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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2013 9:52:07 GMT -5
Erika had never been to a party like this in her life.
She was just an ordinary girl from the land of Katten; a singer who was living the dream, but still, ordinary. No title to her name, like many of these guests. She had only been invited for her voice. Wow - it made her feel all fluttery inside to think that she was that good.
She hadn't talked to very many people so far. She was going to sing after the great unveiling, and it made her a little nervous. In Katten, she'd been singing at taverns, not in front of a crowd like this. And some of these people seemed to walk in a conceited manner.
She sat down next to some random people and started to eat her seaweed salad and bruschetta. Then, W. E. Woo's voice rang out.
“Thank you for attending tonight, guests! Please enjoy the rest of your meals, but for now I must depart to tend to the details of the great unveiling! After you’ve finished your entrees, feel free to mill about the mansion at your leisure until 9:30pm, at which point the revelation shall take place in the great hall. I will see you then!”
Okay, nice. She wondered what she could see. She had never been in a mansion before. It looked like a royal palace to her.
But first, she thought she should socialize.
"Um...hello," she said to the group of people she was sitting with.
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Post by Ted (the zombie Dalek) on Jul 28, 2013 11:29:01 GMT -5
Dr. Medlis surveyed the room, savouring each bite of this marvellous meal. He hadn't had the pleasure of attending such a dinner party since, well, since last Thursday at his retirement do. Other than that, the past twenty years had offered him little opportunity to dine with anyone outside of his fellow lecturers. And compared to this menu, the Christmas dinners so eagerly anticipated within the college seemed as meagre luncheon.
'Twas indeed a very splendid affair. Chandeliers, lush carpets, gleaming silverware - he would have very much liked to have lived in a house like this, but alas that idea was sentenced to dream land a long time ago. It would be a pleasure to mingle with such prestigious company. Yes, he was fortunate indeed to have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of high society, if only for one night.
As Marvin was pondering the delights of the evening to come, Mr. Woo stood to make his announcement. Ah yes, the great unveiling. Mr. Woo was an excitable fellow by nature, but it was clear this sculpture must be breathtaking indeed to elicit such anxious behaviour. Nevertheless, he departed from that train of thought. There were more immediate matters to occupy his attention - for instance, the young woman to his left, who appeared to be attempting to introduce herself.
"Um...hello," she said. It wasn't in any particular direction, but as the others in the near vicinity seemed to be absorbed with different matters entirely, he felt he should at least attempt to strike up a conversation with the lady.
"Good evening," he said, extending his hand. "Dr. Marvin Medlis. How do you do?"
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Post by Kozma on Jul 28, 2013 11:51:15 GMT -5
Dr. Richard Maize was bored and he enjoyed it. He didn't particularly care for parties, at least not the wild and rowdy parties that youngsters liked to have. Instead, he preferred the more quiet and uneventful gatherings held by the social elite; the kind of party that W. E. Woo frequently held. There was no loud music and there were no bright and rainbow-colored decorations; instead soft, classical tunes drifted through the air of a mansion embellished with formal decorations. The guests were also dressed formally and were all neat and well-groomed; at least, most of them were.
Dr. Maize had been enjoying his fine meal of roast beef, broccoli and shrimp when Mr. Woo. suddenly stood up and made his announcement:
“Thank you for attending tonight, guests! Please enjoy the rest of your meals, but for now I must depart to tend to the details of the great unveiling! After you’ve finished your entrees, feel free to mill about the mansion at your leisure until 9:30pm, at which point the revelation shall take place in the great hall. I will see you then!”
As Mr. Woo left, Dr. Maize decided that he would make a visit to the mansion's library before the unveiling of the swan sculpture. As an archeologist, he was particularly fond of books, especially books on ancient history. Mr. Woo had a rather unique collection about the warfare of Ancient Egypt and Richard was eager to study those tomes. Before he dismissed himself to the library, he decided he should at least try to get acquainted with some of the other guests just to be polite.
Most of the guests seemed to be pleasant but there were a few who Dr. Maize decided it would be best to avoid. There was Snaw Van Peacock who seemed to be a bit of a barbarian and there was Lavendar Fairweather who seemed to be a spoiled brat. Aside from those two, it seemed as if the guests would make for quite enjoyable conversations. "Maybe one of them would enjoy hearing about my studies on the fall of the Babylon empire," Richard thought to himself.
Richard finished his meal, then proceeded to try to converse with the other guests.
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Post by Avery on Jul 28, 2013 12:02:41 GMT -5
As Hanna picked at her plate at the behest of Dr. Grunkle, she looked around at the other party-goers and decided that maybe for once she wasn't the only one in the know about the mansion's nefarious plans. What else could explain the apparent terror some of the others were experiencing? One of the guests was sitting under the table, instead of in his chair, as if hiding (Dr. Grunkle was staring at him with obvious distaste). Why would someone do that unless he knew that he was presently dining within the maw of a monster? And there was another bloke under the table, too, under the guise of serving some bratty-looking blonde child-- but Hanna knew that secretly he was only under the table because he was hiding from the mansion. Oh, Hanna wished she could go under the table, too!
Geoffrey was having a little panic attack himself, but Hanna knew that her brother's terror was not because of the fact that he was inside a plotting, dangerous mansion. Nope. Geoff was probably just hearing his stupid narrator voice again. What a crock! Hah. Sometimes Hanna wondered why Geoffrey was allowed out in public, 'cos he sure was crazy, unlike her!
Suddenly, the stranger on the other side of Hanna, who was wearing a brown trench-coat and matching hat, finished his meal and began trying to chat with the nearby party-goers. Hanna tried to ignore him, because what was the point of making conversation at a time like this, in a place like this?
But then Dr. Grunkle said, "Hanna. You are being rude to that fine man." The bespectacled therapist glanced at the stranger's place-card, which had his name etched onto it: Dr. Richard Maize. (Hanna had covertly pocketed her own card at the start of the meal, lest the mansion read it and learn her personal information; no, Hanna would not allow that!) "Dr. Maize," said Grunkle pleasantly. "I apologize for my client's rudeness." Then, to Hanna: "Say hello to Dr. Maize!"
"Hello," Hanna murmured.
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Post by Pixie on Jul 28, 2013 12:12:58 GMT -5
The well dressed man who's name Brenda did not know gave an unexpected but wholly welcome request. She thought she would fetching drinks or bringing complaints to the kitchen staff, but what he offered was so much better! A happy, warm blush colored her cheeks and she nodded her head eagerly. "Oh, it would be a pleasure." she exclaimed.
She gingerly made her way into the empty seat beside him and sat down. She took a sip of her soda before setting it down on the table. There was a spread of delicious-looking food, much better than Brenda could prepare herself, though that wasn't a hard standard to reach. It would be very nice to have a bit later. After admiring the fare very briefly, she and turned to face him. "What brings you here this fine evening? What do they call you, sir?" She inquired, fiddling idly with her lacy apron.
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Post by Stal on Jul 28, 2013 13:19:11 GMT -5
"What brings you here this fine evening? What do they call you, sir?"
Prince Stal thought surely the maid must be joking. How could she not know who he was. But perhaps now would be the time to make sure that everyone knew. "Who am I? Why, what a good question..." Prince Stal rose from his seat, and looked at the maid with a winning grin and launched into a louder-than-necessary but sing-song voice for his introduction, turning to the rest of the dining guests so they could all get to know who he was as well. (It would save time later on the silly introductions thing)
"I'm sensitive, clever, well-mannered, considerate, passionate, charming, as kind as I'm handsome, and heir to a throne? I am everything maidens could wish for! I am... Prince Stal!" He finished with a crescendo, and bowed out towards the audience and turned back to Brenda the Maid with a wink and a grin and reached for his own drink. A slight pause and a frown. "My cup appears to be empty. This... Is it defective?"
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Post by Sheik on Jul 28, 2013 13:29:10 GMT -5
Bernadette Crawford poked a long, slender fingernail at her necklace. It was made of pearls – bah! She didn’t care much for pearls, simply because they weren’t sparkly enough. She was more of a diamond gal.
But pearls were classy, right? Puckering her lips, she mulled over the thought before deciding that yes, she made a good choice by not picking the diamond necklace. Or the ruby necklace. Or the sapphire one. The agency provided her with too much jewelry that she didn’t know what to do with; it was one of the two glamorous downsides of being a renowned model.
The other was that she was the best-looking person in the room, which meant that if she talked to anyone here, it would be a step down the social ladder. Bernadette crinkled her perfect little nose and reached for her glass of champagne, looking around the room again. Even if I’m obviously the most attractive one at this table, at least there are some interesting characters here. For example, there was a presumptuous man rambling on about Norway; a fellow with a set of rather expensive shades; a blond girl who looked like she was ready to jump out of her skin. Nobody talked to her much during the meal. She sighed; what was a young, beautiful socialite like herself supposed to do at this kind of party?
She really didn’t even know why she was here. She vaguely recalled her agent talking about Mr. Woo, but she was too busy gawking at a pair of earrings to pay attention. The man seemed nice enough, and he did have a nice home, but come on…Bernadette was the only one with a feather boa (custom made, with authentic feathers from an endangered species, too!). He could have invited guests with extravagant tastes in clothing. It was sooo D-U-double M.
She absentmindedly kicked something, or someone, under the table. With a strangled gasp, she jumped up from her chair, spilling champagne on the front of her dress in the process. Not this dress! I wore this one to fashion week! She turned to the nearest maid and wailed, “Aren’t you going to clean this up? Oh no, and this is dry clean only…”
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Post by Ginz ❤ on Jul 28, 2013 13:49:21 GMT -5
Dean J. Williams looked around the table. Everything looked so fancy: the gourmet food, the silverware so shiny it blinded him, the distinguished guests wearing outfits that probably cost more money than he made in a month. How had he ended up in such a place?
Dean worked as the personal assistant to Miss Andria, a reasonably famous actress. He was supposed to be in charge of scheduling all her affairs and make sure she made it to all of them, and sure, he did a bit of that, but the truth is most of the time he was busy doing every menial task Andria could think of, from picking up her dry clean to opening jars that were stuck. It was never a very exciting job.
The previous day, as he returned from picking up lunch for Andria, she called from upstairs. “Dean, are you back? I have a fun job for you to do!”
Dean grimaced. Andria’s “fun” jobs always turned out to be things like cleaning the bathroom and killing spiders for her. Nevertheless, he made his way upstairs and found Andria with a big smile on her face.
“You’ll never guess what happened!” She said excitedly. “I just talked to my agent, and I got the part! Of course, I didn’t doubt for a moment I would get it, but it means I’m leaving tomorrow to India, so filming can start at once.”
“Congratulations, Miss Andria.” Said Dean.
“Now, as you know,” she continued, “tomorrow night is Mr. Woo’s dinner party, and I was dying to attend, but I will be on a plane by that time, so I have decided you should go in my place.”
Dean was dumbfounded. Was Andria seriously sending him to a fancy party in her place? Was that her fun job for him? Could one of her fun jobs actually be fun? What was the catch, he wondered?
The catch, unfortunately, came. Andria was leaving to India for several months, and the cast would be provided with personal assistants there, she said. She no longer needed his services. She was firing him, only she didn’t say it that way.
“I’m letting you go,” she had said, “so you can move on to bigger and better things.” But Dean wasn’t the one moving on, Andria was. Dean was left behind, and the opportunity to attend Mr. Woo’s dinner party was merely a consolation prize.
“Enjoy the party!” Were her last words to him. They didn’t speak after that.
***
Andria's words had been echoing through his head during the party. He tried to enjoy himself, but it was hard when he felt so out of place. And then an announcement came from Mr. Woo.
“Thank you for attending tonight, guests! Please enjoy the rest of your meals, but for now I must depart to tend to the details of the great unveiling! After you’ve finished your entrees, feel free to mill about the mansion at your leisure until 9:30pm, at which point the revelation shall take place in the great hall. I will see you then!”
They were free to mill around the mansion? That didn’t sound so bad. Dean was of a modest upbringing, and although Andria’s house was far from modest, it hadn’t been what you’d call a mansion. He had never been in one before, and exploring it sounded a bit like an adventure. He wondered if anyone would be as eager as him to look around, but no one seemed to be in a hurry to finish their meal or to excuse themselves from the table.
Dean decided maybe he should try to meet some of the other attendees. With any luck, he might find someone friendly. He turned to the person nearest to him and said, “So uh, great party, huh?”
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Post by Kristykimmy on Jul 28, 2013 13:57:00 GMT -5
Alexa smirked as some girl near her jumped up, spilling her champagne all down her dress. Alexa knew that type, the brainless model, all looks and nothing behind it. Alexa gave her three years before she was a has-been. Prince Stal was extolling his own virtues loudly and the poor Delaney girl was being made to socialize with some Dr. Maize. This party was more amusing than she had expected.
The girl Prince Stal was flirting with was obviously a maid. She snickered inwardly. “Poor Prince Stal, he probably won’t be able to do better than that.”
Alexa vaguely wondered what was up with the people under the table. One was obviously catering to the whims of the beauty pageant child. The other looked like he hadn’t seen sun in his entire life.
She looked around at the wide variety of guests; it ranged from the jewels of society to the hired help. It would make an interesting painting, she thought. A painting that would capture the randomness of life. A real smile crept across her face as she amused herself with trying to decide what the name of the painting would be.
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Post by ♥ Azzie on Jul 28, 2013 14:02:14 GMT -5
Minerva looked around the dining room as she set down her fork. There was such a dazzling collection of well-dressed socialites present, chatting amiably to one another. She caught sight of a chair moving a bit- which meant, she supposed, that there were children playing under the table- and hoped they would emerge soon. She knew how to deal with children.
She smiled vaguely and looked around for someone to start up a conversation with; everyone nearby was gabbing cheerfully, so she decided to wait. With any luck, someone would be arriving soon. Then at least she would know somebody.
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Post by Kozma on Jul 28, 2013 14:38:11 GMT -5
Sitting beside Richard was a young, blond-haired woman who seemed to be trying to ignore him as he attempted to start a conversation at the table.
"Hanna. You are being rude to that fine man," stated the therapist that was sitting on the other side of her. "Dr. Maize, I apologize for my client's rudeness." He then instructed Hanna to "say 'hello' to Dr. Maize!"
"Hello," Hanna murmured.
"Hello Hanna" Richard greeted. He noticed that she seemed abnormally nervous but it wasn't because she was shy or timid; there was something bothering her. "How are you this fine evening?"
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Post by Pixie on Jul 28, 2013 14:48:47 GMT -5
Brenda somewhat regretted asking, as the man name Prince Stal announced his presence and perceived virtues to world very loudly. She could say he did not have low self esteem. A prince! She was talking to a prince, albeit a somewhat conceited one. The gift-to-womenkind shtick was very bold, somewhat annoying, but likely true from many perspectives. She would admit he was very handsome. Once he bowed, she made an obligatory swoon into her seat.
When he asked if the cup was defective she was first rather confused. She then realized it was his roundabout way of asking her to fill his drink. She was right about having to fetch drinks for him. It was her job, so she wouldn't complain. "No, Your Majesty. The cup is perfectly functional. I'll refill it for you." She grabbed his empty glass and rose to her feet. She turned to head to the kitchen before realizing she hadn't asked him what he wanted. Brenda often forgot things. "Do you have a preference for your drink?" She asked cheerily.
Before Brenda could finish the task on hand she was interrupted by the shrieking of a distressed socialite. The starlet had spilled champagne on a dress that probably cost more than Brenda's yearly salary. Brenda asked coolly "Do you have something else to change into, Miss? I can't help you with your dress while your in it, especially if water will damage it." She doubted she could get the dress to the dry cleaners, but she could help soak up the spill for damage control.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2013 15:25:26 GMT -5
"Good evening. Dr. Marvin Medlis. How do you do?" said a man to Erika's right.
"I'm doing fine," she replied, taking his hand. "My name's Erika Kendall. I'm a singer from Katten."
She smiled. What a party! There appeared to be some squabbles between guests, but Erika was going to stay out. She didn't like conflict that much. What was the point when one could be enjoying themselves?
She noticed a particular young man with blonde hair. He kept telling a maid about how great he was. Erika thought he must be a nobleman of the more conceited type; the Queen of Katten was nothing like this. Erika had met her once during a speech. The Queen had greeted everyone in turn, and without any kind of snobbery.
Royalty were supposed to be generous. Erika felt lucky to live in Katten, where they were.
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Post by Celestial on Jul 28, 2013 15:36:38 GMT -5
Major Sergei Belkov had been pretty punctual when he had come to the party and since the alcohol was free, he had made a point to not get even a little bit drunk before he attended. He was determined to change that or at least fnd himself a little bit tipsy before the end of the evening. However, considering that he was on his second bottle of wine and feeling none of the effects, this was probably unlikely. Yet the quality of the wine more than made up for it and at his age, he could get used to the finer things in life. Such as the young ladies milling around the party. Even if he was an older man in his sixties, he could at least attempt to charm them with his glorious moustache, his eloquent mother tongue and glorious tales of his adventures in the Red Army.
He took a casual, relatively sophisticated sip of his wine. Ah yes, Mr. Woo had always seemed like the sophisticated type and Sergei felt it was polite to at least act like it, even if he would have preferred sitting around the fire with his men, passing around drinks and snacks while telling the filthiest jokes, such as the one about the man who could pee vodka. That was always his favourite. But here, he was condemned to act his rank but Sergei hoped that it would change very soon. For now, he simply twirled his moustache and eyed a young lady sitting across him, hoping to catch her attention with his luxurious facial hair. He was going to at polite for the sake of his old friend, although he always felt that war veterans like them should not have to pretend to be polite. They could say what they want and do what they want, they had earned it with their blood by serving the motherland. But different cultures had different methods of doing things, he supposed.
All in all, it was not bad. The food was excellent, far superior to what he was used to, and the wine as previously mentioned before was perfect. He ate both of them heartily, not even caring about politeness or leaving more for the other guests. Now if only he had something to distract himself with. It seemed like most of the guests were occupied but he had come alone. There was nobody to accompany an old man...and he had hoped there would be plenty of pretty girls, something which had not disappointed.
An ice sculpture? Sergei was not excited by it, not unless he could chip bits offit and use them to cool his drink. What was the point of wasting perfectly good ice on a mere sculpture? But of course, that would have to wait until it had been unveiled. So Sergei turned to his dinner companion, a young blonde girl who had tugged at his uniform like a small child. Well, she was a small child. Of all the people he had to be seated next to, why had Mr. Woo put him next to the young girl? Perhaps it was because the clever man knew his ways. Of course, he wanted to make sure Sergei behaved. And behave he would. He had standards.
"Now, do tell one, how does somebody so common and ugly get invited to an event such as this? You look worse than the runner up of Little Miss Florist 2001. One is sure you'll remember that fashion disaster!"
Sergei raised an eyebrow and looked at her, bemused. He took a sip of wine, brushed off his uniform, stroked his luxurious moustache again and smiled at her widely. Might as well humour the girl while he looked around the party for somebody else to talk to, somebody closer to his age.
"Me, little lastochka, I met Mister Voo back when we took back Prostograd. He is moj good friend," Sergei replied, patting the girl on the head. She reminded him of his little niece. "Now what about you, devochka? What have you come here for?"
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Post by Stal on Jul 28, 2013 16:18:32 GMT -5
"No, Your Majesty. The cup is perfectly functional. I'll refill it for you. Do you have a preference for your drink?" Brenda asked Prince Stal.
"Oh, is it your job? Usually they just refill themselves when I'm not looking. I always assumed it was some sort of enchantment. But, ah! I see! So it must be. I would love a glass of wine, my sweet. Get yourself something nice as well..."
Unfortunately the request did not appear to be heard as there was another fair maiden that appeared to be in distress.
"Do you have something else to change into, Miss? I can't help you with your dress while your in it, especially if water will damage it."
Prince Stal knew exactly what to do and whipped a fine cloth from one of his many pockets and offered to the distraught lady going on about fashion week or some such situation. "Do you need a cloth to help wipe that up, dear?"
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