Character Dinner Party

It’s just another day of adventuring, or simply living, of going through the mail or packing up for another day. A cream-colored envelope is at the bottom of the stack. The calligraphy on the front is bold and done in dark ink- running one’s finger over their addressed name and feeling where the pen and paper met says, instantly, that this was handwritten. Overcome by curiosity, the addressee flips the mailing over, breaking the ornate- but not at all indicative -wax seal and slides the card out. It speaks of a gala of the worlds, a gathering of representatives from all corners, of exquisite, world-class dining and encounters with those from all origins and walks of life. How one arrives and departs is unimportant. The meetings and experiences are everything.

Greetings, TV Tropes, and welcome to the latest of the casual Character Development Threads! Here in this long-running series of half-shared stories and half-play by post roleplays, we gather together to write our characters into interactions with one another, for the development of not only our characters but also ourselves as writers. As you could probably tell from the intro, here we have a fancy, coastal dinner party located between worlds. Bring your characters in their Sunday best and best behavior- this is a black-tie event, after all.

Though the event is indeed being catered by my own characters, you need not wait for me to make the kitchen fill your character’s order, or for a server to respond to your character’s hails for more wine- feel free to nudge along the servers and kitchen as you see fit. As with all of our 'casual' threads, physical combat and weapon usage of any kind are not permitted.

If you would like to join, feel free to just drop in. No signup, character profile, or drawn picture of your character is necessary. For a quick recap, read the rest of this post for details on the background and setting- we can’t have twelve different wall colors, after all -and the last two to three pages of the thread for a snapshot of who is where. Read as much as you’d like for a general feel, but don’t be afraid to ask us for a more detailed summary or ask any other questions in our discussion.

Now, without further ado... let the festivities begin.

The last server did the last once-over of their designated table and joined the others along the window seats with their silken cushions, chatting idly with the chef’s daughter as they awaited their customers. Moraiah, like her three brothers in the kitchen, bore shades of her father- tall and angular, with dark hair and nearly aquiline features. Their topic of choice, she noticed, seemed to switch at whim, from customer-related horror stories to food-related horror stories to siblings. But, Anita Carr had to leave them be.

She was in that odd state of mind that involved both the desire to sleep for tens of hours and a caffeinated, excited high because by God they were finally starting. After all of these months of work and the drama of overhauling the design because the chef didn’t like the color... it was here! In half an hour, people were going to be here, at her gala.

Anita took a final walk around the dining space, the gentle, pale blue and silver color scheme that she was forced to switch to always there to greet her. The sunset across the horizon colored the white marble floors and silver fixtures golden as the light entered the high windows. Though small, a stage with its black mid-curtains drawn seemed to dominate the back- she had to have one; she couldn’t feel like it was truly a ‘gala of the worlds’ without space for exotic entertainment.

To the left of the stage were four doorways; the one closest to the stage was the kitchen, which took up most of the space that could have been used to create a larger backstage, two were restrooms, and the third could be... anything. When she described it to Chef Acquati, he mysteriously didn’t seem too surprised, offering little in the way of reactions beyond a slight tilt of the head and some pensive scratching of the chin. One of his sons repeatedly called it the Room of Requirement- she didn’t know what he was talking about, but he had demonstrated repeatedly that he was a bit of a space case, to say the least. Initially, she had considered making it an ambiguous ‘family’ restroom in the occasion that they were visited by an otherworldly attendant without standard Earthen concepts of biological sex, but chose to forgo it in favor of the Anything Room. What was the worst it was going to be used for? The anti-fighting enchantments were still in effect, especially in there.

On the other side of the stage were tables designated for hors d'oeuvres, set up with the tray racks as wonderful aromas wafted from the kitchen. As she checked her watch, she found it difficult to resist the urge to follow them inside, perhaps mooching a delicious freebie or two, choosing instead to continue her millionth tour of the dining space.

She headed outside onto the east balcony, which was still perfectly pristine and free of birds- they had listened to her after all. The entire length had seating in various configurations, all painted white and ready to enjoy the view of the ocean, and the cliffs off to the side. Lamps were stationed about next to seating areas and at regular intervals on the railing, filled with oil and ready to turn on as soon as the sun set. The same design was used for the west balcony, for double the space. When she realized that she literally had three minutes left, she headed back inside to the huddle of waitstaff near the door, closing the door behind her. When she looked over at the hors d’oeuvres tables, the last tray was being positioned exactly the way Chef Acquati wanted it by one of his sons. (They all looked the same- she couldn't tell any of them apart.) The cooking aromas were more faint, replaced with the last of the summer breezes before Moraiah closed the west door.

Anita felt the seconds tick down in anticipation. Footsteps seemed to bubble up the hallway from behind the doors, with perhaps a voice or two. The doorknob shook. For a single, agonizing moment, there was nothing.

Then, the doors swung open.

Walking through the doors and into the admittedly beautiful dining space, Charlie remained fixed on Christine's expression the whole time. She was just so... happy. They were trapped in a crazed land of in-fighting immortals who looked down on them, forced them to serve under them in return for their lives, and were only just recovering from Virgil's onslaught... and yet here his bride-to-be was, with a wide smile on her face, because tonight they were able to go to a Dinner Party. It seemed that nothing could shake her optimism. Seeing that, Charlie couldn't help but smile himself.

"This place looks amazing! Don't you agree?" Christine asked him, quickly derailing his train of thought.

"Yes, it really is," he said, grinning. "It definitely beats some of the places I've had to visit lately."

Christine seemed to only register the fact that Charlie had agreed with her, as she continued to gaze at the room which lay before her. "I've never been to a place like this before," she said, before taking a pause and adding, "Well... I have, actually... but never as a proper guest. In the times before I met you, I would sneak into events like this, and then take him some of the most expensive silverware. On one occasion, I managed to flirt my way into becoming a Duchesses' 'Plus One', and-"

"Maybe you should leave these stories for the other guests," Charlie interrupted, "It's just that I'm not always comfortable with any of the stories that involve you seducing people... or stealing things for that matter."

Christine placed her hand on his shoulder, and said "Hey, don't worry about those stories. Those were the old days, before I met you."

Yes, thank you for reminding me that I'm the reason you're in this crappy situation, Charlie thought. "Come on," he said to her, leading her by the hand, "Let's find a table."

Two tall, dark women made their way into the restaurant. They were very clearly sisters — they shared the same lean build, sharp features, straight, dark violet hair, high cheekbones, and almond-shaped eyes.

The older of the two appeared to be in her mid-thirties. She was also the taller, at six foot two, and her eyes were a steely blue-grey. She carried herself with a flowing dignity of a cat... a very proud feral cat. She wore a curious outfit consisting of flat-heeled sandals and an undecorated white wrapped cloth of light silk — some relative of a toga — over loose pants and a shirt of the same material. The cloth was decorated by a brooch of clear glass, in which was embedded a shard of some strange black material. Despite her age, she was still a very attractive woman, albeit, thanks to her slight chest, lean build, and hard features, tin a slightly androgynous way. She looked about the place with a wary mixture of cautious curiosity and distrust.

The younger, perhaps in her late twenties, was only an inch shorter than her sister, and had paler, greyer eyes. She carried herself similarly to her sister, though with a subtly more sensuous, primal edge, and wore the same toga-esque outfit. It was black, with a red band on its edges, and the brooch decorating it was a black circle with a red symbol that was either a flame-like flower, or a flower-like flame. She was technically wearing enough under the outer garment to avoid being thrown out for indecency, but had carefully arranged it to give the impression it was her only form of clothing. She was (at least by Western standards) more attractive than her sister: her features were more distinctly feminine and her expression easier and friendlier. Meanwhile, those with the gift of magic would be able to sense... something. Not magic. Not Anti-Magic. Only the natural energies possessed by all living things... changed into something beautiful and dangerous, like a dew-covered spiderweb.

The older said to the younger, "Asayu, what do you possibly hope to achieve by bringing me here? I mean, that resort and its eccentrics were... interesting. But you do realize it is only a matter of time before I make some terrible etiquette mistake and — for the first time in our entire lives — it is I who brings us embarrassment. Or is that your goal?"

Asayu laughed and said, "Malo, please, calm down! This place attracts people from all across the universes!" She waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. "I'm sure they'll tolerate minor mistakes and accidents. Besides, there are so many fascinating people and creatures out there, it would be a shame to miss them all..."

Malo sighed and said, "and how many of these 'fascinating people and creatures' have you had sex with so far?"

Asayu shrugged. "Quite a number," she said, "of various genders. And species."

Malo did not even seem surprised.

Asayu continued, "but I suspect if I make that the focus of tonight's entertainment, I'll be hurled out of those doors face-first. And that would probably get my outfit dirty. No matter, there are many other ways I can amuse myself."

They took a seat at one of the tables near the center, and Malo said, "I shall be needing beer, I imagine, if this is anything like before. I trust your judgment, waiter: just make it something with a body and some weight, as black as the starless sky."

Asayu said, "enjoy your alcohol, Malo. I shall enjoy recounting what you don't recall of this night. For me, just some juice. I've acquired a taste for passion fruit, please."

edited 23rd Jul '12 5:19:22 PM by KillerClowns

While the invitation seemed genuine from the get-go, what pinned down its realness was the portal that led Scout to her destination.

Scout walked into the dining space and froze mid-step. She was blown away from the extravagant decor and design. Everything surrounding her sang of money and diamond tears. A gala of the worlds indeed!

She continued forward, energized. With her black dress, blond hair tied back, and blue eyes with contacts, maybe she might find a cute otherwordly world.

That one Katy Perry song threatened to barrow into her ears.

...

Too bad everyone she knew either didn't want to associate with her, or was gay.

edited 23rd Jul '12 5:22:11 PM by chihuahua0

Entrance

Among the first patrons to arrive at the Gala was a young woman of about twenty. Her facial features strongly suggested she was of European descent. She wore a white dress that mostly covered her legs, a similarly colored tiara on her head, and her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Taken all together, she definitely looked like royalty. Around her waist was a decidedly non-royal brown belt, from which hung a scabbard containing a medium-sized sword. Said sword was peace-tied into the sheath, indicating that she had no intention of using it (or perhaps never used it).

The princess wasn't alone - hovering over her shoulder was a fairy that was about the size of her hand. She was dressed in a light green dress that covered her chest and went down to her knees, but nothing much beyond that. Her wings were rather plain, but resembled those of a dragonfly. Given that she wasn't a human, her vaguely Asian appearance was probably coincidental.

When they received the invitation to this gala, Guinevere and Caer had learned the true nature of Uffern, the demon lord who they were fighting against and would hopefully defeat someday. The decision to come here was long and hard - the more time they spent away from Briton, the more time Uffern had to launch an assault. But with Mordred defeated and Uffern without a person to work through, they eventually figured that they could afford to take a break.

Both of them paused momentarily to glance at the locale they found themselves in.

"Our host certainly took the time to make this place look pretty, huh?" Caer noted. "I don't think I've seen a place this grand since the last time we were at your castle...granted, that was a few hours ago, but..."

Guinevere merely rolled her eyes with a somewhat amused look on her face, before casting her eyes on the table in the distance. She headed for it to find herself a seat before all the good spots were taken. Caer almost didn't notice her partner was walking off until she turned to speak with her again.

"Hey Gwinny, wait up!" she cried as she flew off behind her. "This place looks nice enough, but...there's something about the letter I didn't get." Guinevere grimaced slightly at the nickname her companion had given her, before stopping and waiting for her.

"Didn't the letter say something about this being a 'gala of the worlds'? What does that mean?" Caer asked, getting a somewhat nervous expression on her face. "Our castle wasn't the only place that got the invitation, was it? Does that mean that demons might start showing up?"

Guinevere shrugged and raised an eyebrow.

"Let me guess, you're telling me not to worry about it. I hear you." Caer replied, returning to her usually chipper self. "This is supposed to be a peaceful gathering. Besides, if any demons show up, we know what to do, right?"

Guinevere smiled and nodded, and with that the two began their search for a place to sit.

Just so we're clear here: Guinevere's the princess, Caer's the fairy.

edited 23rd Jul '12 5:22:10 PM by Yomegami

-Entrance-

After the both of them dusted off their black tuxedos, Adam wrapped his hair in a ponytail before turning to Nick. "I look okay, right?"

"Right." Nick said, straightening his collar. "Now we're ready."

Opening the door, the both of them decided to find a seat. It looked like they weren't alone. It appeared that more people were starting to come here rather fast.

"Good thing we came at a good time!" Nick said, before sitting at a nearby empty table. "Can't wait to taste the food."

"Of course, the first thing you want to think about is food." Adam said, chuckling. "The place is pretty, though..."

Edited because I forgot to say what they were wearing. ><

edited 23rd Jul '12 5:38:16 PM by Masterofchaos

If they aren't too fancy enough, I can always change them...

-Entrance-

At the entrance, two people, around their 30's stepped in. One was a male wearing a white suit, with an orange tie, beige pants, and brown dress shoes. His brown hair was combed back a bit. The other of the two was a female, wearing a brown beret, which covered her raven-black hair. Her bangs were dyed green, with the tips dyed pink. She was wearing earrings made out of clay that resembled skulls. She was wearing a black dress shirt, with a black blouse.Said blouse had skulls on it. She was also wearing pink dress shoes. What appeared to part of a tattoo peeked out of the sleeve of her shirt.

"Isn't this fun, Morgana?" The male said to the female. "We got invited to a grand gala of some sorts..." The male then noticed that Morgana wasn't looking too happy. "What's wrong, hon?"

"Roy... I miss my nose ring." Morgana said.

"But it's for one night only! I promise, after we get out of here, we'll go to a tattoo parlor, and turn in this coupon!" Roy replied.

"Okay... I still feel naked without it, though." Morgana said. "But these earrings that Mutsumi made... They're really good!"

"Yeah, she's getting there..." Roy noted.

"Now, come on! I'm hungry, and there's mischief to be had..." Morgana said.

"Remember, this is a respectful place!" Roy replied.

edited 23rd Jul '12 5:51:23 PM by DiurnalBrocolli

The numbers on the box ticked down.

A magical spiral grew.

Rain pounded on the roof.

Fingers tapped away on a keyboard.

The numbers reached zero.

A portal opened.

An opportunity at hand.

Feet went towards the portal.

Then, it vanished, and then the room was empty.

[Entrance]

In the dining room, a lilac-colored portal opened, a rift in the fabric of reality. Through it emerged two people, a male and a female. They clambered into the room, taking in their surroundings as the portal closed behind them.

The female looked to be around sixteen years old. Dark circles gathered underneath her eyes, some sort of pain and sorrow glinting in them, though those emotions were clouded by determination. Blonde, neck-length hair covered her head, a perfect match with her cold and calculating blue eyes. She wore a long blue robe, a white, wrinkled shirt showing beneath it. Her pants were long and tan, in a similar state as her shirt. Perhaps the strangest part about this girl was that she was wearing a necklace, a colorless shard hanging from it. She did not appear to be very happy.

The male, on the other hand, smiled, hazel eyes nearly glowing underneath his glasses. His hair was similar to the female's, a blond lumpy mass on his head. He wore a robe, too, except this one was bright yellow. Underneath the robe was a white shirt with three blue stripes on it. His pants were black instead of tan. He was likely the same age as the female.

The female appeared to be impressed with the room. "I have to say, Thel, these outside universes sure know how to make an impression."

The male, Thel, grinned. "Well, I'm glad you can appreciate something for once. Remember back to the resort? 'Oh, I'm so upset, people don't understand me, I want to stuuudy, why do I have to be at an awesome multidimensional resort with tons of exotic people from different places?'"

"I wasn't that whiny," the female protested, exasperated. "I just... wasn't happy there."

Thel was unconvinced. "From what you told me of your time there, you whined. A lot. To other people. Null, you might know a lot about magic, but you know nothing about socializing."

"Whatever," Null said, running her hand through her hair. "I won't be so whiny, then, if it's so important to you."

edited 23rd Jul '12 6:13:31 PM by Collen

"I don't want to be here."

Two new figures stepped out of the portal, a man and a woman. The woman had spoken, her voice a deep alto. Her age was difficult to determine by her appearance — her expression looked youthfully petulant, but her hair was beginning to salt-and-pepper. The man who entered the room with her looked older, though there was not a spot of gray in his hair or beard.

"It's one night," he said, "And I'm usually stuck butlering these things. I don't know if I've ever been a guess. It should be exciting."

"Being a guest is overrated." said the woman. "I don't want to be here."

"That's because whenever you go anywhere you're always uninvited," said the man, unrumpling a part of the woman's collar. She was short, wearing a black suit with a tie with an abstract print that she obviously did not pick out for herself, given her sour expression when she glanced down at it. The man was dressed similarly but looked a lot more comfortable.

"And are we not crashing here?"

"I showed you the invitations. We're legitimate guests here for once."

The woman grumbled something about it being a trick while the man began dragging her off to the hors d'oeurves.

Asayu glanced around the room, looking for somebody interesting. She recognized Christine... shame about the boyfriend. Who... was right here. A thoughtful smile came to Asayu's lips.

Asayu and Malo's drinks arrived, and Malo took a swig of the beer. Just as promised, it was an opaque brew that practically counted as a soup, with a brutal punch of alcohol — nearly ten percent — and a depth of warm, hearty flavor to match. "Much better," Malo said. "I may even be able to tolerate you, dear sister, for this entire night."

"Thanks. So nice to see I'm loved," Asayu said sarcastically. Then she stood up and joined Christine and Charlie. "Why, hello!" she said. "Christine, nice to see you again! And this must be that lucky young man you mentioned, yes?" She offered a hand to Charlie and said, "Asayu ul'Valmoth vash'Suela, at your service." Then she pointed to Malo, who sat with them, and said, without cheer, "oh. And my sister. Malo Kyrmis sot'Zyvaks."

Malo bowed politely and said, "please don't allow my sister to leave you with an ill impression of my family and people — I assure you, she is not a representative of either. And if you ask, I shall happily deliver a swift backhand slap to the back of her head."

"You can try," Asayu replied, with a fiendish grin.

edited 26th Jul '12 4:11:36 AM by KillerClowns

Charlie returned the handshake from Asayu. Smiling, he said, "Hello Asayu, it's a pleasure to meet you... and you say you and Christine have already met?"

"Yes, yes we have," Christine answered. "It's a pretty good story, actually..."

Taking another look at Asayu, Charlie added, "I'm not sure I want to know the details, actually. I apologize, but those are pretty... interesting surnames you have there. May I ask, where you two are from?" At least they have surnames, he thought, meaning they aren't immortals.

Seeing the four, Roy and Morgana decided to approach Charlie, Christine, Asayu and Malo.

"Hi, guys!" Morgana said out loud to the four, with Roy following close behind.

EDIT: Had two Morganas... Replaced one with Roy now.

edited 23rd Jul '12 7:00:46 PM by DiurnalBrocolli

Asayu said, "more like titles. My people don't have surnames, per se. Asayu of Valmoth, priestess of Suela."

Malo said, "Suela being a long-dead goddess my sister seems to think still alive."

Asayu glared angrily at her sister, but decided not to argue the point for now. Resuming her previous cheer with alarming speed, she shrugged and said, "anyways, her name translates to Malo the glassmaker, spouse of Zyvaks." She snorted derisively. "Very friendly woman, as you can tell. We're not actually from Earth — human, Dr. Rose assures me of that, but not Earthborn. The planet's Alos, the nation is Uel, and the city, of course, is Valmoth."

Malo looked over at the newcomers, then looked down at her beer, then up at the newcomers. They appeared to be Earthborn, but the exact style of dress was... unique. Then Malo glanced at the tattoo on Morgan's arm thoughtfully, but said nothing. Instead she nodded politely and said, "good evening, Earthborn. Did you catch our names? If not... I am Malo, my sister is Asayu, and those two are..." she paused, "...I gather you, are Christine, but," she looked over at Charlie, "I didn't quite catch your name."

edited 23rd Jul '12 7:02:04 PM by KillerClowns

"Well, I'm Morgana, and this is my husband, Roy!" Morgana said, looking down at her tattoo. Part of it was showing, but it looked like a lizard's tail.

[Dining Room]

Null and Thel walked further into the room and sat down nearby the other people occupying the room.

"I know you," Null said, pointing at Asayu. "You're that person who slept around a lot. At the resort."

Thel glanced at Null. "You didn't mention that to me. Now, by 'slept around a lot', do you mean at the resort, or in her universe?"

"I don't know for sure, and don't really want to find out, but I'm willing to bet both. I believe her name is Asayu. Correct?"

The woman's expression took a one-eighty when she saw the food, and immediately began stacking whatever she chose onto her own plate, and piled it high with at least two layers of hors d'oeurves, and at some places it was three deep, with little regard for separating pastries from savories.

"We should go mingle," suggested the man.

"Why would we ever do a thing like that," said the woman, her voice musing rather than having the hard edge it had before, but the man hooked his arm in hers and managed to get her over to the group forming.

Despite his enthusiasm for the party, the man actually had little experience mingling, so mostly he stood awkwardly off to the side while the woman busily munched on her tiny foods, not paying any attention to the group.

"Well, I'm Charlie," he said, "Charlie Cooper. I'm Christine's husband... or, at least, I will be, as soon as we can get home and have the wedding. It's been a rough few months for us."

Guinevere found a spot that she liked and promptly sat down, glancing at the other people who were starting to pour in. So far, most of the other patrons looked human, albeit dressed in fashions she did not recognize. If any of them were from Briton, they must have come from other areas of the region where she hadn't gotten a chance to explore.

While the princess calmly watched the other patrons enjoy themselves, Caer was impatiently looking around. In her case, it was because she was starting to get hungry - the smells coming from the kitchen were making her mouth water. Fortunately for her, there seemed to be tables with appetizers sitting on them. She was about to poke Guinevere and ask her if they could go check them out when a waiter arrived and asked them if they would like something to drink.

"Oh, um...Gwinny here would probably be most interested in a fine wine," she said with a smile on her face. Guinevere responded by giving her a sharp, rather disapproving stare. Caer's smile lessened a bit as she corrected herself.

"*Ahem* She'll have a glass of water. As for me, I'd be interested in seeing a list of your fruit juices."

As the waiter went to fulfill their orders, Caer turned back to Guinevere. "These other people look fairly innocuous. We should go introduce ourselves - after all, we are going to be here for a while," she said.

Guinevere just glanced at her before going back to observing the others. Caer, knowing that probably meant that her companion wasn't quite interested in socializing just yet, sighed and alighted upon Guinevere's shoulder, waiting for their server to come back with their drinks.

Asayu glanced over at Null and, with a cheeky grin, said, "both. Such wonderful times. I do miss the clothing-optional rule..."

Malo cleared her throat to interrupt Asayu, then said, "I see my sister's reputation precedes her, Null. Nice to see you again. And don't worry, my daughter's gotten over her crush quite nicely. I'd invite you to sit, but... I fear this table has gotten rather crowded already. No offense"

Asayu shrugged — Null was, Asayu had gathered, not really in the pickings anyways. A shame, she could see what Avea saw in her.

Asayu smiled at Charlie and Christine and said, "ah, newlyweds. Never been one for monogamy myself, obviously, but I wish you the best." She seemed about to say something more, but thought better of it. For now.

Malo glanced down at Morgana's tattoo. "Is that... hmm, I didn't know Earthborn had tattoos. Is that usual? It's rather different from my husband's."

edited 23rd Jul '12 7:16:32 PM by KillerClowns

"Congratulations!" Morgana said. "I wish you two the very best!"

"Yeah, it took me a few years, but I married my Morgana." Roy replied. "Besides, I wanted to be there for my daughter, Yuki."

Roy and Morgana are the parents of Yuki, from Resort.

edited 23rd Jul '12 7:17:14 PM by DiurnalBrocolli

[Dining Room]

Null gave a small grin. "That's good. I actually felt somewhat bad about that whole... situation. I'm glad it healed itself. Much like you, I'm not interested in marriage or anything like it. However, I'm willing to bet that my reason for that is different than yours."

Null turned to Roy. "I met Yuki at the resort. Did that happen yet for you? I'm not sure how time works in these places. Yuki was nice, I suppose. However, she didn't seem to get that I'm... not interested in love. Kept on telling me that there are plenty of people for me to get into a relationship with, despite me informing that I do not care. Is she a typical youth where you come from?"

edited 23rd Jul '12 7:28:07 PM by Collen

"Yep, that's my Yuki, all right!" Roy said. "Such a nice girl. A great artist, as well! Heck, she may even surpass my wife someday..."

"Oh, I don't know about that, hon." Morgana said with a sly grin.

Seeing that Morgana had missed Malo's question, Asayu explained, "Earthborn — or at least American — tattoos are counter-cultural, not cultural. So... they're not really much like Zyvaks' were. Not as rigidly defined, more decorative. Less painful as well."

Malo nodded, figuring she basically understood. Then she said to Null, "yes, Yuki was a very... interesting individual. By my measures, very much like the only other Earthborn girl I know. Julia, you'll no doubt remember her. Then, I am hardly an expert." Then she said to Morgana and Roy, "you raised your daughter to be a..." her tone was diplomatic, "an optimistic young woman."

Last post for tonight.

"Yep, she's a ball of sunshine, all right! Always helping everyone out, cheering anyone up that needed cheering up..." Morgana said.

[Dining room]

"We'll both have some sweet tea." Nick said to the server. Once he walked away, he looked at Adam. "Anything the matter?"

"Almost everyone here is an adult." Adam said quietly, looking around, "It's really weird, actually. There's not a lot of people our ages. I wished we brought our parents with us."

"Ah, don't worry about it, buddy." Nick said, smiling, "Let's at least try to talk with some of the people here. After all, we've all received the same invitation."

"I...I guess."

Soon afterwards, their tea arrived at their table. As they took a drink, they looked around, trying to see who they would talk to first.