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Hugely disappointed and more than a little upset that Luka had chosen someone else rather than him, Devin crossed his arms and pouted. He hadn't wanted that stupid shadow anyway! He was sure that if he asked very nicely, Howl would share Puff. Still, the toddler was determined to pout, until he caught sight of someone he thought he knew.

"'Lome!" he cried, running towards the figure. But wait, where were her wings? "Hi! Hi Lome! I mithed you!"

Howl rose an eyebrow at Kali; he had a feeling the girl didn't like him. Well, he'd have to change that, wouldn't he? Vain wizard that he was, Howl wouldn't stand for a female disliking him. Especially not on his birthday. It was unthinkable, improbable, impossible--well, unless they were a certain female, and he'd married her. He shrugged at Katia. "Come get your favors later," he advised.

Half tempted to pump his fist in the air, half tempted to lecture Jillian on the use of dark magic, he turned to the woman with a wounded expression. "Me? Teach my apprentices something evil? Never. I only ever teach them things they will find useful in the future. Such as making it rain chocolate syrup or toys." Toys were a dangerous thing, when falling from the sky. He knew from experience. That'd show her to doubt him.

He looked towards Eve and gave her a thumbs up to show he approved of her progress. He briefly wondered if Sophie would teach her more about flowers. Already he was tempted to start calling her "Persphone".

"I could," Howl mused still in character, glancing at Azrael, before giving Regina a polite nod. "I wouldn't want to, however. This vile creature happens to be one of my guests. I beg of you, my queen, to be polite to him. He is well known amoung my guests, and I would hate very much for any one of them to become unhappy." He broke character to roll his eyes. Queen Regina of the Snow? That was laughable. "Here," he said, offering her a one of the glass bottles. "Open this later. It'll do something. Depends on who opens it as to what."

The only thing they couldn't do was provide live animals, and Howl had made sure of that personally. Just in case Devin got any ideas. Speaking of Devin, the toddler's cries alerted the wizard of a guest he had hoped for. He had written a personal invite. "Hey," he said, in the direction of the figure he assumed was Alome. Where were her wings? And why was she wearing a mask? "I'm glad you could make it," there was something genuine about that smile, though his eyes showed his concern. "We'll be serving cake soon," he said, when he seemed to have run out of things to say. He handed her a bottle with another smile. "This is magic," he explained. "The bottle can't break. Open it when you need something magical."

~~~~

"Why did Howl make me babysit when he knew I was coming to the party anyway?" Loki asked of no one, though the shadow holding onto his hand clearly thought the boy was speaking to him. Said shadow chirped cheerfully in response.

"Pu, Pu!" Puff was excited. His host had sent him away, and now he got to go see him! "Pu, Uff!"

"Puff, Howl wants you to be good, okay? No eating all the food, no cleaning, no--" He hesitated in his lecture when the shadow wrapped its arms around him, red and green eyes wide and innocent, wings fluttering in a hopeful manner.

"Pu?"

Gah. Shadows were too cute. Loki found himself unable to be stern.

"Just be good, okay?"

"Pu!"

And so, they entered the house. Loki could only snicker as he spotted the horrified look on his cousin's face when he caught sight of Puff.

Azrael snorted at Howl's request for Regina to be polite. The witch, polite? That would be cause for celebration since the snow witch constantly looked down her nose at everyone and everything that passed her way. "Actually, yes. Some days even more so depending on how bored she is. I've seen her make kids cry before," he replied to Eve, grin returning to his face.

"I've been alright. Mother has been keeping home more often so I haven't found any more old and decaying cemeteries other than the really really weird one way out in the woods being our house..." The demon trailed off, pondering where he could have hidden a certain key to a certain creepy building he never could find time to explore. "Back to the topic of Regina, I wouldn't exactly use the word charming. You haven't had to deal with her for very long and be thankful for that," he added, gaze moving over to where Regina had now taken up residence by the musical instruments.

Tish gave Demyx a somewhat strained, but at the same time genuinely happy smile, and put a suddenly-struggling Axel down so the little redhead could tackle the other boy in a hug. "Demy! Fin'lly! Too many GIRLS!" the tiny Nobody declared, ruffling his twin's hair and hugging him in the squeezing manner only an infant can mange. Tish bit back a bigger smile and shook her head fondly at the two.

"Axel, don't hurt Demy, I know you're happy to see him but don't get overexcited, okay?"

Behind her, Miri peeked around her mother's legs and adjusted her mask, looking around curiously for kitties. "Games?" she echoed shyly, the red eyes of her mask glinting oddly in the light. Beside her sister, Luvvie waved to Howl, but decided not to bother him while he was talking to the girl in the mask - and what had happened to her wings? She had seen her before, and she'd had wings! Losing wings must be terrible, the little blonde thought, and instead wandered over to try and make some new friends - that little fuzzy boy looked awfully cute!

"'Ama. Pah-tee! Issa pah-tee!" Elise chirped from Tish's arms, wriggling until she was put down. Once she had, the baby waddled over to Howl, pulling a clumsy curtsy and twirled in a circle for him. "You' birf-day, righ'? Hah-py birf-day! I'm Elise, an' I'mma P'incess!"



Belle held onto her newest book as she held tightly to Jadyn's hand. She wasn't sure about this place, but meeting a real live book character - never mind that she herself was from a fairy tale; that was unimportant - would be so very fascinating! She adjusted her glasses and took a step in, almost running ahead of her dark elven mother and infant brother she was so excited.

Not used to her small legs, she tripped and fell halfway through the door, knocking her glasses off of her face and sending her sprawling. She did, however, manage to save the book; a copy of "The Wizard of Oz" that she had just started reading before they had to leave for the party. "O-ouch!" she yelped, and began the painstaking search for her glasses in the crowd.

Jadyn moved to help her daughter, and as she did, the infant that she held in her arms vanished, only to reappear a moment later about twenty feet away, a bright smile on his face as he giggled and clapped his hands. "P'NUT B'TTER!" He declared to the world at large, not trying to say anything particular - rather, he was just announcing his presence with his favorite words in the world.

Axel shook his head and scowled. "Nu-uh, I'm not bringing those GIRLS wi' me anywhere! I see 'em too much already!" The little redhead was still angry at his mother for getting him stuck with another sister instead of a new brother like he had been hoping for, and wasn't planning on letting the brunette forget it any time soon.

Smiling a bit, Tish took a seat along a back wall and held her arms out to Demy. "Of course I do, silly. You give the best Demyx-hugs ever!"

Miri beamed. "Oooh, sounds fun! Um.... why not? Mister Howl's nice t' me..."

Elise gasped in delight and took the teddy bear and the bottle, beaming up at the bigger child, falling down to sit on her rump and stare at him happily. "Fank you! Bu' i's you' birf-day pah-tee! You're s'pose's t' get p'esen's!" She declared, rising to her feet again after a moment. "I dance fo' yooooou!" The tiny Princess declared, twirling in place as her ability activated in front of everyone.



"My - my glasses," Belle said. "They fell off when I tripped. Thank you for helping," she said, continuing to reach around for them while clutching her book tightly to her chest. "My name's Belle, it's nicew to meet you," the toddler added, feeling it best to be polite to this stranger who was so kindly offering to help her.

Kupo giggled and teleported around the room, landing on top of Loki's head at the last. "Wheeee~!"

Meanwhile, little shadows were popping up among the crowd; Valdin - somehow clutching his carrot again - showed up behind Axel, peering around curiously. A little witch with an impish look on her face hung off of Tish's shoulder, cackling. "Heeheeheeheee~!"

Kali surveyed the room again, watching Katia chase Dimitri around the room, demanding her shadow back. A little boy named Adam had joined in on the chase, thinking it a game of tag or something. If it was, it was a very deadly tag. Katia would probably shave Dimitri bald. She was rather posessive of Luka, and got pretty jealous whenever he seemed attached to someone else. It had been a big problem between her and Dimitri, lately.

Satisfied that the kids in her care, at least, weren't causing too much trouble, Kali regarded the clear bottles that many were carrying around the room. It was bottled magic, apparently; a dangerous idea, if she'd ever seen one. Whoever had thought that up was sure to be reckless, if not a complete idiot.
And it could only have been the vain wizard himself, the boy whose birthday this was...
Howl.

She turned and sought him out in the crowd, spotting him with a masked girl. Frowning, she slipped through people and walked up behind them. The kid wasn't much shorter than she was...but he was still shorter, demanded her pride, so she bowed her head to speak in his ear.

"Excuse me. I hate to interrupt," A lie. "but may I borrow you for a moment? Howl?" She smiled, hooking her hands behind her back and cocking her head to the side. "I'd like to talk to you."

"Not far." She gestured over at a relatively empty corner of the room. There was a balloon monkey over there, but she was sure it wouldn't give them too much trouble.

Without waiting for Howl, she strode over, shooing away the rubber creature. It didn't really WANT to leave, being a rather foul tempered monkey, but a couple of swats from Kali sent it screeching across the room to irritate somebody else.

"I want to talk to you about your magic. In bottles. Isn't that a bit dangerous?" She asked, hands propped on her hips. She didn't MEAN to look as if she were lecturing him; time spent as a caretaker just made it habit. "What if something horrible happens when they're opened, and somebody gets hurt?" Ah, the root of her issue. If somebody, namely Katia, or one of her other 'kids' was hurt...Uncle Viktor would wring her neck.
Particularily if it were Katia.

: Thali is a bad Thali. Partial. Could not resist. :

Howl decided his best bet was to put on the charm. He gave Kali his best innocent look; tilting his head at her and giving his most adorable smile. "Don't you think I thought of that?" he asked in an overly pleasant tone. "I would never allow anyone to get hurt at my party." Those eyes, how pure, blue, and innocent. His hair, how it fell to the side in just the right fashion, so perfect, it had to be intentional. And that smile. That smile. The smile that had won over hundreds of girls before, the smile he planned to use to win many more over, including his wife.

He was laying it on thick. Howl was working every charm in the book. Every charm he had, minus the literal one. The wizard could not, or perhaps would not stand for a girl, especially a beauty like this one was, to dislike him. "Nothing harmful comes from the bottles," he assured her with another smile, with another flash of his perfect not-yet-full set of teeth. "May I ask for your name?" he asked, tilting his head once more, again with the perfect hair-falling-to-the-side effect.

"You seem to know mine already, but it's always proper for a gentlemen to introduce himself first." He paused for dramatic effect. "I'm Howl," he said, as if he thought she might have expected his name to be Fred, or something along those lines. "Howell, really, though only witches and my sister call me that. Assuming you're not a witch, of course."