[Xanth]

[Dazadi]

Dazadi stepped out of the portal slowly, feeling as if there was invisible resistance. She didn't really want to be here. Her head was still stuffy with cold, though she was feeling much less snotty, and she was still feeling incredibly sorry for herself. When Xanth handed her the invitation, Daz had scowled and opened her mouth to argue, but she hadn't needed Purple Head's pouting glare to snap it shut again. Only the thought of Kade giving her that satisfied, very male grin if he found out she was stuck at home feeling sorry for herself over him. Daz was determined not to pine after him. If anyone had to crawl on their knees begging, it was going to be him.

More than half of the costume was made out of her own clothing, though hidden away at the back of the closet where she saved here ceremonial outfits. Only the bandana was new, actually and she had to admit its addition changed the look of the outfit entirely.

Standing now to one side of the portal, Daz looked around in a bit of a daze. She'd never seen this part of the temple before. Actually, she'd just assumed there was no outside, and maybe Xanth had created this specially for this gig, but even she had to admit it was spectacular. Two large statues towered over the entrance, made of white marble that gleamed under what Daz could only assume was fake sunlight (given that there was no sun). She knew right away the statues were of Xanth and her lip curled in a sneer. "If this party is some kind of ego trip I'm going to -"

She left the rest of the threat unvoiced, knowing full well there was nothing she could do to Xanth but still forming vague plots in her head.

Sighing with exasperation, Daz shook her head and stepped towards the gilt doors, feeling for only the second time in her life that she was terribly small and vulnerable. It wasn't the kind of feeling that shook off very well, either, especially with her already feeling so fragile to begin with, but that sense of vulnerability only doubled her determination. Once inside the main hallway, where white and lilac marble shone like glass and reflected the flames of the oil burning in gilded dishes, Daz knew her way well enough to tread lightly up the broad staircase. She caught a glimpse of bright green eyes watching her from behind one of the vine-wrapped pillars and her back stiffened as she remembered the last time she'd encountered the guardian. He didn't attack, however, and Daz continued down the hall from the top of the stairs, following the route so obviously laid out for the guests.

GMing with permission.

[Piper]

Piper had never been to a temple. Of any kind. She'd seen pictures of them in art books and movies and always had the impression of grandeur, but the real thing was something else.

She burst out of the portal rather clumsily, just as she always seemed to, and immediately the sense of sheer size overwhelmed her. She froze with a squeak and, ever so slowly, raised her gaze higher and higher to stare at the towering statues in silent awe, her jaw gaping with shock and a good portion of fear. She had no idea humans could build anything so tall or resplendent.

Well, and that was her first mistake, wasn't it? After taking a moment to actually think about it, she doubted humans hada hand in this at all. She doubted anyone could have built something so... so...

There were really no words for it. Standing there, slowly taking it all in as her gaze swept from the statues to the circular mosaic on which she stood, and back up across the temple's classic facade, Piper couldn't think. It was the kind of splendour that crippled a person, the kind of feeling she'd imagine if she was standing before the pyramids or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

It made her want to go home, because if this was the entrance, what the heck was on the inside?

After several moments, she regained her composure (what little she had to begin with), and took the first step forward, absently readjusting the cutlass strapped to her waist. "Oh, Wolf, you're so gonna regret not coming..."

Drawing in a deep breath as she passed through the gilded doorway, Piper glanced about the massive foyer with wide eyes, her warped reflection staring back from the gleaming marble surfaces. Her boots sounded incredibly loud in the hushed atmosphere and she could only be thankful she hadn't worn shoes with harder soles. Her nostrils flaring at the scent of burning oil, Piper made her way up the grand staircase, biting her lip worriedly as she wondered if she was going the right way.

[Reese]

Reese didn't like portals. It was only fairly recently he had gone through his first one and already he was unhappy about them. He wasn't scared, he just didn't trust them. The point was you were in one place, you step forward, then suddenly you're somewhere else. That was easy to understand. What he didn't get was what happened in between. You couldn't just get matter to appear, it had to go somewhere. He guessed it travelled through some extra dimension or something. What was really creepy was when you stood in one halfway. With your left side in one place and your right in another. Didn't that mean that, technically speaking, you were cut in half? He'd done it once and worried about...well, how he could worry about something when his brain was in two parts hundreds of miles from each other. He wasn't one to enjoy being bisected.

He hurried through this one quickly, trying to make sure as much of his body as possible was in the same place at the same time.

When he emerged, he took a quick look round. This spurred him to take another, longer, look. Wow. He didn't know who exactly this "Xanth" was that people spoke about, but whoever they were, they had a nice house. He stood at the top of the stairs, looking down he saw they seemed to lead no where. That would explain why the portal was the only way in anyone seemed to know about, certainly. Where was it then? He had a feeling it wasn't on any map in the universe. Turning round, he was amazed by the temple a second time, it was just that kind of place.

The invitation had said the gardens, he found them easily following the open doors, as hosts didn't tend to throw parties and lock the guests out. Evidently, he was early, as there were only a couple of people there. He wondered vaguely who they were. Mortals? Dieties? One of them looked like a Anyeli, they had that atmosphere about them. They positively glowed of it. Of course, the wings might have been a slight hint, but he was sure about the glowing stuff anyway. Maybe.

The girl nearest to him was sitting under a tree with a...a dragon in her lap. They took his attention. He walked over and sat a couple of feet away, "Hello," he said, giving one of the small smiles he usually give to strangers. He didn't like big gestures. "It's a lovely here, isn't it?" Her face seemed strangely familiar, he didn't realise it was because he just walked past several depictions of that same face on the way in. Perhaps if he had known that this was one of the most powerful people in the universe, he wouldn't have done anything like this. But then - maybe he would - you never could tell with Reese.

Credits

Graphics : Me // HTML/CSS : Me // Brushes : Here
Thanks to Piper's Boutique for template I nicked :grin:

[Daoine]

On the streets Daoine had heard the news about Xanth Day 2008, Since she hadn't run into too many of her old friends yet it seemed to her that this occasion was as good as any to get back into her social life. It's not like she planned to stay isolated forever after her return to New Alexandria anyway. So she'd dressed up as a pirate and made her way to the portal. Last year Xanth had planned a similar event for Xanth Day, a Temple Tour of some kind. However Dae's memory failed her in trying to recollect whether or not she had participated in that tour. In any case, she was quite curious to have a look 'inside' Xanth's home and what the Goddess had planned this year.

Stepping through the portal she fixed her mind on Xanth's temple and found herself at the top of a huge stairway. It had been a few months since Daoine last used a portal so it took her a few seconds to adjust herself upright and look around to where she ended up. There was a mosaic of the Goddess and shining white marble stairs all going down leading to seemingly nowhere. Looking around more she saw several doors in the hallway, some closed and others wide open. Assuming that the open doors were the way to go, Daoine walked towards one of them. As she walked through the door she found herself in a huge garden of some kind. Flowers, trees, a pond all caught her attention. It all looked so beautiful and serene.

A little further from where she was standing Daoine noticed a gazebo and tables with food seemed to be located beyond that, probably for the party. She saw only 4 other people in the gardens as she entered; a man whom she didn't recognize standing near a tree where a woman was sitting. Noticing the imp with the woman Daoine concluded that it had to be Xanth. She remembered Faroah all to well from all the times he tried to steal food or shining objects from her café. A little further Daoine recognized the shapes of Dazadi, Kade's lifemate or wife as it was called in non-draconic terms, and Piper the human girl that had been turned into a vampire a long time ago. She had never really been friends with either Daz or Piper but was acquainted with them from several quests and them being guests in her former café. Slowly walking in their direction, Dae thought about her best strategy to engage in a conversation with any of them.

Credits

Layout from Piper's Boutique.
Texture from SparklingTea and Celestial Star.
Argor Man Scaqh font from Dafont.
Brushes from and Ca-pris, Aethereality and Piper's Boutique.

[Xanth]

As guests began to wander into the gardens, Xanth remained where she was, lazily petting Faroah. She watched, smiling serenely, as young fawn approached and sat down nearby, turning to greet her. Faroah chirrupped at him, stretching along her upraised knee and letting his eyelids drift closed to bathe in the sunlight that wasn't filtered out through the cherry blossom.

"Arr," she said in the way of a greeting, winking at the young man from beneath the pirate hat she wore. She knew, of course, that real pirates were somewhat different than the popular swashbucklers but buccaneers were not quite as romantic or appealing, so she was perfectly happy to embrace the misconceptions. "How've ye been, me boy?" He did not look much younger than she did in this form, so calling him a boy brought a chuckle to her lips. In response, Faroah opened one eye to find out what had amused her, then closed it again almost immediately. His teeny claws were caught in the stretchy fabric at her knee and he looked rather cute. Xanth feared he would be disgruntled soon as she would disturb him when she got up to mingle but they had time yet.

OOC: There'll be NPC guests milling about, too, guys, so feel free to interact with them as well. :^^:

[Piper]

Piper spotted Daz almost immediately. Their recent encounter still fresh in her mind, Piper was naturally reluctant to get too close. It really seemed like Daz be losing her mind again and Piper didn't want to get caught up in anything, or worse - trigger something just by being the woman's contemptible daughter-in-law-to-be.

Still, Piper wasn't sure what areas of this garden the guests were welcome to explore and she figured she'd be safer remaining with the main body of the party. She didn't want to get lost here, so she wandered over to the buffet table. She wasn't hungry yet but she was interested to see what food was on offer.

Peering at the individual dishes, she slowly moved along the table, glancing frequently across the lawn at the other guests. Though the place had been pretty much empty when she arrived, a couple of new guests had arrived and Piper's social training began to twitch. She hated to seem rude...

Spotting the Cosy Cafe's owner, Piper smiled sweetly in her general direction. Piper never really had gotten to know her very well but it would be rude not to say anything to her. Piper had been oblivious to her disappearance - just as she'd been oblivious to a lot of things going on around her - and was only really aware that the Cosy Cafe had shut down. It was one of those things shopkeepers didn't seem to really want to talk about, and Piper knew she wouldn't want to discuss it if the Boutique had to close down. She just assumed the cafe had gone out of business .

Moving towards the blonde Dragon, Piper lifted a hand in shy greeting. "Daoine, hello." As she approached, Piper smiled and added, "How are you?"

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Reese]

Reese tilted his head on the side and stared at the woman. He wore an odd expression; it was best described as 'intense curiosity'. For a few seconds he said nothing and it almost seemed as if he had not understood what she said. One might actually have thought he was going to ask her to repeat it. However, slowly but surely, a grin started to creep over his face and quickly turned into a laugh. "Ayee, me hearty" he replied, "I be doin' mighty fine, sure enough! How 'bout you, lassie?" The change in how his voice sounded was remarkable. Naturally, his voice was very rough anyway, but with his English accent people tended not to notice. Now, talking like this, he fitted into the pirate talk perfectly and he sounded almost intimidating.

He'd actually totally forgotten about the theme until the girl spoke. He'd cheated a bit on the costume. The black clothing and scarf was something he'd have worn anyway. He'd just just got a belt and found the hat(when he'd bought it - he had no idea), then found some realistic looking fake-weapons. The end effect was vaguely piratey. He'd made an effort. He always made an effort. It was just the amount of effort that varied. He was pretty happy with it though.

The earrings were a bit much, admittedly. He didn't regret them of course, he was experimenting and he never regretted experimenting. He just vaguely wished he'd experimented with something else instead. He'd got them pierced a while ago to show he didn't care what other people thought. Which was completely true. It wasn't the act that most people claiming such things put on. He really, genuinely didn't care. Unfortunately, it turned out he did care about he thought, and he hated them. He made a mental note to avoid such things in future.

Still grinning, he looked at the woman and her dragon. Again he tried to place her face, but failed. She was very beautiful, but he doubted she was a nymph, so she couldn't have been in the village. He must have seen her in the market place then, did she own a shop? No - he'd only been in a few and he could recall the appearance of each shopkeeper; she wasn't among them. He decided to forget about it for now. The answers danced at the edge of his brain, just out of his reach. He knew you never got anywhere lunging for them. The trick was to ignore them, till they got plucky enough to come nearer, they gradually came to you. He just had to wait. He'd remember eventually.

Credits

Graphics : Me // HTML/CSS : Me // Brushes : Here
Thanks to Piper's Boutique for template I nicked :grin:

[Loranth]

Loranth had been very surprised when she'd received her invitation in the mail. She'd been invited to the Xanth Day Celebrations! It was quite possibly the most exciting thing (positive thing that'd happened to her since moving to Elysia. The invitation said that she needed to arrive in style or period garb, so she'd done her best to put together a piratey outfit. Some of the items were from her own wardrobe but the rest she had to search out and find.

As she approached the portal she wondered if she'd put enough effort into her outfit. The top was one of hers but the skirt had been purchased at a second hand shop - Lora thought it gave the outfit a nice serving wench sort of feel. And the jewelry was hers as well - she'd always loved costume jewelry but rarely had an opportunity to show off the fake jewels. Even though they were fake, on Earth the price on good costume jewelry was steep. The hat was purchased from the second hand shop as well, and she was lucky to have snatched it. She was sure several other sets of eyes had seen it at the same time - those old ladies are quite ravenous on sale days in any shop, let alone a bustling second hand one.

Lora hadn't been to the Quadrangle or to Xanth's Temple since the day she'd managed to injure herself by trying to rescue Faroah - shortly after that she'd accepted the position at the hospital and had no time to socialize whatsoever. She wondered if Xanth would be cross with her over it, but Lora assumed she wasn't once she'd gotten the invitation. It was a pretty petty notion anyway, Lora realized. Xanth was a Goddess. She would be busy with all sorts of things most likely, and far to busy to care whether one of her citizens came to visit her shrine.

She realized she'd never actually entered the Temple through a proper entrance point. The one and only time she'd been inside was that day with Faroah, and only because he'd teleported them both to his nest type treasure room. The place was amazing, when she'd had a chance to admire it all. This time she was actually getting to walk through a proper portal instead of crash landing into the place.

Lora squeezed her eyes shut as she walked through the portal and visualized Xanth's temple. The familiar feeling of being in two places at once and nowhere at all simultaneously washed over her, and then she was out the other side, standing in between two massive statues of none other than Xanth herself. They were quite impressive, and made her feel only inches tall compared to their gigantic height.

She walked forward a few paces and took a deep breath before going through the doors of the temple. She had a sense of excitement and mischief about the celebration. She was bound to have a good time and meet new people here, and Lora was truly looking forward to it.

Once inside, there was really only one way to go - up a long set of white marble stairs. Lora started up the long staircase, skirt hem pulled up slightly with one hand, the other on the banister for support. It was so quiet, Lora wasn't sure if there actually was a party here...but it was the right day, and this was the right place, otherwise she was sure she wouldn't have been able to use the portal to get here. Her footsteps echoed slightly on the stairs. She had an eerie feeling that she was being watched, and the hair on the back of her neck stiffened, but she couldn't see anyone yet, and so dismissed the idea completely. It was probably just butterflies.

The scene before her when she reached her destination was beautiful. She couldn't help but stop and take it all in. The gardens were in bloom. There was a stunning gazebo that seemed to shine and a buffet with food waiting to be ooh'd and aah'd over. Baskets of hanging flowers gave the air a heavy floral scent and Lora breathed in deeply, letting the flowers have their way with her nose.

[Daoine]

While Dae had been sunken in thoughts, Piper had already approached her "Daoine, hello. How are you?". She looked up into the smiling face of the vampire and returned the gesture with a smile also. "I'm fine, thanks, and how are you?" she asked. Not really giving the girl a chance to respond, Daoine continued talking. "I've been away for a couple of months, just came back earlier this week. It seems so much has changed, but at the same time so many things are still the same. How has life been here? I haven't seen too many familiar faces yet." Pausing for a moment, Daoine continued again "and how is your boutique doing, and Wolf? Last I remember was that he was still trying to come to grips with his telepathic powers. Has he managed to master them by now?"

Suddenly Daoine stopped talking. The moment she first spoke to Piper she realized that socializing was something she'd missed more in the last months then she would openly admit. And even though she didn't know Piper thát well on a personal level, the waterfall of words just ran from her mouth. Heavily blushing she stared to the grass at her feet for a few seconds; "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be overwhelming but it's just been a long time since I've talked to someone else then Badger or Cychwyn."

Credits

Layout from Piper's Boutique.
Texture from SparklingTea and Celestial Star.
Argor Man Scaqh font from Dafont.
Brushes from and Ca-pris, Aethereality and Piper's Boutique.

[Dazadi]

Daz stared at the swans with a glare of envy. She'd heard they mated for life and, sure enough, they seemed happy lazing about the pond together, but were they? Were they really? Or was there something bubbling beneath the surface? Was the male too proud for his own good? The female too stubborn? Maybe in a month or two they'd be trying to bite each others' wings off.

Hell, maybe that's what Daz should've done to Kade, just taken her sword and chop chop. What happened to dragon wings when they morphed into their humanoid shape? Did the wings become the arms or just disappear? "Oh, who cares."

Turning from the pond, Daz crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a hip, lifting an eyebrow as she realised how many guests had arrived while she wasn't paying attention. That kind of preoccupation could get a girl killed, and yet, she kept doing it. She should probably get that looked at.

Feeling as awkward as if she was 180 years old all over again, Daz looked about with a mixture of disinterest and desperation. She didn't want to be here, really; 'mingling' at a party was the last thing she wanted to do, ever. And yet... the thought of talking to someone, anyone, was oddly appealing. It had to beat sinking into insanity, surely.

Latching onto the nearest person who wasn't already chatting away with someone, Daz planted herself in front of Loranth, her arms still crossed over her chest and her eyes a little wild. "You. Talk to me."

[Piper]

Piper opened her mouth to respond, then snapped it shut again when Daoine continued. She smiled vaguely, feeling awkward and uncertain; she always relied so heavily on the other person to carry a conversation and it seemed that no matter how hard she tried she could never quite get the hang of social etiquette. So she tried to look interested, smiling faintly as the Dragoness explained she'd been away, and in fact, she was. She couldn't imagine leaving Elysia, simply because... Well, she had nowhere else to go. She'd never once considered going home to New York for anything more than a day trip. But to leave, and then come back after months had passed? That must be nerve-wracking. It didn't really seem to Piper like anything had changed but that was the thing, she guessed. It was like watching a child grow up and not realising that they'd gained several inches in height until they encountered someone who hadn't seen them for years.

As she tried to think what had changed, Daoine continued again, asking about her shop and Wolf. "Wow, that's a good memory," Piper chuckled, wondering if she'd have thought to ask something like that. Did Daoine have a partner? Piper couldn't remember, and suddenly felt awful for not keeping up with the other woman.

The blonde's sudden silence made her swallow nervously, too. Had she done something wrong?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be overwhelming but it's just been a long time since I've talked to someone else then Badger or Cychwyn." The blush was surprising. Piper had always had the impression that Daoine was a classy woman, the kind who didn't blush, crossed their legs when they sat down and refused to leave the house until they knew they looked good. She'd always been a little envious of that; Piper dashed about willy nilly and never really thought what kind of impression she was giving. Her hair was usually tucked up into braids that, more often then not, had stray strands and frizzy bits hanging loose. If she wore makeup, it usually just lip gloss. Her boots were scuffed. So when Daoine blushed, something Piper did frequently, it was a little surprising and off-putting.

Sympathetic, Piper gave the woman a friendly smile, not quite sure what to say. She was curious about where she might have been that she couldn't talk to... Wait, who were Badger and Sitchwin? Were those people? Pets?

Not wanting to look like an idiot, Piper glanced around and changed the subject. "I love your costume! The red looks really good on the black." She meant it, of course, but now she felt like she hadn't put enough effort in. She didn't feel very piratey, and adjusted the cutlass a little as if that could make her costume better.

[Xanth]

Xanth imagined that anyone else would have been made nervous by the boy's pause and expression, or been inclined to translate into 'proper' English, but Xanth simply waited, eyeing him from beneath her hat as she stroked Faroah's back serenely.

When he did reply, her smile broadened dramatically in appreciation of his willingness to jump in with both feet and enjoy the party's theme. "My, my," she said softly, tilting her head a little, like a young maiden taken by a handsome young man. "Are you not the dashing pirate?" In truth, his costume seemed more thrown together than designed but the way he willingly dove into the dialect made up for any lack in the way he looked.

Dispensing with the piratey talk, Xanth cupped her hands under Faroah's rear and lifted him from her lap. "It is time, my love," she told him cheerily, lifting him so that she could place a kiss upon his snout. He yawned and grumbled sleepily, resisting, so she set a finger to his ribs and tickled. "'Tis your task, my pet, and there is a reward in it for you. Go on, now." Sticking her tongue out in response to his, she flung him into the air and watched him fly off, then reached for a boot.

"I wonder, Master O'Hara," she said with a sly smile, peeking at Reese sideways as she brushed the grass from her bare foot and tugged her boot on over her leggings. "Would you care to accompany me this fine afternoon?" Repeating the motions with her other foot, Xanth winked at the Nymph. "I aim to mingle!" Gracefully standing, Xanth moved closer and stretched out an arm for the fawn to take her hand.

[Reese]

Reese retained a smile while the girl spoke, which was unusual for him, lately, he hadn't been exceptionally friendly even to his friends. Yet here he found himself with at a stranger. Although he felt odd at her use of the word 'dashing,' but he wasn't sure exactly why. He felt it was because, usually, when girls paid him compliments upon meeting him, it was reason for him to get annoyed. He preferred when people got to know him before deciding to like or dislike him and he wasn't fond of people who picked friends on appearances. But...the strange thing was that now; he didn't. He felt as if she did know him. It was an eerie feeling.

She looked down at the dragon in her lap and said something to it. She played with it affectionately for a short time before forcing it to fly off. Reese smiled. He wondered vaguely what its 'task' was, but didn't spend too much time on it, as the girl spoke again "I wonder, Master O'Hara," she started. In the split second before she continued, Reese registered surprise. Had he mentioned his name? He was almost positive he hadn't. How did she-? "Would you care to accompany me this fine afternoon? I aim to mingle!" Reese took a moment, then smiled. The mentioning of his name had wavered his usual calm state of mind, but it soon returned. To be fair, he didn't even know much about Elysia yet and already he was having vague memories of telepathic dragons and the like. There were probably loads of ways she could know.

She stood up and Reese realised she had put on her boots without him noticing. When she reached out her hand, he took it and stood as well. As he did so, he looked at her face, with a thoughtful expression on his face. It disappeared when he returned her wink, "Why, I'd love to!"

Credits

Graphics : Me // HTML/CSS : Me // Brushes : Here
Thanks to Piper's Boutique for template I nicked :grin:

[Calanthiel]

Cal stepped through the portal in the wake of a gaggle of young nymph girls dressed in the skimpiest pirate costumes imaginable. There was starting to be something of a queue at the main Underground portal, as party goers, having finished the last touches on their costumes, descended on it. The nymphs just ahead of Cal (He was quite sure they were nymphs - the sheer force of attractiveness they were putting out could probably have powered half a city block! On the whole, he was just glad they hadn't taken an interest an him) had appeared to be slightly tipsy, very giggly, and very much intent on having a good time. Sure enough, once through the portal, they'd headed through the temple doors almost at a run, intent on finding any and all fun that might possibly be taking place.

Cal, on the other hand, moved politely to one side, so he wouldn't block the way of anyone else coming through the portal, and stopped to take a good look at the famous temple. Even if it hadn't been the home of the Goddess Xanth, it still would have been a marvel. A perfectly preserved mishmash of chunks of ancient architecture, it was possibly the strangest building he'd ever seen. Impressive, beautiful, even... But distinctly strange. He smiled to himself, looking at it - there was an odd whimsy in the eclectism of the building that appealed to him. He took his time, too, passing through the temple - not precisely lingering and certainly not trying the handles of closed doors or anything! - but still, looking about him with an appreciation of the unique beauty of the place, being passed by more hurried piratical party-goers, until he'd passed through the trelissed walkway and reached the main gardens at the rear.

He stepped out of the way again and scanned the crowd, not quite sure who he expected to see and finding it difficult to think what anyone he knew would look like in a pirate costume anyway! His own costume, he was aware, wasn't perhaps quite as piratical as it could have been. He did, at least, feel both comfortable and that he was looking his very best - he'd spent forever trying on costumes before he'd found this coat, but the blue really suited him, he felt. It made a nice change from knowing how distinctly shabby he'd been looking when he'd got back from Australia... He pushed away the immediate follow-up thought that he needed to go to his parent's home to collect the rest of his clothing and possessions before it was more than half-formed. Unable to immediately spot anyone he knew in the crowd, Cal started to weave his way through the mingling pirates to the buffet table to find himself a drink.

[Leeta]

Leeta hadn't ventured out of Zanarya for months. A small brush with danger had suddenly reminded her of all of the wonderful things to do and see in the safety of her own realm, and she had even gone to see some of her old friends. There was no reason to rush venturing out into the dangerous world, the awkward girl had rationalized with herself.

However, Xanth Day was a big occasion, and she'd even been sent a wonderful invitation to join in the celebrations. This was hardly an opportunity to pass up, and she'd visited friends to beg costume pieces off them. She was sure that, next to some richer Elysians, she wouldn't look very flash with her makeshift costume, but the demon girl was sure she'd have fun regardless.

And so, she had travelled through the portal and made her first visit to the mysterious temple. The girl stepped through and looked around at the immense beauty of the statues and the garden beyond the portal, and after some time admiring the scene realised she didn't really have much of a clue as to who Xanth actually was. Oh well, she thought, shrugging off the rather conspicious hole in her knowledge. I guess I'll probably find out!

[Piper]

Things were really starting to get a bit crowded now and Piper began to wonder just how many people had been invited. It was probably something she should have considered before but, well, she hadn't. She'd been too busy putting her costume together to wonder about things like that.

As she stood there smiling at Daoine, she couldn't help but look behind the Dragoness at the partygoers filtering in, her eyes widening slightly at the costumes of a group of very pretty girls. Piper couldn't say much about the length of their skirts, although, hers were never quite that short and she wore thick stockings underneath, but their entire costumes were so skimpy she wouldn't be surprised if the entire male population in the garden turned as one unit to ogle.

As small as she was, it was probably only because she was close to the buffet table herself that, after eyeing several other new arrivals, she latched onto a gorgeous blue longjacket. At least, she thought it was called a longjacket. Distracted by thoughts of whether or not she could make a similar outfit for her bears, Piper didn't really notice who was wearing it. "What do you suppose that fabric is?" she murmured distractedly to Daoine, her mouth twisted slightly in concentration. Well, there was really only one way to find out.

Her confidence buoyed by her artistic interest in the jacket, Piper flashed a smile up at Daoine. "Excuse me a second? I want to find out what that's made of!" Ducking between a pair of pirates who seemed intent on demolishing the entire buffet by themselves, Piper darted up to Blue Jacket and reached out to tap him on the shoulder to get his attention. "Excuse me?"

OOC: Blue Jacket would be Cal.

[Xanth]

That brief moment of confusion whenever she called someone by name, when they were certain they had not yet given it, always made Xanth chuckle, if only to herself. She supposed she ought to mind her manners, in truth, but it was more difficult for her to not know these trivial things than it was for her to learn them. Besides, knowing a person's name without an introduction saved everyone a great deal of time in the long run.

And it did rather appeal to her mischievous side.

Tugging "Master O'Hara" to his feet with a strength that belied her willowy appearance, Xanth pushed her hat further back on her head with a single fingertip until the impish sparkle in her violet eyes was revealed in full. "You shall discover his task soon enough, my friend," she told the Nymph with glee as she stuck out her elbow for him to take her arm, smiling brightly. Adopting her buccaneer brogue again, she tapped her chin with her other hand and then pointed vaguely to the left. "Argh, this way, me boy!"

[Zephyr]

Zephyr walked up to the portal rather indignantly. The invitation had made its way to his smithy, despite the fact that he was registered as living over on gauntlet crescent, and thus Zephyr felt he was expected to arrive. The only problem with that, however, was the stipulation on his outfit. The invitation requested he dress as a pirate, and upon realizing this, Zephyr had scowled for a moment before heading down to the costume shop nearest his smithery.

Upon arriving the dragon soon realized that he had not been the only person invited to the event as the shop owner had already begun dismantling other costumes to create ones to fit the invitation's theme. There had apparently been a break in the crowd for the moment, as most had already gotten their costumes one way or another and the event was scheduled to begin soon. Zephyr was, however, running a bit late since he'd not taken the time earlier in the week to check his mail.

The store owner sighed sadly as he looked at Zephyr. Not even waiting for a request, the man walked out from behind the counter up to Zephyr. "I need some measurements, just stay still for a few moments," the shop keeper said as he took the tape measure the was draped over his neck and began measuring the dragon's various dimensions. Zephyr stood stoically as the measurements took place, unmoving until the owner had finally finished what he was doing.

The owner grimaced for a moment at the measurements and then motioned for Zephyr to follow him. Zephyr did, and was soon directed into a changing room and over the course of ten to fifteen minutes various pieces of costume and costume jewelry were passed over and under the door.

After about twenty minutes or so, Zephyr came out of the closet, dressed in a full pirate outfit, adorned with various pieces of metal and cloth that Zephyr would never see himself wearing for any other occasion. "Will you be renting, or buying?" the shop owner said, getting ready to punch the price into the register. "Renting," Zephyr responded coldly and, after paying for the costume and receiving all necessary information for returning it, he'd headed out to the portal.

And that's where he was now, waiting to enter the already happening party. Setting his jaw firmly, Zephyr stepped through the portal and focused on his destination of Xanth's Temple. He'd never been there before, so he was rather shocked by what he saw upon his arrival. The temple was beautiful in it's own right, and the man could only assume it looked better without all the people that were currently there.

Quietly, Zephyr followed the people through the open doorways of the temple and out into the enourmous garden. Taking it all in quickly, Zephyr became aware of his surroundings as best he could while he walked towards the rather large buffet table.

Piper's Boutique :: Dafont :: Image 1 :: Owl

[Loranth]

As Lora was still taking in the scene before her, an Anyeli woman with black hair and a stunning pair of boots stepped into her line of vision. Directly into her line of vision. Directly in front of her actually. Her wings were blueish black, and so was her hair. And her eyes were more than a little ... wild.

"You. Talk to me." Lora was affronted by this new crazy Anyeli woman. She had a flashback of the other Anyeli woman she'd met in Elysia and grimaced inwardly. Certainly nothing like that would happen here, infront of Xanth, would it? She quickly glanced the woman up and down and took into account the woman's body language. Crossed arms. Lora wondered if that was because of the party or because of her, but since the woman didn't know her, she assumed it was because of the party so she smiled and replied as warmly as she could muster.

"Hi. Not keen on social situations where you have to dress like a pirate? I have to admit it's a first for me, but you really do pull it off well. I love your boots!" Offering her hand for a handshake, she introduced herself, "I'm Loranth. Do you want to grab a drink? Looks like the busiest table here." Lora smirked as she realized her last sentence looked pretty accurate. A crowd of party goers had gathered around the table next to the food buffet. Everything looked marvelous, and Lora's stomach was grumbling slightly.