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[center][h3][i][color=MediumTurquoise]Eliza Brie[/color], [color=BurlyWood]Alan Woodard[/color], [color=OliveDrab]Dominic Greyjoy[/color], [color=DarkBlue]Annalise Brie[/color], [color=LightSeaGreen]Daria Belikov[/color], [color=BlueViolet]Rapunzel[/color], [color=OrangeRed]Jaidyn Beachley[/color], [color=Green]Sebastian Beachley[/color], [color=LightCoral]Morgan Reginald[/color], [color=Lavender]Ireneo Funes[/color], and [color=SaddleBrown]Igor Pechorsky[/color][/i][/h3][/center]
[center][h2][i]Present Day - Lake Tahoe, Earth[/i][/h2][/center]

"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 [url=http://www.weddingelation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/how-to-create-a-winter-wonderland-wedding-reception-decor-planning__full.jpg]the room[/url] and over to the bar, careful to maneuver her way around the tables and chairs before she came to a stop in front of [url=http://puneetguptainvitations.weebly.com/uploads/5/0/9/1/5091997/2756536_orig.jpg]the bar[/url], 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.

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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.

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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 ([s]dragging[/s]) 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]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.[/i]" He was happy to get a chance to speak Russian again.

Daria looked at Igor for a moment before smiling.

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

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. 

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

Daria drummed her fingers on the bar.

"[i]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.[/i]" 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, "[i]When did you come here?[/i]"

Ilya took another sip before answering her question. 

"[i]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.[/i]" 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.

"[i]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[/i]," 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]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.[/i]"

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]I suppose we all learn in different ways.[/i]" She looked over her shoulder again at the man in the wheelchair, "[i]So, why are you over here and not with your friend?[/i]"

Ilya smiled a little. 

"[i]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.[/i]"

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.

"[i]You do what you got to do,[/i]" 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, "[i]Well, I'm going to go dance... Enjoy your evening off, Igor.[/i]" 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. 

[i]'Fitting...'[/i] 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 [i]really[/i] 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."

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"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 [url=http://in1.ccio.co/t9/jC/J9/aa09f820dbcd81f35b51e20efcdb3e62.jpg]his suit[/url], 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 [i]no one's[/i] 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 [i]both[/i] 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 [i]just[/i] 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, [i]someone[/i] has to." Sebastian replied, keeping his white grin. He was joking of course, there was truth behind Jaidyn's words, his girlfriend [i]did[/i] 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 [i]was[/i] 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 [url=http://alamodest.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/winter-wonderland-theme-hylite.jpg]center of the room[/url], 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."