((Well, Chris doesn't pay attention in school, as a matter of fact.))

Chris nodded in response to the dude's question. "Yeah, that's right. Leann spun Darren twice, so she has to either kiss him twice or one long kiss," he explained. "Also, we throw in a dare after the spin. You wanna play, dude?" Chris stopped. Hold on a second... I know this dude! he thought, as his dude-memory banks kicked into gear. "Wait a minute. Aren't you one of the prefects at school? I'm sorry I don't remember your name." He offered his hand to shake. "I'm Chris Trent."

---

"A short kiss or a long kiss," Bryan echoed, "No wonder Darren is upset. That's more attention than the poor guy can handle." Grinning, Bryan began removing his jacket as Chris explained the set up for the game, getting half way before he stopped talking for a moment.

"Wait a minute. Aren't you one of the prefects at school? I'm sorry I don't remember your name. I'm Chris Trent."

"Bryan Saunders," Bryan replied, slipping his jacket off fully before giving Chris the handshake, "I came to collect my brother from the ice skating rink but it seems like he was kidnapped by a certain team mate of his," Grinning, Bryan leant back on his hands, "I'm actually surprised that he hasn't pulled this trick before now. I wish he told me, I would've helped him out for once." Rolling his eyes, Darren did have good ideas every now and then. Spin the bottle was a perfect way to get Alex away from the rink. If he got a girlfriend then maybe maturity would finally kick in. "I haven't played this game in so long. I might give it a try for a little while."

---

((Hey guys! Sorry I haven't been on in a while. I've been busy lately because I just started school up again after winter break ending and LOTS of family birthdays. But I'm glad to be back!))

Audrey had just rejoined the circle and had made herself comfortable when she realized that she had been picked by someone. The girl that had picked her was quite interesting to look at, because she had different eye colors and was slightly damp from the rain. Audrey didn't really know her name because she had never met her, but she thought that she had heard Zeth call her Artemis. Audrey was excited to be picked right after Zeth picked her. Maybe she was more social than she thought. She looked at Artemis and said, "I pick truth." Just like Audrey to play it safe.

Leann finished up her kiss with Darren just in time to see a new boy walk in the room. He seemed a bit older than her, and he had this air about him that made you think he was really intelligent. Leann was intrigued by him, and it didn't hurt that he was kind of cute too. She didn't even say anything to Darren, she just walked away and sat down near where he was. She didn't want to look like she was sitting there because of him, so she just pretended to be texting someone. Hopefully listening to one of his conversations would tell her more about him. She was too shy to just talk to him herself.

---

"Truth, huh?" said Artemis, giving Zeth an apologetic shrug. She then thought for a a few seconds before coming up with a question.

"My question for you is a bit twofold." she said. "What kind of life did you want growing up, and does it match the life you have now?"

---

((Is Leann from a different school to Trucy? Otherwise she should recognise him cause he's the head prefect. If not, then that's cool. Was going to hold my RP but I'll play along with this for now :) Also, don't worry about Zeth's reaction. He made a gamble that he losst. He just takes this loss a little harder cause of the person he's dealing with ;) ))

Seeing Artemis' shrug with her response, Zeth kept his cool just long enough to wait for her to look away before his frustration started surfacing.

TRUTH?! What the heck? All these dares and now she picks the truth when I wanted her to pick dare?!

Zeth's fingers curled into a tense claw on the table as he leaned heavier onto his arms for a moment. This day was beginning to go down hill VERY fast for him now that Witch, Luna was there. What a poor gamble. He knew his odds were crap but he thought for SURE that she'd pick dare for a 3rd round! Zeth's face went a slightly flush colour as he tried not to imagine the horrible ways that Witch could torment him in this outfit and there was nothing he could do about it. Again. Unless he could get rid of her somehow.

Glaring at the bottle for a moment, Zeth recomposed himself just as quickly as the emotion washed over him, relaxing his claw like motion on the table. When his face had recomposed to an emotionless expression once more, Zeth pushed himself away from the table. Get rid of her. That's a plan that you have control of. A result that you can predict. Then it doesn't matter what you wear again.

Glancing about the room, he couldn't quite see them, but he knew Wright had many chemicals he could use to take her down if they were alone, but he knew that Vaughan would suspect him first of the deed. He knew her, obviously didn't like her, and was more than capable of the task. No... He had to do something else. Patience, said Obi Wan. Life has it's ways. He had always found a way out before now, and he will again...

***************************

Grabbing a towel from his linen closet on the way back, Phoenix scooted back into the kitchen. Noticing Zeth standing back with an intense expression, Phoenix recognised the look on his face. He was plotting something.

"Hey, Gant," Phoenix said, dipping his voice as he offered Zeth his glasses back, "Has something come up?"

"Yeah, sort of," Zeth replied, taking his glasses from Phoenix and putting them on, "I have a situation I need to sort out. No biggie."

"Looks big to me," Phoenix replied, "Normally I have to rely on more than just my eyes to notice when something is on your mind. For you to show it even slightly on your face..." Phoenix adopted a slight grin, "Oh, I see what it is..."

"Huh?" Zeth looked at Phoenix with a surprised look. Was he really that transparent right now?

"Yeah," Phoenix grinned, "You started getting like this after your little game of catch and kiss." Raising a brow, Phoenix gave him a daring look, "Something happened during that kiss. I didn't see it, but I'm going to find out what it is."

"You're a pain in the ass sometimes, Wright," Zeth smirked, relieved that he didn't have the full story yet. If anyone knew about his relationship with Luna, it'd just open up a can of worms. "Thanks for getting my glasses though."

"No prob," Phoenix grinned, striding over to Artemis. Chucking her the towel, he realised that she had just spun Audrey. Standing beside her to see what Audrey's answer would be, he wondered if she had something to do with why Zeth was suddenly so serious.

************************

"Huh?" Suddenly being ditched without any word of a reply to what he said, Darren's face scrunched up in bewilderment as she turned on the spot and left him standing there. OK, so it wasn't a GREAT kiss, but he didn't think he was THAT bad. Was he really that bad now he had a girlfriend? Bu....but his kisses were his selling point. The one thing chicks actually stuck around for... What if...

Glancing back at Leann, she spotted her plant herself right beside.... When the hell did Bryan get here?! That pretentious jerk that followed Alex everywhere he went like a little puppy. Darn it, didn't that guy have a life outside of Alex and school?! And now as per usual, the girls were all after him. Why did he have to be Alex's brother? He wanted to punch him in the face so badly. Those two... He didnt' mind the girls running off to Alex cause he didn't give a toss about women. There was something satisfying about that chick that just dumped you getting completely ignored by your best bud. Bryan however... he had the audacity to date then once or twice then dump them because there wasn't the right chemistry between them or something. No, he wanted the women to think he was exclusive. A player. He couldn't STAND men like him.

***********************

Not noticing Leann sitting down beside him, Bryan had to have a quiet chuckle to himself. It wasn't that he liked going out of his way to annoy Darren with his presence. His relationship with Darren was only as tense as it was because Darren had something against him. He had no idea what was wrong with that guy. He wasn't a moron. Darren even shared some of his classes in the accelerate grade subjects he took. He sometimes wondered if it was an ego thing. That's why he was so surprised that this game didn't seem to excite him as much as he'd expect. So many lips to kiss. Surely he'd be over the moon about that. He had to laugh about it though. Otherwise he'd feel sorry for the guy's poor attitude, and pity wasn't something he wanted to feel for Alex's best friend. He deserved better than that.

"Chris," Bryan started, "I might give it a spin next. Is there any rules on same gender kissing? Or do I take the nearest female to the spin?"

((Relevant question is relevant))

<edit> Added Bryan and Darren RP</edit>

---

Audrey was a bit surprised by the nature of the question. She figured it would be more along the lines of who in this room do you want to kiss most, or something like that. This question was a good one though. "Well, when I was little I wanted to be something glamerous, like am actress or a dancer. But as I got older, I realized that I really liked being there for my friends when they needed to talk. So I entered the field of psychology. But as for if its what I hoped for, it's a bit different. I thought I would be married by now or at least in a serious relationship. But as far as being happy goes, I guess I am. I mean, my life could be a lot worse. Is that a good answer for you?"

((Leann probably knows of him but she may not recognize him that well because she is pretty antisocial at school.))

---

"Thank you kindly, Mr. Wright." said Artemis as she grabbed the towel Phoenix tossed to her. She then listened intently to Audrey's answer as she dried herself off.

"I see." she mused. "Well, I'm very happy that everything worked out for you, Ms...."

---

((Beth- you want to intercept Bryan's conversation and answer him for Chris? And I'm not sure if it's clear, but Artemis looks like she wants a name >.> ))

---

"Audrey. Audrey Lincolns." Audrey smiled at Artemis as she dried herself off. She wondered what her story was, and how she got to know this interesting group of people. Audrey guessed she must have been connected to Phoenix and Zeth through their jobs. This group certainly was a unique bunch, to say the least. She felt a bit out of place because she wasn't a lawyer or a detective of some sort. But she found herself realizing she was very glad to be here. She was starting to get used to everyone and was very happy to be at this party.

"Chris," Bryan started, "I might give it a spin next. Is there any rules on same gender kissing? Or do I take the nearest female to the spin?"
After hearing that he was interested in playing, Leann got very excited. Maybe this could be a great way to start a conversation with him. All of a sudden, Leann found herself turning around from her seat to join herself in the conversation. "Well, there really aren't any rules on same gender kissing. It's just whoever the bottle lands on. Oh, and you have to spin twice and kiss two people, or if it lands on the same person, you have to kiss them a bit longer than usual." After speaking, Leann felt herself starting to blush. She had really just interrupted their conversation, and now it would probably look like she had been eavesdropping on the whole thing. How embarrassing, she realized afterwards.

---

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Lincolns." said Artemis, returning Audrey's smile as she finished drying off. "I'm Artemis Blind, a friend of Mr. Wright. We played poker quite a few times at the Borscht Bowl Club. I never won, of course." She then chuckled a little. "To be honest, he's the only person here I know all that well."

When she had finished with the towel, she turned to Phoenix. "Should I go hang this up somewhere, or what?"

---

((I see Vaughan's back on the door so I'll go ahead and bring in Tiffany ^^))

The silver car stopped at the end of the street.

"I'll walk from here, Gianpaolo," the tall woman in the passenger's seat smiled, opening the car door and stepping out onto the pavement. A spin the bottle party at the Wrights' residence was not the normal way that Tiffany chose to spend her evenings but Trucy Wright, in that surprisingly astute way she had, had given her an invite that she couldn't resist. Trucy knew how much she disliked being kept in the dark about information and the invitation had been worded in such a way as to leave her curious.

I've got something I need your help with... If you come to my Spin the Bottle party tomorrow night, I can tell you all about it then!

"Does she need money, I wonder?" she murmured. It was entirely possibly that Trucy was keen to use Tiffany's position as the Wonder Bar's main patron for a scheme... but then again it was just as possible that this wasn't at all what Trucy had in mind.

Approaching the door, she noted that it had been broken clean off and stored away the observation to ask about later. Even more interesting, the door was guarded by a man Tiffany recognised as Vaughan Dragon, a high-calibre, contract assassin.

Interesting. An assassin to guard a teenager's party? Somebody inside is clearly either paranoid or needs extra protection...

"Mr Dragon, I believe? Might I be permitted to enter? Signorina Wright will be disappointed if I'm late," she addressed the man at the door.

****************************************************

Trucy looked up at the new arrival and beamed. "Hey Bryan! I didn't think you were going to come!" Glancing at Darren, she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from giggling at the expression on his face- she knew he disliked Alex's brother but she hadn't before thought the dislike was this strong. Noticing Leann slide into a spot next to Bryan, she shot her a wink across the circle and took a quick glance at Tascha, who'd been pretty much silent since they'd re-entered the room.

Looks like I have two friends who need to up their games and tell boys they like them... On second thoughts, Trucy considered, Tascha had only just stopped making Alex nervous- no sense in freaking him out again. And Leann wouldn't make a move on her own... It looked as though she was going to have to lend a helping hand at some point, but for now at least, she settled for checking her watch and wondering if Tiffany was actually going to show up.

---

"Well, there really aren't any rules on same gender kissing. It's just whoever the bottle lands on. Oh, and you have to spin twice and kiss two people, or if it lands on the same person, you have to kiss them a bit longer than usual."

"Oh? Really?" Turning to the voice intercepting the conversation, Bryan finally spotted the girl sitting beside him. She was a pretty girl. He hadn't seen her about the school, but that didn't mean she didn't go to it. He did try to get to know as many students as he could, but a whole school is a bit much, and she did look a few years younger than him so it was unsurprising. Giving her a thankful smile, Bryan grabbed the bottle, "Thanks for telling me. I'll keep it in mind with my spin."

Bryan lobbed his jacket over to a nearby couch, and loosened his tie slightly to make himself more comfortable. Looking at the middle of the circle, Bryan paused for a moment. Two spins and a dare. These were alot of things to do for a spin the bottle game. Perhaps they got restless with just one spin and thought two was more interesting?

Leaning forward, Bryan gave the bottle a firm flick. Watching it spin around, a slight anticipation rose inside of him. Who was he going to get? Watching it stumble to a stop, he looked to who it pointed at. Pausing, it pointed in between a gap between where Darren and Chris were sitting. Glancing past them, the pottle pointed straight at where Alex and the blue haired girl were finishing up their kiss. Narrowing his eyes, Bryan wasn't sure how to rule this.

"The... bottle is pointing at Alex and that girl," Bryan stated awkwardly, "Are.... they considered in the circle still?"

"They are if the other option is kissing one of us two, you freak," Darren retort, motioning in favour of Chris. Bryan tapped his lip thoughtfully, remembering the same sex rules of this game.

"Do I need to flip a coin to if I kiss Alex or the girl he's kissing?" Bryan asked, "Because if I get to chose, I'd rather not have to kiss my brother if you don't mind."

"I don't mind? You're kidding me?" Darren chuckled, giving Bryan a smirk, "You're practically clawing the door to get out of the closet. I invite you to prove that you're a man in there." Bryan raised an unamused brow at Darren.

"You're quick to label me based off the friends I keep, Darren," Smiling as he picked up the bottle for the second spin, he refused to let Darren of all people upset him in front of the student body, "I assure you, kissing a male in a game like this does not make me homosexual, but you'd know that already, right? I mean, you've been here much longer than I have. I'm sure you've kissed many men and not felt homosexual at all."

Darren's lips clamped together, and his face turned flush as he remembered having to kiss Klavier Gavin of all people at the beginning of the game. Man- he was a GOOD kisser... but he was not gay. No way. Not at all. It was completely inconceivable. Damn it.

Satisfied at Darren's red face, Bryan spun the bottle once more, hoping that his second spin was less awkward. Watching the bottle roll to a stop, the bottle pointed at him.

"Uh..." Glancing behind himself, it was pointing at the gap he was sitting in, but it was leaning closly to the girl that he was just talking to before he spun the bottle. Well, that settled that then.

Moving up to Leann, Bryan sat back down beside her, "Now, I need to do a dare before I do this. How does this work?"

************************

Watching a luxury car stop off at the beginning of the driveway, Vaughan raised an eyebrow. More visitors. Who the heck was this Wright guy to have so MANY people come and visit in one afternoon? And why on earth did Kraus chose TODAY of all days to visit. Well, that's what he was here to do. Make sure none of the myriad of visitors today were here to assassinate Kristoph Gavin, or just as importantly, Kraus himself.

Watching a well dressed woman get out of the car, Vaughan stood to and upright and adjusted his tie. This was no ordinary customer. He recognised that woman's style anywhere. He had NO idea why she was here at such a middle class house. Was she here to see Kraus?

"Mr Dragon, I believe?" Tiffany asked, "Might I be permitted to enter? Signorina Wright will be disappointed if I'm late,"

"Miss Tiffany," Vaughan grabbed the umbrella that Bryan gave him just earlier, and opened it up, holding it above her head to deflect the rain as he pulled out his cell phone, "My apologies. I've been asked to clear everyone for entry in this house. This will only take a moment."

Speed dialling Zeth once more, Vaughan held the umbrella in place, his suit becoming saturated as he shielded her from the down pour. Zeth answered his phone before the dial tone finished.

"You're a busy doorbell boy," Zeth's voice at the other end said sarcastically. He sounded like he was distracted by something. He was very uncharacteristically grumpy all of a sudden.

"I have Miss Tiffany at the door, Gant," Vaughan replied, "I'd like to allow her in and get dried off."

"Wow," Zeth replied with surprise, "Now I'd REALLY love to know why she is here. Hold up and I'll invite her in personally and have a chat with her first."

"Of course," Vaughan responded, hanging up the phone. Slipping it back into his pocket, Vaughan carefully guided her just inside the door. Closing the umbrella as he waited at the door, Vaughan halted her, "If you don't mind, Miss Tiffany, Zeth Gant would like to meet with you first."

((If she's wearing an over coat, then can we assume that Vaughan assists with it's removal right now?))

******************

"Should I go hang this up somewhere, or what?"

"I'll take it," Zeth suddenly but in, grabbing the towel, cellphone still in hand from his talk with Vaughan. Breaking out into a jog, Zeth chucked the towel in the laundry, and grabbed a fresh, and fluffy white towel, dashing over to the front door. Seeing Vaughan and Tiffany at the door, Zeth slowed to a walk, as he approached.

"Signorina Tiffany, could we please speak privately for a moment?" Zeth asked, offering the towel, "It's of a matter of great importance."

******************

Phoenix turned back to Artemis and gave her a shrug with a slight grin, "That was easily sorted out! So..." Dipping his voice, Phoenix gave her a serious expression, "So, I assume you're here to talk to Trucy finally. You... picked a bad day to turn up. I wish you rang ahead. she has all of her friends around."

---

Last edited by Arkillian on Sun Jan 15, 2012 10:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Tiffany accepted the towel and carefully blotted the rain from her hair and dress- it had been expensive and though it wasn't as if she couldn't have afforded another, she disapproved of wasting money.

"Señorita Tiffany, could we please speak privately for a moment? It's of a matter of great importance." Zeth asked her.

"Of course, Signor Gant. I imagine you wish to know why I'm here? Given my line of business and the level of protection on the house tonight, perhaps you are concerned about secrecy?" Tiffany replied pleasantly.

True, she was intensely curious as to who could warrant such protection at a simple party and, for that matter, why they were attending Trucy's party but unless said person furthered her personal interests, Tiffany did not intend on selling on anything she heard tonight. It was unlikely that anyone here had any information which was related to the Mazzei, unless Zeth had discovered something and had not told her yet.

---

"Oh." said Artemis. "Well, I do apologize for dropping in out of the blue like this. It's just that, I overheard some people at the Wonder Bar gossiping about Trucy's party, and well... I guess I just got a bit too overexcited, and I didn't hear the details."

Her face turned bright scarlet. "Heh, this kind of behavior is hardly becoming of a new prosecutor such as myself. If my head remains in the clouds like this, I won't be keeping my badge for very long." Although she was trying to make light of the situation, nothing could hide her embarrassment and disappointment.

((I figure that this would be the best explanation of how Artemis knew about the party. If it doesn't work, let me know.))

---

Last edited by Little_Thief on Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

"Of course, Signor Gant." Tiffany replied, "I imagine you wish to know why I'm here? Given my line of business and the level of protection on the house tonight, perhaps you are concerned about secrecy?"

"With some more than others, yes," Zeth smiled, "Alot of the people in the house right now wouldn't understand the significance of what the Dragon is here to protect. I'm sure that you would have a greater understanding which is why I'd like to a have a chat first." Extending a hand to the lady, Zeth motioned behind him, "The lounge, Kitchen, and Wright's room are sadly occupied so we'll need to chat in his daughter's room. I hope you don't mind."

*****************************

"Heh, this kind of behavior is hardly becoming of a new prosecutor such as myself. If my head remains in the clouds like this, I won't be keeping my badge for very long."

"There's nothing wrong with keeping an ear to the world around you," Phoenix smiled, "You need to keep both ears to it though. Being a prosecutor now, there should only be room for truth around you. It's better to be surrounded by dark truths than half truths." Putting his hands in his pockets, Phoenix glanced sideways at Kristoph, "No matter how horrible the truth may seem, it's always better than having most of the story." Glancing back to Artemis with a smile, Phoenix tried to lighten the mood again, "This is hardly a mistake to get wound up about though. Stick around and enjoy the game! We seemed to have accumulated an interesting crowd for this game... Although..." Glancing around, half the party wasn't there anymore. What was up? This seemed to be ALOT of drama for just one game, "Although not everyone is here right now it seems..."

---

"The lounge, Kitchen, and Wright's room are sadly occupied so we'll need to chat in his daughter's room. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Tiffany smiled as she allowed herself to be led into Trucy's room. The room was evidently that of a magician, with various props and capes cluttering every surface and the Gavinners posters on the walls attested to the fact that it was undoubtedly that of a teenage girl.

"So what was it you wanted to talk about? I'm assuming we have a guest, or perhaps more than one guest, tonight that you fear might be of interest to me or my clientele- if so, I'd be intrigued to know who it is. Rest assured that tonight I have no intention of passing on anything I hear here."

---

((Crap- I thought she was speaking Spanish and that signorina was a typo, but she's speaking Italian which makes FAR more sense since she's Sicilian T.T My bad. Zeth would know how to address her so I've updated >.< ))

Taking the towel as they entered the room, Zeth closed the door behind them for some privacy.

"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" Tiffany asked, "I'm assuming we have a guest, or perhaps more than one guest, tonight that you fear might be of interest to me or my clientele- if so, I'd be intrigued to know who it is. Rest assured that tonight I have no intention of passing on anything I hear here."

"Two guests," Zeth replied, holding up two fingers to clarify, "But I don't believe that their presence is unusual or of interest to you. I wished to explain the importance of one of them specifically as his reputation proceeds him."

Glancing at the door for a moment, Zeth's gaze returned uneasily, "See, one of them is a convicted criminal that was put behind bars by Mr Justice, with the assistance of Phoenix Wright himself. I'm sure that you have heard of the trial. It was made very public to those in the know. I'm very surprised that those here have been as diplomatic about it as they have."

---

Artemis smiled, feeling a lot more at ease. "I understand, Mr. Wright. I'll be sure to keep that in mind when I get my first case." she said. "I'm sure everyone else will be back in a moment. In the meantime, I might as well stick around. Who knows? Maybe I'll get my chance through this game."

---

"Now, I need to do a dare before I do this. How does this work?"
Leann was so shocked when she saw that Bryan had spun her. This couldn't have been more surprising to her. Never really talking to guys before and now she was kissing two within minutes of each other. "Well, you have to flip a coin for the dare. And..um.. I'm Leann by the way. In case you didn't know." She softly smiled and looked him straight in the eyes. He had nice eyes, she secretly thought and she felt herself start to blush again. She could only imagine how bright red her cheeks must be at the moment. But she was really happy that he had spun her. This night was turning out to be quite interesting after all.

---

((Um... Bryan has yellow eyes but if that's too weird then mark 1 Bryan had blue eyes so I can revert to that :) ))

"Sounds simple enough," Bryan nodded, pulling his wallet out of his pocket, and removing a shinny new coin, "Lets see how my luck goes. I call heads."

Flicking the coin in the air, he caught the coin as it fell back down and slapped it on his hand. Removing his hand, he looked at the result.

"Tails," Bryan said disappointedly, "I called it wrong. I guess this means I have to do a dare?"

"Yeah," Cara giggled from nearby, "If you called it right then you could chose not to have a dare. Now instead, I dare you to do both kisses laying down on a bed."

"What?" Bryan's eyes flashed wider, his face turning a flush colour, "Isn't that rather... Vulgar?"

"I'm doing you a favour, silly," Cara poked her tongue out at Bryan, "You were just open for a dare, and mister grump here would've given you something MUCH worse than that."

Cara pointed at Darren, his face turning into a guilty scowl. Getting up to his feet, Bryan looked down at Darren and gave him a 'Looks like you missed out this time' look, before turning to LEann offering his , "Looks like our introductions are going to be on awkward terms, Leann,"

---

Chris raised his eyebrows and whistled. "This game is getting pretty intense. Cara, I didn't know you could be this... devious," he said, turning his iPod off and putting it in his pocket. He also realized how hilarious this dare really was: Bryan was completely new to the game, and Leann was so quiet all the time. It really was perfect.

---

"YES!" Cara grinned, flopping onto Chris' arm and latching on tight, "A naughty dare for a nice Zebra!" Leaning over Chris, Cara gave Bryan a firm poke in his side, "Time to be the hunter, not the hunted!"

Bryan's face scrunched up in humiliation at Cara's 'nick name' for him. He was NOT a zebra! His hair was stripy, sure, but not like a zebra! There really was only a certain amount of Cara that Bryan could handle before he had to move on, and he was quickly reaching his threshold.

"ZEBRA?" Darren suddenly cracked up, "That's HILARIOUS, Cara! What a great nick name!"

"Better a Zebra than a jerk," Cara retort with a scowl, clinging tighter onto Chris, "Bryan may be as dry as cardboard, but that's better than what YOU do to people."

"Dry?" Bryan echoed, his face going limp as his vision glazed over Leann, "Am I really that boring?"

Darren frowned, withdrawing back to the circle again. She was right. Bryan may have been dry as toast, but he was just as bad at the other end of the scale. The way he dumped her. It was totally un called for. It was best to leave it go for now.

Cara turned to Chris, letting go of his arm, and instead cuddling into his body and under his arm, "Can you spin after Bryan, Chris? And spin me. I don't care who else you spin. Just spin me. Promise me that."

((Wow- this is kinda hard. I'm kinda having to rewrite Bryan's character completely here. I didn't realise how heavily his personality was based on his back story. Normally Bryan is too strong of a character. He's so dry without his anger and angst XD ))

---

Chris looked down at Cara and shrugged. "I guess I'll try to aim it, but I don't know if I can promise you that I'll pick you with the spin." He thought about it for a moment, and then realized something. What did it matter if he picked her, anyway? They were already going out, they could make out whenever they wanted to. Regardless, he still smiled and put his arm around her, not wanting to pursue the subject any further.

Chris turned to Bryan. "So, Bryan, are you friends with Darren, Cara, and Alex, then? I hope you are; I wouldn't know what to think if a girl I didn't know called me a zebra." He grinned. "Pretty funny nickname, though."

---

((Ah- but Cara lives in the now, and right now this is her options :) She hasn't considered after the party yet XD ))

"So, Bryan, are you friends with Darren, Cara, and Alex, then?" Chris asked, "I hope you are; I wouldn't know what to think if a girl I didn't know called me a zebra. Pretty funny nickname, though."

Turning to Chris, Bryan saw his arm wrapped around Cara. Glancing towards Darren, Bryan wondered how he was taking seeing his ex with another man. Apparently a little less well than he expected. Darren was more of a jerk than usual. Looking back to Chris, he wasn't sure if he was trying to be spiteful or just chatty. He assumed the best. HE didn't seem the spiteful type of guy. Bryan gave a weak smile,

"I guess," Bryan replied, "Darren is friends with my brother, Alex so there's a certain level of tolerance involved."

"Adopted brother you mean," Cara butt in, "Are you guys related at all?"

"Sort of," Bryan glanced away from that conversation, dipping his eyes to not look at Leann as he leaned on his arms resting on his thighs. Cara cocked her head to the side at Bryan for a moment then looked at Chris dipping her voice to a cheerful hush,

"It was a forbidden love with a zebra. They knew their love child could never be accepted in society." Cara's face lit up in glee as she conjured up the back story in her mind, "Mr Daniels probably found him in a cute basket with a blue ribbon and a note saying to protect their child from all dangers. One day he shall be KING of the Llamas and save his fair princess from the dragon!" Breaking out into a giggle, Cara felt a bit happier, "I'm sure he'd make a great King of the Llamas..."

((Side note- canon Bryan is Alex's son so I don't know how I'll do an interesting translation that doesn't involve time travel O.o ))

((And sorry- this is getting a little too random- I'm a bit tired at the moment. I need to get back into a habit of bed before midnight... not 2am >.< ))

---

"See, one of them is a convicted criminal that was put behind bars by Mr Justice, with the assistance of Phoenix Wright himself. I'm sure that you have heard of the trial. It was made very public to those in the know. I'm very surprised that those here have been as diplomatic about it as they have," Zeth explained.

Tiffany discerned immediately who the guest he was referring to was- after all State vs. Wright and State vs. Misham were not trials that any self-respecting information gatherer would have been left unfamiliar with. Practically the whole of the state had been talking about them.

"I knew you were handling his appeal process of course, but really I'm intrigued. I did not expect Kristoph Gavin to be the kind of man to frequent a teenager's Spin the Bottle party."

What, perhaps, I am more surprised about is his presence anywhere near the Wright family. The last I was aware, he was most decidedly persona non grata here.

Tiffany tucked a strand of hair back behind its hairgrip and considered for a moment. The other person here was presumably one of the Dragon's clients- Kristoph Gavin, a convicted felon, was in no position to hire such protection. Phoenix wouldn't have gone to such measures and she couldn't imagine that Zeth had hired him. That left one prominent client who would be in a position to wish to attend a party at the Wrights' house.

"Might the second be Signor Kraus?" she ventured. Now there was an interesting man, and one who happened, along with Zeth, also to be pursuing a prominent crime syndicate...

---

Zeth smirked. He wondered how fast she'd put two and two together, and he wasn't disappointed.

"Kristoph Gavin's case is not as black and white as it first appears," Zeth nodded, dipping his voice so that listeners at the door couldn't hear, "Kristoph did commit murder, but it was not of his free will. He was puppeteered by a crafty organisation who have covered their tracks well." Zeth paused for a moment, raising his brow, "I'm finding it difficult to expose them through legitimate means, if you catch my drift. Kristoph is our key to finally breaking their cover story through lawful means."

Pacing around Tiffany, Zeth slipped his thumbs into the apron, "My reason for pulling you aside like this is not because I believe you'll wish to pass on information learnt here. I have faith in your fair judgement. My primary concern here is of the gravity of the secrecy involved here." Pausing his step, Zeth looked back at Tiffany with a gravely serious expression, "Kraus has gone over the line today and paid a personal visit to Kristoph. I don't have a CLUE what would possess him to do this. He's the prosecutor of this case, so I'm sure that you can appreciate what it would mean to the court if they found out. Kraus would be dropped from this case, and from the first, and possibly only chance to take down this family. Kristoph will go back to jail and serve his time for a charge that he does not deserve." Stepping up closer to Tiffany, Zeth dropped his voice further, "As far as this party is concerned, Kristoph is not here. Neither is Kraus. Should anyone outside of this party find out and inform the wrong people this could be a disaster."

Taking a step back, Zeth smiled once more, "Otherwise, I'm not sure why you're here but if your're interested, Wright is running a pretty mean game of Truth or dare around the back."

((Oh- I just remembered that Zeth is still in his apron and trying to look cool XD *dies of laughter*))

---

Leann could not believe the dare that Cara gave to Bryan. This would mean that Leann would have to kiss him...in a bed...lying down. This was all so crazy, she thought as she tried to listen to the ongoing conversation around her without passing out. She took deep breaths as she tried to calm herself. She looked to Bryan, who she could guess was probably equally uncomfortable. "I'm not going to lie, this is really awkward for me. I mean it's not you, it's just I don't even really know you and.." She just decided that it would be best not to say anything more. She didn't want to make this anymore embarrassing for herself than it already was.

---

"We'll just need to make the best of it," Bryan replied softly, going to a stand, "Come on. I think that the bedrooms are down the hall. We better find one. I hope it's ok with Trucy if we can use hers."

---

Chris raised an eyebrow. "But I thought he was a zebra? Why is he the king of llamas now? And if he is a zebra, why was his zebra love forbidden? You're not making any sense, here, Cara," Chris joked, but kept a serious face. "And by the way, I'm the king of llamas here. If he wants to try and usurp my throne, I will not stand for it."

---

"We'll just need to make the best of it."Come on. I think that the bedrooms are down the hall. We better find one. I hope it's ok with Trucy if we can use hers."
As Bryan said this, Leanns heart skipped a beat. She didn't think that she could possibly be more nervous at this point. She stood up with him. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen, she thought to herself as she prepared to go find a bedroom. And in her mind, she assumed that Bryan would be a total gentleman about the whole thing. Out of everyone here, she figured he was the best person she could have had to kiss. Even though she didnt know him very well, she felt fairly safe around him. "Ready when you are." Leann muttered with what was attempted to be a confident tone.

---

((omg Chris suddenly got truly awesome XD Lol))

"But I thought he was a zebra? Why is he the king of llamas now? And if he is a zebra, why was his zebra love forbidden? You're not making any sense, here, Cara," Chris said, "And by the way, I'm the king of llamas here. If he wants to try and usurp my throne, I will not stand for it."

"Oh?" Cara replied, adopting a smirk, "Do I sense a challenger approaching? A duel of honour? A fight of valour to find the one true king of the Llamas? There CAN only be the one." Breaking out into a giggle, Cara felt her tension start to relax. IT was nice to be accepted, and not put down for her wild imagination. He was nice to cuddle too, she discovered. This was a very important quality for a guy to have. Closing her eyes, Cara's face adopted a calm smile, "You can be the Prince of Llamas. I don't feel like being a Queen just yet. I'm happy just being a Princess for now..."

*****************************

"Ready when you are."

"Right," Bryan nodded, wrapping his arm around her loosely, giving her far arm a rub to calm her down as they walked. She was so nervous. He wasn't entirely comfortable with the situation either, but putting on a collected face was what he was good at. And a good thing he was too.

Getting to the corridor, Bryan stopped by a door labelled 'Trucy', "This is it. Lets do this." Turning the door handle, Bryan pushed the door open....

(( I don't believe Bryan has seen Zeth in his... apron yet. I'm not sure if Leann joined the dare either. Did see see Zeth in his underwear? Oh man, poor Zeth. This is a really bad day for him XD ))

---

Chris shook his head. "No way. I go big or go home. I will cut his llama head off to take the throne and rule all the llamas. I'll be the best damned llama king there ever was, assuming there were any before me or him." He blinked. "Yeah, that made sense, I think. 'Sides, why wouldn't you want to be a queen? You can do whatever you want, whenever you want, and rule the kingdom alongside your dashing king, who is awesome. I see no downsides."

---

Tiffany listened to Zeth's explanation and nodded. "Of course I'll be discreet. No word of either of their presences here will come from me. And as for my being here, Signorina Trucy apparently has a mystery proposal for my consideration, though I'll be happy to join in on the game a little later."

She paused for a moment. "Whilst we are on this subject, might I ask a similar favour? I believe you already know that several of my contacts have little taste for you or Signor Kraus and whilst I'm sure they suspect that you and I are close associates, they are not certain. I would rather not offend them, so may I request that my presence is also kept a secret?"

Tiffany sincerely hoped she did not sound as though she was ashamed of knowing Zeth, but for safety's sake, it was best that her less lawful contacts were kept in the dark, so to speak. Though she no longer herself endorsed the actions of the underworld, a great deal of information was to be had from them and although Zeth and Kraus might be after one of the major families, Tiffany still preferred to keep her ties.

The sound of footsteps at the door prompted her to turn around, only to see a teenage boy and girl standing at the entrance to the room, with expressions that could only be described as puzzled.

Taking in properly what Zeth was wearing, an amused smile spread across her face. "Forgive me for not noticing before, but that is a charming apron."

---

((Yes Leann has seen Zeth because she helped out Audrey with her dare.))

Leann held her breath as Bryan opened the door. She saw the last thing that she would ever expect to see. Zeth in his apron, and a strange woman she had never seen before talking with him. She felt awkward, like her and Bryan had just walked in on an important conversation. And then she wondered what they were talking about. And why her aunt audrey wasn't still with him. From what she had seen, she had assumed that audrey had feelings for Zeth, and now she catches him mysteriously talking with a strange woman. What happened? She almost felt the need to say something, but she held her tongue because he knew it was none of her business.

---

Artemis started to feel a tad apprehensive while waiting for everyone else to return. Not only did she come to this party with only one goal in mind, but she was also practically a stranger. She really didn't know anyone personally.

"Um, Mr. Wright? I think I'm going to go mingle for a bit." she said, trying very hard to hide her nervousness. "Thank you again for the advice, and for letting me stay."

With a friendly bow to Phoenix, she turned over to Audrey, taking a deep breath before approaching her.

"Sorry about brushing you off before, Ms. Linclons. I had to discuss something with Mr. Wright." she said. "So, um, how do you know Mr. Wright?"

---

((Two RPers are now on Hiatus btw- Wright'sno1fan is away for two days, and Nadindi is sorting stuff out. Hopefully she wont be long))

"No," Cara replied to Chris softly, not shifting from her warm position, "But princess is a cuter title than Queen. I like cute titles, and it doesn't stop me from having a dashing Prince."

*************************

"Ah- you're here to see Trucy," Zeth said, "That makes sense. You were always into creative artsy things. I can keep your visit here quiet no problem. It makes both our jobs simpler if nothing is said it seems." Zeth smiled in relief. He liked when negations went smoothly once in a while. Finally things were starting to seem like they were getting

The door to the room opened suddenly, halting Zeth's train of thought. Bolting to turn to the door, an older teenager, and one of the girls from earlier on were standing there, he had one arm wrapped around her. The room fell dead silent for a moment, the teens' expressions crossed with utter horror.

"Forgive me for not noticing before, but that is a charming apron." Tiffany suddenly said, breaking the unnerving silence. Zeth's lips pierced tighter together, remembering how he was dressed. In front of HER. And them. He had to get out of this outfit NOW.

"WELL!" Zeth announced, adopting his best cheerful announcer face, "That's all we have time for tonight folks! That's it from me and my lovely co-host!" Grabbing Tiffany by the hand, Zeth scooted the two of them out of the room as fast as he could, dragging Tiffany with him as he forced his way past Bryan and Leann. Bryan held Leann tighter to himself and backing right into the door frame to let Zeth pass. Watching Zeth storm off with Tiffany in hand, Bryan's eyes were still wide open. Why on EARTH was he dressed like that?!"

"Well," Bryan said softly, "That was slightly awkward. I feel like I just walked in on something I shouldn't have."

***********************

"Um, Mr. Wright? I think I'm going to go mingle for a bit." Artemis said nervously, "Thank you again for the advice, and for letting me stay."

"No problem," Phoenix grinned, "Make yourself at home."

Smiling as Artemis wanted off to socialise, Phoenix spotted Zeth finally returning with a VERY wealthy looking woman in tow with him. Examining her for a moment, Phoenix suddenly realised who it was.

"Tiffany!" Phoenix smiled, approaching her with his right hand held out, "I had no idea you were coming here. Can I get you something to drink?"

---

Chris smiled. "Yeah, I am pretty dashing, aren't I?" He struck a pose and then pulled his iPod out once again. Sure, some would say that he had an unhealthy obsession with music, and yes, maybe it bordered on addiction, but he didn't care. Putting on a nice, soothing classic rock song, he sat back on his hands. "Man, that dare was pretty devious. I wonder how they've gotta feel right about now. Pretty nervous, I bet."

---

Leann felt herself blush as she saw Zeth walk out the door followed by a woman she didn't recognize. That was honestly the last thing she had expected to see, and she had been so nervous about the kiss to begin with that seeing Zeth had almost given her a heart attack. "Yeah, I wonder what they were talking about. It looked sort of important." Leann said to Bryan in a confused tone. They were acting awfully suspicious, and she had no idea what to make of it.

Audrey was glad that Artemis wanted to talk to her. After Zeth had left she really had no clue what to do. "Well to be honest, I don't know anyone here. My niece Leann got invited because she goes to school with Trucy, and then Leann just wanted me to go with her because she felt like she wouldn't have anyone to talk to. But by the looks of things, I'd say she didn't need me at all. What about you? How did you end up here?"

---

Artemis blushed a little, and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Well, to be honest, it's a little embarrassing. I actually came here to see Trucy. You see, I'm a big fan of magic, especially Troupe Gramarye. I always wanted to talk to Trucy in person, and when I heard about this party, I thought it would be a good opportunity. But, it seems like I came at a bad time. I doubt Trucy would want some fangirl like me gushing over her with all of her friends around."

She chuckled a bit at the mental imagery, and smiled. "You know, Ms. Lincolns? In a sense, we're in the same boat. I don't really know anyone here either, except for Mr. Wright."

---

Audrey grinned and laughed to herself. "I guess that's true. Well then it's a good thing we have each other to talk to. And by the way, I love Troupe Gramarye as well." Audrey was so happy that she had found someone who was in a similar situation to herself. Besides her little encounter with Zeth, she really hadn't spoken to anyone or made any acquaintances yet. She was still secretly thinking about Zeth, but she had realized that whole thing probably wouldn't work out. He just seemed too unpredictable for her, but there was still that small part of her that wished it could work.

---