Giving a start of surprise, Alaina swayed slightly on her feet. If her father could just see the situation she was in now...well..it's probably best not to think of such things.

Had she been in any other frame of mind, or in any other place, Alaina would have plainly told these men what she thought..but as it was, she was on the verge of fainting from the sheer irony of how badly this date was turning out to be, as well as just general fear. Yes, she was afraid. Direly afraid. Though she hid it rather well, all things considered.

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Three hours later found a seriously ticked off Duke John and an equally agitated Lady Alaina sitting on the ground.

Ah, and did I mention that ground belonged to a nice padded cell in a random NYC mental institution?

A person hovered nervously over them... to be more exact, a twitching psychiatrist in an immaculate coat and carrying a clipboard the size of Mt. Rushmore.

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Jeral gasped as his beloved maiden went into a frenzy and ran off, him still situated with gorgeous royalty in his arms, and hardly a shirt. WHAT was he supposed to do?

He heard a snicker behind him as Zippy swept past, still in her darling Eric's arms. Blast her. Blast this woman in his arms. This was perfectly horrible. And he wasn't about to lose that charming Diana to the flowerpots again, no sir!

"Ma'am," he began tediously to the curvy being of fluttering eyelashes and flirty speech, "...you have my apologies. You have my shirt. You had my arm, but I'd rather that you get off now."

He glanced anxiously in Diana's direction.

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"The piano is able to communicate the subtlest universal truths by means of wood, metal and vibrating air."

Doves sighed, songbirds twittered in sorrow, and a nonexistant sympathizer trilled out a yearning melody on the flute. Outside in the candlelit corridor, Lady Diana paced, tears still rolling like diamonds down her alabaster cheeks.

That Jeral was so handsome, so dashing - a tenfold more so than even that elfprince Rilion! His hair gleamed molten bronze, his eyes sang of azure skies, and his chest...! She swooned with pleasure.

But now... oh, woe be her! How he'd fallen so passionately for that wench who'd dropped into his arms! What was she do to?

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Lady Von Schwanasee stepped back as if she had been electicuted and let out a high pitched whistle, suddenly Yemen was at her side snarling, his white coat glittering sinisterly in the candlelight. She drew herself up to her full hight and looked his straight in the eye. "'Ou will pay, 'ou dog. None turn away a Von Schwanasee and get away with it." Yemen stepped foreward (he is a wolf btw) his fangs dripping with saliva "'eel Yemen, and 'ou, 'ou bastaard, 'ou run after 'ore pritty wooman," her hand rose in a casting gesture "but 'ou shall never kiss wooman until 'ou tell me what is wooman want most." the spell ended she turned away with a flounce and disappered into the crowd.

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Made by Lembas

Jeral took a step backwards, as the lady (obviously enchantress) cursed him, threatened him, and cast a spell upon him. He smiled nervously at the snarling dog at his side.

And then, as she disappeared, angry, into the crowd, he winced. Never kiss a woman. Darn it, who thought up these curses?!

What a night, oh indeed, what a night!

His poor mind felt flustered and confused, and he looked about himself trying to take it all in. Calm, he must appear calm. And then he must make ammends with Diana. And then there was his shirt, and that spell...

His eyes lighted upon Azura. Well, at least she got things cleared up, and seems to be enjoying herself he thought bitterly.

Deftly, he moved through the still dancing crowd ("Good heavens, talk about being star struck!" he thought) and made his way out onto the corrider.

He wanted to take her in his arms, dramatically and passionately proclaim he loved her; and then kiss her, but he couldn't. In the humblest of atittudes, he got on his knee's at her side.

"Diana," he began with the utmost sincerity, "my apologies are mere stirrings of dust compared to the passionate grief I feel at hurting you."

His head bowed, and he tried to shake up his voice a little. "I do not ask for forgiveness; only what I can do to lessen any pain I have caused you."

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"The piano is able to communicate the subtlest universal truths by means of wood, metal and vibrating air."

Rosa swiftly made her way over to the drinks table "Merlot '68"
"We do not have that madam, only the '62 and '64"
"Zay were awful yearz.....za Burgandy?"
"Yes madam we do have the '68 there....here" she took the black wine and swirled it around in the glass moodilly.

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Made by Lembas

Half the doves were crooning, "Can you feel the love tonight...?" while the toads croaked, "Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her..."

Diana had only to take one look at the prostrate Jeral to set her heart all aflutter. Sighing, she assumed a mask of uncertainty and turned away ever so slightly.

Breathlessly, she waited for his kiss.

Crickets chirped. Toads croaked. An rather unfortunate fly flew into her mouth.

And still, Jeral did not kiss her.

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Oh boy. This is awkward.

Everything was perfect, the scene was ready, the camera man was shooting, and Jeral's throat ran dry.

Let's hope that enchantress had sorry powers he hoped, and standing up, took Diana by the shoulder and pulled her chin up toward her.

And then just as he was leaning in to kiss her...

ZAAAAAAAAP! Crack! Sizzle!

A bolt of lightening came from the cloudless sky and struck him. The edges of his pants fried. His hair stood straight on end. He got an automatic tan.

At first, he pulled back gasping, thinking...

"Well I know they said kissing took your breath away, but THIS?!"

And then he realized that he had never made it to her mouth. He tried batting his eyelashes at her apologetically, but they turned halfway to dust and fell down his cheeks. Under his breath, he cursed that witch Rosa.

"Diana," his bottom lip stuck out, and he blurted uncomfortably... "I've been cursed, curse it!"

[Incidentally, this was the same night that Jeral's lucky star hit an astroid and exploded.]

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"The piano is able to communicate the subtlest universal truths by means of wood, metal and vibrating air."

(hehehehe evil laughter, you guys are hilariouse you know that?)

Rosa was boared, there were no approchable men around at this ball....she should really liven things up a bit. She muttered under her breath and it began to rain outside.

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Made by Lembas

Alassea halted in surprise. Luckily the dance had just ended, or she would have looked very awkward indeed. "Oh no," she said in disappointment, looking out at at the suddenly pouring rain. "And it was looking to be such a lovely evening, too."

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Rose moved over to the dance floor and looked around, hopeing that someone would ask her to dance.

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"It is indeed a dissapointment." Bryne said to Alassea. "However, I hope you will not dissapoint me further by refusing me another dance."

Azura was about to go outside with Rilion when the rain stopped. She was glad she hadn't actually been outside by then, or her gown and hair would have gotten awkwardly wet.

Diana coughed, sputtered, and choked on the fly in her mouth. For the second time that night, her heart leaped out of her chest and landed with a sodden plop at her feet.

"Cursed cough you say? Why, that's absolutely cough terrible cough!"

She shot a glance at his sizzled hair. Nice mohawk.

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[Hilarious? Wow! What a compliment! I'm rather enjoying playing this poor unfortunate lad... though he's not much of a Marty Sam anymore. ]


The only thing that could make matters worse now was cloudy weather.

And then Jeral realized that the usual wet substance that accompanies lightening had descended upon him. Had he been the melodramatic type, he would've ripped his shirt.

Um, right. There wasn't a shirt to rip anymore.

He looked at Diana dolefully and nodded. Then, doing the heroic thing he went to escort her back inside...

...there, at his feet was a puddle. He took off the rest of the remains of his shirt, and layed it there, for her to walk over. His smiled heroically, dashingly, chivilrously.

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"The piano is able to communicate the subtlest universal truths by means of wood, metal and vibrating air."

But Diana was no longer interested in dancing. No, not the least. For Lady Diana was not only the fairest maiden in [insert name of world here], but the greatest -

Shut up. We know already.

Anyway...

Her hand whipped out a sword [s]from virtually nowhere[/s], and she held it aloft. "A curse, you say? Then we must quest to break it!"

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