The WF Halloween Shindig [IC; Closed]

[Broader Confederate States]

Shutting the locket closed and putting it back in her pocket, she went back to her food, grabbing a piece of sausage with her fork she patted down with a paper towel to make sure there wasn't any grease. Not bad, she thought, at seeing only a thin mist on it, taking a bite that was pretty enjoyable. She knew it was rude to chew with her mouth open, but there wasn't much option at the moment, so she just minimized it as much as she could, grabbing another sausage of the four she got and scarfing it down too.
Realizing her throat was kinda dry, she got up to see if she could find herself a tea bag, hoping that coffee machine goes up high enough in heat to do the tea justice. Sooner or later she found some, though not until she checked the in retrospect obvious place of right next to the coffee maker. Of course it would be there. Picking out her favorite of the lineup (linden flowers, by the way, which she was surprised they had), she set the machine to make a thing of hot water into the cup with the bag in it, which it did, though at a very slow pace. Anyone who came around to make themselves a coffee, she felt compelled to apologize to, the cup finishing up just in time to save a tiny bit of face.

[Brettenwald]

Paris sighed and brushed a waffle crumb off the lapel of his suit. Flying halfway around the damned planet to celebrate a holiday that his country didn't really do in a land he'd never heard of wasn't his idea of a good time. How the hell were you supposed to pronounce "Fardelshufflestein" anyway, let alone with a Brettain accent? It was just one of those occasions when he had to resign himself to the fact that he was the one who did the grunt work, always second best. Marco worked hard too, he grudgingly reminded himself. My brother may be a cold, amoral, manipulative bastard, but he's also smart as hell and working damn hard to prove he (and I, but mostly he) is capable of running the country. I'm sure he's got me out of the way just so he can play political chess with the Empire without me keeping him on his leash. There were certainly some strange people here, he thought, digging into a fried egg that turned out to be surprisingly good. The zombie-ghost-vampire-person sitting next to him seemed friendly enough, though. He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and grabbed a second mimosa before shifting in his seat a little and striking up a conversation. "So, are you dressed up as everything scary at once, or what?"

[Socialist Macronesia]

Nate came back with a cardigan.

"Alright, put in on!" Nate watched intently.

Patyu was... uncomfortable to say the least. But the sweater did look pretty good, nice and warm, and Patyu found himself in it about five seconds after receiving it.

Well. It was a sweater. A pretty damn comfortable one, though...

"Excuse me." Nate stood from the table.

---

He tried to douse his face in water to no avail. He wasn't drunk?

"Am I..."

No. The alcohol was talking. He wasn't a homosexual, he had plenty of women who...

Maybe just a little. But only a little.

---

"I'll pass on the drink. I will have a water though."

Where the hell was Nate going? And what had he said about a sweater?

He pushed open the door to the bathr--

"NOT NOW, ROSS!"

Nate was splayed out on the floor, his upper body soaking wet.

"Get the hell out. God, Ross."

[Voxija]

Paris sighed and brushed a waffle crumb off the lapel of his suit. Flying halfway around the damned planet to celebrate a holiday that his country didn't really do in a land he'd never heard of wasn't his idea of a good time. How the hell were you supposed to pronounce "Fardelshufflestein" anyway, let alone with a Brettain accent? It was just one of those occasions when he had to resign himself to the fact that he was the one who did the grunt work, always second best. Marco worked hard too, he grudgingly reminded himself. My brother may be a cold, amoral, manipulative bastard, but he's also smart as hell and working damn hard to prove he (and I, but mostly he) is capable of running the country. I'm sure he's got me out of the way just so he can play political chess with the Empire without me keeping him on his leash. There were certainly some strange people here, he thought, digging into a fried egg that turned out to be surprisingly good. The zombie-ghost-vampire-person sitting next to him seemed friendly enough, though. He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and grabbed a second mimosa before shifting in his seat a little and striking up a conversation. "So, are you dressed up as everything scary at once, or what?"

President Etor Gurraniz shrugged. "I'm dressed as a zombie ghost vampire Edrigu V. Edrigu V was the worst leader ever to rule Voxija, the country I'm the president of." This man seemed to be the leader of his own country to, but Etor still felt weird mentioning he was the president so casually.

"King Edrigu banned beards, instituted—" Etor Gurraniz shuddered; he wasn't going to talk about that in mixed company, "—tortured people until they confessed, and put a tax on marriages. I guess I am dressed up as everything scary at once. You're right." Etor Gurraniz wondered why Edrigu the Fifth was considered appropriate for costumes in Voxija, while people like Ekaitz Larregi or Adolf Hitler weren't. Maybe it was the passage of time.

Etor saw fit to introduce himself. "My name is Etor Gurraniz. I already mentioned that I was the president of Voxija. Who are you?"

[Azur Deutschland]

Soon, the rose twins were out of coffee and things to discuss to keep their minds off the ever-increasing anxiety and nervousness that clawed at their minds. In sync, they both gave a deep sigh and looked at each other.

"We... We should probably meet some of the people here." Sylvia had suggested to her sister.

"Yes... That would be for the best..." Julienne had responded.

Nodding to each other, both of the witch girls stood up from their seats. ""This is supposed to be fun... So, let's try to make the best of it."" They both said to each other before giggling a bit softly, cheering themselves up quite a bit.

Now, the question lodged in their minds was, who should they go and talk to? Perhaps the woman with the witch costume? Yes, that would be perfect. So, off they went, walking along to the table with as much confidence they could muster.

[Main Nation Ministry]

Soon, the rose twins were out of coffee and things to discuss to keep their minds off the ever-increasing anxiety and nervousness that clawed at their minds. In sync, they both gave a deep sigh and looked at each other.

"We... We should probably meet some of the people here." Sylvia had suggested to her sister.

"Yes... That would be for the best..." Julienne had responded.

Nodding to each other, both of the witch girls stood up from their seats. ""This is supposed to be fun... So, let's try to make the best of it."" They both said to each other before giggling a bit softly, cheering themselves up quite a bit.

Now, the question lodged in their minds was, who should they go and talk to? Perhaps the woman with the witch costume? Yes, that would be perfect. So, off they went, walking along to the table with as much confidence they could muster.

"Well, we would have to get other people's option on the topic." Jessica said, as she was eating her waffles. "I don't think I can eat with fangs in my mouth, this is too stupid." Keller complained, as the Dellamorta sisters were heading up their table. "I think I see some more witches here? At least, we're not the only young ones." Jessica said, where Keller was getting the plastic fangs out of her mouth, which she was using a napkin to wipe off the saliva. "They might want an autograph, if they managed to pirate my music."
"Actually, I think they want me to join their coven?" Charlie joked.

[Tranzoria]

Jaye watched as some of the Leaders left to get ready..again. He noticed the Carthageans were not that keen on talking right then, so he waved over for Jackson, who grabbed a Sausage, to go. They walked up the stairs before realizing there was an Elevator, and went on that. They passed a few floors before reaching their own, passing the empty Cartghagean Room, John Ross's Room, where some...discussion was being overheard, and one of the two Fake Fardelshufflestein Rooms.

Jaye showed disgust at saying the name, which he thought was unpleasant. The Room was open, but Jaye didn't care and only looked t the mess-up Bead Sheets. He reached his room and waved goodbye to Jackson, who stayed outside of it for some time before walking away. As he walked, he heard even more yelling in Ross's Room and decided to listen to what was going on in it.

[Kiu Ghesik]

Nate came back with a cardigan.

"Alright, put in on!" Nate watched intently.

Patyu was... uncomfortable to say the least. But the sweater did look pretty good, nice and warm, and Patyu found himself in it about five seconds after receiving it.

Well. It was a sweater. A pretty damn comfortable one, though...

"Excuse me." Nate stood from the table.

---

He tried to douse his face in water to no avail. He wasn't drunk?

"Am I..."

No. The alcohol was talking. He wasn't a homosexual, he had plenty of women who...

Maybe just a little. But only a little.

---

"I'll pass on the drink. I will have a water though."

Where the hell was Nate going? And what had he said about a sweater?

He pushed open the door to the bathr--

"NOT NOW, ROSS!"

Nate was splayed out on the floor, his upper body soaking wet.

"Get the hell out. God, Ross."

Curiously, Patyu got up from his seat- wow, this really was a comfortable sweater- and walked to the restroom he'd last seen Nate heading towards. To his surprise, the door was open, and- Ross was in there? He seemed to be laughing at someone. Odd. Leaning around the doorframe, he saw Nate flat on the floor, his upper shirt plastered to his chest, lying in a massive puddle that looked to be centered around the nearest toilet. His face was flush red and he was screaming something at Ross.

Patyu stepped back, rather dumbfounded, and found himself trying his best not to laugh. Surprisingly, it was easy to do- he was more concerned for Nate than anything. Cautiously, he tapped Ross on the shoulder and opened his mouth.

What he said next he didn't actually say.

From behind him, in a blunt and apathetic tone, Ari asked what Patyu had been planning to. "What in the name of God happened to him?" With a start he turned to face her. She had the helmet cradled in one arm like it was a football. And she looked bloody terrifying with that face-paint, in all honesty. Patyu understood why she wore it to battle. It was... unnerving.

"Wh... what are you doing here? I thought you were at the bar!" Patyu's protests sounded weak, even to him.

Ari shrugged. "Ross left, so I'm here now. But, ah-" She leaned around Ross' frame and pointed at the very incapacitated Nate. "-I think he's rather busy. So, uh, I'm going to go see what I can ruin." Before waiting for any assent from the dumbfounded pair, she turned to leave, winking at Patyu as she did. "Nice sweater, by the way. It looks nice." She gave him a pat on the shoulder and stepped around the corner, out of sight.

For a moment, Patyu just stood in place, his mouth hanging open, before slumping against the wall, defeated.

She had left him alone. With John Ross.

Oh no.

---

Chuckling to herself, Ari walked out into the main banquet hall once more. She had to find something to do, after all, now that Ross was occupied.

Looking over the assembled guests, she could see no real shortage of characters it would be interesting to get acquainted with. Here there was a woman in an... incredibly convincing crocodile costume, like- wow, that was odd, and there there was a skeleton-zombie-vampire-person-man talking with a well-dressed fellow in a suit, and over there were- Oh, there they were. The twins. They were dressed as witches. She remembered them- she'd mistaken them for witches the first time she'd met them. Well, they still were, in a sense, but not in the way she'd thought they were.

They were approaching a trio of incredibly well-dressed women seated around a table, one of whom was wearing a skeleton mask. The three seemed the sort to get really into this sort of thing.

Especially the one in the skeleton mask.

Well, the twins were not allowed to escape unharmed. They had some explaining to do. For instance, why their, er, ancestor was so terrifying, and why they hadn't brought the smol demon with them- it deserved a headpat- and why in the name of the Mother their cookies were so good. Answers were needed, and urgently.

Standing at what she thought was a discreet distance away from the table, Ari watched as the twins engaged the three seated there in casual conversation. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. Well, it would be impolite to interrupt them now, wouldn't it? Yes, it would, but... they weren't going to be occupied for long. And when they weren't, she'd get her answers.

[Broader Confederate States]

Satisfied with the drink, she put a packet of sugar in it, stirred it with a spoon, and sat back down at her seat, head filled with music as she finished up breakfast. She couldn't help tap her foot with it as she finished up the various things on her plate, finishing off with hash browns on buttered toast, and feeling pretty satisfied. She was considering a second helping, but... she was good with what she had, so she just grabbed an apple and tossed it around in her hands while she leaned against a wall, looking around at the crowd. Nobody she knew, she thought. Some she recognized but nobody she was too familiar with.
Whistling the tune to herself, she debated going back to her room and grabbing her trusty jazz box, but it'd probably be inconvenient and annoying to the other guests, so she decided not to. Instead, she just sang to herself softly, figuring there's probably not much left to do here.

[Tranzoria]

Jackson decided to leave the Room alone, as this was only an Event...there was nothing bad going to happen...right? He walked to his Room and pulled out his Briefcase, opening it as he put on his Ship Captain Costume. Inside the Briefcase was something that would try to make sure Jaye won the "Contest" of cursed costumes. The Bunny one was cursed, but this might be able to beat it. He shut the Briefcase and walked out the door, quickly finding Jaye in his Sailor Costume, the one he would soon replace with something Monstrous. He chuckled.

"What so funny Jackson?"

"Oh, nothing Sir. Just something my daughter told me."

"What was it?"

"Oh, it was...a joke, just a joke."

"Oh. Well then, I would like to take a tour around the Museum before the Banquet Starts. I'm guessing the Fardelshufflestein Nations and ome Civilians will be there two, so we can chat."

"Excellent. I'll have the Limousine ready. Unless...you want to use the Helicopter again?"

Jaye smiled, and laughed, and Jackson did the same, until we pulled out his phone and called the Limousine.

[Azur Deutschland]

"Well, we would have to get other people's option on the topic." Jessica said, as she was eating her waffles. "I don't think I can eat with fangs in my mouth, this is too stupid." Keller complained, as the Dellamorta sisters were heading up their table. "I think I see some more witches here? At least, we're not the only young ones." Jessica said, where Keller was getting the plastic fangs out of her mouth, which she was using a napkin to wipe off the saliva. "They might want an autograph, if they managed to pirate my music."
"Actually, I think they want me to join their coven?" Charlie joked.

The twins reached the table that Jessica, Keller, and Charlie were seated at. The twins both smiled happily and gave a curtsy. Though they were refined, one could notice that they were trembling just a bit from a... small... amount of anxiety.

"Sorry to interrupt or intrude on your conversation, but..." The younger twin had started to speak.

"We wanted to get to know more of the guests who are attending the party. So, we were wondering if it'd be fine to converse with you three." The elder twin finished.

Giving a soft giggle, the two blushed and smiled once more before finally giving out their names, seeing as how it would probably be rude if they forgot to do so. They didn't want to ruin the first impressions already.

"I'm Sylvia Lucienne Dellamorte, elder twin of the Azure Rose Sisters."

"I'm Julienne Victoria Dellamorte, younger twin of the Azure Rose Sisters."

[Main Nation Ministry]

The twins reached the table that Jessica, Keller, and Charlie were seated at. The twins both smiled happily and gave a curtsy. Though they were refined, one could notice that they were trembling just a bit from a... small... amount of anxiety.

"Sorry to interrupt or intrude on your conversation, but..." The younger twin had started to speak.

"We wanted to get to know more of the guests who are attending the party. So, we were wondering if it'd be fine to converse with you three." The elder twin finished.

Giving a soft giggle, the two blushed and smiled once more before finally giving out their names, seeing as how it would probably be rude if they forgot to do so. They didn't want to ruin the first impressions already.

"I'm Sylvia Lucienne Dellamorte, elder twin of the Azure Rose Sisters."

"I'm Julienne Victoria Dellamorte, younger twin of the Azure Rose Sisters."

"Azure Rose Sisters, huh?" Jessica said, interested in the twins. "I'm Jessica Madden." Jessica naturally introduced herself. "I'm Charlotte Huxley, but I prefer to be called Charlie."

"And I'm Princess Keller Harrington." Harrington said, trying to act normal. "All three of us are on something I didn't mean to drag them to, but it's what you would call a diplomatic PR tour, which our Leader would like to call it." Keller explained, though these twins seemed harmless enough. "Guessing you're celebrating Halloween, also?" Charlie asked, as she sipped some coffee.

[Socialist Macronesia]

Ross smiled at Patyu.

"So uhh... you know me yet?"

Pretty sure that had gotten a reaction. A fist clench, but a reaction nonetheless.

"Okay... maybe I should... I'll just go."

Ross left.

Patyu and a mildly intoxicated Nate, one of whom appeared to have forgotten to remove his clothes when he took a shower.

Nate coughed. "I can explain. Or would you rather explain?"

[Azur Deutschland]

"Azure Rose Sisters, huh?" Jessica said, interested in the twins. "I'm Jessica Madden." Jessica naturally introduced herself. "I'm Charlotte Huxley, but I prefer to be called Charlie."

"And I'm Princess Keller Harrington." Harrington said, trying to act normal. "All three of us are on something I didn't mean to drag them to, but it's what you would call a diplomatic PR tour, which our Leader would like to call it." Keller explained, though these twins seemed harmless enough. "Guessing you're celebrating Halloween, also?" Charlie asked, as she sipped some coffee.

Like clockwork, the two girls said ""Nice to meet you three"" before nodding in sync to the question.

"Yes, Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. It really lets us express ourselves and our magical talent." Julienne giddily stated.

"Mhm, though, not just Halloween, we're also here to visit Alastair. A little bit less of a PR tour and more of checking in on a friend. We haven't interacted much with the King, but we've known quite a bit about him. He's the type of person that can easily make friendships. Though, recent news say that he's not in the best of conditions at the moment..." Sylvia explained further. She then cleared her throat "Anyways though, we are very much hoping for just a fun time all around."

[Main Nation Ministry]

Like clockwork, the two girls said ""Nice to meet you three"" before nodding in sync to the question.

"Yes, Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. It really lets us express ourselves and our magical talent." Julienne giddily stated.

"Mhm, though, not just Halloween, we're also here to visit Alastair. A little bit less of a PR tour and more of checking in on a friend. We haven't interacted much with the King, but we've known quite a bit about him. He's the type of person that can easily make friendships. Though, recent news say that he's not in the best of conditions at the moment..." Sylvia explained further. She then cleared her throat "Anyways though, we are very much hoping for just a fun time all around."

"The king isn't doing well?" Keller heard what Sylvia had said, though Harrington assumed that she would be doing something like a "it's best we establish some friendly relations with our nation with yours" speech and discussion to Alastair. However, she never met King Alastair at all. "Surely, I can check on him also, since I'm the only one who needs to visit him." Harrington explained, not minding how the twins are somewhat in sync with one another.

"We might try to do some Halloween stuff in the city. I don't know, like apple bobbing or something. I think we can watch horror flicks on the hotel TVs." Jessica told them, seeing if they had plans of their own that the three would be interested in.

[American Pere Housh]

Amelia Cortez, who is dressed as Vanny from FNAF but is really Vanny, walks into the room with everybody else and looks around. She would like to kill some of these people but she promised Bella she wouldn't. Vanny walks up to Ross, "Hey there, I'm Vanny. What is your name" Vanny rubs her knife longingly.

[Azur Deutschland]

"The king isn't doing well?" Keller heard what Sylvia had said, though Harrington assumed that she would be doing something like a "it's best we establish some friendly relations with our nation with yours" speech and discussion to Alastair. However, she never met King Alastair at all. "Surely, I can check on him also, since I'm the only one who needs to visit him." Harrington explained, not minding how the twins are somewhat in sync with one another.

"We might try to do some Halloween stuff in the city. I don't know, like apple bobbing or something. I think we can watch horror flicks on the hotel TVs." Jessica told them, seeing if they had plans of their own that the three would be interested in.

The twins were quite excited at the prospect of watching horror movies, especially with a friendly crowd. Though they preferred other genres, they still had an appreciation for the terror that came from good horror. Bad horror even worked much like a comedy at points too, so it was still entertaining.

"Honestly, we didn't have much planned other than attending the shindig. It would be nice to partake in other events as well." Julienne said.

Sylvia nodded with her twin's statement before speaking her mind. "I don't think we have to go out of our way to actually entertain ourselves though. After all, Alastair and his family are a friendly, lively bunch. I'm sure they have quite a bit planned. It's still early in the day, so it's reasonable to assume that's the reason why not much is going on. Maybe they'll have a horror movie showing someplace where we won't have to crowd into a small hotel room." Shen then gave another slight laugh. "Enough about that though, if that's alright. I wanted to ask you three about your costumes. They look quite nice." It was an abrupt change of subject, but the elder twin tried her best to make it not seem rude.

"Is there any particular reasons for your costumes? Like is it just personal preference or something else?" Julienne asked, genuinely curious.

[Socialist Macronesia]

Nate sighed.

"You know why I work for Ross?"

Patyu began to listen.

"First Capitol War. 2011. USA sent weapons to the locals to fight us out. We had to go from town to town to build support. We traveled in a convoy of armoured vehicles. And we were riding through God-knows-where, when they ambushed us."

He paused.

"Lead vehicle went up in smoke. We dismounted, fought back. John Ross got hurt. I had to carry his ass out of there. I stayed with him the rest of the war. He thanked me by transferring me off to Airborne, away from the fighting. I never saw him again for ten or so years. I had gone up through the BRAVO and ALPHA teams by then, I'd just taken half the reins of SIERRA. Bam, Ross shows up. Asked me to lead."

He wiped away some water on his face-- or was it tears? If they were, he didn't show it.

"I like him. But sometimes I have to keep protecting him from himself. And I miss my old work when I wasn't expected to bear the weight of the world on my shoulders, and keep Ross from fucking everything up at the same time. I used to take orders, now I'm independent. I miss taking orders. I am not cut out for a leadership role."

"When they pulled me to join the PMC I was 18. Fresh out of ROTC, I was gonna be an officer. But deep down, I wanted the excitement and thrill of danger. So naturally they asked if I was in. Best choice I ever made.

And at the same time, the worst."

[Main Nation Ministry]

The twins were quite excited at the prospect of watching horror movies, especially with a friendly crowd. Though they preferred other genres, they still had an appreciation for the terror that came from good horror. Bad horror even worked much like a comedy at points too, so it was still entertaining.

"Honestly, we didn't have much planned other than attending the shindig. It would be nice to partake in other events as well." Julienne said.

Sylvia nodded with her twin's statement before speaking her mind. "I don't think we have to go out of our way to actually entertain ourselves though. After all, Alastair and his family are a friendly, lively bunch. I'm sure they have quite a bit planned. It's still early in the day, so it's reasonable to assume that's the reason why not much is going on. Maybe they'll have a horror movie showing someplace where we won't have to crowd into a small hotel room." Shen then gave another slight laugh. "Enough about that though, if that's alright. I wanted to ask you three about your costumes. They look quite nice." It was an abrupt change of subject, but the elder twin tried her best to make it not seem rude.

"Is there any particular reasons for your costumes? Like is it just personal preference or something else?" Julienne asked, genuinely curious.

"Our costumes?" Keller got nervous, because she didn't really wanted to dress up for the shindig. Then again, it was for Halloween. "Oh this? I couldn't really find something interesting to wear, but I figured I go all out with being a vampire." Keller tried to put her fangs back on, but she immediately gulped down some water to rinse her mouth of any food. "I don't understand how anyone could keep this in their mouths for hours."

"I'm dressed in a bit of a revamped costume from my lastest time at WorldVision. I didn't want to do makeup, but I figured I look nice in this costume. I have a prop wand, but that's back at our room." Charlie explained why she was a witch to the sisters, where Jessica went ahead last. "This here is an old costume back a couple of concerts ago back in Main Nation Ministry." Jessica said, removing her mask. "Made sure to give a retro tint to it. Glows in the dark well, actually!" Jessica explained, where it was now the sister's turn to explain why they were dressed as witches.

"So what made you two want to dress up as witches? Costumes already look interesting than mine." Charlie asked the two sisters.

[Azur Deutschland]

"Our costumes?" Keller got nervous, because she didn't really wanted to dress up for the shindig. Then again, it was for Halloween. "Oh this? I couldn't really find something interesting to wear, but I figured I go all out with being a vampire." Keller tried to put her fangs back on, but she immediately gulped down some water to rinse her mouth of any food. "I don't understand how anyone could keep this in their mouths for hours."

"I'm dressed in a bit of a revamped costume from my lastest time at WorldVision. I didn't want to do makeup, but I figured I look nice in this costume. I have a prop wand, but that's back at our room." Charlie explained why she was a witch to the sisters, where Jessica went ahead last. "This here is an old costume back a couple of concerts ago back in Main Nation Ministry." Jessica said, removing her mask. "Made sure to give a retro tint to it. Glows in the dark well, actually!" Jessica explained, where it was now the sister's turn to explain why they were dressed as witches.

"So what made you two want to dress up as witches? Costumes already look interesting than mine." Charlie asked the two sisters.

The younger twin excitedly gave her answer. "Well, we wanted to wear something elegant and refined. The best witches always knew how to dress in style."

"We are also real witches, to put it simply. We have quite the magical aptitude. Our family tree even branches out to one of the most infamous witch stories in Deutschland." Sylvia added on.

In order to emphasize the older twin's point, both of the girls cast a spell. Suddenly, in their hands were a couple of delicate and beautiful roses. They were both an azure blue and shimmered faintly in the lighting of the hotel. The twins both smiled and giggled before happily offering the roses to the three, hoping they saw it as a sign of friendship.

[Kiu Ghesik]

Nate sighed.

"You know why I work for Ross?"

Patyu began to listen.

"First Capitol War. 2011. USA sent weapons to the locals to fight us out. We had to go from town to town to build support. We traveled in a convoy of armoured vehicles. And we were riding through God-knows-where, when they ambushed us."

He paused.

"Lead vehicle went up in smoke. We dismounted, fought back. John Ross got hurt. I had to carry his ass out of there. I stayed with him the rest of the war. He thanked me by transferring me off to Airborne, away from the fighting. I never saw him again for ten or so years. I had gone up through the BRAVO and ALPHA teams by then, I'd just taken half the reins of SIERRA. Bam, Ross shows up. Asked me to lead."

He wiped away some water on his face-- or was it tears? If they were, he didn't show it.

"I like him. But sometimes I have to keep protecting him from himself. And I miss my old work when I wasn't expected to bear the weight of the world on my shoulders, and keep Ross from fucking everything up at the same time. I used to take orders, now I'm independent. I miss taking orders. I am not cut out for a leadership role."

"When they pulled me to join the PMC I was 18. Fresh out of ROTC, I was gonna be an officer. But deep down, I wanted the excitement and thrill of danger. So naturally they asked if I was in. Best choice I ever made.

And at the same time, the worst."

Patyu nodded, absentmindedly. He wasn't quite sure what all the words Nate used meant, but he understood the sentiment well enough. He'd had to do the same with Ari, albeit to a lesser degree. And he was barely able to keep up with her. And Ross was... well, Ross. He was far more deserving of a ticket to an insane asylum than Ari ever would be. He sighed and knelt on the floor next to Nate, then pulled the drunk soldier into a tight embrace.

His head resting on Nate's shoulder, he started to talk. He wasn't sure why- it wasn't like he had anything useful to say. But he felt like he needed to, nonetheless.

"You know, I've never fought? You'd think with our, you know, culture, everyone'd be a warrior. But Ari never let me, no matter how much I wanted to. And so every time she goes off to war I'm left behind. I can't help her, I can't make sure she's safe, I can't do anything. I feel useless."

He let Nate go, fell back onto the floor, and pulled his knees close to his chest. "But, you know what? Every time she comes back. And I know that I've got nothing to do with it, and I know that she can still fail at any time, really, and that doesn't give me much... hope."

For a moment, he sat in silence, rubbing at the wet patch on his sweater where Nate's current soggy state had rubbed off on him.

"But I think that's the point. We can't ever be sure we'll be perfect, you know? All we can do is try. And fail. And try again, and hope we do better. And, you know, Ross is insane, probably. God knows he terrifies me. But I think you're doing a good enough job. Maybe you're not meant to be a leader. I wasn't meant to be what I am today. But you're doing better at it than I ever would."

He bowed his head, a sad look on his face. "You're everything I'm not, really. I know you're drunk. You probably won't understand any of this. Or remember it. But I think you need to know it."

Patyu stood, brushing off his knees, and put out a hand for Nate to grab.

"You know what? I don't care how early it is. I'll take that drink now. It's not like I'm going to see Alastair later anyways."

[Main Nation Ministry]

The younger twin excitedly gave her answer. "Well, we wanted to wear something elegant and refined. The best witches always knew how to dress in style."

"We are also real witches, to put it simply. We have quite the magical aptitude. Our family tree even branches out to one of the most infamous witch stories in Deutschland." Sylvia added on.

In order to emphasize the older twin's point, both of the girls cast a spell. Suddenly, in their hands were a couple of delicate and beautiful roses. They were both an azure blue and shimmered faintly in the lighting of the hotel. The twins both smiled and giggled before happily offering the roses to the three, hoping they saw it as a sign of friendship.

"You guys are what?" Charlie held what Sylvia said, where she was caught off guard at the mention that the two sisters were actual witches. There were some witches at Main Nation Ministry, where Charlie wondered about whatever happened to the girl with the red wagon and the bag. With the help of magic, all three were taken a back when a couple of azure blue roses appeared in their hands, which the sisters gave them the roses. "Oh my! I..I didn't expect this!" Jessica said, as she didn't know where to put the flowers. "I'm borrowing this-"
"Wait, that's my water!" Keller's glass of water became a temporary vase for the blue roses, which Jessica put the roses in. "Seriously?" Keller told Madden.
"What? I'm not the only one getting flowers. Especially by witchcraft."

"I'm sure we do have actual magic somewhere in our nation, but the government is strict when it comes to that stuff." Charlie said, as Keller didn't know how to get another glass. "It's still nice to give us these flowers, though. I may not be a witch, but it's still fun to dress up as one." Charlie gave an innocent smile, knowing how sweet the sisters were to them.

[Broader Confederate States]

Overhearing the conversation on the way out of the dining room, Washington decided to back them up. "Magic totally exists here apparently. That's why this isn't a fursuit," she said, opening up her jaw and wagging her tail. "It's weird," she mused, before butting back out and setting off for the hotel room.

---

Once there, she remembered seeing a suspicious face a little to infatuated with the knife she'd been holding.
Making a note to be vigilant about that, she pulled down the guitar case, opened it up, and set the jazz box on the bed, leaving a just-in-case backup measure visible on the bottom. You never know when someone is gonna act rash, after all. Getting more comfortable without the stuffy layers of clothing was a relief, and she still kept PG-13 (as evidenced by the 2009 Star Trek) by keeping her underwear on. So a best of both worlds as she grabbed the log and got some practice time in, noodling around in a variety of genres unamplified and undistorted.
Before too much of that happened, she made the bed again, topping it all off with an incredibly Tennesseean top blanket, as it's actually rather cold here at night. Why she had been too lazy to do it last night was a mystery to her, but at least it's there now.
Now, back to noodling...

[Brettenwald]

Paris sighed and brushed a waffle crumb off the lapel of his suit. Flying halfway around the damned planet to celebrate a holiday that his country didn't really do in a land he'd never heard of wasn't his idea of a good time. How the hell were you supposed to pronounce "Fardelshufflestein" anyway, let alone with a Brettain accent? It was just one of those occasions when he had to resign himself to the fact that he was the one who did the grunt work, always second best. Marco worked hard too, he grudgingly reminded himself. My brother may be a cold, amoral, manipulative bastard, but he's also smart as hell and working damn hard to prove he (and I, but mostly he) is capable of running the country. I'm sure he's got me out of the way just so he can play political chess with the Empire without me keeping him on his leash. There were certainly some strange people here, he thought, digging into a fried egg that turned out to be surprisingly good. The zombie-ghost-vampire-person sitting next to him seemed friendly enough, though. He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and grabbed a second mimosa before shifting in his seat a little and striking up a conversation. "So, are you dressed up as everything scary at once, or what?"

President Etor Gurraniz shrugged. "I'm dressed as a zombie ghost vampire Edrigu V. Edrigu V was the worst leader ever to rule Voxija, the country I'm the president of." This man seemed to be the leader of his own country to, but Etor still felt weird mentioning he was the president so casually.

"King Edrigu banned beards, instituted—" Etor Gurraniz shuddered; he wasn't going to talk about that in mixed company, "—tortured people until they confessed, and put a tax on marriages. I guess I am dressed up as everything scary at once. You're right." Etor Gurraniz wondered why Edrigu the Fifth was considered appropriate for costumes in Voxija, while people like Ekaitz Larregi or Adolf Hitler weren't. Maybe it was the passage of time.

Etor saw fit to introduce himself. "My name is Etor Gurraniz. I already mentioned that I was the president of Voxija. Who are you?"

"Paris Cärrino, Prince Regent(ish) of Brettenwald. No need to use the fancy title, I've always found it intimidates people," he said, shaking Gurraniz' hand. "My country doesn't really celebrate Halloween as such, but hey, it's diplomacy . . . actually, this is half diplomacy and half my control freak of a brother getting me off his back. Are you just here for the party, or are you letting your hair down during a state visit? . . . And am I seeing things, or did the creepy twins over there just conjure roses from thin air?"

[American Pere Housh]

President Etor Gurraniz shrugged. "I'm dressed as a zombie ghost vampire Edrigu V. Edrigu V was the worst leader ever to rule Voxija, the country I'm the president of." This man seemed to be the leader of his own country to, but Etor still felt weird mentioning he was the president so casually.

"King Edrigu banned beards, instituted—" Etor Gurraniz shuddered; he wasn't going to talk about that in mixed company, "—tortured people until they confessed, and put a tax on marriages. I guess I am dressed up as everything scary at once. You're right." Etor Gurraniz wondered why Edrigu the Fifth was considered appropriate for costumes in Voxija, while people like Ekaitz Larregi or Adolf Hitler weren't. Maybe it was the passage of time.

Etor saw fit to introduce himself. "My name is Etor Gurraniz. I already mentioned that I was the president of Voxija. Who are you?"

"Paris Cärrino, Prince Regent(ish) of Brettenwald. No need to use the fancy title, I've always found it intimidates people," he said, shaking Gurraniz' hand. "My country doesn't really celebrate Halloween as such, but hey, it's diplomacy . . . actually, this is half diplomacy and half my control freak of a brother getting me off his back. Are you just here for the party, or are you letting your hair down during a state visit? . . . Anf am I seeing things, or did the creepy twins over there just conjure roses from thin air?"

Vanny looks over at the twins in time to see them conjure roses out of thin air. She walks over to where the twins are standing and looks at the roses real closely. She points at the twins with her knife, "How did you do that? Could you make me a rose too?"