A City Story Beginning: The Partay... Chapter 1

[Misty]

So, this is basically a lacrosse/cheer leader party, but if anyone has any Royale that's friends with a lacrosse player/cheer leader and they invited you, you can join too(I'd love to have everyone come lol It's a good chance for characters to meet.)

Odette sat watching everything around her with mild interest, her rose blossom lips tight as she scrutinized everything. Her shoulder-length, wavy black hair was French braided over the top and twisted into a bun in the back near her neck, slightly to the left side. Her mother had done it, and it was the only hairdo her mother had offered that she finally complied to. She also wore a black headband adorned with a fluffy black feather on the right side, which she judged was probably an ostrich feather that had been died black and was decorated with garnet stones.

Her mother had suggested pearls, diamonds, or rubies for jewellery, but she wore hanging earrings of garnet stones and silver links with raven feathers connected to the end and a necklace to match her earrings. "Wear the red one, mijita," her mother had suggested the form-fitting red silk dress that went down to the floor and had a slit up the left side to the thigh. It matched the garnet gems and, conveniently, her brother's outfit. "Es pretty on you, no?" But she had worn the just-passed-knee-length black velvet dress with the halter top framed by red, black hose, and black heels.

If allowed she might have also worn a black netted veil. She was dressed more so for a funeral than a party, much less a dance; she looked like she was going into mourning. That and perhaps a bit of a dark attitude process, seeing as her nails, toe and finger, were painted black and the make-up decorating her eyes was dark as well. "Mijita, let me be the one to paint your face," her mother had offered as she'd held up the maroon eye shadow, red lip stick, and rosy blush. "Your mother is an expert, no?" But Odette hadn't planned to enjoy this occasion for any reasons that could come to mind, so she didn't think she should dress as if she would either.

Sighing, Odette uncrossed her left leg from over her right and crossed the right over the left. She put her elbow near the end of her knee and rested her chin on it as she watched everything and everyone.

There was her brother, standing amongst a multitude of girls, the center of attention. Odette believed that there wasn't one girl who hadn't been "in love" with Felix at least one point in their life, and all of them held him captured in some a part of their hearts, however small, though she was positive it wasn't too small. He didn't have a girlfriend, though he probably had the pick of the lot and the potential to choose any one he wanted; he was charming and a bachelor. That made it so he wasn't chopped off as an option, though for some it wouldn't have mattered. Time changes things, she knew some of the girls figured, time changes people. No one was completely out of the game until they were bound by marriage.

Having a boyfriend was a constant struggle, a waste of time, and a tax on her strength and energy as she would have to consistently please him or he might end up switching when the opportune moment presented itself. So was having any friends really. Girlfriends required "favors", as they often referred to them, plenty of favors: favors in money, favors in time, favors in gossip, favors in odd jobs. And they weren't even really true. A frienship was a puff of smoke in the sky, a raindrop in the ocean, a breeze upon the wind. It was there one second and gone the next. If someone wanted to be anything more to her than an acquaintance, Odette figured, they wanted something from her.

A pair of dress shoes shuffled up to Odette. She sighed in annoyance as she peered around the legs that were covering up her view, dreading the moment that the owner of the shoes might speak.

[Toph]

Ri stepped nervously behind Adam as he led the way through the dim, grimy streets. She was dressed in her finest ballet outfit, though it still wasn't quite fine enough for the occasion, as Adam had informed her earlier. "We'll be needing to get a better one soon, if business keeps up the way it has," her best friend had said with a smile. Ri had no intention of letting Adam buy a new costume for her. He already gave her a place to stay, small and cramped as it may have been, and he already provided for her food.

A man in a black guard suit, cap, and tie stepped forward as they reached an expensive-looking, rod iron gate. The walls beside the gate were some sort of cement mixture, but they were painted an elegant white. They were a stark contrast to the filthy streets that surrounded them.

Adam flashed a card that Ri supposed was some sort of ID. She wondered where he had gotten it. Would it work? The guard stepped back and punched in numbers on a keypad. The gate began to move, creaking in protest. Adam waited until it was fully open, then led Ri through.

Inside, the lawn was perfectly watered and landscaped. It was by far the richest display Ri had ever seen, and she marveled at the Royales' extravagance.

Adam had not told Ri they were going somewhere that rich. She had expected the typical gig, which was usually a slightly successful Royale's party. Usually they could barely even afford Ri, and they often slighted her up to half of her original price. But this manor was huge! These people could afford to hire twenty Ri's in one night!

Ri began to feel nervous about it all. Why were they at such a weathy Royale's house? Why would they hire her, who was hardly reknowned enough for the jobs she did? She suspected it was completely Adam's doing, but she had no idea how he had the power to get her such a job.

Adam looked different tonight. His hair was slicked back in the latest fashion. He wore a perfectly clean, perfectly unwrinkled Royale suite, which Ri was very suspicious of. Why would Adam dress as a Royale?

They walked down complicated patterns of sidewalks until finally emerging at a side door. Another guard intercepted them, but let them pass when Adam flashed his card.

"Hey, Adam?" Ri uneasily whispered.

He remained silent as they passed into a hallway.

Ri knew that meant 'proceed'. " What are we doing here?"

"You have a job," Adam answered in a dont-ask-needless-questions sort of voice.

"Yeah, but never one like this."

Adam shrugged as she caught up with his fast pace. "So they finally believed me when I told them how good you were."

Ri was not convinced, but before she could reply, they came to a large, open room. It was filled with Royales in nice dresses and suites. They were smiling and having a good time. Several held champagne glasses, while others held dainty little plates with small cakes on them.

The left of the room seemed to be the dance floor, with couples twirling about in time to the music coming from the stereo system, and the right wall was lined with refreshment tables. A small wooden rectangle of floor was in the center of the dance floor. Ri's nerves immediately sky-rocketed when she realized that she would be required to dance there.

Ri had no idea how much time was left before her duty, but however long it was, it was definitely not long enough.

[Misty]

Odette noticed the pair who had just stepped in the door. They paused in the entrance to size up the room, so it appeared. Was that...mild astonishment..? There was at least a small amount in the girl, who she didn't recognize. She must have come with the guy. The guy-she paused, leaning forward and squinting to see him clearer. Who was he? He didn't look like a lacrosse player, none that she recognized, and by now she was sure she would recognize all of them.

The newcomer stepped in front of her vision.

"Odette, do you want to dance with me?” Odette looked up at the newcomer, black doe-eyes bored as she tilted her head in a disinterested way. Trent… He was dressed all polished and sharp in his black tux with the purple vest underneath. His long glossy black hair was even pulled back into a pony tail while his thin sharp face was cleanly shaven, which was odd for him. Usually his hair was down in his eyes and he had a soul patch and mustache look going on. He wasn’t very close to Felix, and certainly not close to her in any way at all. “Oh,” he smirked, “I mean ‘quiero bailar con me?’"

"Do you want to put your face in the punch bowl?" She responded, not charmed by his terrible Spanish accent and misuse of words. Yeah, she thought grimly, you can dance with yourself all you want, so long as you leave me out of it.

"No..?" He answered, narrow eyebrows creasing as he looked at her, his smile unsure and face twisted in minor confusion.

"Que suerte," she gave him an overly squint-eyed, fake smile. "You just read my mind." Then she looked back to return her gaze to the strange guy and the girl. Ah... There he was. He was tall... Slick blond hair. She strained to get a better look at his face.

"Come on, Odette," Trent whined as he moved to get back in her vision, his face twisted into what people referred to as the begging puppy face, with his pouty lip stuck out. It was not affective in any way and gave her no desire to accommodate him. She referred to it as the ‘annoying-spoiled- rich-brat-wanting-a-new-model-car’ face. "Let's daaance."

"Ay, muchachos!" Odette exclaimed. "You sound just like my chihuahua. Es patetico!"

"Get up, Odette!" He barked now, the brat morphing into the demanding spoiled rich man-who, Odette noted, was still a brat on the inside and very much used to getting everything he wanted. "We are going to dance!"

"Mmmm," She sighed, "And who's gonna make me?" The whining chihuahua was now the growling pit bull. Unfortunately for him, she had no fears of any dogs; she knew how to handle them.

Why did he want to dance with her anyway? She wasn’t an inviting presence; who would randomly just come up to her wanting a dance for no reason? Was this some sort of dare in which she was supposed to be the center of the joke? She glanced around for whoever might be watching them. She wasn’t going to become the center of anyone’s joke. If he couldn’t even get her to dance with him that would make him the center of the joke, which was where he belonged.

[Anwen]

Gillean was bored.
He had only come for his friend Aaron's sake. Aaron was a lacrosse player and party lover. While Aaron chatted with friends, Gil walked laps around the room. Oh well. At least there were a few interesting people to observe. Ones that didn't seem extremely shallow. The scared looking girl in ballet costume, her solemn male companion, the bored looking girl in black sitting on the sidelines...

[Misty]

Grabbing her upper arm, Trent pulled Odette to her feet, even though she resisted, her body limp as she willed her weight to weigh her back to the couch like a doll. She supposed that challenge might not have been the best one to issue.

“And Odette is on her feet.”

Odette glanced towards the voice, which was coming from the left, to see one of Felix’s lacrosse mates, Chase who was one of their defensive players. Was he the darer? She wondered. It seemed suspicious to her that he should come over immediately when she was up, but shouldn’t he have waited till after they danced to start laughing? He wasn’t that bad of a guy; at least he typically had a sense of humor to cover up any flawed traits. And he wasn’t bad looking either, with his copper eyes and short dark hair.

“I didn’t expect to see this occur,” Falconer, the goalie, added as he and Chase approached them.

“As a cheerleader,” Chase continued, “shouldn’t you be, I dunno-”

“A little more athletically active?” Falconer concluded.

She glanced towards the rest of the cheer squad who were giggling and talking up a storm as they jumped in and out of line dances. It turned out a line dance could be done to any song presented, no matter how fast or slow. She did envy them; they were letting loose. They were allowing themselves to have fun and enjoy a good time. It just wasn’t in her top priorities or possibilities.

It was true, she was on the squad, a lacrosse cheerleader. For anyone observing, it really was a strange position for her, with her sullen nature. But she had enough skills to be a cheerleader and certainly the ability to find rhythm, so her mother decided it would be good for her to join. She always said it wasn’t good for her to be such a loner and that she couldn’t possibly remain friendless and matchless when she became a cheerleader. Felix said it might do her some good too, possibly bring out a side of her that was more-so like his own. So far all it did for her was put stereo-types on her personality and character and dump a bundle of typical preppy-girl expectations on her shoulders.

Why didn’t she smile more? How come she couldn’t be louder? Why was she never able to get into it like the other girls? How come she wouldn’t get more pumped up about the game? Why..? Because she had no passion for petty highschool games…

It was ultimately the head cheer leader's fault she was stuck at this party right now. Jessica had been saying for the longest time that, as the team captain, Felix should host a lacrosse party. Odette had never considered the fact that it might happen, or, at least, that she would be forced to take a part in it. Should it be at anyone else's house, she wouldn't have to go. But then her mom had overheard Felix talking about how the head cheerleader wouldn't leave him alone about it, and she had instantly fallen in love with the idea. After all, she only had two kids, her twins, and both were involved in the lacrosse team. Why not host some parties for them and their friends once in a while?

Now, here she was, stuck with all these people, trapped in her own house, the place she typically went to find refuge.

[Anwen]

Aaron came over from a dance and thumped Gil on the back. "Great party! Right?"

"Yep, it's great." Gil said, unenthusiastically.

"You're not having fun?" Aaron said pretending to be hurt.

"Aaron, this just isn't really my thing." Gil answered. "I'm sorry but--"

"Nonsense! You just don't know enough people to have fun! I'll introduce you" Aaron interrupted. And, ignoring Gil's vain protests, dragged him over to a blonde teen with brown eyes and colorful makeup. "Gil, this is our head cheerleader Jessica. Jessica this is Gillean."

"Hi. Any friend of Aaron's is, like, a friend of mine." Jessica smiled and batted her eyelashes at him.

Oh. No. Now he was stuck talking to a flirt.
"Nice to meet you too." Gil searched desperately for a topic as Aaron walked away. "What's her name?" He said, pointing to the girl in black that was being forced out of her chair.

"Oh, that's, like, Odette. Felix's sister." Her eyes went starry as she talked about him.

"Who's Felix?"

"OK, Felix is that totally awesome guy over there." She said pointing to a boy with a cluster of girls around him.

[Tinuviel]

Adara strode down the street, feeling conspicuous in her vintage red cocktail dress. Her long curly hair was pinned up with a few curls escaping and a few pearl pins in the back. She wore a simple string of pearls at her neck. She quickened her step. Hopefully stopping and sending in my application won't make me too late. Adi was not particularly close to any lacrosse players or cheerleaders, and she had no idea why she had been invited. However, this could be the last party she attended before she left home. There's no other way...I have to leave home when I go to college. I don't want to act the same way that I do now. I need to grow on my own. Dara had a plan. She would find a modest apartment close to the Subterrean quarter. She would need to build relationships in the community if she ever wanted a successful practice--not in terms of monetary return, but in terms of being trusted by patients.

Adi turned into the courtyard and displayed her invitation. She slipped into the bathroom to check her appearance. Her soft, smoky makeup was still in place. She returned to the hall and gave her wrap to the attendant. Taking a deep breath as she always did before entering a possibly uncomfortable situation, she opened the door and entered the ballroom. She walked along the edges of the room looking for someone she knew. Any girls she were acquainted with were clustered together, giggling. She sat down and continued planning. I'll have to find some more suitable clothing before I leave...

[Misty]

"Just because a girl might put a new face on for a game doesn't mean she's how she might've appeared she was when you thought you saw the real her but really only actually saw the mask thinking it wasn't what it was, comprenden?" Odette answered with a tight smile to Chase and Falconer, hoping to confuse them somewhat so that they couldn't respond. "Thank you for your... assistance." She slipped out of Trent's tight-fingered grasp. "I can take it from here." Turning, Odette strode across the room towards the food table.

"But wait!" Falconer called after her.

"Perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say," Chase hissed accusingly.

"Odette!" Trent growled.

"Ay..." She murmured to herself as she kept walking and picked up a small pastry that appeared to be some sort of brownie. She supposed to be unbothered by those looking to bother someone, she would have to look as though she were doing something.

Turning Odette, scanned the floor, checking out the new looking people. There was the guy that appeared to be midfielder Aaron's friend with the sleek black hair and exotic blue eyes; with his smooth, slender face he appeared to be the type of person someone could easily talk to and get along with. Then there was the strange curly-haired girl in the crimson dress that just scurried in the door; how did she even get an invitation? Odette wondered. Back to the guy she didn't recognize and the nervous girl he'd brought; who was he and what position did he play? Could be a bench warmer or a water boy, she figured; none of the cheer leaders ever shouted the names of the sideline guys, so she typically never learned them.

It was strange: when this party had been set up, Odette had never bargained on a whole bunch of strangers showing up and walzting around her house. But she supposed the invitation was very open and extended. If anyone knew the name of any cheer leader or lacrosse player, they could potentially get in with the presentation of the name. Her mother would want her to go around introducing herself to people and getting to know them, to broaden her social life and perhaps join new groups. She sighed, settling on the fact that she would just accept herself as being too shy to go around introducing herself to strangers.

[Anwen]

Jessica had finally left him so she could go moon over Felix. He walked over to the refreshment table and picked up a tiny paper plate and placed a piece of fruitcake on it. He then walked over to the girl in black. "Hello. I don't think we've met... My name is Gillean." He smiled and waited.

[Misty]

Oh gosh... Odette pulled her half bitten brownie away from her mouth and swallowed her bite of brownie. No manches... She smiled toothlessly at the newcomer. Now there's gonna be black specks in my teeth... He'd caught her at a most awkward moment, but, as Mr. Rodriguez might say, a person's true ability to handle business situations was in recovery. She reached for a strand of hair to fuss with but then realized she didn't have any hair to mess with since it was all up tight in her French braid. Not that this was any deal to do with business...

"I'm sorry," she said at last as she covered her mouth slightly, figuring she better give him an excuse; she didn't want him to think she was rude. "There's probably brownies and everything in my teeth." She smiled, again hiding her teeth. "But I'm Odette Rodriguez, Felix's brother-I mean, no! Felix's sister. Felix is my brother, eh heh." Ay, Odette! Think before you talk! Her mother would say. "You may have heard of him; more often people have than not." Recompose.She glanced over at her brother to dodge those unusual piercing blue eyes from digging into her uncreative black ones. Cerulean, like the ocean's depths. Or the old pictures of the ocean at least. What with the city having grown up around it, it wasn't quite as blue as it once was. Neither was the sky.

Felix was now dancing with Jessica, a pleasant disguise masking his face. As team captain it only made sense to all spectators that he and the head cheer leader would be on good terms if not extensively so, and he was expertly capable at playing the part, Felix the friend of all. She was proper again. Polite. Serious. "And you're..Aaron's friend?"

[Toph]

"I need to go take care of some things," Adam told Ri quietly. "You go stretch and warm up over there." He pointed to the corner behind the dance floor. It wasn't completely hidden, as Ri liked, but at the present it was hidden slightly by all the couples dancing.

Ri nodded. "Take your time," she said as they parted. She prefered to stretch alone. She watched Adam with mild interest as he went up to a (discrp. of their dad, but idk what he looks like) man. They talked briefly, then left the room together.

Ri turned and began stretching. She began with a butterfly, just to loosen herself up. She sat with her back to the dance floor, as it was a rather embarassing view from the front. Now that her legs were somewhat stretched, she turned the butterfly into the splits. They were completely perfect, something that had taken her months of pain and strain to do. She leaned over and reached her arms out as much as possible. Then she stood and slid into the front-to-back splits. This one she would actually use in her dance. She stood again and did a few arm excercises. Turning to the dance floor so she could see what was going on, she continued stretching.

The stretching was now on autopilot as Ri watched the people. A girl sitting on a small sofa on the other side of the room caught her eye. How could she not? She was dressed in all black, as if this were a funeral. To top it off, a sharp guy was standing in front of her, obviously restraining some sort of rage. He must have asked her to dance. Ri smiled. She had probably said 'no'. He deserved it. Royales.

Adam was still not in the room, Ri decided after searching the crowds. Her worried face searched one more time, but he was still gone. When would he come back? And how long until her performance now?

[Anwen]

"Yes, Aaron is my friend." Gillean answered. "I mostly came for his sake. He comes to all the little celebrations when I do well on sports. I don't do Lacrosse. I prefer Triathlons and other one man sports."

Gil pondered on Odette. Her serious demeanor had vanished completely for a moment. She's not scared, even if I'm a foot taller than her. I just probably should have waited for her to finish chewing her brownie. The thought made him blush, just slightly.

"Sorry for introducing myself so abruptly." He blurted out.

[Tinuviel]

Snap out of it. I can't just sit here by myself all night. Adi stood up. She still didn't see anyone there she knew well enough to just jump into their conversations. Chelsea is such a sweet girl--it was so nice of her to invite me. I just wish she were a bit more level-headed. She didn't even show up to the party she invited me to! She walked slowly around the edges of the room. Everything was typical for a sports team party--clusters of teens joking around and dancing to the loud, pumping beat. There was something atypical though. As she walked around the dance floor Adara came across a girl in a ballet outfit stretching. The girl kept looking around nervously, as if she were looking for someone. She looks about as uncomfortable as I feel...looking for someone in a room of strangers.

Adara sat down next to the girl and smiled. "Hi, I'm Adara. I can't wait to see you dance!" With that she stretched out her hand. Hopefully I won't come across as patronizing...

[Misty]

"Oh, it's all good," Odette replied.

'Triathalons and other one man sports...' He was the compete-against-self type of guy. She didn't typically run across too many of those... Most fought in packs against others instead of solo against themself.

"So, running, biking, and swimming, huh? That's cool. Sounds really nice."

No people to pester him, no one to badger him unnecessarily, that would be a big change from having to get together with the cheer leaders and practice on the outskirts of the field where everyone could visit afterwards. She bet he broke a lot less bones and got a few less bruises too, compared to the lacrosse guys. Why couldn't Felix have pulled her into training for a triathalon instead?

[Anwen]

"Yeah, it's really fun." Gil answered. "My family and friends think of me as a daredevil in certain ways. Part of that might be that I do skydiving, bungee jumping, and hang-gliding." He smiled. "Of course, part of it might be about my driving." He changed the subject. "Do you have any hobbies? I don't mean to pry."

[Misty]

"Increible! You must really get around a lot," Odette replied. He certainly had the evidence of riches flooding his life. Triathalons, bungee jumping, skydiving, hang-gliding: it was stuff that took money. She doubted any Subterrean could ever hope to do one of those things, much less all of them.

"Well... I'm a cheerleader..." Lame, she had to admit. It wasn't quite her, wasn't quite beyond the depths of the outter image, and wasn't quite what she particularly enjoyed doing. But it was something she was involved in that all could recognize and most would admire. It wasn't quite a title she was proud of, but it was a title that the rest of the world liked in a person.

Besides, there wasn't really anything else that was worthy of talking about. Writing poetry-her own parents didn't even know about that. No one but Felix and Pancho, her chihuahua the passionately vengeful guardian of her room, knew about that, though neither ever read or heard it. If Felix tried she would send Pancho to take his arm off, and if her chihuahua heard he wouldn't understand. She would rather die than show anyone anything she'd written, and if they did see, she smiled, she would have to kill them for having seen too much and knowing too much.

~~~~~

Felix spun Jessica out for the finish of their dance, a clean fluid motion. He always, always ended every dance with a spin; the girls absolutely loved that, at least, that's what Odette had told him. He didn't doubt it. Girls loved spinning, and ending the dance with one left them on a good note. A lot of times, from his observations, a girl might judge a guy's dancing skills based on the amount of spinning he incorporated into the dance, how well it was timed to the music, and how good the actual spin lead was. He was a pretty decent dancer, he had to admit. Timing came naturally to him, and so did his movements as well as leading. Timidity was a big no. A girl wanted to be lead, not to lead-that is, if the guy lead well, which he did.

"Thank you so much!" Jessica grinned as she put a hand on her hip and blinked up at him. "That was amazingly fun!" She wanted another one; he could tell.

"It takes a good dancer to know one," Felix replied as he smiled, the dimples in his cheeks deepening. She wasn't bad. She sensed timing, but in his opinion she was too forceful. He supposed it must come with having to perform everything she did as a cheer leader sharply and the fact that she was confident in her movements to overly do them.

Turning, Felix glanced around the room. Cheer leaders... Team mates... Oh... He raised an eyebrow, half smiling. Odette was talking to someone, a guy. Hm...Interesting...

"Yo, Felix!" Chase called as he and Falconer joined Felix to begin talking about the last game and the next game's rival's expectations and statistics.

[Toph]

Ri hid her anxiety for the moment. She took Adara's hand and shook it warmly. "Nice to meet you, Adara." At least there was one party-goer that wouldn't boo Ri off the stage. "Thanks, that's kind of you to say." Ri paused and realised at that moment how awkward the situation was. She was in the middle of stretching, and Adara was sitting on the floor in a formal dress.

Shrugging it off, Ri stood. It's only awkward if you make it awkward, she told herself. She held out a hand to help Adara to her feet. "Are you enjoying the party?" she asked, smiling politely.

[Hwin]

Ada bit her lip as she handed her wrap to a attendent. Entering through the big doors she saw that the room was alive with lively chatter and dancing. Off to one side she noticed a dancer and a Royale girl talking together and off to another side a tall guy with a girl, who Ada noted must be Felix's sister. Inbettween was the rest of the team players and cheerleaders. Ada herself was not a cheerleader, she had only come for a friend, who didnt appear to be here. This was the one group of people Ada had most trouble fitting in with, so naturally she felt somewhat out of place. Smoothing out her long, pale blue dress, she sat down on a couch that had been pushed up against the wall.

[Misty]

(There aren't any stairs going down; they're already downstairs, and they're all in the living room where all the couches were pushed up against the walls.)

[Tinuviel]

(I only just realized that Hwin's character is named Ada and mine is named Adara...this could be quite confusing...any suggestions?)

[Hwin]

(Sorry Misty, I switched it. I could try finding another spelling to her name Tinuviel, would adding an "h" help? Changing it to Adah?)

[Misty]

(One of them could potentially go by their last name or middle name; the last name call is more common amongst guys, but I've heard it happen with a girl every now and then. Middle name's pretty common for girls to do. Or, the only way it's confusing for me is when there's Ada and Adi-one letter off. I could keep Adara and Ada straight.)

[Tinuviel]

Adara could go strictly by Adara, Dara or Dari and drop Adi. Is that clear enough for everyone?

[Hwin]

Ok, that works. (I'm really sorry about the name confusion Tinuviel...guess I missed how similar they were.)

[Misty]

(So, to turn attention back to the story, it's Gillean and Adara's turns whenever you guys are ready