Halloween Night: Trick or Threat (Everyone’s invited!)

[insaney]

Thundering hooves of black horses shook the earth. Their eyes red, lit up by the night lights of the glowing pumpkins which they swiftly passed by. The dirt road was wet, yes, but it was not raining, but still the carriage hurried toward its destination. It took the winding curves at an immense speed with hardly any difficulty at all.

Finally, the dark carriage neared the town.

The two horses seemed to pick up speed, the thundering got louder. People poked their inquisitive heads out of the windows to watch the carriage speed by. There was a figure, a silhouette of a man, making his way across the road. He did it slowly, as if he did not hear the hooves of the horses coming towards him.

It was too late. The man yelped and cowered, too afraid to move. The person driving the carriage did not stop, nor slow down. Instead, he began to make the horses speed up. The man in the middle of the road screamed and knelt down, covering his head with his hands, as if that would protect him against the iron horseshoes in some way.

One of the horse’s legs went through his back as it stomped into the dirt, flattening the mud and then kicking it up into the man’s face. The wheels came next; they passed through his neck, again splashing mud unto his face and clothes. He stood up, bewildered, watching the carriage with wide eyes as it went off into the distance. Quickly, he checked himself, putting his hand over his chest where the horse’s legs went and then to his neck, remembering the sound of the turning wheels as they passed right through it.

The man on the carriage said no commands, but the horses still slowed to a stop in front of a very tall building, quite possibly the tallest building in town. He did not hesitate, fixing his dark robes and putting on a black top hat. As the man stepped down, he bent his neck back, raising his eyes to the two feet dangling over the edge of the rooftop.

He lowered his head, fixed his hat firmly on and then vanished on the spot.

The girl on the rooftop leaned back slightly, her purple hair sliding down her shoulders as she looked up at the sky.

I didn’t know that watching sunsets could be so tiring. She giggled softly to herself, I think it’s time to come down now.

”Excuse me.” A voice came from behind her.

Arina jumped up in fright and spun around quickly, trying to stand up at the same time. Unfortunately, she couldn’t pull her feet up fast enough to find proper footing to stand up.

”Aah! W-Who are you? How d-did you get up here?”

The man in the black robes and black top hat reached quickly into his clothes and pulled out a small card, offering it to her.

”Master sent me here to deliver this.”

Arina took the card from him with her right hand, fixing her glasses with her left. It was…an invitation? To a Halloween party? At a castle at the edge of town?

She was perplexed. There was no castle at the edge of this town, none that she could see, anyway. Castles are supposed to be huge, aren’t they?

”If you need transportation, hit the edge of the card with your finger.”

”Wha-what?” She began to turn towards him, but she was too slow, or rather, he was too fast.

”The Master is expecting you.” He vanished again, before she could see. Arina crawled over to the other side of the roof on all fours, looking down at the street to see if the man in the dark robes had jumped off or floated down…or something.

All she saw was the carriage below. The man who had just handed her the invitation snapped the reigns, causing the two horses to take off, full speed ahead. The horses neighed loudly, stomping the ground before beginning to pull the carriage along. They turned a sharp corner and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Arina let her wings out of her back, flapping them to open some feathers that may be folded. She stood up right and spread them wide before putting one foot forward and stepping off the rooftop. Again she flapped her brilliantly white wings as she floated to the ground.

Her feet touched the dirt softly. At the same time, her wings disappeared, pulled into her back. She walked out unto the main street, where the carriage had passed before.

Just hit the edge of the card with my finger…Okay…Here it goes.

She held the card in front of her and put her middle finger against her thumb. She let her finger go, hitting the corner of the small card with her fingernail.

Arina looked around.

Silence.

Not one thing moved. There were no sounds at all. No crickets, no people shuffling around inside their homes. Nothing at all. The girl bit her bottom lip and frowned slightly. What did she expect, anyway? Magi-?

What’s that…?

The sounds of hooves drew closer. She looked around frantically; there was nothing to be seen on the road! No carriage. No horses. Nothing! The thunder of hooves grew closer and closer.

Louder and louder.

Until she felt that the sound came from right in front of her, which was when it stopped. The same robed man from before seemed to step out of thin air, quickly opening the carriage door as the whole thing, horses and all, slowly faded into view.

”Uhm…” She stood there, just staring at the inside of the carriage.

”Mistress doesn’t need a costume.” The man spoke to her.

”’Mistress’…?”

”Mistress Arina, of course.” He bowed slightly. He turned around and stepped up to his seat, leaving the door open. The man took up the reins in his hands.

”The Master is expecting you.” Those same words, with that same tone.

She was curious now. It could be a trap of some sort. She reassured herself that she could defend herself with her little amount of skill and he telekinesis as she stepped up into the carriage and sat on a very soft, very comfortable seat.

Inside the carriage was dark, mostly because everything was a dark colour. There was only one light colour, gold. It lined the inside of the carriage and the edges of the cushions and windows. The windows themselves were covered with thick, black curtains. Arina couldn’t see outside, not when there was hardly any light out there.

The door slammed in suddenly, the man snapped the reins.

”Huh?!” She felt the hard tug of the carriage as it pulled off, but afterwards, she didn’t feel a thing. It was as if the carriage itself was riding on the air. There was no roughness, no bumping. The ride was smooth and quiet. Even the sound of the horses’ hooves seemed to be so far away…

The door opened suddenly. The same robed man from before held the handle, bowing. This time, he spoke very loudly and very clearly.

”Welcome to Diedricht Castle.” He said, before turning away once more in that similar, uncaring manner.

Arina stepped out unto the stone floor. It was clean. No dirt or sand that she could see. It wasn’t even wet. The castle itself was humongous. Made almost entirely of white bricks, it towered over everything in its surroundings. The architecture looked European, and very, very ancient. Arina’s eyes went from top to bottom with her mouth open in awe, she had never seen a building this large before.

In front of her, was a huge door which fitted the size of the castle. In front of that door was an old looking man, standing firmly upright with a frown and a bored look in his eyes. He began walking up to her.

”Welcome…” He bowed slightly, speaking in a dry monotone, “I will show you inside. Master Diedricht willed it to be so…”

He turned around on the spot and began walking slowly toward the huge door. Even though he walked like a snail, he held himself upright, his arms rarely moving from his sides as he moved.

”I am the butler…” He continued, “…and my name is not important, Mistress.”

Arina looked down slightly, she was just about to ask him that. As they neared the door, she wondered if this man was going to push open those huge planks of wood. Arina giggled softly, everything…seemed okay. She didn’t feel any sense of dread at all.

The butler put his hand on the door, and a smaller door opened. A normal sized one that was set in this huge door.

”Oh…” She smiled very slightly.

Inside the castle was brilliant. The stone walls were white, some parts covered with richly coloured tapestry. The room was lit by four large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling which was up…so very high. Everything else beside the wall seemed to be made of smooth, gleaming marble. This first room was breathtakingly large. About half of a football field. There were a few stairs at the front door, which both her and the butler began descending and a large flight of stairs, which branched off to the left and to the right, at the back of the room. A very large, lush, blue carpet with intricate gold designs stretched from one side of the room to the other. On this carpet were people having a merry time, dressed in fine suits and evening gowns and wearing various colourful masks.

Arina blushed slightly as she walked through the small crowd of dancers behind the butler, observing everyone’s rich clothing.

”I’m…I’m not entirely dressed suitably for this kind of party…”

”Nonsense!” The butler responded swiftly. “Now please, this way…” He began to walk up the stairs at the back of the room. Arina was still taken up in the crowd. Few of the dancers strayed away from the large group, one pair was spinning towards her, but she didn’t notice until they were up close. She moved away, but the pair spun very close to her, her eyes fell on the man’s elbow as it faded through her fingers.

Wha…?! Did his arm just…go through my hand…?

”Haha!” The dancer laughed, “Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to bump into you, ma’am.”

Arina shook her head, perplexed. She began walking up the stairs toward the waiting butler. When she got to where he was, he turned on the spot once more and started up the flight of stairs which went to the left. After a minute or two of walking, they came to a brightly lit, long corridor with doors on either side. He passed the first two doors and stopped at the second door on the left.

”This is your room. You will not be able to leave the castle until morning because of...security,” He kept his eyes on her, as if he was looking straight through her.

After a few seconds of silence, he turned the doorknob and gently pushed the door open to reveal a large bedroom. Everything was red, from the lush carpets to the bed sheets and pillowcases, but everything had that intricate gold pattern on it. Everything seemed set perfectly; even the gold patterns on the carpet lined up with the patterns on the bed sheet.

Arina shook her head. Nothing could be this perfect.

”You can use this room if you are tired or feeling unwell…” He nodded at the wardrobe next to the bed as Arina slowly walked into the room, taking it all in. “If you’d like to dress like those downstairs, there are some dresses in there. If Master Diedricht is correct, then they should be just your size…”

”Huuuhh…?” Arina looked at him, puzzled. Did this ‘Master Diedricht’ know her in some way?

But the butler was oblivious to her expression, he continued talking.

”There’s a small bathroom through that door there…you may use it to freshen up…”

Arina walked toward the wardrobe and opened it, looking at the different evening gowns and the accessories that went with them.

The butler turned away, closing the door behind him.

”Please don’t take very long…The Master will be arriving soon…”

[VenomousNinja]

Viratious spun around, and yelled "How do I look?", his hands shot up into the air.
No one responded, and no one could. He was talking to a mirror.
"I look pretty good!" Viratious was wearing a costume. It wasn't a great costume, he had made it himself, but still, it was his.
The costume was made up of a cape, a mask, pants, shoes, and a shirt. Everything except the cape was black, the cape, however, was black with intricate gold art on it.
Viratious reached into his pocket and retreived a small black card with the same intricate gold art over it. He had found it in the woods, and was determined to examine it. Viratious tapped it in every which way, saying random words and incantations. Finally he tapped it on it's edge, and immediatly he heard the sound of hooves.
The sound got louder and louder, until finally the wall of the house he was in had a gaping hole in it. Filling the whole was a black carriage. A man dressed soley in black spoke to him while opening the door.
"The master will be pleased you have decided to come to the party, Master Ipirica."

[Jeaulm]

Faite bent low ,crouching down to surprise his friends in the woods, for they did not know that he had followed them so far so quickly for he was on foot when he suddenly tripped up on something."Danmit what is it now?" he thought when he looked to see what he had stumbled over he saw n incitrate card with what he felt were magical runes on it.Tapping it all over to see what it was when he tapped on the edge he heard the sounds of hoof beats approaching.

"Who could that be?" Faite wondered aloud. Suddenly, a carrage had stopped right in front of him."Welcome Master Faite,Danzi." said the coach master accnologing Faites friend from the material plane."Master will be pleased that you have joined the party!"

[Sabbo]

OoC: As people may or may not know, my character Tera has a straight path storyline, meaning that Tera has just left the Deadlands before this post (there's a link to it in Tera's profile). Although there isn't any direct connection to it in this post, I just wanted to let people know.

BiC: It was twilight in an unfamiliar town, and few people were walking the streets except to go home. Around her she could hear the quiet conversations of the people in their houses, the footfalls of rodents and various stray animals, and... a team of horses and their carriage?
Tera heard the carriage come closer and closer, until it came to a halt right in front of her. The door opened silently and a well-dressed man in black stepped out. He held out a small card and spoke, "My Master sent me to find you, and to deliver this," Tera took the card, "For a time, you were unable to be found, but... now you are here, right where you need to be."

Tera tried to read the card, but did not know this particular written language. Before she could ask the man what it said however, he was already riding his carriage in the distance. The Master is expecting you, she heard a faceless voice say. Holding the card in her left hand, she sighed, "well this is useless," and she flicked the card with the back of her right hand.

About to throw away the card, she heard the sound of the carriage once more, distant at first, but it grew and grew until the man was once again opening the door of the carriage on the road in front of her, with the carriage appearing out of thin air, horses and all.

"Mistress doesn't need a costume." the well-dressed man stated.

"A costume? For what?.. And what did this card say?" Tera queried.

"All in due time Mistress R'keltera, All in due time." and with that, the man returned to the cab of the carriage, beckoning for Tera to follow. Cautiously, Tera entered the carriage.

The Master is expecting you The bodiless voice spoke once more.

Chilled by the voice, Tera was silent until the horses had stopped a short time later, "Where are we?" she asked.

"Welcome to Diedricht Castle," the man stated with a voice distinctly more... solid than before.

Tera stepped out of the carriage and saw the castle, which was so large Tera would have had a hard time not seeing the it. It was dark and ominous, and had a door to match. At the foot of the door, an old man stood, staring intently at Tera.

Tera slowly walked up to the doorman, "Welcome... I will show you inside. Master Diedricht willed it to be so," the man turned back to the door and pushed, revealing a smaller, human-sized door. Tera entered and saw the splendour of the castle's interior.

The marble room was adorned heavily with various beautiful tapestries and was large enough to fit her entire village. The old man walked to a nearby stairway and called for Tera to follow. When they reached the next room, she was awestruck by the sheer number of people, all dancing gracefully along the floor. Following the doorman to the stairs on the opposite side of the room, she began to open her mouth.

"Rest assured, you were invited... The Master doesn't make mistakes," the doorman pre-empted Tera's question.

After walking for some time, the man stood in a long corridor, at the fifth door on the left, "This is your room. You will not be able to leave the building until the morning because of... security."

I wish I'd known that earlier Tera thought with frustration. When she opened the door into the grand room though, she began to think that staying the night would not be such a bad idea. The room was filled with expensive furniture and fabrics of many varying shades of green, with the only things to break this pattern being the dozens of flowers set in decorative locations around the room.

"If you wish to wear clothes similar to what the dancers were wearing, then Master Diedricht has supplied clothes in the wardrobe, and says that they are your size," the old man directed Tera, "there is also a private bathroom through that door which should have all of the amenities you would be used to."

"Soo... why am I here again?" Tera questioned the man.

He replied, "The Master will be here shortly, and he will be able to tell you what you need to know."

OoC: I know it's similar to the opening post, but Tera needed to be introduced to the place as well and I didn't want to do something short like the second and third posters. I also kept a number of the servant's speech's the same or similar, as I felt that the servants were practically automated. There is of course some variation to suit Tera though. (I wouldn't want to copy-paste your post)

[musical zombie.]

OoC: I CLAIM A SPOT :3 Once I get my character approved today I'll write a post.

[Lady Knives]

OoC: I will be writing a post as well. :33 Prepare for absolute anarchy and madness. >:3

[DarkZeroHyrule]

OoC: Seems interesting. I'm using Maria and Sophia, link in sig.

BiC: It was getting close to the little girl's favorite day. Sophia had pestered her all day about the coming of Halloween. She wanted to trick or treat and get a costume. Maria didn't know if the people of this land celebrated the "holiday", but she stopped at a small village. Of course, there wasn't a costume shop like back in New York and that saddened the girl. The older sister stood next to Sophia, waiting for some kind of clue as to how the little one could have her Halloween costume when they heard it.

A carriage had come their way. It sounded like one anyway. Sophia clapped her hands in excitement while Maria made a move for her handguns. It stopped in front of them and a man dressed in dark clothing came out. He held out a card and handed it to Maria.

"The Master is expecting you," he said, retreating to the carriage.

"I'm sorry," Maria returned, "I don't go to parties, especially Halloween ones."

She looks at Sophia's pleading face. The woman could tell she wanted to go and was willing to annoy her to death if she didn't let her.

"That's a shame," the man responded, reaching for the card.

Maria moved it away and returned, pointing at Sophia, "Let me rephrase that. I won't go to that party without her."

The man shuffled back into the carriage and pulled out a second card, sighing, "Very well. I just hope my Master won't mind an extra guest, especially if it is someone like you."

Sophia jumped into the carriage. Maria waited and asked, "What about my bike? I can't leave it here where someone will take it! It's a one-of-a-kind."

"Such demands," he muttered, "Very well. I'll have my friend hold onto it in his ship in this village. I promise nothing will happen to it while you're gone."

Maria eyed him, sighed, and let herself into the carriage as the man had it ride up into the sky. Sophia was amazed at how this was happening. Maria looked down at Escuela, the experimental rocket that she took from the bike while the man closed his eyes to mutter. Maria didn't like the feeling this whole thing gave her. They arrived at the castle, a man in elegant clothing waiting there. He called himself the butler and led them to a hall of expensive taste. Maria looked careful at the marble and the tapestry and the elegant dancers. Sophia was tugging at Maria's hand, wanting to dance.

"Let me show you to your rooms first, Mistress Maria and guest." the butler said.

"It's Sophia," the little one pouted.

"Yes, yes. Mistress Sophia."

The room they were to stay in for the night was as elegant as the hall. Gold everywhere. Sophia gawked at the place, already bouncing on the bed. The butler informed them of costumes like those of the dancers downstairs, but mentioned that for Sophia, she would have to wait a while for one her size. Maria disliked the dresses and she really hated to dance. Sophia was all for it, rushing downstairs to pick out an outfit that the butler would get in her size. Maria followed them, a little grumpy, her white hair flowing around.

"Can we hurry this up?" Maria asked rudely, "I want to see this Master of yours."

"He'll be coming shortly," the butler responded.

Sophia pointed at the first dress she saw. A blood red gown that slightly puffed out at around her ankles. Like some kind of perfect twist, it was Sophia's size, so the little one left to try it on, leaving Maria to go back to the room, waiting for this Master to show up. Escuela was hidden under the bed in the room, but her handguns were in her pockets, the handles sticking out for a quick draw if necessary. This doesn't seem right. This is too perfect for my tastes. How does this Master even know me, but not Sophia?

Sophia returned, looking like a living doll with her dress and short black hair. She even had glass slippers on.

"Are you changing?" Sophia asked.

"No, I like my clothes the way they are. On," she replied, letting her sister laugh.

"Aww," she sighed, "Please!"

"Not this time!" Maria shouted, blocking her eyes from Sophia's to avoid the guilty look.

"Fine, but they have some other nice ones." she reported.

I'll never wear those things. Not after Rocky. Not after he tried to kill me and Sophia.

[Jeaulm]

OOC: hey you guys...why do yall claim a spot if everyones invited? yall could just join whenever...

Faite had decided to take the carriage to the castle instead of Running. He thought that it would be quicker and since He and Danzi needed a rest...it wouldnt hurt he felt that if his god had not intended him to go there it wouldnt have given him the card.

"I accept this party invintation" Faite said, Looking upon the comfortable seats with delight for he hadnt had a peaceful rest in a couple of days.

After a few hours on the road the carriage halted." Where are we?" Faite asked bewildered at what he was seeing."Diedritched castle." the coach man said in a monotone.

Faite walked up to the door and it opened, a doorman appearing infront. "Welcome Faite! where is the other guest that was supposed to be with you?"

"Ah yes Night... I put him away." The Doorman looked hororfied."No not like THAT!"
Faite laughed. " I sent him home to his material plane!"

"Oh, I am the butler. Please come in. The master has been awaiting you, Faite. But we are late on time. I must show you to your quarters now."

"Ok." Faite said reluctiantly although he didnt want to go to his quarters just yet he couldnt help but feel the urge to follow the butler.

Faite was surprised when he stepped into his room and a spider had fallen from the ceiling.

"Ah that would be the masters way of greating you." said the butletr as if he already knew about it."You can find an assortment of the clothers the Warriors will be waring to the party."

"Great...now when do I get to meet this master of yours?"

"He should be coming along any minute now."

[HitokiriChibi]

Joker looked in the mirror and grinned as he adjusted the lace around his wrists with care. He was wearing a fine suit indeed, with a black cravat at his throat and a soft velvet jacket of deep purple that made his eyes more vibrant, the icy blue ring around his pupil much brighter than normal. His pants were black and tucked into glossy black boots folded at the knee, giving him an altogether rakish appearance.

The clothes, dark as they were only made his skin seem that much more golden and his hair icier against the unforgiving black and purple.

He had no idea where he was, or who 'Master Diedricht", the host of this party was that he had been invited to. He had no clue as to why he had been instructed not to leave the premises but all these facts together were suspicious enough to make him attach his daggers to his ornate belt.

The fact he had been walking down the streets of an unknown town, stopped by a carriage driven by horses from hell, and invited to the home of someone he had never heard of were highly suspicious and no doubt dangerous. That he had chosen to come along was only to distract himself from the task he was committed to seeing through and the heartache he was unaccustomed to feeling, let alone showing.

Looking once more at the mirror he grinned and gave an elaborate bow to himself, "Kinrei would say this was all foolishness on Joker's part..." melancholy belying the expression on his face.

"Now Joker must find something to do!" with his cheerful mask in place he stepped from the room into the halls, wondering where or when the rest of those invited would come together - minus the dancers who were ghosts of course.

[Samson]

Okay dude...you rock...

[VenomousNinja]

Viratious took one step back, but then grew confindent, bowed his head and said, "Ipirica, yes, that's me." he tried to make his voice sound deeper, but apparently it didn't work.
"You're a little young, but, whatever." The driver seemed to be carefree, but at the same time strict. "Now get in, these invisible horses you requested keep insisting on kicking the carriage at each stop!"
Viratious jumped the door and landed right on a seat. "You're buddy's in the back." the driver stated.
Buddy? What buddy? Well, this is Ipirica, I guess... Viratious scanned the back seat, and finally saw a black lump with a single rune on his head near his feet.
"What is it?" Viratious wondered.
"If you don't know, then who would?" The driver stated as he yelled out an unintelligable command, and the clapping of the horses started again.
It wasn't long before the world around Viratious started disappearing, and he finally reappeared in front of a huge castle.
The driver looked back at him. "You owe me thiry-five!" he held his hand out towards Viratious, who simply shocked the driver in response.
Viratious jumped the door, landed on the ground, and ran around towards the castle. He was determined to go in at the right door, but when he came into contact with the door, he became sore.
The castle doors opened to reveal a smaller set of doors, which opened to reveal the inside of the castle.
Viratious stepped in the castle, took a glance, and sighed.
"Woah..."

[Kanon to Dreams]

OoC: I'm assuming the characters can all come from their own world. I'll be using Hope, look in my signature for the link.

IC: A cold wind came in from the North, a young lady atop the hill overlooking the town below. Her eyes were softly, gently watching as a kitten came up beside her, letting out a quiet yowl as it did.

She looked down at the kitten, then back out to overlooking the city. As suddenly there were sounds, like hooves beating the ground. She turned to see nothing, however she didn't feel it was nothing. The young lady stood there, her orange hair blowing in the wind.

The kitten hissed, the girl quickly turned around to see a man in a black coat and a top hat standing there. "I am glad you could make it Mistress Hope," the man in the top hat said. "Please, get in."

The young lady stood there, looking at the man, without question she picked up the kitten and got into the dark carriage she saw before her. She wasn't a very curious girl, she figured if she was there. There must be a reason. So she went along with it.

The man got on the carriage, and whipped the reigns, as the horses started to move. It wasn't long before it was near silent. The ride was smooth, amazingly, even though it was a carriage.

Soon after, the carriage stopped, and the man opened the door for the young lady. "Welcome to Diedricht Castle," the man said as he stepped aside.

Hope stepped out of the carriage with the kitten in her hands. The man closed the carriage and rode off.

Hope quietly walked up to the steps, there was a man in front of the door that was wearing a suit. The door was large, much like the castle itself. The girl stood there, actually rather amazed at the large size of the castle. Though she didn't seem to show much enjoyment, if any. She looked at the man.

"Welcome, Mistress Hope," he said. "I am the butler, if you would?" He opened the door and moved his hands, as if to show her inside.

The young lady stepped inside and looked around, it was rather amazing. The sights inside the castle.

"However, we are short on time, so I will show you right to your room, this way, please."

After taking her through halls, and corridors, and a rather large room full of dancing people. The butler opened a door and showed her inside. "This is your room. You won't be able to leave the castle, until morning. So please, make yourself at home. I do believe the Master made sure that the clothes were just your size. There is a bathroom as well, so use it to prepare. Do hurry, the Master will be here shortly."

The young lady stepped inside as the butler closed the door behind her, she opened the wardrobe. The evening gowns and accessories inside were amazing looking. She was confused now, and a little startled.

She put the kitten down on the bed, blinking. "What do you think?" She asked, looking at it.

The kitten just let out a small yowl as it lay down on the bed and started to purr.

"That's what I thought," she whispered as she sat down beside it, still a little confused, but. Perhaps this would be enjoyable, to a certain extent...

OoC: XD Hope I didn't do a bad job. I'm not very good at making large sentences. I haven't done a very literate RP in a while, so yeah. This looks fun though. XD

[insaney]

Arina walked out of the bathroom, fully clothed in an extravagantly crimson evening gown with her long, flowing purple hair tied up in a single ponytail by a red ribbon. She frowned slightly, the dress looked amazing, but it bothered her. It was heavy, like it was pulling her down by the shoulders, she also found it irritating to lift the front of the dress slightly just to walk properly.

That was the reason why she did not wear any of those high heel shoes provided. She was embarrassed at the thought of people seeing her regular boots when she lifted her dress to walk, but at the same time, she couldn’t help giggling slightly at it.

Arina looked at herself in the mirror, shaking and twisting the dress, watching the red, soft, smooth material flow around her like streams of smoke. She played with her hair a little, allowing a few long grains to frame her face on either side.

Gently, she pushed her small glasses higher up on her nose.

”All done,” She whispered.

”Mistress Arina!” The butler stood inside the room, with the door wide open behind him.

She jumped up and almost screamed. The man did not offer an apology for barging in unexpected, instead, he paid her a compliment.

”You look lovely.” His voice lowered into that usual, dry monotone, “Now...” Seemingly spaced out, he turned and headed out the door, closing it behind him.

Arina took a few breaths to calm her heart down. What the hell was he thinking, barging in like that and startling the daylights out of her?!

She exhaled and opened the door, stepping out into the corridor.

No one. No butler. He had disappeared.

The other end of the corridor seemed so far away and the castle seemed so huge, she wanted to just…take a peak around a few corners, at least. But she also heard the laughing of those people down stairs, where the party was being held.

She would go there first, then change back to her usual outfit to look around. She descended the flight of stairs, stepping on the lush blue carpet of the main hall. Everyone seemed to be having a merry time, most of everyone were dancing on the carpet to the live music. Violins and piano and acoustic guitars, all giving off melodies only dreams would play.

The couple that had ‘touched’ her before spun right by her once more. The man looked up and whistled at her, the woman grinned and tugged his shirt, making him return his attention to her.

Arina smiled, everything seemed okay. She lifted her dress up and walked over to a counter on one side of the room. There were a few people behind it, all of them serving drinks to people who asked.

”Ah, Mistress.” The butler stood next to her, again, seemingly appearing out of no where. But this time, she didn’t jump or get scared, because she was sort of expecting someone to at least say hello.

”I see you’ve found your way back,” He continued. “The master will come down those stairs soon. But, I implore you, do not go beyond the corridor with the rooms, they are a tad…unhealthy.”

Unhealthy? Don’t go? This just made her want to explore a little more.

[musical zombie.]

Jackie sighed. This wasn't his day, to be sure. Brushing his long hair to the side, he looked up at the enormous castle. Battlements towered over him; a typical, scary, medieval castle. He chuckled. How scary, someone save me. Shaking his head, he put a hand on the worn wood of the door. It felt warm, despite the coldness of the night outside. Suddenly, he jumped as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Looking back over his shoulder, angry at whoever would be sneaking up on him, he turned and saw a very tall butler, with an old top hat sitting comfortably upon his head.

"Master Seville, I presume?" His voice was wise and old, and he extended a long arm towards the child. Shaking his hand, thoroughly alienated, Jackie eyed him.

"What's this place?" Putting on his 'innocent child' act, he looked up, wide eyed, at the butler.

"Why, Master Diedricht's castle. Come inside, come inside, sir." Pushing open the door, a blast of warm air from inside the castle hit them like a hammer. Shaking his head, Jackie stepped into the castle.

"So, who this Diedric-" he stopped speaking abruptly as he noticed that the butler had vanished, his top hat sitting dejectedly on the floor. Picking it up, he sat it upon his head and walked in.

Suits of armor lined the walls, and there were several busts of strange characters sitting at the start of the old-fashioned banisters of the stairs.

What a place. He breathed.

[HitokiriChibi]

Joker paused as he stood outside his door, his ears catching the music that still played from the ballroom below. Aside from that, no other noises were to be heard, none of the doors beside him seemed to be in use and before he could confirm this a throat cleared itself behind him.

"Sir... Joker," the butler seemed to have trouble with such an inelegant name, "the clothing does you credit. Now if you please, there are refreshments downstairs," as he said this he stood back and bowed, his arm pointing in the direction he wished Joker to take.

"Ara, are there no other people? Joker hasn't heard anyone else arrive here," he queried as he moved towards the stairs, looking down the elegant length to the floor below.

Standing straight once more, the butler gave a thin smile, "There are always guests in Master Diedricht's house. But please, do not travel beyond these rooms. There would be a slight health hazard involved if you were to do so."

Blinking at that warning, Joker turned back only to see the man had vanished, "Joker would think he could also make portals to disappear..."

Snorting, he made his way down and admired the artworks adorning the walls. With his own rich upbringing, Joker was well accustomed to art and the finer things in life and could tell all the things before him hinted at the sort of money this Master Diedricht was rolling in.

"Now Joker wonders what sort of person he is and what he would want with Joker in this place... he couldn't know Joker's family and Joker's family isn't this rich..." murmuring to himself, he reached the end of the stairs and turned to the ghostly ballroom.

Still the ghosts danced, revolving around one another and laughing as the music played elegantly upon the air. Some saw Joker and the women winked and smiled at his handsome dress, to which Joker grinned in return.

While there were rare occasions, Joker himself did enjoy to dance yet lacked the sophisticated company with which to do so. Now he found himself surrounded by people with whom to enjoy himself and he could not pass up the oppurtunity, regardless of the inability to make contact.

Surveying the walls he saw the table surrounded by others and made his way there, pausing before a woman with raven black hair and gold eyes.

"Would you care to dance with Joker?" he asked politely, extending his hand before him as he gave one of his more elegant bows.

The woman laughed lightly, confusion on her face, "I would love to sir, if you could contrive a way for it to be done!"

Joker smiled, "What is a dance but going through the motions? If both people know the dance well, it is a small matter to get through it without once requiring to lead or touch."

The woman was intrigued and extended her hand, Joker merely placed his beneath it and pantomimed holding it and kissing it before guiding it to his arm where he then led her to the floor. He noticed the woman beside the one he had approached, with long purple hair and a crimson dress had noticed the exchange and watched them both curiously.

Joker then led his partner into a beautiful waltz, her hands just hovering over his own and his shoulder while he did the same for her waist and hand. Neither touched during the dance, yet they both moved together elegantly with no mistakes or trouble. It was the kind of movement that spoke long practice and no one watching would have been able to tell him apart from all the other dancers.

[Duke of Clubs]

In a dark corner of the room, Johnny Bones folded his arms, leaning against the wall and watching the party. A frown graced his countenance, his red eyes glaring at the party-goers.

He hadn't wanted to come. He certainly hadn't wanted to wear a suit; it had taken some time to convince that twit of a butler that his bulletproof clothes were "a soldier's uniform." However, he had--with bad grace--accepted a pair of boots to cover his bare feet.

"What," he had asked the butler irritably. "You can't have one down-to-earth man at a party full of tipsy upper-class money grubbers?"

The reply had been a polite but forceful, "The boots, sir. The Master would wish it, I'm sure."

Well, the Master could take a long walk off of a short pier and hug an octopus.

The zombie turned his attention to the musicians. What boring music they played. Those guitarists, they should be ashamed. Think of the beautiful sounds they could craft out of those polished wood frames, and what did they do? They strummed with boredom etched across their faces and lackluster twitches in their wrists. That would have to change. Forget the waltzes and all that trash. Maybe they could get some faster, Spanish-type music. Salsa and whatever. Johnny didn't care, but he could use the opportunity to shamelessly flaunt his talents.

Straightening up, he hooked his thumbs in his pockets and strolled towards the musicians, entering the dance floor.