A Winter Masquerade Ball (social)

Leona followed the guy onto the balcony and listened as he lamented the nature of his mask and how it had non-existent circulation. He took it off to show the yellow eyes and pointed ears of a cat. He was a cat-person... she did not know the technical term for such an individual.

Leona kept her own mask on for the time being. She liked what little anonymity it gave. Almost everyone in the know knew her as Leona Jarnefeldt, the girl from Desierto turned Guild Master of Silver Wolf. The publicity was unavoidable considering that she was a former Rising Star, a position that garnered the owner of the title a lot of media attention.

"Yeah, I probably should have chosen a better mask myself." Leona admitted to the guy. Her mask was getting a little hot too. She would keep it on a bit longer because it covered her whole face.

"I am surprised you don't take your mask off but that is your call to make. Huh, god I wish I knew more people, would make making friends a whole lot easier but that is kinda hard when your a freak with cat ears and eyes" Cheshire was a normal human at birth but due to a fluctuation in the magic where he was born, he was fused to his familiar and had to undergo treatment that had him defused with his familiar. This treatment left him with several fake organs, ever changing magic aura, and his eyes and ears. Even though they don't bother him he kinda find them to make him a freak.

Everywhere she looked, people were dancing, drinking, mingling. Yona had let a short laugh leave her as Sol took the people with him away and across. It looked as if he were headed towards the scarcely disguised Johann. She stood there awkwardly by herself, wondering who he had been with. She thought she caught part of a conversation and part of that included a quick introduction. Someone named Nessa perhaps. Yona held her small square gift in her hands, carefully wrapped and addressed to Chef Benvolio. Her green eyes peered through her mask to watch the dancers. She shifted her feet a bit since everyone seemed to already be involved in conversation or involved in a dance. Even Adalinda was dancing, she saw. The green haired woman looked down at her gift and let a little sigh escape her lips. "Guess I should go make amends then." Yona had been hoping to do more at the ball first, just in case Benvolio lost himself in a rage and caused some sort of a scene.

The plant mage did not want to cause a scene, she really did want to apologize. The strode towards the table of foods in time to see Benvolio hurrying into the back kitchen. She had just missed him. Yona plucked up a cluster of grapes and ate them, looking around at the room. She glanced at the kitchen and shook her head. "I can face all sorts of evil monsters but not a chef? Get a grip, Yona," She told herself before sliding towards the kitchen. Before she could entered, she saw Kyran singing out. The plant mage smiled and gave him a wave. When she heard the words of the song, she was reminded of Gaia and slipped out her iLac. Quickly, Yona snapped a little video of Kyran before sending it to Gaia. She would appreciate that; she was sure of it. Then, Yona turned and pushed through the kitchen' swinging door.

Ketsueki stirred briefly sniffing about in her head as Yona gazed on the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. At first, nobody noticed the beautiful woman in the ornate plant dress. Yona breathed in the smell of sweet honey, savory meats, and every spice she could think of. Truly, this was the ultimate gift for one's senses. So many dishes being prepared and an entire table devoted to holding all the beverages rendered Yona paralyzed with amazement for a moment, blocking the door. Her eyes took in the food while Ketsueki seemed mesmerized by the smells. "So much meat, so much blood, so many people," He crooned in her head. As a side thought, Yona came to her senses and got out of the way of a hurried little man carrying empty dishes into the kitchen, heading for a large sink. She had to tell Ruvel about Ketsueki, she knew it. She had promised Johann that she would even, but that was over a month ago now. Even Kyran had advised her to tell someone she trusted, and she did trust Ruvel. Considering that Ruvel was a child, it made communication much more difficult. Perhaps she would tell him soon, but not exactly here, at the fancy party.

Finally, her eyes caught sight of Benvolio, stirring a pot, tasting it and then patting another chef on the shoulder with a pleased expression. She slid her mask upwards to reveal her face and walked to the side of the kitchen, calling out to him, "Chef Ben! Benvolio! Come here, please!" Due to the activity and hustle, initially, Benvolio heard the voice and simply moved towards her. Once he was close enough to see her face in detail, his expression soured. He pointed a finger at her, angrily, "You! You tried to kill me! Get out of my kitchen!" Yona frowned and looked down at the gift, "I... I know. I'm sorry about that. I was going through a lot. I came to give you a gift." Benvolio didn't seem any happier. "I want you to leave, immediately. Get out, and take whatever poison you have in that box with you." Yona looked at him pleadingly, "Oh come on, please? I really mean it. I came in here to apologize. Sincerely. This gift is perfectly non-poisonous. Won't you just open it?" Benvolio crossed his arms and gave a hearty sigh, unsure of what to say at first. Finally, the man said, "If I open it, will you leave?" Yona nodded smiling brightly. It wasn't a great start, but it was a start. A new year, perhaps one where she could earn his forgiveness.

Benvolio took the gift and moved to the side corridor, back where the coats were hung up. It was slightly quieter here, but still had enough of a view to the kitchen in case there was trouble. His hands ripped the colorful paper apart and then his mouth opened wide. It was a box filled with small labeled bags, seemingly boring for a gift. But to Benvolio, he recognized what it really was. Every tiny packet was another type of herb or spice, tiny seeds with a bit of magic left in them by Yona. "I collected them from all of my travels before coming here to Tolgalen. It's my entire collection of herbs and I magicked them to ensure that they would survive and grow well when I planted them." Benvolio couldn't close his mouth, his eyes wide, still staring. There were herbs in here that he had only dreamed of tasting, dreamed of smelling, herbs that he had never imagined he would get to use in his own kitchen. It was an open door of possibilities with dozens and dozens of recipes he could try and plenty he could create on his own. He now had the means to surpass just about every other chef on the whole of Tolgalen. Yona was a bit nervous that he had not yet spoken and added softly, "Well, all except lavender. I really am sorry. I was reckless and stupid back then. I hope you can forgive me, chef." She bowed her head in supplication.

Benvolio slowly closed the box and swallowed hard. "I never expected something like this, never mind from you." After another long pause, he opened his mouth, but whether or not to forgive her or say something else entirely, Yona wouldn't get the chance to find out. Someone in the kitchen gave a little cry and Ketsueki perked his head up excitedly. "Oh blood! Blood!" He purred inside of her head, Yona's eyes flickering into blue flames for a second before reverting to her normal green hues. She bit her lip as a voice cried out, "Ben! Oi, Ben! Krezk chopped off his thumb. We got to get him out of here! He's bleeding like crazy!" Benvolio and Yona raced into the kitchen and she said, "Let me see. I can heal it easily enough." In her head, Ketsueki was full on dancing. "Can I have the thumb? I want a gift too. If you won't let me, I'll just take it..." Yona fought against Ketsueki, her eyes flickering back and forth as she approached the man in the kitchen. The others had moved away in order to let her through. "Don't you dare, Mars will kill you. I mean it." Yona ordered the demon mentally.

Yona lifted her hands and started to speak, though her words began to shift into a deep and malevolent tone of voice. "Let me see it. I can heal you. I just want a taste. Give me your hand. Yes, give me your hand." After a reluctant pause, small branches began to poke out like antlers from Yona's collarbone. Her eyes green again turned to Benvolio, pleading and concerned, and he darted out of the kitchen, back to the party. All movement in the kitchen stopped, unsure of where to go from here. If Yona didn't get a hold of Ketsueki, the demon would take control at the worse possible time. Yona had no intention of causing a scene or of letting anyone know of her plight. This was her night. This was the night where she would properly act as a representative of WFTC, of the guild, and make them proud. She was going to tell people about Ketsueki, but not like this. No, not like this.

Leona had reached her limit. Her face was getting too hot to bear. The full face mask came off and she held it in her left hand while she spoke to the cat-person. She felt the wind blow onto her face as she replied to his earlier statement.

"I hate to sound like I'm hurting your feelings, but I'll be honest. You're the first cat-person I've ever met. I don't have anything to compare it to." Leona said with honesty. She hoped that she did not hurt his feelings. He seemed like a decent guy who just so happened to be a cat-person.

"Oh really? Well i am honored but i'm sorry to say i'm a natural born cat person, but still, its a honor. You know you are kinda cute without your mask." Even after seeing her face, he still don't know who she is so he would say,"Maybe we should introduce ourselves better, my name is Cheshire Umbra, descendant of the first high priestess of the umbra religion. May i ask for your name since I introduce myself, it matters not how you introduce yourself." His father had told him once that if you want to introduce yourself you should do so in a way that shows them that they can understand you better.

Panacea hoped that Adalinda wasn't bothered by her asking, but once again she decided that rather than worry about every single thing she could do or say wrong she'd just wing it and have it work out anyway. They were all companions, allies and friends here. They weren't going to blow a fuse just because she said or did one thing wrong, as long as it was just a small mistake that could be easily rectified. After all, just like everyone else she was only mortal.

When the other woman voiced her believe that she couldn't dance either the lamia raised one eyebrow. "Possibly, but I mean that I don't even have the legs for it. I've got dances more suitable for my anatomy but, well..." She gestured towards the dancefloor, where everyone was in pairs and there wasn't a lot of available space. "I doubt this is the opportunity for a serpent like me to take up a lot of space performing a dance that nobody else can really join in on."

"That said from what I've heard the threat of being levelled is part of the charm of a tavern." She gave something of a smirk, a bit more relaxed than she would have done on purpose. While not the humorous type Panacea could enjoy the mental image of Adalinda organizing the company-wide event inside a tavern. "Honestly I might not have minded that, but I suspect that the higher ups would have objected to the idea that our company belongs inside of a tavern instead of a more lavishly decorated place like this one."

She noticed the falling glass at the same time as Adalinda did, but just like her conversation partner by the time she was properly reacting whoever had dropped the glass in the first place (she presumed) had already grown wings to catch it and the liquid it had contained, leaving both lamia and human dry and unglassed. She stared with some surprise at the quick reflexes of whoever was up there. "Well, I suppose we should be thankful that mages can be quite quick on their feet. Or wings." She commented somewhat dryly before calling out, echoing Ada's invitation. "I second that invitation. I'll even buy you another drink if you want, since you appear to be very good at holding your liquor." She suppressed the urge to chuckle at the pun, instead just waiting for a reply from above while she uncurled her tail a bit. While keeping it tightly wrapped around the barstool was a good way to avoid trouble it wasn't exactly the most comfortable position with the cold metal of the legs pressing against her white scales, so she allowed herself to uncoil until her tail formed a more traditional hoop.

As Adalinda was distracted by something in the kitchen Panacea's first reaction was to offer to go with her, but given that the both of them had just invited the winged woman from upstairs to join them having the two of them run off would probably give the wrong impression. Instead she shook her head at the invitation to dance in a more open area on the dancefloor. "No thanks, I'll just wait here for a bit. And don't forget that I'm a member of the company as well, so if you need the aid of a lamia just call for me and I'll see what I can do." With that she motioned Adalinda to go and deal with the issue in the kitchen with the tip of her tail, her elbows once again leaning on the bar as she settled in to wait.

Once Adalinda was moving Panacea raised one hand to her face, making a circle with thumb and index finger and placing it in front of one of her red eyes. Spying on Adalinda and the kitchen she managed to catch a glimpse of a girl with green hair and something strange on her neck before the hostess closed the door, leaving the lamia with little way to spy on the situation without being too blatant about it. She rolled her eyes and gave a small sigh, dropping the hand to her side where something dark slipped from it and fell on the ground, where it smoothly merged with the dark pool of shadows formed by the long white-scaled tail before disappearing. Panacea herself appeared not to notice this as she instead began to hum softly, following the tune of the music that others were dancing to as she occasionally glanced both towards the kitchen (where she could still hear some faint sounds) and towards above, wondering if the winged woman would accept the invitation.

---

Akeya hoped that Korikami would be able to make his way to the kitchen without being detected. The shadow fox was as stealthy as any creature could hope to be without being non-existent, but there were many powerful mages in the room and some of them had quite the nasty way of detecting anything moving about. Even a creature which could move as a shadow without even having a real magical trace could end up being sniffed out, and while Akeya was sure that Panacea could make up some convincing story why she had a pet shadow fox it would be a weak link which could be used to expose Akeya's true identity or otherwise just be a hassle to deal with.

Pushing through one of the doors to the side of the room and into a corridor Johann took a step to the side, grasping his head with one hand- Just what exactly had he been doing? He had been just about to talk to her about the Second Seal, just about to reveal more about the secret he had worked so hard to keep, not necessarily with his guildmates, but those outside the Company. The woman was still a relatively new addition to the West Fiore Trading Company, after all ... could he really trust her? She had been there when Johann had witnessed Mars' reaction to his ... sister? How was something like that even possible? He was just about to go on outside and actually see if he could catch some fresh air when the door behind him swung open and he froze in place. This very moment the silver-haired Vice President of the West Fiore Trading Company was, for the first time in a while, harshly reminded he couldn't just run away from or simply kill whatever caused his problems. Of course, none of these was a viable option, the rather ... agitated woman named Amalie quickly getting closer. Upon hearing her words, he wanted to turn, wanted to apologize, but she had already gotten close, now leaning forward to whisper in his ear the words "Just who exactly is Mars".

His eyes widened slightly, somewhat surprised she had been able to discern this much just from the conversation Mars had had with Aporia. "Looks like the girl's got you now, old man", the Lord of War, who played no insignificant role in all of this already cackling from the back of his head, the words echoing throughout his mind. "So ... you know about Mars, huh ?", he frowned, turning around to face her. There was no need for an answer. Glancing over his shoulder, Johann's sensory picked up no trace of magic or any other person even near this hallway. At least they could speak more privately now, and from the woman's words ... well, it seemed that he indeed owed her an answer after what had happened on that job with the strange Fairy Tail mage named Markus who, much to his surprise, had actually accepted his invitation. "I am sorry to hear that, Miss West" Johann began speaking hesitantly, his eyes going back to the woman's face. "I acknowledge the fact that the interaction between myself and the mage of Fairy Tail has left questions open, and ... and I suppose it would be fair to answer them ... within reason", he raised an eyebrow and shook his head. Would he really tell her about Mars, the Second Seal of the Apocalypse? And the fact that through whatever goddamn means he had somehow ended up not just inside his body, but also merging with him? Well ... he had to start somewhere, at least. "Mars is ... well, Miss West, how much do you know about the legend of the 7 Seals? Or more specifically, rather ...", Jo's tone changing from his everyday, formal one to a way more serious, down-to-earth tone "... what do you know about the 4 Horsemen ?"

Lucy followed Sol to meet a few more people she hadn't really met at WFTC, and from the sound of it a couple of wizards from this Alliance she had heard of since joining WFTC were here too. She smiled and offered a formal curtsey when she was introduced. Then she remembered one of the things she did not miss about mortal or celestial spirit society Celestial spirits like the Zodiac were better suited to formal settings like this than a silver key spirit like her.


She frowned as they walked off, all with other things on their minds. Well, those people certainly... exist. Maybe I'll actually meet some of them one day." That really was the only thing she could say about them. Lucy smiled back to ol,
"Is there anything good to drink left? And this mu.. this music is haunting."

Yona bit her lip, standing there as if perfectly balanced on the edge of a cliff. The wrong step could have so many foul consequences. Ketsueki and Yona were locked in disagreement once more, and when she had finally thought that she had settled things with the demon to his satisfaction. It only reminded her again: never trust a demon. The green haired woman let her lids lower, her eyes sliding to look at where the other chefs were staring and now Adalinda as well. Branches which had started out small were now elongated from her collarbone, branches spiking out of her shoulders, and now a set protruding from her elbows. It would seem in a physical way that Yona Hisamori was losing her one on one mental battle with the fiend.

"Stop! I command you! We made a deal, now stop... fighting me...!" Yona mentally spoke with a stern and strong hand. In response, she could have sworn she heard real laughter, and she lifted her head to find Adalinda and the others still staring. The man with a bleeding thumb held his hand gingerly while another patted his shoulder, trying to reassure him despite the strange experience going on in the kitchen. Ketsueki growled, "I've been sealed away in a tree for two hundred years! And now you try to keep me hidden away in your pathetic little head. I want freedom. Freedom to taste, to drink..." Yona's eyes glowed a brilliant blue as her lips moved. Until now, Ketsueki's voice had stayed inside of her head. Ketsueki's voice came out, deep and dark; it was the sound of sleaze and grime, the underbelly of a crime-ridden city, if that could have had a sound. "...Blood." Yona was terrified of what Ketsueki might do, but just as horrible was the unknown notion of what Adalinda was going to do if she didn't get a handle on herself. Yona abruptly regained control of her body then, her magical power surging within her. Her eyes turned green and her lithe hands grasped the hand of the injured man before her.

She spoke quickly, knowing there was no moment to waste. The poor man who cut his thumb nearly clean off looked more afraid of her than he was of losing his thumb. She felt pity and a pang of grief because nobody had ever looked at her quite like he did now. Her words were soft and gentle and her eyes were apologetic. "Alloe allay." Green tendrils of magic appeared and the man's thumb was healed and the blood vanished. And with the presence of blood gone, Ketsueki's power itself was diminished. She felt herself growing stronger and stronger. Yona swallowed hard and she heard Ketsueki huff in a defeated tone. "Well, I'll make do with your's then. You can't keep me locked in here forever." Yona didn't answer him at all, turning her hands upwards in surrender towards Adalinda. She could feel herself getting weaker, her skin growing cold and pale, as Ketsueki drank of her own lifeblood. Whatever shut him up, she thought.

"Sorry," She said quickly, before looking at the people around her. "I'm really sorry. It's just my magic gets a little out of control sometimes. I'll leave, sorry." Yona didn't want to leave. This was her night. She was going to mingle, maybe try to dance, and definitely avoid drinking with Ketsueki in her head. But still, it was supposed to be a fun night to mark the great changes she had made in the year since she joined the company. For her, it was more than a celebration of the alliance or if the coming holidays, it was her anniversary for becoming one of them.

She whispered to Adalinda, her branching protrusions sliding back into her skin before disappearing. They left no mark that they had ever been there at all, not even her dress had been torn. "Can we talk somewhere else? I swear, I have everything under control right now. Just, I shouldn't be in here." Gods forbid if someone else injured themselves in the kitchen while she was still in it. She looked dour and even downtrodden. She had really tried to make up for her mistakes with Chef Benvolio. After what he had seen, she wondered if he might outright quit working for the guild. Johann really would kill her if that was the case.

For her part Panacea did her best to ignore whatever was going on in the kitchen. While the commotion was becoming more noisy she still doubted that they needed her to get involved to make things even more complicated, and since Adalinda had been given the authority to host the ball she should also have the capabilities necessary to ensure its smooth procedure unless something truly disastrous happened.

Such as when the Halloween gala was rudely interrupted by some extradimensional godlike creature which forced all the mages present to help it collect candy for some godforsaken reason.

That said in other areas it felt like the ball had calmed down somewhat. Panacea could still see some people dancing but with several people having gone to the kitchen and others also having found their private spot the great hall itself was devoid of any attention-seeking events. Well, other than the dancing and the music, with some girl taking control of the latter to sing a song Panacea was unfamiliar with. It was pretty fast, although the lamia wasn't sure if it was suitable for a grand ball such as this one where most people would be waltzing slowly. On the other hand she had been the one to point out that mages tended to be the more adventurous type so she doubted many people would object.

Seeing the winged woman from before jump from the balcony and practically float down to ground level the white-scald woman raised one eyebrow, but continued humming as she observed the rest of the room from her admittedly rather comfortable seat. The bar might have been meant for people who were planning to drink a lot but the bar stool was good enough that even without a desire for alcohol it was worth sticking to this spot. With Adalinda gone Panacea hadn't been sure whether the woman would take the invitation, but given that she was heading towards the bar the lamia assumed that she still desired to interact with at least the remaining of the two inviters.

Once Aliannah got close Panacea gave her a nod and a wave, still humming as she waited to see what the other mage would do. Her question was quickly answered when Aliannah gave her a quick greeting, which made Panacea interrupt her humming with a chuckle before she replied in kind. "Hi."

She waited a couple of seconds for effect, then laughed a bit louder. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. So! My name's Panacea, and I'm part of the West Fiore Trading Company. Just a small-time employee though." She tilted her head as she studied Aliannah, unable to place the woman anywhere in her memory. "I don't think I've seen you before. Are you a representative of one of the guilds we've made an alliance with?" She figured it was an honest question, although she then glanced over to the bar she was leaning on and then back at Aliannah. "Also, I believe I offered to buy you a drink if you joined us, so... what do you want to drink?"

"The Seals on the Book of Life, indeed" Johann spoke briefly, letting out a small sigh as the tension he had felt seemed to subside a little. At least the concept wasn't wholly unfamiliar to the woman. This would make explaining it a little easier. "It is alright, you see ...", the silver-haired Vice President pausing momentarily as he thought about where to even begin, "... according to the lore of the book the one God created the seals from fragments of paradise, his own creation, and spoke upon them a curse. This curse granted them strength, without a doubt ...", he paused briefly once more, trying to collect the story that Mars had explained to him in several bits and pieces here and there and puzzle it together "... but it also doomed them to a life of hate from amongst their own, and even their father despised what he had created, for they had been born to destroy what he loved most: His children ... Mankind". All of this information, of course, was of ... questionable nature and Johann tried his best to follow and present it so that the other would get an understanding of what he was getting at. Naturally, this all made little sense, for now, but undeterred the man went on, picking up where he had stopped a second ago once more.

"Viewed with disdain and mistrust in paradise the Seven Seals were thus cast down to this world, forced to live out their days in silence, restrained, locked away only to awaken once they were needed to fulfil their purpose and bring the end of everything to all of creation. Such is the nature of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the Seven Seals of the Book of Life". He stopped. This next step would perhaps be the most difficult one to take, but ... now that he had gotten this far, there was no going back from it anymore. He would have to reveal the true nature of the Lord of War to her. "Mars ... is, as it seems ...", he sighed one last time as he pushed himself to speak it out loud "... one of them, formerly locked away within his vessel and awoken prematurely, it seems, along with his brothers and sisters in their hosts. The Second Seal of the Apocalypse, ...", one of the VP's eyes changing its colour in a transformation of the body that had happened numerous times before, the white in the left ocular changing to a dark, ink-black, his pupil flaring up in scarlet red as a different voice, though familiar to Amalie would speak from Johann's mouth, the deep and almost distorted sound echoing faintly through the hallway around them "... War. And good as new at that, tssehehe ...", the cackling of the harsh, yet playful voice filling the space.

Leona was alone on the balcony when the "Exceed" who introduced herself as Tamaria appeared before her. The blonde was startled by Tamaria's sudden appearance. She had not been expecting company of any kind so soon after setting foot on the balcony. Oh well.

"Hi, Tamaria." Leona finally spoke after the girl left. Leona sighed. She had such poor social skills, including a bad sense of timing. Fortunately for her the Exceed reappeared with a mask on her face. This was a second chance to make a good first impression... the blonde had better not mess it up.

"Sure, I'll go back inside. It's getting kinda cold anyway." Leona agreed to follow Tamaria inside and back to the main party. She hoped that going outside for a moment did not mark her as an elitist who considered any guild mage not an Ace or Guild Master to be beneath her. That was not the kind of person Leona was. She just stepped outside a moment because the main floor was getting crowded and the blonde was not very knowledgeable about the etiquette of social events.

"You said that you work with a mage named Adalinda, right?" Leona asked Tamaria.

Yona plodded wearily behind Adalinda. At the suggestion of food, she could not help but nod in agreement. She felt terrible, drained and even a little woozy. She hoped that if anyone noticed, maybe it would be just that she looked a little drunk. Yona grabbed a handful of cookies as she passed by a small table of treats and trailed Adalinda up to the balcony. She ate two of the cookies en route and brushed the crumbs from her lips with the back of her right hand. Once she got up there, she groaned tiredly. Yona leaned onto the balcony, the same position that Adalinda was in, only Yona looked somewhat frail in the action.

"Listen, I'm sorry. I think I have him under control now. I.. I've been waiting for a good moment to tell Ruvel and the party didn't seem like the place to do that." She let out a sigh and said, "I went with Johann to help him fight some demons from his past." Yona didn't know if Adalinda knew about Onyx Moon and skipped that entire part of her story. "Essentially, in the mess that ensued, a ritual by three mages forced a demon into sharing my body with me." Yona also left out Johann's role in that, with Mars and a brutal fight with a group of mages. It wasn't a day she liked to relive or discuss anyway. Yona ran a hand through her short green hair, "I'm getting better at controlling Ketsueki, but he's a blood demon. One who was sealed in a tree for two hundred years, as he likes to frequently remind me. Sometimes, he's more than I can handle." The demon snorted a bit, "You? Control me? Shall I demonstrate again how wrong you are?" Yona pursed her lips and straightened up.

Yona chuckled a little bit, "What were you going to do with that kunai anyway? I hear you're an ace now. Big woman, little blade? Congrats for that, by the way." She teased, before her expression got stony again. "But seriously, what are you going to do? I guess you have an obligation to make sure all these people are safe. You can throw me out, lock me up...." Yona sighed, unsure of what the response would be. This wasn't at all what she wanted. "Or worse. You could tell Ruvel."

Leona was so far out of her element it was painful. She had little clue what to do in social situations and probably looked like she was easily led by others. She had been so busy with running jobs for the guild that she had no time to learn social graces. She was also busy trying to get stronger since her guild was the smallest in the alliance. If Fairy Tail and West Fiore Trading Company were too busy to help or could not send help, then it fell to Leona to defend Silver Wolf from those who wanted its destruction.

"It's OK, Tamaria. I'm a Guild Master. I'm supposed to interact with other members of the alliance." Leona said to Adalinda's companion. By going to the balcony, Leona probably looked like an elitist snob who would not interact with anyone who was not an Ace or Guild Master. As powerful as Aces and Guild Masters were, rank-and-file members of guilds were their lifeblood. The rank-and-file members were the ones who kept the guild going with their work as much as the higher ranks did. Leona knew that firsthand when she joined Silver Wolf so long ago... she was married to the job then and she was married to it now that she had become Guild Master.

Leona had gotten strong enough to deter casual attacks on Silver Wolf, but determined opponents could still pose a threat to her guild. She had devoted herself to getting stronger so that she could protect everything she and her guildmates had worked for, but she was not at the level needed to guarantee safety. She needed to become powerful enough to equal the Wizard Saints, but even that level of power might not be enough because they did not rest on their laurels. The blonde was so focused on that subject that she nearly forgot about Adalinda, who had finally returned.

"Hi there, Adalinda. It's no problem... I understand completely. You do what you have to do to keep your guild going." Leona assured the West Fiore Trading Company member. The blonde was familiar with how that worked and thus took no offense to the other mage stepping away. When guild business called, Aces and Guild Masters had to answer.

The pale ice blue skinned male slowly picked off the bits of food that had been gained earlier. It was interesting to see how everyone was enjoying things. The area was large, the bar had been one of the most popular areas for meeting people here it seemed. Adalinda seemed very busy. The mixed blood decided to just stay where he was. The music was still enjoyable and the food was certainly quality. It was odd to see Kyran briefly doing music, but not too much so since the two rarely interacted past times where the other ended up running off somewhere. What he didn't expect? For a certain figure to be standing nearby, dressed in a pale mint coat with a Victorian style tailcoat jacket on, a white button up dress shirt with bone like buttons On the persons face was a full white mask, covering every detail of the face. Their hair was white, straight, and short. The person had pale mint trousers on and white dress shoes. Their hair looked brushed and combed back. Haraka took in a deep breath, frowning a bit at the adult male figure a bit. Well, he couldn't ask in a modern language without it sounding bad... so the mixed blood decided to ask in a dragon language that had been dead for hundreds of years "Suaco, kii tir wux tepoha wer garris di vi loex sthyr shafaer?"
A bit of laughter came from the figure, the many voices that made the spirits voice answering with an amused tone to them. "nomeno ui lae trelk lae si shilta itrewic ekess tepohair shafaer wer harkt ofilnari."

Translations:

Omaras wished that didn't make sense, but it did. Wind was a spirit, even if he had a flesh and blood form. Most types of living beings could easily swap clothing for different events, but not everything could. Well, from the looks of everyone in the room, whatever dead person wind was using wasn't anyone remotely known by anyone in the room. Or maybe it was the full face mask? and he couldn't really fault the spirit for wanting some fun in their life. A smile formed on their lips, accidentally shifting into a woman. At least the half demons clothing were mostly gender neutral, so she would be dressed formally no matter the gender. "Did you want to join in the festivities? I know you can drink certain things. You love music and dancing."
The spirits head turned from facing their person, the blank mask facing the dance floor. There was a pause before the spirit walked over towards the bar. She wasn't sure what to do besides watch the being. Wind was the hardest of her three elemental spirits to understand. At times it felt much like trying to understand the ways of the wind, or a part of the death process, or a mischievous fae. Why couldn't strongest of the three spirits that worked with mean simplest to understand? Soon enough the being that lacked gender returned, both of his gloved hands holding a different drink. One was quietly held out to the young looking woman. Haraka stared at it briefly, a carbonated drink. The spirit wasn't a fan of Sodas, but also knew that the mage preferred not to drink much. The smell of it suggested it was a little of both. She brought the lip of the glass to her mouth, taking a small sip. It was champagne with some Italian style grape fruit sparkling juice. It didn't taste bad, but she also wasn't going to take another sip so soon. The ice blue skinned person didn't want to risk getting even a little sloshed. She started nibbling something from her plate during the next pause of silence between the two. Wind didn't really move, facial expressions hidden behind their mask. Things started to feel a bit more quiet than it actually was to Omaras, the woman feeling a slight tenseness in not knowing what their spirit friend was thinking so deeply on.
"Si tir ti hefoc svabol wux siofme di doutan. Si nurti tira. Wux put dout kornari vur ricin persvek vi drid zyak lyriki tiliw waph, hak insist batobot wux jalla qe yscik ekess ocuir vur oontanx. Dout ricin jahus vi sil di vi cage. Tir wux kampiun? Si tiliw ti tepoha naktada wux takh mrith sia iejir sjek dout sepa tepohada ti coanwor zyak jikmadator. Throdenilti ornla loreat usv oprinqu asta ricin sjek marfedelom jahus ekess drip sari asta bekihi. Si tuor ekess ocuir wux quo'quegl vur ocuir dout dastudr ihk huena. Wux tepoha irisva vi sumf li wux xkhata luh di wer West Fiore Trading Company, batobot xurwkic ve lotoc. Si tuor wux ekess ocuir batobot wux re bensvelk. Si tuor wux ekess vulsh vur vaeri ekess dout thirkuic, ekess qe lotoc vur itov doutan."

Translation:

The words were spoken in a tone like one wouldn't suggest anything outside of a normal conversation. This didn't help the mage figure out how she should react. The thought 'Was I just complimented or scolded?' ran through the half ice dragons brain, but that didn't really help. In the end, maybe it was both. If he asked the spirit something now, would they answer straight? Maybe, but he would also be disappointed that the message wasn't taken to heart. Wind was important to Omaras, so... "I love you too wind. After my plate is empty I'll try to socialize, I'm just not used to wanting to be at an event." Her words were spoken quietly, feeling a bit embarrassed herself for feeling that way. The young looking woman didn't want to put on a fake smile and pretend to socialize, but until this party it was how the person had gotten though events. How would she gather the courage? Maybe finish eating, also this drink in her hand was starting to look a little more appealing.

"Well, at least she seems happy, tssehe ...", The cold and deep voice of Mars rang out through Jo's mind before the change his body had undergone was reversed, the little ... "demonstration" hopefully enough for the woman with the azure hair. Johann couldn't help but sigh. Well, the cat was out of the bag now. Still, her reaction was what surprised the Vice President of the West Fiore Trading Company. She seemed rather ... pleased with the revelation, the silver-haired male, for the first time since he had met her, seeing the woman flash a wide smile. The man simply raised an eyebrow. "It appears so. Why exactly I am a vessel? Well, to be frank, I do not know myself", Johann explained, taking the thought a step further. To be exact, he himself still barely knew the basics of these seals. He had done a little bit of reading, of course, and was somewhat familiar with the biblical texts, but Mars wasn't exactly very talkative when it came to this special subject. Even the Lord of War had secrets, hm?

The next question the Vice President had expected in some capacity. The woman had been present for Mars and the other Seal's, Aporia's, reunion, after all, still it seemed that, while Mars was able to recognize his "sister", Johann did not possess such an ability, once again left in the dark as to who exactly Aporia was and in what way Markus Eldridge of Fairy Tail and Johann von Weiss of the West Fiore Trading Company were connected. "I suppose so, yes ...", he answered quickly and precisely, "... although I have yet to talk to Mr. Eldridge about this phenomenon. That's why I would like you to treat this matter discreetly, on behalf of the Fairy Tail mage as well. I'm sure you understand", giving the woman a slight nod. He couldn't afford this little ... condition of his to be turned into a central theme with the broader populace both on and outside of Tolgalen. His elevation to the position of a God of Ishgar had not only brought him, but also his guild into the public eye, and this matter being talked about, while technically illegal or something along those lines by any stretch, he felt that it could still introduce stigma.

The next question arguably startled Jo. His mind flashed back to that one time he had followed the trail of a dark mage and encountered a man who called himself the "Skeleton Lord". A brief pause and a moment of deep thought later, he would reply to her question. "... Yes. Other than Eldridge and myself, I have encountered one more. His vessel was a powerful dark mage", once more, Jo thought back, pausing briefly. He barely remembered any of that encounter, Mars forcing him into his own subconsciousness and taking over the body forcefully at the sight of his brother. "Aegror, I believe", Mars writhing in the back of his mind at the mention of the name, "While I cannot seem to recall a lot, Mars more or less "handled" that issue, the encounter ended in a devastating battle ..." the VP keeping to himself the detail that Mars had ripped Aegror's soul from the body of the other mage after massacring the compliment of soldier's by Godfrey's side, and in the end the dark mage himself as well. What Mars planned to do with the Seal now locked in the amulet around the VP's neck even Jo couldn't tell, not even vaguely, but he assumed this circumstance was by far better than one of the Seven Seals in the hands of a dark mage.

"I hope that answers your questions, and I expect we understand each other when I say discretion", Jo concluded the little discussion with a not too subtle reminder who the woman was talking to and the consequences should she break his trust. The VP took a deep breath. What really was the whole deal with these Seals? Why where they appearing now, and ... how exactly did he fit into this story? He himself had questions he wanted answered, but would ask in vain. "Guess we'll see what the future will bring ..."

Yuudai stepped into the ballroom unable to wear shoes due to being in his hybrif form so his paws and claws gently tapped on the floor , the giant werefox hybrid was garbed in formal Hakama pants and a kimono top while a simple black mask was across his face which was custom made for him. He crossed the room his height of 10 feet made him stand out and gain many looks until he sniffed the air and his muzzle broke into a grin.”Ah found her” he said as he headed towards Adalinda direction. It had taken him longer to arrive due to having to find a babysitter for the triplets but the Hybrid knew they were in good hands.

Yuudai saw Ada and he started to approach before he nocticed that she was surrounded by female mages and the hybrid stopped right behind them so his fiancé would notice him but the others would not at first before he grunted. It got their attention before the were hybrid spoke gruffly.”can I reach my Woman please”he asked as the group parted and Yuudai moved forward before he got to Ada and his violet eyes softened a bit.”Hey Sorry it took me so long to get here the babysitter for the triplets was late”he explained before he glanced at Yona for a second and wondered who she was