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[b][u]Aliquam: Tobias' Gala[/b][/u]

Aw right, they were in the secret party base! The majority of them were donned in these awesome-possum masks that totally make them mysterious and not stand out from the other party-goers at all. Some of the dancers were wearing those expensive masks too! Wow, were they also investigators of this to-be crime scene? And the music! Ohhh, the music, which bounced back and forth between slow and lively. Definitely meant to throw off the guests and keep their emotions flighty.

Her nose tingled. Trixie whipped her head to see waitresses passing by left and right, carrying silver treys of tall glasses and funky-smelling drinks! Funky! That's [i]suspicious.[/i] Moira and Amy and Aria took them and- oh wait no, that's just the smell of alcohol. Pah! These party hosts knew her weakness - that the dang smelly smell of champagne always squicked her out. She had to figure out another way to crack down on these crackpots. But how? Well, she could get away from the servers using the swirly stairs - if they weren't laced with oil to make her slip. Or she could check behind all those potted plants and giant paintings for secret buttons. Or she could-

[i]"Trixie, if you'd like, you could come with us?"[/i]

Marcus' request had cut off the prankster's train of thought. "Huh, what? Well, okay, I guess." Without hesitation, she grabbed onto both Estelle's and Marcus' wrists and yanked them along with her as she made a mad dash through the dancers - "Exsqueeze me! Pardon me! Pixie comin' through!" - and up one fight of stairs. Against her suspicions, the steps were indeed not laced with oil. Once they made it to the top, Trixie trailed her hand along the golden balcony, before turning her attention to the windows.

"Man, this place is crazy decorated..." She sniffed the air. "It's like everything here is brand new. But didn't this guy have parties all the time or something?" With one arm hooked with Estelle's, she peered into one set of red double-doors, to find a group of people seated around some puffy chairs and a fireplace. That single scene alone reminded her too much of what she had witnessed at both Vandrell and Los Paraisos. "How come everywhere else is so much richer than Clockwork..."

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Like Moira, Amy too brushed off Dylan's warning; she had been cautious of the young man the second he walked into view. It seemed they all were to an extent, whether Dylan's ties with him made an impact on them or not. Regardless, Amy was determined to have a drinking night with both Moira and Aria this time. As there were many other guests enjoying themselves at the bar before the trio (plus Syed)'s arrival, it'd be unlikely the drinks were poisoned anyway. She knew she was being superstitious at this point, but perhaps that's what the guilder life did to people over time.

She hoped the drinks would loosen her up. "Hah. If that's the way aristocrats prepare their drinks, it's no wonder their shit tastes different. Hey," she called out to the bartender as she sat herself at the counter, along with her companions. "I'll try whatever you've got in hand."

"Only the finest vodka in all of Aliquam, ma'am. It's called the--"

"Great. I'll take a pint." Amy's red lips curled into a mischievous grin as she turned her eyes to the illusionist. "So, Aria. You look like you've been around more fancy bars than most. Please tell me you're the type that drinks fancy red wine..." She was always on the lookout for newer, better brands, even if she could never remember the names. As her voice trailed off, her eyes loomed over to Moira next, who sat on the other side of Aria. It had been so long since either of the two had gotten a proper sit down like this, much less gotten drunk at all.