Annie raised an eyebrow which was hidden behind her plague doctor mask.

"It sounds like you two have history. Is it fun history or the kind involving attempted murder?"

Having picked out a midnight blue dress and a matching eye-mask, she was all set to attend the mansion. Ever the pessimist, Ainsley wasn’t without reservations though, and as such she prepared herself accordingly. She strapped a .38 special to her thigh, hidden beneath her dress and stowed the rest of her gear in a rucksack which was hidden where it could easily be accessed in an emergancy.

Feeling confident in herself and her equipment, Ainsley entered the main hall of the mansion to find the other guests talking about murder.

Typical.

"There was a bit of fun involved," Delia replied cautiously, "but mainly it revolved around thirteen coma patients who eventually were found to have cases of lazarus syndrome accompanied by extreme hypoglycemia."

"So a little bit of both." Neal clarified with a brief smile before picking up a glass of wine offered to him by the butler. "Speaking of which, I hope such traumas are not part of the party favors this year."

"What, you think I'd leave the holodeck in one piece after all the work it took me to get your souls back? Do you know how many times I had to get my ex to give me a lift across the Styx so I could go back inside that dreadful machine?" Delia shook her head. "It's pretty well cleaned out, and I've scouted down every piece of spare tech that isn't operating the lights or somehow attached to the kitchen. That's all gone. There will be no realm jumping tonight, at least, if I have any say about it."

There were already people in the Mansion when Austyn arrived. Perfect, she thought. Maybe they won't notice if I just hide in the corner. She snagged a mask off a small table and put it on. Now, if there were any people from high school at the party, they wouldn't recognize her.

As it was, the other guests all seemed to be acquainted already. She was the odd one out. Again.

Bryan's children - and grandchildren - had no shortage of suggestions for his costume, but in the end he simply went with the casual "rugged outdoor" look - jeans, t-shirt, hiking boots.

Not exactly rugged though, he thought to himself, seeing his slender form reflected in the mirror.

He arrived at the Mansion in time to hear a woman he guessed was the hostess deep in conversation with other guests. He felt distinctly under-dressed but there was nothing for it now.

The group was gathered around champagne and appetizers. He made his way toward them, and while he didn't like to eavesdrop he couldn't help overhearing comments about a previous party.

Coma? Murder? What have I gotten myself into here?

Ainsley nabbed a glass of wine as the butler walked past, typically she wasnt one for alcohol but given the topic of the prominent conversation, she was inclined to oblige herself.

"So the rumors are true, then?" She asked with a bright smile, the redhead wasn't what you might call shy. In fact, she was about the polar opposite.

"If the rumor was that someone had decided to stash their personal horde of psychic pollen inside the old holodeck, or something similar to that, yes," Delia said curtly. "But no one was harmed, at least, not permanently harmed. Or in a way that an average person would define harm."

She paused for a moment, then took a sip from her champagne.

"Shutting up now," she finished. "Your turn."

"Glad to know you were thorough in your house cleaning, Delia. And thank you for retrieving our souls. I'm rather fond of this body and wasn't quite ready to move on yet." Neal finished just as a younger woman in a blue dress and a more average looking man approached.

The Darkling smiled as their hostess curtly answered the redheads question. While he wasn't completely sure whether or not anything life threatening would happen this night, it was sure to at least be entertaining.

Ainsley giggled a little bit, "I have an old friend who attended the ball last year, poor fella got really shook up. Serves him right for making bad life choices, who would want to be a cop in this town? Idiot. Anyways, I'm Ainsley. Nice to meet y'all."

Aron had awakened in a hospital bed, and he wasn't sure exactly why. As time went on, it became clear: Aron had been in a coma for three years, and no one really knew who he was. And neither did Aron, because he couldn't remember anything about his life.

It's kind of a shocking revelation to realize that you don't know who you are. The only helpful thing the hospital had for Aron was his name and the name of a relative--Spencer Gray. But that's where the trail died. Spencer, apparently Aron's brother, hadn't been heard from in weeks.

There was hope though, in the form of Aron's house, whose address was also listed on Aron's hospital records. So hope wasn't all lost--maybe he would be able to find clues about his life through there.

Once Aron was released from the hospital, he visited what he was told was his house; a nice little cottage in the city. It was clear the house had fallen into disuse and Aron marveled at the fact that it wasn't covered in graffiti.

Aron felt nothing exciting, no spark of a memory, even after staring at the house for a long time. So obviously, he did what any rational person would do--he checked his mail.

He started with the first envelope on top.

Greetings, Citizens of Ditto Town!
You are cordially invited to the second Ditto Town Charity Ball!
While this year’s ball will be a masquerade, feel free to come as you are. Extra masks will be available for those who do not have their own (and want one).
Please RSVP to reserve your spot at the Ball!

Aron had no idea who he was in his past life or why he was invited to the ball, but he might as well go. He checked the card again; the party was tonight. Maybe he could get there in time. Maybe people there would know him and have answers.

Aron hailed the next taxi.

Boo Kay wasn't the least bit disconcerted when a woman with heath-colored hair materialized out of thin air in front of the Inn Between registration desk. Boo had seen everything.

Doc quickly obtained a room key and went up stairs, too exhausted to exchange pleasantries. She had spent two days shoe-flying from Edoras to Rivendell. She had taken the the interplanetary portal, always a harrowing experience, from Rivendell to Yagodnoye, and then spent a day flying (shoe and plane) from Yagodnoye to Ditto Town.

ReeRee, who was less tired, could not help commenting, "I think I'm going to like Ditto Town. The people here seem to take everything in stride." Before ReeRee had even finished her sentence, Doc had collapsed on the bed.

ReeRee shrugged and then hopped downstairs to introduce herself to the locals.

All the talk of death was giving Austyn a headache. Or maybe that was because she had sudden visions of dying and leaving her beloved cat-dog alone in the world with only a freezer full of pizza rolls to eat. Not that the cat-dog could open the freezer, but if it could, that's all it would find to eat.

She sat down and pressed a shaky hand to her forehead. "I don't feel so good," she muttered under her breath, and then louder, "Must be low blood sugar. Does anyone have any twizzlers?"

"Cops definitely have a hard knock life here," Delia agreed. "Nice to meet you too."

She glanced around the room, studying the new arrivals, before hearing some small talk of Twizzlers.

"Oooh! Twizzlers sound good!" Delia exclaimed. "I know they have lots of snacks on trays floating around, but I'm sure I've hidden some somewhere."

Delia finished her drink, set it on a passing tray, and then leaped up, vanishing out the door. She returned a few minutes later, a full container in her hands. She twisted the top off, and offered some to Austyn.