Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 18: Grand Ballin'

[Script]

Luc Altair

"I'd rather that Esphyr not go. There was an incident at Directus regarding a dress and she's been mopey ever since. Though it would be wise to have her come," Luc placed a hand on his chin in thought. "Well, I'll leave all that for you to decide. Jasmine, is that other pegasus girl? She left us back at Directus, and I haven't been informed why."

[Ether]

"Ah..." Aiya replied weakly.

'I have more dresses at home, I guess...'

"Well, I guess that's okay then... I have more clothes at home..." Aiya finished, not wanting to go through the trouble of trying to get them back, not when Charlotte had just saved them from the Septimian justice system.

[Phoenix]

Irina and Viveka

Irina: Those are your clothes? Whoa. They're ... nice.

Viveka: (So the tall girls get my clothes and ... the short girls get Charlottes ... err Aiyas. Okaaay. Just deal with it I guess.)

[-Cynthia-]

"Well a ball would make her less mopey...or she'd just ruin everyone else's time. What sort of incident?" Charlotte asked the room. "And Jasmine left? We're running short on ladies here. Kelas must be found though, this is an excellent chance to express her feminine side." Charlotte said authoritatively.

[Snowy_One]

Esphyr, meanwhile, had quietly made her way almost to the city gate. It hurt a lot, to be in her position. However, she had wounded someone whom the group as a whole liked. She wasn't stupid. Even as an accident, this meant she would be a cast-out. Still, standing by the gate, she seemed perfectly ready to go.

"Halt there Lady Esphyr!" came Altion's voice. A moment later, atop his steed, the knight rode up. "Why art thou out here, instead of secluded away and moping off thine problems?" he asked, his voice betraying a sense of ill-timed humor. Esphyr almost up and mauled the man right there, but managed to contain her wrath if only for a moment. Still, she decided that the man needed no answer and held no power over her at all. She tried to sidestep him, only to have him spur his steed slightly to block her.

"So, you are running away from your problem, I assume? I heard of the incident myself. Lady Esphyr, if I may. I do not know what it is that compe-"

"Just shut up you goddess damned asshole of a knight and let me do what the hell I want to do without your patronizing speech!" she shot at the man, her voice over-riding his own as she openly shoved at the animal, trying to push his horse aside so she could pass.

[Script]

Luc Altair

"It would be rude of me to divulge more information about that incident than necessary without the involved party's consent. My apologies," Luc said. If Irina herself wasn't willing to interject and inform her, than Luc would not do so either.

[Phoenix]

Irina

Irina herself didn't want to go into it. It was embarrassing enough fighting for a dress, but also there was the close call with a crimson weapon. She just wanted the whole incident to be buried and forgotten. A few stares came her way and she looked the other way, one of her hands grabbing her arm. She didn't have anything to say about it.

Irina: (Thanks, Luc ...)

She wanted to at least say that out loud, but she couldn't. It was better for the whole thing to just be dropped she thought. Viveka gave Irina a quick glance and then turned back toward the cases.

Viveka: (Why not spend some of that mercenary money on a dress instead of buying wyvern junk food all the time, hm? That would certainly save an outfit.)

[-Cynthia-]

"All right then, I suppose if it's a private matter we can leave it at that" Charlotte said.

Morgan snatched one of Viveka's white dresses and pressed it up against her. "A little long, but the bust area appears to be exactly proprtional." she said. "I assume this seamstress person will be able to fix that." She then unceremoniously dropped the dress back with the others and headed out into the corridors of the palace to find Kelas (and Isotov).

"I suppose that will do." Charlotte said tersely as the shaman left.

[Ansem]

A good 5 hours from the capital

"Sayer! Oh my god I found that most cutest thing." A women in her early 30's exclaimed. The energy can be seen with a glance at her face. In her hands was a baby fox. The knight however, a man no older then her pouted. "My queen, please drop that. They tend to bite." He said brandishing his lance. The queen however merely laughed it off. "I know what i am doing, Sayer. Calm down. Hey!" She cried as the fox escaped her grasp and headed back into the forest. The queen sighed and mounted back onto her horse. "How much longer until we reach the capital?" She wailed.

[Psych]

Rita:

Searching through the chests, Rita pulled out a deep blue dress, close to her hair color. "I like this one." Hurrying behind a partition, she tried it on. She spun around in front of the mirror. "What about this? It's the right length, but the bust is a bit small."

----------

Pary:

Walking to the castle shop, Pary pulled out his money pouch. The money from the staves and trinkets were getting a bit heavy, and he had been unable to deposit it since they had left Directus. Looking through the wears, he noticed a bright orange Topaz necklace. He payed for it, and slipped it into his bag.

[Phoenix]

The Dresses Episode 1

Viveka watched as several dresses were taken and examined, some put on right there. She sighed at all the adjustments that would need to be made. Then she looked over to Rita who looked almost funny in one of the blue dresses. The bust was too big for her, but for most that would be the case. Viv let out a small giggle and then stretched a bit. She'd been feeling a bit stiff.

[Snike]

The fitting game

After hearing that there was spare clothing in the castle, Derek grudgingly was led into a room, and, after a few minutes, reemerged, wearing a blue suit, black pants, and long, black gloves instead of his shorter, regular gloves. Sighing, he returned to the table with his armor in a set, to wait for whatever the princess had in mind next.

Eric was next, coming out in a lighter blue coat, white dress coat, and a tie along with navy blue pants. He returned to his seat, relaxed.

Dani, in the meantime, went looking through Aiya's repossessed dresses. Finding a light green one she liked, the mage disappeared into a changing room, and returned a few minutes later, twirling as she returned to the table, her regular robes in hand.

"So, what now," she asked, sitting down.

[Snowy_One]

"I'm sorry lady Esphyr." said Altion, a frown upon his face as Esphyr tried to shove past the horse.

"For what you hack?"

"For this." he said before bringing her armored fist down heavily upon her head. With a solid *THONK* Esphyr collapsed to the ground. A moment later, Altion dismounted to pick her up. Two guards looked at him suspiciously, holding their lances as if ready to attack as he hefted her over his shoulder.

"Ah." started Altion, noticing them. "She is my wife, and she was trying to flee the kitchen." he said, fibbing.

A few moments later, Altion knocked on the woman's dressing room to let them know he was entering before coming in, Esphyr slung over his shoulder. "She tried to run away due to feelings of guilt over hurting Irina." he explained as he plopped her down on the ground.

[Ansem]

Kicking open the changing room door, Helios appeared in a long black Trench coat over a purple shirt that wasnt tucked in. He was wearing a dark blue pants with that too. Heading over to the waiting room, he saw Dani and Eric waiting. "Man i wish i had your luck. I look like a fool in this dont I?" He asked taking a seat near the trio.

OOC: Appearance

Without the gun.... -_-

[-Cynthia-]

"Eh?" said Charlotte, responding to Altion. "Irina looks fine to me... Next on the agenda would eb pairing up to practice dancing. Esphyr will probably want to be conscious for that."

Meanwhile, out in the halls, Morgan encountered Kelas and Isotov. "Her Imperial Majesty wants you two for dress fitting and other banal things." she said, her voice devoid of enthusiasm.

[Script]

Luc Altair

Luc followed the lead of everyone else and slipped away to switch into his ball outfit. It was a fairly simple outfit, especially for the man who designed it, and Luc was immensely grateful for that. It was just a simple, but high-quality, outfit with dark green and black coloring. The only notable features of the outfit were the white glove on his right hand -- a stark contrast to the black on his left -- and the cape the man insisted 'completed the outfit'.

Edited August 26, 2010 by Script

[Snowy_One]

"I only know how to knock her out. I think I could do better if I had a large and heavy tome, but that is beside the point. I don't have a clue how to wake her up. Pour water on her, kiss her, punch her? I don't know." said Altion. "And I doubt she dances well. Considering her mood, you may even want her like this until after dance lessons are done."

[Phoenix]

The Dresses Episode II

Viveka decided it was probably time to change, but first she needed a bath. She could probably sneak in a quick one if she hurried. With that she dashed out of the room and raced down the halls disappearing for a short while! Meanwhile Irina came over to Charlotte.

Irina: Umm ... do you think one of these would be good for me to wear?

Lev had finished reading and happened to be standing right behind her, his head towering over hers as he overshadowed her. As soon as he spoke, Irina's shoulders rose up in a sharp flinch and froze there!

Lev: Say, Charlotte, you wouldn't happen to need any bodyguards attending would you? I haven't danced or thrown on a suit in awhile and I'd prefer to stick to my greatest strengths at the moment. If not, that's fine too, but if you don't ask ...

Irina: ... ... .... (Like an assassin ... ... ... could've killed me if he was an enemy. I'm totally off guard right now.)

Isotov

Iso and Kelas had tried to hide but Iso knew the jig was up when he heard her voice and her statement.

Iso: Morgan ... I CAN'T. SEE. A GODDESS DAMNED THING!!! Why am I even going?! Let Charlotte have her fun but there's no excuse on this earth for me to stumble around like an idiot in front of a bunch of pompous clowns. I thought you would understand that ... *sigh* why am I even talking to you?

Ixion ... really?

Stephanie had done what few would dare try. She took Ixion all over the capital and eventually had conned him into trying out new cloaks and outfits. He was being measured for a new suit by a seamstress in a very crowded clothing store, and Stephanie was watching with a smile on her face.

Stephanie: You're going to look wonderful.

Ixion: This is entirely unnecessary, Stephanie.

Stephanie: Nonsense. Okay what to put on you. I know you like to hide your figure so I suppose you can still wear a cloak but black is out.

Ixion: What?

Stephanie: Honestly, Ixion, you need to wear another color for a change. How about white.

Ixion: How about you explain to me why we are attending the grand ball? That's not why we came here.

Stephanie: Tch. I should have brought Ivan. He never complains about being dressed up.

Ixion: That's because he's too busy crying.

[Snike]

Eric + Dani

"... Yeah, you might want to look for something a bit more.. appropriate," Eric said, face expressionless. "Otherwise, the Princess may throw you out."

Dani simply let loose a giggle at Helios' attire, and went over to the unconscious mercenary. "... I think this might do it," she said, sending a small bolt of lightning at Esphyr.

[Snowy_One]

The bolt of lightning struck Esphyr, sending her limbs flying about in spastic motions before she at last settled down, a bit of smoke rising from her body, but no more awake than before.

[Inactive Account]

"...Well, that failed sooner than expected. Maybe we should explain this to Charlotte," Kelas suggested. "I still think she's a bit mad, but maybe she'll see sense if we give her a damned good reason. Or five."

------------------------------------------------

Arrin had been surprised by the shoulder-rub, but not unpleasantly, and though it did nothing for the dizziness, the tension faded some and he sat up a bit. "Thanks..."

Presently the dizziness eased a little and Arrin was able to get up and wander over to the clothing that had been brought out. He chose a mage's tunic and trousers, sufficiently formal but nothing flashy, making sure to count the circles worked into the design embroidered on the shoulders: four. He was... probably a fourth circle by now? he guessed? so it should be all right.

[-Cynthia-]

"I don't think I'm really supposed to be bringing bodyguards persay." Charlotte said. "It's a no weapon affair. But if you're feeling bold, you can try searching for a date out on the town, since we have more than enough men to pair up. And that should be fine Irina, you're about my size so it should fit."

Morgan shrugged. "Not really my problem. You could simply tell Charlotte that you're blind and perhaps she'll reconsider." she said, turning to leave with the expectation that the two of them would follow her.

[Inactive Account]

"Come on, let's get this over with," Kelas sighed, turning to follow Morgan. Soon enough they came to the room where Charlotte was "holding court." "Charlotte, this isn't going to work," she declared.

Edited August 26, 2010 by Kiryn

[Phoenix]

Isoflop

Iso: Ah screw this!

Iso turned to run the other way but quickly tripped and fell down! He lied there for a second feeling a bit hasty.

Iso: ... ... ... ARGH!!!

Irina and Levski

Lev: I don't need a weapon to be a bodyguard. Meh. Forget it. I'll just come along. I'll wait til after you're done with the pairings before I decide whether or not to go grab some lucky noble girl.

Irina: >_>

[-Cynthia-]

"What's not going to work?" Charlotte asked Kelas. "If you're talking about a dress, you can borrow one of Viveka's or mine over there." she gestured.

She noticed Isotov fall down. "Well, someone has two left feet apparently. Your dance partner is in for a rough night."

Edited August 26, 2010 by -Cynthia-