Dante (Nico in Male Form due to Transformation wand) and Ruby (aka Rochelle) arrive at the Grand House at the appointed time and are shown into Cameron's part of the house. Cameron's bedroom was kind of like a hotel room at a majestic hotel with a receiving area / bedroom area dividing the room with a large walk-in robe and a large bathroom to one side. Dante stretched out on the couch, acting as an airheaded Douche bro but the whole crisis of faith thing prevented him from being very convincing. He could tell that Cameron was curious about them and their purpose here, especially considering the awkward "We're Totally Married Yet Don't Act Like It" way he related to Ruby.
Cameron offered them a shower with real running water - even hot water! When Dante offered Ruby the first shot at it, Cameron pointed out that they might as well shower together. Being married and all. So Dante shrugged and went in with her, promptly sitting on the edge of the tub while she showered and keeping his head politely turned away. If he wasn't bisexual, he wouldn't have cared so much but it seemed rude to peer at someone's naked body when you were interested in it.
Then it was Dante's turn in the shower, though Ruby wasn't quite as polite as he stripped off though she did look away when he was totally naked. Cameron came in with their fresh clothing and Dante made up an excuse about being almost done, thus why Ruby had already stepped out. It would've been believable -- if he wasn't still very sandy and obviously mostly unshowered. Cameron pointed out he might want to comb the sand out of his hair before leaving. Cue more awkward conversation. Finally Dante wrapped a towel around himself, feeling rather awkward and worried about random boners (being born a woman means you don't truly know how male anatomy is suppose to work). Ruby made a point to help wipe some of the sand off his chest. Awkward.
It's one thing to sleep with 2 out of 3 of your team mates. But all 3? Even the one who was meant to be off-limits due to being a straight woman? Curse that wand of Become Striking Looks 4 Male!
Cameron provided Dante with a pair of shoes that fit! Clean new socks. A silk shirt in a nice colour and black slacks. Oh, and boy underpants. Dante was excited about the items of clothing in that order. Squeezing male Size 10s into women's Size 8s hurt but what else could he do? They hadn't had time to nip into a shoe shop.
Cameron then provided Ruby with a flashy, skin hugging silver dress, though while it did highlight Ruby's assets (Striking Looks 2), it wasn't to Dante's tastes. Dante preferred his women dressed fun, funky or in militaristic / survivalist fashions. Still, the dress was kinda cool.
When they went to the ball it was more of a dinner party at this stage with 40 of the settlement's finest (or most preferred) sitting around six tables and enjoying themselves. His mother's table had room for her husband and four children on the left (no seating placement for Nico anymore) though his younger sister's table setting was empty as she had relocated to the furthest away table with her favorite honchos. Daniel could be seen talking to the leader of his team of Scavengers. Tara, Nico's older sister wwho set up these balls, could be seen mingling with folk (Vice: Envy). Cameron took Ruby and Dante to the table of guests who mean little in the scheme of things, then nipped off to have his obligatory time with mother dearest.
Cameron came to sit at Dante's table just as Daniel made a speech about how he has been formally accepted as his mother's heir and that, to celebrate, he wants to pass around free wine found by his new Scavenger team. The rest of the new Scavenger Team entered and Dante felt a heat coming off them in waves. Danger Sense heading into the red zone! Dante and Ruby didn't touch the wine. Cameron did, despite Dante's vague warnings about the whole situation being suspicious. Those who drank the wine started to gasp and drop their glasses, loosing at Daniel's scavenger team with shock and horror.
Dante felt something hammering at the back of his eyes, as though Smiling Jack were trying to tell him something, and with a deep breath and some brief shutting of the eyes, Dante came to really see them for what they were. One man who had previously seemed to wear an eye patch actually had only one eye like a cyclops. A woman's body and limbs bristled with thorns. The leader seemed to have a human face connected to a steel body. Each seemed inhuman. Each seemed wrong.
Dante's mother began chanting a banishment as the Scavengers got into position to view the entire room, pulling out their weapons. The Bad Guys, unaffected, roughly bound her hands behind her back and marching her off. When Nico's father tried to get involved, they beat him unconscious. Then Daniel smiled around at everyone and pulled out his mother's chair, sitting down pointedly to show his newfound power. Of course, the head of the Bad Guys had his own ideas and he made a snide introduction of: "Our King!" before two of his buddies came up behind Daniel and slammed a sharp-edge crown onto Daniel's head.
Daniel pulled himself free of his chair, using a Castigation that made him huge and threatening, assuming a somewhat demonic form, but the Bad Guys beat him down before he could hardly finish his transformation. The Bad Guys then told the stunned crowd that they would be back soon to take over the settlement before going to the stage area of the ballroom, pulling back the curtains to reveal some weird sandy dessert before stepping through it with mother and Daniel in their arms.
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