In the Company of Hope Omake: The Kareoke Club "I don't know why we are actually going to this event." "Eterna... you promised Ayanami... can't back out." Eterna sighed,"But Eldrick." "Talk to the waggling finger. We are all going... the car is not going to suddenly drive passed the entrance or anything... we are all going... besides your costume looks lovely," Eldrick cackled from within his MegaMan/Rockman meets BubbleGum Crisis hardsuit. "Thanks RockBrain," muttered Eterna sullenly in his Starmaker costume. "Relax brother... it won't be all that bad... I dressed up too," Confusion posed in her Taiki outfit,"This'll be fun... and just think of all the girls that'll be there!" She elbowed him conspiratorially. "But this costume Margo made is embarrassing!!!" A girl who looked surprisingly like Urd piped in,"You could have gone naked you know. Like me... a few tweaks and I look just like Urd... of course I'm going clothed... but you could have decided against clothing... this place allows almost as much as that OTHER club." Eterna and Eldrick shivered. Tendrils of cotton draped over their shoulders suddenly,"Oh you poor dears... all cold... shall I put on my nurse's outfit, and speed you along to health!" "Please no Joy... and get your inju tentacles off of us will ya." Joy retrieved the false tentacles,"Eldy you're no fun. How about you Confusion..." "None of that... if we gotta go we aren't waiting on you two to stop your antics." The Kana for cruel scrolls by behind eye to eye duo. "Later," Joy mouthed. "Okay," Confusion replied. "Anyone seen my baton? I can't be Pretty Sammy without it." "Did you ask Noh-ohki, Astrala?" Asked a woman dressed like Iria. "Yeah Ardice I did... but she is NOT helpful... she does take bribes though she said." "Eldrick that's your department, carrot the furball." Eterna instinctively ducked away. Then sat back upright and sweatdropped. "I ought to turn the animatronic furball INTO a carrot and feed it to another cabbit. Noh-ohki... I have some carrots for you if you find Astrala's Pretty Sammy baton." Out popped the white bellied fuzzball with grey ear fur. "Raor!Raor!" Eldrick had to give it one carrot first... before it would look... then it soon found the baton and demanded 11 more in compensation. It belched contentedly from it's spot on Astrala's head. "My my Noh-ohki must be taking etiquette lessons from Haris." "Like you even know which fork is which Charhon." "I do to Haris!" "Could you two not argue tonight? You might rumple your costumes... and I had to beg Ryoko and Ayeka for hours to give those outfits up." Haris-Ryoko and Charhon-Ayeka subsided. "Good Work my Konei." "Now now I'm Pirouette tonight Gerard." "And I'm Ashram." "That you are," she giggled. Workbot gave her another injection while it drove us around the corner. Washuu said the antihormones might not be strong enough... but so far they were working. Margo subsided from smacking them over the head. She'd spent a DAY on each of their costumes and they weren't about to rip them off of each other. "Eld hun, you should have dressed as Dmitri... then we'd be a matched set." "But I've always wanted to wear this outfit somewhere, Ami..." "We should have both come as Roll to his Rock... Ami." "That would have been interesting Hope... but no... I like my Morrigan costume... and you are so kawaii as Lilith!" They giggled while Eldrick shook his head. Soon the car stopped and everyone stepped out except Eterna who tried to order workbot to keep driving. They joined others entering the club in a nice even flow to find tables. Eldrick had to stop and demonstrate his "Carrot Buster Gun" to the mascot population... or rather the cabbit population after Noh-ohki spilled the beans. Eterna and Confusion had to be dragged away from Ogling Ritsuko Akagi who was dressed in a plugsuit that she said she'd found the idea for in a KiSS set. The EVA Pilots had come as the cast of Baretsu Hunters... even if Shinji Ikari was an unamused Carrot Glaces... partially sue to Asuka's whip around his neck. As the seats were filling in, Misato, dressed interestingly enough as Captain Harlock, which cause stunned expressions throughout the audience, grabbed the microphone. "Ladies and Gentlemen... and Other," Joy writhed some tentacles and Misato shook her head,"Thank you all for coming out here for this event... the Kareoke will begin as soon as we are sure we've got everyone who wants to attend in the doors and seated. There is a 3 drink minimum SOP in this club, so drink up. ID will be checked or failing that a carbon dating," she paused as the audience chuckled,"Again thank you for stopping in to listen." The audience applauded... which got the last few tables towards the door filled as people hurried to get in for fear it had already begun. Joy stood up,"Hitting the bar what does everyone want?" "Three waters special for me," Chimed in Eldrick. \Tea, Ice water, and Hot coco made from a mix\ "Yuck... how about I just pick some things for everyone... I'll be nice ;)" "What's wrong with the 3 Waters Special?" "Eldy... it's bland, and you use too much sugar... if you need anything sweet we are here..." Confusion grinned,"Joy-chan no ecchi." "But of course!" Joy winked. "Argh this costume is so... so..." lamented Eterna. "Awesome!" said a mysterious voice behind the grumbling Eterna,"I'll give you a rose if you let me try it on!" Everyone actually looked at the newcomer now... a nice looking raven haired girl tipped the top hat of her Tuxedo Mask costume... and pushed her hair back into it. "Don't mind me,"she smiled. Eldrick willed Joy and Confusion to control themselves. He heard betting going on in his mind. Margo thought,"You know I'll let you try his costume on... if I can study yours for a few hours? Perhaps you two should exchange costumes." "I'm still wearing this you know! I don't really see how we could exchange costumes I heard the bathrooms are on opposite sides of the... Gracious!" The girls had obviously thought the swap was a brilliant idea... and was already halfway done stripping out of her outfit. Ami quirked an eyebrow and looked around... a few people were wearing body paint or less as their costumes... so she guessed that what this girls was doing was okay. "But we might not be able to fit into each other's costumes..." Eterna fought with watching her undress and trying to state that the situation was all wrong. "Stand up then," Ami said as if it was obvious. "Yeah yeah stand up next to her so we can compare you two," Astrala piped in giggling. "But I already looked him over when he came in..." Hope clapped her hands together,"Oh how cute you've both blushed to the same color," She paused,"Um Eterna... you can't change costumes with her unless you get out of yours." Haris and Margo chorused for his embarassment,"Take it off Take it off... ooh baby take it off." Haris burst out laughing at the expression on his face. A spotlight seemed to shine on Eterna as he slowly un costumed himself. Actually he did it really fast... but Joy warped the time back to a slower speed so that all the girls watching -at this and other tables- could get a clear decent -indecent?- view. By the time he was done the girl had finished untaping her breasts. Eldrick prayed that Joy and Confusion would let the poor girl be... he saw them making starry eyes at her and figured the girl was doomed. "Um here miss..." They seemed to share the spotlight for a brief and beautiful moment... that was shattered by Joy Confusion and Margo shouting for them to get to groping each other already and that they wanted a show. Blushing they passed the trade goods between them and quickly dressed -or would have if Joy wasn't making Setsuna angry again. All over the place cameras rolled, and flashbulbs went off. "Huh... What was that?" the girl looked around only to see alot of patrons suddenly interested in talking to their friends. "I could have sworn I saw a flash of light surrounding me and... Eterna... making it look like we were standing in a field of light. It was so cool!" "WOW Kasumi that costume looks much better on him then it did on you. And vice versa. Ack hold still or that could end up creasing..." This second new girl kneeled down and pulled on the cuff of Eterna's new pants. "There..." she smoothed the sides of his pants all the way to his hips, and stood back to admire,"now it's perfect." "Sunahama really... feeling the poor man up." "I was not Kasumi... and if I was it certainly wasn't as bad as you ogling him after you finished getting into his costume," said the sandy skinned sunblond who looked like she came as she was rather than wear a real costume. Of course the 2 piece suit she was almost wearing looked like it would dissolve in water. "Hahahahah you are such a kidder, Sunahama," she turned to wave at us when her sweatdrop vanished,"Thanks... my number is in the pants pocket so you can call about returning the costumes to their original owners. I made sure to write my name next to it so you don't forget." Kasumi and Sunahama went back to their table. "Looks like we are full now... so... On with the Show!" Misato announced from the stage microphone. "I'll get to those drinks," Joy chimed in and went off towards the bar... stopping at Kasumi and Sunahama's table to ask what they want... it looked like she said Eterna was their benefactor. He tried to climb into his tophat. "Strictly on the basis that I am First Child, I fear, I am first," Rei Ayanami. The crowd burst into applause, and quickly subsided as the pianist started the song. Rei waited and then picked up exactly when the vocal was supposed to start,"Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars...." The End.