Third Annual Quistis Ball

[Andromeda]

(OoC: Seems like bad timing having on Christmas Eve, but I didn’t realize when Christmas Eve was when I said middle to end of the week. This is the casual forums so you’re pretty much free to write in whatever style you wish. Let past balls I’m not going to hold rules on anything. The idea is to have fun and enjoy yourself, not stress over the details. So have fun and mess around!)

The ball came around for a third time. Last year’s event turned out to be more than either of the Andromedas wished to remember. Most of the night turned into a blur for Andromeda, she made the regretful mistake of having something to drink. Which she had to hear about all of the things she did after from those she knew. Andromeda the Second, he came out better socially, but personally dealing with his other half made for a living nightmare. Both were uncertain about how the night would play out, but they could not let personal embarrassment prevent them from carrying on.

Arrangements for this year’s Quistis Ball came from an unusual source. An unknown wealthy individual that had some strange interest in their happenings offered up the venue. The location managed to feel even grander than the ballrooms from past years while also feeling somehow lower scale. It still puzzled the two of the how they managed to secure such a site.

Due to the scale there was no practical place to really have an entrance. There really wasn’t one to speak of anyway. The Calm Lands was just a very large field with only a store and teleport stone in the center. Arrivals came through the stone greeted by Stiltzkin the Moogle. Here the Andromedas arrived early before most had showed up.

She scanned the view briefly to see where everything was placed. The store fronted much of the catering providing a central gathering location. Since chocobos ran wild around the Calm Lands it seemed some had been gathered up for the guests to ride or race. It also made it safer and faster to travel out to the main attraction, Balamb Garden. Another oddity that neither understood how it happened, the two didn’t even belong in the same universe (but who’s going to quibble over crossover details for Final Fantasy considering how hard they’re trying to put seven and ten together).

Balamb Garden floated out at the very end of the cliffs of the Calm Lands. It provided the dance hall and recreation area. The light show and other party stuff also were provided by the Garden. The sound system managed to project clear across the Calm Lands, a surprising feat.

“Welcome, Miss Andromeda!” Stiltzkin greeted, as they arrived. “You’ve really out done yourself this year, kupo!”

Andromeda gave a modest denying wave. “I can’t really claim to have done this one. I’m as surprised as you.” This year she wore a long black evening dress with a slit up the side stopping halfway up her thigh. The dress hugged her figure a little more than she preferred. She kept her hair down with a simple series of braids drawing back her very long hair.

“A lot less stress hopefully,” Andromeda II grinned. He wore a more traditional black tuxedo matching with Andromeda color scheme. He escorted her along from the entrance. Leaning over to whisper into her ear he tried some words of encouragement for strength. “It’s a different year and different party. Let enjoy ourselves and not think about regrets. Alright!”

Stiltzkin’s turned around hearing the teleport stone activating again and awaited to greet the next guest.

(OoC: Don’t forget that you can make anything you want. We have a lot of space so if you want to add something that I don’t have feel free to do so! Enjoy!)

[Leon]

"Greetings, kupo! Welcome to the third annual Quistis Ball."

The moogle greeted Leon, their next guest. There was nothing special about his outfit. He only had jeans, normal tennis shoes, and a white T under his blue jacket.

"Let's see. We got three universes mixed into one. We're here, in the Calm Lands greeted by a moogle from Gaia and a ball room like Balamb Garden. Let's see. The power level for such an awesome place....is over 9000."

There was nothing to be nervous about. After all, he thought, only a few people have shown up. But he really hoped drinks wouldn't become too involved, as he never fared well whenever somebody else drank.

"How many in your party, kupo?"

"Um, just me." He loved the Final Fantasy multiverse, and moogles were one of his favorite races. "You guys don't have any Malboros here, do you?"

"They all left when the Gullwings scared them off, kupo."

"Oh, that's good." Leon had been traveling across the multiverse, and he's hated Malboros ever since he's had two encounters with them. Once in the Jade Passage, and another time in the Omega Ruins. He wasn't too lucky in that last one, as the Malboro chewed him up a little, literally, before spitting him out. "Couldn't stand an awesome flavor", Leon thought. But he's been more than a little traumatized since that incident.

"But we do have a fine selection of Malboro wine, kupo! It's good!"

At the mere of thought of the wine, Leon placed his hand over his mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick." He happened to be carrying Malboro wine in the Jade Passage. This, of course, attracted the local Malboro. "You know what, forget I said anything. Was the ball last year fun?"

"Yes it was, kupo. But we're all hoping tonight's is even better than last year."

Leon had never visited too many parties, balls, or anything of the sort. He was hoping he'd made a good impression so far. "I knew I should have bought that Thor costume on eBay. But it's too late for regrets. There's going to be merriment about and I can't miss it."

[Selquist]

*Whiirrr-oosh*

There was a bit of confusion as the onlookers gazed over at the form that had been unceremoniously dumped onto the ground beneath the teleport stone. Picking himself up and dusting off his soft leather tunic and breeches, Selquist gave a nervous laugh.

“Heh heh. It’s my first time… er, teleporting.”

“Welcome traveler. Do not worry, Kupo! It get’s easier. Please, enjoy the festivities.” The moogle guides Selquist to the nearby shop and then returns to the stone to greet the next group of guests as they enter the Calm Lands.

Selquist takes a place near the counter and begins checking out the area. It’s such a vast, open area. The fields seem to go on forever, and in the distance Chocobos can be seen clustering together, preening themselves. A smile crosses his face. This is his first ball and he wants to make a good impression.

The attendant at the counter greets the man and offers him a damp cloth. “Perhaps you would like to wipe some of that dust off of your face,” he exclaims in a jovial manner. Blushing, Selquist gratefully accepts and begins to make himself presentable once again.

Feeling a little nervous, Selquist sets down the cloth and begins scanning the shelves. There are tonics and potions, as well as feathers and a large variety of assortments. Thinking nothing of these, he continues his scan and comes across a bottle containing a murky liquid.

“Ah, this is just the thing I need to take some of the edge off.” Removing the bottle, he turns to the attendant. “I’d like a glass of this Marlboro wine please.” Hearing what sounds like a muffled gag, he turns his head and notices another guest covering his mouth and looking odd. “I wonder what is wrong with him?”

Sipping his wine, Selquist waits to see who else will arrive. This is sure to be a most interesting event.

[Unknown Entity]

Gemma halted Fenrir at the edge of the cliff before the Calm Lands, and looked over its wonders. It'd been a while since she'd visited these lands with a couple of peculiar old friends. It was a little strange to see yet an other familiar site, Balamb Garden hovering above the wild chocobos, who didn't seem the least bit frazzled by its presence and continued to go on about their curious races with each other.

Fenrir growled in anticipation as she reignited the engine and rode down the cliff's rocky slopes, mindful of the anacondaur who decided the best time to cross the path was when a rather heavy machine thundered past, allowing gravity to do most of its work and thus making it faster than usual.

Fenrir followed its masters command, and pulled up in the makeshift car park outside of Balamb. Gemma wondered if there'd be space to park inside Balamb, and was about to go and investigate when a rather excitable Stiltzkin sped over in total amazement at her bike. Gemma smiled shyly and blushed - her first meeting with poor little Stiltzkin didn't go so well, and she just had this feeling...

"Kupoooooo! Nice ride! Certainly better than your usual hired contraption!" Stiltzkin squeaked.

"Why thank you. I recently decided to get myself a bike and live a more adventurous life... or so the advert and sales person told me it'd bring." Gemma chuckled quietly. "Anywho, I'm glad I got my hands on this baby. An old friend of mine used to own one, who's decided to settle with his girlfriend in a bar near Midgar. Waste of a bike in my opinion."

"Indeed!" Stiltzkin exclaimed. "I'd want one myself, but I wouldn't stay on for very long Kupo!"

"It's a good bike, Fenrir... It also has it's own weapon compartment! Look!" Gemma pulled back on a handle and the door swung open, smacking Stiltzkin across the head and throwing him into a nearby bush. She beamed, then quickly wondered where he'd gotten to. Sighing, she closed it up, took her keys, and made her way towards the entrance of Balamb.

"Why... meee, kupo?" cried a rather irritated moogle who crawled out of the bush behind her, rubbing his poor little head.

Gemma didn't know what she'd wanted to wear this year. It didn't help that she wasn't sure if her assumed date would make an appearance either, so she didn't really discuss it much. With a bike, it's difficult to wear anything remotely pretty either, but she'd thought of ahead of time - she'd packed her outfit away and wore her biking leathers for the journey. Pulling her goggles off of her head, Gemma shook her hair free, catching the attention of a group of guests who'd just pulled up.

It was going to be a fun evening.

[Victoria]

[Theme: Wonder Girls - So Hot]

It was that time yet again. Last year didn't fare too well, so she had been a bit reluctant to go. However, she had been convinced by a friend and spent half of the day rummaging through her closet deciding on a piece of attire to wear. After what seemed forever, she finally decided on something.

She set the clothing on the bed and refreshed herself in the shower and applied her favorite gloss. After her soft skin had dried itself sufficiently, she slipped on a form-fitting dress that was as black as darkness itself. A slit fell to the bottom of the dress from the side of her hip. The straps were but string and her chest filled up the area and then some.

Satisfied with her appearance, she slipped on her favorite pair of red stilettos. Nonchalantly, she strutted toward the deck and looked into her telescope, observing the party from afar. That was when she spotted something intriguing.

She made sure her device was loaded and working properly and jumped over the barricade of her airship lodging in the clouds. The wind rushed passed her body as the garment flapping from the pressure.

The ground of the Calm Lands growing ever so close by the second, she pulled the trigger of her device; an air cushion formed on the ground, to which she fell inside and ever so slowly landed upon the soft dirt feet first.

She landed in the vicinity of her date and that of the intriguing person she laid her eyes on from upon her airship. Her eyes took a closer look at the woman wearing the dress that she herself spent half of the day stressing over to pick out.

After assessing the situation, Victoria decided that she looked better in it after all; according to her own tastes.

"Well, isn't this peculiar," she stated as she placed a hand upon her hip while the other flipped her hair. "Who pulls it off better, I wonder?" she pondered aloud, already knowing the answer in her mind.

[Unknown Entity]

Gemma ran her fingers through her hair and grinned at the sight ahead of her; there stood her date, looking as beautiful as ever. It was as if an angel had fallen down from the sky, and Gemma couldn't believe her luck.

"Falling with style a new art of yours, hun? I'm surprised your stilettos didn't develop a mind of their own on the way down!" she said giving Victoria a cuddle. "That... could have been a disaster..." she added, just noticing the bump on Stiltzkin's head and the dirt caught in his pom-pom as he approached.

[Robbo]

Mark Approached through the teleporter greeting stiltskin happily although he had already had a few drinks although he was way in the clear.

He was just trying to enjoy this experience even though this was the first experience in the Quisits Ball and put on a happy face even though a few happy faces and acquaintances.

Mostly friends he felt more comfortable but the few people present made him slighlty shy. So he said to Stiltskin "Wow you have really outdone yourself"

Stilstskin typically replied with "Kupo"

[Leon]

A muffled gag indeed came from Leon, who just couldn't stand the thought of Malboro wine. "From what I've heard, it's made by squeezing its tentacles. I don't wanna know where they've been."

He saw the chocobos running about, which brought a smile to his face. "Racing, maybe? My kind of sport." He was truly relieved to see chocobos, as he was not a good dancer. "Hm. What would be a good activity around here? Maybe I can just talk with the other guests for a while?"

So he decides to walk around, trying to find somebody to talk to.

[Josh_R]

(OoC: My attire)

The high-powered engine of the Ragnarok made this journey quick, and easy. The airship made its slow, and steady decent to an area of the Calm Lands marked off for airships.

"Hmm..." Josh murmured, "it appears there is only one airship. Woohoo prime parking!!"

Josh exited the airship, and started for the party. He encountered a tiny booth being manned by a moogle.

"How many are in the group?" he asked,

"Just me for now." I answered, "my date will be arriving later."

"Very well." he stated, "one chocobo.... kupo."

A vibrant yellow chocobo sprinted to the booth. I steadily climbed aboard. The chocobo patiently awaited my command.

"Uhhhh. Go" I uttered,

In a burst the chocobo set off towards the party. I have never been on a land creature that could move with such speed. We began to come up on a slight drop. I braced myself for what could be disaster. In an instant the chocobo sprang several feet in the air, and safely landed. I could see where the party focal point was.

I noticed an oddity immediately.

"What the hell is Balamb Garden doing here?" I shouted, "oh well.. Looks like this is gonna be a hell of a party."

The chocobo raced to a booth similar to the one at the Airship Parking Area. This one however was not manned by a moogle. I jumped off the chocobo, and made a beeline for the party. All of sudden a moogle ran up on me.

"Welcome to the Quistis... Kisuke?" Stiltzkin questioned,

"I don't go by that anymore." I answered, "please just call me Josh."

"Ok then Josh, welcome to the Third Annual Quistis Ball!" he shouted, "There are several others inside, please help yourself."

"Thank you Stilzkin." I said,

I continued on to see Leon. He was playing with a bottle of Marlboro Wine.

"What is he doing with that, haha?" I questioned,

[Leon]

Turning to Josh, Leon simply stated "I'm just trying to see what all the fuzz was about. It's made from the pungent stench of Malboros, FYI."

Ignoring the smell, he takes a sip. "Just like the gysahl pickles they sell in Lindblum. It smells, but it tastes good."

Turning away so no one could see the worried look on his face, he began to mumble. "Everyone so far has a date. Eventually they'll be either too drunk or too busy with their dates that I won't be able to carry a decent conversation. Maybe I should tell some stories."

[OceanEyes28]

Che and Ocean met beforehand at a teleport stone elsewhere in order to arrive together. They're smart like that. Ocean wore a curve-hugging red dress, mermaid cut, slit up the front. Che looked looked like Bond. James Bond. Snappy gadget watch included. They stood in front of the stone.
"What is this?" Ocean asked.
"Weird." Che said, BEING UNHELPFUL.
"Sooooo. I touch it? Do I touch it?"
"****ing touch it."
Ocean put her hand on the stone. "Uh.... Calm Lands?" As the crystal lit up, Ocean felt a sensation completely unrelated to teleporting. "Your hand is on my ass."
Che smiled. "I know."
"Don't start what you can't finish."
"Oh, I will f-"
The two disappeared.

Moments later, Che and Ocean appeared in the Calm Lands, lips locked, her left leg around his torso, his right hand rising dangerously up her thigh.
A moogle stood nearby. "Ahem, kupo."
"Oh ****, hi." Ocean unwrapped herself and put her feet back on the ground. She looked around at the vast expanse in front of her. It was lovely, but she was wearing satin. "Huh. Where do we go now?"
Che cleared his throat, leaned in, and whispered in her ear, "I got this shit."

[Leon]

"Alright, everyone. Gather around, it's story time!"

He did this to get attention, if only for a minute. He wanted to be the star of the night, or at least get his 15 minutes of fame. "Anything is good" he thought.

"Let me tell you a scary story about Black Friday, where a man who we'll call 'Johnny' bought 24 water bottles for a cheap price."

Minutes later...

In a spooky voice, Leon wraps up the story, complete with flashlight. "And Johnny's brother was never able to pee again."

[Dodie16]

Dodie shakily stepped away from the teleportation stone onto the expansive field of the Calm Lands. The ride through the teleportation stone was a new experience, one that left her quite a bit dizzy....and a bit disheveled as well.

'Whoa... What a rush...', she thought to herself.

A tiny but clear voice squeaked out, "Welcome, kupo!"

A moogle had greeted Dodie as she straightened her orange satin dress, and ran a few fingers through her curled hair, which was pinned back with silver barrettes to help keep her long hair out of her face.

"Thanks!", Dodie replied after sprucing herself up. She recognized this particular moogle from last year's event. It was Stiltzkin! After the beating he endured at the last Quistis Ball, she was quite surprised to see him return as the attendant for this year.

"Neither rain, nor sleet, nor being hit by a speeding car can keep you from your duty, eh?"

Dodie gave a smile and a wink to the moogle, who let out a nervous chuckle. He rubbed his head from the bump he received earlier that evening, and announced her presence to the rest of the guests at the Quistis Ball. She thanked him again, and made her way toward the area where a few of the other guests have congregated.

Dodie looked around for a bit, but couldn't seem to find her date. She seemed to have arrived a tad bit early, so she decided to just wait for his arrival....whenever that would be. She wondered to herself if they should have shown up together, but since neither of them made much of a plan outside of being each others' date, she figured it would be okay to just wing it and have fun. She passed by a young man who seemed to be in the middle of telling a story to anyone that would listen, and made her way toward a bar that was mixing and serving various refreshments. She asked the bartender for a drink called The Corrupted Lifestream, which he whipped up for her in a snap. She took the drink, thanked him for his service, and headed to a row of comfy looking seats to wait for her date to show.

[SuperSabin]

A hooded figure and Ultros appeared onto the Calm Lands, Stiltzkin greeted the two and asked: "What brings you guys here to the hall, kupo?" Ultros replied: "Uee hee hee! oh nothing of importance; just here to enjoy ourselves." Ultros smiled. Stiltzkin then said: "Well okay, take it easy you two, kupo."

Stiltzkin then left them to theirselves. Ultros then spoke to the man in the hooded figure: "So, what did you have in mind?" The hooded man spoke: "I want you to rig the teleporter so that no one escapes, after you do that, I want you to release the monsters out onto the field, I want to give the others a pleasent warm welcome." He smiled slyly.

Ultros replied: "Uee hee hee! Good deal, I'll get to it right away. By the way, what about that guy who found out about our plan?" He asked, the hooded man simply said: "Leave him be, I provided this as entertainment for him. I want to see what he is capable of MWAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed maniacly. So Ultros and the hooded man tampered with the teleporter, and then released the monsters. Once finished, they teleported out of the area leaving the monsters to chase the attendees around the lands.

Suddenly, an airship arrived, a man jumped out wearing rich silk clothing made from rare materials found around the world and parachuted into the calm lands. He brought a sword with him just for this occasion and his shipmates fired at the monsters and this man, Sabin Rene Figaro, finished off the rest of the monsters with no trouble at all. He apologized for any trouble that was caused and fixed the teleporter which he knew how to do.

Stiltzkin greeted him and Sabin thanked him for inviting him to the party. "So did you bring a date with you at all to the party, kupo?" "Yeah" he replied, "I'm waiting for her at the moment, shes currently about to parachute from the airship."

[Victoria]

[Theme: Dragon Quest VIII - Warcry~ Battle Theme]

Before Victoria got the chance to see a response from the hostess girl that was called Andromeda, she felt a rumble upon the ground and vicious growling from the distance behind her. She heard cannon fire amongst all the excitement, and thought to ignore the pending doom, provided that whoever had those cannons firing.

However, all was not well when she heard the stamping and rumbling get louder and deeper. It was not long before she felt warm breath upon her back...

She turned around on the balls of her feet and was greeted by a deep purring and menacing yellow eyes. It was the Coeurl, the elegant feline creature that resided in the Calm Lands. There had been a large pack of them let loose into the vicinity, along with some other beasties that made their intent clear.

A growl surfaced from its maw as it lunged toward her and raised its sharp claws to harm her curvaceous form. She hopped backward and evaded the attack. She flipped her hair once more as her other hand rested upon her hip. The other hand ran along the side of her body, down to her hip, and then back up again.

What she did next was not mentioned, but whatever it did seemed to have calmed the Coeurl and made it friendly toward her instead.

"Be a good kitty and clean up the rest of the mayhem will you?" she said coyly with a wink. The Coeurl purred and ran off to defeat all the other monsters in the area until none were left standing.

It returned with ruffled fur and slight scrapes. A yawn escaped its maw as it sat in front of her, as if waiting for some sort of reward.

"That's a good kitty~ Drink some of this to make yourself feel better!~" She scratched behind his ear and poured a Potion into a saucer to heal his few wounds.

"Hmm.. I think I'm going to keep you. But I'll need a name..."

[TL; DR]
Coeurl appeared!
Coeurl attacks!
Coeurl does 0 damage! Victoria dodged the attack!
Victoria performed her best Puff Puff!
Coeurl became enthralled!
Coeurl defeated the monster party!
Enter Name: B-A-N-E

"Oh, I know! I'll name you Bane, after my previous cat Kane, but because you have some blue on you." She nodded at her revelation.

"What do you think of our new companion, Love?" she addressed Gemma who was still in her biker gear.

[Unknown Entity]

Gemma, who'd panicked and hid behind her date when she noticed the monsters, peeped out from behind Victoria's protective shoulder, and looked down at their new pet. Realising quickly that it wasn't going to harm her, Gemma relaxed and joined Vicky at her side with a sheepish grin, her protect spell wearing off around them.

"Yeah umm... I left my sword in the bike... heh..." she blushed and ran her fingers through her hair again. "So, can we keep him!?" she asked excitedly.

Victoria gave a nod and smiled.

"Don't you think he'll be a little too big for our apartment? His size just won't do..." That's when she thought of a spell which just might do the trick and solve their dilemma. Raising her hand towards the sky, then bringing her hand down as if pulling it from the heavens, she formed the spell. Extending her hand towards Bane, she opened her fist and let the spell fall on to him. After a brief flash of light, Bane had shrunk down into a reasonable sized house cat.

"I think he likes us!" Gemma giggled loudly, and bent down to pick up her and Vicky's new pet. She cuddled close with Victoria, Bane snuggling up between them.

"Indeed." Vicky smiled. "I think it's about time you went and put on something a little more comfortable, dearest. I'll look after Bane." Bane left Gemma's arms and cuddled up into Victoria's bosom.

After giving Victoria a kiss on the cheek, Gemma walked up into Balamb to find the dormitories.

[GypsyElder]

Unanticipated, Gypsy deiced to attend the ball, so she got ready slipping on her nylon socks knowing that the location this year would probably be a lot colder. As a last resort she deiced to go simple and wear a clean, dark grey cocktail style dress. Gypsy hadn't given her date a clear answer of weather or not she would attend; therefore, she had no idea if he would show or even if he had found another date to attend with. When she arrived she was greeted by Stiltzkin once again, and hoped that he was not still perturbed from the previous year.

“Greeetings kupo!, Welcome to the .... ” Stiltzkin paused and for a moment and irascibly stared. He gathered himself once more and replied “I remember you kupo, just move along”. He didn't even bother to check the list. Gypsy lucked out, she clenched her her studded evening bag and paced on through the rest area. She got situated in a comfortable place, leaning against the Chocobo corral fence away from the masses. She watched the radiant lights glaring from Balamb Garden and eagerly waited to see what would happen next.

[Robbo]

Mark turned to see balamb garden as he was staring at it in wonder admiring it. He noticed something that he now felt a little stupid about seeing before. He was thinking if it rained the architectural shape of Balamb garden would slowly fill up like a fountain killing everyone?

He shrugged off the idea and walked over to the counter and asked for some Malboro wine, he tried it that familiar stench, taste and sensation on his tongue. It wasnt his favourite drink but it would do especially seeing as it's free.

He then decided that the next Chocobo that wandered past he would leap onto gracefully without any complications what so ever.

[che]

Che and Ocean made their way to a moogle, who introduced himself as Mojito.

"Where can we find a beverage?" Che asked. Mojito motioned north, and as they turned, a pathway lit up with dim candlelights. Out of amazement, forgetting to thank the moogle, they began walking the path.

Moments later, Ocean and Che find themselves arriving within the Garden. Not many had entered yet, and the music was quite loud for being sober. Che motioned for the barman, who was indeed another moogle.

"How racist." he thought to himself. Nevertheless, a drink was in order. "Two pints of Guinness, please."

Enjoying their drinks, the two went for the entrance and motioned for others to join them.

[OceanEyes28]

Ocean and Che walked by someone she didn't recognize just as the sentence "Johnny's brother was never able to pee again!" was proclaimed enthusiastically and absolutely.
"The ****?" Ocean said, turning to look as they passed. Che was more focused on sipping the bit of foam off his pint.

On their way to the Balamb entrance, they spotted a particularly fancy Sabin, sweat across his brow, standing triumphantly with sword in hand.
Che figured a thank you was in order (for killing all those monsters), so he fist bumped Sabin on the shoulder while Ocean offered a wide grin and a thumbs up.
"Great job on those monsters," Che said. Ocean drank more Guinness.

Che was motioning for everyone to follow them inside, but several of the partygoers seemed oblivious to one another. "I mean.... more free food for us I guess," Ocean said. Che was undeterred. "I'm pretty sure there's free food inside. Is what I'm saying."
"How are you not 400 pounds?" Che affectionately teased.
"Physical activity," Ocean said with a wink.
Che stared at her for a few moments in mock irritation. "Goddamnit. You."
Ocean smiled and wrapped her arms around one of his (mindful of her already half empty glass), pressing her face into the soft wool of his jacket. "I hope there's cake."

[Rocky]

Appearing through the teleport stone with the typical smirk on his face, Rocky did a quick arm stretch, checked the time on his cell phone, and stuffed the phone back into the pocket of hisCairo suit. Rocky quickly fixed his tie and also pulled out his "date" from the sidepocket of his jacket.

Yes, this year Rocky has successfully created his own date for the ball, an interesting idea that had yet to be explored thoughout the history of the Quistis Ball. Some people have had more than one date, some people have brought themselves as their dates *coughAndromedacough*, but not an artifically manufactured date. The date appeared to be a slim, long-haired lady in a black dress, the woman appearing of asian descent.

"Kupo! Hello to..." Stiltzkin stopped talking and looked at Rocky's date with great emnity. Rocky could tell this was going to be a fun night already. With his trademark cool face, Rocky inquired, "Problem, Stiltzkin?" Stiltzkin became very mad and began to bop Rocky on the top of the head. "IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE KUPOPO?! YOU'RE QUITE THE KUPO TROLL SIR! SHE'S ALREADY HERE KUPO!!"

"ow...OW..Ouc- wait, what she's here?" Rocky's heart skipped a beat. When Rocky asked his date, she mentioned something about needing to return home to finish her gypsy kung fu training so she might not be able to come, but she never gave him a straight answer. "In her typical response.." thought Rocky, smirking once again as he made his way over to the Chocobo Corral fences.

As Rocky walked over to talk to Gypsy, he quickly sized her up compared to his cardboard cutout of her, and folded it away. "Hmm, I did a pretty good job," thought Rocky as he gave her a hug. "You really pissed off Stiltzkin, he was out for blood when I arrived." Gypsy laughed and reminded him of last year's incident. "You should apologize to him, I've never seen a moogle that vengeful before!" Gypsy just shrugged it off and the two went into the bar to meet their friends.

At the bar, Rocky asked "anything you want to drink?" "umm.." Gypsy was unsure at the moment, and rightfully so since she could have to leave at any time. Before she could answer, Rocky got Mojito and exclaimed "Two glasses of Red Drank please!!" Gypsy normally didn't drink but Rocky knew that she liked the fruity alcohol of Red Drank. It goes down easy but it's still strong, which is also why Rocky ordered it for himself. "Oh snap it's some people we know let's go!" Rocky gave a quick wave to Che and Ocean, and the Gypsy/Rocky approached the couple with smiles out and arms open.

[Taco-Calamitous]

Suddenly, a loud crack sounded out over the Calm Lands, and a fiery bolt flashed across the sky, impacting on the ground next to a rather surprised and frightened moogle. It dropped to the ground and covered its head, quaking and whimpering quietly, not daring to look up. If it had, it would have seen a figure amidst the flames as they died down. Soon, the flames had gone out all together, revealing a man with a black hat and a black cape trench coat that covered most of his body. There was even a collar that obscured most his face, except for his eyes, which burned with an intense flame. Then, he took off his coat-which disappeared int a puff of black smoke-revealing a black zuit suit underneath.

“Hey kid, ya alright?” Telegraph asked the frightened moogle at his feet.

“K-k-kupo?!” Stiltzkin slowly rose his head to see the person in front of him. Then, seeing who it was, an angry snarl grew across his face. “What the fuck was that, kupo?!”

“That’s how I do,” Telegraph grinned at the distraught moogle, and without another word, made his way up into the Garden. There were other people there doing stuff already. All very exciting and entertaining, he was sure. He wasn’t really too worried about all of that, however; he was looking for his date. He knew she was already here. He could feel it. He had that psychic feeling deep inside him. Before long, his eyes honed in, and he found her, wearing a stunning orange dress and a silver hair piece. Taking long strides, he quickly closed the distance between them, and extending his hand to her he greeted her, “Hey lady! Whoah, you look really nice tonight!”

[Leon]

Just as Leon was wrapping up his story, a purple moogle came flying to him.

"Hey, aren't you Artemicion?"

The moogle replied "Yes, I am. I have a message, but I don't know who to give it to."

"Lemme see" Leon responded. He took a good look at the message, before saying "I can see why you don't know who to give it to." In a louder voice, he added "To the owner of a cool-looking bike, you left your lights on."

Once Artemicion left and the owner of the bike stepped up, Leon thought what to do next. It was only a matter of time before everybody started dancing, he thought, and would have to come up with a way to save himself from possible humiliation.

"Well, it's in a ball room in Balamb Garden. Maybe if I kept my distance, I wouldn't have to dance." With a confident look on his face, he added "Hehehe. After all, so many couples are here. I doubt they'll care what I'm up to."

After pondering for a while, he approaches the chocobos in the Calm Lands. "Maybe I'll just stand here for now. Wildlife is so amazing."

[Robbo]

Mark looked on at a Chocobo rounding a corner near him he edged casually towards the path it was going to take and readied into the pounce position. The chocobo sped up to him as he jumped and landed Gracefully on it's back speeding up to Balamb he noticed a few familiar faces as he tried to slow the Chocobo then noticing it wasn't responding to him at all.

Mark sighed heavily then lazily grabbed the Chocobo, letting his Malboro wine fall to the ground as he clasped onto it's neck he decided he would jump again. As the Chocobo raced at Balamb he was very closed now and let go of the Chocobo's neck to prepare for the jump as he extended his legs the Chocobo turned and he lost his footing tumbling to the ground and rolling on the floor due to the speed at which the Chocobo was running he stopped a little infront of the entrance.

He then casually got up and decided to act like it didn't happen quickly dusting dirt off of himself he walked over to Che, Oceaneyes, Rocky and Gypsy. "Hey guys, so theres only Moogles here or something?"

[HUNK]

(OOC: If anyone can't just jump in please feel free to delete and send a pm)

Andrew ran as quickly as he could. He was scrambling into a white dress shirt and black pistripe dress pants. "I can't believe I'm almost gona miss this..."

Andrew had anticipated the Third Annual Quistis Ball since last year and on the day of rekoning he slept in. After grabbing a small dagger and his mp3 player, Andrew dashed out the door. He knew that if he was going to make it he'd need to rent a chocobo. "Darn it, I really didn't want to spend anything til I got there but it can't be helped." Andrew didn't live far away but he knew the ball had already started without him and he had to hurry.

"Hello there kupo, looking to ride?"
Andrew replied and gave the 500 gil to a small moogle wearing a small peacoat and blue piolet style goggles. As he rode he thought to himself about the ball. "It's not gona look nice to just burst in late...I really don't want to make too much of a scene. I wonder how Rocky and Mark are." Andrew stays in contact with them through mognet but really doesn't get out and talk to people much.
Finally in the distance Andrew could see the rather festive lights. "Looks like I'm not too late."

"Greetings and welcome to the Quistis Ball, if you need anything please inform me." A small rather scared looking moogle adressed Andrew as he dismounted his chocobo. "Um, a drink would be nice but may I ask your name?" After a brief moment the moogle replied "Oh yes, I'm Stiltzkin..." He seemed to be in a different world...looks like he's already had a rough night. Andrew muttered to himself "Telegraph must be here already...and I thought I'd make a big entrance."

Andrew grabbed a bottle of Coke and walked on into Balamb Garden's front gate, anticipating what was to come...

[Zerobanshee]

Ruin came through the teleporter, straightening his tie and running a hand through his spiked hair, a grin across his face. He had fun last year with the guys, and couldn't wait seeing what happened this time.
Looking at the Moogle in the entrance, he smiled and patted the bon-bon. "Seems like you've had a rough night already." Ruin spoke.
"Yes, Kupo. Your name?" Stiltzkin responded.
"Ruin Tumult, at your service." Ruin answered, already looking over the Moogle into the growing crowd. He could already make out Rocky's voice in the crowd, shouting something about Drank, and could see Mel beside him. Looking around, he could already spot Telegraph and H.U.N.K., and Sabin as well.
"Not too large of a crowd, huh? Is it just starting?"
"Yes, kupo. You actually arrived early for once!"
Chuckling, Ruin walked past the moogle, heading towards the Chocobo Corral fences, leaning over to pet the chocobos. "Can't wait to see what happens this year, haha."

[Sasquatch]

[OOC: This is my first time RP'ing. I've seen a little of it, but never done it. But I'll give it a shot.]

A lone figure slowly appears over the horizon of the Calm Lands, seeming as if it had walked directly out of the sunset. It seemed somewhat larger than a normal man -- not taller, but ... wider. Bulkier, shall we say. While the silhouette seemed to be walking a regular pace and initially looked miles away, it only took a few minutes for the fepront to become more visible in the light, and only a few more for the man to approach the teleport stone. It was a man in full Army Combat Uniform, oddly enough. It was easy to distinguish the pattern of light and dark grays against its backdrop of sunset and vegetation, making some wonder how it was "camouflage" at all. He was no taller than an ordinary man, and upon closer examination, he was no wider, either -- he was wearing body armor, a large vest over his torso with a few pouches attached, and a kevlar helmet. He wore gloves as well, dark green on the backs and gray in the front, stretching from the fingertips, over the palms, and down the wrists, which were neatly tucked into his uniform sleeves. Despite walking away from the sunset, he also wore darkly tinted protective eyewear. The outfit was such that the only skin on his entire body that was left exposed was from his Adam's Apple to his nose and cheeks. And there was a weapon slung across his chest -- not a blade or club, as was common in this area, but a rifle, an M4, with an M203 grenade launcher attached under the barrel. Between the armor, the helmet, the uniform, the rifle, and the drop-leg pouch full of magazines and 40mm grenades, the man looked nothing like a party guest. But when he got close enough, Stlitzkin looked at him, puzzled, and slightly intimidated.

"Sergeant Abbott, kupo?" Stiltzkin asked, reading the name and rank on the front of the man's body armor. The man could sense the confusion in the moogle's voice, which comforted him -- he had never actually seen a moogle, after all, and he would have been slightly embarassed if he was the only one that was in unfamiliar territory during this exchange.

Sergeant Abbott removed his eye protection, folding the sides against themselves and tucking them into a cargo pocket. He then unbuckled the chinstrap on his helmet, removed it, and tucked it neatly under his left arm.

"Sasquatch, kupo!" Stiltzkin exclaimed. "I am Stiltzkin." This would have made the man more uncomfortable still, knowing that this little moogle fellow, whom he had obviously never met before, somehow recognized him. But the warmth in the moogle's voice calmed him, and he smiled. Besides, he had heard of Stiltzkin before -- he was not familiar with the name, but at least he recognized it.

"No, sir. It's just 'Adam' tonight."

"Don't call me 'sir', I work for a living." The warmth in the moogles voice retreated quickly as he looked, almost glared, up at the uniformed man. Adam's comfort level plummeted, assuming that he had just somehow insulted this moogle he had just met. Until the moogle could not keep the straight face any longer and cracked a smile, the warmth returning to his voice, the kindness returning to his eyes. Stiltzkin somehow had knowledge of the old military joke, that enlisted men are not called "sir" (or enlisted women, "ma'am"), unlike Commissioned Officers, and that when they are addressed as such, reply with, "don't call me that, I work for a living," as a (usually) light-hearted jest at Officers. The smile cracked on the moogle's face, then a grin, and soon Stiltzkin was beaming. Adam grinned himself, the comfort returning immediately.

"You had me scared for a minute, there."

"It's okay. So Adam. Kupo." The moogle still wore a wide grin. Adam noticed that the grin wasn't all the moogle bore -- if the dust and dirt were somehow not noticed, the bump on Stiltzkin's head was hard to ignore.

"You alright there, bud?" Adam asked, nodding to the moogle's forehead, raising his right hand to his own forehead and rubbing it firmly. The helmet was not comfortable to wear, but at least it protected him from the same lumps and welts.

The moogle raised his eyes, almost as if he could see the bump on his own forehead, and shrugged. "It's alright, kupo. No worse for wear. May I take your equipment? We have a place for it, kupo."

Adam chuckled, then realized that the moogle was serious. The man carried nearly twenty pounds of ammunition alone. The helmet did not weigh much, and was not large to a human, but looked wider than the moogle himself was. And the body armor, along with the plates on the inside and the medical gear and spare equipment attached to the outside, was at least sixty pounds. He looked at the moogle, obviously puzzled. "You sure? I mean ..."

Stiltzkin reassured him. "I am sure, kupo. Don't worry, I can handle it. I'm stronger than I look." The moogle grinned again.

"Alright, sure. Thanks." He walked to the bench near the large teleport stone and set his helmet down, then his weapon, keeping it near him. Stiltzkin followed shortly behind him. Adam then lifted a large flap near the bottom of his vest, then unfastened the two velcro [sorry, "hook and loop"] straps. He reached under the front of the vest and unfastened a third strap, then lifted the vest over his head, the collar of it sliding up his neck and over his ears. He set it down on the bench, refastening everything he just undid. Stiltzkin spoke while Adam worked.

"Why not teleport here, kupo?"

"Never been to fond of them, to be honest. Don't really know how they work. Always figured I'd end up on the other side with my head turned around backwards or something."

Stiltzkin chuckled. "Why didn't somebody tell me my ass was so big?!"

Adam looked at him and laughed, then Stiltzkin laughed. The man was amazed by the moogle's knowledge of human culture. "How could they have been around to experience so much of our culture," he pondered, "and I still hadn't seen a damn one of them?"

"Well, kupo, you made quite an entrance still. Walking in from the sunset, kupo. Smooth."

Adam chuckled again. "Well thanks. I would have been here sooner, but I had to wait until the sun was just right."

Stiltzkin remained silent, somewhat puzzled, until Adam turned back to him with a smirk. The grin returned to the moogle's face as he recognized the joke. Adam stood up, putting his helmet on top of his vest. He pulled a boonie hat out of his cargo pocket, slapped it against his leg, and pulled it softly over his head. He still didn't know how the little moogle could carry that much weight. But Stiltzkin didn't move. He simply looked up at him.

"You know, mister Adam, this isn't a formal event by any means, but ..."

Adam looked down at himself. The little guy was right. This is a party, a celebration, a gathering. He looked up, nodded in agreement with Stiltzkin, and proceeded to remove his uniform top. He folded it neatly and slid it between his helmet and his vest. It wasn't that cold, after all, just cool enough to keep the sweat from the journey down. And he wore a long-sleeved tan shirt underneath his uniform, which was plenty of clothing. Plus, he thought he looked better in the tan shirt anyway -- it was somewhat tight, which showed off his defined chest and abdomen. He untucked the shirt, then, one leg at a time, placed each foot on the bench and unbloused his boots, letting the bottom of his pantlegs fall. Looking back at Stiltzkin, he followed the moogle's gaze back to his own thigh, and the drop-leg there. "If it's safe enough to look like this," he figured, "it's safe enough to be a little light." He unbuckled the straps to the webbing that held his ammunition pouches. Before sliding it under his hemlet with his uniform top, he unbuttoned one of the smaller pouches, pulled one of the grenades out, considered putting it in his pocket, then decided against it and slid it back into its compartment. He took his boonie hat back off and placed it next to the helmet.

"Is that all, kupo?" Stiltzkin asked. He glanced to the rifle, then back at Adam.

"That's all, Stiltzkin. I like to keep this on me. Or at least close. You know. Call it home defense ... while on the road." He slung the rifle, this time over his back.

Stiltzkin smiled and nodded in understanding. "Kupo. Your equipment will be there." He pointed to the bar, and to the moogle standing on a stool behind it. "Just ask him for it when you're ready to leave, kupo. And the guests are there." He pointed to the ballroom.

"Well, thanks." Adam walked up the path. Since he was, for the most part, unfamiliar with most of the people here (as he was with most guests at parties he had attended), he decided to try to stay in the background. Those who noticed him might introduce themselves, but he usually was somewhat introverted, not big on meeting new people on his own. If somebody wanted him introduced, they might just have to do it themselves. But as he passed the entrance to the ballroom and looked inside, he figured that he might have to break out of his shell a little tonight. "Damn," he thought, almost aloud. "Some gorgeous women in there."

He quickly went to the bar and ordered a Guinness. As he waited for it to settle, he noticed that his gear was already behind the bar, tucked neatly out of the way. He looked around, wondering how Stiltzkin could have passed him on the way here. "I didn't gawk for that long, did I?"

Taking a sip from his drink, Adam walked into the ballroom.

[EDIT: OOC: Holy hell, that's long. Umm ... whoops? I'll try to keep it a little shorter next time.]

[HUNK]

Andrew wandered through the crowd in almost utter confusment... "Man, I feel like a total stranger." Andrew started to wonder if he should go back home.

"Wait, what am I thinking! This is a party shouldn't I like go talk to someone or something? What'd I talk about though?"

Andrew just stood there against the wall. "I swear this seems so familiar, I feel like Squall from FF VIII. I need to go talk to someone." Andrew spotted a rather wide-looking man dressed in military camo carrying a rifle and a pint of Guinness. "He seems interesting enough."

"Hey there! What's with the rifle man? Oh, sorry I haven't even introduced myself. Name's Andrew, what's yours?"
("Heres hoping I don't freak someone out...)

[Dodie16]

As she sat drinking her beverage and observing the various goings-on around her, Dodie thought she heard a commotion in the direction of the Teleport Stone. She turned to see that numerous monsters had invaded the Calm Lands, and were ready to cause a riot amongst the crowd. Stiltzkin and a few other attendees had taken cover to stay out of harm's way, but before the situation could get too out of hand, a couple of party-goers had taken it upon themselves to get rid of the menace. As the monsters were quickly slain, numerous pyreflies lit up the evening sky of the Calm Lands, and disappeared into thin air. It was quite a sight to behold.

As things got steadily back to normal and more guests arrived, Dodie was beginning to get a bit worried about her date. There had been no sign of him yet.

"I wonder what's keeping him?"

No sooner had she finished that thought, a loud crack pervaded through the Calm Lands, and a fiery bolt flashed across the sky. The bolt struck the ground, and the lands quaked a moment or two from the sudden impact, which caused Dodie to spill a bit of her drink on her dress. She let out an exasperated sigh as she dabbed at the spilled drink off her dress with a paper napkin.

"Oh geez... Now what?"

Something about the sudden flash of light seemed familiar though, and Dodie made her way towards the impact to investigate. No sooner had she made her way across the field, she saw a tall figure of a man dressed in a black zoot suit was making his way towards her.

"Ha! I should have known!" Dodie chuckled to herself when she recognized him.

Telegraph extended his hand, and greeted her.

“Hey lady! Whoah, you look really nice tonight!”

"Aw, thank you! And I see you decided to be a bit more conspicuous this year. Nothing like a flashy entrance, eh? Even better when you can scare a moogle or two." Dodie teased, and then gently poked Telegraph in the ribs with her finger. She then wrapped her arm around one of his, and they both wandered around the venue to see what the ball had to offer.

[Taco-Calamitous]

"AGACAP!" Telegraph let out a nonsensical noise and fidgeted a little at being poked in the ribs. A momentary glare flared up in his eyes at being prodded thusly, and an urge for vengeance surfaced for a moment. Then, however, he remembered how delicate a flower his date was, and that this was a formal gathering, after all; perhaps he should behave himself while here, and plot his revenge for a later time. Besides, immediately after the prodding, Dodie wrapped her arm around his, and that certainly served to subdue his ornery nature. For now.

The pair walked about Balamb Garden, taking in the familiar sites. "I remember this from the video game!" Telegraph blurted loudly, earning some confused glances from the Garden's inhabitants. "I... I mean..." Telegraph stammered, looking about as if for a suitable cover up for his strange comment. "Well, look over there!" The black clad young man quickly led Dodie over to the training facilities. "Lemmee show ya something cool!" Stepping through the doorway into the greenhouse-like area, Telegraph started searching about for something. "Now where is that big mother..." he muttered. "...oh, there he is! Hey, watch this, lady! I'm gonna kick this guy's ass! It'll be cool."

A tyranmosourus rex-looking monster bellowed a warning cry as Telegraph strode confidently up to it. Yeah, WUT?!" Telegraph responded cockily as he walked right up to the beast's feet. The creature lunged its head down at the cocky young man, its teeth bared and ready to bite down. Suddenly Telegraph flared up again in flames, and a la Ken Masters, shot up to meet the dinosaur with a shoryuken. The beast's head shot back up and its followed, and the creature was lifted several feet off the ground before falling back down in a heep. Turning confidently back to his date and gesturing back to his defeated foe, Telegraph grinned. "Eh, eh?!"