[center]-Finn-[/center]

Weaving through the crowd of party-goers, Finn had never been able to afford the time or money to go to an event like this. His eyes scanned the expansive hall, which dwarfed the massive size of the Bank just one day earlier. From the entrance, there were six steps that led into the main, recessed 'ballroom' in the middle of the scientific research center. He momentarily thought about what projects and machinery could be hidden away upstairs, far beyond his ability to comprehend and costing an astronomical amount of money to develop.

The short, well dressed man grazed past the h'ourderves as a line of similarly clothed citizens flanked him on both sides. He took a few crab cakes, stuffed mushrooms and a strange quiche on a small plastic plate before heading off back into the crowd. A few bites into his plate of snacks, Finn was handed a flute of champagne from one of the nearest waiters who nodded politely at him. It was a wonderful feeling- almost everyone in the crowd was treating him far better at a first glance than he was normally ever treated.

A particularly squat and hook-nosed man cornered him in conversation at one point, the older gentleman reminding him strongly of the villain the Penguin from Batman. They spoke about stocks, the horse races and privatized real-estate, which Finn fumbled and stumbled through the entire talk. Aware that the Penguin was gradually realizing that Finn was not the super wealthy peer that he had suspected, the two parted on extremely awkward terms when they both went to retrieve another refill of alcohol. Trying not to stay in one place too long, he wandered toward a section of the hall he hadn't passed through yet.

"The silent auction is taking place until ten, sir." A rather attractive blond waitress told him as he neared the far side of the room.

Approaching the twenty-foot wide staircase on the other side of the room, he began to climb the shallow marble steps covered in rich red carpet. He passed a glass podium with microphone on a landing half way up the staircase and assumed that all attention would be focused on that spot momentarily. The staircase led to a balcony walkway that lined the walls of the main foyer like a horseshoe, allowing the super wealthy that strolled through the art for sale while they could look down on the other party members. Finn tried to keep his reaction from shock at the sight of some of the price tags attached to the paintings and sculptures. A set of jewelry he observed on the way past a series of elevators was particularly disappointing, as he could sense that it was made of more aluminum than precious metals and worth far less than quoted.

"Interested in anything particular, sir?" One of the auction attendants asked Finn when he was in ear shot.

"Oh-no, just trying to find my friends." He lied, partially.

Looking over the edge of the hanging balcony, Finn admired the lack of stress and anxiety that flowed through the laughing crowd. People in tuxedos and gowns mingled with old prom dresses, cowboys, dinosaurs and several 'sexy' police officers. Looking closer, the older Regel tried to scan the sea of people for his brother or Black Jack. There was no guarantee either were going to be there, but at least he knew that the Architect was going to have a hand in the evening- good or bad.

[center]-Eudora-[/center]

Greeting and shaking hands with a ring of investors, Eudora allowed one of her employees to give a brief description of some of their current projects. Mostly based off of bio-organic production of energy, they explained that there was a certain breed of plankton that they were engineering to conduct electricity. Eudora looked at the small group's faces as they feigned understanding of the scientific principles and methods involved; they were as dumb as everyone else in the room, but just managed to accumulate millions of dollars in their lifetime. Half of the theories discussed were concepts she understood at ten years old, which gave them no excuse for ignorance, in her own opinion.

"Ma'am, it's time for your opening address." A personal assistant said lightly, almost afraid to interrupt.

Eudora nodded her head and begged her pardon to step away from the conversation at hand. Her elegant, [i]extremely[/i] expensive gown glistened in the soft lighting of the chandeliers as she rounded on the staircase at the far end of the hall. Holding the front of her dress to keep from tripping on the steps, she looked like a masked Queen rising above the crowd. Silence began to fall one by one as she approached the modern glass podium that faced the sea of faces in her direction; she had averaged what felt like one speech a day for the past forty years, making this night no different.

"Good evening, friends, old and new." She started, her voice cheerily resonating off the walls as the crowd unanimously went still. "Thank you for joining us at the grand opening of our fair city's newest energy research center."

There was a polite round of applause, as the range of citizens made an audible thanks for the party. She waited for the thunderous round of clapping to subside, her wide smile breaking as she spoke again.

"I would like to thank the team of investors that made the speedy creation of this facility a reality." She said. "We are working on a clean and efficient method of energy development within these walls; in hopes that some day it would provide free power for every corner of our shining city. It's an exciting time, technology is developing at an exponential rate where the only limitations are our own imagination. Some of the brightest minds in our country have been recruited within these walls- men and women who have a desire to make our world a better place."

Another, shorter roar of applause caused her to pause momentarily.

"Not only that," she said, motioning one hand to the balcony, "but I am pleased to announce that all proceeds from tonight's silent auction will go toward funding math and science programs in every school within our district. As you are all aware, I believe strongly in the children on North Port and am confident that we can create a generation worthy of restoring our world and creating a glorious future. Thank you all for your attendance and contributions- this city is a better place because of each and [i]every[/i] one of you."

Finished with her speech, the Godmother stepped back from the podium as the hall filled with the loudest round of applause yet. Taking a cue, several carnival performers stepped out from the edges of the room: stilt walkers, jugglers, gymnasts and ribbon dancers suspended from beams in the ceiling danced through the air as all the performers began to entertain the guests of the party. Silently guaranteeing that if any of the circus performing freaks touched her, she would have them shot and dumped in the bay, the billionairess walked back into the crowd she had just spoken to so sweetly.

[i]'Christ, I could use a cigarette.'[/i]

[center]-Phoenix[/center]

After the speech ended and the momentary motionless of the room sprang back to life, the crowd seemed to have been injected with a jolt of liveliness and joy. Laughing and clapping in small groups for the performers that wove through the crowd's enjoyment, everyone went back to drinking, eating and talking with one another. While the man dressed as a ninja made his way past similarly dressed costumed individuals, a delicate hand wrapped around Michael's right bicep. Not threatening or forcing him in any direction, the hand held on to him like an escort on the way into prom. Attached to the hand was an amazingly attractive woman. Roughly the same age as Michael, she had brilliant red hair that was cut just above her shoulders. Her skin was pale, almost porcelain in appearance, with peach colored lipstick and dark, smoky eye shadow that made her blue eyes stand out as almost electric in appearance. The girl wore a cream colored strapless dress that ended just above her knees, with a heart shaped bust line and matching white high heels. 

"You're quite the brave little felon. Multiple murders just over twenty-four hours ago and you head out to stir up some more fun?" She said, her voice low and completely relaxed.

The girl pulled a stray strand of hair behind her ear, completely at home with her arm locked in the bend of Michael's elbow. She was one of the only people other than the staff at the party that didn't wear a costume or mask. Smiling warmly, she waved at a few of the guests around them, who, in a dumbfounded manner, waved back at the girl they didn't know. Her heels clicked lightly, masked by the sound of the classical music and gasps of surprise as the crowd watched the various performers. 

"I believe we have a mutual acquaintance, Mister Regel. He's very interested in speaking with you." She said, not skipping a beat before continuing in a conversational tone. "Don't worry, sweetie. This kitty won't scratch for now."

The redhead nodded to Michael's right, toward an area beneath the overhanging balcony. Sheer white fabric hung from the rails of the balcony and stretched all the way to the main floor, covering the area beneath the balcony and designating it as a spot strictly for VIP's. The girl continued to be led by Michael, allowing him to make the decision to head toward the VIP section rather than forcing him there. 

"The name's Ruby." She added, pulling a few stray flakes of lint off of Michael's costume.