The Mad God's Masque and Bellicose Ball (IC) (M)

[Stygian]

The night did not pass quickly for Elyse. Even after having set up icons and warding spells, she found it very hard to feel safe. And while the amount of focus she often exercised put a strain on her that she knew that only real and deep sleep could relieve, meaning she had not given up that habit anywhere near as completely as many Cubi, she had serious trouble closing her eyes, much less summoning any feeling of restfulness. Thus, come the next morning, she found herself still half-dressed among the sheets, hair caught in one of her piercings and her neck stiff.
  Even though she did not need to, and was going to shapeshift herself into order later, the bat still took a bath, once she managed to pry herself from the bed and re-organize her jewelry. It was still early in the morning, and she did not have to worry about breakfast, after all. She wasn't going to stay there until noon though, but soon got out, dressed herself in something loose and unrestrictive, and sat down on the bed yet again. She took a few moments to simply lie down and stretch, the sheets and her clothes, all creamy white, almost blending together.
  When at last she felt a little more relaxed, Elyse grabbed the book that had lied next to her all the night, flipping open a page and starting a verse. Murmuring the long since memorized words low, their passing and the text soon floating away, her mind shifted and stretched and moved, her focus deepening and hardening. By themselves, the curtains shut, and a candle lit up on the nightstand table.
   By noon, she would be as ready as she could be.

[SpottedKitty]

Andrace waved and smiled back at the fox as he was hauled ignominously out of her room. "See y' later, H'ratio, an' thanks..." she called. The last Horatio saw of the lioness before the door slammed was her slow, sensual wink.Then, safely alone, she sat down on the edge of the bed and laughed. That dragon was so like Aunt Jocasta, apart from the lack of fur the resemblance was uncanny.

She was still snickering a few minutes later when she left the room, holding her towel-wrapped bundle and munching on one last pancake. She locked the door and walked downstairs to the front desk to enquire about the hotel's gym. Ten minutes later she was there, stripped down to a plain green leotard and beginning an energetic workout routine. As she went through the motions of hefting weights about, though, she was thinking about very different things.

Right... Kiet ti' Paollo... first things first, what does he look like? Is he here in th' hotel, or up at th' castle already? Can I get a good look without him seein' me? Bound t' have brought a retinue along. How many? Any of 'em I can safely... lean on f'r a bit more information? Any of 'em I might need t' work around? The other option, of having to go through someone else to reach her target, was not a choice Andrace liked to contemplate. The Family was contracted several times a year to deal with rogue Creatures, and a reputation for casualties among bystanders would knock the bottom right out of that very dangerous, but very lucrative market.

She glanced at the bracelet she still wore on her right wrist. Hopefully that was working as advertised, otherwise anyone with the skill and the curiosity would discover she was planning to kill a very old, very dangerous, and probably very wily 'Cubi. The little surprise her sister Despina had told her about in the phone call last night should help equalise things, but she was under no illusions this would be an easy job. She'd settle for "surviveable".

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel cringed a bit inside as her grandmother whisked past. Grandma had perfected that tone of voice that could make anyone feel like a naughty 5,000 year old. Who would have thought that you could feel guilty for going to bed early?

She trailed the elder dragon into the dining area, giving her an affectionate kiss on the cheek by way of apology. Knowing her grandmother's sweet tooth Mel managed to push the quartz next to her grandmother's plate.

After a few minutes of silent eating Mel asked, "Have you decided what you will be wearing to the art show?"

[e_voyager]

With a couple of books under his arm Aten left the library. he need to think about what he'd found. what more he needed to find either that wolf or the dragoness from last night. they would be able to tell him about the connection between the goddess the castle and his family line.

[Cogidubnus]

 Her chanting went undisturbed for a great long while, Elyse meditating silently in the light of the candle and the light filtering out from behind the thick curtains. In her focused state, she nearly missed the card set a chair by the stone fireplace, standing vertically and slightly open. Her name was written carefully in scarlet script on the front.
She wasn't sure if it was there when she woke up or not. No one, however, had been inside the room since the frog left.

* * *

LL sniffed, and taking a bite of cheese, picked up the slab of quartz, nibbling a bit off the corner. She made a crunching sound for a few moments, before setting the amber-gold pad of fine crystals back on the plate.
"I was thinking...violet..." she said, looking at Mel from the corner of her eye.

* * *

Back in the hotel, Aten didn't see any sign of the dragoness or the wolf, although the early risers amongst the aristocratic elite were out and about. Breakfast was being served buffet-style, and people were milling about with plates of eggs and bacon and fruit, both in the lounge area and in the restaurant proper.

[e_voyager]

Aten's stomach protested loudly telling him that he needed o fill it and despite the urgency he felt to find the wolf and dragoness he  soon found himself in line filling a pate with breakfast. hopefully he's see someone that could help him here if not he'd eat and resume searching.

[Azlan]

Jayce sighed heavily and pushed the ice pack away, "I can't really tell who sent this, the readings are unclear."

The ringtail twittered his nose, "I was afraid of that, someone must have seen the countess fire off the hand cannon... but I don't know how they would have known it was me."  He gripped his head, "arrgh it hurts..."  A sudden thought dawned on him through the throb of pain, "maybe I was seen when I transformed, and recognized later on."

Camiole waved her finger in front of Kiet's nose, "sloppy, now someone knows and they sent this to let us know that they know.  They will probably try to leverage this..."

"pshaw, no one even remembers Vixana in this part of the world.  Whom ever sent this was just trying to be funny, or genuinely helpful."  Kiet commented as he waved off Camiole, "so does anyone want to order some room service and enjoy local cuisine?"

The three retainers nodded.

[Boog]

Jeremiah strolled down the hall, deftly weaving past panicky servants rushing back and forth. Sure, he'd been accosted by a woman claiming this castle contained a room of bodies just the prior evening, but it was morning now and he was humming some old Eurythmics song. Nothing bad happened while humming Eurythmics songs. Just common sense. Cheerfully ignoring the parts of his brain that simply wouldn't let themselves get on with things and leave the distant past of last night in the past, the frog followed his nose to the kitchens.
"Sharon!" He leaned around the door, the look on his face expressing quite clearly that, at this very second, there was nobody in this world he considered more worth his complete attention and interest. "Gooood morning! You look wonderful, doing something new with your hair?" He was shameless, yes, but most addicts were.

[SpottedKitty]

Andrace paused as she added a couple of extra twenty-pound weights to an exercise machine. Now she remembered what had been niggling at the back of her mind since the phone call last night. I sent Eugenia up t' Great-Aunt Kalliroe's room 'cause it really is her turn t' give her th' news officially, she thought, but I forgot she's been hiding from Auntie since that... ah... little little accident with her favourite painting the day b'fore I left. Hoo boy, 'Genie's gonna get The Look for sure...

Andrace had to admit she liked the ancient painting as well, although the title, "Matriarch Jacinta Welcomes The Adventurer Vixana Reynada To Mytilene" was a bit of a mouthful. As a cub, Andrace had thought it funny to see such a skinny little vixen standing next to her great-great-great-etcetera-grandmother. According to the Family archives, the old lioness had been over seventy at the time, with white hair and a lot of grey in her fur, but she still towered head and shoulders over her just-beginning-to-be-famous visitor.

She hoped the painting, which dated back to the early days of the Family as a force to be reckoned with in adventuring, hadn't been too difficult to clean. It had just been bad luck when Andrace's youngest sister threw a sticky bun at one of her brothers: it had bounced off his head, sailed across the main hall, and left a splatter of icing and jam right in the middle of Lady Reynada's distinctive profile.

[Yugo]

Esme shivered visibly, eyeing the lack of ready transportation, her usual winter gear proving to be quite inadequate. The wind picked up and sawed at her ears, its winter chill biting through her cloth and deep into her bones.  A white flurry of snow swirled in eddies and waves, falling to the ground as a light blanket. She licked her lips, promptly wishing she hadn't as the bitter cold froze the moisture there, bringing hot tears of pain to her eyes. Extending her hands, she made a strange arcane gesture, uttering imperceptible words of power, and a corona of light played about her hands. There was a brief flash, and the wind and cold seemed to recede, providing a temporary respite from her miseries.

The urgency and excitement she had felt earlier at the prospect of leaving her job for a real chance at doing some good began to rapidly wane. She already missed the grateful filthy faces of both soldiers and famine victims alike, and the satisfaction of personal interaction with those she provided aid to.  More so, however, she felt that she had abandoned her duty.  She knew from experience that the amount of victims coming in from border skirmishes and light clashes would seem like a trickle compared to the endless tide of men and women that would arrive on the eve of full-scale warfare, and the Medical Corps wasn't even at full staff as it was. Already she could hear the endless screaming that filled the triage centers and smell the metallic tang of burnt flesh and blood. Esme blinked, and the illusion fled, leaving her alone on the train platform. The faint silhouette of a castle rose up in the distance. Her thick leather boots crunching with each step, she began her trek towards her destination.

[Aisha deCabre]

Rynkura had the day nearly planned out as she approached the dining area, taking her time.  The party definitely wasn't until later, and they'd probably let everyone know when to be at the castle for it, and what was happening.  Breakfast might be followed by a time of meditation, or a time of training...maybe a little while in the library.

Yes, the library...certainly there ought to be some interesting information about this place to fill her head up on before indulging in anything else.

In fact, as she was headed in line at the buffet--filling a plate with pancakes, eggs, and sausage--she spotted a tabby-colored feline nearby who also also seemed, according to the energy she picked up, demonic in nature.  He was also carrying a couple of books along with his plate.  Bit of an armful, she thought.

The tigress swished her tail in thought as she took her plate, holding her staff in the crook of her right arm.  "Pardon, good sir," she inquired of Aten before he left, eyebrow raising.  "But, perchance, in which direction did you find those books?  I also must say you look as if you're about to drop one."

[e_voyager]

Aten was shocked and very nearly did drop a books and food. After some shuffling in an less then graceful manner he manages to balance his load thought it required him to place a couple of thinner books in his muzzle. looking for the source of the the hail. spotting Rynkura who's name he had yet to learn he gestured nodding towards and empty table that he proceeded to head to. one there hoping she would follow he set done his breakfast followed by the books including the two in his muzzle.  he turned. this was the moment of truth did she follow or was he wrong and on top to that beneath her notice?

[Aisha deCabre]

Rynkura tilted her head slightly at the feline's mannerisms.  He didn't offer her a quick answer, nor asked for any help in handling his books, but instead headed toward the empty table after rather hurriedly picking things up.  Shrugging to herself, she followed.  From the way the youngster acted, he seemed to have also been looking for someone to just talk to.

She preferred to have a seat to herself, but this one was slightly curious, so she indulged and put her plate down on the other side of the table.  "You know, normally one answers a question before inviting one to sit down," she said in a neutral, certainly mentor-like tone and proceeded to slice her pancakes.  "They introduce themselves too.  Unless you are mute, in which case I could look for the library myself."

[Mel Dragonkitty]

As her grandmother mentioned a violet outfit Mel noticed Walter, who was approaching with the tea cart, twitch. A subtle gesture, like everything about the man, but a definite moue of distaste. The violet dress must be interesting.

"I am sure that it is lovely. I have never seen you anything but perfectly dressed." She accepted a teacup from Walter as she asked, "Do you think my ice blue cocktail dress is suitable for the art show?" Appealing to Grandmother's decision making skills was generally a good way to put her in a better mood.

[e_voyager]

Aten was mildly surprised that she was still here but not unpleasantly so. "i do apologize but you caught me at an awkward time. Also if these books are of interest to you then i believe that your have been invited to this town to take part in the masked ball." he said.  " i am called Atem" he said with a slight bow  as opposed to and offered hand shake that he would have do were she male. "how shall i call you Madam?"

[Aisha deCabre]

Heh, so he's not mute.

Rynkura returned the polite gesture between bites of her food, nodding towards the feline and also extending her hand for him to either shake or grip, whatever he liked.  "A pleasure to meet you, young Atem.  I'm Rynkura Msh'taan, a Healer by trade and swordswoman by profession."

She regarded him with very little curiosity as she continued her meal, staff laid gently over her lap.  "And you'd be corrrect, I was invited to the Masked Ball...I suppose then you were too.  Judging by those books, though, I think that you and I may be the only ones interested in the history before thinking of the event.  Unless I'm mistaken...?"

The tigress chuckled.  "In any case, all I really require is where you found those books.  I haven't seen this whole place yet myself, and I didn't even know that hotels had libraries."

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Tim wandered back inside, and absently wiped the drool off her face, before heading in to the bathroom to have a quick wash.

Fifteen minutes later, she was washed, brushed, and dressed for the day - not dressed up, just in her travelling clothes - and heading down to find something to eat. Taking advantage of the wide staircases, she glided down the levels to each landing, pausing at each to ensure the clear airspace for the next swoop. Walking down the final set of stairs to the lobby, she shook her wings into place, and sauntered into the restaurant area for a quick meal.

Piling a plate high, she glanced around, located an empty table, and sauntered over to it to eat, seating herself neatly, and swinging her wings out of the way.

Having assuaged the immediate pangs of hunger, she glanced round the room, admiring the scenery, whilst she finished that plateful, then went to get another. After which, she intended to head on out to take care of Rover.

[Stygian]

It wasn't until after a couple of hours of focus and meditation that Elyse looked up, eyelids clingy under her frown from her concentration, her vision blurry for a while. The white square on the chair across the floor was small, and her back had been turned toward it before, but as she emerged from her introverted state and took in the impressions of the world without again with burning brightness and clarity, that artfully labeled piece of paper stood out so much that it immediately became the focal point of her attention, so much that she had to remember to restrain herself for fear that in her state of mental sharpness she might shatter the frail thing or set fire to it unintentionally. She could not shake the distress that it brought her though, though she tried to bite down as hard as she could on the anger. She thought it impossible that someone might have been in her room during the night; had anyone been, not only should they have been restrained but she should have been alerted and woken up ready to act in the blink of an eye. So how then was it that this disturbingly tidy and inconspicuous little letter sat right there, in plain sight?
  Normally, she would have examined the envelope directly by thought and then had it fly over to her, but touching it with her mind like that might still singe it, and even that could be a trap. Instead, she got off the bed with practiced, smooth movements. Her muscles tensed and relaxed on their own during her meditation, a natural habit for her, but it was impossible to sit still like that for so long without one's joints stiffening a little, so her movements were a bit unnatural as she stretched and rolled them while she moved over the floor, taking her time to try and purge her irritation as well.
  Standing over the letter at last, she looked at it for a long while, just thinking. Then, carefully, she raised her hand a bit, opening her palm toward the thing, golden-ringed fingers spreading. A heartbeat of a second later, dim sunlight-colored glyphs and patterns appeared in the air around them, a diagram-like structure flickering and shifting for a few instants, before fizzing out like a light bulb turned off. Elyse sighed.
  It was just a letter. Still, she held it pinched between just a pair of lacquer-clawed fingers as if it might bite her, as she carefully opened and read it.

[e_voyager]

Aten was instantly on guard. He knew it was silly and that not everyone was out to get him but still being invited to this ball put him on edge. He briefly wondered if she miss heard him or was baiting him. "the pleasure is mine Madam  Msh'taan. Though i think you miss heard me i said i am called Atem."  his books placed the the side he began to devour his breakfast as well. So she was a guest to this event?  that was expected. she wanted the library? well he could help her with that having recently left it. she recognized the nature of the books he'd 'borrowed' meaning that she may be interested in reading them as well. taken a moment to  put his food aside he asks " i was wondering have you been to the ball before?"

: Edited for the sake of explaining paranoia and making eyes that read it bleed less

[Cogidubnus]

 Oliver Yarborough was not pleased.

He was staring at his stables. A nonplussed, bored expression covered his face as he slowly tilted his head to the side, and slowly tilted it back. He did this several times, before his face broke into a scowl, and he threw the pitchfork he'd been carrying at the ground. It clattered dully a few times as he stormed off, headed for the back entrance to the hotel.

* * *

LL didn't say anything immediately, but Mel noticed a certain small smile creeping up her face as she sipped her tea. By the time she set it back down she'd composed herself again, but it appeared that her bad mood had passed. There was a lightness around her eyes, and she took another crunch of the shistose quartzite before passing it back to Mel.
"You do look pretty in it." she said, sniffing. "It should be very suitable. Just be sure to bring the formal with you, getting back to the hotel will be impractical this evening. Roads will be murder.", she said.

She was silent for a bit, munching on a few things here and there. Mel noticed LL was staring at her - almost past her, really. It was a moment before her eyes seemed to snap back to reality, and the elder dragon regarded her carefully.
"Melodie...I...might bring a bauble or two with you." she said, quickly looking down at a jam-covered scone. "You do have such interesting designs. Did you have anything in mind?"

* * *

As Atem spoke, his copy of "The Complete History of Dragons, Vol. 466, Part II. (Abridged)", by Billingsly Topaz, fell onto the floor. Atem had to keep from dropping his plate - the chaper head was titled very simply, "LL", with a drawing of the same beneath it.

* * *

Tim had finished her breakfast and was just about ready to walk outside, when she spotted the tiger from before, Ray, approaching her with something of a painful expression on his face. He stopped a bit short of her, and with his hands together made a very small bow.
"I'm...ah. Good morning, ma'am." he said, forcing a smile. "Tim, correct?"

* * *
  Jeremiah, of course, hadn't noticed anything about Sharon's hair. It was the frog's luck that, in fact, she'd just tried out keeping it in braids, and flushed a bright crimson when he said so. She was a shy girl, and although she was strong enough to lift an ox, she still looked away and smiled.

"Maybe." she said, and pulled the coffepot from its holder beside her, setting it in front of Jeremiah. A mug followed after, and then she continued to chop potatoes.

* * *
The concierge looked forlornly at the phone. It was that inane Cubi's room, the one who'd nearly tried to kill everyone in the piano bar last night. He sighed, wishing that he lived somewhere warmer and farther away, and picked up the phone.
"Room service." he said, somehow forcing out enthusiasm.

* * *

Esme found that it was going to be a long hike. The Castle, by virtue of being as large as it was, seemed closer than it really was to the town. What seemed like a fifteen minute trek was turning into thirty minutes in the ice and snow. Her feet were getting a bit numb when she heard something with wheels rolling through the snow behind her.

"Bit early for a nature walk, isn't it?" the driver said, slowing the horses down to a crawl. It looked to be some sort of fox, brown and sandy colored. He looked at Esme for a bit, then patted the seat beside him. "You're already halfway there, hop on. I'm headed there anyway."

* * *
"Hi." it read.

Oh, it was written in absurdly complicated calligraphy, with blood-red ink and filigree about the blank page, but that was it - no, not entirely. The back of the card had a little crude doodle - two ears, a muzzle and two eyeballs with the pupils juxtaposed in the stereotypically crazy fashion. A few swirls of ink were supposed to represent a foaming mouth, she supposed.

She looked up, and there were bars on the window.

She looked to the side, and the door was gone. Moved, rather, to the side of the room. She could see lights flickering under the crack in the door as well.
Past the bars on the window, nothing had changed. The snow continued falling, and a few stray travelers here and there were attempting to beat the rush and get to the castle early.

She felt something drip onto her hair. A stain on the ceiling had formed, and judging by the bright crimson the drops turned the sheets, it wasn't water.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Rover heard the clang of the pitchfork, and poked his head curiously over the top of the stables. He watched Oliver stalk away with a slightly confused look on his face, then padded over and picked up the pitchfork, returning to his place behind the stables.

* * *

Tim raised her eyebrows at the tiger, then paused at the look on his face. "Yes, I'm Tim. Er, is this about the bell tower? I'm very sorry about that, if I'd realised he'd go looking I'd have stopped him sooner..."

She trailed off, studying his face. "This isn't about the bell tower, is it. He's done something else, hasn't he." A world-weary expression passed over her face, and she winced, and ran one paw over her face. With her eyes still closed, she waved her other paw in a circular motion at Ray, indicating he should go on. In a pained tone, she said "Let me have it. What now?"

[Aisha deCabre]

Rynkura had to keep from quirking an eyebrow, if only to annoy her breakfast companion further.  Being trained in the art--and it was an art, for those who knew how to present it--of keeping a cool head, she certainly noticed his suddenness in bringing his guard up.  The tigress wondered just what had him so on edge...she knew she was a little intimidating, but to warrant suspicion immediately?  Seemingly a nearly-old Healer with a staff?

She did however chuckle.  "And if you'll remember, I did refer to you by Atem.  My hearing isn't at all diminished, child.  Ah, but you may hear what you wish," she said with a dismissive hand wave as she went back to her pancakes.  "I've studied many a different language of the regions, and in all of them sometimes the exact same sounds of those exact letters can be confused."  She smiled lightly, in a friendly way.  "So worry not.  And no, I'm afraid I haven't been to the Ball before...in fact this is the first time I've ever been invited to such a thing in many years.  So, I too wonder what's in store."

Her eyes looked almost glazed over, as if she was remembering something.  But at that moment, she heard a "thump" as one of Atem's books fell to the floor.  Glancing there, she noticed just barely what the book had opened to.

LL, huh?  Heh, what a legend of a dragon.  Makes me wonder if she is here too, Rynkura thought, her ears set back to her head for just one small moment, before she looked back to the feline with a shake of her head.  It looked as if she wasn't as concerned as he'd be...and certainly she wasn't.  "I told you that you looked like your arms were too full of books.  Here, I'll fetch that for you."

[Gareeku]

It was cold. Bitterly so. In one carriage of the train, the hooded figure sat quietly, the only thing that gave away movement was the mist that floated from beneath the hood every so often. Beside the stranger sat a bag made of a dull grey material, the contents unknown. The carriage was silent. Only the sound of the train's wheels on the track below could be heard.

Eventually, the train began to slow as it neared the station, the sound of the train's brakes ringing out as it did so. Rising to his feet, the figure made his way to the door, opening it and stepping out onto the station once the train had stopped. Exiting the station, the hooded stranger then stepped out onto the street beyond, before reaching into his brown hooded cloak and removing a letter from within it.

Reading the letter, the figure raised an eyebrow under his hood, before putting it away again.
"Well...this should be interesting..." the figure muttered to himself in a gruff voice, looking up at the heavily clouded grey sky above, before beginning to walk down the road.

Before long, what had been a normal walk had turned into a trudge through heavy snow. Growling softly to himself in annoyance, the hooded figure glanced over his shoulder, seeing the trench in the snow that marked when he had walked, or rather trudged. Sighing softly to himself, the stranger continued onwards.

After what seemed an eternity, a building appeared in the distance; the hotel in which he would be resting for now. When he arrived, the stranger looked down and noticed a slight crater in the ground; almost as if a larger hole had been there sometime before. Choosing to ignore this, the figure entered the hotel.

"I would like to book a room please." the figure said as he approached the hotel's reception desk. Looking up at him, the feline female behind the desk smiled, almost forcingly as one would expect, as it was just past dawn.

"Certainly sir. We do have a few rooms available. What type of room would you like?" The feline replied, jotting the details down in the log book on her desk. "And who shall I put the room in the name of?"

"A single room will be fine." the stranger replied, before removing the hood on the cloak from his head, revealing the white-furred lupine features beneath and taking the room keys. "Gareeku Manoko".

Having left his bag of formal attire on the bed, Gareeku then headed back downstairs to the restaurant. His stomach rumbling had given away the fact that the wolf had not eaten in a while having slept on the train, and so after he entered the restaurant, the lupine warrior ordered himself a hearty fried breakfast.

((OOC: The post would have been better, had my computer not decided to close all my windows just as I was about to post the original version, forcing me to rewrite the whole bloody thing. Sorry.))

[Boog]

"It's lovely," He said earnestly, the actual difference in her appearance registering a few seconds after the words were out of his mouth, and being completely cast from his thoughts as the coffee was placed in view. He poured himself a cup and finished it in a few gulps, casting a genuinely grateful glance at the girl as he set the cup aside. "Now then, best get to my shift and hope ol' stripey doesn't notice if I'm late." He winked at Sharon, "Take care, Sharon." Nice girl, the frog thought to himself cheerfully as he left Oughta do something nice for her while I'm still in town. The man wasn't callous. Just... Focused. With this latest infusion of liquid purpose, said focus was on his job. Which was to report to the badger, wherever the hell that man was...

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel nodded affirmatively to her Grandmother's question. "I brought a rather large jewel case. Everything was checked and rechecked before we left the Fort. They are some of my best efforts, I believe." After a pause she reached across the table and took the elder dragon's hand, "How are your accessories? I would very much hate to see you underdressed for the upcoming events."

[techmaster-glitch]

   Sometime after the sun set (though Karazkt didn't know that), Karazkt finally fell into what passed as sleep for an Insectis. He woke up some time later, and, having nothing to do until that odd surfacer came for him, opted for simply pressing his antennae against the stone and listening to the castle. His perception was a little fuzzy, as the structure was made of many stone pieces and not carved from a single one, but he managed. For awhile, though, it was quiet--most of the surfacers appeared to still be asleep. Not only did their cycles seemed to be longer than an Insectis one, but they seemed to all cycle simultaneously as well. Insectis worked on rotating schedules, and it confused him that the surfacers did not. Were they not utterly vulnerable?
   Some more time passed, and activity gradually picked up. Karazkt listened as it did. All hives, made by the combined noises and activities of its inhabitants, had a unique "harmony", or "symphony" if you will, to them. In an unintentional and communally created way, it was not unlike music. This, in a way, gave a representation of the personality of the hive. You could even tell the current state of the hive by this. Eventually, Karazkt was tuned into the "symphony" of all in the castle, made up of their noise and activities.
   And what a symphony it was! More like a cacophony! Karazkt had never heard anything like it. It was the most discordant, chaotic, unorganized and unharmonious orchestra he had ever heard. While Karazkt couldn't pick out individual actions or sounds even under good conditions, he discerned enough to realize that each person acted entirely of their own accord. This shocked Karazkt. It meant that these surfacers had no hive or collective direction at all, and their hierarchy even seemed nonexistent (or maybe he just couldn't pick it out). Either way, it amazed him that these surfacers could even live they way they did. Even the Mer, who lacked a totally overriding collective, still had a strong hierarchy governing their actions.
   For several hours, well into the morning, Karazkt listened in fascination. These surfacers were surely mad.

[Azlan]

Kiet, bubbling with enthusiasm and energy, spoke quickly into the phone, "oh yes we would like to order room service."

The concierge sighed, barely concealing it as he procured an order form, "yes... sir... what can I get for you?"

"all." Was the reply from the phone.

"I'm not sure I caught that, could you repeat it?"  He said, drooping his ears down in anticipation of the answer he feared.

"All of it."  Came the happy and sing-song answer from the line.

The concierge could barely contain his frustration, "all of it?!"

"Oh yes," came the reply, "you can bill it to the room of course."

The poor man massaged his temple, "of... course..."  The man spoke his next words as if they were vipers ready to strike at his throat, "any...thing... else?"

"No, thank you for asking."

He breathed a slight sigh of relief, "yes, thank you for your business sir."


Meanwhile...


In the stables, two orange, glowing points of light narrowed as the building creaked yet again.  Finally having enough, the bronze golem stood and stormed out.  It turned its gaze to the back of the stables and found a huge gryphon. 

The fire of 'anger' quickly drained from the construct and ever so quietly... for a metal automaton... it crept towards the vehicle parking area.

[e_voyager]

"I thank you. and yes there is a lot to read up on. the book you have caught my eye for other less practical reason but it's still one worth reading if my suspicions are correct." he finished his meal which had been a light one despite his hunger and apprised the woman before him again. he tired to keep his own features in check showing no of what he felt but he knew it to be an empty bluff. one one not so skilled in reading body language as they believed would be fooled by a lack of signals. "I'm here hoping to find out more about why some one like me was invited. that's the reason being my trip to the library. if you like i'll show you the way there. still i'm wondering, do they have any rhyme or reason to our invites or are they completely random? " he does not ask what her reason is. he will let her tell him should she chose. if his manner were this bad then he'd not last an hour with the person he'd hope to meet today.

[Aisha deCabre]

"Quite welcome," the tigress replied as she came back up with the book on dragons in hand, her eyes only lingering on that page for one second as she handed it back to Atem.  Glancing down at the remainder of her food, thinking on the question of the invitations before continuing her meal, she had to agree it was rather curious.

She paused with a gulp of her food before speaking.  "From the interesting crowd that I have seen so far joining the Ball, the invitations seemed random, and for the moment I am willing to stake that it is.  I don't even wonder if some of them were misprinted or a list switched, as well, considering the crowd.  But seeing my full name in red letters..." the Healer shook her head.  "It still makes me wonder."

Once her plate was cleared and she herself full, Rynkura made herself ready to stand up, and smiled back over the table at the feline.  "Thank you for your company, young sir...and there's no need to go to the trouble of leading me there, just point me in the right direction, that would be fine.  You seem most eager to get somewhere anyway, and I'm simply interested in reading.  I am an old scholar, so I can spend hours at a time in a library," she said with utmost sincerity.  That was truly her reason for wanting to find it, and at least that's what she'd have anyone else believe.  "I'm sure I can find it."

Rynkura herself wasn't in a hurry; but with having some research to do and having earlier sighted a familiar countenence in the restaurant, seemingly, made it look so.

[Yugo]

Esme continued to trudge through the dreary Damaske winter, her boots crunching through the snow. Slowly, her toes had begun to numb, accompanied by a sensation of cold daggers pricking her feet. The size of her destination had deceived her into believing it would be a short hike, and now it seemed even farther away than it was before. "Gods I hate the winter," she muttered to herself, her breath congealing into cottony puffs of steam. It was a beautiful season, but only when Esme was warm and dry.

The sound of steps and the creak of wheels reached her ears, breaking apart her dreary thoughts. A couple of horses slowed before her, followed by a carriage. The driver was well-bundled, a genial expression on the fox's face as offered her a ride and a respite from the harsh weather. Shaking snow from her wings, Esme happily accepted. She shifted in her seat, eyeing her new companion. "Thank you," Esme smiled, doing her best to remain cheery given the circumstances. "Oh, and I'm Esme Broussard," she added hastily, almost forgetting to introduce herself.