One Night Only

[edge_of_nothing]

Who: OPEN TO EVERYONE because of Julian
When: October 30th, 2012
Where: The Xino E. Mao Corp building
Summary: MASQUERAAADE: A costume party of the swanky kind! Yay!
Warnings: None...?
Notes: Forward-dating so there's more time to tag in. Action and prose are both okay! ALSO: tag yourself in on the log!

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Halloween doesn't just belong to the young and young-at-heart. Candy isn't hard to come by. So why not spend some time partying it up?

Thanks to a mistake and Network spam sent via Julian, Xino E. Mao has been dressed up for precisely that line of thinking. Thanks to Xigbar's quick fixes (i.e. connections and a few spells for the occasion), the rooms reserved for special events have been opened up for the masquerade. Yes, masquerade. All are expected to dress in costumes that aren't corny.

The lighting is dim, overlaying fitting decorations which fulfill the eerie ambiance necessary for such a Hallowed Night. These are far from cheesy store-bought decorations, of course. It's stylish and...alive. Why yes, those are Heartless Shadows creeping along the walls.

Don't get too caught up staring at the details – the details will stare back at you.

To all who enter here: enjoy.

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Comments

[capax_infiniti]

[She is in fact there, though she's trailing behind her master a bit meekly (in what appears to be a flower costume). Seems like someone got into trouble...]

Very much so... less of an illogical body design, regardless of how functional it is. This space is too small for that form.

[hikari_no_kundou]

[ Aww Ramadas, you cutie. Eraqus inclines her head towards her (his tail doesn't wave from side to side, but he does look a little less fierce for at least 10 seconds). ]

Hmmhmm. True, it always was more suitable for an outdoor venue. Not so much a room confined as this one.

[ That. And the lack of hair. Might make for an odd showing with that cue-ball, Bro. ]

[capax_infiniti]

[While he catches the direction of Eraqus' glance, he doesn't seem to react to it. Ramadas droops a little bit after a moment, though...]

The wingspan was quite large even in a young form. It would be rather uncomfortable now...

[maybe he'd still have a gorgeous mane as a gargoyle... they age slower, after all...]

I admit my surprise. What draws you to such a venue, Eraqus?

[hikari_no_kundou]

[Awww, but she looks so cute. Don't be sad, Rammy! Eraqus doesn't pay any further heed to her for the moment, however.]

You think it would have expanded with age?

[...Don't kid yourself there, bro. We both know how unhappy you'd be to lose that hair again when you switched back -- if it did come back.

Arms shift, folding behind his back rather than across his chest as is his usual pose of choice.]

I was invited. Though by all accounts, the entire city was. [Tail flicks once, twice, left to right.] I have been here only a short time. It seemed as appropriate a venue as any to see what I might learn of the city.

And you?

[capax_infiniti]

[She's sad because he just chided her. Master is unhappy, that is reason to be sad :( ]

Of course. To properly support the increased mass of an adult body, more surface area is required. The size of a chick's wings would not be able to sustain a fully grown bird in flight, would they?

[Shhhh :c his gorgeous locks :c ]

The enthusiasm of an overeager NV... [his eyes drift to the side just for the moment, to fix on Ramadas, before turning to Eraqus] I did not feel it polite to refuse an invitation already accepted. I am acquainted with a few individuals here, so it is not unpleasant.

[hikari_no_kundou]

[They can talk later, when Xehanort isn't around to glare her into silence. :(]

True, true. But given the nature of the land in question, keeping elements such as wings in proportion to the rest of the body seemed an abstract rather than a definite.

[His paws are still an example of that, in his eyes; one arm moves forward, to wiggle paw-pads before his muzzle.

Nonetheless, the blue and stars are certainly the more comfortable for such a gathering.

[Especially when your lack of enthusiasm for actually attending is spelt out so clearly.]

Such gatherings can prove quite revealing when it comes to the company of strangers. Have you known these acquaintances long?

[capax_infiniti]

This is true. No doubt they would have been even more massive, to blot out the sun, or something else similarly poetic. I fear to know what absurd armament would have graced the end of my tail.

[He laughs, making a sweeping movement reminiscent of the venerable master.] An homage to greatness, and a fitting figure besides. This is the image many worlds have of the sorceror... one must wonder how much meddling was done to provide that image.

The hosts? I only met them upon my arrival here, but I feel as though I've known them for years...

[hikari_no_kundou]

Bones, perhaps. Or a second skull? That side of the world always did have a predilection for the macabre.

[Though in no danger of being hit, WolfMaster Eraqus sidesteps the sweeping gestures, all the better to give YenXehanort room to put on a show.] It would seem some worlds carry different traditions when it comes to sorcery. The similarities are quite striking.

[His ears flick back, then forwards, to hear tell of who Xehanort's first 'friends' upon arrival were. They give no indication as to his thoughts on the matter, however.]

I see. [More small talk, let's keep to polite circles, go go go.]

Perhaps they reminded you of people you knew from before? [Fishing, ever so slightly. But OH, he has no idea.]

[capax_infiniti]

I would have expected bones, or some sort of barbs. Ornamental, but heavy enough to be capable of blunt force if neccesary.

The traditions regarding mystical arts are as varied as the worlds themselves are. It's quite fascinating to know that there's underlying threads, striking similarities, and almost identical imagery in some cases. Perhaps the World Order is not as absolute as the Precepts dictate.

[He's dancing dangerously close to the edge, but has no desire to pass beyond this point... it's not unfamiliar talk, by any stretch of means but perhaps testing.]

Perhaps so. Time does pass too quickly, does it not?

[hikari_no_kundou]

Or catch on the railings when attempting to land. [Or tombstones, which ever happened to be more prevalent in a given area.]

Hmmh. The Precepts were put in place to protect and support the World Order in the wake of rebuilding the Realm of Light. With that in mind, it is unsurprising that the foundations of some worlds would share the same memories.

[You do so seem to enjoy tap dancing on that line, toeing either side ever so cheerfully. Thus far, testing shows Eraqus is showing remarkable restraint. And perhaps more teeth than a smile necessarily needs, briefly.

Time stands still for no one.Unless you've lost your heart or gotten stuck in the Realm of Darkness.]

It does... It certainly does. And this is certainly not the place we saw ourselves being, so long ago.

[capax_infiniti]

And to curl about me dramatically as the lightning crashes and thunder booms from clouds on high! [There's a laugh, but an honest one. This sort of play he still does enjoy.]

[Of course, for the moment Eraqus has more (and more wicked) teeth than before. It is canine nature to show them... though the restraint is surprising. You're rarely so subdued about such topics, brother...]

The World Order dictates that worlds should stay separate and independent... while of course underlying themes are to be expected, such stark similarities are rather more than coincidence, wouldn't you say? For many worlds to have one man as their iconic sorcerer...

[He lets the thought go, he's gotten as far as he can with Eraqus, and pushing it at Xemnas' party is rude to the wishes of their host.]

The future is still unknowable, regardless of how far we've come. All we can do is make the best of what we're given.

[hikari_no_kundou]

[There's an honest chuckle to accompany his words, deeper thanks to the natural rumble of this form, but much less bite to it than that brief smile.]

You know, sometimes I think you missed your true calling.

[Few are a better consummate actor than Xehanort, after all.

Still, for all his flaws - particularly his stubborn opinions and temper regarding certain topics - Eraqus is not quite foolish enough to start something here at a party thrown by those closest to him consider 'enemy', in a room of strangers and where numerous heartless decorate the walls and stare at the heart-shaped snacks below. ..But only just.

Besides that's what Wednesday mornings are for.]

Hmmm. It is a wonder. A left-over effect of this Core, perhaps. Hard to say for certain, when there's still so much unknown about its function.

[He considers Xehanort's last words thoughtfully, one ear twitching to the side, before nodding slightly. One of the rare few times of agreement?]

The future will be what we make of it. Within this city, it seems doubtful that it will not prove interesting.