Welcome to Gaia! ::

((Genie: Buffet
Basil: Dunk Tank ))

While Basil was elsewhere (mingling as far as she knew), Genie had been pecking idly up and down the buffet, piling up two orange paper plates with everything from turkey slices to sugar cookies. Never a second to go by without a tong or a scoop in her hand. She wasn't sure why, but tonight, her appetite was gnawing, her mouth watering. In the back of her mind, she knew she would regret her decision later, and that the sugar would rot her teeth, but a party was a party after all, and a starving guest was hardly any fun. It wasn't until she had become aware of the pot-luck section of the buffet that she kicked herself several times over. The invitation had explicitly mentioned that guests were permitted, if not encouraged to bring food, and here she was with nothing. No tupperware, no casserole dish, nothing! Just as she was frowning at her lack of consideration, a loud, ear-piercing shriek ripped through the barn. She fumbled, dropping one plate straight onto the floor with a -thwapth- and sneaking the other onto the table. Her heart pounded, face flushed with embarrassment while she knelt down to clean up her mess. Mouth slightly agape, she looked anxiously for the source of the sound. Basil had been her first thought... The boy could do tremendous things with his voice after all, but instead, she was treated to some type of mint-green apparition that seemed entirely too amused by its own antics as it twirled mid-air. She couldn't help by laugh at herself for being so foolish. Raevans never ceased to amaze and bemuse her. She used a handful of napkins to shovel a glop of potatoes onto her plate, smiling as she shook her head, "Well s**t."

Basil had heard the shriek too.

It had all happened so quickly. Much to his confusion, he had been unable to realize just what it was he had done to make this person recoil as if he had inflicted her with a branding iron. The way her smooth, feminine skin had tensed beneath his hand. The way his rune had pulsed with the quickened beat of her heart; taking in the sound of it; The dull, repetitive sound of it. She had paused only momentarily, giving Basil scarcely enough time to react when she finally turned to face him. What had been a stately, feminine figure from across the room, had now been perverted into something almost savage. She had showed him her teeth, if only a glimpse. The way he had shown his Genie before they had left the Arms.

He blinked, feeling threatened at first. Having a diminished capacity for subtlety, Basil was at zero or one hundred. He would show her no glimpses, no peeks, but the full moxy. When he hissed back, it was a ghastly thing with narrow fangs and an implausible stretching of the jaws. His tongue arched against his pallet and a gutteral, ugly sound erupted. However, it had been a reaction more of surprise than intimidation. When his mouth closed again, his weapons sheathed, he did not seem agitated or annoyed. Rather, he gawked at her, almost astounded by the shiny, chitinous appendages that curved and moved as she bid them. In this instance, defensively across her chest. He had never seen anything quite like it. While he stared (some may have interpreted the gesture as lecherous if they were unaware of Basil's naïveté), her voice shortly deferred him. She had given him a warning in a stern, hateful voice, and he struggled to understand.

Not that he hadn't heard what she said. She had enunciated very clearly. It was the intent that confused him. Why would someone not want to be touched? His eyes were dull, cloudy marbles that rolled to meet her own, lacking understanding and clarity. Some ventured to call them vacant. "Touch?" He countered, borrowing her voice. (It had been a very lovely voice, despite its acidity towards him.) "Touch?" He repeated.

Then the shriek came, and Basil flinched, turning over his shoulder to see what it had been. Basil didn't like very sudden noises. Not at the best of times.

(( Anita & Cruz – Buffet ))

Anita listened to David's attempt at introducing the two girls, her lips puckering at the half insults he spoke toward his younger sibling. It was a hazy memory for her, but the normally pigtailed woman vaguely recalled a girl similar looking to Namini picking David up after the 'elevator incident' with she and Josh all those years ago. Ahh, her first introduction to the craziness that was involved with the Lab family. Despite the older Nao's tone, Anita smiled pleasantly toward Namini in an effort to show that he was paying his words no mind. Her hand was held out to meet the others after her polite bow and the woodsman gave it a firm shake.

”No,” she forced out a chuckle, though she couldn't help but grin at David's attempts, ”It's great to meet you too. I've known your brother for a while, actually, so I'm kind of used to it.” Whether she appreciated it or not was a different story but as far as flirting and romance went, Anita was definitely an odd bird. Of course she had boyfriends in the past, but they were all largely forgettable and only 'boyfriend' in name only, as far as she was concerned. Namini really was adorable, though, and Anita laughed plesantly. ”I hope so too.”

If she could tolerate David's antics for as long as she had, there certainly couldn't be any reason she would have difficulty getting along with Namini when she was as nice as she was.

Gesturing toward her Raevan who was currently locking eyes with the raptor-clad Star, the brunette set to work on introductions. ”I'm Anita, and this is Cruz. He's only met a few Raevans before, but he's very nice.” She glanced toward David briefly at the word 'nice'. It had only been roughly a month since his birth but Anita could safely say she had never seen the mistletoe Raevan take a defensive stance as he had with the flirtatious man before, even against Anastacia who had violently thrown him over a desk just hours after he had emerged from his tank. It was something of a worry that had been pushed to the back of her mind because of how friendly he had been this entire time, but she supposed there was some semblance of his crocodilian nature lurking within him, however well masked by the jolly holiday spirit of mistletoe and gentle kisses.

The red fabric covering most of Cruz's skin was keeping him surprisingly warm, though a gust of cold air occasionally hit him and caused a small shiver. Though sensitive to the temperatures like any other reptilian Raevan, he seemed not to care insofar as he would not let it spoil his fun and he certainly seemed intent on not allowing it to interrupt his meeting with the vibrant star before him. The Frei's fingers fidgeted gently against the handle of his basket, held low in front of him as most Red Riding Hoods would. His body language depicted all signs of nervousness, but his face was set in a clear expression of captivation and interest. Softly, his mouth opened and closed just the slightest bit as he gazed upon the androgynous Frei, and if it weren't for Prajna speaking up itself he likely would not have ceased the action on his own.

”Am Prajna. You like what you see?”

Its voice, even, withheld its true gender and that merely made the Star all the more interesting to the Crocodile.

After a second or two more of unabashed gazing, Cruz gingerly reached up and pulled back the red hood hiding most of his features, wanting to allow this Prajna the same opportunity to see all of his details whether he asked a similar question or not. He swallowed, another nervous tick, before he attempted to repeat the Frei's name.

”...Prrrrashna.” the 'R' was rolled, dragged out into a subtle purr, and the 'J' was uttered softly with an intoxicating tone. It was clear either the Frei was still learning how certain letters were pronounced, or else there was a bit of an accent in play, but Cruz did not let his slight mispronunciation of the Star's name deter him from answering its question; ”Yes.”

Simple.

There were only a few words in his vocabulary, most of them consisting of names, but 'Yes' and 'No' were two of his more favored. The meanings were still a bit foggy but he knew that 'Yes' was, without a doubt, a positive reply. At that very moment, there was absolutely no way possible for him to say 'No' to Prajna, it was as simple as that.

”Prrashna, yes,” he offered once more to make sure there was no misunderstanding, a hand reaching up to stroke the green ponytail hanging low over his left shoulder. He detected the slight change in color and warmth in the Star's face and Cruz attempted a small smile, revealing the very tips of his sharp teeth.

If it weren't for the sudden scream at the opposite end of the barn from an all too familiar voice, the crocodile Frei might have attempted to approach Prajna and touch its warm face, but instead he whipped around gripping his basket tightly, emerald eyes wildly searching for Anastacia. They found her, just as Anita's did, and a soft sigh was given when he realized she was not in danger but merely in a similar situation that he had found himself in during their first meeting. His small wings twitched, a torn feeling rising in his chest; he wanted to check on her, make sure she was alright, but surely his presence would make the situation worse. Before acting, his gaze traveled to Anita who smiled reassuringly and said ”It's okay” before gesturing for him to continue as he was and out of the corner of his eye he saw his guardian wave toward the suited man and a woman in a bright orange jumpsuit.

As he turned back, an unfamiliar voice spoke the Star's name. His head tilted upon seeing the newcomer, a strange looking Raevan with dark messy hair and an outfit that he had only seen upon the moving picture box. The Leviathan's green eyes were bearing down upon him, scrutinizing, but Cruz held his gaze.

”Krooz,” curled from his lips before all hell broke loose.

A horrible, ear-piercing shriek broke through all nearby conversation and sound. Anita's hands were firmly pressed against her ears as she was given such a start she practically fell to her knees. Cruz hovered back near her quickly, dropping the basket clumsily and staring in shock at the wall as a ghostly and hallowed figure passed through – the source of the unearthly sound. Varun had immediately acted in the defensive, frilling his fins and hissing in warning, but as soon as the spirit began to speak Cruz knew he could not let an attack from the sea serpent pass.

”Eeerie!” he cooed, floating away from Anita and between the will-o-wisp, Varun and Prajna with a hand held toward Eiry in greeting and the other held behind him to keep Varun from attacking, ”No?” His voice was much quieter in comparison to the shriek and even Varun's hiss, carrying an empathetic tone that seemed to say 'not right now please' rather than 'don't do that ever again'. This was not the first time he had met with the undying leaf and since that first time he knew Eiry's tricks, was impressed by them, and enjoyed them – so long as everyone else did too.

A few short moments of recovering silence passed before it was breached by laughter, Anita's to be exact. Her breath shuddered, a tell tale sign that she had been scared out of her wits, but it seemed now that she understood what actually occurred there was no reason for her to continue feeling so. ”Happy Halloween, you turd,” she jokingly chided, giving the ghostly poet a slow clap.

The party was only just beginning but both Cruz and Anita could see it would only get more interesting from here on out.

(( Arriving ==> Dropping off food at food table ))

"You did great."

Kris looked over to Ronan with a weak smile, fingers gradually relaxing from their white knuckle grip on the steering wheel. While she had recently passed drivers ed with flying colors, there were still times that the mere concept of driving scared her out of her wits, at which point Ronan gradually had to coax her back to the car with the reminders of all she could do with her driving. He made sure to never force her however - she was the one who had wanted the freedom driving provided, not him.

"Do you want to come with me?" Ronan asked his ward, but as soon as the question left his lips she was shaking her head furiously. "I.... I'll be fine doing stuff around Barton," she replied, cheeks coloring. That was their original plan for the night, but he had still wanted to make sure all the same.

Looking up and down at his costume, Kris raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're okay without a coat?" Ronan gave a sigh as he flexed his left arm, metal clacking together. "I'll have to be. No way my pea coat could have fit over this. I'll be fine once I'm inside." Kris gave a snort, expression still somewhat incredulous. "Well, better walk fast then. I guess I can help you gather up your stuff so you don't totally freeze over."

A few moments later as Ronan booked it towards the barn with a covered plate of cinnamon rolls in his hands and his two major props strapped across his back, he was very glad Kris had helped him get going. While it wasn't an overly cold night, the chill air still stabbed at his bare skin and even worse at his metal covered arm. Upon arriving at the barn he gave an audible sigh of relief, the warm air feeling almost like a balm to his shivering skin. Doing his best to avoid bumping into the crowd at the food table Ronan carefully set down his bounty of cinnamon rolls, peeling back the cover to reveal the icing covered goodness that was inside. Now that his hands were free, he retrieved the two props from his back and assumed his full costume.

Into his right hand went a weighted fishing net, while into his left went a wicked metal trident, sharp points capped by black rubber. On his left arm was what looked like an arm from a suit of medieval armor - which in fact it was, cannibalized from a suit used at a renfair. It wasn't exactly like medieval armor however - at the top of the shoulder flared a metal guard, reaching up to just below his eyes before curving outward at the top. The arm guard was attached by a leather belt across his chest, a metal ring on his right pectoral dividing it to have one section go below his right arm and the other above. Besides this belt however Ronan's chest was bare, along with with his right arm and both his legs. Instead of pants he wore a wrapped loin cloth secured by a wide studded belt with a prop dagger secured on it, and the only thing on his feet was a pair of laced leather sandals. While he was not wearing any make up, his tracery of scars from his time in the navy added unintentional credence to his costume, and his patch of chest hair and goatee added a hint of ruggedness.

Not the warmest costume by any means, but it had been the best thing he could think of, and so he had gone with it anyway. Taking a few moments to get a warm cup of cider, Ronan returned to hover by the food tables, sipping at the spiced liquid as he observed the huge group gathered nearby, having missed the spectacular entrance of the ghostly raevan. It was an interesting group of individuals gathered, human and raevan alike.... and he had a feeling the night might prove to be just as interesting.

(( Ronan is dressed as a Retiarius gladiator, ie those guys with the trident and net. ))

((Namini, David & Prajna: Food table))

“He seems quite pleasant. I mean, Prajna hasn’t reacted—” Namini blushed and stopped herself from badmouthing her own charge and perhaps ruining its first impression on Anita. David had mentioned that none of them had met her little redhead so perhaps, tonight, for once, it would behave and act sweetly, hopefully nothing like the ancient monster it was dressed as. “How long have you had Cruz? Do you know what he eats yet? That was our biggest problem” Namini continued politely, before turning to brother for a moment and pointing at his exposed chest. “If you get cold wearing just that vest, you can grab your jacket from the car. I’m not going to make you freeze your butt off,” she cooed though David simply ‘hmph’ed and allowed the vest to slip off one of his broad shoulders.

“Are you cold? Want me to just take it all off now?” David teased, sticking his tongue out at his sister as he began to remove the vest entirely but Namini frowned and shook her head, ignoring her brother’s immaturity, a reaction which spurred a proud smile in the older caveman as he slid the faux fur back over his shoulders and chest.

Namini turned her attention back to Anita and flashed the woman-dressed-man an apologetic smile, “Please tell me he doesn’t always act this way around you too. It’d sadden me to know that David hasn’t been treating the other owners very … erm.. respectfully?”

Prajna listened with great interest at the way Cruz had pronounced its name; he had made the Star feel exotic with all those ‘rrrrrr’s. And the softness of the ‘j’ slithering into a snake-like ‘sh’ made the prehistoric Frei feel even more attractive and empowered. Suddenly Prajna was jerked from its daydreaming when it felt a familiar rough hand pull at its shoulder. Prajna turned around so quickly, its face almost mushed with Varun’s but it caught itself just in time to hear what the Leviathan had to hiss at the strange new crocodile, “You are?”

“Krooz.” the emerald haired Frei announced before a blood curdling scream pierced the air.

David had jumped back at the noise, uttering a decent “s**t!”, and felt himself bump into an arriving guest as Eiry whisked through the autumn air, ruining all the ear drums below him with his banshee scream. As the prankster soul floated about, David turned to the redhaired woman he had stumbled back into and apologized, “Sorry about that. Kids.”

Namini had simply covered her head in surprise but was glad to see it did not take long for Eiry to wander off. Oh, but with the presence of Eiry that meant… Namini’s turquoise eyes scanned the horizon and she saw, at the entrance, Isikoro stumbling in! She wanted to wave to him, but she didn’t want to seem rude to Anita, so she made a small mental note to try and catch the lad later; it seemed like ages had passed since she last saw him.

Prajna glared daggers as Cruz floated towards the noisy newcomer and made a small, joyous yell of his own, calling after the ghost. Did this fool forget who he was talking to? Luckily for Cruz, Prajna did not seem to want to fight for attention, no, that was unnecessary, now that Varun was here. The Star turned its twilit eyes to its Leviathan companion, ignoring his seafaring attire and responded to his original question, “Prajna has not seen your lady, Varun. Will be sure she is coming?”

And as rude as it was though, Prajna turned its eyes back to Cruz for a moment and stared long and hard into the back of his head, uncaring if Varun caught it in the action or not. Something about the new Frei made Prajna want to feel it. Prajna raised its fingertips to its partially parted lips and wondered where the urge to kiss the newcomer came from. Oh well.

((Josh: wine tasting; LuLu: Pot luck ))


Despite her sedated state, LuLu could not help but give a slight jump at the shrill cry that echoed throughout the entire party. Everyone’s attention focused on the mint hued sigel, save for Zul’s. LuLu’s gaze joined the other curious onlookers. However, it was only for a moment. Her curiosity was instantly sated the moment she realized just who had uttered the scream. The rabbit nearly growled in her throat. Her hatred of Eiry churned in her chest despite the years that had separated their last meeting. She mumbled low to know one in particular, “Such a nuisance.” The rabbit let out a small huff.

She vaguely recalled the fact that she originally wanted to avoid people tonight.

The thought was abolished from her mind when her sigel acquaintance stooped lower to make his grand reveal. Blond ears bobbed excitedly as the beaked mask made a steady climb skyward slowly showing more and more of the male’s face to her eager eyes. The frei let out a soft coo delighted to finally know the identity of the tanned character before her. She was even more elated to see that it was none other than Zul in her company. Though a bit surprised at the slight change in his appearance, namely the patch of hair gracing his chin, she was glad to be with him again. LuLu had also been without his companionship for what seemed like years. Their time apart had done Zul well from what she could tell. Her nose crinkled gently as her lips parted into a wide smile, “I would never forget you." She then tapped her chin as she spoke as if motioning to a nonexistent goatee, “You grew in many ways while you were away from me. I like it.” She said the last part flippantly as though it was more of an observation than a compliment. She was sure that Zul knew he looked good and that the other raevan did not need to be reminded of the fact. LuLu was proud to have such a raevan as her big brother.

Her lips formed a small pout in tandem with Zul replacing his mask. She was a bit saddened to have her sibling’s face out of view once more. Like the nagging little sister she was, she almost requested he remove the contraption entirely. After all, his appearance was better than any mask. LuLu’s mind suddenly shifted elsewhere and she made a rather timid inquiry, “Have I changed any?” She stared at Zul with her expectant, doe-like eyes. The girl was rather blatant in her fishing for compliments.

Josh had been too distracted by Eiry’s impression of a banshee to take any heed of his own raevan’s actions. As far as he knew, the girl was still holed up at the side of the party somewhere. He returned his attention just in time to bid Riv goodbye as the sigel departed. He chuckled somewhat forcefully, “I see Eiry has not changed any.” Josh was not sure if that was good news or not. He removed his hand from Aphi’s shoulder and chimed in with his own terse list of events, “Things have been… well enough.” Just like Aphi, the boy was also cautious about boring people with any tales of angst. To change the subject, he did a small mock pose in his Santa outfit. The oversized sleeves flopped around rather unbecomingly, “I thought it fit with the theme.” He smiled coyly then motioned to Aphi’s own outfit. “Who are you supposed to be?”

(( Alex --> Coat Room to Buffet Table || Zul --> Pot Luck Table ))

"I think there's a reason he said he 'couldn't handle' coming to the party. And I think I've got that reason on my arm." Grinning impishly at Zeke, she thought best not to elaborate on her older brother's slightly stumbled words and otherwise expressed concern about how it might be viewed of he was affixed to Zeke. Alex hadn't even bothered to ask what the hell that meant, knowing only that her elder brother was beyond smitten and it amused her to no end. At the younger man's gentle whining and veiled threat, the zoologist wrinkled her nose at him. "And you know I'm going to lock my door starting tomorrow until...forever, right?" She was lying, of course. If Zeke actually wore such clothing, she had no doubt their entire day would compromise of baudy jokes, wearing sunglasses whenever the man was around or other such goofy implications. She could definitely never say she had dull days at work.

Chuckling at his teasing return, she simply smiled at him with a general shrug. "I can rock whatever I want, Cakes, but some things are best left out of the public eye. That much color on me can be jarring." Alex almost likened it to wearing a dress, but hell, she'd worn those more often than anything even remotely bright in saturation. "Fine, pine for my mad skills all you want baby brother, I will simply flaunt my impressive gun and ignore the pock holes in the yard from scrap heaps." Alex laughed a little at that, nodding her head at the inquiry towards the Irishman. "Somehow. He's made of stern stuff, being B's best pal 'n all."

Glancing to Zeke as the man jumped, her smile took on a wry twist. "That's positively tame. You should be grateful." Having lived with the minty Sigel for some time, the sounds were the least of her concern (but she was going to start being on the look out for the Wisp's standard fare of tricks). Before she could even cast an upward glance to the boards above, she was being hauled onwards towards the chatting group, about to resist -- until her eyes fell on Varun. Alex's expression lit up and though she did not see Kinsey, she was still pleased to see the seasonal Frei, even in the throes of his molting.


Zul's grin grew ten-fold, if it were possible. "A lady after my own heart," he mused out loud after her remark about Eiry, audible enough for the rabbit's ears to pick up. To add a sweeter pot to that moment, she gave him the delicate, sweet praise that he so adored her for -- her manner of speech very whimsical at times but so very honest. "I had to," he says by way of apology, almost, "circumstance has not been kind." And that was about as much as he was willing to embellish on the past year (or was it two?) that had passed. So much had transpired, he scarcely would have known where to start.

LuLu then extended her infinite charm to the Sigel, beguiling him with a low, rumbling chuckle. "Hm," he all but purred, taking one of her hands and floating back to get a better view of her over his pale beak. "I'm not sure how it's possible, but you're even more beautiful than the last time I saw you." Lightly turning the female's wrist to indicate she ought to do a little turn, he demon looked her over in the most platonic of manners. "You've grown, Lu. There's a story in your eyes, my friend, a tale of experience that even those older than you -" his free hand briefly indicates Eiry, " - do not possess." And to put a seal of approval on his appraisal, he lightly tugged the Easter Bunny against himself in an affectionate hug, touching the bottom part of his mask to the top of her head in a mock-kiss that he himself could not press. "I feel like I've missed so much, just seeing you now. You've been well, my Lu? Your man, he still treats you well?"

[[Eiry - at the Buffet
Isi - still standing at the entrance regretting being alive

All grins and giggles, Eiry floated down to his comfortable height, a healthy five feet and eight inches off of the ground. He had lost all semblance of horror, replacing his twisted howl for a big happy smile. He floated close to Cruz, his face aglow upon hearing his name spoken by the quiet raevan and practically threw his arms about him. He might have done so had he known the raevan better, but he had only met him once before. Happiness was still his, though, to see him turn to him with a start and a smile. He dived to the ground momentarily to pick up his dropped basket, replacing it to the young frei's hands. "Merry Old Hallow's Eve!" he said joyfully, still laughing from his success. He dipped over Cruz's shoulder, displaying all his teeth at Anita as he greeted her as well, "And to you as well, fine lady, fine! What a grand display you have there, most appropriate, between you and your dashing young frei! Look at him!" Eiry took Cruz by the shoulder and leaned him back for better inspection before floating through him to inspect the back of the costume and ignoring the physical boundary that Cruz had made between himself and Varun and Prajna. He gave another nod of appreciation, turning Cruz back around to face him and the other two raevans near the buffet. "Absolutely stunning, I'm scrambling for words! My, my!" he beamed, and then he turned to Varun and Prajna, still smiles and grins. It looks like Cruz's whispered "No" went entirely abandoned by Eiry who didn't stop to think what his inflection could have possibly meant.

Unfortunately for Eiry he had little experience with either Varun or Prajna and what little experience he had was in a beach based paint ball game where hostility was to be expected. So, not knowing their personalities or how irritated they might be from his loud arrival, Eiry forewent all shyness and casually greeted them as well, giving them a gracious bow and smoothing back of his hair. "And to both of you fine raevans, fine, a grand and special Autumn Eve!" he said, snapping his fingers for their attention. He leaned back also, to appreciate their costumes and he gave a flare of his wings, nodding at them as well, "So gay this party is, and so gay the participants! What merry times! You both look dashing. I have not the faintest of who or what you are, but dashing all the same! Well done!" Eiry turned his attention to all the guardians around the buffet, taking his time to compliment and wish each one a happy holiday. It was his favorite time of year after all! It was his time, his element, his place to be naturally what he was.

After making his round of greetings, he floated back to Cruz, holding his hands with his own, hardly able to contain his excitement. "We're all gay here, aren't we?" he asked happily, "What fills your heart right now, young precious one, you? Excitement such as mine? Do you know all the many stories told of this time of year, the many tales and warnings and songs of trickery, my, they are all grand! have you heard any of them? Any at all? My, young precious one, you, I will tell all the tall tales!" Suddenly struck by this glorious idea, Eiry threw up a hand to his face and looked about himself and those at the table, "There will be a time for story telling won't there? My, I have the greatest horror stories to be told! Stories classic and stories horrible, oh, I know them! We should regale each other with these ghost stories, oh, we should!" He turned a suddenly very horrible and horrific face to Cruz, still holding him with one hand, "Tales sure to slay any thoughts of sleep this night!" But he lost the guise and broke again into laughter, nearly bouncing in the air with every pump of his feiry wings.

Isi stood awkwardly in front of the door until he realized he should better move out away from it in case he get run over by incoming people. Hobbling over to the side, his big backpack still causing him discomfort, Isi sat himself away from the festivities to better look around the group. It was funny. He had been speaking and meeting up with this same group of people and then some for years now and for some reason he still couldn't bring himself up to hop into a conversation like any normal person would. He knew faces in here, had close relationships with others, but he still felt distanced. He looked down at his legs and frowned at them before he looked up and continued to let his frown deepen. He wasn't looking forward to casual conversation. A lot of it involved people asking about his legs and honestly, Isi wanted nothing to do with them. He tried to turn his thoughts to other things, though. He could hear Eiry spouting near the table, so excited that he could hardly contain himself, and he could hear the familiar voices of his family members Aphi and Riv drifting somewhere in the conversation. Allowing his eyes to drift, he caught sight of both Alex, man he hadn't seen her in a long time, and Namine and her brother Josh, others that he was familiar with and a little more willing to talk to. Though it seemed pretty busy by the buffet table, so Isi didn't want to dare try and approach it. He turned instead towards Alex, catching her wave in his direction and he waved meekly back at her in response. He didn't want to walk though. He felt fine just sticking where he was, propped up on his crutches and watching the crowds mull.

((Josh: Wine tasting; LuLu: Pot luck ))

LuLu’s ears twitched at the sigel’s offhanded comment. Her expression turned something more akin to the one she had worn when assaulting Sevillin so long ago. Her fair brows scrunched together and her mouth bowed into a tense arch. The rabbit’s voice came out as a hushed rumble, “Has Eiry done something to offend, Zul?” LuLu seemed a bit too serious about her question despite the fact that most of her apparent anger would end up going to waste. She knew that there was no real retaliation she could make against the ghostly raevan even if he had done something to offend her dearest big brother, especially since she could not physically lay a hand on Eiry. However, LuLu would have loved to be given one more reason to loath the pale skinned pest.

The rabbit was soon torn from her self-serving rage by Zul’s next comment. So Eiry was not the only thing that had crossed Zul in her absence? The aura around LuLu turned downcast. Her shoulders slumped visibly. Her glossed lips quivered a bit as a sudden sadness wracked her conscious. She wished she could have been there for Zul. She wondered idly why he had never come to her if he was going through such hardships. Then again, LuLu was not certain she could have done anything to help. That bothered the frei the most. Once again, she had been unable to aid the ones she loved. The rabbit reached out and took Zul’s hand lightly in her own. She gave it a gentle yet thoughtful squeeze. “You have only become better.” She beamed at the baphomet trying to push back her gloom with a smile.

However it did not take long for her to regain her cheerful disposition as Zul began to practically smother the rabbit in sickeningly sweet compliment. Fired one after the other, the girl could feel a blush creep onto her whiskered cheeks. Or maybe that was still her earlier drink having an effect? LuLu was not so sure anymore. LuLu twirled as guided. She felt more like a princess than she had in a long while. Perhaps she had been too enthusiastic with her spin, or perhaps her mind was still fighting to catch up. Either way they girl felt light headed as she returned to facing her impromptu dance partner. LuLu faltered as Zul released her hand. Her small frame bobbed a bit lower before she was embraced by her elder. She was much too eager to crash into Zul’s chest and rest her dizzy head on his bared skin. Her ears still burned wonderfully with his saccharine words. She leaned her forehead into him for a few brief second. His proximity soothed the frei, a sensation not too unlike the one she got when wrapped up in her Gram-Gram’s hand knitted blankets. It truly felt as though she was being reunited with a long lost brother. She parted from the other raevan in order to look up into his glass obscured eyes, “I am happy that Zul is with me now. I could not ask for more.” She could not help but smile. Her cheeks dimpled ever so slightly, “I have been well. Do not worry.” It was a small white lie. However, Zul had left most of his past to secrecy so she could only offer him the same treatment. It would make no sense to let the sigel fret over her. LuLu cooed at her companion quietly, “Though, can you promise me that we will stay in touch?” LuLu felt self-conscious about the request, but she did not like the idea of losing track of her sibling once again.

Josh snorted at Aphi’s comment then shoved the man’s elbow aside playfully. A broad grin parted his face as he spoke, “Yeah right, I think LuLu would be more apt to taking on that kind of feast.” He though back on the way the girl eyed sweets. It was almost a bit scary at time how unwaveringly she could focus on devouring a pastry. Josh stated flatly, “I think I may have gotten her a bit addicted to carrot cake.” The comment was followed by a scratch of his head. “I suppose that is not too bad though. It is better than her scaring the pants off of everyone, huh?” Josh spared one more glance at Eiry as the words tumbled from his mouth.

He nodded approvingly at Aphi’s costume. He may not have recognized the character, but he could still appreciate the effort put into the whole ensemble. Josh tugged idly at the brim of his fur lined hat. “It seems like Riv put a lot of time into planning your costume. But, with that hair, maybe you would have fit Santa better than me.”