Welcome to Gaia! ::

In order to give the Shinobis some time off from their daily lives, Konoha is having a masquerade ball (Labyrinth style). Anyone is welcome to come and violence is strictly prohibited. All those entering are searched at the door for weapons.

Everyone is required to wear a mask and encouraged not to reveal their identities until the end of the night to make things more interesting. If someone finds out, then they are asked to keep it to themselves as to not ruin it for others. ((Room descriptions are farther down the page)).

Schedule: It is the early Fall and this takes place during time jump to celebrate the ending of the fillers...finally! The masquerade starts at 5pm with dinner. At 6pm is when the dancing and mingling starts and the fun really gets going!

TO JOIN: Simply send me a PM with who you want to be and I'll ad ya. Also all and any pairings are welcome.

RULES
1. Follow Gaias ToS
2. No god moding or controlling other characters.
3. Lots of us hate the PG-13 rating (*cough*Me*cough*) but we have to follow. Keep anything graphic out or go to PMs.
4. Please be active! If you haven't posted in a few days, I'll be tempted to kick ya. I know everyone's busy so I'll be nice and give a warning first.
5. Have FUN!

The Ballroom: A wide open room with a large staircase at the back. Mirrors line the walls at set intervals, a large crystal chandelier hangs in the center of the room scattering spots of light onto the walls and reflects off the mirrors. There's a light fog on the floor that helps give this room a magical like feel. Vines are wrapped around the beams and up the railings, colorful flowers blooming from them and the ceiling is painted like the night sky, complete with constellations. There are also two sets of doors that lead out onto a large veranda (balcony) that has benches for couples or friends to sit and chat while enjoying the night.

Up the stairs is the Dining Room. The tables were spaced far enough apart to prevent people from bumping into each other and could hold up to four people. On each table was a white tablecloth with a different colored lace one over that. In the center of the tabled was a candle surrounded by little party favors for the guests. In the center of the room was a large fountain that had colored lights to give the guests a show while they enjoyed their meal. Along one wall is a long row of tables piled high with every kind of food you could want or imagine. At one end was appetizers, then a main coarse meals and ended with various types of desserts.

The Lounge is a room filled with comfortable couches and chairs. There's also a large fireplace on one wall and piano in one corner. This room is for the people who want to sit and relax but don't want to go outside or stay in the dining room.

The Garden is large and even has it's own labyrinth made of tall shrubs. Flowers of every kind are scattered around and there are benches set around a small fountain. There is a small stream that runs along side the woods with a bridge over it leading to a worn dirt path that leads farther into the woods. At the center of the labyrinth is a pond that also has benches around it. Lanterns lead from the door, along the stone path, through and around the labyrinth and to the bridge near the woods.

((I feel like I forgot something....oh well. If I think of anything else, I'll add to it.))

"Ma, enough already!" Shikamaru said as his mother fussed with his suit. "There's still a whole hour before this thing starts, why do I have to get ready now?"

"Because there's only an hour left!" She said as she continued straightening out his suit and messing with his hair.

I can't believe I let her talk me into wearing it down...it feels strange.
When his mother was finally satisfied with his appearance, she stepped away so he could see himself in the mirror. I can barely recognize myself and I don't even have my mask on yet.

The suit he wore was black with sliver patterns on the jacket. His mask was silver with a small set of antlers on the top, both had black designs on them that matched the silver ones on the jacket.

"Don't you think this mask will make it obvious who I am?" He asked his mother. "I mean, we raise deer..."

"That may be so but with that suit on and your hair down, you don't look too much like yourself. Add the mask, and it's like you're a whole new person."

There was a whistle from the doorway and Shikamaru turned to see his father standing there. "Is that my son?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and gave his parents a look. "Are you two ever going to start treating me like an adult?"

"Nope." They said together. "Now, no standing until you get to the masquerade. I don't want your suit to wrinkle."

Why did father marry such a troublesome woman?

Haku glanced at himself in the mirror, a smile gracing his lips. A black tuxedo jacket, complete with tails adorned his top. A white, button-up shirt beneith that. There were ruffles at the ends of the shirt's long sleeves, that covered the boy's hands a bit.

The pants were different from the usual tuxedo pants, however. These were a bit more flowy of a pair, and resembled a skirt more then pants, but they were comfortable. That's what he was going to be about, tonight.... Comfort. He was nervous enough even thinking about the amounts of people that was going to be there...

White dress-socks, and a pair of slightly-uncomfortable dress shoes adorned his feet. He wasn't exactly used to closed-toe'd shoes, but he picked them to wear. Running a hand through his hair, which was down and flowing about his shoulders, Haku reached over and picked up his mask.

A simple one, really. It curved to fit his face, and covered about only half of his face. One half of it was black, the other- white. Some gold gems lined the outside of it, and the white side had been painted around the eye to make it look like it had eyelashes. A little off, and the mask was probably supposed to be worn by a girl, but he liked it.

Haku examined himself in the mirror, his mask on. He looked like a different person... It was a bit weird, and he couldn't hide his smirk, since the mask was only a half-one.

The redhead acknowledged the other boy with a nod of the head. "Seems so," he said simply, observing the boy. The voice and body seemed familiar, but he couldn't really put his finger on the name. "Know what time it starts?"

Who is this guy? Shikamaru though and fought off a smile that his mask wouldn't hide. He's dressed like a bunny... "Uh, starts around five I think." I wonder if there's a tail on his suit too?

Neji entered the area, letting out a bitter sigh. "Perfection." He growled to himself, walking over to the other two, trying to keep his idenity hidden. "Why isn't anybody here?"