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"Please don't," Odin visibly cringed at the prospect. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't need any help with creeping up to me and being annoying."

She couldn't help but grin at her friend as she did a double take and started ranting on about the incompetencies of men, shaking her a bit by the shoulders.

"Huh? But I thought you didn't--" she gave a start at Steff's offer but let out a muffled laughed when she found one of her hangers on the bed.

"Alright, I'll be your date tonight," she smiled and took the hanger from the other's hands. "Sorry about that," she said tossing it to some unknown corner.

Staggering forward as Steff pulled her into the mock dance Odin mentally noted that she would have to mention later about her clumsy feet. She had to admit that their pair-up would be quite the sight to see.

She grinned, "Heh, he did say I was too masculine for a girl. Might as well give him what he wants." She plopped down on a chair watching Steff roll around in laughter, unconsciously straddling the seat and resting her arms on the backrest. Perfect, she was in character already.

Gloria tossed her newly-teased hair in annoyance, waiting for Damien on the path just like they'd planned. She scowled, not having a watch to check, and shifted from side to side in her heels. Outsiders who were filing past into the Temple were giving the furious ex-bouncer uncertain, slightly frightened looks from time to time, and so, huffing, she went to stand the other side of the door.

"Where the ******** is he? What was that he said about not putting any effort in? Damn, he must've gone for some freaking beauty treatments he's been gone so long..."

"Oh please, like I NEED any of those hokey skin grafts to look gawjuss," he said, jumping out behind her just as he'd done earlier that day. This time, she screamed, and whirled around to see his stupid grinning face. "Boo, by the way."

She glared at him and gave him a judgemental once-over, as if he were dressed like a filthy, stinking hobo. In fact, for all his talk, he'd gone in quite the other direction. "You look like an idiot in that posey shirt."

"You look like an idiot, period," he laughed, leaning in and giving her a kiss just below the new heart-shaped tattoo transfer on her cheek. "I didn't keep you long, did I?"

"Only FOREVER," she muttered, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a proper kiss. "Do you like my dress?"

"I LOVE your dress. Very fetching. I was just admiring your beauty from the bushes over there..."

"Ah, playing the bush-peeper. I should've guessed," she laughed, pulling him in for another kiss.

"You look lovely."

"Thanks."

"Like a goddess."

"Now you're pushing it! Can we head inside?"

"I told Samuel we'd wait for him, he shouldn't be long. Said he was going for a walk. You know what he's like."

"Oh, I know."

They waited about another ten minutes, Gloria much happier now that she had her 'beau' to snuggle with and chat to in the nippy evening, and her in a thin, satiny frock, too! Yeah, lots of the women were going to have severe trouble later that night, with no coats to their names. She felt sorry for anyone who'd be coming without a date whose jacket they could borrow, like sad little Steff, whod' probably be freezing her tits off in some natty little number.

"Here it comes, all ten tons of it," Damien said, looking off towards the town. Gloria looked around and strained to see her boyfriend's twin, and for a moment she thought he'd been lost in the crowd of people gradually filing down, but then saw him. Well, he couldn't really be missed.




"Wow, you went totally over the top on the shirt front and your bro decided to skip it completely," she said, not quite able to believe it. Damien, meanwhile, was yelling at him over the heads of the crowd as if it were just the two of them at opposite ends of a very large field.

"Hey Sam! What happened to your shirt?"

He shrugged, hands in his pockets. "Lost it."

"Riiight," he replied, smirking at his brother as he came up and gave him a quick, manry hug. "So you think they're gonna let you in like that?"

"Eh, I have ways of getting round the guards," he replied, tugging at a piece of Gloria's bouncy hair. She swatted him off, laughing. "Your date's cute - can I borrow her?"

"We have guards?"

"Not very good ones."

Gloria was about to add something to the conversation, but then she stared past both of them.

"Oh. My. God. Look what she's done to JON!"




"HEY JON," Damien yelled again. Both heads turned towards them. "YOU LOOK LIKE A p***k."

Adeline looked visibly stricken, but then Jon leaned in to her and whispered something. Her face relaxed, and she giggled.

"Good evening to you, too," he laughed, coming over. Adeline trailed along beside him on his arm like a creeping ivy. "You all know Adeline, don't you?"

"Hi, nice to meet you!" she giggled, her voice high and breathy.

"You've got a funny taste in men," Gloria commented. They looked at her questioningly. "Well, I mean, just look how he's dressed! You find THAT attractive, huh?"

Adeline gave a small smile, and looked away demurely. "Well... he does match my dress..."

"Bet you picked it out for him cos of that, eh?"

"She didn't pick my suit," Jon said incredulously, "I did."

"Oh," Damien grinned, "Well, that's even more embarrassing. Jon, you suck."

"What's the matter with my suit?!"

"It's BROWN."

"What's wrong with brown suits?"

"What's NOT wrong with brown suits?"

"I think he looks rather dashing," Adeline blushed, "Like a real prince."

Jon looked down, Adeline looked up, and the two of them made eyes at each other. Gloria snorted.

"Yeah, you can laugh," said Sam, jumping in in defense of his best friend, "You look like some kind of cabaret hooker, and apparently my brother's going to some sort of death metal funeral."

"What the hell?!" Damien immediately protested. Gloria just laughed harder.

"It's all in the shirt, darling."

"I like his shirt," said Adeline.

"THANK you!" he said, throwing up his hands, "See? The dressmaking elf knows what she's talking about."

"Well, you're about the only one who does. Do you like MY shirt?"

She blinked at him. "You're not wearing a shirt."

"I know, made you look!"

Adeline, rather than blushing demurely and falling silent as they might have expected, laughed right along with them as they all joked together. Hell, at over thirty years old if she wasn't used to teasing by now she never would be.

"Anyway, want to head inside?"

There were general murmurs of assent among the friends. Sam hopped up for a piggyback from his brother, who carried him nonchalantly into the Temple. Adeline giggled.

"I like your friends."

"They're okay, aren't they?" he laughed.

Gloria stepped inside and took a look around the heads of the crowd... and, unluckily for them, just at that moment Steff and her date happened to be coming in through the door from the stairwell.

She did a double take. "Holy crap."

"What?"

"STEFF has got a DATE?!" she cried, craning her head for a closer look. "Holy crap. And he looks HOT! Guys with red hair are so damn sexy!"

"Hey, what about guys with blond hair?!"

She eyed him cheekily. "Negligible. Man, how the hell did she manage THAT? Do you recognise that guy? Does ANYONE recognise that guy...?"

Odin gulped, not used to the attention people passing by were giving them, but Steff's presence beside her eased her nervousness a bit.

"Ahaha, t-thanks," she nodded to her slightly, peering from the rim of her hat at all the people who were looking at them. Oddly enough, people actually thought she was a guy and Odin didn't have to do anything special or act too much out of character for it to be believable.

They quickly veered away from a group of other members of the Order and Odin let herself be pulled away to the side.

She was also astounded at the big turn-up. "Considering everything that happened.." she trailed off. "Well, it's great that people can enjoy tonight. And having a beach party for Christmas.. that would be so much like the Order," she smiled remembering the obvious quirkiness of their group.

Steff gestured to the spread and Odin mulled over the food. Whoever was in charge of organizing the event surely outdid themselves considering the food alone.

"Really? Can't say I've seen one of those before but it sounds great. Oh, thank you." Her friend offered her the ladle which she took and got a cup of drink for herself. She sipped the drink quietly as Steff people-watched at her side.

Odin was thankful for the large group of strangers and the hat she was able to hide under which kept people guessing who she was. It was kind of nice, this newfound anonymity, that even the people from the Order were unable to recognize her.

On her other side an anonymous girl had accidentally (well, at least Odin thought it was accidental) touched the hand she rested on the table and had hastily pulled away and apologized, albeit with a suppressed grin and blush. She mumbled, "It's okay," and gave the stranger a small smile before the girl scurried away to a group of giggling friends.

She sighed and shook her head, looking over to her partner.

"So, anything you wanted to do?"

"Ahaha.. d-dancing?" Odin laughed awkwardly. "Well, I suppose I could give it a try later.. but seeing as I'm a clumsy dodger.. you shouldn't expect much of my footwork." She moved her eyes over the crowd as people were continuously filing in, and there really was a lot of people. Odin laughed inwardly at the prospect of being found out because of her lousy footing, but she'd worry about that later.

"..I have no clue what to do. I guess we should just wait for the Priestess to kick things off," she said swirling her drink content with just standing there and watching everyone come in and get ready. At the mention of the a*****e (which was quickly becoming a convenient and catchy nickname for the two of them) Odin set her radar on high for the said person. So far she didn't spot him in the crowd yet, which meant she was left at peace for now.

She watched Steff as she gulped down the drink, laughing. Turning to her own cup she took another sip and re-adjusted her hat. Tonight looked promising. But the promise of what..? Odin wasn't sure. Shrugging off the feeling and taking a bigger sip of the red liquid she decided to wait and see how things would play out.