Love Shuffle

Wren decided. Standing abruptly, he proceeded to drag his chair noisily behind him before skidding it to a stop within the haphazard circle of strangers that had begun to form. After dropping himself into his seat he stared around at the group with a challenging smirk. It was obvious he was arrogant. Although he usually preferred to avoid people at all costs, he certainly was not a feeble, soft spoken man. He believed in his superiority utterly and only avoided people because he could not tolerate their weakness. His actions could be described as rude and indeed he himself was very often described as rude, but to Wren this was a common way for him to interact with others. He would purposely exclude himself from others but when he found it necessary, would rudely and forcibly insert himself into people's lives, take whatever he wanted from it, and then once more forcibly remove himself.

Blue eyes glinting dangerously, Wren leaned forward. "Hello." He smirked in Tryphaena's direction. "You all seem to be having a good time." It was obvious that Wren was challenging Tryphaena's dominance over the current situation. If the two boys were animals, Tryphaena was the alpha male and Wren the vicious outsider come to break up his pack and kill his cubs. In other words, Wren was out for nothing more than malicious satisfaction, though he would end up with a lot more than he had bargained for once the game really began. Wren leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his red hair. His voice was smooth, calm and deep, "How do so many strangers end up talking like this, anyways...?" His bright blue eyes scanned the group as he talked. He cocked an eyebrow quizzically as he finished the question and waited for a response.

[[I've decided to start a little rivalry.]]

Faith looked to the newest member of the group then smiled widely. He looked arrogant and self centered he seemed like the type that could care less and do as they pleased. Her smile quickly faded and she watched him carefully now then standing and checking her watch. She paused then sat back down it was still pretty early... "I'm Faith.." Her voice was softer now and sweet as honey as she exteneded her hand to him. "And I just saw people talking thought I'd..say hello." Faith smiled warmly to him.

Tryphaena grimaced and turned his head towards the new arival, his orange eyes giving the guy a once-over. Immediately he took up an air of disgust towards him... he could tell they would not get along. From the punkish ear piercings to the blaring orange hair that copied his own, all added to the air of arrogance the guy carried. He had a smug expression on his face that made Tryphaena's stomach turn when he looked at him... it was almost like the guy was taunting him. Then the new arrival did the unforgivable... he challenged Tryphaena. His eyes flashed... no one ever dared challenge his dominance of any situation and walk away unscathed, much less run off with control.

"Hello." He smirked in Tryphaena's direction. "You all seem to be having a good time."

Alright, fine. If this guy was going to mock him... he'd get mocked right back. Two could play at this game. "Yes, we were in fact having a good time" he replied testily, putting emphasis on the word 'were' and annunciating his t's. He gave him a mocking smile right back. This alpha male was not to be messed with.

"How do so many strangers end up talking like this, anyways...?"

A hint of venom replaced the sweetness and charm origionally behind his voice. "Oh just a bit of fate I suppose," he retorted, putting down his wine glass, "And possibly a bit of bad luck" he added, shooting a glance towards the new arrival.

(Jess, what are you doing? we're about to start off the game and we need your character here!)

(No one said the game was staring tonight! and besdies everyone is pretty sleepy so air go they'd just go to bed and the Gae would ahve to wait untill tomorrow.)

[[I never said there was a stain on his shirt. And yea, Jess, you can't really run off at this point...]]

(okay okay..sigh i'll edit it.)

(aww... well I wish there was. I mean... judging from the gluttonous way you described him eating I just assumed I guess.)

[[Yea I mean it's just a detail, but unless I said there was a stain you can't just add one. ;[ Can't control other people's characters, man. Hehe besides we need a fair fight-- you can't create flaws of my character for your own use.]]

(aaron you got my message for the game right?)

"Hello." "You all seem to be having a good time."

Valerie mentally blanched when a deep male voice joined them. Her eyes frowned into a deep scowl. God Damn! What's with the men today? She kept her outter appearance passive and aloof, but it was utter turmoil inside her.

Then the worst thing happened. She sensed a flash of challenge in the air and her eyes passed between the new orange head, and Tryphaena. Great not only was there a challenge but now two guys were banging their chests against each other. She sat back in her chair evaluating the two men. Both idiots by the looks of flashing electricity exchanging between them. She mentally sighed. This was going to be a long day indeed.

"Oh my, I'm sorry am is this a party?" He said slightly blushing as He used his knee to push his books up from slipping out from under is arms. "I didn't mean to intrud."

Valerie had to resist the urge to slap her hand to her forehead. Did God hate her? Or did he plan this day? Another guy came over, and he was trying what Tryphaeana was attempting, attract attention. She gave him a wave and went backt to watching the two fools.

She closed her eyes for a moment and all she heard was Tryphaena trying to edge on the other guy. "Can we please keep the testosterone level down here? It's intoxiating already.", she said cooly as she shot Tryphaena and look and also the new guy. Wasn't he just eating cake a few seconds ago? He seemed only interested in showing Tryphaena who was boss.

(yeah i got it. Oh and i edited my post... now he just hates the ear piercings.)

Faith looked to Valerie a moment her eyes watching her before she gently slide a medical book to valerie whispering softly. "here this should keep your mind away from those fools. It's one of the newest editions I've already finished it but it is great help for school." she smiled then nibbled on her cake and cookies some more now eyeing the men.

[[Lol awe but they're so coooool!]]

Wren cocked his head slightly and frowned. "Ouch." He leaned forward so that his forearms were resting against his thighs. He tilted his head downwards for a moment then looked up at Tryphaena with a look of faux-innocence on his face. "I don't believe I even know your name, and yet you're already insulting me." Wren stuck out his bottom lip as if he were pouting. "How very cruel of you." Eyes still gleaming mischieviously, Wren turned his attention for a moment to the girl named Faith. "At least there is one kind person among us." Wren grinned a little at the girl. He shook her hand briefly before saying, "Wren Belle." With his head still facing toward Faith, Wren looked at Tryphaena once more, still grinning.

Tryphaena momentarily ceased his proding and suddenly looked as though he was thinking. He had just thought of an idea that he liked... a basic one... but an idea none-the-less. He glanced around at all the people in the group... they all seemed single, the annoying guy for sure. Valerie seemed anti-social, Faith was trying to get attention, though a little less noticably than himself, and the other two he couldn't really tell... but he'd take the chance. Plus it'd be a good chance to make this new guy mad... and he'd get to go out with every girl there. He definately liked that idea. "Well," he said determinedly, "Our new friend here has made a rather moving point. We are in fact all strangers that fate has simply brought together for reasons unknown... but I think I know how we can all get to know each other really well. Now this next question may seem a bit odd and prying but," he grinned and leaned forward with a glint in his eye, "How many of you here, guys or girls, are currently in a relationship?" He leaned back smugly, sure what everyone's answers would be.

Faith looked over to wren and smiled. "a pleasure." she shook his hand then set hr empty plate on the table beside her before straightening herself. "Tell me somehting Wren..Just the other moment..you seemed like you couldn't care a thing about us and suddenly you find interest in us." she watched him her smile of bemusment playing on her lips. "why is that?" She kept her gaze into his watching his features and watching would his eyes would say when his face was saying other things.

"How many of you here, guys or girls, are currently in a relationship?"

Faith snapped her head in his direction and smiled waving ehr hand about excitedly. "oh I'm single yes I am." She giggled. "guy's are stupid jerks." She smirked sticking her tongue out before taking a sip of wine.

Wren was contemplating a suitably insincere and charming response to Faith when Tryphaena began to talk to the group as a whole. As Tryphaena spoke, Wren's look of smug confidence quickly changed into one of deep irritability. He wasn't sure what was happening but whatever it was, he did not like it. He did not like it at all. He had some vague suspicion that he had f*cked up big time somewhere and what he had meant to be a brief little escapade might, due to the manipulation of his pride, turn into something much larger, much more tiresome and much more interactive. He glanced around at the other people in the group. He almost wished he hadn't decided to mess with this guy afterall. All in all, he'd rather retreat to the depths of his dirty apartment, take a couple pills and pass out for awhile rather than be here at all. He could feel one of his usual migranes coming on. His blue eyes as hard and cold as ice, Wren glared at Tryphaena, trying to work out what he was up to before it was too late.

"Well," he said determinedly, "Our new friend here has made a rather moving point. We are in fact all strangers that fate has simply brought together for reasons unknown... but I think I know how we can all get to know each other really well. Now this next question may seem a bit odd and prying but," he grinned and leaned forward with a glint in his eye, "How many of you here, guys or girls, are currently in a relationship?"


Valerie stood up and walked over to the buffet table, took a plate, and piled it with cakes and cookies. She came back to the table and stabbed a cake with her fork, putting it into her mouth and chewing, letting the fork just hang in her mouth. Oh great, she had a gut feeling that something weird or bad was going to happen because of what Tryphaena said. Why would he want to know if she had a relationship? Oh well.

"Single. I'm too busy with school to care much although I've been asked out about ...... I lost track but a lot of times.", she said, not bragging, she didn't care at all. She took her fork out and took another piece of cake and stuffed into her mouth gingerly.

"oh I'm single yes I am." She giggled. "guy's are stupid jerks."


Valerie turned to Faith. "I wouldn't say that when you're surrounded by guys Faith. You just slapped them in the face there with that sentence.", she said to the brightly dressed girl. Valerie picked up a cookie and nibbled on it as she turned to watch Tryphaena, wanting to know what in the world he was up to with his little question.

"Well My father wasn't the best guy, although my older brother was for sure!" But Guy's they tend to see me as just another one of the guys and also i am a bit..crazy some would say. But that's just me." Faith smiles widely. "Like one time on a date this guy left because I was Hyper..and I decided to do a joke I do with most friends. I Placed to empty cups over my eye's like so-" she paused to place to empty glasses over her eyes. "- an look I'm a fly" she laughed then set the Glasses down. "He on the other though it was stupid and left..and another guy thought i was crazy because we were waiting on a ambulance for an emergency transplant when it started raining so I jumped into the street and pranced around happy as ever! air go this is why Guy's are Jerks. They don;t even give me a chance." She glances to the guys around the room knowing that some of it would be the same with them.

"Oh thanks!" He smiled softly at the girl. "Kinda heavy.." He chuckled. "So what are you all doing here?" He said pushing his glasses up slightly. "Oh and i am single." His voice quickly changed from calm and happy to straight and stern.

She giggled. "guy's are stupid jerks."


"What makes you think guys are always the jerks?" He said shooting her a glare. "Girls can be terrible to." He then went and sat down.

(I'm not trying to be mean in this post so please don't snap at me)
As Toph completly zoned out of the whole conversation, yet hearing some of the answers and questions being asked and given.She finally came back to reality not knowing what she missed yet still recall the questions.Toph thinks as she zoned out(this is a thought not a comment), "What kind of people am I around?! Here we have a college girl not too young from our ages, a Transylvanian girl who I guess had a horrible past, another college student yet a guy being nice and polite unlike the other men, a ladies man who's trying to get lucky and think that he's so charming, another guy who tries to act better and beat the ladies man at his own game, a jumpy yet exciting girl who has reallyflasky clothes,and a guy at the bar wondering why there's a big group of people in the middle of the lounge." So she decides to come back in the talk, "Wow I zoned out for a couple of minutes and already im surronded by people I don't know...well first hi everyone I'm Toph Majas. And I'm sorry but why do you wanna know our relations?!"She almost wanted to slap the ladies man for the personal information, then slap that other boy for saying that about girls. "Well now why do you think girls are terrible?"

Faith looked to Jake a moment. "well seeing as my father was neveer kind to me-" she smiled and she lefted her sleve showing Jake her wrist a big scar from what appears to be a cigarette shown on her wrist. "-And every other guy Doesn't even know me but makes simple judgements I have to agree most are stupid. Although not all. My brother was always sweet and kind and protective.." She paused a moment her eyes flashing with sadness before returning to normal. "And I know how girls can be." She smirks. "I've grown up around some rotten girls and most of the interns at my work are stupid trying to use their body to get what they want." She Rolls her eyes. "But not all are bad I agree."

Faith jumped as toph spoke then arched her eyebrow. "Ow..Yes I dress in different clothing But i wouldn;t say I'm flashy!" She stared a moment. "And not to sound rude but who are you to judge us you don;t know us.." She watched toph carefully.

As Faith watches her Toph watches back and smiles slighty, "Well you don't know me either and if we all live here why don't we ever see each other?" She goes to sit on a couch near her then she crosses her legs and arms. As she sits a big puff of flour pops out, "Darn flour." Toph said sadly.

[[...What the hell is going on...? Flour...? Flour from where? Puffing out from where? And why is there flour in the first place? x___x]]

(I'm a baker and when I got out of work I was covered with flour :p)

*jess, what Toph said wasn't out loud, she was thinking those thoughts, might want to change your last sentence there*


"What makes you think guys are always the jerks?" He said shooting her a glare. "Girls can be terrible to."

Valerie turned her attention to the new guy that came in. He had black hair and glasses, seemed to be the studious type but she didn't want to make assumptions. Uh and there he went countering Faith's earlier statement of how boys sucked. Val sighed, mentally, she was doing that a lot today. A fight in a suite lounge was the last thing she needed to be caught in. "See Faith, you shouldn't have said that in front of all these guys.", Val said as she continued to nibble on her cookie.

She really didn't take offense at how girls could be terrible, because well it was true. At her college a lot of girls did nothing but ogle and drool at guys. Val had to wonder how they even got into medical school in the first place. Oh right, they were filthy rich and could get their way.

"Wow I zoned out for a couple of minutes and already im surronded by people I don't know...well first hi everyone I'm Toph Majas. And I'm sorry but why do you wanna know our relations?!" "Well now why do you think girls are terrible?"

Valerie turned to the girl. "I'm Valerie. Nice to meet you.", she said curtly with a small dip of her head. Uh oh, another girl who was sensitive to simple statements. "Now now, let's not cause a fight in the lounge please. Let's also not snap and insult the other gender when we have the chance.", she said trying to keep other people from staring at their little gathering group over at the tables.

Tryphaena was rather taken aback by the harsh response. It was a normal question, really, nothing truly prying. Anyways, he'd gotten his answer already so it was time to move on, everyone seemed single, which means that the game would work. He grinned slightly, even at the comment that all guys were evil.

"Oh come now, not all of us are that bad. Some of us are kind" He took a sip of wine from his glass, but spat it back up in horror when she showed the scars on her wrist. He spluttered a bit, the wine having ended up in the wrong place. Once he had finished his episode, he stood up in anger. "Your father did that to you! Who is this man?! I'll rip his head off" he looked around wildly for a second, then took a deep breath and calmed down, sitting back down. "Sorry, I lost my composure there for a moment... I don't take lightly to anyone who abuses a girl" he set his glass down.

"Anyways, I suppose you'd like to know why I asked you all about your personal lives" he grinned, "Well... how many of you have heard of love shuffle" he continued grinning, knowing no one had heard of it. He'd just made it up after all. "It's a game basically, for people like us who are having trouble with our love lives. The game goes like this. An even number of guys and girls join the game. For four months, we are paired each week with a random different partner. The partnering will be decided with these playing cards so no biases will get in the way" he pulled out a pack of playing cards and tossed them on the table. "At the end of the game, if you have fallen in love with someone... you are free to enter a real relationship... until the end of the game though, you have to keep playing. They say all's fair in love and war... so by that rule, anything goes. During the week with your temporary partner, you will continue with your daily lives... but you will spend all other free time with your partner, whether it's doing what you normally do, going on dates... whatever you wish" He paused to take a sip of his drink "So, who's up for it" he sat back and grinned.