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Talis had told her no at first. No, absolutely not. And then Noelle had stabbed him with one of Doll's bobby-pins. The little child wouldn't really be able to do much damage to him now, but he knew her anger was a lasting thing and that she would be able to be an inconvenience later if she was mad at him. This was why he'd plucked three sheets of paper from the inventory he'd never really planned to use, and it was why he'd jotted three identical letters upon them in very neat print:

To whomever it may concern,

Your fae has been formally invited to join a private get-together in the local park adjoining the recreational center in down-town Gaia. The address is as follows and directions apply to anyone who is traveling from the Arena in Barton town.

After this was jotted a few notes on where the park was exactly located.

This will begin at ten in the morning and will most likely end two hours prior to dark. If you would like to pick up your fae a little beforehand, it is highly advised because transportation will not be provided on my behalf. This is not an official 030 event, so it is not mandatory nor beneficiary. No RSVP is required, just be there at the front of the park in the morning and Noelle will meet you there. If you are late, your fae will just have to find the others in the expanse of the park. Rest assured, your fae will recognize her and she is no stranger thanks to the last mandatory meeting at Headquarters. Your time is appreciated, and your presence will be even more so.

Talis Reingahmt

"How's that?" Talis asked her, adjusting his glasses. "Good? Good. I'm not going to be there, either, so don't get into any fights you'll regret, understand? And if any other adults show up, I advise you to be courteous so I won't have to hear about how much of a brat you are later." Blunt little ********, the writer, but there had to be some sort of affection dwindling under the flat tone. He didn't mind at all that his child was the antagonist of the group, it was a symbol of nonconformity as well as control. And with her looks, he believed she'd prosper in the future. "....Come here, Noelle. You need to sign your name, too. It'll be good practice."

All three letters had been sealed in identical envelopes, but all with different addresses. These had been achieved by much cooing and eye-batting at Jiro. Then, they were mailed off. It'd be nine days before the play-date, because most things Talis was asked to arrange were done in nines, unconsciously.

On the ninth day, Noelle stood at the gates of the park, her head tilted back to catch the breeze as it passed over her and swirled her white dress about her legs. Yes, it was a nice enough day. It was fine weather to command the others under.

Noelle seemed to be the one that would first catch sight of them, and that made her feel a little better in some strange way. She'd pin-pointed Aurion first, seeing as they were about the same size. And when she did, a small smile alighted her lips. Excellent, so the letters really had reached their intended fae. The woman with him... That must have been his guardian. She'd never seen wings on a person before, so her interest was mildly piqued.

After a moment of thought, her lips parted. "Aurion!" She'd call him, but she wasn't going to go to him like she was the follower. No, she was a stubborn little mule of a girl, but could easily be swayed with decent gifts. What was that box he had? Her eyes, needless to say, glimmered with that 'gimmegimme' shine any normal spoiled brat could have developed. Her hand reached to touch the pocket she'd had Kyo to sew into the front of her dress for the demented little doll she'd come to have after some time. Doll was there, of course, impaled with various hairpins and such, but that was not what she'd wanted. She'd wanted to know if there was any space in the pocket to hoard some other items.

Noelle blanched silently and stiffened against the hug, but she allowed it to pass when she was handed that little box. To this, she reacted with a sweet little smile to him while she reached up and patted his hair with what seemed to be fondness. A gift? For me? What took you so long?

"Thank you." She pretended to be patient as she opened the box, but her curiosity made her fingers tremble slightly. Yes, gifts were her weakness, and Aurion had tapped it quite nicely. "Yours?" She nodded her head to Ruveila, asking if it was indeed Aurion's keeper. She'd keep him talking while she opened her present and perhaps that would give the others time to arrive. He was a good minion, this one. Probably the only one that was actually going to be punctual.

An Empress, huh? That'd be why his clothes were so fine. Hers she had had to depend on Talis to purchase from a sales rack in some regular supermarket. It was a wonder the fabric looked as nice as it did, because it was just cotton and some simple gold embroidery. When she was older, she'd no longer accept such common clothes, but for now -while she was scuffing up her knees climbing trees and playing in the sandbox- it'd do.

Seeing the piece of jewelry that Talis would never have bought her, her lips promptly parted. Her jaw was not hanging agape, mind you, because that was not a pretty thing at all to do. Those green fingers lightly ran over the pendant's surface and for a moment, Aurion and everyone else was pretty much ignored as she thoroughly inspected it. She glanced back up at Aurion, batting her long lashes as she smiled.

"Put it on me." She pushed it into his hands then spun around so her back faced him. Her hands quickly gathered all that long, crimson hair up into one place and swept it out of the way, thus exposing her slender neck. She knew the pendant would match her perfectly, so why not wear it now? If things kept going this good for her, she'd have to buy a jewelry box... or make one.

It looked nice on her? He'd learn that she 'looked nice' in whatever she chose to wear, no matter how ugly it may actually be. The day someone told Noelle that she was ugly would be the day she even considered murder as a good enough punishment. For now, she was quite content with kicking shins and biting.

"I like it." She confirmed with that ever-sweet smile she was quite skilled at displaying. Her fingers lightly ran over the pendant, which was now hanging just over that ugly, faceless doll. Her actions were quite quick as she threw herself forward and wrapped her arms about his neck. A rather awkward little hug, since she didn't do it often, but she'd told herself that Aurion seemed to like this sort of thing, and that this would be his reward along with her favor. No, he shouldn't worry about the other children calling him names with Noelle around. She didn't seem at all intimidating, but everyone that was invited -aside from Aurion- knew damn well that she would take on even one higher in experience than her. She had to look out for the loyal minions, right?

The holly-fae quickly slid away after a minute, then glanced around. No one else had come yet. With a soft 'hmph', she pouted softly. Oh well. They'd just have to begin without them. "Come." She spun on the heel of her bare foot and passed through the gates of her park. He'd be able to see most of it, seeing as the playground was on the other end.

Miria dropped of Ciro at the meeting place and handed him the bag of chips that he wanted to get and a tin of cookies that Miria had made a few days ago.
Miria wouldn't be staying, she had other things to do but that was fine with Ciro he liked it better that way.

Ciro wondered over towards the gates, looking for Noelle or someone else to point him in the right direction. At the gates he glanced around hoping to spot someone.

"Did I hear my name?"

Ritsuki had walked through the gates of the park, and had apparently appeared behind Ciro. Oya was following her, with her hand in her pockets. Ritsuki was wearing a pink dress that was just a little to big for her, while Oya had on a casual shirt and jeans.

Ritsuki was her usual cheerful self. She kept thinking about how neat another meeting could be, and she had almost hoped out of her seat in the car. Oya had had to calm her down a few times. Getting older did not mean getting more mature, at leaast not in Ritsuki's case. She acted just as she had before, barely changing at all. She was just taller now.

Oya had actually opened up a lot since Ritsuki had came. She was a lot less depressing. Her personality hadn't really changed either, but she was a little more talkative.

"I'll pick you up later then, all right Ritsuki?"

Ritsuki gave her a thumbs-up, and Oya walked out of the park. She'd already taken her hands out of her pockets, and now she was holding the keys to her car. She really didn't need to tell Ritsuki to be good, because she knew already. It wasn't like Oya punished her often. Unless she drew on the walls at home.