[Reese]

By now, Reese was becoming used to the woman's strange ability to just know things, so he was barely surprised when she responded to his unspoken question about the dragon. He smiled to himself as he mused whether he really needed to speak at all; she might actually know what he was going to say before he did. Some people might have found it odd that he was so at ease when someone might be reading his thoughts all the time, but the fact was, he didn't feel the need to hide anything. Perhaps that was a sign of a clear conscience, or perhaps he just didn't care. Either way, it wasn't bothering him.

Because of this, there was a humorous glint in his eye as he took her arm. As he did so he saw her violet eyes and smiled to himself, he didn't know who or what this girl was, but she was certainly something different. He laughed as she adopted the pirate talk again and wondered if there were many like her in Elysia; she certainly seemed like one of a kind! In a good mood now, he grinned and moved to walk in the direction she pointed. "Aye, your wish be my command!"

Credits

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

[Dazadi]

"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!"

Daz opened her mouth, closed it, and blinked twice. She wasn't sure if she'd intended to start a fight or something, or really what she'd expected or hoped for by presenting herself to a complete stranger and demanding they talk to her, but she doubted this was it. Civility. It was almost a dirty word to Daz given the way she'd grown up and her complete refusal to learn or use her manners. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised that this Dragoness had them. As a species, the dragons were very much into ritual and that was all social etiquette was, really, right? But still, had Daz been in her place, she'd have just shoved aside the rude Anyeli and gone about her business.

The girl's compliment threw her, too, and Daz glanced down at her boots, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? My boots?" She hadn't thought they were anything spectacular but, then, she didn't pay attention to fashion or whathaveyou.

Where someone else might have returned the compliment, or at least thanked the Dragoness for her comment, Daz shrugged and looked at her as she stuck out her hand. Tilting her head, she returned the handshake without really thinking about it, perhaps squeezing a little too tight as a result.

"I'm Loranth. Do you want to grab a drink? Looks like the busiest table here."

Daz looked around at the table the girl had indicated, pursing her lips slightly as she considered. "Why the hell not?" Stepping towards the 'bar', Daz remembered the Dragon had introduced herself. "Oh, yeah, I'm Dazadi."

[Xanth]

Xanth really was enjoying herself immensely. The party was in full swing by now and the happy chatter and sense of excitement running through the crowd would have lightened her spirits to begin with, but Reese O'Hara was a delightful companion. He probably ought to be more afraid of her than he was, given her ability to 'just know things', but his openness and his laidback nature made it all innocent fun.

Nodding her satisfaction as he agreed to follow her, Xanth pushed her hat back on her head again (it was really rather too big and kept sliding forward), and glanced about. Settling on the nearest partygoer - a young Zanaryan by the name of Leeta - she lifted her free arm and waved. "Ahoy, lassie!" she greeted with a warm smile. "Arrrrre ye enjoying the party, then?"

[Chenoan]

Stepping through the portal, Chenoan smirked lightly as he looked over the invitation again. The last time he'd been here, Xanth had banished him from the temple for an indescript amount of time. Perhaps that banning had been lifted, at least for this specific event. Besides, the last time or two he and Xanth had spoken there hadn't seemed to be any ill-will.

Calmly, Chenoan walked up the staircase and passed into the hallways quietly. It was a rather odd feeling, being somewhere he wasn't sure he was supposed to be. Chenoan had never been much of one for breaking the rules, so he was here based on the assumption that Xanth had given her blessing on his arrival. Still, there was something... nostalgic about just being at the temple. Even if he'd never been allowed to explore the place fully, he still remembered his first day as an aide. At the time he'd held the job with such disdain.

What he wouldn't do to rewind a bit. To give himself a swift kick in the rear and save himself from so much trouble and heart ache. Somehow, now removed from the situation, Chenoan was able to accept exactly why Xanth had wanted him. And though he'd not deny that she'd not taken the correct course of action to get him, Chenoan supposed that everyone should be allowed their major fumbles in life.

Stepping outside, Chenoan inhaled the fresh air of the idealistic garden. It had been several months since he'd been here, and he now recognized how much he'd missed it. If only he could have brought Jaden along; after all, the griffin had spent most of his childhood in this very place.

Stepping off to the side, Chenoan looked about the crowd, hoping to notice someone he recognized in the group. He didn't see Dora or Xanth there, though after everything that had happened he wasn't truly sure of he could handle talking to Dora again, especially since she would likely be hanging off of her new beau's arm. As for Xanth, if she was here, which she likely was, it was unlikely for Chenoan to recognize her. Chenoan recalled several times that Xanth wasn't exactly what he expected her to be.

Even from the first time he'd met her, way back from before the move out of earth, back before he was even the sentinel of the Therians, the woman had always flipped her form about more easily than any shapesifter he had ever seen. "Hello?" he said telepathically, trying to locate Xanth in the crowd. At the very least, if she didn't already know he was here, she would now.

[Naava]

Whathump. That's the sound that was made as Naava Makani darted through the portal and not but a moment later made a rather ungraceful dive onto the stairs on the other side. "Dang it!" she whined as she picked herself up. After the last two weeks she'd had she was rather positive that the entire world was out to get her.

In fact, as she could remember the only good thing so far was the lovely invitation she'd received to attend a Xanth Day celebration, hosted by Xanth herself! Naava blushed again as she silently admitted to herself that she barely knew who/what Xanth was, and beyond that had no idea that Xanth day even existed. Pushing herself off the ground, Naava followed the now thinning stream of people who were heading into the event, trying to hide her face so that no one would see how red her cheeks were from embarrassment.

Clutching tightliy onto her little leather pouch that was functioning as her costumed purse, Naava looked about, hoping somehow that someone might recognize her. Timidly, Naava made her way over to the edge of the water and leaned against one of the cherry-blossom trees, sighing to herself for being so shy. She wanted to socialize, she really did, but she had this overwhelming fear of offending someone who might already know her so she couldn't bear to go up to anyone on her own.

~~~Credit

Layout from Piper's Boutique.
Texture from Aethereality.
Angelina font from Dafont.
Brushes from and Ca-pris and Aethereality.
Image from Photobucket.

[Leeta]

Leeta hadn't been at the party very long at all, and hadn't really talked to anyone, just smiled at people passing by - the general mood of cheer was infectious. The scene was really something to admire, and she hadn't felt the need to go check out the food yet - a huge tribute to how stunning the location of the party was. The demon girl squinted over in the direction of the pond as something caught her eye - something just glided over the water! I wonder what that was? she thought, her curiosity piqued.

Before she could begin making her way over to the pond to see what had floated by in the corner of her eye, somebody strolling by waved and sent a greeting her way. "Ahoy, lassie!" a rather stunning pirate called out to her. For a moment the demon girl was taken aback by the beautiful woman and the attractive companion on her arm, but she blinked and smiled back. "Arrrrre ye enjoying the party, then?" the woman asked.

Leeta tipped her head back in agreement and gave the pair a proper grin. Not too many of the people present had been talking like a pirate - which, Leeta thought, was surely part of the fun. "Aye, I shurrrely am!" she responded, trying to roll the r's in her words. "This gathering will surely be the talk of the town - nay, spread across the seven seas as the stuff of pirate legend!"

[Calanthiel]

Cal gingerly poured himself a drink of sauvignon blanc, hoping that the brief lull in the crowd at the drinks table would allow him to both pick it up and walk away from the table without any disasters. In this crowd (especially at this table!) it would be all too easy to spill a drink, and he wasn't sure which would be worse - spilling it over an unsuspecting stranger or spilling it over a rented costume. He'd really quite like his deposit back, thank you very much! He eyed the darker coloured drinks down the table with suspicion - they looked practically designed to ruin clothing.

He was just lifting his glass when he felt a tap on his shoulder, and he just turned ever so slightly to peer over his own arm at... "Piper! There you are!" He grinned hugely at her, delighted that she'd found him easier to spot in the crowd than it was to find such a wee thing as herself, and then remembered his manners. "Sauv blanc?" He offered the glass he'd just poured with a slow, but graceful, wave of the hand holding it, still careful not to spill it "Or can I get you something else?" Still looking at her, he tried a quick mental inventory of the darker drinks he'd been maligning a second ago, but couldn't figure out if any of them were likely to be more Vamp-appropriate. Bother. Would they even have blood at the same table? Imagine grabbing some by mistake!

Credits: Original Character Art by Evie; Brushes: 1, 2; Font. Inspiration.
The good code is Emma's, the mistakes my own work.

[Isabel]

Isabel slowly stepped out of the portal still uncomfortable on how it felt. She looked around and saw all the lovely people in costumes. She felt a tad self conscious thinking that she doesn't look piratey enough. The next thing she noticed was the marvelous interior of the temple. The magnificent marble stairs and circular mosaic. It was both breathtaking and intimidating. This would probably be her most special and unforgettable experience. It was a first for her to attend such a lavish festival such as this.

Upon reaching the patio, Isabel was delighted to see a beautiful garden with cherry blossom trees and a pond. It was the perfect place for her. She set about walking through garden, still not feeling a bit sociable - being in a new place, but smiled and nodded at the people nonetheless. She was shy, not rude.

Eyeing the buffet table, Isabel moved closer, perusing the dishes served. Not utterly hungry but rather for want of something to do. She was still unsure of her place in this party and still uncomfortable in meeting new people.

After seeing all there is at the buffet table she looked about for a secluded place where she could rest a bit. Finding a nice cherry tree on the side of the garden, she took a sit and closed her eyes for a few moments.

[Xanth]

Xanth sensed Chenoan's arrival but did not react, continuing to smile at Leeta and Reese. Inviting the ex-Aide had been an olive branch because she had made as many mistakes as he, and it was about time they truly put the past behind them. He seemed more open to acknowledging his own mistakes and Xanth was too intent on enjoying the party to allow him to upset or annoy her.

With Nymphadora gone and the Temple empty, Xanth was beginning to feel the loneliness creep up on her already. She did not think she and Chenoan could ever become friends because too much had passed between them, but it would be nice to ease the tension.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Chenoan," she murmured telepathically. "It is good of you to attend." Fixing an image of herself in her current form into his mind to make her easier for him to find if he was so inclined, Xanth had the image of herself sweep her hat off into a dramatic bow, then poof in a cloud of purple out of his mind. "Help yourself to the food, and..." Pausing to consider the ramifications, Xanth tacked on, "Fear not. Nymphadora is no longer here."

In the meantime, Leeta had replied warmly to Xanth's inquiry. "Aye, I shurrrely am! This gathering will surely be the talk of the town - nay, spread across the seven seas as the stuff of pirate legend!" Delighted by the girl's accent, Xanth clapped enthusiastically. "'Ave ye spied the booty over yon table?" she asked with a vague sweep of an arm towards the buffet tables and a smile.

[Piper]

Piper squeaked with shock as the man she tapped on the shoulder turned out to be Cal. In retrospect, she should have recognised him, and probably would have if she hadn't been so interested in the jacket he was wearing that she was blind to the man inside it. She'd opened her mouth as he started to turn, about to say "Excuse me, would you mind if I asked about your coat?" When he twisted and said her name, Piper took a half step back and looked a bit puzzled, then had to bite back a burst of laughter. "Hey, Cal! Cool party, huh?" She didn't correct his assumption that she'd been looking for him because really, she would have been once she'd caught up with Daoine, if she hadn't been distracted by his costume first.

"Sauv blanc?" Piper glanced at the glass he held out, considering the wine. She wasn't a big alcohol drinker and couldn't remember the last time she'd had wine so she had no idea if she'd like it. She wasn't feeling particularly brave either; the last thing she wanted was to get drunk and one of the reasons she stayed clear of alcohol was because she tended to misjudge how much it would take to knock her off her feet. Since being turned, she'd noticed a heightened sensitivity to things but hadn't tested her new endurance, so that was another reason not to drink something she wasn't familiar with, but she was thirsty. "Erm, no, thanks." She smiled up at Cal in silent thanks for the offer, glancing at the table. "Do you know if they have anything non-alcoholic? Like coke or something?" It didn't occur to her that they'd offer blood, and feeding certainly wasn't something she wanted to do in public, so she'd stick to the, ah, other stuff.

"Hey, um, do you mind...?" She gestured behind her, in the general direction she'd left Daoine. "I was catching up with a friend, do you want to...?" She trailed off and swallowed, feeling awkward suddenly. It felt rude to ask him to drop what he was doing just so she could return to the Dragoness and apologise for dashing off.

Oh but that reminded her - "Hey, can I ask about your costume? That coat, especially, is just really beautiful, I was thinking of doing something similar for my bears, you know? Maybe like a pirate line or something, I don't know. Do you know what the fabric is?" She really wanted to inspect it closely but if she started touching, things could get even more awkward very quickly.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Kioni]

Kioni couldn't believe she was here. Celebrating Xanth Day! She felt so lucky! When she saw the portal, she actually did a double take because she couldn't believe it was there. But this was the garden. So this was proof enough that this was real.

Currently, Kioni was at the buffet table, overlooking all the food. Her eyes were wide with awe. She'd never seen so much food all in one place!! Thoughtfully, the girl frowned. There were so many choices... and she didn't wanna try to get too much and get full before she tried everything.

She took notice of people passing, some wearing costumes and gave a laugh. It wasn't mocking or anything. She thought it was nice and some of them looked really good. Kioni almost wished she'd joined in the fun... but she never really liked the whole costume thing. Shrugging her shoulders, she went back to trying to figure out what she'd eat first.

[Calanthiel]

"Do you know if they have anything non-alcoholic? Like coke or something?"

Cal was pretty sure there was Coke somewhere on the drinks table. There were definitely non-alcoholic drinks - they outnumbered the alcoholic, so he didn't even bother looking back at the table before he spoke. He was just relieved Piper didn't want anything more exotic! "Definitely," he said with a smile "I'll grab you a glass." He took a sip of his wine before starting to turn back to the table, when Piper spoke again.

"Hey, um, do you mind...?" He turned back towards her just in time to catch her waving back out towards the crowd. "I was catching up with a friend, do you want to...?"

Sometimes Piper could be very odd. First squeaking at him after she approached him, then running up to say hi when she was actually talking to someone else! He chuckled, inwardly, but nodded understandingly anyway, before she jumped topic again.

"Hey, can I ask about your costume? That coat, especially, is just really beautiful, I was thinking of doing something similar for my bears, you know? Maybe like a pirate line or something, I don't know. Do you know what the fabric is?"

Cal shook his head and his smiled widened in amusement at Piper's sudden changes in verbal direction. She was quite adorable when her mind raced off ahead of her manners like this! If she needed to get back to her friend, she shouldn't be chatting about coat fabrics first! "I'll tell you what - You go back to your friend, while I get you a drink. Then I can come over to join you, and we can talk about my costume after." He smiled at her, one eyebrow quirked in enquiry as he awaited her assent, and resisted the urge to just reach out, turn her around, and gently push her back towards her friend.

Credits: Original Character Art by Evie; Brushes: 1, 2; Font. Inspiration.
The good code is Emma's, the mistakes my own work.

[Piper]

If Cal hadn't smiled, she'd have wondered if he was rejecting her question, if she'd overstepped the bounds of their friendship, if she'd been overly rude or if he just plain thought she was weird. That shake of his head could have been really bad for her already shaky confidence, and for a second all that doubt reared up. But then she realised he wasn't just shaking his head, but smiling too, his eyes twinkling down at her, and Piper practically melted into a puddle of relief.

She hated that she couldn't just take people at face value, or trust that they liked her for who she was. She knew she could be scatter-brained and maybe even flighty. She knew she was insecure and struggled with concepts that others seemed to find so easy. Wolf's friends always seemed to think her a killjoy because she didn't like to get drunk with them or break the rules, because she preferred quiet stuff like watching a movie over the loud stuff like partying. In a lot of ways, she and Wolf were totally wrong for each other. He wasn't above abandoning her if he was in the mood for revelry and his friends invited him out; but at the other end of the scale, if he was in one of his 'calms' he'd veg out in front of the TV with her and it was bliss.

Maybe that was another reason she liked Cal so much. She didn't know him well... if at all, really, but he didn't seem to mind the quietness. He wasn't here getting drunk and rowdy (despite the fact it was a pirate party and that kind of behaviour probably suited the theme), he wasn't stealing or yelling. He wasn't even in the corner glaring at people. Much as she loved and adored Wolf, it was incredibly warming to find a friend who was more like her, someone she didn't have to try with.

And the fact that he didn't seem too put out by her behaviour only made a friendship with him even more desirable.

"I'll tell you what - You go back to your friend, while I get you a drink. Then I can come over to join you, and we can talk about my costume after."

Ah, the voice of reason. A plan of action that would enable her to do everything skipping around in her head without upsetting anyone. Why couldn't she think like that?

Smiling wryly at the Anyelos, Piper nodded hesitantly, not because she didn't want to do as he suggested but because she wasn't sure quite how to respond. She felt like she should say something, thank him maybe, and decided that, yeah, she should. "Thanks, Cal." She probably sounded like she was just thanking him for getting her a drink but it was more than that, she just wasn't sure how to say it all.

Turning on her heel, Piper ducked back through the crowd, looking for Daoine. The party had filled out quite a bit just in the short time she'd been standing with Cal, making the blonde Dragon harder to find. Remembering the blacks and reds of her costume, Piper started jumping up and down, turning and jumping, turning and jumping, until she spotted what she thought was the hat the Dragoness had been sporting. "Daoine!" Waving on a jump, Piper started towards the woman, chewing her bottom lip. Damn, at this rate she was going to lose Cal in the crowd...

"Hey, Daoine, sorry about that. I found a friend," she dashed out breathlessly, stopping in front of the Dragon and peering behind her in search of Cal. "I don't know if you've met Cal before...?" Trailing off, she turned towards what she thought was the direction she'd come from and jumped up in the air again, hoping Cal spotted her. And would keep jumping every few seconds until he did.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Loranth]

¤ PB ¤ Dafont ¤ Sparkling Tea ¤ Aethereality ¤ Evangeline Lily ¤

Lora found the shock on the Anyeli's face endearing in an odd sort of way. Perhaps she wasn't used to being talked to like an equal. Lora almost winced at the force of the woman's handshake, it was that firm. She tried to return a strong steady handshake.

Lora wasn't fibbing about the woman's boots. She really did love them, even if they weren't something she would normally wear. Sadly her budget wouldn't allow for such an extravagant purchase yet. In fact, Lora had just made an offer on an apartment in New Alexandria, and was trying to save as much money as she could at the moment. New Alexandria seemed to be the perfect place for her to live though, and she expected to hear back either way about the apartment soon.

"Yes your boots! I'm not sure if I could ever pull off wearing them but they're fabulous. Now on to the food and drinks! I hope there's some bubbly left. It'd be the perfect thing to have in such a whimsical setting. Although not something pirates would drink, probably..." Lora said with a sly smile as they approached the drink table. There was quite a crowd surrounding both the food and drink table, and everyone there was in costume, and having a seemingly wonderful time.

"Do you know many people here?" she asked Dazadi as she browsed the table with her eyes, looking for champagne.

[Dazadi]

Daz sniffled and wiped her nose on her tissue as she considered Loranth. She hadn't met very many people who looked beyond her rudeness to the... well, there wasn't much under the surface rudeness except more rudeness. Still, very few people stuck around once they realised she was little more than an uncultured brute. It had taken Olly decades, centuries even, to beat past the brat and most of the people she'd trained and eventually worked with had only really tolerated her. Oh, she was sure some of them respected, maybe even admired her a little, but Daz hadn't made it easy for them to be friendly. She'd mellowed a little bit the last couple of years, what with Kade's resurrection and her son and everything, but she was still the kind of person who'd as soon stab someone in the eye than let them in past her emotional shields.

This Loranth... She wasn't rude, she wasn't overly friendly (gag), but she wasn't about to be shoved away either. Daz didn't think the Dragoness understood who she was - there was none of that sycophantic nonsense she'd experienced as the Archangel (when she bothered to leave her quarters, that was) - and there was no guile behind those bright green eyes, just an easy friendliness.

It was weird. And oddly warming.

The girl's chatter about Dazadi's boots made her want to respond, which again, didn't happen very often. Daz was usually happy letting other people talk up a storm, huddling in a dark corner out of the way. If the subject came up of weapons, war strategies, who was the best at knocking heads off, then sure, she'd jump in with eagerness and a fist pounding the table, but nothing else really interested her. There was something about Loranth's friendliness that drew Daz out in the open.

"Yes your boots! I'm not sure if I could ever pull off wearing them but they're fabulous."

"Yeah," meant Yeah, you'd probably look good in them despite what you say, and yeah, thanks for the compliment. She almost interrupted the girl to explain they were her ceremonial boots, but didn't get the chance. Not that that would ordinarily have stopped her from cutting in anyway, but, whatever.

"I hope there's some bubbly left. It'd be the perfect thing to have in such a whimsical setting. Although not something pirates would drink, probably..."

"No," Daz agreed with another sniff, not really having a clue. "Rum, probably." Knowing Xanth, there was plenty of rum to go around anyway. Daz could just imagine the dramatic effect she'd go for, the empty bottles lined up on the table refilling themselves as needed. Daz was surprised she hadn't gone for fireworks too, but there was time for that yet.

"Do you know many people here?" Loranth asked as they reached the table. Daz lifted a shoulder to indicate she didn't know as she scanned the bottles, plucking what looked like champagne out of the group. Checking the label, she grunted an affirmative, then held it out to the Dragoness with one hand while reaching for a plastic bottle of what she hoped was peach fizz with the other. "Probably," she finally answered without looking up, but didn't elaborate. The bottle she'd chosen was simple lemonade, so she put it back and picked up another, and another, and another, scowling until she finally found what she was looking for. Setting it down in front of her, she grabbed a glass for Loranth and shoved it on the table in front of her, then glanced around to see who was watching - she didn't want to get bit on the ass by a lightning bolt - and grabbed the peach fizz all to herself.

"My son might be here," she grunted, glancing at Loranth, "with his gir... fiance." That was still so hard to chew. Wolf was too damned young to be getting married. She hadn't been married until she was halfway through her natural lifespan. Well, no actually, she realised with a sense of spiders crawling over her spine, she'd married Kade when she was well past middle-aged. Glory, what a way to make herself feel old. And this damned cold wasn't helping. "You, er, you got a family?"

[Chenoan]

Pausing for a moment, Chenoan smiled softly as he received a reply from Xanth. As always, her tone was elegant and calm, her words each chosen to flow together perfectly. Laughing a bit at the image that followed the thoughts, Chenoan marked it to his memory the best he could as he tried to decide whether Xanth truly was an adult or a child.

The way she acted, her tones and mannerisms, changed so frequently it was almost as if she was still a teenager, and yet her most common appearance was that of a young woman somewhere in her mid twenties. Her last words, however, made the former aide pause a bit. He and Dora's past was no secret, but at the same time... Chenoan wondered why she would mention it. Sighing, Chenoan presumed she'd either picked up on his hesitance earlier in the hallway, or had tapped into his mind a bit to see what he was feeling. Or maybe she was just anticipating an uncomfortable question that she didn't feel like handling later one. After all, Xanth had probably seen and heard about as much of Chen and Dora's relationship as the man himself had. Possibly even more.

Looking about the crowd, the therian scowled a bit at the varying heights of people. He wished that he could simply shift, but then his costume would surely be torn to pieces. Grumbling a little, Chenoan moved to try and weave through the crowd, keeping an eye out fro Xanth in her latest disguise. "Where are you?" he asked her telepathically, right after passing by her unknowingly.

[Reese]

It was with mild interest that Reese was watching the proceedings. He looked intensely at the new girl. Those not familiar with his habit of starting expressionlessly at people were frequently intimidated by it; he probably knew this, but he did it anyway, not to frighten people, or appear mysterious, but simply because it was just what he did. He smiled at her with a mischievous glint in his eye as she began to speak in pirate too. Surprised at his own good mood, but by no means complaining about it, he took the opportunity to look round properly for the first time. There were more people now than there had been when he arrived, they must have arrived while he wasn't looking.

The first woman clapping her hands together retrieved Reese's mind. He did had an unnerving tendency to drift off. That, coupled with the fact he had the amazing power to actually look straight at people and still give the impression he wasn't listening, often made people feel that trying to get his attention was like trying to divide a very large number by zero; maybe not totally impossible, but all things considered, it was better not to bother. Reese found this very useful.

Nevertheless, he forced himself to pay attention once more, he smiled warmly at the new girl again, but didn't say anything. "Ave ye spied the booty over yon table?" said the original girl, motioning towards the buffet tables, which only now Reese noticed. Technically, he had been aware of them, in the same way he was aware of the grass or the sky. He knew they existed, but he hadn't been hungry, so hadn't paid much attention to them.

Credits

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

[Loranth]

¤ PB ¤ Dafont ¤ Sparkling Tea ¤ Aethereality ¤ Evangeline Lily ¤

Lora hadn't noticed Dazadi was sniffling with tissue in hand until they got to the table, and even then it wasn't very noticeable. She wondered if she was sick. And when asked the question if she knew anyone here, she seemed very detached in a nonchalant sort of way. Lora took that to mean yes, she probably did know people here and didn't think anything of it. Because that's how most people acted when they were in their usual environment, wasn't it? They didn't act like they'd never seen half of the races in Elysia and were amazed daily at the random things they witnessed. Lora suspected that she still walked around the EU with a slightly wide-eyed look, even if she tried not to. It would probably take a bit longer for her to glaze over and feel like a local, and even then it wouldn't be until she met someone new to Elysia that she'd feel like she'd lived there for ages. At any rate, the fact that Dazadi didn't come across as impressed by the Xanth Day celebrations wasn't lost on Lora.

She looked for a champagne bottle but the table was full of various bottles of liquids...it was hard to differentiate between them when there were so many hands picking them up and setting them down along the table. As she babbled about the champagne she heard Dazadi mention rum, and chuckled aloud. "How could I have forgotten? Pirates love rum." And then Dazadi must've found the bubbly because she picked it up and checked the label and then held the bottle out for Lora to take, which she did. Lora looked around for a flute or glass of some kind but realized that there weren't any near her. And then as if reading her mind, Dazadi pushed a glass towards Lora on the table.

"Thank you kindly. I probably wouldn't have found it for a while." She said to Dazadi while pouring herself a minimal amount of champagne. The bottle was amazingly cold despite the warmth of the weather and Lora wondered what sort of magic must've been worked to affect the glass so. She looked at the rest of the white wine bottles and saw that they too had the dewy look of a cold bottle in a warm room, little beads of condensation were sparkling on them.

Lora returned the bottle to the table gently and lifted the flute to her lips to take a sip of the beverage and felt the familiar effervescence of the liquid dance across her tongue. It was very lovely champagne according to her taste buds.

"My son might be here," Lora heard the Skodati say, "with his gir... fiance."

Lora nearly choked on her champagne.

Son? Fiance? The woman didn't look a day past her late 20's from what Lora could tell. She managed to swallow the small mouthful of drink she had and tried not to let her mouth drop open. She tilted her head slightly towards her new acquaintance and lifted an eyebrow. Dazadi then inquired about Lora's family.

"Son, you say? That shows you how little I've known Anyeli people...I wouldn't think you look like you have any children at all, to be honest. I take it that it's true - your race ages much like mine, and I know Dragons' looks can be deceiving when it comes to age. I have no family that I know except for my mother, who lives in France. She moved there before I was born. I tried to convince her to come with me back to Elysia, but she'd have none of it sadly. She's happy where she is." Lora missed her mother, but it was time for her to leave. Hopefully she'd find a way to get her mother to visit her one way or another.

It seemed that it was Lora's turn to ask a question, and she didn't know quite what to say next. Dazadi did remind her of the crazy woman she'd had a run in with shortly after arriving here, but she was definitely not the same woman, but Lora had realized that straight away. Their hair was different. And Dazadi wasn't trying to kill her, so that was good. Although her eyes still had the same intensity, it wasn't a bad wild. Even though it'd been a while since that encounter, Lora couldn't help inspecting the face of other Skodati she saw, just in case.

"I'm sorry if I seem to be naive. I haven't been here long. You must be much more familiar with the goings on here than I am though?"

[Xanth]

Xanth lay beneath the cherry blossom tree where she had begun the afternoon, lazily petting Faroah as she glanced about the garden at the aftermath. The last of the guests had drifted off, clutching a gift bag filled with goodies to their chests and chattering happily, if a little sleepily.

Cleaning up would be but a moment's work but still she delayed, simply because she enjoyed the inevitable mess. It was evidence, had she needed any, that the party had been a success. Alas, even deities fretted over such things.

"You have done well, my love," she murmured to the dozing Faroah. He was not quite asleep, and thus was awake just enough to hear and enjoy the praise as well as the lavish scratch between his eyes.

A throaty rumble signified Midnight's approach and a moment later, his sleek black head pushed through the shrubbery nearby, his green eyes bright in the growing gloom of the evening. As the rest of him followed, moving with lithe grace to flop down beside her, Xanth smiled. "As have you done well, my Midnight." Faroah snorted as if to deny this, shaking his wings out only to refold them, but Xanth ignored him. Reaching out to smooth her hand over Midnight's fur, she nodded in satisfaction. "This has been a wonderful day indeed."

OOC: Thank you for attending the Xanth Day celebrations! I hope you've had as much fun as I have! :grin:

Every character who attended has received a new trophy for their cabinet and a bit of karma too! :wink:

Here's to another year of Elysian Fields! :proud:

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