Nabiki was beginning to regret coming. While the party was housed in richness from head to toe, the continued absence of the owner and host made any attempts to acquire any of it impossible. There was still the matter at hand of exactly what the party's purpose was. From personal experience, Nabiki knew that every deal had some sort of catch to it - after all, so many of her own dealings were truly made profitable because of a loophole. Dancing was hardly anything Nabiki relished. As the majority of the group followed into the ballroom, and the remainder accompanying Shinryu to a library of sorts, Nabiki slipped off on her own. Everyone was so engaged in their own activities, she was sure she wouldn't be missed. Up one level, following a grand spiral staircase, Nabiki's path was blocked by a set of double doors. A quick swipe of the old credit card trick, and her way was open. Nabiki slipped inside, making careful effort to slide the doors closed again behind her.
After being pulled into the room, Zelgadis quickly chanted a spell. Light which burns beyond crimson flame, Let thy power gather in my hand! Lighting! Sending the sun-bright ball of light into the location he assumed was his attacker's eyes, he quickly cast Lighting again, this time with a softer light, meant to illuminate, not to blind. The interior of the room stood revealed, as well as his attacker.
Minoru turned his head to see what was that loud sound just then. Not being able to see anything he stood up and started to walk to the origin of it when a girl talked to him. "I think we should see, really" Minoru replied. "Zelgadis-san was yelling just now. I wonder..." Minoru said to himself as he began to ran. When he reached the door, he could not see anything but a dark room, illuminated by some kind of light and two figures in there.
The person who "attacked" Zelgadis was actually Nabiki Tendo, who was believed to be in the ballroom below. (ooc: I'll let her decide what to do from here) To Usagi, Shinryu said, "Ahh, school... It's been so very long since I could be in a place of learning. You do not enjoy school? Honestly, if I could go back to the simplicity of the days of my youth, when my worries were comprised of naught but my marks, I would. The responsibility of adulthood is so much greater than the responsibility of youth." Raising an eyebrow at Kagura, Shinryu could only wonder what had happened. He quickly cast a spell that would trigger the moment she reverted, which would envelop her in darkness, preventing her any embarrassment.
The study wasn't lit, and Nabiki was careful not to disturb anything from its place as she slowly looked around. A few notes were laid out on the table, which she took as a photo opportunity. She slid out her small digital micro-cam and snapped a few shots of the various designs there. The rest of the room was fairly boring - hunting trophies, leather armchairs, and a small fireplace that didn't seem to have been used for quite some time. Nabiki carefully dropped the lights back down. For the first time, she noticed the far door out of the study was ajar. Some light poured from it. She made her way across and pulled on the handle. To her surprise, it came open looser than she expected, slamming full force into the study wall. Oops. She had little time to think about any damages, though, as it appeared that a figure had pushed at the same moment she pulled. It hurtled into the room, the shadowy form raising its hands in front of it. And then... It was a bright light that filled her vision and blinded Nabiki. She shrunk back from it, grunting a bit. When she could finally see again, the room had a small source of light coming from a ball floating in midair. She saw that it was the man in white who had been the cause of all the trouble. Her bewildered expression quickly left to make way for an irritated one. "Yikes. What were you trying to do there, kill me?"
"Yikes. What were you trying to do there, kill me?" One of the other guests had been in the room Zelgadis was entering, it was that pretentious woman, he didn't know her name... 'Why didn't she turn the lights on?' he thought. She looked irritated. Releasing his sword, Zelgadis stood up straight, telling her, "I didn't know who it was in this room. I simply prepared for the worst." Narrowing his eyes slightly from under his hood, he asked, "Why don't you tell me what you were doing in here, and with no light?" Granted, Zelgadis had stolen before, and wasn't above many of the various tricks that must be known when you live the life of a theif, but that didn't lend him any mercy when he encounters one. And this girl had every right to be suspect.
Aeris and the other guest went to the door to see if Zeldagis was allright when they looked inside they saw zeldagis talking with another guest aeris thought her name was nabiki "is everything allright?" aeris inquired of the two
Usagi smiled up at Kenshin and said, "Yes I would enjoy dancing." To shinryu and his guest, "By your leave kind sirs." She placed her hand in Kenshin's and whispered, "Thank you, i enjoy dancing very much."
Narrowing his eyes slightly from under his hood, he asked, "Why don't you tell me what you were doing in here, and with no light?" Without a break in her compsoure, Nabiki began to brush by him. "I was just looking for the ladies room. I didn't think it would be gracious of me to leave the lights on after exiting a room." She looked past him into the grand assortment of books in the room beyond. "So, this is that library, huh? Pretty big. You think maybe there's some old out of print and one of a kind tomes in here?"
kenshin took her hand and led her to the ballroom. "I thought as much, that i did." he said to her. Music started to play and they began to dance. "I hope my dancing is ok. Some visitors from the west that came to japan taught me a little but not much." Kenshin couldnt help but look upon her beauty. He also couldnt help the feeling that something was wrong.
Usagi smiled and said, "You're dancing is fine." Usagi couldn't help but realize how kind kenshin was. She smiled but in the back of her mind something was wrong... she just couldn't figure out what. She wished she had one of the scouts or even luna or artemis with her.
Zelgadis didn't much care for this "Nabiki." She seemed to him to be little more than a greedy gold-digger. Granted, one of his few friends was exactly the same, but Lina had a certain... finesse about it, that Nabiki seemed to lack. Moving back into Nabiki's way, Zelgadis told her, "I saw no restrooms in the area. If that's all you're looking for, you won't find one here."
Pssh. This guy was starting to become a pest. Once again, her field of vision was blocked by his grimy old white traveler's robe as he rudely stepped into her way. Pest or not, he was proving to be intelligent. Intelligent, but with all the emotional grace of a large slab of stone. Where most men would at least show some discomfort at the mention of a girl going off to take care of private matters, this guy didn't even break the faintest in his composure. Maybe he was a homosexual. "Ah, not over that way, either?" Nabiki remarked with an acted hint of disappointment. "That's the problem with these big castles. It can be so hard to find your way about." She stood there for a few uncomfortable seconds waiting for him to move. He didn't.
Zelgadis knew an act when he saw one. Traveling with Lina, and watching her weasel her way out the anger of many, many people, from simple shop owners, to innkeepers, restauranteurs, he'd seen her act so many times that he had a sixth sense about it. He could tell Nabiki was acting, trying to get past him, but he couldn't say why. Feigning ignorance, he suggested, "Perhaps you could ask our host for the location of a washroom? Surely that would be the most efficient method."
seeing that aeris was finding nothing she already didn't nkow and did not wish to continue looking she remembered that shinryu said that if one of us wanted to return to the ballroom to simply call out his name. so aeris said,"Shinryu may i please go to the ballroom with the other guests know?"
Kagura looked at the girl that was holding her. "I'm not exactly a Mew Mew...and eventually, I'll change back to normal." she said to the girl. "Why do you change then?" asked Mint. "That is something I would never tell you." she said snorting, "Now, quickly get my clothes before..."All of a sudden, Kagura had changed into her human form completely butt-naked. "AHHHHHHHH!!!" she screamed as she grabbed her clothes and dashed out of the room.
Hearing Aeris's wish to return to the ballroom, he instantly teleported her from the library. Raising an eyebrow as Kagura ran out of the room, Shinryu thought, "It didn't work? Why wasn't she enveloped in darkness as my spell should have done?"
Is he on to me? Nabiki mused to herself. She'd been so quick to let his actions get on her nerves, but he was beginning to genuinely impress her. He had a sharp mind and a cool head - two very useful traits that Nabiki herself possessed. After all the years of dealing with weak-minded patsies, it was a refreshing change to encounter some resistance. She put on the display of an embarrassed nervous laugh, one hand rubbing the back of her head. "Silly me! Now why didn't I think of that?" The words were in response to his suggestion that she get her bearings from their mysterious host. Except that the last time she saw Shinryu... Nabiki shifted her act to another look, but this time it was of genuine curiousity. Her head again moved from side to side to try and look past Zelgadis. "But, wasn't Shinryu with you?"
"He stayed only long enough to tell us how we could return. I assumed he returned to the rest of you." Nabiki definately had something up her sleeve. She was persistant, Zelgadis gave her that much, but what could she be up to? Something wasn't right about her behaviour... there had to be more to her than met the eye. Zelgadis has his curiosity piqued. Nabiki was definately an... interesting person. Sharp witted, sharp tongued, she was very much like Lina. For a brief moment, he wondered how the two would work as a team, but dismissed it quickly. One of them would end up tricking the other out of everything and running off.
"Well that's weird..." Mint mused, standing up, and smoothing the new wrinkles in her skirt. "But at least it's not another irritating comrade-slash-colleuge." She then turned to Kentaro. He was better than nothing. "Now then...since she's gone, how would you like to dance with me? Something tells me we won't get to dance for long, but we may as well get a bit in." she began. She then stopped remembering her manners. "Oh! Pardon me. You're probably wondering who in blue blazes I am!"-'Though you should already know' she thought-"I am Mint Aizawa. It's a pleasure, I'm sure."
