To listen to the couple hadn't been the best idea, just some small parts got to her, accompanied by the noise of the other students and music. And after all, nothing of those words made any sense. Still, the two were talking to each other, but not in the same way if they'd be searching for a date. They may be relatives, but talking to someone at such a prom where they have the chance to get used to the other gender again seemed like a waste of time for the redhead. Ryu watched how the girl left, most likely towards to her tomboyish friend, so she tried to figure out what's the reason.

Before anyone could see her gaze towards them it returned to the food. Not hungry, but staring at a table of several meals seemed so unbelievable and odd in a way. A voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts about what to take, she didn't hesitate to turn around due it seemed to belong to a male. Not that she was interested in him anyway, but it would serve as an appropriate change after all those girls. Why would someone capture so many women on an island without the expectation they could possibly turn into lesbians?

Thank you for the warning, sir. I will consider it when I make my choice. A soft and sweet tone, not her usual behaviour but after all she didn't want to appear like a spoilsport. Of course she offered him a kind smile as well just before she took the offered hand for a handshake. Her eyes investigated her company for a second, a rather tall, muscled and seemingly attractive young man stood in front of her, not to mention she felt attracted to the costumed male. She couldn't explain at all, maybe it was just his costume.

Your date taken already? It seemed like you have been interested in that girl who was with you some seconds ago, guess she is going to try my little tomboy now. Sir, please don't mind my thoughts, but am I mistaken if I think I am your second choice? Ryu was just trying to tease him. If she mentioned how hard most of the girls tried to get a date, it seemed like the boys were having the advantage here and she was just the one who stood out of a quantity of 'whores', how Lyndsey thought about them. She simply tried to stay alone, to get a glimpse of everyone around and to do her usual research about the behaviour of others.

Huh... Though his face unchanged, Rahs was a bit surprised to see Ryu act so sweet like she did. He actually expected her to react a bit coldly and aggressive, remembering the first they met. Though that time he had almost hit her head with the tennis ball, and so there was a reason for that. Interesting, it was right here in the gym when I met you, Ryu, he remembered silently.

The fake blue haired man with the red cape and bandanna was practically as tall as Rahs' real body, so he kept towering over the redhead and noticed how she seemed to look at him as she took his hand for a handshake. Probably still playing his character, the mercenary bent forward just a bit and took Ryu's hand and kissed it lightly before letting it go.

"You are, indeed. That girl that just left was a good friend of mine and haven't seen her for a long time," he answered while straightening back and looking at her eyes. It was hard for Rahs not to turn his gaze slightly downwards to her revealing cleavage but not once his eyes moved from hers. He guessed it wouldn't take long until he would be able to see and feel her all he wanted so he decided to keep acting like a well-mannered boy. "You seem to lack a date too, if you don't my saying."

A tiny smirk appeared on Ethan's face as he surveyed the room around him. My, my, he had certainly chosen the right theme to attend. Two beautiful ladies in white dresses were approaching the refreshment table, a bombshell in blue had just entered with an adorable blush.... Hopefully his date wouldn't begrudge him a few dances with other ladies. And then once the signal had been given -- Ruisetsu firmly silenced the part of his mind that was eagerly looking forward to that portion of the event.

Speaking of his date, however.... Ethan took another look at the blonde in white as she came close, and his dark gaze met her pretty blue eyes. She matched the description he'd been given, so he decided to turn on the charm. He gave the beauty before him the most winning smile he could summon and spoke in his low, slightly gravelly tone. Excuse me, milady. By any chance, might you be the fair Princess Varnia?

No, I don't mind at all. Still, I think I'd have a date without all those... unsealed female beings around. Even though he seemed to be one of the rather interesting characters around who simply talked with a good friend instead to use the time to get a date as well. She didn't mind at all, but something about the whole situation still bothered her. The crowd of males and females all together in a spatiality like the gym and its surroundings, drinking some punch and enjoying their time around seemed to take a pretty bad end. An island separated from the rest of the whole world with just women on it and then they send some young and attractive men there, what could possibly go wrong?

She thought about it for a second, there seemed to be no other friends of her around so there was nothing to do at all. Maybe she'd go to the dance floor in a moment, but before she decided to try some of the offered deli. Her head turned to the table, the image of the table still in her memory she quickly picked one of the shrimps he said they'd taste horrible in a way and a filled pastry, most likely filled with several vegetables. The redhead turned to him and tried the shrimp before she swallowed it and offered him a kind smile. You have been right, sir, it's not the best around. Indeed, they taste 'funny'. No matter how comfortable she appeared, her memories and thoughts about the gym were still there.

You should look yourself in a mirror... It just didn't seem so logical to Rahs that the redhead complained about the appearance of the other girls when she had a revealing outfit as well. Sure, there were others that seemed to have no shame at all, but he was sure that if Ryu would have stayed by herself a few more seconds probably other two disguised monsters would have tried and talked to her.

"It seems you didn't take my warning into consideration after all," the mercenary told Ryu with an amused smile. First thing I tell her not to do and she does it, he thought as the redhead offered him a smile for whatever reason after eating the shrimp. His eyes looked around them for a second, as if trying to perceive the source of a barely audible sound, but soon enough they turned back to Ryu's red eyes. "Well then, allow me to be your date, and dance with you for a while." He sounded as if little in the world mattered, yet as if that moment in the prom seemed important. He moved just one step sideways towards the dance floor, where many other couples were swaying and spinning around, and offered his hand to her. The dance not only would give him chance to speak a bit with Ryu before the attack, but also would him a chance to go a more desolated corner.

Guess I am just interested to get in danger sometimes. She said, following his gaze which seemingly turned somewhere else, but kept her face expression even when he asked her to be his date. It didn't matter how much the whole prom bothered her somehow, she would have to enjoy her evening due she couldn't return to her room anyway. You have my consent, sir. It'll be an honor to dance with you. Ryu returned to her role, even though she seemed rather like a thief than anything else she was quite sure it would fit such a nimble role of the being he represented.

Even though her dancing skills were limited in a way due she never really practiced such a girlish thing she'd show what she was able to perform anyway. While she reached out for his hands she had been already able to analyze several kinds of dances and was quite confident she could dance better than a novice. Getting hold on to his hand, he waited for him to choose the place where he wanted to dance with her.

I felt my heart skip a beat, heat blossoming in my chest at simply being addressed by an attractive male once more. My cheeks flushed softly yet noticeably. I stopped and curtsied with my long dress as a noble-woman would have done just shy of 700 years ago."Yes, milord, I am." A visible smile was on my lips and I felt my heart start to race. He recognized me by name, that could only mean that it was him. I wasn't disappointed one bit. I never actually intended to get a date for the occasion. My friend had secretly signed me up for it and I received an envelope confirming that a date had been chosen. At first I was mortified, then excited, then nervous and now grateful.

"But I'm afraid I am not of royal assent. Merely an heiress, a noble-woman is all." I half-smiled. Role playing in such a distant time felt so funny and enjoyable. It almost came naturally to me.

Diana blinked, another dizzy spell... Lucia definately wasn't happy with her tonight. But she wouldn't let her fun be ruined by that spoil-sport today. Walking in with her angel costume, the monochrome colors secretly (Apart from maybe those who knew of her little personality crisis) pointing out the constant bickering and difference in her mind. She walked into the various couples, not sure about the males that had been invited for this little celebration. Some of them were cute but really she couldn't see herself with any of them.

"You know what I feel about our costume Diana"
"Shut up, go... do something else"

After telling off Lucia, she would find some sort of company. Attempting to find someone who hadn't wandered off with someone else so she could talk to them. She'd simply... find herself a drink and have a look around, until someone interesting arrived.

"Where's Darwin when I need her" she thought, she'd be in drag if she was here, or in a different 'zone' of the prom..

(http://media.photobucket.com/image/Whit ... _angel.jpg <- Her costume is similar to that, sept the right side has a white wing and blue contact ^^)

The bright lights drew him. That and the frustration; two weeks outside the biggest collection of nubile females he had ever come across and so far not a single opportunity to abduct one unnoticed for long enough to suit his purposes. Worse yet he had heard the shrieks of girlish voices in the woods as they went up the scale from terrified to orgasmic. Once he had even managed to track the sound down well enough to witness a monster surely escaped from Hades pit doing to a young woman exactly what he wanted to do himself.

Were there others here trapped by the gods into strange shapes and only capable of getting free through sexual assaults? It seemed unlikely as he had never come across any others in all his years on Earth. But his attunement to the wooded areas told him he was certainly not alone in lurking within the forest; some thing or some things were also there and nothing like the widlife with which he had become familiar. Perhaps this was a new world created by the gods as a recreation? It was well known that Zeus liked to disguise himself while taking mortal females and few of the other gods felt themselves bound by any sense of moral restraint. Artemis would like the woods, of course but didn't have much interest in women except to have them join her circle, though perhaps the demonic beings were there to keep her happy with some new form of prey?

In the end it didn't make much difference except that, if the gods were involved, he might once again meet Pan. And perhaps after so much time, the goat-god would be feeling less vengeful. But until that happened, Darkthorn's quest remained unfulfilled so he was arriving at the edge of the lighted area, just deep enough within the vegetation to avoid being noticed in the dusk but close enough to watch events and hope for an opportunity to abduct one of those young women.

As he looked around it seemed extremely confusing. Instead of their normal attire, the girls were dressed in a variety of fanciful costumes, many of which appeared designed to invite any average male to want to take them without delay. And the males were there too, a strange mixture with some obviously costumed, while others appeared to be beings culled from every part of the ancient world and several he had never even seen except in pictures when he had been able to obtain an occasional book from a remote house or an abandoned wagon.

Males! Rarely since Pan had set him to wandering had he come across any group of them who were prepared to share their women easily. Far more often they took exception to his having 'borrowed' a girl or two to test, even though he didn't usually damage them. Perhaps the females were different in some way when they returned, and so rendered useless? He had never managed to find out for sure. All he knew was that males always tried to stand between himself and his targets, or having failed in that, they chased him away after a few successful captures. And the place was full of them. He had never seen more than one or two before while observing the buildings but it seemed they must have been around all along and that made things more difficult.

Still, he had little choice but to remain hidden and hope for some opportunity.

Gwendolyn dug through her closet in a frenzy, searching for something appropriate as a costume, standing in her white lace knickers as dresses and skirts, blouses and shirts flew around her like leaves in a storm.

Bloody short notice, telling me attendance is mandatory...I've only just got here, and they expect me to be ready for a blasted costume ball of all things! Well, bright side of things, I get an excuse to tart up a bit...

She fervently wished she'd brought more of her old cosplay outfits with her, as between them she was sure she'd have been able to come up with something spectacular. Sadly, she'd left them behind, save for a few smaller pieces. She picked up a length of white fur that had fallen to the floor and stopped, looking at it thoughtfully. Yes, that just might do.

She hurried to the showers, her braids undone, and a bottle of white hair dye in her hands.

-later-

For about the tenth time since leaving her dorm room, she tugged down on the hem of the dress, the wire stiffened white cat tail attached to her waist lifting the back a bit too high for her tastes. She should have known the dress wouldn't quite fit the same after two years...

As she stepped into the decorated glade, she stopped in sheer awe of the extravagance put into the decorations. Unconsciously, she smoothed the airy white dress over her hips as she turned in place, her unbound, now snow white hair swaying gently behind her. She reached up to adjust the little white cat ears atop her head, the wires holding them on clipped to the earpiece of her glasses. Her eyes gleamed golden in the diffuse lights, theatrical contacts hiding the normally blue hues.

Now this is a rum to-do! Quite the lay out, the decor is astounding...oh, and they've even imported prime beef.

She smiled slightly as she looked over the various meandering people, giving an appreciative once, maybe even twice over to some of the more attractive males.

(Gwendolyn costumed out for the ball http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1918/tsubasacat2.jpg)

Almost despite his better instincts, he stepped out a little way from concealment; it had been quite a while since he had approached a large group of people and he was wary to say the least. But there were so many strange beings here, both male and female that he hoped to not attract attention as he skirted the more crowded center of the glade.

The sight of food wasn't bad as a secondary motivator. Too often Darkthorn had needed to steal whatever he could lay hands upon, so the sight of a table filled with all sorts of nice looking things definitely called out to him. So he edged around the area, always staying close to the surrounding woods and ready to disappear, until he reached his goal. Over the years he had become dextrous enough with his range of twig-like appendages so it was easy enough to grab a plate and pile it with a variety of items.

Then, still trying to look inconspicuous, he took the time to look around more carefully while steadily munching on the snagged foodstuff. Almost it reminded him of home, or such memories as he had remaining. The array of fantastical beings, the scenery and lighting that could easily pass for the full moon. Over the years he had tried to return to that other glade at the foot of Mount Olympus many times but he had never been able to find it again. The older gods had retreated from the onslaught of newer, less uninhibited deities long ago. But maybe they had simply moved somewhere safe. Somewhere like this perhaps?

His attention flicked from one area to another. No sign of Pan being there, that was for sure. And the males seemed like a rather strange mix to him. But females... there were many of those and not a few wore scanty costumes that were at least marginally familiar; women had never lost the fundamental ability and desire to dress themselves to best advantage when given the chance and that meant accentuating those curves which set them apart from a man.

Finished eating he began to look around with more purpose. Many of the girls seemed to have already been claimed but surely there would be some opportunity for him here.

Gwendolyn wandered the pastoral setting of the dance, smiling brightly to any of the other girls who passed her by, and offering a demure little nod to any of the boys that happened to glance her way. Though, as time went by, it seemed those little nods occurred less and less often, as the boys paired off with a girl, and either took them out on the dance floor, or escorted them...elsewhere. She couldn't help but smirk faintly, a mild blush coloring her cheeks as she considered the things those newly formed couples were likely getting up to.

Like you'd love to get up to, eh duckie? Haven't seen an honest to God man in quite a bit...well, unless you count-Stop, don't go there.

She shook her head briskly, not just derailing her train of thought, but setting the train with explosives and running it into a mountain at great speed. She wanted to have some fun, enjoy something normal for a change, not wallow in the all too recent past.

Tch. Get yourself a drink Gwennie dear...maybe if you get good and bevvied up, you'll relax a bit.

Pausing to toss the plastic plate she'd been picking hors d'oeuvres from into the trash, she made a beeline for the drink table, snagging herself a glass of white wine. Nothing fancy, but pleasant enough on the palate...she sipped her beverage and glanced about the wooded 'grove' idly, searching for a place to have a nice, quiet sit. Spotting a bench between two towering trees, she wandered over, and settled sideways on the cool marble, reaching back and adjusting her fake tail.

"Ahh....now this is a fair sight better."

Edward entered the hall, dressed like a noble. He once thought that this suit he was wearing now was frivolous, since it was used only on the soirees and the endless parties that his mother was quite fond of throwing once in a while.

But for once, he felt grateful, since it allowed him to mingle in with the crowd without being spotted. Currently, he was walking around, when he saw a beauty, looking lost and alone. Being the gentleman that he was, he then approached her and said. "Greetings, milady. May I be your escort for this evening? You seem to be alone, and I would not like to see a beautiful lady like you go anywhere unattended."

Diana's previous date had excused himself to go to the washroom on account of something or other. In reality, she'd seen him glance at some other woman dressed as a courtesan. Shrugging her shoulders, she'd taken another cup of punch and took a shallow sip from it, careful to avoid spilling anything on her dress. She suddenly found herself approached by yet another man in frivolous gantry. She smiled despite herself and lowered the drink, curtsying politely. "Greetings, milord. I would be honored by your presence, as it seems that mine own escort has decided to chase after his wandering eye." She smiles again at the pun and takes another sip from her cup of punch.

Edward raised an eyebrow at the young woman's remark, and followed her gaze towards a dark skinned fellow, who no doubt was a monster in disguise go after some woman who was dressed like a courtesan.

He wrinkled his nose in disgust and then said. "I see... then I see he is a mere boorish lout who only cares about appearances. He is casting away a beautiful pearl for something worthless. Oh well, you should never think about him, milady. Such boors are truly something that brings a bad name to nobility. Chasing after skirts, when there is a pearl like yourself to be cherished." He then took a glass of drink from the table, and then sipped it gently, wanting to see her reaction to his words.