:[ VDAY ]: Venus' Engagement Party!

[Fea Line]

She didn't need words to thank him. Words were useless right now in this moment as far as he was concerned. The fact that she was now death gripping his torso spoke all he needed to hear. Chuckling, he reached down to gently stroke his fingers through her hair, soothing her....

His new bride....

He had almost forgotten about their sudden union, the continuation of actions between them simply feeling normal, as if nothing had changed. At least for him. Did she feel the same? Or had she still had fears an worries? He hoped he wasn't causing her any emotional pain, because that was the last thing on his mind.

So was the fact that she was now up in his arms and things had suddenly turned dark. His brain worked quickly to keep up what was happening as he cooed hushes to the fae in his arms, patting her, clinging to her closely while still glancing around.

Loud thunder echoed.

One flash. One giant.

Second flash. Smaller but still potentially dangerous figure.

Screams and shouting. Name's being called across the hall desperately. A loud pitiful sorry excuse of a wail for mommy.

"What in the great Lady's name is going on?!" he shouted himself, stern, angry, before turning his attention back to the voice in his arms. "Please try to remain calm, I will not let any harm come to you." he said, taking in a deep breath. They were near the drink and gift table. There was a wall near to them if he remembered correctly. Carefully, trying to keep track of every sound and where it came form, he inched his way to the direction he believed the wall to be.

But that laughter..... it sent chills up his spine and into his wing tips.

Irish Night Fox

 

[Seiana_ZI]

Criofan jumped when his peaceful dance with Ei-Kal was interrupted by a loud boom, an even louder crash, and then the lack of light. He groaned. Why. Somehow, he seemed to keep getting himself into weird situations, luck be damned. First Pandora, then Amapola, now a perfectly happy situation with his Ei-Kal being interrupted by some storm of some sort cutting out the power--and some woman cackling like she had lost her mind.

This did not make him happy, and yet, when he looked at Ei-Kal again, still able to see his face due to being so close to him, all Criofan could feel was a surge of happiness. It didn't make any sense, really. He should be concerned. He should be worried. But he wasn't. He was happy, beyond reason, at just the presence of Ei-Kal. He was there. Who cared about all of the chaos that was opening up around them? The other faerie was with him, and happy too, and that was what mattered.

Right?

"Ei-Kal~" Criofan's voice was sing-song, despite the chaos going on around them. Despite his happiness, something true seemed to register. "We should probably find some other place to go." Why was he grinning? He couldn't stop himself from grinning. This made no sense.

He did know he wanted to get out of there before something actually found a way to ruin the happiness he felt, though. This was too nice. He couldn't let anything ruin this...

==========

Kheliot may have tried scolding his sister Zaria, but she eyed the fountain up and down, different plans in mind. It wasn't a big one. She could probably carry it around, considering it wasn't even half the size of her. It wasn't like it was a water fountain. It didn't seem to be rooted into the ground, it was just sitting on a table with a bunch of other interesting sweet things nearby--

When the lightning struck and the power went out, Zaria's eyes flashed, a mischievous smirk spreading on her face. Something seemed unlike her, the glint in both her eyes oddly reflecting red when normally only one of them did.

Not even taking another moment to ponder it, Zaria yanked the fountain out of its stand and ran.

Naturally, she was giggling all the while she was heading out the nearest unblocked exit.

Amasis

 

[FA Mysteries]

The laughing stopped. The lightning strikes allowed for momentary glimpses of light for Pae'il to move around and know where they were going.

As the pae'il in attendance continued to panic, Venus lifted the top of the large giftbox, letting it fall to the floor behind. Then she moved around to the table, dragging a finger across a few of the pink and gold wrapped gifts. At the end of the table, spread on the floor was the fallen cake. She knelt down and dipped a finger in the icing, pulling it up to taste. "Delicious. Too bad its roach fodder now," she muses.

With a glimpse to the crowd of frightened Pae, and a lightning strike exposing the fear on their faces, she grinned. Perfect.

With a quick, fluid movement, she swung her arm around, hand outstretched and all the gifts that were on the table flew back and smashed against the wall. Lucky for the little fish in a glass bowl, the impact was absorbed by the golden fleece. Still, the bowl fell to the marble floor and wasn't as lucky.

One by one, Venus lifted a delicate, but cracked, colorful egg from the giant gift box, and set it gingerly on the table. She lined them up as if displaying her lovely treasures. (which were obviously better gifts than what others brought.) The eggs looked vaguely familiar; reminiscent of the eggs Eris nearly shattered last Venus Day. Venus' most prized eggs, Shakira's daughters.

Once set up, Venus snapped her fingers and the lights came back on. She stood in front of the eggs with her arms crossed, weight shifted on one side and smiled. An unmistakable purple glint shined in her eye.

"Let's get this party started!"  

[Tartara Seabreeze]

As the lightening and thunder became gradually worse, the male wrapped an arm around Starry protectively. Vases crashing, things moving...a loud bang as the column fell to the floor. "We need to get out of here!" That much was obvious. Why was Venus laughing? As the lightening flashed he used it to get a general area of where the exit was only to freeze when the lights suddenly came back on. His steel blue eyes flicked over to the trashed gift area. She has lost her mind. It was the only way he could put it, the deity deliberately putting everyone in harms way, terrifying them. Who cared about a few eggs?

Dementia Requiem Asumi

 

[Irish Night Fox]

After the initial oncoming of darkness, lightning, and confusion, Bree had managed to calm down enough to peek her head out from his chest. She was still panting and trembling, but her mind was coming around. Her eyes darted this way and that across the crowd, catching the absolute amount of fright coming from everypae. She had been questioning the Deities' party through the night, now she was outright done with it.

“I'm sorry, Prince,” her voice was small and shaking as she apologized for her frightened outburst from before. She had calmed enough to be able to move with him towards a wall. They bumped up against it and she felt instant relief swell over her. This way they could keep their eyes on the surroundings without having to worry about what was going on behind them. She tried to map the room out in her head in order to find an exit, but at this point she wasn't sure which wall they were up against.

It wasn't till the lightning began to strike consistently could she catch glimpses of the room around her. She felt a pang of pain at the sight of so many souls scared and trying to find their own way through all of the confusion. This was wrong, completely and utterly unforgivable. How could they abuse their powers so? For a moment she forgot her own fear.

Her eyes caught another type of movement, it was Venus moving around the gift table. Her heart leapt into her throat as Venus neared the damaged cake and reached out a finger to it. Bree wanted to call out to her to stop- there was no way she'd allow anyone to eat a good so badly damaged, but there was no way she could hear her. Instead she watched as she tasted the icing, felt amazing for a second at the compliment, before the emotion completely shattered onto the ground at her next comment. How-how was she suppose to take that!? She bit down on her tongue to keep the emotions at bay, deciding that it didn't matter what this woman had to say about it. She could be as high and mighty as she wanted, but that didn't change a thing for Bree.

She didn't have long to think about her situation though, before Venus, in one swift motion, threw every item on the table against the wall. The sound it made was almost as deafening as the lighting going on around them. Or maybe seeing all of those gifts everyone had works so hard, smashed against the wall was what had actually hurt. She was sure so many had put so much effort into what they had found or made, and now they were nothing.

Bree watched suspiciously as Venus placed colorful eggs on the table where her gifts had once been. She looked up at Feral in confusion before back at the scene before her. All that for some eggs? What sort of eggs where they that they would be so much more precious than those gifts? As soon as she had the lights returned Bree looked to Feral, “Lets get out of here. There is no way I am staying for any more of this kind of 'party'.” she took his hand and began to charge her way through the crowd towards the door.

Fea Line

 

[Menelie]

Harmonia had arrived to to the party a bit late (but exactly when she had meant to) and set her gift, a magical metronome, on the table. She'd availed herself of the punch and then chosen a spot on the wall to lean against, sipping her punch and watching the other guests arrive. Ordinarily she wouldn't have bothered to come all the way out for her mother's' "engagement party" that just happened to take place at the same time of year as every other party she hosted in her own honor, but the invitation of the demigods and goddesses...well, that was an interesting change.

She kept her eyes moving around the room, looking for a certain young woman. After a time, however, her rowdy siblings began to fling arrows all around the room, and the party descended into chaos. Harmonia waited it out for as long as she could, waiting for the one she'd come for to show up, but the complete lack of order was beginning to grate at her senses, feeling like an adversary's hot, wet breath on the back of her neck.

And so she'd disappeared for a while, ushering a pair of "lovers" into a room and drawing a curtain over the door for privacy, refilling her glass, then slipping out the back door. She'd stayed absent from the party, lost in thought (but not too much rumination) until she'd heard the cackling and felt the lightning.

Oh no.

Sincerely wishing she had her javelin and shield, which she'd left at home in favor of this "party attire", Harmonia slips back into the ballroom and scans the crowd for her target. The one she'd come here for. A tawny demigoddess with a thick brown braid....but nothing. Harmonia frowns and whips around the room, searching every angle. She had to be here. Venus would never tolerate her absence. Perhaps she was in the garden.

Harmonia makes a swift exit out into the gardens, but finds no trace of anyone, mortal or otherwise. The only thing she spies is a small movement out of the corner of her eye. Her keen vision snaps to focus on it, and she's briefly disappointed that it's just a pair of rabbits, hopping to get away from the threat inside. Hands on her hips, Harmonia almost goes back inside, then whirls on the rabbits again. Laughing triumphantly, she scoops them up, one under each arm. "Don't worry," she says to them soothingly. "We'll find your mother."

Back in the ballroom, the winds of chaos had blown open the doors and windows. After another round of searching for the mother of rabbits, Harmonia sees a tawny pae out on the balcony. Perfect. Weaving through the panicked crowd, she darts out to the balcony, holding the squirming rabbits to her sides. She closes the doors to the balcony behind her, shutting out some of the noise.

Setting the rabbits down, she approaches the demigoddess. "Aldadora," she addresses her. "I think it's about time we left this party." She tries to smile warmly, but there's something in her eyes that's a little off-putting. Perhaps it's the influence of her father, the god of war.

Fidgit Fruffles

 

[Fidgit Fruffles]

Aldadora is dreamily looking out at the stars.
Uh…I think something weird is going on in the party. Her backpack companion comments, his head twirled around, looking back inside.
Aldadora rolls her eyes, “There are a *lot* of weird things going on in the party.”
The rabbit’s ears twitch in agreement.
After a sort bit, her rabbit-friend pipes up again. Uh, I think the weird is coming to join us.
Aldadora hears the door to the balcony close.
“Portia…” she mumbles under her breath with a smile, knowing exactly who her rabbit-friend meant.
She turns around to see a very elegant woman, who is distinctly not Portia.
“Apparently not…” she stares confused at this strange person. “Leave…?” she asks.
Uh, my mother always taught me to never wander off with odd strangers.
Aldadora glances sideways at him over her shoulder.
Present company excluded.
Aldadora smirks and turns back to the pae. She notices her rabbits she had dropped off earlier.
“Hey!” she bounds over to them and scoops them up in her arms. She glares at the new pae, “What were you doing with them? These aren’t yours.” She feels her blood pressure rising.  

[Menelie]

Harmonia reins in the impulse to snap at the girl. Instead she very calmly smooths out the front of her dress where it connected with her breastplate. "I know that," she says, somewhat tightly. "However, seeing as some not-so-pleasant things are happening in the ballroom, I thought it might do well to bring them to you. The one's got a bit of a bum leg, I see." She looks pointedly at Aldadora.

"Now, if you'd just come with me, I'll explain everything later." She offers her arm to the goddess of rabbits, hoping she'd ask less questions and just go with it. In case she needed more persuading, Harmonia adds, "I understand you've suffered a bit of memory loss recently." She raises her eyebrows. "I might have answers to questions you undoubtedly have."

Fidgit Fruffles

 

[Antidia]

After the oh-so-rude interruption by the orange feather-winged land pae, Mnemo moved closer to Anxo. "Shall we pick up where we left off?" she cooed.

That thought was abruptly interrupted -- again, by the lights going out. Mnemo clung to Anxo's arm, afraid of what was happening. She'd never been on land, or to a party so she didn't know if this was normal or not. But it was still frightening. "What's happening, Anxo?"

A glimpse of a shadowed figure in one of the entryways nearly made her jump out of her skin. "I don't like this, I think we should go home." her voice trembled. The cackling and laughter made the situation feel even worse. It felt like a nightmare. The one in which she tries to go into the temple and is laughed at by everyone. She buried her face in Anxo's arm, pleading to leave and hiding the tears so he wouldn't see them.

The loud crash as Venus' gifts smashed against the wall got the Naiad demigoddess' attention. Her little fish gift was over there. She perked up, attention focused and she heard in the back of her mind the little fish cry for help. She was responsible for those fish. She promised them they'd be safe. Venus promised they'd be safe, but now she was smashing their bowl. How dare she?

Without another moments hesitation, she rushed to the little fish, flopping around in the water on the floor among the broken glass of their fishbowl and likely fancy crystal stuff from other gifts. "Help!"

The Goddess of little fish came to their rescue! She scooped them gently into her cupped hands and moved swiftly, but carefully, to the closest water tank to deposit them. "You'll be okay. I'll get you patched up soon," she whispered as her angry gaze snapped to Venus. "I will be right back."

You'd never guess this was the first time she'd been out of the water and used her land-legs. She angry stomped just like the best of them. "You horrible, horribly woman! How dare you--"

She was cut off instantly...  

[Fidgit Fruffles]

Her companion leans over her shoulder Do you want me to bite her? I can totally take off a finger or two.
Aldadora looks down at her two bunny-friends. “Are you guys okay?”
We’re fine, dear. I think this person may have just helped us though. She’s not kidding about inside, it’s getting kind of scary in there… Lily pipes up.
“Oh…” Aldadora looks up at the woman. “They say you helped them,” her face softens. “I really do apologize. I’m just…protective. My rabbits are kind of all I have.” She gently squeezes them to her chest.
Her heart jumps at the idea of her getting some of her questions answered. “You…you can really answer some of my questions?” her eyes brighten up and she looks at the pae’s hand. She gives a small smile and glances at her rabbits filling up her arms and shrugs, “You just lead the way.” Aldadora stands up straight and stretches out her wings to their full width. She turns to her backpack friend, “Hang on.”
UGH. I hate flying. He grumbles to himself, ducking his head into the satchel on her back. Just remember, my offer to bite fingers still stands.  

[Menelie]

Harmonia smiles reassuringly. "Wonderful," she says. In the blink of an eye, both of them (and all associated rabbits) are transported away from the noise and chaos and panic of this party gone horribly wrong. This is why I never come to these things, she grumbles internally.

They reappear only seconds later in a tranquil garden, lit by soft lanterns and a few fireflies here and there. "Welcome to my garden," she says with a proud smile. "Let's take a walk. I'm sure you have many questions." She begins to walk down a path. "I'd keep your friends with you, though," she adds. "This is a place of harmony and balance, not necessarily safety."

Fidgit Fruffles

 

[Teigra]

Wolfs Heart

Terran shook his head with a smile, "I think you're perfect." Terran said, his voice soft and dream-like. Although she might think he only thought she looked perfect because she looked like a boy, so she clarified. "Before all this even." It was the truth, as much fun as he was having with the... benefits... to his new female form, perhaps he enjoyed the slender frame of the naiad to the curvier frame of the faun.

Terran was about to respond to Moana's concerns about the switch being permanent when they were interrupted by another pae. Terran suddenly came to the strange realization that they were still in public and having this entire conversation... and more... on a very open dance floor. "Well that answers that..." Terran said as the mysterious stranger disappeared into the crowds and he glanced back to Moana to see if she was satisfied with the answer. And the suggestion... how curious.

The male that was still trapped somewhere in his mind answered. "How about it, want to try something new?"

Momentarily flustered by the appearance of the odd Pae and her explanation of the events (not that it was very thorough), Moana didn't say anything for a moment. Her mind had gone straight into the trench at the suggestion. Was it because she was male now? Or...because well...it weren't as if such things were taboo among her kind. And it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience...and if this really were temporary...

With a devious grin, Moana pulled her curvy Faun friend close, about to answer his inquiry...when the lights went out. Instinctively, her grip tightened. Just the lights...it was fine...

Then the creepy laughter...the lightning...she didn't remember Venus acting like this last year...however...

Catching sight of the love goddess when the lights came back up, she caught the flicker of purple haze in her eyes, and her stomach did a flip. Not the good kind like earlier...

"Terran..." she managed in a harsh whisper, already pulling back towards the exit and urging him to follow her. "...Terran, we need to leave...it's happening again..."
 

[Wolfs Heart]

Teigra

Terran's eyes moved off Moana for the first time all night as the lights went out and looked at the ceiling instead. The lights going off immediately put him on edge... although at the same time now they could slip off to try new things in the dark.

The creepy laughter ended all stirrings in Terran's mind of that matter. He was trying not to panic, the promise in his mind to keep Moana safe was screaming out at him despite him feeling inadequate to be able to protect her in his new form.

As the lightning flickered across the crowd, he nodded his head. "I think the party was over anyways..." he said in agreement as he followed Moana towards the exit. He didn't want to participate in whatever 'after-party' was coming next. He just hoped that they would be allowed to slip out.  

[FA Mysteries]

A familiar purple and grey mist slowly swirled upwards from Venus' feet, shrouding her pink-clad figure. That laugh started up again outside a bolt of lighting hit a pillar, shattering it. Once attention was back on the Goddess, there stood Eris, in Venus' dress. She ripped the horribly tacky pink and gold thing off, revealing her usual purple attire. Hands on her hips, she looked across the party to make eye contact with a few choice Erotes in attendance. Phaenna, who was an absolute delight last year. Maybe fun to try again this year seeing as she's ... well, bulked up a bit. Nice package. Himeros, Iordanes ... and her little puppet, "Pothos, sweetie. How are you doing these days?" she cooed and made kissy faces towards him. "Come give your auntie Eris a hug, hmm?" She smirked before outstretching her arms and stepping towards him.

"Where is that horrible little flea of a sister hiding? I do hope she hasn't wet herself yet. Have her feathers grown back in? Please, tell her I miss my little bug." The goddess of discord twirled a pink feather with transparent tips by the thick part of the shaft, flicking it away like garbage after realizing she'd not be tormenting her favorite little target tonight.

"If everyone could stop screaming for just a moment, I would like make a very important announcement regarding your safety. This temple is hereby claimed by the Angwi. Unless you want to become their midnight snack, you might want to run. Oh, and boys?" Eris pointed, one at a time to each Erote, including Phaenna. She pouted her lips oh-so-pitifully, "Don't twy to be hewoes." Purple flames lit her eyes and she growled, "or you'll get worse than mind-controlled." She flourish her hands dramatically then pointed to the entryway where two very large, imposing silhouettes waited.

As Eris said their names, each slithered slowly from the shadows. "Emperor Jahleel." The hulking size of this creature was terrifying enough; but a snake-Pae'il? As he moved in to the ballroom, he flared his hood and bared his fangs, holding his reverse scimitar up and poised to strike at the drop of a pin. "And Empress Nadira." The female slithered into the light, revealed a smaller, but still frightening creature. She was lavishly decorated in feathers, gold and gems. She was unarmed. But she didn't need to be. Most of those feathers she wore were trophies from her hunts. The rest were gifts from her mate which were trophies from his own hunts.

show spoilerhide spoiler

 

[Teigra]

Okay, the party was definitely over now. A bad feeling creeping up his spine, Himeros stopped groping around in the dark and looked towards the presents table about the time the lights came back on.

That was not his mother.

Pothos' cries were not helping, but they pretty much confirmed his fears as much as the flash of purple he saw in his 'mother's' eyes. Dammit. Another Pae would go for his bow and arrows, but he knew that those wouldn't help in this situation. He'd feared that his mother had been taken when she'd gone away, as had happened to them all last year, but a second look provided another shock.

Apparently, Eris had learned a new trick to add to mind-control. Like she needed one. So wait...

...where was his mother?

As much as they needed her now, there was no time to focus on where she was. Himeros' eyes had gone cold and as Pothos flailed by, he reached out to grab his twin firmly by the arm, giving him a shake. Grabbing both of his arms, he stood between his twin and the Chaos Goddess behind. "Pothos! Pull it together! We've got to get everyone out of here! Start helping people escape on the far side of the ballroom. As far away from those things as possible!" It wasn't clear if he meant just the snakes...or Eris as well.

Aiming a quick glare over his shoulder, he pushed Pothos away. Some of the others were just as likely prone to do something stupid right now as his traumatized brother, if for different reasons....he could think of a couple Spartans who were probably already forming ideas. He was actually thankful that he hadn't seen Aglaia at the party for a while.

He wasn't about to give Eris the satisfaction of addressing her directly. He also remembered all too well how powerless he'd been personally to fight against her mind-control last year. She was back with all new tricks this year...who knew how powerful she was? Much as they wanted to attack her directly, last year, only their mother stood a chance against her head to head. And she wasn't here.

They'd be more danger than help to the innocent Pae here if they tried to fight and things went horribly wrong.

He certainly wasn't Eros, but it looked like his brother had already started to mobilize before anything had happened. Without a thought, he shouted over the chaos and screaming, "EVERYONE GET OUT! MORTALS AND DEITY ALIKE! GET OUT OF THE TEMPLE!"