((I actually don't mind, and Pearl doesn't mind, either. She's just glad to finally get some answers. Right now, she's just focusing on being friendly, seeing as she doesn't know anyone yet. Later on, however... Well, we'll see. ))

"It's very nice to meet you, Darren." said Pearl, before realizing that Toby butted in. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you. My name is Pearl Fey. What's yours?"

***

"Well, I certainly didn't expect that." mused Claves, watching Ella work her charms on Kraus. "Further proving my point that Kraus has lost it."

"Lost it?" parroted Artemis.

"Nothing you need to know." said Claves, not willing to break her promise with Zeth. "You know, I actually pity the Dragon."

"That bouncer? Why?"

"Kraus planted that dare in Tiffany's head at the Dragon's expense. It's pretty obvious from where I'm standing." said Claves. "Trust me, Artemis. There's a lot of things going on at this party that you might be better off not knowing."

"Somehow, you saying that is making it more difficult for me to relax." said Artemis.

Claves gave a lighthearted chuckle. "Sorry, Artemis. Didn't mean to worry you like that. It's not our business, anyway."

"I suppose not." said Artemis, although she didn't sound all that convinced.

Claves sighed. "You are such a worrywart, Artemis. Stop fretting the small stuff and enjoy yourself, will you?"

"I'm trying to." Artemis insisted. "But it's not that easy, seeing as I barely know anyone here."

Claves couldn't help but snicker. "I told you coming to this party with only one goal in mind was a bad idea. Listen, wait right there. I'm gonna go introduce you to Kraus."

Before Artemis could object, Claves shuffled over to Kraus and gave him a light tap on the shoulder.

"Hey, you got a minute? Or are you still stunned by that drive-by flirting?" she asked.

((Just a note, Claves is not trying to cause trouble for Kraus or Zeth, nor is she trying to ruin their plans. She just wants Artemis to loosen up a bit. Since Kraus doesn't know that, however, well... Let's just say this should be quite interesting. Of course, if there are any objections to this, I'll gladly edit it.))

---

"Darren Jones. Basketball player extraordinaire, mad dog on the ice, and general swell guy all around... at your service!"

W-W-WHAAAAAAAAAAT!? Mr. Red Head have a real name!? Toby thought, surprised at how he didn't know Darren's name.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you. My name is Pearl Fey. What's yours?"

"Name's Toby. Toby Rugita." Toby broke out his best air guitar pose, and then quickly finished, as if he finished playing a song. "Pro guitarist and keyboardist. Best pal of Chris Trent. Music lover."

Then Toby turned to Darren.

"Dude, you never told me your name." Toby shaked his head, as if to express that he have no clue. "I could have asked you for your name, but whatever, Darren." Toby crossed his arms.

Chris rolled his eyes, now growing increasingly frustrated at how vague she was being. He put his hands on her shoulders and put her out in front of him so he could look into her eyes. "Cara. Stop beating around the bush and tell me what exactly happened. What happened with his dad? This is kind of a big deal to me, Cara, because I don't want my girlfriend and my other friend to hate each other, especially since I see you both a lot." He spoke firmly, but tried to keep his anger out of his voice.

Miles' eyes opened wide as he saw what Elle just did with Kraus. It was astonishing to him how sudden of a change it was; one moment, she was a calm, professional journalist, and the next she was being seductive and... it was difficult for him to process. He shook his head and tried to compose himself, but he couldn't really look at Elle the same way anymore. He was now very interested in learning more about this mysterious woman who apparently knew so much about his work. However, he kept silent to let Zeth do his "interrogation."

---

Leaning against the door frame, his eyes and ears back to Klavier's performance, Kraus' eyes softened as his thoughts returned to Sarah. Poor Sarah. He walked out on her at such a vulnerable moment, and so had Klavier. Did those two work something out? Was she still in Phoenix's room? He wished for a moment that she could enjoy this moment with him. Zeth had no idea what he was running away from. This would be a sight and sound that Sarah would give anything to experience, and he knew that for a fact.

Sighing, he decided that he'd visit her and see how she was when this dare was over. If Klavier was the sort to abandon her while she was upset, then he had no interest in him partaking in a relationship with her along side of him.

Not noticing a figure walk up to him, the tap on his shoulder broke him out of his thoughts.

"Hey, you got a minute? Or are you still stunned by that drive-by flirting?" Turning to the voice, Kraus saw Claves and Artemis standing beside him below his notice.

"Of course I do, Miss Cadaverini," Kraus replied with a polite smile, "If you'd excuse my interest in this dare before me, of course,"

*********************

((Um... This dude speak is a little hard to follow O.O Excuse me if I read some of this wrong, but I can't tell what the second sentence is about ^^; ))

"Dude, you never told me your name. I could have asked you for your name, but whatever, Darren."

"Hey, it happens," Darren responded to Toby before turning to Pearls and wrapping his arm behind her and gently pulling her forward this time, "We should head over to the lounge. You wanted to spin, right? Has anyone told you how we run this game? It's a little different to the usual version of this game."

********************

"Cara. Stop beating around the bush and tell me what exactly happened. What happened with his dad? This is kind of a big deal to me, Cara, because I don't want my girlfriend and my other friend to hate each other, especially since I see you both a lot."

"Well, you don't get to decide that for us!" Cara responded, quivering on the spot in upset, "Sometimes you just don't get a say in who likes you or not and there's nothing you can do about it!" Rubbing her eyes, Cara took a step away and sat on a nearby couch, not sure what to do. Surely Chris hated her now, but what could she say about the incident? She had said everything. Why should the details of it matter? Who CARES what those two lied about. Chris couldn't just put a bandaid on this. She didn't even know what the big deal about it all was for Toby. Was it REALLY that humiliating for everyone to know the truth. Wouldn't he WANT everyone to know the truth? Maybe his father had really warped Toby's mind that much. Such an evil man. They were so happy together before he ruined their relationship. Or perhaps it was doomed to start with...

((Wow- it's so weird writing an angsty Cara O.o ))

---

Last edited by Arkillian on Wed May 30, 2012 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.

((
Uh, Ark, isn't Darren talking to Toby? There's no way Darren could speak to Chris right away. I mean, Chris is in the lounge and Darren is at Trucy's door with Pearl and Toby.))

((Typo- will correct))

---

It somehow unnerved Ella that Zeth would even dare question her motives. Shooting Zeth an 'are-you-serious' look before continuing to explain herself, Ella firmly stated to the skunk-haired man pointing at her black journal, "Mr.Gant, you are well aware of what favour I am insinuating."

Before Zeth could answer, she pried her journal open to the page regarding the taxi driver, showing him the disclosed contents - she made it a point that there was nothing suspicious to be found, that it was all just a bunch of personal text unrelated to any sort of case. She then proceeded to step back from the detective, examining his peculiar articles of clothing thoroughly.

"Mr.Gant...or should I say, Zeth?" Ella paused for a moment, brushing his frilly apron with her hand, flattening out any existing wrinkles.

"You are an ostensibly bizarre man. And I respect that..." Ella trailed off, still analyzing the poor confused Zeth. "But you do realize that you are making a fool of yourself by dressing in such a manner at a party filled with prosecutors and the like? You're a highly credited police detective at the precinct, Zeth. I mean, you could do so much better than that!" Ella exclaimed, pointing at his silly form of attire and shaking her head simultaneously.

Finally finishing her thorough examination, Ella walked closely up to Zeth, leveling her hazel eyes to his.

"What if I were to lend you some 'normal' clothes for the night? I'm sure you would look just as dashing as that handsome man drooling over Klavier's voice over there." She nudged Miles gently with her elbow, giving him direct eye contact in an attempt to send him a telepathic message. Somehow, she needed to get a spare change of clothes for Zeth. The problem was she didn't know exactly how to obtain them...

...I just hope Miles has an extra suit or something for the poor fellow in front of me.

Ella smiled, adjusting Zeth's apron again as she spoke, only this time quietly into his ear, "And, I'll even sweeten the deal, just for you. I'll make sure you're the talk of the town in the next paper, Zeth. The front page. You'll be a star! "

"Hey, it happens. We should head over to the lounge. You wanted to spin, right? Has anyone told you how we run this game? It's a little different to the usual version of this game."

"Yeah, good idea, dude...." Toby shrugged, then walked with Darren and Pearl back to the lounge.

Wait a minute.... What does Darren means when he said that the version of Spin the Bottle is different from the usual version? Toby thought.

"Hold up, Darren!" Toby walked a bit faster ahead then stepped into Darren's way and turned to face Darren, then raised his hand as if to say 'Stop right there!'. "What do you mean that the game we're going to play is a little different from the usual version of Spin the Bottle? Does that mean there's more to the game that I should know about?"

((I know Pearl said she want to have a go at Spin the Bottle, so I'm just going with the flow. Anyway, Toby doesn't know about the coin toss part of the Spin the Bottle game. ))

"Mr.Gant, you are well aware of what favour I am insinuating."

Zeth caught a proper glimpse at Ella's scrawl while she showed him her note book. Barely legible shorthand. Typical reporter. He knew enough short hand though to know that it was just notes about not using her taxi driver's company again. Safe enough. That didn't mean her other reports weren't more interesting however.

"I had a feeling," Zeth replied, slipping his thumbs into his apron, he narrowed his eyes in interest, "It was something I was going to bring up when I talked to you... before I was interrupted. I'm sure it holds many interesting stories, if you can read journalist scrawl. So, what's the deal?"

"Mr.Gant...or should I say, Zeth?" Glancing down as Ella started to toy with the frills around his chest, Zeth sucked in a breath of air and held it as she fixed a kink or two in his frills nonchalantly. Feeling his heart rate start to go up, an awkward flush of red rose on his cheeks, "You are an ostensibly bizarre man. And I respect that... But you do realize that you are making a fool of yourself by dressing in such a manner at a party filled with prosecutors and the like? You're a highly credited police detective at the precinct, Zeth. I mean, you could do so much better than that!" Watching her mock silently, Zeth gave her a stern look, as he attempted to suppress his fluster,

"What if I were to lend you some 'normal' clothes for the night? I'm sure you would look just as dashing as that handsome man drooling over Klavier's voice over there." Zeth's face instantly drained of colour for a brief moment as Ella motioned towards Kraus, his eyes widened as he glancing towards the billionaire and back again. Was she out of her MIND?! Dress Kraus in an...

Pausing for a moment as a vision of Kraus in the apron he was wearing flashed before his eyes, Zeth slammed his hand over his mouth in a desperate attempt to hide the sudden flash of hilarity tearing through his freshly formed emotional defences like an army with a battering ram. Blinded with laughter at the thought of ANYTHING that happened during that dare, Zeth's eyes watered as he desperately muffled his Gant laugh as diplomatically as he could. Zeth was crippled from laughter for a good minute before he regained his senses enough to notice Ella draw closer for her final punch line, "And, I'll even sweeten the deal, just for you. I'll make sure you're the talk of the town in the next paper, Zeth. The front page. You'll be a star! "

"You had me at Kraus in an apron," Zeth grinned, wiping the tears from his eyes, "Do what you want with your paper, if you have the balls to swap my outfit with Kraus, then you deserve the notebook. Take it." Offering his hand to Ella, Zeth's mood lifted from the laugh considerably, "And hey, if you don't swap my outfit with Kraus', then it's cool. I needed a good laugh. Anyone that has normal clothing is fine by me."

((I died of laughter too. True story.))

*******

"Hold up, Darren!" Toby leapt ahead o the two of them holding up his hands to stop their advancement, "What do you mean that the game we're going to play is a little different from the usual version of Spin the Bottle? Does that mean there's more to the game that I should know about?"

"The ways of the Bottle I shall teach then, young Padawan," Darren grinned, giving a gesture with his hand as if he were Yoda, "Simple the rules are. Break them not you must."

"There's nothing overly complicated, is there?" asked Pearls, "I've had enough confusion for one day. And, um, Darren? Do you think you can introduce me to some of your friends before we start? I don't really know anyone here"

"Nar," Darren grinned, "It's all pretty basic. Alex and Bryan just make it look hard! And sure. As soon as everyone gets to the lounge, I'll do the rounds, ya know?"

Darren grinned, and slung his other arm on Toby's shoulder, continuing to lead the two to the lounge, "So the deal here is this. The usual rules happen, you spin the bottle twice and you kiss who ever it points at, boy or girl. The really cool thing however is the coin toss before hand. If you don't call the con toss correct, you have to do a dare with the kiss! You know, like Bryan had to with..."

Walkign into the lounge, Pearls in one arm, and Toby in the other, they walked in on Chris and Cara's discussion, with Cara sitting on one of the couches crying. What just happened? Did the two of them just have an argument? With Chris? What on earth would make a cool guy like Chris want to upset Cara like this for?

((Sorry- this is a little pushy. I'd be nice if everyone was in the lounge now for the next spin. Talking is cool, but it'd be cool if everyone was there for Pearl's spin :) Actually, I'll do the Teen's game rerolls. Stay tuned!))

---

Last edited by Arkillian on Wed May 30, 2012 10:20 pm, edited 2 times in total.

"There's nothing overly complicated, is there?" asked Pearl as Darren led her to the lounge. "I've had enough confusion for one day."

As she walked with Darren, she felt butterflies in her stomach. These were people she didn't know, and she was going to have to kiss one of them. The kissing part she was comfortable with, but the stranger part was something else entirely.

"Um, Darren? Do you think you can introduce me to some of your friends before we start?" she asked. "I don't really know anyone here."

***

"Of course." said Claves with a wry smile. "Anyway, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. Just a sec, she's kinda shy."

She then motioned for Artemis to step forward, which she did.

"Kraus, this is Artemis Blind. The two of us have been thick as thieves since we were kids." said Claves. "Artemis, this here is Alexander Kraus. He kinda skirts the line between the world of law and the criminal underworld. Don't ask me what he's doing here of all places, I have no idea."

Artemis was slightly intrigued by this, but quickly brushed it aside. She didn't want to focus on her fears and worries right now. Not here. Instead, she merely extended her hand to Kraus and gave him a warm smile.

"How do you do, Mr. Kraus?" she said pleasantly.

---

((Damn it- I knew editing was a bad idea. Give me a minute to update my RP to reflect yours better, hon :) ))

"Kraus, this is Artemis Blind. The two of us have been thick as thieves since we were kids." said Claves. "Artemis, this here is Alexander Kraus. He kinda skirts the line between the world of law and the criminal underworld. Don't ask me what he's doing here of all places, I have no idea."

"How do you do, Mr. Kraus?" she said pleasantly.

Kraus, narrowed his eyes in concern for a moment. Who was she to tell her that he dealt with the criminal underground? Perhaps she assumed that having a high profile assassin on door duty was a dead give away that he was part of the criminal underground? He admitted that it must look highly unusual, but he had no idea who this 'Artemis' woman was, and perhaps should've before now. Where was the Skunk when he needed him? Glancing over to Zeth, he was laughing about something just out of earshot down the hall. That better be a hilarious joke, Gant, or an important conversation... Adopting his signature 'pleasant face', Kruas' attention came back to the two ladies before him. Looks like he had to pull out the playboy charm and wing it. Perfect timing, for not hearing Klavier's performance sadly,

"Wonderfully," Kraus smiled, picking up Artemis' hand, and giving it a warm hold as he bowed slightly, "Although that is a slight exaggeration of my contacts. My ties to the criminal underground are strictly for prosecution purposes only. I personally don't deal with mafia beyond the state laws." Turning his attention to Claves, Kraus gave her a disappointed glance, "This visit is purely for pleasure though, I assure you." Turning back to Artemis, still holding her hand, a more relaxed smile appeared on his face, "It is a pleasure to meet you Fraulien. Tell me, are you a fan of Herr Gavin's works? He is holding an exquisite performance as we speak."

((Um- It's not public knowledge that Kraus deals with mafia types. Claves would likely know, but reputation is very important for Kraus to get away with what he does, so he likes people to be diplomatic about his dealings in public.))

---

((Teen's spins updated. Please note that these are from randomly generated numbers fro this site and I just translate the numbers straight into the list. I only ommit double up rolls, or rolls where they spin themselves twice. If you want me to give you a new three cause you hate all your spins then tell me, and I'll respin your choices. Also- if you're not on the list, give me a poke and I'll be OTL and add you.))

---

Aftering listening to Darren explain the difference between the usual game of Spin the Bottle and the game they're going to play.

"Oh, okaaaaaaaaay..." Toby shrugged, like he was accepting Darren's answer. "So the coin toss and the dares, huh? Yeah, I'm cool with that, dude."

In his mind, Toby made a mental note to have a word with his best pal, Chris, and have him explain why he was being so... vague when talking about the Spin the Bottle game.

When Pearl, Darren, and Toby walked into the lounge, Toby noticed that his ex-girlfriend, Cara was sitting on one of the couches, crying. And Chris was standing, well, on his own.

Hey, why is my ex-girlfriend crying? Did my best pal do something to make her cry? Maybe... Nah, I don't wanna know that. Toby thought as he walked over to his best pal, then placed one of his hands onto Chris' shoulder.

"Hey, Chris. Why is Cara crying? What exactly happened between you and her? And by the way, Chris, I have to talk with you about something..." Toby said, crossing his arms. Look like Toby's best pal have some explaining to do.

((Btw, Ark, I love how Darren went Yoda on Toby. Star Wars ftw!))

Chris frowned. "Man, get outta here. You insulted my girlfriend right in front of me. I don't wanna talk to you right now," he said to Toby bitterly, waving him off. He turned his attention to Cara. "Look, I'm not mad, but we'll talk about this later, ok?" He looked back at Toby then grunted and walked away, to the circle to wait for the spin to take place.

---

Toby couldn't believe his eyes. Why did his best pal, Chris have to be a jerk to him?

"Chris, it's not about Cara.." Toby stopped when he saw his best pal walk off to the circle. Toby sighed, and look down at his feet.

Toby then turned and walked toward Darren and Pearl without looking up. Once he stopped in front of Darren and Pearl, Toby looked up.

"Darren and Pearl... You two saw that? I can't believe he didn't want to talk to me right now..." Toby said, with a sad look on his face. "Can't believe he wouldn't listen to me. If only I could figure out how to get my best pal to actually listen to me..."

Why did his day have to turn into disaster? First was meeting his ex-girlfriend. Then the argument in front of his best pal. And now his best pal turned his back on him. Could his day get any worse than that?

((Poor Toby... ))

((I know! I just about fell over with that XD Poor Toby! Yeah- I did a Starwars play a few years back for my Cub Scouts which had alot of fun Yoda lines. They all got to make little hand puppets for it ^^. It's pretty stupid, but it's for 8 - 10 year old so why not? :) Had all sorts of fun things like "Every Tom, Dick, and Harry are after us! Thank goodness they only have one Tom, Richard and Harry in their army!" and stuff :3 They had alot of fun with it ^^ I'd like to do a Starwars RP where I play a Yoda type :) Already done one as a mad scientist. That was super fun ^^))

Scanning the room quickly, Darren considered talking to Cara but again, this was one of those situations that he should stay out of. Actually, that situation Darren removed Pearls from before seemed to have followed them somehow, and over taken them. How did that happen?

"Stay by me till this blows over, k?" Darren said to Pearls, bringing her closer as the chaos proceeded before him, "It looks like the drama is all wrapping up for now,"

***************

((Actually, I forget what Alex was doing... was he talking? Can we assume whoever he's talkign to is also rejoining the circle if he's walking towards it? Bryan is still in the kitchen. If no one is talking to Alex, then I call he's teleported to the lounge circle. If you wish to be teleported there too, just say, otherwise, RP your way back so Pearls can do her spin :) BTW- unless Pearls uses her wildcard spin and kisses Leann and Bryan, he'll sit this spin out.))

<edited cause screw it, I didn't know what Bryan was going to do anyways. Lets just say he's in the kitch till the next spin cause he's still angry at Alex.>

---

Last edited by Arkillian on Thu May 31, 2012 10:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

((Yeah, Claves is being a bit sneaky here. She wants Artemis to draw the connection between Kraus and herself (they're both prosecutors who have criminal connections) so that she'll be more interested in mingling and less focused on worrying about finding Trucy and worrying about every little thing.))

"Oh. Well, actually, I'm a prosecutor myself. I just passed my Bar Exam." said Artemis. "And indeed, Mr. Gavin has a fine voice. I've been quite entranced by his performance."

Claves responded to Kraus' look with a shrug. "Look, I trust her, Kraus. She might be a worrywart and a stiff-neck, but she's not a snitch."

"Thank you for that, Claves." said Artemis, rolling her eyes.

"Besides, those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." Claves continued. "She wouldn't be keeping her badge for long if people found out she was bosom buddies with a capo like me, would she?"

***

"Oh. Well, that sounds simple enough." said Pearl. "I can't wait to..."

When they entered the lounge, Pearl immediately spotted Cara crying. She was about to say something when Darren brought her in close and told her to stick by him.

"Ooh! W-well alright." said Pearl, blushing a little. "Thank you for being so kind to me, Darren."

---

((It's ok if that's in character to do, but Kraus still doesn't like it, trustworthy or not. He's not paranoid like Zeth is- He pays Zeth to be paranoid on his behalf about those kind of things ^^; ))

"That's an interesting perspective to take on that, Miss Cadaverini," Kraus drew to Claves' ear, and dipped his voice so only she could hear, his agitation showing as a hiss in his tone, "but unfortunately some of us have a reputation to keep after the damage has been done, and if any wind of a rumor is caught that my contacts with the criminal world were less than savoury, then not only would my career as a lawyer be put on the line, but so would my company. I am sure that the Skunk has already briefed you on the importance of discretion at this event on my behalf."

---

((If I know my information right. I'm sure it was Pearl that first answered Alex's question... And after that, we have no idea what happened to him. Ark, it's up to you to give a good reason what's up with Alex via the RP. XD ))

((If he was talking to only Pearls then he can teleport to the lounge. Don't have to RP him walking him in a room :) ))

---

"Excellent! I shall evaluate the situation and do what I can," Ella exclaimed as she gave Zeth a nice gentle pat on the back, awkwardly laughing at his uncontrollable tears with a hint of nervousness in her voice. It was odd that she would find this sort of situation entertaining; Klavier's singing had barely amused her and she was a very difficult woman to charm properly. Fortunately, she understood what people socially expected and wanted. It was in these moments that her schooling in journalism and reporting finally became of use.

Now, how am I going to rid that charming man of his clothes... Ella thought to
herself, glancing at Miles and then quickly looking back at Zeth in case he caught
her giving Miles secret messages by way of eye contact. As Zeth looked away for a split second, the journalist took this brief moment in time to grab Miles by the arm and whisper ever so quietly into his ear, "Mr.Edgeworth, I need a favour of you as well. I need you to keep Zeth distracted for as long as possible - I apologize if the next act I commit completely changes your initial impressions of me. I ask that you do not watch..." Ella put a finger to his lips, knowing that he would respond to her proposal with a dazed look.

"You will see in a few moments."

Walking over to Kraus, who was busying himself whispering inaudible sentences to Claves, Ella approached the two, standing in front of them with her arms crossed.

"You're cheating on me already, Krausie?" Ella questioned in a coy manner, slowly inching her way closer to the blond man. Placing her lips only an inch apart from Kraus' cheek, she intimately wrapped her arms around the well-built man, ignoring Claves' presence.

"I think you're in big trouble, my dear. How will you ever make it up to me?" Ella asked seductively, leaning her pretty head on Kraus' broad shoulders. Playing with his hair, she notioned towards one of the bedrooms in the residence,

"You know what? I'd really love it if we could talk about your...punishment in private."

((You're skipping forward a big fast, hon :( It's getting hard to slip in an interaction with how fast you move on :( ))

((Actually, forget Bryan. Pretend that Bryan is still in the kitchen emoing out there. Zeth is going to visit Sarah instead. Edited out his RP))

"Excellent! I shall evaluate the situation and do what I can," Looking up at Ella as she gave him a pat on the back, Zeth noticed a distracted after tone about her. Like she was trying to show that she cared when she didn't. That was fine. It wasn't as if he needed her to linger around any more than she did, but she had an agenda aside from that. THAT he was curious about. Just how far this woman would go. She seemed to be a little sneeky too, but this wasn't a big house. As long as he could see her, he'd be able to figure out what's going on. Positioning himself away from the excitement, Zeth pretended to pay attention to something else rather than Ella and her happenings, keeping an eye out for what she was doing while she wasn't looking. Watching her, she slipped over to Miles and whispered something to him.

Damn it, I can't see what she's saying, Zeth narrowed his brows in disappointment, before he glanced away to the end of the hall to feint interest in something else... catching a sobbing sound from Phoenix's room. Narrowing his brows, Zeth's curiosity got the better of him for a moment as he snuck up to the door. Putting his ear to the door, he tried to figure out what was going on in there... It sounded like.... Sarah... crying. It had to be her. Noone sounded that strange when crying. Just her... all alone... by herself with no one to hold her...

Relaxing his face to a sombre expression, Zeth rested his hands on the door and listened to her strange tears. He wanted to help her, but he was forbidden from interacting with her. She was just so far out of his reach with Kraus around but now... without him here? Resting his forehead against the door, he knew he had to move on. It was too important that he didn't get close to her. It'd only bring back bad memories from before the accident...

((Miles can intercept about here if he wants. Zeth is already distracted for now, but he wont be when Kraus gets wound up.))

*************

"You're cheating on me already, Krausie? I think you're in big trouble, my dear. How will you ever make it up to me? You know what? I'd really love it if we could talk about your...punishment in private."

Closing his eyes for a moment, and taking a deep breath in, before slowly releasing it, Kraus sighed. This woman was persistent. What was with all of these drive by flirts? Was this the reporter that Zeth was trying to warn him about? Feeling slightly upset with himself that he didn't let Zeth do his job for once, Kraus stood back to an upright, and readjusted his tie. Obviously these women were all dead set in him not listening to Klavier's song.

"My... punishment?" Kraus responded as if it were a statement, turning to the young reporter standing beside him. Glancing at the reporter's outfit, Kraus raised his brows. She didn't seem like the type that was capable of a punishment worse than her tongue, nor did she seem like the type to know people that could. She was just young, and sassy, with a bit of fire in her eyes. Just like Sarah when he first took her under his care. Unlike Sarah though, this woman fought dirty... this much he could sense. She wasn't afraid to do something out of the ordinary to get what he wanted. Ambitious. There's nothing wrong with that... when used for the correct purposes. It was time to set her straight.

A slight smile formed on Kraus' lips then, as he looked down at her from his proud standing point, "Cheating, mein Fraulien? What ever gave you that idea?" With a quick flash of his arm, Kraus grabbed the reporter around her back and pressed her tight up to his body. Dipping her slightly backwards so she was off balance, Kraus lowered his voice drawing close to her ear, "I'm getting a little tired of this game you are playing, fraulien. I don't know what it is that you want, but it must be terribly important for you to keep interrupting me, so tell me. What is so important that you must disrupt my enjoyable afternoon with idle flirting?"

((For the record, if Ella knows fashion, Kraus is a famous model, and if she knows him through there, she'd also know that he has a girlfriend called Sarah Cottontail who is also a fashion model. I don't think this side of him is mentioned in his bio as well as hers... He's also a district prosecutor... perhaps she's met him through that too. Just saying. My apologies if you would've done this differently if you knew. Tell me how she would've done it if it's effected and I'll see if I can modify my RP.))

---

"Yeah, yeah. I know the drill. No need to get on my case about it." Claves whispered back. "Trust me, Kraus. The last thing I want to do is cause trouble for your little plan, which, by the way, I want no part of. I'm just here to enjoy myself. Listen, I actually have a favor to ask of you..."

It was then that Ella interrupted their little tete-a-tete and began making the moves on Kraus. Claves became annoyed.

"Hey, you know it's rude to barge in on someone's private conversation, don't you?" she said indignantly.

Artemis gulped. She knew that Claves had a sharp temper, and if this woman didn't do something to rectify the situation, she was going to receive the full brunt of the young capo's wrath. She froze, unsure if she would stay and try to pacify the situation, or if she would run at the first sign of trouble.

---

Toby sighed and walked over to a nearby chair. He then sat down, and put his head into his hands.

Who will help me with my problem? Two problems, actually. One of them is my ex-girlfriend. How can I say sorry to her without going jerk on her? And the other problem is my best pal, Chris. How can I get him to actually listen to me? All I want to ask him is why he was being so vague when telling me about the game of Spin the Bottle... I don't know who to turn to for help! Toby thought, head still in hands.

Toby mentally wished that someone would be there to help him with his own problems. But that seem impossible... Or was it even impossible to begin with?

((I'm stumped on what to type after all those RPs, so yeah, I did this RP just to put Toby into his train of thoughts. ))

((It's cool- just go with it. IT's drama, and sometimes with drama, characters need mulling time for effect. It'd suck if it was all resolved immediately. Get him to join in with the game, and see how things progress. This is why it's nice to play a few characters. While one is having a quiet moment, another character can be living it up. I think it's good to have a teen and an adult for this reason to RP. if one is tied up, you can focus on the other :) RP to come- I'm busy with end of month stuff today so you might have to wait for it >.< ))

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((Hey, now that you mentioned it... I haven't have a adult OC. But the thing is... I guess we need to talk about my adult OC in PMs.))

((It's why I meantioned it ;) Moving this discussion to PMs. And Sorry about the OOC talk guys!))

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Trucy heard footsteps and guessed that the owner of the mysterious voice had decided to take her up on her challenge. Slipping along the hallway and briefly into her room, with a bright smile and wave to her friends, she quickly sourced the prop she'd been looking for.

"Sorry to be such a bad hostess- Mr Hat and I will be back soon!" she chirped, stepping back out into the corridor.

Setting up the prop she'd once used to such great effect many years ago, she called out.

"I'm just here, what are you waiting for?" She'd wait till the footsteps got a little closer then see which "Trucy" the woman searching for her went for...[/quote]
Maya knew nothing of Trucy's planned antics, as she continued heading in the direction she knew the little magician was in. "Don't worry", she replied, "I'll find ya!"

She quickly ran down the direction she knew Trucy was at the end of, and soon turned the corner...

---

Maya knew nothing of Trucy's planned antics, as she continued heading in the direction she knew the little magician was in. "Don't worry", she replied, "I'll find ya!"

She quickly ran down the direction she knew Trucy was at the end of, and soon turned the corner...[/quote]

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In a flurry, Ella stumbled into Kraus' arms, wide-eyed. She hardly even expected such a reaction from the man, although his strong build said otherwise. "Interrupting you?" Ella questioned in a confused manner, as if she were completely out of the loop, "I merely wanted your attention, Kraus." Realizing that the her flirting efforts were not going to get the job done for her, Ella released herself from Kraus' grip, and patted down the wrinkles of her trenchcoat in frustration.

Shit. He's not buying it... Ella frowned, and turned herself away from the blond man so that her back was facing him.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't need a request of you. You see that silly man in that apron over there? I am in dire need of an extra set of clothes for him."

Ella then finally turned to face Kraus, eye to eye, "Look, Kraus. You may not know who I am or what my true intentions are, but I know who you are. And your girlfriend as well," Ella stated promptly as she gestured mistakingly towards Claves, who was clearly annoyed by her sudden intrusion.

She held out her hand firmly for Claves to shake, "Sarah Cottontail...was it?"

Claves raised an eyebrow. "I, think you got me confused with someone else, miss. The name's Claves, and if you don't mind, I was having a word with Kraus when you rudely interrupted. You think you can put your little scheme on hold for a sec while I wrap this up?"

Artemis still felt tense. She knew that Claves didn't reveal her last name so as not to spook anyone, but if this woman continued to push her buttons, she was going to find out, and she was going to be sorry. As they continued to talk, Artemis began to back away slowly, ready to break into a run if Claves' temper got the better of her.

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"I'm getting a little tired of this game you are playing, fraulien. I don't know what it is that you want, but it must be terribly important for you to keep interrupting me, so tell me. What is so important that you must disrupt my enjoyable afternoon with idle flirting?"

"Interrupting you? I merely wanted your attention, Kraus." She said,

"You have it," Kraus responded bringing her back to an upright as stumbled out of his arms and brushed her self neat again.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't need a request of you. You see that silly man in that apron over there? I am in dire need of an extra set of clothes for him." Ella turned to him sternly then, "Look, Kraus. You may not know who I am or what my true intentions are, but I know who you are. And your girlfriend as well, Sarah Cottontail...was it?"

Kraus smiled slightly, brushing his tailored Armani suit back to a smooth, "That is hardly confidential information, Fraulien, but yes. She is my companion." Fixing his tossed hair with his fingers, Kraus closed his eyes for a moment to consider her request, "I believe I have a spare suit in my Benz if Herr Gant requires one, but I believe you will find that he wont wear it willingly." Kraus opened his eyes once more, and readjusted his stance to a more dignified one, "Now, fraulien. I highly doubt that a lovely lady such as yourself would knowingly press myself for a matter as simple as borrowing some clothing. If you are wanting an exclusive interview with me, I can give you the number of my agent and he can settle a time at a later date if you'd like." Breaking out into a polite chuckle, Kraus smiled, pulling a buisness card out of his wallet and handing it to Ella, "I would like to finish my conversation with these two ladies, if you may."

((Cerrella- What is she trying to do? Get Kraus to willingly swap outfits? Why not dare him to in game?))

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Pearl was silent for a time as she stood by Darren and allowed him to hold her close. Finally, she decided to speak her mind.

"I'm a bit nervous." she confessed. "As you've probably gathered, I'm not a typical girl. Heck, I would probably stick out like a sore thumb if everyone wasn't caught up in their own problems. I really hope they like me. I don't want to cause any train wrecks, like you mentioned before."

She then giggled. "I'm probably worrying over nothing, though. I don't even know why you would play a game with someone you don't like in the first place."

((Just a bit of a bump to get the ball rolling again. Arkillian, you can add this bit of dialogue to Pearl's statement before for the recap if you want (as is your RP style as I've noticed).))

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((I just do that for context. Make it read more like a story. Sorry for the wait- I've been SO jaded over the last week >.<))

"I'm a bit nervous." Pearls confessed. "As you've probably gathered, I'm not a typical girl. Heck, I would probably stick out like a sore thumb if everyone wasn't caught up in their own problems. I really hope they like me. I don't want to cause any train wrecks, like you mentioned before." she then giggled, "I'm probably worrying over nothing, though. I don't even know why you would play a game with someone you don't like in the first place." Darren glanced down at her and raised his brows,

"Well, of course there's some people you're not going to like in the game. That's what makes it fun for others to watch though. You just gotta make sure that there are plenty of people that you DO want to kiss in the game though, or you're stuffed. And hey, don't worry. I'm sure that most of the guys here would love to kiss you even if they don't want to admit it." Pointing to the bottle, Darren grinned, "Give it two spins anyway. See who you get. And hey, you never know. You might get lucky and spin me right off the bat," Darren gave her a cheeky wink, with a thumbs up.

((Can we assume that she picks up names as we go along? It'd be weird doing the run through of who's who in character.))

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Chris was sitting down with his headphones on, listening to some very loud metal music to vent his frustration. He looked up from the floor and exhaled slowly, letting his anger slowly subside. He was conflicted. He didn't want to stay mad at Toby, but he was not about to let him say those things to Cara. It made him furious to think about, so he tried to put it out of his mind. Suddenly, he took his headphones off and stood up from the floor. He wanted to talk to Cara; maybe she could make him feel better. He looked around to try and find her.

((I forgot where Cara is, so I'm leaving it kinda open-ended here. Sorry for not posting, I just didn't know what to say.))

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((Chris told Cara who was crying on the couch that they were going to talk later. I took that as him not wanting to make her feel better just yet cause he was still angry at her for not talking. Cara will be part of the circle by the time the spin happens, but not near Chris or Toby if she can.))

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((Well, I don't really know where to go from here then. Ideas?))

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((Well, it's obvious. You can either let it mull, or address the immediate problem which is that Cara has a secret that she's not happy to talk about with him just yet. Tell her it's ok and that she can talk about it when she's ready. Before, he was saying he'd talk about it when HE was ready. There's a slight difference in approach. It's up to you. Both options are valid. If Chris hates secrets then he can continue to brood. Cara is going to stay upset till she knows she's not a bad girlfriend though.))

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((Well, no one else is really RPing for now, so I guess I'll throw something in to get the ball rolling.))

Chris found Cara sitting on the couch where she was before, and decided he should go and talk to her, perhaps to make her feel better as well. He walked over and sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, Cara, don't cry. I'm sorry if it was a touchy subject, but... Do you want to talk about it? Maybe it'll make you feel better if you tell me." He spoke gently, hoping to put her in a state of calm so she could tell him what really happened.

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((I don't see why not, but there is a bit of a problem. I'll let Pearl herself explain it.))

"I'm still not sure if I fully understand, but honestly I don't care about who I end up kissing." said Pearl with a shrug. "I mean, it's just a game, isn't it? It's meant to be fun."

She then paused. "However, I'm still kinda nervous. I've been pretty much invisible to everyone except for you, Toby, and that Alex boy I met before. It would be very off-putting for your friends if they suddenly had to kiss someone they didn't know. Could you at least introduce me to them before we start?"

((Now Darren has a choice. Does he play the good friend and introduce everyone to Pearl (on a side note, this would bypass the run-through issue you were talking about), or have her go for the spin anyway and watch the chaos unfold? I'm cool with either one, but if Pearl finds out that she's being used to get some cheap laughs, she's not going to be happy.))

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