[Log] Valentine's Gala, pt. 2
"Thanks." Agrias speaks the word under her breath. She gives a brief touch to the Seraph's arm; little more than a brush of velvet gloves against his . It's still like a drowning woman grasping for a life raft.
"You're also invited," she adds to Simon, "if you want to go somewhere where we don't need to prance around in these..." A suitable descriptor fails her; she settles for making a quiet spitting sound. "I always keep a few bottles on hand." Beat. "Though I think Meliadoul owes me the next bottle, hmmm?"
"You, too," she adds, to Christoph. "Though the office may be quieter. I believe a few other agents are renting in the Crossroads." Her features twist into a sour expression. "It may be loud, there, tonight. Bloody partygoers."
"On the other hand, I may have an extra bottle locked in my office. I hadn't thought to take it home, yet..."
If Agrias brought it back to the suite, Mel might up and /drink/ it. Herself. And that won't do. For now, she finishes her whiskey, pushing the empty glass aside. Enough, for now. She still wants to keep some mental edge; settling for something just vaguely past 'pleasantly tipsy.'
Golden eyes turn towards Simon. "Shall we dance?" She reaches to take his hand, but doesn't quite. "The sooner we do that, the sooner we can all leave," she adds, more quietly. Powerful motivation, that.
'Evil charming wiles'? Are we talking about the same person here, Anise? This is Luke; he couldn't charm his way out of a paper bag. Then again, he *is* short hair mode now, so maybe he can scrape by on sheer 'moe' factor.
Sync doesn't typically do 'formal' either, though he at least knows how to be polite. (You'd never guess it from his normal, non-Ion attitude.) He's just enjoying the chance to be in charge, and... .... .....and okay to have a cute girl on his arm. Sync nods at Anise's statement, and orders himself something appropriately non-alcoholic.
Then as they head on over...there's Guy. Sync stiffens as he sees him. He hasn't run into the Malkuthian noble since, well, they tried very hard to kill each other. Although Sync knew he'd run into the man sooner or later, the fact that he's done so *here* makes it rather awkward. He still smiles at Guy, but it's more reminiscent of his early 'Ion' smiles: bland and inoffensive. "Oh, Guy--and Mieu, too. I didn't see you two before. How have you been?"
Tierine Mayhew notices Ravi looking at her, too. She just chooses to ignore it as best she can... although she's starting to get on edge. Maybe she shouldn't have come after all.
Tierine smiles to herself when Talifah slinks off though. She can call that... okay, not a victory, but also not a failure. Looking a little less embarassed now, Tierine moves away from the bar, deciding to... well,at least /try/ to mingle for a bit. She sees someone over there she needs to talk to... but she takes her time getting anywhere in particular, so it's hard to tell who.
"I feel... freer. Better. I am as I was meant to be. ...And that sounds lovely," Simon says, to the offer of the wine. Just the little group of friends, sharing a bottle of red, and talking. Wine has an odd way of making people more truthful, Simon realizes, abruptly--and the realization is enough to make him order Agrias yet another shot of whiskey.
She'll have just enough time to drink it down before the waltz starts, and Simon... takes her hand, leading her out onto the floor. He bows to her, smiling all the while, and asks her softly: "May I have this dance, Dame Oaks?"
Mieu was teethrottingly cute most times, wasn't he? The Cheagle's appearance along with Guy isn't unexpected, and Luke waves both over without hesitation. Well, Guy anyway; Luke's still not sure he -likes- Mieu, even though he felt oblidged to the little fuzzball. "I've heard some things about Dynast parties," he admits, low-voiced. "I think I'd rather prefer this kind of thing." This was a lot more something he understood, at least.
The description of Shane's type of music comes along at about the same time Guy shows up, and things get quietly confusing as he tries to figure out what he wants for a drink (something nonalchoholic, that's without question), and Luke has to spend a moment trying to figure out if 'Kadaj' is a drink or not. Guy's given a blank look of confusion; he has no idea what that is at all. He'll figure it out soon!!
And there are people visiting. Ion and Anise are recognized immediately and grinned at with all due cheerfulness. "Anise! Ion! I thought I saw you both before! This is Tepet Tilis Tirana, most people call her Triple." Introductions ahoy! "Tirana, this is Fon Master Ion, and Anise Tatlin, one of his Guardians. ... And Guy Cecil, he's more of a friend than a servant, and-"
"I'm Mieu!" That'd be the blue thing. He'll get to the rest, except Kadaj and Talifah are also apparently intending to investigate, and Luke wonders vaguely if one of Tirana's charms is 'Attract People.'
"Hosting so many Agrias?" Meliadoul murmurs with her eyebrow raised. "I'm a little surprised. I know you enjoy your drink in solitude." But she pauses to shakes her head and laugh, "Yes. I believe I do owe you a bottle." But she politely steps back when Agrias reaches to Simon for a dance and instead moves back to Christoph's side.
She cocks her head slightly and looks to where Christoph and Simon were looking, namely Ravi. "Hmm? Is there something wrong with him?" She obviously missed the bit about how he's normally in women's clothing. She does give Simon nod and a hesistant smile though, "I.. hope you are doing well in your new function Parker." But she seems uneasy.
She transfers this feeling to Christoph by resting a hand on his arm and squeezing tightly. Fortunately the bartender is just now sliding her a glass of wine and she reaches to take a sip.
Cissnei doesn't turn her head completely; a shift of her eyes is more than enough to spot Shanoa, but she isn't sure how she should feel about it- There were no hard feelings for the last events, but still there was something bothering her about the woman.
Ah, and then Kadaj. Perhaps she should have done a little more homework, but the moment she's brushed by the president, she takes it as a sign to be on her guard- Standing in front of him suddenly wouldn't do in a situation like this and so she slips her arm about his own and steps up a touch closer instead. It feels a touch awkward actually.
The music's starting, and the first dance is typically one of the most important; he remembers himself and the occasion in time to discreetly remind Luke of this in a whisper. "It's the first one of the night. You should dance with her. I'll take care of the drinks," is added with a subtle nudge, a twitch at the corner of his mouth that might have been the start of a slightly roguish smile.
Go get 'er! in other words. A bow is fetched for the sake of Talifah as well as Luke and his date, before he steps back to give them a chance to talk.
That's when Guy turns at the sound of Anise's voice, and chuckles good-naturedly, "I'm here as Luke's attendant, of course. How--" He loses a grade or two of color when he spies 'Ion' at her side, and recovers his composure quick enough that it might have been mistaken as a trick of the light. "Fon Master Ion," greets Guy, whose voice certainly did NOT have a little tremor there! "This is a pleasant surprise. Are you two here together?"
Now if THAT doesn't tug on the heartstrings.
What, leave already? They just got here! Though Christoph does nod quietly to Agrias. "Danke. Will probably be hier a little longer, but afterward...." He's not averse to stopping by later, certainly. But he does intend to enjoy his time here a while tonight. He does actually want to be here, after all. He does look over at Meliadoul inquisitively, to gauge what she'd like to do herself in this situation.
He sips more of his whiskey, taking another moment to peer into the glass. "I like this," he declares, perhaps a bit of a non sequitur. Then, when he hears the music change, watches Agrias and Simon head out to the dance floor, he chuckles. "Prost," he says, raising his drink toward Meliadoul's wineglass. He's in no hurry to dance, though he wouldn't be averse to heading out already. Then, a little more quietly, "Are you...comfortable, then? Being hier?"
A ticket is handed over and Soma arrives... somewhat fashionably late. In neither black nor white nor red at least wholly. Muted, light grays and an expensive Italian cut make up the suit and a black silk shirt accents his outfit. And while he refused Venetia's haircuttery a few nights ago, the young man seems to have at least gotten the usually shaggy mess trimmed and and styled and pulled back into a tail. At least for tonight.
He had walked and had arrived alone, though he looks over the crowd as if expecting a few people present, uncertain if he'll be able to recognize them.
Except there's Luke and his red hair and that is most /certainly/ Tirana and her dress he had encountered once. And if /they/ hadn't been recognizable, even the bowtie could not have disguised Mieu. If only for a moment, there's a faint smile on the pale young man's features before he steps further into the room, circling around the edges of the ball floor to reach those he does know, even as the waltz music begins.
Ravi notices Tierine noticing him looking at her... and starts to get on edge. Maybe he shouldn't have come after all.
Unaware of their similar lines of thought, however, and not yet as brave as she to venture out and meander, he stays put, eyeing the bar for a brief moment-- and eyeing /MERCADE/ when he notices him heading that way. But if /MERCADE/ is heading to the bar, then that means Maria is probably... well, possibly... perhaps...
Not as subtlely as he'd have preferred, the Brit steps to the side, glancing through the crowd, and then, after a glance to /MERCADE/, he clutches at his shawl and slips his way through the crowd towards Maria, looking around in a way that is absolutely not wary-bordering-on-paranoid.
Maria needs to get a higher Social Link level with Mercade to talk him into a tuxedo. For now, he's styling in his suit. Mercade was surprised to see Ravi in guy's clothing himself, but he doesn't seem to see how much it irritates the man. As a result, Mercade simply waves to Ravi as he passes the seemingly asocial librarian of doom. "Sure, Maria, I'll go look into it right now."
As a result, Mercade is seen approaching the bar. Maybe the guy's got a Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel around. "Hmmm... It looks like almost half the IPA's here." Mercade comments to himself as he walks on. "Well, this will be interesting tonight...
"Half of you are part of the Vanguard, and Master Sergeant Schmidt has proven his loyalty enough. Just like old times, hmm?" Agrias issues the answer towards Meliadoul. When the second whiskey is brought, she pushes it away -- she'd already resolved not to drink that much. "No, but thank you."
Thus, she has a little more time before he moves to take her hand and lead her towards the dance floor. There's no more limp, no more infirmity in her stride -- after her tangle with the Lich King, that was enough to set the bone straight, and her strides are confident and sure, now, despite the situation.
There were plenty of eyes on her when she arrived; why would they stop now? She may as well do her level best not to make a fool of herself... any more than she has already by simply showing up, anyway.
"By all means," she answers quietly, though she does not smile. Her expression is quite neutral. She curtseys in response, simply because bowing would likely be awkward. She is expected to play the part of a courtly lady, it would seem, and that she will do.
And so, she offers her hand. Well?
Simon takes Agrias' hand, and pulls her close to him, holding her tightly--but not too tightly--as he starts to dance to the music. He's quite graceful himself, practiced and sure, and genuinely enjoying Agrias' company.
He never noticed just how beautiful she was before he Redeemed, but now it's all too obvious. He had a wonderful treasure of a woman sitting right under his nose, and he never saw it until now.
When you're as adorably attractive as Tirana, yes you do tend to attract attention. You also tend to attract them if you bounce all over Creation and the Hub, influencing as many people and making as many friends as you can. It still comes as quite a bit of shock that suddenly her and Luke's table is the place to be. Guy, of course, was natural, and she quickly catches herself to wave off her 'order', "Oh no, I will have, um, a daiquiri." A pause and a nervous glance taken at Tali and Kadaj and what in the name of the dragons is that flying thing and oh hey there's Soma too. "A real daiquiri, not a virgin one. I'm feeling a little, um, adventurous tonight," she explains with a rather quick and abrupt nod.
Anise, Guy, and 'Ion' all get cheerful smiles and nods in kind, and then the music changes. See? It wasn't any of that wiggly music after all! Just in time too, though Tirana does share a sympathetic smile for Talifah. "Oh! I never really did catch your name, and I am truly sorry I haven't," she curtseys to her fellow noblewoman. Kadaj is rather ignored for the moment, if only because she's hoping she and Luke can get to the dance floor before things get really awkward. In fact, she's starting to hedge that way right now, dragging poor Luke along with her. "Oh, isn't this a lovely song!"
Sync glances over at Talifah as she, too, converges around Luke's table, and it seems like a white-haired man on the other side of the room is calling out the nickname of the girl Luke has for his date. Bad timing, maybe? He doesn't recognize either of them, but he smiles back at Luke all the same. The shift of the ambient music to a waltz initially goes ignored, in large part because Sync doesn't realize this is their cue to start dancing.
"It's very nice to meet you, Miss, uh... Triple," he greets her, inclining his head politely--there's a table in the way, so Sync can't exactly offer his hand to shake. He glances over at Talifah, and gives her a mild smile as well. "Is she a friend of yours?" he asks, either to Triple or Talifah; it works either way, really.
At least the replica can take heart (sort of) in one thing. It seems like it's as awkward for Guy to see him as it is for him... but for a different reason. Sync meets the nobleman's eyes for a moment as he recovers... then smiles, a touch more warmly than before.
"Yes, we are," he tells Guy. "Anise asked me to come with her just yesterday, after I received my new robes. What do you think of them, by the way?" he adds to Guy and Luke and really the table at large (at least before Talifah starts dragging Luke away to the dance floor), spreading out the arm that doesn't have an Anise on it. "Anise is quite lovely too, isn't she?" Sync adds brightly, possibly because he's come to enjoy watching his companion blush.
Seriously, it's all business.
But wait a minute. Why are other people going up to Tirana? What is this? Socializing is a foreign concept to the teenager. Kadaj quirks a brow, snorting. "Whaaat...?"
And then another distraction. With everyone still moving around and entering as they please, it gets sort of hard to keep track of people. Drat. Of course, eyes flick over briefly to Soma. The smirk becomes forced. "So he's here too." A chuckle, and then a laugh. "This is funny! To think I'd run into the most unlikely! Ahah!"
He gets up from his seat to swoop in and 'mingle' with the others. Preferrably Tirana's group. "'Scuse me," the Remnant says to the president and company. A.D.H.D?
Yes Ravi, Maria is ALONE for that ONE MOMENT IN TIME. You better make your moves quickly before someone pops in and engages her in conversation. In the meantime, Maria crosses the floor and selects a table to claim, seatng herself at it daintily. When Ravi finally shows, the lawyer must peer up at him. "Hello there, Ravi." She smiles warmly. "I see you are here to surprise me even more today."
She nods at a chair. "Why don't you take a seat? Mercade is off getting me a drink at the moment."
She sits up a little and scans the room lazily as she speaks. "But seeing you here makes me-" she pauses, awkwardly, as she notices Simon practically bear-hugging Agrias to death. Her face turns a little red and she forces herself to look away, gritting her teeth. "-very happy."
"Prost," Meliadoul replies a little somberly to Christoph, raising her own glass and touching it lightly to his. She watches Simon and Agrias out on the dance floor and smiles once again, shaking her head. She is caught slightly of guard by Christoph's questioning though. "Hmm? Oh.."
Her brow furrows slightly. Is she? "I.. I will get used to it. As I have said, it is has been a very long time since I last attented a function like this. It iwll take a little time to adjust." She raises her glass to her lips and sips slowly. "I will get used to it." She repeats this statement almost like a mantra. She is, admittedly, nervous and doesn't want to shame Christoph, so she'll stick it out.
As Mercade approaches the bar, she nods slightly to him and turns her attention back to the dance floor. "There are.. many members of the IPA here aren't there?" She continues to gaze and her back stiffens at the sight of Shanoa. "What is -she- doing here?" she hisses.
Well.. it -might- be evil.. charming... okay, yeah. No. When introductions are made, Anise smiles at the Exalt. "Hi! I think I've heard you on the radio thing..." Pause. "I'm Ion's -only- Guardian, Luke!" That detail is important! The girl pushes up a bit onto her toes, so she looks a little more impressive... but really just manages to look like a girl with a plush doll on her back, standing on her tiptoes. But she -thinks- it makes her look more impressive, and that's what's important!
When Luke's date drags him off, Anise, looks after, considering. Should she ask her own date to dance and risk stepping on his toes? A touch of red comes to her cheeks as Sync tells Guy she asked him out. It wasn't supposed to be like -that-! "W.. wait, it's just--"
And then he has to go and compliment her like that! The girl is struck silent, blushing. How can she respond to something like that? Really!
"Of course, what self-respecting socialite would let a little something like tragedy get in the way of having a good time?" Rufus will laugh softly, enjoying another drink of his scotch and raising his brow a touch at the ensuing new arrivals. There was the boy they'd encountered the day they saw Shanoa, as well...interesteting to see both here. What connection could be there? A low priority, in any case. The young man in military dress though..if not for the denoting scar, he might not have placed him, but is confident that youth is affiliated with a certain mercenary company he'd devoted some resources to investigating. He'd been meaning to talk with him..
In the meantime, what to do with the matter of Kadaj? He did not believe the remnant posed a threat in this scenario, but at the same time it might be best to put Marianne out of the picture temporarily; She was not trained or cleared for this kind of engagement (At least, not from him). A look over the young girl Kadaj seems to recognize presents him with a solution: Add more people to the equation. "Marianne, could you do me a favor?" He leans over and asks, one arm on the Witch's shoulder while tightening his grip with Cissnei a touch to look more natural, "The enchanting young ladies over there." He'll gesture to Tirana, Meliadoul and Maria, "Do let them know that they and their companions are welcome to take seat at the best-situated table in the hall whenever they like." He'll smile winsomely, "And don't be jealous. It's business, I assure you."
However that resolves, his next word will be for Cissnei, "I'd forgotten, you don't know this young man, do you?" His tone remains as jovial as ever, casually smoothing back his coiffed hair with one hand, "Kadaj..a fragment of Sephiroth's will given shape and form by the lifestream." He tilts his head to Kadaj deferentially, "A substitute, in other words. You can read on the specifics later, but's enough to know for now that he attempted to bring destruction to our planet, but I deceived him as easily as one might a child." Another sip of his scotch, "He and his brothers were summarily dispatched, but here he is again." Oh, and Cloud and those other guys helped too. Sort of.
For a moment, Christoph frowns (a rather more familiar sight to those who know him). "Do not force yourself," he says to her, in a low voice. "Do not want to keep you hier if you would...rather be elsewhere." As much as he would like to linger, he isn't going to pressure her into staying if she doesn't want to. But--ultimately, she is an adult, and if she wants to try to get used to it, as she says, he would like that indeed.
He sips his drink again, and nods as he also catches sight of Mercade. "Not surprising. We are...a prominent part of Hub society, ja?" Naturally quite a number of the IPA would want to participate. Of course, there are likely more than a few Syndicate members here as well, but he will let that go for now. Besides, this is the Hub.
The change in Meliadoul's demeanor catches him off guard. He whirls toward Shanoa, peers at the woman. "What? What is wrong? She is...?"
Guy's bow earns the servant a cool smile. It's wonderful to see there are those still who know their place. "I am Lady Arbani, formerly of Gem," the Solar introduces herself with to Tirana and the others nearby. There's no sense in falling back on false names, not when there are already those present who are able to identify her as an Anathema. She'll save the pseudonyms and alternate personae for business, thank you very much~
Tirana and her boy head off towards the dance floor, leaving behind the noblewoman with a faintly amused expression on her face as she watches them. If she really is cursed, someone might have a little trouble eventually. "Oh?" Talifah turns now to face the--well, Tirana would certainly be more of an adult compared to 'Ion'. She waves a dismissive hand. "We are... acquaintances."
No, the noblewoman would hardly call the slip of a girl an enemy, and certainly never a friend as long as she was allied with the Realm. "And... what was your name again?" she asks Sync. Maybe she missed it?
Never let it be said that Ravi isn't an opportunist in some way. With one hand behind his back and the other folded across his stomach, Ravi offers Maria a nod of his head as she greets him. "Hello, Maria," he offers, though his voice is quiet and more than a little tense. Dark eyes flicker to the side, and then he glances at the chair she's gestured to. "Ah..." If he sits, he'll have to stay here, and he might still be here when /MERCADE/ arrives, and that would be inconvenient. Another glance is given towards the dance floor-- and then back to Maria.
... and then he simply exhales and, with another nod, pulls out the chair and seats himself, hands folded in his lap and sitting rather stiffly upright. He's still looking around almost nervously when she speaks again, and when his eyes fall on her and catch that expression he.. blinks. "... does it..?" the Brit asks curiously, following her gaze over to where Simon is with the blond woman. "...." Looking back to Maria, then, he seems concerned, but says nothing.
Tierine Mayhew manages to wander past three different hors d'oevres bearers on her one circuit of the room. It must be a knack.
Finishing up something small that she doesn't recognize, but that tastes pretty good anyway, Tierine wipes her hand on the provided serviette (it sounds much more fancy than 'napkin') before going back to her wandering.
She finds herself, eventually, near Maria's table. This is actually where she was trying to go, so it works out well. Tierine stays a good ten yards away, but she's just standing there, apparently waiting. Her tail flicks once or twice, nervously.
While it is a bit taxing to try to prevent a bloodthirsty sentient wing from maiming a particularly slow sous chef, being Dizzy does have some of its good points. The half-Gear girl cheerfully wheels out a grand ice sculpture--a beautiful swan--that is the centerpiece of a new round of appetizers, courtesy of Undine and Necro's dab hand with his scythe.
Downside is, in order to secure Necro's cooperation, she's promised that he gets to carve the roasts later on. The scythe is going to see plenty of work this evening.
"The ones that do work, anyway." Mercade grins to Christoph. "It's good to relax for a bit now and again, though. This is an excellent party, too." Mercade then turns to Meliadoul, tipping his fedora politely. "Miss Tengille. IT's a pleasure to see you. I hope you're having a pleasant time..." he blinks at her surprise, an then looks out at the crowd, unsure of who exactly Meliadoul means. "Hmm? Who?"
What -is- Shanoa doing here? It's a good question... one that she certainly can't answer herself. A large party in an unfamiliar setting, full of people she doesn't know, food she's never seen before, and ... ultimately, she grew up in a degree of seclusion. Why?
At first, she can't feel the eyes of Meliadoul bearing down on her, locking on in a furious glare. Even as she hisses words at Christoph through her teeth, the Glyph Mage is, at the moment, none the wiser. No, for the moment, her hands are folded behind her back and her gaze is shifting left, right-- just looking for something, -anything- that might be a bit familiar to her. No, not the majority of the guests, not the decorum. But...
Now she sees Meliadoul Tengille.
Letting her expression sink slightly, the young woman attempts to keep the better foot forward, a hand gripping the lengthy dress and pulling it out to the side, bowing her head and bending forward just a bit.
Gotta be polite, of course.
Cissnei will say one thing, the explainatin of Kadaj's existance makes for one wild bedtime story. Though when Rufus laughs, right on cue the woman laughs as well; it actually was a pretty good joke, but it wasn't her kind of humor. She pushes at the president lightly, "Oh Mister Shinra, you're just too much, honestly." she says and then just does dead quiet for a brief moment. If what the president said was true, what was Kadaj -doing- here? "Should I talk to him alone for a moment?" that's Turk speak for drag him out back and break his neck. As for her drink, she won't touch it until she gets a little food in her stomach- She doesn't do hard alcohol too well.
It's not everyday you run into people who are supposed to be dead. Unless you're dealing with alternate timelines and all, then yeah, you run into that problem a bit sometimes. Fortunately... Guy's got a pretty high score (pun not intended) in those social stats, and his shock of meeting face to face with the dearly departed at least -appears- short-lived. It's good to see Anise and Ion enjoying each other's company.
...They really -do- make an adorable couple.
"I was about to say," remarks Guy brightly, "You're looking great, Ion." As for Anise, while the truth is Guy hardly believed his eyes at first, it isn't exactly -nice- to say such. When he's trying not to go 'omg dead person!', it's a little easier to be careful not to say the first thing that comes to mind. "Right at home in these kinds of surroundings, Anise. He's right, that's beautiful."
Well... "I'll leave you two to it," he adds, bowing again, and slipping away to the bar. There's drinks to order. ...And to have one himself.
Lifting her head as she turns to glance at Rufus, C.C./Marianne listens before offering a nod along with a glance in the general direction of the women pointed out. She offers him a professional smile. "Very well," she says, setting down her glass before standing. She watches as Kadaj goes off in the same direction she was to head, and so she took her time before slipping away from the table to make her way towards those she had been pointed to.
Reserved, but not shy, the young woman is sure to offer polite greetings to those she passes if she should idly catch their attention, but otherwise she doesn't plan to linger for long since she has things to do. Noting that Tierine is near Tegawa, and so decides to move and address Meliadoul and Christoph first. Once she draws near enough, Marianne inclines her head, smiling politely. "Good evening. President Shinra offers his greetings, and invites you to join him at his table whenever you should feel like it," she says, gesturing back the way she had come.
Catch him if you can, Cissnei.
In passing, Kadaj stalks. He's trying not to, but it's hard to break the habit. But he's not rude. In fact, he's even greeting some of the people he passes. Doesn't matter who - it's always good to get...acquainted.
In a few seconds, that irritation is discarded and Maria returns to that strange, supernatural calm she frequently puts herself in. Grey eyes focus upon her old friend, impassive and emotionless. It's probably /creepy/. "It's nothing, Ravi, don't worry about it." Well, it is something, but she doesn't want to think those irritating kind of thoughts tonight. She wanted to have /fun/. She crosses one leg over the other and puts an elbow to her knee, propping up her chin.
"Maybe you should get something to drink?" she suggests, figuring that Mercade's going to return eventually. "Not to mention, I believe that individual with the trail wants to talk to me." She can tell by her posture, despite the distance Tierine maintains from her.
"Ser Alexander," Meliadoul bows slightly to the private detective. "The pleasure is mine. I am, so far at least." And she gives him a wry smile, "I do hope your penchant for having trouble finding you does not apply tonight. Things are interesting enough without that. After all, even a man such as yourself should be allowed a bit of time off from the troubles of the world."
But Shanoa has her attention now and even as the woman courtesys, Meliadoul stiffens before turning it with one of her own. Professional courtesy after all right? "That woman in the dress," she begins to relate to the two men with her. "Is an individual I encountered on my trip to Ivalice. We fought briefly, she wielding arts that I could have only described as demonic." Her lips settle into a tight line, "But she assures me that her powers are holy and used only for good." She shakes her head, "I would keep my eye on her if I were you. I doubt she is foolish enough to do anything -here-." Just as she would be stupid to do something to Shanoa.
Further exposition is delayed when C.C. approaches and she blinks, "Hmm? President Shinra is here? Give him my regards then." She looks to Christoph questioningly and then back at the woman, "We will see him at our earliest convenience."
The private investigator gets a quick nod from Christoph. "Guten Abend, Herr Alexander," the Belkan says. "Has been a while; good to see you also." But now back to the matter at hand: Shanoa. He frowns again slightly, watching the unfamiliar woman sort-of-curtsey in a somewhat stiff-looking manner. That does seem to mollify him just the tiniest bit, but only that much.
So, she fought Meliadoul? The frown deepens. "We are in the Hub," he says, in a low voice. "Am sure everything will be all right. But ja--will be sure to watch her." He shakes his head; between Caim, then Shanoa, she seems to be encountering new rivals and nemeses every week. Then he gets another puzzled look, and sighs. "Still am not sure of...holy und unholy. But will trust your judgment, Meli."
And now, another distraction: he blinks and looks at 'Marianne'. "Shinra? Shin...ach, ja." He looks at the woman, then Meliadoul. "I suppose...we can see him now?" But what does the president of a planar power company want with them?
It could easily be said that a large part of why Sync enjoys being Ion so much these days is because of Anise, which is really rather amusing because Sync sort of loathed her before, though to be fair, he pretty much loathed (loathes?) everybody to one degree or another. He grins as she blushes and goes silent at his compliment.
"Thank you," he says to Guy when he responds, feeling pleased--'Ion.' And to think, when he started this, he found it sickening. It really doesn't feel like it's only been just under a month. Well, two months, Hub time, but still. ...that said, he coughs as Guy agrees with his assessment on Anise's appearance, and then starts to turn red as the blond ditches them both for the bar.
Talifah at least provides a distraction. Gem... That's a city in Creation. Sync nods to her without betraying familiarity. "I see. It is nice to make your acquaintance, then, Lady Arbani," he replies, and may annoy Talifah by setting down his drink and offering her his hand as if they're equals. (Well, technically, Ion is probably above Talifah, but no point in splitting hairs.) "I am Fon Master Ion, of Daath. This is my Guardian, Anise Tatlin."
Speaking of whom... Once he and Talifah have finished shaking, Sync glances down at Anise, glances away, then clears his throat a bit and squeezes her arm a bit and leans in towards her. "Would you like to join the others on the dance floor?" he murmurs.
Agrias keeps her head canted slightly down as she dances with the Seraph, only scanning the room in oblique glances, her companions and strangers alike. Some of them stare, but most of them seem involved enough in their own business. That's good.
Well, except Maria, who looks to be steaming like a tea kettle.
"Hmm. Lady Tegawa seems quite out of sorts," she comments quietly to Simon. "Jealous?" Interesting. She wasn't aware of anything between the two while Simon was still a Balseraph.
She does move gracefully, albeit with a hint of awkwardness -- it feels like years since she's had to dance. Most of the time, if she attended events like this, she was there strictly as an honour guard of some form or another; such functions in Lesalia could attract nobility by the hundred.
Even so, she falls silent, letting the next several dances pass by in relative silence. She would much rather not speak, not listen, and pretend the crowd doesn't exist. It's much easier that way.
It's quite some time before she manages to wend her way away from the dance floor and towards the bar. A nod is given to her companions, if they're still there. "My office door will be open, later," she adds, with a faint smile. "I think I'll be going there now. Do enjoy the evening."
And without further adieu, she makes her way to the nearest exit, slipping out as surreptitiously as she can.
The crease of worry on Ravi's brow is unmistakable, and he regards Maria's cool, impassive look for a long, silent moment. Then, quietly, but loud enough to be heard over the music and sound of the crowd, he says, "I see." He won't pester her with it tonight, that's for certain, and there's no telling if she'll even want to discuss it with him after the fact. Perhaps it is a subject best discussed with people such as Aerith or Venetia.
People who might possibly be able to relate, perhaps.
About to decline her suggestion of a drink, he hesitates when she adds another reason for him to depart-- the presence of someone requiring her attention. "... perhaps I should," he says softly, pushing the chair back and getting to his feet. Maria may notice the briefly unhappy look he wears as he looks down at the table, but it, like her own expression, vanishes quickly. Another glance is given to Tierine, and a faint nod, before he steps past Maria, fingers brushing over her shoulder gently before he walks over to the bar.
Nevermind that /MERCADE/ is there, he'll just have to deal with it, he supposes.
Mercade hums. "An unfortunate situation. Maybe we can get to the bottom of this after the party. But if you want my advice..." Mercade winks, "Which is, as we all know, totally suspect, I would say that the best thing to do would be to relax and enjoy the party. Hell, perhaps talking to her might get you some valuable information, eh?" Mercade smiles, and tilts his hat again. "I should get back to Maria. Farewell, both of you, and have a great evening." At this point, he turns, and gets his wine from the bartender. Two glasses, in fact, which he begins carrying back towards Ravi. He stays in Ravi's line of sight so the strange man can manage to decide if he's going to be repulsed by his weird Mercade rays or something. "Tonight is shaping up pretty well, I believe. Everything looks lovely-oooh, is that an ice sculpture?" Mercade does a slight detour, balancing the glasses on top of each other as he passes by the sculpture and swiped a snack from there. He grins, and tips his hat with a fingertip. "A wonderful presentation. Good luck, eh?" He turns, and then gets back to going to the table.
Dizzy beams happily at the people admiring the ice sculpture, before scurrying back to continue with food preparations.
And wishing that a certain bespectacled young man were here to dance with her. T_T
A shake of Rufus' head and an aristocratic laugh dispels Cissnei's suggestion though the idea is endearing. "Ah, you are too much yourself, Cissnei! Are you going to leave me for him already? Don't be so cruel!" It seems thought that Kadaj had no stomach for mockery, which gives them a convenient moment of solitude together, enough time for Rufus to drop that annoyingly affable disposition. "He can't do anything here on account of Hub security, so don't worry."
Prussian blue eyes follow the remnant's back as he trails off. So much for that idea, now he'd be stuck entertaining for a bit. "Just make sure to keep an eye on him. We'll have more to worry about once we're out of the hub." He frowns briefly, confident no one is looking, "I don't like this. He ought to be dead..but then, I can think of several others i've said that about in the past several months as well. You've already met Angeal."
He'll not that her drink is untouched in the meantime, "Are you hungry? Here." He'll flag over a wait, "Order whatever you like."
Tierine Mayhew does not actively press to talk to Maria. The fact that she doesn't /go away/, though, is a good sign that she does want to... a little. Personally, she'd rather avoid anyone with the authority and with a reason to arrest her.
She does look a little apologetic at Ravi, though. She can empathize with people who are feeling a little out of place, and she doesn't need psychic powers to tell that he does. Just looking is plenty.
Well, Sync's succeeded at getting an vaguely annoyed look from Talifah, at least! She's not sure who this child is, to act as if he were on equal footing with someone they've only just met, but--
"Oh, I see," the Exalt replies instead, demonstrating remarkable self-restraint (for her). Of course, it's mostly because she's a little uncertain what Fon Master is the equivalent title to. She reluctantly extends a hand to Sync, shaking his hand only a moment before letting go. Yes, she'll demonstrate her disdain that way! Take that!
As Soma homes in on Tirana and Luke and the others, two things give him pause. First, the uncanny sense that someone's attention is upon him; besides Tirana's that is, and looking around earns him a quick glimpse of Kadaj moving through the crowd. A fact that surprises the vampire hunter. What's that one doing here? ....But then, one might as well say the same about Soma himself. There's little chance that any outburst similar to their last encounter would play out for more than a few seconds.
Not the least which reasons that alchemist isn't here to incite Kadaj. ....At least Soma doesn't think Ed's here, though the thought of this seems to send him searching the room quickly again.
And then he notices Shanoa. Can't really miss the woman, though somehow he'd tuned out the sense of her presence that had always tipped him off. The raven haired woman seems to move, bowing to someone in the crowd and for a brief moment, Soma lets his attention shift away and follow her line of sight to the two figures. He wonders how they know her and he's about to start off.
Only to realize that Kadaj has closed in - intentionally or not, having the Remnant suddenly in close proximity is an alarming thing. If Soma stiffens slightly, it may only be as expected. A nod is given, careful and polite.
'Marianne' nods her head again but says nothing more, lingering for only a second or two more so as not to appear rude before she turns away to deliver the invitation to the other two Rufus had pointed out. She looks for the Remnant's hair, using him as a marker to see where Tirana might be. She looks occupied at the moment, but then so does Tegawa. Hm, now how to approach this?
The girl begins to weave her way through the crowds, picking off another glass of wine from a passing tray before she addresses Maria Tegawa and her present company. A demure smile is offered, and she bows her head politely in greeting. "Hello. President Shinra offers his greetings, as well as an invitation to join him at his table at your convenience," she says.
You're not helping, Guy! Though Anise's reaction to the blond's compliment isn't at all like how she reacted to Ion. "Thanks, Guy! I've never really worn anything like this before..." When he excuses himself, the girl looks a little disappointed... but she still calls out after him, "Make sure to have fun tonight, Guy! Find a nice girl to dance with!" Whether that was intentional teasing or just a little slip, it's hard to tell. Who knows, he might find someone that doesn't scare him!
When Talifah introduces herself, Anise turns to smile her way. "It's nice to meet you!" She doesn't offer her hand, though. Sync has that covered! Instead, Anise does something she's seen on some video feeds from other planes: she makes an attempt to curtsy. It feels really weird, but it doesn't look -too- bad, for someone who's never had to do that before, especially in a long dress.
Anise tilts her head as Sync leans in, making a soft, curious sound. "Ion?" And then he whispers in her ear and she goes red again. Why, oh why does almost everything he say seem to have this affect on her tonight? The Guardian finally nods, mutely, trying her best to not look panicked.
The lawyer lifts her free hand suddenly, grasping at Ravi's fingers and squeezing them tightly for a few seconds before letting them go.
When Mercade returns, Maria straightens, and manages a small smile. "Ah, thank you, Mercade." The District Attorney reaches out to accept the glass. "Incidentally, I'm surprised you were allowed in here with that hat of yours. Why, isn't it polite to remove your hat when you are indoors?" Mercade's probably used to Maria chewing him out, but tonight she isn't using much of a chewing-out tone with the man.
Looking away, she glances over at Teirine again and motions at her. "You keep standing there looking at me. If you need to talk to me, then come do so, if not then please move along."
"..." Yeah Anise /is/ the only fon master guardian right now! Which made him wonder sometimes about the Order of Lorelei assigning just one person as Ion's bodyguard. But what is a Kadaj, he wants to ask. If it sounded tasty he might want one! "O-okay." Dances he could do, and slow waltzes were absolutely no problem at all. "--Daquiris are the fruity ones with rum, right?" Those didn't sound bad but he didn't know if he was as adventurous as his evening date was. Alcohol just wasn't his thing, it always left a bad taste in his mouth. He is suddenly, as Tirana grabs him and drags him to the dance floor, certain that it's probably a better place to be; that dark skinned woman seemed like someone he wouldn't much want to meet in a dark alley in spite of her prettiness.
Some things are better left unmet, he supposes.
Guy's distress about Ion being alive is conveniently entirely missed, as Luke is otherwise occupied with settling into the pace of the song instead and proving that yes, he does in fact know how to waltz. And pretty damn well too, it's one of the few things in his education he had -not- lacked. And it's fun too!
Dancins: He has them.
And as Simon and Agrias twirl off, another couple twirls back towards the edge of the floor. Well, 'twirl' is a bit of an overstatement--it's more of an awkward shuffling from foot to foot, combined with moving across the dance floor at a walking pace. The couple consists of a small, slender, red-haired woman in a long, slinky golden dress, and a tall, burly man in a tux--easily seven feet tall and not quite half that at the shoulders--with a long, iron-dark hair pulled back in a neat, orderly queue.
Entirely by accident, the male of the couple passes too close to Tirana, jostling at the Exalt with a single massive shoulder. She might get knocked around if she's not careful!
But the man is, at least, conscious of his mistake. He turns a rather interesting shade of red, and sputters out an "My apologies. I was not watching where I was going."
"Oh, relax, John," says the red-haired woman. "No one was hurt." She smiles at Tirana, doing her best to camouflage the recognition in her eyes. Sync, at least should find her familiar, and for good reason--the Radiant Dynamo of Invention is in human guise, along with her bodyguard, and she is intent on enjoying herself, no matter what.
Keep an eye out. Well that's a simple enough task for Cissnei, small smile back on her features while giving a brief nod of her head. It's too bad, if only because it would have been nice to avoid having to deal with even more company, she felt very.. Unnatural. But there's no better time to practice than the present right? She'd have to see this one through to the end.
The other thing that bothered her was the mention of Angeal. He was a very confusing case because despite being labeled MIA it turned out he was alive all this time, didn't it? Of course, then there was -her- own case.. So if Kadaj was -also- an exception, then.. Operglove clad hand to her chin, she almost seems lost in thought for a moment, about to ask something else when the offer of food is then presented to her, causing her cheeks to redden just a bit again. Of course this was all acting, but it still made her heart race a bit. "Y- yes, thank you."
Kadaj stops for a moment, eyes training on Soma once again. He doesn't go over to the man, but his lips do move. It's as if he's saying "Don't think I've forgotten about you." The staring continues for a few more seconds before he moves onward.
Next target: LOCK ON
The youth in black strides on over to where Tirana and Luke are dancing, getting in step with the music. There is a good deal of time spent waiting as he observed the steps, but he does eventually get to what he's planning to do. "Huh. This is simple," he comments behind the couple, smiling. "I thought it'd be a little tougher to get into. Mind if I cut in?" And as he says this, he tries cutting in.
A nice girl to dance with? There's a strained element to Guy's smile, as he sort of ... twitches, a little. "Ahaha." If that sounded a little /bland/, Anise doesn't need to wonder why. He's going to make his way over THERE now, thanks. To the bar.
Once Guy has managed to get a bartender's attention, the order is simple. "Two daiquiris," because he knows Luke has a sweet tooth sometimes, and where -he's- from you can drink things like that without people questioning your masculinity. Hurriedly, he amends, "One's virgin." Because he's not sure if the Duke would gut him if his son Luke got tipsy at a social event like this. And then, another amendment, when Guy takes one last glance over his shoulder, spying the pair of Guardian and Fon Master in the crowd, adding, with a sideways glance at Ravi, "I'll have whatever he's having."
...Then comes the double-take, and the slightly puzzled blinking. Hey, hasn't he seen someone like him before? No, not HIM -- a sister?
When you are pretty much the most important person in your world, one can generally assume that one is on equal footing with nearly anybody from anyplace else. Sync has never been lacking in chutzpah, either, though the uncertain footing of his current situation has ratcheted down his usual display of confidence a few pegs. He raises eyebrows politely at Talifah's annoyed look and disdainful manner, but decides that this random, haughty woman really isn't worth it.
"Good night to you," he thus says, glancing back over at the dance floor to watch Luke waltzing (huh, he actually is pretty good), Kadaj trying to cut in, and--green eyes widen slightly, but he says nothing when he recognizes Dynamo in her disguise in favor of looking back at Anise.
"Don't worry about it," Sync reassures her, leading her out onto the dance floor, letting his arm slip from hers in favor of taking her by the hand. "We can just dance for a little while, and then we'll get our drinks and head over to our table. Okay?" The problem here is that he really has no idea what to do, but another moment of watching the others dancing, and Sync thinks he can at least fake it. And so, he puts his arms around Anise, well aware that her face is red and his own feels rather hot too, and begins to pull her into a quick-quick-slow.
The waltz ends and the orchestra immediately launches into a foxtrot.
Dancing was good. Dancing got her away from crowds and Remnants and all the other obstacles to her enjoying her perfect night with an honest-to-goodness handsome prince. Even if he is a bit of a doof. That makes him even more charming, at least in Tirana's eyes! It was even a waltz too, something nice and slow and quite regal. To top it all off, Luke was quite the dancer. She twirls about with her Prince, sparkles everywhere as they sway in time to the music. It was everything she had ever dreamed about...
... save for the part where she gets knocked over by a bearded giant. "Whoa!" Fortunately there are plenty of petticoats to cushion her fall, unfortunately it totally ruined the moment. At least the big man was genuinely sorry, which gets him a sympathetic nod from the girl once she brushes the stray hairs from her face. "Oh, it is quite alright," she nods up to him with a sympathetic smile. If she knew it was a disguise, however, she'd be dialing up Graham and his wrench.
Speaking of friends from strange places! The Exalt's head slowly turns towards the voice, the sympathy draining from her smile in exchange for utter awkwardness. "Kadaj," she squeaks. "I didn't know you were a dancer!"
"You're also invited," she adds to Simon, "if you want to go somewhere where we don't need to prance around in these..." A suitable descriptor fails her; she settles for making a quiet spitting sound. "I always keep a few bottles on hand." Beat. "Though I think Meliadoul owes me the next bottle, hmmm?"
"You, too," she adds, to Christoph. "Though the office may be quieter. I believe a few other agents are renting in the Crossroads." Her features twist into a sour expression. "It may be loud, there, tonight. Bloody partygoers."
"On the other hand, I may have an extra bottle locked in my office. I hadn't thought to take it home, yet..."
If Agrias brought it back to the suite, Mel might up and /drink/ it. Herself. And that won't do. For now, she finishes her whiskey, pushing the empty glass aside. Enough, for now. She still wants to keep some mental edge; settling for something just vaguely past 'pleasantly tipsy.'
Golden eyes turn towards Simon. "Shall we dance?" She reaches to take his hand, but doesn't quite. "The sooner we do that, the sooner we can all leave," she adds, more quietly. Powerful motivation, that.
'Evil charming wiles'? Are we talking about the same person here, Anise? This is Luke; he couldn't charm his way out of a paper bag. Then again, he *is* short hair mode now, so maybe he can scrape by on sheer 'moe' factor.
Sync doesn't typically do 'formal' either, though he at least knows how to be polite. (You'd never guess it from his normal, non-Ion attitude.) He's just enjoying the chance to be in charge, and... .... .....and okay to have a cute girl on his arm. Sync nods at Anise's statement, and orders himself something appropriately non-alcoholic.
Then as they head on over...there's Guy. Sync stiffens as he sees him. He hasn't run into the Malkuthian noble since, well, they tried very hard to kill each other. Although Sync knew he'd run into the man sooner or later, the fact that he's done so *here* makes it rather awkward. He still smiles at Guy, but it's more reminiscent of his early 'Ion' smiles: bland and inoffensive. "Oh, Guy--and Mieu, too. I didn't see you two before. How have you been?"
Tierine Mayhew notices Ravi looking at her, too. She just chooses to ignore it as best she can... although she's starting to get on edge. Maybe she shouldn't have come after all.
Tierine smiles to herself when Talifah slinks off though. She can call that... okay, not a victory, but also not a failure. Looking a little less embarassed now, Tierine moves away from the bar, deciding to... well,at least /try/ to mingle for a bit. She sees someone over there she needs to talk to... but she takes her time getting anywhere in particular, so it's hard to tell who.
"I feel... freer. Better. I am as I was meant to be. ...And that sounds lovely," Simon says, to the offer of the wine. Just the little group of friends, sharing a bottle of red, and talking. Wine has an odd way of making people more truthful, Simon realizes, abruptly--and the realization is enough to make him order Agrias yet another shot of whiskey.
She'll have just enough time to drink it down before the waltz starts, and Simon... takes her hand, leading her out onto the floor. He bows to her, smiling all the while, and asks her softly: "May I have this dance, Dame Oaks?"
Mieu was teethrottingly cute most times, wasn't he? The Cheagle's appearance along with Guy isn't unexpected, and Luke waves both over without hesitation. Well, Guy anyway; Luke's still not sure he -likes- Mieu, even though he felt oblidged to the little fuzzball. "I've heard some things about Dynast parties," he admits, low-voiced. "I think I'd rather prefer this kind of thing." This was a lot more something he understood, at least.
The description of Shane's type of music comes along at about the same time Guy shows up, and things get quietly confusing as he tries to figure out what he wants for a drink (something nonalchoholic, that's without question), and Luke has to spend a moment trying to figure out if 'Kadaj' is a drink or not. Guy's given a blank look of confusion; he has no idea what that is at all. He'll figure it out soon!!
And there are people visiting. Ion and Anise are recognized immediately and grinned at with all due cheerfulness. "Anise! Ion! I thought I saw you both before! This is Tepet Tilis Tirana, most people call her Triple." Introductions ahoy! "Tirana, this is Fon Master Ion, and Anise Tatlin, one of his Guardians. ... And Guy Cecil, he's more of a friend than a servant, and-"
"I'm Mieu!" That'd be the blue thing. He'll get to the rest, except Kadaj and Talifah are also apparently intending to investigate, and Luke wonders vaguely if one of Tirana's charms is 'Attract People.'
"Hosting so many Agrias?" Meliadoul murmurs with her eyebrow raised. "I'm a little surprised. I know you enjoy your drink in solitude." But she pauses to shakes her head and laugh, "Yes. I believe I do owe you a bottle." But she politely steps back when Agrias reaches to Simon for a dance and instead moves back to Christoph's side.
She cocks her head slightly and looks to where Christoph and Simon were looking, namely Ravi. "Hmm? Is there something wrong with him?" She obviously missed the bit about how he's normally in women's clothing. She does give Simon nod and a hesistant smile though, "I.. hope you are doing well in your new function Parker." But she seems uneasy.
She transfers this feeling to Christoph by resting a hand on his arm and squeezing tightly. Fortunately the bartender is just now sliding her a glass of wine and she reaches to take a sip.
Cissnei doesn't turn her head completely; a shift of her eyes is more than enough to spot Shanoa, but she isn't sure how she should feel about it- There were no hard feelings for the last events, but still there was something bothering her about the woman.
Ah, and then Kadaj. Perhaps she should have done a little more homework, but the moment she's brushed by the president, she takes it as a sign to be on her guard- Standing in front of him suddenly wouldn't do in a situation like this and so she slips her arm about his own and steps up a touch closer instead. It feels a touch awkward actually.
The music's starting, and the first dance is typically one of the most important; he remembers himself and the occasion in time to discreetly remind Luke of this in a whisper. "It's the first one of the night. You should dance with her. I'll take care of the drinks," is added with a subtle nudge, a twitch at the corner of his mouth that might have been the start of a slightly roguish smile.
Go get 'er! in other words. A bow is fetched for the sake of Talifah as well as Luke and his date, before he steps back to give them a chance to talk.
That's when Guy turns at the sound of Anise's voice, and chuckles good-naturedly, "I'm here as Luke's attendant, of course. How--" He loses a grade or two of color when he spies 'Ion' at her side, and recovers his composure quick enough that it might have been mistaken as a trick of the light. "Fon Master Ion," greets Guy, whose voice certainly did NOT have a little tremor there! "This is a pleasant surprise. Are you two here together?"
Now if THAT doesn't tug on the heartstrings.
What, leave already? They just got here! Though Christoph does nod quietly to Agrias. "Danke. Will probably be hier a little longer, but afterward...." He's not averse to stopping by later, certainly. But he does intend to enjoy his time here a while tonight. He does actually want to be here, after all. He does look over at Meliadoul inquisitively, to gauge what she'd like to do herself in this situation.
He sips more of his whiskey, taking another moment to peer into the glass. "I like this," he declares, perhaps a bit of a non sequitur. Then, when he hears the music change, watches Agrias and Simon head out to the dance floor, he chuckles. "Prost," he says, raising his drink toward Meliadoul's wineglass. He's in no hurry to dance, though he wouldn't be averse to heading out already. Then, a little more quietly, "Are you...comfortable, then? Being hier?"
A ticket is handed over and Soma arrives... somewhat fashionably late. In neither black nor white nor red at least wholly. Muted, light grays and an expensive Italian cut make up the suit and a black silk shirt accents his outfit. And while he refused Venetia's haircuttery a few nights ago, the young man seems to have at least gotten the usually shaggy mess trimmed and and styled and pulled back into a tail. At least for tonight.
He had walked and had arrived alone, though he looks over the crowd as if expecting a few people present, uncertain if he'll be able to recognize them.
Except there's Luke and his red hair and that is most /certainly/ Tirana and her dress he had encountered once. And if /they/ hadn't been recognizable, even the bowtie could not have disguised Mieu. If only for a moment, there's a faint smile on the pale young man's features before he steps further into the room, circling around the edges of the ball floor to reach those he does know, even as the waltz music begins.
Ravi notices Tierine noticing him looking at her... and starts to get on edge. Maybe he shouldn't have come after all.
Unaware of their similar lines of thought, however, and not yet as brave as she to venture out and meander, he stays put, eyeing the bar for a brief moment-- and eyeing /MERCADE/ when he notices him heading that way. But if /MERCADE/ is heading to the bar, then that means Maria is probably... well, possibly... perhaps...
Not as subtlely as he'd have preferred, the Brit steps to the side, glancing through the crowd, and then, after a glance to /MERCADE/, he clutches at his shawl and slips his way through the crowd towards Maria, looking around in a way that is absolutely not wary-bordering-on-paranoid.
Maria needs to get a higher Social Link level with Mercade to talk him into a tuxedo. For now, he's styling in his suit. Mercade was surprised to see Ravi in guy's clothing himself, but he doesn't seem to see how much it irritates the man. As a result, Mercade simply waves to Ravi as he passes the seemingly asocial librarian of doom. "Sure, Maria, I'll go look into it right now."
As a result, Mercade is seen approaching the bar. Maybe the guy's got a Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel around. "Hmmm... It looks like almost half the IPA's here." Mercade comments to himself as he walks on. "Well, this will be interesting tonight...
"Half of you are part of the Vanguard, and Master Sergeant Schmidt has proven his loyalty enough. Just like old times, hmm?" Agrias issues the answer towards Meliadoul. When the second whiskey is brought, she pushes it away -- she'd already resolved not to drink that much. "No, but thank you."
Thus, she has a little more time before he moves to take her hand and lead her towards the dance floor. There's no more limp, no more infirmity in her stride -- after her tangle with the Lich King, that was enough to set the bone straight, and her strides are confident and sure, now, despite the situation.
There were plenty of eyes on her when she arrived; why would they stop now? She may as well do her level best not to make a fool of herself... any more than she has already by simply showing up, anyway.
"By all means," she answers quietly, though she does not smile. Her expression is quite neutral. She curtseys in response, simply because bowing would likely be awkward. She is expected to play the part of a courtly lady, it would seem, and that she will do.
And so, she offers her hand. Well?
Simon takes Agrias' hand, and pulls her close to him, holding her tightly--but not too tightly--as he starts to dance to the music. He's quite graceful himself, practiced and sure, and genuinely enjoying Agrias' company.
He never noticed just how beautiful she was before he Redeemed, but now it's all too obvious. He had a wonderful treasure of a woman sitting right under his nose, and he never saw it until now.
When you're as adorably attractive as Tirana, yes you do tend to attract attention. You also tend to attract them if you bounce all over Creation and the Hub, influencing as many people and making as many friends as you can. It still comes as quite a bit of shock that suddenly her and Luke's table is the place to be. Guy, of course, was natural, and she quickly catches herself to wave off her 'order', "Oh no, I will have, um, a daiquiri." A pause and a nervous glance taken at Tali and Kadaj and what in the name of the dragons is that flying thing and oh hey there's Soma too. "A real daiquiri, not a virgin one. I'm feeling a little, um, adventurous tonight," she explains with a rather quick and abrupt nod.
Anise, Guy, and 'Ion' all get cheerful smiles and nods in kind, and then the music changes. See? It wasn't any of that wiggly music after all! Just in time too, though Tirana does share a sympathetic smile for Talifah. "Oh! I never really did catch your name, and I am truly sorry I haven't," she curtseys to her fellow noblewoman. Kadaj is rather ignored for the moment, if only because she's hoping she and Luke can get to the dance floor before things get really awkward. In fact, she's starting to hedge that way right now, dragging poor Luke along with her. "Oh, isn't this a lovely song!"
Sync glances over at Talifah as she, too, converges around Luke's table, and it seems like a white-haired man on the other side of the room is calling out the nickname of the girl Luke has for his date. Bad timing, maybe? He doesn't recognize either of them, but he smiles back at Luke all the same. The shift of the ambient music to a waltz initially goes ignored, in large part because Sync doesn't realize this is their cue to start dancing.
"It's very nice to meet you, Miss, uh... Triple," he greets her, inclining his head politely--there's a table in the way, so Sync can't exactly offer his hand to shake. He glances over at Talifah, and gives her a mild smile as well. "Is she a friend of yours?" he asks, either to Triple or Talifah; it works either way, really.
At least the replica can take heart (sort of) in one thing. It seems like it's as awkward for Guy to see him as it is for him... but for a different reason. Sync meets the nobleman's eyes for a moment as he recovers... then smiles, a touch more warmly than before.
"Yes, we are," he tells Guy. "Anise asked me to come with her just yesterday, after I received my new robes. What do you think of them, by the way?" he adds to Guy and Luke and really the table at large (at least before Talifah starts dragging Luke away to the dance floor), spreading out the arm that doesn't have an Anise on it. "Anise is quite lovely too, isn't she?" Sync adds brightly, possibly because he's come to enjoy watching his companion blush.
Seriously, it's all business.
But wait a minute. Why are other people going up to Tirana? What is this? Socializing is a foreign concept to the teenager. Kadaj quirks a brow, snorting. "Whaaat...?"
And then another distraction. With everyone still moving around and entering as they please, it gets sort of hard to keep track of people. Drat. Of course, eyes flick over briefly to Soma. The smirk becomes forced. "So he's here too." A chuckle, and then a laugh. "This is funny! To think I'd run into the most unlikely! Ahah!"
He gets up from his seat to swoop in and 'mingle' with the others. Preferrably Tirana's group. "'Scuse me," the Remnant says to the president and company. A.D.H.D?
Yes Ravi, Maria is ALONE for that ONE MOMENT IN TIME. You better make your moves quickly before someone pops in and engages her in conversation. In the meantime, Maria crosses the floor and selects a table to claim, seatng herself at it daintily. When Ravi finally shows, the lawyer must peer up at him. "Hello there, Ravi." She smiles warmly. "I see you are here to surprise me even more today."
She nods at a chair. "Why don't you take a seat? Mercade is off getting me a drink at the moment."
She sits up a little and scans the room lazily as she speaks. "But seeing you here makes me-" she pauses, awkwardly, as she notices Simon practically bear-hugging Agrias to death. Her face turns a little red and she forces herself to look away, gritting her teeth. "-very happy."
"Prost," Meliadoul replies a little somberly to Christoph, raising her own glass and touching it lightly to his. She watches Simon and Agrias out on the dance floor and smiles once again, shaking her head. She is caught slightly of guard by Christoph's questioning though. "Hmm? Oh.."
Her brow furrows slightly. Is she? "I.. I will get used to it. As I have said, it is has been a very long time since I last attented a function like this. It iwll take a little time to adjust." She raises her glass to her lips and sips slowly. "I will get used to it." She repeats this statement almost like a mantra. She is, admittedly, nervous and doesn't want to shame Christoph, so she'll stick it out.
As Mercade approaches the bar, she nods slightly to him and turns her attention back to the dance floor. "There are.. many members of the IPA here aren't there?" She continues to gaze and her back stiffens at the sight of Shanoa. "What is -she- doing here?" she hisses.
Well.. it -might- be evil.. charming... okay, yeah. No. When introductions are made, Anise smiles at the Exalt. "Hi! I think I've heard you on the radio thing..." Pause. "I'm Ion's -only- Guardian, Luke!" That detail is important! The girl pushes up a bit onto her toes, so she looks a little more impressive... but really just manages to look like a girl with a plush doll on her back, standing on her tiptoes. But she -thinks- it makes her look more impressive, and that's what's important!
When Luke's date drags him off, Anise, looks after, considering. Should she ask her own date to dance and risk stepping on his toes? A touch of red comes to her cheeks as Sync tells Guy she asked him out. It wasn't supposed to be like -that-! "W.. wait, it's just--"
And then he has to go and compliment her like that! The girl is struck silent, blushing. How can she respond to something like that? Really!
"Of course, what self-respecting socialite would let a little something like tragedy get in the way of having a good time?" Rufus will laugh softly, enjoying another drink of his scotch and raising his brow a touch at the ensuing new arrivals. There was the boy they'd encountered the day they saw Shanoa, as well...interesteting to see both here. What connection could be there? A low priority, in any case. The young man in military dress though..if not for the denoting scar, he might not have placed him, but is confident that youth is affiliated with a certain mercenary company he'd devoted some resources to investigating. He'd been meaning to talk with him..
In the meantime, what to do with the matter of Kadaj? He did not believe the remnant posed a threat in this scenario, but at the same time it might be best to put Marianne out of the picture temporarily; She was not trained or cleared for this kind of engagement (At least, not from him). A look over the young girl Kadaj seems to recognize presents him with a solution: Add more people to the equation. "Marianne, could you do me a favor?" He leans over and asks, one arm on the Witch's shoulder while tightening his grip with Cissnei a touch to look more natural, "The enchanting young ladies over there." He'll gesture to Tirana, Meliadoul and Maria, "Do let them know that they and their companions are welcome to take seat at the best-situated table in the hall whenever they like." He'll smile winsomely, "And don't be jealous. It's business, I assure you."
However that resolves, his next word will be for Cissnei, "I'd forgotten, you don't know this young man, do you?" His tone remains as jovial as ever, casually smoothing back his coiffed hair with one hand, "Kadaj..a fragment of Sephiroth's will given shape and form by the lifestream." He tilts his head to Kadaj deferentially, "A substitute, in other words. You can read on the specifics later, but's enough to know for now that he attempted to bring destruction to our planet, but I deceived him as easily as one might a child." Another sip of his scotch, "He and his brothers were summarily dispatched, but here he is again." Oh, and Cloud and those other guys helped too. Sort of.
For a moment, Christoph frowns (a rather more familiar sight to those who know him). "Do not force yourself," he says to her, in a low voice. "Do not want to keep you hier if you would...rather be elsewhere." As much as he would like to linger, he isn't going to pressure her into staying if she doesn't want to. But--ultimately, she is an adult, and if she wants to try to get used to it, as she says, he would like that indeed.
He sips his drink again, and nods as he also catches sight of Mercade. "Not surprising. We are...a prominent part of Hub society, ja?" Naturally quite a number of the IPA would want to participate. Of course, there are likely more than a few Syndicate members here as well, but he will let that go for now. Besides, this is the Hub.
The change in Meliadoul's demeanor catches him off guard. He whirls toward Shanoa, peers at the woman. "What? What is wrong? She is...?"
Guy's bow earns the servant a cool smile. It's wonderful to see there are those still who know their place. "I am Lady Arbani, formerly of Gem," the Solar introduces herself with to Tirana and the others nearby. There's no sense in falling back on false names, not when there are already those present who are able to identify her as an Anathema. She'll save the pseudonyms and alternate personae for business, thank you very much~
Tirana and her boy head off towards the dance floor, leaving behind the noblewoman with a faintly amused expression on her face as she watches them. If she really is cursed, someone might have a little trouble eventually. "Oh?" Talifah turns now to face the--well, Tirana would certainly be more of an adult compared to 'Ion'. She waves a dismissive hand. "We are... acquaintances."
No, the noblewoman would hardly call the slip of a girl an enemy, and certainly never a friend as long as she was allied with the Realm. "And... what was your name again?" she asks Sync. Maybe she missed it?
Never let it be said that Ravi isn't an opportunist in some way. With one hand behind his back and the other folded across his stomach, Ravi offers Maria a nod of his head as she greets him. "Hello, Maria," he offers, though his voice is quiet and more than a little tense. Dark eyes flicker to the side, and then he glances at the chair she's gestured to. "Ah..." If he sits, he'll have to stay here, and he might still be here when /MERCADE/ arrives, and that would be inconvenient. Another glance is given towards the dance floor-- and then back to Maria.
... and then he simply exhales and, with another nod, pulls out the chair and seats himself, hands folded in his lap and sitting rather stiffly upright. He's still looking around almost nervously when she speaks again, and when his eyes fall on her and catch that expression he.. blinks. "... does it..?" the Brit asks curiously, following her gaze over to where Simon is with the blond woman. "...." Looking back to Maria, then, he seems concerned, but says nothing.
Tierine Mayhew manages to wander past three different hors d'oevres bearers on her one circuit of the room. It must be a knack.
Finishing up something small that she doesn't recognize, but that tastes pretty good anyway, Tierine wipes her hand on the provided serviette (it sounds much more fancy than 'napkin') before going back to her wandering.
She finds herself, eventually, near Maria's table. This is actually where she was trying to go, so it works out well. Tierine stays a good ten yards away, but she's just standing there, apparently waiting. Her tail flicks once or twice, nervously.
While it is a bit taxing to try to prevent a bloodthirsty sentient wing from maiming a particularly slow sous chef, being Dizzy does have some of its good points. The half-Gear girl cheerfully wheels out a grand ice sculpture--a beautiful swan--that is the centerpiece of a new round of appetizers, courtesy of Undine and Necro's dab hand with his scythe.
Downside is, in order to secure Necro's cooperation, she's promised that he gets to carve the roasts later on. The scythe is going to see plenty of work this evening.
"The ones that do work, anyway." Mercade grins to Christoph. "It's good to relax for a bit now and again, though. This is an excellent party, too." Mercade then turns to Meliadoul, tipping his fedora politely. "Miss Tengille. IT's a pleasure to see you. I hope you're having a pleasant time..." he blinks at her surprise, an then looks out at the crowd, unsure of who exactly Meliadoul means. "Hmm? Who?"
What -is- Shanoa doing here? It's a good question... one that she certainly can't answer herself. A large party in an unfamiliar setting, full of people she doesn't know, food she's never seen before, and ... ultimately, she grew up in a degree of seclusion. Why?
At first, she can't feel the eyes of Meliadoul bearing down on her, locking on in a furious glare. Even as she hisses words at Christoph through her teeth, the Glyph Mage is, at the moment, none the wiser. No, for the moment, her hands are folded behind her back and her gaze is shifting left, right-- just looking for something, -anything- that might be a bit familiar to her. No, not the majority of the guests, not the decorum. But...
Now she sees Meliadoul Tengille.
Letting her expression sink slightly, the young woman attempts to keep the better foot forward, a hand gripping the lengthy dress and pulling it out to the side, bowing her head and bending forward just a bit.
Gotta be polite, of course.
Cissnei will say one thing, the explainatin of Kadaj's existance makes for one wild bedtime story. Though when Rufus laughs, right on cue the woman laughs as well; it actually was a pretty good joke, but it wasn't her kind of humor. She pushes at the president lightly, "Oh Mister Shinra, you're just too much, honestly." she says and then just does dead quiet for a brief moment. If what the president said was true, what was Kadaj -doing- here? "Should I talk to him alone for a moment?" that's Turk speak for drag him out back and break his neck. As for her drink, she won't touch it until she gets a little food in her stomach- She doesn't do hard alcohol too well.
It's not everyday you run into people who are supposed to be dead. Unless you're dealing with alternate timelines and all, then yeah, you run into that problem a bit sometimes. Fortunately... Guy's got a pretty high score (pun not intended) in those social stats, and his shock of meeting face to face with the dearly departed at least -appears- short-lived. It's good to see Anise and Ion enjoying each other's company.
...They really -do- make an adorable couple.
"I was about to say," remarks Guy brightly, "You're looking great, Ion." As for Anise, while the truth is Guy hardly believed his eyes at first, it isn't exactly -nice- to say such. When he's trying not to go 'omg dead person!', it's a little easier to be careful not to say the first thing that comes to mind. "Right at home in these kinds of surroundings, Anise. He's right, that's beautiful."
Well... "I'll leave you two to it," he adds, bowing again, and slipping away to the bar. There's drinks to order. ...And to have one himself.
Lifting her head as she turns to glance at Rufus, C.C./Marianne listens before offering a nod along with a glance in the general direction of the women pointed out. She offers him a professional smile. "Very well," she says, setting down her glass before standing. She watches as Kadaj goes off in the same direction she was to head, and so she took her time before slipping away from the table to make her way towards those she had been pointed to.
Reserved, but not shy, the young woman is sure to offer polite greetings to those she passes if she should idly catch their attention, but otherwise she doesn't plan to linger for long since she has things to do. Noting that Tierine is near Tegawa, and so decides to move and address Meliadoul and Christoph first. Once she draws near enough, Marianne inclines her head, smiling politely. "Good evening. President Shinra offers his greetings, and invites you to join him at his table whenever you should feel like it," she says, gesturing back the way she had come.
Catch him if you can, Cissnei.
In passing, Kadaj stalks. He's trying not to, but it's hard to break the habit. But he's not rude. In fact, he's even greeting some of the people he passes. Doesn't matter who - it's always good to get...acquainted.
In a few seconds, that irritation is discarded and Maria returns to that strange, supernatural calm she frequently puts herself in. Grey eyes focus upon her old friend, impassive and emotionless. It's probably /creepy/. "It's nothing, Ravi, don't worry about it." Well, it is something, but she doesn't want to think those irritating kind of thoughts tonight. She wanted to have /fun/. She crosses one leg over the other and puts an elbow to her knee, propping up her chin.
"Maybe you should get something to drink?" she suggests, figuring that Mercade's going to return eventually. "Not to mention, I believe that individual with the trail wants to talk to me." She can tell by her posture, despite the distance Tierine maintains from her.
"Ser Alexander," Meliadoul bows slightly to the private detective. "The pleasure is mine. I am, so far at least." And she gives him a wry smile, "I do hope your penchant for having trouble finding you does not apply tonight. Things are interesting enough without that. After all, even a man such as yourself should be allowed a bit of time off from the troubles of the world."
But Shanoa has her attention now and even as the woman courtesys, Meliadoul stiffens before turning it with one of her own. Professional courtesy after all right? "That woman in the dress," she begins to relate to the two men with her. "Is an individual I encountered on my trip to Ivalice. We fought briefly, she wielding arts that I could have only described as demonic." Her lips settle into a tight line, "But she assures me that her powers are holy and used only for good." She shakes her head, "I would keep my eye on her if I were you. I doubt she is foolish enough to do anything -here-." Just as she would be stupid to do something to Shanoa.
Further exposition is delayed when C.C. approaches and she blinks, "Hmm? President Shinra is here? Give him my regards then." She looks to Christoph questioningly and then back at the woman, "We will see him at our earliest convenience."
The private investigator gets a quick nod from Christoph. "Guten Abend, Herr Alexander," the Belkan says. "Has been a while; good to see you also." But now back to the matter at hand: Shanoa. He frowns again slightly, watching the unfamiliar woman sort-of-curtsey in a somewhat stiff-looking manner. That does seem to mollify him just the tiniest bit, but only that much.
So, she fought Meliadoul? The frown deepens. "We are in the Hub," he says, in a low voice. "Am sure everything will be all right. But ja--will be sure to watch her." He shakes his head; between Caim, then Shanoa, she seems to be encountering new rivals and nemeses every week. Then he gets another puzzled look, and sighs. "Still am not sure of...holy und unholy. But will trust your judgment, Meli."
And now, another distraction: he blinks and looks at 'Marianne'. "Shinra? Shin...ach, ja." He looks at the woman, then Meliadoul. "I suppose...we can see him now?" But what does the president of a planar power company want with them?
It could easily be said that a large part of why Sync enjoys being Ion so much these days is because of Anise, which is really rather amusing because Sync sort of loathed her before, though to be fair, he pretty much loathed (loathes?) everybody to one degree or another. He grins as she blushes and goes silent at his compliment.
"Thank you," he says to Guy when he responds, feeling pleased--'Ion.' And to think, when he started this, he found it sickening. It really doesn't feel like it's only been just under a month. Well, two months, Hub time, but still. ...that said, he coughs as Guy agrees with his assessment on Anise's appearance, and then starts to turn red as the blond ditches them both for the bar.
Talifah at least provides a distraction. Gem... That's a city in Creation. Sync nods to her without betraying familiarity. "I see. It is nice to make your acquaintance, then, Lady Arbani," he replies, and may annoy Talifah by setting down his drink and offering her his hand as if they're equals. (Well, technically, Ion is probably above Talifah, but no point in splitting hairs.) "I am Fon Master Ion, of Daath. This is my Guardian, Anise Tatlin."
Speaking of whom... Once he and Talifah have finished shaking, Sync glances down at Anise, glances away, then clears his throat a bit and squeezes her arm a bit and leans in towards her. "Would you like to join the others on the dance floor?" he murmurs.
Agrias keeps her head canted slightly down as she dances with the Seraph, only scanning the room in oblique glances, her companions and strangers alike. Some of them stare, but most of them seem involved enough in their own business. That's good.
Well, except Maria, who looks to be steaming like a tea kettle.
"Hmm. Lady Tegawa seems quite out of sorts," she comments quietly to Simon. "Jealous?" Interesting. She wasn't aware of anything between the two while Simon was still a Balseraph.
She does move gracefully, albeit with a hint of awkwardness -- it feels like years since she's had to dance. Most of the time, if she attended events like this, she was there strictly as an honour guard of some form or another; such functions in Lesalia could attract nobility by the hundred.
Even so, she falls silent, letting the next several dances pass by in relative silence. She would much rather not speak, not listen, and pretend the crowd doesn't exist. It's much easier that way.
It's quite some time before she manages to wend her way away from the dance floor and towards the bar. A nod is given to her companions, if they're still there. "My office door will be open, later," she adds, with a faint smile. "I think I'll be going there now. Do enjoy the evening."
And without further adieu, she makes her way to the nearest exit, slipping out as surreptitiously as she can.
The crease of worry on Ravi's brow is unmistakable, and he regards Maria's cool, impassive look for a long, silent moment. Then, quietly, but loud enough to be heard over the music and sound of the crowd, he says, "I see." He won't pester her with it tonight, that's for certain, and there's no telling if she'll even want to discuss it with him after the fact. Perhaps it is a subject best discussed with people such as Aerith or Venetia.
People who might possibly be able to relate, perhaps.
About to decline her suggestion of a drink, he hesitates when she adds another reason for him to depart-- the presence of someone requiring her attention. "... perhaps I should," he says softly, pushing the chair back and getting to his feet. Maria may notice the briefly unhappy look he wears as he looks down at the table, but it, like her own expression, vanishes quickly. Another glance is given to Tierine, and a faint nod, before he steps past Maria, fingers brushing over her shoulder gently before he walks over to the bar.
Nevermind that /MERCADE/ is there, he'll just have to deal with it, he supposes.
Mercade hums. "An unfortunate situation. Maybe we can get to the bottom of this after the party. But if you want my advice..." Mercade winks, "Which is, as we all know, totally suspect, I would say that the best thing to do would be to relax and enjoy the party. Hell, perhaps talking to her might get you some valuable information, eh?" Mercade smiles, and tilts his hat again. "I should get back to Maria. Farewell, both of you, and have a great evening." At this point, he turns, and gets his wine from the bartender. Two glasses, in fact, which he begins carrying back towards Ravi. He stays in Ravi's line of sight so the strange man can manage to decide if he's going to be repulsed by his weird Mercade rays or something. "Tonight is shaping up pretty well, I believe. Everything looks lovely-oooh, is that an ice sculpture?" Mercade does a slight detour, balancing the glasses on top of each other as he passes by the sculpture and swiped a snack from there. He grins, and tips his hat with a fingertip. "A wonderful presentation. Good luck, eh?" He turns, and then gets back to going to the table.
Dizzy beams happily at the people admiring the ice sculpture, before scurrying back to continue with food preparations.
And wishing that a certain bespectacled young man were here to dance with her. T_T
A shake of Rufus' head and an aristocratic laugh dispels Cissnei's suggestion though the idea is endearing. "Ah, you are too much yourself, Cissnei! Are you going to leave me for him already? Don't be so cruel!" It seems thought that Kadaj had no stomach for mockery, which gives them a convenient moment of solitude together, enough time for Rufus to drop that annoyingly affable disposition. "He can't do anything here on account of Hub security, so don't worry."
Prussian blue eyes follow the remnant's back as he trails off. So much for that idea, now he'd be stuck entertaining for a bit. "Just make sure to keep an eye on him. We'll have more to worry about once we're out of the hub." He frowns briefly, confident no one is looking, "I don't like this. He ought to be dead..but then, I can think of several others i've said that about in the past several months as well. You've already met Angeal."
He'll not that her drink is untouched in the meantime, "Are you hungry? Here." He'll flag over a wait, "Order whatever you like."
Tierine Mayhew does not actively press to talk to Maria. The fact that she doesn't /go away/, though, is a good sign that she does want to... a little. Personally, she'd rather avoid anyone with the authority and with a reason to arrest her.
She does look a little apologetic at Ravi, though. She can empathize with people who are feeling a little out of place, and she doesn't need psychic powers to tell that he does. Just looking is plenty.
Well, Sync's succeeded at getting an vaguely annoyed look from Talifah, at least! She's not sure who this child is, to act as if he were on equal footing with someone they've only just met, but--
"Oh, I see," the Exalt replies instead, demonstrating remarkable self-restraint (for her). Of course, it's mostly because she's a little uncertain what Fon Master is the equivalent title to. She reluctantly extends a hand to Sync, shaking his hand only a moment before letting go. Yes, she'll demonstrate her disdain that way! Take that!
As Soma homes in on Tirana and Luke and the others, two things give him pause. First, the uncanny sense that someone's attention is upon him; besides Tirana's that is, and looking around earns him a quick glimpse of Kadaj moving through the crowd. A fact that surprises the vampire hunter. What's that one doing here? ....But then, one might as well say the same about Soma himself. There's little chance that any outburst similar to their last encounter would play out for more than a few seconds.
Not the least which reasons that alchemist isn't here to incite Kadaj. ....At least Soma doesn't think Ed's here, though the thought of this seems to send him searching the room quickly again.
And then he notices Shanoa. Can't really miss the woman, though somehow he'd tuned out the sense of her presence that had always tipped him off. The raven haired woman seems to move, bowing to someone in the crowd and for a brief moment, Soma lets his attention shift away and follow her line of sight to the two figures. He wonders how they know her and he's about to start off.
Only to realize that Kadaj has closed in - intentionally or not, having the Remnant suddenly in close proximity is an alarming thing. If Soma stiffens slightly, it may only be as expected. A nod is given, careful and polite.
'Marianne' nods her head again but says nothing more, lingering for only a second or two more so as not to appear rude before she turns away to deliver the invitation to the other two Rufus had pointed out. She looks for the Remnant's hair, using him as a marker to see where Tirana might be. She looks occupied at the moment, but then so does Tegawa. Hm, now how to approach this?
The girl begins to weave her way through the crowds, picking off another glass of wine from a passing tray before she addresses Maria Tegawa and her present company. A demure smile is offered, and she bows her head politely in greeting. "Hello. President Shinra offers his greetings, as well as an invitation to join him at his table at your convenience," she says.
You're not helping, Guy! Though Anise's reaction to the blond's compliment isn't at all like how she reacted to Ion. "Thanks, Guy! I've never really worn anything like this before..." When he excuses himself, the girl looks a little disappointed... but she still calls out after him, "Make sure to have fun tonight, Guy! Find a nice girl to dance with!" Whether that was intentional teasing or just a little slip, it's hard to tell. Who knows, he might find someone that doesn't scare him!
When Talifah introduces herself, Anise turns to smile her way. "It's nice to meet you!" She doesn't offer her hand, though. Sync has that covered! Instead, Anise does something she's seen on some video feeds from other planes: she makes an attempt to curtsy. It feels really weird, but it doesn't look -too- bad, for someone who's never had to do that before, especially in a long dress.
Anise tilts her head as Sync leans in, making a soft, curious sound. "Ion?" And then he whispers in her ear and she goes red again. Why, oh why does almost everything he say seem to have this affect on her tonight? The Guardian finally nods, mutely, trying her best to not look panicked.
The lawyer lifts her free hand suddenly, grasping at Ravi's fingers and squeezing them tightly for a few seconds before letting them go.
When Mercade returns, Maria straightens, and manages a small smile. "Ah, thank you, Mercade." The District Attorney reaches out to accept the glass. "Incidentally, I'm surprised you were allowed in here with that hat of yours. Why, isn't it polite to remove your hat when you are indoors?" Mercade's probably used to Maria chewing him out, but tonight she isn't using much of a chewing-out tone with the man.
Looking away, she glances over at Teirine again and motions at her. "You keep standing there looking at me. If you need to talk to me, then come do so, if not then please move along."
"..." Yeah Anise /is/ the only fon master guardian right now! Which made him wonder sometimes about the Order of Lorelei assigning just one person as Ion's bodyguard. But what is a Kadaj, he wants to ask. If it sounded tasty he might want one! "O-okay." Dances he could do, and slow waltzes were absolutely no problem at all. "--Daquiris are the fruity ones with rum, right?" Those didn't sound bad but he didn't know if he was as adventurous as his evening date was. Alcohol just wasn't his thing, it always left a bad taste in his mouth. He is suddenly, as Tirana grabs him and drags him to the dance floor, certain that it's probably a better place to be; that dark skinned woman seemed like someone he wouldn't much want to meet in a dark alley in spite of her prettiness.
Some things are better left unmet, he supposes.
Guy's distress about Ion being alive is conveniently entirely missed, as Luke is otherwise occupied with settling into the pace of the song instead and proving that yes, he does in fact know how to waltz. And pretty damn well too, it's one of the few things in his education he had -not- lacked. And it's fun too!
Dancins: He has them.
And as Simon and Agrias twirl off, another couple twirls back towards the edge of the floor. Well, 'twirl' is a bit of an overstatement--it's more of an awkward shuffling from foot to foot, combined with moving across the dance floor at a walking pace. The couple consists of a small, slender, red-haired woman in a long, slinky golden dress, and a tall, burly man in a tux--easily seven feet tall and not quite half that at the shoulders--with a long, iron-dark hair pulled back in a neat, orderly queue.
Entirely by accident, the male of the couple passes too close to Tirana, jostling at the Exalt with a single massive shoulder. She might get knocked around if she's not careful!
But the man is, at least, conscious of his mistake. He turns a rather interesting shade of red, and sputters out an "My apologies. I was not watching where I was going."
"Oh, relax, John," says the red-haired woman. "No one was hurt." She smiles at Tirana, doing her best to camouflage the recognition in her eyes. Sync, at least should find her familiar, and for good reason--the Radiant Dynamo of Invention is in human guise, along with her bodyguard, and she is intent on enjoying herself, no matter what.
Keep an eye out. Well that's a simple enough task for Cissnei, small smile back on her features while giving a brief nod of her head. It's too bad, if only because it would have been nice to avoid having to deal with even more company, she felt very.. Unnatural. But there's no better time to practice than the present right? She'd have to see this one through to the end.
The other thing that bothered her was the mention of Angeal. He was a very confusing case because despite being labeled MIA it turned out he was alive all this time, didn't it? Of course, then there was -her- own case.. So if Kadaj was -also- an exception, then.. Operglove clad hand to her chin, she almost seems lost in thought for a moment, about to ask something else when the offer of food is then presented to her, causing her cheeks to redden just a bit again. Of course this was all acting, but it still made her heart race a bit. "Y- yes, thank you."
Kadaj stops for a moment, eyes training on Soma once again. He doesn't go over to the man, but his lips do move. It's as if he's saying "Don't think I've forgotten about you." The staring continues for a few more seconds before he moves onward.
Next target: LOCK ON
The youth in black strides on over to where Tirana and Luke are dancing, getting in step with the music. There is a good deal of time spent waiting as he observed the steps, but he does eventually get to what he's planning to do. "Huh. This is simple," he comments behind the couple, smiling. "I thought it'd be a little tougher to get into. Mind if I cut in?" And as he says this, he tries cutting in.
A nice girl to dance with? There's a strained element to Guy's smile, as he sort of ... twitches, a little. "Ahaha." If that sounded a little /bland/, Anise doesn't need to wonder why. He's going to make his way over THERE now, thanks. To the bar.
Once Guy has managed to get a bartender's attention, the order is simple. "Two daiquiris," because he knows Luke has a sweet tooth sometimes, and where -he's- from you can drink things like that without people questioning your masculinity. Hurriedly, he amends, "One's virgin." Because he's not sure if the Duke would gut him if his son Luke got tipsy at a social event like this. And then, another amendment, when Guy takes one last glance over his shoulder, spying the pair of Guardian and Fon Master in the crowd, adding, with a sideways glance at Ravi, "I'll have whatever he's having."
...Then comes the double-take, and the slightly puzzled blinking. Hey, hasn't he seen someone like him before? No, not HIM -- a sister?
When you are pretty much the most important person in your world, one can generally assume that one is on equal footing with nearly anybody from anyplace else. Sync has never been lacking in chutzpah, either, though the uncertain footing of his current situation has ratcheted down his usual display of confidence a few pegs. He raises eyebrows politely at Talifah's annoyed look and disdainful manner, but decides that this random, haughty woman really isn't worth it.
"Good night to you," he thus says, glancing back over at the dance floor to watch Luke waltzing (huh, he actually is pretty good), Kadaj trying to cut in, and--green eyes widen slightly, but he says nothing when he recognizes Dynamo in her disguise in favor of looking back at Anise.
"Don't worry about it," Sync reassures her, leading her out onto the dance floor, letting his arm slip from hers in favor of taking her by the hand. "We can just dance for a little while, and then we'll get our drinks and head over to our table. Okay?" The problem here is that he really has no idea what to do, but another moment of watching the others dancing, and Sync thinks he can at least fake it. And so, he puts his arms around Anise, well aware that her face is red and his own feels rather hot too, and begins to pull her into a quick-quick-slow.
The waltz ends and the orchestra immediately launches into a foxtrot.
Dancing was good. Dancing got her away from crowds and Remnants and all the other obstacles to her enjoying her perfect night with an honest-to-goodness handsome prince. Even if he is a bit of a doof. That makes him even more charming, at least in Tirana's eyes! It was even a waltz too, something nice and slow and quite regal. To top it all off, Luke was quite the dancer. She twirls about with her Prince, sparkles everywhere as they sway in time to the music. It was everything she had ever dreamed about...
... save for the part where she gets knocked over by a bearded giant. "Whoa!" Fortunately there are plenty of petticoats to cushion her fall, unfortunately it totally ruined the moment. At least the big man was genuinely sorry, which gets him a sympathetic nod from the girl once she brushes the stray hairs from her face. "Oh, it is quite alright," she nods up to him with a sympathetic smile. If she knew it was a disguise, however, she'd be dialing up Graham and his wrench.
Speaking of friends from strange places! The Exalt's head slowly turns towards the voice, the sympathy draining from her smile in exchange for utter awkwardness. "Kadaj," she squeaks. "I didn't know you were a dancer!"