The Majikus Circus. 8D Five Years Ahead~

"Whoa hey!" Disera exclaimed as Karene pulled both her and Kioko into the van. "A bit uptight today, are we?" She looked at the bride, one eyebrow arched. "Anyway, we would have been here sooner, but I wanted to feed Lionel before getting him dressed. And Kioko stopped to talk with me in the food van."

Taking a seat in a stuffed chair, the shifter lips twitched upward in amusement. "And guess who we saw in the food van?" Disera leaned back in the chair, lacing her fingers together in her lap. "Julian's come back to the circus for awhile. Even decided to suit up and attend the wedding."

"He didn't say how long he would be staying, though," Kioko supplied. "Maybe he'll stay for a few days, though. It would be nice to catch up with him after so long," the pyro added. "It's been years since he left."

"Maybe he will, maybe he won't," Disera said, getting up from her chair and resettling on the bed next to Karene. "I think the important thing here, is that someone finally got Karene into a dress. Quick, get a picture of this," she told Kioko.

"Right," Kioko said, fumbling a bit with the small plastic camera as she turned on the flash. "Okay, smile Karene!"

-----

"Aww, how sweet," Antonio cooed. "Our widdle Blaine is in wuv. I think we're going to have to have the Talk with him, Dimi," the blonde man continued as he was dragged into the van by Dimitri. "Well, that's lucky. We found your prince charming right away, Blaine," he commented, following along as Dimitri dragged him over to a table where two men sat.

"And I'm Antonio," the dark blonde man told them after Dimi introduced himself. "Lovely place you lot have here. Can't wait for the wedding."

-----

"Good-bye, Julian," Selvai offered as the dark-haired man left. He looked at Dravius with concern when the co-master mentioned feeling a bit sick to his stomach. "If you are not feeling well, perhaps you should take some kind of medication for you stomach. We do not need you vomiting during the ceremony."

The magician was rathered surprised at the appearence of the dancers from the night before, and he arched an eyebrow when they approached Dravius and spoke to him. "Hello... I hadn't expected to see any of you gentlemen again. You were invited, you say?" The magician threw a quick look of irritation at Dravius, before turning back to the three with a pleasently polite expression. Somehow, he felt as though the co-master were partly responsible for this, even if it was just for allowing Erik to pick a bar to visit. "Welcome." He stood from the table, nodding to the unexpected guests.

Still chuckling silently at Antonio's "talk" comment, Dimitri grinned over at him, amusement plain on his face. He rather promptly altered his expression when the male they'd approached stood, showing rather blatantly just how tall he really was. SHEESH. Okay, sure, he looked tall in the club. But being stood right under him like this was actually rather intimidating. Oh well.

Dropping his hand, the blonde raised an eyebrow slightly. Goodness. They were certainly not getting a very friendly reception, first having that... Fox-dog thing throwing death glares their way, then this guy. Who definately was not giving off a friendly vibe at the moment.

"Actually..." Dimitri responded, glancing around the food van. "Finding Erik sounds like a pretty good idea 'round about now." Pausing for a split moment to look at what looked like a lizard walking on two legs, the blonde cowboy pulled his gaze back to Blaine when the darker haired male spoke. His expression went from somewhat neutral to highly amused. A top hat.

Classy.

And oh my god, he was such a SUCK UP. Dimitri had to fight back a laugh, and instead retorted with, "Of course you'd like to be HIS guest for the day. Imagine all that special treatment~" Of course, he said this just loud enough for Blaine to hear. The last thing he needed was this... Tall man over here hating his guts within five minutes of meeting him. Eventually calming his chuckles, he hit Antonio lightly on the shoulder, about to speak when another man spoke before he could get a word out. This one also had been present in the bar last night. The one with the weird face tattoo.

"Yeah... I apologise if its not exactly convenient. Erik certainly seemed to think it wouldn't be a problem." Dimitrii said, deciding it was probably best to try and... Well. They HAD shown up out of nowhere, afterall. "Okay well... We should probably go and look for our red-headed friend." The cowboy said suddenly, looking between the groom and the tall, dark and handsome one. "It was very nice to meet you... Misters...?" He asked, stepping back a little.

~~~

At the news of Julian's somewhat unexpected arrival, Maya raised her eyebrows at the pair who had just been dragged into Karene's van. "Really?" She asked, her voice genuinely surprised; A tone which was echoed with Karene's expression.

"That's a surprise." The bride responded, as she listened to the fleeting conversation between the pyro and the shifter, standing herself up from the bed and brushing down her dress. "Still. It will be nice to see him again."

Maya nodded in agreement, smiling outright at the news that one of her oldest friends had returned. The Circus, in her opinion, hadn't quite been the same since the Sword-Master left. But that mostly due to her having spent most of her life around him. He was, after all, one of the six members who had brought the Majikus into existance.His loss had been keenly felt.

At Disera's last words, the blonde pulled her thoughts back to the present in order to laugh lightly as Karene threw a look at the shifter. It was rather obvious the bride just didn't have the will to actually glare at her, though. "Pff. I got myself into this." She said dramatically, her tone of voice mock-despairing.

At Disera's mention of the camera, Karene threw an irritated pout at the two of them. "You two... Honestly. Why must you take advantage of this situation." It wasn't a question. She knew full well why they were doing it, but heck. There was no point arguing. She still had to go outside in this thing. Sighing dramatically, she waved a dismissing hand at the camera. She had no time to say anything when the door opened again and Shahn entered.

"Hey." She said, siling around at the gathered women. "It's almost time. Raphael's got most everything set up, and the members are already heading to their seats." She smiled.

Maya smiled in return, then looked at Karene. "...Ready?" She asked, earning a nod in response.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Blaine was still standing as tall as he possibly could, when he heard Dimitri's mocking comment. The cowboy immediately turned pink, pressed his lips together, and turned around, making a quiet strangled noise. "Dimi. I will put arsenic in your next goddamn Aloha Screwdriver." He frowned heavily, pushing his top hat back slightly, and punching his friend in the chest.

Turning back around with a slightly more neutral expression on his face, Blaine sighed through his nose, and nodded in agreement. "We'll try not to make nuisances of ourselves at the ceremony, or the reception or anything." He sighed again, preparing to leave.

-------------------------------

Dravius had been listening only vaguely to the coybows talk, not really focusing on anything they said. All he knew was that Erik was serious roadkill. He had clenched his jaw so tightly that the muscles near the joint of his jaw stood out like cords.

"Wolfe. Mister Wolfe. And that's Selvai Mayoso." The CO-master flicked a hand towards the groom, still looking more than a little peeved. "It would probably indeed be in your best intrests to not be underfoot as we prepare." Dravius said softly, his eyes hooded and distrusting. He then brushed past to cowboys and left the van, looking irritated.

The Co-aster was more than a little unhappy about this whole situation, massaging his temples gently. Maybe they'd become less annoying as the day went on. Not likely, though.

After the whole issue of meeting Mr. Shirtless and the Husband-to-be, Dimitri had pretty much removed himself, and his fellow performers, out of the vicinity of the food van to seat themselves outside where the rest of the Circus was currently gathering. The blonde made absoloutely sure to stay as far back as possible from the Wedding-Arch, in order to prevent annoying any of the other members in any way shape or form. After all, it had seemed that their mere presence had already peeved off a couple of the people here.

The ceremony itself went ahead without a hitch, the green-clad bridesmaids making their way ahead of the bride, seating themselves on one of the front rows shortly before Karene made her own way down the aisle. Her expression was somewhat deliberately subdued, but there was little chance of her hiding the smile on her face as she approached her fiancee. Well. It had been a long time coming.

~~~

Once the ceremony had been completed, Raphael called for the gathering to be dispersed, as a number of members who had been assigned the job that day immediately got on with disassembling the current set up; To replace it with a makeshift dancefloor and slightly elavated stage. There were also a good number of small tables set up around the field, with another, much larger buffet table set up to one side; Carrying a wide variety of food and other refreshments.

Karene, who had spent most of the aftermath with her new husband, taking part grudgingly in the traditional period of photo-taking, eventually managed to pull herself away long enough to find the Ring-Master, who was currently stood just outside the perimeter of the dancefloor.

"Enjoying yourself?" The blonde asked with a grin, as the bride flopped somewhat unceremoniously into a nearby chair. She snorted at him, laying one hand on the table as she used the other to brush a few stray strands of caramel out of her face.

"Sure. For now. No doubt everyone carrying camera's will find me again eventually."

Raphael laughed. "That's likely to happen, all things considered. After all, the bride's supposed to be one of the main attractions at a wedding. Besides... This is our first Circus wedding. People are probably just a little over-excited." He paused, then glanced off in the general direction Karene had come. "Where is your new husband, anyway?... I'm surprised you've left him behind so soon."

"Pff. He knows I'm here... He's probably still trying to fight his way out of the crowd." She laughed, looking over at the erected stage area. Musicians were currently playing a number of instruments up there; The dancefloor now occupied by a good number of members who were dancing to the music created by those combined melodies. It really was a rather pleasant thing to watch, the sky's red hue betraying the fact that it was now late afternoon, casting a warm and magical sort of glow over the entire area.

~~~

Not far from where Karene and Raphael currently resided, Maya had also settled herself on a table, holding a glass of tropical juice between both hands and looking thoughtfully at the dancing members. She had just been in the process of catching up with Julian, who she had managed to find shortly after the ceremony's end. The two of them were shortly joined by Lucia and Angel, and after a brief introduction to her and Dravius' little girl, The Sword-Master eventually left again to speak with other members of the Circus.

Another quiet minute, and the blonde finally pulled her attention back to her mother, who was sat just beside her. "... I hope that one's been behaving herself." She smiled, looking at her daughter who was currently trying to put a large amount of tablecloth in her mouth.

"As good as gold." Lucia laughed. "Mostly. She really doesn't seem to stop moving, though. I can imagine she causes some mischief and trouble if left unsupervised." The blonde smiled, lifting dark-haired baby away from the table and holding her close to her shoulder. Angel pouted. She had so been looking forward to testing how soft that cloth stuff was to chew on. Although it hardly bothered her for more than a few seconds, as she found amusement elsewhere in the form of her grandmother's earrings.

Lucia winced slightly, looking over towards where Karene was sat with a strange sort of expression on her face. "She looks amazing, doesn't she?" She asked, smiling despite the fact little Angel was still doing a rather determined amount of ear-tugging.

Maya snorted with quiet laughter. "Mischief isn't the half of it." She responded, leaning back in her chair and pulling her legs up. "And yeah... She does. It's a shame she doesn't wear dresses more often, really. They do suit her. In an unexpected sort of way."

Lucia nodded, bouncing Angel lightly in her arms for a moment before standing herself up; Giving her grand-daughter a quick bop on the nose to distract her from the shiny things in her ear. "I'll be back soon." She said, throwing a smile in Maya's direction. "I'm going to find something for this one to amuse herself with. Hopefully for a while."

"All right." The butterfly laughed, lifting her glass from the table as she watched her mother head off; Eventually turning her gaze back to the dancers, a small smile on her face. The day so far had certainly been an interesting one, and it hadn't even really started yet.

~~~

Well. That was... Interesting. Sort of. Maybe. Nah.

A wedding was a wedding, after all. Or at least, the ceremony itself was, anyway. Dimitri couldn't help but think it was as boring as any other wedding. Not surprising, considering marriage was usually the same all over the place. No. The best bit was almost always the reception. And now that the stage and dancefloor had been set up, it was getting swiftly underway, revealing a hell of a lot of potential for an enjoyable night out.

The strawberry blonde currently sat at a table some distance away from the dancefloor, having chosen it for the very same reason he'd chosen the back row at the ceremony. He had, naturally, dragged his two friends with him, and sat looking somewhat curiously over at the buffet table.

"Hey. You don't think they've got alcohol over there, right?" He asked, holding his hands behind his head. "It's not really a party without the stuff." He paused, then surveyed the rest of the grounds, placing an exaggerated pout on his face. "Huh... I wonder where Erik got to. I don't even think he's come to say hello to us yet. That's if he even knows we're here." He laughed, leaning his elbows lightly on the back of his chair.

Oh well. They had all night to find the red-head... Unless, you know, they got chucked out or something. Still. They could enjoy it while it lasted, right?

Well, the ceremony had been very nice, Erik thought. The reception would be nice as well, except for the number of people who had caught on to the fact that he had over indulged last night, and were using the opportunity to make him miserable. He'd managed to get away from the latest person who was talking suspiciously loud toward him and was hiding at a table as far away from the dance floor and it's blaring music as possible.

Finishing off his drink, the shifter stood and headed toward the bar, weaving around groups of people as he went. Leaning against the buffet table while the bartender mixed together his drink, Erik looked over the assorted tables and the people sitting at them, keeping an eye out for his guests. He'd glimpsed them seated near the back during the ceremony, but he'd lost track since the beginning of the reception, and was now feeling a bit guilty about not paying more attention to them.

He was relieved to find the three of them still there, sitting at a table some distance away from the dance floor. Taking his drink from the bartender, Erik also grabbed three bottled beers in his free hand and headed toward the dancers. "Good to see you fellows decided to accept my invitation," he said cheerfully, placing the beers on the table in front of them and taking a seat. "I do apologize for not greeting you gentlemen sooner, I was quite busy with preparations for the ceremony. I hope you don't think I'm a bad host."

"Oh hello, Mr. Erik," Antonio winked as he grabbed one of the beers. "I wouldn't go so far as to say you were a bad host, although it is a relief to finally see you. Your friend Dravius acted as though he wanted to throw us out when we approached him earlier." The blonde twisted the top off the bottle of beer and took a swallow before continuing. "Quite the difference from last night. He was glaring at poor Blaine like he wanted to set him on fire."

"Oh. Well, he did consume quite a bit of booze last night, you have to understand. He's probably worried one or all of you will meet up with his girlfriend and accidentally tell her how he was acting last night. But I will talk to him about his inhospitable behavior toward you and your friends, Mr. Antonio." Erik leaned forward, resting his chin on one hand and slowing dragging a finger over the rim of his drink as he eyed the blonde dancer. "But enough about Dravius. How are the three of you enjoying the wedding? I do hope it's... exciting enough for you."

"I'm enjoying it quite fine. I can't speak for Dimitri or Blaine, though. I must admit that weddings aren't usually my definition of exciting, sadly," Antonio answered, tongue appearing briefly as he licked a drop of beer from his bottom lip. He grinned at the shifter. "Do you know of any other activities here that might excite me, Mr. Erik?"

Choking on a sip of his drink, it took a few moments for Erik to be able to respond. "Um, I'm s-sure I can think of something you'll enjoy," he coughed out, face going red.

Antonio leaned back from the table, a smug smirk on his face. "Good, we should check it out after the reception. If you're not busy, of course."

-----

"Congratulations, baby brother," Jemis said as she hugged him. They were hovering near the edge of the dance floor, where Selvai had been waiting for Karene. "Although I'm surprised you let your new bride out of your sight so soon after the wedding."

Selvai laughed. "She's merely speaking with Raphael. If Karene had wanted to run away, she has had plenty of opportunities before now." He took Jemis' arm, leading her out of the way of a pair of circus members heading for the dance floor and steered his sister to one of the tables, pulling a chair out for her before taking a seat himself. "You look wonderful, by the way. I am glad at least one family member was present today."

"Hey, no talking about sad things today," the dark haired woman insisted, poking him gently in the shoulder. "You are only allowed to think about happy subjects on your wedding day. It's a rule."

"Still. It would have been pleasent to have Cersis here, as well. For myself, anyway."

"Hmm. I would have dragged him here, but his "I just bit into a lemon" scowl would have probably ruined the festive attitude of the ceremony. And Helan would have followed him and I really don't think you'd have wanted your ex-fiancee around as you're marrying your current one, right?"

"Hm. Good point."

-----

Kioko nervously straightened her dress and looked at the dance floor one last time before strolling over to the dark haired man a few feet away. "Hello, Julian," she greeted, nervously twirling the small cup of punch she'd been holding between her hands. "It was a nice ceremony, wasn't it? Karene was very pretty in her dress." The pyro glanced up at Julian, then quickly back to her drink. "So, uh. Are you having fun so far? They've set up the dance floor, if you want to dance with someone later," she added, stealing a quick look at him.

-----

Blaine had been sitting with a mostly irked expression in the ceremony, his arms crossed and his top hat on the gorund beside him. Despite his slightly dark mood, the owboy had to admit that the ceremony was very well put together, and everyone matched beautifully. A lovely shade of green, although the man was now resenting his choice of a light pink tie. He didn't match at all. That thought made him pout heavily, and the cowboy stuck his hands in the pockets of his sportscoat.


It was almost humiliating, being dragged along by Dimitri. Huffing at his friend as he sat down, Blaine tried his best to lighten up an bit, and said laughingly, "We do have muscles in our legs, Dimi. I can walk over to the table myself, honestly." He leaned back in his chair, turning the hat over an over in his hands. "Alcohol? I certainly hope so. Most weddings do." He nodded once, then turned his head to regard Erik as he came up with a few beers.

The cowboy didn't really like beer, but he wasn't about to tell Erik that. It tasted like licking a dirty railing to him, so he just ignored the bottle, and looked past the red head to the bar. At Erik's apparent discomfort, Blaine snickered to himself and smacked Antonio gently on the shoulder, giggling, "Antonio. This is a wedding." Grinning more, the cowboy got to his feet and walked to the bar, ordering a glass on white white and returning to the table with the stem of the glass inbetween his middle and ring finger, still smiling slightly. "I swear, 'Tonio, sometimes you are such a hussy."

---------------------------

Nylat had sat quietly through the wedding, not really paying much attention, due to her outlook on the custom. But she was still happy for the two, and at the reception, she made an effort to hunt down Karene. Once the pictures were done with, of course. She trotted over to the newlywed, flicking her tail. Sitting near the table, just far enough out to not be considered under it, she flicked her ears back peacefully. "Hello Raphael. And congratulations, Karene. I, unlike everyone else, will not make a big deal out of your wearing a dress, however I will say that you do look nice in it." She flicked her tail over her feet, smiling slightly. "Where's Selvai? I want to talk to him too, but I haven't seen him yet since the reception started."

~~

Kanec had managed to find a seat for him and Lionel in the first few rows during the ceremony, and had even cleaned up a bit himself, having attended in a dark green polo shirt and black slacks. Lionel, meanwhile, he had somehow managed to keep looking nice. It was a big accomplishment on his part.

At the reception, he sat at a table somewhat close to the dance floor, scanning the crowd for Disera, but not really actively searching. He guessed her to be in the group taking pictures, or later, the one congratulating Selvai, which he would get to later. Crowds were difficult for him sometimes, with his wings. He usually preferred to sit them out, and this was one that would disperse soon. Hopefully.

((OHMYGOODNESSBRAINDEAD))

"Hussy?" Antonio said in mock outrage. "Excuse me, but I've seen some of the things you've done after a few drinks, Mr. Blaine. You are in no position to make fun of me, sweetheart. Besides, I'm just having a bit of fun with our host here. Right, Erik?" he asked, reaching across the table to stroke his thumb across the back of the shifter's hand.

"I-I suppose so," the red head said weakly. His earlier confidence gone, Erik fidgeted with his bottle of beer as he continued speaking. "Um. So. You guys want to introduce you around to some of the other circus members?" Erik offered with a shaky smile.

-----

It took a few minutes for Disera to get free of the photographers, and then to wait for the crowd to thin enough for her to actually try and find Kanec and Lionel. She caught up with the two of them at a table near the dance floor, and weaved through what was left of the crowd to take a seat next to Kanec.

"Here you two are. Finally managed to get through everyone and find you guys." Disera kissed him on the cheek, then smiled at Lionel. "And how is my little man? You were nice for daddy while mommy was helping your aunt Karene, right?"

Karene had continued her conversation with Raphael, which included quite a few jibes on the Ring-Masters part for her wearing her dress; Although she was more or less able to dismiss it. Afterall, he wasn't the only person to have mentioned the unusual-ness of the situation.

As Nylat ambled up seemingly out of nowhere, the caramel haired bride grinned at her slightly, shaking her head. "I just love the fact you said you wouldn't make a big deal out of it, but mentioned it anyway." She laughed, as Raphael threw the hybrid a wave of greeting.

"Selvai?" Karene asked, raising an eyebrow, her gaze roaming the area. "Hm... He won't be too far off." The dark blonde responded with a smile. "If he doesn't show up soon, I'll go looking for him."

"That might be a good idea." Raphael chuckled from where he stood, gesturing vaugely towards the stage. The musicians had ended their last song, and were currently re-arranging themselves, most likely in preparation for the first dance of the newly weds. The dancefloor was still bustling, although it emptied quite suddenly when the announcement went out that the first dance was indeed going to go ahead any minute now.

~~~

After bidding a quick farewell to both Karene and Nylat, Raphael had dissappeared into the crowd, only to emerge with range of Maya's table. The blonde, still holding onto her glass, had been watching the people on the stage as they shifted themselves around; Smiling at the Ring-Master as she caught sight of him.

"Hey." He greeted with a grin, leaning a hand on the table. "Are you doing all right?"

"I'm doing just fine." Maya laughed. "Thanks for asking."

Seating himself on a spare seat, the Ring-Master crossed his arms behind his head as his gaze landed on the stage. "It's been pretty hectic, hm?" He murmered, his face amused.

"Pff. Of course. Did you expect anything else?" The butterfly replied with a smile. "This doesn't often happen... In fact, it hasn't happened at all. People are just excited."

Raphel nodded in agreement, as a small moment of silent stretched between them.

"Hey Raphael?"

"Hm?"

"Have you ever thought about doing this?"

The Ring-Master glanced over his shoulder at Maya, who had released her glass and was now leaning an elbow on the table, her hand supporting her head. "Doing what?" He responded, looking slightly confused.

"You know... Marriage. Girlfriends. I mean... You've had girlfriends but... They never seem... To last long." Maya paused, before looking slightly alarmed. "Uuuuh! No offence!... I mean... You know... Maybe you just... Haven't found the right one yet or I don't know."

Raphael cracked out laughing. "None taken. And perhaps." He grinned, looking back at the dancefloor as he thought how to answer. "I'm not built for relationships." He said, just as he turned his gaze back to the butterfly, whose face had gone from concerned to confused.

"I don't... That doesn't make any sense."

The Ring-Master shrugged. "The Circus and it's members has been my priority my entire life... I think, perhaps, that I'd find it more difficult than most to commit. It's... Kind of hard to explain. But to put one person above everything else is something I believe I'd find very hard to do. It doesn't make for a lasting relationship."

Maya just looked at him for a minute, her expression shrewd. She evnetually just resorted to shaking her head "I don't think you'd find it as hard as you think." She stated, hlding on to her glass of juice again. "You just haven't been in love."

Raphael laughed. "Maybe."

~~~

It had been more than just a little amusing to watch Antonio and Erik, after the red-head had shown up brandishing beers. Dimitri undid his own, took a swig, then proceeded to grin devilishly at his dopey friend over there. "Sheesh, you two, get a room. Or a van, there are plenty here." He laughed, snorting in addition to Blaine'd hussy comment.

He took another drink of beer, raising his eyebrows. "My goodness me!... Is our little Erik all flustered?... This certainly is unusual." Dimi leant forward, looking closely at Antonio's face. "Huh. You must look hotter to Erik than to me." He deduced, leaning back in his chair with another grin.

The strawberry blonde fell into another bout of laughter at Erik's obvious change in personality. "Oh dear." He chuckled, cutting himself off a little as the shifter made his suggestion. "You know what?... That sounds like a good idea."

"That's true, but you're like this completely sober, unless you've been chugging hooch again, hun." Blaine snorted, sipping his wine slowly. "I don't want 'Tonio to leave yet. We need to stick together. That fox-dog-thing looked ready to chew us up and spit us out. Like, y'know, that song. 'Woah-oh here she comes!'" The cowboy sung a small bit of the song, taking another nouthful of wine. The people around them in the wedding didn't even seem to notice they were there, carrying on with their festivities. It was odd to be in a party without attracting attention, but Blaine shook his head and blinked a few times. "I don't like sitting in the corner...." the man whined softly, running a hand through his short, curly hair.

"We should either mingle, or injest enough alcohol to do something stupid." He nodded firmly, finishing the rest of his drink and setting the glass gently on the table, one finger absently tapping the bottom of the glass. Blaine had ridiculously long fingernails for a man, and they were just neat enough to be the product of a manicure. He looked bored, his eyes hooded and one hand supporting his face. "Goooooood, why is quitting smoking so haaaaaard."


----------------------

Dravius had stood in at the wedding still feeling a bit sick, however managed to keep a happy face on for the ceremony. It was a very nice one, although it made him think a little to hard about getting married. After escorting the maid of honor out of the ceremony, he chatted around at the reception for a bit, drinking mostly water, although there was punch. He did love punch.

Sipping a glass, he looked aorund the reception area, gently leaning against a table, his hands stuck in his pockets. It was boring on his own, and when he saw the back of Raphael's head, he balanced his weight on his feet and walked over, prodding his friend in the arm with his glass. "Oh, hello, guys." He smiled gently, tilting his head slightly to the side. "Did anybody tell you that our lovely, lovely village idiot invited three male....entertainers to this wedding?" He had a slightly strained look on his face, and he was gripping his glass harder than was strictly neccessary.

Dimitri had turned back to his drink, holding the bottle of beer in front of his face when Blaine's voice caused him to divert his gaze back to his fellow performer. He grinned at the darker-haired male's jest towards Antonio, placing the bottle quietly back onto the table. "Pff. I should certainly hope 'tonio ain't going nowhere yet. It'd be pretty sucky of you, dude, to leave us hanging out here on our own." He said, suddenly snorting with laughter at Blaine's added comment.

"Yeah... That... Dog thing certainly didn't seem happy to see us, did she?" He pondered, still laughing slightly as he lifted his beer bottle into the air, joining the dark haired cowboy in song. He became momentarily distracted by a couple of nearby Circus members, before Blaine spoke again. "... In this situation, I don't mind being here." He shrugged. "And I believe Mr. Erik over here just suggested that. Meeting people." He added with a grin.

Dimitri then turned his gaze to Erik and Antonio, raising an eyebrow. "And we should probably hurry with that." The blonde suggested, grsturing towards Blaine. "Before this one starts chewing on the tablecloth out of boredom." Laughing, the male punched Blaine on the shoulder, before laying his arm lightly on the table; The blood red of the target tattoo on his forearm catching the light of the slowly reddening sky. Well, there wasn't much else to do, really. Oh. Except this traditional first dance. But that hardly included them.

Besides, it would be highly interesting to meet some of these people.

~~~

The conversation between the Ring-Master and the blonde butterfly continued, constantly switching tack and topic for the next few minutes as the dancefloor cleared and members began to mill around the area, waiting until they'd be able to get back onto it most likely.

It was around that moment that Dravius decided to appear from the shadows, and Raphael threw him a quick grin. Maya also smiled at the Co-Master, though made no effort to move her head from where her chin lay on the table. At the dark-haired males statement, the Ring-Master raised an eyebrow, about to ask about the "Village idiot" comment when he realised he really should have known immediately.

Sighing through his nose, he rested his elbows on the back of his chair. "Entertainers?..." He asked, a little unsure as to whether Dravius meant actual entertainers or... Some kind of friends of Erik's. Although admittedly, that was another thing he hardly needed an answer for, and snorted quietly without waiting for the Co-Master's response. "Nevermind. That guy needs to reign himself in a bit." He laughed. "But so long as they don't cause any trouble, and the happy couple over there are fine with it, I don't see a problem. f they start causing a ruckus though, feel free to chuck them out."

Maya, who had listened to the conversation and was now looking directly at the remaining juice in her glass, her chin still on the table; made a funny sort of noise in the back of her throat. "Is that wise?" She asked, smiling slightly as she looked at Raphael. "It's Erik. You don't know what sort of entertainers he's mingling with."

"... Yep. I figured that much already. But hey, they'll be fine. I think. So long as they behave."

Maya laughed, finally lifting her head enough so that she could grab a hold of her glass. She took a drink, then stared at Dravius for a minute. "... Feeling any better?" She asked, causing the Ring-Master to look over his shoulder at her. He eventually turned his gaze back to Dravius.

"Ill?" He asked, causing Maya to try and stifle a giggle.

"In a sense." She replied, putting her glass back on the table, looking back at Dravius amusedly.

"I suppose that's your cue to go find your new bride," Jemis said in response to the announcement. She stood from the table. "And while you're hunting her down, I'm going to get myself a drink. I'll see you later," the dark haired woman told him, hugging Selvai before heading in the direction of the bar.

"Alright." Selvai headed off into the crowds in search of Karene, finding her sitting at a table with Nylat. "There you are, dear. Hello Nylat," he said, taking a seat beside Karene. "I am glad I managed to find you. I believe it is almost time for our dance."

-----

"Hm. Maybe later," Antonio replied to Dimitri's van comment, stopping to take a swig from his beer. He braced his elbows on the table, making a face at the other man's next comment. "Hey, I'm plenty hot, I'll have you know. You just don't appreciate a gorgeous body when you see it, my friend. Explains some of the people I've seen you with."

"And I don't "chug" anything, Blaine. Especially not hooch, seriously, who even talks like that anymore," he retorted, shaking his head. "And obviously I'm not going to just take off on the two of you right now, dears. Especially since Erik here hasn't introduced us around yet," Antonio continued, turning back to the red head with a wink and a smile. "How about it? Let's save this poor tablecloth from Blaine here and go meet some of your friends."

"Right. I'll just show the three of you around then, shall I?" Erik stood up quickly, almost knocking over his beer bottle in his hurry. The shifter scanned the tables for a moment, then focused on one in particular. "Oh, look! There's our Circus Master and Miss Maya. I don't believe you gentlemen have met them yet, have you? Let me introduce you," he said, heading over to the table where Raphael and Maya sat, along with Dravius. He stopped in front of them, pasting on a smirk as he looked at the three.

"Hello, loves. Raffy, Maya, say hello to my guests, Antonio, Blaine, and Dimitri. Dravius, I believe you met them last night, correct? At the bar? When you were working on drinking the place dry, I believe? They decided to take me up on my invitation and came to the wedding," he said, grinning happily. "I thought I would introduce them to some of the circus members, starting with our greatly admired Circus Master here. Fellows, this is Raphael. He's the one who keeps this place from descending into madness. And Miss Maya, a performer and one of the more well known members."

Blaine had been leaning heavily on his elbow, eyes half hooded, but sat up with a miffed expression at Antonio's words. "Oh. You want to go with who I've been spending my time with? At least I don't have sex on OTHER PEOPLE'S COUCHES. And then refuse to play to cleaning bill. Douche...." Blaine got to his feet, a slightly sulky expression on his face.

Sighing to himself, Blaine plopped the top hat onto his head over his curly hair, and strod behind the others, a bored look resuming it's post on his face. With his clothing and bearing, the cowboy looked like he had just stepped out of the last century. There were people just milling about in the reception area, of all shapes, sizes....and colours, actually. That was a LOVELY shade of green.

Distracted as he was, Blaine nearly ran headlong into Dimitri when the man stopped, pulling up short and peering around the slightly taller man's shoulder. "Oh, 'lo." He waved to the tall man, and doffed his hat to the small woman. "It's very nice to meet...you..." Well. Erik, although Blaine was quite sure he was joking, seemed to be making the massive, pale man very angry. That glass he was gripping was set to shatter at any moment.

"Uhm.....Er-Bear." Blaine poked Erik in the back with a manicured finger, just below the shoulder blade, and said in a low voice, "You may just want to stop teasing him before be breaks his glass over your poor skull." To whisper this bit on advice, Blaine had leaned in entirely too close to Erik, his mouth directly next to the red-head's ear. Blaine had a slight smirk tugging at his lips, and then tapped the top of Erik's shoulder gently with his hat, pulling back.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Draius had been standing tight lipped next to his two friends, his long fingers wrapping around with middle of his glass as he transferred it from hand to hand. He looked ridiculously peeved as he stood there, and ran a hand through his hair, and then froze at an all too familiar voice. It wasn't Erik. It wasn't, not at all. The voice Dravius was hearing was simply a malevolent ghost.

No, no, it was totally Erik. ....Shit.

Dravius turned his head slightly to regard the shorter red head and his three....companions. When Erik opened his mouth again to say something stupid, the Co-Master clenched his jaw, making the muscles along the side of his face running up to his temple stand out in cords. He really didn't want to say anything to Erik right now, so instead tried to bore a hole through the space between the shorter man's eyes with his gaze.

"It's SO nice to know you enjoy doing things without permission, Erik..." Dravius' previously peeved expression had turned into anger as he stared at Erik. The Co-Master felt increasingly nausous, and took a sip of water to try and calm his nerves. He cleared his throat and turned away from the four men, sticking one hand in the pocket of his dress slacks.

Karene had been amusing herself with the confetti on the table; Speaking to members as they congratulated her and engaging in random conversation. She almost, but not quite, had forgotten about the announcement regarding the first dance with all the kurfuffle. In fact, she had been on the verge of pulling herself up in order to go look for her new husband when he decided to show his face.

"Why, hello there." She smiled, laughing quietly at him as he sat down. "Pff. I believe so too." She added, standing herself up and straightening out the front of her dress. "And as such, I'm going to have to drag you from that chair you just sat yourself in."

Still smiling, she held out a hand to him, throwing a quick glance at the now completely empty dancefloor. The musicians on stage had pretty much re-arranged themselves, and were ready to play just as soon as the newly wedded couple got themselves onto the dancefloor.

~~~

"Yeahhhhh. Plenty hot." Dimi snorted, laughing into the crook of an elbow before throwing a grin in Antonio's direction. "I've had my share of gorgeous bodies, sweetheart, and trust me. As high on the list as you think might be, there are certainly others out there. Take Blaine's new love, for example."

Laughing, the blonde took a quick swig of his beer, finishing the bottle, before almost choking on the last of it with Antonio and Blaine's discussion. "Honestly, you two. You should resolve this bloody couch issue with a fist fight. A friendly brawl. Always a good way to sort disputes. Or maybe a stripping contest. Or something." He paused, before standing up with the others as they all went to follow Erik.

"Or maybe our dear Blaine here should stop moping about having his precious couch abused." He added amusedly, stepping out of Blaine's way just in case the shorter male decided to punch him or something.

As they came to a stop, Dimi took a moment to eye the people around the table, immediately recognising the man they'd met earlier in the food van. He still didn't look very happy to see them. The young woman who was there was quite spectacular, for a woman. And those wings were certainly something to look at. At the word, "Ring-Master", the blonde allowed his gaze to fall onto the other male at the table, and he quite promptly deduced that hotness had to be included with this freak gene.

It was certainly the case with the higher ups, anyway.

Maya had been staring at Dravius for the last few minutes, wondering whether or not she was going to get an answer for her question. Clearly not. He was obviously bothering himself over something far too much to pay attention to her. She then decided to not bother asking him again for the rest of the night.

At the arrival of Erik and his friends, the blonde looked over at them, waving in greeting with a slight smile as the red-head introduced them, before flickering her gaze to Dravius as he quite clearly wound himself up about something. He didnt look happy in the slightest.She still had to stifle a snort at Erik's "drinking the place dry" comment. She eventually went back to holding her glass, here eyes on the visitors.

Raphael, who had also been looking at Dravius; Although more amusedly than Maya had been, also looked at the visitors as they approached. "Hi there." He responded, smiling slightly.

"Pleasure." Dimitri greeted, smiling in return. "Sorry if this is a bother to you." He added, deciding to throw in then and there the fact that they had... Well. Come without much of an invitation. Sure, Erik had invited them, but it was rather peculair considering they didnt know either the bride or groom. And, at the Co-Master's words, realised it was probably a wise thing to do.

"Huh. Don't be so concerned over it." Raphael said, giving Dravius a gentle arm nudge. "Three more visitors will hardly cause a ruckus. And I'm certain the newly weds won't mind so much." Still smiling somewhat, the Ring-Master turned his gaze to the empty dancefloor. "So what is it you three do, exactly?... I've heard you're entertainers of a kind. Id be most intrested to know."

Antonio huffed at Blaine's tirade, bumping the other man with his hip when they reached the table Erik was leading them to. "That only happened two times. And if you recall, I DID offer to hose the thing off. But then you started having a emotional episode about ruining the carpet, and I told you to man up, and it all just dissolved into an argument from there," the blond reminded him.

"Seriously, you are WAY too attached to that piece of furniture," Antonio continued quietly, leaning over to whisper to Blaine as Erik introduced them to a rather attractive pair of blondes sitting at the table. "I'm thinking of hiring a therapist to help you deal with your furniture fetish, just so you know."

Antonio straightened up as Erik introduced them, smiling at Raphael and Maya. "Quite nice to meet the two of you," he said with a small bow. "Name's Antonio. I perform with Blaine and Dimitri here, in a band," the blond man explained in response to Raphael's question. "Don't worry, we're not strippers or anything like that. Not usually, anyway," Antonio joked.

-----

Erik shivered lightly at the feeling of Blaine's breath on his ear, not really paying attention to the man's words until he got a second look at Dravius' face. Oh, crap. Crapcrapcrap. Perhaps he should have been more discreet about Dravius' actions at the bar.

"Oh, don't worry about him," the red head said with forced cheerfulness, plastering a fake smile on his face. "Dravvy loves me too much to brutally murder me. Not in front of witnesses, and certainly not at Karene and Selvai's wedding, anyway. He'll probably try and beat me up after everyone leaves," he joked nervously. "Right, Dravius dear?"

"Well, I've always felt that life is too short to go seeking permission whenever you want to do something new," Erik told the co-master. "Besides, Mr. Raphael doesn't think it'll be a problem, and I doubt the happy newlyweds are going to care much about three extra guests at their wedding. So, ease up on that glass before you break it and add another scar to those lovely hands of yours." Pulling out a chair, Erik smirked, gesturing to the table and looking at his guests.

"Since Mr. Raphael is alright with it, you may as well pull up a chair and socialize for a minute. Did you know Miss Maya here is a dancer as well?" he asked. "Quite graceful, too. Right, Dravius?"

-----

Selvai chuckled, taking Karene's hand as he stood from the chair. "No rest for the weary, hm?" he asked, smiling as he kissed her cheek. "Well, we should not keep the band waiting, then." Placing his hand on the small of her back, the magician guided his new wife to the edge of the dance floor. "Are you ready?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled Karene onto the dance floor as the band began to play, her hand in his and his other guiding her at the small of her back as the two of them began to move along to the slow song that had been selected for the dance.

Blaine, after whispering to Erik, had stepped back to pout at Antonio. Really? Who offers to HOSE OFF a LEATHER couch. It would be RUINED. RUINED. Blaine huffed and crossed his arms. It wouldn't be an issue at all if the stupid man had just agreed to pay for the cleaning, but nooooo. His idea was to HOSE IT DOWN. GOD.

The cowboy sighed internally and put his hat back on his head, then peered around Erik to once again regard the woman. She was quite striking, although not very tall. Her hair was GORGEOUS. Blaine really wanted to touch it. It almost seemed like it was glowing softly. He wanted to touch it. But that was creepy.

Blaine flicked his eyes away from the woman's hair and over at Dimi. With slightly furrowed brows, he followed his friend's gaze all the way to the other blonde, with the odd haircut. He was quite dashing.

Blinking once or twice, the young man was about to answer with his real profession when Antonio came up with a much better answer. And it was true! Kind of. Mostly. A little bit. They were TOTALLY a band. He should come up with a name. Oh.

He was shit with names. A disappointment, really. Blaine really couldn't think of anything at all. He sighed to himself and then look his hat off. The hat band around it was a bit loose. He'd been meaning to get it fixed, but, really, it wasn't going to happen any time soon.

"We should totally do a song at the wedding..." Blaine leaned over to Dimi and hissed the sentence in his friend's ear. It was a great idea.


Super.

Great.

------------------------

Oh ho. Don't be concerned. Whatever. Dravius sighed to himself and tried his hardest to relax his face, with only marginal success. He still looked at least a little angry, as he brought his glass to his lips and took a gentle sip of water. The Co-Master kept the cup in his hands, running one finger back and forth along the rim of it in an unconcious motion. At Erik's weak joking, Dravius' face split into a smile that wasn't unlike a cat grinning at a canary, the skin around his eyes wrinkling.

"Sure. I'll try to hold off on the beating for a while." Dravius said, in an entirely too calm tone. At Erik's insistance, he pulled out a chair and settled his long frame down, crossing his legs over one another and set one elbow on his knee, attached to the hand holding the glass. He continued tapping a long, spidery finger on the rim of the glass, his smile gone.

The Co-Master was still boring a hole into Erik with his glaring, his eyebrows furrowed. He only blinked once, slowly, when Erik continued making comments, acknowledging him with a small, "Hm." Dravius settled his glass on top of the table, and uncrossed his legs. At the sound of music starting up, he turned his head to the side, rubbing at the corner of his ruined eye.

Dravius watched the newly weds dance around the floor, a genuine smile tugging at his lips. Selvai and Karene really were adorable together. He blinked slowly, then turned his face to look at Maya, and said softly, "Yeah, I'm fine. Still a bit ill feeling. Sorry about not answering sooner." He looked at least a little happier, his head tilted to the side.

Raphael had still had his gray gaze on the dancefloor when one of Eriks guests answered his previously asked question. He looked over his shoulder at the blonde, his expression slightly amused. The Ring-Master wasn't entirely sure whether he should believe this man's answer. Not because of Antonio or his friends themselves, but more because it had been Erik who had invited them here tonight. And anyone who knew Erik knew the kind of people he took a liking to.

Making a non-commital sort of noise, his smile still in place, Raphael decided to accept the blonde''s answer, despite the fact he thought there was more to it. Of course, with Antonio's final sentence, he threw the man a grin. "But of course not." He agreed whole-heartedly, his tone both shrewd and amused. He still didn't quite take the cover up.

Maya, who had still been watching the visitors, felt very much the same as Raphael at the performers answer. Again, simply because of Erik's involvement. That, and the Co-Master's current mood kind of made their said profession seem just a little TOO innocent. Afterall, Dravius had met them last night, right? So he probably knew more than they did... Well. That was if he was able to remember them in the first place.

When Erik mentioned her name, she smiled slightly at him, becoming momentarily distracted as a new song started. The blonde looked over to the dancefloor, where Selvai was currently starting up the dance with Karene. "They go well together, don't they?" She asked suddenly, crossing her arms on the table and smiling at the couple.

"Certainly do." Raphael agreed, the Ring-Master also having turned his attention towards the stage at the sound of music, smiling himself. It really had been a pleasant sort of day, all things considered. "It's rather nice to see them married." He laughed, resting his elbows on the back of his chair. "Could have taken much longer to get it going ahead. What with Karene being as flighty as she is."

Maya laughed. "It would have done, eventually." She responded, placing her chin on the table. "I don't think she would have missed it for the world."

Smiling, the blonde watched as a few other couples began to join Selvai and Karene on the dancefloor, before looking at Dravius when he spoke, not moving her chin from the table. She blinked, then smiled slightly at him. "Mm. It's okay. You seemed somewhat distracted anyway." She responded, pleased to note he wasn't looking quite so irritable as he had been earlier.

"I hope that's not temporary." She laughed, referring to his not-so-stormy expression.

~~~

Dimitri had spent the last few minutes still looking over the people he'd been introduced to, sighin g internally at Erik's speech to Dravius. He wasn't sure whether this was normal or not, although admittedly, it probably was. The Ring-Master and the butterfly didn't seem too bothered by the exhange. So he probably didn't have to worry TOO much about Erik's safety.

At the red-heads insistance on sitting, the blonde held up his hands. "I'm all right." He laughed. "I wouldn't wish to crowd the table." Which was true. They weren't huge tables, despite being able to sit five or so people comfortably. Before he could add much else, Blaine hissed in his ear, and the blonde raised his eyebrows at his friend, grinning slightly.

"Sounds like a plan." He laughed quietly. "We should probably seek permission, though. Maybe a little later." Still grinning, he nudged Blaine in the ribs with an elbow, then turned his attention back to the table as Erik spoke. So the blonde woman danced?... She certainly looked capable enough... Despite the fact he knew full well it wouldn't be the same sort of dancing as, uh, him and his friends over here. He grinned, plonking himself on a nearby chair.

~~~

"Oh. I can leave you here if you wish. I'm sure I could find someone to take your place for the time being if you think it requires a little too much of your energy." Karene laughed, pff-ing lightly at him as he pecked her on the cheek. "Probably not," She agreed.

Stepping forward with the magician, the caramel-haired woman nodded at his question, barely having time to respond before he pulled her onto the floor. She went with him willingly, trying her best not to smile TOO much, which was proving somewhat hard to do. She thought she did manage pretty well, however.

A short time into the dance, Karene eventually pulled her hand away from Selvai, in order to wrap both arms over his shoulders. "You know. I've really enjoyed today." She murmered, glancing off as a couple of other members stepped onto the dancefloor. She returned her gaze back to Selvai with a slight smile. "Even if I did get stuffed into a dress for the sake of it. I hope you realise just how much I sacrificed getting into this thing."

Laughing, she hugged her husband mid-dance, her chin on his shoulder. "Oh. I do love you, Mr. Mayoso." She added quietly, pulling her head off his shoulder to kiss him lightly on the lips.

~~~

Having spent most of the day talking and "catching up" with his fellow Circus members, Julian had finally managed to pulled himself away long enough to stand against a nearby van and just watch the others as they went about their business. Most members were merely milling around, a few more dancing to the slow tune floating from the stage with the newly wedded couple.

He had been paying very little attention to his surroundings when Kioko strolled up, and he only noticed her presence when she spoke; His gaze flickering in her direction. "Hey." He greeted, raising an eyebrow at the girls statements. "It was." He agreed, keeping his gaze firmly where it was as he processed her last words.

"Perhaps." He said quietly, looking back at the other members spread around the field. Although he wasn't setting anything in stone. Afterall. He didn't dance.

Nylat hummed as the music started up, waving her tail. After watching the newlyweds dance for just a while, she glanced over at Maya's ta--them. Growling slightly, her natural distrust of strangers caused her to pick up a chair in her jaws and pad over, setting the chair down and pulling herself up into it. Sitting calmly, she glared at the three with a gaze that matched the one Dravius had been giving Erik. Well, as far as intensity went. Slowly, she raised her lips and let out a hiss, still not letting her gaze falter. She wrapped her tail around her feet, looking peaceful aside from her snarling glare.

~~

Kanec sighed in almost-relief as Disera approached. "I wasn't going to try finding you in that mob. Glad you found us." At the question directed at their son, he handed said child to his mother. "Yeah, but I don't trust myself with him any longer. Two troublemakers alone is just asking for trouble." He coughed, grinning a bit. "Not saying I'm a troublemaker, though. Oh no."

Blaine had been standing calmly, one hand in his pocket next to his two friends. The table sure was getting a bit crowded, it really wasn't equipped to handle them. The hand in his sports jacket pocket tapped a small silver cigarette case, although it didn't actually contain any cigarettes at all. It was still a classy bit of hardware, with his name engraved in it and everything. It had been a gift from a bar owner on his birthday, and he really didn't want to let go of it.

The cowboy jumped when the dog....cat...thing let out a terrifying noise, along with an abrupt- "Holy shit!", tugging his hands out of his pockets. "What was that for? Am I the only one who thinks it's uncalled for? Nearly gave me a heart attack!" Admittedly, Blaine was probably over reacting a little bit, but it HAD been surprising. What had he done to HER? Him? ....It? It looked like a lady.

Maybe. Whatever. It didn't like him, that was for sure.

Sighing, Blaine ran his hands through his curly hair, then tucking one hand back into the pocket with the case inside, opening and closing it with a soft click, over and over again. Coughing softly, he nodded a few times absently, then turned back to whispering to Dimi. "Permission? Fine."

After a few moments of waiting, he leaned in close again and said, "I think that's his girlfriend. She's pretty, yes? For a lady." A corner of his mouth twitched up, as the soft clicking evenly drifted from his pocket.

-----------------------

Dravius snorted as he looked down at Maya with her chin on the table, and a crooked smile eventaully tugged one corner of his mouth up. "That's no excuse for being rude...And pfff. I hope so, too." His smile dropped from his face as Nylat arrived, turning his face away from his girlfriend and past the two whispering strippers to the hybrid.

The Co-Master raised one eyebrow at her fierce glare. He could only hope nobody died, really. Not getting seriously maimed would be a super, too. Towns tended to not be all that hospitable if a member of a circus beat up or hurt a townsperson. Not that he was morally opposed to it, actually. It might have been good for a few laughs.

Good god, what was that clicking. It just kept going, and at first Dravius had thought it was a ticking, like one of the cowboys was carrying a super loud pocket watch, but it really wasn't a constant enough noise to be that of a watch. Narrowing his eyes a bit and concentrating, the source of the noise was apparent.

The shortest cowboy, with the darker skin, had one hand in his pocket, and was fidgiting with something inside of it. Dravius stared a little harder, trying to figure out the clicking. The stripper looked a little twitchy actually, not focusing on anything for longer than a milisecond with his eyes. Was he....on drugs? Or...trying...to get off them, maybe?

"Maybe not. But I know what you're like, and "being distracted" takes up a lot of concentration on your part." Maya snorted in reply to Dravius' words, lifting her head off the table to retrieve her almost empty glass. "That's easily sorted." The blonde grinned. "Stop looking like you have a thundercloud following you around."

Giggling to herself, Maya took her last mouthful of juice, before allowing her gaze to fall on the approaching Nylat. Oh what. No offence to the hybrid, but having her suddenly pull up a chair like that and sitting herself on it was making this table seem a little too crowded. Although most of that was probably due to Nylat's size. Still. With three of them sat here already, and another four stood around it, the hybrid's appearance made Maya sigh internally.

She didn't suppose there was TOO much of a problem with it. It was more just, having to try and catch what everyone said, really. Dropping her chin back onto the table, she watched Nylat. She wasn't entirely sure why the hybrid was looking like that at Erik's friends over there. Dravius had done exactly the same thing.

Almost unconciously, Maya's violet eyes surveyed the visitors, her mind idly flipping thrugh the possible issues with those three. Surely there had to be some, with the way her boyfriend and Nylat were acting. Poor guys coudln't catch a break and they hadn't even been at the table ten minutes.

At Blaine's sudden exclamation, Raphael, who had been watching the surrounding members, turned to look at him, before focusing on Nylat. "Now, now, Nylat." He said quietly. "Please, try not to concern yorself so much with them. I know you don't like strangers, but tonight isn't the night for hostility." Leaning back in his chair, the Ring-Master exhaled quietly through his nose. He should have expected it, really. It was a common issue with the hybrid.

"Sorry about that." He said, looking apologetically at Erik's guests. "Nylat here isn't easily taken with strangers. She takes some getting used to."

It was about that time Maya sighed again, now watching Nylat, before looking to Dravius, who was currently staring down one of the cowboys. Probably the one causing the clicking noise. Shaking her head, the blonde decided there and then she wanted out of this situation for a while. All the glaring and... Awkwardness was making her feel somewhat iffy. And the crowded-ness wasn't helping much.

She had a momentary urge to go find her mother and Angel, which was shortly followed by wanting to go find Kioko or Disera. Then, of course, she caught sight of the dancefloor and had a much better idea.

"Hey. Dravius." She muttered quietly, prodding the dark-haired male in the arm to get his attention. "Dance with me?" She smiled, expression faltering a little as she stared at him for a minute. "Unless, you know, you'd rather stay here. If you're still feeling ill, or something." She raised her eyebrows, her expression expectant.

~~~

Dimitri had been quite content, sat where he was, watching the other members. He kept his ears open of course, for the people sat on the other table. He had been somewhat engrossed in watching the wedded couple dance, when the snarling noise forced him to divert his gaze. Oh god. That thing was back.

Making a funny noise in the back of his throat, the blonde looked up at Blaine as he spoke, sighing quietly. He had a point. They hadn't done anything (Yet), and were already getting dirty looks and hisses. Maybe some of these people just didn't like bands?

Sighing again, the cowboy fell into a state of thoughtfullness, which he immediately brought himself out of as Blaine's annoying clicking started up. He managed a whole five minutes before he grabbed his friend by the back of his shirt, and pulled him somewhat unceremoniously into the chair next to him. "Stop doing that." He suggested, whacking Blaine on the arm. "And yeah. I think so too." The blonde grinned in response to Blaine's earlier statement regarding Mr.Shirtless' girlfriend.

Afterall. Erik had said he had a girlfriend, right?... "Pff." Dimitri muttered, grinning at his darker haired companion, choosing to rub it in a little. "It's a shame, really." He said undr his breath in Blaine's direction, his face and tone FULL of mock concern. "A shame he's not single. You might have been able to get in with 'im otherwise. Looks like you'll have to find a new object of fantasy and affection." The blonde laughed, keeping his voice quiet.

"Pfft. So you left me to battle my way through it? Very gentlemanly of you," Disera said teasingly. She took Lionel, settling the child on her lap. The shifter leaned forward just enough to stretch out her wings slightly as she continued speaking. "Of course not. Leo's just a bad influence, isn't he?" she joked, bouncing Lionel on one knee. "I just can't leave you two alone without worrying what he's going to get you into next."

-----

Antonio situated himself beside Blaine once Dimitri had taken a seat at the table. The blonde crossed his arms, rocking back and forth on his heels. "Quite nice to meet the two of you, Mr. Raphael and Miss Maya."

He grimaced a bit when Blaine began fidgeting with his cigarette case, and nudged him rather sharply with an elbow. "Would you stop with that stupid case? You're being more irritating than usual." Huffing, he uncrossed his arms, propping them on his hips. Honestly. The blond was jolted out of his mood by the appearence of the very large creature from the food van, which was glaring at them as though they'd stolen its firstborn. He scooted nervously behind Blaine once it started hissing at them.

"Ah. Well, I promise we're rather charming once you get to know us," Antonio said, finally taking a seat after Dimitri pulled Blaine down into a chair. "So there's no need to, say, chew off Blaine's face or anything."

Dravius' eyes had still been following the darker skinned cowboy until he was prodded, jumping slightly. "Hmm?" He made a humming noise under his breath, turning his entire body to regard his girlfriend. "Oh, gosh. I can't dance worth anything, but I'll give it a shot. Hold on."

The Co-Master got to his feet and bowed slightly, offering a hand to Maya and saying, "Well, may I have this dance, my dear?" He had a slight smirk on his face, although his complexion was still a little more pale than it was usually, and that was saying something.

He really couldn't dance at all, but, y'know, it was the thought that counted, right? At least he was trying. Hopefully he didn't loose his sparse breakfast on the dance floor.

-------------------------

"Nnn what?" Blaine nearly lost his balance as Dimitri yanked the back of his shirt, waving his arms slightly. "I'm not doing anyth-oh." The cowboy pouted just a little bit, and took his hand out of his pocket, instead moving to drum his fingers on the surface of the table, his long nails making an arguably even more irritating clicking noise.

"A lack of face chewing would be fantastic, actually," Blaine piped up, from his chair, smiling genially. "I would greatly appreciate it...Mistress...Poofy...Paws..." He trailed off, coughing slightly. Not one of his stronger nickname attempts, but you bet your sweet bippy that name would be all Blaine called the hybrid from now on.

"I am NOT....nnnn." Blaine sat up straight, and poked his friend as hard as he could in the shoulder with a manicured nail. "You're just mocking me, now." He huffed slightly, turning to the side and frowning at the ground. He did ever like being made fun of, and Dimi did it in a way that was just purely infuriating.

Turning to Dimi, he then shot back, "Well, I'll be sure to not snatch up your tall glass of water over there." He flicked his head towards Raphael, a slight smirk on his face. "After all, I saw the drool a few minutes back."

Maya had kept a somewhat close eye on Dravius as she waited for a reply, trying to deduce whether or not she should actually force the poor guy onto the dancefloor if he wasn't feeling up to it. She had been silently hoping he'd feel a little better by this point. The sky was beginning to darken, and lamps were flaring up all over the field, casting a warm sort of glow over the place.

Still. Her boyfriend didn't drink that much. It would probably take him somewhat longer than the avarage person to get it all out of his system, right?... Especially if he drunk as much as the Erik's friends seemed to think.

Glancing over to the visitors as they all sat themselves down on a nearby table, the blonde turned back to Dravius as he spoke. "Pff. You've danced with me before you great oaf. I'm not asking you to do the conga." She laughed, cutting herself short to watch him pull himself to his feet. Hold on?... Hold on for wha-

Okay that was it.

Maya broke out into uncontrollable giggling at Co-Master as he rather flamboyantly followed her lead and asked her to dance. Honestly. He was such a goof. Taking his hand, she stood from the table and started walking off towards the dancefloor, keeping a firm hold of Dravius' hand. The blonde came to a stop just outside the slightly elevated wooden floor, glancing back towards Erik's guests. "Funny bunch, aren't they?" She asked with a slight smile, before looking back towards Dravius with a slightly concerned face.

"Sure you'll be all right?" She asked again, letting go of his hand just as the band started up a new song. This one, luckily, was very similar to the first, slow and steady. It was more of a continuation rather than a new tune, really.

"Because... You know. If you're not up for it, it's okay. You'll just have to make it up to me later." She said, smiling slightly.

Nylat continued glaring until RAPHAEL said something, at which point she nodded in agreement. Tonight was a night for joy, not hate. She snorted at the thought, shaking her head. She relaxed a bit, listening to the comments directed her way as she glanced off at the skyline, her ears pricked. At Blaine's nickname, though, her ears went flat, and her glare snapped back to him almost as soon as the words left his mouth. She growled softly. "I have a name, I suggest you use it." With that, she hopped carefully off of the chair, to set about finding her mate, wherever he was.

~~

Kanec smiled. "Ah, but if I had tried finding you, we probably would never have found each other, and it's not gentlemanly of me to prolong that mess." Then, going along with her teasing, he nodded, ears back in contentment. "Yep. Everything we get in trouble for is his fault. He's the one that talked me into spooking Nylat last week." He grinned, obviously not regretting the incident.

Kioko joined Julian in leaning against the van, being careful not to wrinkle her dress. The pyro took another sip of her drink, stalling for time while she considered Julian's short replies to her attempts at conversation, especially when she approached the subject of dancing. She laced her fingers around her drink cup, quietly tapping her pinkie nail against the bottom of the plastic cup.

"Or, you know, if you don't feel like dancing, there are plenty of tables available. You could sit and talk with the othe people who aren't dancing," Kioko offered. She didn't want the former sword master to feel obligated to join in on the dancing if he didn't feel up to it. "I'll probably sit out the dancing as well. Unless someone asks me to dance with me, of course."

-----

Antonio inwardly groaned at Blaine's new nickname for Nylat, but plastered a large smile on his face anyway. "You have to excuse Blaine here. His mother repeatedly dropped him on his head as a baby, hence the tendency for foolish nicknames. It's also why you shouldn't maul him. Poor fellow doesn't always think before he talks." He placed his hands on the table in front of him, palms up, trying to seem as non-threatening as possible.

Antonio threw a pouty glare at Blaine as Nylat left the table. "From now on, could you wait till I'm not right beside you to aggravate creatures that could likely horrible maim us? I would greatly appreciate it." The blond finally relaxed once the hybrid was out of sight, leaning forward on his elbows and crossing one leg over the other. "And don't tease poor Dimi about his crush on Mr. Raphael just because yours didn't work out."

-----

Disera laughed quietly. "Of course, of course. A blue skimmed woman with antlers is rather hard to pick out in a crowd, I can see how it would have been hard for you to track me down." Finished with stretching her wings, she folded them against her back as best she could and settled back in her chair. "Mmm. Leo may have been the mastermind, but you're the one who should be careful. You're not quite as cute as him, it'll be harder for you to charm your way out of trouble," the female shifter joked.

-----

"Well, I do appreciate your sacrifice," Selvai chuckled, placing his own arms around Karene's waist as they continued moving to the music. "And judging by the number of cameras that were brought to the wedding, so does the rest of the circus. I doubt we are going to be short on wedding photos for an album," he said jokingly. Smiling, Selvai kissed her back. "And I love you too, Mrs. Mayoso."