't know who or what exactly was about and some things shouldn't be discussed in open.

As the other walked off he heard the threat from the other and sighed placing his hand to his own ear 'I can't lie Cirven. You know this first hand, I can miss out information however until I'm in a situation where I can share it freely, like now.' he explained knowing the other knew that for a fact. 'He used an underhanded tactic when he seen my skin without flaw. I done what was asked of me and handed an invitation to him while I was on monster island' he refused to call it by its full name as he still seen it as stupid 'I pulled back and apologised saying that I didn't like physical touch, which you know first hand and have seen why.' he continued sitting down bringing his knees to his chest 'Later he decided to ask me about how many scars I was hiding to test a theory, I got mad at him for using such a tactic... I felt like I was back there again, being used in an experiment. It felt like I lost the last thing I had, that my safety had been violated.' he continued the tone shaking a little 'I moved off telling him more than I could count and not to bother coming or talking to me again. When I seen him I got angry again and wanted to leave... he came after me and I just let it all out.' it went silent for a long few moments 'Cirven I wanted to kill him for taking the last thing I could truly say was mine. I don't like how that felt' he laid everything on the table for the other. 'Like you know, my new magic and strong emotion don't mix well and make me sick so it was my own fault.' He didn't like the thought of twelve hours with one of them let alone both Cirven and Barthenz when it came to weapon training three hours was bad enough for him. 'I don't lie and even if I could I wouldn't lie to you on anything... you are my family and family don't lie to each other' he stated dropping his knees and hands just to enjoy the silence for a little. He didn't have to talk to his summons regardless of how he felt he would see the party to the end, he knew just at times he would have to step outside or sit down for a few minutes if he ever felt overwhelmed.

I had been quite some time since Akryn had been to a party, especially one with so many strange and new people. Since Akryns return to these lands he had kept himself separated from most people, even is new guild mates and his old friend Akeya. They asked too many questions that he could not answer at this time, and so it was much easier to simply avoid the questions for now. But this party was something different, a time when close and intimate questions were unlikely to be asked, a perfect opportunity to become acquainted with his new guild mates. And perhaps reunite with Akeya.

Akryn slowly made his way to the meeting hall, his bare feet making barely a sound with each step. His costume was a fairly simple one really, one that allowed him to show off his true lineage and form, as well as his monstrous physique, while not being too terribly gaudy. Standing at over nine feet tall, with large and rippling muscles, as well as plenty of scars, Akryn certainly fit the physical characteristics one would expect from a travelling martial arts master. It was a fairly easy task for Akryn to recreate an old martial arts legend, about a blue oni fighter who would travel the lands challenging the greatest fighters, known as Akuma. By letting his djinn bloodline show his own skin turned blue, and the image of a demonic martial artist was complete.

With an air of confidence, and a fair bit of menace, Akryn slowly made his way into the party hall, ducking down a bit to make it through the doorway, before rising up to his full height, his yellow eyes slowly surveying the room for a form he would recognize. He likely made for an impressive and imposing figure, hopefully an imposing enough form to catch Akeyas eye. She would recognize him, he knew, but she could change her form so completely that it was simply easier to let her come to him, this time. Slowly he made his way across the room to where the drinks were being served, working carefully to not step on or turn over any other guests.

(Costume, hope the link works)

Spoiler:

Johann continued his conversation with Gangting as more and more people poured into the hall, each with their own unique costume. He looked over from the corner that Gangting and he were talking in from time to time to see some of the most interesting halloween costumes he had ever seen in his life, again making him blush a little under his makeshift pumpkin mask. He'd make sure to never forget a halloween costume again and put his obsession with proper and fancy attire second next time. He turned back to the earth golem to answer his questions.

"Well, my friend, as you can see I have joined a guild. I am now a member of the West Fiore Trading Company to bring fortune and glory to both myself and the guild. Also, I think this guild in particular will help improve some of my more ... eccentric skills" he chuckled.

He continued "After the job we have completed together I got myself a passport and got on a ship headed for Divide Island to join the WFTC, but I barely had any time to meet the other members or introduce myself to them because I had been invited to this wonderful party. I hope to meet some of the other members and get a chance to introduce myself here. From what I heard our Vice President organised all of this, and I think an honest note of thanks would be in order later". "And thus" he finished "I ended up here. What about you, friend ? Did you join any guild or do you have the intention to do so ?"

Mura was quickly greeted by the vampiric water mage and, too, introduced to one of his friends from the WFTC; the very Guildmaster himself, Cirven Mizune. “Yeah, I guess things work their own ways and not ours. I’m Mura Kensho, and this is Hana Akki,” the shaman chuckled. He then took another look around the hall, and damn, a lot of people had arrived at a short span of time. They all had pretty exotic outfits for as far as he could describe it, or at least compared to his own, fancy, little pumpkin lord suit. “… Hmh,” he hummed while scanning them. He had a thought in the back of his head about that clone that he made in order to meet more people at once, and he hoped that the specific clone had met someone and started some type of conversation by now. It was pretty crowded around now, and Mura took a quick look around. Perhaps another clone could suffice…, he thought, suddenly stretching his hand out…

Hana had gone to the punch table, and so, the original Mura decided to follow her with a friendly wink towards Julius and the others, while he made it pass a lot of figures. His first clone was still fanboying over his idol and the fact that Ardere was here, and despite the desire to meet him ‘in person’, he could suffice with it like this. Noticing how Hana was struggling to move around the crowds, the shaman decided to stay a little close, yet seemingly unnoticed, to the ice mage as she appeared rather clumsy. It would get worse as she moved further, until she suddenly proceeded to fall down. That was when his arm swung around Hana to save her from falling heavily, because even if the impact was soft, it always felt heavier to fall among such a huge crowd like this one. Smiling down on her, he commented: “That was close... hey, let’s try the punch out. It’s right over there.” He would lift Hana up so that she could stand properly again, then simply hold her hand and move towards the punch table that she was seemingly aiming for. To be frank and honest, Mura had… well, he hadn’t drunk anything alcoholic in years. Yes, years; last time was when he was around 14, and that was an accident. Taking a look at the punch, he swallowed his sudden anxiety and took a sip…

“I could’ve sworn I heard a cat nearby…,” another clone of Mura asked out, approaching what appeared to be a neko maid and a damaged automaton. Looking at the acidic injury on its head, he could almost fathom the person’s face underneath, commenting: “E-Ehh… you okay there?”

Takumi had been bantering comfortably with his pet when a hat flew out of the crowd and landed on his head. He looked up in confusion, searching for who the hat could possibly belong to. After a minute, a woman walked up and plucked the hat from his head in a casual matter, placing and adjusting it on hers. One she had gotten her hat situated, she began to talk, which annoyed Takumi, because he had been enjoying himself with Wist. He didn't want to make a new friend, or speak to anybody new at the moment. So he was annoyed.

Takumi plastered a smile on his face anyhow, making himself seem as vibrantly happy as he could, though a protective hand was curled over his stomach. "I'm Takumi, of Fairy Tail. And yes, the party is lovely, though the fact that I'm not allowed to drink anything besides the punch annoys me..." he added with a look at Wist. His companion shrugged, knowing full well why Takumi was cranky with him over it specifically, but not caring. After all, it was for Takumi's own good and Takumi knew it. The man shot another grumpy look at Wist before turning back to face the woman, giving her a look of apology.

Grema’s world was filled with acidic smelling smoke and stinging skin for the next minute as she struggled to take the damned helmet off so she could breathe and take care of her bloody situation. While in the back of her mind Grema figured she was making some sort of scene and thus was probably going to receive help, the forefront of her mind was already about to deciding risking getting kicked out of the party by using her magic on to aid her situation.

So it came as a surprise and a relief when the helmet was pulled off of her by another and Grema immediately took a gasp of fresh(ish) air, only to start coughing again because smoke was still coming from the cloth under her chin. Thankfully after a second or two the smoke dissipated enough for the cyborg to breathe properly, giving her the chance to take a look at the one who helped her. Then immediately blushed. The magitech mage didn’t recognize the woman, but did appreciate the cuteness of her outfit and looks, since while she hated beautiful people, cute people did endear to her, though she was primarily romantically attracted to intelligent individuals. Physically was another thing entirely.

Grema grimaced at her disapproving look and was about to reply when the cat pose happened. There was a beat of silence, then Grema’s face turned red and more acidic blood gushed out of her nose. ‘Gaaaah! An unwarranted surprise attack!’ The cyborg thought, resisting the urge to yell out in both pain and frustration. She quickly reached under her costume to rip off a piece of her regularly worn cloak which was infused with a mixture which made it immune to Grema’s blood. She then quickly wiped her face with it and stuffed the reminder of the cloth under her chin.

Regaining some sort of composure Grema looked at the woman. “Uh ya, don’t worry, no chance of me dying from this.” She said with a grimace as her healing abilities kicked in, erasing all traces of a wound. “… Thanks I guess.” The mage said with a final grimace, eyes flickering around to make sure Haley didn’t see that fiasco.