2685/The Dance to Precede Beatdowns II

The Dance to Precede Beatdowns II
Date of Scene:	26 July 2015
Location:	A Quiet World
Synopsis:	Mizuki hosts the second annual Dance to Precede Beatdowns, a pre-tournament gala to kick off the World Martial Arts Tournament!
Thanks to:	Mizuki
Cast of Characters:	Kotone Yamakawa, 20, Arthur Lowell, 183, Mister Satan (TP) (Dropped), 385, 430, Blurr, 494, 554, 799, 805, 823
Tinyplot:	WMAT 2015

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Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Though the halls of this levitating castle are normally clad in a stark silence, they are now festooned instead with ribbons and curtains of the loudest colorations possible -- colors that clash rather violently with the pure white marble. Crimson banners that bear the tell-tale logo of the WMAT fly thrice down each of the long halls that connect to the Congressional, the central room of the palace which has this specific occasion been converted quite wholly into a ballroom. Those who elect to dance will therefore be allowed to do so in a room under a classical roman dome (decorated with an engraving across its interior that might as well have been carved into it by Michelangelo himself), and under the glittering twilight sky that shows through its skyward aperture. Later into the night it will no doubt show the stars instead, providing an ideal atmosphere for those more intimate, slow numbers.

    At the extremes of the 'grand ballroom' are seats, each of them padded with silk so fine as to make even the most humble of visitors feel lavish in its embrace. Then there are waiters and waitresses skittering two and fro between that room and the halls, working tirelessly to bring drinks and any other requested amenities to those who occupy each arrangement. Thankfully, they don't need to bring whole meals out to the visitors: there is a buffet against the walls consisting of quite literally every food one could conceive of and then some. Some are even segregated by their culture or world of origin: there is a Japanese section, for instance, comprised of a veritable cornucopia of sushi, just as there is a Russian corner boasting a rather hearty-looking Lapsha.

    Then, of course, the stage at the head of the room. Less a stage and more a modestly risen platform marked by a few gingerly sloping steps upward, it is not currently host to any musical 'group'. No, the ladies and gentlemen who will later provide the music fit for dance will arrive later. For now, there is only a pair of gloves dancing upon a piano -- gloves which levitate heedless of any reason whatsoever, as though some invisible man were controlling them, or some otherwise unseen mage through telekinesis. What is clear, though, is that these hands are quite deft in their play. They clink away at the keys in perfect timing and with unparalleled grace, chanting the rhythms of Chopin's Grande Valse Brillante. It will likely move into another of that composer's numbers after - say, Fantasie Impromptu if we are to be so fortunate - before it finally yields the stage to those who shall play the waltzes.

    Of course, though, not /everything/ is to be shoved into this one little corner of the world! No, very much of it is occurring outside the realm of the Congressional. Many people who were spirited away here without their own opportunity to object have fled to the many balconies that dot the exterior so that they may study the skies and and run their hands over the tops of the clouds. Oh, yes, of course! If it hasn't been mentioned before, it bears some mention that this castle lies high, high in the air; nigh to the roof of the world, and certainly where one may catch a glimpse of the world below. To the immediate North, for example, is a beautifully wrought, Gothic clocktower standing alone in the wide, wide plain. There is far more than that to see here, but pray the guests will discover much of that on their own whimsy and power.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    There are also rooms for games like pool, if you don't fancy a romantic encounter on the balconies. Or the library! There are many, many libraries here, for of course the hostess of this whole affair would not suffer to live in any region which did not possess enough of them to crush a small battalion of soldiers. For now, though, this narrator will work on the assumption that you /are/ here to socialize, in which case you would be well advised to claim a table, or a corner of the room failing that: things are starting to look quite busy around here.

    All it takes it one, short ride on a Zeppelin grand enough to be the Hindenburg. Just don't stop to think about the possible complications, and you are sure to have a delightful eve here! Ah, and as for the aforementioned hostess... well.

    She isn't going to go into one of her rousing speeches just yet. For now, she can be found toward the back, at a table to the immediate right of the stage. She has a single glass of tea in her left hand, and a complementary saucer in her right. She's gazing off into space, content to remain incognito for the time being. In her mind she rather likes to think of herself as Gatsby, at least until the moment for her to step into the limelight comes. It is somehow comforting to know, though, that that moment will be no more than what it promises to be. Sweet, ephemeral, enrapturing...

    Peh.

    She stirs her cup to break up the image of her reflection. Let's not wax poetical, now! This dance is advertising a martial arts tournament for goodness sake.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Why can't people put their castles on the ground where they belong? It seems that people are way too fond of putting their homes in crazy places that don't make sense, and there's certainly one of the Zeppelin passengers who is only too eager to get off of the ship and get her feet back onto relative solid ground. And the moment Toph sets her feet down on the 'ground', it's easy to take in the grand scale of the castle. And some of the weird stuff going on there. Then again, today is one of those rare occasions where the earthbender has actually dressed up in formal wear. The huge skirts of her dress might look better on somebody a bit more feminine than the tough teenager, and sequins and metal bangles are perhaps wasted on somebody who does her best not to be ladylike.

    For now Toph files in along with the other guests, and rather than heading for the dance floor, the oogie balconies or the libraries she heads over towards the buffet tables, a bit curious as she sniffs the air and tries to find something with lots of tasty meat.

Satsuki Kiryuin (430) has posed:
    There are two types of event to which Satsuki Kiryuin is accustomed. One is the lavish, break-the-bank feasts which REVOCS is well-financed enough to put on as if they were chump change; full of the most expensive foods and held at the most expensive locations. The other is the events held by Honnouji, which, though piddling in comparison, are still surprisingly classy, highbrow affairs because of her standards for her students and the school's funding.

    For once, Satsuki muses, she's attending something that feels more like her mother put it on than her school. And in this particular case, that's not a bad thing.

    The Queen of Honnouji nevertheless strides in with absolute confidence and authority, 'owning' the room even when she doesn't; she walks without the faintest hint of doubt that her Elite Four will be right behind her, and stops simply to listen in silence to the music for a moment or two with eyes closed. "If I didn't know any better, Jakuzure, I would accuse you of selecting the music for this feast." It's the closest she'll come to friendly teasing. But her tone of voice suggests she's rather pleased regardless.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
It's been a while since Yuna went to an actual, honest-to-heaven party or dance or the like; mostly that's because she's been a mix of busy, sleeping badly, and busy. Fortunately, her weekend tour wrapped up with time for her to wash, change, and head to the party.

Although all she really WANTED to do was collapse on her bed ... Elner wouldn't let her. The robo-faerie actually came out and said 'go to the pre-WMAT ball, relax, have fun, mingle, forget about idol singing or Savior of Light stuff.' Maybe not in quite that many words, but ...

Either way, Yuna is here, her petite form attired in a navy blue evening gown, with a white ribbon snugged around her waist as though it were a sash or a belt. Maybe her newest stage dress would have been appropriate, but that's a concert dress and not particularly meant for parties.

For the time being, Yuna is just wandering around the perimeter of the dance floor at the moment, smiling and bowing politely to the people she knows.

Mister Satan (TP) (Dropped) has posed:
Mister Satan is renowned for his rather tacky approach to pomp and circumstance. Between the bombastic fanfares announcing his arrival wherever he goes and the constant cluster of camera-toting press accompaniment, he's not exactly famous for reservation, tact, and good taste.

TONIGHT, IT ALL CHANGES!

Tonight, the World Champion arrives without a barrage of noise. Tonight, he dons no flapping cape and too-charming grin. Tonight, there is no stubble on his rugged jaw. He is smooth! He is svelte! He is supreme in not only his courage, but his grace and dignity, too! There are no spotlights, no press tour, and no camera flashes reflected in his glittering blue eyes and dashing grin!

Tonight, he is no more than a MAN! A man in a tuxedo of exquisite design and fit! A man in shoes so polished the stars shine off his toes! A man whose crimson cummerbund has to strain across only a hint of a flabby paunch! A man whose broad shoulders are lifted high enough to hoist the entire world!

Mister Satan STRIDES into the room, STRIKES a pose wherever the lighting is best, and WAITS to be noticed by all! This time, he doesn't demand attention; he lets attention gravitate toward him without any false nudges and guidance. The next champagne flute to pass his way is twirled into his hand with an elegant motion. He sips without dribbling!

/Perfect/.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    ARTHUR LOWELL is here!

    Like last time, he's wearing something more formal. Not because that's what he does, but because that's what he ought to do right now, and also because he still has one left over from when that creepster vampire kept trying to dress him up. Dude's young-looking and feminine enough that the three-piece suit doesn't really make him look smartly handsome so much as kinda cute. But it works for both purposes. It's plain black and white, bearing nothing unusual besides a little tiepin that's stylized with a small @ design. It's a contrast to his shaggy, unkempt hair.

    Thankfully, it fits in perfectly here. And Arthur's mannerisms honestly don't fit his aesthetic at all. A swaggering, brash confidence, a wide, gleaming grin, and a loud, boisterous nature all make Arthur's presence here an intense one. He's striding into the Grand Ballroom area the same way that he always does, immediately doing his damndest to bounce chaotically between social circles like some sort of weird emphatic superball.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Mizuki is the first one he goes to badger at. "MIMI!" He's wandered on over to the edge of the stage where she's sitting with her tea, not drawing her into the spotlight but definitely not leaving her alone. "Heya! How've YOU been? heard you on CHANNELS, but MAN, let's do some more HANGOUTS, haven't seen ya in a MONTH!" He grins widely. "Lookin' forward to seein' more of you with the ceremonies goin' on. You been chargin' up the SOCIAL ENERGIES for that with some ALONE TIME? 'Cause I KNOW how that shit's like."

Samar (494) has posed:
    It isn't exactly in the nature of the admiral of the Abyssal Fleet to go out and socialize with the general public. Samar's goal is absolute conquest and destruction, and chatter with those who aren't going to be her allies or serve her purposes feels more like a waste of time than anything. She lacks the inquisitive natures of Savo or Darwin, who so curiously go out and pry into what those of other worlds and people live like.

    However, to remedy her recent lack of violent assault and public appearance, Samar has chosen to represent the Abyssal Fleet in the WMAT this year. Naturally, this also involves watching any of her possible opponents and making an appearance among their number; as much as she may be a warlord, more political maneuvering and gestures of authority and confidence are not lost to her.

    The Battleship-Symbiotic Princess flies in with the others and strides into the hall with confidence, surety, and no small amount of grace. She hasn't dressed any differently for this event, but she has at least left her symbiotic hulk behind. Before reaching the floor, she stops. Bright red eyes glide across the floor and over those she recognizes as Elites. Satsuki gets a particular glance, as proud as she stands; as does Toph, mostly for how out of her element she looks in her dress, so to speak. Mister Satan is all too well-known of a figure, as well, and from what Samar knows of him, his strangely /quiet/ class is surprising enough to gain a curious stare. Strange.

    After that moment, however, Samar's chin lifts and pale fingers come to flick long black hair slightly out of her eyes. She strides over to the buffet, gazing over the selection of food with a certain stare of disdain and, perhaps, disgust.

    Human food. Ugh.

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     The ride over was a simple affair for one Xiao Li Yu. Not usually one for these sorts of events, she nonetheless decided to take the time out from her exhaustive, extensive research. The brain needed a break sometimes! Thus, word of a pre-WMAT party had caught her attention. Ah, yes, she did sign up for that event, didn't she?

     Well, no better way to scope out the competition, and see just who and/or what were about. There was no doubt that something interesting would be about. Especially with a party this...grand. The scientist had deigned to get out of her typical green robes for once in her life, instead donning a formal, ornate cheongsam. One that extended down past her thighs and ended at her ankles. A slit ran up the side, stopping below the hip.

     She owned formal clothing? Who knew.

     A matching ornate fan was held in one hand, which Xiao used to idly fan herself, as well as partially obscure her mouth, making her expression harder to discern. Once they'd arrived, she stepped off quietly, the clack of heels being the only telltale sound that she existed. She didn't make a huge show of authority or presence.

     Rather, like a ghost, she strode in out of the direct sight of most of the others, observing everyone with with a calculating, quiet gaze. So these are the people who would be attending the tournament. So she assumed anyhow. ...The multiverse was filled with all types, wasn't it?

     Well! For now, she'd grab a drink by the buffet and smoothly keeps off to the side, people watching quietly...

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    TOPH BEIFONG is also identified and locked onto. "Awwww SHIT, I remember you." Arthur says, while he's bouncing between conversation with Mizuki and the buffet. "Glad to see you went ALL OUT again and decided to put on the GOOFY PARTY OUTFITS like the rest of us. That's some straight up RARE SHIT I'm seein'." He laughs briefly, but positively. He recalled she had more discomfort about this the last time, and seems to be making a genuine effort to ease that.

Nonon Jakuzure (805) has posed:
It may be her first time, or second time, being there. However, what she'll recognize first upon arriving at the rather brilliant hall - something she is, actually, somewhat used to - is the music. "Grande Valse Brillante... well, they certainly have a taste for music."

If there is anthing she can chide them for, it most certainly will not be that.

Nor will it be the setting, for there is a ball of all things, for those interested. Clothing, settings, and food - all done well. "You flatter me, Statsuki~." She responds, a little less formally than Satsuki addresses her. "We'll see if the same can be said about the following acts." Her words strike a point as she notices one Yuna Kagurazaka on the edge of the dance-floor. "Or maybe the following act has stage-fright~."

Even when she can't hear it.

Dressed as normal, Nonon is clad in what seems to be a band uniform, or something close, as she stays besides Satsuki, judging everyone. Not very silently, however.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Somebody walks up next to Samar, and if she turns to look she will see Toph walking up with a plate, and she leans forward to pick up some chicken fingers from one of the trays. As her mouth is full of something as she's chewing, it's kind of hard to figure out just what she means when she speaks. Or tries to, at least.

    "Mfgh."

    But when Arthur adresses her she raises an eyebrow, then makes an effort to finish chewing and swallowing the food in her mouth. But she doesn't turn her head as she moves along the buffet table to find more interesting dishes to try out. "I would be worried if you didn't remember me, I'm one of the few people who are nearly as loud as you are," she points out. Oh great. The comment on her dress earns a sigh, and she mutters slightly. "You ought to see the dress she's trying to make me wear for the formal Stark family photo..." An interesting scent catches her nose, and she zones in on some chili grilled shrimp. "So are you two fighting in the WMAT this year?" she asks Samar and Arthur.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    SATSUKI KIRYUIN is luckily spared Arthur indulging in a brief moment of 'SATSUKIIIII'; instead he's giving a friendly wave to her and her entourage while he's talking at the buffet table, and a few called out greetings. "'Ay, yo, been a WHILE since I seen HONNOUJI REPRESENTIN'! Since I got..." He scratches his head. "Thrown out about the uniform thing, come to think of it." Then a wide grin. "WELL, ANYWAY, nice seein' ya! Figured you were doin' GREAT, judgin' by how your SNAKE there has been HELPIN' OUT around the 'VERSE." A thumb is jabbed at NONON JAKUZURE. "We oughta have another PARTY like that AGAIN sometime! Just, not HERE."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki does not set her glass down to speak with Arthur -- instead, she shows off a little by allowing it to levitate in the air beside her. His gravitic sensibilities may be slightly perturbed to see the liquid in the cup come rising out as though it were in the vacuum of space, but certainly her radiant, coy smile would redeem any nausea found therein. This is why she pays it no heed, folding her now-free hands together before finally speaking. "I am something of a recluse by nature;" She reminds him, "a bookworm who simply has no business 'mingling', as it were. Now I know I have certainly given people a different /impression/, but this is because I was a fresh entrant into the Multiverse! I had to make a name for myself so that I could garner the right kind of mystique." She cants her head slightly, brushing her bangs aside.

    "But you," She continues, crossing one leg over the other, "I always have time for you. I oft forget to /remind/ you, I know, but you are free to visit any time you so please. And I trust it is not difficult for one of your particular talents to make their way here, yes? And certainly no mean feat for you to find this world after you've been here so many times. But." She raises a finger, conversationally. "That's really enough of that. Asides, you're a handsome young man with a charmingly disorganized coiffure! You should be out flirting and inviting the ladies to dance. Go and prove your 'badassitude', or what have you." With that, she rests her cheek in the crescent-palm of her hand. It's almost unnatural that she doesn't include a wink.

Mister Satan (TP) (Dropped) has posed:
By the time Mister Satan's natural spotlight wanders away as a natural consequence of the party hall's unnatural beauty, he's had two glasses of champagne, and three tiny hors d'oeuvres. It's all a form of social lubrication, you see. A touch of alcohol, a whetted appetite -- why, it's just the thing a World Champion needs to get himself comfortable in these unusual circumstances.

From a balcony above, some distant camera zooms in on the swaggering hero, and takes a quick snap of his bold approach to Miss Satsuki Kiryuin and her drum major escort, Nonon. So, the champ's not without his usual coterie after all! They're just camouflaged as party attendees!

Clever.

"Good evening, ladies!" Mister Satan swoops upon Miss Kiryuin and bends his arm across his waist in a gentlemanly bow. "Miss Kiryuin! Miss Jakuzure! How pleasing it is to see you both here. Planning to compete, I assume?"

As the next tray passes by, Mister Satan takes a flute into each hand, and offers the champagne to Satsuki and Nonon alike.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    MISTER SATAN arrives, and Arthur doesn't disappoint him when it comes to drawing attention. He's ALWAYS kept up to date on pop culture, so before he bounces back from the buffet to Mizuki's table, he stops by Satan! "HEY! It's the BIG MAN himself! Yoooo! NICE, dropped the COATTAIL RIDERS and sticking to what MATTERS? I can DIG IT, bro. Hey, I'mma BOUNCE QUICK to do some CONVERSATIONS, let's TALK later! Wanna hear what your PLANS are, see if you've got any EXHIBITIONS comin' up that I gotta get ALL UP IN and WATCH." There's a quick fingergun there and he heads on back.

Mister Satan (TP) (Dropped) has posed:
The Champ is taken off-guard by Arthur's affable enthusiasm, but is quick to nod his agreement. 'Always say yes' -- that's a good business practice, right? "Plans? Hah! Indeed! Let's converse later! Dahahah!"

The distraction ends with some brief throat-clearing as Mister Satan mumbles an apology to Satsuki and Nonon.

Samar (494) has posed:
    When Toph approaches her, Samar doesn't commit too much of her to looking at the girl. A turn of her head and a downward slant of her red eyes - not dipping her head, of course - seems to be good enough for the haughty Princess. Her brow furrows slightly. "If you want me to understand you, child, then don't speak with your mouth so full," she chides the Earthbender.

    Arthur gets the next focus of her sharp eyes, but only long enough to take a few moments to assess him before Toph asks her a less-mouth-full question. "Of course I am. As the leader of the Abyssal Fleet, I must represent my sisters in combat. What better place to show our superiority than such a large tournament?"

    Samar's attention shifts to the table, where she decides she may as well try a strip of baked chicken. After popping it into her mouth, chewing, and swallowing, she makes an odd face and turns back to Toph. "And exactly what bracket will you be competing in? I doubt many people decided to come here who /aren't/ competing."

Satsuki Kiryuin (430) has posed:
    Gamagoori looks as if he's about to say something in response to Arthur - something involving volume levels that are elevated even for him, to judge by his face - but Satsuki cuts him off by speaking first. "If that was the kind of event you consider a 'party', then I assure you, you will find more entertainment at Honnouji Academy in the future." She leaves her remark at that, knowing full well she's just more-or-less admitted there will be more strife involving her academy down the line.

    With Gamagoori and Sanageyama standing beside and slightly behind her, Satsuki has nearly reached the food tables herself when the Champ intercepts. "Of course," she replies to Mr. Satan, accepting the glass of champagne gracefully. "It is ever the way of a swordswoman to test the limits of her abilities."

    Houka Inumuta has, at some point or other, managed to veer away, grab food, and find himself a quiet corner. To watch everyone from.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Another quick stop by the buffet. Then Arthur's bouncing into a conversation with Samar and Toph. Toph, specifically, gets an extremely elaborate and extremely rapid Coolkid Handshake, which involves multiple fives, pounds, slipping gestures, and ends with an elaborate flourish within two seconds. "HELL YEAH, I'll ALWAYS remember that. COMPETING? SHIT YES." He declares. "YOU KNOW IT. I'm not gonna let a chance for TELEVISED CONCUSSIONS slip by me, god DAMN, you hold a FIGHTS COMPETITION and I will be RIGHT UP IN THAT SHIT, no lie."

    He also jabs a gesture at Samar. "NICE, gonna SHOW OFF the BOAT WAYS and all? Lookin' FORWARD to it! Toph usually hits... uhhhh, what was it... YEAH! Toph usually hits BRACKET C! Same here. What's YOURS? Maybe I'll get a TASTE of that ABYSSAL SUPERIORITY, huh?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It doesn't seem that Toph is too bothered by the chiding, and well... she did clear up her mouth to talk to Arthur. "What? You don't understand mumbleese?" she half teases. Though when she realizes just who Samar is and who she represents, she does look pensive as her eyes narrow a bit.

    Rather than comment on just what she thinks of the Abyssal Fleet though, she responds to Samar's question instead with her usual sense of bravado. Or she's about to when Arthur seems to grabs her hand just as she's about to reach for some of the food. Arching her eyebrows the girl looks a bit confused at first, but well... when in Rome. "The toughest one of course," she confirms when Arthur speaks. And speaks some more. "I fought in the B bracket the first year I competed, but I didn't know metalbending back then. Placed in shared fourth place. It won't be fun if it won't be tough," she says... then resumes eating some of the food samples she's picked up. Man, this is some tasty meat!

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Time to bounce right back to Mizuki. "YEAH, y'know, that's kinda funny! Havin' to GET OUT THERE so you could make a MYSTERIOUS RECLUSE REP. Man, if shit were MORE CONVENIENT you could just GET IT without the WORK." He says, leaning back into the conversation with Mizuki. He wasn't gone more than a few seconds and he certainly heard her; he's doing that thing he always does, where he bounces chaotically around the party and talks to too many people at once. "Well I'm SURE NOT GONNA RUIN THAT, but I better get you some COMPANY sometime soon. Still got that BOOK I need to RE-READ again." The grin falters a bit into a more genuine smile for a moment, a nostalgic sort of look. "Haha, ALRIGHT, Mimi, I'll talk to you LATER! Gonna go get my MINGLE on."

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     "Hehe..."

     These people were so amusing. Content in her observations, Xiao straightened up and proceeded to step into the light of the party hall. Who to bother first, who to bother first...Ah, that one man with the funny hairdo and the goatee seemed interesting.

     She moved to approach. "Hello there! You are...Mister Satan, correct? The one running the tournament, yes?" She smiled pleasantly as she stopped before him, putting forth her simple question to start.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"Hey Toph, hey Arthur!" Yuna calls out as she migrates away from the dance floor and towards the buffet table, spotting two of her favorite fighters. Not that Yuna herself is fighting in the tournament, mind you.

As for the Confederates in attendance - Yuna isn't ignoring them; rather, after greeting Arthur and Toph, the blonde idol turns and bows formally, maybe with an excess of politeness, to Samar, Satsuki, and the Honnouji Elite Four. "Good evening to you all," she says as she straightens up, smiling politely.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa is a bit late to the party, given her most recent job, for Tyr. She'd spent part of the day just lounging around. Trying to not think about what she'd seen in that fight. Kotone was happy that was over and was looking forward to announcing fights for the WMAT again as she'd really enjoyed it. She however was a bit under dressed for the event. That doesn't last long as she sets foot in the party grounds. She'd took a moment of and a fairly flattering black dress replaced the clothing she'd been wearing. It was just something she'd be able to keep up here, yet it was something nice. Now better suited for the party at hand. She starts to explore the castle.

It takes her a bit but she does find Mizuki whose mingling with Arthur, Toph and Samar as far as she can tell. She waits for a moment finds an opening and greets them.

"You shouldn't hide your self away from the world as much as you do, Mizuki. Good to see you as well Arthur."

Samar and Toph whom she only heard over the radio mostly, get a polite note and greeting as well.

"Are you two looking forward to the WMAT?"

She'll wait for any reply before she turns to Arthur and Mizuki once more with a grin on her face.

"Maybe we should take Mizuki on an adventure or two hum there could be lost tomes out there, that might be fun to go after, before someone like Marissa dragged them off and they are not seen again."

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Arthur hits the buffet tables around when Satsuki does. He's got an intense grin as he casually eats while she speaks and even bounces between other conversations, but still clearly gives her full attention. "WELL, HEY, if THAT'S how it's gonna go, I'll probably be ALL UP IN THAT sometime soon. Long as there's NO HARD FEELINGS about it all when I get TOSSED THE FUCK OUT again." He says. He specifically punctuates that last bit by doing fingerguns and winking at Gamagoori(!!!) just to sort of nudge at him in a friendly way. Arthur is socially savvy enough to tell that Gamagoori enjoys the chance, and Arthur is definitely at least intoning it with a sort of respect for Honnouji, even if he's not planning on following its rules.

Defiant (554) has posed:
     Well, this is a party. Defiant's always hated parties. Well, perhaps not hated, but certainly never seen the point when he could be doing other things elsewhere. Important things, hero things. However, there comes a time when even tinkers need to get out and make sure that people know they're out and about and, well, human.

     In a black no-nonsense suit, Colin Wallis seems just like any other person. The cybernetic implants around his eye are, really, the only thing that might let people think that he's Defiant and not just a person - at least on physical appearance alone. At his side walks Dragon, dark hair up in a bun and wearing a sleek dress. Dragon points out a few people as the pair enter the hall - look, there's Mister Satan!

     The pair make their way over to Toph and her little area of the party. "So," Colin grunts out, looking vaguely uncomfortable. "We're here." Dragon would draw Toph in for a hug.

Samar (494) has posed:
    'Ridiculous handshakes' aren't really something Abyssals do...or know about. It's because of this that Arthur's strange Handshake Combo just gets a baffled stare from Samar before the subject changes and she regains her disdainful composure. Arms fold under her chest, and as Toph and Arthur speak, she allows a thin smile to tug at her lips.

    "Bracket C? Well, what a coincidence. Yes, as the single most powerful Abyssal in the fleet," she boasts, resting the fingertips of one hand over her heart as a gesture to herself, "I will of course be competing there. I look forward to experiencing both of your skills, assuming we manage to meet." The Princess turns to Toph, then, her smile fading slightly. "We will have to see how well this 'metalbending' works on Abyssals, hm?"

    Back to Arthur, Samar folds her arms again, watching him dart away and return. "You focus on...some kind of manipulation, I recall? And something in regards to brooms. Interesting, if my memory is correct."

    When Yuna approaches, Samar once more offers a somewhat haughty glance in return. No polite smile is given; instead, the Princess merely looks over the idol briefly. Yes, that one's caused some annoyances for the Fleet before. "Good evening, I suppose," she replies icily. "Yuna, correct? Interesting to meet you in person now. I hope you're prepared for the tournament."

    Kotone is offered a brief nod, too; "Yes, of course. Representing my sisters is always a good opportunity for me."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki waves a hand at Arthur. "Yes, the things one must do to garner precisely the right sort of attention are oft... strange, and counterintuitive. Yet I've come to quite enjoy the small part I play in things these days. Once upon a time, I had to wander, through no small application of my own time and energy mind, and manually research all new worlds I encountered. These days I can simply peruse Union archives or utilize a warpgate to land myself at the exact location I fancy. Earnestly, this whole 'interconnected Multiverse' business has made things quite convenient for me, and..." She seems to trail off, here. So instead she stops, takes a breath, and pays Arthur a final, soft smile before he withdraws from their conversation.

    "Alright then," She says. "Enjoy yourself. But I will expect you back here in due time. Perhaps when more of the riff-raff have cleared out, yes? Perhaps I'll call you out to the balcony so we might design a new constellation or some such. It would be nice to have some presence of yours here, since you can't be omnipresent. Not every is always 'already here', after all."

    There's something oddly familiar about that phrase, 'already here'. Hmm. I wonder what it is.

    Mmmhmm, yes.

    But then, he goes, and Mizuki is left twiddling her thumbs. She 'catches' her teacup and scoops her tea back into it with one quick, fluid gesture. But once she finishes this cup, she should really go and say... something. Even if it isn't anything substantial. It will be good practice for the tournament proper.

    Yes... in a little while.

Mister Satan (TP) (Dropped) has posed:
"Yes, yes!" Mister Satan chuckles at Satsuki. "And I must say -- on behalf of the World Tournament Organization, I must say how pleased we are to have the Revocs brand once again behind the tournament as a sponsor." He nods a few times to reiterate his own words. "Very pleased. Did you know, when I train, I wear my Revocs gear more often than not? You might even see me in a few commercials this tournament season!" Another beam is flashed before he turns his baby blues over to Nonon.

"I hear you're a force to be reckoned with, Miss Jakuzure! I look forward to seeing you compete! And you as well, Miss Kiryuin. Now, if you'll excuse me, I should continue to mingle before my fans become impatient!" WINK. He offers another courteous bow. "A pleasure as always! Do save room for me on your dance cards."

At that, he turns away to filter through the crowds some more -- only to come face to face with Xiao Li Yu!

"Ah!" Startled fear, or pleasant surprise? If the former, Mister Satan covers it with his signature boisterous laughter, making it hard to tell. "Mister Satan! Yes, I am Mister Satan, former World Champion and head representative of the World Tournament Organization!" Somewhere distant, the camera snaps again as the Champ bows over Xiao's hand. "A pleasure to meet you! And who might you be, Miss?"

The next tray is toting hors d'oeurves. Mister Satan takes two small plates, offers one to Xiao, and keeps one for his own nibbling purposes.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    YUNA KAGURAZAKA! Arthur gives a quick wave back, but he doesn't do the polite bows she favors, as always being just obnoxious enough to not be hated but enough to the 'the obnoxious guy'. "WHAT UP, Y to the K, been ages! Think I saw you back in that PARTY that MINI PINK there got all up in too. Sure know I HEARD ya, showed off some GREAT PIPES! I gotta HEAR 'EM outside of a GIANT FIGHT sometime." He laughs at his own joke just a little.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    And then Kotone Yamakawa greets Arthur! "KO', what up!" He calls out as he leads the talk away from Mizuki's table towards the buffet and the talk between Toph, Samar, and himself. "Yeah, she GETS OUT, but she's always better with GETTIN' OUT when there's a story she LIKES THE CAST for. Gotta respect the INTROVERSION ENERGY DYNAMICS though, yeah? Drop her an INVITE she can take when she's got the SOCIAL ENERGY for it, she'll come along EVENTUALLY. Likes us WAY too much to NOT, yo." His tone gets halfway to how it does when he's dispensing actual social wisdom for a moment, but soon shoots right back out of that zone.

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     Whoops. Did she scare him? It looks like she may have. "Oh my, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you!" An amused smile formed. "But surely, it'd take much more than that to scare the former World Champion, right?" Almost teasing in tone, Xiao moved on respectfully introduced herself in kind. "Oh me? I'm Xiao Li Yu. I signed up for this tounrament, but I actually have very little knowledge of it."

     She folded up her fan an tucked it aside, resting her now free hand against her cheek. "How many years has this event been going for now? It seems like such a big deal, so I couldn't help but be curious." A brief glance about and then her gaze settled on Mister Satan again. "If anyone can fill me in on the details, the best choice would have to be the one running the event, right?"

Nonon Jakuzure (805) has posed:
A while since they have been representing? Nonon's cheeks nearly puff out, but then he mentions he was /thrown own/. She looks to Satsuki, first, to respond - especially when she is officially called a Snake. Perhaps silenced from sheer /surprise/ even. Yet it comes to respond to Mister Satan first, "I definitely plan to. It'll certainly be a sight to watch, I like to put on a performance, after all~! I'll try to keep from bringing down the house." She remarks, "But you may want to pass out ear-plugs beforehand, just in case."

It looks more like she's entering just to tout herself, which is, honestly, par for the course. To Arthur though, she does break her silence. He's already leaving.

Nonon's left hanging with outrage, her words to fall on deaf ears. Or at least Satan's and Satsuki's. "Compared to him, the transfer student and slacker seem bearable. Like getting used to falling down stairs." She states, flatly. To Yuna, Nonon responds quickly, twisting around. "Yeah? I hope the evening stays good for you~." She really, really, doesn't mean it.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki rolls her eyes at Kotone, but she does so with a smile -- it's a surprisingly warm, good-natured gesture somehow, in spite of how those would normally come off. "Miss Yamakawa," She begins, finally facing her more directly, "I have invited a bloody quarter of the Multiverse into my home. What more must I do to convince you that I'm a dedicated socialite? Should I invite all Creation into the boundaries of the Quiet World?" She blinks a few times, but after the first several her eyes narrow. She flattens her palm and adds, "-- wait. Actually, no, don't tempt me. I would like to think that ship has sailed already, or at the least that it has been sunk by the iceberg of Multiversal Morality."

    Moving on quickly, she says, "But! Like Arthur, you are quite the young and eligible bachelorette, aren't you? Go, go -- seek some otherwhere, importune me no more." After a few seconds, she clarifies, "That comes from 'When I Was Fair and Young. A poem by the most famous Queen Elizabeth of England."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    So Samar is fighting in the same bracket. "What a coincidence. I am the greatest earthbender of all time. Would only be fitting if I fought you, huh?" she muses calmly. If she hears anything during Samar's comment regarding her metalbending, Toph doesn't show it nor act upon it. "Yeah, considering I have pretty much mastered metalbending now it ought to be a fun match if we do."

    Damnit, this year she doesn't intend to only fight one fight!

    Perhaps it isn't so weird that so many people are headed in their direction. They /are/ by the food tables, after all. As Toph hears more familiar voices she turns her head just slightly, and she takes a slight break in eating. "Heya Yuna, Kotone. And of course I'm looking forward to fighting! Kinda miss Earth Rumble VI, but that stuff is no challenge anymore," she sighs. No, it wouldn't be the same going back there. As for Kotone's suggestion? "Hey, I don't need any tomes. And I dunno who you mean." Marissa? A new person, maybe?

    However, somebody else gets a larger reaction, and Toph visibly reacts when some familiar shapes send their vibrations through the floor. The blind girl's face is momentarily dumbstruck, and she immediately turns. "Sorry guys, I'll be back..." she excuses herself, holding her plate with food in one hand and hiking up her skirts somewhat with the other... and hurries up towards Defiant and Dragon. It... it really /is/ her. The earthbender seems uncertain just what to say... but when Dragon pulls her in, her eyes widen in slight surprise. But she allows it... and sighs, a faint smile crossing her lips. "... welcome back." It will have to do for now. Now isn't the time to ask about what happened. "Glad you got Suzy here out too, he needs more socialising."

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Could there be anything quite so exciting as a room full of extremely dangerous people constrained to be nice to one another? Well yes, surely there could... such as a room full of extremely dangerous people actually trying to kill one another. Hisoka isn't so much about chaos and mayhem however. Excitement is good, but there are other pleasures too. This evening may well be a good thing for his various plans and intentions and, if it's not actually pulse-poundingly adrenaline-fuelled, it can still be plenty of fun.

    Hisoka is practically unrecognizable, if anyone were to actually know him by sight. His outfit is hardly flamboyant at all. No, he's wearing a well-tailored black suit. His hair is normal too, falling to his shoulders flat instead of being slicked back into its normal spikes. And his usual face-makeup is tastefully altered; he shows only a small red 'tear drop' under his left eye which doesn't stand out.

    He takes note of the attendees, and tries to decide who it is he wants to harrass. Er, to meet. Drifting about the place, he appropriates a drink from a waiter, having the drink go from a tray to his hands in a manner that could almost be magic. Or, well, it could be stealth and timing and nimble-handedness while the waiter was serving someone else. Who knows?

    Champagne in hand, Hisoka makes his way to who he decides must be the most interesting person here. That is to say, the Champion of the event himself. Greetings, Mr. Satan, and the lovely attendees around him. Satsuki Kiryuin, Nonon, Arthur Lowell, Xiao Li Yu. He insinuates himself into their presence as if he was always there and just happened to leave momentarily. "Quite an excellent party." he says, apropos of nothing. "I look forward to seeing more. And of course to the main event." he grins, showing teeth in a display some might consider predatory.

    "I'm afraid I don't know anyone here." Hisoka continues, speaking as if he were well-acquainted with Mister Satan regardless of whether or not that noteworthy man remembers him. "Perhaps some introductions are in order~?" he suggests. Leaving it up to anyone present whether he meant they should introduce themselves or should be introduced by the Champion who surely must know this new arrival even if he can't remember ever actually meeting him before...

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     Xiao paused momentarily at the sudden inclusion of Hisoka, whom upon looking, she did not recognize at all. She observed his probably predatory grin, and simply smiled in response. "Oh well hello there. You and I are much in the same boat it seems. I'm pretty unfamiliar with the crowd here myself."

     She gestured to Mister Satan. "I was just asking Mister Satan here about the the history of this event." A short pause followed, and then she gestured to herself, hand lightly against her chest. "As for me, I'm Xiao Li Yu. A pleasure to meet you, Mr....?" She trailed off at the end, allowing for Hisoka to fill the blank with his name.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Toph heads out, and Arthur swivels that intense social interaction back on Samar. "SHIT YES, let's DO THIS. If I see you ALL UP IN my QUALIFIERS and I KNOW what I'mma get into. Seen some ABYSSAL ACTION in the ARMIGER shit, I wanna see that HEAD ON sometime. Instead of, y'know. Friendly fire." There's a pause after that, just long enough to be awkward, and then Arthur barks out a laugh. "It's FUNNY because you guys almost BLEW ME UP!" He says, and glances on over to Toph. "Looks like she's got some HEAVY SHIT to get WORKIN' ON." He comments, matter-of-factly, and then he's back to Samar. "Saw you peepin' all up on that handshake. What, you want me to GIVE YA some SKIN too? C'mon, HAND OUT, let's do this shit." He says, jokingly attempting to put Samar into a bit of social awkwardness about coolkid handshakes.

Mister Satan (TP) (Dropped) has posed:
"Years? Why, the tournament has existed for a long time indeed! I was very young when I first competed. Not that I'm an old man now, hah!" Mister Satan winks again as if to demonstrate how youthful and spry his spirit is in comparison to his physical form. Drawing himself up a bit taller (and perhaps sucking in his stomach some as well), he continues to gush over Xiao Li Yu's questions. "We'll be in the twenty-eighth iteration of the recorded tournament, though the monks at Tournament Stadium have a rich history of competition that goes on for much longer than that. The tournament wasn't always yearly, either! Some have been held only ever four years or so. In all, the tournament has been around for at least eighty years! It's a fine tradition!"

He nibbles on his fruit plate -- and nearly chokes at Hisoka's sudden arrival. "Ah! Ah -- hkkh, gah, ahem, AHRRUM! Yes! I am former World Champion Mister Satan, representative of the World Tournament Organization! This is the lovely Miss Xiao Li Yu, and the equally charming Miss Satsuki Kiryuin, with her beautiful attendant and friend, Miss Nonon Jakuzure!"

Mister Satan gestures all around. "And ladies, you of course should know, ah -- " He coughs a bit. "Excuse me, ah -- " Cough, cough. Mister Satan gestures to Hisoka to make introductions as he reaches with exaggerated need to a passing glass of water. Gotta clear that throat!

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa says "I'm just announcing and offering up some of the prizes for the tournament myself. I'd get turned to spare parts in even the lowest level division. Still it should be good fun. Hopefully I'll get a chance to catch one of your fight live, or get to watch it later."

She seems to mean it too from her tone of voice. She's clearly excited about the tournament as a whole.

"You have a point and if not for Mizuki I'd be long gone hiding in a hole somewhere, trying to forget all of this exists."
% She has caught Arthur seems to be in a bit of a legit advice mode, so she is taking note of that.
R She also grins at Mizuki for a moment. She seems to take things at a joke but gets when things get serious.

"You make a good case that I was in terror still I would love a chance to catch up with you at some point."

This is the first time she's seen Mizuki since the salvation of her and her world. ?She pauses s Mizuki puts it an interesting way.

"I should read that at some point and yes I am, I will go mingle but I hope things are even more of a success than they were last year for you."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"Yeah, it has been a while, hasn't it, Arthur?" Yuna grins at her friend from Afterus (and from what was it, Session 412 before that?) "I haven't forgotten that I want to come to Afterus for a concert sometime - and my schedule should have a couple of openings ..." She thinks briefly. "Maybe sometime in August? Things have been a little complicated lately ..."

She glances briefly at Nonon, then smiles and gives the pink-haired bandleader another polite bow, not quite as deep this time. "I'm sure the evening will be pleasant for everyone, Ms. Jakuzure. And if you happen to take the stage, I hope to enjoy your performance - or should I say, to enjoy the performance you'll lead? I'm still not sure if you're a conductor rather than a musician yourself, I really *haven't* had leisure to settle into the audience ..."

The bit about 'earplugs' is filed away for reference, though. For now, though, her attention rotates back to Toph - mostly to wave as the earthbender heads off to greet Dragon. Then Yuna looks to Samar, her smile actually brightening. "Oh, I'm not fighting in the WMAT! It's exciting enough just announcing from the sidelines, but I *am* looking forward to seeing how everybody does in the competition!"

Defiant (554) has posed:
     "He does, doesn't he?" Dragon says, although the bright smile she shoots at Defiant makes it clear that it's something of a running joke. She lets Toph break the hug whenever she wants. "But, yes, it is good to be back. I think some introductions are in order - isn't that right, Colin? Come, let's make an impression."

Samar (494) has posed:
    "Yes, fun," Samar echos to Toph's comment, as if the word 'fun' were an alien and slightly offensive concept. "We will see how much you might enjoy it."

    Then the earthbender is off. Samar watches that for a few moments, mentally noting what appears to be a person of great interest to Toph in case this might be something useful in the future, before her stare returns to Arthur and her arms fold once more. "Armiger? That was an incident that Darwin and Wo attended, I believe? Yes, well, we are prone to broad assaults, unfortunately for you. At least you clearly have an appreciation for it."

    Handshakes? The Abyssal Princess stares at Arthur with some wariness, but...well, she's not going to cow away from social interaction /now/. Samar finally extends a pale, cold, moist hand to the God of Space, her touch feeling like she's a corpse that was just dragged out of the water after too long.

    Red eyes slant back Yuna's way, then, regarding her with that level, icy stare. "Oh. Well, that's unfortunate. I guess you just have to enjoy the show, then, while we...enjoy whatever show you put on yourself. Maybe next year?"

Nonon Jakuzure (805) has posed:
"I'm sure one of the waiters or waitresses can help you with any orders you might have~." Nonon so helpfully states towards Hisoka, but Mister Satana helps with the introductions! "I of course should." She answers Mister Satan.

Not that she currently /does/, just that she should.

"I'm sure you will, because I've got a special one lined up. It'll be a duet though. I just can't do it myself." There's a smile there, but it's not a good one. She doesn't note, specifically, what the duet will involve. That'd ruin the surprise.

Her eyes scan the buffet on the side for food - /especially sweets/, as she licks her lips. Alas, she must remain by Satsuki's side in such events, but it is because she's such a good friend! That, and she gets all the sweets she wants normally, anyhow. It's hard to pick off of those trays after all when you're so small - and she is /not/ going to speak up about that, especially.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's really Dragon's voice, and well... yeah. Joking about Defiant is part of the fun. Toph grins as she breaks the hug, sticking close to the two. "Lots of people... are either of you going to fight this year?" Toph asks. Huh. There are many people around here. And many familiar ones too.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Arthur calls out to Nonon Jakuzure, as if having heard what she said a little earlier: "STAIR SAFETY is SERIOUS BIZ, yo! I am WARNING YOU about the DANGERS OF STAIRS." But he's not injecting himself much more into the conversations she has.

    He trusts that he will be vindicated another time.

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     Xiao chuckled a hand coming to cover her mouth. "Of course you're not old! I suppose you could say you're in the prime of your life?" It sounded like she was teasing him regardless. The answer of the history behind the tournament itself is noted and a nod is given. "Ooooh. That's quite a rich history. Eighty years? I can admire the dedication put into this event. Maybe I should feel honored to have the chance to participate in such a storied tournament."

     She glanced aside at Satsuki and Nonon upon introductions, not having been paying attention to them previously. Were they entrants? Only one way to find out. She focused on the smaller of the pair.

     "Miss Nonon, is it? Are you also going to be participating in this tournament?"

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    While Hisoka primarily is interested in a person's fighting ability, he's not entirely oblivious to looks. The ladies present, well... okay, they're definitely distinctive. "Charmed." he says with that predatory grin turned up a notch. Possibly because of Mister Satan's fumbling of the introduction. He's expecting something of the sort however, since of course they've never actually met. He knows Mister Satan though, or at least has studied him somewhat. And so far... well, he's far more intrigued by the ladies. Perhaps it's just a matter of the local powers not being something he can easily perceive, but he just doesn't get the vibe from Mister Satan that he'd be interesting. He's the ex-champ however, so Hisoka's not quite willing to ignore him... just to concentrate more on the others.

    "My name? That wouldbe telling." Hisoka says playfully. This is admittedly a jerk move, since he was the one who suggested introductions were in order. So he relents. "Call me Hisoka." he says. It's not actually his name. Whatever his real name is, and if he even remembers it, is anyone's guess. He's called himself Hisoka - a play on words - so long that it might as well be his real name.

Defiant (554) has posed:
     "No," Dragon says, apparently for both herself and Defiant. "I try to avoid fighting in this body due to how necessary it is to keep it in a good condition and there's something about putting a suit in the arena that seems rather unfair. Beyond that, there's too many things happening on our world for us to take time elsewhere, unfortunately."

     As Samar watches Toph, Colin is watching her. There's something familiar about her but he can't quite place her. After all, he lost all of Armsmaster's records when he was 'retired'. But still...

     Any further reflections are taken away by introductions. Colin and 'Tess' make a few quiet introductions to those they don't know - "Ah, Arthur Lowell?" Dragon says, "I never forget a voice - it's nice to meet you." - and greet those that they do - Yuna, Kotone...

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    "Heard you JUST got off a BIG TOUR, ain't NO OBLIGATION you gotta take if you don't WANNA." Arthur says, making some friendly dismissing sorts of gestures to Yuna. "S'all good! I'll get IN ON THAT sometime, but HEY, you wanna DROP IN on HOME, that'd be BALLER, I'll MOST DEF stop by and see what the NOISE is about. Lookin' forward on that COMMENTARY too, maybe I'll STICK AROUND long enough this year to hear what ya THINK ABOUT ME." He laughs at that bit and bounces to yet another social thing.

Mister Satan (TP) (Dropped) has posed:
Mister Satan doesn't think Hisoka is very interesting, either!!!

Actually, he finds Hisoka to be a little TOO interesting -- that is to say, that creepy grin has hit a bit of a nerve, and Mister Satan's decided that maybe it's time to move on in this party? Aheming and clearing his throat as if he's STILL choking on hors d'oeurves, he mentions something about needing to make use of the facilities, or -- no, maybe that's his friend over there? Someone else he needs to meet, yes! Someone very important, without a doubt!

Mister Satan bows his way free of the exchanges taking place, and turns away to join the crowds, making a subtle dabbing of his brow with his napkin as the throng takes him out of sight.

Nonon Jakuzure (805) has posed:
Suddenly, STAIR SAFETY. Nonon tilts her head, rolling her eyes to the side, just like she tosses his warning to the side! Stair Safety? For real? She just was making a point!

Unless /someone/, /somewhere/ had the same idea she had. It must have been that. Clearly they acted on it. yes. That is /clearly/ what it must be.

Then, Xiao speaks up - to her, specifically. Nonon's eyes trace over Xiao, glancing at the woman as she has to look upwards after - not many share her size, after all. "I am, unlike last year. I had hoped a few others of the Elite Four would follow, but I'm sure they have their reasons~." It's more of a jab at them, than anything else. While she'd LIKE to take it, her goal is mostly to represent Honnouji.

"I bet you did too, right?" Nonon states, rather than asks. With Hisoka playing coyly, Nonon's gaze and body tilts towards him. "Telling, like the thing you /just did/." She exclaims, obviously taking it as well as she generally does, "I've already forgotten it though~. Like I said, 'I should know', but I just keep forgetting~. Guess nothing sticks out."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Then you have to show up for my fights, then," Toph concludes with a shrug and stuffs some more meat into her mouth, munching happily. "Do lemmie know if you need help with dealing with Jack, I won't be busy here every day, you know." Saving their world is kind of important, after all. And she can always try to schedule her fights outside of planned operations in Brockton Bay.

    She does break off from Defiant and Dragon though. "I'm going to get some more food, back in a bit!" she says as the two heads off to talk with the others. For now she needs to find something sweet if they have that. Perhaps they have fruits or cakes.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Samar's hand is unappealing, like she just presented Arthur Lowell with a snake, or a wet pinata. Arthur is completely undeterred. One inner slap, one outer slap, two pounds, vertical bumps, a double horizontal bump, one weird little finger wiggly thing, and at one point the elaborate coolkid handshake involves booping Samar on the nose. It all goes down in the span of about a second and a half and then it's done. "ANYWAY, that question you asked BEFORE, 'bout the BROOMS and stuff? SPACE MAGIC, baby. And, you know, just REGULAR BEATINGS. You guys are all about BOMBARDMENT and BIG GUNS, makes for some GREAT SYNERGY on that! If you're UP IN THAT SHIT this year, you best go full-on GIGA WING for that, yo."

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     Oh. And there went Mr Former World Champion. He seemed kind of bothered. Now why could that be? He's the Former World Champ!

     Well then.

     Xiao ceased following the retreating man with her eyes and turned, settling on Nonon again. She wasn't quite that tall. Five Three. Shorter than most people here. But still! "Well, in that case, I'll look forward to seeing how you perform, Miss Nonon." Pun not intended. ...Probably. Maybe. Perhaps.

     She smiled wryly and nodded. "Yes, I did. I'm curious about the spread of powers and abilities to be found in the Multiverse. What better way to find out then to have first hand experience?" Or so she said anyway.

     Xiao's gaze shifted over to Hisoka and his coy act. "Oh dear. Well then, Mr Hisoka. If I don't have a name to call you, then I'll just have to refer to you as the Mysterious Grinning Man. Does that work for you?" But she just said his given name. Har har, what a bunch of jokers we have here.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    "Mysterious Grinning Man?" Hisoka asks, clearly amused. "I like that!" he adds, allowing his grin to ease off a little. It's no longer quite so predatory a smirk, though he's still both enjoying himself and still subtly malicious. It's more that he's acknowledged Xiao and, while he's in no position to actually cause her harm, there's no telling what his interest might lead to at some other time and place. "I think I might look forward to seeing you fight." he says, apparently serious.

    Hisoka glances around after taking a drink from his glass. "Hmmmm. Seems some people have left us. As if they were fleeing." he says. "My, what did you do to scare them, I wonder~?" he asks Xiao, teasing. "Perhaps we should find others, see if we can make them flee as well~?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    After seeing Kotone off with another smiling nod, Mizuki rests her head on the back of her chair, staring intently to the ceiling. She briefly reflects on all that's happened since the last WMAT -- the near collapse of her world, the friends she's made, all the events on Priscilla's world... really, no matter how old one gets, one should never discount the impact a single year, or even a single moment, can have upon a person. It feels almost surreal to return to all this flair, all this extravagance, after sequestering herself in the deepest fathoms of the far humbler shack that floats amid the stars on the outskirts of her world. It feels like a callback to her 'youth', almost; she is not the sort of entity that could have properly had a childhood, but she still feels as though these 'parties' occurred in another life, another reality entirely.

    But! As she said before, this is no time to wax poetical, and by extension there can be no time either for waxing philosophical. So she at once jumps to her feet, the slight heels of her boots landing against the floor with a click loud enough that it may well draw the attentions of those in her immediate area. She strides up to the stage immediately afterwards, at which point the pair of gloves, as if in silent recognition of her, cease to play the piano. Instead they fly to the edge of the stage and wave themselves down continually, as if to request a temporary silence. After summoning - for really, there really is nothing else to call it if not that - a microphone into her hands, Mizuki would do the same.

    "If I may briefly have your attention~!" Mizuki asks as many times as she needs to, though considering the impressive volume of her voice, it isn't likely to take very long. And when all has finally become quiet, once as many eyes as possible are trained on her small form, she begins her address in earnest:

    "First, I want to thank you, people of the Multiverse, for being so kind as to attend this, the Second Annual 'Dance to Precede Beatdowns'. This event was conceived on almost precisely this same day last year, at which point I was a newcomer to the Multiverse. Thanks to your help, however, and the generosity of our own Mister Satan, my integration ended up being a swift, even enjoyable period of my life. The World Martial Arts Tournament played a massive role in this by allowing me to share my voice with all of you, that I might highlight the incredible deeds of those warriors brave enough to stand upon the tournament fields. So now, I will thank you again: for making me feel so welcome here, and for allowing me to be a part of such a time-tried, galvanizing tradition. Thank you, for allowing me to be your hostess, and your Master of Ceremonies!"

    She stops briefly in case there any applause, and to catch her breath. When she continues, she does so thusly: "However, I would like to take this moment to briefly recount some of those incredible deeds from last year. Oh, and I do remember many of them. One of which I was allowed to personally attend and speak on was a fight between Dark Matter and, of course," She lays her hand flat, cuing a spotlight which shines down upon a certain someone, "my own, good friend, Arthur Lowell. In that fight, the two of them literally broke the physics of the stage. They rose the tiles and bricks of the stadium! They nearly decimated the very fabric of reality! At one point, Mister Lowell even transformed himself -- himself, his own body -- into a miniature black hole! /These/ are the kinds of unfathomable displays that make this tournament such a thing to behold. /These/ are the sorts of actions that inspire, that entertain, that burn themselves into your memories that you might never forget them. And though my friend was not ultimately the victor, he fought until his very last breath -- and with that last breath, placed a headbutt into the gut of Dark Matter."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "So this year," She continues, "I challenge you - ALL of you, competitors - to outdo them. Never give up, even and especially when you believe you have lost! Show these good people who travel across universes and time itself to see you what they have come for! Strike fear and respect into the hearts of your competitors, and leave your same brand of excellence upon the souls of the youth who will one day, for your demonstrations, be inspired to take up your mantle in the ring! Continue to outdo, continue to outlast, and continue to fight!"

    "But of course," She raises her index finger as she strolls across this stage, "I know that no every one of you can participate this year. And I want you to know: you, the viewers, are as integral to this parade of prowess as those men and women you see in the ring? For who would they be without your cheers and faith? What would this tournament be, if not for your attentiveness, your dedication, you zeal and respect for those who fight? You know as well as I that, while they would still be pinnacles, paragons, that they would not be able to fight with the same heart. It is YOU who embolden these people and make them their best. It is YOU who are the strength behind their flaming fists, their lasers, their dark matters blasts. And it is YOU, just as much as them, who make the dream of the WMAT a reality! So thank you as well, viewers, friends, and retired warriors, for being here, and for sharing in this joyous occasion with me."

    "Lastly," She looks out to the crowd, "I would like to wish all of you luck. ALL of you - everyone last one of you who compete - are exceptional, but not everyone can be fortunate enough to win. One such person who was not allowed to progress as far as she might've hoped last year was Miss Toph Beifong, but I believe that, this year, she will make a comeback. I believe that this year, her earth-shattering strikes will lead her to glory. And even if she is not victorious, I know that she will astound us all. So to you, Miss Beifong, and to all those who are returning this year for another attempt, I salute you for your courage, your persistence, and your dedication toward the martial craft. Godspeed to all of you! May you be as successful as you wish to be and infinitely more."

    "With that," She says, "I will take my leave of this stage. Anyone in this audience who would like to demonstrate some of their talents may now do so, or if our own Mister Satan has words that he would like to share before the commencement speech, then you are all very welcome to do so. But for the final time: thank you! You are the heart of the WMAT! You are the very spirit of resilience, of strength, of showmanship! And it is YOU who will carve the future of the Multiverse!"

    And with that, she slinks off to the same table as before. Oddly enough, she seems to disappear as suddenly as she had come.

Samar (494) has posed:
    To her credit, Samar does her best to keep up with the Coolkid Handshake Arthur tosses at her. She manages not to look terribly awkward, given that she at least saw what he did with Toph, but it's not the prettiest sight. Especially when he boops her on the nose; the death glare he gets after that is where most of her effort goes, and that's enough to sink the proudest battleship.

    Once that ordeal is done with, her arms fold firmly over her chest again, and she lifts her chin slightly to look down at Arthur. "You won't have to worry. I intend to demonstrate the full power of the Abyssal Fleet, and why I, the Battleship-Symbiotic Princess, serve as their undisputed leader. You will get the chance to enjoy the /full/ bombardment of every single gun I possess if we happen to cross paths. You and whoever else stands in my way to victory."

    Samar gives a short huff of pride at that. "Now. I have other places to show myself. Good luck in the qualifiers, assuming we meet."

    And with that, the Abyssal Princess strides off toward some other part of the room, likely to settle in proud-looking silence and listen to Mizuki's speech.

Nonon Jakuzure (805) has posed:
Nonon follows the retreating Mr. Satan as well - that was the champ, huh? Well, he surely wasn't as big as Gamagoori - but then that is a /terrible/ way to keep track of people's height. Just about everyone wasn't Gamagoori.

As Xiao responds, Nonon nods. "Exactly~. You have to be ready for anything and everything. I hate to agree with Doggy, but he's right about a few things." She declares, leaning against a table. It doesn't slide - she isn't that large, or heavy.

"Also, I'll be sure to make it unforgettable - I'll have a fresh audience I'll be sure not to let down." Of course, she doesn't hint to Xiao to wear ear-plugs. It'll be important, and unforgettable, when things start.

Yet Nonon isn't alone at talking down to Hisoka - or at least verbally lashing in response! He focuses on Xiao's, specifically. Nonon entirely ignored by him. Her mouth opens - but her stomach speaks, the girl taking this time to slip away and begin to chew away at the Buffet. It is her time, now!

It's a long speech. During the long speech from Mizuki, Nonon listens - but is carefully placing near everything sweet on the plate she is hefting. Common decency claims she should listen through it and not focus on the food. She might be that hungry, though.

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     Xiao pressed a hand against her cheek, averting her eyes in a show of feigned embarrassment. "Oh my. My fighting is nothing special. I just do this and that, and sometimes it works out." So she said, clearly downplaying her abilities, if only for her own amusement. Her gaze settled back on Hisoka after taking a glance about. Yes, a few notable people had taken their leave. Probably to other parts of the castle.

     His accusation got a smirk out of her, and she raised a finger, bringing it to her lips. "What did I do? ...Why, that would be telling~" She responded, using Hisoka's previous jab against him. "Making others flee? That sounds like it could be an entertaining pasttime. Perhaps--" She was cut off from her conversation as Mizuki took to the stage and rattled off that considerable speech.

     Xiao had fallen silent in the meantime, respectfully listening to it in it's entirety. Once it was over, she settled a hand against her cheek once again. "...My, it sounds like the tournament last year was truly something to behold. I'll have to take every precaution I can..."

     The retreating Nonon gets a wave, and then Xiao pauses to consider what to do next. She saw some interesting people tonight for sure. It was worth coming out here after all.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa was not expecting an greeting from the pair of Defiant and Dragon She smiles and returns the greeting.

"Good to meet you both. I'm Kotone Yamakawa, I think I seen you on the news at some point. I admit I don't end up dealing with local group of Union elites as much as you might expect someone in my line of work to do so."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Ugh, speeches can be so boring. So while Mizuki is talking about the WMAT and fights and whatnot, Toph is busy as she snoops around the buffet tables some more. At least she is until she hears her own name being mentioned in the speech.

    "Huh?"

    Sure, Toph has looked far more refined than she does when she jerks her head around... and with some sauce smeared around her mouth. Yup. She's everything but earth shattering right now. Luckily she isn't too concerned about appearances nor doesn't care what most people think of her, otherwise she might be object to being drawn attention to. On the other hand, she is used to being in the spotlight due to being adopted by one of the most famous people in the world she's currently living in. So when Mizuki wishes her luck she raises her hand slightly and nods, finishing chewing the food in her mouth. Yeah yeah, thanks. She intends to kick much more ass this year than she got the opportunity to do last year!

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna grins at Arthur's latest rejoinder, then turns her attention to collecting some munchies from the buffet table. She's keeping an ear generally perked in Nonon's direction too, plus staying relatively alert for other conversational bits aimed her way ...

But then Mizuki gets up on stage and begins making a speech, to which Yuna listens attentively while she's eating. Since Yuna isn't fighting in the tournament, she's not sure how much of it is directed to her, but that's no reason to simply ignore a speech that the speaker has clearly put a considerable amount of thought and work into.

She sets her plate down to applaud at the conclusion of Mizuki's speech, then retrieves it long enough to finish off the last of her hors d'ouvres before depositing the plate with other dirty dishes, making sure her own hands are clean ... and heading up to Arthur, lingering at a slight distance until a chance comes to slide into his web of conversations.

"Hey, Arthur? If I'm not interrupting ... um, would any of your friends back on Afterus try to have me assassinated if I asked to dance with you?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki's Authorial Foresight tingles mere milliseconds before she can sit back down. And why? Well, naturally, it's because Arthur is being assaulted. She rests her hand on her table, shooting the Godkid a distinct sort of smile.

    'I dare you, dude.'

    Granted, she would never say dude, but you get it.

Blurr has posed:
    If Toph is still milling about the party in the floating castle, she'd probably feel a familiar presence outside, probably on the roof or something. Hopefully that roof is pretty sturdy, because Blurr is on top of it. Thus, while she may be surprised by the mention of her own name in Mizuki's speech, she's likely not too surprised when the Autobot's holoform appears next to her. "Well Rocket Bullet, it sounds like you're the favored one this time around."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's easy enough to sense the presence of a large Autobot outside. It's much harder for a blind girl to see the holoform next to her. But she does hear him, blinking in slight confusion as she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. "Heya Speedster," she greets him. And his words earns a slight huff. "I don't intend to go easy on my opponents this year, I have a reputation to defend and some bending to do." Sure, she might not win nor advance to the final rounds this year either, but she's fully aware of that. It doesn't mean her confidence won't be mistaken for bragging. "What about you? You fighting?" she asks as she heads on down the tables and towards the other groups.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    When the spotlight comes down on Arthur Lowell, he's not having any trouble. He makes sure to carefully calculate every single motion such that he's always in a cool, relaxed-looking position. It takes a lot of effort. He does beam a grateful grin at her. This is all while, and in spite of, Samar getting ollies outie of the conversation. he does give her the full attention, though, and at the end of things, he does applaud. Being singled out for praise is both energizing in a great way and cultivating some anxiousness, but it never really gets unhappy. A solid round of energetic applause, loud and intense enough to ring above the average but not so loud that it's offensive rather than annoying.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka looks up, a slightly pained expression on his face as Mizuki makes her announcement. Non-fighters don't interest him much. A fighter groupie... that's the sort of thing that would normally annoy him. The content of her speech gets his attention however, almost despite himself.

    Hisoka's attention is first drawn Arthur's way as the Godkid is set up so wonderfully as a force of overwhelming power. Curious, the magician studies the unlikely fighter. An unfathomable display of power indeed. He's not sure he believes it... but then, that's the beauty of the Multiverse. The unbelievable is merely rare, not impossible. And perhaps... perhaps this boy might be interesting, should Hisoka be able to find a bit of leverage to pry at him.

    Arthur is intercepted, however, by Yuna. Really, that makes it unlikely Hisoka's going to be able to approach the godling. He makes note of her however. She might be interesting at some point. As leverage perhaps, if nothing else. Instead his attention's drawn to the other fighter mentioned. One he's actually met. Toph Beifong. The so-called greatest earthbender of all time.

    Hisoka briefly returns his attention to his current companion, Xiao. "Ah, yes. A shame I wasn't able to participate in the earlier tournaments. That would have been... enjoyable." he says agreeably. "By all means, take precautions. I look forward to the matches." he adds in farewell as she sets off. Whether he means her matches, his own matches, or just observing the tournament in general... who knows?

    Hisoka sets off in search of Toph. This shouldn't be hard, since despite her size and general hideyness every eye in her immediate vicinity no doubt turned to her when Mizuki spoke of her. That sort of thing is unmistakeable to someone like Hisoka, so he finds himself heading to intercept her as she heads away from the buffet. He finds her too, just in time to hear her speak of her reputation.

    "You don't intend to go easy on your opponents this year? Have you ever?" Hisoka asks her, butting in seemingly from nowhere. His tone is bantering but not outright mocking. Of course Toph's likely to 'see' him coming, and it's unlikely he'd fool Blurr's senses either without doing something exceedingly clever. He's not trying to hide or deceive however. His coming out of nowhere is more a social ploy than an actual attempt to be mysterious or sinister.

Nonon Jakuzure (805) has posed:
Stuffing her face, Nonon thinks she /could/ play some music - but the hands are doing that well enough, at the moment, honestly. Instead, she engages in some good old people watching - such as Hisoka, with that creeps grin, that makes it look like he's almost preying upon strong fighters instead of anyone or thing in particular.

She shrugs and continues to chase the sugar high.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    And then, here comes Yuna. After driving off Samar with his shenanigans -- "DAMN, yo, that's a scary DEATH GLARE" -- Arthur does have a free moment, and Yuna swoops in! "Uhhh." He starts. Once more, this year, he has this intense reaction. RED ALERT, RED ALERT, GIRL ASKING TO DANCE. His forced coolkid-isms now seem to crack a bit at the surface, and his more authentic intense dorkish insecurity threatens to rear its head. Is that a sweatdrop??? But there's Mizuki, off behind Yuna, wordlessly daring him to go along with it.

    "UHHH. Well SURE! Probably. Elsa would PROBABLY try to KILL YOU, but HEY, I'll make it WORTH an ASSASSINATION or TWO if y'want." He says, drawing on reserves of coolkidisms to act as smooth as possible and offering his hand to Yuna.

Blurr has posed:
    "I am, yeah." Blurr replies to Toph's question. "First time, never got the chance to before. I was always stuck on some other planet or something." The avatar walks with her as they chat. Then Hisoka suddenly approaches them. He's made a good point with that question, though. "He's got a good point, I find it a little hard to believe that you actually -did- go easy on anyone in a competition like this."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Oh, that's great. /That/ guy. Toph is not surprised when he seemingly appears out of nowhere, because he doesn't. It's just that Toph wasn't aware that it was /him/ until he spoke.

    "I never go easy on anybody, not even my students." There's a slight pause. "/Especially/ my students," she corrects herself. If somebody wants to learn from her, then they better well be ready to break a bone or two to prove themselves worthy of being earthbenders! Blurr's response to the newcomer though... that makes Toph sigh. "He's joking, Speedster."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"Eheheh ..." Yuna grins ruefully; she was asking THAT part mostly in jest. "Well, I'm not trying to steal you or anything, just borrow you for a dance. And since neither of us actually brought a date ..."

She holds a hand out, offering it to Arthur for him to lead her onto the dance floor. She *is* blushing just a little, but Arthur's just a friend as far as she's concerned, and she's not looking to make him more than THAT unless he's willing and not otherwise attached ... and Yuna is still on record as declaring Polylina to be her 'one and only'.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka takes note of Blurr, assessing, evaluating. Blurr seems interesting, if not wholly as human as he appears. He is not, however, quite as interesting as the little Earthbender who he knows is a potential opponent in his bracket. "I hope if we meet in the tournament, you'll go easy on me." he lies.

    Hisoka lies beautifully, in fact. He lies in such a way that he makes it quite clear he's insincere... that he wouldn't want her going easy on him for any reason. It's a lie, in short, that he doesn't want anyone to believe to be the truth. Still, his WORDS at least make it sound like he might be a little in awe of this potential champion. It's just not clear if he's playing or if he's mocking her.

Nonon Jakuzure (805) has posed:
Ponders if it would be worth it to take the stage simply to ruin Yuna and Arthur's dance as a slight to Yuna by playing something entirely off - but with Satsuki there, she decides mostly against it, wiping her mouth off of the sweets provided - whatever they were, they are not now. Except delicious.

Man that guy is a jerk, she thinks. Which is honestly high praise from Nonon.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Arthur rolls his eyes in a friendly way. "Try tellin' that to HER, tell me how long it takes 'fore she starts trying to DUEL you, huh? Seriously, don't let anyone hear about that, she'll try to have a gunfight with you." He takes the hand. He's not expecting anything more himself. He's just secretly the kind of nerd who always overreacts to this sort of thing, even when it was Mizuki doing it last year.

    For now, he gets to dancing. Luckily, it's one of the things he's dedicated literally thousands of years to study of, and is something that a Mage of Space can naturally do. So aside from some weird social aura, he'll be fine!

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    ... okay, she can't be the only one who heard that those words were a lie, right? Toph has an outright deadpan look on her face. Just what is the deal with this freak anyway? The blind earthbender narrows her eyes some. "If we meet in the tournament... well, you'll see," she opts for with a shrug. No. It's not the time to let herself get riled up by annoying guys like that. So she continues on with Blurr. Nope, she doesn't feel like being mocked. And since they should save fighting for the WMAT, let's do the other sensible thing. Don't let him irritate her.

    "So what bracket you in? I'm in the C bracket myself," she continues as she talks with the Autobot.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Honestly? As long as whatever music is playing is something that Arthur knows how to dance to and that Yuna can keep a beat with, she doesn't entirely care what the music is. (There's SOME caring, she has her sense of aesthetics, but as far as a dance with a friend goes, she'll deal with whatever.)

For now, she grins and nods to Arthur, saying, "Right, our little secret," and follows him onto the dance floor. If any idol news publications (paper or web) from her world get wind of this, Elsa might not be the only problem she has to contend with - but she can claim, correctly, that it was a general public social occasion, that Arthur is just a friend (albeit one whom she's fought alongside a few times), and that nothing deeper should be read into it.

Meanwhile, Elner (who did indeed come with Yuna, just hasn't been lurking nearby her like most of the time) starts paying a bit more attention in case of papparazzi in the crowd.

Blurr has posed:
    Blurr's avatar quirks an eyebrow at Hisoka. Seriously? "Sorry pal, but Toph isn't the type to go soft on people." She'd just made that pretty clear. "Besides, wouldn't you want to know you won on your own merit and not just because someone let you win?"

    He looks back to Toph to answer her question. "B I think."

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka just smirks at Blurr's remark, not bothering to hide his reaction. "Really...? I thought this was a friendly competition. Not one where people are supposed to use their most lethal attacks." he says, a hint of challenge in his otherwise amiable tone. For some people of course, they aren't necessarily holding back just because they're fighting non-lethally. For others... well, even Hisoka has his limitations. He's probably not the only person who'll have to make special effort to play nice.

    "Win or lose..." Hisoka says, in that cheery tone that doesn't do much to convince others that he's 'nice'. "... I look forward to the fights." he finishes.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Oh great, Blurr isn't human, so lying and other stuff might not be too easy for him to pick up. And well, this guy seems a bit subtle too. The way he lies is really direct, and well... honestly it's different than what she's used to dealing with in most people. "Speedster. He was lying," Toph says, then turns her head just slightly. "It's a friendly competition, at least when it comes to the rules. No killing, no bloodbath. That doesn't mean we have to act friendly with our opponents," she adds to Hisoka.

    Though indeed... the WMAT is always something to look forward to.

Blurr has posed:
    Blurr looks a bit surprised. "Friendly? Heh. Maybe. I guess that depends on who I'm up against." Because if it's a Decepticon or anyone allied with a Decepticon, then it's definitely not friendly, even if he's not allowed to actually kill them. Still, it's a good opportunity to learn more about his opponent's moves. Or even to fool them into underestimating him when it came to a real fight.

    He chuckles at Toph. "You're really good at that aren't you? Can you tell when -I'm- lying?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Of course I'm good at it," Toph says, not elaborating further on it. Though at his question she shrugs. "Do you even lie to begin with?" Time to mingle with some more people before it gets too late.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa had been just moving about the party meeting up with folks and now spots Blurr. Whom she comes in on, she's far smaller than he is but she seems not put off by the size differnce and she's also wearing a very flattering black dress. Not that this would mean much to a transformer.

"Having fun, Blurr?"