Host:

As night fell around the city, dark and cloudy, a brightness sparkled high above. Within the crystalline walls of the Crystal Palace, a party had begun! And not just any party - it was a special masquerade, full of beautiful dresses, striking tuxedos and bedazzled masks hiding away all secrets.

The vast majority of the room was taken by the dance floor, just as prismatic as the walls themselves. The lights above made the floor shimmer and vivid color bounced from one party-goer to the next. Deep velvet curtains hhad been draped around the open windows and diamond baubles hung from the ceiling.

Against one side of the room was a table filled with bubbling champange and the finest wines, as well as crystal clear water and a variety of juices, though there was no food to be seen at the moment.

Already several people danced together in the center of the room, but the ballroom was not filled to the brim. It seemed this was a more private affair than the balls usually throne at the Palace.

And lucky for you, you have been counted as one of the special guests.

A voice rings out, magically amplified, and it is hard to determine whether the voice is male or female. It seems a mixture of both.

"Welcome to the Masquerade!" It says in greeting. "Please take a few minutes to get acquainted. The main event will start shortly."

Lady Rouge:

Lady Rouge entered the ballroom, impressed with her queen’s choice of decorations. As always, Serenity did not disappoint, and did a fabulous job choosing the lighting, the curtains, and especially the music. Enchanted by the beautiful ballroom, Lady Rouge adjusted her mask and lifted part of her skirt before descending the stairs. She searched the room for someone familiar, wondering if she would succeed at finding her lover, if said lover was even in attendance.

Lady Cerulean:

She giggled to herself, holding the skirts of her pale pink dress in her gloved hands. This was so much fun! To think, she would be hidden amongst everyone, all sneaky and not sticking out at all. She had her hair up in a different style and everything! And she had a codename, just like everyone else. Lady Cerulean. Nothing to do with pink at all.

She was going to do so good at this masquerading thing!

Making her way to the refreshments table, she pouted a little at the lack of food, but she picked up a nice glass of cold apple juice before turning her attention back onto the rest of the party.

Now, what to do first?

Silver:

Silver walked into the ballroom of Crystal Tokyo with a sense of awe, wide violet eyes hidden behind her mask as she looked around. She honestly should be used to the palace by now, but the atmosphere of the party made it feel even grander. And maybe a little overwhelmed...

She looked down at her black and purple dress and smoothed it down, and then took a few tentative steps further in. At least it wasn't crowded and claustrophobic, she noted, relaxing. But Silver still wasn't comfortable on the dance floor, at least not alone. If she had to follow that voice's instructions, she'd rather do so by the table on the side, to not get in anyone's way.

Silver stuck close to the walls as she made her way to the refreshments, and as she went to pick up a glass, she realized that she had been beaten by another guest, someone who was very familiar.

"Chibiusa-chan? Is that you?" she asked.

Kid Fuchsia:

One guest stood out from among the beautifully-attired  (but exclusive) crowd. Not for her choice in dress—it fell in line with the rest of the party. Not a lack of mask—her face was concealed, showing only inquisitive blue eyes. No, it was her unusually diminutive height that set her aside.

Kid Fuchsia peered about at the ballroom, admiring the decor and setting. Her youthful eyes scanned about, looking for some delicious treats. Surely an event as grand as this would not be stingy with the catering...

Lady Cerulean:

Sipping at her juice, Lady Cerulean blinked for a moment before turning towards the younger female who had spoken to her.  "Chibiusa?" She giggled then. "I must be doing a better job at this than I thought. I'm Usagi!"

She took in the dress that the girl wore, and the stature in which she held herself. "Hotaru-chan, right?" She smiled. "I think Chibiusa is around here somewhere, I'm sure she'll be wanting to see you."

Lord Lavender:

"Lord Lavender" strode purposefully down a short set of stairs into the main ballroom, acting as though his familiar black tuxedo and cape were not making him stand out like a sore thumb. She had planned this masquerade in part, he believed, to relive some fond old memories, and he wanted to fit the part for her. He appreciated that some gentlemen of the court had chosen to wear black tuxedos for the occasion; it would make surprising her a little easier.

There was no question about where she would be to begin with; he eyed the refreshment table as he melted into the guests, nodding and making polite conversation as he watched her - there was no mistaking her - and planned a strategy to keep her guessing long enough to sweep her off her feet.

Silver:

"R-really?!" Silver strained to see her better in the dimmed lights, and realized that it actually was Neo Queen Serenity. "Ah, I'm sorry, you really did fool me..." she mumbled, turning slightly red. They did act rather similar though...

Silver nodded at Usagi's guess, still watching her shoes in embarrassment, but she did perk up considerably at the mention of her friend. "Is she? I'll keep an eye out for her then." She wasn't much for parties, but she felt a little more outgoing now that she knew Chibiusa was definitely here. Somewhere.

Lady Rouge:

Rouge’s eye caught a black and purple dress - one that contrasted with the other colors in the room. The short black hair and thin figure told Rouge exactly who the young girl was, and so with a smile, Rouge approached.

“Hello, dear,” Rouge said, wrapping her arms around Silver’s shoulders from behind. “You picked a lovely gown.”

Lady Cerulean:

"That's okay Hotaru-chan," Lady Cerulean said with another smile. "I'm happy I was able to fool someone!" She paused, about to continue, as a particular man entering the ballroom caught her attention. He was rather handome, in his tailored suit and mask. But no! She shouldn't think that. Think of Mamo-chan!

Where was Mamo-chan, anyway? He should have been here by now.

With one last glance at the striking man, she turned her attention back onto Hotaru, who had been greeted by another woman in a beautiful teal dress. She smiled at the newcomer, though felt a little confused by the closeness displayed. This must have been someone that Hotaru knew. But who?

"Hello," she said in greeting, smile bright on her lips. "Make sure to try the apple juice, it's really good."

Ruby:

Ruby slowly made her way into the beautiful decorated ballroom and looked around. She has been in this room quite often, but never before had it been that beautiful.

As she made her way through the crowd she looked for somebody she could recognize, but
this was easier said than done. Every face she looked at was covered by a mask. “Silly me”, she thought to herself, “This is a masquerade ball after all.”

She walked towards the refreshments, still looking for someone she would recognize. As she reached the table she eventually gave up. The excitement she had at first has turned into frustration. She was happy that she could see everyone again, but now she wasn’t able to find anyone.  “How I know my mother she will come to snack something eventually. I’ll just have to wait”, Ruby thought to herself before sitting down at a chair near the refreshment table.

Lady Rouge:

Rouge released Hotaru from her embrace and smiled at the other woman. Her blonde hair was up, and the blue eyes shown through the mask didn’t give much away either. This could be Minako, or Usagi, or some other random partygoer.

But the juice - the juice was a dead giveaway.

Rouge curtsied elegantly, holding her skirt between her fingertips. “Your highness, a pleasure to see you again,” she said.

Lady Cerulean:

Squinting at the beautiful lady, Usagi -- I mean, Lady Cerulean -- wondered who this woman was, but she had no idea. She held back a pout, and consoled herself with another sip of her juice. "Nice to see you again too," she replied, even as she tried to puzzle together who this person could be.

Silver:

Silver nearly squeaked in surprise when Rouge approached her so suddenly, but her brain caught up, and she recognized the voice and the arms wrapped around her.

"You scared me..." she said, pouting a bit. She wasn't really mad though. Her eyes fell on someone who had sat at a nearby table, and as she was let go of, she took a few hesitant steps towards Ruby.

"Are you.. waiting for someone?" she asked, not quite so confident after her first wrong guess.

Host:

A bell rang above all else, catching all of the party-goers attention. Silence fell as the voice who had greeted them at the beginning began to speak once more.

"It is time for our main event! And with that, a change of decor is in order. Nobody panic, it is nothing dangerous!"

The ballroom went dark, but a moment later, the lights were back. However, the room was no longer the same. Gone were the festive decorations and the glittering lights. Now the party-goers stood in a rather empty chamber room. It was obvious from the crystalline walls that they were still within the Crystal Palace, but where? The only door lay straight ahead.

And in front of that door, stood a woman with a cloak hiding her face. She spoke, "Welcome to the Treasure Room! I will be your Host for this evening." Her voice is similar to the one that rang out so clearly back in the ballroom. "Within, you will find some of the most prized of possessions to that of our dear Neo Queen Serenity. But it will not be an easy task to reach those coveted treasures. Beyond this door will be a series of tasks you will have to complete if you wish to leave with the treasure in tow."

The Host bowed before moving to the side, freeing access to the door behind her. "Good luck."

Kid Fuchsia:

The shortest among them tilted her head as the voice spoke, small fingers juuuust reaching for a decorated cupcake. But before she could reach it, the treat was gone along with the rest of the setting.

Kid Fuchsia blinked and looked around in confusion, unsure what the dramatic change might signal. She could only think of one appropriate comment on the matter.

"Chibi??"

Lady Cerulean:

As the lights went dark, Lady Cerulean jumped, dropping her glass of juice in the process. Her heart still raced as the lights came back on. She had known surprises were in store for them with this masquerade - that was what she had wanted, after all! But she didn't know that her own belongings would be taken in the process! What if they never got them back?

Lady Rouge:

Rouge laughed softly to herself, wondering if Hotaru recognized her. Deciding to put the thought away for later, Rouge turned her attention to the cloaked woman. It was amazing how the room had changed to quickly, and with it the atmosphere. Rouge’s competitive side made itself known, and she was eager to see these beautiful treasures. But she would need a partner, and she had her eye on someone who would fit admirably.

She approached a handsome young man in a ravishing tuxedo, tapping his shoulder lightly. “Care to team up?” she asked, lightly tossing her hair behind her shoulder. “You look to be quite the adventurous one.”

Silver:

Silver looked around as the voice from earlier spoke again, announcing some kind of main event. There was another event beside the party itself? Maybe it was a game or ceremony. Silver didn't gasp when the lights went out, fairly sued to darkness, but she was definitely surprised when the room transformed into an empty one. And who was this cloaked woman? Was she a senshi too?

Whoever she was, she wanted them to enter through the only door left in search of the Queen's treasure. "So is this.. a treasure hunt?"

Kid Fuchsia:

The tot in the bright pink dress assessed the situation for a moment, then scooted closer to the others. No way was she up for this treasure hunt alone. Still, she certainly wasn't passing up a chance for what MIGHT BE CAKE. (After all, there is nothing more precious...)

Lady Cerulean:

Hearing the small child voice, Lady Cerulean set aside her worry for her possessions and looked for the little girl. Finding her wasn't too hard - the vibrant shock of pink was hard to miss - as she approached her with a smile. "Hello there," she said in greeting. "How about we stick together? I could use the help!"

Host:

The Host stood patiently for a moment, before prompting the group. "Does no one wish to venture forward?"

Lord Lavender:

What in the world was going on?

This was supposed to be a party - who was that woman, anyway? He sighed deeply, putting his plans for romance on the backburner as he eyed the door ahead of them with a critical, if done, look. If Usako didn't get all of her stuff back, there would be no living with her --

A voice at his shoulder pulled his attention away from the "game" at hand, and towards a beautiful young lady in an elegant dress; teaming up made sense, considering he had no idea what tasks the woman had in store, but if she wanted the prizes they earned he might run into trouble.

"If you'll have me, sure," he replied, looking from her to the door, "But I'd like first pick of the prizes, if that's all right with you."

Host:

The Host, ever the eavesdropper, spoke. "The prize will not be split. It is for everyone who participates, so you would do best to work together as a whole."

Lady Rouge:

Rouge blinked at the negotiator, surprised at his words, but satisfied nonetheless. It was clear that Haruka had not bothered to attend the ball, so Rouge was free to do as she pleased as…a form of payback.

“I am only interested in winning - the spoils are yours,” she said, winking. Taking his arm, Rouge led the way towards the door, stopping in front of the woman as she spoke.

She looked at the man, whose name she had forgotten to ask. “Oh, that’s a shame. Perhaps we can negotiate once we win, hm?”

Ruby:

The frustration turned into excitement once again for Ruby. This treasure hunt sounded like fun. But had her mother really something to do with this? Ruby couldn’t believe that her mother would give away her stuff. But as she saw someone dropping her glass of juice, she realized that she would be able to ask her right now. “Mama!”, she shouted as her mother ran off to another party guest. “Geez, now I need to run after her”, she whispered before she made his way to her. “Mama, Mama” she shouted once again, “Do you know what is happening?”

Kid Fuchsia:

"Chibi!" she replied to the blonde, as comfortable in the woman's presence as always. After all, there had been dessert from this one before.

Silver:

Silver sighed in relief. Well at least it was a little less competitive than they first thought. Surely if they worked together, they could get Usagi's things back. As long as nothing else unexpected came up.

Kid Fuchsia:

Kid Fuchsia boldly raised her hand to the mysterious host. Together, all of these people would be very useful in her important quest for sweets. She was ready to volunteer them all, regardless of their own intent. After all, she'd done that once before and it all worked out!

Lord Lavender:

He followed Rouge, allowing her to take his arm and praying to god that, if Usako was in attendance, she didn't strike him down where he stood. He liked the evenness of his partner's gait, and her response left him feeling confident in their abilities.

The prize will not be split?

His brow arched as he thought over potential items of hers that would not be split but could be shareable, and he was coming up with nothing. At the woman's question, he nodded, "That sounds agreeable," he replied easily, looking down at her with a slight smile, then looked back to the room ahead. He was ready for this challenge.

Lady Cerulean:

Cerulean's attention was caught to the calls of "Mama", as she definitely knew that voice. "Chibiusa?" The name was out before she could think it over -- so much for secret identities! She spotted the familiar head of pink and waved to get the girl's attention. "Don't worry! It's a game!" Cerulean herself was not as convinced by this - she didn't want to lose her things!! She had a lot of very important things! - but she wanted to appear calm.

Lady Rouge:

"Before we enter," Rouge said, "I must ask your name."

Lord Lavender:

Remembering the codename he had to create for the event, he simply replied, "Lord Lavendar, and yours?"

Lady Rouge:

Rouge was surprised by his...feminine color, but deemed it was a good fit for the two of them. "Lady Rouge - a pleasure, my Lord." Rouge and lavender - a good pairing, she decided.

Turned to the woman before the door, Rouge raised an eyebrow. "May we enter?"

Host:

The Host bowed. "By all means, the door is not locked."

Lord Lavender:

Lord Lavendar nodded, and proceeded to lead Lady Rouge through the doorway, the first pair to enter, and looked around to see what challenge they would face.

Host:

The first thing to notice is the great golden chest at the far end of the next room. It is huge and sparkling with jewels and its golden sheen draws the eye. Two large padlocks sit innocently along the rim. The rest of the room is relatively empty save for a few lit lanterns lighting the way, and two doors, one on each opposing ends of the square room.

Kid Fuchsia:

Kid Fuchsia reached up to tug on Cerulean's sleeve, beckoning onward.

Silver:

Silver picked up on someone yelling, and immediately recognized them as Chibiusa. Her eyes quickly found the other girl among the crowd and relaxed, pleased that she really was here. Determined to partner up with her (even though she knew they were all one team), Silver passed the woman she had identified earlier as Michiru and a man in a tuxedo.

"Would you like any accompaniment?" she asked 'Ruby', playing dumb for a moment.

Lady Cerulean:

The tugging on her sleeve was a good draw back to the present. Already others had begun to enter the other room. She couldn't lose! Group effort or not, she needed to get her stuff back!

She smiled down to the little girl, picking her up, and holding her gently on her hip. "Come on! We've got to keep up!" She took the two of them into the next room, following behind the dashing handsome man and the beautiful teal woman.

Lady Rouge:

Rouge felt her heart swell with pride, seeing Hotaru march right past her, ready to accept this challenge. Hotaru had come so far, and it was nice seeing her interacting with others.

But Rouge was determined not to let her adopted child defeat her.

Still holding onto Lavender’s arm, Rouge examined the next room. Memories of an empty cathedral, with its walls concealing hundreds of machine guns, flooded Rouge’s mind, and her hold on Lavender tightened slightly before she relaxed. This was a party put together by the queen, she told herself. There was no danger here.

“We will need a key for the chest,” Rouge said, eyeing the doors on either side. “Where do you suggest we go?”

Ruby:

Ruby turned around after hearing a familiar voice behind her. “Hotaru?”, she asked before hugging her. “I am so happy to see you.”, she said while smiling from one ear to the other, “I would love to have accompaniment!”

Lady Cerulean:

That golden chest drew her attention far more than the doors. The evil golden chest that held all of her secret treasures. What could possibly be in there? Cerulean frowned at its presence, before looking once again at the rest of the group. She was a little nervous to learn what tasks they would have to do.

Lord Lavender:

He hadn't missed her hold tightening on him, and Lavendar looked down to Rouge in quiet surprise: he hadn't expected her to be afraid. She quickly worked past it though, and got her head back in the game; he was thankful for it, as there was nothing obvious by way of a key.

He eyed the lanterns, wondering if they were large enough to conceal keys, before suggesting, "Let's try the chamber to the left," and started walking that way

Silver:

Silver, happy that she had finally been right, hugged her back. "We should catch up with everyone in the next room," she said, before leading the way. Some her her confidence disappeared when all she saw was a chest with two locks, and then two more doors. Would the group have to split up already?

"Do you want to try the door on the right?" she asked Ruby, seeing the tuxedo wearing man lead Michiru off to the left.

Lady Rouge:

She nodded, swallowing the foul taste in her mouth as they neared the left door. This man…his presence was so alike with Haruka’s that she found herself forgetting that it wasn’t Haruka, but a stranger, she was partnered with. She would have to stop letting her guard down, at least until this scavenger hunt of sorts was over.

Rouge placed her hand on the door’s handle and tried to open it, hoping it wasn’t locked.

Ruby:

Ruby looked at Hotaru and smiled. “I’m sure the door on the right will hold all the treasure.” She took her friend by the hand and pulled her towards the door, before stopping in front of it. She then placed her hand on the handle. “Shall we go?”

Silver:

Silver nodded and placed her hand on the door as well. "Of course," she said.

Lady Cerulean:

Cerulean felt torn. Which way did she go? With the gorgeous man or with Hotaru-chan and Chibiusa? Finally, she decided sticking with Chibiusa would be better. The man and woman both seemed rather close, and she didn't want to intrude. It made her miss Mamo-chan too much, anyway. Stepping up to the younger girls, Cerulean smiled. "Can we join you, too?"

Host:

Door on the Left:

Glowing colors catch in the dim light of this room. Roman Numerals are etched into the wall, pulsing with their own rainbow lights. Nothing else is in the room except for this.

As the two enter, a voice rings out.

"You can find me on a face;
Frequently I'm in a vase.
I'm precise by definition,
Yet to one man I am different."

Door to the Right:

It is warm in this room, far warmer than the other was. A voice rings out here as well.

"The higher I climb,
More heat I engage,
I cannot escape my crystal cage.
What am I?"

Lady Rouge:

Rouge resisted the urge to sigh at the riddle. While the room itself was quite beautiful, the riddle ruined her excitement. While a wise woman, Rouge wasn’t keen on impractical riddles.

Silver:

The second they entered the new room, Silver felt uncomfortable, even in her more open dress. She supposed her color choice wasn't helping much... "This must be the first task..." she said. But what could this riddle be referring to? "But what could be stuck in a crystal cage?"

Lady Cerulean:

Uncertain if she was invited or not, Cerulean simply walked into the room anyway, adjusting her hold on the little toddler in her arms. Riddles?? Really? This was what was keeping her from her treasures? Usagi had to fight off another pout.

She was doomed.

Lord Lavender:

Lord Lavendar considered the riddle carefully. "The face could be a clock face," he thought aloud, "And roman numeral 4 was changed for clock faces based on one man - King Louis XIV; but I'm not sure how it would fit with the other two clues."

Ruby:

Ruby grinned and slowly turned around to her mother. “You know all the answers to this game right? This should be easy” The excitement in her grew more and more, since she was sure that they’d be the ones to find her mother’s treasures.

Kid Fuchsia:

Kid Fuchsia fanned herself in the uncomfortable warmth. What in the blazes was this?! Cake would MELT in here! What temperature was it even?

Silver:

The higher I climb,
More heat I engage,
I cannot escape my crystal cage.
What am I?

Silver's eyes closed in thought, even as she heard Chibiusa ask her mother for the answers. She had a feeling Usagi may have no idea either, considering how surprised she seemed earlier. "Maybe... a thermometer?"

Lady Rouge:

Turning to her partner, Rouge was surprised by his intelligence. That would explain the roman numerals around the room. “Good thinking,” she complimented. “Perhaps it has to do with the colors of the room, as well?"

Lord Lavender:

"The colors," he repeated, and looked at the roman numerals to see whether each had a certain color, or if the colors flashed randomly.

Lady Cerulean:

Chibiusa thinking she had the answers made Usagi laugh. She was about to give her daughter all the exact reasons how she was so very wrong in this instance, but before she could, Hotaru-chan gave a guess. Well, it certainly sounded good.

Host:

The Host appeared suddenly in front of Silver. "Not quite," she said in answer.

Lady Rouge:

“The number four…perhaps…it has something to do with Jupiter or the four sign? Silly guess, I know, but I’m not too good at these types of puzzles,” Rouge said.

Host:

A bell rang, and a flash from within the treasure room sparkled against the crystal walls. A newcomer had appeared!

Silver:

Silver looked disappointed with herself, but then she gasped as another answer came to her. "Is it the mercury?"

Lady Rouge:

Rouge felt like smacking herself in the face. If she was right, she would never be able to get over her stupidity. The answer was practically her name!

Clearing her throat, nervously Rouge called, “Is it a rose?”

Host:

The Host's face was covered, but there was amusement in her voice as she replied to Silver yet again. "Correct." As the words were spoken, the heat in the room suddenly dropped to a normal temperature, and a small flash occurred on the floor. Laying there was a small puzzle. "This is the last task for this room. I need at least one of you to finish it in order to obtain what the picture contains."

http://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=399a7315c6ce&authkey=cbd995728372179f4d8ac9aab40cbf06

And then in the other room, the Host appeared. "No, it is not a rose," she replied.

Lord Lavender:

Lavendar looked to Rouge, awaiting the voice's response; had he been too fixated in thinking the answers lie in the roman numerals on the wall? But the response came, and he settled back into thinking about numbers. Which number is frequently found in a vase? or In the making of vases? ...Which is precise by definition?

Silver:

Silver couldn't help but smile when she heard she had been right. She was helping! Now all that was left was a physical jigsaw puzzle.

Lady Rouge:

Rouge rolled her eyes. “It must have something to do with them! Rosy cheeks, roses are in vases, and from what I’ve heard from one particular superhero…they’re precise and he values them.” Rouge only liked playing with rose petals - not learning about them - and she was starting to get a headache.

Kid Fuchsia:

Kid Fuchsia cheered when the heat dissipated. "Chibi! "

Her attention turned to the puzzle, eyes glimmering to see a toy.

Lady Cerulean:

Usagi grinned at Hotaru. "Wow, Hotaru-chan! You're so smart!" She was beginning to feel a whole lot better about this.

Lord Lavender:

One?
He wondered. One was "I" - you could find an eye on a person's face, as well as the face of a clock; one would be precise, and one makes a difference to each of the roman numerals...

Not exactly feeling confident, Mamoru stepped towards the roman numeral I and touched the glyph on the wall. "Maybe One?"

Host:

The Host replied. "Not quite."

Lord Malachite:

Lord Malachite gave almost a squeak when the floor under his feet suddenly changed for a room he didn't remember going, or wishing to go. Teleportation he knew, but random teleportation smelled enemies. Voices soon caught up with him, coming from the two rooms in front of him. He peeked to the left, then the right and upon seeing guests that seemed the height of children - nope nope nope nope nope, he chose the left one and entered.

Lord Lavender:

"Time?" he tried again immediately, not seeing how the second clue would fit but trying nonetheless.

Lady Rouge:

Rouge groaned, desperate now. “One rose?”

Host:

The Host shook her head. "You are getting colder now, I'm afraid."

Ruby:

Ruby  jumped up and down "You are so smart Hotaru-chan", she praised her friend. "I think the honor of finishing the puzzle should be up to you! Without you we would never be this far already" She could already smell the victory of her group.

Lord Lavender:

He looked back as another entered, and repeated the riddle to him - the man seemed familiar. "There's a riddle to solve, I think the answer could be a roman numeral? The riddle was:
"You can find me on a face;
Frequently I'm in a vase.
I'm precise by definition,
Yet to one man I am different."
"Any ideas?" he asked.

Lady Rouge:

Just barely reserving her ladylike appearance by resisting the urge to curse, Rouge decided to give her original thought. “Lips.”

It made zero sense, but they had probably already lost, anyway.

Silver:

Silver blushed at the compliments, and she couldn't refuse a request after that. "I'll... I'll do my best!" she said, before she began moving pieces around. Puzzles like these weren't new to her, considering how many she did in her childhood...s. Even when she hadn't been chronically ill, she had liked them.

Lady Rouge:

“For goodness’ sake, please help us,” Rouge said to the newcomer.

Lord Malachite:

He entered more into the room at the word riddle, coming closer to them both.  "What were your original thoughts so I don't repeat the same?" He asked in a small but amused voice. "What could be the face? Did you thought about time already?"

Host:

The Host shook her head again. "Lips is a very good guess, but it is not the answer." She paused. "The answer is more of an abstract idea."

Lord Lavender:

"I had just suggested "time" and was turned down; we tried "one", and "roses" and "lips"."

He went back to his original thoughts by stepping three over and touching the glyph demarking "IV". "And now four, for Louis XIV."

But even as he touched 'four', he started chewing on the new hint that it was an abstract idea, and wished he had been making as many speeches these days as he had been back when he wore this getup on a usual basis.

Silver: "I think it's done," Silver said, stepping back from the puzzle. The image had been a key, ironically enough.

Host:

The Host shook her head, "No, I am sorry," she said in reply to Lavender.

Back in the other room, the newly completed puzzle glew golden for a moment, before the picture turned into a real key, glimmering in the dim light.

Lady Rouge:

“For heavens’ sake. We should have just broken the chest open by now,” Rouge said. She was not keen on abstract ideas. Well, all but one.

“Love?"

Lord Malachite:

"In a face, in a vase, precise and yet different... A dozen?" Lord Malachite suggested with a short but elegant shrug of his shoulders, not exactly happy to throw an idea out there. His ego didn't exactly like failures.

Lord Lavender:

Lavendar looked first to Rouge and then to the new arrival and nodded, liking the answer of a "dozen" - a baker's dozen, the twelve on a clock -- he approached the XII numeral and pressed it, just for good measure

Lady Rouge:

Rouge blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice. A dozen times because she was so done with this riddle.

Host:

The numeral glowed beneath Lavendar's touch, and as the glowing died away, a small crevice had taken its place. Within this crevice lay a puzzle.

"Your last task before receiving your prize," the Host added, amusement in her voice.

http://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=36e8955d5287&authkey=cbd995728372179f4d8ac9aab40cbf06

Lord Malachite:

A small smile drew itself under his mask, a hand twirling hair around his finger as he leaned forward to see the puzzle lying there. "Well that's anticlimactic"

Lord Lavender:

Lavendar couldn't help the smile that broke over his face at the man's deadpan delivery. "Thanks for the help," he remarked.

Lady Rouge:

Rouge quickly made work of the puzzle, her brain working overtime, and she finished it in less than two minutes.

https://i.imgur.com/4hgBDYJ.png

Silver:

Silver picked up the key that appeared, as if by some kind of magic, and proudly showed it to the others. "We've got one key now. Let's go back and see if the other group found one." She moved to exit the riddle room.

Lady Cerulean:

The puzzle turning into a key was not something she had expected, but seeing the golden glint made Lady Cerulean's smile broaden. "You're so excellent at this Hotaru-chan!" She was quite pleased with her choice to join this room after all. Smiling at the little toddler in her arms, Cerulean exited the room, following Hotaru.

Host:

Back in the other room, the finished puzzle glowed and shimmered, and then a key lay in its place, glinting innocently in the dim light.

Lady Rouge:

Rouge snatched the key and shoved it into Lavender’s hands. “You have long legs. Run.”

Lord Malachite:

He hummed. "Pleasure, you seemed to need it." He teased gently with a gaze to the other man. He turned his eyes to the puzzle and the woman finishing it, admirative of her response time. "Is this a race?"

Lord Lavender:

Lavendar accepted the key and made a quick salute to Rouge before making a dash towards the exit, "Not really, but there is a prize involved," and if I lose it, I may never hear the end of it.
He got to the door and out to the treasure chest in a ... controlled sprint, and quickly got down on one knee to put the key in the left-hand lock.

Silver:

When they entered the room with the chest in it, it seemed that the other group did find the other key, to Silver's relief. She joined the gentleman by the chest and pushed her own key in on the right side.

She did wonder why he had been moving so quickly though...

Lord Malachite:

He followed in a more elegant 'wtf-is-going-on' walk, entering the room in which he first appeared to find both group apparently had found their keys.

Lady Cerulean:

Entering back into the treasure room, Lady Cerulean took notice of the sprinting handsome man. She admired his spirit, but she quickly looked away. Focus! The keys were going into the golden padlocks now, and she found herself excited to learn what this treasure chest thought would be her most prized possession.

Host:

The left padlock gave a small click to the turn of the key, and the same with the right. The padlocks were now unlocked.

Kid Fuchsia:

Kid Fuchsia held her breath, ready to see the cake revealed.

Lord Malachite:

He stopped at an enough distance to be able to look but not to block the way, and further from the children he could, a strand of hair still tucked around his index while he tried not to show curiosity

Lord Malachite:

He breathed a sigh of relief as the keys turned; now, if he could just convince them to return whatever prized possessions were in this case, he'd be golden.

Lady Cerulean:

A thought occurred to her before the chest was opened. This was HER stuff! Why should she have to share with everyone? Cerulean made her way up towards the chest, ready to defend her right to her own things.

Ruby:

Ruby was filled to the brim with excitement. She smilingly walked behind her mother and looked full of anticipation at the chest which was about to be opened. She could barely withstand the excitement which was growing inside her with every second.

Host:

As the chest was opened, a sweet scent filled the air. Within the chest was...

All of the cutest little cakes and a myriad of deserts a person could ever imagine. Powdered sugar donuts, creamy icing, strawberries dipped in decadent chocolate. The desserts were near endless in their variety.

"This is what I deemed to be one of Neo Queen Serenity's prized possessions. Desserts made by the finest cooks." The Host paused. "You were missing refreshments in your little party, were you not?"

Kid Fuchsia:

"Chibi Chibi!!!" the little one cheered, trying to wriggle from Cerulean's arms.

Lord Lavender:

Mamoru looked into the hoarde of sweets and sighed gratefully. It was just cake.

Silver:

Silver blinked as she took in what was sealed in the golden chest. It was.... a secret stash of desserts? Well that was certainly a prize. She couldn't help but start giggling at how anticlimactic it was.

Kid Fuchsia:

If Kid Fuchsia could have read the King's mind, she may have done her part to make it VERY CLEAR how valuable cake is. Luckily for him, she could not.

Lord Malachite:

He gave a small disappointed sighed, but allowed himself a short chuckle. Well, apparently there was too many sweet stomach in this whole room. But at least they won? His ego could rest.

Lord Lavender:

Carefully he reached into the chest and pulled out a piece of strawberry shortcake, knowing it to be among her favorites, and stood back; they could divvy up everything else, he'd keep this one safe for her.

Lady Cerulean:

Cerulean's eyes widened at the treasure hidden within the chest. It looked so delicious! A wriggling toddler in her arms made Cerulean jump, having been so distracted, before she put the little girl down to enjoy as she wished. She wished she could join her, to just jump in and enjoy herself, but masked or not, she was still Queen. She had to have a LITTLE dignity these days.

Lady Rouge:

Well...she hadn't won...she hadn't lost...and there was cake. Rouge relaxed her tense shoulders and popped a cream puff into her mouth, satisfied with the sweet taste.

Ruby:

Ruby's head sank down slowly. She could have guessed that her mother would set this up. Then she heard Hotaru giggling and started giggling herself.  She then took some cake out of the chest and smiled at Hotaru. "Here Hotaru, you really deserve some. Although the prize might be anticlimactic, you really did great!"

Lady Cerulean:

Cerulean walked over to the chest, keeping her movements controlled despite her excitement. She spotted the most perfect little strawberry shortcake. That one would be her prize! She went to reach for it, but before she could, that masked handsome man took it!

She couldn't help it; she pouted at him. How rude, to take the best strawberry shortcake for himself? Didn't he know who she was?

A second after, she remembered the shimmering mask sitting upon her face. Oh right.

Well perhaps she could settle for the second best shortcake.

Kid Fuchsia:

Kid Fuchsia, now stained with chocolate, felt thoroughly satisfied with the prize offerings.

Host:

The room darkened for a moment, before the lights returned once more. The party-goers had been transported back to their original ballroom - only this time, they had a vast variety of treats to chose from the golden chest.

A moment later, the clock struck midnight.

Lady Cerulean:

Cerulean jumped at the sound, accidentally smooshing her current cake against her cheek. Oh right, this was her time to take hold of the party.

Stepping in front of the crowd, Usagi took off her mask and wiped at her cheek at the same time. "Hello everyone!" She smiled brightly to everyone. "Thank you so much for attending my little masquerade! I hope you had as much fun as I did. Now that it's midnight, it is time to take off our masks!"

Lady Rouge:

Rouge smiled at her queen, nodding her approval before removing her own rouge-colored mask, revealing her identity to her partner and others who didn’t recognize her - Michiru Kaioh.

Kid Fuchsia:

Kid Fuchsia, never moving from the chest of sweets, took one hand of chocolate-smudged fingers and dramatically tossed her mask aside.

"Chibi Chibi!" she declared, so sure that her identity has been well-concealed.

Lord Lavender:

Midnight? Lavendar scowled to himself; the hunt had taken too long; he hadn't found her or swept her off her feet -- but then... She strode forward and removed her mask, and a devious smile came over his face. Who said the party had to end at midnight?

Masks came off all around him, and he was surprised to find that his partner during their little quest has been Michiru; he nodded politely to her, and slipped through the crowd to get closer to his wife.

As he passed a waiter he slipped the cake onto the platter in the man's hands, slipped his mask to the side to show him who it was, and told him the cake was for the Queen, before fitting the mask firmly in place and leaving, waiting in the shadows cast by the moon for her to finish her address.

Lady Rouge:

Michiru smiled at Mamoru, not surprised too much that he was the partner she had chosen. Slightly disappointed to have not gotten to dance with him, Michiru decided it was time for her to leave and find her own beloved. Even though they didn’t dance…Michiru would have quite the story to tell Haruka. It would be a nice payback for Haruka’s refusal to join them all at this lovely gala.

Lady Cerulean:

It was quite nice to watch as everyone revealed who they were - as the masks came off, Usagi was pleased to see that she had guessed quite a few of the guests! She saw that the lovely lady in teal had been Michiru. Of course! That would explain why she had greeted Hotaru-chan like that.

So that meant that the person Michiru had been with must have been Haruka! It made sense, with how they had stayed together, and had gone off to do the left room task together! Usagi felt bad for thinking that Haruka was a man, and a memory from her teenage years came back, of her first meeting with both Michiru and Haruka. Maybe she should apologize.

As she looked to find Haruka in the crowd, she saw that there was still one person who had not taken off their mask. Wasn't that the same person who had been with Michiru?

Nodding to her guests as she passed, a smile on her lips, Usagi made her way to the still masked guest. "Haruka!" she said, wagging her finger at the mask. "You have to take this off now. It's midnight."

Lord Lavender:

Lavendar smiled, and without saying a word, offered his hand for a dance. He'd show her he wasn't Haruka.

Host:

Having returned with the rest of the group, the Host helped herself with a bit of cake. It was slightly unsweetened cake, but full of cinnamon, just the way she liked it. She realized that she still had not revealed her own identity within the party's rules, and pulled back her hood, revealing long dark hair and garnet red eyes. Sailor Pluto had been surprised at the Queen's request, but who was she to deny such a request?

It had taken some time with Ami to work up the mechanics and the magic of it all, but the role as Host had been a lot of fun.

Lady Cerulean:

Usagi was taken aback by the hand being offered to her, and by the fact that Haruka did not answer her. She had been hoping that her first dance in this masquerade would be with Mamo-chan. But... surely he wouldn't object. It wasn't as if Haruka was a stranger after all.

She accepted the offer.

Host:

As the two danced, the other party-goers continued to mingle and eat well-earned cakes.

The festivities continued long into the night.

Host:

The teleportation lights twinkled out, leaving the group tingling and feeling a little out of sorts for a few moments. Walls of crystal sparkled around them, the setting sun casting orange and purple rays upon their bodies. They were at the Crystal Palace, host to the Royal Family. And they were definitely not invited guests.

The teleportation magic that allowed them to enter undetected would only be active for a short while, so they would need to complete their mission as quickly as possible or else they would be stuck.

They had their orders: scope out the castle for any information that would be helpful in future endeavors. It would be this information that would help the planning of future attacks. It was an important mission, though only a few of their clan had been sent out.

As secrecy was of the utmost importance, each of them had altered their appearances and adorned themselves with the clothing of Crystal Palace servants.

Now they just needed to continue forward, get the intel, and get out.

That is, if they can find their way out of the cramped placae they teleported into...

Aluminum Siren

Aluminum Siren glanced around, blinking rapidly to rid herself of the teleportation lights that had burned themselves into her sight. It was dark, and she couldn't move. The only thing she knew at the moment was that she was with her other comrades, and that was that.

The situation could be worse, she supposed, but she would really like to know where she was. It was very difficult to get a feel of her surroundings with no lights on. She could feel small movements around her, and she guessed they had all been teleported into this same small place. Due to the strong smell of cleaning detergent, she assumed it was some sort of supply closet?

Wrinkling her nose against the smell, she called out into the darkness. "Crow-san?" It was her friend/rival she wanted to hear from the most, but it would be impolite to not include the others of their group. So she continued, counting them off on her fingers. "Kaolinite-san? Zoisite-san? Tomoe-san?"

There, that was all of them, wasn't it?

"I think we might be in a closet," she added afterwards. She was quite pleased with her astute helpfulness.

Professor Tomoe

His disguise was IMPECCABLE. There was no way he would be mistaken for his true self. ...Except for the blinding glare of his lenses. Except for the wide gash of a red grin. Except for the laughter.

"Ohhhhh, a closet!!!" the voice boomed. "Excellent!!!"

Lead Crow

“Honestly, I still don’t know how I can call you my partner,” Lead Crow said, pressing a hand to her forehead in frustration. They had only just landed and here was Aluminum Siren blurting out into the darkness all of their names. Regardless of where they are, someone could hear them. “Keep it down, will you?”

Professor Tomoe

He clearly should have heard the redhead's snappy comment, but it didn't seem to register with him.

Lead Crow

Lead Crow sighed. She’s always saddled with buffoons. She figured she’d be the one to lead this whole operation.

“Silence!” she barked.

Having a moment of silence, she listened to her surroundings. There didn’t seem to be any unwanted people around, so she felt around for a doorknob, secured it in her hands, and pushed the door open.

Professor Tomoe

Tomoe's glasses provided mild illumination in the cramped space. His head swiveled around, seeking—as always—his assistant.

Aluminum Siren

Aluminum Siren wasn't sure what all the yelling was about, but she was glad to hear Crow-san's voice amongst everything. Leave it to her to keep people in check!

As the door opened, Siren felt herself fall forward, and the brightness from the crystalline walls and the rays of color made her begin to blink a lot once more.

At least they were outside and out of that strongly odorous place! "You're so clever, Crow-san!" She wasn't certain that it had been Lead Crow who had opened the door, but if anyone would get them moving forward, it'd be her.

Kaolinite

"I hate to admit it but Bird Woman is right about the silence" Kaolinite added before stepping aside for the Professor. "After you, Sir."

Lead Crow

Lead Crow stepped over Aluminum Siren. “For god’s sake, woman, do not call me Crow-san! At least not here! Call me…” Lead Crow pondered over an alias. “Akagi-san”.

She stretched out her hand to Aluminum Siren.

Professor Tomoe

"Welllllll," he drawled, "They say SILENCE IS GOLDEN!!!" The comment as he stepped past was anything but.

Aluminum Siren

Siren took the offered hand and stood up, brushing off her cute servant's dress and pinning up her hair back into a more tidy bun. "Thank you, Cro -- Akagi-san." She smiled before glancing over to Professor Tomoe. "I've heard yelling is impolite here on Earth."

Lead Crow

“Hey Red, can you do something about your boss over there?” Lead Crow asked as she retrieved her hand back from Aluminum Siren.

Kaolinite

"Professor could you please lower your voice just a little bit?", Kaolinite sighed. The fact that a person other than Pharaoh 90 or the Professor tried to give her orders really displeased her. "Kaolinite's the name, Bird Person", she added before stepping out of the closet as well.

Lead Crow

“Do I look like a bird to you? I’ll have you know that I am a very powerful and well respected senshi, thank you very much, Red,” Lead Crow responded. Who’s bright idea was this to have everyone come along on this mission? Surely Lead Crow and Aluminum Siren could’ve taken care of this operation by themselves.

Zoisite

Why in all the kingdom, lands, seas and whatever was he stuck with these lunatics. Zoisite stayed behind a moment, looking at the closet they had appeared in, frustrated beyond frustration. They were ridiculous. With a huff of annoyed exasperation - yes he was going through the synonyms thank you very much - he stepped out of the closet and walked to join them. Amateurs.

Kaolinite

"Well maybe you could wear normal clothes. Where did you even get those?", Kaolinite really started to hate this person. Why did everyone need to come along in the first place? She and the Professor would have managed to do this mission on their own for sure.

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe was delighted to find himself in this palace, and he fully believed he was complying with requests to turn down his vocal volume. Too bad he did not have more than one setting: creepy & loud.

Lead Crow “Thank you for joining us, Pretty Boy,” Lead Crow said to Zoisite. She ignored Kaolinite’s comment and transformed into her magnificent disguise.

Zoisite

He huffed. "You seem to need better company."

Professor Tomoe

"Beautiful fortress!" the Professor admired. "Reminds me of our lovely Tau system!!"

Aluminum Siren

Sensing that things were turning for the worst, Siren glanced between all of her comrades, before saying. "Shall we continue onwards?" She smiled again. "Surely there is more to this palace than this closet." She didn't add that she was hoping they would run into a kitchen next.

Lead Crow

“That’s more like it,” Lead Crow said smiling at Aluminum Siren. “We should get going. And I swear, Freaky Glasses Man, if you do not KEEP QUIET, I will silence you myself!”

Professor Tomoe

"Kaolinite-kun, this seems like a prime location for ...research," he continued, not seeming to notice the outburst.

Tomoe's illuminated grin surveyed the hall as he wandered along, somewhere in the middle of following and leading...it was difficult to tell.

Kaolinite

"If you only dare to move one inch towards him", Kaolinite pointed her staff at Lead Crow trying to threaten her before smilingly turning to the Professor. "Ah a good location for research indeed!"

Lead Crow

Lead Crow groaned. Whatever. They didn’t need these people. “C’mon, Siren. Let’s get going.” She took Aluminum Siren’s hand and lead them down the hallway, past the Professor.

Professor Tomoe

He murmured approvingly at his assistant's confirmation. Yes, unlike the others she could always be relied on.

Zoisite

He made a face, holding a long suffering whine back. At this point Nephrite and Jadeite were almost useful. He followed behind the two weird girls.

Professor Tomoe

Of course, he did not intend to be left behind. The lab-coated professor reminded surprisingly swift as he followed.

Kaolinite

"Do you carry Daimon Eggs with you by any chance?", Kaolinite asked as she follwed the Professor, "We could make them at least a little bit more... bearable"

Host

A woman, also dressed as a servant, came running towards the group before anyone got too far from eachother. "Oh! You! All of you! Please come with me!" Her words came out in a rush, and there was a sort of panicked expression upon her face.

Aluminum Siren

Siren smiled instantly, though she did not appreciate being addressed by a "Oh you", but it would have been incredibly rude not to offer to help. The woman did seem quite distressed, after all. "Okay," Siren said pleasantly.

With her hand still in Lead Crow's, she now lead the others to follow the woman.

Professor Tomoe "Ahhhh, Daimon Eggs!" he mused. "Yes; always!"

The beaker appeared in his hand nearly instantly when he spoke. As a scientist he DID like to be prepared.

Lead Crow “You are literally going to screw everything up! Don’t mess this up, you two!” Lead Crow hissed at the Professor and Kaolinite as they followed the servant.

Zoisite

He looked at the woman asking for them to follow, paranoia making him tense as he tagged along.

Professor Tomoe

The Professor let himself continue after the crowd, the Daimon Eggs gently clinking against the glass.

Host The woman lead them to a new room, the door closed, but loud sounds were clearly audible from behind the door.

She looked to them all. "I'll leave them in your hands now. I've been here all day and I'm done." She looked exhausted. "It's your shift now. Be careful of the one in red: a complete terror."

Without a goodbye, she turned and walked away.

Aluminum Siren

Siren stared after her, a small frown on her face. How rude, to walk away without a proper goodbye. She had always thought people who worked at a palace would be more versed in polite conversation, but she would much rather have been back home. At least there, people knew how to use please and thank you!

Professor Tomoe

A certain red smile perked RIGHT UP at the word "terror."

Lead Crow

Eh? What the hell is this?” Lead Crow wondered, watching the woman walk away from the door they were left at.

Zoisite

What was behind that door? The red one?

Kaolinite

Kaolinite wasn't pleased with the whole situation at all and kept questioning herself why she agreed on this mission in the first place. "Hey blue woman, open the door already so we can get this done.", she shouted at Siren.

Lead Crow

“Don’t you shout at her!” Lead Crow shouted at Kaolinite. “Only I get to shout at her!"

Aluminum Siren

And now she was getting shouted at again! Though as Crow yelled back, all sourness left her. That was her Crow-san! Always quick to yell back at someone whenever possible!

Siren put her hand on the door's handle, though she hesitated, as the sounds coming from behind it gave a small sense of dread - what could be hiding behind this door? Monsters? Did people of Earth do experiments like back home?

She opened the door.

Inside the room, 5 little girls stopped their rowdy playing and stared over at the new victims standing at the doorway.

Lead Crow

“Oh hell no."

Zoisite

He couldn't help the noise of utter desperation that left his throat when they kept shouting and the door finally opened. "What is that."

Kaolinite

"Oh look children. It would be a good time for you to put your bird costume back on", she tried to provoke Lead Crow

Lead Crow

“You might be onto something, Red,” Lead Crow said nodding at her comment.

Professor Tomoe

"Chillldren!!" the Professor exclaimed, walking in with open arms.

Zoisite

Zoisite entered the room, somehow preferring babies to his childish accomplices. "Let's just not stay at the door. It's going to be weird if someone walks this way."

Professor Tomoe

Ah yes, children! The perfect vessels!!

Lead Crow

“What a freak…” Lead Crow murmured as she watched the Professor get excited over these tiny terrors.

Professor Tomoe

Vaguely the human part of him recalled happy memories of playtime with his own daughter. The thought of reliving that now was not without some appeal.

Aluminum Siren

Siren still wasn't entirely certain she was seeing things correctly. This was no experimental room! Just children!

They were certainly cute. Two little blondes, one brunette, one with black hair and one with blue hair. She instantly felt attachment to the blue-haired girl. It was much darker than her own, but she thought it looked lovely.

She walked into the room, though she felt uncertain what to do next.

Kaolinite  

Lead Crow caught Kaolinite off guard. This wasn't a response she had expected. But suddenly the Professor started to step into the room. "Professor stop! Don't try to use them as vessels. Remember our mission!" She ran after the Tomoe.

Professor Tomoe

"So!! Who are you??" he grinned, looking at the little girls one by one.

Zoisite

His eyes fell on the blue haired first, Zoisite tilting his head curiously before observing the other girls.

Professor Tomoe

"Never fear, Kaoli-kun!" he replied. "They can join us! Training starts early!!"

Lead Crow

“Be careful, Siren,” Lead Crow said stepping after the blue-haired woman. She glanced down at the blue hair child. She seemed…cute? Lead Crow guessed. “Try not to be too weird, Freaky Glasses Man,” Lead Crow said tipping her head back to look at the Professor.

Kaolinite  

Seeing the girls made her remember her time with Hotaru. Oh how she hated her. Stupid little brat. She gave so much to her and yet she was unthankful. "Hey Professor look at all those puppets! How about you play... I mean we let the kids play with them instead?"

Lead Crow

Lead Crow straightened up, intrigued by Kaolinite’s suggestion. What was she getting at?

Baby Rei

One little girl, violet eyes narrowed, regarded this overly bold man with suspicion. "Are you a stranger ?" she quizzed. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe replied with an outburst of laughter. "Nonsense, child! I'm the babysitter!!!"

Lead Crow

“Oh good grief…” Lead Crow said, putting a hand to her forehead again. This weirdo professor was worse than Siren and Lead Crow was certain there could be no one worse than Siren. But here he stood, making himself look like a big weirdo.

Baby Minako

A little blonde girl came up to the group. A little red ribbon was in her hair, though the hair it use to hold in place was now knotted and falling in all sorts of disarray. Hearing her friend, she grinned rather pointedly at her, and put on her best smile to the adults. "I'm Minako!"

Lead Crow

Lead Crow turned her attention to the little girl that spoke and sized her up. She looked like trouble. Just look at that hair. Lead Crow couldn’t help but scowl. She tried to hide it behind a smile. “Er…how do you do, little girl.”

Aluminum Siren

Siren felt a little out of her element - she wasn't used to dealing with children. She wasn't sure if she even liked children? They were rather cute though, in their little clothes and with their little faces. It might even be fun to take care of them, for a little while. Though she wasn't sure how this would help them accomplish their goal for this mission. But how could they leave these kids alone? They were so cute and small!

"Hello Minako, pleased to make your acquaintance." She smiled. "Please call me Reiko Aya-san."

Professor Tomoe

He smiled again at the group. If one had introduced herself, it felt right to follow suit. "HELLO GIRL! I am...Emoto!"

Zoisite

He really wanted to hate them, but instead he just sighed soundlessly. Their mission went from serious to stuck in a room with children. "Izo, hi." He said calmer with a fake but appropriate smile.

Lead Crow

He’s screaming at children. Screaming at them. Lead Crow flinched at the constant shouting. “I’m Akagi-san,” Lead Crow added.

Baby Ami

Amongst all the loudness, a small voice spoke up, quiet but firm. "We should be getting ready for bed." The little girl with the blue hair looked around at each of the adults before looking back down at the book in her hands. It was rather thick for such a small child.

Professor Tomoe

"Perhaps instead of bedtime, we should play a game!" Of course, Twister was implied.

Lead Crow

Ah a sensible one suggesting bed time! Wonderful! Lead Crow liked this child. “No, no, they should probably go to bed,” Lead Crow said, horrified at the Professor’s suggestion. Had he gone mad? Lost sight of the mission?!

Baby Minako

"You're pretty cool for a nanny, Emoto!" Minako said, her grinning growing. "I know the perfect game!" She paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "Hide and Seek! We'll hide, you adults seek!"

Zoisite

"If it's bed time you should probably go to bed." He commented after the blue haired one.

Professor Tomoe

At least this blonde one understood the importance of fun. Kept the mind sharp for missions.

Lead Crow

“No, no games! No hide and seek!” Lead Crow said, trying to keep her panic at bay.

Baby Minako

"Hide and Seek! Hide and Seek!" Minako called out in response to hearing the word, 'no'.

Baby Ami

"She just wants to run out of the room and get lost in the castle," the blue haired girl spoke up agian. "She's done it a lot today."

Aluminum Siren

Siren wasn't certain she liked this little Minako as much anymore. Playing games instead of going to bed? That was uncalled for! And now she was yelling too! Her new favorite was definitely the little blue haired girl. Much more sensible, and she obviously had a respect for proper behavior.

"What if we tell you a story instead?" She had no idea what that story would be - did she even know any stories that were suitable for children? - but it was the first thing to come to mind. She definitely did not want to lose these children in such a large place, brats or not.

Lead Crow

“Absolutely NO hide and seek!” Lead Crow said, raising her voice at Minako. She much preferred Siren’s suggestion instead. It’s times like this that made Lead Crow proud to have Siren as her partner. She knew Siren could be sensible. “We are going to tell you a bed time story instead. Sit down. Now.” She barked.

Professor Tomoe

"How many of you want to play hide and seek?"

Lead Crow

Lead Crow scowled at the Professor. “Red, do something!” Lead Crow barked at Kaolinite.

Professor Tomoe

It sounded to him like a great excuse to wander this place... For science!

Kaolinite  

Triggered by Lead Crows sudden outburst, Kaolinite woke up from her daydream about her and the Professor having a nice day at the beach. But there she was again. Back at the Castle with the annoying children she tried to ignore. "Just let them hide you dummy. If we just don't search for them we have taken care of these little pests"

Lead Crow

“Or they could go to sleep and we could carry on with the mission and not have them get in the way,” Lead Crow suggested.

Zoisite

He threw a look at Lead Crow. Very subtle.

Baby Minako

"A mission?" Minako repeated. "I want to go on a mission!"

Professor Tomoe

"Minako-chan?" he asked, crouching down to her level. "Do you know cool places in this palace?" The glasses glowed brighter.

Kaolinite  

"I have put one little brat to sleep often enough to know that it won't be over with this. Are we here to take over the world or to trying to be good paren..." "NOW SHE'S WANTS TO GO WITH US LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE BIRD WOMAN"

Lead Crow

Lead Crow was seconds away from lunging at the Professor. She made a choking motion with her hands at the man.

Zoisite

"How about we say this, instead of arguing in front of them. You lot go with the trouble makers have fun in the castle and those who want to stay for a calmer time before bed, stay and I'll watch over."

Professor Tomoe

"Hide and seek is better somewhere the other adults tell you to keep out of, right?" The voice was a low rumble now, tinged with a hint of amusement.

Lead Crow

“Have you ever told someone no, Red? You don’t have to do what this child says. She’s like a foot tall if that.”

Zoisite

Giving up, he simply sat behind the children, strand of hair around his finger, waiting for them to decide.

Baby Minako Minako's blue eyes sparkled with mischief. "Oh I know _all_ the good places."

But another girl spoke up, the girl with purple eyes. She was frowning at them all. "We're not allowed to leave this room at night." She paused, eyes narrowing. "What kind of babysitters are you?"

Professor Tomoe

"The cool kind."

Kaolinite  

"Do you still don't get it Bird Person?", Kaolinite pulled her closer to her and whispered, "If we play hide and seek with them, we can look around this castle without looking suspicious. Don't you get what the Professor is setting up?"

Professor Tomoe

He was ready to explore. Grumpy ponytail could put the bluebird to bed.

Lead Crow

“I think we’re quite likely to get busted - what kind of nanny allows children to wander all over the castle, huh?” Lead Crow hissed at Kaolinite. Kaolinite had a point but there was a risk still. Children getting in the way. Children running around and getting busted by proper royalty and servants living in the palace, wondering who is meant to be watching them, wondering who let them out of the room...

Kaolinite

"We are the... cool.. ones...", Kaolinite replied, "Do you have any better plan than our genius Professor?"

Lead Crow

“Yes! They can go to bed and they can sleep in here without blowing our cover or getting in the way!” It took all of Lead Crow’s willpower to keep from shouting in Kaolinite’s ear and keep her voice at a whisper.

Aluminum Siren

Siren could tell what the Professor was thinking - and it did feel like it would be a good plan. But she wondered how they would go about such an activity without any guards or other servants finding them. Surely questions would be asked. "We should stay here," Siren added to the argument. "What about... cookies and milk before bed!"

Children were supposed to like things like that right? And who would complain if she took a couple for herself? It was a good compromise for everyone!

Zoisite

Bored out of his mind, Zoisite stole a look at what the little girl was reading, lifting his head when Siren added to the argument. Not bad.

Lead Crow

Lead Crow gave Siren a peck. She was being so sensible and so smart! Cookies and milk! Brilliance! A much better plan than that creepy Professor’s idea! “This is a MUCH better idea - one from a true genius,” Lead Crow kept her eyes on Siren as she said it but spoke to Kaolinite.

Professor Tomoe

The Professor's eyeglasses suddenly flickered in one eye as he looked at Minako. He wouldn't mind having this one "escape" as an excuse to find out where the best locations in this huge palace were.

Although milk and cookies DID sound tempting... Hmmm...

Baby Ami

Noticing the man's presence, the little girl with the blue hair looked up. "Have you read this before?" she asked. She lifted the thick book up so that he could read it. The title was The Iliad.

Zoisite

His attention went from Siren to the little girl in not even a second, unbothered by the rest of his supposed crew. "A long, long time ago." He let out with half a smile. How in the hell could such a little girl read something like... Well... That shouldn't be surprising maybe. "Do you like it?"

Baby Usagi

One tiny charge, pigtailed, briefly opened sleepy blue eyes at the mention of snacks. "Cookies? Where?"

Aluminum Siren

Siren felt quite pleased with herself, and she smiled to Crow in response. She came up with a good plan, and she might get cookies out of the deal.

Professor Tomoe

"Where aaaaaaare cookies in this place?" the booming voice echoed.

Baby Makoto

The little brown haired girl looked up at Lead Crow and furrowed her tiny brow. She clenched her little fist and punched Lead Crow in the leg with powerful force.

Baby Ami

The blue haired girl nodded to the question. "So far. It's not my favorite but I am enjoying it."

Kaolinite  

Kaolinite was impressed by the Professor's ability to adapt. Even though nobody here beside Kaolinite would see the brilliance in this man, he still adapts to every situation with ease. What a hero!

Professor Tomoe

"Ribbon one!" He grinned widely at Minako. "Do you know the location of cookies?!"

Zoisite

He looked up at the noises, grimacing. "Your little friends are enthusiastic..." He commented, hoping Lead Crow wouldn't blow up their cover by hitting the child right back.

Lead Crow

Lead Crow looked down at the brown hair child, eyes wide. “What was that for?!” Lead Crow shouted.

Baby Makoto

The brown haired child glared at Lead Crow. “GIVE US OUR COOKIES AND LET US EXPLORE!”

Baby Minako

Minako, having been watching the whole time, perked up at her brunette friend's actions. She ran over and pushed over the girl with purple eyes. She was about to move to a new victim, but as she was addressed by someone, she paused. "Cookies?" She shook her head. "No one tells me where those are anymore. Not after last week."

Lead Crow

Lead Crow scowled. The children were getting out of control. She had to do something. They had to do something.

Baby Rei

Rei huffed when Minako shoved her. "Stop pushing me!!!"

Lead Crow

Lead Crow picked up Minako and Rei by the back of their shirts and dangled them in the air, apart from one another.

Professor Tomoe

"What about you, sleepyhead?" Tomoe murmured, almost slithering towards Usagi. "Where do they keep the cookies?"

Aluminum Siren

Siren was glad no one had decided to kick her, but she looked at the little girl with the pigtails. Her enthusiasm for cookies was much like her own. "Let's go look, shall we?" If she wanted to protect her own cookies, where would she keep them? Someplace very high up. Ah yes, like that cabinet there. That would work perfectly.

She rummaged through the cabinet. And after a moment, she found her prize. "I have found the cookies!" There was perhaps a bit too much excitement in her own voice, but after all of this, she felt she deserved to be excited about something. "Now, children, please line up nicely if you want to have some."

Professor Tomoe

He wanted to follow up with asking where the central computer was located...but that seemed like something the blue-haired one might know instead.

Lead Crow

“Sheer brilliance,” Lead Crow whispered, nudging Kaolinite in the ribs.

Kaolinite  

"WHY DO YOU KEEP INTERRUPTING MY THINKING PROCESS?"

Lead Crow

“Well it’s obvious you’re not the mastermind here,” Lead Crow continued with an evil grin.

Kaolinite  

"Hey Professor how about we eat some bird tonight?", Kaolinite shouted over to Tomoe.

Lead Crow

Lead Crow laughed. Laughed and laughed with her laughter growing louder and louder. It was true that she felt a bit embarrassed by Siren’s shenanigans but she also felt so proud of Siren’s brilliance. She almost wanted to take the cookie jar and toss the cookies to the children to spite Kaolinite.

Host

A knock came from the door, but before waiting for an answer, the door was opened and in came another person - a new servant. She looked a little apprehensive entering, but she stopped, eyes seeking out first the children and then the adults. "What is going on here? Why are the children not in bed? It's way past their bedtime!"

Kaolinite  

Kaolinite pointed at Lead Crow. "We are so sorry. It is because of this servant. She just wanted to feed the children cookies and play hide and seek with them without any regard to their bedtime."

Lead Crow

Lead Crow straightened up and scowled at Kaolinite. “Nice try! My partner and I,” Lead Crow began, pointing at Siren, “were just giving the children some cookies to enjoy with their bedtime story before we tucked them into bed. This man here,” Lead Crow gestured to the Professor, “is the real nanny that didn’t care for their bedtime. I think some swift discipline is in order!”

Professor Tomoe

This was the perfect time for a classic Tomoe technique: disappearing.

Of course, he made sure to leave a few souvenirs behind. Daimon Egg souvenirs. Somewhere in objects in the room. Just waiting to eventually mature...

Host

The woman looked from Kaolinite and then Lead Crow, and then to Aluminum Siren who had begun to nibble on a cookie during all of the commotion. She shook her head and then she pointed towards the exit. "Out, all of you! I'll take care of this myself."

Baby Minako

Minako giggled, moving to behind the woman and peeking around her legs. "Somebody's in trouuuuble!"

Zoisite

Zoisite sighed. This mission wasn't going well and he doubted it would go any better before long. He slowly rose to his feet, patting the young girl's shoulder. "Keep that up, you're talented." He smiled, if just a bit, then stretched, slowly walking to his partners. Well that had been a waste of his time.

Aluminum Siren

Siren felt insulted to have been ordered out like that - she hadn't done anything but find the cookies. Certainly it didn't matter that she had eaten one before handing them out. There were plenty in the bag, it wasn't as if they would run out! But she obeyed nonetheless, and walked towards the exit.

Kaolinite  

"You totally ruined this, Bird Woman."

Aluminum Siren

As she walked back into the hallway, Siren was surprised by how dark  it had gotten outside. How much time did they even have left? She glanced down at the tiny watch she had decided to add to her disguise and looked at the time.

"We are going to be teleported back soon." She paused. "I think we need to make our way back to the closet we arrived in. We have to go out the way we came or else the magic won't work."

Professor Tomoe

The Professor may have made himself scarce as soon as the legitimate staff arrived, but he was present now.

And carrying... Computer disks????

Zoisite

"Let's not waste time then." He said, not asking about the computer disks, nor Tomoe's sudden presence that almost made him flinch.

Professor Tomoe

The only noise currently coming from the Professor was a faint, undulating giggle.

Aluminum Siren

Siren glanced at the strange Professor. She often found his antics amusing, but she never quite knew what to think about him. A strange man, for sure. She lead the way back to the closet. Siren was not looking forward to going back in there, with its overwhelming scents, but it was the only way to go back home.

She walked inside, and waited for her fellow comrades to join her. Hopefully the teleportation would work quickly so they wouldn't have to be cramped together for too long. Tempers were already boiling.

Professor Tomoe

He brought his spoils with into the dark space. "Come, Kaolinite-kun, our work here is finished for now!!!"

What the heck had he found, and where? They may never actually know.

Zoisite

He entered the closet, wrinkling his nose in uncomfortable contempt, waiting for this thing to bring him... Anywhere but here really

Kaolinite

"Indeed Sir", Kaolinite has cooled her temper down for a little bit and entered the closet as well, wondering where the Professor found all these disks. She admired the brilliant man. Even though everybody else screwed up, he still secured something to use.

Lead Crow

Lead Crow entered the closet and shifted to stand beside her partner. She took he hand and readied herself for departure - glad to be getting away from this joke of a pair professor and red head. They were going to screw everything up. Lead Crow and Siren could take care of this another time without any extra baggage.

Aluminum Siren

The magic began to fill the room, bubbles of lights surrounding the squished group. A tingling sensation pulsed around them, and right before they disappeared back home, Siren hummed to herself and said, "I wonder who those girls will grow up to be. Such brats can't result in anything good."

Host:

It's a lovely spring day in May, with the flowers in bloom and a gentle breeze in the air. A stately white single-family home is bathed in sunlight where it sits on a slight hill, somewhat secluded from the rest of the neighborhood. Within this home live three young women and a small girl... although her age is not really a chronological note anymore. For all intents and purposes, the child appears to be approximately 6 years old. Of course, those she calls "Mama" and "Papa" know the truth.

Conveniently, it is mid-afternoon on this beautiful Sunday... exactly the time listed on invitations that had been circling around.

Have you received one of these? If so, perhaps you should come on up and ring the doorbell...

Hotaru

Hotaru rested her hands on her hips and smiled, surveying the garden table now set... although perhaps not as precisely as Michiru-mama would have done it. There were flowers strewn all about, mostly picked from outside, some with stems so short they were practically just buds. These were not only on the table and patio, but also throughout the house.

She thought it looked quite festive.

Minako

Minako walked up to the doorway taking her time to take in the scenery of the beautiful spring day. She approached the stone steps and sighed. The house that Haruka and Michiru had made paled in comparison to her tiny little abode - but it was to be expected, as they were much older and had family to care for.

She brushed off her clothing and fixed her hair bow, making sure she was in order, as she wouldn't want to show up looking unkempt. She placed her slender finger on the doorbell, and gave it a small push, and waited.

Michiru

The wet paint glistened in the bright sunlight streaming in from the open window behind her. Just another brushstroke, and the current layer would be done. The brush glided across the canvas, melding blues to greens. With a small tilt of her head, Michiru regarded the painting with a critical eye. It was fairly done, but it still needed some work.

There wasn't much to be done now, however, until the layer dried. If she kept working on it, the colors would simply become mud. Michiru set the brush down with great care. It was then she realized it was a little too quiet in the house. Perhaps Haruka and Hotaru were up to something...

Before she could go to investigate, a ring on the doorbell sounded throughout the house. Michiru's eyebrows furrowed, just a bit. They weren't expecting any guests today.

Hotaru

Hotaru's keen ears heard the doorbell, and she giggled to herself. That had to be one of her guests! Hurriedly the little girl rushed inside, making a beeline to open the door.
She pulled the door open, grinning at the blonde standing there.

"Welcome!"

Minako

Minako smiled and kneeled down to Hotaru's level and placed a hand on the girl's head. "Thank you for the invitation Hotaru! I'm so happy I could make it! Minako entered and removed her shoes, placing them in the entryway facing away from the entrance.  She winked and smiled.  "I'm gonna go on ahead to the backyard, is there anything you need me to do?"

Hotaru

At this, the little girl shook her head.

The menu for today was completely prepared. Hotaru had been careful—she had her bags from the nearby Family Mart tucked away in the refrigerator. After all, pre-packaged desserts and some onigiri, along with a lot of beverages, seemed like it would be perfect for a party! She wasn't going to take them all out of the fridge too soon, though—just in case the drinks got too warm.

She remembered that Michiru-mama always strove to be a good hostess.

"Oh! Um, I'll be bringing tea to the garden! Soon!"

Michiru

Michiru made her way down the stairs into the foyer and noticed Hotaru had beaten her to the door. The familiar brightness of blonde hair matched with red bow was unexpected. "Ara," Michiru said, putting on a small smile. "Minako-chan, what a welcome surprise." She heard Hotaru mention tea, not the normal beverage for a six year old girl to worry about, but then, Hotaru wasn't like most children.

Still, it warranted questioning. "Oh? Tea in the garden?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. If Hotaru was planning a tea party, Minako was not the first guest Michiru would have guessed her daughter would choose.

Hotaru

Hotaru froze at the sound of Michiru-mama's voice.

Then she whirled around.

"Oh! Good afternoon!" she squeaked, trying to sound formal and ladylike. "Would you do me the pleasurous honor to join us?"

"In the garden?"

"I'll have tea but not yet."

"Soon."

Minako

Minako looked around. Hotaru had really outdone herself for her age. "I can't even throw a party without getting stuck in the streamers." She placed a small parcel on the table, and sat down, pulling out her lipstick and applying another coat. "I wonder where everyone else is." Minako thought. Surely she couldn't be the only one Hotaru invited.

Michiru

Michiru studied her daughter's face, taking note of the words she'd used. She couldn't quite understand what was going on here, not yet, but she knew that Hotaru was certainly up to something. "The honor would be mine," she answered instead of inquiring further. She stepped closer, arms closed lightly across her chest. "The gardens are beautiful this time of year, after all."

Hotaru

Yay, so far it was all working! The dark-haired child smiled again and gave a low curtsy, gesturing towards the door that led outside.

Minako

Minako heard footsteps approaching and stood up hastily and hid behind a bush. Hotaru did say it was a surprise after all. She just wished she wouldn't have chosen the rose bush.

Michiru

Michiru smiled in return, affectionate despite her curiosity. If this was the way Hotaru wanted it to be, then so be it. She would play her part dutifully. Michiru made her way to the gardens.

Queen Badiane

Scowling, Badiane stared down at her invitation, then up at the secluded house... then back down at the invitation. A "mother's day" party? Child's play. ... which was exactly why she was there, wasn't it?

She more glided than walked forward in her tea-length voluminous sundress—dressing for a tea party was a requirement for admission, or so she had been lead to believe. She had chosen one that flared out at her waist band and had loose short sleeves similar to her favored attire—there was a classy rose and leaf pattern to the top that petered out towards the soft cream skirt and it looked positively posh and summery, and she felt she looked the part enough to pass for a party guest. Still, she did not abandon her headdress and cared not one bit that it stood out ridiculously—and positively loomed on the doorstep as she rang the bell.

Queen Badiane's Attire:

Hotaru

It didn’t take long for the little girl to be seen making her way outside, now carefully carrying a tray that seemed dubiously balanced at best. She took tiny steps, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. After all, this was a real tea set.
She’d answer the door as soon as she set it down. Intact.

Queen Badiane

There was no immediate response.

She'd have to ring... again.

... She did so.

Michiru

The doorbell rang, heralding yet another guest. Usagi, perhaps? Michiru wondered if it would ruin her part in all of this if she were to answer it herself. Seeing Hotaru ever so carefully bring in the teaset with uncertain steps, Michiru made no move to help her. She didn't know what was going on, but this seemed important to the young girl, and to get up and help her would only undermine her determination.

If the set were to fall, she'd simply buy another one anyway.

Minako

Minako hastily jumped out from behind the bush "SUPRISE MICHIRU" She twirled around, in her orange party dress. She was curious as to who was at the door, but for now, Hotaru's wishes were the most important.

Hotaru

She almost lost her grip when the doorbell sounded again, but somehow Hotaru held on. Gingerly she inched it onto the table outside, nearly squishing a flower or two. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she ran towards the door and swung it open.

"Hello!"

Michiru

To say she jumped would have been untrue. No, she simply adjusted her posture a little bit, that was all. The sudden loudness of Minako's voice was a reason for even the most steel hearts to skip a beat. One never truly knew what to expect by her.

Michiru smoothed her expression. "Ara~" Her voice was carefully crafted to be as level as possible. "A surprise for me? Whatever do you mean?"

Queen Badiane

Tilting her head down to stare at the young hostess, a creepy smile spread across Badiane's lips. "Good afternoon." She extended her hand, holding the invitation, "I'm here for the party?"

Hotaru

Hotaru nodded her head vigorously. “Yes! Thank you! Please join the other guests outside; right these ways!”

She bowed and started to lead the way.

Queen Badiane

Her eyes narrowed at the grammatical slip—children and their ridiculous inability to grasp basic language rules. some thought it adorable. it made her sick.—but nevertheless followed dutifully.

Hotaru

Hotaru practically skipped along. She felt like such a grown up! Her guests were arriving and surely the party would be just perfect!

Minako

Minako suddenly got a very odd feeling. Like something wasn't right. Who was this guest? She decided to move closer, and stick her head peeking through the entryway. Stealth. Her calling.

Host

To be continued...

Host:

Little Hotaru’s plan continues, and she has led several guests outside to the garden! The flowers are in bloom and the weather is still lovely. The small host is hard at work bringing snacks and beverages (all assorted items from the local convenience store) from the refrigerator to the table. Feel free to mingle, party guests!

Michiru:

Michiru wasn't one to enjoy the ... delicacies of the convenience store, but Hotaru had gone to all the trouble, and how could she ever disappoint such an innocent face? She reached out, and grabbed the least offensive thing - potato chip, was it? - and place one into her mouth. It was far too salty and didn't taste much like potatoes at all, but she swallowed and then sipped at her drink to wash it down.

Dark Mercury:

"i'm late!! How?? I planned out my route and checked the weather and got up to my alarm... GRRRR!! " Dark Mercury got to the door of the party, "Ok Mercury stay calm...your here to scout as well remember that.." She rang the doorbell..

Hotaru:

The dark-haired child stood on her tiptoes to increase her range, and released another wave of snacks onto the tabletop. This bag included lots of small desserts, each individually-packaged, and most of them Hotaru's favourites. Then she heard the doorbell and whisked away again.

She opened it and spotted a woman with blue hair.

"Welcome to the party!"

Michiru:

Michiru made a note to talk sternly to Haruka about the dietary habits of their daughter. She was being far too influenced by Haruka's own tastes, it seemed.

Minako:

Minako tried her best not to be obvious scanning the food for mushrooms, no matter how much she disliked them, she did't want to hurt Hotaru's feelings. She grabbed an almost unholy ammount of cheese cubes and sat down, popping them into her mouth. She was too busy stuffing her face and looking out for mushrooms to notice the doorbell.

Professor Tomoe:

Looming behind Dark Mercury appeared another figure.

His glasses glinted brightly.

"YESsSSSSSS, A PARTY!" the voice boomed.

Dark Mercury:

Dark Mercury looked down to see a younger girl at the door. "Hello..im sorry im late...things...happened..." She then jumped when someone yelled then turned around, "dont yell like that!!!"

Minako:

Minako could have sworn she heard a booming maniac coming from the house, but she payed it no mind and cracked open a can of pepsi. It was probably one of Haruka's racing buddies.

Michiru:

The doorbell again? Michiru frowned, uncertain what to expect. She heard the remnants of a loud voice, and she was beginning to wonder if she needed something a little stronger than a simple glass of water.

Hotaru:

Hotaru covered her ears at the yelling, blinking up at the man.

Professor Tomoe:

Professor Tomoe's red gash of a mouth widened, and his body seemed to wiggle like jello as he giggled gleefully at the blue-haired woman's reprimand.

Hotaru:

"Please, right this way," the little girl said, ready to lead them into the garden. After all, they were her guests.

Dark Mercury:

Dark Mercury shook her head then smiled to the girl after dropping her shoes at the door and was ready to follow her

Minako:

Footsteps were coming closer to the garden, but Minako wasn't fazed. It was people she knew, most likely after all. Suddenly, her eyes caught a glimpse of a giant red glob. "What on earth is that?!" She stood up. "Did you hire a clown?!"

Professor Tomoe:

Professor Tomoe craned himself around, the neck turning almost a complete 360 degrees, like some kind of strange lab-coated owl. He appraised the fine furnishings of the home as they walked through it. Oh yes, this was VERY nice! This seemed like the perfect kind of place to look for subjects! Or inspiration!

If only his faithful assistant had come with to take notes.

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury followed them in looking around at things and for others

Hotaru:

Hotaru bowed at the door to the garden, leading the others to the patio.

"I have to get more stuff, excuse me. Thank you!" she said before skipping off.

Minako:

Minako stood, mouth agape. Not only was there a mad scientist, again no less! But there was also a Dark Soldier that looked way too real. It couldn't really be Ami, could it? "What did you put in this punch?"

Professor Tomoe:

Ohhhhhhhhh what marvelous roses! He pushed his glasses up, the lenses flaring in the sunlight, yet somehow his head remained entirely cloaked in shadow. The man knelt down near a rosebush, inspecting the bud closely... far too closely.

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury watched the girl skip off then went into the patio. When she got there she saw more people including some she knew already...She walked over to Minako..."Hello its good to see you again"

Queen Badiane:

Badiane, in an even fouler mood for having been shown to a garden but not to a seat by the sweet little child, had found her own way, sat down, and took a sip from tea that was far, far too plain for her tastes. The call for a party drew her attention with a snap, but the voice was nowhere near a child's pitch so she settled down and added another spoonful or five into her tiny teacup and stirred.

Professor Tomoe:

His chuckling into the center of the rose was cut short by a sudden strained yelp. The scientist stood up, cradling his finger. The expression on his face remained vaguely pleasant, with the same wide smile. He was still giggling.

A very annoyed bee buzzed away.

Minako:

"H...h...hi.." Minako said, mouthful of cheese. "What are you wearing? Isn't it a little, dark?" She swallowed and looked around. Just noticing the moron touching the rose bush and the lady in the fabulous dress. She didn't really know what was going on. "Why are these dorkasaurauses here?"

Professor Tomoe:

When he stood back up, he had to adjust the dress. A shame that dresses were the correct attire for these garden parties. They showed off his fine legs, but they weren't quite comfortable. Maybe he shouldn't have borrowed from Kaoli.

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury looked back at minako thinking 'hmm how to do this..hmm' She then spoke back.."Dark? this is what i wear normally Ms. V..and please try to not talk with food in your mouth..im not sure who they are"

Minako:

"Sorry sorry." Minako waved her hand, dismissing her rude behavior. "I feel like... the one in the grand party dress with the hat... is someone I've seen before... maybe in a dream?" She was kind of envious that the dude looked better in a dress than she did, but as they say, don't cry over repackaged milk, or whatever the saying was.

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury smiled back at her and then looked at the interesting man in a dress curious then noticed another woman sitting and having a drink. She walked over, "Hello..i am Dar..Mercury..yes what is your name?"

Queen Badiane:

A cookie? Badiane delicately picked up one of the perfectly-sized crumbly chocolate chip cookies with suspicion, glancing around to see if anyone was watching, and quietly sampled.
"WHAT is THIS?!" she bellowed in betrayal, standing so quickly her chair fell back, "Am I to believe that THIS is the best there is to offer?!" she dramatically spat it into a napkin whisked from the table's edge, "Why, it's simply revolting! Truly sub-par! No wonder the children came so willingly to my castle of sweets, if this were the competition!"

Minako:

"Um... are you alright??" Minako raised an eyebrow to the woman. "Are you feeling okay? Do you need any medicine? I'm a nurse you know." She crossed her arms. Maybe she could be useful here.

Hotaru:

Hotaru reappeared in the doorway just in time to catch the outburst. She stomped to the table, deposited more snacks, puffed out her little cheeks, and put her hands on her hips.

"Those are the Meijin Choco Cookie SUPREME!" she explained, exasperated. "They are the best!"

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury stared at the women who stood up fast right in front of her... "Hey this is a party lady...be nice please.."

Michiru:

Michiru eyed the newcomers, face a mask of politeness—these were Hotaru's personal guests, after all - but she was confused all the same. What was Ami even wearing? She had thought she'd seen the last of Professor Tomoe after she had taken Hotaru safely from his care. And... wasn't that woman a villain they'd defeated a long time ago?

She went to defend her daughter's honor, but was quite proud to see that Hotaru was more than capable of handling that on her own. Instead, Michiru took another sip of her water, watched closely, and wondered how long it would take to have these strange people vacate her home.

Queen Badiane:

She looked as though she had been slapped.

"These?!" she looked from the child to the questionable—and quite tasteless—"cookie" and back again, her brows furrowing deeper as she seemed to consider and make connections... and then, ever so quietly, "Who hurt you in this way? This is no treat! This is a pale imitation of a sweet! Now THIS," she said, reaching dramatically into a clam shell purse that totally didn't just appear out of nowhere and pulled out a delicately crafted, light and crumbly, buttery and delicious perfect pillow of perfection, "is a cookie. This!—" she nodded her head with a vile look towards the half-moon of a wafer on the table, "is some sort of bird food!"

Hotaru:

Hotaru crossed her arms over her chest.

"Haruka-papa likes the Meijin Choco Cookie Supreme and so I do."

Queen Badiane:

She looked repulsed.

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury had a bad mood but this lady took the cake... She walked over grabbing a few of the cookies and going to the little girl, "These sound great...thank you little one.." She then bowed and bit into one...

Hotaru:

The cookie in the woman's hand looked good, of course... but did it count as "taking food from strangers" (which she knew was not okay) if these were Mama and Mama and Papa's friends?

Professor Tomoe:

Professor Tomoe enjoyed how LIVELY the party had become! The labcoated-and-dress-wearing man slunk around the garden, reaching a hand that suddenly seemed on an arm far too long to try one of these highly-rated cookies.

Queen Badiane:

"Who is this "Haruka-papa"?" Badiane asked suspiciously, "They must be taught... a lesson."

Minako:

Minako had snuck behind a bush and pulled out her compact. "Moon power! Turn me into a super sexy nurse to cure these wierdos!" In a flash of light she appeared as a nurse with a giant novelty syringe.

Making her grand entrance, she jumped in front of queen Bat Juice's face and pointed it at her. "How dare you say this young girls' cookies are mediocre!"

Michiru:

The more she stared, the more she remembered. Michiru got up from her chair in a graceful movement. "Ara," she began. "Isn't it impolite to bring food to a party without checking with the host first?"

Haruka:

Amid all the yelling, no one had heard the car door slam, but a tall, slim figure leaned against the gate nearest the garage.

"Oh? A lesson, hmm?" taunted a smooth voice. She tossed her blonde hair.

Setsuna:

Looking out the kitchen window, Setsuna sighed and pressed three fingers to her forehead. She wasn't sure what was going on in the garden, but it certain looked... interesting.

Dark Mercury:

D. mercury looked back seeing what looked like Miss V in different clothes then another person arriving.. "This is very different..."

Michiru:

Michiru glanced at Haruka, eyes quickly glancing from the windswept hair to the expression on her face, and felt that this, at least, was the only welcome surprise so far today. "Welcome home," she said, as if this was a normal thing that happened every day.

Haruka:

Haruka blinked to see Minako in a... rather surprising nurse-themed getup. Not exactly what she expected. Sometimes Usagi's closest friends could be very... unique.

Michiru:

It was surprising that, with their strange life, this wasn't more common a scene.

Haruka:

She returned Michiru's greeting with a wink. "Lovely Sunday afternoon, wouldn't you say?"

Minako:

Minako started laughing and running around. "Hey, you, in the dress with the nice legs, how about a shot!?" She winked, unbeknownst to everyone else, it was pure tequila.

Queen Badiane:

"How dare you think they aren't!" Badiane shot back to the new(?) arrival in white, then turned to the elegant woman with the teal hair, "I did not bring food," she stated sniffily, "I brought sweets."

The new voice drew her attention—so many fans of bland crackers—and she put two and two together, "Did you teach this child that that—that—that sorry excuse for a treat was, in fact, edible?"

Professor Tomoe:

Professor Tomoe positively wriggled with joy at all the events going on at the moment. The cookie was delicious, more guests had arrived, and this nurse was giving him all sorts of ideas related to concepts for a new Daimon! Maybe an improvement for the nuclei injectors?

Minako:

Minako turned to Mercury and asked "Wait, why are we even here again?"

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury took another bite and finished a cookie, "im not a host here lady but can you chill..these nice people asked us to come have a good time...and i'd like too.." She then moved closer...Whispering to the rude women.."Lets plan something together..." D. Mercury didnt notice Minako talking to her as she whispered....

Setsuna:

From the safety of the house, Setsuna pondered whether she needed to intervene. She pondered this while slooooowly sipping some very black coffee. And making sure no one could see her from the garden.

Hotaru:

Hotaru rolled her eyes at Minako's question. She didn't understand the nurse outfit, but maybe changing clothes like this was just something grown-ups did.

"To celebrate!"

Michiru:

Michiru stared, taking a look at the aforementioned treats, then at Hotaru. "I suppose it takes an acquired taste that you may not have," she answered the headdressed woman. Truthfully, it pained her to say it, but say it she did. "That makes more for the rest of us."

Minako:

"OH WELL, IT'S A PARTY!!" She screamed and ran around shooting her syringe into her mouth. She walked over to Michiru, "I'm so happy we could all come to your graduation today."

Haruka:

Haruka chuckled, walking over to place a hand on Hotaru's shoulder. "Of course I did. It's one of our favourites, right kiddo?"

Minako:

"Oh... right, I have to heal that lady. And I want a cookie before she crushes them all..." She walked over there. "Bunny Lampu..." She pointed her syringe. "please don't crush all of them as I want one."

Hotaru:

Hotaru's violet eyes blinked up at Badiane. "It's okay to bring sweets, but can't they be with the other sweets? It's sad to have just one kind."

Queen Badiane:

The blue-haired one spoke like she wanted her to give up her argument over the definition of a baked good, but then came closer to suggest "planning" something together, but Badiane narrowed her eyes and took a step back. She saw that woman eat that air-filled nothing-tasting-offer, and she would not deign to work with someone who did not have good taste. None of these people, apparently, had good taste, quick as they were to support and defend such an unworthy bite. They could keep their "acquired taste," she just honestly felt bad for the child for believing it to be a favorite.

Graduation?

"Graduation? I thought this was—"

The innocent child, so full of sweet, sweet energy. Well, maybe not sweet sweet, if she was filled with that confectionery nightmare. But in due time. She looked down from her full height at the small girl and offered her the buttery deliciousness that was worthy of being called a sweet treat. "They can. They can replace them, even." She patted her bag with her other hand, suggesting there were more where that one came from. "But what is this 'graduation'? I thought this was for 'Mother's Day'?"

Minako:

"I'm not a mom silly, man you do need help." Minako shook her head at the dream stealing succubi. "Wait, are you expecting! Congratulations!"

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury saw the women's reaction...'she will pay later for not joining me' She then looked at the interaction between the women and the little girl... "Ill try one of yours if you would like?"

Hotaru:

Hotaru eyed the snack, then looked over at Michiru-mama, to see if it would be okay.

Setsuna:

Setsuna reluctantly set her empty coffee cup on the counter near the sink, and took a few steps towards the back door. This seemed like some kind of anomaly, but she didn't feel the usual warnings of a disturbance in Space-Time. It would be remiss not to investigate.

Michiru:

Michiru was finding all of these strange occurrences a bit too much to keep up with. "Graduation?" she repeated, looking to the dressed up Minako, thoughts pulled away from treats for the moment. "Expecting?" she let out a small laugh at that. "Ara, wouldn't that be something?"

She noticed Hotaru look at her, seeking permission. Michiru glanced at the headdressed woman, sizing her up. She didn't seem to be attempting to attack anyone just yet. She gave a subtle nod to the small girl, opting to indulge her sweet tooth. She'd keep an extra eye on her though, just in case.

Hotaru:

Hotaru reached up for the cookie Badiane held, giving a slight curtsy. "Thank you, lady."

Haruka:

Haruka withheld her own laughter at the ridiculousness of this scene. She certainly wouldn't have imagined hosting so many... questionable guests. As long as they kept the peace, as much as they were seeming to do so now, she wouldn't have to escort them out. Yet.

Queen Badiane:

She did not understand the blonde in white, and she would not try to. She spoke sweets, and the child accepted the sweet. Her eyes turned eager, waiting for her to taste how a Real Cookie tasted, to see the utter delight as the delicacy melted on her tongue and awakened her tastebuds.

Minako:

Minako looked around. "Oh no!" she fell to the ground, her costume reverting back to her green party dress in a flash of light. Maybe using her compact wasn't such a good idea after all.

Hotaru:

"And yes, Mother's Day!" Hotaru replied, before taking a bite. "I invited Mama and Mama and Papa's friends, you guys, for Mother's Day!"

Queen Badiane:

She nodded, "Good. That was what the invitation said." She motioned vaguely at her dress.

Michiru:

Michiru blinked at that. "Friends?" she repeated. She gave a subtle glance at the assembled party.

Minako:

Minako began talking in her current state. "Someone bring me some good sweets... please pregnant lady, I really need some sugar..."

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury..currently being ignored by the supposed cookie queen turned to the younger girl. "Thank you for inviting us..." She then looked around, "Happy Mothers day!!"

Haruka & Setsuna:

Haruka raised an eyebrow, not even noticing a similar expression Setsuna's face. The forest-haired woman had slipped outside.

Hotaru:

Hotaru nodded happily. "I looked it up and sent invitations all on my self!" And then she took a bite of the cookie, this one so different from the treats Haruka-papa indulged her with at the local 7-Ten.

She giggled. "It's soft! Like a cream puff!"

Queen Badiane:

Badiane truly smiled, the expression transforming her face for one brief, shining moment, as her entire worldview relaxed. Of course they didn't really think those presented sand-circles were good. "Yes, is it not?" she replied, "What else?" she invited. She would teach this girl something.

Michiru:

Michiru looked then, to the other parents in this scenario, wondering if they were any wiser to how all of this came to be. Where, exactly, had Hotaru found names such as these? Minako was a fairly normal invitation to send, but the others? Certainly, Ami looked similar but there was something off about her. And the others...

Minako:

Minako stood up, almost as if nothing had happened. "Of course we're all friends, she walked over to the queen of sweets. "Why don't we try to eat them together? And create an absolutely new treat?" She thought it was a good idea. And she would get to eat more candy.

Setsuna:

Setsuna immediately regretted keeping those notes in the upstairs office.

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury streched an arm around the shoulders of Minako, "that sounds like a soundly great idea"

Minako:

"Minako popped one of the creations in her mouth. She was able to grab one out of Badiane's purse when she wasn't looking. "M...mmmmm this is really good!" She smiled at Dark Mercury. You should try one!

Dark Mercury:

"Yes please..I would like to try one of these cookies but I seem to not be able to gather her attention.." D. Mercury told Minako

Hotaru:

"And... And it's a cookie?" Hotaru offered, unhelpfully.

Minako:

"just take one! I'm sure she won't care if we enjoy it?"

Queen Badiane:

She was approached and immediately soured to the person—how dare they interrupt a child's review of her cookie?!—And motion showed she had STOLEN ONE OUT OF HER PURSE?!

Minako:

Minako could tell that the lady was upset. "We just didn't want to interrupt you...and besides, it's delicious."

Queen Badiane:

BADIANE GREW TO THE HEIGHT OF A TWO-STORY BUILDING IN A BURST OF ENERGY, THE PURSE RISING FAR ABOVE THEIR GRASP. "You would DARE steal from ME?!"

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury tried to follow Minako's moves but got caught and bowed, "Im sorry miss..where are my manners i should have asked" When she looked up she REALLY had to look up, "YOU HAVE to BE KIDDING ME!!!???"

Minako:

"I...I...I'm sorry... we just didn't want to bother you." Tears appeared in her eyes.

Haruka:

Haruka looked at Michiru, her fingers already touching her transformation wand. She didn't want this to escalate any further, but...

Queen Badiane:

"Sorry?!" she boomed, "Sorry?!"

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury reached over patting Minako's shoulder

Minako:

"Don't make me have to hit you with the whip of love!" Minako looked down. "This party is all about love... and I won't let you destroy it."

Dark Mercury:

"uh oh..she is serious!!" D. Mercury backed away a little

Hotaru:

A strange symbol began to glow on Hotaru's forehead...

Queen Badiane:

Badiane was forced back down to human-sized.

Hotaru:

Her violet eyes had seemed strange, almost glowing, as she watched the scene unfold. Now that the lady in the flower dress was no longer as big as the house, she returned her attention to the cookie.

Minako:

"LOVE IS EVERYTHING!" Minako boomed. "I the goddess of love will always protect the love of everyone else!"

Michiru:

Michiru caught Haruka's look, her own hand only a quick motion from being drawn and used. Before she could try to calm the situation, Hotaru's symbol began to glow upon her daughter's forehead and the giant woman shrank to normal size. Michiru stared at her daughter for a moment, but the girl seemed quite content now that she had a cookie to attend to. Michiru's eyes sought Haruka's once more.

Queen Badiane:

Snippily, she retorted, "About love, you say, and yet you stole from me while I was having a moment with this child. And on mother's day. . Hmph." she had no idea what mother's day was for, but she decided at that exact moment it was a day they were supposed to mother the child who had sent out the invitations. That's what it had to be.

Setsuna:

Setsuna felt herself suddenly release a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Haruka:

Haruka met Michiru's gaze. She could only offer a slight shrug.

Minako:

Minako suddenly giggled and ran up to Badiane and gave her a bear hug. "Yes. We love even you."

Queen Badiane:

"DO NOT TOUCH ME!" She boomed

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury even joined the hug

Professor Tomoe:

Professor Tomoe was willing to join in, as well. With pleasure!

He kicked one high-heeled foot back as he did so.

Next time he would definitely not borrow Kaolinite's footwear.

Queen Badiane:

Badiane broke away, looking disgusted, and knelt down to Hotaru's level. "I cannot stay any longer in this company," she said seriously, and gravely handed over her purse. "Sweet child, enjoy these actual cookies, and should ever you wish for more, call for me in your dreams."

She then stood in one fluid motion, huffed, and walked out.

Mother's Day was odd. She did not like it.

Hotaru:

Hotaru blinked, then waved at the departing lady. "Okay! Bye-bye!"

Haruka:

Haruka reached down and took the package of cookies in her own hands. "Let's not call her in dreams, okay, Hotaru-chan?"

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury kinda felt bad being that she partly caused the women to leave..."Bye..."
wait ...no she didnt feel bad

Minako:

Minako was nowhere to be found. Badiane would have a nice surprise when she got home. A stay at home nurse.

Hotaru:

Hotaru looked around, realizing suddenly that a particular blonde was missing. She looked over at Michiru-mama and blinked. "Did we say goodbye to Minako?"

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury was puzzled on where Minako vanished to... "Why is everyone leaving?? I wish to enjoy Mothers day more"

Hotaru:

Hotaru nodded at this. "Me, too! We should enjoy it more!"

Michiru:

Michiru had been caught up in the situation with the giant woman that she hadn't even noticed Minako's departure. "No, I don't believe we did."

Hotaru:

She smiled up at her assembled parents, happy that they were all present. "Happy Mother's Day! You, too, Haruka-papa!"

Michiru:

She hoped she wouldn't find Minako sprawled out on the floor somewhere within the mansion later that night.

Dark Mercury:

She smiled at the young girl, "Yes thats a great idea..what is next for us to do, young one?? do you need help with anything?"

Michiru:

Michiru smiled. "You're becoming such a thoughtful and beautiful lady, Hotaru."

Setsuna:

Setsuna felt glad this holiday only happened once a year. And most of the time she didn't qualify for celebration.

Professor Tomoe:

Professor Tomoe had certainly not left the party. At Dark Mercury's suggestion, his grin widened even more.

"How about... Twister?!" the man suggested, unfurling the mat seemingly out of nowhere.

Dark Mercury:

"Oh your name is Hotaru? such a great name choice mama of Hotaru.." She then saw a weird game being offered, "What is a ...Twister??"

Professor Tomoe:

He spun around so fast the lab coat nearly knocked the table over. The round circles of his lenses shined even more brightly.

"OH?" he cooed, the voice too loud. "The best way to LEARN is to PLAY!"

Hotaru:

Hotaru beamed at Michiru-mama's praise. She crept closer to the aqua-haired woman and beckoned for her to lean down.

Michiru:

Michiru raised an elegantly trimmed eyebrow. She wasn't entirely certain what this Twister was, but she was not much for games, and especially not ones suggested by a man like Tomoe. Luckily, she had someone of a better disposition to put her attention towards. She leaned down closer towards Hotaru.

Hotaru:

The ebony-haired little girl whispered quietly: "Thank you. I love you!"

Professor Tomoe:

Professor Tomoe had the spinner out and ready. Usually one of the Witches did this part, but he was more than capable.

Setsuna:

Setsuna... was not looking forward to Twister at this... rambunctious garden party.

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury went to examine this "twister" and said, "Do you step on all of them??"

Professor Tomoe:

"No!" he exclaimed, slinking around the blue-haired girl, excited that she showed interest. It was, after all, the very best of games. "You must follow the will of the spin!" he declared, giving the cardboard turner a push.

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury watched the spinner spin

Michiru:

Michiru smiled and whispered back, "You're such a sweetheart. You know I love you just the same." She reached out and smoothed out Hotaru's hair, hands light and full of adoration. She leaned back up then, glancing at how the Twister game was going full speed ahead, whether anyone was truly interested or not. "Are you wanting to play Twister, Hotaru?"

Professor Tomoe:

"Right hand, red!" he announced gleefully. Thankfully he had chosen to wear shorts under this skimpy dress. They'd be spared any horror and himself any police charges. "Place your right hand upon any unoccupied red circle!" the Professor instructed.

Dark Mercury:

D. Mercury bent down with her right hand touching a red circle holding it there

Hotaru:

Hotaru watched the man and the girl, and quietly shook her head. She backed closer to Michiru-mama, happy to be close to someone who cared so much for her. "Nuh-uh. I'll watch."

Michiru:

Michiru giggled lightly, watching this strange thing play out before her. "I think that's for the best, honestly."

Haruka & Setsuna:

Haruka stood behind the group, with Setsuna by her side. They all would much rather be spectators than participants, in this case.

Minako:

Minako giggled as she waited in the bathroom for her new friend. "She's gonna get the shock of a lifetime to find I'm here to help!" Best mothers day ever.

Host:

Amid the flurry of activity, they hadn't noticed the sky slowly darkening, but the droplets that fell soon increased to a significant downpour, complete with thunder and lightning. As much as a certain Professor might have preferred to continue the game, the Mother's Day surprise party officially ended when it could no longer remain outdoors. The family dutifully bid their remaining guests farewell, tidied up their patio, and settled in for a cozy evening together. Although it might not have been what anyone expected, they certainly couldn't say it was a *bad* way to celebrate the holiday, especially when surrounded by people you loved.

Host:

A beautiful summer day, the sun shining brightly overhead, graced a particular beach. Normally this beach would have been of little interest, but today was different. Today it was decked out for a party, with beach volleyball nets strung up above the dazzling white sand, a table covered in a variety of finger foods, a small tented stand offering shave ice and ice cream, and a sizzling barbeque smoking away. A variety of upbeat musical tunes swayed in the breeze.

In the middle of it all, a man whose face seemed strangely shrouded in darkness stood in an odd choice of attire—a lab coat, swim trunks, and sandals. He wore an apron that read "STEAL PURE HEART CRYSTALS FOR THE CHEF" and waved a pair of tongs.

His guests would be here any minute now! Let the party begin!

PallaPalla

PallaPalla skipped her way through the empty beach area in order to find the party she'd been promised. From afar, she could see the tall figure of Professor Tomoe, his white lab coat stark against the colorful beach. But she glanced over him quick in favor of something far more interesting.

Ice cream!

Professor Tomoe

"MUWAHAHAHAHA, YES, THE PARTY BEGINS!" the man with the glow glasses boomed, nearly burning his hand when he tested the heat of the grill. Satisfied, he heaped on a pile of burgers and hot dogs.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia had arrived, cursing and taking off her boots every once in a while to shake the sand out. By the time she made it to where the scent of food was wafting, she was a little more then grumpy. A man with glowing glasses announced the party starting with the dumbest excuse for an evil laugh she had ever heard. Galaxia crossed her arms, eyeing him up and down and reading the apron

"Don't tell me you're the party planner" she scoffed

PallaPalla

The loud voice didn't stop the blue girl's intent quest for a big ice cream cone, though she did give a half-hearted wave even as her eyes were glued on that special tent full of treats. Stopping in front of it, she held out her hand "PallaPalla wants an ice cream!" She paused, thoughtful, before adding an extra "please!" to the sentence. To get things, PallaPalla needed to remember her manners. VesVes was always reminding her of that.

Professor Tomoe

"NO, I'M THE HOSTE!" he replied, dissolving into a fit of giggles at his own pun.

Daimon

The mysterious Daimon made from an ice cream machine waited for the child to pick a flavour.

Sailor Galaxia

and great, there was a literal child here who spoke in the third person. And with the fit of giggles the man burst into, she was clearly the most sane here. Galaxia cocked an eyebrow at a creature that looked to be made from...was that ice cream?

"What on earth..?"

Clearly the man did have talent, but it was wasted on him. She'd at least have some form of evil power given to the creature. But no, it seemed to simply give treats to children. Come to think of it, why was a child here, anyways?

PallaPalla

PallaPalla took a moment, weighing each option carefully, a hand on her chin. She stared, careful to pick the perfect flavor. "PallaPalla wants all of them!"

JunJun

Junjun walked into the hot sand and wiggled her toes, stretching. Palla Palla had darted ahead of her, per usual. Her eyes met a strange looking man in a labcoat. Surely he was overheating and suffering from heat stroke because he was acting like a crazy old man. She sighed as her sister asked for all the flavors. Nothing had changed much

Daimon

Daimon "Bear & Jenny" nodded and silently complied.

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe wished he had successfully convinced one of his lab assistants to join him. He couldn't quite reach the cold beverages from his new station at the grill.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia sighed, looking to the green haired girl. "great. another one. Tell me, sir, is this a party for children? Did I reach the wrong spot?"

If so, she'd blow it up. She needed to blow off some steam

PallaPalla

"JunJun!" PallaPalla pointed at her massive treat, excited. "Ice cream!"

Professor Tomoe

"It's a party for AWESOME PEOPLE!" Tomoe replied, flipping a burger and neatly catapulting it into the distance.

JunJun

"I would rather be a child than a worthless old hag like you, queen tacky."

She looked at her sister and sighed "I see it..." she walked over to the drinks looking for something tasty

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia was...admittedly taken aback seeing the burger fly far off the horizon. How did his wimpy human arms manage to hold such strength?

Professor Tomoe

The burger disappeared with a brief glint, almost like a fading star. Hmm, maybe he needed to add a few more to the grill...

Sailor Galaxia

"Please." Galaxia put a hand to her forehead. "I've better things to do with my time then argue with a child." Queen tacky? Very original.

PallaPalla

PallaPalla polished off her ice cream in record time, without any sign of the discomfort of brain freeze. Now that her treat was gone, blue eyes searched for her next victim. "Volleyball! PallaPalla is great at volleyball!" With that declaration, she took off for the volleyball next, scooping up the ball in her hands and twirling it as easily as she had once with her Amazon Stone.

Professor Tomoe

"Maybe you should settle this dispute with... a GAME OF BEACH VOLLEYBALL!" the man suggested to Queen Tacky and Little Girl with Green Hair.

Sailor Galaxia

"Must you scream everything?" Galaxia looked to the food table. "where are the servants? Surely we're not to tend to this ourselves!"

this was going to be a loooong party. unless galaxia ended it, of course.

PallaPalla

"Yes! Volleyball!"

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe's head swiveled around, like that of an owl, not a man. He tilted his head, the circles of his lenses shining even brighter as the red gash of a smile widened.

"Ohhhh I should have created serving Daimon! An oversight on my part. Maybe next time!"

Sailor Galaxia

"Humph." Galaxia crossed her arms, but went for a plate anyway-picking one up and bending it. She stared at the strange man. "You really went for broke, setting all this up, hm?"

It was at this moment galaxia found it would be a waste of her powers to destroy this pitiful display of a party. Paper plates? Seriously?

Professor Tomoe

"No, I broke in!" he clarified, moving some nicely-charred hotdogs to a platter. Despite his apparent... interesting personality, he seemed to be grilling quite well.

PallaPalla

PallaPalla frowned at being ignored, and chucked the ball straight at the woman dressed in gold. "Volleyball!" she repeated once more.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "What, you mean to tell me you STOLE these?" This man was almost pitiful in his astounding stupidity.

Galaxia brushed off the blue haired child's comment with a wave of her hand. "not now. Adults are talking." as soon as the last word left her mouth, the ball smacked her on the back of the head and with a startled gasp she fell face first into the sand

PallaPalla

PallaPalla giggled, clutching at her chest with one hand and pointing at Galaxia with the other.

JunJun

Junjun couldn't believe this woman. Who did she think she was. "Old hag... "she muttered taking a sip of her beverage.

She overheard the crazy man. "How did he break into a beach?" She was annoyed with everyone at this point, really wishing she was still at home in bed like her older sisters.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia pushed herself up, coughing and spitting sand. Face turning red with anger, she swirled around to face the girl. "WHY YOU CHEEKY *spit BRAT! Someone *cough should teach you some manners!" Galaxia grabbed the volleyball and chucked it....only for it to fall just at her feet.

Galaxia was dumbstruck. She picked the ball up again and threw it. This time, it landed a few inches futher, but rolled back and touched the tip of her shoe

PallaPalla

PallaPalla laughed even harder, falling to the sand in a flurry of dust and limbs.

Sailor Galaxia

"NO! THIS CANNOT BE!" Galaxia gasped in dismay as she tried again and again to properly serve the ball. "HOW COULD I, QUEEN GALAXIA, FAIL THIS SIMPLE CHILDS GAME!?"

"THIS BALL IS RIGGED!"

JunJun

JunJun coughed as the sand went in her mouth and eyes. "Be careful!!!"

"Hey old tin woman... you really suck at this."

Kaolinite

Kaolinite couldn't believe that the Professor had just left her behind at the lab like that and went to their Beach Party without her. To his question if she would come with him, she replied that she needed to apply a few layers of sunscreen, expecting him to wait. But as soon as she was done, the Professor was nowhere to be seen. A good 15 minutes later the red haired Witch finally arrived at the Beach.

Sailor Galaxia

"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT!? AAGH!" Galaxia went to kick it, but missed. She landed on her butt in the sand. She glared at the ball, then back to the strange man at the grill. "what curse did you bestow upon it?"

Professor Tomoe

He spotted the red hair across the distance, excitedly waving his arms. Ahhhh, one of his assistants! Marvelous! He had completely forgotten that she had ever agreed to do so or why she had taken so long. His mind had been too preoccupied with thoughts of the marvelous party and all of the many supplies he'd need to acquire for it.

JunJun

"You just suck..." JunJun shook some more sand out of her bikini. "Leave the ball handling to the professionals." She began to toss her green ball up in the air.

PallaPalla

Encouraged by JunJun, PallaPalla summoned her own ball, shining blue in the sun. She considered throwing it at someone as well, but thought better of it. Galaxia was entertaining enough on her own for now.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia sneered. "Well, I've more important things to do with my time then learn to juggle like a bunch of clowns."

Kaolinite

In the distance she could already see the Professor waving at her. What was she thinking? The Professor would never forget about her! But even in this blazing sun he was still wearing a Lab Coat. Even in her dress she felt like she was about to spontaneously combust. After she finally reached everyone, Kaolinite started gasping for air. "Pro..fessor, I thought you were waiting for me."

Professor Tomoe

"There was so much to be done, Kaolinite-kun!" he boomed, arranging a stack of burgers so skillfully it was almost surreal. He deftly swapped tools, scrubbing baked-on grease from the grill top without even looking at it. He kept his face turned towards the Magus, his lenses shining.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia turned and smiled the the direction of the newcomer. "Oh, thank goodness! The help has finally arrived! Tell me-what dish would you recommend?" Galaxia found a lovely beach chair to sit in-after wrestling with it so it wouldn't close on her, that is-and sat expectantly, waiting for food.

PallaPalla

Realizing that volleyball wasn't going to happen, PallaPalla moved to something that seemed more fun. The grill sizzled with heat, and she wished she'd brought her dolls with her to see what would happen when she placed them on that heated surface. Instead, she clutched at her ball and stood next to the Professor, watching the flames.

Kaolinite

Kaolinite's eyes were fixed on the Professor. She didn't want to ignore the woman that just spoke to her, but it was almost like she was in a trance. "I can see, Professor. Why have you never told me that you were such an amazing cook?"

Professor Tomoe

"I've never been taken up on any offers to cook for the lab!" he replied. Of course, that might be because of what he'd demonstrated a few times with a few attempts to "bake" new Daimon. Or it could have something to do with the "coffee" he made in various beakers. No wonder the Witches were uneasy at the thought of taking him up on it.

Sweat beaded on the Professor's forehead, visible somehow despite the shadow that perpetually cloaked him. He stood in the direct sunlight and in front of a roaring flame, and he was wearing a lab coat. He looked past Kaolinite, at the red cooler containing a variety of canned and bottled beverages. They were probably so refreshing...

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia blinked, then waved her hand. "Hello? Servant woman? I request food!"

Kaolinite

For a moment Kaolinite thought the Professor's stare was meant for her, but it didn't take long before she realized that he was eying the cooled beverages behind her. "Oh of course!" Kaolinite exclaimed before getting one and offering it to the Professor with a smile. "For you, Professor."

Professor Tomoe

There would have been tears of gratitude in his eyes, if his eyes weren't so permanently obscured. He accepted the bottle with solemnity born from deep thankfulness.

"Oh Kaolinite-kun, you find such quick solutions to problems! That must be why you are the top-ranking among the other Witches in the Death Busters!" he crowed, popping open the soda and gleefully pouring it into his gaping maw.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia was getting impatient. "Servant woman! Where is the food I requested!" Getting angry, she began to lean foreword off of the chair. DO NOT IGNORE ME-" In that moment, the awkward distribution of weight took it's toll; and the chair snapped up. Galaxia screamed and fell to her side, looking like an awkward turtle with the beach chair clamped onto her back. "GET OFF OF ME! I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

Professor Tomoe

"Ohhhh, some new kind of game?" inquired the Professor, his head turning quickly to observe.

"Is this what the kids are doing these days?" he asked Kaolinite.

PallaPalla

Standing by the Professor's side, a silent shadow, PallaPalla's concentration of the flames was broken at the loud yelling from Galaxia. "PallaPalla wants to play!" she proclaimed, and ran over to get on top of Galaxia's side, pinning her down in her awkward position even more.

Professor Tomoe

There was something... familiar about her motions. Her posture. The way her hands flailed. The way she sought balance.

The glasses glinted yet again!

He knew this game.

The man doused the fires of the grill in an instant. Where did that bucket of water even COME FROM? Surely it hadn't been there the whole time.

"I see it is time!" he bellowed, rushing towards the woman in gold and the girl in blue.

He reached beneath his lab coat as he approached, the fingers deftly searching, and he found what he sought. How could he not? It was always there, near his heart, just in case.

Sailor Galaxia

Her face was flush with both anger and embarrassment as she kept trying in vain to remove the chair. It was on a spot on her back where her arms just couldn't reach. She fell to the ground, and screamed as the child pinned her down. "WHAT ON EARTH? WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU BRAT!?"

"HELP ME OUT OF THIS BLASTED EXCUSE FOR A PLASTIC CHAIR!"

Professor Tomoe

With a flourish that seemed to be designed to upstage even Super Sailor Moon herself, Professor Tomoe removed and unfurled a beautiful, magnificent, astonishing TWISTER MAT of clean, unblemished, white vinyl, marked with the required coloured circles. The spinner spun atop his finger as he gracefully twirled beside it, setting the mat across the bright sand.

CereCere

From her expensive lounge chair beneath an umbrella just down the beach as to be undisturbed by the smoking grill and constant screams, CereCere brought herself to her elbows and slid her sunglasses down her nose to see what the commotion was.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia paused for a moment, staring at the odd display. "STOP JOKING AROUND AND GET ME OUTTA THIS THING!"

Professor Tomoe

"KAOLINITE-KUN!" boomed the man in the lab coat. "THE MUSIC, PLEASE!"

She would know there was a required Twister soundtrack. She was a Death Buster, after all!

PallaPalla

Unperturbed by the bellows of the woman beneath her, PallaPalla began to toss her ball up in the air with delight.

CereCere

A contest? A perfectly plucked pink eyebrow quirked, intrigued. Of course, being the best of the Amazon Quartet, she would win an agility contest hands-down. The question was, did she want to. She looked to JunJun and PallaPalla to see whether she was interested or not - it wouldn't be a challenge without them.

Sailor Galaxia

"WHAT IS HAPPENING!?" Galaxia screeched to anyone and no one

Kaolinite

"Yes, Professor." Kaolinite pulled out a portable record player and put on a record just labeled as 'Twister'. Where did she get that Record, or the player? Nobody but the Professor knew

Professor Tomoe

As the strains of the required soundtrack wafted into the air, Professor Tomoe began to speak into the microphone that he had improvised from what was once an empty soda can, three seashells, and a very confused-looking small crab. "That's right, everyone, it's time for... TWISTER!" announced the voice.

"Whoever can last the longest in this amazing game of circles and flexibility will win one of our amazing prizes!" He glanced over at Kaolinite, expecting her to be acting as his Vanna White for this endeavour.

PallaPalla

"And anyone who loses...Must. Die!" PallaPalla added, voice growing dark.

Professor Tomoe

He nodded. The kid had a great idea! That made people work harder.

CereCere

CereCere's eyes slid to the woman in gold and away contemptuously. Loud old woman.

PallaPalla didn't look too interested; she considered lying back down and enjoying the sunshine shade and sound of surf, but then the idea of being counted as Best Twister Player had merit...

In a fluid movement, she twisted in her chair, stood, and walked elegantly towards the host and his twister mat. She stood with her legs shoulder-width apart, hands on her hips, and a smirk on her face. She was ready. PallaPalla deciding she was in only raised the stakes. She pit her sister with a challenging gaze. "I'm in."

Sailor Galaxia

"THIS IS INSANE!" Galaxia scrambled about in a pattern not unlike a bug stuck upside-down. "LET ME GO! THIS ISN'T A GAME!"

Oh when she got out of this, they were all dead.

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe waved at the child in pink as though he welcomed a decorated pro wrestler into the ring. "AND WE HAVE OUR FIRST CHALLENGER!"

PallaPalla

Spotting CereCere's entrance, PallaPalla finally jumped off the trapped the old lady Galaxia and walked over to inspect the twister mat. The colorful circles didn't look at all dangerous, but she was pleased that the Professor had agreed so readily to her addition of the rules. "PallaPalla will play too! PallaPalla doesn't lose games."

CereCere

"Until now."

Professor Tomoe

The man positively wriggled with glee. He felt blessed to be among people who appreciated the finer arts.

CereCere

She cocked her head to the side, crossed her arms, and posed pre-victoriously.

Professor Tomoe

"OBVIOUSLY the golden turtle will be playing! She was trying to start without the mat!"

Sailor Galaxia

"NO I WILL NOT!" Galaxia protested with all her might

CereCere

"Golden turtle is in, got it." CereCere replied confidently. "Any other rules?"

Professor Tomoe

"Will you be throwing your hat into the ring, Kaolinite-kun?" Professor Tomoe asked. He knew she was quite skilled at this game, but maybe she didn't want to show off among strangers.

Kaolinite

"But who will be spinning the wheel while you are busy destroying them, Professor?"

Professor Tomoe

"The rules are standard Witches Twister," he explained, sounding exactly like a sports announcer. "Opponents begin around the edges of the mat. The referee spins the wheel and calls out which hand or foot and colour. If you fall over, you lose. And die." He thumbs-uped at the little girl who had made the excellent suggestion.

CereCere

CereCere smirked, "See that, PallaPalla? One of these old ladies has the sense to back out while she has the chance."

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia was disgusted with everyone at this point. She should have destroyed everyone when she had the chance. Unless she could wait for one to get close enough to one of her bracelets? It was insulting-being like this and waiting for one of them to be given the opening for destruction-but she didn't see much of an option. Unless she managed to break the chair beforehand, that is. Then they'd be dead before they could even touch a randomly-colored circle. But the latter seemed unlikely. Galaxia could only grit her teeth and wait.

PallaPalla

PallaPalla laughed. "Does that mean she dies now? Forfeiting is just as bad as losing!"

Kaolinite

"Did you little brat just call me old?" Kaolinite glared at CereCere. "I will play AND I will spin the wheel at the same time. But please don't run home crying after you've lost."

Professor Tomoe

"Never fear! I will spin for you!" he gleefully announced. He loved participating, but he also loved spectating.

Professor Tomoe waited for the contestants to find their places around the board. The first move could be both the easiest and the trickiest. It set the tone for the rest of the game. He had his bet on Kaolinite. She had trained hard for this victory, after all. They played Twister on a regular schedule in the lab.

CereCere

CereCere chuckled at the old woman's response and found her starting point.

"Don't worry, we'll find you a nice nursing home after humiliating you, won't we, PallaPalla?"

Sailor Galaxia

It seemed that all the other crazies were distracted. If Galaxia could just wait for an opening...

CereCere

"Who goes first? Age before Beauty?"

Professor Tomoe

"Everyone! You fight for the best position!" he gleefully cheered.

CereCere

"Now?"

Professor Tomoe

He watched the spinner slowly stop. "Left hand, red!"

Sailor Galaxia

"I'm giving you all one last chance. Unhand me and keep me out of this dumb game, or you'll ALL regret it!" She shouted just as the spinner stopped

CereCere

CereCere sprang up and landed in a handstand on an inner Red circle

AND FELL

She screeched in dismay and rolled up, "No fair! Burger grease is all over the mat!"

Kaolinite

Kaolinite couldn't help herself but to burst out in laughter.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia laughed for the first time during this stupid party

PallaPalla

PallaPalla was tempted to throw her ball at CereCere but decided to leave that tactic for later. But she didn't need to do anything, as her sister fell flat onto the mat. PallaPalla laughed, bowling over at the sight

Professor Tomoe

"Ohhhhh, we have our first victim!" Professor Tomoe waved a matador flag to the side, revealing a massive bull-shaped Daimon with.. wings? "Now you get to play with RED BULL!"

CereCere

CereCere hopped up, growing to herself about VesVes being useless for not being there, and immediately took off ahead of the bull.

Daimon

Smoke poured from the beast's nostrils as it charged.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia just stared, exhausted. So there WERE going to be monsters once anyone loses. Great. Just when this couldn't get any worse

CereCere

The pair raced off over the beach, background entertainment to the GAME OF CHANCE AND SKILL taking center stage!

PallaPalla

PallaPalla suddenly wondered if she should lose on purpose just to get a chance at a dangerous and magnificent beast. Who needed a fire-hot grill when there were monsters at hand? Still, PallaPalla didn't lose at games.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia somehow managed to flail about in just the right manner to have her right hand end up on a red circle.

PallaPalla

She leaned down and placed her left hand deftly on a red circle.

Professor Tomoe

So far, so good! One down, three still remaining.

"Right hand, yellow!"

Kaolinite

"Now let me show you how it is done, kids." Kaolinite stepped onto the mat and slowly put her right hand on a yellow circle. "See it's that simple."

PallaPalla

Placing her hand on a yellow circle would be a little more tricky, but PallaPalla was certain she'd be able to do it.

Dark Mercury

Dark Mercury ran in panting being the latest she had ever been in her life

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia stretched as much as she could, but just couldn't reach a yellow circle. she fell-which didn't surprise her. She, unlike the others, had a bit of a handicap. A huge, plastic-chair shaped handicap.

"Cowards." She glowered. "You could have at least gotten this off of me for a fair match!"

Professor Tomoe

"Ohhhhh-ho-ho!" he grinned. "THE MAT CLAIMS ANOTHER VICTIM!"

PallaPalla

In response to Galaxia, all the blue clad girl said was, "PallaPalla doesn't lose games."

CereCere

In the background, CereCere popped high into the air and threw something pink at the bull. In response, the bull, after being conked on the head, took flight. She fell to the ground, screamed, and kept running.

Professor Tomoe

"Hoooooooser!" screamed a high-pitched voice. A creature that looked like a living water-hose rose up behind Galaxia, snake-like, almost resembling a cobra.

The twin lenses glinted. "THE FUN CONTINUES!"

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia stared at the creature with a tired expression. Of COURSE it'd be a snake

Professor Tomoe

"Right foot, blue!"

PallaPalla

There was no way she'd lose on a blue circle. PallaPalla loved blue and blue loved PallaPalla!

Professor Tomoe

So much success! Clearly the two who remained had spent quite a bit of time training. Hmmm... did he need new recruits for the Death Busters? It wouldn't be too much work to rename it "Witches 6," would it?

Dark Mercury

Dark Mercury heard people in the beach area and walked over and saw the Twister game being played and even though she was late yelled, "I dont care if im late im playing..." She then looked for a blue circle.

PallaPalla

PallaPalla glared at the newcomer. Not only did she look like one of those old lady senshi, she also was wearing blue. Blue was PallaPalla's color!

Dark Mercury

Dark Mercury found a blue circle unoccupied and stepped on it

PallaPalla

If only she had her dolls nearby... and the use of her hands...

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia just narrowly avoided a swipe of the cobra's tail. It rose up an hollered "HOOOOOOOOSER!" Before crashing down again. Galaxia braced for impact, but felt no pain. Confused, she stood up and realized just that-she stood up. She grinned and laughed at the creature. "YOU FOOL! YOU DESTROYED THE ONLY THING KEEPING YOU FROM YOUR DEMISE!" The snake responded by trying to swallow her whole. She leapt to the side and swirled a kick in it's direction. This only angered the beast-and it charged at her, smacking her in the stomach. Galaxia landed in a painful unbalanced fashion, and took off into a run, the creature fast at her heels.

Professor Tomoe

"Ohhhhh, a new contender!" grinned Professor Tomoe.

Kaolinite

Kaolinite looked at the Professor in disbelief. "Did you invite any Sailor Senshi?", she asked before placing her right foot on a blue space.

Professor Tomoe

"I let Mailer Daimon do the invites!" he explained, giving a slight shrug.

"Left foot, green!" called the host, happily spinning away.

When he looked up and into the distance, he was happy to see that the losers were getting plenty of heart-healthy exercise. Maybe it would develop their Pure Hearts.

PallaPalla

Placing her next foot on the green circle would be difficult, PallaPalla realized, but she strained to reach and...

Successfully maintained her balance! This game was easy!

Kaolinite

Kaolinite tried to reach the only Green Space easily reachable for her, but the blue child was already in the way. With not many options left she went with the Green Space right next to her other foot. For a moment the woman was able to keep her balance, but it turned out to be too much. She ended up on the ground, defeated by a little girl.

PallaPalla

PallaPalla won, of course. There was no way she'd lose to old ladies and CereCere. PallaPalla straightened her posture, summoning her ball once more. "PallaPalla wins," she proclaimed, her blue eyes gaining a darker gleam, "Which means PallaPalla gets to destroy you all. Say goodnight, little dollies."

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe laughed loudly. "You don't want your prize, little girl?"

PallaPalla

The promise of destruction was sweet, but prizes were sweeter. "Prize? PallaPalla wants a prize!"

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia couldn't help but grin, decking the snake again. This fight was the most fun the party had to offer to her, and she was going to relish it. No way she'd lose to a lame monster such as this!

Professor Tomoe

He moved over slightly, revealing the Daimon that PallaPalla had met before: Bear & Jenny, the ice-cream machine! He had been planning to soothe his poor assistant with ice cream—she had done so well—but she'd have to settle for a foot massage.

PallaPalla

PallaPalla smiled at the Daimon and grasped it's hand. "Let's play Doctor!" she said, pulling it along with her. There was certain edge to her voice that seemed that the playing might not be quite as innocent as the words sounded.

Host

As the screams of Galaxia and CereCere echoed in the distance, Professor Tomoe went to put an arm around Kaolinite's shoulder. As far as he was concerned, so far, this was a marvelous success. Just wait until everyone got to enjoy THE SECOND PART!

To be continued...

Host

Ah, summer! That light ocean scent in the breeze as waves crash along the shore! Cheerful party music to add to the island feeling! The cry of the distant seagull! Spouts of water as dolphins play in the distance! The rays of the sun beaming down upon a beautiful, pristine beach all set for a fun tropical barbeque...

Hmm... "pristine" doesn't seem like the right word...

No, this beach DEFINITELY seems a little bit rough around the edges...

Probably because the penalty for those losing Twister involved Daimons. Whether the fiends have been vanquished or are simply taking a break is hard to say. The cooking complete, Professor Tomoe has heaped cooked sausages and hamburgers upon a platter on the buffet-style table of refreshments. After so much exercise running from a few failed experiments, perhaps party-goers might be interested in a bite to eat.

Or how about some refreshing punch?

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe himself, still wearing the infamous "STEAL PURE HEART CRYSTALS FOR THE CHEF" apron despite no longer being on grill duty, put a few finishing touches on the punch before piling his plate with a variety of deli salads, chips, and—of course—an expertly-grilled bratwurst and cheeseburger.

Mimete

"Ohhhh Professorrrr!~" A twinkling voice calls from down the beach. A short, orange haired girl is approaching. Her arm is extended in a straight line above her head and she flaps her hand at the wrist in a gesture of hello.

Professor Tomoe

"Ohhhhh, Mimete-kun!" he growled in return, pausing from loading the sausage whole into his massive red gash of a mouth. "Here to join us?"

Mimete
Her face lit up at his reply. "Oooh!" she squealed, trotting up. "I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia was just about to land a finishing blow on the snake creature that had been chasing her. It was the only thing that she actually enjoyed about this party, anyways. Just as she was about to connect her fist to it's face-it vanished- causing her to land smack down in the sand.

Sailor Galaxia

She lay there for a second or two. One would assume she was sulking

Professor Tomoe

"Grab a bite to eat!" he continued, his voice far too loud despite the fact that being outside would not normally seem to be a problem for an "outside voice". After all, he had slaved at the grill for this!

Sailor Galaxia

Then Sailor Galaxia stood up with a huff, brushed herself off, and scowled her way back to the food table. Of COURSE they'd get rid of the only good thing here

Professor Tomoe

"You, too, shell-less turtle!" he invited to Galaxia

Mimete

Mimete pouted a little as the Professor's attention was diverted by someone called Shell-less Turtle. She launched forward, grabbing a plate and piling it high with macaroni salad and a well built burger.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia stomped up, snatched a plate in such a manner the rest of the stack fell, grabbed a hotdog and smacked it onto the plate. "This better be good" she grumbled

Professor Tomoe

"How could it not be!" he boomed, already having demolished most of his serving. "I picked the menu with care based on my extensive research!"

Mimete

"Be careful Turtle Obachan! You wouldn't want to try to discredit the Professor's research!" her voice was high and shrill, and she cocked her head back with a laugh, glasses catching the summer sun.

Professor Tomoe

This was both true and misleading. He had researched it. He had been very devoted, watching a variety of sitcoms featuring family reunions, recording segments and reproducing the food shown. He developed entire Daimons to raid a few neighborhood grocery stores to round out the options. But, of course, his attention to detail may have been lacking.

Although anyone tasting the burgers or sausages would find little to be dissatisfied with.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia could only glare at him as she shoved as big of a mouth full of the hot dog as she could-and was fairly impressed. Char-broiled to perfection.

Her surprise was written on her face as she took another bite-normally, this time.

Professor Tomoe

He laughed gleefully at the look of surprise, the noise high-pitched and clearly off-kilter.

Mimete

Mimete's pout grew larger. The stupid turtle hadn't even paid attention to her at all! She gloomily bit her burger, taking an aggressive bite.

Professor Tomoe

While they ate, the lab-coated man in swim trunks scuttled over to the area of the table with drinks and poured three glasses of punch. How he managed to carry them back without spilling anything was truly mysterious, but he did. The rounds of his lenses glinting, he offered one to Mimete and another to Sailor Galaxia.

Sailor Galaxia

Sailor Galaxia, honestly enjoying the food-took the glass without another thought.

Mimete

Mimete took the glass from the Professor's hand. "How thoughtful of you, Professor," she cooed, swaning her face toward him.

Professor Tomoe

The grin widened at his citrus-haired lab assistant. "OF COURSE, MIMETE-KUN!" the deep voice rang out. "IT'S IMPORTANT TO STAY HYDRATED IN THE WARMER WEATHER!"

Sailor Galaxia

Nobody had ever seen Galaxia's eyes sparkle like this. The punch was the best drink she ever drank! Even the offerings of the finest wines, given to her in hopes of swaying her idea for total destruction of civilizations was nothing compared to this!

Professor Tomoe

The golden turtle was not complaining, and this he noted. Yes, it seemed his work might actually succeed!

Sailor Galaxia

"What else is there?" She asked, eyes wide with expectation.

Professor Tomoe

He waved his arm, labcoat drifting in the breeze, gesturing to an array of macaroni, potato, and fruit salads in plastic bins.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia turned to the blond woman-Mimente, she was called-"Did you even TRY the punch? It's fantastic!"

Mimete

Mimete smiled a forced grin. _I hate you!_ she thought. "I was waiting for the perfect moment!"

Sailor Galaxia

"Suit yourself." Galaxia was just about ready to open a small rift above the punch bowl, teleporting it to her room. She couldn't get enough of the stuff!

Mimete

Truthfully, she had been waiting to splash it on the annoying turtle and claim an accident, but now she would just have to drink it. She half smiled, half glared and took a sip of the punch.

It tasted a lot like fruit punch. Refreshing. Red. Fruit punch.

Professor Tomoe

Tomoe had enjoyed at least a glass of the punch himself. So far the meal was going great! Maybe... hmm, was beach volleyball too much exercise after eating? But it was so... festive! So beachy!

"How about we build a saaaaaand castle?" he suggested instead, already seeming to pull a variety of buckets and shovels from his pockets. How did he fit all that in there?

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia just laughed. "Me? Build a sand castle like a child? Thanks, but no thanks."

Mimete

"Certainly, Professor!" Mimete bounded up, taking a green plastic shovel from his hand. "I, Mimete, will build the best sand castle ever!" She punched her fist into the air triumphantly.

Professor Tomoe

"Yes, of course you will! I see that the armored one must be intimidated by our castle-making prowess!" he declared.

Professor Tomoe

Having consumed a fair quantity of the meal, he was ready to move on to something else before dessert. Professor Tomoe sloshed into the tide, armed with a large bucket, and brought over some of the more moist sand to serve as a foundation. "WHAT SHALL WE BUILD, MIMETE-KUN?"

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia rolled her eyes. Sure she would. She decided to check out the other food on the table. Everything looked surprisingly delectable, but the pasta salad caught her eye. Even though it's typically served cold-she could smell it. It smelled great! Galaxia eagerly scooped a good helping onto her plate, and took a nice big forkful into her mouth...only to notice something wriggling in the new gap on the plate. She could now feel something moving-in her mouth! Galaxia screamed, spat out the food and shoved all of it off the plate into the sand, gazing in horror at the wriggling tentacle now rolling around in sand and ranch dressing.

"WHAT ON EARTH IS THAT THING!? WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

Galaxia continued to sputter and spit, immediately realizing just how close she came to ingesting that horrible thing.

Professor Tomoe

"OHHHH, vial 78A!" he giggled. "So that's where that went!"

Sailor Galaxia

"Vial WHAT!?"

Mimete

_What should they build? Oh, where to start!_ Reaching into the back of her black, one piece bathing suit, she pulled out a magazine. "Let's build a replica of the Backstreet Boys bedroom!" She pointed enthusiastically to the page, her eyes full of stars.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia felt as though she was going to go into shock. Or pass out. Or both.

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe stared at the magazine, lenses shining. "How do they fit that many boys in one bed?" he critiqued off-hand, lumping the sand into a vaguely rectangular shape.

Mimete

Mimete stopped, throwing her hands on her hips. This Old Turtle was hogging all of the attention! She cocked her head at a 45 degree angle and slapped a forced smile across her face. "You really should watch your figure, Turtle Obachan! You've been eating so much!"

Host

Everyone who has drank the punch begins to feel _slightly_ lightheaded. But not too bad. Easy to shake off.

Sailor Galaxia

"Can it, blondie." She hissed, shaking her head a bit. Galaxia was planning on leaving-no, she WAS going to leave early. And take the whole dang punch bowl with her because they owed her this much. She approached the punch bowl and placed something on the underside of it, careful not to let any of it spill out.

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe's entire body shuddered for a moment, wavering as though he was made of gelatin, but then it settled. No, no—he felt fine. Nothing to worry about.

Mimete

Mimete whipped away from the shiny old turtle and felt suddenly a little dizzy. She had turned around too quickly and her head spun, then settled. She had more important things to do than listen to some old woman. There was a Backstreet Boy bedroom to build! She used her shovel to scoop some sand into a tiny lump that was meant to be Justin Timberlake's bed, sighing pleasantly.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia was about to show insults before she felt her head spin. She shook it once again, and the feeling dissipated. "Just be lucky the punch was divine. Otherwise, this planet would be gone. It may as well have saved your lives."

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe hummed as he assisted Mimete with the sand sculpture, although his idea of "the Backstreet Boys' bedroom" was starting to feature a lot of lab equipment...

Dark Mercury

Dark Mercury was chasing a daimon and thought it ran onto a beach but she couldnt find it anywhere. "Hmm there are others here i shall force them to tall me its location." Dark Mercury went up to them

Professor Tomoe

"Aren't you tired from all that exercise?" called Professor Tomoe to the woman in the sailor suit. "Have some PUNCH!"

Mimete

"Professor," Mimete began, sticking her neck out from her body in a slightly scolding gesture, "You're building a lab bench where Nick Carter's bed goes!"

Professor Tomoe

"Ohhhhh, my apologies, Mimete-kun. Old habits die hard!"

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia took note of the Dark senshi and attempted to pull her aside. "The punch is the only thing good about this place." She mumbled. Sure, the hotdogs were nice, but that would be giving them too much credit.

Dark Mercury

"Huh..Punch?? Well I am thirsty yes." D-Mercury walked over taking some punch in a cup and drinking a little then was being spoke to by a lady in gold. "Oh..is it now...how do you walk around in that outfit? Its seems heavy"

Mimete

Mimete hummed happily and patted the sand into little mounds with her shovel.

Host

Everyone who has drank the punch begins to feel a strange tingling in their legs, almost like their legs have gone to sleep. It fades after a few seconds.

Professor Tomoe

"Say, Mimete-kun, perhaps a SAND DAIMON would be an excellent candidate for finding a Pure Heart Crystal!" he proposed, adding a few vials and beakers to the dresser of the Backstreet Boys' bedroom made of sand.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia was almost greatful to have another person to talk to-even if it was another senshi. She was even addressing her fuku in a non-turtle way! "You would think that, huh? It's not, though. I'm still not entirely sure why-" Galaxia halted, nearly losing her balance before regaining feeling in her legs. Perhaps it was the heat?

Professor Tomoe

He shifted his weight, thinking he had been kneeling on his own legs for a bit too long. That pins and needles feeling was obnoxious, but if he pinched a nerve he'd have to go back to the chiropractor.

Mimete

"Professor I don't think- Oh!" Mimete gave a squeak as her legs felt slightly strange. She gazed up at the sun overhead. "I think I need more punch!" The Professor _had_ been right about keeping hydrated. She plucked her glass from where she'd placed it in the sand and took a large, refreshing gulp.

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury felt something weird as her legs went to an apparent sleep mode but it went back to normal quickly. She checked her legs then gave the golden girl  a small smile. "Shall we go help with the sand..it seems like fun...evil fun..."

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia shook her head. The leg thing had her a bit concerned. "it's childsplay." Galaxia waved the suggestion off.

Host

Everyone who has drank punch now feels another moment of lightheadedness, then the tingling feeling returns more intensely. Their arms are also impacted. Something is HAPPENING! Their bodies are changing! What? WHAT!


Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia almost screamed. Wait-not almost. She DID.

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe felt that strange feeling wash over him again, and slowly he realized what was happening. When he finalized his sea turtle form, still wearing a nicely-fitted lab coat, the face that turned to Mimete remained cloaked in darkness, with a red gash of a mouth and two circles aglow.

He lifted a flipper only to realize that... this was not quite expected.

"OH, HOW INTERESTING!" he laughed, the voice still the same. "So much for the mer-person serum!"

He had really been hoping to capitalize on the current trends! Mermaids were MONEYMAKERS.

Mimete

"Wha-wha!" Mimete began to yell as she felt herself... morphing?! She held out her hands, watching as they became green and scaly, turning into flippers. Her bathing suit engulfed her waist, forming a hard outer shell. She flopped onto the sand, her glasses falling onto her reptilian face.

"Pro-profess_or_!" she wailed.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia ran-scuttled, really-as fast as she could and attempted to tackle the man-who was now a turtle. "WHAT DID YOU DO YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN!?"

Professor Tomoe

"You know all the latest trends, Mimete-kun!" he replied. "Sea turtles? Good? Bad?"

Mimete

"_BADDDDDDDDDDDD!_" she wailed.

Professor Tomoe

He frowned slightly at the response, seemingly oblivious to the crab now attached to his shell. Darn. That didn't help with his financial woes. Overhead for the massive underground basement facility was not cheap.

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury felt another weird feeling, this time like she was getting smaller and everything was bigger.. she yelled something but it didnt come out..well sort of.. "Hello??What is going on I demand to know"

Mimete

Mimete scuttled forward across the sand toward Professor Tomoe, propelling herself with her back flippers. It was a strange sensation. "THEY'LL NEVER LET ME INTO THE BACKSTREET BOYS REUNION TOUR LOOKING LIKE THIS!" she yelled.

Professor Tomoe

Well, maybe if he test-drove this new form he'd have a better idea of marketability. Professor Sea Turtle Tomoe scooted towards the ocean, crab in tow. "Come on, Mimete-kun! We might as well MAKE THE BEST OF IT!" he called back encouragingly. "PERHAPS YOU CAN BE AN UNDERWATER GROUPIE!"

Sailor Galaxia

"WHA-"Galaxia was now stuck on the back, and he was headed into the ocean? "NONONONONONONO-WAIT! WAAAAIT!"

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury then noticed two others looking sort of like her and went after them...slowly but she kept trying

Mimete

The idea of somehow being the very _first_ turtle Backstreet Boy fan filled her with glee. "Maybe they'll let me back stage!" she called, scrambling after him into the surf.

Sailor Galaxia

"I DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE OCEAN! STOP!" Galaxia screeched

Professor Tomoe

He plunged into the ocean, feeling the refreshing splash of the waves in a very new and unusual way. He breathed out, tiny nostrils sending a bunch of bubbles up.

"OHHHHHHH" he bubbled through his open mouth. "HOW STRANGE!"

He had never seen the ocean this way, but it looked slightly different. It felt more. Bigger, more colourful. More of an experience.

There had to be way to sell this.

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury had mostly caught up now and followed them in. She was used to water but not like this as she started to try to swim

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia was undeterred.  She attempted to slam a claw(?) into his side to shake herself loose.

Mimete

Mimete cruised around under the waves, somersaulting with a kick of her flippers. "Ohhhh," she marveled.

Professor Tomoe

"A REEF!" he exclaimed, pointing a flipper towards the distant colourful glow. His motion and her claw-punch provided just enough leverage to shake loose his crustacean hitchhiker.

Dark Mercury

D_mercury got a hold of the swimming and paddling and heard the other turtle say something about a reef and she saw a very pretty site under the waters

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia screeched as she finally got loose. She immediately had her attention directed to a reef. "Pretty. I destroyed a lot of those."

Mimete

"Nick Jonas would love this," she cooed, clasping her flippers together on one side of her face in a gesture of adoration.

Professor Tomoe

"It would make a lovely Daimon, don't you agree?" The question was obviously directed towards Mimete.

Mimete

Mimete calculated for a moment. If they could create a reef daimon, she could BRING the reef to Nick Jonas! "Absolutely Professor!"

Professor Tomoe

"Come on, gang! RESEARCH TIME!" he giggle gleefully, the noise terrifying underwater, swimming towards the not-so-distant reef.

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury who was nearby said out loud..."What is a Nick Jonas??"

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia was mildly curious. Who WAS Nick Jonas?

Professor Tomoe

He answered even though he didn't know. "I believe it is a type of whale."

Mimete

Mimete swam backwards, her front flippers trailing behind her. "OH! He's _wonderful_. Guitarist, songwriter, singer, actor. He's a VIRGO!"

Professor Tomoe

"Yes, yes, all of that, and a whale! Very talented!"

Dark Mercury

"What are his powers?" D-Mercury asked thinking this nick was a villian

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia liked the idea of him being a whale better. What good was a gituarist? They couldn't hold a weapon or fight for their queen-at least a whale was big.

Mimete

Mimete stopped to think. Was he a whale? Had the professor turned her beloved Nick Jonas into a whale?!

Sailor Galaxia

"Wait-a whale that plays a guitar?" now THAT was worth looking into. it'd be a good way to lure people off of their planets.

Mimete

If he was a whale that might mean he was _here!_ She looked around quickly. "His powers are, um..." she was distracted, searching, "... being the most TOTALLY AMAZING BROWN EYED HEART THROB OF THE EARLY 2000S."

Sailor Galaxia

"That's it?" Galaxia felt her hope drop. Booooring.

Sailor Galaxia

But if he was a whale, she'd overlook that part.

Mimete

Mimete glared. "AND he's a whale!"

Professor Tomoe

The reef that stretched out around them was a symphony of colours, teeming with life. Fish circled around it. Urchins and anemones fluttered with the waves. It reminded the Professor of a beautiful collection of Pure Heart Crystals, piled together.

Professor Tomoe

"Very talented, as I said! Marvelous whale!" the Professor agreed, swimming up and looping through an arch of the magenta coral.

Dark Mercury

"So he is a powerless whale that is apparently cute?" D-Mercury said aloud.."Odd this nick Jonas..I bet I could beat him.."

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia cared little for the fish or the sight, but was busy analyzing the situation with the musician whale.  Kidnapping would be easy-getting him to survive in space long enough would be difficult. Could her bracelets do that? Stick one on each flipper? Galaxia laughed at the mental image.

Mimete

Mimete flipped back around, annoyed, and hurried after the Professor. _How was a stupid turtle going to beat a musically talented, adorable, funny, kind whale? Stupid._

Professor Tomoe

An eel snaked out of the reef and nipped at Professor Tomoe's back flippers. When his head spun around—a way that should never have been possible for a sea turtle—to smile at it, the creature froze and drove back into its hole.

Sailor Galaxia

"He'd probably squash you with the guitar first. It'd have to be huge enough for him to use." Galaxia felt as though she finally saw eye-to-eye with the other woman.

Mimete

"That's right!" Mimete piped up in agreement.

Professor Tomoe

He wished he had brought some additional equipment with his turtle-self. It sounded like they would have LOVED to see a whale-inspired Daimon!

Sailor Galaxia

"Someone like that, senshi or not, would have to have plenty of power to even LEARN how to have human speech!" galaxia was more and more in awe with this idea. Now she just had to find him-but only AFTER she was done being a crab.

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury filled them until she saw the creature try to nip at one of them. "If I can figure out how to use my ice sword i'd have no problem but whatever...it's a whale of a tale i think"

Host

Unfortunately for Galaxia, she was always a crab.

Somewhere, cymbals crashed.

Mimete

Mimete looked around at the sound of... cymbals? "The boy band must be close!"

Sailor Galaxia

"You don't believe it?" galaxia scoffed. "So typical of you senshi. There's a whole universe out there-of course there'd be fantastic and strange things-just waiting for you to snatch up!"

Professor Tomoe

"Yes! Let's find it!" he suggested eagerly to Mimete. It wasn't hard to redirect him.

Mimete

She kicked up her speed. Being a turtle had its advantages - she wasn't feeling tired at all!

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia blinked her now beady-crab eyes. They were going to see the whale NOW? Things couldn't be more perfect! She wouldn't have to search for him to capture!

Professor Tomoe

Professor Sea Turtle Tomoe was only too willing to track down an underwater boyband. He could have been on board with almost anything suggested at any time, and this was no exception! He swam behind Mimete, figuring that she'd be the best to sniff out musical talent. That seemed to be what he paid of her for, if her internet search history was any indication.

Dark Mercury

"OH well..lets go find this whale...im following you all.." D-turtle Mercury said

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia could only rub her claws together in evil contemplation. They had no idea she was going to capture him from right under their noses!

Mimete

Mimete whirred forward until a blobbish, indiscernible shape in the distance caught her eye. "There!" she jabbed in the direction with her flipper. "That must be Nick Jonas!"

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia grinned evilly. It had to be him! What else would it be?

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury Turtle went with them but stopped after hitting the man turtle's backside..."Hey careful"

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe saluted Mimete's keen eye and dove after the shape

Dark Mercury

D-mercury Turtle shook off the bump and went after them... "This better be good" She thought aloud

Mimete

The closer Mimete got, the more sure she was! It was Nick Jonas! Here! In the sea! With HER! The blue-ish blob begins to come into view, the ovular figure crystallizing more and more into the iconic shape of a whale.

Sailor Galaxia

He was...much bigger then Galaxia had thought. This surprised her. Why was it so huge? Then she just happened to look down at her little crab-claws. Oh. Right.

Professor Tomoe

So it was a whale! Of course his faithful lab assistant would have the eye to find such a massive and interesting specimen!

Sailor Galaxia

"How do we get hi-I mean, get NEAR him, if we're stuck like this?" She asked.

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury Turtle looked at it "Nick IS HUGE!!"

Mimete

"Oh Niiiiiickkkkk!~" she sang out, zooming forward. The shape turned and began swimming toward Mimete and the rest of the group. "He's coming!"

Professor Tomoe

Hmm... Professor Tomoe's lenses on his turtle-form glinted, the expression slightly pensive. This whale looked very familiar...

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia grinned again. This was seriously waaay too easy! He was just swimming out here in the open-a powerful whale like him! Not a care in the world! Such an easy target!

Mimete

Nick the Whale was coming _too fast_. Something was wrong!

She squinted as it finally dawned on her. "SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARK!"

Sailor Galaxia

You could hear a record scratch. "...huh?"

Sailor Galaxia

"What?"

Professor Tomoe

Ohhhhhh, so that was why! He moved just in time to avoid the CHOMP of huge, glittering white teeth.

Professor Tomoe

"Evacuate! TO THE BEACH!" he called, hoping to rally them onwards, his flippers already propelling himself in that direction as fast as he could, the shark hot on his tiny turtle tail.

Sailor Galaxia

"HOW COULD YOU IDIOTS MISTAKE A SHARK FOR A WHALE!" Galaxia screeched; not entirely aware the she was also one of said idiots, having made the same mistake

Mimete

"Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh!" Mimete repeated, shaking her turtle-y head from side to side as she flapped full speed in the other direction.

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury looked at the incoming Wha.>SHARK!! and swam back the best she could then saw that crab that came with them and swam to it and tried to move it, "Dont wanna get eaten..come on!"

Professor Tomoe

Was... was Professor Tomoe laughing as the shark chased him?

Yes.

He was.

Sailor Galaxia

"Let go of me! I can move by myself!" Galaxia shoved the flipper off of her and flew like the wind.

Sailor Galaxia

"STOP LAUGHING YOU FOOL!"

Professor Tomoe

"Oh yes, what a fine specimen!" he giggled, skirting away just in time to avoid losing a back flipper. "How marvelous to experience one so close!"

Dark Mercury

D-merucy got a bit mad then swam towards the sand at the beach

Sailor Galaxia

"DO YOU HAVE BRAIN DAMAGE!?"

Mimete

Mimete rocketed toward the shore, shocked and appalled, her vision of Nick Jonas forever tarnished. "Fame really DOES change you!" she moaned.

Professor Tomoe

If only his dear Kaolinite were here, he would have asked her to take notes!

Sailor Galaxia

If only she had her powers! They'd be having shark-fin soup instead of that horrible pasta salad!

Professor Tomoe

The beach loomed up ahead, sandy and safe. Professor Tomoe gathered his strength and tried to make a dash for it.

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury used her flippers as fast as she could hoping the others would be ok..wait a minute...she only cared for herself....ok just her to be ok...

Mimete

Mimete was _definitely_ crying underwater. "How! Could Nick! Jonas! Do this! To ussss!" she yelled between kicks.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia ignored the woman now. She was clearly out of her mind. Nick Jonas was CLEARLY a whale! Not a shark!

Professor Tomoe

"Keep going! We can make it!" he called, boisterous and gleeful.

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury dint have to be told twice as she was trying and trying

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe darted back, hoping to delay the shark until everyone was safely ashore. After all, it wouldn't be a good party if they were trapped out here. And how could he consider himself a good host if the shark ate someone?

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia would be sure to remember to deck the man once they reached the shore for having to go through all this. And getting her hopes up for capturing a magical, singing whale for her quest for planetary destruction...unless he decided to get himself eaten, that is. "ARE YOU MAD!?" She shouted after him

Mimete

Mimete was launched forward, her overpowering sadness shooting her along. She had to make it to shore. She had to blog about this!

Sailor Galaxia

Well, madder then usual, anyways. Regardless, Galaxia was now quite fond of the soup idea. The sooner she got to shore, the sooner she could be back to normal. And the sooner she was back to normal, the sooner she could enjoy some real and actual food.

Host

Everyone who drank the punch starts to feel... that tingling sensation again!

They are returning to their normal forms!

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe took a deep breath, realizing what was happening. He didn't particularly want to get eaten by a shark, but maybe it would be interesting!

Host

If they were looking, they might see that the SHARK was also changing...

Sailor Galaxia

Almost....almost! Galaxia felt the tingling sensation-she was right! Getting closer to the shore was making her turn normal! She swam even faster

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury was getting closer and closer.."I need to make it...who else will beat Sailor Moon but me!" All of a sudden she felt a change again and saw her body parts forming again and remembered she couldnt breath underwater...almost there

Mimete

She was slowing down, her fins no longer gliding her through the water. Her shell began to loosen, the recognizable feel of mesh fabric against her skin confirming her suspicions - they were turning back into themselves!

Host

They are close enough to reach the shore!

Professor Tomoe

Professor Tomoe floundered, but found himself in shallow enough water to find his footing, now that he had feet again. The lab coat-wearing man turned, scanning for the shark, wondering if the others had been...

There was no shark.

Instead, flopped in the sand, was a creature he had not seen before.

Mimete

Mimete flopped up onto the beach, momentarily forgetting her legs, before scrambling forward, careening through the Backstreet Boy Bedroom sandcastle with reckless abandon.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia found herself able to stand. She coughed a bit, and began to squeeze the water out of her hair. This had to be the weirdest beach part ever

Professor Tomoe

The sopping-wet scientist picked the thing up gingerly, peering at it with wide, bright lenses.

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury had reached the shore and walked a few steps then fell on her back.."I had never worked so hard ever"

Host

It shook itself off suddenly, throwing a burst of water on him, clearing its feathers. There was a small puff of smoke, and then the flame above the winged eyeball lit. It righted itself and resumed hovering.

Professor Tomoe

"OOOOOH, HOW INTERESTING!" Professor Tomoe boomed, staring at the thing as it zipped up, out of reach.

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia stared blankly. She looked to the others-then back to the eye, then back to the others, then back to the eye. "It's...a flying eyeball."

How many more brain cells was Galaxia going to lose?

Dark Mercury

"What is that thing??" D-Merucyr asked sitting up

Mimete

A tear faced Mimete sat in the middle of the now-destroyed Backstreet Boy Bedroom sandcastle and sniffled. "An eyeball?"

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia at this point felt numb. All she could do was stare at the scene before her in total, exhausted, bewilderment.

Host

Zircon fluttered uncomfortably, glancing around.

Professor Tomoe

"Beach volleyball?" asked the Professor, wondering if perhaps the thing could play.

Sailor Galaxia

And there went the last of Galaxia's brain cells

Mimete

"It's a volleyball?" she cocked her head to the side. She could kind of see it.

Professor Tomoe

"WHAT A GREAT IDEA!" Professor Tomoe agreed.

Host

The eyeball did not look like he agreed.

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury who now was standing nee the professor said, "It has that shape...but im not into sports..."

Mimete

Mimete jumped up. "I, Mimete, will get the highest score in beach volleyball!" she yelled, running toward the eyeball with her flat, open palm in the air.

Professor Tomoe

"It will be a great way to end a night! Beach volleyball!" Suddenly he was holding a net, waving it about to catch the winged thing. It darted just out of reach, but the Professor was not deterred. "COME, MIMETE-KUN! BEACH VOLLEYBALL!"

Dark Mercury

D-Mercury look as the professor and girl went after it then looked to the Golden Girl and said, "You going with them?"

Sailor Galaxia

Galaxia heaved herself fully onto the shore, ignoring the sloshing in her boots. She wobbled up to the table and straight for the punch bowl. She lightly examined it, ensuring the metal teleporting object was still in place. She briefly glanced once, tiredly, at the group attempting to now use the flying eye-that had once been a shark-as a ball. With a snap of her fingers, a golden orb appeared around the bowl; glittering brilliantly as the bowl of delicious punch began to vanish into thin air. The great and powerful Sailor Galaxia, for once, felt no need to destroy anything. She was just...tired. She was just going to go home and sleep this whole day away. Here's hoping it wouldn't haunt her dreams. At least she'd have the punch.

Host

As Zircon flew off, he was reminded of the days and nights spent dodging the Amazones Quartet. This was almost like that, although somehow it seemed... higher stakes. He narrowly avoided a net, and then—was that a lasso?! He regretted having stolen the invitation addressed to VesVes. It probably would have been better to just let her attend.

And thus the beach party concluded, as the sun set gorgeously in the distance, alighting the ocean with tones of crimson and tangerine. What a lovely way to spend a summer's afternoon!

Host

The elegant smell of cherry bloosoms, tulips, and daffodils wafts through the air, prominent before ever needing to step inside.

True to the season, the mansion had been thoroughly decorated in freshly bloomed flowers. Gathered in tasteful vases set in corners, strung up alongside fairylights that catch the delicate soft petals in their glow, there seem to be flowers everywhere the guests look.

Walking inside, the scent of flowers begins to compete against the delicious spice coming from the banquet table. The mix of flowers and food may be a bit strange, though it draws the guests in, making them want to stay and enjoy the luxury of it all.

At the head of the room stands a woman bedecked in the finest of clothes. Her gown seems to be made of the very flowers she's decorated her home with. Anyone from the city knows her as simply Aster, famous and wealthy.

"Welcome everyone," she greets the inbound guests. "Welcome to my home, please make yourselves comfortable and enjoy."

Minako

Minako adjusted her gown once more, the thing as slight and sparkling as she could muster without it completely falling off. She had to look her best, you see. All of the famous and wealthy people of the town were going to be at this party and Minako wasn't going to let the opportunity pass her by.

And if she happened to impress a certain dark-haired someone, well that was just a happy coincidence, wasn't it?

With a sly grin, Minako glanced at her totally-not-at-all-coerced-and-dragged-along partner.  "This is going to be great, isn't it? Think of the exposure we could get here!" They were nearly there now, and she simply couldn't wait to be the life of the party.

Rei

Rei certainly looked annoyed, with the way the violet eyes looked skyward and the upturned nose on the girl's face, but she wasn't dressed any less spectacularly than her blonde friend. Of course, the dark-haired girl didn't care about things like fashion and parties. She just had to be presentable, you see. She didn't agonize over what to wear for a few hours or make a special shopping trip—of course not. Why would you even suggest that?

After all, Minako had forced her to come to this party. She definitely didn't want to attend. Why would Rei care about something as mundane as a spring bash?

"Exposure? I thought you wanted to make sure nothing seemed unusual about yet another newcomer to Tokyo with money and status," retorted Rei, although she hadn't been terribly difficult to persuade to join her friend on such an errand.

Minako

Minako didn't miss a step, sending dazzling smiles at any other guests they happened to pass - whether it was appreciated or not.  She gave a dismissive wave of her hand to Rei's comment. "Two birds, one skunk, Rei. To make it big, it's all about multi-tasking!"

She continued to lead the way, keeping her steps calm and collected despite the racing of her heart. Amidst all of this luxury, she felt like the celebrity she was born to be. And soon, she'd have the chance to convince the wealthy people gathered here that they definitely wanted to add her into their number. It would be perfect. "Money and status doesn't always have to be nefarious," Minako added absently. It was more to convince herself than to appease Rei. Despite her current obsessive nature, the senshi within her never truly went away and she still kept an eye out for anything amiss amongst her star-searching.

Rei

Rei rolled her eyes at Minako's statements, but she continued to walk alongside her. Of course, her particular stride wasn't related to an opportunity to showcase her  carefully-selected outfit; this was just something she threw together because Minako insisted they attend this party. She wasn't hoping to spot persons of note and maybe get their autographs or have a picture taken with them—Rei was above all of that. This was purely a mission.

A mission, during which, maybe they could have champagne!

Duzell

In the Kingdom of Philiosta, Duzell was lying on Princess Ishtar's bed watching her fiddle around with a dazzling aquamarine lavaliere she had snatched from who knows where, while doing who knows what.  

“Oh, Duzie, Yujinn's magic lessons are such a yawn fest, don't you think?”

Her mischievous grin told him that she was up to no good again. And as usual, she avoided unveiling her plans, though she reassured him that they would be free to play out in the fields all day. Duzell tilted his head curiously. Strange because he could have sworn one of the knights had come by earlier reminding her to retake her magic quiz, which she had already failed three times! Duzell sighed. There was no point arguing with the rebellious teenage princess , and so he gazed on silently.

Without warning, a bright magical light filled the room, forcing him to duck beneath his front paws. When the wave of energy passed, he opened his little brown eyes to find himself sitting on his hind legs in the middle of a beautiful mansion full of flowers with lots and lots of delicious smells that made his little nose twitch...And of course the princess was nowhere in sight. Even worse however, was that he had absolutely no idea where he was!

Damn that girl! Duzell sighed. What had she done this time? The kyawl kitten looked around his unfamiliar surroundings and grumbled. Knowing his luck, the princess probably managed a spell with that pendant, but not the one she had intended. He let out another sigh. Those knights sure had their hands full, he thought to himself.

Minako

As they walked together into the main gathering area, Minako made certain to keep her expression the perfect nonchalant of seen-it-all-before despite that she was currently committing every little detail to memory as she scanned the room. To her dismay, she didn't quite recognize everyone in the room. If she were being perfectly honest, she didn't recognize most - senshi duties made her slack in her fangirl duties - but she did recognize a few. And she definitely recognized Aster at the head of the room. You couldn't be a fan of stars of any type without knowing about her.

"There she is," Minako said, keeping her voice low so that only Rei could hear. "Isn't she beautiful?"

Still excitement had to wait - at least for the moment - and she added, "Are you sensing anything?"

Rei

Rei took in the opulence of the home, filled with fragrant flowers, dazzling light, and the hum of a party. Minako was right about at least one thing—this was the place to be, whether to see or be seen! She was sure they were nearly rubbing elbows with a myriad of important people, even if she didn't necessarily recognize them. After all, they had been working rather hard as sailor soldiers. Of course, when Minako pointed out Aster, that was someone she couldn't have failed to know.

She hated admitting it, but Minako was right.

"Maybe," she replied, tossing her long dark hair. "But that's not her best angle."

All angles were Aster's best angles.

When the blonde asked the next question, the priestess took a slightly slower breath, trying to tune into the room surrounding them. There was a lot to sense, particularly in such a crowd. If only this time there was nothing... nefarious. (Would they ever be so lucky?)

Her eyes scanned the room again, sharp and piercing now, finally settling on... a striped cat. That sensation pricked at her—this was unusual.

She tried to catch Minako's eyes and convince those baby blues to glance in her direction without moving too much of her body to make the move obvious.

"Something does seem a little... peculiar..." she said, looking again at the cat.

Minako

Even though Minako was busy staring at their gorgeous host, she was so attuned to Rei's slightest of motions that she realized when Rei was attempting to get her attention. She glanced over in the direction and frowned, not seeing anything at first. What was Rei playing at?

Then she glanced just a bit lower and saw the...cat?

"Rei." She paused, glancing at her companion. "That's just a cat."

Rei

The look that Rei shot Minako was not friendly, more of a glare than anything else.

"He has a mullet."

Minako

Minako had to concede that point and with a small shrug she said, "I guess  you've never been wrong before." She walked over to it to get a better look, squinting to make heads or tails of it. It really did have a mullet. But what kind of secrets could a cat hold?

Rei

Slightly mollified to have the mullet conceded to, Rei was able to continue: "I also sense something from him. I don't quite understand it."

Duzell

Who are all of these people? Duzell wondered, jumping to his feet in alarm after nearly having his tail crushed by a woman in a pair of red pumps. Whoever they were, they sure seemed excited for whatever feast was taking place in this room. Well, that was great and all, but where was Ishtar? Had she transferred herself here as well? Perhaps he should investigate the room. The sooner he could figure out what happened the sooner he could get back to hunting down Phelios' reincarnation.

Duzell lifted his nose toward the air and began to sneak toward some flower pots where it seemed like fewer people would step on him. "......" His ears twitched uncomfortably. Somebody was watching him in the room, but who? The kyawl froze in place.

Minako

Minako hummed. When coming to this party, she hadn't expected a cat to be her main concern. She followed him then, as the creature began to make its way towards a set of flower pots. "Whatcha doing there, buddy?" She smiled. She wasn't the type to get caught up in the cuteness of things, but there was a certain charm to this one. It looked so strange, it was cute.

Rei

Rei nearly gasped, as Minako wandered off into what could have potentially been danger, approaching the mulleted cat as though it was completely harmless. She counted herself as the leader of the sailor soldiers, yet there she went. Well, if something happened, at least Rei would try to assist.

Duzell

“...” Duzell's ears twitched a second time. He looked over his shoulder and noticed that two girls seemed to be studying him. He decided to scurry a little faster toward the plants. Perhaps they wouldn't bother him if he tried finding something to hide under.

Minako

Well he was certainly an elusive little creature. He almost seemed scared, if Minako had to guess. Maybe Rei was wrong in all of this after all. A little creature like this seemed perfectly harmless, if she did say so herself. Still, Rei's intuition couldn't be ignored and she was already this far into it, no reason to not follow through.

She followed him a little bit further, giving the creature a wider berth. What was he up to? Something nefarious? Or just looking for snacks?

Duzell

...But there was nothing to hide under by the potted plants. Cornered, Duzell sat on his hind legs and faced his pursuer, though she seemed to have given him some distance.

What do you want? Can't you tell that I'm busy looking for somebody? he exclaimed at Minako, but all that escaped his mouth were a bunch of soft mews.

Ami

Ami dressed nicely after getting a invitation to a event and was late for the first time in what seemed like a while, running carefully to the destination and stopping at the front door to catch her breath. After she did she walked inside and looked around for someone she knew

Hollow Knight

the knight had no idea where the slip of paper had come from. Perhaps conifer had left yet another advertisement for his mapmaking skills in his wake. The little creature picked it up, examining it closely. A small flash of light erupted from the paper-and if they could scream, they would have. As the light vanished, they lept-clinging on the side of a nearby building-their longnail at the ready...until the slip of paper fluttered to the ground beneath it. They  slid down the edge of the wall carefully, snatching up the paper and read it. It was a bit disappointing, to be honest. Just a simple invitation to some sort of ball. The little knight tucked it within their cloak, and played with the frayed edges a bit within their fingers. Not exactly dressed to impress. They put a finger to their chin, deep in thought.

How would one go about making this battle-wear dressy?

Minako

The little cat made mewling sounds at her which only amplified the cuteness factor. Minako laughed a little, still thinking that Rei was sending her on a wild moose chase. "Well you certainly aren't my biggest fan, are you?" She asked of it. Minako stood up straight and let out a small sigh. She glanced around, looking for where Rei had disappeared to, but found a different, though still familiar, face.

"Ami-chan!" Minako called out to her, waving her arm a little to get the other girl's attention. Maybe with the help of her smartest friend, they could figure out what was going on with this mulleted cat.

Duzell

Duzell began to hiss as more attention was drawn to him. Why were humans so fascinated with kittens?

Ami

Ami kept looking around then she saw and heard Minako and went over to her, "Minako...it's great to see you..you got invited too? Who else is here..and who's cat is that hissing at us...Calm down kitty..its ok we wont hurt you..gosh I wish Luna was here.."

Minako

"Of course I got invited, Ami-chan!" Minako's voice was full of confidence because of course she had been invited and hadn't just stolen the tickets off an unsuspecting victim. She deserved the ticket, definitely.

"Rei said she sensed something from this little guy," Minako explained. "Dunno why. Besides its weird choice in hairdo, there's not much else interesting about it as far as I can tell."

Hollow Knight

The knight jumped a bit, hand on the hilt of their nail, upon seeing some very tall bugs. And yet, no shells were to be seen, unless you count the fur of varying length on the tops of their heads. But in fairly feminine voices they conversed excitedly with one another, and the knight managed to relax. They were clearly young-and no threat. Perhaps yet another new kind of bug? After this, the little thing found that there were flowers growing nearby. It was perfect! Quick as a flash-they picked as many as they could hold and began tying the stems together with the dexterity befitting a knight. Carefully, using the reflection of the glass on one of the buildings as a mirror-they placed it over their horns and onto their head. This flower crown made them feel quite beautiful-if they had to admit!

Hollow Knight

Now they were dressed appropriately!

Duzell

'Calm down, kitty?' I'm not some housecat! He mewed, waggling his tail around in annoyance. Oh right, he looked like one. The kyawl sighed in defeat. Why did he have to be reincarnated as a kitten of all things?

Ami

Ami giggled at Minako'bubblyness as that was normal for her friend. "Wait Rei is here too...oh interesting...hmm well I didnt know cats were supposed have hairdo's." She walked over to the cat and slowly put her hand down to it. "Hello kitten...we are your friends.." 'Maybe i shouldn't try to pet it.' She thought

Duzell

"..." Duzell sniffed Ami's hand once before opening his mouth and chomping down on it. Not too hard, but hard enough to get his point across.

Hollow Knight

The door was rather strange-made completely of glass. Didn't everyone know how fragile glass was? The knight went to push it-and their thought process halted. Why was this door so heavy? Pushing and pulling with all their might, they just couldn't seem to get the door open. They sighed-and pulled out their nail. Breaking it was, sadly not an option-as it would injure those inside. As much as they really, REALLY wanted to break it, all they could do was use the nail as a lever of sorts to try to pry the door open. Teeny grunts of effort could be heard, and the door finally opened wide enough for them to dash in. Dust was naturally kicked up with the speed the knight had generated, and the door slammed behind them-fairly loudly-and made the little creature jump. Why have such heavy and dangerous doors near civilians? It made no sense.

Ami

Ami yelped when the cat bit down on her hand. it didnt feel like it was trying to bite it off but it still hurt like the dickens. She tried to pull her hand back and shook it.."ouch!! ok maybe i shouldn't have done that..sorry kitty.." She looked at her hand noticing a little blood..."Eek..i didnt bring any first aid stuff..Minako..do you see anything I could use on my hand"

Hollow Knight

Keen instincts immediately detected the yelp of pain. The smallest and fuzziest bug just bit one of the taller, younger ones! The knight took no time to dash in between the two-nail outstretched. There would be no fights at this banquet! With the nail outstretched, the knight then quickly turned it to the ground, and thrust it into the tile with authority. Here's hoping the small fuzzy bug would get the message.

Minako

First her friends are getting bitten now there was a loud slamming sound. What next?. "Are you okay?" she asked Ami. Minako didn't have anything to give her, however. "Sorry, I've just got my clothes." She gave a little shimmy to demonstrate her point - and to show off just how sparkley it was. Ultimately, it was just a dress of which did not allow much room for hiding away first aid kits. She inspected Ami's wound a little closer. "I think you should be okay, just try not to get too close again."

She was startled to see the arrival of a small person. Strangely dressed, with a flower crown adorning its head. A moment after its arrival, the newcomer struck something into the tiled floor. Uh... what was going on in this party?

Duzell

Hmmm... Duzell sat there for a minute licking his chops inquisitively. ...At the very least she is not the reincarnation of King Phelios,  he thought to himself. But who is she? His thoughts were interrupted when a strange knight-like creature around his size stepped in and slammed a sword against the ground. It gave off a strange energy—was it undead?

Ami

Ami looked at Minako and could only smile. "Thanks anyway Minako..I will try not to...and who are you?" She was referring to the newcomer by pointing at it

Hollow Knight

The knight puffed itself up with pride. That'll teach you for acting violent at a party! Suddenly, it occurred to them that their withdrawing of their weapon seemed to attract attention. A bit embarrassed, they gently removed the nail from the ground, and returned it securely on their back. They then noticed the flower crown they made had gotten loose in the scuffle. They re-adjusted it carefully and turned to the blue-furred bug. They stuck an arm in the air, and waved in an attempt to show that they were not a threat either.

Hollow Knight

the knight silently wished that they wouldn't be charged for the fairly-deep dent in the tile. they didn't have enough money to cover any damages.

Ami

Ami saw the encounter and smiled though confused and then it waved to her and Ami in her infinite kindness waved back..

Hollow Knight

The tall blue-haired bug waved back! A small happy squeak emitted from the knight, regardless of how composed they normally were. Their apperance and actions were normally met with caution and unease-sometimes outright fear. But this tall bug did no such thing! She waved back! With a teeny bounce, the little thing was near her, and held out the invitation high above their head for her to see.

Duzell

Duzell sighed in relief. Good, they're distracted by that other creature. Now is my chance! When Ami and Minako weren't looking, the kyawl made a bee line for the nearest dining table. The kitten's body began to glow a faint white. He closed his eyes and chanted a mysterious shapeshifting spell in an unknown language. As he morphed into the blue-haired girl he had bitten only moments ago, he bumped his head on the underside of table.

“Ouch!” he exclaimed in a somewhat timid effeminate voice. Transformation complete. Duzell looked down. Well, almost. He waved his hand in front of his bare manly chest and sighed. ...I guess I still can't change genders yet.

He peered out from underneath the table and sighed again. There were so many people and no outfits to borrow. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea... Wait. The table cloth! Using his vampiric strength, Duzell—er “Ami” reached out and grabbed onto the draping white piece of decorative fabric and yanked it toward himself from underneath the table, but not without a high price: All of the food and plates came crashing to the floor. “...Oops.” The Ami-imposter quickly wrapped himself in the table cloth and stumbled out from beneath the table, distancing himself from the disaster as quickly as possible.

Hollow Knight

The knight could only stare with a mix of confusion-more dumbfounded then they had ever been before. They turned around to see...another bug-only with no clothes. They grabbed the table cloth and all the food scattered to the floor. A scavenger, perhaps? Why else would you stoop to such desperate measures for clothing-and in public! The knight could only smack their forehead. This one clearly had no manners, and was a bumbling intruder. Though stealing clothing instead of food was a new one.

Hollow Knight

At this point, the knight noticed the lack of guards. Why were there no guards to protect the innocent? Clearly, the bumbling, table-clothed bug was no threat-but what if they were? The knight was seriously going to fashion a complaint to whoever was in charge once the festivities were over. Thank goodness the knight was here-they'd be able to protect everyone!

Minako

The crash of porcelain and glass shattering to the floor caught near everyone's attention and as Minako glanced over she paused in confusion. At first, she thought it was Ami causing all the ruckus. But upon further inspection, she wasn't entirely certain. In fact, it looked like Ami... but male?

"Wow Ami-chan, looking good," she said with a small whistle. She glanced at her friend. "Did you always have a twin brother that you never told us about?" She added in a teasing voice.

Despite her jokes, the entire scene left her confused and a little uncertain as to what was going on in this party. It was going nothing at all like she'd planned, and she was beginning to wonder if she'd drunk a bunch of alcohol and simply had forgotten about it. At least being drunk would be some kind of explanation in all of this.

Ami

(real) Ami turned around to hear the crashing and saw..well she didnt know what she was looking at.. "Who...what is that?? and why does it look..like me...Minako!! I have never had a brother...dont tease me..you know thats not me...right??" Sometimes she had wondered about her bubbly friend.

Hollow Knight

so they WERE an intruder! The knight smacked a rolled fist into his palm at the revelation. So it must have just been a mask-making it look similar to another attendant! Clever, for such a clumsy thing stealing a a tablecloth. With a tiny grunt, the knight sprung foreword, managing to latch onto the cloth as the intruder was trying to figure out what to do next. They quickly began climbing the intruder like a tower, and began to tug at their hair to remove the mask. Making such a fuss like this wouldn't go unpunished!

Duzell

As Ami's imposter was fleeing the mess, he felt something crawling up his body. Before long, whatever it was began tugging at his hair.  It was the strange knight-like creature. “Ouch! What are you doing?” Duzell exclaimed, trying to pull the being away from him with one hand while holding up the table cloth with the other. “Can't a princess look for her cat in peace?” he asked, not realizing that his Ishtar transformation had failed him.

Hollow Knight

The knight shook their head feverently, clinging to the cloth even harder. If only they could get a good grip on their nail! Then they'd really be sorry! But all they could do was continue to tug at the hair. The mask should have come off by now! They began knocking at the sides of the intruder's face-hoping to shake the mask loose. Whatever was holding the mask on was really something!

Ami

Ami looked on at what was going on around the table with all the questioning faces she could think of. She had no clue where this imposter came from. but then she took a moment to think.."Hey..what ever happened to that cat? Where did it go.."

Minako

It looked like the Ami-doppelganger was having trouble with the small knight that had yet to speak. She didn't feel entirely inclined to help,. Minako still felt uncertain about the arrival of someone wearing her friend's face, despite how nice they were to look at. "Ami, do you have your computer on you? Maybe we should check to see if it can detect anything from this person."

Ami

Ami then looked at Minako remembering that she took her computer everywhere and i mean EVERYWHERE.."Yeah i have it hold on." She got out her computer then tried to scan the chaos

Duzell

Agh this little fella is persistent! I need to shake him off somehow!

Duzell tried once more to remove the caped critter. If he pulled any harder, he feared that the little knight would rip his only cover off. Why won't he let go of me!? the Ami-copycat thought to himself in annoyance. Without looking back on the party, he quickly disappeared down a corridor with the knight still clinging onto him.

Rei

She had not wandered off for a moment, thinking she had caught sight of a particularly famous musician, only to find out after a somewhat-troublesome attempt to shadow the older man that he was, in fact, someone she didn't recognize in the slightest. Rei shouldered her way back to Minako, Ami, and... another Ami? as a... boy?

Hollow Knight

The knight, at this point, decided for a more direct approach. Now around the intruders neck, the clung and hosted themselves onto their head-taking tuffs of hair in both hands and yanking as hard as the knight possibly could. Why wasn't it coming off? The sudden burst of movement almost made the little creature lose their grip, but  steadfast remained. The intruder wouldn't escape this easy!

Ami

Ami continued to look to her computer and all that it could tell her currently was that her lookalike was not human. "it's not human but what is it? its creeping me out.."She looked around.."Where did it go?"

Rei

Almost as soon as she realized that something strange was going on, the male Ami-looking person headed down a corridor. She glanced at Minako. "...Do we follow them?"

Minako

Minako let out a low sigh, her grandeur thoughts of making it big tonight were quickly being dashed away. Too many weird things were happening for it to be just a coincidence. She spotted a familiar face and grumpily frowned at the returning girl. How had Rei ever decided to leave her alone in all of this? Rei was all business however, which was fair, and Minako gave a shrug. She just didn't know any more, but that wasn't the right answer of course. "Following naked people is my specialty," she said instead, a waggle of her eyebrows helped punctuate the point. With that, she tried to follow by weaving through the mass of people, not letting that strange head of familiar blue get out of her sight.

Rei

Rei rolled her eyes at Minako's reply. Typical.

Ami

Ami looked around then saw Minako and Rei apparently go after the imposter. She then tried to decide to follow or not but then she thought it would be best not to so to not confuse her friends.

Rei

Rei followed Minako.

Hollow Knight

With all the bustle, the knight then noticed that their precious fancy flower crown was sliding off! In a moment of what was clearly not their best thought process, the knight removed one hand to keep it from flying off-a move that would damage their mission dearly. With only one hand gripping onto the swiftly moving caper-they flew right off! A small cry of surprise slipped through them as they fell with a thunk onto the floor. The knight always did regret that they were-in fact-top heavy.

Hollow Knight

At least there was a small solace in seeing that their flower crown was surprisingly undamaged.

Librarian's Note wrote:

RTRP is too long and will be continued in the next post!

Librarian's Note wrote:

Continued from previous post due to word count restrictions!

Minako

There were far too many people to keep even a familiar head in focus and Minako swore under her breath when she actually lost sight all together. She crossed her arms. "Well this is just great," she said in a tone that made it clear she did not think this to be great at all.

Rei

Rei agreed with the sentiment. She could still sense that something was amiss—in fact, the entire room gave her an unsettling feeling—but she could not pinpoint the Ami-lookalike.

Hollow Knight

The knight stood up and looked around. There was no sign of the intruder to be seen. They hung their head in shame. Their fancy dressed accessory was not worth failure. They began to walk, feet dragging slightly, back to the main room. The idea that the intruder might return to the scene of the crime was the only thought that kept them from beating themselves up-too much that is.

Ami

Ami who was curious about what was going on saw the knight come back..She went to him, "Hey whats wrong?"

Duzell

“Yeouchhhh!” he wailed in response to the knight's hair-tugging. “Would you cut that out already?” Before he knew it, the knight had tumbled to the ground with a wail. Hah!

With the knight now out of the way, Duzell rushed to the end of the hallway and burst through the first door on his right. It led to somebody's beautiful bedroom. There was a big bed, a large wardrobe, a mirror... His heart sank. No wonder those people back at the party were acting the way they were! He looked like the blue-haired girl he had bitten, not Lady Ishtar!

Duzell sighed. How had he messed up his transformation so badly? Oh, right, it was probably because his magical powers were still incomplete in this little kitty body! Strange though because he had transformed into her several times without any issues (aside from the gender one). Perhaps somebody in the room was disrupting his spells? In any case, he needed to clear up this mess and fast before he gained the suspicion of the entire party., Duzell made his way over to the wardrobe. Without any hesitation he opened the wooden doors and began to fish through the outfits until he found a baggy green dress with a high-neckline. Yes this would do. He swapped it out with the table cloth and closed his eyes. A couple magical words were all he needed to shift into a teenage girl with black hair extending well past her waist.  

“...I really need to be more careful.” He scolded himself under his breath as he opened his eyes and studied himself in the mirror. At least he looked like the princess this time! “I guess I should go back to the party before they come looking for me...”

Hollow Knight

The knight lifted up their head to notice the blue-haired female that was so friendly before attempting to console them. It was moving enough to bring them almost to tears. To be so kind and unafraid, even when they had failed in catching who was impersonating her!

Minako

Minako turned to Rei. "I suppose there's been too many strange things going on for us to just... ignore it and have a good time tonight?" She said the last with a hopeful tilt to her voice. The kind of voice that made it clear she knew she was asking for a bit too much in this instance but couldn't help but to ask anyway.

Hollow Knight

Such kindness would not go unnoticed. The little knight carefully removed their flower crown, and gently removed a single petal. They held it out to her. All bugs of all kinds liked flowers-especially since they were fairly hard to come by-with the exception of this place.

Rei

Rei sighed. "I think that might be the case." It was almost impossible to ignore, at this point.

Ami

Ami bent down carefully grabbing the gift. "For me? thank you" She smiled back to her new friend then stood back up

Duzell

Not much had changed in the room since he had fled down the corridor. Duzell peered out from around the corner before casually rejoining the party as “Princess Ishtar.” Fortunately, it seemed like those girls had already forgotten about him.

Princess Azula

Meanwhile Princess Azula wandered aimlessly about, looking for a person she could at least recognize. For a 'super exclusive' party, she, as the 'most important girl in the world', would have expected to know a lot of people, but actually there was no familiar face.  And as she looked around, she didn't notice the blue haired girl and the small masked creature directly in front of her. Without stopping she bumped into Ami. "Urgh can't you look where you are standing?" She looked up and down at the girl in disgust.

Ami

Ami looked in front of her and saw some other girl she didnt know, "i'm sorry miss..but you didnt have to bump into me if YOU were looking where you were going"

Hollow Knight

The knight looked between the two. The new tall bug had an air of higher class above her-which meant very little, in their eyes. She acted with the typical better-then-you attitude he'd only heard about. It looked like a squabble was about to happen between the two, and the knight wouldn't hesitate to show who's side they were on.

Hollow Knight

Plus the tone of her voice rubbed the knight the wrong way

Host

It was then that the sound of doors being locked echoed around the hall. Aster in all her glory stepped back up in the front of the room, microphone in hand. The general chatter of the party quieted to a low murmur, the live band paused in their playing.

"Now that we've all become acquainted, it's time for the main event." She smiled for a moment, before that smile turned more sinister. "You've all been chosen to be test subjects. I do hope you enjoy helping us perfect this formula!"

The lights dimmed in an almost too-dramatic fashion. This lower lighting allowed for a clear view of the thick gas beginning to pile into the room.

Rei

Rei tensed, her hand already closing around her transformation wand. "Minako! Ami!" she called, ready to cry out her own transformation phrase. The smoke of the gas would hopefully provide enough of a distraction...

Ami

Ami's attention turned to another as another women came into the room and she watched as they were now called test subjects. "Excuse me?? what formula??" She then saw the gas then heard Rei loud and clear grabbing her her transformation pen and looked for somewhere to transform..which wasnt much space...

Hollow Knight

The knight froze up only momentarily as the music stopped. The lights faded and a gas began to waft in. With a growl, they withdrew their nail. Of course this would be a trap-but a very good one. The knight had been one-hundred percent fooled. They weren't unknown to them-but with so many innocents involved?

Duzell

The Ishtar imposter made his way over to the table that he had made a mess of earlier. “...”

Wow, I really did that? he thought to himself with a sigh. He bent over and picked up an apple from a bowl of spilled fruit. As he went to take a bite out of it, a sudden voice caused him to jump. The dimming lights had no effect on him, as he was a vampire in his past life, but suddenly a bunch of smoke began to fill the room?

Poison gas! he assumed, quickly shielding his mouth and nose with his arm. ...Just my luck!

Minako

Minako had been happy to see Aster take center stage again - as was her right! - but as seemed to be the theme for the night, this did not go to plan at all.

As she heard Rei's tense voice, Minako pulled out her own transformation wand. She didn't know what this smoke would do, but was it worth it transform in front of so many people? She'd wanted this party to be a debut of sorts, but this was not what she'd had in mind. "Be ready," Minako said to her fellow senshi. "If we have to transform, so be it."

Hollow Knight

The knight readied a dash attack, but with so many people, there'd be a chance of civilians getting hit. Any move that the knight could do to even attempt to wave the gas away would only hurt the bystanders-the knights powers were always for multiple targets. All they could do was steady themselves, nail withdrawn, and be ready for any abnormality that awaited them.

Princess Azula

Azula began laughing about the woman's sudden entrance. "A Test Subject? You really don't know who you are talking to, do you?" She completely ignored the girl she bumped into and got into a fighting stance. "I am the Princess of the Fire Nation and second best Fire Bender in the World. Do you think you can take me on?" The young girl shot fire into the air to demonstrate her powers, not caring that she could possibly hit someone.

Ami

Ami was as tense as her friends then it got hot very quickly and she turned and yelled.."HEY REI CALM DOWN!!" thinking it was Rei when it was not

Rei

Rei raised an eyebrow at Ami's sudden outburst. Was this the real Ami? First of all... the person who had spoke was not Rei. Second of all... she wasn't accustomed to hearing the blue-haired girl raise her voice. She glanced at Minako, wondering what the blonde was thinking.

Minako

Minako's eyes widened, looking to Rei and mouthing the words 'imposter?' to her. But she focused her eyes back onto the smoke problem. It seemed, however strange the being was, the imposter was the least of their worries right now.

Ami

When Ami looked back though at Rei now she noticed she was not Sailor Mars yet and sweat dropped..."Oh man..sorry Rei-chan...please for give me"

Rei

She caught the reply, thankful to have been here with Minako even if it was turning out to be some kind of trap. They'd have to keep an eye on "Ami", just in case. ...Although right now the "experiment" and gas were a much higher priority.

Duzell

Duzell studied the woman with the microphone and then the girls from before with a frown. What are they doing using up precious oxygen like that? This is serious! Beyond the faint welcoming spices and flower scents there appeared to be a presence that he could not understand. It felt magical, yet it possessed an unusual lightness that even he, a great vampire king, could not fully understand. I need to cast a spell to nullify the gas before it suffocates me.

Hollow Knight

The knight could feel the heat from flames from somewhere in the room. There was fire here as well as gas? The enemy was clearly maniacal. The knight gulped and tried to focus once again to see if they could see anything abnormal, a small white light beginning to generate around them.  Simply focusing without releasing it would be enough to figure out something...right?

Host

Unperturbed by any of her guests' outbursts, Aster  simply stayed in place, watching as more and more of the smoke poured in.

It only took a few moments more before the room was completely filled.

It would have been impossible to not breathe the chemical in. After a few breaths, one would begin to feel themselves shrinking... becoming smaller,  their ears elongating, their noses twitching...

As the smoke began to clear, it became evident what happened. Everyone morphed into rabbits!

An annoyed groan echoed through the amplified speakers. "What is **this**?" Aster, unaffected by smoke, did not sound pleased. "This isn't at all what the chemical is supposed to do." With another frustrated groan, she dug out a phone from a pocket and dialed a number, walking out sight at the same time. "Ugh, you've done it wrong **again**..."

Rei

Rei could feel the changes, but it didn't automatically occur to her what was going on, particularly because it was so difficult to see the other guests through the smoke. And then she felt her hands touch the ground, as if they were feet... What... what... When she glanced down, she had paws.

Hollow Knight

The knight blinked at the sheer amount of fur that now covered them. Yet, their mask and cloak seemed unchanged. What on earth was this? The panic didn't actually set in until the knight realized that their nail had fallen, and failed to pick it up. Multiple times. Their hands were no longer hands....what were they? There were hardly claws! Just these pink squishy things! The knight began to shake uncontrollably, and a few tears formed in the corner of their eyes as they kept trying to grasp the hilt of their nail again and again.

Ami

Ami didnt take the time to transform before the room filled with smoke she tried not breathing it in but she couldnt keep it up and felt funny and then things happened and she had no clue what until she looked down and found herself to be closer to the ground and with..fur?? and paws...??

Minako

As the gas filled more and more of the room, Minako was just on the edge of calling out her transformation phrase, but was cautious to not do it too soon. By the time she decided "screw it", it was too late. The feeling of morphing into something else wasn't painful exactly, though it left her feeling uncomfortable. As the gas cleared, the first thing she saw was a rabbit sitting next to her where Rei once stood. A strike of panic. "Rei, where are you?" Her voice was definitely not her voice. It was still audible, still held a few qualities of her normal tones, but they were much higher pitched, almost squeaky. When she went to move, she felt clumsy - a feeling almost more foreign to her than the strange body she now had. Paws? Fur? What was going on?

Rei

The blonde rabbit next to her spoke.

With a familiar voice.

Rei blinked, not realizing yet what this actually meant, and then it hit her.

"M-Minako?"

Hollow Knight

The knight looked around, everyone was in the same condition they were. What shook them to the core was that everything looked...taller. The knight gave a shrill squeak of horror. How were they even smaller!?  As small as their tiniest encounters and unable to grasp their weapon, what would they do now?

Princess Azula

Even though Azula tried her hardest not to, she couldn't help herself but to breathe the gas in. And as the unknown chemical filled her lungs a strange feeling shot through her body. It felt like she was slowly getting smaller and smaller, and before she was able to realize what just happened, the Princess was just above the ground. Her body felt.. different, and looking down she could see that her hands have turned into paws. What has the woman done to her?

Duzell

The Ishtar imposter closed his eyes to utter a neutralizing spell. Nothing happened. "....." As he studied the room, he began to feel funny. "......Wait. No. What the hell is happening!?” Before he knew it, he was buried beneath a messy pile of green fabric. He looked down at his hands. They weren't Ishtar's hands. In fact they weren't hands at all! “....You have got to be kidding me!” he groaned. Duzell burrowed his way out of the sleeve. In place of the beautiful princess was a little brown rabbit with a mullet.

Minako

Rei's voice was still recognizable, despite the higher pitch. Minako looked to her, eyes widened in shock before... she burst out laughing. " Oh my goodness, Rei, you look so funny. If only Usagi could see you now."

Ami

Ami looked around and tried to speak..albiet in a different tone then usual.."Rei?? Minako??? Where are you two..." She then found them and they were as she was. Ami then attempted to get to them but was not accustomed to hopping around but after a lot of tried got to them..."What are we supposed to do now?"

Hollow Knight

The knight was truly terrified, and wasn't thinking clearly-but could hear familiar voices. Quivering, they moved over to the group of girls who seemed only slightly concerned. They sat themselves in the middle of the group-unconsciously staring at them with eyes pleading for reassurance.

Rei

Rei huffed at Minako's reaction, although she could no longer toss her hair given her current state.

"Well, you certainly look a sight yourself."

Another rabbit hopped over, this one clearly Ami. At least they were not separated. The entire room consisted of bunnies of all types and colours, but she could still recognize her friends now that she understood what had happened.

Hollow Knight

The knight kept focusing, trying to feel any amount of soul. They only felt the teeniest amount-as if it was all but faded away. This was truly the evilest thing they'd ever encountered. How would they protect the civillians if they couldn't even protect themselves! They shook even harder, and a few fear-induced tears beaded in the corners of their eyes

Duzell

Looking around the room, Duzell realized that all of the party guests had been transformed into rabbits! "...But why?" he wondered out loud with a scowl upon his little bunny face. Being a princess was hard. No wonder the real Ishtar had no interest in the role!

Minako

Rei's comment stilled the laughter, as Minako realized the truth in it. Still, Minako had never m issed the presence of a camera more than she did right now. Just the blackmail opportunities alone would make this ruined night worth it. Ami's arrival wasa comfort - at least she was okay too - though Minako couldn't stop the small giggle that escaped her. "Not sure," she answered. She was going to continue but noticed the little masked-bunny near them, looking quite terrified.

Maybe it was a child. She recognized the mask, and remembered how small the person had been. "Hey, you okay?" she asked, distracted. "Don't worry, you're not in any danger right now."

She didn't know if that was actually true, but she hoped it was comforting at least.

Rei

Rei still pondered Ami's question from a moment ago. What should they do now? They couldn't stay as rabbits, and Aster clearly hadn't expected this outcome and didn't seem to be interested in reversing it. What did that leave them as options?

Hollow Knight

And now they were comforting them! The knight truly was in their debt! They nodded their thanks.

Princess Azula

Looking around the room, it didn't take long for Azula to realize that she has been transformed into a bunny. How dare they? Her father would burn this whole place to the ground.  But at least she could still bend fire - or so she thought, because her little legs were way too short. Maybe she would be able to do it with her bunny ears, but she still wasn't accustomed to her new body, so she wasn't even able to move them an inch. It really was no use.

Ami

Ami-Bun looked over at another bunny and it was there friend who tried to help with the imposter stuff. Mina-bun spoke to him then Ami-bun did as well. "Yes she is right..you have friends here."

Minako

With Ami speaking the masked bunny, Minako left the situation in Ami's caring hands. Minako might have been the first to initiate contact, but she wasn't a very big fan of kids, if she were being honest. Ami would make for a much better caretaker. Instead, she focused on trying to figure out how to move. She attempted a hop, just a little one, and stumbled over her awkward footing.

Grumbling to herself, Minako tried again, faltering a second time. She wished Artemis was here. He was no rabbit, but surely he'd have some pointers.

Hollow Knight

The knight was feeling quite a bit more at ease now. If only they had thumbs, they'd have given the girls a thumbs-up to let them know they were feeling better. Still, now that they thought about it-the soul was still there-the magic. So it hadn't vanished. Their head lowered, a strange paw at their chin-deep in thought

Duzell

“...” Sitting around was not going to solve the problem. I guess I should try to get some information out of these people—er, rabbits. Duzell rolled his eyes. What a predicament! He didn't know what was worse: being some princess' pet or “partying” like a rabbit. Sighing, he made his way toward the others one hop at a time.

Princess Azula

Not far from her she noticed what used to be girl she bumped into talking to the little guy, who still wore his mask. She couldn't help herself but to let out a "Oh please, having friends doesn't serve any purpose if you are stripped of your powers" in the most arrogant voice possible.

Rei

Rei chuckled, watching Minako's attempt to maneuver, even though she doubted she could do better.

Hollow Knight

The knight was interrupted from their thoughts. If it were possible for the others to see-they rolled their eyes. This bug was clearly from the upper district. Why she was so argumentative even after this odd spell had been cast was beyond them.

Ami

Ami-bun looked back for a moment to hear another bunny saying something mean to her but she didnt care to listen. "Come on friend..lets try to get this hopping business mastered..ok?"

Minako

Minako stayed where she was, flopped down on the floor, fuzzy arms and legs splayed out around her, ears flopped over her face. This was it. This was how she ended her career as a senshi. Still, when she heard a scathing remark being thrown at Ami, Minako decided to speak up despite her imminent demise. "That's an arrogant thing to say," she commented. A pause. "I should know, I've got arrogance down to an art form."

Hollow Knight

The knight chuckled. The blonde one had sass! Reminded them of and the wise-though very sarcastic-seer that guarded the graves. What would she have thought of this situation, they wondered? She would have known the answer to the problem-but not without a fit of laughter at the situation first.

Hollow Knight

At least she'd know what bugs they had turned into.

Duzell

Duzell stopped beside the knight and stared blankly at the group. Weren't these the same people who had tried to follow him earlier? “......” He plopped down on his hind legs and observed them silently.

Princess Azula

"I don't remember asking you anything." Azula responded to the bunny with the blonde hair. "Can't your little friend defend herself?"

Rei

Rei tried to remember how she had seen rabbits move. In this moment, she was wishing she had paid more attention. They moved the front paws slightly, didn't they, and then pushed off with the more powerful back feet...? The black rabbit gave it a try. The first few motions weren't quite right, but she was grateful to be more coordinated than someone else in her group. She managed.

Ami

Ami-bun then turned to the one taunting her, "Look here Rabbits foot gone wrong...if I had my powers I could take you down a few notches in no time..BUT for know..WE as in all of us need to figure a way out fo this and get our oringal bodies back..so..help or not..and if not..stay out fo the way.." Ami-bun was not one to get mad but this happened to be a time..

Hollow Knight

For the second time, had they been able to see the knights face-they'd see their eyes raise in surprise. The stag beetle was right-it really was always the quiet ones with the loudest temper. It made them a bit relieved-she seemed so kind she'd be a bit of a pushover. Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case.

Duzell

"Enough!" Duzell finally called out to the group. Agh. They sounded like the kingdom of Pheliosta's stupid knights, bickering a bunch of nonsense. He couldn't take it anymore!

Host

Those with magical abilities will feel their powers coming to their paws a little more, though still dampened, it's no longer fully out of reach. It almost feels similar to a sleeping limb tingling back to normal.

Hollow Knight

The knight suddenly jerked up. They could feel it, the power was coming back-like a small bubble starting in a cauldron. Did that mean this odd spell was waning? There'd still be a chance to find who was responsible if it faded quick enough.

Duzell

"Don't any of you know any--magic?...My magic is returning?" Duzell looked down at his paws. But it didn't feel right.

Princess Azula

Azula slowly started to get a hold of her new body and was able to produce a small wave of fire with her ears, hurling into Ami's direction but fading out before it could actually reach her. "Oh, I don't know which powers you are talking about, but I still have mine." She tried her best not to show any sign of surprise about her sudden success.

Hollow Knight

The knight noticed the amount of malice from the better-off bug-and the clear intent to harm. They placed themselves in-between her and the others, growling in warning.

Ami

Ami was scared but suddenly was confident when the fire fizzled out, "Calm down hothead..do you wish to be human again?? then work with us and it could happen...gosh what am I trying to do..this bunny is hard to talk to.." She then turned to Rei and Mina again and attempted to help mina to her paws

Minako

Minako still lay prone on the ground, content to allow the bunny demise take its toll, when she heard talk of magic. She paused for a moment, feeling for her own magic. It wasn't ever as strong as when she was transformed, but her glowing bright magic was still always present inside her. It felt muted, but still accessible. That was a comfort in these dark fuzzy times.

Ami was kind enough to come help her up, and Minako allowed it, even though she still felt very much at odds with herself. "Thank you," she said, plopping herself down. She wasn't certain she'd try to move again so soon, but at least she was off the floor. It was a start.

Hollow Knight

How the others weren't as adjusted to moving in their new forms as the knight was-they didn't know. But if it were the same for the arrogant bug-it could be put to their advantage. They gave a small growl of warning again, hoping that she'd back off-for her own sake.

Rei

Rei took a few more hops, feeling slightly more coordinated with each. She listened as the others discussed her magic, and realized she could feel the glow of her abilities as Sailor Mars slightly more, although muted as they always were without her transformation. Her psychic abilities did not seem to have been impacted.

Duzell

Duzell sighed. It was hopeless.

Host

The chemical is beginning to wear off even more. Magic abilities are the first to come back in full, allowing the guests the full array of their power. In the next moment, the bunnies begin to feel tingling throughout their whole body.

Duzell

...Or not. His ears perked up as his body began tingling.

Hollow Knight

The knight could have screeched in joy, feeling their powers back as a whole. Now they could do something about the situation-or not, now that there was a second sensation. They've been through odd shifts of power like this before-mostly when learning a new spell or attack. Trying to think of what attack they'd learn from this odd form made their head hurt.

Minako

The tingling was unpleasant, and Minako looked down at her paws - all while trying to ignore the very fact that she was currently thinking of paws and herself in the same thought.

Rei

Now she felt a stronger sensation, almost like the pins and needles of a leg fallen asleep, but over her entire body. Rei glanced around, noticing that the others seemed equally discomforted.

Princess Azula

Azula was just about to shout after Ami again, when she felt a tingling similar to when she first transformed into a bunny. Could it be that the effects of the Gas were slowly fading?

Hollow Knight

Could they be able to shift into this form at will, now? The knight wasn't sure how useful this would be, since they couldn't grab their weapon. Perhaps to squeeze into small holes, or appear harmless? It'd be the most useless power they'd have, if this were to be the case.

Ami

Ami then noticed that she could feel her water/ice powers coming but though without her transformation..it was a good feeling and she wanted to go after the mean bunny but that was not her style..she stayed close to Mina for support

Host

With an audible "pop!" here and another "pop!" there,  people everywhere begin to morph back into their original states, an event filled with equal amounts of confusion and relief around the crowded room.

Rei

The change back to human felt significantly more sudden than the change to rabbit. Rei tumbled off-balance when she regained her normal shape and size.

Duzell

The effect appears to be wearing off. Duzell observed. Which means... "Oh no!" He began to make a mad dash toward the dress his bunny body had abandoned next to the table.

Ami

suddenly somethings happened and Ami was back to her blue hair glory.. She checked on Rei and Mina then looked for the fire witch that attacked her..she didnt want that one to attack again

Hollow Knight

The knight gave a shrill squeak of delight as they temporarily entered a state of childishness. They twirled around in their cape, grabbed their nail and hugged it, and felt  their helmet and legs before falling over, excitedly wrapping themselves in their cloak.They were back to normal! They picked up the flower crown,that was no longer bigger then them, and placed it proudly back onto their head, and returned their nail to its trusty place on the knights back.

Minako

The change was so quick, Minako almost didn't realize it had happened until she noticed Rei beside her once more. The proper gorgeous Rei in her well-to-do dress, not the fuzzy little cute rabbit that was a missed blackmailing opportunity. It was then that Minako glanced down, curious to make certain she hadn't retained any bunny bits. Victoriously, she was still fully human it seemed.

And, as a bonus, her slinky dress had slunked down to the ground in the sudden shift of body shapes. "Oh Rei-chan, this is just terrible!" There was a twinkle in her eye that would clearly say otherwise. She threw herself towards the other, flinging arms around Rei in a tight hug. "You'll have to be my clothes now."

Duzell

But it was too late. His body had resumed Ishtar's form, well her face at least. Huffing, Duzell collapsed to his knees, shielding his body from further embarrassment.

Why me? he groaned.

“Hey, what does it take for a princess to get some clothes around here?!” he shouted as a faint line of blush appeared across his face.

Rei

Rei rolled her eyes again, but she didn't exactly prevent the blonde from throwing herself at the dark-haired girl's mercy. There was only a slight blush to her cheeks as she attempted to provide some cover (no, that was not just gratuitous rear-touching, thank you) and attempted to recover something for the other girl to wear. After all, they were at a party, for heaven's sake!

She lifted the slinky dress, still trying to shield the blonde.

"No, these can be your clothes. Come on!"

Hollow Knight

The knight watched the black and yellow haired girls interact. So they were mates! They'd would have never known! The knight shot a thumbs up in their direction to show that he didn't mind the PDA-though it was strange to do such things in public.

Rei

She absolutely did not subtly return the thumbs-up given by the small creature. Why would you even suggest that??

Minako

Minako took the dress but took her time to put slip it back on, grinning all the way. With that, the fun seemed over - at least for the moment. Instead, there was something else they still needed to do. It was time to figure out who had been responsible for all of this and bring them to justice. This had been a failed experiment, after all. Who knew what had been the intended outcome.

"Well, all fun and show games, I guess," she said. She looked to her current companions, going from her fellow senshi to the new arrivals. They all seemed to be able to hold their own in a fight, and without the rest of the senshi here, they were currently missing backup. "Shall we work together to stop this from happening again?"

Hollow Knight

The knight withdrew their blade in response.

Rei

Rei nodded, her composure much more refined now that her friend was clothed again.

Princess Azula

Azula was really happy. Not only was she back to her former beauty, the blonde girl that tried to protect the blue haired one seemed to have finally learned her place. "It seems you have finally realized who I am. People say I am rather unforgiving, but as a sign of my good will, I shall allow that you destory that intruder in my name." She responded with a fake smile on her lips.

Host

With a room full of famous guests in various states of clothing and a mansion full of potential enemies, the heroes aren't certain what they'll face next. Still, they would do their best to find the culprit and make them pay for this bunny indignity.

The End!

Host

As the full moon rises higher into the night sky, our party-goers begin to gather! As they arrive to the outdoor location, a cheerful bonfire sits in the middle, offsetting the more spooky of the decorations - cobwebs draped from here to there, bats hanging from tree branches, jack-o-lanterns glow with scary faces. The smell of treats clings to the air, sweet and spicy.

There's a thrill of excitement - the party has just begun!

Misumi

Misumi walked around the place, disgusted by the webs and bats.
"Eww, disgusting, I thought this would be formal!"
But then she thought, oh, its Hallows Eve. Confused, she looked around to see if anybody else arrived.

"Hel....lo? I'm not the only one here, am I? I'm, frightened.."

Hadley

Hadley adjusted her dress, and smoothed out her long hair. She hadn't known about Thumbelina for long, but she hearing of how she was born from a flower - and was tiny - made her happy. It had been an easy to choice to dress up as her for this night!

As she approached the area, she smiled. Everything looked so cute! A voice caught her attention, and Hadley turned towards the speaker with a smile.

"It's okay, you're not alone."

R

He rarely went to parties. It seemed like there wouldn't be enough of anything to drink he'd like enough to stay, but he was bored, his spaceship had crashed again and it was a 'costume mandatory' night. So why not? Half invisible under branches and leaves and with fake snakes as hair, he joined the gathering. He could have brought real snakes probably, but not being able to know if they were poisonous or not could have caused a scandal. An amusing one, he was sure, but dying was not on the list tonight.

That is if his powers didn't decide to go wild and strangle him.
He was slowly busying himself with a small pumpkin when he heard a voice, chuckling a bit.

"Halloween Party, do not tell me you expected rainbows and unicorns as decorations?"

Misumi

Misumi studied the girl, why was she dressed as a fairy? Thing?

"I'm glad I'm not alone, but I certainly despise your costume! Hmph!"
After rudely announcing her thoughts, she answered this guy's question.

"I expect something more casual!"

R

He laughed. Not a gentle laugh, mind you, but still a laugh.

"Ignore that, you look lovely." He happily assured to the fairy-like girl, the leaves and branches bristling as he tried to stop the smile, giving a mocking look to the other.

"Well, I fear you will have to deal with what you are given." He moved from his seat towards Hadley, offering his hand with a charming smile. "Roy, and the pair of eyes in the branches is Enjolras, my cat. Charmed to meet you."

Misumi

Misumi then picked up a pumpkin, oddly shaped and still green.
"What the- What the heck is..this, uh it's so repulsive!"
"Do any of you want to tell me about your costumes, perhaps?"

Hadley

Hadley blinked in surprise at the other girl's comments, and glanced down at her costume again. She didn't think it looked too strange. But she frowned anyway, and tried not to let it bother her too much.

Especially as the other guest paid her a compliment. She smiled at him as thanks, and took his hand in greeting when he approached her. She looked around towards the trees for the aforementioned eyes, but didn't see anything. Was this another part of the spooky party? "I'm Hadley," she said with another smile.

Her attention was drawn to the girl with the complaints. She felt a little hesitant to talk to her again, but she couldn't help herself. "Oh, but green is such a pretty color!" She paused, before continuing. "I'm Thumbelina. I only learned about her recently, but I like her a lot. What's your name, by the way?"

R

He pointed at his shoulder where the branches there seemed to form a strange nest in which, if looked at the right angle, two eyes could indeed be seen. Eyes that seemed not entirely impressed with their surroundings. He shook her hand, carefully so the vines and branches wouldn't scratch or grip her.
He turned toward the other girl also.
"Dryad and gorgon." He grinned, pointing at the fake snakes on his head. "What is yours about?" He had understood Hadley's costume fast enough, what with the fairy look and all, but he wasn't too sure about this young girl.
He was probably too old to get it.

Hadley

If she looked in juuust the right way, Hadley saw the eyes. She giggled, imagining what sort of creature would want to make that their hiding place. She could understand - hiding in trees was a favorite pastime of her own.

As their hands shook, and Roy spoke about his own costume, Hadley finally took in his full appearance, the vines and the branches, and her smile brightened even more. "A dryad and gorgon?" She repeated. The words were strange to her. "I should have dressed up as the same!"

Misumi

"I'm a star, I'm interested in space..a lot"
Misumi then blushes......

Misumi

Misumi then answers the girl's question.
"I'm Misumi, Tokoyo Misumi."

R

"Oh? How so?"
Was she a lover of nature or the wielder of a power similar to his own? At least he was used to many conversation at once - and his brains was enhanced by the drinks he'd had before the party - so he had little difficulty in keeping up with both of them.
"I am slightly daft then, because that seems a bit obvious now. My apologies."
A smile and a small bow.
"You never went to space?"
There were still people who had never seen space up close? Yes, definitely too old to get it. Space was a boring mess of nothing. Still his home, but a boring mess of nothingness nonetheless.
"Charmed." He answered again when she introduced herself.

Misumi

"I've always wanted to be an astronomer, dear"
"Hmph! I've never went to space, but I will pretty soon!"

R

Dear. Dear. He snorted, taking a sip from his flask.
"Don't forget your oxygen when you do, darling."

Hadley

Hadley sought out the presence of the things living upon the man's body, twisting and growing. She had feared for a moment, that they would perhaps be dead, cut from the ground to use for decoration, but that didn't seem to be the case. They were alive, and thriving. "I love plants. I have a certain connection with them. Yours are so happy!"

Her attention was pulled away to the other conversation. Space? She wasn't sure she'd personally ever want to go to space, but she understood the desire to want to go to new and interesting place. "An astronomer sounds like a nice thing to be."

Misumi

"Wha-! I do so take in enough oxygen!"
Misumi was offended by this rude man, while she did tend to have a smart mouth, she didn't except it to get her back.

"Thank you, weird costumed girl!"

Hadley

Hadley wasn't sure what to make of Misumi, she was so loud and abrasive. Normally such behavior would cause her to feel ill at ease, but for some reason, she giggled at the last comment. "But, you're costumed too!"

Misumi

"But...My costume, is..elegant!"

Which was false, as starry fake feelers, and a purple sparkly dress..was rather kiddish.

R

"I also have a certain connection, let us say that." The leaves bristled under the touch of his powers, Roy smiling once more, amused by Misumi's reaction, but also happy that someone else shared his preference when it came to nature. He would play prank on that other one, but considering his state he preferred not to try anything. He didn't exactly want to hurt anyone.

"You have quite the mouth for a small thing."

He said, sitting on a table and taking back a small pumpkin to carve.  Enjolras peeked his white fluffy face out of the nest, then wrinkled his nose annoyingly at the orange thing before going back into the branches.

Misumi

"I'm not small! Look at this huge pumpkin! I'm carrying it!"

The pumpkin then lands on Misumi's toe, leaving her with a painful bruise.

"Ouch! You're an idiotic, thing! Hmph! I should've brought Kanae-sama!"

Hadley

Hadley frowned again, uncertain what to say to this girl. Everything that was said, was always taken to be an insult, even if said in the nicest tones possible. "You don't have to be so angry, we're all allies here."

R

He frowned, surprisingly still amused despite himself.
"Yes, I can see you are indeed carrying it. With your foot to say the least, color me impressed."
He glanced at Misumi's face, then back down at his pumpkin, a wide smile stretching his lips slowly. "You will be perfect I think." He said without much more explanation, going back to his carving and glancing from time to time at the young girl. He felt for her toe, but he didn't care much. Karma was often ruthless. And if it was pointed out that he too mocked her back... well, he was used to die wasn't he? Karma could come.
"To her defense, I did mock her height. Since she is small, I will not apologize, but let her be angry if she wants, let us be amused of the spectacle ourselves."

Misumi

"I'm not....angry."
"I just have a sharp temper....'
"And I'm not a girl, I'm a lady"

R

He laughed.
Plain and simple.
"A lady?" His body shook as he actually tried to keep it contained, having stopped his carving so it wouldn't mess with his masterpiece.

Misumi

"Hmph! I.....mom- Kanae-sama says I'm a young teenager."

Though it hurt Misumi, that when every time she tried to say she was a lady, she was laughed at, ignored, or teased.
"I think I'm a lady.."

Host

A low rumbling laugh suddenly cut through the air. Smoke began to rise from the ground, enveloping everything around the party-goers, darkening their vision until it was impossible to see anything at all. The smoke was even strange than that... it made them feel warm, tingling. Changed.

As the smoke settled, the party-goes realized that they were different! They had changed into whatever their costume had been!

Host note: For non-human costumes, you can interpret this change to any way you'd like, while still keeping your character human! An insect costume, for example, could make the user super tiny and have antennas or wings and a strange love to fly into people's face, but they'd still know themselves, and still have control over their actions and thoughts! If you have any more questions, ask in the OOC chat <3

R

The laugh stopped him from making any comment as he felt the branches and vines actually merging with him instead of merely cladding him. The change wasn't all that comfortable, but it's Enjolras hissing that brought to his attention another problem.
His hair.
His now-not-so-fake-snakes hair.
"Bordel." He cursed in french, staying still. Okay, he had control over nature. Snakes most probably fell under that category, but he was drunk. He knew he was. And that meant though his intellectual and physical properties were heightened, it meant the control he had over his powers was out the window.
Enjolras went deeper into the tree nest to avoid being near the snakes.
"Great."

Misumi

"What? Happened to me?"

Misumi looked at Hadley, a fairy thingy?

Why was she glowing so brightly, she felt warmer..
"I'm a humanoid..star?"

R

"I do hope you are not a star as in you can explode and take the whole planet with you." He pointed out with half a smile and an annoyed face, but not at Misumi. More like at the things hissing in his ears.

Misumi

"Ehh?"
"According to my journal, I'm a low-mass star, I can live for more than 5 billon years"
"So that means you'll die quicker than me, dear"

Hadley

Hadley coughed, the smoke itching her lungs. What had that been all about? She could feel something changing, though it wasn't entirely unpleasant. More curious. Mostly, it was the smoke that was the worst part. As the smoke finally went away, Hadley looked to her fellow party-goers for their reactions... and found herself staring at their feet. Their suddenly very large feet.

It took her a moment to realize - she was tiny! She was used to being rather small, but this was a wholly different thing. She was no bigger than a bug. Or... a thumb!

Another moment passed, and she noticed the wings behind her - wings very much like her own senshi wings, and yet different in their appearance. These were more golden, and sparkling. And as she moved, they lay golden dust upon everything behind her.

Misumi

Misumi couldn't help but laugh rather loudly.

"Ha! I'm not the tiniest here anymore!"
"This is hilarious!"

R

"You'd be surprised." He grumbled to himself, his eyes catching a sparkle. Well... his eyes, the snakes' eyes and Enjolras' eyes. Shinyyyy.
"Well... hello there."

Misumi

"Anyways, you two better back of, as I'm quite hot!"
"This is a dream come true!"
"I must go....into...space!"

Misumi, a star, tried to fly....but, she was a humanoid star, angrily, she fell on her backside.
"Damn it!!"

Hadley

Hadley frowned - or was it more of a pout? - at Misumi, but she couldn't help but to admire just how warm and bright she was now. It was rather pretty to look at, though she couldn't look for long without the image burning into her eyes. She looked then, to Roy. The snakes scared her and she made sure to stay away. "What... what happened?" she asked them. She hoped her voice would be heard by the others. Would she have to yell?

R

He avoided looking at Misumi, mostly because the light she gave off was strong, even for him. But he also avoided to look anyone near the eyes. Just. In. Case. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he followed the trend, the fact Misumi now shone like a star and Hadley was small like a pixie, he probably was lethal in more than one way. Maybe not, probably not, hopefully not, but he chose not to try his luck.

"Magic." He said stupidly, making a circle with both his hand in an annoyed fashion. "You are cute, however small you have become." A vine tapped a snake that opened its mouth way too close to his ear, saving said limb from being munched.

He tried not to chuckle at Misumi's fall.

"You alright there?"

Misumi

"No! My behind hurts! I'll be all sore when I return home!"

"Oh, and can I ask you a question?"

R

"Hum?"

Hadley

Magic? Hadley was used to magic - having some herself - but what kind of magic could do all of this? How long would it last? Would they be like this forever?

Misumi

"You're not the male counterpart of Medusa, are you Roy?"

Misumi thought of the same thing, even if she was a beautiful star, she wouldnt be able to study without setting her things on fire,

R

"Medusa is a gorgon, so me coming as both gorgon and dryad would make me think I probably am." He raised his eyebrows but went back to the pumpkin he was carving, trying to act casually despite the hissing hair he now sported. "Does this mean I entirely became a gorgon? I have no idea, but I am not quite eager to see if the eye trick works."

Misumi

"I hope not...."

R

Could snake become drunk?

He threw a look near where he knew Hadley to be, avoiding her frame still as he couldn't see where her eyes were looking.

"You are still with us, Hadley?"

Hadley

She was still trying to wrap her head around everything that happened, to figure out what they should do - if they even could do anything. Hearing her name caught her out of her own thoughts, and she looked over to Roy. She understood a little more now as to why he wouldn't look at any of them anymore. "I'm here." She paused for a moment, not sure what to say. She wanted to help everyone. Although no one had been harmed, there seemed to be a hint of danger underlying their transformationss, especially for Roy and Misumi. But what could she do?

"Do you think this was caused by someone? Or is it just some kind of party trick, for the effect of the Halloween celebration?"

Misumi

"I think it's way too serious...and real, to be a trick. Perhaps an evil spirit is upon us!"

Misumi took out her big book of legends and tales, and asked Roy to take a look.

Misumi

"Is an answer in here?"

R

"I know a couple of people who could do this, but none of them good. They also lack humor, so we would not be standing and breathing. I would say someone with a sense of humor, time to waste and great powers." He seemed still amused in the light of everything, or at least, not in a hurry.

He didn't dare look at them, but it didn't mean those snakes weren't absolutely amazing.

Maybe a bit too close for his comfort, but he should be able to control them right?

Their tongues also tickled.

"Evil spirit?" He took the book even if he didn't see the point, wishing he could just give Hadley a look. He was expressive and right now this was hindering his self expression. "I doubt a book is going to help. Tricksters rarely are as writers understand them."

"What I have yet to understand is why not making themselves known? It is not as if our costumes would have made us kill each other."

R

"More or less."

Misumi

"Hello! Whoever did this, come out!"

Titania

Titania had come fashionably late, as she was wont to do. She had dressed herself up as a witch as a callback to her days in Camelot, for some kind of an ironic twist. Of course, back then she was supposed to be a healer, but that was what they'd ended up accusing her as. Also, the perception of witches these days were hilarious, and she capitalized on that. Pointy hat, dressed all in black, and she even carried a broomstick. She'd have dragged around a big cauldron if she could be bothered.

When she arrived at the site, however, some kind of thick smoke had enveloped her, and that was when everything became interesting. Suddenly she felt the urge to start concocting real potions. And wasn't this Halloween night? Shouldn't she be performing some very important rituals? She crashed into the clearing, stared at the strange two people she could immediately see, then at the bonfire. "Is this the way to the witch gathering?"

Misumi

"A witch?"

Misumi was extremely surprised, as she never seen a witch (nor a male Medusa),

"This isn't a witch gathering. We've all turned into our costumes some time ago, and we do not know how to revert to our normal selves"

Hadley

Hadley didn't hold out much hope for simply calling out for someone to reveal themselves. But then, someone did. A new person arrived, a woman with a big hat, who spoke of a witch gathering. Had it really been this easy to figure out who had done this to them all?

R

He tried to hide his face more so in the elegant mess of branches and vines when a newcomer arrived as well. A witch by the sound of it. Which was... a bit weird. But then again, it was a Halloween party and they were all stuck in this now way too real costumes.

"Gathering of fools more like."

Misumi

"Hmph! I'm not a fool!"

Pamina

Pamina felt some of her panic lift when she heard voices. She had been lost, looking for this party, for quite a while now! The child approached cautiously, the wings of her bumblebee costume shaking with her own nervousness.

Titania

Titania stared at them, at this mess of people who seemed like they didn't belong together at all. A weirdly glowing person and a guy with snakes on his head. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I see magic is definitely at play here."

Magic was her expertise. Though she never said she was a _good_ witch...

Misumi

More people, Misumi thought.

"Ha! A bumblebee!"
"I really the.....3rd smallest..."

R

"How could you tell?" He asked back with a chuckle in his voice.

Truly, this could become fun. She really didn't sound quite like the others. Was she older? He couldn't see much of her, avoiding her eyes in case his own were a bit too real with his costume.

"Is it the snakes? Am I not pretty? This hairdo is no easy feat."

Misumi

"Dear, to be honest, Roy, you look horrid"

Titania

She turned around to look at 'bumblebee', and saw the child in the fuzzy bee costume. Titania looked at her uncertainly, the way she always looked at a tiny human. Never did know what their purpose was.

Then she glanced back at gorgon guy. "You're pretty enough. Though I question your snake choices."

Hadley

Hadley listened as the conversation shifted, but wasn't entirely certain what to contribute. Mostly, her mind was taken up by the thoughts of how to fix everything that had been going on. If it even was fixable. She tried to imagine being like this her entire life. She'd be small enough to hide much more effectively, and she would be able to see inside of flowers. It wouldn't be so bad, after all.

As she heard Misumi give another insult to Roy, Hadly couldn't keep quiet. "He looks great! I mean, the live snakes are a little scary, but those vines and the branches are beautiful. They're so vibrant and happy!" She was glad she could still feel the presence of the plants - if that had changed too, she wouldn't know what she'd do.

Misumi

"Whatever. I'm sure I have the grandest costume here"

Pamina

Pamina approached the group, wondering what the one young woman meant by "3rd smallest." Right now there didn't seem to be that many small people... because she hadn't yet noticed the tiny Thumbellina. Until she heard a voice.

Pamina

Pamina looked down, her dark eyes blinking twice, and gasped. "Wow! You're so tiny!"

Titania

When she heard a new voice, Titania looked around in confusion. She finally saw the actual tiny human on the ground, and crouched low to look and inspect her better. "Well... well... hello there. What are you, exactly?"

Pamina

She blushed immediately, embarrassed at her comment. She hadn't intended for it to sound rude. "I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean it."

Titania

Unlike the bee kid, Titania had no problem asking the blunt questions.

Misumi

"Hey, you're not too tall yourself!"

Titania

The grandest costume? Titania looked at the other girl and snickered. "Honey, you glow. That's about as grand as it gets."

Hadley

At the sudden arrival of questions and comments directed at herself, Hadley hesitated, feeling a lot more nervous than before. "I'm just me," she explained simply, though she knew that it was not much of an explanation at all. "I dressed up as Thumbelina to this party, and now I'm like this!" She looked to the newest arrival, the one dressed as a bumblebee, and smiled. "That's okay, you didn't say anything bad!"

R

That kid didn't know sarcasm, but the witch's answer brought a spark in his eyes, hidden by what had now merged with his own body. Then he heard Hadley's small voice and laughed, genuinely this time.

"How sweet of you, but I admit... the snakes are a bit much." He felt one slide across his cheek and gave a shudder. "Glad to know you find no ugliness to my bearings, however." He jested at Hadley, ignoring most of the other conversations. He wished he could watch correctly for what was going on, but he could see their frames and shapes enough to know where they were and how to hit them if any tried to attack, so it wasn't that bad.

"Enjolras, dear, you really should find someone else to nest." He finally sighed, the cat apparently agreeing with him as it jumped off its owner, strolling gently toward Hadley. "Good boy. Do keep an eye on her."

R

"So, witch, should we thank you for what is happening?"

Pamina

Pamina crouched down to get a closer look, much like the witch... only to suddenly find herself enveloped in strange smoke!

Pamina

As it quickly cleared, she noticed that the "tiny" person didn't seem so tiny. In fact, she was actually a bit taller than Pamina herself now.

Pamina

She hadn't yet realized that the others were now veerrrrrrrrrry big. Like the others, her costume had now become her actual self—a fuzzy-wuzzy bumblebee!

R

One of their frame shrank and disappear from his small line of view and Enjolras eyes moved from Hadley to the now bumblebee. It seemed interested for a moment, then lost said interest, moving again, then stopping near Hadley, gently sniffing her.
"What a mess."

Pamina

That cat was enormous. Seeing its massive pink nose suddenly brought the state of her current situation into focus.

Titania

Thumbelina? Titania remembered reading that story once. It was a girl that was tiny... for no explicit reason. Human stories were weird that way. "That is certainly quite a predicament. Can't go around with this squashable size forever. People might step on you."

She looked up as a cat slithered out of Snake Guy, and grinned, remembering her own back home. Every witch needed a cat. She considered kidnapping him.

"Ha! I wish; this would be one of my greatest tricks. But alas, it seems I'm also a victim. My name is Titania, by the way. I'm not normally a witch, I think."

When the kid turned into an actual bumblebee, Titania stared. "I definitely didn't do that."

Hadley

Seeing Enjolras start towards her made Hadley smile, but her attention was quickly taken by the little bumblebee-clad girl. When the smoke had changed all of them, it had done so in such a wide range, but seeing it first-hand was a different experience entirely. "Are you okay?" she asked of the newly changed girl. Absently, she reached out gently to pat Enjolras's fur when she felt him sniffing at her.  He was so big, but she felt safe with him regardless.

Host

A giggle could be heard in the wind, and then a "oops" as one of the jack-o-lanterns toppled over!

Pamina

"I... I think I'm okay," she replied, her voice sounding very strange now that she was actually a tiny bee. It had more of a hum, to it. Almost a buzz.

R

Enjolras started to purr, but suddenly stopped at the giggle, looking around with a hiss as he put one paw in front of Hadley.
"Told you they would have some humor." Roy sighed, going to scratch his head and quickly deciding against it.

R

"Charmed, Titania. I think. Call me Roy, I guess. Whatever hits your fancy."

Titania

The sound of a giggle made her look up and around. Someone was definitely watching them. "Whoever you are, you'd better come out before I turn you into a frog." She paused. "I could actually do that now."

What a shame she didn't always.

Pamina

Bumblepamina jolted slightly at the sound of the giggle and falling jack-o-lantern. "W-what was that?"

Hadley

The sound of the giggle wasn't scary, exactly, but the sudden presence of a new voice caught her off guard. Like most of the others, she felt on guard. A large paw came in front of her like a shield, and Hadley placed a hand on the warm fur, glancing around. "It can't be just a coincidence," she said in response to the bumblebee girl. Recalling that an exchange of names had been happening, she added, "Oh! My name is Hadley." She smiled in greeting, though she wasn't sure anyone by the bumblebee girl would be able to see it at this point, before looking around at their surroundings.

It was difficult to look for details when she was so small and everything was just so very very big.

Misumi

"I want to go home! Kanae-sama!"

Pamina

"I'm Pamina," she replied, wondering who the "Kanae-sama" was that the other louder and currently-much-larger girl had just cried out for.

Misumi

"Panima? I'm  Misumi,  a and I believe that I have the grandest costume!"

Titania

She took notes of the names offered around her, though her attention was still on the source of the giggle. Honestly, this reminded her of fairy behavior. She'd be so pissed if one of her own people was actually messing with her. There would be some 'off with their head'-ing happening for sure.

R

"Is asking gently for our normal form too much to ask? Because I know a couple of ways this can become far less gentle." He probably could use his powers without killing everyone, right? He was slowly sobering up after all. Thought that made him drink from his flask again, avoiding the curious snakes that slithered near his hand. He grimaced.

"It is like having friends you never wanted." He commented. "The invasive kind of friends. Maybe I should name them." It was hard to know if he was serious, exasperated or mad. He stretched his vines a bit.

"I think who has the best costume really does not matter right now little girl."

Misumi

"I'm not a little girl! I'm 14! Hmph! And I'm a lady!"

Again with this, was it hard for everyone to know that Misumi is a lady?

Pamina

The shy girl bumblebee tucked her head a bit deeper into her fluffy body. "Um, your costume is... nice." She just wasn't able to stand up  against Misumi's abrasiveness.

Misumi

"You mean more than nice!"
"I don't want to stay here! I wanna go home!"

Misumi then starts to get upset, and lightly cry. Even though being a baby wouldn't help the situation.

Titania

_What a brat_. Titania rolled her eyes at star girl's tantrum. She was even starting to feel bad for bumblebee kid. "Here, you can land on my arm, it's probably safer. As long as you don't bite," she offered her arm to Pamina. "Also, you are really cute, and I don't say that a lot."

She glanced at the other girl. "By all means, please do go home. No one's stopping you, kid."

Hadley

Her surveying of the surroundings was going terribly, but her attention was caught by Misumi's crying. Letting go of her ineffective desire to find clues, Hadley moved away from Enjolras's protective paw, and used her golden glittery wings to fly over to the saddened girl.

How best to comfort someone when she was the size of a thumb? Hadley decided to hover near Misumi's shoulder, and gave it a small pat. "It's okay. We'll figure this out, and then you can go home."

Pamina

"Oh! It's okay. We'll figure out what's going on," Pamina replied, genuinely concerned. At the same time, she fluttered closer to the witch. This was someone she could trust, right? She wouldn't let her land and then try to squish her... would she?

"I don't sting, I promise," she said as she landed.

Misumi

"No one will walk home with me!"
"I'm lost...I should have listened to mom.."

R

Enjolras made a face at the girl's tantrum, but bowed his face down to look at Hadley behind his paw as the same flew off to the girl. Shinyyyy. Her golden wing were interesting play things, but he knew he shouldn't touch them. Instead he stayed where he was, not wanting to return to the snake infested nest.

Roy only sighed and while they were all in a stack of bodies, he allowed his vines to leave his face slightly, his eyes looking around them for a clue on their trickster's whereabouts.

R

Vines slowly were making their ways everywhere on the field, curiously seeking for the intruder.

Blythe

An annoyed sigh, loud and dramatic, echoed around them. "Really? Now you're crying? Gosh, you all are just so boooring!"

A small space seemed shimmered and waver, until a little boy appeared next to the group. Or was he a boy? He had the body of a young boy, but his eyes glowed orange with humor and age. "I thought you'd do *something* but nothing has happened at all! What a waste!"

Pamina

The former-girl-now-fuzzy-small-insect was very glad to be safely on the arm of a larger entity. She huddled down, afraid, when the mysterious boy appeared.

Misumi

"What are you!  Are you the trickster?"

Titania

She petted the fuzzy bee lightly in an attempt to comfort her. Then she looked up as their trickster finally showed himself. Titania narrowed her eyes at him. He had the body of a youth, but the eyes... she was used to seeing creatures much older than they appeared, and this seemed like one of those. "I'll show you fun if you wanted," she said, a clear threat in her voice.

R

Here he was apparently. Trying to call the vines back, they simply kept on slithering about. Great.

"Oh, another child. It is a fest of youthful expression. I fear I never passed my babysitting exams, however."

Hadley

Uncertain that she had helped any, Hadley pulled away from Misumi  when the boy appeared, and fluttered down next to Enjolras again. It felt much safer to be near him - and warmer, and he smelled nice too. She landed near his paw, resting a hand against the soft fur.

Misumi

Misumi looked at the trickster, angered. Did he think that this was a joke? Changing people without their consent?

"Change us back, you ruthless, creature!"

R

Softened eyes landed on Hadley when she came back, the eyes shifting his paw just a tad nearer the front of her. She was nice. And quiet. She didn't scream or laugh, or drink. He rose his head and intently stared at the intruder. Tiny nice person was to be protected. She also probably didn't snore.

Blythe

The boy crossed his arms, unimpressed with Titania's comments. "I don't think your idea of fun would be very interesting to me, sadly."

He turned towards Misumi then, an eyebrow raised. "I'm not a creature. And I'm not ruthless. I've not harmed a hair on your head."

Misumi

"Someone protect me too!"

Misumi

"But, you have tricked us"
"And I was clearly insulting you, sweets"

Titania

Titania sympathized 100% with Roy.

Then she looked at the mysterious boy. "You're not a fairy, are you?" she asked suspiciously. There was going to be an even bigger problem if he was one of hers and did not recognize her.

R

Enjolras stared at the bigger girl, unimpressed. He was a cat, she was too big for his protection.

Roy laughed.

"You are cheeky. They could have harmed themselves without you just fine what with how you tricked them. It can count as ruthless, but I will go with childish."

R

"Also, can I look at people or your trick did change me that much? Cause I am handsome, but it gets tiring."

Misumi

"So, what do we do with this little guy?"
"Make him spill some information, or should I blind him?"

Misumi was supposed to be sleeping at this time, she was tired.

Pamina

Pamina perked up a bit when she heard the brash Misumi's request, ready to volunteer herself as protection... but what could she do, being a little bee? If she flew towards this strange boy, would he be able to swat at her before she could get him to step back? And would he do something even worse than what he'd already managed?

Blythe

The boy looked more at Titania, and for the first time, his expression slipped away from cocky arrogance, but he ignored her, smirk back in place as he turned his attention back towards Roy. "You can look at people. I'm no  killer. I just wanted to have fun, but you all are boring. I should have gone to a different party."

The boy frowned at being called a 'little guy'. "Hey now, I'm not little, I'm petite. And call me Blythe, if you please."

Pamina

Pamina paused. "Like... like those dolls?"

Misumi

"Blythe" Misumi repeated. What a strange name.
Did he even come from Tokyo, or earth?

Titania

She'd been onto something. But he ignored her; that probably meant he was too arrogant to think there would be consequences, or he was non-Oberian. She supposed there were other types of 'fairies' out there. "Well, since we're boring you so much, how about you just turn us back and be on your way to somewhere more interesting?"

She summoned a small fire on her other hand, the one not holding Pamina. "_Please_," she said nicely.

Hadley

Hadley felt suspicious of this boy, just as much as the others, but she didn't feel that he was too dangerous. His orange eyes glowed such a nice color, and  what he said was true. He hadn't hurt any of them. But as Roy had pointed out, there had been great potential for harm. And she had been told many times before that she trusted to easily, so Hadley tried to keep herself in check."Can't you change us back, if you mean us no harm?"

R

"Merci." He sighed with a certain amount of relief, blinking as he jumped from the table he was sitting on. He looked himself over as he went to put his hands into his pockets, realizing it would be quite the hard feat... what with the lack of pockets... A snake trailed over his neck, but he was past being nervous about them. If he died, he died. Normal tuesday night.

"I actually like the look." He pointed out at Blythe, annoyance not quite what he felt. Worse could have happened. He looked at the pumpkin on which he had carved a tiny fairy and a cat, snorting.

The fire got his attention.

R

"Hey, hey there, lady, let us stay calm, alright?"

R

"I would not like for you to miss..."

Titania

"I _am_ calm," she told Roy with a smile. "Trust me, you'd know if I were _not_ calm. Also, I take offense at the idea that I could miss."

Misumi

"I want protection! I want it now!"
Misumi was now more anxious than she had ever been.
"Uh, guys, I have a GPS, I brought my cell phone."

R

"Be offended, but I am the one flammable here and trusting you would be blindly following the words of someone flashing her attributs around." He meant the fire of course.

Misumi

"Does anyone want to use it?"

Blythe

Blythe sighed, utterly bored. The fire gave him pause, but he tried to look unaffected. "Don't worry, it will be wearing off in a few minutes. Sheesh. Lighten up, will you?"

At Misumi's comment, Blythe's interest perked up, and he snapped his fingers. With a small audible pop, a cell phone lay in his hands. "Cool," he said, grinning. He poked at it, obviously uncertain how the thing actually worked. "This is the most interesting thing about this party so far."

R

Enjolras made a face and stretched, uninterested by the small boy. He made sure Hadley was not under him before he slowly laid down.

Titania

"Everyone is flammable," Titania pointed out, not quite getting his meaning. "And I don't 'flash my attributes around', I'm a lady."

R

"You should see the spaceship" He muttered.

Pamina

Pamina wondered just how many "ladies" were currently present. That word was being bandied around quite a bit.

R

"I am a tree." He insisted, then bowed. "My excuses your Highness."

Misumi

"Hey, break the phone and I'll break you, petite guy!"

R

"More like he will break you." He snorted.

Titania

The boy said it'd be wearing off soon, and Titania extinguished the fire for now, waiting to see if he was telling the truth. At the moment, he seemed more interested in his stolen cell phone. She sighed. Perhaps he was not worth her time after all.

"Well, I happen to have quite the appreciation for nature," she told Roy. "And that's Your Majesty to you." She winked.

Misumi

"Hey, Hmph! I am capable of....kicking you in the....crotch!"

What did she say? How is this ladylike? Perhaps it could cause pain at least.

R

"Your Majesty." He breathed out charmingly, bowing elegantly this time despite the plain facial features and the snakes as his hair. He ended up scratching one of his strand of snake with the tip of his finger.

"I kinda like them now that I know I cannot kill anyone just by looking at them." He sighed with a small bit of regret at knowing they would leave.

"But it does not tell us what you are and why you were here. Mommy left you alone?" He glanced back at the boy, ignoring the threat at his sensitive parts. He was sure that in his tree form, she'd hurt herself more than she would hurt him.

Blythe

Blythe looked up. And sighed. He handed out the cellphone back to its rightful owner. "It's broken, it doesn't even turn on."

He looked to Roy. "I just wanted to have fun. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less. Besides, isn't this in the spirit of Halloween and all that? You dressed up, surely part of you wanted to be what your costume depicted. I was imply a helping hand."

Pamina

"If you want to have fun... why don't you join us?" Paminabee offered, quietly.

Titania

"Too bad I've already been my costume before," Titania muttered. "Also, it might be nice to offer refreshments. I could use a drink."

R

"I'm fine with it." He told looking at himself again. "Except for the small doubt. But..." The small bee girl's voice rose and he stopped talking so she wouldn't be buried under his own. "Like the lady says. This is a party after all. And we are already all dressed up."

Misumi

Sarcasm... Misumi hated it.
Halloween also meant pretending, not literally becoming your costume.

Hadley

Hadley smiled, happy that her companions wanted to include the boy, rather than being too angry at him. He didn't seem like a bad person in her eyes. Just rather impertinent and entitled. "There's plenty of things for all of us to do."

R

Enjolras rolled his eyes. He didn't like the small humanoid thing. He was loud and invasive. Like Roy. He rested his head against his paws, his pink nose near Hadley's small body. She smelled nice

Blythe

Blythe opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated. Then closed his mouth. And then stared. "Really? You'd invite me to the party?" His voice sounded skeptical. "Psh, yeah, okay. I don't believe you."

He took a defensive stance. "I'm only here until the magic wears off, then I'll be gone. But I want my magic back, so I can't leave yet."

R

"Your loss. Chicken."

Hadley

Hadley reached out and patted Enjolras - he was just so soft! She hoped he'd let her still pet him even when she was no longer a tiny person anymore.

Pamina

"We have treats on that table, and it looks like there are items here for games. We could have fun..." Pamina continued, although her voice got quieted and trailed off as soon as she heard the refusal.

R

He got his flask out putting water in a glass, the liquid slowly turning into something redder. He offered the glass at Titania. "'Refreshments', Your Majesty."

Misumi

"Fine.…..boy"
"But you still did not ask for my permission, therefore I Cannot fully forgive you"

Titania

He seemed to have no control over his powers. Why wouldn't he get his magic back until this effect on them wore off? Titania made a mental note to do some research on this guy when all this was over.  
Then she turned to Roy, who for some reason was pouring water into a glass. She was about to say water wasn't the refreshment she meant, when suddenly it began to turn into what looked like wine. Her eyes widened and she moved towards him. "Are you this thing the humans called God? I heard he could turn water into wine."

Either way, she was keeping him.

Blythe

At being called chicken, Blythe looked like he wanted to give yet another scathing response, but the small voice from Pamina caused him to pause. And then Misumi spoke, and a hint of guilt crossed his face. But then he shrugged it all away. "Maybe I *will* stay. See how you like that!"

A moment later, an orange glow began to emanate around all of those who had been affected by Blythe's magic. It grew brighter before siphoning off of them, and seeking out its original master. As the orange magic left the affect party-goers, their bodies shifted and changed back to their proper forms. They were themselves once more.

Pamina

Pamina sighed slightly with relief when she realized she was a girl again, but she also realized she was in Titania's arms.

R

He choked on his own saliva.
"I..." How are you even supposed to answer that? "I was what you would call a god, I guess, but I am not that one." He finally pushed out of his throat, his eyes slowly returning to their normal size.
"Let us say this little trick is nice when travelling."

R

The snakes disappeared from his head and finally he could breathe without fearing to swallow a living snake with it.

Hadley

Hadley's eyes widened as she felt herself growing, and growing. A part of her secretly wished she'd end up growing just a little more than her normal size, but as the magic left her completely, she didn't feel any taller. Oh well, she was happy just to be herself again. Although a part of her missed the golden glitter following her everywhere. As well as how big and protect Enjolras was to her. Perhaps now that she were the bigger party, she could protect him instead.

R

"How about you stop being coy and start having fun. This party would need some music, however. Or some frenzy. And my friends, I can put the frenzy in your brains." He grinned.

Titania

She had a little human in her arms. Titania wasn't sure how this happened. However, she was rather cute, so it was less horrifying than it normally would be. And, might she even feel... what they called 'motherly'?
Nah, that was crazy talk.

"Well, there you go. I should probably put you down and let you go back to your mother, too." She put the girl back on her own two feet.

"And you might have to come with me for your talents," she told Roy, accepting the glass of wine gratefully. "I can show you a good time."

R

Enjolras watched as the small fairy became a grown human, something intelligent in the way he knew it was still her, rubbing his fluffy white self against her legs, audibly purring in her general direction.

Titania

At the cat's purr, Titania added, "And that cat, too."

Pamina

"Y-you know my mother???" Pamina asked, her level of excitement somewhat unreasonable for what should have been a simple question.

Hadley

Hadley knelt down to Enjolras, and held out a hand in invitation. She wanted to pick him up but it felt rude to just simply reach down and do so. So she waited for permission. But then Titania spoke up, and Hadley had to say something.. "I don't think Enjolras is the kind of cat you can  just decide to take."

R

"I'm sure you can, but I'm not really one to settle down, no matter how interesting the invitation." He chuckled, Enjolras making a face at Titania's desire to take him away. He was distracted in his line of thoughts with Hadley's hand, Enjolras immediately pushing his face into it, happily giving the needed permission. She was a smart girl.

R

"The girl isn't wrong. He's a bit.... finicky." A cat-glare in his direction.

Titania

Titania was surprised by the question. "Uh... no? Maybe? I don't know who your mother is, but I might have come across her? I've met a lot of people."

Why did she feel she'd just made a giant mistake saying that? Why was this child so excited at the prospect of her knowing her mother? Was she lost or something?

"You should at least see my homeworld first," she told Roy. "And I meant that as an invitation."

Technically that was not a lie. Oberon didn't like it much when she kidnapped... living beings.

Pamina

Even the wings on her costume seemed to droop. "O-oh," she said, feeling very foolish for her tone just a moment ago, looking down so that no one could see the tears in her eyes. "I... I... Um... No reason. It's fine."

R

"My spaceship crashed, however, so I might be stranded a little while. Unless you can help me, then I am all yours." He looked at the small child, feeling his chest squeezing a tad. He never was good with children. He never was good with any other living being to be honest. He really, really didn't know what to do.

Hadley

Hadley smiled brightly at Enjolras before gently picking him up and settling him into her arms. She petted him, quite content, but the conversation seemed to take an odd turn, and she frowned. She whispered down to Enjolras, "Perhaps someone else could use your company more than me right now." She left her grip loose in case he decided to jump down.

Titania

She made the small human sad. She made the small human sad! Titania never felt bad about crying children. In fact, she never liked them. But why did this one do something different to her? _Help. Crying child. What to do. Do I bring her home?_ she reached for Oberon through her link, panicking.

"It's... it's okay, if you need help, I can help you." _Maybe._ She had no idea what kind of help was even needed.

"Oh, we'll figure something out," she told Roy. As soon as the child crisis was over.

R

Enjolras purred happily when taken, something Roy actually resented Hadley a bit for, though he made no comment. The cat rubbed his face against Hadley, then got the message, jumping off her arms and slowly walking to Pamina, gently headbutting her.

Pamina

Pamina coughed slightly, still avoiding eye contact, and reached up to wipe her eyes. At least her long hair provided a bit of cover in this position. She did her best to smile, even if she didn't feel it. "T-thank you. It might be a bit complicated..." Maybe they ought to just focus on this party. She tried not to look up at the stars and think about home.

Pamina

The fluffy cat bumped into her legs, and she gently reached for it, feeling the soft fur. It couldn't bring her home, or reunite her with her mother, but somehow it was still comforting.

R

Enjolras licked the back of her hand, then proceeded on purring loudly, like humans loved, trying to get the small human to take him in her arms.

Titania

Well. The cat had this comforting thing covered, it seemed. Titania relaxed a little bit. She'd never been so stressed out at a party. She sat down and sipped her wine, waiting for the perfect opportunity to gently 'take' all these people back home. She was sure they would like it there.

Pamina

Pamina took the hint and awkwardly hefted the cat, cuddling it close to the striped and fuzzy body of her costume.

Misumi

"Yay! I'm myself again!"

Pamina

Pamina tried to use Misumi's exclamation as a distraction from her thoughts. "Isn't it great? Now we can enjoy this party! The treats over there look tasty, don't they?"

Misumi

"I need to eat better than you guys, I'm a lady!"

Pamina

Pamina tried not to frown, maintaining her forced smile. Couldn't this other girl be a little... nicer? Pamina was really trying.

R

Enjolras huffed at the other girl and then pawed at Pamina's costumes, gently distracting her.

Pamina

She continued to pet the cat, wondering if there were any snacks that it would like. Or any that would be okay for it to eat. Cats couldn't just eat human food, if she recalled correctly.

Misumi

"Honey...cakes?"
"I must take them all!"

Misumi then snatches the plate of orange honey cakes and stuffs them in her purse.

Pamina

"I don't think you should take the whole plate," Pamina tried to object, although she didn't speak up much. And she wasn't sure she'd still want one now, since they had been in someone's purse.

Titania

_Saying it a thousand times does not make it true_. Titania rolled her eyes. She knew _one_ person who wouldn't be coming on the trip.

R

I can hear you fuming from the other end of the galaxy

Hadley

Hadley felt a little sad without Enjolras nearby - it was strange to have gotten so used to his warm presence. It reminded her, in a way, to that of her plants. She was happy to have met him, and all of the others tonight.

Hadley couldn't help but to laugh a little at Misumi's antics. "Well, at least you'll not go hungry," she said.

Titania

_Why are some children brats but sometimes there's one or two that are just cute? Also, I tried to get rid of some boredom and went to a party. I found some more collectibles_, she told Oberon through their mind link. _We still have room for more, right?_

R

I am sure if I find a way to say no, you will find a way to make me say yes. There maybe is room somewhere on the planet for your pets to be

Misumi

"The whole plate is ideal! For a lady.."

Pamina

Pamina definitely hadn't seen a lady shove an entire plate of honeycakes in her purse before...

Host

Blaring music cut through everything, falling upon the party - loud and grating. From the shadows came Blythe, a grin on his face. "There! You said you wanted music, right? Now, let's get this party started and finally have some fun."

Whatever responses came at him were drowned out by his turning the music up even louder.

After things settled down, the party-goers were able to enjoy themselves with the activities they were originally promised, now that they no longer had to worry about the state of their bodies. Where they would all go after this was still up in the air, comments and invitations still ringing true, but at least, for now, they were together to have a good time. And so they did.

The End!