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(( Laz - BBQ grill -> Maze sign up, Tag to Ebs ))

The fire Sigel gave a sigh of relief when the caterer lady dropped by again and lifted the last two pieces of beef from the grill. With a wave of her hand, he shooed the Raevan away with a mumbled thanks and Lazarus left in relief. He could taste freedom again! Now he can go sign up for the maze.

Dropping the apron and the tongs, Lazarus cleaned his hands before heading to the maze sign up with Cordelia. "Maybe we could go in together if you don't have a partner yet." He suggested, unknowing that Cordelia was having the same idea too. Optimally, he would love to go in with Xiu, but he's probably partnered up by now.

Unfortunately when they reached the rather crowded sign up area, Lazarus found that there was already a name scribbled next to Cordelia's name. "It looks like you're already paired up with Zurine." Looking a little disappointed, he picked up the pen and goes down the list. He was right, Xiu had already paired up with someone else, the newborn Frei. The Sigel could see them together with a few familiar faces just very nearby. Turning his red eyes back to the list, he saw Basil's standing alone, and didn't even have a single second thought as he skipped it. The only other solo name on the list was Wasa, someone he's not familiar with. Hmm... maybe he should just go alone? Going to a new line underneath the last, he wrote his own name in a rather terrible looking scrawl. Writing had never been his strong suite.

Putting the pen down he moved a little bit away just in case someone else wants to join. He don't want to be blocking anyone now. "The maze starts very soon." Lazarus said as he turned towards Cordelia. "Maybe you should go find your partner? Sorry we couldn't partner this time."

((Sevilin --> Maze Sign-up))
(Tag to Reks)

"Well you're kind of hard to forget," Sevilin pointed out with amusement. The slate grey raevan was one of kind, like a zombie but with manners.

"Oh, nothing at all really..." he feigned; however, the very thought of the chaotic mess his life had become made the sea fairy rub against the little pink band-aid on his broken nose. And the same person who had so terribly mangled him was now living with them. On pain of death, Sevilin would never breathe a word of it any soul, living or otherwise. No one could know about what treachery now took over his room! "I'm just a boring boy with a boring mom..."

Speaking of We`rika... The old frei leaned over to see past Iorek where his guardian stood, surrounded by raevan and owner alike. He caught the man's eyes that read 'Help me!' and sighed dramatically.

"Ugh, I gotta go save We`rika from himself... Come with me!" he suggested, though with the way Sevilin grabbed at one of the gargoyle's big hands there was only one correct answer: Iorek was coming with him whether he liked it or not.

"So what about you? You must lead a big life!"

"No, it's okay!" Why did he call We`rika "mom"? That was a hard question to answer. There were so many factors that it was just too overwhelming to put them all into words, even for someone as eloquent as he. So what was the simplest answer? "I've only had a mom before him. He doesn't act like a dad, more like a fussy mom. That and it makes him angry!" Sevilin followed up his sadistic motivation with a delighted titter.

"Oh, but you shouldn't call him that! He'd probably slug you." He was sure Iorek wouldn't have even thought about it, but it was best to just pre-emptively avoid such embarrassment.

As they neared the sign up table, the watery frai wanted to hear more about his travels. "You travel?! Like past the city?" Wow, the sea fairy was so jealous!

(( Kyou - Hedge maze entrance ////// MAZE START!!! ////// ))

Perhaps it had gone unnoticed, but as the time draws near to the beginning of the hedge maze event, a mysterious low mist had started to form just inside the arched entrance, despite the clear day today.

Walking up to a small pedestal situated just beside the center entrance, Kyou raised a balloon and popped it with a needle, causing a huge POP and attracting everyone's attention. Coughing a little to clear his throat, he began. "Hello everyone! Welcome to the Summer Garden party." He bellowed. However, his voice sounded louder than it should be, like he was speaking through a mike and speaker but there was no signs of electronics near where he is standing. "I'm sure some of you had seen the podium before the fountain there." The scientist said as he motioned towards the sigh up podium. "And I hope you had signed up for this exciting event! I would like to announce that you may enter the maze now, great prizes awaits you on the other end of it. Good luck!!"

"Oh, for those you haven't signed up yet, you still could in the next 10 minutes. You're just going to go in later than the rest." Chuckling, he winked at the audience. "For the rest of you, please do enjoy the rest of the garden party. The grilled beef slices here is to die for!" And with that, Kyou walked down the pedestal as he watched the participants enter.

((Cesc --> MAZE ENTRANCE! C U L8R WHOO HOO
Vivi --> Drinks Table))

"Ahh, you have met the charming Rivener!" Vivi exclaimed to Zurine with a wide smile, tipped slightly lopsided by a touch of mischief in her words. Rivener -- what a handsome, daring Raevan, he had made such an impression on the Frenchwoman, even if she had not seen him since his time at the hospital. She took a step back to admire Zurine in her new sunglasses and hat, nodding in approval of the delicate frei's appearance. The heat always had an effect on appearance, but the poor chilly frei seemed more susceptible to its evils than most. Still, Zurine's beauty was not to be dampened, summer or no. "Why, my little one, you look tres tres belle today, even in the heat. You know, it is that Cesc was asking for you as we arrived --" She paused to look for the frei, wanting to wave him over, but was startled into attention by Dr. Kyou's sudden announcement.

"Ah, the maze, it has opened!" Vivi breathed as the doctor stepped down, her eyes lit with excitement. Perhaps Zurine could pair with Rhedefre? She tried to spot him, but could see him floating toward the maze entrance with the white sigel from before. "Ahh... I see that Cesc is already going in -- why do you not go join in the fun? It seems you can still sign up for a partner..." the Frenchwoman encouraged Zurine, waving her toward the now-open gates with a winsome smile.

"Ah, it--" Cesc began to respond to We'rika when the sound of a balloon popping quieted him as well, and then he floated still, listening respectfully to Dr. Kyou's announcement. As it ended, he turned back to the two guardians with a faint smile, nodding a farewell at them both. "Well, I think we will go in, if it is starting. I will look to meet your boy later, then?" he said to We'rika, grinning softly, hoping to reduce the man's obvious discomfort. Then, turning to Xiu, he motioned toward the maze with one hand. "Shall we?"

((Pasha -Drink Tables -> MAZE))

Melisande kept her eyes wide and nodded, absorbing Rivener's lesson. She couldn't keep it up any longer...her smile dazzled for a moment before she looked away towards the tables. It didn't take her long to pick a drink for herself. A flute of pink lemonade, with a bright slice of lemon perched on the rim of the glass, was too perfect to pass up. She sighed happily at the chill of it, wrapping both hands delicately around the glass.

POP~!

Pasha gasped, wings furling in surprise. The balloon pop was shocking, but rather unnecessary in the Muse's opinion. The Doctor's announcement was loud enough to capture everyone's attention, it seemed. Truth be told, she was impressed at his projection! A thrill of excitement ran through her, and she hurried to catch up with Rivener.

"Ready!"

So polite.

Her reaction was delayed as he gently toweled the lemonade from her hands, feeling both very foolish and very privileged. She gave a semi-nervous laugh. It sounded fake right away, and she knew it. "Hahaaaa... It's really no problem. Here, I can do that." She muttered the second part, clearing her throat and gingerly accepting the napkin from him. When he replied to her weak (albeit friendly) observation, she was confused, and then intrigued. He had been very vague. Almost leading. He couldn't go into public without his glasses? Without being rude, she tried to steal glances at his face, looking for anything... unusual.

She came up short. He was not terrible looking, and certainly no injury or abnormality would make him that unapproachable, unless he were a cyclops or something. And she would never have guessed him for blind.

He didn't linger on the subject, and she bowed out of it gracefully.

"Yes, I am," She chewed on the word family. She was part of a family.

His name was as odd as his glasses, and she knew immediately that there was no way she'd be able to remember it on the first try. Elai. Elai worked for her. She felt a pang of relief. Her eyes followed his hand as he pointed. Definitely not blind, she thought. A horned Raevan. A boy? The chest was flat, but the hair was very long and fair. The color of a vanilla candle. She could only see the creature in profile, and from a distance. Luka. Yes, Luka was male. Of course, Basil was nowhere to be found, but looking for him had given her the opportunity to see who else had arrived. She thought she had caught a glimpse of Vivi, one of the few guardians she knew on a first-name basis. The woman was so friendly and decent... Although they had only met once, did business, and parted, strangely, they already felt a bit like old friends that she was not put off by the thought of seeing her again. She would not take the opportunity to approach her just now, but it was nice to know she was there.

Oh, her turn. He had asked her name. She smiled awkwardly, then took a deep drink from her glass. Her throat already felt like leather. It was so hot... She didn't know it was going to be this hot. "Genie," She said simply. "It's Genevieve, really, but for some reason my name always felt a lot bigger than I really am." A little joke at her expense. She touched her tongue to her teeth, then set down her glass. He subtly emphasized his own drink. Mint Julep. It seemed to be both an announcement and a question. She assumed question, smiling broadly, the awkwardness broken. She responded enthusiastically, "Oh yeah. If you're pouring, let me have 'er." In her head, she felt like sighing. Thank God. What was she thinking with lemonade? She could use a drink, and it was good to know she wouldn't be imbibing before noon, alone. Elai didn't seem to share her concern of what people might have thought, making it all the more tempting to ask about the glasses. She discreetly dumped the lemonade.




Suddenly, a balloon popped, stopping dozens of conversations mid-sentence. A rich voice carried over their heads. It was making an announcement.




The Other had nearly jumped out of his skin. A loud noise was one thing, but this... So sudden. So sharp. He was already on edge, having found a small tented structure under which to contemplate his situation. He was clearly brooding, but would have found the term insulting. Once there, he made every effort to seem unapproachable. Hostile. Frigid. And it was all the same. He couldn't stomach a conversation just now. He was much too stung. However, he found that listening in on the conversations of others helped him to have a better time of things. He had the ear of a safe-cracker.

As he focused, rune glowing softly, He worked a quarter between his fingers, waiting. He liked to handle spare change. Pennies especially. He enjoyed the smell of copper.

It was entertaining at first, but he was swiftly disappointed at how willing people could be to dwell in the mundane. Insincere greetings, mindless prattle. He wanted richness. Something personal. He wanted gossip! Was that such a rare commodity, anymore? He picked at his teeth, but was not nearly so obvious as Basil would have been about it. Unconsciously, he was becoming resentful of the way his thoughts kept returning to his lesser half. It was inevitable that Basil should be on his mind. After all, The Other had cheated him out of two straight days. The feeling was not guilt, and yet, not so far removed.

A bird landed near to him. His eyes were like a magnet to a fridge. Basil liked birds. The Other tolerated them. Animals normally avoided him, and he was content to behave in kind.

It was brown and dingy looking, but very small. He wouldn't have known it to be a sparrow. He considered spooking it. Maybe throwing something at it, but by then the balloon had blasted and he jolted. He clapped his hands over his ringing ears. Oh, please don't let anyone see him react this way. See him compromised. The quarter fell somewhere in the grass. He saw the shape of the startled bird fly past, and his heart began to throb as loudly as before. Without notice. Without restraint.

For a fleeting moment, it looked to him as if the bird had sprouted a second head. As if someone had taken the front halves of two birds and stuck them together. Seesawing. Teetering as they flew. The sky swallowed it up, cloudless and hungry. He felt a cold sweat beneath his shirt. A trickle down his back.

He needed to keep calm, cupping his face as he listened to the announcement. The maze. The perfect distraction. He pushed the hair away from his forehead. A deep breath. The maze was starting, and one by one, pairs began to enter into it. He didn't see Cordelia among them just yet, and in his opinion, it was a shame. He wanted her to see him enter, alone. Independent. He wanted her to see him walking proudly. Victory assured. He would win. He was an excellent navigator. He would be the sixth to enter. The mist had taken him by surprised. Strange, supernatural. He swallowed something in his throat, and without looking back, pushed ahead.

((Sevilin - Maze Sign-Up))
(Tag to Iorek)

He knew it was very rude to gape at someone, but he couldn't help it! He was so envious that Iorek got to go all around the world with his guardians. Sevilin was forever woefully chained to Gaia and he couldn't deny that it made him hate We`rika at times. The sea fairy knew intellectually that it wasn't the man's fault; he did the best he could with what he had, and the Mexican certainly didn't have to love him and give him a new life, but... There were times where irrationality shadowed logic and the frei wished he had seen he couldn't provide everything Sevilin needed. It was selfish of his guardian even, to bring his son down to the deplorable depths of poverty that We`rika wallowed in.

"No," he said, a bit subdued in contrast with his earlier enthusiasm. "We`rika can't afford it, so I just watch those places on TV or in books. I want to go to Ireland really bad, though! It looks so... Magical." That was probably silly to Iorek, but the watery raevan knew without a doubt that fairy tales still survived there even if its residents had forgotten over time!

When they arrived to the sign up, a lot of the raevans and owners had left to listen to Kyou announce the start of the maze. "Aww, did I already miss it?" Sevilin whined pitifully as he fluttered faster toward the table with Iorek being dragged along behind him like a tugboat. He was sure Kyou would let him still sign up if he wanted to join in!

Focused on nothing but the list, the little sea fairy scanned through the entrants and realized most of them were written down as partners. Iorek was already on there. "You already signed up with someone?" Well, what was he supposed to do on his own? The boy's cherry red lips were stuck out in a petulant pout at this injustice when he saw that everyone had picked without his knowledge. We`rika should have been more forceful when he had told him about this game. He--

"Ah--" The little sea nymph realized that there was a name written down that had no companion. Lazarus. Blue eyes bugged comically as he looked around for any signs of his old friend. Sure enough, he was a few feet away from the table talking with two raevans he didn't recognize.

"Uhmm..." Suddenly, the sea fairy was struck by a dilemma he didn't know how to solve. The two of them hadn't really talked since... Well, it was actually hard to remember how long ago. The pen in his hand was rubbed and worried between anxious hands as he pondered signing himself up alone, adding his name to Lazarus', or asking the fiery raevan first.

In the midst of his struggle, his big eyes glanced unconsciously to Iorek for help he was too prideful to ask for.