Ami Mizuno/ Sailor Mercury 

For once in her life, Ami completely ignored the small voice in the back of her head telling her how bad of an idea this was, and grabbed the second glass of champagne. She'd have at least hesitated under normal circumstances, but being inebriated by the love potion and the small amount of alcohol she had already ingested was definitely skewing her sense of reason. 

Determined to prove her resolve, Ami completely finished the second drink Viluy handed her. She attempted to look serious as she set the glass down, only to falter and start giggling to herself moments later.

"I do feel a little better now..." she said, after covering her mouth long enough to stop laughing.

Well, love certainly seemed to be in the air at this party. So did strange antics. Were those people actually playing Twister? An unusual game to bring to a fete of this caliber. Yuuen was tempted to join; his career involved a lot of dancing and gymnastics that kept him flexible. But perhaps not; he had to be on good behavior just in case of random paparazzi sneaking about.

He picked up a cup of punch and had a sip as he looked for someone to ask to dance. He hoped the band would play a waltz; waltzes were something just about anyone could do.

Oh, hello; there was a rather ravishing young lady over there, with masses of hair like the waves of the ocean, dressed in red and resembling an anemone, both the flower and the sea animal. She was intriguing. Curious, Yuuen finished half the punch as he strolled up to Thalassa. "Excuse me."

Zena was about to answer Astra's question, but she and Stephanie had disappeared to get something to drink. Zena followed the others to get something to drink, wondering if she had made the right decision to come to this ball. Her heart longed to run away, to return back to her home planet. She wanted to return to Felix, but knew he would not be happy if she came back so suddenly. She was on a mission, she wasn't sure for what exactly, but he had asked her to come so she did.

Zena grabbed a glass of the pink drink and took a sip. She made her way to a wall. She propped her body against the wall. She continued to drink her beverage. She felt funny, but wasn't sure what was going on. She watched as the others conversed with each other and appeared to look happy and she wondered why she couldn't be like them, have someone to talk to, have someone to make her smile.  She devoured the rest of her drink and slammed the glass down.  Her lip formed into a pout as she wondered if all this lovey dove stuff was even real.


But then something washed over Zena like a tidal wave. She saw the man in a grey suit. (Jasper Franklin) She felt compelled, no that wasn't right, she felt willed to go to him. It was like a force stronger than herself that led her to walk to him.

Suddenly, she felt very shy. She brushed a strand of her raven locks behind her ear as she spoke. "hi there, I couldn't help but notice you standing here alone, would it be alright if I stood here with you for awhile?" she asked feeling slightly embarrassed.

Thalassa was observing Shadow with an amused air. The last time she had seen him was perhaps on Leviathan. It was interesting how he looked with his hair flat rather than floating in water, and the fact he no longer had gills on his neck. It had made for a fairly nice look. She sipped more of the champagne as she conversed with him, until someone spoke to her. She turned her head and looked.

It seemed it was a man talking to her, with multiple colored hair. She gave a slight blink then a light smile. “Hello.” She said with politeness and some friendliness. She saw from the corner of her eye that now Shadow had also been approached by someone else.

"Would you like to dance?" Yuuen asked the anemone maiden, getting right to the point. Words were his art medium half the time; he didn't like abusing them by being indirect.

She was mildly surprised he just outright asked her to dance without an introduction. It didn't seem Shadow would particularly miss her with his new company. But she didn't really see any reason to refuse, except for one. “I would not mind...except....” She held up her bare hand, showing the blue skin tone. “I'm afraid I am what you would call...cold blooded? From what I've seen of Earth dancing, we would have to touch, and you would not like to be in contact with me for any period of time.” She looked vaguely apologetic. Perhaps she should have worn gloves to this event.

"That's fine by me," Yuuen said, and half sang "'The cold doesn't bother me anyway,'" in a pleasant lyric tenor. He gave her a warm, inviting smile, setting his still half-full cup on a passing server's tray, then put his left hand behind his back and held out his right as he bowed. "You don't need to concern yourself with my comfort, Lady-?" He broke off questioningly, making eye contact.

Kira perked up when she saw two familiar figures that were hard to miss, especially Enya’s hulking armored figure. She shook her head in amusement, almost laughing to herself. Never change, Enya.

Her eyes slid over to Achelois, who in contrast looked beautiful in her elegant dress. As the two made their way towards her, Kira waved at them and grinned, bringing her own glass to her lips.

Thalassa looked a little doubtful until the man half sung, and she looked as if she had been struck by lightning for a moment. She hadn't expected a human of all creatures to sing speak, and he had a good voice. She was rather impressed. And he seemed to employ a more regal manner as he bowed and offered a hand to her and asked for her name.

“T-...Thalassa of Amatheia. And you are?” She half sang back, her voice clear and cold and inhumanly beautiful. A smile spread out over her lips and she hesitated a moment before she laid her hand in his, wincing at the heat of his palm as her icy fingers brushed over it.

Sweet Benzaiten's bustline, she had NOT been kidding about the chill. Yuuen's eyes widened significantly, and it took all his acting skills to not show more reaction than that. They failed him when Thalassa sang back to him, and he grinned in absolute delight. So there really was someone else musical here! "Tachibana Yuuen of Earth," he replied, curling his fingers over the woman's hand to draw her toward the other dancers. "It's truly a pleasure to meet you. I've never had a chance to tour on Amatheia; what is it like?"

She saw his eyes widened, and her own silvery eyes darkened with worry. She almost pulled her hand away before she saw him breaking out into a full grin. And then his hand was closing over hers, and again the unpleasant sensation of high heat, but it seemed he was not letting himself be bothered by her cold. So it was only right she not show how bothered she was by the heat. She smiled softly as he said his name and led her to the dance floor, questioning about her planet.

She let out a soft laugh. “I am not surprised. It is a water planet, and very cold, my natural climate. It is not a place those of Earth or many other planets can survive in. And we have different form. You see this is not my natural state. When I am in water, I have a tail. I have heard others liken it to...what is the word? Ah, mermaid. Though I am a siren species.”

How Zoisite had talked him into attending a party Nephrite could not exactly recall. The man had a way to wheedle you into doing just about anything, just not to hear him whine. He had even promised to report back on a certain blue haired senshi in excruciating detail. He grimaced at the thought of having to relive each moment over again later.

It was not all bad though. Although stuffy parties were not particularly his cup of tea, spending an evening amongst beautifully clad ladies was not such a terrible waste of the evening. That, at least, made him smile slightly.

Perhaps it was just old habit, but he initially kept to the outskirt of the room, leaning casually against a wall and taking stock of the partygoers in the way he would on a security detail. Doing his best to blend in to the surroundings even in his dress suit, his eyes roamed amongst the growing crowd. A servant poured him a glass of punch which he sipped contentedly, perfectly satisfied to be a wallflower for the moment.

And then suddenly he wasn't a wallflower. A hand on his shoulder made him realize he had been spotted. A pretty raven haired woman in a yellow dress blushed from head to toe and was looking at him in a strange way.

Come to think of it he felt a bit strange himself. He smiled and reached out to take her hand in greeting when someone caught his eye and the whole party seemed suddenly warmer and more colorful. Or maybe it was just the beautiful shimmer of her multi-colored hair. She seemed the life of the party, the most exquisite woman he had ever seen.

Disengaging with the raven haired woman with a polite smile and nod, he pushed off from the wall and strode confidently to his target. "Good evening. I didn't know such a bright star was going to descend to the party tonight. May I ask your name?" She was even more lovely in person.

A siren? That explained a lot; the voice, the chill, the loveliness. Yuuen was fascinated. "Will you lure me to my certain doom like the myths say?" he teased gently as they reached the dance floor and he took the appropriate stance for classic ballroom style.

She gave him a somewhat blank look as he made the joke and it passed over her head. In fact, she looked somewhat disturbed as she thought it over. She imitated him, and took the stance he did for dancing once they had reached the dance floor. Males on Earth generally led the dance from what she had learned in her researching on Valentine's Day. She hoped she wouldn't be too amateurish in her first attempt. “Is that what sirens on Earth do?” she asked with something approaching distress.

"If they weren't busy seducing men instead," Yuuen said casually with a tone that indicated he would not mind in the least if Thalassa took that route with him, and began to lead the way in a simple but striking routine that matched the beat of the gentle and refined music.

Seducing men? Sirens with human men? She hadn't really considered such a concept, though the thought now made the blood rush to her cheeks, giving her a dark blue blush. “I can assure you, I am no such siren.” She said before he began leading the dance. She blinked in a little surprise. He made it seem so effortless, and she could imagine from outside eyes, it would seem she was a skilled dancer, her ribboned hair swirling around her from her movements as it trailed on the floor behind her, yet he seemed to be able to avoid stepping on it.

She relaxed a little, her worries about making a mistake fading less and less the more they danced to the music, and she began to smile a bit more. And she was getting a little more used to his heat. Or was he getting colder because of the prolonged contact? As she relaxed, she began humming by habit, matching the tune of the string quartet and weaving her melody with theirs.

This was just too perfect. She really seemed to be enjoying herself, if the humming was any indication. And she truly had such a mellifluous voice, too. Without really thinking about it, Yuuen started humming with Thalassa, matching her tone and rhythm as they danced.

This party was turning out even better than expected.

She was mildly surprised when he began humming as well, and she realized she actually was humming herself. She never could realize when she was doing that and she smiled softly to herself. As she did a light twirl, she looked at him with something approaching mischievousness. And as they continued to dance, she began to sing aloud albeit a bit softly, not wanting to disturb or attract the attention of the other party goers. They were merely vocalizations that ran with the music, no words as she couldn't really think of any. As she sang, the look in her eyes seemed to show her playful challenging of him.

Thalassa was just getting more attractive by the minute. Captivated by her, Yuuen simply vocalized as well, melding his voice with hers until, sadly, the song ended and he realized he couldn't keep her on the dance floor without looking like a creepy stalker. He could ask for another dance later once he had circulated and mingled as ordered by his manager. Reluctantly, he released Thalassa and bowed. "Thank you for a lovely dance."

It was a mild start when the dance had ended, and the song did as well. She was impressed by Yuuen and his voice, indeed very good for a human. She smiled with something approaching shyness as he bowed. She felt like such a pipling though she couldn't help it. She dipped in a regal courtesy in return. “Yes, thank you. It was wonderful singing with you. We must do it again soon.”

Then she walked away, still feeling the hints of her blush on her cheeks. Now she took the opportunity to drink the red punch Mercury had offered her earlier, her throat mildly dry from the song and dancing. She was pleasantly surprised to find it had bubbles like the champagne did, but with a much sweeter taste spreading over her tongue.

Not wanting to seem strange, she refused to look at the dancefloor where perhaps Yuuen still was, perhaps dancing with someone else. Instead she looked in the opposite direction at the far wall. She saw a brown haired man, and then the woman he was talking to.

The world seemed to begin swirling, and her eyes widened ever so slightly. It seemed like she had run out of breath, and her lungs nor gills would help her. Her heart was fluttering rapidly. She slowly set the cup down, remembering some of the Earthen romance songs she had heard while learning about Valentine's day. She began singing the lines of one a little under her breath in her beautiful voice. “Heart beats fast, colors and promises.” She bit her bottom lip a little, as if afraid to take a step forward. “How to be brave? But watching you stand so calm, all of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.” With those words sung, she began walking firmly towards the long haired man, a look of longing and determination on her blue face.

“One step closer...”

Viluy giggled shortly after Ami's "improved" response. Like Ami, she too quickly shot a hand over her mouth to conceal her sudden fit of laughter; but no hand could conceal the widening smile that crept across her face.

“See? What did I tell you!” she exclaimed almost ardently.

Now that Ami was in the right mood to talk, Viluy could finally try to learn more about her interests, but where to start? Something that they had in common. Something scholarly...

“So... What's your favorite subject?” the Professor's subordinate asked. As she leaned closer to pressure a response from the meek girl, a somewhat appealing idea popped into her mind.

What if I reach out... and touch her?...How would that feel?

For a fleeting moment, Viluy fought against this urge to caress Ami's arm with her slender fingertips. No. It just wasn't logical for her to do such a thing because it wasn't her. She had no feelings for others and she needed to get back to the Professor in preparation for their research! But Ami's eyes!—those limpid pools of deep ocean blue, tempted her thoughts away from research and the Death Buster's mission. In her slight daze Viluy took a moment of silence to stare at the other girl, successfully resisting an emotional response, but ultimately succumbing to the weak irrationalities churning within her tumultuous mind. Without a second thought, Viluy eagerly took up the opportunity to place her left hand gently onto Ami's shoulder as she awaited an answer to her question.

“...Let me guess. Is it chemistry?”

 Ami Mizuno/ Sailor Mercury 

Ami wasn't prepared for the intensity of Viluy's stare as they locked eyes for a moment, and she blushed and looked down at the floor, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. It felt like she was back in middle school again, to her dull annoyance. She thought she'd grown up a bit more, but it seemed that romance simply didn't care how old she was.

"I'm well versed in most of the sciences, though I prefer medical biology..." Ami said, before she started connecting the dots of what was happening to her. The hand on her shoulder, the compliment, getting drinks for her, and that look just now. Was Viluy... hitting on her?

She seemed nice, but... Ami didn't like her back at all. Not like... not like Makoto. As soon as her mind recalled the person she had been trying to forget, she couldn't think about anything else. Why had she let herself become so distracted?

"Ex-excuse me, I have to ... I can't stay here." Ami said, looking around to see where Makoto had gone.

Viluy nodded approvingly of Ami's tastes in academic coursework. “As expected from a top score recipient on the National Exam.” But when the blue-haired girl attempted to cut the conversation short with a jumbled bunch of meaningless excuses, Viluy immediately withdrew her hand to her side and furrowed her brow, almost offended by the girl's sudden change of heart.

“What? Why not? Now what is your problem?” she asked in a raised voice. Although her tone remained unchanged, the hurt was still apparent. They hadn't even had a chance to talk about covalent bonds yet—or anything even remotely stimulating to the left side of the brain for that matter!

“We just started a discussion! You can't leave!” Viluy brought both of her arms forward and tugged insistently at Ami's wrists. She was not about to let Ami escape her company so easily. Not when she still needed to discover the answer to what she found so alluring about her blue-haired "crush."

"OOOOOOH!" he gasped approvingly as the girl he had been speaking with suddenly and rapidly transformed into a very familiar style of outfit. "A SAILOR SOLDIER!"

Oh yes, he definitely needed to get away for a moment and create a Daimon to help with this. The Pure Heart Crystals from those sailor soldiers were always so wonderfully bright. If only they had been able to keep any! To bad they just kept snatching them back and returning them to their rightful owners. What a shame. Such a waste of Death Busters' resources. Speaking of resources...

He still had the laptop pressed closely against him. It was vaguely warm, both leftover heat from the processor and reflected heat from his own person. He longed to gently caress those keys, fingers tripping across the plastic buttons. The screen... what resolution was it? How much could it display? If only he could explore the programs already installed, checking to see what marvelous information could be gathered and modified there. His dark face, only the white rounds of his glasses' lenses and the curve of his red mouth glowing there, peered down at it. There was desire in his glance, but it wasn't possible to communicate that to the casual observer.

"I hope you understand, sweetie pie," he rumbled at it. "But Twister is a very important game."

Professor Tomoe readied the spinner and eyed the room, hoping for additional takers to the game. Who could really resist such a marvelous challenge?!

"You can call me Jasper," the young man offered with a light smile to the woman he recognized to be Sailor Amatheia. While taking a sip from his champagne glass, it immediately became apparent that had forgotten to ask for her name in turn.

Before Jasper could think to raise that query, the presence of another man caught his friend's eyes. Who was he to interfere? This was a party, a place for everyone involved to mingle and have some fun within a lightly romantic atmosphere. While the representative of Amatheia went forth to sate her curiosity, another young lady in a red dress approached him. Her question was innocent enough, and to insist on separation at an otherwise friendly party would just make him look like a twit. 

"No; I wouldn't mind at all." From any other rational point of view, Jasper appeared to looking for something - or someone. Perhaps he was simply trying to make sense of the quirky atmosphere that had crept into the ballroom. His attention shifted towards the man in the labcoat, raising an eyebrow at the implication of the challenge. Tomoe's open Twister invitation was not the source, but it was a contributor.

Jasper spoke in a quieter tone of voice, meant as a quiet confidence towards Zena. "Do you get the feeling something seems out of place here?"

 Sailor Jupiter/Makoto  

Makoto had been ruffled as Viluy passed by, and then Amichan had said... something... before walking off, she was sure of it. She'd have to ask later when she wasn't busy basking in the light of an actual goddess - which she was pretty sure Amina was.

The party was getting pretty full now and she raised her voice a bit to shout over the din. I'll try some of those pick up lines in that book I found at Reichan's house once, she thought.

"Hey! Amina! Do you have any raisins?"

Stephanie *Now sailor splash*

Sailor Splash was real to play some twister when another man came over to her.


"Good evening. I didn't know such a bright star was going to descend to the party tonight. May I ask your name?"


She turned to him smiling and said, "Who me? my name is Stephanie but you can call me Sailor splash. whats your name sweetie?" She asked him as well as waiting for the Twister game to start.

"Uhh, no I don't, sorry." What a weird question to ask. "Why don't you check on Ami-chan, she seemed a little off to me." Excusing herself from her friend, she made her way over to Achelois. 

"It's been a long time, how have you been?" She could see Andromeda and Enya with her as well and nodded in greeting to them.

 Sailor Jupiter/Makoto  


"Oh! But... what about a... date then... oh nevermind," mumbled Makoto as her shining star waltzed off. She felt downright disheartened.


Peering to her left, she saw Ami guzzling down more champagne. That's just what I need. Makoto walked to the beverage table and grabbed a second glass for herself. Behind her, Professor Tomoe was making some kind of racket and she noticed Amichan approaching. She leaned her head on her friend's open shoulder.


"Oh Ami, this party isn't going at all how I'd thought it would..."

“Stephanie”, he said aloud trying out the name for the feel of it and practically purring it in his deep voice. It had a decidedly elegant ring to it. She was clearly a senshi from her outfit, but he had never seen her before. Still even up close her beauty did not diminish in the least.  A return of a friendly greeting gave him courage to go on.
 
“It is an honor to finally meet you Sailor Splash. Where have you been hiding all this time? I am Nephrite at your service.” But if that doesn’t suit you can call me anything you want. flashed through his mind unspoken as he offered her a polite bow, one hand over his chest.
 

Taking in the hubbub around them, he noticed a strange floor covering being rolled out. It had round dots of several different colors spread out evenly over a white background. Wat was the nature of this strange covering? Judging by Sailor Splash’s glances back, she seemed quite interested in this colorful spread. Puzzled, he turned back toward the lovely senshi and asked with an eyebrow raised, “What is that strange sheet they are lying down? Have you seen it before?”