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Rhona Lee -- Right Outfit

At the mention of Xi's accomplishments, Rhona's eyebrows shot into her hairline. She turned her mossy gaze back to the other gentleman and regarded him in a rather different light. So this was the one. Her lips parted several times, as though searching for the right thing to say. Beyond everything, her powered name came unbidden to her lips, but she couldn't give it so freely in public. Instead, after a few instants of considering, Rhona finally smiled warmly and gripped his hand firmly and said, "Welcome to the family, Gabriel."

And then Jason was back, drinks in hand, and smiles all around. She leaned into his affection with the same warmness she always had about her.

Until the mention of tigers.

Her smile slipped just slightly, wondering able the safety of having live predators around when Destiny City wasn't exactly known for the plans going the way they were supposed to. And then, of course, there was always the issue of the tigers getting lose being a very real part of a very nefarious plan. Her hand slipped into the cleverly sewn-in pocket of her skirts. Slender fingers curled around the cool metal of her henshin pen while she snatched her own glass of champagne from a passing tray.

"Even if you had been drinking, they'd have to put Green Fairy absinthe in the drinks for you to have heard anything." She lifted the glass to her lips and muttered, "I do hope we all came prepared if something were to go awry."

Speaking of awry, music had begun to start up, and for a moment, Rhona jerked at the suddenness of the sound and the way it seemed to clash directly with the setting but... after a moment she settled back into her skin. This looked like a circus based event, why shouldn't there be circus music.

But there was something flickering in the back of her head...

Nate Whitmore

He was wary of coming for...reasons only Negaverse agents likely could think of. Events like these were something he tended to avoid because he preferred to stay out of the fray as much as possible. Bare minimums, that was his policy when it came to his "second job." Still, Seren had done a good enough job of convincing him so there he was, dressed up in an all black suit and tie ensemble. He was walking maybe half a step behind his girlfriend, more mindful of her than anything or anyone else in the room.

He caught her smile when she glanced over and returned it with a small one of his own. "Sure. It's nice to dress up once in a while, right? When the hell else do we ever get to wear this kind of stuff?"

The music that came up soon after their entrance had him looking back toward the entrance with his brow curiously raised...and then he blinked and didn't think much more of it. It was music, these events had music...and it was of course apt and appropriate now that he really listened to it. "Mm? I guess dance first since we both know I can eat myself into a near-comatose state." He gave her hand a squeeze and glanced around until he spotted the dance floor, and he led the way to it.

Seren Yong

Seren began to laugh in delight at his response to her question, giving him a glittering and happy grin, since he was both indulging her and putting of HIS preferred enjoyment to do so... And also putting up with her loving teasing. "Awesome. Let's go, I can't wait to show you off on the dance floor. All the other ladies who like men, and men who like men, will be jealous." She said, her head leaned towards him so only he could hear.

After all, it was honestly a busy party, most strangers probably would not even notice them, but she loved trying to make him feel good about himself. And he WAS a damn fine looking man.

She followed him onto the dance floor, blinking for a moment at the sound of elephants trumpeting, and then, once again, the oddity slid from her mind. Sure, elephant sounds belonged ear a dance floor. It got everyone excited, energetic and moving, right? Nothing was strange there, at all. She just clung to his hand until they got to a good spot, then she put one of hers on his waist, the other other on his shoulder, and waited for him to get into position, and start to move. "You do look really gorgeous, by the way, dressed up like that, baby."

Malaise

"Emilia, " Malaise repeatedly warmly, "pleasure's all mine, I'm sure." He had a thought to catch her hand and kiss the back of it, but about then the tigers began acting up with their hemming and hewing, leading him to snicker lightly. "Ah, seems that this party's really getting started, " because of course vocal tigers were how any good party started.

(Really, this wasn't even his first party with tigers involved: a wad of cash paired with enough alcohol and pills were enough to make for some truly memorable nights. Or would be, if he could remember half of them.)

The closeness was encouraging, as he leaned into it, grinning at the warmth of her breath on his face as she spoke. Was she wearing perfume? Her eyes were also quite striking up close, but then, most people's were. "I'm a musician. Once I got the invite, it was too tempted to pass up. I seem to have made the right choice - and how about you?" He could have given details, but if she didn't know him at a glance and it was already going this well, then -

Wait, Emmy? He blinked and backed up an inch when he realized a friend of his new friend had cropped up, bounding towards them like a new, sexier iteration of a cabbage patch kid. Malaise smiled pleasantly, although even if he gave no indication of anything negative, at first he had to repress a sigh. Friends showing up could go one of two ways - the good way, letting things carry on their course, or the other way, were they got protective. Granted the night was young and Emilia hadn't had a drink in her yet, so that might help.

At the mention of recognizing him, he gave a kind of half-laugh. "Something like that~" he murmured melodically, a bit tickled. Then, it seemed to click, and his half-smile blossomed into a very real one, teeth flashing white between lines of dark lipstick. Oh, did she actually know him?

"That I am, yes." Was she a fan? His heart swelled at the thought, immediately annoyed at himself if he'd ever dreaded her approach.

Otto Moor

When she smiled without purpose her eyes lit up in a way that warmed the blonde down to his toes, and he grinned back at her, pleased that his so corny compliment had landed as desired. "Good." He had no intention of curbing the flattery, not when she responded so well to it.

He let his fingers slide along her wrists as she smoothed her palms down the front of his suit jacket, just happy to be in her company.

As she took one of his hands the other lowered to cup her hip, and he lifted pale eyes to look around the room again before offering a shrug. "Maybe we'll get lucky."

Half turning to glance back towards the bartenders to see if any of them were free yet Otto jumped as a loud roar shattered the loud murmurs surrounding the bar. It had him drawing Des closer, shoulders tensing for a moment or two as he remained on high alert, waiting for something to happen but when nothing did they relaxed again. "That sounded real."

Nolan Ellwood

Nolan rolled his eyes. "As long as I get to eat." And if it was good food. Give him something to eat and he was just about to willing to do anything. Unless it was something that would make him lose all of the food he just ate. Food was precious and notto be wasted like some people thought. He wasn't one for dancing though, and if he did go out there, then he was bound only to embarrass himself and possibly knock over half the people on the dance floor. "I don't do dancing so you can do that yourself." He knew fencing and cooking and medieval geek conventions renaissance fairs. Dancing was not something he knew and was sure that it wouldn't help him to learn any of it.

"This place is weird though." He hadn't heard the change in music. "I've just got a feeling, you know?" Something wasn't right about this place. He sighed and tugged on her arm a bit, looking at her and giving her a grin. "But we might as well enjoy it. Let's go." He said, taking a step, and seeing if she would follow him to the food.

Sachio Sugiyama

Sachio couldn't help but grin when she took his hand. "I think all the help that we can get the better. It would be awesome if this place was just normal and the weird feeling I have about it is just me being paranoid." Honestly, he just wanted to go out and enjoy one event that was being hosted without it being some Negaverse plot!

He took another look at her outfit. "They just don't like change. They'd rather dress up in the same old same old instead of mixing things up a little. Even if you aren't wearing a dress like they are, it doesn't mean that you still don't look bad. You look elegant and formal, just different from how they are." Even his miniature zen gardens didn't look like "normal" ones all of the time. He liked to mix them up a little. One was even themed after a punk/neon city. It made his gardens more interesting and fun and helped his creative side come out.

As he walked with her, for one step, Sachio thought he heard something... odd. Like there was something else that was playing, only it could barely be heard... it had to be part of the music though right? "Let's go to the food. I don't do much dancing myself but if you want we can try the dance floor later. Perhaps a slow song if that would be easier." If one didn't know how to "club" then the dance floors could be overwhelming.

[Loren Malinowski]

He had no earthly, godly, or infernal idea what he was doing, looking into the room wondering who had made the mistake that sent him an invitation to a black tie shindig--an invitation he was in no way connected enough to just spontaneously have. He pulled awkwardly at the suit his father had lent him, it a bit too baggy on his slight frame though that was second to the sheer polyester itchiness of it. Loren did not wear suits for a reason, when he could avoid it, having a preference for soft cottons. Alas, menswear was not terribly populated with soft cotton fabric.

A very itchy tragedy.

His grandmother had tried to dart the suit inward at certain points at the last minute, using temporary stitches, but there was only so much that could be done. Loren's father was... well, Saint Nicklaus-esque, but at least he was tall enough. Loren's grandfather was more Loren's build, but he was...

Well, he was a Polish seventy-year-old.

So he was short, was Loren's problem. Though, in retrospect, Loren would have almost rather looked like he was wearing Mississippi high-waters than like a six-year-old wearing his father's suits.

Tugging at the fabric again, Loren frowned a bit at the sound of... circus music? Discordant circus music? ...Well, it didn't seem that out of place, he guessed. At worst, awkward just like he was. He quickly dismissed it from his mind and tried to crane his neck to see if there was anything going on that he should be paying attention to.