Event: Eiko's Birthday Ball

[tidesnpcs.livejournal.com]

Characters: OPEN to all party guests
Progress: Ongoing
Summary: A big party for a small girl. Yep, it's Eiko's birthday and she's having a ball.
Location: Lindblum Grand Castle
Date: March 21st, 1804
Warnings: N/A so far

Nobody could say that Regent Cid wasn't generous when it came to his adopted daughter, Eiko. In fact, some said that he was too indulgent. But on this, the evening of Eiko's tenth birthday, the citizens of Lindblum were ready and eager to celebrate. A free ball! Free drinks, free food, and a free pass into Lindblum Grand Castle. Many had failed to acquire tickets in time and were disappointed, but the lucky few piled eagerly into the castle.

Security was tight, and every single guest was checked by the guards before being allowed to enter. Once inside, they would find a wide and sumptuously decorated ballroom. A small group of musicians played slow and ambient music, while the party guests swayed across the floor dressed in all their finery. What could only be described as a flock of moogles flew or scurried around the room, offering glasses of champagne and various sweet treats. Regent Cid himself sat on a grand throne at the head of the room, nodding graciously at the guests who came to pay their respects. 

The ball was already in full swing, and the party would go on for a long while yet.

[ooc: Don't worry if you didn't comment to Regent Cid's earlier post requesting tickets. Handwaving is just fine if you want to hop in. It's party style - go tag and mingle! Thread jumping and ninja tagging is encouraged.]

[ooc: Eiko has made a very loud announcement about a celebrity couple's engagement. Feel free to overhear, react or congratulate.]

Comments

[crowned-jewel.livejournal.com]

Garnet's face lit up with recognition then. "Ah, So you are Commander Trepe. It's nice to finally meet you properly."

She paused then, something a bit melancholy in her expression. "Vayne... spoke highly of SeeD. Though I must admit, I'm not certain exactly what it is your organization... does."

[herownhero.livejournal.com]

"It's a pleasure to meet you, as well." Quistis replied with a genuine smile. "And please, I insist that you call me Quistis. The title of 'Commander' will soon be returned to it's rightful owner, once Squall has fully recovered and we've explained the situation to him."

At the mentioning of Vayne, Quistis' expression sobered before she began to speak softly. "I'm sorry for your loss, Garnet." She wasn't sure how close the two had been, but with the way Garnet spoke about the late Emperor it was obvious they had been good friends. "I never had the chance to meet him, but Squall and the others held him in high regards."

Upon Garnet's latter comment, Quistis gave a small smile before she began a brief explanation. "SeeD is a mercenary force from our world. The main objective of SeeD is to eliminate any Sorceress threats, though we also do traditional mercenary work on the side."

[crowned-jewel.livejournal.com]

"Quistis, then." She always preferred first-name basis. Titles had their time and place, but they did tend to hamper a good conversation at times.

Discussing Vayne, however, made her face fall. It had been just shy of a month since his assassination -- memories of the day still haunted her when she thought about it too hard, and she didn't know when she would be completely finished mourning her friend.

But when Quistis explained SeeD's function, it got her attention again. "Mercenaries? Sorceress Threats?"

[herownhero.livejournal.com]

At Garnet's rather incredulous exclamations, Quistis couldn't help but smile slightly. "Indeed. As mercenaries, we're available for hire for jobs that range from simple monster extermination and body guarding to military support, and more specialized tasks if required." Assassinations were one of them, but Quistis knew better than to mention the subject due to its sensitive nature.

"And from your reaction, I take it that Gaia does not possess any Sorceresses. In our world, there are humans who possess magical powers granted by Hyne, much more powerful and dangerous than standard para-magic as junctions and Guardian Forces aren't required to channel spells. Because of the power they possess, they require careful monitoring in case they decide to abuse their abilities. Unfortunately, there have been two extremely destructive wars due to one Sorceress' desire for world domination, and another's quest to conquer time."

As she went on with her explanation, Quistis had easily slipped into her 'instructing' mode, her tone becoming increasingly professional with every word she spoke. Realizing she was now rambling and probably going far more in depth than Garnet was interested in, Quistis bowed her head in an apologetic manner. "Excuse my rather verbose explanation-- it's a habit I sometimes slip into."

[crowned-jewel.livejournal.com]

Garnet merely shook her head. "No, you don't need to apologize. It's very interesting. It seems like so many of our worlds have so much in common, but I'm constantly amazed at the differences as well," she remarked. Trying to wrap her head around the concepts was a bit difficult. 'Sorceress' just sounded like a more-powerful-than-average mage, and the terms 'junction' and 'para-magic' made no sense to her at all.

Talk about Culture Shock. "It must be very strange for you and your comrades, being in this world."