(Open) Between the velvet lies

[Drogon]

Aang felt mildly betrayed, as though Dio were putting words in his mouth. Of course Aang was against the wealthy abusing the poor! There was no argument against that! It was just that he'd been focusing on the residents of Darkshire, whose plight he had already witnessed firsthand, rather than those with whom Dio seemed to most sympathize. And yet, somehow, Dio's outburst had made him feel more than a little awful about what he had said. It was true that Dio had disregarded those fearful residents to some degree, but at the same time, Aang hadn't even considered those Darkshire seemed so scared OF. He'd have to keep note in the future that the pity of most humans in this realm was far removed from that of the undead. In shame, Aang turned his head away from the group to see a bit of a strange phenomenon occur on the dance floor that it didn't seem Dio had yet observed - a flitting shadow of a man, who appeared to be attempting to avoid any other dancers and stick to the edges. Then, another sight caught his eye coming from the door, and he lost perception of the former entirely.

A girl, young, maybe about his age even, floated up to their table. Well, not literally, but she certainly walked with a grace that implied weightlessness. Not only that, but there was a strange and mildly entrancing aura about her. Almost as though time itself was pausing to appreciate her beauty. Wait, had he actually thought that? Well, she WAS pretty cute... But it seemed that she (and now she intruduced herself as Homura) and Dio had already made a bit of a connection, and Aang still didn't quite trust Dio. The two of them... They would be a combo to watch out for. He glanced up to Kuzan. It seemed that he was the only one who was making all of his intentions clear, even if they weren't the most obviously altruistic. His speech earlier, if not inspiring, had certainly given Aang a positive impression, or at least made him think that this one's intuition was clear, and that he wouldn't turn on anyone trying to do good here. If things went south, he hoped the tall, poofy man could escape unharmed.

Aang had thought that the dancers had quieted down in response to Dio's sudden outburst, but instead it was actually the beginning of a play of sorts. Dinner was served, the lights were dimmed, and players of all ages, varieties and... Species? Were suddenly center-stage, acting out a dramatic piece. Dio seemed to assume that the rest of the guests were now rapt with interest at the play, but it seemed to Aang that there was now far less noise on the dance floor and those who might overhear would do so more easily in this environment. Luckily, Dio's tone had managed to come down to a more incognito level seemingly on its own as he explained the current predicament. "I'm not scared of what I haven't seen. We'll have to check things out before we go all-in on it though, right? There's no way we'd just go flying on in to take on a crazy monster like that head-on... Right?" After a brief pause, he added, "How will we figure out how to beat it, if no one ever has before? Again, there's only four of us."

Of course, there were many more questions he'd wanted to ask. When was he planning on taking the offensive? Immediately? What role would each of them play in taking down the thing? Were more still to join their party, or was this it? But it wasn't just the two of them anymore. He calmed himself down, taking another sip of his tea. He'd let the others figure things out and ask their own questions before flooding Dio with his own. He had all night, after all.