Halloween Party!

"You are invited to a halloween party courtesy of the West Fiore Trading Company"
the small letter read.
Johann was still a brand new member of the WFTC and wasn't really familiar with their customs or whether it was appropriate for him to just show up at this party, but he had gotten an invitation after all. Thinking about that, he figured it would be in order for him to appear and he decided to go.

He looked in the mirror and thought about his look. He had gotten himself a nice grey suit just for this occasion and it fit him perfectly. He was satisfied, but ...something was missing. Johann couldn't quite put his finger on it when it dawned on him. Of course, this was a Halloween party, and he had forgotten that people would most likely show up wearing costumes.

He panicked a little since there was no real way to get a costume now that the party was about to start in less than 2 hours. "I will just have to improvise a bit ..." he mumbled while picking up the pumpkin that he had originally purchased as decorations. He looked at it for a few seconds, then placed it on the ground and drew his Rapier. He focussed his mind on the orange fruit on the floor and, with precision, started to cut.

"That will do", he said to himself while picking up the now hollow pumpkin after a short while. He had cut out holes for eyes and mouth as well as another hole on the bottom. He figured it would make a good enough mask for a rather improvised accessoire.

He put the pumpkin on his head, put his Rapier back on his belt, grabbed one of the best bottles of apple wine in his possession, opened his door and made his way to the location of the party. He arrived shortly after, opened the doors to the hall and, to his surprise, only saw two people there who didn't seem like staff. One was Julius, the VP of the WFTC, and the other one he had never seen before ... the person looked like ... a snake ?

Johann's Costume:

Costume:

Gangting looked at the letter. 'Halloween party?' He tried to grasp what that meant. Party he knew of course but Halloween was something new to him. Gangting looked at the bartender who was tapping a beer for someone else. The bartender saw the look and went to him after he was finished. 'Can I help?' He asked. 'In matter of fact, you can. What is a Halloween?' Asked Gangting. 'You do not know what Halloween is? It's eh.. it's a day in the year on which people dress up in monstrous costumes.' Said the bartender. 'Hmm, that's interesting. I guess I will check that out.' Said Gangting as he threw a the owed coins, for his meal and drinks, on the wooden bar. He left the tavern for Tolgalen.

Gangting stood in front of the building. He spread out his arms and called upon his magic power to cover his body with a layer of stone and accidentally some fossils too. It resulted in an ominous looking golem, perfect for him. He entered the building and found himself in the event-hall. He looked around to see who there were. That is impressive Though Gangting when he saw a lady who was half a snake, thinking it was an actual costume. His eyes then looked at a pumpkin on top of a grey suit. But it was truly the sword that he caught his true attention. He walked up to the pumpkin wearing person. 'Well hello, Johann.' Shouted Gangting in the joy of seeing his old job partner. His arm was raised to pat him on the shoulder but realised just in time that it would be a good idea, since it was in stone. He removed the stone around his head so that Johann could recognize him.

In her little cottage it would be at sunset that Hana was cooking a delicate​ desert for both her and Tamka after finishing a light dinner that they had both finished. But, where was Tamka? Looking around the room in confusion she soon came to checking under the bed getting on her hands and knees searching for if he had decided to take a nap under there. He wasn't there. Suddenly a loud bang from the door resounded throughout the small cottage, causing Hana to shoot up with surprise etched on her features which soon turned to pain as she banged her head against the frame of the bed. "Tamka!" She cried. "O-oh my, Lady Hana I'm so sorry I'll get you some ice!" In a frantic scurry the ginger raccoon didn't hesitate as he immediately ran to the fridge and grabbed an ice pack for his lady, gently resting it on her head. "Thanks..." She politely responded, earning a nod from her winged friend until her icy blue and fire red gaze set their sights on a vintage looking envelope, enclosed with a perfectly neat wax seal. "Hm? What's that?" She questioned, pointing to the envelope in Tamka's hands which he responded by giving it to her. Opening the letter with delicate slim fingers, Hana read over the invitation, a look of surprise and realization etched into her features. 'That's what Mura meant!' She thought, putting the unfinished cake mix in the fridge and rushing to her wardrobe, a confused Tamka in tow. Scanning the contents of her closet Hana's eyes soon landed on a delicate white dress, the perfect costume idea coming into her mind. She'd be an angle! Grabbing a potion that would give her wings she swallowed it down after putting on all necessary clothing and accessories she quickly began to sprout wings. Just one more touch was needed, a halo! Which she found easy to make with an anti-gravity potion. Placing it on her head she looked at the mirror once more satisfied with the results and threw some devil horns and wings on a confused Tamka before rushing over to Mura's, a smile lighting up her face. Skidding to a halt she came face to face- well, face to chest with Mura, smiling up at him as she observed his chosen costume, laughing lightly at the goofyness of it. "Ready to go?" She asked, a dizzy Tamka laying over her shoulder.

Hana's costume:

Tamka's costume:

Mura's costume:

Ruvel's costume:

Ruvel had been hearing the buzz going around the company over the last few weeks but had no idea what they where talking about or why it was such a big deal. He knew that he was able to go to his teacher with these questions and that he would understand Ruvel's innocence on the matter after their visit to his former 'home', he still hadn't forgiven any of them for taking him to that place nor had he got over what happened to Demi, the woman he had been paired with for five years, all he could hope was that he made a contract with her in time to prevent her true passing. He wasn't quite ready to be without her in his life but it would be the first dead or spiritual based being he would have as a summon and had no real idea what his type of magic would do to her given it was meant for living beings.

'I still haven't forgiven any of you, but I need information. What is Halloween and why is it important?' he asked hoping that at least one out the twenty would know 'Would you want the history or what you have to do for the party?' Aelona finally spoke up after a few long awkward silent moments 'The history lesson could come later, given this party thing is soon I'd think it's more pressing' he sent back leaning against the wall at the back of the trading company his now dual coloured eyes looking out over the docks. 'Once a year people dress up as people, things or monsters and come to celebrate the supernatural while others use it as a way to remember those who have passed' Aelona continued explaining making Ruvel look down his hand going to his left arm where his armlet sat underneath "Like Demi..." he whispered, he felt a hand on his shoulder Aelona was there nodding "She wouldn't want you sad, but for you to experience this new life and freedom you have been gifted not only for yourself but for her too" she explained "We can live with your hatred Ruvel, we can understand your guilt too but this is a new chapter of your life..." she explained kneeling down to hug him. "Take part in the party, you never know you might make a friend" she said pulling back wiping away a stray tear from his moon blue eye.

"It means you need to dress up in a way you normally wouldn't, you've got a few weeks so put jobs and such on hold and make something truly beautiful." she said standing and fading for a moment "Something I wouldn't wear... something that's beautiful during a time of remembrance?" He stood and walked into the building and went right to the elevator the company had made, making more than a few people stop as they hadn't seen Ruvel enter the building for anything less than doing a job, but for the several weeks that he had before the party he didn't leave the refurbished store room he had been given as a bedroom as he worked on something he had promised Demi he would make her if they ever got free of their home. He guessed in a way they where both free of that place now, even if of different methods. To him Demi's seemed more permanent as they would never be able to hunt her down or drag her back, he knew he wasn't so lucky but would never put her sacrifice to waste in contemplating the act of death to ensure their reunion.

After a few weeks Ruvel had finally completed the outfit he would have made for her, no detail was missed, every elegance added without it being over the top. It was truly a labour of love there was no doubt about that. Standing he looked at it on the tailoring doll with a smile "I made it Demi, I hope you like it." he said placing the last touches of the purple beads and white veil on it before going to get a quick shower. He knew he had little to worry about as he returned in a towel wrapped around him as no one but Cirven came to this end of the hall so knew he had no reason to dress before quickly before leaving the shower room situated right next to his own room within the darkness field, it was after drying that he started placing on the first layer elegant kimono that happened to be lavender followed by the top layer being white kimono that almost seemed to have a petal like theme at the bottom, after this was done he placed a periwinkle netted wrap over it before placing on the lavender sash, before placing on the black obi just slightly underneath the obi lay what seemed like a string perfect white pearls, as did what was normally silk cord over the obi but it had a lavender tassel at the front. When he was happy he placed on a hatori that had flowing willow sleeves with lavender hems on them at the front almost seemed like it was connected by angelic wings as a piece of fabric that was connected by purple silk, the wings themselves where connected by purple silk cord ending in another tassel.

With that he placed on a set of purple beads around his neck and on his right wrist, the runes sewn in the under layer making beads wrap loosely around his arms and even behind him as he placed the veil that matched the wrap he was wearing around his waist before adding the head pieces meant to keep it in place. At his side he creates a sword made of light before walking to the mirror to look at himself "I look like a girl" he criticised himself but still it looked off with how short his hair was so used the light to create the illusion that it was far longer starting at a pale purple and leading off to a white before making the illusion that he was wearing earrings "Better" he said with a smile as he left the room and headed down to the reception area feeling a little self aware as people stopped and stared at him, it was then he realised he looked like a completely new person and not one they would have ever recognised.

He remembered that Julius had asked him through the door to make a sign that allowed even dark guilds to take part in the festivities and knew his summons would have handled it's creation and so went to the designated place, the sign appearing in his hands as he moved it closer to the door. 'What does it say Shindara?' he asked still not knowing how to read but at least recognising enough to know it was common language for Earthland. 'It says: All are welcome here, however we will not accept distuption leave guild matters, feuds, rivalry's, agendas and plots at the door; this get together is for fun alone.' he said to Ruvel making him nod as he put it up and walked into the hall viewing it for the first time "This place looks amazing" he really did seem astonished at how the place looked but then he realised that others had already started arriving and headed somewhere not to bother anyone 'You're here to socialise kid' Barthenz reminded him, 'Let him get his bearings first Barthenz, this is the first social event he's attended like this and it's not exactly a small one' Edaenz reminded Barthenz who went quiet like he had been scolded.

Johann was a bit embarrassed that everybody, in contrast to him, had so well thought out costumes and he blushed a little under his pumpkin, but luckily nobody could see. Of course it was him who was so focussed on etiquette and proper appearance who forgot to get a costume over his obsession with discipline. Still, it made no sense to feel bad about it now since it couldn't really be changed, so might as well relax and enjoy this event, right ?

Johann had barely finished that thought of his when a suspiciously deep voice was raised behind him that shouted his name. "Well hello, Johann." shouted the almost literal mountain of a being and for the duration of a second Johann found himself in confusion when he recognized the Voice of a familiar companion under all the dirt and rock shortly before he removed the stone on one of his hands to wave at him and invite him over for chat. Of course, Johann was delighted to see his friend at this event and made his way over, bringing his wine with him.

"Gangting, my dear fellow" He exclaimed while walking towards man "dressed" as an earth golem. "How have you been, friend ? Have you not gotten anything to drink yet ? most unfortunate, indeed. In this case, I have brought a bottle of the finest apple wine I could find." He poured Gangting a glass and, Johann was not surprised, Gangting downed the whole of his drink in one large sip. He wanted to comment on Gangtings drinking manners, but he decided not to. On this evening, it didn't really matter too much. "This is not Beer, my friend ..." He thought to himself while just giving him a friendly and amused smile. He liked him, his straightforward attitude and his brash manners anyway.

Costume:

Shea had received her invitation a bit late, but as a member of the West Fiore Trading Company, it was probably best if she showed up. Not that the half-elf didn’t want to, quite the contrary Shea rather enjoyed a good party every once in a while! Though she pouted for a bit when the invitation said she wasn’t allowed to bring a weapon, and that violence was banned overall. What decent party didn’t have a good fight or two? Well, it was a get together run by one her bosses, so it would be at least entertaining judging by their personalities. Or possibly even more so if all of the attendees were also mages. She hadn’t been to a peaceful mage party before and was curious about what the experience would be like.

The costume was easy. She received it during a previous job and rather liked it. Someone had pointed out it showed a lot of skin, but soon swallowed their tongue upon realizing pretty much everything the songstress wore showed a bit more skin than usual. And Shea liked it that way, it made it easier for her to move. So she put on the witch costume filled with orange and various shades of dark colours and the matching hat to go along with it. She also took along a pumpkin head full of candy to offer at the buffet table, if there was one. The beauty liked her costume, but her only concern was that it was too cliché and that others would also be wearing the rather common costume. Oh well, it would be a good conversation starter and she couldn’t get another costume up to her picky standards within the short timeframe. Her companion Lavia was going to use the time to rest, and will not be coming with Shea.

She had arrived home from her latest job just in time to quickly prepare and go. Upon arrival, she was pleased to see that there was a fairly large crowd of costumed individuals. Shea sauntered in and gave those she knew from the company short finger waves or smiles. The dragoon felt a few eyes follow her as she made her way to the buffet table to drop off her candy. She then grabs a glass of wine and prepared to mingle, network, and possibly even flirt if the opportunity came up~!

The party had already started to get people who were completely out of the ordinary. You had a lamia female, a woman who swooped in as a giant crow, Ardere dressed as some sort of oni, a man completely covered in a rock-like formation creating a rock monstrosity and from the looks of it there was more to come with more people pouring into the event hall. People would not notice that the CEO of the West Fiore Trading company had been in the event hall from the beginning as he oversaw all of the happenings from inside of his own VP, Julius. The man had come up with the idea and went through with setting up the party after getting permission from the devil CEO and from what Cirven could tell, the party looked great already.

Just after the giant crow changed into a woman and spoke out towards Julius, Cirven made his appearance by coming out of Julius's shadow where he placed his arm over the now, vampire's shoulders. Cirven wore a black and orange wizard outfit that too many would have seemed outdated and a thing of the past, especially with the large pointed hat to go match along with it. His costume also included pierced wolf-like ears on the sides of his head which anyone who knew about his demonic heritage would figure to be real his real ears in some sort of partial transformation of his body. The gloves he wore were able to summon out candy from a pocket dimension which he showed to Julius and the woman who stood in front of them by holding the glove out and producing multiple pieces of candy. It seemed to make him into some sort of candy wizard and gave him a sort of party trick for everyone to enjoy.

"Looks like a good party so far, Juls. Also looks like you are already making new friends." Cirven spoke to his VP and then smiled towards the woman along with a wave. "Hi. I am Cirven Mizune. Glad to see that you have come and nice to meet you miss...? Also, want any candy?" He questioned her in order to get their introductions out of the way while his dual colored eyes stared into the woman's. He had hoped that his eyes didn't bother anyone at the party but figured he would fit right in with his uniqueness with the other who showed up. He was thinking he would see some people he had not seen in some time at the party and noticed the woman named Summer from the past Guildmasters meeting he was invited to along side Anna before the incident that put him into her shoes. He wanted to make some time to talk to her at some point just to get to know a fellow Guildmaster and possibly set up some future alliances. The same could be said for Ardere who had shown up but the two Guildmasters already knew each other as they were part of a group called the Paragons of Power together that Ardere himself had created.

He then noticed something that took his complete attention; Ruvel, his mentee, coming into the party in a type of kimono with a sword hanging from his side. The young man looked like a woman with what he was wearing and it compelled Cirven to go talk to him as soon as he was done talking to Julius and the woman in front of them.

Costume:

Lynnette's Costume:

While I wasn't too fond of parties, it was held by my own guild, so I felt required to attend, to at least be a face in the crowd. What I didn't know is that I was fashionably late, as per usual. My costume wasn't too hard to make, I bent the crimson blood in my body into the shape of fabric-like material, turning it into a long dress that went to the floor, the wings were created with my own blood, eyes adorning each orifice, but they were closed, so that the general person didn't freak out. The horned crown was easy, I just killed a bison, and shaped two of its ribs into the tiara-piece. The staff wasn't too difficult, I just took an Owl corpse, and filled in the missing bits, and placed it atop an oaken staff, and from there, my costume was complete. I arrived, as late as I was to the Hall where we were supposed to gather, to find the party in moderate swing, people already socializing, and most people in cool, or seductive outfits. Mine, while certainly unique, was a bit lack luster. I still arrived, however, and nobody noticed my entrance, as far as I knew, and I hid back against the wall, trying to hide among the wallflowers, but who knows or who cares if anyone sees me. From my place on the wall, I noticed Julius, my VP, and Cirven, our Guildmaster. I chuckled a bit at seeing them, and I saw a young woman in a kimono, sword at her side. Alongside them, I saw a walking Stone Monstrosity, which put me on edge, but didn't cause any untoward action against them, with a man in a pumpkin next it. Then a witch in a rather seductive outfit, and a Genie, and more that honestly just blended into the crowd of characters and costumes.

About the other letter that he got that day, yeah, after the letter from Takumi and his ’situation’ that Mura had yet to fathom - despite being associated with another deity like Takumi, connected and perhaps well-aware of how things worked for them - it sure brought joy to his mind. It was an invitation specifying that he was invited to a Halloween party at West Fiore Trading Company. He knew absolutely nothing of that company, other than its name which had been mentioned a few dozens of times in Magnolia when he strolled across the streets, but its meaning, its purpose and influence in the magic world made him appear oblivious. Nonetheless did he accept the invitation as he did know a good handful of wizards around Fiore - from his cousin Alex to D’gerik and many others - and he wished to have a place to meet them once again. Hopefully, they would get the invitation as well.

He quickly moved out of the house with his specially made outfit - it was Halloween and that called for a change in attire. Now, he wore a full-sized pumpkin for a helmet, a black cape that looked like belonging to that of some black mage or vampire, a skull necklace and ripped pants. Kyuken and Zirconis had practiced on a special effect where they both circulated around the back of Mura to appear ‘spectral’ and ‘spooky’, something that strained even his own nerve. He was also enjoying a strawberry cable - the red cable candy - while waiting for her to show up so that they could take the horse ride that awaited them at the gate of Magnolia. Hana did show up almost an instant afterwards, having her ruby and sapphire eyes look up at him as she went straight to the case; obviously, he was more than ready. “Mhm. Let’s go, the ride is waiting,” he responded while swinging an arm over Hana’s as he proceeded to accompany her to the horse ride. They would both find their seats and await the rider to bring them to their destination sooner or later…

Upon arrival, Mura was more than astonished at how large the room was; it was eerie and gloomy, just like tradition bade for such a night as this. “W-Woah…” was his first expression, but it soon turned into a rather nervous voice of anxiety, “… Please, please, please, no ghostly boo stuff, please…” His anxiety was still quick to go away by the distant sight of a familiar face; Julius, depicted as a badass vampire in the background prompted the shaman to go and say hello. “Hey, isn’t that Julius over there?” he would ask Hana, “Let’s go and see him.” To be fair, he wouldn’t mind if Hana had gotten thirsty after the ride or something alike that, however he hesitated not to walk across many new faces and strong presences to stand in front of the water mage. Tipping his pumpkin hat to reveal his face, he would greet: “What’s up, bloodsucker.” He would then let Kyuken and Zirconis do their thing as they both circulated his back like two orbs on the backs of kitsunes and nekomatas, just as a quick extra effect to his costume.

Meanwhile, a legit clone of Mura had been manifested in the same attire and appearance, heading over to another familiar face that he knew too well; his ancient, Midian idol was here as well! He couldn’t let this chance pass his nose like this, in which he took initiative to duplicate himself like this - thanks to his katana - and approached the Oni-costumed Fire Mage. That magic power... it reminded him of Pluto, but slightly different. It was clear enough to assume that it was the specific person. “H-Hey… you’re Ardere, aren’t you?” the pumpkin-lord shaman shyly asked, “Oh, man… I can’t believe I’m actually in your company! Look, it’s a huge honor to meet you, brother! I’ve heard about you since I still lived back at Midi, and I’ve heard of all kinds of deeds that you’ve done, and… I guess I’m a huge fan, hehehe…”

Takumi wasn't originally planning on coming to the costume party, but Wist had decided he needed to get out of the house. The shapeshifter had found Takumi a silver fox costume, and helped him dress in it, before putting on his own costume. Once they were dressed, Wist had transformed into a large wolf big enough to ride on, and knelt in front of Takumi outside the house, so he could carry Takumi to the party. Takumi only cooperated because he knew Wist was trying to help, and he couldn't fight Wist in his current condition either. So he allowed himself to be carried to the party by his large canine companion, comfortably lying across the creatures back. It took a while to arrive, but Takumi had been killed to sleep during the long ride. His pet prodded him with his nose to wake him up, and once Takumi was safely standing up, Wist became human once more.

Both men were quite awed by the sight of the room, but Wist quickly pulled Takumi along, furthur inside. Once they had fully entered the room, they spotted several familiar faces, but walked in an opposite direction in favor of refreshments. Wist, of course, made sure Takumi stuck to punch, at which Takumi made a face. "So mean, Wist!" he exclaimed as he looked at his pet. Wist rolled his eyes beneath his mask, knowing full well that Takumi was just annoyed he couldn't have anything alcoholic. Not that it mattered. After a few minutes, Takumi found a place to sit, and this time he was the one dragging his pet along, until they had both sat down. Takumi placed a protective hand on his stomach as Wist looked around, this party having been the first he had ever gone to.

Wow, nothing much was happening so far. Well, the night was still young, so maybe things would get more active as the moon. Or at least Shea hoped so. Maybe she should put on a performance? Sing for awhile? She may do it later, the half-elf was an ex-opera singer after all, but for now it was time for some mingling of her own.

She walked around the room a bit, looking at people and their interesting costumes in more detail. Halloween parties were a delight just for that reason. She was so interested in others that she didn't notice her witch hat had latched onto another person costume, sending it sailing off her head. "Oh dear." She said in a voice that didn't have any concern in it. The songstress didn't even bother trying to grab it, instead watched it curiously with a finger on her lower lip while the hat sailed over the crowds head. She could barely catch it over the heads of others as it landed on a silver-haired person noggin. Good thing she was wearing heels or she might have lost that elusive hat of hers~!

Shea casually saunters through the crowd toward the silver person and was pleased to see it was a handsome young man in a wolf costume with an adorable black and blue doggie companion. She walks up to the duo with an easy-going smile and casually plucks the hat off his head. "Sorry about that~" She says in a whimsical voice and a wink, both hands still adjusting the hat. Well, this was a good enough excuse to start a conversation. Finishing with her hat Shea puts out one hand toward the man for a shake. "Well since we're already talking I might as well introduce myself. Heya, I'm Shea Duskhelm of the West Fiore Trading Company. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance~! Are you enjoying the party?" The half-elf asks the man, head tilted questioningly at the end, a finger resting on one side of her face. This got a little more interesting.

Costume:

Grema, the anti-social grumpy insecure Grema, was at one of the places she hated the most. A party. Deadly to all of those who hated crowds and people, parties were the worst. Halloween parties, and the holiday itself, were something Grema despised all of her life since even if she didn’t wear a costume people would compliment her on its creativity. Let her repeat that. Complement her regular looks on being a scary costume. To the people in Bosco’s defense most people they interact with look like normal humans or too obvious to be considered costumed. But Grema Fen hated it anyways, thus hated the holiday and in her older years dressed up just to avoid that unintended insult or shut herself away for that day. The mistake hasn’t happened in Fiore yet though even when Grema went out like normal to get parts for her costume. It was probably because the country was filled with dangerous weirdos and everyone and their cousin knew better.

So why was she at an event she abhorred to celebrate a holiday she hates? For three reasons. The first being that her guild told her to go since so for only one other member seemed to be going and they wanted members to network or something. Grema wasn’t one to not follow orders.

The second was the other guild member going. The Barmaid Haley. The shapeshifter. The, as far as Grema observed, only other intellectual in the guild. The one carrying a mysterious briefcase. And while the cyborg would never admit it out loud, the very cute girl, with such a vast intellect that Grema could tolerate her good looks. Grema may or may not have been, um, observing her for the last month.

The last reason was that Grema received an iLac message that day from Shea (one of the few beautiful people Grema could tolerate) ‘requesting’ that Grema be at the party or be in danger of lance impalement. While the singer might act all easy-going and nice, man could she be scary. And crazy, not that Grema would ever say that to the woman herself. So at the party she was.

Grema used a refurbished old-fashioned scuba diving suit as a costume and made some adjustments. One was a fake plastic (since weapons were not allowed) drill and a few lights to look flashy. She wasn’t sure if it was a characterization of any sort, but it was definitely a costume. It also helped hide her hunch and mechanical parts, aiding in her, er, observations of the barmaid.

So there was Grema, awkwardly hiding behind a pillar while stal-observing Haley. It was awkward because her costume was both large and bulky, causing her hiding spot to look almost foolish. But it was better than nothing. Then Grema saw the other woman and blood went out of her nose at the cute outfit. Then the genius promptly remembered that her blood was literally acid. Her upper lip burned and the cloth in the helmet started to disintegrate, causing smoke to fill the helmet, then leak out of it a bit.

Behind the column one might see a person in a weird costume coughing and spluttering at the same time, while trying to get their costumes helmet off, also with smoke coming out of it, when one of their hands was a rubber drill. They weren’t having much success.

Ruvel watched as more people seemed to be entering the hall, it was clear that the youth was feeling increasingly uncomfortable with being in a place with so many unknown people. 'Can I go yet?' he asked his summons as he tugged lightly on his right willowed sleeve. 'Kid, do you really want an answer to that question?' he asked in return his tone showing he wasn't overly impressed given Ruvel had only been in the hall for five or so minutes, the tone made Ruvel flinch a little but only two people would be able to notice, one due to seeing how he was first hand in certain situations; that person was his mentor Cirven the other however wasn't there, at least not yet but found himself somewhat hoping the analytical acquaintance he had made as both his true self and the side called Moon would join the party. 'I know you want me to stay Barthenz, but it's to much to soon' he sent back his eyes going to the left he was having memories of the blood moon festivals and started to feel sick his hand going to his head as he almost fell back until the feeling his shadow supporting him thanks to the void twins Amuul and Shindara.

'You are not there our summoner...' the normal calm tone of Shindara rang through his mind, 'You are with people who will protect you, even if it meant their own pain.' Amuul continued his twins sentence, hearing that his right hand went to his left arm when his armlet sat still 'Look at what happened to the last person who done that' he retorted, he didn't want people getting hurt because of him, he had never wanted that 'Perhaps...' he thought as he was helped to a chair to sit down 'Don't think like that Ruvel, many will see it as a sign of weakness' Seiyuki started to comment 'We created a contract for you and where we would hold no ill will to you for breaking it our summoner...' Amuul started 'We believe your teacher would hunt you down and likely give you a strange and unusual punishment for leaving the one place that is safe for you' Shindara continued his younger twins words. 'In other words kid; don't blame yourself for the actions of others, don't be stupid and stay put.' Barthenz said sternly.

'Besides dear one, only two places in the whole of Earthland know how to make your medicine, do you really intend to return there when you get so sick?' Edaenz asked already knowing that their young ward was shaking at the thought of returning back there 'She not say to be cruel, she say because know you rather go bye bye than go back.' Laurea eventually said in a concerned but sleepy tone 'Sparky has done everything we've asked so you'll be safe regardless of wither it's day to day, an emergency or your health.' Barthenz almost roared in displeasure 'He didn't have to do any of that...' Ruvel sent back looking to the floor a sigh escaping his lips 'But he did because he cares and worries about you like we all do' Crystal added, it was an unusual feeling seeing the brother and sister agreeing on things that almost scared Ruvel more than anything else at current 'Speak for yourself' Ordhabbi said coldly 'Fire needs air to live and I'll happily take yours if you don't have anything productive to say Ordhabbi' Kilith said unlike her mother she wasn't truly a pacifist and would follow through with her threats and Ordhabbi knew this thus fell silent. 'What I thought' she huffed, though she took the form of a small wind fairy she was a very formidable wind elemental who knew how to keep the fire demoness under control.

Due to the goings on he hadn't noticed the newest arrivals that was until he looked up seeing a few more people he didn't know but smiled as people started to mingle. He then noticed his guild master and tutor and felt his stomach turn. It wasn't because he had done anything wrong quite the contrary, it was because of how he was dressed; he was self conscious once more his gaze diverting to the ground. 'You doing well... yup yup!' Maera chimed happily making him smile a little. It was when he looked up he seen the familiar energy of the man he came across as both Ruvel and his masked counterpart Moon. His hand clenching on the hilt of the sword he was carrying. 'Him..' his summons could feel the disdain he held for the man that had violated everything he had tried to build up to protect himself. 'I need to go.' he said truly not wanting to be there any longer.

Standing with the help of the void twins he moved towards the door, but due to his small, quick and delicate steps it almost looked as if he where gliding across the floor as he headed for the halls door. 'Do you not think you should tell your teacher?' Amuul asked knowing that his sudden absence would likely be noticed by the elder man 'I'll make my apologies tomorrow' he replied crossing the threshold 'You are one of the hosts of this party our summoner, it doesn't look well if you leave.' Shindara commented making the youth stop knowing it was true but he just didn't want to be there. 'He took the one safety I had, yet his...' he turned his head fighting back the tears knowing it would ruin the make-up 'Kid, not many can go through what you and sparky have and come out in the ways you both have. Most are crazed, insane or even killers that need to be put down. Yeah he took something from you, but you survived what caused it, and with your sanity almost intact. Your stronger that most warriors I've fought and if you tell anyone I just said that I'll deny everything.' he said it was the first time the youth heard warmth in the warriors voice towards him and it made him smile and nod 'He took something from you, take something of his... after all safety is an illusion' he said his tone becoming cold once more.

Akeya missed the library of Clover Town. Ever since Blue Pegasus was disbanded the library had been taken over by the town, and they had done some work so while a lot of it was still accessible to the public they had taken steps to ensure that the more potentially dangerous parts required explicit permission. As luck would have it those were exactly the areas which Akeya used to spend most of her time in when she was still a part of Blue Pegasus, since those were the areas dedicated to magic and pieces of knowledge that could be used to great effect. Now she had to make do without, which meant that she was travelling a lot more than she used to. Before she would primarily travel if she actually had a mission, but by this point she had practically become a nomad, going wherever she thought she could find something useful and in the process scouring the lands for knowledge. The public libraries weren't going to offer her all the more practical pieces of knowledge but they could still be used for some things, and beyond that there were villages and ruins, places where the government hadn't confiscated everything yet either because they didn't know there was anything dangerous present, or because they didn't know about the location at all.

She wasn't the type to get emotional or whiny, but having a giant library at your disposal was a big improvement over her current state... Especially since as a dragon she did like having a lair of sorts to return to after she was done hunting or whatever else it was that had caused her to leave her lair in the first place. That said it wasn't like her current way of life wasn't without benefits: it was harder for people to find her, and going to many places and learning about things from many perspectives instead of just grabbing whatever books happened to be available was helping her gain a broader perspective. She didn't always need to see everything from all sides, but there was no thing as unwelcome knowledge, and wisdom was also almost by definition always welcome.

However right now someone had found her, which bothered Akeya a tad since she was pretty sure that she hadn't been leaving traces regarding her movements. She wasn't going to hide wherever she went, and since she was a Rising Star there was little reason for her to hide in cities, but in between locations she always moved as silently as a shadow, and less visibly. Having someone just find her when she wasn't expecting it was... gnawing on her mind. It wasn't absolutely disastrous, since the person who found her happened to be someone who she didn't mind being aware of her location, but the fact that she wasn't sure how he had done it meant that if she wasn't careful some less pleasant types might be able to do the same, which would be a whole different story in terms of danger.

Reading the letter Akeya frowned. It was from Akryn, and it was about some kind of festivity going on. He was inviting her, which made it the... third? Akeya was pretty sure that it was the third time that the man had invited her to some group festivity. The last two times it had been some kind of gala, but this time it was a party to celebrate Halloween. Akeya wasn't one for festivities, but somehow every time Akryn asked her she ended up going nonetheless. This time around she had little reason to say no other than that she wasn't a fan of people or parties, but somehow that never worked as a convincing argument. On the bright side, Halloween meant dressing up, which could be some fun if she did it right... Although she doubted that most people would consider shapeshifting and dressing up to be the same thing, but shapeshifters worked according to a different set of rules when it came to changing appearance. The location was Divide Island, which meant that she'd be better off waiting with her transformation until she was close to the event. Putting the letter away Akeya turned into a shadow, disappearing as if chased away by the sunlight.

---

Arriving at the hall where the event would be held Akeya first hid herself outside as she began to change her appearance. She could just go as herself since a dragonkin could definitely be considered suitable for Halloween, but since she was capable of shapeshifting ignoring the opportunity would have been something of a waste. First of all, she'd turn her legs into a long tail. She knew that Akryn liked that kind of thing, and she herself was also fond of the flexibility offered by a long strong tail which couldn't be matched by a pair of legs whose shape was dictated by a set of long rigid bones. She'd also make herself a bit taller, so her upper body alone would already reach five feet. In combination with her serpentine lower body that'd be enough for her to tower above nearly anyone. Changing her colour scheme, removing her draconic traits, adding some decorative clothes, wrapping some cloth around her chest so she wouldn't have to deal with people complaining about indecency, and the dark lamia form was completed.

Slithering into the hall Akeya looked about, moving herself a bit to the side where she curled up, her tail forming large coils until she could rest her upper body on the uppermost coil, studying the people in the hall with sharp red eyes. It looked like quite a lot of people had already assembled, although Akryn was nowhere to be seen yet. She hoped that he would appear, if only since she wanted to see how he reacted to her altered shape. Amongst the people that had already arrived the quality of the costumes differed from impressive to something which looked like the man had made it up on the spot... Although even so the pumpkin looked expertly carved, so well done that man. When Akeya saw that there was already a lamia present she blinked, then narrowed her eyes as she flicked the tip of her tail. She couldn't see any signs of it being a mere costume from this distance, so either another person with the ability to change shape had decided that lamia was the way to go or she was dealing with a genuine lamia. If it was the latter then she might have to deal with the girl being offended, which would be a pain. Closing her eyes Akeya shrugged mentally, then opened them again and continued her study of the place. She'd cross that bridge when she had to, but for now she'd keep her appearance.

It looked like quite a lot of the people were already socializing, leaving Akeya to listen in on their conversations with her sharp ears (if they were close enough to the entrance that they could be overheard by the large lamia curled up several yards to the side). She wasn't fond of socializing so she wouldn't mind if the others continued their thing, but if Akryn waited too long with arriving the other participants might begin drawing attention to her staying off to the side... Akeya scouted the event hall to see if there was anyone she was familiar with, picking out two people: Cirven, the strange demon-blooded man who she'd encountered before, and Hana, the Ice Dragon Slayer who she had helped develop Shadow Dragon Slaying magic as well. If Akryn took too long he couldn't complain if Akeya approached some others...

Costume (with chest wrappings):

Oras continued to stand there observing the festivities and taking the time to observe the individuals far more deeply and with more of an analytical nature he usually held.  From what he could tell no one in here had any actual intent for harm or mischief.  Knowing this he allowed himself to relax a little.  With no immediate threat he would be able to focus on conversations far more easily, and therefore would be able to extract more information than he would if he was using half of his mind keeping an eye on certain individuals.  He heard and practically felt movement from the entrance and turned his eyes not his head, observing a new individual enter the party.  This woman had horns, a black snake tail, and was decorated with gold.  Only her chest was covered with cloth wrappings.  There was another woman around here who was also wearing something rather revealing.  He assumed the purpose was to draw attention to themselves.

He then noticed an individual heading for the doorway.  As he approached Oras something about him struck out as familiar.  It wasn't the outfit no.  The outfit looked like a mix of a robe, dress, and wedding outfit all in one, making the man look more feminine.  It was two particular details. It was the way he walked, the way he moved.  This brought up recent memory to the man who had given him the invitation in the first place:  Ruvel, and caused him to look into the man's eyes.  Yes, it was him.  He was looking into that same cold look the man gave him back at the island during the mission.  If he recalled correctly, the man only gave him said look after he had asked him about his scars.  Oras didn't understand why the man was upset at first, though after some consideration and meditation on the event, he summarized that the man was offended somehow, probably because it was a secret and Oras had discovered it.  Regardless of what happened and why, he would be making an attempt to make amends with him.

The man stopped suddenly, his eyes seeming to shine with possible tears.  Clearly Oras had accidentally hurt him far deeply than he realized so he should quickly interact with him before it was too late.  He noticed that his eyes became cold yet again which caused Oras to hesitate, but he went ahead and moved from the wall.  He moved calmly over to Ruvel, always ready to defend himself but, a little more relaxed than usual.  If the man wished to strike him Oras would not stop him.  Unless the blow would count as fatal that is.  When Oras neared him, he gave a gesture of surrender, hoping that Ruvel would listen to what he had to say.  He stopped in front of Ruvel for a moment before speaking.

"I came here to apologize Ruvel.  Or at least that was one of the reasons.  I didn't realize it at first but It's clear to me now that I have overstepped a boundary.  It's my nature to analyze another in every way I can so that I'm always prepared should combat arise."  When he spoke it was clear that this wasn't easy for Oras.  Not that he wasn't genuine, that much could be heard by Ruvel.  It was that he wasn't good with communicating in general.  He was speaking the truth through and through.  Most people didn't realize it however and nobody gave him a second chance...  However he was wondering and hoping that Ruvel would give him a chance.  If he did, he would be the first.  If not, then Oras would miss out on a chance and would be forced to continue moving forward.

"If there is a way I can make it up to you please inform me immediately.  In a way that doesn't include me becoming a guild member or part of any organization at least.  However way I hurt you I truly am sorry."