"Hey!" Takao grins. "Doing fine! I hope everything's alright back at the castle."

"Nothing I can't handle," Ralf told him. "Johann's been incredibly fussy lately, but that's just about it. How about you? Still the human vacuum cleaner?"

"Yup, and he's become SO much worse," SD Max said with a laugh. "We ought to ask the court for a restraining order – say, about 500 meters away from ANY buffet table."

"That'll be the day." Ralf noticed Tsukiyo and Asaya. "Oh? You have guests with you?"

"Oops, sorry, I FORGOT!" SD Takao nodded. "Ralf, I'd like you to meet my childhood buddy, Tsukiyo Shinohara, and our newest Bey tech, and assistant to Professor, Asaya Ninomiya."

"Hello," Ralf said. "It's a wonderful honor to meet you 2."

"Hi," Tsukiyo said, blinking.

"Hello," Asaya said with a smile.

SD Giancarlo blinked. "Are you related to Max or something? You ALWAYS smile, like he does all the time…"

SD Asaya shook her head, looking cute. "I'm sorry, it's just my nature."

The BBA Team and Team Europe went into the Ballroom proper. One side was designated as the buffet area, where several white tuxedoed waiters and servers bustled about, the waiters having circular trays in their raised hands, serving champagne and hors d' ouvres to the guests. They spotted Johnny McGregor sulking by his lonesome by one of the many groups that hung by the other side of the room, near the makeshift stage where an orchestra (^^;;) was preparing for later.

"Hey Johnny!" Max greeted him. "How are you?"

"I was doing great till you guys came along," Johnny replied with a boyish grin. "Hi."

"You've been sulking here for the last 5 hours already, why don't you go mingle with the rest of the guests?" Giancarlo asked him.

"I happen to like it here," Johnny replied. "Besides, I'm hiding from someone."

"His fiancee," Oliver added helpfully. "Her name's Lindsay Lancaster. She's SO pinched-up high society she makes all of us GAG."

"Huh?! You're going to get HITCHED?" SD Takao asked him, blinking.

"Yup, Father was becoming too disagreeable lately," Johnny replied with a little of his sulking demeanor coming back. "Don't ask me how I got engaged."

"She's a Lancastrian?" Asaya asked him.

"Pure and true," Johnny replied. "If Father's going to make one quip about me taking a trip to the House of Lords, I'm going to SCREAM."

"What's a Lancastrian?" Lei asked Asaya.

"They're a very old noble family, dating from the reign of Henry IV, who founded the House of Lancaster. They were England's ruling family from 1399 – 1461. They were famous for their involvement in the Wars of the Roses." Asaya nodded. "The Wars of the Roses were so called because of the respective emblems of each family involved in this 15th century English civil war: the white rose for the House of York, and the red rose for the House of Lancaster. The war ended with the establishment of the House of Tudor on the English throne."

"Wow," SD Takao said, blinking. "You sure know a lot of things…"

"Of course, she's the St. Ingrid's Convent prodigy." Pierre came up from behind Ralf, blinking. "We were beginning to worry if you guys got caught in a horrific traffic jam getting here. There's a huge group of young men barricading the entire highway just this instant."

"Pierre!" Asaya said, surprised.

"Hi," Pierre replied. He blinks. "I believe those young men call themselves as the 'Asaya Ninomiya Cheering Brigade'…"

"Oh dear," Asaya said, turning SD.

"Hello Vervain," Oliver said with a smile. "I was beginning to worry I won't be seeing you this particular night. I thought you locked yourself up in the pantry again."

"Pantry?" Kasi asked, blinking.

"You were being MEAN!" SD Pierre said, becoming fire engine red. "You said I was better off gone than have Asaya as my…as my…"

"Bride?" Max added hopefully.

SD Pierre blushed even more, then he went off towards the direction of the other Guild members, who looked quite dapper in their designer tuxedo suits. Ralf blinked.

"I didn't know the Guild would be here," he says with a frown.

"?" Takao was puzzled, seeing how the rest of Team Europe become tense at seeing the Guild.

"We'll talk to you guys later," Oliver said. "We're over next to the orchestra."

They left. Llewelyn went over to them and smiled apologetically.

"Did Pierre become disagreeable again? I'm sorry."

"Where did he go?" Lei asked.

"Scooted to a CR somewhere," Alphonse replied. "Don't worry, he'll come around. So, you guys came here without any major problems?"