Welcome to Gaia! ::

The sun set later on the House that day, another sign of spring's rapid approach. The orange glow filtered through the tiny droplets that sprayed everywhere, filling the air with a thick mist. While it wasn't quite what one could call rain, it was increasingly uncomfortable with night fast approaching, and the air cooling rapidly.

And the House waited, with its doors open, and a single light in a first floor window.


His smile, not pronounced, not overzealous, still was firmly, if softly, happy. A whistled jukebox tune rippled expertly from pursed lips, a guitar case dangled carelessly from long fingers, and a jaunty step hinted that the tip jar had indicated tonight's performance was a success. The long walk back home hadn't yet taken its toll on him, even in this sketchy weather -- nor had Taka's sour mood once he arrived.

A light on a slight hill caught his attention. Most of the homes slumbered, occupants safely inside for the night, but this one burned one light in a window, and the front doors stood wide.

Surely no one would leave the door open on purpose like that. With slight trepidation (He wouldn't want to be mistaken for a burgler!) the rather angelic figure made his way toward the light, his intention for a good deed plain on his boyish face.


Baxter Green didn't like magic. He hated it, in fact. He would have moved completely off of Gaia if he'd had the money to go. Fox boys and chicks with wings... ha! He preferred good old fashioned humans and normal, everyday animals that couldn't stand up and talk to you. You never knew what you were shooting at around here. Not that you were allowed to shoot much of anything most of the time. Even if he didn't respect the ones who made them, if there was one thing Baxter always did, it was follow the rules.

Sunset found him venturing home from an all-day trek through the horse trails and sparse woodland of the area. Everything had been just fine until this god-awful fog had descended. As much as he might have wanted to, he couldn't keep going in this mess. Baxter squinted as a sudden spot of light came into view. A porch maybe? Somewhere he could sit and wait until this mess cleared. He ran a hand through his wet, thinning auburn hair and plodded toward the House.

"Ugh...this is going to ruin my makeup." Crescentia grumbled, staring at the ground as she walked. She hated not walking with an air of confidence but...she hated being in public with running makeup! Her tarot cards hadn't mentioned rain today, not even misty rain that was more like bits of sugar going through a strainer. Although with mist usually came more rain! The gypsy stopped in her tracks for a minute to give her surroundings a quick look, twirling some blue beads on her necklace around her finger. She couldn't just go 'Well I don't feel like walking home so I'll just POOF and end up in my living room!' that bit of magic didn't work that way. She couldn't enter buildings like that!

She did, of course, hear the whistling. Ooh, a man! Perhaps he could be a gentleman and offer some sort of covering like an umbrella or...or just walk into a strange old house in need of an extreme rennovation. Maybe he lived there? Oh well, she'd just...follow him inside! Yeah! He looked nice, maybe he wouldn't care if she just went waltzing in looking for a bit of shelter. He'd left his doors wide open anyway! And there was another man walking up anyway! This could be fun...

Crescentia nodded confidently to herself, jumping over the fencing that she was standing beside and hurrying after the man with her arms protectively covering her head from the pathetic excuse for rain.

The inside of the house appeared harmless enough. There were no lights in the entryway, but through the gloom it was just possible to make out a few picture frames on the walls, and a table with a lamp just inside the door. But the light still shone in the side room, indicating somebody's presence in another part of the house. Possibly.

He turned at the sound of footsteps behind him. People approaching the house! He grimaced, looking equally abashed, and hallooed. They'd probably only gone to their car for something.

"I'm sorry, do you live here? I saw the door open and I thought it had to be accidental in this weather. I was coming up to close it..." He trailed off. His voice was much deeper than his face would have suggested, with an almost smoky edge.

Lively blue eyes squinted into the gloom as he waited for them to catch up to him, uncomfortably aware that he smelled like nightclub. He'd be glad for a shower in more ways than one; he was actually wet now, and the air had a bitter bite to it tonight.

A man and a woman, he thought, reinforcing his earlier conclusion. He did manage to look a little pathetic as he stood arms folded across his chest, guitar case on the sidewalk. Maybe that would earn him some slack. He was, after all, tresspassing.

Baxter tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. "Not my house, no," he muttered. "I was just coming up here to dry off." But I think I'll be going now that you two are here. "Uh, it looks like there's someone inside," he said instead. "Maybe we should tell them to close their own door." He stepped nearer to the House to make room for Crescentia as he brushed at his sleeves.

Crescentia hopped up onto the porch to hurry up and get out of the rain, brushing droplets of water out of her hair. Great, now it was going to be cold and damp! She frowned when she heard the first thing the man she'd been following asked. "Uh...no...I thought you did so I was going to ask if I could come in!" She laughed softly and rubbed at the back of her neck. Might as well pretend to be bashful.

"Well if they left their door open they're just asking for someone to come in!" The gypsy smiled sweetly and slipped between the two men to get closer to the door. Sometimes it's nice to be small. "Can't be rude if someone is that hospitable!" Geeze. She'd make a good burglar.

Although just because she was getting closer to the door didn't mean she was stupid. She'd let the men be brave and go in first.


Of all times to be lost in the rain, it was now. Trinityblue had a very undeveloped sense of direction, especially in new places, like the one she was in now. On top of being lost, she was now wet and getting wetter by the minute. Her hands were shoved deeply into her pockets, while the hood of her sweater tried to protect her from the falling drops of water. The hood also covered the cat-like ears on the side of her head while her tail was curled around her waist, under the sweater.

There was one house along this path with a light still on. Looking at it, there were people standing on the porch, talking about something or other that she couldn’t quiet make out. However, if there were people here, maybe they knew where on Gaia she was! Then she could get home.

With that in mind, she also jumped the fence that was there, and made her way up to the hill.



It would be a quartet, then, and not just a trio. The House was pleased.

Several seconds later, a fanfare trumpeted loudly from inside the house. A light flickered on towards the back of the hallway, projected on one of the side walls, and giving the definite impression of a television, though it was impossible to be sure from the porch.

He laughed at the woman's obvious chagrin at not finding him to be the owner -- and even more dubious ethics. She was pretty, in a vaguely wild way. He liked the older man's suggestion a wee bit better.

"Yeah, definitely does sound like someone's inside," the young man responded pleasantly, after a decided start at the sudden noise. Putting his guitar case against the house so it wouldn't be tripped over, he poked his head inside.

"Halloooooo?" Nothing. Not surprisingly, even with the resonance of his voice. That music was earsplitting. Gritting his teeth against the noise, he ventured a few steps inside, and called again. The light framed him in a warm glow, water sparking prismatically off his almost white-blond curls. It suited him in some irrational way.

Still nothing. He turned back to those gathered on the porch, shrugging a little. "What now? I don't want to wander through this person's house and end up shot at because I just wanted them to know their door was closed." He made a face, offset by his good-humored eyes. He shivered a little. "It is a bit warmer in here though." The musician laughed at himself this time. "Who's going to be brave and go first? The first one through is the one who takes the bullet," he joked. Sort of.

Baxter held his breath and winced at the noise, the first action keeping him from rolling his eyes as well as preventing a sigh. Normally he wouldn't have gone rifling through people's houses, but if it got all of these overly concerned young people off of the porch so he could sit and rest, he would risk getting shot. Obviously the person inside was just playing with them anyway.

"I'll come with," he said. "Hell, I'll even go first. I've lived a good life." He stepped inside and moved past the younger man and further into the hall.

Her eyes widened at the sudden fanfare but she refused to show any other signs of surprise other than that. If she jumped and screamed like a little girl these men would probably think of her as one. "Why it's the royal treatment!" She joked, taking a tiny step back to let the younger of the men peek into the house.

"But elders are wise and respected. It's a shame to let one risk death." The gypsy pouted.

...She didn't even know either of their names. Where were their manners? Crescentia leaned back against the wall next to the door and crossed her arms across her chest, squinting her eyes when she suddenly noticed movement. "...Huh, hey wait...maybe she's the owner?" She pointed at the woman running up to the house.

The other female made it up to the porch, stopping just at the edge and just in time to hear the question. “Um, no, I’m just lost. Could anyone tell me where I am?” she asked, rather embarrassedly.

Then she noticed the noise, and how the older of the two men was starting for the door. It was also noted that they were wet like she was. Were they lost to? Oh that would just be lovely. Everyone lost and standing on the porch of a house who’s door was die open.

What was going on in there, anyway?

Another fanfare. This one was even louder and more persistent, and the flickering on the wall suddenly brightened just enough to illumiate the hallway. Other than the picture frames and the table with the lamp, it looked empty, but there was clearly a door at the other end that was open, waiting.

Long musician's hands clapped over his ears, the young man spoke louder than was necessary. "C'mon, let's get this over with." He didn't wait for the older man who'd volunteered to lead but, he somewhat sourly noted, had not actually taken any initiative.

"By the way, I'm Angel," he called over his shoulder with an enigmatic smile, almost as though there was something funny about what he'd just said, or some inside joke. Turning back, he reached the doorway, but after the gloom of the hallway, it was too bright to immediately see.

Wincing again and grinding his teeth together painfully at the noise, the man replied, "Baxter," loud enough for the women to hear. He followed behind, more slowly, thinking that maybe the owner of this place needed a lesson on noise pollution. Or a punch. He stopped a few paces behind Angel and waited.

Crescentia shrugged. "No idea, sorry. You're at...a creepy old house in need of a new security system and a complete rennovation?" She fussed with her hair a little to make sure it wasn't frizzing from the weather. "Just came to get out of the rain..."

The woman gasped and jumped away from the wall when another fanfare sounded, staring wide-eyed down the hallway visible through the door. "Either someone's deaf or we're being invited in." She put a hand over her heart to wait for it to calm, grinning. "Pleasure to meet you, Baxter, Angel. I'm Crescentia." Blinking, she watched the men walk away and into the building. Crescentia pouted and stood in front of the door.

"I'm at least going to be nice and wait for...um...what's your name?" Smooth, Crescentia. Real smooth.

"Trinityblue," the late one answered even as she covered her ears from the fanfare, "nice to meet you." Then she looked into the hall, where the lights and sounds were coming from. Curiosity was winning over the fact it was morally wrong to enter a house uninvited. Besides, who ever owned the house left the door wide opened, inviting them in, right?

"I think we should check in on whoever lives here," she said, starting to get a small headache from it all.

Once everyone had stepped inside, yet another fanfare sounded, this one softer and seemingly more distant. In its last bars it gave way completely to tinkling piano music, and the light stopped flickering, remaining steady while the quartet made their way down the hall.

Then, as they neared the door, there was a sound that was startlingly like a gunshot. Less than a second later, the light abruptly went out. If one tried to find the door in the pitch black, they would find that both the door and the walls had mysteriously vanished.

The volume lessened. Had the owner finally heard them, and turned down the tube to investigate? But no. The pomp and blare of the fanfare faded away to soft notes on a piano, hesitant almost, as if the musician played from memory and for his own pleasure only.

The soothing effect lasted only moments; Angel had nearly reached the door.

BLAM! Half a swear word ground out between his teeth as the lights simultaneously went out, and he was left desperately regretting his ill-timed jokes only minutes ago.

Instinct drove him ducking to the left, out of line of fire from the doorway, and leaning against the wall. "Easy," he was shouting at the unseen shooter.

Except...there was nothing where the wall should have been. He fell backward, hard, onto a floor caked with dust that clung to his damp clothes and hair. He lay still, afraid of what he might bump into if he tried to rise. He must have become even more disoriented in the dark than he'd realized.

When the lights went out, Baxter remained still save for an unintentional flinch. The sound of a gunshot indoors was somewhat troubling, but he didn't feel any pain or the sick gush of blood pouring from any new holes, so everything was probably okay for now. He crouched low, trying to get out of the way in case there was a rogue shooter in the room somehow, but he still didn't move and so remained unaware that the walls were suddenly missing.

"Is everyone all right?" he asked. His voice was lower than he expected with no walls to bounce the sound back at him.

Her smile returned. "What a unique name. C'mon, let's hurry before the men ditch us." Crescentia said, grabbing Trinity's hand and hurrying in after Angel and Baxter. "I'm sure that whoever lives here won't mind us coming in. We're just...warning them of the dangers of leaving their doors open!" She said cheerfully as she let go of the other woman's hand once they'd caught up with the men.

Crescentia jumped a little when she heard the first note of the fanfare sound...but it was so soft and pretty this time. That was weird. Someone must've had a marching band! Haha. The gunshot did a little more than startle her though, screaming and throwing her arms around Baxter--since he was in front of her--to hide behind him. They were being shot at! But had anyone been hit? She heard someone hit the ground and gasped, letting go of the older man to look around. Wow...she'd either gone blind or the owner of the house had cut the power. "This is just like one of those horror movies." The gypsy laughed, waving her arms out in front of her to try and find the doorway they were heading for.

...Geeze...had they not been as close to the door as they thought?

"Uh...I am, but I heard someone hit the floor. Angel? Trinity?"

"I’m good," Trinity answered, having thrown herself on the ground at the gun shot and her tail was nor longer hidden, but stuck straight up in air. This was like some haunted house! Would it eat them… or something equally horrible? In her life, she wouldn’t doubt this happening. "Is everyone else alright?"

Then she turned to reach for the air, only to grab air in the darkness. "Uhhh… there’s no door."

"You're late!" a stern voice said from somewhere in the darkness. There was another sharp crack, this one of a whip, and the lights flickered back to life.

The formerly dust-covered floor was now polished to a shine, and the walls had relocated themselves so that the intruders were in the center of a large room. Two walls had round bars attached to them, one at hip level, the other a foot above that. The third wall was a giant mirror, with a set of straight cracks forming a rectangle that might have indicated a door.

There was no fourth wall. Instead, the room gave way to a giant pit of sand. It appeared to go on forever, under a sky that looked decidedly artificial, too low to be real and painted with fat, unmoving clouds.

"Stand up straight!" The voice came from a middle-aged woman standing where the two sets of bars intersected. She wore her wispy black hair in a tight bun, and a tight pink leotard made her figure- or lack thereof- perfectly clear. There was a whip hanging from her bony hand, and she cracked it again, lips pursed. "I don't want to tell you again!"

Angel had risen to a sitting position at the sound of others' voices, deciding if anybody was gonna be shot, it'd be the people talking and not him. He was still scrambling to his feet at "You're late!" when the lights returned. They were expected in the first place?

What he saw then was truly bizarre, something out of Alice in Wonderland. If, you know, Alice in Wonderland had had aged dominatrix ballet teachers.

He said nothing at first, merely stared at the woman after a brief incredulous glance at all his companions. It might have been the light, but though his face was still very clearly his face, he seemed older. His eyes were no longer smiling, either; perhaps that was it. Instead of a cheerful youth, he looked a serious man.

"I hope," he said slowly and distinctly to the woman, "you have no dreams of making me into your next star pupil." The absurdity of him trying to get any part of his body besides maybe an elbow on those bars struck him forcibly, and the youthful glimmer was back in his face as he cracked a smile in spite of the situation. "I think you'll be very very disappointed, ma'am."

Baxter's reaction to Crescentia's panicked grabbing more than made up for any lack of response on his part to the darkness and the gunfire. He was still trying to catch his breath when the lights returned and some bony hag threatened the four of them with a whip. He backed up, unknowingly inching closer to the sand pit he failed to see in the mirror and wasn't facing, and noticed Trinityblue's tail along the way. His eyes squeezed shut as he stopped moving and he graciously decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, as long as she didn't touch him. At all. That went for any of these freaks.

"I. Don't. Dance," he rasped. Still... Anyone that could make walls disappear and rooms with no exits grow to ridiculous sizes in the blink of an eye probably deserved some respect. He planted his feet and his back straightened ever so slightly.

Late? Crescentia stopped where she was and looked around for the source of the voice, although she knew this attempt was futile since the lights were--OH GOD THEY WERE ON AGAIN. The gypsy winced and covered her eyes since they'd adjusted to the pitch black darkness from before. She gave herself a minute before she opened her eyes again and looked around.

...What the hell? It looks like a dance studio with a giant desert invading one side of it. Oh hey! A mirror! The gypsy smiled wide and checked herself out in it, doing a little spin to make sure everything was still in tact. Ugh! There was dust on her pants! She was about to bend down and brush the dust off when an older woman in a tacky leotard suddenly yelled at them to stand up straight. The sudden yell was enough to startle her to a standing position. Why was she holding a whip?! Dance instructors didn't use whips! Oh well...maybe it was just an intimidation factor. Some people were so strange.

"Ooh! Dancing! I love dancing!" The gypsy cheered, clapping her hands and jumping for joy. She frowned when Angel told the woman she would be extremely disappointed if she expected him to dance. Her frown deepend when Baxter just out and out told her he didn't dance. Oh dear...she wasn't the only one who could dance, was she? Maybe TB could dance! She pouted and put her hands on her hips, looking at the bars that Angel felt he'd never reach. "Oh, come on. Anybody can dance if instructed properly!"

“Only if it includes tripping over your own feet and falling flat on your face,” Trin answered, giving the other female a crooked grin. Having seen end bits of Crescentia clinging to Baxter was funny. Till the fact that bright light after pitch blackness hurt the eyes kicked in.

She had her own theory about this sceen. “I think we’re all dead and this is some bazaar limbo that we’re now in.” How else were you going to explain the lady with the whip, in a dance room that ended in a desert.

The teacher didn't seem to be pleased by the reactions she was getting, and she cracked her whip again. "Such impudence! You're not even dressed properly! Off now, and I expect to see you in the correct attire in five minutes."

Marching over to the break in the mirror, she pushed it lightly, and watched as it fell inwards and shattered. This did not faze her in the slightest, and she pointed at the room. From the studio, it was just possible to see a costume rack inside, though it was difficult to make out what exactly was hanging from it.

"Go on, now, before I get cross." The whip cracked again, and the teacher did not seem to be open to negotiation.

The last crack had positioned the whip unsettlingly near his behind. Angel scooted to the costume rack, and began flipping through the hangars, gingerly avoiding the broken glass that had spewed everywhere and tinkled and crunched beneath his feet. They contained, he found, a whole lot of spandex and a whole lot of tulle. What they didn't seem to contain was anything remotely designed for the male body.

"Um, I don't think-" He met the mentally dubbed Balleratrix's cold, cold stare. He understood this weird fantasy well enough (He knew he hit his head when he fell, but honestly...) to know that she wouldn't care.

He pulled out a rack at random: a red leotard with a short skirt tied around it. Not about to strip with everyone watching, with a look of resigned martyrdom he stepped into it while still fully dressed, pulling it up over the pants and white buttonup he wore.

He refused to look in the mirror as he emerged, but he cracked a joke anyway. "I don't think red's my colour," he observed, managing a boyish grin in spite of everything.

Hands fisted at his sides, Baxter cut a wide circle around the others and entered the jagged glass 'doorway.' The costumes presented to him weren't the most masculine affairs either, but at least there were a few that weren't skin tight. He took his time taking off his damp jacket and transferring his house keys and wallet from it to his pants pockets before he reached out and angrily snatched what seemed to be a sleeveless tankini top made for a morbidly obese, colorblind shut-in. The shirt sported a mass of ruffles around its neck that from far away, kind of looked like a neck brace. The MC Hammer balloon pants that followed were almost pleasant-looking by comparison.

Like Angel, Baxter slipped his new outfit on over his clothing before rejoining his fellow captives in the larger room.

Crescentia blinked. They weren't dressed properly? The gypsy looked at herself in the mirror once more...there was a 'proper' dance attire? Weird. She'd thought the entire affair was about expressing one's self through any means necessary...what a silly woman! Haha!

The crashing glass didn't surprise as much as she thought it would, glancing at the two men to see how they would react to be told to change their clothes as she followed them in. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure TB was following safely as well. "Augh! How tacky!" Crescentia whined as she plucked a random tutu off the rack. Who in their right mind would wear such a thing?! She looked up when Angel and Baxter seemed to pick out what they were wearing, not holding back any laughter at how absolutely ridiculous they looked putting the costumes on over their clothes.

Once her laughter subsided she turned back to the clothes left to choose from. Well...there was an ugly sparkly leotard here. She took that. Then she found a sheer green skirt to put over that. "Mmph...this will have to do." Unfortunately Crescentia didn't understand the concept of shame and modesty...just changing out of her clothes and into the leotard and skirt right there before slipping her shoes back on so she could walk over the glass.

"I would like to have a word with the maker of these so called 'outfits' when this is over." She grumbled, glaring at her reflection in the mirror. At least she could enjoy the dancing...and watching the men look like idiots just from what they were wearing. "Nope, red isn't your color. I'm surprised you picked the skirt and not some pants like Baxter."

“Oh dear!” Trin said, stepping in the way of the view between the boys and where Crescentia had stripping to put on one of the gaudy outfits on. She had been following, and found what the boys to have done amusing. Something she would have to do as well, not being as brave as Crescentia.

But she did face another problem. None of these outfits had tail holes, a necessity to her. This meant that not only would she have to show how bad she was at dancing, but her tail would be hindered in helping her balance. Once the other girl was dressed, she grabbed something bright teal and pink.

After taking off the sweater-jacket, she put it on over her clothes. “I’m not near as brave as you, girl. I’ll just do it this way,” she stated. Then she looked at her backside. Her tail was again wrapped around her waist, and now budging. She put the sweater back on over the top of it.

The teacher watched them, seemingly satisfied with their cooperation. When they had all dressed, she walked up and down in front of them, scrutinizing each outfit carefully. When she was done she clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "You have potential, I admit. But you need these before you can learn from me."

Reaching behind the rack, she pulled out four coats, each covered with frills and gold trim and each more fancy than the last. Without separating them, she tossed the whole pile at the nearest person. "Now these are what you need. Put them on, and meet me at the bar in five minutes. Or else."

With a final threatening crack of the whip, the teacher left, closing the door behind her with an audible click.

To say that seeing everyone don outrageously ghastly outfits just because a woman with a whip told them to was surreal, was the understatement of the century. He actually clapped a hand over his mouth when he turned to scope out Baxter's new look.

"Man..." He didn't even know what to say. He knew he couldn't look any better, but that was quite possibly the single most unflattering thing the man could have put on. His laughter was unsuccessfully suppressed.

He simply averted his eyes as he found Crescentia half undressed; from his usual demeanor he might have been expected to blush, but he didn't seem particularly discomfited. "I would have worn the pants if I'd seen them," he retorted defensively before glancing at Baxter again. "...I think." This time he positively guffawed. "I'm sorry man, I don't mean to, to be rude," he managed through tears.

The coats were dropped unceremoniously near his feet. Once again, none the most manly, though it hardly mattered at this point; he had no dignity left. Might as well play this thing out to the fullest, and maybe even have some fun.

He picked a purple and yellow patchwork one with lace sleeves and a collar that looked like it had once been a blue feather boa. "To bring out my eyes and my manly physique," he explained, keeping as straight a face as he could manage as he stood near the bars.

"I wouldn't laugh," Baxter said, keeping his eyes off of Crescentia as she changed from one strange outfit to another. His face screwed up into one of his unpleasant half smiles once again as Angel laughed, only this time it was more of a grin than a grimace. "You look horrible." Well, the whole situation was kind of funny if he pretended it wasn't happening to him. For the second time that evening he crouched instead of bending at the waist, not trusting his surroundings or his back not to turn on him. He chose a coat, not that it was much of a choice at all, and slid his arms into the sleeves. His spot at the bar was quite a ways away from Angel, and he hoped the rest of them were wise enough to keep their distance.

"You all look horrible," Baxter muttered. He scratched at his neck and tried to keep his head down as he waited to see what more could possibly happen. He hoped he was dead, because that was the only way this was making any sense.

"Brave?" Crescentia asked with genuine confusion. How had she been brave? She tapped at her chin to try and think back on anything brave she'd done.

...Nope...nothing came to mind.

The teacher caught her attention again when she said they had potential. What? She didn't need to learn how to dance from some crazy old hag with a whip! Crescentia's disapproval only showed by the dark glare the woman was given when she turned her back to get the coats.

Oh hey, those were some fancy coats.

..Why did they need coats to 'learn' to dance? This chick was weird. It wouldn't take them five minutes to put on a coat and walk over to a bar! Crescentia sighed and looked around, her gaze stopping on TB when she noticed the awkward bulge in her outfit. "You going to be alright with your tail wrapped up like that?" Tails were vital for balance, after all...if you had one.

"At least there aren't any cameras around." Crescentia said in an attempt to comfort the humiliated men, eyeing the coats that were sitting at Angel's feet.

"Purple and feathers are the highest quality of masculine attire...unfortunately that was the only one that matched me." She sighed and crouched down besides the jacket to pick at the two that were left. Eh...the orange one with teal trimming and puffy cloth coming out of the end of the sleeves like a jacket you'd see in a Renaissance movie would have to do. Not like they were being judged by how well they looked.


“I’ll be okay, it’s just uncomfortable, that’s all,” Trin told her, taking the last coat that was left. At least being last in this thing meant no big decisions! That made her happy. “And I have to agree to the camera thing. This would be so embarrassing if other people saw us like this,” she muttered. But it would be worse for the guys, honestly. That thought just made her grin as she looked at them.

Then she went to pick a place at the bar. True, the older man didn’t like her one bit, and that made her want to get closer, just to annoy him. It had to be that cat side of her. The more you didn’t want one to be around, he more they were and vise versa. She was trying to resist that urge, so, she kept around Crescentia instead.

Despite the fact that the "pupils" had taken their places, the teacher was nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately for them, that did not mean that she could not be heard.

"Can't you follow simple instructions?" she said angrily. "I said to come to the bar! Don't make me come and get you!"

For a brief moment, her head poked through the mirror as if it was as insubstantial as water. Then, with a disapproving stare, she pulled herself back in. The entire mirror turned an opaque black, and the space where the door had been disappeared- though strangely enough, the knob remained, as if floating in a void. It was spinning slowly, making its four multicolored quarters- red, blue, green, and purple- twist together in dizzying combinations.

"Come on," the teacher's now disembodied voice said. "I won't wait forever."

Well...that was the oddest place she'd ever been. It was actually kind of cool now that she thought about it...but she'd be lying is she said it didn't scare her just a little. Crescentia looked down at the little crane toddling loyally behind her and the little angel she was carrying. "I guess the trip wasn't all bad. I got to meet the two of you!" The gypsy grinned and rubbed her nose against Sera's in a little eskimo kiss, reaching into her bag for her apartment key. "I'm sure you'll love it here. It's nice and spacious and it has such a lovely view, and you'll have a sister too! Her name's Guinevere!" She said as she unlocked the door and stepped into the apartment, stepping aside to let Seduire come inside before pushing it closed with her foot and putting Sera down so she could situate herself.

"Mamma?" Crescentia called, carefully stepping around the crane flapping his wings in excitement. Wow! I like this place! It's nice! Lots of colors! Lots of soft things! Who's that over there? Seduire and Seraphine hurried after their new guardian into what must have been the living room. On the floor in the middle of the room, surrounded by a fortress of building blocks, sat a little redheaded girl dressed in a green nightie and an elderly woman with her hair worn long and gray and dressed in as many colors as there was in the room they were in. The two of them were watching Crescentia and the two newcomers with interest, the redhead blinking and holding up a toy catapult.

"Oh! Lei è ritornato! Guinevere il più caro piccolo ed eravamo giusto giocando castello..." The elderly woman spoke in some odd language Seraphine didn't understand. She pushed herself up to her feet and carefully stepped over their fortress to give Crescentia a hug. She looked just like her! Was this her mommy? She had called out mamma before. Seraphine sat down on the floor at Crescentia's feet and stared up with large, curious eyes. Everyone was so tall! Sensing she was being stared at the woman looked down and gave Sera a big smile, bending down to pick her up. "E chi è quest'angelo piccolo?" What was this woman saying? Crescentia smiled and said something in the strange language the woman was speaking, gasping when the woman's lips suddenly planted a big kiss on her forehead--leaving a big red lip mark from her lipstick--and set her down inside the fortress with the redhead. The two women left for the kitchen to leave them to get to know each other.

...Well...

Now what? Seraphine and Guinevere just sat and stared at each other for a minute or two. Seduire flapped his little wings to get himself in the air to climb over the wall without hurting anything or anyone. After what felt like hours but was really only half a minute Guin reached around Seraphine to grab a toy, offering her a princess doll. Then she picked up another princess for herself and grinned. Well...this girl may have weird hair, and looked a little younger than herself but she seemed nice enough! Sera smiled and held up the doll to look at her; her pink dress sure was pretty, like something she'd want to wear one day! But her chest was so much bigger than her own...and her legs were so long, and then her arms were permanently bent! How odd. Guin's was the same way. When she looked away from the doll to look at her new sister she was staring inquisitively at Seduire. I don't like that look, Sera.. She can't be bad. She's younger than me... Seraphine giggled. Suddenly Guin seemed to have an idea because her grin grew wider and her eyes opened wide. She pointed at Seduire and with that excited expression still on her face she appointed him the most important role in their game of castle: "Drag'n!" Seduire's feathers ruffled with surprise. Dragon? Him? What? What was a dragon? Guin picked up a beanie baby that was sitting at her feet, explaining with a simple point and another "drag'n" that that's what a dragon was...okay...weird. What does she want me to do..? Just be a dragon. But I don't know-- Try being like that weird guy we passed on the way here~! Seduire blinked and stared at Sera. Oh geeze...this was going to be hard. The crane gave a little crane sigh and stood up straight and tall, opening his mouth and--

"Bene era Guinevere di osservazione di piacere. Sono sicuro lei e Seraphine andrà d'accordo perfettamente. Sarei felice di guardare loro ancora qualunque tempo lei ha bisogno di me a!" The old woman and Crescentia were back! The young gypsy laughed and put her cup of tea on a table that'd been moved to make room for the building block castle.

"Oh, Mamma. Lei è troppo gentile. Ciò amerei!" She smiled and walked over to the three sitting in the castle, putting her hands on her hips and bending down closer to them to see what they were up to. The clock on the wall suddenly started chiming the next hour, catching Crescentia's attention and finally letting her know how late it was. "Oh, geeze!" She smacked the heel of her hand against her forehead and turned back to her mother with an apologetic smile. "Bene, prendo meglio questi due al letto prima che diventano irritati. Buona notte, Mamma!" Crescentia leaned over to give her mother a quick kiss on the cheek, waving goodbye and turning back to the two girls as her mother walked away. She waited until she heard the door open and close before squatting down so she was at their level. "Well, sweeties, it's ten o'clock and way past your bedtimes. Time for bed!" Guin gasped and pouted, Sera just stared up at Crescentia with the most curious look. Ten o'clock? Time for bed? What? She didn't get much time to think on it because soon both she and Guin were scooped up in Crescentia's arms and being carried down the hall to a brightly painted door that led to an equally bright room! It was so...green!

"It's a good thing I got such a big bed. The two of you can share this room until you're both big enough to fill up your own rooms." She grinned and sat them down on a couch. "Guin, I'm entrusting you with the duty of getting your sister settled into this room. I can trust you, right?" Guin nodded. "Good! You're such a bright girl." Crescentia giggled and ruffled Guin's hair, standing and starting out the door. "Good night, my babies." Seduire ruffled his feathers. The gypsy laughed. "And good night, Seduire." And then the door was closed and she was gone.


----
As you can see Crescentia's mother doesn't speak English. XD So here's a translation of what they're saying in order of when it's said.
1. Oh! You've returned! Guinevere and I were just playing castle...
2. And who is this little angel?
3. Well it was a pleasure watching Guinevere. I'm sure she and Seraphine will get along perfectly. I would be happy to watch them again any time you need me to.
4. Oh, Mom. You're too kind. I would love that!
5. Well, I best get these two to bed before they get irritated. Good night, Mom!

Mamma said music is like magic! It can make people happy! Sera thought, smiling brightly at the oboe Crescentia had bought for her. She was sitting in her and Guin's room on one of the little couches in the middle of the room. But it only makes them happy if it sounds good. Teased Seduire as he flapped his wings furiously to get himself onto the back of the couch. He was still so little! He'd get the hang of this flying thing soon enough. Are you sure you can do this? You're still really little...you can't even hold it properly because of your size! Sera glared at the daemon, scooting to the edge of the couch so she could prove him wrong.

Seduire slid down the top of the couch to sit on the cushion beside the blonde, ready to watch her attempt to play an instrument she had no idea how to use. Sera wet her lips, took in a deep breath of air and...

The sound that came out sent Seduire flying off the couch, feathers ruffled, squawking loudly at the terrible off-key screeching noise Sera'd made the oboe make. Sera frowned and watched the crane, looking down at the oboe with a sigh. A faint movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, however, and made her forget all about her disappointment; replacing it with curiosity instead. There were a pair of ghostly figures hanging out the end of the oboe with what appeared to be their hands covering their ears and red squinted slants that must have been their eyes. "Augh! That was awful!" One of them screeched. "Yeah! Seriously! Don't quit your dayjob, kid!" Said the other ghostly figure, crossing its arms over its chest.

Sera just stared dumbly at the pair, looking from them to the oboe and then back at the ghosts. "H-huuuuh?" What was going on? Was this oboe like the genie's lamp in that Aladdin movie she watched?! But these guys were being mean! It couldn't be a lamp! It was an oboe! Who were these guys?

"What're you staring at, Miss Priss?"

"Wh...what?"

"You heard me! That was terrible!"

"But I--"

"But nothing! You nearly blew out our eardrums and the eardrums of that poor bird!" Said the ghost, pointing at Seduire. Seduire hopped onto the table and pecked at it. "Hey! Watch it!"

"You're just me--"

"Mean? Oh please! You're just a softie!"

"I...I'm telling my mommy!" Sera cried, jumping off the couch and running out the door. The ghosts laughed until Sera came back with Crescentia, hiding behind the woman's legs as the two of them walked in. Crescentia blinked and picked up the oboe, looking inside it, around it, fiddling with the keys, taking out the reed and putting it back in...nothing. The ghosts were gone.

"But...but they were there! Being mean! Out of the oboe!"

"I'm sorry, baby, but there's nothing here. It's a normal oboe...no ghosts." She looked from the oboe to her daughter, frowning. While her head was turned one of the ghosts peeked out and stuck out its tongue. Sera gasped and pointed.

"There it is! There it is!" But the ghost disappeared before Crescentia looked. Sera just stood there, jaw dropped, finger still pointing at the oboe with a look of utter defeat. But...it...what? Why was this happening?! Crescentia frowned again and put the oboe on the couch, kneeling down in front of Sera and patting her head.

"Maybe you're just seeing things from...hunger or something. Come, we'll make lunch!" She then stood and took Sera's hand, watching Seduire hop off the table to follow them out of the room and to the kitchen.

...Did the oboe just laugh?

((Reserved for New Years post))

They may have lived in an apartment, but the apartment had such large windows and a balcony! There was no way they could skip out on decorating it with Jack-O-Lanterns! Plus they could decorate the inside with pumpkins too. It was the perfect plan, and Seraphine seemed quite pleased with herself that she'd managed to convince her Momma to agree to her idea all on her own. Seraphine and Seduire had wandered off away from Crescentia, remaining well within her sights, but they were still a good distance away. They weren't causing trouble, just wanting to cover more ground when looking for the perfect pumpkin.

These pumpkins were so big though! Seduire poked at one of them with his beak, flapping his wings violently when he found himself going through it and getting the tip of his beak stuck in the pumpkin. The girl gasped and covered her nose, whining softly. Owwie! That hurt! She looked back at Seduire as he squawked unhappily and gasped again. Seduire! Are you okay?! The girl tugged on him from behind and attempted to pull him out. It took some effort but she did eventually get him free, tumbling backwards with the bird until she bumped into something softer than a pumpkin but definitely not a pillow. Was it a person?



Sera was rubbing her head and Seduire was sitting on her with ruffled feathers, clearly he'd had the wits scared out of him. The girl looked up at who was speaking to her and accepted his help, looking at Seduire for a moment. They both felt fine..granted, she felt like she had something stuck to her nose but it was probably the little bit of pumpkin stuck in his beak. She plucked it off for good measure. After Seduire's check up was over Sera looked up at Bailey with wide eyes. Oh no! She'd hit this poor boy! "Uh...uh huh."

Seduire looked from his girl to the boy she was talking to, nudging her side with his head. Don't even. Remember your manners and thank him, Sera. He reminded her, settling himself in for a proper preening now that the ordeal with the pumpkins was over. Now he couldn't wait to get out of this place. Sera blushed and frowned at Seduire for a moment; she hadn't forgotten her manners! This was just...a stranger...and you weren't supposed to talk to strangers! The people on the television said so! But he'd helped them, and he only looked a little bit older than her, so he couldn't be bad! Smiling sheepishly, Sera looked back up at Bailey and gave him a tiny curtsy.

"Thank'oo!" For being concerned, she meant.



Well at least she knew his name now. Did that still make him a stranger? ...Not in Seduire's book, and Seduire always knew best! So Sera, with some reassurance from Seduire, smiled a bit bigger this time. "'M Sera, this's Seduire." She introduced the crane with a wave of her hand. The vain crane bowed his head and returned his attentions to his preening. He'd gotten dirt on himself! Ugh! The girl giggled at Seduire's annoyance and Bailey's observations, looking back at the pumpkin.

"Uh huh! Momma says we gets to get lots!" She held her arms out wide as if 'getting lots' was the same as one big pumpkin. Oh, kids. Then she gestured to the gypsy woman a few yards away who didn't appear to be paying attention unless you looked closely enough at the way her head was tilted towards her daughter and this new boy as she inspected a pumpkin by her feet. Sera had gone missing once before because of a friend leading her away, and though this was a long time ago she still hadn't seemed to forgiven herself for letting it happen, so she was obviously wary of this new friend. "Why d'you needs pum'kins?" Was he decorating his house too?



A party? Sera loved parties! Her momma's family had them sometimes! Though she never knew why. But there was lots of music, and dancing, and sometimes there would be magic tricks and it was so much fun! Momma sometimes made her go to bed early for them though, she couldn't figure out why. "Ooh! So's we!"

So are we, dear. Seduire corrected softly, shaking some dirt from his wings. Seduire pouted at the daemon.

I know that, it's just hard to say! She argued for the briefest moments before looking back up at Bailey and then the pumpkins around them. Well they were here...maybe Bailey could help her! These pumpkins were all too big for her, and some of them had to be moved out of the way to look at the ones they were blocking. "Look together?" Sera offered with a big smile, this time it was directed at Bailey.



Carry her on his shoulders? That didn't seem so high...he certainly wasn't as tall as Riley who she'd begged to do that before, but he was smaller than Riley! Would he be able to hold her? Sera turned to Seduire for his approval. The crane pondered on it for a moment and nodded to his girl, flapping his wings and lifting himself to fly in lazy circles around Bailey. "Okay~!" She chirped, holding her arms out to be picked up.



It only took her a couple seconds once on his shoulders to maintain her balance. Dance training really helped with her balance! She'd have to thank Momma again later. She put her hands on top of Bailey's head and looked around excitedly from her new viewpoint. Ooh the pumpkins looked so much better from this angle!

"Ummm..." Seduire got tired of flying in circles and settled down on a rather large pumpkin. The girl gasped and pointed at it. "That one!" Seraphine, you have got to be kidding...that thing is the size of you!



Seraphine blinked and looked down at Bailey. "Really? Oh...uh..." She smiled and patted his head. "Th'party!" It could be a big decoration at the party! Like...a punch bowl! Empty it out and it could be pretty awesome. But it would never work at the apartment...how would they even get it up there? Sigh. Sera pouted a little and looked around again. Nothing in the immediate area looked spectacular...

"Lessgo." Sera prompted, pointing in a direction she felt had the best pumpkins. Maybe. Possibly.



Was getting his uncle to come help a bad thing? Sera blinked and looked back at the gigantic pumpkin. If Bailey didn't want it maybe she could beg Momma to convince Riley to help! She always seemed to be able to get her way with him. Oh, how she wished she knew her Momma's secret!

Crescentia glanced up when the boy carrying her daughter walked away a bit more, nonchalantly stepping over a couple pumpkins so she was closer to the pair. She didn't see anything bad happening but there was always that sudden change in course that could unexpectedly occur.

Seduire took to the air again when Sera directed Bailey off in another direction, setting himself back down on the stem of another pumpkin that'd bent like a hook. Perfect for him! Sera suddenly started laughing and pat Bailey's head, pointing down at a pumpkin near his foot. "S'a face!"




Sera pointed down at a deformed looking pumpkin by Bailey's feet. It looked like it had grown oddly, and because of its deformity the side of it looked like it had a face. Poor thing looked so unloved! It had dry mud caked on it and everything! One of them just had to take it home!

"Issa sad pum'kin." Why did no one love this pumpkin? Having a face just saved the trouble of carving it! You could paint on it instead!

This curse was beginning to become unbearable. Their legs were aching, they were getting dizzy, and on top of all that they found it rather inconvenient for music to start playing and forcing them to dance when they were trying to get something productive done! Just last week Princess Briar Rose had been trying to take a nap when suddenly she was forced awake by her body compelling her to dance, and then two days before that Snow White had been in the middle of baking a pie for the dwarves when she abruptly pirouetted and dropped the eggs she had been about to add to the making of the crust! They needed someone to help them, someone to feel their pain and hopefully find a way to break this curse. But what could they do? There was no way to contact an outside world...

Unless...

Cinderella sat in her bedchambers and stared forlornly out the window, sitting on its sill still dressed in her night clothes. It was the middle of the day and yet she had not left her room yet, the servants were growing quite worried over her but her loving Prince Charming had assisted her by assuring the servants of the castle she was perfectly fine and just wished to be alone. She had already done three dances around her room and now she finally had some peace to watch the happy people in the town below trying to lead a normal life. She sighed and looked away from the window to something sitting dutifully at her feet, frowning deeply. "It was fun at first...and they assured me that over time it would get better and everyone would love it..." She looked out the window again as the creature at her feet chirped sympathetically. Cinderella shook her head, resting it against the cool glass of the window. "I could never do that, they are my dearest friends...and they've always supported and cared for me." It chirped again and Cinderella stood to walk across the large room to her vanity, sitting down in front of the mirror and combing her fingers through her hair once before she picked up a silver hairbrush and started brushing her hair with it. Once more the creature chirped but with a bit more volume. Cinderella sighed and put the brush down with a little more force than necessary, gasping and jumping at the clang it made. After her initial startle she turned around in her chair to look back at her visitor sitting on its bed.

"No, all right? I don't know what could have driven them to do this...regardless, I have a very important errand for you to do for me. Will you?" A chirp of agreement. Cinderella smiled sadly and opened a small drawer to remove an intricately decorated black box and opening it, delicately holding the gold skeleton key by its neck. "It would mean the world to me if you would take this and give it to someone special. Will you do this for me?" She placed the key down and picked up a small piece of paper and a quill, dipping it in some ink to write a small message to accompany the key...



Cinderella had been about to add more to the note when she suddenly heard the soft hum of a violin. Oh no...it was happening again! The princess gasped and tried desperately to hold onto the edges of her chair so she wouldn't get up and dance, but she had no will of her own when the music could be heard loud and clear like an orchestra accompanying a ballet at the end of a stage. Cinderella rose to her feet and pirouetted twice, closing her eyes as she leapt through the air twice, spinning in graceful circles around her trusted messenger who seemed to be immune to the whole curse. This was why she trusted him. "Please, take it!" She cried, watching the creature hop up onto her chair to pick up the key and the note and then hop right out her window. Cinderella let out a sigh of relief and tolerated the forced dancing for however long it would take this time.

Once on the ground the chubby little creature hopped into a hole in the nearest tree, typing a small capelette around his shoulders and clapsing it closed with a clock that was stuck forever at midnight. Then he put a golden crown over one of his horns to let it hang, and pulled a blue and gold cuff around his tail. He was on official royal business! He had to look his absolute best!

After he was dressed he opened up a cupboard with a giant mirror in it, chirped a few more times...and hopped through. His destination laid on just the other side of the mirror!