ZAFT's Annual Dinner and Dance

[fireminerva 0]

Stepping out of the door that her driver held open Hitomi quickly made her way up the stairs and into the reception hall.  It was true that she was running late but it wasn't her fault.  Earlier that afternoon as she was finishing up at work she had received a large packet that had to be reviewed concerning the Orb Foundation Parade incident.  It had taken longer than she had thought it would and held to her current circumstances.

 

For what must have been the tenth time that evening Hitomi quickly made sure that she looked presentable in her black evening gown and shawl as she passed by a mirror and then she opened the door to the banquet hall.

 

Finding a hostess Hitomi was directed to her seat which was on the far right side of the room, close to the bar.  As she made her way towards her seat Hitomi noticed that she was dressed much more simply than many of the other women present tonight.  Her black dress was very formal, but at the same time it was plain and reflected Hitomi's unassuming personality.

 

Finally after weaving her way through the chairs Hitomi sat down, feeling rather alone in a sea of strangers.

[Valiant 96]

The chauffeur opened the door of the limousine for them, smiling radiantly as he welcomed the guests to the Dinner and Dance. As the guests alighted, a lady introduced herself as Selena and informed them that she would be their guide for the night. Xavi nodded in acknowledgement and fell in step beside her as she led the Soldiers of Fire representatives into the reception area for the event.

 

They were greeted by many unfamiliar faces. However, some people seemed to recognise Xavi and nodded at him in acknowledgement. Or perhaps they were simply being polite. Nevertheless, Selena was constantly introducing them to the more significant people that they passed by. When she finally finished, they took a drink each from a passing waiter and stood staring at each other.

 

"How are you guys holding out?" Xavi asked his recruits. "If you prefer not to stick to me, you can wander around. Just remember not to get into any trouble. I'm just a phone call away if you need to look for me."

 

"It's their first time attending such a major function and I think they are pretty nervous, " he explained to Selena.

[Wilhelm 0]

[align=center]After putting her shoes back on, and taking a small break. Delfina casually strolled to the bar, where a few people had taken up residence for the gala event. A lot of the younger crowd sat on the stools casually chatting to those around them, young men try their hardest to court the women around them while some accept, and others simply walk away. Delfina let out a sigh, and managed to slip into an empty stool. She pulled off her purse, placing it firmly on the counter top and rested her arms a few inches away from the bag. "Hello, I would like a drink please."

 

The bartender casually strolled over, and with a quick exchange in words. He started to flip the bottles around professionally. It was quite a show, and it make a smile flash on the young commander's face. It was a peaceful night, and many people still were pouring into the party. Delfina moved a few strands of her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. She stared off at the dace floor, and continued to take a breath from the suffocating formal event.

 

"I'm so bored, I thought by joining the military I'd get away from having to attend such events. Why am I cursed with so much bad luck?" The bartender let out a smile, and slided Deflina's glass over to her. For a moment he looked concerned, the glass was about to fall over the counter's edge, but her slender hand quickly gabbed it nonchalantly. She raised the cup to her lips, and took a drink. Her cell phone started to let out its ring tone, and luckily the orchestra wasn't too loud to block it out. "Huh, who could be calling me now?"Her yellowish eyes stare down at the purse while she pulled the small black flip top phone from the fashionable bag. The purple headed commander, sat at the bar drinking and checking the text message on her mobile phone.[/align]

[F.A.I.T.H 0]

Landis kept silent, choosing simply to sit back and let Christoph answer Asahi's questions.The Soldiers of Fire remained a mystery to him, partly because he had little knowledge prior to the fact that they were a mercernary organisation. Perhaps the only thing he could use to describe them at the moment would be that they were 'Friends of today, adversaries on the morrow.'

 

Then again, that should be expected of such organisations. Conquest doesn't really tick for them. Money does. He mused, wondering if he would ever make a friend from there.

 

He scanned the room to the best of his abilities and watched as people come to and fro. The food had came, and after eating his fill, he stood up.

 

"Please excuse me, gentlemen. I need to make use of the wash room for a moment." He smiled apologetically and walked off, thankful also for the first time in his life of his own rank. At the very least, Christoph would not see it as a rude gesture to simply walk off in the middle of the discussion (though he had no real part in it). In any case, he had wanted to look around a little more, perhaps find a familiar face or two or even just to observe people as they went about their business.

 

Putting his hands in the deep pockets of his trousers, Landis headed off to where the wash rooms were.

[hannahkiki 0]

((OCC: Wilhelm, hope you don't mind me taking the chance to "contact" you. If you had any other plans for Delfina, let me know and I will edit my post accordingly! ))

 

For some reason, maybe because the recruit realised the mistake he made, he immediately turned and ran the other way.

 

Sandrilene tried not to laugh out loud. Was she so scary? She just gave a shrug and settled down in her seat.

 

In her school days, Sandrilene loved attending formal events. After all, it was a good excuse to dress up and par - tay. However, she was dreading the dinner and dance. The old fogies in the council would love to see her make some mistake so that they can pick on it more on council meetings.

 

Sandrilene looked around, wondering if the representatives from Soldiers of Fire have arrived yet. She hoped it won't be a mistake asking them to come.

 

Suddenly, Sandrilene remembered she wanted to talk to Delfina. She  leaned over to Heidi and whispered, "Can you please send a text message to Ms. Schneider asking her if she mind making her way to this table? I would like to have a talk with her."

Heidi nodded and send the following message:

"Hello Ms. Schneider, Ms Apfelsine would like you to come to her table and join her for dinner. Thank you."

[Dimitri 0]

Dimitri felt naked. Sure, he was in his "casual" suit, but without the weapons he'd concealed underneath, he felt vulnerable to the world around him. This was Zaft territory. Three months away from the place he least wanted to be near. To be truthful, he didn't want to be there in the first place, outside of his usual concern for his own safety. It wasn't that he didn't like parties, but the pressure on him to represent the Soldiers was a bit overwhelming. "C'mon..." He thought to himself. "You know how this kind of stuff is done. Hasn't been that long since you and the family were together." Taking a deep breath, he relaxed himself and got into character. There wasn't much of a character to get into really. It was just himself, only as if he didn't have a past he'd frantically put behind him.

 

"So, free reign? Affirmative, sir. I'll try not to make too much of a mess of things. No guarantees." He gave the commander a slight nervous smile, accompanied by a slight shrug of the shoulders, as if things were out of his control. The only thing he knew for sure was that he couldn't touch any of the drinks going around. Underage.

 

Dimitri took another deep breath as he walked over to the bar of all places. He was going to need some sort of drink, else he'd pass out from heat exhaustion. With so many people, things were going to get a little warmer than he liked. The bar wasn't too crowded yet, so it would probably be the most opportune time to get something. "Yo, buddy!" He held up his hand, one finger up in the air. "Uh sorry, I mean... 'Hello good sir.' Would you be so kind as to get me something that doesn't contain alcohol? Preferably something with some caffeine?" Giving the bartender an apologetic smile for his rudeness, he sat down, looking out at the crowd. So many of them were outside of his class. A part of a higher class. Who was he but a middle-class wage-slave (or at least until recently)?

 

Being given a glass of some clear, fizzy drink, Dimitri took down a quick shot of it and was actually pleased to find out it was Bawls, an energy drink he'd become a fan of while he had been staying in Kusanagi. "Thank you..." He nodded to the bartender thankfully, turning his gaze back to the rest of the room. "I shouldn't even be here..."

[Infinitedge 0]

As the Limousine ride ended, he felt sick from the bottom of his stomach. Whether it was just from being nervous or from an ailment, he would never know, because, as he stepped off the limousine and into the spotlight, he was overridden by another sickness... He hated going to parties that he had no correlation too... But that was the way the cookie crumbles...

 

After we were brought around by the hostess, Allan felt like Xavi was addressing them like a bunch of kids, however, he didn't mind, because, truthfully, he felt like a kid, anxious to get away from the adults and mingle... However, the way he was thinking surprised himself, so, as Xavi dismissed them, he felt the elation of freedom, and then the bitter feeling of remorse as he had already lost sight of many of the "SoF Representatives" in the raging swamp of people. Unfortunately, the caffeine that was circulating his system was now losing effect, and Allan felt a bit drowsy. As he transversed the masses of people and searched for the bar, he spotted one, and a fellow recruit. Although he didn't mention anything, he was kind of glad that he wasn't the only one feeling cut off from everyone.

 

As he neared the bar, he decided not to sit, which would show dependency on a familiar face, so he merely contacted the bartender and asked him for something to refresh him. The bartender grinned slightly, and handed him a glass of Wine. I nodded in disapproval and asked for something nonalcoholic. The bartender handed him some strange-looking beverage. However the smell of alcohol seemed missing so Allan took a swig of the unknown substance and felt like a hot liquid had slithered down his throat... Indeed refreshing... Allan walked away from the bar and searched for a near empty table. He found one with two stunningly beautiful women, however, he remembered the hostess had spent almost 5 minutes talking and describing one of them.

 

"Obviously an important figure,"  he thought, and turned away and found another almost empty table. There was one man and a girl. The girl looked utterly depressed. She got up and mingled with more friends. The man, who looked dumbfounded, got up and walked around searching for another person to talk with. He smiled at this prospect, and sat down, merely a table away from the newest Supreme council chairperson.

 

As he sat down a hastled waitress, coming from a nearby table, had tripped over the leg of a drunk man who was roaring with laughter. Allan got up and bent down to help the young waitress up and helped clean up the mess. The drunken man and his "friends" seemed to have stopped laughing and were now glaring at Allan. Allan glanced over at the nearby tables. The table with the two women was closest, and then the "Drunken Men" table. He didn't want to have to use force against the delirious drunken men so he kept his head down and silently helped the flustered Waitress.

Edited April 30, 2007 by Guest

[fireminerva 0]

Hitomi was bored.  With no one coming up to her she nearly considered leaving.  It was true that this was an important night for ZAFT however no one seemed to be dancing and the only people here making any real noise were several drunk idiots off by themselves at one table.

 

With a sigh Hitomi rose and began heading toward the bar to get a drink, the only catch was she'd have to walk by the table of drunkards to get there.  As she passed she got the typical stares and even a low cat call, until she ran into one of the men.

 

Anyone within ten feet would have been able to tell that the man was drunk and his appearance certainly gave it away if the smell didn't.  With a goofy smile that only a drunk could pull off the man rambled something about what a nice night it was and what a nice guy he was until Hitomi couldn't take it anymore.  Pushing by him the annoyed analyst slipped out onto one of the terraces.

 

Out there it was darker, the only illumination coming from two very dim lights.  The night air was cool and seeing the moon was the only thing that would have made the terrace any better.  From where she now stood, leaning against a finely crafted granite railing, Hitomi could hear the band playing in the background and it calmed her aggravated nerves.

[Valiant 96]

The voice of the man before him continued to drone on. In truth, Xavi's mind had already wandered off. Despite the fact he had prepared himself to be here solely for the purpose of engaging on expanding his social network, he could not bring himself to fully immerse himself into the task. The man he was speaking to was a middle-ranking officer in ZAFT. A soldier with a rank not too impressive but enough to force Xavi to give a polite smile and nod every now and then. The silently thanked the organising committee for the assignment of Selena as the guide. She remained cheerful and managed to give the man the impression that he was being very entertaining. Xavi's only complaint was that her giggles and enthusiasm simply encouraged the man to continue rambling on.

 

When the man finally excused himself, Xavi heaved a sigh of relief. Immediately, he realised he should not have done that out loud. He hope it was no one heard him. A sparkle in Selena's eyes indicated that she heard him. He gave a sheepish grin, which she responded with a cheeky smile. "He's known to be a very long-winded person. Not everyone in ZAFT is like that."

 

Xavi nodded. "I heard that the Supreme Council Chairlady would be attending this event. Is there any truth in that rumour?"

 

"Miss Apfelsine would be attending the event, yes. It is a tradition that the Chairperson of the Supreme Council would grace the Dinner and Dance as the guest of honour."

 

"Do you have any idea when she would be arriving?"

 

Selena pursed her lips as she pondered upon the question. "I don't think a specific time was mentioned. May I ask why you would want to know that?"

 

"It would be a great honour if I could actually get to meet and speak to her personally," Xavi admitted. He chose to leave out the fact that he wanted to address certain business matters with the Chairlady.

 

"Well, if you'd like to, I could get arrange for some time for the two of you," Selena offered. He shook his head vigorously. "No, no. It's alright. No need to go through all the trouble. If it's fated, we would meet up."

 

"Alright, if you say so." She shrugged. "Hi, Captain Solo! How's your evening been so far? This is Commander Romero from the Soldiers of Fire. He's our special guest this year."

 

Xavi tried to play his part by introducing himself to the newcomer. After the brief respite, it was back to the plastic smile and polite nods. He was reminded of the fact that the Dinner and Dance had just commenced and he would have to survive a few more hours of such agony. Pushing that thought of the back of his mind, he tried to conceal his grimace with yet another smile.

[Ishian 0]

He pushed the chair back with a faint screeching sound, as Christoph stood up he adjusted his dark grey suit, the stitched dragon pattern felt like small bumps in other so plain landscape against his fingers. Christoph had his classic strict posture as he addressed Asahi.

 

“Excuse me for a moment Flight Officer Asahi, sir.”

 

Christoph looked over at one of the terraces, It looks cool enough., he made his way towards the terrace, handing out friendly nods and respectful salutes along the way as he bumped in to several familiar faces. As he got closer to the terrace he could feel the cool air embrace his entire body, it was cool enough to give him goosebumps by the sudden temperature change.

 

Christoph inhaled the cooler air as he stepped out into the terrace that was beautifully decorated and lighted by soft glow from the façade; it even had its own soft background music, the band playing in the ballroom could be heard in the background. The wind danced trough his dark brown shoulder long hair, the dim light made his ice blue eyes look even bluer.

 

Suddenly his eyes froze on a woman in a black evening gown, he could only make out the back of the woman as he had stepped out behind her; in his haste to get out in the cooler air he hadn’t noticed the woman until he stepped out on the terrace.

 

Christoph ran his right hand trough his hair to make sure he looked respectable, as strict as possible as always he addressed the girl in a friendly and respectable tone.

 

“I’m sorry miss; I hope I didn’t interrupt something.” Christoph stretched out his hand in a greeting gesture.

[fireminerva 0]

Hitomi turned toward the masculine voice that come from behind her.  As she turned Hitomi innocently brushed back the bang on the right side of her face; in all truth this act was far from innocent.  As an intelligence expert Hitomi had learned a thing or two about flattery, especially since many of her supervisors were male.

 

"You're not interupting at all," Hitomi smiled coyly at the man "there's nothing to interupt out here and I would actually enjoy having some company."

[Ishian 0]

As the woman turned around Christoph noticed her slim and well trained features, something that he valued high as he himself kept his body well trained and could often be seen spending several hours in the gym, also she seemed to be somewhat older then Christophs rather young age.

 

Christoph crossed his arms over his chest, revealing the stitched dragons on the back of his suits arms, he tilted his head slightly to the right making a stripe of hair fall down in front of his face.

 

“If that is the case I would gladly keep you company, Pilot Officer Von Crailsheim at your service miss” A faint smile ran over his lips as he realized that he was a bit too casual for his rather strict personality. He straightened his posture; he uncrossed his arms and kept them at his sides.

 

“May I ask you who have to honor to escort you at this dinner and dance and how he could have let you out of his sight?” Christoph couldn’t help but feel comfortable around the woman he had just met making him stray somewhat from his strictness.

 

He made an inviting gesture to her as he leaned over the beautifully decorated hip high wall; the decorations seemed to have its heritage from the old greek civilizations from earth, men that held the upper part of the wall in a “atlas” position keeping their weight on their knees.

 

He turned his head to the right looking over his shoulder, studying her from top to as he leaned over the wall.

[fireminerva 0]

Enjoying the company of the young man Hitomi decided to have a little bit of fun with him.  As he leaned over onto the railing she inched a little closer to the man.  For a few seconds she gazed out at the artificial night sky and then turned back to him.

 

"No one escorted me here this evening, I'm here on my own accord."  Before he could get too comfortable Hitomi stood up and moved back toward the door, letting her right hand rest on the wooden door that opened to the terrace.  Turning back to him so that her head looked over her right shoulder Hitomi smiled.

 

"My name is Hitomi Matsuko."  She stood there like that, letting the light pour out of the open doorway and illuminating her figure.  Of course she wasn't just going to give him her name and leave but he couldn't know what she really did; her work was much too secretive for just anyone to know.

 

"I've had the pleasure of meeting several red coat pilots like yourself before.  In my line of work they never seem to stay away."  She smiled and then realized that what she said sounded very promiscuous.  "What I meant to say is that I run into pilots rather frequently, it comes with the territory of arranging weddings throughout the PLANT nation."

[Ishian 0]

Christoph could feel the scent from Hitomi caress its way into his nose, almost as it made its way straight to his brain intoxicating him, just before he realized that she had made her way towards the lounge.

 

He turned around and studied Hitomi as she stood in the door opening looking even better then she did in the soft terrace light. She sure knows how to play her cards right.

 

“Hitomi Matsuko, that’s a beautiful name, leaving so soon?” Christoph let a faint smile run across his lips once again.

 

“Is it possible that I could change your mind with a dance, that’s if you’re not too tired of pilots?” He made sure that he didn’t sound desperate in his tone; after all he just tried to get to know her.

 

He stepped a bit closer and made sure he kept a strict pose and that he looked as biffed up as he really was under the suit.

[fireminerva 0]

"I'd be happy to dance," Hitomi paused as she listened to the music in the background "so long as you know how to waltz."

 

From where she was Hitomi could easily see the dance floor, at the moment it wasn't horribly packed but not so empty that either she or Christoph would be embarrassed should they make a mistake.

[Ishian 0]

Christoph moved up beside Hitomi and gracefully grabbed her hand leading her towards the dance floor beside him as they swiftly yet smoothly made their way towards the dance floor.

 

He softly twirled her towards him and smiled softy showing his shiny white almost perfect teeth, “Of course, I am quite familiar with waltz, I might not be the best, but I promise you we won’t be the worst.” Hitomi looked amazing in her dress and the light hit her eyes in a way that made them sparkle which made him proud to lead her around on the dancefloor.

 

Christoph firmly grabbed Hitomi around her lower back and grabber her other hand, her skin felt soft and well taken care of it was almost as he had his hand on silk-cloth. He slowly started to dance leading Hitomi around the dance floor in a slow gently state that suited the music well.

 

Christoph smiled towards Hitomi as he kept the dance posture and kept his firm grip around her. “So how am I doing?”

 

(OOC: I am sorry to “control” your character but I though it was reasonable, I will change the post if you want.)

[fireminerva 0]

OOC - I don't mind.  For things like dancing god-moding is no big deal.

 

IC - Hitomi gracefully followed Christoph's lead as they danced around the floor and she was impressed at how Christoph led her around slower and less graceful couples.

 

"You're doing fairly well for someone who sits in a cockpit."  Hitomi smiled so that Christoph would be sure to know that it was a joke.

 

For now she enjoyed their dance and this time, knowing that nights like tonight were few and far between.

[XxBRICKSTERxX 0]

Over at his table James continued his conversation with the three women.  He yawned and scratched his head a bit.  Still looking at the girls, who damn near talked his ear off, he swooped his head to get the hair out of his face.  He started to feel the alchol in his body.  Driving home would not be a good idea tonight for James.

 

"Well ladies, night is still young.  Would anyone like to dance."  James said Cooley.  He still did not know the three girls names.  Standing up he felt a little uneasy and off balanced.

 

"Why, sure."  The girl who James did not want to dance with said.

 

Smiling he put his arm out towards the girl.

"Shall we."

 

As the young woman grabbed his arm, he quickly moved to the dance floor.  The fabric of her orange dress could be heard as her thighs moved.  Grabbing her right hand and lowering his right hand onto her back, they began to dance.  It looked horrible James thought to himself.  He was not that drunk, but anyone could tell how drunk by watching him move on the floor.

 

"Why this girl." James thought to himself as he imagined himself dancing with the other female he was talking to.

[F.A.I.T.H 0]

As he continued out of the restroom, Landis marveled at how many pairs were waltzing as though they were gliding on silk on the dance floor. By now a comfortable conclave of voices filled the hall, neither too silent for such an event nor too uncomfortable for the ears of a human.

 

A considerable group of people passed, and the Flight Officer paused. He had little recollection of having seen such faces-some curious, some brimming with anticipation while others simply tensed or bored-but then again, his social circle had never seen an expansion in circumference either. In any case, Landis still managed to note a few insignificant differences that set them apart from ZAFT personnel or journalists.

 

...Men of military bearing, yet somehow walking in an unfamiliar fashion for soldiers...the Soldiers of Fire...? He had no time to ponder upon it further, however, as an attractive female slightly older than him caught his attention with a query of her own. Landis smiled and politely refused, noting that he had spent more time than usual to observe and drown himself in his thoughts than needed.

 

There was no sign of Christoph, however, when he did return, but he stopped behind his chair and looked about, relaying his question to the poor Asahi who had been seemingly abandoned by his acquaintances.

 

"Have you seen your good friend anywhere?" 

[Ishian 0]

Christoph smiled and blew a small stripe of his brown hair away from his field of view as it had fell down in front of his right eye, I hope she has a good time, at least it seems so.

 

“You are quite the dancer yourself” Christoph blinked with his right eye making, a charming gesture to make sure he understood Hitomi´s joke. “Actually I think I have danced more waltz in my life then I have spent in a real cockpit, mostly simulators and practice runs, I haven’t even been assigned to a suit yet…”

 

Hmm… I shouldn’t talk work when I am having a good time, at least not when I am having the best time in quite a while.

 

“Anyhow enough talk about work, I think you have heard enough of pilots stories, after all those weddings.”

 

Christoph continued to dance around the floor with a soft tune playing in the background comfortable carrying him and Hitomi around the dancefloor, he noticed Landis some distance away making his way trough the crowd, he could also make out that Asahi still was seated by the table.

 

Hitomi felt as soft as silk as his hands changed their position to avoid getting any palm sweat; he made sure they always stayed within the respected bounders on a woman. Sigh, just my luck, when I am curious about a woman she has to be older then me, although she doesn’t seem to be old…. Christoph tried to shake of his thoughts with a smile and a faint spark in his blue eyes as he tried to keep constant eye contact with Hitomi, they had to be the bluest eyes he had ever seen.

 

“May I buy you a drink after the dance?” That I hope will last forever…  Christoph realized that he might be holding Hitomi a bit too tight for just have met, he loosened his grip around her waist making sure she felt comfortable.

[fireminerva 0]

OOC - I hope you don't mind, Christoph, but I god-modded just a little bit.

 

IC - "I'm sure that I could allow that, so long as all you only plan on buying me one drink."  Hitomi smiled cleverly, secretly enjoying her little game with this man.  She meant nothing by it and had no intention of hurting him but she was always amazed that men let their hearts go so quickly for the shapes that their eyes perceived.

 

As the song ended Hitomi turned and gently applauded the orchestra, then she turned to Christoph and wrapped her arm around hers.  As they walked to the bar Hitomi was careful to keep a proper distance between their bodies.  She made sure that she was close enough that Christoph would brush against her every once in a while but she didn't cling to him like some starry eyed school girl either.

 

Coming up to the bar Hitomi realized that their timing was perfect and the lights were slightly dimmed, this was a reflection on the hour of the evening.  Typically by this time couples would have paired off and had a few drinks, and at this point in time the dim lights only added to the intoxicated illusions that the couples had of each other.

 

Sitting down on the nearest leather barstool Hitomi ordered a scotch on the rocks.  It was true that this was a hard drink but as a Coordinator Hitomi was sure that she could spare some braincells and, in addition, there was no point to drinking if half of your drink was fruit juices.

Edited May 25, 2007 by Guest

[Wilhelm 0]

Delfina has wasted a lot of time sitting at the bar checking all the backed up messages on her mobile phone. She played with a strand of her hair while flipping through the many texts. The phone let out a loud beep, as a new message displayed across the screen. Her fingers move quickly about, and select the message. It was seem it was from one of Chairwoman Apfelsine’s subordinates. Delfina was getting slightly hungry, and it was well worth it to mingle with the Council Members, especially Apfelsine who she was acquainted with at Orb all that time ago. She packed up her phone, tucking it into her purse, and pulling her heels back on. They were still sore, but it would have looked disgraceful to walk around with nothing but her socks on her feet.

 

Delfina continued along the pathway, the music was still going, and it appeared new people have arrived. She turned a blind eye to the new arrivals, all due to the reason she had no idea who more than half the people in the room where. She followed the slight directions, where the most concentration of bodyguards was stationed. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the youthful and elegant Apfelsine sitting at her table. “It’s a pleasure for you to invite me to sit with you councilwoman Apfelsine.” Delfina bowed her head slightly, and waited for Apfelsine to reply before she would take a seat at the lovely table.

[Dimitri 0]

"Hmm... Dull party. As to be expected from a bunch of paper-pushers. I can't really say I'm any better, but I guess 'It takes one to know one' in this case..." Dimitri took another long drink, noting the glass was half-empty. He was a pessimist, but he had his moments where he thought things would turn out fine. It was better for a guy like him to be realistic than hopeful. It made sure he fixed his mistakes, rather than leaving it to chance that his mistakes might be overlooked. It was the safe route, even if it wasn't as capable of bringing happiness. "Perhaps... I should find a way to move the party along. All it is... Is just dancing and dinner. I'm not even that hungry."

 

Dimitri got up and began a slow walk towards the "front" of the room. It was going to take a while, but he had all the time in the world. Or at least it felt like things were going to take forever. The music was okay though. Classical, for sure, it was a ball. He had a half-assed understanding of the violin. He never played after he left his home. Taking in a deep breath, he sighted his objective, the microphone stand that was linked up to the theater-style speakers.

 

Waltzing up onto the stage, at least in a figurative sense, he grasped the microphone with his left hand and cleared his throat. That sound didn't pick up, as he turned his head away from the mic. That sound always sounded rude, and didn't fit in with a sophisticated meeting such as this. Taking a deep breath, he began to speak, a surprisingly dominant voice turning heads. "If I may have your attention please... First, I would like to apologize for interrupting your conversations, dining, and dancing. But I would like to make it known, to those who have not already found out; That the Soldiers of Fire have in fact arrived here tonight, lead by Commander Xavi Romero. Again, I apologize for the interruption. Thank you." Dimitri clasped one hand in the other, holding them to his waist as he bowed to those he'd interrupted. Almost immediately, things went back to the chaotic mess of indistinguishable noise that it had been before his announcement.

[Asahi 0]

"Have you seen your good friend anywhere?" Landis questioned as he returned from the washroom.

"Wha-? Oh, Landis. Christoph left just after you went." Asahi replied non-chalantly; he was too busy being somewhat paranoid. Whilst he had a moment to himself, Asahi passed the time by, once again scanning the dance hall, watching for shifty figures and such. Dinner had been served during that time, and a hearty dish consisting of spanish rice and cured leg ham could be seen partially consumed, in front of him. Asahi had just been contemplating a worst case scenario security breech, when Landis returned.

He continued, "I suppose Christoph wanted some fresh air, he should be out on the balcony. Asahi made to adjust his glasses on his face, but stopped mid-action, noticing he was wearing contacts. He grinned, embarrassed, whether or not Landis saw.

But before he could continue with his meal, the microphone rang out, its clichéd moment of static always present before someone spoke using the device. Asahi looked up as the speaker, standing on stage, delivered his message. The man apologized for interrupting, but what made Asahi raise his eyebrows was that he said specifically, "I would like to make it known, to those who have not already found out; That the Soldiers of Fire have in fact arrived here tonight, lead by Commander Xavi Romero"

Asahi held a solitary finger to his chin in thought, he had noticed that the Soldiers had already arrived, but to make it publicly known was, obnoxious, in his eyes.

He voiced his displeasure at the Soldiers of Fire; he said as quietly but as audibly as possible to Landis.

"Sheesh, those mercenaries think they're all that. Only my opinion though, what're your thoughts on the Soldiers of Fire eh?"

Edited May 23, 2007 by Guest

[DragonDaimyo 3]

Brian had spent most of the event thus far in the back of the room, slowly eating the dinner provided well away from most of the crowd and pointedly avoiding the dance floor. It wasn't that he didn't like dancing or socializing, but this event seemed overly formal to his tastes, and he'd much rather be off doing something with friends. He probably wouldn't have even come at all, except that there were a couple things that caught his interest. The first was that a number of fellow pilots and officers that he already knew would be attending as well, a fact that would make the night much more survivable. The second was the rumored appearance of Soldiers of Fire at the event, which definitely piqued his interest. The Soldiers were some of the premier mercenaries in the Earth Sphere, and Brian couldn't help but be a little curious.

 

So far, however, the night had been quite dull. He knew that others he knew were there, but hadn't spotted many of them. The only one he'd seen was Christoph, but since he seemed to have picked up some feminine company somewhere along the line, Brian had left him alone. He hadn't seen the Soldiers come in, and was wondering when they'd arrive. No sooner had the thought entered his mind than a disturbance up front drew his attention ((Dimitri's announcement)). Brian listened to the mercenary's announcement and couldn't help but find the whole thing funny. Even if he did do it respectfully, such an announcement seemed rather impetuous of the man, and Brian couldn't help but feel a bit of respect for the unassuming-looking man. Of course, he was a professional mercenary, so Brian assumed he was a bit tougher than he looked.

 

"One of the reasons I came here tonight was because the Soldiers were coming. Here they are. Might as well start talking or go home."

 

Brian got up from his table and left his dinner. Making one last swipe with his napkin to ensure his mouth didn't have food residue covering it, he then made his way towards the front where Dimitri stood, hoping to strike up a conversation with the man.

 

"Hello there. I'm actually rather glad you made that announcement just now, as I hadn't noticed your arrival. My fault for being otherwise occupied, I suppose. I'm Brian Tsukamoto. Nice to meet you."

 

Brian extended his hand in an invitation to a handshake as he introduced himself. His face had a pleasant and confident grin on it.