[Alexander Linden]

♚ A Formal Invitation Part I

A book snapped shut, the sound rang through his large study, and echoed about the third floor. He looked to his maid, and stood up, stretching his limbs.

"It is about time I have greeted our guests," he said, not really talking to anyone as he adjusted the monocle fixed about his right eye. The Suu girl had interrupted his reading earlier, the reason he had stayed in the study a bit longer than was really necessary.

He walked over to the door without saying more the the maid. She had been expecting it, since he had acted this way towards her since he had come into possesion of this grand multi-dimensional mansion.

He strode down the long hall, his footsteps echoing off the walls. Everything was so large and grand, and yet so impersonal. It was cold, the way he liked it, the way he wanted it to be. The Formal itself was neutral ground, and nothing could be done at all today anyway, so he might as well make the best of it.

He walked down the first staircase to the second floor, then again down that hall. The guest bedrooms lined this hall. There were papers taped to each door displaying the names of the guests that would be sharing these rooms for the next couple days. One had a missing sign, so someone had been in that room already. No matter, they were free to come here as they wished, as long as they did not leave the rooms after curfew.

Then he reached the mammoth-sized staircase that led to the main hall. Marble and glass, cold as the dead. A hand reached to touch the railing at the side of the staircase, and he strode out of the shadows, and stood before the occupants of the Hall. Not everyone had arrived yet, but that was fine, they would be here shortly. It was time he made the entrance speach anyway, before anything became out of hand.

"Greetings guests." he said, his voice echoing through the hall. When he knew he had their attention, he continued.

"Welcome to the Annual Dimensions Formal, and Starlight Mansion. Some of you may already know me, and those that do not, I am Fei Wong Reed. Due to the nature of the Formal, this is considered neutral territory, meaning there will be no violence while the Formal is held. That being said, we are all friends until the Formal has ended. Of course, no one will be here then, I will not have anything happen to the Mansion."

He paused, looking at each guest in turn, spotting the Space-Time Witch. She had been at many Formals for the longest time. He was not surprised to see her.

"Also, no magic is to be used. Empaths," he said, looking specifically at Kudo Kazahaya, knowingly, "as they cannot completely control their powers are fine, they will not be punished in any way. The last rule is that no one may leave their rooms after curfew. Anyone who has come to this sort of Formal before," he was looking at Yuuko now, "Know this rule already."

"I will now point out our guest of honor, Watanuki Kimihiro. An employee of Ichihara Yuuko," he made a small nood in Watanuki's direction, "Being the guest of honor at such a grand event is similar to a coming-of-age, and is not to be taken lightly. You will recieve more details about this later though."

He smiled now, a cold smile, his eyes slightly closed, "Enough with the formalities though. I am sure my guests are famished and require something hot to eat." He pointed toward the corridor they had walked through when the reached the mansion. The one lined with the Shouji screens. Each room contained large dining halls able to seat multiple guests.

"We will all go through that hall now, into the first room on the right. The Shouji door with the yellow crane painted on it. I am sure that dinner has already been set on the table. Please enjoy."

He took as step back, waiting to hear the reactions from the guests.

♚ A Formal Invitation Part II

He watched the guests shuffle out of the main Hall and into the long corridor. Once he saw that they were all out, he began his decent down the grand marble stair case. He was then following the straglers down the hall and into the dinnng room he had indicated, the one with the Shouji door that had the painting of a yellow crane.

This was the 'Yellow Crane Dinning Hall', the largest of all the dinning halls in the Starlight Mansion. It could accomedate all the guests for the Annual Dimensions Formal and more, if needed.

The clockwork maids with the doll ears came in and out from the kitchen, the door on the other side of the hall. It was a tatami-floored room, with little decorations, a few paintings, but that was it. But the table was just like what you would see in a Western home, granted much longer for all the people that would be sitting at it.

Everything had already been set out, and he took his seat at one end of the table, looking over the guests, and began to eat himself.

When he noticed a lot of the guests were finishing up with their meals, and he was about done himself, he decided it would be best to say his dinner speach. Then he beleived the clockwork maids would come out with their dessert.

"May I have your attention once more?" he said now, standing up. When Fei Wong could tell he had everyone's attention, he continued.

"I have gone over the rules, and now I will go over the agenda for the next three days that you will be here. As I said earlier, Watanuki Kimihiro is our guest of honor, and his innitiation will be on the last day. Breakfast will be server each morning at dawn. There will be a maid assigned to each room to make sure you do not miss it.

After breakfast tomorrow, there will be a game. I will not give any details about the game at this time, all tomorrow of course."

He looked over the guests, knowing that they would want to know what sort of game they would be involved in.

"All you need to know is that everyone will need a partner, and it will take the entire day. There will be a prize for whoever 'wins' this game. I'll discuss the rest of the agenda with you at dinner tomorrow night. Now on to dessert, then you can return to the main Hall to talk or whatever you wish. Curfew is when the bell chimes three times. Thank you for your attention."

Fei Wong Reed sat back down as the clockwork maids began setting dessert in front of each guest.