View source for 1223/A Night To Look Forward To

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/03/19
|Location=Pikarigaoka - Seiyou Public School
|Synopsis=The Virtue dance, welcoming everyone back from D-Point!
|Cast of Characters=37,66,155,134,143,141,83,75,102,86,5,62,6,85,58,38,109,23
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:37|Mint Ship| (37)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The invitations for this dance tonight said to meet up in the 'large observatory behind Seiyou Academy'. Such a thing does not appear on maps of the school, nor does it seem to ring a bell for many people - and for those who do know what you're talking about, they seem to have no idea to tell you how to find it.<br /><br />However, the way to find it is simply to look for it - and for everyone that does, they will eventually find their way to the observatory itself. While normally it looks a little run down, right now there are little streamers and balloons attached to the decaying wall outside, and the doors are thrown open.<br /><br />Tsukasa has moved a lot of the equipment around to make room to dance, and it's surprisingly large - maybe a little larger than it technically ought to be... no matter! The Headmaster of Seiyou (and Virtue sponsor) himself is in front of the door, greeting people - and giving interesting, inspective, making-you-question-yourself looks to those who aren't part of Virtue or might have a more villainous side to them, but otherwise being kind and welcoming.<br /><br />Inside there's also a couple more interesting sites - a few massive tables absolutly full of food, candies, and drinks, plenty of places to sit and relax and tables, and an actual DJ to handle the music! (Anyone with the right history will recognize the DJ wearing a very non-regulation TSAB uniform.)

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange gets dressed up in her classy Princess-like outfit and attends a dance!<br /><br />She drags Yellow and Blue along--or, perhaps Yellow and Blue drag her along! Who's to say!? Regardless, here she is with her friends and soft wide smile!<br /><br />"Here we are!" she says softly. She glances around.<br /><br />Hrmm who does she know.<br /><br />"Go ahead and mingle, Blue, Yellow!~ Meet some others, right?" she says with a soft smile.

:'''{{#var:155|Kaeru Aokawa| (155)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Blue nods as she looks around. "I shoudl've worn a dress or something - not that I have any." She hmmmmmmms softly as she then asks, "You said to look for someone called Kukai - where is he?" she asks curiously. Prism Blue is wearing a strange outfit - her hat has those large fake frog eyes on them - or are they fake? Sometimes they look like they change. She has elbow-length blue gloves (with webbed fingers), and knee-length boots, and an odd 'dress' which looks suspiciously like a bathing suit with a skirt attached.<br /><br />She just hops around the party, not saying hi to anyone yet, as she then returns to near Orange, to see if this Kukai person has shown up yet.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nagihiko isn't sure ''why'' he's going. After all, he hadn't been there.<br /><br />He also doesn't know why he's going as Nagihiko and not Nadeshiko.<br /><br />But, well, his hair's pulled back in a ponytail, sans ribbon. He can take it out if he can, but for the moment it acts as a security blanket.<br /><br />Plus, well. This is a ''dance.'' Despite his bandages mostly hidden beneath nice clothes that could be either formal or casual, he plans to do just that.<br /><br />And, of course, to see the people his friends fought beside.

:'''{{#var:143|Hoshi Kogane| (143)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Yellow certainly is not one to turn down a party invite, she's here, smiling and cheerful. And while she's transformed into a Prism Keeper, she has put in some effort to look extra fancy, an extra star-shaped hair ornament, a golden necklace with a little star pendant. That's it, but it's enough to her, and she's eager to join.<br /><br />She needs someone to dance with, however, and she knows precious few boys here, "I'm going to look for someone to dance with." She tells her friends, and scoots off towards the nearest boy she sees who doesn't appear to be already dancing or planning to dance with someone specific. Nagihiko. "Hi! Would you like to dance~!?"

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai Souma has arrived early and alone, wearing his formal Guardian uniform, long cape, dress pants, jacket, suit top open at the neck, tie worn loosely around his neck, and black sneakers because he came to -dance-. Currently he's mingling through the crowd, greeting and hugging and patting people on the back way too hard and generally being super chipper genki, just bursting with the joy of being alive. <br /><br /> He's trying not to think too hard about the events of the last night because tonight is a night to celebrate the greatest victory the magical boys and girls of Tokyo had ever achieved, and to celebrate the fact that they all lived afterwards! <br /><br /> He sees Orange, Blue, Yellow, and Nagihiko all coming in the door, and moves to greet them all. "HEY!" Everybody gets a hug!

:'''{{#var:83|Utau Hoshina| (83)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Siiiigh. Utau really shouldn't be here, but after last night's fiasco, she's been feeling pretty crappy, and couldn't stand to lurk around Easter building a moment longer, especially as she had been having a hard time seeing Ikuto. In the end, it had been Yukari who had encouraged her to go out and have some fun tonight after all her hard work, even though Utau felt nothing but emptiness. But hey, at least Ikuto was safe again.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So here she is, dressed gorgeously as usual, this time in a beautiful gown in shades of deep blue and teal with spaghetti straps, a semi transparent violet shawl draped over her shoulders to keep her warm. She doesn't know a lot of people here - at least no one she would call friend, save one, and she kinda ticked him off last night.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So she lurks most in the back, by the punch bowl, just observing as people come and go, noting with some trepidation that there are a lot of people here from last night's battle too..Oh joy..At least she has Iru to keep her company, and she seems to be enjoying herself, stuffing her face with all the food at the table..But where did Eru get to, anyway?

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nagihiko's face turns pink at Kukai's hug, but it's returned with warm affection.<br /><br />Kukai may be trying not to think about last night, but Nagihiko's trying even ''harder'' not to think about this morning.<br /><br />Which of course means he really is.<br /><br />Still, Kukai gets a warm smile after the hug. "I'm glad to see you again. If you'll excuse me?"<br /><br />He turns to the young lady who asked him to dance. "I would love to. Would you give me just a moment, though?" A warm smile and sparkles flitter in the air.<br /><br />Stealth, stealth, stealth. Full of stealth.<br /><br />He arrives at the punch bowl and pulls out a flask.<br /><br />After all, what's the point of having ceremonial sake if one doesn't spike a bowl every now and again?<br /><br />Glunk, glunk, glunk!<br /><br />That done, he goes back to Yellow and holds his hand out to her, taking a small bow. "If you would do me the honor?"

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange eeeee, Kukai hugs! "That's Kukai! Hi Kukai! This is Blue! She wanted to talk to you! But...I'm going to go find some food now." she says as she hops over to one of the tables to fill a plate with food.<br /><br />"Don't break too many hearts~" she teases at Yellow as she goes off to find a dance partner.<br /><br />She is treating this as a fun occasion. No need to worry about dance partners tonight or anything like that. Secretly, she is hoping Hunter finds the time to come, but if it doesn't happen, eh. It was short notice anyways.<br /><br />There'll always be other dances~<br /><br />For now-- there are shrimps. Shrimps on toothpicks and cocktail sauce. Mmmmmm.

:'''{{#var:155|Kaeru Aokawa| (155)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Blue hmmmmmms, then squeaks and wiggles as she's hugged by an older boy, who is then introduced as the very person she was hopping... hoping... to meet. "Hi... ummmm... wanna dance?" she cooos up to Kukai. "I've never been to a dance before." She smiles as she reaches her hand up. "So - you're Kukai? My friends have much good things to say about you - they said we should talk to you about joining something called Virtue." <br /><br />She tries to pull Kukai to the floor. "Can you teach me how to dance, then tell me about this Virtue thing?" she asks. "Joining a superhero team does sound very fun..." she states, a blue frog appearing on Kukai's shoulder and ribbiting softly, matching the one on Blue's shoulder.

:'''{{#var:143|Hoshi Kogane| (143)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Yellow patiently waits for Nagihiko to do whatever secretive stuff he's up to, and then when he's back she reaches out for him and pulls him over to the dance floor. "I'm Prism Keeper Yellow." The little girl might not match Nagihiko in dancing skill, but she is good enough at it that it seems obvious someone has made sure she knows how to handle herself on a dance floor.

:'''{{#var:75|Ikiko Hisakata| (75)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>A fancy dance calls for fancy outfits! Even if they're slightly out of date, finding a pair of fancy outfits in reasonable shape in the Hisakata storeroom that fit Ikiko and Ayana wasn't too hard, even if they are somewhat dated.<br /><br />There's just one complication.<br /><br />Ikiko pulls at the collar of her 'casual' tux. "Still not used to this," she murmurs to Ayana for the third time since they headed over from home.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mikoto arrives. She's rather peppy, tonight, dressed in an outfit much like the one she wore to the concert yesterday - white skirt and blazer, red blouse and stockings, white boots. She's not bothering with a henshin, unlike some people. <br /><br />She wanders in, waving cheerily to everyone present, and takes a moment or two to survey the party and see who's here. There ought to be ''someone'' worth dancing with. Or at least chatting with.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It's a sort of waltz he falls into, even if it doesn't quite match the song his feet matches the beats. To a general observer, he's fine. To some, he's partially favoring a leg.<br /><br />His hand falls to a respectable place on Yellow's waist, and the other is warm where he holds hers.<br /><br />His eyebrows raise. "You're Yellow?" He steals a glance toward Kukai, his smile fond before he turns back to her.<br /><br />"It's an honor to meet you, then. Sky Jack speaks highly of you."

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana is holding tightly to Ikiko's hand as the pair walk into the fancy dance. While Ikiko has put on a tux, Ayana is in a dashing short white dress with a floral black bustline. She has her orange hair pulled up in a side-pony with a ribbon, and looks more girly than usual, even for the Kitsune.<br /><br />"Well I think you look pretty," she tells Ikiko quietly at her girlfriend's discomfort. "But ... here, maybe this will help," she murmurs, then reaches up and touches Ikiko's tux. Slowly, Ayana smoothes her hands down along the tuxedo from collar to hips, and with every inch she touches the tuxedo seems to take on a lustre. The collar gains subtle shiny-on-matte black pawprints, and the lapel gains pink and blue butterfly pin. Ayana beams, then reaches up to touch the ribbon in her hair, where a matching butterfly pin appears. Both butterflies seem to flutter, but they aren't real, of course.<br /><br />"There," she says quietly. "Now you're pretty ''and'' we don't look like we're wearing clothes from ten years ago. Better?"

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai Souma looks around as Nagihiko invites Yellow out onto the floor to dance and grins. He is then similarly accosted by a small blue frog. Wait. It's a blue girl. <br /><br /> He blinks, then grins and nods, taking her hand as she tugs him out onto the floor. "Oh, you're one of the Prism Keepers! All right, sure! Let's take a spin!" <br /><br /> He listens to her talk about Virtue as he puts a hand on her shoulder and looks up - just in time to see Utau hiding behind the punch table. He catches her eyes for a moment and grins, motioning with one finger to her to give him a moment, as he begins spinning and dancing with Blue on the floor. "Sure, I'll talk with you about Virtue! It may be a little later in the evening, though, I have a few other people to dance with."

:'''{{#var:83|Utau Hoshina| (83)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Utau sighs, looking rather broody as she stands around in a corner, slowly sipping on the punch. Well at least the punch tastes good. The shrimp looks good too. She's about to turn around and try some, when she notices Orange is going for it, too. Oh. Her. She remembers her from last night too. Siiigh..<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Unfortunately, Iru doesn't have such reservations, and she dashes for the shrimp a second before Orange gets there, attempting to shove as many shrimp in her mouth as she can. "Kekekekekee!!" She giggles wickedly, "These shrimp belong to meee!!!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Stop that." Utau glares at Iru, about to pull her away, when she spies Kukai...Dancing with some other girl. Grr. Oh wait, she's totally not mad. Or jealous. Or anything. She sticks her nose up in the air, looking the other way, pretending she didn't see him.

:'''{{#var:155|Kaeru Aokawa| (155)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Blue smiles. "Yeah - I'm Prism Keeper Blue I just became this a couple of weeks ago when this huge wave of darkness washed through the city..." She smiels softly as she gets the hang of it fast. "Yeah - I'm pretty agine - this is actually pretty fun!" she chirps, swaying around with Kukai for a little while.<br /><br />She is oblivious to Utau's umbrage. And of course, she's only a 10-year-old so is hardly a romatic rival. "Am I doing well?" she finally asks curiously, seeing how her two 'coworkers' are doing.

:'''{{#var:143|Hoshi Kogane| (143)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>A waltz is definitely a kind of dance Yellow is comfortable with. Her steps textbook, if little more. She's adequately graceful for this not to look out of place, but it's probably easy to tell it's the result of the kind of upper class background that values the ability to perform in a dance.<br /><br />"Sky Jack is too kind." She says softly in response to Nagihiko's response to her introduction, and she shoots a little side-eye towards Kukai before pointing out a little something else, "So, a friend of Sky Jack? Would you do me the honour of giving me a name to call you by~?"

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange looks over to Utau and shoots her a glance. Wait-- isn't that...<br /><br />Nrg. Awkward--- she shoves a rude handful of shrimp onto her plate. While Eru shoves shrimp into her mouth wholesale.<br /><br />and a glass of punch. Which is spiked.<br /><br />Before she escapes while she looks over at Ikiko and Ayana and grins with wide sparkle eyes-- she escapes over that way, tip toe tip toe, shrimp in mouth, chew. tip toe.<br /><br />"Ikiko! Ayana!" she says. "Glad you two could make it, you two look nice~" she smiles.<br /><br />She takes a sip of punch.<br /><br />She sort of coughs at the taste. "Ugh-- why does that taste weird."

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nagihiko looks a bit wistful as he sighs. "I'm...between names at the moment, it seems. It's why I wasn't there."<br /><br />He smiles again, perfect gentleman. "I've known him for years. I've learned to read past the bravado and--"<br /><br />He catches sight of Utau, eyebrows drawing into concern as he looks at Kukai again. He relaxes a bit when his friend doesn't seem to be overly shocked and turns his attention back to Yellow. "Sorry about that." He sends her in a twirl before pulling her back in. "I know when he's being too kind."<br /><br />Usually. Sometimes.

:'''{{#var:5|Fate Testarossa| (5)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What's Fate doing here? She wasn't at D-point, and she isn't in Virtue. Quite the opposite, in fact. She works for Eclipse, and openly, with no secret identity to protect her. On the other hand, it's not like she has to worry about anyone attacking her family if she's found out.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arf is with her, in human form, and with the way Arf is practically dragging Fate along it can be quickly surmised that this was Arf's idea. "You need better friends, Fate-sama."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"B-but... these people... I don't think this is a good idea."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"What, afraid you'll run across the cupcake girl again? What's she gonna do? Can't be worse than dealing with your mother, right?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate frowns. She's hesitant about going, but she doesn't really want to be ''home'' right now either. When the two of them enter, Arf immediately goes for the food, while Fate stands alone near the entrance, nervously fidgeting with her hands while she looks for a familiar face. Fate is in a black dress with a high collar and long sleeves, while Arf is wearing a red cocktail dress with one shoulder strap.

:'''{{#var:83|Utau Hoshina| (83)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Iru glares back at Orange. Utau does too, a cold look on her face. "Is there a problem? I must apologize for my chara, she has such bad manners." Yeah, just pretend you don't know her.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Iru just makes a face at Orange, but squeaks when Orange grabs a particularly juicy shrimp that she had her eye on. "Wah!! My shrimp!!" she leaps towards Orange as she walks away, but only ends up grasping the edge of the girl's plate!!! Aah! She's slipping~!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;SPLAT! Iru falls rather accidently and randomly on Fate's shoulder! Oh look, someone who probably feels as out of place as Utau! Well at least she wont be squished out of revenge!

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai Souma laughs and nods, dancing with Blue. He's not exactly the most talented either, but he's able to keep up and show her the beat. "You're doing great! And you're new to all this, huh? Man I remember when I was getting started. It'll be ok, you'll do fine!" He looks over at the other Prism Keepers and grins. "You're all doing fine." <br /><br /> He looks over as Fate enters the room, not recognizing her offhand but seeing the Eclipse symbol on her outfit. He figures Master Tsukasa knows what he's doing, though. "It's all fine. Just remember to make friends with people and try not to make assumptions, ok?"

:'''{{#var:143|Hoshi Kogane| (143)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Give me something to call you? Unless you want me to make up a nickname for you~" Based upon the teasing grin on Yellow's face, she's considering all kinds of embarassing nicknames. Perhaps Nagihiko would be better off to come up with /something/ soon.<br /><br />"I did help everyone a little, but I just did what I could, like everyone who was there." Yellow genuinely doesn't seem to think she did anything beyond the extraordinary, or at least, if she did only because she was better suited to it and thus had the responsibility to act like it. "But Sky Jack is very kind."

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mikoto notes Fate's arrival, briefly, and a lopsided little smile flirts across her lips. Maybe... <br /><br />But then she looks over to the buffet table, food tmepting her, and - Utau. Well. ''That'' gets her attention. <br /><br />She cuts her way through the crowd, slipping in between people as she makes her way over there, abandoning Testarossa to her Fate. <br /><br />And then, casual as may be, she's filling a plate with little bits of finger food. A few pieces of sushi, some shrimps and coctail sauce, and some bits of fruit. And some punch, of course. Can't party without punch. <br /><br />"H'lo," she offers to Utau as she nears the blonde. "Keeping busy, I see."

:'''{{#var:75|Ikiko Hisakata| (75)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Getting complimented by Ayana does make Ikiko feel a bit better. "Thanks, beloved," she murmurs, kissing the kitsune on the cheek.<br /><br />She jumps slightly when Reiko speaks up, but smiles at her friend. "Hi, Reiko!" Ikiko replies, blushing slightly at the compliment.

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tadase and Amu arrive fashionably late, and for Tadase, there's more emphasis on the fashionable part than usual. He's wearing a white tuxedo vest and bow tie over black, and appears to have gotten it tailored recently, because it fits immaculately.<br /><br />He's staying Very Close to Amu as they walk in, but he does give a wave off to Kukai, Nagi, and then the rest of the people he does (and doesn't!) recongize.

:'''{{#var:5|Fate Testarossa| (5)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate yelps as a tiny Chara lands on her shoulder, and she stares at the tiny thing wide-eyed. "What is... what are... oh, you're like that one girl, aren't you?" Who the heck is 'that one girl'?! Well secretly it's Amu, but Fate is terrible with names, as cupcake girl can probably attest to.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate, experimentally, reaches up with one finger to pet the little demon thing on the head. Then she overhears Kukai, and she nods quietly. She doesn't actually have Eclipse markings on her right now, but she's recognizable enough by anyone who pays attention to Virtue communications.

:'''{{#var:155|Kaeru Aokawa| (155)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Blue glances over. "Oh - oh my..." she states. "That's Fate..." she muses. "I met her last week when that horrid mother of hers was making an eclipse or something." She smiles as she continues to dance with Kukai till the song's over. "An I think ther'es someone by the punch bowl glaring at me."

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Speak of cupcakes and she shall appear. That's what the legend says. Actually. There's no legend- but Nanoha Takamachi does come to the dance--- Lindy invited her! Nanoha was busy all over trying to help people during the emergency--- which ultimately ended in her loosing all the Jewel Seeds she'd managed to obtain.<br /><br />It was a setback- but one she could cope with- long term, she thinks. It just means she'd /need/ to get the next one-- or Suzu-chan or Miko-chan.<br /><br />For now though, it was time for a party!<br /><br />No one's taught her how to program new outfits into her device yet so she appears in-- her normal clothes! She looks around as she peeks. People she doesn't know... a stressed out looking Mikoto.<br /><br />She smiles at every face that looks her way- big- and wide--- and then there's---<br /><br />Fate-chan!? Here!? She blinks a bit in surprise-- but she merely goes to the same smile as she gives everyone else.<br /><br />She walks on over, swevering around some people as she smiles.<br /><br />"Fate! Hello!" she smiles. "Are you enjoying yourself?" she asks. Nope, no mention of the things that happened. Just a cheerful greeting. She looks over to Arf and bows a bit. "Hello." she says to Arf. "I'm Nanoha Takamachi." she doesn't think she's met Arf yet- so she itnroduces herself!<br /><br />She head tilts at the tiny demon that labnds on Fate's shoulder! "Oh!" she says in surprise.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>He laughs at that. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you." He knows the dangers of nicknames. He's given some himself! "You may call me Yamato Maihime." He doubts she recognizes it.<br /><br />He nods at Tadase and smiles at both he and Amu. "I find the people who are the strongest are those who don't realize their own strength."<br /><br />After another twirl, he stumbles some. He winces a little and works his ankle loose again. "I...think I may need to sit down."<br /><br />He looks up at Yellow, still warm smiles. "You'll be fine if I find a place to sit?"

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana startles at the sound of Reiko's voice, and the butterfly in her hair (and the one on Ikiko's pocket) both jump in startlement, too.<br /><br />"Eek!" she says, then turns to regard Reiko. "Reiko-chan!" she says, finally letting Ikiko's hand go to step forward and hug the prism keeper. "Hiii---ohew. Your punch smells like alcohol," she notes, wrinkling her nose. "You should probably not drink it. Hi! How are you? Doesn't Iki-chan look so pretty in her tuxedo?"

:'''{{#var:37|Mint Ship| (37)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tsukasa is winding his way through the party, and he walks over to the punch bowl, pouring himself a serving into a cup and smiling - up until he overhears Ayana, then drinks the punch. He makes a funny face at it, and picks up the punch bowl and walks off with the whole thing.<br /><br />A few moments later, another person in the same sort of strange uniform as the DJ brings a new bowl of punch. And stands by it.

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu looks a little nervous, arriving beside Tadase. It's not that she's afraid to arrive with him, it's that he's in a ''beautiful'' white tuxedo, and she has managed a two-layer pink sundress and sneakers. She feels decided underdressed.<br /><br />Nevertheless, she does put on a smile as soon as they are in the room, even as she leans a little closer to the boy she walked in with. "Why didn't you tell me it was super formal?" she mumbles to Tadase quietly through clenched teeth.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai nods and then pats Blue's shoulder as the song ends. "It's probably a long story, but don't dislike her just because of her mother. Family is a complicated thing. I've got four brothers. It's plenty complicated. I need to go speak to someone." <br /><br /> He grins to the little girl in the blue dress. "It was very nice to meet you - I'll be back later and we'll talk about Virtue." He gives her a little bow from the waist and turns to head towards the punch bowl, where he'd seen Utau. He's distracted for a moment as he sees Amu and Tadase enter, waving to them over the crowd, but still moving.

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange goes wide eyed. "Alcohol!?" she says as she looks down at it. Then back up at Ayana- she sort of finds a nearby trashbin to trash the papercup of red liquid. "Ugh! I'm glad I only took a few sips!" she says as she looks back to Ikiko and Ayana, she smiles.<br /><br />"Thanks, Ayana!" she says.<br /><br />"I wonder why it has alcohol in it though!?" she says. She looks back to the new punchbowl and phews-- she gets a replacement cup and walks back- there is also more shrimp on the plate now.<br /><br />"This shrimp is pretty good." she says. She offers her plate to Ikiko and Ayana. "Want one?" she asks with a grin.<br /><br />"Yellow is around here... so is Blue!" she says.

:'''{{#var:155|Kaeru Aokawa| (155)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Blue smiles as she bows as she heads over to the punch bowl. Getting her self a cup of it she takes a sip and offers it to the frog on her shoulder who drinks from it too. The second frog hops onto Blue's other shoulder as she starts wandering in the direction of Fate, wondering why the punch tastes a bit odd but starts heading right towards Orange...<br /><br />... just in time for Orange to mention her! She bounces over and puts her arm around Orange. "Hi, I'm Blue!" she states, the frog on her left shoulder quietkly hopping over to Orange. "Just checking things out. I daiced with Mr. Kukai - and now I'm having some punch, but it has an odd aftertaste I can't recognize." She then whispers to Orange, "Hey - that girl in the back dress - that's Fate, the one I asked you about after the eclipse..."

:'''{{#var:143|Hoshi Kogane| (143)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Yellow smiles, "Thank you, Maihime-kun." She doesn't seem to think it's at all weird for a boy to have a name like that, or if she does, she's very good at hiding it. The girl notices the stumble and wince, and nods. "Don't hurt yourself." She insists upon, even leading Nagihiko to a place to sit.<br /><br />Once there, she pulls out a little telescope with a yellow star at the end, and she points it at the very ankle in question, a yellow star wearing a little nurse's hat comes out and rushes towards that ankle, where it tries to attach.<br /><br />If it does, there's a little feeling of soothing warmth coming through it.

:'''{{#var:83|Utau Hoshina| (83)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, isn't this party a bore. After grabbing a few select pieces of fingerfood - hey, she's pretty hungry after last night, make that more than a few pieces - Utau's about ready to go, except Iru's suddenly gone missing. "Iru?" she peers around, concerned, eyes narrowed briefly upon Orange and she begins to walk towards her with purposeful strides. She'd better not have done something --<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;--Whoops! She accidently bumps into Mikoto, another person who was probably present at the concert last night, although hopefully not another one of the magical girls. Still, she feigns innocence. "Excuse me? Keeping busy? I've..No idea what you are talking about.." Oh great, another person who wants her head. UGH!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As for Iru, she grins wickedly at Fate, grinning impishly. "Kekekee! Hi! I'm Iru! Nice to meetcha!" yeah, she recognizes her vaguely through Eclipse channels, although she arches a brow, "That 'other girl'? who's she?"

:'''{{#var:5|Fate Testarossa| (5)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate's eyes skim over the crowd, seeing glimpses of someone she thinks is familiar. 'Familiar' being an interesting choice of words. When she looks around for the black fox, she doesn't find her, but... Something is a little strange.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's pulled away from that as Arf returns with food, and suddenly Nanoha is here, and Iru is still on her shoulder. Oh geeze. This is a lot of attention.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She answers Iru first, saying, "Um... I forget. I think she had a card theme? Something about spades..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Nanoha comes, and Fate opens her mouth to say something, but Arf speaks over her as the Familiar introduces herself. "Name's Arf. I'm Fate's familiar! I take it you're the cupcake girl, huh?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate clears her throat, turns to Nanoha, bows slightly, and says, "Hi. I hope you aren't too hurt over... the other night."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate remains oblivious to PK Blue for the moment...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;... but she ''swears'' she hears Ayana's voice.

:'''{{#var:75|Ikiko Hisakata| (75)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ikiko Hisakata munches on an offered shrimp. "Thanks," she nods to Orange.<br /><br />She blinks a bit at the arrival of Blue -- another Prism Keeper? Well, there ''are'' seven colors in the rainbow; why wouldn't there be seven Prism Keepers, then? Still, it's another person to be properly introduced to at some point.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>He sighs at the warm glow, and shoulders that had been tense all day slowly relax. "Is your star a healer, or a pain reliever?"<br /><br />He still works the warmth through his ankle as he slowly rotates it. His eyes are lighter, too, as though a worry he'd been trying not to have has been whisked away.

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tadase, oblivious as he often is, turns to Amu. "What do you mean? You look beautiful, Amu." he says, turning towards her. To be fair, to him, he is currently /utterly oblivious/ to most of the rest of the room when he's focused on her. <br /><br />Eventually he does look around and note that she might have a point. "I'm sorry, Amu. I didn't think everyone would take it so formally." he says. You know, despite him wearing the tux vest.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mikoto tosses back a swallow of punch, and blinks, then stares into the cup. "ooookay." She sighs softly. Eats a shrimp. <br /><br />"No idea, hmmm. Well, that's alright. I'm sure things will improve." <br /><br />She'd love to get Utau off somewhere they can talk in private. But this is definitely not the place for that.

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi smiles at Arf. "Oh! Fate has a familiar..." she says tapping her chin... "I saw someone make a familiar before..." she says thoughfully. "It seems like a personal deep experience... I dunno if..."<br /><br />She just shakes her head a little.<br /><br />"Cupcake Girl?" she head tilts. "Well. We did have cupcakes one time! I'm glad you remembered it so fondly to give me that nickname." she says. Yeah, Nanoha has way too optimistic an outlook.<br /><br />"I'm more worried about you Fate... I got hurt a lot.. and I'm really worried about what happened. But I'm not going to ruin your fun night with talking about that right now..." she says.<br /><br />"Did you check out the food table yet? Are you hungry?..." she asks. She notices Fate looking around.<br /><br />"Are you looking for someone...?" she asks curiously.<br /><br />She turns and helps look!

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana's eyes widen at the offered shrimps, and she reaches up to grab them--five at a time. All five hastily get dropped into Ayana's mouth, and she hardly chews before swallowing. "Tasty shrimmmmp," she mumbles, then ... wipes her hands on her dress. That poor thing never saw it coming.<br /><br />"Anyways, someone always seems to spike the punch at these dances," she notes to Reiko. "I dunno why. They seem to think it's funny, but it seems dumb to me. So is your girlfriend here? Or your boyfriend? Or your other boyfriend?"

:'''{{#var:83|Utau Hoshina| (83)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Iru peeers intently at Fate, trying to figure out who she might be talking about. To be honest, she hasnt yet met Amu in one of her own chara transformations, not even at the concert. "Oooh, spades? Weeeird." She'll have to keep an eye out for spade char though! Might be a threat to Utau!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When the wolfish looking girl joins them, Iru arches a brow. "Familiar? Ooh, that's cool, kinda like me and Utau-chan! Nice to meetcha, Arf!" She makes a face, "Naw, I'm no cupcake girl? Who's that!?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile, Utau peers intently at Mikoto, but doesn't recognize her from the magical girls from the other night. Well, maybe she's just another rabid fan. "Excuse me." She takes another sip of her spiked punch, having not finished it before Tsukasa came and switched it out for un-spiked punch. Well..So much for that. She kinda liked the alcohol. Oh well..Utau doesnt wait to hear what other accusations Mikoto has for her, but continues through the crowds of dancing people. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's determined to have fun tonight! Except that she sees Kukai heading for her, and she's pretty sure he's here to bite her head off too...Utau glances around nervously, searching for a quick escape..And gets accosted by some rabid fans who demand her autograph! Siiiigh. Great.

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu sighs at Tadase. How can she stay mad when he gives her ''that'' look. "It's fine," she mumbles. "I juust look like a complete clown is all. Hey, there's Nagi-chan," she notes, pointing towards Nagihiko. Then she squints and frowns, "Who's the chick he's with? I don't recognize her."

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai finally makes it around the table in behind Utau. He waits until she's done with the few fans, then taps her on the shoulder. "Hey." <br /><br /> When Utau turns around, she gets the full burn of the Serious Kukai Face.... for all of 5 seconds before he grins at her. "Man you are a giant penny-shaped pain in my ass. I'm glad to see you here, though, outside of 'their' grasp." He doesn't even care to mention the hated corporation's name. <br /><br /> He reaches up, putting a hand on her shoulder. "So, for tonight, nobody's going to hurt you, as long as you don't try to hurt anybody. Of course if you do I'm pretty sure Master Tsukasa would have something to say about it, but that's neither here nor there. So... try to relax and enjoy yourself? I'll introduce you to some people, and~" <br /><br /> And there is a little vibrating white angel shaped clinging to her Bearer's neck a few seconds later. "And you can be a good girl for once!"

:'''{{#var:143|Hoshi Kogane| (143)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Bit of both, it heals but not as much as I'd like, and it helps with the pain so you can feel better soon." Yellow answers, putting her wand back away so she has her hands free, and she sits down next to Nagihiko. "You should still be careful with it, but it'll heal a little faster, now." She watches the others for now, equally happy to just sit and talk as she is to dance.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nagihiko works his ankle and his grin is less controlled and more genuine. "Well, thanks for that. I dance, and I guess I've been more worried about it than I thought." He beams at her. "Until now, of course!"<br /><br />He leans back and sighs, content. He spots Amu's eye and waves at her. Then waves them over. Would they join? And why is she looking at him like that? Oh well!

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange grins--- and then... neutral expression. "Hunter may be busy. It's fine. Haru.. is-- this isn't a thing for Haru." she smiles. "Magical stuff." she smiles. She frowns. "Annnnd Misa or Maeko are not my girlfriends." she says again.<br /><br />She bets Ayana ignores it, again. She sighs and rolls her eyes a little.<br /><br />She grins. "See, the shrimp is awesome!" she insists.<br /><br />She looks over to Yellow. There she is. She smiles at Blue. "Having fun yet...?" she asks to her.

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I really don't think you do." he says, honestly. "I mean... you look gorgeous, as far as I'm concerned." he adds, and then looks with Amu to the girl Kukai's dancing with. "mmm. Not sure. We should ask!" he says with a smile, but then Nagihiko is waving them over.<br /><br />"Hey, lets go say hello to Na-chan." There's absolutly no way that the suggestion causes him to shift imperceptively closer to Amu.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mikoto offers Kukai a quiet nod, and starts to say something... then he gets distracted by something. Well, that's okay. <br /><br />She turns to follow Utau, instead. "I'm sorry, Hoshino-san. But this is a matter of some urgency," she murmurs, once they're clear of most of the crowd. <br /><br />"It's about your brother."

:'''{{#var:83|Utau Hoshina| (83)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Utau finishes signing the autographs for all five of her young fans. Usually she'd be happy and flattered, but right now she's feeling pretty tense, surrounded by enemies on all sides. Suddenly Kukai's there, tapping her on the shoulder and she nearly jumps, spinning around to face him.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Kukai!" Oh great, someone else who wants to kill her! Although he doesnt seem TOO angry to see her, and she's a bit relieved at that. Still, Utau feels pretty lousy about the other day, especially as she really didnt want to have to face him in battle. "It wasn't my idea to come here, nor did I ever intend to cause trouble. Maybe it'd be best for everyone if I just left."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And she'd do just that..If she could find Iru and..."Eru?" Eyes narrow, "So you're still with him, deserting me like that." And it seems that Iru is off chatting with some wolf girl, and another girl with a hairstyle not unlike her own..Crazy rabid fans..<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She sighs tiredly, "I suppose I could stay a while longer but...I honestly didn't think you'd want to see me again, after.." well he knows what happened. Then there's that girl from earlier, following after her. "Hmm? You know who I am? Who are you?" Utau would probably just dismiss her..Until she mentions her brother, and her eyes widen in concern. "Ikuto?! What about him?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile, Iru looks quite comfy on Fate's shoulder, curious to hear about this cupcake girl! Nanoha walks up and Iru stands up, grinning at her. "Oooh! There's lotsa good food! not much shrimp left though, kekekeke!!! No idea who ate it all!" wait, is that a shrimp tail sticking out of her mouth?

:'''{{#var:5|Fate Testarossa| (5)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arf sniffs the air. She frowns, thoughtfully. "Hey, Fate-sama..." She trails off almost immediately after she starts talking, and Fate and Arf stare at each other for a moment. A telepathic communication passes between them, but on the outside it just looks like the two of them are looking at each other with changing expressions. All of the body language of a conversation without hearing the words.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arf smiles widely at Iru, and points at Nanoha, "She's cupcake girl! Her family sells cupcakes. Other delicious food too, or so my master tells me. Pleasure's all mine."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After a moment, Arf walks off, holding a plate of meaty h'orderves which she munches on while she disappears into the crowd.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate nods to Nanoha. Was it a pleasant experience? Maybe. Fate is horrible with names. She actually remembers Nanoha's real name, she just... doesn't use it. Almost like no one taught her proper manners.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate frowns at Nanoha's words. "I'm sorry... my mother hasn't always been like that, but she's been really scary lately. I still don't know what she wants the jewel seeds for. She gets mad when I ask..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She pauses again. Listening to another telepathic conversation from her familiar. &lt;&lt;Hey Fate, you said that she was a black fox, right?&gt;&gt;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;&lt;That's right. A black fox. The boss's familiar.&gt;&gt;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;&lt;Well I don't see a ''black'' fox, but...&gt;&gt;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;&lt;... but what?&gt;&gt;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;&lt;This can't be right.&gt;&gt;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arf sends a telepathic image to Fate. Fate stares off into space for a moment.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;&lt;She ''smells'' like her.&gt;&gt;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;&lt;I don't know what's going on... this shouldn't be possible through any form of Midchildian magic. Ayana is dead. She ''has'' to be.&gt;&gt;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;&lt;Agreed, but...&gt;&gt;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;&lt;... please go look.&gt;&gt;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate smiles softly at Nanoha. "It's nice to be able to meet like this. I um... I don't go to parties very often, though." Her voice drops, so mostly Iru and Nanoha can hear it but few others could. "I don't really know what to do... Are there rules?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arf's arm suddenly slings over Ayana's shoulder, and she speaks in a low voice. Loud enough for Ikiko and Ayana to hear, but only just so. "Heeeey, old buddy. How's it been? Your old master's been missin' ya. Yup, mopin' around like his heart was torn ''right out''."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A sly, wolfish grin crosses her features. "Fate and I thought you up and died, yet here I find you. Nice new color scheme, by the way. I ''love'' the color."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Says the orange wolf to the orange fox.

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Yeah," Amu agrees with Tadase, before stepping out ahead of him in Nagihiko's direction. Tadase's gonna have to keep up, because Amu is on the prowl. "Nagihiko-chan!" she says as she gets near her friend--that's 'chan', not 'kun'. She reaches out to hug Nagihiko immediately, then asks, "Who's your friend?" curiously, even as she keeps one arm around Nagihiko's back, leaning on the purple-haired boy just a little too familiarly.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai watches Utau walk off with Mikoto, and nods a little. He hears the words about her brother, and hopes one of the two of them will tell him a little later. For now, he pauses at the table, seeing the empty shrimp bowl with some annoyance. "Already? Geez... who?" Instead, he finds a few small pieces of cake and a little piece of skewered meat. <br /><br /> He moves back against the wall for the moment, seeing Nagi working his ankle like a new piece, the Prism Keepers mingling, the two girls talking with Iru that he doesn't recognize. But then there's something, and he moves back towards his two friends, Amu and Tadase, just as they reach Nagihiko. <br /><br /> "Hey you three! Amu, you look so stylish! Everybody else is wearing the same old thing. And Tadase! King." He grins and leans in close. "I'll find a way to drip barbeque sauce on the back of your ruffles before the night's through." He leans up, grinning at his three friends, nose sharpening and pointing a bit, the Jack in Court.

:'''{{#var:75|Ikiko Hisakata| (75)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ikiko Hisakata giggles slightly at how Ayana approaches the offered shrimp. "They ''are''," she nods to Reiko, trying to hide a smile at Ayana's shipping.<br /><br />She blinks a bit at Arf's arrival, then narrows her eyes at the words said. "<span style="color:#afaf00">Nice ears and tail,</span>" Ikiko murmurs back in caninespeak with a hint of respect, then glances at Ayana. "Someone you know?" she asks the kitsune.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Oh good, they came over!<br /><br />Nagihiko laughs and leans against Amu, and as long as her arm stays around his, his isn't going anywhere. He may lean a bit, as well. "Amu-chan, this is Prism Keeper Yellow. She did me the honor of being my first dance for the evening, and then helping me with my ankle." He winces a bit at Amu, looking a bit chastised. "I may have over done it."<br /><br />Then Kukai's there, and his eyes light up about the same way they do around Amu. Not that he notices, of course. What he ''is'' aware of is how his eyebrow raises in amusement. "If you find barbecue here, let me know. I'm getting peckish."

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana frowns at Reiko's response. "He should make time for you," she notes quietly, leeaning in to Reiko uncertainly. "So should Misa," she says with a faint huff. "Do I ne--" Ayana's ears--the ''orange'', ''fuzzy'' ears, become very suddenly visible, perked up and alert.<br /><br />She turns her head just half a moment before Arf's arm is over her shoulder, and her blue eyes widen.<br /><br />"Arf-san," she mumbles quietly, licking her lips. "I'm not dead," she says, straightening. "But I did lose the collar you and Fate-chan gave me for Christmas," she notes with a little whine. "Ikiko-chan bought me a new one, though, see?" she says, reaching up to show off the blue collar around her neck, and the shimmering steel-and-glass ball with a universe swirling in its detphs.<br /><br />"Is Fate-chan here?! I've missed you guys!" she says, then reaches out to grab Ikiko's hand. "Iki-chan, this is Arf-san. Arf-san is the familiar of my Koh--" she cuts off again as the realization hits her like a truck to the face.<br /><br />Ayana blinks once. Then twice, then swallows. "Are you going to tell him?"

:'''{{#var:143|Hoshi Kogane| (143)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Maihime-kun was trying not to tell me his name~" Yellow points out, doing Nagihiko the favour of at least using the name she's been giving rather than the other names that have been used. "I am Prism Keeper Yellow." She introduces herself, "It's nice to meet you two again."

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mikoto nods pleasantly to Utau, taking another sip of punch. "You must have noticed how he was at the concert last night," she starts. She doesn't bother to fill in details. <br /><br />"He was fine as late as a week or so ago." Time is a little... uncertain, with all the weirdness around D-Point, but it was at least a week before that. <br /><br />(It is, perhaps, fortunate for her that she is paying no attention at all to the drama surrounding Ayana at the moment. Or is she?) <br /><br />"He... he's very important to me, Hoshino-san." Not a simple fan-girl, especially if the rumors about them dating are to be believed.

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi shakes her head. "You shouldn't let her treat you like that." she says softly. "People who care for someone else don't treat people like that..." she sighs and just shakes her head. "But I'm okay! I'll just need to try harder!" She smiles. "Well, this doesn't seem to be a super formal party- so rules are to have fun, meet people, eat, and dance!" she says with a grin.<br /><br />"Everyone worked really hard recently, so I think everyone's needing to let loose a little..." she says softly.<br /><br />She doesn't mention Fate was one of those problems, it's rude! Besides. This is about having fun! And Fate needs fun right now, she thinks!<br /><br />She just kind of up and takes Fate's hand and begins to tug her towards the food table insistently. "Here-- let's get you a plate and some punch..." she says. Then she pauses.<br /><br />"You're hungry, right?" she smiles.<br /><br />She watches Arf go over someplace else and huhs. She thinks some sort of telepathic contact just went on- she's familar enough with it with Yuuno. She doesn't pry.

:'''{{#var:155|Kaeru Aokawa| (155)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Blue glances at the older woman with dog ears putting her arm around this Ayana girl that Orange and Blue is talking to. The girl dressedi n the blue frog costume just blinks (the eyes on her frog-hat blinking too) as she looks between everyone. "Waht's that all about?" she murmurs to Orange, but quite sure the others can hear.

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tadase notices how close Nagi and Amu are getting, and there's a part of him (named Kiseki) that wants to slide in between them or something. Then he remembers there are some simple facts to this, and he can relax. Though it wouldn't be awful for him to state one of them.<br /><br />"Oh, is she your date, Na-chan?" Tadase asks with a smile. "I came with Amu." he states, and manages to keep hostility or malice out of his voice entirely.<br /><br />Then he turns to Kukai. "If you get barbecue sauce on this suit you can forget about a loan the next time one of your girlfriends sucks your wallter dry at a ramen place, Jack." he says with a small laugh.

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu sniffs amusedly at Prism Keeper Yellow. "Well, don't let him fool you," she notes quietly to the girl, "But 'Maihime' is a man of many secrets. Names are just the tip of the iceberg." She winks, then squeezes Nagihiko gently.<br /><br />Just in time for Kukai's compliment to register. She beams brightly, like a star in the night sky, and finally lets Nagihiko go to step forward and hug Kukai. "That was sweet," she says. "A complete lie, but really sweet."

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange blinks as Arf approaches Ayana and Ikiko and she thinks this must be a dog friend of the two. She looks to Blue and says. "I think she's a friend?" she says softly. She couldn't hear the discussion it's too low for her.<br /><br />She shrugs.<br /><br />A koi shrugs, showing up besides her.<br /><br />Another koi jealously tackles a blue frog off her shoulder and they fite in a cartoonish dustcloud in the air. Orange sigghhhhhhhs.<br /><br />Yeah she's clueless here.<br /><br />More shrimp goes into her mouth.<br /><br />How much shrimp did she put on that plate anyways!?<br /><br />Her brow furrows as she can at least hear Ayana's side of the conversation... her expression grows concerned.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Of course, Nagihiko's known Tadase for just about forever. But Nagihiko's also kind of oblivious, so he just tilts his head at his oldest friend in confusion.<br /><br />Then there are Conspiratorial Whispers among friends, and no hurt feelers at Amu's teasing for he senses it's just that, and then Amu is gone and his side is a bit chilled where she'd been. "Actually, Miss Yellow didn't give me that honor. I came alone in hopes of seeing those who assisted my friends when I could not."<br /><br />He leans toward Yellow himself. "Actually, it was because of these clowns I didn't tell you, but since it's okay with them and all, you can call me whichever name you prefer."<br /><br />He reaches out and lightly pokes Amu on the side. "He is not, you look lovely."<br /><br />Then he stands and finds his balance after a moment. "Either of you boys care to dance? I think if I don't lead, I'll be fine." He winks at Yellow. "You were fun to lead on the floor, I'm not saying otherwise."

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>At first, she thought about going to the party as Serenity.<br /><br />A quick test showed that would not be wise...<br /><br />While she was panting through the remains of the pain as she settled back to Usagi, she contemplates her Luna Pen.<br /><br />Well, she likely won't be able to dance, but at least she can still go.<br /><br />Pain meds in her purse, she sneaks out of Shelby's apartment. She's probably not really ''sneaking.'' For some reason, she's pretty sure Shelby knows exactly where she's going.<br /><br />Still, she goes to Seiyou, and then dashes up the steps to the observatory.<br /><br />She scans the crowd, and sees one familiar person, at least.<br /><br />For now, though, she stays to convenient pillars and walls.<br /><br />Almost everyone here was dead less than a week ago.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai acks and grins, picking the cleaner of his hands to carefully go around Amu and hug her tightly, grinning at Tadase, Nagihiko, and Hoshi. "It's the truth, I swear!" He can't help but laugh a little, then a little more at Tadase's comment, grinning as his friends rib one another. "Hmm. Amu, should we see how Nagi-kun and Tadase-san do out on the dance floor?" <br /><br /> He looks over at where the koi and frogs are fite-ing and chuckles. "There's always one fight, I guess."

:'''{{#var:5|Fate Testarossa| (5)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Thanks! We're old friends," mentions Arf to Ikiko, recognizing enough of the language to respond, but in Japanese. Arf's smile shows a bit of fang as Ayana introduces her to Ikiko. She offers an off-hand wave and says, "Nice to meetcha!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She leans over to whisper into Ayana's ear. "This your mate? Nice catch!" The punch she aims at Ayana's shoulder is a friendly one.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arf then pulls away, and crosses her arms. She frowns at Ayana for a moment, pausing before answering. "Yeah, Fate's here, and nah, I'm not gonna rat you out. Honestly, you just did what I ''wish'' Fate would. Running away from home. That took a lot of courage. I can respect that. I can respect wanting to keep quiet about it, too."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her blue eyes glance past the crowd, at Fate, before she leans in. "Fate won't either, at least for now. She doesn't want to expose you, but the thing is? As sweet as that girl is, bless her heart, she's a terrible judge of character. She's going to see ''him'' suffering, and she's going to wish she could do something about it. Especially since some of that is her own mother's fault. Also, there's a chance that ''he'' will find you just like we did."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She stands up straight again, smiling brightly. "... but don't sweat the collar, and don't worry about the details, huh? You gotta live your own life, right?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Elsewhere, Fate is still talking to Nanoha. 'People who care for someone else don't treat people like that...' Huh?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate speaks up, "but that's not true! She... she used to be really nice. We used to go on picnics, and she used to smile, and..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate falls quiet. She's even more quiet as 'problems' are mentioned, and she looks away. Then food is mentioned and her hand is taken. "Huh? Um... I guess so!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So the rules to this are 'have fun'? Maybe Fate can do that. She smiles as she's dragged towards the food.

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tadase smiles and looks at Nagihiko out of the corner of his eye. Then he looks at Kukai. "I'm not sure you want us out on the floor dancing together. I mean, it's so close to the end of the night, and I'm sure you'd like to dance with someone else without being humiliated by comparison." he adds. It's a sudden brunt of challenge leveled directly at the Jack. And Tadase is just ~smiling~ at Nagi.<br /><br />"But you know, if you insist... I don't have any problem. You can even take Amu back out on the floor at the same time. You know, if you're not afraid to die of shame."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Did Tadase character change at some point recently?

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Tadase-kun, the night just started!" Amu counters him with a smile. "Go dance with your friend," she says, motioning to Nagihiko. "He's practically begging for a chance, and you ''know'' how great a dancer he is. Besides, Kukai owes me a dance," she says, grabbing Kukai's arm gently and dragging him towards the dance floor.<br /><br />"It was nice to meet you, Yellow!" she calls to the prism keeper. "I hope I'll see you again, but dancing calls."

:'''{{#var:83|Utau Hoshina| (83)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Iru stares blankly at Fate and Nanoha as they start talking about stuff other than food. She'd join Arf at the table, but now she's worried about Utau with all her enemies nearby. "Itsbeenfunseeya!" she grins at Fate and zips off across the hall to rejoin Utau.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Utau meanwhile, frowns softly at Mikoto's words. So, she must have realized that DL and Ikuto were the same person. "Who ARE you? You're obviously more than just a fan of his. Are you his...?" girlfriend, perhaps? Her initial inclination is to go on the defensive, but given the situation, Utau just nods and sighs.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"He's been working himself too hard is all. I'm sure he's fine.." The look on her face suggests otherwise, and the way she glances around the hall every so often hints at her nervousness. Who knows who might be listenning? It would be dangerous to reveal to much, and she doesn't even know who this girl is. However, if Utau is ever to save Ikuto from Easter, she can use all the help she can get. But can she trust this girl? So far, Utau has only had reason to trust Kukai.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm afraid I can't tell you anymore than that, I don't even know who you are. Rest assured that I will look into it, however."

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nagihiko's grin is sly at Tadase, and is a touch devious when he looks at Kukai and Amu. "Don't worry. Our spectators have all survived."<br /><br />He accepts Tadase's hand and leads him to the floor. "What do you think? Would the Tango be pushing it?"

:'''{{#var:155|Kaeru Aokawa| (155)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The chroma fight ends with a satisfied-looking blue frog sitting on Blue's shoulder, a twitching orange koi tail sticking out if its mouth - then the koi struggles and the frog loses its hold as the koi gets out. The two stare at each other, then the frog awkwardly extends its foreleg in a handshake gesture.<br /><br />Blue turns her gaze to Arf, trying to ignore the shenanigans. "Yeah - I want to talk to Fate... but I don't know what to say. I... I know what a difficult home situation is like - but I've never met someone as awful as that mother of hers..." She sighs softly. "When that... Precia, was it? Did that eclipse thing - I thought that her and Fate were the bad guys - so... I tried to stop them with my new powers and... then some others were defending Fate so... I had no idea what to do.<br /><br />She then sighs. "It's pretty obvious that her mother is a twisted horror... but what about Fate? She doesn't look like she wanted to do that kind of stuff... and what's a familiar, by the way?" she asks.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mikoto frowns a bit, then nods. She's willing to play along for now, even thoughshe ''knows'' something is badly wrong. "Please tell him Mikoto sends he best wishes, then." $r$rAnd she turns around ust in time to catch the tail end of the chroma fight. The things you miss when you'e saving your loved ones.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai Souma looks at Tadase. "...A challenge, huh? OK. OK. You know what you're doing, I suppose. But you know I've never been beaten in a challenge!" Outright lie. Blatant falsehood. The boy is lying through his teeth. <br /><br /> He sets down his plate on a nearby table and uses a napkin to clean his hands, then approaches Amu and smiles. "May I have this dance so we can cream these two clowns?" He reaches for her hand, that perfect air of confidence and assurance almost palpable. <br /><br /> Then he looks over. "Wait. I don't know the Tango." Emergency, all hands on deck, this ship is going down.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>That henshin Usagi pulled, into Princess Serenity? And the resulting pain? Had Mamoru punching a wall. He'd been settled in, working on his weekend homework and not at all expecting to have to go to the dance because of Usagi still being in the meguca clinic due to Maddening Shard of Dark Energy. And then ''that'', and she'd been making wistful faces about the dance, so it's not like he doesn't know exactly where she's going, either.<br /><br />All it took was a Look at Kunzite, then a quick henshin and ditching of cape and mask, for the newly-resurrected eldest Shitennou to ''also'' know exactly where they were going.<br /><br />Now Mamoru's ghosted into the place unobtrusively, since his formalwear gives a +5 to Sneakiness, and he comes up behind the pillar Usagi's leaning against. Does he say something romantic and draw her into a dance?<br /><br />Well...<br /><br />...no, not really.<br /><br />"You're supposed to be taking it easy," he whisper-scolds, basically appearing out of nowhere at her side and a little behind her.

:'''{{#var:75|Ikiko Hisakata| (75)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Likewise!" Ikiko grins at Arf. The wolven familiar seems like a nice enough person, especially with being willing to keep a secret.<br /><br />She glances towards where Arf is looking, then nods sympathetically. "If you think of something we can do to help you help Fate, let us know, okay?" Ikiko replies. "I know what it's like to want to save someone who doesn't want to be saved." She gives Ayana's hand a small squeeze in emphasis.

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana's ears perk up excitedly at Arf's response, and then settle for a nice even posture at the mention of Fate's own predicament. Then, she stands up on tiptoes, trying to see past the crowd, but Ayana is Not Very Tall. "Where is she?" she asks Arf hopefully. "Can I see her? I owe her so many hugs. I've missed her so much, and I have so much to tell her."

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tadase just grins as he walks out onto the dance floor with Nagi, stopping only for a moment to smile at Amu - the smile turns a bit more sly when he points it at Kukai again. He turns to Nagihiko. "Nah, he started it. I think it does him good to get beaten at something every once in a while, anyways." he says, winking at Nagihiko.<br /><br />"Besides, I've only danced with you as Nadeshiko, so at least there's some sort of a handicap here,m right?" Tadase says with a wink.<br /><br />Because Kukai's fatal miscalculation is this:<br /><br />Tadase has always been ill-at-ease around girls confessing for him, meaning not leaving himself open for Surprise Dance Partner Love Confessions has been a long-standing priority for him. Likewise, Nadeshiko has been against giving anyone false hopes of a relationship, but beautiful and elegant, she would be a much sought-after dance partner.<br /><br />It is for that reason that Nadeshiko and Tadase, the King and Queen of the Seiyo Guardians, have been dance partners at every school dance for ''years''.

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Usagi gasps and turns to see Mamoru. Despite his scold, she's happy, happy, happy. "What are you doing here? You said you had homework?"<br /><br />It's why she hadn't asked him to go along with her little jailbreak, really.<br /><br />And she's up close to him, curling her fingers against his chest. "And I am, or I will, I promise. I haven't been mean in awhile and I thought..." She looks out over the crowd. Her heart sinks a bit. "A lot of these people died helping us. I can't just..." Abandon them? Such a silly thought to have.<br /><br />She turns back to Mamoru. "If I become mean, you can drag me away. And if I'm mean to you again--" her face crumbles. "I'll say sorry again and again and I am, I'm sorry I was mean to you, I know I said it already but I really am."

:'''{{#var:5|Fate Testarossa| (5)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arf frowns at the subject of Precia, and PK Blue. "You think ''that's'' bad, you should see--" she reaches over her shoulder, but then her hand stops, and then drops to her side. "Nah, forget it. Still, yeah. I never really knew what Fate's mom was like before. I've only known her since roughly about the time she started looking for Jewel Seeds. She was some big-shot Midchildian scientist before some accident happened. She's been real tight-lipped on the details, and it's not like we can look up any records on it from Earth."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arf shrugs. "Personally? I don't care about that wicked woman, or how nice she ''used'' to be. I just want Fate to be alright."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods at Ikiko, saying, "Yeah, easier said than done, but if I get a chance I'll let you know." To Ayana, Arf says, "She's heading for the food table with that Nanoha girl." The wolf girl points towards the table in question, and Fate's distinctive twintails can sometimes be picked out through the crowd, but 9 year old girls are pretty short too.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai focuses on his dance with Amu. Don't pay attention to the other team if they don't matter, and they don't matter now. Concentrate on what you're doing right, minimize what you're doing wrong. Guide your team through the movements. Dancing is just like leading the soccer team, right? <br /><br /> Well no, not really, but Kukai's more than capable of keeping up a respectable waltz with Amu, smiling at her as he tries to minimize the damage being done by the Terrible Tangoing Twosome. <br /><br /> But the contest will be decided by who gets the most eyes on them, of course!

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi just sighs at Fate. "Don't worry. I belive you." she says reassuringly. "We'll talk more about it later." she says as she politely shoves a plate into Fate's hands. She begins loading it with cake. Various forms of cake. Frosted sliced cake, a doughnut, a piece of pound cake that appears to have strawberries dripping over it, there is a scoop of ice cream also placed on the plate. Nanoha may be trying to give Fate like a bazillion cavities and root canals.<br /><br />She pours two cups of punch and offers the cup to Fate aswell.<br /><br />"There." she says. "You have the appropiate party food now!" she says with a wide smile.<br /><br />She looks at Fate as she looks back over the crowd.<br /><br />"Can I ask a question Fate?" she asks.<br /><br />"What's it like having a familiar?" she asks curiously. "I don't have one-- and Yuuno is just a friend. He isn't my familiar." she says softly.

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle Pop! The koi pops out and then hrmmphs! and upturns it's nose. Turns it's back on the frog, and pops away! Jealous koi is jealous.<br /><br />She sighs and leans her head back and then just shakes her head.<br /><br />"Oh...!" she says. "Is this about Fate?" she asks. "Yeah-- talk to.. Blue about that. Help if you guys need help. Prism Keeper Blue, that is- she'll help!" she smiles.<br /><br />"She saw something go down that sounded pretty serious..." she says softly tapping her chin.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nagihiko laughs at Kukai's claim. "Of course. Your record still stands, Kukai-kun~."<br /><br />And, Nagihiko or not, his posture changes to that of Nadeshiko out of habit. Her arms turn ''just so,'' her smile flashes ''like that,'' and if not for the boyish attire, one would think she ''was'' Nadeshiko.<br /><br />At least she lets Tadase lead, this time, unlike the Spring Formal a year ago.

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu smiles excitedly as she and Kukai take to the floor. She is no stranger to dancing, and unlike ''last'' time she was at a dance, there's no conflicting emotional baggae. So instead she just takes his hand and lets him lead, enjoying the music and the dancing happily.<br /><br />"Really," she says to Kukai, focusing on his face as she dances with him, "Stop stressing so much. It's not like we're going to lose. Sure, Nagi can dance, but Tadase's got two left feet--I know, he stepped all over me at the new years dance. And," she notes for Kukai's sake as they whirl around the dance floor, "I've got a secret weapon if we start to lose."

:'''{{#var:75|Ikiko Hisakata| (75)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ikiko Hisakata gives Ayana a smile. "How about if we go say hi to that friend of yours?" she suggests. At the very least, it's a way to meet the person in question! And maybe get to learn a bit more about Fate, too.<br /><br />She then gives Arf a small bow. "After you, perhaps? The better to be introduced by, after all," Ikiko remarks.

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana's tails--all four of them--begin to wag, sending the skirt of her dress to waving like the ocean in a windstorm. "Iki-chan!" she says happily, then hugs her girlfriend before waving to Reiko. "Bye, Orange-chan!" she says happily. "We're going to go see my old kohai!"<br /><br />Then she turns to Arf and grabs the wolf-woman by the arm, practically dragging her (and Ikiko) towards Fate.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mikoto drifts away from Utau, her point made for the moment, and she settles down somewhere to eat the snacks she's picked up. Munching on a shrimp, she looks out over the dance floor, casually people-watching. <br /><br />Ikiko and Ayana get a brief smile from her, apparently having missed - oh, wait. That ''is'' Fate. Well, surely they know what they're doing. And besides, Nanoha's right there. <br /><br />She takes another drink of punch... then drains the cup and heads back over to refill it. Watching this from a safe distance is probably for the best.

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tadase is bad at a lot of things. Not knowing to challenge his date to a dance with another partner. Knowing what to say to turn down a confession. Advising his date of wardrobe choices.<br /><br />He is, however, not bad at watching his friends, and he notes "I won't go all out, because I know you've got the ankle thing." he says with a smile. "Besides, you said we'd leave survivors, if I heard right." he adds with a wink that may or may not have attached Bishonen Sparkles.<br /><br />The other thing Tadase is not bad at is dancing - when he's comfortable with his partner, say because they're his oldest friend who trusts each other with very close mutual secrets. And when they have a lot of practice.<br /><br />And as they dance, exceptionally, Tadase is reminded of some of these truths.

:'''{{#var:5|Fate Testarossa| (5)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate watches as more and more food is piled on top of her plate. Her eyes get wider and wider, and were she a normal 9 year old girl she might not be able to balance it all. As she is, she manages, and she even manages to have a free hand for the punch, too.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So this is appropriate party food?" Fate glances around at the other party-goers. Surely enough, some of them also have this kind of food on her plate, and some of the more food-crazy attendees have roughly the same amount. She whispers lowly to Nanoha, "Does everyone in Virtue stack food like this?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate nods as Nanoha asks if she can ask a question, and when the question is asked she tilts her head. "Well... having a Familiar is like having a very close friend. It's more than just having a pet. You infuse an animal with a part of your soul, and they become a part of you."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate walks over to a nearby table and sets her punch down. She starts picking over her food, trying to decide what to try first. "Mine worries about me a lot. She's sensitive to my feelings and tries to make me feel better when I'm sad. She follows my orders, but she also has her own opinions and isn't afraid to share them. Having a Familiar isn't something one should enter into lightly."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate frowns, taking the strawberry off of the pound cake and dipping it into the ice cream. "... and whatever you do, don't do what my boss did. If you ever have a familiar, don't make her so sad that she wants to leave."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arf nods to Ikiko and says, "Yeah she's right over h--" Then Ayana has her by the arm and drags her away. Arf follows and guides them towards the young blonde. Arf walks up behind Fate as she's eating a bit of cake and puts a hand on her shoulder. "Fate! This is Ikiko, Ayana's girlfriend. And of course you know Ayana."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate turns around to look. Ikiko gets a passing glance and a nod, but Ayana gets a wide-eyed stare. After a moment, she smiles. "It's good to see you again."

:'''{{#var:155|Kaeru Aokawa| (155)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Blue just watches curiously as she gazes towards Fate. "I'll leave her alone for now..." she murmurs. "I... I still don't know what's going on - only that Fate looks like she loves her mother, and her mother... looks at Fate like a useful power tool. It was kinda disgusting. Maybe I don't have much to emphasize with about her - Imean, my mom and dad love me - and... there's a stepmom but I don't have to deal with her on a daily basis..."<br /><br />The blue frog hops back on Orange's shoulder and ribbits apologetically to the snooty koi, extending its foreleg again, wanting to make friends.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>After glancing over his shoulder, Mamoru reaches up to lightly touch the underside of Usagi's jaw and run his white-gloved thumb across her lips. "Shh," he says, shaking his head and giving her a helplessly rueful look. "I'm not mad about you being mean. I'm still annoyed at the situation, and I'm not happy you snuck out, but I'm not mad at you."<br /><br />He leans down a little and says more quietly, "They died helping save the world, and you brought them back. They're happy-- look at them. Their dying wasn't your fault, and isn't something they blame you for. You can't blame yourself. They'd do it again if they had to, and maybe some of them will. That's part of what this life means, bunny-girl."<br /><br />He kisses her, quick and sweet, then pulls back with a smile. "But this time? No tears, no sadness: you brought them back. So enjoy them. Enjoy them enjoying you." The smile goes into a stern look. "For like half an hour, and then back to bed."

:'''{{#var:75|Ikiko Hisakata| (75)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It doesn't take much dragging to get Ikiko to follow along with Ayana, especially with how happy the kistune is. She nods to Fate with a smile, but lets Ayana take point in saying hello.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Some new arrivals have neither formalwear nor the ability to ghost effectively. Kazuo Takeba isn't as formally dressed as many of the others here, is older than just about anyone present who isn't part of the staff, and is tall enough to stand out the moment he moves into the crowd. All of these are good reasons for him to keep to the edge of things. It's a better place to keep an eye out from, anyway. Not so much ''on'' a certain convenient-to-someone-else pillar as simply aware of it, and scanning the rest of the crowd with an absent eye for any potential trouble.<br /><br />(The tango always counts as potential trouble, granted, but not quite the same kind. Fortunately, giving the nature of the crowd here, nothing worse seems to be in the offing right now either.)

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi listens to Fate talk about familars, but before she answers that, she answers. "I'm not in Virtue." she says. This may be a surprise to Fate- considering Nanoha's inheret apparent friendliness. "At least. Not yet. I just know lots of people in it." she says softly.<br /><br />Then she answers. "Yeah... It seemed like a really deep thing happening when I saw it happen. I had Yuuno explain it to me a little- but I get it's a big deal. I don't know if it's for me though..." she admits. "...it seems kind of personal... and..."<br /><br />She looks up as Ayana, Ikiko and Arf come up and are introduced. "Oh, hello! Friends of Fate!" she says softly with a smile.<br /><br />"I'm Nanoha Takamachi. I'm showing Fate how to have fun at a party." she insists.<br /><br />She grins.<br /><br />"That's the idea." she says to Fate, as she dips strawberries.<br /><br />Nanoha has not obtained her own plate yet, she does have a cip of punch however.

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>She leans however she can against his glove, large, wet eyes never leaving his.<br /><br />He may not be mad that she was mean to him, but ''she'' is. Or at least ''sad'' she was.<br /><br />But then she's grinning up at him, so happy, when he's done speaking. "Half an hour," she promises. "Will you dance with me? Not the whole time, but!"<br /><br />She goes up on her tippy toes and peppers his lips with kisses. "I like that I can dance with you as Usagi. Please? Please, please?"

:'''{{#var:143|Hoshi Kogane| (143)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>As the Guardians go do their own dances and Nagihiko joins them, Yellow starts looking around for other people to interact with. Of course Maihime-kun wants to be with his friends, she doesn't even start to consider that in some circumstances it might be taken as a personal slight to her.<br /><br />She notices Mamoru come in with friend, and then that this friend seems intent to wallflower.<br /><br />That will not do.<br /><br />The first thing Kazuo might notice is a little Yellow Star in a fancy dress hovering near him, and Yellow arrives soon after. Sure, the boy might be twice her age, but she doesn't let that stop her.<br /><br />"Hi, would you like to dance?" She smiles brightly at the boy she's targeted, "I am Prism Keeper Yellow." No, she has no clue who she's talking to, she doesn't care. People being alone is not tolerable.

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The koi is long gone, there's nothing to apologize to. Reiko does sigh at Blue as she smiles. She frowns at Blue. "Well.. you'll find a way to help..." she says softly. She smiles and waves off Ikiko and Ayana! "Have fun you two!" she says as she bounces on her tip toes.<br /><br />She then watches Yellow go for Kazuo.<br /><br />Her jaw drops!

:'''{{#var:83|Utau Hoshina| (83)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Fine, I will." Utau nods to Mikoto, though fearing to promise much else. She quietly watches Mikoto leave and sighs, turning away. She had some things to say to Kukai, but it seems he's already gone off and is now dancing with someone else again. Well, she might as well leave..As she wraps her shawl around her shoulders, Utau feels the old leather wallet in her purse, and realizes that she still hasnt returned his wallet to him. Ugh, what a pain..<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She tries to weave in and out of the crowds, trying to get closer to Kukai, and somewhere along the way she ends up bumping into Tadase without realizing it. "Excuse me.." She murmurs, moments before Iru leaps into her hands. "Utau! I found you!" she exclaims with a wicked grin. Well, so much for hiding. Again.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nagihiko is happy to be dancing. It's one of the few times, even in dresses, where he's felt like neither of who people expect him to be. Just ''him'' and just ''her.'' And Tadase.<br /><br />And dance they do, and dance, and dance.<br /><br />And then he says something that's been on his mind for, well, awhile. "It's okay to like more than one person, right?"

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai Souma laughs and begins to enjoy the dance with Amu, even though they are quite obviously losing to the more skilled pair. "You're right, you're right, I should just calm down a little." He hugs Amu a little closer and grins, spinning her around in circles with abandon. He is, of course, nearer to the others than he expected, but he's sure they can dodge him. <br /><br /> What they can't dodge is Utau, making her way towards him and not seeing Tadase from one side....

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Of course I'm right," Amu says to Kukai, laughing happily as he spins her around. She whirls back to face him, grabs him around the neck and dances just a little closer, then suddenly leans up on tiptoes and asks, "Hey, wanna see them both trip all over themselves?" she asks him.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You can do anything with me as Usagi that you could in any other guise you wear," says Mamoru with a laugh after kissing her again, then straightening up so he's too tall for it; his eyes are twinkling, just for now. "Except carry me."<br /><br />Then he very formally takes her hand to sweep her out to the dancefloor--<br /><br />--and nearly trips when he sees Yellow approach Kunzite. All of a sudden he's ''still'' sweeping Usagi out to the dancefloor, but also fumbling in his pocket for his phone and hiss-whispering to his girlfriend, "You're better at stealth pics than I am, can you do it while dancing? Because oh my god. Just move without thinking about it, I'll make sure you don't trip."<br /><br />He pushes the phone into her hand and then lifts the one he's holding to one side, other hand settling on her hip as they begin to dance.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai Souma grins at Amu and spins her around, hugging her close, not dancing nearly as wonderfully as Tadase and Nagihiko, but keeping Amu entertained. "Yes, yes! Let's do that!"

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Fate-chan!" Ayana says, letting go of Arf and Ikiko both to nearly pounce on the poor girl, drawing the twintailed blonde into a hug. "Fate-chan I've missed you so much! I'm so glad you're okay. Arf-san says you're okay."<br /><br />She smiles, then, and gives Fate a little room before turning to Nanoha. "Hi! It's nice to meet you! I'm Ayana Tasogare," she introduces herself. "Are you a friend of Fate-chan's?"

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu's smile turns wicked for a brief moment, "Tadase! Nagihiko!" she calls loudly. "You're not too bad at dancing!" And then she turns back to Kukai and plants her lips right to his. It's not a long kiss, just a brief affection, lip-to-lip.

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Usagi scrunches her nose up at him, still managing a smile. "I bet I could!"<br /><br />But she doesn't try here because she knows she'll fail.<br /><br />She places her hand in his, and the movements are like a dream and--<br /><br />She blinks several times, but looks where he's asking her to take pictures and then she's in a peel of giggles.<br /><br />And of course, she trusts Mamoru not to let her fall, so ''click click click!!!'' goes the phone!

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nagihiko stops dead in his tracks and just ''stares.''<br /><br />Really, he's not sure if he's mad, jealous, or ridiculoudly intrigued, and over who, for that matter.<br /><br />Then he shrugs. "You're not so bad yourselves."<br /><br />And why yes, he ''does'' kiss his best friend.<br /><br />After all, Challenge Accepted.

:'''{{#var:155|Kaeru Aokawa| (155)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Blue hmmmms. Fate's busy talking to people so she looks around some more. The frog hopped back to Blue's shoudler as she takes another glass of that odd-tasting punch. She just wanders around, looking for any boy to ask to dance that doesn't look too busy. She starts heading towards Fate, then just walks up to her. "Hi there," she states to Fate, extending her hand. "I'm Prism Keeper Blue. We met... a couple of weeks ago during the eclipse with your mom... it wasn't... a very good meeting and I thought we could try again..."

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mikoto nods pleasantly to Utau as the blonde moves on, and settles back to watch the show. This is better than a soap opera. <br /><br />It's always good to meet people who can be civil even when they're on other sides of things. So she just lets things happen, rather than bothering to butt in. <br /><br />Besides, it's all just too darn cute.

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It's a good thing Nadeshiko's question comes at a halt in the music. Even still, it takes Tadase a beat or two to start dancing again, leaving him decidedly behind and having to work to catch up. Which puts them a little out of step and more awkward, and there's a decided loss of tempo and elegance there. "I.. think that's a complicated question, Na-chan. I mean, it's okay to like a lot of people. but liking is different than love. I'm not sure how that would wo-...<br /><br />He stops dancing. He stops dead in his nice shoes. Na-chan sees it too, he's sure, because they're staring at Amu's kiss. And he'd /just/ gotten around to getting his mind settled about Na-chan, and now Amu is kissing Kukai, his OTHER BEST FRIEND. Tadase's hand balls up into a fist and he wa-<br /><br />No, he doesn't walk over and punch Kukai in the face. Because now his face is attached to Nagihiko's face. Via the lips. He is far too shocked and stunned to do much of anything.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This might have the unintended effect of letting Nagi's kiss last longer than it really ought.

:'''{{#var:5|Fate Testarossa| (5)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You're not in Virtue? Huh... I couldn't tell, with the way you act." She's not with Virtue, but she still wants to contain the Jewel Seeds? Did she volunteer for that herself?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate continues eating bits of cake and ice cream, and takes a sip of punch. "It isn't for everyone. If you have any doubts, it's better not to. I'm happy that I have Arf, and if I had to do it all over again I would still choose her, but that kind of connection doesn't always end well."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate smiles at Ayana and Ikiko, a little nervously. "Not quite the same as the pool, is it?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After all, UMBRA pool parties are often mandatory, and usually they talk about business during them. This dance seems to be exactly the opposite.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arf picks up a piece of cake from Fate's plate and loudly 'Mmm!'s. Fate doesn't seem to mind this at all.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate winces slightly as Ayana pounces her, but she does smile and return the hug. She pulls out of the hug to look at everyone. "She..." Fate gestures towards Nanoha "... is a friend, but also a rival. It's complicated."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate then turns towards Nanoha, and gestures towards Ayana to introduce her. "She used to be my boss's familiar, but she left because it wasn't working out."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Turning back to Ayana, Fate smiles. "I'd ask what you were up to, but it might be better if I didn't know. I hope things are happier for you."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then a vaguely familiar face approaches, and Fate tilts her head at PK Blue. "Huh...? The eclipse?" Her wine-red eyes look a little closer, and then at the frog on Blue's shoulder. "Oh! I remember you. Hi." The frog she was hit with gave Fate a strange feeling, though she didn't react as hard as she might have since she doesn't have much dark energy in her.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She stares down at the hand. She knows this... what was it? She reaches out for the hand. "Fate Testarossa."

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Whether or not it's his first kiss, he's not saying. However, he accepts the linger, drawing it out perhaps a bit too long for Amu's (or Tadase's, for that matter) comfort.<br /><br />Then he pulls away and gives both Kukai and Amu a look.<br /><br />His eyes could be asking 'who's next.' Or they could be declaring more of a challenge.<br /><br />Either way, at the core, Nagihiko is not one to be out-trolled.

:'''{{#var:75|Ikiko Hisakata| (75)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Ikiko Hisakata," the diluted werewolf says to Fate and Nanoha. "Nice to meet you two!" She gives Ayana a quick kiss on the cheek, then smiles happily.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Number of times, before tonight, that Kazuo has been ambushed by a brightly social ten-year-old in any of his existences: zero. He tilts his head down to regard Hoshi, then a little farther down because that ... is an even shorter person than he was expect-- ''oh.''<br /><br />"Yes," he says, calmly ignoring little things like the age difference or that she'd probably have to be on stilts for it to make any sense. "But I can't, just now. May I hope for another time?"

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana ears droop severely when Fate calls her 'also a rival.' "No, it's not," she agrees quietly of the pool. "But look ..." she says, then draws a piece of paper out of the air and hands it to Fate. "Look, this is my phone number. Please don't give it to him," she begs quietly. "Or ... if you do tell him I'm happy now and I just want ''him'' to be happy. But um. I'll leave you be so you don't have to make a hard choice," she suggests quietly.<br /><br />But then she looks right back to Fate again, ears perking back up, "But if you need to talk, Fate-chan, I still care about you a lot, okay? So you can call me any time."<br /><br />Then she smiles and waves to Nanoha before grabbing Ikiko's hand. "Can we go dance or something?" she asks her girlfriend, sadness still in her tone and the posture of her ears.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai Souma is up for whatever Amu has in mind! Except that. Her lips are soft and sweet - she's wearing some sort of flavored lipstick - and she's warm, then hot - no, he's hot, all over - and then she breaks the kiss, leaving Kukai looking like he has some form of minor mental issue, mouth open, gobsmacked, all that. <br /><br /> And then Nagihiko decides it's time to up the ante and leans poor Tadase over. By the time that's over Kukai doesn't even know where to look. DANCE, fool, dance! His feet get a signal from his brain that reads 'areguahebvbh.' and try to follow it to their best example. This means he staggers towards Nagihiko and Tadase - whoops, and there's Utau. Trainwreck. <br /><br /> Kukai is trying to spin Amu at some point during all this, but as he nearly slams her into Utau it turns into more of a 'pitch the pink-haired girl at the other two' and he grabs onto Utau as he trips over his feet, looking up at her, already slightly out of his mind. "Uh.. Uh. Uh."

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu kisses Kukai. Tadase kisses Nagi. Yellow is over there asking an older boy to dance. She has her eyes wide and her mouth is just open limply.<br /><br />A koi appears. It slides up to a computer that has crashed... it begins banging it. Another koi joins and tries turning it on and off again. This doesn't work. Another koi with glasses and a pocket protector appears and begins reinstalling the OS. This doesn't work.<br /><br />Another koi, dressed like the last wholesale replaces the tiny koi computer. This works.<br /><br />Orange wakes from her internal reverie of 'WHAT THE F***'!<br /><br />Then before she looses track she's shooting pictures, click click click click click click click.<br /><br />She makes a made dash for the bathroom!<br /><br />click clikc click click click.

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tadase steps away and between Nagi and the other two because he has no idea what is going on and he can't breathe and what on earth is going on really I don't understand anything anymore can we just go fight a youma that makes sense<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;WHUMP<br /><br />And there's a n Amu that was spun towards him colliding into him, and he staggers backwards and collides into Nagihiko...

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mamoru does something ridiculously complicated with footwork and a spin and Usagi's camera hand, resulting in the camera being pointed in the direction of Kukai and Amu, and Nagihiko and Tadase. And he whispers, "Even more fun over there. Also, I think..." From there in, the whisper's right next to her ear and very ''very'' quiet.<br /><br />But then he's swiped the camera back and sleight-of-handed it into subspace, and the dance gets closer-- and stays there until the end of the song.<br /><br />Once the song's finished, he draws Usagi away, toward the cakes-- and whispers something else.

:'''{{#var:83|Utau Hoshina| (83)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Suddenly Utau finds herself sandwiched between a bunch of competing dancers, and...WhattheheckdidKukaijustkissAmu!? She just...Stares, trying not to be annoyed (Because like, why would she be annoyed anyway?), and ends up tripping up Kukai, and probably Amu too. Fortunately she doesn't go flying as Kukai catches her at the last moment.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"....What are you doing?" no wait, what's she doing, messing up their cutesy little dance and nearly going flying and...Ugh, this is so AWKWARD and she just wants out!!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"My apologies, I didnt mean to break up your dance with...That girl." She peers towards the pink haired girl, recognizing her from the other night. Oh, and there's Tadase, and some purple haired girl? guy? he's dancing with.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Right, time to make a quick getaway, except that she still has his wallet! Arrgh!

:'''{{#var:143|Hoshi Kogane| (143)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Yellow nods, "Sure! Just let me know." She glances towards Mamoru, "He has my phone number. I think you two came in together, right?" She smiles and steps a little back, keeping standing near Kazuo. She finally notices that Nagi and Tadase are kissing. She blinks. "Huh." One of her stars appears near them, popping a bottle of champagne

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>A handshake!? How personal! Nanoha merely bows politely at Prism Keeper Blue, having already introduced herself once. Fate calls her a friend and her face lights up even brighter- somehow- since she was already forming a short speech in her head about how she would /like/ to be Fate's friend but it's up to her.<br /><br />Nanoha seems to agree with 'also a rival' part. She nods at this.<br /><br />It's a sad sad nesscity for the moment. She can't forcibly change Fate's mind about anything-- about her parents or anything else!<br /><br />"I'm glad things seem to be well for you too, if they were bad before." she says to Ayana with a bright smile.<br /><br />Oh, Ikiko kisses Ayana on the check, she seems to blush! She may be too young to get it though. It's not a big deal at least to her.<br /><br />"Hrm..." she taps her chin.<br /><br />Oh right. Blue.<br /><br />"Thanks for the help the other night." she says softly to her, as an aside.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"More or less," Kazuo agrees to whether he and Mamoru came in together. "I see he's still maintaining his average of knowing ''everyone.''" Saved for the next thirty seconds. The survival skills that Kazuo picked up in this area were not designed for social survival. Kunzite knew more about dancing, but those dances don't exist anymore. This living thing, eternally complicated.<br /><br />... the ten-year-old's purification-magic star is now about to drink a toast. Kazuo eyes it for a moment, then follows Yellow's gaze, too late to see the kissing. Not too late to see the entanglement that follows it. "Maybe we're safer off the dance floor anyhow."

:'''{{#var:155|Kaeru Aokawa| (155)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Blue glances between Nanoha and Fate. "Both of you have those cool glowy magic weapons, huh... I get frogs," she states. "I'm Prism Keeper Blue and I'd love to understand the situation a bit more - that fight I popped in as - that was my first fight as a magical girl other than my wake up." A blue frog appears on the shoulder of Nanoha and Fate (unlke the last one Fate encountered, this one is content to just sit there and ribbit softly). "Haven't taught my frogs to do tricks yet lke Yellow's stars or Orange's koi." She sighs. "I have a weird home situation too - my parents divorced and my dad remarried and I don't really like the stepmom."

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu Hinamori laughs excitedly at Nagihiko and Tadase's kiss, but then Kukai's busy spinning her away towards Tadase. She bumps into him and nearly sends ''him'' into Nagihiko.<br /><br />But Amu is in a great mood, and she came here with ''this'' boy. Amu catches Tadase and pulls him back to her, then steps up onto tiptoes and whispers something very quiet--something even he can't hear, but maybe he can make out.<br /><br />And then, ''then'' she ups the ante on the kissing. But this time, the kiss Amu presses to Tadase's lips is not for the mere shock value. This is a true and passionate kiss. The kind you don't want to tell your mother about. (Or maybe you do~)

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>She tilts her face for a better whisper vantage for Mamoru. After the first, she discretely blinks over at Kazuo. At the second, she leans up to whisper back.<br /><br />After she pulls back down, she beams at him. "I ''do'' like cakes. And you will? Do you prooooooomise?" She bats her eyelashes and he whispers again. Large bunny eyes at Kazuo before she whispers again.<br /><br />And then she sees Ayana and she gasps. She whispers to Mamoru again. "Go keep him company. Ask him to save me a dance for next time?"<br /><br />Then it's a leap up, and she is ''SMOOCHING'' her boyfriend before she remembers he doesn't like too much PDA. "I'm sorry! Okay, okay, I'll be mingling I love you!"<br /><br />She pulls back a bit and makes her way toward Ayana. She darts past Prism Keeper Yellow as she does, and suddenly a fox girl finds herself with apologetic bunny arms wrapping her in a hug.<br /><br />"I'm so sorry about the last dance I felt bad ever since!" Her voice is low and quiet! "And then I couldn't find you and they I wanted to say I'm sorry forever it's okay if you don't accept I just wanted to say it!"

:'''{{#var:5|Fate Testarossa| (5)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate's smile gets a little bit sadder up at Ayana, and accepts the phone number. It's unfortunate that they can't really be as close, but as lacking as Fate is in social skills she ''does'' understand the situation from a strategic standpoint.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate is an enemy, and by all rights she's a spy here. If Fate doesn't want Riventon to know where Ayana is, then the best way to ensure that is to make it so that Fate doesn't know where Ayana is.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm sorry. Maybe one day it will be different again. Please understand. I'll keep this number to myself, and if we get the chance maybe we can talk... but, it'd be best if I didn't use my Eclipse phone to do so. I'll get a burner, and call you on that so you'll have a way to contact me."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After a moment, she adds, "I don't think I should tell him anything. I don't think there's anything that will help. If I have to tell him something, I'll tell him that you're happy now. It was good to see you again, if only to know that you're alright."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate doesn't really understand Nanoha's blushing, but Nanoha and Fate have had fun together and eaten together. That's what 'friend' means, right? Did she use the word wrong?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;PK Blue wants to understand the situation a bit more...? Well, there isn't much to hide. Most of this is common knowledge, Fate assumes. Especially after the eclipse. "I came here to this planet to look for the Jewel Seeds, for my mother's sake. The Jewel Seeds are dangerous Lost Logia, and only a few people, like my mother, know how to safely handle them."

:'''{{#var:143|Hoshi Kogane| (143)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Yellow nods, "He seems to know a lot of people." She agrees, not quite going as far as 'everyone' but the underlying sentiment remains the same. And then, as Usagi and Mamoru slowly approach, she suddenly appears to have some kind of itch or cramp, or something that makes her uncomfortable.<br /><br />And she looks straight at Usagi in the process. "Something feels off about her." She tells Kazuo, in a tone of worry.

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>He's got Amu in his arms again - this is two nights in a row for that, somewhere in his brain notes - but everything is so confusing and upsetting and strange and he has no idea what's going on still and<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then suddenly, everything is okay. Everything is ''just fine.''

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai Souma gets his feet back under him, looking at Utau, moving to get his arms back around her. "Wait, no, wait!" He's not loud, just a little plaintive. "No, hey, I've been trying to get free for a dance with you since I saw you earlier!" <br /><br /> He looks over at Amu and Tadase - what the HELL. Took long enough! - and then moves to hug Utau a little closer. "My friends are weird. Hell, I'm probably a little weird. Would you mind giving a weird guy at least one dance before you leave his wallet behind and leave?"

:'''{{#var:75|Ikiko Hisakata| (75)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ikiko Hisakata gives Fate an encouraging smile, then turns to take Ayana to the dancefloor... when suddenly AMBUSH! She blinks at the new arrival, then looks at the kitsune. "Another friend of yours?" Ikiko inquires, glancing at Usagi inquisitively.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>--and then Usagi's kissed him again and is ''apologizing'', and Mamoru just laughs and laughs. "I promise!" he calls after, "and I love you too."<br /><br />It's only once he resumes walking toward Kunzite and Prism Keeper Yellow, without the suddenly-Ayana-hugging Usagi, that he realizes he just yelled that out in front of everyone. By the time he gets to them, he's walking slowly and with dignity and with a very red face. And ears. "Hey," he says cheerfully. "Usa wants to mingle, I told her half an hour before she has to go back to the clinic. Hi, Yellow! Enjoying the dance?"

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange has successfully locked herself into a bathroom stall.<br /><br />She may be hyperventallting, just for a moment- sitting on a closed toilet in a pretty princess gown.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Well, looks like they've all paired off. Nagihiko's not jealous, not at all, fifth wheel yay, woot, whatever.<br /><br />He spots someone across the room. He'd be a fool not to recognize him.<br /><br />He slithers and sneaks through the crowd and sidles up in front of Chiba and his friend. He looks off to the side for a moment before looking up. "I wanted to punch your face in ''really badly'' until recently, and I'm sorry for that."

:'''{{#var:83|Utau Hoshina| (83)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh, um...." Utau's not really sure how to respond, because she doesn't really want to leave without getting in one last dance with Kukai, but she has a cold, detached reputation to upkeep! Besides, she's supposed to be his sworn nemesis and all, but..<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well, if you insist.." She sighs, "I just wanted to give you your wallet back, which you carelessly left behind, although I suppose you can keep Eru a little while longer. You might just get more use out of her than I did."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Still, Utau's gaze softens a little as she takes his hand. "If you dont mind dancing with your 'bad penny', then sure." a small smile tugs at her lips, swinging into step with the current music that is now playing, a nice slow Rhumba.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"This whole...Situation is weird, so don't worry about it.." she murmurs as she swings gracefully to the gentle song.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Unlike Orange, Mikoto hasn't felt the need to withdraw to hide away. For one, she doesn't need privacy to upload photos. Her Device handles that all on its own. For another, she has snacks to finish. <br /><br />Or rather, she ''had'' snacks to finish. By this point she's pretty much done with them. Which leaves her the choice of just who to go and chat with next. ''Hmmmmmm.'' <br /><br />Nah. Staying where she is and taking pictures of Amu and Tadase is more fun. And of everyone else, too. A couple of stealthed Area Searchers to get the best perspective will make for some really ''good'' pictures.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You're right," Kazuo says down to Yellow, in that same matter-of-fact tone. No feigned admiration for her being both ten ''and'' right about something, just the acknowledgment. "It's being watched, though." Not something to worry about at the dance.<br /><br />Except possibly in its ripple effects, like the one that prompted Mamoru to say that. Kazuo glances up, or at least not as far down, at the approaching individual in formalwear. Eyebrows lift. No other comment is made about the manner of that public announcement. Half an hour is noted without a word, because his eyes are already shifting to give Mamoru an instant's warning of the Nagihiko about to join the group.

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana emits a squeak of protest, ears laying back flat against her head and tails lashing like a cat's. "What-who-how-why!?" she asks confusedly, quickly squirming out of Usagi's grasp. She turns and stares at her, then stares ''past'' her, then looks back at her, and her eyes widen. "You're Mamoru-san's girlfriend!" she says.<br /><br />The memories return in an instant, anger hot as it was that day. "You are a ''jerk''," she accuses her angrily. "He was supposed to dance with me! He ''promised''," she says unhappily. "And then because of that ... because of that ..." her ears slowly come back up as realization dawns. "Beacuse of that ..." she trails off. "Oh, no," she whispers.<br /><br />Then she leans forward and hugs Usagi back. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I was the jerk. Not you. My ... I was ... my master was so angry. And it bled into me. And I couldn't stop feeling mad at you. I'm sorry."

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi looks at PK Blue. "I'm sorry you have a bad situation at home..." she says sadly. She can't quite understand it fully- but that doesn't mean she can't imagine something like that. Then again, Nanoha has own connection problems.<br /><br />She smiles at Fate though. "You have some nice friends Fate." she says softly to her. "I won't pry- right now though." she says.<br /><br />"Are you enjoying yourself at least?" she asks Fate, because that's the important part here- that Fate gets to just enjoy herself for a night and not need to worry about her mother or anything else.<br /><br />"Also..."<br /><br />"Remember, you're always welcome by Midori-ya, if you ever need someone to talk to, or just-- sit down away from things." she says softly. "You'll be my guest!" she says.<br /><br />Nanoha can hope afterall, right? There's that doubt Fate may not take the offer- just due to her situation.<br /><br />"So..." she grins a bit.<br /><br />"You were really calling me cupcake girl?" she smiles.<br /><br />"Maybe... I need a nickname for you...."<br /><br />She taps her chin in thought...looking Fate up and down. up and down... what's a good nickname....

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Now, since the invention of the kiss, there have been only five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one at least catches up with them all. Amu kisses Tadase for a good, long while. Longer than is reasonable, given they're still on the dance floor and there are probably people wanting to dance.<br /><br />When the kiss finally breaks, she smiles at him, hugs gently, then puts her arms around his neck and asks, "Wanna dance?"

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai grins. He doesn't know how to rhumba, but the beat is a rhythmic, syncopated 4/4 which is easy to dance to. And arch nemesis or not, Utau's light and soft in his arms - lighter than Amu, at least - and easy to dance with, since she does plenty of it. <br /><br /> One hand comes up to her back, just above the top of that open-topped gown, resting on the shawl, and he smiles as they sway across the floor. "Hey, Eru's a sweetheart. You should be nicer to her. And I don't mind dancing with you at all. Bad pennies keep coming around, so the best thing to do is enjoy them while you've got them." <br /><br /> He chuckles as she murmurs her last words. "Life is weird, but you should enjoy it." He holds the slightly shorter blonde idol in his arms, moving with her to the slow, romantic beat. <br /><br /> Eru is practically squeezing the life out of Daichi off to one side, squealing at a pitch that makes Ikiko's ears itch.

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Usagi sort of curls against herself but accepts being yelled at. She's carried this guilt for a long time!<br /><br />But then Ayana is hugging her back, and so sad, and Usagi just wraps her arms snug around the fox girl. "Hey, no, you're right. He ''did'' promise, and I was being a jealous dungbat jerk." She snuggles her face against Ayana's hair. "Not even the punch can be blamed!" It could be, maybe, but still. "I've just been ''so very sorry'' for it every since. And honest, I tried to find you later when I wasn't as dungbat jerky."

:'''{{#var:75|Ikiko Hisakata| (75)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ikiko Hisakata glances towards the source of the squealing; is that an angelic Chara she sees? For a moment she's tempted to stick cotton into her phantom ears, but decides to simply not focus on them for a few minutes.<br /><br />Instead, she gives Ayana and Usagi a big group hug! "How about if the three of us dance, instead of dwelling on past dances?" Ikiko suggests brightly.

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tadase looks like the poor boy needed to come up for air already. And that may have actually been true just due to the chaos before Amu kissed him like ''that''... even still, he finds some wit and sense somewhere in his mind (or steals it from Kiseki) and begins to move along with her.<br /><br />"I would love to dance. I really did come here just to dance with you. Can we maybe do this one without either of us kissing the others' best friends, though?" he says, looking somewhere between really happy and like he's been run over by a parade of emotional steamrollers all at the same time as he tries to lead her in the dance.<br /><br />Notably, he dances better now than he did last time he danced with Amu.

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange finally gathers her wits and unlocks the bathroom stall door and smooths her dress out and walks back out like she did not in fact just run to the bathroom in a camera clicking panic.<br /><br />She looks frantically for her shrimp plate-- but can't find it anymore. Darn. She seethes.<br /><br />She looks around and squints. Nrrrrg. Everyone's already paired off for dancing.<br /><br />She however, can still sit down by the side for a moment as she looks up at the group.<br /><br />At least it's a concious choice this time. She places her hands on her lap.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mikoto pauses to look over at her fellow loner. Orange-chan. "So, how 'bout them Giants, hmm?" The local baseball team is popular, at least, and a nicely neutral topic to open a conversation with. <br /><br />She drains her second cup of punch and looks out at the dancers. "I think someone's having Not Enough Fun. What do you think?"

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It's not your fault you wanted to dancewith your boyfriend," Ayana says to Usagi, then sticks her tongue out at the blonde. "Anyways, it's nice to meet you. We should talk later, maybe. But right now, I really want to dance with my girlfriend." She leans into whisper to Usagi, "We've never gotten to dance before," she explains, then leans away to grab Ikiko's hand. "C'mon," she says to Ikiko quietly. "We can dance with her later. Right now I just want to dance with you myself. Okay?"

:'''{{#var:5|Fate Testarossa| (5)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate agrees as Nanoha says she has nice friends. "She was really nice to me, but it's a complicated situation." Well, that much was obvious already. A lot of Fate's life is complicated. How did it get to be so complicated? What happened to the nice, happy days back home, the home she had before her mother moved to the Garden of Space and Time and Fate moved to Earth? Why does she keep thinking about the name 'Alicia'? There wasn't anyone there other than Fate and her mother, right?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods as Nanoha asks if she's enjoying herself. "I am! I keep finding a lot of surprises here. Are dances always like this?" Maybe she should crash them more often. Arf was right. Speaking of... where did she go?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Apparently Arf is tracking down more food again.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nanoha mentions the Midori-ya again, and Fate looks down at the ground, frowning slightly. "I don't know what I'd talk about, and I don't think I should make a habit of it, but... as long as there's nothing to fight over, maybe I could go there sometime."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate nods. "Yeah. 'Cupcake girl'. Just... I don't know, that's what left the strongest impression on me about you."

:'''{{#var:83|Utau Hoshina| (83)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Utau smiles, resting her head against Kukai's chest, presumably when she thinks no one is looking..Iru's probably throwing a fit right about now, which causes her to storm off somewhere - 'Consorting with the enemy!?! What the!?!?!!?'<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well, pennies can be lucky too, and I'm a pretty lucky one, don't you think?" she smirks, peering up at him, twirling out, her long gown fanning out across the floor before she comes back into his arms again.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well, my night wasn't a total waste of time, I suppose. I didn't think you could dance this well. No wonder you're so popular with the girls!" And now she's babbling about silly stuff. Utau blames the spiked punch! "Eru's a pain sometimes, but I'm sure she means well. I know she's fond of you, and especially Daichi, for some reason. I suppose that's why she ran off on me." Well, that's not the only reason, and she knows it. But Utau won't get into that right now.

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Usagi sticks her tongue right back out! "I could have been nicer about it!" It is clear Usagi is ''not'' relenting in her guilt!<br /><br />Still, when the offer of a group dance is made, she's almost ready to accept. But then Ayana whispers to her and the blonde quietly squeals before she whispers back. "Dance with her, then! And snuggle and be happy, and 'eeee!'" It's a quiet eee!<br /><br />To Ikiko, just in case! "Ayana-chan's being too nice! I'm just sooooo tired and need cake! You two dance, have fun! Shoo, shoo!"<br /><br />Happy that she's not hated, at least, she turns to the table with cake. Mmmmm!<br /><br />As she attacks a piece, she spots Kukai and waves a wild arm at him. Oh she wants to hug her dance partner and tell him she's so happy he's okay! And there's Tadase-kun! And there's the girl she only met once at the arcade, but oh she was so pretty when she chara-changed!

:'''{{#var:83|Utau Hoshina| (83)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;While Utau's occupied, Iru darts off towards Mikoto, buzzing around her camera, pulling weird faces as she attempts to get a shot of herself in there, somewhere. "Meeh!!"

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>'It's being watched,' yes, from multiple angles; Mamoru's distracted from Hoshi by Kazuo's indication that someone's on the approach, and then there's Nagihiko, confessing-- what?<br /><br />The upperclassman blinks in confusion. "What? Why? I mean, I'm glad you don't anymore, but--" He pauses, a suspicion building, and then the realization hits like a ton of bricks. He's at what's basically a Virtue party. "Oh! HAH--! No no," he starts and laughs again. "Don't worry about it. I would have wanted to punch me in the face until recently, too. If it's any consolation, it wasn't really me most of the time?"

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu blushes at Tadase's request, and buries her face against his chest. "Look, I just ... I didn't mean anything by it," she tells him quietly. "I like Kukai, but it's not the same as how I feel about you. or about Nagihiko," she explains, still blushing.<br /><br />"But yes," she agrees, "I think we should just dance, and ''not'' kiss each other's best friends anymore. At least for a few minutes."

:'''{{#var:75|Ikiko Hisakata| (75)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ikiko Hisakata gives Usagi another quick hug, then pulls Ayana onto the dance floor. She tries to emulate some of the other dancers, but winds up doing more of a playful approximation than any actual dance steps.<br /><br />Still, she's having fun! And being able to dance with her lovely girlfriend in front of everyone else is enjoyable~!

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nagihiko's shoulders relax some when the upper classman doesn't appear to be too ruffled by his admission.<br /><br />He's also unaware of Amu's confession to Tadase.<br /><br />He does, however, look a little bit more than disconcerted when he spies Kukai and Utau.<br /><br />''Shut up, idiot, he likes her.''<br /><br />He turns his attention back to Chiba.<br /><br />"Tadase-kun's been my best friend since forever. He's really happy you're back. I don't know if he's said it, but he really is." <br /><br />Amber eyes pierce at Chiba for a moment before he laughs and looks toward the cake table. He rubs the back of his head as he watches a certain blonde enjoy cake. "Anyway, how can I be angry? You and your Moon girl brought back everyone that's important to me."

:'''{{#var:86|Ayana Tasogare| (86)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ayana beams excitedly as Ikiko drags her onto the dance floor. Neither of them is a terribly good dancer, and figuring out how two ''girls'' should be dancing when they're both used to dancing with boys makes this immeasurably harder. But Ayana hasn't had a lot of dancing experience anyways, and Ikiko's dressed like a boy so she just makes Ikiko do that part, sorta. And she follows as well as she can. Like Ikiko, it's more playful than accurate, but Ayana is smiling from ear to ear as she dances with Ikiko. For the first time, she can be here with the one she always wanted to be with, and she can show her affections plainly. It really doesn't get much better, for the kitsune.

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>As Amu dances with Tadase it'll be impossible for her not to notice the hitch in his step when she says 'or about Nagihiko', even though he recovers quickly enough for it to not affect the rest of the dance's motions for any onlookers. "I... feel like I have a lot of things to say or ask. But I also feel like some of those questions... could ruin the dance." he admits.<br /><br />"So... later." he says, growing quiet, and just dancing with Amu, looking into her eyes more than anywhere else.

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange looks at Mikoto and blinks. "Eh, I'm fine." she smiles. "I was hoping Hunter could come, but it's no biggy. I didn't give him enough warning anyways!" she smiles wide.<br /><br />She grins and raises her cellphone and takes a few good pictures of Ikiko and Ayana dancing. Not making a big spectacle of it- but she figures they might like to see them later!

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Usagi is, indeed, enjoying cake. After all, cake is one of the billion things she's been fighting for!<br /><br />Om nom nom!<br /><br />But still!<br /><br />Another plate of cake in hand, she washes the previous piece down with punch. She then sidles around Kukai while he's dancing with another blonde.<br /><br />USAGI IS BEING SUPER DISCRETE!

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mikoto looks briefly up at Iru's antics and hmmmms to herself. Then produces her iPhone and lifts it up to take a picture of the chara. "Hello, small friend," she says. <br /><br />"Well," she muses as Orange answers her, "At least ''your'' boyfriend hasn't been turned into a zombie." She takes another picture of Iru, then turns the phone to take a picture of Orange herself. Then she adds some shots of Tadamu, of which only about half get photo-bombed by Iru. <br /><br />"Although you never know," she muses. "How long has it been since you saw him last?" Okay, down, girl, put the snark ''away''.

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu tilts her head back to stare into Tadase's eyes. She smiles a little hesitantly, then leans up to kiss the side of his mouth gently. "Later," she agrees as she continues to dance.

:'''{{#var:66|Reiko Touyama| (66)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Prism Keeper Orange blinks. "B--boyfriend! That's a strong word to be using yet!" she says with a blush. "I really really like him and-- I know he likes me..." she says softly. She sort of crosses her arms defensively. She narrows her eyes.<br /><br />"H-hey! That isn't nice! I'm sure he's alright." she says. "It hasn't been that long! White Day!" she says softly.<br /><br />She crosses her arms now- ugh, Mikoto putting her in a bad mood suddenly with this. Tadase was right. Jerk cats are attracted to Jerk cats.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nagihiko doesn't seem inclined to punch Mamoru ''now,'' so Kazuo doesn't interrupt. (Besides. He's well aware that wanting to menace the boy occasionally pretty much comes right alongside knowing him. Some things are constants.)<br /><br />Kazuo doesn't retreat physically from the conversation, so much as only be nominally present; uninvolved, keeping an absent eye on Usagi's whereabouts, skimming the crowd for --<br />5r-- butterfly.<br /><br />Kazuo's attention is dragged entirely off of blonde for a few moments, but only for a few.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai Souma moves his hand up and pets the back of Utau's hair, and in that moment he feels sad for her, truly and deeply. He hasn't really ever had anyone dance with like this before either, but he'd at least had the opportunity. 'Those people' had had her locked down so long she hadn't ever had the chance. Enemy. Pfaugh. <br /><br /> He looks down at her and grins, his hand behind her head, brushing against her hair, as the song ends. "Yeah, pretty lucky at that. Pretty and lucky." <br /><br /> He laughs. "I can't dance at all. I've been trying to learn since I started hearing I was going to be at these things. And me, popular with the girls? I... really?" He blinks. Kukai really never notices. "And I guess she just got tired. I'll take care of her for a while if you want." <br /><br /> He looks up. "....Song's over." He frowns at that simple, short sentence, like he could pull the music back into the air.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"''Oh''," says Mamoru after a second, like the explanation's knocked the wind out of him a bit. The smile he gives Nagihiko then is a small one, and much less of a mask. "I'm sorry about all of the hurt that's been caused. There are a lot of people still recovering from the Dark Kingdom in a lot of ways-- but it's thanks to Tadase-kun and everyone like him helping her that it's over, and that she was ''able'' to bring everyone back. We're all in this together, aren't we?"<br /><br />It's only a brief glance up toward Usagi to see where she's at, and then Mamoru's expression shifts again-- this time to one of amusement. "And it was with Kukai's help punching me a lot that I ''was'' able to come back. We owe your friends just as much as you feel you owe us. This is a beautiful web of interconnected affection that can finally begin healing, not a network of debts to weigh anyone down."<br /><br />Kazuo might be watching Usagi, glancing off to look for other people-- he still doesn't know so many things, does Mamoru-- but the prince isn't demanding his attention. He ''does'' end up leaning against the wall next to him toward the end of talking to Nagihiko, though.

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mikoto flashes Orange a smile. "Hey, sorry. Just teasin' you. You looked a little down, I thought you could use some cheering up." Besides, ''she'''s down. What with Ikuto being a zombie and all that. <br /><br />"So, of all of them, who do you think is the best kisser?" She gestures at the dancing Guardians. "Who made the cutest picture when they kissed?"

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi grins. "I think I'll just stick with Fate-chan." she says with a smile. "Parties like this are fun. You meet new people at them, and people you already know." she says. "I don't go to many parties, so when I get the chance, I go!" she says.<br /><br />"Well..."<br /><br />"That's a lie I guess..."<br /><br />"...Sometimes I help my parents cater but.. that's working at a party- which is different than attending a party." she giggles.<br /><br />"--and I don't help with that often, with school and all, and helping with the store proper-- aswell as the whole studying spells and methodology with Yuuno now and training myself super hard." she says.<br /><br />"--but after all that happened, I wanted to come visit with everyone else." she says.<br /><br />"Seeing you here is just a bonus!" she says. "Since I doubt there's a Jewel Seed here."<br /><br />"Unless there's one in that fresh cake that was just brought out."<br /><br />"We outta go check it out. Just to be sure." she insists.<br /><br />She tiptoes over to the cake.

:'''{{#var:83|Utau Hoshina| (83)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oooh!" Iru peers at Mikoto curiously now, "So you ARE Ikuto's boyfriend then?" She smirks, "He's not a zombie though, he's just been...Well, I don't really know, but, err.." she too, glances around nervously, afraid that if she says too much, more harm might come to Ikuto. "Don't worry! As long as Utau works hard, they promised they wont hurt him..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She continues to dance in front of the camera, seeming to be having loads of fun with it, "Hey, can I take some pictures now!? I wanna!!" and she attempts to grab the camera from Mikoto, being a real pest.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Kukai..Sometimes, you can be really clueless.." Utau murmurs, feeling her face reddenning slightly at his comments, unsure if he's just being nice or..."But thank you.." It's true she's never really had friends, and she's certainly never felt this close to anyone before. Having grown up in the walls of Easter for so long has hardenned her heart considerably.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Suddenly the song ends and she sighs sadly. "Well. That was...Short. I guess I should get going.." Reluctantly, Utau pulls out of the dance formation, although her right hand lingers interlocked with his a moment longer. "You can keep Eru a little longer. And I'll give you this back."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She slips the wallet back in his hand, and Kukai might notice that it still has all the money and other important items intact. Plus there's something else there, a cute photograph of Utau with her autograph and a short message on the back. Of course, she totally didnt put THAT there..Some other Imp must have!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Utau! C'mon, we gotta go! Practice tomorrow! 7 am sharp!" blurts out Iru, tugging on her other arm.

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It's a moment in time. Just for a moment longer, that touch of the hand. Then they're parted, and it's past. Kukai takes the wallet and smiles, sticking it back into his inner jacket pocket. "Thanks for holding onto this." <br /><br /> He steps back, giving Utau a clear route out if she really wants to go. "I know we'll see each other again. And you remember what I said, ok? I figured it out." He grins and gives Utau a thumbs up, that bright, contagious Jack's smile enough to brighten the soul of the darkest night dweller.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura Akemi walks through the front door. She isn't here as a member of Virtue, but she's a defender of the city like many others here, and that gives her at least some confidence to show up. Besides that, she has more friends in Virtue than anywhere else.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She arrives in a shimmering purple dress, and perhaps surprisingly she's not here with Madoka. As much as she'd like to be.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Upon entering, she walks right past the food, glances over the dance floor, and finds an old friend leaning against a wall. She walks up to Mamoru Chiba with a smile and says, "Hey! Long time no see. How does freedom taste, Tux-kun?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nagahiko and Kazuo get a glance and a wave. Homura doesn't know Nagi, so she bows slightly and says, "Name's Homura Akemi."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kazuo gets... a closer look. And a frown. "I'm sorry. I could ''swear'' I know you from somewhere." The way this guy leans against a wall. Very typical behavior for a Mamofriend. "... do you go to Infinity?"

:'''{{#var:102|Mikoto Nakajima| (102)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mikoto chuckles softly at Iru, and slides her camera away in a pocket. "Sorry, it's all full," she tells the chara. Then produces a second camera! "And yes, Ikuto and me." She nods and reaches up to tap the top of Iru's head with one fingertip - quite gently. <br /><br />Her teeth clench as Iru tells her of the threat to Utau, and her eyes narrow. Then she suppresses her anger yet again. <br /><br />The new phone is smaller and plainer than the fancy one she was using, but she holds it out to Iru. "Here you go, see if you can work this one." It's designed to be easy to take pictures with. Just the thing for a little chara. <br /><br />Of course, with her luck, that's when it turns out to be time for Utau to go. She looks back over at Orange and nods. "Not a zombie. Right."

:'''{{#var:5|Fate Testarossa| (5)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate shrugs. "That's my name anyways." She doesn't seem to mind the presence or absence of a nickname either way. "Most of the parties I go to are at the company pool, but they aren't as big as this."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate tilts her head and watches Nanoha as she explains. "I see. So technically you're there, but not to have fun."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate shakes her head. "I haven't felt any Jewel Seeds here, and that's not why I'm here. Actually... Arf brought me here. I'm not sure why, but it ''has'' been fun."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nanoha mentions that there might be a Jewel Seed in the cake that just came out, and Fate gives her a confused and questioning look. When she figures out that she's joking she says, "Oh! Sure. Let's go check it out."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate walks over to the new cake with Nanoha.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So you're training? That explains it. Most mages your age don't learn that fast without effort. Still, you must be studying pretty hard to get as far as you have." Fate doesn't say it, but she's kindof worried about what Nanoha's threat level would be if she actually started tapping into her full potential. The warrior in Fate wants to encourage Nanoha, but the part of her that wants to win is begging her not to.

:'''{{#var:83|Utau Hoshina| (83)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Utau bites her lip, "There were so many things I wanted to say..About what happened last night, but I just dont have the time. Or the words." Utau's gaze hardens as she turns to face Iru, breaking away from Kukai, "Take care of Eru for me.."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Without a backwards glance, Utau runs through the crowds towards the exit. Yeah, Yukari's gonna be hard on her tomorrow. Heck, they might even punish Ikuto for what little information she let leak out. But heck, maybe it was worth it just to see Kukai again.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Iru grins at Mikoto, having had a chance to play with the camera. She'd probably try to steal it if it wasnt about the same size as she is, and if Utau hadn't snatched it from her and handed it back to Mikto on her way out. "Heh, nice meeting you, Mikoto-chan! You should say hi to Eru for me! Chiao!"

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Homu-chan!" Mamoru calls back, gaze torn from Nagihiko; his face lights up as he pushes off the wall, then leans to unreservedly hug her, quick and light. "Freedom tastes delicious. We still have to finish knocking out some of the walls and remodelling before we move stuff back in-- but oh man, thank you ''again'' for making sure there was stuff ''to'' move back."<br /><br />This he finishes as he thunks back against the wall; he's still smiling-- there's so much relieved about him, body language and all. It's not just seeing Homura again after the North Pole, it's also seeing her again now that his mind's that much closer to functional. "'Doka-chan all right? Usako's off mingling before I make her go back to bed, she's not well but she wanted to see everyone."<br /><br />There may of may not be -- okay spoilers there totally is -- a distinctly trollish expression on his face as he addresses the last thing Homura said. "This is one of my new roommates, Kazuo Takeba. We've known each other even longer than I've known Usa."

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu and Tadase have a long, slow dance after the second small kiss, and Tadase enjoys every moment of it, leaning against her, but eventually the music does fade, and he looks down at her. "Lets get some punch and see if there's anything to nibble on left, and have a seat, ok?" he asks, as much as states a course of action, already walking over that way with her.<br /><br />The he turns. "You really do look gorgeous tonight, Amu-chan. And every night." he says.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nagihiko bites his lips, and this time, he doesn't look Chiba in the eyes. It looks like he's ready to go, anyway.<br /><br />"People wear many masks, Chiba-san. It's only those we choose to wear for ourselves that should hold true weight to who we are. Those forced on us should be seen as caricatures and nothing more. I wish you luck in discovering this, and should you wish to speak further, you know who to reach me through."<br /><br />He scampers off, then, afraid he's made a mess of things.

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Punch sounds like a great idea," Amu says to Tadasee with a nod as she follows him off the dance floor. "Actually will you go get me some, and something to snack on? I need to do a thing. I'll be .. right back," she promises, then hugs him and heads towards the restrooms.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Commentary may have been made, or at least thought, before now about agreeing with Nagihiko: to know Mamoru is intermittently to desire to punch him in the face. Kazuo has a remarkable amount of experience in restraining himself from doing so. He doesn't dissuade Nagihiko from retreating any more than he dissuaded Nagihiko from manifesting in the first place; he doesn't miss the change, certainly, he just doesn't interfere. He ''does'' turn most of his attention away from the slowly dwindling crowd to incline his head briefly to Homura. "Not anymore," he replies, and the blandness of his tone is practically a statement in and of itself. "Good to see you well, Akemi-san."

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai is well and dancing and happy! Yay!<br /><br />There's a break, so Usagi tornadoes past him in hugs and hearts and everything platonic! "I'm so happy you're okay, Dance Partner! Look me up when I can be Serenity again, I'll dance with you then!"<br /><br />Forehead smooch!<br /><br />And then.<br /><br />Her Homura senses are tingling.<br /><br />"HOMU-CHAN!!!!!~!" GLOMP!<br /><br />There is a princess in pink chiffon just hanging on her friend. That she's near her Mamo-chan is a happy coincidence!

:'''{{#var:6|Nanoha Takamachi| (6)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nanoha Takamachi slices into the cake. No Jewel Seeds, just delicious cherry filling. She places a slice onto a plate and she begins to eat. "No Jewel Seeds." she says with a cheeky smile. "So you can feel Jewel Seeds?" she asks. "I need Yuuno for that. I can't sense them on my own." she says.<br /><br />"Yup! Every morning! Bright and Early!" she says. She head tilts.<br /><br />"Yuuno says 'I'm special' or something but I really don't know what that means." she says sheepishly. "--but I haven't really been truly 'good' at anything besides... this." she says. "I mean I decorate cupcakes 'okay'.." she says. "--and I can't bake right yet." she says.<br /><br />"But-- the magical stuff? Comes really easy to me for some reason." she says with a shrug.<br /><br />Nanoha doesn't seem to mind sharing this.<br /><br />Then her phone begins beeping. She reaches down for it and peeks at what is either an alarm or a text and slips the phone away.<br /><br />"Fate-chan I need to head home. Something came up." she says dissapointedly.<br /><br />"Feel free to continue to enjoy the party! I'm sure there's lots of people willing to talk to you here!" she says.<br /><br />Nanoha kind of /really/ wants to give Fate a hug- but- she doesn't want to kind of undo all the relaxedness Fate's gotten, so instead, Fate gets an enthusastic bow!<br /><br />"We can talk soon.. okay?" she smiles. "One way, or another~". So either. Like this. Or over Beamspam.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>As he makes his escape, he spots Amu in the crowd.<br /><br />Where's Tadase?<br /><br />Still, he flutters to a stop near her. "Amu-chan!"<br /><br /> A brief flutter. A nervous tick. "When you get back...may I have a dance?"

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tadase nods a bit as Amu steps off, and he gets back with a plate of snacks for the two of them (amazingly, there was still some good stuff left) and then puts a glass of punch down at each spot. And he muses a bit, and waits, drumming his fingers on the table, smiling a little to himself.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura smirks. "How could I not? You were there when I needed you, so I wanted to be there when you needed me. That said..." She henshins briefly. It's not a secret. A black rose appears over her right ear, and she removes it, cupping it in her hands. "... I don't think I need to wear this anymore."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She de-henshins, going back to her shimmering dress. The black rose remains in her hand. She smiles at it, though. Something to be proud of, maybe. At least she did one thing right.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;How is Doka doing? "She's been doing great lately. Back in school, volunteering at the hospital. She's... becoming a stronger Puella Magi, too." There's a moment's pause there. "It's nice having her around. Well... I guess that's an obvious statement."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mamoru mentions knowing Kazuo even longer than Usagi. Well Homura's never met him! "Ha! Bul--" Homura starts. Wait, no, is this Silver Millennium stuff? 'Even longer than Usagi' would suggest 'yes'.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Kazuo speaks. Everything snaps into place. She smiles at him, too. "I'm glad to see you in good health too, Takeba-san."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's an unmistakable voice, and Homura turns just in time to recognize one Usagi Tsukino before she glomps onto her again. "Hey, Usa-chan. How've you been?" She reaches up to hug Usagi for a moment before pulling away. "Pretty lively here, huh?"

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Usagi chirps and cheers! "Oh, yes! I'm so glad to see everyone happy and well! This party is just what is needed!"<br /><br />And then, despite her best efforts, she remembers the ''last'' time she saw Homura. Her face crumbles, just a bit, and she thonks her forehead against the other girl's for a moment. "Homu-''chan!''"<br /><br />And then she's hugging Homura in a different way, very much ''not'' crying, thank you very much!

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nagihiko's relief is palpable when Amu says she'll dance with him. He waits, dutifully, for her to return.<br /><br />When she does, he accepts her hand and guides her to the dance floor.<br /><br />When his hand settles on her waist, he feels a relaxing calm wash over him.<br /><br />It doesn't matter Amu's dancing skills, mostly. He's an excellent dancer. If she steps on his toes, he'll let her dance on them.<br /><br />It's not long into the dance that he confesses something to her. "I'm not completely sure who I am. But I hope there's still enough of your best friend there to...be your best friend."

:'''{{#var:5|Fate Testarossa| (5)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate listens to Nanoha's reply, as she starts taking a bit of cake for herself too. "My device helps me detect them. It becomes natural after a while."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Fate hears Nanoha talk about her training. As well as her potential.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You have a high magic output for someone our age. It's on the same level as mine." Slightly higher, actually, but she doesn't quite want to admit that. Nanoha can figure that out on her own.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's interesting that someone like you would have that much power. Your parents didn't seem like strong mages. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, considering the variety of magic this place has."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate's about to say something else, but then Nanoha's phone rings. Nanoha has to go?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate nods. "Alright. We'll meet again, I'm sure." Possibly over beamspam. Who knows?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fate bows in return. Hugs tend to hurt, for reasons she'd rather not disclose or advertise. Shortly after Nanoha says she has to go, Arf calls out to her telepathically again. She turns towards her Familiar in the distance to see if something's up.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nagihiko speaks, and Mamoru's face loses some of its cheer and leaves puzzlement in its wake, and no small amount of 'oh hell NOW what have I done'-- but then Homura's answering, and also henshining?! and his expression falls into something that's one hundred percent reserved affection as he watches her take the rose from her hair. "I'd wondered," he says with a small smile.<br /><br />His eyes are sparkling for the almost that happens next, right before Kunzite clears up Homura's mounting confusion, and then in the middle of it all, Usagi barrels into Homura and starts not-crying. Well. It's not like he can blame the sentiment, there. But:<br /><br />"Usako, are you ready to go soon? Time's up, Princess, and you don't look very much like a pumpkin." The tone's not nearly as teasing as the words sound; there's both apology and concern in it.

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tadase looks up from the table after waiting long enough, and Kiseki's on his shoulder. Which means both of them see Na-chan - no, Nagihiko, he decides - leading Amu out onto the dance floor. He glares back at Amu's seat like it's betrayed him, and both Tadase and Kiseki's faces fall flat immediately.<br /><br />It's Kiseki that lends a perhaps unwanted voice to Tadase's deeper thoughts. "Some promise." the little king says in a huff. Tadase, for his part, just turns around in the chair, folding his hands over the back of it, watching them while looking both bored and, in growing ratio, upset. With Nagi or Amu, or both, he isn't entirely sure.

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Usagi looks up at Mamoru. At first she wants to protest, but...<br /><br />She nods, sniffling, and gives Homura a cheek smooch before she goes over to climb on Mamoru. She clings to him, all pink chiffon and Octosagi and snuggles. She whispers in his ear a bit before she pulls back and bites at her lip, eyes somewhat hopeful and lashes fluttery.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura holds Usagi for a moment. The last time they met ''was'' pretty traumatic, wasn't it? "Hey, now. It's okay. We won, right? In fact, ''you'' did. You really came through, despite everything."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura overhears what Mamoru says, and remembers. Oh right! Usagi's not well right now. "Take it easy, Usa-chan. It's good to see you again."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She holds Usagi for a bit longer, but lets her go when she pulls away.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Back to Mamoru, she says, "Take care of her. You know you'll regret it if you don't."

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The pink-haired guardian stands transfixed as she stands with Nagihiko on the dance floor. She allows him to lead without question, but that's as much because her eyes are literally locked with his as because she is well aware that he's the better dancer on every level.<br /><br />Poor Tadase is almost entirely forgotten as Amu's world shrinks down to this: just herself, Nagihiko, and all of the emotional baggage of the last several months of rollercoaster with the best friend she has ever--and perhaps will ever--had.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Cue momentary flicker of what's probably amusement. ''Anything'' that can be described as "health" is an improvement where he's concerned, after all. "It'll be interesting to see what happens from here," Kazuo notes to Homura. Probably he is not referring to the attempt to detach Usagi from the party. Probably.

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura smirks at Kazuo. "It's new territory for all of us, huh? I guess we've all gotten past the tragedies of our pasts."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She leans against the wall, crossing arms over her chest.. "We've got a new future to look forward to, right? I can hardly wait to see it. Everything seems so hopeful right now."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's decided not to comment on the potential difficulty of taking the princess home.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>He leans his forehead against Amu's as they dance, eyes capturing hers as surely as hers capture him. "I'll always love you, Amu-chan. I'll always be your best friend. No matter what I wear or where your heart takes you. Don't forget that, okay?"<br /><br />And then he spins her out before pulling her close, footing sure and stable.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mamoru blinks as he acquires a backpack in a ballgown. And his face reddens slightly as Usagi whispers into his ear, and mumbles something back that kind of sounds like 'homework'. He gives Homura a look that's half amusement and half mild frustration, and he laughs. "Yeah, I try. And I always do. See you soon, okay? I'll be around more now."<br /><br />Bumping lightly into Kazuo's side, he sparkles at his guardian. "Are you done being a wall yet? We're going home, I might trip and spill princess all over the sidewalk."

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Usagi's eyes grow large and so very, very sad at Mamoru's talk of homework. "After?" Larger eyes even still.<br /><br />Then she shifts, and though her head is still resting on Mamoru, she's looking at Homura. "Of course he will! He always does!"<br /><br />No double meaning there.<br /><br />And suddenly she's leaning mostly out of Mamoru's embrace, though her legs are still wrapped firmly around his waist, so that she's hugging Kazuo. "I'm still so happy to see you and meet you and hug you, Kazu-kun! Snuggle cuddle purr!"

:'''{{#var:85|Amu Hinamori| (85)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Amu blushes at the intensity of Nagihiko's words, but the spin away gives her a chance to recover from it. When she's back in his arms, Amu meets Nagihiko's gaze a few minutes longer before admitting, "I know." She smiles at him, and tears start to form, but Amu forces them back. No, she is ''not'' going to cry right now. <br /><br />"I've always know," she tells Nagihiko forcefully. "I just ... I was so stupid to be mad at you. You've never betrayed me. You never will. I ''know'' that. I just didn't understand. But I love you too, okay?" she tells him. "No matter who you want to be, I will always love you. You're my best friend. Can you forgive me for being stupid?"

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura nods. "Yeah, you always do." She smirks, tilting her head. "For as long as I've known you, you've been taking pretty good care of her. Longer, even."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She wishes Madoka was here. Well, she ''always'' does, but right now especially. Maybe she'll go track her down, since all of her friends are leaving. "I'll be in touch. I know you're still settling in, but if you need any help moving your stuff back, you know my number."

:'''{{#var:141|Kukai Souma| (141)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kukai Souma has wandered back over to sit with Tadase again. He passes his King a cup of punch, the not-spiked kind, and sighs, leaning back in his chair and watching Amu and Nagi dance, unable to quite hear them from this distance. "Well at least they're dancing and talking instead of screaming at one another. It's a good thing in the long run."

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There is a particular expression that Kazuo acquires when it's too late to warn someone not to tempt fate. For most people, it's pretty close to indistinguishable from his normal expression, an almost imperceptible shade more irritated and two more resigned. For Mamoru, it's ''infinitely'' familiar.<br /><br />... and probably never fails to be amusing. Dammit.<br /><br />"We'll see what we can make of it," Kazuo says to Homura, in lieu of crushing optimism right there in front of Emotional Princess. Then to Mamoru, "Try not to drop her in the first two minutes. There's someone else I should have a word with; but I'll catch up."<br /><br />... 'snuggle cuddle purr.'<br /><br />''Three'' times the resigned.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Earlier that day, Nagihiko had thought Amu only wanted him to be Nadeshiko.<br /><br />Well, Amu is dancing with ''Nagihiko,'' and she's still saying those things.<br /><br />So even though it's not proper dance, he's hugging her tight and laughing in her ear.<br /><br />"It's okay. You were allowed that period of 'stupid.' It was understandable stupid, so."<br /><br />And he dances a few more steps before admitting something else.<br /><br />"I've missed you. I'm sorry I lied."

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Okay, try not to get stabbed," Mamoru calls after Kunzite, and ''hurries Usagi out before she can say anything like that again oh god''.

:'''{{#var:58|Usagi Tsukino| (58)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Usagi squeals as Mamoru rushes her away. "Is that a yes~?!"<br /><br />She also wonders how Kazuo hasn't just buried her in the sand while she slept yet.

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite| (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Kyouko's not even here," Kazuo answers Mamoru's exit. He doesn't lift his voice for the purpose, so it's probably lost on everyone but Homura.<br /><br />(Long practice, Usagi. ''Long'' practice.)

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura snorts.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She doesn't even have to think in order to get ''that'' one.

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba| (38)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>They're out the door. Probably not even Homura hears it when Mamoru dopplers out in distinctly Mamoru exasperation, "What part of 'take it easy' are you..."

:'''{{#var:62|Tadase Hotori| (62)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tadase has been watching them dance ''the whole time'' and stewing on it little by little. So has the small chara beside him, who is taking it even worse than Tadase himself is. So they both see that little spin and dip, see Nagihiko holding them close, and while Tadase just looks upset, Kiseki looks like he's ready to lose his mind.<br /><br />"It's not a good thing." Tadase and Kiseki both say to Kukai. Perhaps notably and worryingly, it's KISEKI who speaks first, and Tadase who's following up on it.<br /><br />Then Kiseki stands up. "I'm not going to let you get ignored like this, Tadase. I'm not going to let you be taken advantage of." he says, and Tadase blinks. "Chara-change, to someone who can speak his mind without hesitation!"<br /><br />It happens all, very, very fast. The (smaller) crown appears on Tadase's head, and he gets up, with such force the chair is slammed back against the table, and he walks firmly onto the dance floor, where he clamps a hand down on both of their shoulders, one for Nagihiko and one for Amu. He gets there just as they're admitting to having missed each other, and he absolutly snarls his words(though the voice is clearly, as much Kiseki's inflection as it is Tadase's mouth speaking the words.)<br /><br />"Well good, maybe you two won't miss me since you have each other now, apparently." He points an accusing finger first at Nagihiko and then at Amu. "I don't know which of you I trust less now. I didn't realize we had an infestation of SNAKES in the Royal Garden." he adds, before he turns and walks out the door. On the way out, Kiseki turns to give a final akanbe to the two of them.

:'''{{#var:134|Nadeshiko Fujisaki| (134)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Nagihiko blinks in surprise at Tadase. No, at Platinum Royale.<br /><br />And then, his eyes gleam.<br /><br />Somewhere, not too far away, an egg cracks, hatches, and suddenly...<br /><br />"Chin, Ton, Shan."<br /><br />"OH YEAH, YOU SLITHERY PIECE OF CRAP!" Eyes are glinting as she races after him. "I DIDN'T REALIZE TWO PEOPLE MISSING EACH OTHER WAS AGAINST YOUR CODE OF CONDUCT, YOUR MAJESTY!" In her hand is a sharp naginata. "HOW DARE YOU ASSUME THE WORST OF US! OF HER! HOW DARE YOU TRIVIALIZE OUR FRIENDSHIP!"

:'''{{#var:23|Homura Akemi| (23)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Homura Akemi stands up from her wall-lean and henshins, holding her shield in her hand.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She doesn't know what she'll actually ''do'', but she's sure she wants to at least be able to protect herself right now.
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