[ORP] All Aboard the SS Party! [Open!]

[Suudonym]

Training a pokemon that could hold the form and use the moves of every other pokemon in existence was no simple endeavor, and though Luke had been making decent progress in helping Lorelei to master a Rapidash's shape, neither of them were quite confident enough yet to try out the roles of a rider and mount - especially since the Mew was still disinclined to be around others and tended to disappear in the presence of nearly any human. This hardly presented a problem, though, as Luke took no issue in riding with Rosie. He similarly took no issue with a standard formal dress code after surviving through Grande Ile's excessive fanciness; it was nice being able to choose something that he knew would be comfortable.

The small assembly arrived at the designated location, greeted by one familiar face and one unfamiliar, and Luke gave a nod in greeting to both - one reflexively friendlier and the other more polite.  

[TawnyAngel]

As he had suspected Rosie, Sera and Luke were amongst the early birds. Grinning broadly Dith waved to his young friends as they approached, adding; "That sounds great!" to Alexa as she went off to find drinks.

"Is good to see you all!" Dith grinned as his friends closed in and dismounted, greeting Rosie with a hug but refraining from inflicting himself upon the others. "That is Alexa," he nodded to her retreating form, "I will introduce you all properly when she returns, she is a friend of another friend of mine... you know I don't think any of you have met him, his name's Kirk, but anyway he will be here soon. I'm glad you've all dressed for the cold!" Last thing he wanted was his guests freezing but there were emergency shawls and suchlike just in case anyone did turn up under dressed for the chill.  

[insidiousEnigma]

"It feels like ages since we've been invited to a party." He commented lightly, watching the city pass in a blur through the tinted window of their rented car. Well...a party that he actually wanted to go to, but he couldn't be bothered to point that out. Vincent would understand, it was implied. He had to admit, if only to himself, that he had been surprised when he had received the invitation. Their meeting during the raid had been rather fleeting before chaos had erupted....but he was pleased none the less.

Soon, the towering buildings became fewer and farther in between as they reached their destination. "Remember Vincent, best behavior." He hummed as he tugged his coat on over his suit jacket. When the sleeves caught on his elbows he muttered in annoyance but with a bit of help from his blonde it was settled over his shoulders as they came to a stop in front of the gangway. "Oh, be a dear and grab the gift basket. It'd be quite embarrassing if we forgot it in the car." With that, the door was opened by the driver and Andre gracefully slid out.

Breath in, breath out.

Adjusting the collar of his coat, the purple haired man glanced around their surroundings. There was something so relaxing about the ocean, he could feel his posture slip slightly as he took in the sights, sounds, and smells. A few people seemed to have already arrived which was good. He hated being the first to arrive. Absently, he took his overnight bag from the driver as he caught a closer look to the other guests. Rosie was easy enough to spot, (the darling girl always seemed to be in some shade of pink) and her two friends...ah what were their names? He pondered on this as Vincent climbed out of the car and got himself situated as well. Oh yes that's right! Luke and Seraphine, he'd met them during the raid as well. Though 'met' wasn't quite what he'd use to describe it. "Come along, Vincent." He was practically bouncing on his toes in excitement as he took up the taller man's hand in his own and started leading them up the gangway. "Hello everyone, such a pleasure to see you all again." He said with a smile.  

[Venti Mico]

Anything for Andre. Anything, Vincent recited to himself as their taxi pulled up to their destination. Of course Vincent would do anything for Andre; that didn't mean he would always enjoy doing things for Andre. Willingly putting himself on a boat was one of those things that the blonde had a fair amount of resentment for. Taking a deep breath and reaching out to gather up the gift basket, Vincent forced himself out of the car with a grimace.

Best behavior. It wasn't as if Vincent had planned on lighting anything on fire- he hadn't even brought a lighter. Andre didn't like him carrying them around and the blonde thought, if the ship burned down then he'd probably end up in the water. He didn't know how to swim and didn't like being in water. Vincent had already decided he'd try to make a beeline for the booze table once he was on board. "Don't worry 'bout me, boss, I'll behave." If I make it through the night, he added mentally.

Spotting a familiar face brought a smile to Vincent's lips, the blonde girl he knew as Rosie was among the crowd that'd already arrived. He tried to get himself excited to be around a plethora of new people, hopefully meet more of Andre's friends. The walk up the gangway still felt more like a trap than something fun, but... Anything for Andre. He gave his boss's hand a squeeze, hoping he picked up on the 'I don't want to be on a boat' vibe.

"Is that Little Miss Ronnie I see?" Vincent asked, smiling widely at Rosie.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Yuri was really not into dressing up. Mostly because dressing up meant wearing clothes that were tight and stuffy. He liked to be able to move and breathe. He would have been rather content to show up in his normal threads (those are fancy by Kodo standards right?) but Dove had insisted that he should "look nice". Though it wasn't without a little whining that he had relented and wore the suit

Thus he was here, walking up to the boat where Dith and other guests, some of which Yuri was familiar with, were congregating. Repede also walked at his side but his partner had not been spared either. If he had to suffer then his partner did too. So Repede wore a black bow tie around his neck, an annoyed look on the Growlithes face.

As they walked up, Yuri twirled something slender in his hand then waited his turn to greet the birthday boy and wait for his "date" to catch up with him.  

[Tori Honoo]

Christmas had come and gone, and with it, any sense of security Dove felt she had. However, when Dith's invitation had been extended, she felt the slightest bit of tension release. If there was one thing Honoo Tori knew how to do, it was dress for any occasion, and she was more than willing to resort to what she knew before she buckled completely to the stress. It would be nice to celebrate not only (but first and foremost) the man's birthday, but also the coming of the New Year with those she had met--something good to focus on.

Thus, after (literally) begging Yuri to accompany her--she was sure he would have gone anyway, though she had insisted he wear the suit; it was a mature birthday party!-- and taking her time putting together her new years attire, she had left to join the others at the docks. She followed just behind Yuri and Repede, her long hair pinned back in graceful curls that fell loosely around her face, one hand tucked down into the pocket of a floor length coat that fit snugly about her waist, the other buried deeply in a natural colored fur cowl that hung around her neck, holding it close to her nose to help ward off the cold. Draping diamond earrings glittered as she turned to look at the others that had already arrived, and she paused, smiling brightly behind the fur as her eyes found Dith. The pink actually worked very well for him.

Lovey followed behind, a midnight blue bow tied around her neck to match her mistress' presently hidden gown.  

[TawnyAngel]

Vincent. Vincent and... Andre? Yes, that was right. Holding hands? Well fair enough. "Hi there, thank you for coming!" Dith greeted cheerfully to the pair. "The bar is up off to the left if you want a drink and there are tables of food just along from there if you are hungry." They'd brought a gift basket too! Always exciting, he did like opening and unwrapping things.

Next to arrive were Yuri and Dove, Dith hadn't been sure if the young man would be fit in time or not so it was good to see him up and about. Pff! Aww, Repede had- "He looks thrilled!" Dith grinned, gesturing down the the Growlithe. "Good to see you Yuri, and you Dove!

"We're going to be setting off in uh... I think about twenty minutes now," Dith went on, addressing everyone now. "We'll hang on a bit if we're still expecting some people, and there will be a Lapras waiting at the dock after that if anyone has got too delayed so they can join us later on."

Hopefully the whole party would go smoothly. Social anxiety wasn't something that really happened to Dith but he really wanted everyone to have fun after all they'd all been through lately so he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. What if somebody felt excluded, or couldn't find something they enjoyed to do? Agh! Well he would just have to keep his eyes open and try to deal with any problems that did come up. Rubbing his hands together Dith turned his attention back to the little group around him and offered another grin. "Hopefully a good time will be had by all, I think there should be enough food, drink, dancing and other good things to keep us all busy!"  

[BlackPidgeot]

Up and about? Yes. Fully recovered? Not at all. He was still quite sore and didn't have his full strength. In fact this was his first real outing since the ordeal. Still Yuri wasn't one to show weakness and covered it up as well as he could. He glanced back at Dove as she joined him, giving her one of his smirks. He couldn't deny that she looked pretty. And despite everything he was glad to get out, so Yuri was in relatively high spirits. The mans smirk broadening as Dith noticed Repede. The Growlithe huffed, clearly unamused but putting up with it since he was here to keep an eye on his partner.

Yuri then tossed up what he was holding, caught it in the middle and offered it to Dith. "Sorry it's not wrapped but I thought you'd need it sooner rather than later." This said with a snarky grin. "Happy Birthday Old Man."

It was a cane with a red bow on it.  

[Shaddaling]

Alexa returned with the drinks and a small selection of pokemon treats. She had let Glit and Sideways pick out what they wished from the tables. “Well, doesn’t it always seem to be the case? You leave for a second to get a drink and everyone shows up.” She smiled, looking over the group. No Kirk, likely he would show up fashionably late. Was that a pink coat? Pink was rather juvenile wasn’t it? She shook her head and offered Dima the glass. “And a drink for you,” she murmured and nodded at the group.

“Hello,” she said brightly, greeting the group. Look at all the people. This could be fun and awww, look at the nice gay couple. She gave a subtle coo at the pair, hiding the slight twitch of a smile behind her glass of vivid green melon liquor cocktail.  

[Venti Mico]

Vincent liked people much more than he liked boats. Looking to Dith, he offered a wide smile. "Guessin' you're the birthday man, huh?" he asked cheerfully, looking up to meet the tall man's gaze. It wasn't often Vincent got to meet people that much taller than him- and he had fancy hair! Vincent liked this guy already, but he liked his hair more. "I have t'thank you for inviting my wonderful boss, wouldn't'a had the pleasure of attending otherwise!"

"The bar is soundin' like a good place t'be," Vincent said, looking off to the left. Lifting the basket, he asked, "Anywhere you'd like me t'leave this?" The gift basket was full of various hard candies- all chosen by Andre, of course. Vincent didn't have much a taste for them, but he'd never known Andre to have cheap taste in anything, not even sweets.

Looking over at Andre, Vincent rose a brow and asked, "Should I grab you a drink too, boss?"  

[Blood_Goddess]

"This time of year its dangerous to leave home without a coat, even if you're not expecting to be on a boat for the evening." Rosie said with a gentle laugh to her voice. "Happy Birthday Dith." she said, holding up a Sphere shaped gift. "Where would you like up to put these?"

At the mention of introducing them to another friend Rosie took a place around for someone else she might not recognize, "Oh- alright." Glancing past Dith toward the lady who Dith had said was named Alexa Who had already started making her way over to the group. Rosie gave her a friendly smile, though her attention was pulled away when she heard others approaching and more familiar voices.

"Hello Andre!" and a light giggle at the name Vincent seemed to be stuck calling her "Hi Vincent, I'm glad to see you again," She returned a smile to his much more boisterous look, happy to see two more of her friends. It wasn't long before they were joined by Yuri and Dove,"Oops we're probably blocking the way."

Vahy'n hopped off of Pastin's shoulder's the light jingle of the golden jewelry hanging from the Vaporeon joined her movements as she made her way to Rosie's side, sitting tall as she watched the girl thank and return the proud Rapidash for the time being.
Once Rosie had returned the Love Ball into her bag, she reached her free hand to find one of Luke's stepping to the side to keep from crowding the entrance.  

[Blood_Goddess]

A Rapidash would never be an idea way for Ray to travel, At least not realistically with the Rapidash she had for a partner, so, as uncool as it seemed to her, Rayan instead had to settle for taking cab, a boring, uncool, SO not a pokemon cab.

Ray was the first to step out of the vehicle, thought followed very quickly by a long thick slithering form, the stripped pokemon smoothing onto the docks and continuing toward the familiar group while Ray paid the driver, pausing to find the group of people by one of the huge fancy boats, a wide grin spread over the wide lips and after shoving black gloved hands into pant pockets the tall wiry form made its way up the docks after Double Stripe.

To no real big surprise, Ray wasn't wearing a dress, though what she was wearing could almost be argued as being formal... at the very least everything she was wearing looked sharp and was well made.
Her gray hair was done up and back, giving it a somewhat greaser style with the usual braid for the back, but for once it was actually out of both of her eyes, that while usually sported heavy black makeup was now done in deep greens and brown, her eyelids half lidded with a look of amused contentment as was usual for the trainer.

A long sleeved, high neck dark gray coat, that overlapped and buttoned to the far right side, draped father in the back ending in tales at the bend of her knees. Black pants tucked into calf height black boots that thudded firmly on the wooden dock, accented with metal along the heels and pointed tips, rather then her usual heavy round.

"HEY!" She barked out to Dith, pulling her gloves out of her hands and holding them up. "I've got a bone to pick with you,"
long legs brought her into a wide stride easily catching up with Double Stripe "You're both taller then me, AND older then me, I never said any of that was okay. and now you're beating me out on birthdays too."  

[Tori Honoo]

At Dith's greeting, the ex-model lowered her hand and the cowl, a warm breath turning to a puff as she laughed softly at his comment and gesture to Repede, her cheeks flushing as she caught Yuri's smirk back at her from the corner of her eye. "It's good to see you as well! Happy birthday, Dith," she offered, tucking a curl behind her ear. "You look very nice in that shade," she added, almost surprised at her own honesty. It really wasn't often she had met a man--especially someone like Dith-- who could pull it off so well.

Yuri's offer of his gift, earned a slightly embarrassed and amused shake of her head, and she lifted her hand to--again-- tuck her bangs back from her face. She then smoothed her coat with a slender, gloved hand and looked up to Dith again. "I'll just... leave mine on the table, if you'd prefer," she told him as she brought forth a small white box tied with a gold ribbon, a white feather in place of a namecard. She realized quickly,however, after that there might not, in fact, be a table on which to place gifts. The party certainly looked as extravagant as the ones she had been used to from home, but she shouldn't expect them to be too similar.

Awaiting his answer, she looked around at those around them, smiling calmly at the few she knew--there would be time to meet the others later, she thought, and from a glance, she was sure she at least recognized the other tall, purple haired man from their mission in the desert-- Andre, she realized, as Rosie greeted him by name. When the blonde girl stepped aside, she offered another bright smile, accompanied this time by a small wave at her and Luke and Sera, though she was sure the later would completely deny her very existence anyway. "Hey guys!" she greeted.

It felt much, much better at events like this--at least,with people she wished to be around, and though it might not have registered with herself, Dove felt much more confident in her element, dressed to the nines and amidst other people.

Ray's quick arrival, though, drew her attention, and she took a slightly uneasy step back, though she recovered quickly and looked back to the others instead.  

[insidiousEnigma]

"I heard that you had a fondness for hard candies so I hope that those are to your liking." Andre liked to think he had excellent tastes in all things sweet so it would be strange for Dith to not like the candies. "Happy Birthday, Dith." He bowed his head slightly and smiled."May you have many, many more enjoyable years to come." He said, maintaining the friendly smile. He really just wanted to laugh though. Oh the irony; him wishing someone else a long life! It took all of his considerable control not to start giggling.

Turning his attention from the large, Russian man, he gave Vincent's hand a faint squeeze because...well why not? Without even looking at the blonde he could tell that despite the upbeat chatter he was still uncomfortable about getting on the boat. "You look lovely as always, Rosie." He said, turning his smile to the smaller blonde. "And...Luke and Seraphine, correct? It's nice to see you both again, I do hope we have the chance to become better acquainted. Any friend of Rosie's must be an absolute joy." At Vincent's question he turned to look up at his companion. "Ah, yes. Grab me whatever you think I'll like. Thank you, Vincent." He trusted Vincent to know to get him something sweet to drink.

...Something fruity....mmmm.

"Oh!" The purple haired man turned his attention to Dove. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. My name is Andre, it's a pleasure I'm sure." He stepped a bit closer to the girl to get out of the way and held his hand out to shake.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

Lex, it seemed, was not the only one with the bright idea to attend the party in...unexpected garb. A demure young lady showed up at the gangplank looking quite nervous, dressed in an emerald green evening gown, but shrouded in a shawl about her shoulders and a scarf about her neck to keep her warm. Her layered brown hair fell just below her shoulders, but was tied back to keep out of her way. Brown eyes glanced about uncertainly as she cautiously made her way onto the boat while clutching tightly her matching green purse and a small, festively-wrapped basket of treats.

Under normal circumstances she might not have felt deserving enough of the Russian man's hospitality to come. After all, Akira and he had only met briefly during the trip to find Ray and even then they had never been properly acquainted with one another. This night, however, was one chance the brunette could not allow to pass her by. She knew she wouldn't be able to find the courage to go up to Ray and ask if not this night. She'd delayed doing so for long enough as it was.

She wanted to help the other trainers. She really did. But in order to do that, she had to train herself and her pokemon first. For that, she didn't have the slightest clue of where to begin, but if anyone would know, it'd be Ray. Why else would Sera have gone to her for training help? And she'd seen first-hand how the lady had handled the usually difficult Supercilious. If the silver-haired woman couldn't help her, Akira doubted anyone could. Provided she was even willing to try, of course.

Everything was awkward enough as it was. Asking Ray for a favor meant owing her and what could she have possibly offered Ray in return? Not a whole lot of money; that was for certain. There was also the matter of allowing her to understand how embarrassingly inept Akira was with her pokemon and training them in general. Finally, there was the matter of asking a person of the opposite gender for the dedication of their time, energy, and attention for training. It wasn't like asking Nate for driving lessons; this was likely to ask a great deal more of both trainer and trainee.

Thus, for this, Akira had had to appear as a girl to Dith's party. Aside from nullifying some of her own insecurities, posing as a girl just seemed to make more sense and be less awkward in general. She wouldn't have to awkwardly wonder what to say to Sera if she ran into her. Nor would she have to concern herself with getting caught up in conversations and such other than the one she planned to have with Ray. Not many had met the young woman, after all. Not as many as had met the young man named Akira, at least.

Yet the girl still tugged anxiously on her bangs. What if Ray didn't show up? Or said no? What if she was wrong and Ray had never been invited in the first place? What if Sera decided to talk to her anyway? What if someone like Rosie recognized her? There were just so many things that could go wrong, but she forced them down with a hard swallow as she stood against the railing out of anyone's way and tried to get a handle on the situation and environment.