TESTING STUFFS NO POASTY PLEASE

[sheldor the CONQUEROR]

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"I’m sorry to inform you, but I'm not going to be any trouble." As Flynn paused, Rapunzel felt a sudden surge of confidence--she really wanted to believe that he was a good person, despite the men hunting him and the fact that he was a bandit. He had freely admitted his criminal occupation. Wasn't that a good sign? He could have lied and told her that he was being wrongly pursued by an evil man. As far as she could tell, he hadn't lied to her--had he? Flynn couldn't have been all bad, however, as he hadn't even made a move to steal anything here, tie her up, or anything like that. I believe him. Drawing breath to give voice to the words ringing in her head, he continued with his defending himself to the birds and squirrel. "You see, I'm already betrothed." As this was so completely unexpected that it took her a few moments to process this information, Rapunzel stood with a blank stare on her face, jaw dropped slightly in shock. The idea that Flynn could be married, betrothed, spoken for, had simply never even crossed her mind. In all the fairy tales, the dashing prince (here she was taking liberties with stretching some sort of metaphor out of the title) rescued the damsel in distress and they fell in love. Maybe in the back of her mind, she had seen that as the outcome here--the rascally bandit aids the maiden in her escape, together they defeat the evil witch and escape from the prince after restoring honor to Flynn's name, his ways changed by their love--shaking her head, she dispelled such childish, rambling thoughts. This was no fairy tale, and if it were indeed true that he was betrothed...she was glad he said so, even if it did sound rather off handed. She had come dangerously close to having trodden on the heart of someone else, and she did not want to be the one to taint a love, no matter what the situation. A little unsurprised to think that she might have been taken in by his charm, yet still appalled, she snapped her mouth shut and took a deep breath, ignoring the words being exchanged around her.

"She will be neither ravished nor eloped with - without her consent, of course." A half-hearted smile met this sally, and she sat down on the stone sill to stare out the window at the sky, beginning to color. The sun shall set soon. Should the Prince keep to his word... her bags were all packed, and she did sincerely hope that the rather daft young man would stick to the commands the "witch" had given him. If not...Rapunzel contemplated this with mixed feelings: fear at the unknown and the great undertaking she was about to embark upon, and excitement at the unknown freedom. The whole world to explore: what did grass feel like? What did a river sound like? What did forests smell like? Her only interaction aside from what the witch brought up to the tower, was being able to see a small section of the land from her single window. Sebastian, Fran, and Billie were not just the only friends she'd ever had--they were the only living things aside from the witch that she knew. What were the other animals like? It was one thing to see something in a book, to read about it; quite another to see it before you, alive and big and toothy, or to smell or taste or hear or feel it. There was barely enough of a ledge that she could dangle her feet out the window, twining her hair through the hoop so that should she by any chance fall, she could pull herself back up again. Those wonderful moments spent basking in the warmth of sunlight, the chill of rain, of night. Those were feelings that overwhelmed the fear, eclipsing the anxiety, until she was left with a dreamy smile on her face and a glazed stare. "Your friends are going to have to protect you from more than nasty bandits like me."

These words drew her attention, and she turned her face from the fading golden light of the sun. There it was again--He speaks as though he is going to run off as soon as I am out of this tower. Flynn had agreed to help free her from the tower, but to what purpose? If it was for nothing else but some whim, some flight of fancy and passing amusement to help some odd girl escape what was essentially a prison, he could simply walk off and she would be left on her own--to either find her own way in the world or to await punishment from Galiena the witch and imprisonment in the tower again. The anxiety resurfaced, and with a quickened heartbeat, she began to think. Flynn didn't need her around (if anything she would be a hindrance), but she certainly need him. There was no way she was likely to survive out in the wild on her own without his guidance. Fairytales might have been her fare here, but she had to be realistic and know her life wasn't one. There was no guarantee that she would get out of any scrape she fell into just by being a good girl, nor that she'd find any happy ending. It was a chance she had to take, leaving the tower and putting her safety in a bandit's hands, but there had to be something she could do to increase her chances. Some way to make him help her, no matter what his original intentions...although he didn't seem that bad a person, he was in fact a bandit. He had freely admitted to doing bad things, and while she wanted to trust him, while everything was guiding her toward admiring him and his easy carelessness, she wanted to be sure that he wouldn't just abandon her when she started slowing him down. Not, of course, that she could completely blame him if he didn't want her following him--who would want a naive girl that knew nothing of the world aside from what she could see from her lofty window and what she read about in books? For goodness sake, she didn't even know what the entire sky looked like, much less the rest of the world.

Although a number of possible ideas were swimming about her mind, she'd have to set it in the back of her mind to percolate, to plan her course of action. For now, she offered him a mild-mannered smile, her hands folded in her lap. "Yes, I suppose they will." was her meager answer, and she held out a finger as a perch, a gesture which did not go unheeded. Billie alighted on her hand, and she gently stroked the soft feathers on top of his head. "I do hope you will all come with me. Billie, Sebbie...and Fran, of course." Her only friends. They were all she had, and if they didn't want to come--well, she understood. It was with relief, however, that she was met with their immediate agreement. "Naturally! Hmpf." Fran sounded a bit offended at the very idea of not going, and Rapunzel's face lit up with a smile. Fran probably thought she would have to safeguard Rapunzel's honor and to keep the two silly ones (Sebbie & Billie) in line. "ADVENTURE! ADVENTURE ADVENTURE ADVENTURE ADVENTURE ADVENTURE ADVENTURE ADVENTURE~" Sebastian chattered as he dashed over, twining about her feet. Billie preened his feathers before chirping his own assent, and she sighed happily. That's right, she thought to herself. Even if he should leave me, I'll always have my friends. Feeling a little more optimistic about the whole affair, she turned a brilliant smile toward Flynn. That smile quickly faded, however, to be replaced only by a look of ultimate horror and disgust. "Initially, I assumed that once you were freed from the tower, you’d go off to wed a prince." Since the only prince she had met was the only prince of the kingdom--Prince Kimbellious, her odious admirer--she assumed that's who he was referencing. Marry a prince? Every little girl's dream. Marry Prince Kimbellious? Repulsive. Nauseating. Contemptible. Revolting, offensive, horrifying, unspeakable, abominable, ghastly idea that it was. Unable to even put her disgust into spoken words, she simply stared at him with wide eyes, uncomprehending of how he could possibly think her so base as to even contemplate the idea.

"But, from what I’ve seen, you’re not the type of woman who would be happy with that." He quickly added the words that mollified her, and she gave an enormous sigh of relief. No, indeed. I shall never settle for anything less than what I really truly want. As for her plans once she left the tower...well, she hadn't given all that much thought about it past one thing--she felt as though after she completed that single monumental task, everything else would just fall into place. Adventures always came to those who sought them, didn't they? "What would I like to do?" It was a loaded question--there were so many things! "I suppose 'everything' would be too vague an answer. I want to pick flowers. Climb a tree. Step in a stream. Walk in the rain. Lay down in the sun. Climb a mountain, roll down a hill, see a town, meet other people, and sleep on the ground." Feeling unashamed of her not unusual wish to experience everything that normal people took for granted, she had stared him right in the eye. "And I think I want to find my...parents." The word was difficult for her to say and she averted her gaze, suddenly shy; if parents were a mother and father that raised their children, cared for them, laughed and cried over them, then she had none. All she had was the witch, who hated but needed her. Who locked her away until she was useful, like a wine in a cellar.

Rapunzel wasn't sure how she felt about them--when she was younger, she didn't really understand it. In her mind, her life was normal. When she was able to read, however, she learned that her life was anything but--the addiction to fairy tales had led her imagination wildly down paths of any possibility--her parents had died and she had been found by Galiena, her parents were killed by the witch and she was stolen away, her parents had gone off on a marvelous adventure and would soon return, shocked their darling daughter was gone. Despite every time that the witch had told her the sad story that was her birth, she refused to believe it. There was simply no way in her mind that her parents, whom she had never met, would have given her up willingly or without a fight. There had, later on, been a brief period in her life where she had become depressed, believing that there was nothing left in her life but to be stuck up in this tower isolated from everything, and eventually she would die sad and alone without having ever left it. Finally coming to terms with her situation, she had accepted the possibility of never leaving while always trying to find a way to make it out, finding faith in herself and regaining her optimism--she would escape. Her parents' abandonment, which she now believed, was still a bit of a sore subject, but she didn't think she hated them like she did previously, nor was she convinced of their unwavering loyalty and some wrongdoing done to them all. They couldn't have cared too much for her to give her to someone as evil as the witch, and while part of her just wanted to learn who they were, a part of her also wanted to show them that she had grown up. That she was alive and well, without their help. That their abandonment had not really meant the end of her life, that she didn't obsess over them anymore, that it was fine--she would turn around and walk away forever this time, without looking back, without holding a grudge, and without regretting anything. No ill will. But just for that moment, she would relish the triumphant feeling of showing them just what they had given up--the amazing things she would do, the people she would meet, the lives she would change, she'd show them that she was a daughter they could have been proud of. Just a little vindictiveness sated, and she would be fine, leaving with a heart as light as air.

After a pause, she rallied her spirits and forced a smile upon her face--that always seemed to make her feel a little better. Smile, and the cheer follows. "It is something that I suppose cannot be avoided. Everyone needs to know who their parents are. You cannot really have a complete knowledge of yourself, I think, without knowing your entire personal history. Where else to start but at the beginning?" Drawing a deep breath, she stood up and Sebastian clung to the hem of her dress as she moved away from the window toward Flynn, Billy hopping onto her shoulder, Fran settling down on the other. She had finally decided what was the best course of action to take to get Flynn to stay by her side--and it was not to be dishonest or resort to petty thievery. That just wasn't her style. Even if it didn't work, the best thing she felt she could do was to be honest and up front about everything--let him know that if he decided to ditch her, it would forever be on his conscience. Let him completely understand the situation--she was helpless. It was unfortunate, but there it was. Putting on her best puppy-eyed expression, she stepped close to him and stared up at him, caught up his hand, and stared beseechingly up at him, her animal guardians glowering at him.

"Flynn?" she started hesitantly, biting her lip, unsure of her words. "Please promise me you won't leave me?"


❝ ʀɑρuɴɀεʟ, ʀɑρuɴɀεʟ, ʟετ doѡɴ τʜɣ ʜɑiʀ τo ϻε ❞
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"OH FAIREST MAIDEN! EVIL WITCH! I HAVE BROUGHT YOU THE FABRIC THAT YOU HAVE ASKED FOR!" The offensive voice drifted up to them, and Rapunzel shied way from the open window lest the Prince should see her and start spouting poetry. Hopefully believing that the witch that imprisoned her was there would keep him in line! "PRAY WHAT IS IT FOR? I HOPE IT IS TO BE USED TO FASHION MY LOVELY LADY A BEAUTIFUL GOWN SO SHE MAY COME TO MY PALACE! I SHALL HOLD A BALL IN YOUR HONOR, MAIDEN!" he just seemed to be unable to grasp the idea that she was locked away in a tower. What kind of witch would want to just show her off at a ball? That was stupid, even though Rapunzel sort of liked the idea of wearing a fancy gown and going to a ball. Even if it meant she had to dance with the prince. Maybe if Flynn…no, that was silly. Besides, Flynn wouldn’t be welcome at the palace, and she doubted he would dance with her—he was betrothed, after all! Busying herself about while Flynn screeched down to the Prince, she found a large, wide basket and unpinned her hair, unfurling it to it’s farthest extent. Finally moving to the window, she looped her hair through the hoop and then through the handle of the basket, keeping hold of the other end of her streaming hair, she lowered the basket down so that the bolts of fabric could be loaded in. Reeling them back up (which was turning out to be a very difficult task) she glanced up at Flynn, her head at an odd angle. "C-could you help me a bit? It really is quite heavy." Her voice was strained as her muscles as she attempted to pull the basket back up. With Flynn’s aid, they quickly acquired the life-saving fabric.

As soon as it was in, she unfurled the bolts of fabric and looked up at Flynn, a broad grin on her face. It was impossible not to smile, and Rapunzel’s cheeks almost began to grow tired. "So, what do we do with it?" Oh, she certainly knew the basics—but how was she going to climb down a fabric ladder? Her exercise usually consisted of cleaning and jumping around the tower—definitely nothing like weight lifting. If climbing down meant that she’d have to lower herself, then Rapunzel knew her chances of falling to a horrible bone-breaking death was much, much greater than her chances of safely making it down. The slow surety of her impending doom and death by the very ground she longed to see did not strain her optimism, however—nothing would keep her from leaving this tower. If she was going to die, she’d much rather die having left the tower, no matter what. "Do…" trailing off, she eyed Flynn as if appraising his abilities or the chances of his agreeing. "Do you think maybe you’d be willing to lower me down first? To be quite honest, I do not believe I will be able to make it down otherwise." Casting him a hopeful glance and a supplicatory smile, she continued. "Maybe I could tie it about my waist, and if we loop it through there, perhaps you might be able to lower me, then climb out on your own?"


------------------------ M E A N W H I L E ------------------------

"Captain, sir, I must relieve myself. I will catch up." Botch said with his most super serious business face on, and the captain of the guards arched a brow, but nodded brusquely. Dashing off into the woods to fall behind the rest of the group, he waited until they were out of earshot. Nearly tearing the odd looking pendant from around his neck where it lay concealed by his clothing and light armor, he took his knife and pricked his finger, smearing the droplets of blood onto the cool face of the metal pendant. The blood seemed to soak into the metal surface, while a pattern rose out from the smooth surface. Sticking his finger in his mouth, he imagined the witch's face in his mind's eye as she had taught him. Her face seemed to appear in mid-air, hovering above the pendant. "What is it, Botch." Her voice impatient and her unspoken words saying that he'd better have a good explanation for interrupting her mid-potion, and he cleared his throat nervously. Here was someone you did not want to cross. "The Prince has just completed some sort of task for the maiden in the tower." He had never been allowed to actually see the girl, but he'd heard she was plenty beautiful. Galiena kept her locked up and far away from the rest of the world, and only that puny little excuse for a boy had been able to see her. What a pity--if she was really a comely wench, she shouldn't be kept so far from everyone's reach. Namely, his. Maybe she had to be a virgin for some spell Galiena was working on long-term...pity, pity. There were some spells he had heard of that called for a deflowering. Now that was a good spell! Trying to rein his imagination in as it followed that line of thinking, he remembered he didn't want to waste the witch's time. "Apparently he was called upon to bring her bolts of fabric. Many, many bolts of fabric. I think you'll want to check in on her. The Prince is heading back to the castle. I must catch back up with them before they grow suspicious." Galiena's face had gone from impatience to a wild fury that was so frightening, his heart began to race. What if she could leap right through, from wherever she was, to here, and strangle him where he stood? His pulse beating, echoing through his mind, he began to sweat. As Galiena began swearing and tearing apart her workroom, there were minor explosions and sizzles. All of her magic lay in her potions, for she had no talent for spell casting.

"You insignificant cur!" Her shrieking voice was luckily muffled by the pendant. "How could you inform me of this now? Now, when she could escape! You stupid, domnoddy, pox-ridden, boil faced toad! You ill-begotten b*****d son of a whore, I will tear your limbs one by one and--" Severing the connection during her tirade, presumably from having thrown something at the mirror that was connected to his pendant, he sighed and replaced it around his neck, glad he wouldn’t have to hear what she would do with his dismembered body. Something horrible, presumably. Botch knew he would have to backtrack and keep an eye on them--but what to tell the captain? He couldn't just go off, he would get in trouble. Galiena wouldn't want him to leave the tower unwatched, but she wouldn't want him taken out of the palace guard. Catching up with the guards wasn't a problem--he spotted someone he was relatively friendly with in the back and talked to him, convincing him to cover for Botch. Having secured his promise, Botch turned and fairly ran back the way he'd come. Reaching he tower, he was outraged to see a makeshift ladder of knotted fabric hanging down from the lofty window, flapping in the wind. There was no one in sight, and he swore, kicking up dirt every which way as he attacked it with his hobnailed boot. There was nothing but to attempt and track them down--not his strong suit. Still, he searched around the clearing before setting off on what his best guess was that the two had escaped.

Far enough away not to worry about anything, Rapunzel’s heart seemed about to break from her ribcage. How lovely the world was; how could Galiena have kept her from all of this? It lit a simmering flame of anger that might soon be fanned into a frenzy.

[sheldor the CONQUEROR]

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Watching her blush, a smile crept across his face. He loved this, the game of love—or was it his love of game? Flirtation was one of his favorite hobbies, and he had honed his skill. It wasn’t just about “winning” the game, but about the process. Every girl was different, and he needed to tailor his approach to each one. Every girl was beautiful when they blushed, and he knew he was doing rather well, all things considered. This, he would have to take slowly—the whole point was to become close to Emma and get her to become attached to him. The only two things that could cause his plans to become disrupted was either him moving too fast and spooking her, or Quinn busting his operation wide open. She can’t do that just yet, though, he thought smugly. If she exposes me then she’ll expose herself as being an agent as well, and she’s worked hard to become friends with Emma. Andre knew Quinn by another name, but since that’s the name she was using on this mission, he’d use it as well—and given their history…well, he hoped that maybe if he talked to her she would come to understand what he was doing and come over to their side. What they were doing was for the good of the country, after all, and Quinn was all about business—but she had a strict set of morals. Rather twisted morals, given her profession and the demands it made on her, but her own set of moralities nonetheless. That, and she had always been rather sweet on him. Who could blame her? he chuckled at the thought as well as at Emma as she gulped down her hot drink in what appeared to be a bout of nerves, wincing at the pain and coughing raucously.

"Careful, senorina, you don’t want to hurt yourself." Offering a kind smile, he watched as she wiped away the tears, and he found it all very endearing. “How about tomorrow morning, same time? Call or text if there’s a change of plan.” He watched as she scribbled down her name and her contact information. Not that he needed it, of course, but it wouldn’t do to let on that he was basically stalking her for the past few weeks. Taking a chance that being a bit corny, he thought perhaps he would reap the benefit of acting how many viewed stereotypical Italian men—after all, if you rather expect someone to act a certain way, it only helps you to believe them if they fulfill your expectations. So, as she handed him the piece of paper with her number on it, Andre took it and kissed the paper, holding it up in a thank-you gesture before folding it and sticking it into the front chest pocket of his shirt, all in one fluid motion. "Grazie." With a wink, he sat back and took a sip of his coffee. Andre was actually rather surprised that she had given him her phone number—he had observed she wasn’t exactly shy, but she didn’t seem to be the overly sociable outgoing type either, and he had rather expected her to become more flustered than she had been in response to his attentions. Still, it was an interesting development, and he was not disappointed in any way with how this was going. He was having his fun and getting work done at the same time.
“But, I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?” Andre watched as she gathered up her things and got up to leave. "Si, si. Ciao, senorina. Tomorrow, breakfast. Don’t forget." Throwing a suave grin in just for good measure, he turned to focus on his cup of coffee (or the watery tasteless liquid that passed for coffee in this place) and waited until she was gone before he got up, throwing the rest of the disgusting drink in the trash as he left the place. Playing Italian was his favorite—his paternal grandmother had been Italian, and so he had a pretty good head start on that persona. Truthfully, he didn’t get to use it often, but sometimes off the clock he adopted it—while flirting with women. It was ridiculously effective, which only spoke to him of the weak will American girls had for a man with an accent. Emma had been just as easy to snare as the rest of them—which was good for him, of course. Over the past few weeks he had snuck in and placed some of his own bugging devices around the store and in the employee room. Wondering if perhaps they had been found yet, he pulled out an earpiece that looked like a Bluetooth headset and stuck it in his ear, then pulled out a small handheld device. All of his bugs were listed as operational, which only meant they hadn’t been destroyed—not that they hadn’t necessarily been found. Tuning the frequency in to listen to each one at a time, he was pleased to hear that all of them were still in place. The last one he checked was in the employee room, and he was extremely pleased to hear Emma talking about him. “So yeah, about this guy! You should see him, he’s so cuuuteee.” Grinning to himself and fluffing up his ego-feathers a bit, he stopped in his tracks as he heard Quinn’s voice. "Ohmygod! So you’re going to see him again? Eeeee! Is he super gorgeous? Tell me exactly what happened! What’s his name?" Andre’s eyebrows shot up as he listened to her girly gushings. Surely, he knew Quinn was not only a good actress but had always been something of a girly-girl, but he’d never heard her speak like that, and it was enough to send him into a short laughing fit at her expense.

On the other hand…this meant Quinn would work things out quickly, especially as it was only a matter of time before she did a sweep for bugs around the store. He knew that an NSA agent had been posted to the store, from his informants in the sub-organization he belonged to. Perhaps the best course of action was to continue with the plan he had come up with for today—to go to Best Buy and accidentally meet up with Emma again, pretend it must be a sign from above, lay on the flattery, then ask her for a dinner date. At least he could catch the other two off their guard and throw a wrench in their plans while swiftly enacting his own. Nodding to himself, he slipped the device into his pocket and continued to listen in on their conversation, just to stroke his ego.


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Quinn was restocking DVDs when she froze, realizing that they were all out of order on this shelf. With a facial twitch to mark how irritated it made her, she took them all down and began to sort them into the correct order, replacing them on the shelf in their respective places. Her hand happened to brush against the underside of the shelf above it, catching on a bump. Forgetting about the DVDs, she traced the metallic blemish with her finger, a scowl forming on her face. If this was what she thought it was…working it off from the metal surface, she held up a listening device. The people that had been bugging her current place of operations were about to find themselves with a little bit of plastic and wiring in a place they really didn’t want to have it. Finishing her job with a bit less precision as when she had started, she glanced around and quickly found Japser, who luckily easily stood out from the crowd. Storming over to him, she glowered at him and pointed over her shoulder. "We need to talk." Without waiting for his response, she walked back to a rather more empty part of the store where no one could sneak up behind them and she could see down the aisles to make sure no one would be able to walk by unnoticed. When he finally followed her, she glanced off to the side, not looking at him, her arms crossed over her chest. "Did you bug my store." It was his first day here, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t come in previously. Taking a deep breath, she made a concession. "I understand you need to do your job. But you have to tell me if you do something to the store, because I need to know when something has changed. If I can recognize your bugs, then at least I know it’s you and not someone else listening in." She didn’t want to work with Jasper, but she didn’t want anything to go wrong either—they could still compete even if they cooperated a little bit. She held out her hand, cupped so that only he could see what she held. "Is this one of yours? Because if not…then we have a very. Big. Problem." She felt the anxiety knot in her stomach, but it was part thrill and part dread. This unknown variable presented a huge problem and the threat level was unknown as well—which made it dangerous. It was exciting, however, to have something a little less humdrum to work on while she worked on recruiting Emma. Now, if only she could get the human rhinoceros to cooperate with her a little, they could handle this new threat with ease.


---------------------------------- A N D R E ‘ S --- P O V ----------------------------------

Sauntering into Best Buy, the earpiece back in his pocket, he nodded hello to the greeter by the door and stepped in, casting a look around. Although he couldn’t spot Emma or Quinn right away, he wasn’t surprised—he’d just have to wander around the store until he spotted them. Emma wouldn’t be difficult to miss, but to Quinn he’d have to devote extra attention, in case she had changed her hair color or look. Finally spotting Emma walking to the Geek Squad desk, he decided to go look at some CDs which were right beside the Squad desk. Taking care not to make a beeline right for the rack nearest to the desk, he wove his way through the DVDs, picking out a movie and then going down through the CDs, picking out one or two. As he surveyed the CDs in the last rack, he glanced up and looked directly at Emma. With a faked laugh, he walked around and over to the desk, the CDs and DVD still in his hand to add to the idea that he had just happened to find her there. "Emma! I did not know you work here. Buona fortuna!" Flashing his most disarming smile at her, he glanced down at her outfit. "Ah…I suppose I should have known, si? You are wearing the Geek uniform." with a chuckle, he looked her right in the eyes. Direct eye contact seemed to make an even greater impact for him when he laid it on thick. "It looks good on you, mia bella." Setting the CDs down on the counter, he leaned an elbow down and regarded her a moment. "I hope you will not think me too forward, senorina, if I ask you to dine with me tonight. I don’t think I can wait until tomorrow morning to see you again."

{ I changed Andre’s personality and his undercover persona a bit…I was watching a movie set in Italy and I was like D:< PERFECT FOR HIM OMG WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF IT EARLIER?! So please pardon the inconsistencies between the last post and this one ;D }

"SPEECH"
THOUGHT

[sheldor the CONQUEROR]

The masquerade seemed to be in full swing--people were not just trickling in anymore, they were streaming in. There had to be over a hundred people here, and she suddenly felt very lost in the crowd. blahblah

Pulling out her smartphone, she avoided jumping into the fray by finding a wall to lean against as she logged onto LiveNotebook. Checking through all of the pages of people she followed, she was pleased to see that there were a number of posts from people going to the masquerade, posting pictures of what they were going to be wearing for ease of identification. Naturally, she checked Personal Library's page first, her heart trilling a bit. Off-white suit and black mask for PL. Yun Hee was going to be beautiful in aqua, TROVSKY would be wearing a space mask, SAS would be wearing a trollface mask. Taking careful note in her mind, she spared a quick glance around to see if anyone in the immediate vicinity was wearing any of those. Teegan was beginning to get a bit nervous with all the people packed in around her. Parties weren't her thing, even at school--she didn't like being around a lot of people at once, especially if she didn't know them. Having heard people call her stuck-up, snobby, and unkind, she could rather understand why they thought that. After all, she refused most people's attention if she felt uncomfortable. In her element, however, she could be quite sociable and friendly. If Macy had gone to a party, Teegan might've gone--but as Macy rarely went anywhere without Quentin, Teegan didn't like being the third wheel, because it was a bit rude and always placed her in a situation where she had to mingle with people she didn't know. Having someone she knew well made the anxiety melt away, as she focused all her attention on that one person. Seeing as how she only had a couple of friends (and the couple weren't counted in this scenario), she didn't have much occasion to even be invited to parties. People had learned that it wasn't really worth the effort to invite her as she just turned them down without a thought anyway.

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TO: Personal Library
FROM: zephendine
SUBJECT: masquerade


Hey! I’m not sure if you’ll get this before you come here, but I’m already at the masquerade…
I just saw your post on LN and I’ll try and find you. I hope we get to meet up tonight! I’m
really looking forward to it.

<3Zeph



After writing, erasing, and rewriting the message multiple times she finally sent it, then regretted it—if she had seen his post, then why bother sending a message? Who knows if he’d even get it? Then she’d just look rather silly. Going around the room, she introduced herself to a few people. So far, she'd actually met two people who read her LiveNotebook, but she didn't actually know anyone she'd met yet--none of their usernames rang any bells, and if they did she couldn't be sure she really remembered them. Although she knew she probably should've kept a longer conversation with the people she'd met, she filed the image of their costumes in her mind so that she could easily find them again--but right now she wanted to find her friends, the people she really wanted to find. Unfortunately, she hadn't spotted any of them yet and TROVSKY hadn't even posted a message. Spotting someone wearing a grayish suit and a blue mask with yellow markings, she was about to pass them by when she realized the yellow markings were stars--was this the mysterious TROVSKY? The chances of other people wearing space-inspired mask was high, but she hoped that maybe this was them--and she'd finally get the answer to what gender TROVSKY was. As she was watching, another young man approached him and they began talking. With a slight gasp, she realized that the one in the black mask had to be Personal Library. Whipping out her phone again, she checked up on his LN page again, opening up the pictures just to check again. Now regretting that she had sent the message, she hoped he wouldn't think she was coming across as...well, she wasn't sure what. Obsessive? Desperate? She really had just been feeling a bit lost and alone. Tugging nervously on the flounces in her dress, she made a beeline directly for the two of them, trying to forget about the PM. "Excuse me?" She smiled as she caught their attention. "Hi, I'm Zephendine. You wouldn't happen to be Personal Library and Trovsky, would you?" she asked hopefully, her eyebrows raising though unseen, hoping that she had had the good fortune to stumble upon both of them at once.

"SPEECH"
THOUGHT






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[sheldor the CONQUEROR]

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All the townspeople attendant at the funeral commented that Madame Lilura Blackbourne had given quite a good show of it. The children were respectfully silent, and Miss Sylvia had looked appropriately pretty and tragic in her luxurious black silk and lace, her pale face streaked with silent tears, surrounded and supported by her grieving brothers, looking quite like a tableau. As Sylvia watched everyone leave the church, she spared a glance at her beloved older brothers. They stood around her in a semi-circle, but it was not simply because of their close familial ties. It was rather more like a herd circling the young to protect them from predators. And the predator they were protecting her from was still slobbering all over herself in a ghastly, ostentatious manner as she feigned bitter sorrow. Sylvia felt constantly as if she would be sick. Having lost one parent was bad enough, but to lose both--well, it had just hit her today that she was an orphan. Oh, by the eyes of the law and the community around them, she and her brothers were deemed lucky to have their stepmother there, and that they had each other. She didn't count Lilura as family--none of them did. Sylvia had tried to be diplomatic at first, but the tyrannical way Lilura had taken over the household had made an enemy of all the Blackbourne siblings.

Looking up at each of her brothers in turn, she really felt even more for her poor brothers than she did for herself. They must be blaming themselves for not having done more to stop their father from continuing under Lilura's evil influence. Sylvia felt much the same--maybe if her magical skills had been better, she would've been able to help them stop her. Pale and silent, she passed the morning by in a fog of her senses, not really registering everything that was going around her. All she could think of was her father, and how he had pretty much died the moment that witch had crossed the door.


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"We have to do something!"
Aiden exploded, but Bernard merely sighed and replied with calming words.
"Yes, Aiden. We do. But not this way--not without caution. What we have to do is come up with a plan."
Calder was pacing back and forth, tapping a finger against his mouth. Aiden growled under his breath and shot a glower at his brother, exasperated.
"Will you please stop doing that? Do something constructive."
"Shut up, Aiden, you're not the only one that's angry. I think best when I'm moving."
"Figures. Water."

Rolling his eyes, Bernard threw up his hands and let loose in words that were as angry as they got for his temperament. "Will you both stop acting like children? We have to confront her. She can't think that she can just tear this family apart and then take over everything. We have to protect Sylvia. We can't do that if she just kills all of us as well." As usual, the two eldest brothers knew he was right, and they glared sullenly at one another. Their misplaced anger was soon rerouted against the one who had caused it all: their new step-mother, Lilura. They had all been surprised when their father had brought her home. After years of near hermit-style solitude, their widowed father had brought home the peasant beauty and se the household in an uproar. At first, they had thought their father had perhaps finally rejoined the human race (Bernard and Sylvia were the proponents of this theory), but their suspicions soon multiplied as Lilura seemed to age in just a few weeks from a young wispy little thing about Sylvia's to looking about fifty years older. This along with the way their father seemed to just forget about anything, ignoring business and money, servants and household, and finally even his children, for this new wife of his. She took over governing every moment of their lives, but if they had thought that was hell--it was nothing compared to what she had just put them through. There was no doubt in any of their minds that she had killed their father.

They knew it was either her or them--and they had to make sure to protect one another and Sylvia, and they knew she didn't have magecraft--so even though Bernard didn't have any spells, he could give energy to his brothers, who did have elemental magic that could be used in combat. Deciding to try and overpower her rather than talking it over with her, they found her tossing out their father's belongings that she didn't want cluttering her new room anymore. Each of them was scared, mostly for Sylvia's sake, for they had no doubt Lilura would destroy her if given the chance. Lilura ignored them for a moment, and finally turned, sighing and crossing her arms. "Awww...I see you're all banded together. Come to check on your poor grieving mother?" The pout on her face didn't deter them, and they knew she was mocking their resolve. "Leave this place, witch." Aiden stepped forward, taking leadership of the situation, Calder not even rolling his eyes in the background. There was silence for a few tense moments before Lilura threw her head back, cackling. "Oh ho ho, little boy thinks he can kick out the 'witch'? Rich words coming from you. Your mother was a witch, and so is your sister." She spat, sneering at them. Aiden bared his teeth, summoning power into his hands as he felt the fire coursing through him, and he struggled to contain it to give it shape and purpose.

He never got the chance. Lilura had her hands flung out toward them, and he could tell she was chanting--her lips were moving but he couldn't hear her words--his ears seemed to have disappeared, shrinking down as everything seemed to grow larger and his entire body seemed to be convulsing, bones and ligaments twisting painfully and in a frenzy of confusing images and sounds he turned and ran, finding himself nearly falling all over the place, unable to control his feet.


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Sylvia Blackbourne had never, despite her illustrious parentage, been much of a mage or a witch of any kind. As a child she had always showed an inclination toward an earth personality, taking after her mother. When she was still young, however, her mother died--and with her went her father's energy and life, and Sylvia's chance at developing her powers. Always struggling even under the tutelage of a local earth witch and the half hearted attentions of her world-worn father, she had always despaired of ever showing the magical abilities of her mother that she so wished could live on in her. She had not been completely without magical skills, however, and always had been just as sensitive to magic as any other mage, more so as years went by, as if to make up for her lack of skill. Most were able to see and sometimes even smell elemental magics, but she was able to use all of her senses to identify exactly what element and what level--and she could even sense talents and minor skills. It was hard for her to identify other sensitives, because of how innate the ability was--it was the ability to see rather than to exert will over the world. As she was sobbing into the folds of her skirts, unleashing all the bottled up tears from the past few days, she sat on a rock by her favorite lake near the outskirts of the estate. Suddenly she felt a jarring sensation, as if she had just been jabbed in the back. It nearly sent her reeling backward, and the distant sound of some discordant note that could only be from supernatural origins relentlessly dug at her mind, and she knew--it had to be Lilura. It had no element behind it, and she ran as quickly as she could back in the direction of the house, fearing the worst for her brothers--had she killed them off, as well? Without an heir, she was free to take over the house as her own. It was with sure steps that she bolted through the small patch of forest and across the meadow, not tripping once along her trajectory back to the place that had once been a safe and pleasant home. Just as she was approaching the front entrance, the door burst open and the frantic honking of swans preceded their small white heads as three of them came running out the door, taking off for the forest. Shrieking in surprise and darting to the side of the house (angry or frightened swans were not to be trifled with), she waited until they were gone. Puzzled and exceedingly shocked, she ran inside and searched for her brothers, Lilura, or anyone who could explain what had just happened.

When Sylvia happened upon her, Lilura was lounging on the chaise lounge in the drawing room, a smug smile on her face with no trace of the mourning that she had unleashed at the funeral. Sylvia's face was white with shock and fear, staring warily at Lilura as she seemed preoccupied with her fingernails. One whiff was enough to send Sylvia's stomach turning as her senses were overwhelmed with the stench of something rotting. Fighting the feeling in her stomach and ignoring her racing heart, she stared at Lilura like a mouse watching a cat. "W-where are my brothers?" Silence settled between them and with a heavy sigh Lilura pushed herself upright and her lips stretched into a broad smile, and she stared at Sylvia with a half lidded, self-satisfied gaze. I am afraid, dear, she paused and bit on her lip for a moment. "That you've just missed them." she said, laughing like it was a great joke. Sylvia began trembling all over and reached out a blind hand to search for something to sit on, narrowly missing the chair she sank into, her breath stopping as she connected it all together. Now that she thought on it, the swans had that same rotting stench about them. "Ahh...aw, poor little Sylvia." The sickly sweet voice full of false sympathy startled Sylvia and it was with the fear of a cornered animal that she looked at Lilura, who slipped off her seat and sauntered forward, reaching a hand out to Sylvia, who jumped up from her own chair and walked backward, searching for the way out without turning her back on the evil woman. "So alone. Now, it's just you...and me." Smiling again, she caught Sylvia as she backed into a wall and smoothed down her hair in a gesture like a loving mother. The lingering scent of decay sent Sylvia shaking again, and she pushed away from the wall and fled the room.


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Aiden was fairly certain that he could honestly say that becoming a swan had never been on his list of future aspirations, and yet here he was. The hardened beak, the poor eyesight, the full brilliantly white plumage…Well, at least I’m a rather spectacular swan. I suppose that is better than nothing. Actually, it hadn’t been quite so bad at first, when in the first changing the mind and basic instincts of a swan had completely taken over for his shocked, useless human mind. It had relocated them to a spot not too far from the house where Lilura was, undoubtedly, setting up her own private kingdom. The lake was still on the estate, but rather hidden in a copse of trees on the outskirts. It was the place he recognized as “Sylvia’s spot”, where she always went when she wanted to be alone. She had never made much of it, and the only way he’d found out was by following her a few times, standing silent guard. He was sure his brothers knew about it as well. After the first two days, his own mind had resurfaced and fully taken control. When in swan form, he would often allow the swan instincts to guide him, and it was much easier to eat as a swan in his current situation. The fortunate thing about the curse, was that under the moon’s influence, the power waned—allowing the three magically inclined brothers to cast off their feathered cloaks and assume their human forms. It had been difficult to figure out, and the first night they had spent in their swan bodies. The next night, Calder had accidentally turned one wing into a human arm, which would normally have been quite amusing, but it prompted the others to try and strain against the bonds of the curse. It took a complicated little bit of magic, which was hardest for Bernard to achieve, but between Calder and Aiden they were able to widen the bars enough for him to just slip through. It was unsettling for a fire mage to be constrained in a water bird’s form, especially since it meant being in the water most of his waking hours. He spent the nights as far away from the water as possible—it was his inimical element, after all.

Calder, damn him, was in his element. The water warlock was the most comfortable of them all, the undines finding it quite amusing to tease him in swan form. Calder must have talked to them, however, because they didn’t attack him when he was in the water—although, perhaps they just didn’t want to make an enemy out of a fire mage. He was rather helpless in swan form from the supernatural beings, but they were smart enough to know when to live and let live. Calder had always had a surprisingly close relationship with undines, despite the fact that he was only at a warlock level of skill—he was almost certain that something had happened in the past that had caused them to respect him—or perhaps to form some sort of emotional bond with him, like perhaps saving him from drowning, or if he purified a source of water for them--but Calder would never have told Aiden about it, and Aiden understood well enough. Perched on a rock a few feet away from the shore of the lake, he watched as his brothers played a sort of tag game in the water with the undines. There had always been a sort of rivalry between Aiden and Calder, ever since they were little. Aiden had come into his powers early, and Calder had struggled with the basics. As inimical elements, their personalities clashed just as much. Aiden was guilty of a fiery temper, quick to snap and held onto grudges for longer than most people. It didn’t take much to make him angry, but it took a lot to cool him down. He could be a bit caustic at times, attacking people right where it hurt, and when he wanted to…he could be cruel. He was also passionate, however, and nothing meant more to him than family, even if they didn’t always get along. To be honest, he preferred the verbal sparring with Calder to anything else—it was interesting, and Aiden never liked being bored. He always needed some sort of action, conflict, anything in his daily life to keep himself from becoming blue. Calder, on the other hand, had fluid emotions—he could run from one to the other, then completely switch around again. It was difficult to make him angry, but when you did…it was like being swamped by a tsunami. He wasn’t very passionate about a lot of things, but he had varied interests. Calder collected skills like people collected letters. He was always finding something new to do, always thinking about his future. Often coming off as cold and distant, it was sometimes hard to see that behind his professional exterior, there beat a living, loving heart. His family members knew he cared more than he showed, but the general public thought him to be an excessively proud young man who spurned the company of others. Aiden had always felt closer to Calder, despite their differences.

Although he loved Bernard just as much as any of his other siblings, they didn’t have as much in common—the youngest Blackbourne son had no real magecraft, but he did have a talent. Inclined toward earth magic, his magical talent was beast speech—Bernard had always been the mediator between Calder and Aiden, never stepping between them when they were having a tiff, but often stopping things before their tempers boiled over and exploded—and when that did happen, he usually facilitated a reconciliation between the constantly warring brothers. Gentle mannered and always caring for some injured or orphaned animal, he was closest in age to their young sister Sylvia. Their personalities were such a good match that they were often out together, chasing squirrels and rabbits about the forest. Bernard was quiet, but not in the off-putting way that Calder was. His was a soft silence that was more because he was thinking to himself than that he had nothing to share. People often called him a dreamer, and it wasn’t far from the truth. He would sometimes go off for walks in the forest and not come back until the next day, and when asked where he had gone he would simply smile and shrug. It had helped immensely in their current predicament, because Bernard had been the first to calm his brothers down and ground them, identifying immediately where they were and overcoming the shock to go and gather firewood. Apparently, he’d kept a stash somewhere nearby of things, probably buried in an old cave or something. Lucky for them it was near high summer, so sleeping around the smoldering fire (Aiden’s favorite salamander had been generous enough to keep watch over them as they slept) was no arduous task, and in the mornings they would awaken in their swan forms, the curse having regained it’s grasp on them.

”I see you are keeping busy. I hope you’ve been looking through those books I left. Aiden turned around, unsurprised by the voice speaking out from the dark shadows. His eyes were well adjusted to seeing in the forest now, but he didn’t even bother glancing over his shoulder. The silhouette of a young girl materialized beside him, manifesting as his young sister. It must be the earth magic running through her veins, that she could be so silent as she walked about. It was almost uncanny how her footfalls made not a sound. Then again, he could stick his hand in a fire and not be burnt, Calder couldn’t drown, and Bernard could charm any living creature. What was weird in a magical family? Turning slightly on his rocky perch to look at her now that she had stepped into the moonlight, he saw that she looked…tired. It was just about enough to break his heart, to see his sister in such a lonely, hateful position as she was in. Bad enough for him and his brothers to be exiled to the lake, but at least they were free (enough) from the tyranny of the witch. Sylvia didn’t talk about it much, but every night she came to visit, and every night she looked more and more careworn. The fire from their father had burned bright in her eyes, and now she seemed to always be staring off at nothing. He wished, not for the first time, that they could all just run away together—but she was human all the time, which left her vulnerable to almost everything, especially since she was a female from a wealthy family. Hardships had never really been put upon her, and roughing it in the forest would grow old quickly. For now, it was a necessary evil to have her living at the house. Every night she came down with notes she had taken from the magical tomes in their father’s library, and she sometimes stole books and brought them to the lake. The books meant little to Lilura, who couldn’t do anything with what was written in them and who couldn’t read most of them anyway, and if she suspected Sylvia’s object in her voracious reading, then the witch must have thought it amusing to see them scampering about trying to break her curse. “Yes. I finished that book,” he pointed to a leatherbound book sitting on the ground at his feet. ”But there wasn’t much of any use.” With a heavy sigh, he jumped down off the rock and picked up the book, pulling his sister into a hug. Sylvia smiled vaguely at him, then together they walked to the lake shore to gather the others.


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Sylvia was beginning to despair of them ever finding a solution to the curse. The fact that Lilura had used no elemental magic made it incredibly difficult to counteract—piecing together bits from different books gave them a little bit of the puzzle at a time, and one night found them all seated around the fire as Aiden cooked the fish Calder had caught earlier in the day, supplemented by the bread, cheese, and wine that Sylvia had stolen from the pantry and cellar. Lilura didn’t like doing the dirty work herself, and so when she had fired all the old staff and replaced them with new people, Sylvia had taken advantage of that brief lull before the new cook took over to pilfer what she could from the stores, so that nothing would be noted as missing from the pantry when the new cook checked in on it after taking inventory. Having found out awhile ago that Lilura couldn’t detect elemental magic, she put it all in the hiding place that Aiden had in his room that used a bit of magic to keep people from looking at it, just as a precaution. Tonight, they were each immersed in a magical tome, still trying to put together a way to break the curse. If nothing else, Bernard had suggested seeking out an earth master to try and fix it. Masters usually knew one another by necessity and being such a small community. Unfortunately, they couldn’t ask their father for a name, and since his wife’s death Harold Blackbourne had been a rather reclusive man. Sylvia thought that they ought to go and see their aunt, who was an elemental mage and would probably know where to find a master. Unfortunately, they none of them had enough money to get anywhere, and her brothers would have to fly—they couldn’t be seen transforming in public, or they’d probably be killed. They’d need tending to in swan form, as well, to make sure that no hunters got them—which meant that Sylvia would also have to travel with them. They had decided on this course of action, and Calder set aside his tome to resume looking over his maps to find the best route to their aunt, avoiding towns and any arduous paths. ”I think I’ve found something.” Bernard stood up, walking over to sit beside Sylvia. ”Our working theory is that Lilura is gaining her magic powers through Satanist practices, correct?” That had been Sylvia’s find, piecing together some references to Satanism as one of the very few forms of non-elemental magic in the world and it’s practice to come to the conclusion that the hateful butler was in fact her consort and priest, since it was a masculine-centric practice. ”I think I might have found a part of the spell that she used, here. If she adapted it from this earth-magic spell, it could explain why the curse’s power wanes at night. See, this part here,” he pointed to a passage, Calder and Aiden dropping what they were doing to peer over his and Sylvia’s shoulders. There’s a bit of a tricky part. The way it’s worded, you see? There are two different translations based on these three words, and if you don’t read it carefully you could end up missing out on an ingredient to the spell. The lack of this one line of incantation and the sprig of HERB/FLOWER would result in a nightly weakening by the influence of the moon.“ Bernard, despite not having enough magic in him to be able to perform magical spells, was a great scholar and likely knew more about elemental magic than most practitioners. Sylvia took the book from Bernard and read the spell aloud. Finding the spell meant that they could work on a counter curse. Now that they had the information they needed, all that was left was to finalize their planning: first the counter-curse, then…they would have to leave on their journey.


setting up shields: brick by brick for earth, steadfast
all in a sudden wave for water, always moving
growing in intensity for fire, almost alive


while in the forest near miranda & wesley, hears voices & panicks--hasn't really seen many people aside from the odd traveler, priest (if they couldn't find food she'd beg at a church, which is really demeaning but she does what she has to)

The humiliation of her position had not faded for Sylvia, but she had grown to accept it. Essentially on the run, penniless and homeless, she had to resort to camping in forests with makeshift tents of old canvas, her once fine clothes worn and a bit dirty. What little food she and her brothers could find in the forest was augmented when scarce by food begged from a church. The pain of such degradation was not unperceived by her brothers, but for the most part they spent their days and much of their nights as swans, indifferent to social status and clothing. When they bathed as swans, it carried over into their human form, in body and clothing--and so their clothes were still presentable, if a bit worn. Today, she felt really clean for the first time since she had left her ancestral home, for she had been allowed to bathe at a church, and given clean clothing that if much simpler than her gowns she had been accustomed to wearing at home, they had been washed with good soap, and not worn out in the forest for the past few weeks. They had even given her a precious little pot of salve for her hands, which were covered in tiny scratches, her scars from working with the nettles. Most of the time, she wore gloves over her hands that were imbued with a healing spell that Calder had worked into them, that helped her hands heal quicker. Unfortunately, as the spell that would counter the curse required blood sacrifice from the weaver of nettles, she had to remove the gloves when she did her spell work.

Standing at the lake, she flung her arms out wide as she stretched her muscles, now quite built from so much walking and carrying her belongings. Much of their things had to be left behind as they traveled, but she had found she could carry quite a lot on her back. As she gazed out over the rippling surface of the lake, Sylvia was struck by how material a change she had undergone. Physically, she was more muscular and a bit more tan than she had been before, and much, much skinnier. Having gone the past few months without the luxuries she'd had her entire life, living the life of a lonely gypsy had given her the ability to make do, even without the basic amenities. She could sleep anywhere, eat anything, and had learned so many things--how to hunt, gather edible plants (she seemed to have an ability to pick out what was safe to eat--perhaps due to her earth magic blood), weave and sew, build a fire, and much more. Looking at the swans gliding across the water, the smile left her face. She wasn't the only one changed--they had all undergone so material a change that their father, had he met with them again, would not have recognized his children in these serious, hardened creatures. Calder had always been a bit distant and aloof on the outside, but where there had once been a childish reticence there was now a serious stony facade. Aiden was the least changed, and Sylvia found herself mourning over Bernard. The youngest brother had felt the greatest impact from becoming a swan, and had changed throughout the ordeal. Once, she remembered he had always been quiet in a thoughtful way, quick with a kind word and always with a gentle smile. Regrettably he had become more withdrawn--they had always been the closest in age and in relationship, and although words had never been as necessary between them as with the others, he seemed confused--as if his mind was wandering too far and didn't always come back to him when he regained his human form.

LILURA - michelle pfieffer
HAROLD - alan rickman
SYLVIA - anna speckhart
AIDEN - pawel siergiej
CALDER - ollie edwards
BERNARD - matt egan

[sheldor the CONQUEROR]

Teegan blushed furiously as TROVSKY reacted with much more enthusiasm at meeting her than she had expected, or felt that she deserved. At school, she was used to people respecting her if not liking her, but she was never idolized--mostly people either stayed out of her way, hated her, or didn't really care either way. Having fans was satisfying online, but meeting them in real life was rather embarrassing--she didn't know quite how to react each time they shook her hand and said they loved to read her writing. Being liked by so many people--it was a bit overwhelming, to be honest. It was a little weird being called Zephendine--she'd never told anyone about it, so it wasn't as though any of her friends called her that. She would have to make sure not to make any mistakes and forget that they were talking to her rather than just about her. TROVSKY's blog was something she read rather often, it was set on her RSS feed so that even if she didn't check it every day, she still could easily access all the posts and go back and read the ones she missed. "I am indeed TROVSKY, and this is--it's Personal Library!" TROVSKY laughed, and she found herself giggling--something she never had done before. Covering up her slight embarrassment at what she regarded as a rather childish vocal reaction, she extended her hand to both of them in greeting. Most girls were the hugging type, but Teegan liked handshakes. They were a good way of judging a person's character, and it was always polite--a good way to be friendly but maintain your distance as well. Hugging was something she did very rarely, and it was a rather big deal if she did hug someone willingly. "Ah, TROVSKY! I'm so glad it was you. There wasn't a picture or anything on your journal, so I wasn't sure. I've actually asked two other people who turned out to not be you. I'm glad to meet you--astrophysics is my favorite branch of science, and I always love seeing your new updates." If TROVSKY's reaction had been unexpected, Personal Library's was even more so. Sure, she hadn't been effusive in her greeting perhaps, but she was a little disappointed that he hadn't even said anything. Casting him a curious glance, she was glad when TROVSKY spoke up.

"So, how are y'all liking the Big Apple?" His light twang didn't go unnoticed, and she wondered where he was from. She herself had never spoken with much of what was regarded as a Texan accent. "Oh, yes. I love it here! I came earlier in the week so that I could have time to explore. I love big cities, but I think NYC has been my favorite so far. I figured I should look at schools while I was here--I think I might like to go to university here." Personal Library had been completely quiet since she had arrived, though she had seen him talking with TROVSKY as she had approached them. He finally decided to speak up when TROVSKY brought up a conversational topic. "Actually, it's pretty amazing. Definitely a bit busy for my taste too, but all the libraries... It's just amazing." She agreed with most of what they had said, except for how busy it was. Contrariwise, she loved the hustle and bustle of the city. "I love the busy atmosphere--I think I do best where there is a lot going on. Back home, things get a little dull for me. I'm not really a parties and mall type of girl, you know? She shrugged. "It ends up getting a bit boring if that's not your scene, I think." Although she could often second-guess herself, it was rare for her to be nervous about sharing her opinion. Speaking with self-assured confidence, she became less and less nervous as she settled herself into a comfortable position--she was talking with people she'd conversed with online, and she was not merely floating about the room rather aimlessly.


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Teegan looked off to the side for a moment. As an often reserved and introverted person, she could well understand someone who wasn't verbose--but she felt that friendship transcended all of that, and even if you didn't have much to say, you could at least feel comfortable knowing that it wasn't because the other person didn't like you. This went for online as well as real life, or so she felt--she almost hated to admit that she had always felt a little spark of something with Personal Library. It wasn't just the interesting conversations they had, but she found that every time she logged on there was a glimmer of hope that there would be a new message from him. Standing here before him, the culmination of all her anxiety and excitement, and for the first time she wondered if maybe all he saw on his side of the screen was some stranger to have literary discussions with, one of many people with opinions worth hearing. Distancing herself from her emotions, she saw how likely that was. Very well--if that was indeed how it ought to be, then she wouldn't push anything else. Turning a polite smile toward him, she decided to at least try and elicit something from him--she knew that all manner of cleverness was hidden behind that mask, and it wouldn't do to keep it all bottled up. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Personal Library," she turned and directed her next few words to TROVSKY. "We've had many an interesting debate over literature." With a small laugh she remembered something with a small "ooh" and tilted her head slightly. "Did either of you perhaps see that enormous book store? The Strand, on Broadway?" she bit her lip as she thought about how amazing the bookstore was--it was larger than any other bookstore she'd ever seen with all manner of used books. "You have to find it. One of my favorite things are old books--I love to collect them. They have everything you could imagine. Trovsky, they might even have a few old astronomy books." Pointing to Personal Library, she grinned. She had found a copy of the Importance of Being Earnest in the used book section. Oscar Wilde was not a major favorite of hers, but that play was one of her favorite reads. She knew from past conversations with him that Wilde was a favorite of his, and when she had found that book Teegan automatically thought of him. "I even found a 1908 copy of Importance of Being Earnest. I'm going to go back tomorrow and see if I can get the book before I leave."

"SPEECH"
THOUGHT

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[sheldor the CONQUEROR]

The sensation of some sort of liquid soaking into Danny's coat sleeve made him pause a moment and glance over his shoulder to see what had caused it. “s**t. I’m so sorry about that.! Let me get you some napkins.” Groaning in exasperation, he lifted the mask up enough so that although his face was still shadowed by it like a visor, he could see down at his sleeve. Tugging it around and twisting his arm so that he could see the spreading dark spot, he glanced up only to find his vision blocked by the edge of the mask. Sighing, he took out a handkerchief from his suit pocket while the guy that had spilled his drink all over his suit presumably flagged down a waiter to get some napkins, Danny began dabbing at the sleeve, pinching the fabric to remove some of the liquid. "Well," he mused with a wry smile, oblivious to the chaotic drama unfolding right before him had he been able to see it. "At least it's not wine and my suit isn't all white, or we'd prolly have to brawl." A hand appeared within his narrow field of vision with some napkins, which he took before the other boy could try patting his sleeve dry. It might have been this stranger's fault, but Danny wasn't the type to get angry over something small like this. In a moment it would look as good as new--he was glad his suit was black--even if it was a bit uncomfortable right now. “State of the Web. Nice to meet you. Sorry.” Danny nodded absently, barely listening to him as he focused on squeezing the punch out of his sleeve, the napkins slowly soaking it up. "Yeah, no, don't worry about it, no harm done. Thanks for the napkins." He shrugged as he turned away.

Wait...State of the Web... that sounded so familiar, and his head snapped up, stain forgotten as he forgot about keeping his identity secret until midnight. I can't believe that was him! s**t, which one was he? Realizing he wasn't wearing his mask, he quickly reached up and slipped it back down over his face. “Yun Hee! Hey!” He heard the now recognizable voice coming ostensibly from the person standing just in front of him with his back toward Danny, waving down someone as he approached them. A girl in a wild but not unattractive outfit turned in response, and Danny hesitated for a moment--he didn't want to break in on State's game, but he also wanted to say hello to his friend. It was, after all, the reason why they were all there (well, aside from his desire to be adored by fans in person). Following State of the Web over, he took his time approaching them. "Dude, you ran off before I could say hi." He tapped his fingers against State's arm in a playful smack. "Sorry to butt in," he turned to the girl and bowed jokingly with a flourish as he introduced himself. "I'm Super Awesome Skills, but you can call me Seven. I'll let you guys continue your conversation, but come find me later, State." He'd have winked at Yun Hee had he not been wearing the mask, so he settled for pointing at her. "And as for you, lovely lady, you can come find me any time you like. Haallright." With a graceful 180 spin on his heels, he left as suddenly as he had arrived. Dancing around the room and just being generally silly, he entertained himself for a few moments while he waited to see someone worth talking to.

"OHMIGOD. Seven? Seven, right? Ahhh! I'm totally a fan of yours." Those words made him stop in his tracks, and he turned slowly to see a short girl in a slinky red dress. "Seven? Yes I am, lucky for me." He grinned and prepared himself for some always desired fan attention.


Are you cereal?! Dude we should totally hang out tomorrow! We can power through your essay and then you can buy me lunch! Sound good?! Eeep, that’s so awesome xD


Danny's phone was set on vibrate so that it wouldn't bother anyone if he got a text, so when his pants started buzzing it surprised him for a moment. He was in the middle of chatting up some chick that was apparently a fangirl of his, and he held up a finger as he excused himself. Real friends took precedence over fans, even if he was totally in the game. She didn't seem to care much, content to just be standing there while he read the text message from Alexa. He smiled, though it couldn't be seen behind his cardboard mask (the mask was always smiling anyway). Alexa was one of his best friends--she was totally adorable and way too exuberant, but he liked that about her. It was never a dull moment between them, and they had a sort of symbiotic relationship--she helped to keep him from flunking English class, and he helped her with her math. What would probably end up happening is tonight he would have to read the online condensed versions and summaries of the book, then tomorrow they'd meet up for lunch. He'd eat while she explained it all, then he'd make something up that sounded plausible, she'd tweak his outline and help him get quotes from the book, and then he'd go back and bull s**t his way through the essay. Talking was something Danny was good at, and making it seem like he knew what he was talking about was how he worked his way through his daily social life. Shaking his head slightly, he punched out a quick reply--it was rather difficult because he couldn't really see as well out of his mask as most other people could, but he managed to not make a total a** of himself in front of his fangirl, and slipped his phone back into his pocket.


ya super cereal. call u tomo-u can write my essay and ill buy u a lunch fit for a queen.


"So, where were we?" He grinned reflexively, forgetting again that his expression couldn't be seen behind his mask. "Ahh, yes, I believe we were talking about giving Pierre some feathered chicken wings and soy sauce." She laughed as she resumed telling him about some idea she'd had while reading his comic. He had to admit, it was rather amusing, but at that precise moment he couldn't quite focus on what she was saying, as a girl in a rather loud dress had just passed by his field of vision. Following her rather obviously as he couldn't really see out of the periphery of his vision, he recognized her as none other than his online flirthate, Restless Random Toupee. He had taken great pains to look up and etch the image she had posted of her outfit in his mind so that he could spot her in a moment. RRT hated him. Of that much, he was certain--he wasn't exactly sure what he'd done to incur her hatred, but hate him she did nevertheless, and he used her hatred of him to annoy her for his own amusement. Quickly wrapping up the conversation with the girl he was really barely even listening too, he excused himself and sauntered along through the crowds, trying to find her again.

When he finally spotted her she was talking with someone, another young woman, and since they were talking so animatedly--well, he just had to break that up. He sauntered over to her, a broad grin spread across his face. Oh, the night has just begun...I'm going to have so much fun with this. As he was walking up behind her, he saw that she was hurriedly typing something on her phone. Shaking his head, he caught her words just before he reached the two of them. "Sorry about that! I always seem to forget to turn the volume down… I have no idea why…" Throwing his arm over her shoulders and leaning on her easily with a grip that would keep her from being able to pull away from him. "There you are, sweetheart. I hope you didn't miss me too much...but don't worry, you won't have to search the sea of masked faces any longer, for I've found you!" He spoke with obvious dramatic flair and gestured around the room at his last words, every motion that accompanied his words overdone for comedic effect. In the poignant silence that immediately met his words, he shrugged before he felt a buzz going off in his pants. "Ooh, hold up my pants are vibratin'." He fished out his phone and opened up the notification from his LiveNotebook application, reading the message that was actually from the girl that he was pretty sure would explode with anger any moment now. Reading it, he chuckled at her angry words. "Oh, I love this thing we have going on. Promise me you'll never fight with anyone else. The swarms of women have been wonderful, I didn't realize so many of my fans were all in one place. And now that I have my number one super fan by my side, my night is made. But who is this? Your charming friend. Pleasure to meet you," he stepped closer to Raw Digital Tea and caught up her hand. "Seven at your service. Super Awesome Skills is my username, what's yours?" Pausing a moment, he glanced slowly over his shoulder at RRT and played up his costume. "Problem?"

"SPEECH"
THOUGHT
"PETE"

TEXT


ALEXA



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[sheldor the CONQUEROR]

Oh, she was more than angry. This was pure, unadulterated fury, and it was directed right at him. "Oh no worries, dear I didn’t miss you at all. Why on Earth would I search for you? You are the one I want to avoid the most. Okay, first things first, we don’t have a thing and never will have a thing. Second of all, I will fight with whomever I please. Thirdly, I am not your ‘number one fan’. I hate your stupid comics. The only reason I even look at your page is to make sure you don’t use me as one of the villains or something…" If Danny was being honest, she had left him rather speechless, his face burning in a combination of embarrassment and anger. Online her words didn't have the vehemence that laced her words--if looks could kill, Danny would have died a slow and torturous death. He hadn't quite realized how much she hated him. Online it was easy to forget that it wasn't all just one big elaborate joke; because without the inflection, body language, and glaring, it just didn't have the same anger behind it. To Danny, it had always been a sort of game--she said something about him being stupid and annoying, so he annoyed her back. It wasn't as though he had thick enough skin that what she said didn't get to him, but that's how he dealt with it. If she upset him, he just went right back and annoyed her to make up for it. To be honest, the idea of casting her as a villain had never crossed his mind, and for a moment he glanced off to the side and began character developing in his mind. He had to stop, however, because if he would admit it, she was a little frightening. He'd had plenty of critics, plenty of haters who hated on his work for no other reason than to...well, hate. Some rational part of him deep down knew that he was just asking to be insulted and that she was lashing out at him for antagonizing her, but his ego was bruised a bit. How could anyone hate his comics? They were so much fun to draw. Nothing that fun could be so despised, in his mind.

"Trying to be a gentleman now, Seven? Well that’s a pleasant change. Please excuse me before I lose my lunch all over you. If you will excuse me, raw digital TEA, I will find you later and we can continue our conversation… Without interruption." Danny watched as she stalked off, obviously angry. He wondered if it was tough being her--did everything piss her off like he did? What was it exactly that made her so angry about him? Well, he could understand why she hated him now. Online and now in real life, he went out of his way to basically troll her (now he was even more happy about his mask choice), but before that--she'd gotten annoyed when he had disagreed with something she had said about some stupid movie (he couldn't even remember what it was) and to his mind, they'd had an in depth and interesting discussion about it, then suddenly she just started getting all pissy and angry at him. Was it just everything about him that she detested? He couldn't very well help being himself, it was something that was just...innate. Danny wasn't going to change his entire personality because some girl online hated him, anyway, but it still bothered him from time to time. He briefly wondered if it would be a good idea to ask her, or if that would just annoy him. Still staring after her but talking to Tea, he sighed. "Wow, I didn't actually realize how much that girl hated me until I met her in real life. Boy am I hoping there aren't any sharp knives around. I suppose I shouldn't push her buttons like that, huh?" He shrugged. "Oh well. I've never done what's good for me, why bother starting now? it's just too much fun to annoy her. most of the time anyway."

"I think she said your username is raw digital tea? I'm sorry to make such an a** in front of someone I know. I just can't help it--when someone hates me for no good reason I just react by annoying them. defense mechanism and all that. anyway, it's nice to see you. I haven't heard from you in awhile--been busy?" The way she was acting wasn't anything like he had imagined the Tea online would act. Danny had assumed that she would be cool, calm, and collected like her online persona--a little intimidating, really. The girl standing before him was--well, he wasn't any psychologist or anything like that, but she seemed tense. Uncomfortable. It couldn't be because of him, he was sure--she was so forthcoming on the internet. That led him to the conclusion that she must be shy. That was interesting--a shy girl who is actually really good at giving people advice. Danny had never really been shy. He did whatever he pleased and was always unapologetic--if people didn't like him, that was fine. He had his friends, and he'd much rather know he was liked despite who he really was than than to be liked for who he pretended to be. It was just easier to be honest about yourself, and he didn't see any point in trying to make people like him. RRT was odd in that aspect, but he had never felt like he ought to be nicer to her until now. Her fury had actually terrified him, and if he didn't want her to like him, he at least wanted to lessen her hatred toward him. Drawing his attention back to Tea as she spoke, he smiled as she apologized. "Yeah, I've been pretty busy, I guess. Sorry about disappearing like that." Danny shook his head, sniffling dramatically. "Ahh I see how it is...you don't really care. No, no...it's all right, no need to explain; I shall suffer in comparative silence, for you have fain slain my heart." His jokingly dramatic reaction was punctuated by rather understated inflection to his words. Danny laughed. "Oh, please, Tea. You don't have to apologize to me. Real life is more important than the internet, I understand. Loosen up a bit; I won't bite even if you bite me first." Chuckling, he shrugged his shoulders a few times. "Although that does sound like fun...on second thought, it's totally fine with me if you're the biting type." Danny often let his mouth run on, words spilling out without his brain mediating the process whatsoever. Teasing her might not have been the best thing, especially if she was nervous like Danny thought she was--but it was just who he was.

"And don't worry about it, I totally understand the whole defense mechanism thing. Though maybe you're right, you shouldn't push her buttons like that. Maybe figure out why she hates you? It could help...but yeah, it's nice to finally meet you..." Danny opened his mouth to tell her that she didn't have to give him advice--he was there to have fun, not to pester her about his psychological problems. Figuring it would probably be taken the wrong way, he merely shrugged and thought about what she said. "I'm glad you understand me, Tea." He drew a deep breath. "I believe that makes you my new favorite person. And that...is not a lie."


Well… I might still make you write it… But I will help you! Don’t worry! You still owe me a lunch fit for a queen… just sayin. After the night I’m having… I will need it. What are you up to tonight?


Danny's pants were vibrating again to alert him to the fact that he had another text message. "Ah..." He pulled his phone out and pointed at it. "Sorry...my friend is having a bad night, I gotta reply to her." He shrugged and hurriedly typed out a reply to Alexa, trying not to be too rude to Tea. Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he grinned reflexively.


aw boo @ u. :'( wait 4 my puppy eyes. bad nite? i'm srry. i was haven a good nite but this girl tote hates me. sadface


"So, how've you been?" That was a loaded question, and one he wasn't going to answer truthfully, so he went for something rather noncommittal. "Oh, you know...a little of this, a little of that. Going back to school is going to suck, work sucks, making money rules, and drawing's what I love." He shrugged. "I will not miss this cold. Back to Texas with me, where the sun's shining right about now." he laughed. "What have you thought of New York? It certainly is a sight." Just as they were getting into a conversation (or at least the exchange of pleasantries as a precursor to a conversation worth having), RRT returned, seemingly a bit calmer than when she had left. She wasn't gone long, but Danny was surprised she had returned at all.

"And sorry, Seven, I have nothing for you. They don’t have a drink for jerks."
"Touché, madame."
"So where were we before I left?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah, before Seven came long, you were just talking about the room."

It was very, very difficult to keep his mouth shut at RRT's sally, but the small smile from Tea helped to bolster his restraint. Taking a deep breath and just coming up with a lengthy and infuriatingly witty reply to her scathing remark in his mind, he just reminded himself that it would totally make him seem like a complete a** in front of Tea. He didn't care about what RRT thought, she already saw him as a complete and total waste of life, but Tea actually--did she respect him? No, that probably wasn't the right word. Maybe she thought he was interesting, but in any case he didn't want her to think he was as weird as he actually was. "I'm glad I ran into the two of you." Turning a vaguely surprised look at Tea, he chuckled and ignored the fact that it was directed at RRT as well as himself. "The pleasure is all mine, Tea. You are an oasis amongst the sand and cacti, if you pardon the clichéd phrase, though they really are the best. You can't beat a good cliché for anything, especially when you're looking for a laugh. See, I think there might be a twitch of a smile on even Toupee's lips. Let it out, sweetheart. A laugh is like an itch--it feels so much better to give in than if you try and ignore it."

"SPEECH"
THOUGHT

"PETE"

TEXT


ALEXA



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[sheldor the CONQUEROR]

"Jeon Sunhee-ssi, Jeon Sunhee-ssi." Sunhee looked up as one of the assistant crewmen for We Got Married called out to her, approaching with a thick stack of papers and folders. "Ah, yes?" Standing up and bowing in greeting to him she felt a surge of excitement as he held out a stack of papers to her. "So where am I going to meet my future husband?" she began rifling through the stack of papers. "About that...it's a surprise. We'll be sending a taxi to pick you up and bring you to the predetermined destination. You'll have to find your partner--it shouldn't take too long, you'll know him when you see him. If you could just look through those papers, the taxi will be here in an hour. Good luck!" Sunhee nodded, bowing to the crewman again as he left. "Thank you!" The production crew was setting up in her room and outside of her apartment complex before they started filming her first episode of the popular marriage simulation show. When her manager had approached her with the prospect, she had had mixed feelings--it was one of her favorite shows to watch, and as she was unattached she rather liked the idea of an occasional date with someone. Although she knew she shouldn't be worried about who they matched her up with (they were usually really good matches) but she couldn't keep that voice out of her head--what if they set her up with someone so totally incompatible with her personality and tastes that they fought all the time? I suppose we'd just stop or pretend to do well--they don't film it every day, after all. After getting dressed and having her hair and make-up done, she found that in the last thirty minutes of her wait she couldn't just sit still, and she was washing some dishes when she heard the doorbell ringing. This was it. Drying off her hands, she opened the door and went downstairs, followed by some of the camera crew.

"Oh, I haven't been this nervous since my debut." She commented to no one in particular. It was true--all the stages she had sung on, the dramas she had filmed, the press conferences--nothing had made her so nervous as she felt right now. The taxi was driving into a part of the city she didn't really recognize. "Eotteohke? Aish. Can't you give me a hint?" she pleaded to the camera man, putting on her best pout and puppy-dog eyes. "Ahh, Jeon Sunhee-ssi, you can't ask me that. That's not fair." The cameraman laughed, trying to avoid her gaze. "Ohh please~ just a little hint?" Grinning in triumph as he finally relented and gave her a hint, ("He likes to exercise and sing.") when she put her mind into overdrive to figure it out she realized that it didn't really help. Most celebrities exercised to stay in shape--although if he actually liked to exercise, maybe that was a defining feature. Sitting back into the cushion, she began to go through every name that she could possible think of. In just a few minutes the taxi stopped and the driver turned around. "Here we are, miss." Thanking the driver, she stepped out and looked up at the building where she would be meeting her "husband". "Waa~ it's an exercise gym? Such a big building. I've never been to a public gym before." Waiting for the camera crew gathered to follow her into the building, she stared up at the facade, impressed by how many floors were dedicated to just exercise. Oh, she certainly worked out, but it was always in private gyms or at home without any machines. To her mind, this was the type of place that athletes went to, and she wondered how dedicated to his health her prospective husband was going to be--that worried her a little bit, for she was never the type to exercise obsessively or anything. Would he not like me if he finds out I don't exercise that often? Looking down at herself with sudden lack of confidence, she couldn't help but poke at her stomach. Perhaps I should have worked out more before today's filming... That last thought surprised her greatly--what did it matter if he didn't fall in love with her? It was just an arranged couple for a tv series. It wasn't like they spent every day together, it was only once in great while. If nothing else, he'd probably pretend to like her on the show, and she would do the same if he turned out to be someone she couldn't stand. Oh, Sunhee knew that this show had feigned romance all over the place, but she had always hoped that somehow the couples really did fall in love. It never seemed to happen, but it always inspired that belief that they were really destined to be a couple. She wanted one of those relationships, the kind where everyone's heart flutters when they see you on the screen, hoping that when filming is over you'll secretly be seeing one another for real.

"Sunny!" The voice of her manager caught her attention as she searched for the familiar face. He was waving to catch her attention as he walked over. "Are you ready? They're going to start in a few minutes. Don't get nervous, I can see that look on your face. Sunny fighting, right?" he grinned encouragingly at her and she raised a fist and nodded once. "Ye, fighti~ng. Thank you, manager-nim." She slapped her hands lightly against her cheeks to prepare herself, shaking her nerves out of her body. "Okay, we're ready to start filming!" Sunhee waited for the signal and entered into the gym, the cameras and sound crew following in behind and fanning out around her. She was rather pleased to be greeted by so many people that recognized her, but as she walked along bowing and greeting everyone, shaking hands that were offered to her and smiling for the pictures people were snapping on their phone, it actually made her feel a little flustered. Usually she was cool, calm, and collected when out among the publicut they were an added distraction now from finding her arranged marriage partner. As she was greeting the fans, she kept forgetting to look around to find him. One of the employees directed her to the elevator and suggested she look up on the second floor. Bowing and thanking him, she did as he suggested, one camera following her in, the others waiting to take the next lift. "Ahh. I wonder if our first date will be to exercise." she laughed, biting her lip. "I should have prepared better, maybe. Oh..." she laid a hand alongside her cheek to cool the flush that was spreading as her heart pounded quicker. Exiting the elevator, she glanced around and entered into the nearest room. "Waaa~ look at how many machines there are!" she mumbled to herself, looking around. It was a huge room packed with all sorts of exercise equipment, the walls lined with huge mirrors. Almost every one had a person at it, and she wrinkled her nose. Most of the people kept exercising, but they were also watching her as she walked around, peeking over at everyone's face. It was kind of funny (and calmed her down a little) to talk to some of the men she peeked in on. "Ooh, look at your muscles!" she exclaimed, and the man who had been lifting weights blushed, laughed, and had to stop what he was doing for a moment. Grinning, she suddenly felt like a kid in a candy shop. They weren't all attractive, but there were so many nice looking muscular men in here!

As she took her tour around the room, in the corner she spotted some mats on the floor for exercising, and a wall lined with weights. There were a few people working out in the corner, but there was only one face that caught her attention. She recognized him immediately as Kim Jong Kook, one of her favorite musicians. "Omo! Omo! It's Kim Jong Kook oppa!" She nearly squealed with excitement, switching into fangirl mode unintentionally, clasping a hand over her mouth as she resisted the urge to take out her phone. She just stared between him and the camera, not really sure if he was actually going to be her husband or not. She knew that he was often on variety shows and that he was definitely the type to go to gyms, and part of her wondered if maybe it was just a coincidence. She really hoped not, because if he was going to be her husband it would be the fulfillment of all her fangirl dreams (she had been his fan since before her debut). Calming herself down, she bit down on her lip. "Do you think he's my husband? Oh, I don't care, I have to go say hi to him. Wooo." Approaching him slowly with her head held high and a saunter to her step, she couldn't help the big smile on her face as she tried to catch his attention. "Kim Jong Kook-ssi?" as he looked up at her, she bowed in polite greeting. The fangirl in her wasn't as difficult to suppress as she might have imagined, but she wanted to make a good impression so she went for politesse. "Annyeong haseyo, sunbae. I am Jeon Sun Hee."

kjk lifting weights casually to not sweat

jeon sunhee sunny 27 singer, actress

"SPEECH"
THOUGHT

[sheldor the CONQUEROR]

"Well, the feeling's mutual! I love your writing!" It seemed to her that she couldn't hear enough about her writing from people that enjoyed it, and at his words Teegan found herself blushing yet again. "Oh...do you really?" Trovsky's intelligence and passion for astronomy had always intrigued her, and his enthusiasm in person swept her up into his pace. Gratification from the praise of her writing was not something she was accustomed to experiencing, but it was one of the few things that actually pleased her. Being a good student was nothing noteworthy to her mind, it didn't take much effort, and after all--it was expected from her, so a fuss was not often made on that side. As she did not participate in sports, she had never received praise for a competition well won. Music was the only area she competed in as a child, and even then praise had only made her feel like it was not hard won. Writing, however, as it was something almost secret and something that she was generally unsure of as far as her skill was concerned, was the only hobby she had that she worked hard at, that required agonizing over the littlest of details and made her crave compliments for a job well done.

"I actually haven't gotten around to going there yet. On Broadway, huh? I'll have to make sure I go." The low tones of a nearly silent voice entering the conversation yet again took her by surprise for a moment. Personal Library was finally talking, more than just a few words all together. Teegan had at first began to wonder if maybe he physically couldn't talk, then later wondered if he just found her too annoying in person to talk to. She did feel much more garrulous today than she had the past month all together, and for once she had begun to feel as though she could understand how Lizzy Bennet couldn't seem to curb her tongue in the presence of the silent and reserved Mr. Darcy.


"That sounds lovely, it truly does. I just love the smell when you walk in and
you pluck a book off the shelves and take in that old book smell--call me
crazy, but I just think of how many generations its been through and stuff."
"Ahaha! You better be careful with that. Studies show that some of the mold
and fungi in old books can have hallucinogenic effects. I suppose then you
might just be crazy, especially since I suspect you'd have to sit there huffing
at the pages or lick them or something. That would be a sight."



"No way..." Smiling in triumph, she had known that would catch his attention. When she had seen the book she had instantly thought of him, though it had long been one of her all time favorite plays--the movies weren't bad either. It was one of the funniest works she had ever read, and it made her laugh every time she thought about the scenes contained in Wilde's words. "As an early print it's really quite expensive, but I think I could reconcile a month's earnings or so." She didn't really work, but she got an allowance from her father (more from her mother, though) that was deposited into a savings account. Although she wasn't supposed to touch it, she could apply to her father for a withdrawal--and she had done just that before leaving for New York. Although she hadn't really bought much yet (she had considered getting a present for Macy, but she wasn't sure if she would) and her father wouldn't think a new addition to their library to be amiss--especially such a catch as that.


"Oh, you should definitely hurry, I might snatch it up before you do."
"You know what, you may just have to fight me for the copy."
"I...don't think either of you would be a very formidable opponent.
Not only am I not averse to the use of cunning and underhanded
means to cheat you out of the book, but I believe you both to be
altogether too much like gentlemen to take it if you knew I'd my
heart set on the book."


"What time are you thinking of going there, Zeph? We could meet up, have a battle to the death over who gets the book." Teegan could do little more than blink up at him, puzzled. A request to spend time together outside of the masquerade had been the last thing she expected to hear from PL, and although she felt a tingle of pleasure at the prospect, she knew it was not a viable proposition. Already uncomfortable with the idea of her online life crossing over into her real life (this masquerade ball), she was even more uncomfortable with how much that sounded like...a date. A small part of her wanted to see his face and show her face to him, but she knew that it wasn't something she'd be able to do--if nothing else, after tomorrow they would go their separate ways and probably never meet again. Admiring him like a rabid little fangirl online kept him at a distance--she could fantasize however she'd like and it wouldn't come true. At the prospect of any sort of previous effervescent wish being realized, she felt nothing but panic. "I mean, only if you want the company, or whatever." His hasty addition did not go unnoticed, and she wondered if her refusal would give him pain. Certainly she felt more at ease the more she resolved to reject his proposed plan, and yet as she was about to give voice to her determined response, she began to feel something else.

"As much...as I would love to say yes, I'm afraid..." she paused a moment, biting her lip, her thoughts at odds. The words were difficult to say, even though she really believed in them and was sure in the propriety of her actions. "I cannot meet with either of you. I don't wish to give offense, but we are all strangers met online, and I must be practical. In any case, I did promise father I wouldn't meet with anyone." What were these new feelings? Was she disappointed at not going? Or did she feel bad about the possibility of hurting his feelings? Is this... her mind reeled at the incredible improbability of the realization forming in her thoughts. No, it cannot be...guilt? Am I feeling guilty? I'm never guilty! Everything I do There was awkward tension in the air after her polite refusal, but on her side it was all irritation and frustration at the conflict warring inside of her.

"So, uh, anyone know what the deal with tonight is? Are we all just wandering around meeting people? Or what?" While he wasn't looking, she took the liberty of staring at Personal Library. His figure was pleasing, and his eyes were clear and intelligent. His manner of speech and his style of dress were also to her liking, and if he was disappointingly quiet, it was easily excusable and rather more inclined to a social awkwardness that she could understand rather than a disinclination to converse with her. In all honesty, Teegan found his awkwardness endearing and she cursed him silently for being so...adorable, and a small genuine smile crossed her face for but a brief period of a few seconds before disappearing. "I believe at the end, we are all to take off our masks so that we may see the person we have been talking to, though I think I might not partake in that." She knew that although she could've stayed the entire night talking to the two of them, there were other friends she was dying to meet, and regrettably not as much time to find them as she would have liked. Besides, she was finding it increasingly difficult to keep her calm demeanor around Personal Library, and if she didn't leave now while she could do so graciously, she'd probably kill him with a glare. Yun Hee was at the top of her list of people she needed to see, and she couldn't wait to meet the girl. Female friends were not a commodity that Teegan was accustomed to acquiring, as she was considered rather proud and sometimes disagreeable to most of the people at her school. Macy was a decided exception, someone who didn't annoy Teegan and who wasn't annoyed by her either. They understood one another, and like Macy, while Yun Hee actually knew the real Teegan (the internet serving to take down Teegan's walls to expose her thoughts to Yun Hee) she still wanted to be Teegan's friend. "As amazing as it has been to meet the both of you," she drew a deep breath and gestured off to the side. "I'm afraid I've yet to see my friend Yun Hee, and I really wanted to speak with her." Hesitating a moment, she looked up at them. "Perhaps I will see you later, when the masks come off." Flashing a brief smile, she turned and pushed into the crowd.


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Teegan sighed as she stopped walking, and threw a glance about her once more. She had already been wandering around for about 15 minutes, and she still had yet to find Yun Hee. The picture showed she was wearing an outfit in a really bright color--she should've stood out amongst the crowd. Maybe...she wore a different dress instead? Or maybe she already left or something. Teegan was beginning to despair over finding her friend, and regretting having left her other friends. Noting that she was close to the buffet table, she walked over and grabbed some grapes off of a fruit display. Turning around and morosely popping grapes into her mouth, she surveyed the crowd as she could see them. Her gaze almost passed right over Yun Hee, the flash of teal spotted as a group of people moved off near the back corner from where she was. "Yun Hee!" She called out as she wove through the groups of people, not really caring if she was being rude and interrupting the girl's conversation with the man standing near her.

As she reached their location, she flashed a brief smile in greeting to Yun Hee, then turned and offered her hand to the man standing next to her. "Hi, I'm Zephendine."

Allowing time for proper introductions, she was delighted to see that she had managed to catch two friends at the same time. How weird it was, to be liked. There were more people in this room tonight that actually wanted to spend time with her than she had met with her entire life. It was a bit sad, if she looked at it objectively, but she didn't really mind what she considered her "real" life. "State of the Web! Well met. Oh, Yun Hee, you'll never believe it." She clasped her hands to her cheeks, as if trying to physically hold in the girly outburst that was bubbling up. "Personal Library and Trovsky." she said triumphantly. "They both looked very dashing in their suits." She tried not to let it all gush out in a flurry of words, and she felt a little bit...nauseated about the entire thing. Tonight had been very awkward as Teegan was not a girl that was used to "gushing" about anything except her intellectual hobbies. Blushing, giggling, guilt and flirtation were things that she had never dealt with in her daily life, and if she kept it up she was sure that it would end in losing her wits for good. "I couldn't stand it anymore, so I had to come and find you." With a deep sigh, she felt as though getting it all out at once had expelled all the uncomfortable feelings that had been brewing inside of her, and for the first time tonight she felt like herself again. Calm, rational, and in charge.


"SPEECH"
THOUGHT






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[sheldor the CONQUEROR]

Danny was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain his good behavior the longer the conversation between the three of them went on (though from his standpoint, not much of a conversation). “Back where I’m from, the biggest party is usually a school dance… And those are the lamest things since the invention of the toe socks.”
"Tch." Danny scoffed quietly and mumbled under his breath. "Someone's bitter." Danny didn't often go to dances, though he was always trying to convince his friends to go. Despite the typical stereotype of a nerd (in which he was usually cast), he liked parties. Danny liked any chance to have some fun, and he actually liked dancing. Sure, he preferred a gaming party to a school dance, but if you had friends with you they could be fun. He wondered if that's how Alexa felt--she usually refused to go, although he had never really asked her to join him...but then again, that would be altogether too much like a date. Changing the subject, Tea spoke up with some kind words. "Glad I ran into the two of you." Alexa's disbelief did not go unnoticed, but Danny was very nearly touched by her words, and he said so, clasping a hand to his chest. When RRT asked where her hometown was, he was surprised at the answer. "Texas? Well then, it looks like we're all Texans," Wait, both girls were from Texas? Granted, it was a large state, but what were the chances of him happening upon two people he knew from his home state? Briefly, he wondered if maybe one of them went to his school, but discarded that as too high an improbability. When Macy smiled at his over the top compliment, Danny felt a thrill. He loved to make girls smile and swoon, and even though it wasn't possible as himself--well, that's why he'd built this persona. Never promising anything and never taking anything from girls meant that he was confident in his actions and that he didn't leave broken hearts. His game wasn't that good, anyway.

There was a smile on her face, all right, but Danny could just tell from the fire in her eyes that she wasn't the least bit entertained. “Sam.” She said looking at Seven. “Call me Sam.” Danny suddenly grinned, struck by just how attractive Sam was when she was angry at him. Initially it had been a shock, but once over the incredible surprise of the full force of her hatred, he found it strangely...alluring. There was something thrilling about how everything he said seemed to set her off, and he was beginning to find their exchanges amusing again. Maybe part of it was because she wasn't an admirer, but she also didn't ignore him. He wasn't accustomed to being hated, except perhaps by Macy--for the first time, he realized with a minute degree of surprise that he might in fact be something of a masochist when it came to his love life. He certainly didn't like things to be easy--a challenge was something he always enjoyed, and getting a girl who hated your guts to fall for you...well, it was exciting. “And Seven, I’m not smiling for the reason you think I’m smiling, but think what you will; I couldn’t care less. Now are you done, Seven? Can I finish what I was going to say? Or are you going to cut me off again?” She rolled her eyes at him, then continued speaking without waiting for a response from him. Upon receiving a text message, she pulled out her phone and typed furiously as she responded to it. He turned to Tea as Sam seemed to be off doing her own thing.

"Tea...you're from Texas? You don't have much of an accent." He laughed lightly. "I can't say I'm disappointed, though. I like a girl with a smooth voice to carry intelligent words, and you have both." This time it seemed to be Danny's turn to be interrupted, as Sam slipped her phone away and took up her conversation with Tea as if Danny wasn't even there--he wasn't even bothered, though. "Well... I think I'm going to go. I have... something to do." Danny was a bit reluctant to see Tea leave, but with a malicious grin hidden behind his mask, he noted to himself that he was now free to annoy Sam as much as he wanted without worrying about ruining any positive opinion Tea might have of him. In any case, she departed so quickly that he didn't even have time to say goodbye, so instead he watched her disappear and then turned to Sam. He'd gotten a text earlier, but he had just ignored it for a few minutes. Even though he wasn't that great at reading people, even he could tell that Tea was getting annoyed at them both for being on their phones. He didn't understand why--as long as you weren't in the middle of saying something to someone, what did it matter if they were texting? At least, it didn't bother him. Still, not wanting to piss off someone who seemed to like him, he had waited until it was convenient. So now, he pulled out his phone and slipped his arm around Sam's shoulders. "You know, you only hate me because you don't really know me. Everyone says I'm a killer friend." Laughing, he opened his phone and flashed the text message in front of her, waving the phone about. He didn't really mean for her to be able to read it, but as he skimmed through it he thought of an idea. If she saw him as a womanizer, it might be entertaining to see how she reacted to Alexa--after all, only weirdos didn't like Alexa, and she knew him better than anyone.

"I'm really a sweet guy once you get past this James Bond exterior. Here, you can even ask her yourself. Even though she's one of my favorite people, you can trust her opinion." Quickly dialing Alexa's number, he held it up to his ear and waited. When he heard Sam's phone ringing, he didn't connect the dots immediately, but as it went on ringing his arm slipped off from around her shoulders and he stepped away, tearing off his mask. He stared at her, confusion and perhaps even something akin to betrayal etched on his face. "Alexa?" his voice was hushed with disbelief. There was no way this girl who hated him so much, this girl he had been flirting with (in his own twisted way), was the same best friend he had known for so many years. Was he really the one she had been talking about?

"SPEECH"
THOUGHT

[sheldor the CONQUEROR]

Serenity was a bustling hive of activity now that Kaylee had been given free reign to convert his highly skilled crew into glorified housekeepers. Everyone had been pulled in by Kaylee's subtly commanding presence and were scattered about his ship helping to clean the interior. That's not to say that he didn't agree that Serenity needed it--on the contrary, he was more than happy to have the crew give her some love. She had carried them through a lot and was looking a little worse for wear. He wished he could give her all the care she needed, but the parts to keep Serenity running were expensive and sometimes hard to come by--he had to make do with what he had most of the time at his disposal. Unfortunately, he and Inara weren't really talking right now, as the bad blood between them had just gotten worse with Mal's bad attitude--he couldn't seem to help but be irritated just at Inara's name as of late, and everything she did grated on his nerves. He had a feeling that he was annoying her as well, but he didn't care--no, that wasn't right. Mal was glad if he was plaguing Inara with what she seemed to like to think of as his base upbringing. Well, I'm worth a thousand of her. Bu huihen de pofu. he grumped about the Captain's quarters, buckling his belt around his waist and sheathing his knife at his hip. Today, he was in a foul mood and had come down just to take a few minutes rest and hope that it would improve his attitude. Sulking was fine and all, but not for Mal--his pride and his work ethic would not allow him, as Captain of the ship, to be so weak and mean to his crew. Most of them didn't deserve it--although Jayne was always doing something that needed to be reprimanded, so he felt like any time he snapped at Jayne it was for something he hadn't caught the mercenary doing.

It was just by lucky chance that he happened to look up and see his ratty old calendar hanging on the wall next to his bed--and there was a big red circle on one of the squares. Frowning, he shifted closer to read the scrawled words: KAYLEE'S BIRTHDAY It was marked on tomorrow, and he swore liberally. ”Aiya...how could I forget? Kaylee woulda never let me forget it if I didn't remember her birthday. That was luck.” This didn't improve his mood too much, as he now had another consideration--he had to get her a little something, especially since on his birthday she'd gone all out, and she really was like a little sister to him. Sometimes, he thought, without Kaylee Serenity might not fly as true as she does now--both the ship and the crew. He felt some obligation to try and get over his little tiff with Inara and at least act civilized and bite his tongue around her just to make Kaylee happy for the next few days, but he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to hold out if Inara pushed his buttons.


{ bu huihen de pofu = remorseless harridan }

”MAL”
THOUGHT

”KAYLEE”
”SIMON”
”INARA”
”BOOK”
”ZOE”

[sheldor the CONQUEROR]

possible ships:

izzy fontaine...
respects riley carter
respects & admires nicholas bayard
is fond of eddie emerson
is in awe of thomas price's awesomeness
thinks arlene is amazing
finds gabrielle odiele unbearably stupid
is friends with nicole jones because she's super cool
swoons every time sean cowan winks at her
positively adores jc garcia

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

sean cowan...
finds nicholas bayard dull and irritating
likes to pick on eddie emerson and thinks he's a bit of a pansy
thinks thomas price is a bit of a weirdo but kinda cool in his own way
rather likes izzy's fire
finds riley carter intimidating--but that doesn't keep him from hitting on her
arlene's sense of humor makes her fun to joke around with
loves to flirt with gabrielle odiele and nicole jones
considers the constant flirting between himself and jc garcia to be a big joke between them