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Oh, it's perfectly alright. I don't mind being controlled…as long as you don't make my charrie s randomly explode into rainbow confetti or something crazy.

Davina ~

"Me too."

Aha, I can already tell she doesn't like crowds of people, just like me. I note the food she's dropped is mostly from Northern Kyngdom. Aha, I'm from Northern Kyngdom!

I'm thinking I may actually respect her.

I take food, I don't really care what it is. Traveling for one half of your life and living in a village where food comes from everywhere the other half has made me like that. I note the racoon wears her traveling clothes, I wish I had thought to just wear mine here, too. It's not as if I'm going to dance.  

We make small talk, the racoon a little nervously. I finally introduce myself to her.

"My name is Davina Starr. You?"

" Oh, um, Kimi, " She replies hastily, and uncomfortably. I assume she doesn't like to converse with strangers. 

"Nice to –meet you," She adds, almost as if it was an afterthought . 

"The pleasure is mine," I reply. We go our own ways, me going to the garden.

I find a bench under a lovely cherry tree on the far end of the garden, and I sit down and eat. It's very peaceful outside, and I watch the ever familiar Aurora Borealis. 

It's not quite as majestic without mountains surrounding it, but at least it's familiar.

Some birds sing softly nearby. My cypher bleeps quietly in my pack. I pull it out and listen to what the birds are saying. When I find they aren't speaking about anything interesting, I put it away. 

It's been a peaceful night after all….so far.

~~ 

The music continues, lifting out through the open windows and into the garden. It's an old Kyngdom waltz, a more complex level than the last time. 

I had learned to dance to this song, the tunes carried out on an old radio in the smithy's backroom. Norman had insisted on me learning how to dance, and I spent many frustrating hours of confusion and constant chants of "be graceful, boy" trying to figure it out. Now, however, I was grateful to Norman for pounding the steps into my brain.

I look down at Sprocket and smile.

Her brow is furrowed in concentration, making her look like she is tryingto fix a complex machine, not dance.

Even then she looks amazing. She's wearing a dark green dress that flows behind her gracefully as we twirl. Her hair is styled for once, and her arms are bare, proudly displaying her metal one.

Again I reflect on how lucky I am to have found her. I remember first seeing her face on the wanted poster and not believing it. Then the gradual realization that she was actually alive and near me. That I actually had a chance to see her again.

Sprocket raises her head and meets my gaze.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks.

"I don't know," I say. "Why don't you find out?"

She smiles slightly and falls silent. It's weird to me that I can't feel her probing my thoughts, but I try to concentrate on how nice she looks and how glad I am to be dancing with her. 

A few seconds pass and then Sprocket raises her eyebrows.

"I doubt I look that good," she says.

"Let me assure you," I say, twirling her around, "you do."

She nods and thanks me.

The song ends and I bow to her, then raise her metal hand to my lips.

I straighten and laugh. 

"I am really glad you wiped off the excess grease when you cleaned your hand."

She laughs and we walk into the ballroom arm in arm. 

Hey!  Lucy here.  Before I start, I'd just like to say that I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with my characters.  Anyway, here's Iyana!

~Iyana

I follow Mitchell as she walks into a quieter corner of the ballroom.  She covers her face with her hands.  "I hate turning people down!  Why did I have to say that!?"

"C'mon, Mitch!  You can't let one bad descision ruin your whole evening!  Maybe you should go outside.  Getting some fresh air might help." I begged.

"Ugh, fine.  I guess it might help," she agrees reluctantly.  I brush a strand of translucent blonde hair behind my ear as she walks through me to a door.  I trail her, walking through the door she closed after herself.  She knows I'm a ghost, so I can walk through it anyway.

To my surprise, there's someone else out here in the garden.  The thought surprised me.  Why would anyone else be out here at an event ilke this?  I'd think that everyone would be in the ballroom dancing.

She looks at me first rather than Mitchell.  I wouldn't doubt why, I'm so much more interesting.  Maybe it's my ghostly glow, or my translucent body, or my lack of lower body.  Whatever it is, it draws her attention first.

~~~

There's my bad RPing.

I look around several times, extremely tense. I have the oddest feeling something bad is going to happen. 

“Queen Mina,” I hear Master Nova acknowledge below the box seat before she walks into the hallway that leads to the powder room. 

The fur on the back of my neck raises, and I lightly touch Sylenia‘ hand before I quietly follow Nova. 

I slip out of the box seats, relieved that I wore a military uniform and not a dress that would get in my way, before walking across the ballroom and into the hallway. 

Once I round the corner into the bathroom, though, the lights turn off and the door shuts and locks behind me. 

“Don’t worry,” I hear Nova’s smooth voice say. “No one else is here.”

My whiskers twitch and I shake my head. “I’m not the one who should be worrying.”

“Oh Mina, stop with the pathetic threats,” Nova’s voice retorts. “To think you would win at any game against beings thousands of years old.”

I feel a sharp poke at my side, so I lash out only to catch air. 

Nova chuckles. “Faster, kitty.”

“Why are you doing this?” I snarl. “Aren’t you one of the good guys or something?”

Nova snorts. “What’s good, what’s bad? They’re all the same now, aren’t they?”

Suddenly a searing pain irrupts in my arm, and I hiss before clenching it. “What was that for?!”

“You’ve gotten in my way far too much, Mina,” she replies. “The Masters have learned that the quickest way to remove an obstacle is to, well…remove it.”

There’s another lash at my side, but this time I sense it and dodge before grabbing Nova’s arm and twisting it behind her back, causing the knife to clatter to the ground. 

“Very good, Mina,” Nova laughs, although a bit shaken. 

“Yes,” I reply, uninterested. “Now goodbye.”

I quickly get up and walk towards to where I memorised the door to be, grasping the handle. But as soon as I unlatch the lock, the knife digs into my shoulder and I let out a yelp as she twists the blade further. 

I growl and grab her arm, throwing her over my shoulder when she lands with a thud on her back. 

I quickly take the knife out, my teeth clenching, and stand over where I sense her body. 

“How can you see anything?” she wheezes as my boot presses to her collarbone. 

I lean down and whisper in her ear. “I’m a cat.”

She gives a half laugh half wheeze before I feel another blade press against my stomach. 

“Don’t try anything, Mina. I will kill you either way. And everyone you love.”

“Why?” I exclaim, forgetting to keep it quiet. 

“You, the Resistance, Catastrophe. You will all destroy Kyngdom. Only under my rule shall there be peace. And I can’t let you get in the way.”

“No,” I reply, shaking my head. “Under your rule, there will only be tyranny.”

She laughs before launching herself up, and before I can react, she grabs me by the collar and slams me against the wall, this time the knife pressing to my throat. 

“Tyranny is better than other plans.”

“What happened to you, Nova?” I ask, my eyes that she can’t see boring into her. “You used to be so wise and supposedly merciful. But now you are blinded by ambition.”

She shrugs. “Kyngdom changed. I did too. Goodbye, Mina.”

But before she can so much as twitch a muscle, I drive my hidden blade that was previously in my shoulder straight into her stomach. 

I hear her sputter and stumble back. She apparently staggered back against the opposite walls and knocked the lights on, as the bright white starts to flicker to life. 

“Any last words?” I ask, walking up to her. 

She falls to her knees, beginning to writhe in pain as the knife causes her organs to shut down. 

“You will never win!”

I shrug and walk up behind her, quickly snapping her neck before she falls back down, dead. 

There’s a small silence. 

And then I realise what I’ve done. 

~

Mina’s still the same Dolor Felis that met Shadow, and sometimes she’s still an assassin and spy at heart. I don’t think the death of her entire family and Baron helped much either. 

~

Ocean~

I prance down the hallway and then run once I’m out of sight, the bathroom the only thing my mind is set on. The ball has been fun. But I’ve had too much punch. 

I round the corner and tug open the door, and my eyes adjust to the light, before I pause. 

And scream. 

Moonshadow~

A high-pitched scream cuts through the music. 

It's muffled, and I'm not sure if anyone else noticed, but my ears go up immediately. Always on high alert, my mind goes to the worst case scenario: Catastrophe's army is here. We're being attacked. 

I run in the direction of the noise, and my ears lead me to the bathroom. The door is wide open, and I cautiously step in. 

A young girl in a floaty blue gown is standing near the door, with her back to me. Ah, she must have been the one who screamed. And in front of her is…Mina. General Mina, of the resistance. And in front of her…I gasp and jump back. It's someone slumped against the wall–dead. A knife sticks out of her stomach and blood is pooling around her. 

I feel sick as I recognize the body as Master Nova.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry for the short post, I didn't want to control anyone. 

Kristjan and I wall through the crowd, chatting lightly. He is telling me about his time with the blacksmith, and I am listening intently. I feel strangely disconnected by the large gap of his life that I have missed, and I hope to be able to learn more about it.

He finishes and we lapse into silence. The couples twirl on the dance floor, and I marvel at how easy they make it look. Dancing was difficult, and I had no intention of ever doing it in public.

I open my thoughts to others around me. I'm not listening to one specific person's thoughts, rather generally casting around for general emotion.

 I feel happiness and vague jealousy from the dancers, and a sharp bite of hate from an arguing couple nearby.

Then I stop. The bathroom. I feel terror and hate and panic. 

I concentrate harder and try to pick out the people. One stranger, Ocean, Moonshadow, and Mina.

My grip tightens on Kristjan's arm. He looks down at me in concern, and I quickly talk to him using my mind.

Something's wrong. Bathroom. Now.

He nods imperceptibly and guides me towards the bathroom. We go as fast as possible without drawing attention, and I try to look happy and calm. The last thing we want is a scene.

We reach the hallway and I run to the women's bathroom. Kristjan follows behind me as I push open the door and enter.

It takes me a couple of seconds to assess the situation. Moonshadow, a ghost, and another girl are standing up against one wall staring at Master Nova, who is slumped against the wall with a knife in her torso. She looks dead. Mina is standing next to her, bleeding from various wounds. Ocean is against the other wall, staring at the blood that covers everything.

I hear Kristjan gasp behind me, but I'm already striding over to Mina. 

She faces me as I walk up.

"What in Kyngdom happened here?" I ask. 

I shake my head and push past Sprocket, push past the small group of people, and walk out of the bathroom. 

“Mina!” Sprocket calls after me, and stops me before I’m outside of the hallway. 

She places a hand on my shoulder, and I defensively throw it off, twist it, and reel around. Her eyes widen, and I catch the small look of terror before it is masked by indifference. I drop her hand and exhale shakily. 

“Mina, what happened?” she repeats, trying to stand straight and act unfazed. 

“We-we…,” I stammer, my eyes looking no where in particular, trying to collect my thoughts. “We got in a skirmish…and I just….”

My eyes blink wildly, my thoughts everywhere. “I just…old reflexes. From the time I was an assassin and spy. I stabbed her.” 

Sprocket stiffens slightly and I can tell by her body language that she has gotten uncomfortable. 

“I was there,” I continue, ignoring it. “Then I was somewhere else. She was just another obstacle. Another target. I was back in the field, and I saw it all around me. I acted on pure impulse, I’ve never done that. I’m…I’ve left the field behind for years now. I just….”

Sprocket’s gaze softens. “Have you ever been tested for PTSD or any post-mental thoughts?”

Suddenly the weight lifts off my chest. She’s concerned about me. Not about Nova. Not about the fact that I just killed someone. She wants to make sure that this won’t happen again, but she does care about my well being. 

“Yes,” I reply. “It was always a requirement. But nothing ever came up.”

“We’ll figure this out, Mina,” she says and then gives a small smile.

I nod and the corner of my mouth twitches up, before I realise that I’ve just killed Nova. “Now to explain.”

Well, that was dramatic. Might as well. It would be Nygrune's nature, anyway.

Nygrune~

I hear something from inside, and when I get there, people are running towards the bathroom. So I follow the crowd.

"…I was back in the field, and saw it all around me," General Mina is telling Sprocket. There is blood on her uniform. The blue-haired girl from earlier is watching, and so are an older, more casually dressed girl and a boy I've seen before. Reinedela Ocean is standing half-hidden by the doorframe with her eyes wide and hands over her mouth. I follow her gaze to a wolf lying on the floor, apparently dead.

"I acted on pure impulse. I've never done that. I'm… I've left the field behind for years now. I just…" Mina continues, as I tear my eyes away from the body and step forward. 

"Hey," I whisper, and tap Ocean on the shoulder. ("Have you ever been tested for PTSD or any post-mental thoughts?") She spins around, startled, dropping her hands. ("Yes. It's a requirement. But nothing ever came up.") Then she recognizes me and bursts out crying. ("We'll figure this out, Mina.") I reciprocate her hug ("Now, to explain.") and lead her away. 

Her governess comes running as soon as she sees us, skirts gathered up and fury on her face.

"What did you do to her?" the lady demands.

"I promise you I have done nothing harmful and the Reinedela is safe. However, there's been an incident in the bathroom which I must attend to, and therefore I hope she will not object to your custody."

Ocean sniffs loudly beside me and steps forth.

~And I don't actually know what she has to say about this, and I don't want to be controlling. But Nygrune can definitely heal Mina, assuming he can get close enough.