"Ok, not CPR, they're just doing it for the pure hormones and pleasure value that they derive from--" Gear stopped suddenly, with a very painful pinch on his cheek from his daughter. She did not need him to provoke poor Eva any more, a slightly dark smile sent in response to Gear's overabundance of humor. It promised something along the lines of microwave dinner and ramen for the next few days, if he didn't stop.
At Eva's question, Saya brightened up with a thought.
"It's a ball!"
The obvious thought just hit her. Yes, right this second.
So, Miss Eva, may I interest you in a dance?" However, Saya didn't wait for a reply because she knew Eva and she knew Eva would politely try to avoid it. So she took Eva's hand abruptly to drag her out to an emptier section of the ballroom. "It's okay Evie, I took a dance class at university!" She said in a whisper, trying to reassure her skittish bookish friend. If she left Eva, she was afraid Gear would terrorize her all evening. He was a great dad, just.. slightly inappropriate. But the best dad in all the right ways.
kaiyumi
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:41 pm
Otto managed an awkward yet obviously nervous smile in Alistaire's direction, gaze settling on his own sneakers soon after. "Um..." She didn't answer him. She looked at him like he was stupid, naive or weird. What was he thinking? Was he doing this wrong? He wasn't smooth, or tall, or handsome. He had no moves to show. All he had was his heart. And for what? A girl who let him kiss her for a while?
Why was he here again?
"I... she didn't seem happy before I left... but maybe that was my imagination. So I just... thought I'd check. Just in case." His little heart beat frantically in his chest, praying that no one else could see the fool he was making of himself. "So.. Maebe, I just want to be sure." He looked up to shyly meet her gaze, "Are you okay?" He asked with genuine concern.
All this time, Alistaire moved where he liked, and placed his hands where he liked, but Maebe was no fool. If she hadn't wanted to be there, she would have pushed him away long ago. Still, Otto was so remarkably brave - stupid, but brave - to come and try to ..
She realized she still had no idea what he was trying to do. And suddenly, she very much wanted to find out.
"Stop it now." Maebe hissed at the man whose fingers brushed against her skin in constant reminders of his hold on her, and she pushed away from him - for the first time, possibly - and turned to give him a look. Alistaire was just toying with him - he was just toying with both of them, really. And while all she really, secretly wanted, was for him to come white knight her once in a while, she wasn't going to beg.
Not when such a fine example was so prettily handed to her on a small, naive little silver platter.
"Just dreadful, actually." She called out, a little louder, over her shoulder. She was responding to Otto - but her eyes were still on Alistaire, suddenly narrowed in vindictive thought. "Alistaire was just remarking how sad I looked. But he's right, you know." She finally turned back to Otto, in a flourish of movement that sent every genuine expression out the window in favor of the swell of self-righteous pride that only she could possess. "You've got some tenacity. I'd call it balls. I find that very attractive in a man."
Her game was in full swing.
"So what are you going to do about it, Otto? I wonder."
kurotomato
Bittiface
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:52 pm
Meanwhile, Gear slipped off to his favorite person, even if that person was in a highly unstable or stable relationship with the scariest lady of all time. Soon enough, a certain (hopefully) happier black haired grump would find a provocative pair of hands around his waist, like it always was.
"It's your waist that the best, Caels." Gear said brightly, leaning against the man's back. "Are we discussing children in front of your kids? Ohoh, can I be the double father duo with Caels?"
No wonder Gear classified Velda as scary, if he was like this with Caelius, her darling boyfriend.
zoobey
lizbot
revenant aria
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Kaiyumi
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Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:54 pm
Eva had pointedly been leaning back and away from Gear when Saya--thankfully--stopped him with a well-timed pinch and a look. Ever grateful to her, she murmured a quiet word of thanks, only to jolt in surprise at her friend's sudden, bright declaration. Yes, it was a ball, but what about tha--
Oh. Oh no.
Smiling nervously, Eva lifted a hand and waved it weakly. "Oh, Starlight, no. You know I don't dan--eep!" Cutting herself off as she was dragged off to some empty floorspace, she opened her mouth to offer another quiet protest, only to pause at the reassurance.
"Well, I might...step on your feet," She warned her friend quietly, ducking her head in embarrassment, "And I might trip, or mess up the steps, or do something stupid, but..."
Looking up at Saya then, the corners of her lips curved upwards ever so slightly in a faint smile, "But I guess...just this once?" It was a special occasion, after all, and hopefully she wouldn't have to worry about embarrassing herself in front of people when everyone else had their attention focused elsewhere and on their own things.
Random Artist
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:05 pm
One word phrases were pretty common from Ripley, even more so now that they were in the company of someone they might otherwise had tried to avoid, but the fact he bothered to say anything else only had the girl perking up all the more. Her mouth cracked into a wide smile and she latched onto his arm, forgetting her hair for a moment as she shook her head emphatically. "They usually don't! That's what its so amazing!" Only now did Abbi drop her hold on her date in favor of giving her mother one quick hug, mumbling a small "Yes Mama, have fun, love you!" and not bothering to think about the last pocket on the left. Her freckled nose did wrinkle at the kiss, but her smile was quick to return as her mother left and the teen shot back to Ripley's side. "Sooorrrriiieeeeeeee~" She began in a pitiful whine right before he took her hand. For a few moments she couldn't say anything, too busy blushing and keyboard smashing in her head for words, but it passed and she walked a little bit closer, bending her elbow lightly to nudge him. "We don't have to meet up with her before midnight, yanno."
Content to wander the crowds for a moment, Abbi didn't say much until her phone twinkled. Laughing and making no apologies for texting, she fished it out, read the message and pouted at her screen for all of two seconds before she laughed again.
Chirigami
You're just jelly you won't get to kissu me at midnight! (*≧3≦*) Happy New Years! ヾ(･ω･*)ﾉ Doing anything fun? Got any cute girl as your date?
Just as quick to put away the phone, Abbi turned up a smile and a chirpy bit of chatter to Ripley just as they reached Fini. He was right, after all, for as soon as she saw her friend the girl raced off, flailing until she reached Fini to envelope her in a swishy dressed hug. "Happy New Year Fini! Happy New Year Baby!" Her hands lightly patted the woman's stomach before she bent down to hug the protrusion too. For a bit the girl alternated between gabbing at her friend and the little friend in Fini's stomach, terribly excited to tell them about her dress and her hair and freshly dyed pink streaks and her awesomely handsome date. The mention of a picture had her standing up straight to wrap an arm around Fini and smiling prettily. Once the picture was taken Abbi was back in front of Ripley, jumping up and down with a tug on his suit. "Let's take a picture together too! You and me!" A cute, close, snuggly picture yesssss good.
Enoh Love
Kyrieko
Ol-j-man
Seussi
in da loop
AyeAvast
Sparkly Bunny
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kuropeco
Dramatic Marshmallow
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Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:14 pm
It was a puzzle to him, this situation; something to be figured out, the pieces pushed this way and that until they fit correctly. Nothing ever would, of course - he'd long since given up any illusions of that occurring - but occasionally the pieces provided a better picture when they were not placed in the right spots.
Maebe's hissed demand only served to amuse him, though Alistaire obediently dropped his hand away from her neck. Inside of his head, Grimshaw gave an approving growl, and then lapsed into silence once more.
She talked big, certainly. She was prideful, certainly.
And she was also trying to make him jealous, which was not happening. Alistaire had never found jealousy to be an attractive quality, nor anything above the level of pathetic, but it wasn't just Otto's tenacity that impressed him, but Maebe's as well.
Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps she cared for him more than he thought, which was simultaneously confusing and irritating all at once. He had not ever planned to be with Maebe in a committed, serious relationship (he did not do those, ever, seeing as how he saw little point to them), but the fact that he still saw her from time to time should have spoken for itself.
Interesting, Alistaire thought. How far can I push this, I wonder?
How much until it breaks?
It was easy to slide between the two of them, brush aside Maebe and her indignation and pride to stand before Otto instead. Alistaire's hand lifted, and he smoothed it down the front of Otto's shirt, then back up again, idle, thoughtless gestures.
"It was just your imagination," he said. "Maebe is fine, as you can see. She's with me. But even if she wasn't...well...there's not much to do about it, is there? I mean...well," Alistaire corrected himself, with a sweeping glace towards him. "You're quite interesting; I'm surprised you came back. So now that you're here..."
Fingers curled in the front of Otto's shirt and with a sharp, sudden tug, Alistaire dragged him towards him and crushed a kiss against his mouth, quick and intense and unyielding.
He let go a few seconds later, his breathing slightly labored, though there was a satisfied smirk on Alistaire's lips. He let go entirely of Otto, swiping a hand down his own shirt to smooth it carefully down, and then slid his gloved hands into the pockets of his black slacks, eyes glinting.
"You're not as good as she said you were."
bittiface
nio love
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:18 pm
Justin stared wide-eyed trying to listen to this level 90 expert Paladin (Gale), while Aria the quest giver continued to talk. "I'm definitely not oom this time, I just saw for this special event they created a mage table and it has infinite mana and food!" That sort of look suggested that someone would be helping themselves to the infinite mana and food of said mage table very very soon unless stopped from imminent disaster.
In the distance Ben sighed at Gale, wondering what he possibly could have done wrong in this new age parenting business. Talk of other people being pregnant and having babies made him sort of wonder when Gale was going to grow up and hit puberty.
kurotomato
Marushii
Zoobey Artist
Magical Incubator
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revenant aria
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Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:19 pm
"If you step on my feet, I'll make a little smile and you'll never know. If you trip, I'll trip. If you mess up, I'll mess up. It's not like we haven't been in it together before! Like that time with the cookies.." Saya laughed, referenced an older memory, when Gear made cookies. Those cookies had been enough to kill an elephant but Saya hadn't managed to get Eva and herself out in time so they had ended up in excruciating pain that night.
Spinach and mustard did not go into cookies. Absolutely not.
Meanwhile, Saya lead Eva into a elementary-like dance, with the occasional spinning and the basic steps. Her chatter flowed like bubbles to ease Eva's nervouseness. "It's like a friendly date! And since I brought you out here, I should be 'gentlemanly' right?" Eventually, her steps slowed and Eva would find herself with a brand new star pin in her hair, clipping her bangs back. Apparently, giving cute clips was Saya's definition of being a gentleman. Barring the obvious fact of her gender. "That's to keep you always looking up, Evie, because there are fun things coming. We've graduated college and things can only go uphill from here~"
kaiyumi
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:34 pm
Dreadful? So Otto was right, then. Maybe it was a good thing he came back after all. He looked to Maebe with an inquiring gaze, as she returned to her haughty and smug self. Much better. Much more her.
And she found his tenacity attractive?
Otto smiled a lopsided smile, dumbed by the words of Maebe. Gosh. She found him attractive? Jack's words worked! But, he frowned at her question, unsure what he wanted to come of all this.
He took in a breath as Alistaire came between them, the older man's words sending shivers down his spine. Maebe has said she wasn't happy, and here he was saying she was? What kind of man did Maebe get herself here? He was horrible! Talking for her, claiming her and assuming himself a great man... Otto's face scrunched up, defiant and unhappy with Alistaire. The way he smoothed down his shirt, the way he---
Kissed.
Otto's blue eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, a noise of displeasure rumbled within his throat, almost as if he were choking. His posture tensed, his face burned red. Every goosebump seemed to burst in screaming agony.
When Alistaire let him go, Otto's sleeve was suddenly at his mouth, roughly wiping the remains of the unwanted kiss from his lips. However, one thing he knew in all certainty as of this day: He was definitely not attracted to men. He felt violated, dirty. His body shuddered in repulsion. He kind of wanted to cry.
Nio Love
kurotomato
Bittiface
Sarcastic Hunter
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Zoobey Artist
Magical Incubator
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Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:38 pm
"Soon, is not now," he persisted, giving Harrison an increasingly alarming look of Judging Parent Who Isn't Impressed By Their Lack of Balls of Any Sort, "I will not start this conversation on New Years, but you are almost thirty, William, and your mother and I were hoping you would move out sooner. Not to mention the several jobs offered to you, which speaking of-"
- Gear was suddenly pulled into the conversation-
- "I'm sure you agree that a stable income is nice, but a good family is even more important. I've also arranged an appointment with the Wedding and Fertility counselor that we have been putting off, William, I've given you almost three years for you to decide on a job and the least you could do for a new years resolution is let your father live another year knowing that if he died, considering all the stress and danger in his field of work, he will die with all his hopes and dreams fulfilled."
Baneful
Toshihiko Two
Random Artist
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:38 pm
Eva was blessed to have a friend like Saya, and she hoped the other girl knew just how much she appreciated her friendship. Her lips curved into a more prominent smile at the memory of that horrific memorable night. If there was one thing she had learned from that particularly incident, it was that Gear was not allowed to cook for them ever again.
Ever. Her stomach still twisted uneasily at the memory of those cookies.
Feeling just a little more confident thanks to her encouragement, the young woman let out a soft, quiet laugh as her field of vision was made clearer by having her bangs clipped back. At least now there was a lesser threat to her accidentally bumping into someone while they were dancing. She stood up just a little straighter and let her tensed shoulders relax.
"You're right. And after all that hard work, we definitely deserve to relax and have a little fun tonight, right?" Her meek tone had changed into one that was noticeably more comfortable, and she let out a slow, shaky breath before offering her friend a small grin.
Random Artist
Kaiyumi
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medigel
Anxious Spirit
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Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:48 pm
A message was fired off to Finn right before they had left the buffet.
Seussi
Text to Finn: Got your delivery, come get it yourself. Hitting the main room now.
He'd understand once he saw that Jack was in possession of a partner for the evening. Or maybe he wouldn't. Jack didn't care, because he was busy.
Busy being hit with a disgusting amount of gay in seconds. Sure, he understood Clerise would contribute (and boldly so), but . . . dear sweet ******** Jesus, was that guy in a dress? Seriously? "Maybe I shouldn't have eaten," he grumbled as he pulled Peyton along, carefully watching the plate of food he brought. He scanned the crowd for Finn or their usual group (as he figured the guy had probably texted more than one of them for that request), then stopped dead on Otto.
Jack's nose wrinkled with further disgust at the display, and his grip on Peyton tightened. "Don't," he murmured tightly. "Let him grow up." The experiment was clearly taking a different turn than expected, but by no means was it over. Otto was on his own as far as Jack was concerned.
"Fancy a drink after that, don't know about you. Grab one for me off that waiter." His grip hadn't slackened.
Beejoux
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:50 pm
[ENTER]
BAM!
Cass had really stuffed a lot of food into herself and now had gone from 'eat until people can see your ugly eating' to 'on the prowl'. Which was about her default state of being, just not in the romantic sense al the time. Sure it was nice to kiss boys...
but crushing their hearts was funner.
Her intentions were clear from the grin on her face as she looked at everybody assembled, standing up a bit more presentably when she noticed her division leader (who looked like he'd just been trying to maintain some sort of order, yikes, sorry Mr. Gale) and tried to look less like a shark in a pool full of fish.
Aria looked up from her phone, offering a wide shrug in response to the couple. "Honey, this is what happens when your father finds out about it from someone else before checking the cams for himself. Honestly, if he didn't overreact..." The Mist assistant shook her head.
"Anyway. Here." She put her phone away and pulled out three envelopes, handing one out each to Justin, Gale, and Lina. "There's your Christmas bonus. And objective." Aria smiled sweetly at their expressions. "What, you thought this was going to be easy? Just think of it as something extra to do."
zoobey
Justin's Envelope:
Once there was a quester named Justin, Who went without a disguise and was busted. He then put on a hunter coat, Then sang a Christmas note, And received loot from someone trusted.
Ol-j-man
Lina's Envelope:
The secret to spreading holiday cheer, Is to sing loudly for all to hear. Sing a song that's merry and bright, And your pockets will no longer be tight.
kurotomato
Gale's Envelope:
I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. - Aria (( Gale gains: $200 in cash ))
