The Pompa Sanctum Parade

The Pompa Sanctum Parade
Date of Scene:	11 February 2013
Location:	Palumpolum
Synopsis:	Jihl Nabaat runs the Pompa Sanctum Parade. People show up, talk, dance, and terrible things occur as the pagent for the win of the War of Trangression goes on.
Cast of Characters:	Zeke, Deidra, Maira, Kaydin, Maximilien, Emi Dennou, Jihl Nabaat, Ariel, Margaux Fleury

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Jihl Nabaat has posed:
The Pompa Sanctum (or Pompa Sancta, depending on what party member you're talking too) Parade, is summarized simply as a commeorative event celebrating the final win in the War of Trangression - symbolizing the win Cocoon had over Pulse. However...

With the fall of Cocoon to the Heartless, it commemorates a time before, when more than just a war had been won; but now it commeorates the ability of the people who lived there to always rise up and win. In a way, it's a blaring declaration to the world that they will not give up.

This is why Jihl Nabaat volunteered to head the 'parade', not that it's really a parade; while the Primarch, Galenth Dysley, does show up to make a speech, the big event is more of a ... show. Really.

Nighttime falls on the futuristic city - many children and teenagers point up to the sky, where there stands a large, glowing spiral, ringed with a clock-like interface of metallic plates circling around it. Dozens blue-green glowing orbs encircle it, providing the light to see the script; it starts at twelve, and goes down to zero.

It starts ticking; as it passes the plates, crowds cheer, and the plates start spinning.

Jihl herself stands at the front of the crowd, her head tilted upwards as she watches the plates spin.

Zeke has posed:
Zeke wasn't here for the history or the culture. Granted he viewed culture as important but what drew him was a request from his ship's cook. Five foot nothing oriental man that seemed to apologize for everything. He kept out of everyone's way, fed the crew food that you would swear was from the Gods on High, and he was very insistent they come here.

It wasn't an unreasonable request. So Zeke had most of his crew help the man set up a booth, procure foods, and hey one chef pushing a cart full of yummies around.

For his part Zeke was merely mingling with hte crowd. He only had a few guns this time rather than the bandolire of 'em 'round his neck. His sword was belted on of course. He never went anywhere without it.... and as always his coat helped keep most of it hidden. He was just mingling within the crowd, an obvious forgiener enjoying the festivities as best he can.

Maximilien has posed:
Parades are big, social, loud events. You don't go to a parade if you want to hide; you go to a parade to be big, loud, and social. You go to a parade for a spectacle, for people. Some people go to a parade to pickpocket, but they're little thieves, petty thieves.

Maximilien Amadeus Renaud-Sylvianne has already broken the finger of at least two pickpockets today. You don't steal from a phantom thief, not even in a crowd, not unless you're also a phantom thief - and pickpockets hardly count.

All in all, it's been a pretty relaxing parade. Max has been making his way up to the front of the crowd steadily, parting his way through people; he's rather noticeable, given he's probably the only person there wearing something as outlandish as a black gold-lined cape and bright white tuxedo. It's definitely not normal Palumpolum fashion, that's for sure.

Ariel has posed:
Ariel was getting a little tired of seeing nothing but nighttime, so, on advice from the locals, she caught a ship out of Traverse Town to another port. She had no real destination in mind, so any port would do, but someone had an advance tip about this parade. She's seen parades underwater. But never /walking/ parades, so she is sure this will be great.

She's almost disappointed to see that it's getting on nightfall when she arrives, but, surely morning will come. Just a face among the crowd, and apparently alone, Ariel drifts her wide blue gaze toward the ticking clock. The sight takes her breath away.

Maira has posed:
Maira had really just come here on a whim, following a streak of wanderlust. She'd gone off on her own, oddly enough just not bothering to ask anyone else to go with her. Every now and then she had to branch out, experience new things, meet new people.

Of course, Uist is with her. His presence makes people unconsciously give her some space. It is the chill air, the sense of energy that makes a person's small hairs stand on end. The presence of a ghost.

Maira stands and watches, curious, dressed in her fireproof clothing in case she happened to run into trouble. Now and then her eyes scan the crowd, but so far she hasn't found anyone familiar.

Emi Dennou has posed:
Dennous, being relatively small, can probably blend in a lot easier regardless of what they're wearing. But even so, some people prefer to stand out. And one question on the Network's mind is 'why is Maximilien standing at the front of the crowd as obviously as that?' Is that the wrong question or the right question, well, they aren't sure yet. But Emi approaches him all the same. As is typical for Dennou outings--or Dennoutings for short--there is another Dennou in the area. This Dennou is Shida who has always wanted to see a ridiculous parade that is totally ridiculous. Shida, by nature of not having an easily mistakeable name with the others, and also by a bit of being the one Dennou that had actually been brought back from the dead*, as far as Network members go--she always feels a bit left out, despite the Network's best attempts to reintroduce them. Even her dialogue quirk has changed.

She sneaks up by Maira first, whom is slightly easier for her to recognize than Ariel. She says, "Hello Maira, Shida of the Network is excited for the parade, how about yourself?" She looks around a bit before adding, "Busy... Shida of the Network has not seen many cities as advanced as this since the Fall of her world."

Emi, meanwhile, approaches Max from behind. She doesn't say hallo or anything just yet. Perhaps she's testing Max for German Ninjitsu.

Deidra has posed:
Prarades are interesting, seeing new worlds are also very interesting. Still she'd taken some effort to hide her nature. It was a cloak sure but it would help hide the obvious, wings and tail. SO here she is to enjoy the parade and just have a little bit of fun, and thankfully it is about nightfall anyway on this world so she shouldn't have issues with her sleeping problems. Seriously turning to stone how the heck does that work, not even she really knows. Maira and one of the netork are and she grinss a little bit. Though keeping herself hidden. "I was curious about this parade I couldn't help but come good to see a few friendly faces here."

Jihl Nabaat has posed:
As the clock ticks down to zero, small compact-disk light items fall down out of the sky. Grabbing one entails the ability to see the circular engraving on it, and each one contains a hologram of the eidolon Carbuncle, spouting off such phrases as, "It's party time, little lady!"

They go up into the air, forming a gigantic blue ball, before they scatter in a circular way, revealing a blue field of holographic light, with the eidolon Siren playing a harp in the middle. The music is enchanting, beautiful. Dozens of blue women, which look like the Eidolon Shiva, dance around in circles, creating the rest of the holographic field.

The music builds, a strange tension lying within in, as small red, fire-like holographic meteors fall out of the sky, impacting with the water-field to form blooming orange circles. She looks to her side as she hears someone walking, giving Max a half-smile and a friendly nod. "It's starting." She says, pointing up into the sky, like so many others. "The war."

Zeke has posed:
Now then crowd. People. Zeke telling some punk off for trying to make off with his money. Oh hey redhead in the crowd. He bumped his way from here to there and in time he cleared his throat. "Miss Ariel?" Questioning voice, mostly because he wasn't sure if that /was/ her or not. "Nice to see you out and about. Liking the festivities so far poppet?"

Aaaand then the fireworks, spinny things, lights, Noise... and Zeke hasn't seen anything like this. ERgo he's staring like a slack jawed idiot. Then when the 'monsters' and other sorta there things started doing pantomime reenactments he shook himself. "I care not if it's magic or some other techno sorcery... this was worth seeing."

Maira has posed:
Maira's eyes go wide, her lips parting in wonder as she watches the spectacle before her. She's never seen anything like it. Truly amazing.

She doesn't notice Shida's approach until she speaks, startled by her sudden appearance. "Oh! Shida! Hello! It is nice to see you....it really is something, isn't it? I have never seen something like this....its beautiful. Like a movie but....its right there," she breathes.

Ah Deelel is there too, who she knows vaguely. She smiles and waves lightly in greeting.

Ariel has posed:
Ariel watches the show with great interest. The way it floats and spins reminds her a little of a concert in Atlantica.... but, it's very different, isn't it, with the air, and the dancing, and the dancers with their great long legs. She clasps her hands.

If there is... some kind of war on, she has no idea. She's wondering about the musical instruments, and how she could get her hands on one. Her attention is so absorbed in this she doesn't see Zeke coming up behind her until he says her name. "Oh!" The redhead turns around. Yes, it's her. "Yes, it's wonderful! I've never seen anything quite like it."

Maximilien has posed:
"Bonjour, Petite." Max doesn't even turn around, but he does smile; he totally knows she's there. Perception was the essence of a Phantom Thief, after all! A thief who didn't pay attention wound up poor and dead; a thief who knew how to pay attention found the best routes and the best tricks. Max reaches the front of the crowd, his hand sliding into his pocket.

"And bonjour to you as well, ma chere," Max replies to Jihl, tilting his head downwards. "The parade is lovely. An excellent spectacle, to be sure. A very rich country, to be able to perform something so magnificent."

Max looks behind him briefly at Zeke and Ariel as he catches their voices; he also glances at Maira and Shida, before returning his gaze to the sky. As much as this was a polite social event, it always paid to keep an eye on people who stood out. They could be dangerous.

...my, but he was getting paranoid lately. Max chuckles under his breath and shakes his head. "Ah, oui, before I forget. Emi, this is Jihl Nabaat; Jihl, this is Emi Dennou. Emi is something like a sibling to me; I think you will find her fascinating, though I also think it should be she who tells you why." He reaches out and ruffles Emi's hair the way he likes to do. "It is a lovely parade, is it not, Petite?"

Deidra has posed:
Deidra looks over at Shida and Maira and does not wave but bobs hea head not wanting to ahem expose herself. She's just here to enjoy the praade she's suprised as she catches one of the computer like disk thing and it emite some sort of hologram. It's chipper, cute then flies away, as the show starts in full. The technology behind all of this puts anything from Manhattan to utter shame...

Zeke has posed:
Lots of little details call to his attention. "How..?" He started to ask a question but the display kept causing his words to fall away. What were they playing? What were they /DOING/ for that mater? Unlike Ariel or perhaps Deelel or a few others here that had gotten used to the whole 'everything going on everywhere' Zeke came from a place and time where you usually had to only deal with what's in front of you or on the same plane. This?

"How long must they practice to do this?" Then his train of thought was interrupted. "I ramble on though. It's very pretty."

Emi Dennou has posed:
"Isn't it dangerous to drop compat disks from that height?" Shida wonders aloud. She catches a disk out of the air in any event--or more accurately, 'pulls' the disk to her hand. She looks it over as a dancing eidolon is summoned. She lets out a low whistle. WHatever your opinion on pomp and propaganda are, the sheer effort for the spectacle is incredible. She lowers the disk after a moment before nodding to Maira. "It is a lot to take in at once, isn't it? Shida of the Network is happy she came but wonders nonetheless if you came by yourself?" Well obviously there's always Uist, presuming Shida even knows of him, but she probably means like friends rather than eternal night guardians from the underworld.

She looks towards Deidra and nods to her. "Greetings, noble gargoyle." All gargoyles are noble gargoyles.

Emi allows herself a small smile. He still seems... Maxxy. She wished to confirm that for herself but perhaps she was worrying needlessly. It's been some time, after all, no matter how deep the romance (in his head) was, life goes on, right?

Well, she's still worrying, though she's putting it to the back of her head at the moment. "Bonjour, Max." She says, smiling faintly. She's getting used to the hair ruffling. "Ah--" She actually reddens at the comment of being 'something like a sibling' so, really, Jihl might be getting a pretty inaccurate view of standard Emi behavior.

But she does say, "Pleasure to meet you, Jihl Nabaat," politely. "This one apologizes in advance for any social missteps. The Network notes this is their first time here." She raises her head. "We have never seen a world quite like this, however."

She looks to Max and thinks about it. Sadly, she hasn't actually focused much on the parade much but she doesn't want to either lie or embarrass herself with a technical truth, so instead she goes with a more generalized truth. "This one is happier to see you. Nevertheless, the parade is quite incredible, The Network cannot lie." Pause. "...Well The Network can lie, but is attempting to cut down on such things." She nods to Jihl.

Jihl Nabaat has posed:
Up in the skyer, fire-red dancers come to meet the water-Shiva-like dancers. The red-dancers, representing Pulse, twirl around and banish the dancers of water, even as a large circle of fire grows to enormous proportions in the sky. Finally, it bursts apart, revealing the fire eidolon Ifrit.

A l'cie stands on his shoulder, roaring out with a grand cry, "With Pulse-born spite and savage smite, I will destroy Cocoon!"

Ifrit roars, and then breathes down long plumes of fire upon the crowd, which never quites hits anyone; but it does get extraordinarily warm for a few moments. The wind rustles in the air, tossing hair about.

Jihl tilts her head, turning to look at Emi fully; she smiles. It does not quite reach her glasses-covered eyes, and seems a bit funny. "Greetings; it is a pleasure to meet you, young lady." She raises an eyebrow at the interactions between Max and Emi, hiding it behind her poker-smile.

"It is alright; I am glad you came out tonight, even if you are not watching the... spectacle."

Maira has posed:
Maira blinks as Shida pulls one of the combat disks to her. She probably wasn't suppose to do that, but Maira isn't going to say anything about it! "Yes...yes it is. What a place...I wonder if there are any poor people here," she muses. With such a rich display, surely....? No, Maira is not quite /that/ naive.

"Yes, I came by myself," she answers with a small smile. "Hopefully, I won't get into any trouble, heh. I just...needed a little time away I guess. Change of scenery, time to think."

The air around Maira begins to heat up as the fire dancers arrive on scene. It is clear the fire mage is clearly enthralled and likely entertaining thoughts of attempting such a dance!

Ariel has posed:
Ariel does have a kind of distinct voice. Though she doesn't know Maximilien from anyone else in the crowd, his outfit is certainly eye-catching. But the parade events are certainly moreso. The light dances off her face as she looks up to the show. When she does glance down, she happens to notice Emi in the crowd not too far away.

Maximilien has posed:
He certainly does seem very Maxxy. "I am delighted to hear that, Petite, though I fear that I am hardly worth such compared to a sight as lovely as this. The people worked hard on this; you ought appreciate it, oui?"

As Zeke disappears, Max's eyebrow rises; he tsks under his breath, and holds up a finger at Jihl and Emi. "Excusez-moi, mes amis; I see a lovely young lady watching us, and she looks tremendously alone, and on a night like this a lovely young lady should absolutely *not* be alone." And then he just sort of disappears into the crowd the way he usually disappears, because despite being a six-foot-something red-haired Frenchman, he's also a master of stealth. He just...vanishes when they look away.

And a few minutes of making his way through the crowd later, he reappears next to Ariel, a polite smile on his face. "Bonjour, madamoiselle," Max offers, bowing low to the lady, his and crossing over his chest. "I could not help but notice you, standing here all alone. It is the opinion of Maximilien Amadeus Renaud-Sylvianne that a lovely young lady ought not to be alone on a night like this; would you care to join me in a dance, clear out some of the crowd, and make our way over to my delightful friends?"

Max's right hand gestures at Emi; his other hand is politely outstretched and offered, the way a dancer's might be.

Ariel has posed:
Ariel looks up at Max.

A... dance? She'd LOVE to learn how to dance! Of course she has no idea how, but she's not going to let that on, because humans are supposed to know dancing!
Oh, and that's Emi he's gesturing at, so they're friends! She waves at her, a little shy wave with her elbow tucked in.

She nods at Maximilien. "I'm Ariel. So nice to make your acquaintance..."

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi is apologetic. "This one is sorry and is allowing Shida of the Network to do so in her place." But people, really, are a grander spectacle. She observes Jihl curiously though after a moment's thought, admits, "Is this history or fantasy? The Network is ignorant on matters of Cocoon's past." She seems interested in learning more about the location, however, but is understandably a bit uncertain how much faith to put into a parade.

She glances over to Max and, after some thought, nods to him. "Very well. It is clear there was a lot of work put into it, after all. The Network further notes, however, that she knows the person you are referring to and had not noticed her presence until now." She may have a distinctive voice but Parades are noisy! She is surprised Max was able to pick Ariel out though, she supposes, if one is looking for a beautiful lady, one doesn't quite need their ears now do they?

Emi throws a wave over to her, smiling back. "Hello again. Are you having fun?"

MEANWHILE

Shida carefully steps a bit away from Maira, as she is not immune to fire. "Shida of the Network would suppose it depends on many things and cannot provide an answer." She tilts her head. "--Are you ... going to dance too?" She smiles. "Do not worry, this one will be your 'buddy' for the 'buddy system' should one be required?" She doesn't seriously think Maira neccessarily needs one but can quip just fine.

Deidra has posed:
Deidra finds her self suprised as the greeting from the Network but hey, she isn't going to compain at all about being called that not one little bit. She looks back nd watches the show with the summoners, well holograms of such anyway and wonders for a moment just what this tale will involve the projection ork on this is amazing.

Maira has posed:
Maira blushes, carefully pulling back on the warm aura she was radiating unconsciously. "Oh, n-no...I was thinking about it...but no. I don't think I'm graceful enough for that, heh," she replies quickly, waving her hands animatedly to assure Shida she's not going to burst into flame and try to join the dance.

Margaux Fleury has posed:
Parades usually bring out the best in people and why would they not? The colorful costumes, the music, the revelry, and the pure energy are all examples of what a parade can offer to all who attend.

However, a parade such as this also offers hypocrisy.

And Margaux knows that term better than most from witnessing the decadence of the festivals from her own once seperate world. And yet, here she was. Perhaps she could escape the apparently irresistable allure of such festivities. Margaux may have came to Palumpolum for other reasons, but she was not about to let this parade go unattended.

Leather boots softly patter against the ground as fabric swishes through the air to quietly announce the fencer's arrival. Margaux is now making her way through the crowd to where she could gain the best vantage point of the ongoings or more accurately where the dancing has reached its zenith. Old habits die hard for someone who was once a professional dancer like Margaux.

Maximilien has posed:
"Maximilien," Max replies cheerfully, taking her hand in his. "Maximilien Amadeus Renaud-Sylvianne, as I already mentioned. I do not make a habit of referring to myself in third-person, however, so do not fear; I am not a madman, simply an energetic one." He flashes a rakish grin; the man is made of rake and rogue, like he stepped out of a fairy-tale storybook. The cape and the tuxedo and the flashy attire don't hurt that appearance /at all/.

Max's free hand moves to put Ariel's hand on his hip; his other hand settles around her waist, tugging her up next to him. (He smells like flowers; very nice flowers, too. Lilacs and roses, the sort of thing you give to women.) His rakish grin shifts to a gentle smile as he begins encouraging Ariel towards the group; he's quite graceful. He knows very well how to maneuver, how to lead, how to step carefully to avoid his partner in classical dances. However, the question is, does Ariel? As Max leads her through the crowd, and quite probably past Margaux given she's going the same way he is, does Ariel manage to keep up with the light-on-his-feet, graceful Phantom Thief?

Prooooobably not, so this is likely going to be /hi/larious.

Jihl Nabaat has posed:
The wind blows more fiercely, before forming a green-ish orb that bursts open, revealing the eidolon Ramuh, along with his white-robed l'Cie. "With fal'Cie aid and trusty blade, I will protect Cocoon!"

The two human-forms meet up in the air, fighting sword to spear, while gusts of wind and pillars of flame meet in the air, causing firework-like smatters of red and green all over the sky.

With a final roar of anger, the Pulsian fal'Cie goes back to Ifrit, with a surge of power, sending Ramuh dissipating into nothingness.

"I WILL fulfil my Focus!" The l'Cie snarls. That ball of red fire energy returns, enveloping fal'Cie and l'Cie alike.

Jihl looks at Emi as Max goes off to do Max-xy things. "He doesn't change one bit, does he?" She asks Emi, her voice soft and pleasant. "But, it is mostly history, made up into a grand fantasy-like spectacle. Spectacles are mostly normal here... Max is one himself."

Ariel has posed:
Ariel is kind of starstruck. Okay, this guy isn't Eric or anything, but... he's really cute! And so graceful. And he knows how to...

Pulled around suddenly into the dance, she nearly trips over her feet. It's quite obvious she's never been trained in this. But, maybe she's just a peasant girl or something; she's not really dressed in any finery. There's something about her that makes that implausible, though.

And though she's... really pretty awkward, it doesn't take her too long to pick up the basic steps. The big battle above in the sky catches her eyes a little. The story it's telling goes over her head.

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi turns her head and watches as Max goes about leading Ariel into a dance. What's a fal'Cie, she wonders. And what's a Focus? She supposes that's similar to a 'purpose'? She nods slowly to the first part, this is pretty typical Max behavior, after all. But for the latter she thinks it over and says, "Max is a man of many faces, but he is not a mask, The Network summarizes her feelings vaguely."

She does however note one strange thing about this. Ariel--she is obviously very pretty, and has a nice personality to boot. Yet she seems she's never danced before. Perhaps her world's dancing is different? It's information but not enough to draw and conclusions from. She simply notes it down for later in her head. Strange protective urges well up in Emi's head despite Ariel not exactly being younger or anything, but she shakes her head, clearing it. Think clearly, she chastizes herself.

"To fight off such threats, yet still end up as a fallen world. It must trouble you. The Network apologizes." Emi adds to Jihl.

Meanwhile Shida is embarrassed herself and says, "Oh--oh, I mean--well..." She thinks it over. "Maybe you are graceful enough... or maybe it doesn't really matter if we're graceful?" She offers a hand, grinning--not unlike a child--"Let's do some dancing, The Network requests to join in the fun since life is short?"

Maira has posed:
Maira brightens, laughing. She sees someone else dancing, a lovely woman wit red hair and a handsome man. How lovely!

"Well, that is a very good reason," Maira consents, taking Shida by the hand and giving her a twirl, giggling all the while. Why not have fun!

Maximilien has posed:
"Tres bien, madamoiselle Ariel! Tres bien. You are learning quite swiftly!" Max applauds her. Metaphorically, because he's got one hand around her waist and the other in her hand, but that's irrelevant! It's a metaphorical applause. Congratulating. Praising! The fact that she can't dance isn't actually surprising to him; he just assumes she never learned, because slowdancing isn't actually a tremendously common skill anymore, especially not slowdancing quickly. Waltzes are easy; one foot in front of the other, follow the other person's lead. Waltzes moving swiftly to match fast music? Not easy. Not commonly-learned. So hey, she can't slow-dance!

"And tonight, when you leave, you will have seen a beautiful play, heard some beautiful music, learned to dance beautifully, and danced with a beautiful Frenchman," Max adds, because he's just that kind of guy. He slows down a bit as he gets over to Jihl and Emi, to let Ariel catch her breath and her feet. "All in all, a beautiful memory, madamoiselle Ariel. Bonjour again, Petite, ma chere; this is Ariel. She seems quite enthusiastic; isn't she lovely?"

Margaux Fleury has posed:
Navigating a crowd like this may be a difficult task for the uninitiated. Margaux is no such person. With a practiced ease, she ebbs and flows through the crowd. The once dancer only has to offer a brief apology here and there when she is forced to guide a parade-goer safely away from bumping into her sword. Most of her apologies are well accepted as it -is- a party afterall.

It was hard not to become distracted by the ongoing 'battle' above their heads. Margaux had never seen such a thing before. The opulence of this parade was nigh overwhelming. Perhaps, there would be an opportunity to do some 'good work' while she was here. What was one missing noble in a crowd such as this?

Margaux's blue eyes search the crowd now for a potential target and she decides to use her most winning smile as she looks. It makes her scoping out for potential kidnapping targets slightly less transparent.

And it seems that a potential mark is waltzing his way straight towards her. In a smooth counter-turn, she moves far out of their way. Handsome, well-dressed, not many scars, and a practiced dancer by the look of things. Perfect. These were all the qualities of a helpless lord's son who knows a ballroom far better than a battlefield.

Margaux advances now with a slightly more wolfish smile replacing her previous one. She was on the hunt afterall, so it was really only appropiate.

Ariel has posed:
Ariel stumbles around into a standing position, as Maximilien lets her go at last. She looks a little flushed, either from the activity or maybe just the inherent excitement of the moment.

Jihl is a new person, so she nods to her.

She blushes again at Maximilien's compliment. "Oh, thank you.... for the dance lesson. I ..." hm, maybe she should explain why she was so bad at it? Maybe she can let it go, though.

Instead, she interrupts herself. "I think someone else is looking to dance with you!" Seeing Margaux walk over so purposefully.

Deidra has posed:
Deidra is just taking in the show with a sense of wide eye wonder at this watching as the battle rages on btween the two simulated fighters but focus? That's a term she doesn't know and will look up later when she gets a chance. For now she enjoys the show and is just mingling with the crowd. "Isn't this show something Shida? Maira?"

Jihl Nabaat has posed:
The fire-ball goes a dark, pomegrante-stained red, before it explodes, revealing just a fal'cie - "Ragnarok!" Someone in the audience cries out. A few feet away, the Cocoon l'Cie disappears in a burst of light, turning into another fal'Cie - the one known as Valefor. The fight goes on, full of fire and wind and brutality.

Jihl smiles. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Ariel." Max gets a strange look from the woman, who is clearly at odds with the popularity he has and the way people seem to flock towards him, but Emi makes a simple statement.

"We are... upset. Especially I am, as head of the defense forces."

Emi Dennou has posed:
"Ah, we have met before." Emi tells Max because they have met before. ADmittedly this isn't the first time they've said as much today but this time is likely a bit clearer and with less distraction. She glances towards Margaux as her attention is drawn to her. She was suspecting ARiel may have been reading into her actions but looking at Margaux herself, it seems that she is--indeed--looking for Max. Who else would that look be for? She nods to Ariel and murmurs to her. "Keen eye. This one is impressed."

Emi had no idea Jihl was head of the defense forces. She opens her mouth, shuts her mouth, then opens it again to say, "Oh. We did not know."

MEANWHILE

Shida has the time of her life suck it Emi!! She has engaged in a spin and has managed to not trip over herself, but now... now she's going to spin Maira! LIKE A TOP BECAUSE SHE'S A TOP DANCER GET IT? She laughs herself. "We should go see Ariel too." She suspects Maira would like Ariel.

Maira has posed:
Maira laughs brightly as she is spun, enjoying the dizziness that accompanies. While Shida is no Faruja in the dancing department, she is a friend and this is good, silly fun!

"Ariel? Oh? Who is that? I'd be happy to meet her," Maira says, flashing Shida a bright smile. Ah the Dennou's. The Network is good folk.

Maximilien has posed:
Max bows low, a smile on his face. "It is my pleasure, madamoiselle." A moment later, there's a flower in Ariel's hair; his hands are just *that* damned fast. Someone who is really, really paying attention might've noticed the blur; otherwise, well, Phantom Thief Thief Magic! He straightens, sliding his hands into his pockets - only for Ariel to point out the woman who was approaching already. Max tilts his head backwards. If he notices Jihl's look, he doesn't say anything about it.

The wolfish smile doesn't escape his notice, but then, Max is nothing if not almost suicidally, retardely daring. Ask anyone in the TDA how he treated Cirra "Stab First Ask Questions Never" Constantin.

"Apparently I must part from you again, ma chere, Petite, madamoiselle Ariel. Please, enjoy your festival. I am never one to turn down what appears to be a *great* deal of entertainment, ehn?"

And so he slips back into the crowd, moving in the direction of the strange woman. He stops in front of her, a smile on his face. "Bonjour, madamoiselle. Comment allez-vous? My beautiful acquaintance happened to notice you as we were whirling by, and I cannot help but be surprised that I did not notice you first; you cannot help but shine through this crowd." Palumpolum's fashion sense was kind of dull, Jihl only pulled it off because she looked great in a uniform. "Tell me, madamoiselle; would you care for a dance?"

Deidra has posed:
Deidra sees as both part of the Network and Mairta are on their way, the cloaked Gargyole moves into the crowd to see whom else she might encounter during this amazing and quite crazy party. She might just find her self heading in the direction of Max and company!

Ariel has posed:
The head of the defense forces? Oh? Ariel overhears, and tilts her head up at this. It must be those Heartless, she bets, that they're talking about, but it could be anything.

"Thank you again!" she says to Maximilien, before he turns to flirt with Margaux instead. Well, he seems like the type. But she suddenly notices the flower, and is quite astonished, pulling it out of her hair to smell it before putting it back. They don't have that kind of flower underwater.

Through the crowd, she also notices the gargoyle. Now that's another interesting person! If not the first winged person she's seen.

"Do the defense forces need help?" she asks Jihl, which may seem like a weird question from a small young lady.

Margaux Fleury has posed:
This was already going much easier than Margaux had first anticipated. All elaborate masterplans to stage an accidental trip that would lead to the subsequent chance encounter are quickly abandoned when it was her who was being approached now. The decision for Max to dance with one red-head after another was surprising. God does seem to work in mysterious ways, or perhaps this mysterious stranger was something of a narcissist when it came to preference in hair color. Divine intervention or all too human flaw, Margaux was satisfied with either answer.

The Fencer's smile softens as Max makes his grand entrance and even asks her to dance. Margaux bashfully adverts her eyes when she complimented, but she soon draws her blue eyes up to meet their mirror match in Max's eyes. "Your friend does me a great service," demurely replies Margaux in a nasally accent that matches the one used by the man who addressed. "And here," begins Margaux with a motion to herself. "I thought I would have to dance all alo'e."

She now awaits Maxmilien to take the lead when it came to the actual dance. There was no need to rush things for now. That would be quite silly at this early stage. Margaux would simply wait for the opportune moment to strike.

Jihl Nabaat has posed:
Jihl looks at Emi, then shakes her head. "You are not of my world; you would not know. For that, it is okay. Our forces are split into two; the home force, and then the rest, who are on the watch for things like another fal'Cie attack -" She points into the sky; "And those ... strange heartless beings."

Jihl shakes her head at Ariel. "We do not... particularly need it. Things have been fairly quiet, all things told, but I suspect that will change. Actually, let me rephrase; I know it will!"

Up in the sky, there is a shattering roar as the two fal'Cie meet together, a green, glowing orb surrounding them, before with a blinding flash of light, it dissipates into little sparkles. "That war of Trangression is over. I now lead and fight for the... next one."

Jihl's smile finally reaches her eyes, but it is no less creepy.

Maximilien has posed:
Max takes Margaux's hand in his as she offers. His smile never wavers, his eyes never change...but that shifting of /her/ eyes, that shifting of /her/ attitude? Oh, yeah. He notices that. He can't help but notice that. A thief who doesn't pay attention gets backstabbed, after all.

Max's other hand slides around her waist gently, his fingers closing around her hip as he does so, drawing her in nice and close. "Ah, so you are of my country! How wonderful to meet someone in this strange and beautiful world who shares the taste of home." Max leans down - he's really quite tall - and brushes against her ear.

"/Do/ your lips taste of home?" He murmurs. He's actually glancing down at that weapon, making sure that it's the type of weapon he thinks it is. The lady may notice, with this proximity to him, that Max is not carrying any sort of weapon himself, not even a concealed dagger or knife. He draws back a bit so he can see her face, and he takes her into the dance.

He's good. He's graceful. He's fast. He keeps to the time, and he's giving her his full attention, or at least putting up a very good appearance of it. "Might I perhaps have the honor of knowing the name of the flower with whom I dance, madamoiselle?"

Emi Dennou has posed:
"Ah ree ehl!" Shida waves over to Ariel, bringing Maira along with her. "You should meet Maira, Shida of the Network re-explains." Shida is indeed not really an expert dancer but she doesn't seem to mind looking a bit silly, unlike Emi who is quite content to stand still and observe as is typical. The Emi gives Maira a small nod upon spotting her.

The way Jihl says that is a bit spooky, but Emi sees no reason to jump to conclusions. Emi can be quite creepy herself, after all. What is perhaps less surprising is that Emi basically immediately forgives herself the moment Jihl says it's okay. "Understood, this one will not beat herself up over it, then. Nevertheless, if you ever require the services of a detective--The Network can provide definition for 'detective' if it is unknown on this world."

Max is already leaving again. Emi sighs faintly.

Maira has posed:
Maira allows herself to be lead, her mood improving by the moment. To think, she was feeling a little gloomy! It couldn't last in the presence of a friend.

Maira smiles warmly in greeting to Ariel, noting she's the pretty red haired lady she saw dancing with the handsome man who--where did he go? Is he...is he dancing with another red head? Sudden reminder of Ivo is unwelcome!

"Hello, Ariel! I'm Maira--oh, right Shida said that already. I /love/ your hair. Red is my favorite color!" she says, her amber eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

Ariel has posed:
"Oh, thank you!" Ariel says, grabbing a bit of her hair and sort of twisting it around her shoulder. She looks a little embarassed. "Mine's green. My favorite color, that is." She feels a little awkward, but a particularly cool explosion in the show distracts her eyes again. And she also nods to Shida. "So you're a detective? Really?" (She knows what that is because the ocean has organized crime (yes, really).)

Deidra has posed:
Deidra has kept her self mostly hidden but prehaps Ariel noticed something whens he moved that was likely it. Still she does take notice of Ariel. She looks the redheaded human over for a moment and says "Hello,I'm Deidra." She's taking care to hide herself a bti she doesn't want to start a panic over her apperance she only wanted to enjoy things after all tonight. "Green's a nice colour and I'm Deidra. This show is beyond even anything my world could do live..."

Margaux Fleury has posed:
Margaux once more plays the part of a bashful and blushing parade goer when Max draws her in closer. In reality, a veteran dancer such as her has long gotten over the discomfort normally associated with the close proximity of a new dancing partner. But, we all have a part that we must play in this charade.

The assumption that their accents translated into a shared country of origin would be an easy mistake to make. Margaux still raises a brow in surprise before saying, "Truly? What great fortune to meet another from Ivalice." She allows Max to continue to lead as per custom, but it is quite clear that she does not have to expend too much effort to keep in step with him. "Especially one so skilled in dance."

The cheek of his flirtation was something to behold. And yet, Margaux is able to recover just fine. "Many mysteries exist in our time and that...." A small click of her tongue. "...is one of them." There does lie a sword attached to her waist and it seems to be a rapier at first glance, but the fine details of the blade are hidden by its sheath. She can guess that he very well may have been inspecting it. There was not much -else- to see from that angle afterall.

When Max looks back around, Margaux meets his look shyly for a moment before looking elsewhere. "What a serendipitous choice of words!" She exclaims mirthfully to her fellow dancer. "My name is Maguerite de Fleury." Or 'Pearl of the Flower' which suggests that it may be a stage name or perhaps Margaux's parents simply had an odd sense of humor. "And you, Monseigneur Roux? What is your name?"

A complication to Margaux's plan has arose. There were still too many people nearby for her to an attempt an abduction. She was armed and he was apparently not...but their close position made it rather difficult for her to go for her weapon unnoticed.

Jihl Nabaat has posed:
"I know what a detective is; do you work for an agency? Can I employ you to tell me more about Max?" Jihl asks it mostly as a joke, but there is a hint of 'should-I-Maybe to it. Plus, maybe this will give her leads for other things! Or something! Maybe.

She turns to watch all the dancers, her false smile slipping away into thoughtfulness.

Emi Dennou has posed:
Shida says, "The Network is, yes! We also like green." WHY DO THEY LIKE GREEN? Well.

Emi explains further. "To clarify, The Network is still learning much about the trade but our probationary period with the Twilight Detective Agency is over, though admittedly this one isn't entirely sure what that means beyond not having to obey Will Sherman by neccessity, nevertheless it is safe to say we are detectives provided that one does not assume we are experienced and understand we have much to learn, The Network redundantly focuses on this point so as to not cause undue expectation."

Shida gives Emi a look. Shida may also have been totally oblivious to Maira being moody but, well, she doesn't want Maira to be all by her lonesome anyway--even if chances are she just wanted to hang out with a friend just fine.

"You could employ me to give you my impressions of Max," Emi tells Jihl. "But this one would not suggest it." She already answered about which agency.

Her phone buzzes. She takes it out, looks at it, and considers her response for a few moments before typing out a response and then pocketing the phone again.

Maira has posed:
Maira smiles more, nodding. "Green is also very nice," she agrees.

Well, favorite colors now covered....Maira looks toward Shida. Who also talks about how fabulous green is. DAMN IT.

"So! Where are you from Ariel?"

Ariel has posed:
What is that... phone?! It made a noise. Ariel almost just grabs for it, but, holds her hands back before she falls over.

She waves at Diedra; it doesn't seem she is going to panic at all.

She looks at Jihl with a questioning expression. "This is your world, right? You're from here? I've been in Traverse Town, and I haven't seen the sun in... days?" She's not sure, because, first of all, she rarely saw the sun much underwater, and, second of all, it's pretty hard to mark time without sunrise. "Is the sun going to come up here? I'd like to watch it from the beach.

"Another world different from here," she says to Maira, a total deflect. "How about you?"

Maximilien has posed:
"Maximilien, madamoiselle de Fleury; Maximilien Amadeus Renaud-Sylvianne, at your humble service, and partaking of the pleasures of your company." His smile widens a little bit more, a winning, delightful smile that is well-practiced and well-polished. It's a mask, a mask that the master of disguise has practiced to absolute perfection; it looks good, and he knows it, and he wears it well. As they dance, he takes an opportunity to briefly consider her relative skill, and compare it with her relatively demure attitude. Odd. Not out of the question for a noblewoman, and certainly a noblewoman's name, but...strange. He files that one away, then chuckles.

"Indeed," he replies vaguely. Whether he's replying to the bit about being from Ivalice or the mysteres of the time, it's impossible to say. "And are you a mystery of our time, madamoiselle de Fleury? A beautiful, mysterious flower, full of strange delights as-of-yet unseen, as-of-yet unbloomed?"

Maira has posed:
"Also a world different from here. It's...well its not there anymore. You've been to Traverse? I live there now! If you come again you should visit VALKYRI headquarters. Indeed, the sun never rises in Traverse. It's...it can be gloomy, but you get use to it. If you want to see some beautiful sunrises though, you should try Luca. The ocean water there is the most remarkable color!"

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi's phone buzzes again shortly after. Maybe she should just keep it out. She has missed Ariel's initial grab and pulls it out a bit haphazardly, typing at it again. It would be easy to seize if Ariel so decided. Once she's done sending the reply, she keeps the phone out in case she needs to snap off a reply again.

"There's crabs in her world." She says. "Talking crabs. That is the extent of what we know about Ariel's world." More or less, anyway.

Shida laughs awkwardly but doesn't comment.

Margaux Fleury has posed:
Margaux can only summon up so much tolerance for certain things in any given day. The Corpse Brigade member tends to draw the line when actually impersonating a noble unless it was absolutely necessary. There were far easier masks to wear that were less damning of the soul than that particular one.

Her own smile is used to parry Max's as she knows the importance of a good smile as well. She would be a poor dancer in the long run if she did not practice such things as she had often did before a mirror. And speaking of those things, it seems that they are trading blows when in this game that they were playing.

Suddenly, a lunge from Max.

"Oh messire, to levy such a question against a stranger such as myself is..." Margaux attempts to lean in closer as if to share some secret. "...scandalous. Unless that is telling of your inte't with me?" She then draws her head back slightly to watch Max's reaction closely as one fencer would do to another.

Ariel has posed:
"That sounds wonderful!" Ariel says to Maira. Then she pauses. "What color is the ocean water?" Because that MIGHT mean something bad, but she's not sure what.

She doesn't try to take the phone. She's learned at least that human items belong to humans. But she DOES try to crane her neck to get a good look at it, and the typing, because she has no idea that's rude.

It's weird to her the idea that crabs should NOT talk. Do they not always talk? She decides to make a bold declaration. "Crabs and all the fish talk in my world. So no one from my world would EVER eat them." She nods to Zeke. "Not all crabs are nice," she adds. "But Sebastian is just looking out for me..."

Jihl Nabaat has posed:
Jihl looks at Ariel. "We have the sun. Pheonix will be rising in a few hours; I suggest going up somewhere high, if you wish to watch it." THat done, she looks back at Max and the other strange lady, nad then the woman past them... Cirra.

There should be a impending sense of doom.

She walks over to the woman, elegantly. "Hello."

Maira has posed:
"Well, that's not so very strange," she begins to reply, "I was a talking lion just yesterday."

Said totally casually, because this kind of thing just /happens/ with an alarming frequency as of late.

"You must live near the sea then!" or in it. Whatever.

"The water is very clear, turquoise really. Even when it is deep you can see through it to see the fish swimming! So pretty. Really motivates me to learn to swim."

Maira looks to Zeke then, surprised and pleased. "Zeke! Hello! I haven't seen you in ages! How are you? How is your ship?"

Maximilien has posed:
Of course he notices the silver-haired woman. How can he /not/? How can he do anything *but* notice her, even before she stopped them? How can he not just immediately see her, and his dance becomes slightly off, a formerly perfect routine dipping for just a tiny fraction of a second imperceptible to anyone else, but very, very obvious to his dance partner, especially if she is as practiced and skilled as he thinks she is. The dance is...well, again, he was perfect not a moment ago, so when the silver-haired beauty who ruled his heart until a few days...no, /still right now/ ruled his heart, as much as he wanted very much to deny that fact, push her out of it, and get over her...well, he can't help but falter, just a touch. But he resumes his composure almost immediately.

Then Jihl moves towards Cirra, and immediately, Max feels another, sweeping wave of regret and self-loathing. Seeing both women he cared about together, the one he was in love with and the one he was trying to fall for to ease his own distaste for himself, was enough to distract him from Margaux. Just long enough to miss what she said.

The mask slipped. Just for an instant, he looked tremendously, titanically sad. But just for an instant, an instant more fleeting than a firework, more fleeting than a tick. Max looks down and smiles at her. "I have no intention of you, madamoiselle. I am a gentleman; I am not interested in anything but appreciating fine art, oui? And women are fine art; beautiful works of art sculpted by God. Art should be enjoyed thoroughly...but never so.../vulgarly."

"I thank you for the opportunity to appreciate the art of you, madamoiselle, most profusely."

The one person in the room who actually knows him probably realizes how ridiculously hard it is for him to put that mask back on right now.

Kaydin has posed:
Maira's shadow begins to twitch and expand, and before too long, it is large enough to probably engulf a person. During which Kaydin flies out of it as if taking running jump through the opening. This may mean he will fly into people if he isnt careful. Thankfully he has cloaks and such instead of armor.

Maira has posed:
"Yes indeed! Ooh, that looks delicious!" she says, eying his food. Big surprise, Maira distracted by food. Will she ever loose the urge to hoard food? Apparently it is deeply ingrained.

Then, something, or rather someone, flies out of her shadow!? She may not have even noticed if not for being told by Uist, who says such in a growl. Maira turns to look over her shoulder, quite puzzled. "Did...did something just fly out from behind me...?" she asks, looking to the others for confirmation.

Ariel has posed:
"You WERE a talking... lion?" Ariel has only seen them in sculptures, but she has seen lionfish! She looks pretty confused at Maira. But nods when she mentions living by the sea. Yes, that's right, isn't it? "Oh, it sounds beautiful. Though, hm, I've seen a lot of fish. Where are there interesting... buildings? Concerts? I think this parade is... one of the most interesting things I've seen yet!"

Zeke offers her a food. She sniffs at it. But it doesn't appear to be fish-based, so she takes a nibble. That's tasty! But his comment about how fish aren't his friends make her look sad. Still, "I'd... like to hear your stories some time.

Ariel has posed:
Ariel then looks up, and waves at Kaydin. She's seen him before too after all. "Be careful!" That is apparently addressed at him or the people around him, rather than Maira.

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi looks towards--oh geeze louise. Emi runs her palm down her face. She can't watch this.

MEANWHILE IN ARIEL'S WORLD

A chef slices about with a cleaver. "I like eating crab! I like eating crab! I like eating crab especially those that talk!"

Emi says, "Do they?" with wide eyes. "--The Network would be very interested to see what happens under the sea, there." GET IT? GET IT?? The Dennous are not especially surprised by every crab talking in ARiel's world, after all presumably all the talking ducks come from the same world too and probably every duck there talks? Makes sense to her. "It is just unusual from our own perspective. It may not be unusual from an objective perspective, The Network supposes."

Shida nods to Maira. "Of course we also turned into hyenas, The Network is trying to forget this howev--"

She is promptly bowled over by Kaydin. CRUSH.

Jihl Nabaat has posed:
"Greetings. I am Jihl Nabaat, my lady; I trust this is one of your first times venturing into our city of commerce and technology?" Jihl asks, her voice soft, and sweet. "I'm the leader in charge of the security force PSICOM; I trust if you have any problems with anything here, you let me know." Jihl's smile widens.

Margaux Fleury has posed:
Margaux may or may not have noticed the minute permutations in her dance partner if she had not been mere inches away from him. But it was indeed his slight stumble in their dance that was far more telling than a flicker in his guard. She does slightly tilt her head to the side and allow for a slightly smug expression to appear on her face. All she wanted to do was to let Max know she had noticed the chink in his armor so to speak. With a flutter of her eyes, the knowing look vanishes and is one again replaced by a cheerful smile.

"Then you may be truly be a gentleman and not just the appearance of one." There is no sly look from Margaux this time.

The view on women expressed by Max nearly evokes a reaction out of Margaux, but she merely plays it off by gently reaching up with a hand to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind an ear. Fantastique. Another smooth-talking pretty-boy. "And this is how you always appreciate art? From a mere arm's length away?" Or stabbing distance as it is tend to be known as.

Kaydin has posed:
Kaydin is on Emi. Explains the soft yet boney landing yet something about his hand feels unusual so he pulls his hand back and tries to stand up and help the woman up. "Sorry. corridors of darkness are..funny inside." He tries to explain as he would then look to Ariel and waves, even to Zeke. He then looks to Maira. "Maira, there you are. Where is Aerith, your always about her like a lost puppy."

Maximilien has posed:
Max notices the disapproval. He tries to put it out of his mind, but he shakes his head. He can't. He can't put it out of his mind right now. He /can't/. Margaux asks him something; he blinks, trying to remember what she just said. A normally-flawless memory, shattered by Cirra's arrival.

"Oui, madamoiselle," Max says after a moment, sounding a bit offended by the idea that there was something wrong with that. "There is art in the way a woman moves, art in the way a woman dances, art in the way a woman speaks. It is the greatest way to appreciate the art of a woman; to make a woman feel appreciated, to give her a memorable evening, to give her the time of her life and make her feel special if even for a moment, so that I might see her real beauty. A woman's true beauty only comes out when she is truly happy, in most cases; when her smile lights up the room and the sky, when her eyes are filled with that special joy that comes from being treated like a goddess. There are...exceptions, but by and large, that is why I do what I do, at least when it comes to women." For instance, some women were far more beautiful when they were angry.

"If you find some fault with that, then I am afraid you will have to reconcile; I am notorious for sticking to my principles."

That might just be aimed at Cirra. In fact, it almost assuredly is, but MARGAUX wouldn't know that. He spins her away, taking a moment while Margaux spins to look over at her and Jihl and feel that fresh guilt, really twist the knife into his own chest; it's a fleeting, brief instant, and as she's back in his arms, he releases her, letting go of her hand and stepping back to bow. "You will forgive me, madamoiselle. I have...other, older business. I am sorry to cut our dance short; you are an excellent dancer. Far too excellent for such a demure woman."

Let her wonder about /that/. Max bows deeply, hand over his chest, then straightens; he his way over to Cirra and Jihl, his face an mask, that same smile he usually has, though this time it doesn't quite reach his eyes - there's a subtle, quiet hurt in them. His hands disappear into his pockets.

"...bonsoir."

Maira has posed:
Well, there is a fairly unwelcome voice--though she had wondered where Kaydin had been.

She turns toward him, her brow furrowing. "I don't know, the last I saw of her was Traverse Town," she informs him.

God Kaydin, you can't even get it right. Maira follows Avira around like a lost puppy, not Aerith! Silly.

Still, Maira takes a deep breath. No, she is not going to be unkind to Kaydin, despite his less than nice greeting. "I'm glad to see you are well Kaydin," she tells him, and it seems to be genuine.

Maira turns to the others then, reminded that she really should get home. "I should be going....it has been nice seeing you all, and nice meeting you Ariel. I hope we'll meet again!"

Ariel has posed:
Ariel almost insists to Emi that under the sea is quite boring and not worth it at all, but doesn't. Because that would be like admitting she knows that. So she just ignores that comment for now.

Zeke's comment makes her look a little... sad? Not HOMESICK, of course, well, maybe... "Hm, I guess I don't have a home to hang my hat at right now. That means it'll have to come with me, too.

"It was nice meeting you, Maira! I hope to see you again some time too!"

Emi Dennou has posed:
"It was nice meeting you as well, ARiel." Emi says. The sea is always greener on the other side? Or something? Okay maybe that makes no sense. Emi cannot watch this. She just can't. It's not going to go well and, really, she imagines it'll only make things worse if she's there to observe. She gives Max a sympathetic nod.

And quickly rushes after Maira. >_> <_<. She drags Shida along.

"Have a good night, Ah ree ehll--" Shida manages before she's pulled away.

Deidra has posed:
Deidra is just taking in the show for the most part while keeping with the otehrs, she notices some of the others. She notices the lady that's incharge of security and she does wonder about speaking to her but she keeps to herself for the moment.

Jihl Nabaat has posed:
"We can use magic, we just have to do a few things with our technology to make sure we can. Only the most capable of people can use it without our drives." Jihl explains. "I hav eheard of you, Judge Constantine."

She glances over at Max, then back at Cirra. "If you mean he is the breach, then trust me; I already know."

Margaux Fleury has posed:
Margaux's disappointment stems more from his obliviousness to her muted suggestion that he was not what he seemed. That was far more damning than any opinion that she would or would not find favorable of his.

She bides her times while Max explains himself as she was and continues to wait for her opening. But she does play along and nod her head in animated fashion when he explains his life philosophy a little more. Her feint comes to an end when she is spun by Max.

Under the disguise of the spin, Margaux hand quickly takes hold of the hilt of her rapier in a fluid and subtle motion. The fencer falls for Max's redoublement as she is spun back -towards- him. The rapier is let go in the process with a brief look of disdain appearing on Margaux's face. The timing was impeccable as Max ends the dance promptly after that so her look may actually be understandable as a look of disappointment.

Her outfit makes it impossible to curtsey properly, so an exaggerated bow is employed by Margaux instead with a step being taken behind her as she does so. "Very well, messire. Perhaps we will one day dance together again." With blades.

Max turns away and Margaux is left to consider his parting words. Hrmph. Touche. A glance is afforded over her shoulder at her leaving mark. Maybe next time.

And so, Margaux now looks elsewhere for possible targets. It was a busy crowd, who knows who one might bump into?

Ariel has posed:
Ariel nods at Zeke, seeming to agree with his assessment.

Though, since the parade is winding down, she thinks she might go check on Flounder. She hates having to leave him behind, but she hasn't found a suitable bowl for him yet. "I think I'm going to find someplace high... to watch the sun. And look around the port a bit," she adds. "but don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Maximilien has posed:
"She knows," Max replies to Cirra quietly. He can't help but look hurt around her, can't help but look a bit upset. He's doing his best to hide it, of course; he's really good at hiding things, but even he can't quite hide that look, that insufferable look in his eye, the look of hurt just at her /presence/, just at her being there.

He doesn't say much else; he just stands there next to Jihl, his hands in his pockets, looking awkward at Cirra, none of his usual flattery or flippantry or anything else slipping out of his mouth. After a few moments, he just quietly murmurs, "They were just an apology."

Margaux Fleury has posed:
Amidst the crowd, Margaux does catch a few glimpses of the company that Max keeps and left her for. Some mental calculations are done before she is interrupted by someone else asking her to dance. The hunting Death Corps member is at first annoyed to be distracted from her quarry. However, the attitude, clothes, and oafish demeanor of the person now asking her to dance causes Margot to grin once more. Perhaps this is the noble that no one will miss. "Oui, I would like to da'ce." And with that, Margaux de Fleury disappears into the crowd with a new target in her sights.

Maximilien has posed:
"...I only asked for one of those songs," Max replies to Cirra. "And it was the first, well before...that night. It was not my intention to humiliate you. That has never been my intention; not even once."

He shakes his head, then looks away from her as she starts walking. He tightens his fingers around his arm. "I'm sorry."

Then, as if he is suddenly aware of exactly how vulnerable he looks in a crowd full of people and a pair of women he cares about (actually three, since Emi is nearby!), his poses shifts, quietly, as he tries to fumble the mask back on and put a smile back on his face. It doesn't quite fit. He's not...accustomed to being in love and hurting from it.

Max draws his cloak around himself, then vanishes into the crowd. He doesn't want to see any more of this parade. What would've been a beautiful memory has now been stained a painful, bloody red as Cirra once again manages to rip open his chest and spill his heart onto the floor without any control from him, and he hated it. He hated it more than he could possibly phrase. He hated being so vulnerable. It was proof that reaching out to people just got you hurt, that reaching out to people just *made* you hurt. Proof what he'd always known.

His eyes go black for a brief second, so fast it's almost imperceptible, and he crushes it back down with sheer force of will, straighens up, and resumes moving away from the festival as swiftly as he is capable. Which, for a Phantom Thief, is really quite swift.

Running away from himself, again.

Jihl Nabaat has posed:
Jihl looks between Max and Cirra. "Thank you, Judge." She says simply, before leaning against the nearest wall. "I think we can offically declare the celebration day of the War of Trangression OVER." She mutters, more to herself than anyone else.