Rapunzel had pulled all her hair back into on giant braid that morning, it was always easiest when she had plans to go places. She, of course, was not going to be spending her vacation days hidden away in her room. She pushed the door from the stairwell into the lobby open, deciding last night that she preferred stairs to elevators and made her way to the restaurant and was happy to find a small buffet set up. She got into line behind a large group of people and slowly started to fill her plate. She didn't put much on it before she headed to find a table. It wasn't until she was sitting that she noticed people looking. She supposed it wasn't every day that they saw a girl's hair touching the ground as she sat in a chair. She pulled her hair over her shoulder and let it sit in her lap as she leaned forward to snack on her oatmeal.

She looked around as she did and noticed a few posters talking about a... party of sorts that was supposed to be happening that night...

Annelise yawned loudly in her bed looking over at Daria sleeping next to her she was cuddled up next to her friend and smiled softly. Her friend looked so cute sleeping there and felt the sudden urge to kiss her on the forehead but resisted the urge to do it. She slowly pulled herself off of her friend and got out of her bed. She then gently started to poke Daria on the forehead to wake her up. "Hey time to wake up." Annelise said looking over at the clock seeing that it was already ten o'clock now, today was the day of the dance that they had every year and remembered that she had requested the day off so she could do some shopping for it.

"Do you want to have breakfast here or over in the lodge?" She asked looking down at her friend.

Daria woke up slowly to Annelise's constant poking and looked up at her friend before she grabbed her finger, "Poke me again and I break it," She teased before she released her and sat up on her elbows. She yawned as Anne asked her where she was wanting breakfast, "With the choice between professionals and our combined crappy cooking... I have to go with the professionals."

She sat up fully and pulled off her pajama top before she picked her bag up off the ground and pulled out her bra and a clean top. She pulled them both on without so much as a glance at Annelise. Then came out the panties and jeans, she stood as she also grabbed her toothbrush, "I'm going to run to the washroom," She told her friend before she put her toothbrush in her mouth and stood, walking into the bathroom, her hands already pulling down her bottoms as she closed the door.

"You know you like being poked by me." Annelise giggled teasing her friend as she finally let go of her hand, and nodded to Daria she would rather have one of her co workers make breakfast for her. She then started to blush deeply as Daria got up from her bed pulling off her pj's. "Uhh.. okay yeah i'll get changed as well." Annelise said watching her friend starting to pull off her bottoms and going into the bathroom which was connected to her room.

She started to take off her pj's tossing them onto the bed until she was just in her bra and panties, Annelise started putting on a hoodie along with a pair of bluejeans to wear for the day before the dance started.

Daria came out the bathroom a short while later in dark jeans and a little blue button up that was tucked into the front of her pants. She quickly grabbed her scarf from her bag, wrapping it around her neck. She had caught sight of a couple hickeys, one far more prominent from the rest (she assumed from when Alan had bit her), that she would have to cover in make up for the party tonight as she had no intention of wearing a scarf then too. Tossing her things into her bag, she looked at Annelise and sighed, "God, I'm glad I'm going to be there when you figure out what you are wearing," She joked.

She pulled her bag up and onto her shoulder, "Well, let's head out."

Annelise turned around to watch Daria coming out of the bathroom, getting a better look at a few hickies that were on her neck and smirked slightly to see them there but decided to not say anything about it. "Well I guess it's a really good thing that I have a fashionesta as a friend, I know you will help me out anyway because you love me." Annelise said jokingly as she grabbed her purse and jacket before heading down stairs, she headed into the kitchen for a moment and grabbed some cat food for Sylvester pouring him a bowl along with a bowl of water.

"Now i'm ready." She said as she started to walk outside, the sun was out however it was very cold. She smiled hearing some people going down the slopes already or talking to one another.

Daria followed her friend, pulling on her coat and shoes as Anna fed the cat. When the girl proclaimed she was ready, she walked with her out into the sun and snow and headed toward the lodge. When they reached the large building, Daria handed off her bag to one of the bellman and gave them her room number and a tip before heading into the restaurant with Annelise. She smiled, "Woo! Buffet!" She walked over to it and started to pick through the food, choosing exactly what it was that she wanted. She glanced over her shoulder at one point and noticed a girl sitting at a table and whistled before turning back to the food, "Look at the locks on Rapunzel over there."

Annelise smiled. "Meals are on me while your here." She said as she grabbed herself a plate, and headed over towards the buffet grabbing herself some scrambled eggs, along with some hard boiled eggs and some sausage and pancakes. When Daria pointed out the girl Annelise turned to look over to see Rapunzel sitting by herself and blushed slightly seeing how attractive she was. "Thats her actual name, I chatted with her a little bit yesterday."

"Wait.... Seriously," Daria said, stealing another glance before shaking her head, "People give their kids the strangest names..."

She caught glance of Annelise's blush and her mouth hung open slightly but she made no comment. Surely, Annelise wasn't... Although, she could be... Daria had never heard her say otherwise. She bit her lip a little as she thought it over before smiling innocently at her friend, "Well, why don't we go sit with her. Maybe she can come with us on our trip," She teased in comment to the vacation the two of them had planned the previous night, "What do you say?"

"True, though a lot of people name their kids after fictonal characters as well." Annelise looked at Daria for a moment, seeing the look on her face confused her slightly. She rubbed the back of her head slightly. "I just only chatted with her yesturday we accidentally bumped into each other, and only if she is willing to go and your parents pay for her ticket as well." She then nodded. "Lets go over there then."

Annelise waved at Rapunzel as she walked up to her table and smiled. "Hey Rapunzel, mind if we join you?" She asked looking over to her friend. "This is my friend Daria by the way."

Rapunzel jumped a little when Annelise spoke, she had been very wrapped up in her oatmeal when the girl arrived. She smiled at Annelise, "Not at all."

She looked up at the dark haired girl who joined them as Annelise introduced her, "Hi."

"Hey," Daria said as she sat down next to Annelise and looked between the two a little, "So you guys ran into each other yesterday."

Rapunzel pulled her spoon out of her mouth as she nodded to her friend, "Mhm... She helped me pick up my drawings I dropped then got my lunch..."

Daria leaned on her elbow, her head in her hand, "Did she now, how kind," She grinned at her friend before looking at Rapunzel, "You draw?"

Rapunzel nodded again before she reached into her bag and pulled out her sketchbook. She opened it to the page with Annelise on it, the opposite page had a drawing of a rose that looked surprisingly real for being noticably drawn with a pencil. Daria's eyes looked back at the drawing of Annelise, which Rapunzel had finished since the day before, "Wow... Colour me surprised. It looks just like you, Anne."

"Sorry I didnt meant to scare you." Annelise apologized when Rapunzel jumped, she sat down in one seat looking towards Daria as she sat down next to her. She quickly started to dig into the scrambled eggs, quietly listening to the two of them talking. When Rapunzel pulled out her pictures Annelize quickly spotted a drawing of herself, as she blushed slightly she was amazed at how good her art was.

"That is me right?" Annelise asked looking up at Rapunzel her eyes then going down to the very well detailed rose. "You are a really good artist."

Rapunzel laughed a little when Annelise asked if it was her in the picture, "Yes..." A small blush rose to her cheeks as the girl complimented her, "Thank you... I've... worked quite hard on it..."

Daria looked at the girl, "So... Why Annelise? What spoke to you about her?"

Rapunzel laughed again and shrugged, "People don't really... speak to me," She pulled out the papers of all the portraits that had fallen all over the place yesterday and handed them to Daria, "I like to draw kind people. Annelise was more than kind to me yesterday... Some of them are people who did small things, gave a homeless person some money, gave me a friendly hello... They are just the simple drawings not to many details... because I only really saw them in passing. Others I took more time with a fireman at the hall by my apartment, Agatha... The woman who took me in a year ago, and Annelise, who fed me because... well I don't really know why."

Shifting through them, Daria was quite impressed. Even the 'simple' ones she talked about where still people. Daria struggled to believe that she saw them only in passing... She looked up from them, "Well, that's the kind of girl Annie here is."

She wrapped an arm around her friend, "Hey, are you going to the party tonight?"

"Party?"

Annelise blushed slightly when Rapunzel did say it was her and smiled. "You are welcome." She said softly looking over at Daria for a moment as Rapunzel handed her some of the drawings that she had made. Annelise took a sip of her glass of water as she ate quietly looking over at Rapunzel as she spoke about her drawings.

"It's a party that we have every year here at the lodge, we were going to go shopping for dresses today luckily I got the day off you can come with us if you like. Daria here is good with picking out dresses for everyone." Annelise said gently nudging her friend's shoulder playfully at Daria's comment.

"You know I like to help people sometimes if I am not busy with anything."

With the offer to join them, Rapunzel hesitated, not wanting to step on any toes. She looked between the girls before she nodded, "Sure... I guess I saved some money yesterday," She rubbed the back of her neck and smiled.

Daria clapped her hands, "Oh I am so excited to dress the two of you!"

When they finished eating, Daria called for Clyde to come and pick them up. Rapunzel was playing with the edge of her gray skirt a little, her fingers just peeking out from under her large cardigan and winter coat. Daria practically dragged the two girls into the car and sat on the far end so that Annelise sat between Rapunzel and herself. She leaned forward and looked at Rapunzel, "So, what do you like to wear?"

"Um... I... don't really know. I just kind of... put on what I have," She said quietly, playing with her hair a little. Daria nodded her head, "I can see that. Well, we are going to doll that both of you up tonight."

She was happy to hear that Rapunzel was going to the party as well, and started to finish eating the rest of her breakfast and gently rubbed the back of her head when Daria started to get excited about 'dressing them up'. "I bet you would love to be a fashion desinger or something Dari." Annelise said jokingly.

She quietly started walking behind Daria walking side by side with Rapunzel as they left the resturant and headed out towards the front door where Clyde was waiting by the car, Annelise climbed in behind Daria. "What are you going to buy Daria?" She asked as the car started to leave the lodge and headed down the mountain and into town.

Daria chuckled when Annelise asked her what she was going to buy. She shook her head, "Nothing for tonight, I've had that outfit planned since I packed. I might grab something though... If it happens to catch my eye. I really just came to make sure that you didn't plan on going in jeans and a sweatshirt," She smirked at her friend, "I'm like... Consider me... Your Fairy Godmother, I'm just here to make sure that you look stunning at the ball."

When they got into town and the stores, Daria hopped out and stretched before looking at her friend and Rapunzel, "Alright, you two ready to be made beautiful?"

Rapunzel nodded and grinned at Annelise before following Daria into a dress store only to have the girl start piling dresses into their arms.

"I already know you are the fairy god mother of fashion." Annelise said teasingly as the car made its way into town, she looked at Daria and started to pout. "I never wore a sweat shirt and jeans to the party, I think Eliza did once though." She laughed as the car came to a stop at a store Annelise got out shortly after Daria did and helped Rapunzel out of the car.

She shifted slightly as Daria started piling dresses and dresses into their arms and laughed slightly looking at Rapunzel. "Sorry she kind of goes crazy when it comes to clothes and parties."

Rapunzel looked up at Annelise's hand when she offered it to her to help her out. She took it into her own and smiled, giving the girl a small thank you before they followed Daria into the store. She laughed a little when Annelise called her friend crazy, "It's okay... I've never actually done this before... Most of my clothes are just hand me downs..." She tucked a strand of hair that fell out of her braid behind her ear, "It'll be nice having something that is mine..."

Daria handed the two of them a couple more dresses, "Alright. I didn't really know what would look good on you, Rapunzel, so I kind of just grabbed everything and with you not really having a style, we are going to find you one. You have everything. Although, I'm sure they'll all look great on you," She turned to Annelise, "And you, my dear. Are going to struggle to choose between these," She ushered them to the change rooms and took a seat just outside, "Alright, change into your first one... I want you guys to come out at the same time so we can all decide."

She pulled her legs up onto the couch that she sat on as she waited. Rapunzel gave Annelise a small laugh and smile before she stepped into the change room to try on the first dress.

"I'm glad you decided to join with us. otherwise I would have to be doing this by myself." Annelise teased Daria as she walked into the changing room with a handful of dresses that Daria had shoved onto her. She took a moment looking through the dresses until she found a red one She started putting it on and walked outside of the changing room looking down at Daria as she sat on one of the chairs. "What do you think?" Annelise asked looking over at Rapunzel and Daria.

Daria looked Annelise over in the dress as Rapunzel stepped out in a similar red dress although the blond didn't look as comfortable in it. Daria clapped, "Oh look, you're matching."

Rapunzel struggled between choosing whether to pull the dress up or down and looked at Annelise, "Your's looks great on you... Me... I feel like I'm wearing a towel..."

Daria laughed a waved her hand, "Then back you go," Rapunzel gratefully took the exit and slipped back into the change room before Daria looked back at Annelise, "I think you both look hot in tight red," She smiled, "It looks nice with your hair too. Orange and red don't always mix. If you like it, I say that was easy."

As she finished, Rapunzel stepped out again in a wildly different dress, "That was fast," Daria commented on the speed of the girl's changing. She whistled, "You look like a princess."

Rapunzel played with her skirts a little and smiled. She still looked a little uncomfortable but it wasn't the same as when she was in the red dress. Daria looked between the two of them, "Was... Was it really that easy?"

Annelise looked at Rapunzel and blushed deeply seeing that they were wearing the same colored dress and giggled softly at Rapunzel's comment. "I get that feeling as well sometimes, i'm more used to wearing something warmer." She walked over to a nearby mirror looking at herself through the mirror liking the look of her dress she had picked out.

Then Rapunzel went back into the changing room only to come back out a few seconds later, loving the blue dress that Rapunzel had changed into. "I really love that look on you Rapunzel." Annelise complimented staring at Rapunzel's body for a moment before turning to Daria. "I'm usually pretty easy when it comes to clothes. You know we need accessories now right?"

Daria scoffed at the comment, "You do know who you are talking to right? Accessories are my favourite part," She got onto her feet, "Get changed into your clothes. We'll buy your dresses then find you girls some shoes and jewelry."

She grinned at them both. Rapunzel looked at Annelise again, almost looking for her to lead for she turned around and did as Daria said. A few minutes later, she was back out and in her skirt and cardian. She tapped the toe of her converse against the ground as she held the dress in her arms. Daria pointed to the cashier, "Pay over there," She said with a smile.

Rapunzel nodded before heading over to pay.

"Yes mistress of fashion." Annelise laughed as she turned around and headed back into the changing room, putting back on her hoodie and jeans along with her boots, Annelise came back out a few minutes later looking over to Rapunzel and smiled at her. She walked alongside Daria as she waited in line Annelise pulled out her wallet her eyes going over to the price tag and pulled out the exact money for it.

As she handed the money over to the cashier Annelise looked at Rapunzel as she went to check out. "Do you think she is cute?" Annelise finally asked turning to face Daria.

Daria looked at her friend slightly taken off guard by her question. She had been speculating since they saw Rapunzel in the restaurant... Annelise seemed to be... shy in a way that she wasn't before and bold in ways that Daria hadn't seen in her. Not to mention, Daria was about 90% sure that Annelise was checking her out when the girl was trying on dresses. Of course, she wasn't just going to out her friend like that. She glanced over at Rapunzel, "I guess. I mean she's pretty but I'm not attracted to her," She said in a joking tone, "Why? Are you?"

Annelise blushed slightly and quickly shook her head rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. "I uhh maybe.." She said awkwardly, even though the night before she had been with Alan it wasnt as enjoyable as she thought it would have been. "Maybe you are attracted to her you just dont want to admit it." Annelise said changing the subject.

Daria grabbed Annelise's shoulder and looked at her with wide eyes, trying her best not to squeal and catch the attention of the oblivious blonde. She gave her friend a big, "Are you serious?!" When Anne tried to change the subject, her smile disappeared for a moment, "Trust me, dear. If it ain't a boy, I ain't interested," She squeezed Annelise's shoulders, "Well... We'll get you two drunk tonight and you can go for a test drive," She teased, "Trust me, it is the best way to figure out if you are really into someone... and if you aren't, blame it on the alcohol," She pressed one of her hands to her chest, " Now I know I have someone to make you hot for.... I suppose in both ways you could take that."

She kissed her friend's forehead with much happiness before she finally released her shoulders, "Well, come my little turtle doves, we have much to do."

Rapunzel watched Daria a little as she seemed to be suddenly filled with ten folds the energy that she had before.... Which Rapunzel was a little surprised was possible at all. She turned her attention to Annelise, "What... was that about?"

Annelise felt Daria grabbing her shoulders looking into her friends wide eyes, Annelise started to look very embarrassed about it. "I don't think alcoholalcohol would make things better." Annelise whispered softly feeling her friend squeezing her shoulders, even though she did like to joke around and act childish and energetic at times she was shy when it came to dating.

Annelise blushed slightly when Daria kissed her on the forehead, she turned to look at Rapunzel as she approached them. "Oh um, she was excited that I would be singing at the party tonight is all."

Rapunzel followed after Daria with Annelise and looked at her, "You sing?" She smiled, "I sing sometimes... but only when I'm alone..." She tucked the stubborn strand of hair that refused to remain behind her ear, "That's really brave of you... To sing in front of everyone."

She looked around to see Daria waiting to usher the girls to the next store. Daria grinned, "Come on, the shoe store is just down the street. We are going to walk though. I forgot something up at the lodge and had to sent Clyde back up to get it."

With that, she turned and headed down the street, the two girls following behind. Rapunzel picked up a handful of snow as they walked and started to ball it up in her hands, her fingers turning red, "Do you live up here? I mean... You work at the lodge right?"

"I usually sing for the party almost every year, though mostly just cover songs I couldnt write my own songs to save my own life." Annelise said with a soft laugh as she quietly followed behind Daria out of the clothing store, she adjusted her jacket slightly to get warmer.

"Yes I do, my dad owns a house very close to the lodge, he owns the place. Though he had some meeting with his bankers out of state so he leaves me and my sister in charge of the place." She looked back at Rapunzel curious why her hair was so long before asking. "Why do you grow out your har so long?" She asked.

Rapunzel bit her lip a little when Annelise asked why it was that she grew out her hair. She took the braid into her hands and looked at it, "I... don't know... It used to be longer," A lot longer, she added silently to herself, "But it became pretty hard having hair that dragged on the ground when you walked places... So Agatha chopped it all off.... But I couldn't go shorter than this... It was kind of like I lost a little bit of myself," She made the action of tucking hair behind her ear, despite no hair falling in her face, "Aggie says it is pretty amazing that it was so healthy and clean for the length that it was... She didn't think it was even possible... I don't know how it got that long though," She wrapped her arms around herself and looked at Annelise, "I don't remember much of my life before a year ago... it's just... poof... gone."

"It looks very pretty, and well kept whenever I grow my hair out it can become a real pain to deal with." She said brushing the small blonde streak in her hair tucking it behind her ear, feeling the same connection somewhat. "I've always had this blonde streak in my hair since I was little. I've never even dyed it once." Annelise said and smiled. "I also cant really remember anything when I was little when my father found my sister and I in the mountains. Same with Daria over there as well."

Rapunzel looked between the two of them, "Really?"

Daria turned around and walked backwards as she nodded her head, "Mhm, well, I was found in my parents backyard which is bascially a wood but it was... you know... in Russia."

"You're Russian?"

"My parents are. They were at our cabin there and... pretty good thing too. They didn't have neighbours for miles and I wasn't exactly dressed for a Russian winter," She smiled, "But I didn't get any cool hair thing. Just this," She pulled out her gold necklace out from under her scarf, "We don't know what it says... Trust me, my parents exhausted a lot of money before they finally decided it was just a pretty picture."

She shrugged and turned around. Despite the dark pasts the two had just shared with her it made her smile. For the last year people had been asking her where she was from and always gave her sad or confused looks when she told them that she didn't know. It was nice to know that someone else understood that. Daria opened the door to the shoe shop and Rapunzel gratefully went in, her legs freezing under her wool tights and skirt. She looked around the place and her eyes widened. Just looking at what was there she was almost positive that she couldn't afford any of it.

"Don't worry," Daria said as though she were reading her mind, "This part of the shopping trip is on me. A friend of Annelise is a friend of mine and I buy my friends nice shoes."

"I would have liked a nice thing of jewlery Daria has though." She said jokingly as they continued walking down the sidewalk in town, knowing that they all almost had the same history now. When they walked into the shoe store Annelise looked towards Rapunzel for a moment. "Good thing i'm friends with Daria she will buy us a car if she wanted."

Annelise walked ahead hearing over towards where they sold high heeled shoes, wondering which ones to get that would match her shoes as well as keep her feet warm if she had to go out into the snow again. She spotted a nice pair of black high heeled boots, she searched for a pair in her size before eventually finding the right size and tried them on.

Rapunzel looked at Daria as Annelise explained, her eyes going wide, "Really?"

"Really... My parents make far more money than I could ever spend... So why not share the wealth a little," She said as she waved a black credit card before she handed it off to a store clerk, "Just make sure all our purchases go on that."

"Of course, Ms. Belikov," The woman said with a grin knowing well that with the card's colour the girl was most certainly loaded. Daria smiled at Rapunzel, "Now let's find you some cute shoes for your dress."

She looked down as Annelise tried on some shoes and nodded, "Those are cute, Annie."

She sat Rapunzel down and started searching before she found a pair of gold heels. Daria picked one up, "What's your size, Rapunzel?"

"Um... I think it's a size six..." She said, not fully sure.

Daria grabbed the box and walked over to her before handing them over, "Long hair, tiny feet, anything you weren't blessed with?" She teased as Rapunzel pulled the heels out of the box and tried them on, "Like them?"

Rapunzel placed her hands on the edge of the seat as she looked down at her feet, "Mhm... A lot... Just one thing though..."

"What?"

"I've... never actually worn high heels before..."

Annelise sat there as she got adjusted to the new pair of shoes her eyes meeting Daria's and smiled at her. "Thank you." She said standing up as she walked around hearing her heels clacking against the hard floor, Annelise watched Daria picking out a pair for Rapunzel she took a few steps closer to get a closer view of them.

She stared at the sparkely pair of heels and smiled. "They look really good." Annelise complimented Rapunzel, she looked over at Daria for a moment and then towards Rapunzel. "I can teach you." She said softly blushing slightly.

Daria smiled at Annelise's offer to teach the girl to wear heels. She might have been more experienced in wearing them but there was no way she was getting in between the two love birds. She nodded her head, "I'm going to look around for myself and then I'm assuming I'm right to buy these. Why don't you two practice a little then we'll head back to my room and start on Rapunzel's hair.... because that is going to take a while."

"Really... You're going to do something with my hair?" Even Agatha wouldn't do anything with her hair beyond cutting it and that's what that woman did for a living.

Daria had already pulled out her phone, "Well... I'm going to call in someone... a few someones to do your hair."

Rapunzel looked up at Annelise in awe, "Your friend is really nice... I think I'm going to have to get to work on drawing her," She said with a small laugh before standing up and quickly grabbing onto Annelise for balance, "Okay... How do I do this?"

"She is one of my best friends, though I only get to see her once a year though." She said looking towards Daria and gave her a friendly nod as she headed off to somewhere else within the store. Annelise blushed slightly as Rapunzel held onto her, looking into Rapunzel's eyes for a moment.

"Let me show you first and then you can try sound good?" Annelise gently backed away from Rapunzel taking a few steps away from her. "What you want to try and do is walk from heel to toe, make a few short steps at a time and don't try and walk toe to heel or you will lose you balance."

As Annelise explained she slowly walked up and down the aisle a few feet away from them and looked over at Rapunzel and smiled. "Now you try."

Rapunzel watched Annelise as she walked with ease in her heels as though she were walking in flats. She was quite impressed.... Even more so than she would have been previous to standing up. She bit at her lip when Annelise walked back to her and smiled, telling her to try and do the same thing she did. She took a deep breath and started to walk. She wobbled a little here and there or had to reach out and grab one of the shelves but more or less, she was good enough on them that she would probably be able to not die on them that night.

She walked back to Annelise and quickly grabbed onto her shoulders. She hadn't fallen yet and she really didn't trust that she wouldn't fall at all. She looked at her friend and laughed a little, "I feel tall... I've never felt tall before," She hesitated, "I think...."

She smiled at Annelise, "Thanks for letting me come... This is really fun..."

Annelise stood there watching as Rapunzel started to walk seeing the visible wabble having the same issue when she tried on heels for the very first time, even fell and sprained her ankle the first time she walked in them. "I'm glad that you are having fun, and i'm happy that you came with us." Annelise smiled and blushed slightly as Rapunzel held onto her shoulders.

She was very tempted to lean forward and kiss the other girl but knowing that it would be awakward to kiss her in public and she was afraid of embarrasing the girl or scare her off. "I think we are ready to check out don't you think?"

Rapunzel nodded and released the girl's shoulders, carefully making her way back to the seat. Once she sat, she took off the heels and started to put on her converse. Daria came over to them, "Alright, you two are all paid for and Clyde has made his way back down from the mountain... Rapunzel, do mind running out and telling him I just need to get my card back?"

The blonde nodded and gathered her box before heading out to the car. Daria turned to her friend and opened her hand a small necklace with a simple pearl falling to hang from her finger, "If you like her, give her this. And some alcohol and then make out with her because... well... You don't know how long she is staying... Give her a reason to give you her cell phone number other than being a good chum."

She winked before handing the necklace off, "Meet you in the car," She said with a smile before heading back out into the cold.

Annelise went back and sat down on the bench taking off her high heel boots she had picked out, laying them neatly inside of the box before putting her shoes back on. Her eyes going up to meet Daria's as she came back to them. She looked to Daria for a moment as she asked Rapunzel to head towards the car to tell Clyde that Daria was getting her card back.

She dusted herself off looking to her friend as she approached her to see Daria had a small necklace with a pearl linked to it. Seeing how beautiful it was Annelise looked at Daria. "Thanks Daria, though maybe i'll leave alcohol out of it." She said softly as Daria set it into her hand and followed behind her friend back out into the cold and towards the car.

Coming into consciousness after a few hours, all Alan could feel was pain. Everywhere. Opening up his eyes slowly, wincing immediately as the very dim lighting of the cell block felt like a freight train had pummeled into his brain, he felt the cool cement of the floor pressing into his cheek. He wasn't sure exactly when he had fallen asleep, or why, but he was damn sure now that he had been drinking. The familiar feeling of each and every one of his muscles, squeezed for their water in his major dehydration for over-consumption of alcohol made the freight train in his head feel like a feather tickle. The only positive thing he could say about this entire experience was that he felt somewhat rested, despite the pain all over. "Man, I slept like a log..." He muttered to himself quietly, using the strength of his arms to push himself up a bit. "Fitting...Pinocchio." A voice marked with a light Scottish accent spoke up from the other side of the bars. Dominic Greyjoy, garbed as if he were still in the Fairy Tale World stood outside the jail cell, a single hand planted in his coat pocket, the other cupped his chin as he eyed the young man on the floor with a raised eyebrow; a look of disgust and amusement in his eyes. Remaining on his hands and knees, for the most part, Alain lifted his head up to follow the source of the voice. His dark hair blanketed over his eyes, but squinting hard enough (from the lighting above) he was able to get a good picture of what he was looking at. Brushing off his given name as some sort of jab at the songs he had been singing earlier, Alan instead focused his energy on getting himself upright. Reaching out one hand, he grabbed hold of the metal bar in front of him, only reaching with his second hand to grab another bar after he had a good grip and relying on his upper body strength to pull him up. Laughing lightly at nothing in particular, Alan sunk into the spacing between the bars, keeping his eyes on the man with a majority of his arm though the open space with half his face wedged between the bars, he lifted his arm in a pitiful, energyless attempt to gesture at him. "'nd I thought... 'nd I thought the pedofiles... were s'posed t'be on this side of the playground..." He said, waving his arm back through the bars in a grand sweep to gesture to inside his cell. "Bold words coming from an adult who's already bedded two teenagers. How old were they, eighteen, maybe?" Dominic replied nonchalantly, though there was a certain coldness to his words. Drawing in his lower lip between his teeth, Alan let out an elongated, eggagerated 'pffft' with a an even slower wave of his hand, as though it were of little importance. "More than that brah, 'nd younger too... I think... but you'd know all 'bout them youngins wouldn'tya pedi?" "Hold your tongue!" Dominic began harshly, his eyes narrowing sharply before he continued on, in a slightly calmer tone. Alan promptly raised his hand to his face and stuck out his tongue. He then trapped his tongue between his thumb and forefinger and held it there, going a little cross-eyed as he tried to see what it was that he was doing, realizing that his tongue was still a little numb. "Thirteen years...thirteen years since you were sent over here and what have you accomplished, eh? The drinking, the gambling, the drugs, the whores. Real paragon of virtue, you are. What were the words: Selfless, brave, and true? Nice job there." Dominic commented with a deep frown on his face. "Buh ith wath thooooo wurth ith!" Alan attempted to reply, still holding onto his tongue while resting his head between the bars again, as though it were the only thing keeping him upright. Finally releasing his tongue, licking his lips a bit and reaching out to wipe his fingers on the man's shirt, he stood up a bit straighter, using both hands to keep him upright now on the bars that seperated them. "Come for a magic show laddie?" He then asked, tilting his head a bit and doing what he could to impersonate the man's Scottish accent. "Cuz the shops a bit closed righ' now... though you can have a bit'of'o discount since the hot mamma lass referred ya. She likes it when I sing, and I sing from the heart..." "You want me to break your nose now, or later?" Dominic snarled, ignoring Alan's last words. "The Sorcerer and I had a little chat last night. He's not exactly happy with the fact you completely ignored your duties for the last thirteen years. Have you any idea how important your job is? Or does it require basic brain function to figure out? You may think you're some kind of suave magician, but in reality you're just a wood puppet trying to fit in where he doesn't belong." Dominic spat, adding emphasis onto the word 'puppet' as though it were a bad taste in his mouth. Alan's glossed over, still slightly intoxicated eyes darkened a fraction, the man's words being the ones that finally settled into his brain on what it was that was happening here, the thought alone sobering him up a bit. He was from there. From his world. Pushing himself away from the bars a bit, Alan stood up as tall as he could and ran his fingers through his hair, pushing his long bangs out of his eyes, exhaling a long, deep sigh from his nose. It figured that Ilya would send someone to do what he couldn't. It wasn't the words of the man that had him somewhat unsettled, but the nature behind them. Whether he liked it or not, his past was catching up with him, he just wasn't ready to face it. Not yet. "Rape! Rape! Hey lady you out there? This man is trying to touch me! The hell kind of security you got goin on in this place! Hey! Get off me you freak! Help! Rape!" Shooting the man a sort of smile, Alan opened up his mouth to continue to call for the woman who had arrested him in the first place. "What the hell are you yelling about?!" Dominic demanded with a look of complete shock on his face. "You're in a damned cell, and I'm outside the cell, now use your ears instead of your mouth and listen...does this little act of yours amuse you? Do you find it-" Taking a few more steps back for good measure, Alan promptly stepped backwards onto the small cot that was supposed to serve as his bed and plunged both pointer fingers into his ears and shut his eyes. "When you get in trouble and you don't know right from wrong, give a little whistle! Give a little whistle! When you meet temptation and the urge is very strong, give a little whistle! Give a little whistle!" Shaking his head in utter disgust, Dominic wasn't sure what he could say that wouldn't result in him simply shouting at the man in a string of curses. "You disgust me...I don't even know what the Sorcerer saw in you that made him think you'd be a good Guardian. You're good for little more than firewood. I will tell you this though..." Leaning in until he was practically inches from the bars, Dominic continued in a hushed whisper, "If you so much as look at Eliza the wrong way, I'll break every bone in your body, you understand me?" Dominic finished with a hiss, a frankly predatory look on his face, with a certain steely resolve to his words that solidified the fact that he had every intention of going through with his threat. Morgan woke up to the sound of shouting, with completed paperwork on the table. She groaned as she woke herself up, and she grumbled "The Hell...?!" She stood up and headed back to the cells to hear that it was the crazy drunk Pinnochio again. She walked in to see an older man standing in front of the crazy man. She called loudly in order to catch both of their attentions "Hey!" trying to silence the drunkard from last night. Dominic's expression faded from the fierce anger it had to a more neutral one as he cocked his head, looking towards the source of the interrupting voice. "Good morning, Officer." He greeted politely, a complete 180 from his earlier tone and look. "I apologize, am I disturbing something?" He asked, retaining a sort of formal courtesy in his mannerisms. Hearing a dull hum of what he knew was a female voice, Alan pulled his fingers out from his ears and opened up his eyes, relieved that finally the police were doing their job. Hopping down back onto the cement floor from the cot, he outstretched an arm and pointed a finger at Dominic. "He tried to touch me." The man in the cell next to Alan's commented out loud from his cot, indicating that he had been listening to the whole discussion, "Your nose just grew longer, Pinocchio," "Hey! You want your quarter back or not?" Alan shouted back to his almost cell mate. "Keep it, Woody! Your singing sucks!" Morgan placed her hands on her hips, and she answered Dominic (after scanning his attire...well, she wasn't one to comment on someone's sense of fashion, no matter how strange it seemed to her) with a question of her own, "Who let you come back here? Visiting hours aren't until two hours from now," The tone of her voice implied that she was starting to think that Dominic may be there to help Alan break out of jail. "I beg your pardon, ma'am...I must not have caught the sign. The door was unlocked, so I assumed the building was open to visitors. But, if that is not the case, then I should be on my way." Dominic replied in a tone that was nothing less than amicable. Alan merely responded by shooting Dominic a rather smug look, raising his eyebrows a few times in a taunting fashion. Morgan calmed down slightly when the man seemed to be cooperative. She noticed that Alan was taunting the older man. When he said that he should be on his way, she said to him "Thank you," She then said to him "Why don't you let me walk you out? I'd like to ask you some questions," "Hm? Yes, certainly, that'd be fine." Dominic replied with a warm smile, looking the detective in the eye as he spoke. He kept his posture casual and inviting, with little-to-no appearance of hostility or danger about him, aside from his somewhat shambled appearance. The detective nodded towards the direction of the doors leading out of the cells, and she suggested politely "Shall we then," Before the two of them left, the cell mate called after them, "Don't forget to ask about Woody's pedophilia!" Morgan walked with Dominic and as she did, she asked "So...how are you acquainted with Mr. Alan Woodard, Mr...?" Nodding simply as he began to follow the detective, Dominic managed to keep a straight face, even when she asked her question regarding his relationship to Alan. "Dominic Greyjoy. I'm a museum worker out of state. Mr. Woodard's father and I knew each other awhile back, before Alan was born. I didn't expect to run into him here....even less expected to find him in these circumstances." Dominic replied, keeping his composure expertly. Morgan nodded and asked, deducting from his statement that he and Alan haven't met with each other very often, at least not often enough for Dominic to know about certain details about Alan, "I see. Pardon my curiosity, but how did you hear that Mr. Woodard Jr. was here in the first place?" "I first came here to meet with one Eliza Brie. I'm very close friends of the family and will occasionally vacation up at the ski lodge throughout the year. Alan has spent the last few days up at the lodge performing. Parlor tricks and the like. I heard a rumor of a magician being caught and arrested not far from the lodge; gambled on the chance it might be him." Dominic answered cordially, almost surprised with himself at how quick he had been with a cover story. The detective raised an eyebrow at Dominic's statement that Alan has spent the last few days at the lodge performing. There was no 'I heard' or 'I thought', no indication that this was just Mr. Dominic Greyjoy's line of thinking, it was just stated as a fact. That was quite peculiar to Morgan, considering that he didn't know Alan Woodard very well, and that he wasn't sure if the arrested magician he heard about was Alan or not. This man was lying about something...Now Morgan wasn't quite too keen on commenting that she had met an Eliza Brie yesterday. She asked "Did Mr. Woodard discuss with you as to why he was incarcerated?" "No, he did not. Though given his behavior, I've no doubt alcohol was involved somehow." Dominic replied, silently hoping the exit was close. He was never one for the cloak-and-dagger routine. Morgan nodded "It was," Soon they reached the front door, and Morgan politely opened the front door for Dominic Greyjoy, and she said politely "Have a good day, Mr. Greyjoy," "Thank you, Detective...you as well." Dominic bid courteously with a short bow of his head before leaving the police station, heaving out a heavy sigh of relief once the door was closed. Morgan watched Dominic leave before she headed back to the cell in order to question Alan. Now that he was awake, and (possibly) sober, it was time to get coherent information from him.

*~*~*Alan Woodard and Morgan Reginald, Present Day, Lake Tahoe, Earth*~*~* Having gone to sit down on the cot after Morgan and Dominic had left, Alan had been staring blankly at the cement wall opposite of him, trying to push his past from his thoughts once more but the sobering visit had his mind running almost to full capacity. Sighing, he hung his head, absentmidedly running his fingers through his hair in an effort to dull the throbbing headache that he had become aware of once again from severe dehydration from the alcohol. Hearing one of the doors down the hall opening back up, he could only assume it was the 'hot mamma' woman that had arrested him, coming back for more information. He didn't want to deal with that either but it was better than the alternative. Morgan sighed through her nose silently as headed back to the cells, not looking forward to having to talk to 'Pinocchio'. After getting two other officers to back her up, she headed for the cells so she could get Alan Woodard to an interrogation room. She soon stood in front of Alan's cell with crossed arms and a stern look on her face as she opened the cell door. She said to him seriously "Alright. Now, I have some questions for you," Lifting his head up to look at her slightly, he gave her a tired smile, no longer feeling as well-rested as he had been just moments before. He had no sense of time in the room without windows, for all he knew he could have only knocked out for twenty minutes. But he supposed he'd find that out later. "And my answer is yes, I'd be more than happy to take you underwear shopping." He replied, his smirk growing somewhat as he let his eyes look her over again, still squinting from the 'brightness' of the light. She ignored his snarky comment as she grabbed the back of his shirt collar, hand cuffed him again, and she walked to the interrogation room with him in tow. Soon they reached the room, and had Alan sit in the umcomfortable chair away from the door, lights, and thermostat (facing him towards the one way window that showed his reflection). The moment Alan was seated, he rested the side of his head down on the table in front of him and closed his eyes, using his bended arms underneath him as a sort of pillow and exhaled an elongated sigh. The two officers closed the door behind the both of them, and Morgan paced in front of him. She took the heroin he had on his person out, (placed within an evidence bag) and she stated calmly, with a dangerous edge in her tone, "Care to explain as to how you got your mitts on this," Cracking open an eye to look up at her, then the heroin case he had procured recently and then back up to her, he finally just let his eye slide back closed and replied, sounding rather annoyed, "Care to show a bit of human decency and get me a glass of water?" Another officer soon came into the room with a cup of water in hand, and just placed it on the table before leaving again. Morgan gestured towards the water, and stated coldly, "There's your water. Now answer the question," Lifting his head just a fraction to look at the styrofoam cup of water, he reached a hand out and brought it to his lips, taking as long as he possibly could to drink it's contents just to get a rise out of the woman. Once finished, he crushed the cup in his hand, set it back down on the table and smacked his lips obnoxiously. "I want a lawyer." He told her firmly and laid his head back down on his makeshift pillow on the table. Of course he had to say that. She mentally rolled her eyes, and she shrugged saying, "Alright, fine," She knew what to do in order to entice him. She hoped it would work. She started heading for the door and as she did she stated "I guess you don't want that phone call then," Rolling his head around a bit so that it was upright, with his chin still resting on his hands, he gave the woman in front of him another look over, however holding the alluring gaze and was instead seeming to size her up. "Alright. You're hot, so I'll give you a bit of a break here. This isn't my first rodeo mamma, that 'one phone call' is complete and utter bullshit; something drummed up by the media that has stuck for some unknown Goddamn reason. We both know that my right to a phone call depends on the person assigned to my case... I'm guessing that person is you- I apologize -so the question here is... how much longer do you want to put up with me before you beg me to call someone to just put up my bail? I don't have a lawyer of my own, now... assuming you did your job right when you arrested me, you read me my rights, which means one will be provided to me by this lovely state of Nevada... and we both know that sometimes, thanks to this wonderful justice system we have in good ol' America, that could take up to a few weeks." He paused, letting his words sink in for a moment as he rested his head back down on the table again to close his eyes. "So how much is bail? Lets see we got attempted car theft, public intoxication... drug possession..." He paused, closing his already shut eyes tighter as he tried to think. "...carry the two..." After a moment he sighed and relaxed his face. "Fuck it, I can't think. Just call a bail bondsman for me, yeah?" Morgan stopped and faced Alan when he started speaking. She crossed her arms, and drummed her fingers as the man in front of her rattled on about what she knew already. When he finally made his request and asked her to call a bail bondsman for him like she was nothing more than a servant girl, she kept her cold gaze on his eyes, and she said to him seriously, "Not until you tell me where you got the heroin, yeah?" She wasn't going to let this arrogant prick get the better of her. "Found it inside the belly of a whale, and unless you wanna spend thousands of dollars of the hard-working, low-income class' tax payers dollars on a poly, you can't call me a liar. So there, I answered your question. A bail bondsman if you'd please..." He said, keeping his head down and eyes closed still, though using his hand to 'sweep' her away with a small gesture, unable to do much since his wrists were still handcuffed together. Morgan narrowed her gaze at Alan irritably, before calming herself down. She placed latex gloves on her hands, and took out an empty evidence bag, and placed the two large styrofoam cup pieces that had Alan's saliva and fingerprints on it. The law enforcement had their ways of weeding out the culprits. She started walking out silently promising that she would make sure that he went to jail. She walked past an officer and she said to him, clearly irritated "Give him his bails bondsman," She then went to forensics and handed the styrofoam cup and the bag of heroin, so they could pull off the fingerprints, differentiate them from Alan's, and run them through the system. After she was done with forensics, she went to an Officer Richard Hanson and she said to him "Ask him about his contacts, have someone come pick his sorry ass up," Officer Richard nodded and he said "Yes, Detective," He then went to the interrogation room to do as Morgan asked. Coming up with who the male officer could call for him wasn't exactly a hard choice. He only had half a handful of contacts in Nevada, and even less phone numbers of those people he could call. Mainly, it came down to the deck of cards he had (or used to have) in his pocket with the phone numbers of the girls he had gotten over the last week, though he doubted Daria or Annelise or any of the other girls he managed to sleep with at the lodge would give two shakes of a crickets tail about him... except Eliza. His visibly winced at that thought. He was supposed to be in bed with her by now, seduced her with a fair amount of alochol and cheesy romantic movies but instead he was here. Who knew how many phone calls he had missed from her by now; he still wasn't even sure how long he had been in here. Giving the officer directions about the deck of cards they had confiscated, telling him which card to find exactly where, the officer eventually got ahold of Eliza's number and called her privately from his desk, leaving Alan in the interrogation room alone to wait.

Aurora awoke the next morning to find herself still in the dress that Maleficent had put her in the night before and sat up. She walked over to her wardrobe as she slowly undid the back to let her take it off. She pulled one of the many gowns that Maleficent had supplied her with over the years. She supposed that dresses were hardly an issue when you could do magic and everyone in the realm feared you. She let the dress she wore fall to the ground as she changed into the new one. Once she had it on, she turned and picked up the dress that she had discarded upon the floor and hung it back up in the wardrobe. She gathered the skirts of the simple gown and headed out of her room. She had to ensure that Maleficent would not get mad at her for her appearance again. Her brown hair cascaded over her shoulders in large curls from spending the night in a bun. Her feet were silent as she walked, barefoot, down the halls. She never wore shoes in the palace, fearing that they made too much noise and could annoy the Queen. So, she walked in near silence through the castle halls. Aurora spent most her days in near silence. She made her way down to the kitchens, which was a bit of a surprise to those who were working away. She smiled at them all and greeted them by name. Learning everyone's name was a task that Aurora took to very quickly in her thirteen year stay. She wanted to get to know everyone. She walked up to one of the chefs and bowed her head a little, "I was wondering if I could take the Queen's food to her quarters. She seemed awfully tired yesterday." "Of course, dear," The chef made quick work of plating a tray of Aurora before handing it to her, "There you are, your highness." "Thank you, Gerald... Enjoy your day," She picked up the tray and made her way back up the stairs and to Maleficent's bedroom. When she reached the large door, she carefully placed the tray on one hand and allowed for the other to knock quietly. A soft smile crept over her lips as she hunched over her back arching slightly as she slipped backwards being sure that her body was pressing up against that of the man she knew for certain that she was in love with her dark brown eyes opening slowly as moved her thumb back and forth over the back of his hand the other happily trapped between his arm and her chest, turning her head back she looked over her shoulder her smile growing as she caught his gaze a gentle sigh slipping away from her as she let herself revel in the memories of the night before the thought of being held up in his loving embrace like she was causing her cheeks to grow red. "Well... Good morning my dear, I do hope that you slept well." Closing her eyes she lifted her head a little her lips pressing against the tip of his nose for just a moment before she once more relaxed her body her arm slipping from between them to pull the sheets up and over their bodies as the sound of a knock echoed around them from the large wooden doors alerting them to the fact that someone was there, turning her head back around she let her gaze linger on it for a few moments her smile fading as her lips molded into a slight pout at having her peace disturbed, "Yes? What is it now?" Feeling Freya's body starting to move against him, her back to his chest and her thumb brushing up against his hand that was draped over her waist and resting on her stomach, his dark brown eyes flitted open, just in time to catch her gaze. Unable to help the somewhat shy smile back to her, he pushed his head forward and buried his nose in her hair, breathing in her scent and the fresh air of the morning that the gentle breeze was blowing into the room through the curtain separating it from the balcony. "Well enough to not want to leave this bed ever again." Jafar replied, if a bit mumbled as he still had his face buried into her hair but pulled back feeling her body shift, greeted with a tiny kiss on the tip of his nose. Just looking back at her, propping up his head with his hand and elbow resting on the mattress below him, he couldn't help but to let his thoughts wander slightly. He adored mornings- little moments like this -it took him back to a time in his life when everything was just simple, when there was no need to stress about day-to-day life or who was trying to invade who's kingdom; a time before he was even the Vizier of Agrabah. His life with Sherrezade seemed like an entire lifetime ago, but even then he couldn't remember being this happy. His dark orbs immediately snapped to the door as a rather irritating knock interrupted the moment, and his thoughts. His eyes narrowed, half paying attention to the fact that Freya was making an effort to cover them up, forgetting already at their state of undress. A slight growl forced his upper lip into a sort of sneer as he lifted his head up from his hand, letting his neck support the full weight and the palm of his now free hand started to glow just a light tinge of orange with a flicker of a flame at his fingertips. He didn't know who was on the other side or why; nor did he care. They were going to die. Aurora bit her lip a little when she heard Maleficent speak from the other side. She started to worry that the woman wouldn't want breakfast in bed. She worried that she had woken her up. She worried about a lot of things but she knew nothing would tick her off more than not getting an answer and having to find out who is was that bothering her in the early hours of the morning. She let her lip fall out of her mouth and took a deep breath, "I-It's Aurora... Your majesty... You seemed tired y-yesterday... So I thought that you might like to have your breakfast brought to your room for you... I'm... sorry if I disturbed you." The tray shook in her hands a little as she worked herself up before she took a deep breath, not wanting to spill anything nor ruin the chef's placing. Clenching her jaw she held herself back suppressing a groan of annoyance as she listened the soft voice of her ward Aurora floating into the room from the other side of the large door as the girl tried to hurriedly explain why it was she had interrupted the two of them in the first place, turning her head slightly she had to double back her eyes flicking from the flames licking at Jafar's fingers before she lifted her gaze back to his her body pressing back into his in hopes that he might calm himself before doing something the both of them would regret doing. "Aurora... Come in, you may leave the food on the table. I do hope that you had the smarts to bring enough food to appease us both. Neither of us have eaten since lunch yesterday." Slowly turning her attention back to the door she lifted one of her eyebrows curious to see how the girl was going to react to the knowledge that she was not alone in her chambers. With Freya pressing back into him further, Jafar simply lowered his hand, the tingle of magic leaving his hand and rested his jaw down on her bare shoulder, seemingly peeking over her and at the door in which he now knew that Aurora was behind. His jaw tightened up somewhat, he didn't much care for Aurora. Such a petty little thing that had no business here, there, or anywhere most of the time. Maleficent may have had her uses for the girl, but he certainly did not. He made a slight noise of protest that only Freya would hear, and understand before letting his head slip down from her shoulder to press his forehead to the back of her shoulder instead, closing his eyes and silently praying to Allah for patience. Aurora opened the door when she heard Maleficent inviting her in, quickly closing it behind her. She turned as the woman spoke for another person and noticed Jafar in the bed, his head pressed against her shoulder. She quickly sunk into a curtsy, "Sultan... I did not know you were here..." She quickly moved and placed the tray on the table as was asked of her before she looked back at Maleficent. She bowed her head, "I'm sorry... I didn't know you had... company... I can run back to the kitchens and fetch more for the both of you if you would like, your Majesties." Aurora's fingers played slightly with her skirts, clearly uncomfortable. Not only was she embarrassed for having found them both in such a state but also because she had a sense that Jafar was not too fond of her. The man rarely spoke to her and she was always a little unnerved in his presence. She didn't know how to act around him, there weren't many people who didn't like her. Chuckling softly a small smirk crossed her lips as his soft voice entered her ears adding to her amusement for the morning, she knew that he was not fond of the girl and that the girl in question knew that she was not liked by the Sultan himself, though the only thing keeping him from acting on his instincts was the fact that she wished to keep the girl around for reasons even sometimes unknown to the Queen herself, "The time for such actions Aurora has passed. We shall just have to make do with that which you have brought us, I do not mind sharing my meal as long as it is with my Sultan..." Lifting her hand up she turned her head to glance back at him her palm reaching back until she was able to slip her fingers into his hair letting them trail down behind his ear before she once more lowered her hand back to where it had begun, her head and eyes turning back to the girl standing before them watching as she shifted uncomfortably under the gaze that she knew Jafar was giving her, "Unless, my dear Jafar, do you have any issues with sharing the food that this child has brought to us?" Issuing out a sort of berated snort when Aurora addressed him, he lifted up his head a bit, cold eyes looking over the girl as though he were sizing her up... or deciding which way was best to end her useless life. He wasn't about to sugar-coat it, not today, not when she had ruined something he was thoroughly enjoying. He eventually let his eyes glance over to the small service she had brought in and rolled his eyes. Even if Aurora had only thought it was just Maleficent in here, the food provided was hardly enough given their withdrawal of food the previous day, not to mention, overall, he noticed Freya's appetite had increased somewhat given the fact that they hardly ever seemed to make it out of the bedroom anymore. "Actually..." Jafar voiced, finding his throat a bit dry from having just woken up. He shirked away from Freya a bit. It wasn't at all that he didn't enjoy the contact, he was just very uncomfortable with public displays of affection; he always had been. It made him feel somewhat vulnerable, and the fact that he was stark naked with nothing but a sheet to save his dignity in front of a teenage girl wasn't at all helping to ease that from him. "I'll have my own portion. Your Queen will not be subjected into sharing a meal she could very well indulge in on her own. Now go." He made a sweeping gesture with his hand. "And bring back something fresh." A weight lifted off of Aurora's chest a little as the Queen said that they would make do. The girl kept her eyes on the ground, wanting to spare them as much... privacy as she could while still in the room. She watched her fingers as they turned the fabric between them and began to bite at her lip as Jafar began to speak. With every word he spoke the weight returned to her chest. A moment later she was being sent off, she said not a word to either of them. She merely curtsied before she turned to the door and quickly slipped out of it. She took a second to lean against the wood, trying to calm her nerves before she gathered her skirts and raced down the hall back to the kitchens. When she reached them, she rushed over to Gerald and looked up at him, "I need another tray... with something fresh... Do you think you could spare the time, Gerald?" The man looked at her, "Of course," he began to work on it before he looked at her, "Is everything alright, your majesty?... you seem undone." The girl gave him a small smile and nodded her head, "Yes... Everything is perfectly fine..." Her dark brown orbs watched on following the girls steps until she had left the room and the door had closed behind her forcing the Queen to turn her attention back to the man who was sharing the bed with her, turning her body she let herself face him her hand reaching out until her fingers lightly brushed over his chest her nails lightly dragging over his skin as she chuckled her eyes flicking up to meet his, "Calm yourself my love. Or would you like me to yet again help you to relax..?" Smiling she sat herself up shifting her position until she was kneeling on the bed the sheet slipping from around her body so that she was completely bare for him to see as she bit her lower lip moving herself behind him her calves resting on either side of her as she pressed her chest hard against his back, "You really are so hard on the little beastie... Mmm..." She leaned forward placing her lips against his neck chuckling softly as she began to place soft kisses against his skin, "I love it... Just as I love you." Jafar kept his dark gaze on the door even after Aurora had left, his brows refusing to let up knowing that she would be back within just a few minutes. He hadn't even heard, or felt, Freya moving around on the bed until she was sitting straight up. Moving his eyes to look over her, a flicker of awe fueling his gaze for half a moment before she slipped back behind him, he sighed somewhat and sat up on the bed straighter, hunching his shoulders over himself forcing his back to curve inwards slightly. Resting his elbow on his leg, he rubbed the sleep from his eye with one hand, though the motion could have also stood for trying to rub away the pressing headache that was beginning to form there. "She's coming back..." Jafar said matter-of-factly as he felt her lips on his neck, trying his damnedest to not be affected by it. The last thing he needed was to put himself in an even more vulnerable position. Shrugging her off lightly, letting her know that he simply wasn't in the mood any longer, he took advantage of the short time alone they had and pushed himself from the bed to get dressed. "Don't you have an appointment with tall, tan and broody today anyway?" Pulling back slightly she hesitated her eyes flicking up to look up at him as he mentioned the fact that she was going to be coming back shortly though why it seemed to bother him she had no idea, the girl was only coming back to drop the food that he had asked for off then once that was done she would be leaving the room and undoubtedly thinking twice before trying to impress the two of them again by using her initiative, "Then let her come back. She is bringing us food. She will be in and out of the room in a few moments and we shall have all the time in the world for one another again. There is no reason for us to cut our happiness short due to that happening..." Her smile however faded her hands slipping from his body as she felt him shrug her off watching as he stood up moving to get dressed leaving her sitting naked upon the mattress her hands dropping to her lap, "I was happy... For once I felt blissful, I never wished for the moment to end yet you would rather me leave your company to go see the brute of the Pride Lands? I do not care for Scar, he can wait until I am ready to meet him..." Gerald finished his plating and pushed the tray toward Aurora, "There you are, Princess." "Thank you," Aurora said quietly as she gathered the tray and once again made the trek back to the Queen's bedroom. She was biting at the skin on her lips as she walked, not really wanting to go back in there. She could have asked someone else to go for her but she felt as though that might cause some kind of backlash from either Jafar or Maleficent. She moved quickly through the halls, the slight clatters of the tray and the soft thud of her heels hitting the ground were the only sounds to fill the hall. When she reached the door again, she looked at it for some time before taking a deep breath and knocking quietly once more. Turning her head to look back over at the door as she heard the knocking once more floating in through it she frowned a defeated sigh escaping through her lips as she stepped down from the bed standing up before she began to make her way across the room, reaching out as she got there she opened the wardrobe pulling out one of the many outfits she had the saree she pulled out red in color, "Get the door. If you want me to leave for the Pride Lands then I do not have time to waste..." Glancing over her shoulder she motioned towards the door before she turned away from him wandering through the door and into the bathroom quickly working to turn on the hot water allowing it to flow down what looked to be a private stone waterfall her voice calling out from over the sound of the flowing water, "If you choose, feel free to join me... Once you've gotten rid of her and feel the need to relax..." Placing her saree down on the stone bench she stepped into the shower her eyes closing as she let the water begin to relax her. Running his fingers through his entanglement of black curls a few times before adorning his turban, Jafar remained silent as Freya moved herself to the sectioned off area of her bed chambers that was the bathroom. It wasn't that he wanted her to go to The Pride Lands, no man would willingly send someone they loved into the care of that beast of a man, Scar. But he had his own little agenda today, and for the time being, he had to make sure she kept busy without him. Better to ask forgiveness than permission with her; thirteen years of screwing up royally had taught him at least that. After ensuring that he was dressed properly, Jafar grabbed for his cobra-headed staff that was leaning up against one of the nightstands. Using the staff as an extension of his arm, he swept it around, pointing the head at the door where they suddenly flew open by magic, allowing Aurora in. "Put the tray with the other one and get out, child; find someone else to pester. Your Queen and I are very busy today and can't be bothered with your juvenile behavior." He reprimanded her quickly, keeping his eyes off her as he instead walked to the table where she had left the previous service and looked over what it was that she had brought the first time, eying it suspiciously. Aurora jumped a little when the door suddenly flew open in front of her. She looked at Jafar as he was lowering his staff, his eyes wide. She said not a word to him as he told her to put down the tray and leave them be. She quickly walked to the table and placed the tray down, her eyes looking at Jafar as he inspected what she had brought for the Queen. She lowered her eyes again, staring at her feet. With a quick curtsy, she turned and left the Sultan and Queen to enjoy their morning however they wished. She released the breath she had been holding as she was further away from the Queen's quarters and slowed her pace before she returned to walking in near silence down the hall. Audibly scoffing as Aurora left, making his current mood towards the girl rather clear, Jafar moved his staff back in the direction of the doors and had them close before returning his attention to the now two trays of breakfast left for him and Freya on the table. Not having much of an appetite any longer, however knowing he needed something to give his body to run off of, he plucked a handful of sliced apples from the second tray and nibbled on a wedge as he made his way to the bathroom. "I've a bit of business to attend to back in Agrabah today." He told her loudly so that she could hear him over the running water. "When you've finished with the pussycat, call for me. My work should be finished by then." He kept his voice firm an even, a tone he often-times reserved for when he was strictly business and no longer interested in the more sociable affairs of his love. Although he enjoyed the latter, much more than he knew he probably should, the both of them knew that there was a time and place, and now just wasn't it. Their moment had been last night and into the early present morning; but it had since passed and the time to move forward had come. Frowning she narrowed her eyes her head turning to the side slightly as she listened to what he had to say to her knowing that the moment of pure bliss the two of them had been sharing was now dead with no way to be revived, "My business with the cat will most likely take most of the day. Do not get your hopes up Jafar. But if that is what you wish, I will call for you the moment in which I get back." Turning her head away from him again she closed her eyes lifting her head up so to allow the warm water to flow over her face, through her hair and down her body to the bottom of the shower and in turn the drain, lifting her hands up she ran her fingers through her hair her back arching slightly as she began to relax a soft sigh escaping her lips as she soon came to the realization that she was now alone in the bathroom. Exhaling a sharp sigh from his nose, Jafar simply turned and headed out, getting halfway to the double doors of the bed chamber before a wall of fire appeared before him in which he stepped through, the flames lapping up his person as he seemed to be swallowed up whole until neither him nor the flames remained as though neither of them had been there.

The sound of water trickling from the shower onto the expensive tile floor created the ambience of the bathroom, comforting but empty. Steam wafted across the room in some sort of foggy haze and the air was pleasantly hot but sticky. Such things did not matter to the Observer, who eyed the Dark Queen curiously as she cleansed herself, his green eyes darting all across her curvaceous frame but nothing more than that. He had only been standing there less than five minutes, but still the Queen had not noticed him. Some would have called what he was doing vouyerism, but in truth it was simple observation, an analysis. When words were unspoken, the body bade communication. Finally, the Observer spoke up, moving forwards to reveal himself through the mist to the Queen, "You are tense...agitated. Has the Serpent vexed you so, Your Majesty?" His voice was smooth, calm, almost like a snake's itself. Marked by a British accent that flowed like water, the Observer, Alexander Katts, managed to retain a composed yet powerful presence, even in the strangest of settings such as the washroom. With each step he took came the rattling of his decorated outfit, along with the sound of countless blades hidden on his person. In truth he had knives hidden on his wrists, in his shoes, in his coat, on his armor and even in his sleeves. His largest blade, the thin Vorpal Sword's hilt could be seen peeking out from behind his cloak. This sword was perhaps the most feared of his. Many say it was enchanted, other say it was dipped in a special poison, but all knew this blade was unlike any other, and all who were kissed by it never lived to speak of its bite. The muscles throughout her body tensed her breath catching in her throat for no more than a millisecond before she quickly worked to regain the composure she usually had as she was caught off-guard by the sudden sound of a new voice entering the bathroom his tone more like the purr of a cat floating about the room and through the steam towards her, gathering all her hair into both her hands she pulled it all over one of her shoulders her head turning and her eyes flicking back to gaze at him taking in the figure of the man she had once known oh so well, "The serpent himself has not, though his decision to leave me in this state of mind has indeed vexed me... Not to mention the little beastie who seems to take pleasure in disturbing me in my times of peace." "Ah, your ward. Her blind loyalty intrigues me, as do your reasons for keeping her. Fond memories, perhaps?" Katts inquired curiously, raising a slight eyebrow, though he was not expecting an answer. Turning back away from him she closed her eyes once more her hands sliding down her fingers running through her long locks as she cleaned it of the oil that had accumulated within it, "I do hope however that you have come to rid me of this mood before I make the journey to the Pride Lands... So tell me kitty, what news have you got for mama?" Katts couldn't help but smirk at her vocabulary. Some would call it humiliating, others condescending, but he knew differently. It was something of a game of theirs, a reminder of a time long past. Moving closer towards her (though still out of reach of the water itself) Katts managed to keep his gaze fixed on the Queen's eyes, retaining a remarkable amount of professionalism in the presence of her nude and...extremely wet form. "The Moors are silent...too silent. There is complacency in place of true life. Whether fear has quelled the people or something veiled is rising is outside my purview. My informants remain vigilant." Katts explained coolly before moving on. "However there is a note of interest from The Pride Lands, a ripple in the pond. My reports, though muddled, all reach a consensus that you will find quite noteworthy." Katts began with his trademark wide grin, "A mage made quite the stirring in the Scarred King's Dining Hall, disappeared in a veil of light. Mass search parties yet no sign of the escape artist. I am never one to take things at face value, though I find it difficult to believe one man has the skills to evade an entire army in their home terrain without the use of magical aide." Katts finished, clasping both hands behind his back as he let his eyes slowly scan the Queen's figure once again, taking a rather intrigued look at her shapely rear and ample bust before moving back up to her eyes; all the while retaining perfect posture. "I have noticed that the Kingdom has become quite silent... It unsettles me, but that could also be due to the fact that the number of uninvited guests has risen as of late." Closing her eyes she sighed heavily her head shaking slowly from side to side as she thought through what was being said to her about what exactly had gone down in the Pride Lands since the last time she had been there, the idea of Scar allowing a mage willingly into his castle something she couldn't begin to fathom especially since he detested with a passion the times in which she graced the halls. "One moment... He allowed a mage to wander freely through his castle halls? Intriguing... If this man has managed to evade all of Scar's men then there is no doubt in my mind that he is using magic, whether his own or someone else's though I will need to search out later though." Reaching out with her hand she shut off the water cutting off the flow as she turned to face him using her hands to slide down her body ridding herself of any excess water that still lingered on her skin, "I will find out myself what happened from Scar's own mouth when I get there. For now... I have other matters I would like you to attend to dear pussycat..." "What would you have me do, Morgana?" He asked, using the name he knew her by now that the two of them were alone. He was fighting himself, the base urges that rose up wanting to seize pleasure where it could. "Is arousal on your mind? The signs appear to me quite clearly though my own mental state is less-than-clear." At this he moved somewhat closer, the sound of his leather boots on the wet tile echoing off the walls. He stopped until just about a foot of distance was between them, daring not to move further. "Perhaps you seek pleasure, now that the Serpent has slithered off. A setting such as this is optimal for such." Katts observed aloud, inwardly cursing himself as he felt his own resolve start to crack. He knew what he was doing...the last thing he needed to do was fall to his own devices. "Your skills as a seductress are, indeed, honed. You move as an assassin would, as I would. Slow, calculating, with subtlety as your ally. Cruelty is your prerogative." He finished with that same wide grin, his fingers twitching at his sides. He would remain strong. Raising her eyebrow her lips turned up into a small smirk each and every one of his movements causing her to feel the joy in seeing him crack under her gaze... Under her words... Under every one of her actions, "Well... I did learn from the best." Tilting her head she turned it to the side slightly her hands reaching up to rinse her hair of the excess water before she swung it back around shaking it out slightly her feet moving her out of the shower and past him as she moved to grab up a towel that had been lain out for her sometime the day before. "While arousal is one of the topics that is on my mind, it is not what I seek from you. No, what I want is for you to go and perform a simple little task for me... Nothing too strenuous I assure you, I just wish you to be some sort of reminder for the dear King of Province." Reaching out she picked the towel up running it over her limbs as she began to dry them off not bothered by his presence in the bathroom with her nor that his eyes were following her every movement, "He has begun to forget his place... And the fact that he has been shamelessly courting not just myself, but many others is beginning to annoy even me. I want you to deal with it, make sure he knows what is expected of him." "The Hunter...I will show him his place." Katts replied with a simple nod of understanding. He despised the King of Province; the buffoon was a skilled hunter but lost any semblance of maturity the instant a pair of breasts was within eyesight. "I'll make my leave immediately, if there is nothing else, Your Majesty." Katts then asked, letting his gaze turn to the Queen once more. "There is nothing else that I can think of at this present time, I believe that you are good to take your leave." Throwing the towel to the side she began to pull on the saree that she had brought into the bathroom with her when she had first come in the material hugging her body showing off the curves that she knew Jafar loved, later that day she would speak with him again and make up for her attitude that morning but for now she had other matters to attend to, "Do send my regards, if you are to need me for any such reason, I will be spending the day in the company of the other cat in our lives." Katts merely turned his head and nodded before heading out of the bathroom entirely, disappearing from view. The journey from The Moors to Province would normally have taken a few days, but Maleficent was aware of this and had her own shortcuts in the castle. Katts did not eagerly anticipate once again being forced to speak to the King. Attempting to rouse him into listening when he had closed his mind was as effective as bantering with a solid brick wall. Nonetheless, Katts knew Gaston's weaknesses, and he knew his strengths. It was simply time for the next piece to move in his game of chess.

Robin Hood woke up on a cot under a small tent, that was his alone, and a small fire pit that was used most nights for cooking and warmth. He reluctantly got out of his bed and began to pull on his clothes. He was slightly sore from the day before, a few bandits had decided to ransack a town. Luckily, one of the men got word of it and like the Calvary they rode in to protect the innocent. The fight had been short lived, the bandits were under armed and under trained to take on anyone more than a farmer's wife. However, they did get a few blows in, hitting Robin in the shoulder hard enough to leave him with quiet the bruise. Fully clothed, he made his way out of his tent and into the small town of tents. The Merry Men had once flinted about the Moors from place to place, travelling where the wind and danger took them but after a few complications with towns burning to the ground and them leaving the inhabitants in less than favourable living arrangements, Robin felt it were time for them to settle down. The camp was hidden well away from any roads and it would be difficult for any person who didn't know the woods like him and the Merry Men to find it. In fact, even those who lived there didn't know the way. Robin had each and everyone of them blindfolded before they took them all in. They could leave... but they left knowing they could never come back. There wasn't much reason to leave though, their families were here, there was room to grow crops and the Merry Men along with a few others hunted. A river was close by for quick and undetected escape as well as fishing and fresh water. Overall, the people who lived in his hideaway were happy. A rather large man approached him and clapped him on the shoulder, causing him to wince, "Easy, Little John," he hissed between his teeth. Little John laughed, "That bandit got you quite good, didn't he, Robin?" Robin rolled his eyes and pushed the man away a little, "Yes. Yes. He got the jump on me. So what, I'm quite positive you have a few scar from that." Little John smiled and pushed Robin slightly, "Not as many as you..." "I don't think me jumping in front a sword counts as them getting the jump on me," He chuckled running his hand down and over his mouth, "Now, did you have something of importance to say. Or did you just come here to mock?" "A little of both," John said with a grin, "Will Scarlett found the girl you were wanting us to keep an eye on. She was walking through the Moors headed to the Province and came back a day later with a letter, which she took straight to Maleficent's castle. She seems more like a messenger than a ward, Robin." A smile played on Robin's lips with the news, "I don't know, John. You don't just trust anyone with important information like that and the girl I saw looked to just the right age for the stories we've been hearing... and she didn't look like any peasant, servant, or slave I've ever seen. She was clean and well fed. Looked like she'd been treated like a princess. I don't think our sick Queen would be as kind to any old messenger." "Now look, Robin.... Alice just had a baby girl... A beautiful baby girl," John said, taking a moment to get a little giddy about his new daughter, "So, I've got to ask... What do you intend to... do with the girl?" Robin looked up at his friend before he stopped walking. He reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder, "You know me, John. I am a fine gentleman. The girl will come to no harm... I'm just looking to hit the Queen where it hurts." "How do you know this will hurt?" John asked, holding hands in front of himself. Robin pursed his lips in response. He didn't really know if it would. The Queen was heartless after all, who knew if anything would hurt her. He shook his head, "Stealing gold and weapons from her is getting boring and it isn't doing anything but stealing money from the poor souls who made the tat to begin with. I'm just hoping she has a bit more attached to the girl than she is to some coins." John sighed before nodding his head, "Alright... Well, do at least know how you are going to go about it?" Robin had the grin on his face that always worried John a little. It was a grin that meant he was off to do something stupid. Robin picked his quiver and bow from where he had left from by the central fire and pulled them onto his shoulders, "I heard there was a Duke coming through the woods today with little muscle... Figured I'd procure him of some extra weight." Robin smiled at him over his shoulder as he retrieved his horse and without another word he rode off. It was times like these that John began to question if they maybe weren't the good guys.

After having left the washroom, Katts treked the labyrinthian halls and passageways until finding himself in a vast circular room with a vaulted ceiling, each wall decorated with a stained window. Dark curtains parted midway at the panes, drawing in enough natural light to allow one vision, but otherwise casting a gloomy dim lighting on the room. In the center of the room was a tall stone chalice, complete with an eternal blue flame licking at the air around it from the top of the chalice.

Katts stared into the blue fire for some time, as if trying to face it down. Blinking a few times he let out a small sigh before reaching into his coat, procuring a small drawstring bag of burlap that fit gently into the palm of his hand.

Reaching into the bag with only a few fingers, Katts produced a powder-like substance that resembled ash in appearance.

Holding his hand over the blue fire, Katts let the ashy powder fall from his palm into the blue flame. The instant the powder made contact, the flame turned bright purple and became more virulent, as though the powder itself revitalized it.

Shutting his eyes tightly, Katts cleansed his mind of all thought except for a single one: Province...

Then, in an instant, he had disappeared from view entirely, the flame of the chalice dying down to its passive blue blaze once again...

Leaning forward ever so slightly she relaxed her dark brown eyes softening and her lips turning up in a slight smile as she reached out her hand pressing gently against the neck of the horse that she had owned as far back as she could remember her nails gently scratching against the thoroughbred's fur her expression dropping instantly as she heard the sound of a familiar yet slightly arrogant voice whining at her from somewhere behind causing her to look back at the man who was trying to get her attention, the French accents there though not very prominent while conversing amongst each other, "Isabella... Can't you slow down..? You wouldn't want to leave your King behind now would you..?"

Rolling her eyes she sat herself back up straight her hand slowly trailing back over Cyrano's mane before once more taking up the reigns her features once again expressionless as she focused on the path ahead of them, "We are making good time, Gaston. If we continue at this pace we shall be back at the castle in a matter of minutes, if we slow it will take us longer... Do you see why it appeals to me that we keep the speed we have?" Pouting at her answer to his question he flicked the reigns of his own horse urging it forward until he was riding right on her heels the large stag pelts bouncing lightly on the horses rear, "And why would I leave you behind? It would be such a shame if the great hunter got left behind and wasn't able to find his way back home from a hunting trip... Why did you insist on me coming along anyway, there was no need for me to do so. You are more than capable of taking down a stag or two on your own."

"Because..." Scrunching his face up childishly he pouted closing the gap between the two of them causing them to now ride side by side his body leaning away from his horse and closer to her his head tilting and dropping back as he continued to whine though now there seemed to be a hint of lust flitting through his eyes, "Well I had hopes of hunting something that wasn't deer... I can't say it isn't an animal though." Sitting up straight he steered his horse right up against hers his arm reaching out until he was able to tightly grip hold of her upper thigh showing her what he wanted and knowing full well that she wouldn't resist him when she had orders to escort him on this little trip of his, "I mean, you do get down on all fours and purr like a kitty for me when I touch you in all the right places..."

Narrowing her eyes slightly she kept her steely gaze on the path ahead as the two of them passed through the gates into the castle grounds she brought her hand back taking a tight hold of his before she removed it clicking her tongue twice the signal causing her horse to quicken the pace putting space between the two of them, "Gaston, you get what I choose to give to you and nothing mo-..." She froze quickly pulling back on the reigns as her eyes fell upon the bloodied corpses that were once the castle guards her actions causing Cyrano to protest slightly the creature turning on the spot showing it's agitation for being stopped so suddenly, "Gaston..."

Gritting his teeth his jaw clenched as he pulled on the reigns of his own horse coming to a stop beside Belle his own eyes surveying the scene before them before he swung his leg over stepping down off the horse, "Isabella! Come, now!" Sitting up straight as soon as she heard the tone of his voice change she nodded her own body slipping down off the saddle quickly adjusting her bow on her shoulder as she followed after him up the stairs and into the castle leaving the two horses to graze on the grounds, "My men are trained to keep people out, whoever did this is no ordinary person."

Lifting his hand up he gripped hold of his bow tightly pulling it from his shoulder holding it against his side as he wandered through the halls, "Do not worry your pretty little face my dear, once this is dealt with we can retire to my chambers and you can give me one of those massages I enjoy so much." Reaching up she followed his lead pulling her own bow down from her shoulder a slight laugh escaping her lips as she swung her arms back and forth at her sides the two of them turning the corner heading into the throne room where most unwanted guests tended to gather when they weren't around, "Heh. I'm sorry, I have other plans for the rest of my day, and they don't involve you or your body."

The immense throne room, usually holding an air of hushed veneration and awe now seemed quiet and empty. Scattered on the ground in every couple places were the remains of any guard who tried to stop the Assassin's approach. There was little in the way of injuries to be seen on the corpses: a slice to the throat, a stab wound between the armored plates, a fractured neck. There was precision to these injuries, a certain amount of care involved - experienced hands wielding an experienced blade.

At the back of the room, sitting atop the 'King's' own throne was Katts, a curious look across his usually neutral or grinning features as he twirled a bloodied dagger in his fingers, his movements demonstrating the same precision and dexterity used in the murder of the guards. Though there was blood gleaming off the blade, none could be seen on the Assassin; as though he took great care ensuring a clean kill.

"Maleficent sends her regards..." Katts said formally, his twirling motions of the dagger stopping as he instead held the blade firmly in his hand, an almost threatening position.

"What? No pie? Such a shame, what type of guest are you anyway..." Lifting his arms up slightly he shook his head his expression showing that he was truly hurt at the thought that someone could be so cruel as to not bring their host a gift, "Do you really not know the rules of etiquette, or are you just playing dumb? Cause if you're just playing dumb, then I might have to teach you some lessons..." Dropping his playful facade he tilted his head slightly showing no signs of emotion as he reached out pulling an arrow from his quiver being sure to notch it properly before he pulled back letting it fly in the direction of their so called guest.

Tilting his head to the side curiously with a half-smile, though no other readable emotion or expression on his features, Katts made no motion to move as Gaston notched and fired an arrow going straight towards him.

"If the Queen really want's to get it on with me, I'll be more than willing to give her a night she'll never forget... But she'll have to come personally. I don't like the idea of having sex via correspondence." Turning her head slightly her eyes flicked over to Gaston watching him for a moment before she once more returned her gaze back to the man who was sitting on the throne the young woman staying silent... For now... "You however, can leave. Unless you're hiding my sexy Queen somewhere in one of your coat pockets, you're not welcome here..."

As the arrow soared closer to reaching its mark, Katts' free hand shot straight out with lightning-fast reflexes, catching the arrow by the shaft mid-flight, just over six inches from reaching his head. The Assassin, ignoring Gaston's words for the time being instead chose to examine the arrow fired at him. "Sloppy, inaccurate. Did you mean to kill me with this?" Katts asked, dropping the arrow onto the floor with a small clatter.

"The Queen put you in your position, Gaston...I know you think that thing between your legs gives you some kind of special privilege, but Maleficent can take both your rule...and your manhood away if she so wishes." Katts added, keeping a calm and composed tone, as though he were rebuking a young child as opposed to lecturing a grown man who just tried to kill him.

Quietly watching as Gaston's arrow sloppily flew through the air towards the target that was the man sitting upon his throne she reached back behind her the action taking nothing more than a couple of seconds as she drew her own arrow letting it soar through the air as a warning shot the tip of it nipping against his ear before becoming embedded in the cushion that he rested against, "Your facts... Are ill aligned. The Queen indeed put someone into power, however it was his father, Clayton... The man was stupid and got himself killed for all we know, and it is due to that fact that Gaston is now in power. It is his right, not her choice."

Having been focused on talking to the 'King', Katts did not take in account the young woman in his company would have better aim than he did. As the arrow whizzed past, grazing his ear before embedding inches beside him, Katts stifled a hiss of pain, the only sign of him having been struck being a split-second wince that disappeared as quickly as it had come followed by Katts lifting his two first fingers up to dab at the blood that was forming around the cut.

Warning shots...an idiot's practice. A warning shot did absolutely nothing but give away one's intention, waste a perfect moment to kill and gave Katts a firsthand view of studying their posture, their method. Even now he was seeing how the young woman's fingers twitched, how her pose was stiff, vigilant, like a serpent ready to strike. Her gaze was fixed, cold, much like his own.

'So she is more than looks...hm...the best ones are.' Katts thought to himself with a slighty raised eyebrow, though no other change in expresion followed this thought.

As she began to speak, however, his mouth split into a wide grin, as though he was sincerely amused by them. "You do not understand, Mademoiselle. Every choice is her choice." Katts replied, using the hand that had been dabbing up blood to now cup his chin.

"Mmm, Isabella... Vous êtes tellement chaud quand vous obtenez ennuyé ..." Slipping his bow back over his shoulder he couldn't help the smirk that crossed over his lips his arms folding over his chest as he ignored whatever it was the Queens man was saying to him instead opting to let his eyes roam up and down her body letting them linger on her ass for a few moments before lifting them up to stare at her breasts, tensing her jaw she held up one of her hands to him silencing him before he spoke anymore the young woman not wanting to have to deal with his womanizing antics while helping him to keep what he believed was his more prized possession, "Ne commencez pas avec moi pendant que vous êtes menacé crétin, avez-vous rien appris..."

Katts' grin faded once again as he noted the interaction between Gaston and the young woman with him. Though he did not speak fluent French himself, the tones, inflections and facial expressions were telling him all he needed to know. The human body, such a pinnacle of biology could so easily reveal itself through action alone. Words were tedious more likely than not.

Everything was falling right into play, Gaston was ogling the young woman, completely ignoring Katts like the fool he was. 'Pathetic excuse for a hunter, no matter how many beasts he has to show for it...' Katts thought to himself before quickly executing a number of ideas in his head. Maleficent told him to put the Hunter back in his place but not to kill him.

Movelessly aiming the perfect spot to throw, Katts abruptly stood up, the dagger in his hand was held with much more grace as he sent it flying towards the hunter with a single sweeping motion of his arm.

The blade whizzed through the air, cutting the strap that held Gaston's quiver to his back, sending the pouch and its arrows to the ground; the dagger skidding to a fine halt on the immaculately polished floor.

Her expression remained cold as she pushed Gaston's voice into the background focusing more on the man who had managed to catch her attention with both his words and actions each calculating and disciplined something she tried to practice with her own movements, moving only a second after he had she shot her arm back gripping hold of three more of her own arrows the woman letting the arrows fly towards him each hitting their mark perfectly and each grazing against his body; the first nipping at his jaw, the second brushing against his rib-cage under the arm he had extended to throw the dagger, and the third brushing against his hip.

Katts made a quick evasive sidestep just as the arrows flew past, the arrows indeed making their mark but all but the one aimed at his jaw being blocked by his armored clothing. The pain was little, but just noticeable to be irritating. Nonetheless, Katts grinned widely, clearly impressed...or amused.

Using the arrows as a distraction she quickly closed the gap between them her hand gripping the bow coming up to quickly do away with her cape letting it fall to the ground as she pulled her own dagger lifting it up and pressing it against his neck as she stood before him her expression showing that she couldn't care less though her tone (put on for the sake of Gaston) held a dangerous note, "Je voudrais regarder votre étape... I do not care what it is you do while you are here... But do not mess with my meal ticket... At least not while I can still get more from him..."

Katts raised an eyebrow as the mysterious woman closed the distance that separated them, dropping her cloak to reveal a rather revealing tight leather outfit.

'Hm...perhaps the Hunter's distraction was somewhat justified...' Katts thought to himself before the cold steel of the woman's dagger was pressed against his throat. Her expression, her eyes were all somewhat bored, though her tone sounded dangerous....to Gaston. To Katts he could pick up the apathy, the disinterest. This woman was most likely amused by Katts' display, if anything, though he did not have any proof of this.

Not intrigued enough, however, to continue on with this display, Katts shot out his hand once again, latching tightly onto her wrist and twisting roughly in hopes of disarming her. In a split second he locked one of his legs with hers, pulling her in a stumble before his other hand pushed against her chest (dangerously close to her breasts) to send her hard to the ground, placing a single boot on her stomach, a twitch of his foot revealing a small knife blade that extended out the tip.

"You misunderstand me...I have no intentions of killing your...brute, yet. Merely show him who's in charge." Katts explained simply, procuring the Hatter's dagger from his coat and holding it aloft, just in case 'King' Gaston tried to play hero.

Gaston clenched his jaw tightly his eye twitching ever so slightly as he kept his gaze fixed on the scene that was playing out in front of him the young King not fussed by the fact that his arrows had been separated from him before clattering down to the ground behind where he stood, balling his hands into fists his arms crossed tighter over his chest his body tensing as he watched his best fighter fall to the ground at the assassins feet the one of many daggers that she had been using clattering to the ground moments before she had joined it but that wasn't what he had been focusing on. No. The fact that he so blatantly believed that it was okay for him to touch her in the first place, the fact that his hand had come into contact with her skin and even her clothes... The fact that he had been so close to touching the breasts that he himself had already claimed to be his and his alone.

"Vous osez toucher ma femme..!" Small snaps and cracks began to sound as his grip on his bow became too much in his anger eventually causing the strong but delicate wood to snap leaving it completely useless to him, "You dare to let your fingers even graze against her skin... Leave but a single mark upon my Isabella, and I promise you that you shall take your last breath standing here in this room."

Mouth twitching visibly at Gaston's words, Katts slowly turned his head towards the Hunter to look at him directly, keeping his boot firmly kept on the woman's stomach to hold her down.

"Your Majesty...I would highly recommend you think before speaking. You may have such luxuries with your normal enemies, but I will inform you, one cannot take back words...and I never forget. I will give you this one, but presume to threaten me again and I will kill you and tell the Queen as such. Your expiration...will mean little in the grand scheme of things." Katts explained, his voice venomous and cold, though he didn't raise his voice, which was the worst part; speaking as though he controlled Gaston like a beaten hound.

"Oh pour l'amour de dieux..." Unable to help the annoyed and frustrated words from escaping her lips as Gaston's angered words floated across the room towards her she gritted her teeth her arms shooting up to hold tightly onto Katts' leg her stomach muscles tensing under the weight of his foot as she got ready for what she had to do, pulling herself up against his leg she scrunched up her face pain shooting through her body as she felt the blade slip into her stomach something that she would need to deal with but that could wait till later, right now she had to get out from under him. Pushing one of her feet into the ground she threw her leg up into the air the other quick to follow the young woman using what flexibility she had as she wrapped them tightly around the leg that he was using to keep her down and against the ground.

Closing her eyes she lowered her back down to the floor trying her best to ignore the pain and blood that was now gracing her body both stemming from the wound she had inflicted upon herself by her own actions moments before, her shoulder blades arching as she pushed her lower body up twisting it around at what looked like an uncomfortable angle before she quickly bent her legs pulling them into her chest, her voice coming out as more of a grunt as she held the position hoping that it would throw him off guard enough so that it would give her some sort of opening to get back up to her feet, "You truly believe that he'll learn to think before he speaks? Heh... You obviously haven't spent enough time down here in Province..."

Stumbling slightly but never losing balance, Katts nevertheless had to step off her, giving her ample time to stand to her feet. His eyes shot down to the bloodied blade sticking out of his boot, knowing she tested her own luck trying to escape.

"Hm...brave. A kind word for stupidity. You injured yourself to escape when you could have potentially reached the same conclusion without wound." Katts stated coolly, eyes glancing down at the bleeding hole in her belly.

"The blade wasn't meant to kill, merely cause injury, distraction. Superficial at best, poisoned at worst." Katts commented, making a cryptic allusion to the possibility he had coated such a blade in poison.

"I suppose the next few hours will determine as such." He added lastly with a small half-smirk.

Twisting her body slightly she lifted herself back up onto her feet her eyebrow raising slightly as she tilted her head looking over at Katts holding her gaze for a few moments before she turned her attention back away from him, lowering her hand she pressed her palm gently against the wound on her stomach for a couple of moments before she lifted it back up her eyes examining the blood that was covering it causing the corner of her lip to twitch slightly, "If I've been poisoned, I can handle it. It doesn't take much to learn what has been used, nor to find what to use to reverse the effects. It will not take me long to do."

"I would expect naught less from one who displays the body language of a huntress. Your stance, the way you carry yourself, the piercing look in your eyes. You are a trained killer...for a different prey, perhaps, but a killer nonetheless." Katts replied before turning his attention over to Gaston,

"Despite this pretentious show you intended to play for me, my reasoning and purpose still stand. You will shape up, you will lead a better nation. The consequences of disobeying will be...extremely painful; for you."

"Vous avez endommagé mon Isabella..!" Throwing his broken bow to the side he narrowed his eyes glaring at the Queen's man his anger clear in his words and in his actions though he knew better than to act upon it when his life was on the line, going after him for inflicting pain on Belle (even if it had been her own fault) was going to get him nowhere but into an early grave, something he wasn't planning on until after he had lived a long and comfortable life with her at his side, "I will be sure to keep things running here, and to prove it I will have my girl start on improving production. Now get out of my sight! You have done enough damage here!"

Smirking softly Belle turned to face Katts her bloodied hand reaching out to press against his cheek as she passed him by her fingers sliding down until she gripped hold of his chin between her thumb and forefinger, "I beg to differ... I think you should stick around. I could use some company with intelligence rather than having to put up with the so called 'brute' over there..." Chuckling softly she pushed his head away as she dropped her hand back by her side ignoring the blood dripping down her stomach as she moved off to the side of the room heading for a table covered in fruit and jugs so she could get herself some water.

Katts kept a blank expression as her hand ran down his face, leaving a sticky trail of blood in its wake. The woman was an enigma, and even one as perceptive as Katts was unable to pinpoint her true loyalty, her true feelings. The body says many things, as do the eyes and lips...but what lies in a person's heart is the most protected.

"You intrigue me, Huntress. But I will respectfully decline your offer." Katts replied, breaking the small silence as he verbally ignoring Gaston, though he made his way towards the front doors.

Stopping by the same food-laden table as she had, Katts let a single deft hand procure a green apple from the bowl.

Mouth twitching slightly as he could see his bloodied face in the shined silver of the pitcher, Katts quickly procured one of the many neatly folded napkins that were dotted across the table, dipping a single corner into the water pitcher before meticulously running it down the side of his face, leaving only small droplets of water behind.

Letting the napkin fall back onto the table, Katts gave the Huntress one more nod of farewell, though his eyes still held that same sort of piqued curiosity in them. Before he could say or do anything more, however, he turned around, headed towards the front door, being sure to recover the blade he had severed Gaston's quiver with before doing so.

With one more look behind him, Katts exited the castle, the large front door closing with a resounding thud.

Her grip tightened drastically on the steering wheel of her car as she turned into the car park of the Tahoe police station her jaw tensing as she shifted gears pulling up into one of the many open spots her movements stiff and agitated the young woman not bothering to hide her anger as she forced it into park gathering her thing up while she threw open the door, it was not how she wanted to be spending her morning that's for sure being woken up by a phone call from the police telling her that her new boyfriend had been picked up, arrested and thrown into jail when he was supposed to have come back and been sleeping beside her in the suite that she abused her power to get... It was not a very good wake up call to say the least...

Taking off her seat-belt she threw it back behind her as she stepped out slamming the door of her 2013 Ford Mustang GT behind her as she began to walk across the lot her other hand tightening around her mobile and purse her nails digging into the material slightly in her anger, pressing the button on her key as she moved she listened for the click to sound telling her that her car had locked before she dropped her arm back down still dressed entirely in the same outfit she had met him in that night for their date.

Dominic let out a heavy sigh from the single booth he sat in at a small, cozy cafeteria that was placed just across the police department, giving him a perfect view of the building. Pinocchio had been mischievous, even when he was first sent to Earth. But he was criminal now, a criminal who was currently making it his goal to sleep with every single girl in his care.

Letting out a disgusted scoff, Dominic brought his coffee mug to his lips, taking a long drink as he kept his gaze fixed on the jail, as if daring Alan to waltz out.

His gaze shifted, however, when a Ford Mustang pulled in to the parking lot, a very familiar young woman climbing out of the vehicle, looking rather irate.

A small smile crossing his slightly weathered features, Dominic left a few dollars tip at his table before rising and briskly heading out the cafe, half-walking, half-marching across the street to the police station parking lot.

"Eliza? Eliza Brie?" He called, a warm, welcoming expression on his face as he spoke.

"Huh..?" Furrowing her brows slightly she slowed her step her body turning ever so slightly as she looked around her for the source of the voice who had been calling her name her lips parting and her expression becoming one of surprise as she caught sight of Dominic rushing towards her with a bright smile on his face, the young girls mood seeming to change now becoming more relaxed as she came to a complete stop allowing the man to catch up to her completely, "Uncle Dom..! It's been so long since I last saw you... What are you doing here, you usually tell us when you're in town."

Turning her body completely so that she was now facing him her expression seemed to soften her mind pushing her 'to-do' list to the side for a few moments as he caught her off guard, "Or were you not planning on staying for very long this time..?"

Finally catching up to the girl who looked up to him as family, Dominic pulled her into a tight hug, displaying an almost fatherly behavior in posture, voice and expression.

"My, my, you've grown. It's only been a year by my count!" Dominic exclaimed with a short laugh, planting both hands in his coat pockets.

"Well, normally I would call ahead, but I wanted to surprise you this time. I've taken a couple days off from the museum, figured I'd head to the lodge for a mini-vacation. Helps that I get to see my favorite blonde-haired niece." Dominic finished with another hearty laugh.

Chuckling softly at his words she let her arms slide around his body hugging him just as tightly as he was her the two of them enjoying the small embrace of their reunion after around a full year of not having seen each other, "Heheh, well that's kind of what happens as you get older, you do tend to grow up. You know get taller, smarter, though I wouldn't necessarily say that you get wiser. What did you think? I was going to stay your small little snowflake forever? I'm not a lost boy you know, things like Neverland don't exist, no matter how much we might wish for it."

"Well, part of me was hoping you would. But, snowflakes don't last forever..." Dominic replied with an almost sad sort of smile, a wave of bitterness hitting him inside as she brought up how Neverland didn't exist...Oh, if only she remembered.

'Soon...' He told himself internally, almost as if the Sorcerer himself was imprinting on Dominic's conscious. He had been patient for thirteen years...surely he could last a little longer.

Dropping her hands back down in front of her she nodded in understanding knowing that it mustn't be easy for him to get holidays very often especially in his line of work, he was an important person at the museum, it must have taken him a while to even be approved for the two days he had managed to get off, "Nawwe, Uncle Dom... I'm your only blonde-haired niece. So, can I expect you at Snowfest tonight? There's, uh, someone I'm would like to introduce. I mean I've gotta ask him if he wants to come with me, but I don't see why he wouldn't come to the party."

"Well, of course. I wouldn't come up to the lodge without visiting Snowfest." Dominic assured her kindly before hearing out the rest of her words.

"Someone you want to introduce, eh? Hm...Well, I'll be glad to meet any mystery boyfriends-- I mean friends you'd like to introduce." Dom replied, purposefully dropping the word 'boyfriend' as a slight tease at her expense.

"Tell you what. It's still early, but how about we catch some lunch here in a couple hours. I'd love to catch up with you." Dominic suggested warmly with a small roll of his shoulders.

Turning her gaze away from him for a few moments her cheeks turned a bright shade of red as he began to poke fun at her for finally getting herself into her first relationship her hand coming up to neatly brush some of her long wavy locks back behind her ear, "Uncle Dom... Okay, so I know that I may have walked myself into that one, but you don't have to make fun of me for it... Anyway, I'll have a chat with him and I'll see if I can get him to escort me to the party tonight; I'm sure you'll love him, he's really sweet."

Dominic let out a short chuckle, "Ok, ok, I'm sorry." He apologized, though amusement was still heavy in his voice. "I'll be glad to meet him." He commented with a warm smile, a certain excitement inside him at the prospect of making Eliza's boyfriend squirm under pressure.

Shifting her weight so that she was leaning over to the right slightly she nodded her stomach seeming to growl on cue letting her know just how hungry she was, "Sounds like a plan. Hey, maybe you can help me choose out a dress if it's not asking too much..? I've never really dressed to impress, and I'd love your opinion. But first I have to get some things done..." Biting her lower lip softly she twisted her upper body around slightly her hand coming up so that she was pointing back at the station where she still had to go in and bail Alan out before she even thought about bringing up the party with him.

"Certainly! One's attire is quite important." Dominic replied, motioning to his own outfit, despite its rather strange appearance for this world and timeline.

When she mentioned getting some things, however, Dominic's eyes traveled over to the police station, his brows furrowing slightly. "I see. Well, don't let me stop you. You have my phone number, just give me a call when you're ready and we can grab something to eat. Take care, Eliza." Dominic bid, leaning in and kissing her forehead with a fatherly smile.

"I'll call you once I've finished everything I need to get done here and we can figure out the details, like where to meet and all that." Leaning in she once more wrapped her arms tightly around his body her eyes closing as she held the hug for as long as she could before she pulled away her body turning as she headed up the couple of stairs to the door, reaching out to grab the handle she paused looking back over her shoulder at him.

"Thanks uncle Dom. I promise I'll call you soon." Lifting her free hand up she pressed her fingers against her lips blowing him a kiss before she pulled the door open letting it close behind her as she disappeared her smile fading as her reasons for being there in the first place came flooding back into her mind.

Dominic merely smiled back in return, inclining his head in farewell. Though he and the girl weren't related at all by any means, with even the memories her father held subtly manipulated to fit his story, he viewed her as one of his own blood.

"They do grow up fast..." He said wistfully before turning to leave, a mind weighed down by thought.

Although Scar couldn't have been more relaxed, he had a terrible night sleeping. His mind was plagued with 'what ifs' pertaining to Odette, Rothbart, and the man Odette had brought with her that had displayed such an easy act of magic within his own halls. It was unnerving. Unsettling, even, though Scar wouldn't ever admit it. He hated magic and he hated what it could do. Himself and the swan sleeping contently in his arms were living proof of this case. Magic taints everything it touches, no good has ever come of it, not for him, not for anyone. Magic has no place in this world.

And yet, here he was, laying awake in stressing on how magic could help him by helping Odette. Magic got her into this mess, magic could surely get her out. Even if it was just temporary, there had to be something the witch could do. He hated to have to resort to such means, but he had no other choice. He had to allow Maleficent to walk through his halls, magic included. He had to do it for Odette.

Once morning broke through the small holes in the cave-like structure they were in, Scar roused himself, gently waking Odette up long enough to get in a message before letting her go back to sleep.

"I've got some things to take care of today, kid. I'll be back though. Just stay here and you'll be safe." He pushed himslf up and off of the ground, returning to the pool to swim the short distance through the tunnel and back onto the ledge. Perhaps now Maleficent was ready to talk.

Thirteen Years Ago...

The rain was coming down hard, but the barely clothed and unsheltered man didn't seem to notice as his eyes were trained on the mountainous structure of The Pride Lands Castle before him. Lightning struck across the sky, illuminating the fortress for a fraction of a moment but Scar didn't need the reminder of it's appearance. For too long now, Scar had looked upon his brother's castle as a symbol of mockery towards him. Mufasa did not deserve to be king, and yet even as children their father had hammered into both of their minds that Scar never had a chance for the throne. Not unless Mufasa and any heirs he may have were dead and there was no one else.

So be it.

That didn't go without saying, however, that Scar hadn't already tried to kill his brother. A great number of times, even as children, Scar had attempted to construct some sort of accident to befall his older brother, but each time was in vain and once even, Scar nearly lost his own life in the mix, managing to escape with only a single 'C' shaped scar around his eye in which he had disbanded his birth-name, Taka, and took on Kovu (translated to Scar) as a reminder to plan accordingly in all things and places. Never again would he be so careless in his murder efforts.

His next attempt had gone down without a hitch, if it weren't for his older brother's little brat Simba. It was because of Simba that Scar's attempted assassination was brought to an abrupt halt. It was because of Simba that Mufasa was still alive. It was because of Simba that Scar and his wife and child were exiled from the Pride Lands. It was Simba's fault that Scar had been desperate enough to call on help from an evil sorcerer. And it was Simba's fault that Scar was now covered in the blood of his wife and daughter, slowly being washed away by the pelting rain.

Mufasa was sure to die tonight... and Simba too. The question was; how? How could he storm an entire castle with nothing but a scrapped loincloth covering his manhood? He had no weapons, save for his own two hands which he now knew were more than capable if he was angered enough, but he wanted to see the life draining from his brother's and nephew's eyes as he took their lives, something he couldn't do as the cursed beast.

"To lose those closest to you... A pain no man nor woman should have to endure..." Moving out of the shadows she let her dark gaze turn away from the towering castle before them only to lower dropping on the figure of the man sitting upon the ground glaring at it with a hatred that she could feel eminating from his very being, moving forward she closed the gap between them her legs gracefully folding underneath her as she took up the space beside him her palms pressed into the ground behind her as she leant back her head tilting to the side slightly as she went back to looking at the Pride Lands lain out in front her barely covered body matching that of the woman who wandered the lands though it was clear she didn't belong in this Kingdom.

"So... Tell me my dear Scar..." She paused and after a few moments she looked back over at him her eyes flicking slowly over his figure taking in the mattered and the muscular body that was obviously tense his expression making it clear that revenge was on his mind, "..What is your next move..?"

His heightened senses hadn't even picked up on another's presence, her sudden voice causing his head to jerk around in her direction with eyes full of the hatred that now fueled him entirely. His amplified vision cut through the dark to look upon her figure, finding her not at all hard to look at, though any such thoughts of lust or arousal were far from his mind, buried deep, perhaps never to be unearthed for the remainder of his days. So he simply stared at her, his brows furrowing as he tried to surmise who she was or what she was doing there. Even in The Pride Lands standards, sitting out in the rain wasn't considered normal. Though she wore the clothes of the land, the horns protruding from her grown were a dead giveaway that she did not belong, so why was she here?

"Who are you?" He demanded, his voice rough and calloused as though he had spent an eternity gargling with rocks. "And how do you know my name?" Suspicion was wearing on his features then, a blatent look of distrust coming over his alerady black eyes as he looked her over once more.

"My dear, I go by many names... Morgana, Fae... Maleficent-... There are more, but those are just a few. Please. Go ahead and take your pick, I do not mind which it is you choose to call me by." Lifting one of her hands up she flicked her wrist as though dissmissing the thought altogether showing him that she really didn't care which of her many names he chose to call her by her hand once more lowering to join the other one in keeping her up, a name was a name simple as that, it didn't matter which was used, each did the same job.

Closing her eyes she dropped her head back slightly shaking her long dark locks out slightly allowing them to brush lightly over her back as she took a few moments to herself enjoying the peace and harmony that the rain seemed to bring to the land around her, "As for how I know your name... Well, I know a lot more than that. Like how you seek to kill your brother, punish those who get in the way, and to take the throne for yourself... To be the King you deserve beyond all else to be..."

Shaking his head slightly, forcing the collected water on his nearly shaved head to roll down his neck and shoulders, Scar pushed himself up and onto his feet, finding a small sense of power in standing taller than her, whoever she was- Maleficent or whatever.

"I don't care what you are called, you have not answered my question. Who are you?" He asked again, crossing his thick arms across his bare chest and holding them there, looking down on her. "You speak information that anyone in The Pride Lands would know, yet you are not from here. Has word of my failure spread so quickly?" He shook his head again and turned his back to her to look upon the place he could once call home again, more-so disgusted with himself in that moment than anything else. He spoke the truth, however. After he had been caught and thrown into prison, months before his exile, the prospect of the King's brother attempting to murder his own family for the throne spread like wildfire. It was not new news.

"Go on back to your home. I'm sure there's a husband or master who will be missing his bitch from their kitchens."

Chuckling softly she let her head roll slightly before her gaze came to a stop on his figure her lips twisting up into a smirk as she listened to him trying to order her around like she was some common whore slaving day and night to appease some man who thought himself better than her, the knowledge that he had no idea that he was speaking to the one person in this world who had the power to rule over it was by far amusing to the woman causing her to have to supress a few short chuckles, "Oh, of course... What was I thinking. My master must be-... Oh wait, I don't have a master, nor a husband."

Raising her eyebrow slightly she continued to watch him a mixture of curiosity and and slight surprise as it began to dawn on her that he truly must be out of touch with the world if he had not recognised her by rumors or name, "You truly do not know who you're speaking with right now do you... Interesting... Well, I shall let your witty tongue and rash behaviour go this time, but do not expect me to let it slide again. In answer to your question, you may call me whatever it is you wish to, however more commonly I am known as the Dark Queen. I am the one is to rule over each and every land, meaning you will be answering to me whether you like it or not. However I am not a cruel tyrant; in return for your loyalty, I too offer my services to you."

Scoffing audibly, Scar rolled his shoulders slightly trying to work out the small knots that had formed behind his shoulder blades, his body still trying to get used to the drastic transformation he had been forced to undergo not hours ago though he doubted he ever would. Keeping his back to her, he raised his voice in volume to make up for his words that might get lost in the sound of pouring rain.

"Yeah, sure you are kid." His voice left no mistake that he didn't believe her words. How could he? One person, let alone a woman, taking over the entire world? Impossible. Simply impossible. Something like that would takes years upon planning, more than any normal human being had to give, not to mention unlimited resources, an unrelenting army, money, influence...

Turning his head just a bit to look over at Maleficent from over his shoulder, just to make sure he was looking at the right thing, he just shook his head again. No, she didn't cut it, how could she? She was half his size... and alone.

"Let me know how that all works out, yeah? I'm a bit too busy right now to pledge anything to you, or anyone else."

"Ah of course... How could I forget. Proof! You desire proof that I am who I claim to be, am I not correct in my assumptions? Hm, now let me think..." Pouting slightly she let her eyes lazily glide over the area in which they were conversing with one another taking not of their surroundings; a few trees, a bit of grass, several rocks and boulders, no shelter what so ever... Well, at least not yet.

Shifting the position she was sitting in she held her hand out over the ground her eyes flashing a gentle gold which seemed to cause the ground to break apart making way for more foliage which with the help of her magic began to entwine with one another creating a thick roof above the two of them stopping the rain from pelting down upon their bodies, turning her hand palm facing up she flicked her wrist causing stones to roll over the ground settling in a ring before a raging fire roared to life within the circle the heat quickly working to dry them from the unpleasent weather outside the shelter.

Upon first feeling the Earth starting to quake under his feet, Scar's eyes darted about, looking for an area where a bolt of lighting might have struck for half a moment thinking that the storm had moved in closer than he had thought, but as his eyes landed on Maleficent, his throat grew incredibly dry as he realized what it was that she was doing. It was her! She was doing this. She was using magic!

Snarling somewhat as his feet carried him over to the witch without him realizing it, his hand shot down, finding it's mark around her throat and pulled her up to her feet simply by closing his grip around her wind pipe. Using the momentum he gained in bringing her up, he walked them both back a bit and slammed Maleficent's back into the makeshift shelter hard enough that a few chinks in the intertwined wood and stone broke free and a small amount of rain was able to fall in.

"You! What did you do! Take it back!" He said, his grip closing around her throat even more-so in his apparent fright on the subject matter of magic. Magic was the reason he wore his family's blood all over his body, magic was not to be trusted no matter who wielded it.

Her breath caught in her throat her body tensing as he came barging towards her his anger and shock causing him to reach out and to force his hand against her his fingers tightening around her neck as he lifted her up slamming her against the wall of the shelter she had made to keep them out of the rain, lifting her hand up she gripped his wrist tightly the palm of her hand glowing bright red as it began to burn getting hotter with each second he continued to hold onto her keeping her up off the ground.

"I-... Used magic-... I can do the same-... For you-... If you agree to be loyal to-... My cause-..." Though her voice came out strained due to his hold on her she managed to keep her message clear and strong as she forced her point across knowing that even if he didn't want her help he would take it, it was the one way that he could get everything that he wanted, "Give me your-... Loyalty, and I can give you what-... You need to get-... What you want most in life-..."

Closing the distance between the two of them by Scar reaching his neck forward so that his face was closer than an inch from hers, his eyes darkened as he looked her up and down shortly before connecting his eyes with hers and narrowing them. There was something behind the hatred he felt for her then, something in his eyes gave away to the fact that he was frightened, a fact that he would never admit no matter the circumstance. His arm was burning, but he opted to ignore it. He had been taught at an early age to tolerate pain, and his years serving in the brutal army of first his father and then his brother helped him to hone those skills of saving face even under the most dire of circumstances.

"I. Don't. Need. Magic!" He spat out and threw her to the floor hard, like a slave who had overstepped their place. "I know the castle like the back of my hand. What I need is an army to surround the area and take out the problem areas... or at the very least a distraction so I can slip into the armory and get myself a weapon. The walls are heavily guarded, I can't take on a dozen guards that lay in the most direct line between me and my brother with only my hands..." He went on, speaking more outloud to himself rather than to her. It was clear that he had his plan already thought out, and a well devised plan if it were to work. Quiet, silent, and in the middle of the night when they couldn't see their surprise attacker. "Once my brother and his little brat are dead, it won't matter who knows what I've done or how many guards are alerted. I'd only need five minutes, seven tops. By then, it will be too late, by then I will have made myself King..."

Her grip relaxed as she was thrown down to the ground her body crumpling and her shoulders hunching over as her hand automatically jumped up to rub gently at her neck the skin red with irritation while her heart began working overtime causing her chest heave up and down to once more fill her body with the oxygen that she had been lacking, after a few moments however she chuckled her lips twisting up into a smirk seeming to find the whole thing amusing though the situation was serious and far from being something she should be laughing at, "And what exactly do you believe that I have been attempting to offer you? A great feast in honor of your failure?"

Shakily getting back up to her feet she paused for a few moments being sure to maintain both her composure and her balance before she turned to face him her eyes watching over his figure curiously, "I am not one of the women you see roaming the Pride Lands, Scar. I am not uneducated and simple minded. I know your feelings towards magic, the strain it has put on your life, and in turn the blood it has placed on your hands. But know that I can provide you with the army and distraction that you seek... My offer will only be given once, if you choose not to take it, then I will assume you are against me and I will not hesitate to shed the blood of the entire royal family here in these lands."

Her expression became cold and calculating as she brushed past him heading towards the entrance of the shelter the rain once more hitting against her skin causing it to sparkle slightly under the light of the moon, "You have made it clear of your intentions. I bid you luck... Enjoy what time you have left my dear, I will be returning, and when you bow to me... It will be too late..."

Keeping his posture rigid, unmoving even when she moved past him and towards the exit of the structure, he kept his ground. Yes, she could help him, that much was clear, and... given his desperation he knew he would have to take it, but there was something else that had him hung up on accepting her offer right away.

"Why offer your services to me?" He asked, his voice mysteriously absent of the anger that once fueled it on an almost constant occasion. "Why not take the other side and aide my brother? What does my 'loyalty' provide that his doesn't?"

"Because I know what it is like to lose everything you have ever truly cared for... Everyone you have every truly loved..." Bringing her arms up she folded them over her chest her breasts pushing together though she wasn't meaning for them to do so her eyes flicking out to look at the castle in the distance, "Contrary to your belief, we are a lot alike. Things were taken from us by those who once claimed to be by our side. A betrayal that can not be forgiven no matter how much they may beg for mercy."

Turning around to face him she waited for a moment before she held held her hand out turning it slightly the innocent action causing her eyes to flash golden once more as a beautiful sword appeared sticking out of the ground close by the raging fire, "I do not take kindly to those who betray blood in the ways I have observed here in the Pride Lands. Your brother is not fit to be King, nor is the young beastie that took it upon himself to ruin your plans. You're loyalty provides me with strength in area's that I may or may not be lacking in for my rise to complete power. You are a leader Scar, and it this reason that I give you my services."

His head tilted to the side slightly, taking in the witch's words though was unsure what to make of them just yet. A slight, shimmering sound, however, caught his attention, forcing his head to the side to look at the sword sticking up and out of the ground that wasn't there a few moments ago. Tentatively, he took a few cautious steps towards it, eventually lowering his hand to grab around the handle and pulled the blade from the soft earth. Immediately, the light of the fire caught the edge of the steel, giving the entirety of the sword an almost magical appearance, though as he examined it closer, found that it was nothing more than an ordinary sword; a sword of fine craftsmanship yes, but nothing he couldn't ever produce out of The Pride Lands.

"So be it." Scar said indefinitely, though spoke more to the sword than the woman behind him. He had no more use of her and didn't wish to be in the presence of a magic wielder a second longer than he had to be. Lowering his arm that held the sword, not having a sheath to place it on his hip instead, Scar headed towards the exit of the makeshift shelter, pushing past Maleficent with his broad shoulders and greeted the rain with a sharp inhale. Immediately, the rain had begun to wash away what little remaining blood he had stained on his skin, his eyes back on the towering castle before him, his black eyes darting this way and that as he thought over his plan once more, but in a new light as now he had the means to do it.

A smirk played over her lips at his words her eyes following his figure as it began to move away from her heading directly to the castle in the Pride Lands that would soon be his and the life that he was born to lead, lifting her eyebrows slightly as though she was just remembering something important she closed her eyes chuckling softly once more, "Oh, and Scar... Should you ever need my services again, find your way to the top most tower in the North Wing of your soon-to-be castle... There you shall find a mirror, you will know what to do when the time comes." With the last of her words leaving her lips she lifted her arm up her fingers curling slightly as her body became envelopped by a thick plume of purple smoke the young woman disappearing from the land and his presence altogether.

Standing there in the rain, it looked as though Scar hadn't even heard Maleficent's final words before she disappeared behind him, his mind and every sense trained instead on the task beforehand. It was time to take back what was rightfully his in the first place. He may not have like magic, but that was something he and the witch could agree on.

Presently...

Coming out of his reverie, Scar found himself staring back at his reflection through the mirror's glass that Maleficent had gifted him all those years ago. Rubbing his hand over his goatee, his dark eyes left his reflections eyes and looked himself up and down for half a moment. He had thought, at least by now, he would have found a way to rid himself of his curse, but even now, thirteen years later, he hadn't been able to do anything. But now... now he had the chance to do something about the curse of another, given by the same man. Odette. He was doing this for Odette. Returning his hand to his side, his dark eyes met back with his reflections. He squared his shoulders, pronounced the tight muscles in his face and once more summoned Maleficent, calling her by name.

*~*~*Morgan Reginald, Eliza Brie, and Alan Woodard*~*~* Stopping just inside the doorway of the station she let her eyes glance around her hands tighening around the loose possessions that she had brought with her before she let her eyes fall on the front desk, moving forward she lifted one of her hands placing her forearm down on the top of it as she leant over slightly trying her best to get the attention of one of the officers before eventually one of them came over to attend to her, "Yeah, hey... My name is Eliza Brie, I recieved a phone call this morning telling me that my boyfriend had been picked up and brought in last night. There's got to be some kind of mistake, he was just going out to pick up some things for our night in..." Awkwardly she shifted everything she was carrying into one hand her other coming up to loosen her scarf around her neck the warmth something she had never been able to get used to especially while inside, "His name is Alan. Look, we're kind of busy today, so I would appreciate if you would hurry up and go get him for me." Morgan had been nearby when she caught sight of Eliza Brie and heard her talk to Officer Wiggins. She was surprised to hear that Miss Brie was the girlfriend to the crazy man she arressted last night. After Officer Wiggins answered "Alright, I'll be right out with him ma'am. Just a second," After Wiggins left, Morgan walked up to Eliza Brie, and she greeted politely, "Good morning, Miss Brie," She wanted to talk to her about her relationship with Alan, but knew that she couldn't just say it (as told by the other officers. She apparently needed to practice using tact in conversation). She asked politely, starting a casual conversation, "How are things at the inn?" Turning her head around as she heard her name being called Eliza furrowed her brows searching until her eyes fell on the figure of the woman she had met the day prior at the lodge, "Detective... Didn't think I would see you so soon after our little meeting at the lodge. Things are busy today, a lot to get done before the festivities. I'm sure that you've already heard about it though, the police department is always welcome at such functions hosted by my family..." Turning to face her completely Eliza let her arm slip from the counter bringing her hands together in front of her as she tilted her head slightly her eyes flicking over the woman's figure, "Sleep at your desk last night..? The bags under your eyes show me you didn't have the best of nights now did you..." The Detective noticed the slight hostility from the subtle insult towards her. She shrugged off the insult and she answered "Paperwork in general will do that to you, it's a fact of life," She then added with a shrug, "It can be especially tiring when a certain someone rambles drunkenly on topics related to Pinocchio, until he falls asleep," "A disney fan, what person in this world isn't." Shrugging slightly Eliza glanced over the womans shoulder her eyes searching for any sign of the officer who had gone to get Alan from where ever it was that they were keeping him, "I understand the pain of paperwork, having to force it onto another to hand in this morning after getting a rude phone call this morning telling me that someone had wrongfully arrested the guy I was waiting for all night." "That is an issue you really should take up with Mr. Woodard himself, not me," Morgan retorted to the rude phone call comment. Morgan held back a derisive snort at the 'wrongfully' part of his arrest. She said to Eliza as she was simply pointing out the facts, "He was caught red-handed, and in an area where the security cameras filmed the entire incident. There is plenty of evidence to back up the prosecution," Raising her eyebrow slightly Eliza smiled sweetly a gentle chuckle escaping through her lips as she listened to what was being said to her, "Detective, I majored in law in my last year and took an introduction course. I'm very much aware of many cases as to which evidence has been tampered with, not to mention completely falsified by departments when trying to build up cases against suspects... I might be blonde, but I'm certainly not as stupid as people tend to stereotype us to be." Morgan shook her head, and she said to her, keeping eye contact with the young, stupidly in love, girl, "I don't think you are stupid at all Miss Brie. In fact, I think you are much smarter than your impression is giving off: Naive and innocent. You and I both know that just an introduction course and a major in law, is not enough to completely understand the subject. Years of experience working under law enforcement is necessary as well. Say about ten years or more, which I have. Plus, here, if anyone falsfied evidence, they wouldn't be here," "I know that what I have completed isn't enough to give me the knowledge that I would have gotten if I completed the path that I had begun to go down. I don't deny that fact, however don't try and press your luck with me." Shifting her weight over to one side Eliza shook her head knowing that no matter what she said the woman in front of her wasn't going to take her seriously, "My career was taking off and with that I made my choice... Had it not, do you seriously think I wouldn't be holed up in my room studying defense law? I'm a very intelligent young girl, I know that. Top of my year level to be precise; so don't think I don't know what you're doing." Taking a deep breath she let it out slowly her eyes remaining fixed upon the detective as she sized her up wondering why she was continuing on with the pleasentries when it was obvious that there was something else that she was wanting to discuss, "Now how about we drop the act detective... We both know that this isn't what you came over here to speak with me about..." Morgan couldn't help but look at Eliza with sad eyes. She could see the intelligence that was there...and she was wasting her time with someone who wasn't worth an intelligent girl's time and attention. She felt sorry for the girl in front of her. When Eliza asked her to be blunt, she sighed and answered, hardening her gaze "Very well then," She then continued seriously, steeling herself and her will for the backlash that was she was sure to come from her advice, "I've seen many situations like yours before, and I wanted to give you some advice. You really should break up with Mr. Woodard. Before somebody gets hurt," Closing her eyes for only a moment Eliza couldn't help the small laugh that escaped through her lips before she lifted her gaze an amused expression written over her face though her eyes showed she wasn't amused by the woman's words, "I'm sorry... Please remind me, when did we become friends..?" Her smile grew slightly as she searched her eyes knowing that there was no answer to the question she had asked, "Because I don't remember giving you any sort of inkling that you had any business in prying into my private life... But I will humor you, just a little. What I do and who I date is none of your concern. And if you try and push me any further I will happily have a little chat with your superior about your behavior..." The detective sighed and said "Fine. I've said what's needed to be said," She added mentally "I'll guess you'll just have to see for yourself," She wanted to try and convince her, but knew that the girl wouldn't hear any more of it. There was nothing Morgan could do...and deep down, it frustrated her. She looked to the side as Officer Wiggins came with Alan Woodard. "Nononono, I'm serious, check your shoe, really. I'm a glorified street magician, pulling the quarter out of your ear? That somewhat offends me you think I would stoop down to that level!" Alan put his hand over his heart, his eyebrows raising to his hairline mimicking the look that he had been hurt by the officer's words, however as they rounded the corner, Alan's attention quickly left the officer and let his eyes land on Eliza. Turning to give officer Wiggins a pat on the back as though they had been friends for years, Alan hurried forward, placing himself between the two women and waved to Eliza, the motion not going further than his wrist before he stuffed it back into his pocket along with his other hand. "Hey." Tearing her gaze away from Morgan she let it come to rest on him her eyes widening slightly letting them flick over his features as he stepped between them his hand coming up to give her a small wave, "Wha-... What the hell happened..." Reaching up she gently let her fingers brush over his black eye before she turned her hand slightly her thumb grazing over his eyebrow where she could see the unmistakable sight of dried blood. Snapping her head back towards the detective Eliza narrowed her eyes her voice holding more of an edge to it now that she was no longer trying to conceal her annoyance and frustration, "A little too much force, now I may not have the same amount of know-how, but I do know that this is not how you're trained to handle anyone. Let me give you a bit of advice detective, just as you have given me... I suggest you stay away from me, and you best stay away from him as well. I may still be a child in your eyes, but I can most defininetly still make your life hell..." Morgan shook her head at Eliza, before she turned and started walking away saying monotonously, with a cold edge, "My apologies, Miss Brie. But that is a promise I cannot keep. Have a good day," Before she had left, she had looked at Alan with a hard gaze that carried a threat of its own if Eliza ever got hurt. Soon the two were left alone, and Morgan was left frustrated and angry at Alan and Eliza's naivety. Unable to help his eyes looking up and practically rolling into the back of his head to 'see' what Eliza was referencing to, the slight movement brought back a twinge of pain that reminded Alan of the condition of his face. Oh yeah. That. Thankfully, he didn't have to do any sort of explaining since Eliza had already fabricated some sort of story in her head that, once again, put him in the clear. Now he just needed to know what they told her about his arrest and he could probably manage to wiggle out of that one too. "So uh," Alan started turning his neck a bit to watch the hot mamma detective leave them be. He could only assume that he was free to go, especially since Officer Wiggins had given his posessions back to him before coming out here. He paused to pull out his phone, remembering that he had it again to see a couple of missed calls from Eliza the previous night. He turned the phone screen towards Eliza so that she could see it before shrugging his shoulders lightly. "I promise I have a good reason I never answered..." He finished with a slightly cheeky smile. Gritting her teeth Eliza shifted her weight from one foot to the other her grip on her things loosening for a moment before she retightened it her eyes focused on the detective as she walked off leaving the two of them standing alone together, "I hope she enjoys the festivities tonight... Because after that I'm going to make sure she doesn't see the inside of the lodge for quite some time..." Catching the light from the screen of his mobile in the corner of her eye she turned her attention over to him her expression relaxing and her head nodding as she tried to catch up with the conversation, "Yeah? You can tell me what happened in the car. I don't think you want to spend much more time here, and I bet you're tired. Either way, now you have no choice; you can make this whole thing up to me tonight by escorting me to the party." "You mean they didn't tell yo- wait, what party?" Alan pocketed his phone after making sure Eliza had seen the screen of missed calls, now wearing a look of confusion on two different thoughts that passed through his mind. If they didn't tell her, then he needed to start thinking up a new story because no matter how he spun what really happened, he'd only make himself look like an ass. And that wasn't exactly something that would help him into Eliza's pants. Turning his head on a slight swivel, looking around them, he figured the best place to talk wasn't exactly where they were standing, so extending an arm in an 'after you' gesture, Alan waited for Eliza to start walking before he followed after her. Nodding as he gestured towards the door she pushed it open slipping out into the fresh air waiting a few moments before she began leading the way through the carpark and over to where she had left her car pressing the button causing it to unlock, "Yes, party. You're going to escort me to Snowfest tonight, no getting out of it, you can make up for ditching me last night to instead find yourself in some cell here in town." "Oh c'mon, you make it sound like I wanted to spend my night in a cold cement block with a loud-mouth roomate that threw stuff at me instead of a warm, luxurious bed in a hotel room my hot as fuck girlfriend abused her powers to get me for a night. Woah... nice ride..." "Thanks, the car was something I bought after I'd won my third contest, I managed to save enough to get it." Pulling open the door she slid herself into the drivers seat closing it behind her as she began to put her things down getting ready to move on with their day, "So come on, spill it Alan... What happened last night after you left me?" Taking half a moment to admire the car, Alan eventually followed suit and got into the passenger side of the car, shutting the door behind him, immeditaly adjusting the angle of the seat so he could sit back further, buying himself a bit of time to fabricate a story before he got comfortable for the relatively short drive back to the lodge. "I went to go get food and some drinks like any good boyfriend would. I guess I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I saw a sweet looking lambo parked out on the street and was curious to what year it was cuz you don't come across a lambo very often and went to take a closer look cuz it was dark; but before I knew what happened my head was gettin slammed down on the hood and I was cuffed like some kind of criminal. I guess they planted it there, looking for car jackers or something. Kind of like how undercover cops pretend to be highschool kids and pretty much flush out the drug dealers or something I guess. I dunno, I don't know much about what cops do to pass the time. My knowledge of the justice system comes from movies and tv shows." Turning her head she reached back grabbing hold of her seatbelt bringing it down and around before she clicked it into place staying silent as she listened to his explanation about what had happened to him the night previous, "Baiting... It's a tactic that's been used for quite some time though I didn't know that the department here in Tahoe condoned such practices..." Alan merely shrugged, feigning having no idea what she was talking about. Unfortunately, he knew exactly what she was talking about. Sighing softly she closed her eyes her hands coming up to rest on the steering wheel for a few moments before she slipped the key into the ignition starting it up so that the purr of the engine sounded around them her lips playing in a small smile as she flicked her gaze back to him, "Oh, and that room I got last night? I might have booked it for a few days, instead of just the one." Shifting into reverse she turned her upper body her eyes fixated out the back window as she began to reverse out of park changing gears once more though this time into drive before she headed away from the station. "Well there's always tonight." Alan said moving both his hands behind his head and resting back into the reclined seat a bit. "But this time, I vote room service."

Squinting his eyes tighter before letting them slide open slowly, Simba lifted up his arm, using his forearm to cover up his eyes as the afternoon sun filtered in through the cut-out windows that weren't covered up by the nearly transparent curtains. Resting his arm down, he jerked it back away feeling something cool and damp connecting with his skin. Furrowing his brows, causing the skin on his forehead to move, he suddenly became aware of a soft pressure resting on his head; what felt like a wet rag to keep his otherwise warm body temperature at a tolerable level. Groaning a bit as his eyes re-opened, his stomach muscles flexed on his bare abdomen, as his shirt had been removed at some point, as he raised himself up to a sitting position. The wet rag slid down his face, covering up his eyes for a moment before his mind was able to register what was going on and used his hand to take the wet rag off.

The first thing he noticed was the fire crackling in the stone hearth a couple of feet away from him, his brown shirt hanging over a wooden pole laid horizontally to dry, his white pants still on his person (which he was eternally grateful for) but practically dry from his close proximity to the flames. It was then, after noticing the fire, that Simba realized that he was inside, and not just in a cave.

Like a ton of bricks, everything came down on his mind with impenetrable force. The girl, the hidden city, the bond, the... memories that were not his own. Blinking his bright blue eyes, Simba's head spun on a swivel, trying to place where he was (though he had a pretty good idea already) and where the girl had gone off to.

Lifting her hand up she let her slender fingers run back through her long pure white locks pushing them back off her face as she crossed the room she called her own her hips swaying from side to side though the girl no longer looked like the warrior she had earlier that morning but more of the Queen she was expected to be, letting her hand drop back to her side she she let them swing back and forth in time with her hips her arms brushing against the light blue material that wrapped around her hips barely covering her lower half from sight accentuating her curves a long sash wrapped loosely around it for decoration allowing both ends to hang down in front of her each brushing against her bare though toned legs. Her upper body however was free of any material light blue tribal markings matching the tattoo that was under her left eye were painted down her left arm golden bangles hanging around her wrists and right ankle while her ears held golden earrings, bringing her hand up she placed it over her crystal once more gracing her neck with its presence a small smile playing on her lips now that the pain that had been shooting through her ankle hours earlier was now completely gone.

Letting her hand drop from her necklace she extended her arm sweeping away the material hanging over the door before she ducked under it stepping inside slowly as her eyes fell upon his figure looking around her smile only growing and her expression softening now that she knew that he was okay, "You are awake. I hope you are well. You have been out for several hours." Moving further into the room she wandered past him her feet carrying her over to a table holding a bowl full of different fruits and a pitcher with two glasses to go with it and its contents, reaching out she grabbed up the pitcher pouring them each a drink of water before she picked the two mugs up turning until she was once again facing him her arm extending to offer him one as she lifted the other to her lips taking a drink for herself before she placed it back on the table top, "Your attire was soaked through by the waters of the cave. I did all I could to dry them, however I brought you a change of clothes if you wish to make use of them."

The corner of his eye caught the movement of a sheet being pushed to the side, turning his head to spot the woman, who he now just understood was named Kidagakash Nedakh (apparently she wasn't swearing at him earlier) but more importantly than that, he noticed her clothing... or lack thereof. He could feel his ears filling with blood, turning them into a brilliant shade of red that was thankfully covered up by his long mess of blonde hair, though he didn't have the same luxury for hiding the blush on his cheeks. As a boy, Simba hadn't ever been around women enough to know what, well what a woman looked like, and frankly his child-like mind hadn't even stopped to think upon it as the years turned him into a man. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but this... this wasn't it. And thirteen years of being away from people altogether, let alone females, just drove him into more confusion. All he knew was that women, back at The Pride Lands, were regarded with grace and beauty, their bodies to be embraced and left little to cover as clothing would disgrace what Mother Earth had given them. But even in The Pride Lands, there was always some amount of modesty.

Her word were completely droned out, Simba hadn't heard a single syllable she had said to him as all he could do was stare, feeling very much like the curious little boy he had been before being banished to the wilderness but his adult mind stayed his tongue. She wasn't acting any differently, from what he could tell, and now that he was awake and their closeness opening up their bond again, he could feel her calm demeanor, helping to calm down himself... a little... so he pushed past it and forced his eyes to look up and at the woman.

"Kidagakash... that is your name..." He said with a new wave of understanding. Sitting up on the bed a bit straighter, he looked around the room with more interest now, taking in the size and it's contents rather than just looking for a single thing. "And this... this is your home... Atlantis..." Moving his blue eyes back to her, his eyes lowered down the strong lines of her neck, coming to rest on the blue crystal resting between her breasts (somehow managing to keep his eyes on the crystal). "And that... that is your life source, or at least... a small part of it..."

Simba raised his hand to his head, rubbing his temple as he felt his brain beginning to pulse, though not quite the same thing as a headache. He had experienced this only once before with his friend Timon when he was on a rant on the smell of the buffalo herd and he had severed their bond then to keep his own sanity for a couple of minutes. But that was very small-scale compared to this. Bonding with another human was turning out to be a very, very bad idea...

"But then... you're not human, are you? You really are four-hundred and seventy-two..." He stated, following his train of thought and speaking it out loud after a small pause.

Furrowing her brows she tilted her head slightly catching sight of the change in his expression as he watched her move about the room the light red in his cheeks causing her to smile slightly as she brought the cup she was offering him back to place it back beside her own empty one, bringing her hands together in front of her body she leant back against the table watching him curiously as she tried to figure out the curious emotion that was seeping into her body through her mind causing her own cheeks to take on a soft red tinge as she let her eyes flick over his body lingering on his bare chest for a moment the sight much different from the men that she knew from the city. Following his gaze she dropped her eyes to her own body looking over her attire with confusion as to what it was about her dress that was so confusing towards him, the Atlanteans had always considered their bodies to be temples covering them up with too much clothing considered to be nothing more than a sin to the Gods who had blessed them with life. Lifting her gaze back up to meet his she tilted her head to the side her soft pink lips parting as she went to explain though his words cut her off causing her to once more close her mouth and fall silent.

Her smile slowly fell from her lips as she let him process through the information that he had learnt though how he had managed to learn it she still wasn't quite sure his voice speaking her name causing her to lift her head slightly hesitating a moment before she nodded confirming that he had indeed gotten it correct along with the other bits of information that he was speaking of, "You are correct. My name is Kidagakash Nedakh, Queen of Atlantis. I have brought you to my palace so that you may rest and be well again." Reaching her hand up she pressed her fingers against her crystal playing with it for a moment before she once more nodded again confirming that he was correct, "I attempted to use its powers to heal you, however I soon came to the conclusion that you were sleeping and not in any pain."

Pushing away from the table her hand dropped her arm once more lowering to her side as she wandered over to where he sat her body gracefully kneeling down beside him her hands coming together in her lap as she sat back on her feet, "That is also correct, though I am still young, nothing more than a teenager. In truth, my father and mother should still be in rule and I only now beginning to learn what I need to take their place when the time comes. However they are no longer around so the responsibility falls to me."

Simba was doing a good job of paying attention to what it is she had to say, as well as feeling the serenity she herself was putting out there through the feeble bond that he could still feel holding on. But then, she decided to sit down next to him. He wasn't sure why, but his body started to scoot back away from her as she sat next to him, only able to manage a couple inches before the pillows began to get in the way of any real progress. His arms impulsively crossed over his chest, his thumbs running over the arch of his armpit in a nervous manner, his fingertips drumming against his chest as he cleared his throat awkwardly, feeling himself trying to put distance between them even though there was no more room to do so.

"I, uh... a teenager...?" He was just repeating words now, he didn't know what they meant, or what she was trying to imply until she brought up her parents and how she was still learning how to rule the city. The sudden connection to his own past life calmed himself down once more, easing back into the pillows though kept his hands where they were. "I... I'm sorry to hear that..." He replied earnestly, unable to help the dip in his head as his own mind traveled back to the night he had witnessed his own father's death; by the blade of his very own uncle, though the mental walls he had built up about those memories and everything beyond were impenetrable, she would not be able to read them even if she had the know-how like himself and even Rafiki. Even after thirteen years, his own two best friends Timon and Pumbaa didn't know who he was, not really. Blinking, Simba then realized that Kidagakash didn't know who he was either. At least, not the he that he had made himself to be after leaving The Pride Lands.

Tentatively, Simba removed his hand from it's safe, confined space of his armpit and extended his arm out for her to take his hand for a handshake.

"I'm... Mwoga..."

Sitting up straighter as she watched him immediately begin to move back from her she turned her gaze away from his lowering it to her hands as she played with the ends of the sash that was resting over her lap her fingers thumbing the material as she let him speak giving him his space until his words caught her attention, lifting her head up slowly she nodded letting him know that he had indeed heard her correctly when she had said that she was in fact nothing more than a teenager within the culture that had been lost so many hundreds of years ago. Dropping her gaze again she lifted her shoulders up before dropping them back down in a light shrug at the apology that he was giving her about the fact that she had lost her family, there was no need for him to apologize to her about something that had happened over three hundred years ago especially when it was a disaster that could not be stopped even if they had tried to do so, "You need not apologize. It was something that could not be stopped. The ocean grew angered and attacked the city, there was nothing we could do..."

Catching movement in the corners of her eyes she lifted her head up her gaze falling upon his hand as he extended it out her brows furrowing slightly and her lips parting as she tilted her head examining it unsure of what the gesture meant, "Mwoogah..."

His eyes crinkled a bit at the corners as he let out a light laugh as she tried to pronounce the name he had given himself thirteen years ago. Keeping his hand extended, reaffirming it with a light motion, he shook his head slightly, reaching out to her with his mind, making use of the bond that he had created to help her understand not only what the handshake was for, but the proper way to pronounce his name just as he was able to understand how to pronounce hers.

"No, no, no... Mwoga. M-woa-gah." He said softly before just reaching out and taking her hand in his, giving it a light shake. "And it is a pleasure to meet you your majesty." He finished after racking his brains for the proper way to greet royalty that used to be embedded into his mind like second nature so many years ago, when he had thought it was pointless, boring and dull. Remembering then that there was still one more thing he needed to do, he hesitated before turning her hand in his and kissed the top of her hand. He half expected his tongue to hang out with a 'yuck' as he had done so many times before back home. But to his surprise, the reflex to want to gag never came, and instead it felt... right.

Sitting up straight as he extended his arm out a little further towards her she let her eyes flick up at him lingering on his eyes before they dropped back down to his hand her mind soon following with the information that he was giving her about what it meant and why he was offering it to her and the correct pronunciation of his name, "..Mwoga..."

Widening her eyes slightly her cheeks turned a brighter shade of red as he reached out taking up her own hand to shake it before he gently turned it over lifting it up so that his lips pressed softly against her skin causing her heart to freeze in her chest unsure of what to make of what he was doing, "U-Uh..." Pushing back onto her feet she stood back up her hand slipping from his as she turned away from him obviously flustered by the situation and confused about why she was reacting to him the way that she was, "There-... There are clothes on the table by the window... If you wish to change..."

Biting her lower lip hard as she furrowed her brows trying her best to understand what was going on with her own mind at the moment she brought her hands together in front of her hesitating for a moment before she wandered out the room waiting for him to join her when he was good and ready.

Turning his neck a bit, bending at his torso he looked back over his shoulder at the pile of blue and gold cloth that she had laid out for him at some point. Turning back to nod and thank her properly, he instead saw her backside, watching her hips sway as she exited the room just as quietly as she had come in. He wasn't sure how long he laid there on his side, staring at the space where Kidagakash had just been, but he eventually wrapped his mind around the fact that he probably should change. The fire had done a decent job in drying off his skin and hair, but his pants, he feared, he wouldn't ever be able to wear again. It was just as well, he picked the shirt and pants off of a tourist who had wandered too far into The Wildes on their own, half-eaten by the buzzards before he happened upon it to salvage what he could before leaving the birds to their lunch. The clothes were already on the small side, and he was sure he had grown an inch or two since then. Some new clothes would be a nice change.

Pushing himself off of the plethora of pillows, Simba made his way over to the table and stripped himself from the pants, tossing them over the pole where his shirt remained drying by the fire. Picking up the blue bundle of clothes, as he began to undo the folding, he found that it was only a single article of clothing that he really wasn't quite sure what to do with... After examining the holes for a brief moment, getting no where in his ideas, he tapped back into Kidagakash's mind, finding the brief memories of the other men in her kingdom that wore... whatever this was... and soon found the proper way to dress himself. The blue fabric went around his waist and between his legs, covering up all the necessary bits with a longer stretch of fabric that went down both the front and back.

Kinda like a tail... Simba thought as he turned himself around, trying to see how it looked on him. Despite knowing that he was doing it right, he couldn't help but to get the feeling he might have over-looked something and make a complete fool out of himself in front of the Queen. With nothing more to do, Simba swallowed his pride and headed outside to meet back up with her.

"پھر میں یہ سب سے بہتر ہے میں اسے ہماری ثقافت کو دیکھنے کے لئے کے لئے چاہتے ہیں ، وہ ہماری کمپنی کے اندر اندر رہنے کے لئے چاہتا ہے تو پیشکش پر بہت سارے ، ہمارے مہمان کے لئے ہے کہ وہاں بات کا یقین ہو . اب میں اس سے ہماری دنیا کو دکھائے گا کے لئے ، ، میرے دوست کو خوش اس دوپہر کے لئے تہوار کے لئے تیار ہے ... میں نے اکیلے ہی اس سے بات کرنے کی خواہش ." Smiling softly she kept her bright blue eyes on the man standing with her in the small group of the two of them her hand lifting up with her palm flat and outwards as he began to bow to her showing him that the action was in no means necessary, furrowing her brows slightly as she caught sight of his own gaze flicking behind her she followed her head turning to look back over her shoulder only to see that their guest had changed and decided to join her in the main hall causing her smile to grow and her eyes to widen slightly in surprise at how well the clothes suited him her voice soft as she spoke mainly to herself, "دیوتاؤں کی طرف سے ... کیا شاندار مخلوق ..."

Realizing that both men around her had probably heard what she said her cheeks grew a deep shade of red her attention torn from Simba only to once more fall on the man that she had been speaking with the young woman obviously flustered as she hurried to dismiss him from her presence, taking a moment to calm herself back to her usual content demeanor she slowly turned around her gaze once more falling onto that of her guest though this time she thought through her words before letting them slip from her mouth, "You wear our dress well, it suits your temple. Please, let me show you around Atlantis. When we return, the people wish to hold a feast to welcome you into our city."

Stepping outside of the smaller room and into what he could only assume was The Main Hall (it looked so much different than his father's castle back home), Simba had managed to catch the tail end of Kidagakash's conversation with another man in the language he did not understand by words, but was slowly starting to understand by inflections. Putting his attention past the foreign language, he couldn't help the subtle sigh of relief seeing that he had indeed put on the garments correctly as the man across from Kidakagash wore the same thing and in the same way. Feeling, rather than seeing, the other man's gaze on him, reflexively Simba kept his head bowed down; something he had gotten into the habit of to keep his facial features hidden from anyone who might recognize him as Simba. Even years later he knew that it was far-fetched, but he wasn't about to leave that to chance. His bare feet scuffled slightly on the stone floor and his hands went to his hips where he would have stuffed them into his pants pockets but when his fingers brushed up against the pocket-less material Kidagakash had provided him with, he awkwardly let his arms hang back down at his sides as he could now start to feel the gaze of other's passing by on him.

His mind connected with hers then, by means that were not his own and translated the later part of her quiet statement into his mind with emotions rather than words, but it was still something he understood just as clear as if she had spoken them to him in English. Turning his gaze just a bit, he caught a glimpse of a small dragonfly buzzing by them, able to pinpoint it's location with ease having sensed it's energy. His palm was glowing a very soft blue color, in which Simba knew it wouldn't stop until he returned back to the plains since everything and everyone here was entirely new to him, and thus the only creature he had bonded with here was the Queen of the hidden city, standing before him now. Simba shrugged his broad shoulders, flickering his eyes to Kidagakash for half a moment before looking back to his feet.

"I tend not to bond with insects all too often. Their lifespans are far too short and they can't hold a very good conversation." He stated, certain that it was the dragonfly that she had been talking about, and then addressed her latter comment. "You... you don't have to do that..." He said modestly, shuffling his feet about him a bit again and put his arms behind his back, holding onto his wrist and resting them against his lower back to give him something to do. "Really, I'm... I'm not exactly a people-person. I'm uh, well, thank you for the clothes, and bringing me here and everything... but I gotta get back to Pumbaa..."

"I see..." Lifting her hand up she tilted her head scooping her hair around and over her shoulder her gaze lowering and turning to the side as she listened to his words feeling the reluctance that he felt slowly filling her body, "If this is your choice... than I shall escort you from the city..." Taking a deep breath she let it out slowly through her nose gesturing towards the main entrance and the large doors that led back outside as she took a step back turning before leading the way slowly her hands coming together in front of her body trying her best to avoid eye contact with him though why she wasn't quite sure, moving through the open doors and into the fresh air she nodded towards those who were greeting both her and Simba though her feet made no signs that they were going to stop her movements however a lot slower than they were when she had first set out from the city that morning.

"The people have not had new visitors in years. I shall let them know of your decision, and call the feast off for the night." Not slowing her pace she continued to walk not bothering to look back to see if he was still following her or not, "I wish for what you have done to me however to be undone... I have not witnessed magic such as this and though it interests me, I cannot allow it to effect my judgement or duties as Queen..."

Sadness. That's all Simba could feel right now coming through her as though the emotion was his own, the emotion overpowering his nervousness and insecurities to a point where he started to fell a knot forming in his chest. But, why would she be sad about him wanting to return back home? She had tried to kill him earlier, twice in fact. He didn't belong here, and they both knew it. He kept his eyes off of her figure as she led them out of the construct and back outside, letting his eyes rest on a few areas that looked slightly familiar to him as he had seen them from the cliff's edge what felt like only just a few moments ago. He kept his head down, feeling only slightly better as the throng of people around them subsided with each step they took towards the exit of the city.

/Hang in there Pumbaa, buddy. I'm heading back now./

There was a slight pause as Simba reached out with his mind to contact the warthog, and for a moment he thought that he was simply just too far away to be able to form a link strong enough for conversation until he heard a rather grotesque burp.

/Better hurry, Mwoga. Timon and I just found a rotted log filled with nutritious yummables to snack on. Can't guarantee we will save you any-/

/Is that Mwoga? Hey! Tell him I said hi!/

/Timon! Get off my back! He can hear you, you know.../

/I know that! I just get better reception up here. Hey Mwoga! What gives? I thought we were going to the wateri-/

/Timon! I can't see!/

/Lighten up big guy, this will only take a second!/

Shaking his head, Simba pushed the bond of the warthog and the meerkat to the back of his mind, feeling Kidagakash addressing him once more, able to understand her words this time though as she spoke in his language. Guilt pulled through him then as she asked for him to remove it. He hadn't exactly thought about that before, all of the animals he had bonded with in the past showed no reluctance or hesitation before with letting him in. But, he supposed, human beings were a bit different... if only just slightly...

"I... I can't remove it..." Simba said ashamedly, keeping his head down and simply watching his feet carry him. "Once you're bonded with someone, it's for life. I... I don't know how to cut the connection short of death, but even then I we would be able to feel the life draining from us as if it was me who were dying. I've only experienced it a couple of times before; but it's not something I would want to put on anyone if I can help it. I'm uh..." He lifted his head, just a bit to let his blue eyes land on her figure. "I'm sorry to have bonded with you, it did not occur to me that it was not something you wanted."

Turning her head to the side slightly to show him that she was listening she closed her eyes her eyebrows furrowing in confusion and frustration at the fact that the connection that had been made between the two of them was unbreakable even by the one who had created it in the first place, turning her head back to the path ahead of her she pushed herself further picking up the pace if only slightly as if maybe adding distance between them was going to be something that would help to kill the bond naturally without one of them needing to die.

"We are stuck, bonded as one..." Repeating the words more for her own sake rather than for his she opened her eyes once more her bright blue orbs staring ahead as she continued to lead the way through the inner city heading towards the ruins that were the outer remnants, her heart grew heavy as her own grief took over her body her hands balling into fists at her side as she mumbled punishing herself for her own stupidity that had led them both into the situation in the first place, "میں نے اپنے لوگوں کو تحفظ فراہم کرنے میں ناکام رہے ہیں ... میں ان کی ملکہ بننے کے قابل نہیں ہوں ..."

"What? Oh no, no we are still two very different people." Simba said, not quite understanding the context in which she used her words, however his explanation was cut off short by her next phrase in which he understood quite plain and clear, not even having to dig through her mind to find the implications or meanings behind them anymore. Knitting his brows together, Simba picked up the pace a bit quicker than she had, coming up behind her and placed a strong hand on her bare shoulder, willing her to stop and turn to face him.

"You have not failed anyone Kidagakash, most of all your people. From what your mind is giving me, you are a fair and just ruler with the well-being of your people and culture put before yourself. Samahani. Tafadhali nisamehe. The fault is mine for putting this on you, I was not thinking."

Tensing her body as she felt a strong grip upon her shoulder she clenched her jaw reluctantly allowing him to turn her around so that she was now facing him her eyes gliding past him and to the ground beside them still not wishing to make contact, scrunching up her face she shook her head slightly his words leaving an unsettling feeling within her before causing her to lift her head forcing herself to meet his gaze even against her own will, "غلطی اکیلے میرا اور میری ہے ..! I was the one to lead you to this place. Had I not been careless, you would not be here nor a bond between us."

Keeping his jaw tightly closed shut, he let her talk; both in the tongue of her people and English, though he was at a point now where he didn't notice the difference in speech much anymore. If she wanted to continue to blame herself despite his words, then fine. He wasn't going to waste any more energy on something both he and Kidagakash knew that she firmly believed in, regardless if it was the truth or not.

Dropping her head once again she took a step back pulling her shoulder out from under his grip as her hands lifted coming together in front of her body lightly brushing the skin just under her breasts, "I give the people false hopes of a life once more as peaceful and thriving as it was before the big waters... I once had hope of my own that the world outside would accept our culture, but I see now that I was wrong. Now I must fix the mistakes of my past..." Turning back away from him she kept her hands close her eyes gazing out at the city around them as she hesitated torn between whether she should keep going or let him leave on his own, taking a deep breath she let it out slowly her feet once more beginning to move her forward in the same slow pace she had been moving at when they first set out, "..Come... You must leave..."

Simba's otherwise hardened expression let up a little at her words. His head tilted slightly as he watched her turn back around and continue walking, but she only got in a few steps before he rushed forward and once more pulled her attention back to him by placing his hand back on her shoulder.

"Why don't you think the outside world will accept your culture?" He asked, his brows knitting together in genuine curiosity. Looking away from her for a moment, he turned his neck to look over his bare shoulder, back at the city in which she had brought him to. An unexplainable sense of pride began to well up in his chest, and it took him a couple of moments to realize that the pride wasn't coming from him, but Kidagakash instead, an understanding of the love of her hidden city washing over his mind like a quick breeze. Smiling, unable to help it with the new feeling inside of him, he turned back to look at her. "I don't know how many years it's been since I've been in a city, but what you have here is amazing..."

Closing her bright blue orbs as she felt his hand once again come to rest on his shoulder she clenched her jaw her body freezing in place for a moment before she turned around to face him her gaze catching with his showing him nothing but worry and caution over the matter they seemed to now be discussing, "Outsiders all think alike... You are not capable of accepting my people and our culture. Others will be less understanding than you." Shaking her head she stepped back ripping her shoulder out from under his hand like she had done earlier though this time instead of walking off she held her ground watching as he looked around at the city before their gazes met again, "What we have are the crumbling ruins of a once great civilization... My people have suffered much, I cannot ask much more of them..."

Turning her head away from him she fell silent her gaze lowered for a few moments before she lifted up her arm gesturing to the rubble that was blocking the only path to the entrance of Atlantis her eyes flicking up to stare at it, "Come now. You must go."

With her emotions flooding into him like a broken beaver dam, Simba's body relaxed substantially as he bore the weight of her worry and caution as though the entirety of the city was his very own burden to bare. Returning his hand to his side after she jerked away, getting that she didn't want the physical contact, he moved his fingers to instead run through his tangled mess of blonde hair with a dejected sigh.

"Well... maybe there is a way I can help. You mentioned earlier that food was getting harder to come by; I can help with that." Simba relaxed his arm back down to his side, his fingertips brushing up against the material that now covered his waist and down his legs a ways, bringing his attention there for a moment. "It's the least I can do for the new clothes... but I'm afraid making entire civilizations understand a different culture... that's out of my hands. I just don't see what isn't to like... or what is different really. Then again I haven't spent much time anywhere else but the Wilde's and The Pr-" He stopped himself quickly and shook his head lightly. "Watering holes..." He corrected.

Her lips parted as she caught sight of the look that was upon his face causing her to double take on her actions of sending him away for just a moment before she once more tore her gaze away from his her long white locks falling down over her shoulder, "You wish to help bring game back to the people? You are kind to offer your skill to Atlantis. You have my gratitude."

Lowering her arm back to her side she turned back to face him completely her eyes narrowing with curiosity at what was going through her mind though unlike him who seemed to know everything she was thinking she couldn't figure out what train of thought he was on, "You... Enjoy watering holes..?" Lifting her hand up she let her fingers glide through her long locks neatly tucking them back behind her ear as she tilted her head her eyes searching his for some sort of clue to what he wanted.

"It's just a matter of asking the herds to move closer. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to help out." Simba remarked with a gentle shrug of his broad shoulders, absentmindedly moving his hand back up to his head to scratch the back of his neck out of habit "Um... watering holes? Yeah... they're alright. A good place to cool down, wash up and meet new friends, though its hard to find one that isn't crowded by the locals at all times, so not exactly a place to go if you want to be alone."

Shaking his head again and once more returning his hand to his side once he realized he was rubbing the back of his neck with no true purpose, he reverted back to the more important topic at hand.

"There was a buffalo herd not too far from here just yesterday, I'll go see if I can't track them down." Simba moved his eyes from Kidagakash towards what he now knew as the exit of the city by the information he had learned from her earlier through their bond before looking back to her with a soft smile, both physically and through their bond telling her that everything was going to be okay in an effort to still her anxiety.

"You would go to such lengths to help us..." Her eyes flicked back and forth between his seeming to search them for some sort of answer that would tell her why it was he would be willing to go out of his way to help her and the rest of the city, relaxing as she felt comfort leak into her mind through the bond they both shared and the expression that graced his features she took a couple of steps forward her hand coming up to grab hold of his wrist though this time it was a lot more gentler than it had been the last time, "Thank you Mwoga... You have my gratitude for these actions."

Her lips turned up in a small smile her fingertips grazing over his skin for a moment before she dropped her arm back down to her side looking towards the path that led to the entrance to the lost civilization, "I will be eternally in your dept for such help."

Shaking his head no and keeping his smile, Simba simply looked back down into her eyes, turning his wrist slightly in her hand so that the pad of his thumb could move over the top of her hand in a soothing gesture.

"If you need me, just open your mind. I shouldn't be too far and our bond should keep us linked together." Releasing her hand, he kept his smile before continuing to walk forward, no longer needing her to show him the way out of the city.

Lifting her hand up, Eliza brushed some of her long blonde locks back off her face closing the door quietly behind her as she left the room her eyes flicking down to her mobile as she slid her thumb over the screen unlocking it before shooting a message over to the man she looked up to as an uncle, now that she had sorted through things with Alan and talked him into taking her to the party she had time to move on with the things she had to get done along with the things she had to add to the list, now including getting Alan a suit as he slept the day away. Shoving the thoughts to the side she looked back down at the screen of her mobile her thumbs gliding over the screen as she shot a text message off to Dominic, 12:40 pm "Hey uncle Dom! I'm free now if you still want to catch up, I have to do some shopping but if you still want to catch lunch together that would be great, I'm starving." Admiring the view of the trees and the grass from his spot at the park, Dominic would look out at the serene environment about him before looking down at a poetry book he was currently intent on reading. Feeling a dull buzzing sensation within his coat pocket, Dominic fished through the somewhat scuffled jacket before procuring his cell phone, needing only to glance at the message once before nodding approvingly, a flash of a smile on his mustachioed features as he hashed out a reply. 12:42 pm "Sounds like a plan. Meet up at the diner just off of 1st Street. I'm sure you've had enough of the lodge restaurants." That being said, Dominic closed his book, tucking it under his arm as he rose from his place on the park bench, whistling a small tune to himself as he made the relatively short walk to the diner in question. Moving back out of the lodge and over to where she had parked her car she hit the button unlocked it before she slipped into the drivers seat the sound of her mobile going off alerting her to the fact that she had a new message, her lips turning up into a bright smile before she slid her phone into the cup-holder pulling out of the park and heading off down the road as she headed towards where they were supposed to be waiting. After a few minutes of silent driving she pulled into an empty spot shifting the gear into park shutting the car down and gathering up her belongings before she got out locking it as she made her way up the curb and into the cafe that she was supposed to be meeting him at, stopping just inside she glanced around her eyes searching for where he was her hands coming together in front of her so that she could play with the front of her top, "Uncle Dom... Where are you..." "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see..." Dominic said from behind, wearing a wide smile on his face before continuing, "Henry David Thoreau, one of the most respectable poets I've ever learned about." He added in an almost wistful manner. "So! Shall we go find ourselves a table? I've not had breakfast today, so I'm quite peckish." He began again, clasping his hands together. Her lips turned up into a bright smile as she heard the sound of a familiar voice coming from behind she rolled her eyes slightly her head lolling as she jutted her hip to the side her hand coming down to rest softly against it, "Glance into the world just as though time were gone; and everything crooked will become straight to you." Turning around to face him completely she slid her arms around his body holding him tightly against hers as she gave him the third hug of the day, "Friedrich Nietzsche, though I'm sure with your knowledge of the world you already knew that." Pulling herself back from him she nodded quite enthusiastically her stomach growling slightly as though it was trying to add emphasis to the fact that she was hungry, "Please, I'm starving... I haven't eaten all day." Chuckling at her own retort of a quote, Dominic placed a single hand on her back, leading her to a far booth just by a large window looking out over the sidewalk. When finally sitting down, Dominic cleared his throat before speaking, "It seems that every time I come here I am astounded by the beauty that surrounds. It brings a certain sense of calm." He finished, looking out the window with an admiring gaze. As he spoke, though, he could note how similar his own words were to that of the Sorcerer's mere hours ago as the hooded man looked out at the ocean, finding his own peace from the waves. Sliding her hands over the back of her skirt she held it against her legs as she slid down into the booth before she put her things down on the table beside her a smile playing on her lips at his words, "The snow covered mountains overlooking Tahoe are absolutely beautiful, you're right, it brings peace and serenity to people who take the time out of life to appreciate the scenery." Crossing her legs under the table she picked up the menu letting her eyes flick back and forth over what was offered at the restaurant before she glanced back up at him, "So I know that you're here for a couple of days, and it's great, but it sucks knowing that you need to leave after getting here so soon." Letting out a small sigh, Dominic looked to Eliza with a small smile, though there was a sadness in his eyes. "Yes...I know. Unfortunately my work at the museum ties me down. Otherwise I'd be spending much more time here with you and your family." He explained, clasping his hands together on the table as he spoke. "But we must all live each day in the moment. Enjoy the time we have, then anticipate the next time. No point focusing on the 'could-have'." Dominic advised with a more lighthearted smirk as he in turn glanced at his own menu. "Now, what catches your eye here? Anything you want, my treat." He told her whilst not lifting his eyes, though there was that amicable warmth to his tone that accomplished what an expression most likely couldn't. "Maybe I can talk dad into letting me take some time off to come visit you; I've always wanted to go see the museum you work at. Hey, maybe during the summer when it's not so busy at the Lodge." Smiling brightly at the thought of getting away from work for even a few days she turned her light ice-blue eyes back down to her menu letting them linger on the item that had caught her interest, her free hand slipping from the table to press against her stomach trying to muffle the sound of it as it growled at her again as though trying to remind her that it was actually there at all. "I think I might go the chicken caesar salad, I know that they have pretty big portions here so it should be filling enough." Closing the menu up she placed it down on the table her hand slipping from the top to come together with her other hand on her lap, "Uncle Dom... Will you help me pick out a suit..? I need to get one for tonight, and I have no idea what to look for other then what I think looks good and what colors are going to match my dress..." "A suit, eh?" Dominic repeated, finally lifting his gray eyes from the menu. "Well, I have never been one to decline assisting one when it comes to formal-wear. I've got nothing planned for today," at this, Dominic looked at the three watches strapped to his wrist, "so we can definitely do that." He finished with a wide smile. But behind his outward reaction was a certain sense of dread...if what the Sorcerer said was true and the time was coming closer for the Children to return...would Eliza hate him? Dominic shuddered at the thought before pushing it to the back of his mind, ignoring it for the time being. "That would be great, thank you uncle Dom. I really wouldn't know where to begin, I've never shopped for a guy before. I mean, unless you count Christmas presents for you and dad... But I don't think that's the same thing..." Lifting her hand up she awkwardly rubbed the back of her head ruffling her long blonde locks slightly as her cheeks turning a slight shade of red, she knew that there was a big difference between choosing out a tie or a shirt for her father and uncle compared to buying Alan a full blown suit to wear to the party tonight. Lowering her hand back down she turned her gaze back to him her fingers playing with the hem of her skirt as she thought through what she had in mind for herself hoping to give him some ideas that they could work with, "I know I want to wear blue... If that helps at all, it's my favorite color and it happens to be the only one that suits me the most." "Don't mention it, it's my pleasure." Dominic reassured warmly before paying close attention as she continued to speak. "Blue, eh? A lovely color, indeed. What shade were you looking at? A navy blue suit always comes across as powerful and formal, but I am loathe to think it would have quite the same effect in much of a lighter shade." He explained, his tone becoming somewhat more serious, as though he was discussing serious business with a coworker or client. "Well, I've had my eye on this dress for a while now; it's light blue with a few blue and silver beads or sparkles or whatever it is you call them... Oh, and it's long as well." Pulling her legs up she folded them on the cushion underneath her making sure to get comfortable as she brought her arms up leaning them on the table, "So, I don't think that navy blue is going to match it, but I don't want him walking around in a powder blue prom tux either... That's just embarrassing..." "Yes, I quite agree." Dominic replied with a brisk nod of his head, though was rather smoothly interrupted by the appearance of a waitress come to take their order. After all was said and done, Dominic took a small sip of his iced tea before continuing on with his thought. "I've never seen powder blue work well as a tuxedo and, frankly, I do not wish to test that theory moreso. Now...you say you're going with a light blue...matching beads. The image I'm formulating in my mind has a sort-of...wintery feel to it. In which case, perhaps a white tuxedo might be best. You be the ice, he'll be the snow." Dominic suggested with a large smile, clearly hopeful in his idea. "White..? He's very noticeable in a crowd as it is, trust me, I think white might be over the top for even him. Last year there was a guy who wore suit that was like grey and a creamy sort of color, I don't know the actual name of the color, but it looked really good." Reaching out she picked up her glass of coke lifting it to her lips so that she could take a sip before replacing it down on the table top, "Maybe something like that? I mean, even if the actual suit doesn't seem to match, that's what the shirt is for... Right..?" "Hm....yes, yes, that sounds better." Dominic replied with another short nod of his head. "Many people wear a different color sports coat and trousers, it can work quite well. Then again, there are many other men who prefer solid, matching colors. In the end that's up to your mysterious suitor." Dominic added with a short chuckle to himself. Hearing his words she couldn't help the soft chuckle that slipped through her lips as they turned up in a small smile her eyes shutting as she shook her head softly from side to side as though she couldn't believe what he was saying, "Suitor? Uncle Dom, what do you think I am? A princess? I know I'm adopted, but still." Opening her eyes again she lifted her gaze to once more catch his as she began to play with the silverware out of habit while waiting for their meals to arrive, "This isn't a fairy tale... Wish it was, cause then I'd have people to dress me and I wouldn't have to worry about things like this... But things like that don't exist, they don't happen to people like me." "Oh, you'd be surprised." Dominic replied amusedly, expertly hiding the bitterness that threatened to spill over. "Sometimes the biggest, most exciting things happen to those who view themselves insignificant. You may not be a princess in this world, in this life. But never think yourself any smaller." Dominic finished in a more serious tone, looking his 'niece' in the eyes as he spoke. Folding her arms she lifted them up allowing them to rest upon the table top as she herself leant forward her eyebrow raising and her head tilting slightly as she thought about his words for a few moments her eyes fixated on his own as her lips continued to hold the amused smile, "Okay... So say hypothetically, I was a princess, not in this word - like you stated... Why would I be in this world? And how would I have gotten here in the first place?" "I beg your pardon, Eliza. I find myself speaking more and more like a poet each day. Force of habit, I suppose. My words were merely figurative. Though, I do think you'd fit the title of Princess quite well." Dominic finished with a short laugh, though his heart was racing. How close had he come? No, no...it wasn't time. The Sorcerer would tell him when. Sitting up a little traighter she reached out once more picking up her glass so that she could take another sip of her drink her eyes tearing away from his and up to the waitress as she placed their food down in front of them, nodding her head in thanks she waited until she had left the table side before she let her gaze turn back to him gently shaking her glass causing the ice to clink back and forth against the sides as she tried to force it to cool down more than it already was, "Yeah, because the last thing the world needs is a princess who would rather spend all day carving up the mountains than doing her actual duties to make sure the world was a better place for her people... Even if I was a princess, I wouldn't know the first thing about ruling, I have a hard enough time as it is looking after and managing all the classes that I teach..." "Well, guess that's why a lot of that stuff stays in fairy tales, eh?" Dominic asked with a smile before turning his attention towards the Philly cheesesteak sandwhich in front of him. "My words still stand, though. You're far more intelligent than you give yourself credit for." Dominic assured her kindly, complete sincerity to his tone. He couldn't help but think...what would happen when the truth was revealed and she would take over Arendelle? Surely she couldn't run an entire nation just after finding out who and what she was... "Indeed, we all know that fairy tales will never come true. I'm sure we've all seen enough Disney movies to fantisize about true love and happy ever afters, though we all know that such things don't exist." Putting her glass back down she instead picked up her fork shifting in her seat as she began poking at her food having a quick look at what was in it before she began to gather some of the salad up with the chicken. "..Uncle, did I make the wrong choice..?" Her smile faltered slightly before disappearing completely from her face as she thought back over the conversation she had held with the detective that very morning in the station, "You know... By choosing snowboarding over getting my degree in law... I just-... A lot of things lately is making me second guess my choices, and I just... I just need to know I made the right one the first time around..." Letting out a small sigh, Dominic looked at Eliza carefully for a few moments, as if trying to devise an answer. "It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who once said: All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better. Life isn't about good or bad choices. It's about doing what you feel is best and making the most of it. There will be moments of admiration, moments of regret; moments of accomplishment and even moments of failure. You just keep moving forward. The question isn't whether I think you've made a good or bad choice, it's about how you feel." He finished, pointing at her for emphasis. "It was a great opportunity, I felt as though I couldn't pass it up at the time, being able to compete in these competitions the way that I do... Being able to work towards one of the biggest competitions of my life... It's not something that gets offered to just anyone, you have to be good, really good... The fact I even fit that bill, it still feels like a dream..." Her lips once again turned up in a small smile as she lifted her fork up slipping the food she had collected up into her mouth and allowing herself time to properly chew before swallowing so that she could once again speak. "Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoy law, I still have all my course books and case studies up in my desk back home. I just really love what I do, when I'm boarding... When it's just me and the snow covered mountains, I feel free. Like I can be myself completely, and no one can judge me or hold me down... It just feels so right..." Chuckling softly she began to gather up some more food onto her fork as she shook her head as though trying to dissmiss her own words, "Silly I know, but I don't know how else to describe it..." "Oh, I know exactly what you mean." Dominic assured before continuing, "You see...when I was just around your age, my family urged me to follow the family business and be a lawyer, or a mediator. Something 'respectable' as they put it. But I was a free spirit, I enjoyed wandering, exploring and discovering. I brought this issue to my parents, who promptly cut off monetary support for me. Leaving me effectively homeless and penniless. So...I wandered. Times were tough, there were times where money was nonexistent, but I survived, and got a job that I love and cherish. That's what it's all about. Doing what you enjoy, not what people try to force on you." He finished before stopping to take a bite of his own lunch, letting the words sink in. Lowering her gaze away from him she fell silent for a few minutes (save for the sound of the two of them chewing on their food) her eyes lingering upon her plate watching it grow emptier and emptier as she contemplated his words, "Things must have been tough for you... Not having parents who understood or encouraged you to do what it was you really wanted to do in life... I guess I'm really lucky in the sense that I had people who helped me along the path and who supported and continue to support me no matter which road I chose to go down. Dad, Anna, you... I never would have gotten to where I am today if it wasn't for you guys backing me up like you have." Finishing the rest of his meal as she spoke, Dominic dabbed his face with a napkin before wadding it and dropping it onto his now-empty plate, clasping both hands together once again, fingers intertwining with one another. "Well, that's our job. Keep you on the right path and pull you out of any ditches." Dominic replied with a bemused smile. "Now, I'll pay the bill, then let's say you and I go clothes-shopping, eh?" Dominic finished with a slight raise of his brow. Putting her fork down onto the empty place once she had finished eating all her food she picked up her napkin quickly wiping her mouth clean of any dressing before she dropped it onto the top of the pile her eyes sparkling slightly at the thought of going shopping, "Uncle Dom, you really are the best. The store that I saw that dress in is down the road, we could walk there and once we've gotten everything we need I can give you a lift up to the lodge. That way you don't have to come up later, and you can see dad if you want to; he should be done with his meetings soon anyway." "That sounds like a plan! Now, there's no time to waste then if we wish to be in time for the festival tonight, eh?" Dominic replied before rather gracefully moving from the table to the checkout counter before returning no more than a minute later. "Alright, that's all said and done. Are you ready to go?" Dominic asked, planting both hands in his coat pockets. Gathering up her things as he moved away to pay for their meal she once more lowered her feet to the ground scooching over until she was able to stand up from the booth her back arching slightly causing soft cracks and pops to sound as her back cracked from the lack of moment moments earlier, lifting her hand up she slid her fingers into her hair pushing it back off her face as she gave him a warm smile watching him get closer to where she stood waiting for him, "Yeah, I've still got so much to do before I open up the festival tonight, if I can get all this shopping done now and not forget anything, it would be great." Chuckling softly she reached out her free hand gripping hold of his as she began walking half leading and half pulling him along behind her as she headed towards the door of the restaurant, turning to the side slightly she used her hip to push and hold it open waiting patiently for him to move past her before she moved out of the way not bothering to wait for it to close before she was off again a slight spring in her step as she moved down the street towards the first store, "A dress, a suit, some shoes... How hard could this be..." Shaking her head softly she turned her head back glancing over her shoulder at Dominic, "Better get ready Uncle Dom... You've never been shopping with me before."

Collaboration between Ghost Shadow and Tanderbolt

The day had turned to late afternoon, the formerly bright yellow sun becoming a deeper orange as it started its lengthy descent from the heavens.

Viewing as such from a slightly frosted window in the lodge lobby, Dominic stood still and stiff as a statue, the only movements he made being the subtle twitch of his fingers as he awaited the other Guardians. Rather, the other competent Guardians. Having sent both Ilya and Funes a message earlier that afternoon, it would only be a matter of minutes before they arrived.

Ilya spotted Dominic outside and walked up to him. He said "Glad to see you're here. I don't have much time but Funes is here too, we can talk in his room. Follow me."

Turning as the large figure of Ilya approached him, Dominic nodded curtly, holding a certain air of professionalism and formality about him. "Yes, of course. Lead the way." He replied with a motion of his hand, his typically warm and inviting gray eyes now steely and resolved. He had been assured countless times that no one else could have followed them to Earth, but Dominic knew better than to take anything at face value.

Ilya led him to Funes' room down the hall on the first floor. A few people stared at Dominic as they walked by. "I like this job better, though Funes had to help me with the air fare. I didn't make much in the army. Glad I got a visa, I'd probably be a farmer if that never worked out." He stopped and knocked on Funes' door after finishing his sentence.

"It's a shame. Soldiers don't seem to get paid much these days...not like it was that much better back Home." Dominic replied, somewhat bitterly. "Being a farmer might not be so bad. Tiring work, but well worth it from what I've heard. Nevertheless, I always felt more comfortable in a museum of library." He added, his tone lighter as he cracked a small smile.

"That's a lot of words from someone who's never given either professions a serious try. Things are different here, there's less farmers, and in this country there's no conscription." Funes opened the door when Ilya was in the middle of his sentence. He said "I presume things are still the same in the old world. I wonder if the peasents have even noticed many changes at all, in my village our only interactions with the feudal landlords was paying taxes and helping with wars. Now, I'm sure Dominic would be able to enlighten us, if he knows anything about it at all. I don't recall him spending much time with the average villager, and I wonder if he has found need to do so over the course of the 318 days since he last visited us. Of course, he's probably here to discuss more pressing matters such as the children, all but two of his visits have primarily concerned that subject."

"I'm afraid my work with the peasants has been little aside from flying over their heads every so often." Dominic replied, somewhat dryly (though there was a bemused glint in his eyes).

"Your earlier assumptions are correct. My visit here regards the Children." Dominic then added before looking behind him, checking for any bystanders before entering Funes' room completely.

"I spoke briefly with the Sorcerer before coming here. He mentioned our plans were 'accelerating', that it would soon come time for the Children to return to the Fairy Tale World. I don't know any specifics, but I do know we need to work out how we're going to tell them who they are -- what they are. It's far from being simple information." He finished soberly, planting both hands in his coat pockets.

At that point Ilya walked into the room and motion for Dominic to follow him. He said "Has the situation gotten worse? What exactly would they be doing when they got back?" Funes didn't talk, he was still thinking at this point.

"That, I'm afraid, is not in my knowledge. I suppose it all comes down to the Dark Queen and how prepared she is. As for the situation itself...I cannot say. It hasn't been peaceful for the last thirteen years. There are many things hidden beneath shadows." Dominic replied in an almost dark manner, his eyes narrowed.

Ilya said "Well, at least you're trying to help. Alan isn't even doing that, unless you consider flirting with the children as helpful." Ilya paused for a moment when he realized Funes was in the room. Caution wasn't one of his best virtues.
Funes spoke up angrily after hearing that "He spends thirteen years without a single communication with us and then he goes and does that? Why is he even a guardian, if we really need another we could surely find someone more competant. I personally know of at least a dozen figures who, if they are alive, would work better. Here, I'll start alphabetically: Aeneas, Anansi, Alyosha Popovich.." Ilya stared at Dominic, hoping that he would cut Funes off.

Holding up a single hand, Dominic rather smoothly cut in, "I appreciate the offer, Ireneo, but the Sorcerer attests that he chose Alan as Guardian for a reason...though even he seemed slightly irate. For now, the fool's landed himself in jail. Probably alcohol-involved in some way. Now, the largest issue still remains: the Children will need to find out who they are soon. Do either of you have an idea as to how we're going to tell them?" Dominic asked, eyes scanning both men for an answer.

Ilya said "It's been Funes' job to think of that, I'm mainly here to keep them safe." Funes said "I have researched it exstensively and had several ideas, though most of them involved a slower timeline. The usual manner would be to identify one who is friends with several of them and approach them first, then ask their assistance in telling the others."

"Hm...not bad, but what if the first individual doesn't believe us? We need something vague yet direct at the same time. If we're too forward, we could push them away. Too vague, they won't pick up the message." Dominic thought aloud, cupping his chin with a single hand.

Funes continued. "If they don't believe us then there's nothing we can really do, but that problem is the same for any approach we take. I think the way we can rope them in is to talk about details of their life, believe me I know plenty about each of them."

"Yes, you have a point. I'll take care of Eliza and Annalise. I've known them long enough, would make the news a bit easier. The rest we'll deduce when the time comes. I'm afraid Pinocchio-- Alan...might have caused us a number of problems. He's already seduced two of the children. Which of them, I'm unsure, but two of them nonetheless." Dominic explained calmly, though with a steely edge to his voice.

Funes' face turned red again. Ilya said "I can handle that, I will throw Alan out of the lodge if that's what we need to keep him from causing problems. I've seen him talking with Eliza and Daria, so those might be it. After we're finished, I'll go back to watching the door for Alan while Funes works on exactly what to say."

"You've seen him with Eliza?" Dominic repeated, his lips curved into a sharp frown as he spoke, his entire demeanor shifting. "I swear, if he so much as touched her the wrong way..." Dominic didn't finish his sentence, instead letting out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temple. "Now then, we've got a basic plan down. We'll speak more about it if necessary. Right now, I think our best idea is to make sure Snowfest goes well. Now, do either of you have anything you wish to bring to my attention?" He asked lastly, looking between Ilya and Funes once again.

Funes spoke up. "Just one thing. Both me and Ilya have noticed how much safer everyone is here, if we want to protect them, it might be best just to not go back, just let them live the rest of their lives. We could find a place for Yen Sid and anyone else that wants to come here."

Dominic at first looked visibly shaken that Funes used the Sorcerer's name so freely before moving onto his query. "There are kingdoms to run in the Fairy Tale World, it's the Children's home...they are not required to return, no. But I still recommend they do so. The Sorcerer could provide enough protection from Maleficent until we deal with her. Now then, I best let you two get back to whatever it is you were doing. We'll keep in touch." Dominic said lastly before offering a curt, if respectful nod, heading towards the door to leave.

Stepping out of the flames that seemed to appear out of no where, Jafar turned his head to the left first, and then the right, taking in his surroundings. He knew he had transported himself to the right place immediately given the very drastic change in humidity in the air around him; he could already start to feel beads of sweat forming at his hairline underneath his turban. Secondly, his dark eyes spotted the small, modest sign bolted to an even more modest looking brick building, tucked into the way recesses of the streets of The Bayou as though it were trying to remain hidden there.

Scoffing somewhat to himself as the flames dissipated from behind him, paying them no heed, Jafar took his cobra-headed staff and using it much like a walking stick, headed towards the front entrance of Dr. Facilier's Emporium. Why the Shadow Man had decided to keep his establishment so well hidden even after taking control of the entire area was beyond Jafar, he simply didn't understand why a man wouldn't rise to the occasion and build himself a quaint little castle that could oversee the entire area to know just what each and every person in The Bayou was doing. But then again, Jafar supposed, not everyone was like him.

Waving the head of his staff with a light flick of his wrist, the front door to the emporium swung open by magic, granting the sorcerer entrance. Stepping over the threshold, Jafar kept his eyes ahead of him, staring into the unnaturally dark room. As soon as he cleared the entryway, the door creaked closed behind him by a force that was not his own, a resounding sound of a latch being fastened after the door had shut echoing through the now total darkness. Jafar continued to walk forward until he reached what he knew by repetition to be the middle of the room and stopped, the sound of the end of his staff thumping on the wooden floor drowning out the residual sound of the front door being latched. Inclining his head a small fraction, feeling a cold shiver pulling down the center of his back, his dark eyes darted about the room, trying to catch a glimpse of what he knew was coming despite the blanket of darkness around him and although he was feeling uneasy by the ambiance of the room, he stood his ground firmly.

Suddenly, there was a slight tickle of magic pulling at the back of his mind, moving the sorcerer into action. With only a fraction of a second to act, Jafar moved his grip on the shaft of his staff closer to the cobra head and took hold of the middle with his opposite hand, swinging the staff horizontally as he twisted at his waist in an attempt to catch his attacker off guard. A bout of flame erupted from the head of the staff, lighting up the room around them long enough for Jafar to catch sight of a pair of hands taking hold of the shaft of the staff between his own two hands in a tight grip, stopping Jafar's movements. The attacker used the momentum of Jafar's swing to their advantage and veered the staff off course, pulling it closer to Jafar's body and downwards instead of connecting with their side in which was intended, forcing Jafar to adjust his feet to keep from being pulled down or at the very least lose his balance.

In an effort to regain his position of power, Jafar, keeping his hands tight on his staff, spun himself around, forcing his attacker's wrists to turn most uncomfortably until they were forced to let go. Coming out of his spin, Jafar raised the staff (still held horizontally) up to his head level, extending it out as far as his arms-reach would allow and then pulled it down, trapping his attacker between his body and staff. He then pulled his staff back towards him, finding the throat of his attacker and forced their body back, becoming flush with his with enough force that made his own feet stagger a few slight steps backwards. He kept his grip on his staff firmly, however, keeping his attacker there and unable to move from the close confinement of both his body and staff crushing at their windpipe. A startled gasp came from his attacker, and in the darkness of the room he felt their arms raise up to put their hands on the outside of each of his hand, trying to push the staff away but his strong arms kept it there.

"We really need to stop meeting like this..." Jafar said, bending his head forward a bit to speak into where he knew his attacker's ear was. Reaching out with his mind by magic, one by one the candles in the emporium lit up the room, showing Jafar just exactly who he was dealing with. "...Zarina."

Having been able to push the staff away from her throat just enough to be able to at least breathe comfortably again, Zarina blew out a stream of air, catching a strand of her crimson hair and blew it out of her eyes. Instead of being frightened, given her vulnerable position, Zarina instead relaxed herself back into Jafar, melting her back onto his chest and resting her head back on his shoulder, removing one hand from the golden staff to gently run her fingers along the side of Jafar's face and down the strong line of his jaw, her fingernails then playing with the coarse hairs of his goatee once she reached his chin in a sort of scratching gesture.

"And here I thought you enjoyed our little game of cat and mouse." Zarina purred, brushing her lips against his throat but keeping them from actually kissing him. Her smile widened dramatically as she felt the staff being pushed back into her throat tightly in what she knew was supposed to be a warning, but it had her exhaling a breathy, slightly strangled laugh instead. "Hmmm... not exactly... what I had in mind..." Zarina commented in between labored breaths, feeling his staff pressing tighter and tighter into her throat. "But... thats... the beauty of... our little... meetings. Plenty of... room for... exploration!"

While she had been talking, the pirate had managed to position her feet around his strategically. The tip of her boot pressed into an area on Jafar's ankle and the very second she felt his body wince from his exploited pressure point, her knee bent into the back of his knee, forcing his leg to buckle. Simultaneously, Zarina used her experience to place her other leg around the back of the calf on his opposite leg and twisted her body around and down, slipping out from her entrapment and with one final push from her forearm on his chest, the sorcerer found himself suddenly on his back in the middle of the room of the emporium. Zarina was quick to follow, straddling his sides and sitting up on his chest with both hands back on his golden staff, now pushing the shaft into his throat while he tried to push up but even in her small stature, Zarina was both tough and had gravity on her side.

"Let's be honest, Jafar. You never really thought you were the cat, now did you?" Zarina asked, adjusting her hips on his chest a bit if a bit playfully. The front and back flaps of her white top opened up more, leaving only a small strip of black fabric of what Zarina called 'shorts' while others would argue as 'undergarments' between herself and Jafar's Kurta, but it wasn't enough to keep her heat from slipping through his clothes and feeling her on his chest. The only thing even keeping her top together were a series of tied knots that ran down both sides, as though the top had been split in two halves, a front half and back half, and then tied back together.

Jafar's turban had fallen at some point while Zarina had pushed him to the floor, his wild mess of black curls spilling out underneath him as he looked up at her with a look nothing short of detestation, illiciting a laugh from Zarina as she simply looked back down at him. "You, my little mouse, have been caught but don't fret. I'll allow you to choose how I devour you." Keeping her hands on the staff to keep Jafar restrained, Zarina instead began to drag her knee and inner-thigh up his side , keeping her center planted on his chest firmly.

"Except..." Jafar spoke up, keeping his eyes dark and trained on her, somehow finding the willpower to not be affected by the fairy's alluring act he had become annoyingly familiar with over the span of the last four years. "You've forgotten that it is the snake that devours the cat who has devoured the mouse."

Zarina's eyes flicked down from Jafar's to the staff she held in his hands. The shaft began to glow, the gold starting to shimmer and the once rigid metal began to wriggle around in her hands. Surprised, Zarina dropped the staff and watched as it continued to take the form of a real snake, keeping on growing in size until it rivaled that of an anaconda, the sudden flaring of it's hood as it opened up it's massive jaws to bare its fangs at Zarina giving way, however, that it was indeed still a cobra.

Scrambling off of Jafar, Zarina moved to stand, however the tail of the massive snake had coiled around both of her ankles in her moment of surprise, tripping her up and sending her back to the floor and on her side in a harsh fall, forcing the wind out of her lungs unexpectedly. Eyes flicking from the snake's tail around her feet to Jafar who was now pushing himself back onto his feet without a single regard for the deadly serpent hissing at his feet, Zarina just shook her head, almost ashamedly at him.

"You've always... played dirty... Jafar." Zarina breathed out with what air she had managed to suck back into her chest though the pirate still managed a coy smile. The snake continued to coil itself around the pirate fairy, reaching all the way up to her knees in a tight bind before simply moving up her midsection to secure her hands, restricting them tightly to her body and forcing Zarina into a sort of sitting position. "But a bit of bondage never hurt anyone..." She finished, keeping her eyes on the snake that kept her bound, useless and vulnerable, but fear was far from her eyes as she looked back to the sorcerer with a smile. "What has our dear Overlord Queen been teaching you, hmmm?"

"Have you finished it?" Jafar asked, ignoring Zarina's words and getting straight to the point of his sudden visit, using his hands to brush off the bits of collected dust from the emporium floor from his kurta. A sound of something slowly cracking filled the air as the cobra once more tightened it's grip over Zarina's frame, though whether it was from her bones or the small leather gauntlets she wore on her arms he wasn't certain, nor did he particularly care.

A small, strangled gasp came from Zarina as she felt the strength of the over-sized cobra tighten it's hold on her further, cracking the leather gauntlets she had adorned for her protection. A whole lot of good that did against snakes. She'd have to tinker around with that new bit of information. Pushing past the pain, Zarina let out a drawn out, over-exaggerated sigh.

"Still the killjoy of the century. What do you do for fun, Jafar? Or does The Queen suck out a bit of your soul each time she has your throwing her legs back behind her head?"

Jafar's eyes flared from their dark brown color to a light copper, his pupils dilating and taking on the shape of a serpent. In response, the cobra that had Zarina bound coiled the rest of it's body tightly around her torso and squeezed. A piercing scream filled the emporium covering up the sound of shattering bones, the sound enough to shake the dust from the overhead rafters making the already musty air even thicker with debris. As soon as Zarina's cry was reduced to pained whimpers, Jafar took a few steps forward and looked down at her, extending out his hand as though he were trying to grab something. The snake, in turn, began to unravel around Zarina, shrinking back down to size and stretched itself into a straight line as Jafar picked it up, going rigid in his hand and turning back into his golden staff.

Zarina collapsed down onto the floorboards, gripping tightly onto her right side where blood was beginning to slide through her fingertips. Sucking in her pain in light of crying out, Zarina pulled her hand from her side long enough to see two shattered end pieces of her ribs that had pierced through her flesh and between the ties of the side of her top and covered it up again in an effort to stop the bleeding.

"You will show more respect to your Queen." Jafar hissed, sounding eerily like a snake himself in his anger as he brought about the head of his staff, connecting it with Zarina's face in a powerful blow. Crying out, Zarina was forced onto her back feeling the raw sting of the blow on her cheek where she was pretty sure the bone had shattered and tasting the bitter bite of copper as blood began to pool into her mouth from a busted lip. His eyes returning to their natural shape and color, Jafar raised his foot and smashed it down on her sternum, watching the tears slide down The Pirate Fairy's face as she struggled with not only trying to remain tough, but keep her consciousness. Her hand abandoned her side in light of trying to remove his boot from her chest, but to no avail, even with both hands on him.

"She really has you... whipped... Jafar. I p-pity you. No g-good can come from a... a love like that." Zarina croaked out, looking up at Jafar over her heavily lidded eyes holding a sense of experience behind her words.
Jafar stooped down to rest on his haunches, holding the bottom portion of his staff to keep his balance as he removed his boot from her chest.

"When I hired you four years ago to find Crenshinibon for me, I didn't buy you're advice along with it." Jafar told her coldly, reaching out with his free hand and patted her on the side of the face like a father would their child, but perhaps a bit more forcefully as he watched Zarina wince each time he did over her shattered cheek bone. "Now. Is it done?" Jafar asked, retreating his hand.

Groaning as Zarina took stock of her limbs, as if determining what still worked and what didn't, with an extreme amount of effort she pushed herself upright, bloodied hand returning to her side to cover up the open wound caused by her shattered rib.

"Yes. It's done. But I believe your snake has squeezed the memory as to it's location from my mind." Zarina replied, somehow managing a bit of snark in her response despite her circumstances, as if her memory was the worst of her injuries here.

Holding fast to his frown, Jafar extended out his palm to her, running it over her body a few inches from touching her, back and forth. Slowly but surely, Zarina felt the bones starting to knit back together as well as her skin on both her side and lip. Even her shattered cheek bone was starting to mend itself until finally her body was restored to what it once was, but Zarina noticed the pain remained.

"Cheeky bastard." Zarina laughed out through a pained hiss. He knew exactly what he was doing. Sitting herself upright, Zarina extended her leg out, resting the bottom of her boot on Jafar's bent thigh as he was still hunched over. Though as provocative as it might have seemed, Zarina had other intentions as she straightened out her leg and slipped her fingers underneath her knee-high boots, finding a hidden clasp on her thigh and procured a small object. Once free from her boot, Zarina tossed the small satchel to Jafar who caught it without even so much as blinking. He stood abruptly, forcing Zarina's foot off his thigh as he opened up the draw strings and peered inside.

"You keep it with you?" He asked with an air of annoyance as he checked the contents inside.

"Hey, at least if it's stolen, I'd at least have an idea as to when it was and who it was." Zarina pointed out, watching Jafar's shoulders shrug with disinterest despite the amount of reason behind her words. "Now, you got what you came for. Our four-year business is done then?" She asked, finally managing to push herself to her feet and dusted off her top though it was beyond salvaging now given the blood stains on the side.

Deeming the contents that lay within the satchel worthy, Jafar closed up the drawstring and opened up the flap of his kurta just enough so that he may slip the satchel on the inside pocket and patted it a few times for good measure.
"My business with you is done, yes..." Jafar said, though his latter words letting on that there was more. "Where does he keep him, the Prince?"

Raising a red eyebrow in confusion, Zarina shrugged her narrow shoulders.

"I don't know what you-"

"Don't insult me Pixie. I know he is here. Armand let that bit slip when he came to see Maleficent."

"Always the one to put that big nose where it doesn't belong." Zarina sighed, shaking her head and then jerked her thumb back over her shoulder. "In the back room. Armand has had me looking after him while he was gone on business. But whatever it is you're set on doing, I think I'm done trying to play with you for today. So as far as I'm concerned, I went to go see if I could find someone to that plays fair on the playground." Walking past Jafar, running her hand up and over his chest as she walked by, she headed to the far recess of the room and took a seat in what was usually Armand's main chair, but with The Shadow Man still in transit back to the Bayou, Zarina had more or less made it hers in his absence.

Needing no further instruction, Jafar headed in the direction Zarina pointed him in and walked through the swinging doors that separated the two rooms.

If it were at all possible, the back room of Armand's Emporium was even more cluttered with Jafar's opinion of useless junk than the main room was, the organized chaos causing Jafar to falter his steps a few times to maneuver between furniture and sweep aside dusted cobwebs just to reach the other side of the room where a figure was bolted to the wall with an assortment of chains, cuffed at both his ankles and wrists so that his body was in an awkward looking 'X' shape but this was no ordinary figure. As Jafar neared closer, the shadows keeping him from view lessened revealing not a man, but a frog. It was hard to tell from his restricted position splayed across the wall, but Jafar would be willing to bet that the frog was just as tall as him, perhaps taller.

Stopping his steps just a few feet away from the frog, Jafar paused, looking the creature up and down with a curled sneer over his lip, as though disgusted, but he wasn't sure exactly where that smell was coming from, being the dried out frog or potential mold growing in the corners of the room where the rats seemed to scurry to and from. Pushing the smell as far from his mind as he could, Jafar turned his sneer into a smile, giving the life-size frog his full attention.
"Hanging out, are we?" Jafar mused, sounding somewhat proud with how he made himself known.

The frog, who's head had been dropped to look down at the floor beneath him from the lack of energy, attempted to raise his head, catching only a glimpse of Jafar's face before his neck lost strength and was forced back down again. Tisking, Jafar gathered up his staff in his hand, holding it upside down so that he was gripping it towards the head of the staff and used the opposite end to press the rod underneath the frog's chin and forced it back up to look at him.

"My, my, Naveen. If I didn't know any better I'd say you're looking rather green! Best hop on over to the nearest apothecary to get that treated..."

A restrained, wheezing sound came from Naveen that Jafar could only assume was an attempt at a chuckle. The frog's eyes met with Jafar's only by the sake of the end of the staff, the already upturned muscles and strange lines of the frog's jaw keeping Jafar in the dark as to whether or not Naveen was actually smiling at him.

"Get me some... water... and... we can sing about it together, yes?" Naveen managed to get out followed by an involuntary croak.

Jafar's amused expression faltered as he jerked the end of his staff away, forcing Naveen's head to hang back down uselessly on his chest. Returning the staff upright, Jafar waved it in a slight, vertical arc against Naveen's body, the shackles and chains that had him bound for who knew how long disappearing and sent Naveen falling down the wall into the semi-circle pool of water that was no more than a few inches deep. The small amount of water seemed to be enough, however, as Naveen pushed the pain to the side and basked in all it's wet glory, using his over-sized hands to scoop up the water and into his mouth; a thirst worthy of someone being lost within the Agrabah sands for days at a time.

"No singing." Jafar stated firmly, resting his staff back by his side once more as it was intended. "I hear enough croaking from your people at the Moors keeping me awake to know that is not something I want." Sighing a bit outwardly, as it seemed the water-obsessed frog hadn't even heard a word he said, Jafar realized he would have to get straight to the point. "I will, however, give you your freedom. What you do with it is of little consequence to me-"

"Why do it then? Doesn't make much sense to me..." Naveen interrupted between monstrous gulps of water.

A muscle in Jafar's cheek twitched as he attempted to regain his composure. Had this frog been anyone else he would most certainly have become crocodile chow, but a point had to be made here.

"Because I serve to please my Queen. You are a pawn, Naveen. Your freedom only illicits a point in which Maleficent is wishing to make to The Shadow Man, nothing more. May he spend the next two years of his life trying to hunt you down again. Or perhaps, you'll be smarter about it this time, hmm?"

Looking up from his crouched position in the tiny pool, Naveen watched as Jafar raised both hands, staff held within one and before he even knew what was happening, a cloud of crimson smoke began to envelop him until he was out of sight completely. There was a sudden draft within the small room and with the blow of the wind, the smoke cleared and Naveen was gone.

Jafar lowered his arms and headed back to the main room of the emporium, his dark eyes glancing over at Zarina who hadn't moved from her spot on Armand's chair. He paid her no more mind, however, as he made his way back to the front door to let himself out. His business here was done. Freya would still be at the Pride Lands, no doubt, so that bought him a little time to prepare for tonight.

"Well I would say it's been a real pleasure..." Zarina started as she pushed herself up from her chair and walked to the center of the room, following after Jafar but he was already out the door and slammed it shut behind him on her words. "Dick..." Zarina let out an audible sigh, though not even past her lips she felt a pair of familiar hands being placed on her sides. One hand remained there firmly while the other snaked around and pressed the palm flat on her sternum, pushing her back into the solid form of a man's chest. A quiet exhale came from the pirate fairy, the little sting of pain from her encounter with Jafar's boot being pushed away by the raw desire that flooded her veins. A pair of lips pressed down onto her neck, forcing Zarina to crane her neck even further wanting more of the contact, quiet whimpers of protest coming from the Pirate Fairy when the lips were withdrawn instead.

"You got it?"

Sighing, knowing that this wasn't going to be going anywhere until he got what he wanted, Zarina pulled herself from Armand's embrace and reached into her boot, pulling out a second satchel that looked very much like the one she had given Jafar.

"The fool was too blinded by what he wanted to even ask if anything remained of it." Zarina stated, sounding much more business-like than she had at all that day.

Catching the satchel, Armand opened up the draw string and pulled out what looked like a stone, but a very strange shade of blue in color and glowing, pulsing even as though it were alive. It was small, perhaps the size of a beetle, but the white smile that split Armand's dark features gave way that he was pleased.

"What about Naveen?" Zarina asked as Armand slipped the glowing rock back into the satchel.

Without even so much as looking at Zarina, Armand walked to the wall where the light was the strongest and peered at where the face would be on his shadow. He reached out, handing the satchel to the shadow which in turn extended it's own hand, coming out of the wall as though it were it's own person and took the satchel from Armand.

"You know what to do." Armand told his shadow with a nod. The shadow made a sound similar to that of nails on a chalk-board before it darted away, out of sight from the emporium entirely. "Oh, I suppose I can give the little Frog Prince a day or two head start. I'm in a rather pleasant mood today Zarina, don't ruin it for me." Armand replied sounding more like a man who was trying to preach than anything else. Moving from his position from the wall, he walked a few steps before sitting himself down in his chair, legs open wide and back sinking into the lavishment of it, closing his eyes with a content sigh.

"You would think by now that the Serpent King would have realized you have other means of travel than just a horse and carriage." Zarina snarkily stated, walking towards Armand with a gentle sway of her hips and as she reached him, climbed up onto his lap, one leg at a time until she was straddling him completely. She kept her back straight, pushing out her chest just a bit as she removed his top hat from his head and carded her nails over his scalp with both hands through the short, coarse curls of his hair.

Armand didn't even so much as open an eye to see what it was that his technical slave was doing, as though it were a common occurrence. He simply allowed her to do what she pleased, even breathing out a sigh of contentment as she ran her nails over his scalp, massaging away the last few days' stress.

"I suppose you think you deserve something for the stone, don't you?" He asked, sounding somewhat bored. "If it is your wings you are after, I stand by what I said in having my friends rip your shadow from you the next time you so much as even bring it up."

"No, I-" Zarina started, a twinge of panic on the edge of her voice but Armand's eyes opened quickly, one hand reaching out to press his finger against her lips to keep her from speaking, and she obediently complied and as a reward for her behavior, he lifted his finger from her lips and trailed it down the strong line of her jaw, down her neck and over her collarbone, the act sending shivers down Zarina's spine.

"Take off your top."

The sound of the car door slamming shut echoed around the area of the driveway as she hurried down the path leaving her families house behind as she headed back down to the lodge so that she could begin to get not only herself ready but get Alan up and out of bed so that he could get ready as well, shifting all the shopping bags onto one arm as she came close to the door of the suit that the two of them were sharing for a few nights she reached out swiping her key-pass before slipping inside making sure to close it gently behind her in hopes of not startling him awake. Turning her head she let her eyes flick over to the bed her ice blue orbs lingering on him for a few moments as she crossed over the room putting everything that she had gotten that day onto the table leaving red marks on her arm from where the handles of each of the bags had been resting moments before, "Still asleep... Wish I had that luxury..."

Reaching up to remove her scarf and cardigan she couldn't help her lips turning up in a small but gentle smile her eyes closing for a few seconds as she shook her head gently from side to side allowing her hair to brush lightly back and forth over her back, dropping her things onto a chair as she passed by she climbed up onto the bed careful of each of her movements as she laid herself down behind him her arm slipping around his middle as she leant in her cheeks taking on a bright red tinge as she pressed her lips softly against his neck over and over leaving small and soft kisses between words, "Alan... Time to wake up... You've slept the day away... I've bought you lunch if you're hungry..."

Groaning a bit, sounding annoyed as Alan was brought out of his sleep, his arm furthest from her reached out, patting the bed in random areas until his hand came into contact with a pillow. Grabbing hold of the pillow case, Alan brought it up and over his head, holding it there and groaned out again, a skilled listener fluent in mumbling might have picked up something along the lines of 'leavemealoneimsleeping.'

A gentle chuckle escaped through her soft pink lips as she pushed her torso up a little more hovering over him as she watched him search around before eventually finding what it was he was actually looking for causing her to roll her eyes as he pulled it over covering his head completely with it, pushing her palm down on the mattress she shifted the position of her body so that she was resting on her hip her body facing his being sure that she was completely comfortable before she reached out her fingers pressing lightly into his back before she added a bit more pressure slowly massaging his back as she tried to rouse him from his slumber again, "Alan, come on... Your food is getting cold..."

Leaning forward she used the tip of her nose to brush his hair off the back of his neck before she once more pressed her lips against his skin letting them linger there for a few moments before she spoke again her warm breath flowing down over him, "Time to wake up. Oh and I got you a suit for tonight, I hope you like it."

A sort of muffled sound came from Alan from underneath the pillow covering up the majority of his head, but eventually he stirred enough to let Eliza know that her efforts weren't all completely in vain. His head moved to the side, facing her and from under the small space between the pillow and the mattress, his eyes opened up slowly to look at her. He blinked a few times, looking a little bit confused at first as realization slowly dawned on him and became aware of his surroundings again, as well as the words she had been speaking to him.

"You mentioned food?" He asked, his curiosity piqued but still keeping the pillow over his face, taking on the characteristics similar to a bear just coming out of hibernation unsure whether or not they wanted to come out of their cave to eat.

Sliding her hands down his back until they were resting softly against his sides she turned her head resting it on his shoulder her eyes connecting with his for a few moments until she reached one of her hands up slowly removing the pillow so that he could once more get adjusted to the light in the room, "Yes, there's plenty of food for you, I don't know what you like, so I got you a mix of things from different take away places."

"You. Are. Beautiful." Alan remarked, speaking more about the fact that she got him food rather than her actual appearance.

Closing the gap between them she pressed her lips against his for a few moments before she pulled away her hands sliding over his skin as she stood up making her way over to the table her hands reaching into one of the bags as she began pulling out containers full of different foods, "So how did you sleep? You've been out since we got back this morning."

Exhaling a short breath as Eliza pulled away, Alan pushed himself up with his arms and twisted his body until he was able to move his legs off of the bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he reached his hand behind his head to scratch his neck and then ran his fingers through his hair a few times, trying to tame whatever mess he knew it probably had gotten into with how hard he slept. At least, for the most part, his headache had gone away.

"Yeah, well, kind of a long night you know..." He replied while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. After a few moments, the smell of food wafting into his nose was too much to resist and forced himself to his feet. Wearing nothing but his old pair of blue jeans, he met Eliza over by the table and started thumbing through some of the boxes until he found some popcorn chicken.

"You weren't kiddin, you really did get a bit of everything..." He remarked, sounding a bit surprised as he headed back to the bed, box of popcorn chicken in hand and sat back down on the edge of the bed, popping a few pieces into his mouth looking quite content.

Smiling brightly she moved onto the next bag reaching inside and rummaging about until she pulled out a couple boxes of chips before she moved back over to him climbing back up onto the bed holding one out for him to take while she slipped the other one between her legs using her now free hand to pick one out nibbling on it, "Like I said, I wasn't exactly sure what types of food you liked to eat, so I just got whatever I thought looked and smelled really good."

Taking the box of fries from her, Alan nodded a sort of 'thanks' in her general direction but his full attention was on the food being given to him. And he didn't even have to pay or steal it; an added bonus. Prying open the box, he stuffed his fingers inside and pulled out a handful and popped about half of the handful into his mouth, chewing quickly as he just realized he hadn't eaten much of anything yesterday save for half a beer and a few fries he stole off of the table in the restaurant.

"I'm not exactly picky, you can feed me whatever, whenever, Princess." He replied before filling his mouth with the second half of his handful. His gaze moved over to her as he chewed and smirked. He chewed up the rest of his food quickly and swallowed before lightly jabbing at her ribs with his elbow. "Don't you hardcore athletes like, have to count your carbs and shit?"

Lifting her free hand up she pushed her fingers through her long blonde locks a soft chuckle escaping through her lips as she felt his elbow pressing lightly against her ribs her head nodding at his words, "You're right about that, we are supposed to watch what it is we eat, especially when it comes to competition season starting back up. But that's not for another month or so, I have plenty of time to work off a few chips. Besides, I was a good girl, I had a chicken Caesar salad for lunch..."

Sticking her tongue out for only a moment she turned her attention back down to the chips reaching in to grab another using her head to motion towards the many bags littering the table as she went back to eating, "Besides, I think I worked off any calories I may have gained by doing all that shopping, and my uncle can vouch for me; he complimented my choice in dress and helped me to pick out a suit to match."

Alan nearly choked as he swallowed the last bit of his fries. A suit? She got him a suit? He vaguely remembered her talking at him about taking her to some kind of party, but he didn't think that it was anything formal; more like a beer pong party with a handful of really drunk, horny women friends. Making a fist with his hand, he patted his sternum a few times to dislodge the wad of fries that had gotten stuck for half a moment before Alan pushed himself from the bed, leaving Eliza there and went back to the table to look for something to drink. Thank the Fairies this beautiful creature had thought to stop by 7 Eleven and get a Big Gulp. Taking the soda, he placed the straw into his mouth and got a wonderful taste of Dr. Pepper to cleanse his pallet as well as give him time to think of something to say. He had nearly drank half of the 32 ounce drink before he forced his lips away, needing the space to let out a small burp.

"What time is this party anyway?" He finalized on asking.

Lifting her head up from the box of chips that was between her legs she let her gaze follow him her arm suspended halfway between her lap and her mouth a few chips perched between her fingers as she watched him search through the bags until he found himself a drink taking his sweet time to take in almost half the bottle before speaking again, lowering the chips back down into the box she leant forward placing it on the bedside table before she stood up brushing the salt from her hands as she moved over to stand beside him her body leaning back against the table and her eyes scanning over the bags before flicking back up to meet his gaze, "It starts at eight; I mean I have to be there a little earlier than that to make sure everything runs smoothly, but you don't have to come until then..."

Reaching out and across with a slightly worried expression on her face after watching him almost choke in front of her she placed her hand gently on his back rubbing softly, "And don't worry, it's not like a stuffy suit or tux, or anything like that... It's actually really nice."

Turning his head to the right, he let his eyes linger on her for a moment, shaking his head a bit but held a smile despite that it held no genuinity behind it.

"So long as we match. That's all that matters right?" He smirked before returning his head to the plethora of food on the table in front of him, but he somehow found himself no longer hungry despite his lion of an appetite when it came to junk food. He hadn't ever worn a suit before; he had never needed to. Perhaps the most dressed up he had ever been was during December a few years ago when the snow in Manhattan had gotten a little bit out of control and he had forced himself into buying a zip-up Corduroy sweater in favor of paying a few extra bucks for his gas heating bill every month.

"I'm not going to have to like... impress anyone am I?" He asked, a twinge of hesitation in his voice at the idea of having to meet the sister or even worse, the parents. There was only one reason he was still going along with this, and that was the near guarantee that he would have another shot in actually staying in the hotel room for a night with the beautiful blonde. So if he had to play boyfriend just a bit longer, so be it.

"We match, I made sure there was at least one thing that matched my dress and that would be your shirt. Besides, the formal stuff is only for the main party; it's the ones that come after that make it worth it." Smiling she lowered her hand from his back bringing it behind her to rest upon the table like her other one was doing her body relaxing as she tilted her head thinking about how best to answer his next question, if at all.

"Well, my little sister is going to be there; but she's got her own friends coming, I doubt we'll run into her. Most you'll need to do is say hi to my uncle and thank him for helping me pick out your suit; and before you ask, my dad isn't coming." Pushing away from the table she turned to face him her eyes turning to watch her hand as she lifted it up slowly sliding it up to rest on his shoulder for a few moment before flicking her gaze back to his, " After we've done what we have to, we can leave them all be and maybe sneak off early. Sound fair enough..?"

His little smirk of a smile widened a bit. An uncle and a possible little sister. He could deal with that... especially since she was laying out the reward to him like that. Drifting his gaze from her eyes to the hand she had on his bare shoulder, he used his own hand (after setting down the Big Gulp) and removed it gently from his shoulder, holding it in his hand and pressed his lips to the top of it in a kiss.

"You might think it's the after parties that are worth it, but sneaking off early with me is something I can guarantee you won't ever regret." He gently let her hand go and gave her a small wink. "Now, I know how you girls are... for some reason it takes you guys years to get ready, so you do that while I take a nap." He said, changing his tone from dashing with a bit of snark to matter-of-factly, ignoring the fact that she had just woken him up from a nap.

Her expression softened as she watched him take her hand in his the action causing her to bite her lower lip softly nibbling on it as he lifted it up pressing his lips lightly against her knuckles like a gentleman would after meeting a woman, "I know I won't regret it... I think I'm ready, and I trust you. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me." Lowering her hand she closed the gap between them her other arm reaching up so that she could cup her palm around the back of his neck a soft chuckle slipping through her lips at his words.

"Oh you're funny; I don't take that long to get ready. Only thing that will take me a while will be the shower I'm about to have..." Pulling away from him she crossed her arms over her body pulling her top up and over her head dropping it to the floor beside them before she continued to remove each piece of her clothing until she was left in standing in her underwear and bra, moving past him she lifted her hand up her head turning slightly as she pulled her hair out letting it fall down her back in waves her body slipping through the open door to the bathroom the girl leaving it open behind her as she headed over to the shower.

Alan tried to hold his surprise that continued to grow with each word she was giving him. The first thing that had caught him off-guard was her blatant openness about being ready and how he wouldn't hurt her. Well, she was kind of right, maybe. He had never physically hurt a woman unless she was into that kind of thing... not physically anyway, but the trail of broken hearts he left behind him... well that was something else entirely. The second thing that had him put him completely off-guard was her stripping down in front of him and then heading into the shower, which, he noticed she hadn't shut the door.

Now, Alan may have been perhaps the most simple man when it came to the knowledge of a woman's actions outside of the bedroom, but that right there looked like a sign that was only backed up by her previous statement. Standing there with what he knew was probably a dumbfounded expression on his face, he closed his mouth back shut and tentatively headed to the threshold of the bathroom and knocked on the wall on the inside, keeping his body on the outside.

"Just to save any severe beatings that might occur should I step inside..." He started and cleared his throat a bit. "Did you mean... now? Like, now, now?"

Leaning into the shower she flicked the tap pulling her arm back and standing up straight once the water began to flow quickly warming up to the temperature she had set it to causing steam to slowly but surely begin to fill the room from the floor upwards, turning her head back to look at him as he knocked she couldn't help but chuckle her arms twisting slightly as she reached back unclasping and removing her bra before she dropped it to the ground turning to face the door where she could see him lingering around waiting for her to answer his questions about what she had meant, "I didn't mean now... But it was an invitation for you to join me, if that's what you're wondering."

Hunching over slightly she slid her underwear down to her ankles stepping out of it before she slipped inside the shower her eyes closing and her body tensing slightly as she felt the water begin to cascade down over her skin warming it up, lifting her arms up she ran her hands back over her hair her head turning slightly as she gathered it all up pulling it over her shoulder her eyes opening to watch him wondering what he was going to do.

Shaking his head a bit with a smirk across his lips, Alan pulled back from his leaning into the bathroom and rested his back against the door jam, crossing his arms over his chest and waved her off a bit.

"Believe me, Princess, if you let me in there with you, you wouldn't exactly get a choice of ]i]when[/i]." He joked, though his words held some truth behind them. He was a rat-bastard; he would take any opportunity he could get. However, the fact that he wasn't marching right in there and having his way with her through his perfected seduction techniques has his smirk faltering. What was he waiting for? Shaking his head, he unfolded his arms from his bare chest and pushed himself from the door jam and ran his fingers through his hair, brushing it out of his eyes minding his still black eye. "Enjoy your shower, I'm going to go get my nap." He stated suddenly and turned to leave. "Just wake me up ten minutes before we gotta leave. I'll get dressed then."

Her lips parted slightly as she listened to what he was saying her body turning quickly once he turned to leave the room her hand coming up to rest lightly on the shower door while a small caring smile crossed over her lips, "Alan..! Thank you... For understanding and not pushing me into something that I don't want to do... It really means a lot to me, especially considering I never thought I would ever find a guy like you."

Lowering her gaze for only a moment before she lifted it back up to meet with his she let her smile widen slightly her other hand coming up to tuck some of her long blonde locks back behind her ear, "Go take your nap, I'll wake you up when I'm doing my hair and make up."

Stopping at hearing her call his name, he kept his back to the doorway having only taken a few steps back into the main room, his eyes closed softly for a moment hearing her words. Something felt like it was pulling down on his chest a bit, causing Alan to reach his hand up and place it where the odd sensation was pooling though finding no relief as it was something inside. Sighing quietly to himself, he turned back to look at her, giving her a gentle nod before continuing over to the bed to take his nap.

"There's guys like me all over, Princess." He muttered to himself as he pulled the pillow back over his head to drown out the light coming in through the windows. "Too many guys like me..."

Daria sat with her feet on the couch, leaning back against the arm rest. She'd be lying if she said thoughts about what she and Alan had done in that very room just a day before hadn't crossed her mind once or twice. She looked over at Annelise, she had ordered that Rapunzel and a majority of the hair dressers went into the bedroom while one hair dresser stayed with her and Annelise in the main room. She wanted the makeovers to be a surprise!

She sat up and leaned over the back of the couch, her hands resting on the table just behind it, "You look good, Annelise."

She had changed into a t-shirt and boxer shorts, not wanting to be forced to sit in a chair in jeans and a nice shirt. She smiled at her friend, "Are you excited to see your princess?" She teased, shaking her shoulders, clearly excited about her friend's crush.

She looked toward the door to the bedroom, "I wonder how long it's going to take them.... I mean... That's a lot of hair."

Annelise sat back in a chair letting one of Daria's hair dressers play around with her hair, she looked over towards her friend for a moment and smiled. "Thank you, you look good so far as well." She smiled feeling the hair dresser running a comb through her hair as she shifted slightly in her seat.

Blushing slightly at Daria's comment about Rapunzel being her princess. "I guess you can say that." Annelise rubbed the back of her head thinking about how long her hair was it would take a long time to get it to look good. "I don't know maybe the whole night." Annelise said jokingly.

Daria laughed at Annelise's comment, "Well, that would be hardly acceptable. I mean, the Cinderellas need to get their asses to the ball lest the sister of one kill them all," She teased before flopping back onto the couch. Her hair was up in big rollers to give her a nice curl. They figured that would be easiest with most of their attentions on Rapunzel's golden locks, "I wonder what they are doing with it... I mean... There's so much potential... and yet there's too much to do too much either."

She rose her legs into the air and pointed her toes, looking at her feet, "God, I hate feet," She flexed them, "I mean... Look at them!"

"True, Eliza would probably be really mad that we were really late for the party tonight." She laughed softly as the hair dresser started to roll her hair up into rollers as well, and closed her eyes slightly. "Knowing your people i'm sure they will give her the full treatment like they always do for us." Annelise laughed looking towards Daria's feet. "There are some people who are really into feet in some weird sexual fantasy, i'm sure one of those guys would love them."

Daria shook her head, "Those guys weird me out..." She allowed her legs to drop back to the couch, "Hey... What time is it?"

Annelise took out her phone for a moment. "It's almost four I think it starts at five tonight. So we have about an hour maybe more before it starts."

Daria sat up and looked toward the door to the bedroom, "Fine, if it's going to take that long," She stood and walked to the bar and pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses. She opened the bottle and filled their glasses, "I'll grab Rapunzel a glass when she's out here and with us once more... For now," She grabbed the two glasses and walked over to Annelise, handing it off, "For you."

She took a sip of her own wine. The hair dresser ignored them both, Daria paid them all enough money to do this that she could probably murder someone and they wouldn't bat an eye. She took a seat again and crossed her legs, "You have a date, no matter how unaware of it she is, makes this all just far more exciting," She danced a little in her chair before she quickly stood, "Oh! Music," She quickly grabbed her phone off the coffee table and walked over to the stereo and plugged it in before letting it play loudly in the room. She danced a little to it, "God, I love Sam Smith!"

She took another sip of her wine and continued grooving.

Annelise turned her head over towards the bar as Daria walked over towards it she quickly grinned when her friend pulled out a bottle of wine as well as two glasses. Annelise took the glass when Daria handed it over to her and took a sip of it. "Thank you." Annelise smiled, she set the glass of wine down on the table she could. She was surpised that she was very quiet and didnt say anything.

"Don't you have a date or met anyone yesterday that you wanted to go with?" Annelise asked since she was going to be taking Rapunzel as her date and smiled. She watched Daria taking out her phone putting it into the stereo she could hear Sam Smith playing. "I never really listened to him before honestly." Annelise couldn't help but laugh as she watched her friend starting to dance.

Daria looked at her friend when she mentioned not having heard the singer before, "Ah, how! He's so great!"

She laughed a little and returned to the chair beside her friend. The hairdresser finished with putting Annelise's hair into rollers and moved to start taking Daria's out. She shrugged, "Nope. I prefer to mingle. One date is just so confining," She laughed a little and finished off her glass, "I mean... Would I like to be in a long term relationship? Yes... But I'm not just going to settle for some guy. I want to find a guy who makes me want to be with him and well... I haven't met him yet."

She let her feet rub against each other a little awkward. Daria tuck a strand of hair that fell from the rollers behind her ear, "I mean.. I thought I found that guy but... It didn't end well. So, I just figured, I wasn't going to waste my life being boring and waiting for Mr. Right... I'm okay with combing through one night stands with the Mr. Wrongs."

"I'm more into rock music mostly." Annelise watched as Daria headed back to her seat as the hairdresser went over towards Daria to pull out the hair rollers. She started to play around with her nails slightly. "Still going to a dance alone is kind of boring but thats just me. And you should look into dating someone."

Daria sighed and shook her head, "I'm really not interested in dating a guy for two weeks so that I can have a date to a dance," She joked. Her mood seemed to darken a little as she looked out the glass doors to the hill, "Besides... I don't really have the best of luck with guys."

She laughed a little. Her friends back home always told her, once she went on this non dating spree, how much luck she had with guys. She guessed she did, she bed almost every guy that she set her eyes on but beyond that one night... Not to much luck. She closed her eyes as the hair dresser started to spray all of the large curls she had put into her hair, "I mean.... my last boyfriend cheated on me from month four to year two... And... I just sat pretty because I thought I loved him."

She opened her eyes again and laughed humouressy, "Then he broke up with me.... So I don't date. I fuck and I leave it at that... I don't get hurt that way... You know."

Annelise looked over towards her friend as she explained why she wouldnt want to date anyone just for a dance, she remembered when Daria told her that her ex had cheated on her a few years ago and could understand why and nodded. "I can understand that, but going around getting laid all the time could be bad to. What if he had an STD or got you pregnant or something." She told her. "And I don't think your parents would be happy if you ended up having a little baby inside of you."

Daria shook her head, "I'm on the pill. And my parents... they love me and they make sure that I don't want for anything... but they don't really pay attention... Not since I wasn't a shiny new thing," She stood when the hairdresser patted her shoulder, signaling that she was done. Daria walked back to the wine bottle and filled her glass, "I mean, why do you think they never realize that I've drank half of what they sent ahead of them. I guess that's the curse of multibillionare parents... Their businesses are their babies..."

She shrugged and sipped, "So... It might just be a cry for attention. If I got pregnant, they'd have to at least notice to get angry," She walked over to the couch and sat down, "This is just all a fact of my life. My parents are sending me off to different parts of the world to get of their hair and boys just like the money or me... but not enough to just have me..." She took another sip of her wine, "I'm not really interested in this turning to a therapy session though. My parents pay for those and I hate them. So can we just go back to having fun?"

"Yeah of course we can, sorry I didnt mean for it to get all serious and stuff. Though only advice just be yourself if you do decide to date again." Annelise said as she stood up and moved over to sit next to Daria on the couch grabbing her glass and quickly finished it up setting the empty glass down on the coffee table. She gently gave Daria a hug and looked out the window. "Want to order something to eat?"

Daria was a little surprised when she was suddenly pulled into a hug. She sat there for a moment before she wrapped her arms around her friend, being careful of her wine glass, and rested her head against her shoulder. She laughed a little when Annelise asked if she wanted to order food then nodded, "Ya... Food sounds really good right now."

"What do you want then, something from the lodge, or did you want to order some pizza, chinese?" Annelise smiled feeling Daria resting her head on her shoulder she would then playfully sneak down to grab her friends ass before letting go and laughed softly. Then the hair dresser came over towards her to start taking off the curlers in her hair and started to put some hairspray into it to maintain the curls.

Daria jumped a little when Annelise suddenly grabbed her ass and pushed her away, laughing, "Way to ruin a moment!"

She laughed and leaned back against the couch and shrugged, "I don't really know... I'm good with anything really... Something unhealthy," She stood and walked over to the desk and pulled out a bunch of take out menus from a drawer before she walked back over to the couch and sat down as she lay out all the menus. She looked them all over, "Eeny, meeny, miney, moo," She said as she went through the rhyme, pointing at the menus, "You are it," She picked up the menu and handed it to Annelise, "Pizza it is."

"Well you did say to go back to having fun, and grabbing your ass to see your reaction is very entertaining for me." Annelise said with a giggle as she sat there as Daria got up and headed over towards a drawer seeing her taking out a bunch of take out menus. As Daria started to do the little rhyme Annelise snatched the menu from a local pizza resturant. "Works for me, would pepperoni pizza be alright?" Daria nodded, "Sounds good to me!"

The bedroom door suddenly opened, catching Daria's attention. Five very tired looking hairdressers stepped out with their things and waved to Daria before all of them practically fled the room. A moment later, Rapunzel stepped out. Her hair was pulled back into a very sleek ponytail and was curled, which Daria could only assume would take forever. A small strand of hair remained out of the ponytail on either side of her face and was curled. Daria smiled as she noticed a little white plastic flower that sat in her hair, "Looking good... Where'd you get the flower from?"

Rapunzel reached up and touched it before smiling sheepishly, "They had some plastic spoons that they were done with... So I used a lighter and made it." Daria's eyes widened a little, "Oh... alright... Well, we're getting pizza."

Annelise smiled and nodded as she took out her cellphone as she took the phone number that was on the small menu and started to call to place their order. When the door opened that caught her attention as well, she turned around to look over towards the door seeing all of the hair dressers coming out she could easily tell that they were very tired. Which was understandable due to the exteremely long hair.

She blushed slightly seeing what they did with Rapunzel's hair and smiled at her. "That looks really good I love it." Annelise couldnt help but smile, her eyes going over towards the white plastic flower that was in her hair. "I love the flower it looks really good on you."

Rapunzel smiled at Annelise complimented her, "Thank you," She said quietly, "You took look very nice as well."

Daria flipped one of her curls over her shoulder, "Why thank you," She laughed a little, "We are ordering in pizza. You good with pepperoni."

Rapunzel nodded and pulled her hair over her shoulder before she sat down on the couch, her hair pooling in her lap. Daria reached out and touched, "God... How is it so healthy?"

Rapunzel looked down at it and shrugged, "I'm not really sure.... But I remember it always being like this."

Annelise blushed slightly at Rapunzel's compliment and smiled at her. "Thank you, how was the experience with Daria's army of hair dressers?" Annelise asked jokingly, she would reach over to gently run her hand through Rapunzel's hair she was surpised how soft it was. "Whatever you are doing with your hair seems to be working really well though."

Rapunzel smiled and looked up at Annelise as she ran her hand through her hair, "I brush it a lot... Once a day... But I don't think I do anything special with it."

Daria looked between the two off them before she stood, "I'm going to refill my glass and I'm going to call the pizza place. Rapunzel, you are free to get a glass of wine if you want."

She stood and quickly stood and filled her glass before she grabbed the phone and disappeared into the bedroom, leaving the two girls alone. Rapunzel bit her lip as she glanced up at Annelise, "I don't drink... well... I've never actually drank before..."

Annelise looked towards Daria as she stood up as she told them she was going to call the pizza place, and blushed slightly as Daria left the two of them alone in the room together. She turned to face Rapunzel for a moment and smiled at her. "You don't have to unless you want to anyway. Though the stuff Daria always gets is always the best tasting."

Annelise got up and headed over towards the wine bottle to fill one more glass for herself and took an empty glass in case Rapunzel wanted a drink as well. "So uh how long do you usually comb your hair for?" Annelise asked she was curious how she kept it maintainable.

Rapunzel looked at the empty glass then up to Annelise who was filling her own glass, "I suppose... I could try," Rapunzel said as her curiousity got the better of her. She filled her own glass and picked up the glass, holding it in both hands as she smelt it. She shrugged as Annelise asked her how long it usually took her, "Around a half hour if I'm being really thorough."

She sipped at the wine, making a bit of a face before she took another sip, "I kind of remember it taking hours... But," She looked at her hair and shrugged, "I don't know why... I only really remember some stuff before... I painted a lot and crafted... I read... I did a bunch of things but I don't remember why."

She laughed a little and cross her legs, "I like brushing my hair though... It is really soothing."

Annelise leaned back in her seat looking over at Rapunzel as she poured her own glass of wine seeing taking a sip and the face she made her giggle slightly. "If I had hair as long as yours it would take me hours just to comb through it all and get the tangles out. I bet it is really." She took another sip of her wine before putting the glass down not wanting to get fully drunk when the dance started.

"Seems you like to do a lot of things in your spare time, when i'm not working in the lodge i'm usually on the slopes with my sister." She thought for a moment. "Have you ever dated anyone before?"

At the mention of her spare time, Rapunzel nodded, "I do. I'm really good at spending time by myself," She laughed a little before hazarding another taste of her wine.

She looked up at Annelise again when she asked if she had been in a relationship before. The girl blushed a little and shook her head, "No..." She shrugged, "At least not that I remember..." She took another sip, finally starting to get used to the taste, "Most people I hung out with this past year are old women... or Agatha... I mean I've seen other people but they are just clients... or walking by where ever it was that I chose to walk to..."

Annelise giggled softly and nodded to her. "I do almost the same thing after im done with work," Annelise said as she stood up and went to turn off the televison her eyes going back towards Rapunzel. "Im surprised that no one has ever asked you out yet, you are very beautiful." Annelise said blushing slightly rubbing the back of her head as she sat back down on the couch.

"I bet this Agatha is a really nice person since you always mention her, what does she look like?" She asked curious who Rapunzel had been working with.

Rapunzel blushed slightly and looked at her wine glass when Annelise called her beautiful, "Thank you," She said in almost a whisper.

When she asked what Agatha looked like, she stood and grabbed her sketchbook and retrieved the picture of Agatha and handed it to her, "She is. She let's me stay with her, she fed me, and clothed me before she even knew if I could even be able to repay her. I do my best at the salon and she says business has picked up but I feel like I'll never be able to repay her."

She sat back down and sipped at her wine, crossed her legs once more, "Daria has been calling the pizza place for sometime... Does it usually take this long?"

She couldnt help but smile at Rapunzel seeing her blushing slightly at her compliment she really did mean it Annelise resisted the urge to lean in and kiss her. "You are welcome, and I think its a good thing that you are still helping her out at the salon where you work." Annelise said softly gently giving Rapunzel's thigh a gentle rub. Annelise looked down at Rapunzels sketch book getting a good look at what Agatha looked like.

When Rapunzel asked what was taking her so long to order the pizza. "The only thing I can think of is that we are up in the mountains we sometimes get bad reception. ill text her real quick."

Annelise took out her phone and started to text her to see what was taking so long. "Hey Dari whats taking so long?"

Daria looked down at her phone when she heard it buzz before she quickly replied, I'm just drinking in here. The pizza will be here in 20. Now stop texting me and ask the girl out!!!!!!! xoxo <3

Rapunzel nodded when Annelise said that she would give the girl a text. She leaned back against the couch and looked out the window. Daria's room had quite the view. In fact, the entire room was pretty damn amazing. Rapunzel didn't even know that rooms like this exsisted, it made her curious about just how much it cost... A night would probably be equal to her life savings, even if that only went back the year.

She looked back at Annelise when she heard her phone buzz, "Is everything alright?"

When she got a text back from her friend, Annelise quickly looked down at it and couldn't help but roll her eyes at the text before texting her back. Getting to it Dari. Annelise hit send, her attention going back towards Rapunzel as she asked her if everything was okay. "Yeah everything is fine, shes just heading over to the lobby to get better reception."

Annelise sighed slightly as she started to blush deeply and rubbed the back of her head, she turned to face Rapunzel. "I was wondering if you would like to go to the dance with me?"

Rapunzel looked over to the bedroom door, "I didn't even see her come out."

Her attention was pulled back to Annelise though as she heard the girl sigh. She leaned in a little, looking at her friend, trying to see if she was okay. Rapunzel was rather horrible at reading people... When she faced her and asked her to the dance, Rapunzel's eyebrows knitted together, "I... I thought we were going together, she said quietly," as she sipped at her wine once more.

Annelise started to look slightly nervous she was always a bad liar she knew her friend was still in the other room. "Theres a balcony outside of Daris room where she can walk straight towards the lodge." She answered. Annelise looked into Rapunzels eyes thinking of a good way to ask her out.

"What I mean by that is going more then just friends, I want to ask you out on a date other then the dance tonight." Annelise finally said,

Rapunzel looked at Annelise for a few moments, blinking, "A date? Your date?" Her eyes didn't move from the other girl's, searching her eyes. She tried to find any sign that the girl was joking, like this was all going to turn out to be some cruel joke. However, Annelise just seemed shy. Finally, Rapunzel nodded, "Yes... I would like that."

Annelises eyes quickly lit up when Rapunzel said yes to being her date for Snowfest, she was not going to play some joke on her she was attracted to Rapunzel and her shyness made her smile. She then quickly pulled Rapunzel into a tight hug giving Rapunzel a gentle kiss on the cheek, though she had dated a few guys in the past she had never been with another girl.

Rapunzel turned a deep red when she felt Annelise kiss her cheek. When they pulled away, she drank the rest of the wine in her glass and smiled, happy to see that Annelise was very excited that she agreed. She bit her lip as she tried to think of a way to word the question she had for Anne. She could already feel her body seeming to warm up and her head becoming muddled from the alcohol. She looked at her friend and tucked her hair behind her ear, "Does this mean... That you like me? Cause... I've never dated a guy... let alone a girl...."

Annelise looked into Rapunzels eyes for a moment seeing her turning a deep red and drinking down the rest of her wine glass. She blushed slightly at Rapunzels question and nodded slowly and smiled blushing slightly. "Its if you want to date me that is. I mean... I've never been with another woman either..." Annelise told her, remembering the small gift that Daria had given her to give to Rapunzel, Annelise slowly took out a small gold necklace with a peral on it. "I wanted to give this to you if you said yes.." Annelise said softly as she showed Rapunzel the necklace.

A small smile spread across Rapunzel's lips as Annelise said she had never been with a woman either. It wasn't often that Rapunzel found herself discovering something new that was new to someone else too. Normally, it was something someone else had known about for years... Like cellphones. She was about to answer her when Annelise pulled out a gold necklace, causing Rapunzel's jaw to drop slightly, "I... I can't take that," She said waving her hands a little, "I mean... I... I think I would like to date you... but... I can't take that and besides... I live in San Fransico... I'm just here for the week... Do... you really think we could make that work?"

Annelise looked at the necklace for a moment she wasnt sure if Rapunzel hated it or not causing her to frown slightly. She leaned forward anyway as she gently latched it around Rapunzels neck, looking into her eyes for a moment. "I know you said you didnt want it, but it looks really good on you." Annelise told her, when Rapunzel told her she lived over in San Fransico which made Annelise think for a moment if they could really make their relationship last. Hearing stories of long distance relationships never trully worked in the long run Annelise wanted to make it work. "I think we can make it work, I can give you my number you can call me or text me anytime you want. And we can video chat anytime you want as well..."

Rapunzel hand rose slowly to let her fingers rest on the small pearl that sat against her chest. They spun it around a little as she smiled, "Thank you," She said quietly. When Annelise told her that she believed that they could make it work, she nodded her head, "Okay.... I'm still getting the hang of my phone though," She confessed before pulling out a flip phone and handing it to Annelise.

Annelise smiled softly as Rapunzel gently played with the pearl and nodded to her. "You're welcome." Annelise said softly as she watched Rapunzel pulling out an old looking flip phone before she took out her newer looking phone. As Annelise looked through Rapunzel's contacts she started to add her own phone number into it and then typed Anne as Rapunzel's contact on her phone. Then Annelise started typing in Rapunzels phone number into her own before handing Rapunzel's phone back to her. "Thank you." Annelise smiled softly thinking about leaning in to kiss Rapunzel but she wanted to take it slow for now.

Rapunzel nodded her head when Annelise thanked her for her number, "No problem...."

Daria came out of the room then as someone knocked on the door. She walked over and opened it before taking the pizza from the guy and thanking him. She closed the door, having paid over the phone and walked over to the couch, "Hello Ladies."

She put the box down and opened it, stealing one of the slices before she refilled her empty glass, "How is everything?" She asked as she spotted the necklace she'd give Anne around Rapunzel's neck and smiled, "How I didn't miss anything," She said with a cheeky grin as she bit into her slice.

Annelise turned around hearing the door open to see Daria coming into the room and smiled softly at her for a moment before turning to look at Rapunzel. "Everything is good here." She told her friend rubbing the back of her head slightly and blushed. "You didnt really miss much, we just exchanged numbers."

When the pizza man came in Annelise quickly grabbed a slice of pizza and then snatched the small bell pepper that always came with it.

Annelise reached for the glass and started to pour her wine into it and took a sip of it. "I cant wait for Snowfest to start, I just wish I knew where Eliza went off to she has been gone since last night."

Daria waved her hand when Annelise brought up Eliza, "I've been trying to text her all day. She's been ignoring me, which makes me think she had quite the eventful evening."

She laughed a little, "If your sister was a little less uptight as she can be at time, I'd say she'd got herself laid."

Rapunzel leaned forward and took a slice of pizza for herself and bit into it. She hadn't met Annelise's sister, so she really didn't have much to add to the conversation at all and instead took to enjoying her pizza slice. Daria crossed her legs, "I suppose we should actually get dressed after we eat..." She smiled, "I can't wait to see two pumpkins turn into Princesses!"

Annelise laughed slightly at Daria's comment on her sister probably getting laid, but she wasnt sure who Eliza was seeing and then blushed slightly remembering the night before with Alan. She started to finish eating the rest of her pizza and ate the crust as well.

"Thank you again for the shopping spree Daria." She turned to look at Rapunzel and smiled at her reaching over to gently rub her hand. "I'm going to go get dressed now, I'm sure there will be more food down at the party." Annelise said as she stood up and started to head over towards Darias bedroom to get changed.

Rapunzel nodded her head when Annelise informed her that she was going to go and get dress, "Okay..."

She watched her go before she turned back to eating her own pizza. Daria looked at the girl, she seemed little shy despite having spent the entire day with her. Which made Daria curious if what happened while she was gone... It probably was, since that had been the only thing to happen while she was gone. Daria finished off her own slice and looked at the girl, "There's a bedroom upstairs that you can get changed in... My stuff is all in my room, so I'll have to wait for Annelise to come out but you could go if you want."

Rapunzel finished off her pizza then nodded, "Alright," She stood and gathered her things before she headed upstaies in search of the bedroom to change in.

As Annelise closed the door behind her inside of Darias room, she started to take off the clothes she was wearing her brown eyes going over towards the red dress she had picked out earlier that day and smiled. Annelise made her way to the bed as she started to put it on, along with the pair of boots she had bought herself.

Annelise looked at herself through a full human sized mirror that was on the door to the room, the dress fit firmly over her body and smiled softly liking the look she had given herself as well as her hair she was ready to go out to Snowfest with Rapunzel and Daria. Annelise then opened the door looking over at Daria and smiled at her. "How do I look?" Annelise asked, though Daria did see her in the same outfit before but without her hair fixed up.

Looking around Annelise noticed that Rapunzel was gone and tried to look around for her. "Where did Rapunzel go?" Annelise asked as she headed over to the couch to grab another slice of pizza.

Daria looked at Annaelise when she stepped out and smiled, "Like a super model."

She stood up when she asked about Rapunzel, "Oh, I sent her up to my parents' room for her to get changed. She should be down in a few," She headed over to her room, "Now, my turn."

She disappeared into her room and moments later, Rapunzel decended down the stairs, gripping to the railing to ensure that she didn't fall. Her hair trailed behind her slightly, catching on a higher step. Rapunzel looked over to Annelise and smiled as she finally reached the bottom step, "I think I've got this walking in heels thing...." She laughed a little and walked over to the other girl, only wobbling ever so slightly at one point. She stopped in front of her and looked her over, "You look nice," She said as she smiled at the other girl before quickly sitting, not giving herself a change to fall over.

Daria stepped out a few minutes later in her own ensemble. She walked over to the girls' as she fingered her usual necklace that hung around her neck, playing with the pendant that was no larger than a quarter. The long blue skirt, swished around her legs as she moved. She smiled at them, "Well, I think we are ready to head down."

Annelise nodded at Daria and smiled at her. "Thank you." She said softly as she watched Daria getting up to head over into her bedroom to get changed. As Annelise finished eating her second slice of pizza Annelise could hear some heels clacking as they went down the stairs.

Upon seeing Rapunzel as she wobbled down the stairs slightly and approached her. "You look so amazing Rapunzel." Annelise said as she moved over to let Rapnzel sit down next to her. "You will get used to it trust me, though your feet will hurt after you have worn them for awhile." Hearing the door open Annelise watched Daria as she headed out of her room seeing her friend in her dress.

"I really love that dress Dari it looks way better then other dresses you have." Annelise stood up looking between her friend and Rapunzel and nodded to them. "Lets get going then." Annelise said as she headed over to the door and opened it for the two of them.

Leaning forward she tilted her head back slightly, her lips parting as she slid the tube of lipstick over them applying the color before she lightly pressed them together, making sure that the color was going to stay on. Pulling back she replaced the lid of the lipstick, she placed it down on the counter, her light ice blue eyes flicking over her appearance in the mirror making sure that both her hair and her makeup were perfect, the satisfaction of what she had managed to achieve since getting out of the shower causing her lips to turn up in a small smile, the sight of a figure shifting in the mirror catching her attention causing her to turn around to look at Alan as he snoozed once more on the bed.

Moving back out of the bathroom, she crossed the room her leg coming up and under her as she sat on the bed, her hand reaching out to gently rub over his shoulder, her fingers lightly trailing over his skin before she lifted her hand up, gently brushing his hair back off his face so that she could look at him properly, "Alan... Alan, come on, time to wake up. We have to get ready for now. I told you I would wake you up when I was doing my hair and makeup. I've got it done, now we have to get dressed."

Lying flat on his stomach, Alan could feel her hand on his bare shoulder, just as she had done to wake him up from his nap except this time, he wasn't asleep. For some, unexplained reason, restlessness came to the street magician instead, keeping his mind busy with various thoughts that refused to allow him to sleep. But it wasn't until he could feel her hand on his body, rubbing his shoulder, running up his body to brush away his hair gently that he truly felt his body relaxing. His blue eyes flitted open to the sound of her cooing voice, easing him (from what she thought) awake. He was about to make a jest about her needing to dress him herself if she wanted him in a suit, but the words got lodged into his throat the moment his eyes focused and saw the marvel of beauty in front of him.

Eliza had been beautiful before; breathtakingly so. Her beauty had been the initial reason that he was stalking her like some sort of predator waiting for just the right weak moment to pounce it's prey. But her in that exact moment, blocking the main source of light and forcing it to bounce around her figure, illuminating her like some sort of angel...

Her hair was done up, her makeup exotic and enchanting so much that each time he tried to focus on one feature of either of them, his attention was pulled away by the smallest of little details somewhere else. His mouth was gaping slightly, only realizing it now as he tried to swallow the lump of snarky words he had intended on speaking. He could feel his heart flutter against his ribs in the strangest of ways, having never quite experienced that precise feeling before he was sure that it just had to do with the fact that he hadn't been rendered this speechless a single moment in his life.

He pushed himself up slightly, propping himself up with his elbow to keep his torso up as he moved onto his side. Keeping his eyes on her, glancing from feature to feature, his mouth closed back shut and managed a soft smile, finally starting to feel his brain working again.

"You clean up nice."

Her lips turned up in a soft and gentle smile, her eyes catching on his as she watched him open them up, her fingertips gently brushing down the side of his face until she caressed his cheek, a soft pink tinge adding slight color to the makeup that she had put on, "Thank you... It didn't take me as long as I thought, but I'm not done yet. I still have to get dressed, can't go to this event in my underwear and bra, might not go down too well."

"Well rest assured, Princess. Any party of mine I invite you too... your underwear and bra will be overdressed." Alan replied rather cheekily, getting his usual flow back now that he was (more or less) getting used to Eliza being dolled up; at least the initial shock was starting to wear off and able to use that focus towards more of his brain cells.

Leaning down she closed her eyes, her lips pressing softly against his though it wasn't hard enough for her lipstick to smudge onto him, pulling back she stood up from the bed, her hand slipping slowly from his cheek as she moved over to the table, her hands working to peek into the different bags for what she was looking for, "You going to get up? You've spent most of the day in bed already, we've hardly been able to spend any time together..." Reaching into one of the bags she grabbed hold of a pair of heels, pulling them out only to lower them to the table top, her head turning as she looked over at him, "Look, I'm really happy you're coming with me tonight, even if we're not staying very long, it means a lot that you're doing this for me..."

Blinking a bit as Eliza pulled away from him after giving him a kiss, he halfway rested his head back down, wanting to greet the pillow just below him with his head again but was also interested in what it was she was doing to go down completely.

"Yeah, I'm up. I'm up." Alan sighed, confirming his words while he used his arm that was underneath him to push him off of the bed into a sitting position. He used his hand to wave away her thanks for going with her to the party, then turned his hand to run his fingers through his hair, wincing as his pinky grazed against his black eye. Pulling his hand from his hair, ever so gently he pressed the tips of his fingers against his eye, feeling for any swelling but it seemed to have all gone down by now.

"Alright so what kinda monkey suit you puttin me in for tonight?" He asked, moving to stand up from the bed and walked over to her.

"I give you my word, it is a decent outfit, and I know that you're going to look great in it. I tried to make it as casual a suit as I could." Leaning over she glanced into the other bags, gathering up the ones that had his clothes in them before she turned to face him, her eyes connecting with his as her smile grew slightly, pausing for a moment she held the bags out, handing them over to him before she gathered up the others, "Everything you need is in those bags... I'll help you with your tie once I've gotten dressed myself."

Pausing she tilted her head slightly, keeping her eyes on him for as long as she could before she scrunched up her face, her hands slipping from the bags as she moved around him, her hands planting themselves firmly on the small of his back as she leant up, her lips close to though not touching his ear, "Someone has been cooped up in this room for far too long... You need a shower... Come on, off you go." Chuckling softly she gave him a small wink, her arm muscles tensing as she pushed him forwards towards the bathroom so that he could go have a shower, "Don't take too long though, okay..?"

Taking the bags from Eliza, Alan held up one of the bags to the light to see if he might see through it at what was inside, halfly paying attention to Eliza until he was suddenly being pushed into the bathroom.

"Can you believe that the prison didn't offer me a jacuzzi tub so I could have a bath while I was there? I'll have to write them an angry letter one of these days, maybe even sue." Alan remarked towards Eliza's comment on the way he smelled. He knew that he couldn't have smelled great but considering... he thought he was alright. However, as he raised his arm for a quick sniff check... perhaps Eliza was right after all. "Are you my girlfriend, or my mother, I wonder...?" He teased before nodding with his head in a gesture that he could handle it from here. "Won't be more than ten minutes. Promise."

Unable to help herself from rolling her eyes at his comparison of her and his mother, she slid her hands from his back to his side, her body pressing flat against his back as she chuckled softly, her warm breath flowing over his ear as she gently scratched lightly at his both of his sides, "Heh... I'd say I'm your girlfriend, because your mother wouldn't dare kiss you in the way that I do babe..."

Hovering dangerously close to his lips, her own turned up in a small smirk as she gave him a wink, pulling away from him once he gave her the nod she turned watching him from over her shoulder before she quickly moved back to the table, "Ten minutes, hm..? Last time you promised me something, they falsely accused and arrested you, but I'll hold you to that."

"Well hey, if the S.W.A.T. team comes barging in through those doors-" Alan said, using one of his hands holding onto the smaller bag in which he assumed the shoes and socks were in to gesture towards where he knew the front door was, "-all because I'm going a little rough with the luffa, then I'm throwing you over my shoulder, we're going out that window-" He moved his hand then to gesture towards the one just outside the bathroom that led out to the small patio, "-and we're gettin the hell out of Nevada cuz this place sucks."

Turning her torso around so that she could look at him, she took a moment before turning and leaning back against the table, her head shaking softly from side to side, a mixture of both disbelief and pure amusement written all over her features, "Alright, I'll agree to that plan... But only on the condition that we don't go anywhere that's like majorly hot. I don't mind heat, but I'm a fan of the cold remember."

At this, Alan couldn't help the sly grin that came over his features and nodded his head once, more of a bow than a nod in hindsight.

"If you don't mind the rain, then Manhattan it is." He said with a very small glint in his eye, as though he were proud of that slumdog city he called home for the last handful of years of his life. "Now leave me alone, you're cutting into my luffa assaulting time." Using his foot, Alan caught the edge of the door and pushed it closed, not bothering to make sure it latched before setting down his bags of... whatever it was Eliza had gotten him. He'd have to settle for whatever complimentary soap and shampoo the hotel provided, but he had to remind himself that Eliza had to do the very same thing.

So we'll look and smell the same. Wonderful. Can't wait for those reactions...

Shaking his head a bit at his own expense, Alan stripped down and started up the shower.

It wasn't exactly ten minutes later, perhaps one or two past that, but Alan eventually emerged from the bathroom half-dressed in the plethora of clothing he had found in the bags that Eliza had got for him. His long brown hair was still a little damp; towel dried, making the back of his hair touch down to the powder blue collar of the button-up dress shirt. The dress shirt itself remained untucked from the ivory-cream-colored wool dress pants with a majority of the buttons left undone; the matching jacket, tie and pocket-square mysteriously absent from his outfit save for the small plastic bag he carried out with him and set on the bed where there was more room to work and less danger of staining anything from the table of food.

Furrowing her brows slightly, she leant into the table, her hand resting on the top keeping her steady as she leant over at a strange angle, her free hand reaching down and underneath her dress as she slipped her foot into the last of her shoes (the color matching that of her eyes), her figure now a lot taller than it had been earlier. Flicking her eyes up as she heard the bathroom door opening, she stood up straight as she shifted her foot slightly making sure that it was in the shoe properly, turning around to look him over she lifted up her arms, her fingers quickly fumbling with each ear making sure that her earrings were still both hanging from her earlobes.

"And you say that I clean up nicely. I knew you were sexy, I just didn't realize that you could look so handsome." Smiling softly she dropped her arms, her hands gently picking up the front of her long floor length dress as she moved over to where he stood, glancing down at the bag she reached in pulling out the tie, reaching up she flicked up his collar before slipping it around his neck, watching every move she made as she tied it, careful not to make it too short or long, "Let me know if I make too tight okay?"

"Believe me. This just gets better with less clothes." Alan smirked as he allowed her to tie the tie, gesturing towards his body while he spoke. To keep himself busy, he pulled a bit at his shirt sleeves, finding the article of clothing already beyond uncomfortable and restricting. Eventually he found the buttons on each cuff and unfastened them, giving him just a little bit more room. "You're doing fine. It's just for a few hours anyway." He reassured her, though it sounded more like he were trying to reassure himself instead. When she was done, Alan turned his body a bit to pull out the ivory-cream-colored wool suit jacked and slipped it on, shrugging his shoulders a number of times feeling the constricting fabric hugging at his back and between his shoulder blades, forcing Alan to make a face. "How the hell do business guys do this every day?"

Determined to make himself at least somewhat comfortable, Alan pulled down the unbuttoned dress shirt sleeves and then rolled them over the top of the suit jacket sleeves, scrunching them both up his arms making it more of a three-quarter length sleeve than full. It probably ruined the jacket, but Alan was beyond caring at that point.

Shaking her head from side to side she chuckled softly, her eyes staying locked on the tie as she straightened it up, her fingers brushing lightly over his neck as she lowered the collar once more, her hands then sliding down his body and to his waist where she began to tuck in his shirt, "Business men do this everyday, because it's something that they grow used to over time. My father, when he has meetings in the city and with the board, he has to wear them; not that he likes it very much. But don't worry, I told you, I'll make you look good."

Sliding her arms around his body she finished tucking in the shirt, her hands lingering on him for longer than she really needed them to before she reluctantly pulled away, her hands next making quick work of the buttons that he had so conveniently forgotten to do up when he had been getting dressed. Glancing down at the bag again she held it open with one hand, her other fishing around inside until she pulled out the small bit of already folded material, reaching back up she neatly slipped it into his pocket, taking her time before she glanced back up into his eyes, her hands expertly moving to his sleeves where she moved to keep them how he wanted though making them a little more neater, "See..? Handsome enough to make any woman look and any guy jealous..."

Fiddling with his now completed outfit here and there as she did the same, Alan openly smirked at her latter comment, taking the initiative to finally slide his hand around her waist, holding her close to him and with his opposite hand, used his pointer finger to ever-so-gently tap the tip of her nose.

"I can do that in jeans and a t-shirt too, Princess." He pointed out before reaching his neck forward a bit and kissed her lips softly, minding the lipstick and keeping it where it was (on her lips) before pulling away despite his inner desire of kissing her the way he wanted to; similar to the kisses they shared in the hot tub the night before. Was that just the night before? It felt like so much longer than that. He felt like he knew her longer than that; maybe just a few days longer, but still. It was hard to believe that he had just met her yesterday.

"Let me just go grab my stuff from my jeans and we can be on our way." Alan said releasing his hold on her so that he could head back to the bathroom where he had left his clothes.

"I know you can, I've seen you work that magic of yours; your charms and the way you work a pair of jeans is how you hooked me in the first place remember?" Her voice held a hint of sarcasm as she spoke, her hand lifting up to rest softly against his chest, her body pressing in against his as he pulled her close against his own. Closing her eyes she smiled against his lips, her own pressing lightly into the kiss causing her heart to flutter at both the action and how he made her feel; she felt safe in his arms... Why she wasn't sure, though she didn't care, it was something she wanted to explore more with him.

Reluctantly letting him pull away from both her lips and her body, she nodded softly watching as he turned heading back into the bathroom to grab his things, her own feet moving her across the room to the table where she picked up her small bag, slipping her phone, purse and their key-card into it, "Okay, sounds good. Besides, the sooner we get this done... the sooner we can sneak out early."

Returning to the bathroom, Alan found his jeans and tossed them up onto the counter, going pocket by pocket as he emptied them of their contents, most of which he hadn't been able to organize into their designated pockets since he had been given all of his possessions at once after leaving the Sheriff's department (save for the heroin, but he was smart enough to know he'd never see that again). Finding immediately that the pockets on his wool dress pants weren't at all as wide or deep as his jeans, he knew he would have to leave some stuff behind. He grabbed for his cell phone and wallet, putting those into his pants before grabbing for a single deck of cards and a few trick coins. Perhaps it was silly, feeling the need to bring such items along with him, but just like his cell phone and wallet, Alan felt completely lost without at least some of his magic tricks.

He stuffed the rest of his playing cards, trick threads, markers and marbles back into his jeans pockets, followed by the pair of Daria's underwear which he made sure to stuff down deep into the rear pocket, out of sight and out of mind though that didn't help to keep his mind away from the wonderful handful of hours they spent together.

Finally, there were only two things left out on the counter. Reaching forward, Alan picked up the necklace he had been given by The Blue Fairy before he had been sent to this land. Even moreso than his wallet, phone and magic tricks, this necklace truly was a part of him; the only thing he had to show from where he truly came from, and though he hated and despised it now, there was something keeping him attached to it. He had a job to do, and sure he would get around to it, but the longer he put it off, the more Alan began to start seeing himself as a coward.

Putting the necklace around his neck and tucking it into the dress shirt so that it was hidden entirely, Alan got a good look at himself in the mirror. It had been nearly a week since he had shaved last, a thick amount of stubble forming around his jawline and around his lips but nothing unmanageable. The swelling in his black eye was gone entirely, but the coloring remained; thick and purple with greens and yellows on the edges; but at least he was able to keep his eye open to hide most of it now.

He ran a hand over his face, staring down his reflection in the mirror. His opposite hand balled up into a fist for a few moments as anger started to rise up in him for the outright mess he had made of his life, the weight of the enchanted necklace on his chest a forever reminder of just that. However, as his hand tightened, his knuckles brushed up against the final item on the counter, causing it to shift and fall down into the sink basin, clinking against the sink and forcing Alan's attention downwards. Reaching his hand into the sink, he pulled out the golden-chained, wooden-surfaced snowflake necklace he had lifted from the pawn shop the night before. Holding it by the chain, the let the emblem hang down, spinning somewhat as it hung in the air while Alan continued to examine it. He had taken this necklace for a reason; he had taken it because it reminded him of Eliza. He had taken it for her.

The dominant part of Alan in which he spent most of his time as had told him that it was like a silent joke that lead back to the snowflake birthmark he had caught sight of on the back of her right thigh the night before, but there was something within him, something deeper in a place he had yet to explore that told him there might be another reason. Issuing out a quick sigh, Alan stuffed the necklace into his pants pocket and exited back out of the bathroom, heading towards Eliza to tell her that he was ready to go, however once again, she took his words away.

Even just standing there with a face of normalcy and doing nothing to occupy her time, she stood out like a radiating beacon of light, drawing him in like a common house fly. How had he missed the dress she was wearing? It complimented her in all the right areas and all the right ways, her shoes, hair and makeup tying up the entire thing as only one word Alan could think of to describe...

"Incredible..." The word left his lips as a mere whisper, Alan hadn't even realized it had left the safety of his mind until after it had passed. Shaking is head, he continued forward from his halted walk and met Eliza once more. "I um..." Alan stuffed his hand into his pocket, using his other hand to rub the back of his neck awkwardly as his eyes shifted to a spot on the wall behind Eliza. "I got something for you..." Pulling out his hand from his pocket, the gold and wooden necklace was clasped between his fingers, holding it by the chain so that she could examine the pendant herself as he handed it over to her.

Lifting her head up as she heard his voice from across the room, she watched him move closer towards her, her soft light pink-cream colored lips parting slightly as she turned her body to face his once he got close enough to her, her gaze flicking up to meet with his as he continued to try and get out just what it was he was trying to say to her, "Really..? You-... you got me something..?"

Dropping her gaze to follow his hand as he fumbled around in his pocket, she couldn't help the gentle blush that lit up her cheeks as she caught sight of the necklace he lifted up, the wooden pendant hanging from the golden chain delicately clasped in his fingers. Bringing her hand up she let it rest against her fingers, her lips turning up in a small smile before she flicked her eyes back up to meet once more with his, "Alan, it's beautiful. Thank you so much... Could you..?"

Handing it back to him she slowly turned around so that her back was facing him, her head turning and dropping only slightly as she flicked her gaze back towards him, her neck exposed enough for him to put the necklace on her, her hands coming up in front of her body, playing with her fingers as she waited.

Taking the necklace back from her, Alan waited until she had her back to him, ignoring the look she was giving him over her shoulder and he undid the clasp that kept the golden chain together. Using both hands on each end of the clasp, he draped it over her head, careful not to touch any part of her hair, afraid that it might all just spring out if he even so much as looked at it. Once the pendant was resting flat on her chest, he brought the clasps together and hooked it, letting the necklace then hang from her neck as it was intended. His hands then moved down to her shoulders, continuing down her arms until eventually it reached her waist where he held her there, moving his own body to press his chest flush with her back, letting his lips teasingly graze against the skin of her neck just above where the golden chain rested.

"Had to get you something to match that cute little birthmark of yours that you don't know I know about." He smirked after lifting his lips up to the shell of her ear and then planted a kiss directly behind it.

Lifting her hand up she pressed her fingers gently against the pendant, her eyes closing and her smile growing as she felt his warm breath over her ear, his words hitting her causing her once gentle blush to grow a little brighter, leaning back so that they were as close against each other as they could be, she turned her head looking back at him, "I never tried to hide it, but I didn't think you would take too much notice of it either. I'm glad you did though..."

Turning around in his arms, she slid her own arms up and around his neck, holding him close as she let her gaze catch on his, showing him the honesty behind her words as she spoke, her body leaning up and her lips only inches away from his own, "Because I'm never going to take this off... You mean a lot to me, now this does too."

Closing the gap between the two of them, she let her lips linger on his for what felt like a lifetime before she pulled away putting some space between them, reaching out she picked up her purse shooting him an apologetic look, showing him the reluctance in her actions, "Okay... If we don't get moving now, we're never going to get there. And I'm the one opening this event, so I can't not show up."

Smiling brightly she slipped her hand into his, tugging on it gently as she pulled him towards the door, awkwardly opening it up with the same hand she was using to hold her things, her dress dragging lightly on the ground behind her.

Going along with her actions up until the point they reached the door, Alan halted himself, forcing a tug on his hand a bit as Eliza had kept going for a few seconds.

"Hey uh... why don't you go on ahead? You said you had some like, setting up and stuff to do before the thing actually starts." Alan said retracting his hand from hers to run his hand over the back of his neck again. He wasn't quite sure why he was stalling, what difference did an hour or so make? But ever since he got back to the Lodge Hotel with Eliza, his mind was a million miles away from his own, and it was starting to concern him. "I uh, I gotta call my parole officer anyway, make sure everything is squared away and I'm really in the clear. Wouldn't want any mishaps during your party right?"

Glancing back over her shoulder at him as she felt resistance against her hand, she stopped keeping the door held open as she listened to what he had to say, smiling once again she nodded, her grip relaxing on his hand before she dropped it to the front of her dress, holding it up off the ground slightly, "Of course, just don't be too long okay? What fun would be sneaking off, if you're not there to sneak off with right?"

Turning back to the hallway she slipped out the door, letting it close behind her so that she could give him the space and privacy he would need to call his parole officer, her pace picking up slightly as she headed down one of the many familiar paths that led to the large banquet hall that was being used for the nights function.

Nodding to let her know that he understood, Alan watched from the doorway as she disappeared down the hall, the heavy door eventually closing by itself leaving Alan completely alone to the hotel room. Standing there for a few moments, Alan eventually eased himself over to the bed where he plopped down, sitting on the edge. He stared the wall down in front of him blankly until he was forced to blink, pulling him out of his slight stupor enough for him to rest his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. Sighing, he carded his fingers through his hair, tugging at the roots a bit and stopping when his palms reached his hairline.

What the hell was happening to me?

With his hands placed back behind him, resting against his lower back, Scar paced on the balcony of the North Wing of his castle, a branch to the outside from the small tower in which Scar had been in previously to call upon Maleficent using the mirror. She was on her way, she said she was, but with that woman, her timing was just as unpredictable as her mood swings. It was the unknowing that set Scar on edge. The unknowing of what mood she would be in today, and how that would affect her willingness to help him by helping Odette. She was just a child, she didn't deserve any of this. If he wasn't already cursed, Scar would have even gone as far as to have the curse transferred over to himsel- no, no, perhaps not. The King of The Pride Lands would never be able to pull off a swan.

The deal had already been made; an alteration to Odette's curse for a small handful of his men as well as an extra favor for putting this off for a day. But that was a double-headed Agrabah Viper, and Maleficent had control of both of the heads. If things didn't go according to her plan... exactly according to her plan, then everything that Scar had ever built in the shadow of his brother for the last thirteen years would be stripped away with a single twitch of her finger.

GODS!

He hated magic...

Lifting her arm up she slipped her fingers into her long dark brown locks, pushing them back off her face as she watched on, her lips turning up in a small smirk as he continued to pace back and forth over the balcony, her dark brown orbs following each and every movement that he took, "Such a beautiful day in the Pride Lands, is it not..?" Pushing herself away from the archway she moved forward, her body crossing over the balcony and across his path and over to the stone railing, pressing her stomach against it she placed her hands gently a top of it, her gaze looking out over the Savannah type terrain lain out before her.

"It has been too long since I was last here, part of me is glad that you have summoned me, though I know that there is pressing matters that you wish to have discussed." Turning her head she looked back at him, her eyes meeting with his as she nodded her head showing him that she was ready to talk about what needed to be done. Turning her body slightly she let her hand slip down from the railing, her hand smoothing out the material of her outfit that clung to her curves as she waited for him to speak, "Oh, and I wouldn't worry too much... As long as I get what I want, you will get everything you want..."

If it hadn't been for his years upon years of military training, Scar would have jumped at the sudden female voice heard just behind him. Instead, the King of The Pride Lands stopped his pacing, keeping his profile to the woman that he now knew was there and listened as she made her way over to the railing and made herself comfortable. His nostrils flared in annoyance, his breathing increased but he held his tongue. Had she been anyone else... anyone, there would have been a slightly... different treatment. She seemed to be in a tolerable-enough mood, but Scar had seen the woman hold a face of normalcy before, only to unleash the dragon within just seconds later. Still, at her open invitation to proceed, Scar did just that and jumped to the point, grateful that at least he didn't have to entertain her with a spiel of bullshit first, for her just entertainment.

"You can do it then? Enchant my underground grotto to be just like the waters at Swan Lake? The moonlight is no problem, it reaches the water just fine... I just need her human... at least for a little while..."

"I can do what you ask and then some... Your precious little swan will only have to spend a couple of hours a day as the small bird, rather than the full day." Turning around completely she leant back against the railing, her hands coming together in front of her body and her eyes continuing to stay locked with his own, "The waters will be shared between the lake and the grotto, but if I also share the moons reflection from the lake, then you should get more time with your darling little Odette."

Keeping from quirking a skeptical brow, Scar instead turned his body and rested the palms of his hand on the railing of the balcony, looking over the plains that reached as far as the eye could see.

"Just make sure whatever it is you need to do, gets done... and you will have your men." He gruffed. Pausing for a moment as Scar ran though his mind on what he wanted to ask, he drummed his fingertips against the cast-iron railing, taking a moment to look at Maleficent out of the corner of his dark brown eyes. "You... sorcerers... all alike. You stick together; know each others secrets..."

Her lips parted slightly as she turned her full attention back to him, her body turning so that her hip was resting against the railing, her hands coming up to rest on top of it softly, "We don't all stick together... While we may try our best to keep tabs on one another, and some of us share things in common, we aren't the most trusting of other sorcerers... However, I make it my business to know of and keep an eye on what the others are doing and any information they are withholding from myself..."

Sighing softly as her smile slipped away from her lips, she turned to once more face the railing, her hand sliding back and forth over the railing as she looked back out over the kingdom spread out before them, "You wish to know about Rothbart... Since your delicate little girl has run off to be with you, you wish to know if he has figured out that she's in your possession. If he plans on making a move against you, am I correct..?"

Though her words were true, able to pin-point exactly what his concerns were at that precise moment, instead of answering Maleficent's question, his jaw tightened a bit and refrained from looking at her even as he could feel her eyes baring down on him.

"I just need to know if he can be killed." He stated firmly, as if that were his true intent of his unsaid question lay, however the both of them knew better, although it wasn't exactly a random question either. Such knowledge on The Great Animal could definitely come in handy, as the greater goal here was to end his curse, and Odette's. But he had spent near a lifetime trying to find a way for himself, and it simply could not be done. However, there had been another option playing in the back of Scar's mind for a few years now... if The Great Animal were to fall... it was worth a shot, since he was out of ideas. And if it didn't work... well then at least he would have the satisfaction in knowing that it was he who had forced his family into his inner beast's rage.

Nodding she let her hand come to a stop on the railing, her lips pursing slightly as she thought about the man they were speaking about, "Rothbart is nothing more than a man. A scared little man who would do anything he could to keep his power and position as King... It's really rather pathetic. He's worthless, even to me Scar."

Pausing for a moment she lifted her arm up, her fingers sliding through her hair pushing it back between the two horns protruding from her temple, "He can be killed. You must run his heart through; there is no weapon that is specific, just force it all the way through... I will not stop you, even I have no use for him in this world or the next."

Satisfied with her answer, Scar nodded, though his mind was far from easy. Pitting a magic user against sheer strength was unheard of, let alone survivable. At least, if Rothbart ever did come after Odette, Scar would have some sort of advantage, The Pride Lands being his home and all.

"Come." Scar then said suddenly, pushing himself away from the balcony railing to return inside the small room that kept the mirror. "I've yet to remind you just how much you enjoy The Pride Lands, as you said. Though I know you are more than capable of picking out a few men for yourself for your army, we do things a bit differently here... of which I'm sure you've heard about."

Tearing her gaze away from the land spread out in front of her, she watched him lead the way back inside, her body pushing away from the railing before she turned and followed him, her eyes flicking towards the mirror she had given him on the day they had met. Allowing them to linger there as she crossed through the room, she listened silently to what it was he had to say to her about how her men were going to be picked, her attention turning back to him as she flicked her gaze down to the ground every so often, careful to watch each step that she took, "I have indeed heard of your means of handing out promotions. I'm excited to see those methods with my own two eyes, I'm sure you'll make this quite entertaining for my little visit here today."

Scoffing somewhat to himself, sounding rather pleased, Scar otherwise remained silent as they wound their way down the spiral stone staircase and eventually reached the bottom floor that opened up to the rest of the castle. He didn't stop, however, knowing the layout of his castle like the back of his hand and headed immediately towards the opening on the South wall that would eventually lead them out to the arena.

Suddenly, the sound of sandals slapping against the stone foundation behind them carried over to their ears, followed immediately by, "Sire! Your Majesty!" Stopping, Scar turned around to face the courier, red in the face and out of breath by the time the young man reached the two of them. Fighting the urge to bend at the waist and rest his hands on his knees, the courier instead bowed his head respectively towards Scar, taking notice then that the King had company and bowed to her respectfully too. However, the very moment his eyes caught sight of the auburn horns on the top of her head, his tanned skin paled a few shades as he attempted to swallow his suddenly very dry throat from the blatant recognition of who they belonged to.

"Uh... yes! Your Majesty..." The courier stuttered, eventually bringing his attention back to Scar who had since crossed his thick arms over his chest. "We uh..." The courier's eyes flashed back over to Maleficent before turning back to Scar, unsure of just how much he was allowed to say in her company. "We have another one... that makes... five... Sir..."

Quirking a brow, it was clear that Scar was completely lost as to what the boy was trying to tell him, however at the mention of 'five' his brow lowered and he nodded his head once, now understanding completely.

"You're aware of this evening's promotion ceremony?" Scar asked, and the boy nodded. "You have thirty minutes before the sun touches the horizon to get them ready. Get a third lion as well, can't have the two tired before the main event. Now GO!" Flinching, the boy quickly bowed to both Scar and Maleficent before darting back in the direction in whence he first came.

Slowing her pace to a complete stop as she heard someone calling out to Scar, she turned her body to look over the courier that came to a stop before them, her hands coming together in front of her and her eyes flicking over his figure as he bowed towards his King, the young man's body paling in terror as who she was finally dawned on him. Staying silent during their conversation, she let her eyes dart back and forth between the both of them, her curiosity and interest peaking at the mention of the promotion ceremony he was holding while she was there.

Chuckling softly as she watched the boy scurry off in fear, she shook her head for a moment before turning her attention back to Scar, her gaze and expression soft, "Five..? Interesting number; I'm sure that I will find out what it means sooner or later, however, know you have most definitely gotten my attention Scar."

Turning his head to look at Maleficent, a rather arrant smirk spread across his lips as he uncrossed his arms from his chest and then turned to resume down the path set before them that would take them outside and to the arena.

"You won't be disappointed... and definitely not now that we have a pre-game show."

It had been about twenty minutes since Eliza had left Alan in the hotel room, and he hadn't moved an inch. His mind was swimming with everything and nothing at the same time, his thoughts passing by so quickly he couldn't grab onto just one to think on it. Finally, Alan had just reached the point of mental exhaustion where the blurred thoughts just stopped, giving him time to make his own thoughts once more, getting to the point where he felt like he was himself again; even if he knew it was just temporary, it was a welcome reprive.

Checking his wrist watch, Alan took note of the time. Eliza said the party didn't start for a while yet but he'd rather be down there with at least a chance to socialize with a handful of girls than cooped up in this hotel room any longer. Thats what he needed, Alan decided. He needed more girls to give him that extra little boost, he had been confined to a single girl for almost seventeen hours now... and that was a bit too much.

Making sure he had everything he needed (more everything his dress pants could hold) Alan exited the hotel room, making sure the door closed behind him and took the fairly short walk back to the lodge lobby, figuring he could just follow the signs that would point him in the right direction from there.

Ilya spotted Alan in the hallway before he reached the lobby, he had missed him entering because he was busy with Dominic and Funes. He held up his hand and motioned for him to come closer. By this point Ilya had stopped walking, and kept his eyes fixed on Alan.

Catching a glimpse of the hulking figure out of the corner of his eye, Alan didn't have to turn his head to know who had their eyes on him. He cursed mentally, wondering how it was that he had forgotten about the man he had gone great lengths to avoid over the last few weeks. Halting his steps almost immediately, Alan turned to look in the opposite direction, scoping out his potential exits. Really, could Illya have picked a worse time to try and talk to him? Didn't he know that he had a very important party to get to? Nevermind the fact that the party wasn't exactly important to him until that point. Tomorrow. He would talk to him tomorrow.

Always tomorrow...

Picking his exit as a hallway to his left, Alan shifted his weight to head down the hall, putting in a great effort to make it look as though he were heading in that direction anyway, however that didn't stop his footsteps from quickening just a bit.

Ilya realized that Alan wasn't in the mood to talk. Unfortunately for Alan, he had encountered Ilya in a place where the exits were either fairly distant or would involve getting past Ilya. There were good odds that Ilya would be able to chase him down. At this point, Ilya had basically lost patience for more subtle methods. He said "Alan, stop!" in a firm voice while he moved towards him. Ilya's pace was just short of running, and he was ready to break into a sprint the moment he saw Alan hurry up.

Practically able to feel the weight of Illya behind him as the man quickly chased after him, Alan eventually broke out into an outright sprint, tearing down the hallway and rounded the first corner he came to.

"If I were you, Pinocchio, I'd stand still." Dominic called as he stood right in front of Alan, halting his pursuit.

He was dressed differently this time, wearing an outfit that, while consisting of odd colors and patterns was more fitting into society. A simple knee length overcoat over a waistcoat-and-trouser combo with a finely pressed light blue dress shirt underneath, a dappled green tie tucked into his collar.

With a rather thick binder underneath his arm, Dominic motioned with his free hand towards Ilya who was just now appearing behind Alan.

"We need to talk. Now." Dominic commanded in a firm tone, letting his free hand now plant itself in his coat pocket.

Skidding to an abrupt halt, sliding a bit as he wasn't used to the lack of traction on the dress shoes opposed to his sneakers, Alan waved his arms a bit to keep his balance before he stopped just before running into the man who had tried interrogating him in his prison cell. Registereing his words, Alan turned to look over his shoulder back at Illya who was still closing in on him.

That bastard planned this! Somehow that bastard planned this! Alan thought, shaking his head a bit before turning back to face Dominic.

"You... you were working for him?" He asked, gesturing back towards Illya. Laughing out a bit, Alan shook his head, putting up his hands as though they were cops asking for his surrender. "Alright, alright. You bastards got me. What, you guys wanna go talk this out over ice cream?"

"Ice cream is for good little boys, not like you. Also, it seems to me you've been enjoying a lot of frozen treats recently." Ilya said. He had a little bit of a sense of humor, but even in Russian he wasn't very eloquent. "We'll discuss our duties with Funes, in his room. I think privacy is best for now." It was satisfying to corner Alan, but Ilya did feel a little disappointed by how easily he gave up. It would've been more satisfying to throw him to the ground with one of the technicques from his army days, but there was no need to do so now.

"Frozen... treats?" Alan blinked, the context going right over his head but he wasn't given long to dwell on the Russian's words. He placed his arms back down, stuffing his hands into his pockets as far as they would go and shrugged, turning back to look at Illya. "Funes? Funes... Funes... why does that name sound familiar?" Pausing to think, Alan turned back to look at Dominic and then once more to Illya, trying to remember back to his childhood and the small group who had gone through the portal with him before he had gotten seperated. There was a man... a man in a wheelchair... and neither of these men were in such a crippled state, so Alan took a stab in the dark. "Alright, alright, but can we do this a bit later? I got someplace I'm supposed to be, and as much fun as changing a guys piss bag in the 'privacy' of his own room sounds, I'll have to pass. Find another donkey to do your grunt work."

Merely shaking his head with a disgusted scoff, Dominic took a moment before speaking next, "Two ears, one mouth, stay quiet and listen." He ordered as though rebuking a small child, motioning with his head towards Ilya.

"Once we're settled with Funes then we'll talk. There's much to discuss." Dominic added on a final note before turning on his heel back down the hall, looking behind his shoulder for a moment towards Ilya and Alan.

Grumbling somewhat incoharently, Alan removed a hand from his pocket and bit the tip of his thumb in Dominic's direction, a subtle gesture that could have easily been passed off as him biting his nail if he had been called out on it. However, with the collosal Russian behind him, Alan had no choice but to comply, so lowering his head and stuffing his hand back into his pocket, he begrudgingly followed after Dominic while Illya followed close behind.

*~*~*

Funes was in the middle of writing a sentence that didn't start with a present tense verb when the three other guardians arrived at his door. He stopped working on what he was passing off as literary criticism as soon as he saw Alan, and opened the door. He remembered every last inconvenience and problem that Alan's absence had caused over the past thirteen years, and was prepared to unload them. He thought it was sporting to give Alan a chance to explain himself beforehand, and didn't say a word or look at anyone else, he just glared at Alan.

"Hey wheels." Alan spouted noncholantly, raising up a hand in a half-assed wave as he walked by Funes, heading straight over to the couch and plopped himself down onto it, spreading his legs out on the cushions, seeming to have no idea whatsoever that he was getting death-glared.

Funes was too angry to even express his displeasure with Alan. He instead glared at Dominic, and said "Dominic, give your speech about why we're doing this and why we need him." His voice was a snarled monotone, and his glare returned to Alan.

Pulling the folder out from underneath his arm, Dominic let his grey eyes take in Ilya, Funes and Alan before speaking. "What I have here is a collaboration, so to speak. I've managed to find various newspaper clippings, photographs, and even the smallest little details I could in regards to the Children." He explained briefly before opening the folder on the bed, the inside itself organized much like a scrapbook, filled to the brim with random snippets of information, organized per child.

Lifting up his head a fraction to look up at Dominic, Alan quirked a brow, taking a quick look over the large folder that he was referencing.

"Oh thank God... I was half-expecting a never-ending file cabinet system inside of that thing after you tell us that your real name is Morgan Freeman..." Alan mused, resting his head back down on the arm of the couch. "Alright, so you're organized. Great. Just pick up the little shits from daycare, round em up like sheep and we can send em back home. Thats what this is about, right? I'm only here cuz of this..." Using his hand, Alan reached down inside his shirt, using the cord of the necklace to pull out the pendant as he moved to sit up on the couch. Holding the pendant between his fingers so that the three of them could see, he nodded, making eye contact with Dominic before allowing the necklace to rest against his chest naturally. "So just let me know when you need me to use it, otherwise I'm useless to you guys, I get it. So if that's all..." Alan moved to stand up from the couch.

At this point Funes spoke. "Useless is giving yourself too much credit. For thirteen years you've actively avoided the duty that brought you here, and for what? What is your reason, your grand explanation, O modern day Odysseus? Why have you never tried to find any of us at any point, I didn't even change my last name. I told you I would go to the city with greatest library and become a professor, and I'll bet you never even gave thought to calling up any of the four people in the Boston phonebook named Funes. Of course, now you've been reunited with us through a stroke of luck. How did you approach this reunion, did you have a contrite heart, did you have some great work that you had been laboring away at for those missing years? No. You came here and met the people you swore to protect and one of your comrades in arms, and you showed only outright contempt for your duty. I can understand that guilt might've driven you to avoid Ilya, but I cannot comprehend what is your reason for flirting and sleeping with the girls who you swore to protect. If the parents of Anna, Elsa, Rapunzel, Morgiana, Eric, Sebastian and Jasmine were still alive to see your conduct I shudder to think of what their reaction would be. They go by different names in this world, but whether they are called Eliza or Elsa, your duty remains."

Something within Alan snapped, and before he even knew what was going on, he crossed the room over to Funes, towering over the handi-abled man with a pointer finger extended, pointing hard down at him as a few muscles in his jaw twitched.

"Alright you fucking non-shaved Professor Xavier stand-in... You have NO fucking idea what I've been put through these last thirteen fucking years! Don't you fucking DARE assume you fucking know me, or what I've fucking done, what I've fucking tried... you know fucking NOTHING!" Shaking his head a bit, Alan allowed the longer parts of his hair curtain the sides of his face, shielding his eyes where he could feel the sting of tears brimming at the corners, the emotion that had been building up inside of him for years upon years now starting to show it's true colors save for the slight, drunken spectacle he had made in the park the night before. Turning his back a bit, Alan used his foot to push back on the wheel of Funes' wheel chair, not hard, but enough to make the chair wheel around in a semi-circle.

"I can't fucking do this, I feel like I'm talking down to a special needs member on the cast of Footloose." Alan muttered to himself, though loud enough for everyone else to hear as he wasn't exactly trying to hide it.

Ilya stepped between Alan and Funes. "Alan, I think it'd be best if you and Funes went to seperate rooms for a moment. We've all had our struggles, but I don't think we will gain anything by comparing them right now. You can talk with Dominic while we are gone." said Ilya. Funes didn't say a word but wheeled his way to the door. He muttered a few words on his way, something about being convinced that his argument had worked because of how it made Alan break down. Ilya just said something about how everyone's got their struggles, and told stories of a few of the less lucky soldiers he had served with to distract Funes as they went to Ilya's office.

Nodding a small goodbye to Ilya and Funes, Dominic let out a small sigh before turning back to Alan.

"No idea what you've been through, eh?" Dominic voiced after the former two had left, his mouth curved in a deep frown. "I suppose you're right in a way, since you never called, never wrote, never even notified us where you were. So no, Alan, none of us know what you've been through." Pacing about the room, Dominic let both hands plant themselves in his coat pockets.

"But if you're going to try and pass yourself off as a victim...best find a different crowd. There's no sympathy for deserters or cowards, not in this business. Now if we could get back to work that'd be appreciated." He added on a final note, pinching the bridge of his nose before turning to look down at the folder once more.

Shaking a bit, Alan balled up his hands into fists to keep himself from losing it on Dominic this time, though the fists, he realized, weren't exactly helping that so he relaxed them again.

"I was thirteen fucking years old!" Alan started, glaring down at Dominic from across the room, though he was at least able to keep his voice in check for the most part this time. "Seperated from everyone that I was assured that I would be with, but no, I was alone in this god-forsaken land, so I did what I had to do. I survived. I made this land my bitch. I could have given up. I could have pawned off this... this..." Alan took a moment to reach his hand around his neck, plucking the cord from the necklace and draped it over his head, tossing it across the room hard enough that when the pendant made contact with the wall, a small chunk of the caulking chipped away, creating a small spider-web of cracks around the dent but the pendant itself remained unscathed. "THING! I don't want it! I never wanted it! Do you know how much money I could have gotten for something like that? But no, I kept it because I made a promise. You might think a whole lot of things about me Mr. Wallrus, but I keep my promises. In this land and the next, I'm a man of my word!"

Chest heaving, having gotten his say out finally (though there was so, so much more) Alan shook his head, staying his breath, trying to force himself to calm back down.

"Now what the hell was Professor X saying? Something about Elsa and Eliz-" Alan stopped very suddenly, feeling his heart reaching up into his throat and his stomach sinking down into his dress shoes.

No... NO!

Dominic merely shook his head in disgust, not wishing to waste the time or breath bandying words with Pinocchio. Whatever delusion of grandeur he had....conjured for himself could stay for the time being.

What really caught Dominic's eye however, was Alan's outfit....it looked similar, very similar to the one he had just bought......hours before.

Charcoal gray eyes hardening, Dominic took a single step forward, "I thought I made it very clear that you were to stay away from Eliza." He said in a threatening tone, grabbing the young man roughly by the scruff of his shirt and yanking him closer. "Was I not clear?" He repeated, his voice holding barely-suppressed rage.

Too lost in his own thoughts, Alan hadn't even caught the slight movement from the male opposite him until he felt a sudden restriction around his throat, realizing then that he was being brought into a closer proximity to Dominic. With his 'fight or flight' response kicking in, Alan grabbed hold of Dominic's wrist that had a firm grip on his shirt and with whatever hidden strength the street-savvy street magician witheld, managed to pry Dominic's hand off of him and put a comfortable distance between the two of them once more.

"I ain't fucking touched Eliza! She won't let me, goddammit! She's more prude than Mother-fucking-Teressa! Now back the fuck off and tell me just what the hell is going on!"

"You really don't get it, do you? Eliza is Elsa." Dominic replied in a seething manner, running a hand through his curly mane of hair, appearing to have dropped the matter of beating Alan to a pulp. "Her, Daria, Annalise, Rapunzel - even the detective at the police station, they're all the Children sent to Earth...that's why I've been keeping tabs on them as best as I could." He explained in an exasperated tone, as though speaking to a young child.

"Believe it or not, you haven't been alone these last thirteen years, Pinocchio. The Sorcerer has been monitoring both the Children and the Guardians since Day One. Though, as you most surely know, he's not one to intervene directly into events - that's where I come in." Dominic continued, his tone slowly but surely becoming more calm, though there was still a sharp edge to it.

At the mention of the hot detective woman Alan had become familiar with at his overnight stay in a jail cell, Alan's eyes narrowed even further, his brows obscuring his vision enough to force him to let up on his glaring, just a little. Eliza being Elsa, Anna... her sister of all people... and... Daria? He was going to hell for sure if the Blue Fairy didn't get her magic on him first, and the Sorcerer these people kept speaking of was no doubt the cloaked man he vaguely had any memory of that handed him the necklace he still wore around his neck to that day, but the fucking cop was mixed-in on all of this too?

"And what the hell have you done?" Alan lashed out at the older man. "I've spent... time with Eliza, Daria and Anna and none of them seem to have any idea as to who they are, where they came from or that they have four of us fuckers stalking them for a living."

"More than you think." Dominic replied in an almost offended manner, furrowing his bushy eyebrows. "My amulet is different...it allows me to transport instantaneously between this world and the Fairy Tale World. I've been able to keep in direct contact with the Sorcerer, as well as carry information between the two realms. Consider me a...courier, of sorts." He explained firstly, explaining his position much like a historian would.

He gave time for his words to sink in before moving onto the topic at hand. "Believe me, I'm more than aware of the 'time' you've spent with Daria and Annalise...and don't think we're done 'discussing' Eliza yet. As for the Children not remembering, it was a side-effect of being sent here, sent to Earth. Year by year they slowly began losing their own identity. Memories of their past, so to speak. Until their heritage becomes, well....a fairy tale." He expounded in a lighter, almost nostalgic tone.

"So what, you've just been poppin from place to place and moseying around at your own damn leisure and, what, just let them forget?" Alan asked, regaining those few steps lost when he had backed away from Dominic earlier. Extending out his pointer finger, he jabbed Dominic in the chest, making direct eye contact with the older gentleman as he sqared off his shoulders. "So I'll ask again, what the hell have you been doing these last thirteen years, cuz from here, it don't look like shit."

Starting to lose his temper once again, Dominic closed his eyes briefly, taking in a deep breath. "I don't have to answer or explain anything to you. Do you want to know what I did, Pinocchio? I did my job, which is more than you can say today. While I watched and kept tabs on the Children, you ran into a cesspool of decadence and debauchery where you stayed like the bottom-feeder you are until you had it in you for one last con, which just so happened to lead you to the very same Children you were tasked with protecting. So don't even begin to think you can judge me on the same level, because you're not even close." Dominic hissed, his voice barely below shouting as his posture and expression became visibly agitated, enraged.

It was then that he felt that same displeasurable tingling in the back of his head that he did just before departing The Pride Lands. A feeling that had become so familiar, so detestable, yet he knew what it was that usually followed.

Wincing painfully, Dominic let his hand shoot up to his temple, trying to ease the drilling migraine that was starting to form. A dull white noise settled in his ears, his teeth grinding as suddenly - his perception shifted once more.

Alan felt it too, however unlike Dominic, it was something the younger male had never felt or experienced before. As he was already nursing the remains of his hangover, the added pain to his head forced Alan onto his knees, both hands shooting up to hold the sides of his head as his teeth gnashed together with a snarl coming between them, eyes closed too tight to even realize that their entire surroundings were changing completely.



Dominic's eyes fluttered open quickly, trying to take in his new surroundings. Somehow he had ended up lying facedown on the ground; though given the nature of Yen Sid's telepathic meetings, most anything was possible.

Slowly standing to his feet, Dominic need only take a quick lookaround to realize his location was far from the rather luxurious suite that Funes was staying in.

The room looked to be an observatory of some sort, occupied by massive armillary spheres, wrought of bronze and gold, gleaming in the sun.

Dominic ran his hand along the cool, smooth surface, noting just how real it felt. He knew this place wasn't anywhere on Earth, nor was it anywhere in Fairy Tale Land...

Alan finally roused himself after a few moments, letting out an agitated groan as though he had just been woken up during a restful sleep, his mind completely disoriented for a moment not even able to recall the events that had led up to now until his soft blue eyes found Dominic. Grumbling incoharently to himself a bit, he used the strength of his arms to push himself up from the floor on his chest and moving a foot underneath him, managed to get himself standing with a fluid motion.

Brushing off his suit as his eyes looked about the room curiously, unsure whether or not to start asking questions or just start shouting at the bearded man again for pulling... whatever this was... Alan moved his attention back to Dominic and began to cross the room over to him, just deciding to make it up as he went as always.

Looking up from the instrument, Dominic's gaze fell on the signature black coat of the Sorcerer, whose back was turned to the both of them, his arms crossed formally behind his back. The corner of Alan's eye caught the black cloak making Alan stop his gait just before he approached Dominic, quirking an eyebrow as there was something strangely familiar about that cloak...

Naw, too much Kingdom Hearts... Alan shook his head a bit at himself.

The thaumaturge appeared to be looking out one of the many massive windows that encircled the observatory, giving him a clear purview of rolling green hills and mountains, tall grass swaying in the gentle breeze.

"Come closer." The Sorcerer beckoned aloud, not even bothering to look behind him. His words echoed off the stone walls of the observatory, his tone lacking in its typical warmth and friendliness, instead replaced by what could only be described as displeasure.

Dodging his head a bit as a reaction to someone were throwing something at him instead of just a mere voice, Alan's eyes darted over to Dominic. Now the questions were really starting to reel in his mind. The voice though, it was like something he had never heard before, on Earth or in Fairy Tale Land, but Alan had already had it up to here with people bullshitting around with him, so taking a single step forward (though not because the man had asked him to) Alan asked outloud and firmly,

"And who the hell are you?"

"Show some respect!" Dominic hissed underneath his breath, obeying the Sorcerer's wish and moving close enough for suitable conversation before bowing his head submissively, dismissing Alan's obvious eye-roll.

Turning around slowly, the Sorcerer looked towards the both of them, saying and doing nothing for a brief moment before his hooded gaze fell onto Alan who had given his attention back to the Sorcerer.

"Do you truly not remember me, Pinocchio? I suppose I cannot blame you; young and confused as you were. I am the Sorcerer - we met briefly for a time before you were sent to Earth with the others." The Sorcerer said in a calm, though stoic manner before his gaze turned towards the armillary sphere in the center of the room, the device shifting and turning on its own in a fluid manner, with no clear purpose or intention in mind.

At this, Alan's firm expression lightened somewhat, single eyebrow raising as he tried to remember that night, the night when he had been given the necklace; the night his entire life changed.

There were fragments. It was dark. The only figure he could distinctly remember right down to the way they smelled was the Blue Fairy who had been the one to give him the instruction after handing over the necklace. She had made mention of a sorcerer, and he remembered paying close attention, but the years wore down on his memory. Even the other children he had been sent through with were mostly a blur, though the adults, Illya and Funes, were easily recognizable even to him now.

"I would be deceiving you if I said your actions these past thirteen years did not anger or disappoint me." The Sorcerer began, his words still directed towards Alan.

"Instead of doing your duty, you let yourself become victim to the terrible vices that have fallen prey to many: Alcohol, drugs, lustful desire, amongst others. It pained me to watch you fall so far...The exodus to Earth was more volatile than I predicted, you were scattered, lost. Even my powers were unable to help guide you towards each other in a realm such as Earth, a realm without magic."

Dominic looked up slowly as he heard the Sorcerer's words, keeping a composed, unemotional expression, though his mind was brimming with questions.

"Nevertheless, the potential I saw in you thirteen years ago, I still see in you now. Though you have buried it under years of cynicism and bitter pain, you still have the capacity to do good - to love." The Sorcerer continued in a kinder tone, though he otherwise made no other visible motion to hint at his mood.

Alan's confusion did not leave his facial features as the Sorcerer continued to speak, instead only growing as time went on. Just what was this man going on about? His words were accusitory, same as Dominic, Illya and Funes, but the delivery was differerent; passive-aggressive if he had to put a name to it. Rather than lashing out like a wounded animal, Alan instead started with the most basic of questions.

"The Sorcerer? What, like, Yen Sid? You keep a pointy blue hat underneath that cloak do ya? Keep a rat up your ass, call him Mickey? Look, Sorcerer, I appreciate your words of bitchin wisdom, but you put your money on the wrong donkey. I don't want this, I never wanted this!" Alan continued on, only then realizing the lack of weight from the pendant that was usually pressed into his chest.

"I was just a thirteen year old kid that had been alive for two weeks who had been abducted by a fat, bearded Russian guy, forced to dance, turned into a donkey, swallowed by a whale with fucking teeth and then thrown up again, only to get home to hear that I can't stay, that I once again have to be sent away. I don't give a fuck what that wooden-headed little shit said about this whole journey to Earth, that's not me anymore. So don't you dare start telling me what I am and am not capable of!"

The Sorcerer quietly lifted his hand up, whatever else Alan had to say dissipating in his throat, as though the mage's sheer willpower had silenced him.

"You have walked a harsh and cruel road, regrettably thrust upon you at a young age. The room in the nursery, the orphanage, your first foster home, and finally meeting the street magicians. If there is one thing I've ever learned about you, Pinocchio, it's that you can do anything once you put your mind to it. Your determination, your resourcefulness and your will to survive are just some of the reasons I chose you as a Guardian in the first place. But more than that, as well..."

Dominic remained quiet during all of this, knowing better than to interrupt the Sorcerer while he spoke to Alan. He wondered, though, what caused Yen Sid to look at Pinocchio so differently - to try and see the good in a man who obviously didn't want that side of him being realized.

Moving somewhat closer to the two of them, the Sorcerer let a pensive silence fall on the air before speaking again, "Before the Children and Guardians were sent to Earth, Geppetto, your father came to me late one night, after you had already fallen asleep. In all my years I had never seen a man so desperate as he. He begged and pleaded with me to allow you to take the journey with the other children, to save you from what was to come. I sympathized with him, the need, the instinct to save one's child. I could not deny him that chance."

"When the time came, I assigned you as one of the Guardians to be sent over to Earth and watch over the children until their time came to return home. If I had known you all would have been separated, I would have made better preparatory measures to ensure your and the other children's safety..." The Sorcerer finished on an almost sad note, his head inclining down for a brief moment as he let out a heavy sigh.

The small flare of anger Alan felt within his chest slowly began to subside until he felt his heart dropping to his shoes at the mention of his father. He blinked his blue eyes a couple of times, words getting lost in his throat as his demeanor fell completely stoic. That... that wasn't at all the way Alan had seen it. He had been roused from his sleep that very same night they came home from their dealings with Monstro and was taken by the Blue Fairy. His father just didn't want him, just as it had been when he had decided to run away the first time, but there was no reason that The Sorcerer would lie to him; and though Alan couldn't see his face to get a good read as he usually would, the body language and tone gave him nothing to challenge his words.

"Is-" Alan stopped suddenly to clear his throat, the single word coming out shakily and cracked. "Is he alive? Is my father still alive?" He asked, now sounding more firm than emotional.

The Sorcerer remained silent at first, making no visible movement or indication, his coat billowing about him in the wind.

"Yes, your father lives, though I do not know where he is or if Maleficent is aware of his whereabouts. I spoke with him very little after your journey to Earth." The Sorcerer finally explained, moving towards the armillary sphere to examine it.

Alan took a moment to think over The Sorcerer's confirmation. Gepetto was still alive, though how he felt about that fact, Alan wasn't sure. He spent the last thirteen years trying to forget about home, trying to forget about his father who didn't want him... but things had suddenly been flipped upside down and backwards, leaving Alan simply feeling... numb inside...

"Our time is growing closer..." The Sorcerer continued, this time on a different subject, though one Dominic at least would be able to pick up easily. "I've seen it. At the Snowfest tonight, all the children and Guardians will be together, as I saw thirteen years ago. That's when you will reveal the Truth to them, and they will make the subsequent choice to return home or not."

Turning towards Dominic, the Sorcerer continued, "There are two others, the Twins. You recall them, yes?"

Dominic nodded briskly, "Yes...of course. Though I've not been able to keep as close an eye on them as the others." He responded.

"Twins?" Alan piqued up, seeming to have shaken his earlier penisive mood. He recalled the Blue Fairy, yes. The Sorcerer, vaguely... and the man in the wheel chair... but everyone else involved in the coming to Earth that night... the children could have very well been a group of feces-flinging monkeys and he doubted he'd be able to remember.

Dominic turned his head towards Alan, nodding once before elaborating, "Eric and Sebastian, twins in this world. They've chosen to take residence out of country, making my surveillance...rather difficult. Nonetheless, they take trips to Lake Tahoe annually, around this time of the year, actually. I expect them to be at the Snowfest, they're rather close to Elsa." He finished, with the Sorcerer nodding as Dominic spoke, adding weight to his words.

Ignoring a strange, unfamiliar burn in his chest towards Dominic's latter words, Alan asked, then turning to The Sorcerer, "So is that everyone? They really will all be here, like, now? How many we got total? And what's our plan? Somehow I don't think taking cutouts of Disney characters and slapping them on their foreheads, forcing them all to play a guessing game will get us anywhere... well, maybe a padded room, but I'm apt to steer clear of those..."

"There are seven children total: Elsa and Anna of Arendelle, Jasmine and Morgiana of Agrabah, Rapunzel of Corona, Peter Pan of Neverland and Eric of the Southern Isles." The Sorcerer began, listing off the true names of the children as well as where they hailed from.

"Each amulet a Guardian wears has been enchanted with a special purpose. When the time comes to return, they will each open up a portal leading from this realm to the Fairy Tale World. None of the children are required to return if they so wish, but we strongly urge it. I believe the simplest way to reveal their heritage is to tell it. Point out the fallacies, the inconsistencies in their stories. They will believe in time." The Sorcerer continued, crossing both arms behind his back once again.

"Now, then. Time is of the essence and the hour grows late. Godspeed, to the both of you." The Sorerer added on a final note, the environment slowly beginning to fade away like a foggy mist.

Blinking a bit, trying to process the information into his brain as to what children there were and which ones he had already... met... Alan looked around at the disappating room around them, and then to Dominic.

"Well... beam me up Scotty..."

*~*~*

Finding themselves back in Funes' hotel suite once again, Dominic took a few moments to get readjusted to the real, dusting off his coat and brushing a bit of hair out of his face.

"We best not wait long. Snowfest awaits." Dominic said aloud to Alan, wearing what appeared to be a small smile on his features before heading towards the door, letting out a heavy sigh.

'This is it.'

Doing as Dominic had done in brushing off his suit, Alan blinked a few times, poking himself in a few places on his arm to ensure that all was as it should be. His attention lifted over to Dominic as the older man walked towards the door, a frown appearing on Alan's face.

"You gotta buy me like, ten minutes there Old Timer. If I'm gonna do this, I'm doing this prepared... or at least as prepared as my cramming-before-the-test can get me." He stated, walking over to where the large folder of information Dominic had been gathering on the children remain laying open. There it was, all in black and white (literally). Eliza Brie - Elsa of Arendelle. The knot that had started forming in his stomach began to twist again, rendering Alan feeling rather nauseous, so to push through it, he simply turned the page to someone less... familiar.

"You gotta admit... Sebastian, a name given to him from this land... that's just fucking hilarious..." He said aloud to himself.

"It has a formal ring to it, I quite like it." Dominic replied, moving away from the door and towards the same wall that Alan had ferociously thrown his amulet.

Lifting his head up to look over to Dominic, Alan narrowed his eyes in concentration, sizing the older gentleman up.

"The hell kind of story did you come from anyway?"

Bending down, Dominic picked up the unharmed necklace off the ground, rubbing the face of it off with his sleeve before turning his head towards Alan, registering his question.

"It's a bit more of a vague tale, nothing like Aladdin or The Little Mermaid. Grimm's Fairy Tales call it The Owl. A brief retelling of my time roaming the skies. Maybe you've read it, maybe you haven't." He answered somewhat vaguely, cupping the necklace in his hand and approaching the younger man.

"Here, take it. Let bygones be bygones." Dominic said in a slightly warmer tone, holding his open hand out for Alan to take his necklace back.

Straightening up a bit, Alan surveyed the necklace being held out to him before looking Dominic up and down again. Tentatively, he reached out and took his necklace back and looped it over his head.

"Alright, I think I understand. You dress like that and grow hilarious facial hair so that people will recognize you cuz you're a shit character in this world. Got it." Nodding his head affirmedly, as though that were that, Alan stuffed the pendant underneath his button-up shirt, feeling a strange sense of one-ness when he felt the weight of it pressing against his chest once more. "Alright, git. I got some major catching up to do." He then added, waving Dominic off like an annoying house fly as he returned his attention to the folder.

Dominic shook his head in exasperation, letting out a huff. Under normal circumstances he most likely would have been tempted to slam his fist into the younger man's face. But the Sorcerer's words, the fact they were so close left him at peace.

"Don't be long." He said on a final word before heading out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

Waiting until he heard the door latch closed, Alan gave his full attention to the folders, staring blankly at the pictures as the newspaper articles next to them meant absolutely nothing to him. He could spend the next ten minutes trying to make out a word or four, or he could at least try to get faces associated with their real names. Either way, he had some planning to do if this were to work. Sighing, Alan reached up to run his fingers through his hair, turning the page back one with his opposite hand... back to Eliza Brie.

Back to Elsa of Arendelle.

"That looks great guys, you've really outdone yourselves and made it look amazing. It's even better than last years decorations." Reaching down Eliza picked up the front of her dress, her feet moving her across the room and over to the bar, careful to maneuver her way around the tables and chairs before she came to a stop in front of the bar, her other hand coming up to rest on top of it, her purse still clutched within her grasp, "Jason, how are we looking? Have you got everything that you and the rest of the bar staff need? If not, let me know now and I'll send Jake down to the storehouse to get more-..."

"Relax Eli, everything is going to be fine. Here, have a drink on the house, I've been practicing..." Lowering her gaze from his she watched as Jason placed a drink on the counter, the large blocks of ice that made up the bar keeping the glass cool and the drink even colder, letting go of her dress Eliza lifted her arm up reaching forward to pick the glass up, her eyes closing as she took a sip allowing it to calm her down slightly, the alcohol causing her already lightly pink cheeks to glow a little brighter.

"I know, it's just-... Well, this year seems to be a lot more important than any other that I've hosted... I don't know what it is, it just feels different to me..."

"I don't think it's that this year is more important than any other... I think it might just be the fact that you're getting older, and that you're starting to think more seriously about other things..." Sighing softly Eliza turned her body around, her eyes flicking about the room watching as the staff put up the final decorations here and there, movement in the corner of her eye causing her to turn her head just in time to watch as Jason leant forward over the bar top.

"You know, I think you're right about this one Jay. Things this year have changed, I mean my career is picking up, I'm getting more serious about my work; even my sponsors mentioned that they've seen a change in me."

"And that's a good thing, don't ever think that it isn't. Speaking of which, have you invited any of them here tonight? I know that some of your competition is coming." Nodding her head she lowered her glass slightly, her finger lightly circling the rim of the glass as she shot warm and thankful smiles to the staff that were quickly leaving to get ready, only the few volunteers working the evenings festivities, "Yeah, I invited a few people. There's a scout coming to meet a few boarders, my mentor, and a few of my friends that I met through them. But I haven't seen any of them yet."

Turning her body slightly Eliza leant her hip against the bar, her head tilting as she looked down at him for a moment before glancing over at the door where she could see guests beginning to make their way into the room, ready to begin the night of partying before the rest of the celebrations began the next day.

"Well when they see you, they're in for quite a shock, you look amazing in that dress... You've never been more beautiful Eli. Now go on, you're guests are arriving, best not keep them waiting."

Smiling brightly Eliza nodded in agreement, returning the glass to the counter before she pulled back, her body turning as she quickly and carefully crossed over the room once more, this time coming to a stop in front of the door where she began to welcome the guests one by one.



Funes didn't know why he came to the party. He remembered Ilya's words perfectly, he had told him to come to the party, even knowing that the discussion with Alan had broken down before they had an opportunity to discuss the plan. He could only assume that Dominic and Alan had worked something out without him, and maybe they had relayed it to Ilya, which is why Ilya made his request. When Funes tried to get more out of Ilya, the man just told him that he had to get back to work. For this moment Funes just sat in the corner on his wheelchair (being disabled at least meant always having a fairly comfortable seat), reading a book called 'The Garden of Forking Paths', by Ts'ui Pen. He displayed the book prominently, partially to cover his eyes and reduce the amount of visual stimulation, easing the stress on him, and partially to display the book to others. Books were just about the only thing he liked to talk about, even if others rarely wanted to talk with him about them. They typically found him a little overwhelming, his memory meant that he could recite even the smallest details and talk about them at length.

Ilya was already in the room, watching the final preparations and standing next to the door. He was here to do his job, keep the peace. He didn't anticipate any problems particularly since there would be no alcohol served, due to the varied ages of the guests. Russians loved their alcohol, so much so that it was even said that Vladimir of Kiev chose the Orthodox Church over Islam due to that factor. That particular rumor was something that he had only heard since coming to Earth, and now there was no opportunity to ask the Vladimir he knew if there was any truth to the matter. Of course, the other world's Vladimir was full of contradictions, he had been the first king of Russia's old kingdom, yet had asked Ilya to restore Russian rule and defeat the pagan hordes that held Kiev for decades. The real world histories had placed hundreds of years between his life and that of the enemies he fought, and yet it all somehow made sense in the other world.

After a quick walk around, Ilya decided to consult with the young woman who had arranged this whole affair. His interactions with Eliza had been limited, they were not great friends. He approached her and asked,

"Ms. Brie. I was wondering, do you want me stand at door and check the guest list? If there's anything else you need, please tell me."

Turning as she heard her name being called, Eliza glanced over at where Ilya stood beside her, her eyes quickly flicking over his figure before once more lifting to connect with his, a warm smile on her face as she shook her head letting him know that there was no need.

"No, it's fine. Everything is already being taken care of. You're not working tonight, those who are, are already here and doing their jobs. Your only job tonight is to mingle and have fun with the other guests. So go and relax, I have everything under control."

Ilya chuckled a little bit.

"There's no such thing as being off the job where I came from. I'll do my best." He commented before leaving Eliza's side and found a seat at the (non-alcoholic serving) bar, giving Funes a nod when he saw him sitting in the corner.



Annelise walked through the lodge seeing all of the guests, she gave them all a very friendly nod she looked over her shoulder at Daria and Rapunzel and smiled at them. She stood in line with some of the other guests. Her eyes would stare at the room her sister had always used for Snowfest, though she did help out with some of the festivities it was always her sisters planning. And this year appeared to look even better then last years, after being in line Annelise was finally able to get in. Upon entering the room Annelise looked over at Ilya and gave him a friendly nod and waved at him.

"Hey Ilya how are you doing?"

Ilya smiled a little when he heard Annelise greet him. He didn't hear that name very often, it was probably a coincidence, though he could never entirely rule out that something strange was at work.

"It's Igor, not Ilya. Been reading a lot of Russian legends lately? I'm alright, just had a lot to deal with lately, been preparing for so long."

Annelise looked at Illya for a moment and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment for some reason she thought to call him Ilya when it was not his real name at least from what she knew.

"Only for my online classes with Russian Literature." She answered looking at Illya.

Annelise stood next to him for a moment and then spotted Eliza, she stared at her sister seeing her makeup as well as her dress. Quickly walking over to Eliza Annelise wrapped her arms around her sister hugging her tightly.

Eliza's eyes widened slightly as she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves tightly around her, her body tensing up at the sudden embrace before she turned her head, her eyes flicking to the side to take in the familiar figure that was her sister.

"You look awesome sis, I really love the makeup as well!" Quickly letting go of her sister giving her a friendly smile and stood next to her to greet the guests as well.

"A-Anna... Don't do that, you scared the living daylights out of me..." Relaxing her body once she had been let go she lifted her hand up, her fingers gently touching her hair to make sure that none of it had been knocked out of place by her sister's enthusiasm, "You're here early, usually Daria and yourself are one of the last to show up to the event. What happened? Get bored of missing out on all the guys that come?"

"Well I was just worried some weird pervert had taken my sister, because last night you just snuck out doing who knows what." Annelise said wrapping an arm over her sisters shoulder nodding towards a few of the guests who walked in. "I'm not sure where Daria went she was right behind me when we left her room." Gently running a hand through her hair and blushed sightly at the mention of guys. "So where did you go off last night anyway?" She asked her sister.

Forcing a smile onto her face Eliza hunched her shoulders slightly, the blonde not quite sure how to explain why she had snuck out, though she knew that her sister would find out eventually, especially since her reason for sneaking out was supposed to be arriving at any moment.

"There's no need to be worried about me Anna, I'm perfectly fine as you can see."

"I'm still going to worry because you are my sister, but I guess you do whatever you want without telling your only sister." Annelise teased.

"I was just... I went out on a date... and it may have become something worth it..."

Annelise smirked at Eliza when she admitted that she left because her sister actually had a date.

"Well I guess he is lucky to have you as a girlfriend."

Smiling softly Eliza pulled away from her sister, her eyes glancing over the crowd that was entering before she turned her attention back to her, a light blush coloring her cheeks a gentle shade of pink.

"Sorry, I don't kiss and tell... Besides, why do you want to hear about my private life anyway? I'm sure there are better things to talk about..."

Annelise frowned slightly when Eliza pulled away from her and didn't want to expose any details who her date was.

"Well what do you want to talk about then, since you don't want to be the one to give me details on who the lucky boy is?" Annelise nodded and waved to a few of the guests.

"Exactly, you're not getting any details from me about this one. At least not yet anyway, you'll find out later if you're lucky enough." Chuckling softly Eliza shook her head, her smile never wavering as she continued to greet the guests that wandered in through the door at their own pace.

Back at the entrance, Morgan walked into the party, with another detective by her side. Detective James was a handsome sight to see in his black suit, while she wore a simple, but elegant, dark blue dress. She couldn't help but let out a silent subtle sigh after they entered, hiding that she didn't want to be there (despite how lovely the place looked). She wasn't exactly a party person. Detective James clearly noticed and said,

"Hey, cheer up now, Morgie! You really need the break, you know? Lighten up!"

Morgan slumped her shoulders at James's nickname for her and she requested in deadpan "Please don't call me Morgie. And you already know that my being here is a bad idea," It turned out that James had seen the entire thing, and later caught Morgan venting her anger out on a punching bag in the gym, which led him to inviting (dragging) Morgan with him to the party.

James waved it off and said, "Yeah, I know! The poor girl though, she deserves better. Hey, as long as you two don't bump into each other, it should be fine!"

Morgan stared at him and she asked incredulously.

"'Not bump into her'? Seriously, James?"

James laughed.

"Or...if you two do bump into each other, maybe you'll patch things up with each other and she won't hate you?"

Morgan retorted with a roll of her eyes,

"That seems...even less likely then your first suggestion."

James shrugged and then he walked off saying,

"Well, anyways, just enjoy yourself here! You'll be fine!" He then wandered off to go mingle with other guests, while Morgan walked to go find somewhere where she could enjoy solitude.

Daria, in the meantime, had followed Annelise into the party with Rapunzel in tow but remained at the bar when she had spotted her sister. She hopped up onto the bar stool a little ways down from Igor and batted her eyes at Jason.

Rapunzel awkwardly floated around after Anna disappeared into the crowd and Daria took a seat at the bar. The place was decorated quite magnificently and the girl was a little blown away that anyone could even afford to throw a party like this. Then again, Daria's hotel room had basically caused the same reaction... The amount of money some people had was amazing. She pulled her ponytail over her shoulder and started to wander around the room, taking in every crevice and every last decoration. Rapunzel loved details.... Maybe that was why she loved drawing so much.... It allowed her the chance to take in every little detail and save it for later. She made her way to a little table out of the way and sat down. The table was in the corner of the room, which allowed her to take everything and everyone in. As she sat there she wished that she had brought her sketchbook.... There was so much that she'd like to put on paper before she had to return to her less fantastic life.

Daria, back at the bar, pulled out a bill from her purse and handed it to Jason before he handed her a soda. She turned a little and looked at Igor. She didn't really know the man all that well but she had heard his accent, one that was very similar to her father's. She smiled before she let out a sigh.

"как может девушка получить реальную напиток здесь... мои извинения, вероятно, не сказать, что безопасность."

She sighed and took a sip of her soda before returning her attention back to the bottles behind the bar.

Ilya never cared much about the rules on underage drinking, which was the annotation he picked up on Daria's use of the Russian language. Although she had been given a soda, she wanted the harder stuff. In both of the Russia's he knew, it was only seen a a problem if people took it too far, there was nothing inherently irresponsible about it. He looked at Daria and said, keeping the Russian language,

"I'm off duty. Even if I was, it's not like I work for the government any more. Besides, it's just a soda." He was happy to get a chance to speak Russian again.

Daria looked at Igor for a moment before smiling.

"You are like my father in more ways that just your accent," She laughed a little and brushed some of her hair out of her eyes. "In Mother Russia, if you can raise the bottle, you can drink from it." She hopped off her seat and stood. She straightened out her skirt a little before she looked at him again. "The Vodka isn't as good as it is in Russia... But nowhere is."

It was good to get to actually talk to Daria for a moment. He'd know about her over the years, but this was the first time he could recall actually sitting down and talking with her.

"The best stuff is home-brewed, commercial ones aren't as good. How long have you been in America?"

Daria drummed her fingers on the bar.

"All my life... All my life that I remember. My parents immigrated here but we go back to Russia often... They are both Russian, so I just picked up the language from them." She moved and took a seat on the stool again, closer to Igor this time. She leaned against the bar and rested her hand on her chin, "When did you come here?"

Ilya took another sip before answering her question.

"A little less than a year ago. Back in Russia my only options were to re-enlist or keep trying with my failing farm. I had a friend here who helped me immigrate and adjust." He pointed to Funes, who was still sitting in the corner with his book.

Daria followed his finger to see a man sitting in a wheelchair reading away and basically ignoring the rest of the party-goers. She never really understood people like that... People who went to parties to sit by themselves. She turned her attention back to Igor and smiled.

"Well, that was awfully nice of him. Did you learn English in Russia or here? I mean... The few words I've heard you speak in English have been quite good," She joked before she ordered herself another drink from Jason and received a glass of water.

Languages had never been Ilya's strong suit, and he often missed his mistakes in English. He actually thought that Daria had given him a compliment.

"I learned it from books, studied for a couple years because I always wanted to visit. You can learn a lot from reading, that's how my friend learned everything he knows, including Russian and English."

Sipping at her water, Daria nodded her head.

"[i]I prefer to immerse myself in what I'm learning... Books are good and all but... Unless I'm really interested in them, I struggle to read them fully," She started to play with her necklace and smiled, "I suppose we all learn in different ways." She looked over her shoulder again at the man in the wheelchair, "So, why are you over here and not with your friend?"

Ilya smiled a little.

"We're both here on business really, not because we want to be. My friend especially doesn't want to be here, and I don't know why he is. It's like some unseen, outside force told him he had to be here. In a time like this, he doesn't really want to talk to me much. We're both waiting on someone else, who's been taking quite a while to get here. He's a bit of a pain, always shirking his responsibility and never apologizing, just whining about his misfortune. Of course, he would be doing better if he didn't make poor choices quite so often. But for now we need him, I don't know why, but someone I trust very highly told me we do. I think my friend doesn't have much faith in that anymore, but it's not like he has much else to do other than wait."

Daria just stared at him while he explained... something. To be completely frank, she kind of zoned out at some point of his reasoning as to why he and his friend were both there against their wills. It all seemed a little mundane. When he finished, she smiled at nodded.

"You do what you got to do," One thing that she learnt from her parents over the years was how to pull off not listening. The key was to make it seem like you were and add something in that related to part of the conversation. Normally it worked out and when it didn't... She normally managed to fix it. She looked around the party before she looked back to Igor, "Well, I'm going to go dance... Enjoy your evening off, Igor." She hopped off her seat, leaving her drinks behind and headed into the crowd of people, passing by Annelise on the way, vaguely catching onto the sister's conversation.

"Hey sis I'm going to go and have some fun, if you need me you know where I'll be." Annelise said giving Eliza a kiss on the cheek and then a quick hug, she looked around the room seeing a few people are already starting to dance.

"Huh..?" Frowning slightly as she caught sight of the detective from earlier entering the room, Eliza's attention was pulled away at the sound of her sisters voice calling out to her, her head turning so that she was now looking her over with a slightly confused look on her face, "Oh, go and have some fun. You don't need to work tonight, this is my thing anyway. Go and spend time with your friends. Enjoy the night."

Annelise caught sight of Daria passing her by and gave her a quick nod until she finally spotted Rapunzel sitting by herself in one of the corner tables and quickly approached her.

"Hey Rapunzel, sorry I left you I wanted to find out where my sister was since I haven't seen her since yesterday." Annelise said pulling up a seat in front of her, Snowfest seemed to hit it off rather quickly she would also notice Morgan though only seeing her a few times at the lodge before. "My sister always does a good job with this party every year and they seem to get even better then the last." Annelise said.

Rapunzel looked up at Annelise when she approached her and smiled, "It's quite alright, I haven't a problem with being alone... I was taking in all the decorations. Your sister did a really great job." She said before looking over to the girl in the blue dress that she had only spotted as Annelise approached her and noticed a man walking over to who she believed was Annelise's sister.

Dominic stepped through the threshold of the door into the auditorium-like room, glittering with decorations sculpted like hanging icicles, the tables dressed white as snow.

'Fitting...' Dominic thought to himself, a small ironic smile appearing on his bearded features as he took in the ambiance of the room, noting the meticulous attention to detail.

Finding Eliza in the slowly-swelling crowd, Dominic approached at a slightly-quickened pace, opening his arms up for a hug.

"My, my, you've really outdone yourself tonight, my dear! You'd put some of the museum's event organizers to shame." Dominic complimented, never letting the smile fade from his expression.

Lifting her head up as she heard the sound of a familiar voice, Eliza couldn't help the smile that crossed over her lips, her hand reaching down to lift the front of her dress up as she moved forward, her other arm lifting to wrap around the back of his neck holding him close as she stepped into the hug he was offering her.

"You really think so? To be honest, I try to keep those sorts of events in mind when I organize the festivals opening. I was really impressed when you took me to that event, it was just amazing!"

Relaxing her grip around his neck she pulled back slightly, her back arching slightly as she did her best to look over his outfit, a bright smile lighting up her features as she let go of her dress, letting it return to the ground once more, "I'm so glad you made it. I really hope that you enjoy the night; it wasn't just me who did this, everyone who helped worked really hard."



"Dude, hurry up. We're late enough as it is; and seriously, you don't want to end up on the end of Eliza's death glare... remember the last time?" Lifting his hand up, Jaidyn rubbed the back of his neck softly, his eyes flicking downwards slightly so that he could glance down at his watch to check the time, the young man knowing that it would annoy his twin brother as the action just seemed to add emphasis to his words. Lifting his gaze back up so that he was meeting Sebastian's eyes, he slid his hands down the front of his suit, dusting himself off and smoothing it out before he shoved his hands into his pockets, a soft chuckle sounding through his lips as he flashed him a bright smile, "Dean has never been the same since that day, he still chokes up whenever he see's her coming his way... Actually, watching him wipe-out is pretty worth it..."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. I swear, you're worse than mum sometimes... deadly threat on the receiving end or not, if the world does, in fact, end, it's been proven that Australia would be the last to go. And guess what? We've got citizenship." Smirking as he jogged his way to gain the distance that he lost, Sebastian finally reached his brother and gave him a (harder than necessary) slap on the back. "What's got your knickers in a knot today? Eh? You've been wound since we got on the plane. Wouldn't have anythin' to do with that blue-eyed American dream girl now, would it?" He asked playfully, moving his hand off his brother's back to jab him in the ribs with his elbow.

"Blue-eyed American dream girl..? Pfft, yeah right..." Lifting his arm up as he brushed off his brothers words Jaidyn brought it back behind him, pressing his hand lightly against the back of his neck as he began to rub the skin softly, his body shifting awkwardly as his mind began to wander before eventually coming to rest on the blonde that he had become quite close to over the years that they had been sponsored by the same company, his eyes lowering to the ground for a few moments before he lifted them back up to meet with his brothers gaze once again, "I mean yeah, she's beautiful and all that... But there's no way she'd go out with a guy like me, Seb. I'm nothing but a friend in her eyes, and I just gotta settle for that..."

"You got that right. A face like that, you're no one's type." Sebastian chuckled, eyes looking forward towards the open doorway where he could hear the noise of the party starting to build as they got closer. Side-stepping over to the wall where he would be out of sight from anyone within the room, Sebastian ran his fingers over the jacket of his [url=http://www.moderngentlemanmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/mens-style-green-suit.jpg]dress suit[/i] having chosen to take a different direction than his brother had and ran his fingers through his darker (in comparison to Jaidyn's) curls. "Paternal. Isn't it a wonderful thing? Otherwise we'd just be lucky to both have my looks." He shot his brother a white smile, clearly just having fun with him and not meaning much by it. "Now go on, get in there tiger. I need a wing-man."

Raising his eyebrow as he listened to what his brother was saying to him, Jaidyn turned to face him as he lifted his arms up from his sides, crossing them over his chest with a light and curious chuckle slipping through his lips, his eyes baring down into his though they had more of a light playful look flashing across them.

"Wing-man? Geez, you're becoming more and more like that Barney Stinson guy from 'How I Met Your Mother' every day... Besides, didn't Sarah only just break up with you back at Tullamarinne airport..? And what, now you're planning on trying to get with Eli?"

Shaking his head softly from side to side as he lowered his arms back down to his side, Jaidyn slipped his hands into his pockets, his normally happy smile morphing into a large grin at the thought of his brother getting his ass handed to him by their friend, his feet once more beginning to move as he began to lead the way towards the doors that led to the party they could hear from the lobby, "Alright, but you're asking for it... Come on, if I know her at all, I know that she'll be in there already greeting guests like a good hostess."

"Hey, if you're not gonna snatch her up, someone has to." Sebastian replied, keeping his white grin. He was joking of course, there was truth behind Jaidyn's words, his girlfriend did just break up with him before they left for America. Really it was a matter of 'when' rather than 'if' and he had been expecting it for a while. The local theater season had reached a massive peak, meaning Sebastian had been putting in almost double the hours he normally would have for the show that they just closed up yesterday... or was it today? This American time-zone had him all confused. But Sarah had fallen 'victim' to what each of his other girlfriends claimed to be deprived of. Attention. Attention that he couldn't give despite his pre-dating warning to the girls who gave him interest.

"But I know how much spending time with me means to you, so I'll just pass on little Miss America there and give you a shot if you're man enough to take it. But only because you're my brother." Sebastian chuckled to himself lightly and followed his brother inside, having to squint his eyes almost immediately in the change in color and... season apparently as he was finally able to decipher the decorations from each other. "Cool."

"Yeah... Guess I can try..." Frowning as his steps slowed to a stop beside his brother Jaidyn let his eyes narrow to get used to the lighting, his gaze slowly gliding over the room until they fell onto a beautiful figure standing not too far away from the two of them, the young blonde seeming to be in conversation with an older gentleman. Lifting his hand out from his pocket he shot his arm out towards where Sebastian was standing, the back of his hand hitting his brothers chest a little harder than he had originally hoped as he tried to get his attention, "Hey Seb, you ready then..? If you're giving me a shot at her, then you're going to be my wing-man. Admittedly she likes her waves a little colder than I like mine, but hopefully I can ride this one all the way back to shore..."

Not bothering to wait for a response from his brother Jaidyn quickly crossed over the room to where Eliza was standing.

"Dude..." Shaking his head, but keeping his smile, Sebastian followed his brother, though keeping a comfortable distance behind him, allowing Jaidyn the spotlight... for a while anyway.

Jaidyn silently came up behind Eliza before he lifted both his arms up, his hands coming around to cover her eyes lightly (though still not enough to ruin or smudge her makeup) as he leant into her, his lips close to her ear though he kept it far enough away so that it wasn't touching.

"Hey wipe-out wonder, guess who..."

"Wipe-out wonder..? Yeah right, look who's talking bail blunder." Lifting her arms up from her sides, Eliza kept a hold of her purse as she awkwardly grabbed hold of his hands, pulling them down and away from her face as she pulled away from his arms, her body turning to face him completely as a wide grin crossed over her lips, only taking a couple of seconds before she reached up wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, "Jaidyn, you finally made it. For a minute there I thought you'd gotten lost."

Unable to help the chuckle that slipped through his lips as he listened to what she had to say, Jaidyn wrapped his arms both tightly and gently around her waist as he pulled her in closer to him, his back arching slightly as he lifted her up and off the ground for a few moments, enjoying the hug for as long as he could before he reluctantly returned her back to her feet once again.

"Really Eli..? We're not that hopeless, are we Seb..?"

Having found a nearby wall to lean himself against, Sebastian simply watched, crossing his arms over his chest, raising his eyebrows as though he were surprised when Jaidyn brought the conversation over to him, knowing already that he was being used as a scapegoat.

"Eh, I wouldn't speak so soon for yourself Jai. Our plane could always go down on the return trip, and I don't think you would know what to do on an uncharted island haunted by demonic smoke and polar bears." Sebastian winked, quickly turning his attention to Eliza where he unfolded his arms from his chest and pushed himself away from the wall towards her, arms extended out for a hug. "Nice to see you again Eliza. You're not all... pixilated."

"You've been watching too much 'Lost' Sebastian, besides, I'm pretty sure that the big bad demonic smoke would come after you first and not Jai." Pulling away from Jaidyn as she spoke she turned her body to face Sebastian, her smile never leaving her features as she met him halfway, her arms coming up to wrap tightly around his neck holding him close for a few moments before she pulled away again, "It's great to see you again Seb, it's been way too long since we all hung out last. We have so much catching up to do."

Feeling a bit of material brushing against her arm Eliza turned her head over to where Dominic was still standing beside her, the young woman blinking a few times before finally snapping back to the present as she realized just how rude she was being.

"Oh my god... Uh, uncle Dom..! These are my friends Jaidyn and Sebastian Beachley; Jai and I are sponsored together. Guys, this is my Uncle Dominic."

Chuckling lightly, Dominic wore a wide, welcoming grin as he offered a calloused hand to shake.

"Jaidyn and Sebastian...Eliza speaks highly of both of you, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person!" He declared heartily, his smile never fading. He vaguely recalled meeting the "twins" at one point long ago, shortly after the transportation to Earth. But he had to continue to act vague now....only for a short while longer. If the Sorcerer's predictions were true (and they usually were) then tonight was the night he had been waiting for for thirteen years.

Flashing the man a bright smile as he listened to the reaction to Eliza's introduction Jaidyn couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped through his lips, the young Australian reaching out before taking a firm but still gentle hold of the one that Dominic offered out to him, his other hand slipping into his pocket as he shook in a more formal greeting.

"Ah, so you're the famous Uncle Dom... It's a pleasure to finally meet you Sir. Eliza has told us so much about you, and of the work that you do at the museum."

"A firm handshake, polite manners, a sincere smile....Oh, I like this one." Dominic commented with a half-smile, clearly impressed by Jaidyn's introduction.

At the young man's comment of his work at the museum, Dominic scoffed slightly, "Oh, Eliza over-exaggerates, I just run the archival department; lots of history to be found, you know." He commented with a chuckle, though he was sure the teenagers weren't in the mood to discuss 300 year old ledgers.

Waiting his turn, Sebastian took Dominic's hand after Jaidyn, giving it a firm shake with a curt nod, as if to confirm his brother's words rather than repeating them. It was killing him to be so... 'wallflower-y' but he had promised his brother the first shot at Eliza Brie; and to do that, he had to be... well... not himself.

"Well, I best let you kids have fun. I've got a few things to care of but I'll be sticking around. Don't work yourself too hard, Eliza, you hear me?" Dominic added on, his hawk-like eyes falling on Eliza with feigned-sternness adding onto his words. Not waiting for an answer, his expression turned jovial once more before he sauntered off, the same gentlemanly swagger to his posture that could only come from a certain background.

"Don't worry sir, we'll make sure she has plenty of fun and that she doesn't work herself into the ground. From the looks of this place, she deserves a night off just like everyone else who worked on this party." Nodding his head towards Dominic in a small farewell, Jaidyn waited for him to leave before he turned his attention back to his brother and his friend, the smile on his face never faltering as he slid his hand back into his pocket, his face seeming to light up as though something he had forgotten suddenly crossed back over his mind.

"Oh, hey Eliza, did you hear about the new record I set during the last competition? Wiped everyone clear out of the running, I managed to get the highest score ever seen in the competition. That last wave was just so sweet, carving across that baby was awesome..." As he spoke his hands slid back out of his pockets, his palm flat as he tilted it showing her the motion as though he was remembering it like it had only happened the day before, the young blonde snapping out of it long enough for him to flick his arm across again, the back of his hand once more coming into hard contact with his brothers chest, "Oh, and Sebs got some great news about his band too. Things are going great right now."

Shaking his head, exhaling a slight, winded breath at Jaidyn's hand making contact with his chest, Sebastian took an exaggerated side-step to the left, keeping his hands behind him and gave his brother a pointed look, his own grin widening at the corners as he returned the gesture, using the back of his own hand to thump Jaidyn across the chest.

"Of course she didn't hear, you bloody moron! You just did that yesterday, which would be today here, because we are living in tomorrow..." Shaking his head, returning his hand to rest behind his back again, Sebastian shrugged his shoulders. "Don't ask me how that works, I get lost in Doctor Who." He paused. "But Jai's right, we actually just launched our first album. Well, the first one that got accepted and a contract. It might have even hit here by now, but isn't scheduled to hit home for another few months." He paused again, taking a fraction of a moment to smile, clearly pleased with his own achievements for a moment before he seemed to shake himself from it, giving his attention back to Eliza completely. "But what about you? Jai gets to talk to you a lot more than I do, I wanna hear about what sort of mark you are leaving these days. Shiny trophies, glimmering medals... I wanna see it all!"

Shaking her head softly as she listened and watched the two brothers give her the update on their lives, Eliza's smile grew helping to light up her features as she chuckled, the blonde waiting for the two of them to finish before she spoke up so that she knew she had all the details correct, her arms lifting once more as she wrapped them tightly around Jaidyn's neck pulling him into a hug whether he liked it or not.

"You guys, that's great news! Ah, I'm so proud of you both! I know your competition is really fierce; and I heard that De Souza isn't too happy that you've passed him up either."

Relaxing her arms around his neck Eliza turned her body around in his arms so that she was looking over at Sebastian, her arm reaching out as she took hold of his hand, the young woman squeezing it lightly in her excitement for the two of them.

"As for your album, you know it's going to be on my shelf the day it comes out here, and I expect signatures from the band, don't think you're getting out if that one Mr 'I'm going to be a famous rock star'. That is too cool a thing not to celebrate. As for what I'm up to? Nothing much, my competition season is over as of a few weeks ago, so I've just been helping dad out and training whenever I have time off work, which at this time of the year is like... never."

Straightening the rolled up cuffs on his suit, Alan hesitated at the open door frame, taking a moment to try and collect his thoughts. He had spent a bit more time studying Dominic's book than he had planned, but with thirteen years of 'slacking off' as Dominic had put it, he had a lot of catching up to do, and not being the best reader in the world, he was only able to pick up bits and pieces here and there for the articles and little notes that Dominic had left behind. But he felt, at least now, that he had some idea of what he needed to do, and what it would take. But his heart, his heart wasn't in it anymore. For thirteen years he had known that this was his job to do, someday, and waited it eagerly so that he could shrug off the responsibility, but now that it was here... he was hesitating. Why? Alan hadn't hesitated a day in his life! He was very much a 'live life now, think of consequences later' kind of guy, even when he was a little boy made out of wood when he didn't know any better. It was a life-style that worked. Hell, it worked for him for thirteen years.

Shaking his head, Alan inhaled a small breath and crossed the threshold into the room. It was easy to ignore the soft-playing music and almost blinding lighting changes to accommodate to the sudden change in decorations. What was hard to ignore, however, was the moment his eyes found Eliza over the other heads within the room, was the two males that were holding her attention. Her arms were wrapped around one in a sort of hug, her hand holding onto the others, a smile that read... something, he wasn't too sure. Either way, his feet carried him briskly through the crowd, reaching them rather quickly, his eyes trained on the lighter-haired boy of the two that Eliza had her arms around and narrowed his eyes at him a bit.

"Hey man, you got a permit to touch that?"

"Whoa, chill out mate... Didn't realize that I needed one." Relaxing his hold from around Eliza's body Jaidyn lifted up his arms, his palms showing in a surrender towards the guy who had just shown up with a slightly defensive manner about him, his eyebrows both raising in curiosity as he shot a quick and curious glance over at Sebastian.

Pulling her attention away from Jaidyn as she heard the sound of a familiar voice getting closer to them, Eliza let her gaze quickly turn over to watch as Alan moved over to where the three of them were standing, her arms slipping away from her two friends as she moved over to stand in front of him, one of her hands holding the bottom of her dress up as the other lifted up to rest softly on his shoulder, the blonde leaning in to press her lips lightly against his cheek quite close to his lips, "Alan, you made it. I'm so glad you're here."

Taking another few steps so that he was between the two boys and Eliza, turning his back to them and completely shutting them out, Alan put one hand around Eliza's waist and leaned his cheek into her kiss, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I told you, Pr-" Alan halted suddenly, clearing his throat loudly as though the very word 'Princess' was no longer able to pass through his lips. Shaking his head a bit, Alan simply bent forward and returned a kiss onto her cheek. "I told you I'd be here." He re-alliterated.

Sliding her hand slowly up his shoulder Eliza curled her fingers gently around to cup the back of his neck, her head tilting ever so slightly as she smiled sweetly at the feeling of his lips pressing lightly against her cheek, the small action still causing her heart to flutter lightly in her chest with each time that he did it, "I know you did, but I really didn't want to get up and speak without you being here... It means a lot to me knowing that you and all my friends are here supporting me, and hopefully keeping me from making a fool of myself in front of this massive crowd..."

Tearing her gaze away from him for only a few moments she turned her gaze over to where the DJ was stationed, his hand lifting up slightly as he caught her attention showing her the microphone that he had hooked up and gotten ready for her to use when she was ready to do so, nodding her head a little reluctantly she turned her attention back to him, a nervous smile playing over her lips as she leant up pressing another quick kiss against him, this time however their lips meeting for a brief moment, "Wish me luck..."

Slowly pulling herself away from him she lowered her gaze down to the ground slightly, the young girl paying attention to each step she took as she tried her best not to step on her dress or trip herself up in any way, her stomach twisting nervously with every step that brought her closer to the center of the room where she was to address everyone. It had nothing to do with people watching and talking to her, she was used to being on show, all of that just came with the territory of her career choice that she had made. Out on the slopes she was free to do her own things and wear what she wanted to, but now standing in front of the large crowd all dolled up in a floor length gown... Things this year were very different...

Nodding her head in thanks to the DJ as he passed her the microphone Eliza slowly glanced at the people that stood surrounding her, the nervous knot that had seemed to form in her stomach tightening with every moment that passed her by, her feet slowly carrying her away from the DJ as she moved into her position in the very center of the room, a small and obviously hesitant smile replacing the one that she had moments earlier.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen... As you all know, my name is Eliza Brie, and on behalf of my father I would like to give a very warm welcome to all of you here tonight, as we celebrate what looks to be another successful Snowfest!" Pausing for a few moments she closed her eyes, giving herself time to take a deep breath before she opened them once more so that she could continue, the young woman's smile becoming less forced as she relaxed herself, "Tonight is sure to be... an exceptional evening - and I am so glad that so many special people have been able to join us here this evening; you all look so great. As always, to our absent friends - we will dearly miss you here. However, tonight is all about celebrating! Tonight is supposed to be one of those wondrous nights! So let's capture some magical moments, let's create many happy memories... and more importantly, let's surround ourselves with laughter and friendship as we celebrate this special occasion together. So please, have fun, mingle and enjoy your evening..! Remember, tonight is just the beginning of something bigger."