Villains Strawberry Social

Villains Strawberry Social
Date of Scene:	06 July 2013
Location:	Roving Islands - Mt. Kilauea
Synopsis:	Malicia hosts a nefarious gathering of villains that leads to casual socializing. That is, until Negaduck has a little too much to drink...
Cast of Characters:	Negaduck, Vespa, Garland, Hades, Rhiannon Zellen, Seymour Guado, Souji Murasame, Kuja, Malicia

---

Malicia has posed:
CRASH

"WATCH IT, YOU IMBECILE! I'M NOT PAYING YOU TO BREAK EVERYTHING!"

"S...s...sorry, Madame."

A human waiter is shrinking under the towering figure of the furious villainness. He bends down quickly to pick up the pieces of the glass that shattered on the ground, fingers trembling.

He decides against reminding her that he isn't getting paid at all. Nor are the rest of the catering staff that have been unexpectedly abducted by this enormous fire-breathing monster duck lady.

The caterers and waiters wipe sweat from their brows. It's not just the anxiety of being held hostage that has them sweating bullets; hosting an event inside the cave of an active volcano makes for rather balmy weather.

A row of rather expensive-looking mahogany tables have been set up for the occasion -- more tables than people, in fact. Considering who will be in attendance, this is probably a good idea. At one corner is a particularly long table that is covered in a plethora of food. There is, of course, a punch bowl. It's the cake, however, that is the most eye-catching. It's enormous in size, large enough to fit at least two adults inside it (were it that kind of cake). At the very top sits two figurines of a bride and groom.

Malicia stops at the cake and furrows her brow, frowning at the happy plastic couple. Pointing a claw in its direction, the figures burst into flame and begin to melt into a sad, goopy pile, their love-struck smiles turn to long frowns.

"Much better." She smiles to herself, content.

Negaduck has posed:
"Ahhhh... a smouldering fire, just a perfect place to have a party."

Guess who is one of the guests? Negaduck. Of course that he would be one of the first people that would show up within this volcano. Why? Malicia's hosting it. So, Negaduck is about to see what is going on.

"What a great shingdig you hosted!" Negaduck holds a sack over his shoulder. "I even brought some gifts!"

There are whimpering puppies inside of the sack.

Kuja has posed:
Kuja is up in the opera box seats which have now been installed in the Volcano Lair. How? By magic. Leave it to the drama queen to have that sort of spell available to him.

Why?

So he won't have to mingle with the crowd below needlessly. He lounges casually, leaning back in the plush seat with one leg crossed over the other. A Black Mage doll toddles up with a silver platter that contains on the choicest bits of what they have catered below. He holds a glass of champagne casually within his hand, every so often taking a sip. Snapping his fingers, music starts to play behind him:

BGM Change: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M4-w0EJDJM&list=PL9D434EDB64474304

With a long-suffering sigh, he looks sidelong to one of his inanimate dolls, "Really, Negaduck and his puppies again? How droll..."

Despite the sweltering heat of this place, Kuja appears unphased, and isn't even sweating.

Malicia has posed:
"Negaduck, a pleasure to see you." Malicia approaches him and takes the bag, holding it up to listen to the whimpers and crying inside. "How thoughtful! These will make lovely door prizes. Or entrees, depending."

She beckons one of the waiters over who offers Negaduck his own table and pulls out the chair for him. "You." Malicia points to the waiter. "Will be Lord Negaduck's personal attendant tonight. You will refill his empty glass, bring him food, and do anything he asks of you. That means if he wants you to cook something special, you see to it. If he wants a certain drink, you mix it for him. If he tells you to take a swan dive into the volcano, you do so with a big smile on your face. Are we clear?"

"Yes... of course." The waiter nods nervously.

The sound of music catches her attention and that's when she notices Kuja sitting high above. "Hmm... and who is this?"

Hades has posed:
Leaning...on a nearby wall is Hades, Lord of the Dead.

You don't know WHEN he got here or HOW he got here...but here he is and he's already speaking up...this is probably when you notice he was even here in the first place. "That's Garland's daughter....kujo? Kuka..." He snapes his fingers as Pain rises to the challenge, "Kuja sir."

"Right Kuja." Hades snaps his fingers and then looks towards the sack of puppies and rolls his eyes...truely the height of villany.

"...Also is villainness even a word? I am pretty sure it's not a word. You should stop describing yourself as a villainness because I am sure Villian is gender neutral..."

He pauses, "Is Malificent going on a feminism kick again?" He asks someone...

Negaduck has posed:
Negaduck lifts his head up towards the figure at the opera box seats. "Ugh, girls these days." He rolls his eyes, "I'll have to introduce her to heavy metal..." A dark grin appears.

And when Malicia takes the bag, Negaduck smiles grtefully. "Excellent." And when the waiter shows up to offer him his seat, the villain definitely takes a seat. After Malicia sets the ground rules for the Rules of Engagement, Negaduck turns his head at the waiter with a slasher smile.

"If you're lucky, you may get to live to see another day."

"HEY! Greet a great villain when you see it, Hades!" Negaduck snaps at the Lord of the Dead, looking very annoyed. His teeth are grinding a lot. He may be taking it out on that poor waiter in a bit!

Rhiannon Zellen has posed:
Rhia had heard tell of this...gathering, and decided to put any further experiments and PR handwaving regarding the whole Black Beast incident on hold. It would be a good opportunity to meet with some people. That is, if her predictions were correct and the people she assumed would be coming actually showed up.

Still, a volcano? Our delightfully unhinged researcher may not have been completely...human probably, but still, this was hardly the first choice she would have made in regards to the locale. Alas, not her decision to make. "My, my...so hot. I believe I may melt." In fact, she had decided to go without her trusty lab coat for once, leaving her in just a short cut oriental dress. She didn't look like much of an evil scientist now.

Stepping through a corridor, she finally seemed to have arrived, spotting plenty of hapless humans working with fear in their eyes of the various loons around them. Some of them even gave her subtle looks that seemed to be pleas for help. The notion just caused Rhia to smile and turn a blind eye to their suffering.

"I see we already have quite a gathering of..." Her eyes swept across the general area, passing over Malicia, Negaduck, Hades, and then Kuja. "...exceptional individuals already." Yes, that's the word she'd go with to refrain from insulting them. Though it was tempting if only for the reactions.

Hades has posed:
"Sure thing, I'll make sure to greet one when I see them." Hades says, walking by Negaduck.

"Well well...a new arrival." Hades says, now this was at least something less drull.

"Name." Pain and Panic are going over notes...

Kuja has posed:
Kuja just tsks, ignoring Malicia for now, "And here I thought you'd be more grateful Hades, given how many lives I have reaped for you as of late..." Kuja takes a sip from his champagne glass, "...then again, gratitude from the Lord of the Dead is a chilly, fleeting thing. Or is it the other way around?"

Kuja knew better than to press the Lord of the Dead any further. Hades.. was not someone to be trifled with. Much like his 'Father'. It was a foolish to challenge someone from a position of weakness.

Negaduck has posed:
...And Hades walks by.

Negaduck is angry.

"NUMBER FIFTY-FIVE!"

Suddenly, a Shadow manifests nearby the Shadow Lord with a table.

Negaduck grabs the table and flips it over in rage!

Souji Murasame has posed:
It would be foolish of Souji Murasame to not be aware of what is happening around this area.

Why? He has Reasons. And Souji is many things, but he is no fool.

COUNTER BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9MZyK-V79M

The doors open, and Souji Murasame enters the... unusually well-appointed area. One does not expect this from a volcano. "Hmm." He says, neutrally. Eyes scan those present, weighing potential, watching their behaviors. He walks towards the 'hostess' of this soiree, and nods to her, giving a slight bow. "I am to understand you are the organizer of this gathering." Souji says. His expression is perfectly level despire the absurdity going on around him. "To what do we owe the occasion?"

The inevitable pomp of Kuja draws a glance from Souji, but only for a moment. He has a feeling this is going to get... complicated. Hades gains much more attention. The Lord of the Dead... Excellent.

Malicia has posed:
"You must be Hades." The villaines--er... villain, turns to face the blue immortal, her tail twitching curiously. "I'm honored to have the Lord of the Dead at my humble little gathering. You are a Shadow Lord as well, yes?"

Rhiannon catches her attention momentarily, that is until the sound of a table flipping snaps her attention back to Negaduck who is now throwing a tantrum.

My my, isn't this interesting.

Rhiannon Zellen has posed:
Rhia's eyes settle upon Hades for now and she simply shrugs. "Ah yes, I have been rather scarce among you all." More than half of them likely had no idea who the heck she was to begin with! "I am Rhiannon Zellen." And that was that. No affiliation, skills, or previous work. Just her name.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lord of The Dead, was it?" Because seriously, who DIDN'T know who Hades was? Out of the corner of her eyes, the scientist spotted a table being flipped, which caused her to look over in Negaduck's direction. "Oh my, what a riveting use of your power. I am in awe~" She was being sarcastic.

Souji's appearance earned a brief glance from the woman before she turned her attention to Malicia. "And I suppose I must pay my respects to the one gracious enough to host this event." That said, Rhia's face bore a smile. "You have my thanks for creating this opportunity."

Vespa has posed:
What the heck am I doing here? Vespa thinks to herself, she heard about this villian gathering and wanted to gather some info.

She had managed to blend herself in with the severing staff being dressed in a maid outfit all the time helps with that. She dyed her usaul pink hair black, it stood out too much . Vespa just have to play it cool and try not to attract any attention to herself She blinks as Negaduck flips over a table, she calmly walks over and set it back up right then giving it a cleaing with a cloth.

Malicia has posed:
"Welcome, welcome." The she-duck greets both Rhiannon and Souji with a cordial smile. "I am indeed your hostess for the evening. My name is Malicia, and I thought it time for a little meet and greet." And to keep tabs on who's who on the villain totem pole, of course.

"Please do make yourselves comfortable. There's plenty of food and..." She pauses, cocking her head. Where the HECK is all this music coming from?

"..."Yes. In any case. A pleasure to have you here."

Garland has posed:
The Darkness rumbles. The shadows quake; fear and terror race through the edges of the gathering at the approach of something.../terrible/. A silence falls, an unnatural dearth of sound and noise as time and space fracture; the shadows rip open, and from them steps one who can only be called 'nightmare'.

Seven feet or more, clad in a terrible armor, the monster-that-walks-like-a-man wears his evil like a badge of twisted honor; the world around him seems to reject his presence, as though it understands better than any other that this Thing does not deserve to exist. His wrongness is a subtle wrongness, but one that works its way into the mind swiftly enough; whether it's the absolute silence with which he walks despite the massive plate mail, the fluidity of each step unhindered by armor that should by rights be enormously heavy, or the prowling yellow gaze that swings across the room like the sweep of a searchlight, everything about the 'man' is subtly and parodically wrong. The existence of this Thing is a mockery of all that is good and right in the world, and it revels in it.

Garland is not here for games. Garland is not here to party. Garland makes no notice of the peons milling about; he has made his presence known here only to remind them that his presence is, that he is, that /Garland/ is; whatever purpose the Ironclad Nightmare serves, attending this party suits it. He glides through the guests, lesser creatures scattering in his wake as his shadow grows longer and longer from the now-sealed portal he emerged through; he makes his way over to Hades, pausing for a brief moment as he casts his terrible eyes upon the serving staff.

Sloppy.

The Champion Of Chaos nods a brief greeting to the Lord of the Dead, but beyond that, he does nothing - nothing but sweep his gaze across the room, and take very careful note of Kuja and Negaduck.

And likely make many people in this room very, very nervous.

Negaduck has posed:
You know, there is a maid who is just set his table back up right. Truth be told, Negaduck had the urge to flip HER over in his rage. However, Negaduck begins to calm down, sucking in a breath. No, let these fools continue to underestimate him.

Negaduck straightens himself, "Well then, it looks like that we have quite a large amount of new faces."

It is the presence of Garland, however, that gets Negaduck's attention with a grin. "Now, it's been a long time, Garland!" He cracks his neck, then he looks over towards the waiter.

"WAITER!"

The jumpy waiter snaps up and shakes, "Y--yes, Lord Negaduck?"

There is a blink at the recollection of the name. Lord Negaduck. That was a name that he owned back at his old world. His own world to get out. It is then that his eyes drift towards the waiter with a smile. It is a very sinister smile that shows its sharp teeth.

"Skulls. Bring them to me."

The waiter yelps and runs off, "R-right away!"

Malicia has posed:
Servants quickly scatter to grab on to glasses and food that are threatening to tip over from Garland's grand entrance. Malicia, still greeting the rest of the guests is stopped mid-sentence from whatever chatter she is currently engaged in to stare at this massive newcomer.

Oh my.

"You there." She hisses at Vespa-in-disguise. "Why don't you offer that one some punch?"

'That one' being Garland. Because Malicia couldn't seem to find a better description for this big... THING.

Kuja has posed:
Kuja acknowledges Souji, by raising his champagne glass, his smile wide and entirely insincere. He might have even greeted him, if not for the Ironclad Nightmare walking into the room.

This puts Kuja in a completely foul mood, but his expression was carefully controlled. His expression fell flat, neutral, and lacked it's usual mocking undertones to it. Instead it carried the expected deference and respect. He rose from his seat, and bowed slightly at the waist, but only to the point of appearances and expectations.

He would not play the sycophant to Garland. And yes indeed, his presence made him nervous. But he didn't show it. If Garland sensed outright fear in him, then he'd likely pay for it later with a /lesson/ atop the Sky Fortress.

Hades has posed:
"Name." Hades says annoyed...

"Uh Rhi-" And then the mad scientist beats them to the punch.

Hades looks down towards Pain and Panic, and they immediately turn into chickens and run for it. Hades doesn't tolerate failure...but right as he's about to light them on fire...

Kuja gets his attention, "You're putting too much shebang on yourself, little girl." Hades doesn't care about minions...and to him, Kuja was just a pawn of Garland. Mostly because he didn't have a soul, or at least one he'd get in the end...

However, Garland shows up, hey! Hades already wrapping a arm around the nightmare clad in armor. "Garland, thank the Underworld, someone to TALK to." he says, and turns him towards Souji...

"Now who is this guy? I gota say, so far I am likin' his style here. HEY YOU TWO IMBICILES, NAME?" He shouts towards Pain and Panic.

"Uh...Souji Murasame!" Panic shouts up, while still a chicken.

"Ohhhhh right..." there was that letter he got.

Rhiannon Zellen has posed:
"Again, you have my gratitude." Rhia spoke pleasantly, nodding her head a bit before turning to look upon hearing hushed whispers from some nearby waiters. Ah, it became clear what the issue was immediately. That issue being an approximately seven foot tall wall of armor and darkness striding through the area with absolutely no care for those around him.

"Perfect."

Just the walking nightmare she had been hoping to see today. Business at a party? Who cared! The scientist immediately turned to face Garland fully, casually approaching the giant of a man...thing, with a pleasant smile on her face. "Garland, yes? It has been a while. I do believe that I have yet to share with you the results of that experiment." Speaking in a gleeful tone, the oriental woman stepped aside upon hearing Malicia order Vespa around.

The life of a servant was a trying one, wasn't it? Not that she could relate. In any way whatsoever.

Vespa has posed:
Vespa shiver as Galrand enters to room. If people weren't on edge before. She jumps at Malicia. "Y-yes mistress?",she says acting more nervous than she really is! She nods to Malicia. "Y-yes Mistress right away!", she pours a glass a punch puts it on a severing try and takes a deep breath and stars walking towards Garland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNv5sPu0C1E

Kuja has posed:
Kuja gives Hades a patient but carefully controlled look as he interacts with Souji, before calling out to him, "If you like his style, then perhaps you might be interested in sponsoring the Murasame Scion, in a Colisseum duel against your lost.. charge. The two recently fought a duel which was regrettably interrupted. I think, that calls for a rematch.. on pay-per-view. Think of the ratings you could get from that."

Malicia has posed:
Satisfied with greeting everyone, Malicia grabs a drink of her own and seats herself next to Negaduck. "A rather decent turn out." She says to him. "Tell me... when we were in Archades we were attacked by a number of brave fools. I want to know who they are, so I can return the favor."

It becomes apparent at this point that Malicia has styled her hair so that her front bang sweeps over her left eye; an excellent way to hide the fading but still present black eye. She's still feeling the cuts and bruises as well.

Garland has posed:
Garland's terrible yellow eyes swing down to Rhiannon. The dark demigod is silent still before his rumbling, terrible voice echoes forth from his helmet. "Not here. Too many unknowns. We will talk at a later date."

Garland lowers his head another fraction at Hades, letting out a quiet chuckle. "As you say." Immediately, however, Negaduck gains his attention; those terrible yellow eyes flick over to the Duck Of Disaster, contemplative.

"So familiar with me already, /Lord/ Negaduck? Maleficent's shadow has barely retreated to her castle and already you act outside your boundaries." Garland 'tsks', a barely audible click of what cannot possibly be a tongue against iron.

Vespa comes up to Garland with his punch, ever so slowly. He looks down at her, all seven feet looming over her; it's like he's contemplating her life, her existence, what she might be and what she might be capable of. Then he holds up a hand. "I am not interested in your refreshments."

And that's it. That's all he does; no horrible darkness closing in on her soul, no long, dark teatime, merely silence and dismissal.

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji turns towards Garland as he enters, and gives the Iron Nightmare a bow. A wordless acknowledgement. There is nothing that needs be said in the presence of such a one. Is it one of respect, or something more?

He turns towards Malicia, and nods once more. "Thank you for the party. I will excuse myself so you can attend your other... guests."

He looks over to Negaduck, who is demanding skulls. Skulls? Seriously? The expression on Souji's face is unimpressed. "Ah, you must be the comedy act for tonight." He says to Negaduck. He gives the faintest of smirks to Malicia. "You seem to have chosen well. He is clearly the one who stands at the top of absurdity."

He turns away, acquiring a wine (red, natch) from the waiter and carefully passing the vintage beneath his nose. The scent must pass his standards, for he takes a sip before he moves towards the gathering of Rhiannon, Garland, and Hades. "Lord of the Dead, Hades, I presume." Souji says. "It is a pleasure." He arches an eyebrow as Kuja calls out, and he replies, "I doubt you would find my fees to your liking, Kuja, even with your business."

Hades has posed:
Hades grabs the offered refreshment though.

"Aw, aren't you a just adorable." He says, and takes a drink.

The effect of the FALCON punch, however, is transfered to Negaduck.

"Not bad." he says, and immedaitely turns back to Garland, "Come on, lighten up a little. The worst that can happen is that it's poisoned because Maliciwhatever is bad at this villian game...or Hero game. Hard to tell with all these SERIOUS hero's these days." He rolls his eyes and looks towards Kuja who decides he wants to play a with a open wound.

"I'm sorry, little girl, but the adults are talking now. Go make yourself useful by...doing whatever it is you do." Hades dismisses Kuja. Hades turns back to Souji Murasame, "Yes, The One, the only, Lord of the Dead, nice to meetcha, what can I do for you?"

Vespa has posed:
Vespa nods to Garland and starts to walk away, not her problem she just doing what she was told do do! She whewinternally. mabye she can pull this off. What could pos.. no she not going to think that! Garland has a very intimidating presense.. She silently curses to herself for not poisoning the punch, or bringing a nuke she not sure how she would have sneaked that in thought.

Rhiannon Zellen has posed:
Garland's response just drew an amused giggle from Rhia, who had raised a hand to her mouth to stifle it. "Very well, we will speak at length...another time." Nodding at that, she glanced aside at Hades, and then at the approaching Souji. "Souji Murasame, you said your name was?" The Shinra Scientist inquired casually, tapping her cheek thoughtfully with a finger.

After a moment's thought, she seemed to have recalled whatever it she was looking for. "Aha, I remember now. Your company has been making quite name for itself these days. I have heard tell of your..." A brief pause. "...exploits. I must say, I /am/ rather impressed with your work."

Negaduck has posed:
Twitch. There are times where the name 'Lord Negaduck' would please him. However, there are mixed feelings over what he lost. The duck snorts derusively at Garland. "I have no boundaries! Boundaries will NEVER hold Negaduck!" He slams a thumb at his chest.

"For I am everywhere!" Which, is becoming more true. Although Negaduck has been in the shadows, he has been gathering some members of his gang, drawing upon syndicates from each part of the World of Ruin and beyond.

After all, if Negaduck is to handle organized crime, had been time for some hostile take-overs.

While Malicia asks about the number of the brave ones who thwarted them, Negaduck thinks over the recent enemies that they encountered. "The one who used the robot garoyles is David Xanatos. Billionaire who is with the good guys, it seems, but he has his own agenda. The hobo looking guy is Will Sherman, the supposed 'Hobo King' and member of the Twilight Detective Agency."

A grin forms, "...I owe Mr. Alexander a warm greeting."

And then Souji addresses him as comedy. He turns his head at the man. "I'd watch those words, hairless baboon! Who knows what a twitchy finger can----"

SUDDENLY, FALCON PUNCH! WHAT THE HELL?! Negaduck is interrupted with the sudden punch from the drink and he is sent flying towards the wall.

There is a Negaduck sized hole in the crater.

By this time, the waiter comes back with a bag of skulls. "I-I have your skulls. ...N--Negaduck, sir?" He looks around, trying to figure out where the Duck of Destruction is at.

Seymour Guado has posed:
Another figure enters the party late as things seemed to already be taking place, the grouping of such a menagerie of personalities that is to expected. This figure a young tall man in fine purple robes with more focus on sleeves than to cover up his chest, revealing his tatoo'ed pectorals of the two Kishin's facing each other. His robe was held together by a great green sash bound in golden tassels, Maesters obviously spending no expense with their tailor bills.
For those familliar with Yevon they'd easily recognise a Maester a staff by his side his clothing adorned in symbols, this so called holy man in the midst of Villains is quite a scandal since he tries so hard to upkeep his image of such fine selfless individual. Travelling here in secret was no easy task as a maester but thankfully when one works in an organization that thrives on intrigue and power plays he is welcome to leave and initiate some private business on the churches behalf.

"My sincerest apoligies, for my late comming." His voice sounding apologetic and sincere even though deep down they may not be, from beind the younger man came an older one quite frightened by the strange looking creatures before him though loyal as every he did his job.

"I present to you Maester Seymour Guado. Maester of Yevon, and leader of the Guado people." The elderly man spoke loud and clear as he always did when presenting his master to a crowd, though this one unnerved him and he quickly bowed presenting his hands in a circular fashion in the prayer of Yevon, then backing away slowly to his master who looked quietly recognising very few of the guests though quickly marking those he did.

Kuja has posed:
Kuja just arches a single eyebrow at Souji Murasame, smiling, "I was unaware that you were so knowledgeable of my assets. I doubt your price is so far outside of my comfort zone, given that I've been at this far longer than you have..."

But then Hades dismisses him, and that puts him in a foul mood. He just broods within his seat. But whatever. His soul was not Hades' to have. Souji's however.. was a different story. He recognized that facet of these interactions right away, else it really might have tested his temper.

Malicia has posed:
The hostess has been keeping a close eye on everyone, but more specifically their interactions. She is sizing them up, trying to figure out where each fits in the pecking order.

And then she looks at Negaduck and frowns. Her partner in crime seems to be rather... low tier, based on the bold treatment he has received tonight. Souji's comment about Negaduck's absurdity had caught her by surprise. Not once did it occur to her that Negaduck was over-the-top, namely because she hails from the same world as him, where such garrish displays of evil are normal and to be expected.

She winces when Negaduck suddenly goes flying and turns to arch a brow at Hades. "It's Malicia." She says to him in an astute tone, although she remains rather polite and professional.

She notices Seymour's entrance. Another human. Hm... those seem to be quite commonplace around here.

"No apologies required. By all means, sit down and have a drink. We're just getting started."

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji looks over his wine at Rhiannon, gauging her for a moment and nodding. "Indeed. I am Souji Murasame, of the Murasame Zaibatsu. A pleasure to meet you." He says, with a faint smile. The smile does not reach his eyes.

"I have heard much of your own work, Ms. Zellen. I trust your work with Shinra has been very revealing?"

Negaduck addresses him. Souji doesn't even turn to look at him, taking a sip of his wine as the Falcon PUNCH does its work. "It seems that one does not even need that when you are concerned. Excellent show." Souji says. "How /do/ you manage the crater? It looks very authentic."

Kuja then makes his response. "I do not need to know your assets, Kuja, to have knowledge of what you will /not/ pay for something." He replies.

The Lord of the Dead has, however, addressed him, and it would be impolite to leave him hanging. "With recent events I have been looking into engaging in the consumer electronics sector. One of the systems I am preparing to deploy is a television system, but I am not satisfied with the current showings available in the World of Ruin and beyond. The Shinra Information Network is of course owned by a competitor, and most other television stations are too small to be worth carrying except as a local offering. Analysis of your station, however, is featuring quite positively."

Souji takes a drink of his wine to give Hades a moment to process this. Not that he needs to, but it's the thought that counts. Souji then continues. "I would like to offer you prime placement with our television systems we will be selling. People will purchase our system and you will be available on every set. Market penetration, given the current climate, is expected to be high, considering the lack of... viable competition."

Rhiannon Zellen has posed:
"Oh yes, it has been..." She paused then, reaching out to take a glass of wine from the tray of a passing waitress. She took a sip, considering the taste momentarily before resuming her reply. "...Quite fulfilling, I must say." She wasn't surprised to hear that though, talk of her /work/. Many residents of Goug were still clamoring over that mysterious sword she had /taken custody of/, demanding that it be returned to the people.

Sure, the experiment was something of a failure, but the knowledge gained was invaluable. "I have plenty of experiments left to perform yet." A faint smile found it's way to Rhia's face at that, though similarly, her gaze didn't match up. But then, she constantly looked as if she were appraising people as test subjects with her gaze.

Falling silent at that, the scientist let the others converse, listening in. Suppose the Turks and President Shinra himself may find some of this information to be interesting. ...If she could be bothered to actually relay it to them. The Murasame Zaibatsu was planning to muscle in on Shinra territory. And this was on top of Xanatos' own workings.

"My, things seem as if they are going to become...interesting." No, she didn't seem to have much loyalty to her company. It was all entertaining to watch no matter which side she was on. But alas, The higher ups would have her neck if she didn't at least offer some manner of resistance. Even a token one.

"You make an interesting offer, Mr. Murasame. But as you already know, Shinra is already well established in the field. We can offer a larger install base which promises viewers right out of the gate. Meaning that profits are not a question, but a guarantee."

Hades has posed:
"See? That wouldn't have moved you at all." Hades looks to Garland. "Has a nice punch to it...perhaps a bit too much." he says, with a toothy grin.

Hades has already dismissed Garland's little girl, and focuses right on Souji...

"You don't say..." Hades likes where this is going... "Well, this isn't the place to hash out terms, but I'm open to some offers latter. Have your people call my people and we'll have a good old fashion sit down. We'll even do lunch."

"Shinra's stuff is too focused." Hades says, "And Dealin' with your boss is like dealin' with the stiffers stiffer than they are back home." He continues, "BUT, maybe we'll all hash out some terms. No reason to leave anyone out when there is MONEY to be made.." or souls in this case.

Hades leans on Garland again, "Where do you find these people? Your HR these days is great!"

Kuja has posed:
Kuja has dismissed Hades as well, until the very last line. And then he's looking at both Souji and Rhiannon... with interest.

He actually has a smug smile on his face now... as he takes another sip from the champagne..

Malicia has posed:
Malicia decides it's time to do some damage control and placate what may be a rather unhappy duck. As Vespa is passing by, Malicia catches her by the shoulder. "Go get some food and plenty of extra drinks for Negaduck." She pauses. "Actually, just bring the entire punch bowl over here."

Seymour Guado has posed:
The tall figure would bow his head letting those long flowing blue bangs graze against his robe, raising his hands quietly to form a circle then bowing to show the prayer of Yevon. Seymour wasn't human or even living to those in the loop but he was a humanoid quite a few traits were noticable, his fingers for one were claw like at the tips though not as pronounced as Tromell's were, his hair was also blue not a common hair colour shared by humans in general. There were also smaller traits like strange vascular veins stemming from his forehead down to his blue eyes, human blue something he had inherited from his mother.

Heading quietly to take a seat as it had been offered Seymour had little information on these individuals, deciding to play it quiet and enigmatic for now get a feel for all the personalities while still playing out his facade amongst these key individuals and not ruffle to many feathers. Yevon tended to present themselves as an organization of Zealot technophobes, and as a result commanded a small army despite their religion many of the monks were armed with the 'forbidden' machina while maintaining as long as Yevon allows it doesn't count as Blasphemy.

There was a curiousity though being a man of power himself Seymour could only wonder what these individuals could do, seeing only Garland in battle and he boasted a terrible might with the power of darkness. Qualming his curiousity for now he smiled to Tromell warmly asking "Get some wine for you and I Tromell. It is a party after all."
The elderly Guado would rise up and quietly venture off to one of the waiters to get two glasses of wine for him and Seymour leaving the Maester there to quietly listen and observe the different individuals in the room, and of course leave himself open and approachable those who were interested.

Negaduck has posed:
"...Neggh..."

Negaduck lifts a hand from the crater that was made. If he could, he would strangle Souji. Flay him alive. Burn him. Sear him. Serve him up with vava beans. Torch him. And then boot him out. Negauck is in complete pain. He is annoyed.

"....Drink. Strongest drink that you have!"

With the waiter's arrival, Negaduck is going to deal with his annoyance in a healthy way.

Getting drunk. And plot. Plot while drunk.

Yeah. Dastardly villainous things. Drunk.

Vespa has posed:
Vespa is taking lots of metal notes! She hope she can remember all this information. She nods to Malicia bring Negaduck the entire punchbowl over to him and an plate full of food. "Here you are sir.", she says and she quickly scurries away from him. She wishes she had a camera for what about to happen.

Malicia has posed:
The hostess decides now it a good time to get everyone's attention. Standing up at the front where everyone can see her, she taps her glass with a spoon to silence the trickle of conversation and music.

"Now then." She smiles quite politely at the group. "Again, thank you all for attending my dinner party. As you're all no doubt aware, we are all dealing with the rather... unique, situation of our fragmented worlds. And with this, has come new alliances, particularly from those who seek to stop us all from our own personal goals. I hope tonight we can find mutual ground. As an ally to the Shadow Lords, I am happy to assist those of you who require a bit of fire power." She conjurs a fireball for emphasis.

"On a side note, I have set up a little contest." She motions to the food table where a giant fishbowl is sitting. Piled to the top are eyeballs of various colours. "Anyone who can guess the number of eyeballs in the jar wins a prize."

Negaduck has posed:
There is a lot that Negaduck is going through. Perhaps it is the fact that he has been humiliated. Perhaps it is the fact that the fear that people of St. Canard had felt has been diminished since his arrival here. Perhaps it is the fact of his old name of a place that he no longer has haunts him.

Whatever it is...

"LET'S PARTY!!"

Negaduck has two of the strongest drinks in his hands, gulping it all down like water. As he chugs the beverages down, he slams the mugs down and he pulls that maniacal grin.

"Let's do some Puppy Vaulting!" His eyes drift towards the sack full of some quivering puppies. "...I think I want to take my anger out on some.." His tone becomes condescendingly pitiful. "Innocent puppies."

Malicia has posed:
Malicia does a double-take at Negaduck. Is he...?

"Well, I can never turn down a good puppy kicking." She slides up beside him and grins. "Shall you do the honors?"

Vespa has posed:
Vespa did a doulbe take too. She coudn't do anything to stop that! Mabye somehow she could catch them before they hit the ground. Somehow.

Seymour Guado has posed:
Tromell quickly moved back to Seymour seeing how events had quickly changed, presenting him with a glass while keeping one for himself. Grasping the cool glass in his pointed fingers he would simply bring the glass to his lips and sip quietly, eyes moving to Malicia mentioning a prominent and forboding name the Shadow lords. Hearing whispers of this organization Seymour knew little to nothing about them, and was out of the loop about most of the worlds since Yevon seemed to recluse itself so much only scouting out in small droves.

"Oh my..." Tromell whispered in disgust and fear as the large jar of eyeballs had been presented, Seymour simply closed his eyes as he quietly contemplated the realisation that some of these villains are randomly insane, then re-opening them quietly staring back as he waited for something more to his taste to chip into although he still couldn't help himself from trying to estimate how many were in it when presented with such a competition. Then the mention of puppies from a drunken duck like being left Seymour slightly perplexed at what was actually going on as he looks around to the others trying to find something other for him and Tromell to look at, or someone to meet as they would stand up with their wine glasses to move over to mingle and hopefully drown out the sounds of puppies crying in pain.

Rhiannon Zellen has posed:
Having spent the rest of her time watching and listening, Rhia eventually set her empty glass aside, chuckling at Negaduck's proclamation of kicking puppies. She didn't say anything more to the people present and casually began to head off on her own. There was no more reason to stick around.

As entertaining as it was to watch, she had work to resume. Experiments to perform and theories to contemplate. Such was the life of Rhiannon Zellen. Always thinking about the next breakthrough. The next milestone. Forging ever forward on the path to knowledge.

And then she was gone.

Souji Murasame has posed:
"Indeed, Lord Hades." Souji inclines his head to the deity. "I think you will find my terms quite flexible. We can do lunch and work the terms out at your convenience. Simply send me a time and place. For you, I am quite flexible." He smiles faintly, and then looks to Rhiannon. "I'm sure we can come to a mutually quitable arrangement. There should be more than enough room in this for all of us, Ms. Zellen. Our main would-be competition is not in the room. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Souji stands, turning to Malicia as she speaks. His expression remains Business Neutral as he listens to her speech, and he looks over to the fishbowl. He strides past Malicia, stopping to put his hand over the fishbowl.

There is a flash of light, a crack of thunder and a whiff of ozone as there is a flare of obliterating lightning for several seconds, a tiny storm made manifest.

The fishbowl is left with little more than ash within. Souji turns away. "Zero." He says, simply, to Malicia, and walks on.

Finally, he reaches Seymour's table, and he bows lightly to the Guado. "Maester Seymour, I presume." He says. "I have heard much of Yevon, but I never expected to see you at such a gathering." That is, of course, a polite lie.

"I am Souji Murasame, of the Murasame Zaibatsu. I have some mining concerns within the mountains near Guadosalam." He mentions. "I was hoping to meet with you regarding our current situation and to potentially engage in mutually profitable arrangements."

Negaduck has posed:
Negaduck's eyes drunkenly looks over at Souji, that disdain drawing on his face. "Kids these days... smug young punks, all of them. All of the little brats think that they are all that these days."

There is a puppy pulled from the bag. "...This is a kid who needs to know the meaning of LIFE!"

Negaduck runs over to punt the puppy. Despite it's plea...

*PUNT!*

The drunken Negaduck punts one of the critters out towards the volcano.

Both arms extend out, mimicing the wild crowd as he puts on the theatrical showboating.
"GOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLL!!!"

Vespa has posed:
Vespa managed to sneak out as the gathering was getting close to ending she had no interest in seeing puppie� being thrown to there death! She had managed to find a large sack she made her way to the other side of the volcano and was tyring to catch the puppies in the sack! Funny this felt a bit like a video game...

Malicia has posed:
Malicia grins widely at Negaduck, her fangs flashing as she cackles at his first kick. They can all say what they want about Negaduck, but Malicia is right at home with his brand of cruelty. The chaos and energy surrounding him suits her tastes just fine.

"Don't let them get to you." She reassures him, polishing off a glass of alcohol herself. "I've seen what you can do. They simply underestimate you because 'talking ducks' seem to be a source of comedy around here. If I could count the number of times some human quacked at me while I pass them by..."

Now it was Malicia's turn to practice a bit of anger management. A puppy is plucked from the bag and tossed into the air. She leaps up and kicks it hard, sending it flying toward the volcano.

Seymour Guado has posed:
The Guado leader would smile to Souji, as he approached him being polite and playing the game of false faces knowing he wanted something as he admitted to mines near his homeland. "Your presumptions are correct. Thank you I dare say the same of you." Seymour apparently could politely lie too knowing much of those companies who used machina as a source of wealth and power.

"Certainly such a meeting is a private matter, and getting through the normal channels is not easy for two such organizations... with such opposing ideals." smirking lightly as lightly waved a hand saying "But more to the challenge of facing these differences... I'd be happy to have a meeting discussing profitable arrangements... Although one who understands things such as public image would understand our discretion when discussing such matters"

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji simply ignores the drunk duck. instead, he focuses upon Seymour. "Machines are not all we deal in. To limit ourselves in such a manner is unwise. We have great magical resources as well that your organization may find more palatable to your desires. Regardless, you speak the truth, Maester. I simply wished to introduce myself and make it known that the opportunity was there. As far as any potential accord... It will have to wait until we can meet in private, agreed."

Seymour Guado has posed:
Seymour was not ignoring the ducks antics, and was simply comforted by the fact the Volcano made sure that they'd never suffer again. "We at the church though biased are not closed to the use of Machina.. But then again our stand against it has produced some of the most battle hardened mages and warriors... Our summoners too as well spread our word heal the sick and injured.. And of course defeating fiends and other such monstrosities."
The maester seemed to list off some of their known capabilities in the churches power, while hinting at not being closed to Machina as the clued in knew Yevon to be quite hipocritical. "Gladly, a private meeting between us both should prove a little more enlightening and clarify what profits are there to be made. Simply make the date and I'll try to meet those arrangements." Wearing that calm smile as Tromell seemed silent through the encounter of the more civilised guests though wincing every time a puppy yelped after being booted off into the volcano.