Welcome to Gaia! ::

Hearing all the room fall silent at their arrival was unnerving enough on its own, but to have their entrance heralded by a paid announcer and a drumroll was just a bit too much. Her four inch heels sounded like cavernous echoes in the silence. then the fanfare erupted and camera bulbs exploded into white hot flashes on all sides. Ever's step paused in a moment's anxiety as three separate, overeager reports thrust their microphones into the mariner's face, begging questions as to her identity and how she had become acquainted with the Devil.

Ever recovered like a champ, her lips splitting into an infectious smile that directed its charms at the paparazzi. She could put on an act when she needed to, and keep her responses diplomatically neutral. "No comment," the dark-skinned mariner laughed. "I'm just here for a good time."

Right about then Roen leaned in to speak intimately for her ears alone, his hand falling to apply a light pressure at the small of her back. "I'll live," She murmured back with a fainter smile, noting how his calloused digits traced the curve of her body and subtly gathered into the draping, onyx chiffon of her cocktail dress. To his latter request she merely nodded, again something she would simply have to give her best effort to, but future circumstances were impossible to predict.

As proven by the exhibitionist that suddenly jumped out at them from the crowd. Ever's eyes widened at the nude dancer, too shocked to know whether she should yelp or laugh outright. One thing she knew, the meatspin was not a comfortable sight to watch, so regardless of the Devil's reaction and the promise she'd just made him, she was going to take the proactive side and avert herself from the ordeal. "Excuse me, Roen," the seafaring brunette murmured, shaking her head in an effort to bite back a snort. How inappropriate that would have been in this getup. "I think that's my cue to hunt down a drink."

She touched the palm of her hand to his, as it cupped her arm, careful to keep her ring finger lifted enough so that the Devil wouldn't detect the invisible band that circled her finger. Roen discovering the Signet ring on her hand would be a fast route to a ruined evening. Ever gave him a smile, then slipped just out of his grasp has her dark eyes scanned the room for the open bar or any familiar faces, curious to see if anyone else in her small circle of acquaintances had shown up for the event.

There were several things that couldn't have been better for Vansin Du'Ver as he arrived at the grand ball, his second in command in tow.

The first and most obvious was that he was alive and under his own free will again. That was always good, and, for the past five months, exceedingly rare. As a matter of fact, he had only just seen the surface for the first time in almost half a year yesterday. Needless to say, he was back in his usual stride.

The second was that he was judging this tournament, which would not only be thrilling from a observational perspective, but would give him a fantastic venue through which to recruit. Nothing like a bit of bribery to open up new business relations. And the best part about giving grading points for favors? It was free!

As the pair, Vansin and Viviana, had the doors opened for them, the crowd would be able to see the two fell creatures arm in arm. Vansin today wore a very fine red velvet dress coat, black leather pants over which a pair of darker leather riding boots sat, their metal soles clapping quietly against the floor with each step.

Underneath the sound of the servant calling out his guest and his names (Judge Vansin Du'Ver and Competitor Viviana Merquise!) Vivi turned to him, with a characteristically moody tautness hidden behind her charming slime,



The Fiend smirked.

"I'm sure some other guests would know. Why don't you go talk to them" He hissed, the veneer of a pleasant smile not for a moment leaving his face, "Maybe make some acquaintances instead of drinking yourself into a stupor you can't actually reach?"



He was truly forcing a smile now...

"Very well. Wait here." He commanded, and walked off in a direction that certainly was not the bar.

Eventually he bumped into a woman he certainly had seen before. Her name was Ever, and he knew her well. She, however, had never seen him before. What a lovely time to introduce himself.

He walked up to the young lady, forced eye contact, and smiled pleasantly.

"Oh, my. I'm so sorry." He said when he finally approached within talking distance, "I must have mistaken you for someone else."

And just as he was about to turn around and move on, he cocked his head to look down at her hand.

"Lovely ring, by the way." He added with a smile, and continued past the woman.

There were several things amiss about Viviana Merquise as she arrived at the "grand ball" by Vansin's side, her slender arm hooked through his.

The first and most obvious was the dress. It had lace, and satin, and all those other things with Viviana tried to avoid on principle. At least, it was red.

Secondly, her hair appeard to have been combed. The usually unruly curls had been tamed into gentle waves of silver which spilled over her shoulders in a decidedly feminine way.

And last and perhaps most disturbing, in spite of the two issues mentioned above, Viviana was smiling. For anyone who knew Viviana Merquise in any capacity, the idea of her smiling whilst she was wearing a dress was completely and utterly unbelievable.

Clearly this Viviana was some sort of imposter. A doppleganger. There was no way this could be the French Lamia. Impossible!

"Vansin, where is the wine?"

On second thoughts, perhaps it was her after all.





Viviana Merquise's smile only seemed to widen at her partner's hissing remarks.

"Because, Vansin, social ettiquette dictates that the man, always fetches 'is lady friend 'er drinks."





The smile upon Viviana's face flickered, her expression darkening for a mere second before her lips twisted themselves back into a charming grin once more.

"I'll 'ave 'is 'ead for this." She muttered angrily beneath her breath.

Curious, most curious. From his seat by the wall, the dead man had a good vantage point to see the appearances at the door. He had sat quietly, observing with a bemused smirk as the naked buffoon danced merrily about Roen. In the back of his mind, Iden marked that face; he'd not seen the devil for a fair while, and almost never outside of the matriarch's company. It was worth noting, at the least, though he was loathe to consider the possibility of his matron being present without his knowledge. Unconsciously, he began looking about, scanning the crowd with his azure gaze. No shock of bloody red hair was visible from his seat, but that didn't necessarily mean much...

With a very heavy sigh, Iden stood. If she was here, then so be it. He was here on his own business, and it meant little if she was present on hers.

Goddamn, if he didn't need a drink now.

He stuck to the wall, preferring to avoid the bulk of the people wheeling about in their socialization. Avoiding the crowds made sliding over to the bar easier; the dead man swept his coat aside and laid claim to one of the seats on the near edge of the counter, and began mulling over the options for alcohol.

James was seated up at a fighters' table, near Deitric and his newly acquired group of what James would presume to be, public relations handlers.

Thats what fame tended to get you.

The martial artist didn't seem to be paying attention to what was going on. Though, it might be EXACTLY because he had been paying attention that he was performing the timeless application of his own palm to his face.

Frankly, he should have stayed in their hotel room, listening to his Against Me! records and making crude drawings/scribblings on his crowbar. But Wigi, his Changeling bestfriend, managed to convince him otherwise, usually by talking in an extra booming voice and acting wierd until Ed agrees. Though, the thought of free booze and a bunch of whores in cocktail dressed did provide some incentive. Plus, Big Booty Bitches must be displayed to the public, especially to such a refined crowd..

"What's this, boss?" said the cyberpunk in an accent that hadn't been used in New England since the 20s, stopping at the main doorways of the ballroom and peering in. Edward grinned at the sight of Ebris Dhifi wrecking everything and everyone, only slightly surprised to see the HoH champion in their midsts. The guy had to be getting old by now. Then again, it was Gaia Primus, people aged at the pace of snails and then some. "Let's get in, Wigi. Before anyone gets any funny ideas, I haven't drank enough to start fighting just yet."

The cyberpunk let himself inside, navigating the Ogre around the brawl in-the-making. He sported a black dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, celtic tattoos (originating from the Summer Court of Arcadia) curving up his right hand and forearm in disturbing patterns which were liable to cause a weak-minded person to vomit their lunch. Edward also wore black slacks and red/black sneakers. Not even Scarlett Johannson as Black Widow could get the cyborg into dress shoes. The outfit was completed by a red tie, a black flat cap, his trademark thick-rimmed glasses, and a plethora of piercings and gauges on his face/ears.

Quickly completing their trek to the bar, Edward ordered a bottle of their best Sangria. His dark green eyes moved around the room, taking in all the sights, his synthetic eye processing all of it in vivid detail. Which allowed the cyberpunk to spot Roen amongst such a crowded party... and near a naked dude. "Wigi, near the naked man. Do you see him? That's Roen Jaeger. A friend of mine. Kind of. I think he likes me."

He waved the Darkened Devil over, yelling all the while in a more Joe Pesci-esque New Jersey accent. It definitely scared some of the people in the vicinity, who weren't already fearing for their lives due to Dhifi. "HEY, ROEN! GET OVER HERE! DON'T PRETEND LIKE YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE ME!"

"Big ego?" She echoed as she peered over the man again. "I got my hopes up... I always try to attend to all of the outsider's rituals." She peered back to Seth with a dwindling smile as she sat back down, seeming almost disheartened that the strange proclamation wasn't some form of celebration. With a sigh, she'd continue. "Back at home things are much more simple. There is no fighting unless the spirits call it forth, there is no currency unless you count bartering, and smithing was all I seemed to know."

She perked herself back up, though notably her excitement was toned down a few notches. "Like you, Mister Seth, I was born unto a small village of nomads. We traveled about fulfilling the will of the spirits and trying to understand their methods. Each of us are given a role and an apprentice. Once the time came through... well..." She gestured out lazily in a wave through the room. "We're sent into the world with but the small amounts of currency that we've gathered through our trade, though honestly I've never paid it much mind."

She leaned forward a bit, though oddly still held a sense of poise and balance, as she carried on. "So I made it a goal to experience the world like I've never done before. Rather than simply traverse this new plain without a goal in mind, I've found that experiencing each culture to the fullest, embracing it despite how odd and confusing it may be, that it would be the most enlightening way to understand this... outside world."

She couldn't help but laugh to herself, a heartfelt, pure laughter which rang through the air like a crystal haze. There was a charm to it, something easy and delicate, which often drew the listener in. Though she, herself, likely didn't notice it. "I suppose that must sound silly." She conceded with a smile as she gazed the man over once more, her smile growing a tad wry. "Travel the world and experience it all! A little ambitious coming out, I have to say."

Archie looked around a little and was about to reach down with his right hand and grab another knife when a voice caught his ears. Oh s**t I'm caught., was the first thought that ran through his head as he looked around. Pulling away his hand, his eyes fell on a little person thing. Lifting his hand up that he was going to grab the knife with, he pushed his hat up a little bit to clear the vision of his eyes. "Why hello there ya little thing. I have no clue what you are talking about. Must be mistaken." He smiled a little and dropped his hand down back to his waste. As he did, a fork that he collected slipped lose and fell out hitting the ground. Looking from the little creature to the fork and back he smiled.

"Hey look at this." Lifting up his left hand he used his little slight of hand tricks to produce a small little ball that he had hidden between his coat and glove. While he did this he used his right foot to kick the fork under the table. Shifting his weight a little bit to make the movement seem to almost never happen. Moving the ball over to his right hand he smiled. "Now watch closely." Lifting the ball in the air a little bit he held it between his index and thumb finger he moved his right hand over to his left hand and stuffed the small ball into his left hand closing his fist. Blowing on his fist, he opened it up and the ball was gone.

Waving his left hand around for distraction, the ball was still in his right hand and he moved it over to the trench coat pocket and let it slip down in. With not even a second between the attempt to distract the little creature, Archie went into talking. "So tell me little one. What are you exactly?" He reached his hand up a little bit like he was going to poke the creature.