Second Annual Quistis Ball

[Andromeda]

(OoC: Remember to have fun and don’t stress too much over uncertainty, grammar and spelling. Just remember to not do anything that completely ruins the fun for everyone else. You can still be silly and goofy get drunk and what not, just don’t do anything that kills it for everyone else. I will delete those posts and we’ll pretend they did not happen. So please just have fun and don’t forget the awards will be announced and handed out during this after the voting. So please stick around. And don’t forget that you are being your TFF selves. Enjoy!)

It was the chosen night already and many were turning out for the event. Due to the events of last year the owner of the mansion had refused to rent out the place again. However, the large ball room in the metropolitan area proved to be up to the task of holding the numerous guests. The exterior was surrounded by Greek columns feeling almost like a museum or building in the Capital, while the interior bore a surprisingly similarity to the halls of the Versailles. Despite the appearance of antiquity, it was very modern with the various necessary equipment for such an event.

Playing hostess rather than guest this year was Andromeda with her partner Andromeda the Second. Two sides of the same coin and still refusing to settle on anything less than playful ambiguity. Andromeda the Second, or Andromeda II as it were, stood next to her at the steps of the grand staircase that lead down into the ballroom welcoming guests as they arrived. He was wearing a solid white tuxedo this year matching with Andromeda’s long white evening dress kept in elegant simplicity.

A few had already arrived gathering across the floor. Along the walls were long tables filled with food and drinks, even a select table with Final Fantasy inspired choices for those brave enough for the unknown. Up on the curtained stage was hung the banner for the award ceremonies later; it currently being filled by a small live orchestra playing Final Fantasy music. They were in the middle of Cecil’s Theme enjoyed by those with the ‘old school’ tastes.

“How you doing?” Andromeda II asked looking over at his companion.

She gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ll manage. It was easier when I didn’t have to do all the planning.”

“Well all you have to do is have fun now. Don’t stress over it so much. Things’ll work out.”

“Taking things carefree as always.”

“What can I say, but the truth? I’m the easy going half.”

“And I’m the responsible half. Isn’t it a little too cliché for the woman to be the responsible one and the man being the carefree one?”

He could only shrug back. “They’re classics for a reason. Oh look more guests.” It was enough of a distraction to pull her away from the subject and back up to the top of the stairs. Doing the official announcements was Stiltzkin the Moogle agreeing to return again. Next to him was a large stuff animal chocobo that he was sometimes seated upon when his wings got tired.

“Who do I say is arriving, kupo?” he said greeting the next guest.

(OoC: Don’t worry about post length or anything, just do what you feel most comfortable with. And if you want something that isn’t mentioned feel free to write it in. This is for you guys to have fun!)

[Dodie16]

"You've been invited to attend the second annual Quistis Ball! Dress is formal attire. Hope to see you there!"

These words stared at her from the invitation that Dodie held in her hand.

"I've never been to a formal ball before. Maybe this will be fun."

Dodie gazed up at the very antique-looking building, and she approached the front entrance. She heard some music playing, but she couldn't quite make out what song it was. It sounded a bit militaristic, and she was almost afraid that she got the wrong building. Dodie checked the address on the invitation to make sure she had the right place.

It was.

Dodie approached the doorway, and was greeted by....a moogle.

"So these things really do exist?" Dodie thought to herself.

"Evening Miss!" exclaimed the moogle. "Who do I say is arriving, kupo?"

Still amazed that she was being greeted by a moogle, Dodie pondered at the question for a moment, before finally answering.

"My name's Dodie."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Dodie, and welcome to the second annual Quistis Ball! I hope you enjoy yourself! Are you going to have a date for the evening?"

"Yes, but he hasn't arrived yet, at least I don't think he has." Dodie replied.

"Well, let's hope he doesn't keep you waiting too long, kupo! I'll go ahead and announce your arrival."

The moogle opened the doors and gave the announcement that Dodie had arrived to the Quistis Ball. Dodie thanked the moogle, and resisted the urge to touch his pom-pom. She went inside.

There, she saw that two guests have already arrived before her. She assumed that these two must be Andromeda and Andromeda II. She had never really met them before, but she had definately heard of them.

She looked around some more until something caught her eye:

Dodie saw that there was a fantastic set-up of all kinds of delicious goodies to eat, and they seem to be calling out to her. In her haste to get ready for the party, she completely forgot to eat that day, and now she was being reminded of it by the rumbly in her tumbly.

HOWEVER!

She had heard rumors of the situation that plagued last year's Quistis Ball, in which some of the party-goers fell victim to a laxative-poisoning brought upon by someone with a sick and twisted sense of humor. Dodie was not about to have something embarrassing like that happen to her, especially when that something could potentially ruin her purdy outfit. So she decided it was best not to consume anything at the party, and just wait until it was over and just stop at a McDonalds or something, because nothing says "refinement" quite like going to a fast food restaurant in a fancy party dress.

She made her way to where the two other guests were standing, and introduced herself to them.

"Hello! I'm Dodie! This place is pretty nice. Thank you for inviting me."

(OoC: Well, that's what I got for you all. )

[KeybladerXIII]

"Damn, I feel like James Bond"

Keyblader stood outside the building where the Quistis Ball was being held. He always enjoyed formal events like these. The classical music, the lavish decorations, the sheer regality of it all. It was his style.

Not that tonight would be his night. No, he was relatively new in these parts, knowing only a few others who were also invited. He planned to supervise the whole thing discreetly, make sure nothing goes wrong. He had heard about last year- not a pleasent thought.

"Ah well, let's see who showed up"

As he attempted to open the door, a moogle doorman greeted him.

Hm, moogles, not his favorite creatures but it was better than a Tonberry saying hello at the door as he sunk it's blade into your chest.

"I'm getting paranoid," Keyblader thought as he walked into the ballroom.

"What? It's practically empty!"

Oh wait, no it wasn't. He saw a few figures on the opposite side. "The hosts and the early guests no doubt."

The music was quite rigid. "Ah, a waltz, how delightfull. No one's here yet, so I guess a sample of their food wouldn't hurt," Keyblader said to himself as he walked over to the tables.


(OOC: Not many people are here so this is all I got...)

[Meier Link]

A lone individual woke up to find his self standing in the darkness. The air was still and the air was heavy and it reeked of feces. The darkness of the area was blinding and made it hard for the man to navigate.

The sounds of a familiar voice could be heard, it was faint but the words where clear:

"Gadies and Lentlemen! If I could literally have you dying attention, I would like to force said attention to this box and what it means to me. It has been in my family for no generations and it really loves thwomping people. Tonight, it shall be the greatest box you ever stare at, EVER! So I say to you, verily, verily...do you like mudkipz?!"

"In the name of Caerbannog, YOU SHALL ALL BE OFFERED TO THE SACRIFICIAL DEITY OF CAERBANNOG! ME! Kiss my dead baby seal slippers or I shall fart in your general direction! Then I'll turn your mums into hamsters and fart in their direction too!"

Horror the sounds of many screams could be heard as lone man sat in the confines of an empty room. The room was large, dark and damp; not a lot could be seen outside of a few overturned tables a few feet away. The man’s eyes, finely tuned with the darkness, couldn’t make out what was surrounding him. The screams grew louder and more prominent.

A 1000 foot steps could be heard but no one was to be seen. The walls seemed to shift as the man looked franticly around the room for a source of the screams to no avail. Then it happened. One small set of tiny little red eyes appeared piercing the darkness, then another and another. The light emitting from those dreadful eyes slowly started to fill the room as more and more eyes started to appear out of the darkness.

The man was able to look around as the crimson light spread fast across the walls. Shapes could be made out and the man quickly realized the wall themselves where moving.

In a panic the lone man dropped his right arm and with a scream the blade and hilt of a sword came shooting out of his wrist. He was to late, the walls started to move inwards, the movement picking up pace. The eyes that where now every where were now circling the lone stranger as if they where vultures and he, the dieing prey.

The shapes where clearly defined now and the man was shocked to find out the source of the beady little demonic eyes belonged to; rabbits, thousands upon thousands of rabbits. Out of the distance a loud foot steps could be heard. AS the rabbits moved in the sounds of the foot steps grew loader also.

Suddenly the walls stopped moving and the rabbits sat there waiting as if a divine force had stopped them. The sounds of the heavy foot steps were the only thing that could be heard now. A faint light started to pierce a section of the wall-o-rabbits, an opening appeared as the rabbits fled to one side or another but they were not scared. Their movement was more like that of a master cracking a whip then that of terror.

A figure appeared dressed in all black suddenly appeared. There was no way this was a man, the figure stood 15 foot tall and was very disfigured. A fuzzy black hand slowly reached out and up to remove the hood and at the same time a loud voice came emitting form the jowls of the beast. To the man’s surprise it was the voice of David Coverdale, and it was accapello.

“I don't know where I'm going
But I sure know where I've been
Hanging on the promises and songs of yesterday
And I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time”

The man dumb founded could only watch in horror as the empty hand removed the hood from its owners head, it was a over grown, mutated rabbit! Fangs dripping with bile and blood could be seen. And the most horrible part was the rabbit had a 1984 power mullet. Out stretched the other hand revealing a microphone; the arm, raised the mic to the rabbits mouth as the second verse came passing through the creature’s mouth.

“Though I keep searching for an answer
I never seem to find what I'm looking for
Oh Lord I pray you give me strength to carry on
'Cause I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams “

Suddenly Meier was awoken by the blaring guitar of Whitesnake as the chorus resumed where his dream had ended. He sat there in the back seat of a 1984 cherry red Camaro in shock and awe of the nightmare he was just having.

"Where are we at?” He shouted towards the front of the car, he heard a response come from the front of the vehicle but it was to faint to over come the sounds blaring from the speakers.

The rumbling of the open road could be felt vibrating through the seats and the vibrations being put off from the exhaust pipes powered by a big block 454 was a comforting feel to a long trip. The trio had been on the road for hours and some how in the mix of drinking and rocking out Meier had managed to catch a few minutes of sleep. But now was not the time to sleep, a spot light could be seen in the distance and Meier knew they where coming up on his destination.

Reaching down between his legs Meier grabbed 3 Pabst Blue Ribbons. He handed 2 over the seats with out even being asked to do so. They where taken from him and the sound of the metal cracking open could be heard. Cracking open his own, Meier drank, and to his surprise it was still cold! “Aww the joys of an ice cold one on a long car ride.” Meier reached up and tapped the driver on the shoulder and pointed to the source of the light.

The sounds of the breaks could be heard as they pulled up into the front lawn of huge building, it was fancy and the shadows outstretched and consumed the Camaro. Meier heard the reving of the engine it grew louder and louder, then suddenly he was jerked hard to the right slamming him into the back seat passenger, a keg of PBR. The syntripical force was great and the vehicle’s back end broke free and started to do doughnuts in the middle of the front lawn. Meier heard a faint thud that slightly confused him for a second.

“Damn it Pete, stop! You are shaking up the brew-haha” Meier shouted. Suddenly Meier heard the zip and clip of the emergency break and the car came to a screeching halt. Laughter filled the car over powering the sounds of the engine and the music.

The doors creaked as they opened; Pete had left the engine running and the head lights on. The passenger side seat slid forwards and another voice could be heard telling Meier to “hurry and get the hell out of the car”.

Meier grabbed his hat, it was a simple black baseball cap with the word “Mod” printed under the bill. He slipped it on his head and stepped out of the car grabbing the keg and a black trash bag that had something that seemed to be fairly heavy in it and exited the vehicle. His two accomplices where already standing at the front of the car in the glow of the head lights waiting for him.

Meier walked into the bright halogen produced light revealing his atire for the night. It was simple, a pair of cut off black slacks, a button up white collared Tee, a black tie and a school boy coat with the CPC8 insignia patched over the right breast pocket. Some people would say he looked some what resembling Angus Young from AC/DC yet better looking.

“Tonight is going to be fun boys! Now where the hell can we set this keg up at?” Meier asked.

[OceanEyes28]

Ocean was in a midnight blue velvet gown with tiny silver constellations that caught the light as she moved. It draped over one shoulder, leaving the other exposed. She wore blue satin heels. In her long red hair was a wreath of winter jasmine, firethorn, winter pansies, and gardenias. In her hand..... a big long stick. It was pretty enough, and only just barlely phallic. After all, she was going for intimidation and class. She said she'd bring a banstick, and she meant it. She marched up to the ballroom entrance and peeked in. No date. Fair enough, she was a little early.

Stiltzkin the moogle, still fresh and cheery at the beginning of the evening, greeted her enthusiastically. She had been kind to him the year before, so he remembered her fondly. "Shall I announce you, kupo?"

"Ehhh..... let's give my date a few minutes so we can walk in together. But I'll let you know if I need to ditch him for refreshments." She winked. He blushed and went back to his post, waiting for the next guest. Ocean, in the meantime, took advantage of her banstick. Upon whispering a certain password, the top opened, like a Pez dispenser, and presented her with a warm chocolate chip cookie.

((OOC:Yeah, that'll do))

[Alpha]

Huffing and puffing, Alpha was climbing a hill... on a bike. Beads beginning to form on his forehead as he pulled into the drive, the brights lights of the ball venue surprised him, and he gave a brief wobble but kept cycling.

As he reached the bottom of the steps, he saw a red orb bobbing haphazardly by the door. As he stared, the face of Stiltzkin the moogle materialised at the top.

"You right there, kupo?"

"Just need somewhere to lock this up." Alpha replied, gesturing at his bike by giving the handlebars a brief twist. "I don't trust Meier if he's getting on the piss. I saw him yelling in the window of his vehicle. Damn nearly hit me on the way."

Stiltzkin hopped down the stairs, two at a time, whipped around the corner, and pointed to the bike rack.

"Anything else I can help you with?" His pom pom bounced enthusiastically.

"I'll be okay now, thanks." Alpha was on his bike as he couldn't and didn't want to drive. Increasingly, decisions were being made by their carbon content. 'The way of the future', and he saw himself as a trend-setter. Especially once oil becomes even more expensive. His bike was a sleek blue, modern, but made in a 1960s style for extra points.

As he climbed the steps and gave a thanking nod to Stiltzkin, Alpha spotted Meier and a few others quickly pulling some wrap from what appeared to be a keg. There were a few faces he recognised, but he made a beeline to the food. Hopefully some vegetarian delights. Without a date, Alpha would now just let the night pan out.

[Zerobanshee]

Ruin spent the earlier part of the day relaxing, grooming himself to cleanliness, and choosing an outfit that didn't consist of tears, wears and holes. Simply choosing to wear a favorite of his, he doned a white button-up silk dress, over which he pulled his coat on. He knew immediately that he might be pulling the coat off later tonight, but he insisted to wear it. Better have it and not need it, then need it and not have it... He thought to himself, nervously running a hand through his thick, messy hair. He then added a custom-made handkerchief to his outside coat pocket, a red handkerchief with gold letters "CPC8" emboldened on the outside. Underneath it, it had boldened "FM", for Freshman.

It was the first time he ever attended a formal dance outside of his school, so he had no idea what to expect. Finishing the outfit by pulling on some black satin pants, and pulling on a clean pair of his favorite shoes, Chucks, he quickly tied a black tie around his neck, then turned his gaze to the mirror.

He examined his extremely messy hair with a slight hint of amusement, for it stood on every end. She'd kill me if I came like this... he thought, of which he pulled out a comb, attacking the mess. After several moments, he finally got the beast under his control, to which he grinned.

Grabbing his car keys, he stuffed this into his left back pocket. He grabbed a cell phone, hackey-sack, and a handful of change, of which he put in his left front pocket. He grabbed his wallet, to which he put this in his right front pocket. Everything was down to the last detail, examined, thought out, and decided upon. He wanted everything to work out, and hoped that he didn't do anything wrong.

Heading out the door, he jumped casually into his beaten down car, a '99 Ford Escourt. Strapping himself in with the seat belt, he pulled out, and headed towards the event.

He finally reached the ball, and after several moments, he found a parking space. It was close enough to the Ball to avoid hunting it down, yet far enough away to provide a nice evening walk. Stepping out, he glanced up in time to see his Mentor, his friend Meier stroll into the Ball as if he owned the building. Smiling, Ruin did a familiar motion of his: his arms at his sides, he drew them both slightly back, then thrusted them earthward, in a casual motion, more a shrug than an actual motion. It was his way of pointing something out.

Looking around, he didn't see her outside, to which he was either too early, or she hadn't arrived yet. Turning towards the building, he stepped inside to the brightly-lit room, of which it was occupied by Two Andromeda look-alikes, Meier, several moogles, Dodie, and Keyblader. Lowering his gaze from the light, he ran a hand through his hair again-light hurt his eyes.Turning his gaze downward also brought a moogle to his attention, who was standing in front of him.

"Good Afternoon, sir. I don't believe I've seen you around here before. Your name?" The moogle asked, pen and a clipboard in his cute little hands.
"Yeah, I'm not really well known here. Write me down as "Ruin". He instructed, and the moogle nodded, of which he quickly turned and left.

"“Tonight is going to be fun boys! Now where the hell can we set this keg up at?” Ruin instantly heard declared out into the room, obviously Meier. Laughing, Ruin leaned against the wall, choosing to wait near the entrance for his date.

[Josh_R]

The much anticpated night had finaly arrived. Kisuke looked again, and again at the invitation hoping he was going the right way. He soon arrived at a huge antiqued building "This can't possibably be the place." he thought to himself. Soon he heard a voice yell “Tonight is going to be fun boys! Now where the hell can we set this keg up at?”. This was obviously the voice of Meier. Kisuke hopped out of his car, and handed the keys to a valet.

"Shit my tux is messed up." Kisuke exclaimed loudly, "Hope she's here already."

Kisuke began the walk to the entrance of the building. He soon arrived at a rather large set of stairs. He looked to the top where he could see a moogle floating around. The moment they met eyes the moogle rushed to the bottom of the steps.

"Hello there, name?" the moogle asked,

"Kisuke." he replied in a rushed manner,

"Are you here alone, or with a date?" the moogle questioned in a curious manner,

"I am here with Dodie." he answered, "Has she arrived already?"

"You mean that beautiful young lady is with you." the moogle joked, "Of course she arrived only moments ago."

"Haha you have jokes." he chuckled, "whatever gets you through the night friend."

Kisuke now at the top of the steps looked down to see Meier lugging a large keg up the steps. "Shit this night is bound to be interesting." Kisuke thought to himself. Immediately as Kisuke entered the building he was blinded by the bright lights. He looked all around for his date. He walked around for a moment until he arrived at the table where Andromeda and Andromeda II where sitting.

"Hello Ms. Andromeda." he mumbled in a hurry, "Thank you for inviting me this evening."

Kisuke turned around and to his surpirse Dodie had found him. The two locked arms and started walking around the venue.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting to long." he stated,

[Rocky]

(stolen internet from the neighbors ftmfw! couldn't let my date down, lol)

Rocky woke up at a prompt 4:15pm, in a gigantic haze of confusion and illness. Waking up in an unknown hotel room, Rocky could find no trace of where he was or how he got there, but one thing was for sure: Rocky needed to get to the bathroom, and fast. After Rocky got done regurgitating for about thirty minutes, the young man turned on the shower faucet for the hottest temperature available. The twenty-one year old removed his clothing and sat in the tub as the water runneth over him. As the migraine began to subside, the memories gradually returned. In the midst of airplanes and travel, Rocky hated flying. He hated everything about airplanes; the takeoff, the landing, the turbulance, the cheesy intercom systems, the whole deal. After getting the cheapest flight available to the ball (which got him in town the night before the TFF ball started), he proceeded to drown his sorrows and tried his best to forget about the whole day by hitting up the hotel bar. What happened after that, the young man couldn't remember. "Must of blacked out.." said the dazed man.

The 5'9" man spent much of his time getting ready for the remainder of the night by posing in his suit and tie. Rocky also decided that he would wear his favorite CPC8-embroidled red headband, which stylishly matched with his red tie. This held his flipped hair somewhat in place, which prevented it from getting too messy for Rocky to handle. With a clean shaved face, rectangle-rimmed glasses and a sexy smile, Rocky could be the definition of a young executive in the corporate world. Rocky called up room service and asked them to bring a few bottles of wine much later in the night, in case the suite served to be an after-party solution.

As Rocky walked the three blocks down to the Ball room where the party would be held, the man got giddy with excitement as he would be seeing all of his old friends once again. He remembered how the last year's ball went, he arrived with his future-model date, things got sour as some shady things happened and his date had to save the night by beating up the bad guy, but Rocky was too passed out to do or say anything about the matter. "Hmm, I just hope I don't make a big embarrassment out of myself tonight," Rocky thought to himself.

As he entered onto the scene, he could see several things going on. Meier quickly came up from behind him in his interesting attire and gave Rocky a noogie and a "Sup duder!" before finding a spot for the keg. Rocky also saw the dashing young frosh Ruin behind him, and Rocky gave him a playful punch in the arm before making some small talk and carrying onward. Rocky also gave a quick wave and a smile to the fair lady Oceaneyes before finding the moogle Stiltzkin.

"Kupo! Welcome mister Rocky! Has your date arrived, kupo?"

"Ah, not yet my friend, I am not sure where she is at.."

"No worries kupo! I'll let you know when I find her. Would you like me to show you to your special lounge?"

"Sure thing!"

The tiny moogle led Rocky up a flight of stairs to the special lounge that Rocky had reserved. Only members of the CPC8 and the PRK9 could have access. The lounge held some fancy transparent glass tables, a large wrap-around couch that could hold plenty of seats, TVs, a nice balcony view of the ball, a Cactuar bartender and a pair of FFI Ogres that guarded the door. Both Ogres stood about one story tall each, one had green skin with red hair and a red fur caveman suit, while the other one was conviently palette-swapped, with green hair and suit with red skin. Both of them had giant bludgeon weapons, which appeared to be trunks of a tree. Rocky smiled at them while he got a Hi-Ether from the Cactaur, and then went down to the entrance of the Ball and socialized with a few people while waiting for his date.

[Dodie16]

"Hello! I'm Dodie! This place is pretty nice. Thank you for inviting me."

Before any more pleasantries could be exchanged, Dodie heard the screeching of car brakes and saw a flash of light. She also heard a familiar voice holler in the night: “Tonight is going to be fun boys! Now where the hell can we set this keg up at?”

That's gotta be Meier. Dodie thought to herself. She excused herself from the presence of the two Andromedas and went to see what was going on. She peered through a large window that was on the front of the building so she could watch what the commotion was all about.

Meier, Pete, and someone else that she didn't quite recognize in the darkness of the night had arrived at the Ball. They looked to be setting up for a keggar.

Dodie gave a chuckle at the sight of the three men, who apparently had thier own agendas for the ball. What this agenda was, well she would just have to wait and see.

Dodie decided it was best to just go about her evening and enjoy whatever came about. She then decided to go see if her date for the evening had arrived.

She found Kisuke, who was talking to the Andromeda pair. She walked over to him and locked her arms within his. Andromeda and Andromeda II gave a smile, and Dodie and Kisuke walked around the venue.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." he stated.

"Nope. I was just checking out the place before you arrived. Seems like a few of party guests are thinking about making this one hell of a night. That's a very nice tuxedo you have on tonight!" She replied.

As they walked around the venue, Dodie saw that more guests had started to arrive. She saw Keyblader and Alpha at the buffet tables. She wondered if she should tell them about what happened last year. She decided that it was best for her to just let them enjoy the food. No reason to get everybody paranoid over something that happened so long ago.

"Well, surely they'll be okay." She thought to herself. "Maybe I'm just being a bit too cautious..."

She and Kisuke walked, talked and mingled with a few guests some more, while music was playing from somewhere in the large building.

[GypsyElder]

A short, petite, 5'5 girl, with long dark hair, showed up racing around the corner. Gypsy was the master at getting lost whenever it came to important, nerve racking events. She was wearing a peach, fitted dress that sparkled in the moonlight. As she anxiously raced around one of the center pillars in the big hall, her silver heel got caught on the back of her dress. As she stumbled and fumbled across the way, trying to regain balance, her ankle rolled causing her to fall on her bosom. As soon as she landed, she could hear a faint squeak as she hit the floor (kind of like the sound of a dog's chew toy). Just then, she realized she was sitting on something...

"Ku....."

Gypsy looked around with a blank stare.

p..po...Kupo.......

She lifted her leg and noticed a furry, gremlin looking thing, insensible on the floor. As she helped him up, she asked:

"What in the world were you doing down there you silly gremlin? "

The Gremlin replied, as he tried to fix his crooked, red bon bon:

I'm a Moggle kupo!.... and my name is Stiltzkin! (waving his arms frantically)...I was trying to catch you....-_-!

Gypsy opened her eyes wide with amazement as she looked at him with a puzzled stare " I' didn't know gremlins really existed " she thought to herself.

Stiltzkin picked the guest list up from off of the floor as they walked towards the the entrance of the Ball room, then he turned towards Gypsy, obviously still annoyed and asked:

"What is your name kupo ?"

"Gypsy" she replied, with a silly grin on her face, hoping not to anger the Moogle any further, then he replied:

"Ah, I believe your date arrived quite a while ago..." Gypsy made an oops face, while scratching her head, then he asked, "May I see your invitation please?"

Gypsy looked around for it frantically, but couldn't find it, she could tell Stiltzkin was becoming quite frustrated by the look on his face. Then, she remembered, she reached down into the top of her gown and pulled out the invitation, "Ah Ha!" she said relieved. Stiltzkin snatched it from her with two fingers, looked at Gypsy with squinted eyes, and then down at the invitation again.

" Er.....would you like me to escort you to the special lounge? " he asked. Gypsy nodded her head as she began to grow with excitement, she could feel the butterflies build in her tummy. They walked passed some of the goodies, and was tempted to pick at a few of the treats, but didn't because she knew she needed to hurry, she figured she had made her date wait long enough. They went up the flight of stairs to the special lounge, she didn't see too many of the PRK9 girls yet. She looked over and blushed as she saw Rocky standing across the room in the crowd with the CPC8 boys, she began to nervously fiddle with her index finger as she walked over, and approached the group...." Sorry I'm so late " She said, with an embarrassed look on her face, she tried to explain. "well you see, my heel got caught... and then this gremlin thing with the bon bon....and then..." all the guys began to stare at her and then she became even more embarrassed.

[Pete]

The the chorus began building slowly as he tapped his fingers against the chain link steering wheel, generally in tune with the drums. Pete's eyes glanced up towards the rearview mirror. The oversized red fuzzy dice listed back and forth, reacting with the bass and the road.

"Shit, man, he's out cold."

"Yep."

The duo grinned, and reached for the radio's volume knob in unison. Pete gave up on it and kept his gaze on the mirror, letting his friend do the honor.

"HERE I GO AGAIN ON MY OWNNNNN..."

The grin spread on Pete's face as his comrade was jarred from his slumber.

"Mornin', sunshine."

He couldn't hear what was said over the speakers, but he felt something cold tap him on his bare right shoulder. He reached for it awkwardly with his right hand, controlling his prized 1984 cherry red Camaro with his left.

"Oh sweet! I didn't think we had any left!"

He positioned the can of Pabst with his fingers, brought the can to his mouth and pulled the tab with his teeth. The sweet nectar of the Gods danced in his mouth before it was swallowed.

He felt Meier's hand tap him on that same shoulder, pointing to what appeared to be a museum. He took one look at the well groomed lawn, and put his boot to the pedal, hard.

Once the acrid stench of burnt rubber became unbearable, Pete parked in the center of the lawn, surrounded by smoking rings of torn up earth. He opened his door, with a tidal wave of white and blue cans falling to the grass in his wake.

"How long were we driving for?" Pete asked, looking into the sideview mirror, mock fixing the bowtie on his tuxedo t-shirt.

"Twenty minutes. Now let's move."

He heard what appeared to be a set of twins scream out "Stiltzkin! Are you ok?!"

"What the hell is a Stiltzkin?" Pete asked, slipping on his aviators, and adjusting his cutoff camoflague shorts.

"Hey Pete, there's a dent in your rear fender and a clump of white fur stuck in it."

"I don't remember hitting a dog. Whatever. We've got a keg to roll."

He hopped up and slid across the hood, emblazoned with the black silhouette of a rooster.

"So where are we putting this sucker?"

[Polk]

The cool night air whipped past his face as the car sped through the evening, set head on towards its destination. His right hand tapped out a sloppy rhythm on the window sill to the cheesy hair metal being played.

“Shit, man, he’s out cold.” Pete said, motioning to the man sleeping in the back seat.

“Yep” Polk said, chuckling to himself. The song entered a crescendo, going into the chorus, and the two looked at each other, each with a sly smile across their face, knowing they both had the same idea. They both reached the volume knob at the same time, and Pete backed his hand away, fixating his attention on driving. Just as the chorus hit, Polk cranked the knob as far as it could go, blasting a loud, “HERE I GO AGAIN ON MY OWN” throughout the car and into the nighttime. Meier awoke with a startle.

“Mornin’, sunshine.” Pete greeted Meier. Polk let out a loud laugh, and was quickly greeted with a cold Pabst Blue Ribbon tapping him on his left shoulder. He grabbed it, and motioned a quick “Thanks” to Meier with the beer. He tapped the top of the can twice before opening it. It leaked a white, clean foam out of the top, and he took a long slug from the can. He lowered the can from his mouth, and let out a refreshing “AAH” as he rested it on his knee.

Soon they were at their destination, a large building that could very well have been a court house or a ballroom. He felt a rush of acceleration as Pete started tossing up earth with several perfectly executed doughnuts. Polk grabbed his “Oh my god” handle and held on for dear life: both to the handle and his half-full beer. The car squealed to a stop and he let go of the handle. He put the beer on the roof of the car, and grabbed the top of the door frame to pull himself out. It would have been easier to just open the door, yeah, but it also would have been much less stylish. He slid his seat up, to let Meier out of the backseat.

“Hurry up and get the hell out of the car!” Polk exclaimed.

He let out a long, exaggerated stretch, as if they had been driving for hours instead of the 20 minutes they had actually spent on the road. It was then that he noticed the devastation Pete’s car had left on the grass it had tore up. A giant circle, probably a couple of inches deep, surrounded the Camaro, as if signifying it a new parking space. It smoked and sizzled as he smelled the burning earth around him. He chuckled to himself, and grabbed the Pabst from the roof of the car. He chugged the rest of it, and tossed it into the brisk night air.

He turned his attention to the ballroom itself, squinting to see if he saw anybody he knew. He caught a glimpse of some fine looking ladies, and put on his white sunglasses, unintentionally reminding himself of that Corey Hart song. He checked his attire one more time: tuxedo t-shirt, khaki shorts, and black-and-white checkerboard Vans tennis shoes. These are party clothes, he thought to himself. I can’t imagine myself dressed up in one of those suits all damn ni- his thought was interrupted by the panicked sounds of two tiny voices, pointing at Pete’s bumper. A large dent filled with white fur and blood was the center of their attention, and Polk laughed at the misfortune of what he assumed was one of those annoying moogles. He noticed Pete and Meier rolling the keg into the building, and ran after them.

“Hey guys! Wait up! Do you need any help rolling the keg?”

[OceanEyes28]

Ocean stood at the entrance, hands on her hips, gazing upon the spectacle below her.

"Drunk driving is hilarious."

She gave a wave and then wandered back into the entryway. Stiltzkin hobbled over to meet her. "Come over here, little one, I'll hook you up." Ocean shook her stick up and down, worrying the poor moogle, until Band-Aids and Neosporin came popping out of the stick's tip. Ocean giggled at the innuendo and knelt down in front of Stiltzken. She set him up with a makeshift patch-up job that would work for the moment. She also gave him a cookie for good measure. "Go ahead and announce me. Djinn will get here before too long, but I'd better head in to help keep an eye on things."

The moogle stood still, gazing up at Ocean with tears in his eyes. He sprang forward suddenly and threw his arms around Ocean's legs, hugging her with all his might. She laughed uncomfortably. "Okay... okay, that's fine. Okay, thank you." She pried his tiny arms from around her legs and gave him a pat on the head. "Good luck."

She entered the ballroom as Stiltzkin announced her name.

[Insufficient Mage]

The moogle standing at the front doors witnessed in mild concern as the petite brunette girl who had just pulled up to the front practically stumbled out of her car, before righting herself hastily. She dropped her keys in the valet's hands, and made her way to the building safely.

"...Are you alright, kupo?"

"You saw that? Its these heels... I hardly ever wear these things, so I never learned how to walk in them properly."

"Ah... I wouldn't know, kupo." The small creature glanced at said heels and silently wondered why anybody would subject their feet to such torture. Realizing he was staring at the woman's feet, he quickly directed his attention back upwards, hovering slightly until they were at eye-level, and cleared his throat. "You sure look nice in them though, kupo!"

"Yeah, well, I was gonna come as a Storm Trooper but I don't think we ended up rolling with that idea."

"...What?"

"Hey, has my date shown up yet?"

Stiltzkin gave the strange guest a quizzical look before checking over his list, his pom-pom bobbing a bit from his movement. The girl had to exercise restraint from poking at it in fascination. The moogle cleared his throat once again, bringing the guest's attention back to Earth.

"Name?"

"His name's Ruin."

"I meant yours, kupo."

"Oh, didn't I tell you already? Stupid me. I'm Insufficient Mage."

Stiltzkin made a mark on his list, and glanced skeptically at the guest, now identified, before him. "I'm sure you are aware but I'm required to remind you that it is against the law for mages to drink, kupo..."

The girl laughed nonchalantly. "Oh you don't gotta worry about that, little guy. I'm not old enough. Besides, I wouldn't wanna ruin this lovely evening by blowing up the ballroom or anything!" Her seemingly innocent smile was a little less than reassuring to the now-slightly-concerned-for-his-safety moogle. He flew to the side of the mage anyways, granting her entry.

"Your date should be inside already, kupo... Enjoy your evening..."

Insufficient Mage gave the diminutive creature another smile before entering the building. Her ears were immediately filled with music, and she spotted a number of guests already socializing and whatnot. She scanned the vicinity, before making a 360 and noticing a familiar face leaning against the wall by the doors. She brightened, and carefully strode up to her date, making sure not to stumble again. Because that would be far too cliche in this sort of event.

"Hey, you're here already! I'm not late or anything am I? Aw man, I am huh..." She stopped suddenly, looking her date up and down, before grinning widely. "Wow! You clean up good! And we actually match and stuff!" The mage did a quick spin, showing off her flowy white dress with thin spidery black detailing snaking its way up from the hem, like vines. She barely caught her balance, but somehow managed to stay upright after that number.

[Azuteor]

Azuteor stood agape towards the entrance of the building, where the Second Annual Quistis Ball is going to be held, not realizing how extravagant the event would be. After all, this is his first time. He looks around the open area and sees many people dressed in luxurious and expensive outfits. Azuteor wields a sheathed katana on his back and is wearing a single-breasted, black suit with a white long-sleeved shirt and a striped, blue tie. On the right side of his jacket is his signature emblem knitted above the breast pocket. (OOC: Look at the symbol on my avatar and sig) His blue hair is spiked up in an unkempt yet neat style.

He didn't look half bad.

Azuteor notices that a lot of the guests brought their dates; he grins embarrassingly and scratches the back of his head as he walks towards the entrance.

A moogle approaches him, "What is a handsome man like you doing without a woman, kupo?"

Azuteor was caught off guard and couldn't think of anything to say.

"My deepest apologies, sir. Who do I say is arriving, kupo?"

"Azuteor," he answers tersely.

The moogle nods and moves aside as he welcomes him inside. Azuteor shyly walks down the steps, quietly greeting Andromeda, Andromeda the Second, and familiar friends. On the final step, not knowing what the hell he is going to do next, he headed for the Hi-potion fruit punch, grabbed a glass, and proceeded to drink the night away.

(OOC: Lol.)

[Alpha]

The words Stiltzkin! Are you ok?! ringed though the hall just as Alpha reached out for a cracker with tomato and feta cheese. The shrill of the voice made him shake his ether, spilling a small amount on his shoes. 'All good, they're black'. He looked up at the other person at the buffet, 'Keyblader', Alpha thought, although they had never spoken before. He was looking over at the commotion, which directed Alpha's gaze.

Alpha watched as OceanEyes patched the little moogle up. He looked shaken, but nothing major. A mega-potion would fix that, although OceanEyes had given him a fresh cookie. Alpha ate his cracker, waited for Stilzkin to introduce the guests who were just arriving, and then walked over to the little moogle. Stiltzkin grabbed the mega-potion without a second glance.

Looking around the room, guests were getting comfortable. A few were overlooking the main hall, in what appeared to be a private section. Alpha pulled out his special silk slip which read "PRK9" in elegant purple letters, and he released a brief smirk as his gaze moved back to the private room.

'Is that Gypsy and Rocky?' He thought. He gave a timid wave in their direction, but he wasn't sure if they were looking. Alpha began to wander randomly around the room, too shy to start a conversation with people he wasn't too familiar with, but not against it either. He realised that he hadn't said a word to anyone apart from the moogle.

'Early days yet,' he thought, as he quickly checked his outfit in the brass reflection of a wall panel.

[DragonHeart]

Dragon paused at the entrance, patiently waiting her turn while Stilzkin greeted a young man bearing a katana on his back. She took the opportunity to adjust her clothing yet again, tugging at the edge of a silken sleeve. Having never attended such a grand formal event before, she'd gone all out and though she absolutely hated wearing the outfit, she had to admit was kind of fun to dress up. Not that she'd ever admit such a thing in public, of course.

“Good evening miss, wel-” the moogle stopped midsentence as she stepped forward and swept him a graceful bow, left hand against her right shoulder in a gentle salute.

“I am Dragon Heart,” she said, quiet as ever. She straightened, smoothed out her dress one last time and entered the ball, leaving the bemused moogle in her wake.

The warm light of the foyer made her dress all the more radiant. It was a rich crimson silk, tastefully accented with a simple white orchid design flowing up the right side from edge to just below her hip. Hiding beneath the bottom hem which reached nearly to the floor, were her neatly matched shoes with conspicuously lacking heels. Her jewelry was similarly simple in design. She wore her mother's old wedding ring, a gold and silver band set with three tiny diamonds. And as always, her Griever replica necklace hung around her neck, somewhat out of place against her elegant dress yet still accenting her appearance.

She'd kept her waist-length brown hair down as usual, though she'd relented to a delicate touch of makeup. A mirror hung conveniently on a wall just before the stairs and she paused there, stepping aside to let other guests enter while she checked one last time, making sure nothing was out of place. She frowned a bit; her deep brown eyes still looked tired around the edges, the result of too many long hours and not enough sleep. Rubbing at her temples, she shook her head. Now was not the time to be thinking of such things. She was, after all, here to enjoy the party.

With a cheerful smile, she turned to the stairs, careful not to bump anyone coming in.

“Hello Andromeda, Andromeda,” she said. “I regret missing the last ball but it looks like you've done a splendid job this year. She bowed to the two and made her way down the stairs.

Despite her quiet confidence, anxiety fluttered in her stomach. She approached one of the heavily laden tables and selected a glass filled with a fruity nonalcoholic punch. She never did care much for alcohol. Sipping at her drink, she leaned against the back wall to observe the other guests.

[KeybladerXIII]

More guests were coming in. Keybalder recognized the faces, nothing more. As he wandered the ballroom he said a quick hello to the others.

As he walked back to the bar after greeting Dodie, he ordered a Elixer, on the rocks. It was going to be a long night.

"Hm, Dodie's dress was quite stunning, red was a good choice. That was the pure red you see in the eyes of a Behemoth before it impales you through the hea.....wait what the F@# am I thinking!!?!?!?!" He always got like that when he felt trouble coming, and yet all was fine. The music was playing, dates were meeting up, even the moogle servants were happily darting between the guests, serving appetizers.

"Gues I'll just get some more food," Keyblader sighed as he walked back to the serving tables."

About fifteen minutes later, Keyblader couldn't help but think, "Am I just eating because I'm bored? I already demolished a plate of sandwiches and half a bowl of white chocolate truffles. What's wrong with me, I need to find someone to dance with...."

Keyblader always loved to dance waltzs and tangos and those sort of things. However he was never lucky enough to find someone to dance WITH. He always carried his good luck charms, a pack of cards in his pocket with the Ace of Spdes, the Two of Hearts, and the Jack of Clubs in his shirt pocket whenever a formal event was occuring. Hopefully tonight would be different.

As he walked back to the dance floor he heard a huge ruckus near the front doors.

"Tonight is going to be fun boys! Now where the hell can we set this keg up at?”

"Ah F@#$, not him," Keyblader said out loud. It was Meier, a member of what Keyblader liked to call the Mod Squad.

"Ugh, can't he be even a bit classy? I'm no snooty rich boy, but there is a time for a frat party and a time for a ball, and this isn't a f@#$ toga party," Keyblader said to no one in particular.

At least he had someone to watch as the party went on. He knew the rest of Meier's gang of degenerates will be right after him, and they will try something. He tipped a passing moogle to inform him of anything suspicious. The night had hardly begun and he still wanted to dance...

[Azuteor]

Almost finished with his second glass, he glances at a woman in a crimson silk dress walking wearily towards one of the tables. She massaged her eyes then picked up a glass of potion.

"What's her name again?" Azuteor whispered to himself. He raised his eyebrow and cupped his chin in thought.

"Er... Dragon Heart!" He snapped his fingers. Azuteor knew most of the guests by name, but never bothered to talk to them, even though he's been around for four years. He realized that he called out the woman's name out loud; he noticed a few people glancing at him. They shrugged and returned to continue what they were doing initially.

Dragon Heart took a drink and laid against the wall. Azuteor moved his glass to his left hand and saluted her as he said, "Hey!"

[Djinn]

Determined not to be late to his second ball in a row Djinn quickly donned his outfit for the night. A sleek black dinner suit, tailor made of course, with a white shirt and black bow tie. He slipped his shoes on just as his taxi arrived, he still had enough time to check how sexy he looked in the mirror on his way out.

"Late, late, late..." He bellowed as he ran out of the house towards the taxi. He flung open the door and yelled "Go, go, go" before he was even in the car. Thankfully the driver had more sense than he did and waited for the door to be shut before screeching off towards the ball.

Upon arriving, Djinn bounced out of the car as fast as he could. Standing up tall he straightened out his jacket, messed with his short, almost non existant blonde hair and proceeded towards the entrance of the building where a tired looking moogle was stationed.

"Stiltzkin!?" He shouted, recognising the moogle from the previous years somewhat eventful ball.

"Ah, Djinn. Late as always, kupo"

"If by late you mean sexy, then yes." Djinn laughed, as the moogle looked on, clearly unimpressed.

"You won't be surprised to know your date has arrived already, kupo"

"You're right i'm not surprised, any more low blows before i go?" He replied, already taking his first steps towards the door.

Djinn took a second or two to take in the beauty of the building before walking through the main door and pulling his trademarked "there's beer here!" look. However, before he touched any alcohol, he definatly needed to find his date.

Peering across the stunning ball room he noticed a small woman standing with a rather large staff. It was an entertaining concept for a few moments, before he realised that it could be used as a weapon against, lets say, late dates.

I'll be damned if thats not her. He thought to himself, as he briskly made his way towards her, ignoring pretty much everyone else around him.

"Get your coat, you've pulled!" He said, placing his hand on her shoulder. He knew he'd get a slap for it, but at least it'd take the spotlight away from the fact he was late again.

((OoC: Kind of had to cut that short, I apologise. Pretty busy day and wanted to get a post in before i went out))

[Andromeda]

(OoC: I’m glad to see everyone posting. Sorry for the delay on my part, Christmas ended up tying me up more than I planned.)

The steady stream of guests arriving brought some ease to Andromeda’s mind. She had been getting nervous after there had been a long gap. The fears of the last Ball’s incident had her thinking that everyone was not going to show. However, the turn out that she was completely removed any fears she had.

“Hello! I’m Dodie! This place is pretty nice. Thank you for inviting me.”

Andromeda smiled warmly and nodded back to her. “Welcome to the Ball! I’m glad you came. Please enjoy yourself.” Unfortunately, for her most of it was cut off with the loud arrival of Meier. She could not help but grin to herself a little, even though the calculations were going through her head. Before she could repeat herself Dodie had already left, leaving her to sigh.

Andromeda II gave her a comforting pat on her shoulder. “You’re worrying again,” he said with a calming tone that managed to relax her muscles. “They’re enjoying themselves, you should give up that professional business attitude tonight.”

“…But…”

“No, but’s now,” he said stepping in front of her staring down into her eyes. His index finger placed over her lips.

It caught her off guard seeing him so close and felt her cheeks go flush for a brief moment seeing his carefree charms at work. “I’ll…try…”

“Good.” He smiled back to her and moved away as though he sensed the next arrival.

“Hello Ms. Andromeda. Thank you for inviting me this evening.”

“I’m glad you were able to make it, Kisuke. Please enjoy yourself!”

Dodie arrived quickly stealing Kisuke’s attention and departing together. The party was starting to get into full swing with the guests arrival. Soon Dragonheart arrived as a very welcomed sight for the two of them. “Hello, Andromeda, Andromeda. I regret missing the last ball but it looks like you’ve a done a splendid job this year.”

“Dragon Heart! I’m glad you were able to make it. It’s been pretty stressful as you can imagine, but I hope everyone likes it.” Andromeda was talking on longer than she thought, feeling a little more at ease to speak to her.

Andromeda II warmly greeted her as well. “Glad you made it. It’s quiet the trek up here this old place huh? Well I won’t keep you.” He waved to her as she bowed and walked away. Though as he looked at Dragonheart walking away, he caught his eye on Meier, Pete and company hulling something with them. He grinned and walked over with to them and patted Meier on the shoulder from behind. There was a sudden startled jump from Meier as he looked behind him seeing an almost fox like grinning face on Andromeda II. The object with Meier quickly tried to disappear in front of him almost as a reflex. “How you doing, Meier?” They walked over to the table with Andromeda II guiding them and he picked up a large platter that was next to some of the opened drinks available. He nonchalantly passed the platter off to the moogle floating by and patted Meier’s shoulder again. “Looks like a good spot for your choice beverage.” Andromeda II leaned in towards his ear whispering. “Though there’s plenty stronger and finer stuff available here as well if you’re feeling up to it.” It was with that Andromeda II stepped back and departed over to another guest.

He made his way over to Dodie’s side sensing her uncertainty. “Hey, Dodie!” he said exuding his carefree charm once more. Then he picked up a couple of random bits of food from the table in front of them and casually popped them in his mouth. “It’s quite good! You should—“ A sudden pale look came over his face as he started to bend over. “Not feeling so good…” There was a quick moment of panic that he sensed from Dodie seeing him in pain. He quickly jerked back up showing off his fox-like features again. “Just kidding! Shouldn’t worry so much. Eat up, shouldn’t ignore your stomach. All of the food’s safe. If anything should happen to you I’ll save from danger. I have a magic touch!” He winked and smiled and then disappeared not over staying his visit.

Afterwards, Andromeda II was by the orchestra whispering to the conductor before magically making a microphone appear in his hand. “Hey everyone!” he announced as his voice was pushed through all of the speakers. “Glad to see everyone’s enjoying themselves!”

“What’s he doing?!” Andromeda said lowly to herself starting to regret the moment.

“Since this is a Ball I thought we might get the dancing started! We can cut loose soon enough, but let’s start out with a couple classics so you can spend some quality time with your dates for the evening. To begin the musical number we’ll start with one that almost seemed fitting, the instrumental version of Eyes on Me! A personal favorite of many including my dear Andromeda over there, who cries every time she hears it.”

Andromeda tried to step away from the attention that was being thrust on her. It quickly turned to embarrassment as he told secrets to everyone. “Andromeda!”

“We follow it up with the famous ballroom dance song from Final Fantasy VIII, because what would a ball be without it. So those feeling like getting a little close come on out!” He tossed the microphone into the air, leaving it to disappear silently out of sight. His head turned around a little towards the conductor. “Alright, start it up…” Andromeda II then began walk across the ballroom floor, set apart from the rest of the large room with its finely waxed hardwood floors. As he walked across, the ornate ceiling suddenly darkened for a moment before suddenly displaying video from Final Fantasy VIII across the entire ceiling with surprising clarity. When he reached his destination Andromeda was turned away towards the stairs waiting for the next guest. He reached out taking hold of her arm and began to pull her away.

“Hey, I have more guests I need to greet!”

“Stiltzin is doing a fine job.”

“Where are you taking me?!” Andromeda was becoming flustered and then panicked when she found herself on the empty ballroom floor. “What are you doing?!”

“How can we expect the guests to dance if the hosts don’t lead!” he said rolling on his charm to overpower her and take her firmly with his arm against her back. “Now don’t be so embarrassed, just look at me.” He began to slowly move which caused her to react and willingly or not she was soon dancing to the music trapped in the moment.

[KeybladerXIII]

The party had really started up. More of Meier's gang had arrived and Andromeda was busy greeting the guests, who were quickly starting to come in. Keyblader watched as he leaned against a pillar in the colonnaded ballroom.

Moments passed and the orchestra hadn't played anything other than ambience music, which was all well and good, but not very interesting. He decided to check on those senior deliquents, the Mod Squad. Pete amd Polk were there and they were huddling around the keg they brought. Keyblader hid himself at the top of the staircase in the main lobby.

"Looks like they'll be the drunken life of the party.....wait a minute.....what the #$%!????"

They were handling something down there, but he couldn't see. Andromeda II came and talked to them, surprising Meier.

"OK, they are planning something. I have to find out what."

Keyblader returned to the ballroom, hoping to find both Andromedas to inform them of the situation. He looked everywhere, but the crowds obscured his view. Just as he finished searching, he found Andromeda II with the Orchestra. He greeted the guests and and he was going to start off with "Eyes On Me"

"I have to get to him before it starts," Keyblader thought as he started pushing through the crowds.

It was too late, Andromeda II had started dancing with Andromeda (I), signaling to everyone else to start dancing. The ballroom was now a twirling maze of dancer as the lights dimmed and video of FFVIII was projected on the walls.

Keyblader couldn't find an opening. He needed an idea.

"I need to find someone, anybody, to dance with so I can get to both Andromedas," Keyblader hastefully thought, as he grabbed a random girl and started moving through the crowd like a spinning top.

"Oh well, at least I'm dancing," Keyblader said as he danced his way to the hosts.

(OOC: Sorry if this screws up some future posts. Just try to adapt with it.)

[Dodie16]

As Dodie and Kisuke walked around the venue, they passed the food bar. Dodie looked at the layout of the rich food, being reminded of her hunger. She then felt as if she was being approached by someone. She turned to see that it was Andromeda II.

"Hey, Dodie!"

Dodie saw that Andromeda II had picked up a few hors d'œuvres and popped a few in his mouth.

"It's quite good! You should-"

To her shock, she saw that Andromeda II's face turned a sickly pale color and his body bent over. She heard him say "Not feeling so good..." and Dodie's heart raced, with a bit panic starting to build up inside her. A few thoughts were racing in her head, such as 'I knew this would happen!' and 'Someone help him!'

Suddenly, Dodie saw that Andromeda II had straightened himself up and had a very mischievious grin on his face.

"Just kidding!" Andromeda II said. Dodie's feeling of panic was replaced by a mixture of surprise and annoyance at falling for such an obvious joke at her expense.

Andromeda II continued, " You shouldn’t worry so much. Eat up, shouldn’t ignore your stomach. All of the food’s safe."

Dodie gave a half-hearted smile at the reassurance that he was giving her.

"If anything should happen to you I’ll save you from danger. I have a magic touch!”

Andromeda II gave Dodie a wink and a smile, then he turned his attention elsewhere, leaving Dodie and Kisuke's presence.

Dodie stood there, and turned to Kisuke.

"Did that guy just hit on me?" She asked her date. Kisuke shrugged and laughed at what had just happened. Dodie gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Oh, don't tell me you didn't think he was poisoned or something, sir!"

Finally letting her apprehension go, Dodie gazed at the food that was set up on the table. She chose to be adventurous and try the Final Fantasy-inspired food choices. Something labeled 'Rarab Meatball' caught her eye and she helped herself to a serving.

"Mmmm! Pretty tasty!" She exclaimed. Either it really was tasty, or she had gone so long without anything in her stomach that ANYTHING tasted good, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she was glad that she finally got some food in her belly.

After she had finished, she gave her plate to a moogle waiter and thanked him. She and Kisuke continued mingling with other guests. Suddenly she heard a voice over the loudspeakers:

"Hey everyone! Glad to see everyone’s enjoying themselves! “Since this is a Ball I thought we might get the dancing started! We can cut loose soon enough, but let’s start out with a couple classics so you can spend some quality time with your dates for the evening. To begin the musical number we’ll start with one that almost seemed fitting, the instrumental version of Eyes on Me! A personal favorite of many including my dear Andromeda over there, who cries every time she hears it.”

"Well that sounds nice! Come on, Kisuke! Let's go dance!"

Dodie and Kisuke made thier way to the dance floor to try thier luck with some waltzing. Dodie put one hand on Kisuke's shoulder and the other in his hand, while he put one hand on her waist and outstretched his other hand that was grasped within hers. He led her in time with the song.

"You dance pretty well!" Dodie said to her date, surprised at herself for being able to keep up with it. Usually, she would have injured someone by now.

Suddenly she felt as if she was being pulled away from Kisuke. She turned to see that Keyblader had grabbed her arm and they were now dancing together. Keyblader was spinning Dodie a little too fast for her liking, and she could feel the Rarab Meatball in her stomach starting to churn. She tried to get Keyblader's attention to tell him that she was feeling a little ill from all the twirling and that she needed to get back to her own date, but he seemed too focused on whatever it was that he was thinking about.

They seem to be heading toward the direction of where the two Andromedas were dancing, but Dodie was more concerned about trying not to get sick on anyone or anything.

(OOC: @ Keyblader: I thought it would be fun to be the random girl. So now we're dancing together buddy! )

[Josh_R]

(Ooc: Sorry for the delay on my part, so much Christmas stuff to tend to.)


As more and more people began to arrive, Kisuke started to feel that this would be a good night. Over in the distance he could see Keyblader walking around, he had a nervous look in his eye.

"Gotta watch out for that guy, he's a little nutty." Kisuke thought to himself,

As Kisuke and Dodie were walking Kisuke heard a loud voice call out Dodie's name. It was the voice of Andromeda II, he reached up and grabbed a few pieces of food. After popping them into his mouth he began to turn a sickly color. Kisuke stood ready to help at any moment, when he turned with a grin on his face.

"Just kidding." Andromeda II said with a huge grin on his face,

The moment he said this Kisuke started silently chuckling to himself. After a few words between Dodie and Andromeda Kisuke quickly realized that he was hitting on Dodie. Dodie to noticed this and brought it to Kisuke's attention. All Kisuke was able to do was turn his head and giggle.

"Hey everyone! Glad to see everyone’s enjoying themselves! “Since this is a Ball I thought we might get the dancing started! We can cut loose soon enough, but let’s start out with a couple classics so you can spend some quality time with your dates for the evening. To begin the musical number we’ll start with one that almost seemed fitting, the instrumental version of Eyes on Me! A personal favorite of many including my dear Andromeda over there, who cries every time she hears it.”

"Well that sounds nice! Come on, Kisuke! Let's go dance!" Dodie exclaimed,

"Sure why not." Kisuke reassured, "Sounds like a perfect time to show off my awesome dance skills."

The two started to Waltz, Kisuke was sure of his dance moves as he had taken a class prior to the event. Suddenly Dodie was pulled from Kisuke by Keyblader. A feeling of confusion swept over Kisuke, but was soon replaced by a sense of relief. The two were dancing, but it seemed Dodie was not feeling alright. Kisuke walk towards the two and grabbed the arm of Keyblader.

"Mind if I cut in pal, the lady appears to be sick." Kisuke stated with authority,

Kisuke walked his date to restroom to ensure that she was fine. After a moment Dodie shook her head and grabbed Kisuke by the arm. She appeared to have recovered and was feeling a little better. The two walked out onto the dance floor once again, and resumed the dance they had started.


(Ooc: Had to make sure my date was alright )

[OceanEyes28]

Upon feeling the hand on her shoulder, Ocean turned around and stared at Djinn in American confusion. Djinn then realized his British slang might not have the same effect on an American girl who had no idea what he was talking about. He sighed and explained it to her. Lucky for him, she laughed. "Well I hope you don't mind if we stay a little longer anyway, 'pulled' or not." She took his hand and began moving toward the dancing Andromedas.

"I have here," she pulled an envelope from out of her big stick and waved it around, "the results." She handed the envelope to Andromeda. "I'll leave the announcement up to you." Smiling, she looked at Andromeda II, "Or you. Djinn should be done with prizes soon, so let the winners and runners-up know that they'll most likely have banners to pick up near the end of the event. Aaaaand," she looked to Djinn, who shrugged. "And that's it!" She shook both their hands, congratulated them on a ball well done, and moved toward the food. The cocktail sausages were beckoning.

((OOC: Yeah, it's short, big deal. Andromeda, you will be getting a PM soon. Announce when you will.))

[loaf]

"Shit, I'm running late!"

Lowlf jumped out of his bed and quickly ran to the shower. Without even looking at what time it is he started the water and got right in. This must have been the 4th day in a row he slept in all afternoon. He stepped out of the shower, dried himself off and prepared to get ready for the ball, only to notice what time it really was.

"I'm not running late, I'm early!"

"Need to stop smoking so much." He thought to himself.

"But not anytime soon!"

He walks to his desk and grabs his pipe, his pill bottle and begins to load a bowl. "I'll keep this for the long drive to the ball," he thought as he started to change. Lowlf looked at his suit for the ball, nothing crazy, just a flashy loose black and white suit with a dark green tie that had a CPC8 insignia. Not combing his hair, not tucking his shirt in he was ready to go, "Lets get this started." Lowlf grabbed his pipe, his bic, his bottle, keys and was out the door. "Thirty minutes to get there, I should make it in time."

In the car he flicks his bic and takes a hit. He holds the smoke in and exhales. "Ahhhhh, feels good man." He looks in his glove compartment, 3 blunts and a joint, good night. Lowlf starts his car and begins to head to the ball, putting Back in Black in the CD player, the windows down the sun was slowly going down, he slipped on his aviators and turned the volume to max as he hit the gas and takes another hit from his pipe.

From afar he can see the lights shining from the ball. As he rolled up to the ball he can see a keg being rolled into the huge front entrance towards the flight of stairs by 3 individuals. He honked his horn as he parked his car in the valet lane. A guado open up Lowlf's door, smoke draws out of the car like it was on fire and a figure gets out he tosses the guado a coin, "Take car of it will ya." Lowlf slipped on his custom aviators so no one can see his red eyes, he ran his fingers through his hair once and he was off. Walking by the front lawn he notices a bitchin looking car empty still on parked in the center surrounded by beer cans.

Lowlf walked up the flight of stairs to the CPC8 lounge, greeted by 2 ogres he walked to the bar and grabbed himself a drink and looked around to see who had shown up already.

[Zerobanshee]

"Hey, you're here already! I'm not late or anything am I? Aw man, I am huh..." Ruin watched as Insufficient Mage walked up to him, seemingly drawing the light with her. "Wow! You clean up good! And we actually match and stuff!" She exclaimed, and when she spun, Ruin noticed that they really did match. She did a quick spin, showing off her flowy white dress with thin spidery black detailing snaking its way up from the hem, like vines. Watching her stumble slightly, he grinned to himself, in spite of trying not to. Two clutzes dancing together, wonderful. He began to chuckle slightly, and pushed off the wall, smiling.

"You are exactly on time. I wasn't here for very long, and I was having fun watching my friends arrive." He nodded towards the direction Pete, Polk, Meier and Rocky were heading, which was the CPC8/PRK9 lounge. Watching the guys roll a keg of beer made it even more amazing to watch. "Don't worry, though. I'm not drinking, I have to drive home." He looked to her, content with merely talking and dancing.

Suddenly, the music turned on, and the lights slightly dimmed to a song Ruin hadn't heard before. It sounded really intriguing, though, and Ruin couldn't help it but smile. "This definitely fits the mood. Something light-hearted, eh?" He asked, before turning his attention to Insufficient Mage.

"Anyways, do you want to hang out with some of our friends, or just walk around and bump into random people?" He asked, running a hand through his hair. This was his first dance, and he didn't know what to do. "I'm kind of lost, haha..."

(OOC. Christmas took up a lot of time, sorry about being late. I'll be on more often now.)

[Pete]

"Holy shit, I can't believe this keg is already kicked."

"Well we did stop to lighten it every 10 feet." Polk grinned.

"Damn right we did," Meier lauded.

Polk unscrewed the gleaming silver tap, adorned with an American flag sticker under the black knob of a pump. He placed it in his pocket.

"Hey look, the Sheriff is checking us out!" Pete laughed, which only angered the lad. "It looks like he's wearing his Communion suit!"

"Don't look now, but he's trying to come over here." Meier said, somewhat sarcastically.

"This should be good."

The trio watched as the boy tried to weave his way through the crowd, cutting in on a dance between two ball-goers. The woman in red's date was none too pleased about this, and appeared ready to fight, all adding to the hilarity of the situation.

"My money's on the dumb one," Polk said.

"Dude, you are gonna have to be a LOT more specific." Pete laughed as he surveyed the open bar.

"We've got a bigger problem. The keg's done." Meier wore an expression of sheer disappointment.

"We can fix that. For now lets work on this music. What is this crap anyway?" Polk's eyes were telling of a plan.

"It ain't Skynyrd, that's for damn sure. Shit, give me a minute guys, I've gotta make a call. Get us some backup."

Pete pulled out a blue phone from his back pocket and flipped it open, quickly pushing a few buttons and putting it to his ear.

"Shit, Joe, pick up."

"Hey this is Joe, leave a message and I'll get back to you."

"Fuckin' Joe."

BEEP

"Yo, Joe, it's Pete. Stop bangin' Brit and get the kegs, table and red cups, and get your ass over to the ball. I got the balls in the car. Take the pickup and we'll help unload when you get here. We're all here, shit, even Lowlf's here now... and he's blazed.

See you when you get here, buddy."

Pete hung up and caught Polk eyeing the DJ booth.

[Meier Link]

(( OOC: I was going to post this later but I am not going to be around much over the next couple days so here it is. ))

The ground was soft as Pete, Polk and Meier walked across the grassy knoll, Meier was dumb founded at the weight of the object he was carrying; it weighed a metric ton. As Meier moved forwards towards the steps of the great hall he found his self having to stop about every 10 feet to stop and fill up his glass, take a drink and point his glass to the skies paying tribute to the one above for such a succulent beverage. As the keg weight grew lighter the object he was concerned about was growing heavier by the minute.

“Time to suck it up”, Meier thought to his self as they finally reached the front steps of the grand building. Out of his peripherals Meier noticed someone pull up into the parking lot and after hearing the door slam shut he knew just who it was; it was Ruin and he was doing some kind of creepy disco style dance that was his traditional way of say “hello” from a distance. Since the keg was sitting on the ground Meier decided to go ahead and acknowledge Ruin in his traditional manner; he pulled his left hand up and pointed it over his right shoulder, his index finger extended and thumb straight up, with a wink, a small grin, a click of the tongue and nod Meier shot at Ruin with his finger gun as a way to say “sup sup” back.

Meier kicked back his glass and emptied it, tossing the empty container to the ground. This was the seventh time he had done so on the venture to the front steps. His strength was rejuvenated and he once again grabbed a hold of the ever diminishing keg. Pete grabbed the other side and they where off. Their pace quickened as the tromped up the front steps, the heavy thud of the trios foot steps where a clear indication they had been partaking of the golden godly beverage long before they had departed for the event of the night.

Meier and Pete had taken the lead as Polk followed up covering the back side as to make sure they duo didn’t fall and loose the keg when suddenly they had to come to a screeching halt when a small white critter covered in bandages with a pom pom appeared in front of them.

“May I announce who is here?” asked the little fellow.

Meier could hear the snickering coming from inside the main auditorium, Pete and Polk could too.

“No you may not” said Pete as he stared at the moogle; not caring to figure out why he was injured and bandaged up as he was.

“From what I can tell they already know” Polk responded with a loud bellowing chuckle.

Meier had no choice but to laugh at the situation.

The moogle was baffled and decided to just move out of the way before other injuries to his self could occur. Meier passed by and gave a nod to the moogle, reassuring him that everything would be alright. “Thanks Stiltzkin” Meier said as he and Pete kicked the keg on its side and started to roll it towards the main dance floor.


As Meier entered he noticed something off to the side of the building. It was shiny and new; Meier knew he would have to have some fun with it before the nights end. He quickly took a second glance at the object that caught his eye reading the custom made license plate that was clearly inscribed with 5 letters and a lovely royal blue font; “Alpha”. He resisted the urge to snap the suppressing chain and put the pedals to the pavement for the moment but he knew deep down inside that with in time and enough booze that the treasure would be his, if only for a moment.

The trio walked in as they noticed the some what unsettling look from the crowd, yet they could care less. Meier once again got a good chuckle as he heard some people referring to the trio as “Meier and his posse” when in fact they where just three equal distinct individuals coming into have a good time.

One good looking chap made the mistake of walking in front of Meier and out of his playfulness Meier grabbed him and gave him one hell of a noogie. The lad was Rocky and he looked half startled after the Meier’s playful assault.

Meier gave a quick “Sup duder” and had to move on as he had other business to attend to and there was plenty of time through out the night to talk to everyone.

Suddenly Meier noticed a young gentleman working his way through the crowd, he instantly recognized him as Andromeda II and he was moving swift and light, almost invisible in his movements to the rest of the onlookers.

Meier heard Pete chime up,"Holy shit, I can't believe this keg is already kicked” as Polk responded with his comical response "Well we did stop to lighten it every 10 feet."

"Damn right we did," Meier chuckled as he came to the realization that the keg was truly tapped.

Pete and Meier kicked the keg up right as Polk slowly pulled the tap out as if it was the pride and joy of the CPC8 house.

Meier noticed that Andromeda II was approaching fast.

"Hey look, the Sheriff is checking us out!" Pete laughed as the man seemed to hear and get upset; "It looks like he's wearing his Communion suit!"

"Don't look now, but he's trying to come over here." Meier said, somewhat sarcastically. He was not sure as to take the approaching individual as threat or not.

"This should be good." Pete sighed as the man came with in a few yards of the trio. His comment were not being directed at Andromeda II but two lanky looking individuals that Andromeda II had just passed as he crossed the ball room dance floor.

"My money's on the dumb one," Polk said, as he chimed in his two cents.

"Dude, you are gonna have to be a LOT more specific." Pete laughed as he surveyed the open bar.

Meier ignoring the comments turned his attention away from the approaching man to remind the other two men that were with him that they had a pretty serious issue at hand.

"We've got a bigger problem. The keg's done."

Polk reassured him that the problem would be solved; then Polk’s attention turned to the music.

Meier turned to look as he realized that not only was Andromeda II’s eyes on him and the troupe but another young fellow, dressed up in a penguin suit was staring him down. Before he could react he felt a slight tap on the back. Meier turned and faced the man, startled that his concentration had been broken.

“How you doing, Meier?” said the man.

“Doing better then last year, just glad to see things are going smoothly so far” Meier joked as he watched the man turn and walk for a less crowded place among the common areas only a few steps away. He watched in amusement as a moogle quickly floated by grabbing a trey of what would be half empty glasses to him and his friends.

“Looks like a good spot for your choice beverage” said the man as he patted Meier once again.

The spot was perfect for open access but Meier was concerned seeing they had already topped off the keg they had brought.

The man leaned over and whispered into Meier’s ear “Though there’s plenty stronger and finer stuff available here as well if you’re feeling up to it.” Meier gave an approving grin as Andromeda II turned and headed towards a seemingly lost guest.

Meier heard the faint beep of a voice mail picking up and Pete commenting in the back ground as the music had paused at just the right second:

"Yo, Joe, it's Pete. Stop bangin' Brit and get the kegs, table and red cups, and get your ass over to the ball. I got the balls in the car. Take the pickup and we'll help unload when you get here. We're all here, shit, even Lowlf's here now... and he's blazed.

See you when you get here, buddy." Pete said as he quickly snapped the phone shut.

Meier saw Polk eye screwing the DJ booth and knew what was coming yet he couldn’t burden his self with it until his secondary package was safe and out of reach from the hands from the general population. He looked up and saw in the corner of the room two tall Ogres guarding a door with a stairwell behind it. The little sign indicated that it was a regulated area and that CPC8 members were fine to enter. It was now or never and Meier knowing what was coming up could not perform with the weight that was still in his right hand.

Meier took off heading at a slow pace for the room when he heard the music die, Andromeda was at the stage giving a speech and the mood of the ball changed as a waltz started shortly after. Meier knowing Polk, decided to hasten his pace and cut straight across the dance floor.

He glanced over as he noticed 2 almost grown men cutting each other off in their own paths over the hand of whom appeared to be Dodie, and unnoticeably passing the Andro’s he overheard Ocean making comment about “the results being in.” Meier finally reached his destination as he handed the heavy black bag over to the darker colored ogre, “Keep it safe” he said as he turned around to hear what he had expected.

“Can’t be late” Meier though to his self realizing he was now over 30 yards away from Pete.

Polk had disappeared.